Behavioural neurology
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Behavioural neurology · Jan 2015
Neurophysiological Indicators of Residual Cognitive Capacity in the Minimally Conscious State.
The diagnostic usefulness of electrophysiological methods in assessing disorders of consciousness (DoC) remains to be established on an individual patient level, and there is need to determine what constitutes robust experimental paradigm to elicit electrophysiological indices of covert cognitive capacity. ⋯ ERP paradigms involving actively counting SON represent a robust paradigm in probing for volitional cognition in minimally conscious patients and add important diagnostic information in some patients.
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Behavioural neurology · Jan 2015
Loss in Executive Functioning Best Explains Changes in Pain Responsiveness in Patients with Dementia-Related Cognitive Decline.
There is ample evidence that dementia changes the processing of pain. However, it is not known whether this change in pain processing is related to the general decline in cognitive functioning or whether it may be related to specific domains of cognitive functioning. With the present study we tried to answer this question. ⋯ Variance in pain responsiveness (NFR and facial expressions) was best explained by those items assessing executive functioning even when controlling for overall cognitive performance and memory functioning. The close association between executive functioning and pain responsiveness suggests that dementia-related neurodegeneration in prefrontal areas might result not only in reduced executive functioning but also in a loss of pain inhibitory potency, rendering the patient more vulnerable to pain. Our findings also suggest that pain assessment in dementia should be regularly completed by tests of cognitive functions.
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Behavioural neurology · Jan 2015
Attitudes toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration in Pediatric Workers and Undergraduate Medical/Nursing Students.
The purpose of this study was to compare the attitudes of pediatric workers and undergraduate medical/nursing students toward collaboration. Attitude toward collaboration was measured using an adaptation of the Jefferson Scale of Attitude toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration. ⋯ Among the participants of PIS, the pediatricians obtained the highest mean scores, while, among the participants of NIS, the pediatric nurses got higher mean scores than nursing interns. It is desirable that medical and nurse schools should include interprofessional education in their curriculum to increase the understanding of the complementary roles of physicians and nurses and to encourage establishment of an interdependent relationship between them.
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Behavioural neurology · Jan 2015
Personal Strengths and Health Related Quality of Life in Dementia Caregivers from Latin America.
The research literature has begun to demonstrate associations between personal strengths and enhanced psychosocial functioning of dementia caregivers, but these relationships have not been examined in the context of dementia caregivers in Latin America. The present study examined whether personal strengths, including resilience, optimism, and sense of coherence, were associated with mental and physical health related quality of life (HRQOL) in 130 dementia caregivers in Mexico and Argentina. ⋯ In comparison, the personal strengths together accounted for 8.9% of the variance in caregiver physical HRQOL, and only sense of coherence yielded a unique effect. These results underscore the need to construct and disseminate empirically supported interventions based in part on important personal strengths, particularly sense of coherence, for this underrepresented group.