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Retention Test (retention + test)
Kinds of Retention Test Selected AbstractsPsychological functioning and health-related quality of life in adulthood after preterm birthDEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 8 2007Stuart R Dalziel FRACP PhD The aim of this study was to determine if preterm birth is associated with socioeconomic status (SES), psychological functioning, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adulthood. We used prospective follow-up of 192 adult offspring of mothers who took part in a randomized controlled trial of antenatal betamethasone for the prevention of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (66 born at term [33 males, 33 females] 126 born preterm [66 males, 60 females]). Cognitive functioning was assessed using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. Working memory and attention was assessed using the Benton Visual Retention Test, the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test, and the Brown Attention Deficit Disorder Scale. Psychiatric morbidity was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory II, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Schizotypy Traits Questionnaire. Handedness was assessed using the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. HRQoL was assessed using the Short Form-36 Health Survey. Moderately preterm birth (median gestation 34wks, mean birthweight 1946g [SD 463g]) was not related to later marital status, educational attainment, SES, cognitive functioning, working memory, attention, or symptoms of anxiety or schizotypy at 31 years of age. Preterm birth was associated with fewer symptoms of depression and higher levels of satisfaction in three of the eight HRQoL domains measured (bodily pain, general health perception, and social functioning). Adults who were born moderately preterm have SES, psychological functioning, and HRQoL consistent with those who were born at term. This good long-term outcome cannot be extrapolated to those with early childhood disability or very low birthweights. [source] Evaluation of the Bromosulfophthalein 30-Minute Retention Test for the Diagnosis of Hepatic Disease in DogsJOURNAL OF VETERINARY INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue 6 2000Bente Flatland The purpose of this study was to evaluate efficacy of bromosulfophthalein (BSP) retention testing in dogs with and without histopathologically confirmed hepatobiliary disease. Medical records of 150 dogs with hepatobiliary disease having both a BSP test and hepatic biopsy were retrieved. Histopathologic slides of liver tissue were reviewed, and dogs were classified according to 1 of 11 histopathologic categories. Twenty-five clinically normal random-source dogs were used as controls for hepatic biopsy and BSP testing. No dogs suffered adverse effects due to BSP administration. BSP retention was significantly (P < .05) higher in hospitalized (13.9%) than control (3.2%) dogs, but the test could not distinguish between hospitalized dogs with different types of hepatobiliary disease. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of BSP retention as a test for hepatic disease were calculated. Using 5.0% as a cutoff for normal BSP retention resulted in a specificity of 88% and a sensitivity of 76%. Using 6.0% as a cutoff for normal BSP retention resulted in a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 70%. Dogs of this study having BSP retention of >6% had at least an 86% chance of having an abnormal liver. We concluded that continued use of BSP retention testing is warranted as a noninvasive diagnostic test for liver disease in dogs. [source] Exploratory eye movements during the Benton Visual Retention Test: Characteristics of visual behavior in schizophreniaPSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 4 2003Shigeru Obayashi Abstract In order to investigate the relationship between the behavioral patterns and clinical symptomatology in schizophrenia, exploratory eye movements of schizophrenic subjects and healthy controls during the Benton Visual Retention Test were examined using an eye-mark recorder. The results were as follows: (i) with card 1, the number of eye fixations of schizophrenic subjects was fewer, and the total and mean eye scanning lengths of schizophrenic subjects were shorter than those of healthy controls; (ii) with card 3, almost none of the schizophrenic subjects looked at the blank area opposite the peripheral figure on the right; (iii) with cards 3, 5, 6 and 9 there were some schizophrenic subjects who did not look at the peripheral figures; (iv) with card 6, many of the schizophrenic subjects made stereotypical movements; (v) with card 9, schizophrenic subjects used a narrow vertical gaze to look at the large figure on the right. Based on these characteristics among the schizophrenic subjects themselves, factors such as longer eye scanning length, looking at peripheral figures without fail, and not making stereotypical movements were reflected directly in the results of the Benton test, while there was no relationship between the width of the vertical gaze and the Benton results. Correlations between visual behavior and some psychiatric symptoms were observed. The visual behavioral patterns of schizophrenic subjects were various according to the characteristics of the Benton figures, while those of normal subjects were always almost the same. It was suggested that these results were caused by disturbances of the mental attitude of schizophrenic subjects toward objects or environments. [source] Cognitive impairment in patients suffering from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis with EDSS , 3.5ACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 5 2003R. M. Ruggieri Objectives , Previous papers have mainly demonstrated the presence and the frequency of cognitive impairment in patients suffering from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate subjects with the relapsing-remitting form of the disease and mild clinical disability (EDSS , 3.5), so as to quantify this deficit when the illness does not yet interfere with daily living and the ability to work. Methods , Fifty patients and 50 healthy controls were submitted to a wide neuropsychological battery, including Wechsler Memory Scale , I- (WMS), Benton Visual Retention Test , D- (BVRT), Raven Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM), Kohs' test (KT), Judgement of Lines Orientation , H- (JLO), Facial Recognition (FR) and Aachner Aphasie Test (AAT). They also underwent Clinical Depression Scale (CDQ) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Results , The results show the presence of significant memory impairment on both WMS (P = 0.000) and BVRT (P = 0.000) in patients compared with controls. Patients were also impaired in abstract reasoning and problem-solving deficit (KT P = 0.003; RCPM P = 0.000) and in FR (P = 0.019). Cognitive decline correlated with illness duration (r = 0.761), but was independent of EDSS (r = 0.085). Conclusion , Cognitive decline was present even when physical disability was not yet severe, but it was mild and did not limit patients' ability to work. The cognitive impairment outlined was of the subcortical type and correlated with illness duration. This study emphasizes the importance of cognitive examination in clinical practice. It is suggested that a complete neurological examination include tests on memory and abstract reasoning. [source] Selective lesions of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons produce anterograde and retrograde deficits in a social transmission of food preference task in ratsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 6 2002Anna Vale-Martínez Abstract We examined the performance of Long-Evans rats with 192 IgG-saporin lesions of the medial septum/vertical limb of the diagonal band (MS/VDB) or nucleus basalis magnocellularis/substantia innominata (NBM/SI), which removed cholinergic projections mainly to hippocampus or neocortex, respectively. We studied the effects of these lesions on anterograde and retrograde memory for a natural form of hippocampal-dependent associative memory, the social transmission of food preference. In a study of anterograde memory, MS/VDB lesions did not affect the immediate, 24-h or 3-week retention of the task. In contrast, NBM/SI lesions severely impaired immediate and 24-h retention. In a study of retrograde memory in which rats acquired the food preference 5 days or 1 day before surgery and they were tested 10,11 days after surgery, MS/VDB-lesioned rats showed striking memory deficits for the preference acquired at a long delay (5 days) before surgery, although all lesioned rats exhibited poorer retention on both retest sessions than on their pretest performance. Subsequent testing of new anterograde learning in these rats revealed no disrupting effects of lesions on a standard two-choice test. When rats were administered a three-choice test, in which the target food was presented along with two more options, NBM/SI-lesioned rats were somewhat impaired on a 24-h retention test. These results provide evidence that NBM/SI and MS/VDB cholinergic neurons are differentially involved in a social memory task that uses olfactory cues, suggesting a role for these neurons in acquisition and consolidation/retrieval of nonspatial declarative memory. [source] Effect kinetics of desmopressin-induced platelet retention in healthy volunteers treated with aspirin or placeboHAEMOPHILIA, Issue 1 2000Lethagen Desmopressin is often used for haemostatic treatment in platelet dysfunction, but the effect kinetics of platelet responses and the mechanism of action are poorly known. This study aimed to determine the kinetics of platelet function responses induced by desmopressin in healthy volunteers treated with aspirin or placebo. Another aim was to correlate platelet responses to changes of von Willebrand factor (vWF) in plasma. We measured platelet function with a glass bead retention test, Ivy bleeding time, vWF:Ag and multimeric structure in plasma. Median baseline platelet retention was 12% (normal reference range 16,27%) during aspirin treatment and 18% during placebo. Median peak platelet retention after desmopressin was 33% during aspirin treatment and 34% during placebo. After about 3 h platelet function had returned to baseline. A second desmopressin dose after 3 h stimulated platelet retention to a similar extent as the first dose. There was no correlation between platelet responses and quantitative or qualitative changes of vWF in plasma. Platelet count did not change significantly. Thus, desmopressin's effect on platelet function lasts for about 3 h, but may be prolonged by a second dose immediately thereafter. These findings may have important clinical implications for patients with aspirin-induced platelet dysfunction undergoing surgery. [source] Context-dependent effects of hippocampal damage on memory in the shock-probe testHIPPOCAMPUS, Issue 1 2005Hugo Lehmann Abstract We assessed the role of the hippocampus in anterograde memory, using the shock-probe test. Rats with sham or neurotoxic lesions of the hippocampus were given a shock-probe acquisition session during which each time they contacted a probe they received a shock; 24 h later, the rats were given a second shock-probe session to test their retention, but in this instance the probe was not electrified. Rats were tested in either the same context as the one used during acquisition or in a different context. The hippocampal lesions impaired avoidance of the probe and burying on the retention test, suggesting that the lesions induced anterograde amnesia. However, the impairment was context dependent. The hippocampal lesions impaired avoidance only when the rats were tested in the context in which they received the conditioning. The results of the shock-probe test suggest that the anterograde amnesia following hippocampal lesions is due mainly to an inability to associate the context with the shock more than to an inability to associate the probe with shock. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Fast Mapping but Poor Retention by 24-Month-Old InfantsINFANCY, Issue 2 2008Jessica S. Horst Four experiments explored the processes that bridge between referent selection and word learning. Twenty-four-month-old infants were presented with several novel names during a referent selection task that included both familiar and novel objects and tested for retention after a 5-min delay. The 5-min delay ensured that word learning was based on retrieval from long-term memory. Moreover, the relative familiarity of objects used during the retention test was explicitly controlled. Across experiments, infants were excellent at referent selection, but very poor at retention. Although the highly controlled retention test was clearly challenging, infants were able to demonstrate retention of the first 4 novel names presented in the session when referent selection was augmented with ostensive naming. These results suggest that fast mapping is robust for reference selection but might be more transient than previously reported for lexical retention. The relations between reference selection and retention are discussed in terms of competitive processes on 2 timescales: competition among objects on individual referent selection trials and competition among multiple novel name,object mappings made across an experimental session. [source] Using pop-up windows to improve multimedia learningJOURNAL OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING, Issue 2 2006S. Erhel Abstract The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effects on learning of the spatial integration of textual information incorporated into illustrations in the form of pop-up windows that are opened by the user. Three groups of students viewed illustrated texts depicting the functioning of the heart and the replication of the AIDS virus either with textual information presented below the picture, with textual information integrated within the picture, or with textual information integrated within the picture with pop-up windows. The results showed that the integrated formats were more effective than the separated format when we tested the retention of textual information, comprehension and the matching of textual elements to the appropriate illustrated elements. Furthermore, they indicated that the group working with pop-up windows performed better than the integrated groups on the retention test for illustrated information as well as when asked to find correct solutions to problems in a comprehension test. Consequently, these findings support the use of pop-up windows in learning with this kind of illustrated explanatory text. [source] Research on aging using brain imaging and cognitive tests over 6 years in 145 healthy elderly subjectsPSYCHOGERIATRICS, Issue 4 2008Hirohide KADA Abstract Background:, Changes over a period of 10 years in the cognitive function, head magnetic resonance imaging findings, and daily life of approximately 300 healthy elderly subjects were determined. As part of the larger 10-year study, changes are reported herein over a period of 6 years for 145 individuals. Methods:, One hundred and forty-five healthy elderly subjects were divided into two groups: (i) those who were 69 years of age or younger at the start of the study (Group A); and (ii) those who were 70 years of age or older (Group B). Results:, Changes over time in Benton's visual retention test (BVRT) and enhanced cued recall (ECR), both of which rely mainly on subjects memorizing figures, were seen in Group B. With the coding test, the results from the second phase (initial test) showed differences according to initial age; in addition, the differences became greater with aging. It appears that work speed is reduced with increasing age. Conclusion:, The results of the BVRT and ECR suggest that enlargement of the Sylvian fissure and atrophy of the temporal lobe are indicators of deterioration of memory. [source] Questioning as an instructional method: Does it affect learning from lectures?APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2009Julie Campbell What can be done to improve student engagement and learning in college lectures? One approach is to ask questions that students answer during the lecture. In two lab experiments, students received a 25-slide PowerPoint lecture in educational psychology that included four inserted multiple-choice questions (questioning group) or four corresponding statements (control group). Students in the questioning group used a personal response system (PRS), in which they responded to questions using a hand-held remote control, saw a graph displaying the percentage of students voting for each answer, and heard the teacher provide an explanation for the correct answer. Students in the control group received the corresponding slide as a statement and heard the teacher provide an explanation. The questioning group outperformed the control group on a retention test in Experiment 1 (d,=,1.23) and on a transfer test in Experiment 2 (d,=,0.74), but not on other tests. The results are consistent with a generative theory of learning, and encourage the appropriate use of questioning as an instructional method. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] RESEARCH: Zopiclone (Cyclopyrrolone): A Novel Hypnosedative; Hypnosedation Caused by Zopiclone Does Not Impair Memory-Learning in Albino MiceCNS: NEUROSCIENCE AND THERAPEUTICS, Issue 5 2010Uma Kadam SUMMARY Objectives: To evaluate hypnosedative action of Zopiclone by using animal models for hypnosis and sedation (anxiolysis); and to further evaluate whether this hypnosedation impairs memory-learning in albino mice like conventional hypnosedatives. Methods: For evaluation of hypnosedation, following experiments were performed in albino mice: (1) righting reflex test, (2) pentobarbitone sleeping time potentiation, (3) open field apparatus behavior, and (4) elevated plus maze performance. For evaluation of effects on impairment of memory-learning, elevated plus maze retention test was performed in albino mice. Results: Zopiclone (7.5 mg/kg p.o.) did not inhibit the righting reflex. Significant (P < 0.001) potentiation of pentobarbitone sleeping time and increase in exploration in open field apparatus was observed. Elevated plus maze performance also showed significant (P < 0.01) increase in number of entries to open arm at the same time significant (P < 0.02) increase in time spent in open arm was observed. Elevated plus maze retention test showed significant (P < 0.01) increase in transfer latency on second day of experiment. Conclusions: Zopiclone (7.5 mg/kg p.o.) has selective hypnosedative activity but not CNS-depressant activity similar to BZDs. Hypnosedative action of Zopiclone does not impair memory-learning in albino mice like conventional hypnosedatives. [source] Biofeedback for foot offloading in diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathyDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 1 2010Z. Pataky Diabet. Med. 27, 61,64 (2010) Abstract Aims, The reduction of high plantar pressure in diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy is mandatory for prevention of foot ulcers and amputations. We used a new biofeedback-based method to reduce the plantar pressure at an at-risk area of foot in diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy. Methods, Thirteen diabetic patients (age 60.8 ± 12.3 years, body mass index 29.0 ± 5.0 kg/m2) with peripheral neuropathy of the lower limbs were studied. Patients with memory impairment were excluded. The portable in-shoe foot pressure measurement system (PEDAR®) was used for foot offloading training by biofeedback. The learning procedure consisted in sequences of walking (10 steps), each followed by a subjective estimation of performance and objective feedback. The goal was to achieve three consecutive walking cycles of 10 steps, with a minimum of seven steps inside the range of 40,80% of the baseline peak plantar pressure. The peak plantar pressure was assessed during the learning period and at retention tests. Results, A significant difference in peak plantar pressure was recorded between the beginning and the end of the learning period (when the target for plantar pressure was achieved) (262 ± 70 vs. 191 ± 53 kPa; P = 0.002). The statistically significant difference between the beginning of learning and all retention tests persisted, even at the 10-day follow-up. Conclusions, Terminal augmented feedback training may positively affect motor learning in diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy and could possibly lead to suitable foot offloading. Additional research is needed to confirm the maintenance of offloading in the long term. [source] Effect of augmented visual feedback from a virtual reality simulation system on manual dexterity trainingEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 1 2005E. Wierinck Little research has been published about the impact of simulation technology on the learning process of novel motor skills. Especially the role of augmented feedback (FB) on the quality of performance and the transfer of the acquired behaviour to a no-augmented FB condition require further investigation. Therefore, novice dental students were randomly assigned to one of three groups and given the task of drilling a geometrical class 1 cavity. The FB group trained under augmented visual FB conditions, provided by the virtual reality (VR) system (DentSimTM). The no-FB group practised under normal vision conditions, in the absence of augmented FB. A control group performed the test sessions without participating in any training programme. All preparations were evaluated by the VR grading system according to four traditional (outline shape, floor depth, floor smoothness and wall inclination), and two critical, criteria (pulp exposure and damage to adjacent teeth). Performance analyses revealed an overall trend towards significant improvement with training for the experimental groups. The FB group obtained the highest scores. It scored better for floor depth (P < 0.001), whilst the no-FB group was best for floor smoothness (P < 0.005). However, at the retention tests, the FB group demonstrated inferior performance in comparison with the no-FB group. The transfer test on a traditional unit revealed no significant differences between the training groups. Consequently, drilling experience on a VR system under the condition of frequently provided FB and lack of any tutorial input was considered to be not beneficial to learning. The present data are discussed in view of the guidance hypothesis of FB, which refers to the apprentice's dependence on FB. [source] Requirement of NMDA receptor reactivation for consolidation and storage of nondeclarative taste memory revealed by inducible NR1 knockoutEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 3 2005Zhenzhong Cui Abstract We employed an inducible, reversible and region-specific gene knockout technique to investigate the requirements for cortical NMDA receptors (NMDAR) during the various stages (acquisition, consolidation and storage, and retrieval) of nondeclarative, hippocampal-independent memory in mice using a conditioned taste aversion memory paradigm. Here we show that temporary knockout of the cortical NMDAR during either the learning or postlearning consolidation stage, but not during the retrieval stage, causes severe performance deficits in the 1-month taste memory retention tests. More importantly, we found that the consolidation and storage of the long-term nondeclarative taste memories requires cortical NMDAR reactivation. Thus, the dynamic engagement of the NMDAR during the postlearning stage leads us to postulate that NMDAR reactivation-mediated synaptic re-entry reinforcement is crucial for overcoming the destabilizing effects intrinsic to synaptic protein turnover and for achieving consolidation and storage of nondeclarative memories in the brain. [source] |