Natural course of poorly defined choroidal neovascularization associated with macular degeneration.

We obtained follow-up data on 84 eyes with age-related macular degeneration and poorly defined angiographic leakage presumed to represent choroidal neovascularization. A poorly defined neovascular membrane was presumed to be present when subsensory retinal fluid was present in association with choroidal leakage on fluorescein angiography and in which the extent of leakage was not well defined. Among the 84 eyes, the average initial visual acuity was 20/80. In 75 (89%) of 84 eyes, the leakage involved the foveal center at initial presentation. At follow-up (average, 28 months; range, six to 53 months), the average visual acuity was 20/250; the final acuity declined at least three but less than six lines in 18 eyes (21%) and six or more lines in 35 eyes (42%). There was a statistically significant difference in the percentage of eyes that developed moderate or severe visual loss among eyes that progressed to disciform scarring compared with eyes that continued to manifest poorly defined leakage without evidence of scarring. Given that most severe visual loss associated with macular degeneration can be attributed to consequences of neovascular membranes and that many membranes associated with age-related macular degeneration are poorly defined, our study results support the possibility that poorly defined neovascular membranes represent a major cause of severe visual loss among the elderly in the United States.

Neuropsychological correlates of psychopathology in an unselected cohort of young adolescents.

Members of a birth cohort were assessed for psychopathology and neuropsychological dysfunction at age 13. Ss who met DSM-III criteria for a single disorder, multiple disorders, and no disorder were compared on 5 composite neuropsychological measures. The multiple disorders group performed significantly worse than did the nondisordered group on the Verbal, Visuospatial, Verbal Memory, and Visual-Motor Integration factors. They also showed the highest rate of neuropsychological impairment. The attention-deficit disorder group performed significantly worse than did the nondisordered group on the Verbal Memory and Visual-Motor Integration factors, and the anxiety disorder group performed significantly worse than did the nondisordered group on the Visual-Motor Integration factor. Results suggest that neuropsychological dysfunction is more often associated with multiple rather than single, psychiatric disorders in adolescents. The problem of comorbidity in studies of neuropsychological function in childhood and adolescent psychopathology is highlighted.

Stereotype efficiency reconsidered: encoding flexibility under cognitive load?

According to the encoding flexibility model, stereotypes are efficient because they facilitate, in different ways, the encoding of both stereotype-consistent and stereotype-inconsistent information when capacity is low. Because stereotypical information is conceptually fluent, it may be easily understood, even when resources are scant. As a result, processing resources may shift from stereotypical toward counterstereotypical information, which is difficult to comprehend under such conditions. Thus, whereas inconsistent information receives greater attention (Experiments 1-3) and perceptual encoding (Experiment 4) when resources are depleted, the conceptual meaning of consistent information is extracted to a greater degree under such conditions (Experiment 5). Potential moderating roles of stereotype strength and perceiver motivations are discussed, as are the implications of these results for dual process models of stereotyping.

Smooth pursuit eye movements, schizophrenia, and distraction.

This study tested whether smooth pursuit eye-movement dysfunctions, prevalent in a large population of schizophrenic patients, are distinguishable from impaired pursuit induced in normals by a distracting task. Results showed clear qualitative and quantitative distinctions between records of 23 distracted normals and those of 15 schizophrenics.

The picture exchange communication system.

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) was developed as a means to teach children with autism and related developmental disabilities a rapidly acquired, self-initiating, functional communication system. Its theoretical roots combine principles from applied behavior analysis and guidelines established within the field of alternative and augmentative communication. This approach has several potential advantages relative to imitation-based strategies (both vocal and gestural) and symbol selection strategies. The system begins with the exchange of simple icons but rapidly builds "sentence" structure. The system also emphasizes developing the request function prior to developing responding to simple questions and commenting. The development of requesting with a sentence structure also permits the rapid development of attributes more traditionally taught within a receptive mode. The relationship between the introduction of PECS and various other behavioral issues (i.e., social approach and behavior management) as well as its relationship to the codevelopment of speech are reviewed.