Interaction between cognitive style and school environment: consequences on self-evaluated anxiety and depression.

This study investigated the effect of the interaction between cognitive style (CS) and school environment on self-perceived anxiety and depression. Two groups of 280 students each--one attending Fine Arts school and the other one Humanities school--were evaluated. CS was assessed by Preference Test, a paper-and-pencil test providing a measure of the extent to which individuals rely on the cognitive processes of each hemisphere. Anxiety and depression were assessed by a visual-analogue scale. Right-CS was associated to higher depressive tendencies than left-CS, and a similar but not significant pattern was observed for anxiety. A significant interaction between CS and school environment was found, i.e., the more the CS was in consonance with the environment cognitive demands, the less depressive tendencies were present, and vice versa.

Sex differences in EEG correlates of a self-reported measure of hemisphere preference.

The present study explored sex differences in hemisphere preference (HP) assessed by the Preference Test (PT) and its EEG correlates. PT is a paper-and-pencil test designed to measure the extent of individuals relaying on right-hemisphere or left-hemisphere cognition. "Study 1" verified sex differences in HP only among subjects with statistical significant differences between mean and/or median of right- respect to left-HP abilities scores. No sex differences in the frequency of right- and left-HP among the 16 to 17% of a cohort of 1,057 young subjects (473 men and 584 women) with a significant HP were registered. Minimal sex-differences were observed in relation to the magnitude of PT score. "Study 2" verified on 34 healthy adults (22 women and 12 men) the sex differences in correlation between PT-defined HP and a more direct index of hemisphere activation such as the alpha power asymmetry derived from resting EEG (vertex reference). In both sexes, PT scores were found to be related with frontal (0.54 women, 0.69 men), but not parietal, alpha power asymmetries. Higher positive correlation of PT score with frontal alpha ratios was reported in both sexes when the median difference of right- respect to left-HP abilities scores in PT score calculation was used. Overall, this study confirmed and extended the evidence on the association between PT-defined HP and frontal, but not parietal, alpha power asymmetries. No significant sex differences were registered in this pattern.

Neuroprotective effects of low-doses of aspirin.

Aspirin appears to have a neuroprotective role against glutamate excitotoxicity. In fact, recent animal studies have demonstrated the neuroprotective role of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) against glutamatergic excitants. It has been pointed out that ASA is neuroprotective against hypoxic hypoxia, chemical hypoxia and also delays the decline of intracellular ATP. Prostaglandins may cause convulsions and high-doses of aspirin appear to protect neurons from excitotoxicity. A case is reported of a woman whose electroencephalogram (EEG) abnormalities reversed and whose psychological symptomatology regressed after treatment with low-doses of aspirin. This appears to be the first description of a disappearance of EEG abnormalities with low-doses of aspirin. The neuroprotective effect of ASA could be of extreme importance in metabolic neuronal disfunction, reversing both clinical symptoms and EEG genetic anomalies: it is probably due to transient neurotransmitter concentration disequilibrium caused by subclinical hypoxic cortical suffering. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Low doses of liquorice can induce hypertension encephalopathy.

Prolonged ingestion of liquorice is a well-known cause of hypertension due to hypermineralocorticoidism. We describe 2 cases of hypertension encephalopathy (in addition to the classical symptoms of hypertension, hypokalemia and suppression of the renin-aldosterone system) which resulted in pseudohyperaldosteronism syndrome due to the regular daily intake of low doses of liquorice. Glycyrrhizic acid, a component of liquorice, produces both hypermineralocorticism and the onset of encephalopathy through the inhibition of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. Hypertension encephalopathy due to the daily intake of low doses of liquorice, however, has not been previously documented. It is proposed that some people could be susceptible to low doses of glycyrrhizic acid because of a 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency.

Sex differences in hemisphere preference as assessed by a paper-and-pencil test.

The present study examined sex differences in hemisphere preference (HP) assessed by the Preference Test (PT). This instrument is designed to measure the extent to which normal subjects rely on right-hemisphere or left-hemisphere cognition. Factor analysis on the total sample (N = 1,057; 473 men and 584 women) revealed a clear two-factor structure (i.e., left-HP and right-HP), although separate analyses for men and women suggest that this structure is more straightforward in men than in women. The main differences between men and women have to do with PT items relevant to language abilities, where women tend to be more symmetrically distributed across the two factors. However, the frequency of right- and left-HP is similar in men and women and does not change for men when PT scores are recalculated after removal of unspecific items. Furthermore, once the items that assess verbal abilities were excluded, the corrected PT value for women showed higher right-HP. Our results provide some indications of a less pronounced lateralization of hemisphere-linked cognitive abilities in women.

Sex Differences in Hemisphere Preference As Assessed by a Paper-and-Pencil Test.

The present study examined sex differences in hemisphere preference (HP) assessed by the Preference Test (PT). This instrument is designed to measure the extent to which normal subjects rely on right-hemisphere or left-hemisphere cognition. Factor analysis on the total sample (N=1,057; 473 men and 584 women) revealed a clear two-factor structure (i.e., left-HP and right-HP), although separate analyses for men and women suggest that this structure is more straightforward in men than in women. The main differences between men and women have to do with PT items relevant to language abilities, where women tend to be more symmetrically distributed across the two factors. However, the frequency of right- and left-HP is similar in men and women and does not change for men when PT scores are recalculated after removal of unspecific items. Furthermore, once the items that assess verbal abilities were excluded, the corrected PT value for women showed higher right-HP. Our results provide some indications of a less pronounced lateralization of hemisphere-linked cognitive abilities in women.