Cortical activity involved in perception and imagery of visual stimuli in a subject with aphantasia. An EEG case report.

Aphantasia has been described as the inability to voluntarily evoke mental images using the "mind's eye." We studied a congenital aphantasic subject using neuropsychological testsand 64 channel EEG recordings, in order to studycortical activity involved in perception and imagery evaluating event-related potentials(N170, P200, N250). The subject is in the normal range of the neuropsychological tests performed, except for specific imagery tests. The EEG results show that when he evokes the same mental image, he starts the evoking process from left temporal instead of frontal areas, he does not activate occipital visual nor left anterior parietal areas.

Feasibility and Preliminary Effects of Implementing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Inpatients With Psychotic-Spectrum Disorders in a Clinical Psychiatric Intensive Care Setting.

The aim of this study was to adapt Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Inpatients (ACT-IN) for implementation in a typical hospital setting to prepare for a larger clinical trial. The sample consisted of 26 inpatients diagnosed with psychotic-spectrum disorders. Using an open trial design, patients received individual and group ACT-IN sessions during their stay. We assessed the feasibility/acceptability of ACT-IN and preliminary changes on patient outcomes at baseline, discharge, and 4-month follow-up. We successfully recruited and retained participants as planned. Patients reported satisfaction with treatment, and routine hospital staff showed adoption and fidelity to the intervention. Relative to baseline, patients demonstrated significant improvements in symptoms and functioning across the 4-month follow-up. The current study shows that ACT-IN may be feasible and acceptable for inpatients with psychotic disorders in a psychiatric intensive care setting and should be tested in a future effectiveness-implementation trial.

The influence of cognitive reserve on memory following electroconvulsive therapy.

Cognitive reserve (CR) theory proposes that certain genetic and nonacquired variables, such as larger head size and greater neuronal density, and some life experiences, such as higher educational and occupational attainment, provide a buffer against brain dysfunction in the face of acquired central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction. This study examined CR in the pseudoexperimental paradigm of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Subjects included fifty (N = 50) depressed patients treated with bilateral ECT. Subjects were placed in high (n = 27) or low (n = 23) CR groups based on years of education and occupational attainment. At baseline, no significant differences were observed between the groups in the amount of information forgotten on a verbal memory measure (Randt stories) after a 30-minute delay. Following three ECT treatments, however, the high CR group forgot significantly less information after a 30-minute delay, as compared to the low CR group (p < 0.01). These data provide further support for CR theory and suggest that CR may be an underlying factor in differential memory loss in ECT.