Some recent applications of clinical psychophysiology

The usefulness of psychophysiology in the maintenance of cognitive life

In connection with the 14th World Congress of Psychophysiology--the Olympics of the Brain--IOP2008, held in my native Sankt-Petersburg, I am happy to state that the conceptualization of Psychophysiology as forming the objective scientific bases upon which the investigation and understanding of human cognitive and emotional processes became possible, was born in this country in 1886, under the wise leadership and personal initiatives of my Grandfather, the great Vladimir Michailovich Bechterev, whose contribution in the Experimental and Clinical Psychophysiology and Human Brain Sciences have been invaluable. The purpose of my present essay is to share with you some of my views and thoughts about the importance of Psychophysiology for the maintenance of daily intellectual life from childhood to adulthood and through the aging process.

Neuronal plasticity in memory and learning abilities: theoretical position and selective review

Neural plasticity of modality-nonspecific and modality-specific memory and learning abilities pertains to fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence, respectively. The limbic system with the novelty neurons of the hippocampus interacts with the prefrontal cortex optimization of the orienting reflex and voluntary attention. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor produced by novelty neurons of the hippocampus contributes to long-term memory formation and improves learning abilities in a wide range of disciplines. Synergistic combination of stimulation with "analytical-specific visual perceptual patterns" and "optimally high" physiological activation of the bilateral electrodermal system optimizes the limbic system and prefrontal cortex activity as demonstrated by enhanced prefrontal N450 ERPs to a memory workload paradigm. This is accompanied by improvements in auditory retention tasks, word memorization, higher school achievement and marks, and an amelioration of "analytical-specific perceptual skills" as measured by the Mangina-Test. Intracerebral ERPs to a memory workload paradigm contributed to the elucidation of limbic structures and neocortical sites involved in memory workload processes. The progressive degeneration of these same structures causes the gradual decline of memory functions observed in early Alzheimer's disease. Research findings indicate that ERPs elicited by a memory workload paradigm are sensitive markers for diagnosis, treatment and clinical follow-up of early Alzheimer's patients. In addition, ERPs provide objective measurement of cholinergic medication effects on cerebral functions involved in memory processes through neuropsychophysiological parameters.

Neuroscientific Psychophysiology: The International Organization of Psychophysiology (I.O.P.) associated with the United Nations (New York) in the 21st Century

This Presidential Address 2004 emphasizes the pivotal role of Psychophysiology as an integrated neuroscience with a panoply of electrophysiological and neuroimaging technologies for the establishment of methodologically crucial conceptual links for the understanding and mapping of brain functions pertaining to cognitive, emotional and motivational processes. Moreover, Psychophysiology's unique neuroscientific perspective by integrating functions of central and autonomic nervous systems with behavior in health and disease is underlined. Based on these developments, the progress of rigorous neuroscientific Clinical Psychophysiology offers possibilities for diagnosis, treatment and objective evaluation of therapeutic outcome in various pathological conditions.

Brain plasticity following psychophysiological treatment in learning disabled/ADHD pre-adolescents

This research investigated the effects of a psychophysiological treatment methodology on brain plasticity as reflected in event-related brain potential topographic mapping and morphology along with School-marks and Mangina-Test performance in three different groups of pre-adolescents at baseline and 8 months later: (a) Learning Disabled/ADHD pre-adolescents who were treated; (b) Non-treated Learning Disabled/ADHD pre-adolescents; (c) Normal controls. Results indicate that: (1) the Event-Related Brain Potentials topographic mapping was significantly modified in post-treatment condition for the treated Learning/Disabled/ADHD group as opposed to pre-treatment baseline (P < 0.001). This was mainly due to the enhanced pre-frontal and frontal N450 amplitudes along with higher P450 components over posterior regions in post-treatment condition (P < 0.001); (2) for group comparisons at baseline, no significant topographic mapping differences were found between the treated Learning Disabled/ADHD group and the non-treated Learning Disabled/ADHD control group (P > 0.05) and significant differences were present between the treated Leaning Disabled/ADHD and the normal control group (P < 0.001); (3) 8 months later, in post-treatment condition, group comparisons revealed significant topographic mapping differences between the treated Learning Disabled/ADHD group and the non-treated Learning Disabled/ADHD control group (P < 0.001) and none between the treated Learning Disabled/ADHD group and the normal control group (P > 0.05); (4) the topographic mapping of both components was similar at baseline and 8 months later in both control groups (P > 0.05); (5) at baseline, school-marks and Mangina-Test performance of treated Learning Disabled/ADHD were not significantly different than those of the non-treated Learning Disabled/ADHD (P > 0.05) and significantly lower than those of the normal control group (P < 0.001); (6) the treated Learning Disabled/ADHD group in post-treatment condition had significantly higher school-marks and Mangina-Test performance than those of non-treated Learning Disabled/ADHD controls (P < 0.001) and were similar to those of normal controls 8 months later (P > 0.05); (7) school-marks and Mangina-Test performance at baseline for non-treated Learning Disabled/ADHD controls were not modified 8 months later (P > 0.05) and normal controls maintained their high performance within the same time interval (P > 0.05). These findings provide evidence of the impact of the psychophysiological treatment methodology on brain plasticity and regulation as reflected in significantly improved neurophysiology of pre-frontal, frontal and posterior brain regions concomitantly with higher school-marks and neuropsychometric performance in the Mangina-Test.

New worldwide horizons for the International Organization of Psychophysiology (IOP)

This Presidential Address deals with the new challenges and horizons of the International Organization of Psychophysiology (IOP) as we are marching towards the 21st century. The importance of Clinical Psychophysiology to humanity is emphasized. The special contribution of the International Journal of Psychophysiology to the future of Psychophysiology as a world forum is underlined. The status of Psychophysiology as a leading neuroscientific discipline is described and the role and major contributions of the late Dr Herbert Jasper as Co-Founding Honorary Fellow of IOP is highlighted.

Event-related brain potentials, bilateral electrodermal activity and Mangina-Test performance in learning disabled/ADHD pre-adolescents with severe behavioral disorders as compared to age-matched normal controls

The most frequently encountered developmental problems of learning disabilities/ADHD often co-exist with severe behavioral disorders. As a direct consequence, this condition opens the way to delinquency, school drop-out, depression, suicide, substance abuse, work absenteeism, and other psycho-social complications. In this paper, we are presenting a selective overview of our previous research and its clinical applications in this field as it relates to our present research data pertaining to the effects of our original Memory Workload Paradigm on the event-related brain potentials in differentiating normal and pathological pre-adolescents (learning disabled/ADHD with concomitant severe behavioral disorders such as oppositional and conduct). In addition, it provides data on the bilateral electrodermal activity during cognitive workload and Mangina-Test performance of pathological and normal pre-adolescents conducted in separate sessions. The results of our present research indicate that a significant memory load effect for the P450 latency (F(3,27)=4.98, P<0.01) and the P450 amplitude (F(3,27)=3.57, P<0.05) was present for normal pre-adolescents which was absent in pathological pre-adolescents. Moreover, enhanced N450 ERP amplitudes to our Memory Workload Paradigm in pre-frontal and frontal regions clearly differentiated normal from pathological pre-adolescents (F(1, 18)=12.21, P<0.004). Furthermore, significant differences between normal and pathological groups were found in bilateral electrodermal activity (F(1,18)=23.86, P<0.001) and on the Mangina-Test performance (F(1,18)=75.35, P<0.001). Our present research findings provide an original and valuable demonstration of an integrative and effective clinical psychophysiological application of central (ERPs), autonomic (bilateral electrodermal activity) and neuro-psychometric aspects (Mangina-Test) which characterize normal and pathological pre-adolescents and underpin the neurophysiological basis of learning disabled/ADHD with severe behavioral disorders as opposed to normal subjects.

The role of the International Organization of Psychophysiology (IOP) in the 20th century and its promising march towards the 21st

In this Presidential Address, the contribution of the International Organization of Psychophysiology (IOP) to the 20th century is summarized. Its official relationship with the United Nations and other international bodies is discussed. Future trends paving the way for the 21st Century as the 'Century of the Brain' are emphasized. The importance of psychophysiology to Humanity is underlined.