Concentration and attention

There also are numerous highly regarded, creative, and sophisticated tests to assess attention, concentration, and ECF, and these tests usually have manuals with age-corrected norms and sometimes provide sample test profiles of people with drug problems to compare with your client s profile. The WMS, for example, has a section that assesses attention and concentration in addition to memory functions. Another well-known attention and concentration test is the Symbol-Digit Modalities Test (Smith, 1991). Some of the more well-known measures of ECF and related cognitive functions include the Wisconsin Card Sorting... 

There are numerous methods for recording motor performance (Table 3.3), drawn mainly from occupational and traffic psychology. A comprehensive account of the methods available is given in Kunsman et al. (1992) and Deutsch Lezak (1995, chapter 16). Some of these tasks are subject to a pronounced practice effect and, if repeated several times by the same subject, turn into tests of attention and concentration rather than of motor performance. 

Reaction time Motor reaction to simple or complex acoustic or optical stimuli (complex reaction time tasks are also subsumed under tests of attention and concentration) 2-IOmin... 

Improvements in performance after amphetamine in dosages of 2.5 20 mg are particularly marked in tasks where prolonged attentiveness and concentration are called for. With increasing test duration the positive effect of amphetamine on performance in tests of cancellation, arithmetics and vigilance becomes more pronounced. 

Methods that focus on attention and concentration are particularly sensibve to the acbons of drugs, even though impairments caused by sedabve substances are not always detected m tests of short duration. 

Mood disorders are frequently associated with cognitive impairment. In younger depressives attention and concentration are primarily affected, and responses in speed-related tasks may be abnormally slowed. Complaints about serious cognitive dysfunction, which are particularly frequent in older patients with depression, cannot always be fully substantiated by means of objective tests (O Hara et al., 1986). Nevertheless, significant deficits in the following areas have been found ... 

Another important aspect to this question is the cognitive dysfunction associated with severe depression. Much of the memory effects are focused on events occurring during the illness and the period of treatment [see Abrams ( 94) for a detailed analysis]. Thus, many depressed patients may suffer from severe memory disturbances before their course of ECT, and paradoxically appear to improve over a course of treatment. Thus, improvement in the attention and concentration disruption often associated with severe depression is so significant, that it overrides the organic amnesia induced by the course of seizures. 

Step 2 Rule out other emotional problems. Anxiety, depression, and thought disorders may interfere with attention and concentration or make the child so agitated that he or she may seem hyperactive. On the other hand, ADHD makes life so hard for some children that they may experience these disorders as a consequence of having ADHD. Only a skilled clinician can determine if the ADHD or the emotional problem came first, a necessary step in obtaining correct and effective treatment. 

NE is fundamental in human attention and concentration. It has been demonstrated that idozaxan increase the attention in healthy volunteers (Smith et al., 1992). To contrasy, the administration of a2-adrenergic agonist clonidine results in attention lapses in humans. These clonidine-induced attention difficulties can be reversed by idozaxan (Smith and Nutt 1996). 

Dreamy state, loss of attention and concentration, slow thinking, feelings of unreality, depersonalization Incoordination, difficult and tremulous speech... 

A 62-year-old woman with congenital cataracts smoked marijuana illicitly for 12 years (current use 3-4 g/day smoked and 3-4 g/day orally). She had mild-to-moderate difficulty with attention and concentration and minimal-to-mild difficulty with acquisition and storage of very complex new verbal material. Her executive functioning was not affected. 

A 50-year-old man with hereditary osteo-onychodys-plasia had smoked marijuana since 1974 to alleviate muscle spasms and pain (current use 7 g/day of 3.75% THC). He had mild-to-moderate impairment of attention and concentration and reduced ability to acquire new verbal material. He scored poorly on the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT), a measure of short-term memory recall, and had difficulty with motor tasks. 

Unlike other agents approved for ADHD, atomoxetine does not have abuse potential and is not a scheduled substance Despite its name as a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, atomoxetine enhances both dopamine and norepinephrine in frontal cortex, presumably accounting for its therapeutic actions on attention and concentration... 

With the help of the serial-subtraction test, patients powers of attention and concentration can be tested as... 

Impaired attention and concentration Nervousness, edginess, or tension... 

Sensorium, or level of consciousness, refers to the alertness of the patient, and if he or she is not fully alert, the amount of stimulation needed to awaken the patient. Attention and concentration can be assessed using serial 7s or 3s, whereby the patient subtracts backward... 

Sandler, 2005) and illustrates once again the necessity of placebo-controlled study designs for evaluating ASD pharmacotherapies. Notably, the results from this study are at variance with previous open-label studies that reported benefits for citalo-pram in ASD (reviewed by Posey et ah, 2006). In addition, adverse events were significantly more frequent overall with citalopram than with placebo, with significant increases in energy level, impulsiveness, impaired attention and concentration, hyperactivity, stereotypy, and insomnia. 

We see depression commonly, not only in patients, but also in the family members who love and care about them. Depression can rob you of your attention and concentration. Some 25 to 50 percent of people with cancer suffer from clinical depression. Doctors diagnose major depression by the presence of at least five of the following nine symptoms lasting for two weeks or longer and they must be severe enough to affect normal functioning or cause significant distress ... 

Depression is a separate issue from cognitive impairment, but often when people are depressed they also struggle with memory, attention, and concentration problems. Clearly, the symptoms of post-chemo brain and depression overlap. We know from our studies at UCLA that specific brain changes correlate with the severity of depression, just as specific brain changes correlate with the severity of short-term memory impairment. Depression is rooted in biology. So are memory problems. Both are forms of neurologic dysfunction. 

Sometimes doctors prescribe methylphenidate (Ritalin) or dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) to treat a mood disorder called dysthymia that is less severe, but more chronic, than major depression. They work more quickly than antidepressants to pep you up, increasing energy and facilitating attention and concentration. Common side effects include nervousness, insomnia, constipation, headache, and changes in heart rate. 

There are decades worth of research that show clear-cut benefits of caffeine. It sharpens cognitive function, improves accuracy and speed in performing tasks that require sustained attention and concentration, and promotes alertness and a sense of well-being. People with chronic dysthymia or mild depression often find that caffeine boosts their mood. Beware of caffeine if you have heart problems, though, as caffeine can exacerbate cardiac arrythmias. If you re pregnant, check with your doctor about caffeine use. Keep in mind there is more caffeine in brewed coffee than instant and more caffeine in instant coffee than tea. Here are some comparisons from the Center for Science in the Public Interest ... 

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