41

of the subjects had the CL+ in the right ear (contralateral to

the left hemisphere), while the other half had the CS + in the left ear. Results for both SCR and ERP revealed responses to

the CS+ presented to the left hemisphere to be larger than

responses from the right hemisphere. In a second series of

experiments, pictures of facial emotional expressions were

used as CSs together with shock UCS. The CS+ and CS-

were presented initially to only the left or right hemisphere

through the visual half-field technique (Hugdahl et al., 1987).

Results for SCRs showed that the CS/UCS contingency seems

to be represented only in the right hemisphere during acquisi-

tion. Thus, the learning of a CS/UCS contingency may be

differentially controlled by the two hemispheres of the brain

depending on the linguistic-emotional dimension of the stim-

uli, and on the processing requirements inherent in the condi-

tioning task.

HEMISPHERIC ASYMMETRY FOR LANGUAGE DI-

CHOTIC LISTENING STUDIES

Kenneth Hugdahl Dept. Biological Psychology, University of Bergen, Norway

Various theoretical models for the understanding of cerebral

asymmetry in relation to language functioning are reviewed.

Specifically, I will critically review the use of dichotic listening

(DL) in studies of hemispheric asymmetry, and the anatomical

and functional basis for the right-ear-advantage (REA) often

reported in dichotic listening studies. The REA is a surpris-

ingly robust empirical phenomenon which suggests that di-

chotic listening may be also used on clinical populations when

assessing functional brain lesions related to language.

Data from our own laboratory will be presented based on

both normal intact subjects and from studies on brain lesions, particularly stroke patients and Parkinson’s disease.

Finally, I will present a model of dichotic listening perfor-

mance and brain asymmetry for further empirical evaluations.

OUTCOME OF GROUP COGNITIVE-BEHAVIOR

THERAPY IN DYSTHYMIA: A COMPARISON WITH

HIGH AND LOW ANXIETY

inceer B. and Uregen, S.

Aegean University, Dep. of Psychiatry, jzmir. Turkey

A twelve session group programme of Cognitive-Behavior

Therapy (CBT) was evaluated with 30 patients suffering from

Dysthymia. Each session lasted 2 l/2 hrs per week. Seventy

patients (54%) compleated the treatment; 13 dropped out (46%) before termination of the therapy. Patients were as-

sessed by using Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Depression Scale (MMPI-

DI. Symptom Check List-90 Revised (SCL-90-R) and State-

Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-TI. It was found that there was

a significant relationship between BDI scores which were

given in the middle and at the end of the therapy (P O.OOlI.

In addition, there was no difference between patients with

high and low anxiety level in terms of effectiveness of CBGT. The follow up study showed that a shorter form of CBGT

was also very effective in Dysthymia.

GRASTYAN’S VISION OF THE HIPPOCAMPUS

Robert L. Isaacson

SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, U.S.A.

The published work of Professor Grastyan related to hip-

pocampal activity and function will be discussed in the context

of recent data derived from both behavioral and neurophysio-

logical studies. A novel theoretical approach to understanding the role played by the hippocampus in regulating brain func-

tions will be presented that may prove compatible with the

theory and data of Dr. Grastyan.

THE ALLEVIATION BY CALCIUM CHANNEL ANTAG-

ONISM OF THE EFFECTS OF UMBILICAL CORD

CLAMPING IN THE RAT

Robert L. Isaacson

SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton. NY. U.S.A.

Just prior to birth the individual umbilical cords of rats were clamped for 0. 2, 6 or I2 min in mother rats rendered

insensitive to pain by a chemomyelotomy. Half of the mothers

had been given nimodipine (an L channel antagonist) 30 min

before the clamping, the other half received the vehicle. Both

short- and long-term behavioral and anatomical consequences of the clamping and the pharmacological interventions will be

described.

SOME NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF IN-

FORMATION PROCESSING MODULATION DURING

EEG RHYTHMIC ACTIVITY

Andrey F. Iznak

National Mental Health Research Centre. Moscow, U.S.S.R.

The reviewing of some neurophysiological mechanisms of

rhythmic EEG activity in sensory systems has led to the

hypothesis that adequate information processing has to be

significantly impaired or suppressed during rhythmic bursts by means of disruption of the informational structure of afferent

and central spike volleys with phasic inhibitory pauses and

prolonged tonic inhibition of the principal cell’s discharges as

well as by synchronous involvement of neighbouring neurones