Objectives: Cognitive impairment is common in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Three neurocognitive networks support efficient cognition: the salience network, the default mode network, and the central executive network. The salience network is thought to switch between activating and deactivating the default mode and central executive networks. Anti-correlated interactions between the salience and default mode networks in particular are necessary for efficient cognition. Our previous work demonstrated altered functional coupling between the neurocognitive networks in non-demented individuals with PD compared to age-matched control participants. Here, we aim to identify associations between cognition and functional coupling between these neurocognitive networks in the same group of participants. Methods: We investigated the extent to which intrinsic functional coupling among these neurocognitive networks is related to cognitive performance across three neuropsychological domains: executive functioning, psychomotor speed, and verbal memory. Twenty-four non-demented individuals with mild to moderate PD and 20 control participants were scanned at rest and evaluated on three neuropsychological domains. Results: PD participants were impaired on tests from all three domains compared to control participants. Our imaging results demonstrated that successful cognition across healthy aging and Parkinson’s disease participants was related to anti-correlated coupling between the salience and default mode networks. Individuals with poorer performance scores across groups demonstrated more positive salience network/default-mode network coupling. Conclusions: Successful cognition relies on healthy coupling between the salience and default mode networks, which may become dysfunctional in PD. These results can help inform non-pharmacological interventions (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) targeting these specific networks before they become vulnerable in early stages of Parkinson’s disease. (JINS, 2016, 22, 205–215)

Concussion is a form of traumatic brain injury that has been defined as a “trauma-induced alteration in mental status that may or may not involve loss of consciousness.” Terms such as getting a “ding” or getting your “bell rung” are sometimes used as colloquialisms for concussion, but inappropriately downplay the seriousness of the injury. It is estimated that between 1.6 and 3.8 million concussions occur annually in the United States as a result of participation in sports or recreational activities. To date, there are no objective, biological markers for concussion; rather, the current diagnosis of concussion is dependent upon symptom reporting by the athlete. In the acute phase, concussions can result in a broad spectrum of symptoms that can be transient or last for days, weeks, or even months. Symptom prolongation is generally referred to as post-concussion syndrome.

This paper addresses the issues of whether the linking of core labor standards with multilateral or bilateral trade agreements is an effective way of promoting the improvement of labor standards. We review the determinants of core labor standards over time and conclude that efforts to improve these standards have to be tailored to the economic and social circumstances prevailing in a country at a specific time. Legalistic means to prod governments into revising their domestic laws or enforcing them will therefore be unsuccessful unless economic incentives can be changed to erode prevailing social norms and ease the way for the acceptance of new norms that will meet with public approval and be consonant with the distribution of political power. Moral suasion from both domestic and external sources may work more slowly than more legalistic means but is preferred because it contributes to altering the social norms that underlie and will reinforce the acceptance and effectiveness of labor standards.

Many adverse effects commonly associated with chemotherapy, such as nausea, vomiting, and fatigue, are also characteristic of adrenal insufficiency. It is conceivable that chemotherapy drugs may directly or indirectly impact the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. We examined this conjecture by characterizing temporal changes in blood cortisol concentrations in women with ovarian carcinoma given chemotherapy. Twenty-three chemotherapy-naïve women with histologically confirmed ovarian cancer underwent serial blood sampling for determination of cortisol levels prior to and every hour for 6 hr following two chemotherapy treatments with cisplatin or carboplatin. Samples were also taken for 4 hr on a comparison day when all study procedures were performed except chemotherapy administration. A significant reduction in serum cortisol was found immediately following infusion of either cisplatin or carboplatin. No progressive reduction in cortisol was found over the two treatment cycles. Because the reduction in cortisol was seen only in the presence of the cytotoxic drug, it is likely that the effect of the drug is “direct” and does not involve overt psychological or circadian mechanisms. The possible role of this reduction in cortisol is discussed in relation to induction of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

We evaluated the effects of two laboratory stressors (speech preparation and isometric handgrip) on gastric myoelectrical and autonomic cardiac activity, and the extent to which autonomic responses to these stressors and somatization predict reports of motion sickness during exposure to a rotating optokinetic drum. Both stressors prompted a decrease in preejection period (PEP) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and an increase in a dysrhythmic pattern of gastric myoelectrical activity, termed gastric tachyarrhythmia. Stressor-induced decreases in RSA and higher somatization scores predicted increased reports of motion sickness during drum rotation. These results demonstrate that laboratory stressors concurrently affect gastric myoelectrical activity and autonomic control of the heart, and that stressor-induced decreases in RSA and higher levels of somatization predict motion sickness susceptibility.

Numerous reports have assessed the neuropsychological functioning of medically asymptomatic HIV-1 infected men. However, to date there have been no published studies of the neuropsychological functioning of asymptomatic HIV-1 infected women, even though women represent the fastest-growing demographic group of HIV-1 infected individuals. In this investigation, 31 women (17 asymptomatic HIV-1 seropositive, 14 seronegative) were administered a battery of neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric instruments. Participants in both groups were matched for age, education, months since injection drug use, and substance use. Group comparisons revealed no significant differences in any of the neurocognitive or neuropsychiatric measures. The results of this preliminary study suggest that clinically significant differences in neurobehavioral function are unlikely in medically asymptomatic HIV-1 infected women compared to seronegative controls. However, additional studies are needed with larger sample sizes and with careful attention to possible confounding or masking variables. (JINS, 1998, 4, 172–178.)

In the four and a half years ending December 31, 1958, the United States exported close to $6 billion of surplus agricultural commodities under various foreign disposal programs, the most important being the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act, known commonly as P. L. 480. These P. L. 480 exports included the barter of American surpluses for imports of strategic materials, foreign relief shipments and donations and, most significantly, sales for the local currency of importers. This last type of transaction, which is without precedent in world trade, has enabled the United States to dispose of some 3.3 billion dollars' worth of surpluses in agreements made with 28 nations, and the major part of the foreign currencies generated—that is, some $2.1 billion—has been earmarked for economic development purposes in the receiving countries. Surplus disposal thus not only has become a primary means of promoting United States agricultural exports, but has acquired a major role in our foreign aid programs as well.