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In the last 50 years, numerous methods of neuro-psychological assessment have been developed to fill in a gap in the medical diagnostics for locating brain lesions or functional deficits. ADHD is a common psychiatric disorder of the childhood which mainly presents with impulsivity and inattentiveness. It is a major focus of attention for neuropsychologists. One of the important etiological hypotheses of ADHD is the impaired function of the frontal cortex associated with slow metabolism and hypo perfusion as well as impairments in the normal connections between cortical and sub cortical structures. Despite a wide consensus over the associated neuropsychological deficits, there are a few related fields in which many inconsistencies still present. Examples include the differences related to sex and subtypes of the ADHD, the long-term maintenance of neuropsychological signs and symptoms and the efficacy of various treatment methods. To have a deep understanding, we need a more comprehensive picture of the neuropsychological profile of ADHD patients in various illness presentations.

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Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Introduction: A chronic illness, such as diabetes mellitus, creates changes in the life style and requires constant adjustment. The onset of a chronic illness can be a stressful event in any life stage including adolescence.. The interaction between the illness related problems and the psychosocial changes associated with normal adolescence makes it difficult for the patient to cope with the chronic illness in a constructive way.. Poor adherence to medical treatment and poor drug compliance are common concerns of the families and physicians dealing with diabetic adolescents. It is of an urgent importance to study effective, culturally appropriated interventions which focus on the high-risk diabetic adolescents with severe adherence difficulties and/or chronically poor metabolic control . Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial (Experimental design). The sample consisted of sixty randomly selected male and female diabetic adolescents living in Esfahan, with an age range between 12 to 18 years old. They were randomly assigned to four groups with different subjects of training including: personal self-efficacy, communication skills, both subjects and no training (control group). The scale of self-efficacy in diabetes and Family Assessment Device (FAD) were then administered to all participants. Treatment adherene was also evaluated using laboratory tests for Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) index. Data were analysed using the one-way Analysis of the Variance (one-way ANOVA). Findings: Significant difference was found between the groups regardind the scores of self-efficacy (F=3.725, P=0.017), FAD (F=4.151, P=0.01) and communication (F=8.302, P=0.000), as well as HbA1c results (F=3.088, P=0.035). Discussion: For preventing the short and the long term side effects of the diabetes mellitus, patients’ treatment adherence should be improved. Psychological interventions for enhancing self-efficacy and improving communication skills can be effective in this respect.

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Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} Abstract Introduction: Good performance in academic tests plays a major role in the student's further academic and occupational achievements. In students who experience excessive amounts of anxiety while sitting for a quiz or test, lower academic grades may be achieved as a result of and impaired information processing. This study examined the relationship between anxiety test (AT) and some socio-demographic factors in high school students in Shiraz. Material and methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. The sample consisted of 512 high school students in Shiraz, Iran. Participants were students from both sexes and from all kinds of high schools (named: Governmental, private, and specialized high schools for the exceptionally talented students). The instruments used for data collection were Spielberger's Test Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and a demographic questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS 11 software, using ANOVA, paired t, and Pearson's correlation tests. Results: The STAI mean scores showed significant correlations with the districts of education organization to which the school belonged, the populated status of the classroom and the attitude of parents and school authorities toward academic failure (P Conclusion: The Findings demonstrated the adverse effects of AT on the student's academic performance. Identifying the bio-socio-demographic correlates of AT may help to plan more specific interventions for reducing AT in students.

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  The concept of theory of mind (ToM) refers to the ability to predict and explain feelings, thoughts, ideas and intentions of self and others. Patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) show a deficient development of theory of mind. Specifically, individuals with autism spectrum disorders fail to understand not only that others have minds, but also that other minds have different thoughts, and that behavior is determined by mental states. Individuals with ASD have marked difficulties to infer their own and other persons' mental states, what has been referred to as theory of mind. It has also been claimed that a person with autism spectrum disorders in part fail to respond appropriately to the emotional experiences of others These results show that although children with autism spectrum disorders can learn a simple discrimination between two identities, adaptive face-coding mechanisms are severely compromised, offering a new explanation for previously reported face-perception difficulties and possibly for some of the core social deficits in autism spectrum disorders. The author’s propose that the prefrontal cortex is involved in theory of mind; also, internal simulation mechanisms, such as the mirror neuron system, are necessary for normal development of recognition, imitation, theory of mind, empathy, and language. Additionally, the authors suggest that dysfunctional simulation mechanisms may underlie the social and communicative deficits seen in individuals with autism spectrum disorders.