Cuadernos de Neuropsicología Panamerican Journal of Neuropsychology

79-134

Authors: Hugo Selma Sánchez

Neuropsychology has had an explosive grow in the last decades. It contributions to the fields of Psychiatry are growing in an exponential rate. Research related to schizophrenia has bringing new views of the nature of the disease, at the same time offering contradictions and questions pending to resolve. The present article exposes the most relevant discoveries in the neuropshychology of schizophrenia (neuroanatomy dysfunctions, development neurofuntionality, alterations in neurotransmitters and cognitive deficiencies) and areas for exploring.

150-166

Authors: Guy Santibáñez - Hidalgo, Juan Cristóbal Ruiz Díaz

In the present article we defined hypnosis from a psychobiologic viewpoint. We understand this phenomenon as a particular “global state” in which the subject exhibit changes both in subjective – conscious state - and in visceral, automatic and behavioural process, al these as a result of integrative activity of the neuro-endocrine system (NES). Here we petend two objetives, the first: to outline a preliminar definition of hypnosis as a state, and the second: present a review of some neuroscientific studies about different hypnotic phenomena. Within the hypnotic phenomena, we select five of them of general interest: pain, perceptual modulation, emotional evocation, phobia treatment and attentional conflict manegment in hipnosis. These are relevant due they may contribute unto a vast development in basic investigation and in aplied psychotherapy. Phobia investigation has demonstrate the positive effect in patients highly hypnotizable, this treatment aloud to restore the sympatic-vagal balance. The brain imaging results suggest an attentional change model, in which participate the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Emotional control studies stablished changes in evoqued potential in different cortical regions. The hypnosis posibillities to inhibit and to evoke emotions in front of specific virtual events are of enormous value in therapy. Attentional studies present the effect of specific suggestions in higly hipnotizable patients, the activity of ACC and visual cortex decrease significatively. These outcomes correlate with a lessen attentional conflict (attentional interference) during Stroop paradigm. All these findings demonstrate that hypnosis is a productive field for basic and clinical investigation.

176-178

Authors: Esperanza Bausela Herreras

Diagnóstico y tratamiento en neurología es un manual que surge para dar respuesta a las diferentes cuestiones que se plantean los investigadores, clínicos, docentes y alumnado afines a la especialidad médica neurológica. El Dr. Brusth, director del departamento de Neurología del Hospital Central de Harlem (Nueva York) ha contado con la colaboración de diferentes especialistas a lo largo de los treinta seis capítulos de los que consta este manual procedentes de diversas instituciones de Estado Unidos (Nueva York, California y Arizona). El estudio del sistema nervioso central y de los procesos cognitivos se acompaña de un conjunto de técnicas de exploración complementaria: análisis de parámetros neuroquímicos, registros electrofisiológicos (EEG, potenciales evocados) y técnicas de neuroimagen.