 |
 |
|
|
|
|||
|
|||
 |
|||
Presentation matters. It's not just Martha Stewart who proclaims
that presentation is a vital component of good cooking. Now, research
by Alice Cronin-Golomb, a CAS associate professor of psychology and codirector
of the Center for Clinical Biopsychology, confirms that for people with
Alzheimer's disease and other demential illnesses, how food looks may
play a crucial role in whether they get sufficient nourishment.
People with Alzheimer's have difficulty recognizing and discriminating
among objects, faces, and patterns, in part due to pathological changes
that impair the brain's ability to associate visual cues with memories
and thought processes, but it may also be related to vision problems.
Pilot studies by Cronin-Golomb and her associates reveal that enhancing
contrast helps those with Alzheimer's better recognize objects, read words
and letters, identify faces, and complete patterns.
In one study Cronin-Golomb and two postdoctoral fellows, Tracy Dunne
and Sandy Neargarder, compared the amount of food and liquid consumed
by patients with dementia in a long-term inpatient facility. One group
was served meals on bright red plates and cups, the other on institutional
white tableware. Those using the red dishes ate on average 15 percent
more food than previously. When the red plates and cups were switched
back to the normal white, the amount the patients ate fell back to previous
levels. This finding may help those with Alzheimer's, a group that in
general eats insufficient food, to obtain better nourishment.
Cronin-Golomb and her associates at the Center for Clinical Biopsychology
are conducting a number of studies focusing on visual deficits in healthy
older people as well as individuals with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and
a range of other impairments. For further information, see http://www.bu.edu/neuropsychology/.
Born too soon? It has been generally assumed that babies born prematurely,
barring early health problems, develop essentially the same as infants
born at full term. In fact, according to a study conducted by Linda
Fetters, associate professor of physical therapy at Sargent College,
there are important differences in how the brains of even healthy premature
infants are developed when compared to full-term infants. And premature
birth in infants -- especially the 5 percent accompanied by white matter
disease (WMD), which damages portions of the brain, including the cerebral
cortex -- may predict future visual, cognitive, and motor problems.
Fetters and her colleagues from Sargent's Developmental Motion Analysis
Laboratory, Children's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School studied babies
born between 24 and 31 weeks of gestational age (40 weeks is full term),
weighing less than three pounds, both with and without WMD.
They measured the premature infants' visual skills and neural functioning
during the neonatal period and used MRIs taken at birth and at 40 weeks
to determine the presence or absence of WMD. The movement patterns of
all the infants, including a group of full-term babies, were studied at
one, 5, 9, and 18 months; they were also evaluated with standard developmental
screenings at those ages.
As predicted, full-term infants performed the best, followed by premature
infants, and then premature infants with WMD. "Therapists usually
see infants after atypical movement patterns have already been established,"says
Fetters. "This research will help define the nature of atypical movement
and provide the basis for newer, more focused interventions that can be
implemented early on when they can do the most good."
Fetter and Yuping Chen (SAR'01) have been developing these focused
interventions. They have taught full-term infants to change the way they
kick by reinforcing new kick patterns using a colorful mobile with chimes.
By correctly kicking a button with their feet, infants can activate the
mobile. They quickly learn that this new kick pattern gives them a pleasant
result, and both kicking frequency and use of the new pattern increase.
"It is important to construct the environment to reinforce beneficial
movement patterns for infants and children," says Fetters. "This
is particularly important for infants with movement problems."
"Research Briefs" is written by Joan Schwartz in the Office of the Provost. To read more about BU research, visit http://www.bu.edu/research.
2
November 2001
Boston University
Office of University Relations