Educational and Psychological Measurement, Oct 1, 1972
MANY research problems require judges to assign objects or stimuli (often people) to discrete cat... more MANY research problems require judges to assign objects or stimuli (often people) to discrete categories. The results of these categorical assignments may be used as a dependent or an independent variable for further research. Concerned about the reliability of these judgments, the investigator may wish to know, before proceeding with further study, the extent to which judges agree on their assignments.
MANY research problems require judges to assign objects or stimuli (often people) to discrete cat... more MANY research problems require judges to assign objects or stimuli (often people) to discrete categories. The results of these categorical assignments may be used as a dependent or an independent variable for further research. Concerned about the reliability of these judgments, the investigator may wish to know, before proceeding with further study, the extent to which judges agree on their assignments.
Background Selective serotonergic reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are first-line pharmacologic treatm... more Background Selective serotonergic reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are first-line pharmacologic treatments for patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but must be given over extended period of time before the onset of action. The use of SSRIs in PTSD patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is problematic since SSRIs could exacerbate post-concussion syndrome (PCS) symptoms. VA/DOD guidelines identify trauma-focused psychotherapy as the best evidence-based treatment for PTSD, but overall effectiveness is limited by reduced levels of patient engagement and retention. A previous study from this research group suggested that quetiapine monotherapy, but not risperidone or valproate, could increase engagement in trauma-focused psychotherapy. Methods We report the study protocol of a pilot study funded under the South-Central Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center pilot study program from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This randomized, open-label s...
BackgroundThe limited efficacy of first-line treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) wi... more BackgroundThe limited efficacy of first-line treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with selective serotonergic reuptake inhibitors commonly leads to the use of multiple medications that still fail to achieve symptomatic remission. VA/DOD guidelines identify trauma-focused psychotherapies as the evidence-based treatment for PTSD, but overall effectiveness is limited by reduced levels of patient engagement. Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) is the most widely-used trauma-focused therapy in the VA system for Veterans with PTSD. Our previous results based on a case series suggested that quetiapine monotherapy, but not risperidone or valproate, could increase engagement in CPT, thereby improving clinical outcomes through direct medication effects and indirectly through greater engagement in CPT.Methods & ResultsWe report the study protocol of a pilot study. This randomized, double blind placebo-controlled study was designed to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and preliminar...
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorders (AUD) are two of the most common m... more Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorders (AUD) are two of the most common mental health disorders affecting civilians as well as military populations. If left untreated, individuals with co-occurring PTSD/AUD are at increased risk for developing other mental health problems (e.g., depression, anxiety), physical health problems, reduced resiliency and military readiness, and vocational and social impairment. Substantial gaps in the treatment of co-occurring PTSD/AUD exist and there is a critical need to develop more effective pharmacological treatments. The current study addresses this gap in the literature by testing the efficacy and safety of doxazosin, a long-acting and selective alpha-1 adrenergic antagonist, as compared to placebo in reducing PTSD and AUD severity among U.S. military veterans. Noradrenergic dysregulation has been implicated in the development and maintenance of PTSD and AUD, and pilot studies examining doxazosin in PTSD-only or AUD-only sam...
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are two of the signature i... more Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are two of the signature injuries in military service members who have been exposed to explosive blasts during deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Acute stress disorder (ASD), which occurs within 2-30 d after trauma exposure, is a more immediate psychological reaction predictive of the later development of PTSD. Most previous studies have evaluated service members after their return from deployment, which is often months or years after the initial blast exposure. The current study is the first large study to collect psychological and neuropsychological data from active duty service members within a few days after blast exposure. Recruitment for blast-injured TBI patients occurred at the Air Force Theater Hospital, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Patients were referred from across the combat theater and evaluated as part of routine clinical assessment of psychiatric and neuropsychological sy...
The Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia initiative was desig... more The Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia initiative was designed to encourage the development of cognitive enhancing agents for schizophrenia. For a medication to receive this indication, regulatory agencies require evidence of improvement in both cognition and functional outcome. Because medication trials are conducted across multiple countries, we examined ratings of the cross-cultural adaptability of 4 intermediate measures of functional outcome (Independent Living Scales, UCSD Performance-based Skills Assessment, Test of Adaptive Behavior in Schizophrenia, Cognitive Assessment Interview [CAI]) made by experienced clinical researchers at 31 sites in 8 countries. English-speaking research staff familiar with conducting medication trials rated the extent to which each subscale of each intermediate measure could be applied to their culture and to subgroups within their culture based on gender, geographic region, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status...
Following baseline assessment, 166 patients in medication maintenance at a community mental healt... more Following baseline assessment, 166 patients in medication maintenance at a community mental health center who were experiencing both persistent positive symptoms of schizophrenia and impairments in functioning were randomized to 1 of 4 treatments for 9 months: (1) Cognitive Behavior Therapy for psychosis (CBTp)-a therapy designed to identify and alter reasoning and appraisal biases that contribute to the formation and maintenance of positive symptoms, (2) Cognitive Adaptation Training (CAT)-a treatment using environmental supports including signs, alarms, checklists and the organization of belongings established at weekly home visits to compensate for impairments in cognitive functioning and improve everyday functional outcomes, (3) Multi-modal Cognitive treatment-a combination of CBTp and CAT, and (4) Treatment as Usual. Data on symptoms and functional outcomes were obtained every 3 months. A mixed effects regression model with repeated measures using a 2 (CAT/no CAT) × 2 (CBT/no C...
Objective. This retrospective study was done to assess the impact of concurrent alcohol use on th... more Objective. This retrospective study was done to assess the impact of concurrent alcohol use on the illness presentation of patients hospitalized for mania.Design. Retrospective demographic and clinical data were systematically collected from the hospital records of 122 patients hospitalized for an index episode of mania between 1988 and 1995. Comorbid alcoholism was defined as alcohol abuse/dependence, based on DSM-IV criteria. Blind to alcohol use and treatment intervention, a retrospective clinical assessment of illness severity was made by the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) at the end point of hospital discharge. Demographic and clinical differences between the alcoholic and nonalcoholic manic subjects were analyzed by chi-square and independent t-tests. Survival analyses with hospital length of stay as the dependent variable were conducted on the two groups.Setting. Tertiary care university hospital.Participants. Patients with bipolar disorder hospitalized for mania.Measuremen...
Prevalent gene variants involved in iron metabolism [hemochromatosis (HFE) H63D and transferrin C... more Prevalent gene variants involved in iron metabolism [hemochromatosis (HFE) H63D and transferrin C2 (TfC2)] have been associated with higher risk and earlier age at onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD), especially in men. Brain iron increases with age, is higher in men, and is abnormally elevated in several neurodegenerative diseases, including AD and Parkinson's disease, where it has been reported to contribute to younger age at onset in men. The effects of the common genetic variants (HFE H63D and/or TfC2) on brain iron were studied across eight brain regions (caudate, putamen, globus pallidus, thalamus, hippocampus, white matter of frontal lobe, genu, and splenium of corpus callosum) in 66 healthy adults (35 men, 31 women) aged 55 to 76. The iron content of ferritin molecules (ferritin iron) in the brain was measured with MRI utilizing the Field Dependent Relaxation Rate Increase (FDRI) method. 47% of the sample carried neither genetic variant (IRON-) and 53% carried one and/...
Educational and Psychological Measurement, Oct 1, 1972
MANY research problems require judges to assign objects or stimuli (often people) to discrete cat... more MANY research problems require judges to assign objects or stimuli (often people) to discrete categories. The results of these categorical assignments may be used as a dependent or an independent variable for further research. Concerned about the reliability of these judgments, the investigator may wish to know, before proceeding with further study, the extent to which judges agree on their assignments.
MANY research problems require judges to assign objects or stimuli (often people) to discrete cat... more MANY research problems require judges to assign objects or stimuli (often people) to discrete categories. The results of these categorical assignments may be used as a dependent or an independent variable for further research. Concerned about the reliability of these judgments, the investigator may wish to know, before proceeding with further study, the extent to which judges agree on their assignments.
Background Selective serotonergic reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are first-line pharmacologic treatm... more Background Selective serotonergic reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are first-line pharmacologic treatments for patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but must be given over extended period of time before the onset of action. The use of SSRIs in PTSD patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is problematic since SSRIs could exacerbate post-concussion syndrome (PCS) symptoms. VA/DOD guidelines identify trauma-focused psychotherapy as the best evidence-based treatment for PTSD, but overall effectiveness is limited by reduced levels of patient engagement and retention. A previous study from this research group suggested that quetiapine monotherapy, but not risperidone or valproate, could increase engagement in trauma-focused psychotherapy. Methods We report the study protocol of a pilot study funded under the South-Central Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center pilot study program from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This randomized, open-label s...
BackgroundThe limited efficacy of first-line treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) wi... more BackgroundThe limited efficacy of first-line treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with selective serotonergic reuptake inhibitors commonly leads to the use of multiple medications that still fail to achieve symptomatic remission. VA/DOD guidelines identify trauma-focused psychotherapies as the evidence-based treatment for PTSD, but overall effectiveness is limited by reduced levels of patient engagement. Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) is the most widely-used trauma-focused therapy in the VA system for Veterans with PTSD. Our previous results based on a case series suggested that quetiapine monotherapy, but not risperidone or valproate, could increase engagement in CPT, thereby improving clinical outcomes through direct medication effects and indirectly through greater engagement in CPT.Methods & ResultsWe report the study protocol of a pilot study. This randomized, double blind placebo-controlled study was designed to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and preliminar...
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorders (AUD) are two of the most common m... more Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorders (AUD) are two of the most common mental health disorders affecting civilians as well as military populations. If left untreated, individuals with co-occurring PTSD/AUD are at increased risk for developing other mental health problems (e.g., depression, anxiety), physical health problems, reduced resiliency and military readiness, and vocational and social impairment. Substantial gaps in the treatment of co-occurring PTSD/AUD exist and there is a critical need to develop more effective pharmacological treatments. The current study addresses this gap in the literature by testing the efficacy and safety of doxazosin, a long-acting and selective alpha-1 adrenergic antagonist, as compared to placebo in reducing PTSD and AUD severity among U.S. military veterans. Noradrenergic dysregulation has been implicated in the development and maintenance of PTSD and AUD, and pilot studies examining doxazosin in PTSD-only or AUD-only sam...
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are two of the signature i... more Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are two of the signature injuries in military service members who have been exposed to explosive blasts during deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Acute stress disorder (ASD), which occurs within 2-30 d after trauma exposure, is a more immediate psychological reaction predictive of the later development of PTSD. Most previous studies have evaluated service members after their return from deployment, which is often months or years after the initial blast exposure. The current study is the first large study to collect psychological and neuropsychological data from active duty service members within a few days after blast exposure. Recruitment for blast-injured TBI patients occurred at the Air Force Theater Hospital, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Patients were referred from across the combat theater and evaluated as part of routine clinical assessment of psychiatric and neuropsychological sy...
The Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia initiative was desig... more The Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia initiative was designed to encourage the development of cognitive enhancing agents for schizophrenia. For a medication to receive this indication, regulatory agencies require evidence of improvement in both cognition and functional outcome. Because medication trials are conducted across multiple countries, we examined ratings of the cross-cultural adaptability of 4 intermediate measures of functional outcome (Independent Living Scales, UCSD Performance-based Skills Assessment, Test of Adaptive Behavior in Schizophrenia, Cognitive Assessment Interview [CAI]) made by experienced clinical researchers at 31 sites in 8 countries. English-speaking research staff familiar with conducting medication trials rated the extent to which each subscale of each intermediate measure could be applied to their culture and to subgroups within their culture based on gender, geographic region, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status...
Following baseline assessment, 166 patients in medication maintenance at a community mental healt... more Following baseline assessment, 166 patients in medication maintenance at a community mental health center who were experiencing both persistent positive symptoms of schizophrenia and impairments in functioning were randomized to 1 of 4 treatments for 9 months: (1) Cognitive Behavior Therapy for psychosis (CBTp)-a therapy designed to identify and alter reasoning and appraisal biases that contribute to the formation and maintenance of positive symptoms, (2) Cognitive Adaptation Training (CAT)-a treatment using environmental supports including signs, alarms, checklists and the organization of belongings established at weekly home visits to compensate for impairments in cognitive functioning and improve everyday functional outcomes, (3) Multi-modal Cognitive treatment-a combination of CBTp and CAT, and (4) Treatment as Usual. Data on symptoms and functional outcomes were obtained every 3 months. A mixed effects regression model with repeated measures using a 2 (CAT/no CAT) × 2 (CBT/no C...
Objective. This retrospective study was done to assess the impact of concurrent alcohol use on th... more Objective. This retrospective study was done to assess the impact of concurrent alcohol use on the illness presentation of patients hospitalized for mania.Design. Retrospective demographic and clinical data were systematically collected from the hospital records of 122 patients hospitalized for an index episode of mania between 1988 and 1995. Comorbid alcoholism was defined as alcohol abuse/dependence, based on DSM-IV criteria. Blind to alcohol use and treatment intervention, a retrospective clinical assessment of illness severity was made by the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) at the end point of hospital discharge. Demographic and clinical differences between the alcoholic and nonalcoholic manic subjects were analyzed by chi-square and independent t-tests. Survival analyses with hospital length of stay as the dependent variable were conducted on the two groups.Setting. Tertiary care university hospital.Participants. Patients with bipolar disorder hospitalized for mania.Measuremen...
Prevalent gene variants involved in iron metabolism [hemochromatosis (HFE) H63D and transferrin C... more Prevalent gene variants involved in iron metabolism [hemochromatosis (HFE) H63D and transferrin C2 (TfC2)] have been associated with higher risk and earlier age at onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD), especially in men. Brain iron increases with age, is higher in men, and is abnormally elevated in several neurodegenerative diseases, including AD and Parkinson's disease, where it has been reported to contribute to younger age at onset in men. The effects of the common genetic variants (HFE H63D and/or TfC2) on brain iron were studied across eight brain regions (caudate, putamen, globus pallidus, thalamus, hippocampus, white matter of frontal lobe, genu, and splenium of corpus callosum) in 66 healthy adults (35 men, 31 women) aged 55 to 76. The iron content of ferritin molecules (ferritin iron) in the brain was measured with MRI utilizing the Field Dependent Relaxation Rate Increase (FDRI) method. 47% of the sample carried neither genetic variant (IRON-) and 53% carried one and/...
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