Neuroimaging Research To The Understanding Of Psychopathology Psychology Essay

Neuroimaging Research To The Understanding Of Psychopathology Psychology Essay Over the last ten years, neuroimaging techniques has been employed to an ever increasing extent in the investigation of the biological substrates of psychopathology (Malhi and Lagopoulos 2008). Non-invasive brain imaging techniques such as PET and fMRI have been successfully applied in the localization of sensory functions (van Eijsden et al. 2009). For more complex psychological processes such as language, fMRI is now used to guide surgical decisions regarding hemispheric dominance in patients with refractory epilepsy (van Eijsden et al. 2009). Although still in its infancy (Crowe and Blair 2008), neuroimagings existing contribution has been hailed as significant (Linden 2008, Radaelli et al. 2008). Reliable biomarkers are not known for most, if not all psychiatric disorders (Linden 2008). Limited knowledge concerning the aetiological mechanisms underlying disorders thwart efforts at primary prevention and hamper secondary prevention due to the lack of reliable, comprehensive prognostic markers (Glahn et al. 2008). The lack of pathognomic neural markers, difficulties achieving clinical consensus regarding diagnostic definitions and symptom heterogeneity within the existing diagnostic entities have encouraged neuroimagings pursuit of biomarkers and endophenotypes (Malhi and Lagopoulos 2008); (Pan et al. 2009). The research agenda for DSM V underscores this theme working towards an aetiological and pathophysiological based diagnostic system rather than the current symptom and syndrome based approach (Pan et al. 2009). Neuroimagings contribution may be through refining, validating and augmenting existing diagnostic classifications or replacement of the existing phenomenologically d erived system with neuroanatomically defined biomarkers (Malhi and Lagopoulos 2008). Neuroimagings contribution may be constrained by limited knowledge regarding interregional connectivity and interactions within the brain (Honey et al. 2002). Furthermore, the pathways by which genetic and environmental risk factors interact and impinge upon behaviour ultimately manifesting as pathological symptoms is largely unknown (Glahn et al. 2008). Complexity is increased further by consideration of the points of discontinuity between psychopathology and normal variation (Glahn et al. 2008). To date, the majority of neuroimaging research has attempted to correlate functional, structural and chemical abnormalities of the brain with the presence and/or severity of symptoms (Radaelli et al. 2008). Critics argue that neuroimaging research encourages a segregationist approach to psychopathology, attempting to map complex functions onto discrete, localized brain areas (Honey et al. 2002). This tendency has been influenced by assumptions within cognitive psychology (van Eijsden et al. 2009), namely that mental functions are comprised of modules with identifiable, specific cognitive content processed by a computer like brain (van Eijsden et al. 2009). Thus, elements of psychological function are assumed to activate specific, reproducible brain regions, a model known as massive modularity(van Eijsden et al. 2009). Traditionally, neuroimaging techniques have been categorized according to their data acquisition methodology, focusing upon structure, function, connectivity, electrophysiology or underlying chemistry (Pine 2006). Recent advancements in multimodal imaging (MMI) enables an admixture of approaches attempting to integrate the strengths of different techniques (Malhi and Lagopoulos 2008). Rather than detecting actual neural transmission, fMRI relies on the paramagnetic properties of deoxyhaemoglobin, providing an indirect measurement of the coupling between neural activity and blood flow (Malhi and Lagopoulos 2008). Similarly, PET is an indirect measurement of neural activity measuring blood flow, metabolism or ligand-receptor interactions of particular neurotransmitters (Zimmer 2009). Compared with SPECT, PET offers increased spatial and temporal resolution and permits imaging of a greater range of brain activity than SPECT tracers (Malhi and Lagopoulos 2008). However, it does not offer equivalent spatial resolution to fMRI. DTI tractography images neural tract trajectories, enabling the modelling of white matter fibres localization, orientation, connectivity and integrity within the brain (Malhi and Lagopoulos 2008); (Honey et al. 2002); (Thai et al. 2009). Neuroimaging research can adopt either a whole brain or region of interest (ROI) approach (Malhi and Lagopoulos 2008) with important implications for interpretation. As ROI approaches examine fewer brain regions than whole brain univariate approaches such as VBM, they offer increased statistical power with a concomitant decrease in explanatory power (Ecker et al. 2010). In contrast, techniques such as VBM offer increased explanatory and moderate statistical power due to the necessity of multiple comparison corrections. Therefore, mass univariate approaches may be too conservative to detect subtle neuroanatomical abnormalities particularly with small samples (Ecker et al. 2010). Additionally, neuroimaging studies can be contrasted in terms of experimental design ranging from block, factorial to the most recently developed event-related designs. Event-related designs permit randomization of experimental conditions throughout scanning (Honey et al. 2002), allowing the response to a sing le event to be examined in a context-independent manner (Friston et al. 1998). This paper will evaluate the possible applications of neuroimaging research to the understanding of psychopathology in terms of its existing contribution and developments which may arise due to further technological innovations in the future. Initially, it will provide a brief introduction to a number of methodological considerations associated with neuroimaging research. Following this discussion, it will primarily focus upon neuroimagings contribution to aetiological research of psychopathology. In addition, it will evaluate the application of neuroimaging techniques to diagnosis, prognostic considerations and treatment. The paper will conclude with a review of recent technological developments within neuroimaging and evaluate the extent to which these innovations may further increase neuroimagings application to the understanding of psychopathology. Methodological and Technological considerations Critiques of neuroimaging research as The New Phrenology in its attempts to locate complex psychological phenomena in discrete brain regions have been described as the localization fallacy. The complexity of conducting research with patient groups and interpretation of associated results is emphasised when patient characteristics are considered (Honey et al. 2002). Psychiatric conditions are heterogenous in their presentation and difficult to define as discrete and homogenous entities. This increases the difficulty in obtaining a clinically homogenous sample for research purposes. Disorder and symptom heterogeneity manifesting as inconsistent neuroimaging findings may be a result of different aetiological pathways, variability in compensatory processes, chronicity of illness or the patients unique symptom profile (Honey et al. 2002). These inherent difficulties have been demonstrated by conflicting findings of hypofrontality in Schizophrenia (Keshavan et al. 2008) and led to the foll owing conclusion as long as we are not able to disentangle the heterogeneity question at the clinical level, it is not likely that heterogeneity at the aetiological and pathophysiological levels can be resolved (Peralta and Cuesta 2000). If a well matched sample is obtained, their symptomatic profile may be a manifestation of the final common pathway of disorder rather than representing a group matched for common aetiological mechanisms (Honey et al. 2002). To counteract these issues, many neuroimaging studies have adopted a symptom level approach, for example exclusively examining AVH (Honey et al. 2002). Critics have argued that symptom provocation studies may be imaging interference processes, compensation for diminished performance or other co-occuring symptoms (Honey et al. 2002). If the assumption that symptoms occur in isolation is correct, their location within discrete brain regions may over overly simplistic, it is more likely they are an element of complex, dynamic neural activity (Honey et al. 2002). The phenomenon of pure insertion asserts that a phenomenon of interest can be identified or manipulated in isolation from other mental processes (Honey et al. 2002). For example, linear increases in cognitive load (task demand) may not be associated with linear increases in neural activity. Furthermore, is it conceivable that ruminations in OCD can be isolated from other processes such as memory, attention and speech? (Honey et al. 2002). The subtraction technique is the most commonly employed method to identify brain areas that are active relative to one another; therefore, experimental task pairs should only differ in terms of one parameter. This is based on the assumption that by changing one parameter, that only one aspect of processing is altered (Nair 2005). Neuroimaging results may thus be misinterpreted as the cause of disorder or the disorder itself (Fuchs 2006). Thus, there are a number of important issues to consider when interpreting neuroimaging results such as whether differences reflect a symptom profile, a diagnostic entity and whether differences within these groups relate to state related phenomena or underlying aetiological differences at the genotype level (Honey et al. 2002). These ambiguities have led some researchers to question neuroimagings utility to aetiological research advocating a focus upon diagnostic imaging (Honey et al. 2002). Recent shifts towards a focus upon systems level, dynamic connectivity within the brain appears to be counteracting neuroimagings characterisation as the new phrenology (Zhou et al. 2009). The complexity of neuronal function has important implications for the analysis and interpretation of neuroimaging results. It is necessary to quantify both the relationship between neuronal activity and indirect measures of it via the haemodynamic responses and the associated temporal delay (Honey et al. 2002). It has been shown that BOLD signals are more responsive to increases rather than decreases in blood flow, known as the haemodynamic rectification effect (Keri and Gulyas 2003). These matters become increasingly complex when the contribution of neurotransmitter release and reuptake, receptor binding and electrical activity to rCBF, metabolic changes and behaviour are considered (Keri and Gulyas 2003). For example, low levels of neuronal activity may not be accompanied by rCBF changes, in a PET experiment, the lack of activation in this area does not exclude the area from being involved in the response under examination (Keri and Gulyas 2003). In contrast to sustained stimulati on, rapid changes in the brains functional state result in a brief uncoupling of perfusion from oxidative metabolism (Keri and Gulyas 2003). Imaging procedures must also model the effect of major blood vessels draining activated brain regions (Honey et al. 2002). Existing technology does not offer equivalent spatial resolution across the whole brain, there are also inherent difficulties differentiating between excitatory and inhibitory activation when using the proxy of the haemodynamic response (Honey et al. 2002). The complexity is further increased when the impact of experimental design is considered. fMRI images particularly those based on block designs frequently are static representations of haemodynamic activity averaged over time (Nair 2005). Furthermore, activity in some regions may only be detectable with more sophisticated event-related rather than block designs (Fusar-Poli et al. 2007). However, it has been shown that even in event-related fMRI paradigms that short inter stimulus intervals result in an overlap of haemodynamic responses to individual events (Ecker et al. 2008), thereby precluding confident analysis of condition specific activity. It has also been demonstrated that path co-efficients within SEM fMRI reflect changes in the temporal characteristics of the HFR induced by experimental design (Ecker et al. 2008) emphasising the effect of experimental design on effective connectivity studies. Recent developments In recent years there has been increased interest in furthering understanding of interactions between brain regions known as connectivity analysis (Sato et al. 2009b). Functional connectivity refers to the dynamic relationships between brain regions typically based upon correlational analyses (Thai et al. 2009). Effective connectivity studies infer causal or modulatory relationships between brain regions or networks and their directional, temporal interactions (Thai et al. 2009). SEM and DCM are the most commonly employed methods to investigate connectivity within fMRI data (Sato et al. 2009b). In SEM, the strength of an interaction is provided by a path co-efficient measuring the average influence of one ROI on another in a specified time period (Ecker et al. 2008). For example, using effective connectivity, it was demonstrated that the sACC and pACC had a strong directional influence on the right amygdale during an emotional processing task (Zhou et al. 2009). Rather than occurring as functionally distinct, feedforward sequential processing stages, it was shown that mental rotation performance includes both feedforward and feedback connections with indirect evidence of parallel processing (Ecker et al. 2008). Machine learning and pattern recognition methodologies, such as SVM are powerful techniques for the classification and prediction of mental states so called brain reading or decoding (Sato et al. 2009a); (Sato et al. 2009a). SVMs are used to identify statistical properties of imaging data which discriminate between groups of participants or brain states (Sato et al. 2009b), essentially, whether a new observation belongs to a training data set or otherwise. Not only do they offer the potential to categorize, their ability to anatomically localize discriminative information generated by the classification process presents the possibility of brain mapping (Sato et al. 2009a). Potentially, this methodology could be used to describe a healthy population, measuring the distance of subsequently tested participants from normative fMRI data (Sato et al. 2009b). For example, SVMs ability to distinguish between visual and auditory stimulation was 95.34% +/- 18.77 (Sato et al. 2009a). ANN and SV M based tools have employed in the identification and classification of pathology of patients with Alzheimers or Parkinsons disease from control participants (Bose et al. 2008). The development of imaging genetics offers the possibility of mapping the biological pathways and mechanisms whereby individual differences in brain function emerge and potentially predispose individuals to risk of psychological dysfunction (Viding et al. 2006). It enables the evaluation of the functional impact of brain relevant genetic polymorphisms with a view to understanding their impact on behaviour (Viding et al. 2006). For example, studies of healthy adult 5-HTTLPR S allele carriers found increased amygdala activation, reduced grey matter volume of the perigenual ACC and amygdale and altered functional connectivity of the pACC and amygdale relative to the LL genotype. Furthermore, 30% of variance in behavioural harm avoidance scores during this fMRI challenge paradigm was predicted by amygdala pACC functional connectivity (Viding et al. 2006). Aetiology Significant ambiguity remains surrounding the pathogenesis of schizophrenia (Keshavan et al. 2008). Although the majority of psychological disorders are thought to be multifactorial in origin (Glahn et al. 2008), genetic factors appear to exert a significant aetiological influence on the major psychoses, twin studies estimating heritability at 80% (van Os and Kapur 2009). Structural MRI studies have revealed reductions in whole brain and grey matter volume as well as increases in ventricular volume (Keshavan et al. 2008; van Os and Kapur 2009). Reductions have been observed in temporal lobe structures (in particular the hippocampus, amygdala and the superior temporal gyrus) and the prefrontal cortex, thalamus, AC and corpus callosum. There is evidence of a relationship between superior temporal gyrus volume and positive symptoms; medial temporal lobe reductions correlating with memory impairment. Qualitatively similar but less marked structural changes have been observed in the affec tive disorders. Whilst structural abnormalities may be consistently found in Schizophrenia, they are diagnostically non-specific and may be common amongst patients across diagnostic classifications. Evidence of progressive brain changes during the course of schizophrenia suggests that structural abnormalities may be a result of early and later developmental dysfunction (Karlsgodt et al. 2008). The onset of frank symptoms has been associated with progressive changes. Using longitudinal research designs, deviations from normative development can be examined (Serene et al. 2007). For example, longitudinal studies of early onset schizophrenia demonstrated progressive grey matter loss across the lateral surface of the brain, with treatment refractory patients displaying the most pronounced and rapid cortical grey matter loss. However, the explanatory power of progressive brain structural changes as the primary pathophysiological process within schizophrenia is diminished due to the prese nce of potentially confounding factors secondary to the illness such as symptom profile, severity, medication history and status and the duration of illness (Karlsgodt et al. 2008). Furthermore, structural changes are generally subtle and of relatively small effect sizes (Keshavan et al. 2008). Inconsistency has mired findings of hypofrontality in Schizophrenia, functional imaging meta-analysis have calculated moderate effect sizes for activated and resting state conditions. Conversely, once performance differences are controlled for, patients have shown increased prefrontal activation relative to controls perhaps indicative of an inefficient frontal response to task demands. There have been similarly inconsistent findings regarding other brain regions. Functional imaging research has found alterations in prefrontal and occasionally temporal lobe function (Shergill et al. 2007), with speculation regarding a specific abnormality in the reciprocal modulatory interaction of frontal areas and the hippocampus (van Os and Kapur 2009). Hyper- and hypoactive network responses have been demonstrated depending on experimental paradigm (van Os and Kapur 2009). Inconsistencies in the functional imaging literature may be a result of the diverse experimental designs employed, non-uniform standardization of resting state conditions, lack of control for performance differences, typically small sample sizes and medication confounds which curtail the interpretability of these results (Keshavan et al. 2008). MRS studies have corroborated regions implicated by structural and functional imaging results demonstrating reductions in neuronal and membrane integrity in at risk and early schizophrenic groups. However, it can be concluded that many of schizophrenias putative biomarkers are of less than robust effect sizes, non-specific and too time consuming or expensive to consider implementing as potential diagnostic biomarkers (Keshavan et al. 2008). It is proving difficult if not impossible to explain the features of this disorder and its associated functional deficits in terms of selective, focal abnormalities (Fusar-Poli et al. 2007). The disconnectivity hypothesis of the pathophysiological basis of vulnerability to psychosis implicates abnormal interaction/disconnectivity of the prefrontal cortex, temporal lobe and subcortical regions (Fusar-Poli et al. 2007). Findings of disturbed functional connectivity of the medial prefrontal, thalamic and cerebellar regions in relatives of patients with schizophrenia have provided support for this view (Fusar-Poli et al. 2007). Although evidence for disconnectivity in schizophrenia is strong, its relationship to aetiology, pathophysiology and implications for symptomatic behaviour remain unclear (Stephan et al. 2009). AVH have been found to activate a wide network of language areas in the frontal and temporal lobes and limbic areas such as the amygdale and hippocampus (Vercammen et al. 2009). The subjective intensity of AVH has been correlated with activation of the primary auditory cortex. Schizophrenic patients who experience AVH have been found to activate differential brain areas relative to healthy controls and non-hallucinating patients with schizophrenia, displaying altered activation of the anterior cingulate and superior temporal regions bilaterally (Mechelli et al. 2007; Shergill et al. 2007). DTI studies have demonstrated differences in the orientation of white matter fibres relative to patients without AVH and healthy controls. Examining the effective connectivity of AVH using DCM demonstrated a specific impairment of functional integration between the left superior temporal cortex and the dorsal part of the ACC during the evaluation of self and alien generated speech in patients with AVH (Mechelli et al. 2007). This implies a relationship between impaired functional integration and AVH experiences, Mechelli et al, speculate that a similar impairment in effective connectivity may diminish patients ability to process their own inner speech. Furthermore, a whole brain DTI study illustrated that propensity to experience AVH was associated with increased fractional anisotrophy (FA) within lateral aspects of the superior longitudinal fasciculi bilaterally, the main connection area between Wernickes and Brocas areas (Shergill et al. 2007). Similar differences in FA have been reported in at risk and first episode patients. However, it is possible that these connectivity changes may be a result of experiencing AVH rather than being causative in nature. Increased frequency of AVH may enhance connectivity in these regions. Studies conducted during the prodromal phase permit the prospective investigation of the pathophysiological processes underlying vulnerability and development of the disorder (Fusar-Poli et al. 2009; Pantelis et al. 2003).Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated qualitatively similar abnormalities to those evident in established schizophrenia and bipolar to those present in first episode psychosis and individuals without psychosis but with a strong familial risk (Pantelis et al. 2003). At risk individuals who subsequently developed psychosis had smaller grey matter volumes in the right medial temporal region, including the hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex, in a right lateral temporal region encompassing the superior temporal gyrus, a right inferior frontal region including the orbital portion of the inferior frontal gyrus and adjacent parts of the insula and basal ganglia and a cingulate region including the anterior and posterior cingulate gyrus bilaterally which mimics findings in probands of MZ twin pairs discordant for schizophrenia, first degree relatives of patients with psychosis and people with schizotypal personality disorder. Longitudinal examination of patients who transitioned to psychosis, showed a significant bilateral reduction in grey matter volume between baseline and follow up in the cingulate gyri, the left parahippocampal gyrus, left fusiform gyrus and left OFC (Pantelis et al. 2003). This study demonstrated that pathophysiological anomalies predate the onset of overt psychosis but that further grey matter volume changes are associated with the first expression of frank symptoms. It is unclear however, whether these changes represent a cause or effect of psychosis. Pantelis et al conclude that MRI may in the future prove a valuable tool in the identification of ultra high risk individuals. Neurochemical PET and SPECT studies investigating the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia with 18 F-dopa and 11 C-raclopride have shown that schizophrenia in its acute psychotic state is associated with an increase in dopamine synthesis, dopamine release and resting state dopamine concentration (van Os and Kapur 2009). Research has also demonstrated pre-synaptic dopamine overactivity in schizophrenic patients and first episode patients (Fusar-Poli et al. 2009) Studies of prodromal patients have demonstrated elevated Striatal 18 F-dopa uptake with levels approaching those of Schizophrenic patients (Howes et al. 2009). 18 F-dopa uptake in the ARMS was directly correlated with symptom severity and the degree of neuropsychological impairment. The most pronounced dopaminergic abnormality was found in the associative subdivision of the striatum in both schizophrenic patients and individuals with an at risk mental state (Howes et al. 2009). Thus, it has been suggested that pre-synaptic striatal dopamine function may be a worthwhile target for novel drug development and that these findings may provide a neurophysiological rationale for the introduction of anti-dopaminergic preventative intervention in high risk individuals (Howes et al. 2009). Multimodal studies of a verbal fluency task during the ARMS demonstrated an association between altered prefrontal activation and striatal hyperdopimergia (Fusar-Poli et al. 2009). Controlling for performance differences, there was increased activation of the left inferior frontal gyrus and the right middle frontal gyrus suggesting reduced efficiency or a compensatory process to achieve a similar behavioural response as controls. Improvement in prodromal symptoms has been associated with a normalization of the exaggerated inferior frontal response during a verbal fluency task. Previous findings linking the degree of elevation of striatal hyperdopimergia with symptom severity suggest that striatal hyperdopaminergia may underlie both symptoms and neurocognitive dysfunction although it is possible that another pathway is responsible. The observed correlation may represent the effect of prefrontal cortex on striatal dopamine or vice versa. Crucially, this study demonstrates that abnormal ities which were heretofore regarded as key pathophysiological features of Schizophrenia are correlates of vulnerability rather than sufficient for development of the disorder (Fusar-Poli et al. 2009). Interpretation of ARMS findings is difficult due to uncertainty regarding the degree to which they reflect trait or state factors, that is, psychosis liability or prodromal symptoms (Fusar-Poli et al. 2007). Thus, neuroimaging findings indicate changes in gray matter structure indicative of connectivity deficits at the level of synaptic connections and neuropil allied with white matter changes indicative of large scale deficits in connections between cortical regions (Karlsgodt et al. 2008). Although several biological abnormalities have been replicated (abnormally large ventricles, abnormal dopamine concentration and altered P300) they are not sensitive enough (usually only seen in 40-50% of patients) or not specific enough (seen in only 30% of first degree relatives) to be of diagnostic influence (van Os and Kapur 2009). Anxiety Disorders Neuroimaging research of anxiety disorders have implicated brain areas involved in the stress response as being associated with anxiety symptoms, including the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and amygdala (Engel et al. 2009). However, potential brain structures implicated in the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders are extremely difficult to image due to their sizes and locations these include the amydala, brainstem nuclei and periaquaductal gray (Engel et al. 2009). Neuroimaging of PTSD highlights many of the complexities involved in conducting this research. Complexities relate to symptom presentation in terms of their variable content and emotional arousal in particular during the retrieval of traumatic memories (Peres et al. 2008). Symptomatic heterogeneity is extremely difficult to control for, additional potential confounds include nature of the traumatic experience (s) and the length of time since its occurrence. It is questionable whether it is appropriate to generalize from i maging results based on a sample of war veterans to survivors of childhood abuse (Peres et al. 2008). However, the results of neuroimaging studies appear to offer support for two broad subtypes of PTSD, one being primarily dissociative, the other characterised by intrusions and hyperarousal (Malhi and Lagopoulos 2008). Structural studies have demonstrated reduced ACC and hippocampal volumes in studies across a variety of traumatic experiences. Increased amydala activation has also been observed (Crowe and Blair 2008). Impaired hippocampal function has been speculatively linked to the memory fragmentation process observed in PTSD (Peres et al. 2008). However consistent findings of structural or functional change, they do not necessarily imply a causative relationship. Depression Research investigating the pathophysiology of depression have highlighted decreased anterior paralimbic and cortical activity in both major and bipolar depression (Malhi and Lagopoulos 2008). These decreased activation patterns are found to reverse with successful treatment. For example, in studies of major depression it has been observed that diminished activation of the dorsalateral prefrontal cortex can be increased following effective treatment. PET studies of the serotonin transporter SERT have demonstrated increased thalamic SERT in depressed patients relative to controls. Across the affective disorders, findings of hyperamydala and hypofrontality have led to speculation that these abnormalities may represent a critical pathway or potential predictive biomarker for those at risk of future development of psychopathology (Viding et al. 2006). However, it remains unclear as to whether these findings represent state or trait related function. The search for trait related biomarkers offers the potential to uncover early warning signs of impending psychological disorder as they may be present prior to symptom onset (Malhi and Lagopoulos 2008). The clarification of state related changes affords the possibility of monitoring differential responses to treatment over time (Malhi and Lagopoulos 2008). Cautious interpretation of existing neuroimaging findings is advised due to the complexity of emotional networks and lack of understanding regarding their integration with higher cognitive processes (Malhi and Lagopoulos 2008). Diagnosis As of yet there are a limited number of neuroimaging studies attempting to classify or categorize disorder (Glahn et al. 2008). Ongoing research endeavours to uncover pathophysiological biomarkers complements the development of diagnostic imaging systems. The discovery of biomarkers of schizophrenia may assist in early diagnosis and haveprognostic value (Bose et al. 2008). Initial diagnostic research efforts focused on measurement of striatal D2 receptor levels. Although it appears that striatal D2 receptor levels are elevated in schizophrenia, inconsistent and variable PET and SPECT results (possibly related to samples tested) have precluded its use as a diagnostic variable (Bose et al. 2008). Machine learning and pattern recognition techniques provide methods for analysing imaging data that may improve the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis (Bose et al. 2008). Using ANN modelling of striatal [18F] fluro-L-DOPA influx constants, it was found that an ANN model correctly classified 84% of schizophrenic patients and 74% of controls (Bose et al. 2008). Sensitivity analysis revealed that the posterior putamen and anterior caudate nucleus were the most important areas within the ANN classification. The addition of multiple risk facto rs to the ANN classifier such as neuropsychological, genetic or structural imaging results may improve the ANN classifiers accuracy further (Bose et al. 2008). Bose et al, 2008 suggest the potential util

Mpio

SCM Is the management of a network of Interconnected businesses Involved In the ultimate provision of product and service packages required by end customers. Mall activities of SCM are as follows: Execution Control Monitoring Leveraging worldwide logistics Synchronizing supply with demand and measuring performance globally.PLANNING: On the basis of above functions HRS department will make a plan to hire a best candidate for Finance, Marketing and Supply chain. HRS follow different criteria for different department such as: For Finance they require qualified person who can manage all procedure of accounting, arranging cash and credit as well as he knows how to raise the fund. For marketing they require experienced candidate because who provide create new ideas, Focus on to sustain the brand and to monitor competitors activities in the competitive market.For Supply Chain candidate must have experience of Logistics, Channel Management, operations and Risk Management. Suggestion: Gaston (Minds. ) has to follow three key elements of the HRS planning process to achieve best fit between Jobs and employees. Elements are as follows: Forecasting labor demand, Analyzing present labor supply, and Balancing projected labor demand and supply. RECRUITMENT: It is the overall process of attracting, selecting and appointing suitable candidates to a one or more Jobs within an organization.The term may sometimes be defined as incorporating activities which take place ahead of attracting people, such as defining the Job requirements and person specification. Recruitment can also refer to processes involved in choosing individuals for unpaid positions, such as voluntary roles or training programmed. Suggestions for Gaston (Minds) is in order to increase efficiency in hiring and retention and to ensure consistency and compliance in the recruitment process, it is commended the following steps be followed (also refer to Staff Recruitment Checklist).Details for each step include the min imum recommended best practice to attract a talented and diverse applicant pool: Step 1: Identify Vacancy and Evaluate Need Step 2: Develop Position Description Step 3: Develop Recruitment Plan Step 4: Finalize Recruitment Selection committees will consider all applications. The department uses a streamlined selection process and applications are rigorously short listed. Selection committees may then choose between a number of different assessment methods.These include, but are not limited to, contacting referees prior to assessment, making an assessment based on application and referee input alone, conducting interviews, examining work samples and conducting performance tests which could be both written or practical. All selections and employment decisions for the department are based on merit. And to ensure consistency and compliance in the selection process, it is recommended the following steps be followed: Step 1: Select Search Committee Step 2: Post Position and Implement Recr uitment Plan Step 3: Review Applicants and Develop Short List Step 4: Conduct Interviews

Onet

Week 3 Assignment 1. The occupation I researched was in the field of corrections. Finding specific information on this occupation using O*NET was not difficult at all. For this assignment I was provided with step-by-step instructions on how to get to the â€Å" My Next Move† page where a person can type in keywords to research careers. At first glance the site can look intimidating but like any other site if you read the information provided the page will help guide you in the right direction.I feel that a person navigating through the site can still reach the locations they desire if they familiarize themselves with the page and once again, read the information given. As I began reading information I noticed that each heading or subtitle was followed with examples or descriptions on what to do or how to operate the function and I like how they incorporate links to reach the next page in the description as they guide you on where to go. They couldn’t make using the site any easier other than typing and doing the research for you.The page itself reads like a job analysis the way it defines and tells duties of a job. I was impressed by the information on the page in particular two areas, the heading under education where it tells you what kind of education is associated with the field of occupation and the heading under job outlook where it tells you average salary per your for that job but also allows a person quick access to view job opportunities in each state, view local job opportunities, and/or find a job throughout the U. S. 2. The correction officer occupation I am preparing for was not listed as part of my matching skills, on the opening page.But as I explored different links I found that my match was listed on those pages as related matches. In my opinion attaching fields that are closely related along with the initial search add value to the site by giving the researcher access to explore other occupations that the he or she may never hav e thought of before. I feel that the information on the page, in particular defining the skills, education, and abilities for the job will direct the right applicant by discouraging those who already know they don’t fit the bill from wasting company time and expense well as their own time.What continues to impress me is not all the information provided on a page, even though it is more helpful than just reading about the job description, but that it is the right information along with helpful tools like links to help you locate jobs and apprenticeships. Overall I like how O*NET matches occupations to your skill and provides related suggestions because I felt as though it help open my mind to new ideas as it broadened the range of consideration for job enquiries. 3.O*NET is a very good tool for conducting a job analysis because it already provides a lot of information about many occupations, â€Å"the O*NET database contains information on hundreds of careers, and is continua lly updated and provided online at no cost† (O*NET, 2010). If it had not already been done I would conduct a job analysis of the company using one or a combination of the traditional job analysis methods. Once the data was a collected, organized, and compiled into useful information I would then utilize the O*NET database for comparing information.With O*NET’s extensive database HR can locate exact occupations and use the information to see just how well their companies job analysis measures nationwide. Available tools on the site can assist on changing or fine-tuning an analysis. One tool that can quickly become an HR’s number one asset is The Toolkit for Business function that â€Å"helps business professionals who want to make the most of the information in O*NET† (O*NET, 2010). This function goes further with assisting by giving examples and â€Å"easy to follow steps for creating accurate job descriptions† (O*NET, 2010). The material describes how to effectively use O*NET Online to aid in HR planning and employee reskilling and retention† (O*NET, 2010). Another function I think many HRM will find may come in handy is located under the developers tab. The Spanish version database â€Å"maintains the same format and file structure as the English 4. 0 version. This can be a pretty accurate tool to answer questions HR may have involving language barriers and a good format for Spanish speaking â€Å"job seekers, students, and other career explorers† (O*NET, 2010) to utilize the same wealth of information. . I would most certainly have my staff use this site for several reasons. As mentioned earlier, this site contains so much information and different helpful tools to assist with HRM I think a company would do itself an injustice not utilizing all that it has to offer. Consistently updated information, easy to read instructions, examples, and point and click functions available at no cost all wrapped up in a comp lete package make this at tool HR should not be without. I would have my staff use this site to keep our job analysis up to date and accurate.When seeking potential employees it is in the interest of the company as well as the applicant that the job seeker understands exactly what the company is in search of and what they expect from them. Since the company web site has become the most popular recruiting method it is that much more important that job listing be accurate with the job specifications that â€Å"state the minimum acceptable qualifications that the incumbent must possess to perform the job successfully† (DeCenzo, Robbins, 2012).The job specifications provide information on â€Å" knowledge, skills, education, experience, certification, and abilities† (DeCenzo, Robbins, 2012) required for the position. Another reason to have my staff use the O*NET site is for the testing and assessment consumer guide. There are three different guides HR can use to fit the ap propriate application.Testing and Assessment helps with workforce development, Test and Other Assessments â€Å"focus towards clients of workforce development† (O*NET, 2010), and another Testing and Assessment guide â€Å" can help managers with and workforce development professionals understand and use employment testing and assessment practices to meet their organization’s human resource goals† (O*NET, 2010). References D. DeCenzo, S. Robbins 2012 Fundamentals of Human Resource Management. John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken NJ O*NET (2010). Retrieved from http://www. mynextmove. org O*NET (2010). Retrieved from http://www. onetcenter. org

Critical Thinking - 2997 Words

Assignment 1 - Critical Thinking University of Maryland University College Assignment 1 - Critical Thinking The Purpose of this paper is to apply the 10 steps developed by (Browne amp; Keeley, 2010) and I will apply those methods on the following memo. A memo was drafted by Ms. Mary Ford (personal communication, January 30, 2012) who is Director of Amalgamated Public Employees Union (APEU) Local No. 121 to Mr. Hector Fuentes the President of APEU Local No. 121 on the issue on New Mexico State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Outsourcing, proposed by the New Mexico Governor Gloria Gainor. This is response memo to the Governor’s (personal communication, October 20, 2011) letter informing the APEU Local No. 121 the intent to†¦show more content†¦The value in the memo is that privatization of public services considered as â€Å"anti-American† as well as â€Å"assault on our unions† that protect the union workers. The author who is being with the union and author’s value assumptions is debatable. Author was biased to the union and expressed author’ s point of view based on work experience as well as personal events that happened to author’s family members in the past. In the statement, the author believes that Governor’s action was going to affect not only to their current APEU union members but the whole America due to privatization. There is no clear demonstration or fact that privatization was â€Å"anti-American† and in some cases the privatization of public services helped the state with more money and the public service rendered efficiently and professionally (Kittower, 2007). In the memo outsourcing agents will accept lower wages than the current state employee wages, this will further lead to governors think to reduce the wages of all other state departments in the future. The author’s brother-in-law lost the job during the similar proposal of the outsourcing, and author strongly assumes that the governor’s proposal will have some of the union members lose their jobs, as well as reduction of the state government employee salaryShow MoreRelatedCritical Thinking And Critical Thinking753 Words   |  4 Pagesaway from the normal. We begin the critical thought process of thinking outside the box. Critical thinking is the process of evaluating your decisions, providing positive or negative feedback, and researching conclusions. At the point when used correctly, it reduces the issue of complacency in how we carry on with everyday activities. Critical thinking in a personal business decision Before I started my business as being a mobile deejay, I had to make critical decisions on the type of events, sortRead MoreCritical Thinking1715 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿KENYATTA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL: HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM DEPARTMENT: TOURISM UNIT CODE: UCU 103 UNIT TITLE: INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKING GROUP MEMBERS NAMES: REG.NO. CONTACTS SIGN GEOFFREY A.G T12S/8705/2013 0728812037 †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. PETER WAMBUI T12S/19590/2013 0726581625 †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. ROSE WACHIRA T12S/21534/2013 0717236599 †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦... NASSIUMA PURITY T12S/21394/2013 0702057789 †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦... RADHI OLANG’O T12S/19632/2013 0704290026 †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ CHEMUTAI DAISY T12S/19632/2013 0702645207Read MoreCritical Thinking2910 Words   |  12 Pagescreate the correct and fast solution to solve our problems. One of the ways is to think critically. Thinking is a good process but thinking alone will not help us to develop our minds. That is when critical thinking may take place. Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally. It includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking. Using critical thinking one makes a decision or solves the problem of judging what to believe or what to do. It helps us to buildRead MoreCritical Thinking1324 Words   |  6 Pagespaper explores critical thinking skills and teaching them in an educational setting. Teaching critical thinking is highly debatable. Many feel as though it is not a necessary skill that needs to be learned and others feel as though it is not a skill that can be taught. In this paper I will discuss what critical thinking is and ways it can be taught in an educational setting. 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When it comes down to thinking to solve problemsRead MoreCritical Thinking975 Words   |  4 Pageseliminated to strengthen the authors argument?†¨.†¨You can also support your assignment using the critical thinking concepts from previous chapters with points on evidence, confirmation bias, the authors communication and research skills, manipulation of language, use of reason, emotion, open-mindedness vs. narrowmindedness, the three-tier model of thinking, resistance and barriers to critical thinking, etc.†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Assignment Expectations: Your assignment should be a minimum of 500 words (this does notRead MoreCritical Thinking . Critical Thinking Is A Major Component862 Words   |  4 Pages Critical Thinking Critical thinking is a major component of the nursing process. Critical thinking is define as, â€Å"that mode of thinking—about any subject, content, or problem—in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully taking charge of the structures inherent in thinking and imposing intellectual standards upon them† (Paul and Eder, 2012). Nurses who critically think about their patients have a better chance of solving the patient’s problems quickly and successfullyRead MoreCritical Analysis On Critical Thinking1311 Words   |  6 Pages Critical Self Reflection Essay Critical thinking has been defined as the ability to be a disciplined thinker by using clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence. Critical thinking is a skill that takes years of practice to master. In this essay I will reflect on my personal stage of critical thinking and what strengths and weaknesses I currently have. This personal reflection will include what challenges I will face to advance my critical thinking skills and what requirements a criticalRead MoreCritical Thinking : A Critical Thinker1230 Words   |  5 PagesCritical thinking is the process of analyzing certain problematic phenomena or ideas, along with its complex dynamics, in order to theorize healthier and more productive solutions. Critical thinking juxtaposes its noun form by describing the critical thinker, in which society is constantly and heedlessly creating. This is the direct result of the systematic nourishment of societal prejudices, misogyny, and inequality, which only contrives devastati ng and life changing events in its victims livesRead MoreCritical Note On Critical Thinking1137 Words   |  5 PagesKristen Hofner Final Assignment on Critical Thinking The key variable in determining the quality of what I learn in college is due to my thinking. My professors have played a role in my learning, with some of them helping me learn more than others, but even the best professors will be very little help to me if I’m deficient in the critical intellectual skills essential for learning. Over the semester I have seen significant improvement in my time management skills and reasoning and writing skills