A REVIEW ON DISSOCIATIVE PERSPECTIVE OF ATTENTION AND CONSCIOUSNESS

Purpose of the study: To answer the two existing controversies regarding attention and consciousness as brain processes. 1) Can one be aware of objects or events without attending to it? 2) Can one attend to objects or events without being aware of it? And also how top-down attention and awareness have opposing functions. Methodology: This article is a systematic review of the relationship between visual attention and awareness. An extensive elaborate study on concepts relating to attention and consciousness dissociation has been done. In this article we also narrow it down to experimental design that requires independent manipulation of each. Which include top-down attention and awareness aspect of consciousness? Main Findings: Many researches have been put forward supporting the independent nature of attention from awareness using sophisticated experimental and physiological shreds of evidence. On the other hand, some researches still stick to the contemporary common-sense notion of no awareness no attention. Our evaluation suggests an independent nature of attention and awareness. Application: This article intends to give a clear perspective of the ongoing debate on the relationship between attention and consciousness. Simplification of both umbrella terms will give basis for building more empirical evidence. Novelty: Further, this article put forward studies on both sides of debate aiming to bridge the gap to get a conclusive outlook in the future

The short-form revised Eysenck personality questionnaire: A Hindi edition (EPQRS-H)

Background: There is a growing consensus about the validity of human personality traits as important dispositions toward feelings and behaviors (Matthews, Deary,& Whiteman, 2003). Materials and Methods: Here we examine the reliability of the Hindi translation of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Short Form (EPQR-S; Eysenck, Eysenck,& Barrett, 1985), which consists of 48 items that assess neuroticism, extraversion, psychoticism, and lying. The questionnaire was first translated into Hindi and then back translated. Subsequently, it was administered to 202 students (78 men and 124 women) from Banaras Hindu University. The internal consistency of the scale was evaluated. Results: The findings provide satisfactory psychometric properties of the extraversion, neuroticism and lie scales. The psychoticism scale, however, was found to be less satisfactory. Conclusion: It can be proposed that due to satisfactory internal consistency scores, the EPQRS-H is a reliable scale for the measurement of various personality traits

Diagnostic perspective in psychogenic nonepileptic seizures: An overview

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNESs) are the episodes altered movement, sensation, or experience similar to epilepsy but caused by psychological process and not associated with abnormal discharges in the neurons. Diagnosing PNES is extremely a tough work for a neurologist because of its psychological etiology and somatic manifestation. The patients with PNES are frequently misdiagnosed for epilepsy and exposed to antiepileptic drugs for several years which risk their life and put unnecessary economic burden on them. Majorly, while diagnosing PNES, the neurologist has to rule out several neurological and psychological disorders. PNES multiple etiologies and lack of quantifiable biomarkers make its diagnosis more difficult and inaccurate. Although the gold standard measure to diagnosis PNES is video-encephalography, it is always not available for the assessment and is too costly. Therefore, neurologists go for other diagnostic procedures to distinguish PNES from epilepsy. Psychological assessment of the patients; semiological and historical details of the patients; postictal observation; and provocation techniques such as saline injection, verbal suggestion, moist swab application, tuning fork application, and compressed temple region are being used in a substantial way to diagnose PNES. Besides, these neuroimaging techniques such as electroencephalography and magnetic resonance imaging and chemical biomarker such as serum prolactin are also being measured to be sure for PNES diagnosis. Further, it must be understood that above assessment procedures are not independent but are complementary to each other, and hence, PNES etiology is still going through elucidation process. Therefore, diagnosing PNES is a cumbersome task. However, if diagnosis of PNES is made with joint efforts of neurologist, psychologist, and psychiatrist, although usually not practiced, only then one can arrive at a definite conclusion