Social Science and Neuroscience beyond Interdisciplinarity: Experimental Entanglements

This article is an account of the dynamics of interaction across the social sciences and neurosciences. Against an arid rhetoric of ‘interdisciplinarity’, it calls for a more expansive imaginary of what experiment – as practice and ethos – might offer in this space. Arguing that opportunities for collaboration between social scientists and neuroscientists need to be taken seriously, the article situates itself against existing conceptualizations of these dynamics, grouping them under three rubrics: ‘critique’, ‘ebullience’ and ‘interaction’. Despite their differences, each insists on a distinction between sociocultural and neurobiological knowledge, or does not show how a more entangled field might be realized. The article links this absence to the ‘regime of the inter-’, an ethic of interdisciplinarity that guides interaction between disciplines on the understanding of their pre-existing separateness. The argument of the paper is thus twofold: (1) that, contra the ‘regime of the inter-’, it is no longer practicable to maintain a hygienic separation between sociocultural webs and neurobiological architecture; (2) that the cognitive neuroscientific experiment, as a space of epistemological and ontological excess, offers an opportunity to researchers, from all disciplines, to explore and register this realization

Monoaminergic and histaminergic strategies and treatments in brain diseases

The monoaminergic systems are the target of several drugs for the treatment of mood, motor and cognitive disorders as well as neurological conditions. In most cases, advances have occurred through serendipity, except for Parkinson's disease where the pathophysiology led almost immediately to the introduction of dopamine restoring agents. Extensive neuropharmacological studies first showed that the primary target of antipsychotics, antidepressants, and anxiolytic drugs were specific components of the monoaminergic systems. Later, some dramatic side effects associated with older medicines were shown to disappear with new chemical compounds targeting the origin of the therapeutic benefit more specifically. The increased knowledge regarding the function and interaction of the monoaminergic systems in the brain resulting from in vivo neurochemical and neurophysiological studies indicated new monoaminergic targets that could achieve the efficacy of the older medicines with fewer side-effects. Yet, this accumulated knowledge regarding monoamines did not produce valuable strategies for diseases where no monoaminergic drug has been shown to be effective. Here, we emphasize the new therapeutic and monoaminergic-based strategies for the treatment of psychiatric diseases. We will consider three main groups of diseases, based on the evidence of monoamines involvement (schizophrenia, depression, obesity), the identification of monoamines in the diseases processes (Parkinson's disease, addiction) and the prospect of the involvement of monoaminergic mechanisms (epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, stroke). In most cases, the clinically available monoaminergic drugs induce widespread modifications of amine tone or excitability through neurobiological networks and exemplify the overlap between therapeutic approaches to psychiatric and neurological conditions. More recent developments that have resulted in improved drug specificity and responses will be discussed in this review.peer-reviewe

Support Beyond High School for Those with Mental Illness

School personnel have many opportunities to assist students and families in preparing for a successful transition to college and careers. Initial high school efforts may include prescreening incoming freshman student files to identify those at-risk and assuring that support services and interventions are implemented quickly. Early supports for students with mental health needs are key to assuring higher graduation rates and building resiliency as they transition to adulthood. For students with Individualized Education Plans, a formal transition plan that identifies long-term goals and supports for reaching those goals as well as an exit summary that includes accommodation documentation can be helpful

Assessment of validity of the national public health performance standards: the local public health performance assessment instrument.

The National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP) has developed performance standards measurement instruments, based on the 10 "Essential Services of Public Health" that are being tested in several states. This article is a report on the face and content validity of the instrument designed for local public health systems. Judgments about the face validity of the standards were obtained in a survey of local public health systems that had used the instrument in a test state. The validity of each standard was addressed along the following dimensions: the importance of the standard as a measure of the Essential Service; its completeness as a measure; and its reasonableness for achievement. All standards for each Essential Service were then judged in terms of their completeness in measuring performance of that service. Respondents judged the standards to be highly valid measures of local public health system performance. Some respondents had reservations about whether standards related to "enforcing laws and regulations" were achievable. Holding local public health systems accountable for the activities of other agencies was a factor mentioned in conjunction with those standards. The NPHPSP standards have face and content validity for measuring local public health system performance. Further testing of their validity and reliability is continuing

Longitudinal Effects of Rti Implementation On Reading Achievement Outcomes

Because several studies have investigated student outcomes in schools implementing Response to Intervention (RtI), relatively little research has investigated the impact of implementation on students’ long-term achievement outcomes (i.e., several years after exposure). The purpose of this study was to describe one elementary school\u27s RtI implementation process and to examine students’ long-term reading comprehension outcomes following their exposure to various phases of implementation. Four cohorts of students who experienced different implementation phases (i.e., a baseline condition or Phases I, II, or III of implementation) during Grade 2 were subsequently followed across Grades 3, 4, and 5 to examine their outcomes on two reading comprehension measures. Results indicated that students who experienced the early phases of RtI implementation (i.e., Phases I and II) during Grade 2 generally had higher mean comprehension scores in Grades 4 and 5 than students in the baseline condition. Implications for practice and future research are discussed

Content and criterion validity evaluation of National Public Health Performance Standards measurement instruments.

OBJECTIVE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP) has developed instruments to measure the performance of local and state public health departments on the 10 "Essential Services of Public Health," which have been tested in several states. This article is a report of the evaluation of the content and criterion validity of the local public health performance assessment instrument, and the content validity of the state public health performance assessment instrument. METHODS: Health department performance is measured using a set of indicators developed for the 10 Essential Services of Public Health and a model standard for each indicator. Content validity of each model standard in the local instrument was addressed by community partners along the following dimensions: the importance of each standard as a measure of the associated Essential Service, its completeness as a measure, and its reasonableness for achievement. All standards for each Essential Service were then judged in terms of their completeness in measuring performance in that service. Content validity of the state instrument was evaluated in a group interview of health department staff members from three states. Criterion validity of the local instrument was assessed for a sample of eight public health departments in Florida and six in New York by examining documentary evidence for selected responses. Criterion validity was also evaluated for a sample of Florida local public health departments and one Hawaii public health department by comparing state health department staffs' judgments of performance against the instrument score. RESULTS: Criterion validity was upheld for a summary performance score on the local instrument, but was not upheld for performance judgments on individual Essential Services. The NPHPSP standards based on the Essential Services have validity for measuring local public health system performance, according to community partners. The model standards are valid measures of state performance, according to state public health departments in three states. CONCLUSIONS: Within the scope of the validity evaluations completed, the NPHPSP state and local performance assessment instruments were found to be valid measures of public health performance