Cognitive Effects of Radiation essays

Cognitive Effects of Radiation essays There have been many terrible consequences of the Chernobyl accident, the worst of which has been the suffering and death of millions of Ukrainian people due to radiation exposure. The Physical deterioration of the residents exposed to high amounts of radiation has been extensive and severe, with the rates of cancer and other diseases shooting up by the hundreds of percents. Out of the 100,000 citizens relocated from the Chernobyl plant and the city of Pypiat, Heart and Blood disease has gone up 938% from .74/1000 to 6.94/1000, Endocrine, Digestive and Immunity disease has risen 1350% from 12.67/1000 to 171.11/1000, Respiratory disease has risen 577% from 23.67/1000 to 138.68/1000, and Nervous System disease has risen 500% from 21.25/1000 to 106.28/1000. Other diseases, such as thyroid cancer and birth defects in children, have also risen in sharp increments. One of the most unexplored regions of radiation exposure has been the threat and consequence of cognitive decrements. There has been proven to be many negative factors associated with exposure to radiation, such as fatigue, memory loss and memory retention problems, concentration loss, lack of mental flexibility, stimulus response problems, and recall difficulties. One test that has proven to be very useful in assessing victims of radiation exposure for cognitive deficits is the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Matrices, or the ANAM. This test was created by F.W. Hegee, the director of the Office of Military Performance Assessment Technology, and has proven to be a very useful tool in cognitive assessment. It is a computer program that consists of 27 subtests, and, unlike pencil and paper tests, stores the scores and converts them to useable form right inside of the program without the complication and human error that normally accompanies the transmission of information from raw data to the form of useable data. It is also portable, and can be saved to a ...