-
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Feb 2022We propose that the entirety of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) can be seen as fundamentally premotor in nature. By this, we mean that the PFC consists of an action...
We propose that the entirety of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) can be seen as fundamentally premotor in nature. By this, we mean that the PFC consists of an action abstraction hierarchy whose core function is the potentiation and depotentiation of possible action plans at different levels of granularity. We argue that the apex of the hierarchy should revolve around the process of goal-selection, which we posit is inherently a form of optimization over action abstraction. Anatomical and functional evidence supports the idea that this hierarchy originates on the orbital surface of the brain and extends dorsally to motor cortex. Accordingly, our viewpoint positions the orbitofrontal cortex in a key role in the optimization of goal-selection policies, and suggests that its other proposed roles are aspects of this more general function. Our proposed perspective will reframe outstanding questions, open up new areas of inquiry and align theories of prefrontal function with evolutionary principles. This article is part of the theme issue 'Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory'.
Topics: Brain; Brain Mapping; Motor Cortex; Prefrontal Cortex
PubMed: 34957853
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0524 -
Philosophical Transactions. Series A,... Jul 2023General mathematical reasoning is computationally undecidable, but humans routinely solve new problems. Moreover, discoveries developed over centuries are taught to...
General mathematical reasoning is computationally undecidable, but humans routinely solve new problems. Moreover, discoveries developed over centuries are taught to subsequent generations quickly. What structure enables this, and how might that inform automated mathematical reasoning? We posit that central to both puzzles is the structure of procedural abstractions underlying mathematics. We explore this idea in a case study on five sections of beginning algebra on the Khan Academy platform. To define a computational foundation, we introduce Peano, a theorem-proving environment where the set of valid actions at any point is finite. We use Peano to formalize introductory algebra problems and axioms, obtaining well-defined search problems. We observe existing reinforcement learning methods for symbolic reasoning to be insufficient to solve harder problems. Adding the ability to induce reusable abstractions ('tactics') from its own solutions allows an agent to make steady progress, solving all problems. Furthermore, these abstractions induce an order to the problems, seen at random during training. The recovered order has significant agreement with the expert-designed Khan Academy curriculum, and second-generation agents trained on the recovered curriculum learn significantly faster. These results illustrate the synergistic role of abstractions and curricula in the cultural transmission of mathematics. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Cognitive artificial intelligence'.
PubMed: 37271179
DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2022.0044 -
Cureus Dec 2022The National Occupational Competency Profile (NOCP)-the competency framework for paramedics in Canada-is presently undergoing revision. Since the NOCP was published in... (Review)
Review
The National Occupational Competency Profile (NOCP)-the competency framework for paramedics in Canada-is presently undergoing revision. Since the NOCP was published in 2011, paramedic practice, healthcare, and society have changed dramatically. To inform the revision, we sought to identify emerging concepts in the literature that would inform the development of competencies for paramedics. We conducted a restricted literature review and content analysis of all published and grey literature pertaining to or informing Canadian paramedicine from 2011 to 2022. Three authors performed a title, abstract, and full-text review to identify and label concepts informed by existing findings. A total of 302 articles were categorized into 11 emerging concepts related to competencies: inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) in paramedicine; social responsiveness, justice, equity, and access; anti-racism; healthy professionals; evidence-informed practice and systems; complex adaptive systems; learning environment; virtual care; clinical reasoning; adaptive expertise; and planetary health. This review identified emerging concepts to inform the development of the 2023 National Occupational Standard for Paramedics (NOSP). These concepts will inform data analysis, the development of group discussions, and competency identification.
PubMed: 36699791
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.32864 -
BioEssays : News and Reviews in... May 2021Cell membranes are now emerging as finely tuned molecular systems, signifying that re-evaluation of our understanding of their structure is essential. Although the idea... (Review)
Review
Cell membranes are now emerging as finely tuned molecular systems, signifying that re-evaluation of our understanding of their structure is essential. Although the idea that cell membrane lipid bilayers do little more than give shape and form to cells and limit diffusion between cells and their environment is totally passé, the structural, compositional, and functional complexity of lipid bilayers often catches cell and molecular biologists by surprise. Models of lipid bilayer structure have developed considerably since the heyday of the fluid mosaic model, principally by the discovery of the restricted diffusion of membrane proteins and lipids within the plane of the bilayer. In reviewing this field, we now suggest that further refinement of current models is necessary and propose that describing lipid bilayers as "finely-tuned molecular assemblies" best portrays their complexity and function. Also see the video abstract here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddkP-QRZTl8.
Topics: Cell Membrane; Diffusion; Lipid Bilayers; Membrane Lipids; Membrane Proteins
PubMed: 33656770
DOI: 10.1002/bies.202100021 -
Journal of Experimental Psychology.... Mar 2020In their seminal study of chess expertise, Simon and Chase (Chase & Simon, 1973; Simon & Chase, 1973) proposed that perceptual learning was a necessary component of...
In their seminal study of chess expertise, Simon and Chase (Chase & Simon, 1973; Simon & Chase, 1973) proposed that perceptual learning was a necessary component of skill acquisition. In their view, acquisition of skill results from the strategic use of learning at multiple levels to adaptively overcome inherent limitations. The knowledge acquired by way of perceptual learning that supported increasingly sophisticated perceptual discrimination processes, according to Simon and Chase, was referred to as a chunk. The chunk was conceptualized as a meaningful complex set of features that abstracted the notion of a perceptual object. Simon and Chase further suggested that meaningful combinations of chunks could be combined to form configurations (Simon & Chase, 1973, p. 399). The present study addresses this idea by framing the notion of a chunk in terms of two formal metatheories, one that addresses representation (Ashby & Townsend, 1986) and one that addresses processing (Townsend & Nozawa, 1995), and tests the prediction that perceptual learning produces organized perceptual objects (chunks). Two experiments combine behavioral and electroencephelographic (EEG) measures to show that perceptual learning produces (a) a shift from perceptual independence and separability to violations of separability, and (b) shifts from limited-capacity serial processing to supercapacity parallel processing. The evidence from both experiments is strong and consistent: perceptual learning does indeed induce chunking-the production of perceptual objects, and the foundation of perceptual expertise. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Topics: Adult; Contrast Sensitivity; Electroencephalography; Female; Humans; Learning; Male; Pattern Recognition, Visual; Psychomotor Performance; Young Adult
PubMed: 31219302
DOI: 10.1037/xlm0000735 -
American Journal of Obstetrics &... May 2022The use of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) is predicated on the idea that the study group is representative of the overall clinical population; however, recent studies... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The use of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) is predicated on the idea that the study group is representative of the overall clinical population; however, recent studies have suggested that this may not be the case in obstetrics. The generalizability of several seminal obstetrical RCTs, including the A Randomized Trial of Induction Versus Expectant Management trial, has been questioned because of the high ratio of assessed-to-enrolled individuals. Although difficulty in recruitment for obstetrical RCTs is known, it has been postulated that this high ratio increases the likelihood of the study population not being truly representative. Our primary objective was to analyze the assessed-to-enrolled ratio in contemporary obstetrical RCTs.
STUDY DESIGN
During a 4-year period (January 2017 to December 2020), we identified all obstetrical RCTs published in 6 journals (The New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, Lancet, American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Obstetrics & Gynecology). The journals were manually reviewed by 2 coauthors to ensure all obstetrical RCTs were identified and abstracted accurately. Reported patient recruitment data, per Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials recommendations, were abstracted from each RCT. Based on the primary outcome of the study, the purpose of the trial was categorized as preventative or treatment. Medians were compared using Wilcoxon rank-sum testing, and P<.05 was considered significant.
RESULTS
Of 240 obstetrical RCTs that were identified, 193 (80%) reported data on the number of individuals screened and recruited. The median number of individuals screened per trial was 850 (interquartile range [IQR], 323-2582), of which 348 were eligible (IQR, 201-1347) and 300 (IQR, 133-894) were randomized. There was no difference in trials based internationally or in the United States (P=.26). Compared with preventative RCTs, the trials that had treatment as the primary outcome were significantly more likely to screen a larger number of individuals for eligibility (P<.01) and subsequently randomize (P<.02). There was no difference in the median number of individuals who declined enrollment between trials with prevention or treatment as their objective (P=.12). More individuals were lost to follow-up in trials with prevention as the primary outcome (P<.01), although the median number lost was low at 3 (IQR, 0-21).
CONCLUSION
The low assessed-to-enrolled ratio found in this study suggested that researchers are casting a large net for patient recruitment. The relatively high eligible-to-randomized ratio suggested that most individuals are willing to participate in obstetrical RCTs. This finding was at odds with previous critiques of obstetrical RCTs that had called in to question study results secondary to high eligible-to-randomized ratios. Further research into how patients are recruited and counseled is indicated, to explore this variation. The ratio of patients assessed for study eligibility to patients enrolled in preventative vs treatment RCTs was not substantially different. Based on this result, patients seemed to be similarly interested in being enrolled to prevent a complication from pregnancy as in treating one. These results supported the concept that most individuals in the obstetrical RCTs represent the eligible population.
Topics: Gynecology; Humans; Obstetrics; Patient Selection; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Research Design
PubMed: 35031522
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajogmf.2022.100564 -
Cognitive Neuropsychology 2020What role does language play in our thoughts? A longstanding proposal that has gained traction among supporters of embodied or grounded cognition suggests that it serves...
What role does language play in our thoughts? A longstanding proposal that has gained traction among supporters of embodied or grounded cognition suggests that it serves as a cognitive scaffold. This idea turns on the fact that language-with its ability to capture statistical regularities, leverage culturally acquired information, and engage grounded metaphors-is an effective and readily available support for our thinking. In this essay, I argue that language should be viewed as more than this; it should be viewed as a neuroenhancement. The neurologically realized language system is an important subcomponent of a flexible, multimodal, and multilevel conceptual system. It is not merely a source for information about the world but also a computational add-on that extends our conceptual reach. This approach provides a compelling explanation of the course of development, our facility with abstract concepts, and even the scope of language-specific influences on cognition.
Topics: Cognition; Concept Formation; Humans; Language; Mental Status and Dementia Tests
PubMed: 31269862
DOI: 10.1080/02643294.2019.1637338 -
Gynecologie, Obstetrique, Fertilite &... Feb 2023The idea of using an instrument to assist natural childbirth is not new and it was in the 18th and 19th centuries that the forceps was developed. It is only after the... (Review)
Review
The idea of using an instrument to assist natural childbirth is not new and it was in the 18th and 19th centuries that the forceps was developed. It is only after the Second World War that the suction cup provides an alternative to instrumental childbirth, but still based on prehension and traction. In 1950, Emile Thierry, in France, presented his spatulas based on the then original principle of propulsion. The diffusion of spatulas is almost non-existent in the Anglo-Saxon world but is not limited to France since its use was real by the Iberians and Latin Americans. There are currently three types of spatula, two of which are French and one Colombian. This review takes up the saga of this instrument for more than 70 years, develops its particularities and describes the present literature.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Extraction, Obstetrical; Obstetrical Forceps; Colombia; Delivery, Obstetric; Surgical Instruments
PubMed: 36436820
DOI: 10.1016/j.gofs.2022.11.009 -
Trends in Cognitive Sciences Oct 2021Social learning is often portrayed as a passive process of copying and trusting others. This view, however, does not fully capture what makes human social learning so... (Review)
Review
Social learning is often portrayed as a passive process of copying and trusting others. This view, however, does not fully capture what makes human social learning so powerful: social information is often 'curated' by helpful teachers. I argue that both learning from others (social learning) and helping others learn (teaching) can be characterized as probabilistic inferences guided by an intuitive understanding of how people think, plan, and act. Consistent with this idea, even young children draw rich inferences from evidence provided by others and generate informative evidence that helps others learn. By studying social learning and teaching through a common theoretical lens, inferential social learning provides an integrated account of how human cognition supports acquisition and communication of abstract knowledge.
Topics: Child; Child, Preschool; Cognition; Humans; Knowledge; Social Learning; Trust
PubMed: 34417094
DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.07.008 -
American Journal of Health Promotion :... Nov 2023The aim of this study is to scope the literature on what is currently known between physical activity and presenteeism. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to scope the literature on what is currently known between physical activity and presenteeism.
DATA SOURCE
A search strategy was conducting in six scientific databases.
STUDY INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA
Studies written in English about the relation between physical activity and presenteeism were considered for inclusion.
DATA EXTRACTION
Data on definitions and measurement of presenteeism and physical activity were extracted.
DATA SYNTHESIS
The data is categorized according to the understanding of presenteeism of the studies to give a better idea of how this phenomenon is studied in relation to physical activity.
RESULTS
After screening 9773 titles and abstracts and 269 full-text articles, 57 unique articles fulfilled our eligibility criteria. The majority of the articles were published since 2010 and originated predominantly in the United States. Most studies (70%) define presenteeism as lost productivity due to health problems, according to the American line of research, whereas 19% of the studies define it as "working while ill" which refers to the European line of research. The studies that reflected the American school of thought tends to report more results that supported their hypothesis (i.e., that more physical activity is associated with less presenteeism).
CONCLUSION
This review has highlighted the homogeneity in how presenteeism is conceptualized and measured in studies included in our sample. Research on physical activity and presenteeism should be expanded across various disciplines in social sciences to respond to the needs that many researchers have expressed to promote healthier organizations.
Topics: Humans; Efficiency; Presenteeism; United States; Exercise
PubMed: 37542375
DOI: 10.1177/08901171231193781