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Effect of traumatic upper-limb injury on cognitive functions: A cross-sectional observational study.Hand Surgery & Rehabilitation Oct 2023There is growing evidence of cognitive impairment after traumatic peripheral lesions. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between cognitive function... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
OBJECTIVES
There is growing evidence of cognitive impairment after traumatic peripheral lesions. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between cognitive function and traumatic upper-limb injury. We assessed difference in cognitive function between participants with and without upper-limb injury, and explored the association between cognitive function and certain variables in injured individuals: gender, age, body mass index (BMI), educational level, and occupation. We sought to identify the factors associated with cognitive function in injured subjects: time since injury, injury side, nerve injury, hand function, pain, and finger sensation.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
A cross-sectional observational study was conducted, with 2 groups: observational group (with traumatic upper-limb injury) and control group (uninjured). The 2 groups were matched for age, gender, BMI, educational level and occupation. Short-term memory and executive functions were assessed using the Rey Auditory and Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT), respectively.
RESULTS
104 participants with traumatic upper-limb injury and 104 uninjured control subjects were included. There was a significant inter-group difference only in RAVLT (p < 0.01; Cohen d, of 0.38). Regression analysis demonstrated an association of pain on VAS (beta = -0.16, p < 0.01) and touch-test (beta = 1.09, p < 0.05) with total RAVLT score (short-term memory) in injured subjects (R = 0.19, F (2, 82) = 9.54, p < 0.001).
CONCLUSION
Traumatic upper-limb injury can impact short-term memory, which should be kept in mind during rehabilitation.
Topics: Humans; Cross-Sectional Studies; Neuropsychological Tests; Cognition; Executive Function; Arm Injuries; Upper Extremity
PubMed: 37217077
DOI: 10.1016/j.hansur.2023.05.006 -
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and... Sep 2023Ketamine and its enantiomer have rapid and robust effects on depressive symptom and suicidal ideation. Little is known about their cognitive effects in adolescents. We...
BACKGROUND
Ketamine and its enantiomer have rapid and robust effects on depressive symptom and suicidal ideation. Little is known about their cognitive effects in adolescents. We aimed to evaluate the short-term effect of esketamine on cognition in adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) and suicidal ideation.
METHOD
In this randomized-controlled trial, 51 participants aged 13-18 with MDD and suicidal ideation received three intravenous infusions of either esketamine (0.25 mg/kg) or midazolam (0.02 mg/kg). Four dimensions of the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB), including processing speed, working memory, verbal learning and visual learning, were assessed at Days 0, 6 and 12.
RESULTS
In the linear mixed model, a significant time main effect (F = 12.803, P < 0.001), drug main effect (F = 6.607, P = 0.013), and interaction effect (F = 3.315, P = 0.041) was found in processing speed. Other dimensions including working memory and verbal learning showed significant time main effect (all P < 0.05), but no significant drug or interaction effect (all P > 0.05). Esketamine group showed improvement in processing speed from baseline to Days 6 and 12, and working memory from baseline to Day 12 (all P < 0.05). The generalized estimation equation showed no significant association between baseline cognition and antidepressant or antisuicidal effect (both P > 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
The present study suggested that three-dose subanesthetic esketamine infusions did not harm cognition among adolescents with MDD and suicidal ideation. Instead, esketamine may be associated with improvement in processing speed.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
This trial was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trials Registry ( http://www.chictr.org.cn , ChiCTR2000041232).
PubMed: 37710297
DOI: 10.1186/s13034-023-00647-2 -
Child Development 2023Here we introduce a Special Section of Child Development entitled "Formalizing Theories of Child Development." This Special Section features five papers that use...
Here we introduce a Special Section of Child Development entitled "Formalizing Theories of Child Development." This Special Section features five papers that use mathematical models to advance our understanding of central questions in the study of child development. This landmark collection is timely: it signifies growing awareness that rigorous empirical bricks are not enough; we need solid theory to build the house. By stating theory in mathematical terms, formal models make concepts, assumptions, and reasoning more explicit than verbal theory does. This increases falsifiability, promotes cumulative science, and enables integration with mathematical theory in allied disciplines. The Special Section contributions cover a range of topics: the developmental origins of counting, interactions between mathematics and language development, visual exploration and word learning in infancy, referent identification by toddlers, and the emergence of typical and atypical development. All are written in an accessible manner and for a broad audience.
Topics: Humans; Language Development; Problem Solving; Child Development; Verbal Learning; Mathematics
PubMed: 37814543
DOI: 10.1111/cdev.14020 -
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review Apr 2024We examined how flexibly we plan sequences of actions when we switch between multiple action sequences. Mastering a sequential skill is assumed to involve integrating...
We examined how flexibly we plan sequences of actions when we switch between multiple action sequences. Mastering a sequential skill is assumed to involve integrating successive actions into groups known as chunks that can be efficiently planned and smoothly executed. Chunking is suggested by gains in planning efficiency for long compared to short action sequences following practice and learning associations between actions and perceptual outcomes. Less is understood about how efficiently we plan sequential chunks when we switch between multiple action sequences. Do we plan learned chunks less efficiently when we switch to a different action sequence? We examined this question by comparing the initiation and execution latencies of long versus short action sequences, performed from memory, when sequences switched or repeated across trials. Additionally, each action within the sequences generated predictable perceptual outcomes that were either spatially compatible or spatially incompatible with the action sequences. Results suggested repetition costs (instead of benefits) when performing long sequences. Repetition, as opposed to switching, prolonged initiation and increased the error rate of long compared to short sequences. We attribute these results to the flexible coordination of chunk planning and execution. Repetition may prolong advanced planning of long sequences in order to resolve conflict between multiple chunks, and switching may allow the planning of later chunks to be postponed until execution. We propose that the chunking of action sequences can both facilitate and interfere with action-switching performance.
Topics: Humans; Psychomotor Performance; Adult; Young Adult; Male; Female; Serial Learning; Executive Function; Practice, Psychological
PubMed: 37726598
DOI: 10.3758/s13423-023-02338-7 -
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease : JAD 2024Previous research has shown that verbal memory accurately measures cognitive decline in the early phases of neurocognitive impairment. Automatic speech recognition from...
BACKGROUND
Previous research has shown that verbal memory accurately measures cognitive decline in the early phases of neurocognitive impairment. Automatic speech recognition from the verbal learning task (VLT) can potentially be used to differentiate between people with and without cognitive impairment.
OBJECTIVE
Investigate whether automatic speech recognition (ASR) of the VLT is reliable and able to differentiate between subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
METHODS
The VLT was recorded and processed via a mobile application. Following, verbal memory features were automatically extracted. The diagnostic performance of the automatically derived features was investigated by training machine learning classifiers to distinguish between participants with SCD versus MCI/dementia.
RESULTS
The ICC for inter-rater reliability between the clinical and automatically derived features was 0.87 for the total immediate recall and 0.94 for the delayed recall. The full model including the total immediate recall, delayed recall, recognition count, and the novel verbal memory features had an AUC of 0.79 for distinguishing between participants with SCD versus MCI/dementia. The ten best differentiating VLT features correlated low to moderate with other cognitive tests such as logical memory tasks, semantic verbal fluency, and executive functioning.
CONCLUSIONS
The VLT with automatically derived verbal memory features showed in general high agreement with the clinical scoring and distinguished well between SCD and MCI/dementia participants. This might be of added value in screening for cognitive impairment.
Topics: Humans; Reproducibility of Results; Cognitive Dysfunction; Memory; Mental Recall; Dementia; Neuropsychological Tests; Alzheimer Disease; Verbal Learning
PubMed: 38108348
DOI: 10.3233/JAD-230608 -
Psychological Medicine Sep 2023A significant percentage of people with bipolar disorder (BD) exhibit suboptimal functional adjustment, even when appropriately treated and after symptomatic recovery is... (Review)
Review
A significant percentage of people with bipolar disorder (BD) exhibit suboptimal functional adjustment, even when appropriately treated and after symptomatic recovery is achieved. Given that cognitive impairment is one of the strongest correlates of socio-occupational outcomes and quality of life in BD, cognitive remediation (CR) is currently acknowledged as a promising treatment that could help bridge the gap between symptomatic and full functional recovery. The aim of this review was to explore the efficacy of CR approaches in improving cognitive and functional outcomes in BD patients. PubMed, PsycINFO, and CENTRAL were searched from inception to November 2022. Randomized controlled trials exploring the effects of CR on cognition and/or functional adjustment in adult BD patients were eligible. Ten studies based on seven independent trials ( = 586) were included. Change-score effect sizes (Hedges' ) were obtained for efficacy outcome measures and combined by means of meta-analytic procedures. Small but significant overall effects were observed for working memory ( = 0.32, 95% CI 0.11-0.52), planning ( = 0.30, 95% CI 0.03-0.56), and verbal learning ( = 0.40, 95% CI 0.15-0.66). However, CR was not found to exert any significant effects on functional outcomes at treatment completion or at follow-up assessment. Although CR may modestly enhance the cognitive performance of BD patients, this effect does not translate into an improvement at the functional level. The current data do not support the inclusion of CR as a treatment recommendation in clinical practice guidelines for the management of BD.
PubMed: 37485698
DOI: 10.1017/S0033291723001897 -
Cognition Jan 2024Statistical language learning (SL) tasks measure different aspects of foreign language learning. Studies have used SL tasks to investigate whether bilingual experience...
Statistical language learning (SL) tasks measure different aspects of foreign language learning. Studies have used SL tasks to investigate whether bilingual experience confers advantages in acquiring additional languages through implicit processes. However, the results have been inconsistent, which may be related to bilingualism-related features (e.g., degree of dissimilarity between the specific language pair) and other variables such as specific processes that are targeted by the SL task. In the present study, we compared the performance of one Spanish monolingual and two bilingual (Spanish-Basque and Spanish-English) groups across three well-established SL tasks. Each task targeted a different aspect of foreign language learning; specifically, word segmentation, morphological rule generalization, and word-referent learning. In Experiment 1, we manipulated sub-lexical phonotactic patterns to vary the difficulty of three SL tasks, with the results showing no differences between the groups in word segmentation. In Experiment 2, we included non-adjacent dependencies to target affixal morphology rule learning, but again no group-related differences were found. In Experiment 3, we addressed word learning using an audio-visual SL task combining exclusive and multiple word-referent mappings, and found that bilinguals outperformed monolinguals, suggesting that bilingualism may exert influences on SL at the lexical level. This advantage might have been mediated by the high working memory demands required to perform the task. Summarizing, this study shows no evidence for a general bilingual advantage in SL, although bilinguals may outperform monolinguals under specific experimental conditions such as SL tasks that place high demands on working memory processes. In addition, the similar performance of Spanish-Basque and Spanish-English bilinguals across all three SL tasks suggests that the degree of dissimilarity between pairs of spoken languages does not modulate SL skills.
Topics: Humans; Language; Multilingualism; Language Development; Verbal Learning; Spatial Learning
PubMed: 37857053
DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105639 -
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Sep 2023Violence against people is a widespread phenomenon and violence against people with disabilities even more common. Studies have examined different types of violence...
Violence against people is a widespread phenomenon and violence against people with disabilities even more common. Studies have examined different types of violence toward people with disabilities, but there has been almost no research to date on verbal violence involving people with intellectual or development disabilities (IDD). The present research focused on this subject. A qualitative study was conducted using an intervention program. The research questions were (a) what can help people with IDD expand their understanding of verbal violence and differentiate different situations of verbal violence and (b) what can help people with IDD expand their means for handling verbal violence of their own and that directed toward them? The sample included 64 people (45 males, 19 females; ages 22-75) with mild IDD, who were divided into four groups of 16 participants each in the intervention program. The findings indicate that the participants' conceptualization of verbal violence improved after the intervention program. Three main themes were identified: (a) differentiation between good and bad; (b) choosing how to handle verbal violence; and (c) helping others cope with verbal violence. Consistent with the humanistic perspective, the findings show that people with IDD can learn to handle verbal violence toward them in a way that promotes their understanding, enables them to choose their reactions, and affects those around them, as well as strengthening their self-efficacy. The research contributes to the sparse knowledge regarding verbal violence, especially against people with IDD, and offers ways of intervening to help them handle verbal violence.
Topics: Male; Female; Humans; Violence; Behavior Therapy; Disabled Persons
PubMed: 37096977
DOI: 10.1177/08862605231170169 -
AIDS Patient Care and STDs Dec 2023Among Latinx people living with HIV (PLWH), neurocognitive (NC) function, culture, and mental health impact medication adherence. Similarly, health beliefs and attitudes...
Among Latinx people living with HIV (PLWH), neurocognitive (NC) function, culture, and mental health impact medication adherence. Similarly, health beliefs and attitudes play a role in health care barriers and health behaviors. Research has not examined the effect that compromised neurocognition, sociocultural factors, and mental health have on health beliefs and attitudes. This is especially relevant for Latinx PLWH who are disproportionately impacted by HIV, given that sociocultural factors may uniquely impact HIV-related NC and psychological sequelae. This study investigated the associations between neurocognition, sociocultural factors, mental health, health beliefs, and health attitudes among Latinx HIV-seropositive adults. Within a sample of 100 Latinx PLWH, better verbal learning and executive functioning abilities were associated with more positive attitudes about the benefits of medications and memory for medications. In terms of sociocultural factors, higher English language competence was related to better self-reported memory for medications, and overall, higher US acculturation was associated with more positive attitudes toward health professionals. Depressive symptomatology was negatively associated with attitudes toward medications and health professionals, as well as with self-reported memory for medications. These findings highlight the important interplay between NC, sociocultural, psychological factors, and health beliefs among Latinx PLWH. Adherence intervention strategies and suggestions for dispensing medical information are presented for clinicians and health care practitioners.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Hispanic or Latino; HIV Infections; Medication Adherence; Mental Health; Self Report; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 38096115
DOI: 10.1089/apc.2023.0173 -
Neurological Sciences : Official... Feb 2024Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sensorimotor condition characterized by disturbing sensations and the desire to move, often localized in the legs. Cognitive changes...
INTRODUCTION
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sensorimotor condition characterized by disturbing sensations and the desire to move, often localized in the legs. Cognitive changes and impulsivity can be present in RLS, although the potential effect of commonly co-occurring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) or dopamine agonist (DA) use on these are unclear.
METHOD
Twenty-three RLS patients and 22 healthy controls were included. Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), Continuous Performance Test (CPT), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Adult Attention Deficit Self-Evaluation Scale (ASRS) were administered. Performance was compared between RLS patients and controls accounting for the presence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and DA use.
RESULTS
Age, education, BDI, ESS, STAI, and ASRS scores were similar for control and RLS groups. Control and RLS groups performed similarly on auditory verbal learning and general attention tests. In the CPT, commission error was significantly higher and response time was significantly shorter in the RLS group compared to controls (p = .014 and p = .010, respectively). These significant differences persisted after adjusting for ADHD and DA usage.
CONCLUSION
In this study, RLS patients were more impulsive than the healthy individuals independent of ADHD and DA use. However, learning and attention performances of the patients are not affected.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Restless Legs Syndrome; Dopamine Agonists; Impulsive Behavior; Learning
PubMed: 37603143
DOI: 10.1007/s10072-023-07020-3