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Scientific Reports Oct 2020Idiopathic epilepsy (IE) is the most common chronic neurological condition in dogs, characterised by recurrent seizure activity and associated with negative behavioural...
Idiopathic epilepsy (IE) is the most common chronic neurological condition in dogs, characterised by recurrent seizure activity and associated with negative behavioural and cognitive changes. We hypothesised that IE would negatively impact putative affective state, with dogs with IE exhibiting a more pessimistic judgement bias and more negative attention bias than controls. Dogs were tested in a previously-validated spatial judgement bias task, and a novel auditory attention bias task testing attention to sounds with different valence or salience (neutral, novel pre-habituated, threatening). Sixty-eight dogs (IE = 33, Control = 35) were tested, of which n = 37 acquired the spatial discrimination and responses to judgement bias probes were tested (IE = 19, Control = 18), and n = 36 were tested for responses to sounds (IE = 20, Control = 16). Study groups did not significantly differ by age, sex, breed or neuter-status (p > 0.05). Main effects of study group were not significant in judgement bias (F = 0.20, p = 0.658) or attention bias tasks (F = 1.64, p = 0.184). In contrast with our hypotheses, there was no evidence that IE altered cognitive biases in this study population; however, dogs with IE were significantly more likely to be unable to learn the spatial discrimination task (p = 0.019), which may reflect IE-related cognitive deficits. Developing methods to test affective state without excluding cognitively impaired individuals is a future challenge for animal welfare science.
Topics: Animal Welfare; Animals; Attentional Bias; Behavior, Animal; Dogs; Emotions; Epilepsy; Female; Judgment; Male
PubMed: 33082493
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74777-4 -
Neurologic Clinics Aug 2023Informed consent (IC) is an ethical and legal requirement grounded in the principle of autonomy. Cognitive impairment may often interfere with decision-making capacity... (Review)
Review
Informed consent (IC) is an ethical and legal requirement grounded in the principle of autonomy. Cognitive impairment may often interfere with decision-making capacity necessitating alternative models of ethically sound deliberation. In cases where the patient lacks decision-making capacity, one must determine the appropriate decision-maker and the criteria used in making a medical decision appropriate for the patient. In this article, I critically discuss the traditional approaches of IC, advance directives, substituted judgment, and best interests. A further suggestion is that thinking about sufficient reasons for or against a course of action is a conceptual enrichment in addition to the concepts of interests and well-being. Finally, I propose another model of collective consensus-seeking decision-making.
Topics: Humans; Mental Competency; Informed Consent; Cognitive Dysfunction; Decision Making
PubMed: 37407097
DOI: 10.1016/j.ncl.2023.03.001 -
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience 2024Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a category of hearing loss that often leads to difficulty in understanding speech and other sounds. Auditory system dysfunction,... (Review)
Review
Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a category of hearing loss that often leads to difficulty in understanding speech and other sounds. Auditory system dysfunction, including deafness and auditory trauma, results in cognitive deficits via neuroplasticity. Cognitive impairment (CI) refers to an abnormality in the brain's higher intellectual processes related to learning, memory, thinking and judgment that can lead to severe learning and memory deficits. Studies have established a strong correlation between SNHL and CI, but it remains unclear how SNHL contributes to CI. The purpose of this article is to describe three hypotheses regarding this relationship, the mainstream cognitive load hypothesis, the co-morbidity hypothesis, and the sensory deprivation hypothesis, as well as the latest research progress related to each hypothesis.
PubMed: 38482343
DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1368232 -
Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology :... Dec 2021Individuals with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) exhibit various levels of abulia, disinhibition, impaired judgment, and decline in executive...
BACKGROUND
Individuals with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) exhibit various levels of abulia, disinhibition, impaired judgment, and decline in executive function. Empirical evidence has shown that individuals with bvFTD also often exhibit difficulty using honorific speech, which expresses respect to another party or addressee.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze differences in the ability to use honorific speech among individuals with bvFTD, individuals with dementia of the Alzheimer type (AD dementia), and individuals with normal cognition (NC).
METHOD
A total of 53 native Korean speakers (13 bvFTD, 20 AD dementia, and 20 NC) completed an experimental honorific speech task (HST) that involved both expressive and receptive tasks. We analyzed the number of correct responses and error patterns separately for an expressive task and for a receptive task.
RESULTS
The bvFTD group had significantly fewer correct responses on the HST compared with the AD dementia and NC groups. The bvFTD group exhibited more misjudgment errors in identifying nonhonorific speech as honorific speech in the expressive task, and significantly longer response times in the receptive task, than the AD dementia and NC groups. Significant associations were identified between HST scores and cortical atrophy in the temporal and frontotemporal lobes.
CONCLUSION
A decline in the ability to use honorific speech may be a diagnosable behavioral and psychiatric symptom for bvFTD in Korean-speaking individuals. This decline in individuals with bvFTD could be attributed to multiple factors, including social manners (politeness) and impaired social language use ability (pragmatics).
Topics: Alzheimer Disease; Executive Function; Frontotemporal Dementia; Humans; Neuropsychological Tests; Speech
PubMed: 34851865
DOI: 10.1097/WNN.0000000000000284 -
Clinical Psychology Review Apr 2024What are the major vulnerabilities in people with social anxiety? What are the most promising directions for translational research pertaining to this condition? The... (Review)
Review
What are the major vulnerabilities in people with social anxiety? What are the most promising directions for translational research pertaining to this condition? The present paper provides an integrative summary of basic and applied translational research on social anxiety, emphasizing vulnerability factors. It is divided into two subsections: intrapersonal and interpersonal. The intrapersonal section synthesizes research relating to (a) self-representations and self-referential processes; (b) emotions and their regulation; and (c) cognitive biases: attention, interpretation and judgment, and memory. The interpersonal section summarizes findings regarding the systems of (a) approach and avoidance, (b) affiliation and social rank, and their implications for interpersonal impairments. Our review suggests that the science of social anxiety and, more generally, psychopathology may be advanced by examining processes and their underlying content within broad psychological systems. Increased interaction between basic and applied researchers to diversify and elaborate different perspectives on social anxiety is necessary for progress.
Topics: Humans; Emotions; Fear; Judgment; Attention; Anxiety; Interpersonal Relations
PubMed: 38493675
DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2024.102415 -
Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Mar 2020Evidence suggests that schizophrenia patients have olfactory dysfunctions, but the relationship between olfactory identification, hedonic judgement, and negative...
Evidence suggests that schizophrenia patients have olfactory dysfunctions, but the relationship between olfactory identification, hedonic judgement, and negative symptomatology remains unclear. Few studies have investigated whether co-activation of pleasant and unpleasant emotions are more prevalent in schizophrenia patients. Thirty schizophrenia outpatients with prominent negative symptoms (PNS), 30 outpatients without PNS, and 30 controls completed the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test, and were asked to identify the odourants and to rate their emotions. The effects of gender and medications on olfactory function were examined. Schizophrenia patients exhibited olfactory identification impairments, even after accounting for gender and medication effects. Patients with PNS demonstrated larger magnitude of deficit than those without. Patients with PNS reported less pleasure to positive-valenced odourants, and less unpleasantness to negative-valenced odourants than controls. Olfactory anhedonia in patients with PNS disappeared after controlling for medication effect. Schizophrenia patients do not exhibit affective ambivalence in olfaction. Schizophrenia patients with PNS exhibit deficits in olfactory identification and hedonic judgement, even after controlling for gender and medication effects. Our findings support the close relationship between olfactory dysfunctions and negative symptoms. Further studies should investigate the effect of dopamine-blocking agents on the olfactory hedonic judgment in schizophrenia patients.
Topics: Adult; Anhedonia; Emotions; Female; Humans; Judgment; Male; Middle Aged; Odorants; Olfaction Disorders; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenic Psychology; Smell
PubMed: 31856651
DOI: 10.1080/13546805.2019.1704709 -
The British Journal of Clinical... Sep 2022Emotion recognition is a fundamental neurocognitive capacity that is a critical predictor of interpersonal function and, in turn, mental health. Although people with...
OBJECTIVE
Emotion recognition is a fundamental neurocognitive capacity that is a critical predictor of interpersonal function and, in turn, mental health. Although people with Parkinson's disease (PD) often exhibit difficulties recognizing emotions, almost all studies to date have focused on basic emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, and disgust), with little consideration of how more cognitively complex self-conscious emotions such as contempt, embarrassment, and pride might also be affected. Further, the few studies that have considered self-conscious emotions have relied on high intensity, static stimuli. The aim of the present study was to therefore provide the first examination of how self-conscious emotion recognition is affected by PD using a dynamic, dual-intensity measure that more closely captures how emotion recognition judgements are made in daily life.
METHOD
People with PD (n = 42) and neurotypical controls (n = 42) completed a validated measure of self-conscious facial emotion recognition. For comparative purposes, in addition to a broader clinical test battery, both groups also completed a traditional static emotion recognition measure and a measure of self-conscious emotional experience.
RESULTS
Relative to controls, the PD group did not differ in their capacity to recognize basic emotions but were impaired in their recognition of self-conscious emotions. These difficulties were associated with elevated negative affect and poorer subjective well-being.
CONCLUSIONS
Difficulties recognizing self-conscious emotions may be more problematic for people with PD than difficulties recognizing basic ones, with implications for interventions focused on helping people with this disorder develop and maintain strong social networks.
PRACTITIONER POINTS
This is the first direct investigation into how the recognition of self-conscious emotion is affected in Parkinson's disease using dynamic, dual-intensity stimuli, thus providing an important extension to prior literature that has focused solely on basic emotion recognition and/or relied on static, high-intensity stimuli. Results revealed preserved basic facial emotional recognition coexisting with impairment in all three self-conscious emotions assessed, therefore suggesting that the latter stimuli type may function as a more sensitive indicator of Parkinson's disease-related social cognitive impairment. Problems with self-conscious emotion recognition in people with Parkinson's disease were associated with poorer broader subjective well-being and increased negative affect. This aligns with the broader literature linking interpersonal difficulties with poorer clinical outcomes in this cohort.
Topics: Emotions; Facial Expression; Happiness; Humans; Parkinson Disease; Recognition, Psychology
PubMed: 35048398
DOI: 10.1111/bjc.12354 -
Clinical Rehabilitation Oct 2019Valid consent to healthcare treatments depends upon a person having the capacity to give it. The Mental Health Act not only requires a presumption of capacity but also... (Review)
Review
Valid consent to healthcare treatments depends upon a person having the capacity to give it. The Mental Health Act not only requires a presumption of capacity but also expects clinicians to take reasonable steps to establish whether the patient lacks capacity. The facts are that (1) lack of capacity is common among hospital inpatients and people in the community needing care, but is often not recognized. (2) Capacity must not be judged on the basis of the decision made: an unwise decision is not evidence of a lack of capacity, and a decision expected by the clinician is not evidence of capacity. Capacity is decision-specific and must be considered critically without preconceptions. There is no valid other test. (3) Clinically people will fall into four groups: (a) obviously lack capacity and will not recover it, (b) obviously lack capacity but will recover soon, (c) obviously have capacity, (d) capacity is in doubt and major healthcare decision needed. Only the last group need more detailed attention. (4) Capacity is (a) relative to the complexity of the information; (b) on a spectrum, not categorical; (c) decided using clinical judgement; and (d) subject to disagreement among assessors. The recommendations are as follows: (1) capacity should always be considered within the decision-making process, and the outcome should be documented, with sufficient information to understand the opinion given. (2) Detailed assessment should be reserved for situations when (a) a major decision is needed and (b) there is time to assess and discuss the assessment.
Topics: Cognition Disorders; Decision Making; Humans; Mental Competency; Patient Acceptance of Health Care
PubMed: 31169035
DOI: 10.1177/0269215519853013 -
Journal of Neuropsychology Mar 2023Stroke is the main cause of acquired disability in adults, and specific deficits in working memory (WM) are among the most common cognitive consequences. In...
Stroke is the main cause of acquired disability in adults, and specific deficits in working memory (WM) are among the most common cognitive consequences. In neuropsychological routine, WM is most of the time investigated in the framework of the multicomponent model (Baddeley & Hitch, 1974, The psychology of learning and motivation, 47). Using a more recent theoretical WM model, the time-based resource-sharing (TBRS) model (Barrouillet et al., 2011, Psychol. Rev., 118, 175), the aim of the present study was to investigate in young post-stroke patients to which extent attentional maintenance is impaired in WM. To address this question, we discarded other factors known to directly influence WM performance, that is processing speed and short-term memory span. We proposed to 53 post-stroke patients and to 63 healthy controls a complex span paradigm in which participants were asked to alternate between the memorization of a series of images and a concurrent parity judgement task of a series of digits. To investigate the attentional maintenance processes, we manipulated the cognitive load (CL) of the concurrent task. CL effect is typically interpreted as the involvement of attentional maintenance processes. The task was adapted to each participant according to their processing speed and memory span. As expected, the results showed higher recall performance in healthy controls compared with post-stroke patients. Consistent with the literature, we also observed higher performance when the CL was low compared with high. However, the improvement in recall at low CL was smaller for post-stroke patients compared with controls, suggesting that post-stroke WM deficit could be in part due to a deficit of the attentional maintenance processes.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Memory, Short-Term; Cognition; Mental Recall; Judgment; Models, Theoretical
PubMed: 35941079
DOI: 10.1111/jnp.12287 -
International Journal of Environmental... Nov 2022Fatigue can be a significant problem for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. The lifestyle of a long-haul CMV driver may include long and irregular work hours,... (Review)
Review
Fatigue can be a significant problem for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. The lifestyle of a long-haul CMV driver may include long and irregular work hours, inconsistent sleep schedules, poor eating and exercise habits, and mental and physical stress, all contributors to fatigue. Shiftwork is associated with lacking, restricted, and poor-quality sleep and variations in circadian rhythms, all shown to negatively affect driving performance through impaired in judgment and coordination, longer reaction times, and cognitive impairment. Overweight and obesity may be as high as 90% in CMV drivers, and are associated with prevalent comorbidities, including obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, and cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. As cognitive and motor processing declines with fatigue, driver performance decreases, and the risk of errors, near crashes, and crashes increases. Tools and assessments to determine and quantify the nature, severity, and impact of fatigue and sleep disorders across a variety of environments and populations have been developed and should be critically examined before being employed with CMV drivers. Strategies to mitigate fatigue in CMV operations include addressing the numerous personal, health, and work factors contributing to fatigue and sleepiness. Further research is needed across these areas to better understand implications for roadway safety.
Topics: Humans; Sleep; Fatigue; Wakefulness; Sleep Wake Disorders; Cytomegalovirus Infections
PubMed: 36429498
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192214780