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Frontiers in Psychology 2024Even simple tapping tasks require cognitive processes. Some variants of the Finger Tapping Test (FTT) may reveal cognitive aspects associated with frontal processing,...
INTRODUCTION
Even simple tapping tasks require cognitive processes. Some variants of the Finger Tapping Test (FTT) may reveal cognitive aspects associated with frontal processing, including executive functions such as inhibition, or emotional aspects such as anxiety. A context of particular interest for the application of cognitive-motor-anxiety interactions is sports. Although athletes generally exhibit better anxiety levels, they may experience heightened anxiety before important competitions. The problem lies in determining whether the application of anxiety control techniques can be useful in pre-competition situations, given the lack of quick and easy methods to detect if an athlete is experiencing anxiety at a particular moment.
METHODS
This exploratory study evaluated anxiety using online versions of questionnaires (ISRA, the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2, and STAI) and applied a variant of the FTT to 204 participants, both athletes and non-athletes. The scores were compared and correlated.
RESULTS
Athletes exhibited lower general anxiety and greater cognitive resistance to interference (better cognitive inhibition). Non-athletes displayed a particular parameter in the FTT variant that differed from the one obtained by athletes and exhibited higher anxiety levels. In the athletes' group only, anxiety was correlated with a specific parameter of the FTT task.
DISCUSSION
Our conclusion is that this parameter holds potential relevance in elite sports performance to detect if an athlete is experiencing anxiety. It could be of particular interest in psychological interventions in sports. Further investigation is warranted to fully explore this potential.
PubMed: 38939223
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1424152 -
Brain Sciences May 2024This work aimed to study the Village Test (VT) in a group of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and compare the results with those of a group of patients with mild...
BACKGROUND
This work aimed to study the Village Test (VT) in a group of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and compare the results with those of a group of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and controls.
METHODS
A total of 50 patients with AD, 28 patients with MCI, and 38 controls were evaluated. All participants underwent the VT and an extensive neuropsychological evaluation.
RESULTS
The mean ages of the participants were 74.4 years for those with AD, 74 for those with MCI, and 70.2 for the controls. The AD group built smaller and essential villages with a scarce use of pieces, a poor use of dynamic pieces, and scarce use of human figures. All constructions were often concentrated in the center of the table.
CONCLUSIONS
The villages built by the AD group represent a cognitive and affective coarctation and indicate a sense of existential disorientation and isolation. The VT is a useful aid for getting in touch with the inner emotional and existential states of patients with AD, and it could represent a complementary screening tool for orienting cognitive impairment diagnoses.
PubMed: 38928524
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14060523 -
Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024Physiological phenomena exhibit complex behaviours arising at multiple time scales. To investigate them, techniques derived from chaos theory were applied to...
Physiological phenomena exhibit complex behaviours arising at multiple time scales. To investigate them, techniques derived from chaos theory were applied to physiological signals, providing promising results in distinguishing between healthy and pathological states. Fractal-like properties of electrodermal activity (EDA), a well-validated tool for monitoring the autonomic nervous system state, have been reported in previous literature. This study proposes the multiscale complexity index of electrodermal activity (MComEDA) to discern different autonomic responses based on EDA signals. This method builds upon our previously proposed algorithm, ComEDA, and it is empowered with a coarse-graining procedure to provide a view at multiple time scales of the EDA response. We tested MComEDA's performance on the EDA signals of two publicly available datasets, i.e., the Continuously Annotated Signals of Emotion (CASE) dataset and the Affect, Personality and Mood Research on Individuals and Groups (AMIGOS) dataset, both containing physiological data recorded from healthy participants during the view of ultra-short emotional video clips. Our results highlighted that the values of MComEDA were significantly different (-value < 0.05 after Wilcoxon signed rank test with Bonferroni's correction) when comparing high- and low-arousal stimuli. Furthermore, MComEDA outperformed the single-scale approach in discriminating among different valence levels of high-arousal stimuli, e.g., showing significantly different values for scary and amusing stimuli (-value = 0.024). These findings suggest that a multiscale approach to the nonlinear analysis of EDA signals can improve the information gathered on task-specific autonomic response, even when ultra-short time series are considered.
PubMed: 38927756
DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering11060520 -
Clinics and Practice Jun 2024(1) Background: Parents' awareness of malocclusion and their attitude towards early evaluation and interventions influence children's orthodontic management. This...
(1) Background: Parents' awareness of malocclusion and their attitude towards early evaluation and interventions influence children's orthodontic management. This cross-sectional study investigates factors that affect the perceived orthodontic needs and the attitude towards interceptive orthodontics among a sample of one-thousand eight-hundred and six (1806) parents of children aged between 6 and 11 years. (2) Methods: The investigation was carried out thought a 18-items online questionnaire divided as follows: characteristics of respondents; perceived child's orthodontic needs; attitude toward early orthodontic evaluation and interventions. The associations between responses were assessed with a Chi-square test. (3) Results: Two-thirds of the respondents referred to having consulted an orthodontist for their child, and more than half of them initiated the required orthodontic treatment. In 44% of cases, the orthodontic consultation occurred after the age of 7 years. Parents' higher education and history of orthodontic treatment were associated with a greater awareness of orthodontic needs. Parents' perception of the impact of teeth on their child's personality was significantly associated with the decision to start the orthodontic treatment ( < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: Although the parents' level of awareness of their child's orthodontic needs was generally satisfactory, the results of the present study pointed out the need for a better education regarding the importance of an early orthodontic assessment.
PubMed: 38921270
DOI: 10.3390/clinpract14030092 -
European Journal of Investigation in... Jun 2024(1) Background: The dark triad refers to a personality configuration mainly characterized by the presence of Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. Even though...
(1) Background: The dark triad refers to a personality configuration mainly characterized by the presence of Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. Even though adolescence is a critical stage in the development of dark triad traits, to date, this construct has not been studied among adolescents, mainly due to the lack of a measurement instrument adapted to this population. (2) Methods: Using a sample of 1642 adolescents, an adaptation of the Short Dark Triad (SD3) is proposed for this population. To this end, we performed a confirmatory factor analysis of the scale and examined its reliability and the intensity of the dark triad components by sex and sexual orientation. (3) Results: The adapted version of the scale (The Short Dark Triad-Adolescent Version; SD3-A) yielded good psychometric results. Confirmatory factor analysis corroborated the theoretical model of the three factors of dark personality. The results confirmed the greater presence of dark traits in male adolescents, and differences were observed based on sexual orientation. (4) Conclusions: The Short Dark Triad-Adolescent Version (SD3-A) is an effective and comprehensive instrument for the estimation of dark traits in adolescents and can be used as a screening test for this population.
PubMed: 38921071
DOI: 10.3390/ejihpe14060105 -
Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Dementia is a significant health issue worldwide. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can transform into dementia over time. General practitioners (GPs) may be the first to...
Exploration of the Hungarian Version of Test Your Memory in General Practice: A Cross-Sectional Correlational Study of a Convenience Sample of Middle-Aged and Older Adults.
BACKGROUND
Dementia is a significant health issue worldwide. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can transform into dementia over time. General practitioners (GPs) may be the first to notice the cognitive deficit; therefore, it is crucial for them to have access to a screening test that can be administered quickly and efficiently. We explored the Hungarian version of the Test Your Memory self-administered dementia screening test in general practice for the early detection of dementia and cognitive impairment.
METHODS
In the four Hungarian cities with medical universities, 368 patients over the age of 50 attending GPs filled out the questionnaire within the framework of our cross-sectional study.
RESULTS
The total scores of the test showed a significant correlation with education and type of occupation and a significant negative correlation with age. The results of this research showed that the clock drawing and recall subtest scores deteriorate at the earliest age.
CONCLUSION
The test can be filled out in a GP's office easily and two of its subtests can raise the possibility that patients may need further assessment, especially if they have symptoms, at an earlier age than the other subtests.
PubMed: 38920430
DOI: 10.3390/geriatrics9030074 -
Ibrain 2024The Perrotta Integrative Clinical Interview, second version (PICI-2) requires structural and functional updates, based on clinical and academic experience, especially in...
Perrotta Integrative Clinical Interviews-3 (PICI-3): Development, regulation, updation, and validation of the psychometric instrument for the identification of functional and dysfunctional personality traits and diagnosis of psychopathological disorders, for children (8-10 years), preadolescents...
The Perrotta Integrative Clinical Interview, second version (PICI-2) requires structural and functional updates, based on clinical and academic experience, especially in terms of functional traits and interpretation of psychopathological disorders. The Perrotta Integrative Clinical Interviews-3 (PICI-3) was created and structured into four sections, dedicated to dysfunctional traits in children and pre-adolescents (PICI-C-3, 8-13 years) and in adolescents, adults, and the elderly (PICI-TA-3, 14-90 years), to common secondary disorders (PICI-DS-3, 8-90 years) and functional traits (PICI-FT-3, 8-90 years), with the identification of all functional elements and structural aspects of personality according to the model underlying the PICI (IPM). Selecting 1732 subjects, between 8 and 90 years old, the statistical analysis showed that the psychometric test has a well-defined and stable construct, with the variables well represented and positively correlated with other constructs already validated. In particular: (a) the PICI-TA-3 (Section A) was compared with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF), obtaining 99.3% compatibility of results, with a Pearson's coefficient () of 0.999 and < 0.001; (b) the PICI-C-3 (Section B) was compared with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), obtaining 94.1% compatibility of results, with a Pearson coefficient () of 0.969 and < 0.001; (c) the PICI-FT-3 (Section D) was compared with the Big Five Personality Test (Big5), obtaining 89.4% compatibility of results, with a Pearson coefficient () of 0.797 and < 0.001. The PICI-3 is a valid, efficient, and effective psychometric tool to identify the functioning or dysfunction of personality traits for psychopathological diagnosis.
PubMed: 38915942
DOI: 10.1002/ibra.12148 -
PeerJ 2024Predation threat is a major driver of behavior in many prey species. Animals can recognize their relative risk of predation based on cues in the environment, including...
Predation threat is a major driver of behavior in many prey species. Animals can recognize their relative risk of predation based on cues in the environment, including visual and/or chemical cues released by a predator or from its prey. When threat of predation is high, prey often respond by altering their behavior to reduce their probability of detection and/or capture. Here, we test how a clonal fish, the Amazon molly (), behaviorally responds to predation cues. We measured aggressive and social behaviors both under 'risk', where chemical cues from predatory fish and injured conspecifics were present, and control contexts (no risk cues present). We predicted that mollies would exhibit reduced aggression towards a simulated intruder and increased sociability under risk contexts as aggression might increase their visibility to a predator and shoaling should decrease their chance of capture through the dilution effect. As predicted, we found that Amazon mollies spent more time with a conspecific when risk cues were present, however they did not reduce their aggression. This highlights the general result of the 'safety in numbers' behavioral response that many small shoaling species exhibit, including these clonal fish, which suggests that mollies may view this response as a more effective anti-predator response compared to limiting their detectability by reducing aggressive conspecific interactions.
Topics: Animals; Predatory Behavior; Poecilia; Aggression; Behavior, Animal; Cues; Social Behavior
PubMed: 38912041
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17547 -
Journal of Clinical and Experimental... Jun 2024To estimate the test-retest and inter-rater reliability of the new Spanish abbreviated version of the Luria Neuropsychological Diagnosis (DNA-2) battery for older adults.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the test-retest and inter-rater reliability of the new Spanish abbreviated version of the Luria Neuropsychological Diagnosis (DNA-2) battery for older adults.
METHOD
A total of thirty cognitively healthy volunteers were examined in this study. The participants completed a comprehensive standardized assessment, encompassing cognitive and functional performance. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used to examine test-retest and inter-rater reliability. One month was allowed between administrations. Furthermore, correlations between Luria DNA-2 (total and domain subscores) and other classical cognitive measures were explored.
RESULTS
The test-retest reliability on the overall Luria DNA-2 score was high (ICC= .834, 95% CI [.680, .917], < .001). Furthermore, the inter-rater reliability for the total score demonstrated an excellent concordance between administrators (ICC= .990, 95% CI [.979, .995], < .001). Positive and significant correlations were observed between Luria DNA-2 (both total and domain subscores) and the (ACE-III; = .857, < .001).
CONCLUSIONS
This study supports the adequate reliability of the Luria DNA-2, as an abbreviated neuropsychological battery, for assessing cognitive performance in Spaniards aged 55 years and older. Future studies should continue to explore the psychometric properties of the Luria DNA-2, particularly those related to its diagnostic validity for early detection of cognitive impairment.
PubMed: 38909318
DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2024.2368586 -
Evaluation of the neuroprotective effect of antipsychotics by serum quantification of protein S100B.Farmacia Hospitalaria : Organo Oficial... Jun 2024This research delves into the intricate interplay between antipsychotic medications and neuroprotection focusing on the S100B protein-a central player in the regulation...
OBJECTIVE
This research delves into the intricate interplay between antipsychotic medications and neuroprotection focusing on the S100B protein-a central player in the regulation of neuroapoptotic activity.
METHOD
Blood samples were collected to assess serum S100B protein levels using an immunoassay of immunoelectrochemiluminescence. The first two samples were collected with a 3-month interval between each, and the third sample was obtained 6 months after the previous one. Changes in S100B protein levels throughout the study were assessed using Friedman's ANOVA test. This was followed by the Wilcoxon signed-rank test with Bonferroni correction to account for multiple comparisons.
RESULTS
This study involved 40 patients diagnosed with severe mental disorders (34 schizophrenia, 4 schizoaffective disorder, 1 bipolar disorder, and 1 borderline personality disorder). These patients had been receiving antipsychotic treatment for an average duration of 17 years. The results revealed that the S100B protein remained within physiological levels (median values 39.0 ng/L for the first sample, median values 41.0 ng/L for the second sample, and median values 40.5 ng/L for the third sample) with no significant changes (p = 0.287), with all anti-psychotic medicaments values consistently below 50 ng/L, a lower value compared to maximum range of 105 ng/L. Importantly, there were no significant differences in S100B protein levels between patients on monotherapy and those on combination antipsychotic therapy (p = 0.873), suggesting that combination therapy did not increase neuroapoptotic activity.
CONCLUSIONS
These findings provide compelling evidence for the potential neuroprotective effects of long-term antipsychotic treatment in individuals with severe mental disorders. By maintaining physiological levels of the S100B protein, antipsychotic medications may help protect against neuronal damage and dysfunction. This research contributes valuable insights into the neuroprotective mechanisms of antipsychotic drugs, enhancing our understanding of their potential benefits in the treatment of severe mental disorders.
PubMed: 38906717
DOI: 10.1016/j.farma.2024.05.013