Intraindividual variability in cognitive performance in three groups of older adults: cross-domain links to physical status and self-perceived affect and beliefs.

PubMed

Strauss, Esther; MacDonald, Stuart W S; Hunter, Michael; Moll, Alex; Hultsch, David F

2002-11-01

Intraindividual variability of physical status and affect/beliefs as well as their relations with cognition were examined in 3 groups of older adults: healthy elderly, individuals with a nonneurological health-related disturbance (arthritis) and people with neurological compromise (dementia). The findings showed that greater inconsistency in physical performance was observed in groups characterized by central nervous system dysfunction. By contrast, fluctuations in affect appeared to reflect other more transient sources, such as pain. In general, increased inconsistency in non-cognitive domains was associated with poorer cognitive function. There were cross-domain links between inconsistency in physical functioning and fluctuations in cognitive performance, although the nature of the links depended largely upon the neurological status of the individuals. Considered together, the result indicated that measures of cognitive as well as physical variability are important behavioral markers of neurological integrity.

The relationship between social cognition and executive function in Major Depressive Disorder in high-functioning adolescents and young adults.

PubMed

Förster, Katharina; Jörgens, Silke; Air, Tracy M; Bürger, Christian; Enneking, Verena; Redlich, Ronny; Zaremba, Dario; Grotegerd, Dominik; Dohm, Katharina; Meinert, Susanne; Leehr, Elisabeth J; Böhnlein, Joscha; Repple, Jonathan; Opel, Nils; Kavakbasi, Erhan; Arolt, Volker; Zwitserlood, Pienie; Dannlowski, Udo; Baune, Bernhard T

2018-05-01

To understand how cognitive dysfunction contributes to social cognitive deficits in depression, we investigated the relationship between executive function and social cognitive performance in adolescents and young adults during current and remitted depression, compared to healthy controls. Social cognition and executive function were measured in 179 students (61 healthy controls and 118 patients with depression; M age = 20.60 years; SD age = 3.82 years). Hierarchical regression models were employed within each group (healthy controls, remitted depression, current depression) to examine the nature of associations between cognitive measures. Social cognitive and executive function did not significantly differ overall between depressed patients and healthy controls. There was no association between executive function and social cognitive function in healthy controls or in remitted patients. However, in patients with a current state of depression, lower cognitive flexibility was associated with lower performance in facial-affect recognition, theory-of-mind tasks and overall affect recognition. In this group, better planning abilities were associated with decreased performance in facial affect recognition and overall social cognitive performance. While we infer that less cognitive flexibility might lead to a more rigid interpretation of ambiguous social stimuli, we interpret the counterintuitive negative correlation of planning ability and social cognition as a compensatory mechanism. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Affective Modulation of Cognitive Control is Determined by Performance-Contingency and Mediated by Ventromedial Prefrontal and Cingulate Cortex

PubMed Central

King, Joseph A.; Korb, Franziska M.; Krebs, Ruth M.; Notebaert, Wim; Egner, Tobias

2013-01-01

Cognitive control requires a fine balance between stability, the protection of an on-going task-set, and flexibility, the ability to update a task-set in line with changing contingencies. It is thought that emotional processing modulates this balance, but results have been equivocal regarding the direction of this modulation. Here, we tested the hypothesis that a crucial determinant of this modulation is whether affective stimuli represent performance-contingent or task-irrelevant signals. Combining functional magnetic resonance imaging with a conflict task-switching paradigm, we contrasted the effects of presenting negative- and positive-valence pictures on the stability/flexibility trade-off in humans, depending on whether picture presentation was contingent on behavioral performance. Both the behavioral and neural expressions of cognitive control were modulated by stimulus valence and performance contingency: in the performance-contingent condition, cognitive flexibility was enhanced following positive pictures, whereas in the nonperformance-contingent condition, positive stimuli promoted cognitive stability. The imaging data showed that, as anticipated, the stability/flexibility trade-off per se was reflected in differential recruitment of dorsolateral frontoparietal and striatal regions. In contrast, the affective modulation of stability/flexibility shifts was mirrored, unexpectedly, by neural responses in ventromedial prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortices, core nodes of the “default mode” network. Our results demonstrate that the affective modulation of cognitive control depends on the performance contingency of the affect-inducing stimuli, and they document medial default mode regions to mediate the flexibility-promoting effects of performance-contingent positive affect, thus extending recent work that recasts these regions as serving a key role in on-task control processes. PMID:24155301

Cultural Factors Affecting the Differential Performance of Israeli and Palestinian Children on the Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Josman, Naomi; Abdallah, Taisir M.; Engel-Yeger, Batya

2010-01-01

Cognitive performance is essential for children's functioning and may also predict school readiness. The suitability of Western standardized assessments for cognitive performance among children from different cultures needs to be elaborated. This study referred to the existence of differences in cognitive performance between and within children…

The effect of cognitive testing and feedback on older adults' subjective age.

PubMed

Geraci, Lisa; De Forrest, Ross; Hughes, Matthew; Saenz, Gabriel; Tirso, Robert

2018-05-01

Subjective age, or how old a person feels, is an important measure of self-perception that is associated with consequential cognitive and health outcomes. Recent research suggests that subjective age is affected by certain situations, including cognitive testing contexts. The current study examined whether cognitive testing and positive performance feedback affect subjective age and subsequent cognitive performance. Older adults took a series of neuropsychological and cognitive tests and subjective age was measured at various time points. Participants also either received positive or no feedback on an initial cognitive task, an analogies task. Results showed that participants felt older over the course of the testing session, particularly after taking a working memory test, relative to baseline. Positive feedback did not significantly mitigate this subjective aging effect. Results suggest that subjective age is malleable and that it can be affected by standard cognitive and neuropsychological test conditions.

Spatial representation of pitch height: the SMARC effect.

PubMed

Rusconi, Elena; Kwan, Bonnie; Giordano, Bruno L; Umiltà, Carlo; Butterworth, Brian

2006-03-01

Through the preferential pairing of response positions to pitch, here we show that the internal representation of pitch height is spatial in nature and affects performance, especially in musically trained participants, when response alternatives are either vertically or horizontally aligned. The finding that our cognitive system maps pitch height onto an internal representation of space, which in turn affects motor performance even when this perceptual attribute is irrelevant to the task, extends previous studies on auditory perception and suggests an interesting analogy between music perception and mathematical cognition. Both the basic elements of mathematical cognition (i.e. numbers) and the basic elements of musical cognition (i.e. pitches), appear to be mapped onto a mental spatial representation in a way that affects motor performance.

The Edinburgh Social Cognition Test (ESCoT): Examining the effects of age on a new measure of theory of mind and social norm understanding

PubMed Central

Abrahams, Sharon; Auyeung, Bonnie; MacPherson, Sarah E.

2018-01-01

Current measures of social cognition have shown inconsistent findings regarding the effects of healthy aging. Moreover, no tests are currently available that allow clinicians and researchers to examine cognitive and affective theory of mind (ToM) and understanding of social norms within the same test. To address these limitations, we present the Edinburgh Social Cognition Test (ESCoT) which assesses cognitive and affective ToM and inter- and intrapersonal understanding of social norms. We examined the effects of age, measures of intelligence and the Broader Autism Phenotype (BAP) on the ESCoT and established tests of social cognition. Additionally, we investigated the convergent validity of the ESCoT based on traditional social cognition measures. The ESCoT was administered alongside Reading the Mind in Films (RMF), Reading the Mind in Eyes (RME), Judgement of Preference and Social Norm Questionnaire to 91 participants (30 aged 18–35 years, 30 aged 45–60 years and 31 aged 65–85 years). Poorer performance on the cognitive and affective ToM ESCoT subtests were predicted by increasing age. The affective ToM ESCoT subtest and RMF were predicted by gender, where being female predicted better performance. Unlike the ESCoT, better performance on the RMF was predicted by higher verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning abilities, while better performance on the RME was predicted by higher verbal comprehension scores. Lower scores on inter-and intrapersonal understanding of social norms were both predicted by the presence of more autism-like traits while poorer interpersonal understanding of social norms performance was predicted by increasing age. These findings show that the ESCoT is a useful measure of social cognition and, unlike established tests of social cognition, performance is not predicted by measures of verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning. This is particularly valuable to obtain an accurate assessment of the influence of age on our social cognitive abilities. PMID:29664917

The Edinburgh Social Cognition Test (ESCoT): Examining the effects of age on a new measure of theory of mind and social norm understanding.

PubMed

Baksh, R Asaad; Abrahams, Sharon; Auyeung, Bonnie; MacPherson, Sarah E

2018-01-01

Current measures of social cognition have shown inconsistent findings regarding the effects of healthy aging. Moreover, no tests are currently available that allow clinicians and researchers to examine cognitive and affective theory of mind (ToM) and understanding of social norms within the same test. To address these limitations, we present the Edinburgh Social Cognition Test (ESCoT) which assesses cognitive and affective ToM and inter- and intrapersonal understanding of social norms. We examined the effects of age, measures of intelligence and the Broader Autism Phenotype (BAP) on the ESCoT and established tests of social cognition. Additionally, we investigated the convergent validity of the ESCoT based on traditional social cognition measures. The ESCoT was administered alongside Reading the Mind in Films (RMF), Reading the Mind in Eyes (RME), Judgement of Preference and Social Norm Questionnaire to 91 participants (30 aged 18-35 years, 30 aged 45-60 years and 31 aged 65-85 years). Poorer performance on the cognitive and affective ToM ESCoT subtests were predicted by increasing age. The affective ToM ESCoT subtest and RMF were predicted by gender, where being female predicted better performance. Unlike the ESCoT, better performance on the RMF was predicted by higher verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning abilities, while better performance on the RME was predicted by higher verbal comprehension scores. Lower scores on inter-and intrapersonal understanding of social norms were both predicted by the presence of more autism-like traits while poorer interpersonal understanding of social norms performance was predicted by increasing age. These findings show that the ESCoT is a useful measure of social cognition and, unlike established tests of social cognition, performance is not predicted by measures of verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning. This is particularly valuable to obtain an accurate assessment of the influence of age on our social cognitive abilities.

Understanding pretest and posttest reactions to cognitive ability and personality tests.

PubMed

Chan, D; Schmitt, N; Sacco, J M; DeShon, R P

1998-06-01

To understand the nature of test reactions and their relationship to test performance, the relationships among belief in tests, pretest reactions, test performance, and posttest reactions were modeled for cognitive ability and personality tests. Results from structural equation models that were fitted to responses from 197 undergraduate examinees supported the hypothesized relationships. On the cognitive ability test, pretest reactions affected test performance and mediated the relationship between belief in tests and test performance. Test performance affected posttest reactions even after taking into account the effect of pretest reactions. On the personality test, belief in tests affected pretest and posttest reactions, but the three variables were unrelated to test performance (Conscientiousness scores). Conceptual, methodological, and practical implications of the findings are discussed in the context of research on test reactions and test performance.

How Need for Cognition Affects the Formation of Performance Expectancies at School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickhauser, Oliver; Reinhard, Marc-Andre

2009-01-01

Individuals with low Need for Cognition (NFC) have been found to process information using a peripheral route compared to individuals higher in NFC. These differences affect the formation of performance expectancies. Based on previous work demonstrating that the formation of performance expectancies can be understood as an information processing…

Daily fluctuations in positive affect positively co-vary with working memory performance.

PubMed

Brose, Annette; Lövdén, Martin; Schmiedek, Florian

2014-02-01

Positive affect is related to cognitive performance in multiple ways. It is associated with motivational aspects of performance, affective states capture attention, and information processing modes are a function of affect. In this study, we examined whether these links are relevant within individuals across time when they experience minor ups and downs of positive affect and work on cognitive tasks in the laboratory on a day-to-day basis. Using a microlongitudinal design, 101 younger adults (20-31 years of age) worked on 3 working memory tasks on about 100 occasions. Every day, they also reported on their momentary affect and their motivation to work on the tasks. In 2 of the 3 tasks, performance was enhanced on days when positive affect was above average. This performance enhancement was also associated with more motivation. Importantly, increases in task performance on days with above-average positive affect were mainly unrelated to variations in negative affect. This study's results are in line with between-person findings suggesting that high levels of well-being are associated with successful outcomes. They imply that success on cognitively demanding tasks is more likely on days when feeling happier. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Rostro-caudal and dorso-ventral gradients in medial and lateral prefrontal cortex during cognitive control of affective and cognitive interference.

PubMed

Rahm, Christoffer; Liberg, Benny; Wiberg-Kristoffersen, Maria; Aspelin, Peter; Msghina, Mussie

2013-04-01

Characterizing the anatomical substrates of major brain functions such as cognition and emotion is of utmost importance to the ongoing efforts of understanding the nature of psychiatric ailments and their potential treatment. The aim of our study was to investigate how the brain handles affective and cognitive interferences on cognitive processes. Functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation was performed on healthy individuals, comparing the brain oxygenation level dependent activation patterns during affective and cognitive counting Stroop tasks. The affective Stroop task activated rostral parts of medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) and rostral and ventral parts of lateral PFC, while cognitive Stroop activated caudal parts of medial PFC and caudal and dorsal parts of lateral PFC. Our findings suggest that the brain may handle affective and cognitive interference on cognitive processes differentially, with affective interference preferentially activating rostral and ventral PFC networks and cognitive interference activating caudal and dorsal PFC networks. © 2013 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2013 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

Sibsize, Family Environment, Cognitive Performance, and Affective Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marjoribanks, Kevin

1976-01-01

Incorporates measures of family environment (parent-child interaction) into research methodology to study the effects of sibsize (family size and birth order) on a child's cognitive performance and affective behavior. Provides tentative support for the confluence model of sibsize influences on children's behaviors. (RL)

Task Performance and Meta-Cognitive Outcomes When Using Activity Workstations and Traditional Desks

PubMed Central

Pilcher, June J.; Baker, Victoria C.

2016-01-01

The purpose of the current study is to compare the effects of light physical activity to sedentary behavior on cognitive task performance and meta-cognitive responses. Thirty-eight undergraduate students participated in the study. The participants used a stationary bicycle with a desk top and a traditional desk while completing two complex cognitive tasks and measures of affect, motivation, morale, and engagement. The participants pedaled the stationary bicycle at a slow pace (similar in exertion to a normal walking pace) while working. The results indicated that cognitive task performance did not change between the two workstations. However, positive affect, motivation, and morale improved when using the stationary bicycle. These results suggest that activity workstations could be implemented in the work place and in educational settings to help decrease sedentary behavior without negatively affecting performance. Furthermore, individuals could experience a positive emotional response when working on activity workstations which in turn could help encourage individuals to choose to be more physical active during daily activities. PMID:27445921

Differentiating Motivational from Affective Influence of Performance-contingent Reward on Cognitive Control: The Wanting Component Enhances Both Proactive and Reactive Control.

PubMed

Chaillou, Anne-Clémence; Giersch, Anne; Hoonakker, Marc; Capa, Rémi L; Bonnefond, Anne

2017-04-01

Positive affect strongly modulates goal-directed behaviors and cognitive control mechanisms. It often results from the presence of a pleasant stimulus in the environment, whether that stimulus appears unpredictably or as a consequence of a particular behavior. The influence of positive affect linked to a random pleasant stimulus differs from the influence of positive affect resulting from performance-contingent pleasant stimuli. However, the mechanisms by which the performance contingency of pleasant stimuli modulates the influence of positive affect on cognitive control mechanisms have not been elucidated. Here, we tested the hypothesis that these differentiated effects are the consequence of the activation of the motivational "wanting" component specifically under performance contingency conditions. To that end, we directly compared the effects on cognitive control of pleasant stimuli (a monetary reward) attributed in a performance contingent manner, and of random pleasant stimuli (positive picture) not related to performance, during an AX-CPT task. Both proactive and reactive modes of control were increased specifically by performance contingency, as reflected by faster reaction times and larger amplitude of the CNV and P3a components. Our findings advance our understanding of the respective effects of affect and motivation, which is of special interest regarding alterations of emotion-motivation interaction found in several psychopathological disorders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Performance Assessment in CTE: Focusing on the Cognitive, Psychomotor ...and Affective Domains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washer, Bart; Cochran, Lori

2012-01-01

When a student is performing in the psychomotor domain, the authors believe the student is also performing in the cognitive domain (sequencing steps, evaluating the situation) and in the affective domain (appreciating a job well done, quality control, safety). As Dabney Doty, former instructor at the University of Central Missouri, stated, "There…

Exploring the Use of Cognitive Intervention for Children with Acquired Brain Injury

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Missiuna, Cheryl; DeMatteo, Carol; Hanna, Steven; Mandich, Angela; Law, Mary; Mahoney, William; Scott, Louise

2010-01-01

Introduction: Children with acquired brain injury (ABI) often experience cognitive, motor, and psychosocial deficits that affect participation in everyday activities. Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) is an individualized treatment that teaches cognitive strategies necessary to support successful performance.…

Emotion, working memory task demands and individual differences predict behavior, cognitive effort and negative affect.

PubMed

Storbeck, Justin; Davidson, Nicole A; Dahl, Chelsea F; Blass, Sara; Yung, Edwin

2015-01-01

We examined whether positive and negative affect motivates verbal and spatial working memory processes, respectively, which have implications for the expenditure of mental effort. We argue that when emotion promotes cognitive tendencies that are goal incompatible with task demands, greater cognitive effort is required to perform well. We sought to investigate whether this increase in cognitive effort impairs behavioural control over a broad domain of self-control tasks. Moreover, we predicted that individuals with higher behavioural inhibition system (BIS) sensitivities would report more negative affect within the goal incompatible conditions because such individuals report higher negative affect during cognitive challenge. Positive or negative affective states were induced followed by completing a verbal or spatial 2-back working memory task. All participants then completed one of three self-control tasks. Overall, we observed that conditions of emotion and working memory incompatibility (positive/spatial and negative/verbal) performed worse on the self-control tasks, and within the incompatible conditions individuals with higher BIS sensitivities reported more negative affect at the end of the study. The combination of findings suggests that emotion and working memory compatibility reduces cognitive effort and impairs behavioural control.

Effects of oral iron(III) hydroxide polymaltose complex supplementation on hemoglobin increase, cognitive function, affective behavior and scholastic performance of adolescents with varying iron status: a single centre prospective placebo controlled study.

PubMed

Devaki, Pallaki Baby; Chandra, Ranjit K; Geisser, Peter

2009-01-01

To assess the effects of iron supplementation on iron status, cognitive function, affective behavior and scholastic performance in adolescents with varying iron status. Adolescents of both sexes with varying iron status were allocated to four treatment groups by using inclusion criteria. Three of the four groups (iron deficient anemic, iron deficient and control supplement) received iron(III) hydroxide polymaltose complex (IPC, Maltofer) containing 100 mg of elemental iron 6 days a week for 8 months, while the fourth group (control placebo) was given a placebo. Hematological parameters, cognitive function, affective behavior and scholastic performance were assessed at baseline, 4 months and 8 months of supplementation. Cognitive and scholastic performance test scores for the three supplemented groups increased from baseline to 4 months and from 4 months to 8 months (with concomitant increases in hematological parameters), whereas no increase was observed in the placebo group. No increase was seen in affective behavior scores for any of the groups during or after supplementation. IPC supplementation for eight months yielded significant improvements in cognitive function and scholastic performance in Indian adolescents with and without iron deficiency and anemia.

The effects of low-intensity cycling on cognitive performance following sleep deprivation.

PubMed

Slutsky, Alexis B; Diekfuss, Jed A; Janssen, James A; Berry, Nate T; Shih, Chia-Hao; Raisbeck, Louisa D; Wideman, Laurie; Etnier, Jennifer L

2017-10-15

This study examined the effect of 24h of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance and assessed the effect of acute exercise on cognitive performance following sleep deprivation. Young, active, healthy adults (n=24, 14 males) were randomized to control (age=24.7±3.7years, BMI=27.2±7.0) or exercise (age=25.3±3.3years, BMI=25.6±5.1) groups. Cognitive testing included a 5-min psychomotor vigilance task (PVT), three memory tasks with increasing cognitive load, and performance of the PVT a second time. On morning one, cognitive testing followed a typical night's sleep. Following 24-h of sustained wakefulness, cognitive testing was conducted again prior to and after the acute intervention. Participants in the exercise condition performed low-intensity cycling (∼40%HRR) for 15-min and those in the control condition sat quietly on the bike for 15-min. t-Tests revealed sleep deprivation negatively affected performance on the PVT, but did not affect memory performance. Following the acute intervention, there were no cognitive performance differences between the exercise and rested conditions. We provide support for previous literature suggesting that during simple tasks, sleep deprivation has negative effects on cognitive performance. Importantly, in contrast to previous literature which has shown multiple bouts of exercise adding to cognitive detriment when combined with sleep deprivation, our results did not reveal any further detriments to cognitive performance from a single-bout of exercise following sleep deprivation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Disassociation of cognitive and affective aspects of theory of mind in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

PubMed

Liu, Wanting; Fan, Jie; Gan, Jun; Lei, Hui; Niu, Chaoyang; Chan, Raymond C K; Zhu, Xiongzhao

2017-09-01

Impairment in social functioning has been widely described in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, several aspects of social cognition, such as theory of mind (ToM), have not been substantially investigated in this context. This study examined cognitive and affective ToM in 40 OCD patients and 38 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls (HCs) with the computerized Yoni task and a battery of neurocognitive tests. OCD symptom severity was assessed with the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). Depressive and anxiety symptoms were also assessed. Compared to HCs, OCD patients performed worse on second-order affective condition trials, but not cognitive or physical condition trials, of the Yoni task; there were not group differences in any of the first-order condition domains. Second-order ToM performance of OCD patients was associated with estimated intelligence and working memory performance. After controlling for neurocognitive variables, the group difference in second-order affective condition performance remained significant. These findings indicate that the affective component of ToM may be selectively impaired in OCD patients and that the observed deficit is largely independent of other neurocognitive impairments and clinical characteristics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gender Stereotype Susceptibility

PubMed Central

Pavlova, Marina A.; Weber, Susanna; Simoes, Elisabeth; Sokolov, Alexander N.

2014-01-01

Gender affects performance on a variety of cognitive tasks, and this impact may stem from socio-cultural factors such as gender stereotyping. Here we systematically manipulated gender stereotype messages on a social cognition task on which no initial gender gap has been documented. The outcome reveals: (i) Stereotyping affects both females and males, with a more pronounced impact on females. Yet an explicit negative message for males elicits a striking paradoxical deterioration in performance of females. (ii) Irrespective of gender and directness of message, valence of stereotype message affects performance: negative messages have stronger influence than positive ones. (iii) Directness of stereotype message differentially impacts performance of females and males: females tend to be stronger affected by implicit than explicit negative messages, whereas in males this relationship is opposite. The data are discussed in the light of neural networks underlying gender stereotyping. The findings provide novel insights into the sources of gender related fluctuations in cognition and behavior. PMID:25517903

Gender stereotype susceptibility.

PubMed

Pavlova, Marina A; Weber, Susanna; Simoes, Elisabeth; Sokolov, Alexander N

2014-01-01

Gender affects performance on a variety of cognitive tasks, and this impact may stem from socio-cultural factors such as gender stereotyping. Here we systematically manipulated gender stereotype messages on a social cognition task on which no initial gender gap has been documented. The outcome reveals: (i) Stereotyping affects both females and males, with a more pronounced impact on females. Yet an explicit negative message for males elicits a striking paradoxical deterioration in performance of females. (ii) Irrespective of gender and directness of message, valence of stereotype message affects performance: negative messages have stronger influence than positive ones. (iii) Directness of stereotype message differentially impacts performance of females and males: females tend to be stronger affected by implicit than explicit negative messages, whereas in males this relationship is opposite. The data are discussed in the light of neural networks underlying gender stereotyping. The findings provide novel insights into the sources of gender related fluctuations in cognition and behavior.

The Effect of Colour on Children's Cognitive Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooker, Alice; Franklin, Anna

2016-01-01

Background: The presence of red appears to hamper adults' cognitive performance relative to other colours (see Elliot & Maier, 2014, "Ann. Rev. Psychol." 65, 95). Aims and sample: Here, we investigate whether colour affects cognitive performance in 8- and 9-year-olds. Method: Children completed a battery of tasks once in the presence…

Musical Distracters, Personality Type and Cognitive Performance in School Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furnham, Adrian; Stephenson, Rebecca

2007-01-01

The aim of this study was to ascertain the nature of the interaction between the affective value of musical distraction, personality type and performance on the cognitive tasks of reading comprehension, free recall, mental arithmetic and verbal reasoning in children aged 11-12 years. It was hypothesized that the cognitive performance of extraverts…

Affect is a form of cognition: A neurobiological analysis

PubMed Central

Duncan, Seth; Barrett, Lisa Feldman

2008-01-01

In this paper, we suggest that affect meets the traditional definition of “cognition” such that the affect–cognition distinction is phenomenological, rather than ontological. We review how the affect–cognition distinction is not respected in the human brain, and discuss the neural mechanisms by which affect influences sensory processing. As a result of this sensory modulation, affect performs several basic “cognitive” functions. Affect appears to be necessary for normal conscious experience, language fluency, and memory. Finally, we suggest that understanding the differences between affect and cognition will require systematic study of how the phenomenological distinction characterising the two comes about, and why such a distinction is functional. PMID:18509504

The effect of colour on children's cognitive performance.

PubMed

Brooker, Alice; Franklin, Anna

2016-06-01

The presence of red appears to hamper adults' cognitive performance relative to other colours (see Elliot & Maier, 2014, Ann. Rev. Psychol. 65, 95). Here, we investigate whether colour affects cognitive performance in 8- and 9-year-olds. Children completed a battery of tasks once in the presence of a coloured screen that was one of eight colours and once in the presence of a grey screen. Performance was assessed for each colour relative to the grey baseline, and differences across colours were compared. We find a significant difference in performance across colours, with significantly worse performance in the presence of red than grey. The effect of colour did not significantly interact with task. The findings suggest that colour can affect children's cognitive performance and that there is a detrimental effect of red. Findings are related to the adult literature and implications for educational contexts are discussed. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

Context matters: Social cognition task performance in psychometric schizotypes.

PubMed

Pflum, Madeline J; Gooding, Diane C

2018-06-01

Patients with schizophrenia show performance deficits on tasks requiring empathy-related social cognition. The extent to which empathy impairments are observed in psychometric schizotypy is unclear. We compared accuracy and reaction time in three groups of individuals characterized by positive schizotypy (n = 79), negative schizotypy (n = 123), or low schizotypy group (n = 137). On a social cognition task that provided context, namely, the Emotion Perspective Taking Task, the positive schizotypes showed poorer performance than the negative schizotypy and control groups. These results suggest that some schizotypes differ in their ability to make use of context (e.g., social cues from the environment) to affect their social cognitive performance. However, on the Affective Responsiveness Task, in which no context was given, both groups of psychometric schizotypes displayed lower performance than the controls. These findings highlight the importance of assessing multiple groups of schizotypes as well as the value of including several social cognition tasks in order to reveal relative performance deficits. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Transcranial Electrical Stimulation over Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Modulates Processing of Social Cognitive and Affective Information.

PubMed

Conson, Massimiliano; Errico, Domenico; Mazzarella, Elisabetta; Giordano, Marianna; Grossi, Dario; Trojano, Luigi

2015-01-01

Recent neurofunctional studies suggested that lateral prefrontal cortex is a domain-general cognitive control area modulating computation of social information. Neuropsychological evidence reported dissociations between cognitive and affective components of social cognition. Here, we tested whether performance on social cognitive and affective tasks can be modulated by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). To this aim, we compared the effects of tDCS on explicit recognition of emotional facial expressions (affective task), and on one cognitive task assessing the ability to adopt another person's visual perspective. In a randomized, cross-over design, male and female healthy participants performed the two experimental tasks after bi-hemispheric tDCS (sham, left anodal/right cathodal, and right anodal/left cathodal) applied over DLPFC. Results showed that only in male participants explicit recognition of fearful facial expressions was significantly faster after anodal right/cathodal left stimulation with respect to anodal left/cathodal right and sham stimulations. In the visual perspective taking task, instead, anodal right/cathodal left stimulation negatively affected both male and female participants' tendency to adopt another's point of view. These findings demonstrated that concurrent facilitation of right and inhibition of left lateral prefrontal cortex can speed-up males' responses to threatening faces whereas it interferes with the ability to adopt another's viewpoint independently from gender. Thus, stimulation of cognitive control areas can lead to different effects on social cognitive skills depending on the affective vs. cognitive nature of the task, and on the gender-related differences in neural organization of emotion processing.

The Effect of Background Music and Background Noise on the Task Performance of Introverts and Extraverts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cassidy, Gianna; MacDonald, Raymond A. R.

2007-01-01

The study investigated the effects of music with high arousal potential and negative affect (HA), music with low arousal potential and positive affect (LA), and everyday noise, on the cognitive task performance of introverts and extraverts. Forty participants completed five cognitive tasks: immediate recall, free recall, numerical and delayed…

Using representations in geometry: a model of students' cognitive and affective performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panaoura, Areti

2014-05-01

Self-efficacy beliefs in mathematics, as a dimension of the affective domain, are related with students' performance on solving tasks and mainly on overcoming cognitive obstacles. The present study investigated the interrelations of cognitive performance on geometry and young students' self-efficacy beliefs about using representations for solving geometrical tasks. The emphasis was on confirming a theoretical model for the primary-school and secondary-school students and identifying the differences and similarities for the two ages. A quantitative study was developed and data were collected from 1086 students in Grades 5-8. Confirmatory factor analysis affirmed the existence of a coherent model of affective dimensions about the use of representations for understanding the geometrical concepts, which becomes more stable across the educational levels.

Toward a model-based cognitive neuroscience of mind wandering.

PubMed

Hawkins, G E; Mittner, M; Boekel, W; Heathcote, A; Forstmann, B U

2015-12-03

People often "mind wander" during everyday tasks, temporarily losing track of time, place, or current task goals. In laboratory-based tasks, mind wandering is often associated with performance decrements in behavioral variables and changes in neural recordings. Such empirical associations provide descriptive accounts of mind wandering - how it affects ongoing task performance - but fail to provide true explanatory accounts - why it affects task performance. In this perspectives paper, we consider mind wandering as a neural state or process that affects the parameters of quantitative cognitive process models, which in turn affect observed behavioral performance. Our approach thus uses cognitive process models to bridge the explanatory divide between neural and behavioral data. We provide an overview of two general frameworks for developing a model-based cognitive neuroscience of mind wandering. The first approach uses neural data to segment observed performance into a discrete mixture of latent task-related and task-unrelated states, and the second regresses single-trial measures of neural activity onto structured trial-by-trial variation in the parameters of cognitive process models. We discuss the relative merits of the two approaches, and the research questions they can answer, and highlight that both approaches allow neural data to provide additional constraint on the parameters of cognitive models, which will lead to a more precise account of the effect of mind wandering on brain and behavior. We conclude by summarizing prospects for mind wandering as conceived within a model-based cognitive neuroscience framework, highlighting the opportunities for its continued study and the benefits that arise from using well-developed quantitative techniques to study abstract theoretical constructs. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Cognitive-Motor Interference on Upper Extremity Motor Performance in a Robot-Assisted Planar Reaching Task Among Patients With Stroke.

PubMed

Shin, Joon-Ho; Park, Gyulee; Cho, Duk Youn

2017-04-01

To explore motor performance on 2 different cognitive tasks during robotic rehabilitation in which motor performance was longitudinally assessed. Prospective study. Rehabilitation hospital. Patients (N=22) with chronic stroke and upper extremity impairment. A total of 640 repetitions of robot-assisted planar reaching, 5 times a week for 4 weeks. Longitudinal robotic evaluations regarding motor performance included smoothness, mean velocity, path error, and reach error by the type of cognitive task. Dual-task effects (DTEs) of motor performance were computed to analyze the effect of the cognitive task on dual-task interference. Cognitive task type influenced smoothness (P=.006), the DTEs of smoothness (P=.002), and the DTEs of reach error (P=.052). Robotic rehabilitation improved smoothness (P=.007) and reach error (P=.078), while stroke severity affected smoothness (P=.01), reach error (P<.001), and path error (P=.01). Robotic rehabilitation or severity did not affect the DTEs of motor performance. The results provide evidence for the effect of cognitive-motor interference on upper extremity performance among participants with stroke using a robotic-guided rehabilitation system. Copyright © 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cognitive correlates of verbal memory and verbal fluency in schizophrenia, and differential effects of various clinical symptoms between male and female patients.

PubMed

Brébion, Gildas; Villalta-Gil, Victoria; Autonell, Jaume; Cervilla, Jorge; Dolz, Montserrat; Foix, Alexandrina; Haro, Josep Maria; Usall, Judith; Vilaplana, Miriam; Ochoa, Susana

2013-06-01

Impairment of higher cognitive functions in patients with schizophrenia might stem from perturbation of more basic functions, such as processing speed. Various clinical symptoms might affect cognitive efficiency as well. Notably, previous research has revealed the role of affective symptoms on memory performance in this population, and suggested sex-specific effects. We conducted a post-hoc analysis of an extensive neuropsychological study of 88 patients with schizophrenia. Regression analyses were conducted on verbal memory and verbal fluency data to investigate the contribution of semantic organisation and processing speed to performance. The role of negative and affective symptoms and of attention disorders in verbal memory and verbal fluency was investigated separately in male and female patients. Semantic clustering contributed to verbal recall, and a measure of reading speed contributed to verbal recall as well as to phonological and semantic fluency. Negative symptoms affected verbal recall and verbal fluency in the male patients, whereas attention disorders affected these abilities in the female patients. Furthermore, depression affected verbal recall in women, whereas anxiety affected it in men. These results confirm the association of processing speed with cognitive efficiency in patients with schizophrenia. They also confirm the previously observed sex-specific associations of depression and anxiety with memory performance in these patients, and suggest that negative symptoms and attention disorders likewise are related to cognitive efficiency differently in men and women. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cognitive Profile: Increasing Student Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Letteri, Charles A.

Past and ongoing research on cognition indicates that its effects on academic achievement are more direct than those of environmental, affective, or behavioral factors. The research has analyzed cognitive factors, the remediation of cognitive differences, and the transferability of remediation practices. Other cognition researchers have focused on…

Cognition and bimanual performance in children with unilateral cerebral palsy: protocol for a multicentre, cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Hoare, Brian; Ditchfield, Michael; Thorley, Megan; Wallen, Margaret; Bracken, Jenny; Harvey, Adrienne; Elliott, Catherine; Novak, Iona; Crichton, Ali

2018-05-08

Motor outcomes of children with unilateral cerebral palsy are clearly documented and well understood, yet few studies describe the cognitive functioning in this population, and the associations between the two is poorly understood. Using two hands together in daily life involves complex motor and cognitive processes. Impairment in either domain may contribute to difficulties with bimanual performance. Research is yet to derive whether, and how, cognition affects a child's ability to use their two hands to perform bimanual tasks. This study will use a prospective, cross-sectional multi-centre observational design. Children (aged 6-12 years) with unilateral cerebral palsy will be recruited from one of five Australian treatment centres. We will examine associations between cognition, bimanual performance and brain neuropathology (lesion type and severity) in a sample of 131 children. The primary outcomes are: Motor - the Assisting Hand Assessment; Cognitive - Executive Function; and Brain - lesion location on structural MRI. Secondary data collected will include: Motor - Box and Blocks, ABILHAND- Kids, Sword Test; Cognitive - standard neuropsychological measures of intelligence. We will use generalized linear modelling and structural equation modelling techniques to investigate relationships between bimanual performance, executive function and brain lesion location. This large multi-centre study will examine how cognition affects bimanual performance in children with unilateral cerebral palsy. First, it is anticipated that distinct relationships between bimanual performance and cognition (executive function) will be identified. Second, it is anticipated that interrelationships between bimanual performance and cognition will be associated with common underlying neuropathology. Findings have the potential to improve the specificity of existing upper limb interventions by providing more targeted treatments and influence the development of novel methods to improve both cognitive and motor outcomes in children with unilateral cerebral palsy. ACTRN12614000631606 ; Date of retrospective registration 29/05/2014.

A Study of the Cognitive and Affective Performance of Children in the Elementary Science Study Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henson, Stanley

Three studies are reported for children participating in the Elementary Science Study (ESS) program. They are the cognitive and affective performances and the classroom learning environment. Three groups of ESS children were evaluated: nine-year-olds, ten-year-olds, and eleven-year-olds. Each age group contained 30 randomly selected subjects. The…

Effects of Partial and Acute Total Sleep Deprivation on Performance across Cognitive Domains, Individuals and Circadian Phase

PubMed Central

Lo, June C.; Groeger, John A.; Santhi, Nayantara; Arbon, Emma L.; Lazar, Alpar S.; Hasan, Sibah; von Schantz, Malcolm; Archer, Simon N.; Dijk, Derk-Jan

2012-01-01

Background Cognitive performance deteriorates during extended wakefulness and circadian phase misalignment, and some individuals are more affected than others. Whether performance is affected similarly across cognitive domains, or whether cognitive processes involving Executive Functions are more sensitive to sleep and circadian misalignment than Alertness and Sustained Attention, is a matter of debate. Methodology/Principal Findings We conducted a 2 × 12-day laboratory protocol to characterize the interaction of repeated partial and acute total sleep deprivation and circadian phase on performance across seven cognitive domains in 36 individuals (18 males; mean ± SD of age = 27.6±4.0 years). The sample was stratified for the rs57875989 polymorphism in PER3, which confers cognitive susceptibility to total sleep deprivation. We observed a deterioration of performance during both repeated partial and acute total sleep deprivation. Furthermore, prior partial sleep deprivation led to poorer cognitive performance in a subsequent total sleep deprivation period, but its effect was modulated by circadian phase such that it was virtually absent in the evening wake maintenance zone, and most prominent during early morning hours. A significant effect of PER3 genotype was observed for Subjective Alertness during partial sleep deprivation and on n-back tasks with a high executive load when assessed in the morning hours during total sleep deprivation after partial sleep loss. Overall, however, Subjective Alertness and Sustained Attention were more affected by both partial and total sleep deprivation than other cognitive domains and tasks including n-back tasks of Working Memory, even when implemented with a high executive load. Conclusions/Significance Sleep loss has a primary effect on Sleepiness and Sustained Attention with much smaller effects on challenging Working Memory tasks. These findings have implications for understanding how sleep debt and circadian rhythmicity interact to determine waking performance across cognitive domains and individuals. PMID:23029352

Negative core affect and employee silence: How differences in activation, cognitive rumination, and problem-solving demands matter.

PubMed

Madrid, Hector P; Patterson, Malcolm G; Leiva, Pedro I

2015-11-01

Employees can help to improve organizational performance by sharing ideas, suggestions, or concerns about practices, but sometimes they keep silent because of the experience of negative affect. Drawing and expanding on this stream of research, this article builds a theoretical rationale based on core affect and cognitive appraisal theories to describe how differences in affect activation and boundary conditions associated with cognitive rumination and cognitive problem-solving demands can explain employee silence. Results of a diary study conducted with professionals from diverse organizations indicated that within-person low-activated negative core affect increased employee silence when, as an invariant factor, cognitive rumination was high. Furthermore, within-person high-activated negative core affect decreased employee silence when, as an invariant factor, cognitive problem-solving demand was high. Thus, organizations should manage conditions to reduce experiences of low-activated negative core affect because these feelings increase silence in individuals high in rumination. In turn, effective management of experiences of high-activated negative core affect can reduce silence for individuals working under high problem-solving demand situations. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

The Applicability of Rhythm-Motor Tasks to a New Dual Task Paradigm for Older Adults

PubMed Central

Kim, Soo Ji; Cho, Sung-Rae; Yoo, Ga Eul

2017-01-01

Given the interplay between cognitive and motor functions during walking, cognitive demands required during gait have been investigated with regard to dual task performance. Along with the needs to understand how the type of concurrent task while walking affects gait performance, there are calls for diversified dual tasks that can be applied to older adults with varying levels of cognitive decline. Therefore, this study aimed to examine how rhythm-motor tasks affect dual task performance and gait control, compared to a traditional cognitive-motor task. Also, it examined whether rhythm-motor tasks are correlated with traditional cognitive-motor task performance and cognitive measures. Eighteen older adults without cognitive impairment participated in this study. Each participant was instructed to walk at self-paced tempo without performing a concurrent task (single walking task) and walk while separately performing two types of concurrent tasks: rhythm-motor and cognitive-motor tasks. Rhythm-motor tasks included instrument playing (WalkIP), matching to rhythmic cueing (WalkRC), and instrument playing while matching to rhythmic cueing (WalkIP+RC). The cognitive-motor task involved counting forward by 3s (WalkCount.f3). In each condition, dual task costs (DTC), a measure for how dual tasks affect gait parameters, were measured in terms of walking speed and stride length. The ratio of stride length to walking speed, a measure for dynamic control of gait, was also examined. The results of this study demonstrated that the task type was found to significantly influence these measures. Rhythm-motor tasks were found to interfere with gait parameters to a lesser extent than the cognitive-motor task (WalkCount.f3). In terms of ratio measures, stride length remained at a similar level, walking speed greatly decreased in the WalkCount.f3 condition. Significant correlations between dual task-related measures during rhythm-motor and cognitive-motor tasks support the potential of applying rhythm-motor tasks to dual task methodology. This study presents how rhythm-motor tasks demand cognitive control at different levels than those engaged by cognitive-motor tasks. It also indicates how these new dual tasks can effectively mediate dual task performance indicative of fall risks, while requiring increased cognitive resources but facilitating gait control as a compensatory strategy to maintain gait stability. PMID:29375462

Dissociable early attentional control mechanisms underlying cognitive and affective conflicts

PubMed Central

Chen, Taolin; Kendrick, Keith M.; Feng, Chunliang; Sun, Shiyue; Yang, Xun; Wang, Xiaogang; Luo, Wenbo; Yang, Suyong; Huang, Xiaoqi; Valdés-Sosa, Pedro A.; Gong, Qiyong; Fan, Jin; Luo, Yue-Jia

2016-01-01

It has been well documented that cognitive conflict is sensitive to the relative proportion of congruent and incongruent trials. However, few studies have examined whether affective conflict processing is modulated as a function of proportion congruency (PC). To address this question we recorded event-related potentials (ERP) while subjects performed both cognitive and affective face-word Stroop tasks. By varying the proportion of congruent and incongruent trials in each block, we examined the extent to which PC impacts both cognitive and affective conflict control at different temporal stages. Results showed that in the cognitive task an anteriorly localized early N2 component occurred predominantly in the low proportion congruency context, whereas in the affective task it was found to occur in the high proportion congruency one. The N2 effects across the two tasks were localized to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, where responses were increased in the cognitive task but decreased in the affective one. Furthermore, high proportions of congruent items produced both larger amplitude of a posteriorly localized sustained potential component and a larger behavioral Stroop effect in cognitive and affective tasks. Our findings suggest that cognitive and affective conflicts engage early dissociable attentional control mechanisms and a later common conflict response system. PMID:27892513

Cultural factors affecting the differential performance of Israeli and Palestinian children on the Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment.

PubMed

Josman, Naomi; Abdallah, Taisir M; Engel-Yeger, Batya

2010-01-01

Cognitive performance is essential for children's functioning and may also predict school readiness. The suitability of Western standardized assessments for cognitive performance among children from different cultures needs to be elaborated. This study referred to the existence of differences in cognitive performance between and within children from the middle-east-Israeli and Palestinian on the Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment (LOTCA), by elucidating cultural effects on the construct validity of the LOTCA using factor analysis. Participants included 101 Israeli and 125 Palestinian children from kindergarten, first and second grade who underwent the LOTCA. Factor analysis revealed four factors underlying items on the LOTCA, explaining the differences found between Israeli and Palestinian children in most of LOTCA subtests. Culture may affect the construct validity of the LOTCA and may explain the difference in performance between both cultural groups. LOTCA's validity as well as the validity of other instruments on which norms and decisions regarding the child's development and performance are made should be further evaluated among children from different cultural backgrounds. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of medial prefrontal cortex in theory of mind: a deep rTMS study.

PubMed

Krause, Laura; Enticott, Peter G; Zangen, Abraham; Fitzgerald, Paul B

2012-03-01

Neuroimaging studies suggest that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a central role in cognitive theory of mind (ToM). This can be assessed more definitively, however, using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Sixteen healthy participants (10 females, 6 males) completed tasks assessing cognitive and affective ToM following low-frequency deep rTMS to bilateral mPFC in active-stimulation and placebo-stimulation sessions. There was no effect of deep rTMS on either cognitive or affective ToM performance. When examining self-reported empathy, however, there was evidence for a double dissociation: deep rTMS disrupted affective ToM performance for those with high self-reported empathy, but improved affective ToM performance for those with low self-reported empathy. mPFC appears to play a role in affective ToM processing, but the present study suggest that stimulation outcomes are dependent on baseline empathic abilities. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The KEEPS-Cognitive and Affective Study: baseline associations between vascular risk factors and cognition.

PubMed

Wharton, Whitney; Gleason, Carey E; Dowling, N Maritza; Carlsson, Cynthia M; Brinton, Eliot A; Santoro, M Nanette; Neal-Perry, Genevieve; Taylor, Hugh; Naftolin, Frederick; Lobo, Rogerio A; Merriam, George; Manson, Joann E; Cedars, Marcelle I; Miller, Virginia M; Black, Dennis M; Budoff, Matthew; Hodis, Howard N; Harman, S Mitchell; Asthana, Sanjay

2014-01-01

Midlife vascular risk factors influence later cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The decrease in serum estradiol levels during menopause has been associated with cognitive impairment and increased vascular risk, such as high blood pressure (BP), which independently contributes to cognitive dysfunction and AD. We describe the extent to which vascular risk factors relate to cognition in healthy, middle-aged, recently postmenopausal women enrolled in the Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Cognitive and Affective Study (KEEPS-Cog) at baseline. KEEPS-Cog is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel group, clinical trial, investigating the efficacy of low-dose, transdermal 17β-estradiol and oral conjugated equine estrogen on cognition. All results are cross-sectional and represent baseline data only. Analyses confirm that the KEEPS-Cog cohort (n = 571) was middle aged (mean 52.7 years, range 42-59 years), healthy, and free of cognitive dysfunction. Higher systolic BP was weakly related to poorer performance in auditory working memory and attention (p = 0.004; adjusted for multiple comparisons p = 0.10). This relationship was not associated with endogenous hormone levels, and systolic BP was not related to any other cognitive domain. BP levels may be more sensitive than other vascular risk factors in detecting subtle differences in cognitive task performance in healthy, recently menopausal women. Lower BP early in menopause may affect cognitive domains known to be associated with AD.

Theory, practice and performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallagher, Shaun

2017-01-01

I focus on the enactivist and extended mind approaches to embodied cognition (EC), and specifically on the concepts of body schema, affectivity, distributed cognition and intersubjectivity to show how EC has relevance to questions about expert performance, and to the theory and practice of performing arts.

Exploring Positive and Negative Affect as Key Indicators of Life Satisfaction among Centenarians: Does Cognitive Performance Matter?

PubMed Central

Bishop, Alex J.; Martin, Peter; Poon, Leonard; Johnson, Mary Ann

2011-01-01

The aim of this investigation was to determine how cognitive performance was associated with positive and negative affect and life satisfaction over time. This study involved a secondary longitudinal analysis of cross-section data collected at Phase I (1988–1992) and during an 18-month longitudinal followup at Phase II (1992–1998) of the Georgia Centenarian Study. Participants included N = 137 centenarians at Time 1 and N = 68 survivors at Time 2. Significant stability in cognitive impairment existed at Time 1 and Time 2 for positive (β = .55, P < .01) and negative affect (β = .54, P < .01) models. Negative affect at Time 1 was associated with lower life satisfaction at Time 1 (β = −.42, P < .01 ). In addition, cognitive impairment at Time 2 was associated with decreased positive emotionality at Time 2 (β = −.39, P > .01). Furthermore, greater positive affect at Time 2 was associated with greater satisfaction with life at Time 2 (β = .35, P < .01). It appears that positive emotionality contemporaneously influences the association between cognitive impairment and life satisfaction among centenarians. Implications relative to improving life satisfaction among centenarians are discussed. PMID:21876811

A rationale for cognitively-based resilience and psychological first aid (PFA) training: a structural modeling analysis.

PubMed

Everly, George S; Smith, Kenneth J; Lating, Jeffrey M

2009-01-01

Based on the recommendations of Rodgers (2010) and practices by Smith, Davy, & Everly (2007) and Everly, Smith, and Welzant (2008), structural modeling was used in this investigation designed to better discern causal mechanisms within the cognitive-affective arousal construct that contribute to burnout, job dissatisfaction, turnover intention, and performance. The primary purpose of this study was to better inform those interested in program develop and clinical intervention of the nature of mechanisms of pathogenesis and resiliency. This study utilized the responses of the 491 individuals employed in public accounting. Results indicate that the cognitive-affective domain is an essential determinant of burnout, job dissatisfaction, turnover intention, and performance. Furthermore, cognitive states appear to exert their effect through affective arousal that subsequently appears to have a defining role in the development of the aforementioned variables.

How self-reported hot flashes may relate to affect, cognitive performance and sleep.

PubMed

Regestein, Quentin; Friebely, Joan; Schiff, Isaac

2015-08-01

To explain the controversy about whether midlife women who self-report hot flashes have relatively increased affective symptoms, poor cognitive performance or worse sleep. Retrospective data from 88 women seeking relief from bothersome day and night hot flashes were submitted to mixed linear regression modeling to find if estimated hot flashes, as measured by Women's Health Questionnaire (WHQ) items, or diary-documented hot flashes recorded daily, were associated with each other, or with affective, cognitive or sleep measures. Subjects averaged 6.3 daytime diary-documented hot flashes and 2.4 nighttime diary-documented hot flashes per 24h. Confounder-controlled diary-documented hot flashes but not estimated hot flashes were associated with increased Leeds anxiety scores (F=4.9; t=2.8; p=0.01) and Leeds depression scores (3.4; 2.5; 0.02), decreased Stroop Color-Word test performance (9.4; 3.5; 0.001), increased subjective sleep disturbance (effect size=0.83) and increased objective sleep disturbance (effect size=0.35). Hot flash effects were small to moderate in size. Univariate but not multivariate analyses revealed that all hot flash measures were associated with all affect measures. Different measures of hot flashes associated differently with affect, cognition and sleep. Only nighttime diary-document hot flash consistently correlated with any affect measures in multivariate analyses. The use of differing measures for hot flashes, affect, cognition and sleep may account for the continually reported inconsistencies in menopause study outcomes. This problem impedes forging a consensus on whether hot flashes correlate with neuropsychological symptoms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Classroom-Based Physical Activity Breaks and Children's Attention: Cognitive Engagement Works!

PubMed Central

Schmidt, Mirko; Benzing, Valentin; Kamer, Mario

2016-01-01

Classroom-based physical activity breaks are postulated to positively impact children's attention during their school day. However, empirical evidence for this claim is scarce and the role of cognitive engagement in enhancing children's attentional performance is unexplored in studies on physical activity breaks. The aim of the present study was therefore to disentangle the separate and/or combined effects of physical exertion and cognitive engagement induced by physical activity breaks on primary school children's attention. In addition, the role of children's affective reactions to acute interventions at school was investigated. Using a 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design, 92 children between the ages of 11 and 12 years (M = 11.77, SD = 0.41) were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions: (1) combo group (physical activity with high cognitive demands), (2) cognition group (sedentary with high cognitive demands), (3) physical group (physical activity with low cognitive demands), and (4) control group (sedentary with low cognitive demands). Attention and affect were measured before and immediately after a 10-min intervention. ANCOVAs revealed that whereas physical exertion had no effect on any measure of children's attentional performance, cognitive engagement was the crucial factor leading to increased focused attention and enhanced processing speed. Mediational analyses showed that changes in positive affect during the interventions mediated the effect between cognitive engagement and focused attention as well as between cognitive engagement and processing speed. These surprising results are discussed in the light of theories predicting both facilitating and deteriorative effects of positive affect on attention. PMID:27757088

Cognitive functioning in patients with affective disorders and schizophrenia: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Stefanopoulou, Evgenia; Manoharan, Andiappan; Landau, Sabine; Geddes, John R; Goodwin, Guy; Frangou, Sophia

2009-01-01

There is considerable evidence for cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia and affective disorders, but the pattern of potential similarities or differences between diagnostic groups remains uncertain. The objective of this study was to conduct a quantitative review of studies on cognitive performance in schizophrenia and affective disorders. Relevant articles were identified through literature search in major databases for the period between January 1980 and December 2005. Meta-analytic treatment of the original studies revealed widespread cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia and affective disorders in intellectual ability and speed of information processing, in encoding and retrieval, rule discovery and in response generation and response inhibition. Differences between diagnostic groups were quantitative rather than qualitative.

Muscle, functional and cognitive adaptations after flywheel resistance training in stroke patients: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Fernandez-Gonzalo, Rodrigo; Fernandez-Gonzalo, Sol; Turon, Marc; Prieto, Cristina; Tesch, Per A; García-Carreira, Maria del Carmen

2016-04-06

Resistance exercise (RE) improves neuromuscular function and physical performance after stroke. Yet, the effects of RE emphasizing eccentric (ECC; lengthening) actions on muscle hypertrophy and cognitive function in stroke patients are currently unknown. Thus, this study explored the effects of ECC-overload RE training on skeletal muscle size and function, and cognitive performance in individuals with stroke. Thirty-two individuals with chronic stroke (≥6 months post-stroke) were randomly assigned into a training group (TG; n = 16) performing ECC-overload flywheel RE of the more-affected lower limb (12 weeks, 2 times/week; 4 sets of 7 maximal closed-chain knee extensions; <2 min of contractile activity per session) or a control group (CG; n = 16), maintaining daily routines. Before and after the intervention, quadriceps femoris volume, maximal force and power for each leg were assessed, and functional and dual task performance, and cognitive functions were measured. Quadriceps femoris volume of the more-affected leg increased by 9.4 % in TG. Muscle power of the more-affected, trained (48.2 %), and the less-affected, untrained limb (28.1 %) increased after training. TG showed enhanced balance (8.9 %), gait performance (10.6 %), dual-task performance, executive functions (working memory, verbal fluency tasks), attention, and speed of information processing. CG showed no changes. ECC-overload flywheel resistance exercise comprising 4 min of contractile activity per week offers a powerful aid to regain muscle mass and function, and functional performance in individuals with stroke. While the current intervention improved cognitive functions, the cause-effect relationship, if any, with the concomitant neuromuscular adaptations remains to be explored. Clinical Trials NCT02120846.

Cognition and aging in a complex work environment: relationships with performance among air traffic control specialists.

PubMed

Becker, J T; Milke, R M

1998-10-01

Chronological age affects the performance of demanding cognitive tasks within the aviation environment. Within the domain of air traffic control (ATC), the ability to handle simultaneous visual and auditory input, or to return to a task after a break to complete another task, is critical to success and is the sort of cognitive function most affected by age. The limited available data suggest a strong relationship between age and job performance among ATC specialists, whether measured at the time of entry into the system or during the working lifetime of a full-performance-level controller. An analysis of the distribution of the ages of controllers currently in the system, and a projection for the years 2001 and 2006, leads to the conclusion that a high proportion of the ATC work force will be at risk for displaying age-related changes in job performance efficiency over the next 10 yr. It seems important, therefore, to determine the nature and extent of the age-related cognitive changes that can occur during the lifespan of a controller (i.e., 25-55 yr of age) and how these changes may affect job performance. The results of such an analysis should aid in the design and implementation of new control systems to minimize any deleterious effects of aging on performance.

Cognition- and affect-based trust and feedback-seeking behavior: the roles of value, cost, and goal orientations.

PubMed

Choi, Byoung Kwon; Moon, Hyoung Koo; Nae, Eun Young

2014-01-01

We examined how subordinates' cognition- and affect-based trust in supervisors influences their feedback-seeking behavior (FSB) by considering the different cost/value perception of FSB and goal orientation (i.e., learning and performance goal orientations). Using data from 194 supervisor-subordinate dyads in South Korea, we conducted multiple regression analyses to test our hypotheses. The results showed that, whereas subordinates' cognition-based trust in supervisors positively influenced their FSB through increasing the perceived value of feedback received from supervisors, their affect-based trust in supervisors positively influenced their FSB through decreasing the perceived value of FSB. Additionally, we found that, when subordinates had high levels of learning goal orientation, the increasing influence of cognition-based trust on the value of feedback was stronger; in contrast, when subordinates had low levels of performance goal orientation, the decreasing influence of affect-based trust on the cost of FSB was stronger. The theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research were discussed.

Statistical Learning Is Not Affected by a Prior Bout of Physical Exercise.

PubMed

Stevens, David J; Arciuli, Joanne; Anderson, David I

2016-05-01

This study examined the effect of a prior bout of exercise on implicit cognition. Specifically, we examined whether a prior bout of moderate intensity exercise affected performance on a statistical learning task in healthy adults. A total of 42 participants were allocated to one of three conditions-a control group, a group that exercised for 15 min prior to the statistical learning task, and a group that exercised for 30 min prior to the statistical learning task. The participants in the exercise groups cycled at 60% of their respective V˙O2 max. Each group demonstrated significant statistical learning, with similar levels of learning among the three groups. Contrary to previous research that has shown that a prior bout of exercise can affect performance on explicit cognitive tasks, the results of the current study suggest that the physiological stress induced by moderate-intensity exercise does not affect implicit cognition as measured by statistical learning. Copyright © 2015 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Social-cognitive remediation in schizophrenia: generalization of effects of the Training of Affect Recognition (TAR).

PubMed

Wölwer, Wolfgang; Frommann, Nicole

2011-09-01

In the last decade, several social cognitive remediation programs have been developed for use in schizophrenia. Though existing evidence indicates that such programs can improve social cognition, which is essential for successful social functioning, it remains unclear whether the improvements generalize to social cognitive domains not primarily addressed by the intervention and whether the improved test performance transfers into everyday social functioning. The present study investigated whether, beyond its known effects on facial affect recognition, the Training of Affect Recognition (TAR) has effects on prosodic affect recognition, theory of mind (ToM) performance, social competence in a role-play task, and more general social and occupational functioning. Thirty-eight inpatients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were randomly assigned to 6 weeks of treatment with the TAR--primarily targeted at facial affect recognition-or Cognitive Remediation Training (CRT)--primarily targeted at neurocognition. Intention-to-treat analyses found significantly larger pre-post improvements with TAR than with CRT in prosodic affect recognition, ToM, and social competence and a trend effect in global social functioning. However, the effects on ToM and social competence were no longer significant in the smaller group of patients who completed treatment according to protocol. Results suggest that TAR effects generalize to other social cognitive domains not primarily addressed. TAR may also enhance social skills and social functioning, although this has to be confirmed. Results are discussed with regard to the need to improve functional outcome in schizophrenia against the background of current evidence from other social cognitive remediation approaches.

Anxiety Levels Are Independently Associated With Cognitive Performance in an Australian Multiple Sclerosis Patient Cohort.

PubMed

Ribbons, Karen; Lea, Rodney; Schofield, Peter W; Lechner-Scott, Jeannette

2017-01-01

Neurological and psychological symptoms in multiple sclerosis can affect cognitive function. The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between psychological measures and cognitive performance in a patient cohort. In 322 multiple sclerosis patients, psychological symptoms were measured using the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale, and cognitive function was evaluated using Audio Recorded Cognitive Screen. Multifactor linear regression analysis, accounting for all clinical covariates, found that anxiety was the only psychological measure to remain a significant predictor of cognitive performance (p<0.001), particularly memory function (p<0.001). Further prospective studies are required to determine whether treatment of anxiety improves cognitive impairment.

Roles of Working Memory Performance and Instructional Strategy in Complex Cognitive Task Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cevik, V.; Altun, A.

2016-01-01

This study aims to investigate how working memory (WM) performances and instructional strategy choices affect learners' complex cognitive task performance in online environments. Three different e-learning environments were designed based on Merrill's (2006a) model of instructional strategies. The lack of experimental research on his framework is…

Affective and cognitive theory of mind abilities in youth with borderline personality disorder or major depressive disorder.

PubMed

Tay, Sarah-Ann; Hulbert, Carol A; Jackson, Henry J; Chanen, Andrew M

2017-09-01

Theory of mind (ToM) is an important social cognitive ability that has been investigated in BPD, with inconsistent findings indicating impaired, comparable, and enhanced ToM in BPD. This study aimed to clarify and extend previous findings by investigating affective and cognitive ToM abilities in youth early in the course of BPD, by including a clinical comparison group of youth with major depressive disorder (MDD). Female participants aged 15-24 years diagnosed with BPD (n = 41) or MDD (n = 37) completed the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) and Happé's Cartoon Task, measures of affective and cognitive dimensions of ToM, respectively. The BPD group performed significantly worse than the MDD group on the affective ToM task, even after controlling for age, intelligence and depressive symptoms. Results for cognitive ToM were not significantly different. Finding of poorer performance on a measure of affective ToM, in BPD youth, relative to youth with MDD early in the course of BPD suggest a developmental failure of sociocognitive abilities needed for mentalising and which are theorised as giving rise to core features of BPD. Future research should employ more naturalistic paradigms to study social cognition and should assess individuals even earlier in the course of BPD. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Effects on cognitive performance of modulating the postprandial blood glucose profile at breakfast.

PubMed

Nilsson, A; Radeborg, K; Björck, I

2012-09-01

Considering the importance of glucose as a brain substrate, the postprandial rate of glucose delivery to the blood could be expected to affect cognitive functions. The purpose was to evaluate to what extent the rate of glucose absorption affected measures of cognitive performance in the postprandial period. In addition, cognitive performance was evaluated in relation to individual glucoregulation. A white wheat bread (WWB) enriched with guar gum (G-WWB) with the capacity to produce a low but sustained blood glucose net increment was developed. The G-WWB was evaluated in the postprandial period after breakfast with respect to effects on cognitive function (working memory and selective attention (SA)) in 40 healthy adults (49-71 years, body mass index 20-29 kg/m(2)), using a high glycaemic index WWB for comparison in a randomised crossover design. The G-WWB improved outcome in the cognitive tests (SA test) in the later postprandial period (75-225 min) in comparison with the WWB (P<0.01). Subjects with better glucoregulation performed superior in cognitive tests compared with subjects with worse glucoregulation (P<0.05). Beneficial effects on cognitive performance were observed with the G-WWB in the late postprandial period. The positive effect is suggested to emanate from improved insulin sensitivity, possibly in a combination with an enhanced neural energy supply. The results highlight the importance of carbohydrate foods that induces a low but sustained blood glucose profile in enhancing postprandial cognitive functions.

The effect of rhythmic musical training on healthy older adults' gait and cognitive function.

PubMed

Maclean, Linda M; Brown, Laura J E; Astell, Arlene J

2014-08-01

Older adults' gait is disturbed when a demanding secondary cognitive task is added. Gait training has been shown to improve older adults' walking performance, but it is not clear how training affects their cognitive performance. This study examined the impact on gait, in terms of cost or benefit to cognitive performance, of training healthy older adults to walk to a rhythmic musical beat. In a mixed model design, 45 healthy older adults aged more than 65 years (M = 71.7 years) were randomly assigned to 3 groups. One group received a rhythmic musical training and their dual-task (DT) walking and cognitive performances were compared with a group who had music playing in the background but no training, and a third group who heard no music and received no training. Outcomes in single-task (ST) and DT conditions were step-time variability and velocity for gait and correct cognitive responses for the cognitive task. The Musical Training group's step-time variability improved in both the ST (p < .05) and the DT (p < .05) after training, without adversely affecting their cognitive performance. No change was seen in the control groups. Rhythmic musical training can improve gait steadiness in healthy older adults with no negative impact on concurrent cognitive functioning. This could potentially enhance "postural reserve" and reduce fall risk. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Exercise Holds Immediate Benefits for Affect and Cognition in Younger and Older Adults

PubMed Central

Hogan, Candice L.; Mata, Jutta; Carstensen, Laura L.

2013-01-01

Physical activity is associated with improved affective experience and enhanced cognitive processing. Potential age differences in the degree of benefit, however, are poorly understood because most studies examine either younger or older adults. The present study examined age differences in cognitive performance and affective experience immediately following a single bout of moderate exercise. Participants (144 community members aged 19 to 93) were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions: (a) exercise (15 min of moderate intensity stationary cycling) or (b) control (15 min completing ratings of neutral IAPS images). Before and after the manipulation, participants completed tests of working memory and momentary affect experience was measured. Results suggest that exercise is associated with increased levels of high-arousal positive affect (HAP) and decreased levels of low-arousal positive affect (LAP) relative to control condition. Age moderated the effects of exercise on LAP, such that younger age was associated with a drop in reported LAP postexercise, whereas the effects of exercise on HAP were consistent across age. Exercise also led to faster RTs on a working memory task than the control condition across age. Self-reported negative affect was unchanged. Overall, findings suggest that exercise may hold important benefits for both affective experience and cognitive performance regardless of age. PMID:23795769

Effect of high terrestrial altitude and supplemental oxygen on human performance and mood.

PubMed

Crowley, J S; Wesensten, N; Kamimori, G; Devine, J; Iwanyk, E; Balkin, T

1992-08-01

Sustained exposure to high terrestrial altitudes is associated with cognitive decrement, mood changes, and acute mountain sickness (AMS). Such impairment in aviators could be a safety hazard. Thirteen male soldiers, ages 19-24, ascended in 10 min from sea level to 4,300 m (simulated), and remained there 2.5 d. Four times per day, subjects completed a test battery consisting of nine cognitive tests, a mood scale, and an AMS questionnaire. During one test session per day, subjects breathed 35% oxygen instead of ambient air. Analysis revealed transient deficits on altitude day 1 for three cognitive tasks. Most tasks displayed a persistent training effect. Sick subjects' moods were more negative and their performance improvement less. On altitude day 1, oxygen administration improved performance on two cognitive tests and one mood subscale. Following rapid ascent to 4,300 m, performance is most affected during the first 8 h. Individuals affected by AMS tend to improve more slowly in performance and have more negative moods than those who feel well.

A versus F: The Effects of Implicit Letter Priming on Cognitive Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ciani, Keith D.; Sheldon, Kennon M.

2010-01-01

Background: It has been proposed that motivational responses outside people's conscious awareness can be primed to affect academic performance. The current research focused on the relationship between primed evaluative letters (A and F), explicit and implicit achievement motivation, and cognitive performance. Aim: Given the evaluative connotation…

Age-related decrements in dual-task performance: Comparison of different mobility and cognitive tasks. A cross sectional study.

PubMed

Brustio, Paolo Riccardo; Magistro, Daniele; Zecca, Massimiliano; Rabaglietti, Emanuela; Liubicich, Monica Emma

2017-01-01

This cross-sectional study investigated the age-related differences in dual-task performance both in mobility and cognitive tasks and the additive dual-task costs in a sample of older, middle-aged and young adults. 74 older adults (M = 72.63±5.57 years), 58 middle-aged adults (M = 46.69±4.68 years) and 63 young adults (M = 25.34±3.00 years) participated in the study. Participants performed different mobility and subtraction tasks under both single- and dual-task conditions. Linear regressions, repeated-measures and one-way analyses of covariance were used, The results showed: significant effects of the age on the dual and mobility tasks (p<0.05) and differences among the age-groups in the combined dual-task costs (p<0.05); significant decreases in mobility performance under dual-task conditions in all groups (p<0.05) and a decrease in cognitive performance in the older group (p<0.05). Dual-task activity affected mobility and cognitive performance, especially in older adults who showed a higher dual-task cost, suggesting that dual-tasks activities are affected by the age and consequently also mobility and cognitive tasks are negatively influenced.

Spiking Phineas Gage: a neurocomputational theory of cognitive-affective integration in decision making.

PubMed

Wagar, Brandon M; Thagard, Paul

2004-01-01

The authors present a neurological theory of how cognitive information and emotional information are integrated in the nucleus accumbens during effective decision making. They describe how the nucleus accumbens acts as a gateway to integrate cognitive information from the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus with emotional information from the amygdala. The authors have modeled this integration by a network of spiking artificial neurons organized into separate areas and used this computational model to simulate 2 kinds of cognitive-affective integration. The model simulates successful performance by people with normal cognitive-affective integration. The model also simulates the historical case of Phineas Gage as well as subsequent patients whose ability to make decisions became impeded by damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex.

Individual differences in cognition, affect, and performance: Behavioral, neuroimaging, and molecular genetic approaches

PubMed Central

Parasuraman, Raja; Jiang, Yang

2012-01-01

We describe the use of behavioral, neuroimaging, and genetic methods to examine individual differences in cognition and affect, guided by three criteria: (1) relevance to human performance in work and everyday settings; (2) interactions between working memory, decision-making, and affective processing; and (3) examination of individual differences. The results of behavioral, functional MRI (fMRI), event-related potential (ERP), and molecular genetic studies show that analyses at the group level often mask important findings associated with sub-groups of individuals. Dopaminergic/noradrenergic genes influencing prefrontal cortex activity contribute to inter-individual variation in working memory and decision behavior, including performance in complex simulations of military decision-making. The interactive influences of individual differences in anxiety, sensation seeking, and boredom susceptibility on evaluative decision-making can be systematically described using ERP and fMRI methods. We conclude that a multi-modal neuroergonomic approach to examining brain function (using both neuroimaging and molecular genetics) can be usefully applied to understanding individual differences in cognition and affect and has implications for human performance at work. PMID:21569853

The relationship between sleep-wake cycle and cognitive functioning in young people with affective disorders.

PubMed

Carpenter, Joanne S; Robillard, Rébecca; Lee, Rico S C; Hermens, Daniel F; Naismith, Sharon L; White, Django; Whitwell, Bradley; Scott, Elizabeth M; Hickie, Ian B

2015-01-01

Although early-stage affective disorders are associated with both cognitive dysfunction and sleep-wake disruptions, relationships between these factors have not been specifically examined in young adults. Sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances in those with affective disorders are considerably heterogeneous, and may not relate to cognitive dysfunction in a simple linear fashion. This study aimed to characterise profiles of sleep and circadian disturbance in young people with affective disorders and examine associations between these profiles and cognitive performance. Actigraphy monitoring was completed in 152 young people (16-30 years; 66% female) with primary diagnoses of affective disorders, and 69 healthy controls (18-30 years; 57% female). Patients also underwent detailed neuropsychological assessment. Actigraphy data were processed to estimate both sleep and circadian parameters. Overall neuropsychological performance in patients was poor on tasks relating to mental flexibility and visual memory. Two hierarchical cluster analyses identified three distinct patient groups based on sleep variables and three based on circadian variables. Sleep clusters included a 'long sleep' cluster, a 'disrupted sleep' cluster, and a 'delayed and disrupted sleep' cluster. Circadian clusters included a 'strong circadian' cluster, a 'weak circadian' cluster, and a 'delayed circadian' cluster. Medication use differed between clusters. The 'long sleep' cluster displayed significantly worse visual memory performance compared to the 'disrupted sleep' cluster. No other cognitive functions differed between clusters. These results highlight the heterogeneity of sleep and circadian profiles in young people with affective disorders, and provide preliminary evidence in support of a relationship between sleep and visual memory, which may be mediated by use of antipsychotic medication. These findings have implications for the personalisation of treatments and improvement of functioning in young adults early in the course of affective illness.

The relationship between clinical insight and cognitive and affective empathy in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Atoui, Mia; El Jamil, Fatima; El Khoury, Joseph; Doumit, Mark; Syriani, Nathalie; Khani, Munir; Nahas, Ziad

2018-06-01

Schizophrenia is often associated with poor clinical insight (unawareness of mental illness and its symptoms) and deficits in empathy, which are important for social functioning. Cognitive empathy has been linked to clinical insight while affective empathy and its role in insight and pathology have received mixed evidence. Instruments assessing symptomatology (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale; PANSS), clinical insight (Scales to assess awareness of mental disorders; SUMD), and cognitive and affective empathy were administered to 22 participants with first episode and chronic schizophrenia and 21 healthy controls. Self-report, parent-report, and performance based measures were used to assess cognitive and affective empathy (The interpersonal reactivity index; IRI/Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test/Faux Pas) to reduce bias and parse shared variance. Age of onset, gender, and symptomatology emerged as significant predictors of poor clinical insight. Additionally, the fantasy subscale of the IRI as reported by parents emerged as a positive predictor while the personal distress (parent report) subscale emerged as a negative predictor of awareness into mental illness. There were significant differences on performance-based measures of empathy between the control and schizophrenia groups. Findings suggest that affective empathy is relatively intact across phases of illness whereas cognitive empathy abilities are compromised and could be targets for psychotherapy intervention.

Adolescent risk-taking is predicted by individual differences in cognitive control over emotional, but not non-emotional, response conflict.

PubMed

Botdorf, Morgan; Rosenbaum, Gail M; Patrianakos, Jamie; Steinberg, Laurence; Chein, Jason M

2017-08-01

While much research on adolescent risk behaviour has focused on the development of prefrontal self-regulatory mechanisms, prior studies have elicited mixed evidence of a relationship between individual differences in the capacity for self-regulation and individual differences in risk taking. To explain these inconsistent findings, it has been suggested that the capacity for self-regulation may be, for most adolescents, adequately mature to produce adaptive behaviour in non-affective, "cold" circumstances, but that adolescents have a more difficult time exerting control in affective, "hot" contexts. To further explore this claim, the present study examined individual differences in self-control in the face of affective and non-affective response conflict, and examined whether differences in the functioning of cognitive control processes under these different conditions was related to risk taking. Participants completed a cognitive Stroop task, an emotional Stroop task, and a risky driving task known as the Stoplight game. Regression analyses showed that performance on the emotional Stroop task predicted laboratory risk-taking in the driving task, whereas performance on the cognitive Stroop task did not exhibit the same trend. This pattern of results is consistent with theories of adolescent risk-taking that emphasise the impacts of affective contextual influences on the ability to enact effective cognitive control.

Multidimensional Self-Efficacy and Affect in Wheelchair Basketball Players

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Jeffrey J.

2008-01-01

In the current study, variables grounded in social cognitive theory with athletes with disabilities were examined. Performance, training, resiliency, and thought control self-efficacy, and positive (PA) and negative (NA) affect were examined with wheelchair basketball athletes (N = 79). Consistent with social cognitive theory, weak to strong…

Decreasing Cognitive Load for Learners: Strategy of Web-Based Foreign Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Jianfeng

2013-01-01

Cognitive load is one of the important factors that influence the effectiveness and efficiency of web-based foreign language learning. Cognitive load theory assumes that human's cognitive capacity in working memory is limited and if it overloads, learning will be hampered, so that high level of cognitive load can affect the performance of learning…

Creativity on tap? Effects of alcohol intoxication on creative cognition

PubMed Central

Benedek, Mathias; Panzierer, Lisa; Jauk, Emanuel; Neubauer, Aljoscha C.

2017-01-01

Anecdotal reports link alcohol intoxication to creativity, while cognitive research highlights the crucial role of cognitive control for creative thought. This study examined the effects of mild alcohol intoxication on creative cognition in a placebo-controlled design. Participants completed executive and creative cognition tasks before and after consuming either alcoholic beer (BAC of 0.03) or non-alcoholic beer (placebo). Alcohol impaired executive control, but improved performance in the Remote Associates Test, and did not affect divergent thinking ability. The findings indicate that certain aspects of creative cognition benefit from mild attenuations of cognitive control, and contribute to the growing evidence that higher cognitive control is not always associated with better cognitive performance. PMID:28705663

General and social cognition in remitted first-episode schizophrenia patients: a comparative study.

PubMed

Caldiroli, Alice; Buoli, Massimiliano; Serati, Marta; Cahn, Wiepke; Altamura, A Carlo

2016-10-01

The aim of this paper was to investigate whether both neurocognitive and social cognitive performances were different between remitted first-episode schizophrenia patients, non-remitters and healthy controls (HC). We assessed social cognition (Degraded Facial Affect Recognition Task-DFAR and Emotional Mentalizing Task-EMT) and neurocognition (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and Word Learning Test-WLT) in 174 remitted first-episode schizophrenia patients, 110 non-remitted first-episode schizophrenia patients and 320 HC. Multivariate analyses of variance with age, gender and IQ as covariates (MANCOVA) were performed to compare mean cognitive test scores between the three groups. Remitted first-episode schizophrenia patients performed significantly worse than HC only in one verbal memory task (WLT immediate recall; p = 0.004); in the same test, they were significantly better than non-remitters (p = 0.027). Non-remitted first-episode schizophrenia patients, differently from remitters, performed significantly worse than HC in terms of social cognition (EMT-p < 0.05 and DFAR-p < 0.05). Remitted first-episode schizophrenia patients presented worse cognitive performance than HC in verbal memory tasks, but not in facial affect recognition and in ToM, while non-remitters did; these results suggest that neurocognitive deficits are the core hallmark of schizophrenia and that social cognition is relatively unaffected in remitted patients after their first episode.

Emotional and cognitive influences in air traffic controller tasks: An investigation using a virtual environment?

PubMed

Truschzinski, Martina; Betella, Alberto; Brunnett, Guido; Verschure, Paul F M J

2018-05-01

Air traffic controllers are required to perform complex tasks which require attention and high precision. This study investigates how the difficulty of such tasks influences emotional states, cognitive workload and task performance. We use quantitative and qualitative measurements, including the recording of pupil dilation and changes in affect using questionnaires. Participants were required to perform a number of air traffic control tasks using the immersive human accessible Virtual Reality space in the "eXperience Induction Machine". Based on the data collected, we developed and validated a model which integrates personality, workload and affective theories. Our results indicate that the difficulty of an air traffic control task has a direct influence on cognitive workload as well as on the self-reported mood; whereas both mood and workload seem to change independently. In addition, we show that personality, in particular neuroticism, affects both mood and performance of the participants. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gender-stereotyping and cognitive sex differences in mixed- and same-sex groups.

PubMed

Hirnstein, Marco; Coloma Andrews, Lisa; Hausmann, Markus

2014-11-01

Sex differences in specific cognitive abilities are well documented, but the biological, psychological, and sociocultural interactions that may underlie these differences are largely unknown. We examined within a biopsychosocial approach how gender stereotypes affect cognitive sex differences when adult participants were tested in mixed- or same-sex groups. A total of 136 participants (70 women) were allocated to either mixed- or same-sex groups and completed a battery of sex-sensitive cognitive tests (i.e., mental rotation, verbal fluency, perceptual speed) after gender stereotypes or gender-neutral stereotypes (control) were activated. To study the potential role of testosterone as a mediator for group sex composition and stereotype boost/threat effects, saliva samples were taken before the stereotype manipulation and after cognitive testing. The results showed the typical male and female advantages in mental rotation and verbal fluency, respectively. In general, men and women who were tested in mixed-sex groups and whose gender stereotypes had not been activated performed best. Moreover, a stereotype threat effect emerged in verbal fluency with reduced performance in gender stereotyped men but not women. Testosterone levels did not mediate the effects of group sex composition and stereotype threat nor did we find any relationship between testosterone and cognitive performance in men and women. Taken together, the findings suggest that an interaction of gender stereotyping and group sex composition affects the performance of men and women in sex-sensitive cognitive tasks. Mixed-sex settings can, in fact, increase cognitive performance as long as gender-stereotyping is prevented.

Factors Affecting Open-Set Word Recognition in Adults with Cochlear Implants

PubMed Central

Holden, Laura K.; Finley, Charles C.; Firszt, Jill B.; Holden, Timothy A.; Brenner, Christine; Potts, Lisa G.; Gotter, Brenda D.; Vanderhoof, Sallie S.; Mispagel, Karen; Heydebrand, Gitry; Skinner, Margaret W.

2012-01-01

A monosyllabic word test was administered to 114 postlingually-deaf adult cochlear implant (CI) recipients at numerous intervals from two weeks to two years post-initial CI activation. Biographic/audiologic information, electrode position, and cognitive ability were examined to determine factors affecting CI outcomes. Results revealed that Duration of Severe-to-Profound Hearing Loss, Age at Implantation, CI Sound-field Threshold Levels, Percentage of Electrodes in Scala Vestibuli, Medio-lateral Electrode Position, Insertion Depth, and Cognition were among the factors that affected performance. Knowledge of how factors affect performance can influence counseling, device fitting, and rehabilitation for patients and may contribute to improved device design. PMID:23348845

Cognitive Performance in Euthymic Patients with Bipolar Disorder vs Healthy Controls: A Neuropsychological Investigation.

PubMed

Palazzo, M Carlotta; Arici, Chiara; Cremaschi, Laura; Cristoffanini, Marta; Dobrea, Cristina; Dell'Osso, Bernardo; Altamura, A Carlo

2017-01-01

Cognitive impairment may affect patients with Bipolar Disorder (BD) beyond the acute episodes, qualifying as a potential endophenotype. However, which cognitive domains are specifically affected in euthymic patients with BD and the potential influence of confounding factors ( e.g. , age and concomitant pharmacological treatment) are still a matter of debate. The present study was, therefore, conducted to assess cognitive performance across specific domains in euthymic bipolar patients, not older than 50 years (to avoid potential age-related bias) versus healthy controls (HCs). A cognitive task battery, including the Wisconsin Card Test, Span Attention Test, Tower of London, Trail Making Test, Verbal Fluency Test, Matrices Scores and N-Back, was administered to 62 subjects (30 bipolar patients and 32 matched HCs) and differences between the groups analyzed. Bipolar patients performed significantly worse than HCs in the Span Forward task, in the expression of Verbal Fluency Test (Category) and in the N-Back task (all p<.05), with marginal differences between BD I and BD II patients. The present study pointed out significant differences in terms of cognitive performance between euthymic bipolar patients and HCs, supporting the notion that specific cognitive functions may remain impaired even after the resolution of the acute episodes in subjects suffering from BD. Future studies on larger samples are warranted to confirm the present results and further explore potential differences in cognitive impairment across specific bipolar subtypes.

Effects of emotionally contagious films on changes in hemisphere-specific cognitive performance.

PubMed

Papousek, Ilona; Schulter, Günter; Lang, Brigitte

2009-08-01

In the framework of models on the lateralized involvement of the cortical hemispheres in affect and psychopathology, the authors examined whether cognitive processes associated with the left and the right prefrontal cortex varied as a function of valence, motivational direction, or intensity of induced mood. Affective states (cheerfulness, anxiety, sadness, anger, and neutral mood) were experimentally induced by short "emotionally contagious films." Findings confirmed that the newly developed films were suitable to effectively elicit the expected affective states and to differentially change the dimensions of interest. Changes in verbal versus figural fluency performance were examined as a function of positive versus negative valence, approach versus withdrawal motivation, and low versus high emotional arousal. Level of interest was evaluated as a control. Both the tendency to withdraw and emotional arousal seemed to produce relative advantages for cognitive processes that are more strongly represented in the right than left prefrontal cortex. Findings suggest that changes in cognitive performance might be best explained by an additive combination of motivational direction and arousal. 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

A comparison of cognitive performance decreases during acute, progressive fatigue arising from different concurrent stressors.

PubMed

Fogt, Donovan L; Kalns, John E; Michael, Darren J

2010-12-01

Fatigue is known to impair cognitive performance, but it remains unclear whether concurrent common stressors affect cognitive performance similarly. We used the Stroop Color-Word Conflict Test to assess cognitive performance over 24 hours for four groups: control, sleep-deprived (SD), SD + energy deficit, and SD + energy deficit + fluid restricted. Fatigue levels were quantified using the Profile of Mood States (POMS) survey. Linear mixed-effects (LME) models allowed for testing of group-specific differences in cognitive performance while accounting for subject-level variation. Starting fatigue levels were similar among all groups, while 24-hour fatigue levels differed significantly. For each cognitive performance test, results were modeled separately. The simplest LME model contained a significant fixed-effects term for slope and intercept. Moreover, the simplest LME model used a single slope coefficient to fit data from all four groups, suggesting that loss in cognitive performance over a 24-hour duty cycle with respect to fatigue level is similar regardless of the cause.

The effects of cigarette smoking behavior and psychosis history on general and social cognition in bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Ospina, Luz H; Russo, Manuela; Nitzburg, George M; Cuesta-Diaz, Armando; Shanahan, Megan; Perez-Rodriguez, Mercedes M; Mcgrath, Meaghan; Levine, Hannah; Mulaimovic, Sandra; Burdick, Katherine E

2016-09-01

Several studies have documented the prevalence and effects of cigarette smoking on cognition in psychotic disorders; fewer have focused on bipolar disorder (BD). Cognitive and social dysfunction are common in BD, and the severity of these deficits may be related both to illness features (e.g., current symptoms, psychosis history) and health-related behaviors (e.g., smoking, alcohol use). The current study assessed the influence of cigarette smoking on general and social cognition in a BD cohort, accounting for illness features with a focus on psychosis history. We assessed smoking status in 105 euthymic patients with BD, who completed a comprehensive battery including social (facial affect recognition, emotional problem-solving, and theory of mind) and general (the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery and executive functioning) cognitive measures. We compared smokers vs nonsmokers on cognitive performance and tested for the effects of psychosis history, premorbid intellectual functioning, substance use, and current affective symptoms. Within the nonpsychotic subgroup with BD (n=45), smokers generally outperformed nonsmokers; by contrast, for subjects with BD with a history of psychosis (n=41), nonsmokers outperformed smokers. This pattern was noted more globally using a general composite cognitive score and on social/affective measures assessing patients' ability to identify emotions of facial stimuli and solve emotional problems. Cigarette smoking differentially affects performance on both general and social cognition in patients with BD as a function of psychosis history. These results suggest that there may be at least partially divergent underlying neurobiological causes for cognitive dysfunction in patients with BD with and without psychosis. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Motivated to do well: an examination of the relationships between motivation, effort, and cognitive performance in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Foussias, G; Siddiqui, I; Fervaha, G; Mann, S; McDonald, K; Agid, O; Zakzanis, K K; Remington, G

2015-08-01

The uncertain relationship between negative symptoms, and specifically motivational deficits, with cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia is in need of further elucidation as it pertains to the interpretation of cognitive test results. Findings to date have suggested a possible mediating role of motivational deficits on cognitive test measures, although findings from formal examinations of effort using performance validity measures have been inconsistent. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between motivation, effort exerted during cognitive testing, and cognitive performance in schizophrenia. Sixty-nine outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were evaluated for psychopathology, severity of motivational deficits, effort exerted during cognitive testing, and cognitive performance. Motivation and degree of effort exerted during cognitive testing were significantly related to cognitive performance, specifically verbal fluency, verbal and working memory, attention and processing speed, and reasoning and problem solving. Further, effort accounted for 15% of the variance in cognitive performance, and partially mediated the relationship between motivation and cognitive performance. Examining cognitive performance profiles for individuals exerting normal or reduced effort revealed significant differences in global cognition, as well as attention/processing speed and reasoning and problem solving. These findings suggest that cognitive domains may be differentially affected by impairments in motivation and effort, and highlight the importance of understanding the interplay between motivation and cognitive performance deficits, which may guide the appropriate selection of symptom targets for promoting recovery in patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Long-lasting active lifestyle and successful cognitive aging in a healthy elderly population: The PROOF cohort.

PubMed

Saint Martin, M; Sforza, E; Barthélémy, J C; Roche, F; Lefèvre, P; Liénard, G; Thomas-Anterion, C

2017-12-01

The aim of this study was to determine whether cognitive reserve in the elderly affects the evolution of cognitive performance and what its relationship is with active lifestyles in later life. Cognitive performance was evaluated at baseline and 8 years later in 543 participants of the PROOF cohort, initially aged 67 years. Subjects were categorized as Cognitively Elite (CE), Cognitively Normal (CN) or Cognitively Impaired (CI) at each evaluation. At follow-up, demographic data and lifestyle, including social, intellectual and physical behaviors, were collected by questionnaires. As much as 69% (n=375) remained unchanged, while 25.5% (n=138) decreased and 5.5% (n=30) improved. When present, the reduction in cognitive status was most often limited to one level, but was dependent on the initial level, affecting up to 73% of the initially CN, but only 58% of the initially CE. Cognitive stability was significantly associated with the degree of social engagement at follow-up (CE: P=0.009; CN: P=0.025). In the healthy elderly, high cognitive ability predicts both cognitive ability and social involvement in later life. Cognitive decline by only one level may also extend the time to reach impairment, underlining the importance of the so-called cognitive reserve. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Cognitive and affective control in a flanker word task: common and dissociable brain mechanisms.

PubMed

Alguacil, Sonia; Tudela, Pío; Ruz, María

2013-08-01

In the present study we compared the nature of cognitive and affective conflict modulations at different stages of information processing using electroencephalographic recordings. Participants performed a flanker task in which they had to focus on a central word target and indicate its semantic category (cognitive version) or its valence (affective version). Targets were flanked by congruent or incongruent words in both versions. Although tasks were equivalent at the behavioral level, event-related potentials (ERPs) showed common and dissociable cognitive and emotional conflict modulations. At early stages of information processing, both tasks generated parallel sequential conflict effects in the P1 and N170 potentials. Later, the N2 and the first part of the P3 wave were exclusively modulated by cognitive conflict, whereas the last section of the P3 deflection/Late Positive Component (LPC) was only involved in affective current conflict processing. Therefore, the whole data set suggests the existence of early common mechanisms that are equivalent for cognitive and affective materials and later task-specific conflict processing. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Age affects the adjustment of cognitive control after a conflict: evidence from the bivalency effect.

PubMed

Rey-Mermet, Alodie; Meier, Beat

2015-01-01

Age affects cognitive control. When facing a conflict, older adults are less able to activate goal-relevant information and inhibit irrelevant information. However, cognitive control also affects the events after a conflict. The purpose of this study was to determine whether age affects the adjustment of cognitive control following a conflict. To this end, we investigated the bivalency effect, that is, the performance slowing occurring after the conflict induced by bivalent stimuli (i.e., stimuli with features for two tasks). In two experiments, we tested young adults (aged 20-30) and older adults (aged 65-85) in a paradigm requiring alternations between three tasks, with bivalent stimuli occasionally occurring on one task. The young adults showed a slowing for all trials following bivalent stimuli. This indicates a widespread and long-lasting bivalency effect, replicating previous findings. In contrast, the older adults showed a more specific and shorter-lived slowing. Thus, age affects the adjustment of cognitive control following a conflict.

Emotional exhaustion and cognitive performance in apparently healthy teachers: a longitudinal multi-source study.

PubMed

Feuerhahn, Nicolas; Stamov-Roßnagel, Christian; Wolfram, Maren; Bellingrath, Silja; Kudielka, Brigitte M

2013-10-01

We investigate how emotional exhaustion (EE), the core component of burnout, relates to cognitive performance, job performance and health. Cognitive performance was assessed by self-rated cognitive stress symptoms, self-rated and peer-rated cognitive impairments in everyday tasks and a neuropsychological test of learning and memory (LGT-3); job performance and physical health were gauged by self-reports. Cross-sectional linear regression analyses in a sample of 100 teachers confirm that EE is negatively related to cognitive performance as assessed by self-rating and peer-rating as well as neuropsychological testing (all p < .05). Longitudinal linear regression analyses confirm similar trends (p < .10) for self-rated and peer-rated cognitive performance. Executive control deficits might explain impaired cognitive performance in EE. In longitudinal analyses, EE also significantly predicts physical health. Contrary to our expectations, EE does not affect job performance. When reversed causation is tested, none of the outcome variables at Time 1 predict EE at Time 2. This speaks against cognitive dysfunctioning serving as a vulnerability factor for exhaustion. In sum, results underpin the negative consequences of EE for cognitive performance and health, which are relevant for individuals and organizations alike. In this way, findings might contribute to the understanding of the burnout syndrome. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Formative Evaluation of a Neuroanatomy Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sterret, Patrick R.; Littlefield, John H.

1976-01-01

Student cognitive performance data and affective reactions provided the basis for a formative evaluation of this neuroanatomy curriculum for freshmen medical students. The cerebral hempispheres topic area was marked by poor cognitive performance and low ratings in lecture quality. Videotapes designed to augment neurophysiology also received low…

Destination memory and cognitive theory of mind in normal ageing.

PubMed

El Haj, Mohamad; Raffard, Stéphane; Gély-Nargeot, Marie-Christine

2016-01-01

Destination memory is the ability to remember the destination to which a piece of information has been addressed (e.g., "Did I tell you about the promotion?"). This ability is found to be impaired in normal ageing. Our work aimed to link this deterioration to the decline in theory of mind. Forty younger adults (M age = 23.13 years, SD = 4.00) and 36 older adults (M age = 69.53 years, SD = 8.93) performed a destination memory task. They also performed the False-belief test addressing cognitive theory of mind and the Reading the mind in the eyes test addressing affective theory of mind. Results showed significant deterioration in destination memory, cognitive theory of mind and affective theory of mind in the older adults. The older adults' performance on destination memory was significantly correlated with and predicted by their performance on cognitive theory of mind. Difficulties in the ability to interpret and predict others' mental states are related to destination memory decline in older adults.

Positive and Negative Affect and Adolescent Adjustment: Moderation Effects of Prefrontal Functioning.

PubMed

Brieant, Alexis; Holmes, Christopher J; Maciejewski, Dominique; Lee, Jacob; Deater-Deckard, Kirby; King-Casas, Brooks; Kim-Spoon, Jungmeen

2018-03-01

We examined whether cognitive control moderates the effects of emotion on adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptomatology in a longitudinal study of 138 adolescents. Self-reported positive affect (PA) and negative affect and behavioral and neural indicators of cognitive control, indexed by performance and prefrontal hemodynamic response during a cognitive interference task, were collected at Time 1. Self-reported internalizing and externalizing symptomatology were collected at Time 1 and Time 2 (1 year later). Results indicated that higher PA predicted decreases in externalizing symptomatology, but only for adolescents with poor neural cognitive control. No moderation effects were found for behavioral cognitive control. Findings imply the beneficial effects of PA on the development of externalizing problems among adolescents with poor prefrontal functioning. © 2018 Society for Research on Adolescence.

Two-day fasting evokes stress, but does not affect mood, brain activity, cognitive, psychomotor, and motor performance in overweight women.

PubMed

Solianik, Rima; Sujeta, Artūras

2018-02-15

The physiological, cognitive state, and motor behavior changes that occur during acute fasting are not completely understood. Thus, the aim of this study was to estimate the effect of 2-day total fasting on evoked stress, mood, brain activity, and cognitive, psychomotor, and motor function in overweight women. Eleven overweight women (body mass index above 25kg/m 2 ) aged 20-30 years were tested under two conditions allocated randomly: 2-day zero-calorie diet with water provided ad libitum and 2-day usual diet. One week before the experiment, aerobic fitness was evaluated. Subjective stress ratings in relation to the diet, autonomic function, prefrontal cortex activity, cognitive performance, psychomotor coordination, and grip strength were evaluated before and after each diet. The study demonstrated that fasting decreased log-transformed high-frequency (HF) power, without affecting heart rate. The relative maximum oxygen uptake was negatively correlated with subjective stress rating and changes in log-transformed HF. Fasting did not affect mood, brain activity, and cognitive, motor, and psychomotor performance. Thus, 2-day total fasting evoked moderate stress with a shift of the autonomic nervous system balance toward sympathetic activity in overweight women. Better aerobic endurance is likely to facilitate the capacity for dealing with acute fasting. Regardless of the evoked stress, cognitive state and motor behavior remained intact. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Role of Cognitive and Affective Factors in Measures of L2 Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zabihi, Reza

2018-01-01

This study investigates the direct and/or indirect effects of some cognitive (working memory capacity) and affective (writing anxiety and writing self-efficacy) variables on the complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) of second language (L2) learners' writings. To achieve this goal, 232 upper-intermediate English learners performed an automated…

Exploring Dynamical Assessments of Affect, Behavior, and Cognition and Math State Test Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

San Pedro, Maria Ofelia Z.; Snow, Erica L.; Baker, Ryan S.; McNamara, Danielle S.; Heffernan, Neil T.

2015-01-01

There is increasing evidence that fine-grained aspects of student performance and interaction within educational software are predictive of long-term learning. Machine learning models have been used to provide assessments of affect, behavior, and cognition based on analyses of system log data, estimating the probability of a student's particular…

Exploring Students' Behavioural Patterns during Online Peer Assessment from the Affective, Cognitive, and Metacognitive Perspectives: A Progressive Sequential Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Kun-Hung; Hou, Huei-Tse

2015-01-01

Previous research regarding peer assessment has investigated the relationships between peer feedback and learners' performance. However, few studies investigate in-depth learning processes during technology-assisted peer assessment activities, particularly from affective, cognitive, and metacognitive perspectives. This study conducts a series of…

Remember Hard But Think Softly: Metaphorical Effects of Hardness/Softness on Cognitive Functions.

PubMed

Xie, Jiushu; Lu, Zhi; Wang, Ruiming; Cai, Zhenguang G

2016-01-01

Previous studies have found that bodily stimulation, such as hardness biases social judgment and evaluation via metaphorical association; however, it remains unclear whether bodily stimulation also affects cognitive functions, such as memory and creativity. The current study used metaphorical associations between "hard" and "rigid" and between "soft" and "flexible" in Chinese, to investigate whether the experience of hardness affects cognitive functions whose performance depends prospectively on rigidity (memory) and flexibility (creativity). In Experiment 1, we found that Chinese-speaking participants performed better at recalling previously memorized words while sitting on a hard-surface stool (the hard condition) than a cushioned one (the soft condition). In Experiment 2, participants sitting on a cushioned stool outperformed those sitting on a hard-surface stool on a Chinese riddle task, which required creative/flexible thinking, but not on an analogical reasoning task, which required both rigid and flexible thinking. The results suggest the hardness experience affects cognitive functions that are metaphorically associated with rigidity or flexibility. They support the embodiment proposition that cognitive functions and representations can be grounded in bodily states via metaphorical associations.

The Effect of Cognitive-Task Type and Walking Speed on Dual-Task Gait in Healthy Adults.

PubMed

Wrightson, James G; Ross, Emma Z; Smeeton, Nicholas J

2016-01-01

In a number of studies in which a dual-task gait paradigm was used, researchers reported a relationship between cognitive function and gait. However, it is not clear to what extent these effects are dependent on the type of cognitive and walking tasks used in the dual-task paradigm. This study examined whether stride-time variability (STV) and trunk range of motion (RoM) are affected by the type of cognitive task and walking speed used during dual-task gait. Participants walked at both their preferred walking speed and at 25% of their preferred walking speed and performed a serial subtraction and a working memory task at both speeds. Although both tasks significantly reduced STV at both walking speeds, there was no difference between the two tasks. Trunk RoM was affected by the walking speed and type of cognitive task used during dual-task gait: Mediolateral trunk RoM was increased at the slow walking speed, and anterior-posterior trunk RoM was higher only when performing the serial subtraction task at the slow walking speed. The reduction of STV, regardless of cognitive-task type, suggests that healthy adults may redirect cognitive processes away from gait toward cognitive-task performance during dual-task gait.

Mental Fatigue and Physical and Cognitive Performance During a 2-Bout Exercise Test.

PubMed

Vrijkotte, Susan; Meeusen, Romain; Vandervaeren, Cloe; Buyse, Luk; Cutsem, Jeroen van; Pattyn, Nathalie; Roelands, Bart

2018-04-01

The 2-bout exercise protocol has been developed to diagnose nonfunctional overreaching and the "overtraining syndrome." It consists of 2 maximal exercise bouts separated by 4 hours. Mental fatigue negatively influences performance, but the effects of its occurrence during the 2-bout exercise protocol have never been investigated. The aim of this study was to examine whether mental fatigue (induced during the rest period) influences physical and cognitive performance during/after the second exercise bout of the 2-bout exercise protocol. Nine healthy, well-trained male cyclists participated in a single-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study. The intervention consisted of either 1.5-hour rest (control) or performing a computer-based Stroop task to induce mental fatigue. Cognitive (Eriksen Flanker task), physiological (lactate, maximum heart rate, and maximum wattage), and subjective data (mental fatigue-visual analog scale, Profile of Mood States, and rating of perceived exertion) were gathered. Ratings of fatigue, tension, and mental fatigue were affected in the mental fatigue condition (P < .05). Neither physiological nor cognitive differences were found between conditions. Ratings of mental fatigue were already affected after the first maximum exercise test (P < .05). Neither physical nor cognitive performance was affected by mental fatigue, but subjective ratings did reveal significant differences. It is recommended to exclude mentally challenging tasks during the 2-bout exercise protocol rest period to ascertain unaffected subjective test results. This study should be repeated in athletes diagnosed with nonfunctional overreaching/overtraining syndrome.

Theory of mind impairments in patients with first-episode schizophrenia and their unaffected siblings.

PubMed

Ho, Karen K Y; Lui, Simon S Y; Hung, Karen S Y; Wang, Yi; Li, Zhi; Cheung, Eric F C; Chan, Raymond C K

2015-08-01

Theory of mind (ToM) impairment has been consistently demonstrated in patients with schizophrenia, but whether ToM impairments exist in unaffected siblings of patients with schizophrenia remains unclear. Few studies have examined the affective and cognitive components of ToM in schizophrenia. This study aimed to examine whether ToM impairments exist in patients with first-episode schizophrenia and their unaffected siblings, and whether there is any dissociation between the affective and cognitive components of ToM. We adopted a family-based case-control design. Participants were 41 patients with first-episode schizophrenia, 43 unaffected siblings, and 42 healthy controls. The Yoni Task which measures the participants' ability to understand first- and second-order affective versus cognitive ToM and the Faux Pas Task which taps into integration of the affective and cognitive components of ToM were administered. Multivariate and univariate ANCOVAs were used to examine the group differences in ToM, while controlling for other neurocognitive functions. Compared with controls, patients with schizophrenia and their unaffected siblings performed poorer on the Faux Pas Task (p<0.001), with siblings having intermediate performance between patients and controls. Patients with schizophrenia performed worse than controls on second-order affective condition of the Yoni Task (p=0.004), but their unaffected siblings did not (p=0.063). We did not find any significant Group-by-Condition interaction in the Yoni Task (p=0.358). Patients with first-episode schizophrenia and their unaffected siblings exhibit ToM impairments, but no dissociation between affective and cognitive component of ToM was found. Our findings support the notion that ToM deficit may be a trait marker of schizophrenia. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exercise holds immediate benefits for affect and cognition in younger and older adults.

PubMed

Hogan, Candice L; Mata, Jutta; Carstensen, Laura L

2013-06-01

Physical activity is associated with improved affective experience and enhanced cognitive processing. Potential age differences in the degree of benefit, however, are poorly understood because most studies examine either younger or older adults. The present study examined age differences in cognitive performance and affective experience immediately following a single bout of moderate exercise. Participants (144 community members aged 19 to 93) were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions: (a) exercise (15 min of moderate intensity stationary cycling) or (b) control (15 min completing ratings of neutral IAPS images). Before and after the manipulation, participants completed tests of working memory and momentary affect experience was measured. Results suggest that exercise is associated with increased levels of high-arousal positive affect (HAP) and decreased levels of low-arousal positive affect (LAP) relative to control condition. Age moderated the effects of exercise on LAP, such that younger age was associated with a drop in reported LAP postexercise, whereas the effects of exercise on HAP were consistent across age. Exercise also led to faster RTs on a working memory task than the control condition across age. Self-reported negative affect was unchanged. Overall, findings suggest that exercise may hold important benefits for both affective experience and cognitive performance regardless of age. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Correlations between Stroop task performance and white matter lesion measures in late-onset major depression.

PubMed

Dalby, Rikke B; Frandsen, Jesper; Chakravarty, M Mallar; Ahdidan, Jamila; Sørensen, Leif; Rosenberg, Raben; Østergaard, Leif; Videbech, Poul

2012-05-31

Cerebral white matter lesions (WMLs) are believed to play an important role in a subset of patients with late-onset depression by affecting the white matter connectivity in circuitries essential for mood and cognition. In this study we used diffusion tensor imaging-based (DTI-based) tractography to assess white matter fiber tracts affected by deep WMLs (DWMLs) in patients with late-onset major depression and age- and gender-matched controls. Tractography outcome, illustrated as pathways affected by DWMLs, was analyzed for associations with cognitive performance on the Stroop Test (ST). The patients (n=17) performed significantly worse on the ST than the controls (n=22). Poor performance on the ST correlated with higher lesion load. Regression analysis showed a significant correlation between poor performance on the ST and tracts affected by DWMLs in multiple brain areas in the control group, but very sparse correlation in the patient group. Our results suggest that DWMLs play an important role in the cognitive performance of controls,whereas their influence in depressed patients is overruled by additional, state-dependent factors. Future focus on the tract-specific localization of WMLs using DTI tractography may reveal important associations between neuroconnectivity and clinical measures. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Do complaints of everyday cognitive failures in high schizotypy relate to emotional working memory deficits in the lab?

PubMed

Carrigan, Nicole; Barkus, Emma; Ong, Adriel; Wei, Maryann

2017-10-01

Individuals high on schizotypy complain of increased cognitive failures in everyday life. However, the neuropsychological performance of this group does not consistently indicate underlying ability deficits. It is possible that current neuropsychological tests lack ecological validity. Given the increased affective reactivity of high schizotypes, they may be more sensitive to emotional content interfering with cognitive ability. This study sought to explore whether an affective n-back working memory task would elicit impaired performance in schizotypy, echoing complaints concerning real world cognition. 127 healthy participants completed self-report measures of schizotypy and cognitive failures and an affective n-back working memory task. This task was varied across three levels of load (1- to 3-back) and four types of stimulus emotion (neutral, fearful, happy, sad). Differences between high (n=39) and low (n=48) schizotypy groups on performance outcomes of hits and false alarms were examined, with emotion and load as within-groups variables. As expected, high schizotypes reported heightened vulnerability to cognitive failures. They also demonstrated a relative working memory impairment for emotional versus neutral stimuli, whereas low schizotypes did not. High schizotypes performed most poorly in response to fearful stimuli. For false alarms, there was an interaction between schizotypy, load, and emotion, such that high schizotypy was associated with deficits in response to fearful stimuli only at higher levels of task difficulty. Inclusion of self-reported cognitive failures did not account for this. These findings suggest that the "gap" between subjective and objective cognition in schizotypy may reflect the heightened emotional demands associated with cognitive functioning in the real world, although other factors also seem to play a role. There is a need to improve the ecological validity of objective assessments, whilst also recognizing that self-reported cognitive failures tap into a range of factors difficult to assess in the lab, including emotion. Cognitive interventions for at-risk individuals will likely be more beneficial if they address emotional processing alongside other aspects of cognition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Children's cognitive performance and selective attention following recent community violence.

PubMed

McCoy, Dana Charles; Raver, C Cybele; Sharkey, Patrick

2015-03-01

Research has shown robust relationships between community violence and psychopathology, yet relatively little is known about the ways in which community violence may affect cognitive performance and attention. The present study estimates the effects of police-reported community violence on 359 urban children's performance on a computerized neuropsychological task using a quasi-experimental fixed-effects design. Living in close proximity to a recent violent crime predicted faster but marginally less accurate task performance for the full sample, evolutionarily adaptive patterns of "vigilant" attention (i.e., less attention toward positive stimuli, more attention toward negative stimuli) for children reporting low trait anxiety, and potentially maladaptive patterns of "avoidant" attention for highly anxious children. These results suggest that community violence can directly affect children's cognitive performance while also having different (and potentially orthogonal) impacts on attention deployment depending on children's levels of biobehavioral risk. Implications for mental health and sociological research are discussed. © American Sociological Association 2015.

Children's Cognitive Performance and Selective Attention Following Recent Community Violence

PubMed Central

McCoy, Dana Charles; Raver, C. Cybele; Sharkey, Patrick

2015-01-01

Research has shown robust relationships between community violence and psychopathology, yet relatively little is known about the ways in which community violence may affect cognitive performance and attention. The present study estimates the effects of police-reported community violence on 359 urban children's performance on a computerized neuropsychological task using a quasi-experimental fixed-effects design. Living in close proximity to a recent violent crime predicted faster but marginally less accurate task performance for the full sample, evolutionarily adaptive patterns of “vigilant” attention (i.e., less attention toward positive stimuli, more attention toward negative stimuli) for children reporting low trait anxiety, and potentially maladaptive patterns of “avoidant” attention for highly anxious children. These results suggest that community violence can directly affect children's cognitive performance while also having different (and potentially orthogonal) impacts on attention deployment depending on children's levels of biobehavioral risk. Implications for mental health and sociological research are discussed. PMID:25663176

Marital Conflict, Allostatic Load, and the Development of Children's Fluid Cognitive Performance

PubMed Central

Hinnant, J. Benjamin; El-Sheikh, Mona; Keiley, Margaret; Buckhalt, Joseph A.

2013-01-01

Relations between marital conflict, children’s respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and fluid cognitive performance were examined over three years to assess allostatic processes. Participants were 251 children reporting on marital conflict, baseline RSA and RSA reactivity to a lab challenge were recorded, and fluid cognitive performance was measured using the Woodcock-Johnson III. A cross-lagged model showed that higher levels of marital conflict at age 8 predicted weaker RSA-R at age 9 for children with lower baseline RSA. A growth model showed that lower baseline RSA in conjunction with weaker RSA-R predicted the slowest development of fluid cognitive performance. Findings suggest that stress may affect development of physiological systems regulating attention, which are tied to the development of fluid cognitive performance. PMID:23534537

Positive Affect Versus Reward: Emotional and Motivational Influences on Cognitive Control

PubMed Central

Chiew, Kimberly S.; Braver, Todd S.

2011-01-01

It is becoming increasingly appreciated that affective influences can contribute strongly to goal-oriented cognition and behavior. However, much work is still needed to properly characterize these influences and the mechanisms by which they contribute to cognitive processing. An important question concerns the nature of emotional manipulations (i.e., direct induction of affectively valenced subjective experience) versus motivational manipulations (e.g., delivery of performance-contingent rewards and punishments) and their impact on cognitive control. Empirical evidence suggests that both kinds of manipulations can influence cognitive control in a systematic fashion, but investigations of both have largely been conducted independently of one another. Likewise, some theoretical accounts suggest that emotion and motivation may modulate cognitive control via common neural mechanisms, while others suggest the possibility of dissociable influences. Here, we provide an analysis and synthesis of these various accounts, suggesting potentially fruitful new research directions to test competing hypotheses. PMID:22022318

Exercise as potential countermeasure for the effects of 70 days of bed rest on cognitive and sensorimotor performance

PubMed Central

Koppelmans, Vincent; Mulavara, Ajitkumar P.; Yuan, Peng; Cassady, Kaitlin E.; Cooke, Katherine A.; Wood, Scott J.; Reuter-Lorenz, Patricia A.; De Dios, Yiri E.; Stepanyan, Vahagn; Szecsy, Darcy L.; Gadd, Nichole E.; Kofman, Igor; Scott, Jessica M.; Downs, Meghan E.; Bloomberg, Jacob J.; Ploutz-Snyder, Lori; Seidler, Rachael D.

2015-01-01

Background: Spaceflight has been associated with changes in gait and balance; it is unclear whether it affects cognition. Head down tilt bed rest (HDBR) is a microgravity analog that mimics cephalad fluid shifts and body unloading. In consideration of astronaut’s health and mission success, we investigated the effects of HDBR on cognition and sensorimotor function. Furthermore, we investigated if exercise mitigates any cognitive and sensorimotor sequelae of spaceflight. Method: We conducted a 70-day six-degree HDBR study in 10 male subjects who were randomly assigned to a HDBR supine exercise or a HDBR control group. Cognitive measures (i.e., processing speed, manual dexterity, psychomotor speed, visual dependency, and 2D and 3D mental rotation) and sensorimotor performance (functional mobility (FMT) and balance performance) were collected at 12 and 8 days pre-HDBR, at 7, 50, and 70 days in HDBR, and at 8 and 12 days post-HDBR. Exercise comprised resistance training, and continuous and high-intensity interval aerobic exercise. We also repeatedly assessed an outside-of-bed rest control group to examine metric stability. Results: Small practice effects were observed in the control group for some tasks; these were taken into account when analyzing effects of HDBR. No significant effects of HDBR on cognition were observed, although visual dependency during HDBR remained stable in HDBR controls whereas it decreased in HDBR exercise subjects. Furthermore, HDBR was associated with loss of FMT and standing balance performance, which were almost fully recovered 12 days post-HDBR. Aerobic and resistance exercise partially mitigated the effects of HDBR on FMT and accelerated the recovery time course post-HDBR. Discussion: HDBR did not significantly affect cognitive performance but did adversely affect FMT and standing balance performance. Exercise had some protective effects on the deterioration and recovery of FMT. PMID:26388746

Creativity on tap? Effects of alcohol intoxication on creative cognition.

PubMed

Benedek, Mathias; Panzierer, Lisa; Jauk, Emanuel; Neubauer, Aljoscha C

2017-11-01

Anecdotal reports link alcohol intoxication to creativity, while cognitive research highlights the crucial role of cognitive control for creative thought. This study examined the effects of mild alcohol intoxication on creative cognition in a placebo-controlled design. Participants completed executive and creative cognition tasks before and after consuming either alcoholic beer (BAC of 0.03) or non-alcoholic beer (placebo). Alcohol impaired executive control, but improved performance in the Remote Associates Test, and did not affect divergent thinking ability. The findings indicate that certain aspects of creative cognition benefit from mild attenuations of cognitive control, and contribute to the growing evidence that higher cognitive control is not always associated with better cognitive performance. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Age-related decrements in dual-task performance: Comparison of different mobility and cognitive tasks. A cross sectional study

PubMed Central

Brustio, Paolo Riccardo; Zecca, Massimiliano; Rabaglietti, Emanuela; Liubicich, Monica Emma

2017-01-01

This cross-sectional study investigated the age-related differences in dual-task performance both in mobility and cognitive tasks and the additive dual-task costs in a sample of older, middle-aged and young adults. 74 older adults (M = 72.63±5.57 years), 58 middle-aged adults (M = 46.69±4.68 years) and 63 young adults (M = 25.34±3.00 years) participated in the study. Participants performed different mobility and subtraction tasks under both single- and dual-task conditions. Linear regressions, repeated-measures and one-way analyses of covariance were used, The results showed: significant effects of the age on the dual and mobility tasks (p<0.05) and differences among the age-groups in the combined dual-task costs (p<0.05); significant decreases in mobility performance under dual-task conditions in all groups (p<0.05) and a decrease in cognitive performance in the older group (p<0.05). Dual-task activity affected mobility and cognitive performance, especially in older adults who showed a higher dual-task cost, suggesting that dual-tasks activities are affected by the age and consequently also mobility and cognitive tasks are negatively influenced. PMID:28732080

Classifying Drivers' Cognitive Load Using EEG Signals.

PubMed

Barua, Shaibal; Ahmed, Mobyen Uddin; Begum, Shahina

2017-01-01

A growing traffic safety issue is the effect of cognitive loading activities on traffic safety and driving performance. To monitor drivers' mental state, understanding cognitive load is important since while driving, performing cognitively loading secondary tasks, for example talking on the phone, can affect the performance in the primary task, i.e. driving. Electroencephalography (EEG) is one of the reliable measures of cognitive load that can detect the changes in instantaneous load and effect of cognitively loading secondary task. In this driving simulator study, 1-back task is carried out while the driver performs three different simulated driving scenarios. This paper presents an EEG based approach to classify a drivers' level of cognitive load using Case-Based Reasoning (CBR). The results show that for each individual scenario as well as using data combined from the different scenarios, CBR based system achieved approximately over 70% of classification accuracy.

The effects of exercise under hypoxia on cognitive function.

PubMed

Ando, Soichi; Hatamoto, Yoichi; Sudo, Mizuki; Kiyonaga, Akira; Tanaka, Hiroaki; Higaki, Yasuki

2013-01-01

Increasing evidence suggests that cognitive function improves during a single bout of moderate exercise. In contrast, exercise under hypoxia may compromise the availability of oxygen. Given that brain function and tissue integrity are dependent on a continuous and sufficient oxygen supply, exercise under hypoxia may impair cognitive function. However, it remains unclear how exercise under hypoxia affects cognitive function. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of exercise under different levels of hypoxia on cognitive function. Twelve participants performed a cognitive task at rest and during exercise at various fractions of inspired oxygen (FIO2: 0.209, 0.18, and 0.15). Exercise intensity corresponded to 60% of peak oxygen uptake under normoxia. The participants performed a Go/No-Go task requiring executive control. Cognitive function was evaluated using the speed of response (reaction time) and response accuracy. We monitored pulse oximetric saturation (SpO2) and cerebral oxygenation to assess oxygen availability. SpO2 and cerebral oxygenation progressively decreased during exercise as the FIO2 level decreased. Nevertheless, the reaction time in the Go-trial significantly decreased during moderate exercise. Hypoxia did not affect reaction time. Neither exercise nor difference in FIO2 level affected response accuracy. An additional experiment indicated that cognitive function was not altered without exercise. These results suggest that the improvement in cognitive function is attributable to exercise, and that hypoxia has no effects on cognitive function at least under the present experimental condition. Exercise-cognition interaction should be further investigated under various environmental and exercise conditions.

Dissociable influences of reward motivation and positive emotion on cognitive control.

PubMed

Chiew, Kimberly S; Braver, Todd S

2014-06-01

It is becoming increasingly appreciated that affective and/or motivational influences contribute strongly to goal-oriented cognition and behavior. An unresolved question is whether emotional manipulations (i.e., direct induction of affectively valenced subjective experience) and motivational manipulations (e.g., delivery of performance-contingent rewards and punishments) have similar or distinct effects on cognitive control. Prior work has suggested that reward motivation can reliably enhance a proactive mode of cognitive control, whereas other evidence is suggestive that positive emotion improves cognitive flexibility, but reduces proactive control. However, a limitation of the prior research is that reward motivation and positive emotion have largely been studied independently. Here, we directly compared the effects of positive emotion and reward motivation on cognitive control with a tightly matched, within-subjects design, using the AX-continuous performance task paradigm, which allows for relative measurement of proactive versus reactive cognitive control. High-resolution pupillometry was employed as a secondary measure of cognitive dynamics during task performance. Robust increases in behavioral and pupillometric indices of proactive control were observed with reward motivation. The effects of positive emotion were much weaker, but if anything, also reflected enhancement of proactive control, a pattern that diverges from some prior findings. These results indicate that reward motivation has robust influences on cognitive control, while also highlighting the complexity and heterogeneity of positive-emotion effects. The findings are discussed in terms of potential neurobiological mechanisms.

Cognitive and affective associations with an ecologically valid test of theory of mind across the lifespan.

PubMed

Johansson Nolaker, Emilie; Murray, Kim; Happé, Francesca; Charlton, Rebecca A

2018-05-24

Many studies have demonstrated that theory of mind (ToM) ability declines with increasing age. Research has found that ToM-age associations are often mediated by other cognitive abilities particularly executive function. However, older adults rarely complain about real-world ToM difficulties. It has been suggested that older adults may perform better in real-world situations compared with experimental settings. We examined performance on the Strange Stories Film Task (SSFT) which has been designed to assess ToM using naturalistic, video scenarios. Sixty adults aged between 17- and 95-years-old completed the SSFT, inhibitory control (Stroop) and working memory (letter-number sequencing) measures, the basic empathy scale (cognitive and affective empathy), and the broad autism phenotype questionnaire. ToM performance correlated significantly with age, whereas performance on a control task did not. Partial correlations and stepwise regression analyses demonstrated that performance on the three SSFT ToM measures was explained by a combination of executive function and empathy measures, with age explaining none of the variance. Using a naturalistic test of ToM, performance was shown to decline with age for ToM but not control scenarios. Across the lifespan, the variance in ToM performance was explained by cognitive abilities and empathy but not age. Age alone may not influence ToM ability, but may be associated with age-related changes in cognition and social-cognition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Raised visual detection thresholds depend on the level of complexity of cognitive foveal loading.

PubMed

Plainis, S; Murray, I J; Chauhan, K

2001-01-01

The objective of the study was to measure the interactions between visual thresholds for a simple light (the secondary task) presented peripherally and a simultaneously performed cognitive task (the primary task) presented foveally The primary task was highly visible but varied according to its cognitive complexity. Interactions between the tasks were determined by measuring detection thresholds for the peripheral task and accuracy of performance of the foveal task. Effects were measured for 5, 10, 20, and 30 deg eccentricity of the peripherally presented light and for three levels of cognitive complexity. Mesopic conditions (0.5 lx) were used. As expected, the concurrent presentation of the foveal cognitive task reduced peripheral sensitivity. Moreover, performance of the foveal task was adversely affected when conducting the peripheral task. Performance on both tasks was reduced as the level of complexity of the cognitive task increased. There were qualitative differences in task interactions between the central 10 deg and at greater eccentricities. Within 10 deg there was a disproportionate effect of eccentricity, previously interpreted as the 'tunnel-vision' model of visual field narrowing. Interactions outside 10 deg were less affected by eccentricity. These results are discussed in terms of the known neurophysiological characteristics of the primary visual pathway.

Short-term exposure to mobile phone base station signals does not affect cognitive functioning or physiological measures in individuals who report sensitivity to electromagnetic fields and controls.

PubMed

Eltiti, Stacy; Wallace, Denise; Ridgewell, Anna; Zougkou, Konstantina; Russo, Riccardo; Sepulveda, Francisco; Fox, Elaine

2009-10-01

Individuals who report sensitivity to electromagnetic fields often report cognitive impairments that they believe are due to exposure to mobile phone technology. Previous research in this area has revealed mixed results, however, with the majority of research only testing control individuals. Two studies using control and self-reported sensitive participants found inconsistent effects of mobile phone base stations on cognitive functioning. The aim of the present study was to clarify whether short-term (50 min) exposure at 10 mW/m(2) to typical Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) base station signals affects attention, memory, and physiological endpoints in sensitive and control participants. Data from 44 sensitive and 44 matched-control participants who performed the digit symbol substitution task (DSST), digit span task (DS), and a mental arithmetic task (MA), while being exposed to GSM, UMTS, and sham signals under double-blind conditions were analyzed. Overall, cognitive functioning was not affected by short-term exposure to either GSM or UMTS signals in the current study. Nor did exposure affect the physiological measurements of blood volume pulse (BVP), heart rate (HR), and skin conductance (SC) that were taken while participants performed the cognitive tasks.

Does Chronic Unpredictable Stress during Adolescence Affect Spatial Cognition in Adulthood?

PubMed

Chaby, Lauren E; Sheriff, Michael J; Hirrlinger, Amy M; Lim, James; Fetherston, Thomas B; Braithwaite, Victoria A

2015-01-01

Spatial abilities allow animals to retain and cognitively manipulate information about their spatial environment and are dependent upon neural structures that mature during adolescence. Exposure to stress in adolescence is thought to disrupt neural maturation, possibly compromising cognitive processes later in life. We examined whether exposure to chronic unpredictable stress in adolescence affects spatial ability in late adulthood. We evaluated spatial learning, reference and working memory, as well as long-term retention of visuospatial cues using a radial arm water maze. We found that stress in adolescence decreased the rate of improvement in spatial learning in adulthood. However, we found no overall performance impairments in adult reference memory, working memory, or retention caused by adolescent-stress. Together, these findings suggest that adolescent-stress may alter the strategy used to solve spatial challenges, resulting in performance that is more consistent but is not refined by incorporating available spatial information. Interestingly, we also found that adolescent-stressed rats showed a shorter latency to begin the water maze task when re-exposed to the maze after an overnight delay compared with control rats. This suggests that adolescent exposure to reoccurring stressors may prepare animals for subsequent reoccurring challenges. Overall, our results show that stress in adolescence does not affect all cognitive processes, but may affect cognition in a context-dependent manner.

Does Chronic Unpredictable Stress during Adolescence Affect Spatial Cognition in Adulthood?

PubMed Central

Chaby, Lauren E.; Sheriff, Michael J.; Hirrlinger, Amy M.; Lim, James; Fetherston, Thomas B.; Braithwaite, Victoria A.

2015-01-01

Spatial abilities allow animals to retain and cognitively manipulate information about their spatial environment and are dependent upon neural structures that mature during adolescence. Exposure to stress in adolescence is thought to disrupt neural maturation, possibly compromising cognitive processes later in life. We examined whether exposure to chronic unpredictable stress in adolescence affects spatial ability in late adulthood. We evaluated spatial learning, reference and working memory, as well as long-term retention of visuospatial cues using a radial arm water maze. We found that stress in adolescence decreased the rate of improvement in spatial learning in adulthood. However, we found no overall performance impairments in adult reference memory, working memory, or retention caused by adolescent-stress. Together, these findings suggest that adolescent-stress may alter the strategy used to solve spatial challenges, resulting in performance that is more consistent but is not refined by incorporating available spatial information. Interestingly, we also found that adolescent-stressed rats showed a shorter latency to begin the water maze task when re-exposed to the maze after an overnight delay compared with control rats. This suggests that adolescent exposure to reoccurring stressors may prepare animals for subsequent reoccurring challenges. Overall, our results show that stress in adolescence does not affect all cognitive processes, but may affect cognition in a context-dependent manner. PMID:26580066

Primary Dysmenorrhea, Educational Performance, and Cognitive and Affective Variables in Adolescent Schoolgirls.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fontana, D.; Rees, Valerie

1982-01-01

Research among adolescent English schoolgirls indicated that although girls with primary dysmenorrhea appeared to be more neurotic than those who did not experience menstrual distress, there was no apparent difference between the two groups on cognitive and academic performance measures or in school attendance. (Author/MJL)

The ability of people with Parkinson's disease to modify dual-task performance in response to instructions during simple and complex walking tasks.

PubMed

Kelly, Valerie E; Shumway-Cook, Anne

2014-01-01

Gait impairments are a common and consequential motor symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD). A cognitive strategy that incorporates instructions to concentrate on specific parameters of walking is an effective approach to gait rehabilitation for persons with PD during single-task and simple dual-task walking conditions. This study examined the ability to modify dual-task walking in response to instructions during a complex walking task in people with PD compared to healthy older adults (HOA). Eleven people with PD and twelve HOA performed a cognitive task while walking with either a usual base or a narrow base of support. Dual-task walking and cognitive task performance were characterized under two conditions-when participants were instructed focus on walking and when they were instructed to focus on the cognitive task. During both usual base and narrow base walking, instructions affected cognitive task response latency, with slower performance when instructed to focus on walking compared to the cognitive task. Regardless of task or instructions, cognitive task performance was slower in participants with PD compared to HOA. During usual base walking, instructions influenced gait speed for both people with PD and HOA, with faster gait speed when instructed to focus on walking compared to the cognitive task. In contrast, during the narrow base walking, instructions affected gait speed only for HOA, but not for people with PD. This suggests that among people with PD the ability to modify walking in response to instructions depends on the complexity of the walking task.

Eliminating the Attentional Blink through Binaural Beats: A Case for Tailored Cognitive Enhancement.

PubMed

Reedijk, Susan A; Bolders, Anne; Colzato, Lorenza S; Hommel, Bernhard

2015-01-01

Enhancing human cognitive performance is a topic that continues to spark scientific interest. Studies into cognitive-enhancement techniques often fail to take inter-individual differences into account, however, which leads to underestimation of the effectiveness of these techniques. The current study investigated the effect of binaural beats, a cognitive-enhancement technique, on attentional control in an attentional blink (AB) task. As predicted from a neurocognitive approach to cognitive control, high-frequency binaural beats eliminated the AB, but only in individuals with low spontaneous eye-blink rates (indicating low striatal dopamine levels). This suggests that the way in which cognitive-enhancement techniques, such as binaural beats, affect cognitive performance depends on inter-individual differences.

Cognitive Processing about Classroom-Relevant Contexts: Teachers' Attention to and Utilization of Girls' Body Size, Ethnicity, Attractiveness, and Facial Affect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Shirley S.; Treat, Teresa A.; Brownell, Kelly D.

2008-01-01

This study examines 2 aspects of cognitive processing in person perception--attention and decision making--in classroom-relevant contexts. Teachers completed 2 implicit, performance-based tasks that characterized attention to and utilization of 4 student characteristics of interest: ethnicity, facial affect, body size, and attractiveness. Stimuli…

Deconstructing and Reconstructing Cognitive Performance in Sleep Deprivation

PubMed Central

Jackson, Melinda L.; Gunzelmann, Glenn; Whitney, Paul; Hinson, John M.; Belenky, Gregory; Rabat, Arnaud; Van Dongen, Hans P. A.

2012-01-01

Summary Mitigation of cognitive impairment due to sleep deprivation in operational settings is critical for safety and productivity. Achievements in this area are hampered by limited knowledge about the effects of sleep loss on actual job tasks. Sleep deprivation has different effects on different cognitive performance tasks, but the mechanisms behind this task-specificity are poorly understood. In this context it is important to recognize that cognitive performance is not a unitary process, but involves a number of component processes. There is emerging evidence that these component processes are differentially affected by sleep loss. Experiments have been conducted to decompose sleep-deprived performance into underlying cognitive processes using cognitive-behavioral, neuroimaging and cognitive modeling techniques. Furthermore, computational modeling in cognitive architectures has been employed to simulate sleep-deprived cognitive performance on the basis of the constituent cognitive processes. These efforts are beginning to enable quantitative prediction of the effects of sleep deprivation across different task contexts. This paper reviews a rapidly evolving area of research, and outlines a theoretical framework in which the effects of sleep loss on cognition may be understood from the deficits in the underlying neurobiology to the applied consequences in real-world job tasks. PMID:22884948

Deconstructing and reconstructing cognitive performance in sleep deprivation.

PubMed

Jackson, Melinda L; Gunzelmann, Glenn; Whitney, Paul; Hinson, John M; Belenky, Gregory; Rabat, Arnaud; Van Dongen, Hans P A

2013-06-01

Mitigation of cognitive impairment due to sleep deprivation in operational settings is critical for safety and productivity. Achievements in this area are hampered by limited knowledge about the effects of sleep loss on actual job tasks. Sleep deprivation has different effects on different cognitive performance tasks, but the mechanisms behind this task-specificity are poorly understood. In this context it is important to recognize that cognitive performance is not a unitary process, but involves a number of component processes. There is emerging evidence that these component processes are differentially affected by sleep loss. Experiments have been conducted to decompose sleep-deprived performance into underlying cognitive processes using cognitive-behavioral, neuroimaging and cognitive modeling techniques. Furthermore, computational modeling in cognitive architectures has been employed to simulate sleep-deprived cognitive performance on the basis of the constituent cognitive processes. These efforts are beginning to enable quantitative prediction of the effects of sleep deprivation across different task contexts. This paper reviews a rapidly evolving area of research, and outlines a theoretical framework in which the effects of sleep loss on cognition may be understood from the deficits in the underlying neurobiology to the applied consequences in real-world job tasks. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Cognitive Demand on Functional Visual Field Performance in Senior Drivers with Glaucoma.

PubMed

Gangeddula, Viswa; Ranchet, Maud; Akinwuntan, Abiodun E; Bollinger, Kathryn; Devos, Hannes

2017-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the effect of cognitive demand on functional visual field performance in drivers with glaucoma. Method: This study included 20 drivers with open-angle glaucoma and 13 age- and sex-matched controls. Visual field performance was evaluated under different degrees of cognitive demand: a static visual field condition (C1), dynamic visual field condition (C2), and dynamic visual field condition with active driving (C3) using an interactive, desktop driving simulator. The number of correct responses (accuracy) and response times on the visual field task were compared between groups and between conditions using Kruskal-Wallis tests. General linear models were employed to compare cognitive workload, recorded in real-time through pupillometry, between groups and conditions. Results: Adding cognitive demand (C2 and C3) to the static visual field test (C1) adversely affected accuracy and response times, in both groups ( p < 0.05). However, drivers with glaucoma performed worse than did control drivers when the static condition changed to a dynamic condition [C2 vs. C1 accuracy; glaucoma: median difference (Q1-Q3) 3 (2-6.50) vs. 2 (0.50-2.50); p = 0.05] and to a dynamic condition with active driving [C3 vs. C1 accuracy; glaucoma: 2 (2-6) vs. 1 (0.50-2); p = 0.02]. Overall, drivers with glaucoma exhibited greater cognitive workload than controls ( p = 0.02). Conclusion: Cognitive demand disproportionately affects functional visual field performance in drivers with glaucoma. Our results may inform the development of a performance-based visual field test for drivers with glaucoma.

Explaining the justice-performance relationship: trust as exchange deepener or trust as uncertainty reducer?

PubMed

Colquitt, Jason A; Lepine, Jeffery A; Piccolo, Ronald F; Zapata, Cindy P; Rich, Bruce L

2012-01-01

Past research has revealed significant relationships between organizational justice dimensions and job performance, and trust is thought to be one mediator of those relationships. However, trust has been positioned in justice theorizing in 2 different ways, either as an indicator of the depth of an exchange relationship or as a variable that reflects levels of work-related uncertainty. Moreover, trust scholars distinguish between multiple forms of trust, including affect- and cognition-based trust, and it remains unclear which form is most relevant to justice effects. To explore these issues, we built and tested a more comprehensive model of trust mediation in which procedural, interpersonal, and distributive justice predicted affect- and cognition-based trust, with those trust forms predicting both exchange- and uncertainty-based mechanisms. The results of a field study in a hospital system revealed that the trust variables did indeed mediate the relationships between the organizational justice dimensions and job performance, with affect-based trust driving exchange-based mediation and cognition-based trust driving uncertainty-based mediation.

Zoo theater's influence on affect and cognition: a case study from the Central Park Zoo in New York.

PubMed

Penn, Laura

2009-09-01

Zoo theater is used by zoos as a means to influence visitor feelings and knowledge gain about wildlife and environmental themes. This study examined whether and to what extent zoo theater fulfilled these aims by investigating its impact on affect and cognition. The study consisted of an in-depth case study at the Central Park Zoo in New York, a location that has one of the most diverse zoo theater programs in the United States. Using a multimethod approach the study explored many facets of the Central Park Zoo's extensive zoo theater program. These included performances at a main stage, at exhibits, and in the children's zoo. The study found that the extent of zoo theater's influence on affect and cognition is dependent on a combination of a variety of characteristics that include the length of a performance, audience participation, the level of structure of a performance, the presence of song and dance elements, and the scale of the productions.

The Impact of Social Pressure and Monetary Incentive on Cognitive Control.

PubMed

Ličen, Mina; Hartmann, Frank; Repovš, Grega; Slapničar, Sergeja

2016-01-01

We compare the effects of two prominent organizational control mechanisms-social pressure and monetary incentive-on cognitive control. Cognitive control underlies the human ability to regulate thoughts and actions in the pursuit of behavioral goals. Previous studies show that monetary incentives can contribute to goal-oriented behavior by activating proactive control. There is, however, much less evidence of how social pressure affects cognitive control and task performance. In a within-subject experimental design, we tested 47 subjects performing the AX-CPT task to compare the activation of cognitive control modes under social pressure and monetary incentive beyond mere instructions to perform better. Our results indicate that instructing participants to improve their performance on its own leads to a significant shift from a reactive to a proactive control mode and that both social pressure and monetary incentive further enhance performance.

Need for Cognitive Closure Modulates How Perceptual Decisions Are Affected by Task Difficulty and Outcome Relevance.

PubMed

Viola, Vanda; Tosoni, Annalisa; Brizi, Ambra; Salvato, Ilaria; Kruglanski, Arie W; Galati, Gaspare; Mannetti, Lucia

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the extent to which Need for Cognitive Closure (NCC), an individual-level epistemic motivation, can explain inter-individual variability in the cognitive effort invested on a perceptual decision making task (the random motion task). High levels of NCC are manifested in a preference for clarity, order and structure and a desire for firm and stable knowledge. The study evaluated how NCC moderates the impact of two variables known to increase the amount of cognitive effort invested on a task, namely task ambiguity (i.e., the difficulty of the perceptual discrimination) and outcome relevance (i.e., the monetary gain associated with a correct discrimination). Based on previous work and current design, we assumed that reaction times (RTs) on our motion discrimination task represent a valid index of effort investment. Task ambiguity was associated with increased cognitive effort in participants with low or medium NCC but, interestingly, it did not affect the RTs of participants with high NCC. A different pattern of association was observed for outcome relevance; high outcome relevance increased cognitive effort in participants with moderate or high NCC, but did not affect the performance of low NCC participants. In summary, the performance of individuals with low NCC was affected by task difficulty but not by outcome relevance, whereas individuals with high NCC were influenced by outcome relevance but not by task difficulty; only participants with medium NCC were affected by both task difficulty and outcome relevance. These results suggest that perceptual decision making is influenced by the interaction between context and NCC.

Your brain on speed: cognitive performance of a spatial working memory task is not affected by walking speed

PubMed Central

Kline, Julia E.; Poggensee, Katherine; Ferris, Daniel P.

2014-01-01

When humans walk in everyday life, they typically perform a range of cognitive tasks while they are on the move. Past studies examining performance changes in dual cognitive-motor tasks during walking have produced a variety of results. These discrepancies may be related to the type of cognitive task chosen, differences in the walking speeds studied, or lack of controlling for walking speed. The goal of this study was to determine how young, healthy subjects performed a spatial working memory task over a range of walking speeds. We used high-density electroencephalography to determine if electrocortical activity mirrored changes in cognitive performance across speeds. Subjects stood (0.0 m/s) and walked (0.4, 0.8, 1.2, and 1.6 m/s) with and without performing a Brooks spatial working memory task. We hypothesized that performance of the spatial working memory task and the associated electrocortical activity would decrease significantly with walking speed. Across speeds, the spatial working memory task caused subjects to step more widely compared with walking without the task. This is typically a sign that humans are adapting their gait dynamics to increase gait stability. Several cortical areas exhibited power fluctuations time-locked to memory encoding during the cognitive task. In the somatosensory association cortex, alpha power increased prior to stimulus presentation and decreased during memory encoding. There were small significant reductions in theta power in the right superior parietal lobule and the posterior cingulate cortex around memory encoding. However, the subjects did not show a significant change in cognitive task performance or electrocortical activity with walking speed. These findings indicate that in young, healthy subjects walking speed does not affect performance of a spatial working memory task. These subjects can devote adequate cortical resources to spatial cognition when needed, regardless of walking speed. PMID:24847239

Cognitive performance in women with fibromyalgia: A case-control study.

PubMed

Pérez de Heredia-Torres, Marta; Huertas-Hoyas, Elisabet; Máximo-Bocanegra, Nuria; Palacios-Ceña, Domingo; Fernández-De-Las-Peñas, César

2016-10-01

This study aimed to evaluate the differences in cognitive skills between women with fibromyalgia and healthy women, and the correlations between functional independence and cognitive limitations. A cross-sectional study was performed. Twenty women with fibromyalgia and 20 matched controls participated. Outcomes included the Numerical Pain Rating Scale, the Functional Independence Measure, the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire and Gradior © software. The Student's t-test and the Spearman's rho test were applied to the data. Women affected required a greater mean time (P < 0.020) and maximum time (P < 0.015) during the attention test than the healthy controls. In the memory test they displayed greater execution errors (P < 0.001), minimal time (P < 0.001) and mean time (P < 0.001) whereas, in the perception tests, they displayed a greater mean time (P < 0.009) and maximum time (P < 0.048). Correlations were found between the domains of the functional independence measure and the cognitive abilities assessed. Women with fibromyalgia exhibited a decreased cognitive ability compared to healthy controls, which negatively affected the performance of daily activities, such as upper limb dressing, feeding and personal hygiene. Patients required more time to perform activities requiring both attention and perception, decreasing their functional independence. Also, they displayed greater errors when performing activities requiring the use of memory. Occupational therapists treating women with fibromyalgia should consider the negative impact of possible cognitive deficits on the performance of daily activities and offer targeted support strategies. © 2016 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Are behaviour and motor performances of rheumatoid arthritis patients influenced by subclinical cognitive impairments? A clinical and neuroimaging study.

PubMed

Bartolini, M; Candela, M; Brugni, M; Catena, L; Mari, F; Pomponio, G; Provinciali, L; Danieli, G

2002-01-01

To determine whether some behavioural manifestations and poor motor performances in patients affected by rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are due to subclinical cognitive defects. We performed a psychometric assessment of 30 patients affected by RA exploring several cognitive domains such as memory, visual-spatial integration, motor planning, mental flexibility, relating performances with morphological and functional neuroimaging (MRI and SPECT). We also related the cognitive data with the Ritchie and Lee indexes and other clinical parameters. We found an impairment in visual-spatial tasks in 71% of patients with a high correlation to activity and disease severity as expressed by the Ritchie and Lee indexes (p < 0.005; p < 0.01). Furthermore, we detected in 38% of patients some difficulties in mental flexibility related to the Lee Index (p < 0.05). These poor performances are related to hypoperfusion of the frontal and parietal lobes as detected by brain SPECT; this finding is more evident in patients with brain white matter alterations on MRI. Our data allow us to hypothesize that manual dexterity could be due to a disconnection between subcortical white matter and parietal-frontal lobes because of microangiopathy; furthermore, a chronic reduction in sensorial stimuli by impaired joints could lead to produce an alteration in motor planning cognitive processes.

Cognitions and 'placebos' in behavioral research on ambient noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harcum, E. R.; Monti, P. M.

1973-01-01

Investigation of the effects of noise on visual and psychomotor tasks, with special attention to influences of certain cognitive variables. The results include the finding that 100-dB ambient noise has no effects per se, though cognitive variables in the testing situation affect both performance and ratings of disturbance.

Emotional modulation of control dilemmas: the role of positive affect, reward, and dopamine in cognitive stability and flexibility.

PubMed

Goschke, Thomas; Bolte, Annette

2014-09-01

Goal-directed action in changing environments requires a dynamic balance between complementary control modes, which serve antagonistic adaptive functions (e.g., to shield goals from competing responses and distracting information vs. to flexibly switch between goals and behavioral dispositions in response to significant changes). Too rigid goal shielding promotes stability but incurs a cost in terms of perseveration and reduced flexibility, whereas too weak goal shielding promotes flexibility but incurs a cost in terms of increased distractibility. While research on cognitive control has long been conducted relatively independently from the study of emotion and motivation, it is becoming increasingly clear that positive affect and reward play a central role in modulating cognitive control. In particular, evidence from the past decade suggests that positive affect not only influences the contents of cognitive processes, but also modulates the balance between complementary modes of cognitive control. In this article we review studies from the past decade that examined effects of induced positive affect on the balance between cognitive stability and flexibility with a focus on set switching and working memory maintenance and updating. Moreover, we review recent evidence indicating that task-irrelevant positive affect and performance-contingent rewards exert different and sometimes opposite effects on cognitive control modes, suggesting dissociations between emotional and motivational effects of positive affect. Finally, we critically review evidence for the popular hypothesis that effects of positive affect may be mediated by dopaminergic modulations of neural processing in prefrontal and striatal brain circuits, and we refine this "dopamine hypothesis of positive affect" by specifying distinct mechanisms by which dopamine may mediate effects of positive affect and reward on cognitive control. We conclude with a discussion of limitations of current research, point to central unresolved questions and outline perspective for future research on affective and motivational modulations of cognitive control modes. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Effects of sleep deprivation on cognition.

PubMed

Killgore, William D S

2010-01-01

Sleep deprivation is commonplace in modern society, but its far-reaching effects on cognitive performance are only beginning to be understood from a scientific perspective. While there is broad consensus that insufficient sleep leads to a general slowing of response speed and increased variability in performance, particularly for simple measures of alertness, attention and vigilance, there is much less agreement about the effects of sleep deprivation on many higher level cognitive capacities, including perception, memory and executive functions. Central to this debate has been the question of whether sleep deprivation affects nearly all cognitive capacities in a global manner through degraded alertness and attention, or whether sleep loss specifically impairs some aspects of cognition more than others. Neuroimaging evidence has implicated the prefrontal cortex as a brain region that may be particularly susceptible to the effects of sleep loss, but perplexingly, executive function tasks that putatively measure prefrontal functioning have yielded inconsistent findings within the context of sleep deprivation. Whereas many convergent and rule-based reasoning, decision making and planning tasks are relatively unaffected by sleep loss, more creative, divergent and innovative aspects of cognition do appear to be degraded by lack of sleep. Emerging evidence suggests that some aspects of higher level cognitive capacities remain degraded by sleep deprivation despite restoration of alertness and vigilance with stimulant countermeasures, suggesting that sleep loss may affect specific cognitive systems above and beyond the effects produced by global cognitive declines or impaired attentional processes. Finally, the role of emotion as a critical facet of cognition has received increasing attention in recent years and mounting evidence suggests that sleep deprivation may particularly affect cognitive systems that rely on emotional data. Thus, the extent to which sleep deprivation affects a particular cognitive process may depend on several factors, including the magnitude of global decline in general alertness and attention, the degree to which the specific cognitive function depends on emotion-processing networks, and the extent to which that cognitive process can draw upon associated cortical regions for compensatory support. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ethnicity and cognitive performance among older African Americans, Japanese Americans, and Caucasians: the role of education.

PubMed

Shadlen, M F; Larson, E B; Gibbons, L E; Rice, M M; McCormick, W C; Bowen, J; McCurry, S M; Graves, A B

2001-10-01

This cross-sectional analysis evaluated the association between ethnicity and cognitive performance and determined whether education modifies this association for nondemented older people (103 African Americans, 1,388 Japanese Americans, 2,306 Caucasians) in a study of dementia incidence. African Americans scored lower (median 89 out of 100) than Japanese Americans (93) and Caucasians (94) on the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI). Education affected CA

Effect of Cognitive Style on Learning and Retrieval of Navigational Environments.

PubMed

Boccia, Maddalena; Vecchione, Francesca; Piccardi, Laura; Guariglia, Cecilia

2017-01-01

Field independence (FI) has been found to correlate with a wide range of cognitive processes requiring cognitive restructuring. Cognitive restructuring, that is going beyond the information given by the setting, is pivotal in creating stable mental representations of the environment, the so-called "cognitive maps," and it affects visuo-spatial abilities underpinning environmental navigation. Here we evaluated whether FI, by fostering cognitive restructuring of environmental cues on the basis of an internal frame of reference, affects the learning and retrieval of a novel environment. Fifty-four participants were submitted to the Embedded Figure Test (EFT) for assessing their Cognitive Style (CS) and to the Perspective Taking/Spatial Orientation Test (PTSOT) and the Santa Barbara Sense of Direction Scale (SBSOD) for assessing their spatial perspective taking and orientation skills. They were also required to learn a path in a novel, real environment (route learning, RL), to recognize landmarks of this path among distracters (landmark recognition, LR), to order them (landmark ordering, LO) and to draw the learned path on a map (map drawing, MD). Retrieval tasks were performed both immediately after learning (immediate-retrieval) and the day after (24 h-retrieval). Performances on EFT significantly correlated with the time needed to learn the path, with MD (both in the immediate- and in the 24 h- retrievals), results on LR (in 24-retrieval) and performances on PTSOT. Interestingly, we found that gender interacted with CS on RL (time of learning) and MD. Females performed significantly worse than males only if they were classified as FD, but did not differ from males if they were classified as FI. These results suggest that CS affects learning and retrieval of navigational environment, especially when a map-like representation is required. We propose that CS may be pivotal in forming the cognitive map of the environment, likely due to the higher ability of FI individuals in restructuring environmental cues in a global and flexible long-term representation of the environment.

A flexible influence of affective feelings on creative and analytic performance.

PubMed

Huntsinger, Jeffrey R; Ray, Cara

2016-09-01

Considerable research shows that positive affect improves performance on creative tasks and negative affect improves performance on analytic tasks. The present research entertained the idea that affective feelings have flexible, rather than fixed, effects on cognitive performance. Consistent with the idea that positive and negative affect signal the value of accessible processing inclinations, the influence of affective feelings on performance on analytic or creative tasks was found to be flexibly responsive to the relative accessibility of different styles of processing (i.e., heuristic vs. systematic, global vs. local). When a global processing orientation was accessible happy participants generated more creative uses for a brick (Experiment 1), successfully solved more remote associates and insight problems (Experiment 2) and displayed broader categorization (Experiment 3) than those in sad moods. When a local processing orientation was accessible this pattern reversed. When a heuristic processing style was accessible happy participants were more likely to commit the conjunction fallacy (Experiment 3) and showed less pronounced anchoring effects (Experiment 4) than sad participants. When a systematic processing style was accessible this pattern reversed. Implications of these results for relevant affect-cognition models are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Drink and Think: Impact of Alcohol on Cognitive Functions and Dementia - Evidence of Dose-Related Effects.

PubMed

Gutwinski, Stefan; Schreiter, Stefanie; Priller, Josef; Henssler, Jonathan; Wiers, Corinde E; Heinz, Andreas

2017-09-26

Regular alcohol consumption affects cognitive performance and the development of dementia. So far, findings are contradicting, which might be explained in part by dose-related effects. For this narrative review, we undertook a literature search for surveys investigating the impact of alcohol consumption on cognitive performance and the development of dementia. The majority of studies observed a U-shaped relationship between regular alcohol consumption and cognitive function: frequent heavy consumption of alcohol alters brain functions and decreases cognitive performance; regular light and moderate consumption may have protective impact. In many studies, total abstainers show an inferior cognitive performance than people with moderate or light consumption. Nevertheless, policy implications are difficult to draw for at least 2 reasons: (1) the possible risks associated with alcohol consumption and (2) the potential confounders in the group of non-consumers and heavy consumers. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Age-related differences in affective and cognitive empathy: self-report and performance-based evidence.

PubMed

Sun, Binghai; Luo, Zhenbing; Zhang, Wenwen; Li, Weijian; Li, Xinyu

2017-08-04

The correlation between age and empathy is not clear, with prior findings yielding mixed and inconsistent results. Here, we distinguished between two aspects of empathy and respectively investigated the effects of age on the affective and cognitive facets of empathy using a self-report measure (interpersonal reactivity index, IRI) and performance-based tasks (viewing films). The results showed that older adults manifested age-related deficits in both trait and state cognitive empathy, with the latter being positively associated with memory. Otherwise, the overall affective empathy increased in the elderly, but the age-related differences in affective empathy may be qualified by the valence of the film clips. Specifically, older participants showed more empathic concern (EC) and less personal distress (PD) to other people's emotions than the younger participants for the distress film. Interestingly, for the amusing film, older participants demonstrated more EC and PD. Overall, the two aspects of empathy have different development trajectories.

Sleep and athletic performance: the effects of sleep loss on exercise performance, and physiological and cognitive responses to exercise.

PubMed

Fullagar, Hugh H K; Skorski, Sabrina; Duffield, Rob; Hammes, Daniel; Coutts, Aaron J; Meyer, Tim

2015-02-01

Although its true function remains unclear, sleep is considered critical to human physiological and cognitive function. Equally, since sleep loss is a common occurrence prior to competition in athletes, this could significantly impact upon their athletic performance. Much of the previous research has reported that exercise performance is negatively affected following sleep loss; however, conflicting findings mean that the extent, influence, and mechanisms of sleep loss affecting exercise performance remain uncertain. For instance, research indicates some maximal physical efforts and gross motor performances can be maintained. In comparison, the few published studies investigating the effect of sleep loss on performance in athletes report a reduction in sport-specific performance. The effects of sleep loss on physiological responses to exercise also remain equivocal; however, it appears a reduction in sleep quality and quantity could result in an autonomic nervous system imbalance, simulating symptoms of the overtraining syndrome. Additionally, increases in pro-inflammatory cytokines following sleep loss could promote immune system dysfunction. Of further concern, numerous studies investigating the effects of sleep loss on cognitive function report slower and less accurate cognitive performance. Based on this context, this review aims to evaluate the importance and prevalence of sleep in athletes and summarises the effects of sleep loss (restriction and deprivation) on exercise performance, and physiological and cognitive responses to exercise. Given the equivocal understanding of sleep and athletic performance outcomes, further research and consideration is required to obtain a greater knowledge of the interaction between sleep and performance.

What Does Eye-Blink Rate Variability Dynamics Tell Us About Cognitive Performance?

PubMed Central

Paprocki, Rafal; Lenskiy, Artem

2017-01-01

Cognitive performance is defined as the ability to utilize knowledge, attention, memory, and working memory. In this study, we briefly discuss various markers that have been proposed to predict cognitive performance. Next, we develop a novel approach to characterize cognitive performance by analyzing eye-blink rate variability dynamics. Our findings are based on a sample of 24 subjects. The subjects were given a 5-min resting period prior to a 10-min IQ test. During both stages, eye blinks were recorded from Fp1 and Fp2 electrodes. We found that scale exponents estimated for blink rate variability during rest were correlated with subjects' performance on the subsequent IQ test. This surprising phenomenon could be explained by the person to person variation in concentrations of dopamine in PFC and accumulation of GABA in the visual cortex, as both neurotransmitters play a key role in cognitive processes and affect blinking. This study demonstrates the possibility that blink rate variability dynamics at rest carry information about cognitive performance and can be employed in the assessment of cognitive abilities without taking a test. PMID:29311876

Development of cognitive and affective control networks and decision making.

PubMed

Kar, Bhoomika R; Vijay, Nivita; Mishra, Shreyasi

2013-01-01

Cognitive control and decision making are two important research areas in the realm of higher-order cognition. Control processes such as interference control and monitoring in cognitive and affective contexts have been found to influence the process of decision making. Development of control processes follows a gradual growth pattern associated with the prolonged maturation of underlying neural circuits including the lateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate, and the medial prefrontal cortex. These circuits are also involved in the control of processes that influences decision making, particularly with respect to choice behavior. Developmental studies on affective control have shown distinct patterns of brain activity with adolescents showing greater activation of amygdala whereas adults showing greater activity in ventral prefrontal cortex. Conflict detection, monitoring, and adaptation involve anticipation and subsequent performance adjustments which are also critical to complex decision making. We discuss the gradual developmental patterns observed in two of our studies on conflict monitoring and adaptation in affective and nonaffective contexts. Findings of these studies indicate the need to look at the differences in the effects of the development of cognitive and affective control on decision making in children and particularly adolescents. Neuroimaging studies have shown the involvement of separable neural networks for cognitive (medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate) and affective control (amygdala, ventral medial prefrontal cortex) shows that one system can affect the other also at the neural level. Hence, an understanding of the interaction and balance between the cognitive and affective brain networks may be crucial for self-regulation and decision making during the developmental period, particularly late childhood and adolescence. The chapter highlights the need for empirical investigation on the interaction between the different aspects of cognitive control and decision making from a developmental perspective. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Conceptualizing Chronic Self-Destructiveness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelley, Kathryn

Self-destructiveness can be viewed in two ways: as performing an act which one knows cognitively is not conducive to one's welfare but nonetheless leads to some pleasurable affect (e.g., overeating, smoking); or not performing an act one knows one should perform but which has some negative affective consequences (e.g., dental checkups, saving…

Eliminating the Attentional Blink through Binaural Beats: A Case for Tailored Cognitive Enhancement

PubMed Central

Reedijk, Susan A.; Bolders, Anne; Colzato, Lorenza S.; Hommel, Bernhard

2015-01-01

Enhancing human cognitive performance is a topic that continues to spark scientific interest. Studies into cognitive-enhancement techniques often fail to take inter-individual differences into account, however, which leads to underestimation of the effectiveness of these techniques. The current study investigated the effect of binaural beats, a cognitive-enhancement technique, on attentional control in an attentional blink (AB) task. As predicted from a neurocognitive approach to cognitive control, high-frequency binaural beats eliminated the AB, but only in individuals with low spontaneous eye-blink rates (indicating low striatal dopamine levels). This suggests that the way in which cognitive-enhancement techniques, such as binaural beats, affect cognitive performance depends on inter-individual differences. PMID:26089802

Neuromapping: Inflight Evaluation of Cognition and Adaptability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kofman, I. S.; De Dios, Y. E.; Lawrence, K.; Schade, A.; Reschke, M. F.; Bloomberg, J. J.; Wood, S. J.; Mulavara, A. P.; Seidle, R. D.

2016-01-01

In consideration of the health and performance of crewmembers during flight and postflight, we are conducting a controlled prospective longitudinal study to investigate the effects of spaceflight on the extent, longevity and neural bases of sensorimotor, cognitive, and neural changes. Previous studies investigating sensorimotor adaptation to the microgravity environment longitudinally inflight have shown reduction in the ability to perform complex dual tasks. In this study we perform a series of tests investigating the longitudinal effects of adaptation to the microgravity environment and how it affects spatial cognition, manual visuo-motor adaption and dual tasking.

Motor and cognitive performances of parkinsonian patients in the on and off phases of the disease.

PubMed Central

Girotti, F; Carella, F; Grassi, M P; Soliveri, P; Marano, R; Caraceni, T

1986-01-01

Twenty-one Parkinsonian patients were tested in on and off phases during chronic levodopa therapy for cognitive function, affective status, and evaluation of motor performance with reaction and movement times. A worsening of mood was observed from the on to the off phase. No variation in cognitive performance was observed from the on to the off phase in spite of evident motor changes. Mood changes during on-off variations may reflect involvement of mesocortical and mesolimbic dopaminergic systems. PMID:3734822

Working memory and affective decision-making in addiction: a neurocognitive comparison between heroin addicts, pathological gamblers and healthy controls.

PubMed

Yan, Wan-Sen; Li, Yong-Hui; Xiao, Lin; Zhu, Ning; Bechara, Antoine; Sui, Nan

2014-01-01

Cognitive deficits are observed both in heroin dependence and in pathological gambling (PG) on various tasks. PG, as a non-substance addiction, is free of toxic consequences of drug use. Therefore a direct neurocognitive comparison of heroin addicts and pathological gamblers helps dissociate the consequences of chronic heroin use on cognitive function from the cognitive vulnerabilities that predispose addiction. A case-control design was used, comparing 58 abstinent heroin addicts, 58 pathological gamblers, and 60 healthy controls on working memory and affective decision-making functions. Working memory was assessed using the Self-ordered Pointing Test (SOPT). Affective decision-making was measured by the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Heroin addicts performed significantly worse both on the IGT and on the SOPT, compared to healthy controls. Pathological gamblers performed worse on the IGT than healthy controls, but did not differ from controls on the SOPT. Years of heroin use were negatively correlated with working memory and affective decision-making performance in heroin addicts, while severity of gambling was not significantly correlated with any task performance in pathological gamblers. Our findings indicate that deficits in affective decision-making shared by heroin dependence and PG putatively represent vulnerabilities to addiction and that working memory deficits detected only in heroin addicts may be identified as heroin-specific harmful effects. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relationship between cardiac autonomic function and cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Nonogaki, Zen; Umegaki, Hiroyuki; Makino, Taeko; Suzuki, Yusuke; Kuzuya, Masafumi

2017-01-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) affects many central nervous structures and neurotransmitter systems. These changes affect not only cognitive function, but also cardiac autonomic function. However, the functional relationship between cardiac autonomic function and cognition in AD has not yet been investigated. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the association between cardiac autonomic function measured by heart rate variability and cognitive function in AD. A total of 78 AD patients were recruited for this study. Cardiac autonomic function was evaluated using heart rate variability analysis. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to model the association between heart rate variability and cognitive function (global cognitive function, memory, executive function and processing speed), after adjustment for covariates. Global cognitive function was negatively associated with sympathetic modulation (low-to-high frequency power ratio). Memory performance was positively associated with parasympathetic modulation (high frequency power) and negatively associated with sympathetic modulation (low-to-high frequency power ratio). These associations were independent of age, sex, educational years, diabetes, hypertension and cholinesterase inhibitor use. Cognitive function, especially in the areas of memory, is associated with cardiac autonomic function in AD. Specifically, lower cognitive performance was found to be associated with significantly higher cardiac sympathetic and lower parasympathetic function in AD. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 92-98. © 2015 Japan Geriatrics Society.

Disentangling cognition and emotion in older adults: the role of cognitive control and mental health in emotional conflict adaptation.

PubMed

Hantke, Nathan C; Gyurak, Anett; Van Moorleghem, Katie; Waring, Jill D; Adamson, Maheen M; O'Hara, Ruth; Beaudreau, Sherry A

2017-08-01

Recent research suggests cognition has a bidirectional relationship with emotional processing in older adults, yet the relationship is still poorly understood. We aimed to examine a potential relationship between late-life cognitive function, mental health symptoms, and emotional conflict adaptation. We hypothesized that worse cognitive control abilities would be associated with poorer emotional conflict adaptation. We further hypothesized that a higher severity of mental health symptoms would be associated with poorer emotional conflict adaptation. Participants included 83 cognitively normal community-dwelling older adults who completed a targeted mental health and cognitive battery, and emotion and gender conflict-adaptation tasks. Consistent with our hypothesis, poorer performance on components of cognitive control, specifically attention and working memory, was associated with poorer emotional conflict adaptation. This association with attention and working memory was not observed in the non-affective-based gender conflict adaptation task. Mental health symptoms did not predict emotional conflict adaptation, nor did performance on other cognitive measures. Our findings suggest that emotion conflict adaptation is disrupted in older individuals who have poorer attention and working memory. Components of cognitive control may therefore be an important potential source of inter-individual differences in late-life emotion regulation and cognitive affective deficits. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Interaction between Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Factors: The Influences of Academic Goal Orientation and Working Memory on Mathematical Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Kerry; Ning, Flora; Goh, Hui Chin

2014-01-01

Although the effects of achievement goals and working memory on academic performance are well established, it is not clear whether they jointly affect academic performance. Children from Primary 4 and 6 (N = 608) were administered (a) measures of working memory and updating from the automated working memory battery and a running span task, (b)…

Developing team cognition: A role for simulation

PubMed Central

Fernandez, Rosemarie; Shah, Sachita; Rosenman, Elizabeth D.; Kozlowski, Steve W. J.; Parker, Sarah Henrickson; Grand, James A.

2016-01-01

SUMMARY STATEMENT Simulation has had a major impact in the advancement of healthcare team training and assessment. To date, the majority of simulation-based training and assessment focuses on the teamwork behaviors that impact team performance, often ignoring critical cognitive, motivational, and affective team processes. Evidence from team science research demonstrates a strong relationship between team cognition and team performance and suggests a role for simulation in the development of this team-level construct. In this article we synthesize research from the broader team science literature to provide foundational knowledge regarding team cognition and highlight best practices for using simulation to target team cognition. PMID:28704287

The Impact of Social Pressure and Monetary Incentive on Cognitive Control

PubMed Central

Ličen, Mina; Hartmann, Frank; Repovš, Grega; Slapničar, Sergeja

2016-01-01

We compare the effects of two prominent organizational control mechanisms—social pressure and monetary incentive—on cognitive control. Cognitive control underlies the human ability to regulate thoughts and actions in the pursuit of behavioral goals. Previous studies show that monetary incentives can contribute to goal-oriented behavior by activating proactive control. There is, however, much less evidence of how social pressure affects cognitive control and task performance. In a within-subject experimental design, we tested 47 subjects performing the AX-CPT task to compare the activation of cognitive control modes under social pressure and monetary incentive beyond mere instructions to perform better. Our results indicate that instructing participants to improve their performance on its own leads to a significant shift from a reactive to a proactive control mode and that both social pressure and monetary incentive further enhance performance. PMID:26903901

Implicit beliefs of ability, approach-avoidance goals and cognitive anxiety among team sport athletes.

PubMed

Stenling, Andreas; Hassmén, Peter; Holmström, Stefan

2014-01-01

People's implicit beliefs of ability have been suggested as an antecedent of achievement goal adoption, which has in turn been associated with behavioural, cognitive and affective outcomes. This study examined a conditional process model with team sport athletes' approach-avoidance achievement goals as mediators between their implicit beliefs of sport ability and sport-related cognitive anxiety. We expected gender to moderate the paths from implicit beliefs of ability to approach-avoidance goals and from approach-avoidance goals to cognitive anxiety. Team sport athletes with a mean age of 20 years (163 females and 152 males) responded to questionnaires about their implicit beliefs of sport ability, approach-avoidance goals and sport-related cognitive anxiety. Incremental beliefs, gender and the interaction between them predicted mastery-approach goals. Gender also predicted mastery-avoidance goals, with females reporting higher levels than males. Mastery-avoidance goals, gender and the interaction between them predicted cognitive anxiety, with females reporting higher levels of anxiety than males. Entity beliefs positively predicted performance-avoidance goals and the interaction between performance-approach and gender predicted anxiety. The indirect effects also showed gender differences in relation to performance-approach goals. Taken together, our results suggest that coaches trying to create a facilitating climate for their male and female athletes may be wise to consider their athletes' anxiety and achievement goal patterns as these may affect both the athletes' well-being and performance.

Cognitive load, emotion, and performance in high-fidelity simulation among beginning nursing students: a pilot study.

PubMed

Schlairet, Maura C; Schlairet, Timothy James; Sauls, Denise H; Bellflowers, Lois

2015-03-01

Establishing the impact of the high-fidelity simulation environment on student performance, as well as identifying factors that could predict learning, would refine simulation outcome expectations among educators. The purpose of this quasi-experimental pilot study was to explore the impact of simulation on emotion and cognitive load among beginning nursing students. Forty baccalaureate nursing students participated in teaching simulations, rated their emotional state and cognitive load, and completed evaluation simulations. Two principal components of emotion were identified representing the pleasant activation and pleasant deactivation components of affect. Mean rating of cognitive load following simulation was high. Linear regression identiffed slight but statistically nonsignificant positive associations between principal components of emotion and cognitive load. Logistic regression identified a negative but statistically nonsignificant effect of cognitive load on assessment performance. Among lower ability students, a more pronounced effect of cognitive load on assessment performance was observed; this also was statistically non-significant. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

Alternatives to Standardized Tests in Reading Education: Cognitive Styles and Informal Measures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scales, Alice M.

1987-01-01

Although cognitive style affects test results, students of various cognitive styles are expected to perform equally well on standardized tests. Informal tests seem to be better for both impulsive and reflective style students. Perhaps a combination of standardized and informal testing is appropriate for making educational decisions about students.…

The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Item and Associative Recognition Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ratcliff, Roger; Van Dongen, Hans P. A.

2018-01-01

Sleep deprivation adversely affects the ability to perform cognitive tasks, but theories range from predicting an overall decline in cognitive functioning because of reduced stability in attentional networks to specific deficits in various cognitive domains or processes. We measured the effects of sleep deprivation on two memory tasks, item…

Effect of Cognitive Demand on Functional Visual Field Performance in Senior Drivers with Glaucoma

PubMed Central

Gangeddula, Viswa; Ranchet, Maud; Akinwuntan, Abiodun E.; Bollinger, Kathryn; Devos, Hannes

2017-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the effect of cognitive demand on functional visual field performance in drivers with glaucoma. Method: This study included 20 drivers with open-angle glaucoma and 13 age- and sex-matched controls. Visual field performance was evaluated under different degrees of cognitive demand: a static visual field condition (C1), dynamic visual field condition (C2), and dynamic visual field condition with active driving (C3) using an interactive, desktop driving simulator. The number of correct responses (accuracy) and response times on the visual field task were compared between groups and between conditions using Kruskal–Wallis tests. General linear models were employed to compare cognitive workload, recorded in real-time through pupillometry, between groups and conditions. Results: Adding cognitive demand (C2 and C3) to the static visual field test (C1) adversely affected accuracy and response times, in both groups (p < 0.05). However, drivers with glaucoma performed worse than did control drivers when the static condition changed to a dynamic condition [C2 vs. C1 accuracy; glaucoma: median difference (Q1–Q3) 3 (2–6.50) vs. controls: 2 (0.50–2.50); p = 0.05] and to a dynamic condition with active driving [C3 vs. C1 accuracy; glaucoma: 2 (2–6) vs. controls: 1 (0.50–2); p = 0.02]. Overall, drivers with glaucoma exhibited greater cognitive workload than controls (p = 0.02). Conclusion: Cognitive demand disproportionately affects functional visual field performance in drivers with glaucoma. Our results may inform the development of a performance-based visual field test for drivers with glaucoma. PMID:28912712

Fatigue does not conjointly alter postural and cognitive performance when standing in a shooting position under dual-task conditions.

PubMed

Bermejo, José Luis; García-Massó, Xavier; Paillard, Thierry; Noé, Frédéric

2018-02-01

This study investigated the effects of fatigue on balance control and cognitive performance in a standing shooting position. Nineteen soldiers were asked to stand while holding a rifle (single task - ST). They also had to perform this postural task while simultaneously completing a cognitive task (dual task - DT). Both the ST and DT were performed in pre- and post-fatigue conditions. In pre-fatigue, participants achieved better balance control in the DT than in the ST, thus suggesting that the increased cognitive activity associated with the DT improves balance control by shifting the attentional focus away from a highly automatised activity. In post-fatigue, balance control was degraded in both the ST and DT, while reaction time was enhanced in the first minutes following the fatiguing exercise without affecting the accuracy of response in the cognitive task, which highlights the relative independent effects of fatigue on balance control and cognitive performance.

Memory rehabilitation for the working memory of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

PubMed

Mousavi, Shokoufeh; Zare, Hossein; Etemadifar, Masoud; Taher Neshatdoost, Hamid

2018-05-01

The main cognitive impairments in multiple sclerosis (MS) affect the working memory, processing speed, and performances that are in close interaction with one another. Cognitive problems in MS are influenced to a lesser degree by disease recovery medications or treatments,but cognitive rehabilitation is considered one of the promising methods for cure. There is evidence regarding the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation for MS patients in various stages of the disease. Since the impairment in working memory is one of the main MS deficits, a particular training that affects this cognitive domain can be of a great value. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of memory rehabilitation on the working memory performance of MS patients. Sixty MS patients with cognitive impairment and similar in terms of demographic characteristics, duration of disease, neurological problems, and mental health were randomly assigned to three groups: namely, experimental, placebo, and control. Patients' cognitive evaluation incorporated baseline assessments immediately post-intervention and 5 weeks post-intervention. The experimental group received a cognitive rehabilitation program in one-hour sessions on a weekly basis for 8 weeks. The placebo group received relaxation techniques on a weekly basis; the control group received no intervention. The results of this study showed that the cognitive rehabilitation program had a positive effect on the working memory performance of patients with MS in the experimental group. These results were achieved in immediate evaluation (post-test) and follow-up 5 weeks after intervention. There was no significant difference in working memory performance between the placebo group and the control group. According to the study, there is evidence for the effectiveness of a memory rehabilitation program for the working memory of patients with MS. Cognitive rehabilitation can improve working memory disorders and have a positive effect on the working memory performance of these patients.

Acute cognitive impact of antiseizure drugs in naive rodents and corneal-kindled mice.

PubMed

Barker-Haliski, Melissa L; Vanegas, Fabiola; Mau, Matthew J; Underwood, Tristan K; White, H Steve

2016-09-01

Some antiseizure drugs (ASDs) are associated with cognitive liability in patients with epilepsy, thus ASDs without this risk would be preferred. Little comparative pharmacology exists with ASDs in preclinical models of cognition. Few pharmacologic studies exist on the acute effects in rodents with chronic seizures. Predicting risk for cognitive impact with preclinical models may supply valuable ASD differentiation data. ASDs (phenytoin [PHT]; carbamazepine [CBZ]; valproic acid [VPA]; lamotrigine [LTG]; phenobarbital [PB]; tiagabine [TGB]; retigabine [RTG]; topiramate [TPM]; and levetiracetam [LEV]) were administered equivalent to maximal electroshock median effective dose ([ED50]; mice, rats), or median dose necessary to elicit minimal motor impairment (median toxic dose [TD50]; rats). Cognition models with naive adult rodents were novel object/place recognition (NOPR) task with CF-1 mice, and Morris water maze (MWM) with Sprague-Dawley rats. Selected ASDs were also administered to rats prior to testing in an open field. The effect of chronic seizures and ASD administration on cognitive performance in NOPR was also determined with corneal-kindled mice. Mice that did not achieve kindling criterion (partially kindled) were included to examine the effect of electrical stimulation on cognitive performance. Sham-kindled and age-matched mice were also tested. No ASD (ED50) affected latency to locate the MWM platform; TD50 of PB, RTG, TPM, and VPA reduced this latency. In naive mice, CBZ and VPA (ED50) reduced time with the novel object. Of interest, no ASD (ED50) affected performance of fully kindled mice in NOPR, whereas CBZ and LEV improved cognitive performance of partially kindled mice. Standardized approaches to the preclinical evaluation of an ASD's potential cognitive impact are needed to inform drug development. This study demonstrated acute, dose- and model-dependent effects of therapeutically relevant doses of ASDs on cognitive performance of naive mice and rats, and corneal-kindled mice. This study highlights the challenge of predicting clinical adverse effects with preclinical models. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International League Against Epilepsy.

Leisure Activities and Change in Cognitive Stability: A Multivariate Approach

PubMed Central

Mella, Nathalie; Grob, Emmanuelle; Döll, Salomé; Ghisletta, Paolo; de Ribaupierre, Anik

2017-01-01

Aging is traditionally associated with cognitive decline, attested by slower reaction times and poorer performance in various cognitive tasks, but also by an increase in intraindividual variability (IIV) in cognitive performance. Results concerning how lifestyle activities protect from cognitive decline are mixed in the literature and all focused on how it affects mean performance. However, IIV has been proven to be an index more sensitive to age differences, and very little is known about the relationships between lifestyle activities and change in IIV in aging. This longitudinal study explores the association between frequency of physical, social, intellectual, artistic, or cultural activities and age-related change in various cognitive abilities, considering both mean performance and IIV. Ninety-six participants, aged 64–93 years, underwent a battery of cognitive tasks at four measurements over a seven-year period, and filled out a lifestyle activity questionnaire. Linear multilevel models were used to analyze the associations between change in cognitive performance and five types of activities. Results showed that the practice of leisure activities was more strongly associated with IIV than with mean performance, both when considering overall level and change in performance. Relationships with IIV were dependent of the cognitive tasks considered and overall results showed protective effects of cultural, physical and intellectual activities on IIV. These results underline the need for considering IIV in the study of age-related cognitive change. PMID:28257047

Reduced Cardiac Vagal Modulation Impacts on Cognitive Performance in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

PubMed Central

Beaumont, Alison; Burton, Alexander R.; Lemon, Jim; Bennett, Barbara K.; Lloyd, Andrew; Vollmer-Conna, Uté

2012-01-01

Background Cognitive difficulties and autonomic dysfunction have been reported separately in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). A role for heart rate variability (HRV) in cognitive flexibility has been demonstrated in healthy individuals, but this relationship has not as yet been examined in CFS. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between HRV and cognitive performance in patients with CFS. Methods Participants were 30 patients with CFS and 40 healthy controls; the groups were matched for age, sex, education, body mass index, and hours of moderate exercise/week. Questionnaires were used to obtain relevant medical and demographic information, and assess current symptoms and functional impairment. Electrocardiograms, perceived fatigue/effort and performance data were recorded during cognitive tasks. Between–group differences in autonomic reactivity and associations with cognitive performance were analysed. Results Patients with CFS showed no deficits in performance accuracy, but were significantly slower than healthy controls. CFS was further characterized by low and unresponsive HRV; greater heart rate (HR) reactivity and prolonged HR-recovery after cognitive challenge. Fatigue levels, perceived effort and distress did not affect cognitive performance. HRV was consistently associated with performance indices and significantly predicted variance in cognitive outcomes. Conclusions These findings reveal for the first time an association between reduced cardiac vagal tone and cognitive impairment in CFS and confirm previous reports of diminished vagal activity. PMID:23166694

The location discrimination reversal task in mice is sensitive to deficits in performance caused by aging, pharmacological and other challenges.

PubMed

Graf, Radka; Longo, Jami L; Hughes, Zoë A

2018-06-01

Deficits in hippocampal-mediated pattern separation are one aspect of cognitive function affected in schizophrenia (SZ) or Alzheimer's disease (AD). To develop novel therapies, it is beneficial to explore this specific aspect of cognition preclinically. The location discrimination reversal (LDR) task is a hippocampal-dependent operant paradigm that evaluates spatial learning and cognitive flexibility using touchscreens. Here we assessed baseline performance as well as multimodal disease-relevant manipulations in mice. Mice were trained to discriminate between the locations of two images where the degree of separation impacted performance. Administration of putative pro-cognitive agents was unable to improve performance at narrow separation. Furthermore, a range of disease-relevant manipulations were characterized to assess whether performance could be impaired and restored. Pertinent to the cholinergic loss in AD, scopolamine (0.1 mg/kg) produced a disruption in LDR, which was attenuated by donepezil (1 mg/kg). Consistent with NMDA hypofunction in cognitive impairment associated with SZ, MK-801 (0.1 mg/kg) also disrupted performance; however, this deficit was not modified by rolipram. Microdeletion of genes associated with SZ (22q11) resulted in impaired performance, which was restored by rolipram (0.032 mg/kg). Since aging and inflammation affect cognition and are risk factors for AD, these aspects were also evaluated. Aged mice were slower to acquire the task than young mice and did not reach the same level of performance. A systemic inflammatory challenge (lipopolysaccharide (LPS), 1 mg/kg) produced prolonged (7 days) deficits in the LDR task. These data suggest that LDR task is a valuable platform for evaluating disease-relevant deficits in pattern separation and offers potential for identifying novel therapies.

Theory of mind impairment and its clinical correlates in patients with schizophrenia, major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Wang, Yan-Yu; Wang, Yi; Zou, Ying-Min; Ni, Ke; Tian, Xue; Sun, Hong-Wei; Lui, Simon S Y; Cheung, Eric F C; Suckling, John; Chan, Raymond C K

2017-11-06

Although Theory of Mind (ToM) impairment has been observed in patients with a wide range of mental disorders, the similarity and uniqueness of these deficits across diagnostic groups has not been thoroughly investigated. We recruited 35 participants with schizophrenia (SCZ), 35 with bipolar disorder (BD), 35 with major depressive disorder (MDD), and 35 healthy controls in this study. All participants were matched in age, gender proportion and IQ estimates. The Yoni task, capturing both the cognitive and affective components of ToM at the first- and second-order level was administered. Repeated-measure ANOVA and MANOVA were conducted to compare the group differences in ToM performance. A network was then constructed with ToM performances, psychotic and depressive symptoms, and executive function as nodes exploring the clinical correlates of ToM. Overall, ToM impairments were observed in all patient groups compared with healthy controls, with patients with SCZ performing worse than those with BD. In second-order conditions, patients with SCZ and MDD showed deficits in both cognitive and affective conditions, while patients with BD performed significantly poorer in cognitive conditions. Network analysis showed that second-order affective ToM performance was associated with psychotic and depressive symptoms as well as executive dysfunction, while second-order affective ToM performance and negative symptoms showed relatively high centrality in the network. Patients with SCZ, MDD and BD exhibited different types and severity of impairments in ToM sub-components. Impairment in higher-order affective ToM appears to be closely related to clinical symptoms in both psychotic and affective disorders. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Creative mood swings: divergent and convergent thinking affect mood in opposite ways.

PubMed

Akbari Chermahini, Soghra; Hommel, Bernhard

2012-09-01

Increasing evidence suggests that emotions affect cognitive processes. Recent approaches have also considered the opposite: that cognitive processes might affect people's mood. Here we show that performing and, to a lesser degree, preparing for a creative thinking task induce systematic mood swings: Divergent thinking led to a more positive mood, whereas convergent thinking had the opposite effect. This pattern suggests that thought processes and mood are systematically related but the type of relationship is process-specific.

Cognitive Models for Integrating Testing and Instruction, Phase II. Methodology Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quellmalz, Edys S.; Shaha, Steven

The potential of a cognitive model task analysis scheme (CMS) that specifies features of test problems shown by research to affect performance is explored. CMS describes the general skill area and the generic task or problem type. It elaborates features of the problem situation and required responses found by research to influence performance.…

How Do Task Characteristics Affect Learning and Performance? The Roles of Variably Mapped and Dynamic Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macnamara, Brooke N.; Frank, David J.

2018-01-01

For well over a century, scientists have investigated individual differences in performance. The majority of studies have focused on either differences in practice, or differences in cognitive resources. However, the predictive ability of either practice or cognitive resources varies considerably across tasks. We are the first to examine task…

Study Abroad Field Trip Improves Test Performance through Engagement and New Social Networks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Houser, Chris; Brannstrom, Christian; Quiring, Steven M.; Lemmons, Kelly K.

2011-01-01

Although study abroad trips provide an opportunity for affective and cognitive learning, it is largely assumed that they improve learning outcomes. The purpose of this study is to determine whether a study abroad field trip improved cognitive learning by comparing test performance between the study abroad participants (n = 20) and their peers who…

Theory of mind and empathy in preclinical and clinical Huntington’s disease

PubMed Central

Adjeroud, Najia; Besnard, Jérémy; Massioui, Nicole El; Verny, Christophe; Prudean, Adriana; Scherer, Clarisse; Gohier, Bénédicte; Bonneau, Dominique

2016-01-01

We investigated cognitive and affective Theory of Mind (ToM) and empathy in patients with premanifest and manifest Huntington’s disease (HD). The relationship between ToM performance and executive skills was also examined. Sixteen preclinical and 23 clinical HD patients, and 39 healthy subjects divided into 2 control groups were given a French adaptation of the Yoni test (Shamay-Tsoory, S.G., Aharon-Peretz, J. (2007). Dissociable prefrontal networks for cognitive and affective theory of mind: a lesion study. Neuropsychologia, 45(3), 3054–67) that examines first- and second-order cognitive and affective ToM processing in separate conditions with a physical control condition. Participants were also given questionnaires of empathy and cognitive tests which mainly assessed executive functions (inhibition and mental flexibility). Clinical HD patients made significantly more errors than their controls in the first- and second-order cognitive and affective ToM conditions of the Yoni task, but exhibited no empathy deficits. However, there was no evidence that ToM impairment was related to cognitive deficits in these patients. Preclinical HD patients were unimpaired in ToM tasks and empathy measures compared with their controls. Our results are consistent with the idea that impaired affective and cognitive mentalizing emerges with the clinical manifestation of HD, but is not necessarily part of the preclinical stage. Furthermore, these impairments appear independent of executive dysfunction and empathy. PMID:26211015

Priming Ability-Relevant Social Categories Improves Intellectual Test Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Phoebe S.; Kennette, Lynne N.; Van Havermaet, Lisa R.; Frank, Nichole M.; McIntyre, Rusty B.

2012-01-01

Research shows that priming affects behavioral tasks; fewer studies, however, have been conducted on how social category primes affect cognitive tasks. The present study aimed to examine the effects of social category primes on math performance and word recall. It was hypothesized that Asian prime words would improve math performance and word…

Assessing the Effects of Different Multimedia Materials on Emotions and Learning Performance for Visual and Verbal Style Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Chih-Ming; Sun, Ying-Chun

2012-01-01

Multimedia materials are now increasingly used in curricula. However, individual preferences for multimedia materials based on visual and verbal cognitive styles may affect learners' emotions and performance. Therefore, in-depth studies that investigate how different multimedia materials affect learning performance and the emotions of learners…

Impaired cognition and decision-making in bipolar depression but no 'affective bias' evident.

PubMed

Rubinsztein, J S; Michael, A; Underwood, B R; Tempest, M; Sahakian, B J

2006-05-01

Depression is usually the predominant affective state in bipolar disorder. There are few studies, with discrepant views, examining the extent of cognitive impairment in patients with bipolar depression. To our knowledge, there are no previous studies examining decision-making ability or whether there is an affective attentional bias in bipolar depression. We ascertained 24 depressed bipolar I patients from acute psychiatric hospital wards and out-patient clinics and 26 age- and IQ-matched healthy controls. Using computerized tests we evaluated their performance on 'neutral' (non-emotional) cognitive tasks (i.e. memory, attention and executive function) and on novel tasks of emotional cognition (i.e. the decision-making task and the affective go/no-go task). Accuracy measures were significantly impaired on tests of visual and spatial recognition and attentional set-shifting in bipolar depression compared with age- and IQ-matched controls. The quality of decision-making was also significantly impaired in the patients. A mood-congruent attentional bias for 'sad' targets was not evident on the affective go/no-go task. We found widespread evidence of significant cognitive impairment and impaired quality of decision-making in symptomatically severe depressed bipolar patients. This cognitive impairment may contribute to difficulties with daily living, decision-making and the ability to engage and comply with psychological and drug treatments.

Social priming improves cognitive control in elderly adults--evidence from the Simon task.

PubMed

Aisenberg, Daniela; Cohen, Noga; Pick, Hadas; Tressman, Iris; Rappaport, Michal; Shenberg, Tal; Henik, Avishai

2015-01-01

We examined whether social priming of cognitive states affects the inhibitory process in elderly adults, as aging is related to deficits in inhibitory control. Forty-eight elderly adults and 45 young adults were assigned to three groups and performed a cognitive control task (Simon task), which was followed by 3 different manipulations of social priming (i.e., thinking about an 82 year-old person): 1) negative--characterized by poor cognitive abilities, 2) neutral--characterized by acts irrelevant to cognitive abilities, and 3) positive--excellent cognitive abilities. After the manipulation, the Simon task was performed again. Results showed improvement in cognitive control effects in seniors after the positive manipulation, indicated by a significant decrease in the magnitude of the Simon and interference effects, but not after the neutral and negative manipulations. Furthermore, a healthy pattern of sequential effect (Gratton) that was absent before the manipulation in all 3 groups appeared after the positive manipulation. Namely, the Simon effect was only present after congruent but not after incongruent trials for the positive manipulation group. No influence of manipulations was found in young adults. These meaningful results were replicated in a second experiment and suggest a decrease in conflict interference resulting from positive cognitive state priming. Our study provides evidence that an implicit social concept of a positive cognitive condition in old age can affect the control process of the elderly and improve cognitive abilities.

Social Priming Improves Cognitive Control in Elderly Adults—Evidence from the Simon Task

PubMed Central

Aisenberg, Daniela; Cohen, Noga; Pick, Hadas; Tressman, Iris; Rappaport, Michal; Shenberg, Tal; Henik, Avishai

2015-01-01

We examined whether social priming of cognitive states affects the inhibitory process in elderly adults, as aging is related to deficits in inhibitory control. Forty-eight elderly adults and 45 young adults were assigned to three groups and performed a cognitive control task (Simon task), which was followed by 3 different manipulations of social priming (i.e., thinking about an 82 year-old person): 1) negative—characterized by poor cognitive abilities, 2) neutral—characterized by acts irrelevant to cognitive abilities, and 3) positive—excellent cognitive abilities. After the manipulation, the Simon task was performed again. Results showed improvement in cognitive control effects in seniors after the positive manipulation, indicated by a significant decrease in the magnitude of the Simon and interference effects, but not after the neutral and negative manipulations. Furthermore, a healthy pattern of sequential effect (Gratton) that was absent before the manipulation in all 3 groups appeared after the positive manipulation. Namely, the Simon effect was only present after congruent but not after incongruent trials for the positive manipulation group. No influence of manipulations was found in young adults. These meaningful results were replicated in a second experiment and suggest a decrease in conflict interference resulting from positive cognitive state priming. Our study provides evidence that an implicit social concept of a positive cognitive condition in old age can affect the control process of the elderly and improve cognitive abilities. PMID:25635946

Is caffeine a cognitive enhancer?

PubMed

Nehlig, Astrid

2010-01-01

The effects of caffeine on cognition were reviewed based on the large body of literature available on the topic. Caffeine does not usually affect performance in learning and memory tasks, although caffeine may occasionally have facilitatory or inhibitory effects on memory and learning. Caffeine facilitates learning in tasks in which information is presented passively; in tasks in which material is learned intentionally, caffeine has no effect. Caffeine facilitates performance in tasks involving working memory to a limited extent, but hinders performance in tasks that heavily depend on working memory, and caffeine appears to rather improve memory performance under suboptimal alertness conditions. Most studies, however, found improvements in reaction time. The ingestion of caffeine does not seem to affect long-term memory. At low doses, caffeine improves hedonic tone and reduces anxiety, while at high doses, there is an increase in tense arousal, including anxiety, nervousness, jitteriness. The larger improvement of performance in fatigued subjects confirms that caffeine is a mild stimulant. Caffeine has also been reported to prevent cognitive decline in healthy subjects but the results of the studies are heterogeneous, some finding no age-related effect while others reported effects only in one sex and mainly in the oldest population. In conclusion, it appears that caffeine cannot be considered a ;pure' cognitive enhancer. Its indirect action on arousal, mood and concentration contributes in large part to its cognitive enhancing properties.

COGNITION AS A THERAPEUTIC TARGET IN LATE-LIFE DEPRESSION: POTENTIAL FOR NICOTINIC THERAPEUTICS

PubMed Central

Zurkovsky, Lilia; Taylor, Warren D.; Newhouse, Paul A.

2013-01-01

Depression is associated with impairments to cognition and brain function at any age, but such impairments in the elderly are particularly problematic because of the additional burden of normal cognitive aging and in some cases, structural brain pathology. Individuals with late-life depression exhibit impairments in cognition and brain structural integrity, alongside mood dysfunction. Antidepressant treatment improves symptoms in some but not all patients, and those who benefit may not return to the cognitive and functional level of nondepressed elderly. Thus, for comprehensive treatment of late-life depression, it may be necessary to address both the affective and cognitive deficits. In this review, we propose a model for the treatment of late-life depression in which nicotinic stimulation is used to improve cognitive performance and improve the efficacy of an antidepressant treatment of the syndrome of late-life depression. The cholinergic system is well-established as important to cognition. Although muscarinic stimulation may exacerbate depressive symptoms, nicotinic stimulation may improve cognition and neural functioning without a detriment to mood. While some studies of nicotinic subtype specific receptor agonists have shown promise in improving cognitive performance, less is known regarding how nicotinic receptor stimulation affects cognition in depressed elderly patients. Late-life depression thus represents a new therapeutic target for the development of nicotinic agonist drugs and parallel treatment of cognitive dysfunction along with medical and psychological approaches to treating mood dysfunction may be necessary to ensure full resolution of depressive illness in aging. PMID:23933385

Age related changes in cognitive response style in the driving task.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-11-16

The degree and manner in which cellular phone conversations and other cognitive distractions affect driving performance remains an area of great interest. It is well known that cellular phone usage adversely impacts safety (Redelmeier &Tibshirani, 19...

Neural circuitry of emotional and cognitive conflict revealed through facial expressions.

PubMed

Chiew, Kimberly S; Braver, Todd S

2011-03-09

Neural systems underlying conflict processing have been well studied in the cognitive realm, but the extent to which these overlap with those underlying emotional conflict processing remains unclear. A novel adaptation of the AX Continuous Performance Task (AX-CPT), a stimulus-response incompatibility paradigm, was examined that permits close comparison of emotional and cognitive conflict conditions, through the use of affectively-valenced facial expressions as the response modality. Brain activity was monitored with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during performance of the emotional AX-CPT. Emotional conflict was manipulated on a trial-by-trial basis, by requiring contextually pre-cued facial expressions to emotional probe stimuli (IAPS images) that were either affectively compatible (low-conflict) or incompatible (high-conflict). The emotion condition was contrasted against a matched cognitive condition that was identical in all respects, except that probe stimuli were emotionally neutral. Components of the brain cognitive control network, including dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), showed conflict-related activation increases in both conditions, but with higher activity during emotion conditions. In contrast, emotion conflict effects were not found in regions associated with affective processing, such as rostral ACC. These activation patterns provide evidence for a domain-general neural system that is active for both emotional and cognitive conflict processing. In line with previous behavioural evidence, greatest activity in these brain regions occurred when both emotional and cognitive influences additively combined to produce increased interference.

Neural Circuitry of Emotional and Cognitive Conflict Revealed through Facial Expressions

PubMed Central

Chiew, Kimberly S.; Braver, Todd S.

2011-01-01

Background Neural systems underlying conflict processing have been well studied in the cognitive realm, but the extent to which these overlap with those underlying emotional conflict processing remains unclear. A novel adaptation of the AX Continuous Performance Task (AX-CPT), a stimulus-response incompatibility paradigm, was examined that permits close comparison of emotional and cognitive conflict conditions, through the use of affectively-valenced facial expressions as the response modality. Methodology/Principal Findings Brain activity was monitored with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during performance of the emotional AX-CPT. Emotional conflict was manipulated on a trial-by-trial basis, by requiring contextually pre-cued facial expressions to emotional probe stimuli (IAPS images) that were either affectively compatible (low-conflict) or incompatible (high-conflict). The emotion condition was contrasted against a matched cognitive condition that was identical in all respects, except that probe stimuli were emotionally neutral. Components of the brain cognitive control network, including dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), showed conflict-related activation increases in both conditions, but with higher activity during emotion conditions. In contrast, emotion conflict effects were not found in regions associated with affective processing, such as rostral ACC. Conclusions/Significance These activation patterns provide evidence for a domain-general neural system that is active for both emotional and cognitive conflict processing. In line with previous behavioural evidence, greatest activity in these brain regions occurred when both emotional and cognitive influences additively combined to produce increased interference. PMID:21408006

Characterization of cognitive and motor performance during dual-tasking in healthy older adults and patients with Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Wild, Lucia Bartmann; de Lima, Daiane Borba; Balardin, Joana Bisol; Rizzi, Luana; Giacobbo, Bruno Lima; Oliveira, Henrique Bianchi; de Lima Argimon, Irani Iracema; Peyré-Tartaruga, Leonardo Alexandre; Rieder, Carlos R M; Bromberg, Elke

2013-02-01

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of dual-tasking on cognitive performance and gait parameters in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) without dementia. The impact of cognitive task complexity on cognition and walking was also examined. Eighteen patients with PD (ages 53-88, 10 women; Hoehn and Yahr stage I-II) and 18 older adults (ages 61-84; 10 women) completed two neuropsychological measures of executive function/attention (the Stroop Test and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test). Cognitive performance and gait parameters related to functional mobility of stride were measured under single (cognitive task only) and dual-task (cognitive task during walking) conditions with different levels of difficulty and different types of stimuli. In addition, dual-task cognitive costs were calculated. Although cognitive performance showed no significant difference between controls and PD patients during single or dual-tasking conditions, only the patients had a decrease in cognitive performance during walking. Gait parameters of patients differed significantly from controls at single and dual-task conditions, indicating that patients gave priority to gait while cognitive performance suffered. Dual-task cognitive costs of patients increased with task complexity, reaching significantly higher values then controls in the arithmetic task, which was correlated with scores on executive function/attention (Stroop Color-Word Page). Baseline motor functioning and task executive/attentional load affect the performance of cognitive tasks of PD patients while walking. These findings provide insight into the functional strategies used by PD patients in the initial phases of the disease to manage dual-task interference.

Irrational beliefs at work and their implications for workaholism.

PubMed

van Wijhe, Corine; Peeters, Maria; Schaufeli, Wilmar

2013-09-01

This study examined the associations between work-related irrational cognitions and workaholism. For this purpose, a 16-item work-related irrational beliefs questionnaire (WIB-Q) was developed. Employees (n = 913) completed an online survey that included, besides the irrational cognitions scale, measures of negative affect and workaholism. The results show that four factors could be distinguished, which represent irrational beliefs concerning (1) performance demands, (2) co-workers' approval (3) failure and (4) control. All scales showed good internal consistency. Furthermore, it was found that, after controlling for negative affect, performance demands were associated with workaholism, whereas the remaining types of irrationality were unrelated to workaholism. In other words, the findings suggest that interventions for workaholism should target irrational self-oriented performance demands and negative emotions. As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy focuses on identifying and replacing irrational cognitions, it appears a useful intervention technique for the treatment of workaholics.

The effect of low versus high approach-motivated positive affect on the balance between maintenance and flexibility.

PubMed

Liu, Liting; Xu, Baihua

2016-05-27

Successful goal-directed behavior in a constantly changing environment requires a balance between maintenance and flexibility. Although some studies have found that positive affect influences this balance differently than neutral affect, one recent study found that motivational intensity of positive affective states influences this balance in a cognitive set-shifting paradigm. However, working memory updating and set shifting are interrelated but distinct components of cognitive control. The present study examined the effect of low versus high approach-motivated positive affect on the balance between maintenance and flexibility in working memory. A simple cuing paradigm (the AX Continuous Performance Task) was employed, and neutral affect and high and low approach-motivated positive affect were induced using affective pictures. The results revealed that, relative to neutral affect, low approach-motivated positive affect attenuated maintenance and increased flexibility, whereas high approach-motivated positive affect promoted maintenance and decreased flexibility. These findings offer further evidence that the effects of positive affect on cognitive control are modulated by approach motivational intensity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Subjective complaints of cognitive symptoms are related to psychometric findings of memory deficits in patients with HIV-1 infection.

PubMed

Poutiainen, E; Elovaara, I

1996-05-01

Eighty-five subjects at various stages of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infection and 39 seronegative controls underwent neurological and neuropsychological evaluation to assess the relationship between cognitive test results and subjective complaints (cognitive, affective, motor, and other). The effect of psychiatric disorders on the association between cognitive performance and complaints of the patients was also examined. Patients with symptomatic infection had higher frequency of complaints than subjects at asymptomatic stage. Detailed neuropsychological examination confirmed a strong association between poor verbal memory and cognitive complaints. Poor performance on cognitive speed and flexibility was associated with motor complaints and motor abnormalities. These associations were not explained by psychiatric disorders or elevated depression questionnaire scores. Our observations indicate that, especially in symptomatic HIV-1 infection cognitive changes reported by patients often reflect "objective" cognitive decline, and may be the earliest signs of HIV-1 associated cognitive disorder. No direct relationship was observed between "subjective" complaints and neuropsychological performance of asymptomatic subjects. Understanding the significance of reported cognitive changes have important therapeutic implications.

Affect, accessibility of material in memory, and behavior: a cognitive loop?

PubMed

Isen, A M; Shalker, T E; Clark, M; Karp, L

1978-01-01

Two studies investigated the effect of good mood on cognitive processes. In the first study, conducted in a shopping mall, a positive feeling state was induced by giving subjects a free gift, and good mood, thus induced, was found to improve subjects' evaluations of the performance and service records of products they owned. In the second study, in which affect was induced by having subjects win or lose a computer game in a laboratory setting, subjects who had won the game were found to be better able to recall positive material in memory. The results of the two studies are discussed in terms of the effect that feelings have on accessibility of cognitions. In addition, the nature of affect and the relationship between good mood and behavior (such as helping) are discussed in terms of this proposed cognitive process.

The effect of erythropoietin on cognition in affective disorders - Associations with baseline deficits and change in subjective cognitive complaints.

PubMed

Ott, Caroline Vintergaard; Vinberg, Maj; Kessing, Lars V; Miskowiak, Kamilla W

2016-08-01

This is a secondary data analysis from our erythropoietin (EPO) trials. We examine (I) whether EPO improves speed of complex cognitive processing across bipolar and unipolar disorder, (II) if objective and subjective baseline cognitive impairment increases patients׳ chances of treatment-efficacy and (III) if cognitive improvement correlates with better subjective cognitive function, quality of life and socio-occupational capacity. Patients with unipolar or bipolar disorder were randomized to eight weekly EPO (N=40) or saline (N=39) infusions. Cognition, mood, quality of life and socio-occupational capacity were assessed at baseline (week 1), after treatment completion (week 9) and at follow-up (week 14). We used repeated measures analysis of covariance to investigate the effect of EPO on speed of complex cognitive processing. With logistic regression, we examined whether baseline cognitive impairment predicted treatment-efficacy. Pearson correlations were used to assess associations between objective and subjective cognition, quality of life and socio-occupational capacity. EPO improved speed of complex cognitive processing across affective disorders at weeks 9 and 14 (p≤0.05). In EPO-treated patients, baseline cognitive impairment increased the odds of treatment-efficacy on cognition at weeks 9 and 14 by a factor 9.7 (95% CI:1.2-81.1) and 9.9 (95% CI:1.1-88.4), respectively (p≤0.04). Subjective cognitive complaints did not affect chances of treatment-efficacy (p≥0.45). EPO-associated cognitive improvement correlated with reduced cognitive complaints but not with quality of life or socio-occupational function. As the analyses were performed post-hoc, findings are only hypothesis-generating. In conclusion, pro-cognitive effects of EPO occurred across affective disorders. Neuropsychological screening for cognitive dysfunction may be warranted in future cognition trials. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Nutritional status and cognitive function in community-living rural Bangladeshi older adults: data from the poverty and health in ageing project.

PubMed

Ferdous, Tamanna; Cederholm, Tommy; Kabir, Zarina Nahar; Hamadani, Jena Derakhshani; Wahlin, Ake

2010-05-01

To investigate the association between nutritional status and general and specific (fluid and crystallized) cognitive functioning in a group of older people living in a rural area in Bangladesh. Cross-sectional study. Matlab, Bangladesh. Four hundred fifty-seven randomly selected persons aged 60 and older (mean age 69.5 +/- 6.8), 55% female. Nutritional status was evaluated using a modified form of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). General cognitive function was assessed using the Bangla Adaptation of the Mini-Mental State Examination, and a word synonym test was used to test semantic memory function (a crystallized ability). To assess cognitive processing speed (a fluid ability), "cross balls" and "complete boxes" tests (scores/time unit) were used. Clinical diagnoses were registered. Structured questionnaires were used to assess demographic and socioeconomic status of the participants. Twenty-six percent of the participants were undernourished, and 62% were at risk of malnutrition according to the MNA. The MNA scores were significantly lower in women than in men (P=.01). Women performed worse than men in all three cognitive tasks (P<.001). Poorer cognitive performance was independently associated with older age, female sex, illiteracy, visual impairment, severity of disease, and depressive symptoms. There were significant associations between better nutritional status and better cognitive performance tests of general ability and processing speed, whereas semantic memory appeared to be less affected. The association between nutritional status and cognitive function involves general and specific cognitive abilities, with fluid ability seeming to be affected but crystalized functions being relatively spared.

Affective Factors in the Mediation of Background Effects on Cognitive Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cuttance, Peter F.

1980-01-01

Academic achievement at age 16 was influenced more by achievement at age 14 than by affective variables. Affective variables included academic and occupational aspiration, parent expectations, school attitudes, sex, socioeconomic status, parents' education, and migrancy. (CP)

Oral mixing ability and cognition in elderly persons with dementia: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Weijenberg, R A F; Lobbezoo, F; Visscher, C M; Scherder, E J A

2015-07-01

Masticatory performance has been positively associated with cognitive ability in both animals and healthy humans. We hypothesised that there would also be a positive correlation between masticatory performance and cognition in older persons suffering from dementia. Older persons suffering from dementia (n = 114) and receiving institutionalised care were studied in a cross-sectional design. The assessments included masticatory performance, which was measured objectively with a two-colour gum mixing ability test, and cognition, which was assessed with a multidomain neuropsychological test battery. Significant relationships were observed between masticatory performance and general cognition and between masticatory performance and verbal fluency. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the correlation with general cognition was influenced by the scores for dependency in activities of daily living. The association between verbal fluency and masticatory performance was not significantly affected by secondary variables. An unexpected limitation of this study was the high dropout rate for the mixing ability test. The clinical implications of these findings are profound; care professionals should endeavour to maintain and stimulate mastication in older persons with dementia in an attempt to preserve cognition. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Informant Perceptions of the Cause of Activities of Daily Living Difficulties in Parkinson's Disease.

PubMed

Benge, Jared F; Balsis, Steve

2016-01-01

Individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) can have difficulties with activities of daily living (ADL) that stem from cognitive, motor, or affective manifestations of the disease. Accurately attributing ADL difficulty specifically to cognitive decline is critical when conducting a neuropsychological evaluation of a person with PD. Informant description of ADL performance is frequently used for this purpose, but there has been little work assessing informants' ability to attribute ADL dysfunction to a specific symptom source in PD. Fifty community dwelling individuals with PD completed cognitive, motor, and affective measures. A knowledgeable informant completed an ADL scale that asked about degree and perceived source of difficulty (cognitive, motor, affective) for each task. Informants indicated that motor dysfunction was the most common source of ADL difficulty, but the informants viewed difficulty with certain tasks, such as financial management, as particularly related to cognitive dysfunction. Informant reports of the source of ADL dysfunction (cognitive, motor, affective) were consistent with clinical measures of those specific dysfunctions. ADL dysfunction attributed to cognition specifically (χ(2) = 9.80, p = .01) was higher in those with measurable cognitive impairment. Informant reports of the sources of ADL dysfunction correlate with clinical measures of these symptoms, suggesting that informants may provide useful clinical information about the cause of ADL dysfunction in persons with PD.

Effect of educational status on performance of older adults in digital cognitive tasks: A systematic review.

PubMed

de Carvalho, Lucas Pelegrini Nogueira; Monteiro, Diana Quirino; Orlandi, Fabiana de Souza; Zazzetta, Marisa Silvana; Pavarini, Sofia Cristina Iost

2017-01-01

As people age, cognitive abilities may decline resulting in serious disabilities. Neuropsychological instruments can provide information on the cognitive state of older adults. Researchers worldwide have been using digital cognitive tests to assess cognitive domains. To determine whether educational status affects the performance of older adults on digital cognitive tasks. A systematic review of articles in English, Portuguese, or Spanish published in the last 5 years was conducted. The databases searched were SCOPUS, PubMed, Lilacs, Scielo and PsychInfo. The PRISMA method was used. A total of 7,089 articles were initially retrieved. After search and exclusion with justification, seven articles were selected for further review. The findings revealed that researchers using digital tasks generally employed paper-based tests to compare results. Also, no association between years of education and test performance was found. Finally, a dearth of studies using digital tests published by Brazilian researchers was evident.

Cognitive judgement bias is associated with frequency of anticipatory behavior in bottlenose dolphins.

PubMed

Clegg, Isabella L K; Delfour, Fabienne

2018-03-01

Many animals display a suite of increased vigilance and/or activity responses in relation to upcoming events, termed "anticipatory behavior." Anticipatory behavior toward positive events has been suggested as a cross-species measure of affective state as it likely reflects the balance of the reward-sensitivity system: various studies suggest that animals in poorer welfare situations show higher or excessive levels of anticipation for positive events. Another tool for evaluating animals' affective state is cognitive bias testing, and although it has been attempted, a link has not yet been made between cognitive bias and anticipatory behavior levels. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in captivity increase the performance of behaviors such as surface-looking and spy-hopping in anticipation of training sessions during which food is provided. In this study we measured anticipatory behavior frequency in bottlenose dolphins prior to positive reinforcement training sessions, and assessed whether frequency of anticipatory behavior correlated with their performance on cognitive bias tasks. We found that higher frequencies of anticipatory behavior for training sessions was significantly associated with more pessimistic judgements in cognitive bias tests, supporting previous findings linking higher reward sensitivity with negative affective states. Anticipatory behavior is an easily measured activity and could represent a welfare indicator in dolphins as well as other animals in captive environments. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Positive Affect and Cognitive Restoration: Investigating the Role of Valence and Arousal

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Positive moods are thought to restore self-control resources following depletion. However, it is not well understood whether this effect is due to affective valence (pleasantness), arousal (activation), or a combination of both. Across four studies, we set out to investigate the role of positive moods on cognitive and behavioral measures of self-regulation in an ego-depletion paradigm. In studies 1 and 2, we independently manipulated affective valence and arousal and assessed self-regulation with a Stroop task. Results did not suggest a restorative effect of either on cognitive resources. In study 3, we employed both behavioral (the ‘handgrip task’) and cognitive (Stroop) assessments of self-regulation. Again, no significant effect of mood was observed on the Stroop task. Additionally, participants did not persist significantly longer on the handgrip task following a positive mood induction. Finally, in study 4, high vs. low states of arousal were manipulated and self-regulation was assessed via pre- and post-manipulation Stroop performance. In study 4, Stroop performance improved slightly more across time points for those in the high arousal condition than for those in the low arousal condition. Therefore, across four studies, we failed to find a consistent pattern of results suggesting that positive moods restore cognitive resources. PMID:26784026

An Evaluation of the Cognitive and Affective Performance of an Integrated Set of CAI Materials in the Principles of Macroeconomics. Studies in Economic Education, No. 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daellenbach, Lawrence A.; And Others

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of computer assisted instruction (CAI) on the cognitive and affective development of college students enrolled in a principles of macroeconomics course. The hypotheses of the experiment were stated as follows: In relation to the traditional principles course, the experimental treatment will…

No role of beta receptors in cognitive flexibility: Evidence from a task-switching paradigm in a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Steenbergen, L; Sellaro, R; de Rover, M; Hommel, B; Colzato, L S

2015-06-04

There is evidence that noradrenergic coeruleo-cortical projections are involved in different forms of cognitive flexibility. So far, no studies in humans have investigated the involvement of beta receptors on task-switching performance, a well-established measure of cognitive flexibility. The present study investigated whether the administration of propranolol (a central and peripheral beta-adrenergic antagonist) affected switching costs (i.e., the increase of reaction time in task-switching trials relative to task-repetition trials). Sixteen healthy adult human subjects performed a global-local task-switching paradigm in a double-blind, within-subjects design study investigating the effects of 80mg of propranolol hydrochloride (a β1 and β2 adrenergic receptor antagonist) vs. an oral dose of microcrystalline cellulose (placebo pill). The acute administration of propranolol did not affect the size of switching costs compared to the intake of the neutral placebo. Our results, corroborated by Bayesian inference, suggest that beta receptors do not modulate cognitive flexibility as measured by task-switching performance. Copyright © 2015 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Qualitative Study of Indian and Indian Immigrant Adolescents' Perceptions of the Factors Affecting Their Engagement and Performance in School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Areepattamannil, Shaljan; Freeman, John G.; Klinger, Don A.

2018-01-01

Although a growing body of quantitative research has examined the non-cognitive factors affecting the school engagement and performance of adolescents across cultures, there is relatively sparse qualitative research investigating the perceptions of adolescents regarding the factors influencing their engagement and performance in school. This focus…

Affective mentalizing and brain activity at rest in the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia.

PubMed

Caminiti, Silvia P; Canessa, Nicola; Cerami, Chiara; Dodich, Alessandra; Crespi, Chiara; Iannaccone, Sandro; Marcone, Alessandra; Falini, Andrea; Cappa, Stefano F

2015-01-01

bvFTD patients display an impairment in the attribution of cognitive and affective states to others, reflecting GM atrophy in brain regions associated with social cognition, such as amygdala, superior temporal cortex and posterior insula. Distinctive patterns of abnormal brain functioning at rest have been reported in bvFTD, but their relationship with defective attribution of affective states has not been investigated. To investigate the relationship among resting-state brain activity, gray matter (GM) atrophy and the attribution of mental states in the behavioral variant of fronto-temporal degeneration (bvFTD). We compared 12 bvFTD patients with 30 age- and education-matched healthy controls on a) performance in a task requiring the attribution of affective vs. cognitive mental states; b) metrics of resting-state activity in known functional networks; and c) the relationship between task-performances and resting-state metrics. In addition, we assessed a connection between abnormal resting-state metrics and GM atrophy. Compared with controls, bvFTD patients showed a reduction of intra-network coherent activity in several components, as well as decreased strength of activation in networks related to attentional processing. Anomalous resting-state activity involved networks which also displayed a significant reduction of GM density. In patients, compared with controls, higher affective mentalizing performance correlated with stronger functional connectivity between medial prefrontal sectors of the default-mode and attentional/performance monitoring networks, as well as with increased coherent activity in components of the executive, sensorimotor and fronto-limbic networks. Some of the observed effects may reflect specific compensatory mechanisms for the atrophic changes involving regions in charge of affective mentalizing. The analysis of specific resting-state networks thus highlights an intermediate level of analysis between abnormal brain structure and impaired behavioral performance in bvFTD, reflecting both dysfunction and compensation mechanisms.

Depressive symptoms, functional measures and long-term outcomes of high-risk ST-elevated myocardial infarction patients treated by primary angioplasty.

PubMed

Compostella, Leonida; Lorenzi, Sonia; Russo, Nicola; Setzu, Tiziana; Compostella, Caterina; Vettore, Elia; Isabella, Giambattista; Tarantini, Giuseppe; Iliceto, Sabino; Bellotto, Fabio

2017-02-01

The presence of major depressive symptoms is usually considered a negative long-term prognostic factor after an acute myocardial infarction (AMI); however, most of the supporting research was conducted before the era of immediate reperfusion by percutaneous coronary intervention. The aims of this study are to evaluate if depression still retains long-term prognostic significance in our era of immediate coronary reperfusion, and to study possible correlations with clinical parameters of physical performance. In 184 patients with recent ST-elevated AMI (STEMI), treated by immediate reperfusion, moderate or severe depressive symptoms (evaluated by Beck Depression Inventory version I) were present in 10 % of cases. Physical performance was evaluated by two 6-min walk tests and by a symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise test: somatic/affective (but not cognitive/affective) symptoms of depression and perceived quality of life (evaluated by the EuroQoL questionnaire) are worse in patients with lower levels of physical performance. Follow-up was performed after a median of 29 months by means of telephone interviews; 32 major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) occurred. The presence of three vessels disease and low left ventricle ejection fraction are correlated with a greater incidence of MACE; only somatic/affective (but not cognitive/affective) symptoms of depression correlate with long-term outcomes. In patients with recent STEMI treated by immediate reperfusion, somatic/affective but not cognitive/affective symptoms of depression show prognostic value on long-term MACE. Depression symptoms are not predictors "per se" of adverse prognosis, but seem to express an underlying worse cardiac efficiency, clinically reflected by poorer physical performance.

Stress and its Impact on the Neurocognitive Performance of Australian Nurses.

PubMed

Lees, Ty; Lal, Sara

2017-02-01

Nurses function inside a particularly stressful occupation that requires the provision of continuous care to individuals who are often in great need. Stress has been shown to impair performance and specifically shown to impair nursing quality. However, we do not yet know how stress influences the cognitive performance of nurses, and hence, the present study investigated the associations between stress and cognitive performance in nurses using electroencephalography and administered cognitive assessments. Thirty-six nurses (34 women) of mean age 37.77 ± 11.40 years were recruited. Stress was examined using the Lifestyle Appraisal Questionnaire. Broad spectrum electroencephalogram activity at positions Fp1, Fp2, C3 and C4 was recorded for a 5-min baseline and active phase to physiologically assess cognitive performance. Additionally, the Mini-Mental State Exam and Cognistat were also used to measure cognitive performance. Assessed cognitive performance was not associated to stress, however, lifestyle factors, as well as a number of the examined cognitive electroencephalographic variables including changes in theta, alpha activity and gamma reactivity were. Definitively determining how stress affects the cognitive performance of nurses requires additional research; the present study forms a foundation from which future research can further expand the examination of stress exposure in nurses. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cognitive Performance and Iron Status are Negatively Associated with Hookworm Infection in Cambodian Schoolchildren.

PubMed

Kuong, Khov; Fiorentino, Marion; Perignon, Marlene; Chamnan, Chhoun; Berger, Jacques; Sinuon, Muth; Molyden, Vann; Burja, Kurt; Parker, Megan; Ly, Sou Chheng; Friis, Henrik; Roos, Nanna; Wieringa, Frank T

2016-10-05

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infection has been associated with lower cognitive performance of schoolchildren. To identify pathways through which STH infection might affect school performance, baseline data from a large rice-fortification trial in Cambodian schoolchildren were used to investigate associations between STH infection, micronutrient status, anemia, and cognitive performance. Complete data on anthropometry, cognitive performance, and micronutrient status were available for 1,760 schoolchildren, 6-16 years of age. STH infection was identified using Kato-Katz, whereas cognitive performance was assessed using Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM), block design, and picture completion. STH infection was found in 18% of the children; almost exclusively hookwork infection. After adjusting for age and gender, raw cognitive test scores were significantly lower in hookworm-infected children (-0.65; -0.78; -2.03 points for picture completion, RCPM, and block design, respectively; P < 0.05 for all). Hookworm infection was associated with iron status (total body iron), but not with vitamin A and zinc status, nor with inflammation or anthropometry. Body iron was negatively associated with increased intensity of hookworm infection (R = 0.22, P < 0.001). Hookworm infection in Cambodian schoolchildren was associated with lower cognitive performance, an effect most likely mediated through lower body iron. Interventions that are more effective against hookworm infection are needed to contribute to better health and improvement of cognitive performance. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Correlation between the Quality of Attention and Cognitive Competence with Motor Action in Stroke Patients.

PubMed

Arsic, S; Konstantinovic, Lj; Eminovic, F; Pavlovic, D; Popovic, M B; Arsic, V

2015-01-01

It is considered that cognitive function and attention could affect walking, motion control, and proper conduct during the walk. To determine whether there is a difference in the quality of attention and cognitive ability in stroke patients and patients without neurological damage of similar age and education and to determine whether the connection of attention and cognition affects motor skills, the sample consisted of 50 stroke patients tested with hemiparesis, involved in the process of rehabilitation, and 50 persons, randomly chosen, without neurological damage. The survey used the following tests: Trail Making (TMT A B) test for assessing the flexibility of attention; Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for cognitive status; Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) test to assess the functional status and parameters of walk: speed, frequency, and length of stride; STEP test for assessing the precision of movement and balance. With stroke patients, relationship between age and performance on the MMSE test was marginally significant. The ratio of performance to TMT A B test and years does not indicate statistical significance, while statistical significance between the MMSE test performance and education exists. In stroke patients, performance on MMSE test is correlated with the frequency and length of stride walk. The quality of cognitive function and attention is associated with motor skills but differs in stroke patients and people without neurological damage of similar age. The significance of this correlation can supplement research in neurorehabilitation, improve the quality of medical rehabilitation, and contribute to efficient recovery of these patients.

Prefrontal electrical stimulation in non-depressed reduces levels of reported negative affects from daily stressors

PubMed Central

Davis, Nick J.

2017-01-01

Advances in neuroscience and pharmacology have led to improvements in the cognitive performance of people with neurological disease and other forms of cognitive decline. These same methods may also afford cognitive enhancement in people of otherwise normal cognitive abilities. “Cosmetic”, or supranormal, cognitive enhancement offers opportunities to enrich our social or financial status, our interactions with others, and the common wealth of our community. It is common to focus on the potential benefits of cognitive enhancement, while being less than clear about the possible drawbacks. Here I examine the harms or side-effects associated with a range of cognitive enhancement interventions. I propose a taxonomy of harms in cognitive enhancement, with harms classified as (neuro)biological, ethical, or societal. Biological harms are those that directly affect the person’s biological functioning, such as when a drug affects a person’s mood or autonomic function. Ethical harms are those that touch on issues such as fairness and cheating, or on erosion of autonomy and coercion. Societal harms are harms that affect whole populations, and which are normally the province of governments, such as the use of enhancement in military contexts. This taxonomy of harms will help to focus the debate around the use and regulation of cognitive enhancement. In particular it will help to clarify the appropriate network of stakeholders who should take an interest in each potential harm, and in minimizing the impact of these harms. PMID:28261075

Reproducibility of Cognitive Profiles in Psychosis Using Cluster Analysis.

PubMed

Lewandowski, Kathryn E; Baker, Justin T; McCarthy, Julie M; Norris, Lesley A; Öngür, Dost

2018-04-01

Cognitive dysfunction is a core symptom dimension that cuts across the psychoses. Recent findings support classification of patients along the cognitive dimension using cluster analysis; however, data-derived groupings may be highly determined by sampling characteristics and the measures used to derive the clusters, and so their interpretability must be established. We examined cognitive clusters in a cross-diagnostic sample of patients with psychosis and associations with clinical and functional outcomes. We then compared our findings to a previous report of cognitive clusters in a separate sample using a different cognitive battery. Participants with affective or non-affective psychosis (n=120) and healthy controls (n=31) were administered the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery, and clinical and community functioning assessments. Cluster analyses were performed on cognitive variables, and clusters were compared on demographic, cognitive, and clinical measures. Results were compared to findings from our previous report. A four-cluster solution provided a good fit to the data; profiles included a neuropsychologically normal cluster, a globally impaired cluster, and two clusters of mixed profiles. Cognitive burden was associated with symptom severity and poorer community functioning. The patterns of cognitive performance by cluster were highly consistent with our previous findings. We found evidence of four cognitive subgroups of patients with psychosis, with cognitive profiles that map closely to those produced in our previous work. Clusters were associated with clinical and community variables and a measure of premorbid functioning, suggesting that they reflect meaningful groupings: replicable, and related to clinical presentation and functional outcomes. (JINS, 2018, 24, 382-390).

A FISTful of Emotion: Individual Differences in Trait Anxiety and Cognitive-Affective Flexibility During Preadolescence.

PubMed

Mărcuş, Oana; Stanciu, Oana; MacLeod, Colin; Liebregts, Heather; Visu-Petra, Laura

2016-10-01

Cognitive-affective flexibility represents the ability to switch between alternative ways of processing emotional stimuli according to situational demands and individual goals. Although reduced flexibility has been implicated as a mechanism for the development of anxiety, there is very limited data on this relationship in children and adolescents. The aim of the current study was to investigate cognitive-affective flexibility in preadolescents (N = 112, 50 girls, 11-12 and 13-14 years old) and to examine if this ability is related to individual differences in trait anxiety. Their interplay was assessed using the modified version of the Flexible Item Selection Task (FIST; Jacques and Zelazo 2001) with non-emotional stimuli (geometrical shapes) and the Emotional FIST (EM-FIST) with emotional stimuli (emotional facial expressions). Performance on the EM-FIST indicated that across the whole age range, trials requiring greater cognitive flexibility were more demanding than nonflexible ones, as revealed by both response time and accuracy performance. Moreover, flexibility demands were higher for younger children than for older ones but only in terms of response speed. Individual differences in trait anxiety moderated the impact of flexibility only on the EM-FIST. Being flexible on the EM-FIST was more demanding for high trait anxious children than for their low trait anxious peers. Lastly, overall girls responded faster than boys, but only in the EM-FIST. These findings extend the presently limited literature concerning variability in cognitive-affective flexibility during this sensitive developmental window.

Arctic cognition: a study of cognitive performance in summer and winter at 69 degrees N

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brennen, T.; Martinussen, M.; Hansen, B. O.; Hjemdal, O.

1999-01-01

Evidence has accumulated over the past 15 years that affect in humans is cyclical. In winter there is a tendency to depression, with remission in summer, and this effect is stronger at higher latitudes. In order to determine whether human cognition is similarly rhythmical, this study investigated the cognitive processes of 100 participants living at 69 degrees N. Participants were tested in summer and winter on a range of cognitive tasks, including verbal memory, attention and simple reaction time tasks. The seasonally counterbalanced design and the very northerly latitude of this study provide optimal conditions for detecting impaired cognitive performance in winter, and the conclusion is negative: of five tasks with seasonal effects, four had disadvantages in summer. Like the menstrual cycle, the circannual cycle appears to influence mood but not cognition.

What does cognitive control feel like? Effective and ineffective cognitive control is associated with divergent phenomenology.

PubMed

Saunders, Blair; Milyavskaya, Marina; Inzlicht, Michael

2015-09-01

Cognitive control is accompanied by observable negative affect. But how is this negative affect experienced subjectively, and are these feelings related to variation in cognitive control? To address these questions, 42 participants performed a punished inhibitory control task while periodically reporting their subjective experience. We found that within-subject variation in subjective experience predicted control implementation, but not neural monitoring (i.e., the error-related negativity, ERN). Specifically, anxiety and frustration predicted increased and decreased response caution, respectively, while hopelessness accompanied reduced inhibitory control, and subjective effort coincided with the increased ability to inhibit prepotent responses. Clarifying the nature of these phenomenological results, the effects of frustration, effort, and hopelessness-but not anxiety-were statistically independent from the punishment manipulation. Conversely, while the ERN was increased by punishment, the lack of association between this component and phenomenology suggests that early monitoring signals might precede the development of control-related subjective experience. Our results indicate that the types of feelings experienced during cognitively demanding tasks are related to different aspects of controlled performance, critically suggesting that the relationship between emotion and cognitive control extends beyond the dimension of valence. © 2015 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Effects of caffeine, sleep loss, and stress on cognitive performance and mood during U.S. Navy SEAL training. Sea-Air-Land.

PubMed

Lieberman, Harris R; Tharion, William J; Shukitt-Hale, Barbara; Speckman, Karen L; Tulley, Richard

2002-11-01

When humans are acutely exposed to multiple stressors, cognitive performance is substantially degraded. Few practical strategies are available to sustain performance under such conditions. This study examined whether moderate doses of caffeine would reduce adverse effects of sleep deprivation and exposure to severe environmental and operational stress on cognitive performance. Volunteers were 68 U.S. Navy Sea-Air-Land (SEAL) trainees, randomly assigned to receive either 100, 200, or 300 mg caffeine or placebo in capsule form after 72 h of sleep deprivation and continuous exposure to other stressors. Cognitive tests administered included scanning visual vigilance, four-choice visual reaction time, a matching-to-sample working memory task and a repeated acquisition test of motor learning and memory. Mood state, marksmanship, and saliva caffeine were also assessed. Testing was conducted 1 and 8 h after treatment. Sleep deprivation and environmental stress adversely affected performance and mood. Caffeine, in a dose-dependent manner, mitigated many adverse effects of exposure to multiple stressors. Caffeine (200 and 300 mg) significantly improved visual vigilance, choice reaction time, repeated acquisition, self-reported fatigue and sleepiness with the greatest effects on tests of vigilance, reaction time, and alertness. Marksmanship, a task that requires fine motor coordination and steadiness, was not affected by caffeine. The greatest effects of caffeine were present 1 h post-administration, but significant effects persisted for 8 h. Even in the most adverse circumstances, moderate doses of caffeine can improve cognitive function, including vigilance, learning, memory, and mood state. When cognitive performance is critical and must be maintained during exposure to severe stress, administration of caffeine may provide a significant advantage. A dose of 200 mg appears to be optimal under such conditions.

Impairment on theory of mind and empathy in patients with stroke.

PubMed

Yeh, Zai-Ting; Tsai, Chung-Fen

2014-08-01

Impaired social function has been described in patients following stroke. The present study was designed to explore the degree of impairment in the ability to infer mental states in others, or cognitive and affective theory of mind, and empathy, in patients with stroke. A total of 34 patients with stroke were compared to 40 control subjects on tasks testing verbal and non-verbal theory of mind and empathy. Results indicated that patients with stroke were significantly impaired in both cognitive and affective theory of mind, even controlling for basic cognitive function and emotional processing. The patients with right stroke had poorer performance than those with left stroke on the cognitive component of non-verbal theory of mind. On the subscale of cognitive empathy, the right stroke group had poorer performance on perspective-taking than the control group. The right hemisphere may play an important role in decoding non-verbal cues to infer others' minds as well as the processing of empathy, especially the ability of perspective-taking. © 2014 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2014 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Social cognition and African American men: The roles of perceived discrimination and experimenter race on task performance.

PubMed

Nagendra, Arundati; Twery, Benjamin L; Neblett, Enrique W; Mustafic, Hasan; Jones, Tevin S; Gatewood, D'Angelo; Penn, David L

2018-01-01

The Social Cognition Psychometric Evaluation (SCOPE) study consists of a battery of eight tasks selected to measure social-cognitive deficits in individuals with schizophrenia. The battery is currently in a multisite validation process. While the SCOPE study collects basic demographic data, more nuanced race-related factors might artificially inflate cross-cultural differences in social cognition. As an initial step, we investigated whether race, independent of mental illness status, affects performance on the SCOPE battery. Thus, we examined the effects of perceived discrimination and experimenter race on the performance of 51 non-clinical African American men on the SCOPE battery. Results revealed that these factors impacted social cognitive task performance. Specifically, participants performed better on a skills-based task factor in the presence of Black experimenters, and frequency of perceived racism predicted increased perception of hostility in negative interpersonal situations with accidental causes. Thus, race-related factors are important to identify and explore in the measurement of social cognition in African Americans. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Neuroprogression and cognition in Bipolar Disorders: A systematic review of cognitive performance in euthymic patients].

PubMed

Lolich, María; Holtzman, Jessica N; Rago, Carlo M; Vázquez, Gustavo H

2015-01-01

In recent years, investigators have begun to consider the possibility of explaining the physiopathology of bipolar disorder from a neuroprogressive perspective. The evidence that supports the feasibility of such an approach is varied, and arises from neuroimaging studies, batteries of neurocognitive evaluations, and tests to identify the specific biomarkers of the disorder. The present article seeks to perform a review of the research that investigates the cognitive deficits in bipolar disorder. A bibliographic revision was performed of articles published between 1990 and 2015. Levels of cognitive performance were explored in both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. The compiled studies signal the presence of altered cognitive function, even during periods of euthymia. However, there are contradictory results as to whether bipolar disorder presents a degenerative course. New lines of investigation suggest that only a percentage of individuals with bipolar disorder are affected in a progressive manner. It is of paramount importance to perform new longitudinal studies in high-risk populations, so as to validate or refute a neuroprogressive model of cognitive deficits in patients with bipolar disorder.

Cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) benefits more to patients with schizophrenia with low initial memory performances.

PubMed

Pillet, Benoit; Morvan, Yannick; Todd, Aurelia; Franck, Nicolas; Duboc, Chloé; Grosz, Aimé; Launay, Corinne; Demily, Caroline; Gaillard, Raphaël; Krebs, Marie-Odile; Amado, Isabelle

2015-01-01

Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia mainly affect memory, attention and executive functions. Cognitive remediation is a technique derived from neuropsychology, which aims to improve or compensate for these deficits. Working memory, verbal learning, and executive functions are crucial factors for functional outcome. Our purpose was to assess the impact of the cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) program on cognitive difficulties in patients with schizophrenia, especially on working memory, verbal memory, and cognitive flexibility. We collected data from clinical and neuropsychological assessments in 24 patients suffering from schizophrenia (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental Disorders-Fourth Edition, DSM-IV) who followed a 3-month (CRT) program. Verbal and visuo-spatial working memory, verbal memory, and cognitive flexibility were assessed before and after CRT. The Wilcoxon test showed significant improvements on the backward digit span, on the visual working memory span, on verbal memory and on flexibility. Cognitive improvement was substantial when baseline performance was low, independently from clinical benefit. CRT is effective on crucial cognitive domains and provides a huge benefit for patients having low baseline performance. Such cognitive amelioration appears highly promising for improving the outcome in cognitively impaired patients.

Neuropsychological Test Performance in Cognitively Normal Spanish-speaking Nonagenarians with Little Education.

PubMed

Guerrero-Berroa, Elizabeth; Schmeidler, James; Raventos, Henriette; Valerio, Daniel; Beeri, Michal Schnaider; Carrión-Baralt, José R; Mora-Villalobos, Lara; Bolaños, Patricia; Sano, Mary; Silverman, Jeremy M

2016-06-01

To find associations of age, sex, and education with neuropsychological test performance in cognitively normal Spanish-speaking Costa Rican nonagenarians with little education; to provide norms; and to compare their performance with similar Puerto Ricans. For 95 Costa Ricans (90-102 years old, 0-6 years of education), multiple regression assessed associations with demographics of performance on six neuropsychological tests. Analyses of covariance compared them with 23 Puerto Ricans (90-99 years old). Younger age and being female-but not education-were associated with better performance on some neuropsychological tests, in particular episodic memory. The Puerto Ricans performed better on learning and memory tasks. In cognitively intact Spanish-speaking nonagenarians with little or no education, education did not affect test performance. Additional studies of the effect of education on cognitive performance are warranted in other samples with extremely low education or old age. National differences in performance highlight the importance of group-specific norms.

Neuropsychological Test Performance in Cognitively Normal Spanish-speaking Nonagenarians with Little Education

PubMed Central

Schmeidler, James; Raventos, Henriette; Valerio, Daniel; Beeri, Michal Schnaider; Carrión-Baralt, José R.; Mora-Villalobos, Lara; Bolaños, Patricia; Sano, Mary; Silverman, Jeremy M.

2016-01-01

To find associations of age, sex, and education with neuropsychological test performance in cognitively normal Spanish-speaking Costa Rican nonagenarians with little education; to provide norms; and to compare their performance with similar Puerto Ricans. For 95 Costa Ricans (90–102 years old, 0–6 years of education), multiple regression assessed associations with demographics of performance on six neuropsychological tests. Analyses of covariance compared them with 23 Puerto Ricans (90–99 years old). Younger age and being female—but not education—were associated with better performance on some neuropsychological tests, in particular episodic memory. The Puerto Ricans performed better on learning and memory tasks. In cognitively intact Spanish-speaking nonagenarians with little or no education, education did not affect test performance. Additional studies of the effect of education on cognitive performance are warranted in other samples with extremely low education or old age. National differences in performance highlight the importance of group-specific norms. PMID:26883764

Theory of mind and empathy in preclinical and clinical Huntington's disease.

PubMed

Adjeroud, Najia; Besnard, Jérémy; El Massioui, Nicole; Verny, Christophe; Prudean, Adriana; Scherer, Clarisse; Gohier, Bénédicte; Bonneau, Dominique; Allain, Philippe

2016-01-01

We investigated cognitive and affective Theory of Mind (ToM) and empathy in patients with premanifest and manifest Huntington's disease (HD). The relationship between ToM performance and executive skills was also examined. Sixteen preclinical and 23 clinical HD patients, and 39 healthy subjects divided into 2 control groups were given a French adaptation of the Yoni test (Shamay-Tsoory, S.G., Aharon-Peretz, J. (2007). Dissociable prefrontal networks for cognitive and affective theory of mind: a lesion study. Neuropsychologia, 45(3), 3054-67) that examines first- and second-order cognitive and affective ToM processing in separate conditions with a physical control condition. Participants were also given questionnaires of empathy and cognitive tests which mainly assessed executive functions (inhibition and mental flexibility). Clinical HD patients made significantly more errors than their controls in the first- and second-order cognitive and affective ToM conditions of the Yoni task, but exhibited no empathy deficits. However, there was no evidence that ToM impairment was related to cognitive deficits in these patients. Preclinical HD patients were unimpaired in ToM tasks and empathy measures compared with their controls. Our results are consistent with the idea that impaired affective and cognitive mentalizing emerges with the clinical manifestation of HD, but is not necessarily part of the preclinical stage. Furthermore, these impairments appear independent of executive dysfunction and empathy. © The Author (2015). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Search and the Aging Mind: The Promise and Limits of the Cognitive Control Hypothesis of Age Differences in Search.

PubMed

Mata, Rui; von Helversen, Bettina

2015-07-01

Search is a prerequisite for successful performance in a broad range of tasks ranging from making decisions between consumer goods to memory retrieval. How does aging impact search processes in such disparate situations? Aging is associated with structural and neuromodulatory brain changes that underlie cognitive control processes, which in turn have been proposed as a domain-general mechanism controlling search in external environments as well as memory. We review the aging literature to evaluate the cognitive control hypothesis that suggests that age-related change in cognitive control underlies age differences in both external and internal search. We also consider the limits of the cognitive control hypothesis and propose additional mechanisms such as changes in strategy use and affect that may be necessary to understand how aging affects search. Copyright © 2015 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Duration and frequency of migraines affect cognitive function: evidence from neuropsychological tests and event-related potentials.

PubMed

Huang, Lifang; Juan Dong, Hong; Wang, Xi; Wang, Yan; Xiao, Zheman

2017-12-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in the cognitive performance of migraine patients using a comprehensive series of cognitive/behavioral and electrophysiological tests. A randomized, cross-sectional, within subject approach was used to compare neuropsychological and electrophysiological evaluations from migrane-affected and healthy subjects. Thirty-four patients with migraine (6 males, 28 females, average 36 years old) were included. Migraineurs performed worse in the majority of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) (p = 0.007) compared to the healthy subjects, significantly in language (p = 0.005), memory (p = 0.006), executive functions (p = 0.042), calculation (p = 0.018) and orientation (p = 0.012). Migraineurs had a lower score on the memory trial of the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test (ROCF) (p = 0.012). The P3 latency in Fz, Cz, Pz was prolonged in migraineurs compared with the normal control group (P < 0.001). In addition, we analyzed significant correlations between MoCA score and the duration of migraine. We also observed that a decrease in the MoCA-executive functions and calculation score and in the ROCF-recall score were both correlated to the frequency of migraine. Migraineurs were more anxious than healthy subjects (p = 0.001), which is independent of cognitive testing. Differences were unrelated to age, gender and literacy. Cognitive performance decreases during migraine, and cognitive dysfunction can be related to the duration and frequency of a migraine attack.

Domestication has not affected the understanding of means-end connections in dogs

PubMed Central

Range, Friederike; Möslinger, Helene; Virányi, Zs

2015-01-01

Recent studies have revealed that dogs often perform well in cognitive tasks in the social domain, but rather poorly in the physical domain. This dichotomy has led to the hypothesis that the domestication process might have enhanced the social cognitive skills of dogs (Hare et al. in Science 298:1634–1636, 2002; Miklósi et al. in Curr Biol 13:763–766, 2003) but at the same time had a detrimental effect on their physical cognition (Frank in Z Tierpsychol 5:389–399, 1980). Despite the recent interest in dog cognition and especially the effects of domestication, the latter hypothesis has hardly been tested and we lack detailed knowledge of the physical understanding of wolves in comparison with dogs. Here, we set out to examine whether adult wolves and dogs rely on means-end connections using the string-pulling task, to test the prediction that wolves would perform better than dogs in such a task of physical cognition. We found that at the group level, dogs were more prone to commit the proximity error, while the wolves showed a stronger side bias. Neither wolves nor dogs showed an instantaneous understanding of means-end connection, but made different mistakes. Thus, the performance of the wolves and dogs in this string-pulling task did not confirm that domestication has affected the physical cognition of dogs. PMID:22460629

Domestication has not affected the understanding of means-end connections in dogs.

PubMed

Range, Friederike; Möslinger, Helene; Virányi, Zs

2012-07-01

Recent studies have revealed that dogs often perform well in cognitive tasks in the social domain, but rather poorly in the physical domain. This dichotomy has led to the hypothesis that the domestication process might have enhanced the social cognitive skills of dogs (Hare et al. in Science 298:1634-1636, 2002; Miklósi et al. in Curr Biol 13:763-766, 2003) but at the same time had a detrimental effect on their physical cognition (Frank in Z Tierpsychol 5:389-399, 1980). Despite the recent interest in dog cognition and especially the effects of domestication, the latter hypothesis has hardly been tested and we lack detailed knowledge of the physical understanding of wolves in comparison with dogs. Here, we set out to examine whether adult wolves and dogs rely on means-end connections using the string-pulling task, to test the prediction that wolves would perform better than dogs in such a task of physical cognition. We found that at the group level, dogs were more prone to commit the proximity error, while the wolves showed a stronger side bias. Neither wolves nor dogs showed an instantaneous understanding of means-end connection, but made different mistakes. Thus, the performance of the wolves and dogs in this string-pulling task did not confirm that domestication has affected the physical cognition of dogs.

Naturalistic distraction and driving safety in older drivers.

PubMed

Aksan, Nazan; Dawson, Jeffrey D; Emerson, Jamie L; Yu, Lixi; Uc, Ergun Y; Anderson, Steven W; Rizzo, Matthew

2013-08-01

In this study, we aimed to quantify and compare performance of middle-aged and older drivers during a naturalistic distraction paradigm (visual search for roadside targets) and to predict older drivers performance given functioning in visual, motor, and cognitive domains. Distracted driving can imperil healthy adults and may disproportionally affect the safety of older drivers with visual, motor, and cognitive decline. A total of 203 drivers, 120 healthy older (61 men and 59 women, ages 65 years and older) and 83 middle-aged drivers (38 men and 45 women, ages 40 to 64 years), participated in an on-road test in an instrumented vehicle. Outcome measures included performance in roadside target identification (traffic signs and restaurants) and concurrent driver safety. Differences in visual, motor, and cognitive functioning served as predictors. Older drivers identified fewer landmarks and drove slower but committed more safety errors than did middle-aged drivers. Greater familiarity with local roads benefited performance of middle-aged but not older drivers.Visual cognition predicted both traffic sign identification and safety errors, and executive function predicted traffic sign identification over and above vision. Older adults are susceptible to driving safety errors while distracted by common secondary visual search tasks that are inherent to driving. The findings underscore that age-related cognitive decline affects older drivers' management of driving tasks at multiple levels and can help inform the design of on-road tests and interventions for older drivers.

Out of mind, out of heart: attention affects duration of emotional experience.

PubMed

Freund, Alexandra M; Keil, Andreas

2013-01-01

It has been suggested that the extent to which a person maintains attention to pleasant versus unpleasant aspects of a given stimulus has an effect on the self-reported affective state. This assumption was empirically tested in two experiments. In Study 1, participants received the instruction either to focus on a positive emotion-eliciting event (winning a tournament chess game) or to focus their attention on an affectively neutral distraction task (describing drawings). Study 2 used negative performance feedback in a cognitive task to induce unpleasant affect and included three experimental groups (waiting condition, continuing with the same cognitive task, distraction by a different cognitive task). Results converged to show that distracting attention away from the emotion-eliciting event leads to a shorter duration of the emotional experience. These findings support the attention-focus hypothesis.

Neural responses to affective and cognitive theory of mind in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Kim, Eunjoo; Kyeong, Sunghyon; Cheon, Keun-Ah; Park, Bumhee; Oh, Maeng-Keun; Chun, Ji Won; Park, Hae-Jeong; Kim, Jae-Jin; Song, Dong-Ho

2016-05-16

Children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are characterized by an impaired Theory of Mind (ToM). Recent evidence suggested that two aspects of ToM (cognitive ToM versus affective ToM) are differentially impaired in individuals with ASD. In this study, we examined the neural correlates of cognitive and affective ToM in children and adolescents with ASD compared to typically developing children (TDCs). Twelve children and adolescents with ASD and 12 age, IQ matched TDCs participated in this functional MRI study. The ToM task involved the attribution of cognitive and affective mental states to a cartoon character based on verbal and eye-gaze cues. In cognitive ToM tasks, ASD participants recruited the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and superior temporal gyrus (STG) to a greater extent than did TDCs. In affective ToM tasks, both ASD and TDC participants showed more activation in the insula and other subcortical regions than in cognitive ToM tasks. Correlational analysis revealed that greater activation of the mPFC/ACC regions was associated with less symptom severity in ASD patients. In sum, our study suggests that the recruitment of additional prefrontal resources can compensate for the successful behavioral performance in the ToM task in ASD participants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cognitive markers of psychotic unipolar depression: a meta-analytic study.

PubMed

Zaninotto, Leonardo; Guglielmo, Riccardo; Calati, Raffaella; Ioime, Lucia; Camardese, Giovanni; Janiri, Luigi; Bria, Pietro; Serretti, Alessandro

2015-03-15

The goal of the current meta-analysis was to review and examine in detail the features of cognitive performance in psychotic (MDDP) versus non-psychotic (MDD) major depressive disorder. An electronic literature search was performed to find studies comparing cognitive performance in MDDP versus MDD. A meta-analysis of broad cognitive domains (processing speed, reasoning/problem solving, verbal learning, visual learning, attention/working memory) and individual cognitive tasks was conducted on all included studies (n=12). Demographic and clinical features were investigated via meta-regression analysis as moderators of cognitive performance. No difference in socio-demographic and clinical variables was detected between groups. In general, a poorer cognitive performance was detected in MDDP versus MDD subjects (ES=0.38), with a greater effect size in drug-free patients (ES=0.69). MDDP patients were more impaired in verbal learning (ES=0.67), visual learning (ES=0.62) and processing speed (ES=0.71) tasks. A significantly poorer performance was also detected in MDDP patients for individual tasks as Trail Making Test A, WAIS-R digit span backward and WAIS-R digit symbol. Age resulted to have a negative effect on tasks involved in working memory performance. In line with previous meta-analyses, our findings seem to support an association between psychosis and cognitive deficits in the context of affective disorders. Psychosis during the course of MDD is associated with poorer cognitive performance in some specific cognitive domains, such as visual and verbal learning and executive functions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Magical ideation associated social cognition in adolescents: signs of a negative facial affect recognition deficit.

PubMed

Canli, Derya; Ozdemir, Hatice; Kocak, Orhan Murat

2015-08-01

Studies provide evidence for impaired social cognition in schizotypy and its association with negative symptoms. Cognitive features related to magical ideation - a component of the positive dimension of schizotypy - have been less investigated. We aimed to assess social cognitive functioning among adolescents with high magical ideation scores, mainly focusing on face and emotion recognition. 22 subjects with magical ideation scale scores above the cut off level and 22 controls with lowest scores from among 250 students screened with this scale were included in the study. A face and emotion recognition n-back test, the empathy quotient, theory of mind tests and the Physical Anhedonia Scale were applied to both magical ideation and control groups. The magical ideation group performed significantly worse than controls on both face and emotion recognition tests. Emotion recognition performance was found to be affected by memory load, with sadness, among emotions, revealing a difference between the two groups. Empathy and theory of mind tests did not distinguish the magical ideation group from controls. Our findings provide evidence for a deficit in negative emotion recognition affected by memory load associated with magical ideation in adolescents. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Alcohol affects brain functional connectivity and its coupling with behavior: greater effects in male heavy drinkers.

PubMed

Shokri-Kojori, E; Tomasi, D; Wiers, C E; Wang, G-J; Volkow, N D

2017-08-01

Acute and chronic alcohol exposure significantly affect behavior but the underlying neurobiological mechanisms are still poorly understood. Here, we used functional connectivity density (FCD) mapping to study alcohol-related changes in resting brain activity and their association with behavior. Heavy drinkers (HD, N=16, 16 males) and normal controls (NM, N=24, 14 males) were tested after placebo and after acute alcohol administration. Group comparisons showed that NM had higher FCD in visual and prefrontal cortices, default mode network regions and thalamus, while HD had higher FCD in cerebellum. Acute alcohol significantly increased FCD within the thalamus, impaired cognitive and motor functions, and affected self-reports of mood/drug effects in both groups. Partial least squares regression showed that alcohol-induced changes in mood/drug effects were associated with changes in thalamic FCD in both groups. Disruptions in motor function were associated with increases in cerebellar FCD in NM and thalamus FCD in HD. Alcohol-induced declines in cognitive performance were associated with connectivity increases in visual cortex and thalamus in NM, but in HD, increases in precuneus FCD were associated with improved cognitive performance. Acute alcohol reduced 'neurocognitive coupling', the association between behavioral performance and FCD (indexing brain activity), an effect that was accentuated in HD compared with NM. Findings suggest that reduced cortical connectivity in HD contribute to decline in cognitive abilities associated with heavy alcohol consumption, whereas increased cerebellar connectivity in HD may have compensatory effects on behavioral performance. The results reveal how drinking history alters the association between brain FCD and individual differences in behavioral performance.

Effects of Intermittent Fasting, Caloric Restriction, and Ramadan Intermittent Fasting on Cognitive Performance at Rest and During Exercise in Adults.

PubMed

Cherif, Anissa; Roelands, Bart; Meeusen, Romain; Chamari, Karim

2016-01-01

The aim of this review was to highlight the potent effects of intermittent fasting on the cognitive performance of athletes at rest and during exercise. Exercise interacts with dietary factors and has a positive effect on brain functioning. Furthermore, physical activity and exercise can favorably influence brain plasticity. Mounting evidence indicates that exercise, in combination with diet, affects the management of energy metabolism and synaptic plasticity by affecting molecular mechanisms through brain-derived neurotrophic factor, an essential neurotrophin that acts at the interface of metabolism and plasticity. The literature has also shown that certain aspects of physical performance and mental health, such as coping and decision-making strategies, can be negatively affected by daylight fasting. However, there are several types of intermittent fasting. These include caloric restriction, which is distinct from fasting and allows subjects to drink water ad libitum while consuming a very low-calorie food intake. Another type is Ramadan intermittent fasting, which is a religious practice of Islam, where healthy adult Muslims do not eat or drink during daylight hours for 1 month. Other religious practices in Islam (Sunna) also encourage Muslims to practice intermittent fasting outside the month of Ramadan. Several cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have shown that intermittent fasting has crucial effects on physical and intellectual performance by affecting various aspects of bodily physiology and biochemistry that could be important for athletic success. Moreover, recent findings revealed that immunological variables are also involved in cognitive functioning and that intermittent fasting might impact the relationship between cytokine expression in the brain and cognitive deficits, including memory deficits.

Investigating the Neural Correlates of Emotion–Cognition Interaction Using an Affective Stroop Task

PubMed Central

Raschle, Nora M.; Fehlbaum, Lynn V.; Menks, Willeke M.; Euler, Felix; Sterzer, Philipp; Stadler, Christina

2017-01-01

The human brain has the capacity to integrate various sources of information and continuously adapts our behavior according to situational needs in order to allow a healthy functioning. Emotion–cognition interactions are a key example for such integrative processing. However, the neuronal correlates investigating the effects of emotion on cognition remain to be explored and replication studies are needed. Previous neuroimaging studies have indicated an involvement of emotion and cognition related brain structures including parietal and prefrontal cortices and limbic brain regions. Here, we employed whole brain event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during an affective number Stroop task and aimed at replicating previous findings using an adaptation of an existing task design in 30 healthy young adults. The Stroop task is an indicator of cognitive control and enables the quantification of interference in relation to variations in cognitive load. By the use of emotional primes (negative/neutral) prior to Stroop task performance, an emotional variation is added as well. Behavioral in-scanner data showed that negative primes delayed and disrupted cognitive processing. Trials with high cognitive demand furthermore negatively influenced cognitive control mechanisms. Neuronally, the emotional primes consistently activated emotion-related brain regions (e.g., amygdala, insula, and prefrontal brain regions) while Stroop task performance lead to activations in cognition networks of the brain (prefrontal cortices, superior temporal lobe, and insula). When assessing the effect of emotion on cognition, increased cognitive demand led to decreases in neural activation in response to emotional stimuli (negative > neutral) within prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and insular cortex. Overall, these results suggest that emotional primes significantly impact cognitive performance and increasing cognitive demand leads to reduced neuronal activation in emotion related brain regions, and therefore support previous findings investigating emotion–cognition interaction in healthy adults. Moreover, emotion and cognition seem to be tightly related to each other, as indicated by shared neural networks involved in both of these processes. Emotion processing, cognitive control, and their interaction are crucial for healthy functioning and a lack thereof is related to psychiatric disorders such as, disruptive behavior disorders. Future studies may investigate the neural characteristics of children and adolescents with disruptive behavior disorders. PMID:28919871

Effects of peer social interaction on performance during computerized cognitive remediation therapy in patients with early course schizophrenia: A pilot study.

PubMed

Sandoval, Luis R; González, Betzamel López; Stone, William S; Guimond, Synthia; Rivas, Cristina Torres; Sheynberg, David; Kuo, Susan S; Eack, Shaun; Keshavan, Matcheri S

2017-09-04

Recent studies show that computer-based training enhances cognition in schizophrenia; furthermore, socialization has also been found to improve cognitive functions. It is generally believed that non-social cognitive remediation using computer exercises would be a pre-requisite for therapeutic benefits from social cognitive training. However, it is also possible that social interaction by itself enhances non-social cognitive functions; this possibility has scarcely been explored in schizophrenia patients. This pilot study examined the effects of computer-based neurocognitive training, along with social interaction either with a peer (PSI) or without one (N-PSI). We hypothesized that PSI will enhance cognitive performance during computerized exercises in schizophrenia, as compared with N-PSI. Sixteen adult participants diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder participating in an ongoing trial of Cognitive Enhancement Therapy completed several computerized neurocognitive remediation training sessions (the Orientation Remedial Module©, or ORM), either with a peer or without a peer. We observed a significant interaction between the effect of PSI and performance on the different cognitive exercises (p<0.05). More precisely, when patients performed the session with PSI, they demonstrated better cognitive performances than with N-PSI in the ORM exercise that provides training in processing speed, alertness, and reaction time (the standard Attention Reaction Conditioner, or ARC) (p<0.01, corrected). PSI did not significantly affect other cognitive domains such as target detection and spatial attention. Our findings suggest that PSI could improve cognitive performance, such as processing speed, during computerized cognitive training in schizophrenia. Additional studies investigating the effect of PSI during cognitive remediation are needed to further evaluate this hypothesis. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Depressive Symptoms Affect Working Memory in Healthy Older Adult Hispanics.

PubMed

Salazar-Villanea, Monica; Liebmann, Edward; Garnier-Villarreal, Mauricio; Montenegro-Montenegro, Esteban; Johnson, David K

2015-10-01

Low and middle income nations will experience an unprecedented growth of the elderly population and subsequent increase in age-related neurological disorders. Worldwide prevalence and incidence of all-types of neurological disorders with serious mental health complications will increase with life expectancy across the globe. One-in- ten individuals over 75 has at least moderate cognitive impairment. Prevalence of cognitive impairment doubles every 5 years thereafter. Latin America's population of older adult's 65 years and older is growing rapidly, yet little is known about cognitive aging among healthy older Latinos. Clinically significant depressive symptomatology is common among community-dwelling older adults and is associated with deficits across multiple cognitive domains, however much of the literature has not modeled the unique effects of depression distinct from negative and low positive affect. Our objective was to understand how mental health affects cognitive health in healthy aging Latinos. The present study used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the relative effects of Negative Affect, Positive Affect and Geriatric Depression on Verbal Memory, Verbal Reasoning, Processing Speed, and Working Memory in healthy aging Latinos. Data was collected from a sample of healthy community dwelling older adults living in San Jose, Costa Rica. Modeling of latent variables attenuated error and improved measurement reliability of cognition, affect, and depression variables. Costa Ricans enjoy a notoriety for being much happier than US citizens and are renowned as one of the happiest nations in the world in global surveys. This was born out in these data. Costa Rican affective profiles differed substantively from US profiles. Levels of negative affect and depression were similar to US samples, but their levels of positive affect were much higher. Cognitive performance of these Costa Rican older adults was similar to US-age and education matched peers. CFA and SEM found that increased depressive symptomatology had deleterious effects on Working Memory made up of subtest scores sampling simple attention and vigilance for numbers. Verbal Memory, Verbal Reasoning, and Processing Speed were not affected by self-reported Positive Affect, Negative Affect or Depressive symptoms. Costa Rican older adults were happy, as evidenced by the high ratio of positive affect to relatively low negative affect. Thus, we were somewhat surprised to find that depressive symptoms were selectively correlated to decrements in working memory and that negative and positive affect contributed negligible amounts of variance to any of the cognitive factors. Because of the methodological rigor of latent variable analysis, these results are very specific. The Working Memory factor is not contaminated with Speed of Processing or other measured cognitive factors. Likewise, the measured Geriatric Depression represents symptoms that are richly cognitive, not overtly affective.

When customers exhibit verbal aggression, employees pay cognitive costs.

PubMed

Rafaeli, Anat; Erez, Amir; Ravid, Shy; Derfler-Rozin, Rellie; Treister, Dorit Efrat; Scheyer, Ravit

2012-09-01

In 4 experimental studies, we show that customer verbal aggression impaired the cognitive performance of the targets of this aggression. In Study 1, customers' verbal aggression reduced recall of customers' requests. Study 2 extended these findings by showing that customer verbal aggression impaired recognition memory and working memory among employees of a cellular communication provider. In Study 3, the ability to take another's perspective attenuated the negative effects of customer verbal aggression on participants' cognitive performance. Study 4 linked customer verbal aggression to quality of task performance, showing a particularly negative influence of aggressive requests delivered by high-status customers. Together, these studies suggest that the effects of even minor aggression from customers can strongly affect the immediate cognitive performance of customer service employees and reduce their task performance. The implications for research on aggression and for the practice of customer service are discussed.

Interaction between statin use and saturated fat intake in relation to cognitive test performance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Strokes, microvascular disease, and Alzheimer’s disease adversely affect cognitive function in older people. High circulating cholesterol levels and amyloid-beta peptide deposition contribute to these conditions. Statins lower serum cholesterol by interfering with cholesterol biosynthesis, and they ...

Motivational Processes Affecting Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dweck, Carol S.

1986-01-01

Educationally relevant conceptions of motivation are difficult to establish. A research based model of motivational processes can show how goals for cognitive tasks shape reactions to success and failure and how they influence the quality of cognitive performance. This model can aid in designing programs to change maladaptive motivational…

Effects of increasing and decreasing physiological arousal on anticipation timing performance during competition and practice.

PubMed

Duncan, Michael J; Smith, Mike; Bryant, Elizabeth; Eyre, Emma; Cook, Kathryn; Hankey, Joanne; Tallis, Jason; Clarke, Neil; Jones, Marc V

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate if the effects of changes in physiological arousal on timing performance can be accurately predicted by the catastrophe model. Eighteen young adults (8 males, 10 females) volunteered to participate in the study following ethical approval. After familiarisation, coincidence anticipation was measured using the Bassin Anticipation Timer under four incremental exercise conditions: Increasing exercise intensity and low cognitive anxiety, increasing exercise intensity and high cognitive anxiety, decreasing exercise intensity and low cognitive anxiety and decreasing exercise intensity and high cognitive anxiety. Incremental exercise was performed on a treadmill at intensities of 30%, 50%, 70% and 90% heart rate reserve (HRR) respectively. Ratings of cognitive anxiety were taken at each intensity using the Mental Readiness Form 3 (MRF3) followed by performance of coincidence anticipation trials at speeds of 3 and 8 mph. Results indicated significant condition × intensity interactions for absolute error (AE; p = .0001) and MRF cognitive anxiety intensity scores (p = .05). Post hoc analysis indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in AE across exercise intensities in low-cognitive anxiety conditions. In high-cognitive anxiety conditions, timing performance AE was significantly poorer and cognitive anxiety higher at 90% HRR, compared to the other exercise intensities. There was no difference in timing responses at 90% HRR during competitive trials, irrespective of whether exercise intensity was increasing or decreasing. This study suggests that anticipation timing performance is negatively affected when physiological arousal and cognitive anxiety are high.

Effect of alternating postures on cognitive performance for healthy people performing sedentary work.

PubMed

Schwartz, Bernhard; Kapellusch, Jay M; Schrempf, Andreas; Probst, Kathrin; Haller, Michael; Baca, Arnold

2018-06-01

Prolonged sitting is a risk factor for several diseases and the prevalence of worksite-based interventions such as sit-to-stand workstations is increasing. Although their impact on sedentary behaviour has been regularly investigated, the effect of working in alternating body postures on cognitive performance is unclear. To address this uncertainty, 45 students participated in a two-arm, randomised controlled cross-over trial under laboratory conditions. Subjects executed validated cognitive tests (working speed, reaction time, concentration performance) either in sitting or alternating working postures on two separate days (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02863731). MANOVA results showed no significant difference in cognitive performance between trials executed in alternating, standing or sitting postures. Perceived workload did not differ between sitting and alternating days. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant learning effects regarding concentration performance and working speed for both days. These results suggest that working posture did not affect cognitive performance in the short term. Practitioner Summary: Prior reports indicated health-related benefits based on alternated (sit/stand) body postures. Nevertheless, their effect on cognitive performance is unknown. This randomised controlled trial showed that working in alternating body postures did not influence reaction time, concentration performance, working speed or workload perception in the short term.

Incentive-related modulation of cognitive control in healthy, anxious, and depressed adolescents: development and psychopathology related differences.

PubMed

Hardin, Michael G; Schroth, Elizabeth; Pine, Daniel S; Ernst, Monique

2007-05-01

Developmental changes in cognitive and affective processes contribute to adolescent risk-taking behavior, emotional intensification, and psychopathology. The current study examined adolescent development of cognitive control processes and their modulation by incentive, in health and psychopathology. Predictions include 1) better cognitive control in adults than adolescents, and in healthy adolescents than anxious and depressed adolescents, and 2) a stronger influence of incentives in adolescents than adults, and in healthy adolescents than their depressed and anxious counterparts. Antisaccadic eye movement parameters, which provide a measure of cognitive control, were collected during a reward antisaccade task that included parameterized incentive levels. Participants were 20 healthy adults, 30 healthy adolescents, 16 adolescents with an anxiety disorder, and 11 adolescents with major depression. Performance accuracy and saccade latency were analyzed to test both developmental and psychopathology hypotheses. Development and psychopathology group differences in cognitive control were found. Specifically, adults performed better than healthy adolescents, and healthy adolescents than anxious and depressed adolescents. Incentive improved accuracy for all groups; however, incremental increases were not sufficiently large to further modulate performance. Incentives also affected saccade latencies, pushing healthy adolescent latencies to adult levels, while being less effective in adolescents with depression or anxiety. This latter effect was partially mediated by anxiety symptom severity. Current findings evidence the modulation of cognitive control processes by incentives. While seen in both healthy adults and healthy adolescents, this modulatory effect was stronger in youth. While anxious and depressed adolescents exhibited improved cognitive control under incentives, this effect was smaller than that in healthy adolescents. These findings suggest differential incentive and/or cognitive control processing in anxiety and depression, and across development. Differences could result from disorder specific, or combined developmental and pathological mechanisms.

Incentive-related modulation of cognitive control in healthy, anxious, and depressed adolescents

PubMed Central

Hardin, Michael G.; Schroth, Elizabeth; Pine, Daniel S.; Ernst, Monique

2009-01-01

Background Developmental changes in cognitive and affective processes contribute to adolescent risk-taking behavior, emotional intensification, and psychopathology. The current study examined adolescent development of cognitive control processes and their modulation by incentive, in health and psychopathology. Predictions include 1) better cognitive control in adults than adolescents, and in healthy adolescents than anxious and depressed adolescents, and 2) a stronger influence of incentives in adolescents than adults, and in healthy adolescents than their depressed and anxious counterparts. Methods Antisaccadic eye movement parameters, which provide a measure of cognitive control, were collected during a reward antisaccade task that included parameterized incentive levels. Participants were 20 healthy adults, 30 healthy adolescents, 16 adolescents with an anxiety disorder, and 11 adolescents with major depression. Performance accuracy and saccade latency were analyzed to test both developmental and psychopathology hypotheses. Results Development and psychopathology group differences in cognitive control were found. Specifically, adults performed better than healthy adolescents, and healthy adolescents than anxious and depressed adolescents. Incentive improved accuracy for all groups; however, incremental increases were not sufficiently large to further modulate performance. Incentives also affected saccade latencies, pushing healthy adolescent latencies to adult levels, while being less effective in adolescents with depression or anxiety. This latter effect was partially mediated by anxiety symptom severity. Conclusions Current findings evidence the modulation of cognitive control processes by incentives. While seen in both healthy adults and healthy adolescents, this modulatory effect was stronger in youth. While anxious and depressed adolescents exhibited improved cognitive control under incentives, this effect was smaller than that in healthy adolescents. These findings suggest differential incentive and/or cognitive control processing in anxiety and depression, and across development. Differences could result from disorder specific, or combined developmental and pathological mechanisms. PMID:17501725

Longitudinal association of delta activity at sleep onset with cognitive and affective function in community-dwelling older adults.

PubMed

Kawai, Makoto; Beaudreau, Sherry A; Gould, Christine E; Hantke, Nathan C; Cotto, Isabelle; Jordan, Josh T; Hirst, Rayna B; O'Hara, Ruth

2016-10-01

This investigation sought to determine whether delta activity at sleep onset (DASO) in the sleep electroencephalography of older adults represents normal variation or is associated with clinical pathology. To this end, we examined its longitudinal associations with cognitive and affective function in older adults without dementia. Participants were 153 community-dwelling older adults without dementia. We evaluated polysomnography (PSG), cognitive performance, and affective function at four time points: baseline, 12, 24, and 36 months. All participants completed PSG and measures of global cognition, delayed verbal memory, information processing speed, attention, inhibition, verbal naming, visuospatial ability, and measures of anxiety and depression. DASO was defined as sequences of rhythmic anterior delta activity on PSG in the transition from awake to sleep during the baseline assessment (Figure ). At the baseline, 83 women and 70 men, mean age 71.3 ± 0.6 years participated and 19.6% of participants exhibited DASO. Age, years of education, gender, and body mass index did not differ according to DASO status. Linear mixed modeling showed that the presence of DASO was actually associated with lower levels of anxiety and depression. Further, participants with DASO, versus those without DASO, exhibited a trend towards better cognitive performance over time, although none of these associations reached statistical significance. Whereas DASO was associated with better affective function, no significant association was found between DASO and cognitive change over time. These longitudinal findings support the view that the presence of DASO in healthy older adults represents normal variation rather than pathological aging. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Exploring the dynamics of collective cognition using a computational model of cognitive dissonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smart, Paul R.; Sycara, Katia; Richardson, Darren P.

2013-05-01

The socially-distributed nature of cognitive processing in a variety of organizational settings means that there is increasing scientific interest in the factors that affect collective cognition. In military coalitions, for example, there is a need to understand how factors such as communication network topology, trust, cultural differences and the potential for miscommunication affects the ability of distributed teams to generate high quality plans, to formulate effective decisions and to develop shared situation awareness. The current paper presents a computational model and associated simulation capability for performing in silico experimental analyses of collective sensemaking. This model can be used in combination with the results of human experimental studies in order to improve our understanding of the factors that influence collective sensemaking processes.

Ecophysiology of cognition: How do environmentally induced changes in physiology affect cognitive performance?

PubMed

Maille, Audrey; Schradin, Carsten

2017-05-01

Cognitive performance is based on brain functions, which have energetic demands and are modulated by physiological parameters such as metabolic hormones. As both environmental demands and environmental energy availability change seasonally, we propose that cognitive performance in free-living animals might also change seasonally due to phenotypic plasticity. This is part of an emerging research field, the 'ecophysiology of cognition': environmentally induced changes in physiological traits, such as blood glucose and hormone levels, are predicted to influence cognitive performance in free-living animals. Energy availability for the brain might change, and as such cognition, with changing energetic demands (e.g. reproduction) and changes of energy availability in the environment (e.g. winter, drought). Individuals spending more energy than they can currently obtain from their environment (allostatic overload type I) are expected to trade off energy investment between cognition and other life-sustaining processes or even reproduction. Environmental changes reducing energy availability might thus impair cognition. However, selection pressures such as predation risk, mate choice or social demands may act on the trade-off between energy saving and cognition. We assume that different environmental conditions can lead to three different trade-off outcomes: cognitive impairment, resilience or enhancement. Currently we cannot understand these trade-offs, because we lack information about changes in cognitive performance due to seasonal changes in energy availability and both the resulting changes in homeostasis (for example, blood glucose levels) and the associated changes in the mechanisms of allostasis (for example, hormone levels). Additionally, so far we know little about the fitness consequences of individual variation in cognitive performance. General cognitive abilities, such as attention and associative learning, might be more important in determining fitness than complex and specialized cognitive abilities, and easier to use for comparative study in a large number of species. We propose to study seasonal changes in cognitive performance depending on energy availability in populations facing different predation risks, and the resulting fitness consequences. © 2016 Cambridge Philosophical Society.

Assessment of Cognitive Abilities in Multiethnic Countries: The Case of the Wolof and Mandinka in the Gambia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jukes, Matthew C. H.; Grigorenko, Elena L.

2010-01-01

Background: The use of cognitive tests is increasing in Africa but little is known about how such tests are affected by the great ethnic and linguistic diversity on the continent. Aim: To assess ethnic and linguistic group differences in cognitive test performance in the West African country of the Gambia and to investigate the sources of these…

Effects of Aromatherapy on Test Anxiety and Performance in College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunnigan, Jocelyn Marie

2013-01-01

Test anxiety is a complex, multidimensional construct composed of cognitive, affective, and behavioral components that have been shown to negatively affect test performance. Furthermore, test anxiety is a pervasive problem in modern society largely related to the evaluative nature of educational programs, therefore meriting study of its nature,…

Psychometric properties of the questionnaire of cognitive and affective empathy in a Portuguese sample.

PubMed

Queirós, Andreia; Fernandes, Eugénia; Reniers, Renate; Sampaio, Adriana; Coutinho, Joana; Seara-Cardoso, Ana

2018-01-01

Empathy is an important concept in psychology and cognitive neuroscience. Despite the controversy around its definition, most researchers would agree that empathy is a multidimensional phenomenon which involves a vicarious experience of another person's affective state and an understanding of another person's affective experience. Self-report measures of empathy constitute an important tool for both research and clinical practice. The main goal of this study was to adapt and study the psychometric properties of the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE), a worldwide used measure of empathy, in a Portuguese community sample (N = 562). Confirmatory factor analyses supported the factor structure of the original QCAE. Results show that the Portuguese version of the QCAE has sound psychometric properties, with good structural validity and internal consistency for both scales (i.e., affective and cognitive) and respective subscales of the instrument (i.e., Emotion Contagion, Proximal Responsivity, Peripheral Responsivity, Perspective Taking and Online Simulation). We tested both a five correlated factor structure (Model 1) and a second-order model that postulates the affective and cognitive dimensions (Model 2). Our results show that while both models present acceptable goodness of fit indices, Model 1 performs slightly better. In conclusion, the Portuguese version of the QCAE may prove a useful tool for future cross-cultural assessments of empathy in both research and clinical practice.

Impaired affective and cognitive theory of mind and behavioural change in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

PubMed

van der Hulst, Egberdina-Józefa; Bak, Thomas H; Abrahams, Sharon

2015-11-01

Executive and behavioural changes are well-recognised in classical amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), indicating a subclinical behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) in some patients. Social cognitive deficits in ALS have been recently described and an impairment was identified on a simple Theory of Mind (ToM) test, which assesses the judgement of the preference of another through direction of eye gaze. The present study further delineated this deficit, by distinguishing between Affective and Cognitive subcomponents, and determining the relationship to behavioural change, levels of empathy and self-awareness. The Cognitive-Affective Judgement of Preference Test was administered to 33 patients with ALS and 26 controls. Furthermore, a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and detailed behavioural assessment, with measures of empathy and awareness, were included. Patients with ALS showed a significant impairment in Affective ToM only when compared with healthy controls, with a deficit in 36% of patients; 12% showed an isolated Affective ToM deficit while 24% showed more generic ToM dysfunction. A Cognitive ToM deficit was found in 27% of patients, with 3% showing an isolated Cognitive ToM deficit. The patients with ALS showed reduced empathy (Fantasy scale) and increased behavioural dysfunction with high levels of apathy. In addition, patients with either an Affective and/or Cognitive ToM deficit exhibited poor self-awareness of their performance and abnormalities on verbal fluency, while those with an Affective ToM deficit also displayed higher levels of apathy and a naming deficit. Dysfunctional ToM is a prominent feature of the cognitive profile of ALS. This specific difficulty in identifying and distinguishing the feelings and thoughts of another from a self-perspective may underpin the social behavioural abnormalities present in some patients with ALS, manifest as apathy and loss of awareness. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Psychophysiological response to cognitive workload during symmetrical, asymmetrical and dual-task walking.

PubMed

Knaepen, Kristel; Marusic, Uros; Crea, Simona; Rodríguez Guerrero, Carlos D; Vitiello, Nicola; Pattyn, Nathalie; Mairesse, Olivier; Lefeber, Dirk; Meeusen, Romain

2015-04-01

Walking with a lower limb prosthesis comes at a high cognitive workload for amputees, possibly affecting their mobility, safety and independency. A biocooperative prosthesis which is able to reduce the cognitive workload of walking could offer a solution. Therefore, we wanted to investigate whether different levels of cognitive workload can be assessed during symmetrical, asymmetrical and dual-task walking and to identify which parameters are the most sensitive. Twenty-four healthy subjects participated in this study. Cognitive workload was assessed through psychophysiological responses, physical and cognitive performance and subjective ratings. The results showed that breathing frequency and heart rate significantly increased, and heart rate variability significantly decreased with increasing cognitive workload during walking (p<.05). Performance measures (e.g., cadence) only changed under high cognitive workload. As a result, psychophysiological measures are the most sensitive to identify changes in cognitive workload during walking. These parameters reflect the cognitive effort necessary to maintain performance during complex walking and can easily be assessed regardless of the task. This makes them excellent candidates to feed to the control loop of a biocooperative prosthesis in order to detect the cognitive workload. This information can then be used to adapt the robotic assistance to the patient's cognitive abilities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cognitive Factors in Academic Achievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cuasay, Peter

1992-01-01

This review explores the factors of cognitive processing, style, and metacognitive organization as they contribute to academic success. Specific discussions consider aspects of short- and long-term memory, including how these affect learning and academic performance, and the keys to attaining long-term memory capability by involving redundancy,…

Post-treatment cognitive dysfunction in women treated with thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid carcinoma.

PubMed

Jung, Mi Sook; Visovatti, Moira

2017-03-01

The purpose of the study is to assess cognitive function in papillary thyroid cancer, one type of differentiated thyroid cancer, and to identify factors associated with cognitive dysfunction. Korean women treated with papillary thyroid cancer post thyroidectomy (n = 90) and healthy women similar in age and educational level (n = 90) performed attention and working memory tests and completed self-report questionnaires on cognitive complaints, psychological distress, symptom distress, and cultural characteristics. Comparative and multivariable regression analyses were performed to determine differences in cognitive function and possible predictors of neurocognitive performance and cognitive complaints. Thyroid cancer survivors performed and perceived their function to be significantly worse on tests of attention and working memory compared to individuals without thyroid cancer. Regression analyses found that having thyroid cancer, older age, and lower educational level were associated with worse neurocognitive performance, while greater fatigue, more sleep problems, and higher levels of childrearing burden but not having thyroid cancer were associated with lower perceived effectiveness in cognitive functioning. Findings suggest that women receiving thyroid hormone replacement therapy after thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid cancer are at risk for attention and working memory problems. Coexisting symptoms and culture-related women's burden affected perceived cognitive dysfunction. Health care providers should assess for cognitive problems in women with thyroid cancer and intervene to reduce distress and improve quality of life.

Augmenting team cognition in human-automation teams performing in complex operational environments.

PubMed

Cuevas, Haydee M; Fiore, Stephen M; Caldwell, Barrett S; Strater, Laura

2007-05-01

There is a growing reliance on automation (e.g., intelligent agents, semi-autonomous robotic systems) to effectively execute increasingly cognitively complex tasks. Successful team performance for such tasks has become even more dependent on team cognition, addressing both human-human and human-automation teams. Team cognition can be viewed as the binding mechanism that produces coordinated behavior within experienced teams, emerging from the interplay between each team member's individual cognition and team process behaviors (e.g., coordination, communication). In order to better understand team cognition in human-automation teams, team performance models need to address issues surrounding the effect of human-agent and human-robot interaction on critical team processes such as coordination and communication. Toward this end, we present a preliminary theoretical framework illustrating how the design and implementation of automation technology may influence team cognition and team coordination in complex operational environments. Integrating constructs from organizational and cognitive science, our proposed framework outlines how information exchange and updating between humans and automation technology may affect lower-level (e.g., working memory) and higher-level (e.g., sense making) cognitive processes as well as teams' higher-order "metacognitive" processes (e.g., performance monitoring). Issues surrounding human-automation interaction are discussed and implications are presented within the context of designing automation technology to improve task performance in human-automation teams.

Active and observational reward learning in adults with autism spectrum disorder: relationship with empathy in an atypical sample.

PubMed

Bellebaum, Christian; Brodmann, Katja; Thoma, Patrizia

2014-01-01

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are characterised by disturbances in social behaviour. A prevailing hypothesis suggests that these problems are related to deficits in assigning rewarding value to social stimuli. The present study aimed to examine monetary reward processing in adults with ASDs by means of event-related potentials (ERPs). Ten individuals with mild ASDs (Asperger's syndrome and high-functioning autism) and 12 healthy control subjects performed an active and an observational probabilistic reward-learning task. Both groups showed similar overall learning performance. With respect to reward processing, subjects with ASDs exhibited a general reduction in feedback-related negativity (FRN) amplitude, irrespective of feedback valence and type of learning (active or observational). Individuals with ASDs showed lower scores for cognitive empathy, while affective empathy did not differ between groups. Correlation analyses revealed that higher empathy (both cognitive and affective) negatively affected performance in observational learning in controls and in active learning in ASDs (only cognitive empathy). No relationships were seen between empathy and ERPs. Reduced FRN amplitudes are discussed in terms of a deficit in fast reward processing in ASDs, which may indicate altered reward system functioning.

Measuring self-regulation in a physically active context: Psychometric analyses of scores derived from an observer-rated measure of self-regulation.

PubMed

Lakes, Kimberley D

2013-10-01

The purpose of this study is to report psychometric properties of scores obtained using a novel observer-rated measure of children's self-regulation, the Response to Challenge Scale (RCS). The RCS was developed to rate children's self-regulatory abilities in a physically active context (e.g., while completing a physical challenge course). The RCS and other study measures were administered in a private school sample of 207 children. Analyses of score distributions indicated that the RCS was able to capture variance among children in self-regulatory abilities; the distribution was normal for the Affective, Cognitive, and Total Self-Regulation scales. Validity analyses revealed significant positive correlations between Cognitive, Affective, Motor, and Total Self-Regulation and executive function task performance; significant negative correlations between Cognitive Regulation and teacher-rated hyperactivity and inattention; significant negative correlations between Affective, Motor, and Total Self-Regulation and teacher ratings of peer problems; and significant positive correlations between Cognitive and Affective Regulation and parent ratings of prosocial behavior. Parent and teacher rated Total Difficulties scores were both negatively correlated with RCS Total Self-Regulation scores. Results suggest that it is possible for observers to rate self-regulatory abilities in the context of physical activities, and that these ratings correspond with performance on tasks requiring executive function as well as teacher and parent ratings of children's difficulties.

[Neuropsychological performance in neurofibromatosis type 1].

PubMed

Hernández Del Castillo, Lilia; Martínez Bermejo, Antonio; Portellano Pérez, José Antonio; Tirado Requero, Pilar; Garriz Luis, Alexandra; Velázquez Fragua, Ramón

2017-08-01

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a genetic disorder with various clinical manifestations that affect the peripheral and central nervous system, as well as the skin, bones and endocrine and vascular system. There is still insufficient knowledge of neuropsychological effects of NF1 on children, and there is some controversy about the cognitive deficits that defines the cognitive profile of patients affected by this disorder. In this study an analysis is made of the neuropsychological performance of a group of patients affected by NF1, compared with a control group of healthy children. A comparison was made between the neuropsychological performance of a group of 23 boys and girls with a mean age of 8.7 years (+/-1.39) and diagnosed with NF1, and a control group consisting of 21 healthy children, with mean age of 8.9 years (+/- 1.41) and with similar socio-demographic characteristics. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) was applied to evaluate the subjects of both groups. The group of patients affected with NF1 showed a lower performance in every primary index of WISC IV: Verbal Comprehension Index, Fluid Reasoning Index, Working Memory Index, Processing Speed Index, and full Scale IQ. Only in two subscales were no statistically significant differences observed: similarities and coding. The results show subtle and generalised neuropsychological alterations in the sample of children affected with NF1, which affect most of cognitive domains that have been evaluated. Proper specific and early neuropsychological treatment should be provided in order to prevent the high risk for these children of presenting learning difficulties and school failure. Copyright © 2016 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Declarative verbal memory impairments in middle-aged women who are caregivers of offspring with autism spectrum disorders: The role of negative affect and testosterone.

PubMed

Romero-Martínez, A; González-Bono, E; Salvador, A; Moya-Albiol, L

2016-01-01

Caring for offspring diagnosed with a chronic psychological disorder such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is used in research as a model of chronic stress. This chronic stress has been reported to have deleterious effects on caregivers' cognition, particularly in verbal declarative memory. Moreover, such cognitive decline may be mediated by testosterone (T) levels and negative affect, understood as depressive mood together with high anxiety and anger. This study aimed to compare declarative memory function in middle-aged women who were caregivers for individuals with ASD (n = 24; mean age = 45) and female controls (n = 22; mean age = 45), using a standardised memory test (Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test). It also sought to examine the role of care recipient characteristics, negative mood and T levels in memory impairments. ASD caregivers were highly sensitive to proactive interference and verbal forgetting. In addition, they had higher negative affect and T levels, both of which have been associated with poorer verbal memory performance. Moreover, the number of years of caregiving affected memory performance and negative affect, especially, in terms of anger feelings. On the other hand, T levels in caregivers had a curvilinear relationship with verbal memory performance; that is, increases in T were associated with improvements in verbal memory performance up to a certain point, but subsequently, memory performance decreased with increasing T. Chronic stress may produce disturbances in mood and hormonal levels, which in turn might increase the likelihood of developing declarative memory impairments although caregivers do not show a generalised decline in memory. These findings should be taken into account for understanding the impact of cognitive impairments on the ability to provide optimal caregiving.

Cognitive Control Dysfunction in Workers Exposed to Manganese-Containing Welding Fume

PubMed Central

Al-Lozi, A; Nielsen, SS; Hershey, T; Birke, A; Checkoway, H; Criswell, SR; Racette, BA

2017-01-01

Background Chronic exposure to manganese (Mn) is a health concern in occupations such as welding because of well-established motor effects due to basal ganglia dysfunction. We hypothesized that cognitive control (the ability to monitor, manipulate, and regulate ongoing cognitive demands) would also be affected by chronic Mn exposure. Methods We examined the relationship between Mn exposure and cognitive control performance in 95 workers with varying intensity and duration (median 15.5 years) of exposure to welding fume. We performed linear regression to assess the association between exposure to Mn-containing welding fume and cognitive control tasks. Results Overall performance was inversely related to intensity of welding exposure (p=0.009) and was driven by the Two-Back and Letter Number Sequencing tests that assess working memory (both p=0.02). Conclusions Occupational exposure to Mn-containing welding fume may be associated with poorer working memory performance, and workers may benefit from practices that reduce exposure intensity. PMID:27862095

Does Food Insecurity at Home Affect Non-Cognitive Performance at School? A Longitudinal Analysis of Elementary Student Classroom Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, Larry L.

2011-01-01

This paper estimates models of the transitional effects of food insecurity experiences on children's non-cognitive performance in school classrooms using a panel of 4710 elementary students enrolled in 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade (1999-2003). In addition to an extensive set of child and household-level characteristics, we use information on U.S.…

Effect of educational status on performance of older adults in digital cognitive tasks: A systematic review

PubMed Central

de Carvalho, Lucas Pelegrini Nogueira; Monteiro, Diana Quirino; Orlandi, Fabiana de Souza; Zazzetta, Marisa Silvana; Pavarini, Sofia Cristina Iost

2017-01-01

As people age, cognitive abilities may decline resulting in serious disabilities. Neuropsychological instruments can provide information on the cognitive state of older adults. Researchers worldwide have been using digital cognitive tests to assess cognitive domains. Objective To determine whether educational status affects the performance of older adults on digital cognitive tasks. Methods A systematic review of articles in English, Portuguese, or Spanish published in the last 5 years was conducted. The databases searched were SCOPUS, PubMed, Lilacs, Scielo and PsychInfo. The PRISMA method was used. Results A total of 7,089 articles were initially retrieved. After search and exclusion with justification, seven articles were selected for further review. Conclusion The findings revealed that researchers using digital tasks generally employed paper-based tests to compare results. Also, no association between years of education and test performance was found. Finally, a dearth of studies using digital tests published by Brazilian researchers was evident. PMID:29213502

Smoking abstinence and reinstatement effects in adolescent cigarette smokers.

PubMed

Colby, Suzanne M; Leventhal, Adam M; Brazil, Linda; Lewis-Esquerre, Johanna; Stein, L A R; Rohsenow, Damaris J; Monti, Peter M; Niaura, Raymond S

2010-01-01

The study objectives were to examine smoking abstinence and reinstatement effects on subjective experience and cognitive performance among adolescent smokers. Adolescents (aged 14-17 years, 60 daily smokers and 32 nonsmokers) participated. Participants completed baseline assessments (Session 1) and returned to the laboratory 1-3 days later to repeat assessments (Session 2); half of the smokers were randomly assigned to 15-17 hr tobacco abstinence preceding Session 2. During Session 2, abstaining smokers reported significantly greater increases in withdrawal symptoms, smoking urges, and negative affect compared with smokers who did not abstain and compared with nonsmokers. Smoking reinstatement reversed abstinence effects, returning to baseline levels for smoking urges and negative affect. Abstaining smokers showed significantly enhanced cognitive performance on two of six tasks (two-letter search compared with nonabstaining smokers; serial reaction time compared with nonsmokers); smoking reinstatement resulted in significant decrements on these two tasks relative to nonabstaining smokers. Effects of smoking abstinence and reinstatement on self-report measures are consistent with earlier research with adolescent as well as adult smokers and may help to elucidate the motivational underpinnings of smoking maintenance among adolescent smokers. Effects found on cognitive performance were contrary to hypotheses; further research is needed to understand better the role of cognitive performance effects in smoking maintenance among adolescents.

Smoking abstinence and reinstatement effects in adolescent cigarette smokers

PubMed Central

Leventhal, Adam M.; Brazil, Linda; Lewis-Esquerre, Johanna; Stein, L. A. R.; Rohsenow, Damaris J.; Monti, Peter M.; Niaura, Raymond S.

2010-01-01

Introduction The study objectives were to examine smoking abstinence and reinstatement effects on subjective experience and cognitive performance among adolescent smokers. Methods Adolescents (aged 14–17 years, 60 daily smokers and 32 nonsmokers) participated. Participants completed baseline assessments (Session 1) and returned to the laboratory 1–3 days later to repeat assessments (Session 2); half of the smokers were randomly assigned to 15–17 hr tobacco abstinence preceding Session 2. Results During Session 2, abstaining smokers reported significantly greater increases in withdrawal symptoms, smoking urges, and negative affect compared with smokers who did not abstain and compared with nonsmokers. Smoking reinstatement reversed abstinence effects, returning to baseline levels for smoking urges and negative affect. Abstaining smokers showed significantly enhanced cognitive performance on two of six tasks (two-letter search compared with nonabstaining smokers; serial reaction time compared with nonsmokers); smoking reinstatement resulted in significant decrements on these two tasks relative to nonabstaining smokers. Discussion Effects of smoking abstinence and reinstatement on self-report measures are consistent with earlier research with adolescent as well as adult smokers and may help to elucidate the motivational underpinnings of smoking maintenance among adolescent smokers. Effects found on cognitive performance were contrary to hypotheses; further research is needed to understand better the role of cognitive performance effects in smoking maintenance among adolescents. PMID:19933776

Neuropsychological correlates of cognitive, emotional-affective and auto-activation apathy in Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Perri, Roberta; Turchetta, Chiara Stella; Caruso, Giulia; Fadda, Lucia; Caltagirone, Carlo; Carlesimo, Augusto Giovanni

2018-01-31

Apathy symptoms include different dimensions: cognitive (C), emotional-affective (E-Aff) and auto-activation; they have been related to dysfunctions of the dorsolateral, orbito-basal prefrontal cortex and the subcortical frontal connections to the basal ganglia, respectively. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), an association has been found between apathy severity and both executive deficits and atrophy of the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex; however, it is not clear whether these associations concern only the cognitive aspects of apathy. Furthermore, whether there is an association in AD between E-aff apathy and theory of mind (ToM),the cognitive functions subsumed by the orbito-basal prefrontal cortex, has not been investigated. Aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between C, E-Aff and auto-activation apathy and performance on tasks investigating executive and ToM cognitive functions in AD. For this purpose, 20 AD patients with apathy and 20 matched controls were submitted to an executive and ToM neuropsychological assessment. Apathy was assessed with a weekly diary (ApD) created specifically to assist caregivers in quantifying the C, E-Aff and auto-activation symptomatology of apathy. Correlational analyses showed that AD patients' scores on the Modified Card Sorting Test (MCST) and Emotion Attribution tasks were correlated with most ApD scores. However, regression analyses showed that C diary scores were predicted by MCST performance, E-Aff diary scores by performance on the E-Attribution task and ApD scores measuring auto-activation apathy were predicted by both the MCST and the Emotion Attribution scores. These results confirm the co-occurrence of apathy and executive-function deficits in AD and suggest a specific association between AD patients' executive deficits and the cognitive component of apathy. Furthermore, they document, for the first time, an association between poor performance on tests assessing ToM abilities and the emotional-affective component of apathy in AD patients. Finally, these results are in line with the view that auto-activation apathy reflects the sum of emotional and cognitive processing deficits. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effects of cognitively demanding dual-task driving condition on elderly people's driving performance; Real driving monitoring.

PubMed

Ebnali, Mahdi; Ahmadnezhad, Pedram; Shateri, Alireza; Mazloumi, Adel; Ebnali Heidari, Majid; Nazeri, Ahmad Reza

2016-09-01

Using in-vehicle audio technologies such as audio systems and voice messages is regarded as a common secondary task. Such tasks, known as the sources of non-visual distraction, affect the driving performance. Given the elderly drivers' cognitive limitations, driving can be even more challenging to drivers. The current study examined how listening to economic news, as a cognitively demanding secondary task, affects elderly subjects' driving performance and whether their comprehension accuracy is associated with these effects. Participants of the study (N=22) drove in a real condition with and without listening to economic news. Measurements included driving performance (speed control, forward crash risk, and lateral lane position) and task performance (comprehension accuracy). The mean driving speed, duration of driving in unsafe zones and numbers of overtaking decreased significantly when drivers were engaged in the dual-task condition. Moreover, the cognitive secondary task led to a higher speed variability. Our results demonstrate that there was not a significant relationship between the lane changes and the activity of listening to economic news. However, a meaningful difference was observed between general comprehension and deep comprehension on the one hand and driving performance on the other. Another aspect of our study concerning the drivers' ages and their comprehension revealed a significant relationship between age above 75 and comprehension level. Drivers aging 75 and older showed a lower level of deep comprehension. Our study demonstrates that elderly drivers compensated driving performance with safety margin adoption while they were cognitively engaged. In this condition, however, maintaining speed proved more demanding for drivers aging 75 and older. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Temporal Prediction Errors Affect Short-Term Memory Scanning Response Time.

PubMed

Limongi, Roberto; Silva, Angélica M

2016-11-01

The Sternberg short-term memory scanning task has been used to unveil cognitive operations involved in time perception. Participants produce time intervals during the task, and the researcher explores how task performance affects interval production - where time estimation error is the dependent variable of interest. The perspective of predictive behavior regards time estimation error as a temporal prediction error (PE), an independent variable that controls cognition, behavior, and learning. Based on this perspective, we investigated whether temporal PEs affect short-term memory scanning. Participants performed temporal predictions while they maintained information in memory. Model inference revealed that PEs affected memory scanning response time independently of the memory-set size effect. We discuss the results within the context of formal and mechanistic models of short-term memory scanning and predictive coding, a Bayes-based theory of brain function. We state the hypothesis that our finding could be associated with weak frontostriatal connections and weak striatal activity.

Methodology, Methods, and Metrics for Testing and Evaluating Augmented Cognition Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Greitzer, Frank L.

The augmented cognition research community seeks cognitive neuroscience-based solutions to improve warfighter performance by applying and managing mitigation strategies to reduce workload and improve the throughput and quality of decisions. The focus of augmented cognition mitigation research is to define, demonstrate, and exploit neuroscience and behavioral measures that support inferences about the warfighter’s cognitive state that prescribe the nature and timing of mitigation. A research challenge is to develop valid evaluation methodologies, metrics and measures to assess the impact of augmented cognition mitigations. Two considerations are external validity, which is the extent to which the results apply to operational contexts;more » and internal validity, which reflects the reliability of performance measures and the conclusions based on analysis of results. The scientific rigor of the research methodology employed in conducting empirical investigations largely affects the validity of the findings. External validity requirements also compel us to demonstrate operational significance of mitigations. Thus it is important to demonstrate effectiveness of mitigations under specific conditions. This chapter reviews some cognitive science and methodological considerations in designing augmented cognition research studies and associated human performance metrics and analysis methods to assess the impact of augmented cognition mitigations.« less

Screening for Alzheimer's Disease: Cognitive Impairment in Self-Referred and Memory Clinic-Referred Patients.

PubMed

Kirsebom, Bjørn-Eivind; Espenes, Ragna; Waterloo, Knut; Hessen, Erik; Johnsen, Stein Harald; Bråthen, Geir; Aarsland, Dag; Fladby, Tormod

2017-01-01

Cognitive assessment is essential in tracking disease progression in AD. Presently, cohorts including preclinical at-risk participants are recruited by different means, which may bias cognitive and clinical features. We compared recruitment strategies to levels of cognitive functioning. We investigate recruitment source biases in self-referred and memory clinic-referred patient cohorts to reveal potential differences in cognitive performance and demographics among at-risk participants. We included 431 participants 40-80 years old. Participants were classified as controls (n = 132) or symptom group (n = 299). The symptom group comprised of subjective cognitive decline (SCD, n = 163) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 136). We compared cognitive performance and demographics in memory clinic-referrals (n = 86) to self-referred participants responding to advertisements and news bulletins (n = 179). Participants recruited by other means were excluded from analysis (n = 34). At symptom group level, we found significant reductions in cognitive performance in memory clinic-referrals compared to self-referrals. However, here reductions were only found within the MCI group. We found no differences in cognitive performance due to recruitment within the SCD group. The MCI group was significantly impaired compared to controls on all measures. Significant reductions in learning, and executive functions were also found for the SCD group. Regardless of recruitment method, both the SCD and MCI groups showed reductions in cognitive performance compared to controls. We found differences in cognitive impairment for memory clinic-referrals compared to self-referrals only within the MCI group, SCD-cases being equally affected irrespective of referral type.

Cognitive function affects trainability for physical performance in exercise intervention among older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Uemura, Kazuki; Shimada, Hiroyuki; Makizako, Hyuma; Doi, Takehiko; Yoshida, Daisuke; Tsutsumimoto, Kota; Anan, Yuya; Suzuki, Takao

2013-01-01

Although much evidence supports the hypothesis that cognitive function and physical function are interrelated, it is unclear whether cognitive decline with mild cognitive impairment influences trainability of physical performance in exercise intervention. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between cognitive function at baseline and change in physical performance after exercise intervention in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. Forty-four older adults diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment based on the Peterson criteria (mean age 74.8 years) consented to and completed a 6-month twice weekly exercise intervention. The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test was used as a measure of physical performance. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Trail Making Test Part B, Geriatric Depression Scale, baseline muscle strength of knee extension, and attendance rate of intervention, were measured as factors for predicting trainability. In the correlation analysis, the change in TUG showed modest correlations with attendance rate in the exercise program (r = -0.354, P = 0.027) and MMSE at baseline (r = -0.321, P = 0.034). A multiple regression analysis revealed that change in TUG was independently associated with attendance rate (β = -0.322, P = 0.026) and MMSE score (β = -0.295, P = 0.041), controlling for age and gender. General cognitive function was associated with improvements in physical performance after exercise intervention in subjects with mild cognitive impairment. Further research is needed to examine the effects of exercise programs designed to address cognitive obstacles in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

Neural, Hormonal, and Cognitive Correlates of Metabolic Dysfunction and Emotional Reactivity.

PubMed

Wolf, Tovah; Tsenkova, Vera; Ryff, Carol D; Davidson, Richard J; Willette, Auriel A

2018-06-01

Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (i.e., hyperglycemia) are characterized by insulin resistance. These problems with energy metabolism may exacerbate emotional reactivity to negatively valenced stimuli and related phenomena such as predisposition toward negative affect, as well as cognitive deficits. Higher emotional reactivity is seen with hyperglycemia and insulin resistance. However, it is largely unknown how metabolic dysfunction correlates with related neural, hormonal, and cognitive outcomes. Among 331 adults from the Midlife in the United States study, eye-blink response (EBR) we cross sectionally examined to gauge reactivity to negative, positive, or neutrally valenced pictures from international affect picture system stimuli proximal to an acoustic startle probe. Increased EBR to negative stimuli was considered an index of stress reactivity. Frontal alpha asymmetry, a biomarker of negative affect predisposition, was determined using resting electroencephalography. Baseline urinary cortisol output was collected. Cognitive performance was gauged using the Brief Test of Adult Cognition by telephone. Fasting glucose and insulin characterized hyperglycemia or the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance. Higher homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance corresponded to an increased startle response, measured by EBR magnitude, for negative versus positive stimuli (R = 0.218, F(1,457) = 5.48, p = .020, euglycemia: M(SD) = .092(.776), hyperglycemia: M(SD) = .120(.881)). Participants with hyperglycemia versus euglycemia showed greater right frontal alpha asymmetry (F(1,307) = 6.62, p = .011, euglycemia: M(SD) = .018(.167), hyperglycemia: M(SD) = -.029(.160)), and worse Brief Test of Adult Cognition by telephone arithmetic performance (F(1,284) = 4.25, p = .040, euglycemia: M(SD) = 2.390(1.526), hyperglycemia: M(SD) = 1.920(1.462)). Baseline urinary cortisol (log10 μg/12 hours) was also dysregulated in individuals with hyperglycemia (F(1,324) = 5.09, p = .025, euglycemia: M(SD) = 1.052 ± .332, hyperglycemia: M(SD) = .961 (.362)). These results suggest that dysmetabolism is associated with increased emotional reactivity, predisposition toward negative affect, and specific cognitive deficits.

Teaching School Science within the Cognitive and Affective Domains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Kok Siang; Heng, Chong Yong; Tan, Shuhui

2013-01-01

In classrooms, science is usually taught within the cognitive domain while the psychomotor learning domain is achieved through performing science experiments in the laboratory. Although students attend civic and moral education and pastoral care classes where values and life skills are often taught directly, learning experiences in most school…

Learning potential and cognitive abilities in preschool boys with fragile X and Down syndrome.

PubMed

Valencia-Naranjo, Nieves; Robles-Bello, Mª Auxiliadora

2017-01-01

Enhancing cognitive abilities is relevant when devising treatment plans. This study examined the performance of preschool boys with Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome in cognitive tasks (e.g., nonverbal reasoning and short-term memory), as well as in improving cognitive functions by means of a learning potential methodology. The basic scales corresponding to the Skills and Learning Potential Preschool Scale were administered to children with Down syndrome and others with fragile X syndrome, matched for chronological age and nonverbal cognitive development level. The fragile X syndrome group showed stronger performance on short-term memory tasks than the Down syndrome group prior to intervention, with no differences recorded in nonverbal reasoning tasks. In addition, both groups' cognitive performance improved significantly between pre- and post-intervention. However, learning potential relative to auditory memory was limited in both groups, and for rule-based categorization in Down syndrome children. The scale offered the opportunity to assess young children's abilities and identify the degree of cognitive modifiability. Furthermore, factors that may potentially affect the children's performance before and during learning potential assessment are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-categorization, affective commitment and group self-esteem as distinct aspects of social identity in the organization.

PubMed

Bergami, M; Bagozzi, R P

2000-12-01

The purpose of this study is to distinguish between cognitive, affective and evaluative components of social identity in the organization and to show how the components instigate behaviours that benefit in-group members. A new scale for measuring cognitive organizational identification (i.e. self-categorization) is developed and compared to a leading scale. Internal consistency, convergent validity, predictive validity and generalizability of the two scales are established on a sample of Italian (N = 409) and Korean (N = 283) workers. Next, convergent and discriminant validity for measures of organizational identification, affective commitment and group self-esteem are demonstrated. Then, two antecedents of these components of social identity are examined: organization prestige and organization stereotypes. Finally, the mediating role of the components of social identity are investigated between the antecedents and five forms of citizenship behaviours. The last three analyses are performed on the Italian (N = 409) workers. Among other findings, the results show that affective commitment and self-esteem are the primary motivators of citizenship behaviours. Moreover, cognitive identification performs as a central mediator between prestige and stereotypes on the one hand, and affective commitment and self-esteem on the other. Identification is thus an indirect determinant of citizenship behaviours.

A comparison of neuropsychological dysfunction in first-episode psychosis patients with unipolar depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

PubMed

Hill, S Kristian; Reilly, James L; Harris, Margret S H; Rosen, Cherise; Marvin, Robert W; Deleon, Ovidio; Sweeney, John A

2009-09-01

The severity and profile of cognitive dysfunction in first episode schizophrenia and psychotic affective disorders were compared before and after antipsychotic treatment. Parallel recruitment of consecutively admitted study-eligible first-episode psychotic patients (30 schizophrenia, 22 bipolar with psychosis, and 21 psychotic depression) reduced confounds of acute and chronic disease/medication effects as well as differential treatment and course. Patient groups completed a neuropsychological battery and were demographically similar to healthy controls (n=41) studied in parallel. Prior to treatment, schizophrenia patients displayed significant deficits in all cognitive domains. The two psychotic affective groups were also impaired overall, generally performing intermediate between the schizophrenia and healthy comparison groups. No profile differences in neuropsychological deficits were observed across patient groups. Following 6 weeks of treatment, no patient group improved more than practice effects seen in healthy individuals, and level of performance improvement was similar for affective psychosis and schizophrenia groups. Although less severe in psychotic affective disorders, similar profiles of generalized neuropsychological deficits were observed across patient groups. Recovery of cognitive function after clinical stabilization was similar in mood disorders and schizophrenia. To the extent that these findings are generalizable, neuropsychological deficits in psychotic affective disorders, like schizophrenia, may be trait-like deficits with persistent functional implications.

Linking Cognitive and Visual Perceptual Decline in Healthy Aging: The Information Degradation Hypothesis

PubMed Central

Monge, Zachary A.; Madden, David J.

2016-01-01

Several hypotheses attempt to explain the relation between cognitive and perceptual decline in aging (e.g., common-cause, sensory deprivation, cognitive load on perception, information degradation). Unfortunately, the majority of past studies examining this association have used correlational analyses, not allowing for these hypotheses to be tested sufficiently. This correlational issue is especially relevant for the information degradation hypothesis, which states that degraded perceptual signal inputs, resulting from either age-related neurobiological processes (e.g., retinal degeneration) or experimental manipulations (e.g., reduced visual contrast), lead to errors in perceptual processing, which in turn may affect non-perceptual, higher-order cognitive processes. Even though the majority of studies examining the relation between age-related cognitive and perceptual decline have been correlational, we reviewed several studies demonstrating that visual manipulations affect both younger and older adults’ cognitive performance, supporting the information degradation hypothesis and contradicting implications of other hypotheses (e.g., common-cause, sensory deprivation, cognitive load on perception). The reviewed evidence indicates the necessity to further examine the information degradation hypothesis in order to identify mechanisms underlying age-related cognitive decline. PMID:27484869

Training the emotional brain: improving affective control through emotional working memory training.

PubMed

Schweizer, Susanne; Grahn, Jessica; Hampshire, Adam; Mobbs, Dean; Dalgleish, Tim

2013-03-20

Affective cognitive control capacity (e.g., the ability to regulate emotions or manipulate emotional material in the service of task goals) is associated with professional and interpersonal success. Impoverished affective control, by contrast, characterizes many neuropsychiatric disorders. Insights from neuroscience indicate that affective cognitive control relies on the same frontoparietal neural circuitry as working memory (WM) tasks, which suggests that systematic WM training, performed in an emotional context, has the potential to augment affective control. Here we show, using behavioral and fMRI measures, that 20 d of training on a novel emotional WM protocol successfully enhanced the efficiency of this frontoparietal demand network. Critically, compared with placebo training, emotional WM training also accrued transfer benefits to a "gold standard" measure of affective cognitive control-emotion regulation. These emotion regulation gains were associated with greater activity in the targeted frontoparietal demand network along with other brain regions implicated in affective control, notably the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex. The results have important implications for the utility of WM training in clinical, prevention, and occupational settings.

Working memory overload: fronto-limbic interactions and effects on subsequent working memory function.

PubMed

Yun, Richard J; Krystal, John H; Mathalon, Daniel H

2010-03-01

The human working memory system provides an experimentally useful model for examination of neural overload effects on subsequent functioning of the overloaded system. This study employed functional magnetic resonance imaging in conjunction with a parametric working memory task to characterize the behavioral and neural effects of cognitive overload on subsequent cognitive performance, with particular attention to cognitive-limbic interactions. Overloading the working memory system was associated with varying degrees of subsequent decline in performance accuracy and reduced activation of brain regions central to both task performance and suppression of negative affect. The degree of performance decline was independently predicted by three separate factors operating during the overload condition: the degree of task failure, the degree of amygdala activation, and the degree of inverse coupling between the amygdala and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These findings suggest that vulnerability to overload effects in cognitive functioning may be mediated by reduced amygdala suppression and subsequent amygdala-prefrontal interaction.

The prestimulus default mode network state predicts cognitive task performance levels on a mental rotation task.

PubMed

Kamp, Tabea; Sorger, Bettina; Benjamins, Caroline; Hausfeld, Lars; Goebel, Rainer

2018-06-22

Linking individual task performance to preceding, regional brain activation is an ongoing goal of neuroscientific research. Recently, it could be shown that the activation and connectivity within large-scale brain networks prior to task onset influence performance levels. More specifically, prestimulus default mode network (DMN) effects have been linked to performance levels in sensory near-threshold tasks, as well as cognitive tasks. However, it still remains uncertain how the DMN state preceding cognitive tasks affects performance levels when the period between task trials is long and flexible, allowing participants to engage in different cognitive states. We here investigated whether the prestimulus activation and within-network connectivity of the DMN are predictive of the correctness and speed of task performance levels on a cognitive (match-to-sample) mental rotation task, employing a sparse event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) design. We found that prestimulus activation in the DMN predicted the speed of correct trials, with a higher amplitude preceding correct fast response trials compared to correct slow response trials. Moreover, we found higher connectivity within the DMN before incorrect trials compared to correct trials. These results indicate that pre-existing activation and connectivity states within the DMN influence task performance on cognitive tasks, both effecting the correctness and speed of task execution. The findings support existing theories and empirical work on relating mind-wandering and cognitive task performance to the DMN and expand these by establishing a relationship between the prestimulus DMN state and the speed of cognitive task performance. © 2018 The Authors. Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Motivational deficits and cognitive test performance in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Fervaha, Gagan; Zakzanis, Konstantine K; Foussias, George; Graff-Guerrero, Ariel; Agid, Ofer; Remington, Gary

2014-09-01

Motivational and cognitive deficits are core features of schizophrenia, both closely linked with functional outcomes. Although poor effort and decreased motivation are known to affect performance on cognitive tests, the extent of this relationship is unclear in patients with schizophrenia. To evaluate the association between intrinsic motivation and cognitive test performance in patients with schizophrenia. Cross-sectional and 6-month prospective follow-up study performed at 57 sites in the United States, including academic and community medical treatment centers, participating in the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness study. The primary sample included 431 stable patients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia currently receiving a stable medication regimen. Cognitive performance and intrinsic motivation were evaluated using a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery and a derived measure from the Heinrichs-Carpenter Quality of Life Scale, respectively. Symptom severity and functional status were also assessed. The primary outcome variable was global neurocognition. Individual domains of cognition were also evaluated for their association with motivation. Level of intrinsic motivation was significantly and positively correlated with global cognitive test performance, a relationship that held for each domain of cognition evaluated (correlation range, 0.20-0.34; P < .001). This association was found to be reliable after statistically accounting for positive, negative, depressive, and overall symptom severity (P < .05) and after accounting for community functioning (P < .001). The relationship between motivation and cognitive performance also remained significant after controlling for antipsychotic dose (P < .05). Prospective increase in motivation during the 6-month follow-up was also found to be significantly related to improvement in global cognitive performance (P < .05). The present findings provide strong support for a robust and reliable relationship between motivation and cognitive performance and suggest that test performance is not purely a measure of ability. Future studies assessing cognition in patients with schizophrenia should consider potential moderating variables such as effort and motivation. Implications for the assessment and interpretation of cognitive impairment based on neuropsychological test measures in schizophrenia are discussed, especially in the case of clinical trials for cognition-enhancing treatments. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00014001.

The effect of mild motion sickness and sopite syndrome on multitasking cognitive performance.

PubMed

Matsangas, Panagiotis; McCauley, Michael E; Becker, William

2014-09-01

In this study, we investigated the effects of mild motion sickness and sopite syndrome on multitasking cognitive performance. Despite knowledge on general motion sickness, little is known about the effect of motion sickness and sopite syndrome on multitasking cognitive performance. Specifically, there is a gap in existing knowledge in the gray area of mild motion sickness. Fifty-one healthy individuals performed a multitasking battery. Three independent groups of participants were exposed to two experimental sessions. Two groups received motion only in the first or the second session, whereas the control group did not receive motion. Measurements of motion sickness, sopite syndrome, alertness, and performance were collected during the experiment Only during the second session, motion sickness and sopite syndrome had a significant negative association with cognitive performance. Significant performance differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic participants in the second session were identified in composite (9.43%), memory (31.7%), and arithmetic (14.7%) task scores. The results suggest that performance retention between sessions was not affected by mild motion sickness. Multitasking cognitive performance declined even when motion sickness and soporific symptoms were mild. The results also show an order effect. We postulate that the differential effect of session on the association between symptomatology and multitasking performance may be related to the attentional resources allocated to performing the multiple tasks. Results suggest an inverse relationship between motion sickness effects on performance and the cognitive effort focused on performing a task. Even mild motion sickness has potential implications for multitasking operational performance.

[Effect of preventive treatment on cognitive performance in patients with multiple sclerosis].

PubMed

Shorobura, Maria S

2018-01-01

Introduction: cognitive, emotional and psychopathological changes play a significant role in the clinical picture of multiple sclerosis and influence the effectiveness of drug therapy, working capacity, quality of life, and the process of rehabilitation of patients with multiple sclerosis. The aim: investigate the changes in cognitive function in patients with multiple sclerosis, such as information processing speed and working memory of patients before and after treatment with immunomodulating drug. Materials and methods:33 patients examined reliably diagnosed with multiple sclerosis who were treated with preventive examinations and treatment from 2012 to 2016. For all patients with multiple sclerosis had clinical-neurological examination (neurological status using the EDSS scale) and the cognitive status was evaluated using the PASAT auditory test. Patient screening was performed before, during and after the therapy. Statistical analysis of the results was performed in the system Statistica 8.0. We used Student's t-test (t), Mann-Whitney test (Z). Person evaluated the correlation coefficients and Spearman (r, R), Wilcoxon criterion (T), Chi-square (X²). Results: The age of patients with multiple sclerosis affects the growth and EDSS scale score decrease PASAT to treatment. Duration of illness affects the EDSS scale score and performance PASAT. Indicators PASAT not significantly decreased throughout the treatment. Conclusions: glatiramer acetate has a positive effect on cognitive function, information processing speed and working memory patients with multiple sclerosis, which is one of the important components of the therapeutic effect of this drug.

Naturalistic distraction and driving safety in older drivers

PubMed Central

Aksan, Nazan; Dawson, Jeffrey D.; Emerson, Jamie L.; Yu, Lixi; Uc, Ergun Y.; Anderson, Steven W.; Rizzo, Matthew

2013-01-01

Objective This study aimed to quantify and compare performance of middle-aged and older drivers during a naturalistic distraction paradigm (visual search for roadside targets) and predict older driver performance given functioning in visual, motor, and cognitive domains. Background Distracted driving can imperil healthy adults and may disproportionally affect the safety of older drivers with visual, motor, and cognitive decline. Methods Two hundred and three drivers, 120 healthy older (61 men and 59 women, ages 65 years or greater) and 83 middle-aged drivers (38 men and 45 women, ages 40–64 years), participated in an on-road test in an instrumented vehicle. Outcome measures included performance in roadside target identification (traffic signs and restaurants) and concurrent driver safety. Differences in visual, motor, and cognitive functioning served as predictors. Results Older drivers identified fewer landmarks and drove slower but committed more safety errors than middle-aged drivers. Greater familiarity with local roads benefited performance of middle-aged but not older drivers. Visual cognition predicted both traffic sign identification and safety errors while executive function predicted traffic sign identification over and above vision. Conclusion Older adults are susceptible to driving safety errors while distracted by common secondary visual search tasks that are inherent to driving. The findings underscore that age-related cognitive decline affects older driver management of driving tasks at multiple levels, and can help inform the design of on-road tests and interventions for older drivers. PMID:23964422

Evaluating ecommerce websites cognitive efficiency: an integrative framework based on data envelopment analysis.

PubMed

Lo Storto, Corrado

2013-11-01

This paper presents an integrative framework to evaluate ecommerce website efficiency from the user viewpoint using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). This framework is inspired by concepts driven from theories of information processing and cognition and considers the website efficiency as a measure of its quality and performance. When the users interact with the website interfaces to perform a task, they are involved in a cognitive effort, sustaining a cognitive cost to search, interpret and process information, and experiencing either a sense of satisfaction or dissatisfaction for that. The amount of ambiguity and uncertainty, and the search (over-)time during navigation that they perceive determine the effort size - and, as a consequence, the cognitive cost amount - they have to bear to perform their task. On the contrary, task performing and result achievement provide the users with cognitive benefits, making interaction with the website potentially attractive, satisfying, and useful. In total, 9 variables are measured, classified in a set of 3 website macro-dimensions (user experience, site navigability and structure). The framework is implemented to compare 52 ecommerce websites that sell products in the information technology and media market. A stepwise regression is performed to assess the influence of cognitive costs and benefits that mostly affect website efficiency. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

How Affectively-Based and Cognitively-Based Attitudes Drive Intergroup Behaviours: The Moderating Role of Affective-Cognitive Consistency

PubMed Central

Zhou, Jie; Dovidio, John; Wang, Erping

2013-01-01

The moderating role of affective-cognitive consistency in the effects of affectively-based and cognitively-based attitudes on consummatory and instrumental behaviors was explored using two experimental studies in the intergroup context. Study 1 revealed that affectively-based attitudes were better predictors than cognitively-based attitudes regardless of affective-cognitive consistency for consummatory behaviors (e.g., undergraduates’ supportive behaviors toward government officials). Study 2, which investigated task groups’ supportive behaviors toward an immediate supervisory group, found that for these instrumental behaviors cognitively-based attitudes were better predictors than affectively-based attitudes only when affective-cognitive consistency was high. The present research also examined the mechanism by which affective-cognitive consistency moderates the relative roles of affectively-based and cognitively-based attitudes in attitude-behavior consistency. Results indicated that attitude-behavior consistency is eroded primarily because of the weaker relationship of affective or cognitive components to behaviors than to general attitudes. The reciprocal implications of research on attitudes and work on intergroup relations are considered. PMID:24244751

The impact of cognitive and affective aspects of cognitive conflict on learners' conceptual change about floating and sinking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hadjiachilleos, Stella; Valanides, Nicos; Angeli, Charoula

2013-07-01

Background: Cognitive conflict has been identified as an important factor for bringing about students' conceptual change. Researchers draw attention to the need to study not only cognitive factors related to cognitive conflict but affective factors as well. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of cognitive and non-cognitive aspects involved in cognitive conflict on students' conceptual change. Sample: Fifteen students, five from each of fourth, sixth and eighth grades, participated in the study. Seven students were male, and the rest were female. All students had high academic performance and were good at explaining their reasoning. Design and method: The study focused on gaining in-depth information, using semi-structured clinical interviews, about students' thinking when they were engaged in an inquiry process, which incorporated cognitive conflict using a scenario about floating and sinking. Students' initial conceptions related to the phenomenon of floating and sinking were first diagnosed and, subsequently, discrepant events were presented to challenge their initial conceptions. The 15 interviews were qualitatively analyzed using the constant comparative analysis method. Results: The results of this study showed that students' conceptual change was directly related to both cognitive and affective aspects of cognitive conflict. The results also showed that some students showed persistence on alternative frameworks even after their exposure to cognitive conflict. Conclusions: Cognitive conflict is an idiosyncratic, or personal event, that may not be experienced by all learners in the same way. Thus, the effect of cognitive conflict on learners' conceptual change is directly related to learners' ability to experience and feel the conflict when it is presented to them.

Interictal epileptic discharge correlates with global and frontal cognitive dysfunction in temporal lobe epilepsy.

PubMed

Dinkelacker, Vera; Xin, Xu; Baulac, Michel; Samson, Séverine; Dupont, Sophie

2016-09-01

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) with hippocampal sclerosis has widespread effects on structural and functional connectivity and often entails cognitive dysfunction. EEG is mandatory to disentangle interactions in epileptic and physiological networks which underlie these cognitive comorbidities. Here, we examined how interictal epileptic discharges (IEDs) affect cognitive performance. Thirty-four patients (right TLE=17, left TLE=17) were examined with 24-hour video-EEG and a battery of neuropsychological tests to measure intelligence quotient and separate frontal and temporal lobe functions. Hippocampal segmentation of high-resolution T1-weighted imaging was performed with FreeSurfer. Partial correlations were used to compare the number and distribution of clinical interictal spikes and sharp waves with data from imagery and psychological tests. The number of IEDs was negatively correlated with executive functions, including verbal fluency and intelligence quotient (IQ). Interictal epileptic discharge affected cognitive function in patients with left and right TLE differentially, with verbal fluency strongly related to temporofrontal spiking. In contrast, IEDs had no clear effects on memory functions after corrections with partial correlations for age, age at disease onset, disease duration, and hippocampal volume. In patients with TLE of long duration, IED occurrence was strongly related to cognitive deficits, most pronounced for frontal lobe function. These data suggest that IEDs reflect dysfunctional brain circuitry and may serve as an independent biomarker for cognitive comorbidity. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Pilot physiology, cognition and flight performance during flight simulation exposed to a 3810-m hypoxic condition.

PubMed

Peacock, Corey A; Weber, Raymond; Sanders, Gabriel J; Seo, Yongsuk; Kean, David; Pollock, Brandon S; Burns, Keith J; Cain, Mark; LaScola, Phillip; Glickman, Ellen L

2017-03-01

Hypoxia is a physiological state defined as a reduction in the distribution of oxygen to the tissues of the body. It has been considered a major factor in aviation safety worldwide because of its potential for pilot disorientation. Pilots are able to operate aircrafts up to 3810 m without the use of supplemental oxygen and may exhibit symptoms associated with hypoxia. To determine the effects of 3810 m on physiology, cognition and performance in pilots during a flight simulation. Ten healthy male pilots engaged in a counterbalanced experimental protocol comparing a 0-m normoxic condition (NORM) with a 3810-m hypoxic condition (HYP) on pilot physiology, cognition and flight performance. Repeated-measures analysis of variance demonstrated a significant (p ≤ 0.05) time by condition interaction for physiological and cognitive alterations during HYP. A paired-samples t test demonstrated no differences in pilot performance (p ≥ 0.05) between conditions. Pilots exhibited physiological and cognitive impairments; however, pilot performance was not affected by HYP.

Association of Chronic Subjective Tinnitus with Neuro- Cognitive Performance.

PubMed

Gudwani, Sunita; Munjal, Sanjay K; Panda, Naresh K; Kohli, Adarsh

2017-12-01

Chronic subjective tinnitus is associated with cognitive disruptions affecting perception, thinking, language, reasoning, problem solving, memory, visual tasks (reading) and attention. To evaluate existence of any association between tinnitus parameters and neuropsychological performance to explain cognitive processing. Study design was prospective, consisting 25 patients with idiopathic chronic subjective tinnitus and gave informed consent before planning their treatment. Neuropsychological profile included (i) performance on verbal information, comprehension, arithmetic and digit span; (ii) non-verbal performance for visual pattern completion analogies; (iii) memory performance for long-term, recent, delayed-recall, immediate-recall, verbal-retention, visualretention, visual recognition; (iv) reception, interpretation and execution for visual motor gestalt. Correlation between tinnitus onset duration/ loudness perception with neuropsychological profile was assessed by calculating Spearman's coefficient. Findings suggest that tinnitus may interfere with cognitive processing especially performance on digit span, verbal comprehension, mental balance, attention & concentration, immediate recall, visual recognition and visual-motor gestalt subtests. Negative correlation between neurocognitive tasks with tinnitus loudness and onset duration indicated their association. Positive correlation between tinnitus and visual-motor gestalt performance indicated the brain dysfunction. Tinnitus association with non-auditory processing of verbal, visual and visuo-spatial information suggested neuroplastic changes that need to be targeted in cognitive rehabilitation.

Consumption of Iron-Biofortified Beans Positively Affects Cognitive Performance in 18- to 27-Year-Old Rwandan Female College Students in an 18-Week Randomized Controlled Efficacy Trial.

PubMed

Murray-Kolb, Laura E; Wenger, Michael J; Scott, Samuel P; Rhoten, Stephanie E; Lung'aho, Mercy G; Haas, Jere D

2017-11-01

Background: Evidence shows that iron deficiency in adulthood may affect cognitive performance, possibly by disrupting neurotransmitter regulation or brain energy metabolism. Women of reproductive age (WRA) are among those who are most vulnerable to iron deficiency; however, they have been largely ignored in the literature relating iron status to cognition. Objective: Our aim was to determine the efficacy of iron-biofortified beans in improving cognition in WRA compared with control beans. Methods: A double-blind, randomized intervention study was conducted in 150 women aged 18-27 y with low iron status (ferritin <20 μg/L). Women were randomly assigned to consume iron-biofortified beans (86.1 ppm iron) or control beans (50.1 ppm iron) daily for 18 wk. Iron status was assessed based on hemoglobin, ferritin, transferrin receptor, and body iron values and on cognitive performance on 5 computerized tasks at baseline and endline. Results: Groups did not differ on any variables at baseline. Per protocol analyses revealed that consumption of the biofortified beans resulted in a 17% larger improvement in the speed of spatial selective attention; a nearly 7-fold larger improvement in the speed, a 68% greater improvement in the efficiency, and a >2-fold greater improvement in the specificity of memory retrieval; and a >2-fold larger improvement in the speed and a >3-fold larger improvement in the efficiency of memory search-all of which are relative to consumption of the control beans ( P < 0.01 for all comparisons). Conclusions: Cognitive performance is sensitive to iron status, and consumption of iron-biofortified beans for 18 wk improved cognitive performance, especially the efficiency of search and the speed of retrieval on memory tasks, in young adult women. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01594359.

Trustworthiness and Negative Affect Predict Economic Decision-Making.

PubMed

Nguyen, Christopher M; Koenigs, Michael; Yamada, Torricia H; Teo, Shu Hao; Cavanaugh, Joseph E; Tranel, Daniel; Denburg, Natalie L

2011-09-01

The Ultimatum Game (UG) is a widely used and well-studied laboratory model of economic decision-making. Here, we studied 129 healthy adults and compared demographic (i.e., age, gender, education), cognitive (i.e., intelligence, attention/working memory, speed, language, visuospatial, memory, executive functions), and personality (i.e., "Big Five", positive affect, negative affect) variables between those with a "rational" versus an "irrational" response pattern on the UG. Our data indicated that participants with "rational" UG performance (accepting any offer, no matter the fairness) endorsed higher levels of trust, or the belief in the sincerity and good intentions of others, while participants with "irrational" UG performance (rejecting unfair offers) endorsed higher levels of negative affect, such as anger and contempt. These personality variables were the only ones that differentiated the two response patterns-demographic and cognitive factors did not differ between rational and irrational players. The results indicate that the examination of personality and affect is crucial to our understanding of the individual differences that underlie decision-making.

Trustworthiness and Negative Affect Predict Economic Decision-Making

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Christopher M.; Koenigs, Michael; Yamada, Torricia H.; Teo, Shu Hao; Cavanaugh, Joseph E.; Tranel, Daniel; Denburg, Natalie L.

2012-01-01

The Ultimatum Game (UG) is a widely used and well-studied laboratory model of economic decision-making. Here, we studied 129 healthy adults and compared demographic (i.e., age, gender, education), cognitive (i.e., intelligence, attention/working memory, speed, language, visuospatial, memory, executive functions), and personality (i.e., “Big Five”, positive affect, negative affect) variables between those with a “rational” versus an “irrational” response pattern on the UG. Our data indicated that participants with “rational” UG performance (accepting any offer, no matter the fairness) endorsed higher levels of trust, or the belief in the sincerity and good intentions of others, while participants with “irrational” UG performance (rejecting unfair offers) endorsed higher levels of negative affect, such as anger and contempt. These personality variables were the only ones that differentiated the two response patterns—demographic and cognitive factors did not differ between rational and irrational players. The results indicate that the examination of personality and affect is crucial to our understanding of the individual differences that underlie decision-making. PMID:23493494

The Motivation-Cognition Interface in Learning and Decision-Making.

PubMed

Maddox, W Todd; Markman, Arthur B

2010-04-01

In this article we discuss how incentive motivations and task demands affect performance. We present a three-factor framework that suggests that performance is determined from the interaction of global incentives, local incentives, and the psychological processes needed to achieve optimal task performance. We review work that examines the implications of the motivation-cognition interface in classification, choice and on phenomena such as stereotype threat and performance pressure. We show that under some conditions stereotype threat and pressure accentuate performance. We discuss the implications of this work for neuropsychological assessment, and outline a number of challenges for future research.

Taekwondo Fighting in Training Does Not Simulate the Affective and Cognitive Demands of Competition: Implications for Behavior and Transfer.

PubMed

Maloney, Michael A; Renshaw, Ian; Headrick, Jonathon; Martin, David T; Farrow, Damian

2018-01-01

Enhancing practice design is critical to facilitate transfer of learning. Considerable research has focused on the role of perceptual information in practice simulation, yet has neglected how affect and cognition are shaped by practice environments and whether this influences the fidelity of behavior (Headrick et al., 2015). This study filled this gap by examining the fidelity of individual (cognition, affect, and actions) and interpersonal behavior of 10 highly skilled Australian Taekwondo athletes fighting in training compared to competition. Interpersonal behavior was assessed by tracking location coordinates to analyze distance-time coordination tendencies of the fighter-fighter system. Individual actions were assessed through notational analysis and approximate entropy calculations of coordinate data to quantify the (un)predictability of movement displacement. Affect and cognition were assessed with mixed-methods that included perceptual scales measuring anxiety, arousal, and mental effort, and post-fight video-facilitated confrontational interviews to explore how affect and cognitions might differ. Quantitative differences were assessed with mixed models and dependent t -tests. Results reveal that individual and interpersonal behavior differed between training and competition. In training, individuals attacked less ( d = 0.81, p < 0.05), initiated attacks from further away ( d = -0.20, p < 0.05) and displayed more predictable movement trajectories ( d = 0.84, p < 0.05). In training, fighters had lower anxiety ( d = -1.26, p < 0.05), arousal ( d = -1.07, p < 0.05), and mental effort ( d = -0.77, p < 0.05). These results were accompanied by changes in interpersonal behavior, with larger interpersonal distances generated by the fighter-fighter system in training ( d = 0.80, p < 0.05). Qualitative data revealed the emergence of cognitions and affect specific to the training environment, such as reductions in pressure, arousal, and mental challenge. Findings highlight the specificity of performer-environment interactions. Fighting in training affords reduced affective and cognitive demands and a decrease in action fidelity compared to competition. In addition to sampling information, representative practice needs to consider modeling the cognitions and affect of competition to enhance transfer.

Does consumption of LC omega-3 PUFA enhance cognitive performance in healthy school-aged children and throughout adulthood? Evidence from clinical trials.

PubMed

Stonehouse, Welma

2014-07-22

Long-chain (LC) omega-3 PUFA derived from marine sources may play an important role in cognitive performance throughout all life stages. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the dominant omega-3 in the brain, is a major component of neuronal cell membranes and affects various neurological pathways and processess. Despite its critical role in brain function, human's capacity to synthesize DHA de novo is limited and its consumption through the diet is important. However, many individuals do not or rarely consume seafood. The aim of this review is to critically evaluate the current evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCT) in healthy school-aged children, younger and older adults to determine whether consumption of LC omega-3 PUFA improves cognitive performance and to make recommendations for future research. Current evidence suggests that consumption of LC omega-3 PUFA, particularly DHA, may enhance cognitive performance relating to learning, cognitive development, memory and speed of performing cognitive tasks. Those who habitually consume diets low in DHA, children with low literacy ability and malnourished and older adults with age-related cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment seem to benefit most. However, study design limitations in many RCTs hamper firm conclusions. The measurement of a uniform biomarker, e.g., % DHA in red blood cells, is essential to establish baseline DHA-status, to determine targets for cognitive performance and to facilitate dosage recommendations. It is recommended that future studies be at least 16 weeks in duration, account for potential interaction effects of gender, age and apolipoprotein E genotype, include vegan/vegetarian populations, include measures of speed of cognitive performance and include brain imaging technologies as supportive information on working mechanisms of LC omega-3 PUFA.

Does Consumption of LC Omega-3 PUFA Enhance Cognitive Performance in Healthy School-Aged Children and throughout Adulthood? Evidence from Clinical Trials

PubMed Central

Stonehouse, Welma

2014-01-01

Long-chain (LC) omega-3 PUFA derived from marine sources may play an important role in cognitive performance throughout all life stages. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the dominant omega-3 in the brain, is a major component of neuronal cell membranes and affects various neurological pathways and processess. Despite its critical role in brain function, human’s capacity to synthesize DHA de novo is limited and its consumption through the diet is important. However, many individuals do not or rarely consume seafood. The aim of this review is to critically evaluate the current evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCT) in healthy school-aged children, younger and older adults to determine whether consumption of LC omega-3 PUFA improves cognitive performance and to make recommendations for future research. Current evidence suggests that consumption of LC omega-3 PUFA, particularly DHA, may enhance cognitive performance relating to learning, cognitive development, memory and speed of performing cognitive tasks. Those who habitually consume diets low in DHA, children with low literacy ability and malnourished and older adults with age-related cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment seem to benefit most. However, study design limitations in many RCTs hamper firm conclusions. The measurement of a uniform biomarker, e.g., % DHA in red blood cells, is essential to establish baseline DHA-status, to determine targets for cognitive performance and to facilitate dosage recommendations. It is recommended that future studies be at least 16 weeks in duration, account for potential interaction effects of gender, age and apolipoprotein E genotype, include vegan/vegetarian populations, include measures of speed of cognitive performance and include brain imaging technologies as supportive information on working mechanisms of LC omega-3 PUFA. PMID:25054550

Meal composition and shift work performance.

PubMed

Love, Heather L; Watters, Corilee A; Chang, Wei-Ching

2005-01-01

Research indicates that the ability to perform a task can be affected by the composition of the meal preceding the task. This study investigated the effect of shift workers' consumption of a medium-fat, medium-carbohydrate meal on alertness scores. Six subjects (four men, two women) aged 19 to 44 recorded food intake, sleep, and quality of sleep for two weeks, and measured their body temperature and performed cognitive tests during two night shifts at baseline and in test periods. The Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS) was used to quantify sleepiness, and a Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) was used to measure cognitive performance. In comparison with the score at baseline, when subjects had a low-fat, high-carbohydrate dietary intake (1,335 kcal/5,588 kJ, 56% carbohydrate, 28% fat), the 1.6-second PASAT score improved significantly (p=0.042) during night shifts when subjects consumed a test meal (987 kcal/4,131 kJ, 46% carbohydrate, 42% fat). No statistically significant difference in SSS was found between baseline and test periods. The reduced body temperature between 2400 hours and 0530 hours was similar for both baseline and test periods. Meal composition and size during night shifts may affect cognitive performance.

Aberrant activity and connectivity of the posterior superior temporal sulcus during social cognition in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Mier, Daniela; Eisenacher, Sarah; Rausch, Franziska; Englisch, Susanne; Gerchen, Martin Fungisai; Zamoscik, Vera; Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas; Zink, Mathias; Kirsch, Peter

2017-10-01

Schizophrenia is associated with significant impairments in social cognition. These impairments have been shown to go along with altered activation of the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS). However, studies that investigate connectivity of pSTS during social cognition in schizophrenia are sparse. Twenty-two patients with schizophrenia and 22 matched healthy controls completed a social-cognitive task for functional magnetic resonance imaging that allows the investigation of affective Theory of Mind (ToM), emotion recognition and the processing of neutral facial expressions. Moreover, a resting-state measurement was taken. Patients with schizophrenia performed worse in the social-cognitive task (main effect of group). In addition, a group by social-cognitive processing interaction was revealed for activity, as well as for connectivity during the social-cognitive task, i.e., patients with schizophrenia showed hyperactivity of right pSTS during neutral face processing, but hypoactivity during emotion recognition and affective ToM. In addition, hypoconnectivity between right and left pSTS was revealed for affective ToM, but not for neutral face processing or emotion recognition. No group differences in connectivity from right to left pSTS occurred during resting state. This pattern of aberrant activity and connectivity of the right pSTS during social cognition might form the basis of false-positive perceptions of emotions and intentions and could contribute to the emergence and sustainment of delusions.

Impaired social cognition in patients with interictal epileptiform discharges in the frontal lobe.

PubMed

Hu, Ying; Jiang, Yubao; Hu, Panpan; Ma, Huijuan; Wang, Kai

2016-04-01

Patients with epilepsy frequently experience cognitive impairments, including impairments in social cognition. However, there is a lack of direct examinations of the affective and cognitive aspects of social cognition in such patients. The neural correlates remain to be identified. The present study was designed to examine the degree of impairments in different aspects of social cognition including empathy, emotion recognition, and Theory of Mind (ToM) in patients with epilepsy. In addition, we further explored factors related to the impairments, highlighting the specific importance of the frontal region. After 24-hour EEG monitoring, 53 patients with epilepsy were administered a neuropsychological battery of tests for basic intelligence assessment and then were tested with the Interpersonal Reactive Index, the "Yoni" task, the Emotion Recognition Test, the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test, and other neuropsychological tests. The clinical variables potentially affecting the ability to accomplish these tests were taken into account. We divided the patients into those having frontal lobe interictal epileptiform discharges (group with frontal IEDs) and those with seizures originating outside the frontal or temporal lobes (group with extrafrontal IEDs). Sixty healthy individuals served as controls. The group with frontal IEDs achieved the most severe deficits in emotion recognition, ToM, and cognitive empathy, while affective empathy was intact. Moreover, the performance scores of empathy in the group with frontal IEDs were selectively correlated with their executive function scores, which are believed to be associated with orbitofrontal functioning. In contrast, patients with epilepsies not originating from the frontal or temporal lobes may also be at risk of impairments in social cognition, albeit to a lesser extent. The preliminary findings suggest that patients with epilepsy, especially those having frontal lobe interictal epileptiform discharges, have associated general social cognition deficits. At the clinical level, these results are in line with previous findings regarding social cognition and the importance of the prefrontal area in the integration of cognition and affect. At the theoretical level, our findings also provide evidence for the functional independence of cognitive from affective aspects of empathy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Destination Memory and Cognitive Theory of Mind in Alzheimer's Disease.

PubMed

El Haj, Mohamad; Gély-Nargeot, Marie-Christine; Raffard, Stéphane

2015-01-01

Destination memory, or the ability to remember the destination to whom a piece of information was addressed, is found to be compromised in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our paper investigated the relationship between destination memory and theory of mind in AD since both destination memory and theory of mind are social abilities that require processing attributes of interlocutors. Mild AD participants and controls were administered tasks tapping destination memory, affective theory of mind, and 1st and 2nd order cognitive theory of mind. Relative to controls, AD participants showed compromise in destination memory and 2nd order cognitive theory of mind, but preserved performance on affective and 1st order cognitive theory of mind. Significant correlations were observed between destination memory, and 1st and 2nd order cognitive theory of mind in AD participants and controls. By demonstrating a relationship between compromises in 2nd order theory of mind and in destination memory, our work highlights links between social cognition and memory functioning in AD.

On the interdependence of cognition and emotion

PubMed Central

Storbeck, Justin; Clore, Gerald L.

2008-01-01

Affect and cognition have long been treated as independent entities, but in the current review we suggest that affect and cognition are in fact highly interdependent. We open the article by discussing three classic views for the independence of affect. These are (i) the affective independence hypothesis, that emotion is processed independently from cognition, (ii) the affective primacy hypothesis, that evaluative processing precedes semantic processing, and (iii) the affective automaticity hypothesis, that affectively potent stimuli commandeer attention and evaluation is automatic. We argue that affect is not independent from cognition, that affect is not primary to cognition, nor is affect automatically elicited. The second half of the paper discusses several instances of how affect influences cognition. We review experiments showing affective involvement in perception, semantic activation, and attitude activation. We conclude that one function of affect is to regulate cognitive processing. PMID:18458789

Social cognition in schizophrenia: cognitive and affective factors.

PubMed

Ziv, Ido; Leiser, David; Levine, Joseph

2011-01-01

Social cognition refers to how people conceive, perceive, and draw inferences about mental and emotional states of others in the social world. Previous studies suggest that the concept of social cognition involves several abilities, including those related to affect and cognition. The present study analyses the deficits of individuals with schizophrenia in two areas of social cognition: Theory of Mind (ToM) and emotion recognition and processing. Examining the impairment of these abilities in patients with schizophrenia has the potential to elucidate the neurophysiological regions involved in social cognition and may also have the potential to aid rehabilitation. Two experiments were conducted. Both included the same five tasks: first- and second-level false-belief ToM tasks, emotion inferencing, understanding of irony, and matrix reasoning (a WAIS-R subtest). The matrix reasoning task was administered to evaluate and control for the association of the other tasks with analytic reasoning skills. Experiment 1 involved factor analysis of the task performance of 75 healthy participants. Experiment 2 compared 30 patients with schizophrenia to an equal number of matched controls. Results. (1) The five tasks were clearly divided into two factors corresponding to the two areas of social cognition, ToM and emotion recognition and processing. (2) Schizophrenics' performance was impaired on all tasks, particularly on those loading heavily on the analytic component (matrix reasoning and second-order ToM). (3) Matrix reasoning, second-level ToM (ToM2), and irony were found to distinguish patients from controls, even when all other tasks that revealed significant impairment in the patients' performance were taken into account. The two areas of social cognition examined are related to distinct factors. The mechanism for answering ToM questions (especially ToM2) depends on analytic reasoning capabilities, but the difficulties they present to individuals with schizophrenia are due to other components as well. The impairment in social cognition in schizophrenia stems from deficiencies in several mechanisms, including the ability to think analytically and to process emotion information and cues.

Effects of Sleep Deprivation on the Cognitive Performance of Nurses Working in Shift.

PubMed

Kaliyaperumal, Deepalakshmi; Elango, Yaal; Alagesan, Murali; Santhanakrishanan, Iswarya

2017-08-01

Sleep deprivation and altered circadian rhythm affects the cognitive performance of an individual. Quality of sleep is compromised in those who are frequently involved in extended working hours and shift work which is found to be more common among nurses. Cognitive impairment leads to fatigability, decline in attention and efficiency in their workplace which puts their health and patients' health at risk. To find out the prevalence of sleep deprivation and its impact on cognition among shift working nurses. Sleep deprivation among 97 female and three male healthy nurses of age 20-50 years was assessed by Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS). Cognition was assessed by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) questionnaire. Mobile applications were used to test their vigilance, reaction time, photographic memory and numerical cognition. The above said parameters were assessed during end of day shift and 3-4 days after start of night shift. Poor sleep quality was observed among 69% of shift working nurses according to ESS scores. The cognitive performance was analysed using Wilcoxon signed rank test. The MoCA score was found to be lesser among 66% of nurses during night (25.72) than day (26.81). During the night, 32% made more mathematical errors. It was also found that, 71%, 83% and 68% of the nurses scored lesser during night in the Stroop's colour test, vigilance test and memory tests respectively. Thus, impairment in cognitive performance was statistically significant (p<0.001) among shift working nurses. Cognitive performance was found to be impaired among shift working nurses, due to poor sleep quality and decreased alertness during wake state. Thus, shift work poses significant cognitive risks in work performance of nurses.

TURNING IT UPSIDE DOWN: AREAS OF PRESERVED COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA

PubMed Central

Gold, James M.; Hahn, Britta; Strauss, Gregory P.; Waltz, James A.

2013-01-01

Patients with schizophrenia demonstrate marked impairments on most clinical neuropsychological tests. These findings suggest that patients suffer from a generalized form of cognitive impairment, with little evidence of spared performance documented in several large meta-analytic reviews of the clinical literature. In contrast, we review evidence for relative sparing of aspects of attention, procedural memory, and emotional processing observed in studies that have employed experimental approaches adapted from the cognitive and affective neuroscience literature. These islands of preserved performance suggest that the cognitive deficits in schizophrenia are not as general as they appear to be when assayed with clinical neuropsychological methods. The apparent contradiction in findings across methods may offer important clues about the nature of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. The documentation of preserved cognitive function in schizophrenia may serve to sharpen hypotheses about the biological mechanisms that are implicated in the illness. PMID:19452280

New insights into the endophenotypic status of cognition in bipolar disorder: genetic modelling study of twins and siblings.

PubMed

Georgiades, Anna; Rijsdijk, Fruhling; Kane, Fergus; Rebollo-Mesa, Irene; Kalidindi, Sridevi; Schulze, Katja K; Stahl, Daniel; Walshe, Muriel; Sahakian, Barbara J; McDonald, Colm; Hall, Mei-Hua; Murray, Robin M; Kravariti, Eugenia

2016-06-01

Twin studies have lacked statistical power to apply advanced genetic modelling techniques to the search for cognitive endophenotypes for bipolar disorder. To quantify the shared genetic variability between bipolar disorder and cognitive measures. Structural equation modelling was performed on cognitive data collected from 331 twins/siblings of varying genetic relatedness, disease status and concordance for bipolar disorder. Using a parsimonious AE model, verbal episodic and spatial working memory showed statistically significant genetic correlations with bipolar disorder (rg = |0.23|-|0.27|), which lost statistical significance after covarying for affective symptoms. Using an ACE model, IQ and visual-spatial learning showed statistically significant genetic correlations with bipolar disorder (rg = |0.51|-|1.00|), which remained significant after covarying for affective symptoms. Verbal episodic and spatial working memory capture a modest fraction of the bipolar diathesis. IQ and visual-spatial learning may tap into genetic substrates of non-affective symptomatology in bipolar disorder. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2016.

Microgravity effects on standardized cognitive performance measures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schiflett, Samuel G.

1992-01-01

The purpose of this experiment, selected to fly on the International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2) Spacelab mission, is to determine the effects of microgravity upon the cognitive skills which are critical to successful performance of many tasks on board the Space Shuttle. Six tests from the Unified Tri-service Cognitive Performance Assessment Battery (UTC-PAB) will be administered to the Mission Specialists to fulfill the goals of this experiment. These tests are based upon current theoretical models of human performance and the hypothesized effects of microgravity. The principle objective is the identification of the effects of microgravity upon specific information processing skills affecting performance from those of fatigue and shifts in work/rest cycles. Multiple measures of both short and long term fatigue will be obtained and used as a major independent variable for the analysis of these performance data. Scientific supporting studies will determine optimum practice and performance testing schedules for the astronauts. The same tests will be used post-flight to collect data on the recovery of any cognitive performance impairment compared with pre-flight, baseline levels.

Perceived Social Isolation and Cognition

PubMed Central

Cacioppo, John T.; Hawkley, Louise C.

2009-01-01

Social species, from Drosophila melanogaster to Homo sapiens, fare poorly when isolated. Homo sapiens, an irrepressibly meaning-making species, are, in normal circumstances, dramatically affected by perceived social isolation. Research indicates that perceived social isolation (i.e., loneliness) is a risk factor for, and may contribute to, poorer overall cognitive performance, faster cognitive decline, poorer executive functioning, more negativity and depressive cognition, heightened sensitivity to social threats, a confirmatory bias in social cognition that is self-protective and paradoxically self-defeating, heightened anthropomorphism, and contagion that threatens social cohesion. These differences in attention and cognition impact emotions, decisions, behaviors, and interpersonal interactions that may contribute to the association between loneliness and cognitive decline and between loneliness and morbidity more generally. PMID:19726219

Nicotine withdrawal modulates frontal brain function during an affective Stroop task

PubMed Central

Modlin, Leslie; Wang, Lihong; Kozink, Rachel V.; McClernon, F. Joseph

2013-01-01

Background Among nicotine-dependent smokers, smoking abstinence disrupts multiple cognitive and affective processes including conflict resolution and emotional information processing (EIP). However, the neurobiological basis of abstinence effects on resolving emotional interference on cognition remains largely uncharacterized. In this study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to investigate smoking abstinence effects on emotion–cognition interactions. Methods Smokers (n=17) underwent fMRI while performing an affective Stroop task (aST) over two sessions: once following 24-h abstinence and once following smoking as usual. The aST includes trials that serially present incongruent or congruent numerical grids bracketed by neutral or negative emotional distractors and view-only emotional image trials. Statistical analyses were conducted using a statistical threshold of p<0.05 cluster corrected. Results Smoking abstinence increased Stroop blood-oxygenation-level-dependent response in the right middle frontal and rostral anterior cingulate gyri. Moreover, withdrawal-induced negative affect was associated with less activation in frontoparietal regions during negative emotional information processing; whereas, during Stroop trials, negative affect predicted greater activation in frontal regions during negative, but not neutral emotional distractor trials. Conclusion Hyperactivation in the frontal executive control network during smoking abstinence may represent a need to recruit additional executive resources to meet task demands. Moreover, abstinence-induced negative affect may disrupt cognitive control neural circuitry during EIP and place additional demands on frontal executive neural resources during cognitive demands when presented with emotionally distracting stimuli. PMID:21989805

The impact of binaural beats on creativity

PubMed Central

Reedijk, Susan A.; Bolders, Anne; Hommel, Bernhard

2013-01-01

Human creativity relies on a multitude of cognitive processes, some of which are influenced by the neurotransmitter dopamine. This suggests that creativity could be enhanced by interventions that either modulate the production or transmission of dopamine directly, or affect dopamine-driven processes. In the current study we hypothesized that creativity can be influenced by means of binaural beats, an auditory illusion that is considered a form of cognitive entrainment that operates through stimulating neuronal phase locking. We aimed to investigate whether binaural beats affect creative performance at all, whether they affect divergent thinking, convergent thinking, or both, and whether possible effects may be mediated by the individual striatal dopamine level. Binaural beats were presented at alpha and gamma frequency. Participants completed a divergent and a convergent thinking task to assess two important functions of creativity, and filled out the Positive And Negative Affect Scale—mood State questionnaire (PANAS-S) and an affect grid to measure current mood. Dopamine levels in the striatum were estimated using spontaneous eye blink rates (EBRs). Results showed that binaural beats, regardless of the presented frequency, can affect divergent but not convergent thinking. Individuals with low EBRs mostly benefitted from alpha binaural beat stimulation, while individuals with high EBRs were unaffected or even impaired by both alpha and gamma binaural beats. This suggests that binaural beats, and possibly other forms of cognitive entrainment, are not suited for a one-size-fits-all approach, and that individual cognitive-control systems need to be taken into account when studying cognitive enhancement methods. PMID:24294202

The impact of binaural beats on creativity.

PubMed

Reedijk, Susan A; Bolders, Anne; Hommel, Bernhard

2013-01-01

Human creativity relies on a multitude of cognitive processes, some of which are influenced by the neurotransmitter dopamine. This suggests that creativity could be enhanced by interventions that either modulate the production or transmission of dopamine directly, or affect dopamine-driven processes. In the current study we hypothesized that creativity can be influenced by means of binaural beats, an auditory illusion that is considered a form of cognitive entrainment that operates through stimulating neuronal phase locking. We aimed to investigate whether binaural beats affect creative performance at all, whether they affect divergent thinking, convergent thinking, or both, and whether possible effects may be mediated by the individual striatal dopamine level. Binaural beats were presented at alpha and gamma frequency. Participants completed a divergent and a convergent thinking task to assess two important functions of creativity, and filled out the Positive And Negative Affect Scale-mood State questionnaire (PANAS-S) and an affect grid to measure current mood. Dopamine levels in the striatum were estimated using spontaneous eye blink rates (EBRs). Results showed that binaural beats, regardless of the presented frequency, can affect divergent but not convergent thinking. Individuals with low EBRs mostly benefitted from alpha binaural beat stimulation, while individuals with high EBRs were unaffected or even impaired by both alpha and gamma binaural beats. This suggests that binaural beats, and possibly other forms of cognitive entrainment, are not suited for a one-size-fits-all approach, and that individual cognitive-control systems need to be taken into account when studying cognitive enhancement methods.

The cognitive cost of anticholinergic burden: decreased response to cognitive training in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Vinogradov, Sophia; Fisher, Melissa; Warm, Heather; Holland, Christine; Kirshner, Margaret A; Pollock, Bruce G

2009-09-01

Schizophrenia is treated with medications that raise serum anticholinergic activity and are known to adversely affect cognition. The authors examined the relationship between serum anticholinergic activity and baseline cognitive performance and response to computerized cognitive training in outpatients with schizophrenia. Fifty-five patients were randomly assigned to either computerized cognitive training or a computer games control condition. A neurocognitive battery based on the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) initiative was performed at baseline and after the intervention. Serum anticholinergic activity, measured at study entry by radioreceptor assay, was available for 49 patients. Serum anticholinergic activity showed a significant negative correlation with baseline performance in verbal working memory and verbal learning and memory, accounting for 7% of the variance in these measures, independent of age, IQ, or symptom severity. Patients in the cognitive training condition (N=25) showed a significant gain in global cognition compared to those in the control condition, but this improvement was negatively correlated with anticholinergic burden. Serum anticholinergic activity uniquely accounted for 20% of the variance in global cognition change, independent of age, IQ, or symptom severity. Serum anticholinergic activity in schizophrenia patients shows a significant association with impaired performance in MATRICS-based measures of verbal working memory and verbal learning and memory and is significantly associated with a lowered response to an intensive course of computerized cognitive training. These findings underscore the cognitive cost of medications that carry a high anticholinergic burden. The findings also have implications for the design and evaluation of cognitive treatments for schizophrenia.

Neurocognitive Consequences of Sleep Deprivation

PubMed Central

Goel, Namni; Rao, Hengyi; Durmer, Jeffrey S.; Dinges, David F.

2012-01-01

Sleep deprivation is associated with considerable social, financial, and health-related costs, in large measure because it produces impaired cognitive performance due to increasing sleep propensity and instability of waking neurobehavioral functions. Cognitive functions particularly affected by sleep loss include psychomotor and cognitive speed, vigilant and executive attention, working memory, and higher cognitive abilities. Chronic sleep-restriction experiments—which model the kind of sleep loss experienced by many individuals with sleep fragmentation and premature sleep curtailment due to disorders and lifestyle—demonstrate that cognitive deficits accumulate to severe levels over time without full awareness by the affected individual. Functional neuroimaging has revealed that frequent and progressively longer cognitive lapses, which are a hallmark of sleep deprivation, involve distributed changes in brain regions including frontal and parietal control areas, secondary sensory processing areas, and thalamic areas. There are robust differences among individuals in the degree of their cognitive vulnerability to sleep loss that may involve differences in prefrontal and parietal cortices, and that may have a basis in genes regulating sleep homeostasis and circadian rhythms. Thus, cognitive deficits believed to be a function of the severity of clinical sleep disturbance may be a product of genetic alleles associated with differential cognitive vulnerability to sleep loss. PMID:19742409

Can "the voices in the car" persuade drivers to go green?: effects of benefit appeals from in-vehicle voice agents and the role of drivers' affective states on eco-driving.

PubMed

Joo, Yeon Kyoung; Lee, Jong-Eun Roselyn

2014-04-01

The present research investigated the possibility of using an in-vehicle voice agent to promote eco-driving. Considering that both types of benefit appeals--egoistic (emphasizing benefits to the self) and altruistic (emphasizing benefits to others)--could be employed to promote eco-driving behavior, we explored the effects of benefit appeals delivered by an in-vehicle voice agent on driving performance. In particular, we tested whether and how the valence (positive vs. negative) of drivers' affective states moderates the effects, drawing on the functionalist affect-cognition framework, which has theorized that positive affect leads people to focus more on self-interest, whereas negative affect leads people to become more sensitive to social norms. An experiment was conducted in which participants, after undergoing affect (happy vs. sad) elicitation, received messages (egoistic vs. altruistic) promoting eco-driving from an in-vehicle voice agent while performing a simulated driving task. Results were partially consistent with the functionalist affect-cognition framework. Happy participants performed better on eco-driving when they were exposed to egoistic appeals than to altruistic appeals. On the other hand, the driving performance data from sad participants did not yield a significant difference between the egoistic condition and the altruistic condition. Participants' driving performance data further revealed that the joint effects of benefit appeals and affective states on safe driving performance mirrored the joint effects on eco-driving performance, confirming a close relationship between the two driving behaviors. Theoretical and practical implications for the use of in-vehicle voice agents and benefit appeals in promoting eco-driving and safe driving are discussed.

Affective mentalizing and brain activity at rest in the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia

PubMed Central

Caminiti, Silvia P.; Canessa, Nicola; Cerami, Chiara; Dodich, Alessandra; Crespi, Chiara; Iannaccone, Sandro; Marcone, Alessandra; Falini, Andrea; Cappa, Stefano F.

2015-01-01

Background bvFTD patients display an impairment in the attribution of cognitive and affective states to others, reflecting GM atrophy in brain regions associated with social cognition, such as amygdala, superior temporal cortex and posterior insula. Distinctive patterns of abnormal brain functioning at rest have been reported in bvFTD, but their relationship with defective attribution of affective states has not been investigated. Objective To investigate the relationship among resting-state brain activity, gray matter (GM) atrophy and the attribution of mental states in the behavioral variant of fronto-temporal degeneration (bvFTD). Methods We compared 12 bvFTD patients with 30 age- and education-matched healthy controls on a) performance in a task requiring the attribution of affective vs. cognitive mental states; b) metrics of resting-state activity in known functional networks; and c) the relationship between task-performances and resting-state metrics. In addition, we assessed a connection between abnormal resting-state metrics and GM atrophy. Results Compared with controls, bvFTD patients showed a reduction of intra-network coherent activity in several components, as well as decreased strength of activation in networks related to attentional processing. Anomalous resting-state activity involved networks which also displayed a significant reduction of GM density. In patients, compared with controls, higher affective mentalizing performance correlated with stronger functional connectivity between medial prefrontal sectors of the default-mode and attentional/performance monitoring networks, as well as with increased coherent activity in components of the executive, sensorimotor and fronto-limbic networks. Conclusions Some of the observed effects may reflect specific compensatory mechanisms for the atrophic changes involving regions in charge of affective mentalizing. The analysis of specific resting-state networks thus highlights an intermediate level of analysis between abnormal brain structure and impaired behavioral performance in bvFTD, reflecting both dysfunction and compensation mechanisms. PMID:26594631

Socioeconomic, emotional, and physical execution variables as predictors of cognitive performance in a Spanish sample of middle-aged and older community-dwelling participants.

PubMed

González, Mari Feli; Facal, David; Juncos-Rabadán, Onésimo; Yanguas, Javier

2017-10-01

Cognitive performance is not easily predicted, since different variables play an important role in the manifestation of age-related declines. The objective of this study is to analyze the predictors of cognitive performance in a Spanish sample over 50 years from a multidimensional perspective, including socioeconomic, affective, and physical variables. Some of them are well-known predictors of cognition and others are emergent variables in the study of cognition. The total sample, drawn from the "Longitudinal Study Aging in Spain (ELES)" project, consisted of 832 individuals without signs of cognitive impairment. Cognitive function was measured with tests evaluating episodic and working memory, visuomotor speed, fluency, and naming. Thirteen independent variables were selected as predictors belonging to socioeconomic, emotional, and physical execution areas. Multiple linear regressions, following the enter method, were calculated for each age group in order to study the influence of these variables in cognitive performance. Education is the variable which best predicts cognitive performance in the 50-59, 60-69, and 70-79 years old groups. In the 80+ group, the best predictor is objective economic status and education does not enter in the model. Age-related decline can be modified by the influence of educational and socioeconomic variables. In this context, it is relevant to take into account how easy is to modify certain variables, compared to others which depend on each person's life course.

Cognitive, physical and physiological responses of school boy cricketers to a 30-over batting simulation.

PubMed

Goble, David; Christie, Candice Jo-Anne

2017-06-01

The purpose of this study was to assess how cognitive and physical performance are affected during a prolonged, fatigue-inducing cricket-batting simulation. Fifteen amateur batters from three Eastern Cape schools in South Africa were recruited (mean ± SD: age 17 ± 0.92 years; stature 1.75 ± 0.07 m; body mass 78.3 ± 13.2 kg). Participants completed a 6-stage, 30-over batting simulation (BATEX © ). During the protocol, there were five periods of cognitive assessment (CogState brief test battery, Melbourne, Australia). The primary outcome measures from each cognitive task were speed and accuracy/error rates. Physiological (heart rate) and physical (sprint times) responses were also recorded. Sprint times deteriorated (d = 0.84; P < 0.01) while physiological responses increased (d = 0.91; P < 0.01) as batting duration increased, with longest times and highest responses occurring in the final stage. Prolonged batting had a large effect on executive task performance (d = 0.85; P = 0.03), and moderate effects on visual attention and vigilance (d = 0.56; P = 0.21) and attention and working memory (d = 0.61; P = 0.11), reducing task performance after 30 overs. Therefore, prolonged batting with repeated shuttle running fatigues amateur batters and adversely affects higher-order cognitive function. This will affect decision-making, response selection, response execution and other batting-related executive processes. We recommend that training should incorporate greater proportions of centre-wicket batting with repeated, high-intensity shuttle running. This will improve batting-related skills and information processing when fatigued, making practice more representative of competition.

Effects of L-histidine depletion and L-tyrosine/L-phenylalanine depletion on sensory and motor processes in healthy volunteers

PubMed Central

van Ruitenbeek, P; Sambeth, A; Vermeeren, A; Young, SN; Riedel, WJ

2009-01-01

Background and purpose: Animal studies show that histamine plays a role in cognitive functioning and that histamine H3-receptor antagonists, which increase histaminergic function through presynaptic receptors, improve cognitive performance in models of clinical cognitive deficits. In order to test such new drugs in humans, a model for cognitive impairments induced by low histaminergic functions would be useful. Studies with histamine H1-receptor antagonists have shown limitations as a model. Here we evaluated whether depletion of L-histidine, the precursor of histamine, was effective in altering measures associated with histamine in humans and the behavioural and electrophysiological (event-related-potentials) effects. Experimental approach: Seventeen healthy volunteers completed a three-way, double-blind, crossover study with L-histidine depletion, L-tyrosine/L-phenylalanine depletion (active control) and placebo as treatments. Interactions with task manipulations in a choice reaction time task were studied. Task demands were increased using visual stimulus degradation and increased response complexity. In addition, subjective and objective measures of sedation and critical tracking task performance were assessed. Key results: Measures of sedation and critical tracking task performance were not affected by treatment. L-histidine depletion was effective and enlarged the effect of response complexity as measured with the response-locked lateralized readiness potential onset latency. Conclusions and implications: L-histidine depletion affected response- but not stimulus-related processes, in contrast to the effects of H1-receptor antagonists which were previously found to affect primarily stimulus-related processes. L-histidine depletion is promising as a model for histamine-based cognitive impairment. However, these effects need to be confirmed by further studies. PMID:19413574

Neuroimaging explanations of age-related differences in task performance.

PubMed

Steffener, Jason; Barulli, Daniel; Habeck, Christian; Stern, Yaakov

2014-01-01

Advancing age affects both cognitive performance and functional brain activity and interpretation of these effects has led to a variety of conceptual research models without always explicitly linking the two effects. However, to best understand the multifaceted effects of advancing age, age differences in functional brain activity need to be explicitly tied to the cognitive task performance. This work hypothesized that age-related differences in task performance are partially explained by age-related differences in functional brain activity and formally tested these causal relationships. Functional MRI data was from groups of young and old adults engaged in an executive task-switching experiment. Analyses were voxel-wise testing of moderated-mediation and simple mediation statistical path models to determine whether age group, brain activity and their interaction explained task performance in regions demonstrating an effect of age group. Results identified brain regions whose age-related differences in functional brain activity significantly explained age-related differences in task performance. In all identified locations, significant moderated-mediation relationships resulted from increasing brain activity predicting worse (slower) task performance in older but not younger adults. Findings suggest that advancing age links task performance to the level of brain activity. The overall message of this work is that in order to understand the role of functional brain activity on cognitive performance, analysis methods should respect theoretical relationships. Namely, that age affects brain activity and brain activity is related to task performance.

How does emotion influence different creative performances? The mediating role of cognitive flexibility.

PubMed

Lin, Wei-Lun; Tsai, Ping-Hsun; Lin, Hung-Yu; Chen, Hsueh-Chih

2014-01-01

Cognitive flexibility is proposed to be one of the factors underlying how positive emotions can improve creativity. However, previous works have seldom set up or empirically measured an independent index to demonstrate its mediating effect, nor have they investigated its mediating role on different types of creative performances, which involve distinct processes. In this study, 120 participants were randomly assigned to positive, neutral or negative affect conditions. Their levels of cognitive flexibility were then measured by a switch task. Finally, their creative performances were calibrated by either an open-ended divergent thinking test or a closed-ended insight problem-solving task. The results showed that positive emotional states could reduce switch costs and enhance both types of creative performances. However, cognitive flexibility exhibited a full mediating effect only on the relationship between positive emotion and insight problem solving, but not between positive emotion and divergent thinking. Divergent thinking was instead more associated with arousal level. These results suggest that emotions might influence different creative performances through distinct mechanisms.

Increased Carbohydrate Intake is Associated with Poorer Performance in Verbal Memory and Attention in an APOE Genotype-Dependent Manner.

PubMed

Gardener, Samantha L; Rainey-Smith, Stephanie R; Sohrabi, Hamid R; Weinborn, Michael; Verdile, Giuseppe; Fernando, W M A D Binosha; Lim, Yen Ying; Harrington, Karra; Burnham, Samantha; Taddei, Kevin; Masters, Colin L; Macaulay, Stuart L; Rowe, Christopher C; Ames, David; Maruff, Paul; Martins, Ralph N

2017-01-01

Evidence suggests that a diet low in carbohydrates can impact on cognitive performance among those with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, there is a lack of data assessing this relationship among cognitively normal (CN) older adults at increased future risk of developing AD due to carriage of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ4 allele. We assessed the cross-sectional association between carbohydrate intake, cognitive performance, and cerebral amyloid-β (Aβ) load in CN older adults, genotyped for APOEɛ4 allele carrier status. Greater carbohydrate intake was associated with poorer performance in verbal memory in APOEɛ4 allele non-carriers, and poorer performance in attention in APOEɛ4 allele carriers. There were no associations between carbohydrate intake and cerebral Aβ load. These results provide support to the idea that decreasing carbohydrate intake may offer neurocognitive benefits, with specific cognitive domains affected in an APOE genotype-dependent manner. These findings warrant further investigation utilizing a longitudinal study design.

Maternal separation decreases adult hippocampal cell proliferation and impairs cognitive performance but has little effect on stress sensitivity and anxiety in adult Wistar rats.

PubMed

Hulshof, Henriëtte J; Novati, Arianna; Sgoifo, Andrea; Luiten, Paul G M; den Boer, Johan A; Meerlo, Peter

2011-01-20

Stressful events during childhood are thought to increase the risk for the development of adult psychopathology. A widely used animal model for early life stress is maternal separation (MS), which is thought to affect development and cause alterations in neuroendocrine stress reactivity and emotionality lasting into adulthood. However, results obtained with this paradigm are inconsistent. Here we investigated whether this variation may be related to the type of stressor or the tests used to assess adult stress sensitivity and behavioral performance. Rat pups were exposed to a 3h daily MS protocol during postnatal weeks 1-2. In adulthood, animals were subjected to a wide variety of stressors and tests to obtain a better view on the effects of MS on adult hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulation, anxiety-like behavior, social interaction and cognition. Also, the influence of MS on adult hippocampal neurogenesis was studied because it might underlie changes in neuroendocrine regulation and behavioral performance. The results show that, independent of the nature of the stressor, MS did not affect the neuroendocrine response. MS did not influence anxiety-like behavior, explorative behavior and social interaction, but did affect cognitive function in an object recognition task. The amount of new born cells in the hippocampal dentate gyrus was significantly decreased in MS animals; yet, cell differentiation and survival were not altered. In conclusion, while interfering with the mother-infant relationship early in life did affect some aspects of adult neuroplasticity and cognitive function, it did not lead to permanent changes in stress sensitivity and emotionality. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Motivational and Emotional Influences on Cognitive Control in Depression: A Pupillometry Study

PubMed Central

Jones, Neil P.; Siegle, Greg J.; Mandell, Darcy

2014-01-01

Depressed people perform poorly on cognitive tasks, however under certain conditions they show intact cognitive performance with physiological reactivity consistent with needing to recruit additional cognitive control. We hypothesize that this apparent compensation is driven by the presence of affective processes (e.g., state anxiety) which in turn are moderated by the depressed individual’s motivational state. Clarifying these processes may help researchers identify targets for treatment that if addressed may improve depressed patients’ cognitive functioning. To test this hypothesis, 36 participants with unipolar depression and 36 never-depressed controls completed a problem-solving task modified to elicit anxiety. Participants completed measures of motivation, anxiety, sadness, and rumination, while pupillary responses were continuously measured during problem-solving as an index of cognitive control. Anxiety increased throughout the task for all participants, while both sadness and rumination were decreased during the task. In addition, anxiety more strongly affected planning accuracy in depressed participants relative to controls, regardless of participants’ levels of motivation. In contrast, differential effects of anxiety on pupillary responses were observed as a function of depressed participants’ levels of motivation. Consistent with behavioral results, less-motivated and anxious depressed participants demonstrated smaller pupillary responses, whereas more highly-motivated and anxious depressed participants demonstrated larger pupillary responses than controls. Strong effects of sadness and rumination on cognitive control in depression were not observed. Thus, we conclude that anxiety inhibits the recruitment of cognitive control in depression and that a depressed individual’s motivational state determines, in part, whether they are able to compensate by recruiting additional cognitive control. PMID:25280561

Influencing Children's Self-Efficacy and Self-Regulation of Reading and Writing through Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schunk, Dale H.; Zimmerman, Barry J.

2007-01-01

According to Bandura's social cognitive theory, self-efficacy and self-regulation are key processes that affect students' learning and achievement. This article discusses students' reading and writing performances using Zimmerman's four-phase social cognitive model of the development of self-regulatory competence. Modeling is an effective means of…

Enhancing Self-Efficacy of Elementary School Students to Learn Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katz, Sara

2015-01-01

Mathematics is a key to all scientific subjects. Learning mathematics requires cognitive and meta-cognitive effort. Many students suffer from mathematics anxiety that very often leads to physiological symptoms. Self-efficacy is defined as people's beliefs about their capabilities to produce designated levels of performance that affect their lives.…

How Need for Cognition Affects the Processing of Achievement-Related Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickhauser, Oliver; Reinhard, Marc-Andre; Diener, Claudia; Bertrams, Alex

2009-01-01

The present article analyzed, how need for cognition (NFC) influences the formation of performance expectancies. When processing information, individuals with lower NFC often rely on salient information and shortcuts compared to individuals higher in NFC. We assume that these preferences of processing will also make individuals low in NFC more…

Incubation under climate warming affects learning ability and survival in hatchling lizards.

PubMed

Dayananda, Buddhi; Webb, Jonathan K

2017-03-01

Despite compelling evidence for substantial individual differences in cognitive performance, it is unclear whether cognitive ability influences fitness of wild animals. In many animals, environmental stressors experienced in utero can produce substantial variation in the cognitive abilities of offspring. In reptiles, incubation temperatures experienced by embryos can influence hatchling brain function and learning ability. Under climate warming, the eggs of some lizard species may experience higher temperatures, which could affect the cognitive abilities of hatchlings. Whether such changes in cognitive abilities influence the survival of hatchlings is unknown. To determine whether incubation-induced changes in spatial learning ability affect hatchling survival, we incubated velvet gecko, Amalosia lesueurii , eggs using two fluctuating temperature regimes to mimic current (cold) versus future (hot) nest temperatures. We measured the spatial learning ability of hatchlings from each treatment, and released individually marked animals at two field sites in southeastern Australia. Hatchlings from hot-incubated eggs were slower learners than hatchlings from cold-incubated eggs. Survival analyses revealed that hatchlings with higher learning scores had higher survival than hatchlings with poor learning scores. Our results show that incubation temperature affects spatial learning ability in hatchling lizards, and that such changes can influence the survival of hatchlings in the wild. © 2017 The Author(s).

Stress modulation of cognitive and affective processes

PubMed Central

CAMPEAU, SERGE; LIBERZON, ISRAEL; MORILAK, DAVID; RESSLER, KERRY

2012-01-01

This review summarizes the major discussion points of a symposium on stress modulation of cognitive and affective processes, which was held during the 2010 workshop on the neurobiology of stress (Boulder, CO, USA). The four discussants addressed a number of specific cognitive and affective factors that are modulated by exposure to acute or repeated stress. Dr David Morilak discussed the effects of various repeated stress situations on cognitive flexibility, as assessed with a rodent model of attentional set-shifting task, and how performance on slightly different aspects of this test is modulated by different prefrontal regions through monoaminergic neurotransmission. Dr Serge Campeau summarized the findings of several studies exploring a number of factors and brain regions that regulate habituation of various autonomic and neuroendocrine responses to repeated audiogenic stress exposures. Dr Kerry Ressler discussed a body of work exploring the modulation and extinction of fear memories in rodents and humans, especially focusing on the role of key neurotransmitter systems including excitatory amino acids and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Dr Israel Liberzon presented recent results on human decision-making processes in response to exogenous glucocorticoid hormone administration. Overall, these discussions are casting a wider framework on the cognitive/affective processes that are distinctly regulated by the experience of stress and some of the brain regions and neurotransmitter systems associated with these effects. PMID:21790481

Isolated cognitive relapses in multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Pardini, Matteo; Uccelli, Antonio; Grafman, Jordan; Yaldizli, Özgür; Mancardi, Gianluigi; Roccatagliata, Luca

2014-09-01

While cognition can be affected during sensorimotor multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses, the relevance of isolated cognitive relapses (ICRs ie, those occurring in absence of new sensorimotor symptoms) remain poorly characterised. Here, we decided to explore the relationship between ICR, subjective evaluation of cognitive performance and long-term cognitive decline in a group of subjects with relapsing-remitting MS. We analysed the cognitive performance of 99 clinically stable relapsing-remitting MS for whom data from four consequent clinical and cognitive evaluations were available, that is, a baseline evaluation (t₀), followed in the subsequent 6 months by a second evaluation performed not later than 2 weeks after a routine brain scan positive for at least one area of gadolinium enhancement (t₁) and two gadolinium enhancement-negative follow-up evaluations after 6 months (t₂) and 1 year (t₃) from t₁. Based on published literature, we defined as a meaningful change in cognition a transient reduction of Symbol Digit Modalities Test score of at least four points at t₁ compared with t₀ and t₂. ICRs were found in 17 patients and were not associated with subjective cognitive deficits or depression. Subjects who presented with an ICR at t₁ presented with a significantly reduced cognitive performance at the follow-up evaluations compared with patients without ICR. We showed that ICRs were not associated with changes in mood, fatigue levels or cognitive performance self-evaluations. Our study introduces an operational definition of ICRs and suggests to their role as a factor for cognitive decline in MS. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Methylphenidate mediated change in prosody is specific to the performance of a cognitive task in female adult ADHD patients.

PubMed

Bloch, Yuval; Aviram, Shai; Neeman, Ronnie; Braw, Yoram; Nitzan, Uriel; Maoz, Hagai; Mimouni-Bloch, Aviva

2015-01-01

Prosody production is highly personalized, related to both the emotional and cognitive state of the speaker and to the task being performed. Fundamental frequency (F main) is a central measurable feature of prosody, associated with having an attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). Since methylphenidate is an effective therapy for ADHD, we hypothesized that it will affect the fundamental frequency of ADHD patients. The answers of 32 adult ADHD patients were recorded while performing two computerized tasks (cognitive and emotional). Evaluations were performed at baseline and an hour after patients received methylphenidate. A significant effect of methylphenidate was observed on the fundamental frequency, as opposed to other parameters, of prosody. This change was evident while patients performed a cognitive, as opposed to an emotional, task. This change was seen in the 14 female ADHD patients but not in the 18 male ADHD patients. The fundamental frequency while performing a cognitive task without methylphenidate was not different in the female ADHD group, from 22 female controls. This pilot study supports prosodic changes as possible objective and accessible dynamic biological marker of treatment responses specifically in female ADHD.

Young Workers' Job Self-Efficacy and Affect: Pathways to Health and Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lubbers, Ralph; Loughlin, Catherine; Zweig, David

2005-01-01

This longitudinal study of 195 young workers responds to calls for the study of healthy work at discrete life stages. Based on social cognitive and affective events theories and using structural equation modeling, results indicated that both perceived job self-efficacy and job-related affect fully mediate the relationship between interpersonal…

Affect, Epistemic Emotions, Metacognition, and Self-Regulated Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Efklides, Anastasia

2017-01-01

This article deals with the functioning of affect and epistemic emotions, such as surprise and curiosity, in self-regulated learning (SRL). The claim is that affect plays a major role in SRL not only as an independent process that can facilitate or impede learning activities and performance but also through its interactions with cognition and…

Students' Interpersonal Trust and Attitudes towards Standardised Tests: Exploring Affective Variables Related to Student Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chu, Man-Wai; Guo, Qi; Leighton, Jacqueline P.

2014-01-01

Cognitive and psychometric variables have directed research on student test performance. However, student learning involves a substantial affective component. The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between two kinds of affective variables--interpersonal trust and attitudes towards standardised tests--likely to underlie student…

Effects of target and distractor saturations on the cognitive performance of an integrated display interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Chengqi; Li, Jing; Wang, Haiyan; Niu, Yafeng

2015-01-01

Color coding is often used to enhance decision quality in complex man-machine interfaces of integrated display systems. However, people are easily distracted by irrelevant colors and by the numerous data points and complex structures in the interface. Although an increasing number of studies are seriously focusing on the problem of achieving efficient color coding, few are able to determine the effects of target and distractor saturations on cognitive performance. To study the performances of target colors among distractors, a systematic experiment is conducted to assess the influence of high and low saturated targets on cognitive performance, and the affecting extent of different saturated distractors of homogeneous colors on targets. According to the analysis of the reaction time through the non-parametric statistical method, a calculation method of the cognitive performance of each color is proposed. Based on the calculation of the color differences and the accumulation of the reaction times, it is shown that with the different saturated distractors of homogeneous colors, the high saturated yellow targets perform better than the low saturated ones, and the green and blue targets have moderate performances. When searching for a singleton target placed on a black background, the color difference between the target and the distractor should be more than 20Δ E*ab units in the yellow saturation coding, whereas the color difference should be more than 40Δ E*ab units in the blue and green saturation coding. In addition, as regards saturation coding, the influence of the color difference between the target and the background on cognitive performance is greater than that of the color difference between the target and the distractor. Seemingly, the hue attribute determines whether the saturation difference between the target and the distractor affects the cognitive performance. Based on the experimental results, the simulation design of the instrument dials in a flight situation awareness interface is completed and tested. Simulation results show the feasibility of the method of choosing the target and distractor colors, and the proposed research provides the instruction for the color saturation design of the interface.

Post-conflict slowing after incongruent stimuli: from general to conflict-specific.

PubMed

Rey-Mermet, Alodie; Meier, Beat

2017-05-01

Encountering a cognitive conflict not only slows current performance, but it can also affect subsequent performance, in particular when the conflict is induced with bivalent stimuli (i.e., stimuli with relevant features for two different tasks) or with incongruent trials (i.e., stimuli with relevant features for two response alternatives). The post-conflict slowing following bivalent stimuli, called "bivalency effect", affects all subsequent stimuli, irrespective of whether the subsequent stimuli share relevant features with the conflict stimuli. To date, it is unknown whether the conflict induced by incongruent stimuli results in a similar post-conflict slowing. To investigate this, we performed six experiments in which participants switched between two tasks. In one task, incongruent stimuli appeared occasionally; in the other task, stimuli shared no feature with the incongruent trials. The results showed an initial performance slowing that affected all tasks after incongruent trials. On further trials, however, the slowing only affected the task sharing features with the conflict stimuli. Therefore, the post-conflict slowing following incongruent stimuli is first general and then becomes conflict-specific across trials. These findings are discussed within current task switching and cognitive control accounts.

A cognitive dual task affects gait variability in patients suffering from chronic low back pain.

PubMed

Hamacher, Dennis; Hamacher, Daniel; Schega, Lutz

2014-11-01

Chronic pain and gait variability in a dual-task situation are both associated with higher risk of falling. Executive functions regulate (dual-task) gait variability. A possible cause explaining why chronic pain increases risk of falling in an everyday dual-task situation might be that pain interferes with executive functions and results in a diminished dual-task capability with performance decrements on the secondary task. The main goal of this experiment was to evaluate the specific effects of a cognitive dual task on gait variability in chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients. Twelve healthy participants and twelve patients suffering from CLBP were included. The subjects were asked to perform a cognitive single task, a walking single task and a motor-cognitive dual task. Stride variability of trunk movements was calculated. A two-way ANOVA was performed to compare single-task walking with dual-task walking and the single cognitive task performance with the motor-cognitive dual-task performance. We did not find any differences in both of the single-task performances between groups. However, regarding single-task walking and dual-task walking, we observed an interaction effect indicating that low back pain patients show significantly higher gait variability in the dual-task condition as compared to controls. Our data suggest that chronic pain reduces motor-cognitive dual-task performance capability. We postulate that the detrimental effects are caused by central mechanisms where pain interferes with executive functions which, in turn, might contribute to increased risk of falling.

Cognitive ability predicts motor learning on a virtual reality game in patients with TBI.

PubMed

O'Neil, Rochelle L; Skeel, Reid L; Ustinova, Ksenia I

2013-01-01

Virtual reality games and simulations have been utilized successfully for motor rehabilitation of individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Little is known, however, how TBI-related cognitive decline affects learning of motor tasks in virtual environments. To fill this gap, we examined learning within a virtual reality game involving various reaching motions in 14 patients with TBI and 15 healthy individuals with different cognitive abilities. All participants practiced ten 90-second gaming trials to assess various aspects of motor learning. Cognitive abilities were assessed with a battery of tests including measures of memory, executive functioning, and visuospatial ability. Overall, participants with TBI showed both reduced performance and a slower learning rate in the virtual reality game compared to healthy individuals. Numerous correlations between overall performance and several of the cognitive ability domains were revealed for both the patient and control groups, with the best predictor being overall cognitive ability. The results may provide a starting point for rehabilitation programs regarding which cognitive domains interact with motor learning.

Different cognitive functions discriminate gait performance in younger and older women: A pilot study.

PubMed

Gonzales, Joaquin U; James, C Roger; Yang, Hyung Suk; Jensen, Daniel; Atkins, Lee; Thompson, Brennan J; Al-Khalil, Kareem; O'Boyle, Michael

2016-10-01

Cognitive dysfunction is associated with slower gait speed in older women, but whether cognitive function affects gait performance earlier in life has yet to be investigated. Thus, the objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that cognitive function will discriminate gait performance in healthy younger women. Fast-pace and dual-task gait speed were measured in 30 young to middle-aged (30-45y) and 26 older (61-80y) women without mild cognitive impairment. Visuoperceptual ability, working memory, executive function, and learning ability were assessed using neuropsychological tests. Within each age group, women were divided by the median into lower and higher cognitive function groups to compare gait performance. Younger women with higher visuoperceptual ability had faster fast-pace (2.25±0.30 vs. 1.98±0.18m/s, p≤0.01) and dual-task gait speed (2.02±0.27 vs. 1.69±0.25m/s, p≤0.01) than women with lower visuoperceptual ability. The difference in dual-task gait speed remained significant (p=0.02) after adjusting for age, years of education, and other covariates. Dividing younger women based on other cognitive domains showed no difference in gait performance. In contrast, working memory and executive function discriminated dual-task gait speed (p<0.05) in older women after adjusting for age and education. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that poorer cognitive function even at a relatively young age can negatively impact mobility. Different cognitive functions discriminated gait performance based on age, highlighting a possible influence of aging in the relationship between cognitive function and mobility in women. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The influence of positive vs. negative affect on multitasking.

PubMed

Morgan, Brent; D'Mello, Sidney K

2016-10-01

Considerable research has investigated how affect influences performance on a single task; however, little is known about the role of affect in complex multitasking environments. In this paper, 178 participants multitasked in a synthetic work environment (SYNWORK) consisting of memory, visual monitoring, auditory monitoring, and math tasks. Participants multitasked for a 3-min baseline phase (MT1), following which they were randomly assigned to watch one of three affect-induction videos: positive, neutral, or negative. Participants then resumed multitasking for two additional critical phases (MT2, MT3; 3min each). In MT2, performance of the positive and neutral conditions was statistically equivalent and higher than the negative condition. In MT3, the positive condition performed better than the negative condition, with the neutral condition not significantly different from the other two. The differences in overall multitasking scores were largely driven by errors in the Math task (the most cognitively demanding task) in MT2 and the Memory task in MT3. These findings have implications for how positive and negative affective states influence processing in a cognitively demanding multitasking environment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Grey-matter network disintegration as predictor of cognitive and motor function with aging.

PubMed

Koini, Marisa; Duering, Marco; Gesierich, Benno G; Rombouts, Serge A R B; Ropele, Stefan; Wagner, Fabian; Enzinger, Christian; Schmidt, Reinhold

2018-06-01

Loss of grey-matter volume with advancing age affects the entire cortex. It has been suggested that atrophy occurs in a network-dependent manner with advancing age rather than in independent brain areas. The relationship between networks of structural covariance (SCN) disintegration and cognitive functioning during normal aging is not fully explored. We, therefore, aimed to (1) identify networks that lose GM integrity with advancing age, (2) investigate if age-related impairment of integrity in GM networks associates with cognitive function and decreasing fine motor skills (FMS), and (3) examine if GM disintegration is a mediator between age and cognition and FMS. T1-weighted scans of n = 257 participants (age range: 20-87) were used to identify GM networks using independent component analysis. Random forest analysis was implemented to examine the importance of network integrity as predictors of memory, executive functions, and FMS. The associations between GM disintegration, age and cognitive performance, and FMS were assessed using mediation analyses. Advancing age was associated with decreasing cognitive performance and FMS. Fourteen of 20 GM networks showed integrity changes with advancing age. Next to age and education, eight networks (fronto-parietal, fronto-occipital, temporal, limbic, secondary somatosensory, cuneal, sensorimotor network, and a cerebellar network) showed an association with cognition and FMS (up to 15.08%). GM networks partially mediated the effect between age and cognition and age and FMS. We confirm an age-related decline in cognitive functioning and FMS in non-demented community-dwelling subjects and showed that aging selectively affects the integrity of GM networks. The negative effect of age on cognition and FMS is associated with distinct GM networks and is partly mediated by their disintegration.

Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) and performance of everyday life tasks: Actual Reality.

PubMed

Goverover, Yael; Chiaravalloti, Nancy; DeLuca, John

2016-04-01

Recently, a brief cognitive assessment (Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis: BICAMS) has been recommended for use with patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) to screen for cognitive impairments. However, the relationship between the BICAMS and everyday life activity has not been examined. The aim of this study was to examine whether the BICAMS can predict performance of activities of daily living using Actual Reality(TM) (AR) in persons with MS. A between-subjects design was utilized to compare 41 individuals with MS and 32 healthy controls (HC) performing BICAMS and an AR task. Participants were asked to access the internet to purchase a flight ticket or cookies, and were administered the BICAMS and questionnaires to assess quality of life (QOL), affect symptomatology, and prior internet experience. Participants with MS performed significantly worse than HC on the BICAMS and the AR. Additionally, better BICAMS performance was associated with more independent AR performance. Self-reports of QOL were not correlated with AR or BICAMS performance. Individuals with MS have greater problems with actual everyday life tasks as compared to HC. The BICAMS is a promising cognitive screening tool to predict actual functional performance in participants with MS. © The Author(s), 2015.

Self-awareness of cognitive functioning in schizophrenia: patients and their relatives.

PubMed

Poletti, Sara; Anselmetti, Simona; Riccaboni, Roberta; Bosia, Marta; Buonocore, Mariachiara; Smeraldi, Enrico; Cavallaro, Roberto

2012-07-30

Cognitive impairment has been recognized since the earliest descriptions of schizophrenia as a core feature of the illness and different programmes have been developed to remediate these deficits. In all likelihood it is important for compliance and adherence to treatment that not only the patients but also their relatives be aware of the patients; cognitive deficits. Sixty-two patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and, for each one of them, one family member and an informant from the medical staff, were recruited and administered the Schizophrenia Cognition Rating Scale (SCoRS) ratings. Patients were tested for cognitive deficits with a neuropsychological battery and their performance was compared to the ratings of cognitive functioning provided by the patient himself, his family member and the informant. Results show no significant association between cognitive performance and SCoRS ratings in patients; only for executive functions the patient's performance was found to be predictive of the respective judgment on the SCoRS that was given by the relative. This is the first study to investigate awareness of the patients' cognitive deficits, both in the patients themselves and in their first degree relatives, through a direct comparison between subjective clinical ratings and objective measures of cognitive performances. When both patients and relatives are unaware of the patients' cognitive deficits, this could affect adherence to remediation treatment and need to be specifically addressed in future rehabilitation strategies. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attentional load inhibits vection.

PubMed

Seno, Takeharu; Ito, Hiroyuki; Sunaga, Shoji

2011-07-01

In this study, we examined the effects of cognitive task performance on the induction of vection. We hypothesized that, if vection requires attentional resources, performing cognitive tasks requiring attention should inhibit or weaken it. Experiment 1 tested the effects on vection of simultaneously performing a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task. The results revealed that the RSVP task affected the subjective strength of vection. Experiment 2 tested the effects of a multiple-object-tracking (MOT) task on vection. Simultaneous performance of the MOT task decreased the duration and subjective strength of vection. Taken together, these findings suggest that vection induction requires attentional resources.

The Association of Statin Use and Statin Type on Cognitive Performance: Analysis of The REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study

PubMed Central

Glasser, Stephen P; Wadley, Virginia; Judd, Suzanne; Kana, Bhumika; Prince, Valerie; Jenny, Nancy Swords; Kissela, Brett; Safford, Monika; Prineas, Ronald; Howard, George

2010-01-01

SUMMARY Context Statin use and type has been variably associated with impaired or improved cognitive performance. Objective To assess the association of statin use and type (lipophilic vs hydrophilic) and cognitive impairment Design Cross-sectional analysis of 24595 (7191 statin users and 17404 non-users) participants (age >45), from a population-based national cohort study (REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke) enrolled from January 2003-October 2008 with over-sampling from the southeastern Stroke Belt, and African Americans. Main Outcomes Statin use and type were documented in participants’ homes by a trained health professional. Cognitive performance was assessed with a prior validated instrument of global cognitive status (Six-Item Screener). Cognitive impairment was defined as a score of < 4. . Results Overall, an association of cognitive impairment and statin use was observed (8.6% of users vs 7.7% or non-users had cognitive impairment p=.014) but, after adjusting for variables known to be associated with cognition (age, gender, race, income, levels of education, and cardiovascular disease) the association was attenuated (OR 0.98, CI; 0.87;1.10). No association was observed between statin type (lipophilic vs hydrophilic) and cognition (OR 1.03, CI; 0.86;1.24), and there were no regional differences in cognitive impairment in statin users (8% in the stroke belt and 7.9% other regions p=0.63). Conclusions Statin use and type was marginally associated with cognitive impairment. After adjusting for known variables that affect cognition, no association was observed. No regional differences were observed. This large study found no evidence to support an association between statins and cognitive performance. PMID:20513066

Perceptual Processing Affects Conceptual Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Dantzig, Saskia; Pecher, Diane; Zeelenberg, Rene; Barsalou, Lawrence W.

2008-01-01

According to the Perceptual Symbols Theory of cognition (Barsalou, 1999), modality-specific simulations underlie the representation of concepts. A strong prediction of this view is that perceptual processing affects conceptual processing. In this study, participants performed a perceptual detection task and a conceptual property-verification task…

Positive affect and cognitive control: approach-motivation intensity influences the balance between cognitive flexibility and stability.

PubMed

Liu, Ya; Wang, Zhenhong

2014-05-01

In most prior research, positive affect has been consistently found to promote cognitive flexibility. However, the motivational dimensional model of affect assumes that the influence of positive affect on cognitive processes is modulated by approach-motivation intensity. In the present study, we extended the motivational dimensional model to the domain of cognitive control by examining the effect of low- versus high-approach-motivated positive affect on the balance between cognitive flexibility and stability in an attentional-set-shifting paradigm. Results showed that low-approach-motivated positive affect promoted cognitive flexibility but also caused higher distractibility, whereas high-approach-motivated positive affect enhanced perseverance but simultaneously reduced distractibility. These results suggest that the balance between cognitive flexibility and stability is modulated by the approach-motivation intensity of positive affective states. Therefore, it is essential to incorporate motivational intensity into studies on the influence of affect on cognitive control.

Inharmonic music elicits more negative affect and interferes more with a concurrent cognitive task than does harmonic music.

PubMed

Bonin, Tanor; Smilek, Daniel

2016-04-01

We evaluated whether task-irrelevant inharmonic music produces greater interference with cognitive performance than task-irrelevant harmonic music. Participants completed either an auditory (Experiment 1) or a visual (Experiment 2) version of the cognitively demanding 2-back task in which they were required to categorize each digit in a sequence of digits as either being a target (a digit also presented two positions earlier in the sequence) or a distractor (all other items). They were concurrently exposed to either task-irrelevant harmonic music (judged to be consonant), task-irrelevant inharmonic music (judged to be dissonant), or no music at all as a distraction. The main finding across both experiments was that performance on the 2-back task was worse when participants were exposed to inharmonic music than when they were exposed to harmonic music. Interestingly, performance on the 2-back task was generally the same regardless of whether harmonic music or no music was played. We suggest that inharmonic, dissonant music interferes with cognitive performance by requiring greater cognitive processing than harmonic, consonant music, and speculate about why this might be.

Cognitive control dysfunction in workers exposed to manganese-containing welding fume.

PubMed

Al-Lozi, Amal; Nielsen, Susan Searles; Hershey, Tamara; Birke, Angela; Checkoway, Harvey; Criswell, Susan R; Racette, Brad A

2017-02-01

Chronic exposure to manganese (Mn) is a health concern in occupations such as welding because of well-established motor effects due to basal ganglia dysfunction. We hypothesized that cognitive control (the ability to monitor, manipulate, and regulate ongoing cognitive demands) would also be affected by chronic Mn exposure. We examined the relationship between Mn exposure and cognitive control performance in 95 workers with varying intensity and duration (median 15.5 years) of exposure to welding fume. We performed linear regression to assess the association between exposure to Mn-containing welding fume and cognitive control tasks. Overall performance was inversely related to intensity of welding exposure (P = 0.009) and was driven by the Two-Back and Letter Number Sequencing tests that assess working memory (both P = 0.02). Occupational exposure to Mn-containing welding fume may be associated with poorer working memory performance, and workers may benefit from practices that reduce exposure intensity. Am. J. Ind. Med. 60:181-188, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effects of human fatigue on speech signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stamoulis, Catherine

2004-05-01

Cognitive performance may be significantly affected by fatigue. In the case of critical personnel, such as pilots, monitoring human fatigue is essential to ensure safety and success of a given operation. One of the modalities that may be used for this purpose is speech, which is sensitive to respiratory changes and increased muscle tension of vocal cords, induced by fatigue. Age, gender, vocal tract length, physical and emotional state may significantly alter speech intensity, duration, rhythm, and spectral characteristics. In addition to changes in speech rhythm, fatigue may also affect the quality of speech, such as articulation. In a noisy environment, detecting fatigue-related changes in speech signals, particularly subtle changes at the onset of fatigue, may be difficult. Therefore, in a performance-monitoring system, speech parameters which are significantly affected by fatigue need to be identified and extracted from input signals. For this purpose, a series of experiments was performed under slowly varying cognitive load conditions and at different times of the day. The results of the data analysis are presented here.

Sex-Specific Effects of Diets High in Unsaturated Fatty Acids on Spatial Learning and Memory in Guinea Pigs.

PubMed

Nemeth, Matthias; Millesi, Eva; Wagner, Karl-Heinz; Wallner, Bernard

2015-01-01

Unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs), including omega-3, omega-6 polyunsaturated and omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acids, are essential components and modulators of neuromembranes and may affect various aspects of physiology and cognition. UFAs are suggested to positively affect spatial learning and memory and also to diminish the negative consequences of physiological stress on cognitive abilities. Due to pronounced sex differences in neurophysiological functions, we hypothesize that these UFA-related effects might differ between male and female individuals. We therefore determined the effects of dietary UFAs on cognitive performances in a radial-Y-maze in male and female guinea pigs in relation to saliva cortisol concentrations, a marker for physiological stress. Animals were assigned to four treatment groups and maintained on diets enriched in either chia seeds (omega-3), walnuts (omega-6), or peanuts (omega-9), or a control diet. Female learning abilities throughout a three-day learning phase were positively affected by omega-3 and omega-9, as determined by a decreasing latency to pass the test and the number of conducted errors, while males generally showed distinct learning abilities, irrespective of the diet. A sex difference in learning performances was found in the control group, with males outperforming females, which was not detected in the UFA-supplemented groups. This was paralleled by significantly increased saliva cortisol concentrations in males throughout the cognition test compared to females. Three days after this learning phase, UFA-supplemented males and all females showed unchanged performances, while control males showed an increased latency and therefore an impaired performance. These results were corroborated by pronounced differences in the plasma UFA-status, corresponding to the different dietary treatments. Our findings indicate sex-specific effects of dietary UFAs, apparently enhancing spatial learning abilities only in females and protecting males from long-term memory impairment, while male learning abilities seem to be more strongly affected by an acute physiological stress response to the maze task.

Rhythms of Mental Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valdez, Pablo; Reilly, Thomas; Waterhouse, Jim

2008-01-01

Cognitive performance is affected by an individual's characteristics and the environment, as well as by the nature of the task and the amount of practice at it. Mental performance tests range in complexity and include subjective estimates of mood, simple objective tests (reaction time), and measures of complex performance that require decisions to…

Word Memory Test Performance Across Cognitive Domains, Psychiatric Presentations, and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

PubMed

Rowland, Jared A; Miskey, Holly M; Brearly, Timothy W; Martindale, Sarah L; Shura, Robert D

2017-05-01

The current study addressed two aims: (i) determine how Word Memory Test (WMT) performance relates to test performance across numerous cognitive domains and (ii) evaluate how current psychiatric disorders or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) history affects performance on the WMT after excluding participants with poor symptom validity. Participants were 235 Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans (Mage = 35.5) who completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Participants were divided into two groups based on WMT performance (Pass = 193, Fail = 42). Tests were grouped into cognitive domains and an average z-score was calculated for each domain. Significant differences were found between those who passed and those who failed the WMT on the memory, attention, executive function, and motor output domain z-scores. WMT failure was associated with a larger performance decrement in the memory domain than the sensation or visuospatial-construction domains. Participants with a current psychiatric diagnosis or mTBI history were significantly more likely to fail the WMT, even after removing participants with poor symptom validity. Results suggest that the WMT is most appropriate for assessing validity in the domains of attention, executive function, motor output and memory, with little relationship to performance in domains of sensation or visuospatial-construction. Comprehensive cognitive batteries would benefit from inclusion of additional performance validity tests in these domains. Additionally, symptom validity did not explain higher rates of WMT failure in individuals with a current psychiatric diagnosis or mTBI history. Further research is needed to better understand how these conditions may affect WMT performance. Published by Oxford University Press 2016. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

Functional Connectivity in Frontoparietal Network: Indicator of Preoperative Cognitive Function and Cognitive Outcome Following Surgery in Patients with Glioma.

PubMed

Lang, Stefan; Gaxiola-Valdez, Ismael; Opoku-Darko, Michael; Partlo, Lisa A; Goodyear, Bradley G; Kelly, John J P; Federico, Paolo

2017-09-01

Patients with diffuse glioma are known to have impaired cognitive functions preoperatively. However, the mechanism of these cognitive deficits remains unclear. Resting-state functional connectivity in the frontoparietal network (FPN) is associated with cognitive performance in healthy subjects. For this reason, it was hypothesized that functional connectivity of the FPN would be related to cognitive functioning in patients with glioma. To assess this relationship, preoperative cognitive status was correlated to patient-specific connectivity within the FPN. Further, we assessed whether connectivity could predict neuropsychologic outcome following surgery. Sixteen patients with diffuse glioma underwent neuropsychologic assessment and preoperative functional magnetic resonance imaging using task (n-back) and resting-state scans. Thirteen patients had postoperative cognitive assessment. An index of patient-specific functional connectivity in the FPN was derived by averaging connectivity values between 2 prefrontal and 2 parietal cortex regions defined by activation during the n-back task. The relationship of these indices with cognitive performance was assessed. Higher average connectivity within the FPN is associated with lower composite cognitive scores. Higher connectivity of the parietal region of the tumor-affected hemisphere is associated specifically with lower fluid cognition. Lower connectivity of the parietal region of the nontumor hemisphere is associated with worse neuropsychologic outcome 1 month after surgery. Resting-state functional connectivity between key regions of the FPN is associated with cognitive performance in patients with glioma and is related to cognitive outcome following surgery. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mood states determine the degree of task shielding in dual-task performance.

PubMed

Zwosta, Katharina; Hommel, Bernhard; Goschke, Thomas; Fischer, Rico

2013-01-01

Current models of multitasking assume that dual-task performance and the degree of multitasking are affected by cognitive control strategies. In particular, cognitive control is assumed to regulate the amount of shielding of the prioritised task from crosstalk from the secondary task. We investigated whether and how task shielding is influenced by mood states. Participants were exposed to two short film clips, one inducing high and one inducing low arousal, of either negative or positive content. Negative mood led to stronger shielding of the prioritised task (i.e., less crosstalk) than positive mood, irrespective of arousal. These findings support the assumption that emotional states determine the parameters of cognitive control and play an important role in regulating dual-task performance.

Peripubertal Stress With Social Support Promotes Resilience in the Face of Aging

PubMed Central

Morrison, Kathleen E.; Narasimhan, Sneha; Fein, Ethan

2016-01-01

The peripubertal period of development is a sensitive window, during which adverse experiences can increase the risk for presentation of cognitive and affective dysfunction throughout the lifespan, especially in women. However, such experiences in the context of a supportive social environment can actually ameliorate this risk, suggesting that resilience can be programmed in early life. Affective disorders and cognitive deficits commonly emerge during aging, with many women reporting increased difficulty with prefrontal cortex (PFC)-dependent executive functions. We have developed a mouse model to examine the interaction between peripubertal experience and age-related changes in cognition and stress regulation. Female mice were exposed to peripubertal chronic stress, during which they were either individually housed or housed with social interaction. One year after this stress experience, mice were examined in tasks to access their cognitive ability and flexibility in stress reactive measures. In a test of spatial memory acquisition and reversal learning where aged females normally display a decreased performance, the females that had experienced stress with social interaction a year earlier showed improved performance in reversal learning, a measure of cognitive flexibility. Because peripuberty is a time of major PFC maturation, we performed transcriptomic and biochemical analysis of the aged PFC, in which long-term changes in microRNA expression and in myelin proteins were found. These data suggest that stress in the context of social support experienced over the pubertal window can promote epigenetic reprogramming in the brain to increase the resilience to age-related cognitive decline in females. PMID:26943365

In Your Face: Risk of Punishment Enhances Cognitive Control and Error-Related Activity in the Corrugator Supercilii Muscle.

PubMed

Lindström, Björn R; Mattsson-Mårn, Isak Berglund; Golkar, Armita; Olsson, Andreas

2013-01-01

Cognitive control is needed when mistakes have consequences, especially when such consequences are potentially harmful. However, little is known about how the aversive consequences of deficient control affect behavior. To address this issue, participants performed a two-choice response time task where error commissions were expected to be punished by electric shocks during certain blocks. By manipulating (1) the perceived punishment risk (no, low, high) associated with error commissions, and (2) response conflict (low, high), we showed that motivation to avoid punishment enhanced performance during high response conflict. As a novel index of the processes enabling successful cognitive control under threat, we explored electromyographic activity in the corrugator supercilii (cEMG) muscle of the upper face. The corrugator supercilii is partially controlled by the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) which is sensitive to negative affect, pain and cognitive control. As hypothesized, the cEMG exhibited several key similarities with the core temporal and functional characteristics of the Error-Related Negativity (ERN) ERP component, the hallmark index of cognitive control elicited by performance errors, and which has been linked to the aMCC. The cEMG was amplified within 100 ms of error commissions (the same time-window as the ERN), particularly during the high punishment risk condition where errors would be most aversive. Furthermore, similar to the ERN, the magnitude of error cEMG predicted post-error response time slowing. Our results suggest that cEMG activity can serve as an index of avoidance motivated control, which is instrumental to adaptive cognitive control when consequences are potentially harmful.

In Your Face: Risk of Punishment Enhances Cognitive Control and Error-Related Activity in the Corrugator Supercilii Muscle

PubMed Central

Lindström, Björn R.; Mattsson-Mårn, Isak Berglund; Golkar, Armita; Olsson, Andreas

2013-01-01

Cognitive control is needed when mistakes have consequences, especially when such consequences are potentially harmful. However, little is known about how the aversive consequences of deficient control affect behavior. To address this issue, participants performed a two-choice response time task where error commissions were expected to be punished by electric shocks during certain blocks. By manipulating (1) the perceived punishment risk (no, low, high) associated with error commissions, and (2) response conflict (low, high), we showed that motivation to avoid punishment enhanced performance during high response conflict. As a novel index of the processes enabling successful cognitive control under threat, we explored electromyographic activity in the corrugator supercilii (cEMG) muscle of the upper face. The corrugator supercilii is partially controlled by the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) which is sensitive to negative affect, pain and cognitive control. As hypothesized, the cEMG exhibited several key similarities with the core temporal and functional characteristics of the Error-Related Negativity (ERN) ERP component, the hallmark index of cognitive control elicited by performance errors, and which has been linked to the aMCC. The cEMG was amplified within 100 ms of error commissions (the same time-window as the ERN), particularly during the high punishment risk condition where errors would be most aversive. Furthermore, similar to the ERN, the magnitude of error cEMG predicted post-error response time slowing. Our results suggest that cEMG activity can serve as an index of avoidance motivated control, which is instrumental to adaptive cognitive control when consequences are potentially harmful. PMID:23840356

Relational approach in managing construction project safety: a social capital perspective.

PubMed

Koh, Tas Yong; Rowlinson, Steve

2012-09-01

Existing initiatives in the management of construction project safety are largely based on normative compliance and error prevention, a risk management approach. Although advantageous, these approaches are not wholly successful in further lowering accident rates. A major limitation lies with the approaches' lack of emphasis on the social and team processes inherent in construction project settings. We advance the enquiry by invoking the concept of social capital and project organisational processes, and their impacts on project safety performance. Because social capital is a primordial concept and affects project participants' interactions, its impact on project safety performance is hypothesised to be indirect, i.e. the impact of social capital on safety performance is mediated by organisational processes in adaptation and cooperation. A questionnaire survey was conducted within Hong Kong construction industry to test the hypotheses. 376 usable responses were received and used for analyses. The results reveal that, while the structural dimension is not significant, the mediational thesis is generally supported with the cognitive and relational dimensions affecting project participants' adaptation and cooperation, and the latter two processes affect safety performance. However, the cognitive dimension also directly affects safety performance. The implications of these results for project safety management are discussed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The method of educational assessment affects children's neural processing and performance: behavioural and fMRI Evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howard, Steven J.; Burianová, Hana; Calleia, Alysha; Fynes-Clinton, Samuel; Kervin, Lisa; Bokosmaty, Sahar

2017-08-01

Standardised educational assessments are now widespread, yet their development has given comparatively more consideration to what to assess than how to optimally assess students' competencies. Existing evidence from behavioural studies with children and neuroscience studies with adults suggest that the method of assessment may affect neural processing and performance, but current evidence remains limited. To investigate the impact of assessment methods on neural processing and performance in young children, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to identify and quantify the neural correlates during performance across a range of current approaches to standardised spelling assessment. Results indicated that children's test performance declined as the cognitive load of assessment method increased. Activation of neural nodes associated with working memory further suggests that this performance decline may be a consequence of a higher cognitive load, rather than the complexity of the content. These findings provide insights into principles of assessment (re)design, to ensure assessment results are an accurate reflection of students' true levels of competency.

Children's cognition and aircraft noise exposure at home--the West London Schools Study.

PubMed

Matsui, T; Stansfeld, S; Haines, M; Head, J

2004-01-01

The association of aircraft noise exposure with cognitive performance was examined by means of a cross-sectional field survey. Two hundred thirty six children attending 10 primary schools around Heathrow Airport in west London were tested on reading comprehension, immediate/delayed recall and sustained attention. In order to obtain the information about their background, a questionnaire was delivered to the parents and 163 answers were collected. Logistic regression models were used to assess performance on the cognitive tests in relation to aircraft noise exposure at home and possible individual and school level confounding factors. A significant dose-response relationship was found between aircraft noise exposure at home and performance on memory tests of immediate/delayed recall. However there was no strong association with the other cognitive outcomes. These results suggest that aircraft noise exposure at home may affect children's memory.

Uncovering the Neural Bases of Cognitive and Affective Empathy Deficits in Alzheimer's Disease and the Behavioral-Variant of Frontotemporal Dementia.

PubMed

Dermody, Nadene; Wong, Stephanie; Ahmed, Rebekah; Piguet, Olivier; Hodges, John R; Irish, Muireann

2016-05-30

Loss of empathy is a core presenting feature of the behavioral-variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), resulting in socioemotional difficulties and behavioral transgressions. In contrast, interpersonal functioning remains relatively intact in Alzheimer's disease (AD), despite marked cognitive decline. The neural substrates mediating these patterns of loss and sparing in social functioning remain unclear, yet are relevant for our understanding of the social brain. We investigated cognitive versus affective aspects of empathy using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) in 25 AD and 24 bvFTD patients and contrasted their performance with 22 age- and education-matched controls. Cognitive empathy was comparably compromised in AD and bvFTD, whereas affective empathy was impaired exclusively in bvFTD. While controlling for overall cognitive dysfunction ameliorated perspective-taking deficits in AD, empathy loss persisted across cognitive and affective domains in bvFTD. Voxel-based morphometry analyses revealed divergent neural substrates of empathy loss in each patient group. Perspective-taking deficits correlated with predominantly left-sided temporoparietal atrophy in AD, whereas widespread bilateral frontoinsular, temporal, parietal, and occipital atrophy was implicated in bvFTD. Reduced empathic concern in bvFTD was associated with atrophy in the left orbitofrontal, inferior frontal, and insular cortices, and the bilateral mid-cingulate gyrus. Our findings suggest that social cognitive deficits in AD arise largely as a consequence of global cognitive dysfunction, rather than a loss of empathy per se. In contrast, loss of empathy in bvFTD reflects the deterioration of a distributed network of frontoinsular and temporal structures that appear crucial for monitoring and processing social information.

Cognitive emotion regulation enhances aversive prediction error activity while reducing emotional responses.

PubMed

Mulej Bratec, Satja; Xie, Xiyao; Schmid, Gabriele; Doll, Anselm; Schilbach, Leonhard; Zimmer, Claus; Wohlschläger, Afra; Riedl, Valentin; Sorg, Christian

2015-12-01

Cognitive emotion regulation is a powerful way of modulating emotional responses. However, despite the vital role of emotions in learning, it is unknown whether the effect of cognitive emotion regulation also extends to the modulation of learning. Computational models indicate prediction error activity, typically observed in the striatum and ventral tegmental area, as a critical neural mechanism involved in associative learning. We used model-based fMRI during aversive conditioning with and without cognitive emotion regulation to test the hypothesis that emotion regulation would affect prediction error-related neural activity in the striatum and ventral tegmental area, reflecting an emotion regulation-related modulation of learning. Our results show that cognitive emotion regulation reduced emotion-related brain activity, but increased prediction error-related activity in a network involving ventral tegmental area, hippocampus, insula and ventral striatum. While the reduction of response activity was related to behavioral measures of emotion regulation success, the enhancement of prediction error-related neural activity was related to learning performance. Furthermore, functional connectivity between the ventral tegmental area and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, an area involved in regulation, was specifically increased during emotion regulation and likewise related to learning performance. Our data, therefore, provide first-time evidence that beyond reducing emotional responses, cognitive emotion regulation affects learning by enhancing prediction error-related activity, potentially via tegmental dopaminergic pathways. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of high-dose ethanol intoxication and hangover on cognitive flexibility.

PubMed

Wolff, Nicole; Gussek, Philipp; Stock, Ann-Kathrin; Beste, Christian

2018-01-01

The effects of high-dose ethanol intoxication on cognitive flexibility processes are not well understood, and processes related to hangover after intoxication have remained even more elusive. Similarly, it is unknown in how far the complexity of cognitive flexibility processes is affected by intoxication and hangover effects. We performed a neurophysiological study applying high density electroencephalography (EEG) recording to analyze event-related potentials (ERPs) and perform source localization in a task switching paradigm which varied the complexity of task switching by means of memory demands. The results show that high-dose ethanol intoxication only affects task switching (i.e. cognitive flexibility processes) when memory processes are required to control task switching mechanisms, suggesting that even high doses of ethanol compromise cognitive processes when they are highly demanding. The EEG and source localization data show that these effects unfold by modulating response selection processes in the anterior cingulate cortex. Perceptual and attentional selection processes as well as working memory processes were only unspecifically modulated. In all subprocesses examined, there were no differences between the sober and hangover states, thus suggesting a fast recovery of cognitive flexibility after high-dose ethanol intoxication. We assume that the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) system accounts for the observed effects, while they can hardly be explained by the dopaminergic system. © 2016 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Would introverts be better off if they acted more like extraverts? Exploring emotional and cognitive consequences of counterdispositional behavior.

PubMed

Zelenski, John M; Santoro, Maya S; Whelan, Deanna C

2012-04-01

People enjoy acting extraverted, and this seems to apply equally across the dispositional introversion-extraversion dimension (Fleeson, Malanos, & Achille, 2002). It follows that dispositional introverts might improve their happiness by acting more extraverted, yet little research has examined potential costs of this strategy. In two studies, we assessed dispositions, randomly assigned participants to act introverted or extraverted, and examined costs-both emotional (concurrent negative affect) and cognitive (Stroop performance). Results replicated and extended past findings suggesting that acting extraverted produces hedonic benefits regardless of disposition. Positive affect increased and negative affect did not, even for participants acting out of character. In contrast, we found evidence that acting counterdispositionally could produce poor Stroop performance, but this effect was limited to dispositional extraverts who were assigned to act introverted. We suggest that the positive affect produced by introverts' extraverted behavior may buffer the potentially depleting effects of counterdispositional behavior, and we consider alternative explanations. We conclude that dispositional introverts may indeed benefit from acting extraverted more often and caution that dispositional extraverts may want to adopt introverted behavior strategically, as it could induce cognitive costs or self-regulatory depletion more generally. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).

Genetic Variation in the Vesicular Monoamine Transporter: Preliminary associations with Cognitive Outcomes after Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

PubMed Central

Markos, Steven; Failla, Michelle D.; Ritter, Anne C; Dixon, C. Edward; Conley, Yvette P.; Ricker, Joseph H; Arenth, Patricia M.; Juengst, Shannon B.; Wagner, Amy K.

2015-01-01

Introduction Traumatic brain injury (TBI) frequently results in impaired cognition, a function that can be modulated by monoaminergic signaling. Genetic variation among monoaminergic genes may affect post-TBI cognitive performance. The vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) gene may be a novel source of genetic variation important for cognitive outcomes post-TBI given VMAT2’s role in monoaminergic neurotransmission. Objective Evaluate associations between VMAT2 variability and cognitive outcomes post-TBI. Methods We evaluated 136 white adults with severe TBI for variation in VMAT2 using a tagging single nucleotide polymorphism (tSNP) approach (rs363223, rs363226, rs363251, and rs363341). We show genetic variation interacts with assessed cognitive impairment [cognitive composite T-scores (Comp-Cog)] to influence functional cognition [Functional Independence Measure Cognitive subscale (FIM-Cog)] 6 and 12 months post-injury. Results Multivariate analyses at 6-months post-injury showed rs363226 genotype was associated with Comp-Cog (p=0.040) and interacted with Comp-Cog to influence functional cognition (p<0.001). G-homozygotes had the largest cognitive impairment, and their cognitive impairment had the greatest adverse effect on functional cognition. Discussion We provide the first evidence that genetic variation within VMAT2 is associated with cognitive outcomes following TBI. Further work is needed to validate this finding and elucidate mechanisms by which genetic variation affects monoaminergic signaling, mediating differences in cognitive outcomes. PMID:26828714

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy versus supportive therapy in affective relapse prevention in bipolar patients with a history of trauma: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Moreno-Alcázar, Ana; Radua, Joaquim; Landín-Romero, Ramon; Blanco, Laura; Madre, Mercè; Reinares, Maria; Comes, Mercè; Jiménez, Esther; Crespo, Jose Manuel; Vieta, Eduard; Pérez, Victor; Novo, Patricia; Doñate, Marta; Cortizo, Romina; Valiente-Gómez, Alicia; Lupo, Walter; McKenna, Peter J; Pomarol-Clotet, Edith; Amann, Benedikt L

2017-04-04

Up to 60% of patients with bipolar disorder (BD) have a history of traumatic events, which is associated with greater episode severity, higher risk of comorbidity and higher relapse rates. Trauma-focused treatment strategies for BD are thus necessary but studies are currently scarce. The aim of this study is to examine whether Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy focusing on adherence, insight, de-idealisation of manic symptoms, prodromal symptoms and mood stabilization can reduce episode severity and relapse rates and increase cognitive performance and functioning in patients with BD. This is a single-blind, randomized controlled, multicentre trial in which 82 patients with BD and a history of traumatic events will be recruited and randomly allocated to one of two treatment arms: EMDR therapy or supportive therapy. Patients in both groups will receive 20 psychotherapeutic sessions, 60 min each, during 6 months. The primary outcome is a reduction of affective episodes after 12 and 24 months in favour of the EMDR group. As secondary outcome we postulate a greater reduction in affective symptoms in the EMDR group (as measured by the Bipolar Depression Rating Scale, the Young Mania Rating Scale and the Clinical Global Impression Scale modified for BD), and a better performance in cognitive state, social cognition and functioning (as measured by the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry, The Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test and the Functioning Assessment Short Test, respectively). Traumatic events will be evaluated by The Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory, the Clinician-administered PTSD Scale and the Impact of Event Scale. The results of this study will provide evidence whether a specific EMDR protocol for patients with BD is effective in reducing affective episodes, affective symptoms and functional, cognitive and trauma symptoms. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT02634372 . Registered on 3 December 2015.

Valence and arousal of emotional stimuli impact cognitive-motor performance in an oddball task.

PubMed

Lu, Yingzhi; Jaquess, Kyle J; Hatfield, Bradley D; Zhou, Chenglin; Li, Hong

2017-04-01

It is widely recognized that emotions impact an individual's ability to perform in a given task. However, little is known about how emotion impacts the various aspects of cognitive -motor performance. We recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) and chronometric responses from twenty-six participants while they performed a cognitive-motor oddball task in regard to four categories of emotional stimuli (high-arousing positive-valence, low-arousing positive-valence, high-arousing negative-valence, and low-arousing negative-valence) as "deviant" stimuli. Six chronometric responses (reaction time, press time, return time, choice time, movement time, and total time) and three ERP components (P2, N2 and late positive potential) were measured. Results indicated that reaction time was significantly affected by the presentation of emotional stimuli. Also observed was a negative relationship between N2 amplitude and elements of performance featuring reaction time in the low-arousing positive-valence condition. This study provides further evidence that emotional stimuli influence cognitive-motor performance in a specific manner. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Affective prosody: what do comprehension errors tell us about hemispheric lateralization of emotions, sex and aging effects, and the role of cognitive appraisal.

PubMed

Ross, Elliott D; Monnot, Marilee

2011-04-01

The Aprosodia Battery was developed to distinguish different patterns of affective-prosodic deficits in patients with left versus right brain damage by using affective utterances with incrementally reduced verbal-articulatory demands. It has also been used to assess affective-prosodic performance in various clinical groups, including patients with schizophrenia, PTSD, multiple sclerosis, alcohol abuse and Alzheimer disease and in healthy adults, as means to explore maturational-aging effects. To date, all studies using the Aprosodia Battery have yielded statistically robust results. This paper describes an extensive, quantitative error analysis using previous results from the Aprosodia Battery in patients with left and right brain damage, age-equivalent controls (old adults), and a group of young adults. This inductive analysis was performed to address three major issues in the literature: (1) sex and (2) maturational-aging effects in comprehending affective prosody and (3) differential hemispheric lateralization of emotions. We found no overall sex effects for comprehension of affective prosody. There were, however, scattered sex effects related to a particular affect, suggesting that these differences were related to cognitive appraisal rather than primary perception. Results in the brain damaged groups did not support the Valence Hypothesis of emotional lateralization but did support the Right Hemisphere Hypothesis of emotional lateralization. When comparing young versus old adults, a robust maturational-aging effect was observed in overall error rates and in the distribution of errors across affects. This effect appears to be mediated, in part, by cognitive appraisal, causing an alteration in the salience of different affective-prosodic stimuli with increasing age. In addition, the maturational-aging effects lend support for the Emotion-Type hypothesis of emotional lateralization and the "classic aging effect" that is due primarily to decline of right hemisphere cognitive functions in senescence. The results of our inductive analysis may help direct future deductive research efforts, exploring the neuropsychology of emotional communication, by taking into account the potentially confounding influence of (1) methodological differences involving construction of test stimuli and assessment procedures, (2) developmental, maturational and aging effects related to cognitive appraisal and (3) whether a stimulus has a primary or social-emotional bias. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Cognitive performance and its relationship with postprandial metabolic changes after ingestion of different macronutrients in the morning.

PubMed

Fischer, K; Colombani, P C; Langhans, W; Wenk, C

2001-03-01

The effect of carbohydrate, protein and fat ingestion on simple as well as complex cognitive functions and the relationship between the respective postprandial metabolic changes and changes in cognitive performance were studied in fifteen healthy male students. Subjects were tested in three sessions, separated by 1 week, for short-term changes in blood variables, indirect calorimetry, subjective performance and different objective performance tasks using a repeated-measures counterbalanced cross-over design. Measurements were made after an overnight fast before and hourly during 3 h after test meal ingestion. Test meals consisted of either pure carbohydrates, protein or fat and were served as isoenergetic (1670 kJ) spoonable creams with similar sensory properties. Most aspects of subjective performance did not differ between test meals. For all objective tasks, however, postprandial cognitive performance was best after fat ingestion concomitant with an almost constant glucose metabolism and constant metabolic activation state measured by glucagon:insulin (G:I). In contrast, carbohydrate as well as protein ingestion resulted in lower overall cognitive performance, both together with partly marked changes in glucose metabolism and metabolic activation. They also differently affected specific cognitive functions in relation to their specific effect on metabolism. Carbohydrate ingestion resulted in relatively better short-term memory and accuracy of tasks concomitant with low metabolic activation, whereas protein ingestion resulted in better attention and efficiency of tasks concomitant with higher metabolic activation. Our findings support the concept that good and stable cognitive performance is related to a balanced glucose metabolism and metabolic activation state.

Engaging Students Emotionally: The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Predicting Cognitive and Affective Engagement in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maguire, Rebecca; Egan, Arlene; Hyland, Philip; Maguire, Phil

2017-01-01

Student engagement is a key predictor of academic performance, persistence and retention in higher education. While many studies have identified how aspects of the college environment influence engagement, fewer have specifically focused on emotional intelligence (EI). In this study, we sought to explore whether EI could predict cognitive and/or…

Learning Effects of a Science Textbook Designed with Adapted Cognitive Process Principles on Grade 5 Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Ming-Chang; Chou, Pei-I; Wang, Ya-Ting; Lin, Chih-Ho

2015-01-01

This study investigates how the illustrations in a science textbook, with their design modified according to cognitive process principles, affected students' learning performance. The quasi-experimental design recruited two Grade 5 groups (N?=?58) as the research participants. The treatment group (n?=?30) used the modified version of the textbook,…

Specific Effects of Acute Moderate Exercise on Cognitive Control

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davranche, Karen; McMorris, Terry

2009-01-01

The main issue of this study was to determine whether cognitive control is affected by acute moderate exercise. Twelve participants [4 females (VO[subscript 2 max]=42 ml/kg/min) and 8 males (VO[subscript 2 max]=48 ml/kg/min)] performed a Simon task while cycling at a carefully controlled workload intensity corresponding to their individual…

The Longitudinal Impact of Cognitive Speed of Processing Training on Driving Mobility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Jerri D.; Myers, Charlsie; Ross, Lesley A.; Roenker, Daniel L.; Cissell, Gayla M.; McLaughlin, Alexis M.; Ball, Karlene K.

2009-01-01

Purpose: To examine how cognitive speed of processing training affects driving mobility across a 3-year period among older drivers. Design and Methods: Older drivers with poor Useful Field of View (UFOV) test performance (indicating greater risk for subsequent at-fault crashes and mobility declines) were randomly assigned to either a speed of…

How Does Grit Impact College Students' Academic Achievement in Science?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bazelais, Paul; Lemay, David John; Doleck, Tenzin

2016-01-01

Research has suggested that achievement is not solely based on the cognitive abilities of the learner, but rather on the combination of cognitive ability and personality traits. This paper explores how grit affects student academic performance and success in first-year college physics students in the context of a Quebec Collège d'enseignement…

Short-Term Limb Immobilization Affects Cognitive Motor Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toussaint, Lucette; Meugnot, Aurore

2013-01-01

We examined the effects of a brief period of limb immobilization on the cognitive level of action control. A splint placed on the participants' left hand was used as a means of immobilization. We used a hand mental rotation task to investigate the immobilization-induced effects on motor imagery performance (Experiments 1 and 2) and a number mental…

Cognitive status in patients with multiple sclerosis in Lanzarote.

PubMed

Pérez-Martín, María Yaiza; Eguia-Del Río, Pablo; González-Platas, Montserrat; Jiménez-Sosa, Alejandro

2016-01-01

Cognitive impairment is a common feature in multiple sclerosis affecting ~43%-72% of patients, which involves cognitive functions such as memory, processing speed, attention, and executive function. The aim of this study was to describe the extent and pattern of the involvement of cognitive impairment and psychological status in all patients with multiple sclerosis on a small Spanish island. In all, 70 patients and 56 healthy controls were included in the study between February 2013 and May 2013. All participants were assessed using the Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Test. The patients also completed instruments to evaluate the presence of fatigue, perceived cognitive dysfunction, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. All procedures were performed in a single session. Cognitive impairment, defined as a score <1.5 standard deviation on two subtests of the battery, was present in 35% of the participants. The most frequently affected domain was working memory, followed by verbal memory and processing speed. Disease duration showed a moderate correlation with visuospatial memory and processing speed. The Expanded Disability Status Scale score correlated with verbal and processing speed. Verbal memory was correlated with depression symptoms and fatigue. Cognitive impairment was present in 35% of the study population. The most affected domains were working memory and verbal memory. Working memory and verbal fluency deficit are independent factors of disease evolution. Cognitive decline is related to clinical variables and psychological measures such as fatigue or depression but not to anxiety.

Cognitive status in patients with multiple sclerosis in Lanzarote

PubMed Central

Pérez-Martín, María Yaiza; Eguia-del Río, Pablo; González-Platas, Montserrat; Jiménez-Sosa, Alejandro

2016-01-01

Objectives Cognitive impairment is a common feature in multiple sclerosis affecting ~43%–72% of patients, which involves cognitive functions such as memory, processing speed, attention, and executive function. The aim of this study was to describe the extent and pattern of the involvement of cognitive impairment and psychological status in all patients with multiple sclerosis on a small Spanish island. Patients and methods In all, 70 patients and 56 healthy controls were included in the study between February 2013 and May 2013. All participants were assessed using the Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Test. The patients also completed instruments to evaluate the presence of fatigue, perceived cognitive dysfunction, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. All procedures were performed in a single session. Results Cognitive impairment, defined as a score <1.5 standard deviation on two subtests of the battery, was present in 35% of the participants. The most frequently affected domain was working memory, followed by verbal memory and processing speed. Disease duration showed a moderate correlation with visuospatial memory and processing speed. The Expanded Disability Status Scale score correlated with verbal and processing speed. Verbal memory was correlated with depression symptoms and fatigue. Conclusion Cognitive impairment was present in 35% of the study population. The most affected domains were working memory and verbal memory. Working memory and verbal fluency deficit are independent factors of disease evolution. Cognitive decline is related to clinical variables and psychological measures such as fatigue or depression but not to anxiety. PMID:27418825

Cognition and depression in a cohort of aging men: results from the Western Collaborative Group Study.

PubMed

La Rue, A; Swan, G E; Carmelli, D

1995-03-01

Relationships between cognitive performance and self-ratings of depression on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D; L.S. Radloff, 1977) were examined for 1,217 older men. After controlling for demographic variables and both objective and subjective measures of health, significant associations were observed between several CES-D variables and measures of cognitive mental status, memory, and psychomotor speed. The Well-Being factor of the CES-D was the most robust predictor of cognitive scores. Therefore, for older adults with generally favorable health and socioeconomic resources, there may be a link between positive affect and maintenance of cognitive effectiveness.

The Role of a Multidimensional Concept of Trust in the Performance of Global Virtual Teams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bodensteiner, Nan Muir; Stecklein, Jonette M.

2002-01-01

This paper focuses on the concept of trust as an important ingredient of effective global virtual team performance. Definitions of trust and virtual teams are presented. The concept of trust is developed from its unilateral application (trust, absence of trust) to a multidimensional concept including cognitive and affective components. The special challenges of a virtual team are then discussed with particular emphasis on how a multidimensional concept of trust impacts these challenges. Propositions suggesting the multidimensional concept of trust moderates the negative impacts of distance, cross cultural and organizational differences, the effects of electronically mediated communication, reluctance to share information and a lack of hi story/future on the performance of virtual teams are stated. The paper concludes with recommendations and a set of techniques to build both cognitive and affective trust in virtual teams.

Age-related similarities and differences in monitoring spatial cognition.

PubMed

Ariel, Robert; Moffat, Scott D

2018-05-01

Spatial cognitive performance is impaired in later adulthood but it is unclear whether the metacognitive processes involved in monitoring spatial cognitive performance are also compromised. Inaccurate monitoring could affect whether people choose to engage in tasks that require spatial thinking and also the strategies they use in spatial domains such as navigation. The current experiment examined potential age differences in monitoring spatial cognitive performance in a variety of spatial domains including visual-spatial working memory, spatial orientation, spatial visualization, navigation, and place learning. Younger and older adults completed a 2D mental rotation test, 3D mental rotation test, paper folding test, spatial memory span test, two virtual navigation tasks, and a cognitive mapping test. Participants also made metacognitive judgments of performance (confidence judgments, judgments of learning, or navigation time estimates) on each trial for all spatial tasks. Preference for allocentric or egocentric navigation strategies was also measured. Overall, performance was poorer and confidence in performance was lower for older adults than younger adults. In most spatial domains, the absolute and relative accuracy of metacognitive judgments was equivalent for both age groups. However, age differences in monitoring accuracy (specifically relative accuracy) emerged in spatial tasks involving navigation. Confidence in navigating for a target location also mediated age differences in allocentric navigation strategy use. These findings suggest that with the possible exception of navigation monitoring, spatial cognition may be spared from age-related decline even though spatial cognition itself is impaired in older age.

Performances on a cognitive theory of mind task: specific decline or general cognitive deficits? Evidence from normal aging.

PubMed

Fliss, Rafika; Lemerre, Marion; Mollard, Audrey

2016-06-01

Compromised theory of mind (ToM) can be explained either by a failure to implement specific representational capacities (mental state representations) or by more general executive selection demands. In older adult populations, evidence supporting affected executive functioning and cognitive ToM in normal aging are reported. However, links between these two functions remain unclear. In the present paper, we address these shortcomings by using a specific task of ToM and classical executive tasks. We studied, using an original cognitive ToM task, the effect of age on ToM performances, in link with the progressive executive decline. 96 elderly participants were recruited. They were asked to perform a cognitive ToM task, and 5 executive tests (Stroop test and Hayling Sentence Completion Test to appreciate inhibitory process, Trail Making Test and Verbal Fluency for shifting assessment and backward span dedicated to estimate working memory capacity). The results show changes in cognitive ToM performance according to executive demands. Correlational studies indicate a significant relationship between ToM performance and the selected executive measures. Regression analyzes demonstrates that level of vocabulary and age as the best predictors of ToM performance. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that ToM deficits are related to age-related domain-general decline rather than as to a breakdown in specialized representational system. The implications of these findings for the nature of social cognition tests in normal aging are also discussed.

The Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Val66Met Polymorphism Moderates an Effect of Physical Activity on Working Memory Performance

PubMed Central

Erickson, Kirk I.; Banducci, Sarah E.; Weinstein, Andrea M.; MacDonald, Angus W.; Ferrell, Robert E.; Halder, Indrani; Flory, Janine D.; Manuck, Stephen B.

2014-01-01

Physical activity enhances cognitive performance, yet individual variability in its effectiveness limits its widespread therapeutic application. Genetic differences might be one source of this variation. For example, carriers of the methionine-specifying (Met) allele of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism have reduced secretion of BDNF and poorer memory, yet physical activity increases BDNF levels. To determine whether the BDNF polymorphism moderated an association of physical activity with cognitive functioning among 1,032 midlife volunteers (mean age = 44.59 years), we evaluated participants’ performance on a battery of tests assessing memory, learning, and executive processes, and evaluated their physical activity with the Paffenbarger Physical Activity Questionnaire. BDNF genotype interacted robustly with physical activity to affect working memory, but not other areas of cognitive functioning. In particular, greater levels of physical activity offset a deleterious effect of the Met allele on working memory performance. These findings suggest that physical activity can modulate domain-specific genetic (BDNF) effects on cognition. PMID:23907543

Working memory load affects repetitive behaviour but not cognitive flexibility in adolescent autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Wolff, Nicole; Chmielewski, Witold X; Beste, Christian; Roessner, Veit

2017-03-16

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with repetitive and stereotyped behaviour, suggesting that cognitive flexibility may be deficient in ASD. A central, yet not examined aspect to understand possible deficits in flexible behaviour in ASD relates (i) to the role of working memory and (ii) to neurophysiological mechanisms underlying behavioural modulations. We analysed behavioural and neurophysiological (EEG) correlates of cognitive flexibility using a task-switching paradigm with and without working memory load in adolescents with ASD and typically developing controls (TD). Adolescents with ASD versus TD show similar performance in task switching with no memory load, indicating that 'pure' cognitive flexibility is not in deficit in adolescent ASD. However performance during task repetition decreases with increasing memory load. Neurophysiological data reflect the pattern of behavioural effects, showing modulations in P2 and P3 event-related potentials. Working memory demands affect repetitive behaviour while processes of cognitive flexibility are unaffected. Effects emerge due to deficits in preparatory attentional processes and deficits in task rule activation, organisation and implementation of task sets when repetitive behaviour is concerned. It may be speculated that the habitual response mode in ASD (i.e. repetitive behaviour) is particularly vulnerable to additional demands on executive control processes.

Cognitive performance of juvenile monkeys after chronic fluoxetine treatment.

PubMed

Golub, Mari S; Hackett, Edward P; Hogrefe, Casey E; Leranth, Csaba; Elsworth, John D; Roth, Robert H

2017-08-01

Potential long term effects on brain development are a concern when drugs are used to treat depression and anxiety in childhood. In this study, male juvenile rhesus monkeys (three-four years of age) were dosed with fluoxetine or vehicle (N=16/group) for two years. Histomorphometric examination of cortical dendritic spines conducted after euthanasia at one year postdosing (N=8/group) suggested a trend toward greater dendritic spine synapse density in prefrontal cortex of the fluoxetine-treated monkeys. During dosing, subjects were trained for automated cognitive testing, and evaluated with a test of sustained attention. After dosing was discontinued, sustained attention, recognition memory and cognitive flexibility were evaluated. Sustained attention was affected by fluoxetine, both during and after dosing, as indexed by omission errors. Response accuracy was not affected by fluoxetine in post-dosing recognition memory and cognitive flexibility tests, but formerly fluoxetine-treated monkeys compared to vehicle controls had more missed trial initiations and choices during testing. Drug treatment also interacted with genetic and environmental variables: MAOA genotype (high- and low transcription rate polymorphisms) and testing location (upper or lower tier of cages). Altered development of top-down cortical regulation of effortful attention may be relevant to this pattern of cognitive test performance after juvenile fluoxetine treatment. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Effects of between-person differences and within-person changes in symptoms of anxiety and depression on older age cognitive performance.

PubMed

Laukka, E J; Dykiert, D; Allerhand, M; Starr, J M; Deary, I J

2018-06-01

Anxiety and depression are both important correlates of cognitive function. However, longitudinal studies investigating how they covary with cognition within the same individual are scarce. We aimed to simultaneously estimate associations of between-person differences and within-person variability in anxiety and depression with cognitive performance in a sample of non-demented older people. Participants in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921 study, a population-based narrow-age sample (mean age at wave 1 = 79 years, n = 535), were examined on five occasions across 13 years. Anxiety and depression were measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and cognitive performance was assessed with tests of reasoning, logical memory, and letter fluency. Data were analyzed using two-level linear mixed-effects models with within-person centering. Divergent patterns were observed for anxiety and depression. For anxiety, between-person differences were more influential; people who scored higher on HADS anxiety relative to other same-aged individuals demonstrated poorer cognitive performance on average. For depression, on the other hand, time-varying within-person differences were more important; scoring higher than usual on HADS depression was associated with poorer cognitive performance relative to the average level for that participant. Adjusting for gender, childhood mental ability, emotional stability, and disease burden attenuated these associations. The results from this study highlight the importance of addressing both between- and within-person effects of negative mood and suggest that anxiety and depression affect cognitive function in different ways. The current findings have implications for assessment and treatment of older age cognitive deficits.

Effects of low doses of caffeine on cognitive performance, mood and thirst in low and higher caffeine consumers.

PubMed

Smit, H J; Rogers, P J

2000-10-01

Caffeine is present in many widely consumed drinks and some foods. In the fairly extensive literature on the psychostimulant effects of caffeine, there are few dose-response studies and even fewer studies of the effects of doses of caffeine lower than 50 mg (the range of the amounts of caffeine contained in, for example, a typical serving of tea or cola). This study measured the effects of 0, 12.5, 25, 50 and 100 mg caffeine on cognitive performance, mood and thirst in adults with low and moderate to high habitual caffeine intakes. This was a double-blind, within-subjects study. Following overnight caffeine abstinence, participants (n=23) completed a test battery once before and three times after placebo or caffeine administration. The test battery consisted of two performance tests, a long duration simple reaction time task and a rapid visual information processing task, and a mood questionnaire (including also an item on thirst). Effects on performance and mood confirmed a psychostimulant action of caffeine. All doses of caffeine significantly affected cognitive performance, and the dose-response relationships for these effects were rather flat. The effects on performance were more marked in individuals with a higher level of habitual caffeine intake, whereas caffeine increased thirst only in low caffeine consumers. After overnight caffeine abstinence, caffeine can significantly affect cognitive performance, mood and thirst at doses within and even lower than the range of amounts of caffeine contained in a single serving of popular caffeine-containing drinks. Regular caffeine consumers appear to show substantial tolerance to the thirst-increasing but not to the performance and mood effects of caffeine.

Sleep restriction and cognitive load affect performance on a simulated marksmanship task.

PubMed

Smith, Carl D; Cooper, Adam D; Merullo, Donna J; Cohen, Bruce S; Heaton, Kristin J; Claro, Pedro J; Smith, Tracey

2017-11-24

Sleep restriction degrades cognitive and motor performance, which can adversely impact job performance and increase the risk of accidents. Military personnel are prone to operating under sleep restriction, and previous work suggests that military marksmanship may be negatively affected under such conditions. Results of these studies, however, are mixed and have often incorporated additional stressors (e.g. energy restriction) beyond sleep restriction. Moreover, few studies have investigated how the degree of difficulty of a marksmanship task impacts performance following sleep restriction. The purpose of the current experiment was to study the effects of sleep restriction on marksmanship while minimizing the potential influence of other forms of stress. A friend-foe discrimination challenge with greater or lesser degrees of complexity (high versus low load) was used as the primary marksmanship task. Active duty Soldiers were recruited, and allowed 2 h of sleep every 24 h over a 72-h testing period. Marksmanship tasks, cognitive assessment metrics and the NASA-Task Load Index were administered daily. Results indicated that reaction times to shoot foe targets and signal friendly targets slowed over time. In addition, the ability to correctly discriminate between friend and foe targets significantly decreased in the high-cognitive-load condition over time despite shot accuracy remaining stable. The NASA-Task Load Index revealed that, although marksmanship performance degraded, participants believed their performance did not change over time. These results further characterize the consequences of sleep restriction on marksmanship performance and the perception of performance, and reinforce the importance of adequate sleep among service members when feasible. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Structure and Correlates of Self-Reported Empathy in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Horan, William P.; Reise, Steven P.; Kern, Robert S.; Lee, Junghee; Penn, David L.; Green, Michael F.

2015-01-01

Research on empathy in schizophrenia has relied on dated self-report scales that do not conform to contemporary social neuroscience models of empathy. The current study evaluated the structure and correlates of the recently-developed Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE) in schizophrenia. This measure, whose structure and validity was established in healthy individuals, includes separate scales to assess the two main components of empathy: Cognitive Empathy (assessed by two subscales) and Affective Empathy (assessed by three subscales). Stable outpatients with schizophrenia (n=145) and healthy individuals (n= 45) completed the QCAE, alternative measures of empathy, and assessments of clinical symptoms, neurocognition, and functional outcome. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses provided consistent support for a two-factor solution in the schizophrenia group, justifying the use of separate cognitive and affective empathy scales in this population. However, one of the three Affective Empathy subscales was not psychometrically sound and was excluded from further analyses. Patients reported significantly lower Cognitive Empathy but higher Affective Empathy than controls. Among patients, the QCAE scales showed significant correlations with an alternative self-report empathy scale, but not with performance on an empathic accuracy task. The QCAE Cognitive Empathy subscales also showed significant, though modest, correlations with negative symptoms and functional outcome. These findings indicate that structure of self-reported empathy is similar in people with schizophrenia and healthy subjects, and can be meaningfully compared between groups. They also contribute to emerging evidence that some aspects of empathy may be intact or hyper-responsive in schizophrenia. PMID:25985922

Alteration of affective Theory of Mind in amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Poletti, Michele; Bonuccelli, Ubaldo

2013-03-01

The concept of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) concerns a population of older individuals at high risk of developing probable Alzheimer's disease (AD). Impairments of the cognitive component of Theory of Mind (ToM), that is the inference about other people's beliefs, have been well documented in AD; on the contrary, controversial findings have been reported on the affective component of ToM (inference about other's feelings), a process mainly based on medial portions of the prefrontal cortex. The current study aimed at evaluating the affective component of ToM in aMCI subjects. Twenty aMCI subjects and 20 age-matched healthy controls (HC) underwent a standard neuropsychological assessment and the assessment of affective ToM with the full 36-item version of reading the mind in the eyes (RME). Although aMCI subjects had formal impaired performances only in memory tasks, HC outperformed aMCI subjects in several cognitive tasks, including also the RME (mean RME scores 21.7 ± 3.0 vs. 17.0 ± 3.8%; 60.3% of correct answers vs. 47.2%). The lower RME performance of aMCI patients provides the first empirical evidence that aMCI may be associated with difficulties in tasks of affective ToM, in accordance with recent findings of early difficulties of aMCI patients in other processes that are mainly dependent on the medial prefrontal cortex, such as reversal learning and decision making under ambiguity. Findings of the current study need further empirical confirmation in larger samples of aMCI patients and also the investigation of other MCI subtypes is needed. © 2012 The British Psychological Society.

Cerebellar tDCS does not affect performance in the N-back task.

PubMed

van Wessel, Brenda W V; Claire Verhage, M; Holland, Peter; Frens, Maarten A; van der Geest, Jos N

2016-01-01

The N-back task is widely used in cognitive research. Furthermore, the cerebellum's role in cognitive processes is becoming more widely recognized. Studies using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have demonstrated effects of cerebellar stimulation on several cognitive tasks. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of cerebellar tDCS on cognitive performance by using the N-back task. The cerebellum of 12 participants was stimulated during the task. Moreover, the cognitive load was manipulated in N = 2, N = 3, and N = 4. Every participant received three tDCS conditions (anodal, cathodal, and sham) divided over three separated days. It was expected that anodal stimulation would improve performance on the task. Each participant performed 6 repetitions of every load in which correct responses, false alarms, and reaction times were recorded. We found significant differences between the three levels of load in the rate of correct responses and false alarms, indicating that subjects followed the expected pattern of performance for the N-back task. However, no significant differences between the three tDCS conditions were found. Therefore, it was concluded that in this study cognitive performance on the N-back task was not readily influenced by cerebellar tDCS, and any true effects are likely to be small. We discuss several limitations in task design and suggest future experiments to address such issues.

Facility Maintenance. V-TECS Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Charles G.; And Others

This facility maintenance guide is a compilation of duties, tasks, performance objectives, and performance guides that deals with the psychomotor aspect of an occupation. The guide addresses the three domains of learning: psychomotor, cognitive, and affective. Each unit provides job-relevant tasks, standards of performance, source of standard,…

Normal weight children have higher cognitive performance - Independent of physical activity, sleep, and diet.

PubMed

Hjorth, Mads F; Sørensen, Louise B; Andersen, Rikke; Dyssegaard, Camilla B; Ritz, Christian; Tetens, Inge; Michaelsen, Kim F; Astrup, Arne; Egelund, Niels; Sjödin, Anders

2016-10-15

Aside from the health consequences, observational studies indicate that being overweight may also negatively affect cognitive function. However, existing evidence has to a large extent not controlled for the possible confounding effect of having different lifestyles. Therefore, the objective was to examine the independent associations between weight status and lifestyle indicators with cognitive performance in 8-11year old Danish children. The analyses included 828 children (measured in 2011-2012) each having one to three measurement occasions separated by approximately 100days. Dietary intake, physical activity, sedentary time, and sleep duration were measured using dietary records and accelerometers. The Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire was used to access sleep problems and the Andersen test was carried out to estimate cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF). Weight status (underweight, normal weight, and overweight/obese) was defined according to body mass index and cognitive performance was assessed using the d2-test of attention, a reading test, and a math test. A linear mixed model including a number of fixed and random effects was used to test associations between lifestyle indicators as well as BMI category and cognitive performance. After adjustment for demographics, socioeconomics, and multiple lifestyle indicators, normal weight children had higher cognitive test scores than overweight/obese and underweight children of up to 89% and 48% of expected learning within one school year (P<0.05). Daily breakfast consumption, fewer sleep problems, higher CRF, less total physical activity, more sedentary time, and less light physical activity were associated with higher cognitive performance independently of each other in at least one of the three cognitive tests (P<0.05). Normal weight children had higher cognitive performance compared to overweight/obese as well as underweight children, independent of multiple lifestyle indicators. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Attention and memory deficits in crack-cocaine users persist over four weeks of abstinence.

PubMed

Almeida, Priscila P; de Araujo Filho, Gerardo M; Malta, Stella M; Laranjeira, Ronaldo R; Marques, Ana Cecilia R P; Bressan, Rodrigo A; Lacerda, Acioly L T

2017-10-01

Crack-cocaine addiction is an important public health problem worldwide. Although there is not a consensus, preliminary evidence has suggested that cognitive impairments in patients with crack-cocaine dependence persist during abstinence, affecting different neuropsychological domains. However, few studies have prospectively evaluated those deficits in different phases of abstinence. The main aim of present study was to examine neuropsychological performance of patients with crack-cocaine dependence during early abstinence and after four weeks, comparing with matched controls. Thirty-five males with crack-cocaine dependence, aged 18 to 50years, who met DSM-IV criteria for cocaine dependence and a control group of 33 healthy men were enrolled. They were assessed through Block Design, Digit Span and Vocabulary of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III), the Rey Auditory Learning Test (RAVLT) and the Verbal Fluency (FAS) between 3 and 10days (mean of 6.1±2.0days) and after 4weeks of abstinence. Compared to controls, the crack-cocaine dependent group exhibited deficits in cognitive performance affecting attention, verbal memory and learning tasks in early withdrawal. Most of the cognitive deficits persisted after four weeks of abstinence. Present results observed that the group of patients with crack-cocaine dependence presented persistent deficits affecting memory and attention even after four weeks of abstinence, confirming previous studies that had disclosed such cognitive impairments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Social cognition in pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS)

PubMed Central

Charvet, LE; Cleary, RE; Vazquez, K; Belman, A; Krupp, LB

2014-01-01

Background Pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) patients represent a subpopulation who are diagnosed during the course of development. Social cognitive deficits have recently been recognized in adults with MS. It is critical to identify if these youngest patients with the disorder are also at risk. Objective To determine whether pediatric-onset MS is associated with social cognitive deficits. Methods Consecutively-recruited participants with pediatric-onset MS were compared to a group of age- and gender-matched healthy controls on Theory of Mind (ToM) task performance. Tasks measured facial affect recognition (Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test), understanding social faux pas (Faux Pas Test), and understanding the perspective of another (False Beliefs Task). Results Twenty-eight (28) pediatric-onset MS participants (median age 17 years) and 32 healthy controls (median age 16 years) completed the study. The MS participants performed worse than controls on all three ToM tasks: Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (p=0.008), the Faux-Pas Test (p=0.009), and the False Beliefs Task (p=0.06). While more MS than control participants were impaired on a measure of information processing speed (the Symbol Digit Modalities Test; 38% versus 6%), it did not account for the differences in ToM performance. Conclusions Social cognition may represent an area of cognitive functioning affected by MS in the pediatric-onset population. These processes are especially important to study in younger patients as these deficits could have long range implications on social adjustment, employment, and well-being. PMID:24647558

Social cognition in pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS).

PubMed

Charvet, L E; Cleary, R E; Vazquez, K; Belman, A L; Krupp, L B

2014-10-01

Pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) patients represent a subpopulation who are diagnosed during the course of development. Social cognitive deficits have recently been recognized in adults with MS. It is critical to identify whether these youngest patients with the disorder are also at risk. To determine whether pediatric-onset MS is associated with social cognitive deficits. Consecutively-recruited participants with pediatric-onset MS were compared to a group of age- and gender-matched healthy controls on Theory of Mind (ToM) task performance. Tasks measured facial affect recognition (Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test), detecting social faux pas (Faux Pas Test), and understanding the perspective of another (False Beliefs Task). Twenty-eight (28) pediatric-onset MS participants (median age 17 years) and 32 healthy controls (median age 16 years) completed the study. The MS participants performed worse than controls on all three ToM tasks: Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (p = 0.008), the Faux Pas Test (p = 0.009), and the False Beliefs Task (p = 0.06). While more MS than control participants were impaired on a measure of information processing speed (the Symbol Digit Modalities Test; 38% versus 6%), it did not account for the differences in ToM performance. Social cognition may represent an area of cognitive functioning affected by MS in the pediatric-onset population. These processes are especially important to study in younger patients as they may have long range implications for social adjustment, employment, and well-being. © The Author(s) 2014.

Social exclusion modulates priorities of attention allocation in cognitive control

PubMed Central

Xu, Mengsi; Li, Zhiai; Diao, Liuting; Zhang, Lijie; Yuan, Jiajin; Ding, Cody; Yang, Dong

2016-01-01

Many studies have investigated how exclusion affects cognitive control and have reported inconsistent results. However, these studies usually treated cognitive control as a unitary concept, whereas it actually involved two main sub-processes: conflict detection and response implementation. Furthermore, existing studies have focused primarily on exclusion’s effects on conscious cognitive control, while recent studies have shown the existence of unconscious cognitive control. Therefore, the present study investigated whether and how exclusion affects the sub-processes underlying conscious and unconscious cognitive control differently. The Cyberball game was used to manipulate social exclusion and participants subsequently performed a masked Go/No-Go task during which event-related potentials were measured. For conscious cognitive control, excluded participants showed a larger N2 but smaller P3 effects than included participants, suggesting that excluded people invest more attention in conscious conflict detection, but less in conscious inhibition of impulsive responses. However, for unconscious cognitive control, excluded participants showed a smaller N2 but larger P3 effects than included participants, suggesting that excluded people invest less attention in unconscious conflict detection, but more in unconscious inhibition of impulsive responses. Together, these results suggest that exclusion causes people to rebalance attention allocation priorities for cognitive control according to a more flexible and adaptive strategy. PMID:27511746

Social exclusion modulates priorities of attention allocation in cognitive control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Mengsi; Li, Zhiai; Diao, Liuting; Zhang, Lijie; Yuan, Jiajin; Ding, Cody; Yang, Dong

2016-08-01

Many studies have investigated how exclusion affects cognitive control and have reported inconsistent results. However, these studies usually treated cognitive control as a unitary concept, whereas it actually involved two main sub-processes: conflict detection and response implementation. Furthermore, existing studies have focused primarily on exclusion’s effects on conscious cognitive control, while recent studies have shown the existence of unconscious cognitive control. Therefore, the present study investigated whether and how exclusion affects the sub-processes underlying conscious and unconscious cognitive control differently. The Cyberball game was used to manipulate social exclusion and participants subsequently performed a masked Go/No-Go task during which event-related potentials were measured. For conscious cognitive control, excluded participants showed a larger N2 but smaller P3 effects than included participants, suggesting that excluded people invest more attention in conscious conflict detection, but less in conscious inhibition of impulsive responses. However, for unconscious cognitive control, excluded participants showed a smaller N2 but larger P3 effects than included participants, suggesting that excluded people invest less attention in unconscious conflict detection, but more in unconscious inhibition of impulsive responses. Together, these results suggest that exclusion causes people to rebalance attention allocation priorities for cognitive control according to a more flexible and adaptive strategy.

Social exclusion modulates priorities of attention allocation in cognitive control.

PubMed

Xu, Mengsi; Li, Zhiai; Diao, Liuting; Zhang, Lijie; Yuan, Jiajin; Ding, Cody; Yang, Dong

2016-08-11

Many studies have investigated how exclusion affects cognitive control and have reported inconsistent results. However, these studies usually treated cognitive control as a unitary concept, whereas it actually involved two main sub-processes: conflict detection and response implementation. Furthermore, existing studies have focused primarily on exclusion's effects on conscious cognitive control, while recent studies have shown the existence of unconscious cognitive control. Therefore, the present study investigated whether and how exclusion affects the sub-processes underlying conscious and unconscious cognitive control differently. The Cyberball game was used to manipulate social exclusion and participants subsequently performed a masked Go/No-Go task during which event-related potentials were measured. For conscious cognitive control, excluded participants showed a larger N2 but smaller P3 effects than included participants, suggesting that excluded people invest more attention in conscious conflict detection, but less in conscious inhibition of impulsive responses. However, for unconscious cognitive control, excluded participants showed a smaller N2 but larger P3 effects than included participants, suggesting that excluded people invest less attention in unconscious conflict detection, but more in unconscious inhibition of impulsive responses. Together, these results suggest that exclusion causes people to rebalance attention allocation priorities for cognitive control according to a more flexible and adaptive strategy.

Patients with primary biliary cholangitis and fatigue present with depressive symptoms and selected cognitive deficits, but with normal attention performance and brain structure.

PubMed

Zenouzi, Roman; von der Gablentz, Janina; Heldmann, Marcus; Göttlich, Martin; Weiler-Normann, Christina; Sebode, Marcial; Ehlken, Hanno; Hartl, Johannes; Fellbrich, Anja; Siemonsen, Susanne; Schramm, Christoph; Münte, Thomas F; Lohse, Ansgar W

2018-01-01

In primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) fatigue is a major clinical challenge of unknown etiology. By demonstrating that fatigue in PBC is associated with an impaired cognitive performance, previous studies have pointed out the possibility of brain abnormalities underlying fatigue in PBC. Whether structural brain changes are present in PBC patients with fatigue, however, is unclear. To evaluate the role of structural brain abnormalities in PBC patients severely affected from fatigue we, therefore, performed a case-control cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) study and correlated changes of white and grey brain matter with the cognitive and attention performance. 20 female patients with PBC and 20 female age-matched controls were examined in this study. The assessment of fatigue, psychological symptoms, cognitive and attention performance included clinical questionnaires, established cognition tests and a computerized test battery of attention performance. T1-weighted cMRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scans were acquired with a 3 Tesla scanner. Structural brain alterations were investigated with voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and DTI analyses. Results were correlated to the cognitive and attention performance. Compared to healthy controls, PBC patients had significantly higher levels of fatigue and associated psychological symptoms. Except for an impairment of verbal fluency, no cognitive or attention deficits were found in the PBC cohort. The VBM and DTI analyses revealed neither major structural brain abnormalities in the PBC cohort nor correlations with the cognitive and attention performance. Despite the high burden of fatigue and selected cognitive deficits, the attention performance of PBC patients appears to be comparable to healthy people. As structural brain alterations do not seem to be present in PBC patients with fatigue, fatigue in PBC must be regarded as purely functional. Future studies should evaluate, whether functional brain changes underlie fatigue in PBC.

Cognitive and psychosocial effects of oxcarbazepine monotherapy in newly diagnosed partial epilepsy.

PubMed

Kim, Daeyoung; Seo, Ji-Hye; Joo, Eun Yeon; Lee, Hyang Woon; Shin, Won Chul; Hong, Seung Bong

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of oxcarbazepine (OXC) on cognition and psychosocial difficulties in patients with new-onset partial epilepsy. Cognitive and psychosocial assessments were performed before and after 6 to 12 months of OXC monotherapy in 52 drug-naive patients (25 women; mean age, 31.1 years; SD, 12.1 years). Cognitive functions were evaluated with well-structured and validated tools. Mood, psychological distress, subjective handicap, and quality of life were also evaluated. Differences between baseline and after-treatment evaluation were compared and adjusted for possible confounders such as age, sex, seizure control, duration of epilepsy, assessment interval, and epileptogenic region. Mean assessment interval was 231.8 (range, 182-348) days, and mean (SD) OXC dose at retest was 693.8 (208.9) mg. The OXC was found to have no significant adverse effect on cognition. Furthermore, OXC monotherapy was not found to affect psychosocial difficulties, including psychological distress and subjective handicap. The results suggest that OXC monotherapy could be used to treat newly diagnosed partial epilepsy without adversely affecting cognitive and psychosocial functions.

The roles of COMT val158met status and aviation expertise in flight simulator performance and cognitive ability.

PubMed

Kennedy, Q; Taylor, J L; Noda, A; Adamson, M; Murphy, G M; Zeitzer, J M; Yesavage, J A

2011-09-01

The polymorphic variation in the val158met position of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene is associated with differences in executive performance, processing speed, and attention. The purpose of this study is: (1) replicate previous COMT val158met findings on cognitive performance; (2) determine whether COMT val158met effects extend to a real-world task, aircraft navigation performance in a flight simulator; and (3) determine if aviation expertise moderates any effect of COMT val158met status on flight simulator performance. One hundred seventy two pilots aged 41-69 years, who varied in level of aviation training and experience, completed flight simulator, cognitive, and genetic assessments. Results indicate that although no COMT effect was found for an overall measure of flight performance, a positive effect of the met allele was detected for two aspects of cognitive ability: executive functioning and working memory performance. Pilots with the met/met genotype benefited more from increased levels of expertise than other participants on a traffic avoidance measure, which is a component of flight simulator performance. These preliminary results indicate that COMT val158met polymorphic variation can affect a real-world task.

The Roles of COMT val158met Status and Aviation Expertise in Flight Simulator Performance and Cognitive Ability

PubMed Central

Taylor, J. L.; Noda, A.; Adamson, M.; Murphy, G. M.; Zeitzer, J. M.; Yesavage, J. A.

2011-01-01

The polymorphic variation in the val158met position of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene is associated with differences in executive performance, processing speed, and attention. The purpose of this study is: (1) replicate previous COMT val158met findings on cognitive performance; (2) determine whether COMT val158met effects extend to a real-world task, aircraft navigation performance in a flight simulator; and (3) determine if aviation expertise moderates any effect of COMT val158met status on flight simulator performance. One hundred seventy two pilots aged 41–69 years, who varied in level of aviation training and experience, completed flight simulator, cognitive, and genetic assessments. Results indicate that although no COMT effect was found for an overall measure of flight performance, a positive effect of the met allele was detected for two aspects of cognitive ability: executive functioning and working memory performance. Pilots with the met/met genotype benefited more from increased levels of expertise than other participants on a traffic avoidance measure, which is a component of flight simulator performance. These preliminary results indicate that COMT val158met polymorphic variation can affect a real-world task. PMID:21193954

Human performance modeling for system of systems analytics: combat performance-shaping factors.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lawton, Craig R.; Miller, Dwight Peter

The US military has identified Human Performance Modeling (HPM) as a significant requirement and challenge of future systems modeling and analysis initiatives. To support this goal, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) has undertaken a program of HPM as an integral augmentation to its system-of-system (SoS) analytics capabilities. The previous effort, reported in SAND2005-6569, evaluated the effects of soldier cognitive fatigue on SoS performance. The current effort began with a very broad survey of any performance-shaping factors (PSFs) that also might affect soldiers performance in combat situations. The work included consideration of three different approaches to cognition modeling and how appropriate theymore » would be for application to SoS analytics. This bulk of this report categorizes 47 PSFs into three groups (internal, external, and task-related) and provides brief descriptions of how each affects combat performance, according to the literature. The PSFs were then assembled into a matrix with 22 representative military tasks and assigned one of four levels of estimated negative impact on task performance, based on the literature. Blank versions of the matrix were then sent to two ex-military subject-matter experts to be filled out based on their personal experiences. Data analysis was performed to identify the consensus most influential PSFs. Results indicate that combat-related injury, cognitive fatigue, inadequate training, physical fatigue, thirst, stress, poor perceptual processing, and presence of chemical agents are among the PSFs with the most negative impact on combat performance.« less

Within-person variability in response speed as an indicator of cognitive impairment in older adults.

PubMed

Strauss, Esther; Bielak, Allison A M; Bunce, David; Hunter, Michael A; Hultsch, David F

2007-11-01

Within-person variability may be an important indicator of central nervous system compromise. In this study, within-person variability in response speed was examined in community-dwelling older adults, ages 64-92 years, using a new framework that takes into account both the extent (single versus multiple domains affected) and nature (amnestic versus non-amnestic) of the cognitive impairment. Those with multiple domains of impairment were more variable than those who showed an isolated area of impairment, regardless of whether memory was one of the domains affected. Further, for those with difficulties in two or more non-memory domains, increased variability was most evident in more cognitively demanding situations, when individuals had to manipulate information held briefly in mind, switch cognitive set or inhibit an automatic response. Finally, group differentiation was better achieved when within-person variability as opposed to mean speed of performance was considered.

A role for anterior thalamic nuclei in affective cognition: interaction with environmental conditions.

PubMed

Dupire, Alexandra; Kant, Patricia; Mons, Nicole; Marchand, Alain R; Coutureau, Etienne; Dalrymple-Alford, John; Wolff, Mathieu

2013-05-01

Damage to anterior thalamic nuclei (ATN) is a well-known cause of diencephalic pathology that produces a range of cognitive deficits reminiscent of a hippocampal syndrome. Anatomical connections of the ATN also extend to cerebral areas that support affective cognition. Enriched environments promote recovery of declarative/relational memory after ATN lesions and are known to downregulate emotional behaviors. Hence, the performance of standard-housed and enriched ATN rats in a range of behavioral tasks engaging affective cognition was compared. ATN rats exhibited reduced anxiety responses in the elevated plus maze, increased activity and reduced corticosterone responses when exploring an open field, and delayed acquisition of a conditioned contextual fear response. ATN rats also exhibited reduced c-Fos and phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein (pCREB) immunoreactivity in the hippocampal formation and the amygdala after completion of the contextual fear test. Marked c-Fos hypoactivity and reduced pCREB levels were also evident in the granular retrosplenial cortex and, to a lesser extent, in the anterior cingulate cortex. Unlike standard-housed ATN rats, enriched ATN rats expressed virtually no fear of the conditioned context. These results show that the ATN regulate affective cognition and that damage to this region may produce markedly different behavioral effects as a function of environmental housing conditions. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Online assessment of risk factors for dementia and cognitive function in healthy adults.

PubMed

Huntley, J; Corbett, A; Wesnes, K; Brooker, H; Stenton, R; Hampshire, A; Ballard, C

2018-02-01

Several potentially modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia have been identified, including low educational attainment, smoking, diabetes, physical inactivity, hypertension, midlife obesity, depression, and perceived social isolation. Managing these risk factors in late midlife and older age may help reduce the risk of dementia; however, it is unclear whether these factors also relate to cognitive performance in older individuals without dementia. Data from 14 201 non-demented individuals aged >50 years who enrolled in the online PROTECT study were used to examine the relationship between cognitive function and known modifiable risk factors for dementia. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted on 4 cognitive outcomes assessing verbal and spatial working memory, visual episodic memory, and verbal reasoning. Increasing age was associated with reduced performance across all tasks. Higher educational achievement, the presence of a close confiding relationship, and moderate alcohol intake were associated with benefits across all 4 cognitive tasks, and exercise was associated with better performance on verbal reasoning and verbal working memory tasks. A diagnosis of depression was negatively associated with performance on visual episodic memory and working memory tasks, whereas being underweight negatively affected performance on all tasks apart from verbal working memory. A history of stroke was negatively associated with verbal reasoning and working memory performance. Known modifiable risk factors for dementia are associated with cognitive performance in non-demented individuals in late midlife and older age. This provides further support for public health interventions that seek to manage these risk factors across the lifespan. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Efficacy and cognitive side effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in depressed elderly inpatients with coexisting mild cognitive impairment or dementia.

PubMed

Hausner, Lucrezia; Damian, Marinella; Sartorius, Alexander; Frölich, Lutz

2011-01-01

To study cognitive performance in depressed geriatric inpatients with or without preexisting cognitive impairment who received a first course of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Forty-four elderly inpatients with major depressive disorder (ICD-10 criteria) were included in a prospective consecutive case series of a university hospital. The patients were divided into 3 groups (no cognitive impairment [NCI], mild cognitive impairment [MCI], dementia) and rated for cognitive performance with the MMSE before first ECT, after sixth ECT, and 6 weeks and 6 months after ECT termination. Affective symptoms were rated by 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-21) before and 6 weeks after ECT. Analysis of variance or Kruskal-Wallis tests on ECT-induced MMSE and HDRS-21 score changes were compared to baseline. Binary logistic regression was used for predictor analysis. The study was conducted from April 2004 to April 2008. After initial nonsignificant cognitive deterioration in all 3 groups, the NCI group improved cognitively 6 weeks (P = .018) and 6 months (P = .027) after ECT. The MCI group improved in cognition 6 months (P = .036) after ECT. In the dementia group, mean MMSE scores also improved numerically over the course of ECT without significance. Dementia patients with antidementia treatment improved in cognition to a clinically relevant extent after the sixth ECT. Dementia subjects without antidementia treatment deteriorated. After the sixth ECT, 70.0% of dementia patients (P = .004) presented a cognitive decline, and 68.8% of MCI patients (P < .001) presented a decline 6 weeks after ECT. Six months after ECT, one-third of the dementia patients (P < .036) still had a cognitive decline. Affective symptoms remitted after ECT in all 3 groups (P < .001). Pre-ECT cognitive deficits were the best predictor of MMSE decline (6 weeks after ECT, P = .007; 6 months after ECT, P = .055). ECT is effective and well tolerated in geriatric depressed inpatients regardless of preexisting cognitive impairment. Cognitive deficits were transient. © Copyright 2011 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Cognitive-Affective Dimensions of Female Orgasm: The Role of Automatic Thoughts and Affect During Sexual Activity.

PubMed

Tavares, Inês M; Laan, Ellen T M; Nobre, Pedro J

2017-06-01

Cognitive-affective factors contribute to female sexual dysfunctions, defined as clinically significant difficulties in the ability to respond sexually or to experience sexual pleasure. Automatic thoughts and affect presented during sexual activity are acknowledged as maintenance factors for these difficulties. However, there is a lack of studies on the influence of these cognitive-affective dimensions regarding female orgasm. To assess the role of automatic thoughts and affect during sexual activity in predicting female orgasm occurrence and to investigate the mediator role of these variables in the relation between sexual activity and orgasm occurrence. Nine hundred twenty-six sexually active heterosexual premenopausal women reported on frequency of sexual activities and frequency of orgasm occurrence, cognitive factors, and social desirability. Participants completed the Sexual Modes Questionnaire-Automatic Thoughts Subscale, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and the Socially Desirable Response Set. Multiple linear regressions and mediation analyses were performed, controlling for the effect of covariates such as social desirability, sociodemographic and medical characteristics, and relationship factors. The main outcome measurement was orgasm frequency as predicted and mediated by automatic thoughts and affect experienced during sexual activities. The presence of failure thoughts and lack of erotic thoughts during sexual activity significantly and negatively predicted female orgasm, whereas positive affect experienced during sexual activity significantly and positively predicted female orgasm. Moreover, negative automatic thoughts and positive affect during sexual activity were found to mediate the relation between sexual activity and female orgasm occurrence. These data suggest that the cognitive aspects of sexual involvement are critical to enhancing female orgasm experience and can aid the development of strategies that contemplate the central role of automatic thoughts and of positive emotions experienced during sexual activity. Data were not collected face to face, which constitutes a strength of this study, because it is known that social desirability is lower in self-administered online questionnaires compared with traditional paper-and-pencil questionnaires, particularly for more sensitive sexual issues. The fact that the sample was composed of heterosexual, premenopausal, and relatively young women demands some caution regarding generalization of the present results. The findings support the contribution of cognitive and affective factors to female orgasmic functioning. It is recommended that future research confirm these findings with other samples, particularly clinical samples of women with orgasmic difficulties. Tavares IM, Laan ETM, Nobre PJ. Cognitive-Affective Dimensions of Female Orgasm: The Role of Automatic Thoughts and Affect During Sexual Activity. J Sex Med 2017;14:818-828. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Activities, self-referent memory beliefs, and cognitive performance: evidence for direct and mediated relations.

PubMed

Jopp, Daniela; Hertzog, Christopher

2007-12-01

In this study, the authors investigated the role of activities and self-referent memory beliefs for cognitive performance in a life-span sample. A factor analysis identified 8 activity factors, including Developmental Activities, Experiential Activities, Social Activities, Physical Activities, Technology Use, Watching Television, Games, and Crafts. A second-order general activity factor was significantly related to a general factor of cognitive function as defined by ability tests. Structural regression models suggested that prediction of cognition by activity level was partially mediated by memory beliefs, controlling for age, education, health, and depressive affect. Models adding paths from general and specific activities to aspects of crystallized intelligence suggested additional unique predictive effects for some activities. In alternative models, nonsignificant effects of beliefs on activities were detected when cognition predicted both variables, consistent with the hypothesis that beliefs derive from monitoring cognition and have no influence on activity patterns. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved.

Combined Cognitive-Strategy and Task-Specific Training Affects Cognition and Upper-Extremity Function in Subacute Stroke: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Polatajko, Helene; Baum, Carolyn; Rios, Jorge; Cirone, Dianne; Doherty, Meghan; McEwen, Sara

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to estimate the effect of Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance (CO–OP) compared with usual occupational therapy on upper-extremity movement, cognitive flexibility, and stroke impact in people less than 3 mo after stroke. An exploratory, single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted with people referred to outpatient occupational therapy services at two rehabilitation centers. Arm movement was measured with the Action Research Arm Test, cognitive flexibility with the Delis–Kaplan Executive Function System Trail Making subtest, and stroke impact with subscales of the Stroke Impact Scale. A total of 35 participants were randomized, and 26 completed the intervention. CO–OP demonstrated measurable effects over usual care on all measures. These data provide early support for the use of CO–OP to improve performance and remediate cognitive and arm movement impairments after stroke over usual care; however, future study is warranted to confirm the effects observed in this trial. PMID:26943113

Affective attention under cognitive load: reduced emotional biases but emergent anxiety-related costs to inhibitory control

PubMed Central

Berggren, Nick; Richards, Anne; Taylor, Joseph; Derakshan, Nazanin

2013-01-01

Trait anxiety is associated with deficits in attentional control, particularly in the ability to inhibit prepotent responses. Here, we investigated this effect while varying the level of cognitive load in a modified antisaccade task that employed emotional facial expressions (neutral, happy, and angry) as targets. Load was manipulated using a secondary auditory task requiring recognition of tones (low load), or recognition of specific tone pitch (high load). Results showed that load increased antisaccade latencies on trials where gaze toward face stimuli should be inhibited. This effect was exacerbated for high anxious individuals. Emotional expression also modulated task performance on antisaccade trials for both high and low anxious participants under low cognitive load, but did not influence performance under high load. Collectively, results (1) suggest that individuals reporting high levels of anxiety are particularly vulnerable to the effects of cognitive load on inhibition, and (2) support recent evidence that loading cognitive processes can reduce emotional influences on attention and cognition. PMID:23717273

Affective-cognitive meta-bases versus structural bases of attitudes predict processing interest versus efficiency.

PubMed

See, Ya Hui Michelle; Petty, Richard E; Fabrigar, Leandre R

2013-08-01

We proposed that (a) processing interest for affective over cognitive information is captured by meta-bases (i.e., the extent to which people subjectively perceive themselves to rely on affect or cognition in their attitudes) and (b) processing efficiency for affective over cognitive information is captured by structural bases (i.e., the extent to which attitudes are more evaluatively congruent with affect or cognition). Because processing speed can disentangle interest from efficiency by being manifest as longer or shorter reading times, we hypothesized and found that more affective meta-bases predicted longer affective than cognitive reading time when processing efficiency was held constant (Study 1). In contrast, more affective structural bases predicted shorter affective than cognitive reading time when participants were constrained in their ability to allocate resources deliberatively (Study 2). When deliberation was neither encouraged nor constrained, effects for meta-bases and structural bases emerged (Study 3). Implications for affective-cognitive processing and other attitudes-relevant constructs are discussed.

Effect of age at onset on cortical thickness and cognition in posterior cortical atrophy

PubMed Central

Suárez-González, Aida; Lehmann, Manja; Shakespeare, Timothy J.; Yong, Keir X.X.; Paterson, Ross W.; Slattery, Catherine F.; Foulkes, Alexander J.M.; Rabinovici, Gil D.; Gil-Néciga, Eulogio; Roldán-Lora, Florinda; Schott, Jonathan M.; Fox, Nick C.; Crutch, Sebastian J.

2016-01-01

Age at onset (AAO) has been shown to influence the phenotype of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but how it affects atypical presentations of AD remains unknown. Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is the most common form of atypical AD. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of AAO on cortical thickness and cognitive function in 98 PCA patients. We used Freesurfer (v5.3.0) to compare cortical thickness with AAO both as a continuous variable, and by dichotomizing the groups based on median age (58 years). In both the continuous and dichotomized analyses, we found a pattern suggestive of thinner cortex in precuneus and parietal areas in earlier-onset PCA, and lower cortical thickness in anterior cingulate and prefrontal cortex in later-onset PCA. These cortical thickness differences between PCA subgroups were consistent with earlier-onset PCA patients performing worse on cognitive tests involving parietal functions. Our results provide a suggestion that AAO may not only affect the clinico-anatomical characteristics in AD but may also affect atrophy patterns and cognition within atypical AD phenotypes. PMID:27318138

Effects of Cognitive Interventions on Sports Anxiety and Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Shane M.; Woolfolk, Robert L.

Oxendine (1970) hypothesized that the arousal-performance relationship varies across tasks, such that gross motor activities will require high arousal for optimal performance while fine motor activities will be facilitated by low arousal, but adversely affected by high arousal. Although the effects of preparatory arousal on strength performance…

Creating Workplaces Where People Can Think: Cognitive Ergonomics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kearny, Lynn; Smith, Phyl

1999-01-01

Presents ideas about how the workplace affects job performance, how to diagnose workplace-related problems, and how to make modest improvements. Highlights include: workplace-imposed limits on performance; the mental and physical steps of work; screening behavior; how adaptation interferes with performance; task- and human-based workspaces;…

Effects beyond Effectiveness: Teaching as a Performative Act

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liew, Warren Mark

2013-01-01

This article develops the familiar metaphor of teaching as performance towards a definition of "teaching as performative act," where words and actions aim to effect cognitive, affective, and behavioral changes in learners. To what extent, however, are the consequences of pedagogical actions commensurate with their intended effects? Can a science…

Differential effects of psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder symptoms on cognitive and fear processing in female offenders.

PubMed

Anton, Marja E; Baskin-Sommers, Arielle R; Vitale, Jennifer E; Curtin, John J; Newman, Joseph P

2012-12-01

Psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder (APD) have long been considered important risk factors for criminal behavior and incarceration. However, little is known about the psychobiological underpinnings that give rise to the disinhibited behavior of female offenders. Using an instructed fear-conditioning paradigm and a sample of incarcerated female offenders, we manipulated attentional focus and cognitive load to characterize and differentiate between the dysfunctional cognitive and affective processes associated with these syndromes. We used fear-potentiated startle (FPS) and event-related potentials as measures of affective and cognitive processing, respectively. After controlling for APD symptoms, psychopathic women displayed greater FPS while attending directly to threat-relevant stimuli and displayed less FPS while performing a demanding task that directed attention to threat-irrelevant information. Conversely, controlling for psychopathy, women with high APD symptoms displayed less overall FPS, especially when instructed to focus on threat-relevant stimuli. However, as the demands on cognitive resources increased, they displayed greater FPS. For both psychopathy and APD, analysis of the event-related potentials qualified these findings and further specified the abnormal cognitive processes associated with these two syndromes. Overall, simultaneous analysis of psychopathy and APD revealed distinct patterns of cognitive processing and fear reactivity.

Stunting, poor iron status and parasite infection are significant risk factors for lower cognitive performance in Cambodian school-aged children.

PubMed

Perignon, Marlene; Fiorentino, Marion; Kuong, Khov; Burja, Kurt; Parker, Megan; Sisokhom, Sek; Chamnan, Chhoun; Berger, Jacques; Wieringa, Frank T

2014-01-01

Nutrition is one of many factors affecting the cognitive development of children. In Cambodia, 55% of children <5 y were anemic and 40% stunted in 2010. Currently, no data exists on the nutritional status of Cambodian school-aged children, or on how malnutrition potentially affects their cognitive development. To assess the anthropometric and micronutrient status (iron, vitamin A, zinc, iodine) of Cambodian schoolchildren and their associations with cognitive performance. School children aged 6-16 y (n = 2443) from 20 primary schools in Cambodia were recruited. Anthropometry, hemoglobin, serum ferritin, transferrin receptors, retinol-binding protein and zinc concentrations, inflammation status, urinary iodine concentration and parasite infection were measured. Socio-economic data were collected in a sub-group of children (n = 616). Cognitive performance was assessed using Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM) and block design and picture completion, two standardized tests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III). The prevalence of anemia, iron, zinc, iodine and vitamin A deficiency were 15.7%; 51.2%, 92.8%, 17.3% and 0.7% respectively. The prevalence of stunting was 40.0%, including 10.9% of severe stunting. Stunted children scored significantly lower than non-stunted children on all tests. In RCPM test, boys with iron-deficiency anemia had lower scores than boys with normal iron status (-1.46, p<0.05). In picture completion test, children with normal iron status tended to score higher than iron-deficient children with anemia (-0.81; p = 0.067) or without anemia (-0.49; p = 0.064). Parasite infection was associated with an increase in risk of scoring below the median value in block design test (OR = 1.62; p<0.05), and with lower scores in other tests, for girls only (both p<0.05). Poor cognitive performance of Cambodian school-children was multifactorial and significantly associated with long-term (stunting) and current nutritional status indicators (iron status), as well as parasite infection. A life-cycle approach with programs to improve nutrition in early life and at school-age could contribute to optimal cognitive performance.

Emotions Influence Cognition: The Missing Ingredient in School Evaluations.

PubMed

Hoffman, Leon; Catapano, Carrie

2015-01-01

In this paper we describe an intake evaluation process of elementary schoolchildren who have exhibited difficulties in a more traditional school environment. We show how a dynamic understanding of the child's emotional life and the child's emotions affects his or her behavior, cognitive development, and academic performance. We illustrate how to utilize this understanding in planning an approach in the classroom.

Exploring Learning Performance toward Cognitive Approaches of a Virtual Companion System in LINE App for m-Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsieh, Sheng-Wen; Wu, Min-Ping

2013-01-01

This paper used a Virtual Companion System (VCS) to examine how specific design variables within virtual learning companion affect the learning process of learners as defined by the cognitive continuum of field-dependent, field-independent and field-mixed learners in LINE app for m-learning. The data were collected from 198 participants in a…

Neurocognition, functional competence and self-reported functional impairment in psychometrically defined schizotypy.

PubMed

Xavier, Shannon; Best, Michael W; Schorr, Emily; Bowie, Christopher R

2015-01-01

Schizotypy is phenologically and genetically related to schizophrenia-spectrum illness. Previous studies find cognitive function to be mildly impaired, but specific impairments and their relationship to functioning are not well understood. In this study, we sought to examine how cognitive load affects performance in schizotypy and to examine whether impairments might manifest in functional capacity and quality of life. Undergraduate students were screened for abnormally high levels of schizotypy (N = 72) and compared to those without psychopathology (N = 80) on a standard battery of neuropsychological tests, cognitive tests with varying cognitive load, functional capacity measures and quality of life. The high schizotypy group did not differ from controls on traditional measures of neuropsychological functioning, but an interaction of group by cognitive load was observed, where those with schizotypy manifested a greater decline in performance as information processing load was parametrically increased. Differences in functioning were observed and cognitive impairment was associated with impaired functioning. Cognitive and functional impairment can be observed in those with high schizotypal traits who are non-treatment seeking. The sensitivity of cognitive tests to impairment in this population might be a function of their ability to parametrically increase cognitive load.

Cognitive levels of performance account for hemispheric lateralisation effects in dyslexic and normally reading children.

PubMed

Heim, Stefan; Grande, Marion; Meffert, Elisabeth; Eickhoff, Simon B; Schreiber, Helen; Kukolja, Juraj; Shah, Nadim Jon; Huber, Walter; Amunts, Katrin

2010-12-01

Recent theories of developmental dyslexia explain reading deficits in terms of deficient phonological awareness, attention, visual and auditory processing, or automaticity. Since dyslexia has a neurobiological basis, the question arises how the reader's proficiency in these cognitive variables affects the brain regions involved in visual word recognition. This question was addressed in two fMRI experiments with 19 normally reading children (Experiment 1) and 19 children with dyslexia (Experiment 2). First, reading-specific brain activation was assessed by contrasting the BOLD signal for reading aloud words vs. overtly naming pictures of real objects. Next, ANCOVAs with brain activation during reading the individuals' scores for all five cognitive variables assessed outside the scanner as covariates were performed. Whereas the normal readers' brain activation during reading showed co-variation effects predominantly in the right hemisphere, the reverse pattern was observed for the dyslexics. In particular, middle frontal gyrus, inferior parietal cortex, and precuneus showed contralateral effects for controls as compared to dyslexics. In line with earlier findings in the literature, these data hint at a global change in hemispheric asymmetry during cognitive processing in dyslexic readers, which, in turn, might affect reading proficiency. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Feldenkrais Method(®) can enhance cognitive function in independent living older adults: A case-series.

PubMed

Ullmann, Gerhild; Williams, Harriet G

2016-07-01

Poor cognitive health a major concern of aging individuals, can compromise independent living. More than 16 million people in the United States are affected by cognitive impairment. We have studied the effects of the Feldenkrais Method(®) on cognitive function. In this case series with three participants cognitive function was assessed with the Trail Making Test A and B at baseline and after the Feldenkrais intervention. All participants improved performance on Trail Making Test A and B after completing the Feldenkrais intervention indicating that Feldenkrais lessons may offset age-related decline in cognitive function. The results of this case series warrant larger scale studies on cognitive outcomes of Feldenkrais interventions in clinical and non-clinical populations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Obesity Reduces Cognitive and Motor Functions across the Lifespan

PubMed Central

Wang, Chuanming; Chan, John S. Y.; Ren, Lijie; Yan, Jin H.

2016-01-01

Due to a sedentary lifestyle, more and more people are becoming obese nowadays. In addition to health-related problems, obesity can also impair cognition and motor performance. Previous results have shown that obesity mainly affects cognition and motor behaviors through altering brain functions and musculoskeletal system, respectively. Many factors, such as insulin/leptin dysregulation and inflammation, mediate the effect of obesity and cognition and motor behaviors. Substantial evidence has suggested exercise to be an effective way to improve obesity and related cognitive and motor dysfunctions. This paper aims to discuss the association of obesity with cognition and motor behaviors and its underlying mechanisms. Following this, mechanisms of exercise to improve obesity-related dysfunctions are described. Finally, implications and future research direction are raised. PMID:26881095

Obesity Reduces Cognitive and Motor Functions across the Lifespan.

PubMed

Wang, Chuanming; Chan, John S Y; Ren, Lijie; Yan, Jin H

2016-01-01

Due to a sedentary lifestyle, more and more people are becoming obese nowadays. In addition to health-related problems, obesity can also impair cognition and motor performance. Previous results have shown that obesity mainly affects cognition and motor behaviors through altering brain functions and musculoskeletal system, respectively. Many factors, such as insulin/leptin dysregulation and inflammation, mediate the effect of obesity and cognition and motor behaviors. Substantial evidence has suggested exercise to be an effective way to improve obesity and related cognitive and motor dysfunctions. This paper aims to discuss the association of obesity with cognition and motor behaviors and its underlying mechanisms. Following this, mechanisms of exercise to improve obesity-related dysfunctions are described. Finally, implications and future research direction are raised.

Correlation among personal, social performance and cognitive impairment in male schizophrenic patient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damanik, R.; Effendy, E.; Camellia, V.

2018-03-01

Schizophrenia is a dramatic mental illness with tragic manifestation. The consequences of the illness are for the individual, affected his or her family and society. Schizophrenia is one of the twenty illness that causes Years Lost due to Disability. Treating only the symptom is insufficient. The aim of treatment must include the quality of life of aschizophrenic person. This study aims to examine the relationship between cognitive impairment and performance of the person with schizophrenia. Cognitive test is scaled with Indonesian version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-Ina), while personal and social performance isscaled with Personal and Social Performance scale. There are many studies that search the relationship between cognitive impairment and social functioning of schizophrenic patients, but this is the first study that uses PSP and MoCA-Ina. Both PSP and MoCA-Ina are easy to use but still have high sensitivity and specificity, and perhaps can build people’s interest to use it in clinical practice. Twenty-five male schizophrenic patients were assessed in Prof. M. Ildrem Mental Hospital of North Sumatera Province of Indonesia. Positive correlations between MoCA-Ina and PSP score were identified. Clinicians should pay attention to cognitive and might give some early intervention to it.

The Effects of Supplementation with a Vitamin and Mineral Complex with Guaraná Prior to Fasted Exercise on Affect, Exertion, Cognitive Performance, and Substrate Metabolism: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Veasey, Rachel C; Haskell-Ramsay, Crystal F; Kennedy, David O; Wishart, Karl; Maggini, Silvia; Fuchs, Caspar J; Stevenson, Emma J

2015-07-27

Exercise undertaken in a fasted state can lead to higher post-exercise mental fatigue. The administration of a vitamin and mineral complex with guaraná (MVM + G) has been shown to attenuate mental fatigue and improve performance during cognitively demanding tasks. This placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized, balanced cross-over study examined the effect of MVM + G consumed prior to morning exercise on cognitive performance, affect, exertion, and substrate metabolism. Forty active males (age 21.4 ± 3.0 year; body mass index (BMI) 24.0 ± 2.4 kg/m2; maximal oxygen consumption (V̇O2max) 57.6 ± 7.3 mL/min/kg) completed two main trials, consuming either MVM + G or placebo prior to a 30-min run at 60% V̇O2max. Supplementation prior to exercise led to a small but significant reduction in Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) during exercise compared to the placebo. The MVM + G combination also led to significantly increased accuracy of numeric working memory and increased speed of picture recognition, compared to the placebo. There were no significant effects of supplementation on any other cognitive or mood measures or on substrate metabolism during exercise. These findings demonstrate that consuming a vitamin and mineral complex containing guaraná, prior to exercise, can positively impact subsequent memory performance and reduce perceived exertion during a moderate-intensity run in active males.

The Effects of Supplementation with a Vitamin and Mineral Complex with Guaraná Prior to Fasted Exercise on Affect, Exertion, Cognitive Performance, and Substrate Metabolism: A Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Veasey, Rachel C.; Haskell-Ramsay, Crystal F.; Kennedy, David O.; Wishart, Karl; Maggini, Silvia; Fuchs, Caspar J.; Stevenson, Emma J.

2015-01-01

Exercise undertaken in a fasted state can lead to higher post-exercise mental fatigue. The administration of a vitamin and mineral complex with guaraná (MVM + G) has been shown to attenuate mental fatigue and improve performance during cognitively demanding tasks. This placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized, balanced cross-over study examined the effect of MVM + G consumed prior to morning exercise on cognitive performance, affect, exertion, and substrate metabolism. Forty active males (age 21.4 ± 3.0 year; body mass index (BMI) 24.0 ± 2.4 kg/m2; maximal oxygen consumption (V̇O2max) 57.6 ± 7.3 mL/min/kg) completed two main trials, consuming either MVM + G or placebo prior to a 30-min run at 60% V̇O2max. Supplementation prior to exercise led to a small but significant reduction in Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) during exercise compared to the placebo. The MVM + G combination also led to significantly increased accuracy of numeric working memory and increased speed of picture recognition, compared to the placebo. There were no significant effects of supplementation on any other cognitive or mood measures or on substrate metabolism during exercise. These findings demonstrate that consuming a vitamin and mineral complex containing guaraná, prior to exercise, can positively impact subsequent memory performance and reduce perceived exertion during a moderate-intensity run in active males. PMID:26225993

White matter hyperintensities associated with small vessel disease impair social cognition beside attention and memory.

PubMed

Kynast, Jana; Lampe, Leonie; Luck, Tobias; Frisch, Stefan; Arelin, Katrin; Hoffmann, Karl-Titus; Loeffler, Markus; Riedel-Heller, Steffi G; Villringer, Arno; Schroeter, Matthias L

2018-06-01

Age-related white matter hyperintensities (WMH) are a manifestation of white matter damage seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). They are related to vascular risk factors and cognitive impairment. This study investigated the cognitive profile at different stages of WMH in a large community-dwelling sample; 849 subjects aged 21 to 79 years were classified on the 4-stage Fazekas scale according to hyperintense lesions seen on individual T2-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery MRI scans. The evaluation of cognitive functioning included seven domains of cognitive performance and five domains of subjective impairment, as proposed by the DSM-5. For the first time, the impact of age-related WMH on Theory of Mind was investigated. Differences between Fazekas groups were analyzed non-parametrically and effect sizes were computed. Effect sizes revealed a slight overall cognitive decline in Fazekas groups 1 and 2 relative to healthy subjects. Fazekas group 3 presented substantial decline in social cognition, attention and memory, although characterized by a high inter-individual variability. WMH groups reported subjective cognitive decline. We demonstrate that extensive WMH are associated with specific impairment in attention, memory, social cognition, and subjective cognitive performance. The detailed neuropsychological characterization of WMH offers new therapeutic possibilities for those affected by vascular cognitive decline.

Alcohol Impairment and Social Drinking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bates, Marsha E.

Cognitive abilities of social drinkers are generally thought to be affected by alcohol only during acute intoxication, but several studies suggest that sober-state performance may be affected by the quantity of alcohol consumed per drinking episode. Although the findings regarding sober-state mental deficits in social drinkers are inconclusive,…

Adenosine, caffeine, and performance: from cognitive neuroscience of sleep to sleep pharmacogenetics.

PubMed

Urry, Emily; Landolt, Hans-Peter

2015-01-01

An intricate interplay between circadian and sleep-wake homeostatic processes regulate cognitive performance on specific tasks, and individual differences in circadian preference and sleep pressure may contribute to individual differences in distinct neurocognitive functions. Attentional performance appears to be particularly sensitive to time of day modulations and the effects of sleep deprivation. Consistent with the notion that the neuromodulator, adenosine , plays an important role in regulating sleep pressure, pharmacologic and genetic data in animals and humans demonstrate that differences in adenosinergic tone affect sleepiness, arousal and vigilant attention in rested and sleep-deprived states. Caffeine--the most often consumed stimulant in the world--blocks adenosine receptors and normally attenuates the consequences of sleep deprivation on arousal, vigilance, and attention. Nevertheless, caffeine cannot substitute for sleep, and is virtually ineffective in mitigating the impact of severe sleep loss on higher-order cognitive functions. Thus, the available evidence suggests that adenosinergic mechanisms, in particular adenosine A2A receptor-mediated signal transduction, contribute to waking-induced impairments of attentional processes, whereas additional mechanisms must be involved in higher-order cognitive consequences of sleep deprivation. Future investigations should further clarify the exact types of cognitive processes affected by inappropriate sleep. This research will aid in the quest to better understand the role of different brain systems (e.g., adenosine and adenosine receptors) in regulating sleep, and sleep-related subjective state, and cognitive processes. Furthermore, it will provide more detail on the underlying mechanisms of the detrimental effects of extended wakefulness, as well as lead to the development of effective, evidence-based countermeasures against the health consequences of circadian misalignment and chronic sleep restriction.

Morning Sleep Inertia in Alertness and Performance: Effect of Cognitive Domain and White Light Conditions

PubMed Central

Santhi, Nayantara; Groeger, John A.; Archer, Simon N.; Gimenez, Marina; Schlangen, Luc J. M.; Dijk, Derk-Jan

2013-01-01

The transition from sleep to wakefulness entails a temporary period of reduced alertness and impaired performance known as sleep inertia. The extent to which its severity varies with task and cognitive processes remains unclear. We examined sleep inertia in alertness, attention, working memory and cognitive throughput with the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS), the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT), n-back and add tasks, respectively. The tasks were administered 2 hours before bedtime and at regular intervals for four hours, starting immediately after awakening in the morning, in eleven participants, in a four-way cross-over laboratory design. We also investigated whether exposure to Blue-Enhanced or Bright Blue-Enhanced white light would reduce sleep inertia. Alertness and all cognitive processes were impaired immediately upon awakening (p<0.01). However, alertness and sustained attention were more affected than cognitive throughput and working memory. Moreover, speed was more affected than accuracy of responses. The light conditions had no differential effect on performance except in the 3-back task (p<0.01), where response times (RT) at the end of four hours in the two Blue-Enhanced white light conditions were faster (200 ms) than at wake time. We conclude that the effect of sleep inertia varies with cognitive domain and that it’s spectral/intensity response to light is different from that of sleepiness. That is, just increasing blue-wavelength in light may not be sufficient to reduce sleep inertia. These findings have implications for critical professions like medicine, law-enforcement etc., in which, personnel routinely wake up from night-time sleep to respond to emergency situations. PMID:24260280

Sex differences in the circadian regulation of sleep and waking cognition in humans.

PubMed

Santhi, Nayantara; Lazar, Alpar S; McCabe, Patrick J; Lo, June C; Groeger, John A; Dijk, Derk-Jan

2016-05-10

The sleep-wake cycle and circadian rhythmicity both contribute to brain function, but whether this contribution differs between men and women and how it varies across cognitive domains and subjective dimensions has not been established. We examined the circadian and sleep-wake-dependent regulation of cognition in 16 men and 18 women in a forced desynchrony protocol and quantified the separate contributions of circadian phase, prior sleep, and elapsed time awake on cognition and sleep. The largest circadian effects were observed for reported sleepiness, mood, and reported effort; the effects on working memory and temporal processing were smaller. Although these effects were seen in both men and women, there were quantitative differences. The amplitude of the circadian modulation was larger in women in 11 of 39 performance measures so that their performance was more impaired in the early morning hours. Principal components analysis of the performance measures yielded three factors, accuracy, effort, and speed, which reflect core performance characteristics in a range of cognitive tasks and therefore are likely to be important for everyday performance. The largest circadian modulation was observed for effort, whereas accuracy exhibited the largest sex difference in circadian modulation. The sex differences in the circadian modulation of cognition could not be explained by sex differences in the circadian amplitude of plasma melatonin and electroencephalographic slow-wave activity. These data establish the impact of circadian rhythmicity and sex on waking cognition and have implications for understanding the regulation of brain function, cognition, and affect in shift-work, jetlag, and aging.

Cognitive fatigue effects on physical performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

McMorris, Terry; Barwood, Martin; Hale, Beverley J; Dicks, Matt; Corbett, Jo

2018-05-01

Recent research has examined the effect that undertaking a cognitively fatiguing task for ≤90 min has on subsequent physical performance. Cognitive fatigue is claimed to affect subsequent physical performance by inducing energy depletion in the brain, depletion of brain catecholamine neurotransmitters or changes in motivation. Observation of the psychophysiology and neurochemistry literature questions the ability of 90 min' cognitive activity to deplete energy or catecholamine resources. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to examine the evidence for cognitive fatigue having an effect on subsequent physical performance. A systematic, meta-analytic review was undertaken. We found a small but significant pooled effect size based on comparison between physical performance post-cognitive fatigue compared to post-control (g = -0.27, SE = -0.12, 95% CI -0.49 to -0.04, Z(10) = -2.283, p < 0.05). However, the results were not heterogenous (Q(10) = 2.789, p > 0.10, Τ 2  < 0.001), suggesting that the pooled effect size does not amount to a real effect and differences are due to random error. No publication bias was evident (Kendall's τ = -0.07, p > 0.05). Thus, the results are somewhat contradictory. The pooled effect size shows a small but significant negative effect of cognitive fatigue, however tests of heterogeneity show that the results are due to random error. Future research should use neuroscientific tests to ensure that cognitive fatigue has been achieved. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sex differences in the circadian regulation of sleep and waking cognition in humans

PubMed Central

Santhi, Nayantara; Lazar, Alpar S.; McCabe, Patrick J.; Lo, June C.; Groeger, John A.; Dijk, Derk-Jan

2016-01-01

The sleep–wake cycle and circadian rhythmicity both contribute to brain function, but whether this contribution differs between men and women and how it varies across cognitive domains and subjective dimensions has not been established. We examined the circadian and sleep–wake-dependent regulation of cognition in 16 men and 18 women in a forced desynchrony protocol and quantified the separate contributions of circadian phase, prior sleep, and elapsed time awake on cognition and sleep. The largest circadian effects were observed for reported sleepiness, mood, and reported effort; the effects on working memory and temporal processing were smaller. Although these effects were seen in both men and women, there were quantitative differences. The amplitude of the circadian modulation was larger in women in 11 of 39 performance measures so that their performance was more impaired in the early morning hours. Principal components analysis of the performance measures yielded three factors, accuracy, effort, and speed, which reflect core performance characteristics in a range of cognitive tasks and therefore are likely to be important for everyday performance. The largest circadian modulation was observed for effort, whereas accuracy exhibited the largest sex difference in circadian modulation. The sex differences in the circadian modulation of cognition could not be explained by sex differences in the circadian amplitude of plasma melatonin and electroencephalographic slow-wave activity. These data establish the impact of circadian rhythmicity and sex on waking cognition and have implications for understanding the regulation of brain function, cognition, and affect in shift-work, jetlag, and aging. PMID:27091961

Effect of Short-Term Mobile Phone Base Station Exposure on Cognitive Performance, Body Temperature, Heart Rate and Blood Pressure of Malaysians

PubMed Central

Malek, F.; Rani, K. A.; Rahim, H. A.; Omar, M. H.

2015-01-01

Individuals who report their sensitivity to electromagnetic fields often undergo cognitive impairments that they believe are due to the exposure of mobile phone technology. The aim of this study is to clarify whether short-term exposure at 1 V/m to the typical Global System for Mobile Communication and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) affects cognitive performance and physiological parameters (body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate). This study applies counterbalanced randomizing single blind tests to determine if sensitive individuals experience more negative health effects when they are exposed to base station signals compared with sham (control) individuals. The sample size is 200 subjects with 50.0% Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF) also known as sensitive and 50.0% (non-IEI-EMF). The computer-administered Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB eclipseTM) is used to examine cognitive performance. Four tests are chosen to evaluate Cognitive performance in CANTAB: Reaction Time (RTI), Rapid Visual Processing (RVP), Paired Associates Learning (PAL) and Spatial Span (SSP). Paired sample t-test on the other hand, is used to examine the physiological parameters. Generally, in both groups, there is no statistical significant difference between the exposure and sham exposure towards cognitive performance and physiological effects (P’s > 0.05). PMID:26286015

Effect of Short-Term Mobile Phone Base Station Exposure on Cognitive Performance, Body Temperature, Heart Rate and Blood Pressure of Malaysians.

PubMed

Malek, F; Rani, K A; Rahim, H A; Omar, M H

2015-08-19

Individuals who report their sensitivity to electromagnetic fields often undergo cognitive impairments that they believe are due to the exposure of mobile phone technology. The aim of this study is to clarify whether short-term exposure at 1 V/m to the typical Global System for Mobile Communication and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) affects cognitive performance and physiological parameters (body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate). This study applies counterbalanced randomizing single blind tests to determine if sensitive individuals experience more negative health effects when they are exposed to base station signals compared with sham (control) individuals. The sample size is 200 subjects with 50.0% Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF) also known as sensitive and 50.0% (non-IEI-EMF). The computer-administered Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB eclipse(TM)) is used to examine cognitive performance. Four tests are chosen to evaluate Cognitive performance in CANTAB: Reaction Time (RTI), Rapid Visual Processing (RVP), Paired Associates Learning (PAL) and Spatial Span (SSP). Paired sample t-test on the other hand, is used to examine the physiological parameters. Generally, in both groups, there is no statistical significant difference between the exposure and sham exposure towards cognitive performance and physiological effects (P's > 0.05).

Distinct facial processing in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders

PubMed Central

Chen, Yue; Cataldo, Andrea; Norton, Daniel J; Ongur, Dost

2011-01-01

Although schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders have both similar and differing clinical features, it is not well understood whether similar or differing pathophysiological processes mediate patients’ cognitive functions. Using psychophysical methods, this study compared the performances of schizophrenia (SZ) patients, patients with schizoaffective disorder (SA), and a healthy control group in two face-related cognitive tasks: emotion discrimination, which tested perception of facial affect, and identity discrimination, which tested perception of non-affective facial features. Compared to healthy controls, SZ patients, but not SA patients, exhibited deficient performance in both fear and happiness discrimination, as well as identity discrimination. SZ patients, but not SA patients, also showed impaired performance in a theory-of-mind task for which emotional expressions are identified based upon the eye regions of face images. This pattern of results suggests distinct processing of face information in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders. PMID:21868199

Impairment of cognitive abilities and decision making after chronic use of alcohol: the impact of multiple detoxifications.

PubMed

Loeber, Sabine; Duka, Theodora; Welzel, Helga; Nakovics, Helmut; Heinz, Andreas; Flor, Herta; Mann, Karl

2009-01-01

In the present study, the effect of previous detoxifications on prefrontal function and decision making was examined in alcohol-dependent patients. Further, we examined whether the length of abstinence affects cognitive function. Forty-eight alcohol-dependent patients were recruited from an inpatient detoxification treatment facility and cognitive function was compared to a control group of 36 healthy controls. The patient population was then divided into a group of patients with less than two previous detoxifications (LO-detox group, n = 27) and a group of patients with two or more previous detoxifications (HI-detox group, n = 21) and cognitive function was compared. In addition, cognitive function of recently (i.e. less than 16 days; median split) and longer abstinent patients was compared. We assessed prefrontal function, memory function and intelligence. Alcoholics, when compared to healthy controls, performed worse with regard to the performance index Attention/Executive function. Cognitive impairment in these tasks was pronounced in recently abstinent patients. We found no significant differences between HI-detox and LO-detox patients with regard to the Attention/Executive function. However, in the IOWA gambling Task, the HI-detox group seemed to be less able to learn to choose cards from the more advantageous decks over time. Our results provide additional evidence for cognitive impairment of alcohol-dependent patients with regard to tasks sensitive to frontal lobe function and underline the importance of abstinence for these impairments to recover. We found only little evidence for the impairing effects of repeated withdrawal on prefrontal function and we suggest that executive function is affected earlier in dependence.

Successful neuropsychological rehabilitation in a patient with Cerebellar Cognitive Affective Syndrome.

PubMed

Ruffieux, N; Colombo, F; Gentaz, E; Annoni, J-M; Chouiter, L; Roulin Hefti, S; Ruffieux, A; Bihl, T

2017-01-01

The objective of this case study was to describe the neuropsychological rehabilitation of a 16-year-old patient who presented a Cerebellar Cognitive Affective Syndrome (CCAS) following a bilateral cerebellar hemorrhage. The patient presented severe and diffuse cognitive deficits, massive behavioral disorders, and emotion regulation difficulties. The cognitive rehabilitation was performed in the chronic phase (one year after the onset of the hemorrhage) using a transdisciplinary neurobehavioral approach based on the patient's favorite interest (soccer). A significant behavioral and cognitive improvement was observed. The patient became progressively independent in all activities of daily living and was discharged home. The Functional Independence Measure at discharge was 124/126 (vs. 37/126 at entry). The patient was able to complete his schooling despite the mild cognitive and behavioral sequelae. This first description of the use of neurobehavioral therapy in a case of chronic CCAS suggests that (a) major clinical improvement can occur more than one year after the onset of the CCAS, showing the importance of long-term and intensive neurorehabilitation; and (b) when the cerebellum cannot properly play its regulator role in cognition, neuropsychological intervention through a behavioral and cognitive approach can be of great help by acting as an external modulator to help the patient regain control over himself.

White matter tract abnormalities are associated with cognitive dysfunction in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Meijer, Kim A; Muhlert, Nils; Cercignani, Mara; Sethi, Varun; Ron, Maria A; Thompson, Alan J; Miller, David H; Chard, Declan; Geurts, Jeroen Jg; Ciccarelli, Olga

2016-10-01

While our knowledge of white matter (WM) pathology underlying cognitive impairment in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) is increasing, equivalent understanding in those with secondary progressive (SP) MS lags behind. The aim of this study is to examine whether the extent and severity of WM tract damage differ between cognitively impaired (CI) and cognitively preserved (CP) secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) patients. Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion MRI were acquired from 30 SPMS patients and 32 healthy controls (HC). Cognitive domains commonly affected in MS patients were assessed. Linear regression was used to predict cognition. Diffusion measures were compared between groups using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). A total of 12 patients were classified as CI, and processing speed was the most commonly affected domain. The final regression model including demographic variables and radial diffusivity explained the greatest variance of cognitive performance (R 2  = 0.48, p = 0.002). SPMS patients showed widespread loss of WM integrity throughout the WM skeleton when compared with HC. When compared with CP patients, CI patients showed more extensive and severe damage of several WM tracts, including the fornix, superior longitudinal fasciculus and forceps major. Loss of WM integrity assessed using TBSS helps to explain cognitive decline in SPMS patients. © The Author(s), 2016.

Higher order balance control: Distinct effects between cognitive task and manual steadiness constraint on automatic postural responses.

PubMed

Coelho, Daniel Boari; Bourlinova, Catarina; Teixeira, Luis Augusto

2016-12-01

In the present experiment, we aimed to evaluate the interactive effect of performing a cognitive task simultaneously with a manual task requiring either high or low steadiness on APRs. Young volunteers performed the task of recovering upright balance following a mechanical perturbation provoked by unanticipatedly releasing a load pulling the participant's body backwards. The postural task was performed while holding a cylinder steadily on a tray. One group performed that task under high (cylinder' round side down) and another one under low (cylinder' flat side down) manual steadiness constraint. Those tasks were evaluated in the conditions of performing concurrently a cognitive numeric subtraction task and under no cognitive task. Analysis showed that performance of the cognitive task led to increased body and tray displacement, associated with higher displacement at the hip and upper trunk, and lower magnitude of activation of the GM muscle in response to the perturbation. Conversely, high manual steadiness constraint led to reduced tray velocity in association with lower values of trunk displacement, and decreased rotation amplitude at the ankle and hip joints. We found no interactions between the effects of the cognitive and manual tasks on APRs, suggesting that they were processed in parallel in the generation of responses for balance recovery. Modulation of postural responses from the manual and cognitive tasks indicates participation of higher order neural structures in the generation of APRs, with postural responses being affected by multiple mental processes occurring in parallel. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Validation of a short cognitive battery to screen for fitness-to-drive of people with multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Akinwuntan, A E; Backus, D; Grayson, J; Devos, H

2018-05-26

Some symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) affect driving. In a recent study, performance on five cognitive tests predicted the on-road test performance of individuals with relapsing-remitting MS with 91% accuracy, 70% sensitivity and 97% specificity. However, the accuracy with which the battery will predict the driving performance of a different cohort that includes all types of MS is unknown. Participants (n = 118; 48 ± 9 years of age; 97 females) performed a comprehensive off-road evaluation that lasted about 3 h and a standardized on-road test that lasted approximately 45 min over a 2-day period within the same week. Performance on the five cognitive tests was used to predict participants' performance on the standardized on-road test. Performance on the five tests together predicted outcome of the on-road test with 82% accuracy, 42% sensitivity and 90% specificity. The accuracy of predicting the on-road performance of a new MS cohort using performance on the battery of five cognitive tests remained very high (82%). The battery, which was administrable in <45 min and cost ~$150, was better at identifying those who actually passed the on-road test (90% specificity). The sensitivity (42%) of the battery indicated that it should not be used as the sole determinant of poor driving-related cognitive skills. A fail performance on the battery should only imply that more comprehensive testing is warranted. © 2018 EAN.

Age-Related Decline in Anticipatory Motor Planning and Its Relation to Cognitive and Motor Skill Proficiency.

PubMed

Stöckel, Tino; Wunsch, Kathrin; Hughes, Charmayne M L

2017-01-01

Anticipatory motor planning abilities mature as children grow older, develop throughout childhood and are likely to be stable till the late sixties. In the seventh decade of life, motor planning performance dramatically declines, with anticipatory motor planning abilities falling to levels of those exhibited by children. At present, the processes enabling successful anticipatory motor planning in general, as do the cognitive processes mediating these age-related changes, remain elusive. Thus, the aim of the present study was (a) to identify cognitive and motor functions that are most affected by normal aging and (b) to elucidate key (cognitive and motor) factors that are critical for successful motor planning performance in young ( n = 40, mean age = 23.1 ± 2.6 years) and older adults ( n = 37, mean age = 73.5 ± 7.1 years). Results indicate that normal aging is associated with a marked decline in all aspects of cognitive and motor functioning tested. However, age-related declines were more apparent for fine motor dexterity, processing speed and cognitive flexibility. Furthermore, up to 64% of the variance in motor planning performance across age groups could be explained by the cognitive functions processing speed, response planning and cognitive flexibility. It can be postulated that anticipatory motor planning abilities are strongly influenced by cognitive control processes, which seem to be key mechanisms to compensate for age-related decline. These findings support the general therapeutic and preventive value of cognitive-motor training programs to reduce adverse effects associated with high age.

The Cognition/Affect Linkage and the Unconscious in Cognitive Therapy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maes, Wayne R.

In recent research cognitive therapists have been paying increased attention to the linkage between thought, feeling, and the nature of the unconscious process. Although traditional cognitive theory maintains that cognition precedes affect, recent research on the relationship has shown that affect may precede cognition. It is only in those cases…

Depressed or not depressed: untangling symptoms of depression in patients hospitalized with coronary heart disease.

PubMed

McGuire, Anthony W; Eastwood, Jo-Ann; Hays, Ron D; Macabasco-O'Connell, Aurelia; Doering, Lynn V

2014-03-01

Assessing depression in patients hospitalized with coronary heart disease is clinically challenging because depressive symptoms are often confounded by poor somatic health. To identify symptom clusters associated with clinical depression in patients hospitalized with coronary heart disease. Secondary analyses of 3 similar data sets for hospitalized patients with coronary heart disease who had diagnostic screening for depression (99 depressed, 224 not depressed) were done. Depressive symptoms were assessed by using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale or the Beck Depression Inventory. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed on 11 symptom variables: anhedonia, dysphoria, loss of appetite, sleep disturbance, fatigue, guilt, suicidal symptoms, hypochondriasis, loss of libido, psychomotor impairment, and nervous irritability. Associations between symptom clusters and presence or absence of clinical depression were estimated by using logistic regression. Fatigue (69%) and sleep disturbance (55%) were the most prevalent symptoms. Guilt (25%) and suicidal symptoms (9%) were the least common. Three symptom clusters (cognitive/affective, somatic/affective, and somatic) were identified. Compared with patients without cognitive/affective symptoms, patients with the cognitive/affective symptom cluster (anhedonia, dysphoria, guilt, suicidal symptoms, nervous irritability) had an odds ratio of 1.41 (P<.001; 95% CI, 1.223-1.631) for clinical depression. Clinicians should be alert for clinical depression in hospitalized patients with coronary heart disease who have the cognitive/affective symptom cluster.

Effects of distraction on memory and cognition: a commentary.

PubMed

Craik, Fergus I M

2014-01-01

This commentary is a review of the findings and ideas reported in the preceding nine articles on the effects of distraction on aspects of cognitive performance. The articles themselves deal with the disruptive effects of distraction on recall of words, objects and events, also on visual processing, category formation and other cognitive tasks. The commentary assesses the part played by "domain-general" suppression of distracting information and the "domain-specific" competition arising when tasks and distraction involve very similar material. Some forms of distraction are meaningfully relevant to the ongoing task, and Treisman's (1964) model of selective attention is invoked to provide an account of findings in this area. Finally, individual differences to vulnerability to distraction are discussed; older adults are particularly affected by distracting stimuli although the failure to repress distraction can sometimes prove beneficial to later cognitive performance.

Cognitive and academic functioning of juvenile detainees: implications for correctional populations and public health.

PubMed

Lansing, Amy E; Washburn, Jason J; Abram, Karen M; Thomas, Ursula C; Welty, Leah J; Teplin, Linda A

2014-01-01

Cognitive functioning affects health. This study assessed cognitive functioning among participants in the Northwestern Juvenile Project, a stratified random sample of 1,829 newly detained juveniles (10 to 18 years old) from Cook County, Illinois. The study examined receptive vocabulary, oral reading, arithmetic computation skills, and general intellectual abilities. The sample exhibited impaired overall intellectual functioning and deficits in all areas. Males performed more poorly than females. More than three quarters of males showed below average overall intellectual functioning, and 9 in 10 had below average receptive vocabulary skills. Hispanic and African American males performed more poorly than non-Hispanic White males. The multiple systems that serve delinquent youth--correctional, health, legal, and rehabilitative--must collaborate to tailor needed services to the cognitive level of youth in the juvenile justice system.

Cognitive and academic functioning of juvenile detainees: Implications for correctional populations and public health

PubMed Central

Lansing, Amy E.; Washburn, Jason J.; Abram, Karen M.; Thomas, Ursula C.; Welty, Leah J.; Teplin, Linda A.

2014-01-01

Cognitive functioning affects health. This study assessed cognitive functioning among participants in the Northwestern Juvenile Project, a stratified random sample of 1,829 newly detained juveniles (10-18 years old) from Cook County, Illinois. We examined receptive vocabulary, oral reading, arithmetic computation skills, and general intellectual abilities. Our sample exhibited impaired overall intellectual functioning and deficits in all areas. Males performed more poorly than females overall. More than three-quarters of males showed below average overall intellectual functioning, and nine in ten males had below average receptive vocabulary skills. Hispanic and African American males performed more poorly than non-Hispanic white males; The multiple systems that serve delinquent youth—correctional, health, legal, and rehabilitative—must collaborate to tailor needed services to the cognitive level of youth in the juvenile justice system. PMID:24352405

Dogs with separation-related problems show a "less pessimistic" cognitive bias during treatment with fluoxetine (Reconcile™) and a behaviour modification plan.

PubMed

Karagiannis, Christos I; Burman, Oliver Hp; Mills, Daniel S

2015-03-28

Canine separation-related problems (SRP) (also described as "separation anxiety" or "separation distress") are among the most common behavioural complaints of dog owners. Treatment with psychoactive medication in parallel with a behaviour modification plan is well documented in the literature, but it is unknown if this is associated with an improvement in underlying affective state (emotion and mood) or simply an inhibition of the behaviour. Cognitive judgement bias tasks have been proposed as a method for assessing underlying affective state and so we used this approach to identify if any change in clinical signs during treatment was associated with a consistent change in cognitive bias (affective state). Five dogs showing signs of SRP (vocalising - e.g. barking, howling-, destruction of property, and toileting - urination or defecation- when alone) were treated with fluoxetine chewable tablets (Reconcile™) and set on a standard behaviour modification plan for two months. Questionnaires and interviews of the owners were used to monitor the clinical progress of the dogs. Subjects were also evaluated using a spatial cognitive bias test to infer changes in underlying affect prior to, and during, treatment. Concurrently, seven other dogs without signs of SRP were tested in the same way to act as controls. Furthermore, possible correlations between cognitive bias and clinical measures were also assessed for dogs with SRP. Prior to treatment, the dogs with SRP responded to ambiguous positions in the cognitive bias test negatively (i.e. with slower running speeds) compared to control dogs (p < 0.05). On weeks 2 and 6 of treatment, SRP dogs displayed similar responses in the cognitive bias test to control dogs, consistent with the possible normalization of affect during treatment, with this effect more pronounced at week 6 (p > 0.05). Questionnaire based clinical measures were significantly correlated among themselves and with performance in the cognitive bias test. These results demonstrate for the first time that the clinical treatment of a negative affective state and associated behaviours in a non-human species can produce a shift in cognitive bias. These findings demonstrate how the outcome of an intervention on a clinical problem can be evaluated to determine not only that the subject's behaviour has improved, but also its psychological state (welfare).

Open Space, Open Education, and Pupil Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lukasevich, Ann; Gray, Roland F.

1978-01-01

Explores the relationship between instructional style (open and non-open programs), architectural style (open and non-open facilities) and selected cognitive and affective outcomes of third grade pupils. (CM)

Cognitive and physical functions related to the level of supervision and dependence in the toileting of stroke patients.

PubMed

Sato, Atsushi; Okuda, Yutaka; Fujita, Takaaki; Kimura, Norihiko; Hoshina, Noriyuki; Kato, Sayaka; Tanaka, Shigenari

2016-01-01

This study aimed to clarify which cognitive and physical factors are associated with the need for toileting assistance in stroke patients and to calculate cut-off values for discriminating between independent supervision and dependent toileting ability. This cross-sectional study included 163 first-stroke patients in nine convalescent rehabilitation wards. Based on their FIM Ⓡ instrument score for toileting, the patients were divided into an independent-supervision group and a dependent group. Multiple logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic analysis were performed to identify factors related to toileting performance. The Minimental State Examination (MMSE); the Stroke Impairment Assessment Set (SIAS) score for the affected lower limb, speech, and visuospatial functions; and the Functional Assessment for Control of Trunk (FACT) were analyzed as independent variables. The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the FIM Ⓡ instrument score for toileting was associated with the SIAS score for the affected lower limb function, MMSE, and FACT. On receiver operating characteristic analysis, the SIAS score for the affected lower limb function cut-off value was 8/7 points, the MMSE cut-off value was 25/24 points, and the FACT cut-off value was 14/13 points. Affected lower limb function, cognitive function, and trunk function were related with the need for toileting assistance. These cut-off values may be useful for judging whether toileting assistance is needed in stroke patients.

Cognitive Factors Affecting Free Recall, Cued Recall, and Recognition Tasks in Alzheimer's Disease

PubMed Central

Yamagishi, Takashi; Sato, Takuya; Sato, Atsushi; Imamura, Toru

2012-01-01

Background/Aims Our aim was to identify cognitive factors affecting free recall, cued recall, and recognition tasks in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Subjects: We recruited 349 consecutive AD patients who attended a memory clinic. Methods Each patient was assessed using the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS) and the extended 3-word recall test. In this task, each patient was asked to freely recall 3 previously presented words. If patients could not recall 1 or more of the target words, the examiner cued their recall by providing the category of the target word and then provided a forced-choice recognition of the target word with 2 distracters. The patients were divided into groups according to the results of the free recall, cued recall, and recognition tasks. Multivariate logistic regression analysis for repeated measures was carried out to evaluate the net effects of cognitive factors on the free recall, cued recall, and recognition tasks after controlling for the effects of age and recent memory deficit. Results Performance on the ADAS Orientation task was found to be related to performance on the free and cued recall tasks, performance on the ADAS Following Commands task was found to be related to performance on the cued recall task, and performance on the ADAS Ideational Praxis task was found to be related to performance on the free recall, cued recall, and recognition tasks. Conclusion The extended 3-word recall test reflects deficits in a wider range of memory and other cognitive processes, including memory retention after interference, divided attention, and executive functions, compared with word-list recall tasks. The characteristics of the extended 3-word recall test may be advantageous for evaluating patients’ memory impairments in daily living. PMID:22962551

Cognitive factors affecting free recall, cued recall, and recognition tasks in Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Yamagishi, Takashi; Sato, Takuya; Sato, Atsushi; Imamura, Toru

2012-01-01

Our aim was to identify cognitive factors affecting free recall, cued recall, and recognition tasks in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). We recruited 349 consecutive AD patients who attended a memory clinic. Each patient was assessed using the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS) and the extended 3-word recall test. In this task, each patient was asked to freely recall 3 previously presented words. If patients could not recall 1 or more of the target words, the examiner cued their recall by providing the category of the target word and then provided a forced-choice recognition of the target word with 2 distracters. The patients were divided into groups according to the results of the free recall, cued recall, and recognition tasks. Multivariate logistic regression analysis for repeated measures was carried out to evaluate the net effects of cognitive factors on the free recall, cued recall, and recognition tasks after controlling for the effects of age and recent memory deficit. Performance on the ADAS Orientation task was found to be related to performance on the free and cued recall tasks, performance on the ADAS Following Commands task was found to be related to performance on the cued recall task, and performance on the ADAS Ideational Praxis task was found to be related to performance on the free recall, cued recall, and recognition tasks. The extended 3-word recall test reflects deficits in a wider range of memory and other cognitive processes, including memory retention after interference, divided attention, and executive functions, compared with word-list recall tasks. The characteristics of the extended 3-word recall test may be advantageous for evaluating patients' memory impairments in daily living.

Comparing and Contrasting the Cognitive Effects of Hippocampal and Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Damage: A Review of Human Lesion Studies.

PubMed

McCormick, Cornelia; Ciaramelli, Elisa; De Luca, Flavia; Maguire, Eleanor A

2018-03-15

The hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) are closely connected brain regions whose functions are still debated. In order to offer a fresh perspective on understanding the contributions of these two brain regions to cognition, in this review we considered cognitive tasks that usually elicit deficits in hippocampal-damaged patients (e.g., autobiographical memory retrieval), and examined the performance of vmPFC-lesioned patients on these tasks. We then took cognitive tasks where performance is typically compromised following vmPFC damage (e.g., decision making), and looked at how these are affected by hippocampal lesions. Three salient motifs emerged. First, there are surprising gaps in our knowledge about how hippocampal and vmPFC patients perform on tasks typically associated with the other group. Second, while hippocampal or vmPFC damage seems to adversely affect performance on so-called hippocampal tasks, the performance of hippocampal and vmPFC patients clearly diverges on classic vmPFC tasks. Third, although performance appears analogous on hippocampal tasks, on closer inspection, there are significant disparities between hippocampal and vmPFC patients. Based on these findings, we suggest a tentative hierarchical model to explain the functions of the hippocampus and vmPFC. We propose that the vmPFC initiates the construction of mental scenes by coordinating the curation of relevant elements from neocortical areas, which are then funneled into the hippocampus to build a scene. The vmPFC then engages in iterative re-initiation via feedback loops with neocortex and hippocampus to facilitate the flow and integration of the multiple scenes that comprise the coherent unfolding of an extended mental event. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Life jacket design affects dorsal head and chest exposure, core cooling, and cognition in 10 degrees C water.

PubMed

Lockhart, Tamara L; Jamieson, Christopher P; Steinman, Alan M; Giesbrecht, Gordon G

2005-10-01

Personal floatation devices (PFDs) differ in whether they maintain the head out of the water or allow the dorsum of the head to be immersed. Partial head submersion may hasten systemic cooling, incapacitation, and death in cold water. Six healthy male volunteers (mean age = 26.8 yr; height = 184 cm; weight = 81 kg; body fat = 20%) were immersed in 10 degrees C water for 65 min, or until core temperature = 34 degrees C, under three conditions: PFD#1 maintained the head and upper chest out of the water; PFD#2 allowed the dorsal head and whole body to be immersed; and an insulated drysuit (control) allowed the dorsal head to be immersed. Mental performance tests included: logic reasoning test; Stroop word-color test; digit symbol coding; backward digit span; and paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT). Core cooling was significantly faster for PFD#2 (2.8 +/- 1.6 degrees C x h(-1)) than for PFD#1 (1.5 +/- 0.7 degrees C x h(-1)) or for the drysuit (0.4 +/- 0.2 degrees C x h(-1)). Although no statistically significant effects on cognitive performance were noted for the individual PFDs and drysuit, when analyzed as a group, four of the tests of cognitive performance (Stroop word-color, digit symbol coding, backward digit span, and PASAT) showed significant correlations between decreasing core temperature to 34 degrees C and diminished cognitive performance. Performance in more complicated mental tasks was adversely affected as core temperature decreased to 34 degrees C. The PFD that kept the head and upper chest out of the water preserved body heat and mental performance better than the PFD that produced horizontal flotation.

Effect of Dynamic Light Application on Cognitive Performance and Well-being of Intensive Care Nurses.

PubMed

Simons, Koen S; Boeijen, Enzio R K; Mertens, Marlies C; Rood, Paul; de Jager, Cornelis P C; van den Boogaard, Mark

2018-05-01

Exposure to bright light has alerting effects. In nurses, alertness may be decreased because of shift work and high work pressure, potentially reducing work performance and increasing the risk for medical errors. To determine whether high-intensity dynamic light improves cognitive performance, self-reported depressive signs and symptoms, fatigue, alertness, and well-being in intensive care unit nurses. In a single-center crossover study in an intensive care unit of a teaching hospital in the Netherlands, 10 registered nurses were randomly divided into 2 groups. Each group worked alternately for 3 to 4 days in patients' rooms with dynamic light and 3 to 4 days in control lighting settings. High-intensity dynamic light was administered through ceiling-mounted fluorescent tubes that delivered bluish white light up to 1700 lux during the daytime, versus 300 lux in control settings. Cognitive performance, self-reported depressive signs and symptoms, fatigue, and well-being before and after each period were assessed by using validated cognitive tests and questionnaires. Cognitive performance, self-reported depressive signs and symptoms, and fatigue did not differ significantly between the 2 light settings. Scores of subjective well-being were significantly lower after a period of working in dynamic light. Daytime lighting conditions did not affect intensive care unit nurses' cognitive performance, perceived depressive signs and symptoms, or fatigue. Perceived quality of life, predominantly in the psychological and environmental domains, was lower for nurses working in dynamic light. © 2018 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

Exercise Intensity-Dependent Effects on Cognitive Control Function during and after Acute Treadmill Running in Young Healthy Adults

PubMed Central

Wohlwend, Martin; Olsen, Alexander; Håberg, Asta K.; Palmer, Helen S.

2017-01-01

The idea that physical activity differentially impacts upon performance of various cognitive tasks has recently gained increased interest. However, our current knowledge about how cognition is altered by acute physical activity is incomplete. To measure how different intensity levels of physical activity affect cognition during and after 1 bout of physical activity, 30 healthy, young participants were randomized to perform a not-X continuous performance test (CPT) during low (LI)- and moderate intensity (MI) running. The same participants were subsequently randomized to perform the not-X CPT post LI, MI, and high intensity (HI) running. In addition, exercise related mood changes were assessed through a self-report measure pre and post running at LI, MI, and HI. Results showed worsening of performance accuracy on the not-X CPT during one bout of moderate compared to low intensity running. Post running, there was a linear decrease in reaction time with increasing running intensity and no change in accuracy or mood. The decreased reaction times post HI running recovered back to baseline within 20 min. We conclude that accuracy is acutely deteriorated during the most straining physical activity while a transient intensity-dependent enhancement of cognitive control function is present following physical activity. PMID:28377735

Impact of Depression, Fatigue, and Global Measure of Cortical Volume on Cognitive Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis

PubMed Central

De Cola, Maria Cristina; D'Aleo, Giangaetano; Sessa, Edoardo; Marino, Silvia

2015-01-01

Objective. To investigate the influence of demographic and clinical variables, such as depression, fatigue, and quantitative MRI marker on cognitive performances in a sample of patients affected by multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods. 60 MS patients (52 relapsing remitting and 8 primary progressive) underwent neuropsychological assessments using Rao's Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests (BRB-N), the Beck Depression Inventory-second edition (BDI-II), and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). We performed magnetic resonance imaging to all subjects using a 3 T scanner and obtained tissue-specific volumes (normalized brain volume and cortical brain volume). We used Student's t-test to compare depressed and nondepressed MS patients. Finally, we performed a multivariate regression analysis in order to assess possible predictors of patients' cognitive outcome among demographic and clinical variables. Results. 27.12% of the sample (16/59) was cognitively impaired, especially in tasks requiring attention and information processing speed. From between group comparison, we find that depressed patients had worse performances on BRB-N score, greater disability and disease duration, and brain volume decrease. According to multiple regression analysis, the BDI-II score was a significant predictor for most of the neuropsychological tests. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that the presence of depressive symptoms is an important determinant of cognitive performance in MS patients. PMID:25861633

Affective and cognitive theory of mind in borderline personality disorder: The role of comorbid depression.

PubMed

Zabihzadeh, Abbas; Maleki, Gheysar; Richman, Mara J; Hatami, AmirJalal; Alimardani, Zahedeh; Heidari, Mostafa

2017-11-01

Disturbed interpersonal relationships and misreading of others' intentions are core symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Despite these impairments, some studies have found an enhanced theory of mind (ToM) in BPD patients. Taking this into consideration, the current study attempts to further understand these discrepancies by separating ToM into two domains: affective and cognitive. Moreover, the study considered the role of comorbid symptoms of depression in these patients. Subjects were 21 patients with BPD, 23 patients with BPD and comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD), and 25 healthy controls (HC). ToM was measured with the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) and the Faux Pas Task, which assessed the affective and cognitive aspects of ToM, respectively. In addition, all participants were evaluated with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results showed that in both BPD groups (i.e., BPD without MDD and BPD with MDD) affective ToM scores were higher than in the HC group; however, in the cognitive ToM, the HC group performed better than the both BPD groups. Also, overall the BPD group with MDD had decreased ToM skills. Finally, BPD groups received greater scores on the BDI as compared to the HC group. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Combining brain stimulation and video game to promote long-term transfer of learning and cognitive enhancement

PubMed Central

Looi, Chung Yen; Duta, Mihaela; Brem, Anna-Katharine; Huber, Stefan; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph; Cohen Kadosh, Roi

2016-01-01

Cognitive training offers the potential for individualised learning, prevention of cognitive decline, and rehabilitation. However, key research challenges include ecological validity (training design), transfer of learning and long-term effects. Given that cognitive training and neuromodulation affect neuroplasticity, their combination could promote greater, synergistic effects. We investigated whether combining transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with cognitive training could further enhance cognitive performance compared to training alone, and promote transfer within a short period of time. Healthy adults received real or sham tDCS over their dorsolateral prefrontal cortices during two 30-minute mathematics training sessions involving body movements. To examine the role of training, an active control group received tDCS during a non-mathematical task. Those who received real tDCS performed significantly better in the game than the sham group, and showed transfer effects to working memory, a related but non-numerical cognitive domain. This transfer effect was absent in active and sham control groups. Furthermore, training gains were more pronounced amongst those with lower baseline cognitive abilities, suggesting the potential for reducing cognitive inequalities. All effects associated with real tDCS remained 2 months post-training. Our study demonstrates the potential benefit of this approach for long-term enhancement of human learning and cognition. PMID:26902664

Combining brain stimulation and video game to promote long-term transfer of learning and cognitive enhancement.

PubMed

Looi, Chung Yen; Duta, Mihaela; Brem, Anna-Katharine; Huber, Stefan; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph; Cohen Kadosh, Roi

2016-02-23

Cognitive training offers the potential for individualised learning, prevention of cognitive decline, and rehabilitation. However, key research challenges include ecological validity (training design), transfer of learning and long-term effects. Given that cognitive training and neuromodulation affect neuroplasticity, their combination could promote greater, synergistic effects. We investigated whether combining transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with cognitive training could further enhance cognitive performance compared to training alone, and promote transfer within a short period of time. Healthy adults received real or sham tDCS over their dorsolateral prefrontal cortices during two 30-minute mathematics training sessions involving body movements. To examine the role of training, an active control group received tDCS during a non-mathematical task. Those who received real tDCS performed significantly better in the game than the sham group, and showed transfer effects to working memory, a related but non-numerical cognitive domain. This transfer effect was absent in active and sham control groups. Furthermore, training gains were more pronounced amongst those with lower baseline cognitive abilities, suggesting the potential for reducing cognitive inequalities. All effects associated with real tDCS remained 2 months post-training. Our study demonstrates the potential benefit of this approach for long-term enhancement of human learning and cognition.

V-TECS Guide for Commercial Foods.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elliott, Ronald T.; Benson, Robert T.

This guide is designed to provide job-relevant tasks, performance objectives, performance guides, resources, teaching activities, evaluation standards, and achievement testing for commercial foods occupations. It can be used with any teaching method, and it addresses all three domains of learning: psychomotor, cognitive, and affective. The guide…

Thinking versus feeling: differentiating between cognitive and affective components of perceived cancer risk.

PubMed

Janssen, Eva; van Osch, Liesbeth; Lechner, Lilian; Candel, Math; de Vries, Hein

2012-01-01

Despite the increased recognition of affect in guiding probability estimates, perceived risk has been mainly operationalised in a cognitive way and the differentiation between rational and intuitive judgements is largely unexplored. This study investigated the validity of a measurement instrument differentiating cognitive and affective probability beliefs and examined whether behavioural decision making is mainly guided by cognition or affect. Data were obtained from four surveys focusing on smoking (N=268), fruit consumption (N=989), sunbed use (N=251) and sun protection (N=858). Correlational analyses showed that affective likelihood was more strongly correlated with worry compared to cognitive likelihood and confirmatory factor analysis provided support for a two-factor model of perceived likelihood instead of a one-factor model (i.e. cognition and affect combined). Furthermore, affective likelihood was significantly associated with the various outcome variables, whereas the association for cognitive likelihood was absent in three studies. The findings provide support for the construct validity of the measures used to assess cognitive and affective likelihood. Since affective likelihood might be a better predictor of health behaviour than the commonly used cognitive operationalisation, both dimensions should be considered in future research.

Peers, Pressure, and Performance at the National Spelling Bee

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Jonathan

2013-01-01

This paper investigates how individuals' performances of a cognitive task in a high-pressure competition are affected by their peers' performances. To do so, I use novel data from the National Spelling Bee, in which students attempt to spell words correctly in a tournament setting. Across OLS and instrumental variables approaches, I…

Investigation of serotonin-1A receptor function in the human psychopharmacology of MDMA.

PubMed

Hasler, F; Studerus, E; Lindner, K; Ludewig, S; Vollenweider, F X

2009-11-01

Serotonin (5-HT) release is the primary pharmacological mechanism of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 'ecstasy') action in the primate brain. Dopamine release and direct stimulation of dopamine D2 and serotonin 5-HT2A receptors also contributes to the overall action of MDMA. The role of 5-HT1A receptors in the human psychopharmacology of MDMA, however, has not yet been elucidated. In order to reveal the consequences of manipulation at the 5-HT1A receptor system on cognitive and subjective effects of MDMA, a receptor blocking study using the mixed beta-adrenoreceptor blocker/5-HT1A antagonist pindolol was performed. Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled within-subject design, 15 healthy male subjects were examined under placebo (PL), 20 mg pindolol (PIN), MDMA (1.6 mg/kg b.wt.), MDMA following pre-treatment with pindolol (PIN-MDMA). Tasks from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery were used for the assessment of cognitive performance. Psychometric questionnaires were applied to measure effects of treatment on core dimensions of Altered States of Consciousness, mood and state anxiety. Compared with PL, MDMA significantly impaired sustained attention and visual-spatial memory, but did not affect executive functions. Pre-treatment with PIN did not significantly alter MDMA-induced impairment of cognitive performance and only exerted a minor modulating effect on two psychometric scales affected by MDMA treatment ('positive derealization' and 'dreaminess'). Our findings suggest that MDMA differentially affects higher cognitive functions, but does not support the hypothesis from animal studies, that some of the MDMA effects are causally mediated through action at the 5-HT1A receptor system.

A Pilot Study of the Effects of Internet-Based Cognitive Stimulation on Neuropsychological Function in HIV Disease

PubMed Central

Becker, James T.; Dew, Mary Amanda; Aizenstein, Howard J.; Lopez, Oscar L.; Morrow, Lisa; Saxton, Judith; Tarraga, Lluis

2012-01-01

Purpose Mild cognitive deficits associated with HIV disease can affect activities of daily living, so interventions that reduce them may have a long-term effect on quality of life. We evaluated the feasibility of a cognitive stimulation program (CSP) to improve neuropsychological test performance in HIV disease. Methods 60 volunteers (30 HIV-infected) participated. The primary outcome was the change in neuropsychological test performance as indexed by the Global Impairment Rating; secondary outcomes included mood (Brief Symptom Inventory subscales) and quality of life rating (Medical Outcomes Survey-HIV) scales. Results 52 participants completed all 24 weeks of the study, and 54% of the participants in the CSP group successfully used the system via internet access from their home or other location. There was a significant interaction between usage and study visit such that the participants who used the program most frequently showed significantly greater improvements in cognitive functioning (F(3,46.4)=3.26, p =.030); none of the secondary outcomes were affected by the dose of CSP. Conclusions We found it possible to complete an internet-based CSP in HIV-infected individuals; ease of internet access was a key component for success. Participants who used the program most showed improvements in cognitive function over the 24-week period, suggesting that a larger clinical trial of CSP may be warranted. PMID:22458375

Evidence for the triadic model of adolescent brain development: Cognitive load and task-relevance of emotion differentially affect adolescents and adults.

PubMed

Mueller, Sven C; Cromheeke, Sofie; Siugzdaite, Roma; Nicolas Boehler, C

2017-08-01

In adults, cognitive control is supported by several brain regions including the limbic system and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) when processing emotional information. However, in adolescents, some theories hypothesize a neurobiological imbalance proposing heightened sensitivity to affective material in the amygdala and striatum within a cognitive control context. Yet, direct neurobiological evidence is scarce. Twenty-four adolescents (12-16) and 28 adults (25-35) completed an emotional n-back working memory task in response to happy, angry, and neutral faces during fMRI. Importantly, participants either paid attention to the emotion (task-relevant condition) or judged the gender (task-irrelevant condition). Behaviorally, for both groups, when happy faces were task-relevant, performance improved relative to when they were task-irrelevant, while performance decrements were seen for angry faces. In the dlPFC, angry faces elicited more activation in adults during low relative to high cognitive load (2-back vs. 0-back). By contrast, happy faces elicited more activation in the amygdala in adolescents when they were task-relevant. Happy faces also generally increased nucleus accumbens activity (regardless of relevance) in adolescents relative to adults. Together, the findings are consistent with neurobiological models of adolescent brain development and identify neurodevelopmental differences in cognitive control emotion interactions. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Error framing effects on performance: cognitive, motivational, and affective pathways.

PubMed

Steele-Johnson, Debra; Kalinoski, Zachary T

2014-01-01

Our purpose was to examine whether positive error framing, that is, making errors salient and cuing individuals to see errors as useful, can benefit learning when task exploration is constrained. Recent research has demonstrated the benefits of a newer approach to training, that is, error management training, that includes the opportunity to actively explore the task and framing errors as beneficial to learning complex tasks (Keith & Frese, 2008). Other research has highlighted the important role of errors in on-the-job learning in complex domains (Hutchins, 1995). Participants (N = 168) from a large undergraduate university performed a class scheduling task. Results provided support for a hypothesized path model in which error framing influenced cognitive, motivational, and affective factors which in turn differentially affected performance quantity and quality. Within this model, error framing had significant direct effects on metacognition and self-efficacy. Our results suggest that positive error framing can have beneficial effects even when tasks cannot be structured to support extensive exploration. Whereas future research can expand our understanding of error framing effects on outcomes, results from the current study suggest that positive error framing can facilitate learning from errors in real-time performance of tasks.

Genetic and environmental correlates of topiramate-induced cognitive impairment

PubMed Central

Cirulli, Elizabeth T.; Urban, Thomas J.; Marino, Susan E.; Linney, Kristen N.; Birnbaum, Angela K.; Depondt, Chantal; Attix, Deborah K.; Radtke, Rodney A.; Goldstein, David B.

2011-01-01

Topiramate is an antiepileptic drug that has marked, treatment-limiting side effects on specific aspects of cognitive performance in both patients and healthy volunteers. As these severe side-effects occur only in certain individuals, identifying genetic or environmental variables that influence cognitive response would be of great utility in determining whether to administer this drug to a patient. We gave an acute 100 mg oral dose of topiramate to 158 healthy volunteers and measured how the drug changed their performance on a diverse battery of cognitive tests. We found a wide range of responses to topiramate and demonstrated that not all tests in the battery were equally affected. There was no correlation between the effect of topiramate and either education level or baseline cognitive performance. Interestingly, there was up to 55-fold variation in the topiramate plasma levels of the participants. Our genome-wide association study (GWAS) of cognitive response did not reveal any genome-wide significant associations; the study was powered to find variants explaining at least 25% of the variation in cognitive response. Combining the results of this GWAS with a retrospective study of cognitive complaints in 290 epilepsy patients who received topiramate as part of their treatment also did not result in a significant association. Our results support the need for additional genetic studies of topiramate that utilize larger sample sizes. PMID:22091778

Genetic and environmental correlates of topiramate-induced cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Cirulli, Elizabeth T; Urban, Thomas J; Marino, Susan E; Linney, Kristen N; Birnbaum, Angela K; Depondt, Chantal; Attix, Deborah K; Radtke, Rodney A; Goldstein, David B

2012-01-01

Topiramate is an antiepileptic drug that has marked treatment-limiting side effects on specific aspects of cognitive performance in both patients and healthy volunteers. Because these severe side effects occur only in certain individuals, identifying genetic or environmental variables that influence cognitive response would be of great utility in determining whether to administer this drug to a patient. We gave an acute 100 mg oral dose of topiramate to 158 healthy volunteers and measured how the drug changed their performance on a diverse battery of cognitive tests. We found a wide range of responses to topiramate, and we demonstrated that not all tests in the battery were equally affected. There was no correlation between the effect of topiramate and either education level or baseline cognitive performance. Of interest, there was an up to 55-fold variation in the topiramate plasma levels of the participants. Our genome-wide association study (GWAS) of cognitive response did not reveal any genome-wide significant associations; the study was powered to find variants explaining at least 25% of the variation in cognitive response. Combining the results of this GWAS with a retrospective study of cognitive complaints in 290 epilepsy patients who received topiramate as part of their treatment also did not result in a significant association. Our results support the need for additional genetic studies of topiramate that use larger sample sizes. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2011 International League Against Epilepsy.

Walking and talking: an investigation of cognitive-motor dual tasking in multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Hamilton, F; Rochester, L; Paul, L; Rafferty, D; O'Leary, C P; Evans, J J

2009-10-01

Deficits in motor functioning, including walking, and in cognitive functions, including attention, are known to be prevalent in multiple sclerosis (MS), though little attention has been paid to how impairments in these areas of functioning interact. This study investigated the effects of performing a concurrent cognitive task when walking in people with MS. Level of task demand was manipulated to investigate whether this affected level of dual-task decrement. Eighteen participants with MS and 18 healthy controls took part. Participants completed walking and cognitive tasks under single- and dual-task conditions. Compared to healthy controls, MS participants showed greater decrements in performance under dual-task conditions in cognitive task performance, walking speed and swing time variability. In the MS group, the degree of decrement under dual-task conditions was related to levels of fatigue, a measure of general cognitive functioning and self-reported everyday cognitive errors, but not to measures of disease severity or duration. Difficulty with walking and talking in MS may be a result of a divided attention deficit or of overloading of the working memory system, and further investigation is needed. We suggest that difficulty with walking and talking in MS may lead to practical problems in everyday life, including potentially increasing the risk of falls. Clinical tools to assess cognitive-motor dual-tasking ability are needed.

Young APOE[subscript 4] Targeted Replacement Mice Exhibit Poor Spatial Learning and Memory, with Reduced Dendritic Spine Density in the Medial Entorhinal Cortex

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez, Gustavo A.; Burns, Mark P.; Weeber, Edwin J.; Rebeck, G. William

2013-01-01

The apolipoprotein E4 ("APOE-[epsilon]4") allele is the strongest genetic risk factor for developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease, and may predispose individuals to Alzheimer's-related cognitive decline by affecting normal brain function early in life. To investigate the impact of human APOE alleles on cognitive performance in mice, we trained…

Continuous cognitive improvement 1 year following successful kidney transplant.

PubMed

Harciarek, Michał; Biedunkiewicz, Bogdan; Lichodziejewska-Niemierko, Monika; Dębska-Ślizień, Alicja; Rutkowski, Bolesław

2011-06-01

Successful kidney transplantation was recently shown to lead to improvement in the cognitive performance of patients on chronic dialysis. To examine whether the early cognitive benefits of transplantation continue to develop over time, along with the patients' ongoing recovery, we addressed these questions in a prospective controlled study of 27 dialyzed patients who subsequently received a kidney transplant, 18 dialyzed patients awaiting kidney transplant, and 30 matched controls without kidney disease. Overall, successful kidney transplant contributed to a statistically significant improvement in performance on tests of motor/psychomotor speed, visual planning, memory, and abstract reasoning tested 1 year later. We also studied whether the cognitive performance of patients maintained on dialysis is stable or declines over time and found that it actually declined over this time even in adequately dialyzed patients. Measures of memory functions were particularly affected. This study indicates that the early beneficial effects of transplantation are not transient and were still evident 1 year following transplantation.

Self-affirmation among the poor: cognitive and behavioral implications.

PubMed

Hall, Crystal C; Zhao, Jiaying; Shafir, Eldar

2014-02-01

The poor are universally stigmatized. The stigma of poverty includes being perceived as incompetent and feeling shunned and disrespected. It can lead to cognitive distancing, diminish cognitive performance, and cause the poor to forego beneficial programs. In the present research, we examined how self-affirmation can mitigate the stigma of poverty through randomized field experiments involving low-income individuals at an inner-city soup kitchen. Because of low literacy levels, we used an oral rather than written affirmation procedure, in which participants verbally described a personal experience that made them feel successful or proud. Compared with nonaffirmed participants, affirmed individuals exhibited better executive control, higher fluid intelligence, and a greater willingness to avail themselves of benefits programs. The effects were not driven by elevated positive mood, and the same intervention did not affect the performance of wealthy participants. The findings suggest that self-affirmation can improve the cognitive performance and decisions of the poor, and it may have important policy implications.

Cognitive Function in Normal-Weight, Overweight, and Obese Older Adults: An Analysis of the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly Cohort

PubMed Central

Kuo, Hsu-Ko; Jones, Richard N.; Milberg, William P.; Tennstedt, Sharon; Talbot, Laura; Morris, John N.; Lipsitz, Lewis A.

2010-01-01

OBJECTIVES To assess how elevated body mass index (BMI) affects cognitive function in elderly people. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Data for this cross-sectional study were taken from a multicenter randomized controlled trial, the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly trial. PARTICIPANTS The analytic sample included 2,684 normal-weight, overweight, or obese subjects aged 65 to 94. MEASUREMENTS Evaluation of cognitive abilities was performed in several domains: global cognition, memory, reasoning, and speed of processing. Cross-sectional association between body weight status and cognitive functions was analyzed using multiple linear regression. RESULTS Overweight subjects had better performance on a reasoning task (β = 0.23, standard error (SE) = 0.11, P = .04) and the Useful Field of View (UFOV) measure (β = −39.46, SE = 12.95, P = .002), a test of visuospatial speed of processing, after controlling for age, sex, race, years of education, intervention group, study site, and cardiovascular risk factors. Subjects with class I (BMI 30.0–34.9 kg/m2) and class II (BMI>35.0 kg/m2) obesity had better UFOV measure scores (β = −38.98, SE = 14.77, P = .008; β = −35.75, SE = 17.65, and P = .04, respectively) in the multivariate model than normal-weight subjects. The relationships between BMI and individual cognitive domains were nonlinear. CONCLUSION Overweight participants had better cognitive performance in terms of reasoning and visuospatial speed of processing than normal-weight participants. Obesity was associated with better performance in visuospatial speed of processing than normal weight. The relationship between BMI and cognitive function should be studied prospectively. PMID:16420204

Genetic Contributions to Age-Related Decline in Executive Function: A 10-Year Longitudinal Study of COMT and BDNF Polymorphisms

PubMed Central

Erickson, Kirk I.; Kim, Jennifer S.; Suever, Barbara L.; Voss, Michelle W.; Francis, B. Magnus; Kramer, Arthur F.

2008-01-01

Genetic variability in the dopaminergic and neurotrophic systems could contribute to age-related impairments in executive control and memory function. In this study we examined whether genetic polymorphisms for catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were related to the trajectory of cognitive decline occurring over a 10-year period in older adults. A single nucleotide polymorphism in the COMT (Val158/108Met) gene affects the concentration of dopamine in the prefrontal cortex. In addition, a Val/Met substitution in the pro-domain for BDNF (Val66Met) affects the regulated secretion and trafficking of BDNF with Met carriers showing reduced secretion and poorer cognitive function. We found that impairments over the 10-year span on a task-switching paradigm did not vary as a function of the COMT polymorphism. However, for the BDNF polymorphism the Met carriers performed worse than Val homozygotes at the first testing session but only the Val homozygotes demonstrated a significant reduction in performance over the 10-year span. Our results argue that the COMT polymorphism does not affect the trajectory of age-related executive control decline, whereas the Val/Val polymorphism for BDNF may promote faster rates of cognitive decay in old age. These results are discussed in relation to the role of BDNF in senescence and the transforming impact of the Met allele on cognitive function in old age. PMID:18958211

Postprandial effects of breakfast glycaemic index on cognitive performance among young, healthy adults: A crossover clinical trial.

PubMed

Sanchez-Aguadero, Natalia; Recio-Rodriguez, Jose I; Patino-Alonso, Maria C; Mora-Simon, Sara; Alonso-Dominguez, Rosario; Sanchez-Salgado, Benigna; Gomez-Marcos, Manuel A; Garcia-Ortiz, Luis

2018-04-12

To evaluate the postprandial effects of high and low glycaemic index (GI) breakfasts on cognitive performance in young, healthy adults. A crossover clinical trial including 40 young, healthy adults (aged 20-40 years, 50% females) recruited from primary healthcare centres in Salamanca, Spain. Verbal memory, phonological fluency, attention, and executive functions were examined 0, 60, and 120 minutes after consuming a low GI (LGI), high GI (HGI), or water breakfast. Every subject tried each breakfast variant, in a randomized order, separated by a washout period of 7 days, for a total of 3 weeks. A significant interaction between the type of breakfast consumed and immediate verbal memory was identified (P<.05). We observed a trend towards better performance in verbal memory (delayed and immediate), attention, and phonological fluency following an LGI breakfast. Cognitive performance during the postprandial phase in young, healthy adults was minimally affected by the GI of breakfast. The potential for breakfast's GI modulation to improve short- and long-term cognitive functioning requires further research.

Cognitive and Affective Empathy as Predictors of Proactive and Reactive Aggression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Gina M.

2013-01-01

This study examined cognitive and affective empathy as predictors of proactive and reactive aggression. This study also explored whether levels of cognitive and affective empathy differed among children who use proactive and reactive aggression. Cognitive and affective empathy were measured by the Basic Empathy Scale (Jolliffe & Farrington,…

Antidepressant use and cognitive decline in community-dwelling elderly people - The Three-City Cohort.

PubMed

Carrière, Isabelle; Norton, Joanna; Farré, Amandine; Wyart, Marilyn; Tzourio, Christophe; Noize, Pernelle; Pérès, Karine; Fourrier-Réglat, Annie; Ritchie, Karen; Ancelin, Marie Laure

2017-04-19

Cognitive impairment is very common in late-life depression, principally affecting executive skills and information processing speed. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of antidepressant treatment on cognitive performances over a 10-year period. The community-based cohort included 7381 participants aged 65 years and above. Five cognitive domains (verbal fluency, psychomotor speed, executive function, visuospatial skills and global cognition) were assessed up to five times over 10 years of follow-up. Treatment groups included participants under a specific antidepressant class at both baseline and the first follow-up and their follow-up cognitive data were considered until the last consecutive follow-up with a report of antidepressant use of the same class. Linear mixed models were used to compare baseline cognitive performance and cognitive decline over time according to antidepressant treatment. The models were adjusted for multiple confounders including residual depressive symptoms assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale. At baseline, 4.0% of participants were taking antidepressants. Compared to non-users, tricyclic antidepressant users had lower baseline performances in verbal fluency, visual memory and psychomotor speed, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor users in verbal fluency and psychomotor speed. For the two other cognitive abilities, executive function and global cognition, no significant differences were found at baseline irrespective of the antidepressant class. Regarding changes over time, no significant differences were observed in comparison with non-users whatever the cognitive domain, except for a slight additional improvement over the follow-up in verbal fluency skills for tricyclic antidepressant users. In this large elderly general population cohort, we found no evidence for an association between antidepressant use and post-treatment cognitive decline over 10 years of follow-up in various cognitive domains.

Contribution of cognitive performance and cognitive decline to associations between socioeconomic factors and dementia: A cohort study.

PubMed

Rusmaully, Jennifer; Dugravot, Aline; Moatti, Jean-Paul; Marmot, Michael G; Elbaz, Alexis; Kivimaki, Mika; Sabia, Séverine; Singh-Manoux, Archana

2017-06-01

Socioeconomic disadvantage is a risk factor for dementia, but longitudinal studies suggest that it does not affect the rate of cognitive decline. Our objective is to understand the manner in which socioeconomic disadvantage shapes dementia risk by examining its associations with midlife cognitive performance and cognitive decline from midlife to old age, including cognitive decline trajectories in those with dementia. Data are drawn from the Whitehall II study (N = 10,308 at study recruitment in 1985), with cognitive function assessed at 4 waves (1997, 2002, 2007, and 2012). Sociodemographic, behavioural, and cardiometabolic risk factors from 1985 and chronic conditions until the end of follow-up in 2015 (N dementia/total = 320/9,938) allowed the use of inverse probability weighting to take into account data missing because of loss to follow-up between the study recruitment in 1985 and the introduction of cognitive tests to the study in 1997. Generalized estimating equations and Cox regression were used to assess associations of socioeconomic markers (height, education, and midlife occupation categorized as low, intermediate, and high to represent hierarchy in the socioeconomic marker) with cognitive performance, cognitive decline, and dementia (N dementia/total = 195/7,499). In those with dementia, we examined whether retrospective trajectories of cognitive decline (backward timescale) over 18 years prior to diagnosis differed as a function of socioeconomic markers. Socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with poorer cognitive performance (all p < 0.001). Using point estimates for the effect of age, the differences between the high and low socioeconomic groups corresponded to an age effect of 4, 15, and 26 years, for height, education, and midlife occupation, respectively. There was no evidence of faster cognitive decline in socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. Low occupation, but not height or education, was associated with risk of dementia (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.03 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.23-3.36]) in an analysis adjusted for sociodemographic factors; the excess risk was unchanged after adjustment for cognitive decline but was completely attenuated after adjustment for cognitive performance. In further analyses restricted to those with dementia, retrospective cognitive trajectories over 18 years prior to dementia diagnosis showed faster cognitive decline in the high education (p = 0.006) and occupation (p = 0.001) groups such that large differences in cognitive performance in midlife were attenuated at dementia diagnosis. A major limitation of our study is the use of electronic health records rather than comprehensive dementia ascertainment. Our results support the passive or threshold cognitive reserve hypothesis, in that high cognitive reserve is associated with lower risk for dementia because of its association with cognitive performance, which provides a buffer against clinical expression of dementia.

Flow, affect and visual creativity.

PubMed

Cseh, Genevieve M; Phillips, Louise H; Pearson, David G

2015-01-01

Flow (being in the zone) is purported to have positive consequences in terms of affect and performance; however, there is no empirical evidence about these links in visual creativity. Positive affect often--but inconsistently--facilitates creativity, and both may be linked to experiencing flow. This study aimed to determine relationships between these variables within visual creativity. Participants performed the creative mental synthesis task to simulate the creative process. Affect change (pre- vs. post-task) and flow were measured via questionnaires. The creativity of synthesis drawings was rated objectively and subjectively by judges. Findings empirically demonstrate that flow is related to affect improvement during visual creativity. Affect change was linked to productivity and self-rated creativity, but no other objective or subjective performance measures. Flow was unrelated to all external performance measures but was highly correlated with self-rated creativity; flow may therefore motivate perseverance towards eventual excellence rather than provide direct cognitive enhancement.

Daily variability in working memory is coupled with negative affect: the role of attention and motivation.

PubMed

Brose, Annette; Schmiedek, Florian; Lövdén, Martin; Lindenberger, Ulman

2012-06-01

Across days, individuals experience varying levels of negative affect, control of attention, and motivation. We investigated whether this intraindividual variability was coupled with daily fluctuations in working memory (WM) performance. In 100 days, 101 younger individuals worked on a spatial N-back task and rated negative affect, control of attention, and motivation. Results showed that individuals differed in how reliably WM performance fluctuated across days, and that subjective experiences were primarily linked to performance accuracy. WM performance was lower on days with higher levels of negative affect, reduced control of attention, and reduced task-related motivation. Thus, variables that were found to predict WM in between-subjects designs showed important relationships to WM at the within-person level. In addition, there was shared predictive variance among predictors of WM. Days with increased negative affect and reduced performance were also days with reduced control of attention and reduced motivation to work on tasks. These findings are in line with proposed mechanisms linking negative affect and cognitive performance.

Bilateral subthalamic or pallidal stimulation for Parkinson's disease affects neither memory nor executive functions: a consecutive series of 62 patients.

PubMed

Ardouin, C; Pillon, B; Peiffer, E; Bejjani, P; Limousin, P; Damier, P; Arnulf, I; Benabid, A L; Agid, Y; Pollak, P

1999-08-01

There is a renewal of interest in surgical approaches including lesions and deep brain stimulation directed at motor subcorticofrontal loops. Bilateral lesioning presents a far greater risk of adverse effects, especially cognitive impairment. Furthermore, the main advantages of the stimulation procedure over lesioning are adaptability and reversibility of effects. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of bilateral stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus or internal globus pallidus on memory and executive functions in Parkinson's disease. Sixty-two patients were assessed before and after 3 to 6 months of chronic bilateral stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (n = 49) or internal globus pallidus (n = 13). The neuropsychological tests used were the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale, the Grober and Buschke Verbal Learning Test, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, category and literal fluency, graphic and motor series, the Stroop Test, and the Trail Making Test. Mood was evaluated by the Beck Depression Inventory. Only 4 of 25 cognitive variables were affected by deep brain stimulation. Under stimulation, performance improved for Parts A and B of the Trail Making Test, but there was a deterioration in literal and total lexical fluency. There was also a mild but significant improvement in mood. It may therefore be concluded that stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus or internal globus pallidus does not change the overall cognitive performance in Parkinson's disease and does not greatly affect the functioning of subcorticofrontal loops involved in cognition in humans. This relative absence of cognitive impairment in bilateral deep brain stimulation is likely because of the accurate positioning of the electrodes, allowing the effects of stimulation to be confined to sensorimotor circuits.

Training and Older Workers: Implications for U.S. Competitiveness. Contract Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rothstein, Frances R.; Ratte, Donna J.

Age-related changes in functional ability and work attitude affect job performance, but many variables affect the extent and timing of change for different older workers. Declines due to age occur in sensory/perceptual processes; strength, speed and accuracy of movement, and balance; and cognitive processes. Individuals can compensate for some…

Divergent Thinking and Age-Related Changes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmiero, Massimiliano; Di Giacomo, Dina; Passafiume, Domenico

2014-01-01

Aging can affect cognition in different ways. The extent to which aging affects divergent thinking is unclear. In this study, younger and older adults were compared at the performance on the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking in visual and verbal form. Results showed that older adults can think divergently as younger participants, although they…

A Peer-Assessment Mobile Kung Fu Education Approach to Improving Students' Affective Performances

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuo, Fon-Chu; Chen, Jun-Ming; Chu, Hui-Chun; Yang, Kai-Hsiang; Chen, Yi-Hsuan

2017-01-01

Peer-assessment and video comment-sharing are effective learning strategies for students to receive feedback on their learning. Researchers have emphasized the need for well-designed peer involvement in order to improve students' abilities in the cognitive and affective domains. Although student perceptions of peer-assessment have been studied…

Emotional see-saw affects rationality of decision-making: Evidence for metacognitive impairments.

PubMed

Folwarczny, Michał; Kaczmarek, Magdalena C; Doliński, Dariusz; Szczepanowski, Remigiusz

2018-05-01

This research investigated the cognitive mechanisms that underlie impairments in human reasoning triggered by the emotional see-saw technique. It has previously been stated that such manipulation is effective as it presumably induces a mindless state and cognitive deficits in compliant individuals. Based on the dual-system architecture of reasoning (system 2) and affective decision-making (system 1), we challenged the previous theoretical account by indicating that the main source of compliance is impairment of the meta-reasoning system when rapid affective changes occur. To examine this hypothesis, we manipulated affective feelings (system 1 processing) by violating participants' expectations regarding reward and performance in a go/no-go task in which individuals were to inhibit their responses to earn money. Aside from the go/no-go performance, we measured rationality (meta-reasoning system 2) in decision-making by asking participants to comply with a nonsensical request. We found that participants who were exposed to meta-reasoning impairments due to the emotional see-saw phenomenon exhibited mindless behavior. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interactions of age and cognitive functions in predicting decision making under risky conditions over the life span.

PubMed

Brand, Matthias; Schiebener, Johannes

2013-01-01

Little is known about how normal healthy aging affects decision-making competence. In this study 538 participants (age 18-80 years) performed the Game of Dice Task (GDT). Subsamples also performed the Iowa Gambling Task as well as tasks measuring logical thinking and executive functions. In a moderated regression analysis, the significant interaction between age and executive components indicates that older participants with good executive functioning perform well on the GDT, while older participants with reduced executive functions make more risky choices. The same pattern emerges for the interaction of age and logical thinking. Results demonstrate that age and cognitive functions act in concert in predicting the decision-making performance.

Attention tasks as skills performance measures of drug effects.

PubMed

Moskowitz, H

1984-01-01

Both empirical epidemiological data on the causes of traffic accidents and conceptual models of skilled human performance stress the central role of perception and cognition. This paper examines the effects of drugs on two major components of cognitive perceptual performance, namely, concentrated attention or vigilance and divided attention. It is demonstrated that these two types of attention tasks are differentially affected by various drugs, so that sometimes one and sometimes another of these tasks is impaired. Various experimental paradigms to investigate these two attention functions are presented. It is demonstrated that attention tasks are frequently highly sensitive to drug effects, suggesting the importance of examining these functions when investigating the effects of drugs on skills performance.

No Evidence That Short-Term Cognitive or Physical Training Programs or Lifestyles Are Related to Changes in White Matter Integrity in Older Adults at Risk of Dementia

PubMed Central

Fissler, Patrick; Müller, Hans-Peter; Küster, Olivia C.; Laptinskaya, Daria; Thurm, Franka; Woll, Alexander; Elbert, Thomas; Kassubek, Jan; von Arnim, Christine A. F.; Kolassa, Iris-Tatjana

2017-01-01

Cognitive and physical activities can benefit cognition. However, knowledge about the neurobiological mechanisms underlying these activity-induced cognitive benefits is still limited, especially with regard to the role of white matter integrity (WMI), which is affected in cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the immediate and long-term effects of cognitive or physical training on WMI, as well as the association between cognitive and physical lifestyles and changes in WMI over a 6-month period. Additionally, we explored whether changes in WMI underlie activity-related cognitive changes, and estimated the potential of both trainings to improve WMI by correlating training outcomes with WMI. In an observational and interventional pretest, posttest, 3-month follow-up design, we assigned 47 community-dwelling older adults at risk of dementia to 50 sessions of auditory processing and working memory training (n = 13), 50 sessions of cardiovascular, strength, coordination, balance and flexibility exercises (n = 14), or a control group (n = 20). We measured lifestyles trough self-reports, cognitive training skills through training performance, functional physical fitness through the Senior Fitness Test, and global cognition through a cognitive test battery. WMI was assessed via a composite score of diffusion tensor imaging-based fractional anisotropy (FA) of three regions of interest shown to be affected in aging and Alzheimer’s disease: the genu of corpus callosum, the fornix, and the hippocampal cingulum. Effects for training interventions on FA outcomes, as well as associations between lifestyles and changes in FA outcomes were not significant. Additional analyses did show associations between cognitive lifestyle and global cognitive changes at the posttest and the 3-month follow-up (β ≥ 0.40, p ≤ 0.02) and accounting for changes in WMI did not affect these relationships. The targeted training outcomes were related to FA scores at baseline (cognitive training skills and FA composite score, rs = 0.68, p = 0.05; functional physical fitness and fornix FA, r = 0.35, p = 0.03). Overall, we found no evidence of a link between short-term physical or cognitive activities and WMI changes, despite activity-related cognitive changes in older adults at risk of dementia. However, we found positive associations between the two targeted training outcomes and WMI, hinting at a potential of long-term activities to affect WMI. PMID:28373835

Determinants of cognitive function in childhood: A cohort study in a middle income context

PubMed Central

Santos, Darci N; Assis, Ana Marlúcia O; Bastos, Ana Cecília S; Santos, Letícia M; Santos, Carlos Antonio ST; Strina, Agostino; Prado, Matildes S; Almeida-Filho, Naomar M; Rodrigues, Laura C; Barreto, Mauricio L

2008-01-01

Background There is evidence that poverty, health and nutrition affect children's cognitive development. This study aimed to examine the relative contributions of both proximal and distal risk factors on child cognitive development, by breaking down the possible causal pathways through which poverty affects cognition. Methods This cohort study collected data on family socioeconomic status, household and neighbourhood environmental conditions, child health and nutritional status, psychosocial stimulation and nursery school attendance. The effect of these on Wechsler Pre-School and Primary Scale of Intelligence scores at five years of age was investigated using a multivariable hierarchical analysis, guided by the proposed conceptual framework. Results Unfavourable socioeconomic conditions, poorly educated mother, absent father, poor sanitary conditions at home and in the neighbourhood and low birth weight were negatively associated with cognitive performance at five years of age, while strong positive associations were found with high levels of domestic stimulation and nursery school attendance. Conclusion Children's cognitive development in urban contexts in developing countries could be substantially increased by interventions promoting early psychosocial stimulation and preschool experience, together with efforts to prevent low birth weight and promote adequate nutritional status. PMID:18534035

Cognitive patterns in relation to biomarkers of cerebrovascular disease and vascular risk factors.

PubMed

Miralbell, Júlia; López-Cancio, Elena; López-Oloriz, Jorge; Arenillas, Juan Francisco; Barrios, Maite; Soriano-Raya, Juan José; Galán, Amparo; Cáceres, Cynthia; Alzamora, Maite; Pera, Guillem; Toran, Pere; Dávalos, Antoni; Mataró, Maria

2013-01-01

Risk factors for vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) are the same as traditional risk factors for cerebrovascular disease (CVD). Early identification of subjects at higher risk of VCI is important for the development of effective preventive strategies. In addition to traditional vascular risk factors (VRF), circulating biomarkers have emerged as potential tools for early diagnoses, as they could provide in vivo measures of the underlying pathophysiology. While VRF have been consistently linked to a VCI profile (i.e., deficits in executive functions and processing speed), the cognitive correlates of CVD biomarkers remain unclear. In this population-based study, the aim was to study and compare cognitive patterns in relation to VRF and circulating biomarkers of CVD. The Barcelona-AsIA Neuropsychology Study included 747 subjects older than 50, without a prior history of stroke or coronary disease and with a moderate to high vascular risk (mean age, 66 years; 34.1% women). Three cognitive domains were derived from factoral analysis: visuospatial skills/speed, verbal memory and verbal fluency. Multiple linear regression was used to assess relationships between cognitive performance (multiple domains) and a panel of circulating biomarkers, including indicators of inflammation, C-reactive protein (CRP) and resistin, endothelial dysfunction, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), thrombosis, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), as well as traditional VRF, metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance (homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance index). Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, years of education and depressive symptoms. Traditional VRF were related to lower performance in verbal fluency, insulin resistance accounted for lower performance in visuospatial skills/speed and the metabolic syndrome predicted lower performance in both cognitive domains. From the biomarkers of CVD, CRP was negatively related to verbal fluency performance and increasing ADMA levels were associated with lower performance in verbal memory. Resistin and PAI-1 did not relate to cognitive function performance. Vascular risk factors, and markers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction predicted lower performance in several cognitive domains. Specifically, cognitive functions associated with CRP are typically affected in VCI and overlap those related to VRF. ADMA indicated a dissociation in the cognitive profile involving verbal memory. These findings suggest that inflammation and endothelial dysfunction might play a role in the predementia cognitive impairment stages. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Acute cocaine induced deficits in cognitive performance in rhesus macaque monkeys treated with baclofen

PubMed Central

Porrino, Linda J.; Hampson, Robert E.; Opris, Ioan; Deadwyler, Samuel A.

2013-01-01

Rationale Acute and/or chronic exposure to cocaine can affect cognitive performance, which may influence rate of recovery during treatment. Objective Effects of the GABA-B receptor agonist baclofen were assessed for potency to reverse the negative influence of acute, pre-session, intravenous (IV) injection of cocaine on cognitive performance in Macaca mulatta nonhuman primates. Methods Animals were trained to perform a modified delayed match to sample (DMS) task incorporating two types of trials with varying degrees of cognitive load that had different decision requirements in order to correctly utilize information retained over the delay interval. The effects of cocaine (0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 mg/kg, IV) alone and in combination with baclofen (0.29 and 0.40 mg/kg, IV) were examined with respect to sustained performance levels. Brain metabolic activity during performance of the task was assessed using PET imaged uptake of [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose. Results Acute cocaine injections produced a dose-dependent decline in DMS performance selective for trials of high cognitive load. The GABA-receptor agonist baclofen, co-administered with cocaine, reversed task performance back to nondrug (saline IV) control levels. Simultaneous assessment of PET-imaged brain metabolic activity in prefrontal cortex (PFC) showed alterations by cocaine compared to PFC metabolic activation in nondrug (saline, IV) control DMS sessions, but like performance, PFC activation was returned to control levels by baclofen (0.40 mg/kg, IV) injected with cocaine. Conclusions The results show that baclofen, administered at a relatively high dose, reversed the cognitive deficits produced by acute cocaine intoxication that may have implications for use in chronic drug exposure. PMID:22836369