Journal of Neuropsychology最新文献

This case report presents new semantic learning and long-term retention data collected over a 5-year period from an amnesic adolescent boy, CJ. Compared to his younger sister, a novel abbreviation-learning task captured CJ's slower semantic acquisition across three weekly training sessions. By contrast, his rate of forgetting between sessions was comparable to that of the control's and was slower over long delays of up to 5 years but recalled information without any reliable report of the original learning context.

We present a patient with left mesial temporal medically refractory epilepsy who developed new onset abnormal eating behaviour following surgical ablation of the left hippocampus and amygdala. The patient underwent a second ablation due to seizure recurrence targeting a remnant of the amygdala, after which seizures resolved, but disordered eating behaviours continued with no appreciable change. We discuss the role of aberrant limbic signalling in mesial temporal epilepsy and its contribution towards eating behaviours in the context of surgical treatment.

We standardized a new version of the Digit span test and the first version of the Bisyllabic non-word span test, both measuring the phonological loop, in an Italian sample of neurologically healthy adults (n = 225). All stimuli were administered to the participants through a computerized procedure to avoid the influence of the examiner on participants' performance. We used a preliminary test to exclude the presence of sensory-perceptual and articulatory-motor difficulties that might have influenced the results. The results revealed that both Age and Education were significant predictors of participants' performance on the Digit span test. By contrast, only Age predicted significantly participants' performance on the Bisyllabic non-word span test. The average Digit span was approximately twice as large as the average Bisyllabic non-word span, suggesting that the latter might be a strategy-free measure of the phonological loop. The Bisyllabic non-word span is an innovative and specific measure for identifying phonological short-term memory deficits. For all tests, adjusted and equivalent scores are provided to facilitate results interpretation and clinical applicability.

The aim of this research was to analyse the reliability and validity of the Computerised Battery for Neuropsychological Evaluation of Children (BENCI) in a Cuban population of children and adolescents. The study involved 1714 Cuban students between the ages of 6 and 18 who were divided into three groups according to their level of education (Elementary: 6–11 years old; High School: 12–14 years old; and Pre-University: 15–18 years old). All participants were evaluated using the BENCI with some also undergoing additional neuropsychological testing. The BENCI evaluates the following cognitive domains: processing speed, visuomotor coordination, attention, memory, language, and executive functions. The results showed that the BENCI has good test–retest reliability indices and high internal consistency values in Reasoning, Reaction Time, and Working Memory. In terms of validity, the data revealed significant correlations between the BENCI tests and other neuropsychological tests assessing similar cognitive functions. The BENCI also has discriminative validity, as it was found that performance on the tests varies according to the level of education of those being evaluated. In terms of construct validity, confirmatory factor analysis showed that the fit indices for the executive functions dimension of the BENCI are adequate. The data show that the BENCI is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing neurodevelopment in Cuban children and adolescents. Since this is the first neuropsychological test of its kind to be validated in the Cuban population, this finding is of particular importance.

There is emerging evidence of social cognitive impairments in bipolar disorders (BD). Less evident is the question if social cognitive impairments are predictive of psychosocial functioning, independently of neurocognitive impairment. The aims of the study were to investigate if patients with BD-I showed impairments in facial emotion recognition and alterations in affective empathy, in relation to healthy controls, and if these impairments would predict psychosocial functioning, after accounting for neurocognitive impairments. Thirty-seven patients diagnosed with BD-I, in an euthymic state, and 37 matched healthy controls underwent an assessment including a facial recognition test (ERT) and a self-report scale of affective empathy (BEES). Patients additionally underwent an extensive neuropsychological assessment consisting of traditional tests. Patients with BD-I were significantly less able to recognize the emotion fear compared to healthy controls. However, the lower ability to recognize fear did not predict psychosocial functioning. In addition, it was not related to any of the other neuropsychological variables. The degree of self-reported empathy did not differ between patients and healthy controls. The results add to the evidence of a specific deficit in recognizing fear in BD-I; however, a link with psychosocial functioning was lacking. It is possible that the ability to recognize fear is related to a more narrow concept of interpersonal functioning than to the broad concept of psychosocial functioning. Future research should be directed towards aspects of social functioning in relation to social cognitive impairments, while taking account of subgroups of social cognitive functioning.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with diverse cognitive deficits of which problems related to memory and learning are well-established but poorly understood. In an online experiment, we studied whether verbal memory impairment in adult ADHD is related to differences in spontaneous use of memory strategies that hinge upon metacognitive and executive skills. Eighty-one ADHD adults and 209 neurotypical controls performed a Word List Learning task where the same words were presented three times, each time coupled with an open strategy report. Bayesian analyses indicated that the ADHD group recalled less words, did not differ from controls in efficacy of strategy use, but exhibited more limited strategy use than the controls. This suggests that less versatile strategy employment, possibly related to core executive deficits, may play a role in verbal memory impairment in adults with ADHD. Concerning treatment implications, future research could probe to what extent external strategy instruction might increase the versatility of mnemonic strategy use in adult ADHD, and thereby partly compensate for their verbal memory deficits.

Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Despite its prevalence, fatigue remains a challenging concept to define and measure. The aim of the present study was to explore potential relationships between self-rated fatigue in patients with TBI and performance on several widely used neuropsychological tests. In a cross-sectional design, patients with TBI (n = 68) and healthy controls (n = 27) underwent a comprehensive battery of commonly used neuropsychological tests and completed two self-assessment fatigue scales, the Fatigue Severity Scale and the Mental Fatigue Scale. Patients with TBI performed worse on neuropsychological tests of short-term memory, processing speed and executive functioning (inhibition) compared to healthy controls. Within the TBI group, only the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) and the Stroop—Inhibition task showed significant correlations with measures of fatigue. However, after adjusting for relevant demographic variables, including age, gender, education and TBI severity, only PASAT remained significantly associated with the Mental Fatigue Scale (r = .45, p = .005). Within the healthy control group, no such associations were found. These results highlight an interesting relationship between PASAT performance and self-assessed fatigue. With further research, PASAT, modifications of it or similar measures could potentially help clinicians in evaluating fatigue in patients with TBI.

Up to 45% of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) experience impulse control disorders (ICDs), characterized by a loss of voluntary control over impulses, drives or temptations. This study aimed to investigate whether previously identified genetic and psychiatric risk factors interact towards the development of ICDs in PD. A total of 278 de novo PD patients (ICD-free at enrollment) were selected from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative database. ICD presence at baseline and yearly follow-up assessments were evaluated via the Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders. Symptoms of anxiety and depression at baseline were measured via the State–Trait-Anxiety Inventory and Geriatric Depression Scale, respectively. Furthermore, an individual dopamine genetic risk score was calculated according to polymorphisms in genes coding for dopamine (D1, D2 and D3 receptors and catechol-O-methyltransferase), with higher scores reflecting higher central dopamine neurotransmission. In total, 146 participants (47.5%) developed an ICD with an average onset time of 36 months (range 3–96) from baseline. Results from a Cox proportional hazards model showed a trait anxiety × genetics interaction, suggesting that individuals with both higher baseline trait anxiety scores and higher dopamine genetic risk scores were at increased risk of ICD development. This interaction remained significant after controlling for age, sex and motor symptom severity. Our findings suggest that genetic and psychiatric predictors of impulsivity in PD interact and jointly yield increased ICD risk during the course of the disorder. This implies that early screening of anxiety symptoms in combination with genotyping can be useful to identify those at risk for ICD.

In 1941, André Rey published the Rey Complex Figure, a widely used test for assessing visual-constructional ability and visual memory. It consists of two parts: copy and recall. Evaluating the copy portion presents challenges, as it requires the administrator to focus on both the process and outcome. The assessor must systematically track how the patient copies the figure in real-time to evaluate their planning, organisation and executive abilities. This ‘clinician's copy’ serves as a record of the patient's approach, aiding later judgements about their cognitive skills. To ensure accuracy, clinicians need a method to record this process for later review or colleague consultation. This paper revisits Rey's suggestion of using different coloured pencils to observe the copy sequence, proposing an alternative. Instead of providing coloured pencils to the patient, we recommend that the administrator use them to record the copy sequence. This method aligns with test norms, reducing potential distractions for the patient while enabling both experienced and novice administrators to easily track and document the sequence of copying.