Pub Date : 2025-08-05DOI: 10.1007/s11065-025-09673-7
Liyan Yu, Dan Liu, Jonathan M Payne, Jing Zhang, Julia Moreira, Elora Shelly Mukhopadhyay, Angelena Novotney, Mary-Mac Chown, Joel Killam, Yang Hou
This meta-analysis estimated the group differences between individuals with and without neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and explored potential moderators. Systematic literature searches identified 2531 unique articles. Among them, 70 studies (183 effect sizes) were included in this meta-analysis, involving 3503 individuals' visuospatial and visuomotor abilities with NF1 (46.67% female; Mage = 12.60 years) and 3127 individuals without NF1 (52.40% female; Mage = 13.19 years). Robust standard error estimation techniques and random models were used to calculate standardized group differences. The results showed that individuals with (vs. without) NF1 exhibited significantly lower visuospatial (g = - 0.90; 95% CI [- 1.00, - 0.80], I2 = 64.59%) and visuomotor abilities (g = - 0.90; 95% CI [- 1.05, - 0.75], I2 = 74.87%). The moderator analysis revealed that group differences in visuospatial abilities were larger for children with NF1 (g = - 0.95; 95% CI [- 1.06, - 0.84]) than adolescents (g = - 0.64; 95% CI [- 0.91, - 0.37]) and adults (g = - 0.73; 95% CI [- 0.88, - 0.58]). Additionally, a greater between-group difference was found when visuospatial abilities were assessed using Judgment of Line Orientation (g = - 1.06; 95% CI [- 1.17, - 0.94]) than Wechsler Intelligence Scale-Visual Spatial Index (g = - 0.70; 95% CI [- 0.86, - 0.54]). Sex composition, NF1 inheritance mode, IQ, learning disorder, ADHD, types of control group, sampling method, and exclusion criteria of NF1 participants were not significant moderators. The substantial visuospatial and visuomotor deficits in the NF1 population highlight the necessity for targeted interventions, and considerable between-study heterogeneity underscores that further exploration of predictors is needed.
{"title":"Visuospatial and Visuomotor Abilities of Individuals with Neurofibromatosis Type 1: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.","authors":"Liyan Yu, Dan Liu, Jonathan M Payne, Jing Zhang, Julia Moreira, Elora Shelly Mukhopadhyay, Angelena Novotney, Mary-Mac Chown, Joel Killam, Yang Hou","doi":"10.1007/s11065-025-09673-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-025-09673-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This meta-analysis estimated the group differences between individuals with and without neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and explored potential moderators. Systematic literature searches identified 2531 unique articles. Among them, 70 studies (183 effect sizes) were included in this meta-analysis, involving 3503 individuals' visuospatial and visuomotor abilities with NF1 (46.67% female; M<sub>age</sub> = 12.60 years) and 3127 individuals without NF1 (52.40% female; M<sub>age</sub> = 13.19 years). Robust standard error estimation techniques and random models were used to calculate standardized group differences. The results showed that individuals with (vs. without) NF1 exhibited significantly lower visuospatial (g = - 0.90; 95% CI [- 1.00, - 0.80], I<sup>2</sup> = 64.59%) and visuomotor abilities (g = - 0.90; 95% CI [- 1.05, - 0.75], I<sup>2</sup> = 74.87%). The moderator analysis revealed that group differences in visuospatial abilities were larger for children with NF1 (g = - 0.95; 95% CI [- 1.06, - 0.84]) than adolescents (g = - 0.64; 95% CI [- 0.91, - 0.37]) and adults (g = - 0.73; 95% CI [- 0.88, - 0.58]). Additionally, a greater between-group difference was found when visuospatial abilities were assessed using Judgment of Line Orientation (g = - 1.06; 95% CI [- 1.17, - 0.94]) than Wechsler Intelligence Scale-Visual Spatial Index (g = - 0.70; 95% CI [- 0.86, - 0.54]). Sex composition, NF1 inheritance mode, IQ, learning disorder, ADHD, types of control group, sampling method, and exclusion criteria of NF1 participants were not significant moderators. The substantial visuospatial and visuomotor deficits in the NF1 population highlight the necessity for targeted interventions, and considerable between-study heterogeneity underscores that further exploration of predictors is needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":49754,"journal":{"name":"Neuropsychology Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144785823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-07-07DOI: 10.1007/s11065-025-09666-6
Ambar Perez-Lao, Gelan Ying, Franchesca Arias, Shellie-Anne Levy, Glenn E Smith
Neuropsychological testing is an essential tool in clinical settings engaged in detecting, treating, or preventing neurocognitive disorders around the world. There is a need for accurate norms across cultures, including Latinx/Hispanic communities. We reviewed studies published in English or Spanish focused on acquiring normative data for Spanish-speaking individuals in the United States (U.S.), Latin America and the Caribean (LAC), and Spain. We searched available studies from Embase, PubMed, PsycINFO APA, Science Direct, and ProQuest up to October 31, 2024. Studies were imported to COVIDENCE and reviewed by two Spanish-English bilingual reviewers and one proficient English reviewer. Ultimately, 75 articles were included and categorized into U.S. (n = 23), LAC (n = 21), Spain (n = 23), and multiregional (n = 8) based. Overall, most studies included a cognitively normal/healthy sample to establish the normative data, adjusting or stratifying for age, education, and sex. In Spanish speakers, cognitive performance improved with advancing age in children and adolescents and declined with age in adults. Higher education was also associated with better performance on tests across regions. While this review highlights the increasing accumulation of norms for Spanish-speaking populations, there is a continued need to expand norms to other Spanish-speaking populations not included in this analysis. Future research should add variables, such as acculturation and bilingualism, to aid normative rigor. This review works as a tool to facilitate and improve the understanding of current normative data.
{"title":"A Systematic Review of Available Normative Data on Neuropsychological Tests for Spanish Speakers in the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean, and Spain.","authors":"Ambar Perez-Lao, Gelan Ying, Franchesca Arias, Shellie-Anne Levy, Glenn E Smith","doi":"10.1007/s11065-025-09666-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11065-025-09666-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neuropsychological testing is an essential tool in clinical settings engaged in detecting, treating, or preventing neurocognitive disorders around the world. There is a need for accurate norms across cultures, including Latinx/Hispanic communities. We reviewed studies published in English or Spanish focused on acquiring normative data for Spanish-speaking individuals in the United States (U.S.), Latin America and the Caribean (LAC), and Spain. We searched available studies from Embase, PubMed, PsycINFO APA, Science Direct, and ProQuest up to October 31, 2024. Studies were imported to COVIDENCE and reviewed by two Spanish-English bilingual reviewers and one proficient English reviewer. Ultimately, 75 articles were included and categorized into U.S. (n = 23), LAC (n = 21), Spain (n = 23), and multiregional (n = 8) based. Overall, most studies included a cognitively normal/healthy sample to establish the normative data, adjusting or stratifying for age, education, and sex. In Spanish speakers, cognitive performance improved with advancing age in children and adolescents and declined with age in adults. Higher education was also associated with better performance on tests across regions. While this review highlights the increasing accumulation of norms for Spanish-speaking populations, there is a continued need to expand norms to other Spanish-speaking populations not included in this analysis. Future research should add variables, such as acculturation and bilingualism, to aid normative rigor. This review works as a tool to facilitate and improve the understanding of current normative data.</p>","PeriodicalId":49754,"journal":{"name":"Neuropsychology Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12302697/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144576773","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-07-07DOI: 10.1007/s11065-025-09669-3
Kelly H Watson, Abagail E Ciriegio, Claire F Miller, Marissa C Roth, Bruce E Compas
The National Institutes of Health Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB) is an assessment tool that has been widely utilized in research with clinical populations across the lifespan. Despite its widespread use, a systematic review and meta-analysis of cognitive function utilizing this battery in clinical samples has not been reported. To address this gap, 84 studies were identified after systematically searching PsycINFO, PubMed, and ProQuest (71 peer-reviewed articles, 11 dissertations, 2 master's theses) comprising 6331 clinical participants. Study quality was assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool. Results identified significant deficits in the Fluid Cognition Composite and the associated subtests (attention, working memory, processing speed, executive function) in clinical samples when compared to both the NIHTB-CB normative data and recruited comparison samples. Unexpectedly, there was some evidence that clinical participants scored higher on Crystallized Cognition subtests than the normative data but scored significantly lower than recruited controls. There was mixed evidence for performance differences on a Total Cognition Composite measure of cognitive function. There was some evidence of publication bias, and results were moderated by study quality and participant demographics. The implications of the findings for clinical research settings are discussed and suggested future directions are provided.
{"title":"A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Use of the National Institutes of Health Toolbox Cognition Battery in Clinical Populations.","authors":"Kelly H Watson, Abagail E Ciriegio, Claire F Miller, Marissa C Roth, Bruce E Compas","doi":"10.1007/s11065-025-09669-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11065-025-09669-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The National Institutes of Health Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB) is an assessment tool that has been widely utilized in research with clinical populations across the lifespan. Despite its widespread use, a systematic review and meta-analysis of cognitive function utilizing this battery in clinical samples has not been reported. To address this gap, 84 studies were identified after systematically searching PsycINFO, PubMed, and ProQuest (71 peer-reviewed articles, 11 dissertations, 2 master's theses) comprising 6331 clinical participants. Study quality was assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool. Results identified significant deficits in the Fluid Cognition Composite and the associated subtests (attention, working memory, processing speed, executive function) in clinical samples when compared to both the NIHTB-CB normative data and recruited comparison samples. Unexpectedly, there was some evidence that clinical participants scored higher on Crystallized Cognition subtests than the normative data but scored significantly lower than recruited controls. There was mixed evidence for performance differences on a Total Cognition Composite measure of cognitive function. There was some evidence of publication bias, and results were moderated by study quality and participant demographics. The implications of the findings for clinical research settings are discussed and suggested future directions are provided.</p>","PeriodicalId":49754,"journal":{"name":"Neuropsychology Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12875090/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144576772","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Episodic memory impairment can persist in persons with HIV (PWH) despite treatment. Depression is among the most prevalent comorbidities in HIV. Changes to brain regions involved in episodic memory like the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex have been well documented in depression. If episodic memory changes occur in PWH, it is important to understand the potential impact of concurrent depressive symptoms (DS). Thus, our objective was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the role of DS in episodic memory in PWH. We included cross-sectional and longitudinal studies that provided episodic memory test scores and a formal assessment of DS expecting that episodic memory in PWH (A) be lower with comorbid DS; (B) negatively correlated with DS severity and incidence of clinical depression; and (C) declines over time with comorbid depression. Following PRIMSA guidelines, 3505 papers were identified, of which 44 studies were ultimately included. Meta-analysis demonstrated that immediate but not delayed recall were lower in PWH with DS than without DS, with small average effect sizes. An inverse relationship between DS severity and episodic memory performance emerged in about a quarter of the studies, with a higher likelihood in studies measuring incidence of clinically elevated DS. If observed, longitudinal memory decline was limited to moderately-severely depressed PWH. Our results suggest that prevention and treatment of clinical levels of depressive symptomatology in PWH remains a paramount target in HIV care with important implications for memory and likely other cognitive functions long-term.
{"title":"Associations Between Depressive Symptoms and Memory Functions in Persons with HIV: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.","authors":"Lujie Xu, Huda Al-Shamali, Tarek Turk, Sandra M Campbell, Esther Fujiwara","doi":"10.1007/s11065-025-09665-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-025-09665-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Episodic memory impairment can persist in persons with HIV (PWH) despite treatment. Depression is among the most prevalent comorbidities in HIV. Changes to brain regions involved in episodic memory like the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex have been well documented in depression. If episodic memory changes occur in PWH, it is important to understand the potential impact of concurrent depressive symptoms (DS). Thus, our objective was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the role of DS in episodic memory in PWH. We included cross-sectional and longitudinal studies that provided episodic memory test scores and a formal assessment of DS expecting that episodic memory in PWH (A) be lower with comorbid DS; (B) negatively correlated with DS severity and incidence of clinical depression; and (C) declines over time with comorbid depression. Following PRIMSA guidelines, 3505 papers were identified, of which 44 studies were ultimately included. Meta-analysis demonstrated that immediate but not delayed recall were lower in PWH with DS than without DS, with small average effect sizes. An inverse relationship between DS severity and episodic memory performance emerged in about a quarter of the studies, with a higher likelihood in studies measuring incidence of clinically elevated DS. If observed, longitudinal memory decline was limited to moderately-severely depressed PWH. Our results suggest that prevention and treatment of clinical levels of depressive symptomatology in PWH remains a paramount target in HIV care with important implications for memory and likely other cognitive functions long-term.</p>","PeriodicalId":49754,"journal":{"name":"Neuropsychology Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144561778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-06-27DOI: 10.1007/s11065-025-09672-8
Ke Cui, Xiaoxiao Lin, Ruirui Gao, Shiqi Jing, Fei Luo, Jinyan Wang
The Bayesian framework conceptualizes human perception as a process of probabilistic inference, where the brain integrates prior expectations with incoming sensory evidence to construct a mental model of the world. Within this framework, several distinct theories-collectively termed the "simple Bayesian model"-suggest that perceptual atypicalities in autism stem from an imbalance between the precision of prior beliefs and sensory input. This study presents a systematic review and the first meta-analysis to evaluate empirical evidence for the simple Bayesian model. We synthesized 24 effect sizes from 23 eligible studies using a random-effects model to test its core predictions: that autistic individuals exhibit universally "broader" priors and/or heightened sensory precision compared to non-autistic controls. We found a significant, small-to-moderate overall effect in the predicted direction (Hedge's g = 0.37). However, heterogeneity across studies was large and significant and was not explained by any of the examined moderators: prior type (structural vs. contextual), stimulus type (social vs. nonsocial), task setting (implicit vs. explicit), cognitive domain (higher-level cognition vs. perception), or participant characteristics. Given the significant unexplained heterogeneity, our findings offer only limited support for a universal "simple Bayesian model" of autism. We conclude that future research should move beyond the simple Bayesian model to investigate more sophisticated, hierarchical Bayesian accounts of autism.
贝叶斯框架将人类的感知概念化为一个概率推理的过程,在这个过程中,大脑将先前的期望与传入的感官证据结合起来,构建一个关于世界的心理模型。在这个框架内,几个不同的理论——统称为“简单贝叶斯模型”——表明,自闭症的感知非典型性源于先验信念的准确性和感官输入之间的不平衡。本研究对简单贝叶斯模型进行了系统回顾和首次荟萃分析,以评估经验证据。我们使用随机效应模型综合了23项符合条件的研究的24个效应大小,以测试其核心预测:与非自闭症对照组相比,自闭症个体普遍表现出“更广泛”的先验和/或更高的感官精度。我们在预测方向上发现了显著的、小到中等的总体效应(Hedge’s g = 0.37)。然而,研究间的异质性是巨大而显著的,并且不能用任何被检查的调节因素来解释:先验类型(结构vs.语境)、刺激类型(社会vs.非社会)、任务设置(内隐vs.外显)、认知领域(高层次认知vs.知觉)或参与者特征。考虑到显著的无法解释的异质性,我们的研究结果仅为自闭症的普遍“简单贝叶斯模型”提供了有限的支持。我们的结论是,未来的研究应该超越简单的贝叶斯模型,研究更复杂、层次更分明的自闭症贝叶斯模型。
{"title":"A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Empirical Evidence for the Simple Bayesian Model of Autism.","authors":"Ke Cui, Xiaoxiao Lin, Ruirui Gao, Shiqi Jing, Fei Luo, Jinyan Wang","doi":"10.1007/s11065-025-09672-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-025-09672-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Bayesian framework conceptualizes human perception as a process of probabilistic inference, where the brain integrates prior expectations with incoming sensory evidence to construct a mental model of the world. Within this framework, several distinct theories-collectively termed the \"simple Bayesian model\"-suggest that perceptual atypicalities in autism stem from an imbalance between the precision of prior beliefs and sensory input. This study presents a systematic review and the first meta-analysis to evaluate empirical evidence for the simple Bayesian model. We synthesized 24 effect sizes from 23 eligible studies using a random-effects model to test its core predictions: that autistic individuals exhibit universally \"broader\" priors and/or heightened sensory precision compared to non-autistic controls. We found a significant, small-to-moderate overall effect in the predicted direction (Hedge's g = 0.37). However, heterogeneity across studies was large and significant and was not explained by any of the examined moderators: prior type (structural vs. contextual), stimulus type (social vs. nonsocial), task setting (implicit vs. explicit), cognitive domain (higher-level cognition vs. perception), or participant characteristics. Given the significant unexplained heterogeneity, our findings offer only limited support for a universal \"simple Bayesian model\" of autism. We conclude that future research should move beyond the simple Bayesian model to investigate more sophisticated, hierarchical Bayesian accounts of autism.</p>","PeriodicalId":49754,"journal":{"name":"Neuropsychology Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144509176","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-06-18DOI: 10.1007/s11065-025-09667-5
Emily Clements, Kristin Naragon-Gainey, Michael Weinborn, Carmela Pestell, Dawn Neumann, David Preece, Rodrigo Becerra
Empathy is the ability to recognise, share and understand others' emotional states. Increasing evidence suggests that empathy may be impacted by acquired brain injury (ABI), with consequences for social and emotional functioning. However, the literature has been characterised by inconsistent findings and small sample sizes. To address these limitations, we provide the first meta-analytic review of empathy in adults with ABI. Specifically, the review aimed to quantify the degree of impairment in adults with ABI across four empathy-related domains: cognitive, affective, empathic concern (e.g. sympathy) and personal distress. We also sought to estimate the prevalence of deficits in each area and explore whether demographic and injury factors moderate impairment. A systematic search yielded 29 studies measuring self-reported empathy in adults with ABI versus healthy, matched peers. A series of random-effects meta-analyses revealed moderate deficits in cognitive empathy (Hedges' g = - 0.68, 95% CI [- 0.87, - 0.50]) and affective empathy (Hedges' g = - 0.43, 95% CI [- 0.65, - 0.21]), as well as small-to-moderate deficits in empathic concern (Hedges' g = - 0.38, 95% CI [- 0.63, - 0.13]). No significant difference was found for personal distress. We estimated the proportion of ABI participants scoring equal to or more than 1 SD below the normative mean to be 15.3-35.0%, depending on the empathy subcomponent. Our results highlight that empathy deficits may play an important role in functional or emotional difficulties post-brain injury. This demonstrates the need for routine clinical assessment of empathy in survivors of brain injury and the need to develop interventions which target both cognitive and affective components.
同理心是一种识别、分享和理解他人情绪状态的能力。越来越多的证据表明,移情可能会受到后天脑损伤(ABI)的影响,并对社会和情感功能产生影响。然而,这些文献的特点是发现不一致,样本量小。为了解决这些局限性,我们提供了首个关于ABI成人共情的元分析综述。具体来说,该综述旨在量化ABI成人在四个共情相关领域的损害程度:认知、情感、共情关注(如同情)和个人痛苦。我们还试图估计每个地区的缺陷患病率,并探讨人口统计学和损伤因素是否会减轻损害。一项系统搜索得出了29项研究,测量了ABI成年人与健康、匹配的同龄人自我报告的同理心。一系列随机效应荟萃分析显示,认知共情(Hedges' g = - 0.68, 95% CI[- 0.87, - 0.50])和情感共情(Hedges' g = - 0.43, 95% CI[- 0.65, - 0.21])存在中度缺陷,共情关注(Hedges' g = - 0.38, 95% CI[- 0.63, - 0.13])存在轻度至中度缺陷。在个人痛苦方面没有发现显著差异。根据共情子成分的不同,我们估计ABI参与者得分等于或大于规范平均值1 SD的比例为15.3-35.0%。我们的研究结果强调,共情缺陷可能在脑损伤后的功能或情绪困难中起重要作用。这表明需要对脑损伤幸存者的共情进行常规临床评估,并需要开发针对认知和情感成分的干预措施。
{"title":"Empathy in Adults with Acquired Brain Injury: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.","authors":"Emily Clements, Kristin Naragon-Gainey, Michael Weinborn, Carmela Pestell, Dawn Neumann, David Preece, Rodrigo Becerra","doi":"10.1007/s11065-025-09667-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-025-09667-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Empathy is the ability to recognise, share and understand others' emotional states. Increasing evidence suggests that empathy may be impacted by acquired brain injury (ABI), with consequences for social and emotional functioning. However, the literature has been characterised by inconsistent findings and small sample sizes. To address these limitations, we provide the first meta-analytic review of empathy in adults with ABI. Specifically, the review aimed to quantify the degree of impairment in adults with ABI across four empathy-related domains: cognitive, affective, empathic concern (e.g. sympathy) and personal distress. We also sought to estimate the prevalence of deficits in each area and explore whether demographic and injury factors moderate impairment. A systematic search yielded 29 studies measuring self-reported empathy in adults with ABI versus healthy, matched peers. A series of random-effects meta-analyses revealed moderate deficits in cognitive empathy (Hedges' g = - 0.68, 95% CI [- 0.87, - 0.50]) and affective empathy (Hedges' g = - 0.43, 95% CI [- 0.65, - 0.21]), as well as small-to-moderate deficits in empathic concern (Hedges' g = - 0.38, 95% CI [- 0.63, - 0.13]). No significant difference was found for personal distress. We estimated the proportion of ABI participants scoring equal to or more than 1 SD below the normative mean to be 15.3-35.0%, depending on the empathy subcomponent. Our results highlight that empathy deficits may play an important role in functional or emotional difficulties post-brain injury. This demonstrates the need for routine clinical assessment of empathy in survivors of brain injury and the need to develop interventions which target both cognitive and affective components.</p>","PeriodicalId":49754,"journal":{"name":"Neuropsychology Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144318525","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-06-14DOI: 10.1007/s11065-025-09668-4
Sammy Moore, Kristin Naragon-Gainey, Carmela F Pestell, Rodrigo Becerra, Melissa T Buelow, Danielle M Fynn, Michael Weinborn
The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) is a popular measure of risky decision-making, but to date, no formal quantitative reviews have been conducted, focused exclusively on IGT performance amongst individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI). Therefore, this meta-analytic study firstly explored performance differences between individuals with ABI vs controls. Second, we extended this comparison by investigating differences in IGT scoring and interpretive approaches (e.g., total score vs later block analysis). Finally, we explored potential IGT performance moderators (e.g., average age). A total of 25 studies, containing 39 samples (total n = 2188), were included. Overall findings suggested that the IGT is sensitive to the presence of ABI, particularly non-TBI and medically confirmed TBI, which becomes evident by block 2 of 5. Medium effect sizes were obtained for IGT total score, as well as indicators using later blocks only. Performance moderators such as population type and region influenced IGT performance, whilst average age, average education, and proportion of males did not. These results indicate that the IGT is sensitive to decision-making impairment following ABI, although we conclude that further research is needed to confirm the IGT's ability to detect impairment relative to specific brain regions.
{"title":"The Level and Nature of Impairment on the Iowa Gambling Task Following Acquired Brain Injury: A Meta-analysis.","authors":"Sammy Moore, Kristin Naragon-Gainey, Carmela F Pestell, Rodrigo Becerra, Melissa T Buelow, Danielle M Fynn, Michael Weinborn","doi":"10.1007/s11065-025-09668-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-025-09668-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) is a popular measure of risky decision-making, but to date, no formal quantitative reviews have been conducted, focused exclusively on IGT performance amongst individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI). Therefore, this meta-analytic study firstly explored performance differences between individuals with ABI vs controls. Second, we extended this comparison by investigating differences in IGT scoring and interpretive approaches (e.g., total score vs later block analysis). Finally, we explored potential IGT performance moderators (e.g., average age). A total of 25 studies, containing 39 samples (total n = 2188), were included. Overall findings suggested that the IGT is sensitive to the presence of ABI, particularly non-TBI and medically confirmed TBI, which becomes evident by block 2 of 5. Medium effect sizes were obtained for IGT total score, as well as indicators using later blocks only. Performance moderators such as population type and region influenced IGT performance, whilst average age, average education, and proportion of males did not. These results indicate that the IGT is sensitive to decision-making impairment following ABI, although we conclude that further research is needed to confirm the IGT's ability to detect impairment relative to specific brain regions.</p>","PeriodicalId":49754,"journal":{"name":"Neuropsychology Review","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144295229","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-06-01Epub Date: 2024-06-13DOI: 10.1007/s11065-024-09643-5
David E Vance, Rebecca Billings, Crystal Chapman Lambert, Pariya L Fazeli, Burel R Goodin, Mirjam-Colette Kempf, Leah H Rubin, Bulent Turan, Jenni Wise, Gerhard Hellemann, Junghee Lee
Social cognition-the complex mental ability to perceive social stimuli and negotiate the social environment-has emerged as an important cognitive ability needed for social functioning, everyday functioning, and quality of life. Deficits in social cognition have been well documented in those with severe mental illness including schizophrenia and depression, those along the autism spectrum, and those with other brain disorders where such deficits profoundly impact everyday life. Moreover, subtle deficits in social cognition have been observed in other clinical populations, especially those that may have compromised non-social cognition (i.e., fluid intelligence such as memory). Among people living with HIV (PLHIV), 44% experience cognitive impairment; likewise, social cognitive deficits in theory of mind, prosody, empathy, and emotional face recognition/perception are gradually being recognized. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to summarize the current knowledge of social cognitive ability among PLHIV, identified by 14 studies focused on social cognition among PLHIV, and provides an objective consensus of the findings. In general, the literature suggests that PLHIV may be at-risk of developing subtle social cognitive deficits that may impact their everyday social functioning and quality of life. The causes of such social cognitive deficits remain unclear, but perhaps develop due to (1) HIV-related sequelae that are damaging the same neurological systems in which social cognition and non-social cognition are processed; (2) stress related to coping with HIV disease itself that overwhelms one's social cognitive resources; or (3) may have been present pre-morbidly, possibly contributing to an HIV infection. From this, a theoretical framework is proposed highlighting the relationships between social cognition, non-social cognition, and social everyday functioning.
{"title":"A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Social Cognition Among People Living with HIV: Implications for Non-Social Cognition and Social Everyday Functioning.","authors":"David E Vance, Rebecca Billings, Crystal Chapman Lambert, Pariya L Fazeli, Burel R Goodin, Mirjam-Colette Kempf, Leah H Rubin, Bulent Turan, Jenni Wise, Gerhard Hellemann, Junghee Lee","doi":"10.1007/s11065-024-09643-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11065-024-09643-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Social cognition-the complex mental ability to perceive social stimuli and negotiate the social environment-has emerged as an important cognitive ability needed for social functioning, everyday functioning, and quality of life. Deficits in social cognition have been well documented in those with severe mental illness including schizophrenia and depression, those along the autism spectrum, and those with other brain disorders where such deficits profoundly impact everyday life. Moreover, subtle deficits in social cognition have been observed in other clinical populations, especially those that may have compromised non-social cognition (i.e., fluid intelligence such as memory). Among people living with HIV (PLHIV), 44% experience cognitive impairment; likewise, social cognitive deficits in theory of mind, prosody, empathy, and emotional face recognition/perception are gradually being recognized. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to summarize the current knowledge of social cognitive ability among PLHIV, identified by 14 studies focused on social cognition among PLHIV, and provides an objective consensus of the findings. In general, the literature suggests that PLHIV may be at-risk of developing subtle social cognitive deficits that may impact their everyday social functioning and quality of life. The causes of such social cognitive deficits remain unclear, but perhaps develop due to (1) HIV-related sequelae that are damaging the same neurological systems in which social cognition and non-social cognition are processed; (2) stress related to coping with HIV disease itself that overwhelms one's social cognitive resources; or (3) may have been present pre-morbidly, possibly contributing to an HIV infection. From this, a theoretical framework is proposed highlighting the relationships between social cognition, non-social cognition, and social everyday functioning.</p>","PeriodicalId":49754,"journal":{"name":"Neuropsychology Review","volume":" ","pages":"381-410"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12328480/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141312059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-06-01Epub Date: 2024-06-13DOI: 10.1007/s11065-024-09644-4
Ignacio Pezoa-Peña, Teresa Julio-Ramos, Igor Cigarroa, Diana Martella, Daniel Solomons, David Toloza-Ramirez
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been found to be promising in the neurorehabilitation of post-stroke patients. Aphasia and cognitive impairment (CI) are prevalent post-stroke; however, there is still a lack of consensus about the characteristics of interventions based on TMS and its neuropsychological and anatomical-functional benefits. Therefore, studies that contribute to creating TMS protocols for these neurological conditions are necessary. To analyze the evidence of the neuropsychological and anatomical-functional TMS effects in post-stroke patients with CI and aphasia and determine the characteristics of the most used TMS in research practice. The present study followed the PRISMA guidelines and included articles from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and EMBASE databases, published between January 2010 and March 2023. In the 15 articles reviewed, it was found that attention, memory, executive function, language comprehension, naming, and verbal fluency (semantic and phonological) are the neuropsychological domains that improved post-TMS. Moreover, TMS in aphasia and post-stroke CI contribute to greater frontal activation (in the inferior frontal gyrus, pars triangularis, and opercularis). Temporoparietal effects were also found. The observed effects occur when TMS is implemented in repetitive modality, at a frequency of 1 Hz, in sessions of 30 min, and that last more than 2 weeks in duration. The use of TMS contributes to the neurorehabilitation process in post-stroke patients with CI and aphasia. However, it is still necessary to standardize future intervention protocols based on accurate TMS characteristics.
经颅磁刺激(TMS)被认为在中风后患者的神经康复中大有可为。失语症和认知障碍(CI)是脑卒中后的常见病,然而,人们对基于 TMS 的干预措施的特点及其神经心理和解剖功能方面的益处仍缺乏共识。因此,有必要开展研究,为这些神经系统疾病制定 TMS 方案。本研究旨在分析 TMS 对脑卒中后 CI 和失语患者的神经心理和解剖功能影响的证据,并确定研究实践中使用最多的 TMS 的特点。本研究遵循 PRISMA 指南,收录了 PubMed、Scopus、Web of Science、ScienceDirect 和 EMBASE 数据库中 2010 年 1 月至 2023 年 3 月间发表的文章。在所查阅的 15 篇文章中,我们发现注意力、记忆力、执行功能、语言理解能力、命名能力和语言流畅性(语义和语音)是经颅磁刺激后得到改善的神经心理学领域。此外,TMS 对失语症和中风后 CI 有助于增强额叶激活(额叶下回、三角旁和厣)。此外,还发现了颞顶叶效应。在以重复方式、1赫兹的频率、30分钟的疗程、持续两周以上的时间进行经颅磁刺激时,观察到的效果就会出现。使用 TMS 有助于脑卒中后 CI 和失语患者的神经康复过程。然而,未来仍有必要根据准确的 TMS 特征对干预方案进行标准化。
{"title":"Neuropsychological and Anatomical-Functional Effects of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Post-Stroke Patients with Cognitive Impairment and Aphasia: A Systematic Review.","authors":"Ignacio Pezoa-Peña, Teresa Julio-Ramos, Igor Cigarroa, Diana Martella, Daniel Solomons, David Toloza-Ramirez","doi":"10.1007/s11065-024-09644-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11065-024-09644-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been found to be promising in the neurorehabilitation of post-stroke patients. Aphasia and cognitive impairment (CI) are prevalent post-stroke; however, there is still a lack of consensus about the characteristics of interventions based on TMS and its neuropsychological and anatomical-functional benefits. Therefore, studies that contribute to creating TMS protocols for these neurological conditions are necessary. To analyze the evidence of the neuropsychological and anatomical-functional TMS effects in post-stroke patients with CI and aphasia and determine the characteristics of the most used TMS in research practice. The present study followed the PRISMA guidelines and included articles from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and EMBASE databases, published between January 2010 and March 2023. In the 15 articles reviewed, it was found that attention, memory, executive function, language comprehension, naming, and verbal fluency (semantic and phonological) are the neuropsychological domains that improved post-TMS. Moreover, TMS in aphasia and post-stroke CI contribute to greater frontal activation (in the inferior frontal gyrus, pars triangularis, and opercularis). Temporoparietal effects were also found. The observed effects occur when TMS is implemented in repetitive modality, at a frequency of 1 Hz, in sessions of 30 min, and that last more than 2 weeks in duration. The use of TMS contributes to the neurorehabilitation process in post-stroke patients with CI and aphasia. However, it is still necessary to standardize future intervention protocols based on accurate TMS characteristics.</p>","PeriodicalId":49754,"journal":{"name":"Neuropsychology Review","volume":" ","pages":"411-425"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141312060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-06-01Epub Date: 2024-06-12DOI: 10.1007/s11065-024-09642-6
Tara A Austin, Michael L Thomas, Min Lu, Cooper B Hodges, Emily S Darowski, Rachel Bergmans, Sarah Parr, Delaney Pickell, Mikayla Catazaro, Crystal Lantrip, Elizabeth W Twamley
To effectively diagnose and treat subjective cognitive symptoms in post-acute sequalae of COVID-19 (PASC), it is important to understand objective cognitive impairment across the range of acute COVID-19 severity. Despite the importance of this area of research, to our knowledge, there are no current meta-analyses of objective cognitive functioning following non-severe initial SARS-CoV-2 infection. The aim of this meta-analysis is to describe objective cognitive impairment in individuals with non-severe (mild or moderate) SARS-CoV-2 cases in the post-acute stage of infection. This meta-analysis was pre-registered with Prospero (CRD42021293124) and utilized the PRISMA checklist for reporting guidelines, with screening conducted by at least two independent reviewers for all aspects of the screening and data extraction process. Fifty-nine articles (total participants = 22,060) with three types of study designs met our full criteria. Individuals with non-severe (mild/moderate) initial SARS-CoV-2 infection demonstrated worse objective cognitive performance compared to healthy comparison participants. However, those with mild (nonhospitalized) initial SARS-CoV-2 infections had better objective cognitive performance than those with moderate (hospitalized but not requiring ICU care) or severe (hospitalized with ICU care) initial SARS-CoV-2 infections. For studies that used normative data comparisons instead of healthy comparison participants, there was a small and nearly significant effect when compared to normative data. There were high levels of heterogeneity (88.6 to 97.3%), likely reflecting small sample sizes and variations in primary study methodology. Individuals who have recovered from non-severe cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections may be at risk for cognitive decline or impairment and may benefit from cognitive health interventions.
{"title":"Meta-analysis of Cognitive Function Following Non-severe SARS-CoV-2 Infection.","authors":"Tara A Austin, Michael L Thomas, Min Lu, Cooper B Hodges, Emily S Darowski, Rachel Bergmans, Sarah Parr, Delaney Pickell, Mikayla Catazaro, Crystal Lantrip, Elizabeth W Twamley","doi":"10.1007/s11065-024-09642-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11065-024-09642-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To effectively diagnose and treat subjective cognitive symptoms in post-acute sequalae of COVID-19 (PASC), it is important to understand objective cognitive impairment across the range of acute COVID-19 severity. Despite the importance of this area of research, to our knowledge, there are no current meta-analyses of objective cognitive functioning following non-severe initial SARS-CoV-2 infection. The aim of this meta-analysis is to describe objective cognitive impairment in individuals with non-severe (mild or moderate) SARS-CoV-2 cases in the post-acute stage of infection. This meta-analysis was pre-registered with Prospero (CRD42021293124) and utilized the PRISMA checklist for reporting guidelines, with screening conducted by at least two independent reviewers for all aspects of the screening and data extraction process. Fifty-nine articles (total participants = 22,060) with three types of study designs met our full criteria. Individuals with non-severe (mild/moderate) initial SARS-CoV-2 infection demonstrated worse objective cognitive performance compared to healthy comparison participants. However, those with mild (nonhospitalized) initial SARS-CoV-2 infections had better objective cognitive performance than those with moderate (hospitalized but not requiring ICU care) or severe (hospitalized with ICU care) initial SARS-CoV-2 infections. For studies that used normative data comparisons instead of healthy comparison participants, there was a small and nearly significant effect when compared to normative data. There were high levels of heterogeneity (88.6 to 97.3%), likely reflecting small sample sizes and variations in primary study methodology. Individuals who have recovered from non-severe cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections may be at risk for cognitive decline or impairment and may benefit from cognitive health interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":49754,"journal":{"name":"Neuropsychology Review","volume":" ","pages":"354-380"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141307276","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}