Neuropsychology Review最新文献

The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize the current evidence on motor learning in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A search of five databases returned a total of 6058 references, 10 of which met criteria for inclusion in this review. The existing evidence was notably variable with an overall moderate risk of bias. Eight articles compared behavioral motor learning outcomes in MCI and age matched, non-cognitively impaired (NCI) samples. In 37.5% of these studies, the degree of motor skill acquisition in the MCI group was statistically significantly less than in the NCI group. Skill retention was only compared between MCI and NCI samples in one article, which reported a relative reduction in MCI group performance following a 24-h, no-practice delay. Importantly, none of the included articles examined motor skill transfer. We discuss possible sources of heterogeneity among collective findings including variability in motor tasks, outcome measurement, and research design. Further research is needed to support a comprehensive understanding of motor learning in the early stages of age-related cognitive decline. Future investigations should emphasize functional motor tasks and clinically relevant learning outcomes, including retention and transfer of motor skills, while controlling for potentially confounding factors such as motivation and sleep performance. This systematic review was registered with PROSPERO international prospective register of systematic reviews (registration ID CRD42023417329).

Developmental topographical disorientation (DTD) refers to a condition of highly impaired navigation ability in healthy individuals. DTD often leads to severe consequences in daily life, affecting education and professional choices and limited everyday mobility. Since its first description in 2009, a substantial number of empirical studies on DTD have appeared, but a clear clinical definition of DTD that can be used to develop a behavioral assessment tool is not yet available. The aim of the current study was to shed more light on the precise behavioral characteristics of DTD by examining the empirical evidence available to date. Recent theoretical developments that enable the classification of navigation impairment in various populations are utilized in the current work. Through a systematic literature review, reported descriptions and criteria for DTD were identified. Furthermore, tests included and performance of people with DTD are classified in the different navigation domains relevant to navigation impairment (landmark knowledge; location knowledge, egocentric and allocentric; and path knowledge, route and survey). A total of 15 empirical papers were included in the analyses, each discussing performance of people with DTD in large-scale spatial tasks. Initial DTD descriptions focused on mental map quality, whereas later work adheres to a more general definition of impaired navigation. Performance patterns show that the navigation impairment in DTD is largely attributable to low mental map quality, as low performance is primarily found for tasks measuring allocentric location knowledge and path knowledge. In contrast, landmark knowledge remains largely unaffected and, if impaired, appears to also include face recognition impairment, suggesting a more general form of visual agnosia. Egocentric location knowledge is often not included in assessments. The outcomes support the initial focus on poor mental map quality as the key characteristic of DTD, combined with a landmark-focused navigation strategy. The current findings therefore provide relevant input to the development of a clinical characterization of DTD and the development of appropriate assessment tools.

Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, with a long preclinical phase of many decades. Accurate classification within longitudinal cohort studies is crucial for understanding disease progression and for the comparability and collaboration across studies. The main objective of this systematic review was to identify and compare the diagnostic criteria used in prospective population study cohorts centering on the Alzheimer's disease clinical continuum in older adults. A review was performed of cohort studies started in the year 2000 or later, with a follow-up duration of at least 3 years among people aged between 50 and 85 years old living in the community. Original studies were searched in MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. Two independent reviewers agreed on the final selection of 28 studies covering 25 cohorts. One study was identified by three independent judges as having methodological limitations due to inadequate reporting as per the modified NIH quality assessment tool. Data was extracted from each included study using a standardized extraction form. In general, the studies followed fewer than 1500 participants. The results showed convergence in the choice of diagnostic classification criteria among the 25 cohorts studied especially for the later stages of AD, while criteria for the earliest stages showed greater variability. Only five cohorts studied were concerned with the follow-up of the full spectrum of the disease. Our study may help to put in place a unified set of clinical diagnostic criteria across the continuum of Alzheimer's disease, rather than criteria developed specifically for a given study.

A longstanding issue concerns the extent to which episodic autobiographical memory (EAM) and episodic future thinking (EFT) are the expression of the same cognitive ability and may be dissociated at the neural level. Here, we provided an updated picture of overlaps and dissociations between brain networks supporting EAM and EFT, using Activation Likelihood Estimation. Moreover, we tested the hypothesis that spatial gradients characterize the transition between activations associated with the two domains, in line with accounts positing a transition in the relative predominance of their features and process components. We showed the involvement of a core network across EAM and EFT, including midline structures, the bilateral hippocampus/parahippocampus, angular gyrus and anterior middle temporal gyrus (aMTG) and the left superior frontal gyrus (SFG). Contrast analyses highlighted a cluster in the right aMTG significantly more activated during EFT compared with EAM. Finally, gradiental transitions were found in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, left SFG, and bilateral aMTG. Results show that differences between EAM and EFT may arise at least partially through the organization of specific regions of common activation along functional gradients, and help to advocate between different theoretical accounts.

The aging population is increasing the prevalence of dementia, neurodegenerative disorders, and mild cognitive impairment, which are associated with cognitive declines in executive functioning. In people with these disorders, accurate tests can aid in the early detection of executive functioning decline and facilitate access to interventions. The Hayling and Brixton tests (HBTs) are popular executive functioning tests that assess inhibitory control. The HBTs may be especially effective for detecting people with disorders that are associated with disinhibition, such as behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). However, the effectiveness of the HBTs for detecting cognitive decline in dementia, neurodegenerative disorders, and mild cognitive impairment has yet to be collated. A comprehensive search of five databases identified 50 studies that compared the HBTs performances of adults aged 40 years and over with a dementia, neurodegenerative disorder, or mild cognitive impairment (e.g., Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's dementia, bvFTD) and cognitively-healthy controls. Hedges' g effect sizes compared groups on the five HBTs scores (Inhibition Errors, Inhibition Reaction Time (RT), Automatic RT, Inhibition minus Automatic RT, and Brixton Errors). The disorders (combined) showed negative effects on all HBTs scores (g - 0.37 to - 1.13), with dementia (combined) performing the worst (g - 0.54 to - 1.56). Automatic RT and Inhibition Errors were the most effective scores for detecting cognitive decline in dementia (g - 1.55; g - 1.34). The dementia types performed similar after outliers were removed and only studies with low risk-of-bias were analyzed. Overall, the HBTs are effective for detecting cognitive decline in middle to older aged adults, especially those with dementia. However, no score type can be recommended for differentiating the dementia types, such as AD and bvFTD.

Over the past decade, research using virtual reality and serious game-based instruments for assessing spatial navigation and spatial memory in at-risk and AD populations has risen. We systematically reviewed the literature since 2012 to identify and evaluate the methodological quality and risk of bias in the analyses of the psychometric properties of VRSG-based instruments. The search was conducted primarily in July-December 2022 and updated in November 2023 in eight major databases. The quality of instrument development and study design were analyzed in all studies. Measurement properties were defined and analyzed according to COSMIN guidelines. A total of 1078 unique records were screened, and following selection criteria, thirty-seven studies were analyzed. From these studies, 30 instruments were identified. Construct and criterion validity were the most reported measurement properties, while structural validity and internal consistency evidence were the least reported. Nineteen studies were deemed very good in construct validity, whereas 11 studies reporting diagnostic accuracy were deemed very good in quality. Limitations regarding theoretical framework and research design requirements were found in most of the studies. VRSG-based instruments are valuable additions to the current diagnostic toolkit for AD. Further research is required to establish the psychometric performance and clinical utility of VRSG-based instruments, particularly the instrument development, content validity, and diagnostic accuracy for preclinical AD screening scenarios. This review provides a straightforward synthesis of the state of the art of VRSG-based instruments and suggests future directions for research.

Autism is more frequently diagnosed in males, with evidence suggesting that females are more likely to be misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed. Possibly, the male/female ratio imbalance relates to phenotypic and camouflaging differences between genders. Here, we performed a comprehensive approach to phenotypic and camouflaging research in autism addressed in two studies. First (Study 1 - Phenotypic Differences in Autism), we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of gender differences in autism phenotype. The electronic datasets Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsychInfo were searched. We included 67 articles that compared females and males in autism core symptoms, and in cognitive, socioemotional, and behavioural phenotypes. Autistic males exhibited more severe symptoms and social interaction difficulties on standard clinical measures than females, who, in turn, exhibited more cognitive and behavioural difficulties. Considering the hypothesis of camouflaging possibly underlying these differences, we then conducted a meta-analysis of gender differences in camouflaging (Study 2 - Camouflaging Differences in Autism). The same datasets as the first study were searched. Ten studies were included. Females used more compensation and masking camouflage strategies than males. The results support the argument of a bias in clinical procedures towards males and the importance of considering a 'female autism phenotype'-potentially involving camouflaging-in the diagnostic process.

Researchers and clinicians have long used meaningful intransitive (i.e., not tool-related; MFI) gestures to assess apraxia-a complex and frequent motor-cognitive disorder. Nevertheless, the neurocognitive bases of these gestures remain incompletely understood. Models of apraxia have assumed that meaningful intransitive gestures depend on either long-term memory (i.e., semantic memory and action lexicons) stored in the left hemisphere, or social cognition and the right hemisphere. This meta-analysis of 42 studies reports the performance of 2659 patients with either left or right hemisphere damage in tests of meaningful intransitive gestures, as compared to other gestures (i.e., MFT or meaningful transitive and MLI or meaningless intransitive) and cognitive tests. The key findings are as follows: (1) deficits of meaningful intransitive gestures are more frequent and severe after left than right hemisphere lesions, but they have been reported in both groups; (2) we found a transitivity effect in patients with lesions of the left hemisphere (i.e., meaningful transitive gestures more difficult than meaningful intransitive gestures) but a "reverse" transitivity effect in patients with lesions of the right hemisphere (i.e., meaningful transitive gestures easier than meaningful intransitive gestures); (3) there is a strong association between meaningful intransitive and transitive (but not meaningless) gestures; (4) isolated deficits of meaningful intransitive gestures are more frequent in cases with right than left hemisphere lesions; (5) these deficits may occur in the absence of language and semantic memory impairments; (6) meaningful intransitive gesture performance seems to vary according to the emotional content of gestures (i.e., body-centered gestures and emotional valence-intensity). These findings are partially consistent with the social cognition hypothesis. Methodological recommendations are given for future studies.

Previous studies have investigated the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on cognitive functions. However, these studies reported inconsistent results due to differences in experiment design, measurements, and stimulation parameters. Nonetheless, there is a lack of meta-analyses and review studies on tDCS and its impact on cognitive functions, including working memory, inhibition, flexibility, and theory of mind. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of tDCS studies published from the earliest available data up to October 2021, including studies reporting the effects of tDCS on cognitive functions in human populations. Therefore, these systematic review and meta-analysis aim to comprehensively analyze the effects of anodal and cathodal tDCS on cognitive functions by investigating 69 articles with a total of 5545 participants. Our study reveals significant anodal tDCS effects on various cognitive functions. Specifically, we observed improvements in working memory reaction time (RT), inhibition RT, flexibility RT, theory of mind RT, working memory accuracy, theory of mind accuracy and flexibility accuracy. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate noteworthy cathodal tDCS effects, enhancing working memory accuracy, inhibition accuracy, flexibility RT, flexibility accuracy, theory of mind RT, and theory of mind accuracy. Notably, regarding the influence of stimulation parameters of tDCS on cognitive functions, the results indicated significant differences across various aspects, including the timing of stimulation (online vs. offline studies), population type (clinical vs. healthy studies), stimulation duration (< 15 min vs. > 15 min), electrical current intensities (1-1.5 m.A vs. > 1.5 m.A), stimulation sites (right frontal vs. left frontal studies), age groups (young vs. older studies), and different cognitive tasks in each cognitive functioning aspect. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that tDCS can effectively enhance cognitive task performance, offering valuable insights into the potential benefits of this method for cognitive improvement.

The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) was designed to assess decision-making under conditions of complexity and uncertainty; it is currently one of the most widely used tests to assess decision-making in both experimental and clinical settings. In the original version of the task, participants are given a loan of play money and four decks of cards and are asked to maximize profits. Although any single card unpredictably yields wins/losses, variations in frequency and size of gains/losses ultimately make two decks more advantageous in the long term. Several studies have previously suggested that there may be a sex-related difference in IGT performance. Thus, the present study aimed to explore and quantify sex differences in IGT performance by pooling the results of 110 studies. The meta-analysis revealed that males tend to perform better than females on the classic 100-trial IGT (UMD = 3.381; p < 0.001). Furthermore, the significant heterogeneity observed suggests high variability in the results obtained by individual studies. Results were not affected by publication bias or other moderators. Factors that may contribute to differences in male and female performance are discussed, such as functional sex-related asymmetries in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and amygdala, as well as differences in sensitivity to wins/losses.