Neuropsychology Review最新文献

Orienting attention by social gaze cues shares some characteristics with orienting attention by non-social arrow cues, but it is unclear whether they rely on similar neural mechanisms. The present ALE-meta-analysis assessed the pattern of brain activation reported in 40 single experiments (18 with arrows, 22 with gaze), with a total number of 806 participants. Our findings show that the network for orienting attention by social gaze and by non-social arrow cues is in part functionally segregated. Orienting by both types of cues relies on the activity of brain regions involved in endogenous attention (the superior frontal gyrus). Importantly, only orienting by gaze cues was also associated with the activity of brain regions involved in exogenous attention (medial frontal gyrus), processing gaze, and mental state attribution (superior temporal sulcus, temporoparietal junction).

Mathematics incorporates a broad range of skills, which includes basic early numeracy skills, such as subitizing and basic counting to more advanced secondary skills including mathematics calculation and reasoning. The aim of this review was to undertake a detailed investigation of the severity and pattern of early numeracy and secondary mathematics skills in people with epilepsy. Searches were guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Twenty adult studies and 67 child studies were included in this review. Overall, meta-analyses revealed significant moderate impairments across all mathematics outcomes in both adults (g= -0.676), and children (g= -0.593) with epilepsy. Deficits were also observed for specific mathematics outcomes. For adults, impairments were found for mathematics reasoning (g= -0.736). However, two studies found that mathematics calculation was not significantly impaired, and an insufficient number of studies examined early numeracy skills in adults. In children with epilepsy, significant impairments were observed for each mathematics outcome: early numeracy (g= -0.383), calculation (g= -0.762), and reasoning (g= -0.572). The gravity of impairments also differed according to the site of seizure focus for children and adults, suggesting that mathematics outcomes were differentially vulnerable to the location of seizure focus.

In recent years, there has been an increasing quest in improving our understanding of the neurocognitive deficits underlying adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Current statistical manuals of psychiatric disorders emphasize inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms, but empirical studies have also shown consistent alterations in inhibitory control. To date, there is no established neuropsychological test to assess inhibitory control deficits in adult ADHD. A common paradigm for assessing response inhibition is the stop-signal task (SST). Following PRISMA-selection criteria, our systematic review and meta-analysis integrated the findings of 26 publications with 27 studies examining the SST in adult ADHD. The meta-analysis, which included 883 patients with adult ADHD and 916 control participants, revealed reliable inhibitory control deficits, as expressed in prolonged SST response times, with a moderate effect size $g$ = 0.51 (95% CI: 0.376-0.644, $p$ < 0.0001). The deficits were not moderated by study quality, sample characteristics or clinical parameters, suggesting that they may be a phenotype in this disorder. The analyses of secondary outcome measures revealed greater SST omission errors and reduced go accuracy in patients, indicative of altered sustained attention. However, only few (N < 10) studies were available for these measures. Our meta-analysis suggests that the SST, in conjunction with other tests and questionnaires, could become a valuable tool for assessing inhibitory control deficits in adult ADHD.

Clinical studies examining the effects of vitamin D on cognition have reported inconsistent results. To date, no comprehensive study has examined this effect on the basis of sample characteristics or intervention model-related factors. This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials investigated the effects of vitamin D supplementation on global cognitive function and specific cognitive domains. This review was preregistered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42021249908) and comprised 24 trials enrolling 7557 participants (mean age: 65.21 years; 78.54% women). The meta-analysis revealed that vitamin D significantly influenced global cognition (Hedges' g = 0.128, p = .008) but not specific cognitive domains. A subgroup analysis indicated that the effect size of vitamin D was stronger for vulnerable populations (Hedges' g = 0.414) and those with baseline vitamin D deficiency (Hedges' g = 0.480). On the basis of subgroup analyses in studies without biological flaws (Hedges' g = 0.549), we suggest that an intervention model should correct baseline vitamin D deficiency. Our results indicate that vitamin D supplementation has a small but significant positive effect on cognition in adults.

Cognitive reserve explains the differences in the susceptibility to cognitive impairment related to brain aging, pathology, or insult. Given that cognitive reserve has important implications for the cognitive health of typically and pathologically aging older adults, research needs to identify valid and reliable instruments for measuring cognitive reserve. However, the measurement properties of current cognitive reserve instruments used in older adults have not been evaluated according to the most up-to-date COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN). This systematic review aimed to critically appraise, compare, and summarize the quality of the measurement properties of all existing cognitive reserve instruments for older adults. A systematic literature search was performed to identify relevant studies published up to December 2021, which was conducted by three of four researchers using 13 electronic databases and snowballing method. The COSMIN was used to assess the methodological quality of the studies and the quality of measurement properties. Out of the 11,338 retrieved studies, only seven studies that concerned five instruments were eventually included. The methodological quality of one-fourth of the included studies was doubtful and three-seventh was very good, while only four measurement properties from two instruments were supported by high-quality evidence. Overall, current studies and evidence for selecting cognitive reserve instruments suitable for older adults were insufficient. All included instruments have the potential to be recommended, while none of the identified cognitive reserve instruments for older adults appears to be generally superior to the others. Therefore, further studies are recommended to validate the measurement properties of existing cognitive reserve instruments for older adults, especially the content validity as guided by COSMIN.Systematic Review Registration numbers: CRD42022309399 (PROSPERO).

Preterm birth (< 37 weeks gestation) has been associated with memory deficits, which has prompted investigation of possible alterations in hippocampal volume in this population. However, existing literature reports varying effects of premature birth on hippocampal volume. Specifically, it is unclear whether smaller hippocampal volume in preterm-born individuals is merely reflective of smaller total brain volume. Further, it is not clear if hippocampal volume is associated with episodic memory functioning in preterm-born individuals. Meta-analysis was used to investigate the effects of premature birth on hippocampal volume and episodic memory from early development to young adulthood (birth to 26). PubMed, PsychINFO, and Web of Science were searched for English peer-reviewed articles that included hippocampal volume of preterm and term-born individuals. Thirty articles met the inclusion criteria. Separate meta-analyses were used to evaluate standardized mean differences between preterm and term-born individuals in uncorrected and corrected hippocampal volume, as well as verbal and visual episodic memory. Both uncorrected and corrected hippocampal volume were smaller in preterm-born compared to term-born individuals. Although preterm-born individuals had lower episodic memory performance than term-born individuals, the limited number of studies only permitted a qualitative review of the association between episodic memory performance and hippocampal volume. Tested moderators included mean age, pre/post-surfactant era, birth weight, gestational age, demarcation method, magnet strength, and slice thickness. With this meta-analysis, we provide novel evidence of the effects of premature birth on hippocampal volume.

Attention, working memory, and executive control are commonly considered distinct cognitive functions with important reciprocal interactions. Yet, longstanding evidence from lesion studies has demonstrated both overlap and dissociation in their behavioural expression and anatomical underpinnings, suggesting that a lower dimensional framework could be employed to further identify processes supporting goal-directed behaviour. Here, we describe the anatomical and functional correspondence between attention, working memory, and executive control by providing an overview of cognitive models, as well as recent data from lesion studies, invasive and non-invasive multimodal neuroimaging and brain stimulation. We emphasize the benefits of considering converging evidence from multiple methodologies centred on the identification of brain mechanisms supporting goal-driven behaviour. We propose that expanding on this approach should enable the construction of a comprehensive anatomo-functional framework with testable new hypotheses, and aid clinical neuroscience to intervene on impairments of executive functions.

Unilateral Spatial Neglect is a disabling neuropsychological deficit. Patients with spatial neglect fail to detect and report events, and to perform actions in the side of space contralateral to a hemispheric cerebral lesion. Neglect is assessed by evaluating the patients' abilities in daily life activities and by psychometric tests. Computer-based, portable and Virtual Reality technologies may provide more and precise data, and be more sensitive and informative, compared to current paper-and-pencil procedures. Studies since 2010, in which such technologies have been used, are reviewed. Forty-two articles meeting inclusion criteria are categorized according to their technological approaches (computer-, graphics tablet or tablet-, virtual reality-based assessment, and other). The results are promising. However, a definite golden standard, technologically based procedure cannot be still established. Developing technologically based tests is a laborious process, which requires technical and user experience improvements as well as normative data, to increase the evidence of efficacy for clinical evaluation of at least some of the tests considered in this review.

Accumulating evidence has shown the effectiveness of cognitive interventions, which can be divided into cognitive training (CT), cognitive stimulation (CS), cognitive rehabilitation (CR), and combined interventions (i.e., cognitive interventions combined with other non-pharmacological interventions such as physical exercise), in individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the effectiveness of cognitive interventions varies greatly among studies and more comprehensive studies are required. We aimed to evaluate whether the current evidence shows that cognitive interventions are effective at improving cognition, neuropsychiatric symptoms, depression, quality of life, and basic activities of daily living among individuals with possible or probable AD. Randomized controlled trials of all types of cognitive intervention were identified for inclusion in pairwise and network meta-analyses. There was a moderate and statistically significant post-intervention improvement in global cognition among individuals with AD for all types of cognitive intervention compared to control interventions (39 studies, g = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.28 to 0.58, p < 0.01; Q = 102.27, df = 38, p < 0.01; I² = 61.97%, τ² = 0.13). Regarding the specific types of cognitive intervention, combined interventions had the highest surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) value (90.7%), followed by CT (67.8%), CS (53.4%), and lastly CR (28.9%). Significant effects of cognitive interventions were also found for working memory, verbal memory, verbal fluency, confrontation naming, attention, neuropsychiatric symptoms, basic activities of daily living, and quality of life.