Applied Neuropsychology-Adult最新文献

Previous studies have demonstrated that the activation of stereotype conflict is similar to the N400 congruency effect shown by the activation of semantic violation. In order to distinguish the differences between the two, the first experiment used gender stereotype trait words as target stimuli, and used "male/female" and "synonym of trait words/antonym of trait words" as priming stimuli respectively, so that the subjects completed the consistency determination task. In experiment 2, gender stereotyped behavior pictures were used as target stimuli, and "male/female" was used as priming stimuli, so that the subjects completed the task of consistency determination. The results showed that both gender stereotype conflict and semantic violation could induce N400 a congruency effect. Importantly, the N400 amplitude and response latency induced by gender stereotype activation are both smaller than those induced by semantic activation. These results show that stereotype activation is distinct from semantic activation, further demonstrating that the brain preferentially processes information related to gender stereotypes, and gender stereotype cognitive processing is more likely to happen than semantic knowledge processing.

Research suggests that individuals with Huntington's disease (HD) perform better than individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) on the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) Yes/No Recognition trial. However, those with HD have been shown to have deficits comparable to those with AD on the Source Recognition Discriminability (RD) index (which assesses the ability to distinguish between List A targets and List B distractors), suggesting that HD may involve selective impairment in aspects of yes/no recognition that rely on source memory. However, whether individuals with HD and AD show comparable deficits on Source RD across stages of dementia severity has not been adequately investigated. We examined performance on the CVLT-3 List A vs. List B RD index in individuals with HD or AD and mild or moderate dementia. Among individuals with mild dementia, scores were higher in the HD versus AD group, whereas among individuals with moderate dementia, scores were comparable between the HD and AD groups; this corresponded to differential performance across dementia stages among individuals with HD, but not AD. The present findings suggest that, relative to AD, HD may be associated with disproportionate decline in aspects of yes/no recognition that rely on source memory.

In this study, we investigated the outcome of goal attainment in individual and group-based neuropsychological intervention for young adults with dyslexia. Participants (N = 120) were randomly assigned to individual intervention, group intervention, or wait-list control group. Attainment of goals set personally before the intervention was evaluated after the intervention using Goal Attainment Scaling. The participants were asked to report the number of concrete changes made in their study or working habits at five months (after intervention or wait-list control time), at ten months, and 15 months post-interventions. Potential predictive factors for predicting goal attainment were evaluated including background and cognitive variables, self-reported psychological variables (mood, cognitive and behavioral strategies, self-esteem, quality of life), and self-reported behavioral variables (concrete changes made, time used to work on intervention matters). Based on the results, personal goals were, on average, met especially in individual intervention. Nearly 50% of goal attainment was explained by intervention type, behavioral and cognitive strategies, concrete changes made, cognitive capacity, and used time. Concrete changes, e.g., adopting new strategies and methods in study or working habits, were reported in both interventions and more than during the wait-list control period. The changes seemed long-lasting as fifteen months post-intervention, 76.4% reported still using the learned strategies. A structured and relatively short neuropsychological intervention for dyslexia in either individual or group format can lead to attaining pre-set personal goals and positive behavioral changes that can last up to over a year post-intervention.

Context: Recent research and the majority of neuropsychological testing manuals emphasize the importance of establishing a proper relationship between the evaluator and the evaluatee. However, there is relatively little empirical research on this point.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to operationalize empathy in the evaluator/evaluatee relationship during neuropsychological assessment. The subsequent aim was to determine the impact of this empathy on the evaluator/evaluatee relationship and cognitive performance.

Methods: The participants, designated as "evaluatees", were randomly assigned to complete a brief neuropsychological test in either an empathic (N = 47) or neutral condition (N = 47). The neuropsychological tests included the Stroop task from the GREFEX battery, the Letter-Number Sequencing from the WAIS-IV, and the d2 test of attention. Following the tests, participants completed scales indicating perceived relationship with the evaluator, lived experience of the test, and sociodemographic information.

Results: The manipulation check indicated that it was possible to manipulate empathy. Evaluators demonstrating empathy led to a better evaluator/evaluatee relationship. However, the results regarding cognitive performance were less consistent.

Conclusions: In conclusion, there is a need for improvement in clinical neuropsychological practice with regard to relational competencies during testing. This study proposes benchmarks to make the evaluator's empathy perceptible. This technique has not been shown to have a consistent effect on cognitive performance.

Assessment of executive and visuospatial neurocognitive domains is lacking in the Omani population, especially for elderly individuals with low educational levels. Therefore, the Towers of Kuwait-Arabic Neurocognitive Assessment (ToK-ArNA) was developed using similar psychometric features of Tower of London (ToL) test, and the unique architecture of Towers of Kuwait, with the potential to overcome the limitation of ToL color perception difficulties that might be encountered in subjects with hereditary or acquired color vision disorders. We enrolled 120 older Arabic-speaking Omanis from January 2022 to November 2022 and all participants underwent screening to ensure normal cognitive function before performing the ToL and ToK-ArNA tests. Validity, reliability, and non-parametric statistical tests were used for data analysis. A total of 85 participants, 51 men (60%) and 34 women (40%) met the inclusion criteria and completed the testing. Statistical analyses confirmed the validity and reliability of ToK-ArNA compared to ToL, with comparable total Time and Accuracy scores and more preference towered the ToK-ArNA among the participants. Despite the study limitations, these results indicate that the ToK-ArNA is a reliable and applicable executive and visuospatial function assessment tool and further studies are warranted to establish its validity in patients with various neurocognitive disorders.

In spite of its importance, studies presenting detailed development procedures of alternate forms of verbal memory paradigms remains limited and unclear in terms of word selection criteria, while failing to consider word familiarity factors, despite its crucial role on episodic memory retrieval and encoding mechanisms. The present study aims to present the cross-cultural linguistic adaptation and development procedures of alternate forms of the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test to the Brazilian context (FCSRT) based on word familiarity. After translation and backtranslation procedures, 231 new words were gathered and underwent a step-by-step familiarity analysis. Initially, overall familiarity feel of each word was assessed through the Familiarity Form (FF) during phase 1, and exposure frequency to words were later assessed through the Familiarity Questionnaire (FQ) completed by healthy controls during phase 2 with the remaining words considered ambiguous in terms of familiarity. Three alternate forms of the FCRST were then developed and assessed in terms of familiarity by the FQ during phase 3, and later administered in healthy control groups during phase 4. Repeated measures analysis revealed no significant differences in terms of familiarity and memory performance among the developed forms. Limitations are discussed, and recommendations are offered for future studies.

Aim: This study aims to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Standard Assessment of Global Everyday Activities (SAGEA) scale in older adults.

Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional, methodological design. The SAGEA scale was administered twice, with a two-week interval for test-retest reliability. The study examined correlations between the SAGEA and other functional measures including the Activities of Daily Living (BADL), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT), and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).

Results: The participants were 307 community-dwelling older adults who underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment at a university hospital. The average age of the participants was 74.93 years. SAGEA scores showed strong correlations with BADL (-.620), IADL (-.802), TUGT (.613), and MMSE (-.784). The Cronbach alpha for internal consistency was .79, and the test-retest reliability was high (r=.99, p<.001).

Conclusion: The Turkish version of SAGEA (TSAGEA) is a quick, reliable, and validated scale that can be easily used in clinical practice without additional training. It effectively assesses both physical and cognitive functionality in older adults, aiding in early intervention and disability prevention.

Mental processes responsible for goal-oriented behavior - executive functioning (EF) - include working memory, flexible thinking, and cognitive control. A reliable and valid assessment of EF can inform appropriate interventions and decisions to drive. We investigated the feasibility and validity of a short, iPad-administered EF screening tool in a non-clinical sample: the Coffs Harbour Executive Functioning Screen (CHEFS). Participants (N = 55) completed the CHEFS alongside a neuropsychological assessment of EF used to assess fitness to drive. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) showed that the CHEFS correctly classified 87% of participants to normative clinical ranges on the Verbal Fluency Test. The results suggest that CHEFS is a novel, easily administered tool for assessing EF in a non-clinical sample. DFA is an appropriate within-tool analysis to support the widespread administration of a screening tool to determine fitness to drive and classify patient referral needs. Further assessment is required to determine CHEFS reliability and validity with a broader range of participants varying in neuropsychological functioning, age, ethnicity, test experience, and compared to on-road driving performance.

Executive functions (EF) decline with age and this decline in older adults with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) may be influenced by heart rate variability (HRV), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and physical fitness. Understanding these relationships is important for tailored treatments in this population. In this study, 51 adults with GAD (M age = 66.46, SD = 4.08) and 51 healthy controls (M age = 67.67, SD = 4.04) were assessed on cognitive inhibition (Stroop task), shifting (Trails part 4), flexibility (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test - Perseverative errors), working memory (Digit Span Backwards), IQ (Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence), high frequency HRV, serum mature BDNF levels, and VO₂ max. Results indicated that participants with GAD exhibited better cognitive inhibition compared to controls, with no general reduction in EF. Cognitive inhibition was predicted by gender, HRV, and BDNF levels, while cognitive shifting was predicted by gender and IQ, and cognitive flexibility and working memory by IQ. The enhanced cognitive inhibition in GAD participants might stem from maladaptive use of this function, characteristic of GAD, or protection from EF decline due to normal HRV. Increased BDNF levels, possibly due to good fitness, or compensatory mechanisms related to the disorder, might also play a role. These findings highlight the complexity of EF and related mechanisms in GAD, highlighting the need for interventions that consider both cognitive and physiological factors for optimal outcomes.

Reading and writing difficulties are commonly observed after traumatic and non-traumatic brain disorders (T-nTBDs). In this study, we investigated whether: (a) differentiation between acquired dyslexia (AD) and aphasia is possible in patients with T-nTBDs; (b) AD patterns constitute the subtype of Acquired Phonological Dyslexia (APhD); and (c) there are causal interactions between brain lesions and the APhD phenotype. A total of 22 Greek patients with T-nTBDs receiving a six-month intensive speech treatment were recruited for the study. The Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) and the Dyslexia Adults Screening Test (DAST) were applied. The significant statistical correlations between the DAST tests of "Semantic Fluency" and "Nonsense Passage Reading" (p = .006), along with their statistically significant effect on the Dyslexia Quotient (p = .044, p = .020, respectively), highlighted the prevalence of the APhD type. A network of brain lesions was found to be significantly involved in rapid naming, reading, and working memory difficulties. Results indicated that in several patients with T-nTBDs diagnostic APhD patterns potentially different from those of aphasia have been circumscribed and construed by brain lesions involving different but interacting components of the non-lexical route. Such findings are primary as well as decisive for the effective rehabilitation of patients with T-nTBSs.