Development of a real-world simulated instrument for evaluating visuospatial working memory: a preliminary psychometric study on older adults.

BACKGROUND: A prevalent challenge in neuropsychological assessment, particularly when utilizing instruments designed for controlled laboratory environments, is that the outcomes may not correspond to an individual's real-life status. Accordingly, assessments of visuospatial working memory (VSWM) conducted in such settings might fail to capture certain facets of this function, as it operates in real life. On the other hand, entirely ecological assessments may risk compromising internal validity. This study aimed to develop an intermediate mode of assessment that measures VSWM in older adults by employing a setting, a task, and a response format that aligns closely with both laboratory and ecological assessments. Furthermore, a preliminary investigation was carried out to study the variations in spatial cognition among different demographic groups. METHODS: In a two-session study, 77 healthy older adults, eight patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and seven patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) were recruited to complete the wayfinding questionnaire (WQ), the Corsi block-tapping task (CBTT), and the Spatial Memory Table (SMT). The SMT is a novel instrument developed specifically for this study, aiming to provide a more accurate measure of VSWM performance in older adults' everyday life. Test-retest and split-half reliabilities, as well as the face, content, concurrent, convergent, and known-groups validities, were analyzed to investigate the psychometric properties of the SMT. RESULTS: The analyses were mainly centered on studying the psychometric properties of the SMT. Test-retest reliability (r = .753, p < .001) and split-half reliability (ρSC = 0.747) were found to be acceptable. Concurrent validity using CBTT (r = .264, p = .021), convergent validity using WQ subscales (navigation and orientation: r = .282, p = .014; distance estimation: r = .261, p = .024), and known-groups validity using the SMT scores among people with MCI and AD (χ2 = 35.194, df = 2, p < .001) were also indicative of the instrument's good validity. Data analysis also revealed acceptable levels of face validity (U = 4.50; p = .095) and content validity (CVR ≥ 0.60). As a result of comparing VSWM and wayfinding variables across genders and education levels, a significant difference was observed for navigation and orientation and spatial anxiety between women and men (p < .05). None of the variables were different among education levels. CONCLUSION: The SMT was found to be a reliable and valid tool for measuring VSWM performance in older adults. Given these findings, the SMT can be regarded as a measure that sufficiently approximates both laboratory and real-life demands for VSWM. Additionally, the instrument demonstrated a preliminary acceptable capacity to differentiate between healthy individuals and those with MCI and AD.

Cognitive training interventions for substance use disorders: what they really offer?

Cognitive training (CT) has emerged as a potential therapeutic approach for substance use disorders (SUD), aiming to restore cognitive impairments and potentially improve treatment outcomes. However, despite promising findings, the effectiveness of CT in real-life applications and its impact on SUD symptoms has remained unclear. This perspective article critically examines the existing evidence on CT for SUD and explores the challenges and gaps in implementing CT interventions. It emphasizes the need for clarity in expectations and decision-making from a public health standpoint, advocating for comprehensive studies that consider a broader range of SUD consequences and utilize measures that reflect patients' actual experiences.

Inequalities in care for Iranian women suffering from the comorbidity of substance use and mental illness: The need for integrated treatment.

This paper addresses the comorbidity of substance use and mental illness among women in Iran and the barriers they encounter in accessing treatment. Research has demonstrated a higher prevalence of comorbidity of substance use disorders and mental illness among women than men. It has been suggested that women in Iran may face numerous barriers to appropriate care, such as stigma and discrimination associated with substance use. Integrated treatment for co-occurring disorders (CODs) has been highly beneficial and effective; however, personal and structural limitations impede this treatment approach, which explains the need to develop a situation- and culture-specific program. Needs assessment is necessary to achieve an integrated treatment, and the Iranian government should take the lead in this endeavor. However, if this seems unlikely, non-governmental organizations could be called upon to promote it.

Relationship Between Serum Levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and Hearing Loss and Tinnitus.

Tinnitus and hearing loss are common problems that can be investigated via subjective and objective approaches. Previous studies have suggested a potential relationship between serum levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and tinnitus, reporting it as a potential objective biomarker for tinnitus. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the serum levels of BDNF in patients with tinnitus and/or hearing loss. Sixty patients were divided into 3 groups: Normal hearing with tinnitus (NH-T), hearing Loss with tinnitus (HL-T), and hearing loss without tinnitus (HL-NT). Moreover, 20 healthy participants were assigned to the control group or NH-NT. All participants were assessed using comprehensive audiological evaluations, serum BDNF level assessment, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), and Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI). There were significant intergroup differences in serum BDNF levels (p < 0.05), with the HL-T group showing the lowest BDNF levels. Moreover, the NH-T group had lower levels of BDNF compared to the HL-NT group. On the other hand, serum BDNF levels were significantly decreased in patients with an increased hearing threshold (p < 0.05). Also, serum BDNF levels had no significant relationship with tinnitus duration and loudness, as well as THI and BDI scores. The present study was the first to illustrate the importance of serum BDNF levels as a possible biomarker for predicting the severity of hearing loss and tinnitus in the affected patients. Also, it is possible that BDNF assessment can help find effective therapeutic methods for patients with hearing problems. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12070-023-03600-z.

Effectiveness of eye movement exercise and diaphragmatic breathing with jogging in reducing migraine symptoms: A preliminary, randomized comparison trial.

BACKGROUND: Migraine is a multifactorial headache disorder. Maladaptive functional networks or altered circuit-related connectivity in the brain with migraine appear to perturb the effects of usual treatments. OBJECTIVES: In the present preliminary trial, we aim to study the effectiveness of performing pieces of body-mind, cognitive, or network reconstruction-based training (i.e., eye movement exercise plus jogging; EME+J and diaphragmatic breathing plus jogging; DB+J) in decreasing migraine symptoms. METHODS: We used a three-arm, triple-blind, non-inferiority randomized comparison design with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up measurements to assess the effectiveness of EME+J and DB+J in the brain with migraine. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the study groups to perform either 12 consecutive weeks of EME+J (n = 22), DB+J (n = 19), or receiving, treatment as usual, TAU (n = 22). RESULTS: The primary outcome statistical analysis through a linear mixed model showed a significant decrease in the frequency (p = .0001), duration (p = .003), and intensity (p = .007) of migraine attacks among the interventions and measurement times. The pairwise comparisons of simple effects showed that EME+J and DB+J effectively reduced migraine symptoms at the post-test and follow-up (p < .05). Cochran's tests showed that interventions decreased the number of menses-related migraine attacks. EME+J and DB+J effectively decreased over-the-counter (OTC) drug use, refreshed wake-up mode, and improved sleep and water drinking patterns. These are the secondary outcomes that Cochran's tests showed in the interventional groups after the interventions and at 12 months of follow-up. CONCLUSION: EME+J or DB+J can be an effective and safe method with no adverse effects to decrease the symptoms of migraine attacks. Moreover, a reduction in the frequency of menstrual cycle-related attacks, OTC drug use, and improved quality of sleep and drinking water were the secondary outcomes of the post-test and a 12-month follow-up.

Does auditory attentional bias determine craving for methamphetamine? A pilot study using a word recognition dichotic listening task.

Background: Obtaining reliable data under explicit evaluations is one of the most complicated challenges in assessing drug users' status. Respondents are likely to give answers that are to their advantage or deliberately deceitful. Regarding drug use, intense and inevitable drug craving is known as one of the main causes of relapse and treatment failure. As a matter of fact, drug craving is directly correlated to attentional bias toward drug-related stimuli, while drug-related stimuli capture drug users' attention as a result of craving. Most methods for studying selective attention and attentional bias have been developed for visual modality. However, stimuli that capture drug users' attention are not always visual, they could be auditory. Aims: We examined if a modified word recognition dichotic listening task discriminated between methamphetamine users and non-users. Moreover, we investigated further the reliability and validity of this new paradigm. Methods: A total of 30 adult males participated in the study (15 methamphetamine users and 15 non-users). The word recognition dichotic listening task included two stimuli narratives/sequences (one neutral and one methamphetamine-related) that were presented simultaneously via headphones, one stimuli sequence to each ear. The participants were instructed to only pay attention to the neutral stimuli and to ignore the drug-related stimuli. Afterward, participants were asked to indicate in a list which words they recognized from the listening task and responded to the Desire for Drug Questionnaire, which was modified to address methamphetamine craving. In addition, a month after the experiment, we assessed therapy adherence among participants who were methamphetamine users. Results: Methamphetamine users had a significantly lower performance in the word recognition dichotic task compared to non-users (t = 4.30, p < .001; Cohen's d = 6.13). Importantly, the average performance on the task was significantly higher among methamphetamine users who continued their treatment one month later compared to those who quitted (t = -2.56, p < .05; Hedges' g = 1.28). Moreover, the intraclass correlation coefficient with 95% interval confidence for the word recognition dichotic listening task scores was excellent (ICC = 0.90) and the scores were significantly correlated with self-reported methamphetamine craving (r = -.47, p < .001). Conclusions: The modified word recognition dichotic listening task successfully discriminated between individuals who craved methamphetamine from those who did not. This new paradigm demonstrated high reliability and validity in the present pilot study. Due to the importance of preventing unreliable responses when assessing drug cravings, the current method can be, after further validation, utilized in both research and clinical practices.

Conflict of interest as a cognitive bias.

For many years, conflict of interest has been a topic of debate in professional ethics, whereby the performance of a professional obligation can be potentially affected by a financial or non-financial interest. However, studies on conflict of interest often do not include cognitive perspectives. In this study, it was hypothesized that conflict of interest might shape the perception of the situation in a subconscious manner. To test the hypothesis, we have designed an experiment using one of the well-known empirical paradigms of consciousness studies - the masking paradigm. In three experimental conditions (i.e., conflict of interest, neutral, and alignment of interest), participants were exposed to several subliminal visual stimuli in a series of trials. Results show that interest can have a direct impact on subconscious processes and subsequently perception in such a way that alignment of interest is accompanied by increasing the probability of correct perception, and conflict of interest would lead to more wrong perception. Finally, some of the impacts of this cognitive bias on scientific observation, data management, and underdetermination resolution are investigated.