Challenges in software applications for the cognitive evaluation and stimulation of the elderly.

BACKGROUND: Computer-based cognitive stimulation applications can help the elderly maintain and improve their cognitive skills. In this research paper, our objectives are to verify the usability of PESCO (an open-software application for cognitive evaluation and stimulation) and to determine the concurrent validity of cognitive assessment tests and the effectiveness of PESCO's cognitive stimulation exercises. METHODS: Two studies were conducted in various community computer centers in the province of Granada. The first study tested tool usability by observing 43 elderly people and considering their responses to a questionnaire. In the second study, 36 elderly people completed pen-and-paper and PESCO tests followed by nine cognitive stimulation sessions. Meanwhile, a control group with 34 participants used computers for nine non-structured sessions. RESULTS: Analysis of the first study revealed that although PESCO had been developed by taking usability guidelines into account, there was room for improvement. Results from the second study indicated moderate concurrent validity between PESCO and standardized tests (Pearson's r from .501 to .702) and highlighted the effectiveness of training exercises for improving attention (F = -4.111, p < .001) and planning (F = 5.791, p < .001) functions. CONCLUSIONS: PESCO can be used by the elderly. The PESCO cognitive test module demonstrated its concurrent validity with traditional cognitive evaluation tests. The stimulation module is effective for improving attention and planning skills.

Multivariate Base Rates of Low Score on Neuropsychological Tests of Individuals with Coca Paste Use Disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of low scores on eight commonly used neuropsychological tests to evaluate learning and memory, language, and executive functions in individuals with coca paste use disorders (CPUD) and to identify the differences with respect to a group of healthy nonconsuming subjects (HCs). METHODS: 162 Colombian adults with CPUD and a group of 162 Colombian adult HCs participated in this comparative study. Eight tests (eighteen test scores) were grouped into three categories: learning and memory, language, and executive functions. Each participant was categorized based on the number of low scoring tests in specific percentile cut-off groups (25th, 16th, 10th, 5th, and 2nd). RESULTS: In the learning and memory domain, 89.5% of individuals with CPUD and 55.6% of HCs scored below the 25th percentile on at least one of the five test scores, in the language domain, 80.7% of individuals with CPUD and 58% of HCs and in the executive function domain, 92% of individuals with CPUD and 67.3% of HCs. Having two or more scores below the 10th percentile or 10 or more at the 5th percentile shows an optimal cut-off for determining the sensitivity and specificity for discriminating between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The individuals with CPUD had a higher percentage of low scores than the HCs in the domains of learning and memory, language, and executive function. It is important for clinicians to be aware of low scores in individuals with CPUD to avoid false-positive diagnoses of cognitive impairment.

Functional impairment as a defining feature of: amnestic MCI cognitive, emotional, and demographic correlates.

BACKGROUND: Early definitions of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) excluded the presence of functional impairment, with preservation of a person's ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) as a diagnostic criterion. However, recent studies have reported varying degrees of functional impairment associated with MCI. Hence, we aimed to test the potential functional impairment associated with MCI and its predictors. METHODS: Sixty-nine healthy elderly subjects, 115 amnestic single-domain MCI subjects (a-MCI), and 111 amnestic multi-domain MCI subjects (md-MCI) were assessed using a battery of neuropsychological tests including measures of attention, memory, working memory, executive functions, language, and depression. Additionally, functional ability was assessed by both qualitative (WHO-DAS II) and quantitative (CHART) instruments. Cognitive and functional performance was compared between groups, and regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of functional ability. RESULTS: The md-MCI group was more impaired than the a-MCI group, and both were more impaired than healthy subjects in all cognitive measures, in total CHART score, CHART cognitive and mobility subscores, and WHO-DAS II communication and participation subscales. For the rest of the functional measures, the md-MCI group was more impaired than healthy controls. Prediction of functional ability by cognitive measures was limited to md-MCI subjects and was higher for the CHART than for the WHO-DAS II. The WHO-DAS II was largely influenced by depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Functional impairment is a defining feature of MCI and is partially dependent on the degree of cognitive impairment. Quantitative measures of functional ability seem more sensitive to functional impairment in MCI than qualitative measures, which seem to be more related to depression.

Reduced Emotional Intelligence in Children Aged 9-10 caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown.

It is necessary to know the influence of the current pandemic situation on children's emotional intelligence (EI). Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the difference in 34 Spanish children's EI (aged 9-10) caused by the lockdown. EI was measured with the BarOn Emotional Intelligence Inventory (EQ-i:YV). Results have revealed a reduction in EI, specifically on intrapersonal, interpersonal, and adaptability scales (all p < .01). Thus, the study highlights the negative influence of lockdown situation on children's EI and considering the impact this may have at a cognitive, social, or academic level, it would be convenient to promote its development at school.

Alterations in episodic memory in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

The purpose of this paper was to examine memory performance in patients with SLE by studying the overall deterioration in memory, analyzing the differences and frequency of impairment in the variables from the visual and verbal memory tests, and studying the alterations in the memory. This study included 59 patients with a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 18 with a diagnosis of chronic discoid lupus (CDL), who were administered the Spanish complutense verbal learning test (TAVEC) and the Rey complex figure test (RCFT). Statistically significant differences were detected between the two groups on the immediate visual recall and delayed visual recall variables, with the mean of the SLE group being lower than that of the CDL group. The difference between the frequency of verbal and visual impairment could be explained by various factors, one of which would be a lateralization of memory impairment.

Association between executive function and outcome measure of treatment in therapeutic community among cocaine dependent individuals.

The aim of this study was to examine the association between baseline executive functioning and outcome measure of treatment in 226 cocaine dependent individuals who initiated treatment in therapeutic communities TCs. The study was conducted across six TCs located in the region of Andalusia (southern Spain). Neuropsychological testing included tests of working memory, reasoning, inhibition, switching, attention interference and decision making. The outcome measures were type of discharge (treatment dropout vs. therapeutic discharge) and clinical impression of the TC outcome (clinically significant vs. non-significant changes). In the present study a prospective comparative design was used. We found significant performance differences on selective executive components which account for the type of discharge: treatment quitters had poorer attention response inhibition and attention switching than non-quitters, and the individuals who failed to achieve therapeutic objectives had poorer attention interference and inhibitory control than compliers. No significant differences were found between the outcome measure and the neuropsychological performance score on the other tasks. The results provide important information about the impact of executive components on in-treatment follow-up outcomes among dependence disorders in TC.

Evaluating the recovery of cognitive impairment in subarachnoid hemorrhage taking into consideration the practice effects.

BACKGROUND: It is not completely clear whether there are differences in the evolution of the neuropsychological outcomes between the 2 intervention procedures (surgery and endovascular coiling) used in subarachnoid aneurysmatic hemorrhage. Some studies have investigated this topic but without completely controlling the effect of learning the tests. OBJECTIVE: To analyze our data using 2 different statistical procedures that attempt to solve this problem. METHODS: The sample consists of 70 patients who have suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage: 40 treated by means of surgery and 30 by means of endovascular coiling. Two cognitive evaluations were performed at 4 and 12 months after the invention. Twenty-seven healthy subjects were also evaluated twice with a delay of 8 months. The data were analyzed using 2 different statistical procedures: one by Samra et al (2007) using z scores and the other by Crawford and Garthwaite (2007) using the regbuild.exe program. RESULTS: The results indicate there are no important differences between the 2 treatment groups in the evolution of the cognitive alterations. Despite an improvement in cognitive scores on repeat testing at 12 months, neither of the 2 treatment groups showed the same level of test-retest learning as healthy control subjects. CONCLUSION: The recovery of neuropsychological functions after a subarachnoid hemorrhage is similar with the 2 interventions. It is important to control the learning effect produced by the repeated administration of tests.

Malingering detection in a Spanish population with a known-groups design.

Malingering detection has become a topic of increased interest in the US over the last years. However, this development has not been matched in Europe. For example, in Spain there is insufficient evidence to support the use of reliable and valid malingering tests. In this study, we tested the applicability of two malingering detection tests (Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) and Dot Counting Test) in a Spanish sample. The sample included three groups of patients (30 non-compensation seeking, 14 compensation seeking non-suspected of malingering, and 10 suspected of malingering) and a group of analog students (n=54). Tests' results were able to discriminate between the groups of malingerers (both patients and analogs) and non-malingerers (both compensation seeking and non-compensation seeking). However, the TOMM achieved a higher overall classification rate than the Dot Counting Test. Our results encourage the use of the TOMM as an indicator of malingering with Spanish population.

Neuropsychological evaluation of the treatments applied to intracranial aneurysms in a Spanish sample.

Very few studies have examined the neuropsychological differences between the two types of aneurysm treatment, and these studies come from different countries. The purpose of this study is to compare the neuropsychological differences between surgical treatment and endovascular treatment in a Spanish sample of patients who have experienced an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. The sample is composed of three groups: 40 patients who underwent surgical intervention, 24 who were treated by means of coiling, and a group of 29 healthy participants. An extensive neuropsychological evaluation was performed. The results presented show that no neuropsychological differences were found between the two types of treatment for aneurysms and that the most affected function was memory. This result coincides with findings from other studies.

Description of quality of life and its predictors in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: According to previous studies, the quality of life is usually substantially altered in patients who have suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage of an aneurysmal origin. Some studies have attempted to find out which factors predict the deterioration in quality of life. Our study will try to describe the quality of life of these patients and discover which variables may predict it in each of its dimensions. METHODS: The participants were 70 patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage between 15 and 85 years of age. The instrument used to measure the quality of life is the SF-36 with its eight dimensions. The predictor variables introduced into the multiple linear regressions are neurological condition on admission [World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS) scale and Hunt and Hess scale], extension of the hemorrhage (Fisher scale), sex, age, physical handicaps, and the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) on release. RESULTS: The results showed that 42.9% of the patients had a deteriorated quality of life after 4 months, and that the most affected dimension was the Physical Role (60%). The two factors that predict quality of life are sex and physical handicaps. Other factors that intervene are the GOS on release and the WFNS. CONCLUSIONS: The patients who have experienced an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage show greater difficulty in performing daily activities, and they present more depression and anxiety. The absence of handicaps and being male are predictor factors for an unaffected quality of life.