Left OFC Activation in Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy during an Inhibitory Control Task in an Early Years Sample: Integrating Stress Responses with Cognitive Function and Brain Activation.

INTRODUCTION: Previous functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) studies using Go/No-Go (GNG) tasks have focused on brain activation in relation to cognitive processes, particularly inhibitory control (IC). The results of these studies commonly describe right hemispheric engagement of the dorsolateral, ventromedial, or inferior frontal regions of the prefrontal cortex. Considering that typical healthy cognitive development is negatively correlated with higher cortisol levels (which may alter brain development), the overarching aim of the current study was to investigate how elevated stress (due to unforeseeable events such as the pandemic) impacts early cognitive development. METHOD: In this study, we examined fNIRS data collected from a sample of children (aged 2-4 years) during a GNG task relative to the response to stressors measured via hair cortisol concentrations. We acquired data in an ecological setting (Early Childhood Education and Care) during the coronavirus pandemic. RESULTS: We found that children with higher stress levels and a less efficient IC recruited more neural terrain and our group-level analysis indicated activation in the left orbitofrontal area during IC performance. CONCLUSIONS: A contextual stressor may disrupt accuracy in the executive function of IC early in development. More research efforts are needed to understand better how an orbitofrontal network subserves goal-directed behavior.

Cognitive Effort during Visuospatial Problem Solving in Physical Real World, on Computer Screen, and in Virtual Reality.

Spatial cognition plays a crucial role in academic achievement, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) domains. Immersive virtual environments (VRs) have the growing potential to reduce cognitive load and improve spatial reasoning. However, traditional methods struggle to assess the mental effort required for visuospatial processes due to the difficulty in verbalizing actions and other limitations in self-reported evaluations. In this neuroergonomics study, we aimed to capture the neural activity associated with cognitive workload during visuospatial tasks and evaluate the impact of the visualization medium on visuospatial task performance. We utilized functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) wearable neuroimaging to assess cognitive effort during spatial-reasoning-based problem-solving and compared a VR, a computer screen, and a physical real-world task presentation. Our results reveal a higher neural efficiency in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during 3D geometry puzzles in VR settings compared to the settings in the physical world and on the computer screen. VR appears to reduce the visuospatial task load by facilitating spatial visualization and providing visual cues. This makes it a valuable tool for spatial cognition training, especially for beginners. Additionally, our multimodal approach allows for progressively increasing task complexity, maintaining a challenge throughout training. This study underscores the potential of VR in developing spatial skills and highlights the value of comparing brain data and human interaction across different training settings.

Causal relationships in longitudinal observational data: An integrative modeling approach.

Much research in psychology relies on data from observational studies that traditionally do not allow for causal interpretation. However, a range of approaches in statistics and computational sciences have been developed to infer causality from correlational data. Based on conceptual and theoretical considerations on the integration of interventional and time-restrainment notions of causality, we set out to design and empirically test a new approach to identify potential causal factors in longitudinal correlational data. A principled and representative set of simulations and an illustrative application to identify early-life determinants of cognitive development in a large cohort study are presented. The simulation results illustrate the potential but also the limitations for discovering causal factors in observational data. In the illustrative application, plausible candidates for early-life determinants of cognitive abilities in 5-year-old children were identified. Based on these results, we discuss the possibilities of using exploratory causal discovery in psychological research but also highlight its limits and potential misuses and misinterpretations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Distinct patterns of metabolic motor cortex activity for phantom and residual limb pain in people with amputations: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.

BACKGROUND: Phantom pain limb (PLP) has gained more attention due to the large number of people with amputations around the world and growing knowledge of the pain process, although its mechanisms are not completely understood. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to understand, in patients with amputations, the association between PLP and residual limb pain (RLP), and the brain metabolic response in cortical motor circuits, using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). METHODS: Sixty participants were recruited from the rehabilitation program in São Paulo, Brazil. Included patients were aged over 18 years, with traumatic unilateral lower-limb amputation, with PLP for at least 3 months after full recovery from amputation surgery. PLP and RLP levels were measured using visual analogue scales. fNIRS was performed during motor execution and motor mirror tasks for 20 s. In order to highlight possible variables related to variation in pain measures, univariate linear regression analyses were performed for both experimental conditions, resulting in four fNIRS variables (two hemispheres x two experimental conditions). Later, in order to test the topographic specificity of the models, eight multivariate regression analyses were performed (two pain scales x two experimental conditions x two hemispheres), including the primary motor cortex (PMC) related channel as an independent variable as well as five other channels related to the premotor area, supplementary area, and somatosensory cortex. All models were controlled for age, sex, ethnicity, and education. RESULTS: We found that: i) there is an asymmetric metabolic activation during motor execution and mirror task between hemispheres (with a predominance that is ipsilateral to the amputated limb), ii) increased metabolic response in the PMC ipsilateral to the amputation is associated with increased PLP (during both experimental tasks), while increased metabolic response in the contralateral PMC is associated with increased RLP (during the mirror motor task only); ii) increased metabolic activity of the ipsilateral premotor region is associated with increased PLP during the motor mirror task; iii) RLP was only associated with higher metabolic activity in the contralateral PMC and lower metabolic activity in the ipsilateral inferior frontal region during motor mirror task, but PLP was associated with higher metabolic activity during both tasks. CONCLUSION: These results suggest there is both task and region specificity for the association between the brain metabolic response and the two different types of post-amputation pain. The metabolic predominance that is ipsilateral to the amputated limb during both tasks was associated with higher levels of PLP, suggesting a cortical motor network activity imbalance due to potential interhemispheric compensatory mechanisms. The present work contributes to the understanding of the underlying topographical patterns in the motor-related circuits associated with pain after amputations.

An Experiment Using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Robot-Assisted Multi-Joint Pointing Movements of the Lower Limb.

Stroke affects approximately 17 million individuals worldwide each year and is a leading cause of long-term disability. Robotic therapy has shown promise in helping stroke patients regain lost motor functions. One potential avenue for increasing the understanding of how motor recovery occurs is to study brain activation during the movements that are targeted by therapy in healthy individuals. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) has emerged as a promising neuroimaging technique for examining neural underpinnings of motor function. This study aimed to investigate fNIRS neural correlates of complex lower limb movements in healthy subjects. Participants were asked to perform cycles of rest and movement for 6 min using a robotic device for motor rehabilitation. The task required coordinated knee and ankle joint movements to point to targets displayed on a computer screen. Two experimental conditions with different levels of movement assistance provided by the robot were explored. The results showed that the fNIRS protocol effectively detected brain regions associated with motor control during the task. Notably, all subjects exhibited greater activation in the contralateral premotor area during the no-assistance condition compared to the assisted condition. In conclusion, fNIRS appears to be a valuable approach for detecting changes in oxyhemoglobin concentration associated with multi-joint pointing movements of the lower limb. This research might contribute to the understanding of stroke motor recovery mechanisms and might pave the way for improved rehabilitation treatments for stroke patients. However, further research is needed to fully elucidate the potential of fNIRS in studying motor function and its applications in clinical settings.

Task-related brain activity in upper limb dystonia revealed by simultaneous fNIRS and EEG.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore differences in brain activity and connectivity using simultaneous electroencephalography and near-infrared spectroscopy in patients with focal dystonia during handwriting and finger-tapping tasks. METHODS: Patients with idiopathic right upper limb focal dystonia and controls were assessed by simultaneous near-infrared spectroscopy and electroencephalography during the writing and finger-tapping tasks in terms of the mu-alpha, mu-beta, beta and low gamma power and effective connectivity, as well as relative changes in oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb) and deoxyhemoglobin using a channel-wise approach with a mixed-effect model. RESULTS: Patients exhibited higher oxy-Hb levels in the right and left motor cortex and supplementary motor area during writing, but lower oxy-Hb levels in the left sensorimotor and bilateral somatosensory area during finger-tapping compared to controls. During writing, patients showed increased low gamma power in the bilateral sensorimotor cortex and less mu-beta and beta attenuation compared to controls. Additionally, patients had reduced connectivity between the supplementary motor area and the left sensorimotor cortex during writing. No differences were observed in terms of effective connectivity in either task. Finally, patients failed to attenuate the mu-alpha, mu-beta, and beta rhythms during the finger-tapping task. CONCLUSIONS: Cortical blood flow and EEG spectral power differ between controls and dystonia patients, depending on the task. Writing increased blood flow and altered connectivity in dystonia patients, and it also decreased slow-band attenuation. Finger-tapping decreased blood flow and slow-band attenuation. SIGNIFICANCE: Simultaneous fNIRS and EEG may show relevant information regarding brain dynamics in movement disorders patients in unconstrained environments.

Análise da Viabilidade de Uso do FNIRS em Atividades Educacionais com Crianças e Jovens com Deficiência Intelectual e Autismo / Analysis of FNIRS Usability in Educational Activities with Children and Young People with Intellectual Disability and Autism

RESUMO: Métodos em neurociência cognitiva podem auxiliar o planejamento educacional de docentes no contexto da Educação Especial, por favorecerem práticas personalizadas que valorizem a velocidade individual de aprendizagem de estudantes com transtorno do espectro do autismo (TEA) e/ou deficiência intelectual (DI). Assim sendo, este estudo objetivou verificar a viabilidade de uso da Espectroscopia Funcional de Infravermelho Próximo (fNIRS) em situação naturalística clínica com crianças e jovens com TEA e/ou DI durante tarefas de ensino. Ademais, o estudo buscou identificar as estratégias de treino para que as crianças e os jovens utilizassem o equipamento durante a realização da atividade. Sete estudantes com diagnóstico de TEA e/ou DI foram treinados com atividades de matemática, leitura e expressividade emocional, de acordo com seus respectivos currículos educacionais prévios. Cada participante foi exposto a duas tarefas em cada atividade, uma na qual já apresentava domínio e outra que necessitava de apoio para emitir uma resposta independente. Os resultados indicaram a viabilidade de uso do fNIRS nesse contexto natural da criança e do jovem e forneceram medidas implícitas para além das medidas observacionais de acerto e erro na tarefa. Esta é uma importante demonstração da viabilidade do uso do fNIRS em experimentos no contexto da Educação Especial.

ABSTRACT: Methods in cognitive neuroscience can assist educational planning of teachers in the context of Special Education, as they favor personalized practices that value individual students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and/or Intellectual Deficiency (ID). Therefore, this study aimed to verify the feasibility of using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in clinical naturalistic situation with children and young people with ASD and/or ID during teaching tasks. In addition, the study sought to identify training strategies so that children and young people use the equipment during the activity. Seven students diagnosed with ASD and/or ID were trained with mathematics, reading and emotional expressiveness, according to their respective previous educational curricula. Each participant was exposed to two tasks in each activity, one in which he/she already had a domain and one that needed support to issue an independent response. The results indicated the feasibility of using fNIRS in this natural context of the child and the young student and provided implicit measures beyond the observational arrangement measures and task error. This is an important demonstration of the feasibility of using fNIRS in experiments in the context of Special Education.

A magnetic resonance imaging-based morphometric and structural covariance network study of Brazilian adolescents stratified by depression risk

Objectives: To explore differences in regional cortical morphometric structure between adolescents at risk for depression or with current depression. Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional structural neuroimaging data from a sample of 150 Brazilian adolescents classified as low-risk (LR) (n=50) or high-risk (HR) for depression (n=50) or with current depression (n=50) through a vertex-based approach with measurements of cortical volume (CV), surface area (SA), and cortical thickness (CT). Differences between groups in subcortical volume and in the organization of networks of structural covariance were also explored. Results: No significant differences in brain structure between groups were observed in whole-brain vertex-wise CV, SA, or CT. Also, no significant differences in subcortical volume were observed between risk groups. In relation to the structural covariance network, there was an indication of an increase in the hippocampus betweenness centrality index in the HR group network compared to the LR and current depression group networks. However, this result was only statistically significant when applying false discovery rate correction for nodes within the affective network. Conclusion: In an adolescent sample recruited using an empirically based composite risk score, no major differences in brain structure were detected according to the risk and presence of depression.

Adolescent depression and resting-state fMRI brain networks: a scoping review of longitudinal studies

The neurobiological factors associated with the emergence of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adolescence are still unclear. Previous cross-sectional studies have documented aberrant connectivity in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) networks. However, whether these findings precede MDD onset has not been established. This scoping review mapped key methodological aspects and main findings of longitudinal rs-fMRI studies of MDD in adolescence. Three sets of neuroimaging methods to analyze rs-fMRI data were identified: seed-based analysis, independent component analysis, and network-based approaches. Main findings involved aberrant connectivity within and between the default mode network (DMN), the cognitive control network (CCN), and the salience network (SN). Accordingly, we utilized Menon's (2011) triple-network model for neuropsychiatric disorders to summarize key results. Adolescent MDD was associated with hyperconnectivity within the SN and between DMN and SN, as well as hypoconnectivity within the CCN. These findings suggested that dysfunctional connectivity among the three main large-scale brain networks preceded MDD onset. However, there was high heterogeneity in neuroimaging methods and sampling procedures, which may limit comparisons between studies. Future studies should consider some level of harmonization for clinical instruments and neuroimaging methods.

Prevalence and trends of mental disorders requiring inpatient care in the city of Porto Alegre: a citywide study including all inpatient admissions due to mental disorders in the public system from 2013-2017 / Prevalência e tendências temporais de transtornos mentais necessitando de tratamento de internação na cidade de Porto Alegre: um estudo de toda a cidade incluindo todas as internações por motivo de saúde mental no sistema público de 2013-2017

Abstract Objectives To investigate the 5-year prevalence of patients admitted to public inpatient care units due to a mental disorder, stratifying them by age group and diagnosis, and to assess trends of admissions over this time period in Porto Alegre. Methods All admissions to the public mental health care system regulated by the city-owned electronic system Administração Geral dos Hospitais (AGHOS) were included in the analysis. The total population size was obtained by estimations of Fundação de Economia e Estatística (FEE). General information about 5-year prevalence of inpatient admissions, time-series trends e prevalence by age groups and diagnosis were presented. Results There were 32,608 admissions over the 5-year period analyzed. The overall prevalence of patients was 1.62% among the total population, 0.01% among children, 1.12% among adolescents, 2.28% among adults and 0.93% among the elderly. The most common diagnosis was drug-related, followed by mood, alcohol-related and psychotic disorders. There was a linear trend showing an increase in the number of admissions from 2013 to the midst of 2014, which dropped in 2015. Conclusions Admissions due to mental disorders are relatively common, mainly among adults and related to drug use and mood disorders. Time trends varied slightly over the 5 years. Prevalence rates in real-world settings might be useful for policymakers interested in planning the public mental health system in large Brazilian cities.

Resumo Objetivos Investigar a prevalência de 5 anos de pacientes internados no sistema público de saúde por motivo de saúde mental, estratificando-os por grupo etário e diagnóstico, e avaliar tendências temporais nas admissões nesse período em Porto Alegre. Métodos Todas as admissões no sistema público de saúde mental reguladas pelo sistema eletrônico da cidade, denominado Administração Geral dos Hospitais (AGHOS), foram incluídos na análise. A população total foi obtida a partir de estimativas da Fundação de Economia e Estatística (FEE). Informações gerais sobre a prevalência de 5 anos de admissões, tendências das séries temporais e prevalência por grupo etário e por diagnóstico foram apresentadas. Resultados Ocorreram 32.608 admissões no período de 5 anos analisado. A prevalência global de pacientes foi de 1,62% na população total, 0,01% em crianças, 1,12% em adolescentes, 2,28% em adultos e 0,93% em idosos. Os diagnósticos mais comuns foram relacionados ao uso de drogas, seguidos de transtornos de humor, relacionados ao álcool e transtornos psicóticos. Houve uma tendência linear mostrando um aumento no número de admissões de 2013 a meados de 2014, que caíram em 2015. Conclusões Admissões por transtornos mentais são relativamente comuns, principalmente entre adultos e relacionados ao uso de drogas e transtornos de humor. Tendências lineares variaram levemente nos últimos 5 anos. Estimativas de prevalência no mundo real podem ser úteis para formuladores de políticas interessados em planejar o sistema público de saúde mental em grandes cidades brasileiras.

Semantic memory for actions as assessed by the Kissing and Dancing Test: education and age effects in cognitively healthy individuals / Memória semântica para ações avaliada pelo teste beijando e dançando: efeitos de educação e idade em sujeitos cognitivamente sadios

Action semantics is a relevant part of cognitive-linguistic assessment and the ?Kissing and Dancing Test? (KDT) has been used extensively for this purpose, evidencing clinical distinctions among brain-damaged patients. To enhance its use, reference values are necessary, especially for populations with heterogeneous educational levels and socioeconomic backgrounds. Objective: To analyze the effects of schooling and age on the KDT in cognitively unimpaired individuals. Methods: The KDT was applied to seventy-four healthy subjects. Sociodemographic factors were investigated through correlational and between-group analyses. Reference values according to age and schooling were provided. Results: KDT performance correlated significantly with schooling (r=0.757, p<0.01), age (r=?0.496, p<0.01) and socioeconomic status (r=0.418 p<0.01) but these variables were intercorrelated. Correlation with schooling and age remained significant when controlling for age and socioeconomic status (r=0.530, p<0.01), and for schooling (?0.305,<0.01), respectively. When controlling for schooling, correlation between socioeconomic status and KDT was not significant (p=0.164). Between-group analyses revealed no age effects. Significant differences were found in performance according to educational level. Scores below 39/52 and below 47/52 (percentile 25) for individuals with 8 or less years of schooling and for individuals with 9 or more years of schooling, respectively, seem suggestive of an impairment in Action Semantics Processing and shall be further investigated. Conclusion: KDT performance was influenced both by age and schooling, indicating the need to consider these demographic features as covariates when analyzing performance on the test and to adjust cut-off scores according to these demographic characteristics in clinical practice.

Processamento semântico verbal é uma parte relevante da avaliação linguístico-cognitiva e o KDT tem sido amplamente utilizado para tal finalidade, evidenciando diferenças clínicas entre pacientes com danos cerebrais. Para aumentar sua utilização, valores de referência são necessários, especialmente para populações com origens socioeconômicas e níveis de escolaridade heterogêneos. Objetivo: Analisar efeitos da escolaridade e idade no KDT em indivíduos cognitivamente intactos. Métodos: O KDT foi aplicado em 74 indivíduos saudáveis. Fatores sociodemográficos foram investigados por correlação e análises entre grupos. Valores de referência foram fornecidos por idade e escolaridade. Resultados: O desempenho do KDT correlaciona-se significativamente à escolaridade (r=0.757, p<0.01), à idade (r=?0.496, p<0.01) e ao nível socioeconômico (r=0.418, p<0.01 ), variáveis que se mostraram intercorrelacionadas. Correlações com a escolaridade e idade permaneceram significativas quando controladas a idade e nível socioeconômico (r=0.530, p<0.01) e a escolaridade (r=- 0.305,<0.01), respectivamente. Com controle do parâmetro da escolaridade, não houve correlação significativa entre o nível socioeconômico e o KDT (p=0.164). As análises entre grupos não revelaram os efeitos da idade. Encontraram-se diferenças significativas no desempenho de acordo com escolaridade. Escores abaixo do percentil 25 (39/52 - indivíduos com até 8 anos de escolaridade e 47/52- indivíduos com 9 ou mais anos de escolaridade) são sugestivos de dificuldades no processamento semântico de ações, que devem ser melhor investigadas. Conclusão: O desempenho do KDT foi influenciado por idade e escolaridade, o que reflete a necessidade de se considerar estes fatores como covariantes e, na prática clínica, usar diferentes pontos de corte, considerando essas características demográficas.

Cortical morphology changes in women with borderline personality disorder: a multimodal approach

Objective: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a devastating condition that causes intense disruption of patients' lives and relationships. Proper understanding of BPD neurobiology could help provide the basis for earlier and effective interventions. As neuroimaging studies of patients with BPD are still scarce, volumetric and geometric features of the cortical structure were assessed to ascertain whether structural cortical alterations are present in BPD patients. Methods: Twenty-five female outpatients with BPD underwent psychiatric evaluation (SCID-I and II) and a 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scan. The control group comprised 25 healthy age-matched females. Images were processed with the FreeSurfer package, which allows analysis of cortical morphology with more detailed descriptions of volumetric and geometric features of cortical structure. Results: Compared with controls, BPD patients exhibited significant cortical abnormalities in the fronto-limbic and paralimbic regions of both hemispheres. Conclusion: Significant morphologic abnormalities were observed in patients with BPD on comparison with a healthy control group through a multimodal approach. This study highlights the involvement of regions associated with mood regulation, impulsivity, and social behavior in BPD patients and presents a new approach for further investigation through a method of structural analysis based on distinct and simultaneous volumetric and geometric parameters. .

Avaliação dos efeitos do treinamento em meditação no sentimento de auto-compaixão e na atenção / Evaluation of the effects of meditation training on self-compassion and attention

Introdução: A meditação traz o indivíduo para o estado de observador consciente de suas próprias percepções, ao invés de se deixar arrastar pelo turbilhão de emoções e pensamentos. Diversos estudos têm mostrado a importância de práticas meditativas no controle emocional e na atenção. Esses estudos investigam se a auto-compaixão poderia auxiliar a pessoa a ser gentil e compreensiva com ela mesma, em não ser tão dura e crítica perante os seus fracassos ou falhas. Estudos indicam que o treinamento em meditação, que relaciona-se à habilidade de atentar com maior cuidado para suas percepções e emoções, poderia contribuir no desenvolvimento da auto-compaixão. Objetivos: Estudar os efeitos do treinamento em meditação no sentimento de auto-compaixão e na atenção. Métodos: Foram comparados os resultados antes e depois de um treinamento de meditação de 9 dias em 44 sujeitos, com idade média de 44.14 (± 12.22 DP), sendo 27 mulheres e 17 homens. Cerca de 60 % da amostra tinha ao menos 1 ano de experiência de meditação. O treinamento ocorreu no formato de um retiro. Eles foram avaliados pela Escala de Auto-Compaixão (EAC) e pela Escala de Atentividade (MAAS). Resultados: Houve diferenças significantes em termos de aumento dos escores nas subescalas da EAC auto-julgamento e humanidade e da MAAS comparandos-e os momentos pré e pós retiro. Conclusão: Após o treinamento em meditação houve uma melhora da atenção nas atividades cotidianas e um aumento do auto-julgamento e da percepção de fazermos parte de uma mesma humanidade, estando sujeitos a errar e acertar.

Dahlberg formula: a novel approach for its evaluation

INTRODUCTION: The accurate evaluation of error of measurement (EM) is extremely important as in growth studies as in clinical research, since there are usually quantitatively small changes. In any study it is important to evaluate the EM to validate the results and, consequently, the conclusions. Because of its extreme simplicity, the Dahlberg formula is largely used worldwide, mainly in cephalometric studies. OBJECTIVES: (I) To elucidate the formula proposed by Dahlberg in 1940, evaluating it by comparison with linear regression analysis; (II) To propose a simple methodology to analyze the results, which provides statistical elements to assist researchers in obtaining a consistent evaluation of the EM. METHODS: We applied linear regression analysis, hypothesis tests on its parameters and a formula involving the standard deviation of error of measurement and the measured values. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: we introduced an error coefficient, which is a proportion related to the scale of observed values. This provides new parameters to facilitate the evaluation of the impact of random errors in the research final results.

Pesquisas em cérebro e Práticas Contemplativas / Brain Research and Contemplative Practices

Introdução: Nos últimos anos tem havido um crescente interesse na investigação dos efeitos práticas de meditação na saúde mental e física. De alguma maneira, as habilidades treinadas durante as práticas meditativas, como o treinamento da atenção focada em um objeto específico, ou a monitoração dos padrões de pensamentos e emoções age modificando o funcionamento e a estrutura cerebrais. Recentemente, trabalhos na área de neuroimagem tem ajudado a elucidar possíveis mecanismo de ação das práticas meditativas no cérebro. Objetivo: revisar na literatura os estudos mais recentes sobre os efeitos da prática de meditação no cérebro e apresentar resultados de um protocolo com ressonância magnética funcional (fMRI) desenvolvido no Instituto do Cérebro do Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (InCe-HIAE) sobre os efeitos da meditação na atenção. Método: revisão sobre estudos de neuroimagem funcional e estrutural e avaliação por fMRI de 39 sujeitos, 20 meditadores que realizam a prática há pelo menos 3 anos, por 3 vezes por semana e 20 sujeitos inexperientes em meditação. Resultados: estudos recentes têm mostrado alterações funcionais resultantes da prática de meditação, na atividade cerebral, bem como na estrutura do cérebro, como a espessura de áreas corticais. Nossos resultados preliminares corroboram com estes dados, mostrando que sujeitos que praticam meditação regularmente precisam recrutar menos áreas cerebrais, em especial frontais, do que pessoas inexperientes em meditação para ter o mesmo desempenho em uma tarefa atencional (o Stroop Word-Color Task). Conclusão: a prática de meditação pode trazer mudanças não apenas psicológicas, como mostram boa parte dos estudos, mas também modificações na fisiologia e anatomia cerebrais. Nosso estudo preliminar no InCe-HIAE indica que pessoas que praticam meditação regularmente podem apresentar um cérebro mais eficiente no desempenho de uma tarefa de atenção.

Development of an adapted version of the Boston Naming Test for Portuguese speakers / Desenvolvimento de uma versão adaptada do Boston Naming Test para a língua portuguesa

OBJECTIVE: To present the development of an adapted version of the Boston Naming Test for Portuguese speakers, and to investigate the effects of age, education and gender on both the original and the adapted Boston Naming Test in respect of Brazilian Portuguese speakers. METHOD: Eighty items, including the 60 original ones and 20 adapted items were administered to 739 healthy Brazilian subjects aged between 6 and 77 years who received 0 to 17 years of education. RESULTS: The coefficients of the General Linear Model estimation suggested that both age and education were statistically significant to predict total scores. In addition, score variances, justified by such predictors, were 41.20 percent in the original Boston Naming Test against 25.84 percent in the adapted Boston Naming Test. These results suggest that the scores from the original BNT are more dependent on age and education than those from the adapted Boston Naming Test. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrated the suitability of the adapted Boston Naming Test version for the Brazilian population and described provisional norms for the original and adapted Boston Naming Test for Portuguese speakers.

OBJETIVO: Apresentar o desenvolvimento de uma versão adaptada do Boston Naming Test para a língua portuguesa e investigar os efeitos da idade, escolaridade e gênero nas versões original e adaptada do Boston Naming Test. MÉTODO: 80 itens foram administrados incluindo os 60 originais e 20 itens adaptados em 739 brasileiros saudáveis com idades entre 6 e 77 anos e escolaridade entre 0 e 17 anos. RESULTADOS: Os coeficientes de estimação do Modelo Linear Geral sugeriram que a idade e escolaridade eram preditores significativos do resultado total. Além disto, as variâncias dos resultados explicadas por estes preditores no Boston Naming Test original era de 41,20 por cento, enquanto que no adaptado era de 25,84 por cento. Estes achados sugerem que os resultados do Boston Naming Test original são mais dependentes de idade e escolaridade do que os do adaptado. CONCLUSÃO: Estes achados demonstram a adequação do Boston Naming Test adaptado para a população brasileira e descrevem normas provisionais da versão original e adaptada do Boston Naming Test para a língua portuguesa.

Cognitive control associated with irritability induction: an autobiographical recall fMRI study / Controle cognitivo associado à indução de irritabilidade: um estudo de RMf usando recordações autobiográficas

OBJECTIVE: Despite the relevance of irritability emotions to the treatment, prognosis and classification of psychiatric disorders, the neurobiological basis of this emotional state has been rarely investigated to date. We assessed the brain circuitry underlying personal script-driven irritability in healthy subjects (n = 11) using functional magnetic resonance imaging. METHOD: Blood oxygen level-dependent signal changes were recorded during auditory presentation of personal scripts of irritability in contrast to scripts of happiness or neutral emotional content. Self-rated emotional measurements and skin conductance recordings were also obtained. Images were acquired using a 1,5T magnetic resonance scanner. Brain activation maps were constructed from individual images, and between-condition differences in the mean power of experimental response were identified by using cluster-wise nonparametric tests. RESULTS: Compared to neutral scripts, increased blood oxygen level-dependent signal during irritability scripts was detected in the left subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, and in the left medial, anterolateral and posterolateral dorsal prefrontal cortex (cluster-wise p-value < 0.05). While the involvement of the subgenual cingulate and dorsal anterolateral prefrontal cortices was unique to the irritability state, increased blood oxygen level-dependent signal in dorsomedial and dorsal posterolateral prefrontal regions were also present during happiness induction. CONCLUSION: Irritability induction is associated with functional changes in a limited set of brain regions previously implicated in the mediation of emotional states. Changes in prefrontal and cingulate areas may be related to effortful cognitive control aspects that gain salience during the emergence of irritability.

OBJETIVO: Apesar da relevância de emoções de irritabilidade para o tratamento, prognóstico e classificação dos transtornos psiquiátricos, as bases neurobiológicas deste tipo de estado emocional foram raramente investigadas até hoje. Este estudo avaliou os circuitos cerebrais subjacentes à irritabilidade induzida por scripts pessoais em voluntários saudáveis (n = 11) usando ressonância magnética funcional. MÉTODO: Mudanças no sinal dependente do nível de oxigenação sanguínea (blood-oxygen level dependent signal) foram registradas durante a apresentação por via auditiva de scripts pessoais de irritabilidade em contraste com scripts de felicidade ou de conteúdo emocional neutro. Escores em escalas de autoavaliação emocional e medidas de condutância da pele também foram obtidos. A aquisição de imagens foi realizada em aparelho de ressonância magnética de 1,5 T. Os mapas de ativação cerebral foram construídos a partir das imagens individuais, e as diferenças entre as condições experimentais foram investigadas utilizando testes não-paramétricos baseados em permutações. RESULTADOS: Em comparação com scripts neutros, a apresentação de scripts de irritabilidade levou a aumentos de sinal dependente do nível de oxigenação sanguínea na porção subgenual do giro do cíngulo anterior esquerdo e nas porções medial, ântero-lateral e póstero-lateral do córtex pré-frontal dorsal (cluster-wise p-valor < 0,05). Enquanto o envolvimento do cíngulo anterior subgenual e do córtex pré-frontal dorsal antero-lateral surgiu apenas em associação com o estado de irritabilidade, aumentos do sinal dependente do nível de oxigenação sanguínea nas porções dorso-medial e dorsal póstero-lateral do córtex pré-frontal também estiveram presentes durante indução de felicidade. CONCLUSÃO: Indução de irritabilidade está associada a mudanças de atividade funcional num conjunto restrito de regiões cerebrais previamente implicadas na mediação de estados emocionais. Mudanças na atividade...

Estudo biomecânico da rigidez da osteossíntese com placas em ponte em tíbias de cadáveres humanos / Biomechanical study of the osteosynthesis stiffness with bridging plates in cadaveric tibial models

OBJETIVO: comparar a rigidez de três diferentes montagens de placa em ponte com a da haste intramedular bloqueada, em tíbias de cadáveres com fratura tipo C. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: vinte tíbias humanas captadas de cadáveres, submetidas à fratura do tipo C; quinze fixadas com placas em ponte, divididas em 03 grupos, de acordo com o tamanho das placas (10, 14 e 18 furos) e 05 fixadas com hastes intramedulares bloqueadas. Todas as tíbias foram expostas a cargas progressivas e semelhantes. Foram medidos os deslocamentos de ambos fragmentos (proximal e distal), nos planos sagital, coronal e axial do espaço, conforme incremento gradual de carga. RESULTADOS: tíbias fixadas com placas em ponte de 18 furos apresentam um comportamento biomecânico semelhante às fixadas com haste intramedular bloqueada. CONCLUSÕES: Em fraturas do tipo C em tíbias há maior mobilidade do segmento ósseo distal no plano coronal, quando a fratura é fixada com placas em ponte de 14 e 18 furos que quando fixada com haste intramedular bloqueada sem fresagem. Apesar dessa maior mobilidade, os movimentos relativos entre os fragmentos fraturários nos GHB e GP18 tendem a ser semelhantes entre si.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the stiffness of three different assemblies of bridging plates with intramedullary locking nails in cadaveric models of tibial fractures type C. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty cadaveric tibias subjected to type C fractures; fifteen were fixed with the bridging plate technique and divided into three groups, according to the plate size (10, 14 and 18 holes), and five were fixed with intramedullary nail. All the tibias were exposed to similar and progressive loads. Dislocation of both fragments (proximal and distal) was measured on three planes (sagittal, coronal and axial), as the load was increased. RESULTS: tibias fixed with the 18 hole bridging plate have the same biomechanical behavior of tibias fixed with intramedullary locking nails. CONCLUSIONS: In type C tibial fractures, there is more mobility at the distal segment on the coronal plane when the fracture is fixed with 14 and 18 holes bridging plates as compared to fractures fixed with non-reamed intramedullary locking nails. Even with this mobility, the relative movements between the fragments at GHB and GP18 seem to be similar.

Prevalência de anemia em gestantes e a fortificação de farinhas com ferro / Prevalencia de anemia en embarazadas y la fortificación de harinas con hierro / Prevalence of anemia in pregnant and iron fortification of flours

Avaliou-se o impacto da fortificação das farinhas com ferro, na prevalência de anemia e concentração de hemoglobina de gestantes. Este estudo transversal retrospectivo foi desenvolvido em um Centro de Saúde Escola do município de São Paulo - SP. Os dados, colhidos de setembro a dezembro de 2006, foram obtidos de 750 prontuários de gestantes distribuídas em dois grupos (não fortificado e fortificado), antes e após a fortificação. Gestantes com nível de hemoglobina inferior a 11g/dl foram consideradas anêmicas. Realizou-se análise de regressão linear múltipla. A anemia afetava 9,2 por cento e 8,6 por cento das gestantes, antes e após a implantação do programa, respectivamente (p>0,05). A análise múltipla não evidenciou diferença estatística na média de hemoglobina entre os grupos (p=0,117). Os resultados indicaram uma baixa prevalência de anemia e médias de hemoglobina similares entre os grupos, fato que provavelmente não permitiu constatar o efeito da fortificação das farinhas.

This study evaluated the impact of iron-fortified flours in the prevalence of anemia and hemoglobin levels of pregnant women. This transversal cross-sectional study was developed at a Health Center School in São Paulo - SP, Brazil. Data, collected from September to December of 2006, were obtained from 750 pregnant women's medical records and discriminated into two groups, before and after fortification: non-fortified and fortified. Pregnant women with hemoglobin levels lower than 11g/dl were considered anemic. Data were submitted to multiple regression analysis. Anemia affected 9.2 percent and 8.6 percent of pregnant women, before and after the fortification, respectively (p>0.05). Multiple analysis indicates no statistical difference in the mean hemoglobin levels between the groups (p=0.117). The results indicated a low prevalence of anemia and similar hemoglobin levels between the groups, which probably did not allow for demonstrating the effect of flour fortification.

Se evaluó el impacto de la fortificación de harinas con hierro en la prevalencia de anemia y concentración de hemoglobina de gestantes. Este estudio transversal retrospectivo fue desarrollado en un Centro de Salud Escuela, de la ciudad de São Paulo - SP. Los datos, recogidos de septiembre a diciembre de 2006, fueron obtenidos de 750 manuales de gestantes, distribuidas en dos grupos, antes y después del inicio de la fortificación: no fortificado y fortificado. Las gestantes con nivel de hemoglobina inferior 11g/dl fueron consideradas anémicas. Se realizó el análisis de la regresión múltiple. La anemia afectó 9,2 por ciento y 8,6 por ciento de las gestantes, antes y después de la implantación del programa, respectivamente (p>0,05). El análisis de la regresión múltiple no evidenció diferencia estadística en el promedio de hemoglobina entre los grupos (p=0,117). Los resultados indicaron baja prevalencia de anemia y promedios similares de hemoglobina entre los grupos estudiados, hecho que probablemente no permitió demostrar el efecto de la fortificación de las harinas.