The effect of age and educational level on the cognitive processes used to comprehend the meaning of pictograms.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Pictograms, designed to be a universal communication system, are often created from several concrete and easily recognizable drawings. Does understanding depend on a logical approach? Or is it the ability to inhibit the concrete sense of each picture that allows access to a higher level of comprehension? (ability to abstract). These executive functions are sensitive to the effects of aging and educational level. The aim of our study was to evaluate the nature of the cognitive processes underlying the meaning of pictograms and to test the effect of aging and educational level. METHODS: We enrolled 19 older adults (60-69 years old) and 63 young adults (20-29 years old). Of these 63 young adults, 43 had a high educational level (Young-High participants), and 20 had a lower educational level (Young-Low participants). Each participant was asked the meaning of 20 pictograms and underwent an assessment of abstraction and logical abilities with WAIS-III test. RESULTS: Older adults had lower pictogram assessment scores and abstraction and logical abilities when compared with young adults. In both groups, abstraction and logical abilities were correlated with the interpretation of pictograms but only abstraction ability remains strongly correlated with pictogram comprehension in the older group after adjustment of sex, age and educational level. Consequently, the poorer performances of older adults to determine the meaning of pictograms could be explained by the decline of abstraction ability in elderly. CONCLUSIONS: Pictograms are not the universal communication system as we formerly thought. Age and educational level may influence the performance in determining the meaning of pictograms.

Hemispheric lateralization in aging: interest of the verbal-manual concurrency paradigm.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the classic asymmetry seen in hemispheric functioning is modified in older adults by using a verbal-manual concurrency task. METHOD: Thirty-five right-handed participants divided into two groups according to age (15 older participants, mean age: 68 ? 8 years, without cognitive decline and 20 younger participants, mean age: 23 ? 2 years) had to perform a 30-second uni-manual tapping task, in both a single task (tapping alone) and dual task (tapping and performing a letter fluency task together) condition. RESULTS: In younger participants, the letter fluency task disrupted the right hand more than the left hand whereas, in older participants, the letter fluency task disrupted both hands equally. CONCLUSION: These results should be considered preliminary data using a behavioral dual task condition, which might be useful for studying lateralized hemispheric functioning and the processes of divided attention during aging.

A case report of exhibitionist behaviour revealing unsuspected Huntington's disease: a pitfall in forensic medicine.

We present the case of a patient who was recently convicted for exhibitionism whose clinical assessment suggested undiagnosed Huntington's disease. We summarise the clinical characteristics, the genetics involved and the diagnostic difficulties which can be encountered. Finally, we discuss the implications of this diagnosis in forensic medicine.