When visual stimulation of the surrounding environment affects children's cognitive performance.

Visual distraction is widely studied in children, particularly in visuospatial cognitive tasks. In these studies, targets and distractors are usually shown in the same display (e.g., the computer screen). However, children are constantly exposed to visually enriched environments (e.g., elementary school classrooms), and little is known about their influence on children's cognition. Although the importance of the surrounding environment is well recognized in the literature, few experimental studies have explored this question. We propose an alternative paradigm to study visual distraction in children that brings together the rigor of experimental psychology and more ecological validity on the exposure to potential environmental distractors. Our study was designed to investigate whether a high-load versus low-load visual surrounding environment influences children's cognitive performance as evaluated by four different cognitive tasks. A sample of 64 children (aged 8-12 years) completed two sessions in two environmental conditions: a high-load visual surrounding environment and a low-load environment. In each session, they performed visuospatial attention and memory tasks. Overall, the results suggested that the high-load visual environment affected children's cognitive performance given that children performed better in the low-load visual environment (e.g., higher percentage of hits, higher Corsi span). Understanding the impact that a visually rich surrounding environment has on children's cognitive processes that support more complex ones is important to support recommendations on how the environment should be organized to foster better daily activities.

Attention and working memory in elderly: the influence of a distracting environment.

The present work investigated the effect of a distracting environment in the performance of attentional and working memory (WM) tasks in elderly participants. To this end, forty elderly performed two attentional tasks (simple reaction time and go/no-go tasks), and three WM tasks (arithmetic, memory for digits and sequences of letters and numbers). Each participant performed the tasks in a distracting and a non-distracting environment, with an interval of 14-21 days between sessions. The results revealed better performance in the attentional tasks when these were done in the non-distracting environment, as compared to when they were done in the distracting environment. Specifically, participants provided more accurate responses, fewer false alarms and omissions when responding in the non-distracting environment than when responding in the distracting environment. Participants were also faster at providing correct responses in the go/no-go task when it was performed in the non-distracting environment. As for the memory tasks, the effect of type of environment was significant only in the memory for digits in a forward direction task. Our data suggest the need to consider the potential damaging consequences of distracting environments when the elderly have to perform tasks that demand their attention. Specific examples of such situations are presented in the discussion (e.g., distracting effect of environment on medical and on psychological evaluations).

Differentiation between Normal Cognition and Subjective Cognitive Decline in Older Adults Using Discrepancy Scores Derived from Neuropsychological Tests.

Several studies have reported subtle differences in cognition between individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) compared to those with normal cognition. This study aimed to (i) identify these differences using discrepancy scores (e.g., categorial-phonemic verbal fluency performance) derived from neuropsychological tests in three cognitive domains (memory: Wechsler's Word List and Digits; executive functions: Stroop and verbal fluency; and language: BNT and ECCO_Senior) and (ii) determine which discrepancy scores are significant for classification. Seventy-five older adults were included: 32 who were labeled SCD+ (age 71.50 ± 5.29), meeting Jessen et al.'s criteria, and 43 in the normal cognition group (SCD-; age 69.81 ± 4.62). Both groups completed a protocol including screening and the specified neuropsychological tests. No differences were found between the groups in their age, education, episodic memory, global cognitive state, or mood. Significant differences between the groups were observed regarding the discrepancy scores derived from BNT (naming) and ECCO_Senior (sentence comprehension). These scores accurately classified participants (71.6%), with ECCO_Senior having a primary role. ROC curves indicated a poor-to-fair model quality or diagnostic accuracy (AUC_BNT = 0.690; AUC_ECCO = 0.722). In conclusion, discrepancy scores in the language domain are important for distinguishing between individuals with SCD and normal cognition, complementing previous findings in this domain. However, given their relatively poor diagnostic accuracy, they should be used with caution as part of a more detailed neuro-psychological assessment.

Efficacy and safety of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in memory deficits in patients with Alzheimer's disease: Meta-analysis and systematic review.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are two of the most used non-pharmacological interventions for Alzheimer's Disease (AD). However, most of the clinical trials have focused on evaluating the effects on global cognition and not on specific cognitive functions. Therefore, considering that memory loss is one of the hallmark symptoms of AD, we aim to assess the efficacy and safety of tDCS and rTMS in memory deficits. For that, multilevel random effect models were performed considering the standardized mean difference (SMD) between active and sham stimulation. A total of 19 studies with 411 participants demonstrated positive effects in memory after tDCS (SMD=0.20, p = 0.04) and rTMS (SMD=0.44, p = 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed that tDCS had greater efficacy when administered in temporal regions (SMD=0.32, p = 0.04), whereas rTMS was superior when applied in frontal regions (SMD=0.61, p < 0.001). Therefore, depending on the brain region of stimulation, both interventions produced a positive effect on memory symptoms in AD patients. Finally, the safety of both techniques was observed in the AD population after the reporting of almost no serious events.

Memory Impairments and Wellbeing in Breast Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review.

Breast cancer is one of the most diagnosed cancers among women. Its effects on the cognitive and wellbeing domains have been widely reported in the literature, although with inconsistent results. The central goal of this review was to identify, in women with breast cancer, the main memory impairments, as measured by objective and subjective tools and their relationship with wellbeing outcomes. The systematic literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, and ProQuest databases. The selected studies included 9 longitudinal and 10 cross-sectional studies. Although some studies included participants undergoing multimodal cancer therapies, most focused on chemotherapy's effects (57.89%; n = 11). The pattern of results was mixed. However, studies suggested more consistently working memory deficits in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. In addition, some associations have been identified between objective memory outcomes (verbal memory) and wellbeing indicators, particularly depression and anxiety. The inconsistencies in the results could be justified by the heterogeneity of the research designs, objective and subjective measures, and sample characteristics. This review confirms that more empirical evidence is needed to understand memory impairments in women with breast cancer. An effort to increase the homogeneity of study methods should be made in future studies.

Task Demands and Sentence Reading Comprehension among Healthy Older Adults: The Complementary Roles of Cognitive Reserve and Working Memory.

Ageing entails different functional brain changes. Education, reading experience, and leisure activities, among others, might contribute to the maintenance of cognitive performance among older adults and are conceptualised as proxies for cognitive reserve. However, ageing also conveys a depletion of working memory capacity, which adversely impacts language comprehension. This study investigated how cognitive reserve proxies and working memory jointly predict the performance of healthy older adults in a sentence reading comprehension task, and how their predictive value changes depending on sentence structure and task demands. Cognitively healthy older adults (n = 120) completed a sentence-picture verification task under two conditions: concurrent viewing of the sentence and picture or their sequential presentation, thereby imposing greater demands on working memory. They also completed a questionnaire on cognitive reserve proxies as well as a verbal working memory test. The sentence structure was manipulated by altering the canonical word order and modifying the amount of propositional information. While the cognitive reserve was the main predictor in the concurrent condition, the predictive role of working memory increased under the sequential presentation, particularly for complex sentences. These findings highlight the complementary roles played by cognitive reserve and working memory in the reading comprehension of older adults.

The impact of COVID-19 on memory: Recognition for masked and unmasked faces.

Considering the current state of the worldwide pandemic, it is still common to encounter people wearing face protection masks. Although a safety measure against COVID-19, face masks might be compromising our capacity for face recognition. We conducted an online study where 140 participants observed masked and unmasked faces in a within-subjects design and then performed a recognition memory task. The best performance was found when there were no masks either at study and test phase, i.e., at the congruent unmasked condition. The worst performance was found for faces encoded with a mask but tested without it (i.e., masked-unmasked incongruent condition), which can be explained by the disruption in holistic face processing and the violation of the encoding specificity principle. Interestingly, considering the unmasked-masked incongruent condition, performance was probably affected by the violation of the encoding specificity principle but protected by holistic processing that occurred during encoding.

Factorial Structure of the Morningness-Eveningness-Stability-Scale (MESSi) and Sex and Age Invariance.

Assessing morningness-eveningness preferences (chronotype), an individual characteristic that is mirrored in daily mental and physiological fluctuations, is crucial given their overarching influence in a variety of domains. The current work aimed to investigate the best factor structure of an instrument recently presented to asses this characteristic: the Morningness-Eveningness-Stability-Scale improved (MESSi). For the first time, the originally proposed three-factor structure was pitched against a uni- and a two-factor solution. Another novelty was to establish that the best-fitting model would be invariant in relation to sex and age, two variables that influence chronotype. A Confirmatory Factor Analyses on the data obtained from a sample of 2096 German adults (age: 18-76; M = 25.5, SD = 7.64) revealed that the originally proposed three-factor structure of the MESSi - Morning Affect, Eveningness, and Distinctness - was the only one to achieve acceptable fit indicators. Furthermore, each scale obtained good internal consistency. In order to assess age invariance, following the literature on development and chronotype, our sample was divided into three age groups: 18-21 years, 22-31 years, and 32 years or older. Full measurement invariance of the three-factor model was found for sex and age. Regarding differences between sexes, females did not differ significantly from males in Morning Affect, but scored significantly lower on Eveningness and higher on Distinctness; this last result has been consistent across validation studies of the MESSi. With respect to age differences, the oldest group scored lower on Eveningness and Distinctness in comparison with the other two age-groups; the intermediate group (age: 22-31) scored lower on Morning Affect when compared to both the younger and older age groups. Additionally, both Eveningness and Distinctness were negatively correlated with age. This latter relation has been consistently reported in other validation studies. Our results reinforce the idea that the MESSi assesses three different components of chronotype in a reliable manner and that this instrument can be used to explore sex and age differences.

Initial psychometric characterization for the Portuguese version of the Morningness-Eveningness-Stability-Scale improved (MESSi).

This work reports the initial psychometric characterization of the Morningness-Eveningness-Stability-Scale improved (MESSi) for Portuguese young-adults (N = 466). A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a three-factor model (i.e. Morning Affect, Eveningness and Distinctness) in our data, as originally proposed. Furthermore, construct validity evidence in relation to external variables (i.e. morningness/eveningness and satisfaction with life), as well as adequate reliability (i.e. internal consistency and test-retest reliability), were found. Finally, sex-based invariance and between-sex differences were investigated for the three subscales, as were correlations with age. Results point to the suitability of the MESSi for multi-cultural research on relevant and multiple aspects of chronotype.

Processos Cognitivos Visuoespaciais e Ambiente Visual Circundante: Implicações Educacionais / Visuospatial Cognitive Processes and Visual Surrounding Environment: Educational Implications

RESUMO Nesta revisão de literatura, abordamos a importância da atenção seletiva, da inibição e da memória de trabalho na aprendizagem das crianças. Começamos por apresentar as suas definições e principais mecanismos funcionais. Apresentamos igualmente conclusões de vários estudos que abordam a importância desses processos, sobretudo em tarefas visuoespaciais. Finalmente, abordamos o papel que o ambiente visual circundante desempenha na aprendizagem, chamando a atenção para uma lacuna que se verifica em grande parte dos estudos: a sua pouca validade ecológica. É também defendido que o ambiente visual externo deve ser considerado nos modelos explicativos dos processos cognitivos básicos. Conclui-se o trabalho alertando para a necessidade de se estudar de forma mais sistemática a relação entre estes dois elementos (cognição e ambiente).

ABSTRACT This literature review focuses on the importance of selective attention, inhibition and working memory in children's learning. We start by presenting the definition and functional mechanisms of these cognitive processes. We then present the main results of several studies that report the importance of these processes, particularly in visuospatial tasks. We also discuss the role of the visual surrounding environment in learning, particularly with respect to an existing gap in most studies: Their low ecological validity. We argue for the importance of considering the visual external environment when trying to explain performance in basic cognitive processes. Finally, we stress the need for more empirical studies exploring in a systematic way the relation between these two elements (cognition and environment).