Your browser doesn't support javascript.
loading
Show: 20 | 50 | 100
Results 1 - 20 de 27
Filter
1.
Front Psychol ; 15: 1275678, 2024.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38414872

ABSTRACT

Metacognition, the ability to monitor and regulate cognitive processes, is essential for individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) to accurately identify their deficits and effectively manage them. However, previous studies primarily focused on memory awareness in MCI, neglecting other domains affected in daily life. This study aimed to investigate how individuals with MCI perceive their abilities to handle various cognitively challenging situations representing real-life scenarios and their use of compensatory strategies. Thus 100 participants were recruited, including 50 with amnestic MCI with multiple deficits (aMCI) and 50 cognitively healthy controls (HC) matched in age and education. Participants completed three metacognitive scales assessing self-perceived efficacy in everyday life scenarios and one scale evaluating use of cognitive strategies. Results indicated that aMCI participants reported significantly lower self-efficacy in memory and divided-shifted attention scenarios compared to HC. Surprisingly, no significant group differences were found in the self-reports about the use of cognitive strategies. This suggests a potential gap in understanding or applying effective strategies for compensating cognitive deficits. These findings emphasize the importance of cognitive training programs targeting metacognitive knowledge enhancement and practical use of cognitive strategies that could enhance the quality of life for individuals with MCI.

2.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38131733

ABSTRACT

The impact of COVID-19 and the associated lockdown measures on people's physical and mental wellbeing, as well as their daily lives and functioning, has been extensively studied. This study takes the approach of investigating the consequences of COVID-19 on a national scale, considering sociodemographic factors. The main objective is to make a contribution to ongoing research by specifically examining how age, gender, and marital status influence the overall impact of COVID-19 and wellbeing indicators during the second lockdown period that was implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Greek population. The study involved a sample of 16,906 individuals of all age groups in Greece who completed an online questionnaire encompassing measurements related to personal wellbeing, the presence and search for meaning in life, positive relationships, as well as symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Additionally, to gauge the levels of the perceived COVID-19-related impact, a valid and reliable scale was developed. The results reveal that a higher perception of COVID-19 consequences is positively associated with psychological symptoms and the search for meaning in life, while being negatively correlated with personal wellbeing and the sense of meaning in life. In terms of individual differences, the findings indicate that unmarried individuals, young adults, and females tend to report higher levels of psychological symptoms, a greater search for meaning in life, and a heightened perception of COVID-19-related impact. These findings are analyzed in depth, and suggestions for potential directions for future research are put forth.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Female , Young Adult , Humans , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/psychology , Greece/epidemiology , Quarantine/psychology , Pandemics , Individuality , Depression/epidemiology , Depression/psychology , Stress, Psychological/epidemiology , Communicable Disease Control , Anxiety/epidemiology , Anxiety/psychology
3.
Front Psychol ; 14: 1198119, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38022921

ABSTRACT

The Gifted Rating Scales - School Form (GRS-S), an evaluation tool for the identification of gifted elementary and middle school children, was the subject of the current study, which focused on its psychometric features (internal consistency reliability and structural validity). Four hundred and eighty-nine teachers (342 women, 139 men, and 8 without gender declaration) used the GRS-S to estimate the dimensions of giftedness in their students for the current study. Particularly, 489 children (253 girls and 236 boys) were evaluated by their teachers. Eight elementary and middle school classes and sixteen 6-month age bands were used to stratify the student population. The scales' outstanding internal consistency and good factorial validity were revealed by statistical analyses (EFA, CFA, and Cronbach's coefficients). According to the current research findings, the GRS-S as a reliable and valid assessment tool for identifying gifted students (by their teachers) within the Greek cultural environment.

4.
Behav Sci (Basel) ; 13(10)2023 Oct 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37887488

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This pilot study aims to explore the potential of a positive psychology intervention (PPI) in enhancing the subjective well-being of older individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a precursor to dementia. DESIGN AND SETTING: A randomized trial was conducted, initially recruiting 51 participants aged 65 and above from the Greek Association of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders in Thessaloniki, Greece. The study employed a control-experimental group setup. To ensure randomization, each participant was assigned a unique number, and a random number generator was used for group allocation. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 41 eligible participants with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) were included in the study after screening. INTERVENTION: The intervention consisted of a 3-week positive psychology program (PPI) where the PERMA Profiler questionnaire was administered at three intervals: pre-intervention, post-intervention, and one month after completion. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The subjective well-being of participants. RESULTS: The analysis, conducted mainly through mixed-measures ANOVAs, supported the study's hypotheses, revealing that the 3-week PPI led to increased PERMA model scores and overall well-being, which persisted even after one month. Conversely, non-participants experienced declines in most domains except for Positive Emotion and Meaning, which demonstrated improvement and recovery during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest the potential of PPI in enhancing the subjective well-being of older adults with amnestic MCI, with implications for addressing dementia-related challenges. Further investigation is warranted to pinpoint PPI effects on MCI and tailor interventions for improved subjective well-being.

5.
J Intell ; 11(9)2023 Sep 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37754909

ABSTRACT

The present study investigated the pattern of relations among the tacit knowledge of high school teachers, their professional development, and their metacognitive knowledge concerning their teaching practices. Two hundred and seventy-nine secondary school teachers of both sexes, between the ages of 30 and 59 years, with teaching experience of between 1 and 19 years, participated in the study. Teachers' tacit knowledge was evaluated through the hypothetical scenarios of the Tacit Knowledge Inventory for High School Teachers (TKI-HS), which has been developed for the estimation of teachers' practical strategies. For the evaluation of teachers' metacognitive knowledge and professional development, self-report questionnaires were administered to the participants. Path analysis indicated relationships between teachers' metacognitive knowledge regarding difficulties in classroom management and in the use of modern methods and technologies on the one hand, and the use of certain tacit knowledge strategies on the other. In addition, teachers' professional development, especially their ability to interact in socially heterogeneous groups, was also found to have an effect on their tacit knowledge strategies.

6.
J Intell ; 11(9)2023 Sep 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37754911

ABSTRACT

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is associated with deficits in decision-making, which is of utmost importance for daily functioning. Despite evidence of declined decision-making abilities, research on decision-making interventions for MCI is scarce. As metacognition seems to play an important role in decision-making, the present study's aim was to examine whether a metacognitive strategy training can improve MCI patients' decision-making abilities. Older adults-patients of a day care center, diagnosed with amnestic MCI (n = 55) were randomly allocated in two groups, which were matched in gender, age and educational level. Τhe experimental group (n = 27, 18 women, mean age = 70.63, mean years of education = 13.44) received the metacognitive strategy training in parallel with the cognitive and physical training programs of the day care center, and the active control group (n = 28, 21 women, mean age = 70.86, mean years of education = 13.71) received only the cognitive and physical training of the center. The metacognitive strategy training included three online meeting sessions that took place once per week. The basis of the intervention was using analytical thinking, by answering four metacognitive-strategic questions, to make decisions about everyday situations. To examine the efficacy of the training, the ability to make decisions about everyday decision-making situations and the ability to apply decision rules were measured. Both groups participated in a pre-test session and a post-test session, while the experimental group also participated in a follow-up session, one month after the post-test session. The results showed that the experimental group improved its ability to decide, based on analytical thinking, about economic and healthcare-related everyday decision-making situations after they received the metacognitive strategy training. This improvement was maintained one month later. However, the ability to apply decision rules, which requires high cognitive effort, did not improve. In conclusion, it is important that some aspects of the analytical decision-making ability of amnestic MCI patients were improved due to the present metacognitive intervention.

7.
J Intell ; 11(9)2023 Sep 19.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37754914

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to examine metacognitive abilities in individuals diagnosed with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) by using online metacognitive measures during cognitive tasks. A total of 100 participants were enrolled, all aged 50 or older (mean age = 61.98; SD = 6.27), and with a minimum of six years of education (mean = 14.95; SD = 2.94). The sample included 50 individuals with aMCI (34 females) and 50 healthy controls (HC) (33 females). Both groups underwent metacognitive versions of memory tasks (Doors and People) and executive functions tasks (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test). Metacognition was assessed through confidence ratings given after each answer (referred to as metacognitive monitoring) and the accuracy of the participants' decisions to include or exclude answers from their final scores (known as metacognitive control). The results showed that although individuals with aMCI were aware of their cognitive limitations-evidenced by their lower confidence ratings across all tasks-they still exhibited overconfidence relative to their actual performance. Moreover, they included a greater number of incorrect answers in their final scores compared to the healthy control group. These findings suggest that while individuals with aMCI retain some level of awareness, their self-evaluations appear to lack precision. This observation was consistent across both types of cognitive tasks. The results underscore the need for additional research to better understand metacognition in MCI as well as the interplay between metacognitive monitoring and control.

8.
Sci Total Environ ; 903: 165882, 2023 Dec 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37574071

ABSTRACT

Multiple stressors may combine in unexpected ways to alter the structure of ecological systems, however, our current ability to evaluate their ecological impact is limited due to the lack of information concerning historic trophic interactions and ecosystem dynamics. Saronikos Gulf is a heavily exploited embayment in the E Mediterranean that has undergone significant ecological alterations during the last 20 years including a shift from long-standing eutrophic to oligotrophic conditions in the mid-2000's. Here we used a historical Ecopath food-web model of Saronikos Gulf (1998-2000) and fitted the time-dynamic module Ecosim to biomass and catch time series for the period 2001-2020. We then projected the model forward in time from 2021 to 2050 under 8 scenarios to simulate ecosystem responses to the individual and combined effect of sea surface temperature increase, primary productivity shifts and fishing effort release. Incorporating trophic interactions, climate warming, fishing and primary production improved model fit, depicting that both fishing and the environment have historically influenced ecosystem dynamics. Retrospective simulations of the model captured historical biomass and catch trends of commercially important stocks and reproduced successfully the marked recovery of marine resources 10 years after re-oligotrophication. In future scenarios increasing temperature had a detrimental impact on most functional groups, increasing and decreasing productivity had a positive and negative effect on all respectively, while fishing reductions principally benefited top predators. Combined stressors produced synergistic or antagonistic effects depending on the direction and magnitude of change of each stressor in isolation while their overall impact seemed to be strongly mediated via food-web interactions. Such holistic approaches advance of our mechanistic understanding of ecosystems enabling us to develop more effective management strategies in the face of a rapidly changing marine environment.

9.
Neurol Int ; 15(3): 804-820, 2023 Jun 29.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37489357

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this literature review was to detect and study the effectiveness of therapeutic intervention programs, such as physical activities and sports, on children and adolescents with Developmental Motor Coordination Disorder (DCD) to improve their motor skills. The sample for this study consisted of 48 (100%) papers, specifically, 40 (83.5%) articles, 3 (6.2%) doctoral theses, 2 (4.1%) master's theses and 3 (6.2%) papers from conference proceedings from the year 2014 to 2022. To search the sample, the following terms were used: DCD or dyspraxia, physical activity programs, intervention, physical intervention, physical education, etc. The results for the existence of statistically significant results and internal validity of intervention programs using physical activities and sports in children and adolescents with DCD showed that a large number of intervention programs improved the children's motor skills as well as their daily functionality. In contrast, other interventions failed to improve dynamic and static balance. The negative result could be due either to the short duration of the interventions or to the improper suboptimal design-organization of the methodology of these programs-such as the heterogeneous intervention samples and the use of inappropriate and reliable assessment tools.

10.
Clin Gerontol ; : 1-8, 2023 May 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37153956

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the beneficial outcomes of giving cannabidiol (CBD) 3% over a six-month period in the BPSD, the management of which is a crucial issue for everyday clinical praxis and to compare the progress in BPSD of patients who receive Cannabidiol 3% with those who follow usual medical treatment (UMT) in everyday clinical praxis. METHODS: A total of 20 PwD with severe BPSD were recruited from the database of Alzheimer Hellas with NPI score >30. Ten of them were assigned to UMT, while ten were assigned to a six-month treatment with CBD drops. The follow-up assessment was performed with NPI, both clinically and by structured telephone interview. RESULTS: The follow-up assessment with NPI showed significant improvement of the BPSD in all our patients who received CBD, and no or limited improvement in the second group, regardless of the underlying neuropathology of dementia. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that CBD may be a more effective and safe choice for managing BPSD than the typical intervention. Future large randomized clinical trials are needed to re-assure these findings. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Healthcare professionals should consider incorporating CBD 3% into their practices to reduce BPSD in PwD. Regular assessments are necessary to ensure long-term effectiveness.

11.
Diagnostics (Basel) ; 12(11)2022 Nov 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36428869

ABSTRACT

The present paper is based on data of two samples concerning the Gifted Rating Scales-Preschool/Kindergarten Form (GRS-P) that aimed to gain insight into the psychometric properties (internal consistency reliability, structural and convergent validity) of the Greek version of the GRS-P. In both studies, teachers estimated their students' giftedness with the GRS-P and executive functions with the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory (Study 1). In Study 2, kindergarteners were examined in cognitive measurements which included the colored progressive matrices, the children category test, the Athena test, and the mini-mental state examination. Statistical analyses (EFA, CFA, Cronbach's α, and Pearson's r coefficients) revealed the excellent internal consistency of the scales as well as their good factorial and convergent/discriminant validity. In relation to the children's cognitive ability measures, it emphasized the fact that the GRS-P is a reliable and valid tool for teachers to assess their gifted students in a Greek cultural context.

12.
Diagnostics (Basel) ; 12(10)2022 Oct 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36292099

ABSTRACT

The multidimensional effect of aging on cognition and its interference with daily functioning is well reported by many studies. Therefore, the ability to detect age-related cognitive changes is of great importance for older adults to help compensate for cognitive decline. For that, metacognition and its course of change across the lifespan of a person have attracted considerable scientific interest. The aim of the present study is to present three new self-report questionnaires, developed to measure older adults' metacognitive knowledge for everyday memory (MKEM), metacognitive knowledge for everyday attention (MKEA), and metacognitive knowledge for everyday executive functions (MKEEFs). The questionnaires were tested for structural validity and reliability. A sample size of 171 community-dwelling adults of advancing age (97 females and 74 males) voluntarily participated in this study and their ages ranged from 50 to 82 years (mean = 59.32, SD = 7.39). Exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis with varimax rotation was applied to examine structural validity. The results revealed a one-factor structure for the MKEM with high internal consistency (α = 0.88), a two-factor structure for the MKEA, that reflected "divided and shifted attention" (α = 0.74) and "concentration" (α = 0.75), and a two-factor structure for the MKEEFs that reflected "planning" (α = 0.70) and "inhibition" (α = 0.65). The variables created for each factor respectively showed significant positive correlations between each other.

13.
Diagnostics (Basel) ; 12(7)2022 Jul 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35885671

ABSTRACT

Episodic memory is the type of memory that allows the recollection of personal experiences containing information on what has happened and, also, where and when it happened. Because of its sensitivity to neurodegenerative diseases and the aging of the brain, it is considered a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD). The objective of the present study was to examine episodic memory in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and ADD. Patients with the diagnosis of early aMCI, late aMCI, and mild ADD were evaluated using the Doors and People tool which consists of four subtests examining different aspects of episodic memory. The statistical analysis with receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) showed the discriminant potential and the cutoffs of every subtest. Overall, the evaluation of episodic memory with the Doors and People tool can discriminate with great sensitivity between the different groups of people with AD and, especially, early aMCI, late aMCI, and mild ADD patients.

14.
Mar Environ Res ; 172: 105507, 2021 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34742025

ABSTRACT

Mediterranean coastal ecosystems provide various valuable ecosystem goods and services; however, they are vulnerable to ecological degradation due to a dramatic increase in resource use and environmental stress. Disentangling the effects of multiple human interventions on coastal ecosystems requires whole description of food web interactions using quantitative tools. A mass balance Ecopath model has been developed here for Saronikos Gulf, a naturally oligotrophic Mediterranean coastal ecosystem with a long history of human interventions. Our main focus was to describe the structure and functioning of the ecosystem, investigate the trophic interplay among the various compartments of the food web under the impact of mixed multi-gear fisheries, and to quantify resilience related emergent ecosystem properties. To this end, we reviewed a large amount of local and regional biological information which was integrated in 40 functional groups covering all trophic levels, while fishing activities were described with 7 fleets. The model shared characteristics of both productive (e.g., high amount of flows) and oligotrophic systems (e.g., low biomass accumulation) and presented typical features of Mediterranean ecosystem functioning, such as the importance of detritus as an energy source, strong benthic-pelagic coupling and the dominance of the pelagic compartment in terms of total production and consumption. Trophic forcing in the ecosystem of Saronikos Gulf was complex with both top-down and bottom-up drivers being important. Zooplankton was the central nexus between basal resources and higher trophic levels, while top predators such as hake, squids and anglerfish were identified as keystone species presenting a significant overall effect on the food web via direct and indirect trophic interactions. Ecological indicators depicted a moderately complex food-web of a large and immature ecosystem with its strengths in reserve being affected by environmental degradation. Additionally, exploitation indices classified fishing activities in Saronikos Gulf as unsustainable, affecting several target groups, including high trophic level species. However, the morphological and bathymetric complexity of Saronikos Gulf seems to function as a natural ecological reserve for the ecosystem by providing nursery grounds to various species (e.g., hake, small pelagic fishes) and supporting important fish stocks for local fisheries.


Subject(s)
Ecosystem , Food Chain , Animals , Biomass , Fisheries , Fishes , Humans , Zooplankton
15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34682609

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 was first identified in December 2019. As long as this type of coronavirus was new, the main way for governments to avoid the spread of the infection was enforced quarantine. Besides public health protection, quarantine can have a psychological impact on the residents, with main symptoms being angst, anxiety, depressive, and PTSD symptoms. As it has been found that character strengths can promote subjective wellbeing, the purpose of the study was to examine this relationship under the new situation of quarantine in the Greek population in adults who were in quarantine for at least two weeks. The total sample consisted of 354 participants who were aged 18-72-years-old. A total of 263 participants were women (74.3%), 91 were men (25.7%), and 94.6% of them were highly educated. The sample was a convenience sample. The tools used were PANAS, PERMA and finally VIA-114GR. The data analysis was completed using SPSS software version 26.0 (IBM Corp. Released 2019. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0. Armonk, NY, USA: IBM Corp) and EQS 6.1 (Multivariate Software Inc.: Encino, CA, USA, 2006). The results showed that love, curiosity, persistence, hope, and zest are strongly associated with subjective wellbeing, even in conditions such as quarantine, and can support specific aspects of it.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Pandemics , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Anxiety , Communicable Disease Control , Depression , Female , Greece/epidemiology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Quarantine , SARS-CoV-2 , Young Adult
16.
Brain Sci ; 11(9)2021 Aug 28.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34573162

ABSTRACT

Episodic buffer (EB), a key component of working memory, seems to have a rather complicated function as part of binding processes. Recent papers on the field claim that binding processes of working memory (WM) are assisted by attention and executive functions. On the same page, vascular pathology is gaining more ground as the main underlying cause for many brain pathologies. Hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, lack of exercise and smoking are the most common risk factors that people of all ages suffer from and constitute the main vascular risk factors responsible for a possible decline in executive functions and attention. Thus, this research is an attempt to examine the relation between the binding functions of WM and the existence of vascular risk factors via a computerized test focusing on feature binding. The study comprised adults (n = 229) with and without vascular risk factors. The main tools used were a biomarker questionnaire and a feature binding test (FBT). The results showed that participants who report suffering from one or more vascular risk factors had significantly lower performance on specific subtasks of the FBT in comparison to the participants who were healthy. This allows us to assume that there might be a positive association between feature binding and a vascular risk profile in adults, and such a test could be a useful diagnostic tool for early cognitive impairment due to incipient vascular pathology.

17.
Brain Sci ; 11(8)2021 Jul 29.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34439625

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the present study was to validate the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11th version) scale as well as the short version of the Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS-P) in a population of Greek young adults. Secondly, we aimed at validating the BIS-11 in older adults. METHODS: 167 (Group 1) university students completed the Greek version of the BIS-11 (BIS-11-G) and the UPPS (UPPS-P-G) scales. Additionally, BIS-11-G was also administered to 167 (Group 2) cognitively intact older adults, to identify whether it could be used to measure impulsivity in an older adult population. RESULTS: Both scales had satisfactory internal reliability and test-retest reliability, as well as convergent validity in the young adult population. In regard to the factor structure, a principal component analysis (PCA) extracted two factors for the BIS-11-G in the young adult population and three factors in older adults, as well as three factors for the short UPPS-P-G in young adults. CONCLUSIONS: The BIS-11-G and the UPPS-P-G scales can be used to measure different aspects of impulsivity in the Greek population of different ages in research and clinical practice.

18.
Brain Sci ; 11(3)2021 Mar 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33800793

ABSTRACT

The main aim of the present study was the evaluation of dynamic relationships between dimensions of temperament and motor coordination in 3-7-year-old children in Greece. More specifically, the main objectives of the current study were the test outcomes regarding the psychometric properties (structural validity and internal consistency) of the Greek versions of (a) the Child Behavior Questionnaire-very short format (CBQ-VSF), and (b) the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ). For the purposes of the present study, 231 parents (202 women and 29 men), aged 23-53 years (mean (M) = 36.7 and standard deviation (SD) = 5.4) completed the aforementioned questionnaires. The sample consisted of 231 children (110 girls and 121 boys) aged 3-7 years (M = 4.75 years and SD = 1.30). For the DCDQ, the confirmatory factor analysis revealed three factors consistent with the factors that emerged from the constructs, with strong internal consistency reliability. Furthermore, regarding the CBQ-VSF, which measures the dimensions of temperament, the implementation of the confirmatory factor analysis indicated three factors and satisfactory internal consistency reliability, as well. Finally, path analysis revealed that temperamental effortful control, which mirrors both inhibitory and self-regulatory capacity, has a positive effect on motor coordination.

19.
Front Psychol ; 12: 773732, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35370868

ABSTRACT

The present study aims to evaluate the distinct patterns of working memory (WM) capacity of children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), High-functioning children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and children with Down syndrome (DS). More specifically, the current study investigates the complex relationship of fluid intelligence and WM between 39 children with DLD, 20 H igh-functioning children with ASD, and 15 children with DS. All children were evaluated in different measures of Phonological Working Memory, Visual-spatial Working Memory whereas Fluid Intelligence was measured with Raven Progressive Matrices. The result analysis revealed a significant difference among the three groups, both among each function separately and the correlations among them, as well. The results revealed that the DLD groups and High-functioning ASD group exhibited a common picture or an overlap of performances in all Phonological and Visuo-spatial working memory measures, except Backward Digit Recall task. As for the DS group research findings revealed different and unique working memory patterns in comparison to DLD group and High-functioning ASD. Their differences have been studied and further conclusions have been drawn about the different patterns of working memory among the three clinical groups. The implications of these findings are discussed in light of support for learning. The common profile that characterize the two developmental conditions and the distinct pattern of working memory performance in DS group underlies the need for further research in the field.

20.
J Alzheimers Dis ; 71(4): 1201-1215, 2019.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31524160

ABSTRACT

Leading theories of affect development and empirical studies suggest that emotion can enhance memory in older adults. Destination memory which is defined as the ability to remember to whom we told a piece of information is being found to be compromised in aging. In the present study, we sought to assess destination memory using emotional stimuli (Emotional Destination Memory, EDM) in 16 older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 16 healthy controls and shed light onto its potential neurophysiological aspects. We measured Mu suppression in frontal and temporal regions via EEG in real time while participants performed the task of EDM. Results showed no group differences in task performance but significant differences in fronto-temporal activations, specifically in electrodes F7 and F8. Differential Mu rhythm pattern was observed between healthy controls and MCI with the first exhibiting Mu suppression and the last Mu enhancement. Furthermore, Mu enhancement in temporal electrodes within the MCI group was associated with lower scores on EDM. The absence of group differences in the task can be explained by the fact that even if there are underlying structural or functional deficits in the MCI group, these deficits are manifested only at neurophysiological level and not at a behavioral level, which is a common pattern in the process of cognitive decline in its initial phases. The overall findings reveal that, even if there are not any behavioral decrements in MCI patients, they show reduced activations in fronto-temporal regions and this can be attributed to general impairment in emotional destination memory due to possible mirror neuron deficiency.


Subject(s)
Aging , Cognitive Dysfunction , Memory/physiology , Aged , Aging/physiology , Aging/psychology , Cognitive Dysfunction/diagnosis , Cognitive Dysfunction/psychology , Electroencephalography/methods , Emotions/physiology , Female , Frontal Lobe/physiopathology , Humans , Male , Neurophysiological Monitoring/methods , Neuropsychological Tests , Task Performance and Analysis , Temporal Lobe/physiopathology
SELECTION OF CITATIONS
SEARCH DETAIL
...