The contribution of bio-psycho-social dimensions on sexual satisfaction in people with spinal cord injury and their partners: an explorative study.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional explorative observational study. TITLE: Sexual satisfaction in people with spinal cord injury and their partners: an explorative study. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the determinants of sexual satisfaction among individuals with spinal cord injury and relative partners by assuming a bio-psycho-social perspective. SETTING: Online survey. METHODS: Thirty-eight individuals (22 individuals with SCI and their partners) were provided with an anonymous self-report questionnaire. Bio-psycho-social dimensions were investigated by using the Barthel Modified Index, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Sexual attitudes of participants were assessed via the Multidimensional Sexual Self-Concept Questionnaire (Snell, 1993). RESULTS: While no differences were observed between individuals with SCI and their partners, women with SCI were overall more satisfied about their sexual life when compared to men with SCI. Coping strategies promoting self-efficacy and an active role in the sexual issues were predictive of Sexual Satisfaction in the couples of persons with SCI and their partners. No significant contribution was played by physical variables. CONCLUSION: A tailored-made approach assessing the needs of both individuals with SCI and partners is a key aspect for effective sexual rehabilitation protocols. According to the needs and features of each couple, health professionals should drive individuals with SCI and partners to cope with their sexuality within a bio-psycho-social framework underlying it.

Tele-neuropsychological assessment tools in Italy: a systematic review on psychometric properties and usability.

BACKGROUND: The current COVID-19 pandemic has abruptly catalysed a shift towards remote assessment in neuropsychological practice (tele-neuropsychology, t-NPs). Although the validity of t-NPs diagnostics is gaining recognition worldwide, little is known about its implementation in Italy. The present review by the Italian working group on tele-neuropsychology (TELA) aims at describing the availability, psychometric properties, and feasibility of t-NPs tools currently available in Italy. METHODS: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. This work was pre-registered on the Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42021239687). Observational studies reporting telephone-, videoconference- or web-based assessment of cognition/behaviour in Italian both healthy participants (HPs) and patients were included. Bias assessment was performed through ad hoc scales. RESULTS: Fourteen studies were included from an initial N = 895 (4 databases searched). Studies were subdivided into those focused on psychometric properties and those characterized by a predominant applied nature. The majority of studies addressed either adult/elderly HPs or neurological/internal patients. Multi-domain screening tools for cognition, behaviour, mood/anxiety and quality of life were the most represented. Findings regarding validity, reliability, sensitivity, specificity and clinical usability were reported for cognitive screenings - the telephone- and videoconference-based Mini-Mental State Examination and the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status. DISCUSSION: Positive albeit preliminary evidence regarding psychometric properties and feasibility in both clinical and non-clinical populations of Italian t-NPs brief screening tools are herewith provided. Further studies exploring clinical usability of t-NPs and psychometric properties/feasibility of tests for the in-depth assessment of specific cognitive domains are necessary.

Differences between males and females with spinal cord injury in the experience of subliminal and explicit sexual pictures.

STUDY DESIGN: Observational cross-sectional study. OBJECTIVES: To determine the differences between persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) and control individuals in terms of conscious and unconscious sexual responses to subliminally presented visual sexual stimuli. SETTING: Spinal cord injury rehabilitation center in northern Italy. METHODS: A two-part behavioral experiment was conducted on 40 participants (27 individuals with SCI; 13 controls). In first part, all participants were subliminally exposed to a prime picture (neutral or sexual) and asked to rate the extent to which they were emotionally aroused, while watching a set of explicit target pictures (neutral or sexual). In the second part, choice reaction time task was employed, wherein participants were shown a subliminal prime picture (neutral or sexual) followed by an explicit target picture (neutral or sexual) superimposed by a black dot and were asked to locate the dot as fast as possible. RESULTS: In the first part, men with SCI reported higher levels of emotional arousal to explicit sexual target pictures compared to other groups. In the second part, slower choice reaction times were found in the SCI group, particularly with sexual prime picture. Moreover, females with SCI spent more time during implicit motor learning tasks with sexual target pictures than other groups. CONCLUSION: We found differences in the experience of subliminal and explicit sexual pictures not only between the two groups, but also between females and males with SCI. Attention should thus be paid when considering sexual experience at subliminal and conscious level in SCI population for future research and rehabilitative protocols.

The contribution of surgical brain mapping to the understanding of the anatomo-functional basis of syntax: A critical review.

A wide range of studies on language assessment during awake brain surgery is nowadays available. Yet, a consensus on a standardized protocol for intraoperative language mapping is still lacking. More specifically, very limited information is offered about intraoperative assessment of a crucial component of language such as syntax. This review aims at critically analyzing the intraoperative studies investigating the cerebral basis of syntactic processing. A comprehensive query was performed on the literature, returning a total of 18 studies. These papers were analyzed according to two complementary criteria, based on the distinction between morphosyntax and syntax. The first criterion focused on the tasks and stimuli employed intraoperatively. Studies were divided into three different groups: group 1 included those studies that overtly aimed at investigating morphosyntactic processes; group 2 included studies that did not explicitly focus on syntax, yet employed stimuli requiring morphosyntactic processing; and group 3 included studies reporting some generic form of syntactic deficit, although not further investigated. The second criterion focused on the syntactic structures of the sentences assessed intraoperatively, analyzing the canonicity of sentence structure (i.e., canonical versus non-canonical word order). The global picture emerging from our analysis indicates that what was investigated in the intraoperative literature is morphosyntactic processing, rather than pure syntax. The study of the neurobiology of syntax during awake surgery seems thus to be still at an early stage, in need of systematic, linguistically grounded investigations.