Significant differences between verbal and non-verbal intellectual scales on a perinatally HIV-infected cohort: from pediatrics to young adults.

Delayed neurodevelopment is a common outcome in perinatally HIV-infected children. Our aim was to assess the intellectual profile of our cohort, considering both the infection and socio-environmental related variables. A cross-sectional cohort study was undertaken at seven major hospitals in Spain belonging to the CoRISpeS cohort (n = 97). Patients were followed up according to a standard protocol. Intellectual measures, psychosocial profile and HIV infection-related data have been analysed. The average patient age was 15 years. The median CD4 cell percentage was 35% (1,59). Viral load was undetectable in 80% of the patients and 27% were on AIDS category; 38% of whom had encephalopathy. The average composite score of both crystallized intelligence (CI) and intelligence quotient (IQ) for the cohort was lower than that of the general population (p < 0.001). Results revealed a significant difference of 38% between crystallized and fluid intelligence. There was a clear association between IQ and age of diagnosis (p = 0.022); CI and CDC classification (p = 0.035), CD4 count (p = 0.011) and CD4 nadir (p = 0.001). Higher parental education was associated with better performance across all intelligence scales (p < 0.002). A regression model showed that CI was influenced by the academic level of caregivers (p = 0.002), age at start of cART (p = 0.050) and primary language (p = 0.058). Findings revealed significant differences in verbal and non-verbal intellectual scales resulting in a misleading IQ Composite score. Crystallized intelligence demonstrated the highest level of impairment despite adequate treatment and good immunovirological status, while fluid intelligence results were average. Caregiver level of education was the strongest factor across all intelligence measures.

Psychophysiological Correlates of Emotional- and Alcohol-Related Cues Processing in Offspring of Alcohol-Dependent Patients.

AIMS: To determinate if offspring of alcohol-dependent patients (OA) process affective stimuli and alcohol-related cues in a different manner than control subjects do. METHODS: Event-related potentials (early posterior negativity [EPN]/ late positive potential [LPP]) and event-related oscillations (Theta) were obtained by electroencephalographic (EEG) recording during the viewing of International Affective Picture System (IAPS) images with positive, negative and neutral valence, as well as alcohol-related cues. The total sample was comprised of 60 participants, divided into two groups: one group consisted of OA (30) and the control group of participants with negative family history of alcohol use disorders (30). RESULTS: Theta power analysis implies a significant interaction between condition, region and group factors. Post-hoc analysis indicates an increased theta power for the OA at different regions, during pleasant (frontal, central, parietal, occipital, right temporal); unpleasant (frontal, central, occipital); alcohol (frontal, central, parietal, occipital, right and left temporal) and neutral (occipital) cues. There are no group differences regarding any of the event-related potential measurements (EPN/LPP). CONCLUSIONS: There is evidence of alterations in the processing of affective stimuli and alcohol-related information, evidenced by changes in theta brain oscillations. These alterations are characterized by an increased emotional reactivity, evidenced by increased theta at posterior sites. There is also an increased recruitment of emotion control, which could be a compensation mechanism, evidenced by increased theta power at anterior sites during affective stimuli and alcohol cues.

P3 Component as a Potential Endophenotype for Control Inhibition in Offspring of Alcoholics.

AIMS: To assess inhibitory processes and the ongoing event-related potential (ERP) activity of offspring of alcoholics (OA) during a Go/No-Go task, with the purpose of characterizing possible psychophysiological endophenotypes for alcohol-dependent vulnerability. SHORT SUMMARY: EEG recordings and ERP measurements of young adults with positive and negative family history of alcoholism where obtained while they performed a Go/No-Go task to assess inhibitory processes. Offspring of alcoholics showed a different ERP pattern compared to the control group and exerted greater effort than the control group. METHODS: ERP measurements were obtained by electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings of 65 participants divided into two groups: one group of 30 subjects with positive family history of alcoholism and a control group of 35 subjects with negative family history of alcoholism. They performed a Go/No-Go task, where each individual was required to classify visual stimuli by colour (Go) and inhibit their response to a No-Go signal. RESULTS: OA have higher P3 amplitudes during the Go condition in all of the regions analysed and higher No-Go P3 amplitudes than control subjects in the frontal region. Unlike controls, OA have no differences between the P3 amplitudes across conditions. CONCLUSIONS: The absence of differences between the P3 Go and No-Go observed in the OA group can be interpreted as a possible alteration related with inhibition, in a way that they may need to recruit similar resources for inhibitory and classificational processes for both conditions. Therefore, the P3 component may be considered as a useful endophenotype and a vulnerability marker to develop addictive behaviour.

Association between maltreatment and polydrug use among adolescents.

Different studies have related sexual and physical abuse during childhood and adolescence to the development of substance abuse disorders. Nevertheless, we are not aware of the role that other more common maltreatment types, such as neglect, will play among the most risky pattern of consumption: the polydrug use. A clinical sample of 655 adolescents, divided into two groups: polydrug users and non-polydrug users, were assessed on their pattern of drug consumption, history of childhood maltreatment, current psychopathology and their family history of alcoholism. Polydrug users had a greater prevalence of all types of maltreatment, although the most associated to this group were sexual abuse and emotional neglect. Other relevant variables to adolescent consumption were: the diagnosis of depressive disorder, the presence of anxiety traits and the family history of alcohol dependence. Polydrug users have higher risks of having had problems during infancy and adolescence, such as maltreatment and other psychopathological conditions, with the addition of family history of alcoholism. Accordingly, practitioners should take into account that those variables may influence polydrug abuse because it is the most risky pattern for subsequent dependence of substances, and they should always be considered during treatment.

Efectos diferenciales de la doble tarea en el procesamiento emocional en pacientes con enfermedad de Parkinson no medicados / Differential effects of dual tasks on emotional processing in non-medicated patients with Parkinson’s disease

Introducción. Trabajos previos han puesto de manifiesto que la correcta identificación de las expresiones faciales emocionales (EFE) depende de los recursos cognitivos disponibles. En este trabajo investigamos si la capacidad para identificar EFE en un paradigma de doble tarea se ve afectada en la enfermedad de Parkinson (EP). Objetivo. Investigar la interferencia que genera la introducción de una tarea secundaria en el procesamiento de EFE durante las fases de codificación y recuperación de la expresión facial en pacientes con EP no medicados. Sujetos y métodos. Un total de 14 pacientes con EP de novo y 28 adultos sanos identificaron 24 EFE bajo dos condiciones: codificación simultánea con una tarea secundaria e introducción de la tarea secundaria entre el tiempo que media entre la codificación de la primaria y el tiempo de latencia de la respuesta. Resultados. Los resultados mostraron que los pacientes con EP identificaron las EFE significativamente peor que los adultos sanos en la condición de codificación simultánea. Por el contrario, no mostraron diferencias cuando la interferencia de la tarea secundaria se produjo en la fase de recuperación de la información de la primaria. Conclusiones. Los pacientes con EP muestran déficits específicos en el procesamiento de EFE sólo cuando la tarea consume altos recursos de atención dividida, como ocurre en las situaciones cotidianas (AU)

Introduction. Previous research has shown that correct identification of emotional facial expressions (EFE) depends onthe cognitive resources that are available. In this study, we examine whether the capacity to identify EFE in a dual task paradigm is affected in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Aim. To investigate the interference generated by introducing a secondary task in EFE processing during the encoding and recovery of the facial expression in non-medicated PD patients. Subjects and methods. A total of 14 patients with de novo PD and 28 healthy adults identified 24 EFE under two conditions: simultaneous encoding along with a secondary task and introduction of the secondary task between the time that spans the encoding of the primary task and the response time latency. Results. Results showed that identification of EFE by patients with PD was significantly worse than by healthy adults in the simultaneous encoding condition. In contrast, no differences were found when the interference of the secondary task took place in the phase involving recovery of information of the primary task. Conclusions. Patients with PD only display specific deficits in processing EFE when the task consumes high levels of the resources required for divided attention, as occurs in everyday situations (AU)