Quantification of Neurite Degeneration with Enhanced Accuracy and Efficiency in an In Vitro Model of Parkinson's Disease.

Neurite degeneration is associated with early stages of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. One method that is commonly used to analyze neurite degeneration involves calculation of a Degeneration Index (DI) following utilization of the Analyze Particles tool of ImageJ to detect neurite fragments in micrographs of cultured cells. However, DI analyses are prone to several types of measurement error, can be time consuming to perform, and are limited in application. Here, we describe an improved method for performing DI analyses. Accuracy of measurements was enhanced through modification of selection criteria for detecting neurite fragments, removal of image artifacts and non-neurite materials from images, and optimization of image contrast. Such enhancements were implemented into an ImageJ macro that enables rapid and fully automated DI analysis of multiple images. The macro features operations for automated removal of cell bodies from micrographs, thus expanding the application of DI analyses to use in experiments involving dissociated cultures. We present experimental findings supporting that, compared with the conventional method, the enhanced analysis method yields measurements with increased accuracy and requires significantly less time to perform. Furthermore, we demonstrate the utility of the method to investigate neurite degeneration in a cell culture model of PD by conducting an experiment revealing the effects of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) on neurite degeneration induced by oxidative stress in human mesencephalic cells. This improved analysis method may be used to gain novel insight into factors underlying neurite degeneration and the progression of neurodegenerative disorders.

Is there more to metamemory? An argument for two specialized monitoring abilities.

Metamemory is the process of monitoring and controlling one's beliefs, knowledge, and mental processes of memory. One fundamental question is whether the monitoring component of this theory should be considered as only one ability or an umbrella of more specialized abilities. In the current study, we aimed to understand the structure of metamemory monitoring by testing unitary versus specialized measurement models of metamemory. Monitoring accuracy and mean ratings from four common monitoring judgments across different stimulus presentation pairs were calculated to create latent factors for each judgment using structural equation modeling. Our results suggest that although each of the monitoring judgments was correlated with one another, monitoring may be composed of two distinct abilities: one occurring during initial presentation and one occurring at retrieval. These results can help explain prior behavioral and brain dissociations between predictions at encoding and retrieval in terms of experimental and material manipulations. We caution against the conceptualization and use of metamemory monitoring as a unitary construct.

Cognitive Reserve Moderates Older Adults' Memory Errors in Autobiographical Reality Monitoring Task.

False memory rates differ in individuals with high versus low cognitive reserve and between young-old and old-old age groups. Here we tested how two types of false memory (false alarms to new items and source memory) in two age groups differed with cognitive reserve. Subjects were presented with words and either instructed to generate a past event from their memory associated with the word or to imagine a future event associated with the word. At test, participants were instructed to determine whether the event was a past, future, or new event. Results showed overall false memory rates were lower for young-old adults and those with high reserve. Critically, low cognitive reserve was most associated with source memory errors in young-old but not old-old adults. Reflecting the opposite pattern, false alarms to new items were most associated with low cognitive reserve for old-old, but not young-old adults. These results seem to suggest two different classes of false memories in old age. That is, cognitive reserve was most protective for familiar lures in earlier stages of old age, whereas it was most protective for new lures in later stages of old age. These results support the idea that retrieval monitoring deteriorates with age, potentially due to declines in working memory capacity, but that the decline may be attenuated by cognitive reserve. Furthermore, we suggest that different levels of working memory capacity may be required for monitoring source memory versus item memory, leading to differential effects of cognitive reserve depending upon age.

Developing Digital Intervention Games for Mental Disorders: A Review.

There is limited research on mental health interventions delivered in a digital game format and even less to guide developers on how to develop such games. This review focuses on understanding how to develop therapeutic digital games based primarily on mental health intervention games that have been empirically tested. The review was generated through database searches and backward search techniques for digital game-based interventions for specific mental disorders. We evaluated digital games that were based on validated psychological treatments. We located 24 studies and 18 games that met our search criteria. These games and their outcomes have been summarized. This review showed that these types of games have the potential to make an impact on mental health concerns but that there are currently few digital games available for the treatment or prevention of mental disorders. In addition, guidelines for digital mental health intervention game development have been presented. The consolidation of guidelines addressing multiple game development factors (e.g., time, cost, engagement) may help those interested in developing new therapeutic games that target a greater variety of disorders, thereby expanding access to larger populations.

The Psychosocial and Clinical Well-Being of Women Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus/AIDS.

This study examined factors impacting the psychological well-being of women living with human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS and the impact of depression on clinical outcomes. Nearly two-thirds of participants in this cross-sectional study reported significant depressive symptoms. Compared with women living with human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS without depressive symptoms, those with depression reported significantly poorer health outcomes. Health care providers should regularly screen these women for and adequately treat depression, and must collaborate with mental health providers and pastoral care counselors to address the mental health needs of women living with human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS to optimize their human immunodeficiency virus-related outcomes.