Evidences for better recall of congruent items in episodic memory.

A focus of recent research is to understand the role of our own response goals in the selection of information that will be encoded in episodic memory. For example, if we respond to a target in the presence of distractors, an important aspect under study is whether the distractor and the target share a common response (congruent) or not (incongruent). Some studies have found that congruent objects tend to be grouped together and stored in episodic memory, whereas other studies found that targets in the presence of incongruent distractors are remembered better. Our current research seems to support both views. We used a Tulving-based definition of episodic memory to differentiate memory from episodic and non-episodic traces. In this task, participants first had to classify a blue object as human or animal (target) which appeared in the presence of a green one (distractor) that could belong to the same category as the target (congruent); to the opposite one (incongruent); or to an irrelevant one (neutral). Later they had to report the identity (What), location (Where) and time (When) of both target objects (which had been previously responded to) and distractors (which had been ignored). Episodic memory was inferred when the three scene properties (identity, location and time) were correct. The measure of non-episodic memory consisted of those trials in which the identity was correctly remembered, but not the location or time. Our results show that episodic memory for congruent stimuli is significantly superior to that for incongruent ones. In sharp contrast, non-episodic measures found superior memory for targets in the presence of incongruent distractors. Our results demonstrate that response compatibility affects the encoding of episodic and non-episodic memory traces in different ways.

DigiDOP: A framework for applying digital technology to the Differential Outcomes Procedure (DOP) for cognitive interventions in persons with neurocognitive disorders.

We present a framework -Digi-DOP- that includes a series of evidence-based recommendations to design and apply cognitive interventions for people with Neurocognitive Disorders (NCDs) using a relatively new approach, the Differential Outcomes Procedure (DOP). To do so, we critically review the substantial experimental research conducted with relevant clinical and non-clinical populations, and the theoretical underpinnings of this procedure. We further discuss how existing digital technologies that have been used for cognitive interventions could be applied to overcome some of the limitations of DOP-based interventions and further enhance DOP benefits. Specifically, we present three digital DOP developments that are currently being designed, investigated and/or tested. Finally, we discuss constraints, ethical and legal considerations that need to be taken into account to ensure that the use of technology in DOP-based interventions proposed here does not widen disparities and inequalities. We hope that this framework will inform and guide digital health leaders and developers, researchers and healthcare professionals to design and apply DOP-based interventions for people with NCDs.

Is it Possible to Assess the Two-Domain Definition of the Broad Autism Phenotype Using the Available Measurement Tools?

Although, the operationalization of the autism spectrum disorder has been updated around two domains, the broad autism phenotype (BAP) one has not. Additionally, the items of the three common BAP measures, the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ), the Autism Quotient, and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), remain organized around a non-consensual number of factors. We explored whether the items of these measures matched with the two-domain operationalization through a parallel analysis, which has suggested two main components, and two expert judgments which have assessed item wording, relevance, and construct representativeness. A remaining pool of 48 BAP-relevant items suggested a possible under-representation of two subdomains. Despite the relevance of all the BAPQ items, only the SRS ones tapped in all subdomains.

Are probiotic treatments useful on fibromyalgia syndrome or chronic fatigue syndrome patients? A systematic review.

Evidence suggests that the gut microbiota might play an important role in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Our goal is to systematically review the reported effect of probiotic treatments in patients diagnosed with FMS or CFS. A systematic review was carried out using 14 databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, PsycINFO, and others) in February 2016 to search for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and pilot studies of CFS or FMS patient, published in the last ten years (from 2006 to 2016). The Jadad scale was used to asseverate the quality of the clinical trials considered. Two studies (n=83) met the inclusion criteria, which were performed in CFS patients and both studies were considered as a 'High range of quality score'. The administration of Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota in CFS patients, over the course of 8 weeks, reduced anxiety scores. Likewise, this probiotic changed the faecal composition following 8 weeks of treatment. Additionally, the treatment with Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 in CFS patients, during the same period, reduced inflammatory biomarkers. The evidence about the usefulness of probiotics in CFS and FMS patients remains limited. The studied strains of probiotics have demonstrated a significant effect on modulating the anxiety and inflammatory processes in CFS patients. However, more experimental research, focusing mainly on the symptoms of the pathologies studied, is needed.

Word-based grouping affects the prime-task effect on semantic priming.

Semantic priming between words is reduced or eliminated if a low-level task such as letter search is performed on the prime word (the prime task effect), a finding used to question the automaticity of semantic processing of words. This idea is critically examined in 3 experiments with a new design that allows the search target to occur both inside and outside the prime word. The new design produces the prime task effect (Experiment 1) but shows semantic negative priming when the target letter occurs outside the prime word (Experiments 2 and 3). It is proposed that semantic activation and priming are dissociable and that inhibition and word-based grouping are responsible for reduction of semantic priming in the prime task effect.

Stroop interference and negative priming: problems with inferences from null results.

The Stroop color-naming effect has often been taken as evidence for the automaticity of word processing (MacLeod, 1991). Recently, Besner, Stolz, and Boutilier (1997) reported that coloring a single letter instead of the whole word eliminated the Stroop effect. From this finding, they concluded that word processing could not be purely automatic, since it can be prevented. We asked whether the elimination of the Stroop effect is sufficient evidence for concluding that the word is not processed. Combining Besner et al.'s manipulation with a negative-priming procedure, we found intact negative priming from the prime color word in the absence of a Stroop effect. This result clearly indicates that the meaning of the prime word was processed. The findings highlight the importance of using converging methods to evaluate lack of processing.