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The 2030 Agenda has among its sustainability goals the promotion of health and well-being. These goals seem to depend on disparate interdependent factors, including psychological well-being, the ability to self-determine, and the social cohesion of the context in which an individual grows and develops. Cultural participation seems to be an effective response to this challenge, as it can promote the development of personal and social skills. In the present article it is, therefore, analyzed how active and/or passive participation in cultural activities can represent an interesting educational ground for promoting well-being through the development of soft skills. At the same time, the neurobiological effects of such enjoyment and an examination of the most effective pedagogical interventions are reported. Il ruolo della cultura nel potenziare il benessere e le soft skills: da partecipazione passiva ad attiva. L’agenda 2030 ha tra i suoi obiettivi di sostenibilità la promozione della salute e del benessere. Questi obiettivi sembrano dipendere da disparati fattori interdipendenti tra loro, tra cui il benessere psicologico, la capacità di autodeterminarsi, nonché la coesione sociale del contesto all’interno del quale un individuo cresce e si sviluppa. La partecipazione culturale sembra rappresentare una risposta efficace a questa sfida, in quanto in grado di promuovere lo sviluppo di competenze personali e sociali. Nel presente articolo è, quindi, analizzato come la partecipazione attiva e/o passiva alle attività culturali possa rappresentare un interessante terreno educativo per promuovere il benessere attraverso lo sviluppo di soft-skills. Allo stesso tempo sono riportati gli effetti neurobiologici di tale fruizione ed una disamina sugli interventi pedagogici più efficaci.

Questo lavoro nasce da un dialogo di natura transdisciplinare circa le potenzialità educative della performance di danza in relazione con i gender studies. Il seguente contributo muove da un caso di studio specifico: lo spettacolo Collective Trip: una questione di gender della compagnia salernitana Borderline Danza. Nel solco tracciato dagli studi socio-pedagogici sul genere, coadiuvati dalle teorie embodied e arricchiti dagli studi storiografici di danza, viene presentata la strategia di composizione della performance, elaborata dallo psichiatra, danza-terapeuta e coreografo Claudio Malangone, con la presenza del pubblico all'interno dell'area performativa. L'esperienza ha previsto la somministrazione di due questionari, uno "in entrata" e l'altro "in uscita", circa le opinioni pre e post spettacolo sulle quali questo saggio discute criticamente; i limiti sono individuati soprattutto nello strumento adoperato, seppur nella suggestione dell'impianto di ricerca che evidenzia le potenzialità della performance di danza come esperienza educativa sul genere.

Objectives: The present normative study aimed to (1) develop the Italian version of the Starkstein Apathy Scale (SAS-I) and (2) construct a shortened version including only the most sensitive items to “pure apathy” experiences. Methods: The normative sample included 392 healthy subjects. A regression-based procedure was used to explore the effects of sex, age, and education on the raw SAS-I score. A correction grid was designed for adjusting raw scores by adding or subtracting the contribution of any significant variable and net of sociodemographic interindividual differences. Cutoff scores were also calculated and fixed at the external tolerance limit on the ninety-fifth centile. To obtain the shortened version, each SAS-I item was correlated with the Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) score. The only items showing no correlation with BDI were implemented to bypass the well-known overlap between apathetic and depressive symptoms. Results: The mean raw SAS-I score was 11.27 (SD = 4.42). A significant education effect was observed, with highly educated subjects obtaining lower scores than lowly educated ones. The proposed general cutoff score was 20.68. The SAS-I had fair internal consistency and discriminant validity. Internal consistency increased by removing item 3. The new SAS-6 included items 1, 2, 4, 10, 11, and 13 of the original scale. Conclusion: The SAS-I is a reliable assessment tool to support the diagnosis of apathy. The SAS-6, instead, is a brief questionnaire useful for quickly screening apathetic symptoms in outpatient practice, addressing or not the clinician to further investigations.

COVID-19 has shaped and changed our normalities, and, with the discovery of new variants, the long-COVID syndrome, and stress disorders, the end of the pandemic seems distant. The current scenario is impacting all aspects of our lives. In particular, many studies reported that the pandemic resulted in increased psychiatric disorders and grief-related symptoms in adolescents. The project developed between Italy and Slovenia investigated students’ experiences during the lockdown and, in particular, reported the perception of distanced learning, producing a transparent qualitative analysis that can inform future research and open to discussions on learning strategies. A survey was conducted with secondary school students in Southern Italy between 1 April and 31 May 2020 and in Central Slovenia between 16 March and 28 February 2021. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected based on students’ perception of distanced learning, via an online survey platform. The results focused on three main aspects: learning experience, relationships with peers and teachers, and anxiety levels. The data showed similarities and differences in the two cohorts and suggested strategies to improve education (e.g., with blended approaches) to prepare students, teachers, and tutors for the challenges of returning to classes. In particular, data showed that it is recommended to foster collaboration between EU countries and to work to prevent students’ social isolation.

This research reports on the first narrative review of Biodanza’s effects on health and wellbeing. The review explores manuscripts in four languages (i.e., Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and English) and includes more than 200 documents. The protocol was evaluated according to the most recent SANRA guidelines and Kappa statistics. The research shows that the majority of the studies had descriptive approaches (29.2%), followed by robust control trials (26.8%), while the remaining studies included both narrative and systematic reviews (19.5%) as well as pilot (14.6%), ethnographic (7.3%), and assessment (2.4%) studies. The research team concluded that Biodanza is an innovative intervention to improve clinical and socio-pedagogic outcomes in different cohorts (including kindergartens and chronic senile-disease patients) and should be fostered for additional trials along or in comparison with alternative interventions (such as Bodytasking)., La investigación tiene como objetivo relatar la primera revisión narrativa de los efectos de la Biodanza en la salud y el bienestar. La revisión explora manuscritos en cuatro idiomas (italiano, español, portugués e inglés) e incluye más de 200 documentos. El protocolo se evaluó de acuerdo con las estadísticas más recientes SANRA directrices y Kappa. La investigación muestra que la mayoría de los estudios tuvo un enfoque descriptivo (29,2%), seguido por ensayos de control robusto (26,8%). El resto incluyó revisiones narrativas y sistemáticas (19,5%), piloto (14,6%), etnografía (7,3%) y estudios de diagnóstico (2,4%). El equipo de investigación concluyó que Biodanza es una intervención innovadora para mejorar los resultados clínicos y sociopedagógicos en diferentes cohortes (incluidos jardines infantiles y con pacientes con enfermedad senil crónica) y debe fomentarse para ensayos adicionales junto o en comparación con intervenciones alternativas (como Bodytasking)., A pesquisa tem como objetivo relatar a primeira revisão narrativa dos efeitos da Biodanza na saúde e no bem-estar. A revisão explora manuscritos em quatro idiomas (italiano, espanhol, português e inglês) e incluiu mais de 200 documentos. O protocolo foi avaliado de acordo com as mais recentes diretrizes SANRA e estatísticas Kappa. A pesquisa mostra que a maioria dos estudos teve abordagem descritiva (29,2%), seguida de ensaios de controle robusto (26,8%). Enquanto o restante incluía revisões narrativas e sistemáticas (19,5%), estudos-piloto (14,6%), etnográficos (7,3%) e diagnósticos (2,4%). A equipe de pesquisa concluiu que a Biodanza é uma intervenção inovadora para melhorar os resultados clínicos e sociopedagógicos em diferentes coortes (incluindo jardins de infância e com pacientes com doença senil crônica) e deve ser promovida para ensaios adicionais junto ou em comparação com intervenções alternativas (como Bodytasking).

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. The first case of pneumonia was reported on 8 December 2019 and identified on 7 January 2020 as COVID-19. On 9 March 2020, to stop the spread of COVID-19 cases, the Italian government declared a health emergency, forcing all citizens to go into lockdown. Suddenly, schools were constrained to using distance learning strategies with little or limited experience on the topic. Particularly, in the southern regions of Italy, approximately 20% of the students did not have access to any devices and were excluded from learning, producing a direct risk of increased adolescent delinquency. This research team intended to report the results of an observational study that focused on the perceptions of distance learning in adolescents from secondary school in Naples (Italy) between April and May 2020. The questionnaire comprised 11 questions focused on the perceptions of distance learning in comparison to live classrooms, relationships with peers and teachers, and levels of anxiety. The study is amongst the first to report the effect of the pandemic from a student-centred perspective and hopes to produce information to develop future research on asynchronous learning.

The civil education approach uses sports practise as a preventive intervention to increase self-awareness and to help modulate emotion in adolescents. Indeed, sports participation results in a better quality of life, more favourable cardio-metabolic and sleeping profiles and a healthier body composition. Adolescents involved in sport activities also report a higher level of social and emotional skills, and reduced mental health distress. However, the Italian school&rsquo, s program provides only two hours weekly of physical education, with lack of options and participation. In alignment with the civil educational approach, the research team aims to develop a predictive sport, movement, eating habits, relationships and technologies (S.M.A.R.T.) questionnaire to identify the youths that present a higher risk of delinquency. The following research aims to explore preliminary data from 501 adolescents completing the S.M.A.R.T. The results show that the female group (n = 260) was healthier than the male group (n = 241), particularly, the female group demonstrated a higher level of self-awareness in the use of technologies (p &lt, 0.05). Our results produce the first data set on a cohort of young adolescents in Italy using the S.M.A.R.T. questionnaire. The questionnaire possesses a high response rate and should now be implemented towards validation.

Background: Visuo-spatial and problem-solving abilities are commonly impaired in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Conversely, subjects with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) do not exhibit overt involvement of cognitive domains other than memory. Consequently, a detection of an impairment at the Raven’s colored progressive matrices (RCPM) could be useful to discriminate aMCI from AD and to mark the progression from one condition to another. Aim of the study: To describe the pattern of errors at RCPM in subjects suffering from AD as compared with that of aMCI. Methods: Fifteen patients with AD, 15 subjects with aMCI and 31 Healthy Controls (HC) received the RCPM. The errors were classified as: (1) difference (D); (2) inadequate individuation (II); (3) repetition of the pattern (RP); (4) incomplete correlation (IC). Results: No difference approached significance between aMCI subjects and HC. AD patients always exhibited a higher number of errors as compared with HC. AD patients showed higher number of errors as compared with aMCI only on RP and IC errors. Conclusions: The results suggest that the visuo-spatial and problem-solving impairment that characterize AD, and probably subtend the progression from aMCI to dementia, do not affect to the same extent all cognitive dimensions explored by RCPM.

We studied attention orienting and reaching to remembered spatial locations in a patient (G.P.) with optic ataxia due to bilateral damage to the occipitoparietal areas. G.P. and healthy controls took part in three experiments. In the experiment 1, the participants performed a line bisection task with their right or left hand. The lines were oriented along radial, vertical and horizontal axes. G.P. bisected radial lines farther and vertical lines more above than the controls, consistent with near/lower space neglect and attentional bias toward the far/upper space. The experiment 2 consisted of two tasks: (1) an immediate reaching task, in which G.P. reached target locations under visual control; (2) a delayed visual reaching task, in which G.P. and healthy controls were asked to reach remembered target locations visually presented. Reaching was performed with the right or left hand; both G.P. and healthy controls could foveate target locations. We measured constant and variable distance and direction errors. In immediate reaching task, G.P. accurately reached target locations. In delayed reaching task, G.P. and the healthy participants exhibited an opposite patterns of constant distance errors: G.P. overshot remembered target locations, whereas the controls undershot them. Furthermore, variable errors were greater in G.P. than in the controls. In the experiment 3, G.P. and healthy controls performed a delayed proprioceptive reaching task. In it, participants were asked to reach with their right or left hand remembered target locations proprioceptively presented. Constant errors of G.P. did not differ from those of the controls, whereas variable direction errors were greater in G.P. than in the controls. We suggest that the occipitoparietal damage, and the relatively intact occipitotemporal region, produced in G.P. an attentional orienting bias toward the far/upper space (experiment 1). In turns, the attentional bias selectively shifted forward remembered visual (experiment 2), but not proprioceptive (experiment 3), target locations to-be-reached. Furthermore, the observation that in both delayed reaching tasks the variable errors were greater in G.P. than in the controls suggests that it is possible to detect in optic ataxia not only a visuo- but also a proprioceptivo-motor integration deficit.

Background: Recently, a Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) has been developed as an international and standardized brief cognitive test, which is easily performed in everyday clinical practice for neuropsychological assessment in multiple sclerosis (MS). However, we need to gather more information about this tool compared to other neuropsychological batteries. The aim of our study is to compare the performance of BICAMS and Brief Repeatable Battery (BRB) in MS subjects. Methods: Tests of the BRB and BICAMS were administered to MS patients recruited from 11 Italian MS centres. Cognitive impairment (CI) was defined as the failure on at least two tests (scores below the fifth percentile) on the BRB and as the failure on at least one test of the BICAMS. The agreement between the performances on the two batteries was assessed through Cohen's K statistic. Finally we calculated the effects sizes for each test of the two batteries using Cohen's d. Results: The two batteries were administered to 192 MS patients (142 women, 50 men; mean age 41.4 ± 10.8 years, mean education 12.3 ± 3.5 years). Mean scores of patients were lower compared to those of healthy subjects in all the cognitive measures examined. Forty-six MS patients were identified as impaired and 48 as unimpaired on both of the batteries, when the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) was included in the analysis. Cohen's K statistic was 0.46 which corresponds to a moderate accord. If the SDMT was excluded from the BRB, 37 MS patients were identified as impaired and 57 as unimpaired on both of the batteries. Cohen's K statistic was 0.3 which corresponds to a poor accord. The SDMT, the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) 3 and 2 yielded higher d values (SDMT 0.83, PASAT 3 0.65, PASAT 2 0.84). Conclusions: This study confirms the feasibility of BICAMS in everyday clinical practice for the identification of CI and highlights the good psychometric properties of the SDMT.

The behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is characterized by insidious and progressive changes in personality and social conducts, often preceding the onset of cognitive deficits. Behavioral disorders might occur both in the ‘‘positive’’ (disinhibition, impulsivity, perseverations, stereotypies, ritualistic and compulsive behaviors) and in the ‘‘negative’’ dimensions (apathy, reduction in interests and empathy and low self-care). These dimensions can occur both separately and simultaneously, according to the localization and extension of brain areas involved in the atrophic process. Although impulse control disorders are widely observed in bvFTD as expression of the positive dimension, very few cases of a peculiar phenomenon defined ‘‘pathological gambling’’ (PG) are reported in the neurological literature [1–4]. Here, we describe the case of the youngest patient ever observed with PG as first (and apparently isolated) onset symptom of bvFTD. Case report

Background BICAMS (Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis) has been recently developed as brief, practical and universal assessment tool for cognitive impairment in MS subjects. It includes the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), the California Verbal Learning Test-2 (CVLT2) and the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test–Revised (BVMT-R) . In this study we aimed at gathering regression based normative data for the BICAMS battery in the Italian population. Methods Healthy subjects were consecutively recruited among patient friends and relatives. Corrections for demographics were calculated using multivariable linear regression models. Test-retest reliability was assessed using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results The BICAMS battery was administered to 273 healthy subjects (180 women, mean age 38.9 ± 13.0 years, mean education 14.9 ± 3.0 years). Test-retest reliability was good for all the tests. Conclusions The study provided normative data of the BICAMS for the Italian population confirming good test-retest reliability which can facilitate the use of the battery in clinical practice, also for longitudinal patient assessments.