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Exposure to a suboptimal environment during the fetal and early infancy period's results in long-term consequences for brain morphology and function. We investigated the associations of early life factors such as anthropometric neonatal data (i.e., birth length, birth weight and birth head circumference) and breastfeeding practices (i.e., exclusive and any breastfeeding) with white matter (WM) microstructure, and ii) we tested whether WM tracts related to early life factors are associated with academic performance in children with overweight/obesity. 96 overweight/obese children (10.03 ± 1.16 years; 38.7% girls) were included from the ActiveBrains Project. WM microstructure indicators used were fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD), derived from Diffusion Tensor Imaging. Academic performance was evaluated with the Battery III Woodcock–Muñoz Tests of Achievement. Regression models were used to examine the associations of the early life factors with tract-specific FA and MD, as well as its association with academic performance. Head circumference at birth was positively associated with FA of the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus tract (0.441; p = 0.005), as well as negatively associated with MD of the cingulate gyrus part of cingulum (−0.470; p = 0.006), corticospinal (−0.457; p = 0.005) and superior thalamic radiation tract (−0.476; p = 0.001). Association of birth weight, birth length and exclusive breastfeeding with WM microstructure did not remain significant after false discovery rate correction. None tract related to birth head circumference was associated with academic performance (all p > 0.05). Our results highlighted the importance of the perinatal growth in WM microstructure later in life, although its possible academic implications remain inconclusive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cross-ethnic effect (in the literature, usually termed the cross-race effect) is defined as the greater difficulty in recognizing faces of other ethnicities compared with faces of one’s own. The aims of the present research were: 1) to test the hypothesis that the cross-ethnic effect is due to lack of contact with the other ethnicity. 2) to study possible differences in the perceptual mechanisms employed in face recognition as a function of the contact degree between ethnicities, which may be the basis of the cross-ethnic effect. We compared two ethnic groups with a high degree of contact, but different identities and cultural values: Andalusian Gypsies and Andalusian Caucasians. Both groups had to recognize a set of East Asian, Caucasian, and Gypsy faces while eye movements were monitored. In accordance with the contact hypothesis, our results revealed no differences between Gypsies and Caucasians observers in face recognition success. However, East Asian faces were more poorly recognized than Gypsies and Caucasian faces by both observer groups. With respect to the perceptual strategies, despite achieving similar face recognition performance, Caucasian and Gypsy observers employed different visual exploration strategies. Gypsies focused their attention on the eyes, while Caucasians fixated more on the nose than Gypsies. Our results support the contact hypothesis as an explanation for the cross-ethnic effect, and show how cultural factors imply differences in perceptual strategies even between close ethnic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To examine the association of health-related physical fitness components and accurate measures of fatness with attention in European adolescents.Design: Cross-sectional study.Methods: A sub-sample of 444 adolescents from the HELENA study (14.5±1.2years) from 6 different countries participated in this study. Adolescents underwent evaluations of fitness (20m shuttle run, handgrip strength, standing long jump and 4×10m shuttle run tests), fatness (body mass index, skinfold thicknesses, bioelectrical impedance, Bod Pod and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) and attention (d2-test).Results: Higher cardiorespiratory fitness was positively associated with better attention capacity (β=0.1, p=0.03). Body mass index and fat mass index measured by Bod Pod and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in a subset were negatively associated with attention (β=-0.11, p=0.02; β=-0.36, p=0.02; β=-0.34, p=0.03; respectively). All models were adjusted for age, sex, family-affluence scale and mother education. When these models were additionally adjusted for cardiorespiratory fitness when fatness was the main predictor and vice versa, the associations were somewhat attenuated and were no longer statistically significant. Muscular strength, speed-agility and body fatness markers measured by bioelectrical impedance and skinfolds were not associated with attention. The fit and non-overweight adolescents presented the highest values of attention capacity whilst their unfit and overweight peers showed the lowest values of attention (47.31±2.34 vs. 33.74±4.39; p<0.01).Conclusions: Our results support that both cardiorespiratory fitness and fatness are associated with attention, yet these associations are not independent. A combined effect was also observed, with fit and non-overweight adolescents showing the highest levels of attention and those unfit and overweight the lowest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: During fetal and perinatal periods, many nutrients, such as long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids [contained in fish oil (FO)] and folate, are important in achieving normal brain development. Several studies have shown the benefits of early nutrition on children's neurocognitive development. However, the evidence with regard to the attention system is scarce. Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the long-term effects of FO, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF), or FO+5-MTHF prenatal supplementation on attention networks. Design: Participants were 136 children born to mothers from the NUHEAL (Nutraceuticals for a Healthy Life) project (randomly assigned to receive FO and/or 5-MTHF or placebo prenatal supplementation) who were recalled for a new examination 8.5 y later. The response conflict-resolution ability (using congruent and incongruent conditions)), alerting, and spatial orienting of attention were evaluated with behavioral measures (Attention Network Test), electroencephalography/event-related potentials (ERPs), and standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA). Results: Children born to mothers supplemented with 5-MTHF alone solved the response conflict more quickly than did the placebo and the FO+5-MTHF groups (all P < 0.05). Differences between ERP amplitudes for the conflict conditions were also observed. sLORETA analysis showed higher activation of the right midcingulate cortex for the incongruent condition. In addition, a significant slowing down of response speed depending on the warning cue in the 5-MTHF and FO groups was observed. Conclusions: Folate supplementation during pregnancy, rather than FO or FO+5-MTHF supplementation, improves children's ability to solve response conflicts. This advantage seems to be based on the higher activation of the midcingulate cortex, indicating that early nutrition influences the functionality of specific brain areas involved in executive functions. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01180933. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Saccadic metrics vary with task difficulty and time-on-task in naturalistic scenarios. [•] Low arousal is correlated to decreased saccadic velocity. [•] Saccadic velocity may signal variations in sympathetic nervous system activation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Impulsivity is thought to play a key role in cocaine addiction onset and progression; therefore, we hypothesized that different facets of impulsive personality may be significantly associated with brain structural abnormalities in cocaine-dependent individuals. Methods: Thirty-eight cocaine-dependent individuals and 38 non-drug using controls completed the UPPS-P scale (measuring five different facets of impulsivity: sensation seeking, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, and positive and negative urgency) and were scanned on a 3T MRI scanner. We used whole-brain voxel-based morphometry analyses (VBM) to detect differences in gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volumes between cocaine users and controls, and to measure differences in the way that impulsivity relates to GM and WM volumes in cocaine users vs. controls. Results: Cocaine-dependent individuals had lower GM volumes in a number of sections of the orbitofrontal cortex, right inferior frontal gyrus, right insula, left amygdala and parahippocampal gyrus, temporal gyrus, and bilateral caudate. They also had lower WM volumes in the left inferior and medial frontal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, right anterior cingulate cortex, insula and caudate. There was a positive correlation between trait impulsivity and GM volume in the left inferior/middle frontal gyrus of cocaine-dependent individuals, a pattern directly opposed to the association in controls. Conversely, in cocaine users lack of premeditation was negatively correlated with GM volume in the insula and the putamen. Conclusions: Trait impulsivity may influence cocaine dependence by impacting its neurobiological underpinnings in frontostriatal systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) have been implied in emotional decision making, because it seems to have a role in affective reversal learning, risk proneness, and impulsive behaviour. The variety of connections of the VMPFC with several cortical and subcortical areas, as the amygdala, make likely that it can play a significant function in the control y regulation of human behaviour. In this work we reviewed studies on the Iowa Gambling task, the affective reversal learning task, lottery tasks designed to measure risk propensity, and reward delayed tasks designed to measure impulsivity. These tasks have been applied to VMPFC patients, patients with damages in other prefrontal areas, and controls. The patterns of behavioural y brain activity data can be best accounted for assuming that the VMPFC build up a representation of the expectation of reinforcement. Reinforcement amount, delay, and variance are integral parts of the representation of an expected reinforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In two recent papers, Heil et al. [Heil, M., Rolke, B., Pecchinenda, A., 2004. Automatic semantic activation is no myth: semantic context effects on the N400 in the Letter-Search task in the absence of response time effects. Psychol. Sci., 15 (12), 852–857] and Marí-Beffa et al. [Marí-Beffa, P., Valdés, B., Cullen, D.J.D., Catena, A., Houghton, G., 2005. ERP analyses of task effects on semantic processing from words. Cogn. Brain Res., 23, 293–305] found opposite ERP effects of semantic priming following letter search (as measured by the N400). Dombrowski and Heil [Dombrowski, J.H., Heil, M., 2006. Semantic activation, letter search and N400: a reply to Marí-Beffa, Valdés, Cullen, Catena and Houghton (2005). Brain Res., 1073–1074, 440–443] have argued that the N400 modulation associated to semantic priming found by Marí-Beffa et al. [Marí-Beffa, P., Valdés, B., Cullen, D.J.D., Catena, A., Houghton, G., 2005. ERP analyses of task effects on semantic processing from words. Cogn. Brain Res., 23, 293–305] is due to the use of electrode Cz as reference, rather than to the task manipulation being studied (letter search vs. categorisation). In the current article we argue that the conclusions of Dombrowski and Heil are mistaken and are due in part on a misreading of Marí-Beffa et al. [Marí-Beffa, P., Valdés, B., Cullen, D.J.D., Catena, A., Houghton, G., 2005. ERP analyses of task effects on semantic processing from words. Cogn. Brain Res., 23, 293–305]. We argue instead that the differences between the results of Heil et al. [Heil, M., Rolke, B., Pecchinenda, A., 2004. Automatic semantic activation is no myth: semantic context effects on the N400 in the Letter-Search task in the absence of response time effects. Psychol. Sci., 15 (12), 852–857] and Marí-Beffa et al. [Marí-Beffa, P., Valdés, B., Cullen, D.J.D., Catena, A., Houghton, G., 2005. ERP analyses of task effects on semantic processing from words. Cogn. Brain Res., 23, 293–305] are largely due to differences in experimental method and procedure, rather than to the technique used for the ERP analysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To examine the associations of physical fitness and physical activity with executive function in children with overweight and obesity.Study Design: A cross-sectional study involving 100 children with overweight and obesity (10.1 ± 1.1 years old; 58.0% boys). We assessed physical fitness components (ie, muscular strength, speed-agility, and cardiorespiratory fitness) using the ALPHA battery, and physical activity and sedentary time by accelerometry. Cognitive flexibility was measured by the Design Fluency Test and Trail Making Test, inhibition by the Stroop test, and planning ability by the Zoo Map Test.Results: Handgrip strength was positively associated with planning ability (P = .025). Speed-agility was positively related to cognitive flexibility and inhibition (P < .05). Cardiorespiratory fitness and an overall fitness Z-score were positively associated with indicators of cognitive flexibility (P < .05). No associations were found for physical activity and sedentary time with executive function (P ≥ .05).Conclusions: Muscular strength, speed agility, and cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with executive function in children with overweight and obesity. Cognitive flexibility seems to be more robustly associated with all fitness components, whereas planning ability and inhibition might depend on the component analyzed. The positive associations found in the present study in children with overweight and obesity call for more exercise-based randomized controlled trials in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of this study was to look into the effect of feedback contingency on decision making in complex risky situations, using a driving context. Participants had to decide braking or not in a set of risky traffic situations. After the response, a negative non-contingent or contingent feedback was used. The results highlight the importance of feedback contingency upon safer decision making in risky contexts, as they showed how a contingent feedback led to faster and safer responses than a control group without any feedback; whereas a non-contingent one gives rise to slower responses and, more importantly, an enhanced risk-taking behavior that could be the cause of undesirable effects on road safety. The feedback effect was even more evident in the appearance of an opposite response bias as a function of contingency and enhanced by learning. These results accord with the theoretical accounts based upon the feedback influence on the threshold level of decision making. Moreover, the effects of feedback may be explained by new proposals focusing on the importance of attentional factors as well as of the mental models people build to react in complex risky scenarios, as a product of feedback and learning. Finally, this research may increase our understanding of the role of feedback in the process of learning safer behavior in complex risky situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gestational diabetes (GD) and maternal excess weight are common pregnancy conditions that increase the risk of future complications for both the mother and her offspring. Their consequences on neurodevelopment are widely described in the literature, but less is known concerning the potential transgenerational influence on the brain structure.Methods: We used a combination of support vectors machine and hierarchical clustering to investigate the potential presence of anatomical brain differences in a sample of 109 children aged six years, born to mothers with overweight or obesity, or to mothers diagnosed with GD during pregnancy.Results: Significant effects are visible in the brain of children born to mothers with GD associated with pregestational excess weight, especially overweight instead of obesity. No differences in children's brain were observed when considering those born to normal-weight mothers.Conclusions: Our study highlights the need for clinical attention of pregnant women at risk to develop GD, and especially those with pregestational excess weight, since this status was found to be associated with detectable transgenerational brain changes. These effects may be due to the absence of specific and individualized intervention in these mothers during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The study compares explicit sensory and hedonic judgments with implicit EEG measures. • Participants varied in their degree of beer tasting expertise. • Groups' explicit judgments differed for body, astringency, and bitter persistence. • Beer experts showed the largest number of explicit-implicit measures correlations. • Correlations in experts mainly involved working and recognition memory components. Measures of drinking and eating behaviors may be assessed both explicitly (e.g., sensory and quality judgments) and implicitly (e.g., Electroencephalography, EEG), although the relationship between the results of both approaches remains unclear and each might be differentially affected by acquired knowledge. The main aim of the present study was to determine the strength of the relationship between these measures in sensory and hedonic processing of beers depending on the degree of tasting expertise. Beer experts, experts in non-beer beverages or edibles, and non-expert consumers took part in a sensory analysis procedure where they rated beers in terms of their sensory attributes and general quality—visual, olfactory, and gustatory phases—as well as their global hedonic value while their brain activity was recorded. The results suggest that participants evaluated the sensory properties of the beers in a rather similar manner. However, during the gustatory phase, experts and general tasters differed in terms of the activation of brain areas related to memory processes, while general tasters and consumers differed in brain activation related to hedonic processing. The relationship between self-reported quality judgments and EEG activity — particularly in relation to recognition and working memory components — appeared to be stronger in experts in comparison with the other groups (lowest | r | = 0.67, p <.01). Although lower in number, significant relationships were also found in general tasters and consumers, primarily involving hedonic processing (lowest | r | = 0.58, p <.01) and recognition memory (lowest | r | = 0.57, p <.01) components. Moreover, those relationships differed significantly, mostly between experts and consumers (lowest | z | = 2.68, p <.01), in terms of the involvement of working memory components. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that beer experts have a more efficient pattern of gustatory processing and show a better fit between explicit (judgments) and implicit (EEG) measures of sensory and hedonic quality of beers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Developing a valid measurement of mental fatigue remains a big challenge and would be beneficial for various application areas, such as the improvement of road traffic safety. In the present study we examined influences of mental fatigue on the dynamics of saccadic eye movements. Based on previous findings, we propose that among amplitude and duration of saccades, the peak velocity of saccadic eye movements is particularly sensitive to changes in mental fatigue. Ten participants completed a fixation task before and after 2h of driving in a virtual simulation environment as well as after a rest break of fifteen minutes. Driving and rest break were assumed to directly influence the level of mental fatigue and were evaluated using subjective ratings and eye movement indices. According to the subjective ratings, mental fatigue was highest after driving but decreased after the rest break. The peak velocity of saccadic eye movements decreased after driving while the duration of saccades increased, but no effects of the rest break were observed in the saccade parameters. We conclude that saccadic eye movement parameters—particularly the peak velocity—are sensitive indicators for mental fatigue. According to these findings, the peak velocity analysis represents a valid on-line measure for the detection of mental fatigue, providing the basis for the development of new vigilance screening tools to prevent accidents in several application domains. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In road safety literature the effects of emotional content and salience of advertising billboards have been scarcely investigated. The main aim of this work was to uncover how affect-laden roadside advertisements can affect attention – eye-movements – and subsequent risky decisions – braking – on the Honda Riding Trainer motorcycle simulator. Results indicated that the number of fixations and total fixation time elicited by the negative and positive emotional advertisements were larger than the neutral ones. At the same time, negative pictures got later gaze disengagement than positive and neutral ones. This attentional capture results in less eye fixation times on the road relevant region, where the important driving events happen. Finally, the negative emotional valence advertisements sped up braking on subsequent risky situations. Overall results demonstrated how advertisements with emotional content modulate attention allocation and driving decisions in risky situations and might be helpful for designing roadside advertisements regulations and risk prevention programs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Social Context biases the ability to detect risk in emerging adults. • Ventral prefrontal and dorsomedial cortices show differential activity during risk discrimination. • Brain activity patterns show a social/non-social organization dependent on social context. • Functional connectivity between these social/non-social areas predicts the performance in a motorcycle simulation. The human brain contains social areas that become active when interacting with another human. These are located in the ventral prefrontal and mediodorsal cortices, adjacent to areas involved in reward processing and cognitive control. Human behaviour is strongly influenced by the social context. This is particularly evident when observing greater risk propensity in the presence of a peer, particularly during adolescence and emerging adulthood. We explored the widely held view that enhanced risk propensity is the consequence of weak cognitive control. We used brain activity, estimated from EEG recordings in a sample of 114 emerging adult dyads whilst performing a risk perception task, to predict risk behaviour in a subsequent driving simulation task. Being with a peer reduced the ability to discriminate riskiness in images of traffic scenes, biased responses towards the perception of no-risk, and increased the rate of accidents in the driving simulation. Risk perception involved three sets of clusters showing activity only when being with a peer, only when being alone, and in both social contexts. Functional connectivity between the clusters accounted for the later driving simulation performance depending on the peer's presence. In the light of our findings, greater risk-taking, when a peer is present, seems to be triggered by the activation of a different, less efficient brain network for risk-processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently exhibit different types of visual deficits. This study investigates the dynamics of ocular accommodation and pupil size in a population of children with ADHD (6-14 years old) and assesses the association between these ocular variables with behavioural performance during a continuous performance task. The accommodation and pupil dynamics (magnitude and variability) were objectively measured, using the WAM-5500 auto-refractor, during the execution of a ~14-min continuous performance task in a sample of twenty-three non-medicated children with ADHD and thirty-one controls of a similar age range. Our data revealed that children with ADHD present a reduced accommodative response (higher lags of accommodation) during the execution of a continuous performance task. However, no group-differences were observed for the other ocular indices. Both groups experienced changes in all ocular variables as a function of time-on-task. The variability of accommodation and pupil diameter were associated with several indicators of behavioural performance for the ADHD group. However, no bivariate correlations were found for the control group. The current outcomes suggest that the accommodation and pupil dynamics may be considered as potential predictors of behavioural performance, which could help to improve the robustness of ADHD diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driver fatigue can impair performance as much as alcohol does. It is the most important road safety concern, causing thousands of accidents and fatalities every year. Thanks to technological developments, wearable, single-channel EEG devices are now getting considerable attention as fatigue monitors, as they could help drivers to assess their own levels of fatigue and, therefore, prevent the deterioration of performance. However, the few studies that have used single-channel EEG devices to investigate the physiological effects of driver fatigue have had inconsistent results, and the question of whether we can monitor driver fatigue reliably with these EEG devices remains open. Here, we assessed the validity of a single-channel EEG device (TGAM-based chip) to monitor changes in mental state (from alertness to fatigue). Fifteen drivers performed a 2-h simulated driving task while we recorded, simultaneously, their prefrontal brain activity and saccadic velocity. We used saccadic velocity as the reference index of fatigue. We also collected subjective ratings of alertness and fatigue, as well as driving performance. We found that the power spectra of the delta EEG band showed an inverted U-shaped quadratic trend (EEG power spectra increased for the first hour and half, and decreased during the last thirty minutes), while the power spectra of the beta band linearly increased as the driving session progressed. Coherently, saccadic velocity linearly decreased and speeding time increased, suggesting a clear effect of fatigue. Subjective data corroborated these conclusions. Overall, our results suggest that the TGAM-based chip EEG device is able to detect changes in mental state while performing a complex and dynamic everyday task as driving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the growing interest concerning the laparo-endoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) procedure, LESS presents multiple difficulties and challenges that are likely to increase the surgeon's cognitive cost, in terms of both cognitive load and performance. Nevertheless, there is currently no objective index capable of assessing the surgeon cognitive cost while performing LESS. We assessed if gaze-based indices might offer unique and unbiased measures to quantify LESS complexity and its cognitive cost. We expect that the assessment of surgeon's cognitive cost to improve patient safety by measuring fitness-for-duty and reducing surgeons overload.Methods: Using a wearable eye tracker device, we measured gaze entropy and velocity of surgical trainees and attending surgeons during two surgical procedures (LESS vs. multiport laparoscopy surgery [MPS]). None of the participants had previous experience with LESS. They performed two exercises with different complexity levels (Low: Pattern Cut vs. High: Peg Transfer). We also collected performance and subjective data.Results: LESS caused higher cognitive demand than MPS, as indicated by increased gaze entropy in both surgical trainees and attending surgeons (exploration pattern became more random). Furthermore, gaze velocity was higher (exploration pattern became more rapid) for the LESS procedure independently of the surgeon's expertise. Perceived task complexity and laparoscopic accuracy confirmed gaze-based results.Conclusion: Gaze-based indices have great potential as objective and non-intrusive measures to assess surgeons' cognitive cost and fitness-for-duty. Furthermore, gaze-based indices might play a relevant role in defining future guidelines on surgeons' examinations to mark their achievements during the entire training (e.g. analyzing surgical learning curves). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

About half of all cancers are diagnosed in adults older than 65, making them the age group at highest risk of developing this disease. Nurses from different specialties can support individuals and communities in the prevention and early detection of cancer and should be aware of the common knowledge gaps and perceived barriers among older adults. The goal of the current research was to investigate personal characteristics, perceived barriers, and beliefs related to cancer awareness in older adults, with a special focus on perceptions about the influence of cancer risk factors, knowledge of cancer symptoms, and anticipated help-seeking. Descriptive cross-sectional study. Participants were 1213 older adults (≥ 65 years old) from the representative national Onco-barometer survey conducted in 2020 in Spain. Questions on the perceived influence of cancer risk factors, knowledge of cancer symptoms, and the Spanish version of the Awareness and Beliefs about Cancer (ABC) questionnaire were administered in computer-assisted telephone interviews. Knowledge of cancer risk factors and symptoms was strongly related to personal characteristics and was limited among males and older individuals. Respondents from lower socio-economic background recognized fewer cancer symptoms. Having personal or family history of cancer had opposite effects on cancer awareness: It was related to more accurate symptom knowledge but also to lower perceptions about the influence of risk factors and more delayed help-seeking. Anticipated help-seeking times were strongly influenced by perceived barriers to help-seeking and beliefs about cancer. Worry about wasting the doctor's time (48% increase, 95% CI [25%–75%]), about what the doctor might find (21% increase [3%–43%]) and not having enough time to go to the doctor (30% increase [5%–60%]) were related to more delayed help-seeking intentions. In contrast, beliefs that reflected higher perceived seriousness of a potential cancer diagnosis were related to shorter anticipated help-seeking times (19% decrease [5%–33%]). These results suggest that older adults could benefit from interventions informing them about how to reduce their cancer risk and addressing emotional barriers and beliefs associated with help-seeking delays. Nurses can contribute to educating this vulnerable group and are in a unique position to address some barriers to help-seeking. Not registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driving is a task mainly reliant on the visual system. Most of the time, while driving, our eyes are constantly focusing and refocusing between the road and the dashboard or near and far traffic. Thus, prolonged driving time should produce visual fatigue. Here, for the first time, we investigated the effects of driving time, a common inducer of driver fatigue, on two ocular parameters: the accommodative response (AR) and the intraocular pressure (IOP). A pre/post-test design has been used to assess the impact of driving time on both indices. Twelve participants (out of 17 recruited) completed the study (5 women, 24.42 ± 2.84 years old). The participants were healthy and active drivers with no visual impairment or pathology. They drove for 2 h in a virtual driving environment. We assessed AR and IOP before and after the driving session, and also collected subjective measures of arousal and fatigue. We found that IOP and AR decreased (i.e., the accommodative lag increased) after the driving session ( p = 0.03 and p < 0.001, respectively). Moreover, the nearest distances tested (20 cm, 25 cm, and 33 cm) induced the highest decreases in AR (corrected p -values < 0.05). Consistent with these findings, the subjective levels of arousal decreased and levels of fatigue increased after the driving session (all p -values < 0.001). These results represent an innovative step towards an objective, valid, and reliable assessment of fatigue-impaired driving based on visual fatigue signs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aircrew fatigue is a major contributor to operational errors in civil and military aviation. Objective detection of pilot fatigue is thus critical to prevent aviation catastrophes. Previous work has linked fatigue to changes in oculomotor dynamics, but few studies have studied this relationship in critical safety environments. Here we measured the eye movements of US Marine Corps combat helicopter pilots before and after simulated flight missions of different durations. We found a decrease in saccadic velocities after long simulated flights compared to short simulated flights. These results suggest that saccadic velocity could serve as a biomarker of aviator fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Risk-taking is lower after watching negative advertisements compared to positive and neutral ones. [•] Negative advertisements reduce the tendency to speed-up in a yellow light. [•] Response latency was larger after positive or neutral advertisements compared to negative ones. [•] Urgent driver behavior is more automatic than evaluative behavior. [•] Emotions must be considered a key issue in traffic psychology, particularly in risky situations [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the last five decades, cognitive scientists and the psychologists of reasoning have dedicated a lot of effort designing usable traffic signs. This study investigated the interference effect produced by the position of the sign elements in traffic signage on response accuracy and reaction time. Sixteen drivers performed a flanker interference reaction time task. Incongruent graphical/space solutions, actually used for the airport stack-type sign, lead to increased reaction time and a reduction in the proportion of correct answers. These results suggest that incongruent visual information should be avoided, as this might impair drivers’ performance. These findings provide important information for the specification of future signage design guidelines and for improving road safety. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study demonstrated that task features are important factors for the understanding of risk behavior under emotional conditions in driving scenarios. We introduce a distinction between urgent and evaluative behaviors. Urgent behaviors are performed under high time-pressure and, when successful, they will help to avoid high negative outcomes. According to some social psychologists, evaluation is considered a type of value categorization (for example, risk or no risk). Emotional cues in the urgency task make participants slower and less able to discriminate risk from no risk, and prone to positive responses. However, negative emotional pictures speed up the evaluation of risk without affecting the ability to discriminate risk from no risk in a driving scenario. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We present data from an ongoing research project on the cognitive, emotional and neuropsychological basis of risk behaviour. The main aim of the project is to build a model of risk behaviour so that if we know certain cognitive, behavioural and emotional variables, we will be able to predict decisions made in the face of uncertainty and risk, with the final goal of designing programs for evaluating, preventing and controlling risk behaviour. The objective of the present study was to look for individual differences in hazard perception during a static riding simulation and their relationship with mental workload. We used a multidimensional methodology, including behavioural, subjective and physiological data. The behavioural measures were obtained in a static riding simulation during eight hazard situations. We evaluated whether eye activity measures correlated with cognitive workload and different types of risky behaviours. Eye movement parameters were measured using a video-based eye tracking system. We found that risk-prone individuals showed specific patterns of risky behaviours and that peak of saccadic velocity and subjective mental workload indexes were both reliable indicators of risk proneness. Mental workload was higher for participants showing attitudes to risk behaviours probably because of a lack of conscious awareness of specific cues indicating dangerous scenarios. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Experimental research in Psychology is characterized by ensuring a method that guarantees objectivity, reliability, validity and replication of results. In this theoretical study we propose a set of criteria for the preparation and review of quasi-experimental and experimental research manuscripts, which follows such methodological objective dictates. These criteria are based on a review of structural aspects in experimental research, in the modern theory of psychological theorization, and in the validity theory of scientific research. All these aspects are complemented with those proposed in revisions about empirically-based, statistically-based peer-review systems, and recently refined according to the expert judgment approach. We distinguish between essential, obligatory, complementary, and methodological criteria. These norms are organized according to a measuring tool -the ExperimenCheck2 system-, including report characteristics, antecedents, theoretical development, design, analysis and interpretation of results, format and bibliographical sources, also summarized in the form of a conceptual map. We also introduce the general guidelines of a reviewing process that fulfils scientific criteria, using the proposed evaluative guideline as the main organizing principle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present ex post facto prospective investigation analyses the association between habitual sleep duration and depressed mood state in college students. The sample was composed of 141 healthy students of both sexes, 19 with short sleep pattern (sleeping 6 hours or less per night), 64 with intermediate sleep pattern (sleeping 7-8 hours per night) and 58 with long sleep pattern (sleeping more than 9 hours per night). Depressed mood was evaluated with the Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) and the depression subscale of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The scores for depressed mood state were higher for individuals with short and long sleep pattern than for those with intermediate sleep pattern. The item analysis of specific depression symptoms indicated that short sleepers differ from intermediate sleepers in the somatic symptoms of depressed mood, whereas the differences between long and intermediate sleepers are observed in cognitive aspects. Some explicative hypothesis about the mechanisms that could be mediating relations between sleep duration and depressed mood are discussed. The development of educational initiatives destined to optimise students' sleep habits may be useful to prevent future depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Semantic (positive) priming refers to the facilitated processing of a probe word when preceded by a related prime word, and is a widely used technique for investigating semantic activation. However, the effect is interrupted or eliminated when attention is directed to low-level features of the prime word, such as its letters, a result which has been used to question the automaticity of semantic processing. We investigated this issue using both behavioural [reaction time (RT)] and electrophysiological measures [event-related potentials (ERPs)]. Subjects performed semantic categorization (living vs. nonliving) and letter search (“A” or “E”) tasks on prime words followed by lexical decision on the probe. RT results showed the expected elimination of semantic priming following letter search. However, both prime tasks were affected by the semantic category of the prime, indicating that the meaning was processed. The ERP results supported this conclusion: an early component previously associated with automatic semantic processing [the Recognition Potential (RP)] was sensitive to the category of the prime word irrespective of the prime task. However, a later component (N400) was significantly affected by the task, in both the prime (categorization task) and probe words (semantic priming). The results dissociate rapid, automatic semantic processing from semantic priming. We suggest that a later inhibitory control mechanism suppresses this semantic activation when it is not relevant to the task, and that this produces the loss of semantic priming. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background Flexor retinaculum reconstruction techniques or simply Flexor Retinaculum Z -lengthening have been proposed to preserve Flexor Retinaculum continuity after carpal tunnel release. Their effectiveness is based solely on symptom relief. There has been no analysis of the effects on intra-carpal tunnel pressure of Flexor Retinaculum-lengthening techniques. Objective was to compare intra-carpal tunnel pressure outcomes between complete division and Z -lengthening of the Retinaculum in a cadaveric model of carpal tunnel release. Methods Experimental study of carpal tunnel pressure after surgical Flexor Retinaculum modification in 10 fresh-frozen forearm and hand cadaveric specimens. The Kyphon™ Balloon Kyphoplasty system was used to measure the pressure before and after infusing 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 ml of saline solution when untreated (Flexor Retinaculum continuity stage I), when Z -lengthened (Flexor Retinaculum continuity stage II), and after complete Flexor Retinaculum division (Flexor Retinaculum continuity stage III). Finding Intra-carpal tunnel pressure increased with larger volume of infused saline solution, although mean pressures were lower after Z lengthening or complete division of the Retinaculum than at baseline. Analysis of linear regression coefficients indicated significant differences as a function of FR continuity stage (F(2,18) = 18.38, p < 0.001), while the Bonferroni test revealed significant differences in slopes between stages I and III (p = 0.003), between stages I and II (p < 0.02), but not between stages II and III (p > 0.05). Interpretation The effectiveness of carpal tunnel release and the reduction in intra-carpal tunnel pressures obtained by Z -lengthening of the FR were similar to those observed after its complete division, while preserving FR continuity. • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. • Flexor Retinaculum reconstruction technique. • Flexor Retinaculum lengthening techniques. • Carpal tunnel pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We compared hazard perception among drivers from Ukraine, Italy, Spain, and Sweden. • Road hazard levels modulate response times and visual search strategies. • There are cross-cultural differences in road hazard perception. • Cultural factors modulate the promptness of drivers responses. • Cultural factors modulate drivers' visual search strategies. Road hazard perception is considered the most prominent higher-order cognitive skill related to traffic-accident involvement. Regional cultures and social rules that govern acceptable behavior may influence drivers' interpretation of a traffic situation and, consequently, the correct identification of potentially hazardous situations. Here, we aimed to compare hazard perception skills among four European countries that differ in their traffic culture, policies to reduce traffic risks, and fatal crashes: Ukraine, Italy, Spain, and Sweden. We developed a static hazard perception test in which driving scenes with different levels of braking affordance were presented while drivers' gaze was recorded. The test required drivers to indicate the action they would undertake: to brake vs. to keep driving. We assessed 218 young adult drivers. Multilevel models revealed that the scenes' levels of braking affordance (i.e., road hazard) modulated drivers' behavior. As the levels of braking affordance increased, drivers' responses became faster and their gaze entropy decreased (i.e., visual search strategy became less erratic). The country of origin influenced these effects. Ukrainian drivers were the fastest and Swedish drivers were the slowest to respond. For all countries, the decrement in response times was less marked in the case of experienced drivers. Also, Spanish drivers showed the most structured (least erratic) visual search strategy, whereas the Italians had the most rigid (most constant) one. These results suggest that road hazard perception can be defined cross-culturally, with cultural factors (e.g., traffic climate, legislation) modulating response times and visual search strategies. Our results also support the idea that a multimodal assessment methodology is possible for mass testing of road hazard perception and its outcomes would be relevant to understand how different traffic cultures shape driving behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In acute coronary syndrome the time elapsed between the start of symptoms and the moment the patient receives treatment is an important determinant of survival and subsequent recovery. However, many patients do not receive treatment as quickly as recommended, mostly due to substantial prehospital delays such as waiting to seek medical attention after symptoms have started. To conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis of the relationship between nine frequently investigated psychological and cognitive factors and prehospital delay. A protocol was preregistered in PROSPERO [CRD42018094198] and a systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. The following databases were searched for quantitative articles published between 1997 and 2019: Medline (PubMed), Web of Science, Scopus, Psych Info, PAIS, and Open grey. Study risk of bias was assessed with the NIH Quality Assessment Tool for Observational, Cohort, and Cross-Sectional Studies. A best evidence synthesis was performed to summarize the findings of the included studies. Forty-eight articles, reporting on 57 studies from 23 countries met the inclusion criteria. Studies used very diverse definitions of prehospital delay and analytical practices, which precluded meta-analysis. The best evidence synthesis indicated that there was evidence that patients who attributed their symptoms to a cardiac event (n = 37), perceived symptoms as serious (n = 24), or felt anxiety in response to symptoms (n = 15) reported shorter prehospital delay, with effect sizes indicating important clinical differences (e.g., 1.5–2 h shorter prehospital delay). In contrast, there was limited evidence for a relationship between prehospital delay and knowledge of symptoms (n = 18), concern for troubling others (n = 18), fear (n = 17), or embarrassment in asking for help (n = 14). The current review shows that symptom attribution to cardiac events and some degree of perceived threat are fundamental to speed up help-seeking. In contrast, social concerns and barriers in seeking medical attention (embarrassment or concern for troubling others) may not be as important as initially thought. The current review also shows that the use of very diverse methodological practices strongly limits the integration of evidence into meaningful recommendations. We conclude that there is urgent need for common guidelines for prehospital delay study design and reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]