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Research Findings: This study aims to extend our knowledge regarding contributions of educator--child interactions to child language outcomes by examining the extent to which specific dimensions of the CLASS observational tool of educator-child interactions are associated with child language abilities, utilizing data from an Australian longitudinal study of over 2,000 children attending formal Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). The analysis included a novel measurement model fitted to the data to allow each CLASS dimension to be modeled separately. Results showed that each CLASS dimension was associated with initial average language abilities. Small, negative effects of Emotional Support dimensions on growth of children's average Understanding Directions score were found, but there were no associations between any of the dimensions and average growth in Verbal Ability. None of the Instructional Support dimensions (which are language focused) predicted growth in language abilities. These null findings are addressed in the discussion. Practice or Policy: Findings from this study illustrate that, typically, ECEC programs rate low on dimensions of quality developed to capture language-promoting educator-child interactions. Findings also suggest a selection effect related to equity of access to classroom quality with children with the highest initial language abilities in the highest quality classrooms.

Technological developments have made digital literacy one of the survival skills in the 21st century, which is linked to development of teacher core competencies, and digital literacy. This study aims to evaluate the level of digital literacy among teachers in the classroom. This descriptive qualitative case study involved 6 teachers at elementary school in Surakarta as the subjects which were chosen through purposive sampling by using digital literacy framework based on the Instant Digital Competence Assessment (IDCA) perspective. It classifies digital literacy into three dimensions, namely technology, cognitive, and ethics. The results showed that, on the technology dimension, 16.67% of the subjects were in the medium category, 50% in the low category, and 33% in the very low category. On the cognitive dimension, 33.33% of the subjects were in the moderate category, 16.67% in the low category, and 50% in the very low category. On the ethical dimension, 50% of the subjects were in the high category, 16.67% in the low category, and 33.33% in the very low category. Thus, it has been concluded that the digital literacy level of classroom teachers is in the very low to high categories.

African Americans experience more than double the prevalence of low birth weight (LBW)/premature birth compared to their Caucasian counterparts, reflecting a public health crisis and a significant social justice concern. However, there is a paucity of LBW outcome studies in African American samples. There are even fewer that investigate developmental outcomes within the moderately LBW range (i.e., 1500-2500 g), the most prevalent category of LBW births. This study investigates the relationship between LBW and various psychoeducational outcomes in a prospectively designed African American birth cohort. Multivariate logit analyses of the Johns Hopkins University Pathways to Adulthood study compared LBW children with normal birth weight children on a number of outcome measures at seven and 8 years of age. Results revealed that children born within the lowest birth weight category produced the most adverse findings, from both a statistical and clinical standpoint, on measures of cognitive ability, academic achievement, speech, language, auditory processing, and visual-motor integration.

Measurement of mental rotation presents a serious challenge to cognitive researchers owing to the lack of a single comprehensive measure that can be applied across the developing age groups. Objective of the present study was to develop and validate a new measure of mental rotation for preadolescent and adolescent age groups. Items were conceptualized and constructed based on existing theories. Study I checked the suitability of these items among preadolescent and adolescent age groups. After revisions, Study II was done to evaluate the item properties using item response theory. Subsequently done Confirmatory Factor Analysis provided evidence for the construct validity of the new measure. Finally, Study III was done to develop the age wise and gender wise norms for preadolescent and adolescent age groups. The newly developed measure was found to have sufficient reliability and validity and hence can be widely applied for measuring mental rotation of preadolescents and adolescents.

Purpose: This study examined the role of cognition on the navigational process of a speech-generating device (SGD) among individuals with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The objective was to investigate the role of various cognitive factors (i.e., cognitive flexibility, sustained attention, categorization, fluid reasoning, and working memory) on the ability to navigate an SGD with dynamic paging and taxonomic grids in individuals with ASD. Method: Twenty individuals aged 5 to 20 years with ASD were assessed using the Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised (Roid & Miller, 1997) and the Automated Working Memory Assessment (Alloway, 2007). They also completed a navigational task using an iPad 4 (Apple, 2017; taxonomic organization). Results: Significant correlations between all of the cognitive factors and the ability to navigate an SGD were revealed. A stepwise linear regression suggested that cognitive flexibility was the best predictor of navigational ability with this population. Conclusion: The importance of cognition in the navigational process of an SGD with dynamic paging in children and adolescents with ASD has been highlighted by the results of this study.

Traditional conceptions of giftedness assume that only talented individuals possess the necessary gifts required to reach the highest levels of performance. This article describes an alternative view that expert performance results from acquired cognitive and physiological adaptations due to extended deliberate practice. A review of evidence, such as historical increases in performance, the requirement of years of daily deliberate practice, and structural changes in the mediating mechanisms, questions the existence of individual differences that impose innate limits on performance attainable with deliberate practice. The proposed framework describes how the processes mediating normal development of ability and everyday skill acquisition differ from the extended acquisition of reproducibly superior (expert) performance and how perceived "giftedness" gives children access to superior training resources, resulting in developmental advantages. (Contains 2 figures.)

Prior research has found that higher residential mobility is associated with increased risk for children's academic and behavioral difficulty. In contrast, evaluations of experimental housing mobility interventions have shown moving from high poverty to low poverty neighborhoods to be beneficial for children's outcomes. This study merges these disparate bodies of work by considering how poverty levels in origin and destination neighborhoods moderate the influence of residential mobility on 5th graders' self-regulation. Using inverse probability weighting with propensity scores to minimize observable selection bias, this work found that experiencing a move during early or middle childhood was related to negative child outcomes (as indicated by increased behavioral and cognitive dysregulation measured via direct assessment and teacher-report) in 5th grade. However, these relationships were moderated by neighborhood poverty; moves out of low poverty and moves into high poverty neighborhoods were detrimental, while moves out of high poverty and moves into low poverty neighborhoods were beneficial.

Sleep disorders negatively impact behavior, cognition, and growth--the same areas targeted by early intervention. Conversely, developmental delays and disabilities may themselves precipitate sleep disorders. Young children with developmental delays experience sleep disorders at a higher rate than do typically developing children; the most common types are difficulties initiating or maintaining sleep and sleep disordered breathing. To date, attention has been focused on sleep problems in children with specific conditions (e.g., autism, genetic syndromes, prematurity, and seizure disorder). The authors review evidence of sleep problems' broader impact across the range of children screened for early intervention. Eligibility evaluations for early intervention address the five developmental domains: adaptive, motor, cognitive, communication, and socioemotional. Disordered sleep may be symptomatic of socioemotional and adaptive problems. Assessing sleep problems within the evaluation may help establish eligibility for early intervention services and would maximize developmental potential by ensuring timely identification, referral, and treatment.

Temporal preparation was assessed in 15 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, 20 persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 28 healthy older adults. Participants completed a simple reaction time task in which the preparatory interval duration varied randomly within two blocks (short versus long temporal window). Results indicated that AD and MCI patients had difficulty preparing for the shortest preparatory interval of the short temporal window. AD and MCI patients also had difficulty maintaining an optimal level of preparation up to 5 s within the short temporal window. These results suggest that AD and MCI patients might show difficulty preparing for rapidly occurring events and maintaining preparation over time. This phenomenon should be considered when using reaction time measures with such patients. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

Purpose: The study aim was to develop a measure of self-reported quality of life (QoL) for people with mild to moderate dementia based on their views--the Bath Assessment of Subjective Quality of Life in Dementia (BASQID). Design and Methods: We developed the measure through multiple stages. Two field tests of the measure (ns = 60 and 150) enrolled people with dementia from a memory clinic, and we used the data to analyze the psychometric properties of the scale. Nested within this was a longitudinal investigation of 36 Alzheimer's disease patients prescribed with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Results: The BASQID contains 14 items assessing a range of QoL issues. Results showed that the BASQID satisfies the criteria of a valid, reliable, and acceptable assessment of subjective QoL. Scores were responsive to changes in QoL over 3 months. Low association between the BASQID and the Mini-Mental State Examination indicates that cognitive function may influence QoL but is an indirect measure of the QoL experienced during dementia. Implications: The BASQID provides a means of better understanding the experiences, perceptions, and beliefs of people with dementia. It does this through acknowledgement of the many influences on QoL over and above health status. Practitioners and researchers can use the BASQID alongside objective assessments of dementia to obtain a complete appraisal of a person's QoL. (Contains 2 footnotes, 4 tables, and 1 figure.)

The authors are pleased with commentators' willingness to respond to their target article's challenge to identify observable reproducible phenomena that could be widely accepted as strong scientific evidence for innate talent. In this reply, the authors have organized the ideas in the commentaries into three general categories, namely the biological foundation of giftedness and heritability, deliberate practice, and objective metrics of performance. The purpose of each section is to try to identify three different types of claims and arguments: (1)what the authors believe are misunderstandings of their framework; (2) what appear to be general agreements; and (3) what they feel remain genuine disagreements. For each disagreement, the authors review relevant evidence as well as indicate where future research is needed.

This study is one of the first to investigate the relationship between low birth weight and cognitive outcomes in an urban, poor, prospectively designed African-American birth cohort. Multivariate analyses of the Pathways to Adulthood study, a subset of the Johns Hopkins Collaborative Perinatal study, compared low birth weight African-American children with normal birth weight African-American children on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) at seven years of age. When controlling for various sociodemographic factors, associations were obtained for the very low birth weight group (less than 2000 g) indicating an overall 7 point IQ difference. Milder associations were reported in the moderately low birth weight (MLBW) group (2000 to 2500 g) resulting in a 3 IQ point decrement compared to a normal birth weight reference group. There were no differential effects for gender. Our study revealed a gradient relationship between low birth weight/preterm birth and cognitive ability. Implications for school psychology prevention, assessment, and intervention are discussed.

The existence of social differences in educational achievement as a social fact presents the sociology of education with a challenge to which it has responded with indifferent success. It is argued that contemporary explanations that dismiss the existence and relevance of differences in cognitive performance arising as a consequence of class variation in socialisation are likely to misrepresent the real causes of inequality/difference. The substantive discussion, organised around six questions dealing with the explanatory capacity of this concept, suggests that a satisfactory theory of inequality of educational opportunity will need to concern itself with the effects of socialisation on cognition. Some implications for educational practice and policy-making are briefly noted in conclusion.

Current definitions of temperament are reviewed, and two types of rating scales designed to measure temperamental variables are described. Also, brief reviews of the literature on the relationship of temperament to general cognitive ability, achievement, and psychopathology are presented. Implications for school psychologists are discussed. (Author/BW)

Investigated the mediating effects of social support on the academic achievement of children in single parent families. Parents and oldest school-age children completed questionnaires on demographic and support group information. Results indicated adequate social support may mediate negative effects of single parent family status on academic achievement. (PAS)

Argues that the instructor of journalism history has a responsibility not only to dispense facts but also to provide students with the tools, capacities, or skills to assess historical arguments. (HOD)

Background: Patients with sporadic cerebral amyloid angiopathy (sCAA) frequently report cognitive or neuropsychiatric symptoms. The aim of this study is to investigate whether in patients with sCAA, cognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric symptoms are associated with a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker profile associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we included participants with sCAA and dementia- and stroke-free, age- and sex-matched controls, who underwent a lumbar puncture, brain MRI, cognitive assessments, and self-administered and informant-based-questionnaires on neuropsychiatric symptoms. CSF phosphorylated tau, total tau and Aβ42 levels were used to divide sCAA patients in two groups: CAA with (CAA-AD+) or without a CSF biomarker profile associated with AD (CAA-AD-). Performance on global cognition, specific cognitive domains (episodic memory, working memory, processing speed, verbal fluency, visuoconstruction, and executive functioning), presence and severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms, were compared between groups. Results: sCAA-AD+ (n=31; mean age: 72 ± 6; 42%, 61% female) and sCAA-AD- (n=23; 70 ± 5; 42% female) participants did not differ with respect to global cognition or type of affected cognitive domain(s). The number or severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms also did not differ between sCAA-AD+ and sCAA-AD- participants. These results did not change after exclusion of patients without prior ICH. Conclusions: In participants with sCAA, a CSF biomarker profile associated with AD does not impact global cognition or specific cognitive domains, or the presence of neuropsychiatric symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 outbreak, in addition to the threat to physical health, may also negatively affect mental health. In this study, we intended to study the changes in psychological parameters in covid-19 recovered patients after they get the psychological intervention. This study conducted in three phases. In the first phase, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 (DASS-21), Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist PCL-5 and Montreal Cognitive Assessment were administered on a total of 477 covid-19 recovered patients. After a gap of 3 months, through clinical interview it was found out that 220 patients needed intervention. In the second phase of the study, psychological intervention was given to 190 patients. In the final phase, after a gap of three months from the intervention phase, all the tests were re-administered on the patients. Data were scored and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Result showed that significant difference was found in the score of depression, anxiety, stress and PTSD. Depression, anxiety, stress, PTSD scores were significantly reduced after intervention. (p < 0.01). No significant difference was observed between the MOCA score. These findings of the study suggest that, psychological intervention may have a beneficial effect on COVID-19 patients’ mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dopaminergic dysfunction in the basal ganglia, particularly in the posterior putamen, is often viewed as the primary pathological mechanism behind motor slowing (i.e. bradykinesia) in Parkinson's disease. However, striatal dopamine loss fails to account for interindividual differences in motor phenotype and rate of decline, implying that the expression of motor symptoms depends on additional mechanisms, some of which may be compensatory in nature. Building on observations of increased motor-related activity in the parieto-premotor cortex of Parkinson patients, we tested the hypothesis that interindividual differences in clinical severity are determined by compensatory cortical mechanisms and not just by basal ganglia dysfunction. Using functional MRI, we measured variability in motor- and selection-related brain activity during a visuomotor task in 353 patients with Parkinson's disease (≤5 years disease duration) and 60 healthy controls. In this task, we manipulated action selection demand by varying the number of possible actions that individuals could choose from. Clinical variability was characterized in two ways. First, patients were categorized into three previously validated, discrete clinical subtypes that are hypothesized to reflect distinct routes of α-synuclein propagation: diffuse-malignant (n = 42), intermediate (n = 128) or mild motor-predominant (n = 150). Second, we used the scores of bradykinesia severity and cognitive performance across the entire sample as continuous measures. Patients showed motor slowing (longer response times) and reduced motor-related activity in the basal ganglia compared with controls. However, basal ganglia activity did not differ between clinical subtypes and was not associated with clinical scores. This indicates a limited role for striatal dysfunction in shaping interindividual differences in clinical severity. Consistent with our hypothesis, we observed enhanced action selection-related activity in the parieto-premotor cortex of patients with a mild-motor predominant subtype, both compared to patients with a diffuse-malignant subtype and controls. Furthermore, increased parieto-premotor activity was related to lower bradykinesia severity and better cognitive performance, which points to a compensatory role. We conclude that parieto-premotor compensation, rather than basal ganglia dysfunction, shapes interindividual variability in symptom severity in Parkinson's disease. Future interventions may focus on maintaining and enhancing compensatory cortical mechanisms, rather than only attempting to normalize basal ganglia dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Variability in cognitive functions in healthy and pathological aging is often explained by educational attainment. However, it remains unclear to which extent different disease states alter protective effects of education. We aimed to investigate whether protective effects of education on cognition depend on (1) clinical diagnosis severity, and (2) the neuropathological burden within a diagnosis in a memory clinic setting. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we included 108 patients with subjective cognitive decline [SCD, median age 71, IQR (66–78), 43% men], 190 with mild cognitive impairment [MCI, median age 78, IQR (73–82), 44% men], and 245 with Alzheimer's disease dementia (AD) [median age 80, IQR (76–84), 35% men]. We combined visual ratings of hippocampal atrophy, global atrophy, and white matter hyperintensities on MRI into a single neuropathology score. To investigate whether the contribution of education to cognitive performance differed across SCD, MCI, and AD, we employed several multiple linear regression models, stratified by diagnosis and adjusted for age, sex, and neurodegeneration. We re-ran each model with an additional interaction term to investigate whether these effects were influenced by neuropathological burden for each diagnostic group separately. False discovery rate (FDR) corrections for multiple comparisons were applied. Results: We observed significant positive associations between education and performance for global cognition and executive functions (all adjusted p- values < 0.05). As diagnosis became more severe, however, the strength of these associations decreased (all adjusted p- values < 0.05). Education related to episodic memory only at relatively lower levels of neuropathology in SCD (β = −0.23, uncorrected p = 0.02), whereas education related to episodic memory in those with higher levels of neuropathology in MCI (β = 0.15, uncorrected p = 0.04). However, these interaction effects did not survive FDR-corrections. Conclusions: Altogether, our results demonstrated that positive effects of education on cognitive functioning reduce with diagnosis severity, but the role of neuropathological burden within a particular diagnosis was small and warrants further investigation. Future studies may further unravel the extent to which different dimensions of an individual's disease severity contribute to the waxing and waning of protective effects in cognitive aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African Americans experience more than double the prevalence of low birth weight (LBW)/premature birth compared to their Caucasian counterparts, reflecting a public health crisis and a significant social justice concern. However, there is a paucity of LBW outcome studies in African American samples. There are even fewer that investigate developmental outcomes within the moderately LBW range (i.e., 1500–2500 g), the most prevalent category of LBW births. This study investigates the relationship between LBW and various psychoeducational outcomes in a prospectively designed African American birth cohort. Multivariate logit analyses of the Johns Hopkins University Pathways to Adulthood study compared LBW children with normal birth weight children on a number of outcome measures at seven and 8 years of age. Results revealed that children born within the lowest birth weight category produced the most adverse findings, from both a statistical and clinical standpoint, on measures of cognitive ability, academic achievement, speech, language, auditory processing, and visual–motor integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute total sleep deprivation and partial sleep deprivation have negative impacts on cognitive performance. Studies in subjects who regularly experience sleep loss, however, are rare and often restricted to examination of internal sleeping disorders. To address this issue, we set up a pilot study to explore the effects of a week characterized by sleep disruption on cognitive functioning, using a case–control setting in a maritime pilot group with chronic exposure to intermittent extrinsic, work‐related sleep disruption. Twenty maritime pilots (aged 30–50 years) were compared to sex‐ and education‐matched controls with normal sleep behaviour, from the same age range. We assessed subjective and objective cognitive function, including attention, psychomotor speed, memory and executive function using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Although we were able to confirm poorer sleep in maritime pilots and subjective complaints in some cognitive domains, we did not find objective cognitive deficits in the maritime pilot group compared to controls without sleep disruption. This could suggest that in this group of healthy, young maritime pilots, exposure to sleep disruption resulted in some subjective cognitive complaints, but objective deficits of cognitive function were not detected in comparison with a non‐pilot control group. However, given the small sample size, the absence of an effect does not exclude the possibility that sleep disruption could result in cognitive deficits in general. Therefore, our findings have to be confirmed in future prospective studies with a larger sample size and matched controls, regarding age, education and work history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive training research has revealed support for both the magnification and compensation accounts, respectively predicting larger or smaller training benefits for individuals already having strong cognitive abilities. A recent study in older adults (OAs) revealed evidence for the Compensation-Related Utilization of Neural Circuits Hypothesis, which best fits a magnification account. Only few studies examined working memory (WM) training gains in OAs as a function of initial executive functioning level. Here, we tracked the progress of high and low functioning OAs across WM training sessions. The high functioning OAs continued to improve their performance on the three training tasks. However, for one of the training tasks, the low functioning participants failed to improve performance or terminated participation in the course of training. The results suggest that during cognitive training, evaluation of the individual's cognitive capacity and performance monitoring are essential to maintain an optimal balance between cognitive resources and task demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify determinants within 3 different domains (ie, somatic comorbidities, cognitive functioning, and neuropsychiatric symptoms [NPS]) of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) over time in memory clinic patients without dementia.Methods: This longitudinal multicenter cohort study with a 3-year observation period recruited 315 individuals (age: 69.8 ± 8.6, 64.4% males, Mini-Mental State Examination score 26.9 ± 2.6). A multivariable explanatory model was built using linear mixed effects models (forward selection per domain) to select determinants for self-perceived HRQoL over time, as measured by the EuroQoL-5D visual analogue scale (EQ VAS).Results: Mean HRQoL at study entry was 69.4 ± 15.6. The presence of agitation, appetite and eating abnormalities, and eyes/ears/nose (ie, sensory impairment) comorbidities were associated with a change in HRQoL over time. Agitation was most strongly associated with HRQoL over time.Conclusions: The association of somatic comorbidities and NPS in memory clinic patients with course of HRQoL shows that these should receive more awareness, detection, and monitoring by clinicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Patients with Korsakoff's syndrome (KS) show executive dysfunction and neuropsychiatric symptoms. This study investigates whether specific executive subcomponents (shifting, updating, and inhibition) predict variance in neuropsychiatric symptoms. We hypothesized that shifting deficits, in particular, are associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms. Method: Forty-seven patients participated (mean age 61.5; 11 women). Executive function (EF) was measured using six component-specific tasks. Neuropsychiatric symptoms were measured with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory – Questionnaire (NPI-Q). General cognitive functioning was assessed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). First, factor analysis was conducted to examine shared variance across the EF tasks. Subsequently, a regression analysis was performed with the EF factors and the MoCA as predictors and the NPI-Q as the dependent variable. It was also investigated whether an interaction effect between the EF factors and the MoCA was present. Results: The prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms was high (85.7% of the KS patients showed at least one symptom). A two-factor model was extracted with a shifting-specific factor and a combined updating/inhibition factor. The overall regression model was not significant, and no interaction was found between the EF factors and general cognitive functioning. However, a significant relationship between general cognitive functioning and neuropsychiatric symptoms (r = -.43; p <.01) was detected. Conclusions: Results point at an association between neuropsychiatric symptoms and general cognitive functioning. Possibly, diminished cognitive differentiation in these patients with severe cognitive dysfunction accounts for the absence of a significant association between EF and neuropsychiatric symptoms. While the results should be interpreted with caution due to a limited sample size, the found association highlights the need to further unravel the underlying cognitive mechanisms of neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with KS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Errorless learning has proven to be an effective method for (re)learning tasks in several patient groups with amnesia. However, so far only a handful of studies have examined the effects of errorless learning in patients with Korsakoff's syndrome. The aims of this feasibility study were to (a) examine the effects of errorless learning training on (re)learning tasks in a patient with Korsakoff's syndrome, (b) examine the effects of the nature of the training on the execution of the tasks, and (c) examine characteristics that may mediate learning outcome. Professional caregivers, who were trained in errorless learning principles, taught 51 patients with Korsakoff's syndrome two everyday tasks. Significant improvements in the performance were found after an errorless intervention for different types of trained tasks (activities of daily living, chores, mobility, housekeeping). Moreover, the results of this study suggest that all patients, despite of age, educational level, or level of cognitive functioning, may benefit from errorless learning. The results showed that, despite severe amnesia, patients with Korsakoff's syndrome have the potential to (re)learn everyday skills. Errorless learning might be beneficial for memory rehabilitation in patients with Korsakoff's syndrome in clinical practice. The results of this study are clinically relevant, as successfully learning tasks using errorless learning principles might improve autonomy and independence in the daily lives of patients with Korsakoff's syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper describes the Box Task, a paradigm for the computerized assessment of visuospatial working memory. In this task, hidden objects have to be searched by opening closed boxes that are shown at different locations on the computer screen. The set size (i.e., number of boxes that must be searched) can be varied and different error scores can be computed that measure specific working memory processes (i.e., the number of within-search and between-search errors). The Box Task also has a developer’s mode in which new stimulus displays can be designed for use in tailored experiments. The Box Task comes with a standard set of stimulus displays (including practice trials, as well as stimulus displays with 4, 6, and 8 boxes). The raw data can be analyzed easily and the results of individual participants can be aggregated into one spreadsheet for further statistical analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has gained increasing popularity in patients with diabetes. HIIT acutely increases plasma lactate levels. This may be important, since the administration of lactate during hypoglycemia suppresses symptoms and counterregulation while preserving cognitive function. We tested the hypothesis that, in the short term, HIIT reduces awareness of hypoglycemia and attenuates hypoglycemia-induced cognitive dysfunction. In a randomized crossover trial, patients with type 1 diabetes and normal awareness of hypoglycemia (NAH), patients with impaired awareness of hypoglycemia (IAH), and healthy participants (n = 10 per group) underwent a hyperinsulinemic-hypoglycemic (2.6 mmol/L) clamp, either after a HIIT session or after seated rest. Compared with rest, HIIT reduced symptoms of hypoglycemia in patients with NAH but not in healthy participants or patients with IAH. HIIT attenuated hypoglycemia-induced cognitive dysfunction, which was mainly driven by changes in the NAH subgroup. HIIT suppressed cortisol and growth hormone responses, but not catecholamine responses to hypoglycemia. The present findings demonstrate that a single HIIT session rapidly reduces awareness of subsequent hypoglycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes and NAH, but does not in patients with IAH, and attenuates hypoglycemia-induced cognitive dysfunction. The role of exercise-induced lactate in mediating these effects, potentially serving as an alternative fuel for the brain, should be further explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Parkinson's disease (PD), cognitive impairment is an important non-motor symptom heralding the development of dementia. Effective treatments to slow down the rate of cognitive decline in PD patients with mild cognitive impairment are lacking. Here, we describe the design of the Parkin'Play study, which assesses the effects of a cognitive health game intervention on cognition in PD. Methods/Design: This study is a multicentre, phase-II, open-randomized clinical trial that aims to recruit 222 PD patients with mild cognitive impairment. Eligible patients have PD, Hoehn & Yahr stages I-III, are aged between 40 and 75 years, and have cognitive impairment but no dementia. The intervention group (n = 111) will be trained using a web-based health game targeting multiple cognitive domains. The control group (n = 111) will be placed on a waiting list. In order to increase compliance the health game adapts to the subjects' performance, is enjoyable, and can be played at home. From each group, 20 patients will undergo fMRI to test for potential functional brain changes underlying treatment. The primary outcome after 12 weeks of training is cognitive function, as assessed by a standard neuropsychological assessment battery and an online cognitive assessment. The neuropsychological assessment battery covers the following domains: executive function, memory, visual perception, visuoconstruction and language. A compound score for overall cognitive function will be calculated as the mean score of all test Zscores based on the distribution of scores for both groups taken together. Secondary outcomes at follow-up visits up to 24 weeks include various motor and non-motor symptoms, compliance, and biological endpoints (fMRI). Discussion: This study aims at evaluating whether a cognitive intervention among PD patients leads to an increased cognitive performance on targeted domains. Strengths of this study are a unique web-based health game intervention, the large sample size, a control group without intervention and innovations designed to increase compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to form associations (i.e., binding) is critical for memory formation. Recent studies suggest that aging specifically affects relational binding (associating separate features) but not conjunctive binding (integrating features within an object). Possibly, this dissociation may be driven by the spatial nature of the studies so far. Alternatively, relational binding may simply require more attentional resources. We assessed relational and conjunctive binding in three age groups and we included an interfering task (i.e., an articulatory suppression task). Binding was examined in a working memory (WM) task using non-spatial features: shape and colour. Thirty-one young adults (mean age = 22.35), 30 middle-aged adults (mean age = 54.80) and 30 older adults (mean age = 70.27) performed the task. Results show an effect of type of binding and an effect of age but no interaction between type of binding and age. The interaction between type of binding and interference was significant. These results indicate that aging affects relational binding and conjunctive binding similarly. However, relational binding is more susceptible to interference than conjunctive binding, which suggests that relational binding may require more attentional resources. We suggest that a general decline in WM resources associated with frontal dysfunction underlies age-related deficits in WM binding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Long-term cancer treatment complications become more prevalent as survival improves. Little is known about the psychological complications in long-term survivors of head and neck cancer (HNC). We investigated cognitive functioning and its relation with depression, fatigue, cognitive complaints, and brain lesions on MRI. Methods. This study is part of a multicentre, prospective cohort study of 65 patients treated for HNC. A comprehensive neuropsychological assessment was combined with validated questionnaires on subjective memory complaints, depression, and fatigue after a median of 7 years follow-up. Results were compared with age- and education-adjusted normative data. Further, we evaluated cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMH), brain volume, and infarctions on MRI. Results. HNC patients had worse cognitive performance in two of the five assessed cognitive domains: episodic memory (z =20.48, P = .003) and speed of information processing (z =20.47, P,0.001). Patients with fatigue performed worse than patients without fatigue on verbal fluency (mean difference in z-score 0.52, P = .02) and speed of information processing (0.49, P = .04). Patients with subjective memory complaints had a worse episodic memory performance (mean difference in z-score 20.96; P = .02). Patients with cerebral infarction(s) on MRI performed worse on fluency (mean difference in z-score 0.74, P = .005). A lower cognitive performance was not associated with depression, WMH or brain volume. Conclusion. Long-term HNC survivors showed worse cognitive functioning 7 years after treatment. Cognitive function was associated with subjective complaints and fatigue, but not with depressive symptoms. Cerebral infarctions on MRI were correlated with cognitive function, whereas WMH, and brain volume were not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies have shown beneficial associations between 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] status and cognitive performance, but results are inconclusive. Studies on 25(OH)D status and brain volumetric measures may provide more insight in the potential role of vitamin D in cognitive performance. Objectives: The aims of this study were to cross-sectionally investigate the association between vitamin D status and brain tissue volumes in 217 Dutch community-dwelling older adults aged ≥65 y and to examine whether surrogate markers of glucose homeostasis act as modifiers in these associations. Methods: Serum 25(OH)D, plasma glucose, and plasma insulin were analyzed, serving as exposure measures. Estimates of total brain volume, gray matter volume, and white matter volume were obtained using MRI, serving as outcome measures. Associations of serum 25(OH)D, plasma glucose, and plasma insulin concentrations with brain tissue volumes were evaluated using multiple linear regression analyses. Potential effect modification by glucose homeostasis in the association between 25(OH)D and brain volumetric measures was examined by stratification and testing for interaction. Results: After full adjustment, higher serum 25(OH)D concentrations and lower plasma glucose concentrations were associated with larger gray matter volume, [β ± SE: 0.20 ± 0.08 mL (P = 0.02) and 23.26 ± 1.59 mL (P = 0.04), respectively]. There were no associations between serum 25(OH)D and plasma insulin concentrations with total brain volume and white matter volume. Furthermore, there was no evidence for a mediation or modification effect of plasma glucose on the associations between serum 25(OH)D and brain tissue volumes. Conclusion: Higher serum 25(OH)D and lower plasma glucose are associated with larger gray matter volume, but not white matter or total brain volume, in a population of Dutch adults aged ≥65 y. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00696514. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addressed relations between language, social communication and behaviour, and their trajectories, in a sample of 9-11-year-olds (n=91) who had been referred to clinical services with concerns about language as pre-schoolers. Children were first assessed at 2½-4 years, and again 18 months later. Results revealed increasing differentiation of profiles across time. By 9-11 years, 11% of the sample had social communication deficits, 27% language impairment, 20% both, and 42% neither. The size of group differences on key language and social communication measures was striking (2-3 standard deviations). Social communication deficits included autistic mannerisms and were associated with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBDs); in contrast, language impairment was associated with hyperactivity only. Children with both language and social communication problems had the most severe difficulties on all measures. These distinct school-age profiles emerged gradually. Investigation of developmental trajectories revealed that the three impaired groups did not differ significantly on language or SEBD measures when the children were first seen. Only low performance on the Early Sociocognitive Battery, a new measure of social responsiveness, joint attention and symbolic understanding, differentiated the children with and without social communication problems at 9-11 years. These findings suggest that some children who first present with language delay or difficulties have undetected Autism Spectrum Disorders which may or may not be accompanied by language impairment in the longer term. This new evidence of developmental trajectories starting in the preschool years throws further light on the nature of social communication and language problems in school-age children, relations between language impairment and SEBDs, and on the nature of early language development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Impairment of cognitive functioning has been reported in several studies in patients treated with chemotherapy. So far, no studies have been published on the effects of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) inhibitors on cognitive functioning. We investigated the objective and subjective cognitive function of patients during treatment with VEGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGFR TKI). Methods: Three groups of participants, matched on age, sex and education, were enrolled; 1. metastatic renal cell cancer (mRCC) or GIST patients treated with sunitinib or sorafenib (VEGFR TKI patients n = 30); 2. patients with mRCC not receiving systemic treatment (patient controls n = 20); 3. healthy controls (n = 30). Sixteen neuropsychological tests examining the main cognitive domains (intelligence, memory, attention and concentration, executive functions and abstract reasoning) were administered by a neuropsychologist. Four questionnaires were used to assess subjective cognitive complaints, mood, fatigue and psychological wellbeing. Results: No significant differences in mean age, sex distribution, education level or IQ were found between the three groups. Both patient groups performed significantly worse on the cognitive domains Learning & Memory and Executive Functions (Response Generation and Problem Solving) compared to healthy controls. However only the VEGFR TKI patients showed impairments on the Executive subdomain Response Generation. Effect sizes of cognitive dysfunction in patients using VEGFR TKI were larger on the domains Learning & Memory and Executive Functions, compared to patient controls. Both patients groups performed on the domain Attention & Concentration the same as the healthy controls. Longer duration of treatment on VEGFR TKI was associated with a worse score on Working Memory tasks. Conclusions: Our data suggest that treatment with VEGFR TKI has a negative impact on cognitive functioning, specifically on Learning & Memory, and Executive Functioning. We propose that patients who are treated with VEGFR TKI are monitored and informed for possible signs or symptoms associated with cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Zoo Map Test of the Behavioral Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome battery is often applied to measure planning ability as part of executive function. Successful performance on this test is, however, dependent on various cognitive functions, and deficient Zoo Map performance does therefore not necessarily imply selectively disrupted planning abilities. To address this important issue, we examined whether planning is still the most important predictor of Zoo Map performance in a heterogeneous sample of neurologic and psychiatric outpatients (N = 71). In addition to the Zoo Map Test, the patients completed other neuropsychological tests of planning, inhibition, processing speed, and episodic memory. Planning was the strongest predictor of the total raw score and inappropriate places visited, and no additional contribution of other cognitive scores was found. One exception to this was the total time, which was associated with processing speed. Overall, our findings indicate that the Zoo Map Test is a valid indicator of planning ability in a heterogeneous patient sample. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: The study was designed to clarify the ambivalent relationships between work–family conflict (WFC) and measures of satisfaction. Both the direct and indirect effects of WFC on job and life satisfaction were investigated. Job satisfaction was also separated into two components: affective reaction and cognitive appraisal. Data were collected by a field survey of 121 sales managers from 26 hotels in China. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) indicated a critical role of one''s affective reaction to his/her job in the relationship between WFC and life satisfaction. Specifically, the present study found that both work interfering with family (WIF) and family interfering with work (FIW) have significant negative association with an individual''s affective reaction to his/her job, while only FIW reduced the cognitive appraisal of a job. Further, affective reaction, rather than cognitive appraisal, had a significant positive correlation with life satisfaction. Finally, FIW was negatively associated with life satisfaction. The results suggest the strategic role of family friendly human resource polices in hotels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Trail Making Test part B (TMT-B) is highly sensitive to age-related changes in the brain and cognitive function. However, the precise contribution of periventricular hyperintensities (PVH), deep white matter hyperintensities (DWMH), and medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) to task performance remains unspecified. Similarly, diminished performance may be due to deficient flexibility functions, but also to other age-related cognitive decline (e.g., mental slowing). The aim of the present study was to determine neuroanatomical (PVH, DWMH, MTA) and neuropsychological (working memory, executive function, speed and attention, episodic memory) predictors of TMT-B performance in elderly people. Results showed that MTA was the strongest predictor of TMT-B performance. The predictive value of the neuropsychological scores differed among the various TMT-B variables. For example, all neuropsychological domains predicted the TMT-B total completion time, whereas only executive function predicted the ratio score (TMT-B/A). We conclude that MTA is a very important predictor of TMT-B performance in elderly people. Furthermore, multiple cognitive functions are involved in TMT-B performance and a mild decline in any of these functions may result in diminished TMT-B performance. Therefore it is crucial to use the ratio score when one wishes to examine executive function ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For all children, the learning process has highs and lows, but for individuals who have suffered from a traumatic brain injury (TBI), the return to the classroom can mean that even subjects that were once easily understood and quickly learned can be difficult to comprehend and retain. New information has surfaced on how memory can be improved by using curriculum enhanced with the link between visual imagery (film) and emotion, to help these students rebuild their educational strategies and their lives. This article discusses perspectives at the intersection of memory, learning, artistic media, and emotion, and relates a narrative of a successful use of film to engage students with TBIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Cognition influences gait and balance in elderly people. Executive functions seem to play a key role in this mechanism. Previous studies used only a single test to probe executive functions, and outcome measures were restricted to gait variables. We extend this prior work by examining the association between two different executive functions and measures of both gait and balance, with and without two different cognitive dual tasks. Methods. This is a cross-sectional study with randomly selected community-living elderly people. Executive functions were tested with the Trail Making Test Parts A and B and the Stroop Color Word Test; memory with Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) subtests. Patients walked without and with two dual tasks (subtracting serial sevens and animal naming). Main Outcomes focused on gait (velocity, stride length, and stride time variability), measured on an electronic walkway, and balance, measured as trunk movements during walking. Associations were assessed with multiple regression models. Results. One hundred elderly people, with a mean age 80.6 years (range 75-93 years) participated. Both dual tasks decreased gait velocity and increased variability and trunk sway. Executive functions were associated with only stride length variability and mediolateral trunk sway during performance of animal naming as the dual task. Memory was not associated with the gait and balance variables. Conclusions. In community-living elderly people, executive functions are associated with gait and balance impairment during a challenging dual-task condition that also depends on executive integrity. Next steps will be to explore the value of executive functions in defining fall-risk profiles and in fall-prevention interventions for frail patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) is associated with mild decrements in cognitive functioning, particularly in the elderly. It is often preceded by a ‘prediabetic stage’, characterized by the co-occurrence of insulin resistance and vascular risk factors, usually referred to as the metabolic syndrome. Cognitive decrements may already develop in these early stages. Methods: Cognitive functioning was compared cross-sectionally between DM2 patients (n = 64), patients with metabolic syndrome but without DM2 (n = 83) and control subjects (n = 100) participating in the prospective population-based Hoorn study. Participants performed an extensive neuropsychological examination. Vascular and metabolic determinants were recorded. Results: Both the DM2 group and the metabolic syndrome group performed worse than controls on the domains of information processing speed and attention and executive functioning (mean differences in z-scores 0.2–0.3, all p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in performance between the DM2 and metabolic syndrome group. None of the individual risk factors of the metabolic syndrome, measured at either the present or the previous examination, was a key determinant of cognitive functioning. Conclusion: These results show that DM2-associated cognitive decline may develop in early stages of the disease, possibly in relation to risk factors clustered in the metabolic syndrome. Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on memory as a fully integrated aspect of skilled and expert performance. It is argued that the development of expert performance drives the acquisition of mechanisms that allow experts to meet the demands of representative task performance, where memory is only one aspect of a highly integrated system that mediates superior task performance and its acquisition. The rationale for the original mainstream approach in experimental psychology that searched for basic nonmodifiable human capacities and processes is presented.