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Video game addiction (VGA) is associated with cognitive problems, particularly deficits in inhibitory control. The present study aimed to investigate behavioural responses and event‐related potential associated with specific response inhibition using the cued Go/NoGo task to examine the effects of VGA on brain activity related to response inhibition. Twenty‐five individuals addicted to video games (action video games) and 25 matched healthy controls participated in the study. The results showed that the VGA group had significantly more commission error in the NoGo trials and faster reaction time in the Go trials compared with the control group. The event‐related potential analyses revealed significant reductions in amplitudes of N2 cue and N2 NoGo in the VGA group. While there was no significant difference between the N2 amplitudes of the Go and NoGo trials in the VGA group, the control group had a larger N2 amplitude in the NoGo trials. These results indicate that VGA subjects have difficulties in the early stages of response inhibition, as well as some level of impairment in proactive cognitive control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There is increasing evidence that connects developmental stuttering to attention. However, findings have represented contradiction. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the possible relationship between stuttering and attention in resting and undertask conditions. Methods: In a cross‐sectional study, 26 right‐handed AWS (adults who stutter) and 25 matched fluent speakers were enrolled. Demographic data were collected, and the Beck anxiety inventory (BAI) was filled out for all participants. Then, QEEG was conducted, followed by IVA2. CPT test for all subjects. Finally, data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16. Results: AWS indicated significantly weaker auditory focus attention in the task (p =.02) than the control group, while a similar resting‐state EEG marker of attention was found between groups (p >.05). Moreover, attention was not correlated between the two conditions (p >.05). Conclusion: The EEG marker of attention did not necessarily designate the attentional performance of AWS under the task. Furthermore, attentional skills could be considered in the assessment and therapeutic programs of at least some groups of AWS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing evidence showing that mental representation of numbers is impaired in patients with schizophrenia. Yet, no study has examined the distance effect in the patients. We assessed the distance effect using two number size comparison tasks, with different number references (5 and 7) in 23 patients and 28 healthy individuals. Response times and error rates significantly increased when the distances between the centered references and the targets decreased in both groups. However, patients responded significantly slower and had more error rates compared to controls. Our finding indicates distance effect in patients is similar to the controls, indicating an automatic numerical processing is preserved in patients with schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We examined the effect of number magnitude on the P3 latency. [•] For controls, P3 latencies were different between the targets ‘one’ and ‘nine’. [•] Patients did not show the effect of number magnitude on the P3 latency. [•] The results suggest a lack of pseudoneglect in patients with schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• NTG produced a marked anxiety -like behaviors, in both EPM and OF tasks. • Social performance was decreased in the NTG- treated rats. • NTG -induced anxiety and social conflicts were aggravated by SB334867 and AM251. • Orexin-A attenuated NTG–related anxiety and social conflicts. • The orexin-A effects were prevented by either SB334867 or AM251. Orexin 1 receptors (Orx1R) and cannabinoid 1 receptors (CB1R) are implicated in migraine pathophysiology. This study evaluated the potential involvement of Orx1R and CB1R within the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray matter (vlPAG) in the modulation of anxiety-like behavior and social interaction of migraineurs rats. A rat model of migraine induced by recurrent administration of nitroglycerin (NTG) (5 mg/kg/i.p.). The groups of rats (n = 6) were then subjected to intra-vlPAG microinjection of orexin-A (25, 50 pM), and Orx1R antagonist SB334867 (20, 40 nM) or AM 251 (2, 4 μg) as a CB1R antagonist. Behavioral responses were evaluated in elevated plus maze (EPM), open field (OF) and three-chambered social test apparatus. NTG produced a marked anxiety like behaviors, in both EPM and OF tasks. It did also decrease social performance. NTG–related anxiety and social conflicts were attenuated by orexin-A (25, 50 pM). However, NTG effects were exacerbated by SB334867 (40 nM) and AM251 (2, 4 μg). The orexin-A-mediated suppression of NTG-induced anxiety and social conflicts were prevented by either SB334867 (20 nM) or AM251 (2 μg). The findings suggest roles for Orx1R and CB1R signaling within vlPAG in the modulation of migraine-induced anxiety-like behavior and social dysfunction in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Video game addiction (VGA) is associated with physical and mental disorders, one of which is problem in executive function, particularly inhibitory control. The present study aimed to investigate reactive and proactive inhibitory controls by event‐related potential (ERP). Methods: Thirty video game (action video games)‐addicted subjects and 30 matched healthy controls participated in the study, who were tested by the selective stop‐signal task. Results: The main results revealed that the VGA group had significantly more problems in preparatory processes and proactive stop trials, showing that VGA has a negative effect on proactive inhibition. Conclusion: Finding the problem in proactive inhibitory control might be helpful in developing new treatments and rehabilitation methods in these fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has found auditory spatial processing deficits in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ), but no study has examined SCZ patients' auditory spatial processing at both pre-attentional and attentional stages. To address this gap, we investigated schizophrenics' brain responses to sounds originating from different locations (right, left, and bilateral sources). The event-related potentials (ERPs) of 25 chronic schizophrenic patients and 25 healthy subjects were compared. Mismatch negativity (MMN) in response to frequency and duration deviants was assessed. Two P3 components (P3a and P3b) were elicited via a frequency discrimination task, and MMN and P3 were recorded through separate monaural and dichotic stimulation paradigms. Our results corroborated the previously published finding that MMN, P3a, and P3b amplitudes are reduced in SCZ patients, but they showed no significant effect of stimulus location on either MMN or P3. These results indicated similarity between the SCZ patients and healthy individuals as regards patterns of ERP responses to stimuli that come from different directions. No evidence of auditory hemispatial bias in the SCZ patients was found, supporting the existence of non-lateralized spatial processing deficits in such patients and suggesting compensatory changes in the hemispheric laterality of patients' brains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reading habits are believed to have an important role in the association between number and space; however, the effect of the spatial numerical association of response codes (SNARC) as a casual involvement has not been fully documented. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the SNARC effect in individuals with mixed-reading Persian language in which the text is read from right to left but the numbers are read from left to right. Moreover, because of the critical role of visuospatial attention in SNARC effect, which is impaired in patients with schizophrenia, the SNARC effect was also examined in a group of patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Using number comparison tasks and parity judgment tasks, the SNARC effect was first examined in a group of Persian speaking university students and then in a group of Persian speaking schizophrenic patients. Results: The results showed the standard SNARC effect in students with the mixed-reading habit. Moreover, the results revealed a comparable SNARC effect in schizophrenia patients and controls. Conclusions: Our results suggested that the direction of reading of numbers might influence the relationship between numbers and space, not the direction of text reading. Also, the semantic representation of numbers is preserved in patients with schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Migraine headaches have been associated with sensory hyperactivity and anomalies in social/emotional responses. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the potential involvement of orexin 1 receptors (Orx1R) within the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in the modulation of pain and psychosocial dysfunction in a nitroglycerin (NTG)-induced rat model of migraine. Methods: Adult male Wistar rats were injected with NTG (5 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) every second day over nine days to induce migraine. The experiments were done in the following six groups (6 rats per group): untreated control, NTG, NTG plus vehicle, and NTG groups that were post-treated with intra-BLA microinjection of Orx1R antagonist SB-334867 (10, 20, and 40 nM). Thermal hyperalgesia was assessed using the hot plate and tail-flick tests. Moreover, the elevated plus maze (EPM) and open field (OF) tests were used to assess anxiety-like behaviors. The animals' sociability was evaluated using the three-chamber social task. The NTG-induced photophobia was assessed using a light-dark box. Results: We observed no change in NTG-induced thermal hyperalgesia following administration of SB-334867 (10, 20, and 40 nM). However, SB-334867 (20 and 40 nM) aggravated the NTG-induced anxiogenic responses in both the EPM and OF tasks. The NTG-induced social impairment was overpowered by SB-334867 at all doses. Time spent in the dark chamber of light-dark box was significantly increased in rats treated with SB-334867 (20 and 40 nM/rat). Conclusions: The findings suggest a role for Orx1R within the BLA in control comorbid affective complaints with migraine in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]