Cognitive discernible factors between schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia (SZ) and schizoaffective disorders (SA) are associated with cognitive deficits. Generally, a schizoaffective diagnosis is associated with better prognosis on the level of social integration. It is also well established that cognition is an important factor for good social outcome in schizophrenia. We hypothesized that, although patients suffering from SA share symptoms with SZ, they can be differentiated on the basis of neurocognitive function and that SA perform better in several domains. METHOD: Performances of two groups SA (N = 13) and SZ (N = 44) were compared on several visual-motor tasks using CANTAB [Motor Screening (MOT), Reaction Time (RTI), Paired Associates Learning Task (PAL), and Stockings of Cambridge items (SOC)]. The two groups were matched for symptom severity. ANOVA with repeated measures was employed to determine whether any difference in cognitive scores during a 2-year period was significantly related to the diagnostic status. RESULTS: A significant and durable difference was observed between SZ and SA on motor screening and explicit memory tests where SA performed better. CONCLUSION: Neurocognitive tests may be relevant for distinguishing schizoaffective from schizophrenia, chiefly via tests tapping into visuo-spatial and visuo-motor coordination abilities (e.g., paired associated learning and motor screening).     

Comparing neurocognitive impairment in schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder using the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry Scale

The purpose of this study was to compare the psychometric properties of the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP) when applied to patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (n = 126) or bipolar I disorder (n = 76), and also to compare the cognitive impairment in both samples of patients and a control group (n = 83) using the SCIP and a complete neuropsychological battery. The SCIP is a scale intended to quickly and easily assess cognitive impairment in patients with severe psychiatric disorders. The results showed firstly that, in terms of internal consistency, temporal stability, dimensional structure, and criterion-referenced validity, the SCIP provides reliable and valid scores at an equivalent level in both schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder samples. Secondly, it showed that differential cognitive impairment between the two patient groups occurs only in verbal memory, although the effect size of the difference is small. Finally, compared with the control group, cognitive impairment was present at all levels in both groups of patients using both the SCIP and the neuropsychological battery, which indicates that the SCIP is a good screening tool for cognitive deficits in schizophrenia and bipolar and useful in clinical practice for healthcare professionals.     

Breastfeeding and motor development: A longitudinal cohort study

BackgroundWhile there is a large body of work supporting the importance of early feeding practices on cognitive, immunity, behavioural and mental outcomes, few longitudinal studies have focused on motor development. The relationship between duration of breast feeding and motor development outcomes at 10, 14, and 17 years were examined.MethodsData were obtained from the Western Australian Pregnancy (Raine) Study. There were 2868 live births recorded and children were examined for motor proficiency at 10 (M = 10.54, SD = 2.27), 14 (M = 14.02, SD = 2.33) and 17 (M = 16.99, SD = 2.97) years using the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development (MAND). Using linear mixed models, adjusted for covariates known to affect motor development, the influence of predominant breast feeding for <6 months and ⩾6 months on motor development outcomes was examined.ResultsBreast feeding for ⩾6 months was positively associated with improved motor development outcomes at 10, 14 and 17 years of age (p = 0.019, β 1.38) when adjusted for child’s sex, maternal age, alcohol intake, family income, hypertensive status, gestational stress and mode of delivery.ConclusionEarly life feeding practices have an influence on motor development outcomes into late childhood and adolescence independent of sociodemographic factors.     

Personality self-concept affects processing of trait adjectives in the self-reference memory paradigm

We combined personality, social cognitive, and cognitive paradigms for researching the self. Specifically, we examined whether personality trait assessments are associated with variation in the cognitive processes that produce the self-reference effect in memory. We found that self-reported, but not indirectly assessed, trait orderliness (Study 1; N = 98) and openness (Study 2; N = 92) were associated with slower free recall when corresponding trait adjectives were self-referenced, but not when adjectives were encoded in control tasks. The slower recall showed mixed predictive validity. Results suggest that personality congruent adjectives elicit more elaborative processing in the form of propositions that arise during self-reference, which counter-intuitively slows recall in a manner consistent with random search memory models and cue overload theory.     

Screening Solid Foods Infants 1 (SSFI-1) development of a screening tool to detect problems in the transition from milk to solid food in infants from six to nine months of age

AimTo establish the psychometric properties of a newly developed screening tool Screening Solid Foods Infants 1 (SSFI-1) used by early childhood professionals, to detect problems in the transition from milk to solid food of smooth consistency in infants 6–9 months of age.MethodsThe SSFI-1 score was filled out by the parents of a subgroup with term infants (n = 35); healthy preterm infants (n = 26); infants with comorbidity (n = 17); infants with feeding problems (n = 13). Internal consistency, reproducibility, construct, criterion and related validity was evaluated.ResultsThe preterm subgroup differed significantly in age when starting with fruits/vegetables and period of experience (p < 0.01). The SSFI-1 was sufficiently reliable for the total group and term subgroup (α = 0.78 and 0.76), but not for the preterm and comorbidity/feeding problem subgroup (α = 0.51 and 0.69). Inter-rater reliability was high for the total score (n = 25, ICC r = 0.93), and moderate to good for individual items (weighted kappa range 0.55–0.95). Validity was confirmed by significantly higher scores for the comorbidity/feeding problem subgroups and clinically distinguishable subgroups (p < 0.05) and area under the curve values > 0.78. The initial 10-item screening tool was modified to a seven item screening tool. A SSFI-1 score of 4, +2 SD of the term subgroup, had 76.9% sensitivity and 82.1% specificity, for detecting the presence of a feeding problem.ConclusionThe seven-item screening tool Screening Solid Foods 1 may be used as a screening tool for term infants. Further testing of the SSFI-1 in new infants is needed, to confirm reliability and validity both for term, preterm and (risk for) feeding problem infants.     

Relative effects of reduced weight and increased physical activity on hemoglobin A1c: Suggestions for behavioral treatments

Behavioral treatments for diabetes have often been unsuccessful and may benefit from a better understanding of the relative effects of two common treatment foci – decreased weight and increased volume of physical activity – on blood glucose. Overweight and obese adults (N = 59; M_age = 60 years) with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values consistent with diabetes participated in a 6-month community-based behavioral treatment based on tenets of self-efficacy theory and social cognitive theory. The treatment was associated with significantly increased physical activity, reduced body mass index (BMI), and reduced HbA1c levels (ps < .001). Changes in BMI and physical activity accounted for a significant portion of the variance in change in HbA1c, R² = .13, p = .023. Change in volume of physical activity, β = ?.36, p = .007, but not change in BMI, β = ?.03, p = .792, significantly contributed to the variance in HbA1c change that was accounted for. There was no effect based on the sex of participants. Discussion focused on how findings might impact the efficacy, efficiency, and application of behavioral treatments for diabetes management.     

Reliability and validity of the Finnish version of the motor observation questionnaire for teachers

ObjectivesObservational screening instruments are often used as an effective, economical first step in the identification of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). The aim was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Finnish version of the Motor Observation Questionnaire for Teachers (MOQ-T-FI).MethodsThe psychometric properties were tested using two separate samples (S1: age range 6–12, M 9y 5mo, females 101, males 92; S2: age range 6–9, M 7y 7mo, females 404, males 446). Teachers completed the MOQ-T-FI in both samples, and in sample 2 teachers’ ratings were compared to student’s performance on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition (MABC-2). Internal consistency was investigated by using Cronbach’s alpha, predictive validity by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, concurrent validity by correlation analysis, and construct validity by factor analysis.ResultsThe MOQ-T-FI behaves consistently with its original Dutch version. The internal consistency was excellent (α = 0.97). The bifactor model, with one general factor and two specific factors, fit the data significantly better than the first-order model. The concurrent validity with the MABC-2 was moderate (r = 0.37 p < 0.001). Sensitivity was 82.5% and specificity 44.5%, respectively.ConclusionNotwithstanding the low specificity the MOQ-T-FI can be considered as a promising screening tool in the school environment for Finnish children at risk of motor learning problems.     

The effects of autonomous difficulty selection on engagement,motivation, and learning in a motion-controlled video game task

This experiment investigated the relationship between motivation, engagement, and learning in a video game task. Previous studies have shown increased autonomy during practice leads to superior retention of motor skills, but it is not clear why this benefit occurs. Some studies suggest this benefit arises from increased motivation during practice; others suggest the benefit arises from better information processing. Sixty novice participants were randomly assigned to a self-controlled group, who chose the progression of difficulty during practice, or to a yoked group, who experienced the same difficulty progression but did not have choice. At the end of practice, participants completed surveys measuring intrinsic motivation and engagement. One week later, participants returned for a series of retention tests at three different difficulty levels. RM-ANCOVA (controlling for pre-test) showed that the self-controlled group had improved retention compared to the yoked group, on average, β = 46.78, 95% CI = [2.68, 90.87], p = 0.04, but this difference was only statistically significant on the moderate difficulty post-test (p = 0.004). The self-controlled group also showed greater intrinsic motivation during practice, t(58) = 2.61, p = 0.01. However, there was no evidence that individual differences in engagement (p = 0.20) or motivation (p = 0.87) were associated with learning, which was the relationship this experiment was powered to detect. These data are inconsistent with strictly motivational accounts of how autonomy benefits learning, instead suggesting the benefits of autonomy may be mediated through other mechanisms. For instance, within the information processing framework, the learning benefits may emerge from learners appropriately adjusting difficulty to maintain an appropriate level of challenge (i.e., maintaining the relationship between task demands and cognitive resources).     

Cognitive Load Undermines Thought Suppression in Acute Stress Disorder

Thought suppression studies demonstrate that attempts to suppress can be undermined by cognitive load. We report the first instance in which this has been tested experimentally in a sample of recently traumatized individuals. Individuals with and without acute stress disorder (ASD) were recruited following recent trauma and randomized to load or no load conditions (N = 56). They monitored intrusive memories during baseline, suppression, and think anything phases. The impact of suppression and load on self-reported intrusions, attention bias (dot-probe), and memory priming (word-stem task) was assessed. The ASD load group were less able to suppress memories (d = 0.32, CI₉₅ [− 0.15, 0.83], p = .088) than the ASD no load group (d = 0.63, CI₉₅ [0.08, 1.24], p < .001). In the think anything phase, the ASD load group reported more intrusions than the ASD no load or non-ASD groups (with and without load). No consistent findings were observed in relation to attentional bias. ASD load individuals exhibited stronger priming responses for motor vehicle accident and assault words than all other groups (ds between 0.35–0.73). Working memory did not moderate any outcomes of interest. The findings indicate that cognitive load interferes with suppression and may enhance access to trauma memories and associated material. The study extends previous research by demonstrating these effects for the first time in a clinical sample of recent survivors of trauma.     

Athletes trained using stable compared to unstable surfaces exhibit distinct postural control profiles when assessed by traditional and nonlinear measures

Athletes are assumed to exhibit better balance than non-athletes; however, few studies have examined the role of different types of sports on balance measures. Two athlete groups that experience divergent sport-specific balance training are stable- (i.e. basketball) and unstable-surface athletes (i.e. surfers). The purpose of this study was to quantify the effect of stable- compared to unstable-surface sports on postural stability.MethodsEight non-athletes (NON), eight stable-surface athletes (SSA) and eight unstable-surface athletes (USA) performed five 20-s quiet standing trials while ground reaction forces were recorded. Approximate entropy (ApEn), total excursion and root mean square distances (RMS) of the center of pressure position were calculated. Univariate ANOVAs with post hoc tests were conducted for each variable.ResultsApEn values were lower in SSA compared to NON in the ML direction (p = 0.012) and USA had lower ApEn values compared to SSA in the AP direction (p = 0.036). The USA had smaller AP RMS compared to SSA (p = 0.002) while the USA had greater ML RMS (p = 0.008) and resultant RMS values compared to SSA (p = 0.025).DiscussionThese data suggest that USA and SSA may exhibit direction-specific differences in balance strategy due to feedback paradigm.     

Impact of the telephone motivational interviewing on the colorectal cancer screening participation. A randomized controlled study

IntroductionWhile high participation rates ensure the cost-effectiveness of colorectal cancer screening programs, it is well known that postal requests do not achieve acceptable levels of participation.ObjectiveThis randomized controlled study aimed to test the impact of individualized phone counseling to prompt people aged 50 to 74 to take a colorectal cancer test.MethodTwo phone strategies were compared. The first involved computer-aided individualized counseling while the second was based on motivational interviewing. A total of 49,972 people were randomly assigned to a control group (CG) and to the individualized counseling (IC) and motivational interviewing (MI) telephone groups.ResultsA simple call doubled the participation rate per protocol (19.2% > 9.2%; p < .001; r = .131; OR = 2.374), and tripled it when the interview was conducted (30.4% > 9.2%; p < .001; r = .219; OR = 4.321). In an intention-to-treat analysis, the benefit of calling by phone remained even higher than postal requests (10% > 9.2%; p < .01; r = .014; OR = 1.103). However, there was no impact of the type of interview on participation rates.ConclusionThe results are discussed for future research.     

Associations between self-rated health and the assessments of anchoring vignettes in cardiovascular patients

Background/ObjectiveAssessments of health can be biased by response shift effects. One method for detecting such effects is the use of anchoring vignettes. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between participants’ self-assessed health state and their assessments of these vignettes.MethodA total of 342 cardiovascular patients assessed their own state of health on a 0-100 visual analogue scale. The patients additionally assessed two vignettes featuring fictional persons suffering from specific complaints. A sample of the general population (N = 1,236) served as controls.ResultsThe participants rated the health state of the vignette character featuring physical problems as being significantly better than the general population did (effect size: d = 0.53). The group difference in the assessment of the vignette featuring primarily mental health problems was lower (d = -0.17). Participants’ assessments of the vignettes were positively correlated with their assessments of their own health state (r = .26 and r = .10) and with several quality of life variables.ConclusionsAnchoring vignettes are a useful tool for detecting response shift effects.     

Motivational characteristics of obese adolescents toward physical activity: Contribution of self-determination theory

IntroductionRegular physical activity (PA) practice represents a key component of obesity treatment.ObjectiveBased on self-determination theory (SDT), this cross-sectional study aimed to explore the motivational characteristics associated with PA practice among obese adolescents.MethodOne hundred and five overweight or obese adolescents (mean age = 15 years old, SD = 2.69) were questioned about their level of PA, motivational regulations toward PA and level of satisfaction of basic psychological needs.ResultsData revealed that satisfaction of autonomy and relatedness needs is positively associated with autonomous forms of motivation (e.g., for integrated regulation β = .44; and 0.35, respectively, p < .01). Otherwise, non-satisfaction of the needs of autonomy and competence is associated with the most controlled forms of motivation (e.g., for external regulation β = −.27, p < .01; and −.18, p < .05, respectively). In turn, a high level of identified regulation, a low level of external regulation and a high level of satisfaction of the need for competence are associated with weekly PA (β = .28; −.19 and .24, respectively, p < .05).ConclusionSDT appears as an interesting theoretical framework to explore motivational antecedents of PA among obese adolescents.     

Differential association between food craving,food addiction and eating-related characteristics in persons at risk for eating disorders

IntroductionFood craving is a key feature of eating disorders, but its association with medical and psychological outcome might depend on the type of eating disorder.ObjectivesThis study investigated the factors associated with food craving in individuals at risk for DSM-5 eating disorder.MethodSeventy-six women were recruited from a non-clinical population (n = 372) based on their positive screening (EDDS, QEWP-R) for binge eating disorder (BED; n = 29), anorexia nervosa (AN; n = 28) or bulimia nervosa (BN; n = 19). They completed self-administered questionnaires assessing food craving (FCQ- T-r), Body Mass Index (BMI), eating behaviour (DEBQ), food addiction (YFAS 2.0), and anxiety and depressive symptoms (HADS).ResultsIndividuals at risk for BED or BN had higher food craving than those at risk for AN. Food craving was associated with BMI only in the BED group. Food craving was positively correlated with external eating in all groups, and with emotional eating in the AN and BED groups and correlated with anxiety only in BN. Food addiction prevalence was higher in the BN group than in the AN or BED groups (respectively 94.7%, 46.4% and 65.5%; p < 0.01). In this non-clinical population, we demonstrated that food craving was differentially associated with BMI and eating-related characteristics according to the type of eating disorder.ConclusionThis suggests that food craving is a transdiagnostic dimension that should be differentially targeted depending on the type of eating disorder; future studies should test this hypothesis in clinical populations.     

Skepticism: Genuine unbelief or implicit beliefs in the supernatural?

We examined whether skeptics hold implicit supernatural beliefs or implicit cognitive underpinnings of the beliefs. In study 1 (N = 57), participants read a biological or a religious story about death. The story content had no effect on skeptics’ (or believers’) afterlife beliefs. Study 2 examined the relationships between religious and non-religious paranormal beliefs and implicit views about whether supernatural and religious phenomena are imaginary or real (n1 = 33, n2 = 31). The less supernatural beliefs were endorsed the easier it was to connect “supernatural” with “imaginary”. Study 3 (N = 63) investigated whether participants’ supernatural beliefs and ontological confusions differ between speeded and non-speeded response conditions. Only non-analytical skeptics’ ontological confusions increased in speeded conditions. The results indicate that skeptics overall do not hold implicit supernatural beliefs, but that non-analytically thinking skeptics may, under supporting conditions, be prone to biases that predispose to supernatural beliefs.     

Psychosocial determinants of road traffic offences in a sample of Spanish male prison inmates

ObjectiveThere is very little information available about the characteristics of drivers convicted for traffic offences. The objective of this study was to perform a comparative analysis of the psychosocial characteristics of Spanish prison inmates convicted of road traffic offences (CRTOs), drivers serving a prison sentence for other types of offence (DCOOs), and drivers with no criminal record (DNCRs), in order to identify the psychosocial predictors associated with RTOs.MethodsThe study sample comprised 434 male participants divided into three groups: CRTO (n = 240); DCOO (n = 85); and DNCR (n = 105). Instruments included an interview on sociodemographic data, driving behaviour, and past offences, as well as a set of tests to evaluate personality traits (ZKPQ-50CC), driving-related aspects (MDSI-S and DAS), and alcohol dependence (AUDIT).ResultsA logistic regression analysis showed the following to be reliable predictors of RTOs: low education level (p < .05); having been involved in several road traffic accidents (p < .001); having received several fines (p < .001); a high score on the MDSI-S Risky subscale (p < .05); a low score on the MDSI-S Careful subscale (p < .05); AUDIT scores > 8 (p < .05), and repeatedly driving whilst under the influence of alcohol (p < .05).ConclusionsThe results obtained have significant practical implications for designing and implementing traffic offenders programmes.     

Cognitive abilities and personality traits in old age across four years: More stability than change

The current study (N = 236) examined stability and change of six cognitive abilities and three personality traits in old age (M = 74.12 years, SD = 4.40) over four years. Furthermore, we investigated whether levels of one domain were related to the other domain (and vice versa) four years later. The results showed a mean–level decline for processing speed and a mean–level increase for neuroticism. Cross–lagged effects indicated that reasoning was related to openness and conscientiousness was related to verbal knowledge four years later. In general, few and weak associations between the two domains were found. The findings showed that the development of cognitive abilities and personality traits in old age is marked more by stability than by change.     

Sense of body ownership in patients affected by functional motor symptoms (conversion disorder)

Background and aimPatients with functional neurological symptoms are commonly seen in neurological practice. Nevertheless their aetiopathology remains unclear. We have recently shown that patients affected by functional motor symptoms (FMS) present lower interoceptive awareness and higher alexithymia levels than healthy controls. Nevertheless sense of body ownership has never been studied in FMS patients.The aim of the present study was to systematically investigate the sense of body ownership, with the rubber hand illusion (RHI) paradigm, in patients with FMS and healthy controls.Materials and methodsWe included in the study 16 patients with FMS and 18 healthy controls (HC). Patients and HC were asked to complete the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the self-consciousness scale (self-objectification questionnaire). All participants underwent the RHI paradigm: illusionary experience was measured by self-report and by proprioceptive alteration.ResultsA Mann–Whitney U test performed revealed that FMS (median = 2.11) participants embodied the rubber hand to the same extent than HC participants (median = 2.0, Z = −0.86, p > 0.05, r = −0.15). The same test revealed no significant difference in the Proprioceptive Drift experience between FMS (median = 0.0) and HC participants (median = −0.5, Z = −0.96, p > 0.05, r = −0.16).ConclusionsOur study revealed that sense of body ownership is not impaired in patients affected by FMS. This, together with the results from our previous experiment (studying the interoceptive awareness), supports the hypothesis that interoceptive awareness and sense of body ownership may be dissociated in patients with FMS.     

Clinical functioning and cutoff of eccentricity dimension with psychiatric patients and non-patients

ObjectivesThis study investigated the Eccentricity scale's clinical functioning from the Dimensional Clinical Personality Inventory 2 (IDCP-2). Additionally, we sought to establish a cutoff for a screening scenario to be taken as the first indicator of Eccentricity characteristics’ possible clinically relevant functioning.MethodIn total, 2167 adults, aged from 18 to 90 years (M = 28.98, SD = 11.12), being 1244 women (63%), and the majority of undergraduate students (67.9%). Total sample was comprised into five groups, namely, outpatients diagnosed with both schizotypal and schizoid PDs (n = 3), outpatients diagnosed with schizotypal PD (n = 5), outpatients diagnosed with schizoid PD (n = 2), outpatients diagnosed with other PDs and clinical disorders (n = 172), and a general population-based sample (n = 1985). Not all participants answered all the items from IDCP-2; therefore, we used the equating procedure.ResultsThe groups were statistically different in ANOVA. For the −0.40 cutoff in the theta metric scale, equivalent to a total score of 38, the area under the curve was equal to 0.85, reaching 90% of sensitivity and 87.4% of specificity.ConclusionsFindings provide clinical data on the Eccentricity scale, supporting its professional use in a clinical setting; specifically, we suggested a clinical cutoff to the scale, helping the professional address typical characteristics from schizoid schizotypal functioning.