Differential trajectories of age-related changes in components of executive and memory processes

Several studies have demonstrated age-related declines in general executive function and memory. In this study, we examined cross-sectional and longitudinal age effects in more specific cognitive processes that constitute executive function and memory. We postulated that, whereas some components of executive and memory functions would show age differences and longitudinal declines, other specific abilities would be maintained or even improve with repeated testing. In a sample of individuals ≥55 years old from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, we found longitudinal declines in inhibition, manipulation, semantic retrieval, phonological retrieval, switching, and long-term memory over a maximum of 14 years follow-up. In contrast, abstraction, capacity, chunking, discrimination, and short-term memory were maintained or even improved longitudinally, probably due in part to repeated testing. Moreover, whereas several different abilities were correlated across participants' cross-sectional performance, longitudinal changes in performance showed more heterogeneous trajectories. Finally, compared with cross-sectional performance, longitudinal trajectories showed better distinction between participants with and those without later cognitive impairment. These results show that longitudinal cognitive aging of executive and memory functions is not a uniform process but a heterogeneous one and suggest that certain executive and memory functions remain stable despite age-related declines in other component processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

当代海外的朱子学研究及其方法

<正>朱子学自12世纪创建以来,不仅极大地影响了中华民族的思想文化,而且先后风靡韩国、日本,逐渐成为东亚世界的主流思想。虽然朱子学自16世纪末17世纪初传入欧洲后有相当长一段时间未能作为一门独立学说获得长足发展①,在北美更是经历了相当长时间的沉寂期,但最终在当代(尤其是     

视觉刺激探测的警觉性注意特征初探

采用"预警提示-目标探测"范式,对视觉刺激探测的警觉性注意特征进行初步探索。实验一表明,随着预备到目标刺激的时间间隔(interstimulus interval,ISI)变化,固定位置上探测目标刺激的速度也随之变化,并且对大概率刺激的探测更快,表现出了警觉性注意的稳定性和选择性特征。实验二进一步考察了目标刺激在不同ISI和不同空间位置的情况,除发现与实验一相似的结果以外,被试探测目标刺激的速度随注意视角增大而下降,表现出了警觉性注意的集中性特征。     

西方马克思主义与马克思政治哲学的开显

<正>马克思的政治哲学是近几年来中国学术界讨论的热点问题。有关于此的研究目前遇到一个"从何处进入"的难题,即应从什么视角或根据什么范式清理马克思政治哲学的语境并指陈其问题与逻辑,进而开发马克思主义政治哲学更为开阔的理论空间。从已有的学术探索来看,有两种理路值得注     

高血压专业管理的思考和策略

高血压专业管理在不断的循证研究和临床实践中发展,有效的专业管理是预防心脑血管并发症发生、改善高血压转归的迫切需要.最大限度降低总体心血管风险是降压治疗的目标,也是高血压专业管理的方向.     

综合医院如何识别精神疾患——以双心门诊服务为例

本文以双心门诊服务为例,介绍了在综合医院门诊服务中如何融入心理卫生视角,如何发现和诊治精神障碍,同时鉴别和处理患者的心理问题.重点强调了精神科方法的特殊性——既有常规的因果论说明,也要有目的论的理解.只有将患者的临床表现与行为应对放到个性、生存环境的大背景下加以有意义的理解,才能更好地帮助患者追求健康和应对疾病.文章最后,给出了精神科与内科如何进行临床分工合作的实际做法供参考.     

上行比较影响行为表现—不同类型高自尊的作用

已有研究表明,上行比较对高自尊个体产生积极效应。然而鉴于高自尊包括安全性高自尊和防御性高自尊,有必要在上行比较影响不同任务领域内的行为表现这一观点的基础上探讨高自尊的不同类型对上行比较与行为表现之间关系的影响。两个实验均采用高自尊类型、上行比较和任务领域一致性的2×2×2混合因素设计,不同之处在于其分别采用创造性测验和非创造性的语词测验作为不同领域任务。结果表明,防御性高自尊个体没有像安全性高自尊个体那样采取领域转换策略来修复自我关注,由上行比较所引起的领域转换只对安全性高自尊个体产生积极影响。     

基于文化的心理复原力研究

随着对个体心理复原力研究不断深入,文化作为影响个体心理复原力的重要因素日益受到关注,研究者在厘清文化与复原力之间的关系后,尝试以积极心理学的视角,将中国传统文化中"天人合一"、"以人为本"、"自强不息"、"厚德载物"等文化精神引入到个体心理复原力发展的过程中,为个体心理复原力的研究贡献价值。     

Influence of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and catechol O-methyl transferase polymorphisms on effects of meditation on plasma catecholamines and stress

Meditation may show differential effects on stress and plasma catecholamines based on genetic polymorphisms in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and catechol O-methyl transferase (COMT). Eighty adults (40 men, 40 women; mean age 26 years) who practiced meditation regularly and 57 healthy control adults (35 men, 22 women; mean age 26 years) participated. Plasma catecholamines (norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (E), and dopamine (DA)) concentrations were measured, and a modified form of the Stress Response Inventory was administered. The results were analyzed using two-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with control and meditation subjects, gene polymorphism as factors, and meditation duration as the covariate. Two-way ANCOVA showed a significant interaction between control and meditation subjects, and BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on DA/NE+DA/E (p = 0.042) and NE/E+NE/DA (p = 0.046) ratios. A significant interaction was found for control and meditation subjects with COMT Val158Met polymorphism and plasma NE concentrations (p = 0.009). Post hoc ANCOVA in the meditation group, adjusted for meditation duration, showed significantly higher plasma NE concentrations for COMT Met carriers than COMT Val/Val subjects (p = 0.025). Significant differences of stress levels were found between the control and meditation subjects in BDNF Val/Met (p < 0.001) and BDNF Met/Met (p = 0.003), whereas stress levels in the BDNF Val/Val genotype did not differ between the control and meditation groups. This is the first evidence that meditation produces different effects on plasma catecholamines according to BDNF or COMT polymorphisms.