Spatial navigation deficits in amnestic mild cognitive impairment with neuropsychiatric comorbidity

Aims: To find out whether neuropsychiatric comorbidity (comMCI) influences spatial navigation performance in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI).

Methods: We recruited aMCI patients with (n = 21) and without (n = 21) neuropsychiatric comorbidity or alcohol abuse, matched for global cognitive impairment and cognitively healthy elderly participants (HE, n = 22). They completed the Mini-Mental State Examination and a virtual Hidden Goal Task in egocentric, allocentric, and delayed recall subtests.

Results: In allocentric navigation, aMCI and comMCI performed significantly worse than HE and similarly to each other. Although aMCI performed significantly worse at egocentric navigation than HE, they performed significantly better than patients with comMCI.

Conclusions: Despite the growing burden of dementia and the prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in the elderly population, comMCI remains under-studied. Since trials often assess “pure” aMCI, we may underestimate patients’ navigation and other deficits. This finding emphasizes the importance of taking account of the cognitive effects of psychiatric disorders in aMCI.     

Which Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety Matter Most? An Investigation of Subjective Importance Ratings With College Students in India

One goal of clinical psychological science is to help people with problems that matter to them. However, little is known about which kinds of symptoms are viewed as most important, particularly among individuals in non-western settings. We examined the extent to which young adults in India rated individual symptoms of depression and anxiety as important, concerning, and undesirable. Participants were college students at Indian Universities (n = 283). They received a measure of depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and anxiety symptoms (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener-7). For each of the 16 symptoms, they provided three judgments relating to the extent to which they found the symptom important, harmful, and undesirable. These judgments were averaged to form a “subjective importance rating” (SIR) for each symptom. Anxiety symptoms were viewed as more important than depressive symptoms (d = 0.34), and nonsomatic symptoms were viewed as more important than somatic symptoms (d = 0.83). Females rated symptoms as more important than males (d = 0.32), and individuals with higher self-reported symptoms rated symptoms as more important. Sad mood, suicidal ideation, and controlling worries were rated as the most important symptoms, whereas concentration problems, appetite problems, and psychomotor problems were rated as the least important. Overall, some symptoms are viewed as more important and concerning than others. We discuss how this understanding can affect our conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of mental disorders around the world.     

Compensatory behaviour of visually impaired cyclists in everyday settings

This study investigated whether visually impaired cyclists, compared to cyclists without visual limitations, take other, potentially safer routes to destinations in their own living environment and whether they ride at a lower speed. In total, 19 matched pairs of a visually impaired cyclist and a normally sighted peer from the same neighbourhood recorded their everyday bicycle rides, using GPS action cameras. In addition, they completed an ‘assigned ride’, a ride for which only a starting and an ending point were provided by the researcher. A risk-assessment procedure showed that the route taken by visually impaired cyclists during this assigned ride was not less risky than the route taken by the normally sighted cyclists. Analysis of the everyday rides showed that, on average, cyclists with a visual impairment more frequently (i.e. for longer periods) cycled at a speed below 10 km/h compared to cyclists without visual impairment. Also, the visually impaired participants’ cruising speed was 1.4 km/h lower than that of their normally sighted counterparts. In conclusion, no evidence was found that visually impaired cyclists compensate strategically by taking different, potentially safer routes than normally sighted cyclists when riding in their own environment. They may (unconsciously) compensate tactically for their visual function limitations by riding at a lower speed when necessary. Mobility trainers in vision rehabilitation as well as road designers could apply these findings to optimise the cycling mobility of visually impaired people.     

Applicability and attachment findings of the Strange Situation Paradigm in infants with visual impairment

Attachment studies with diverse populations enrich the understanding of infants’ socioemotional development by documenting both universal and idiosyncratic aspects of attachment. Given the effects of attachment in children's socioemotional outcomes, such studies are necessary to investigate the impact of children's sensory impairments on attachment development. Yet, very little attachment research has focused on infants with visual impairment (VI infants), a population in which infant–caregiver emotional exchanges through visual means are reduced/absent. We investigated the applicability of the Strange Situation Paradigm (SSP), with added instructions to compensate for degraded visual input, in 20 VI infants (with no additional disabilities and who were receiving developmental counseling). In all but 1 of the SSPs coded, VI infants displayed observable attachment behavior that was classifiable. Nineteen VI infants showed attachment by 12 months of age. Across the ages tested (fractional age range = 0.9–2.33 months), most VI infants’ attachment patterns were classified as secure and organized.     

Enduring cognitive dysfunction in unipolar major depression: A test–retest study using the Stroop paradigm

Hammar, Å., Sørensen, L., Årdal, G., Oedegaard, K.J., Kroken, R., Roness, A. & Lund, A. (2009). Enduring cognitive dysfunction in unipolar major depression: A test–retest study using the Stroop‐paradigm. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. The aim of the study was to investigate automatic and effortful information processing with the Stroop paradigm in a long term perspective in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Patients were tested at two test occasions: at inclusion with a Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) score >18, and after 6 months, when most patients had experienced symptom reduction. The Stroop paradigm is considered to measure aspects of attention and executive functioning and consists of three conditions/cards: naming the color of the patches (Color), reading of the color‐words (Word) and naming the ink color of color‐words (Color‐Word). The Color‐Word condition is proved to be the most cognitive demanding task and requires the proband to actively suppress interference and is therefore considered to require more effortful information processing, whereas naming the color of the patches and reading the color‐words are expected to be more automatic and less cognitive demanding. A homogenous group of 19 patients with unipolar recurrent MDD according to DSM‐IV and a HDRS score of >18 were included in the study. A control group was individually matched for age, gender and level of education. Depressed patients performed equal to the control group on the Color and Word cards at both test occasions. However, the patients were impaired compared with the control group on the Color‐Word card task at both test occasions. Thus, the depressed patients showed no improvement of effortful attention/executive performance as a function of symptom reduction. The results indicate that the depressed patients showed impaired cognitive performance on cognitive demanding tasks when symptomatic and that this impairment prevailed after 6 months, despite significant improvement in their depressive symptoms.     

Characterization of visual scanning while driving for the identification of drivers’ profiles

Assessing the driving skills of people with cognitive or visual impairments is often complex. The analysis of visual exploration strategies can be a good solution to identify the implementation or not of good strategies of information search in the visual scene (adaptation and compensation). In this study, we compared the visual exploration behaviours of 26 healthy, 19 glaucoma and 21 elderly participants. For this purpose, we used a driving simulator for which a visual field measurement test had been adapted to obtain measurements in static and dynamic conditions. The dynamics of the gaze was also measured. Our results showed that each of the three groups of participants had specific characteristics of visual exploration. Using a classification algorithm, we were able to show that it was possible to identify the group which a participant belonged to on the basis of the visual exploration’s characteristics. This finding opens the door to many applications in the context of driving assistance and training.     

The clinical utility of the auditory P300 latency subcomponent event-related potential in preclinical diagnosis of patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease

The present meta-analysis investigated the clinical utility of the auditory P300 latency event-related potential in differentiating patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and unaffected controls. Effect size estimates were computed from mean P300 latency measurements at midline electrodes between patients and unaffected controls using the random effects restricted maximum likelihood model. The effects of clinical and ERP/EEG methological variables were assessed in a moderator analysis. P300 latency was found to be significantly prolonged in patients with AD (and MCI) compared to unaffected controls. Shortened P300 latencies were observed when comparing patients with MCI to patients with AD. Clinically relevant differences in P300 latency effect sizes were associated with mean age, interstimulus interval, stimulus difference, target frequency, reference electrode, and sampling rate. The meta-analytic findings provide robust statistical evidence for the use of the auditory P300 latency subcomponent as a biological marker of prodromal AD.     

The impact of cognitive interventions on cognitive symptoms in idiopathic Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review

This systematic review addressed efficacy of cognitive stimulation (CS), cognitive training (CT), and cognitive rehabilitation (CR) to improve cognitive functions in Parkinson’s disease (PD) with (PD-MCI) and without mild cognitive impairment (PD-H). Five databases were searched. Twelve CT, four CS, and a combination of CT with CR were found. PD-H benefited from CT or CS compared to active or passive controls in 42.1% of cognitive tests, and in 33.3% of psychological and functional measures. PD-MCI alone, compared with controls, only improved in 6.9% of cognitive measures after CT. PD-H and PD-MCI, alone or together, somehow improved information processing speed, attention, working memory, executive functions, and visual episodic memory. PD-MCI improved better than PD-H in global cognition and planning abilities. The outcomes suggest some efficacy of cognitive interventions in PD. However, small samples, lack of information regarding standardization of interventions, and poor methodological quality limit results validity and prevent firm conclusions.     

On My Terms: Sharing a Story of Hypocrisy and Transformation

The 4th interviewee for the Hearing Our Elders series is Mr. Bob Zellner. Mr. Zellner's experience growing up in the segregated South underscores a commitment to stand up to obstacles and societal norms, even when to do so was life threatening. His experiences remind us of a historical time not too long ago that, to hear, one might think could never happen. And yet, witnessing his experience in the context of modern‐day struggles portrayed in the civil rights movement; the 2016 Tennessee denial of service law for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals; and the 2016 Orlando shooting outside a gay nightclub reminds us that the historical events of Mr. Zellner's past are not too distant from the present. The interview captures 6 themes: being nonconforming in the face of punitive measures, living a purposeful life, pushing beyond comfort zones, early experiences as resilience building, self‐evaluation as a cornerstone for commitment, and giving meaning to grief. El señor Zellner creció en una comunidad segregada del sur, y su experiencia subraya su compromiso para enfrentar obstáculos y normas sociales, aunque hacerlo pueda poner en riesgo la vida. Sus vivencias nos recuerdan un periodo histórico no muy lejano que hoy podría parecer inconcebible. Y aun así, contemplar sus experiencias en el contexto de las luchas actuales del movimiento por los derechos civiles (como la ley de 2016 en Tennessee que permitía denegar servicios a personas lesbianas, gais, bisexuales, transexuales y queer; y el tiroteo de 2016 en Orlando en un club gay) nos recuerda que los eventos históricos del pasado del señor Zellner no están tan alejados del presente. La entrevista captura 6 temas: el inconformismo frente a medidas punitivas, vivir la vida con decisión, salir de las zonas de confort, experiencias tempranas como factores de resiliencia, la autoevaluación como cimiento del compromiso, y darle sentido al sufrimiento.