A comparison of mental health literacy,attitudes, and help-seeking intentions among domestic and international tertiary students

Limited research has examined distress or help-seeking knowledge and attitudes among international students. The aim of this study was to examine psychological distress, mental health literacy (MHL), and help-seeking attitudes and intentions among a sample of domestic and international tertiary students. The sample comprised 357 domestic and international tertiary students. Participants completed an online questionnaire package, with measures relating to distress, MHL, help-seeking attitudes, and help-seeking intentions. International student status was predictive of lower scores on MHL, help-seeking attitudes, and help-seeking intentions for suicidal ideation. Student group was not predictive of help-seeking intentions for emotional problems or psychological distress, but international students had lower help-seeking intentions for suicidal ideation. Educational interventions targeting MHL and help-seeking attitudes and intentions among international students may be required to improve help-seeking behaviours.     

Everyday executive function in focal onset pediatric epilepsy on the parent-report BRIEF2

Executive function (EF) difficulties are a core neuropsychological feature of pediatric epilepsy, and parent-report measures of EF concerns are an important complement to task-based EF measures. The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) has shown sensitivity to parent-reported EF concerns in epilepsy and other pediatric populations. We compared profiles of parent-reported EF concerns using the BRIEF and its revision, the BRIEF2, in 117 pediatric patients with focal onset epilepsy to examine the clinical utility of the revised scale. We then compared BRIEF2 profiles between patients and age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Among patients, profiles on the BRIEF did not globally differ from the BRIEF2, and agreement was very good across scales. Patients and controls differed significantly on the BRIEF2, with patients showing higher EF difficulties reported by parents across most scales. High rates of clinical elevation among patients emerged on the Task Monitor, Plan/Organize, Working Memory, and Shift scales. Younger age of epilepsy onset, chronic epilepsy, and right hemisphere seizure focus were associated with higher parent-reported EF concerns. Findings suggest that the BRIEF2 demonstrates similar performance to the BRIEF among pediatric patients with focal onset epilepsy who are most at risk in the areas of task monitoring, working memory, planning and organization, and flexibility. These findings are informative when comparing literature across versions and provide additional insight into the nature of parent-reported EF difficulties among children with focal onset epilepsy.     

Confirmatory factor analysis of the behavior rating inventory of executive function in a neuro-pediatric sample and its application to mental disorders

The construct validity of the 9-scale version of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) parent form was examined in a clinical sample of children and adolescents with neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders (N = 281). Confirmatory factor analysis supported a three-factor model separating the inhibitory behavioral control dimension from the emotional control and metacognitive problem-solving dimensions. The Metacognitive factor was also related to a diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) after controlling for age, gender, IQ, adaptive functioning, and a conventional behavioral rating scale, which included inattention-hyperactivity symptoms. The Emotional Regulation factor was related to a diagnosis of oppositional defiant disorder. Correlational analyses indicated that child comorbid emotional and behavioral problems may exacerbate parental BRIEF reporting. Accordingly, when assessing executive function among children with neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders, the BRIEF should be complemented with assessments of mental health problems.     

Targeting self-regulation and academic functioning among preschoolers with behavior problems: Are there incremental benefits to including cognitive training as part of a classroom curriculum?

The purpose of this study was to examine the additional benefit of an adaptive Cogmed working memory training (CWMT) to a social-emotional/self-regulation classroom curriculum for preschoolers with externalizing behavior problems (EBP). Participants for this study included 49 children (71% boys, M_age = 4.52) with at-risk or clinically elevated levels of EBP. Children participated in an 8-week summer treatment program for Pre-Kindergarteners (STP-PreK), where they were randomly assigned to either adaptive CWMT (n = 24), or nonadaptive CWMT (n = 25). Multiple repeated measures analyses were conducted to examine the impact of adaptive versus nonadaptive CWMT on pre and posttreatment parent-/teacher-reported behavioral functioning, parent-/teacher reported and child task performance of executive functioning, and standardized academic achievement measures. Repeated measures analyses found that children in both groups improved on all measures (d’s = .23-.86). However, there were no significant time X condition effects for parent or teacher-reported behavior, reported or observed executive functioning, or standardized academic measures. These findings suggest that CWMT does not appear to provide any incremental benefits to children’s executive functioning, behavior, or academics when implemented within a comprehensive behavioral modification intervention.     

Cognitive Deficits in the Early Stages of Alzheimer's Disease

ABSTRACT— Evidence from longitudinal, experimental, and neuroimaging studies converge to indicate that psychological functions other than episodic memory are affected very early in the course of Alzheimer's disease and, indeed, may predate or influence the apparent memory deficits. Changes in personality and difficulty in executive function, especially in terms of attentional and inhibitory control, are especially prominent. Deficits in other types of memory (i.e., semantic memory, conditioning) can also be detected in the early stages of the disease. It is time to update existing diagnostic criteria for this form of dementia in terms of current knowledge of multiple and interacting brain systems.     

Temperament, executive functions, and the allocation of attention to punishment feedback in passive avoidance learning

Several theories have been proposed to account for the apparent non-responsiveness to punishment cues or aversive events demonstrated by members of some disinhibited groups. Included among these theories are those that emphasize individual differences in temperament, temperament-related biases associated with the allocation of attentional resources, and impairments in executive functions. This study examined the relative contribution of each of these variables to the prediction of passive avoidance errors (PAEs, or failures to inhibit responding to punishment cues) during a computerized go/no-go task. Variations in temperament, attentional allocation to punishment feedback, and executive functions were found to independently and additively contribute to the prediction of PAEs in a mixed sample of men and women recruited at a university campus (n=145). Results from this study, therefore, support multiple theoretical perspectives on PAEs as assessed by the go/no-go experimental paradigm.     

视觉工作记忆在视觉搜索中的作用

视觉工作记忆在视觉搜索中的作用远比偏向竞争模型所描述的要复杂,个体能根据当前任务要求灵活地利用工作记忆来引导注意选择。在系统回顾已有研究的基础上,从客体工作记忆、空间工作记忆和执行工作记忆3个方面探讨了视觉工作记忆在视觉搜索中的作用。根据近期的研究,文章在最后对视觉工作记忆在视觉搜索中的作用做了7点总结,并对已往研究中存在的若干问题给予了解释,指出未来应该从前瞻记忆和内隐记忆等角度对视觉搜索中所涉及的视觉记忆进行深入研究     

Sequential Memory: A Developmental Perspective on Its Relation to Frontal Lobe Functioning

The multidimensional nature of the frontal lobes serves to organize and coordinate brain functionings playing a central and pervasive role in human cognition. The executive processes implicated in complex cognition such as novel problem solving, modifying behavior as appropriate in response to changes in the environment, inhibiting prepotent or previous responses, and the implementation of schemas that organize behavior over time are believed to be mediated by the frontal regions of the brain. Overall, the functioning of the frontal lobes assists individuals in goal directed and self-regulatory behavior. Additional theories of frontal lobe functioning have focused on its involvement in temporal, or time-related domains. The organizational and strategic nature of frontal lobe functioning affects memory processes by enhancing the organization of to-be-remembered information. Among the specific memory systems presumed to be based on anterior cerebral structures is the temporal organization of memory. An essential component of memory that involves temporal organization is sequential ordering entailing the ability to judge which stimuli were seen most recently and the temporal ordering of events in memory. Focal lesion studies have demonstrated the importance of the frontal lobes on retrieval tasks in which monitoring, verification, and placement of information in temporal and spatial contexts of critical importance. Similarly, frontal lobe damage has been associated with deficits in memory for the temporal ordering, or sequencing, of events. The acquisition of abilities thought to be mediated by the frontal lobes, including sequential memory, unfolds throughout childhood, serving to condition patterns of behavior for the rest of the brain. Development of the frontal regions of the brain is known to continue through late adolescence and into early adulthood, in contrast to the earlier maturation of other cortical regions. The developmental patterns of the frontal lobes are thought to involve a hierarchical, dynamic, and multistage process.     

Clinical Implications and Methodological Challenges in the Study of the Neuropsychological Correlates of Cannabis,Stimulant, and Opioid Abuse

Chronic consumption of several drugs of abuse (cannabis, stimulants, opioids) has been associated with the presence of neuropsychological impairments in a broad range of functions. Nevertheless, in recent years neuropsychological research on substance abuse has focused on the study of impairments in the executive functions linked to the prefrontal cortex and their influence on the personality, cognitions, and behaviors of the substance abusers. The aim of our review is, first, to summarize the main neuropsychological impairments shown by classic studies, as well as these new discoveries in executive functioning; second, to consider the mediating role of neuropsychological status on treatment outcomes and analyze the impact of these impairments in clinical practice with drug addicts; and third, to review the principal methodological challenges associated with research in the field of the neuropsychology of substance abuse. We also highlight the convenience of intervening in those functions most relevant to the abusers' persistence in consumption and risk of relapse.     

Understanding Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder: Focus on Decision Making

Current approaches to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have suggested that neurobiological abnormalities play a crucial role in the etiology and course of this psychiatric illness. In particular, a fronto-subcortical circuit, including the orbitofrontal cortex, basal ganglia and thalamus appears to be involved in the expression of OCD symptoms. Neuropsychological studies have also shown that patients with OCD show deficits in cognitive abilities that are strictly linked to the functioning of the frontal lobe and its related fronto-subcortical structures, such as executive functioning deficits and insufficient cognitive-behavioral flexibility. This article focuses on decision making, an executive ability that plays a crucial role in many real-life situations, whereby individuals choose between pursuing strategies of action that involve only immediate reward and others based on long-term reward. Although the role of decision-making deficits in the evolution of OCD requires further research, the collected findings have significant implications for understanding the clinical and behavioral heterogeneity that characterizes individuals with OCD.