Block Design Task Research Articles

Physical Activity and Cognitive Function in Middle and Late Adulthood ‒ Results of a Preliminary Study

Objective: The aim of the study was to characterise the physical activity (PA) of middle-aged and older adults and to determine whether the amount of PA was related to their level of cognitive function. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 52 women and 30 men aged 50‒80 years. Subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Adults Revised Version ‒ Renormalisation WAIS-R(PL) were used to assess cognitive function: Digit span, Block design and Digit symbol, as well as the Colour Trails Test (CTT) and the Link's cube task. Physical activity was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Long Version (IPAQ-LF) and a pedometer worn by the volunteers for one week. Associations between cognitive function and PA were estimated using non-parametric correlations. In addition, cognitive function and PA were compared in healthy participants, participants with one chronic condition, and participants with two or more conditions. Results: Walking, as measured by a pedometer, was at an average level in the study participants, and PA, as reported on the IPAQ-LF questionnaire, was very high. There were few associations between PA and cognitive performance. Moderate and vigorous levels of PA reported on the IPAQ-LF were correlated with more accurate performance on the Block design and Link's cube tasks. Higher levels of leisure time PA reported on the IPAQ-LF were correlated with better performance on the CTT. More PA at work was correlated with higher performance on most tasks. Activity measured by number of steps did not correlate with cognitive function. More steps correlated with less time spent inactive on the IPAQ-LF. In addition, healthier participants performed better on cognitive tasks and took more steps than those with chronic conditions. Conclusion: The research has contributed to the understanding of the relationship between real-life PA and cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults, and has provided important insights into PA in these individuals.

Mindfulness meditation styles differently modulate source-level MEG microstate dynamics and complexity.

The investigation of mindfulness meditation practice, classically divided into focused attention meditation (FAM), and open monitoring meditation (OMM) styles, has seen a long tradition of theoretical, affective, neurophysiological and clinical studies. In particular, the high temporal resolution of magnetoencephalography (MEG) or electroencephalography (EEG) has been exploited to fill the gap between the personal experience of meditation practice and its neural correlates. Mounting evidence, in fact, shows that human brain activity is highly dynamic, transiting between different brain states (microstates). In this study, we aimed at exploring MEG microstates at source-level during FAM, OMM and in the resting state, as well as the complexity and criticality of dynamic transitions between microstates. Ten right-handed Theravada Buddhist monks with a meditative expertise of minimum 2,265 h participated in the experiment. MEG data were acquired during a randomized block design task (6 min FAM, 6 min OMM, with each meditative block preceded and followed by 3 min resting state). Source reconstruction was performed using eLORETA on individual cortical space, and then parcellated according to the Human Connect Project atlas. Microstate analysis was then applied to parcel level signals in order to derive microstate topographies and indices. In addition, from microstate sequences, the Hurst exponent and the Lempel-Ziv complexity (LZC) were computed. Our results show that the coverage and occurrence of specific microstates are modulated either by being in a meditative state or by performing a specific meditation style. Hurst exponent values in both meditation conditions are reduced with respect to the value observed during rest, LZC shows significant differences between OMM, FAM, and REST, with a progressive increase from REST to FAM to OMM. Importantly, we report changes in brain criticality indices during meditation and between meditation styles, in line with a state-like effect of meditation on cognitive performance. In line with previous reports, we suggest that the change in cognitive state experienced in meditation is paralleled by a shift with respect to critical points in brain dynamics.

Left-Hemisphere Cortical Language Regions Respond Equally to Observed Dialogue and Monologue.

Much of the language we encounter in our everyday lives comes in the form of conversation, yet the majority of research on the neural basis of language comprehension has used input from only one speaker at a time. Twenty adults were scanned while passively observing audiovisual conversations using functional magnetic resonance imaging. In a block-design task, participants watched 20 s videos of puppets speaking either to another puppet (the dialogue condition) or directly to the viewer (the monologue condition), while the audio was either comprehensible (played forward) or incomprehensible (played backward). Individually functionally localized left-hemisphere language regions responded more to comprehensible than incomprehensible speech but did not respond differently to dialogue than monologue. In a second task, participants watched videos (1-3 min each) of two puppets conversing with each other, in which one puppet was comprehensible while the other's speech was reversed. All participants saw the same visual input but were randomly assigned which character's speech was comprehensible. In left-hemisphere cortical language regions, the time course of activity was correlated only among participants who heard the same character speaking comprehensibly, despite identical visual input across all participants. For comparison, some individually localized theory of mind regions and right-hemisphere homologues of language regions responded more to dialogue than monologue in the first task, and in the second task, activity in some regions was correlated across all participants regardless of which character was speaking comprehensibly. Together, these results suggest that canonical left-hemisphere cortical language regions are not sensitive to differences between observed dialogue and monologue.

A profile of spatial abilities in people with Down syndrome.

Spatial abilities are fundamental cognitive abilities, have direct applications in daily life, serve as a cognitive foundation for many other complex skills and are used in many specialty jobs. The current study aimed to systematically and comprehensively evaluate the spatial abilities of individuals with Down syndrome (DS) relative to mental ability-matched typically developing (TD) children based on Newcombe and Shipley's double-dimension theoretical framework for classifying spatial abilities. Forty adolescents and young adults with DS and 40 TD children completed a nonverbal intelligence test (Raven's), two measures of static-extrinsic skills (water-level task and cart task), two measures of static-intrinsic skills (figure ground and form completion), two measures of dynamic-extrinsic skills (three mountains task and dog task) and two measures of dynamic-intrinsic spatial skills (mental rotation task and block design task). Participants with DS showed reduced performance on two dynamic-intrinsic tasks and one static-extrinsic task (i.e. cart task) relative to TD children. Performances were similar in two dynamic-extrinsic tasks and two static-intrinsic tasks. Analyses of composite accuracy for each spatial category further confirmed deficits in dynamic-intrinsic and static-extrinsic categories for people with DS relative to TD children. Our results showed an uneven profile of spatial abilities in people with DS relative to ability-matched TD children with particular weaknesses in comprehending and manipulating dynamic-intrinsic and static-extrinsic spatial relations. Furthermore, our research has important clinical implications for more targeted interventions to improve spatial abilities in people with DS.

Activity increases in empathy-related brain regions when children contribute to peers’ sadness and happiness

Responding empathically when causing peers’ emotions is critical to children’s interpersonal functioning, yet there are surprising gaps in the literature. Previous research has focused on empathy when witnessing others’ emotions instead of causing others’ emotions, on negative emotions instead of positive emotions, and on behavioral correlates instead of neural correlates. In this study, children (N = 38; Mage = 9.28 years; 50% female) completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging block design task in which they played a rigged game where they won and lost coins for themselves or peers and viewed their peers’ happiness and sadness. We used a region of interest approach to test whether activity in brain regions associated with positive and negative empathy in adults showed significantly greater activity in each condition (i.e., when children won and lost tokens for themselves and peers) compared with a fixation baseline. We predicted that experiencing self-conscious emotions, such as pride and guilt, would heighten the experience of empathy. Activity in the amygdala, which is associated with visceral arousal, and in the anterior insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, which are associated with integrated arousal, increased significantly when winning and losing for oneself and peers and observing their resulting happy and sad facial expressions. Activity did not differ when playing for oneself versus peers, indicating that self-conscious emotions do not heighten empathy and instead support similar neural processes underlying firsthand and secondhand (empathic) emotions. These findings support that empathy during middle childhood involves the same brain regions as empathy during adulthood and that children experience firsthand and secondhand positive and negative emotions in similar ways.

Neural correlates of distorted body images in adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa: How is it different from major depressive disorder?

Body image disturbance is closely linked to eating disorders including anorexia nervosa (AN). Distorted body image perception, dissatisfaction and preoccupation with weight and shape are often key factors in the development and maintenance of these disorders. Although the pathophysiological mechanism of body image disorder is not yet fully understood, aberrant biological processes may interfere with perceptive, cognitive and emotional aspects of body image. This study focuses on the neurobiological aspects of body image disturbance. The sample consisted of 12 adolescent girls diagnosed with AN, nine girls with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 10 without psychiatric diagnoses (HC, the healthy control group). We applied a block-design task in functional magnetic resonance imaging using participants' original and distorted overweight and underweight images. After imaging, the participants scored the images for resemblance, satisfaction and anxiety levels. The findings of this study demonstrate that overweight images elicited dissatisfaction and increased occipitotemporal activations across all participants. However, no difference was found between the groups. Furthermore, the MDD and HC groups showed increased activations in the prefrontal cortex and insula in response to underweight images compared to their original counterparts, whereas the AN group exhibited increased activations in the parietal cortex, cingulate gyrus and parahippocampal cortex in response to the same stimuli.

Modeling Strategies as Programs: How to Study Strategy Differences in Intelligent Systems with Program Synthesis

When faced with novel tasks, humans have the ability to form successful strategies, seemingly without much effort. Artificial systems, on the other, hand cannot, at least when the flexibility at which humans perform is considered. For my dissertation, I am using program synthesis as a tool to study the factors that affect strategy choices in intelligent systems. I am evaluating my work through agents that reason through problems from the Abstract Reasoning Corpus and The Block Design Task.

Block Design Performance in Williams Syndrome: Visuospatial Abilities or Task Approach Skills?

The block design task (BDT) is a visuospatial measure that individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) perform poorly on. However, it is unclear what underlies their impaired performance. This study investigated whether poorer performance is a result of visuospatial difficulties, executive function (EF) difficulties, atypical looking strategies, or a combination of these. Eleven individuals with WS participated alongside mental age (MA)- and chronological age (CA)-matched control groups. Eye movements were recorded while they took the BDT. Dwell times and visits to areas of interest in WS differed from CA, but not MA, groups. Findings suggest that BDT abilities of individuals with WS are delayed, but not atypical. Delays result from visuospatial and attention-switching difficulties rather than atypical looking strategies.

Cognitive Impairment and the correlation with genetic Expression of GAD67, Gad65 and GABA beta2 Using Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

IntroductionAlteration of GABergic neurotransmission is accused to be sharing in the cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Exploring the relation between the neuronal expression of GABergic genes and cognitive impairment in living patients through modeling of schizophrenia is an important step to know more about the core of the pathophysiology of this disorderObjectivesAltered genetic expression of GAD 67 may have an important role in the pathophysiology of cognitive impairment in schizophreniaMethods. Reprogramming of human fibroblasts into human induced pluripotent stem cells (hIPSc) then neuronal differentiation was performed in 20 patients presenting with schizophrenia and 20 matched controls. Real time Polymerase chain reaction was done for measurement of genetic expression of GAD 65, GAD 67 and GABA beta 2. The Digit Symbol task, block design, block design task and similarities tasks from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale., Trail A and Trail B making tests in addition to Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCF) were applied to measure cognitive functions .ResultsThere were lower means of GAD65, GAD67 and GABA beta2genetic expression in the patients group with significant statistical difference between the 2 groups. The down regulation of GAD 67 in patients presenting with schizophrenia is positively correlated with impairment in executive functions.ConclusionsGAD 67 gene expression had the most significant correlations with the cognitive assessment in both patients and controls. The presence of those statistically significant correlations in both groups points to the possible role of GAD 67 gene functioning in the pathophysiology of cognitive impairment in schizophreniaDisclosureNo significant relationships.

Investigation of functional near-infrared spectroscopy signal quality and development of the hemodynamic phase correlation signal.

.Significance: There is a longstanding recommendation within the field of fNIRS to use oxygenated () and deoxygenated (HHb) hemoglobin when analyzing and interpreting results. Despite this, many fNIRS studies do focus on only. Previous work has shown that on its own is susceptible to systemic interference and results may mostly reflect that rather than functional activation. Studies using both and HHb to draw their conclusions do so with varying methods and can lead to discrepancies between studies. The combination of and HHb has been recommended as a method to utilize both signals in analysis.Aim: We present the development of the hemodynamic phase correlation (HPC) signal to combine and HHb as recommended to utilize both signals in the analysis. We use synthetic and experimental data to evaluate how the HPC and current signals used for fNIRS analysis compare.Approach: About 18 synthetic datasets were formed using resting-state fNIRS data acquired from 16 channels over the frontal lobe. To simulate fNIRS data for a block-design task, we superimposed a synthetic task-related hemodynamic response to the resting state data. This data was used to develop an HPC-general linear model (GLM) framework. Experiments were conducted to investigate the performance of each signal at different SNR and to investigate the effect of false positives on the data. Performance was based on each signal’s mean -value across channels. Experimental data recorded from 128 participants across 134 channels during a finger-tapping task were used to investigate the performance of multiple signals [, HHb, HbT, HbD, correlation-based signal improvement (CBSI), and HPC] on real data. Signal performance was evaluated on its ability to localize activation to a specific region of interest.Results: Results from varying the SNR show that the HPC signal has the highest performance for high SNRs. The CBSI performed the best for medium-low SNR. The next analysis evaluated how false positives affect the signals. The analyses evaluating the effect of false positives showed that the HPC and CBSI signals reflect the effect of false positives on and HHb. The analysis of real experimental data revealed that the HPC and HHb signals provide localization to the primary motor cortex with the highest accuracy.Conclusions: We developed a new hemodynamic signal (HPC) with the potential to overcome the current limitations of using and HHb separately. Our results suggest that the HPC signal provides comparable accuracy to HHb to localize functional activation while at the same time being more robust against false positives.

Melanocortin-4 receptor agonism modulates sexual brain processing in women with low sexual desire

ABSTRACT Introduction Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is characterized by a persistent lack of sexual desire and sexual fantasies, causing marked interpersonal distress1. It is the most common global female sexual health problem, affecting up to 1 in 10 women2,3. Despite its significant social and economic burden4,5, the exact pathophysiology of this condition remains unknown. Furthermore, existing treatment options are limited by their efficacy and side effects6. Melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) agonists are a promising therapeutic avenue, although their exact mechanism of action within the CNS remains unknown. Investigating the neural pathways through which MC4Ra's exert their effect will deepen our knowledge of normal and abnormal sexual behaviour, and hence provide information which could contribute to the development of novel treatment strategies. Objective To determine the mechanism by which MC4R agonists mediate their effects on sexual behaviour in women with HSDD. Methods We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study in 31 premenopausal women with HSDD. A combination of psychometric, functional neuroimaging and hormonal analyses was used to investigate the effect of MC4R agonism versus placebo on sexual brain processing. A standard fMRI block design task with short (20 second) erotic videos was used to examine brain activation. Additionally, a ‘naturalistic’ fMRI paradigm was used with long (ten minute) erotic videos to examine functional brain connectivity. Results MC4R agonism increased self-reported sexual desire for up to 24-hours following administration, when compared with placebo (P=0.007). The mechanism of action behind this effect may be explained by the changes in brain activation and connectivity, in response to visual erotic stimuli. In the short video task, MC4R agonism led to increased activation of the supplementary motor area and cerebellum, alongside deactivation of the secondary somatosensory cortex, when compared with placebo (Z=2.3, P<0.05). In the long video task, a reduction of functional connectivity between the amygdala and insula in response to erotic stimuli was prevented by MC4R agonism (F (1,30) = 5.553, P=0.025). Regarding hormonal analyses, MC4R agonism led to a small mean increase in LH of 1.1iU/L (F [1,58] = 13.38, P=0.0005) and FSH of 0.35iU/L (F [1,60] = 10.97, P=0.0016) during the study, with no effect on estradiol or progesterone levels. Conclusions This is the first study investigating the effect of MC4R agonism on sexual brain processing in women with HSDD. These results shed light on the neural substrates through which MC4R agonism increases sexual desire. The observed changes in brain activation may serve to ease self-consciousness, enhance sexual imagery and disinhibit the sexual response in women with HSDD. This is in line with the “top-down” neurofunctional model of HSDD whereby inspecting and monitoring one's sexual response interferes with desire7. This information is important for the ongoing development of therapies for HSDD, as well as MC4R agonist development more widely, such as in obesity medicine where there their use is being rapidly developed. Disclosure Work supported by industry: yes, by AMAG Pharmaceuticals Inc.

A Preliminary Study of the Efficacy of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Trigeminal Neuralgia.

The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in patients with treatment-refractory trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and examine the utility of neuroimaging methods in identifying markers of such efficacy. Six patients with classical TN refractory to maximal medical treatment, underwent tDCS (three cases inhibitory/cathodic and three cases excitatory/anodic stimulation). All patients underwent pre- and posttreatment functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during block-design tasks (i.e., Pain, Pain + tDCS, tDCS) as well as single-shell diffusion MRI (dMRI) acquisition. The precise locations of tDCS electrodes were identified by neuronavigation. Five therapeutic tDCS sessions were carried out for each patient with either anodic or cathodic applications. The Numeric Rating Scale of pain (NRS) and the Headache Disability Index (HDI) were used to score the subjective efficacy of treatment. Altered activity of regional sites was identified by fMRI and associated changes in the spinothalamocortical sensory tract (STCT) were measured by the dMRI indices of fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD). Fiber counts of the bilateral trigeminal root entry zone (REZ) were performed as an added measure of fiber loss or recovery. All patients experienced a significant reduction in pain scores with a substantial decline in HDI (P value < 0.01). Following a course of anodic tDCS, the ipsilateral caudate, globus pallidus, somatosensory cortex, and the contralateral globus pallidus showed a significantly attenuated activation whereas cathodic tDCS treatment resulted in attenuation of the thalamus and globus pallidus bilaterally, and the somatosensory cortex and anterior cingulate gyrus contralaterally. dMRI analysis identified a substantial increase (>50%) in the number of contralateral sensory fibers in the STCT with either anodic or cathodic tDCS treatment in four of the six patients. A significant reduction in FA (>40%) was observed in the ipsilateral REZ in the posttreatment phase in five of the six patients. Preliminary evidence suggests that navigated tDCS presents a promising method for alleviating the pain of TN. Different patterns of activation manifested by anodic and cathodic stimulation require further elaboration to understand their implication. Activation and attenuation of responses at various sites may provide further avenues for condition treatment.

The missing piece in block design tasks: Resolving performance differences elicited by designs with identical stimulus parameters.

Block design stimulus variables (perceptual cohesiveness, response uncertainty, partial components) have been previously shown to impact test performance. However, relevant studies suggest designs that "look" different should elicit similar performance, where these stimulus parameters are identical. The current study sought to explore other, previously unidentified parameters. To control for known parameters, designs with no perceptual cohesiveness and maximum uncertainty were presented-rotated in increments of 90° and with block edges either cued or uncued-to 65 university undergraduates. Even with cohesiveness and uncertainty constant, performance differences between designs that "look" different were elicited. Post hoc, we hypothesized two possible contributory parameters and coded the designs accordingly. Regression analysis suggested redundancy of adjacent blocks (i.e., coherent regions within the design) appeared to reduce the actual uncertainty of some designs. On the other hand, local and global symmetry, as defined by Palmer (1991, The Perception of Structure, pp. 23-39, The American Psychological Association), did not seem to predict block design performance above and beyond the effects of coherent regions. The advantages of a more complete understanding of stimulus contributions to test performance are discussed.

Cerebral Representation of Sound Localization Using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy.

Sound localization is an essential part of auditory processing. However, the cortical representation of identifying the direction of sound sources presented in the sound field using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is currently unknown. Therefore, in this study, we used fNIRS to investigate the cerebral representation of different sound sources. Twenty-five normal-hearing subjects (aged 26 ± 2.7, male 11, female 14) were included and actively took part in a block design task. The test setup for sound localization was composed of a seven-speaker array spanning a horizontal arc of 180° in front of the participants. Pink noise bursts with two intensity levels (48 dB/58 dB) were randomly applied via five loudspeakers (–90°/–30°/–0°/+30°/+90°). Sound localization task performances were collected, and simultaneous signals from auditory processing cortical fields were recorded for analysis by using a support vector machine (SVM). The results showed a classification accuracy of 73.60, 75.60, and 77.40% on average at –90°/0°, 0°/+90°, and –90°/+90° with high intensity, and 70.60, 73.6, and 78.6% with low intensity. The increase of oxyhemoglobin was observed in the bilateral non-primary auditory cortex (AC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). In conclusion, the oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb) response showed different neural activity patterns between the lateral and front sources in the AC and dlPFC. Our results may serve as a basic contribution for further research on the use of fNIRS in spatial auditory studies.

Amyloid and tau deposition influences cognitive decline in Down syndrome

AbstractBackgroundAmyloid‐β accumulation in the brain has been associated with decline in cognitive functioning in adults with Down Syndrome (DS). Despite the significant relationship between in vivo Amyloid‐β and tau pathology, no studies have assessed whether tau potentiates the relationship between amyloid‐β and cognitive decline in DS. Here we investigate whether (i) tau has an independent effect on changes in cognition; (ii) tau has a synergistic relationship with amyloid in the exacerbation of cognitive decline.MethodA baseline cohort of 105 participants with DS underwent PET AV‐1451 and PiB scans to quantify tau and Amyloid‐β deposition. Neuropsychological assessment of participants included a test for episodic memory (Cued Recall), visuospatial ability (WISC‐IV Block Design and Haxby Extension) and global cognition (DSMSE). Cognition was re‐assessed at 16 (n = 105) and 32 months (n=26) after baseline. Amyloid‐β burden was quantified categorically as PiB+/‐ where PiB+ status was defined as PiB standard uptake value ratio (SUVR) above a defined threshold. Braak regions (2‐6) and the Striatum were used for generating the SUVR for AV‐1451. Linear Mixed Effects models were implemented to assess the independent effects of tau and PiB status on change in cognition. Additional models tested the 3‐way interactions between tau, PiB status and time for each ROI. P‐values were adjusted via the FDR method.ResultFor the memory outcome, the interactions between time and tau (with PiB status – time interactions also included in the model) were significant for all ROIs, except the Striatum, while Braak regions 3 to 5 were significantly associated with change in DSMSE scores. All ROIs’ tau showed a significant interaction with time for the Block Design task. The three‐way interaction between time, PiB status and striatal tau was significant in the models of memory change. Braak 5 and tau showed a significant interaction with time and PiB status for the visuospatial ability outcome (Fig 1‐4).ConclusionThere was evidence for a significant independent effect of baseline tau on cognitive change, over and above the effect of amyloid status. We also found evidence for a synergistic relationship between PiB status and tau as predictors of change in memory and visuospatial ability.

Direct effects of visual skills and working memory on Chinese character reading in young children

AbstractThe present study aimed to examine how visual skills, verbal working memory, visuospatial working memory, and other general cognitive skills (inhibitory control, attention, and decision speed) were simultaneously correlated with the early acquisition of reading among kindergarten children. A total of 99 Chinese children were tested individually on the Chinese character recognition task, the block design task, the digit span task, the visuospatial sketchpad task, the continuous performance task (CPT), the flanker task, and the choice reaction time task. The results showed that visual skills and working memory accounted for 15% of the unique variance in character reading, whereas other general cognitive skills, including decision speed, inhibitory control and attention, did not significantly explain the variance in character reading when visual skills and working memory were considered. Specifically, verbal working memory, rather than visuospatial working memory, explained the unique variance in children's learning of character reading. These findings highlighted that visual skills and verbal working memory were among the most important precursors of reading in children at the beginning stage of learning Chinese characters.

Prefrontal dysfunction associated with a history of suicide attempts among patients with recent onset schizophrenia

Suicide is a major cause of death in patients with schizophrenia, particularly among those with recent disease onset. Although brain imaging studies have identified the neuroanatomical correlates of suicidal behavior, functional brain activity correlates particularly in patients with recent-onset schizophrenia (ROSZ) remain unknown. Using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) recording with a high-density coverage of the prefrontal area, we investigated whether prefrontal activity is altered in patients with ROSZ having a history of suicide attempts. A 52-channel NIRS system was used to examine hemodynamic changes in patients with ROSZ that had a history of suicide attempts (n = 24) or that lacked such a history (n = 62), and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 119), during a block-design letter fluency task (LFT). Patients with a history of suicide attempts exhibited decreased activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex compared with those without such a history. Our findings indicate that specific regions of the prefrontal cortex may be associated with suicidal attempts, which may have implications for early intervention for psychosis.

Collaborative block design task for assessing pair performance in virtual reality and reality

Collaborative problem solving is more important than ever as the problems we try to solve become increasingly complex. Meanwhile, personal and professional communication has moved from face-to-face to computer-mediated environments, but there is little understanding on how the characteristics of these environments affect the quality of interaction and joint problem solving. To develop this understanding, methods are needed for measuring success of collaboration. For this purpose, we created a collaborative block design task intended to evaluate and quantify pair performance. In this task, participants need to share information to complete visuospatial puzzles. Two versions of the task are described: a physical version and one that can be completed in virtual reality. A preliminary study was conducted with the physical version (N = 18 pairs) and the results were used to develop the task for a second study in virtual reality (N = 31 pairs). Performance measures were developed for the task, and we found that pair performance was normally distributed and positively associated with visuospatial skills, but not with other participant-specific background factors. The task specifications are released for the research community to apply and adapt in the study of computer-mediated social interaction.

Mitigating behavioral assimilation to age stereotypes: A preliminary analogue investigation of a contextual behavioral science approach

Behavioral assimilation to age stereotypes (BAAS) is referred to as the behavioral phenomenon of impaired task performance among older adults that is consistent with negative aging-related stereotypes. This laboratory study evaluated the inoculating effect of a contextual behavioral science (CBS)-informed intervention on a cognitive performance task (i.e., Block Design) among Japanese older adults who were primed with a negative aging-related stereotype. Fifty-nine older adult participants were randomly assigned to either the CBS-informed intervention group (n = 30) or attention-placebo control group (n = 29). The CBS-informed intervention group completed a self-as-observer exercise and rapid word repetition defusion task, whereas the attention-placebo control group received general conversation with the experimenter. The CBS-informed group showed significantly greater scores on the Block Design task than the attention-placebo control group. Fusion with a conceptualized self did not moderate the intervention effect. Limitations and implications of results are discussed.

A multimodal MR-compatible olfactometer with real-time controlling capability

Design of an MR-compatible and computer-controlled odour stimuli system is essential in the studies of human olfactory function. Olfactometers are used to deliver odours to the subjects in an objective manner. We present a portable, computer-controlled eight channels olfactometer able to stimulate olfaction by employing liquid odorant stimuli. We used a high-pressure pump to generate medical grade airflow. After passing through solenoid valve-controlled odour reservoirs, odorant stimulus is conveyed to the nasal mask. The odour delivery delay of the device was measured using photo-ionisation detectors. To assess the application of the designed olfactometer, an fMRI experiment was done with 9 healthy subjects. Two odour stimuli (Vanillin and Rose) were presented to each subject in an alternating block design task of odour and non-odour conditions. The response time of each subject was gathered using the response box. Group analysis revealed a significant BOLD signal change in some regions of olfactory and trigeminal networks including the orbitofrontal cortex, insula, inferior frontal gyrus, hippocampus, cingulate gyrus and piriform cortex. The odour delivery delay measured by photo-ionisation detector was 190 ms, and the subjects’ response showed 205 ms for the Vanillin and 243 ms for the Rose odour stimuli. Our portable MR-compatible olfactometer as a stimulation device is capable of creating adequate stimulation suitable for olfactory fMRI experiments.