Human Cognitive Functions Research Articles

A review of methods for assessment of cognitive function in high-altitude hypoxic environments.

Hypoxic environments like those present at high altitudes may negatively affect brain function. Varying levels of hypoxia, whether acute or chronic, are previously shown to impair cognitive function in humans. Assessment and prevention of such cognitive impairment require detection of cognitive changes and impairment using specific cognitive function assessment tools. This paper summarizes the findings of previous research, outlines the methods for cognitive function assessment used at a high altitude, elaborates the need to develop standardized and systematic cognitive function assessment tools for high-altitude hypoxia environments.

A Review of Auditory Attention: Neural Mechanisms, Theories, and Affective Disorders.

Attention is a fundamental aspect of human cognitive function and is crucial for essential activities such as learning, social interaction, and routine tasks. Notably, Auditory attention involves complex interactions and collaboration among multiple brain networks. Recognizing the impairment of auditory attention, comprehending its underlying mechanisms, and identifying the activated brain regions essential for the development of treatments and interventions for individuals facing auditory attention deficits, emphasizes the significance of investigating these matters. In the current study, we conducted a review by searching for the full text of 53 articles published related to auditory attention, mechanisms, and networks in databases like Science Direct, Google Scholar, ProQuest, and PubMed using the keywords Attention, Auditory Attention, Auditory Attention Impairment, theories of attention were investigated in the years 2000 to 2023 And focused on articles that provided discussions within this research domain. The studies have demonstrated that auditory attention exceeds being an acoustic attribute and assumes a fundamental role in complex acoustic environments, information processing, and even speech comprehension. In the context of this study, we have conducted a review and summary of the proposed theories related to attention and the brain networks involved in different forms of auditory attention. In conclusion, the integration of auditory attention assessments, behavioral observations, and an understanding of the neural mechanisms and brain regions implicated in auditory attention proves to be an effective approach for the diagnosis and treatment of attention-related disorders.

Gamma music: a new acoustic stimulus for gamma-frequency auditory steady-state response.

A frequency range exceeding approximately 30 Hz, denoted as the gamma frequency range, is associated with various cognitive functions, consciousness, sensory integration, short-term memory, working memory, encoding and maintenance of episodic memory, and retrieval processes. In this study, we proposed a new form of gamma stimulation, called gamma music, combining 40 Hz auditory stimuli and music. This gamma music consists of drums, bass, and keyboard sounds, each containing a 40 Hz frequency oscillation. Since 40 Hz stimuli are known to induce an auditory steady-state response (ASSR), we used the 40 Hz power and phase locking index (PLI) as indices of neural activity during sound stimulation. We also recorded subjective ratings of each sound through a questionnaire using a visual analog scale. The gamma music, gamma drums, gamma bass, and gamma keyboard sounds showed significantly higher values in 40 Hz power and PLI compared to the control music without a 40 Hz oscillation. Particularly, the gamma keyboard sound showed a potential to induce strong ASSR, showing high values in these indices. In the subjective ratings, the gamma music, especially the gamma keyboard sound, received more relaxed, comfortable, preferred, pleasant, and natural impressions compared to the control music with conventional gamma stimulation. These results indicate that our proposed gamma music has potential as a new method for inducing ASSR. Particularly, the gamma keyboard sound proved to be an effective acoustic source for inducing a strong ASSR while preserving the comfortable and pleasant sensation of listening to music. Our developed gamma music, characterized by its pleasantness to the human ear, offers a significant advantage for the long-term use of gamma stimulation. The utilization of this music could potentially reduce the physical and psychological burden on participants compared to conventional 40 Hz stimuli. This music is not only expected to contribute to fundamental neuroscience research utilizing ASSR but also to facilitate the implementation of gamma music-based interventions aimed at enhancing human cognitive functions in everyday life.

Pupillometry in the Assessment of Psychoemotional State and Cognitive Functions in Humans

Pupillometry in the Assessment of Psychoemotional State and Cognitive Functions in Humans

Physical exercise for brain plasticity promotion an overview of the underlying oscillatory mechanism.

The global recognition of the importance of physical exercise (PE) for human health has resulted in increased research on its effects on cortical activity. Neural oscillations, which are prominent features of brain activity, serve as crucial indicators for studying the effects of PE on brain function. Existing studies support the idea that PE modifies various types of neural oscillations. While EEG-related literature in exercise science exists, a comprehensive review of the effects of exercise specifically in healthy populations has not yet been conducted. Given the demonstrated influence of exercise on neural plasticity, particularly cortical oscillatory activity, it is imperative to consolidate research on this phenomenon. Therefore, this review aims to summarize numerous PE studies on neuromodulatory mechanisms in the brain over the past decade, covering (1) effects of resistance and aerobic training on brain health via neural oscillations; (2) how mind-body exercise affects human neural activity and cognitive functioning; (3) age-Related effects of PE on brain health and neurodegenerative disease rehabilitation via neural oscillation mechanisms; and (4) conclusion and future direction. In conclusion, the effect of PE on cortical activity is a multifaceted process, and this review seeks to comprehensively examine and summarize existing studies' understanding of how PE regulates neural activity in the brain, providing a more scientific theoretical foundation for the development of personalized PE programs and further research.

The neuromechanical of Beta-band corticomuscular coupling within the human motor system.

Beta-band activity in the sensorimotor cortex is considered a potential biomarker for evaluating motor functions. The intricate connection between the brain and muscle (corticomuscular coherence), especially in beta band, was found to be modulated by multiple motor demands. This coherence also showed abnormality in motion-related disorders. However, although there has been a substantial accumulation of experimental evidence, the neural mechanisms underlie corticomuscular coupling in beta band are not yet fully clear, and some are still a matter of controversy. In this review, we summarized the findings on the impact of Beta-band corticomuscular coherence to multiple conditions (sports, exercise training, injury recovery, human functional restoration, neurodegenerative diseases, age-related changes, cognitive functions, pain and fatigue, and clinical applications), and pointed out several future directions for the scientific questions currently unsolved. In conclusion, an in-depth study of Beta-band corticomuscular coupling not only elucidates the neural mechanisms of motor control but also offers new insights and methodologies for the diagnosis and treatment of motor rehabilitation and related disorders. Understanding these mechanisms can lead to personalized neuromodulation strategies and real-time neurofeedback systems, optimizing interventions based on individual neurophysiological profiles. This personalized approach has the potential to significantly improve therapeutic outcomes and athletic performance by addressing the unique needs of each individual.

Co-Thinking Device for Simultaneous Support of Human Cognitive and Physical Functions

Co-Thinking Device for Simultaneous Support of Human Cognitive and Physical Functions

CRISPR-Mediated Genetic Interventions for Augmenting Human Cognition and Bodily Function: A Transhumanist Exploration and A Recent Gene Editting Tool: CyDENT

CRISPR-Mediated Genetic Interventions for Augmenting Human Cognition and Bodily Function: A Transhumanist Exploration and A Recent Gene Editting Tool: CyDENT

Hyperbaric intervention ameliorates the negative effects of long-term high-altitude exposure on cognitive control capacity.

Hypoxia due to reduced partial pressure of oxygen from high-altitude exposure affects the cognitive function of high-altitude migrants. Executive function is an important component of human cognitive function, characterized by high oxygen consumption during activity, and its level can be measured using cognitive control capacity (CCC). In addition, there is evidence for the potential value of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) interventions in improving cognitive decline on the plateau. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of long-term high-altitude exposure on CCC in high-altitude newcomers and whether hyperbaric oxygen intervention has an ameliorative effect. This study measured the magnitude of participants' CCC using a Backward Masking Majority Function Task (MFT-M). Study 1 was a controlled study of different altitude conditions, with 64 participants in the high-altitude newcomer group and 64 participants in the low-altitude resident group, each completing the MFT-M task once. Study 2 was a controlled HBO intervention study in which newcomers who had lived at a high altitude for 2years were randomly divided into the HBO group (n = 28) and control group (n = 28). 15 times hyperbaric oxygen interventions were performed in the HBO group. Subjects in both groups completed the MFT-M task once before and once after the intervention. Study 1 showed that CCC was significantly higher in the low-altitude resident group than in the high-altitude newcomer group (p = 0.031). Study 2 showed that the CCC in the HBO group was significantly higher after 15 hyperbaric interventions than before (p = 0.005), while there was no significant difference in the control group (p = 0.972). The HBO group had significantly higher correct task rates than the control group after the intervention (p = 0.001). This study confirms that long-term high-altitude exposure leads to impairment of CCC in high-altitude newcomers and that hyperbaric oxygen intervention is effective in improving CCC.

Environmental pollutants PM2.5, PM10, carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone (O3) impair human cognitive functions.

Environmental pollution is an emerging global public health problem across the world and causes serious threats to ecosystems, human health, and the planet. This study is designed to explore the impact of environmental pollution particulate matter PM2.5, PM10, carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone (O3) on cognitive functions in students from schools located in or away from air-polluted areas. In this study, two schools were selected: one was located near a traffic-polluted area (school #1), and the second was in an area away from the traffic-polluted area (school #2). In this study, a total of 300 students were recruited: 150 (75 male and 75 female) students from school #1 located in a traffic-polluted area, and 150 students (75 male and 75 female) from school #2 located away from a traffic polluted area. The overall average age of students was 13.53±1.20 years. The students were selected based on age, gender, health status, height, weight, BMI, ethnicity, and homogenous socio-economic and educational status. The pollutants PM2.5, PM10, CO, NO2, O3, and SO2 were recorded in the surrounding environment. The overall mean concentration of environmental pollutants in school #1 was 35.00±0.65 and in school #2 was 29.95±0.32. The levels of airborne particles were measured, and the cognitive functions were recorded using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). The students performed the cognitive functions tasks, including the attention switching task (AST), choice reaction time (CRT), and motor screening task (MOT). The results revealed that the AST-Mean 928.34±182.23 vs. 483.79±146.73 (p=0.001), AST-mean congruent 889.12±197.12 vs. 473.30±120.11 (p=0.001), AST-mean in-congruent 988.98±201.27 vs. 483.87±144.57 (p=0.001), CRT-Mean 721.36±251.72 vs. 418.17±89.71 (p=0.001), and MOT-Mean 995.07±394.37 vs. 526.03±57.83 (p=0.001) were significantly delayed among the students who studied in school located in the traffic polluted area compared to students who studied in school which was located away from the traffic-polluted area. Environmental pollution was significantly higher in motor vehicle-congested areas. Cognitive functions were impaired among the students who were studying in a school located in a polluted area. The results further revealed that the students studying in schools located in environmentally polluted areas have attention, thinking, and decision-making abilities related to cognitive function impairment.

Unsupervised Joint Domain Adaptation for Decoding Brain Cognitive States From tfMRI Images.

Recent advances in large model and neuroscience have enabled exploration of the mechanism of brain activity by using neuroimaging data. Brain decoding is one of the most promising researches to further understand the human cognitive function. However, current methods excessively depends on high-quality labeled data, which brings enormous expense of collection and annotation of neural images by experts. Besides, the performance of cross-individual decoding suffers from inconsistency in data distribution caused by individual variation and different collection equipments. To address mentioned above issues, a Join Domain Adapative Decoding (JDAD) framework is proposed for unsupervised decoding specific brain cognitive state related to behavioral task. Based on the volumetric feature extraction from task-based functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (tfMRI) data, a novel objective loss function is designed by the combination of joint distribution regularizer, which aims to restrict the distance of both the conditional and marginal probability distribution of labeled and unlabeled samples. Experimental results on the public Human Connectome Project (HCP) S1200 dataset show that JDAD achieves superior performance than other prevalent methods, especially for fine-grained task with 11.5%-21.6% improvements of decoding accuracy. The learned 3D features are visualized by Grad-CAM to build a combination with brain functional regions, which provides a novel path to learn the function of brain cortex regions related to specific cognitive task in group level.

Artificial intelligence in ECG analysis - future or present?

This review discusses the significance of Electrocardiography (ECG) as a fundamental diagnostic tool for identifying electrical abnormalities in the heart. Despite its inception a century ago, ECG remains the gold standard for cardiovascular assessment. ECGs are routinely conducted in various healthcare settings, from family physician offices to emergency rooms, underscoring its ubiquitous clinical utility. However, misinterpretation of ECGs can lead to detrimental treatment decisions, emphasizing the critical need for accurate analysis. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a promising tool for ECG interpretation. AI models, designed to replicate human cognitive functions, undergo training with extensive datasets. While AI shows potential in improving ECG interpretation quality, it is not without limitations. Physician expertise remains indispensable in interpreting ECG findings accurately. Despite its potential, AI’s clinical application in ECG interpretation has yet to gain widespread approval. The paper emphasizes the importance of understanding the limitations and risks associated with AI implementation in cardiovascular diagnostics.

The Digital Age: Exploring the Intersection of AI/CI and Human Cognition and Social Interactions

Although solutions based on artificial and computational intelligence have made life easier, the fast development of technology also raises questions about near future and log term human cognition and social interaction. Through a survey of the literature and qualitative analysis, our work examined current research on how the AI/CI affects human cognitive functions and social interactions. We discuss how AI and CI are influencing e.g. how we humans gather information, build relationships, and communicate with others, with and without the new frontline technologies. Additionally, proposals for future advances are discussed along with the ethical and societal ramifications these technologies have, could and might bring into our lives. We think that by developing a deeper knowledge of how AI/CI affects human cognition and social interaction, new contributions are made to a positive conversation and encourage a responsible approach to incorporating new technologies into our daily lives.

Mental Deterioration in Eugene O'Neill's Plays The Emperor Jones and Desire Under the Elms: A Psychoanalytic Study

لقد حظيت محاولة فهم العقلية الإنسانية والوظائف المعرفية لدى الانسان باهتمام كبير من قبل الكاتب المسرحي الأمريكي يوجين أونيل (1888-1953) في نتاجاته الدرامية ، والتي حاول فيها ان يعكس خبراته وتجاربه الشخصية . والجدير بالذكر أن مسرحيات أونيل تعتمد على ما يصطلح عليه هو "الآمال اليائسة" أو "المخاوف الصغيرة التي لا شكل لها". وبناء على هذا هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى مناقشة وتحليل اثنتين من مسرحيات أونيل ؛ هما "الإمبراطور جونز" و"الرغبة تحت شجرة الدردار"، واللتين تم تحليلهما نقديا من خلال النظريات النفسية لمحاولة فهم طبيعة الاضطراب النفسي الذي يؤدي بدوره الى اختلال شخصية الفرد . حيث تم تحليل مسرحية "الامبراطور جونز" على وفق نظرية "كارل يونغ" حول اللاوعي الجمعي. وتم تحليل مسرحية "الرغبة تحت شجرة الدردار" من خلال نظرية "إريك فروم" حول عقدة التشبث بالأم.

Semantic speech analysis using machine learning and deep learning techniques: a comprehensive review

Human cognitive functions such as perception, attention, learning, memory, reasoning, and problem-solving are all significantly influenced by emotion. Emotion has a particularly potent impact on attention, modifying its selectivity in particular and influencing behavior and action motivation. Artificial Emotional Intelligence (AEI) technologies enable computers to understand a user's emotional state and respond appropriately. These systems enable a realistic dialogue between people and machines. The current generation of adaptive user interference technologies is built on techniques from data analytics and machine learning (ML), namely deep learning (DL) artificial neural networks (ANN) from multimodal data, such as videos of facial expressions, stance, and gesture, voice, and bio-physiological data (such as eye movement, ECG, respiration, EEG, FMRT, EMG, eye tracking). In this study, we reviewed existing literature based on ML and data analytics techniques being used to detect emotions in speech. The efficacy of data analytics and ML techniques in this unique area of multimodal data processing and extracting emotions from speech. This study analyzes how emotional chatbots, facial expressions, images, and social media texts can be effective in detecting emotions. PRISMA methodology is used to review the existing survey. Support Vector Machines (SVM), Naïve Bayes (NB), Random Forests (RF), Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN), Logistic Regression (LR), etc., are commonly used ML techniques for emotion extraction purposes. This study provides a new taxonomy about the application of ML in SER. The result shows that Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) are found to be the most useful methodology for this purpose.

Semantic features of complex technosocial systems: On the taxonomy of artificial intelligence technological packages

Objectives. The aim ofthis work is to enhance the scientific and methodological apparatus of artificial intelligence (AI) sciences by enriching their conceptual framework. The current conceptual framework of AI sciences does not reflect the intricate nature of this technological and socioeconomic phenomenon as possessing the diverse range of capabilities and the interconnectedness that allows for the imitation of human cognitive functions and comparable results. The author of the article structures the concept of the technological package of AI, describing its system properties, connections and functional elements based on the various types of human cognitive and operational activities.Methods. The research is based on the concept (method) of technological packages—genetically and functionally connected sets of technologies with system properties.Results. For the first time in Russian and international practice, the basic (general) taxonomy of the AI technological package has been specified and structured. A taxonomy of the AI metatechnological package (a package of metatechnologies) has been proposed. General taxonomy can serve as a tool for improving strategies, methodological documents and state programs to define the development of AI systems at state or industry level.Conclusions. The suggested basic (general) taxonomy oftechnological package and taxonomy of metatechnologies package allows research to move away from the limited view of AI. It increases semantic and methodological clarity in relation to AI as a complex technosocial phenomenon and contributes to the harmonized integration of AI systems intо the sphere of socioeconomic activities of the state. It can thus serve as a foundation for further improvement of state economic and legal regulation of AI development.

Evidence for increased parallel information transmission in human brain networks compared to macaques and male mice

Brain communication, defined as information transmission through white-matter connections, is at the foundation of the brain’s computational capacities that subtend almost all aspects of behavior: from sensory perception shared across mammalian species, to complex cognitive functions in humans. How did communication strategies in macroscale brain networks adapt across evolution to accomplish increasingly complex functions? By applying a graph- and information-theory approach to assess information-related pathways in male mouse, macaque and human brains, we show a brain communication gap between selective information transmission in non-human mammals, where brain regions share information through single polysynaptic pathways, and parallel information transmission in humans, where regions share information through multiple parallel pathways. In humans, parallel transmission acts as a major connector between unimodal and transmodal systems. The layout of information-related pathways is unique to individuals across different mammalian species, pointing at the individual-level specificity of information routing architecture. Our work provides evidence that different communication patterns are tied to the evolution of mammalian brain networks.

Chronobiology of nutrition and cognitive function

AbstractCurrent literature on the association between nutrition and cognitive function has focused mainly on total daily dietary intake of nutrients, foods or dietary patterns, while there has been much less focus on the timing of intake, i.e. the distribution of intake throughout the day and/or during specific eating occasions. Meal timing interferes with the circadian clocks and it has been previously linked with several health outcomes, including obesity and glycemic control. At the same time, there are well established circadian rhythms in cognitive performance in humans, with worse performance in the early morning and late evening and best performance somewhere in the middle of the daytime.Literature of the chronobiology of nutrition (chrononutrition) in relation to cognitive function and decline is extremely limited and to a certain extend conflicting. For example, breakfast consumption has been associated with decreased odds of having Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in some studies, while, according to other studies, individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and MCI tend to prefer early (rather than late) day times for food intake. Overall, there is very little research on the effect on cognitive function of time of day or energy content or nutrient distribution of the consumed meals. Furthermore, even though certain biomarkers of neurodegeneration are known to exhibit circadian properties, their associations with aspects of chrononutrition have not been explored.In conclusion, there is growing interest in the field of chrononutrition, an emerging area of investigation that is revealing important insights into how the timing of meals and overall eating patterns can impact cognitive function in humans. Part of the reason that this field is still in its infancy is that not all methods of dietary assessment are suitable for such analyses: only the laborious and time‐consuming methods of 24h dietary recalls or food records, that collect information on the timing of each eating occasion, allow for the evaluation of intake (nutrient of foods) distribution during the day.Overall, much more investigational effort is needed to fully understand the mechanisms underlying potential associations of chrononutrition and cognition and to develop practical recommendations for maintaining cognitive health through dietary interventions.

The Protective Role of L-carnitine on Psychosocial Stress-induced Changes in Gene Expression and Protein Levels of Matrix Metalloproteinases, Serum Corticosterone in a Rat Model.

Psychosocial stress (STS) is a common stress in modern societies. Chronic STS is associated with the impairment of a broad range of cognitive functions in humans and with prolonged abnormalities in memory. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a protein family of zinccontaining endopeptidases, are essential in neuro-inflammation and involved in neurodegenerative diseases. L-Car possessed neuroprotective, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties and was shown to modulate MMPs. The current study aimed to examine the protective effect of L-Carnitine (L-CAR) on STSinduced changes in serum corticosterone levels, MMP-2, -9, and -12 protein and mRNA expression in the hippocampus as a possible mechanism for L-CAR protective effect on STS-induced memory impairment. The chronic STS and L-CAR (300 mg/kg/day, i.p) were simultaneously administered for 6 weeks to adult male Wistar rats. Serum corticosterone and protein levels of MMP-2, -9 and -12 were evaluated using ELISA. Real-Time PCR techniques were used to determine the mRNA levels of MMP-2, -9 and -12 in the hippocampus. The findings showed that serum corticosterone levels and MMP-2 and -9 protein levels were significantly increased (p<0.05) in the STS group compared to the control. Similarly, RT-PCR findings showed that the mRNA of those proteinases significantly increased (p<0.05) following the intruder method. On the other hand, the administration of L-CAR restored the alterations in corticosterone levels and MMPs gene and protein expression induced by chronic STS. STS induced elevations in corticosterone and MMP-2 and -9 levels in the hippocampus. L-CAR, on the other hand, exhibited protective effects against the STS-induced changes in MMP-2 and -9.

Prospects for gamification: analysis of students’ perception of the game’s image

Game is one of the most multifaceted phenomena in human life. It comes in many forms, uses a variety of capabilities, and can serve as a tool to achieve a variety of goals. Thus, the games can be used to solve problems in many areas: from pedagogy to business, from science to art. Each type of game requires players to have a certain level of proficiency in various skills. This contributes to the development of human cognitive and social functions and has certain characteristics. The popularity of gaming technologies in education continues to rise. The introduction of online formats has also contributed to the growth and use of interactive multimedia technologies. Gamification in education is an approach that uses game elements and mechanics to increase student motivation and engagement in learning. This scientific article reviews the concept of a game and analyzes the perception of the image of a game by students and schoolchildren in the context of learning. The study shows that gamification can significantly increase student engagement and motivation. This, in turn, has a positive impact on the quality of learning. The results of focus groups conducted using drawing techniques demonstrate that the image of the game is well perceived by schoolchildren and students and creates a favorable environment for active participation in the learning process. Based on this, the authors of the article propose to use gamification as an effective learning tool that helps increase motivation, self-organization and self-regulation of students. Analysis of the perception of the image of the game by students indicates the promise of using gamification in education. This approach can be an effective tool for the modern educational process, promoting the active involvement of students, increasing their motivation and achieving better educational results.