Complex Mental Activity Research Articles

Study protocol for Vitality: a proof-of-concept randomised controlled trial of exercise training or complex mental and social activities to promote cognition in adults with chronic stroke

IntroductionCerebrovascular disease—such as stroke—is the second most common cause of dementia (ie, vascular dementia). Specifically, a stroke increases one’s risk for dementia by a factor of two. Thus, stroke survivors...

The effects of an 8-week computerized cognitive training program in older adults: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundGiven the world’s aging population, it is important to identify strategies that promote healthy cognitive aging and minimize cognitive decline. Currently, no curative pharmaceutical therapy exists for cognitive impairment and dementia. As a result, there is much interest in lifestyle approaches. Specifically, complex mental activity, such as cognitive training, may be a promising method to combat cognitive decline in older adults. As such, the industry of commercial computerized cognitive training (CCT) applications has rapidly grown in the last decade. However, the efficacy of these commercial products is largely not established. Moreover, exercise is a recognized strategy for promoting cognitive outcomes in older adults and may augment the efficacy of computerized cognitive training applications. Therefore, we propose a proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial (RCT) to examine the effect of a commercial CCT program in community-dwelling older adults.MethodsAn 8-week RCT to examine the effect of a commercial CCT program, alone and preceded by a 15-min brisk walk, on cognitive function and explore the underlying neural mechanisms in adults aged 65–85 years old. Participants will be randomized to one of three intervention groups: 1) Computerized cognitive training (FBT); 2) A 15-min brisk walk followed by computerized cognitive training (Ex-FBT); or 3) A combination of educational classes, sham cognitive training, and balanced and tone exercises (active control, BAT). Participants in all intervention groups will attend three one-hour classes per week over the course of the intervention. Participants will be assessed at baseline, trial completion, and 1-year post study completion (1-year follow-up).DiscussionIf results from this study show benefits for cognition at trial completion, CCT programs, alone or in combination with walking, might be a strategy to promote healthy cognitive aging in older adults. In addition, results from the 1-year follow-up measurement could provide important information regarding the long-term benefits of these CCT programs.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Registration System: NCT02564809; registered September 1, 2015.

DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF EARLY AND LATE-LIFE EXPERIENCES ON AMYLOID DEPOSITION VERSUS NEURODEGENERATION

Previous studies showed that early and late life mental activities influence brain and cognition later in life. Little is known, however, about the relative effects of mental activities at different life periods on amyloid deposition and gray matter (GM) volume. Understanding the timing of these effects would help to appropriately direct interventions. Here, we tested the hypothesis that complex mental activities in early, middle and late life differentially contribute to late life amyloid deposition, GM volumes and cognition. Forty cognitively normal older adults (mean age: 75 ± 6; 17 women) underwent neuropsychological, Florbetapir-PET and MRI examinations. Participants completed an auto-administered questionnaire assessing a full range of complex mental activities over the lifespan (educational, occupational and leisure), leading to one score for early (≤ 30 yrs), middle (30–65 yrs) and late (>65 yrs) life periods. Using voxel-wise analyses, we searched whether measures of mental activity in early, middle and late life were independently associated with Florbetapir-PET uptake or GM volume (controlling each life period by the others as well as age and sex). We then assessed the relationships between neuroimaging findings and executive and memory functions. Only early life mental activity was associated with Florbetapir uptake such that a higher score was related to lower uptake in the orbitofrontal cortex. In contrast, only late life mental activity was associated to GM volume such that a higher score predicted greater GM volume in the temporal lobe (Fig1). Florbetapir uptake in the orbitofrontal cortex and GM in the temporal cortex were, respectively, associated with executive and memory functions.

The multi-component nature of statistical learning.

The central argument presented in this paper is that statistical learning (SL) is an ability comprised of multiple components that operate largely implicitly. Components relating to the stimulus encoding, retention and abstraction required for SL may include, but are not limited to, certain types of attention, processing speed and memory. It is likely that individuals vary in terms of the efficiency of these underlying components, and in patterns of connectivity among these components, and that SL tasks differ from one another in how they draw on certain underlying components more than others. This theoretical framework is of value because it can assist in gaining a clearer understanding of how SL is linked with individual differences in complex mental activities such as language processing. Variability in language processing across individuals is of central concern to researchers interested in child development, including those interested in neurodevelopmental disorders where language can be affected such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This paper discusses the link between SL and individual differences in language processing in the context of age-related changes in SL during infancy and childhood, and whether SL is affected in ASD. Viewing SL as a multi-component ability may help to explain divergent findings from previous empirical research in these areas and guide the design of future studies.This article is part of the themed issue 'New frontiers for statistical learning in the cognitive sciences'.

The guilty brain: the utility of neuroimaging and neurostimulation studies in forensic field.

Several studies have aimed to address the natural inability of humankind to detect deception and accurately discriminate lying from truth in the legal context. To date, it has been well established that telling a lie is a complex mental activity. During deception, many functions of higher cognition are involved: the decision to lie, withholding the truth, fabricating the lie, monitoring whether the receiver believes the lie, and, if necessary, adjusting the fabricated story and maintaining a consistent lie. In the previous 15 years, increasing interest in the neuroscience of deception has resulted in new possibilities to investigate and interfere with the ability to lie directly from the brain. Cognitive psychology, as well as neuroimaging and neurostimulation studies, are increasing the possibility that neuroscience will be useful for lie detection. This paper discusses the scientific validity of the literature on neuroimaging and neurostimulation regarding lie detection to understand whether scientific findings in this field have a role in the forensic setting. We considered how lie detection technology may contribute to addressing the detection of deception in the courtroom and discussed the conditions and limits in which these techniques reliably distinguish whether an individual is lying.

L'effet placebo : implications cliniques, biologiques, et thérapeutiques dans la dépression

The placebo effect is an excellent model for understanding the mechanisms underlying the interaction between a subjective and complex mental activity (beliefs, expectations, hopes, learning, patient-physician relationship, socio-cultural context .) with different neural and biological systems. Initially, research on the placebo effect has focused on the mechanisms of pain and analgesia. The cognitive processes of conditioning and reward anticipation (hope of a relief) were highlighted. The involvement of different neurobiological pathways has been clearly shown: endogenous opioids, CCK, dopaminergic pathways, endocannabinoids, immunological factors... More recently, the field has open towards new perspectives: depression and anxiety, motor disorders, immune system, endocrine system. Intensive research in the field emerges because of its fundamental implications in neuroscience research but also because of the ethical, clinical and therapeutical issues. Moreover, the placebo effect is considered as a main methodological mean issue in clinical trials that allows the demonstration of the efficacy and tolerance of new drugs. In the field of psychiatry, depression is a placebo highly-sensitive disorder: placebo response rates in clinical trials are of the order of 30 % to 40 %. The identification of biological markers of placebo response, such as neuroimaging and quantitative electroencephalography may lead to develop more efficient models in clinical research.

RESEARCH OF THE WRITTEN LANGUAGE

Written language is a mental process, without which it is impossible to imagine the presence of a modern man in cultural space. The formation of the written language made it possible to overcome the spatial and temporal discontinuities of communication, created conditions for the integration of extensive cultural spaces, which include people belonging to different cultures, communities and generations. Written language appeared when people had the need for long-term storage of information and its transfer without personal contacts. Its psychological mechanisms differ considerably from the mechanisms of the oral speech. Modern feature of the written language is the gradual disappearance of its individual graphics component. The bulk of text (written) communications is implemented by means of technical devices (computers). The article considers the essence, structure and content of written language in terms of psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics and neuropsychology. The author also highlights the psychological essence of written language, the role of analytic systems, inter-analytic links and cognitive processes in the written language. The author concludes that the written language is a complex, systemic and optional mental activity which is ensured by various structural and functional components and many mental functions. Written language is closely connected with spoken language and is based only on a sufficiently high level of its development.

RESEARCH OF THE WRITTEN LANGUAGE

Written language is a mental process, without which it is impossible to imagine the presence of a modern man in cultural space. The formation of the written language made it possible to overcome the spatial and temporal discontinuities of communication, created conditions for the integration of extensive cultural spaces, which include people belonging to different cultures, communities and generations. Written language appeared when people had the need for long-term storage of information and its transfer without personal contacts. Its psychological mechanisms differ considerably from the mechanisms of the oral speech. Modern feature of the written language is the gradual disappearance of its individual graphics component. The bulk of text (written) communications is implemented by means of technical devices (computers). The article considers the essence, structure and content of written language in terms of psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics and neuropsychology. The author also highlights the psychological essence of written language, the role of analytic systems, inter-analytic links and cognitive processes in the written language. The author concludes that the written language is a complex, systemic and optional mental activity which is ensured by various structural and functional components and many mental functions. Written language is closely connected with spoken language and is based only on a sufficiently high level of its development.

The development of the intrinsic functional connectivity of default network subsystems from age 3 to 5.

In recent years, research on human functional brain imaging using resting-state fMRI techniques has been increasingly prevalent. The term "default mode" was proposed to describe a baseline or default state of the brain during rest. Recent studies suggested that the default mode network (DMN) is comprised of two functionally distinct subsystems: a dorsal-medial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) subsystem involved in self-oriented cognition (i.e., theory of mind) and a medial temporal lobe (MTL) subsystem engaged in memory and scene construction; both subsystems interact with the anterior medial prefrontal cortex (aMPFC) and posterior cingulate (PCC) as the core regions of DMN. The present study explored the development of DMN core regions and these two subsystems in both hemispheres from 3- to 5-year-old children. The analysis of the intrinsic activity showed strong developmental changes in both subsystems, and significant changes were specifically found in MTL subsystem, but not in DMPFC subsystem, implying distinct developmental trajectories for DMN subsystems. We found stronger interactions between the DMPFC and MTL subsystems in 5-year-olds, particularly in the left subsystems that support the development of environmental adaptation and relatively complex mental activities. These results also indicate that there is stronger right hemispheric lateralization at age 3, which then changes as bilateral development gradually increases through to age 5, suggesting in turn the hemispheric dominance in DMN subsystems changing with age. The present results provide primary evidence for the development of DMN subsystems in early life, which might be closely related to the development of social cognition in childhood.

Cognitive reserve in the healthy elderly: cognitive and psychological factors

Abstract Cognitive reserve (CR) helps explain the mismatch between expected cognitive decline and observed maintenance of cognitive functioning in older age. Factors such as education, literacy, lifestyle, and social networking are usually considered to be proxies of CR and its variability between individuals. A more direct approach to examine CR is through the assessment of capacity to gain from practice in a standardized challenging cognitive task that demands activation of cognitive resources. In this study, we applied a testing-the-limits paradigm to a group of 136 healthy elderly subjects (60–75 years) and additionally examined the possible contribution of complex mental activities and quality of sleep to cognitive performance gain. We found a significant but variable gain and identified verbal memory, cognitive flexibility, and problem-solving as important factors. This outcome is in line with our earlier study on CR in healthy mental aging. Interestingly and contrary to expectations, our analysis revealed that complex mental activities and sleep quality do not significantly influence CR. Best subset regression showed that better verbal memory and higher cognitive flexibility were related to high CR, which could also be seen when contrasting “high” and “low” cognitive performers; again, complex mental activities and sleep quality did not contribute to this measure of CR. In conclusion, the results of this study support and extend previous findings on CR in older age; further, they underline the need for improvements in existing protocols for assessing CR in a dynamic manner.

Comprehension as a Component of the Future Leader’s Professional Competence in the Field of Innovative Management of Educational Institution (as Far as the Leaders` Activity at Educational Institutions of the Carpathians)

The author analyses philosophical, linguistic, psychological, sociological andmanagement approaches to the content of comprehension and peculiarities of comprehension as aconstituent of the future leader`s professional competence in the innovative management of theeducational institution. The problem under consideration is sure to be relevant due to the questionelaboration connected with the implementation of the innovative management means the exactawareness of the specific character of practical application of the new management forms at theeducational institution. The question of general terms is a constituent of the problem ofcomprehension. According to the national Frame of skills competence is a person`s ability toperform particular kind of activity via knowledge, comprehension, skills, values and otherpersonal qualities. In other words it is a dynamic combination of knowledge, comprehension,skills, values and other personal qualities. From this it can be concluded that comprehensionalongside knowledge, skills and values is the component of innovative management competence.Psychology treats comprehension as a complex analytic-synthatic mental activity which tends toreveal and realise the inner essence of the objects, processes and phenomena as well as links,relations, and dependence reflected in it. In the innovative management of educational institutionsmanagement decisions and problem solving activity, setting new objectives, tasks and methodspresuppose the necessity for changing the leader`s way of thinking. The subject of comprehensivesociology is adeliberateaction, connected with the subjective predictable sense. The development ofthe innovative e management competence is determined by the appropriate realization of all theaspects of the professional management. The Carpathians are famous for natural, ecological,technical, organizational, economic, social, cultural and ethnic peculiarities. The specific ones arethose which should be realized and taken into consideration by the leaders of educationalinstitutions in the Carpathians: their being densely populated, the distance between the places ofresidence and schools, household, unique ethnic and handicraft traditions.

Brain reserve and cognitive training in the elderly.

AbstractGiven the precipitous forecast for dementia prevalence over the coming years, effective preventive strategies are of great importance.Recent evidence linking mental activity and dementia risk invokes “brain reserve” as the mediating agent. 10–40 % of persons who satisfy post-mortem criteria for AD show no signs of cognitive impairment ante-mortem. Does brain reserve protect against amyloid load? Brain reserve has acquired several interpretations. The so-called hard version emphasizes a genetically based phenomenon, for example increased brain size or neural density. Another concept uses a “soft” analogy which is a flexible brain reserve compensating for neural dysfunction by motivating a great number of potential neural pathways. The latter, being the most reliable one, focuses on behavioural level by assessing frequency and range of participation in complex mental activities. Consequently, persons who have developed a wide spectrum of cognitive strategies for coping with complex problems perform very well in psychometric tests.KeywordsMild Cognitive ImpairmentMental ActivityCognitive StrategyPsychometric TestActive LifestyleThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Cognitive reserve in the healthy elderly: cognitive and psychological factors

Abstract Cognitive reserve (CR) helps explain the mismatch between expected cognitive decline and observed maintenance of cognitive functioning in older age. Factors such as education, literacy, lifestyle, and social networking are usually considered to be proxies of CR and its variability between individuals. A more direct approach to examine CR is through the assessment of capacity to gain from practice in a standardized challenging cognitive task that demands activation of cognitive resources. In this study, we applied a testing-the-limits paradigm to a group of 136 healthy elderly subjects (60–75 years) and additionally examined the possible contribution of complex mental activities and quality of sleep to cognitive performance gain. We found a significant but variable gain and identified verbal memory, cognitive flexibility, and problem-solving as significant factors. This outcome is in line with our earlier study on CR in healthy mental aging. Interestingly and contrary to expectations, our analysis revealed that complex mental activities and sleep quality do not significantly influence CR. Contrasting “high” and “low” cognitive performers revealed significant differences in verbal memory and cognitive flexibility; again, complex mental activities and sleep quality did not contribute to this measure of CR. In conclusion, the results of this study support and extend previous findings on CR in older age; further, they underline the need for improvements in existing protocols for assessing CR in a dynamic manner.

Neural correlate of the projection of mental states on the not-structured visual stimuli

Projection is a spontaneous and complex mental activity responsible for the subjective meaning attribution. The hypotheses of this study were that the neural correlate of projection may involve frontal, parietal, and temporal brain areas, and that alexithymia may be negatively associated with intensities in limbic and paralimbic areas during projection. EEG data were recorded continuously at 250Hz using NetStation 4.5.1 with 256-channels HydroCel Geodesic Sensor Net in 20 healthy subjects during the presentation of structured and not-structured visual stimuli. The tasks were paying attention to the stimuli and thinking about the possible meaning of each image. Event related potential (ERP) components and low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (sLoreta) were analyzed. Participants were administered the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale before stimulus presentation. Source analyses (sLORETA) showed a greater activated source in the left primary somatosensory cortex (BA1) compared to all the others BA in both conditions through all the ERP components. An involvement of the frontal (right-BA4, left- and right-BA9, left-BA11) and parietal (left and right-BA2 and left-BA7) areas was found in projective response to not-structured visual stimuli. Alexithymia levels were negatively correlated with the anterior (right-BA32) and posterior (left-BA29) cingulate cortex. Findings show the relevance of fronto-parieto circuits during projection, where the internally generating somatosensory representations could drive an intermodal meaning attribution during the task. Moreover, high alexithymia levels were associated with a reduced activation of the cingulated cortex.

Perforin- and granulysin-mediated cytotoxicity and interleukin 15 play roles in neurocognitive impairment in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is an aggressive disease. The course of disease is regulated by pro-inflammatory agents, and malignant cell infiltration of tissues plays a deleterious role in disease progression, greatly impacting quality of life, especially in the cognitive domains. Our hypothesis is that significant serum concentrations of interleukin 15 (IL-15) are responsible for higher expression of adhesion molecules on endothelial cells of blood–brain barrier (BBB) which allow leukaemia cells and/or normal lymphocytes the infiltration into the brain. In brain tissue these cells could be stimulated to release perforin and granulysin causing induction of apoptosis in brain cells that are involved in complex neural signalling mediated by neurotransmitters, and consequent fine cognitive impairment. Such changes could be detected early, even before notable clinical psycho-neurological or radiological changes in patients with ALL. To evaluate this hypothesis we propose measuring cognitive function using Complex Reactiometer Drenovac (CRD) scores in patients with ALL. The expression of different adhesion molecules on BBB as well as presence and distribution of different lymphocytes in brain tissue will be analyzed. We will then correlate CRD scores with levels of IL-15 and the percentages of T cells, natural killer T cells, and natural killer cells expressing perforin and/or granulysin proteins. CRD is a scientifically recognised and highly sensitive psychometric laboratory test based on the complex chronometric mathematical measuring of speed of reaction to various stimuli. It provides an objective assessment of cognitive functions from the most complex mental activities to the simplest reaction reflexes. Early recognition of cognitive dysfunction might be important when selecting the most appropriate chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy regimens, and could allow for the implementation of preventive measures against further deterioration in cognitive function and quality of life in patients with ALL.

Application of Thinking Method of Decomposition and Combination in Developing Software

There are many thinking method, the thinking method of decomposition and combination is important and widely used. In the category of scholars, "decomposition and combination" belong to "analysis and synthesis". Developing software is a complex mental activity, so it requires the use of a variety of thinking method. Thinking method of decomposition and combination is the use of the most frequent in developing software. Content of thinking method of decomposition and combination is analyzed. Application of thinking method of decomposition and combination has been analyzed from four aspects. Four aspects are the development trend of software, the main content of the structured software development method, the main content of the object-oriented software development method, several commonly used software development tools.

Neural Mechanisms of Brain Plasticity with Complex Cognitive Training in Healthy Seniors

Complex mental activity induces improvements in cognition, brain function, and structure in animals and young adults. It is not clear to what extent the aging brain is capable of such plasticity. This study expands previous evidence of generalized cognitive gains after mental training in healthy seniors. Using 3 MRI-based measurements, that is, arterial spin labeling MRI, functional connectivity, and diffusion tensor imaging, we examined brain changes across 3 time points pre, mid, and post training (12 weeks) in a randomized sample (n = 37) who received cognitive training versus a control group. We found significant training-related brain state changes at rest; specifically, 1) increases in global and regional cerebral blood flow (CBF), particularly in the default mode network and the central executive network, 2) greater connectivity in these same networks, and 3) increased white matter integrity in the left uncinate demonstrated by an increase in fractional anisotropy. Improvements in cognition were identified along with significant CBF correlates of the cognitive gains. We propose that cognitive training enhances resting-state neural activity and connectivity, increasing the blood supply to these regions via neurovascular coupling. These convergent results provide preliminary evidence that neural plasticity can be harnessed to mitigate brain losses with cognitive training in seniors.

Factors predicting reversion from mild cognitive impairment to normal cognitive functioning: a population-based study.

IntroductionMild cognitive impairment (MCI) is associated with an increased risk of developing dementia. However, many individuals diagnosed with MCI are found to have reverted to normal cognition on follow-up. This study investigated factors predicting or associated with reversion from MCI to normal cognition.MethodsOur analyses considered 223 participants (48.9% male) aged 71–89 years, drawn from the prospective, population-based Sydney Memory and Ageing Study. All were diagnosed with MCI at baseline and subsequently classified with either normal cognition or repeat diagnosis of MCI after two years (a further 11 participants who progressed from MCI to dementia were excluded). Associations with reversion were investigated for (1) baseline factors that included diagnostic features, personality, neuroimaging, sociodemographics, lifestyle, and physical and mental health; (2) longitudinal change in potentially modifiable factors.ResultsThere were 66 reverters to normal cognition and 157 non-reverters (stable MCI). Regression analyses identified diagnostic features as most predictive of prognosis, with reversion less likely in participants with multiple-domain MCI (p = 0.011), a moderately or severely impaired cognitive domain (p = 0.002 and p = 0.006), or an informant-based memory complaint (p = 0.031). Reversion was also less likely for participants with arthritis (p = 0.037), but more likely for participants with higher complex mental activity (p = 0.003), greater openness to experience (p = 0.041), better vision (p = 0.014), better smelling ability (p = 0.040), or larger combined volume of the left hippocampus and left amygdala (p<0.040). Reversion was also associated with a larger drop in diastolic blood pressure between baseline and follow-up (p = 0.026).DiscussionNumerous factors are associated with reversion from MCI to normal cognition. Assessing these factors could facilitate more accurate prognosis of individuals with MCI. Participation in cognitively enriching activities and efforts to lower blood pressure might promote reversion.

A hybrid model for the neural representation of complex mental processing in the human brain

In the present conceptual review several theoretical and empirical sources of information were integrated, and a hybrid model of the neural representation of complex mental processing in the human brain was proposed. Based on empirical evidence for strategy-related and inter-individually different task-related brain activation networks, and further based on empirical evidence for a remarkable overlap of fronto-parietal activation networks across different complex mental processes, it was concluded by the author that there might be innate and modular organized neuro-developmental starting regions, for example, in intra-parietal, and both medial and middle frontal brain regions, from which the neural organization of different kinds of complex mental processes emerge differently during individually shaped learning histories. Thus, the here proposed model provides a hybrid of both massive modular and holistic concepts of idiosyncratic brain physiological elaboration of complex mental processing. It is further concluded that 3-D information, obtained by respective methodological approaches, are not appropriate to identify the non-linear spatio-temporal dynamics of complex mental process-related brain activity in a sufficient way. How different participating network parts communicate with each other seems to be an indispensable aspect, which has to be considered in particular to improve our understanding of the neural organization of complex cognition.

Reflex epilepsy induced by playing Go-stop or Baduk games

PurposeSeizures can be triggered by complex mental activities. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of reflex epilepsy induced by playing Go-stop or Baduk games. MethodsThe study comprised 11 patients with this type of reflex epilepsy identified from our patient database. We collected data on clinical features, EEG, and brain MRI as well as seizure outcomes. ResultsThe patients had a late age of onset (range, 43–65 years, except for one patient with an age of onset of 11 years). An MRI abnormality and interictal EEG abnormalities were found in one patient respectively. The seizures exhibited diverse semiological features suggesting a focal or generalized onset. No myoclonic seizures were observed. Individualized strategies such as avoiding the precipitating game or reducing exposure to the stimulus were most effective in preventing the seizures. ConclusionThe pathophysiological mechanisms underlying Go-stop- or Baduk-induced seizures may be different from other cognition-associated reflex epileptic phenomena. This type of reflex epilepsy may be a heterogeneous syndrome manifesting in a range of diverse semiological features.