Decline In Intelligence Research Articles

Automatic extraction of abnormal lip movement features from the alternating motion rate task in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Purpose: With the long-term goal to develop a clinically feasible tool for assessing articulatory involvement in ALS, we designed an algorithmic approach to automatically extract lip movement features during an alternating motion rate (AMR) task and assessed their efficacy for detecting and monitoring articulatory involvement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).Method: Twenty three spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal AMR features were extracted from 161 samples of lip movements (139 from participants with ALS; 22 from neurologically-intact participants). The diagnostic value of these features was assessed based on their (1) sensitivity for detecting early bulbar motor involvement, and (2) associations with accepted clinical measures of bulbar disease progression.Result: Among all AMR features, two temporal features were the most affected – temporal variability and syllable frequency, which (1) showed large changes during early disease stages and (2) predicted the progression of bulbar motor involvement and speech intelligibility decline. Spatial features were in general, less sensitive to early bulbar motor involvement.Conclusions: The findings provided preliminary support for the algorithmic approach to quantifying articulatory features predictive of bulbar motor and speech decline in ALS. The differential disease effects on spatial and temporal AMR features might shed light on the mechanism of articulatory involvement during ALS progression.

S239. PREDICTIVE ACCURACY FOR WORK OUTCOME IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

BackgroundFunctional capacity (i.e., what a person can do under optimal conditions) may not be directly transferred to functional performance (i.e., what a person actually does in a real-world situation) in patients with schizophrenia due to internal or external variables (Bowie et al., 2006). This discrepancy would be larger for relatively high functioning patients compared to those with low functional status, because of a greater likelihood of being exposed to real-world settings in the former group. The purpose of this study was to determine whether prediction of work outcomes would become less reliable in patients who work for long hours than those who do not.MethodsSubjects: One-hundred and thirty-seven Japanese patients meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for schizophrenia and 156 healthy adults entered the study. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Osaka University.Assessment: Current and premorbid intelligence (WAIS-3 and Japanese version of the Adult Reading Test) and functional outcomes (the UCSD Performance-Based Skills Assessment-Brief and the Social Functioning Scale Individuals’ version Modified for MATRICS-PASS) were assessed. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scales (PANSS) and the Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale Japanese version were also for patients. Total work hours per week, obtained from the Social Activity Assessment, was used as a measure of work outcomeAnalyses: Four separate multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to predict work outcomes. Independent variables were found to be significant by means of the group comparisons. Dependent variable, i.e., the number of work hours, was dichotomized by a criterion of 0, 10, 20, or 30 hours/week. At each level, patients were classified into either the above (=1) or the below (=0) criterion (observed outcomes). Estimated probabilities were calculated using factors that remained significant in regression models (intelligence decline, psychiatric symptoms, and social function). Predictive accuracy was calculated by summing the ratios correctly classified (i.e., a patient’s observed outcome=1[0] and the estimated probability > 0.5 [< 0.5]). In addition, frequency distributions for observed outcomes were generated on the axis of estimated probabilities to examine the characteristics of correct classification.ResultsOverall, estimation was more accurate at higher criteria, yielding 80–87% accuracy at 20 or 30 hours/week criteria (c.f., 67–70% at 0 or 10 hours/week criteria). Distributions for the observed outcomes=0 had the peaks at the part of the estimate probabilities < 0.5, while those for observed outcomes=1 were relatively uniform, lacking the peaks at the part of estimated probabilities >0.5. These results indicate that the classification was less accurate in patients who exceeded the criteria (observed outcomes=1) compared to those who did not (observed outcomes=0).DiscussionThe current study showed that prediction for work outcome was less reliable in patients who attained relatively better work outcome. One of the reasons would be sextrinsic variables, such as local economy, welfare services, and stigma, may intervene between functional capacity and work outcome (Buchanan et al., 2005). Also, some of high functioning patients may have better insight into their work capacity (Gould et al., 2013), which may refrain them from engaging in long-hour work.

Semantic context modulates intelligibility advantage of clear speech in temporally compressed sentences

Sentences produced in a clear speech speaking style are typically more intelligible than sentences produced in a conversational style. However, factors that lead to the intelligibility difference are not fully understood. This study investigated the role of semantic context in intelligibility of temporally compressed clear and conversational speech. Grammatically correct English sentences, which were either semantically meaningful or semantically anomalous, were presented to 70 normal-hearing listeners in clear or conversational speaking style. The sentences were temporally compressed to produce seven different syllabic rates (6-12), matched across clear and conversational sentences to control for the original durational differences between clear and conversational speech. Results for semantically anomalous sentences indicate no differences in the rate of intelligibility decline across compression rates for clear and conversational speech. In contrast, for semantically meaningful sentences, the rate of intelligibility decline was smaller for the semantically meaningful clear-speech sentences over semantically anomalous conversational-speech sentences. At the highest compression rate of 12 syllables per second, intelligibility of semantically meaningful clear-speech sentences (~68% correct) was similar to that of semantically anomalous sentences at 9 syllables per second. These findings suggest that semantic context can modulate the effect of speaking style on the intelligibility of temporally compressed sentences.

Intelligence and Family Size in Libya

The Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) was administered to a sample of 720 school students aged 13 to 18 years (mean age 15.5 years) in Libya. The results show (1) males obtained higher scores than females in all age groups although none of these is statistically significant; (2) the sample obtained a British-scaled IQ of 82.3; (3) there was a negative correlation between SPM scores and number of siblings of -.421. This may indicate less favorable conditions for intellectual development in larger families, or differential reproduction favoring less intelligent parents. Assuming differential reproduction by intelligence is the mechanism, the decline of genotypic intelligence can be estimated as approximately 2.75 IQ points a generation.

UV Radiation Associates With State Income Through Complex Cognitive Ability in the USA

Abstract. Economic development and national intelligence decline with proximity to the equator. Absolute latitude associates with both, income and IQ, but the nature of their relationship is ambiguous. This study applied structural equation modeling using secondary data pertaining to the 48 contiguous states of the United States of America to test the hypothesis that UV (ultraviolet) radiation associates with income through complex cognitive ability vis-a-vis the hypothesis that UV radiation associates with complex cognitive ability through income. The resulting evidence was consistent with the ability → income pathway and unsupportive of the income → ability model. The findings uphold the cognitive capitalism perspective and may throw light on the evolvement of regional differences in the USA.

The understanding of the text and images by teenagers with different levels of intelligence with eye tracking using

The aim of this study was to identify and compare the characteristics of the recognition and understanding of verbal and nonverbal stimuli in the form of a text and drawing images of various degrees of definition applicable to students with mild mental retardation. The objects of the comparative study were graduates of schools with a varying degree of the intelligence decline (F83 – mixed specific disorders of psychological development and F70 – mild mental retardation). 85 subjects were participants. There were 49% boys and 51% girls. The study revealed specific features of perception and understanding of the texts and images of different degree of visual complexity by students with mild mental retardation. In the analysis of the visual information, they preferred to focus on the emotional aspect of the content both of the texts and pictures. Students with mild mental retardation demonstrated a lower level of cognitive development and volitional activity when viewing a stimulus of a high degree of visual complexity. A specific feature in the perception and understanding of the texts and images by these students is the lack of cognitive orientation on the procedural side event analysis.

A Brief Assessment of Intelligence Decline in Schizophrenia As Represented by the Difference between Current and Premorbid Intellectual Quotient.

Patients with schizophrenia elicit several clinical features, such as psychotic symptoms, cognitive impairment, and subtle decline of intelligence. The latter two features become evident around the onset of the illness, although they may exist even before the disease onset in a substantial proportion of cases. Here, we review the literature concerning intelligence decline (ID) during the progression of schizophrenia. ID can be estimated by comparing premorbid and current intellectual quotient (IQ) by means of the Adult Reading Test and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), respectively. For the purpose of brief assessment, we have recently developed the WAIS-Short Form, which consists of Similarities and Symbol Search and well reflects functional outcomes. According to the degree of ID, patients were classified into three distinct subgroups; deteriorated, preserved, and compromised groups. Patients who show deteriorated IQ (deteriorated group) elicit ID from a premorbid level (≥10-point difference between current and premorbid IQ), while patients who show preserved or compromised IQ do not show such decline (<10-point difference). Furthermore, the latter patients were divided into patients with preserved and compromised IQ based on an estimated premorbid IQ score >90 or below 90, respectively. We have recently shown the distribution of ID in a large cohort of schizophrenia patients. Consistent with previous studies, approximately 30% of schizophrenia patients had a decline of less than 10 points, i.e., normal intellectual performance. In contrast, approximately 70% of patients showed deterioration of IQ. These results indicate that there is a subgroup of schizophrenia patients who have mild or minimal intellectual deficits, following the onset of the disorder. Therefore, a careful assessment of ID is important in identifying appropriate interventions, including medications, cognitive remediation, and social/community services.

An investigation of clear speech effects on articulatory kinematics in talkers with ALS

ABSTRACTAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) affects the speech motor system and causes a substantial decline in intelligibility. Clear speech strategies have been found to benefit intelligibility in talkers with dysarthria and the purpose of this study was to examine clear speech effects on tongue, lip, and jaw movements in persons with ALS and healthy controls. For this purpose, participants produced 10 repetitions of the sentence ‘I owe you a yoyo’ using both habitual and clear speech. Movement variability as well as maximum speed, range, and duration of movement of the articulators were obtained for both conditions. The results show significantly lower jaw movement variability during habitual speech but greater variability for clear speech in ALS relative to controls. The kinematic data was consistent with expectations for individuals with dysarthria. Based on these results, clear speech may be considered a mode of speech that produces high movement variability in talkers with ALS.

Determinants of fluid intelligence in healthy aging: Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid status and frontoparietal cortex structure

Introduction: Accumulating evidence indicates that cognitive decline depends not only upon changes in brain health, but critically, also upon nutritional status. Decline in fluid intelligence, one of the most debilitating aspects of cognitive aging, has been linked to omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) status; however, it is not known whether this phenomenon results from specific omega-3 PUFAs acting on particular aspects of brain health. Therefore, this study aims to explore whether particular patterns of omega-3 PUFAs influence fluid intelligence by supporting specific neural structures.Methods: We measured six plasma phospholipid omega-3 PUFAs, fluid intelligence, and regional gray matter volume in the frontal and parietal cortices in 100 cognitively intact older adults (65–75 years old). A four-step mediation analysis was implemented using principal component analysis and multivariate linear regressions, adjusted for age, gender, education, and body mass index.Results: The mediation analysis revealed that one pattern of omega-3 PUFAs, consisting of alpha-linolenic acid, stearidonic acid, and eicosatrienoic acid, was linked to fluid intelligence, and that total gray matter volume of the left frontoparietal cortex (FPC) fully mediated the relationship between this omega-3 PUFA pattern and fluid intelligence.Discussion: These data demonstrate that fluid intelligence may be optimally supported by specific omega-3 PUFAs through preservation of FPC gray matter structure in cognitively intact older adults. This report provides novel evidence for the benefits of particular omega-3 PUFA patterns on fluid intelligence and underlying gray matter structure.

SA42. Impact of Intelligence Decline on Work Outcome in Patients With Schizophrenia

SA42. Impact of Intelligence Decline on Work Outcome in Patients With Schizophrenia

Hidden hearing loss and computational models of the auditory pathway: Predicting speech intelligibility decline

Recent animal studies have shown that noise exposures cause a permanent loss of low spontaneous rate auditory nerve fibers (ANFs) and reduction of auditory brainstem response wave-I amplitudes (Kujawa and Liberman, 2009). This phenomenon is thought to create difficulties understanding speech in noise in humans, although there is currently no established clinical technique to measure cochlear synaptopathy. The goal of this research is to utilize computational models of the auditory periphery and auditory cortex to study the effect of low spontaneous rate ANF loss on the cortical representation of speech intelligibility in noise. The auditory-periphery model of Zilany et al. (2009, 2014) is used to make predictions of auditory nerve responses to speech stimuli in noise. The resulting cochlear neurogram, a spectrogram-like output based on ANF outputs, is then used as a foundation for two different but related cortical representations of speech: the Spectro-Temporal Modulation Index (STMI; Elihali et al., 200...

Predicting Speech Intelligibility Decline in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Based on the Deterioration of Individual Speech Subsystems.

PurposeTo determine the mechanisms of speech intelligibility impairment due to neurologic impairments, intelligibility decline was modeled as a function of co-occurring changes in the articulatory, resonatory, phonatory, and respiratory subsystems.MethodSixty-six individuals diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) were studied longitudinally. The disease-related changes in articulatory, resonatory, phonatory, and respiratory subsystems were quantified using multiple instrumental measures, which were subjected to a principal component analysis and mixed effects models to derive a set of speech subsystem predictors. A stepwise approach was used to select the best set of subsystem predictors to model the overall decline in intelligibility.ResultsIntelligibility was modeled as a function of five predictors that corresponded to velocities of lip and jaw movements (articulatory), number of syllable repetitions in the alternating motion rate task (articulatory), nasal airflow (resonatory), maximum fundamental frequency (phonatory), and speech pauses (respiratory). The model accounted for 95.6% of the variance in intelligibility, among which the articulatory predictors showed the most substantial independent contribution (57.7%).ConclusionArticulatory impairments characterized by reduced velocities of lip and jaw movements and resonatory impairments characterized by increased nasal airflow served as the subsystem predictors of the longitudinal decline of speech intelligibility in ALS. Declines in maximum performance tasks such as the alternating motion rate preceded declines in intelligibility, thus serving as early predictors of bulbar dysfunction. Following the rapid decline in speech intelligibility, a precipitous decline in maximum performance tasks subsequently occurred.

The secular decline in general intelligence from decreasing developmental stability: Theoretical and empirical considerations

The g-loss predicted based on genetic selection is smaller than that observed across various ratio-scale measures of cognitive ability. The difference may result in part from the accumulation of deleterious mutations across generations, reducing g via their effects on developmental stability/fitness. Previously published secular trend data on a developmental stability measure, craniofacial fluctuating asymmetry (FA) size, for white US males and females covering 14 and 15 decades respectively, are re-analysed. When the secular increases in FA size are rescaled as declines in latent developmental stability, and multiplied by the validity and reliability adjusted developmental stability-g correlation, g-losses of −.16 points per decade are predicted for the males, females and the combined sample. Predicted fitness losses due to mutation accumulation may account for 30% of the generational decline (−.05 points per decade), indicating only a small role for mutations in secular g-loss. The remaining 70% (−.11 points per decade) may result from developmental stability disrupting environmental change, such as increased exposure to pollutants. Adding these to the g-loss due to selection (re-estimated at −.54 points per decade) yields a combined decadal loss of −.70 points. Additional adjustments for replacement migration and the generation length-g interaction yield a larger magnitude decadal g-loss of −1.25 points.

Was the Cro-Magnon the Most Intelligent Modern Human?

When comparing the current IQ maps of Europe and the Near/Middle East with the maps showing the proportion of DNA inherited from Neolithic farmers, we notice that IQ is increasingly lower as Neolithic genetic inheritance is greater. This suggests that the transition from the Palaeolithic to the Neolithic might have led to a decline of intelligence, as Robert Klark Graham (1970) claimed, and that human intelligence had reached its peak with the Cro-Magnons. Comparing the same IQ maps with the geographic advance of the Neolithic and of complex post-Neolithic civilizations, we notice that the average IQ today is lower in regions that had an earlier entrance into the Neolithic and into complex civilization, suggesting that genotypic intelligence declined during or after the Neolithic, as maintained by Elmer Pendell (1977), and as demonstrated for modern Western civilization by Richard Lynn (1996) and confirmed recently by molecular evidence (Beauchamp, 2016; Conley et al., 2016). Studies of ancient DNA can test this theory of intelligence decline in the near future. Key Words: Genotypic intelligence; Natural selection; IQ maps; Neolithic revolution; Civilizations; Polygenic scores; Allele frequency; DUF1220

Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Outcomes in Children With Sepsis-Associated Encephalopathy Admitted to Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

The authors prospectively compared the neurodevelopmental and behavioral outcomes in 50 consecutive children with sepsis-associated encephalopathy admitted to intensive care unit with healthy controls. Children with sepsis-associated encephalopathy had significantly worse mean verbal IQ, full-scale IQ, General Development Score, and its physical, adaptive, social-emotional, cognitive, and communication subscales. Significant proportion of cases (52% vs 32% in controls) had low intelligence. Decline in school performance (44%), disobedience (28%), and stubbornness/irritable behavior (26%) were the most common behavior changes. Children with Glasgow Coma Scale score ≤10 and ≤8 had impairments in full-scale IQ even though overall Glasgow Coma Scale score did not show significant correlation with developmental outcomes. In conclusion, children with sepsis-associated encephalopathy have delayed neurodevelopment, low verbal IQ, decline in school performance and low intelligence at short-term follow-up. Irritability, shock and duration of sedation are associated with poor behavioral outcomes, especially scholastic performance.

A Comparison of Intelligence Quotient in Children with and without β-Thalassemia Major

Background: Thalassemia is the most common hemoglobinopathy worldwide. Children with β-thalassemia major have several risk factors for cognitive problems. The aim of this study is to evaluate intelligence quotient in children with β-thalassemia major and healthy counterparts using Wechsler Intelligence Scale. Materials and Methods: Within a case-control design and using convenience sampling method, the present study was carried out in Zahedan and Shiraz in 2012. Participants were matched based on their age, gender and city of residence (40 children with β-thalassemia major and 40 healthy children aging 6 to 12 years. Wechsler Intelligence Scale Revised (WISC-R) was used to find the participants’ Verbal Performance and Full intelligence scores. The scores of the two groups were then compared using descriptive analysis and independent t-test. Results: As compared with their healthy counterparts, children with β-thalassemia major had lower scores on both Verbal Scale and Full Scale (P&lt;0.01); however, the difference between the two groups’ scores on Performance Scale fell short of significance. Conclusions: Intelligence decline does not necessarily occur in children with β-thalassemia. They are just slightly lower than their healthy counterarts and they need to receive more attention in education in order to improve. [GMJ.2015;4(4):130-31]

Multi-time resolution analysis of speech: evidence from psychophysics.

How speech signals are analyzed and represented remains a foundational challenge both for cognitive science and neuroscience. A growing body of research, employing various behavioral and neurobiological experimental techniques, now points to the perceptual relevance of both phoneme-sized (10–40 Hz modulation frequency) and syllable-sized (2–10 Hz modulation frequency) units in speech processing. However, it is not clear how information associated with such different time scales interacts in a manner relevant for speech perception. We report behavioral experiments on speech intelligibility employing a stimulus that allows us to investigate how distinct temporal modulations in speech are treated separately and whether they are combined. We created sentences in which the slow (~4 Hz; Slow) and rapid (~33 Hz; Shigh) modulations—corresponding to ~250 and ~30 ms, the average duration of syllables and certain phonetic properties, respectively—were selectively extracted. Although Slow and Shigh have low intelligibility when presented separately, dichotic presentation of Shigh with Slow results in supra-additive performance, suggesting a synergistic relationship between low- and high-modulation frequencies. A second experiment desynchronized presentation of the Slow and Shigh signals. Desynchronizing signals relative to one another had no impact on intelligibility when delays were less than ~45 ms. Longer delays resulted in a steep intelligibility decline, providing further evidence of integration or binding of information within restricted temporal windows. Our data suggest that human speech perception uses multi-time resolution processing. Signals are concurrently analyzed on at least two separate time scales, the intermediate representations of these analyses are integrated, and the resulting bound percept has significant consequences for speech intelligibility—a view compatible with recent insights from neuroscience implicating multi-timescale auditory processing.

Decline of General Intelligence in Children Exposed to Manganese from Mining Contamination in Puyango River Basin, Southern Ecuador.

Based on ecosystem approaches to health (Ecohealth), this study sought to identify neurobehavioral disorders in children exposed to several levels of toxic metal pollution from gold mining in the Puyango River Basin, Southern Ecuador. Ninety-three children born or living in the study area participated in the study. A neurobehavioral test battery consisting of 12 tests assessing various functions of the nervous system was applied as well as a questionnaire regarding events of exposure of children's mothers to contaminants during perinatal period. Hair samples were taken from children to determine manganese concentrations. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied in order to examine possible relationships between exposure events, hair manganese, and neurobehavioral disorders. Having controlled co-variables such as age and educational level, it was found that children with elevated levels of hair manganese (over 2 μg/g) had poor performance in the test of general intelligence (Raven's Progressive Color Matrices Scale PCM). The Ecohealth approach helped to identify that children in the lower Puyango Basin with very elevated levels of manganese in the river water (970 µg/L) are the ones who have the highest levels of hair manganese and the worst performance in the intelligence test.

Selective Emigration, Roman Catholicism and the Decline of Intelligence in the Republic of Ireland

Previous studies have shown that the mean IQ in the Republic of Ireland is 93 in relation to 100 for Britain and the rest of central and northern Europe. New evidence is presented giving an IQ of 88.3 in Ireland and therefore confirming this estimate. It is proposed that the causes of this lower IQ lies principally in the selective emigration of those with higher IQs over the course of several generations, with a smaller contribution from the dysgenic effect of Roman Catholicism.

Neurocognitive Function in Children After Anterior Temporal Lobectomy With Amygdalohippocampectomy

BackgroundWe assessed the postoperative neurocognitive function after temporal lobectomy in children with temporal lobe epilepsy. MethodsThis was a retrospective analysis of the data of 20 patients with Engel's class I or II outcomes after anterior temporal lobectomy with amygdalohippocampectomy between 2005 and 2008. Twenty children underwent resection of either dominant (n = 8) or nondominant (n = 12) temporal lobes, and their median age at surgery was 12.8 ± 3.2 years. We serially assessed intelligence and memory function as measured by the Korean-Wechsler Scales of Intelligence and Rey-Kim Memory test both before and after surgery. ResultsIntelligence quotient (IQ) and memory quotient scores remained stable during a 3.6-year median follow-up in these children after the surgery. There was no decrease of IQ or memory quotient scores in either the dominant or non-dominant hemisphere groups. Later onset of epilepsy, a shorter epilepsy duration, a smaller number of antiepileptic drugs, and postoperative seizure-free outcomes were significant good predictors of the postoperative IQ. ConclusionTemporal lobectomy in children did not provoke a significant decline in intelligence or memory function. Early surgical treatment in children with intractable seizures of temporal lobe origin may result in better neurocognitive outcomes.