Prospective Memory Impairment Research Articles

Comparison of retrospective and prospective memory in subtypes of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Retrospective and prospective memory deficits play a role in maintaining and perpetuating the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but less is known about these deficits in different subtypes of OCD. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the retrospective and prospective memory in patients suffering from cleaning, checking, symmetry, and religious obsessions. In a comparative causal method, 60 participants aged 28 to 55, in 2023, were selected by convenience sampling and placed in five groups of individuals with cleaning, checking, symmetry, religious obsessions, and a healthy group. Participants completed self-report questionnaires and neurocognitive tools. Results showed that defects in retrospective memory were significant in all types of obsessions (p<0.05) except religious obsessions. Also, this defect was more severe in checking obsession disorder compared to other types of OCD. Also, the finding indicated that the defect in prospective memory was significant only in checking obsession disorder (p<0.05). Retrospective and prospective memory impairments and their relationship with deficits in executive functions can be different depending on the type of OCD. Based on the findings, impairment of executive function indirectly by impacting the impairment of other cognitive mechanisms diminishes confidence in retrospective and prospective memory which leads to compulsive behaviors in individuals with contamination and checking obsessions. Also, the impairment of retrospective memory in symmetry obsessions might have a relationship with information encoding, which in turn leads to difficulty recalling information from memory.

Effect of multiple sclerosis and aging on prospective memory using the ecological test of prospective memory.

Prospective memory (PM) is the ability to remember to produce an action at a specific moment in the future signaled by the occurrence of a specific event (event-based [EB] condition), a time or a time interval (time-based [TB] condition). Detection of the appropriate moment corresponds to the prospective component, while production of the appropriate action corresponds to the retrospective component. Although PM difficulties have been reported in healthy aging and in association with multiple sclerosis (MS), PM has not been examined in older persons with MS (PwMS). The main objective of this study was to investigate whether the decline in PM performance with advancing age is influenced by the presence of MS. This study also aimed to clarify the type of PM impairment (prospective vs. retrospective component in TB and EB conditions) in MS as a function of age. A total of 80 participants were recruited and separated into four groups: older PwMS (n = 20), younger PwMS (n = 20), older controls (n = 20), and younger controls (n = 20). PM and its components were measured using the Test Ecologique de Mémoire Prospective (TEMP), an experimental ecological tool using naturalistic stimuli developed by our laboratory that has been validated in previous studies. On the TEMP total score, a two-way analysis of covariance showed a main effect of age, a main effect of the presence of MS, as well as a significant Age × Disease interaction. Direct comparison between EB and TB conditions revealed that for the prospective component, only older PwMS had more difficulty in the TB than in the EB condition, whereas the retrospective component score was significantly lower in the TB than in the EB condition in all groups except in younger controls. The TEMP revealed a marked impairment in PM in older PwMS compared to older controls and young PwMS. This impairment was particularly evident on the prospective component in the TB condition. Retrospective difficulties noted in the TB condition in all, but younger controls reflect the arbitrary nature of the cue-action link that is particularly sensitive to episodic memory difficulties often observed in aging and MS. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Sex, executive function, and prospective memory regulate the chain-mediation pathway of alcohol use and impulsivity.

Evidence from previous studies indicates that impulsive behaviors are closely linked to alcohol use and misuse and that female drinkers are more impulsive than male drinkers. However, studies investigating the psychological mechanisms of alcohol use and impulsivity based on sex differences are relatively limited. This cross-sectional study comprised 713 residents from 16 cities in Anhui Province, China. Each subject was evaluated for self-reporting measures using several questionnaires, including the general information questionnaire, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRM), the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version (BRIEF-A), and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11). Executive function and prospective memory may serve as intermediary links between alcohol use and impulsivity. Although the female alcohol usage level was significantly lower than that of males, the female drinkers had more severe executive dysfunction, prospective memory impairment, and impulsivity than male drinkers. Sex moderated the relationship between alcohol use and impulsivity. Furthermore, the indirect effect of executive function, and prospective memory between AUDIT and BIS was more significant in males than in females. Alcohol consumption may be associated with impulsivity formation through executive dysfunction and PM impairment, implying that impulsivity in those with AUD or at risk for AUD might be treated by improving EF and PM. Alcohol use may cause more severe executive dysfunction, PM impairment, and impulsive behavior in females than in males, and impulsive behavior in women with AUD was more likely to be due to the direct effects of alcohol consumption, while impulsive behavior in men with AUD was more likely to be due to the indirect effects of executive dysfunction and PM impairment. These findings provide both clinical and theoretical foundations for addressing issues related to alcohol use.

Exploring the Relationship between Emotional Valence and Prospective Memory Metamemory in Younger and Older Adults

Prospective memory (PM) plays a crucial role in daily autonomy. Metamemory and emotional valence have both been shown to influence PM performance in younger and older adults. However, when considered together, the relationship between emotional valence, metamemory, and PM has not been examined yet, especially whether metamemory PM representations develop with task experience (i.e., before versus after performing a task). We collected data from 25 younger and 19 older adults using an event-based PM task with emotional cues (positive, negative, or neutral). Results revealed that younger adults’ predictions underestimated performance for neutral and negative cues. After performing the task, they showed more accurate representations for neutral cues, indicating that they monitored their representations. Older adults’ predictions overestimated performance for negative PM cues, and they did not modify representations after performing the task. Thus, we do not find evidence that older adults are able to coherently monitor their PM representations. These findings highlight the importance of understanding PM representations, especially in older adults, as they may lead to less strategy use and more impaired PM performance in negative everyday situations.

Time-Based and Event-Based Prospective Memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Prospective memory (PM) is the ability to remember to perform planned actions in a future moment and it is of fundamental importance for an independent and autonomous lifestyle from development to late adulthood. Deficits in episodic memory and executive functions, which are involved in PM are characteristic features of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Considering that the number of older adults is drastically increasing over the next decades, it is of great interest to understand how PM decline in healthy older adults and patients with different degree of cognitive decline. The present meta-analysis included 46 studies investigating PM performance in AD patients (17 studies) and people with MCI (24 studies); 5 studies included both clinical conditions in the same article. The 46 studies contributed a total of 63 independent samples and 129 effect sizes from 4668 participants (2115 patients and 2553 controls). Unlike previous reviews of the literature, our results with a larger and updated sample of studies confirmed lower PM abilities in AD compared to MCI and controls, although we did not observe conclusive differences between event-based and time-based PM in patients. Surprisingly, PM deficits shown by MCI and AD patients have decreased across years, in parallel to a reduction of the evidence of publication bias and an increase in the number of observations per task. We propose the use of more reliable research designs as one plausible explanation for the reduction of PM impairments.

36 Assessing the Effect of Multiple Sclerosis and Aging Using an Ecological test of Prospective Memory

Objective:Prospective memory (PM) is the ability to remember to produce an action at a specific moment in the future signaled by the occurrence of a specific event (EB condition), a time or a time interval (TB condition). Detection of the appropriate moment corresponds to the prospective component (PC), while production of the appropriate action corresponds to the retrospective (RC) component. Although PM difficulties have been reported in healthy aging and in association with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), PM has not been examined in elderly people with MS (PwMS), which is particularly relevant since their life expectancy has improved significantly in recent years due to available treatments, and PM is essential to daily functioning. The main objective of this study was to investigate whether the decline in PM performance with advancing age is influenced by the presence of multiple sclerosis (MS). This study also aimed to clarify the type of PM impairment (PC vs RC in TB and EB conditions) in MS as a function of age.Participants and Methods:A total of 80 participants were recruited and separated into four groups: elderly PwMS (n = 20), young PwMS (n = 20), elderly healthy controls (HC) (n = 20) and young HC (n = 20). PM and its components were measured using the TEMP, an experimental ecological tool developed by our laboratory that has been validated in previous studies. In addition, all participants underwent a series of neuropsychological tests specific to MS (MACIFMS) and aging (Boston Naming Test, Clock Drawing Test, Towers of London, Trail making Test, Stroop, MoCA).Results:On the TEMP total score, a two-way ANOVA showed a main effect of age (F[1,75]=47.4, p&lt;0.001, n2 = .40), a main effect of the presence of MS (F[1,75]=19.51, p&lt;0.001, n2 = .21) as well as a significant Age X Disease interaction (F[2,74] =5.40, p=0.023, n2 = .07). Direct comparison between EB and TB conditions revealed that for the PC, only elderly PwMS had more difficulty in the TB than in the EB condition (Z = -2.51, p = 0.012), whereas RC score was significantly lower in the TB than in the EB condition in all groups except in younger controls (younger PwMS : Z = -2.56, p = 0.01; elderly HC : Z = -3.31, p &lt; 0.001; elderly PwMS :Z = -3.04, p = 0.002).Conclusions:The TEMP revealed a marked impairment in PM in elderly PwMS compared to elderly HC and young PwMS. This impairment was particularly evident on the PC component in the TB condition. RC difficulties noted in the TB condition in all but younger controls reflect the arbitrary nature of the cue-action link that is particularly sensitive to episodic memory difficulties often observed in aging and MS.

5 Longer Prospective Memory Delays Independently Predict Severity of Functional Decline in TBI

Objective:Prospective memory (PM) tasks are common in everyday life and have been implicated in optimal daily functioning. However, less is known about the parameters of PM tasks that most influence functional decline, as well as the domains of everyday functioning most sensitive to PM impairment. The present study sought to examine these questions in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI).Participants and Methods:Participants included 30 adults with chronic moderate-to-severe TBI who were at least one year removed from their injury (median [IQR] = 8.1 years [10.8]). Participants completed the Memory for Intentions Test (MIST), which is a 30-minute task that assesses time- and event-based PM with varying cue-intention delay length (2 versus 15 min) in the context of an ongoing task. Total scores were generated for each delay length and cue type. Additionally, participants completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, including assessments of processing speed, executive functions, attention, working memory, verbal fluency, and episodic learning and memory. Participants also completed questionnaires of self-reported cognitive and everyday functioning, including the Functional Behavior Profile (FBP), Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) and a modified Lawton &amp; Brody Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) Scale, which separately assessed 11 domains of everyday functioning.Results:Pearson’s r correlations revealed that total number of domains showing decline on the modified Lawton &amp; Brody IADL scale was strongly correlated with MIST 15-min delay (MIST-15; r=-0.503, p=0.005), such that worse PM performance on long delay items was associated with more domains of IADL decline; this relationship was also reflected in the MIST Total Score (r=-0.389; p=0.033). No other MIST index was associated with IADL decline (ps&gt;0.10). MIST-15 did not significantly correlate with any other measure of self-reported functioning (PRMQ, FBP; all ps&gt;0.10), but was associated with specific declines in buying groceries (p=0.009), performing home repairs (p=0.021), shopping (p=0.033), and doing laundry (p=0.035). Relationships at a trend level included declines in housekeeping (p=0.05), managing finances (p=0.097), cooking (p=0.092), and taking medication (p=0.066). To determine specificity of the relationship between MIST-15 and everyday functioning, a linear regression was conducted using covariates that were significantly correlated with total number of domains of IADL decline (i.e., Selective Reminding Test total learning trials, CVLT-II Long Delay Free Recall, Symbol Digit Modalities Test total). This regression was statistically significant [F(4,24)=4.263; p=0.10; R2=0.415), and MIST-15 remained an independent predictor (p=0.047; R2 change=0.107).Conclusions:Results suggest that the ability to remember to carry out intended actions after longer delay periods may be uniquely related to severity of declines in everyday functioning. Longer PM delays place higher demands on both memory and executive processes, as the encoded intention must survive a longer decay wherein monitoring for the appropriate cue is extended, and likely better mimic PM tasks in daily life (e.g., remembering to pick up milk after the workday). In light of these findings, clinicians may seek to include brief trials of long delay PM tasks as part of a comprehensive battery to screen for functional decline.

The perspectives of participants with traumatic brain injury on prospective memory rehabilitation incorporating compensatory and metacognitive skills training

ObjectivePatient feedback is rarely gathered systematically in cognitive rehabilitation research. This study examined the perceptions and experiences of people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who participated in a trial of a 6-session educational program for the rehabilitation of prospective memory (PM) impairment. MethodsA mixed methods design was used with 47 participants with TBI who completed a compensatory strategy training program (COMP) or COMP plus metacognitive strategy training program (COMP-MST) delivered by an occupational therapist. Data were collected via a participant survey, extracts from progress notes, and audiotaped discussions about learnings from the program during the final session. ResultsParticipants from both programs were highly satisfied and perceived improvements in everyday PM performance post-intervention. Elements that were highly valued include setting individualised client-centred goals, repetitive training of strategy use, establishing habits and routines, and receiving experiential, verbal, and written feedback.Changes including more therapy sessions were recommended. ConclusionsBoth the COMP and COMP-MST programs were perceived as effective by participants with TBI in improving their PM performance in everyday life using compensatory strategies such as assistive technology. Practice implicationsRoutine collection of patient feedback on cognitive rehabilitation can provide valuable information to support person-centred implementation of clinical practice guidelines.

Parietal cortical alpha/beta suppression during prospective memory retrieval.

Prospective memory (PM) impairment is among the most frequent memory complaints, yet little is known about the underlying neural mechanisms. PM for a planned intention may be achieved through strategic monitoring of the environment for cues, involving ongoing attentional processes, or through spontaneous retrieval. We hypothesized that parietal spectral power modulation accompanies prospectively encoded intention retrieval, irrespective of PM retrieval approach. A cognitively engaging arithmetic-based ongoing task (OGT) was employed to encourage spontaneous retrieval, with a focal, internally generated PM cue to eliminate OGT/PM trial differentiation based on perceptual or conceptual PM cue features. Two PM repetition frequencies were used to vary the extent of strategic monitoring. We observed a transient parietal alpha/beta spectral power reduction directly preceding the response, which was distinguishable on a single trial basis, as revealed by an OGT/PM trial classification rate exceeding 70% using linear discriminant analysis. The alpha/beta idling rhythm reflects cortical inhibition. A disengagement of task-relevant neural assemblies from this rhythm, reflected in alpha/beta power reduction, is deemed to increase information content, facilitate information integration, and enable engagement of neural assemblies in task-related cortical networks. The observed power reduction is consistent with the Dual Pathways model, where PM strategies converge at the PM retrieval stage.

Associations between intraindividual reaction time variability and prospective memory performance in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls

ABSTRACT Introduction: Patients with schizophrenia exhibit prospective memory (PM) impairment. Intraindividual reaction time variability (IIRTV) is an index of attentional control that is required for PM. This study examined the differences in IIRTV between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls and the relationship between IIRTV and PM performance. Method: Thirty-nine patients with schizophrenia and forty-two healthy controls were recruited to complete a PM task and the Sustained Attention to Response Task. IIRTV was calculated as the coefficient of variation (mean/SD) of reaction time over correctly responded trials in these tasks. Results: Patients with schizophrenia showed lower PM accuracy and increased IIRTV, while the associations between PM accuracy and IIRTV were significant in healthy controls but not in patients with schizophrenia. Conclusion: These findings suggest impaired PM and relationship between PM and attentional control in patients with schizophrenia.

Inhibitory dysfunction may cause prospective memory impairment in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients: an event-related potential study.

Prospective memory (PM) is the ability to remember future intentions, and PM function is closely related to independence in daily life, particularly in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). As PM involves various cognitive components of attention, working memory, inhibition and other executive functions, this study investigated how TLE may affect PM components and the underlying neural mechanisms. Sixty-four subjects were recruited, including 20 refractory TLE patients, 18 well-controlled TLE patients and 26 age-matched healthy controls. A set of neuropsychological tests was administered to assess specific brain functions. An event-related potential (ERP) task was used to further explore how PM and its components would be differentially affected in the two TLE types. Our findings revealed that: (1) refractory TLE patients scored lower than the healthy controls in the digit span, Verbal Fluency Test and Symbol Digit Modalities Test; (2) refractory TLE patients exhibited impaired PM performance and reduced prospective positivity amplitudes over the frontal, central and parietal regions in ERP experiments when compared to the healthy controls; and (3) decreased P3 amplitudes in the nogo trials were observed over the frontal-central sites in refractory but not in well-controlled TLE patients. To our knowledge, this is the first ERP study on PM that has specifically identified PM impairment in refractory but not in well-controlled TLE patients. Our finding of double dissociation in PM components suggests that inhibition dysfunction may be the main reason for PM deficit in refractory TLE patients. The present results have clinical implications for neuropsychological rehabilitation in TLE patients.

The deficient cue monitoring and the facilitating effect of prosocial intention on prospective memory in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders

The study aimed to investigate the cognitive processing of prospective memory (PM) in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) by using an eye-tracking paradigm. In addition, the facilitating effects of prosocial intention (the desire to help others) on PM in SSDs were also examined. In phase 1, 26 patients (group1) and 25 healthy controls (HCs) were compared in an eye-tracking PM paradigm in terms of the PM accuracy and eye-tracking indices. In phase 2, 21 more patients (group2) were recruited, and a prosocial intention was introduced in the eye-tracking PM paradigm. Their PM accuracy and eye-tracking indices were compared with those in group1. The PM cue monitoring was indicated by the total fixation counts and fixation time on distractor words. In phase 1, group1 showed lower PM accuracy, fewer fixation counts and less fixation time on distractor words than HCs. In phase 2, group2 (with prosocial intention) performed significantly better than group1 (with typical instruction) on both PM accuracy and fixation time on distractor words. In both groups of SSDs, the PM accuracy was significantly correlated with both the fixation counts and the fixation time of distractor words. After controlling for the cue monitoring indices, the difference in PM accuracy remained significant between group1 and HCs but disappeared between group1 and group2. The cue monitoring deficit contributes to the PM impairment in SSDs. The facilitating effect of prosocial intention disappears after the control of cue monitoring, also indicating its critical role in PM.

Intermediary roles of prospective memory and retrospective memory in the comorbidity of depression and pain

BackgroundPatients who suffer comorbidity of major depressive disorder (MDD) and chronic pain (CP) maintain a complex interplay between maladaptive prospective memory (PM) and retrospective memory (RM) with physical pain, and...

Prospective Memory, Sustained Attention and Response Inhibition in Poly-Substance Users Stable on Methadone Maintenance Treatment

Background: Prospective memory and response inhibition are interrelated constructs, though studied separately in the drug addiction literature. Also, although sustained attention underlies response inhibition, its role in the relation between these functions has been largely neglected. The limited research on the cognitive effects of methadone-maintenance treatment (MMT) further stresses the importance of investigating these effects. Objective: Therefore, the current study focused on possible effects of MMT combined with long-term drug abuse on all these functions. Thirty five long term opiate/poly-substance users in MMT and thirty four drug-free controls were screened for socioeconomic status, anxiety, depression and general, non-verbal intelligence and then tested on a self-report measure of prospective memory and on the Go/No-Go task. Results: Compared to controls, the MMT group scored worse in all functions assessed. Prospective memory scores were also negatively related to Go/NoGo accuracy scores. Conclusion: As predicted, (a) the MMT participants show impairments in prospective memory, sustained attention and response inhibition and (b) prospective memory, response inhibition and sustained attention are related constructs. The results of this study could inform current rehabilitation and relapse prevention cognitive training practices.

INCOG 2.0 Guidelines for Cognitive Rehabilitation Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Part V: Memory.

Memory impairments affecting encoding, acquisition, and retrieval of information after moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) have debilitating and enduring functional consequences. The interventional research reviewed primarily focused on mild to severe memory impairments in episodic and prospective memory. As memory is a common focus of cognitive rehabilitation, clinicians should understand and use the latest evidence. Therefore, the INCOG ("International Cognitive") 2014 clinical practice guidelines were updated. An expert panel of clinicians/researchers reviewed evidence published since 2014 and developed updated recommendations for intervention for memory impairments post-TBI, a decision-making algorithm, and an audit tool for review of clinical practice. The interventional research approaches for episodic and prospective memory from 2014 are synthesized into 8 recommendations (6 updated and 2 new). Six recommendations are based on level A evidence and 2 on level B. In summary, they include the efficacy of choosing individual or multiple internal compensatory strategies, which can be delivered in a structured or individualized program. Of the external compensatory strategies, which should be the primary strategy for severe memory impairment, electronic reminder systems such as smartphone technology are preferred, with technological advances increasing their viability over traditional systems. Furthermore, microprompting personal digital assistant technology is recommended to cue completion of complex tasks. Memory strategies should be taught using instruction that considers the individual's functional and contextual needs while constraining errors. Memory rehabilitation programs can be delivered in an individualized or mixed format using group instruction. Computer cognitive training should be conducted with therapist guidance. Limited evidence exists to suggest that acetylcholinesterase inhibitors improve memory, so trials should include measures to assess impact. The use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is not recommended for memory rehabilitation. These recommendations for memory rehabilitation post-TBI reflect the current evidence and highlight the limitations of group instruction with heterogeneous populations of TBI. Further research is needed on the role of medications and tDCS to enhance memory.

Prospective e memory impairment related to cancer: a systematic review

Cognitive complaints and alterations related to cancer may reduce well-being, quality of life, and daily functioning. More recently, prospective memory (PM), i.e., the ability to plan a future intention, to maintain it during a variable delay time in which people are typically engaged in other tasks, and to retrieve it when the expected circumstances arise, has fostered increased attention in cancer research. Examples are to remember to ask for a certain information during a medical appointment (event-based PM/EBPM) or to take medication at certain hours (time-based PM/TBPM). This work aimed to provide an overview of the main findings related to PM functioning in people with history of cancer. A qualitative systematic review of the literature was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines and 20 articles published between 2000 and 2020 were included. People with cancer history (vs. healthy controls) tended to report more PM complaints and worst objective PM performance, especially when considering EBPM tasks. Some treatments such as chemotherapy, androgen deprivation therapy, and radiotherapy negatively impacted PM. Importantly, changes in PM were associated with lower quality of life. Also, fatigue and depression appeared to contribute to PM impairment. A puzzling finding was the lack of association between objective and subjective measures of PM, which implies that different facets might underly cancer-related PM changes. Taken together, the inclusion of PM measures when probing cancer-related cognitive impairment is relevant not only to better assess and characterize the cancer experience across time, but also to inform interventions and cognitive rehabilitation approaches.

Sleep-dependent memory consolidation in breast cancer: Use of a virtual reality prospective memory task.

BackgroundPrevious studies have revealed both sleep alterations and prospective memory (PM) impairments in breast cancer (BC) patients. PM refers to memory of intended actions and is crucial for daily living tasks and treatment compliance. As sleep is known to favor memory consolidation, one may expect that changes in sleep quality related to BC would have an impact on PM performance. This study aimed at assessing sleep-dependent consolidation of intentions using an ecological, virtual reality-based PM task in BC patients not treated with chemotherapy.Materials and methodsThirty-seven early stages BC patients and 21 healthy controls (HC) participated in this study. PM was assessed using a virtual reality task, during which participants learnt a list of intentions and recalled them after a retention interval filled with a day awake or a night of sleep monitored by polysomnography. Sleep spindles and slow waves, brain oscillations involved in sleep-dependent memory consolidation, were quantified automatically using the Aseega software (Physip). Subjective sleep disturbances and markers of quality of life (psychological distress, fatigue, and well-being) were assessed by questionnaires.ResultsGreater PM performance was observed after sleep than after an equivalent period of daytime wakefulness for both groups (HC and BC). PM performance after sleep did not differ significantly between groups. Yet, BC patients reported greater sleep disturbances than HC which were related with poorer intentions retrieval, greater psychological distress, fatigue and poorer well-being. The frequency of spindles was higher and the amplitude of slow waves lower in BC patients compared to HC. However, no significant association was observed between polysomnography parameters and PM scores in the whole sample of participants.ConclusionAlthough subtle changes in brain oscillations involved in sleep-dependent memory consolidation were observed, these changes did not significantly impair overnight PM consolidation in BC patients. Nevertheless, poorer PM performance was associated with greater sleep complaints which in turn were related to poorer quality of life. Overall, these data suggest that sleep-dependent PM consolidation mechanisms are not altered in early stages BC patients not treated with chemotherapy. Further investigations are needed to understand the association between markers of quality of life and sleep-dependent memory consolidation.

Efficacy of Prospective Memory Rehabilitation Plus Metacognitive Skills Training for Adults With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Prospective memory (PM) failure can limit independence and productivity following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Compensatory strategy use may ameliorate the effect of PM impairment on daily life but requires sufficient self-awareness. Metacognitive skills training (MST) can facilitate self-awareness and strategy use and may improve the efficacy of PM rehabilitation. Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of compensatory strategy training (COMP) with an MST component (COMP-MST) for reducing everyday PM failure and improving psychosocial integration in adults with moderate–severe TBI, compared to COMP alone and a control condition. Secondary aims were to evaluate the effect of training on psychometric PM test scores, strategy use, self-awareness, and level of care. Methods Assessor and participant-blinded randomized controlled trial with 52 participants (77% male, mean age = 39.0. SD = 13.6) allocated to 3 groups: COMP-MST, COMP, and waitlist control. Interventions were delivered over 6 weekly sessions. Measures were collected pre- and post-intervention and 3-month follow-up. Data were analyzed using unstructured linear mixed-effects modeling for repeated measures and planned contrasts between time-points for each group. Results The models showed no significant differences between the groups on primary or secondary outcome measures. Significant pre–post intervention improvements were found for significant other’s ratings of everyday PM failure for both intervention groups but not the control group, with medium to large effect sizes. Clinically relevant improvements on primary outcomes were found for participants across all 3 groups. Conclusions This study found no significant benefits of combining MST with COMP for improving everyday PM and psychosocial integration. Clinical Trial Registration: Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry https://www.anzctr.org.au/ ACTRN12615000996561

Prospective Memory Influences Social Functioning in People With First-Episode Schizophrenia: A Network Analysis and Longitudinal Study.

Background: Prospective memory (PM) impairment is associated with impaired social functioning, but evidence is limited to chronic schizophrenia samples and cross-sectional design. The aim of this study was to utilize network analysis to address the complex interplay between PM, psychopathology, and functional outcome.Methods: This longitudinal study recruited 119 people with first-episode DSM-IV schizophrenia and followed up with them for 2 to 6 years. PM and working memory were assessed at baseline (in 2010-2015) using valid computerized tasks and the Letter-Number Span Test, respectively. Psychopathology and social functioning were assessed at endpoint (in 2016-2017) using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS), respectively. Network analysis examined the effect of baseline PM on SOFAS while accounting for the effects of psychopathology.Results: The resultant network showed that social functioning, PANSS positive symptoms, and PANSS general symptoms clustered together, whereas time-based and event-based PM and working memory formed another cluster. Time-based PM linked event-based PM and working memory with social functioning. Time-based PM (expected influence [EI] = 0.69), event-based PM (EI = 0.65), and working memory (EI = 0.83) demonstrated high values of expected influence, but social functioning (variance explained = 0.685) and PANSS negative (variance explained = 0.657) and general (variance explained = 0.583) subscales demonstrated high values of predictability.Conclusions: Time-based PM is the central node linking neurocognitive functions with social functioning. PM and working memory are "target" nodes for interventions bringing changes to the network, whereas social functioning and psychopathology are "malleable" nodes. PM and working memory are promising intervention targets for functional recovery in schizophrenia.

The COMT Genetic Factor Regulates Chemotherapy-Related Prospective Memory Impairment in Survivors With HER2-/+ Breast Cancer.

BackgroundPrevious findings indicated that polymorphism in gene catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) had been linked to chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI). Nevertheless, the motivation of COMT polymorphisms in regulating cognitive impairment in breast cancer survivors with disparate status of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) was still vague.ObjectiveThe current research aimed to evaluate the regulation of the risk by COMT genotype on CRCI in breast cancer survivors with disparate status of HER2.MethodsBreast cancer survivors (103 with HER2− and 118 with HER2+) underwent neuropsychological tests before and after chemotherapy, containing event- and time-based prospective memory (EBPM and TBPM). Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were estimated by providing peripheral blood, containing COMT (rs165599, rs737865, and rs4680).ResultsThe EBPM and TBPM performances was lower as compared with these before chemotherapy (z = −7.712, z = −2.403, respectively, p < 0.01). Furthermore, the EBPM and TBPM performances of HER2− group survivors were lower than those of HER2+ group survivors after chemotherapy (z = −7.181, p < 0.01; z = −2.205 p < 0.05, respectively). The survivors with COMT (rs165599) A/A genotype carriers had a meaningfully poorer chance of memory descend [dominant model: adjusted, OR = 2.21, CI (95%) = 1.156–4.225, p = 0.016] and showed better on TBPM test, relative to G/G genotype. Patients with the COMT (rs737865) A/G and G/G genotype showed protective function than the patients with the A/A and performed better on MMSE and TBPM tests.ConclusionThe types of HER2 may be correlated to chemotherapy-related prospective memory impairments in breast cancer survivors. Furthermore, the COMT (rs165599, rs737865) polymorphisms were correlated to the risk of TBPM decline scores and possibly be a potential genetic identifying for increasing risk of CRCI in breast cancer patients with disparate status of HER2.