Neuropsychological Approach Research Articles

Нейропсихологическое исследование когнитивных функций у подростков с сахарным диабетом 1 типа

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) is a complex disease, in the model of responsible attitude to the treatment of which it is important to take into account cognitive characteristics that determine the ability to take responsibility for treatment in order to achieve glycemic control. Cognitive impairments can affect the quality of patients' self-control: they can be the reason for skipping injections, incorrect calculation of bread units, the required dose of insulin etc. The purpose of this research was to establish the features of the cognitive status of adolescents with DM1 in comparison with healthy adolescents from the point of view of the neuropsychological approach being developed in Russian psychology. Methods used: a single-center cross-sectional study of 38 patients with DM1 (13 boys/25 girls) and 30 conditionally healthy children (20 boys/10 girls) aged 12 to 17 y/o was conducted. The study was conducted on the bases of the Endocrinology Department No. 1 of the Russian Children's Clinical Hospital with the Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University of the Ministry of Healthcare of Russia (Moscow, Russia) and General Education School No. 1321 “Kovcheg” (Moscow, Russia) in May-Nov. 2023. The method of medical documentation analysis coupled with the psychodiagnostics method (battery of neuropsychological tests by A.R. Luria with a quantitative assessment of the results according to J.M. Glozman (2012)) were used. The duration of the examination was 60 to 75 minutes. Results: in the group of adolescents with DM1 compared with adolescents in the control group there were deficits in the domains of thinking (p≤0.05), memory (p≤0.01), neurodynamic indicators of mental activity (p=0.001), regulation and control (p=0.026), manual praxis (p=0.030) and spatial representations (p=0.001). Conclusion: the study results showed the need for timely correctional psychological classes for children with DM1 aimed at improving their cognitive functions. In the future, such classes could lead to an improvement in the quality of implementing a responsible attitude to health, improving glycemic control and DM1 compensation in general as well as reducing the number of complications in future life.

Айтрекинг в нейропсихологическом исследовании особенностей зрительного гнозиса детей с нарушением слуха

<p>The article is devoted to the problem of assessing the state of visual gnosis in children with hearing impairment in order to identify possible mechanisms for compensating for uneven development of mental functions and assessing the possibilities of remedial education. We combined the research potential of the classical neuropsychological approach with the eye-tracking methodology in order to study in detail through eye movements the uneven development of auditory, visual and verbal functions in information processing in children with hearing impairment. The task was to conduct not only a classical neuropsychological assessment of visual gnosis in children with hearing impairment, but also to obtain new data on eye tracking during neuropsychological tests. The study involved cochlearly implanted preschoolers with hearing impairment (N=15) and typically developing preschoolers (N=16) aged 5 to 7 years (M=6.1; SD=0.5). At the first stage, classical neuropsychological tests for visual gnosis were conducted, at the second stage, eye tracking was used to record eye movements during neuropsychological tests by preschoolers. Our study confirms the weakness of visual information processing processes during neuropsychological tests in children with hearing impairment. Analysis of eye movement strategies recorded by the eye tracker during neuropsychological tests allowed us to identify a number of features of visual information processing in children with hearing impairment: chaotic search, changes in the recognition sequence, decreased noticeability (“recognizability”) of images or decreased interest (duration of fixations and viewing), weakness of the holistic strategy and synthesis, fragmentation of perception. The duration of the scanning path, spatial density of fixations, scanning regularity, and scanning direction during image recognition differ. Features of the visual search strategy are observed in the number of switches, fixation time, and patterns of gaze transitions between areas of interest. In children with impairments, when performing tests for visual gnosis, an increase in the time of fixations is recorded, which indicates the cognitive complexity of perception. The combination of weakness in the processing of auditory and visual information leads to diffuseness, incorrectness of the correlation of the image of an object and its verbal designation due to the poverty of the vocabulary of children with hearing impairments.</p>

Bridging minds and machines in Industry 5.0: neurobiological approach.

In transitioning from Industry 4.0 to the forthcoming Industry 5.0, this research explores the fusion of the humanistic view and technological developments to redefine Continuing Engineering Education (CEE). Industry 5.0 introduces concepts like biomanufacturing and human-centricity, embodying the integration of sustainability and resiliency principles in CEE, thereby shaping the upskilling and reskilling initiatives for the future workforce. The interaction of sophisticated concepts such as Human-Machine Interface and Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) forms a conceptual bridge toward the approaching Fifth Industrial Revolution, allowing one to understand human beings and the impact of their biological development across diverse and changing workplace settings. Our research is based on recent studies into Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities taxonomies, linking these elements with dynamic labor market profiles. This work intends to integrate a biometric perspective to conceptualize and describe how cognitive abilities could be represented by linking a Neuropsychological test and a biometric assessment. We administered the brief Neuropsychological Battery in Spanish (Neuropsi Breve). At the same time, 15 engineering students used the Emotiv insight device that allowed the EEG recollection to measure performance metrics such as attention, stress, engagement, and excitement. The findings of this research illustrate a methodology that allowed the first approach to the cognitive abilities of engineering students to be from neurobiological and behavioral perspectives. Additionally, two profiles were extracted from the results. The first illustrates the Neuropsi test areas, its most common mistakes, and its performance ratings regarding the students' sample. The second profile shows the interaction between the EEG and Neuropsi test, showing engineering students' cognitive and emotional states based on biometric levels. The study demonstrates the potential of integrating neurobiological assessment into engineering education, highlighting a significant advancement in addressing the skills requirements of Industry 5.0. The results suggest that obtaining a comprehensive understanding of students' cognitive abilities is possible, and educational interventions can be adapted by combining neuropsychological approaches with EEG data collection. In the future, it is essential to refine these evaluation methods further and explore their applicability in different engineering disciplines. Additionally, it is necessary to investigate the long-term impact of these methods on workforce preparation and performance.

Cognition in Patients with Spinocerebellar Ataxia 1 (SCA1) and 2 (SCA2): A Neurophysiological and Neuropsychological Approach.

Background/Objectives: Cognitive impairment in spinocerebellar ataxia patients has been reported since the early-disease stage. We aimed to assess cognitive differences in SCA1 and SCA2 patients. Methods: We performed neuropsychological (NPS) and neurophysiological (auditory event-related potentials, aERPs) assessments in 16 SCA1 and 18 SCA2 consecutive patients. Furthermore, clinical information (age at onset, disease duration, motor disability) was collected. Results: NPS tests yielded scores in the normal range in both groups but with lower scores in the Frontal Assessment Battery (p < 0.05) and Visual Analogue Test for Anosognosia for motor impairment (p < 0.05) in SCA1, and the Trail Making Test (p < 0.01), Raven's progressive matrices (p < 0.01), Stroop (p < 0.05), and emotion attribution tests (p < 0.05) in SCA2. aERPs showed lower N100 amplitude (p < 0.01) and prolonged N200 latency (p < 0.01) in SCA1 compared with SCA2. Clinically, SCA2 had more severe motor disability than SCA1 in the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia Scale. Conclusions: SCA2 showed more significant difficulties in attentional, visuospatial, and emotional function, and greater motor impairment. In contrast, SCA1 showed less cognitive flexibility/phasic ability, probably affected by a more severe degree of dysarthria. The same group revealed less neural activity during nonconscious attentional processing (N100-N200 data), suggesting greater involvement of sensory pathways in discriminating auditory stimuli. NFS did not correlate with NPS findings, implying an independent relationship. However, the specific role of the cerebellum and cerebellar symptoms in NPS test results deserves more focus.

Assessing and recovering Alzheimer's disease: a comparative analysis of standard neuropsychological approaches and virtual reality interventions with the use of digital storytelling.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that predominantly affects the elderly population. Traditional assessment methods, including neuropsychological tests like the MMSE, have been the cornerstone of AD diagnosis for decades. These methods are grounded in a wealth of research and clinical experience, providing a robust framework for understanding the cognitive deficits of AD. The evolution of AD assessment and rehabilitation has recently been tackled with the introduction of Virtual Reality (VR) technologies. To evaluate the use of storytelling and reminiscence therapy in virtual reality programs as a complementary and enhancing modality alongside standard assessment and rehabilitation for Alzheimer's patients. To explore how regular interaction with VR narratives can slow cognitive decline or improve relevant features of cognitive functioning over the time. To propose a new assessment and rehabilitative tool based on the use of VR and digital storytelling. A comparative analysis of Standard Neuropsychological Approaches and Virtual Reality Interventions in patients with Alzheimer disorder was carried out. A literature overview on the empirical studies between 2019 and 2024 was conducted. We propose a new VR-based setup mediated by the use of storytelling for the assessment and recovery of AD. The employment of storytelling within VR programs for the assessment and rehabilitation of Alzheimer's disease can positively impact both the cognitive and emotional realms of patients, with beneficial outcomes on caregivers' and families' burden. The successful implementation of this approach requires careful consideration of accessibility, data interpretation, and standard validation protocols.

Mind reading dysfunctions in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: A neuropsychological approach.

Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) is a prevalent sleep-related breathing disorder that has been extensively studied for its effects on cognitive functions. However, little attention has been given to investigating Mind Reading (MR) skills in patients with OSAS. In this study, we employed a neuropsychological approach to thoroughly assess various facets of MR skills in patients with OSAS. Forty-two patients with untreated moderate or severe OSAS (AHI ≥15; 30 men, 12 women) and 16 healthy controls (7 men and 9 women), matched by age, were enrolled. To assess MR skills, we used: (i) The Story-based Empathy Task (SET), which includes three experimental conditions: identifying intentions (SET-IA), emotional states (SET-EA), and a control condition for inferring causality reactions (SET-CI); (ii) the Ekman 60 Faces Test (Ek60), which measures emotion recognition from facial expressions. Our findings revealed that patients with OSAS exhibit deficits in emotion-related MR skills, while their ability to make inferences about the cognitive states of social partners remains largely preserved. This finding corroborates previous evidence indicating that social cognition, particularly MR skills, may be one of the cognitive domains affected by OSAS. It emphasizes the significance of investigating social cognition and the relationship between MR skills and social functioning as a new and intriguing area of research in patients with OSAS.

Çevre Yanlısı Davranışlarla İlişkili Bilişsel İşlevlerin Nöropsikolojisi

The daily habits and behaviors of modern society people harm the environment more than expected. It is well known that in order to protect the inherent values of the natural assets of the world we live in, and to sustain the mutual interaction of people with the environment in a productive manner, necessary precautions should be taken to establish and maintain pro-environmental behaviors. However, people act in different levels of pro-environmental behavior. Although most of the people state that they have a pro-environmental attitude, they cannot transform their attitudes into actual behaviors in their daily lives for various reasons. Examining the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon, known as the attitude-behavior gap, may contribute to the development of interventions that can help to understand how these behaviors differ among individuals and to eliminate this difference between the observed pro-environmental behaviors. At this point, neuroscience studies can provide a more comprehensive explanation of the reasons for the behavioral differences between these individuals, by comparing the performance of individuals with and without pro-environmental behaviors and those who have adopted and not adopting the environmentalist view, on behavioral tasks, and by simultaneously examining the physiological responses that may be related to sustainable behavior. This article will discuss how neuroscience and neuropsychological approach can provide an explanation for these questions through their unique methods.

Test of Perception of Differences (CARAS-R): Analysis in A Sample of Peruvian Children and Adolescents

Objective: To examine differences in distributions of sustained attention (SA), impulsivity control index (ICI), errors of commission (Ec) and errors of omission (Eo) with respect to demographic variables (sex and school grade). To analyze differences at the secondary level in the regions of Peru. To relate age and school grade with AS and Eo. Theoretical framework: The study is centered on the theoretical model of Posner and Petersen (1990); considering a neuropsychological approach to development and a visual search paradigm. Method: It belongs to a quantitative approach, with a descriptive correlational scope and cross-sectional non-experimental design. The sampling was probabilistic by clusters, 6,564 students at the primary level and 4305 at the secondary level. Results and Discussion: In AS, ICI, Ec and Eo there are statistical differences according to sex and school grade. On the other hand, there were associations between AS and Eo according to age and school grade. Finally, statistical differences were obtained in AS, ICI and Eo according to the three regions of Peru. Implications of the research: The study provides new scientific evidence of attention in Peruvian children and adolescents. Originality/value: The study is based on the typification of the instrument in the Hogrefe TEA editions publishing house (Spain). Likewise, the results presented are unpublished and contribute to provide new information for psychopedagogues, psychologists and educators.

False memories in forensic psychology: do cognition and brain activity tell the same story?

One of the most important problems in forensic psychology is the impossibility of reliably discriminating between true and false memories when the only prosecution evidence comes from the memory of a witness or a victim. Unfortunately, both children and adults can be persuaded that they have been victims of past criminal acts, usually of a sexual nature. In adults, suggestion often occurs in the context of suggestive therapies based on the belief that traumatic events are repressed, while children come to believe and report events that never occurred as a result of repeated suggestive questioning. Cognitive Researchers have designed false memory paradigms (i.e., misinformation effect, Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm, event implantation paradigm) to first form false memories and then determine whether it is possible to reliably differentiate between false and true memories. In the present study, we review the contribution of cognitive research to the formation of false memories and the neuropsychological approaches aimed to discriminate between true and false memories. Based on these results, we analyze the applicability of the cognitive and neuropsychological evidence to the forensic setting.

Modulation of time in Parkinson's disease: a review and perspective on cognitive rehabilitation.

Time cognition is an essential function of human life, and the impairment affects a variety of behavioral patterns. Neuropsychological approaches have been widely demonstrated that Parkinson's disease (PD) impairs time cognitive processing. Many researchers believe that time cognitive deficits are due to the basal ganglia, including the striatum or subthalamic nucleus, which is the pathomechanism of PD, and are considered to produce only transient recovery due to medication effects. In this perspective, we focus on a compensatory property of brain function based on the improved time cognition independent of basal ganglia recovery and an overlapping structure on the neural network based on an improved inhibitory system by time cognitive training, in patients with PD. This perspective may lead to restoring multiple functions through single function training.

Neuropsychological assessment of the morphofunctional organization of humour perception processes

A review of studies analysing the process of humour perception under normal conditions and its disturbances in brain damage is presented. The perception of humour is considered to be a multicomponent mental activity that occurs through a series of cognitive and affective processes characterized by a specific brain organization. The results of studies on the perception of humour in healthy people and in patients with brain damage are largely inconsistent: neuroimaging studies confirm the important role of structures of both hemispheres of the brain, while clinical data indicate a significant contribution of structures of the right hemisphere to the perception of humour. Studies on humour perception in healthy individuals and clinical studies have found no differences between the neuronal correlates of verbal and non-verbal humour perception. A neuropsychological approach to the study of the structure of the process of humour perception may be important for diagnosis of affective and cognitive disorders in patients with brain damage, as difficulties in the perception of humour may reflect disturbances of the most subtle aspects of the functioning and interaction of cognitive and emotional-personal processes.

Neuropsychological approach in assessing the voluntary attention of younger schoolchildren with different levels of success in learning

This article discusses the features of the neuropsychological approach aimed at overcoming retardations in mental development, preventing and solving emerging difficulties in teaching children of primary school age and involving the construction of psychological and diagnostic work with a child, taking into account his individual typological neuropsychological characteristics: the state of higher mental functions, highlighting strengths and weaknesses, components of the development of higher mental functions. The article contains data on the features of the state of voluntary attention in younger students with different success in educational activities, provides information on the forms of attention, and describes the external manifestations of impaired voluntary attention. The article contains a description of a study conducted among second grade students aimed at assessing such properties of attention as work efficiency, degree of development and mental stability using the “Schulte Table” technique. A detailed comparative analysis of the characteristics of voluntary attention in 81 schoolchildren of 170 a general education school with different success in learning activities is described: successful in learning, with partial and complex learning difficulties. Significant differences were revealed in children of primary school age, depending on the success of education. The importance of timely neuropsychological diagnostics of second graders which helps to identify the neuropsychological causes of partial and complex learning difficulties of children, and also allows to outline ways of corrective and developmental assistance to younger students in order to optimize the state of HMF (higher mental functions) and accordingly, to overcome the educational problems of children of primary school age is actualized.

Engaging carers in neuropsychological rehabilitation for brain cancer survivors: The “I’m aware: Patients And Carers Together” (ImPACT) program

BackgroundCognitive impairment is a common late effect in child and adult brain cancer survivors (BCS). Still, there is a dearth of research aimed at therapeutic interventions and no standard treatment options for most BCS. ObjectiveTo describe 1) a novel neuropsychological rehabilitation program for BCS – the “I'm aware: Patients And Carers Together” (ImPACT) program, and 2) two studies that aim to assess the feasibility of the ImPACT program in child and adult BCS, respectively. The program adapts the holistic neuropsychological approach pioneered by Leonard Diller and Yehuda Ben-Yishay to an outpatient setting. MethodsTwo feasibility studies are described: 1) A single-armed study with 15 child BCS (10–17 years) (ImPACT Child); and 2) a randomized waitlist-controlled trial with 26 adult BCS (>17 years) (ImPACT Adult). In both studies, patients will undergo an 8-week program together with a cohabiting carer. Primary outcomes (i.e., cognitive and neurobehavioral symptoms), and secondary outcomes (i.e., behavioral and psychological symptoms, e.g., quality of life, fatigue) will be assessed at four time points: pre-, mid-, and post intervention, and 8 weeks follow-up. Adult waitlist controls will be assessed at equivalent time points and will be included in the intervention group after all study assessments. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted at follow-up. Expected outcomesResults will provide feasibility data in support of future larger scale trials. DiscussionThe findings could potentially improve the management of cognitive impairment in BCS and transform available services. The program can be delivered in-person or remotely and harnesses existing resources in patients' lives.

Speech Development of Children with ASD: A Neuropsychological Approach

Effective identification, support, and development of children’s abilities is a priority task of the education system in Russia. This demands deeper research based on the use of modern diagnostic technologies and neuropsychological tools, especially in what concerns children with impaired development, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Neuropsychological rehabilitation of children with ASD remains a poorly understood yet critical problem. Here, we explore common neuropsychological tools employed in Russia for diagnostics and therapy of ASD in childhood. The prospects of these methods to study the speech characteristics of such children were substantiated. The study is based on a survey of 20 parents of 20 children aged 4–6 years who attend the “WE ARE TOGETHER” Special Kindergarten for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders at Kazan Federal University (Russia). The speech characteristics of the children, starting from an early age, were thoroughly investigated during the experiment with the help of neuropsychological tools. The latter included game tasks to test social, cognitive, motor, neurodynamic, and regulatory skills, as well as the analysis of the transcripts of the interviews with both children and their parents. The results obtained facilitate the introduction of the neuropsychological approach to diagnose speech disorders in preschool children with ASD, and it can be further improved by experts in the rehabilitation and education of children exhibiting ASD symptoms.

Assessment of cognitive impairment in individuals with mental disorders who are subject to criminal liability: A neuropsychological approach

Assessment of cognitive impairment in individuals with mental disorders who are subject to criminal liability: A neuropsychological approach

Distinct Contributions of the Cerebellum and Basal Ganglia to Arithmetic Procedures.

Humans exhibit complex mathematical skills attributed to the exceptional enlargement of neocortical regions throughout evolution. In the current work, we initiated a novel exploration of the ancient subcortical neural network essential for mathematical cognition. Using a neuropsychological approach, we report that degeneration of two subcortical structures, the cerebellum and basal ganglia, impairs performance in symbolic arithmetic. We identify distinct computational impairments in male and female participants with cerebellar degeneration (CD) or Parkinson's disease (PD). The CD group exhibited a disproportionate cost when the arithmetic sum increased, suggesting that the cerebellum is critical for iterative procedures required for calculations. The PD group showed a disproportionate cost for equations with increasing addends, suggesting that the basal ganglia are critical for chaining multiple operations. In Experiment 2, the two patient groups exhibited intact practice gains for repeated equations at odds with an alternative hypothesis that these impairments were related to memory retrieval. Notably, we discuss how the counting and chaining operations relate to cerebellar and basal ganglia function in other task domains (e.g., motor processes). Overall, we provide a novel perspective on how the cerebellum and basal ganglia contribute to symbolic arithmetic. Our studies demonstrate the constraints on the computational role of two subcortical regions in higher cognition.

QOL-10. MULTIDISCIPLINARY MEDICAL CARE SYSTEM FOR BRAIN TUMOR SURVIVORS IN JAPAN

Abstract INTRODUCTION: Brain tumor patients suffer from psychological distress and various aftereffects. Although the number of "brain tumor survivors" has been increasing due to improved outcomes of brain tumor treatment, the support system for them is inadequate in Japan. Therefore, we are examining issues affecting the QOL faced by brain tumor patients and their families, with the aim of establishing a fulfilling medical care system with a multidisciplinary approach. Here, we report on the current status of the multidisciplinary medical care system. METHODS: The EORTC QLQ-C30, 14-item resilience scale, PHQ-9, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index are used to assess QOL. Based on these, an optimal care plan for brain tumor patients was developed through multidisciplinary team of professionals among physicians, nurses, clinical neuropsychologists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, pharmacists, and nutritionists. A brain tumor survivorship program designed to support brain tumor patients, survivors, and care givers was developed, and this program was launched in December 2021. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Quality of life assessment of brain tumor patients revealed their problems and unmet needs, which enabled the development of optimal care plans in collaboration with multiple disciplines. In addition, neuropsychological approaches and cognitive behavioral therapy have been utilized as interventions for cognitive dysfunction. The Brain Tumor Survivorship Program has 18 participants as of May 31, 2023. In addition to providing online resources, patient support meetings were held virtually, providing an opportunity for participants to communicate directly with each other. CONCLUSION: We believe it is essential to establish a long-term follow-up system specifically for brain tumor patients. Through the multidisciplinary medical care system, we plan to continue to scientifically investigate and develop a support system for the various survivorship issues that brain tumor patients and their families experience across the trajectory of the illness.

3 Harmonized Memory and Language Function in the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP) Across the United States and Mexico

Objective:Cross-national neuropsychological research is needed to understand the social, economic, and cultural factors associated with cognitive risk and resilience across global aging populations. Memory and language have been shown to be sensitive to age-related cognitive decline and pathological cognitive aging processes and may be more sensitive to subtle cognitive decline than measures of global cognitive function. Thus, we aimed to derive and validate harmonized cognitive domain scores for memory and language across population-based studies in the US and Mexico.Participants and Methods:Data came from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP) and the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) Ancillary Study on Cognitive Aging (Mex-Cog). We used confirmatory factor analysis methodology to create statistically co-calibrated cognitive domains of memory and language. We performed differential item functioning (DIF) analysis to evaluate measurement differences across studies, using a cultural neuropsychological approach to identify comparable items across studies (i.e., cross-study anchors). We evaluated harmonized scores by examining their relationship to age and education in each study.Results:We included 3347 participants from the HRS-HCAP study [Mage=76.6(7.5), 60% female] and 2042 participants from the Mex-Cog study [Mage=68.1(9.0), 59% female]. Education was classified according to the International Standard Classification of Education in the following categories (HRS-HCAP and Mex-Cog, respectively): none or early childhood education: (0.7%; 50.5%), primary education (4.1%; 22.3%), lower secondary education (7.1%; 15.7%), upper secondary education (41.1%; 3.0%), and any college (47.1%; 8.5%). DIF analyses revealed that 5 out of the 7 memory items and 1 out of the 12 language items demonstrated statistical evidence of measurement differences across studies, meaning that these items measured each underlying cognitive construct differently across studies. After adjusting for DIF by not allowing the items with DIF to be cross-study anchors, harmonized memory and language scores showed generally the expected associations with age and education in each study. Increasing age was associated with lower memory (r=-0.40 in HRS-HCAP; r=-0.44 in Mex-Cog) and language (r=-0.31 in HRS-HCAP and r=-0.67 in Mex-Cog) scores. Increasing years of education was associated with better memory and language scores, with mean scores ranging from z=-0.86 and z=-0.29 among those with a primary education or lower to z=0.33 and z=0.90 among those with any college, for HRS-HCAP and Mex-Cog, respectively.Conclusions:A cultural neuropsychology approach to statistical harmonization facilitates the generation of harmonized measures of cognitive functioning in cross-national studies. Future work can utilize these harmonized cognitive scores to investigate determinants of late-life cognitive decline and dementia in the US and Mexico.

Developmental dyslexia: Convergence of all theories towards a multifactional model, and the role of ICTs

Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterised by slow and inaccurate word recognition. This article intends to summarize the current understanding of developmental dyslexia's etiology, brain bases, neuropsychology, and social context. In this article are discussed the progress has been made the last years in domains involving definition and classification, neuropsychological correlates, neurobiological factors, and intervention of dyslexia. It is also referred to the neuropsychological approaches to dyslexia have evolved and the importance of an interdisciplinary perspective for understanding dyslexia. Dyslexia is caused by multiple genetic and environmental risk factors as well as their interplay. Several candidate genes have been identified in the past decade. At the brain level, dyslexia is associated with aberrant structure and function, particularly in left hemisphere reading/language networks. The neurocognitive influences on dyslexia are also multifactorial and involve phonological processing deficits as well as weaknesses in other oral language skills and processing speed. Contextual issues such as the correlation of dyslexia with an individual’s IQ or age, the manifestation of dyslexia across languages and social classes as well as what treatments are best supported are being examined. This article is aimed at highlighting the exciting new research that cuts across levels of analysis. Such work promises eventually to provide a comprehensive explanation of the disorder as well as its prevention and remediation. In this recent contribution to the field of Dyslexia, we will be mentioned to some historical information, as well as we will be faced with significant issues in the Phonological Theory of Dyslexia. The single versus will multiple deficit accounts. In the field of the etiology of Dyslexia, we will be mentioned to the Behavioural Genetics, to the Molecular Genetics and to Environmental Influences. Individuals with dyslexia show functional abnormalities in both posterior and anterior language networks. This approach is intended to promote scientific knowledge and draws attention to the complexity of the developmental dyslexia (DD).

Peculiarities and causes of difficulties in learning educational material among schoolchildren and ways to overcome them

The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficiency of using the neuropsychological approach to solve the learning difficulties of schoolchildren. An empirical study summarized the evaluation of the correction program carried out using neuropsychological games and exercises with one hundred students in the second grade of the elementary school. The following evaluation strategies were used to assess the effectiveness of the programme: Schulte tables, the fourth extra technique and "memorization of two sets of words. The results obtained can be presented as follows: (1) The studied indicators of attention such as work efficiency and mental stability improved among students, only the criterion of the degree of workability remained without significant improvements but at the same time within the normative values. (2) Analyzing the mental processes of students, we can see a significant increase in the number of children who have improved such indicators of thinking as generalization and synthesis due to corrective exercises. (3) The study of memory processes showed that the number of students who experienced special correctional exercises was higher than words at the very beginning without special psychological support. This study concludes that the general solution to learning problems and the compensation of deficiencies in the development of various cognitive processes are the objective advantages of organised corrective neuropsychological sessions with students. This experiment may provide a plan for further research and adoption of the help for schoolchildren in practice.