Standard Battery Research Articles

The use of Event Related Potentials to predict amyloid PET status among patients from a memory disorders clinic

AbstractBackgroundAmyloid PET scans provide in vivo evidence of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) however, due to high cost and limited insurance coverage, they are not available as part of standard clinical care. Event Related Potentials (ERPs) are inexpensive, and non‐invasive method to directly measure brain physiology that may allow an alternative method for detection of AD pathology.MethodWe investigated whether ERPs together with neuropsychological data are predictors of amyloid PET status in patients with memory complaints. Older veterans aged 50‐100 were recruited from a memory disorders clinic at VA Boston Healthcare System. Participants underwent a standard neuropsychological battery and an ERP auditory oddball protocol. Twenty‐eight patients had a positive amyloid PET scan, and thirty‐nine patients had a negative amyloid PET scan.ResultsTwo neuropsychological measures (CERAD Delayed Recall and MMSE) were predictors of amyloid PET status. Increased P200 target amplitude (Figure 1B), and decreased P200 standard latency (Figure 1A) in patients with amyloid PET positive scan were found. ERP‐P200 amplitude in response to target tones and ERP‐P200 latency in response to standard tones were also predictors of amyloid PET status. The highest classification accuracy was obtained when combining CERAD Delayed Recall, MMSE and ERP‐P200 standard latency.ConclusionERP‐P200, especially when combined with cognitive measures of delayed memory and overall cognitive function, was predictive of amyloid beta (Aβ) load in the brain of patients from a memory disorder clinic. Increased P200 amplitude, and decreased P200 latency in patients with amyloid PET positive scan might suggest hyperactivation of perceptual bottom‐up processes to compensate for AD‐related synaptic loss in the fronto‐parietal networks.

STUDY ON THE SOMATO-FUNCTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF 10-11 YEAR OLD STUDENTS THROUGH THE EUFITMOS TEST PROTOCOL

In this paper we propose to carry out a study on the somato-functional development of 10-11-year-old students from the ”Vasile Alecsandri” National College in Bacau (Romania) using a standardized test battery – EUFITMOS and comparing the data obtained with the reference values established as normal indices of the World Health Organization for this age category. Method: The research subjects are represented by a number of 54 students aged 10-11 years, 33 boys and 21 girls, voluntarily participated in the measurements. We used only 5 tests out of the 9 that make up the EUFITMOS protocol: Standing long jump; 20m run; Back-saver sit and reach; BMI; Waist circumference. Results: Following the evaluation of the obtained results, we can state that the average of the results obtained by both categories of subjects has a value above the average of the normal fitness zone in two of the tests and the results obtained in the rest tests place both categories of subjects in the "sport" area of fitness. Conclusion: Although the specialized literature places Romanian children in 2nd place in Europe for childhood obesity, following the research we can affirm that the subjects have a normal body mass index in relation to the body mass index measured at the European level for this age group.

Review on Synthesis and Properties of Lithium Lanthanum Titanate.

The rapid development of portable electronic devices and the efforts to find alternatives to fossil fuels have triggered the rapid development of battery technology. The conventional lithium-ion batteries have reached a high degree of sophistication. However, improvements related to specific capacity, charge rate, safety and sustainability are still required. Solid state batteries try to answer these demands by replacing the organic electrolyte of the standard battery with a solid (crystalline, but also polymer and hybrid) electrolyte. One of the most promising solid electrolytes is Li3xLa2/3-xTiO3 (LLTO). The material nevertheless presents a set of key challenges that must be resolved before it can be used for commercial applications. This review discusses the synthesis methods, the crystallographic and the ionic conduction properties of LLTO and the main limitations encountered through a number of selected studies on this material.

Predictors of medication adherence in a large 1-year prospective cohort of individuals with schizophrenia: insights from the multicentric FACE-SZ dataset

Schizophrenia is characterized by the most salient medication adherence problems among severe mental disorders, but limited prospective data are available to predict and improve adherence in this population. This investigation aims to identify predictors of medication adherence over a 1-year period in a large national cohort using clustering analysis. Outpatients were recruited from ten Schizophrenia Expert Centers and were evaluated with a day-long standardized battery including clinician and patient-rated medication adherence measures. A two-step cluster analysis and multivariate logistic regression were conducted to identify medication adherence profiles based on the Medication Adherence rating Scale (MARS) and baseline predictors. A total of 485 participants were included in the study and medication adherence was significantly improved at the 1-year follow-up. Higher depressive scores, lower insight, history of suicide attempt, younger age and alcohol use disorder were all associated with poorer adherence at 1 year. Among the 203 patients with initially poor adherence, 86 (42%) switched to good adherence at the 1-year follow-up, whereas 117 patients (58%) remained poorly adherent. Targeting younger patients with low insight, history of suicide, alcohol use disorder and depressive disorders should be prioritized through literacy and educational therapy programs. Adherence is a construct that can vary considerably from year to year in schizophrenia, and therefore may be amenable to interventions for its improvement. However, caution is also warranted as nearly one in five patients with initially good adherence experienced worsened adherence 1 year later.

Age of Onset of High Transcranial Doppler Measurements Predicts Discrepant Cognitive Profiles in Children with Sickle Cell Disease

Background: Children with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) have documented compromises in neurocognitive functioning, with notable weaknesses in executive functioning. There is limited published research to define the impact of SCD on the development of visual spatial processing, which is the brain's ability to use and interpret visual stimuli and then apply it to novel situations. We hypothesized that the risk for deficits in visual spatial processing is correlated to high velocity transcranial dopplers (TCD) measurements and the age at which a high TCD velocity first occurred. Our team hypothesized that younger age at time of initial high TCD is associated with a larger impact on visual spatial skills in school aged children. Methods: This review includes data from standard of care practices within our pediatric multidisciplinary sickle cell program. Our clinic began offering neurocognitive screenings in January 2023 to patients who are school entry age (between 5 to 6 years old) or older. Children are identified to participate in screening based on age, parental interest, and provider recommendation. Patients ranging in age from 5 to 15 years of age were screened using either the Weschler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, fourth edition (WPPSI-IV) or the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, fifth edition (WISC-V). Retrospective chart reviews were performed to identify relevant data including TCD and MRI results. The Visual Spatial Index (VSI) is a primary index obtained from the Wechsler standard batteries. VSI assesses a child's ability to construct designs utilizing visual spatial reasoning, attention to visual detail, and visual-motor integration. The average child can demonstrate these skills at age 5 by mentally rotating an object such as a block and matching it with a picture or into a shaped hole. This requires the appropriate development of the basal ganglia, thalamus, parietal lobe, and temporal lobe. The Mean Index Score (MIS) is a broad representation of all cognitive domains measured on the assessment. The difference between the obtained VSI score and a child's MIS is used to determine whether a statistically significant difference exists within the Wechsler assessment system. The difference between the VSI and MIS is compared to a critical value, and if the difference of the VSI and MIS is greater than the critical value then we can say with confidence (p<0.05) that the difference in scores is not due to chance. Chi-square was then used to explore the relationship between the presence of a high TCD before age 5 (the age at which primary visual spatial skills are onboard) and the presence of a statistically significant visual spatial skill weakness. Results: 11 children (mean age 9.73 years; 82% Hemoglobin SS and 18% Hemoglobin SC) were assessed during the first 6 months of this new protocol. 27% (3) of the children had both a high TCD prior to age 5 and a statistically significant (p<0.05) visual spatial weakness, 9% (1) had only high TCD before age 5 but not VSI weakness, and 64% (7) had neither. Due to the small sample size, we used Fisher's exact to test the hypothesis that these two categorical variables (high TCD velocity before age 5 and VSI weakness) were related (P<0.05, P=0.024). We rejected the null hypothesis and found evidence to support a relationship between the presence of high velocities in early childhood and visual spatial skills deficit. Therefore, there is clinical indication that high TCD velocities in early childhood impact the development of visual spatial skills. Conclusion: The impact of sickle cell disease on brain development has been explored, but most published data focus on broad executive functioning skills. Our data yields evidence that the presence of high velocities in the brain before age five may be predictive of future visual spatial abilities as measured using standardized measures (i.e., Wechsler Assessments). It is anticipated that further data exploration will inform the optimization of standard of care practices within our clinic. This may include medical practices such as neuroimaging, changing how we communicate with children and their families, and enhanced practices for supporting students at school through IEPs.

91 Remote Smartphone-Based Assessment Predicts Standard Neuropsychological Test Performance and Cerebral Amyloid Status in Cognitively Normal Older Adults

Objective:Routine cognitive screening in the elderly may facilitate earlier diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases and access to care and resources for patients and families. However, despite growing rates of Alzheimer's and related disorders (ADRD), the availability and implementation of cognitive screening for older adults in the US remains quite limited. Remote cognitive assessment via smartphone app may reduce several barriers to more widespread screening. We examined the validity of a remote app-based cognitive screening protocol in healthy older adults by examining remote task convergence with standard-person assessments and cerebral amyloid (Aß) status as an AD biomarker.Participants and Methods:Participants (N =117) were cognitively unimpaired adults aged 60-80 years (67.5% female, 88% White, 75% education > 16 years). A portion had Aß PET imaging results available from prior research participation [(Aß positive (Aß+) n =26, and Aß negative (Aß-) n = 44]. A modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICSm) cutoff score of >34 was used to establish unimpaired cognition. Participants completed 8 consecutive assessment days using Mobile Monitoring of Cognitive Change (M2C2), a smartphone app-based testing platform developed as part of the National Institute of Aging's Mobile Toolbox initiative. Brief (i.e., 3-4 minute) M2C2 sessions were assigned daily within morning, afternoon, and evening time windows. Tasks included measures of visual working memory (WM), processing speed (PS), and episodic memory (EM) (see Thompson et al., 2022). Participants then completed a battery of standard neuropsychological assessments in-person at a follow-up visit.Results:Participants completed 22.6 (SD = 2.6) out of 24 assigned sessions (3 sessions x 8 days) on average. Performance on all M2C2 tasks decreased significantly with age. Women performed significantly better on WM and EM tasks relative to men. There were no detectable significant differences in performance by race or education. Shorter mean reaction time on M2C2 PS trials predicted faster Trails A and B completion (ß = .26, p < .01, 95% CI [3.8, 23.3] and ß = .20, p < .05, 95% CI [.23, 6.8], respectively). Greater mean M2C2 WM accuracy predicted longer maximum backward digital span (ß = .24, p = .01, 95% CI [.02, .16]). Greater mean M2C2 EM accuracy predicted stronger Logical Memory delayed recall (ß = .33, p < .001, 95% CI [.004, .012]) and total immediate recall on the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (ß = .19, p < .05, 95% CI [.000, .006]). Moreover, EM significantly distinguished Aß- and Aß+ individuals (t (68) = 3.0, p < .01) with fair accuracy (AUC = .72).Conclusions:Mean performance across 8-days on each M2C2 task predicted same-domain cognitive task performance on a standard assessment battery, with medium effect sizes. Performance on the EM task was also sensitive to cerebral Aß status, consistent with subtle memory changes implicated in the preclinical stage of AD. These findings support the validity of this remote testing protocol in healthy older adults, with implications for future efforts to facilitate accessible and sensitive cognitive screening for early detection of ADRD. Limitations include the restricted generalizability of this primarily white and college educated sample.

19 Auditory and Cognitive Function in Adults Living With and Without HIV

Objective:Hearing consists of peripheral components (outer and middle ear, cochlea) and the central auditory system (cochlear nuclei to the auditory cortex). Speech perception relies on peripheral hearing abilities (i.e., pure-tone thresholds) and central auditory processing (CAP) and cognitive functioning. Specifically, working memory, executive function, attention, and verbal functioning allow for speech understanding. As a result, CAP deficits are also influenced by peripheral hearing sensitivity and cognitive functioning. Assessing CAP deficits can be difficult because of these complex interactions. Prior work has shown persons living with HIV (PWH) are at higher risk for sensorineural hearing loss compared to persons living without HIV (PWOH) after adjusting for age, sex, and noise exposure. Further, HIV is a risk factor for cognitive impairment, one example being Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its precursor, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), with auditory dysfunction occurring in earlier stages of AD. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate: 1) the peripheral hearing sensitivity and CAP in PWH and PWOH; and 2) the association between cognitive function measures and CAP in PWH and PWOH.Participants and Methods:Participants included 59 PWH (39 men and 20 women, mean age=66.7 years [SD=4.4 years]) and 27 PWOH (13 men and 14 women, mean age=71.9 years [SD=7.1 years]). Participants completed a standard neuropsychological battery assessing the domains of learning, recall, executive function, working memory, verbal fluency, processing speed and motor. Raw scores were transformed to demographically corrected, domain T-scores. Cognitive function was normal for 39 (66.1%) PWH and 16 (59.3%) PWOH while 43 (72.9%) PWH and 17 (63.0%) PWOH were determined to have MCI. Participants with dementia were excluded. Participants also completed a hearing assessment, a portion of which consisted of pure-tone thresholds, peripheral hearing measure, and dichotic digits testing (DDT), a CAP measure. Pure-tone air-conduction thresholds were obtained at octave frequencies from 0.25 through 8 kHz, including 3 and 6 kHz. A pure-tone average (PTA) was calculated from 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz thresholds for each ear. The DDT involves the presentation of numbers from 1 to 10, excluding 7, in which two different digits are presented to one ear while two other digits are simultaneously presented to the opposite ear. The outcome of DDT is percent correct.Results:PWH had slightly lower (i.e., better) mean PTAs in both ears compared to PWOH, but this was not statistically significant. Conversely, PWH had lower percent correct DDT results compared to PWOH, but this difference was also not statistically significant. Participants with impairment in verbal fluency, executive functioning, and working memory had significantly worse DDT results by approximately 10%, but only for right ear data.Conclusions:PWH in our sample had better hearing than PWOH, which can be explained by PWH having a lower mean age. PWH had poorer DDT results, however, indicative of CAP deficits rather than peripheral hearing problems. Poor right ear DDT was associated with impairments specifically in frontal-based cognitive processes with an executive component.

15 The Role of Race and Adverse Childhood Experiences on Predicting Cognitive Ability on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).

Objective:Awareness of risk factors associated with any form of impairment is critical for formulating optimal prevention and treatment planning. Millions worldwide suffer from some form of cognitive impairment, with the highest rates amongst Black and Hispanic populations. The latter have also been found to achieve lower scores on standardized neurocognitive testing than other racial/ethnic groups. Understanding the socio-demographic risk factors that lead to this discrepancy in neurocognitive functioning across racial groups is crucial. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), are one aspect of social determinants of health. ACES have been linked to a greater risk of future memory impairment, such as dementia. Moreover, higher instances of ACEs have been found amongst racial minorities. Considering the current literature, the purpose of this exploratory research is to better understand how social determinants, more specifically, ACEs, may play a role in the development of cognitive impairment.Participants and Methods:This cross-sectional study included data from an urban, public Midwestern academic medical center. There was a total of 64 adult clinical patients that were referred for a neuropsychological evaluation. All patients were administered a standardized neurocognitive battery that included the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) as well as a 10-item ACE questionnaire, which measures levels of adverse childhood experiences. The sample was 73% Black and 27% White. The average age was 66 (SD=8.6) and average education was 12.6 years (SD=3.4). A two-way ANOVA was conducted to evaluate the interaction of racial identity (White; Black) and ACE score on MoCA total score. An ACE score >4 was categorized as “high”; ACE <4 was categorized as “low.”Results:There was not a significant interaction of race and ACE group on MoCA score (p=.929) nor a significant main effect of ACE score (p=.541). Interestingly, there was a significant main effect of Race on MoCA (p=.029). White patients had an average MoCA score of 21.82 (sd=4.77). Black patients had an average MoCA score of 17.54 (sd=5.91).Conclusions:Overall, Black patients demonstrated statistically lower scores on the MoCA than White patients. There was no significant difference on MoCA score between races when also accounting for ACE scores. Given this study’s findings, one’s level of adverse childhood experiences does not appear to impact one’s cognitive ability later in life. There is a significant difference in cognitive ability between races, specifically Black and White people, which suggests there may be social determinants other than childhood experiences to be explored that influence cognitive impairment.

Cross-sex cecal microbiota transfer alters depressive-like behaviours in mice

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of non-fatal global disease burden, with females being two-fold more likely than males to be diagnosed with the disorder. Despite this sex-linked disparity of diagnosis, it is unclear what underlies the sex bias in MDD. Recent findings suggest a role for the gut in mediating affective disorders through the gut-brain-axis (GBA). However, few studies have included sex as a biological variable. For this study, cross-sex transfer of cecal microbiota was performed between male and female C57Bl/6 mice to elucidate the effects of sex and the gut microbiome on a standard battery of tests measuring depressive-like behaviours. Specifically, regardless of sex, recipients of male cecal content had a greater sucrose preference than controls and recipients of female cecum, although recipients of male cecal transfer also showed a trend towards increased passive coping on the force swim test. Conversely, in the splash test, recipients of female cecum displayed a decrease in grooming behaviour compared to both controls and recipients of male cecum, suggestive of an increase in depressive-like behaviour. These results support a role for female-specific gut microbes in contributing to female vulnerability to depression, particularly on self-care measures, while male-specific gut microbes may protect in part against an anhedonia-like phenotype, but increase passive coping.

Investigation of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) during Loading Variation

The data-driven Battery Management System (BMS) plays a crucial role in Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). EVs and energy storage systems utilize Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries due to their high energy density. However, recent concerns have arisen regarding the efficiency and reliability of Li-ion batteries, mainly due to issues of overheating and aging. Consequently, accurately predicting the State of Charge (SOC), State of Health (SOH), and degree of aging of the battery has become immensely important. This research focuses on analysing the accelerated loading effects on Li-ion batteries under various load conditions to gain insights into their performance under extreme mechanical stress. This paper also proposes a model employing a Feed-Forward Neural Network (FNN) to investigate the effects of fast-loading variations. The reliability testing of batteries involves monitoring their degree of aging through repeated charging or discharging cycles, facilitated by an IoT-based remote monitoring system. Experimental data was collected using the Neware BTS4000, a standard battery test equipment, and then validated with the FNN model, achieving a maximum accuracy of 99.9%.

Subordination in Turkish Heritage Children with and without Developmental Language Impairment

A large body of cross-linguistic research has shown that complex constructions, such as subordinate constructions, are vulnerable in bilingual DLD children, whereas they are robust in bilingual children with typical language development; therefore, they are argued to constitute a potential clinical marker for identifying DLD in bilingual contexts, especially when the majority language is assessed. However, it is not clear whether this also applies to heritage contexts, particularly in contexts in which the heritage language is affected by L2 contact-induced phenomena, as in the case of Heritage Turkish in Germany. In this study, we compare subordination using data obtained from 13 Turkish heritage children with and without DLD (age range 5; 1–11; 6) to 10 late successive (lL2) BiTDs (age range 7; 2–12; 2) and 10 Turkish adult heritage bilinguals (age range 20; 3–25; 10) by analyzing subordinate constructions using both Standard and Heritage Turkish as reference varieties. We further investigate which background factors predict performance in subordinate constructions. Speech samples were elicited using the sentence repetition task (SRT) from the TODİL standardized test battery and the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives (MAIN). A systematic analysis of a corpus of subordinate clauses constructed with respect to SRT and MAIN narrative production comprehension tasks shows that heritage children with TD and DLD may not be differentiated through these tasks, especially when their utterances are scored using the Standard Turkish variety as a baseline; however, they may be differentiated if the Heritage Turkish is considered as the baseline. The age of onset in the second language (AoO_L2) was the leading performance predictor in subordinate clause production in SRT and in both tasks of MAIN regardless of using Standard Turkish or Heritage Turkish as reference varieties in scoring.

The Memory Alteration Test Is Correlated with Clinical, Cerebrospinal Fluid, and Brain Imaging Markers of Alzheimer Disease in Lima, Peru

Introduction: As disease-modifying therapies become available for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), detection of AD in early stages of illness (mild cognitive impairment [MCI], early dementia) becomes increasingly important. Biomarkers for AD in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are costly and not widely available; hence, it is important to identify cognitive tests that correlate well with AD biomarker status. In this study, we evaluated the memory alteration test (M@T) to detect biomarker-proven AD and quantify its correlation with neurodegeneration and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) AD biomarkers in a cohort of participants from Lima, Peru. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a cohort of 185 participants: 63 controls, 53 with amnestic MCI (aMCI), and 69 with dementia due to AD. Participants underwent testing with M@T and a gold standard neuropsychological battery. We measured total tau (t-tau), phosphorylated tau (p-tau), and beta-amyloid (β-amyloid) in CSF, and evaluated neurodegeneration via medial temporal atrophy score in MRI. We used receiver-operator curves to determine the discriminative capacity of the total M@T score and its subdomains. We used the Pearson coefficient to correlate M@T score and CSF biomarkers. Results: The M@T had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.994 to discriminate between controls and cognitively impaired (aMCI or AD) patients, and an AUC of 0.98 to differentiate between aMCI and AD patients. Free-recall and cued recall had the highest AUCs of all subdomains. Total score was strongly correlated with t-tau (−0.77) and p-tau (−0.72), and moderately correlated with β-amyloid (0.66). The AUC for discrimination of neurodegeneration was 0.87. Conclusion: The M@T had excellent discrimination of aMCI and dementia due to AD. It was strongly correlated with CSF biomarkers and had good discrimination of neurodegeneration. In LMICs, the M@T may be a cost-effective screening tool for aMCI and dementia caused by AD.

Webcam eye tracking close to laboratory standards: Comparing a new webcam-based system and the EyeLink 1000

This paper aims to compare a new webcam-based eye-tracking system, integrated into the Labvanced platform for online experiments, to a “gold standard” lab-based eye tracker (EyeLink 1000 - SR Research). Specifically, we simultaneously recorded data with both eye trackers in five different tasks, analyzing their real-time performance. These tasks were a subset of a standardized test battery for eye trackers, including a Large Grid task, Smooth Pursuit eye movements, viewing natural images, and two Head Movements tasks (roll, yaw). The results show that the webcam-based system achieved an overall accuracy of 1.4°, and a precision of 1.1° (standard deviation (SD) across subjects), an error of about 0.5° larger than the EyeLink system. Interestingly, both accuracy (1.3°) and precision (0.9°) were slightly better for centrally presented targets, the region of interest in many psychophysical experiments. Remarkably, the correlation of raw gaze samples between the EyeLink and webcam-based was at about 90% for the Large Grid task and about 80% for Free View and Smooth Pursuit. Overall, these results put the performance of the webcam-based system roughly on par with mobile eye-tracking devices (Ehinger et al. PeerJ, 7, e7086, 2019; Tonsen et al., 2020) and demonstrate substantial improvement compared to existing webcam eye-tracking solutions (Papoutsaki et al., 2017).

A - 178 Development and Psychometric Properties of an Abbreviated Version of the Identi-Fi: a Test of Visual Organization and Recognition.

There is a growing demand for efficient neuropsychological screening instruments to better triage referrals for more specialized evaluations. In particular, visuospatial problems tend to appear fairly early in Alzheimer's dementia. The Identi-Fi: A Test of Visual Organization and Recognition is a reliable and valid measure of visual organization ability. Administration and scoring take 15minutes, which precludes its use as a screening instrument. The current study aimed to create a brief version of the test for use in a standard screening battery. The normative sample participants (n = 901) and dementia clinical sample participants (n = 25) were administered the Identi-Fi. Item statistics were examined to develop short versions of the Visual Matching and Visual Recognition subtests with the goal of efficiently differentiating between the normative and dementia groups. Results yielded an 11-item VM (scores ranged from 0-11) and 11-item VR (scores ranged from 0-11) abbreviated subtest. Scores were then used in subsequent ROC curve analyses to determine appropriate cutoff scores with an intent to maximally balance sensitivity and specificity. ROC curve analyses were favorable for both subtests (i.e., AUC ≥ 0.85), with cut scores at ≤7 for VM and ≤ 8 for VR. Sensitivity values ranged from 0.76 to 0.80 and specificity values ranged from.79 to.83 for the measure. Results provide preliminary evidence of an abbreviated version of the Identi-Fi to assist in dementia screening.

A - 179 AI-Driven Diagnostics for Child Neuropsychology: Promising but Insufficient.

This research tested the capacity of a current generative AI model (i.e., ChatGPT-4) to accurately diagnose neuropsychological issues in children. The secondary aim was to explore the AI's potential in assisting in cognitive functioning evaluation, with the goal of improving the accessibility, efficiency, and accuracy of diagnosis. The study had three phases. First, the diagnostic information of 15 children (including the results of a standard neuropsychological battery and basic demographic information) was provided to the generative AI model to suggest a diagnosis. These results were then compared with the child's confirmed diagnoses. Next, a logistic regression was conducted using a large dataset on the most commonly missed diagnosis by the AI model, which identified the common factors not initially included, but necessary for a more accurate diagnosis by ChatGPT-4. The third phase involved re-analyzing the initial datasets in the same manner as the first, but with the addition of salient information determined by the logistic regression. The results of this study suggest that current generative AI models perform well interpreting scores under sanitized conditions. However, AI also struggles to interpret the effect of context. Although the model performed marginally better with the use of additional scores and information, it still struggled to capture the nuances of context-sensitive conditions. AI technology can assist diagnosis, but due to failures of understanding in-situ symptomatology, the use must remain limited. Further advancements can enhance neuropsychological assessment for more accuracy and accessibility. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.

H - 44 Relationship between Symptoms of Anxiety and Neurocognitive Functions of Attention and Working Memory in Trauma-Exposed Puerto Rican Adolescents: a Preliminary Data Analysis.

Examine the relationship between symptoms of anxiety [ANX] and neurocognitive functions of attention [ATT] and working memory [WM] in trauma-exposed Puerto Rican adolescents. Secondary data analysis was performed of the study's sample, "Exploring the relationship between Traumatic Exposure on Neurocognitive Processes and Academic Achievement in a sample of Puerto Rican Youth". This study's design is a quantitative within-subjects, correlational-causal transactional non-experimental method. Spanish speaking adolescents who reside in Puerto Rico ages 12-17 were recruited. Without serious mental or motor disorders who self-reported exposure to more than one traumatic event. A non-probabilistic convenience sample (N = 21; M = 13; F = 8; Age: M = 15; SD = 1.6) was recruited from clinics (81%) and schools (19%) in different regions of Puerto Rico. To measure traumatic exposure, the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS), which is a 15-item self-report trauma screening, was used. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7), a 7-item self-report assessment used to explore anxiety symptoms. Lastly, cognitive variables ATT and WM, were measured using subtests of the standardized neuropsychological battery, Cognitive Assessment System-2: Español (CAS2:ES). A Linear Regression analysis revealed that total ANX could explain 18% variability of ATT and 56% of WM and were not statistically significant (p = 0.534, IC 95%; 0.53-1.93; p = 0.245, IC 95%: -2.64-0.75) consecutively. Preliminary data suggest some variability of WM can be explained by ANX experienced in trauma-exposed Puerto Rican adolescents. Confounding variables of complex trauma may exist. A larger clinical sample, including ANX severity and a control group, is recommended to explore cognitive, learning, and mental health consequences.

Tuned Reactivity at the Lithium Metal–Argyrodite Solid State Electrolyte Interphase

AbstractThin intermetallic Li2Te–LiTe3 bilayer (0.75 µm) derived from 2D tellurene stabilizes the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) of lithium metal and argyrodite (LPSCl, Li6PS5Cl) solid‐state electrolyte (SSE). Tellurene is loaded onto a standard battery separator and reacted with lithium through single‐pass mechanical rolling, or transferred directly to SSE surface by pressing. State‐of‐the‐art electrochemical performance is achieved, e.g., symmetric cell stable for 300 cycles (1800 h) at 1 mA cm−2 and 3 mAh cm−2 (25% DOD, 60 µm foil). Cryo‐stage focused ion beam (Cryo‐FIB) sectioning and Raman mapping demonstrate that the Li2Te–LiTe3 bilayer impedes SSE decomposition. The unmodified Li–LPSCl interphase is electrochemically unstable with a geometrically heterogeneous reduction decomposition reaction front that extends deep into the SSE. Decomposition drives voiding in Li metal due to its high flux to the reaction front, as well as voiding in the SSE due to the associated volume changes. Analysis of cycled SSE found no evidence for pristine (unreacted) lithium metal filaments/dendrites, implying failure driven by decomposition phases with sufficient electrical conductivity that span electrolyte thickness. DFT calculations clarify thermodynamic stability, interfacial adhesion, and electronic transport properties of interphases, while mesoscale modeling examines interrelations between reaction front heterogeneity (SEI heterogeneity), current distribution, and localized chemo‐mechanical stresses.

Current Approaches to the Preclinical Assessment of Endocrine Toxicity

Scientific relevance. Endocrine disruptors affect the functioning of endocrine organs, which leads to adverse drug reactions. Endocrine toxicity requires special attention in preclinical studies of candidate medicinal products.Aim. The study aimed to review international guidelines and approaches to assessing the risk of endocrine toxicity associated with medicinal products.Discussion. This review covers documents that provide a methodological framework for identifying and classifying a chemical compound as an endocrine disruptor. These documents include the following: Revised Guidance Document 150 on Standardised Test Guidelines for Evaluating Chemicals for Endocrine Disruption (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2018), Nonclinical Evaluation of Endocrine-Related Drug Toxicity (Food and Drug Administration, 2015), and Guidance for the Identification of Endocrine Disruptors in the Context of Regulations (EU) No. 528/2012 and (EC) No. 1107/2009. The proposed algorithm for endocrine toxicity assessment involves collecting all available data on the test compound, such as the literature and previously obtained experimental data, including acute and subchronic toxicity data, and in silico predictions. Particular attention should be paid to the standard battery of preclinical chronic toxicity studies, which can identify most side effects associated with the endocrine system. The main endpoints for endocrine toxicity include changes in the mass and histopathology of the major endocrine organs (adrenal glands, testes, epididymides, ovaries, and the thyroid gland), oestrous cycle effects, reproductive toxicity, and transplacental action. A thorough assessment of the data obtained provides for the determination of unfavourable endocrine activity that requires further studies.Conclusions. The OECD guidelines offer a set of validated in vivo and in vitro tests that characterise the most important mechanisms of endocrine toxicity (oestrogen, androgen, thyroid, and steroidogenic endocrine pathways) by identified toxic effects. This approach allows researchers to identify potential endocrine disorders early in the drug development process and to optimise the scope of the required studies accordingly.

Identification of Auditory Processing Disorder Based on the Persian Version of Multiple Auditory Processing Assessment in School-aged Children in Arak City, Iran

Background and Objectives: Auditory processing (AP) takes place throughout the central auditory nervous system. Therefore, to correctly assess auditory processing disorder (APD), it is necessary to use a test battery so that each of these tests can evaluate specific auditory skills. Therefore, considering the importance of detecting children with APD, the Persian version of the multiple auditory processing assessment (MAPA-P) was used in the present study. Methods: The study method was descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional. A total of 300 children aged 9-12 years old in equal numbers in both genders and at any age, from 7 primary schools in Arak City, Iran were enrolled. After ensuring the health of children’s peripheral hearing level, to check their central auditory system, the MAPA-P test battery was performed on laptops with headphones. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and independent t-test were used to analyze the results. The mean scores in each age group were calculated and finally, the prevalence of APD was determined based on the cut-off point of the whole test. Results: The results showed that the mean scores in all 5 tests had a statistically significant difference in different age groups (P<0.0001), and the mean scores increased with age. Also, no significant difference was observed in the scores of any of the 5 tests between the two genders (P>0.05). The prevalence of APD in the school-age population was 5%. Conclusion: According to the valid results of the MAPA model in many studies, the Persian version of this test battery has been introduced as a standardized test battery. In addition to covering the three crucial domains of AP, it can easily be used in a calm classroom using a CD-RAM. The results of the present study showed that 5% of the children were suspected of APD, which was consistent with the results of the other studies.

Lithium Dendrite Growth Suppression in Anode-Free Lithium Battery Using Bifunctional Electrospun Gel Polymer Electrolyte Membrane

Anode free Li metal battery (AFLMB) are being intensively investigating in recent years as a means to achieve higher capacity when compared with standard Li metal batteries. However, the severe electrolyte decomposition during plating/stripping cycles, that causes fast Li dendrite growth and quick capacity fading, is challenging for its commercialization. Herein, poly (vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) polymer containing Li1.6Al0.4Mg0.1Ge1.5(PO4)3 ceramic filler (90:10 w% ratio, PVDF-HFP-10) gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) is employed for the first time in AFLMB to suppress the Li dendrite growth and homogeneous Li deposition is achieved during Li metal plating/stripping. The PVDF-HFP-10 based membrane is manufactured using electrospinning technique, which is well known and effective technique to increase the amount of crystalline β-phase of PVDF-HFP, on Cu collector foil. Particularly, a pure crystalline β-phase of PVDF-HFP has been observed in the adhesion layer sticked with Cu collector as confirmed from the analysis of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy measurements. The adhesion layer is further investigated using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), grazing angle X-ray diffraction (GAXRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. The GAXRD analysis reveals Cu collector undergoes slight reconstruction of its (100) facets surface to (200) facets in the presence of the adhesion layer. Moreover, depth XPS analysis confirmed that the alignment of F atoms in the adhesion layer is toward the Cu collector which can play an important role for homogeneous Li deposition. Based on these findings, a novel approach is developed to prepare GPE, without peeling off the electrospun PVDF-HFP membrane from Cu collector to take advantage of the adhesion layer. The electrospun PVDF-HFP membrane GPE unpeeled off from its Cu collector (Cu@PVDF-HFP-10) prepared using novel method provides bifunctional applications, as electrolyte and as an artificial solid-electrolyte interphase (ASEI). The strong electrostatic interaction between the fiber sheet and its collector foil forms an adhesion layer (⁓0.5μm) which acts as ASEI prevents electrolyte decomposition. The Cu@PVDF-HFP-10|Li anode free cell enables uniform and highly compacted Li platting, excellent electrochemical performance, and high coulombic efficiency (CE) even at a high current density up to 5 mA cm− 2 (CE, 97.14%) after 200 cycles using 2 mAh cm− 2 capacity loading. Conversely, nonuniform and thick Li deposition is observed in the GPE prepared by conventional method (PVDF-HFP-10), due to poor contact between the membrane and the electrode, achieved only 90.08% CE after 100 cycles at 5 mA cm− 2. Post-cycling analyses using titration-gas chromatography (TGC) and XPS techniques indicated that the new strategy is conducive to prevent dead Li metal formation as well as to create a carbonate-free, robust, and stable SEI convenient to develop sustainable AFLMB system. Cycling performance of the Cu@PVDF-HFP-10 GPE utilized in the Cu|NMC AFLMB configuration delivered much better electrochemical performance than the PVDF-HFP-10 GPE (prepared by traditional method) and organic liquid electrolytes.