Verbal Processing Research Articles

Brain MRI disease burden and sex differences in cognitive performance of patients with multiple sclerosis.

Although there is evidence that shows worse cognitive functioning in male patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), the role of brain pathology in this context is under-investigated. To investigate sex differences in cognitive performance of MS patients, in the context of brain pathology and disease burden. Brain MRI, neurological examination, neuropsychological assessment (Brief International Cognitive Assessment in MS-BICAMS, and Paced Auditory Verbal Learning Test-PASAT), and patient-reported outcome questionnaires were performed/administered in 1052 MS patients. Females had higher raw scores in the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) (57.0 vs. 54.0; p < 0.001) and Categorical Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) (63.0 vs. 57.0; p < 0.001), but paradoxically, females evaluated their cognitive performance by MS Neuropsychological Questionnaire as being worse (16.6 vs 14.5, p = 0.004). Females had a trend for a weaker negative correlation between T2 lesion volume and SDMT ([Formula: see text] = -0.37 in females vs. -0.46 in men; interaction p = 0.038). On the other hand, women had a trend for a stronger correlation between Brain Parenchymal Fraction (BPF) and a visual memory test (Spearman's [Formula: see text] = 0.31 vs. 0.21; interaction p = 0.016). All these trends were not significant after correction for false discovery rate. Although, females consider their cognition as worse, males had at a group level slightly worse verbal memory and information processing speed. However, the sex differences in cognitive performance were smaller than the variability of scores within the same sex group. Brain MRI measures did not explain the sex differences in cognitive performance among MS patients.

Reproductive period duration and cognitive function in postmenopausal Latina women in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL).

A shorter reproductive period, a marker of estrogen exposure, has been related to cognitive impairment among older (>65years) non-Hispanic White women. We explored whether reproductive period duration, age at menarche, and age at menopause are related to cognitive function among postmenopausal Hispanic/Latina women. This cross-sectional analysis used baseline (Visit 1: 2008-2011) data from 3630 postmenopausal women in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. Reproductive period duration, age at menarche, and age at menopause were assessed by self-report. Cognitive function variables included global cognition, verbal learning, memory, verbal fluency, and processing speed. Associations between each reproductive event and cognitive function were examined using multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses accounting for the complex survey design of the study and adjusting for socio-demographics, parity, and cardiovascular risk factors. We assessed whether associations differed by type of menopause (natural versus surgical) and hormone therapy use. The study population was on average aged 59years, with a mean reproductive period duration of 35years. Older age at menopause and a longer reproductive period were related to higher verbal learning (β=0.04, SE=0.02; p<0.05) and processing speed (ß=0.16, SE=0.04; p<0.001); associations were more pronounced for women with natural menopause. Older age at menarche was associated with lower scores on the digit symbol substitution test (ß=-0.62, SE=0.15; p<0.0001). There were no associations with global cognition. Among postmenopausal Hispanic/Latinas, a longer reproductive period was related to more favorable cognitive measures of verbal learning and processing speed. Our findings support the hypothesis that greater lifetime exposure to estrogens may be associated with higher cognitive performance.

Grammatical Metaphor in Political Discourse in the Central Kurdish Language

The goal of this work is to examine political discourse in the Central Kurdish language via the prism of Halliday's grammatical metaphor. Political discourse is a common form of public discourse. In the SFG, Halliday identified the ideational and interpersonal grammatical metaphor. This study pertains to the study of Systemic Functional Grammar in that it studies the linguistic metaphors in the political speeches of Mala Bakhtyar and Abul Latif. The two figures are representing two opposing ideologies and they promote different types of religious and political ideologies. The authors utilized a mixed-methods strategy using Halliday's grammatical metaphor to assemble the findings. In the paper, the following research objectives are addressed: The most frequent form of nominalized processes and mood grammatical metaphor in the political public speeches in CK, in the political discourse in Central Kurdish are focused. Second, the expression of reality through ideational grammatical metaphor is investigated. And lastly, the convey of interpersonal meaning in interpersonal grammatical metaphor in the speeches by the political figures is examined. Overall, 133 distinct nominalized processes were identified during the speeches. Four of the six distinct nominalized types of processes were used. The total number of nominalized material process selections is 65, (48.8%) of the total, with verbal process types accounting for 58 events, (43.6%) of the total, and mental process types accounting for only 9 selections, (6.7%). Only one behavioral type was used, accounting for 0.75%. There are no other nominalized process types. And 53 instances of mood grammatical metaphor were drawn. In addition, the authors discovered that both political figures strive to represent their political beliefs using nominalized process types, and the interpersonal mood grammatical metaphor conveys interpersonal meaning.

Immediate practice effect of vrikshasana on neurocognitive components: a pilot study

Background: Yoga is the most popular complementary health approach practiced by. It is an ancient mind and body practice with origins in Indian philosophy. Yoga combines physical postures, rhythmic breathing and meditation to offer the practitioners unique holistic mind-body knowledge. While the health benefits of physical exercise are well established, in recent years, the active attentional component of breathing and meditation practice has gathered interest among exercise neuroscientists. Aim of the study: The aim of the present study was to observe the immediate practice effect of Vrikshasana on neurocognitive components. Methods: To perform the standing pose asana, Vrikshasana, the subject was taken total 3 minutes time. In these 3 minutes, the subject was taken 30 seconds for initial to final position of the asana, one minute holding of the asana, 30 seconds was taken for releasing and back to the initial position and another one minute was taken for relaxing or rest. The subject was performed10 repetitions of this Vrikshasana. Hence, total 30 minutes was training session of this study. To collect the data CNS Vital Sign software was used. Graphical representation was used to observe the immediate effect. Results: The present study showed that some variables were increased and some variables were decreased after 30 minutes Vrikshasana practice. Here neurocognition index, visual memory, complex attention, cognitive flexibility, executive function, social acuity and simple attentions were increased whereas; verbal memory, psychomotor speed, reaction time, processing speed and motor speed were decreased. Conclusion: On the basis of the result it may be concluded that selected neurocognitive components are increased after immediate practice of Vrikshasana.

Reading passages and conversation text in EFL textbook for junior high school: Analysis on the process of transitivity system

This research aims to identify the process types of the transitivity system from the reading passages and conversational texts of the EFL textbook entitled Modul Pengayaan for seventh-grade junior high school students, which is composed based on the implementation of Kurikulum 2013. The present study employed a descriptive qualitative research design. The data of this study are obtained from reading texts and conversational texts (text dialogues). The collected data of the transitivity process presented in sentences and clauses were analyzed using Halliday's transitivity system. The results show that all the process types of transitivity system with 35 processes were found in the reading passages and conversational texts of the textbook, namely: material process with 5 data (14.28%), mental process with 12 data (34.28%), verbal process with 3 data (8.57%), relational process with 13 data (37.14%), behavioral process with 1 data (2.85%), and existential process also with 1 data (2.85%). All the types of transitivity processes have been presented adequately based on Halliday's theory, although the two types of transitivity process (behavioral and existential process) almost have come from ignorance. Therefore, this study suggests that the textbook designer and material developer produce diverse clauses and sentences by using the six process types of transitivity in English written texts, especially in the reading passages and conversational texts.

Le ossa di Oreste si trovano in classe La metafora che insegna: proposta per un intervento didattico

This paper aims to propose an integrated model for the analysis of verbal processes in ancient Greek texts and their facilitation in contemporary readers through coherent evidence-based teaching procedures. Rooted in functional contextualism, a philosophy of science in which events are studied in relation to their historical and current environment pursuing the goals of prediction and influence, it applies the model of language and cognition known as Relational Frame Theory to the analysis of verbal processes involved in the decoding of Orestes’ bones oracles described in Hdt., 1.67‑8 and to the extension to these of an existing teaching procedure for the facilitation of naming and metaphorical language. The intervention efficacy will need empirical evaluation by a behavioural analyst.

Transitivity Analysis of AJ Hoge’s Short Story “Day of the Dead”

This study analyzes a short story created by AJ Hoge, a well-known English Materials creator of effortless English learning with his short story. It aims to reveal how meanings are constructed and what characterizes the story. Transitivity system, a framework of Halliday's Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), is used as an analytical tool. The data are gathered from the short story entitled “Day of the Dead”. This study employs qualitative descriptive analysis incorporating SFL into the methodology and Transitivity system analysis. This study finds that the creator employs all six Process types of Transitivity i.e., Material, Mental, Relational, Behavioral, Existential, and Verbal Processes. In constructing meanings, the six Processes are manifested in the three elements of the story: orientation, sequence of events, and reorientation. The employment of the six Processes is as an effort to expose learner to the clause as representation completely, that is to provide learners with all possible represented experiences through Processes that may happen in the world. The dominant Process of Material becomes the characteristic of the text and meets the linguistic features of recount text.

Transitivity Processes in the Discourse of Automobile Advertisements

Transitivity relates to clause as representation. It concerns the processes, participants, and circumstances. Processes are the principal ingredient of the clauses and they are represented by verbs. The chief focus of this study is placed on quantitatively and qualitatively describing the transitivity processes found in 492 randomly selected automobile advertisements from various sources. The manner car advertisement designers illustrate the various transitivity processes are exhibited especially in communicating the themes of their advertising goals. Results of textual analysis confirm that the six types of transitivity processes are embedded in the auto ads. The domination of relational process can be construed from the strategic goal of advertisers of enticing the people’s interest to yield a positive response from them. The high frequency of material process is apparently due to the aims of car advertisers at causing the public to do an action, that is, to purchase the advertised product (i.e., car). Mental process recorded a promising third highest frequency, whereas, the three least prioritized transitivity types are existential, verbal, and behavioral processes. Therefore, the use of transitivity or verb processes in automobile advertisements allows its creative writers to converse their beliefs, purposes, principles, and authorities as specified by their strong assertions or claims in the ads.

Teaching digital competence in the use of YouTube and its incidental factors: Development of an instrument based on the UTAUT model from a higher order PLS‐SEM approach

AbstractThe increasing use of digital resources has changed the way of teaching, where platforms such as YouTube offer large repositories of educational videos. There are many theoretical studies that analyse the digital competences of teachers, but to a lesser extent on the behaviours and use that the teacher makes of this multimedia platform. Thus, the purpose of this study is the development of an instrument in which it is analysed how the behavioural intention of teachers on YouTube impacts their digital competence to search and select information, share information, and interact with other users of the platform, and create educational material. To achieve this, following the partial least squares (PLS) method of structural equation models, a higher‐order causal model was proposed based on an adaptation and extension of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The study was carried out with a sample of 2157 teachers from all over Spain. The main result was that behavioural intention explained 22.70% of the true variance of teachers' digital competence. In addition, it has been possible to verify the reliability, convergent and discriminant validity of the established causal relationships, determining a model with acceptable goodness‐of‐fit. These findings show that it is a valid and reliable instrument to measure teachers' digital competences on YouTube, behavioural intention, and the system of relationships between factors. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Teachers can use YouTube to search and create creative and innovative educational lessons. The teacher must have adequate digital competence to search, select, evaluate, and effectively use the content of this platform in the classroom. The four central predictors of the UTAUT model (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology) allow to explain and predict the adoption and use of ICT in different contexts. What this paper adds The elaboration of an instrument on the digital competences of the teacher on the use of YouTube as a didactic resource, based on an extended model of UTAUT. Identification of the factors with the greatest incidence on the behavioral intention of the teacher to use YouTube as an educational resource. Identification of how the behavioral intention and the ease of the conditions determine the use of YouTube by teachers to search for educational content, share it or create it by themselves. Implications for practice and/or policy Extensive information on the factors that teachers should pay attention to improve their behavioral intention to use YouTube as a teaching resource. The need to promote improvement policies on technological and digital conditions which will affect the digital competence of the teacher for the usability of YouTube as a more visual, verbal, and interactive educational process. Educational institutions should better prepare teachers for their role as innovative teachers, providing them with adequate digital skills in relation to the use of YouTube as a teaching resource.

Effects of Experiencing CS-US Pairings on Instructed Fear Reversal.

Fear learning allows us to identify and anticipate aversive events and adapt our behavior accordingly. This is often thought to rely on associative learning mechanisms where an initially neutral conditioned stimulus (CS) is repeatedly paired with an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US), eventually leading to the CS also being perceived as aversive and threatening. Importantly, however, humans also show verbal fear learning. Namely, they have the ability to change their responses to stimuli rapidly through verbal instructions about CS-US pairings. Past research on the link between experience-based and verbal fear learning indicated that verbal instructions about a reversal of CS-US pairings can fully override the effects of previously experienced CS-US pairings, as measured through fear ratings, skin conductance, and fear-potentiated startle. However, it remains an open question whether such instructions can also annul learned CS representations in the brain. Here, we used a fear reversal paradigm (female and male participants) in conjunction with representational similarity analysis of fMRI data to test whether verbal instructions fully override the effects of experienced CS-US pairings in fear-related brain regions or not. Previous research suggests that only the right amygdala should show lingering representations of previously experienced threat ("pavlovian trace"). Unexpectedly, we found evidence for the residual effect of prior CS-US experience to be much more widespread than anticipated, in the amygdala but also cortical regions like the dorsal anterior cingulate or dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. This finding shines a new light on the interaction of different fear learning mechanisms, at times with unexpected consequences.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Humans are able to learn about aversive stimuli both from experience (i.e., repeated pairings of conditioned stimulus (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (US; pavlovian conditioning), and from verbal instructions about stimulus pairings. Understanding how experience-based and verbal learning processes interact is key for understanding the cognitive and neural underpinnings of fear learning. We tested whether prior aversive experiences (CS-US pairings) affected subsequent verbal learning, searching for lingering threat signals after verbal instructions reversed a CS from being threatening to being safe. While past research suggested such threat signals can only be found in the amygdala, we found evidence to be much more widespread, including the medial and lateral PFC. This highlights how experience-based and verbal learning processes interact to support adaptive behavior.

Non-arbitrary mappings between size and sound of English words: Form typicality effects during lexical access and memory.

A century of research has provided evidence of limited size sound symbolism in English, that is, certain vowels are non-arbitrarily associated with words denoting small versus large referents (e.g., /i/ as in teensy and /ɑ/ as in tall). In the present study, we investigated more extensive statistical regularities between surface form properties of English words and ratings of their semantic size, that is, form typicality, and its impact on language and memory processing. Our findings provide the first evidence of significant word form typicality for semantic size. In five empirical studies using behavioural megastudy data sets of performance on written and auditory lexical decision, reading aloud, semantic decision, and recognition memory tasks, we show that form typicality for size is a stronger and more consistent predictor of lexical access during word comprehension and production than semantic size, in addition to playing a significant role in verbal memory. The empirical results demonstrate that statistical information about non-arbitrary form-size mappings is accessed automatically during language and verbal memory processing, unlike semantic size that is largely dependent on task contexts that explicitly require participants to access size knowledge. We discuss how a priori knowledge about non-arbitrary form-meaning associations in the lexicon might be incorporated in models of language processing that implement Bayesian statistical inference.

Sex differences in cognitive reserve among first episode of psychosis patients.

Cognitive reserve (CR) has recently been considered a key factor in the onset of a first episode of psychosis (FEP). However, the differences in CR in FEP patients according to sex have not yet been investigated. CR was estimated among 443 FEP patients (246 men and 197 women) and 156 healthy controls (96 men and 60 women) by using the proxies premorbid IQ, years of education and employment status. A neuropsychological battery was administrated to measure neurocognitive specific domains. Analyses of variance were used to make comparisons between groups. FEP women had greater CR than FEP men. This circumstance was not observed in healthy controls. Among the group of patients with low CR, FEP women outperformed FEP men in the cognitive domains verbal memory and processing speed. Meanwhile, among the FEP patients with high CR, men showed better performance in attention than women. Differences in CR observed between FEP men and women could be related to a number of specific factors, such as, age at illness onset, education level, and variability in performance in verbal memory, processing speed, and attention domains. These results provide background information about CR in FEP patients that will be useful in the design of sex specific cognitive remediation interventions.

Hippocampal avoidance in whole brain radiotherapy and prophylactic cranial irradiation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

We systematically reviewed the current landscape of hippocampal-avoidance radiotherapy, focusing specifically on rates of hippocampal tumor recurrence and changes in neurocognitive function. PubMed was queried for studies involving hippocampal-avoidance radiation therapy and results were screened using PRISMA guidelines. Results were analyzed for median overall survival, progression-free survival, hippocampal relapse rates, and neurocognitive function testing. Of 3709 search results, 19 articles were included and a total of 1611 patients analyzed. Of these studies, 7 were randomized controlled trials, 4 prospective cohort studies, and 8 retrospective cohort studies. All studies evaluated hippocampal-avoidance whole brain radiation treatment (WBRT) and/or prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) in patients with brain metastases. Hippocampal relapse rates were low (overall effect size = 0.04; 95% confidence interval [0.03, 0.05]) and there was no significant difference in risk of relapse between the five studies that compared HA-WBRT/HA-PCI and WBRT/PCI groups (risk difference = 0.01; 95% confidence interval [-0.02, 0.03]; p = 0.63). 11 out of 19 studies included neurocognitive function testing. Significant differences were reported in overall cognitive function and memory and verbal learning 3-24 months post-RT. Differences in executive function were reported by one study, Brown et al., at 4 months. No studies reported differences in verbal fluency, visual learning, concentration, processing speed, and psychomotor speed at any timepoint. Current studies in HA-WBRT/HA-PCI showed low hippocampal relapse or metastasis rates. Significant differences in neurocognitive testing were most prominent in overall cognitive function, memory, and verbal learning. Studies were hampered by loss to follow-up.

AN ANALYSIS OF EXPERIENTIAL MEANING OF THE STORY “QUÀ…TỨC LÀ NGƯỜI” BY THACH LAM

This paper is concerned with exploring experiential meaning realized through transitivity resources in the story “Quà…tức là người” by Thạch Lam. The theoretical framework adopted in the study is systemic functional grammar (SFG). The findings show that in composing the story, the writer has employed a high frequency of relational, material, mental processes and a low number of existential, behavioural and verbal processes. Remarkably, relational clauses were deployed to describe the taste and flavor of street foods and the way Hanoians enjoy such foods. The author implies that the choice as well as the way of enjoying food, to some extent, can tell people’s personality. This explains why the story was named “Quà…tức là người”. In addition, a high number of circumstances are found in the story with the high frequency of circumstances of manner, among which the circumstance of manner is mostly used in relational clauses to specify the taste and flavor of street foods.

Benefits of a 12-Week Non-Drug "Brain Fitness Program" for Patients with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder, Post-Concussion Syndrome, or Memory Loss.

Non-pharmacologic interventions can potentially improve cognitive function, sleep, and/or mood in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD), post-concussion syndrome (PCS), or memory loss. We evaluated the benefits of a brain rehabilitation program in an outpatient neurology practice that consists of targeted cognitive training, lifestyle coaching, and electroencephalography (EEG)-based neurofeedback, twice weekly (90 minutes each), for 12 weeks. 223 child and adult patients were included: 71 patients with ADHD, 88 with PCS, and 64 with memory loss (mild cognitive impairment or subjective cognitive decline). Patients underwent a complete neurocognitive evaluation, including tests for Verbal Memory, Complex Attention, Processing Speed, Executive Functioning, and Neurocognition Index. They completed questionnaires about sleep, mood, diet, exercise, anxiety levels, and depression-as well as underwent quantitative EEG-at the beginning and the end of the program. Pre-post test score comparison demonstrated that all patient subgroups experienced statistically significant improvements on most measures, especially the PCS subgroup, which experienced significant score improvement on all measures tested (p≤0.0011; dz≥0.36). After completing the program, 60% to 90% of patients scored higher on cognitive tests and reported having fewer cognitive and emotional symptoms. The largest effect size for pre-post score change was improved executive functioning in all subgroups (ADHD dz= 0.86; PCS dz= 0.83; memory dz= 1.09). This study demonstrates that a multimodal brain rehabilitation program can have benefits for patients with ADHD, PCS, or memory loss and supports further clinical trials in this field.

Evaluation of the Relationships between Irisin Levels and Cognitive Functions in Individuals with Schizophrenia.

: Irisin is a myokine that is involved in neurogenesis, neuronal proliferation, and neuronal differentiation. Many research examine the relationship between irisin and schizophrenia. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between irisin levels and cognitive functions in individuals with schizophrenia. : Ninety-six individuals who were diagnosed with schizophrenia were included. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) was used to assess disease severity. To evaluate the cognitive functions of the patients, the trail-making test was evaluated with the A and B forms and the verbal memory processes scale. After a 12-hour night fast, samples of fasting blood were obtained from the participants. : There was no significant correlation between irisin, duration of disease, and BPRS total score. In the analysis performed, a positive correlation was found between the plasma irisin level and the error score of the trail-making test form B. Other than that, no correlation was found between irisin level and cognitive performance in schizophrenia patients. In addition, in subgroup analysis between genders, it was determined that the duration of the trail-making test B was longer in female schizophrenia patients. : In this study, there was a positive correlation between the trail-making test B-form error scores and the irisin levels. This relationship between impaired executive functions and irisin levels may suggest that the irisin level is increased as compensation for the impairment in executive functions. More research is needed to understand the role of irisin in cognitive impairment and schizophrenia.

Inner speech as a brain mechanism for preconditioning creativity process

The current domain of creativity studies is characterized by a high diversity of psychological and neuroscience techniques and methods researchers use. However, the role of verbal processes, especially inner speech, remains underrepresented in this area. Existing studies point to the heterogeneity of inner speech brain mechanisms involved in creative thinking. While consciously controlled verbalized thoughts are associated with the activity of task-dependent brain networks (TPN), especially lateral-frontoparietal network (L-FPN), non-voluntary, mind-wandering thoughts are supposed to correlate with default-mode networks (DMN) activity. While DMN activity leads to an increased number of creative ideas, L-FPN activity results in fewer ideas but increased idea originality. From this point, rest state and state of getting prepared (preconditioning) to task completion, when both mind-wandering and control thoughts occur, are of specific interest. In our study, 49 volunteers completed divergent thinking tasks with rest state and preconditioning state preceded. We later divided all participants into two groups – with low and high creativity levels based on their performance during divergent tasks. EEG was recorded during rest state and preconditioning state and analyzed based on power spectrum and sLORETA data. Our results show an essential role of preconditioning alpha-2 EEG subband in creative thinking performance. The originality of the task solution correlates with the activity of L-FPN structures, while DMN activity does not differ significantly between the two groups. Disclosure statement No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Effects of intelligence and approximate number system on the non-symbolic division ability in preschoolers.

Recently, it has become evident that cognitive abilities such as the approximate number system (ANS), number knowledge, and intelligence affect individuals' fundamental mathematical ability. However, it is unclear which of these cognitive abilities have the greatest impact on the non-symbolic division ability in preschoolers. Therefore, in the present study, we included 4- to 6-year-old Korean preschoolers without prior formal education of division in order to test their ability to solve non-symbolic division problems, ANS acuity, and intelligence, and to determine the interrelationships among those functions (N = 38). We used the Panamath Dot Comparison Paradigm to measure the ANS acuity, employed non-symbolic division tasks to measure the ability to solve non-symbolic division problems, and measured the intelligence using the Korean version of the WPPSI-IV (Wechsler Preschool Primary Scale of Intelligence-IV). Our results showed that, in all conditions of the non-symbolic division tasks, the 4- to 6-years old children were able to perform better than chance level. Additionally, in a relatively easy condition, the children's performance showed a significant positive correlation with full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) and ANS acuity; however, in a more complex condition, only FSIQ was significantly correlated with their performance. Overall, we found significant relationships between the children's performance in the non-symbolic division tasks and verbal comprehension, fluid reasoning, and processing speed index. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that preschoolers without formal education on the arithmetic problem solving can solve non-symbolic division problems. Moreover, we suggest that both FSIQ and ANS ability play essential roles in children's ability to solve non-symbolic division problems, highlighting the significance of intelligence on children's fundamental mathematical ability.

Poor Concordance Between Remote Neurocognitive Testing and Face-to-Face Testing of Verbal Memory Processes in Young Healthy Volunteers

Purpose: Recently published studies indicate increased interest in remote health services that have expanded greatly with digitalization and whether they can be implemented into neuropsychological testing. Remote neurocognitive testing has become a frequently used approach today. The current study examines the concordance between the face-to-face and remote Oktem Verbal Memory Processes Test results of healthy young participants.&#x0D; Method: 45 healthy young participants with a mean age of 23.41 were invited to participate in the study. Participants were 42.2% of male and 57.8% female. The Öktem Verbal Memory Processes Test was administered to participants. There was at least one week between face-to-face and remote testing. The results were compared with paired t-tests and Lin's Concordance Correlation analysis. Reliability was analyzed by examining the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient.&#x0D; Results: For immediate memory score, ICC was 0.286 (95% CI: 0.016-0.524).. ICC of total learning score was calculated as 0.665 (95% CI: 0.465 -0.801). The highest learning score had an ICC of 0.868 (95% CI: 0.773 -0.926). ICC of the total inconsistency score was 0.639 (95% CI: 0.414 -0.79). Finally, the score for reaching the criterion displayed an ICC of 0.253 (95% CI: 0.079 -0.535).&#x0D; Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that there is poor concordance between the results obtained with remote and face-to-face application of the Öktem Verbal Memory Process Test. As a result, using it remotely is not recommended at this stage.

Reducing the Effects of Ageing on Cognition with Therapeutic Intervention of an Oral Multi-Nutrient: The REACTION Pilot Trial Study Design

BackgroundClinical benefits have been reported with a specific multinutrient intervention (Souvenaid) in Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease. The effects of Souvenaid in age-related cognitive decline are not established.ObjectiveTo assess the feasibility of using virtual assessments to study the effects of a multinutrient on cognitive ageing.DesignThis is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group virtual pilot trial performed over 6 months in a single-centre. Participants are randomly allocated (1:1) to receive the specific multinutrient (Souvenaid) or an isocaloric, same tasting, placebo.SettingTrial visits are done virtually using secure online video communication.ParticipantsEnglish or Spanish speaking people aged 55–89 years from all ethnic groups and considered to have age-related cognitive decline are eligible.MeasurementsNeuropyschological tests are done at baseline and after 6 months of intervention. Participants are contacted monthly by telephone to monitor safety, assess motivation and promote compliance. The primary outcome is feasibility determined by assessing recruitment rate, recruitment time, adherence rate and retention rate. A comprehensive set of neuropyschological measures will provide a broad assessment of cognitive function, including verbal memory, processing speed, and attention and executive function. Self-reported questionnaires are used to assess quality of life.ConclusionsThis pilot trial will provide data to guide inform selection of participants and outcome measures in future studies in age-related cognitive decline.