587 results
General practitioner preferences for telehealth consultations in Australia: a pilot survey and discrete choice experiment
- Keshia R. De Guzman, Anthony C. Smith, Centaine L. Snoswell
-
- Journal:
- Primary Health Care Research & Development / Volume 25 / 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 09 May 2024, e28
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Open access
- HTML
- Export citation
-
Aim:
To identify and quantify general practitioner (GP) preferences related to service attributes of clinical consultations, including telehealth consultations, in Australia.
Background:GPs have been increasingly using telehealth to deliver patient care since the onset of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. GP preferences for telehealth service models will play an important role in the uptake and sustainability of telehealth services post-pandemic.
Methods:An online survey was used to ask GPs general telehealth questions and have them complete a discrete choice experiment (DCE). The DCE elicited GP preferences for various service attributes of telehealth (telephone and videoconference) consultations. The DCE investigated five service attributes, including consultation mode, consultation purpose, consultation length, quality of care and rapport, and patient co-payment. Participants were presented with eight choice sets, each containing three options to choose from. Descriptive statistics was used, and mixed logit models were used to estimate and analyse the DCE data.
Findings:A total of 60 GPs fully completed the survey. Previous telehealth experiences impacted direct preferences towards telehealth consultations across clinical presentations, although in-person modes were generally favoured (in approximately 70% of all scenarios). The DCE results lacked statistical significance which demonstrated undiscernible differences between GP preferences for some service attributes. However, it was found that GPs prefer to provide a consultation with good quality care and rapport (P < 002). GPs would also prefer to provide care to their patients rather than decline a consultation due to consultation mode, length or purpose (P < 0.0001). Based on the findings, GPs value the ability to provide high-quality care and develop rapport during a clinical consultation. This highlights the importance of recognising value-based care for future policy reforms, to ensure continued adoption and sustainability of GP telehealth services in Australia.
Parents’ perceptions of the Tasmanian School Lunch Project - interim findings
- K.J. Smith, V. Cleland, J. Dunbabin, B. Fraser, M. Reardon, C. Galloway, K. DePaoli, L. Sutton, F. Proudfoot, K. Jose
-
- Journal:
- Proceedings of the Nutrition Society / Volume 83 / Issue OCE1 / April 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 07 May 2024, E27
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Export citation
-
Most Australian school students take a packed lunch to school(1). However, parents have reported many barriers to packing a healthy lunch(2). Subsequently, foods eaten during school hours are not consistent with the Australian Dietary Guidelines, with discretionary foods providing about 44% of energy consumed during this time(3). In addition, some children go to school without any food for lunch or money to buy lunch. The Tasmanian School Lunch Project provides free nutritious cooked lunches for Kinder to Year 10 students attending 30 government schools (15 commenced 2022, 15 commenced 2023) in areas of high socioeconomic disadvantage. The lunches were provided 1-3 days/week. The menu and recipes were designed by dietitians. This analysis aimed to describe parents’ perceptions of the School Lunch Project during the first year. Six of the 15 schools that commenced in term 2 2022 were invited, and agreed, to participate in the evaluation. During term 3 or 4 2022, parents completed online or written surveys (n = 159) and/or participated in discussion groups (n = 26) to share their thoughts on the menu, their concerns, likes, and willingness to pay. Survey data were analysed descriptively and open-ended survey responses and discussion group data thematically. During 2022, 78,832 nutritious cooked lunches were provided to 1,678 students. Most parents felt there was enough variety on the menu (66%) and the right amount of food was served (69%). Most students (79%) ate the lunches every day they were provided yet 52% of parents continued to provide a packed lunch. Parents enjoyed that their child was having a healthy lunch (66%) and trying new foods (74%). Some parents in the discussion groups indicated positive flow on effects at home with students trying new foods and sitting down together as a family to eat the evening meal. Half the parents (50%) had no concerns about the school providing lunches. The most commonly reported concerns were their child might not like the food (36%) or their child does not try new foods (8.6%). These concerns were also raised in the discussion groups. Most parents (93%) were prepared to pay for the lunches in future (median $3, range $1-$12) and 85% thought there should be a family discount. Parents acknowledged some payment was necessary for the sustainability of the program but some expressed concern for those who may struggle to pay. More direct communication with families about the meals offered, the availability of bread (from term 4 2022) for students who choose not to eat the cooked lunch or want more to eat, and allowing families time to adjust to the new lunch system, may address some of the concerns raised. Further data on parents’ perceptions of the school lunches will be collected during term 3 2023.
The effect of psychiatric decision unit services on inpatient admissions and mental health presentations in emergency departments: an interrupted time series analysis from two cities and one rural area in England – CORRIGENDUM
- J. G. Smith, K. Anderson, G. Clarke, C. Crowe, L. P. Goldsmith, H. Jarman, S. Johnson, J. Lomani, D. McDaid, A. Park, K. Turner, S. Gillard
-
- Journal:
- Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences / Volume 33 / 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 12 April 2024, e24
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Open access
- HTML
- Export citation
The effect of psychiatric decision unit services on inpatient admissions and mental health presentations in emergency departments: an interrupted time series analysis from two cities and one rural area in England
- J. G. Smith, K. Anderson, G. Clarke, C. Crowe, L. P. Goldsmith, H. Jarman, S. Johnson, J. Lomani, D. McDaid, A. Park, K. Turner, S. Gillard
-
- Journal:
- Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences / Volume 33 / 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 March 2024, e15
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Open access
- HTML
- Export citation
-
Aims
High-quality evidence is lacking for the impact on healthcare utilisation of short-stay alternatives to psychiatric inpatient services for people experiencing acute and/or complex mental health crises (known in England as psychiatric decision units [PDUs]). We assessed the extent to which changes in psychiatric hospital and emergency department (ED) activity were explained by implementation of PDUs in England using a quasi-experimental approach.
MethodsWe conducted an interrupted time series (ITS) analysis of weekly aggregated data pre- and post-PDU implementation in one rural and two urban sites using segmented regression, adjusting for temporal and seasonal trends. Primary outcomes were changes in the number of voluntary inpatient admissions to (acute) adult psychiatric wards and number of ED adult mental health-related attendances in the 24 months post-PDU implementation compared to that in the 24 months pre-PDU implementation.
ResultsThe two PDUs (one urban and one rural) with longer (average) stays and high staff-to-patient ratios observed post-PDU decreases in the pattern of weekly voluntary psychiatric admissions relative to pre-PDU trend (Rural: −0.45%/week, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −0.78%, −0.12%; Urban: −0.49%/week, 95% CI = −0.73%, −0.25%); PDU implementation in each was associated with an estimated 35–38% reduction in total voluntary admissions in the post-PDU period. The (urban) PDU with the highest throughput, lowest staff-to-patient ratio and shortest average stay observed a 20% (−20.4%, CI = −29.7%, −10.0%) level reduction in mental health-related ED attendances post-PDU, although there was little impact on long-term trend. Pooled analyses across sites indicated a significant reduction in the number of voluntary admissions following PDU implementation (−16.6%, 95% CI = −23.9%, −8.5%) but no significant (long-term) trend change (−0.20%/week, 95% CI = −0.74%, 0.34%) and no short- (−2.8%, 95% CI = −19.3%, 17.0%) or long-term (0.08%/week, 95% CI = −0.13, 0.28%) effects on mental health-related ED attendances. Findings were largely unchanged in secondary (ITS) analyses that considered the introduction of other service initiatives in the study period.
ConclusionsThe introduction of PDUs was associated with an immediate reduction of voluntary psychiatric inpatient admissions. The extent to which PDUs change long-term trends of voluntary psychiatric admissions or impact on psychiatric presentations at ED may be linked to their configuration. PDUs with a large capacity, short length of stay and low staff-to-patient ratio can positively impact ED mental health presentations, while PDUs with longer length of stay and higher staff-to-patient ratios have potential to reduce voluntary psychiatric admissions over an extended period. Taken as a whole, our analyses suggest that when establishing a PDU, consideration of the primary crisis-care need that underlies the creation of the unit is key.
A comprehensive hierarchical comparison of structural connectomes in Major Depressive Disorder cases v. controls in two large population samples
- Gladi Thng, Xueyi Shen, Aleks Stolicyn, Mark J. Adams, Hon Wah Yeung, Venia Batziou, Eleanor L. S. Conole, Colin R. Buchanan, Stephen M. Lawrie, Mark E. Bastin, Andrew M. McIntosh, Ian J. Deary, Elliot M. Tucker-Drob, Simon R. Cox, Keith M. Smith, Liana Romaniuk, Heather C. Whalley
-
- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine , First View
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 18 March 2024, pp. 1-12
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Open access
- HTML
- Export citation
-
Background
The brain can be represented as a network, with nodes as brain regions and edges as region-to-region connections. Nodes with the most connections (hubs) are central to efficient brain function. Current findings on structural differences in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) identified using network approaches remain inconsistent, potentially due to small sample sizes. It is still uncertain at what level of the connectome hierarchy differences may exist, and whether they are concentrated in hubs, disrupting fundamental brain connectivity.
MethodsWe utilized two large cohorts, UK Biobank (UKB, N = 5104) and Generation Scotland (GS, N = 725), to investigate MDD case–control differences in brain network properties. Network analysis was done across four hierarchical levels: (1) global, (2) tier (nodes grouped into four tiers based on degree) and rich club (between-hub connections), (3) nodal, and (4) connection.
ResultsIn UKB, reductions in network efficiency were observed in MDD cases globally (d = −0.076, pFDR = 0.033), across all tiers (d = −0.069 to −0.079, pFDR = 0.020), and in hubs (d = −0.080 to −0.113, pFDR = 0.013–0.035). No differences in rich club organization and region-to-region connections were identified. The effect sizes and direction for these associations were generally consistent in GS, albeit not significant in our lower-N replication sample.
ConclusionOur results suggest that the brain's fundamental rich club structure is similar in MDD cases and controls, but subtle topological differences exist across the brain. Consistent with recent large-scale neuroimaging findings, our findings offer a connectomic perspective on a similar scale and support the idea that minimal differences exist between MDD cases and controls.
Head and Neck Cancer: United Kingdom National Multidisciplinary Guidelines, Sixth Edition
- Jarrod J Homer, Stuart C Winter, Elizabeth C Abbey, Hiba Aga, Reshma Agrawal, Derfel ap Dafydd, Takhar Arunjit, Patrick Axon, Eleanor Aynsley, Izhar N Bagwan, Arun Batra, Donna Begg, Jonathan M Bernstein, Guy Betts, Colin Bicknell, Brian Bisase, Grainne C Brady, Peter Brennan, Aina Brunet, Val Bryant, Linda Cantwell, Ashish Chandra, Preetha Chengot, Melvin L K Chua, Peter Clarke, Gemma Clunie, Margaret Coffey, Clare Conlon, David I Conway, Florence Cook, Matthew R Cooper, Declan Costello, Ben Cosway, Neil J A Cozens, Grant Creaney, Daljit K Gahir, Stephen Damato, Joe Davies, Katharine S Davies, Alina D Dragan, Yong Du, Mark R D Edmond, Stefano Fedele, Harriet Finze, Jason C Fleming, Bernadette H Foran, Beth Fordham, Mohammed M A S Foridi, Lesley Freeman, Katherine E Frew, Pallavi Gaitonde, Victoria Gallyer, Fraser W Gibb, Sinclair M Gore, Mark Gormley, Roganie Govender, J Greedy, Teresa Guerrero Urbano, Dorothy Gujral, David W Hamilton, John C Hardman, Kevin Harrington, Samantha Holmes, Jarrod J Homer, Deborah Howland, Gerald Humphris, Keith D Hunter, Kate Ingarfield, Richard Irving, Kristina Isand, Yatin Jain, Sachin Jauhar, Sarra Jawad, Glyndwr W Jenkins, Anastasios Kanatas, Stephen Keohane, Cyrus J Kerawala, William Keys, Emma V King, Anthony Kong, Fiona Lalloo, Kirsten Laws, Samuel C Leong, Shane Lester, Miles Levy, Ken Lingley, Gitta Madani, Navin Mani, Paolo L Matteucci, Catriona R Mayland, James McCaul, Lorna K McCaul, Pádraig McDonnell, Andrew McPartlin, Valeria Mercadante, Zoe Merchant, Radu Mihai, Mufaddal T Moonim, John Moore, Paul Nankivell, Sonali Natu, A Nelson, Pablo Nenclares, Kate Newbold, Carrie Newland, Ailsa J Nicol, Iain J Nixon, Rupert Obholzer, James T O'Hara, S Orr, Vinidh Paleri, James Palmer, Rachel S Parry, Claire Paterson, Gillian Patterson, Joanne M Patterson, Miranda Payne, L Pearson, David N Poller, Jonathan Pollock, Stephen Ross Porter, Matthew Potter, Robin J D Prestwich, Ruth Price, Mani Ragbir, Meena S Ranka, Max Robinson, Justin W G Roe, Tom Roques, Aleix Rovira, Sajid Sainuddin, I J Salmon, Ann Sandison, Andy Scarsbrook, Andrew G Schache, A Scott, Diane Sellstrom, Cherith J Semple, Jagrit Shah, Praveen Sharma, Richard J Shaw, Somiah Siddiq, Priyamal Silva, Ricard Simo, Rabin P Singh, Maria Smith, Rebekah Smith, Toby Oliver Smith, Sanjai Sood, Francis W Stafford, Neil Steven, Kay Stewart, Lisa Stoner, Steve Sweeney, Andrew Sykes, Carly L Taylor, Selvam Thavaraj, David J Thomson, Jane Thornton, Neil S Tolley, Nancy Turnbull, Sriram Vaidyanathan, Leandros Vassiliou, John Waas, Kelly Wade-McBane, Donna Wakefield, Amy Ward, Laura Warner, Laura-Jayne Watson, H Watts, Christina Wilson, Stuart C Winter, Winson Wong, Chui-Yan Yip, Kent Yip
-
- Journal:
- The Journal of Laryngology & Otology / Volume 138 / Issue S1 / April 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 14 March 2024, pp. S1-S224
- Print publication:
- April 2024
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Open access
- HTML
- Export citation
Endocannabinoid levels in plasma and neurotransmitters in the brain: a preliminary report on patients with a psychotic disorder and healthy individuals
- Carmen F. M. van Hooijdonk, Michiel G. J. Balvers, Marieke van der Pluijm, Charlotte L. C. Smith, Lieuwe de Haan, Anouk Schrantee, Maqsood Yaqub, Renger F. Witkamp, Elsmarieke van de Giessen, Therese A. M. J. van Amelsvoort, Jan Booij, Jean-Paul Selten
-
- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine , First View
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 23 February 2024, pp. 1-11
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Open access
- HTML
- Export citation
-
Background
Interactions between the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and neurotransmitter systems might mediate the risk of developing a schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD). Consequently, we investigated in patients with SSD and healthy controls (HC) the relations between (1) plasma concentrations of two prototypical endocannabinoids (N-arachidonoylethanolamine [anandamide] and 2-arachidonoylglycerol [2-AG]) and (2) striatal dopamine synthesis capacity (DSC), and glutamate and y-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). As anandamide and 2-AG might reduce the activity of these neurotransmitters, we hypothesized negative correlations between their plasma levels and the abovementioned neurotransmitters in both groups.
MethodsBlood samples were obtained from 18 patients and 16 HC to measure anandamide and 2-AG plasma concentrations. For all subjects, we acquired proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy scans to assess Glx (i.e. glutamate plus glutamine) and GABA + (i.e. GABA plus macromolecules) concentrations in the ACC. Ten patients and 14 HC also underwent [18F]F-DOPA positron emission tomography for assessment of striatal DSC. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to investigate the relations between the outcome measures.
ResultsA negative association between 2-AG plasma concentration and ACC Glx concentration was found in patients (p = 0.008). We found no evidence of other significant relationships between 2-AG or anandamide plasma concentrations and dopaminergic, glutamatergic, or GABAergic measures in either group.
ConclusionsOur preliminary results suggest an association between peripheral 2-AG and ACC Glx levels in patients.
The predictive role of symptoms in COVID-19 diagnostic models: A longitudinal insight
- Olivia Bird, Eva P. Galiza, David Neil Baxter, Marta Boffito, Duncan Browne, Fiona Burns, David R. Chadwick, Rebecca Clark, Catherine A. Cosgrove, James Galloway, Anna L. Goodman, Amardeep Heer, Andrew Higham, Shalini Iyengar, Christopher Jeanes, Philip A. Kalra, Christina Kyriakidou, Judy M. Bradley, Chigomezgo Munthali, Angela M. Minassian, Fiona McGill, Patrick Moore, Imrozia Munsoor, Helen Nicholls, Orod Osanlou, Jonathan Packham, Carol H. Pretswell, Alberto San Francisco Ramos, Dinesh Saralaya, Ray P. Sheridan, Richard Smith, Roy L. Soiza, Pauline A. Swift, Emma C. Thomson, Jeremy Turner, Marianne Elizabeth Viljoen, Paul T. Heath, Irina Chis Ster
-
- Journal:
- Epidemiology & Infection / Volume 152 / 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 22 January 2024, e37
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Open access
- HTML
- Export citation
-
To investigate the symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection, their dynamics and their discriminatory power for the disease using longitudinally, prospectively collected information reported at the time of their occurrence. We have analysed data from a large phase 3 clinical UK COVID-19 vaccine trial. The alpha variant was the predominant strain. Participants were assessed for SARS-CoV-2 infection via nasal/throat PCR at recruitment, vaccination appointments, and when symptomatic. Statistical techniques were implemented to infer estimates representative of the UK population, accounting for multiple symptomatic episodes associated with one individual. An optimal diagnostic model for SARS-CoV-2 infection was derived. The 4-month prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was 2.1%; increasing to 19.4% (16.0%–22.7%) in participants reporting loss of appetite and 31.9% (27.1%–36.8%) in those with anosmia/ageusia. The model identified anosmia and/or ageusia, fever, congestion, and cough to be significantly associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Symptoms’ dynamics were vastly different in the two groups; after a slow start peaking later and lasting longer in PCR+ participants, whilst exhibiting a consistent decline in PCR- participants, with, on average, fewer than 3 days of symptoms reported. Anosmia/ageusia peaked late in confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (day 12), indicating a low discrimination power for early disease diagnosis.
Helium as a Surrogate for Deuterium in LPI Studies
- Matthias Geissel, Adam J. Harvey-Thompson, Matthew R. Weis, Jeffrey R. Fein, David Ampleford, David E. Bliss, Aaron M. Hansen, Christopher Jennings, Mark W. Kimmel, Patrick Rambo, Jonathon E. Shores, Ian C. Smith, C. Shane Speas, John L. Porter, Fabrizio Consoli
-
- Journal:
- Laser and Particle Beams / Volume 2023 / 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 01 January 2024, e2
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Open access
- HTML
- Export citation
-
Helium or neopentane can be used as surrogate gas fill for deuterium (D2) or deuterium-tritium (DT) in laser-plasma interaction studies. Surrogates are convenient to avoid flammability hazards or the integration of cryogenics in an experiment. To test the degree of equivalency between deuterium and helium, experiments were conducted in the Pecos target chamber at Sandia National Laboratories. Observables such as laser propagation and signatures of laser-plasma instabilities (LPI) were recorded for multiple laser and target configurations. It was found that some observables can differ significantly despite the apparent similarity of the gases with respect to molecular charge and weight. While a qualitative behaviour of the interaction may very well be studied by finding a suitable compromise of laser absorption, electron density, and LPI cross sections, a quantitative investigation of expected values for deuterium fills at high laser intensities is not likely to succeed with surrogate gases.
Increasing the equitability of data citation in paleontology: capacity building for the big data future
- Jansen A. Smith, Nussaïbah B. Raja, Thomas Clements, Danijela Dimitrijević, Elizabeth M. Dowding, Emma M. Dunne, Bryan M. Gee, Pedro L. Godoy, Elizabeth M. Lombardi, Laura P. A. Mulvey, Paulina S. Nätscher, Carl J. Reddin, Bryan Shirley, Rachel C. M. Warnock, Ádám T. Kocsis
-
- Journal:
- Paleobiology , First View
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 28 December 2023, pp. 1-12
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Open access
- HTML
- Export citation
-
Data compilations expand the scope of research; however, data citation practice lags behind advances in data use. It remains uncommon for data users to credit data producers in professionally meaningful ways. In paleontology, databases like the Paleobiology Database (PBDB) enable assessment of patterns and processes spanning millions of years, up to global scale. The status quo for data citation creates an imbalance wherein publications drawing data from the PBDB receive significantly more citations (median: 4.3 ± 3.5 citations/year) than the publications producing the data (1.4 ± 1.3 citations/year). By accounting for data reuse where citations were neglected, the projected citation rate for data-provisioning publications approached parity (4.2 ± 2.2 citations/year) and the impact factor of paleontological journals (n = 55) increased by an average of 13.4% (maximum increase = 57.8%) in 2019. Without rebalancing the distribution of scientific credit, emerging “big data” research in paleontology—and science in general—is at risk of undercutting itself through a systematic devaluation of the work that is foundational to the discipline.
98 On Combining In-Person and Remote National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) Uniform Data Set (UDS) data
- Viktorija Smith, Elizabeth C. Mormino, Kathleen L. Poston, Christina B. Young
-
- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 500-501
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Export citation
-
Objective:
Although remote neuropsychological assessments have become increasingly common, current research on the reliability and validity of scores obtained from remote at-home assessments are sparse. No studies have examined remote at-home administration of the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) Uniform Data Set (UDS) even though this battery is being used to track over 45,000 participants over time. This study aimed to determine whether remote UDS scores can be combined with in-person data by assessing whether rates of score changes over time (i.e., reliability) differed by modality and whether remote and in-person scores converge (i.e., validity).
Participants and Methods:Data for UDS visits conducted from 09/2005 to 12/2021 from 43 Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers were examined. We identified 311 participants (254 cognitively unimpaired, 7 impaired - not mild cognitive impairment, 25 mild cognitive impairment, 25 dementia) who completed 2 remote UDS visits 0.868 years apart (SD = 0.200 years). First, initial remote scores were correlated with most recent in-person scores. Second, we examined whether rates of change differed between remote and in-person assessments. Repeated-measure one-way ANOVA were used to compare rates calculated from the same individual from remote versus inperson assessments. We additionally identified a demographically- and visit-number-matched group of 311 participants with in-person UDS visits given that all remote visits occurred after in-person visits; one-way ANOVAs were used to compare remote rates to rates from in-person assessments from the matched in-person group. Finally, accuracy of remote scores were assessed by quantifying the difference between the actual remote scores and predicted scores based on repeated in-person assessments. These residual values were then divided by the maximum score to form error rates.
Results:Remote UDS score on MoCA-blind, Craft story immediate and delayed recall, digits forward, digits backward, phonemic fluency (F, L, F + L), and semantic fluency (animals, vegetables, animals + vegetables) were all highly correlated (all ps < 0.001) with scores obtained from preceding in-person assessments. At the group level, within-subject comparisons between remote and in-person rates of change were not significantly different for 7/11 tests; between-subject comparisons were not significantly different for 10/11 tests. Vegetable fluency had slightly reduced rates of change with remote assessment compared to inperson assessments. Critically, remote scores were consistent with predicted scores based on the trajectory of each subject’s in-person assessments with group mean error rates ranging from 0.7% (Craft Delayed Recall) to 3.9% (Phonemic fluency - F).
Conclusions:Our results demonstrate adequate reliability and convergent validity for remotely administered verbally based tests from the NACC UDS battery. Importantly, our findings provide some support for combining remote and in-person scores for studies that transitioned to remote testing due to COVID-19. However, future research is needed for tests with visual stimuli that assess visual memory, visuospatial function, and aspects of executive function.
35 Bilingualism and Time Perspective in Hispanic-Americans Speed Attention
- Daniel W. Lopez-Hernandez, Krissy E. Smith, Isabel D. C. Munoz, Tara L. Victor
-
- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 447-448
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Export citation
-
Objective:
Differences between monolinguals and bilinguals have been documented in neuropsychological test performance. Various explanations have been provided to explain why differences exist among these language groups. Hispanic-Americans are individuals born and reside in the United States and have a family background extending to one of the Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America or Spain. Furthermore, Hispanic-American children from Hispanic homes where Spanish is their first language find themselves academically at a disadvantage because their English vocabulary may be lower than English monolinguals. Time perspective (TP) refers to an individual’s orientation towards the past, present, or future. One’s ability to change their TP in order to adapt to changes in cultural context can result in optimal psychological well-being. In one study, researchers reported no relationship existed between ethnicity and TP on cognition. To our knowledge, no study has examined the relationship between language and TP in Hispanic-Americans’ speed attention performance. Therefore, it was predicted that monolinguals would outperform bilinguals on speed attention tasks. Next, it was predicted that monolinguals would report higher scores on future time orientation compared to bilinguals, and bilinguals would report higher scores on past and present time orientation compared to monolinguals. Finally, differences in TP would correlate with speed attention tasks between language groups.
Participants and Methods:The sample consisted of 119 Hispanic-Americans with a mean age of 19.45 (SD = 1.43). Participants were broken into three groups: English first language monolingual (EFLM), English first language bilingual (EFLB), and English second language bilingual (ESLB). The Comalli Stroop part A and B, Trail Making Test part A, and Symbol Digit Modalities Test written and oral parts were used to evaluate speed attention and the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory was used to evaluate time orientation in our sample.
Results:ANOVAs revealed the EFLM group outperformed the ESLB group on the Comalli Stroop part B, p = .020, np2 = .07. Next, we also found on the Symbol Digit Modalities Test written part the EFLB group outperformed both bilingual groups, p = .025, np2 = .06. Regarding TP, the EFLB group reported higher past negative orientation compared to the EFLM group, p = .033, np2 = .06. Additionally, we found the bilingual groups reported higher present-fatalistic compared to the EFLM group, p = .023, np2 = .06. Pearson’s correlation revealed no significant correlations between TP and speed attention tasks on any of our language groups.
Conclusions:As expected, the EFLM group outperformed the ESLB group on several speed attention tasks, but the EFLM group only outperformed the EFLB group on the Symbol Digit Modalities Test written part. Additionally, we found that our EFLB sample reported higher orientation of the past and present compared to monolinguals. Our sample level of acculturation could have been a factor influencing the relationship between TP and speed attention. Future studies using larger representative samples should include measures of acculturation and examine if TP influences other cognitive domains (e.g., executive function) in Hispanic-American monolingual and bilingual speakers.
64 Neuroimaging Evidence of Neurodegenerative Disease in Former Professional American Football Players Who “Fail” Validity Testing: A Case Series
- Ranjani Shankar, Julia Culhane, Leonardo Iaccarino, Chris Nowinski, Nidhi Mundada, Karen Smith, Jeremy Tanner, Charles Windon, Yorghos Tripodis, Gustavo Mercier, Thor D Stein, Anne C McKee, Robert A Stern, Neil Kowall, Bruce L Miller, Jesse Mez, Ron Killiany, Gil D Rabinovici, Michael L Alosco, Breton M Asken
-
- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 574-575
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Export citation
-
Objective:
Former professional American football players have a high relative risk for neurodegenerative diseases like chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Interpreting low cognitive test scores in this population occasionally is complicated by performance on validity testing. Neuroimaging biomarkers may help inform whether a neurodegenerative disease is present in these situations. We report three cases of retired professional American football players who completed comprehensive neuropsychological testing, but “failed” performance validity tests, and underwent multimodal neuroimaging (structural MRI, Aß-PET, and tau-PET).
Participants and Methods:Three cases were identified from the Focused Neuroimaging for the Neurodegenerative Disease Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (FIND-CTE) study, an ongoing multimodal imaging study of retired National Football League players with complaints of progressive cognitive decline conducted at Boston University and the UCSF Memory and Aging Center. Participants were relatively young (age range 55-65), had 16 or more years of education, and two identified as Black/African American. Raw neuropsychological test scores were converted to demographically-adjusted z-scores. Testing included standalone (Test of Memory Malingering; TOMM) and embedded (reliable digit span, RDS) performance validity measures. Validity cutoffs were TOMM Trial 2 < 45 and RDS < 7. Structural MRIs were interpreted by trained neurologists. Aß-PET with Florbetapir was used to quantify cortical Aß deposition as global Centiloids (0 = mean cortical signal for a young, cognitively normal, Aß negative individual in their 20s, 100 = mean cortical signal for a patient with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease dementia). Tau-PET was performed with MK-6240 and first quantified as standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) map. The SUVR map was then converted to a w-score map representing signal intensity relative to a sample of demographically-matched healthy controls.
Results:All performed in the average range on a word reading-based estimate of premorbid intellect. Contribution of Alzheimer’s disease pathology was ruled out in each case based on Centiloids quantifications < 0. All cases scored below cutoff on TOMM Trial 2 (Case #1=43, Case #2=42, Case #3=19) and Case #3 also scored well below RDS cutoff (2). Each case had multiple cognitive scores below expectations (z < -2.0) most consistently in memory, executive function, processing speed domains. For Case #1, MRI revealed mild atrophy in dorsal fronto-parietal and medial temporal lobe (MTL) regions and mild periventricular white matter disease. Tau-PET showed MTL tau burden modestly elevated relative to controls (regional w-score=0.59, 72nd%ile). For Case #2, MRI revealed cortical atrophy, mild hippocampal atrophy, and a microhemorrhage, with no evidence of meaningful tau-PET signal. For Case #3, MRI showed cortical atrophy and severe white matter disease, and tau-PET revealed significantly elevated MTL tau burden relative to controls (w-score=1.90, 97th%ile) as well as focal high signal in the dorsal frontal lobe (overall frontal region w-score=0.64, 74th%ile).
Conclusions:Low scores on performance validity tests complicate the interpretation of the severity of cognitive deficits, but do not negate the presence of true cognitive impairment or an underlying neurodegenerative disease. In the rapidly developing era of biomarkers, neuroimaging tools can supplement neuropsychological testing to help inform whether cognitive or behavioral changes are related to a neurodegenerative disease.
8 The Dunning-Kruger Effect on a Latinx Population
- Carolina Garza Castaneda, Matthew J. Wright, Raymundo Cervantes, Tara L. Victor, Krissy E. Smith, Chelsea McElwee, Adriana Cuello, Alberto L. Fernandez, Isabel D. C. Munoz, David J. Hardy, Daniel W. Lopez-Hernandez
-
- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 423-424
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Export citation
-
Objective:
Individuals tend to overestimate their abilities in areas where they are less competent. This cognitive bias is known as the Dunning-Krueger effect. Research shows that Dunning-Krueger effect occurs in persons with traumatic brain injury and healthy comparison participants. It was suggested by Walker and colleagues (2017) that the deficits in cognitive awareness may be due to brain injury. Confrontational naming tasks (e.g., Boston Naming Test) are used to evaluate language abilities. The Cordoba Naming Test (CNT) is a 30-item confrontational naming task developed to be administered in multiple languages. Hardy and Wright (2018) conditionally validated a measure of perceived mental workload called the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX). They found that workload ratings on the NASA-TLX increased with increased task demands on a cognitive task. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the Dunning-Kruger effect occurs in a Latinx population and possible factors driving individuals to overestimate their abilities on the CNT. We predicted the low-performance group would report better CNT performance, but underperform on the CNT compared to the high-performance group.
Participants and Methods:The sample consisted of 129 Latinx participants with a mean age of 21.07 (SD = 4.57). Participants were neurologically and psychologically healthy. Our sample was divided into two groups: the low-performance group and the high-performance group. Participants completed the CNT and the NASA-TLX in English. The NASA-TLX examines perceived workload (e.g., performance) and it was used in the present study to evaluate possible factors driving individuals to overestimate their abilities on the CNT. Participants completed the NASA-TLX after completing the CNT. Moreover, the CNT raw scores were averaged to create the following two groups: low-performance (CNT raw score <17) and high-performance (CNT raw score 18+). A series of ANCOVA's, controlling for gender and years of education completed were used to evaluate CNT performance and CNT perceived workloads.
Results:We found the low-performance group reported better performance on the CNT compared to the high-performance, p = .021, np2 = .04. However, the high-performance group outperformed the low-performance group on the CNT, p = .000, np2 = .53. Additionally, results revealed the low-performance group reported higher temporal demand and effort levels on the CNT compared to the high-performance group, p's < .05, nps2 = .05.
Conclusions:As we predicted, the low-performance group overestimated their CNT performance compared to the high-performance group. The current data suggest that the Dunning-Kruger effect occurs in healthy Latinx participants. We also found that temporal demand and effort may be influencing awareness in the low-performance group CNT performance compared to the high-performance group. The present study suggests subjective features on what may be influencing confrontational naming task performance in low-performance individuals more than highperformance individuals on the CNT. Current literature shows that bilingual speakers underperformed on confrontational naming tasks compared to monolingual speakers. Future studies should investigate if the Dunning-Kruger effects Latinx English monolingual speakers compared to Spanish-English bilingual speakers on the CNT.
25 Exploring Phonemic and Semantic Fluency Ability Across Multiple Generations
- Krithika Sivaramakrishnan, Dorthy Schmidt, Krissy E Smith, Brittany Heuchert, Adriana C Cuello, Natalia L Acosta, Miriam Gomez, Isabel D Munoz, Yvette D Jesus, Daniel W Lopez-Hernandez
-
- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 438-439
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Export citation
-
Objective:
Verbal fluency tasks evaluate executive functioning by requiring a person to provide words within a certain time period that start with a certain letter (phonemic fluency) or category (semantic fluency). Research shows that age impacts test takers’ phonemic and semantic verbal fluency performance. In fact, it has been suggested that phonemic verbal fluency peaks around age 30 to 39 and begins to decline at older ages. In contrast to phonemic fluency, research suggests that semantic fluency increases steadily between test takers until age 12 and begins declining around age 20. A generation is a cohort of people born within a certain period who share age and experiences. Studies show that Generation X individuals (persons born between 1965-1980) outperform Generation Y (persons born between 19811995) and Generation Z individuals (persons born between 1965-1980) on the Cordoba Naming Test. To our knowledge, no study has investigated verbal fluency performance across generational groups. We predicted that Generation X individuals would outperform individuals from Generation Y and Z on both verbal fluency measures.
Participants and Methods:The sample of the present study consisted of 107 participants with a mean age of 27.39 (SD = 9.16). Participants were divided into three groups: Generation X (n = 19), Generation Y (n = 52), and Generation Z (n = 36). The phonemic verbal fluency task consisted of three trials and the semantic verbal fluency task consisted of one trial, one minute each. A series of ANCOVAs with Bonferroni post-hoc tests were used to evaluate verbal fluency performance between generational groups. All participants passed performance validity testing.
Results:We found significant differences between our generational groups on both verbal fluency tasks. Post-hoc tests revealed that the Generation Y group outperformed both Generation X and Z groups on both verbal fluency tasks, p’s <.05, np2 =.11 -.16. No significant differences were found on either verbal fluency task between the Generation X and Z groups.
Conclusions:Contrary to our hypothesis, Generation Y individuals possessed better phonemic and semantic fluency than both Generation X and Z individuals. Meanwhile, Generation X individuals did not significantly differ on any of the verbal fluency tasks compared to Generation Z individuals. Speaking multiple languages has been shown to impact verbal fluency performance. In our sample, the Generation X and Z groups consisted primarily of bilingual speakers compared to the Generation Y group. Examining generational differences is essential to understand the unique characteristics and impact of the times in which various individuals have grown up. Future research, for instance, should evaluate the influence of bilingualism across generational groups on verbal fluency performance.
65 The Impact of PTSD and Mild Cognitive Impairment on Resting State Brain Functional Connectivity in World Trade Center Responders
- Sara L. Weisenbach, Sean A. P. Clouston, Jack R. Kaufman, Vincent Koppelmans, Scott A. Langenecker, Alison C. Pellecchia, Abigail J. Smith, Melissa A. Carr, Chuan Huang, Evelyn J. Bromet, Nikhil Palekar, Robert C. Welsh, Benjamin J. Luft
-
- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 849-850
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Export citation
-
Objective:
Functional connectivity of the default mode network (DMN) during rest has been shown to be different among adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) relative to aged-matched individuals without MCI and is predictive of transition to dementia. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is also associated with aberrant connectivity of the DMN. Prior work from this group has demonstrated a higher rate of MCI and PTSD among World Trade Center (WTC) responders relative to the general population. The current study sought to investigate the main and interactive effects of MCI and PTSD on DMN functioning. Based on prior work, we hypothesized that MCI, but not PTSD, would predict aberrant connectivity in the DMN.
Participants and Methods:99 WTC responders aged 44–65 stratified by MCI status (yes/no) and PTSD status (yes/no) and matched for age in years, sex (male vs. female), race (white, black, and other), and educational attainment (high school or less, some college / technical school, and university degree), and occupation on September 11, 2001 (law enforcement vs. other) underwent fMRI using a 3T Siemens Biograph MR scanner. A single 10-minute continuous functional MR sequence was acquired while participants were at rest with their eyes open. Group-level analyses were conducted using SPM-12, with correction for multiple comparisons using AFNI's 3dClustSim. Based on this threshold, the number of comparisons in our imaging volume, and the smoothness of our imaging data as measured by 3dFWHMx-acf, a minimum cluster size of 1134 voxels was required to have a corrected p . .05 with 2-sided thresholding. Spherical 3 mm seeds were placed in the dorsal (4, -50, 26) and ventral (4, -60, 46) posterior cingulate cortex (PCC).
Results:Individuals with PTSD demonstrated significantly less connectivity of the dorsal posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) with medial insula (T = 5.21), subthalamic nucleus (T = 4.66), and postcentral gyrus (T = 3.81). There was no difference found in this study for connectivity between groups stratified by MCI status. There were no significant results for the ventral PCC seed.
Conclusions:Contrary to hypotheses that were driven by a study of cortical thickness in WTC responders, the impact of PTSD appears to outweigh the impact of MCI on dorsal DMN connectivity among WTC responders stratified by PTSD and MCI status. This study is limited by several issues, including low number of female and minority participants, relatively small group cell sizes (n = 23–27 per cell), a brief resting state sequence (10 minutes), and lack of a non-WTC control group. Importantly, responders are a unique population so generalizability to other populations may be limited. Individuals in the current study are now being followed longitudinally to relate baseline resting state functional connectivity with cognitive changes and changes in connectivity over a four-year period.
22 Cordoba Naming Test Performance and Acculturation in a Geriatric Population
- Isabel C.D. Muñoz, Krissy E. Smith, Santiago I. Espinoza, Diana M. R. Maqueda, Adriana C. Cuello, Ana Paula Pena, Carolina Garza, Raymundo Cervantes, Jill Razani, Tara L. Victor, David J. Hardy, Alberto L. Fernandez, Natalia Lozano Acosta, Daniel W. Lopez-Hernandez
-
- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 335-336
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Export citation
-
Objective:
A commonly used confrontation naming task used in the United States is The Boston Naming Test (BNT). Performance differences has been found in Caucasian and ethnic minorities on the BNT. The Cordoba Naming Test (CNT) is a 30-item confrontation naming task developed in Argentina. Past research has shown acculturation levels can influence cognitive performance. Furthermore, one study evaluated geriatric gender differences on CNT performance in Spanish. Researchers reported that older male participants outperformed female participants on the CNT. To our knowledge, researchers have not evaluated ethnic differences on the CNT using a geriatric sample. The purpose of the present study was to examined CNT performance and acculturation in a Latinx and Caucasian geriatric sample. It was predicted the Caucasian group would outperform the Latinx group on the CNT. Moreover, the Caucasian group would report higher acculturation levels on the Abbreviated Multidimensional Acculturation Scale (AMAS) compared to the Latinx group.
Participants and Methods:The sample consisted of 9 Latinx and 11 Caucasian participants with a mean age of 66.80 (SD =6.10), with an average of 14.30 (SD = 2.00) years of education. All participants were neurologically and psychologically healthy and completed the CNT and the AMAS in English. Acculturation was measured via the AMAS English subscales (i.e., English Language, United States. Identity, United States, Competency). A series of ANCOVAs, controlling for years of education completed and gender, was used to evaluate CNT performance and acculturation.
Results:The ethnic groups were not well demographically matched (i.e., years of education and gender).We found that the Caucasian group outperformed the Latinx group on CNT performance p = .012, ηp 2 = .34. Furthermore, the Caucasian group reported higher acculturation levels (i.e., English Language, United States, Identity, United States, Competency) compared to the Latinx group p’s < .05, ηps2 = .42-.64.
Conclusions:To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate CNT performance between ethnic groups with a geriatric sample. As expected the Caucasian group outperformed the Latinx group on the CNT. Also, as expected the Caucasian group reported higher English acculturation levels compared to the Latinx group. Our findings are consistent with past studies showing ethnic differences on confrontational naming performance (i.e., The Boston Naming Test), favoring Caucasians. A possible explanation for group differences could have been linguistic factors (e.g., speaking multiple languages) in our Latinx group. Therefore, since our Latinx group reported lower levels of English Language, United States identity, and United States competency the Latinx group assimilation towards United States culture might of influence their CNT performance. Future studies with different ethnic groups (e.g., African-Americans) and a larger sample size should examine if ethnic differences continue to cross-validate in a geriatric sample.
30 Analyzing Spanish Speakers Cordoba Naming Test Performance
- Raymundo Cervantes, Isabel D.C. Munoz, Estefania J. Aguirre, Natalia Lozano Acosta, Mariam Gomez, Adriana C. Cuello, Krissy E. Smith, Diana I. Palacios Mata, Krithika Sivaramakrishnan, Yvette De Jesus, Santiago I. Espinoza, Diana M. R. Maqueda, David J. Hardy, Tara L. Victor, Alberto L. Fernandez, Daniel W. Lopez-Hernandez
-
- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 443-444
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Export citation
-
Objective:
A 30-item confrontation naming test was developed in Argentina for Spanish speakers, The Cordoba Naming Test (CNT). The Boston Naming Test is an established confrontation naming task in the United States. Researchers have used the Boston Naming Test to identify individuals with different clinical pathologies (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease). The current literature on how Spanish speakers across various countries perform on confrontational naming tasks is limited. To our knowledge, one study investigated CNT performance across three Spanish-speaking countries (i.e., Argentina, Mexico, and Guatemala). Investigators found that the Guatemalan group underperformed on the CNT compared to the Argentine and Mexican groups. The purpose of this study was to extend the current literature and investigate CNT performance across five Spanish-speaking countries (i.e., Argentina, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, United States). We predicted that the Argentine group would outperform the other Spanish-speaking countries.
Participants and Methods:The present study sample consisted of 502 neurologically and psychologically healthy participants with a mean age of 29.06 (SD = 13.41) with 14.75 years of education completed (SD = 3.01). Participants were divided into five different groups based on their country of birth and current country residency (i.e., United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Argentina, & Colombia). All participants consented to voluntary participation and completed the CNT and a comprehensive background questionnaire in Spanish. The CNT consisted of 30 black and white line drawings, ranging from easy to hard in difficulty. An ANCOVA, controlling for gender, education, and age, was used to evaluate CNT performance between the five Spanish-speaking country groups. Meanwhile, a Bonferroni post-hoc test was utilized to evaluate the significant differences between Spanish-speaking groups. We used a threshold of p < .05 for statistical significance.
Results:Results revealed significant group differences between the five Spanish speaking groups on the CNT, p = .000, np2 = .48. Bonferroni post-hoc test revealed that the United States group significantly underperformed on the CNT compared to all the Spanish-speaking groups. Next, we found the Guatemalan group underperformed on the CNT compared to the Argentinian, Mexican, and Colombian groups. Additionally, we found the Argentinian group outperformed the Mexican, Guatemalan, and United States groups on the CNT. No significant differences were found between the Argentinian group and Colombian group or the Mexican group and Colombian group on the CNT.
Conclusions:As predicted, the Argentinian group outperformed all the Spanish-speaking groups on the CNT except the Colombian group. Additionally, we found that the United States group underperformed on the CNT compared to all the Spanish-speaking groups. A possible explanation is that Spanish is not the official language in the United States compared to the rest of the Spanish-speaking groups. Meanwhile, a possible reason why the Argentinian and Colombian groups demonstrated better CNT performances might have been that it was less culturally sensitive than the United States, Mexican, and Guatemalan groups. Further analysis is needed with bigger sample sizes across other Spanish-speaking countries (e.g., Costa Rica, Chile) to evaluate what variables, if any, are influencing CNT performance.
9 Connecting memory and functional brain networks in older adults: a resting state fMRI study
- Jori L Waner, Hanna K Hausman, Jessica N Kraft, Cheshire Hardcastle, Nicole D Evangelista, Andrew O’Shea, Alejandro Albizu, Emanuel M Boutzoukas, Emily J Van Etten, Pradyumna K Bharadwaj, Hyun Song, Samantha G Smith, Steven T DeKosky, Georg A Hishaw, Samuel S Wu, Michael Marsiske, Ronald Cohen, Gene E Alexander, Eric C Porges, Adam J Woods
-
- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 527-528
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Export citation
-
Objective:
Nonpathological aging has been linked to decline in both verbal and visuospatial memory abilities in older adults. Disruptions in resting-state functional connectivity within well-characterized, higherorder cognitive brain networks have also been coupled with poorer memory functioning in healthy older adults and in older adults with dementia. However, there is a paucity of research on the association between higherorder functional connectivity and verbal and visuospatial memory performance in the older adult population. The current study examines the association between resting-state functional connectivity within the cingulo-opercular network (CON), frontoparietal control network (FPCN), and default mode network (DMN) and verbal and visuospatial learning and memory in a large sample of healthy older adults. We hypothesized that greater within-network CON and FPCN functional connectivity would be associated with better immediate verbal and visuospatial memory recall. Additionally, we predicted that within-network DMN functional connectivity would be associated with improvements in delayed verbal and visuospatial memory recall. This study helps to glean insight into whether within-network CON, FPCN, or DMN functional connectivity is associated with verbal and visuospatial memory abilities in later life.
Participants and Methods:330 healthy older adults between 65 and 89 years old (mean age = 71.6 ± 5.2) were recruited at the University of Florida (n = 222) and the University of Arizona (n = 108). Participants underwent resting-state fMRI and completed verbal memory (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test - Revised [HVLT-R]) and visuospatial memory (Brief Visuospatial Memory Test - Revised [BVMT-R]) measures. Immediate (total) and delayed recall scores on the HVLT-R and BVMT-R were calculated using each test manual’s scoring criteria. Learning ratios on the HVLT-R and BVMT-R were quantified by dividing the number of stimuli (verbal or visuospatial) learned between the first and third trials by the number of stimuli not recalled after the first learning trial. CONN Toolbox was used to extract average within-network connectivity values for CON, FPCN, and DMN. Hierarchical regressions were conducted, controlling for sex, race, ethnicity, years of education, number of invalid scans, and scanner site.
Results:Greater CON connectivity was significantly associated with better HVLT-R immediate (total) recall (ß = 0.16, p = 0.01), HVLT-R learning ratio (ß = 0.16, p = 0.01), BVMT-R immediate (total) recall (ß = 0.14, p = 0.02), and BVMT-R delayed recall performance (ß = 0.15, p = 0.01). Greater FPCN connectivity was associated with better BVMT-R learning ratio (ß = 0.13, p = 0.04). HVLT-R delayed recall performance was not associated with connectivity in any network, and DMN connectivity was not significantly related to any measure.
Conclusions:Connectivity within CON demonstrated a robust relationship with different components of memory function as well across verbal and visuospatial domains. In contrast, FPCN only evidenced a relationship with visuospatial learning, and DMN was not significantly associated with memory measures. These data suggest that CON may be a valuable target in longitudinal studies of age-related memory changes, but also a possible target in future non-invasive interventions to attenuate memory decline in older adults.
39 Perceived Workload and Language Order Effects on the Cordoba Naming Test in Spanish-English Bilinguals
- Krissy E. Smith, Isabel D. C. Munoz, Raymundo Cervantes, Andrea R. Preciado, Tara L. Victor, Natalia Garcia, Paula V. Bracho, Enrique Lopez, Alberto L. Fernandez, Yvette De Jesus, Daniel W. Lopez-Hernandez
-
- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 451-452
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Export citation
-
Objective:
The Cordoba Naming Test (CNT) is a 30-item confrontation naming task. The administration of the CNT can be administered in multiple languages. Hardy and Wright (2018) conditionally validated a measure of perceived mental workload called the National Aeronautic Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX). They found that workload ratings on the NASA-TLX increased with increased demands on a cognitive task. Researchers found interactions in a study examining language proficiency and language (i.e., in which the test was administered) on several tasks of the Golden Stroop Test. Their results revealed that unbalanced bilinguals’ best-spoken language showed significantly better results compared to balanced bilinguals’ where language use did not matter. To our knowledge, no study has examined the order effects of Spanish-English bilingual speakers’ CNT performance and perceived workloads when completed in Spanish first compared to English second and vice-versa. We predicted that persons that completed the CNT in English first would demonstrate better performances and report lower perceived workloads on the CNT compared to completing the CNT in Spanish second. In addition, we predicted that persons that completed the CNT in Spanish first would demonstrate worse performance and higher perceived workloads on the CNT compared to completing the CNT in English second.
Participants and Methods:The sample consisted of 62 Spanish-English healthy and neurologically bilingual speakers with a mean age of 19.94 (SD= 3.36). Thirty-seven participants completed the CNT in English first and then in Spanish (English-to-Spanish) and 25 participants completed the CNT in Spanish first and then in English (Spanish-to-English). The NASA-TLX was used to evaluate CNT perceived workloads. All the participants completed the NASA-TLX in English and Spanish after completing the CNT in the language given, respectfully. A series of paired-samples T-Tests were completed to evaluate groups CNT performance and perceived workload.
Results:We found that the English-to-Spanish group performed better on the CNT in English first than completing it in Spanish second, p = .000. We also found that the English-to-Spanish group reported better performance and less mentally demanding on the CNT when it was completed in English first compared to completing it in Spanish second, p’s < .05. Regarding the Spanish-to-English group, we found participants performed worse when they completed the CNT in Spanish first compared to completing the CNT in English second, p = .000. Finally, the Spanish-to-English group reported worse performance completing the CNT in Spanish first, more temporal demanding, and more frustrating compared to completing the CNT in English second, p’s < .05.
Conclusions:As expected, when participants completed the CNT in English, regardless of the order, they performed better and reported lower perceived workloads compared to completing the CNT in Spanish. Our data suggests that language order effect influenced participants CNT performance possibly due to not knowing specific items in Spanish compared to in English. Future studies using larger sample sizes should evaluate language order effects on the CNT in Spanish-English balanced bilingual speakers compared to unbalanced bilingual speakers.