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PubMed2005

Learning through connections with others: women's cardiac symptoms.

Conducting group sessions in which women can share experiences, develop connections, and learn from each other may potentially be a powerful health educational tool. In a focus group conducted for evaluative feedback, the authors found that women began spontaneously sharing their experiences and feelings, receiving validation, and learning from each other almost from the start of the group session. The participants who were dissimilar in age, ethnicity/race, and socioeconomic status developed a strong connection based on the common experience of having had a heart attack. Although the participants had received patient education after their heart attack, they learned new information about cardiac symptoms and how to respond to them in the group session. This case example is a compelling reminder that women learn through connections. Therefore, a group approach to health education that acknowledges the salience of personal experiences, the experiences of others, the development of connections, and the exchange of information may provide a meaningful learning environment. Further research needs to be conducted to determine if conducting group appointments for women that fosters the development of connections and the exchange of information enriches the learning environment and enhances patient education.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1997

[Retrograde memory after rupture of aneurysms of the anterior communicating artery].

The aim of this study was to investigate deficits of retrograde memory, semantic, autobiographical, and for famous events, associated with prefrontal, cingulate and subcortical lesions resulting from anterior communicating artery rupture. Analyses were performed during the secondary phase post-stroke in 16 patients, and performances were compared to those of an equivalent number of matched control subjects. Semantic investigations revealed a significant deficit in each task using evocation, more especially categorical and literal evocations, and the verbal subtests of the WAIS-R: vocabulary, information, comprehension, and similarities. Furthermore, the capacity to categories was preserved. The Crovitz paradigm, which evaluated the autobiographical memory showed a severe deficit in the evocation of events associated with a precise context in place and moreover in time, with a clear tendency to produce semantic responses, but without significant increase in confabulations. The questionnaire on famous events (1936-1985) did not document deficit in recognition and recall. Furthermore, the patients disorder was more severe in learning new information. Memory disorders were best explained by the severity of lesions in the medio-basal frontal and cingulate cortices, but also by the subcortical injury. Significant correlations were observed between the retrograde memory performance and "frontal" tasks, more especially the WCST; however, similar relations were also documented between learning new information and "frontal" performance. These data suggest that retrograde amnesia results from a selective impairment in accessing old memory representations, and that cognitive processes more specifically altered have tight relations with the capacity to organize the search and to shift.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Learned perceptual associations influence visuomotor programming under limited conditions: cues as surface patterns.

The present set of three experiments was designed to extend the findings that visuomotor programming can make use of learned size information under some, but not all, conditions. An association was established between the size of square wooden blocks and a perceptual cue in all experiments. In Experiment 1 the perceptual cue to size was a small two-dimensional drawing of a shape affixed to the top of the blocks (e.g. triangle = large; circle = small, or vice versa). In Experiment 2 size and shape were again associated but this time a pattern of two-dimensional shapes covered the visible surface of the blocks. In Experiment 3 block size was associated with the colour of a small circle affixed to the top of the blocks (e.g. red = large; yellow = small, or vice versa). All of the subjects grasped the blocks, and on other trials estimated the size of the blocks by opening their thumb and finger a matching amount. Consistent with previous reports, in all experiments, the learned associations changed the perceived size of two test blocks halfway in size between the large and small blocks: estimations of the test block matched by shape or colour to the group of large objects were smaller than estimations of the test block matched to the group of small objects. The effect appears to result from relative-size comparisons being made between the medium-sized test blocks and the size category (large or small) associated with the matching shape or colour cue. Despite the significant effect of the learned perceptual associations on manual estimations, no effect on grip scaling was seen when the cues associated with size were single small elements centred on the top of the block (Experiment 1 and Experiment 3). Changes in grip scaling corresponded to the change in perceived size only when the cue to size covered the entire block (Experiment 2), forming a surface pattern. These findings suggest that visuomotor programming is more likely to use learned size information when the cue providing the size association covers the visible surface of the target objects, perhaps by acting as a texture that provides reliable information about the target's material and identity.

Association Learning↗
PubMed2005

Television health promotion in four countries.

OBJECTIVE: The research plan was to conduct a comparative, longitudinal field experiment in Russia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Poland to evaluate the effect of a nutritional and general health promotion television series. The series addressed four health topics: a healthy diet, avoidance of tobacco use and alcohol abuse, and enhanced physical activity. METHODS: Because of different infrastructure and contingency conditions in the four countries, data collection ranged from group-administered surveys at a central location to individual personal interviews using a quasi-experiment comparing viewers and non-viewers 18 y and older. It occurred between 1996 and 1998. RESULTS: Overall, the television programs were found to provide new, useful, and practical information to viewers. Most (53.4% to 64.0%) learned useful information. Nearly 33% or more (29.5% to 37.9%) intended to change their lifestyle, with about 25% or more (24.0% to 60.2%) of this group indicating that they would eat more fruits and vegetables. Subsequently, 16.7% to 45.0% reported actual dietary changes consistent with health promotion. CONCLUSIONS: The study addressed diet and nutritional patterns in this region and the underlying social and behavioral factors, topics on which there is very limited information. Methodologic equivalence was sought through consistent measures despite the differential research infrastructure in the four countries. Results indicated that viewers rated the nutritional and general health promotion television programs favorably and that media messages can be used to motivate and educate viewers. More sustained television programs focused on health promotion will benefit audiences in Central and Eastern Europe.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Medial temporal lobe amnesia: Gradual acquisition of factual information by nondeclarative memory.

Most amnesic patients with damage to the medial temporal lobe retain some capacity to learn new information about facts and events. In many cases, the learning appears to depend on a residual ability to acquire conscious (declarative) knowledge. We have studied the capacity for semantic (fact) learning in the profoundly amnesic patient E.P., who has extensive damage limited primarily to the medial temporal lobe. E.P. was presented with factual information (novel three-word sentences) during 24 study sessions across 12 weeks. E.P. performed much more poorly than controls but demonstrated unmistakable improvement across the sessions, achieving after 12 weeks a score of 18.8% correct on a cued-recall test and 64.6% correct on a two-alternative, forced-choice test. Unlike controls, E.P.'s learning was not accompanied by conscious knowledge about which answers were correct. He assigned the same confidence ratings to his correct answers as his incorrect answers. Moreover, on the forced-choice test his response times were identical for correct and incorrect responses. Furthermore, unlike controls, he could not respond correctly when the second word in each sentence was replaced by a synonym. Thus, what E.P. learned was rigidly organized, unavailable as conscious knowledge, and in all respects exhibited the characteristics of nondeclarative memory. Thus, factual information, which is ordinarily learned as declarative (conscious) knowledge and with the participation of the medial temporal lobe, can be acquired as nondeclarative memory, albeit very gradually and in a form that is outside of awareness and that is not represented as factual knowledge. We suggest that E.P.'s learning depended on a process akin to perceptual learning and occurred directly within neocortex.

Aged↗
PubMed2026

Deep learning-assisted, pathogenesis-informed lung histopathology scoring in preclinical mouse models of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A infection.

INTRODUCTION: SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus (IAV) cause viral pneumonia, yet their lung lesions evolve with distinct spatial organization and resolution-phase architecture. In preclinical murine studies, H&E histopathology is a primary endpoint, but burden-focused semiquantitative scoring can miss pathogen- and phase-specific differences in lesion topology, compartmental involvement, inflammatory organization, and repair. We aimed to define virus- and phase-specific morphologic signatures and translate them into a practical, pathogenesis-informed scoring guide, supported by whole-slide convolutional neural network (CNN) analysis with class activation mapping (CAM). METHODS: Mice were infected under standardized conditions and evaluated during the early, peak-injury, and late phases of infection, corresponding to 2~3, 5~8, and 14 days post-infection (dpi), respectively. Lungs were assessed by H&E with semiquantitative scoring and by immunostaining to map viral antigen distribution and epithelial tropism. Whole-slide CNN models were trained for virus- and phase-specific classification, and CAM localized discriminative regions. RESULTS: Dose titration established reproducible lethal and sublethal infection conditions for both viruses. Viral antigen kinetics diverged, with SARS-CoV-2 peaking early and declining toward clearance by the resolution phase, whereas IAV peaked later and declined by the resolution phase, paralleling distinct injury-repair trajectories. CNN/CAM analysis distinguished virus- and phase-specific histologic patterns across the early, peak-injury, and resolution phases of infection and highlighted spatial signatures consistent with expert review. At the peak-injury phase, SARS-CoV-2 lungs showed broad alveolar/interstitial involvement, whereas IAV exhibited bronchocentric inflammatory organization. During the resolution phase, IAV showed prominent epithelial regeneration with remodeling-forward architecture, while SARS-CoV-2 more often retained localized residual inflammatory foci. Across both infections, tissue inflammatory composition shifted over time, with higher neutrophil representation during the peak-injury phase and a relative increase in lymphocytic representation during the resolution phase. Integrating lesion topology/distribution, edema, epithelial injury-regeneration, remodeling features, and lymphocyte predominance, we proposed a pathogen-resolved, phase-informed histopathology scoring guide with recommended evaluation windows for each model. CONCLUSION: Together, these findings define virus- and phase-specific morphologic programs that inform respiratory virus pathogenesis in mice and can be translated into practical scoring criteria for preclinical respiratory virus studies.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Transfer in artificial grammar learning: the role of repetition information.

In this article, the authors report 2 experiments that investigated the sources of information used in transfer and nontransfer tasks in artificial grammar learning. Multiple regression analyses indicated that 2 types of information about repeating elements were crucial for performance in both tasks: information about the repetition of adjacent elements and information about repetition of elements in the whole item. Similarity of test items to specific training items and chunk information influenced participants' judgments only in nontransfer tasks.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Single-trial learning of "what" and "who" information in a gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla): implications for episodic memory.

Single-trial learning and long-term memory of "what" and "who" information were examined in an adult gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). We presented the gorilla with a to-be-remembered food item at the time of study. In Experiment 1, following a retention interval of either approximately 7 min or 24 h, the gorilla responded with one of five cards, each corresponding to a particular food. The gorilla was accurate on 70% of the short retention-interval trials and on 82% of the long retention-interval trials. In Experiment 2, the food stimulus was provided by one of two experimenters, each of whom was represented by a card. The gorilla identified the food (55% of the time) and the experimenter (82% of the time) on the short retention-interval trials. On the long retention-interval trials, the gorilla was accurate for the food (73%) and for the person (87%). The results are interpreted in light of theories of episodic memory.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sources of information used in diagnosing childhood learning disabilities.

One hundred nineteen questionnaires in which board certified/eligible child neurologists were asked to rank the diagnostic importance of 8 sources of information commonly used in the assessment of children with learning disabilities were analyzed by the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed ranks test. All pairwise comparisons of the 8 sources revealed significant differences (P less than or equal to .033) except for psychologic reports (mean rank +/- 1 S.D. = 2.09 +/- 1.14) and medical histories (2.26 +/- 1.45) which were rated equal (P = .397) and, compared to the other sources, diagnostically most useful (P less than .0001). Analysis of the 6 remaining sources demonstrated the following: teachers' reports (3.39 +/- 1.35) were deemed more helpful than the mental status examination (3.92 +/- 1.61; P = .033) and questionnaires distributed to parents and teachers (5.05 +/- 2.11) were more useful than findings on the remainder of the neurologic examination (5.81 +/- 1.46; P = .012). Social service reports (6.45 +/- 1.32) took precedence over soft signs (7.12 +/- 1.05; P = .001) which were considered the least diagnostically helpful. Analysis of variance revealed that this rank order was relatively independent of the responders' age, type of practice, years elapsed since completion of training and percentage of professional time spent examining pediatric patients. Information derived from outside sources (collective mean rank +/- 1 S.D. = 4.25 +/- 0.9) contributed significantly more to the diagnosis of learning disabilities than to information elicited directly by the examining neurologists (4.77 +/- .88; P = .002).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Active navigation and orientation-free spatial representations.

In this study, we examined the orientation dependency of spatial representations following various learning conditions. We assessed the spatial representations of human participants after they had learned a complex spatial layout via map learning, via navigating within a real environment, or via navigating through a virtual simulation of that environment. Performances were compared between conditions involving (1) multiple- versus single-body orientation, (2) active versus passive learning, and (3) high versus low levels of proprioceptive information. Following learning, the participants were required to produce directional judgments to target landmarks. Results showed that the participants developed orientation-specific spatial representations following map learning and passive learning, as indicated by better performance when tested from the initial learning orientation. These results suggest that neither the number of vantage points nor the level of proprioceptive information experienced are determining factors; rather, it is the active aspect of direct navigation that leads to the development of orientation-free representations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

The role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during sequence learning is specific for spatial information.

Many studies have implicated the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in the acquisition of skill, including procedural sequence learning. However, the specific role it performs in sequence learning has remained uncertain. This type of skill has been intensively studied using the serial reaction time task. We used three versions of this task: a standard task where the position of the stimulus cued the response; a non-standard task where the color of the stimulus was related to the correct response; and a combined task where both the color and position simultaneously cued the response. We refer to each of these tasks based upon the cues available for guiding learning as position, color and combined tasks. The combined task usually shows an enhancement of skill acquisition, a result of being driven by two simultaneous and congruent cues. Prior to the performance of each of these tasks the function of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was disrupted using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. This completely prevented learning within the position task, while sequence learning occurred to a similar extent in both the color and combined tasks. So, following prefrontal stimulation the expected learning enhancement in the combined task was lost, consistent with only a color cue being available to guide sequence learning in the combined task. Neither of these effects was observed following stimulation at the parietal cortex. Hence the critical role played by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in sequence learning is related exclusively to spatial cues. We suggest that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex operates over the short term to retain and manipulate spatial information to allow cortical and subcortical structures to learn a predictable sequence of actions. Such functions may emerge from the broader role the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex has in spatial working memory. These results argue against the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex constituting part of the neuronal substrate responsible for general aspects of implicit or explicit sequence learning.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Functional MR imaging of semantic information processing and learning-related effects using psychometrically controlled stimulation paradigms.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), in conjunction with carefully designed, psychometrically optimized stimulation procedures, was used to investigate the relation between brain activation and the processing of word associations. A semantic discrimination task of word-pair similarity was performed by normal subjects (n = 17) within a clinical 1.5-Tesla whole-body MRI system. A color similarity task of psychometrically equivalent difficulty, as indicated by behavioral data acquired online during fMRI, served as active control condition. Comparisons between tasks dramatically improved results compared to comparisons between task and resting condition. The language paradigm selectively activated left frontal and left fronto-temporal areas. Cortical activation during the semantic task decreased significantly over three runs of the same word list and was paralleled by decreased reaction times. No such changes were observed in the active control condition indicating selective learning of the language task only. When combined with psychological activation schemes and the acquisition of behavioral data, fMRI represents a powerful tool for the study of brain-behavior interaction.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Learning to leverage existing information systems: Part 1. Principles.

BACKGROUND: The success of performance improvement efforts depends on effective measurement and feedback regarding clinical processes and outcomes. Yet most health care organizations have fragmented rather than integrated data systems. Methods and practical guidance are provided for leveraging available information sources to obtain and create valid performance improvement-related information for use by clinicians and administrators. CASE VIGNETTE: At Virginia Mason Health System (VMHS; Seattle), a vertically integrated hospital and multispecialty group practice, patient records are paper based and are supplemented with electronic reporting for laboratory and radiology services. Despite growth in the resources and interest devoted to organization-wide performance measurement, quality improvement, and evidence-based tools, VMHS's information systems consist of largely stand-alone, legacy systems organized around the ability to retrieve information on patients, one at a time. By 2002, without any investment in technology, VMHS had developed standardized, clinic-wide key indicators of performance updated and reported regularly at the patient, provider, site, and organizational levels. LEVERAGING EXISTING SYSTEMS: On the basis of VHMS's experience, principles can be suggested to guide other organizations to explore solutions using their own information systems: for example, start simply, but start; identify information needs; tap multiple data streams; and improve incrementally.

Data Collection↗
PubMed2003

Learning to leverage existing information systems: Part 2. Case studies.

BACKGROUND: The ability to use available administrative and clinical information to produce performance reports is a key element of quality improvement. Six health care systems were identified that have done a particularly effective or innovative job of creating and implementing performance measurement tools and systems by using data available in existing clinical and administrative information systems: Dean Health System (Madison, WI), Sharp HealthCare (San Diego), Henry Ford Health System (Detroit), Scripps Health (San Diego), Legacy Health System (Portland, OR), and Lovelace Health System (Albuquerque). SUMMARY THOUGHTS: Interest in comparative performance information for health care organizations remains strong. The perfect measure set has not yet been invented. Every measure has one or more flaws, as do the data systems available to support them. Managers may take comfort, however, in the knowledge that performance measures need not be perfect to be useful. Measures tend to improve when people use the data to inform decisions that matter. Even the most accurate data, though, are not useful if there is either too much or too little "organizational distance" between the unit of analysis for the data and the unit of control for making change. Some systems have adopted a layered approach to performance measurement, in which measures are aggregated for reporting and use at the level of major operating units or divisions and then disaggregated for reporting and use at smaller levels and eventually to the level of individual clinicians.

California↗
PubMed2006

Learning strategies used by cardiology residents: assessment of learning styles and their correlations.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the learning styles of a group of cardiology residents (R) undergoing a training program at the University of Buenos Aires and to identify correlations of these styles. METHODS: Statistical data were obtained through a 120-question survey developed by Vermunt and colleagues, which identified four different learning styles: construction-directed; reproduction-directed; application-directed; and undirected. Four variables were identified [gender, previous experience as a teaching assistant (TA) in medical school, university final average (FA) and the public or private institution/centre of origin] in order to analyse level of correlation with learning styles (LS). Between April 2001 and April 2002, 149 residents (R) completed the survey. Average age was 29 (+/-2.7) years old; with 63% being men. FINDINGS: The predominant LS were oriented toward knowledge application. In terms of variables, no differences regarding gender were detected; the R with TA showed undirected LS characteristics; those with a low FA registered a tendency towards reproduction-directed LS; and those residents at public/state medical centres indicated construction-directed LS tendencies. CONCLUSION: An application-directed learning style predominates in this group of residents. Information regarding learning styles can provide foundations upon which arguments can be made for changes in education that are traditionally not evidence-based.

Adult↗