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Results for “Cognitive Reflection”

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PubMedDate not supplied

Lateral eye movements as indicators of processing strategies in paired-associate learning: their effect on recall, recognition, and error type.

Subjects, classified as left- or right-movers on the basis of their lateral eye movements, were presented with paired-associates designed to elicit processing by either the left hemisphere (low-imagery synonyms) or the right hemisphere (high-imagery rhymes), followed by both recall and recognition tests. While recall of high-imagery pairs exceeded that of low-imagery pairs, there were no differences in recognition between the two types of paired-associates. There were no differences in retention between left- and right-movers, suggesting that if these groups differ in cognitive style, such differences may not be reflected in measures of information retention. The types of errors the groups made appeared to be influenced more by differences in information processing strategies.

Adult↗

PubMed2007

[A introduction to despair as a psychopathological phenomenon].

Despair as a phenomenon has not received much attention from psychopathologists, which is difficult to grasp in the clinical context. This paper is an attempt to elaborate upon despair as a key concept and thus open up a new field in psychopathology. The historical approach leads to a twofold view on despair, namely as an affect and as a cognitive structure. The paper therefore follows both the affect theories developed since the onset of the modern era and the cognitive theories on doubt at risk of progressing into despair. Using current approaches of cognitive emotional psychology, despair is defined as an oscillating, affective-cognitive process: the oscillation of doubt is reflected in the alternation of various single affects such as hope, fear, anxiety, anger, shame, guilt, and sadness and then moves towards the negative pole of increasing affect diffusion, loss of object relation, hopelessness, and suicidality. On the basis of this model it is possible to elaborate specific types of despair in individual psychiatric disorders, assessments of the stage of the process, and possible therapeutic strategies.

Affective Symptoms↗

PubMed1998

Attitudes towards suicide among medical students: comparison between Madras (India) and Vienna (Austria).

Attitudes towards suicide among medical students in Madras (India) and Vienna (Austria) were compared using the SUIATT questionnaire by Diekstra and Kerkhof (1989). Results show a very restrictive attitude in Madras, rejecting the right to commit suicide, nearly always judging suicide as a cowardly act, and rejecting the idea of assisted suicide. On the other hand, in Vienna a more permissive attitude was found. It is interpreted that the Indian pattern comes close to a "medical" or "disease model", with stronger emphasis on mental illness, impulsiveness and emotional aspects, whereas the Viennese pattern reflects a "theoretical", "rational model", concentrating on cognitive factors and minimizing the influence of mental illness, emotional difficulties and restrictions related to suicidal behaviour. This pattern may be influenced by the public discussion on assisted suicide and the right to die in Europe in the last decade. Possible relations to the risk for actual suicidal behaviour are discussed using respective answers concerning previous suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. The answers concerning suicidal ideation seem to be strongly influenced by the different attitude patterns: only 16.8% reported previous suicidal ideation in Madras, compared to 51.5% in Vienna, whereas the percentage of reported suicide attempts is equal in both centres (5.9%:4.9%).

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Perception and its neuronal mechanisms.

A classic view of the relation between sensorineural activity and perception has assumed that the former is somehow transformed into the latter at some locus in the brain. This notion conflicts with the modern view that the activity of the nervous system is restricted to transmitting and processing information. It is suggested that the conflict may be resolved by considering perception as reflective activity rather than passive reception. This cognitive process entails information about the perceiving self and the general context and not merely the stimulus input. Some aspects of perception can be related to neuronal mechanisms and even to neuronal activity at specific loci. How is this done? By identifying the characteristics of the perceptual process and finding a necessary and sufficient neuronal mechanism that receives information about the stimulus input and can perform the implied computation. Examples are taken from the study of visual development in human infants.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Toward a new nosology of obsessive compulsive disorder.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is receiving increasing attention in the clinical research literature. This review briefly summarizes data concerning diagnosis, phenomenology, and epidemiology of OCD and examines other disorders that closely resemble OCD. In addition, the nosological and treatment implications of these data are discussed. We find that OCD is characterized by a focal anxiety point(s) reflected in obsessions and by behavioral or cognitive compulsions. The appearance of these characteristics in other disorders suggests some relation between them and, consequently, the treatment of these disorders may be enhanced by conceptualizing them as OCD "variants".

Anxiety Disorders↗

PubMed1983

Late components of saccade-related brain potentials in guessing tasks.

The late positive components of lambda responses were studied in a guessing task modified in such a way that subjects had to perform a saccadic eye movement in order to perceive task-relevant information. Responses from 6 scalp areas were investigated in 9 subjects and in 2 conditions: control and guessing. In both conditions subjects performed two consecutive saccades in a given trial: the first to the middle light, the second to the target area. In the control condition the subjects knew beforehand what the 'target' would be. In the guessing condition they had to make a guess before each trial as to which of the three target stimuli would appear. The target stimuli occurred with unequal probability and were presented in a randomized sequence. Unlike the control condition, the guessing task led to the appearance of a late positive component in the lambda response. Similar to traditional ERP findings, this late positivity showed an amplitude maximum at the parietal area and a peak latency at 375 msec from saccade onset. Furthermore, Principal Component-Varimax Analysis (PCVA) of the lambda responses revealed a first factor giving the strongest loading in the latency range of the P300, and a second factor which was identified as the slow wave. These factors are quite similar to the factors found in the PCVA of ERPs. Our results suggest that the late components of lambda responses reflect the effects of information processing in cognitive tasks similarly to the way the late positive components of ERPs do.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Cynical hostility, anger, and resting blood pressure.

Research on associations of anger and hostility with resting blood pressure (BP) has generally ignored their interrelationships. The present study examined the individual and joint relationships of cynical hostility, anger-in, anger-out, and anger frequency with resting BP using the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale and the Spielberger anger scales. Multiple regressions were conducted on data from a community sample of 105 men and women to examine the main and interactive effects of anger and hostility on BP, controlling for established physical covariates. Diastolic BP was inversely related to anger-in scores in men and women. Systolic and diastolic BP were positively associated with Ho (hostility) score only in women. No confounding or interactive effects of hostility and anger on BP were found. It is suggested that the sex-specific link between cynical hostility and BP may reflect a chronic mismatch between the social cognitions of cynically hostile women and some of the cultural norms that govern women's social lives.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Structural differences in the cerebral cortex of healthy female and male subjects: a magnetic resonance imaging study.

There are both reproductive and nonreproductive behavioral differences between men and women. Brain regions involved in determining sexual behavior have been reported to differ between the sexes. Nonreproductive, cognitive functional differences between sexes might be reflected in higher-order cortical structural dimorphisms, which have not previously been studied. We hypothesized that cortical regions involved in verbal behavior (which is sexually dimorphic) would differ between sexes. Using magnetic resonance imaging, we assessed gray matter volumes in several cortical regions in 17 women and 43 men. Women had 23.2% (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) and 12.8% (superior temporal gyrus) greater gray matter percentages (corrected for overall brain size and age) than men in a language-related cortical region, but not in a more visuospatially related cortical region. These data seem to establish sexually dimorphic structural differences in the cerebral cortex, consistent with prior cerebral blood flow reports.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Neural mechanisms of working memory in ecstasy (MDMA) users who continue or discontinue ecstasy and amphetamine use: evidence from an 18-month longitudinal functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

BACKGROUND: Working memory processing in ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) users is associated with neural alterations as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging. Here, we examined whether cortical activation patterns change after prolonged periods of continued use or abstinence from ecstasy and amphetamine. METHODS: We used an n-back task and functional magnetic resonance imaging in 17 ecstasy users at baseline (t(1)) and after 18 months (t(2)). Based on the reported drug use at t(2) we separated subjects with continued ecstasy and amphetamine use from subjects reporting abstinence during the follow-up period (n = 9 and n = 8, respectively). RESULTS: At baseline both groups had similar task performance and similar cortical activation patterns. Task performance remained unchanged in both groups. Furthermore, there were no detectable functional magnetic resonance imaging signal changes from t(1) to t(2) in the follow-up abstinent group. However, the continuing users showed a dose-dependent increased parietal activation for the 2-back task after the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that ecstasy use, particularly in high doses, is associated with greater parietal activation during working memory performance. An altered activation pattern might appear before changes in cognitive performance become apparent and, hence, may reflect an early stage of neuronal injury from the neurotoxic drug ecstasy.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Does regional brain perfusion correlate with eating disorder symptoms in anorexia and bulimia nervosa patients?

OBJECTIVE: Using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), we sought brain perfusion correlates of eating disorder symptoms in anorexia and bulimia nervosa patients. METHOD: We investigated 67 female eating disordered (ED) patients. Eating disorder symptoms were measured by the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI). Determination of brain areas in which regional perfusion co-varied with drive for thinness, bulimia, body dissatisfaction, ineffectiveness, perfectionism, interpersonal distrust, interoceptive awareness and maturity fears was done by open explorative correlation analysis using Statistical Parametrical Mapping (SPM). RESULTS: A significant positive correlation between scores on body dissatisfaction and ineffectiveness, and brain perfusion in the prefrontal and parietal cortex was demonstrated. There were no correlations between other eating disorder symptoms and brain perfusion. CONCLUSION: Based on the finding of an association between regional brain flow and body dissatisfaction and ineffectiveness, we argue that neurobiological findings in ED patients may not only reflect emotional and behavioural factors but cognitive-evaluative features as well.

Adult↗

PubMed2026

Missense mutations in the SNCA gene: Molecular mechanisms and clinical implications.

The SNCA gene on chromosome 4 encodes the alpha-synuclein (αSyn) protein, which plays a central role in the pathogenesis of synucleinopathies, including Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and multiple system atrophy (MSA). While αSyn has established roles in synaptic vesicle dynamics and neuronal signaling, alterations in SNCA regulation and sequence contribute to protein misfolding, aggregation, and loss of function. Alterations in secondary and tertiary structure, as well as protein aggregation, affect biochemical interactions, ultimately leading to pathogenesis. This review outlines the molecular architecture of the SNCA gene, including regulatory regions, alternative splicing, and untranslated regions that influence αSyn expression and isoform diversity. Seven missense mutations of the SNCA gene are discussed in detail from the genomic level, extending to phenotypic presentations. These missense mutations have different effects on the aggregation kinetics and fibril formation. Specific genotype-phenotype correlations are evident, with mutations such as A30P and H50Q commonly resembling idiopathic PD, E46K strongly associated with DLB, and G51D, A53T, and A53E linked to atypical parkinsonism and MSA-like syndromes. Differences in age at onset, disease progression, cognitive involvement, and response to therapy further reflect mutation-specific effects and modifying influences of allelic dosage and epigenetic regulation. Collectively, these findings emphasize the importance of SNCA genetic variation in shaping disease phenotype and progression. Improving the understanding of SNCA genotype-phenotype relationships in future studies may facilitate earlier diagnosis, refine prognostic stratification, and support the development of targeted, disease-modifying therapies for synucleinopathies.

Molecular mechanisms↗

PubMed2004

The neural correlates of placebo effects: a disruption account.

The neurocognitive pathways by which placebo effects operate are poorly understood. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging was used to assess the brain response of patients with chronic abdominal pain (irritable bowel syndrome; IBS) to induced intestinal discomfort both before and after a 3-week placebo regimen. A daily symptom diary was used to measure symptom improvement. Increases in right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (RVLPFC) activity from pre- to post-placebo predicted self-reported symptom improvement, and this relationship was mediated by changes in dorsal anterior cingulate (dACC), typically associated with pain unpleasantness. These results are consistent with disruption theory [Lieberman, M.D., 2003. Reflective and reflexive judgment processes: a social cognitive neuroscience approach. In: Forgas, J.P., Williams, K.R., von Hippel, W. (Eds.), Social Judgments: Explicit and Implicit Processes. Cambridge Univ. Press, New York, pp. 44-67], which proposes that activation of prefrontal regions associated with thinking about negative affect can diminish dACC and amygdala reactivity to negative affect stimuli. This is the first study to identify a neural pathway from a region of the brain associated with placebos and affective thought to a region closely linked to the placebo-related outcome of diminished pain unpleasantness.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Engagement of the prefrontal cortex in representational momentum: an fMRI study.

Behavioral studies have identified a robust phenomenon that an observer's memory of the final position of a moving target is shifted a little further in its motion direction, which is usually called representational momentum (RM). However, the neural substrates underlying RM are poorly understood. The current study measured hemodynamic responses in association with RM using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Two experiments using block and event-related designs, respectively, were conducted in which subjects compared the orientation of a probe rectangle with the remembered orientation of the final inducing figures in a set of rotating rectangles. Both experiments showed that, relative to the control task in which behavioral data did not show RM effects, RM task induced stronger activation in the prefrontal cortex. However, no activation was found in MT/MST complex in association with RM. The fMRI results suggest that RM may not simply reflect implicit motion perception and high level cognitive mechanisms underpinned by the prefrontal cortex may be involved in the RM effect.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Human striatal activation reflects degree of stimulus saliency.

Salient stimuli are characterized by their capability to perturb and seize available cognitive resources. Although the striatum and its dopaminergic inputs respond to a variety of stimuli categorically defined as salient, including rewards, the relationship between striatal activity and saliency is not well understood. Specifically, it is unclear if the striatum responds in an all-or-none fashion to salient events or instead responds in a graded fashion to the degree of saliency associated with an event. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we measured activity in the brains of 20 participants performing a visual classification task in which they identified single digits as odd or even numbers. An auditory tone preceded each number, which was occasionally, and unexpectedly, substituted by a novel sound. The novel sounds varied in their ability to interrupt and reallocate cognitive resources (i.e., their saliency) as measured by a delay in reaction time to immediately subsequent numerical task-stimuli. The present findings demonstrate that striatal activity increases proportionally to the degree to which an unexpected novel sound interferes with the current cognitive focus, even in the absence of reward. These results suggest that activity in the human striatum reflects the level of saliency associated with a stimulus, perhaps providing a signal to reallocate limited resources to important events.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

PubMed2003

Alzheimer's disease and total plasma aminothiols.

BACKGROUND: Plasma homocysteine is elevated in Alzheimer's disease, but little is known regarding levels of related aminothiols in the disease. We therefore determined total plasma homocysteine, cysteine, and glutathione levels in patients and control subjects and investigated their relationship with cognitive scores. METHODS: We performed a prospective, case-controlled survey based in two UK Psychogeriatric Assessment Centres. Fifty patients with features compatible with DSM-IV criteria for primary degenerative dementia of Alzheimer type were recruited together with 57 cognitively intact age- and gender-matched control subjects. Mini-Mental State and Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subsection (ADAS-Cog) scores were determined for patients and control subjects. Aminothiols were assayed with an automated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system. RESULTS: Patients had significantly elevated total plasma homocysteine (p <.001) and cysteine (p <.01), but there were no group differences for total plasma glutathione. Glutathione was, however, a highly significant and independent predictor of cognitive scores in patients (p =.002); lower plasma levels were associated with more severe cognitive impairment. CONCLUSIONS: Total plasma homocysteine and cysteine are elevated in Alzheimer's disease, suggesting intact transsulphuration but defective remethylation of homocysteine in the disease. Total plasma glutathione levels in patients correlate with cognitive scores. Taken together, these observations perhaps reflect the differential effects of Alzheimer's disease-related oxidative stress on the two key pathways of homocysteine metabolism.

Aged↗

PubMed2000

Listening to discourse in distracting settings: the effects of aging.

Younger and older adults listened to discourse in quiet and in conversational noise, before answering questions concerning the material. Some questions required listeners to recall specific details; others were of a more integrative nature. When the listening situation was adjusted for individual differences in hearing, younger and older adults were equally adept at remembering the gist of the passages in both quiet and in two levels of noise. The two age groups also did not differ with respect to memory for specific details when listening in quiet or in a moderate level of noise, even when required to perform a concurrent task. Only at the loudest noise level did younger adults tend to recall more detail than older adults. However, when no adjustments were made to compensate for the poorer hearing of older adults (all participants tested under identical listening conditions), older adults could not recall as much detail as younger adults, either in quiet or in noise. The results indicate that the speech-comprehension difficulties of older adults primarily reflect declines in hearing rather than in cognitive ability.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

At the boundaries of automaticity: negation as reflective operation.

The present research investigated whether automatic social-cognitive skills are based on the same representations and processes as their controlled counterparts. Using the cognitive task of negating valence, the authors demonstrate that enhanced practice in negating the valence of a stimulus can lead to changes in the underlying associative representation. However, procedural, rule-based components of negations were generally unaffected by practice (Experiments 1-3). Moreover, negations of evaluative stimuli did not influence automatic evaluative responses to these stimuli, unless the negation was included in the associative representation of a stimulus (Experiments 4-6). These results suggest that some practice-related skill improvements are limited to conditions in which a general procedure can be substituted by the retrieval of results of previous applications from associative memory. Implications for research on automaticity and social cognition are discussed.

Automatism↗

PubMed2006

Sequential modulations of interference evoked by processing task-irrelevant stimulus features.

Compatibility level repetition benefits in interference paradigms have been taken to reflect enhanced processing selectivity in response to cognitive conflict elicited by a task-irrelevant stimulus feature. The authors demonstrate such sequential effects in the Simon task which (a) occur independent of previous behavioral conflict effects and (b) cannot be accounted for by selectivity enhancement. Furthermore, when presenting more than one type of irrelevant stimulus features, compatibility level repetition effects occurred in a type-specific manner. The results do not support the notion that cognitive conflict results in enhanced processing selectivity and favor a feature integration account.

Adult↗