bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
1 Detection of Cognitive Subtypes Within Cognitively Normal Older Adults Using Hierarchical Community Detection
Authors: Pommy Jessica , Conant Lisa , Butts Alissa , Wang Yang , Nencka Andrew , Franczak Malrgozata , Umfleet Laura Glass
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Identifying individuals at the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) would enable development and study of interventions prior to onset of symptoms. However, differentiating age-related cognitive changes from subtle pathological changes remains a challenge in the field. Methods that would enable earlier detection of AD in elders with no subjective or objective cognitive concerns (i.e., individuals in the preclinical stage) would be of great interest. Community detection, a metric founded in graph theory, offers an alternative approach for characterizing subtle heterogeneity within aging samples and has the potential to inform cognitive variability in aging.

Participants and Methods:

Using a hierarchical community detection, we examined whether cognitive subtypes could be identified in 226 cognitively normal older adults (from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative [ADNI] study). Cognitive profiles of each community were characterized first using MANOVAs to examine the relationship between community membership and 12 age-, gender-, and education-corrected neuropsychological variables. Pair-wise comparisons were examined for significant main effects. We then examined whether these subtypes were related to biomarkers (cortical volumes, fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) hypometabolism) or clinical progression. All p values were corrected for multiple comparisons.

Results:

Three communities (i.e., cognitive subtypes) were identified within the healthy aging sample. The first and largest community identified (N = 106) was characterized by a relative weakness on a single measure visuospatial executive function. Both the second (N = 76) and third community (N = 44) scored significantly lower on immediate, delayed, and recognition memory relative to the first community. The third community was characterized by a relative weakness in category fluency and speeded visual sequencing as well (p < .000). The three communities did not differ on age, gender, education, race, or ethnicity. Community membership was associated with entorhinal volume (with the second and third communities having significantly smaller entorhinal volumes than the first community), though community membership was not significantly associated with other biomarkers examined. Conversion rate reached trend level significance at 12 month follow up (more converters in the third community).

Conclusions:

Hierarchical community detection is an alternative method for characterizing neuropsychological variation and it appears sensitive to relatively small differences that may be observed in a normal aging sample. While the sample size was relatively small, this approach shows promise for potentially leading to earlier detection of cognitive decline among individuals classified to be aging normally (e.g., community 3).
6 Examining Relationships Between Perceived Discrimination, Metabolic Syndrome, and Cognition
Authors: Prieto Sarah , Jurgens Savana M , Hayes Jasmeet P
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Discrimination on the basis of race, gender identity, and age, among others, has been associated with negative cognitive outcomes. However, the mechanisms by which perceived discrimination impacts cognition are not yet well understood. Discrimination can lead to chronic stress, which disrupts glucocorticoid pathways and induces susceptibility to metabolic dysregulation. On the basis of this prior work, and the known associations between metabolic syndrome and cognition, the current study examined the hypothesis that metabolic syndrome mediates the relationship between discrimination and cognition.

Participants and Methods:

1,063 adults (Mean age = 54.92 years, SD = 11.68) who participated in the Midlife in the United States project were included. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the acceptability of a bifactor model of metabolic syndrome using four subfactors (insulin resistance, adiposity, dyslipidemia, and blood pressure). The mediating effect of the metabolic syndrome latent factor on the association between discrimination and cognition was tested using PROCESS (Hayes, 2013). Exploratory analyses were conducted to examine which cognitive domains and which metabolic syndrome subfactors were driving these relationships. Mediation analyses adjusted for age, race, sex, and education.

Results:

The three most frequently reported reasons for discrimination were gender (n = 209), age (n = 174), and race (n = 129). The CFA of metabolic symptoms was deemed acceptable based on previously outlined goodness of fit criteria (CFI = 0.986, TLI = 0.976, RMSEA = 0.040, SRMR = 0.034). Results of the mediation analysis indicated a significant indirect effect of major events discrimination on the total cognition composite through the general metabolic syndrome factor (B = -0.0029, 95% CI [-0.0016, -0.0066]). Further examination revealed that this relationship was driven through an indirect path of metabolic syndrome on the relationship between discrimination and executive functioning (B = -0.0024, 95% CI -0.0059, -0.0001]). We examined which subfactors were driving these relationships and found that there were significant indirect effects of major events discrimination on total cognition through the insulin resistance (B = -0.0028, 95% CI -0.0065, -0.0003]) and dyslipidemia factors (B = -0.0026, 95% CI -0.0064, -0.0002]).

Conclusions:

Our findings provide evidence that metabolic syndrome can help explain differences in cognitive functioning based on experiences of discrimination, even after adjusting for relevant demographic factors. Results from this study suggest that understanding the impact of perceived discrimination on metabolic syndrome and developing lifestyle interventions that can improve metabolic syndrome may be helpful in reducing stress-related cognitive disparities.
30 Examining the Base Rates of Low Scores in Older Adults with Subjective Cognitive Impairment from a Specialist Memory Clinic
Authors: Grewal Karl S , Gowda-Sookochoff Rory , Kirk Andrew , Morgan Debra G , O’Connell Megan E
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Cognitively healthy individuals who complete a neuropsychological test battery can obtain very low scores. These very low scores are not likely indicative of cognitive impairment but are rather considered spuriously low scores. The expected number of low scores varies based on number and type of neuropsychological tests. Typically, base rates have been determined from normative samples, which could differ from samples seen in clinical settings. The current study reports on base rates of spuriously low cognitive scores in older adults presenting to a memory clinic who were diagnosed with subjective cognitive impairment after interprofessional assessment and information from collateral informants ruled out objective cognitive impairment.

Participants and Methods:

Base rates of spuriously low scores for a neuropsychological battery of 12 scores were based on 92 cognitively healthy older adults presenting to a specialist memory clinic (M(age) = 61.00, SD = 12.00; M(edu) = 12.00, SD = 2.74). Crawford’s Monte Carlo simulation algorithm was used to estimate multivariate base rates by calculating the percentage of cognitively healthy memory clinic patients who produced age and education normed scores at or below the 5th percentile. The following tests were used to produce the 12 scores: block design, digit span backwards, and coding from the WAIS-IV; logical memory I and II from the WMS-IV; immediate and delayed memory scores from the California Verbal Learning Test Second Edition short form; immediate and delayed memory scores from the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test Revised; category switching, letter number sequencing, and inhibition switching from the Delis Kaplin Executive Functioning System.

Results:

An estimated 33.58% of the cognitively healthy memory clinic population would have one or more low scores (5th percentile cutoff),14.7% would have two or more low scores, 6.55% would have three or more, 2.94% would have four or more, and 1.31% percent would have 5 or more very low scores due to chance.

Conclusions:

Determining base rates of spuriously low scores on a neuropsychological battery in a clinical sample of referred older adults with subjective memory complaints could assist in the diagnostic process. By understanding base rates of clinical samples, clinicians can use empirical data to adjust for expected low scores rather than using conventional corrections (such as 1/20 test scores expected to be low). In a memory clinic sample, three or more low test scores out of 12 is expected to be relatively rare in those who were later determined to have no objective evidence of cognitive impairment based on interprofessional assessment. Understanding normal frequency of low scores will prevent undue conclusions of cognitive impairment which will minimize false positives in diagnosis.
33 A serious game in an immersive virtual environment for inhibition and selective attention evaluation
Authors: Ajana Khawla , Everard Gauthier , Lejeune Thierry , Edwards Martin Gareth
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Executive functions (EFs) refer to a set of top-down cognitive processes that are fundamental for the control of goal directed behaviours (Lezak et al., 2004). Inhibition (the capacity to ignore irrelevant information) and selective attention (the capacity to selectively focus on relevant information) are considered as the core components of EFs (Barkley, 2001; Veer et al., 2017). EFs can be impaired following brain damage (Chung et al., 2013) and they are traditionally assessed individually, using paper-and-pencil tests that have long been criticized for their ecological and sensitivity limitations (Dugbartey et al., 1999; Miyake et al., 2000). Here we developed a serious game in immersive virtual reality to measure inhibition and selective attention based on the go/no-go paradigm and the D2 Test.

Participants and Methods:

Sixty healthy participants were asked to perform a series of tasks, where in each task, the target was a mole wearing a coloured helmet. In task A, either the target or a distractor bomb was presented. The participants had to respond to the target and inhibit a response to the bomb. In task B, the target was presented with distractor moles wearing different coloured helmets. The two tasks could also be combined, task AB, where the target was presented with distractors (as in task B) versus the bomb was presented with distractor moles. All the stimuli appeared from four molehills aligned to sagittal axis (near to far from the participant). Responses were made with the dominant hand in task A and with both tasks in tasks B and AB. The participants were instructed to hit the target with a virtual hammer.

Results:

Response time analysis showed that in tasks A, B and AB, participants were slower to respond to the far compared to near targets. In task B and AB, participants were additionally slower to respond to the left compared right targets. Significant interactions between laterality and proximity for tasks B and AB showed that the participants were significantly slower to response to left vs right target in both far and near conditions. All participants were able to inhibit responses to the bomb and distractor stimuli.

Conclusions:

In conclusion, we have developed a novel serious game in immersive virtual reality for the assessment of inhibition and selective attention, both as individual tests and as a combined test. Future studies will test patients with executive dysfunction to test the validity of this new serious game.
35 Pairwise Concurrence Rates Between Standalone and Embedded Performance Validity Tests
Authors: Courtwright Kylie , Daniel Michael , Michael Paul
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Determine the classification concordance between a standalone performance validity test (PVT) and embedded PVTs from multiple cognitive domains.

Participants and Methods:

Participants were 106 patients (49.1% female; 69% white) that underwent neuropsychological evaluation at an outpatient university doctoral clinical psychology training and research clinic (M/SD: age = 32.38/11.95; education = 13.7/2.75). A comprehensive neuropsychological battery included the Medical Symptom Validity Test (MSVT) and embedded PVTs from different cognitive domains: attention - Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - Fourth Edition Reliable Digit Span and Digit Span age-corrected scaled score (DS ACSS); memory - California Verbal Learning Test, 3rd Edition (CVLT-3) Forced-Choice Recognition (FCR), executive functions -Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) Failure to Maintain Set (FMS); visual-spatial/construction -Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT) Copy raw score; language - Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination Complex Ideation Material (CIM); and motor functions - Finger Tapping Test (FTT). All participants were administered the MSVT but not all participants were administered all seven embedded PVTs. Credible/noncredible classification concordance rates and kappa correlations (i.e., percentage of agreement) were computed for each pairwise PVT combination.

Results:

Twenty-two percent (n = 23) of the sample failed at least one PVT, with 17.0% (n = 18) failing at least two. DS ACSS was the embedded PVT with the highest MSVT concordance rate at 92.4% and a fair kappa coefficient of .39; WCST FMS had the lowest concordance with MSVT at 82.9% and a slight kappa coefficient of .19. The highest concordance among embedded PVTs from different cognitive domains was CVLT-3 FCR and RCFT Copy raw score at 89.7% with a fair kappa coefficient of .35; the lowest agreement among embedded PVTs was WCST FMS and FTT at 74.0% with a kappa coefficient of -.02. More conservative kappa coefficients among all pair-wise embedded PVT combinations from different cognitive domains ranged from -.02 to .36. For all standalone and embedded PVT pairwise concordance rates, only two fell below the recommended minimum agreement of 80%: FCR vs. FMS = 79.3% and FMS vs. FTT = 74.0%.

Conclusions:

Embedded PVTs across various cognitive domains have high agreement with a standalone PVT to aid in classifying noncredible performance, in the 83-92% range. Embedded PVTs from different cognitive domains also have mostly high agreement classification rates amongst themselves in aiding to determine noncredible performance, in the 74-90% range, with the lowest agreement rate between executive function and motor tests at 74%. More conservative kappa-based agreements between PVT pair-wise combinations were fairly consistent with other studies, with most being in the fair range. Finally, these findings indicate about a 17% base rate of noncredible cognitive performance in an outpatient university-based clinic.
56 Classification Accuracy of InformantReport on the Dementia Severity Rating Scale (DSRS) for Identifying Examinee-Generated Performance and Symptom Invalidity
Authors: Choudhury Tabina K , Christensen Adam A , Miller Brian I , Webber Troy A
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Assessment of response validity is essential to neuropsychological assessment. Although informant report of examinee functioning has previously been associated with examinee-generated performance and cognitive symptom invalidity (PVT; SVT-C), empirically-derived guidelines for interpreting informantreport validity are lacking. This study sought to assess the classification accuracy of a widely used informant-report measure, the Dementia Severity Rating Scale (DSRS), for discriminating examinee-generated PVT and SVT-C.

Participants and Methods:

Data were collected from 145 examinee-informant dyads who completed neuropsychological batteries as part of a routine workup in an epilepsy monitoring unit. PVT status was determined by below-threshold performances on >2 indicators (Test of Memory Malingering, Wechsler Digit Span Age Corrected Scaled Score, Word Memory Test). SVT-C status was determined by above-threshold responses on both the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form Response Bias Scale (MMPI-2-RF RBS) and Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology Amnestic Disorders subscale (SIMS-AM). After assessing demographic and relational covariance via t-test and chi square analyses, receiver operator characteristic curves were derived to assess the classification accuracy of the DSRS for discriminating examinee PVT and SVT-C status.

Results:

DSRS total score demonstrated acceptable accuracy in classifying PVT status (AUC = .77), with cut scores of >21 and >15 yielding .93-.82 specificity and .44-.63 sensitivity. The DSRS also classified SVT-C status with acceptable accuracy (AUC = .71), with the aforementioned cut scores exhibiting .90-.78 specificity and .50-.64 sensitivity. The DSRS also classified SVT-C status using only one indicator (i.e., MMPI-2-RF RBS or SIMS-AM) with acceptable accuracy (AUC = .71-.72), with the aforementioned cut scores exhibiting .92 specificity and .37-.42 sensitivity.

Conclusions:

The DSRS can be used to classify examinee-generated PVT and SVT-C on an epilepsy monitoring unit. Results provide empirically-derived psychometric guidelines for interpreting informant-report response validity that are clinically useful and lay the groundwork for future investigations of informant-report response validity.
61 Delayed Language Development in Mexican Toddlers Following Lockdown During COVID-19: The Case of Peer Socialization
Authors: Rodriguez-Rubio Celia I. , Aguillön-Solis Cristina , de la Miyar Carmen Armengol , Salvador-Cruz Judith
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Socialization is a crucial factor in children’s language acquisition. Lack of socialization could affect language development, causing a delay that can be spotted early by identifying neurological soft signs (NSS). This study aimed to compare NSS and language performance between two samples of children (pre and post-pandemic) since the lockdown carried out by Covid-19 restricted socialization in post-pandemic kids.

Participants and Methods:

Two groups of 30 children (aged 3 to 5 years old, ten children per age group; 50% boys and 50% girls) were assessed with the NSS and language subtest from the SNB-MX battery (Salvador, Tovar, Segura, Armengol & Ledesma, 2019). The first group was selected and evaluated before the covid lockdown; the second group was selected and assessed after the lockdown. Hence the second group of children was less exposed to socialization since schools changed to digital format. We compared the language performance of both groups.

Results:

Results include the comparison between samples pre and post-pandemic. Post-pandemic children performed lower in language skills. We also found a correlation between the language and NSS.

Conclusions:

We conclude that socialization is an essential factor in language development. Also, identifying Neurological Soft Signs could help predict language delay. We thank project PAPIIT IN308219 for sponsoring this research.
100 Hybrid Neuropsychology in practice: Preliminary data and future directions
Authors: Singh Shifali , Germine Laura
Published: December 2023

Objective:

The dynamic transitions towards and away from digitizing mental health care services have put immense pressure on neuropsychology to develop a more technologically advanced approach to patient care. Consistent with this, neuropsychologists are faced with an increasing burden to rapidly learn novel techniques of administering digital and/or remote cognitive measures, which may not be sufficiently standardized and/or psychometrically validated.

Participants and Methods:

The Hybrid Neuropsychology model, which aims to provide a framework for the integration of digital tools in neuropsychological assessment, has been incorporated routinely in our clinical practice, and among diverse clinical populations in inpatient and outpatient settings.

Results:

This talk aims to 1) provide a brief background on Hybrid Neuropsychology; 2) discuss preliminary findings from our ongoing studies implementing this approach in clinical populations; and 3) offer key insights gleaned from methodological, analytical, and practical perspectives.

Conclusions:

Future work towards building a more integrative method of data collection and storage based on extant preliminary data will also be discussed.
8 The Battery for Executive Functions in Addiction: Validation of a Novel Screening Tool
Authors: Balconi Michela , Losasso Doriana , Balena Alessandra , Crivelli Davide
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Executive functions (EF) are a primary mediator of both typical and atypical functioning, influencing the progression of psychopathology due to their role in supporting self-monitoring/regulation and top-down control of cognitive processes. According to recent models, EF impairments may contribute to the functional decline of patients with substance use disorder (SUD), exacerbating secondary affective and social symptoms. Despite these potential implications, the tools now commonly used to outline neurocognitive, and specifically EF, impairments in patients with addiction are not tailored to this clinical population, having been developed to assess cognitive or dysexecutive deficits in neurology or geriatric patients. Because of their different clinical focus, such tools are frequently unable to fully delineate the dysfunctional EF profile of addiction patients. We here present the development and validation of a novel specific screening battery for executive disorders in addiction: Battery for Executive Functions in Addiction (BFE-A).

Participants and Methods:

151 SUD patients and 55 control persons were recruited for the validation of the BFE-A battery. The battery consists of two computerized neurocognitive tasks (Stroop and Go/No-go tasks) and five digitalized neuropsychological tests (focus: short/long-term memory, working memory, focused attention, verbal/non-verbal cognitive flexibility). The tests are designed to assess executive control, inhibition mechanisms, and attention bias toward drugs of abuse.

Results:

In tests of verbal memory, focused attention, and cognitive flexibility, as well as in computerized tasks, inferential statistical analyses revealed lower performance in SUD patients compared to control participants, indicating a lack of inhibitory processes and dysfunctional management of cognitive resources. The investigation of Cohen’s d values has revealed that inhibitory control, verbal/nonverbal fluency, and short/long-term memory are the areas with the most significant impairments.

Conclusions:

While the evaluation of EF dysfunctions associated to addiction is a currently underrepresented component of the diagnostic procedure in drug assistance/treatment programs, is also is an essential step for both profiling of patients and design of rehabilitation protocols. Clinical interviews should be complemented by early assessment of cognitive weaknesses and preserved EF skills in order to establishing personalized therapy strategy and perhaps organizing a concurrent phase of cognitive rehabilitation.
58 Examining the Link Between Self-Reported Anxiety and Aggressive Behaviors
Authors: Desai Shivani , Hildebrand Lindsey , Reich-Feuhrer Melissa , Henderson-Arredondo Kymberly , Killgore William D.S.
Published: December 2023

Objective:

It is well known that there are differences between men and women in anxiety and aggression. Moreover, prior research has shown an association between anxiety and aggression but the strength of these associations in males and females has not been well characterized, and it remains unclear whether such associations are driven by comorbid disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or substance abuse. Therefore, we examined these associations in a large sample of males and females, and statistically controlled for the aforementioned potential confounding variables.

Participants and Methods:

A total of 13,313 adults completed the survey on Amazon Mechanical Turk between April 2020 and April 2021, including 5,598 females (Mage=36.4, SD=11.9) and 7,654 males (Mage=37.81, SD=12.7). Aggression was measured using the Buss Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), while the Generalized Anxiety Disorders (GAD-7) scale was used to gauge anxiety levels. PTSD was assessed with the PC-PTSD scale, and alcohol misuse was assessed with the Alcohol Use Disorders Inventory (AUDIT). Data were analyzed with zero-order correlations and linear regression to control for the effects of PTSD and alcohol misuse. Lastly, we used a Fisher r-to-z transformation to compare the correlations between males and females for both physical and verbal aggression with anxiety.

Results:

Higher aggression (i.e., BPAQ) was correlated with greater anxiety (i.e., GAD; r(13213)=0.482, p<0.0001)). This association between anxiety and aggression held even when other potential confounders were controlled, such as PTSD (p<0.0001), and alcohol misuse, p<0.0001. Additionally, the correlation between anxiety and physical aggression was significantly stronger in males than females (z=5.02, p<0.0001), a pattern that was also true for the association between anxiety and verbal aggression (z=4.13, p<0.0001).

Conclusions:

Our findings suggest that there is a linear relationship between the severity of anxiety and the severity of both verbal and physical aggression, that these associations tend to be stronger among males, and are not accounted for by associated conditions such as PTSD or alcohol misuse. This data augments existing research on the factors that contribute to aggression and further suggest that anxious feelings are more directly associated with aggression in males. These findings raise the possibility that interventions that target anxiety may prove helpful in reducing aggressive behavior among males. It may be fruitful for future work to identify neural systems that are associated with both anxiety and aggression and which are also modulated by sex. While measures of neurochemistry were not collected here, prior research has suggested that there are sex differences in brain systems that rely on serotonergic neurotransmission and arginine vasopressin, which could provide a target for future work.
1 Applying a dimensional framework to the study of developmental neurotoxicity
Authors: Krzeczkowski John
Published: December 2023

Objective:

In recent decades, a large body of evidence has linked prenatal exposure to environmental neurotoxins to adverse intellectual, neurodevelopmental, and psychiatric outcomes in offspring. This evidence has clearly highlighted the widespread impact of neurotoxin exposure on the developing brain; however, it is unclear how and why these exposures alter brain development in a way that appears to increase risk for multiple, seemingly disparate outcomes.

Participants and Methods:

Shifting our focus from describing links between neurotoxin exposure and symptoms of offspring mental/cognitive problems considered categorically, to investigating how neurotoxins adversely affect domains of functioning known to cut across risk for multiple problems in offspring may be critical to answering these questions. This presentation will discuss how combining research in developmental neurotoxicology with novel systems that take dimensional approaches to understanding emotions, cognition, and behaviour (i.e., the NIHM Research Domain Criteria (RDoC)) may provide a fruitful future research direction for the field. The RDoC framework aims to understand neuropsychological outcomes (i.e., mental health, mental illness, IQ) across major domains of human emotion, cognition, behaviour, and social functioning, rather than within distinct diagnostic categories.

Results:

Using lead exposure as an example, this presentation will outline a framework for how researchers can use this dimensional approach to develop more specific hypotheses that can reveal how and why neurotoxin exposure increases risk for multiple adverse outcomes and elucidate the mechanisms that may underly these links.

Conclusions:

Additionally, given that adverse development within domains of functioning can be detected prior to the onset of full-blown diagnoses, this research could enable us to develop more precise, targeted prevention and risk reduction campaigns. Adopting a dimensional framework will provide a more complete picture of the overall impact of prenatal exposure to neurotoxins - critical for informing public health policy.
14 A Potential Behavioral Sign for Detection of Mild HIV-Related Neuropsychological Impairment
Authors: Pomeroy Maiko Sakamoto , Kashiwazaki Takato , Tsurumi Jundai , Giovannetti Tania , Yamaguchi Takehiko
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Even though the severity of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) has decreased with the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy, mild forms of HAND remain prevalent. Many HIV-infected individuals live alone, so mild cognitive impairments are easily missed. It is important to check their neurocognitive and everyday functions during hospital visits; however, it is challenging for Japanese clinicians because many hospitals do not have enough clinical psychologists or neuropsychologists. Additionally, neuropsychological (NP) test results may not detect those mild cognitive impairments. A micro error has been given more attention as a new behavioral sign of the early stages of cognitive decline, especially among people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). The current study aimed to 1) develop a touch-panel HAND screening battery and 2) evaluate if the micro errors could differentiate individuals with HAND from their counterpart healthy individuals.

Participants and Methods:

Forty HIV-infected men (age: 49.0±8.51 years old, education: 18.5±2.17 years) and 44 healthy men (age: 45.4±8.49 years old, education: 14.4±2.27 years) completed the touch-panel HAND screening battery which assessed six NP domains by seven subtests, everyday functions, and depression. A micro error is defined as a subtle action disruption or hesitation occurring immediately before making final actions. We evaluated the micro errors in short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM) of verbal learning tests (VLT).

Results:

Mann Whitney U tests revealed that the HIV+ group made significantly more micro errors on both STM (HIV+: 1.45±0.90 times, Healthy: 0.52±0.84 times) and LTM (HIV+: 1.85±0.73 times, Healthy: 1.29±0.71 times) than the healthy group (STM: W=1362, p< .001, Effect Size (EF)= .548; LTM: W=1199.5, p= .002, EF= .363). An independent samples T-test showed that the HAND group made significantly more micro errors than the non-HAND group (t=1.822, p= .038, ES= .595) on STM; moreover, the Asymptomatic Neurocognitive Impairment (ANI) group made significantly more micro errors than the healthy group (W=446, p< .001, ES= .689). On LTM, no significant micro error differences between HAND and non-HAND (W=184.5, p= .539, ES= -.189) nor between ANI and healthy group (W=327.5, p= .103, ES= .241) were found.

Conclusions:

The present study suggests that a novel behavioral measure, micro errors, may be able to help detect even the mildest form of HAND, ANI. Given that the touch-panel HAND screening battery consists of NP and IADL tests, it is important to evaluate micro errors on these various measures. Additionally, the touch-panel screening battery requires minimal administrative staff involvement, which could be beneficial for busy HIV clinicians.
34 Machine Learning Predicts Time to Dementia Conversion in Cognitively Normal Subjects
Authors: Brickell Emily E , Whitford Andrew , Boettcher Anneliese
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Identification of pre-clinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is necessary for the development of future disease-modifying treatments, which would ideally target pre-clinical stages to mitigate functional loss. Despite advanced in biomarker development, clinical trials are still without a non-invasive and cost-effective means of identifying pre-symptomatic subjects who are at high risk for eventual conversion to AD. In previous work, we developed a machine learning algorithm using neuropsychological test scores and health history to identify subjects at high risk for eventual conversion. Here, we examine the performance of a similar algorithm in predicting the timing of that conversion in years.

Participants and Methods:

Data were obtained from the National Alzheimer’s Coordination Center (NACC) Uniform Data Set (UDS) version 3.0. Subjects with normal cognition at baseline were used to train a multi-class Random Forest classifier to predict conversion to AD. Each subject could be classified as a short-, mid-, or long-term converter (0-3 years, 4 to 6 years, and 7 to 9 years, respectively) or as a non-converter, if no dementia diagnosis was given within ten years of baseline. Predictors included baseline demographics, basic medical history, and neuropsychological test results. Algorithms were evaluated using standard, cross-validated performance metrics.

Results:

Multi-class Matthews correlation coefficient between predicted time to diagnosis and the ground truth averaged 0.26 +/- 0.06 across 100 cross validation splits. Prediction accuracy exceeded 0.67 in all cases, when computed for each class individually, and was greatest for the short-term (0.75) and nonconverter (0.78) classes.

Conclusions:

Machine-learning algorithms applied to neuropsychological, demographic, and medical history information were able to predict the eventual timing of conversion to dementia in cognitively healthy adults significantly better than chance. Results were most accurate when predicting shorter time to conversion. Results illustrate the potential of this data analytic approach for targeted recruitment in clinical trials.
46 Intrusions in Verbal Fluency Tasks in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: A Longitudinal Analysis
Authors: Shihadeh Layaly , Rosselli Monica
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Research shows intrusions in memory tests can predict cognitive impairment in abnormal aging. However, there still is a need for additional research regarding the association of intrusions in verbal fluency tasks and clinical diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, and dementia. The aim of this research is to determine if there is an association between intrusion totals in verbal fluency tasks and diagnosis, longitudinally (across 3 years), if there are significant differences between category and phonemic fluency tasks in intrusion total scores, and if progression from cognitively normal (CN) to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia and from MCI to dementia can be indicated through differences in intrusion scores.

Participants and Methods:

Participants were recruited from the Memory Disorders Center at Wien Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami, Florida to take part in the ongoing 1Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) project. At baseline, participants had an average of 15 years of education (M = 15.00, SD = 3.65), were an average of 72.24 years old (M = 72.24, SD = 7.99), and were 62.93% female. At baseline (Visit/ year 1), there were 88 CN, 229 MCI, and 58 dementia participants. Participants were asked to complete Categorical and Phonemic verbal fluency tasks in which correct words said and intrusions were collected. Intrusion totals were quantified as the sum of intrusions within each subsection of the tasks (i.e., fruits, vegetables, and animals for the category; F, L, A, S for phonemic). Intrusion totals and correct words were analyzed across diagnostic groups and progressor vs. non-progressor groups.

Results:

Results indicated that intrusions are significantly associated with diagnosis in Phonemic fluency tasks, however, this was not the case for Category fluency tasks. Higher phonemic fluency task intrusions were associated with more severe cognitive decline. In progressor versus non-progressor groups there were no significant differences in intrusion totals. Lower correct scores for category and phonemic fluency tasks were found to be significantly associated with increased severity of diagnosis. Lower correct scores also significantly predicted progressor classification.

Conclusions:

These findings suggest possible association of higher intrusion errors in verbal fluency tasks with more severe cognitive decline. Although these indications were significant, further research exploring intrusions and cognitive diagnosis are still needed.
51 Word Fluency Association Task (WFAT) Performance in Adolescents with Mild-Type Schizophrenia
Authors: Shvedovskiy Evgeny , Natalia Zvereva , Balakireva Elena
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Schizophrenia is often disguised as a crisis of adolescence. We want to understand how schizophrenia manifests itself in speech. We expect the difference in the Word Fluency Association Task (WFAT) in Normality Index and Time Delay.

Participants and Methods:

The analyses data was collected by the WFAT (authored by V.Kritskaya). WFAT actualize speech connections based on past experience. Stimuli - various syllables of 2-letters (20 pcs.), 3-letters (30 pcs.), varying in frequency of use (compiled on the basis of the Corpuses of the Russian language). Instruction: “Now I will tell you a syllable, your task is to complete the proposed syllable to words as quickly as possible, your words must be real”. For study purposes we subdivided the sample into two subgroups: 12-14 years, 15-17 years. For statistical analysis we used U-criterion, Mann-Whitney. Analyzed parameters:

Normality index (NI) - the ratio of productive nouns to the amount of the standard associations

Time delay (TD) - response delay of the subject (sec., millisec.)

Study involved 57 participants: 27 adolescents with schizophrenia (Cl_G) aged from 12 to 18 years, assessed in the hospital setting (DS: F20.xx, F21.xx) and 30 normotypal peers (Co_G) assessed in the school setting. Exclusion criteria: patients in the acute psychotic phase, left-handers.

Results:

NI grouped with the following rates: subgroup 1- Co_G 70,4, Cl_G 58,5, subgroup 2 - Co_G 65,2, Cl_G 56,1 There was no statistically significant difference between Cl_g Co_g in NI (P=0,000 and p=0,002 respectively). TD grouped with the following rates: subgroup 1-Co_G 2,42, Cl_G 22,63, subgroup 2 - Co_G 4,48, Cl_G 3,14 There was statistically significant difference between Cl_g Co_g in TD (P=0,432 and p=0,25 respectively).

Conclusions:

Temporal indicators of cognitive activity differ in the clinical and control groups, which testifies to the significance of this indicator in the context of WFAT. There is no difference in terms of semantics. However, we expect to see it, because such difference has previously been shown in a group of adult patients with a severe type of schizophrenia. In the future, we would like to expand the group and select additional methods that evaluate the semantic component.
Plenary G: The Faithful Brain
Authors: Grafman Jordan
Published: December 2023

Abstract & Learning Objectives

Religion's neural underpinnings have long been a topic of speculation and debate, but an emerging neuroscience of religion is beginning to clarify which regions of the brain integrate moral, ritual, and supernatural religious beliefs with functionally adaptive responses. In my presentation, I will review evidence indicating that religious cognition involves a complex interplay among the brain regions underpinning cognitive control, social reasoning, social motivations, emotion, reinforcement, and ideological beliefs. I will then conclude my presentation by summarizing current and future research efforts and why searching for God in the brain is critical to our understanding of human behavior.

Upon conclusion of this course, learners will be able to:

1.

Summarize the methods used to study the neural basis of religious belief.
THE PRO--SOLVABLE TOPOLOGY ON A FREE GROUP
Authors: MARION CLAUDE , SILVA PEDRO V. , TRACEY GARETH
Published: December 2023

We prove that, given a finitely generated subgroup H of a free group F, the following questions are decidable: is H closed (dense) in F for the pro-(met)abelian topology? Is the closure of H in F for the pro-(met)abelian topology finitely generated? We show also that if the latter question has a positive answer, then we can effectively construct a basis for the closure, and the closure has decidable membership problem in any case. Moreover, it is decidable whether H is closed for the pro-
$\mathbf {V}$
topology when
$\mathbf {V}$
is an equational pseudovariety of finite groups, such as the pseudovariety
$\mathbf {S}_k$
of all finite solvable groups with derived length
$\leq k$
. We also connect the pro-abelian topology with the topologies defined by abelian groups of bounded exponent.
Marginalization by Proxy: Voter Evaluations at the Intersection of Candidate Identity and Community Ties
Authors: Bell Ryan , Borelli Gabriel
Published: December 2023

We apply an intersectional framework to explore how connections to marginalized communities interact with candidate demographics to shape vote choice in U.S. politics. In an original experiment manipulating candidates’ race, gender, sexuality, and endorsements, we show that endorsements by organizations advocating for marginalized communities shape voter evaluations to the same, if not greater, degree as candidate demographics. Moreover, the effects are particularly pronounced for candidates receiving an endorsement from an LGBT advocacy organization. Attitudes toward marginalized communities are mapped onto candidates with ties to those communities, whether the candidate is a member or not; we call this process associational affect. Identity has a complex role in shaping vote choice, and, absent an investigation of power and interlocking social hierarchies, it alone is insufficient to explain vote choice.
“El Principal Enemigo Nacional”: Revolutionary Guatemala's Response to Allied Policy toward German Presence in Latin America (1944–1952)
Authors: Véliz Estrada Rodrigo
Published: December 2023

This article examines the migration and expropriation policies of Guatemala's revolutionary governments toward Germans present in the country during the postwar years and the start of the Cold War. It reconstructs the challenges around the domestic and international articulations of their strategy. Revolutionary governments’ concerted efforts to confiscate valuable land and condition the return of German-Guatemalans classified as ‘dangerous’ can be interpreted as part of a cohesive plan to regain control of strategic domestic resources for future redistribution. It also reflects financial policies that have both electoral and financial purposes. The article is built around newly available judicial, legislative, and consular (France) Guatemalan sources, along with personal letters from Guatemala's top politicians, and complemented by Mexican, Chilean, Argentine, British, and US diplomatic documents. In methodological terms, this article shows the importance of articulating long-term processes, here the nineteenth-century German presence in Guatemala, in the context of historical junctures such as the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. It also draws attention to the importance of analyzing events on domestic, regional and global scales to understand foreign policy-making. This article enriches an already complex set of global, regional, and domestic interactions of the postwar period, as well as the role of Guatemala during that time.
The Relationship Between the Menstrual Cycle, Oral Contraceptives,	and Executive Function – Inhibition, Updating, and	Shifting
Authors: Kowalczyk Melanie , Kornacka Monika , Wisiecka Katarzyna , Młyniec Agnieszka , Redeł Anna , Szwykowska-Ziemniak Maria , Krejtz Izabela
Published: December 2023

Abstract: Previous research suggests a link between oral contraceptives and cognitive functioning in women, yet the results are contradictory and limited by methodological inconsistencies. This is the first meta-analysis of studies comparing naturally cycling women with women taking oral contraceptives on measures testing three executive functions: inhibition, updating, and shifting. We conducted a systematic literature search. Sixteen articles were included which were either cross-sectional or experimental and compared executive functions between women taking oral contraceptives ( n = 588) or cycling naturally ( n = 594). The average sample size was n = 32.33 for oral contraceptives users and n = 31.34 for naturally cycling women with ranges going from 8 to 144 participants per study. The age range of participants in all the studies taken together was between 18 for the youngest participant and 50 years old for the oldest participant with a mean age of M = 21.97, SD = 2.28. The studies presented a mixture of androgenic and anti-androgenic oral contraceptives which were rarely analyzed as separate groups. We ran a multivariate meta-analysis model to estimate the effect size of 66 comparisons in executive functioning between the groups taking oral contraceptives and the groups of naturally cycling women. Overall, the effect size of differences in executive functioning between groups was not significant: d = 0.044, SE = 0.0713, 95% CI [−0.0959, 0.1839], z = 0.62; p = 0.54. The analysis of the cycle phases and types of executive functions as moderators was not significant, however, the studies assessed as having a lower quality increased the overall effect. Our analysis indicates no difference between oral contraceptive users and naturally cycling women on core executive functions but the high amount of heterogeneity might reflect a high level of methodological diversity. Implications for research design and methodology are discussed.
Sub‐Hourly Observations of Dust Storm Growth, Lee Waves, and Lyot Crater, by the EMM Camera EXI
Authors: Gebhardt C. , Guha B. K. , Young R. M. B. , Wolff M. J. , Edwards C. S.
Published: December 2023

We explore a sequence of 13 unique high‐cadence images of a dust storm, from the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM). The Emirates eXploration Imager camera took these images in less than 8 hr on 18 December 2022 (Martian Year 36, solar longitude 356°). Most of these images are separated by a time difference of half an hour. The region of interest extends from Lyot crater to the east. During the morning, the EMM images show lee waves (atmospheric gravity waves). In the late morning, the lee waves rapidly change into clearly distinct dust storm texture/convective features. We track the evolution of both lee waves and a local dust storm between sunrise and mid‐afternoon. Also, we relate our observations to atmospheric dynamics. Our analysis is supported by the Mars Climate Database and radio occultation measurement data.
Properties of Magnetohydrodynamic Normal Modes in the Earth's Magnetosphere
Authors: Hartinger M. D. , Elsden T. , Archer M. O. , Takahashi K. , Wright A. N. , Artemyev A. , Zhang X. , Angelopoulos V.
Published: December 2023

The Earth's magnetosphere supports a variety of Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) normal modes with Ultra Low Frequencies (ULF) including standing Alfvén waves and cavity/waveguide modes. Their amplitudes and frequencies depend in part on the properties of the magnetosphere (size of cavity, wave speed distribution). In this work, we use ∼13 years of Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms satellite magnetic field observations, combined with linearized MHD numerical simulations, to examine the properties of MHD normal modes in the region L > 5 and for frequencies <80 mHz. We identify persistent normal mode structure in observed dawn sector power spectra with frequency‐dependent wave power peaks like those obtained from simulation ensemble averages, where the simulations assume different radial Alfvén speed profiles and magnetopause locations. We further show with both observations and simulations how frequency‐dependent wave power peaks at L > 5 depend on both the magnetopause location and the location of peaks in the radial Alfvén speed profile. Finally, we discuss how these results might be used to better model radiation belt electron dynamics related to ULF waves.