bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
13 Relationship Between Subjective Cognitive Decline and Episodic Memory Among Older Adults with and Without Neurocognitive Impairment
Authors: Killingsworth Derek C , Persin Michael J , Nabulsi Eman , Griffin Rebekah , Dube Jeanné M , Boynton Harrison G , Hardesty Danielle R , Barnett Michael D
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Previous research has found that subjective cognitive decline corresponds with assessed memory impairment and could even be predictive of neurocognitive impairment. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a single self-report item of subjective cognitive decline corresponds with the results of a performance-based measure of episodic memory.

Participants and Methods:

Older adults (n = 100; age 60-90) were given the single item measure of subjective cognitive decline developed by Verfaille et al. (2018).

Results:

Those who endorsed subjective cognitive decline (n = 68) had lower scores on the CVLT-II long delay free recall than those who did not endorse such a decline (n = 32). Additionally, older adults with a neurocognitive diagnosis believed their memory was becoming worse at a higher proportion than those without.

Conclusions:

While a single item of subjective cognitive decline should not be substituted for a comprehensive evaluation of memory, the results suggest that it may have utility as a screening item.
28 Factor Structure of Conventional Neuropsychological Tests and NIH-Toolbox in Healthy Older Adults
Authors: Langer Kailey , Hardcastle Cheshire , Hausman Hanna , Kraft Jessica , Albizu Alejandro , Evangelista Nicole , Boutzoukas Emanuel , O’Shea Andrew , Van Etten Emily , Smith Samantha , Song Hyun , Bharadwaj Pradyumna , Hishaw Georg , Wu Samuel , DeKosky Steven , Alexander Gene , Porges Eric , Marsiske Michael , Cohen Ronald , Woods Adam
Published: December 2023

Objective:

The National Institutes of Health-Toolbox cognition battery (NIH-TCB) is widely used in cognitive aging studies and includes measures in cognitive domains evaluated for dimensional structure and psychometric properties in prior research. The present study addresses a current literature gap by demonstrating how NIH-TCB integrates into a battery of traditional clinical neuropsychological measures. The dimensional structure of NIH-TCB measures along with conventional neuropsychological tests is assessed in healthy older adults.

Participants and Methods:

Baseline cognitive data were obtained from 327 older adults. The following measures were collected: NIH-Toolbox cognitive battery, Controlled Oral Word Association (COWA) letter and animals tests, Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WTAR), Stroop Color-Word Interference Test, Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), Brief Visuospatial Memory Test (BVMT), Letter-Number Sequencing (LNS), Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT), Trail Making Test A&B, Digit Span. Hmisc, psych, and GPARotation packages for R were used to conduct exploratory factor analyses (EFA). A 5-factor solution was conducted followed by a 6-factor solution. Promax rotation was used for both EFA models.

Results:

The 6-factor EFA solution is reported here. Results indicated the following 6 factors: working memory (Digit Span forward, backward, and sequencing, PASAT trials 1 and 2, NIH-Toolbox List Sorting, LNS), speed/executive function (Stroop color naming, word reading, and color-word interference, NIH-Toolbox Flanker, Dimensional Change, and Pattern Comparison, Trail Making Test A&B), verbal fluency (COWA letters F-A-S), crystallized intelligence (WTAR, NIH-Toolbox Oral Recognition and Picture Vocabulary), visual memory (BVMT immediate and delayed), and verbal memory (HVLT immediate and delayed. COWA animals and NIH-Toolbox Picture Sequencing did not adequately load onto any EFA factor and were excluded from the subsequent CFA.

Conclusions:

Findings indicate that in a sample of healthy older adults, these collected measures and those obtained through the NIH-Toolbox battery represent 6 domains of cognitive function. Results suggest that in this sample, picture sequencing and COWA animals did not load adequately onto the factors created from the rest of the measures collected. These findings should assist in interpreting future research using combined NIH-TCB and neuropsychological batteries to assess cognition in healthy older adults.
37 The Influence of Informant Characteristics on Reports of Participant Functioning and Associations Between Reported Functioning and Neuropsychological Performance among Non-Hispanic Black Adults
Authors: Graves Lisa V. , Hamill Sharon , Larry Maiya , Williams Destiny
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Assessing one’s functional capacity

– in addition to neuropsychological performance

– is essential for determining neurocognitive status, and functional assessment is often provided via informant report. While informant characteristics have been shown to influence reports of participant functioning, the degree to which they moderate relationships between reported functioning and participant performance on neuropsychological testing is unclear. Moreover, associations among informant characteristics, reported functioning, and neuropsychological performance have not been directly examined with non-Hispanic Black (NHB) samples, despite this population’s disproportionately high risk for dementia.

Participants and Methods:

In this cross-sectional observational study, we examined the influence of informant characteristics on (1) informant reports of participant functioning (assessed via the Functional Activity Questionnaire [FAQ]), and (2) associations between reported functioning and participant performance on neuropsychological testing, among NHB adult participants in the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center cohort (n=1024).

Results:

Younger age, female sex/gender, higher education, longer relationships with participants, and cohabitation were informant characteristics associated with poorer reported functioning (ps<.01). Moreover, poorer reported functioning was associated with poorer performance on (1) memory and language tests, particularly for participants with male (versus female) informants, and (2) the Multilingual Naming Test, particularly for participants with cohabitating (versus non-cohabitating) informants (ps<.01).

Conclusions:

Within the context of neurocognitive evaluation of NHB adults, informant age, sex/gender, education, relationship length, and cohabitation status influence informant reports of participant functioning, and informant sex/gender and cohabitation status in turn moderate associations between reported functioning and participant performance on comprehensive neuropsychological testing.
65 Verbal and Visual-Spatial Abilities Differ by Ethnicity in a Referred Pediatric Sample
Authors: Rempe Gary P. , Lyke Patricia , Walter Jennifer G. , King John H.
Published: December 2023

Objective:

To compare performances of matched groups derived from caregiver-reported ethnicity on measures of verbal comprehension and visual-spatial abilities, and to identify factors potentially related to differences.

Participants and Methods:

Participants included 159 English speaking children from 615 years of age who were referred for neuropsychological evaluation at a clinic in the southwestern region of the United States. Participants were matched across four groups based on caregiver-reported ethnicity, including American Indian (n = 41), Hispanic (n= 41), White (n = 41), and Other (i.e., Black, Asian; n = 36) categories. Propensity score matching was used to derive samples, with participants matched on age, caregiver-reported sex assigned at birth, and the full-scale intelligence quotient on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V).

Results:

Using a dependent variable derived from subtracting the WISC-V Verbal Comprehension Index from the Visual-Spatial Index, significant differences across groups were found via a factorial analysis of variance model (p = .02, eta squared = .06). Achieved power was .82. Post-hoc analysis indicated significantly greater differences between verbal comprehension and visual-spatial abilities amongst participants of American Indian (mean difference = -6.61 standard score points) and Hispanic (mean difference = -6.66 standard score points) ethnicity relative to participants of White ethnicity (mean difference = 2.17 standard score points; p < .01). Differences did not relate to participant age or assigned sex.

Conclusions:

Greater differences between visual and verbal intellectual abilities were found amongst Hispanic and American Indian participants relative to White participants. Hispanic and American children tended to perform higher on visual spatial rather than verbal tasks, while the pattern was reversed for White children. Findings are congruent with previous research conducted using older versions of the WISC and continue to highlight potential issues related to the external validity of this measure in certain populations. This study contributes to the existing literature by replicating previous findings with the most recent iteration of the WISC in a referred sample. Current results continue to suggest that the WISC-V Verbal Comprehension Index may function more as a measure of English language ability rather than verbal intellectual ability. Given these findings, it is important that weaknesses in verbal comprehension amongst children of Hispanic or American Indian ethnicity be interpreted in this context when identified in clinical and research settings. Discrepancies between ethnic groups may relate broadly to cultural and systemic factors (e.g., differing patient/examiner characteristics, inequalities in access to education/intervention and healthcare, bilingualism/exposure to the English language).
81 An Examination of a Multiple Cutoff Performance Validity Index
Authors: Brown Colin Craig
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Recent consensus guidelines have advocated for the use of multivariate performance validity assessment on ability-based measures such those used in neuropsychological assessment. Further, previous research has demonstrated that aggregating performance validity indicators may produce superior classification accuracy. The present study builds upon this research by aggregating data from three of the most commonly used performance validity measures (Test of Memory Malingering [TOMM], Rey Fifteen Item Test with recognition trial [FIT plus recognition], and Reliable Digit Span [RDS]) to create a performance validity composite measure in a veteran mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) population.

Participants and Methods:

Data of patients evaluated at a VA hospital who had completed the RDS, FIT plus recognition, and TOMM as part of their clinical neuropsychological evaluation were analyzed (n = 20). Two composite performance validity indexes were created: a Single Cutoff Performance Validity Index (SC-PVI), which measures the quantity of failures across performance validity measures (PVMs) by summing the total number of PVM failures, and a Multiple Cutoff Performance Validity Index (MC-PVI) which measures the number of failures as well as degree of failure(s) across measures of performance validity (e.g., a participant would attain a score of 3 if their PVM performance failed to reach a conservative cut point; they would obtain a score of 1 if they met conservative cut point, yet failed to reach a liberal cut point).

Results:

Only one participant (5%) attained a score of 0 on the SC-PVI (i.e., passing all PVTs using standard cutoffs) and MC-PVI (i.e., passing the most liberal cut points on all three PVMs). Conversely, eight participants (40%) attained a score of 3 on the SC-PVI (i.e., failed all three PVMs) and four participants (20%) attained a score of 9 (i.e., failed the most conservative cut points on all three PVMs). Results showed a significant (p < .001) ordinal association between the two indices (G = .984); however, there was no significant agreement between SC-PVI and MC-PVI models (k = -.087; p = .127).

Conclusions:

Data revealed discordant findings between the three PVMs utilized. The majority of participants (75%) scored between 2-8 on the MC-PVI, meaning that they did not exceed all liberal cut points or fail all conservative cut points. These “grey area” scores suggest an indeterminate range of performance validity, which cannot be captured by a solitary cut point or neatly classified as pass or fail. The utility of multiple cutoff performance validity models (i.e., aggregating PVMs to consider the severity of failure and number of failures) is that they capture the nuance of these data when determining and discussing the credibility of a profile. Multiple cut point data also highlight how the choice of cutoff influences the outcome of performance validity research and clinical decision making. As such, future research on the classification accuracy of this MC-PVI is needed.
87 Examining the use of the Embedded Performance Validity Test in the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised Among Spanish-Speaking Patients
Authors: Castillo Liliam R , Bushell Christine M , Coll Sofia , Salinas Lilian , Barr William B
Published: December 2023

Objective:

The Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R) Recognition Discrimination (RD) index has emerged as an embedded performance validity test (PVT). However, there do not appear to be any studies that have examined its utility in Spanish-speaking samples. This pilot study examined the classification accuracy of the BVMT-R RD for detecting performance invalidity in a Spanish-speaking forensic sample.

Participants and Methods:

This cross-sectional study utilized a sample of 89 Spanish speakers that were administered the BVMT-R during an outpatient neuropsychological evaluation. Out of the 89 Spanish speakers, 43 were subjects in litigation, 32 were neurological patients evaluated for clinical purposes, and 14 were healthy controls. The sample was 67% male/33% female, 53% South American, 33% Caribbean (Dominican, Puerto Rican, Cuban), 10% Central American, 3% North American (Mexican), and 1% Spanish, with a mean age of 44.2 years (SD = 14.2; range = 20-78) and mean education of 11 years (SD = 3.7; range = 0-20). Test administration for each patient was completed in Spanish by a fluent, Spanish-speaking examiner. In total, 64/89 (72%) were classified as valid and 25/89 (28%) as invalid based on performance across the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM), at least one additional PVT (Rey-15 item memory test; Rey Dot Counting Test; Reliable Digit Span; WHO-AVLT recognition trial) and objective diagnostic criteria identifying invalid performance. Analyses included three univariate analyses of variance (ANOVA), with the groups (healthy vs neurological vs litigation) as independent variables and performance on BVMT-RD as the dependent variable.

Results:

Statistically significant differences among the groups were found F(2,86)=8.32, p < .001). Post-hoc analysis (Scheffe test) showed the mean of the litigation group to be significantly lower than the means of the other two groups (healthy and neurological), which showed no difference between them. An ANOVA with validity groups as the fixed factor and BVMT-R RD index as the dependent variable was significant F(1,85)= 21.02, p <.001). Results of a ROC curve analysis yielded statistically significant AUC (.794). The optimal cut-score was BVMT-R RD < 5 (48% sensitivity/88% specificity).

Conclusions:

Results of the BVMT-R RD index in this Spanish-speaking population differed by subgroup, with worse performance seen in individuals involved in litigation, compared to those who were not (healthy and neurological). Notably, the BVMT-R RD index significantly differentiated validity groups, maintaining adequate sensitivity and good specificity. Overall, results demonstrate promise for BVMT-RD as a PVT for Spanish-speaking populations.
94 Digitized Archimedes Spiral Drawing in the NKI-Rockland Sample
Authors: Colcombe Stan , MacKay-Brandt Anna , Waters Ava , Abdelaziz Sarah , Liu Nora
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Digital cognitive assessments (DCAs) provide insight into cognition and behavior that remains inaccessible through standard assessment approaches. However, the availability of DCAs and the requisite toolkits to extract and analyze meaningful features from these datasets are largely constrained to technical specialists or through fee-for-service commercial entities. The NKI- Rockland Sample provides a large- scale lifespan data sample featuring DCAs, and also openly shares its DCA tasks through the open-source MindLogger platform along with pipelines for feature extraction and analyses. Here we present normative performance from a digital version of Archimedes Spiral Drawing.

Participants and Methods:

NKI-RS2 participants were largely drawn from the existing NKI-RS participant pool (n= 1,500), aged 885. The NKI-RS2 is in year 1 of data collection; here, we report on a subset of participants (n= 9) who performed a digitized version of the Archimedes Spiral Drawing task. This graphomotor task with well-established research and clinical utility in movement disordered populations was adapted for use for off-the-shelf tablet devices. The NKI-RS2 implements these tasks on an Apple iPad Pro2, sampling participant drawing at 120Hz, and featuring pixel- and millisecond- level resolution for all tasks. On the Spiral Drawing and Recall Tests participants traced five Archimedes spirals from the center outward through four windings presented on the iPad. They were then asked to replicate the spiral freehand three times. From these spiral drawings, we extracted time to completion, distance covered, speed/ speed variability, rotational smoothness, number of crossings, mean absolute error, bias, and goodness of fit to the ideal Archimedes spiral.

Results:

Comparing the tracing and recall conditions, participants showed significantly faster drawing speed (t[8]=5.32, p< .001), more variable drawing speed (t[8]=5.93, p< .001), reduced goodness of fit to the template t[8]=4.99, p< .002, and reduced rotational smoothness (t[8]=7.43, p< .0003) in the recall conditions. Collapsing across conditions, age predicted more variable drawing speed: t[8]= 2.77 p< .019, greater tracing error (t[8] = 2.69, p< .0227), and reduced rotational smoothness (t[8] = 2.67, p< .024). Between conditions, age predicts a greater increase in drawing speed variability (t[8] = 9.76, p< .0006).

Conclusions:

Using the open source MindLogger platform and off-the-shelf digital tablets, we were able to replicate classic paper and pen neuropsychological tests. By adapting these tasks to DCA, we were able to extract meaningful features that are not otherwise accessible (drawing speed, variability, etc.), or that would require additional hardware solutions (e.g., dwell time). By making these tasks and their processing pipelines available, the NKI-RS2 can facilitate the democratization of DCA and DCA analysis to a broader range of researchers and clinicians.
CE Workshop 11: The Cognitive Contraindications, Complications and Costs of Epilepsy Surgery
Authors: Baxendale Sallie
Published: December 2023

Abstract & Learning Objectives

The role of the neuropsychologist in epilepsy surgery programs has evolved considerably over the past decade. In addition to gatekeeping against catastrophic outcomes, the preoperative neuropsychological assessment is also used to predict the nature and extent of likely postoperative cognitive change and to guide the preparation of prospective candidates accordingly. This workshop will introduce the concepts of contraindication, complication and cost with respect to cognitive outcomes following traditional and newer, less invasive forms of epilepsy surgery. We will explore how neuropsychological data can be integrated with the findings from the wider presurgical evaluation to assess the cognitive risk in each of these categories, with a particular focus on functional and structural imaging techniques. Finally we will look at ways in which information about risks to cognitive function can be shared with both fellow clinicians and patients at each stage along the surgical pathway. Upon conclusion of this course, learners will be able to:

1.

Recognize the distinction between cognitive contraindications, complications and costs in cognitive outcomes following epilepsy surgery

2.

Summarize the latest developments in non invasive epilepsy surgery investigations and techniques and their implications for neuropsychological function

3.

Apply neuropsychological data to predict postoperative cognitive outcomes and use these predictions to prepare surgical candidates for any anticipated changes.
Symposium 12: Ebbinghaus’ Legacy: Neuropsychological Studies of Long-Term Forgetting
Authors: O’Connor Margaret , Verfaellie Mieke
Published: December 2023

Summary Abstract:

Most clinical and research investigations of memory focus on consolidation of information over relatively brief intervals of time (i.e., minutes, hours). However, in everyday life we are most interested in retaining experiences for much longer periods of time (days, weeks, years). Studies in cognitive psychology demonstrate that the survival of an engram is influenced by a variety of factors including contextual aspects at time of initial learning, the age of an event, frequency and distribution of exposure to the memory over time and, of course, the amnestic capacity of the learner. In the current symposium we examine the durability of new memories as well those from the past. Presentations focus on medical factors, such as epilepsy and stroke, that result in acceleration of memory loss. The longevity of old memories is examined in relation to age-related decline and the onset of dementia. Findings from these studies enhance our understanding of the cognitive and neural underpinnings of consolidation and, hence, they inform our ability to remember our past.
1 Forgetting and its Measurement: Do Patient Groups differ?
Authors: Kopelman Michael D
Published: December 2023

Objective:

The intricacies and difficulties in measuring forgetting rates, both in healthy participants and in clinical patients, have been intensively investigated since the 1970s. In recent years, there has been a revival of interest in ‘long-term’ forgetting rates, particularly in transient epileptic amnesia (TEA) and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), and some ‘old’ lessons have had to be re-learned.

Participants and Methods:

Studies of long-term forgetting in patient groups will be reviewed, together with variables that influence different patterns of forgetting. In particular, I will report findings from two recent studies of TLE, as well as other related investigations.

Results:

Studies indicate that an impairment in memory ‘acquisition’, rather than differences in ‘long-term’ forgetting, appear critical in amnesic disorders, sometimes associated with differences in ‘early’ forgetting on recall memory measures only. An exception may be the effect of seizures, whether in consequence of epilepsy or ECT, which sometimes, but not always, appears to accelerate forgetting rates. Another important finding has been the pronounced variability in forgetting rates, both between individuals within a patient group and within individuals tested on separate occasions, making inferences from single-case studies problematical.

Conclusions:

Findings will be interpreted in the light of these observations.
5 Psychomotor Speed and Duration of Use in Alcohol Dependent Individuals
Authors: Kung Jennifer , Sarkissians Sharis , Hauson Alexander O. , Pollard Anna A. , Walker Alyssa D. , Allen Kenneth E. , Flora-Tostado Christopher , Meis Benjamin
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Chronic alcohol consumption has been associated with widespread cognitive deficits, including psychomotor speed. Researchers have found impairments in reaction speed, information processing, and fine-finger movement in alcoholics (Oscar-Berman et al., 2015). There have also been mixed findings on the impact of duration of alcohol use on neurocognitive functioning (Beatty et al., 2000; Oscar-Berman et al., 2004). This meta-analytical study examines: (a) the performance of abstinent alcohol-dependent individuals on psychomotor speed using the Trail Making TestA (TMT-A), and (b) the effect of duration of alcohol use on TMT-A.

Participants and Methods:

As part of a larger study, two researchers independently searched eight databases, extracted required data, and calculated effect sizes on neuropsychological data in alcohol dependent (AD) individuals. Inclusion criteria for articles were: (a) comparison of abstinent alcohol-dependent patients to healthy controls, (b) matched control group on age, education, or IQ, and (c) standardized neuropsychological testing. Exclusion criteria included: (a) diagnosis of Axis I disorders (other than alcohol dependence), (b) comorbidity with other disorders that impact neuropsychological functioning, or (c) not published or translated into English. Twenty-seven articles (AD n= 840 and HC n = 881) were analyzed in this study.

Results:

The TMT-A evidenced a statistically significant and medium effect size estimate (g = 0.624, p < 0.001). The heterogeneity of TMT-A was statistically significant (Q=61.935, df=26, p=0.000) and moderate (I2=58.021%). The meta-regression analysis between duration of alcohol use in days and TMT-A was not statistically significant (Q=0.012, df=1, p=0.913).

Conclusions:

TMT-A detects psychomotor speed deficits associated with alcohol dependence. Duration of alcohol use did not affect TMT-A performance, suggesting that other factors may have moderated this relationship. Further research should analyze other factors that affect psychomotor performance in alcohol dependent individuals.
15 Socioeconomic Status in Association to Memory-Related Brain Activation in Middle-Aged Adults
Authors: Nkulu Hanna , Babukutty Reshma , Haynes Caleb , Gazes Yunglin
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Socioeconomic status (SES) has been recognized as an important factor in psychological research within the last few decades. Past literature recognizes that having lower SES can have a negative impact on many aspects of one’s health, especially in diseases related to brain aging. A recent avenue for research regarding SES and the brain-behavior relationship suggests that socioeconomic status can act as a moderator for brain activation during task performance. The hypothesis for this project was that there will be a negative correlational relationship between brain activity and SES when controlling for participants’ age, sex, and performance on the episodic memory tasks, but a positive correlation between task performance and SES was expected.

Participants and Methods:

With 100 middle-aged healthy adults from the Reference Ability Neural Network (RANN) study (53 male and 47 female, age M=48.0 +/- 7.55 years), three episodic memory fMRI tasks were performed and studied in relation to SES and age. The tasks were Logical Memory, Word Order, and Pair Associates tasks that involved episodic memory for story details, order of words presented, and pairing of words, respectively. We quantified memory performance with average accuracy from performance of the three tasks. We used the FSL software to preprocess and perform voxel-wise group analysis. All brain activation analyses were corrected for multiple comparison using cluster thresholds in FSL.

Results:

Correlation between SES and memory performance was found to be marginally significant (R=.188, p=.061). All tasks had areas of positively correlated activation for age. The Logical Memory task had multiple areas of brain activation that were positively correlated with age, particularly at the lateral occipital cortex, lingual gyrus, and the occipital fusiform gyrus, all areas that underlie visual processing. There were no areas of correlated brain activation for SES, sex, and task performance for the Pair Associates and Logical Memory tasks. Brain activation for the Word order task in the left precuneous cortex and the right middle frontal gyrus, left lateral occipital cortex, left occipital fusiform gyrus, and parts of the lingual gyrus was positively correlated with memory performance when controlled for age, sex, and SES.

Conclusions:

The hypothesis was not entirely supported by the results of this study, but the marginal effect between SES and memory performance can suggest that SES may affect memory performance within middle-aged adults. While we did not find a brain association with SES in this age group, we observed regions that underlie task performance. Further research can be done on possible moderating effects of Socioeconomic Status on memory and executive function with structural neuroimaging to further investigate the effects of SES on cognition.
43 A Qualitative Study to Establish a Culture Specific Presurgical Psychological Screening for Patients with Degenerative Spinal Disease in Taiwan
Authors: Yang Chih-Yu , Lai Dar-Ming , Yang Chi-Cheng
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Presurgical psychological screening (PPS) is a procedure for mitigating possible unfavorable outcomes after spinal surgery. Although the effectiveness of PPS on degenerative spinal diseases has been investigated in Western studies, a potential cultural influence on PPS is still unknown. This study thus aims to explore the experiences of Taiwanese people before spinal surgery and tries to establish culture-specific components of PPS in Taiwan.

Participants and Methods:

A total of five participants aged from 44–69 with degenerative spinal diseases were eligible in this study. All participants visited a neurosurgical outpatient clinic for potential surgical treatment, and each participant underwent an one-hour semi-structured interview before surgery. The demographical information, medical history, psychological status (e.g., personality traits and emotional disturbances) and considerations to make a surgical decision, were recorded and further analyzed following the rule of grounded theory.

Results:

Four major components with 21 sub-components were reported when deciding to receive a surgical treatment for their spinal diseases, including disease-related considerations, medical information, self-concept and interpersonal relations. In terms of disease-related aspects, patients concerned about etiology, symptomatology, impacts, coping strategies and rehabilitation methods. As for medical information, patients paid more attention on medical compliance, the relationship with medical system, attitude for treatment, expectation to surgical outcomes, medical decisions and medical information. As for the self-concept, patients considered more on the impacts of disease on self-concept, strategies of emotional regulations and personality traits. In terms of interpersonal relations, patients reported more on the supportive resources, patterns of interpersonal activities and impacts of interpersonal relations on medical decisions. Additionally, other specific factors, such as past negative experiences (e.g., chronic insomnia, experiences of psychological counseling), litigation, physical punishment in childhood and social roles, were also reported.

Conclusions:

Like previous findings, our results supported that the interpersonal relations and doctor-patient relationship in PPS were important considerations before surgery, while we further evidenced that influences of family members on medical decision is determinant and unique in this culture.
45 The Influence of Wearing Face Mask on Facial Emotion Recognition in Preschoolers
Authors: Huang June-Hui , Guo Nai-Wen
Published: December 2023

Objective:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, wearing face masks is an important strategy to prevent people from infection, allowing people to find a balance between maintaining social interaction and keeping social distancing. Since face mask might disrupt information processing of social cognition, it could lead to less functional connectivity of occipital face area, fusiform face area, and superior temporal sulcus which interrupted the development of medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) for mentalizing. However with better executive function (EF) people could process facial stimuli more efficiently. The objective of this study is to examine the effect of wearing face masks on preschoolers' facial emotion recognition, and the factors which might affect the development of facial emotion recognition.

Participants and Methods:

In this study, preschoolers (N=44, 24 boys and 20 girls, aged 3 to 5 years-old) recruited from the community were asked to identify the emotions expressed in the 36 stimulus photos, each randomly presented with six emotion (happy, sad, angry, surprised, fearful, and disgusted). The total face stimulus photos were 2 (face sex) × 6 emotions × 3 facial features (full face, presenting upper counterparts of face with face mask covering the mouth, and presenting lower counterparts of face with hat covering the eyes). The EF of preschoolers and their parent were also evaluated to examine whether EF could predict the correct score of facial emotion recognition.

Results:

It was found that the correct score of emotion recognition increased with age. The recognition with full face feature were better than with upper feature and lower feature. When recognizing happy and disgust, participant tended to use lower features. When recognizing sad and angry, participant tended to use upper features. The EF of preschoolers could predict the correct score of emotion recognition. The EF of parents could predict the preschoolers' correct score of positive emotion recognition.

Conclusions:

The ability of facial emotion recognition evolved rapidly in preschool age with the accumulation of social interaction experience and improved the development of auditory and visual subcortical cortex and the connectivity of MPFC. This study examined the emotion recognition ability of preschoolers and found that the face features preschoolers used to recognized emotion were consist with previous study. However, when the presenting stimulus were covered by face mask or hat, it was more difficult for preschoolers to recognizing emotion which would result in difficulty of understanding the social context and development of MPFC for mentalizing. In this study, it was found that preschooler's with better EF could be more efficiently recognizing facial emotion. Also, parents with better EF showed more positive emotion in daily life which lead to their children more sensitive to positive facial emotion.
47 Social Cognition and Moral Decision Making in Korsakoff's Syndrome
Authors: Oudman Erik , Vlot Nairobi J. , van Stigt Thans Sioux , Oey Misha J. , Postma Albert
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Korsakoff's syndrome (KS) is a neuropsychiatric disorder, caused by vitamin B1 insufficiency. KS is characterized by severe declarative amnesia. Often, also executive disorders are present. Emotion recognition and theory of mind are gold-standard measures of social cognition. Moral decision making is often assessed by means of moral dilemmas. Surprisingly social cognition and moral decision making has received hardly any attention in research on KS, although the severity of behavioural problems in KS suggest possible problems in both domains. The aim of this study was therefore to broadly assess social cognition and moral decision-making capacities in patients with KS.

Participants and Methods:

20 KS patients and 20 age-, education-, and gender-matched healthy controls were assessed on standardized tests for social cognition, namely the mini-Social Cognition and Emotional Assessment battery (mini-SEA), and a specialized version of the Sally-Anne Test. Moral decision making was assessed by means of the Moral Behaviour Inventory (MBI) for everyday moral dilemmas, and ten cartoons of abstract moral dilemmas. For moral decision making, “yes” and “no” responses were scored, together with a scoring for moral reasoning according to the Kohlberg stages of moral maturity.

Results:

KS patients have large impairments in both cognitive and affective aspects of social cognition. Their ability to recognize emotions, take the perspective of others, and understand socially awkward situations is vastly compromised. While KS patients were able to replicate the Sally Anne storyline, their task performance was on chance level. Regarding moral decision making, there was a tendency to more frequently carry out the moral dilemma. Moral maturity, as indexed by means of their reasoning behind the decision was of a lower level. Of interest, moral immaturity could find its origin already before the onset of the KS diagnosis, as suggested by elevated premorbid levels of delinquent behavior.

Conclusions:

Both social cognition and moral decision making are compromised in KS patients. Specifically social cognitive disorders are the direct result of KS, and are likely to strongly relate to social and neuropsychiatric issues in KS. Moral decision making was more likely to be already of a lower level of maturity, based on a strong relationship between premorbid delinquency and moral immaturity in KS patients. This study highlights the importance to properly index social cognition in neuropsychological assessments for individuals with a possible KS diagnosis
50 BSI-18 as a Measure of Psychological Distress Across Different Domains in TMS Patients
Authors: Gamboa Bruno N. , Hodges Kathleen , Gee Stephanie C. , Madore Michelle R. , Philip Noah S. , Andrew Kozel F. , Walker Nicole C.
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an effective treatment for individuals with pharmacoresistant major depressive disorder (MDD), yet identifying which patients best respond remains an important area of inquiry. The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18) serves as a screen for psychological distress, providing measures across three separate domains (e.g., somatization, depression, and anxiety) and one composite score (i.e., global severity index). The psychometric properties of the BSI-18 have been validated across multiple studies; however, it has sparsely been used to track changes in patient symptoms in response to intervention. Assessing patient symptom severity across these domains is imperative since these symptoms can negatively influence cognitive functioning. Accordingly, the current study utilized the BSI-18 to measure psychological distress across these different domains in patients receiving TMS treatment. We hypothesized that all domains of the BSI-18 would see a significant decrease after treatment, that elevated scores in specific domains would predict a less favorable response to treatment, and that measurement of depressive symptoms will be consistent across measures of similar scope.

Participants and Methods:

Veterans (n=94) with MDD and met standard clinical TMS criteria were administered the BSI-18 before and after receiving an adequate dose of treatment (e.g., 30 sessions). Paired Samples T-test were used to compare the pre-treatment and post-treatment scores across domains.

Results:

The results of paired sample t-tests indicated a statistically significant reduction in measures of global psychological distress (t(93) = 7.99, p < .001, Cohen's d =.82), as well as depressive (t(93) = 8.34, p < .001, d = .86), anxious (t(93) = 7.64, p < .001, d = .79), and somatic symptoms (t(92) = 5.29, p < .001, d = .55) after receiving treatment. Individuals with elevated levels of anxiety (e.g., BSI-A>63) saw a significant reduction in depressive (t(62) = 8.15, p < .001, d = 1.03), anxious (t(62) = 8.34, p < .001, d = 1.05) and somatic (t(61) = 4.94, p < .001, d = .63) symptoms. Lastly, two measures of depressive symptoms, the BSI-D and PHQ-9, had a statistically significant strong, positive relationship before (r=.66) and after (r=.88) treatment (all n=65 and p<.001).

Conclusions:

The BSI-18 can detect changes in different domains of psychological distress as a function of TMS treatment. Unexpectedly, TMS patients with elevated levels of anxiety responded well to treatment despite comorbid anxiety often being associated with less favorable outcomes in treatment trials. The positive relationship of the BSI-D and PHQ-9 before and after treatment suggests the use of the BSI as a valid, additional measure of depressive symptoms.
53 Hoarding Behaviors are Associated with Greater Perceived Cognitive Dysfunction and Disability in Individuals with Late Life Depression
Authors: Firestone Katie , Bello John , Shridar Divya , Kassel Michelle , Kryza-Lacombe Maria , Insel Philip , Woodworth Kai , Satre Derek , Nelson Craig , Mathews Carol , Tosun Duygu , Mackin Scott
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Perceived cognitive dysfunction is a common feature of late-life depression (LLD) that is associated with diminished quality of life and greater disability. Similar associations have been demonstrated in individuals with Hoarding Disorder. The degree to which hoarding behaviors (HB) are associated with greater perceived cognitive dysfunction and disability in individuals with concurrent LLD is not known.

Participants and Methods:

Participants with LLD (N=83) completed measures of hoarding symptom severity (Savings Inventory-Revised; SI-R) and were classified into two groups based on HB severity: LLD+HB who exhibited significant HB (SI-R . 41, n = 25) and LLD with low HB (SI-R < 41, n = 58). Additional measures assessed depression severity (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale; HDRS), perceived cognitive difficulties (Everyday Cognition Scale; ECOG), and disability (World Health Organization Disability Assessment Scale [WHODAS]-II-Short). Given a non-normal distribution of ECOG and WHODAS-II scores, non-parametric Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests were used to assess group differences in perceived cognitive dysfunction and disability. A regression model assessed the extent to which perceived cognitive dysfunction was associated with hoarding symptom severity measured continuously, covarying for age, education, gender, and depression severity. A separate regression model assessed the extent to which disability scores were associated with perceived cognitive dysfunction and HB severity covarying for demographics and depression severity.

Results:

LLD+HB endorsed significantly greater perceived cognitive dysfunction (W = 1023, p = 0.003) and greater disability (W = 1006, p = < 0.001) compared to LLD. Regression models accounting for demographic characteristics and depression severity revealed that greater HB severity was associated with greater perceived cognitive dysfunction (β = 0.009, t = 2.765, p = 0.007). Increased disability was associated with greater perceived cognitive dysfunction (β = 4.792, t(71) = 3.551, p = 0.0007) and HB severity (β = 0.080, t(71) = 1.944, p = 0.056) approached significance after accounting for variance explained by depression severity and demographic covariates.

Conclusions:

Our results suggest that hoarding behaviors are associated with increased perceived cognitive dysfunction and greater disability in individuals with LLD. Screening for HB in individuals with LLD may help identify those at greater risk for poor cognitive and functional outcomes. Interventions that target HB and perceived cognitive difficulties may decrease risk for disability in LLD. However, longitudinal studies would be required to further evaluate these relationships.
64 Reduced Generation of Specific Future Events in Veterans with PTSD
Authors: Strang Caroline C. , Lafleche Ginette , Patt Virginie , Vasterling Jennifer J. , Verfaellie Mieke
Published: December 2023

Objective:

When asked to imagine future events, individuals with PTSD provide narratives with limited event-specific details, suggesting an impairment in event elaboration. Here we examined whether future thinking in PTSD is also associated with an impairment in the initial stage of event construction, by using a future-event fluency task that makes no demands on event elaboration (MacLeod, A. K., & Salaminiou, E. (2001). Reduced positive future-thinking in depression: Cognitive and affective factors. Cognition & Emotion, 15(1), 99–107).

Participants and Methods:

Thirty-five veterans (6 female, 29 male; aged 27–51), assigned on the basis of structured diagnostic interviews to PTSD-only (n = 15), PTSD + depression (n = 9), or psychopathology-free control groups (n = 11), were asked to generate, in one minute, as many events as possible that they expected to happen in the future, across four conditions that varied in valence (positive, negative) and temporal framework (1 month, 10 years). Two independent raters classified each event generated as being specific (i.e., a unique, time-limited event), generic (i.e., ongoing or recurring events), or a repetition.

Results:

Results of linear mixed modeling carried out on the number of specific events generated showed that diagnostic group and event valence contributed significantly to the overall model fit. All participants generated more positive than negative events (β = 1.014, SE = 0.330, t(105) = 3.07 p = 0.003), and both PTSD groups generated fewer specific events than controls (PTSD-only (β = -2.203, SE = 0.744, t(35) = -2.96, p = 0.005); PTSD + depression (β = -1.859, SE = 0.842, t(35) = -2.21, p = 0.034). Adding the interaction between group and valence did not improve the model fit, suggesting that the PTSD groups were not differentially impaired in the generation of positive and negative events. When including scores on an emotionally neutral phonemic fluency task (FAS) as a covariate to account for verbal fluency, the PTSD-only group still generated significantly fewer events than the controls (β = -1.667, SE = 0.733, t(34) = -2.27, p = 0.030). After adjusting for FAS, the group effect was marginal for the PTSD + depression group (β = -1.600, SE = 0.801, t(34) = -2.00, p = 0.054).

Conclusions:

These results suggest that the impairment in future thinking in PTSD concerns not only the elaboration of future events but also the processes involved in initial event specification, such as those involved in the search and selection of a specific event. Moreover, these findings highlight a distinction between the future thinking abnormalities in PTSD, characterized by reduced generation of both positive and negative future events, compared to depression, which has been associated with reduced generation of positive future events only (MacLeod & Salaminiou, 2001).