mstyslavity/prisma_v3 huggingface dataset:
The level of functioning of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) varies widely. To better understand the neurobiological mechanism associated with high-functioning ASD, we studied the rare case of a female patient with an exceptional professional career in the highly competitive academic field of Mathematics. According to the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) approach, which proposes to describe the basic dimensions of functioning by integrating different levels of information, we conducted four fMRI experiments targeting the (1) social processes domain (Theory of mind (ToM) and face matching), (2) positive valence domain (reward processing), and (3) cognitive domain (N-back). Patient’s data were compared to data of 14 healthy controls (HC). Additionally, we assessed the subjective experience of our case during the experiments. The patient showed increased response times during face matching and achieved a higher total gain in the Reward task, whereas her performance in N-back and ToM was similar to HC. Her brain function differed mainly in the positive valence and cognitive domains. During reward processing, she showed reduced activity in a left-hemispheric frontal network and cortical midline structures but increased connectivity within this network. During the working memory task patients’ brain activity and connectivity in left-hemispheric temporo-frontal regions were elevated. In the ToM task, activity in posterior cingulate cortex and temporo-parietal junction was reduced. We suggest that the high level of functioning in our patient is rather related to the effects in brain connectivity than to local cortical information processing and that subjective report provides a fruitful framework for interpretation.
We examined the stability of and cross-influences between externalizing behaviors and intervention engagement among children participating in a randomized clinical trial of an intervention for disruptive behavioral youth. Analyses also accounted for the influence of caregiver depression, family relationship quality, and sociodemographic factors (race, income) on the relationship between behaviors and intervention engagement. Analyses were based on 118 children participating in the Coping Power intervention. Composite variables were created to represent externalizing behaviors and intervention engagement constructs. Associations between these composite variables were examined over 24 treatment sessions. Findings indicated a regressive relationship among externalizing behaviors, i.e., baseline externalizing behaviors were positively associated with immediate follow-up behaviors. There were also dynamic relationships observed among engagement constructs. Notably, engagement with in-session activities during sessions 1–8 was positively associated with out-of-session activity engagement during the same treatment time period. Engagement with out-of-session activities during sessions 1–8 was positively associated with in-session activity engagement during sessions 9–16, indicating a complete mediation between early and middle in-session engagement through the mechanism of early out-of-session engagement. A crosslag relationship was observed: middle in-session engagement was negatively associated with externalizing behaviors at immediate follow-up. Finally, an interaction of race by income on immediate follow-up externalizing behaviors was observed, such that Black children’s externalizing behaviors remain static regardless of income level while White children’s behaviors decreased with higher income. Our findings support the contention that focusing on intervention engagement may be especially important in prevention interventions.
Drawing from the dual process model of morality and life history theory, the present research examined the role of cognitive and emotional processes as bridges between basic environmental challenges (i.e., unpredictability and competition) and other-centered moral orientation (i.e., prioritizing the welfare of others). In two survey studies, cognitive and emotional processes represented by future-oriented planning and emotional attachment, respectively (Study 1, N = 405), or by perspective taking and empathic concern, respectively (Study 2, N = 424), positively predicted other-centeredness in prosocial moral reasoning (Study 1) and moral judgment dilemmas based on rationality or intuition (Study 2). Cognitive processes were more closely related to rational aspects of other-centeredness, whereas the emotional processes were more closely related to the intuitive aspects of other-centeredness (Study 2). Finally, the cognitive and emotional processes also mediated negative effects of unpredictability (i.e., negative life events and childhood financial insecurity), as well as positive effects of individual-level, contest competition (i.e., educational and occupational competition) on other-centeredness. Overall, these findings support the view that cognitive and emotional processes do not necessarily contradict each other. Rather, they might work in concert to promote other-centeredness in various circumstances and might be attributed to humans’ developmental flexibility in the face of environmental challenges.
Neuropsychological evaluation of a patient's cognitive capabilities before and after epilepsy surgery is essential in elective epilepsy surgery. On the one hand, neuropsychology provides accessory information regarding the localization and lateralization of epilepsy-associated cognitive impairment; on the other hand, it is a useful tool for quality and outcome control of epilepsy surgery which helps to make surgery more effective and safe. Evaluation of the adequacy of the brain tissues to be resected and of the patient's mental reserve capacities allows for a prediction of the postoperative cognitive development. Successful surgery can stop mental decline due to chronic epilepsy and it can reverse this negative trend by release of functions and capacities that were secondarily affected before surgery. However, surgery bears the risk of additional impairments which, in interaction with normal or even pathological processes of mental aging, may accelerate cognitive decline at an older age. From a neuropsychological point of view, early recognition of pharmacoresistance is important along with early and complete seizure control with maximal sparing of functional tissues.
Strength-based parenting (SBP) is a style of parenting characterized by knowledge and encouragement of a child’s unique personality, abilities, talents, and skills (i.e., strengths). Recent studies have demonstrated a unique contribution of SBP, above other parenting styles, in predicting a range of wellbeing indicators in adolescents. Given that wellbeing supports learning, and SBP predicts wellbeing, it is also plausible that adolescents with strength-based parents will have greater academic achievement. At the beginning of term, students from a public secondary school in Australia (N = 741, Mage = 13.70, SD = 1.33; 50% female) completed a self-report survey measuring perceptions of parental style, engagement, and perseverance. Subsequent academic results were obtained 3 months later. SBP predicted higher wellbeing in the form of adolescent engagement and perseverance. SBP also demonstrated a significant effect on academic achievement which was mediated by perseverance, but not engagement. Thus, results supported a model in which adolescents with strength-based parents achieved higher grades via increased perseverance. Results reaffirm the importance of the parent-student link, and dispositional qualities of engagement and perseverance, in predicting educational outcomes such as grades. This study extends positive education research beyond the classroom by demonstrating that positive parenting techniques like SBP can predict student wellbeing and academic achievement.
Neurocognitive enhancement therapy (NET) is a remediation program for the persistent and function-limiting cognitive impairments of schizophrenia. In a previous study in veterans, NET improved work therapy outcomes as well as executive function and working memory. The present study aimed to determine whether NET could enhance functional outcomes among schizophrenia and schizoaffective patients in a community mental health center receiving community-based vocational services. Method: Patients (N =72) participated in a hybrid transitional and supported employment program (VOC) and were randomized to either NET+VOC or VOC only. NET+VOC included computer-based cognitive training, work feedback and a social information information-processing group. VOC only also included two weekly support groups. Active intervention was 12 months with 12 month follow-up. Follow-up rate was 100%. Results: NET+VOC patients worked significantly more hours during the 12 month follow-up period, reached a significantly higher cumulative rate of competitive employment by the sixth quarter, and maintained significantly higher rates of employment. Conclusion: NET training improved vocational outcomes, suggesting the value of combining cognitive remediation with other rehabilitation methods to enhance functional outcomes.
Depression affects 7% of the elderly population, and it often remains misdiagnosed or untreated. Peripheral biomarkers might aid clinicians by allowing more accurate and well-timed recognition of the disease. We sought to determine if plasma protein levels predict the severity of depressive symptomatology or distinguish patients from healthy individuals. The severity of depressive symptoms and global cognitive functioning were assessed by the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in 152 elderly subjects, 76 of which with major depressive disorder (MDD). Plasma levels of 24 proteins were measured by multiplexing and analyzed as continuous predictors or dichotomized using the median value. The association between individual plasma proteins and MDD risk or depressive symptoms severity was investigated using multiple logistic and linear regressions including relevant covariates. Sensitivity analyses were performed excluding cognitively impaired individuals or non-acute patients with MDD. After adjusting for possible confounders and false discovery rate (FDR) correction, we found lower Fetuin-A levels in MDD patients vs. controls (pFDR = 1.95 × 10–6). This result was confirmed by the sensitivity and dichotomized analyses. Lower prolactin (PRL) levels predicted more severe depressive symptoms in acute MDD patients (pFDR = 0.024). Fetuin-A is a promising biomarker of MDD in the elderly as this protein was negatively associated with the disorder in our sample, regardless of the global cognitive functioning. Lower PRL levels may be a peripheral signature of impaired neuroprotective processes and serotoninergic neurotransmission in more severely depressed patients.
The purpose of this study was to compare the cognitive profiles of men and women with clinically defined schizotypal personality disorder (SPD). We examined the neuropsychological profile of SPD in 26 right-handed females and 31 right-handed males who met DSM-IV criteria for SPD, and matched comparison subjects. Cognitive performance was assessed on measures of abstraction, verbal and spatial intelligence, learning and memory, language, attention, and motor skills. Neuropsychological profiles were constructed by standardizing test scores based on the means and standard deviations of comparison groups matched for sex, age, handedness, ethnicity and parental SES. Overall, SPD subjects showed mild, general decrements in performance in most cognitive domains. However, unlike male SPD subjects, female SPDs did not show relative deficits in verbal learning and abstraction. The results suggest a less severe pattern of cognitive deficits in women with SPD compared to men, consistent with hypotheses of gender differences in cognitive function in schizophrenia.
Individual differences in vulnerability to neurobehavioral performance impairment during sleep deprivation are considerable and represent a neurobiological trait. Genetic polymorphisms reported to be predictors have suggested the involvement of the homeostatic and circadian processes of sleep regulation in determining this trait. We applied mathematical and statistical modeling of these two processes to psychomotor vigilance performance and sleep physiological data from a laboratory study of repeated exposure to 36h of total sleep deprivation in 9 healthy young adults. This served to quantify the respective contributions of individual differences in the two processes to the magnitudes of participants’ individual vulnerabilities to sleep deprivation. For the homeostatic process, the standard deviation for individual differences was found to be about 60% as expressed relative to its group-average contribution to neurobehavioral performance impairment. The same was found for the circadian process. Across the span of the total sleep deprivation period, the group-average effect of the homeostatic process was twice as big as that of the circadian process. In absolute terms, therefore, the impact of the individual differences in the homeostatic process was twice as large as the impact of the individual differences in the circadian process in this study. These modeling results indicated that individualized applications of mathematical models predicting performance on the basis of a homeostatic and a circadian process should account for individual differences in both processes.
Background To determine whether increasing claudication severity is associated with impaired balance and physical functional ability. Methods A prospective observational study in claudicants was performed. Disease severity was determined according to Rutherford’s criteria. Patient’s balance was assessed objectively using computerized dynamic posturography (CDP—Sensory Organization Test [SOT]; NeuroCom). “Bedside” assessment of balance was performed using the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test (dynamic balance) and the Full Tandem Stance test (static balance). Physical function was assessed using the Summary Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score. Results 185 claudicants were assessed (median age of 69 [IQR 63–74] years; 137 [74.1%] men). Fourteen claudicants were classified as Rutherford grade 0, 26 as grade I, 76 as grade II, and 69 as grade III. All Rutherford groups were comparable for age, gender, BMI, and comorbidities. Increasing Rutherford grade was associated with a significant deterioration in objective balance as determined by a failed SOT test: 3 (21.4%) in grade 0; 9 (34.6%) in grade I; 39 (52.7%) in grade II; and 41 (59.4%) in grade III (chi-squared 9.693, df 3, P = 0.021). A significant difference was also found with dynamic balance (TUG test), but not static balance (full tandem stance). Increasing claudication severity was also associated with significantly worse physical function: SPPB score. Conclusions Specific objective tests demonstrate impaired balance and physical function are common in claudicants and become more frequent with increasing severity of claudication. Simple “bedside” measures may be sufficiently sensitive to detect this.
It has been shown that songbird migrants can use several compass cues for orientation (e.g. sun position at sunset and possibly sunrise and related polarised light cues, stars and the geomagnetic field); therefore, the obtained information is redundant. This suggests that compasses of migratory birds must have certain hierarchical relationships and be calibrated. Currently, it is not known how avian compass calibration is accomplished. We report the results of our experiments with Garden Warblers Sylvia borin, long-distance songbird migrants. We tested the birds in two experimental conditions: in a local magnetic field with access to a starry sky (Control group) and in a vertical magnetic field that does not provide magnetic compass information with access to stars (Clear sky experimental group) or without it (Overcast experimental group), and analysed locomotor activity and orientation in all three groups. For the Garden Warblers from the control and experimental groups, we revealed two periods of activity separated by a quiescent period: twilight and nocturnal periods. The average direction for both periods of activity showed no significant difference in the control group. Birds from the experimental group were disoriented in both periods. Birds from the clear sky and overcast groups were also disoriented. These data suggest that long-distance songbird migrants, particularly the Garden Warbler, need information from the geomagnetic field, but not from the stars, at sunset and during twilight in order to choose the correct migratory direction. The nocturnal period of migratory activity probably represents actual migratory flight, while the nature of the twilight period remains unknown. The results of the present work and data from prior cue-conflict experiments on other species suggest that the twilight period may correspond to compass calibration activity.
Whole plant foods can be fermentable by SCFA-producing bacteria and positively influence host adipose tissue development and obesity related-metabolic disorders, conferring a prebiotic role. Considering the juçara berry composition, rich in fiber and polyphenols, we hypothesized the probable prebiotic role of juçara in individuals with obesity.
Social and behavioral scientists increasingly aim to study how humans interact, collaborate, and make decisions alongside artificial intelligence. However, the experimental infrastructure for such work remains underdeveloped: (1) few platforms support real-time, multi-party studies at scale; (2) most deployments require bespoke engineering, limiting replicability and accessibility, and (3) existing tools do not treat AI agents as first-class participants. We present Deliberate Lab, an open-source platform for large-scale, real-time behavioral experiments that supports both human participants and large language model (LLM)-based agents. We report on a 12-month public deployment of the platform (N=88 experimenters, N=9195 experiment participants), analyzing usage patterns and workflows. Case studies and usage scenarios are aggregated from platform users, complemented by in-depth interviews with select experimenters. By lowering technical barriers and standardizing support for hybrid human-AI experimentation, Deliberate Lab expands the methodological repertoire for studying collective decision-making and human-centered AI.
As large language models (LLMs) become ubiquitous in workplace tools and decision-making processes, ensuring explainability and fostering user trust are critical. Although advancements in LLM engineering continue, human-centered design is still catching up, particularly when it comes to embedding transparency and trust into AI interfaces. This study evaluates user experiences with two distinct AI interfaces - node-tree interfaces and chatbot interfaces - to assess their performance in exploratory, follow-up inquiry, decision-making, and problem-solving tasks. Our design-driven approach introduces a node-tree interface that visually structures AI-generated responses into hierarchically organized, interactive nodes, allowing users to navigate, refine, and follow up on complex information. In a comparative study with n=20 business users, we observed that while the chatbot interface effectively supports linear, step-by-step queries, it is the node-tree interface that enhances brainstorming. Quantitative and qualitative findings indicate that node-tree interfaces not only improve task performance and decision-making support but also promote higher levels of user trust by preserving context. Our findings suggest that adaptive AI interfaces capable of switching between structured visualizations and conversational formats based on task requirements can significantly enhance transparency and user confidence in AI-powered systems. This work contributes actionable insights to the fields of human-robot interaction and AI design, particularly for enterprise applications where trust-building is critical for teams.
First-time patients undergoing diagnostic computed tomography (CT) scans often experience significant anxiety and uncertainty, which can negatively impact scan results and patient well-being. We present an immersive mixed reality (MR) simulator designed to prepare adult patients for their first CT scan, aiming to improve both emotional and physical preparedness. In this paper, we review existing methods for reducing scan-related anxiety -- from educational materials to virtual reality exposure -- and identify their limitations. We then detail the design and technical implementation of our MR simulator, which combines a virtual CT suite walkthrough, guided relaxation training, realistic scan simulation (including audiovisual cues and breath-hold practice), and interactive feedback. The inclusion of these features is grounded in evidence-based rationale drawn from prior studies in patient anxiety reduction and compliance. We report results from a pilot study (n=50) demonstrating that patients who used the simulator had significantly lower pre-scan anxiety levels and improved compliance during the actual CT procedure, compared to controls. Patient feedback was overwhelmingly positive, indicating high satisfaction and perceived utility. We discuss the clinical implications of deploying such a tool, challenges in integration, and future directions for improving patient-centered care using mixed reality technologies.
Large language models are increasingly used for both task-based assistance and social companionship, yet research has typically focused on one or the other. Drawing on a survey (N = 204) and 30 interviews with high-engagement ChatGPT and Replika users, we characterize digital companionship as an emerging form of human-AI relationship. With both systems, users were drawn to humanlike qualities, such as emotional resonance and personalized responses, and non-humanlike qualities, such as constant availability and inexhaustible tolerance. This led to fluid chatbot uses, such as Replika as a writing assistant and ChatGPT as an emotional confidant, despite their distinct branding. However, we observed challenging tensions in digital companionship dynamics: participants grappled with bounded personhood, forming deep attachments while denying chatbots "real" human qualities, and struggled to reconcile chatbot relationships with social norms. These dynamics raise questions for the design of digital companions and the rise of hybrid, general-purpose AI systems.
As large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used to model and augment collective decision-making, it is critical to examine their alignment with human social reasoning. We present an empirical framework for assessing collective alignment, in contrast to prior work on the individual level. Using the Lost at Sea social psychology task, we conduct a large-scale online experiment (N=748), randomly assigning groups to leader elections with either visible demographic attributes (e.g. name, gender) or pseudonymous aliases. We then simulate matched LLM groups conditioned on the human data, benchmarking Gemini 2.5, GPT 4.1, Claude Haiku 3.5, and Gemma 3. LLM behaviors diverge: some mirror human biases; others mask these biases and attempt to compensate for them. We empirically demonstrate that human-AI alignment in collective reasoning depends on context, cues, and model-specific inductive biases. Understanding how LLMs align with collective human behavior is critical to advancing socially-aligned AI, and demands dynamic benchmarks that capture the complexities of collective reasoning.