1,721,011 research outputs found
Flexibility of action verbs processing in Parkinson’s disease
No full textObjective: This study aims to investigate action language processing abilities in Parkinson's disease (PD) compared to healthy controls (HCs), specifically examining whether the involvement of motor systems is influenced by task context. By focusing on implicit versus explicit task demands, the study evaluates how semantic processing differs in PD and whether these differences align with a flexible embodied cognition framework.Methods: The study analyzed the performance of participants on two tasks: an explicit task (semantic judgment task, SJ) and an implicit task (letter detection task, LD). PD outpatients (n = 31, mean age 64.58 years) referred to the Parkinson and Movement Disorders Unit of ICS Maugeri Hermitage were enrolled, along with a group of healthy controls (n = 31, mean age 64.19 years). Performance was measured through reaction times (RTs) and accuracy scores (Acc) during the processing of action verbs and abstract verbs.Results: PD patients exhibited slower RTs and lower accuracy when processing action verbs compared to abstract verbs, but only during the SJ task. Slower RTs in the SJ task were predicted by language and executive functioning (semantic fluency) and disease progression (Hoehn and Yahr stages) for both action and abstract verbs. In the LD task, slower RTs were predicted by executive functioning for action verbs and attention (measured by Trail Making Test Part B and Stroop task) for abstract verbs.Conclusions: The findings suggest a context-dependent involvement of the motor system in action language processing, supporting a flexible, embodied approach to conceptual semantic processing rather than an automatic one
The Integrated Neuropsychological Therapy: A Psychotherapy Model Tying Neuropsychology and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
No full textTransdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is based on the identification of dysfunctional processes and intervention principles shared across psychopathology. From a neuropsychological perspective, deficits of executive functions and social cognition have been identified as common mechanisms involved in the genesis and maintenance of different psychopathological disorders. The present article describes a new psychotherapy model, the integrated neuropsychological therapy (INPT), built on the principles of transdiagnos- tic CBT and neuropsychology. Case formulation is operationalized into three levels of functioning, that is, automatic, reflective, and strategic, considering both neuropsychological processes and clinical contents. Treatment planning involves three phases, that is, prepara- tion, enhancement, and change, each consisting of different treatment modules defined according to the above levels of functioning. These modules are selected based on the patient's profile defined during case formulation. The theoretical foundations of INPT are provided, and a case description is presented, which illustrates the implementation of the treatment model
Visual and kinesthetic motor imagery in adults with different degrees of self-reported motor coordination difficulties
No full text: Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) involves difficulties in performing coordinated movements with fine and/or gross motor skills deficits. Several studies showed that DCD is characterized by motor imagery deficits as well. Here we investigated in neurotypical adults (N = 334) the relationships between the ease of imaging two main motor imagery components, that is the visual and the kinesthetic one, self-reported motor coordination difficulties and handwriting speed. Self-reported motor difficulties were measured by the Adult Developmental Co-ordination Disorders/Dyspraxia Checklist (ADC) and scores were used to distinguish three groups: participants at risk of DCD (with both relevant childhood and current motor coordination difficulties); with motor coordination difficulties (relevant current but not childhood difficulties); without motor coordination difficulties (neither current nor childhood difficulties). The main results showed more kinesthetic and visual imagery difficulties in participants at risk of DCD than in those both with and without motor coordination difficulties. Interestingly, the relationships between the two imagery components and motor difficulties were different in the three groups, depending on: 1) the developmental phase (childhood or adulthood) to which motor coordination difficulties referred, and 2) the point of view (self or other), from which images were judged. Instead, no relationship was found between imagery abilities and handwriting speed. Thus, a nuanced pattern of the ease of imaging motor imagery emerged in adults with different degrees of self-reported motor coordination difficulties. These findings could be relevant for the assessment of people candidate to undergo a motor imagery training
The Italian version of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology questionnaire: a pilot validation study
No full textBackground: The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology is a self-rated questionnaire to assess twelve constructs related to the level of acceptance of a robot, consisting of 41 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale. The aim of the study was to conduct a preliminary evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the UTAUT (I-UTAUT) in a sample of Italian healthy subjects (HCs). Materials and methods: 30 HCs underwent the I-UTAUT to assess its comprehensibility. Reliability and divergent validity of the I-UTAUT were evaluated in a sample of 121 HCs, who also underwent the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Results: The final I-UTAUT version was easily comprehensible. There were no missing data, no floor and ceiling effects. Contrarily to the original version, the Principal Components Analysis suggested a seven-component structure; Cronbach’s alpha was 0.94. The I-UTAUT score did not correlate with MoCA. Conclusion: The I-UTAUT represented a reliable and valid questionnaire to identify the level of acceptance of robotics technology in Italian healthy sample
Prevalence and clinical aspects of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease: A meta-analysis
No full textMild cognitive impairment associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) is a risk factor for the development of dementia. Despite the importance of early identification of mild cognitive impairment in PD, its prevalence and clinical correlates are still debated. The present meta-analysis provides a robust estimate of prevalence rate of mild cognitive impairment in PD according to the Movement Disorder Society clinical criteria and to explore the differences between PD patients with and without mild cognitive impairment in demographic, clinical, and neuropsychiatric features. A systematic literature search was performed up to April 2019 using PsycInfo (PROQUEST), PubMed, and Scopus. From 4706 titles and abstracts, 41 studies were selected (n = 7053 patients). Pooled mild cognitive impairment prevalence was 40% on a total sample of 7053 PD patients (95% confidence interval = 36–44; Q = 490.14, P < 0.0001; I2 = 91.84%) with a higher frequency for the multiple domain subtype (31%; 95% confidence interval = 23–41, Q = 93.24; P < 0.0001; I2 = 92.49%). Meta-regression analysis revealed that stage of PD moderate prevalence estimates of mild cognitive impairment (β = 2.80; P = 0.008). Mild cognitive impairment in PD was associated with older age, lower education, longer disease duration, higher levodopa equivalent daily dose, more severe motor symptoms, and postural instability/gait difficulty motor subtype, poorer quality of life, higher levels of apathy, and depression. The present meta-analysis indicated that mild cognitive impairment in PD is a frequent cognitive status deserving to be early detected by means of standardized cognitive assessments in clinical practice. © 2019 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Gliding on Ice in search of accurate and cost-effective computational methods for Astrochemistry on Grains: the puzzling case of the HCN isomerization
Full text linkThe isomerization of hydrogen cyanide to hydrogen isocyanide on icy grain surfaces is investigated by an accurate composite method (jun-Cheap) rooted in the coupled cluster ansatz and by density functional approaches. After benchmarking density functional predictions of both geometries and reaction energies against jun-Cheap results for the relatively small model system HCN···(H2O)2, the best performing DFT methods are selected. A large cluster containing 20 water molecules is then employed within a QM/QM′ approach to include a realistic environment mimicking the surface of icy grains. Our results indicate that four water molecules are directly involved in a proton relay mechanism, which strongly reduces the activation energy with respect to the direct hydrogen transfer occurring in the isolated molecule. Further extension of the size of the cluster up to 192 water molecules in the framework of a three-layer QM/QM′/MM model has a negligible effect on the energy barrier ruling the isomerization. Computation of reaction rates by the transition state theory indicates that on icy surfaces, the isomerization of HNC to HCN could occur quite easily even at low temperatures thanks to the reduced activation energy that can be effectively overcome by tunneling.The isomerization of hydrogen cyanide to hydrogen isocyanide on icy grain surfaces is investigated by an accurate composite method (jun-Cheap) rooted in the coupled cluster ansatz and by density functional approaches. After benchmarking density functional predictions of both geometries and reaction energies against jun-Cheap results for the relatively small model system HCN···(H2O)2, the best performing DFT methods are selected. A large cluster containing 20 water molecules is then employed within a QM/QM′ approach to include a realistic environment mimicking the surface of icy grains. Our results indicate that four water molecules are directly involved in a proton relay mechanism, which strongly reduces the activation energy with respect to the direct hydrogen transfer occurring in the isolated molecule. Further extension of the size of the cluster up to 192 water molecules in the framework of a three-layer QM/QM′/MM model has a negligible effect on the energy barrier ruling the isome..
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