2,671 research outputs found
The cerebellar role in Executive Functions:new insights from behavioral and structural neuroimaging data
No full text“Executive functions” (EFs) are a set of cognitive processes that allow to select and monitor behaviours to achieve specific goals. Although it has been proposed that the cerebellum is involved in EFs by means of specific anatomical connections with the lateral prefrontal cortex, its specific role in these processes needs to be clarified.
Aim of the present study was to investigate the EFs in subject with cerebellar pathology to characterize their profile of executive impairment.
Twenty-three patients with cerebellar atrophy (CA), 18 patients with focal cerebellar damage (FCD), and 43 matched healthy controls (CT) were enrolled in the study and underwent an extensive evaluation of the EFs. A one-way Anova and Tukey’s post hoc test were performed. Moreover a principal components analysis with 3 factors (Planning, Set shifting and Cognitive Inhibition) was executed to identify possible shared process among impaired EFs tasks. Finally, in order to investigate the link between executive impairment and the pattern of cerebellar structural alterations, T1 weighted scans were also collected for voxel-based morphometry analysis and cerebellar lesion characterization.
The neuropsychological assessment evidenced that CA was significantly impaired in planning tasks while FCD was significantly impaired in set shifting tasks.
By using the neuroimaging analysis, the damaged cerebellar regions have been identified in CA and FCD. The structural alteration patterns have been related to the executive impairment patterns.
The hypothesis that, in presence of a cerebellar pathology, different profiles of EFs alteration depend on cerebellar damage localization will be discussed
"The love that made hell, paradise." Ouida re-writing the Paolo and Francesca theme in Held in Bondage
No full textThe bestselling Victorian author Ouida reveals in her novels, and, in particular, Held in Bondage, an extraordinary knowledge od Dante, by using characters and themes from the Commedia. The Paolo and Francesca theme actually constitutes part of the plot of the novel and is to be found in many of her other works, short stories and non-fiction writing
Functional recovery after cerebellar damage is related to GAP-43-mediated reactive responses of pre-cerebellar and deep cerebellar nuclei
No full textSince brain injuries in adulthood are a leading cause of long-term disabilities, the development of rehabilitative strategies able to impact on functional outcomes requires detailing adaptive neurobiological responses. Functional recovery following brain insult is mainly ascribed to brain neuroplastic properties although the close linkage between neuronal plasticity and functional recovery is not yet fully clarified. The present study analyzed the reactive responses of pre-cerebellar (inferior olive, lateral reticular nucleus and pontine nuclei) and deep cerebellar nuclei after a hemicerebellectomy, considering the great plastic potential of the cerebellar system in physiological and pathological conditions. The time course of the plastic reorganization following cerebellar lesion was investigated by monitoring the Growth Associated Protein-43 (GAP-43) immunoreactivity. The time course of recovery from cerebellar symptoms was also assessed to parallel behavioral and neurobiological parameters. A key role of GAP-43 in neuronal reactive responses was evidenced. Neurons that underwent an axotomy as consequence of the right hemicerebellectomy (neurons of left inferior olive, right lateral reticular nucleus and left pontine nuclei) exhibited enhanced GAP-43 immunoreactivity and cell death. As for the not-axotomized neurons, we found enhanced GAP-43 immunoreactivity only in right pontine nuclei projecting to the spared (left) hemicerebellum. GAP-43 levels augmented also in the three deep cerebellar nuclei of the spared hemicerebellum, indicating the ponto-cerebellar circuit as crucially involved in functional recovery. Interestingly, each nucleus showed a distinct time course in GAP-43 immunoreactivity. GAP-43 levels peaked during the first post-operative week in the fastigial and interposed nuclei and after one month in the dentate nucleus. These results suggest that the earlier plastic events of the fastigial and interposed nuclei were driving compensation of the elementary features of posture and locomotion, while the later plastic events of the dentate nucleus were mediating the recovered ability to flexibly adjust the locomotor plan. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
Learning by observation: insights from Williams syndrome
No full textObserving another person performing a complex action accelerates the observer's acquisition of the same action and limits the time-consuming process of learning by trial and error. Observational learning makes an interesting and potentially important topic in the developmental domain, especially when disorders are considered. The implications of studies aimed at clarifying whether and how this form of learning is spared by pathology are manifold. We focused on a specific population with learning and intellectual disabilities, the individuals with Williams syndrome. The performance of twenty-eight individuals with Williams syndrome was compared with that of mental age- and gender-matched thirty-two typically developing children on tasks of learning of a visuo-motor sequence by observation or by trial and error. Regardless of the learning modality, acquiring the correct sequence involved three main phases: a detection phase, in which participants discovered the correct sequence and learned how to perform the task; an exercise phase, in which they reproduced the sequence until performance was error-free; an automatization phase, in which by repeating the error-free sequence they became accurate and speedy. Participants with Williams syndrome beneficiated of observational training (in which they observed an actor detecting the visuo-motor sequence) in the detection phase, while they performed worse than typically developing children in the exercise and automatization phases. Thus, by exploiting competencies learned by observation, individuals with Williams syndrome detected the visuo-motor sequence, putting into action the appropriate procedural strategies. Conversely, their impaired performances in the exercise phases appeared linked to impaired spatial working memory, while their deficits in automatization phases to deficits in processes increasing efficiency and speed of the response. Overall, observational experience was advantageous for acquiring competencies, since it primed subjects' interest in the actions to be performed and functioned as a catalyst for executed action
Tumid Lupus Erythematosus (TLE): A Review of a Rare Variant of Chronic Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (cCLE) with Emphasis on Differential Diagnosis
No full textTumid lupus erythematosus (TLE) has been the subject of heated debate regarding its correct nosographic classification. The definition of TLE has changed over time, varying according to the different studies performed. In this review, we address the initial definition of TLE, the changes that have taken place in the understanding of TLE, and its placement within the classification of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), with a focus on clinical, histopathological, immunophenotypical, and differential diagnosis aspects
Rammed Earth with Straw Fibers and Earth Mortar: Mix Design and Mechanical Characteristics Determination
No full textRaw earth is one of the oldest building materials, which is suitable for various uses: from the construction of load-bearing walls to use for plasters and finishes. The presence of straw fibers can give different behavior to this material. The present paper illustrates preliminary sensory and qualitative analyses, and subsequent laboratory tests that allow the characterization of the raw earth material with straw fibers for rammed earth constructions through mechanized compaction and the identification of a compatible earth mortar. The raw material considered in this study is mainly clayey; for this reason, a mix design usable with the pisé (or clay) technique has been developed. Cylindrical samples have been made through a press and subject to unconfined compression and indirect tensile tests. The results of the tests showed consistent tensile and compressive strength values in the context of earth materials. At the same time, a study for the realization of a mortar with the same base soil was carried out considering four mixtures, in order to investigate the best compromise between workability, shrinkage and compressive strengths. The purpose of the study was to investigate the mechanical characteristics of the local material through preliminary and laboratory tests, to classify it according to the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS) and to verify its suitability for a possible use in the construction field
HERStory Makers 2023: Francesca Fotheringham
No full textFrancesca Fotheringham is a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Edinburgh studying educational psychology with a focus on neurodiversity. She took part in HERStory Makers 2023.What is HERStory Makers?HERStory Makers is a social media competition for female-identifying early career researchers to share their research, their career journeys, and to inspire the next generation. Winners are selected by public vote. HERStory Makers is also part of EXPLORATHON, Scotland's contribution to European Researchers' Night.In 2022-23, EXPLORATHON Francescasupported by the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council [grant number EP/X020762/1].Author contributions to contentFrancesca conceived, planned, and recorded the video content. Kirsty Ross edited the video content to insert HERStory Maker credits, added subtitles, and reduce video length to below Twitter/X limit of 2 mins and 20 secs.</p
Dynamic Identification on an Irregular Structure
No full textThis paper presents the experimental analysis on the “Municipal Headquarters” of Palagianello Town. This is a strategic building with a high complexity at planimetric and altimetric level, so it is interesting the evaluation of its structural dynamic performance in case of seismic emergency management. To this aim, environmental vibrations have been acquired in situ and accelerometers have been positioned in well-defined points. The data were analyzed with an easy and accurate process that includes the Operational Modal Analysis (OMA), to identify the natural frequencies, the mode shapes and the damping ratios with non-destructive testings. Subsequently, the experimental results were compared with those of two numerical models (with and without infill walls) defined by means of the finite element method (FEM); this allowed for better calibration of the model and to arrive at more realistic conclusions about the behavior of the structure. The paper discusses the influence of the stiffness contribution of masonry infills on the dynamic properties of the building. Moreover, it shows that the adoption of ad hoc chosen locations of the sensors could influence the accuracy of the experimental results, especially for structures characterized by irregularities
The role of place attachment and spatial anxiety in environmental knowledge
No full textDifferent factors have been suggested to explain why humans differ in how well and efficiently they acquire and use spatial knowledge about environments. However, the role of emotional variables has been scarcely investigated. Here, we aimed to explore the role of the emotional dimension in terms of the emotional bonds that individuals develop towards places (i.e., the emotional dimension of place attachment that is place identity) and spatial anxiety in explaining individual differences in different kinds of environmental knowledge. A sample of ninety-nine students at the Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro (UMG) were given self-report questionnaires probing place attachment, spatial anxiety, sense of direction, and familiarity with the UMG campus. They were also given three performance tasks probing landmark, route, and survey knowledge of the UMG campus. Correlational analyses showed a significant association between place identity and all the environmental knowledge tasks, while spatial anxiety was significantly associated only with the performance in the survey knowledge task. However, the logistic regression models suggested only a contribution of place identity to landmark knowledge and no effect of spatial anxiety when familiarity and the self-reported sense of direction were considered. We propose that the emotional bond with a place could have a positive effect only in retrieving the visual features of navigational objects (i.e., landmarks), but future studies should expand on the topic with research paradigms involving the actual navigation of a real environment
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