1,721,037 research outputs found
Transforming Brain Rehabilitation: Smartphone Solution Underpins Innovative Treatment of Brain Disorders
No full textActive Navigation Training: An Innovative Embodied-Based Training System for Spatial Navigation in Aging
No full textSPACE IN LANGUAGE: EMBODIED EVIDENCE OF SPACE-LANGUAGE INTERACTION
No full textQuesta tesi di dottorato esplora alcuni casi di interazione tra linguaggio e spazio incarnato. Nel primo esperimento ho cercato di replicare l'effetto "linguistic looming" in italiano e inglese. Inaspettatamente, ho trovato un pattern di risultati opposto all’effetto atteso in entrambe le lingue, che mi ha spinto ad approfondire l'impatto delle simulazioni spaziali nei processi linguistici. Nel secondo esperimento ho studiato l'interazione tra simulazione motoria e presa di prospettiva spaziale durante la simulazione del linguaggio d'azione in italiano e inglese. I lettori di frasi con due attori (lettore e un altro attore) possono simulare le azioni di qualcun altro mantenendo la prospettiva spaziale in entrambe le lingue. Nel terzo esperimento ho esaminato se la memoria spaziale predice il riconoscimento delle frasi del linguaggio d'azione di frasi con due attori (lettore e un altro attore). Ho dimostrato che l’abilità nella memoria spaziale influenza la simulazione del linguaggio d'azione durante il riconoscimento. Infine, ho voluto verificare se parole fonologicamente simili/dissimili possono essere rappresentate metaforicamente in memoria attraverso giudizi di distanza spaziale tra le parole. Ho dimostrato che la somiglianza/dissomiglianza fonologica viene rappresentata come vicinanza/distanza spaziale. In sintesi, la tesi dimostra che lo spazio e il linguaggio non sono solo incarnati ma anche interconnessi.The aim of this doctoral thesis is to investigate instances of interaction between embodied language and embodied space. In the first experiment, I attempted to replicate the linguistic looming effect in both Italian and English. However, the so called the linguistic looming effect was not replicated in both languages. This led me to further explore the influence of spatial simulations on linguistic processes. In the second experiment, I examined the interaction between motor simulation and spatial perspective-taking during action language simulation in both Italian and English. I found that readers can simulate someone else's actions by retaining the spatial perspective of a sentence in both languages. In the third experiment, I investigated whether spatial memory performance can predict the recognition of action language sentences. My results showed that spatial memory affects the simulation of action language during recognition. Finally, I aimed to explore whether phonologically similar/dissimilar words can be represented metaphorically in memory through spatial distance judgments. I demonstrated that phonological similarity/dissimilarity is represented in memory as spatial closeness/distance. Overall, this thesis highlights several cases of space-language interaction and demonstrates that space and language are not only embodied but also interconnected
VRBodyMem: A Virtual Full-Body Illusion for the Study of Episodic Memory
No full textDifferent aspects of the bodily self, including visuospatial perspective, self-location, and body ownership, are critical factors for successful retrieval/recognition and vivid and detailed episodic memories.1 However, current research has examined visuospatial perspective taking and body ownership separately, and further research is needed to deepen the interaction between the BSC components.
Based on the above rationale, the VRBodyMem project will develop a framework that manipulates not only visuospatial perspective taking (self-location) during both encoding and retrieval, but also body ownership through synchronous and asynchronous visuotactile stimulation. The project has been developed as part of the Master “Cyberspace, Behavior and E-Therapy (CYBER),” supported by the Universidade Lusófona, the Universitat de Barcelona, and the Université Paris Cité, and one of the partner universities and laboratories, the Catholic University of Milan and the Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Laboratory at the IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano. The results will be useful for understanding clinical conditions in which either/both encoding and retrieval are disembodied and for proposing innovative training solutions
A predictive coding approach to psychedelic virtual-induced hallucinations and creative cognition in aging
Full text linkRecent research has investigated the potential of psychedelic substances in treating various neurological and psychiatric disorders. In particular, there has been a growth in studies concerning the intersection of psychedelics, Virtual Reality (VR), and Cognitive Flexibility (CF). Indeed, the use of immersive technology allows the simulation of the perceptual and cognitive effects of psychedelic substances without the potential risks associated with them. CF is strongly associated with creative cognition, a complex cognitive mechanism involved in creative thinking and associated with the prefrontal cortex and the neural networks supporting executive functions, memory, attention, and spontaneous modes of thought. The Bayesian brain approach, which is rooted in predictive coding, has emerged as a promising framework for understanding the effects of psychedelic hallucinations on cognitive functioning. Psychedelic substances may enhance creativity by inducing a state of CF, allowing for a wider range of associations and possibilities to be explored and increasing openness to experience. A decline in cognitive abilities, including creative processing and divergent thinking, is observed during the aging process. In particular, studies on Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) show poorer performance in executive functions, including CF. The present paper suggests that psychedelic hallucinations induced by VR may help optimize the balance between top-down expectations and bottom-up sensory information. Therefore, enhanced CF and creativity may be crucial during the aging process for maintaining cognitive functions and preventing pathological conditions
Predictive power of gait and gait-related cognitive measures in amnestic mild cognitive impairment: a machine learning analysis
Full text linkIntroduction Gait disorders and gait-related cognitive tests were recently linked to future Alzheimer's Disease (AD) dementia diagnosis in amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI). This study aimed to evaluate the predictive power of gait disorders and gait-related neuropsychological performances for future AD diagnosis in aMCI through machine learning (ML).Methods A sample of 253 aMCI (stable, converter) individuals were included. We explored the predictive accuracy of four predictors (gait profile plus MMSE, DSST, and TMT-B) previously identified as critical for the conversion from aMCI to AD within a 36-month follow-up. Supervised ML algorithms (Support Vector Machine [SVM], Logistic Regression, and k-Nearest Neighbors) were trained on 70% of the dataset, and feature importance was evaluated for the best algorithm.Results The SVM algorithm achieved the best performance. The optimized training set performance achieved an accuracy of 0.67 (sensitivity = 0.72; specificity = 0.60), improving to 0.70 on the test set (sensitivity = 0.79; specificity = 0.52). Feature importance revealed MMSE as the most important predictor in both training and testing, while gait type was important in the testing phase.Discussion We created a predictive ML model that is capable of identifying aMCI at high risk of AD dementia within 36 months. Our ML model could be used to quickly identify individuals at higher risk of AD, facilitating secondary prevention (e.g., cognitive and/or physical training), and serving as screening for more expansive and invasive tests. Lastly, our results point toward theoretically and practically sound evidence of mind and body interaction in AD
Embodied concepts in Parkinson’s disease: Insights from fruits versus animals semantic fluency impairments
No full textOBJECTIVE: Initial findings indicate that semantic memory retrieval of different categories, such as fruits and animals, is variably impacted in Parkinson's disease (PD). Importantly, theories of embodied cognition propose that these variances may stem from compromised motor processing in PD patients. Indeed, the conceptual representation of the fruits category may involve aspects of manipulability and graspability, which are less relevant for the animals category. We aimed to assess semantic memory retrieval of fruits versus animals category as assessed by semantic fluency (SF) in PD by using the Parkinson's Progression Marker Initiative database. METHOD: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 104 healthy controls (HC), 264 patients with sporadic de novo PD (S-PD), and 57 patients with genetic PD (G-PD). Additionally, we carried out explorative analysis concerning possible differences between S-PD and G-PF on SF. RESULTS: We found lower fruits SF performance in PD (S-PD plus G-PD) compared to HC; however, this score could not classify the two groups. Crucially, no difference for the animals class was found. When analyzing separately S-PD and G-PD, we found that fruits SF in S-PD was lower compared to HC and was negatively associated with S-PD diagnosis. Remarkably, no difference for the animals class was found. We did not find significant SF differences in the G-PD. Moreover, SF scores, regardless of the category, were uncorrelated with dopamine integrity measures and motor symptoms scales. CONCLUSIONS: The findings reveal distinct patterns of category dissociation in S-PD and G-PD, suggesting a potential link between category dissociation and motor embodiment processes in PD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Looking at One's Self Through Facebook Increases Mental Stress: A Computational Psychometric Analysis by Using Eye-Tracking and Psychophysiology
No full textThe aim of this study was to investigate if Mental Stress was superior, inferior, or equal navigating on Facebook own profile or others profiles. An experimental manipulation would invalidate the results since it would force the participants to navigate in only one condition each time. To overcome this problem, we used an eye-tracker to get clear time markers that identified the areas where the participants focused during all of the Facebook navigation. While the gazes were being recorded for 30 participants, we simultaneously recorded their psychophysiological signals, which were extracted and paired with each specific focus area. Consequently, we obtained the psychophysiological correlates of Facebook navigation for both the conditions related to "own" and "others." The areas related to own were about the own profile (such as exploring and focusing on one's own information, posting one's own news, and similar activities). The areas related to others were about Facebook friends (e.g., exploring others' profiles and reading comments). The results showed that, based on cardiovascular measures (strong measurements of psychological stress), looking at one's own profile increased mental stress level. Bayesian analyses showed that these differences between the two conditions were not due to the cognitive load or the different attentional and emotional content in the two conditions. The study posed new questions about the expression of one's self to others, and indicated potential detrimental effects of chronic stress deriving from being more oriented to the self than the others
- …
