Search results for " cognitive"

Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Data in the Study of Feeding Behavior in Male Wistar Rats

2019

The first step in a behavioral study is represented by the organization of a suitable ethogram, that is, a formal description of individual components of the behavior. Then, each component of such a behavioral repertoire can be quantified (e.g., how many times it occurs, its duration, percent distribution, latency, etc.). However, it is our contention that the possibility to describe the behavior of a living being by means of hundreds or even thousands of numbers concerning isolated components, disjointed from the comprehensive behavioral architecture, does not imply the possibility to use those numbers to reconstruct the meaning of behavior. Such a level of comprehension requires a qualita…

Use of statins and the risk of dementia and mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2018

AbstractWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate whether the use of statins could be associated with the risk of all-caused dementia, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Major electronic databases were searched until December 27th, 2017 for studies investigating use of statins and incident cognitive decline in adults. Random-effects meta-analyses calculating relative risks (RRs) were conducted to synthesize effect sizes of individual studies. Twenty-five studies met eligibility criteria. Use of statins was significantly associated with a reduced risk of all-caused dementia (k = 16 studies, adjusted RR (aRR) = 0.849…

2017

The mere presence of a depiction of eyes can elicit a sense of being watched in the perceiver. To this date, the factors affecting the intensity of this sense of being watched, however, have not been investigated. In the present experiment, we tested the impact of two potentially relevant variables: arousal (manipulated using specific musical pieces) and duration of the perceptual episode (manipulated using presentation times of 200 ms and 10 s, respectively). We asked participants to report how intensely they felt being watched while we exposed them to various observation cues ranging from human eyes to surveillance cameras. We found that, on average, reported intensities were higher if pa…

Glucose metabolism and self-regulation — Is insulin resistance a valid proxy of self-control?

2016

Abstract Glucose metabolism has been suggested as an underlying biological factor of self-control stimulating a range of studies exploring the associations between glucose and self-control. Research on interindividual trait-like differences in glucose metabolism and self-control is sparse, as most previous research has focused on associations between state self-control performance and momentary glucose levels. In two experiments in healthy participants (n = 60, mean age 35.2 ± 13.9, 58% women; n = 103, mean age 25.8 ± 6.3, 67% women) consisting of a baseline assessment and a laboratory session, we examined whether trait markers of glucose metabolism (fasting glucose levels, oral glucose tol…

Psychiatric Problems in Adolescence Mediate the Association Between Childhood Learning Disabilities and Later Well-Being

2021

This follow-up study investigated the associations of childhood learning disabilities (LDs) with adult-age anxiety, depression, and unemployment. Psychosocial problems in childhood and psychiatric diagnoses and lack of education in adolescence were studied as potential mediators, and gender and mother’s education were studied as potential moderators of these associations. Data on childhood clinical neuropsychological assessments and lifelong register data on individuals with childhood LD ( n = 430; 301 [70%] males; 20–39 years of age) and matched controls ( n = 2,149) were applied. Mediation analyses were performed using structural equation modeling. Childhood LDs exerted a significant, bu…

The Role of Mental Rigidity and Alcohol Consumption Interaction on Intimate Partner Violence: A Spanish Study

2017

ABSTRACTIntimate partner violence (IPV) has often been linked to alcohol consumption. Alcohol abuse affects cognitive processing through its effects on the prefrontal cortex, generating influence in mental rigidity (MR). This study analyzes the influence of MR as a predisposing factor to violence. The sample consisted of 136 men with a history of IPV. Participants with high MR had lower empathy and perception of the severity of IPV, and higher alcohol consumption and hostile sexism than participants with lower MR. These results should be considered in the development of prevention and intervention programs with the goal of increasing their effectiveness.

Validation of the Cycling Behavior Questionnaire: A tool for measuring cyclists' road behaviors

2018

Abstract Introduction Even though cycling is an activity whose benefits in terms of urban mobility and health are globally recognized, its disproportional growth during the past few decades has led to some unexpected dynamics. In fact, the increasing number of traffic injuries and deaths involving cyclists has a high cost for public health systems. Considering the available empirical evidence, aberrant and positive behaviors on the road constitute relevant predictors for the injuries suffered by road users. Nevertheless, the scarcity of tools that measure and evaluate the behavior of road users, especially in the case of cyclists, constitutes a serious lack in terms of explaining, interveni…

Predictors of visually induced motion sickness in women

2019

Abstract Background Visually induced motion sickness (VIMS) is commonly experienced when visual motion information is in conflict with motion information provided by the vestibular system and/or tactile and kinesthetic senses. According to some studies, women experience higher levels of VIMS than men, whereas other studies do not find this to be the case. Hypothesis This study investigated whether gender differences can be attributed to changes in VIMS-susceptibility due to the menstrual cycle and perceived menstrual pain. We hypothesized that higher perceived menstrual pain correlates positively with VIMS susceptibility. Methods We measured the influence of estimated concentrations of four…

Mental adjustment to cancer and quality of life in breast cancer patients: An exploratory study

1994

This study explores the relationship between adjustment to cancer and quality of life in a sample of 68 newly diagnosed non-metastatic breast cancer patients. Responses were assessed on three occasions following communication of the diagnosis and included the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) scale, a measure of denial and a Spanish quality of life questionnaire for breast cancer patients. Appropriate medical variables were considered and included in the analysis. MAC subscales showed adequate internal consistency; nevertheless, there was overlap between subscales and a second order factorial analysis suggested that two dimensions (‘perceived threat’ and ‘perceived control’) suffice to desc…

A hidden type of internet addiction? Intense and addictive use of social networking sites in adolescents

2016

Internet Gaming Disorder has been included as a preliminary diagnosis in DSM-5. The question remains, if there are additional internet activities related to addictive use. Especially, use of social networking sites has been discussed to be related to excessive use, but only few empirical studies are available. We wanted to explore, if use of social networking sites is related to addiction symptoms and psychosocial distress and which variables (demography, personality) predict addictive use. A representative sample of n?=?9173 adolescents (12-19 years) was enrolled. Self-report questionnaires assessed demography, frequency of social networking sites use, internet addiction, personality, and …