Search results for "psicobiologia"

Neuropsychological Profile, Emotional/Behavioral Problems, and Parental Stress in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

2021

Background: The aim of our study was to trace a specific neuropsychological profile, to investigate emotional-behavioral problems and parental stress in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 1/High functioning (ASD-HF), Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) disorders and to highlight similarities and differences among the three groups. Methods: We retrospectively collected the data from a total of 62 subjects with ASD-HF (n = 19) ADHD (n = 21), SLD (n = 22) and 20 typical development. All the participants underwent neuropsychological standardized test for the evaluation of cognitive profile (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Four…

Executive functioning in autism spectrum disorders: a case-control study in preschool children.

2019

Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurobehavioral and developmental conditions that include impairments in a triad of behavioral domains: social development, communication and repetitive behavior/obsessive interests. This case-control study aims to assess executive functioning in ASD preschoolers. Methods: A sample of 50 children participated in the study (24 males and 26 females; age ranged between 2.7 and 3.5 years). The study sample was subdivided into two groups: 25 ASD children and 25 typically developing children as a control group. All participants were administered the BRIEF-P test to assess executive functioning. Results: The two groups were counterbalanced for age an…

THE INFLUENCE OF SPATIAL COGNITION IN THEORY OF MIND AND CENTRAL COHERENCE TASKS: STUDY IN AUTISM

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ADS) is a severe developmental disability characterized by impairments in social interaction and communicative skills. Despite a growing research interest in the field, the causes of these impairments remain unknown. Two lines of research, Theory of Mind (ToM) and Central Coherence (CC), using experimental tasks such as visuo-spatial perspective Taking (VPT) and the local and global levels have suggested that visuo-spatial attention and spatial variables in the self-versus other recognition, may be the basis of the cognitive processes underlying social interaction. According to spatial attention, such as observed in the Unilateral spatial neglect (USN) may contribu…

Protein traffic is an intracellular target in alcohol toxicity

2011

Eukaryotic cells comprise a set of organelles, surrounded by membranes with a unique composition, which is maintained by a complex synthesis and transport system. Cells also synthesize the proteins destined for secretion. Together, these processes are known as the secretory pathway or exocytosis. In addition, many molecules can be internalized by cells through a process called endocytosis. Chronic and acute alcohol (ethanol) exposure alters the secretion of different essential products, such as hormones, neurotransmitters and others in a variety of cells, including central nervous system cells. This effect could be due to a range of mechanisms, including alcohol-induced alterations in the d…

Motor speed predicts stability of cognitive deficits in both schizophrenic and bipolar I patients at one-year follow-up

2009

Background: We examined whether motor speed assessed by the finger tapping test predicts generalized and specific stable deficits because of a common pathogenic process in bipolar and schizophrenic patients. Methods: One hundred and two patients underwent a battery of neuropsychological tests. Patients with a score of less than one standard deviation from their siblings', sample in two assessments with an interval of one year were defined as suffering from stable deficits because of a common pathogenic process. In addition to univariate analyses, factor analyses, ordinal logistic regression, and multiple linear regressions were used. A general score was also calculated. Results: No differen…

Preserved knowledge maps of countries: Implications for the organisation of semantic memory

2004

We describe two patients with selectively preserved knowledge of the category of countries. Following a series of cerebra infarcts, patient DB presented with severe perceptual impairment, including dense apperceptive agnosia, prosopagnosia, an topographical agnosia. Despite these deficits, he could effortlessly name countries from their outline maps. Patient WH, who suffered from semantic dementia, had severe naming and comprehension difficulties, with extremely sparse residual semantic knowledge. Remarkably, the category of countries was preserved. First, we argue that, for both patients, this category preservation occurs at a semantic level. Second, we discuss our findings in the context …

Automatic Temporal Expectancy: A High-Density Event-Related Potential Study

2013

How we compute time is not fully understood. Questions include whether an automatic brain mechanism is engaged in temporally regular environmental structure in order to anticipate events, and whether this can be dissociated from task-related processes, including response preparation, selection and execution. To investigate these issues, a passive temporal oddball task requiring neither time-based motor response nor explicit decision was specifically designed and delivered to participants during high-density, event-related potentials recording. Participants were presented with pairs of audiovisual stimuli (S1 and S2) interspersed with an Inter-Stimulus Interval (ISI) that was manipulated acc…

Social and emotional functions in three patients with medial frontal lobe damage including the anterior cingulate cortex

2006

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to explore social and emotional functions in patients with medial frontal damage including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). METHODS: Three patients with medial frontal lobe lesions primarily involving the ACC performed tasks on motivational decision making, emotional facial expression recognition, and social cognition, including theory of mind (ToM). Their performance on these tasks was compared with age and education matched healthy controls. RESULTS: Patient performance on the motivational decision making and social situations tasks did not differ from controls. Selective emotional facial expression recognition impairment for fear was evident in…

Do aetiology, age and cogntive reserve affect executive performance?

2017

Background: The behavioral effect of frontal lesions may be influenced by confounding factors such as aetiology, age and cogntive reserve. Yet no studies have investigated their effects on patients with focal lesions. Objective: Is the grouping of patients with frontal lesions caused by stroke or tumours methodologically appropriate; does age affect cognitive performance, can cognitive reserve protect against cognitive impairment? Patients and Methods/Material and Methods: Cognitive performance was compared across a large sample of frontal patients with stroke, high or low grade tumour, or meningioma. The effect of age, education and NART IQ on the cognitive performance of patients with foc…

The hippocampus and remote autobiographical memory.

2005

In Newsdesk (August, 2005),1 new evidence for the neuroanatomy of remote memory was reported. On the basis of the findings of the US team lead by Larry Squire,2 remote autobiographical memory was suggested to be independent of the medial temporal lobe but dependent on the neocortex. By contrast with previous hypotheses, this new proposal predicts that after damage to the medial temporal lobe only recent autobiographical memories should be impaired in neurological patients, whereas loss of both recent and old autobiographical memories implies additional damage in the neocortex. However, there is evidence not included in the Newsdesk article, that is problematic for this new prediction. Two p…