The assessment of body representation in adults through computer-based tasks

IntroductionThis study aims to evaluate the use of computer-based body representation tasks in an adult sample, considering the role of demographic variables and providing correction indices for clinical practice.MethodThree hundred sixty-six healthy participants were assessed in person with a computer-based battery that included the Hand Laterality Task (HLT) to assess action-oriented body representation (aBR), the Frontal Body Evocation Task (FBET) to assess nonaction-oriented body representation (NaBR), and two corresponding control tasks (i.e., the Object Laterality Task and the Christmas Tree Task), to disentangle the effect of cognitive functions required to perform the tasks but independent of body representation processing. In addition to the primary cohort, 305 healthy participants performed similar body representation and control tasks in an unsupervised web-based version, and a subgroup of these (N = 30) underwent the assessment in both the laboratory-based and web-based versions.ResultsConcerning the body representation tasks, multiple linear regression analysis revealed that age and sex significantly influenced aBR accuracy and response time (i.e., the HLT), while the NaBR accuracy and response time (i.e., the FBET) were significantly influenced only by age. A correction grid was constructed from the derived linear equation to adjust raw scores according to demographic variables, and a percentile distribution of adjusted scores was provided for each task. Correlation analyses showed significant and strong correlations between the laboratory-based and web-based versions of the tasks (r ≤ 0.888; ps < 0.001), supporting the use of these tasks for the remote assessment.DiscussionThe provided normative data can be helpful for clinical and research purposes, and we discuss the potential benefits of their use

Neural correlates of embodied action language processing: a systematic review and meta-analytic study

The neural correlates of action language processing are still debated within embodied cognition research and little is known about the flexible involvement of modality-specific pre-motor system and multimodal high-level temporo-parietal regions as a function of explicit and implicit tasks. A systematic review and the Activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analyses on functional neuroimaging studies were performed to identify neural correlates of action language processing activated during explicit and implicit tasks. The contrast ALE meta-analysis revealed activation of modality-specific premotor area and inferior frontal areas during explicit action language tasks while a greater activation of posterior temporo-occipital areas emerged for implicit tasks. The conjunction analysis revealed overlap in the temporo-parietal multimodal high-level regions for both types of tasks. Functional specialization of the middle temporal gyrus was found where the more posterior-occipital part resulted activated during implicit action language tasks whereas the antero-lateral part was involved in explicit tasks. Our findings were discussed within a conceptual flexibility perspective about the involvement of both the modality-specific and multimodal brain system during action language processing depending on different types of tasks

Neural bases of Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and an ALE meta-analysis

Impulse control disorders (ICD) occur in some patients affected by Parkinson's disease (PD). Previous studies revealed an involvement of basal ganglia in ICD, but recent morphological, molecular and functional imaging studies showed that alterations of some extrastriatal regions contribute to development of ICD in PD, with mixed results. To identify the brain regions underlying ICD in PD, a systematic review of morphometric and functional studies was performed, complemented by an ALE meta-analysis of functional studies. The review of structural studies revealed no significant changes in any cortical and subcortical region in patients with ICD. The review of functional studies revealed increased activity in the Ventral Striatum and OrbitoFrontal Cortex and decreased activity in Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC). Clusters of hyperactivation in ventral striatum and of hypoactivation in ACC were confirmed by ALE meta-analysis. In conclusion, the present study strongly supported that ICD in PD are related to a dysfunction of limbic divisions of the striatum and of the prefrontal cortex and provided a neurofunctional basis for devising potential therapeutic interventions

The Cognitive Profile of Atypical Parkinsonism: A Meta-Analysis

Atypical Parkinsonism (AP) syndromes are characterized by a wide spectrum of non-motor symptoms including prominent attentional and executive deficits. However, the cognitive profile of AP and its differences and similarities with that of Parkinson's Disease (PD) are still a matter of debate. The present meta-analysis aimed at identifying patterns of cognitive impairment in AP by comparing global cognitive functioning, memory, executive functions, visuospatial abilities, language, non-verbal reasoning, and processing speed test performances of patients with AP relative to healthy controls and patients with PD. All investigated cognitive domains showed a substantial impairment in patients with AP compared to healthy controls. When AP syndromes were considered separately, their cognitive functioning was distributed along a continuum from Multiple Systemic Atrophy at one extreme, with the least impaired cognitive profile (similar to that observed in PD) to Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, with the greatest decline in global cognitive and executive functioning (similar to Corticobasal Syndrome). These findings indicate that widespread cognitive impairment could represent an important clinical indicator to distinguish AP from other movement disorders

Cognitive and Affective Theory of Mind across Adulthood

Background: Theory of mind (ToM) is a fundamental aspect of social cognition. Previous studies on age-related changes in mentalizing processes have provided conflicting results. This study aims to investigate the age-related changes in the cognitive and affective components of ToM throughout adulthood. Methods: Two hundred and thirty-eight healthy participants divided into five age groups (18–40 years old; 41–50 years old; 51–60 years old; 61–70 years; 71–80 years old) underwent tasks assessing the cognitive (ToM Picture Sequencing Task, TMPS, and the Advanced Test of ToM, ATT) and affective (Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task, RMET, and the Emotion Attribution Task, EAT) components of ToM, in both verbal and nonverbal modality. Results: Regarding affective ToM, both the youngest- and middle-old adult groups (61 to 80 years) performed worse than the young and youngest-middle adult groups (18 to 50 years) in the RMET, but no significant differences were found in the EAT. Regarding cognitive ToM, the middle-old adult group (71 to 80 years) performed worse than the young adult group (18 to 40 years) only in the TMPS, but no significant differences were found in the ATT. Conclusion: Rather than a general decline in ToM, our results provide evidence regarding selective changes in ToM in older adults, further confirming the dissociation of cognitive and affective ToM