Neuropsychological model of the realization of information need

The main goal of information retrieval (IR) is to satisfy information need (IN). IN refers to a complex concept: at the very initial state of the phenomenon (that is, at a visceral level), even the searcher may not be aware of its existence. Thus, despite advances in the past few decades in both the IR and relevant scientific communities, we do not fully understand how an IN emerges and how it is physically manifested. In this article we aim to inform a holistic view of the realization of IN using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We collected new data of brain activity of 24 participants while they formulated and stated a realization of IN in a Question Answering task, focusing on a distributed set of brain regions associated with activities related to IN, found in our previous study. Results of a functional connectivity analysis led us to propose a neuropsychological model of the realization of IN. Our model consists of three components: (a) a successful memory retrieval component, (b) an information flow regulation component, and (c) a high-level perception component. We believe this study constitutes an important step in unraveling the nature of IN and how to better satisfy IN

Switcher-random-walks: a cognitive-inspired mechanism for network exploration

Semantic memory is the subsystem of human memory that stores knowledge of concepts or meanings, as opposed to life specific experiences. The organization of concepts within semantic memory can be understood as a semantic network, where the concepts (nodes) are associated (linked) to others depending on perceptions, similarities, etc. Lexical access is the complementary part of this system and allows the retrieval of such organized knowledge. While conceptual information is stored under certain underlying organization (and thus gives rise to a specific topology), it is crucial to have an accurate access to any of the information units, e.g. the concepts, for efficiently retrieving semantic information for real-time needings. An example of an information retrieval process occurs in verbal fluency tasks, and it is known to involve two different mechanisms: -clustering-, or generating words within a subcategory, and, when a subcategory is exhausted, -switching- to a new subcategory. We extended this approach to random-walking on a network (clustering) in combination to jumping (switching) to any node with certain probability and derived its analytical expression based on Markov chains. Results show that this dual mechanism contributes to optimize the exploration of different network models in terms of the mean first passage time. Additionally, this cognitive inspired dual mechanism opens a new framework to better understand and evaluate exploration, propagation and transport phenomena in other complex systems where switching-like phenomena are feasible.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures. Accepted in "International Journal of Bifurcations and Chaos": Special issue on "Modelling and Computation on Complex Networks

Interdisciplinary perspectives on the development, integration and application of cognitive ontologies

We discuss recent progress in the development of cognitive ontologies and summarize three challenges in the coordinated development and application of these resources. Challenge 1 is to adopt a standardized definition for cognitive processes. We describe three possibilities and recommend one that is consistent with the standard view in cognitive and biomedical sciences. Challenge 2 is harmonization. Gaps and conflicts in representation must be resolved so that these resources can be combined for mark-up and interpretation of multi-modal data. Finally, Challenge 3 is to test the utility of these resources for large-scale annotation of data, search and query, and knowledge discovery and integration. As term definitions are tested and revised, harmonization should enable coordinated updates across ontologies. However, the true test of these definitions will be in their community-wide adoption which will test whether they support valid inferences about psychological and neuroscientific data

Neuroimaging of structural pathology and connectomics in traumatic brain injury: Toward personalized outcome prediction.

Recent contributions to the body of knowledge on traumatic brain injury (TBI) favor the view that multimodal neuroimaging using structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI and fMRI, respectively) as well as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has excellent potential to identify novel biomarkers and predictors of TBI outcome. This is particularly the case when such methods are appropriately combined with volumetric/morphometric analysis of brain structures and with the exploration of TBI-related changes in brain network properties at the level of the connectome. In this context, our present review summarizes recent developments on the roles of these two techniques in the search for novel structural neuroimaging biomarkers that have TBI outcome prognostication value. The themes being explored cover notable trends in this area of research, including (1) the role of advanced MRI processing methods in the analysis of structural pathology, (2) the use of brain connectomics and network analysis to identify outcome biomarkers, and (3) the application of multivariate statistics to predict outcome using neuroimaging metrics. The goal of the review is to draw the community's attention to these recent advances on TBI outcome prediction methods and to encourage the development of new methodologies whereby structural neuroimaging can be used to identify biomarkers of TBI outcome

Prospective memory in patients with relapsing remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Prospective Memory (PM) is a set of cognitive abilities that allow us to remember to perform planned actions or delayed intentions. It requires the recall of the content of the planned task in the form of an intention to be able to execute it at the 4 appropriate moment. Previous studies have yielded conflicting results as some show that MS patients have difficulty in remembering the content of intentions and others in the process of self-initiation of delayed intentions. Moreover, the relationship between PM and clinical variables also remains unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate PM in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) with two experimental tests that evaluate different aspects of the MP. Another aim of the current study was to analyse the relationship between PM and demographic variables and clinical variables. Methods: 36 outpatients with a diagnosis of RRMS attending to two centers specialized in multiple sclerosis clinics, were recruited. Thirty five healthy volunteers formed the contrast group (CG), matched for age, gender and education with the MS patients. A neuropsychological test battery that included two techniques for measuring PM was administered. The Cóndor test consists of reading a text whilst simultaneously executing many actions. In the Multitask Prospective Memory (MTPM), the participant must remember to initiate a complex intention, which was previously planned. The test yields formation scores of the intention, initiation, plan retention capacity and finally two execution scores. A depression scale (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI-II) was administered and physical disability was revealed using the Expanded Disability Status Scale. Results: In the RRMS group, the majority of patients (80.6%) had none or minimal signs of depression according to BDI-II classification criteria. Seventy five % of patients were in full- or half-time employment, 13.9% were unemployed or in occasional employment and 11.1% were house wives or retired on grounds of age. With respect to cognitive performance 47.2% of MS patients presented cognitive impairment. RRMS patients and the CG did not differ significantly on age and years of formal education. Groups showed no significant differences in distribution of Gender. Patients scored significantly lower than the CG on the Cóndor?s total score, p = 5 .007, d = 0.7. On the MTPM, the CG obtained significantly more points for intention formation than patients, p = .027, d = 0.5. Sixty-three percent of patients versus 88.5% of the CG self-initiated the intention, p = .014. Patients who obtained a higher score on Formation, self-initiated more often, p = .012. Education, disease progression and depression measure with the Beck Depression Inventory, significantly and mildly correlate with the Cóndor and the MTPM. Physical disability was only associated with the intention planning phase of MTPM. Conclusion: PM appears to be impaired in patients with RRMS. A deficit was found in planning and self-initiation of planned actions. Self-initiation was influenced by planning quality. Education, disease progression and depression were shown to influence recall and execution of future intentions. Physical disability was only associated with the intention planning phase. Some previous studies have not found a significant relationship between physical disability and cognitive measures. This study suggests that PM can be affected in patients with a low level of physical impairment. Results highlight the need for objective assessment of PM in RRMS patients to be able to detect any disorder in the initial stages of the disease and start appropriate rehabilitation. Amongst the limitations of this study, the observational, non-blind design must be acknowledged, as well as the small sample size. Also, the instruments used to assess PM are relatively new and studies of their psychometric properties are lacking. Nevertheless, the use of an instrument like El Cóndor is notable, given that it was developed for local population.Fil: Cores, Evangelina Valeria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Vanotti, Sandra Ines. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Psicología; Argentina. Instituto de Neurociencias Buenos Aires S. A.; ArgentinaFil: Orlando, Garcea. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; Argentina. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos "Ramos Mejía"; ArgentinaFil: Osorio, Mabel. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital Interzonal de Agudos "Eva Perón"; ArgentinaFil: Politis, Daniel Gustavo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital Interzonal de Agudos "Eva Perón"; Argentin

Movement, Action, and Situation: Presence in Virtual Environments

Presence is commonly defined as the subjective feeling of "being there". It has been mainly conceived of as deriving from immersion, interaction, and social and narrative involvement with suitable technology. We argue that presence depends on a suitable integration of aspects relevant to an agent's movement and perception, to her actions, and to her conception of the overall situation in which she finds herself, as well as on how these aspects mesh with the possibilities for action afforded in the interaction with the virtual environment

The Impact of Psychostimulants on the Executive Capacities of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

The current study compared executive-skill and executive-function deficits resulting from teacher ratings of two clinical groups of students diagnosed with ADHD (ADHD-Med, ADHD-NoMed) with ratings of demographically- matched control groups. In addition, teacher ratings of the ADHD-Med group and the ADHD-NoMed group were compared. The data for both clinical groups and their respective matched control groups were part of the data collected during the standardization of the McCloskey Executive Function Scale – Teacher Report (MEFS-TR). Analyses examined teacher responses to all of the items of the seven Self-Regulation, the Self-Realization, and the Self-Determination Clusters of the MEFS. Congruent with the hypothesis of this study, both clinical groups demonstrated a higher degree of executive dysfunction than that of matched nonclinical groups, particularly within the Academic Arena. Additionally, the ADHD-NoMed group was rated with more deficits than the ADHD-Med group across most self-regulation clusters. Consistent with the hypothesis, a large proportion of deficit ratings for the clinical groups occurred with the Focus, Sustain, Inhibit, and Modulate executive capacities. Multiple other executive capacities were also rated as deficient for both clinical groups within the Engagement, Optimization, Inquiry and Solution Clusters. Overall, the study supported the notion that students diagnosed with ADHD who receive pharmaceutical intervention are most likely to be rated as having executive-function deficits reflecting a lack of knowing when to activate an executive capacity within the Academic Arena and sometimes within the Self/Social Arena, whereas students diagnosed with ADHD who do not receive pharmaceutical intervention are most likely to be rated as having executive-skill deficits and executive-function deficits reflecting a lack of knowing how and when to activate an executive capacity within the Academic Arena, and also frequently within the Self/Social Arena

AN EXAMINATION OF CONCURRENT DISCRIMINATION LEARNING WITHIN INDIVIDUALS WITH PARKINSON’S DISEASE

The main focus of this research is to further understand memory formation by examining the role of the basal ganglia in learning. Broadly, this study examines how the basal ganglia may play a role in a task that has been associated with declarative memory mechanisms, in this case the concurrent discrimination task (CDT). Specifically, we examine how performance is affected on the CDT when structures of the basal ganglia are compromised by recruiting individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Past work examining the performance of individuals with PD on a CDT have had contradicting results and have proposed that participants may adopt different strategies that rely variously either on declarative or non-declarative strategy (Moody et. al., 2010). We aimed to reduce strategy differences by making changes in stimuli, increasing the number of stimuli significantly, increasing the number of learning blocks, and making all participants explicitly aware of the task structure and goals. By making the goals explicit, we predicted that we would engage a declarative mechanism in both PD and control individuals. To examine declarative memory formation we used the Remember Know task (RK). However, since used a significantly larger set size of stimuli we hypothesized that individuals with PD would perform significantly worse on the CDT than control individuals. The current study reveals that there are no significant differences in performance between individuals with PD and control participants on both the CDT and RK task. We attribute these results to design of our paradigm and stimuli which may have influenced individuals to engage in declarative strategies to perform the CDT reasonably well

Being-in-the-world-with: Presence Meets Social And Cognitive Neuroscience

In this chapter we will discuss the concepts of “presence” (Inner Presence) and “social presence” (Co-presence) within a cognitive and ecological perspective. Specifically, we claim that the concepts of “presence” and “social presence” are the possible links between self, action, communication and culture. In the first section we will provide a capsule view of Heidegger’s work by examining the two main features of the Heideggerian concept of “being”: spatiality and “being with”. We argue that different visions from social and cognitive sciences – Situated Cognition, Embodied Cognition, Enactive Approach, Situated Simulation, Covert Imitation - and discoveries from neuroscience – Mirror and Canonical Neurons - have many contact points with this view. In particular, these data suggest that our conceptual system dynamically produces contextualized representations (simulations) that support grounded action in different situations. This is allowed by a common coding – the motor code – shared by perception, action and concepts. This common coding also allows the subject for natively recognizing actions done by other selves within the phenomenological contents. In this picture we argue that the role of presence and social presence is to allow the process of self-identification through the separation between “self” and “other,” and between “internal” and “external”. Finally, implications of this position for communication and media studies are discussed by way of conclusion

An Analysis of Teachers’ Judgements of the Executive Capacities of Students Classified as Emotionally Disturbed/Behaviorally Disordered and a Matched, Non-Clinical Student Group

Research has shown that EF difficulties are evident in the symptomatology of numerous psychopathologies and mental health disorders, especially in children. Due to the pervasiveness of EF difficulties related to a majority of the emotional and mental disorders experienced by children, there is a clear need to identify, carefully, the specific nature of the EF difficulties demonstrated by a child so that appropriate interventions can be identified and implemented. Despite this need, currently available individuallyadministered tests and rating scales are not constructed on the basis of a comprehensive theory of executive capacities, and therefore focus only on one or a handful of executive functions. The current study used archival data from the McCloskey Executive Functions Scale (MEFS; McCloskey, 2016), a norm-referenced rating scale developed in accordance with a multi-tiered, multi-faceted theory of executive control, to examine if teachers’ ratings of students’ executive capacities differ significantly among a clinical and matched, non-clinical control group. Congruent with the hypothesis of this study, comparison between groups found that a greater proportion of students who were in the Emotionally Disturbed/Behaviorally Disordered sample were consistently judged as having both executive function and executive skill deficits across all seven clusters, for each of the 31 Self-Regulation Executive Capacities, and within both the Academic and Self/Social Arenas. The findings of this study highlight the fact that assessment at this level could lead to better understanding of how and why EF is so broadly impacted across mental health disorders, and thus aid in improved interventions, targeted treatment, and increased positive outcomes for this population