Increased moral condemnation of accidental harm in institutionalized adolescents

Social deprivation, as faced by children in institutional rearing, involves socio-cognitive deficits that may persist into adolescence. In particular, two relevant domains which prove sensitive to pre-adult neurodevelopment are theory of mind (ToM) and moral judgment (a complex skill which partially depend upon ToM). However, no study has assessed moral evaluation in adolescents with a history of institutional care, let alone its relationship with ToM skills. The present study aims to bridge this gap, focusing on moral evaluation of harmful actions in institutionalized adolescents (IAs). Relative to adolescents raised with their biological families, IAs exhibited less willingness to exculpate protagonists for accidental harms, suggesting an under-reliance on information about a person’s (innocent) intentions. Moreover, such abnormalities in IAs were associated with ToM impairments. Taken together, our findings extend previous findings of delayed ToM under social deprivation, further showing that the development of moral cognition is also vulnerable to the impact of institutionalization. These results could pave the way for novel research on the role of institutional rearing in ToM and moral development during adolescence.Fil: Baez, Sandra. Universidad de los Andes; ColombiaFil: Herrera, Eduar. Universidad Icesi; ColombiaFil: García, Adolfo Martín. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Traslacional. Fundación Ineco Rosario Sede del Incyt | Instituto de Neurología Cognitiva. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Traslacional. Fundación Ineco Rosario Sede del Incyt | Fundación Favaloro. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Traslacional. Fundación Ineco Rosario Sede del Incyt; ArgentinaFil: Huepe, David. Universidad Adolfo Ibañez; ChileFil: Santamaría-García, Hernando. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana; Colombia. Hospital Universitario San Ignacio; ColombiaFil: Ibáñez Barassi, Agustín Mariano. Universidad Autónoma del Caribe; Colombia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Traslacional. Fundación Ineco Rosario Sede del Incyt | Instituto de Neurología Cognitiva. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Traslacional. Fundación Ineco Rosario Sede del Incyt | Fundación Favaloro. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Traslacional. Fundación Ineco Rosario Sede del Incyt; Argentina. Universidad Adolfo Ibañez; Chile. Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders; Australi

Brain, cognitive, and physical disability correlates of decreased quality of life in patients with Huntington’s disease

Q2Q1Pacientes con enfermedad de HuntingtonPurpose: Following a case–control design, as a primary objective, this study aimed to explore the relationship between quality of life (QoL) scores and gray matter (GM) volumes in patients with Huntington’s disease (HD). As a secondary objective, we assessed the relationship between QoL scores and other important behavioral, clinical and demographical variables in patients with HD and HD patients’ caregivers. Methods: We recruited 75 participants (25 HD patients, 25 caregivers, and 25 controls) and assessed their QoL using the World Health Organization Quality of Life scale-Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF). Participants were also assessed with general cognitive functioning tests and clinical scales. In addition, we acquired MRI scans from all participants. Results: Our results showed that patients exhibited significantly lower scores in all four QoL domains (physical health, psychological wellbeing, social relationships, and relationship with the environment) compared to caregivers and controls. Caregivers showed lower scores than controls in the physical health and the environmental domains. In HD patients, lower scores in QoL domains were associated with lower GM volumes, mainly in the precuneus and the cerebellum. Moreover, in HD patients, physical disability and GM volume reduction were significant predictors of QoL decrease in all domains. For caregivers, years of formal education was the most important predictor of QoL. Conclusions: HD patients exhibit greater GM volume loss as well as lower QoL scores compared to caregivers and controls. However, caregivers displayed lower scores in QoL scores than controls, with years of education being a significant predictor. Our results reflect a first attempt to investigate the relationships among QoL, GM volumes, and other important factors in an HD and HD caregiver sample.https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9422-3579Revista Internacional - IndexadaA1N

Neurocognitive patterns across genetic levels in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia: a multiple single cases study

Q3Q2Pacientes con Demencia frontotemporalBackground: Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) has been related to different genetic factors. Identifying multimodal phenotypic heterogeneity triggered by various genetic influences is critical for improving diagnosis, prognosis, and treatments. However, the specific impact of different genetic levels (mutations vs. risk variants vs. sporadic presentations) on clinical and neurocognitive phenotypes is not entirely understood, specially in patites from underrepresented regions such as Colombia. Methods: Here, in a multiple single cases study, we provide systematic comparisons regarding cognitive, neuropsychiatric, brain atrophy, and gene expression-atrophy overlap in a novel cohort of FTD patients (n = 42) from Colombia with different genetic levels, including patients with known genetic influences (G-FTD) such as those with genetic mutations (GR1) in particular genes (MAPT, TARDBP, and TREM2); patients with risk variants (GR2) in genes associated with FTD (tau Haplotypes H1 and H2 and APOE variants including ε2, ε3, ε4); and sporadic FTD patients (S-FTD (GR3)). Results: We found that patients from GR1 and GR2 exhibited earlier disease onset, pervasive cognitive impairments (cognitive screening, executive functioning, ToM), and increased brain atrophy (prefrontal areas, cingulated cortices, basal ganglia, and inferior temporal gyrus) than S-FTD patients (GR3). No differences in disease duration were observed across groups. Additionally, significant neuropsychiatric symptoms were observed in the GR1. The GR1 also presented more clinical and neurocognitive compromise than GR2 patients; these groups, however, did not display differences in disease onset or duration. APOE and tau patients showed more neuropsychiatric symptoms and primary atrophy in parietal and temporal cortices than GR1 patients. The gene-atrophy overlap analysis revealed atrophy in regions with specific genetic overexpression in all G-FTD patients. A differential family presentation did not explain the results. Conclusions: Our results support the existence of genetic levels affecting the clinical, neurocognitive, and, to a lesser extent, neuropsychiatric presentation of bvFTD in the present underrepresented sample. These results support tailored assessments characterization based on the parallels of genetic levels and neurocognitive profiles in bvFTD.https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9422-3579https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6705-7157https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6529-7077Revista Internacional - IndexadaA2N

Estimation of the Maximum Sustainable Yield and the Optimal Fishing Effort of the Blue Crab (<em>Callinectes sapidus</em>, Rathbun 1896) of Laguna Madre, Tamaulipas, Mexico

The fishery of the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) in Laguna Madre (LM), Tamaulipas, Mexico, with an average annual catch of 3307 tons, is of great importance economically and socially. The objective of this research was to estimate the carrying capacity (K), the catchability coefficient (q), the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) (tons), and the optimal fishing effort (fMSY) (traps). For this, a time series from 1998 to 2012 was used for the catch and number. The Fox (1970) and Schaefer (1954) models included in A Surplus-Production Model Incorporating Covariates (ASPIC) software were employed for this study. A set of statistical variability estimators and the Akaike?s, Bayesian, and Hannan-Quinn information criteria were used for the selection of models. The results obtained by the fox model were K = 54,000, q = 0.00008798, MSY = 2567 and fMSY = 146,900 traps, whereas for the Schaefer model, the results were K = 28,370, q = 0.00002425, MSY = 2008, and fMSY = 58,390. The model with the best adjustment was that of Schaefer. It is concluded that the fishing resource has been overexploited during the period 2003–2011, with an average annual surplus of 670 tons and 25,000 traps. It is recommended to consider the MSY and fMSY values of the Schaefer model for the National Fishing Charter (NFC)

Classifying Parkinson’s Disease Patients With Syntactic and Socio-emotional Verbal Measures

Frontostriatal disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), are characterized by progressive disruption of cortico-subcortical dopaminergic loops involved in diverse higher-order domains, including language. Indeed, syntactic and emotional language tasks have emerged as potential biomarkers of frontostriatal disturbances. However, relevant studies and models have typically considered these linguistic dimensions in isolation, overlooking the potential advantages of targeting multidimensional markers. Here, we examined whether patient classification can be improved through the joint assessment of both dimensions using sentential stimuli. We evaluated 31 early PD patients and 24 healthy controls via two syntactic measures (functional-role assignment, parsing of long-distance dependencies) and a verbal task tapping social emotions (envy, Schadenfreude) and compared their classification accuracy when analyzed in isolation and in combination. Complementarily, we replicated our approach to discriminate between patients on and off medication. Results showed that specific measures of each dimension were selectively impaired in PD. In particular, joint analysis of outcomes in functional-role assignment and Schadenfreude improved the classification accuracy of patients and controls, irrespective of their overall cognitive and affective state. These results suggest that multidimensional linguistic assessments may better capture the complexity and multi-functional impact of frontostriatal disruptions, highlighting their potential contributions in the ongoing quest for sensitive markers of PD.Fil: Baez, Sandra. Universidad de los Andes; ColombiaFil: Herrera, Eduar. Universidad Icesi; ColombiaFil: Trujillo, Catalina. Universidad del Valle; ColombiaFil: Cardona, Juan F.. Universidad del Valle; ColombiaFil: Diazgranados, Jesús A.. Centro Médico de Atención Neurológica Neurólogos de Occidente; ColombiaFil: Pino, Mariana. Universidad Autónoma del Caribe; ColombiaFil: Santamaria Garcia, Hernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Hospital Universitario San Ignacio; Colombia. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana; ColombiaFil: Ibañez, Agustin Mariano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Autónoma del Caribe; Colombia. Universidad de San Andrés; Argentina. Universidad Adolfo Ibañez; Chile. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: García, Adolfo Martín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de San Andrés; Argentina. University of California; Estados Unidos. Universidad Catolica de Cuyo. Facultad de Educacion.; Argentin

Facial and semantic emotional interference: A pilot study on the behavioral and cortical responses to the dual valence association task

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Integration of compatible or incompatible emotional valence and semantic information is an essential aspect of complex social interactions. A modified version of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) called Dual Valence Association Task (DVAT) was designed in order to measure conflict resolution processing from compatibility/incompatibly of semantic and facial valence. The DVAT involves two emotional valence evaluative tasks which elicits two forms of emotional compatible/incompatible associations (facial and semantic).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Behavioural measures and Event Related Potentials were recorded while participants performed the DVAT.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Behavioural data showed a robust effect that distinguished compatible/incompatible tasks. The effects of valence and contextual association (between facial and semantic stimuli) showed early discrimination in N170 of faces. The LPP component was modulated by the compatibility of the DVAT.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Results suggest that DVAT is a robust paradigm for studying the emotional interference effect in the processing of simultaneous information from semantic and facial stimuli.</p

Predicting and Characterizing Neurodegenerative Subtypes with Multimodal Neurocognitive Signatures of Social and Cognitive Processes

Background: Social cognition is critically compromised across neurodegenerative diseases, including the behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and Parkinson's disease (PD). However, no previous study has used social cognition and other cognitive tasks to predict diagnoses of these conditions, let alone reporting the brain correlates of prediction outcomes. Objective: We performed a diagnostic classification analysis using social cognition, cognitive screening (CS), and executive function (EF) measures, and explored which anatomical and functional networks were associated with main predictors. Methods: Multiple group discriminant function analyses (MDAs) and ROC analyses of social cognition (facial emotional recognition, theory of mind), CS, and EF were implemented in 223 participants (bvFTD, AD, PD, controls). Gray matter volume and functional connectivity correlates of top discriminant scores were investigated. Results: Although all patient groups revealed deficits in social cognition, CS, and EF, our classification approach provided robust discriminatory characterizations. Regarding controls, probabilistic social cognition outcomes provided the best characterization for bvFTD (together with CS) and PD, but not AD (for which CS alone was the best predictor). Within patient groups, the best MDA probabilities scores yielded high classification rates for bvFTD versus PD (98.3%, social cognition), AD versus PD (98.6%, social cognition+CS), and bvFTD versus AD (71.7%, social cognition+CS). Top MDA scores were associated with specific patterns of atrophy and functional networks across neurodegenerative conditions. Conclusion: Standardized validated measures of social cognition, in combination with CS, can provide a dimensional classification with specific pathophysiological markers of neurodegeneration diagnoses.Fil: Ibanez Barassi, Agustin Mariano. Universidad de San Andrés; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Adolfo Ibañez; Chile. Universidad de Dublin; Irlanda. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Fittipaldi, Sol. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; Argentina. Universidad de San Andrés; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Trujillo, Catalina. Universidad del Valle; ColombiaFil: Jaramillo, Tania. Universidad del Valle; ColombiaFil: Torres, Alejandra. Universidad del Valle; ColombiaFil: Cardona, Juan F.. Universidad del Valle; ColombiaFil: Rivera, Rodrigo. Universidad de Chile; ChileFil: Slachevsky, Andrea. Universidad de Chile; ChileFil: Garciá, Adolfo. Universidad de San Andrés; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Santiago de Chile; Chile. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Bertoux, Maxime. Universidad Adolfo Ibañez; ChileFil: Baez, Sandra. Universidad de los Andes; Colombi

Comparing moral judgments of patients with frontotemporal dementia and frontal stroke

Importance Several clinical reports have stated that patients with prefrontal lesions or patients with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia share social cognition impairments. Moral reasoning is impaired in both conditions but there have been few investigations that directly compare this domain in the 2 groups. Observations This work compared the moral judgments of these patient groups using a task designed to disentangle the contributions of intentions and outcomes in moral judgment. For both disorders, patients judged scenarios where the protagonists believed that they would cause harm but did not as being more permissible than the control group. Moreover, patients with frontotemporal dementia judged harmful outcomes in the absence of harmful intentions as less permissible than the control participants. There were no differences between the 2 conditions. Conclusions and Relevance Both disorders involved impairments in integrating intention and outcome information for moral judgment. This study was the first, to our knowledge, to directly compare a social cognition domain in 2 frontal pathologies with different etiology. Our results highlighted the importance of comparing patients with vascular lesions and patients with neurodegenerative diseases

Dementia in Latin America:Assessing the present and envisioning the future

The demographic structure of Latin American countries (LAC) is fast approaching that of developing countries, and the predicted prevalence of dementia in the former already exceeds the latter. Dementia has been declared a global challenge, yet regions around the world show differences in both the nature and magnitude of such a challenge. This article provides evidence and insights on barriers which, if overcome, would enable the harmonization of strategies to tackle the dementia challenge in LAC. First, we analyze the lack of available epidemiologic data, the need for standardizing clinical practice and improving physician training, and the existing barriers regarding resources, culture, and stigmas. We discuss how these are preventing timely care and research. Regarding specific health actions, most LAC have minimal mental health facilities and do not have specific mental health policies or budgets specific to dementia. In addition, local regulations may need to consider the regional context when developing treatment and prevention strategies. The support needed nationally and internationally to enable a smooth and timely transition of LAC to a position that integrates global strategies is highlighted. We focus on shared issues of poverty, cultural barriers, and socioeconomic vulnerability. We identify avenues for collaboration aimed to study unique populations, improve valid assessment methods, and generate opportunities for translational research, thus establishing a regional network. The issues identified here point to future specific actions aimed at tackling the dementia challenge in LAC.Alzheimer's Society UK grants AS-R42303 AS-SF-14-008 CONICYT-Fondecyt 117001

Attachment Patterns Trigger Differential Neural Signature of Emotional Processing in Adolescents

Background: Research suggests that individuals with different attachment patterns process social information differently, especially in terms of facial emotion recognition. However, few studies have explored social information processes in adolescents. This study examined the behavioral and ERP correlates of emotional processing in adolescents with different attachment orientations (insecure attachment group and secure attachment group; IAG and SAG, respectively). This study also explored the association of these correlates to individual neuropsychological profiles. Methodology/Principal Findings We used a modified version of the dual valence task (DVT), in which participants classify stimuli (faces and words) according to emotional valence (positive or negative). Results showed that the IAG performed significantly worse than SAG on tests of executive function (EF attention, processing speed, visuospatial abilities and cognitive flexibility). In the behavioral DVT, the IAG presented lower performance and accuracy. The IAG also exhibited slower RTs for stimuli with negative valence. Compared to the SAG, the IAG showed a negative bias for faces; a larger P1 and attenuated N170 component over the right hemisphere was observed. A negative bias was also observed in the IAG for word stimuli, which was demonstrated by comparing the N170 amplitude of the IAG with the valence of the SAG. Finally, the amplitude of the N170 elicited by the facial stimuli correlated with EF in both groups (and negative valence with EF in the IAG). Conclusions/Significance: Our results suggest that individuals with different attachment patterns process key emotional information and corresponding EF differently. This is evidenced by an early modulation of ERP components’ amplitudes, which are correlated with behavioral and neuropsychological effects. In brief, attachments patterns appear to impact multiple domains, such as emotional processing and EFs