Modelos atencionales y educación

El desarrollo de la atención es esencial para el de otros procesos cognitivos, asimismo es un indicador para predecir el nivel cognitivo en la niñez. En especial se ha comprobado tanto en niños como en adultos, que a mayor capacidad de atención mejor ejecución en las tareas cognitivas. Debido a la importancia que la atención tiene en la adquisición de aprendizajes, el objetivo de este trabajo es el de revisar aquellos modelos atencionales más representativos y realizar un análisis sobre la importancia que la atención tiene en el proceso de aprendizajeDevelopment of attention is essential for the development of other cognitive processes. In addition, it is a predictor of cognitive development during childhood. In particular, it has been found in both children and adults that the higher the attentional ability, the better the performance in cognitive tasks. This paper provides an overview of the most representative attentional models. The importance of attention in the process of learning it is also analyse

Literacy level and executive control in healthy older peruvian adults

Introduction: Early-life educational experiences are associated with cognitive performance in aging. Early literacy seems to improve executive control mechanisms, however, it is not clear whether early education would still be an advantage in countries like Peru, where access to and quality of education is highly variable. Aim: Our objective was to analyze the association of literacy level with executive control factors. Method: We evaluated 93 healthy older adults with a clinical protocol that included the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Geriatric Depression Scale and Global Dementia Staging. We also used a neuropsychological executive function battery which included the Trail-Making Test parts A and B, the Stroop Test, phonological and semantic verbal fluency tasks, Forward and Backward Digits, Numbers and Letters of the Wechsler Scale, and the Go/No-Go task. We used a principal component analysis for the dimensional reduction of the variables. To measure the level of literacy we used the word accentuation test (WAT). Results: We observed statistically significant correlations between the principal components (PCs) of working memory, cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control with the WAT scores. Furthermore, we observed that processing speed and WAT predict the scores on PCs factors better than years of education and age. Conclusions: Literacy level correlates more closely with better cognitive performance than years of education and thus, might improve executive control factors that could compensate and protect against brain changes in cognitive decline and dementia

Patterns of brain atrophy in dysexecutive amnestic mild cognitive impairment raise confidence about prodromal AD dementia

Background: Prediction models aimed at detecting risk of progression from Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia increase their accuracy when impaired executive functions enter the analysis. This suggests that impaired executive functions in MCI are likely linked to the prodromal stages of AD dementia. Neuroimaging assessment of such patients would allow exploring if they show AD related patterns of brain atrophy. We hypothesized that AD sensitive brain regions would show discrimination between dysexecutive amnestic MCI (maMIC) and healthy controls. Method: We analysed 32 healthy controls and 23 MCI patients. Patients were divided in single domain amnestic MCI, multidomain amnestic MCI (i.e., with the dysexecutive component), and non-amnestic MCI. Brain volume data entered regression models to analyse which brain regions predict group membership (control vs maMCI). Stepwise lineal regression model was then conducted to identify the brain regions with better prediction power. Results: Four variables were able to predict group membership in simple lineal regression models: entorhinal cortex, lingual gyrus and parahippocampal gyrus in the left hemisphere and fusiform gyrus in the right hemisphere. The entorhinal cortex provided the most accurate model (F(1, 42) = 14.19, p=0.001, R2=0.24). Linear regression models were run with performance on executive function tasks including tests of switching, planning, verbal fluency and working memory. The most accurate model returned Letters and Numbers and categories fluency (F(2, 44) = 21.35, p=0.000, R2=0.48) suggesting that working memory and category generation are the functions contributing to the dysexecutive profiles observed in maMCI patients. Conclusion: Dysexecutive profiles in multidomain amnestic MCI together with neuroimaging volumetric analysis increase the probability of identifying the prodromal stages of AD dementia

Role of executive functions in the conversion from mild cognitive impairment to dementia

BACKGROUND: Recent research pointed to executive dysfunction as a potential early predictor of the progression of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia in Alzheimer's clinical syndrome (ACS). Such cognitive impairments account for functional impairments in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). OBJECTIVE: The present study analyzes the contributions of executive functions to predict MCI-dementia progression in ACS. METHODS: We assessed 145 participants, 51 cognitively unimpaired and 94 MCI. The latter were divided using the traditional, memory-based MCI classification (single domain amnestic, multidomain amnestic, and non-amnestic). Eight tests assessing executive functions were administered at baseline and at 1-year follow-up, together with cognitive screening tools and IADL measures. MCI patients were reclassified based on the outcomes from a K-mean cluster analysis which identified three groups. A simple lineal regression model was used to examine whether the classification based on executive functioning could more accurately predict progression to dementia a year later. RESULTS: Clusters based on executive function deficits explained a significant proportion of the variance linked to MCI-dementia conversion, even after controlling for the severity of MCI at baseline (F(1, 68) = 116.25, p = 0.000, R2 = 0.63). Classical memory-based MCI classification failed to predict such a conversion (F(1, 68) = 5.09, p = 0.955, R2 = 0.07). Switching, categories generation, and planning were the executive functions that best distinguished between MCI converters and stable. CONCLUSION: MCI with a dysexecutive phenotype significantly predicts conversion to dementia in ACS a year later. Switching abilities and verbal fluency (categories) must be evaluated in MCI patients to assess risk of future dementia

Intrathecal cell therapy with autologous stromal cells increases cerebral glucose metabolism and can offer a new approach to the treatment of Alzheimer's type dementia

After recent observations that intrathecal administration of autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) increases cerebral metabolism in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), we examined this type of cell therapy in Alzheimer's type dementia. Three patients with clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease received every 3 months 100million autologous MSCs by intrathecal route, until a total dose of 300million. During cell therapy the patients showed arrest in neurological deterioration and two of them manifested clear improvement of previous symptoms. A global increase in cerebral glucose metabolism, measured using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET), was observed after every administration of cell therapy. Our present findings suggest that intrathecal administrations of autologous MSCs can be a new strategy for the treatment of Alzheimer's dementiaWe thank the institutions supporting the development of our cell therapy program, in particular Mapfre and Rafael del Pino Foundation

Definición de mecánicas de juego a partir de la evaluación de técnicas centradas en la experiencia de usuario

El artículo se basa en la continuación de trabajos previos que nos permiten obtener una primera aproximación respecto a la clasificación y validación de las mecánicas de juego más utilizadas, según la perspectiva de los propios expertos en gamificación. Dado que los resultados obtenidos hasta el momento, muestran un grado de dispersión muy elevado, proponemos un nuevo estudio más profundo con el objetivo de confirmar y precisar lo que se considera mecánica de juego. Se deciden y se destacan las más relevantes para poder poner en valor el término. Para ello, se ha realizado un análisis mediante una técnica de experiencia de usuario, a expertos en gamificación y actualmente en activo. El resultado del test permite establecer una base de incorporación de parámetros de gamificación, que pueden adaptarse a metodologías de otras disciplinas

ASPECTOS TEÓRICOS ACTUALES DE LA MEMORIA A LARGO PLAZO: DE LAS DICOTOMÍAS A LOS CONTINUOS

There is some terminological disagreement between authors in the study of long term memory although they use historically the same concepts. Then, some of them attach importance to the format in which representations are stored, others to representations output format and others to the consciousness or unconsciousness of storing and retrieval. In this work both learning and memory, and coding, storing and retrieval concepts are put in relation with classic dichotomies (explicit/implicit, declarative/procedural, controlled/automatic and intentional/incidental). Nowadays, there are some investigators that support the idea of “continuum” between attention, intention and consciousness abilities in storing and retrieval during learning and memory tasks. For that reason the necessity of considering that “continuum” idea between explicit and implicit memory, controlled and automatic processing, and even between intentionality and incidentality, is proposed since there are several proposals that show different “contamination” effects among themselves.En el estudio de la memoria a largo plazo se observan discrepancias terminológicas entre los autores a pesar de que históricamente manejen los mismos términos. Así, unos dan más importancia al formato en el que se almacena la representación, otros al formato que dicha representación toma a la hora de salir del sistema y otros a la conciencia o inconsciencia, bien en el almacenamiento, bien en la recuperación. En el presente trabajo se ponen en relación, tanto los conceptos de aprendizaje y memoria, como los de codificación, almacenamiento y recuperación, con dicotomías clásicas (explícito/implícito, declarativo/procedimental, controlado/automático e intencional/incidental). En la actualidad hay varios investigadores que adoptan y apoyan una renovada idea de “cotinuum” de las capacidades de atención, intención y conciencia en el almacenamiento y en la recuperación para las tareas de aprendizaje y memoria. Por ello, se pone de manifiesto la necesidad de considerar la idea de “continuum” entre la memoria explícita y la implícita, los procesos controlados y automáticos e incluso entre intencionalidad e incidentalidad, ya que son varias las aportaciones que nos muestran los diferentes efectos de “contaminación” de unos mecanismos sobre los otros

Validation of the Spanish Version of Newcastle Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Measure (NEWSQOL)

Background: Stroke causes a wide variety of clinical manifestations that may have a negative impact on quality of life. Therefore, it is very important to use specific instruments for measuring quality of life in individuals who suffered a stroke. The aim of this study was to develop a psychometrically validated Spanish version of the Newcastle stroke-specific quality of life measure (NEWSQOL). Methods: A psychometric validation of the Spanish version of the NEWSQOL questionnaire was carried out in 159 patients. The reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient and Cronbach&apos;s alpha coefficient), validity (factorial analysis and Spearman&apos;s coefficient), feasibility (response rate), and the ceiling and floor effects were calculated. Results: Internal consistency showed that Cronbach&apos;s alpha coefficient was 0.93. The test-retest reliability was high or excellent for all domains (range 0.71-0.97 p < 0.001). The response rate of the questionnaire was 100% and the average administration time was 20.5 (±7.2) min. No ceiling effect was detected and two domains (pain and vision) may have a significant potential for floor effect. Construct validity showed that all the variables are important enough to keep them all in the questionnaire. Concerning convergent construct validity, a high correlation was found with the Nottingham Health Profile, the Barthel Index, and the Modified Rankin Scale. Conclusion: The Spanish version of the NEWSQOL questionnaire is reliable, valid, and feasible to evaluate quality of life in the Spanish population

Traducción al castellano y análisis preliminar de las propiedades psicométricas del cuestionario Newcastle Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Measure (NEWSQOL) para valorar la calidad de vida en pacientes postictus

22 p.Introducción. El Newcastle Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Measure (NEWSQOL) es uno de los pocos cuestionarios específicos para valorar la calidad de vida en pacientes que han sufrido ictus isquémico u hemorrágico. Objetivo. Traducir y adaptar dicho cuestionario al castellano y evaluar su fiabilidad y aceptabilidad. Pacientes y métodos. Se tradujo al castellano la versión original del cuestionario NEWSQOL, traducción que fue consen- suada por un equipo de expertos, y a partir de la cual se hizo una retrotraducción al inglés que se envió a la autora, quien mostró su conformidad. Posteriormente esa versión se administró a un grupo de pacientes para valorar su fiabilidad, aceptabilidad, efecto suelo y efecto techo. Resultados. El proceso de adaptación lingüística permitió obtener la equivalencia semántica, conceptual y de contenido de la versión española de NEWSQOL. Los resultados obtenidos en el análisis preliminar reflejan una excelente aceptabilidad, un índice de consistencia interna de 0,9 para la totalidad del cuestionario y una concordancia test-retest buena o excelen- te para todos los dominios. No se detectó efecto techo, pero sí efecto suelo para los dominios de visión y cognición. Conclusión. La versión española del cuestionario NEWSQOL es fiable para valorar la calidad de vida en pacientes postictus, además de aceptarse bien. Es necesario utilizar el cuestionario en muestras más amplias para evaluar su validez y sensi- bilidad

Preliminary evidence of the impact of intrathecal cell therapy with autologous stromal cells on short-term memory binding in early Alzheimer’s disease cases

Background: A decrease in brain glucose metabolism in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients is considered a critical driver of cognitive impairment, and medications used in AD target this metabolic dysfunction. Recent evidence has shown a significant increase in glucose metabolism associated with neurocognitive improvement after intrathecal administration of bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in patients suffering from severe TBI or haemorrhagic stroke. We hypothesise that this cell therapy could also be useful in AD patients. Methods: We studied two AD patients with cerebral beta-amyloid neuritic plaques detected with 18FFDG-PET. The patients received every three months 100 million of autologous MSCs by intrathecal route, until a total dose of 300 million. None received any other medication for its disease at the time of receiving cell therapy. Clinical and neuroimaging studies were performed previous and after the therapy, including brain glucose metabolism by 18F-FDG-PET and assessment with the visual short-term memory binding task (VSTMBT). This task has been proposed as a preclinical marker of AD. It requires subjects to detect whether or not two combinations of shape and colour change across two sequential arrays. Results: A global increase in cerebral glucose metabolism was observed after each administration of cell therapy. Single case statistics revealed that treated and untreated patients did not differ on their pre-treatment VSTMBT scores and both were significantly impaired relative to controls. The chance that an untreated AD patient would show more impairment than treated patients was 39.25% (p= 0.785) for case 1, and 50.00% (p=1.0) for case 2. This chance increased post-treatment to 97.40% (p=0.05) and 99.74% (p=0.005) respectively. Conclusion: These preliminary findings suggest that intrathecal administration of autologous MSCs should be considered as a new therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer’s dementia and deserves further studies