La ansiedad estado en personas sanas puede aumentar su vulnerabilidad a la distracción neutra pero no a la desagradable en la memoria de trabajo

Se sabe que los hechos desagradables irrelevantes influyen negativamente en nuestra capacidad para mantener en la memoria de trabajo información no emocional aunque importante para la tarea. Paralelamente, la ansiedad sesga nuestras respuestas atencionales a aquellos estímulos potencialmente amenazadores para, de este modo, mejorar adaptativamente su detección y valoración. En este trabajo hemos investigado las diferencias entre voluntarios sanos y ansiosos mientras realizaban una tarea de memoria de trabajo en la que se presentaban como distractores imágenes neutras y desagradables. Los resultados muestran que la ansiedad estado puede aumentar el efecto de interferencia de los distractores neutros pero no de los desagradables. Se comentan dichos resultados en relación a estudios anteriores que concluyen que la ansiedad y el estrés agudo pueden disminuir el nivel de especificidad en el mecanismo de vigilancia que sirve para optimizar la detección y evaluación de las amenazas

Early detection and late cognitive control of emotional distraction by the prefrontal cortex

Unpleasant emotional distraction can impair the retention of non-emotional information in working memory (WM). Research links the prefrontal cortex with the successful control of such biologically relevant distractors, although the temporal changes in this brain mechanism remain unexplored. We use magnetoencephalography to investigate the temporal dynamics of the cognitive control of both unpleasant and pleasant distraction, in the millisecond (ms) scale. Behavioral results demonstrate that pleasant events do not affect WM maintenance more than neutral ones. Neuroimaging results show that prefrontal cortices are recruited for the rapid detection of emotional distraction, at early latencies of the processing (70-130 ms). Later in the processing (360-450 ms), the dorsolateral, the medial and the orbital sections of the prefrontal cortex mediate the effective control of emotional distraction. In accordance with the behavioral performance, pleasant distractors do not require higher prefrontal activity than neutral ones. These findings extend our knowledge about the brain mechanisms of coping with emotional distraction in WM. In particular, they show for the first time that overriding the attentional capture triggered by emotional distractors, while maintaining taskrelevant elements in mind, is based on the early detection of such linked-to-survival information and on its later cognitive control by the prefrontal cortex

Emotional interference-based forgetting in short-term memory. Cognitive inhibition of pleasant but not unpleasant biologically relevant distractors

Emotional stimuli automatically recruit attentional resources. Although this usually brings more adaptive responses, it may suppose a disadvantage when emotional information is task-irrelevant and should be ignored. Previous studies have shown how emotional stimuli with a negative content exert a greater interference than neutral stimuli during a concurrent working memory (WM) task. However, the impact of positively valenced stimuli as interference has not been addressed to date. In three experiments and one re-analysis we explore the impact of pleasant and unpleasant emotional distractors during WM maintenance. The results suggest that our cognitive control can cope with the interference posed by pleasant distractors as well as with the interference posed by neutral stimuli. However, unpleasant distractors are harder to control in the context of WM maintenance. As unpleasant stimuli usually convey relevant information that we should not to ignore, our executive control seems to be less able to reallocate cognitive resources after unpleasant distraction

MEG spectral analysis in subtypes of mild cognitive impairment

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been described as an intermediate stage between normal aging and dementia. Previous studies characterized the alterations of brain oscillatory activity at this stage, but little is known about the differences between single and multidomain amnestic MCI patients. In order to study the patterns of oscillatory magnetic activity in amnestic MCI subtypes, a total of 105 subjects underwent an eyes-closed resting-state magnetoencephalographic recording: 36 healthy controls, 33 amnestic single domain MCIs (a-sd-MCI), and 36 amnestic multidomain MCIs (a-md-MCI). Relative power values were calculated and compared among groups. Subsequently, relative power values were correlated with neuropsychological tests scores and hippocampal volumes. Both MCI groups showed an increase in relative power in lower frequency bands (delta and theta frequency ranges) and a decrease in power values in higher frequency bands (alpha and beta frequency ranges), as compared with the control group. More importantly, clear differences emerged from the comparison between the two amnestic MCI subtypes. The a-md-MCI group showed a significant power increase within delta and theta ranges and reduced relative power within alpha and beta ranges. Such pattern correlated with the neuropsychological performance, indicating that the a-md-MCI subtype is associated not only with a "slowing" of the spectrum but also with a poorer cognitive status. These results suggest that a-md-MCI patients are characterized by a brain activity profile that is closer to that observed in Alzheimer disease. Therefore, it might be hypothesized that the likelihood of conversion to dementia would be higher within this subtype

Early prefrontal activation as a mechanism to prevent forgetting in the context of interference

Objective: Recent research has focused on interference resolution deficits as the main cause of short-term memory decreases in aging. To determine whether activation of brain compensatory mechanisms occur during the encoding process in older people. Moreover, two different levels of interference (distraction and interruption) were presented during the maintenance period to examine how they modulate brain activity profiles. Design: A delayed match-to-sample task with two experimental conditions: distraction and interruption. Participants: Twenty-seven young adults from Complutense University of Madrid and 20 healthy older adults from Complutense Elderly University of Madrid. Measurements: Magnetoencephalography scans were recorded during the execution of a working memory interference task. Brain activity sources from younger and older adults during the encoding stage were compared in each condition using minimum norm estimation analyses. Results: The elderly showed enhancement of prefrontal activity during early latencies of the encoding process in both conditions. In the distraction condition, enhanced activity was located in left ventrolateral prefrontal regions, whereas in the interruption condition, enhanced activity was observed in the right ventral prefrontal areas and anterior cingulate cortex. Conclusion: Increased recruitment of prefrontal regions in the elderly might be related to the processing depth of information, encoding of new information and semantic associations that are successfully recalled, and with interference resolution and preparatory control when the level of interference becomes higher. These prefrontal modulations during early latencies might reflect a higher top-down control of the encoding process in normal aging to prevent forgetting

A Simple Artificial Life Model Explains Irrational Behavior in Human Decision-Making

Although praised for their rationality, humans often make poor decisions, even in simple situations. In the repeated binary choice experiment, an individual has to choose repeatedly between the same two alternatives, where a reward is assigned to one of them with fixed probability. The optimal strategy is to perseverate with choosing the alternative with the best expected return. Whereas many species perseverate, humans tend to match the frequencies of their choices to the frequencies of the alternatives, a sub-optimal strategy known as probability matching. Our goal was to find the primary cognitive constraints under which a set of simple evolutionary rules can lead to such contrasting behaviors. We simulated the evolution of artificial populations, wherein the fitness of each animat (artificial animal) depended on its ability to predict the next element of a sequence made up of a repeating binary string of varying size. When the string was short relative to the animats’ neural capacity, they could learn it and correctly predict the next element of the sequence. When it was long, they could not learn it, turning to the next best option: to perseverate. Animats from the last generation then performed the task of predicting the next element of a non-periodical binary sequence. We found that, whereas animats with smaller neural capacity kept perseverating with the best alternative as before, animats with larger neural capacity, which had previously been able to learn the pattern of repeating strings, adopted probability matching, being outperformed by the perseverating animats. Our results demonstrate how the ability to make predictions in an environment endowed with regular patterns may lead to probability matching under less structured conditions. They point to probability matching as a likely by-product of adaptive cognitive strategies that were crucial in human evolution, but may lead to sub-optimal performances in other environments

Desarrollo cognitivo tras un traumatisco craneoencefálico en la infancia

The occurrence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) during childhood may disrupt ongoing brain development and, consequently, the development of cognitive and behavioural skills. However, cognitive and behavioural outcome after TBI is variable, depending upon morbid and psychosocial factors. The interaction between these two main groups of factors has been labelled the double hazard hypothesis, since it determines the adaptive post morbid outcome. Morbid factors include severity of brain injury, age related variables, and the characteristics of the damage. Psychosocial factors consist of pre-TBI cognitive and behavioural functioning, socio-economic status, social stress and the family resources. Furthermore, the most frequent impairments after TBI during childhood are slower processing speed and difficulties in several cognitive processes, such as attention, memory, language and executive functions. Among the latter, executive functions are especially vulnerable, most likely due to the joint effect of several factors –high prevalence of focal frontal lesion, disconnection effect resulting from diffuse axonal injury, slow maturation of frontal regions–. Besides this high vulnerability, the impairment of executive functions as a consequence of TBI during childhood is extremely relevant, since it might underlie some of the observed deficits at the cognitive, psychosocial and academic levels. An adequate outcome at all these levels is critical to achieve an adaptive behaviour.Un traumatismo craneoencefálico (TCE) ocurrido durante la infancia puede incidir notablemente en el proceso de desarrollo cerebral del niño y, como consecuencia, en su desarrollo cognitivo y conductual. Sin embargo, la evolución de las capacidades cognitivas y conductuales tras un TCE en la infancia no es siempre igual, sino que depende de una serie de factores. Diversos estudios han revelado dos grupos principales de factores que interaccionan fuertemente entre sí, factores mórbidos y psicosociales. Esta interacción ha sido denominada hipótesis de doble riesgo, puesto que es la que determina el funcionamiento adaptativo postmórbido. Dentro del grupo de factores mórbidos se incluyen la gravedad del daño cerebral, las variables relacionadas con la edad y las características de la lesión. Entre los factores psicosociales destacan las características cognitivas y conductuales del niño previas al TCE y los factores ambientales, tales como el estatus socioeconómico, el estrés social y los recursos y el modo de funcionamiento de la familia. Por otra parte, las alteraciones que más frecuentemente se observan tras un TCE en la infancia son el enlentecimiento de la velocidad de procesamiento, así como dificultades en diversos procesos cognitivos, como la atención, la memoria, el lenguaje y las funciones ejecutivas. De entre estos procesos, las funciones ejecutivas son especialmente vulnerables, probablemente por el efecto conjunto de diversos factores –elevada prevalencia de daño focal frontal, efecto de desconexión como resultado de la lesión axonal difusa, lenta maduración de las regiones frontales–. Además de su elevada vulnerabilidad, las alteraciones en las funciones ejecutivas como consecuencia de un TCE durante la infancia son especialmente relevantes, ya que podrían estar subyaciendo a algunos de los déficits observados en los ámbitos cognitivo, psicosocial y académico; y un funcionamiento adecuado en todos estos ámbitos es esencial para lograr un comportamiento adaptado al entorno

Aula-taller para el desarrollo de tecnologías básicas interdisciplinares del medio

Este proyecto propone la incorporación del aula-taller como una enseñanza práctica y dinámica frente al tradicional sistema educativo. Está dirigido principalmente al alumnado que presenta un escaso interés hacia la enseñanza reglada o al que, por sus características especiales (ambiente familiar, conducta,...) necesita una actividad más dinámica en el centro. Por esto, el objetivo fundamental es facilitar el acceso a una formación de carácter más profesional, al mismo tiempo que se potencia su autoestima ante el fracaso escolar, haciéndoles sentir más útiles y capaces en otras áreas de aprendizaje. Las actividades que se plantean se desarrollan por proyectos según los diferentes talleres: construcción, pintura, campañas en defensa del medio ambiente, ornamentación del centro, etc. La evaluación mide el interés del alumnado hacia las aulas-taller y el grado de aprendizaje práctico adquirido..Madrid (Comunidad Autónoma). Consejería de Educación y CulturaMadridMadrid (Comunidad Autónoma). Subdirección General de Formación del Profesorado. CRIF Las Acacias; General Ricardos 179 - 28025 Madrid; Tel. + 34915250893ES

Understanding brain function in vascular cognitive impairment and dementia with EEG and MEG: A systematic review

CRUE-CSIC (Acuerdos Transformativos 2022)Vascular Cognitive Impairment (VCI) is the second most prevalent dementia after Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), and cerebrovascular disease (CBVD) is a major comorbid contributor to the progression of most neurodegenerative diseases. Early differentiation of cognitive impairment is critical given both the high prevalence of CBVD, and that its risk factors are modifiable. The ability for electroencephalogram (EEG) and magnetoencephalogram (MEG) to detect changes in brain functioning for other dementias suggests that they may also be promising biomarkers for early VCI. The present systematic review aims to summarize the literature regarding electrophysiological patterns of mild and major VCI. Despite considerable heterogeneity in clinical definition and electrophysiological methodology, common patterns exist when comparing patients with VCI to healthy controls (HC) and patients with AD, though there is a low specificity when comparing between VCI subgroups. Similar to other dementias, slowed frequency patterns and disrupted inter- and intra-hemispheric connectivity are repeatedly reported for VCI patients, as well as longer latencies and smaller amplitudes in evoked responses. Further study is needed to fully establish MEG and EEG as clinically useful biomarkers, including a clear definition of VCI and standardized methodology, allowing for comparison across groups and consolidation of multicenter efforts.Universidad Complutense de Madrid/Banco de SantanderMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN)Depto. de Psicología Experimental, Procesos Cognitivos y LogopediaFac. de PsicologíaTRUEpu