Processing counterfactual and hypothetical conditionals: An fMRI investigation

Counterfactual thinking is ubiquitous in everyday life and an important aspect of cognition and emotion. Although counterfactual thought has been argued to differ from processing factual or hypothetical information, imaging data which elucidate these differences on a neural level are still scarce. We investigated the neural correlates of processing counterfactual sentences under visual and aural presentation. We compared conditionals in subjunctive mood which explicitly contradicted previously presented facts (i.e. counterfactuals) to conditionals framed in indicative mood which did not contradict factual world knowledge and thus conveyed a hypothetical supposition. Our results show activation in right occipital cortex (cuneus) and right basal ganglia (caudate nucleus) during counterfactual sentence processing. Importantly the occipital activation is not only present under visual presentation but also with purely auditory stimulus presentation, precluding a visual processing artifact. Thus our results can be interpreted as reflecting the fact that counterfactual conditionals pragmatically imply the relevance of keeping in mind both factual and supposed information whereas the hypothetical conditionals imply that real world information is irrelevant for processing the conditional and can be omitted. The need to sustain representations of factual and suppositional events during counterfactual sentence processing requires increased mental imagery and integration efforts. Our findings are compatible with predictions based on mental model theory

Visual Experience Shapes Orthographic Representations in the Visual Word Form Area

Current neurocognitive research suggests that the efficiency of visual word recognition rests on abstract memory representations of written letters and words stored in the visual word form area (VWFA) in the left ventral occipitotemporal cortex. These representations are assumed to be invariant to visual characteristics such as font and case. In the present functional MRI study, we tested this assumption by presenting written words and varying the case format of the initial letter of German nouns (which are always capitalized) as well as German adjectives and adverbs (both usually in lowercase). As evident from a Word Type × Case Format interaction, activation in the VWFA was greater to words presented in unfamiliar case formats relative to familiar case formats. Our results suggest that neural representations of written words in the VWFA are not fully abstract and still contain information about the visual format in which words are most frequently perceived

Impact of non‐CNS childhood cancer on resting‐state connectivity and its association with cognition

Introduction Non‐central nervous system cancer in childhood (non‐CNS CC) and its treatments pose a major threat to brain development, with implications for functional networks. Structural and functional alterations might underlie the cognitive late‐effects identified in survivors of non‐CNS CC. The present study evaluated resting‐state functional networks and their associations with cognition in a mixed sample of non‐CNS CC survivors (i.e., leukemia, lymphoma, and other non‐CNS solid tumors). Methods Forty‐three patients (off‐therapy for at least 1 year and aged 7–16 years) were compared with 43 healthy controls matched for age and sex. High‐resolution T1‐weighted structural magnetic resonance and resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging were acquired. Executive functions, attention, processing speed, and memory were assessed outside the scanner. Results Cognitive performance was within the normal range for both groups; however, patients after CNS‐directed therapy showed lower executive functions than controls. Seed‐based connectivity analyses revealed that patients exhibited stronger functional connectivity between fronto‐ and temporo‐parietal pathways and weaker connectivity between parietal‐cerebellar and temporal‐occipital pathways in the right hemisphere than controls. Functional hyperconnectivity was related to weaker memory performance in the patients' group. Conclusion These data suggest that even in the absence of brain tumors, non‐CNS CC and its treatment can lead to persistent cerebral alterations in resting‐state network connectivity

Glomerular Diseases Across Lifespan:Key Differences in Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches

Glomerular diseases are common causes of chronic kidney disease in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The epidemiology of glomerular diseases differs between different age groups, with minimal change disease being the leading cause of nephrotic syndrome in childhood, while membranous nephropathy and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis are more common in adulthood. IgA vasculitis is also more common in childhood. Moreover, there is a difference in disease severity with more children presenting with a relapsing form of nephrotic syndrome and a more acute presentation of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody–associated vasculitis and concomitant glomerulonephritis, as highlighted by the higher percentage of cellular crescents on kidney biopsy specimens in comparison with older patients. There is also a female preponderance in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody–associated vasculitis and more children present with tracheobroncholaryngeal disease. This article aims to summarize differences in the presentation of different glomerular diseases that are encountered commonly by pediatric and adult nephrologists and potential differences in the management.</p

The deal.II Library, Version 8.3

deal.II version 8.3 was released August 1, 2015. This paper provides an overview of the new features of this release and serves as a citable reference for the deal.II software library version 8.3. deal.II is an object-oriented finite element library used around the world in the development of finite element solvers. It is available for free under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) from the deal.II homepage at http://www.dealii.org/

Pathogenesis of eosinophilic esophagitis: A comprehensive review of the genetic and molecular aspects

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a relatively new condition described as an allergicmediated disease of the esophagus. Clinically, it is characterized by dysphagia, food impaction, and reflux-like symptoms. Multiple genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been conducted to identify genetic loci associated with EoE. The integration of numerous studies investigating the genetic polymorphisms in EoE and the Mendelian diseases associated with EoE are discussed to provide insights into the genetic risk of EoE, notably focusing on CCL26 and CAPN14. We focus on the genetic loci investigated thus far, and their classification according to whether the function near the loci is known. The pathophysiology of EoE is described by separately presenting the known function of each cell and molecule, with the major contributors being eosinophils, Th2 cells, thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, and interleukin (IL)-13. This review aims to provide detailed descriptions of the genetics and the comprehensive pathophysiology of EoE

COVID-19 and ANCA-associated vasculitis: recommendations for vaccine preparedness and the use of rituximab.

COVID-19 and ANCA-associated vasculitis - recommendations for vaccine preparedness and the use of rituximab