Executive Dysfunctions: The Role in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity and Post-traumatic Stress Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Executive functions (EFs) is an umbrella term for various cognitive processes controlled by a complex neural activity, which allow the production of different types of behaviors seeking to achieve specific objectives, one of them being inhibitory control. There is a wide consensus that clinical and behavioral alterations associated with EF, such as inhibitory control, are present in various neuropsychiatric disorders. This paper reviews the research literature on the relationship between executive dysfunction, frontal-subcortical neural circuit changes, and the psychopathological processes associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A revision on the role of frontal-subcortical neural circuits and their presumable abnormal functioning and the high frequency of neuropsychiatric symptoms could explain the difficulties with putting effector mechanisms into action, giving individuals the necessary tools to act efficiently in their environment. Although neuronal substrate data about ADHD and PTSD has been reported in the literature, it is isolated. Therefore, this review highlights the overlapping of neural substrates in the symptomatology of ADHD and PTSD disorders concerning EFs, especially in the inhibitory component. Thus, the changes related to impaired EF that accompany disorders like ADHD and PTSD could be explained by disturbances that have a direct or indirect impact on the functioning of these loops. Initially, the theoretical model of EF according to current neuropsychology will be presented, focusing on the inhibitory component. In a second stage, this component will be analyzed for each of the disorders of interest, considering the clinical aspects, the etiology and the neurobiological basis. Additionally, commonalities between the two neuropsychiatric conditions will be taken into consideration from the perspectives of cognitive and emotional inhibition. Finally, the implications and future prospects for research and interventions in the area will be outlined, with the intention of contributing scientific reference information that encompasses the knowledge and understanding of executive dysfunction and its relationship with these treated disorders

QUALIDADE DE VIDA DE PACIENTES RENAIS CRÔNICOS EM HEMODIÁLISE / QUALITY OF LIFE IN HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

Introdução. A doença renal crônica constitui um grande problema de saúde pública, podendo levar o portador a necessitar de tratamento hemodialítico, o que causa uma série de modificações no cotidiano, com restrições e comprometimento da qualidade de vida. Objetivo. Caracterizar o perfil dos portadores de doença renal crônica submetidos a tratamento hemodialítico e avaliar sua qualidade de vida. Método. Estudo transversal analítico realizado no Centro de Nefrologia do Maranhão. Os dados foram coletados no período de agosto a dezembro de 2009 por meio do instrumento abreviado, traduzido para o português e validado para a população brasileira Kidney Disease and Quality of Life - Short Form (KDQOL-SF TM 1.3). Resultados. Foram entrevistados 110 pacientes sendo 60% homens, a faixa etária predominante foi de 50 e 59 anos (23 %).  Foi evidenciado prejuízo na qualidade de vida para as seguintes dimensões: Função Física, Sobrecarga da Doença Renal, Função Sexual, Função Emocional e Papel Profissional, sendo esta última a mais afetada, com média de 14,8. Os maiores valores encontrados estão nas dimensões Estímulo por Parte da Equipe de Diálise e Função Cognitiva, com médias de 91,1 e 85,4, respectivamente. Conclusão. Os resultados evidenciaram que os pacientes sofreram restrições e comprometimento em sua qualidade de vida correlacionado com aspectos físicos, sociais, mentais e emocionais.Palavras-chave: Qualidade de vida. Doença renal crônica. Hemodiálise.AbstractIntroduction. The chronic renal failure represents a major public health problem. This disease may lead to the necessity for hemodialysis treatment and thus causing several changes in the everyday life of patients with limitations and impairment of their quality of life. Objective. To characterize the profile of patients with chronic renal failure disease on hemodialysis and evaluate the patients' quality of life. Methods. Analytical and cross-sectional study performed in the nephrology center of Maranhão. Data were collected from August to December 2009 using the Kidney Disease and Quality of Life - Short Form (KDQOL-SF TM 1.3) which was abbreviated and translated into Portuguese as well as validated by the brazilian population. Results. Out of 110 patients interviewed, 60% were males. Most of them (23%) were from 50 to 59 years of age. The results showed that the domains physical functioning, burden of renal disease, sexual function, emotional function and professional role contributed to impairment in quality of life. Professional role was the domain that most contributed with an average of 14.8. The highest scores were found in the domains dialysis staff encouragement and cognitive function with 91.1 and 85.4, respectively. Conclusion. The patients suffered limitations and impairment in their quality of life correlated with physical, social, mental and emotional aspects. Keywords: Quality of life. Chronic renal failure. Hemodialysis

Interaction between Neural and Cardiac Systems during the Execution of the Stroop Task by Young Adults: Electroencephalographic Activity and Heart Rate Variability

Executive processes and heart rate variability (HRV) are supposedly regulated by an integrated inhibitory neurovisceral network mainly coordinated by the prefrontal cortex. Inhibitory control, a core executive function, is demanded by the Stroop task. This study aimed to assess the interaction between electroencephalographic activity and HRV of 50 healthy undergraduate students while performing a computerized version of the Stroop task with three stages (paradigmatic congruent – CS – and incongruent – IS – stages in addition to a stage in which words were phonetically similar to color names – PSS). Behavioral results suggested a Stroop interference effect among the stages, with greater difficulty in IS followed by PSS. A pattern of cortical activation in a frontoparietal gradient with left lateralization and involvement of the prefrontal, temporal and occipital cortices was found especially in IS and PSS, which might be correlated to executive control of behavior, inhibitory control, mental representation of words, preparation of the verbal response, and processing of visual stimuli. Mean power of brain activity (μV) was higher for IS and PSS for all tested frequency oscillations. HRV parameters of SDNN and pNN50 were smaller in PSS compared to the other stages, while rMSSD was higher for CS, suggesting higher mental stress for IS and PSS. During PSS, LF/HF ratio was negatively correlated with EEG power in frontal, central and temporal regions whilst rMSSD was positively correlated with activity in frontal and parietal regions. Therefore, marked prefrontal cortex activity was associated with parasympathetic dominance, which is in line with the integrated inhibitory neural network model. In summation, the execution of the Stroop task required increased recruitment of prefrontal cortical areas and led to high mental stress, but, as it was associated with parasympathetic dominance of HRV control, conflict was solved and subjects behaved successfully

Conflitos entre macacos-prego e visitantes no Parque Nacional de Brasília: possíveis soluções / Conflicts between capuchin monkeys and visitors inside the Brasília National Park: possible solutions

Os conflitos entre os visitantes e os macacos-prego na área das piscinas do Parque Nacional de Brasília (PNB) têm origem na presença de alimentos levados pelos próprios visitantes, objetos de atração dos macacos-prego. Com base na literatura e resultados de pesquisas desenvolvidas no próprio local, o trabalho apresenta as recomendações à administração do PNB para reduzir os níveis de o conflito

Conflicts between capuchin monkeys and visitors inside the Brasília National Park: possible solutions

Os conflitos entre os visitantes e os macacos-prego na área das piscinas do Parque Nacional de Brasília (PNB) têm origem na presença de alimentos levados pelos próprios visitantes, objetos de atração dos macacos-prego. Com base na literatura e resultados de pesquisas desenvolvidas no próprio local, o trabalho apresenta as recomendações à administração do PNB para reduzir os níveis de o conflito.The conflicts between the capuchin monkeys and the visitors inside the swimming pool areas of the Brasilia National Park (Brazil) lays on the presence of the food handled by the visitors, which attracts the monkeys. Based on the literature and on the results of researches developed in this National Park, this works presents some proposals to the National Park administration to get lower incidence of conflicts