Emotional Expression of #body on Instagram

Our aim was to explore emotions in Instagram images marked with hashtags referring to body image–related components using an artificial intelligence–based discrete emotional analysis. A total of 500 Instagram photos marked by specific hashtags related to body image components were analyzed and specific discrete emotions expressed in each picture were detected using the Emotion application program interface API from Microsoft Azure Cognitive Service. Results showed that happiness and neutrality were the most intense and recognizable emotions expressed in all images. Happiness intensity was significantly higher in images with #bodyimage and #bodyconfidence and higher levels of neutral emotion were found in images tagged with #body, #bodyfitness, and #thininspirational. This study integrated a discrete emotional model with the conventional dimensional one, and offered a higher degree of granularity in the analysis of emotions–body link on Instagram through an artificial intelligence technology. Future research should deepen the use of discrete emotions on Instagram and the role of neutrality in body image representation

Neural Markers of Opposite-Sex Bias in Face Processing

Some behavioral and neuroimaging studies suggest that adults prefer to view attractive faces of the opposite sex more than attractive faces of the same sex. However, unlike the other-race face effect (Caldara et al., 2004), little is known regarding the existence of an opposite-/same-sex bias in face processing. In this study, the faces of 130 attractive male and female adults were foveally presented to 40 heterosexual university students (20 men and 20 women) who were engaged in a secondary perceptual task (landscape detection). The automatic processing of face gender was investigated by recording ERPs from 128 scalp sites. Neural markers of opposite- vs. same-sex bias in face processing included larger and earlier centro–parietal N400s in response to faces of the opposite sex and a larger late positivity (LP) to same-sex faces. Analysis of intra-cortical neural generators (swLORETA) showed that facial processing-related (FG, BA37, BA20/21) and emotion-related brain areas (the right parahippocampal gyrus, BA35; uncus, BA36/38; and the cingulate gyrus, BA24) had higher activations in response to opposite- than same-sex faces. The results of this analysis, along with data obtained from ERP recordings, support the hypothesis that both genders process opposite-sex faces differently than same-sex faces. The data also suggest a hemispheric asymmetry in the processing of opposite-/same-sex faces, with the right hemisphere involved in processing same-sex faces and the left hemisphere involved in processing faces of the opposite sex. The data support previous literature suggesting a right lateralization for the representation of self-image and body awareness

CIGARETTE SMOKING HAS NO PRO-COGNITIVE EFFECT IN SUBJECTS WITH OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Background: The prevalence of cigarette smoking in patients with different psychiatric disorders is higher than that in the general population, which is partly explained by the pro-cognitive effect of smoking on cognitive functions. In subjects with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the prevalence of smokers is lower than that in other psychiatric disorders. We hypothesized that cigarette smoking does not provide benefits and even worsen cognitive performance in OCD. Subjects and methods: We compared different executive function subdomains in 20 smoking and 20 non-smoking inpatients with OCD. At the beginning of hospitalization, we assessed visuo-spatial working memory, planning and set-shifting abilities (Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery), smoking habits (standardized personal interviews), and the severity of obsessivecompulsive symptoms (Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale). Results: The performance of smokers and non-smokers did not differ significantly in any cognitive subdomain. The smoking duration was significantly associated with poorer visuo-spatial working memory performance (P=0.001). Conclusions: Our results showed that cigarette smoking did not provide cognitive enhancement across various executive function subdomains in subjects with OCD. The lack of beneficial cognitive effects of smoking may make these subjects less prone to smoking and may partially explain the lower rate of smokers in OCD compared with other psychiatric conditions

Towards Exoscope Automation in Neurosurgery: A Markerless Visual-Servoing Approach

Exoscopes are a promising tool for neurosurgeons, offering improved visualisation and ergonomics compared with traditional surgical microscopes. They consist of an external scope that projects the surgical field onto a 2D or 3D monitor, providing a wider field of view and better access to the surgical site. Despite the advantages, exoscopes present some limitations, such as the need for manual or foot joystick repositioning, which can disrupt the flow of the procedure and increase the risk of user error. In this study, a markerless visual-servoing approach for autonomous exoscope control is proposed to address these limitations and enhance the ergonomics and reduce the physical and cognitive load compared with traditional joystick control. The system uses visual information from the operating field to control the exoscope, eliminating the need for markers or additional tracking devices. The proposed approach was validated using a 7-DOF robotic manipulator with a stereo camera in an eyein-hand configuration. Results showed that the system achieved 89% accuracy in detecting the target and tracking its movement with a tracking error ranging from 0.50 +/- 0.17 cm for lowspeed movements to 1.38 +/- 0.73 cm for high-speed movements. The proposed system also demonstrated improved efficiency, with a shorter execution time of 72.07 +/- 19.36 s compared with 106.52 +/- 18.50 s for the foot-joystick control. Additionally, the time out of the FoV was significantly higher in the joystick control mode and the frequency of appearance of the instrument in the centre of the image was higher when using the proposed system. The NASA TLX results indicated lower physical and cognitive load compared with the joystick control-based modality

Neural Coding of Cooperative vs. Affective Human Interactions: 150 ms to Code the Action's Purpose

The timing and neural processing of the understanding of social interactions was investigated by presenting scenes in which 2 people performed cooperative or affective actions. While the role of the human mirror neuron system (MNS) in understanding actions and intentions is widely accepted, little is known about the time course within which these aspects of visual information are automatically extracted. Event-Related Potentials were recorded in 35 university students perceiving 260 pictures of cooperative (e.g., 2 people dragging a box) or affective (e.g., 2 people smiling and holding hands) interactions. The action's goal was automatically discriminated at about 150–170 ms, as reflected by occipito/temporal N170 response. The swLORETA inverse solution revealed the strongest sources in the right posterior cingulate cortex (CC) for affective actions and in the right pSTS for cooperative actions. It was found a right hemispheric asymmetry that involved the fusiform gyrus (BA37), the posterior CC, and the medial frontal gyrus (BA10/11) for the processing of affective interactions, particularly in the 155–175 ms time window. In a later time window (200–250 ms) the processing of cooperative interactions activated the left post-central gyrus (BA3), the left parahippocampal gyrus, the left superior frontal gyrus (BA10), as well as the right premotor cortex (BA6). Women showed a greater response discriminative of the action's goal compared to men at P300 and anterior negativity level (220–500 ms). These findings might be related to a greater responsiveness of the female vs. male MNS. In addition, the discriminative effect was bilateral in women and was smaller and left-sided in men. Evidence was provided that perceptually similar social interactions are discriminated on the basis of the agents' intentions quite early in neural processing, differentially activating regions devoted to face/body/action coding, the limbic system and the MNS

Gulliver’s virtual travels: active embodiment in extreme body sizes for modulating our body representations

It is noted that the perceptual experience of body and space can be modulated by changing the action capabilities or by manipulating the perceived body dimensions through a multisensory stimulation. This study adds to pre-existing literature by investigating the alterations in bodily experience following embodiment to both enlarged and shrunked bodies, while participants actively navigated in a virtual environment. A normal-sized body served as a reference condition. After each embodied navigation, participants estimated the height and width of three different body parts. Results revealed that the embodiment over shrunked body induced a significant reduction in participants’ body image, while no changes were reported after the embodiment over the enlarged body. Findings were discussed in terms of previous literature exploring the constraints implicated in the ownership over different bodies

Where to Find Leucine in Food and How to Feed Elderly With Sarcopenia in Order to Counteract Loss of Muscle Mass: Practical Advice

The term sarcopenia refers to the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength that generally occurs during aging. The interventions that have proved most effective in reducing the severity and preventing the worsening of sarcopenia include physical exercise, especially resistance, and the administration of dietary supplements in association with a targeted diet; nutritional intervention is the main therapeutic approach for elderly people, since they are very often sedentary (also due to possible disabilities). Among the various nutrients, high biological value proteins and leucine are of particular interest for their demonstrated effects on the health of skeletal muscle. The intake of food containing proteins and leucine during meals stimulates muscle protein synthesis. Lower blood levels of leucine were associated with lower values of the skeletal muscle index, grip strength and performance. The international guidelines recommended that a leucine intake of 3 g at three main meals together with 25-30 g of protein is the goal to be achieved to counteract loss of lean mass in elderly. Food composition databases rarely show the amounts of leucine contained in foods and therefore it becomes difficult to build a diet that follows these guidelines. A table was therefore created for the first time in the literature to collect all the foods richest in leucine, thanks to the union of the most important Italian food databases. Moreover, in order to implement a diet that follows the right recommendations, another tables shows nutritional composition of breakfast, lunch and dinner (that each provide 3 grams of leucine and 25 grams of protein) for seven days

Ipsilateral and contralateral carotid stenosis contribute to the outcome of reperfusion treatment for ischemic stroke

IntroductionIpsilateral and contralateral carotid stenosis (ICS, CCS) influence acute ischemic stroke (AIS) severity and prognosis. Few data are available about their impact on reperfusion therapies efficacy. Aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of ICS and CCS on the effect of intravenous thrombolysis (IT), mechanical thrombectomy (MT) or both and of antiplatelet therapy (AT).MethodsWe enrolled all the consecutive patients admitted for AIS to our stroke unit and submitted to IT, MT, IT+MT, or AT. We established the presence of a significant ICS or CCS (≥70%) by ultrasound examination or brain angio-CT, or MRI. Clinical and instrumental information were collected; delta National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) from pre-treatment to patients' discharge was employed as the main outcome measure.ResultsIn total, 460 subjects were enrolled, 86 with ICS and 38 with CCS. We observed a significant linear trend of delta (NIHSS) between carotid stenosis categories for patients undergoing IT (p = 0.011), MT (p = 0.046), and MT+IT (p = 0.040), but no significant trend among subjects receiving no reperfusion treatments was observed (p = 0.174).DiscussionAccording to our findings, ICS and CCS negatively influence AIS patients' outcome treated by interventional therapies. ICS might exert an unfavorable effect both by cerebral hypoperfusion and by continuous microembolization toward ischemic area, while CCS is probable involved in reducing the collateral circles effectiveness. The importance of early carotid stenosis detection and treatment should then be reevaluated not only to manage the prevention approaches but also to obtain insights about post-stroke treatment strategies efficacy

Multilevel behavioral synchronization in a joint tower-building task

Human to Human sensorimotor interaction can only be fully understood by modeling the patterns of bodily synchronization and reconstructing the underlying mechanisms of optimal cooperation. We designed a tower-building task to address such a goal. We recorded upper body kinematics of dyads and focused on the velocity profiles of the head and wrist. We applied Recurrence Quantification Analysis to examine the dynamics of synchronization within, and across the experimental trials, to compare the roles of leader and follower. Our results show that the leader was more auto-recurrent than the follower to make his/her behavior more predictable. When looking at the cross-recurrence of the dyad, we find different patterns of synchronization for head and wrist motion. On the wrist, dyads synchronized at short lags, and such pattern was weakly modulated within trials, and invariant across them. Head motion instead, synchronized at longer lags and increased both within and between trials: a phenomenon mostly driven by the leader. Our findings point at a multilevel nature of human to human sensorimotor synchronization, and may provide an experimentally solid benchmark to identify the basic primitives of motion, which maximize behavioral coupling between humans and artificial agents

Pilot study on effectiveness of a virtual game training on executive functions

[Otros] Attention, control inhibition, and visual-spatial working memory represent the three basic sets of cognitive processes involving on executive functions (EF). Basic EF are relevant abilities in daily life that allow to control and monitor adapted behaviors in order to achieve specific goals. In the educational field, EF are related to academic achievement, social functioning, as well as the inhibition of maladaptive behaviors. Their impairment often leads to an incapacity to perform multiple and simultaneous mental activities, as well as to plan and monitor learning. The main aim of cognitive neuropsychology intervention is to identify effective methods that allow transferring trained strategies and abilities to daily life. Accordingly, virtual reality games (VRG) are showing ecological validity effectiveness in EF training. In this framework, the aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a VRG cooking-based for improving basic EF processing. 31 healthy subjects (M=24.3; SD=2.51) participated to 3 training sessions of 25 minutes each. Each session involved 6 VRG characterized by different levels of difficulties. Three traditional measures were administered to participants pre- and post- VRG: The Corsi test for assessing visual-spatial working memory, the Dual-task, and the Flanker task for attention and inhibition control respectively. The results reported a significant improvement of the three EF abilities after training, showing the potential effectiveness of a VRG along with the traditional measures. Future studies on students with learning disabilities are needed to compare performance and effectiveness.Chicchi-Giglioli, IA.; Mussoni, S.; Cipresso, P.; Marín-Morales, J.; Riva, G.; Alcañiz Raya, ML. (2021). Pilot study on effectiveness of a virtual game training on executive functions. IEEE. 956-960. https://doi.org/10.1109/EDUCON46332.2021.9453899S95696