Smart Phone, Smart Science: How the Use of Smartphones Can Revolutionize Research in Cognitive Science

Investigating human cognitive faculties such as language, attention, and memory most often relies on testing small and homogeneous groups of volunteers coming to research facilities where they are asked to participate in behavioral experiments. We show that this limitation and sampling bias can be overcome by using smartphone technology to collect data in cognitive science experiments from thousands of subjects from all over the world. This mass coordinated use of smartphones creates a novel and powerful scientific “instrument” that yields the data necessary to test universal theories of cognition. This increase in power represents a potential revolution in cognitive science

Quelques éléments d’information sur notre recherche

Quelques éléments d’information sur notre recherche Le projet de recherche DOPCONTROL  (Développement de l’optimisation du contrôle cognitif) a démarré en 2005 et sera clôturé en 2020. Il rassemble des équipes de psychologie du développement des Universités d’Aix-Marseille et de Bordeaux, et des spécialistes en neurosciences de l’université d’Aix-Marseille. Il est soutenu financièrement par nos tutelles, nos universités et le CNRS, ainsi que par l’Agence Nationale de la Recherche[1]. Qu’est-c..

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Multi-LEX: a database of multi-word frequencies for French and English

International audienceWritten word frequency is a key variable used in many psycholinguistic studies and is central in explaining visual word recognition. Indeed, methodological advances on single word frequency estimates have helped to uncover novel language-related cognitive processes, fostering new ideas and studies. In an attempt to support and promote research on a related emerging topic, visual multi-word recognition, we extracted from the exhaustive Google Ngram datasets a selection of millions of multi-word sequences and computed their associated frequency estimate. Such sequences are presented with Part-of-Speech information for each individual word. An online behavioral investigation making use of the French 4-gram lexicon in a grammatical decision task was carried out. The results show an item-level frequency effect of word sequences. Moreover, the proposed datasets were found useful during the stimulus selection phase, allowing more precise control of the multi-word characteristics

AI-based face transformation in patient seizure videos for privacy protection

International audienceObjective:To investigate feasibility and accuracy of artificial intelligence (AI) methods of facial deidentification in hospital-recorded epileptic seizure videos, for improved patient privacy protection while preserving clinically important features of seizure semiology. Patients and Methods:Videos of epileptic seizures displaying seizure-related involuntary facial changes were selected from recordings at Taipei Veterans General Hospital Epilepsy Unit (between 1 Aug 2020 and 28 Feb 2023), and a single representative video frame prepared per seizure. We tested 3 AI transformation models: (1) morphing the original facial image with a different male face, (2) substitution with a female face and (3) cartoonization. Facial deidentification and preservation of clinically relevant facial detail were calculated based on (1) scoring by 5 independent expert clinicians and (2) objective computation. Results:According to clinician scoring of 26 facial frames in 16 patients, the best compromise between deidentification and preservation of facial semiology was the “cartoonization” model. A male facial morphing model was superior to the cartoonization model for deidentification, but clinical detail was sacrificed. Objective similarity testing of video data showed deidentification scores in agreement with clinicians’ scores; however, preservation of semiology gave mixed results likely due to inadequate existing comparative databases. Conclusion:AI-based face transformation of medical seizure videos is feasible and may be useful for patient privacy protection. In our study the cartoonization approach provided the best compromise between deidentification and preservation of seizure semiology

Rare predicted loss-of-function variants of type I IFN immunity genes are associated with life-threatening COVID-19

BackgroundWe previously reported that impaired type I IFN activity, due to inborn errors of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I interferon (IFN) immunity or to autoantibodies against type I IFN, account for 15-20% of cases of life-threatening COVID-19 in unvaccinated patients. Therefore, the determinants of life-threatening COVID-19 remain to be identified in similar to 80% of cases.MethodsWe report here a genome-wide rare variant burden association analysis in 3269 unvaccinated patients with life-threatening COVID-19, and 1373 unvaccinated SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals without pneumonia. Among the 928 patients tested for autoantibodies against type I IFN, a quarter (234) were positive and were excluded.ResultsNo gene reached genome-wide significance. Under a recessive model, the most significant gene with at-risk variants was TLR7, with an OR of 27.68 (95%CI 1.5-528.7, P=1.1x10(-4)) for biochemically loss-of-function (bLOF) variants. We replicated the enrichment in rare predicted LOF (pLOF) variants at 13 influenza susceptibility loci involved in TLR3-dependent type I IFN immunity (OR=3.70[95%CI 1.3-8.2], P=2.1x10(-4)). This enrichment was further strengthened by (1) adding the recently reported TYK2 and TLR7 COVID-19 loci, particularly under a recessive model (OR=19.65[95%CI 2.1-2635.4], P=3.4x10(-3)), and (2) considering as pLOF branchpoint variants with potentially strong impacts on splicing among the 15 loci (OR=4.40[9%CI 2.3-8.4], P=7.7x10(-8)). Finally, the patients with pLOF/bLOF variants at these 15 loci were significantly younger (mean age [SD]=43.3 [20.3] years) than the other patients (56.0 [17.3] years; P=1.68x10(-5)).ConclusionsRare variants of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I IFN immunity genes can underlie life-threatening COVID-19, particularly with recessive inheritance, in patients under 60 years old