The pathophysiology of motor thalamus

The thalamus is considered an important structure of sensitive pathways, and also intervenes in motor tasks. It receives multiple cortical and subcortical afferent fibers and the relations between their different nuclei are intense. After anatomic and functional study of the thalamic structure and its connections, we will analyze the different classifications and proposed subdivisions of the thalamic nuclear groups both in primates and humans. We will direct our study towards those aspects of the thalamus related to movement. The motor thalamus is described in most non-human primate studies as the thalamic region that receives subcortical afferent fibers from the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, and cortical fibers of the primary motor and pre-motor areas and these functions are also inferred to the human thalamus based on the cytoarchitectonic similarity between them. Later on, the pathological clinical aspects related to the motor thalamus are discussed. Disturbances or impairments in the coordination and course of movement, in muscular tone, and movement planning can be associated with injuries located in the motor thalamus and its connections. The research related to surgical procedures involving the thalamic structure for the treatment of impairments or disturbances of motion and movement are examined and will permit a comprehensive summary of the different mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of the motor thalamus.peer-reviewe

Psychopathology in obstructive sleep apnea : the role of severity of the apnea / hypopnea index

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Diseño de una guía de apoyo para el estudio y valoración neuropsicológica del lenguaje, aplicable a la asignatura de Neuropsicología General del Grado de Psicología y a otras asignaturas de Máster relacionadas

Memoria ID-205. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2018-2019

Sensitivity and specificity of Frontal Assessment Battery in newly diagnosed and untreated Obstructive Sleep Apnea patients

Background: Executive dysfunction (ED) is often observed in subjects diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but their assessment requires facilities that are not always available.We aim to evaluate the extent to which Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) discriminates ED in newly diagnosed, untreated, and without-comorbidity OSA patients. Methods: Sixty subjects participated in the study. Of these, 40 (31 males and 9 females) were newly diagnosed for OSA through full-night polysomnography (apnea/hypopnea index; M . 39.01, SD . 27.16), untreated, with a mean age of 54.50 years (SD . 8.90), while the remaining 20 (15 males and 5 females) had no symptoms of OSA (M . 51.60 years, SD . 10.70). The instruments used were the following: Questionnaire for Sleep Apnea Risk, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Mini-Mental State Examination, and FAB. Results: The group with OSA exhibited significantly lower values in the FAB global score (p . 0.003) and in Conceptualization (p . 0.001) and Mental Flexibility (p . 0.009) subtests. ROC analysis showed adequate discriminative capacity for the FAB global score (AUC . 0.74) and for Conceptualization (AUC . 0.75) and Mental Flexibility (AUC . 0.70) scores. Conclusions: The FAB is a short and no-time-consuming tool that can be used to investigate the presence of ED in untreated OSA patients with no comorbidities, providing clinicians with a simple and effective way of detecting the presence of this dysfunction and allowing a more informed decision for the need of a full neuropsychological assessment

Long-term treatment for emotional distress in women with breast cancer

Purpose: Breast cancer patients have many needs, including strategies to cope with the associated distress, during and after cancer treatment. Establishing and implementing adequate social and emotional support for these women, to reduce the detrimental effects of stress resulting from their treatment and disease, is the need of the hour. This study aims to assess how women, diagnosed and treated for breast cancer, combat emotional stress using mechanisms of coping and control and emotional defense, as well as to identify potential groups among them, with different long-term patterns and needs. Methods: 98 patients belonging to a local breast cancer support association (ALMOM), were enrolled in this study. A questionnaire specifically designed for them was administered, and its internal consistency and reliability assessed. A hierarchical clustering was employed to classify the women. The questionnaire focused on four sections, including personal feelings, coping strategies, environmental influences and maladaptive coping. Results: An adequate internal reliability was obtained with Cronbach's α near or greater than 0.60. Personal feelings were significant and clearly correlated with coping strategies and maladaptive coping. Three groups of women with different patterns of emotional characteristics and needs were identified: positivist, unsafe, and hopeless women, with different long-term emotional needs to be satisfied. Conclusions: Psychological therapeutic interventions should be maintained in many breast cancer patients over time, even after treatment completion, in order to consolidate adaptive and sustainable responses

Hemispheric asymmetries in recognition memory for negative and neutral words

Journal of Eye Tracking, Visual Cognition and EmotionFedermeier and Benjamin (2005) have suggested that semantic encoding for verbal information in the right hemisphere can be more effective when memory demands are higher. However, other studies (Kanske & Kotz, 2007) also suggest that visual word recognition differ in function of emotional valence. In this context, the present study was designed to evaluate the effects of retention level upon recognition memory processes for negative and neutral words. Sample consisted of 15 right-handed undergraduate portuguese students with normal or corrected to normal vision. Portuguese concrete negative and neutral words were selected in accordance to known linguistic capabilities of the right hemisphere. The participants were submitted to a visual half-field word presentation using a continuous recognition memory paradigm. Eye movements were continuously monitored with a Tobii T60 eye-tracker that showed no significant differences in fixations to negative and neutral words. Reaction times in word recognition suggest an overall advantage of negative words in comparison to the neutral words. Further analysis showed faster responses for negative words than for neutral words when were recognised at longer retention intervals for left-hemisphere encoding. Electrophysiological data through event related potentials revealed larger P2 amplitude over centro-posterior electrode sites for words studied in the left hemifield suggesting a priming effect for right-hemisphere encoding. Overall data suggest different hemispheric memory strategies for the semantic encoding of negative and neutral words

Gestural praxis in young adults with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities

[EN] Background: Praxis functioning in the population with intellectual disabilities (ID) has been poorly studied. The goal of this research was to look for a starting point to study the praxic functioning in young adults with mild to moderate ID. Method: Thirty young adults with ID and 30 young adults without ID, between the ages of 18 and 35 years, participated in this study. All participants completed tests that assessed gestural praxis. Results: It was possible to observe similar praxis behaviour in the group with ID in almost all domains studied, albeit showing statistical values lower than those of the group without ID. Discussions: Despite the high number of errors committed, the sample of participants with ID was able to reach the goal of praxic tasks performed; such errors may be associated with a deficit in the development of various brain functions and not only with praxis functioning, mainly related to a lower yield in terms of planning, monitoring and correcting intentional movement

Relação entre funções executivas e transtornos neuropsiquiátricos em pacientes com Alzheimer de diferentes estágios de gravidade

The aim of the study was to investigate Executive Functions (EF) and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (ND in patients with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) according to the degree of severity, compared to Subjects without cognitive impairment (SWCI). Fifty patients with AD and 60 SWCI were studied in a non-experimental-cross-sectional study with non-probabilistic sampling based on a series of inclusion criteria. The frontal evaluation battery and the neuropsychiatric inventory were applied and the results showed that there is a negative relationship of moderate intensity between EF and ND, regardless of the degree of severity of AD. It can be concluded that, in the mild phase, euphoria is related both to sensitivity towards interference and to inhibitory control; in moderate phase irritability is positively related to sensitivity towards interference and; in the moderately severe phase, motor programming is negatively related to agitation.  El objetivo del estudio consistió es investigar las Funciones Ejecutivas (FE) y los Trastornos neuropsiquiátricos en pacientes con Enfermedad de Alzheimer en función del grado de severidad, en comparación con Sujetos sin deterioro cognitivo (SSDC). Se estudiaron 50 pacientes con EA y 60 SSDC en un estudio no experimental- transversal con un muestreo no probabilístico en base a una serie de criterios de inclusión. Se aplicó la batería de evaluación frontal y el inventario neuropsiquiátrico y los resultados mostraron que existe una relación negativa de intensidad moderada entre las FE y los TN, con independencia del grado de severidad de la EA. Se puede concluir que, en fase leve, la euforia se relaciona tanto con la sensibilidad hacia la interferencia como con el control inhibitorio; en fase moderada la irritabilidad se relaciona de manera positiva con la sensibilidad hacia la interferencia y; en la fase moderadamente grave, la programación motora se relaciona de manera negativa con la agitación.O objetivo do estudo foi investigar as funções executivas (FE) e os transtornos neuropsiquiátricos (TN) em pacientes com doença de Alzheimer (DA) de acordo com o estágio de gravidade, em comparação com sujeitos sem comprometimento cognitivo (SSCC). Foram avaliados 50 pacientes com DA e 60 SSCC em um estudo transversal não experimental com amostragem não probabilística baseada em uma série de critérios de inclusão. A bateria de avaliação frontal e o inventário neuropsiquiátrico foram aplicados e os resultados mostraram que existeuma relação negativa de intensidade moderada entre a FE e os TN, independente do estágio de gravidade da DA. Pode-se concluir que, na fase leve, a euforia está relacionada tanto à sensibilidade à interferência quanto ao controle inibitório; na fase moderada, a irritabilidade está positivamente relacionada à sensibilidade à interferência e; na fase moderadamente grave, a programação motora está negativamente relacionada à agitação

Elaboración de videos docentes de Neuroanatomía Comparada como facilitador del aprendizaje en la asignatura de Fundamentos Biológicos de la Conducta en el Grado de Psicología

Memoria ID-0177. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2016-2017

The 5 Objects Test: Normative data from a Spanish community sample

[EN]Objective: The objective of this study was to provide normative data for the 5 Objects Test in a large Spanish community sample, as well as some validity evidence. Methods: The sample was composed of 427 participants (of which 220 females, age 15 to 95 years old; educational level range: 2–17 years). Normative data are provided, as well as correlations with test scores from Benton Visual Retention test, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure and Mini Mental State Examination. Results: No association was found between delayed recall score and level of education, age or gender. Immediate recall score was correlated with age. Both immediate and delayed recall significantly correlated with the criteria, evidencing concurrent validity. Conclusions: It is recommended that the 5 Objects Test be used for assessing persons in primary care, including those from different linguistic backgrounds or with limited language use. Delayed recall scores are especially recommended given the lack of association with demographic variables