Nuevas tecnologías y aprendizaje matemático en niños con síndrome de down: generalización para la autonomía

El presente trabajo analiza el efecto del uso de materiales multimedia en el aprendizaje de contenidos matemáticos y sus posibilidades de generalización a personas con síndrome de Down. Dos grupos de niños fueron instruidos, con distintas metodologías de enseñanza, en los principios de conteo y cantidad. Mientras un grupo trabajó con material multimedia, el otro lo hizo con una metodología tradicional de lápiz y papel. Tras el proceso de enseñanza, ambos grupos fueron evaluados mediante una tarea que simulaba una situación de compra. Los resultados sugieren un claro efecto facilitador de la metodología multimedia en la generalización de los conceptos y habilidades básicos de conteo en niños con síndrome de Down.The present study aims to explore the effect of using multimedia material on the learning and generalization of mathematical contents in Down syndrome children. Two groups of children were trained in the principles of counting and cardinality. One group learned by means of a computer-assisted teaching and the other did it by using a paperand-pencil-based methodology. After the teaching process, both groups were assessed with a task pretending a shopping setting. The results strongly suggest an effect of multimedia teaching to facilitate the generalization of the concepts and skills learned by Down syndrome children

Cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex cancels out the cost of selective retrieval on subsequent analogical reasoning

Analogical reasoning involves mapping the relation between two concepts within a specific field into a new domain to selectively retrieve a possible solution. Neuroimaging studies have shown that both selective retrieval and reasoning by analogy are related to activity in prefrontal regions such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). In the present study, we investigate the role of the right DLPFC in modulating memory accessibility and its impact on analogical reasoning by using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Participants performed a four-term reasoning task after performing repeated selective retrieval of previously presented items, some of which could be used as solutions in the analogical test. During selective retrieval, half of the participants received cathodal tDCS over the right DLPFC and the other half received sham stimulation. The results reveal that whereas the sham group showed the expected cost in performance that is associated with selective retrieval, the cathodal group did not exhibit such an impairment in reasoning. No general effects of tDCS on analogical performance were observed. Altogether, our results support the involvement of the right DLPFC as a core component of a control network that selectively contributes to the retrieval component of analogical reasoning, but with little role in mapping relations between different domains.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science and Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness grants FPU014/07066 to TMV, PSI2015-65502-C2-1-P and PGC2018-093786-B-I00 to TB, and PSI2015-65502-C2-2-P to CJGA

Both High Cognitive Load and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Over the Right Inferior Frontal Cortex Make Truth and Lie Responses More Similar

[EN]Deception scholars have argued that increasing the liar’s cognitive system artificially can produce deception cues. However, if too much load is imposed, the truth tellers’ performance can also be impaired. To address this issue, we designed a veracity task that incorporated a secondary task to increase cognitive load gradually. Also, because deception has been associated with activity in the inferior frontal cortex (IFC), we examined the influence of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the IFC on performance. During stimulation, participants truthfully or deceptively indicated whether each of a number of statements shown on screen was true or not. Higher load decreased recall but not general compliance or response times (RTs). Truthful trials yielded higher compliance rates and faster RTs than deceptive trials except for the highest load level. Anodal right stimulation decreased compliance in truthful trials when participants were not overloaded. Truth telling was more vulnerable to cognitive load and tDCS than lying

Electrophysiological correlates of interference control at retrieval predict performance on a subsequent analogical reasoning task

Previous research has shown that variations in the accessibility of relevant information that stem from retrieval practice may impair analogical reasoning. In the present study, we sought to examine the neural signatures of inhibitory control during selective retrieval and its effects on a subsequent analogical reasoning task by employing electrophysiological measures. At a behavioral level, we found that selective retrieval of a subset of potential solutions led to impaired performance on the analogy test. ERPs analyses during selective retrieval revealed that (1) the repeated presentation of retrieval cues was associated with decreased amplitudes for the FN400 ERP effect, possibly reflecting reduced reactivation of competitor associates and interference across retrieval attempts; (2) this effect correlated positively with the retrieval-related impairment in analogical reasoning performance. During the analogy test, the production of control solutions (non-affected by prior retrieval practice) was characterized by more positive modulations of anterior frontal and parietal ERPs than the production of unstudied solutions, whereas inhibited solutions elicited similar amplitudes to unstudied solutions. This effect was restricted to the retrieval phase of the analogy where the actual solutions had to be retrieved, but it did not affect the mapping phase where the accessibility status of the possible solutions failed to reveal significant amplitude differences. These findings suggest that control during selective retrieval may lead to the downregulation of competing memory representations and advance our understanding of the neural correlates of analogical thinking.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness and the Andalusian Government (Fondos FEDER) grants: FPU014/07066 to TMV, PSI2015-65502-C2-1-P, A.CTS.111.UGR18 and PGC2018-093786-B-I00 to TB, and PSI2015-65502-C2-2-P to CJGA. Thanks to Borja Molina for his technical support and the two reviewers for their helpful feedback and comments on a previous version of this manuscript

The relative role of executive control and personality traits in grit

Although grit is predictive of wellbeing, educational achievement, and success in life, it has been conceptualized as largely distinct from cognitive ability. The present study investigated the link between grit and executive functions since regulation abilities might underlie the expression of grit. A hundred thirty-four people were administered personality questionnaires (grit, impulsiveness, and mindfulness) and four experimental tasks tapping into Miyake’s and Braver’s models of executive functioning (including measures of flexibility, inhibition, working memory, and control mode dimensions). Multivariate analyses showed that two composite scores (trait and executive functioning) were reliably predictive of grit, although it was the trait composite (characterized by low impulsivity and high mindfulness) that explained more variance. Importantly, gritty participants did not demonstrate enhanced executive functioning. Instead, they exhibited a different pattern of performance that might be reflecting a cautious profile of control, characterized by paying attention to all available information, less reliance on previous contextual cues but sensitive to conflicting information of the current context. These findings converge with Duckworth’s idea that high grit people do not necessarily have a greater cognitive capacity. Rather, they use it in a different way.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the Andalusian Government (Fondos FEDER) grants: doctoral research Grant ES-2016-078667 to NA; PSI2015-65502-C2-1-P, A.CTS.111.UGR18 and PGC2018-093786-B-I00 to TB; and PSI2015- 65502-C2-2-P to CG-A. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Selective voluntary forgetting in young and older adults

Aging is thought to involve a decline in executive-control capacities, although evidence regarding this claim is not always clear. Thus, although studies exist that suggest impoverished inhibitory memory control in older adults relative to younger adults, experiments with the list-method direct forgetting procedure have mostly failed to show adult-age differences in voluntary forgetting. In the present study we aimed to further study this issue by comparing young-old and young adults’ performance with the selective directed forgetting (SDF) procedure, which we assumed to involve higher demands of executive control than the standard nonselective procedure. Thus, on the basis of previous studies showing that a critical factor in finding adult-age differences in executive-control tasks is the overall challenge posed by the tasks, we predicted less SDF in older adults than in younger adults. Supporting our hypothesis, across three experiments we show evidence of older adults’ impoverished capacity to voluntarily forget episodic memories, although only when the task requires selective forgetting. Ours join other findings to suggest that sensitiveness to detect adult-age differences in cognitive control may strongly depend on the executive-control demands imposed by tasks

Electrophysiological correlates of dispositional mindfulness: A quantitative and complexity EEG study

While growing evidence supports that dispositional mindfulness relates to psychological health and cognitive enhancement, to date there have been only a few attempts to characterize its neural underpinnings. In the present study, we aimed at exploring the electrophysiological (EEG) signature of dispositional mindfulness using quantitative and complexity measures of EEG during resting state and while performing a learning task. Hundred twenty participants were assessed with the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and underwent 5 min eyes-closed resting state and 5 min at task EEG recording. We hypothesized that high mindfulness individuals would show patterns of brain activity related to (a) lower involvement of the default mode network (DMN) at rest (reduced frontal gamma power) and (b) a state of ‘task readiness’ reflected in a more similar pattern from rest to task (reduced overall q-EEG power at rest but not at task), as compared to their low mindfulness counterparts. Dispositional mindfulness was significantly linked to reduced frontal gamma power at rest and lower overall power during rest but not at task. In addition, we found a trend towards higher entropy during task performance in mindful individuals, which has recently been reported during mindfulness meditation. Altogether, our results add to those from expert meditators to show that high (dispositional) mindfulness seems to have a specific electrophysiological pattern characteristic of less involvement of the DMN and mind-wandering processes.The current research was financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the Andalusian Government (Fondos FEDER) grants: doctoral research grant ES-2016-078667 to NA, PSI2015-65502-C2-2-P to CG-A and A-CTS-111-UGR18, PGC2018-093786-B-I00, and PID2021-127728NB-100 to TB. Funding for open acces charge: Universdad de Granada / CBUA

Understanding the effects of cortical gyrification in tACS: insights from experiments and computational models

The alpha rhythm is often associated with relaxed wakefulness or idling and is altered by various factors. Abnormalities in the alpha rhythm have been linked to several neurological and psychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has been proposed as a potential tool to restore a disrupted alpha rhythm in the brain by stimulating at the individual alpha frequency (IAF), although some research has produced contradictory results. In this study, we applied an IAF-tACS protocol over parieto-occipital areas to a sample of healthy subjects and measured its effects over the power spectra. Additionally, we used computational models to get a deeper understanding of the results observed in the experiment. Both experimental and numerical results showed an increase in alpha power of 8.02% with respect to the sham condition in a widespread set of regions in the cortex, excluding some expected parietal regions. This result could be partially explained by taking into account the orientation of the electric field with respect to the columnar structures of the cortex, showing that the gyrification in parietal regions could generate effects in opposite directions (hyper-/depolarization) at the same time in specific brain regions. Additionally, we used a network model of spiking neuronal populations to explore the effects that these opposite polarities could have on neural activity, and we found that the best predictor of alpha power was the average of the normal components of the electric field. To sum up, our study sheds light on the mechanisms underlying tACS brain activity modulation, using both empirical and computational approaches. Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques hold promise for treating brain disorders, but further research is needed to fully understand and control their effects on brain dynamics and cognition. Our findings contribute to this growing body of research and provide a foundation for future studies aimed at optimizing the use of non-invasive brain stimulation in clinical settings

Brucella abortus Uses a Stealthy Strategy to Avoid Activation of the Innate Immune System during the Onset of Infection

To unravel the strategy by which Brucella abortus establishes chronic infections, we explored its early interaction with innate immunity. Methodology/Principal Findings Brucella did not induce proinflammatory responses as demonstrated by the absence of leukocyte recruitment, humoral or cellular blood changes in mice. Brucella hampered neutrophil (PMN) function and PMN depletion did not influence the course of infection. Brucella barely induced proinflammatory cytokines and consumed complement, and was strongly resistant to bactericidal peptides, PMN extracts and serum. Brucella LPS (BrLPS), NH-polysaccharides, cyclic glucans, outer membrane fragments or disrupted bacterial cells displayed low biological activity in mice and cells. The lack of proinflammatory responses was not due to conspicuous inhibitory mechanisms mediated by the invading Brucella or its products. When activated 24 h post-infection macrophages did not kill Brucella, indicating that the replication niche was not fusiogenic with lysosomes. Brucella intracellular replication did not interrupt the cell cycle or caused cytotoxicity in WT, TLR4 and TLR2 knockout cells. TNF-α-induction was TLR4- and TLR2-dependent for live but not for killed B. abortus. However, intracellular replication in TLR4, TLR2 and TLR4/2 knockout cells was not altered and the infection course and anti-Brucella immunity development upon BrLPS injection was unaffected in TLR4 mutant mice. Conclusion/Significance We propose that Brucella has developed a stealth strategy through PAMPs reduction, modification and hiding, ensuring by this manner low stimulatory activity and toxicity for cells. This strategy allows Brucella to reach its replication niche before activation of antimicrobial mechanisms by adaptive immunity. This model is consistent with clinical profiles observed in humans and natural hosts at the onset of infection and could be valid for those intracellular pathogens phylogenetically related to Brucella that also cause long lasting infections

Gamificación en Iberoamérica. Experiencias desde la comunicación y la educación

La presente obra capitular es el resultado de las investigaciones sobre las aplicaciones de la gamificación en contextos múltiples, emergentes provenientes de las comunicaciones presentadas en el Simposio 06 del III Congreso Internacional Comunicación y Pensamiento (Sevilla, España), así como de aquellas presentadas por los miembros del Gamelab UPS, del Proyecto I+D+i Coordinado “Competencias mediáticas de la ciudadanía en medios digitales emergentes (smartphones y tablets): Prácticas innovadoras y estrategias educomunicativas en contextos múltiples” (EDU2015-64015-C3-1-R) (MINECO/FEDER), de la “Red de Educación Mediática” del Programa Estatal de Investigación Científica-Técnica de Excelencia, Subprograma Estatal de Generación de Conocimiento (EDU2016-81772-REDT), financiados por el Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) y Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad de España. En este sentido se busca construir, desde una mirada dual desde Europa y América Latina el primer libro iberoamericano de gamificación, avalado por el Gamelab de la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana (Ecuador), el Proyecto I+D+i EDU2015-64015-C3-1-R, la Red Interuniversitaria Euroamericana de Investigación sobre Competencias Mediáticas para la Ciudadanía (Alfamed), el Laboratorio de Estudios en Comunicación (Ladecom) y el Grupo de Investigación Ágora (PAI-HUM-648) de la Universidad de Huelva (España) y el Grupo de Investigación Estructura, Historia y Contenidos de la Comunicación GREHCCO