Antismoking campaigns’ perception and gender differences: a comparison among EEG Indices

Human factors’ aim is to understand and evaluate the interactions between people and tasks, technologies, and environment. Among human factors, it is possible then to include the subjective reaction to external stimuli, due to individual’s characteristics and states of mind. These processes are also involved in the perception of antismoking public service announcements (PSAs), the main tool for governments to contrast the first cause of preventable deaths in the world: tobacco addiction. In the light of that, in the present article, it has been investigated through the comparison of different electroencephalographic (EEG) indices a typical item known to be able of influencing PSA perception, that is gender. In order to investigate the neurophysiological underpinnings of such different perception, we tested two PSAs: one with a female character and one with a male character. Furthermore, the experimental sample was divided into men and women, as well as smokers and nonsmokers. The employed EEG indices were the mental engagement (ME: the ratio between beta activity and the sum of alpha and theta activity); the approach/withdrawal (AW: the frontal alpha asymmetry in the alpha band); and the frontal theta activity and the spectral asymmetry index (SASI: the ratio between beta minus theta and beta plus theta). Results suggested that the ME and the AW presented an opposite trend, with smokers showing higher ME and lower AW than nonsmokers. The ME and the frontal theta also evidenced a statistically significant interaction between the kind of the PSA and the gender of the observers; specifically, women showed higher ME and frontal theta activity for the male character PSA. This study then supports the usefulness of the ME and frontal theta for purposes of PSAs targeting on the basis of gender issues and of the ME and the AW and for purposes of PSAs targeting on the basis of smoking habits

Neuropsychological functions and audiological findings in elderly cochlear implant users: the role of attention in postoperative performance

Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate in a group of elderly CI users working memory and attention, conventionally considered as predictors of better CI performance and to try to disentangle the effects of these cognitive domains on speech perception, finding potential markers of cognitive decline related to audiometric findings. Methods Thirty postlingually deafened CI users aged >60 underwent an audiological evaluation followed by a cognitive assessment of attention and verbal working memory. A correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the associations between cognitive variables while a simple regression investigated the relationships between cognitive and audiological variables. Comparative analysis was performed to compare variables on the basis of subjects’ attention performance. Results: Attention was found to play a significant role in sound field and speech perception. Univariate analysis found a significant difference between poor and high attention performers, while regression analysis showed that attention significantly predicted recognition of words presented at Signal/Noise +10. Further, the high attention performers showed significantly higher scores than low attentional performers for all working memory tasks. Conclusion: Overall findings confirmed that a better cognitive performance may positively contribute to better speech perception outcomes, especially in complex listening situations. WM may play a crucial role in storage and processing of auditory-verbal stimuli and a robust attention may lead to better performance for speech perception in noise. Implementation of cognitive training in auditory rehabilitation of CI users should be investigated in order to improve cognitive and audiological performance in elderly CI users

Poetry in Pandemic: A Multimodal Neuroaesthetic Study on the Emotional Reaction to the Divina Commedia Poem

Poetry elicits emotions, and emotion is a fundamental component of human ontogeny. Although neuroaesthetics is a rapidly developing field of research, few studies focus on poetry, and none address its different modalities of fruition (MOF) of universal cultural heritage works, such as the Divina Commedia (DC) poem. Moreover, alexithymia (AX) resulted in being a psychological risk factor during the Covid-19 pandemic. The present study aims to investigate the emotional response to poetry excerpts from different cantica (Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso) of DC with the dual objective of assessing the impact of both the structure of the poem and MOF and that of the characteristics of the acting voice in experts and non-experts, also considering AX. Online emotion facial coding biosignal (BS) techniques, self-reported and psychometric measures were applied to 131 literary (LS) and scientific (SS) university students. BS results show that LS globally manifest more JOY than SS in both reading and listening MOF and more FEAR towards Inferno. Furthermore, LS and SS present different results regarding NEUTRAL emotion about acting voice. AX influences listening in NEUTRAL and SURPRISE expressions. DC’s structure affects DISGUST and SADNESS during listening, regardless of participant characteristics. PLEASANTNESS varies according to DC’s structure and the acting voice, as well as AROUSAL, which is also correlated with AX. Results are discussed in light of recent findings in affective neuroscience and neuroaesthetics, suggesting the critical role of poetry and listening in supporting human emotional processing

Memory, emotion, cognition and waves: neuroscientific navigation through hearing and deafness

Alla luce delle significative differenze nelle capacità cognitive ed emotive riscontrate nelle persone ipoacusiche con impianto cocleare (IC), il presente lavoro studia i correlati neurofisiologici e cognitivi in persone ipoacusiche e normoudenti. L'obiettivo principale è stato quello di capire se i marcatori neurofisiologici dei deficit nella memoria di lavoro (WM) e nei compiti emotivi potessero essere ottenuti attraverso l'elettroencefalogramma (EEG). Un ulteriore obiettivo è stato quello di indagare il benessere psicologico degli studenti (sia normoudenti che ipoacusici) durante l'isolamento dovuto alla pandemia della covid-19. Il lavoro è quindi strutturato in tre parti. La prima parte (background) illustra brevemente gli aspetti anatomici e clinici e le variabili indagate (WM, attenzione, emozioni) nei dieci lavori pubblicati oggetto della tesi. La seconda parte approfondisce l' EEG, la principale metodologia di indagine scelta per l'attività di ricerca. Nella terza parte, le dieci domande scientifiche vengono poste e risolte nei nove articoli pubblicati su riviste internazionali e in un capitolo di un libro pubblicato in Italia. I risultati del lavoro mostrano in sintesi come la metodologia EEG, combinata con la valutazione cognitiva e comportamentale, possa essere uno strumento chiave tra diagnostica e ricerca, offrendo dati quantitativi significativi per ulteriori sviluppi multidisciplinari. Inoltre, gli studi condotti durante la pandemia hanno mostrato una resilienza inaspettata nei bambini con IC, mentre negli studenti universitari il beneficio apportato dall'ascolto di un prodotto artistico, come la poesia, è stato inaspettato.In light of the significant differences in cognitive and emotional abilities found in hearing impaired people with cochlear implants (CIs), the present work investigates neurophysiological and cognitive correlates in hearing impaired and normal hearing people. The main objective was to understand whether neurophysiological markers of deficits in working memory (WM) and emotional tasks could be obtained through electroencephalography (EEG). An additional objective was to investigate the psychological well-being of students (both normal and hearing impaired) during isolation due to the covid 19 pandemic. The work is therefore structured in three parts. The first part (background) briefly explains the anatomical and clinical aspects and the variables investigated (WM, attention, emotions) in the ten published papers covered by the Thesis. The second part delves into EEG, the main investigation methodology chosen for the research activity. Then, in the third part, the ten scientific questions are asked and answered in the nine papers published in international journals and in a chapter in a book published in Italy. The results of the work show in summary how EEG methodology, combined with cognitive and behavioral assessment, can be a key tool between diagnostics and research, offering significant quantitative data for further multidisciplinary developments. On the other hand, studies conducted during the pandemic showed unexpected resilience in children with CI, while in university students, the benefit brought by listening to an artistic art product such as poetry

Effects of the “Active Communication Education” program on hearing-related quality of life in a group of Italian cochlear implant elderly users

The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of the Active Communication Education (ACE) program on the social/emotional impacts of hearing loss (HL) in a group of older adults with cochlear implant (CI). Design: prospective cohort study design with a “within-subject” control procedure. Study sample: Twenty over-65 adults post-lingually deafened CI users. All subjects were required to be native Italian speakers, to have normal cognitive levels, no significant psychiatric conditions and/or diagnosed incident dementia and at least nine months of CI experienc. Materials and Methods: 20 participants were assessed using the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE), the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) before, during and afterwards with a one and six month follow up. The evaluation of cognitive and audiological characteristics was carried out prior to commencing the ACE program. Results: The ACE program had a positive impact by reducing the social/emotional impacts of HL. Participants seemed to benefit from a rehabilitative approach aimed at improving multilevel skills - such as, comprehension of audiological and hearing dimensions, acquisition of communicative, pragmatic and problem-solving strategiesand interaction and sharing of experiences with peers. Conclusion: The ACE program, although targeting older adults with moderate HL, also seemed to be of benefit for older adults with severe/profound HL CI users. An improvement in social and emotional adaptation to hearing difficulties can in turn significantly promote optimal use of CI in older adults, thereby possibly reducing the risk of losing motivation and engagement in their use and with rehabilitation protocols. Contribution to the field The present study represents the first attempt to evaluate the benefits of a group rehabilitation program with a holistic approach to deafness adapted to a group of elderly cochlear implantees. Considering the challenge that CI users face in daily communication, this study and the existing literature underline the need for rehabilitation programs that approach both audiological and extra-audiological variables. This program supported the participants in the retrieval and acquisition of multilevel skills such as understanding the audiological and auditory dimensions, the acquisition of communication, pragmatic, and problemsolving strategies. The results of the present study show how a communicative / rehabilitation program, which uses a problem solving and interactive methodology, can also be used with severe / profoundly deaf elderly IC users who still have the resources to cope with difficulties and get back into positive social relations. Effectively, the program has improved their level of socioemotional adaptation giving rise to positive feelings of self-acceptance, responsibility, and assertiveness, ultimately improving socio-emotional reactions to hearing difficulties

Gamma-band modulation in parietal area as the electroencephalographic signature for Performance in auditory–verbal working memory: an exploratory pilot study in hearing and unilateral cochlear implant children

This pilot study investigates the neurophysiological patterns of visual and auditory verbal working memory (VWM) in unilateral cochlear implant users (UCIs). We compared the task-related electroencephalogram (EEG) power spectral density of 7- to 13-year-old UCIs (n = 7) with a hearing control group (HC, n = 10) during the execution of a three-level n-back task with auditory and visual verbal (letters) stimuli. Performances improved as memory load decreased regardless of sensory modality (SM) and group factors. Theta EEG activation over the frontal area was proportionally influenced by task level; the left hemisphere (LH) showed greater activation in the gamma band, suggesting lateralization of VWM function regardless of SM. However, HCs showed stronger activation patterns in the LH than UCIs regardless of SM and in the parietal area (PA) during the most challenging audio condition. Linear regressions for gamma activation in the PA suggest the presence of a pattern-supporting auditory VWM only in HCs. Our findings seem to recognize gamma activation in the PA as the signature of effective auditory VWM. These results, although preliminary, highlight this EEG pattern as a possible cause of the variability found in VWM outcomes in deaf children, opening up new possibilities for interdisciplinary research and rehabilitation intervention

Neurophysiological verbal working memory patterns in children: searching for a benchmark of modality differences in audio/video stimuli processing

Exploration of specific brain areas involved in verbal working memory (VWM) is a powerful but not widely used tool for the study of different sensory modalities, especially in children. In this study, for the first time, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate neurophysiological similarities and differences in response to the same verbal stimuli, expressed in the auditory and visual modality during the n-back task with varying memory load in children. Since VWM plays an important role in learning ability, we wanted to investigate whether children elaborated the verbal input from auditory and visual stimuli through the same neural patterns and if performance varies depending on the sensory modality. Performance in terms of reaction times was better in visual than auditory modality ( = 0.008) and worse as memory load increased regardless of the modality ( < 0.001). EEG activation was proportionally influenced by task level and was evidenced in theta band over the prefrontal cortex ( = 0.021), along the midline ( = 0.003), and on the left hemisphere ( = 0.003). Differences in the effects of the two modalities were seen only in gamma band in the parietal cortices ( = 0.009). The values of a brainwave-based engagement index, innovatively used here to test children in a dual-modality VWM paradigm, varied depending on n-back task level ( = 0.001) and negatively correlated ( = 0.002) with performance, suggesting its computational effectiveness in detecting changes in mental state during memory tasks involving children. Overall, our findings suggest that auditory and visual VWM involved the same brain cortical areas (frontal, parietal, occipital, and midline) and that the significant differences in cortical activation in theta band were more related to memory load than sensory modality, suggesting that VWM function in the child’s brain involves a cross-modal processing pattern

The influence of auditory selective attention on linguistic outcomes in deaf and hard of hearing children with cochlear implants

Purpose Auditory Selective Attention (ASA) is crucial to focus on significant auditory stimuli without being distracted by irrelevant auditory signals and has an important role on language development. The present study aimed to investigate the unique contribution of ASA on the linguistic levels reached by a group of cochlear implanted (CI) children. Methods Thirty-four CI children with a median age of 10.05 years were tested using both the “Batteria per la Valutazione dell’Attenzione Uditiva e della Memoria di Lavoro Fonologica nell’età evolutiva-VAUM-ELF”, to assess their ASA skills, and two Italian standardized tests, to measure lexical and morphosyntactic skills. A regression analysis, including also demographic and audiological variables, was conducted to assess the unique contribution of ASA on language skills. Results The percentages of CI children with adequate ASA performances ranged from 50% to 29.4%. Bilateral CI children performed better than their monolateral peers did. ASA skills revealed to give an independent contribute to linguistic skills, accounting alone for the 25% of the observed variance. Conclusions The present findings are clinically relevant as they highlight the importance to assess ASA skills as early as possible, due to their important role in language development. Using simple clinical instruments, ASA skills could be studied at early developmental stages. This may provide us additional information to traditional auditory testing and may allow us to implement specific training programs that could positively contribute to the development of neural mechanisms of ASA and, consequently, induce improvements in language skills

Vocal singing skills by cochlear implanted children without formal musical training: familiar versus unfamiliar songs

Objectives: Vocal singing skills in pediatric CI users are not much known due to the limited number of studies. The principal aim of the present study was to evaluate vocal singing skills in Italian pediatric CI users. A further aim was to investigate factors that may significantly influence their performance. Methods: The participants were twenty-two implanted children and twenty-two hearing peers. Their vocal singing skills for familiar (“Happy Birthday to You”) and unfamiliar songs (“Baton Twirler” from Pam Pam 2- Tribute to Gordon) were evaluated in relation to their music perception (the Gordon test). Acoustic analysis was performed using Praat and MATLAB software. Nonparametric statistical tests and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to analyze the data. Results: Hearing children outperformed implanted peers in both music perception and vocal singing tasks (all measures regarding intonation, vocal range, melody, and memory for the familiar song versus measures regarding intonation and overall melody production for the unfamiliar song). Music perception and vocal singing performances revealed strong correlations. For the familiar and unfamiliar songs, age-appropriate vocal singing was observed in 27.3% versus 45.4% of children, all implanted within 24 months of age. Age at implantation and duration of CI experience were moderately correlated with the total score obtained from the Gordon test. Conclusion: Implanted children show limited vocal singing skills in comparison to their hearing peers. However, some children implanted within 24 months of age seem to achieve vocal singing skills as good as their hearing peers. Future research could be useful to better understand the role of brain plasticity to implement specific training programs for both music perception and vocal singing

Virtual and Reality: A Neurophysiological Pilot Study of the Sarcophagus of the Spouses

Art experience is not solely the observation of artistic objects, but great relevance is also placed on the environment in which the art experience takes place, often in museums and galleries. Interestingly, in the last few years, the introduction of some forms of virtual reality (VR) in museum contexts has been increasing. This has solicited enormous research interest in investigating any eventual differences between looking at the same artifact either in a real context (e.g. a museum) and in VR. To address such a target, a neuroaesthetic study was performed in which electroencephalography (EEG) and autonomic signals (heart rate and skin conductance) were recorded during the observation of the Etruscan artifact “Sarcophagus of the Spouses”, both in the museum and in a VR reproduction. Results from EEG analysis showed a higher level of the Workload Index during observation in the museum compared to VR (p = 0.04), while the Approach–Withdrawal Index highlighted increased levels during the observation in VR compared to the observation in the museum (p = 0.03). Concerning autonomic indices, the museum elicited a higher Emotional Index response than the VR (p = 0.03). Overall, preliminary results suggest a higher engagement potential of the museum compared to VR, although VR could also favour higher embodiment than the museum