scholarly journals Assessment of The Reliability of Cognitive (Attention and Memory) Tests

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (86) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaida Berneckė ◽  
Nerijus Eimantas ◽  
Henrikas Paulauskas ◽  
Beata Skaisgirytė ◽  
Justas Kudrevičius ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Attention And Memory ◽  
Memory And Attention ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Special Knowledge ◽  
Cognitive Attention ◽  
Very High

Research background and hypothesis. Special neuropsychological tests, which are used to assess cognitive functions in clinical practice, are often complicated, time-consuming, demanding special knowledge and expensive; therefore, cognitive functions frequently remain insufficiently assessed. For this reason, our selected and validated tests intended for the assessment of short-term memory and attention could be successfully applied in sports and clinical rehabilitation. Research aim. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of the tests of cognitive functions (memory and attention). Research methods. The reliability of the tests was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and variation coefficient (VC). Young and healthy students (n = 41), aged from 18 to 30 (24.6  ± 2.3), participated in the research. The participants accomplished the tests 4 times, i. e. 2 times (with a one-hour break) on the first day (teaching) and 2 times (with a one-hour break) on the second day (reliability testing). Research results. The results of testing the volume of spatial memory and even number recognition ranged from high to very high reliability of the tests. The results of ICC single of testing memory for figure recognition demonstrated  low  reliability,  whereas  ICC  average  proved  average  reliability.  The  results  of  complex  reaction assessment, search for image samples and attention transfer ranged from high to a very high reliability of the tests. Discussion and conclusions. The reliability of the tests of memory and attention assessment is high (with the exception of figure recognition tests, the reliability of which is average/low); therefore, the tests are suitable to be used in sport and  clinical rehabilitation practice, aiming at determining the changes in cognitive functions under the influence of external factors, e. g. cold, heat, etc.Keywords: brain functions, validity, stability, testing.

scholarly journals Cognitive functions and underlying parameters of human brain physiology are associated with chronotype

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ali Salehinejad ◽  
Miles Wischnewski ◽  
Elham Ghanavati ◽  
Mohsen Mosayebi-Samani ◽  
Min-Fang Kuo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Cortical Excitability ◽  
Long Term Potentiation ◽  
Cortical Inhibition ◽  
Memory And Attention ◽  
Brain Physiology ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Term Potentiation

AbstractCircadian rhythms have natural relative variations among humans known as chronotype. Chronotype or being a morning or evening person, has a specific physiological, behavioural, and also genetic manifestation. Whether and how chronotype modulates human brain physiology and cognition is, however, not well understood. Here we examine how cortical excitability, neuroplasticity, and cognition are associated with chronotype in early and late chronotype individuals. We monitor motor cortical excitability, brain stimulation-induced neuroplasticity, and examine motor learning and cognitive functions at circadian-preferred and non-preferred times of day in 32 individuals. Motor learning and cognitive performance (working memory, and attention) along with their electrophysiological components are significantly enhanced at the circadian-preferred, compared to the non-preferred time. This outperformance is associated with enhanced cortical excitability (prominent cortical facilitation, diminished cortical inhibition), and long-term potentiation/depression-like plasticity. Our data show convergent findings of how chronotype can modulate human brain functions from basic physiological mechanisms to behaviour and higher-order cognition.

scholarly journals Test UHCJ20m—Measurement Procedure Standardization and Metric Characteristics Determination

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (14) ◽  
pp. 3971
Author(s):  
Aleš Dolenec ◽  
Ivan Milinović ◽  
Vesna Babić ◽  
Dražan Dizdar
Keyword(s):  
Research Study ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Measurement Procedure ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Maximum Speed ◽  
Sports Events ◽  
Jump Test ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Very High

The purpose of the research study was to standardize the measurement procedure and determine the reliability, homogeneity, and sensitivity of a 20 m unilateral horizontal cyclic jump test (UHCJ20m) whose intentional (assumed) measurement aim is the lower extremities’ explosive strength. The subject sample consisted of 31 students from Zagreb University (20.68 ± 1.96 years of age, height 185.16 ± 7.19 cm, body mass 79.48 ± 9.23 kg) actively involved in various sports events. The UHCJ20m test was performed three times using a dominant (take-off) leg with an active rest of 15 min between the repetitions. The results showed that the UHCJ20m test had satisfactory sensitivity and a very high reliability: Cronbach α = 0.95, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.94 and homogeneity average intertrial correlation (AVR) = 0.88. Future research studies should be aimed at determining the metric characteristics of the UHCJ20m test with a population of athletes in sports characterized by start acceleration and maximum speed running.

scholarly journals A Neural Decomposition of Visual Search Using Voxel-based Morphometry

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 1854-1869 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glyn W. Humphreys ◽  
Magdalena Chechlacz
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Structural Damage ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Brain Lesions ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Attention And Memory ◽  
Consecutive Series ◽  
Voxel Based Morphometry ◽  
Neuropsychological Measures

The ability to search efficiently for visual targets among distractors can break down after a variety of brain lesions, but the specific processes affected by the lesions are unclear. We examined search over space (conjunction search) and over time plus space (preview search) in a consecutive series of patients with acquired brain lesions. We also assessed performance on standard neuropsychological measures of visuospatial short-term memory (Corsi Block), sustained attention and memory updating (the contrast between forward and backward digit span), and visual neglect. Voxel-based morphometry analyses revealed regions in the occipital (middle occipital gyrus), posterior parietal (angular gyrus), and temporal cortices (superior and middle temporal gyri extending to the insula), along with underlying white matter pathways, associated with poor search. Going beyond standard voxel-based morphometry analyses, we then report correlation measures of structural damage in these regions and the independent neuropsychological measures of other cognitive functions. We find distinct patterns of correlation in areas linked to poor search, suggesting that the areas play functionally different roles in search. We conclude that neuropsychological disorders of search can be linked to necessary and distinct cognitive functions, according to the site of lesion.

scholarly journals REMOTE CONSEQUENCES OF PESTICIDE POLLUTION ON THE LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT OF COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS

REPORTS ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (333) ◽  
pp. 118-124
Author(s):  
U.N. Kapysheva ◽  
◽  
Sh.K. Bakhtiyarova ◽  
A.K. Baimbetova ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Memory And Attention ◽  
Pesticide Pollution ◽  
High Level

The purpose of this study is to identify the characteristics of the state of short-term memory, sustainability and concentration of attention among rural residents living in places of long-term pesticidal pollution. The study of cognitive functions in residents was performed using the special Neurosoft computer base program. A significant decrease (by 20%) in the number of people with a high level of development of short-term memory by numbers and images was revealed. An increase of 18% in the number of people with poorly developed cognitive abilities is shown both when remembering information on numbers and images, as well as when concentration and stability of attention is on the desired object. At the same time, the memory capacity of residents with a high level of development of the function of memorizing information, both for numbers and images, was at the same level as the benchmarks and ranged from 61% to 67% of the amount of information proposed for memorization. The study showed that living in a zone of long-term pesticidal pollution worsens cognitive functions - memory and attention, upsets the balance of the main nervous processes - excitation and inhibition, and increases the risk of developing nervous disorders.

Comparison of Auditory, Language, Memory, and Attention Abilities in Children With and Without Listening Difficulties

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 710-727
Author(s):  
Beula M. Magimairaj ◽  
Naveen K. Nagaraj ◽  
Alexander V. Sergeev ◽  
Natalie J. Benafield
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Memory And Attention ◽  
Speed And Accuracy

Objectives School-age children with and without parent-reported listening difficulties (LiD) were compared on auditory processing, language, memory, and attention abilities. The objective was to extend what is known so far in the literature about children with LiD by using multiple measures and selective novel measures across the above areas. Design Twenty-six children who were reported by their parents as having LiD and 26 age-matched typically developing children completed clinical tests of auditory processing and multiple measures of language, attention, and memory. All children had normal-range pure-tone hearing thresholds bilaterally. Group differences were examined. Results In addition to significantly poorer speech-perception-in-noise scores, children with LiD had reduced speed and accuracy of word retrieval from long-term memory, poorer short-term memory, sentence recall, and inferencing ability. Statistically significant group differences were of moderate effect size; however, standard test scores of children with LiD were not clinically poor. No statistically significant group differences were observed in attention, working memory capacity, vocabulary, and nonverbal IQ. Conclusions Mild signal-to-noise ratio loss, as reflected by the group mean of children with LiD, supported the children's functional listening problems. In addition, children's relative weakness in select areas of language performance, short-term memory, and long-term memory lexical retrieval speed and accuracy added to previous research on evidence-based areas that need to be evaluated in children with LiD who almost always have heterogenous profiles. Importantly, the functional difficulties faced by children with LiD in relation to their test results indicated, to some extent, that commonly used assessments may not be adequately capturing the children's listening challenges. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12808607

scholarly journals Is there a relationship between the overhead press and split jerk maximum performance? Influence of sex

2021 ◽  
pp. 174795412110204
Author(s):  
Marcos A Soriano ◽  
G Gregory Haff ◽  
Paul Comfort ◽  
Francisco J Amaro-Gahete ◽  
Antonio Torres-González ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Intervals ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Upper Limb ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Training Experience ◽  
Maximum Performance ◽  
Repetition Maximum ◽  
Intraclass Correlation Coefficients

The aims of this study were to (I) determine the differences and relationship between the overhead press and split jerk performance in athletes involved in weightlifting training, and (II) explore the magnitude of these differences in one-repetition maximum (1RM) performances between sexes. Sixty-one men (age: 30.4 ± 6.7 years; height: 1.8 ± 0.5 m; body mass 82.5 ± 8.5 kg; weightlifting training experience: 3.7 ± 3.5 yrs) and 21 women (age: 29.5 ± 5.2 yrs; height: 1.7 ± 0.5 m; body mass: 62.6 ± 5.7 kg; weightlifting training experience: 3.0 ± 1.5 yrs) participated. The 1RM performance of the overhead press and split jerk were assessed for all participants, with the overhead press assessed on two occasions to determine between-session reliability. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and 95% confidence intervals showed a high reliability for the overhead press ICC = 0.98 (0.97 – 0.99). A very strong correlation and significant differences were found between the overhead press and split jerk 1RM performances for all participants (r = 0.90 [0.93 – 0.85], 60.2 ± 18.3 kg, 95.7 ± 29.3 kg, p ≤ 0.001). Men demonstrated stronger correlations between the overhead press and split jerk 1RM performances (r = 0.83 [0.73-0.90], p ≤ 0.001) compared with women (r = 0.56 [0.17-0.80], p = 0.008). These results provide evidence that 1RM performance of the overhead press and split jerk performance are highly related, highlighting the importance of upper-limb strength in the split jerk maximum performance.

scholarly journals Which Neuropsychological Tests? Predicting Cognitive Decline and Dementia in Parkinson’s Disease in the ICICLE-PD Cohort

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Rachael A. Lawson ◽  
Caroline H. Williams-Gray ◽  
Marta Camacho ◽  
Gordon W. Duncan ◽  
Tien K. Khoo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Neuropsychological Tests ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Attention And Memory ◽  
Memory And Attention ◽  
Global Cognition

Background: Cognitive impairment is common in Parkinson’s disease (PD), with 80% cumulatively developing dementia (PDD). Objective: We sought to identify tests that are sensitive to change over time above normal ageing so as to refine the neuropsychological tests predictive of PDD. Methods: Participants with newly diagnosed PD (n = 211) and age-matched controls (n = 99) completed a range of clinical and neuropsychological tests as part of the ICICLE-PD study at 18-month intervals over 72 months. Impairments on tests were determined using control means (<1-2SD) and median scores. Mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) was classified using 1-2SD below normative values. Linear mixed effects modelling assessed cognitive decline, while Cox regression identified baseline predictors of PDD. Results: At 72 months, 46 (cumulative probability 33.9%) participants had developed PDD; these participants declined at a faster rate in tests of global cognition, verbal fluency, memory and attention (p <  0.05) compared to those who remained dementia-free. Impaired baseline global cognition, visual memory and attention using median cut-offs were the best predictors of early PDD (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.88, p <  0.001) compared to control-generated cut-offs (AUC = 0.76–0.84, p <  0.001) and PD-MCI (AUC] = 0.64–0.81, p <  0.001). Impaired global cognition and semantic fluency were the most useful brief tests employable in a clinical setting (AUC = 0.79, p <  0.001). Conclusion: Verbal fluency, attention and memory were sensitive to change in early PDD and may be suitable tests to measure therapeutic response in future interventions. Impaired global cognition, attention and visual memory were the most accurate predictors for developing a PDD. Future studies could consider adopting these tests for patient clinical trial stratification.

scholarly journals Resting-State Functional Connectivity and Cognitive Impairment in Children with Perinatal Stroke

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigul Ilves ◽  
Pilvi Ilves ◽  
Rael Laugesaar ◽  
Julius Juurmaa ◽  
Mairi Männamaa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Outcome Measurement ◽  
Pediatric Stroke ◽  
Resting State Networks ◽  
Neurocognitive Deficits ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Perinatal Stroke ◽  
Brain Functions

Perinatal stroke is a leading cause of congenital hemiparesis and neurocognitive deficits in children. Dysfunctions in the large-scale resting-state functional networks may underlie cognitive and behavioral disability in these children. We studied resting-state functional connectivity in patients with perinatal stroke collected from the Estonian Pediatric Stroke Database. Neurodevelopment of children was assessed by the Pediatric Stroke Outcome Measurement and the Kaufman Assessment Battery. The study included 36 children (age range 7.6–17.9 years): 10 with periventricular venous infarction (PVI), 7 with arterial ischemic stroke (AIS), and 19 controls. There were no differences in severity of hemiparesis between the PVI and AIS groups. A significant increase in default mode network connectivity (FDR 0.1) and lower cognitive functions (p<0.05) were found in children with AIS compared to the controls and the PVI group. The children with PVI had no significant differences in the resting-state networks compared to the controls and their cognitive functions were normal. Our findings demonstrate impairment in cognitive functions and neural network profile in hemiparetic children with AIS compared to children with PVI and controls. Changes in the resting-state networks found in children with AIS could possibly serve as the underlying derangements of cognitive brain functions in these children.

Validation of a Knowledge Transfer Tool for the Knee Inflammation MRI Scoring System for Bone Marrow Lesions According to the OMERACT Filter: Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (11) ◽  
pp. 1718-1722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob L. Jaremko ◽  
Omar Azmat ◽  
Robert G. Lambert ◽  
Paul Bird ◽  
Ida K. Haugen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bone Marrow ◽  
Scoring System ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Therapeutic Trial ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Bone Marrow Lesions ◽  
Smallest Detectable Change ◽  
Osteoarthritis Initiative

Objective.To assess feasibility and reliability of scoring bone marrow lesions (BML) on knee magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in osteoarthritis using the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Knee Inflammation MRI Scoring System (KIMRISS), with a Web-based interface and online training with real-time iterative calibration.Methods.Six readers new to the KIMRISS (3 radiologists, 3 rheumatologists) scored sagittal T2-weighted fat-saturated MRI in 20 subjects randomly selected from the Osteoarthritis Initiative data, at baseline and 1-year followup. In the KIMRISS, the reader moves a transparent overlay grid within a Web-based interface to fit bones, then clicks or touches each region containing BML per slice, to score 1 if BML is present. Regional and total scores are automatically calculated. Outcomes include the interreader intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and the smallest detectable change (SDC).Results.Scoring took 3–12 min per scan and all readers rated the process as moderately to very user friendly. Despite a low BML burden (average score 2.8% of maximum possible) and small changes, interobserver reliability was moderate to high for BML status and change in the femur and tibia (ICC 0.78–0.88). Four readers also scored the patella reliably, whereas 2 readers were outliers, likely because of image artifacts. SDC of 1.5–5.6 represented 0.7% of the maximum possible score.Conclusion.We confirmed feasibility of knee BML scoring by new readers using interactive training and a Web-based touch-sensitive overlay system, finding high reliability and sensitivity to change. Further work will include adjustments to training materials regarding patellar scoring, and study in therapeutic trial datasets with higher burden of BML and larger changes.

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