中文版学龄前儿童执行功能行为评定问卷(BRIEF-P)父母版的效度和信度

目的:评价中文版学龄前儿童执行功能行为评定量表(BRIEF-P)父母版的效度和信度。方法:选取符合精神障碍诊断与统计手册第5版(DSM-5)诊断标准的注意缺陷多动障碍(ADHD)、智力发育障碍(IDD)及孤独症谱系障碍(ASD)的儿童265例,年龄4~5岁,其中男218例,女47例,以及性别、年龄匹配的正常儿童61例。由家长填写BRIEF-P问卷后,对问卷进行内部一致性分析及验证性因素分析,其中完整填写ADHD-IV及CBQ问卷者303例,对问卷进行分析以检验效标效度,随机选取39名家长间隔1~2周再次填写BRIEF-P问卷检验重测效度。结果:BRIEF-P与ADHD-IV及CBQ问卷多个因子呈中度相关(r=0.30~0.73,P<0.05)。验证性因素分析显示一阶5因子模型拟合良好。ROC曲线显示当BRIEF-P总分为88.5分时,诊断发育障碍儿童的敏感度为0.82,特异度为0.77。BRIEF-P重测信度为0.54~0.72,内部一致性系数为0.78~0.95。结论:BRIEF-P父母版具有相对良好的效度和信度,适用于中国文化背景。

身体活动与执行功能领域研究主题的动态演化

背景:身体活动与执行功能领域的相关研究不断涌现,目前尚未有学者使用可视化工具探讨这一领域研究主题的动态演化路径。目的:通过文献计量学方法,探究身体活动与执行功能领域研究主题的动态演化过程,从而理清其发展状态及知识结构的变化。方法:通过检索式:TS=(“Physical activity”AND“Executive function*”)OR TS=(Exercise AND“Executive function*”)检索Web of Science数据库,依照纳入排除标准选取4386篇相关文献为研究内容,利用SciMAT软件进行可视化分析。结果与结论:身体活动与执行功能领域的研究呈现蓬勃发展态势,相关研究日趋深入,未来发展空间较大;该领域可分为执行功能、儿童、老年人和干预措施4个方向,并形成了11条主要演化路径;“运动技能”“生活方式”“有氧运动”和“干预措施”等主题可能是未来的研究重点,“青少年”和“老年人”群体是该领域研究的重点关注人群。

微小隐孢子虫含EF-hand结构域蛋白家族的生物信息学研究

目的对微小隐孢子虫(Cryptosporidium parvum,Cp)含EF-hand结构域家族蛋白进行生物信息学研究,探讨该家族蛋白的EF-hand结构域与Ca2+信号的关系以预测该家族蛋白的功能,为隐孢子虫病的诊断和治疗提供新的方向。方法首先通过数据收集,获得EF-hand结构域家族蛋白的序列信息,接着对每个蛋白进行CDD结构域搜索和NCBI BLAST的比对分析,确证为EF-hand结构域家族蛋白,最后进行结构域分析和功能预测。结果搜索到了C.parvumIowa II中18个含有EF-hand结构域的蛋白,它们之间的氨基酸长度,分子量大小以及等电点等都有很大的区别,通过结构域分析把EF-hand家族分成了含一个EF-hand结构域、二个EF-hand结构域、同时含EF-hand和STKc-AGC两种结构域和同时含EF-hand和PKC两种结构域四大类。结论 EF-hand结构域蛋白家族与重要的钙离子信号作用有着密切的关系,而C.parvum对宿主细胞的侵袭能力与胞内的Ca2+水平密切相关,所以EF-hand蛋白家族很有可能成为隐孢子虫病治疗的一个新的突破点。

The effects of Tai Chi exercise on cognitive function in older adults:A meta-analysis

Background:Cognitive impairment is prevalent among older adults and results in degraded quality of life for older adults.As the population ages,this may cause a huge burden to society.Research has demonstrated that physical exercise is beneficial to cognitive function.The purpose of this meta-analysis was to critically assess the effect of Tai Chi exercise on global cognitive,executive,and memory functions in older adults.Methods:After a thorough electronic search and selection,eight studies were included in this meta-analysis with two cross-sectional and six intervention studies.Nine variables included in this meta-analysis were:mini mental status examination(MMSE),Alzheimer’s disease assessment scale-cognitive subscale(ADAS-cog),trailmaking test part A(TMA),trailmaking test part B(TMB),digit span test forward(DSF),digit span test backward(DSB),visual span test backward(VSB),verbal fluency test(VFT),and word delay recall test(WDR).The effect sizes and forest plots of these nine variables were generated.Results:Four(MMSE,DSB,VSB,and VFT)out of nine variables were significantly improved after Tai Chi exercise with the effect sizes ranged from 0.20 to 0.46(small to medium).MMSE represented global cognitive function,and DSB,VSB,and VFT represented memory function.Conclusion:Tai Chi as a mind-body exercise has the positive effects on global cognitive and memory functions,and more consistent positive effects were found on memory function,especially verbal working memory.

Does exercise have a protective effect on cognitive function under hypoxia? A systematic review with meta-analysis

Objective:This study aimed to examine(1)the independent effects of hypoxia on cognitive function and(2)the effects of exercise on cognition while under hypoxia.Methods:Design:Systematic review with meta-analysis.Data sources:PubMed,Scopus,Web of Science,PsychInfo,and SPORTDiscus were searched.Eligibility criteria for selecting studies:randomized controlled trials and nonrandomized controlled studies that investigated the effects of chronic or acute exercise on cognition under hypoxia were considered(Aim 2),as were studies investigating the effects of hypoxia on cognition(Aim 1).Results:In total,18 studies met our inclusionary criteria for the systematic review,and 12 studies were meta-analyzed.Exposure to hypoxia impaired attentional ability(standardized mean difference(SMD)=-0.4),executive function(SMD=-0.18),and memory function(SMD=-0.26),but not information processing(SMD=0.27).Aggregated results indicated that performing exercise under a hypoxia setting had a significant effect on cognitive improvement(SMD=0.3,95%confidence interval:0.14-0.45,I^2=54%,p<0.001).Various characteristics(e.g.,age,cognitive task type,exercise type,exercise intensity,training type,and hypoxia level)moderated the effects of hypoxia and exercise on cognitive function.Conclusion:Exercise during exposure to hypoxia improves cognitive function.This association appears to be moderated by individual and exercise/hypoxia-related characteristics.

The effect of acute exercise on cognitive performance in children with and without ADHD

Background： Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder （ADHD） is a common childhood disorder that affects approximately 11% of children in the United States. Research supports that a single session of exercise benefits cognitive performance by children, and a limited number of studies have demonstrated that these effects can also be realized by children with ADHD. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of acute exercise on cognitive performance by children with and without ADHD. Methods： Children with and without ADHD were asked to perform cognitive tasks on 2 days following treatment conditions that were assigned in a random, counterbalanced order. The treatment conditions consisted of a 30-min control condition on 1 day and a moderate intensity exercise condition on the other day. Results： Exercise significantly benefited performance on all three conditions of the Stroop Task, but did not significantly affect performance on the Tower of London or the Trail Making Test. Conclusion： children with and without ADHD realize benefits in speed of processing and inhibitory control in response to a session of acute exercise, but do not experience benefits in planning or set shifting.

Differential effects of physical activity and sleep duration on cognitive function in young adults

Purpose: Although exercise and sleep duration habits are associated with cognitive function, their beneficial effects on cognitive function remain unclear. We aimed to examine the effect of sleep duration and daily physical activity on cognitive function, elucidating the neural mechanisms using near-infrared spectroscopy(NIRS).Methods: A total of 23 healthy young adults(age 22.0 ± 2.2 years) participated in this study. Exercise amount was assessed using a uniaxial accelerometer. We evaluated total sleep time(TST) and sleep efficiency by actigraphy. Cognitive function was tested using the N-back task, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test(WCST), and the Continuous Performance Test—Identical Pairs(CPT-IP), and the cortical oxygenated hemoglobin levels during a word fluency task were measured with NIRS.Results: Exercise amount was significantly correlated with reaction time on 0- and 1-back tasks(r = —0.602, p = 0.002; r = —0.446, p = 0.033,respectively), whereas TST was significantly correlated with % corrects on the 2-back task(r = 0.486, p = 0.019). Multiple regression analysis,including exercise amount, TST, and sleep efficiency, revealed that exercise amount was the most significant factor for reaction time on 0- and 1-back tasks(b = —0.634, p = 0.002; b = —0.454, p = 0.031, respectively), and TST was the most significant factor for % corrects on the 2-back task(b = 0.542, p = 0.014). The parameter measured by WCST and CPT-IP was not significantly correlated with TST or exercise amount. Exercise amount, but not TST, was significantly correlated with the mean area under the NIRS curve in the prefrontal area(r = 0.492, p = 0.017).Conclusion: Exercise amount and TST had differential effects on working memory and cortical activation in the prefrontal area. Daily physical activity and appropriate sleep duration may play an important role in working memory.

Atrophy of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is associated with poor performance in verbal fluency in elderly poststroke women

This study aimed to investigate the association between atrophy in the prefrontal cortex with executive function and verbal fluency in elderly male and female patients poststroke. Thirty elderly female patients with non-aphasic ischemic stroke aged -〉 60 years and 30 age-matched non-aphasic male patients with ischemic stroke were recruited. Automatic magnetic resonance imaging segmentation was used to assess the volume of the whole prefrontal cortex, along with its subdivisions： anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The Semantic Verbal Fluency Test was administered at 3 and 15 months poststroke. At 3 months poststroke, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex volume was significantly correlated with Verbal Fluency Test score in female patients only （partial coefficient = 0.453, P = 0.045）, after controlling for age, education, diabetes, neurological deficit, white matter lesions volume, as well as the location and volume of infarcts. At 15 months poststroke, there remained a significant association between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex volume and Verbal Fluency Test （partial coefficient = 0.661, P = 0.001） and between the left prefrontal cortex volume and Verbal Fluency Test （partial coefficient = 0.573, P = 0.004） in female patients after the same adjustments. These findings indicate that atrophy of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex contributes to the impairment of verbal fluency in elderly female patients with stroke. Sex differences may be present in the neuropsychological mechanisms of verbal fluency impairment in patients with stroke.

Effects of acute aerobic exercise on motor response inhibition:An ERP study using the stop-signal task

Purpose： The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of acute exercise on motor response inhibition using both behavioral and electrophysiological approaches. Methods： The P3 and N1 event-related potential （ERP） components were recorded while performing a stop-signal task in 21 college students following a moderately intense acute exercise bout for 30 min and a sedentary control session that involved reading. Results： Acute exercise induced a shorter stop signal response time （SSRT） as compared to control; however, the go response time （Go RT） remained unchanged. In examining the ERP data, acute exercise increased both P3 amplitude and latency but did not affect the N1 component. Conclusion： Acute exercise has a selective and beneficial effect on cognitive function, specifically affecting the motor response inhibition aspect of executive function. Furthermore, acute exercise predominately impacts later stages of information processing during motor response inhibition, which may lead to an increase in attentional resource allocation and confer the ability to successfully withhold a response to achieve motor response inhibition.

TREFACE: A New Computerized Test of Emotional Stroop with Facial Expressions

Using the conflict principle of the Stroop task, “effect of interference in color naming”, the present study proposes to create a computational version of the emotional Stroop task, called TREFACE, for its acronyms in Portuguese “Teste de Reconhecimento de Expressões Faciais com Conflito Emocional” (Facial Expression Recognition Test with Emotional Conflict). In this protocol, four fixed styles of presentation were generated according to the condition: Congruent Word Reading, Incongruent Word Reading, Congruent Recognition of Face Expression and Incongruent Recognition of Face Expression, counterbalanced in terms of each facial expression, word and gender of the photo character. Forty-two healthy volunteers completed the task. Results revealed that a task associated with word reading allows better performance than a task associated with face recognition. It was also identified that in the congruent condition, there is an advantage in terms of the correct responses. Additionally, the data regarding recognition of face expression showed greater difficulty when the image was not congruent with the word. In general, the results suggest that the emotional attribute can compromise the ability to recognize the faces, reaching the functioning of mechanisms such as cognitive control and regulation of emotions. Thus, the TREFACE paradigm can be considered a good assessment tool for monitoring emotional conflict, in addition to presenting itself as a new instrument in Portuguese language for assessing emotional working memory in healthy individuals and, eventually, in different pathologies that affect the functioning of cortical areas related to executive functions.

Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training in Enhancing Executive Function and Decreasing Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness training in enhancing executive function and decreasing symptoms of depression and anxiety in multiple sclerosis patients. The population in this study consisted of people with MS who referred to Karaj city MS society in 1394. These people didn’t experience medicinal changes during the study period and their expanded disability status score (EDSS) was between 0 and 5.5. 40 of them were randomly selected and placed into two experimental and control groups (20 for the experimental and the other for the control group). The treatment of mindfulness training was held in 8 sessions of group training, once a week and for 2 hours. The statistical method of multivariate analysis of covariance was used. The measurement tools were the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). After all, the results in both groups were compared and evaluated by the use of analysis of covariance. The results showed significant differences in symptoms of anxiety and depression between the two groups (p 0.05). Generally, the results of this research showed positive effects of mindfulness training on reducing anxiety and depression among patients with MS and ineffectiveness of mindfulness training on their executive function. Therefore, considering that there is no certain treatment for MS plus results of this study, the application of mindfulness training can be quite useful to reduce levels of anxiety and depression in patients with MS.

Executive and Non-Executive Functions in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder of the Inattentive Type (ADHD-I): A Cognitive Profile

Objective: This study examined the hypothesis that individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, predominantly inattentive type (ADHD-I), show both executive function (EF) deficits and non-EF deficits. Method: A group with ADHD-I (n = 16) and a paired control group (n = 21) completed a battery of tasks covering the major domains of EF (planning, working memory, flexibility and inhibition) and non-EF (alertness, divided attention, flexibility, sustained attention, visual field and visual scanning). Results: EF impairments in planning, spatial working memory, flexibility, and inhibition as well as non-EF impairments in divided attention, flexibility, sustained attention and visual scanning were observed in the ADHD-I group. Conclusion: Our results do not support the traditional model of ADHD. Given that neither EF nor non-EF tests typically distinguish ADHD-I from ADHD-C, alternative methodologies are required to confirm the validity of ADHD subtypes in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition.

EEG Mapping of Cortical Activation Related to Emotional Stroop with Facial Expressions: A TREFACE Study

TREFACE (Test for Recognition of Facial Expressions with Emotional Conflict) is a computerized model for investigating the emotional factor in executive functions based on the Stroop paradigm, for the recognition of emotional expressions in human faces. To investigate the influence of the emotional component at the cortical level, the electroencephalographic (EEG) recording technique was used to measure the involvement of cortical areas during the execution of certain tasks. Thirty Brazilian native Portuguese-speaking graduate students were evaluated on their anxiety and depression levels and on their well-being at the time of the session. The EEG recording was performed in 19 channels during the execution of the TREFACE test in the 3 stages established by the model-guided training, reading, and recognition—both with congruent conditions, when the image corresponds to the word shown, and incongruent condition, when there is no correspondence. The results showed better performance in the reading stage and in congruent conditions, while greater intensity of cortical activation in the recognition stage and in incongruent conditions. In a complementary way, specific frontal activations were observed: intense theta frequency activation in the left extension representing the frontal recruitment of posterior regions in information processing;also, activation in alpha frequency in the right frontotemporal line, illustrating the executive processing in the control of attention, in addition to the dorsal manifestation of the prefrontal side, for emotional performance. Activations in beta and gamma frequencies were displayed in a more intensely distributed way in the recognition stage. The results of this mapping of cortical activity in our study can help to understand how words and images of faces can be regulated in everyday life and in clinical contexts, suggesting an integrated model that includes the neural bases of the regulation strategy.

Failure to identify an acute exercise effect on executive function assessed by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test

Purpose： Acute exercise has been linked to the facilitation of executive function, but little is known regarding executive function assessed by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test （WCST）. The present research consisted of two experiments aimed to determine whether acute aerobic exercise influences successive WCST performance. Methods： In Study 1, 27 young adults were randomly assigned to the exercise or reading control group and then instiucted to perform the WCST before and after assigned treatment. In exercise group, participants completed a single bout aerobic exercise with moderate intensity for 20 min on a stationary bike. A similar experimental protocol was replicated in Study 2 with 24 late middle-aged adults to look for age differences during adulthood and control for a potential ceiling effect at young adult age. Results： Although a significant time effect was observed in young adults, both studies revealed that there was no main effect for treatment or an interaction between treatment and time on any of the WCST indices. Conclusion： Acute aerobic exercise failed to influence executive function as assessed by the WCST, revealing that this classical neuropsy- chological test tapping executive function may not be sensitive to acute exercise. Our findings suggest that acute exercise does not broadly affect the entire family of executive functions, or its effect on a specific aspect of executive function may be task-dependent, as proposed by Etnier and Chanj~ （2009）.

Relationship among Eating Behavior, Effortful Control, and Working Memory in Female Young Adults

The management of eating behavior plays an important role in health maintenance. In this study, we investigated the relationship between eating behavior and effortful control in female young adults. Participants completed the questionnaire measures of effortful control and eating behaviors and Stroop cognitive interference task. The results showed that restrained eating was positively correlated with activation control;emotional eating was negatively correlated with inhibitory control and attentional control;external eating was negatively correlated with inhibitory, activation, and attentional control. The scores for activation control and restrained eating were higher for participants with a low Stroop error rate than for those with a high Stroop error rate. These results indicate that restrained eating has a different association with effortful control than doing emotional and external eating.

Cognitive and Emotional Factors Related to Obstructive Sleep Apnea Diagnoses: A Brief Review

Sleep apnea is a clinical condition characterized by cessation of breathing in the sleeper due to pharyngeal airway closure. The reduction in air exchange results in decreased cerebral blood circulation with consequential behavioral deficits cognitively and emotionally. Untreated sleep apnea is associated with chronic illnesses of depression, cardiovascular disorder, obesity and diabetes mellitus. Measured cognitive behavior before and following CPAP treatment demonstrates the cognitive deficit as the effectiveness of CPAP treatment. Emotional factors related to sleep apnea diagnosis and adherence to treatment are facilitated in patients with cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) interventions by sleep specialists. This is a brief review paper that presents findings about cognition and emotional factors related to sleep apnea. This is a brief review paper.

A Preliminary Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study in Adolescent and Adult Patients with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms

Prefrontal dysfunction in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) has been repeatedly detected on a behavioral level, and various brain-imaging studies have elucidated the pathophysiology of AD/HD. Recent advances in near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) have enabled noninvasive investigations of brain function in various mental disorders, especially major depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. The objective of this preliminary study was to use NIRS to evaluate changes in frontal lobe blood flow in post childhood or adult patients with AD/HD symptoms. The subjects included five patients with a range of mental disorders and AD/HD symptoms, and a matched (age, sex, and dominant hand) control group of five healthy subjects. We compared the changes in cerebral blood flow during verbal fluency tasks between the two groups. The duration of the elevated oxygenated hemoglobin was notably shorter in the AD/HD group than that in the healthy control group. We suggest that the shorter elevation durations of oxygenated hemoglobin concentrations might be a biological indicator for post childhood or adult AD/HD or of impaired executive functioning.

Persistent delayed auditory memory and executive function deficits 5 years after West Nile Virus Encephalitis: A neuropsychological and neuroimaging single case study

There are presently no in-depth published neuropsychological studies of West Nile Virus (WNV) encephalitis patients that have been well-correlated with high resolution structural MRI. In this study a middleaged male who developed West Nile Virus encephalitis five years previously was examined three times over a two year period. We examined him with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales—Fourth Edition and the Wechsler Memory Scale—Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV/WMS-IV) and Advanced Clinical Solutions battery supplemented by tests of attention, executive, motor and sensory functions. Neuroradiological imaging revealed hypodensities within the left hippocampus in the axial and coronal planes with T2-FLAIR MRI. The man was previously high functioning and although he had prior history of well-controlled epilepsy it seems unlikely that the epilepsy could fully account for the neuropathological changes. The patient had previously completed a demanding six year double science degree program before he became ill with WNV and he had been a successful manager and director of a research company. Delayed auditory memory scores were at least two standard deviation units below age expected levels and semantic fluency and Booklet Category Tests of executive function were also in the impaired range. Moreover the illness onset profile of muscle weakness, extreme fatigue, memory complaints as well as inability to carry out research projects involving planning on the job were highly consistent with WNV encephalitis. If the memory and executive function deficits had been premorbid manifestations of epilepsy it is unlikely he would have attained the levels he did educationally and occupationally. This left hippocampal lesion is characteristic of other encephalitic viral infections such as herpes simplex virus. To our knowledge this is the first lateralized WNV encephalitis medial temporal lobe patient in the published literature.

Basic Study Impact of stimulant medication on behaviour and executive functions in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

BACKGROUND Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder(ADHD)often exhibit behaviour challenges and deficits in executive functions(EF).Psychostimulant medications[e.g.,methylphenidate(MPH)]are commonly prescribed for children with ADHD and are considered effective in 70%of the cases.Furthermore,only a handful of studies have investigated the long-term impact of MPH medication on EF and behaviour.AIM To evaluate behaviour and EF challenges in children with ADHD who were involved in an MPH treatment trial across three-time points.METHODS Thirty-seven children with ADHD completed a stimulant medication trial to study the short-and long-term impact of medication.Children with ADHD completed three neuropsychological assessments[Continuous Performance Test(CPT)-II,Digit Span Backwards and Spatial Span Backwards].Parents of children with ADHD completed behaviour rating scales[Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning(BRIEF)and Behaviour Assessment System for Children-Second Edition(BASC-2)].Participants were evaluated at:(1)Baseline(no medication);and(2)Best-dose(BD;following four-week MPH treatment).Additionally,18 participants returned for a long-term naturalistic follow up(FU;up to two years following BD).RESULTS Repeated measure analyses of variance found significant effects of time on two subscales of BRIEF and four subscales of BASC-2.Neuropsychological assessments showed some improvement,but not on all tasks following the medication trial.These improvements did not sustain at FU,with increases in EF and behaviour challenges,and a decline in performance on the CPT-II task being observed.CONCLUSION Parents of children with ADHD reported improvements in EF and behaviours during the MPH trial but were not sustained at FU.Combining screening tools and neuropsychological assessments may be useful for monitoring medication responses.