Categoría: Papers con abstracts

In recent years, studies have suggested that gestures influence comprehension of linguistic expressions, for example, eliciting an N400 component in response to a speech/gesture mismatch. In this paper, we investigate the role of gestural information in the understanding of metaphors. Event related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while participants viewed video clips of an actor uttering metaphorical expressions and producing bodily gestures that were congruent or incongruent with the metaphorical meaning of such expressions. This modality of stimuli presentation allows a more ecological approach to meaning integration. When ERPs were calculated using gesture stroke as time-lock event, gesture incongruity with metaphorical expression modulated the amplitude of the N400 and of the late positive complex (LPC). This suggests that gestural and speech information are combined online to make sense of the interlocutor’s linguistic production in an early stage of metaphor comprehension. Our data favor the idea that meaning construction is globally integrative and highly context-sensitive.

Human learning and memory evaluation in real-life situations remains difficult due to uncontrolled variables. Buenos Aires waiters, who memorize all the orders without written support, were evaluated in situ. Waiters received either eight different orders and customers remained seated in their original locations (OL), or changed locations (CL). Match between orders, subjects and location was decreased only in CL. Waiters’ feature/location strategy links client with position at the table and beverage later. The hypothesis we raise is that memory-schemas link working memory to long-term memory networks through rapid encoding, making the information resistant to interference and enabling its fast retrieval if necessary cues are present.

Interpretación de refranes en la Enfermedad de Alzheimer. Autores Báez S, Montañes P.  Año 2009 Journal  Báez S, Montañes P.  Volumen 49(11): 566-72 Abstract   Otra información    

In the last few decades, several works on event related potentials (ERPs hereafter) during sleep have been reported. In spite of numerous studies, clear methodological rules for this kind of study are often missing, making it difficult to valorize the scope of these results. We propose here a description of methodological aspects to be considered when evaluating ERPs during sleep. The use of Rechtschaffen and Kales rules versus automatic methods is assessed, plus the additional use of certain quantitative measures. Additionally, two topics are discussed which must be controlled in ERPs sleep studies: the First Night Effect, and sleep disturbances. Better control of experimental paradigms is relevant for the growth of the neuroscience of sleep.

La demencia es un síndrome que se caracteriza por declinación de la función intelectual, lo bastante severa para interferir en la vida diaria; más de un área cognitiva se ve afectada, hay impacto funcional en las actividades de la vida diaria y, con frecuencia, existen trastornos conductuales. En la actualidad, para poder realizar el diagnóstico de la enfermedad de Alzheimer y otras demencias es necesario combinar los datos de la clínica con la evaluación neuropsicológica, los exámenes de laboratorio y las neuroimágenes. En esta revisión se examinará qué elementos son necesarios para el diagnóstico temprano de las demencias, y se revisará su manejo farmacológico y no farmacológico.

NTRODUCTION: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective, yet controversial treatment. Most patients receiving ECT have depression and it is likely that the majority having this treatment are older adults. However, attitudes towards ECT and knowledge of ECT in this population have never been studied in relation to the patients’ cultural background. OBJECTIVE: To compare the attitudes and knowledge of ECT among older adults depressed patients across three culturally different populations and to explore the relationship between culture, knowledge and attitudes. METHODS: The study was conducted in one centre in each country. A semi-structured survey was used which included three sections: demographics characteristics, attitudes towards and knowledge of ECT. RESULTS: A total of 75 patients were recruited in this study: 30 patients from England; 30 patients from Argentina; and 15 patients from Canada. There was a significant difference in knowledge about ECT across the three countries. No significant difference was found in terms of attitudes. Knowledge was poor in all three countries. The most influential factor shaping subjects’ attitudes and knowledge of ECT differed for the three countries. A weak correlation was found between knowledge of and attitudes towards ECT across all patients from the three different countries. CONCLUSION: Attitudes towards ECT are a very complex phenomenon. We could not find evidence that a particular cultural background affects attitudes towards ECT. Generalising the results of our study is restricted by the fact that this was a pilot study that suffered from limitations including small sample size and number of settings.

NTRODUCTION: In clinical practice it is often difficult to establish whether cognitive impairment is secondary to an affective disorder or a dementing process. AIM: To describe the cognitive performance on the Spanish version of the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination (ACE) of patients with early dementia and depression. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 77 patients with early dementia (53 Alzheimer disease; 24 frontotemporal dementia), 17 patients with major depression and 54 healthy volunteers were tested with the Spanish version of the ACE. RESULTS: Alzheimer disease and frontotemporal dementia groups were significantly lower than the control group and the major depression group. When the major depression group was compared with the control group no significant differences were found. CONCLUSIONS: The cognitive performance in the ACE is different in patients with early dementia and patient with depression.

Epidemiology of Parkinson’s disease. Autores Kasten M, Chade AR, Tanner CM.  Año 2008 Journal  Kasten M, Chade AR, Tanner CM.  Volumen 2007(83): 129-151 Abstract   Otra información    

PURPOSE: Our objective was to describe the relationship between sepsis syndrome mortality and cognitive and physical disability in elderly persons. METHODS: A 1-year consecutive cohort study in clinical beds of a university hospital was performed. Variables were severity of sepsis syndrome, organ failure, functional status, age, sex, and positive cultures. Outcomes were in-hospital and 1-year mortalities. RESULTS: The study included 137 patients (>70 years), both sexes. Data from 116 (84.5%) patients were obtainable at 1-year follow-up. Forty-eight (35%) patients presented with sepsis (11/137, 8%) or severe sepsis (37/137, 27%). In-hospital mortality was 15.3% (0% for sepsis and 21.8% if severe) and increased with organ failure (p <.0001). One-year mortality was 54.78% (63/116), mostly related to severe sepsis; predictors were severe organ failure (p <.0001), prior functional status (p =.0005), and Mini-Mental State Examination (p =.03). Prior functional status and organ failure were independent predictors. CONCLUSIONS: In-hospital and 1-year mortality increased with septic syndrome severity, prior functional status, and organ failure.

The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of affective temperaments between clinically unaffected relatives of bipolar patients and secondarily to investigate the impact of these «subaffective » forms on their quality of life (QoL). METHODS: The study was performed in seven sites across Argentina. We administered the scales TEMPS-A and Quality of Life Index to a sample of 114 non-ill first degree relatives of bipolar disorder patients and 115 comparison subjects without family history of affective illness ( «controls «). We used The Mood Disorder Questionnaire to rule out clinical bipolarity. RESULTS: Mean scores on all TEMPS-A subscales were significantly higher in cases, except for hyperthymia. The prevalence of affective temperaments, according to Argentinean cut-off points, was also higher, with statistical significance for cyclothymic and anxious temperaments. Regarding QoL, we found no significant differences between both groups, except for interpersonal functioning, which was better in controls. A detailed subanalysis showed significant effects of QoL domains for all temperaments, except for the hyperthymic. LIMITATIONS: We used self-report measures. A larger sample size would have provided us greater statistical power for certain analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the concept of a spectrum of subthreshold affective traits or temperaments – especially for the cyclothymic and anxious – in bipolar pedigrees. We further demonstrated that, except for the hyperthymic, quality of life was affected by these temperaments in «clinically well » relatives. Overall, our data are compatible with the ;endophenotype; and subaffective theses for affective temperaments.