This research line of the Neuropsychology Research Laboratory aims to provide health professionals with solid tools that allow them to collect data objectively in order to evaluate multiple aspects of the patient, including their cognitive performance, their mood symptoms, their ability to function in daily life, among many others. Under this premise, we have concentrated on the development and validation of useful tools in the evaluation of cognitive functions in the clinical setting. Recently, we have validated in Spanish tools to screen general cognitive status (eg ACE and ACE-R), which are required throughout the Spanish-speaking world for use by specialized and non-specialized personnel as a mechanism to obtain valuable information on functioning. cognitive impairment of the patient, even when human, financial or available time are not sufficient. With this same objective in mind, the group has validated cognitive screening tools for specific domains, with a special interest in the evaluation of executive functions (eg INECO Frontal Screening), as well as in the development of utility scales for the evaluation of activities of daily living (eg ADLQ) that allow obtaining objective measures on the level of functional independence of the patient. As part of this line of research, batteries for evaluating executive functions and social cognition (eg ESCB) have also been developed to increase the sensitivity and specificity of standard cognitive evaluation in order to detect cognitive alterations that occur in the real life, but that cannot be captured by classical laboratory tests in some psychiatric and neurological pathologies. Currently the group is developing useful instruments in the rehabilitation of executive functions and validating questionnaires that allow evaluating the symptoms of psychiatric patients in relation to the parameters of the local population.

La entrada Design, adaptation and validation of neuropsychological tools se publicó primero en Fundación INECO.

Difficulties in functions such as memory, attention, language, and behavior are key symptoms in various neurological and psychiatric disorders. Thus, it is now known that in certain neurological diseases whose symptoms are mainly motor, cognitive and behavioral failures also play an important role (eg, Parkinson’s disease). It is the objective of the Neuropsychology Research Laboratory to contribute to the understanding of cognitive and mental functioning in various neurological pathologies – including Alzheimer’s disease, cerebrovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Epilepsy – and psychiatric – such as Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Attention Deficit and Schizophrenia, among others. Our team aims not only at the description of cognitive failures in these pathologies but also at the design of tools for the detection of such difficulties early and for the generation of treatment and rehabilitation strategies. The approach to this type of pathology is carried out from different perspectives that are integrated into an interdisciplinary framework, including neuropsychological, occupational, clinical, functional, and physiological measures.

La entrada Cognitive difficulties in neurological and psychiatric pathologies se publicó primero en Fundación INECO.

Intelligence is generally defined as the ability to solve problems and there are many studies that try to understand and classify it. After observing an important positive correlation in test performance that measured different abilities, Spearman proposed the existence of a general factor (g-factor or fluid intelligence) that would modulate performance in different cognitive tasks. C Different sources of information have associated fluid intelligence with the frontal lobe, one of the areas of the brain with the greatest evolutionary development in humans. In addition to failing fluid intelligence tests, frontal lobe injuries also affect performance on cognitive tests such as flexibility of thought or fluency of speech, which have become known as classical tests of executive functions. Likewise, the frontal lobe has also been associated with fundamental functions for the human being such as the ability to infer feelings in other people, the ability to inhibit our impulses and the ability to keep in mind our long-term goals in order to achieve a goal and with the ability to change perspective. Several years ago, INECO began a collaboration with Professor John Duncan of the Cambridge Cognition and Brain Science Unit in England, trying to determine the relationship between fluid and performance intelligence in various cognitive tests previously associated with the frontal lobe. Currently, the Neuropsychology Research Laboratory is carrying out various studies in different neurological and psychiatric diseases that involve the frontal lobe that try to determine the involvement or not of intelligence in them and its relationship with other cognitive functions. The aforementioned studies are of utmost importance for understanding the functioning of the frontal lobe and its relationship with the intelligence and behavior of individuals since they will help determine if intelligence is directly related to this area of ​​the brain and what it implies. this relationship.

La entrada Functioning of various areas of the frontal lobe in fluid intelligence and the ability to change perspective se publicó primero en Fundación INECO.

The frontal lobes are crucial in understanding our identity as human beings, our motivations, our ambitions, and our essence. Its extensive and complex neural connections enable a wide range of functions, including abstract reasoning, mental flexibility, inhibitory control, problem solving, multitasking, memory, theory of mind, and empathy, among many others. It is one of the main objectives of the Neuropsychology Research Laboratory to understand this important portion of our brain in various neurological and psychiatric pathologies that include Frontotemporal Dementia, frontal injuries, Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia, among others.

La entrada Evaluation of the Functions of the Frontal Lobe in various neurological and psychiatric pathologies se publicó primero en Fundación INECO.

Language is one of the major cognitive functions that differentiate us from other animals. It allows us to communicate with the environment and transfer ideas and thoughts. For its proper functioning it requires the participation of other functions such as attention and memory, among many others. Meanwhile, language can be altered after a brain injury. The objective of this line of research is to know the difficulties that appear in the processing of language in different neurological pathologies.

La entrada Language processing and its interrelation with other cognitive functions in different neurological pathologies se publicó primero en Fundación INECO.

Linguistic and sociocultural variables influence language assessment instruments. This is why it is necessary to consider the linguistic peculiarities of language in the different regions, as well as the differences among cultures. Language assessment tools cannot be used just by making an adaptation to the language. For this reason, tools that have been developed for other populations are currently being validated, as well as their own instruments are under development.

La entrada Design, adaptation and validation of language assessment tools se publicó primero en Fundación INECO.

The objective of this research line is to get insights into language processing during regular acquisition in childhood and adolescence, as well as during adult life.

La entrada Regular language processing in children and adults se publicó primero en Fundación INECO.