Autor: Ineco

In two self-paced, sentence-by-sentence reading experiments, we examined the difference in the processing of Spanish discourses containing overt and null pronouns. In both experiments, antecedents appeared in a single phrase (John met Mary) or in a conjoined phrase (John and Mary met). In Experiment 1, we compared reading times of sentences containing singular overt and null pronouns referring to the first or to the second mentioned antecedent. Overt pronouns caused a processing delay relative to null pronouns when they referred to the first antecedent in single but not in conjoined phrases. In Experiment 2, we compared reading times of sentences containing overt and null pronouns referring to singular or plural entities. Plural null pronouns were read faster than their singular counterparts in conjoined conditions. Plural overt pronouns were read more slowly than their null counterparts both in single and conjoined conditions. We explain our findings in a framework based on the notion of balance between processing cost and discourse function in line with the Informational Load Hypothesis.

Multiple studies have tried to establish the distinctive profile of individuals with Asperger’s syndrome (AS). However, recent reports suggest that adults with AS feature heterogeneous cognitive profiles. The present study explores inter-individual variability in children with AS through group comparison and multiple case series analysis. All participants completed an extended battery including measures of fluid and crystallized intelligence, executive functions, theory of mind, and classical neuropsychological tests. Significant group differences were found in theory of mind and other domains related to global information processing. However, the AS group showed high inter-individual variability (both sub- and supra-normal performance) on most cognitive tasks. Furthermore, high fluid intelligence correlated with less general cognitive impairment, high cognitive flexibility, and speed of motor processing. In light of these findings, we propose that children with AS are characterized by a distinct, uneven pattern of cognitive strengths and weaknesses

Mapping memory binding onto the connectome’s temporal dynamics: Towards a combined biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease. Autores Ibanez A, Parra M.  Año 2014 Journal  Ibanez A, Parra M.  Volumen 8:237. Abstract   Otra información  En este trabajo proponemos que tras la caída de la hipótesis de cascada amiloide en al enfermedad del Alzheimer (EA), la conectividad cerebral distribuida … Leer más

Methodological considerations regarding cognitive interventions in dementia. Autores Ibanez A, Richly P, Roca M, Manes F. Año 2014 Journal  Ibanez A, Richly P, Roca M, Manes F. Volumen 6:212. Abstract   Otra información  Las intervenciones cognitivas en la demencia son un aspecto esencial en la rehabilitación. Sin embargo sus efectos no han sido adecuadamente respaldados en la mayoría de las investigaciones … Leer más

Bridging psychiatry and neurology through social neuroscience. Autores Ibanez A, Kuljis R, Matallana D, Manes F.  Año 2014 Journal  Ibanez A, Kuljis R, Matallana D, Manes F.  Volumen 13(2): 148-149 Abstract   Otra información  En este trabajo se resalta el rol multinivel de la neurociencia social para construir puentes entre los cuadros psiquiátricos y neurológicos a través de la presentación de … Leer más

Psychiatrists’ approach to vascular risk assessment in Latin America. Autores Richly P, López PL, Gleichgerrcht E, Flichtentrei D, M Prats, R Mastandueno, Bustin J, Cetkovich M.  Año 2014 Journal  Richly P, López PL, Gleichgerrcht E, Flichtentrei D, M Prats, R Mastandueno, Bustin J, Cetkovich M.  Volumen 4(3): 56-61 Abstract   Otra información    

Objective: We studied theory of mind (ToM) in patients withmild relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), seeking possibledissociations between its 2 components: cognitive ToM (theability to infer others intentions) and affective ToM (the abilityto infer others emotional states). We analyzed the relationshipof ToM to executive function, depression, and fatigue. Background: Dissociations between cognitive and affective ToMhave been found in several neurologic and neuropsychiatricdiseases. Most ToM studies in patients with MS have showngeneral ToM deficits but have not analyzed the cognitive andaffective aspects individually. Methods: We used the Faux Pas test of ToM and tests of executivefunction to assess 18 patients with mild relapsing-remittingMS and 16 control participants. Results: Our patients showed deficits in cognitive ToM, but theiraffective ToM seemed to be spared. Their cognitive ToM deficitswere not related to executive dysfunction, depression, or fatigue. Conclusions: Our study is the first differential analysis showingcognitive but not affective ToM deficits in mild relapsing-remittingMS. Further research is needed to determine the exactnature and the real impact of these deficits, and to establish theirrelationship with the neuropathology and progression of MS.

Language and action systems are functionally coupled in the brain as demonstrated by converging evidence using Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and lesion studies. In particular, this coupling has been demonstrated using the action-sentence compatibility effect (ACE) in which motor activity and language interact. The ACE task requires participants to listen to sentences that described actions typically performed with an open hand (e.g., clapping), a closed hand (e.g., hammering), or without any hand action (neutral); and to press a large button with either an open hand position or closed hand position immediately upon comprehending each sentence. The ACE is defined as a longer reaction time (RT) in the action-sentence incompatible conditions than in the compatible conditions. Here we investigated direct motor-language coupling in two novel and uniquely informative ways. First, we measured the behavioural ACE in patients with motor impairment (early Parkinson’s disease – EPD), and second, in epileptic patients with direct electrocorticography (ECoG) recordings. In experiment 1, EPD participants with preserved general cognitive repertoire, showed a much diminished ACE relative to non-EPD volunteers. Moreover, a correlation between ACE performance and action-verb processing (kissing and dancing test – KDT) was observed. Direct cortical recordings (ECoG) in motor and language areas (experiment 2) demonstrated simultaneous bidirectional effects: motor preparation affected language processing (N400 at left inferior frontal gyrus and middle/superior temporal gyrus), and language processing affected activity in movement-related areas (motor potential at premotor and M1). Our findings show that the ACE paradigm requires ongoing integration of preserved motor and language coupling (abolished in EPD) and engages motor-temporal cortices in a bidirectional way. In addition, both experiments suggest the presence of a motor-language network which is not restricted to somatotopically defined brain areas. These results open new pathways in the fields of motor diseases, theoretical approaches to language understanding, and models of action-perception coupling.

The anterior cingulate cortex: an integrative hub for human socially-driven interactions. Autores Lavin C, Melis C, Mikulan E, Gelormini C, Huepe D, Ibanez A.  Año 2013 Journal  Lavin C, Melis C, Mikulan E, Gelormini C, Huepe D, Ibanez A.  Volumen 7: 64. Abstract   Otra información  En este trabajo proponemos la corteza cingulada anterior como un centro convergente (a través de sus conexiones fronto-temporales), de … Leer más

Recent studies suggest that action-verb processing is particularly affected in early stage Parkinson’s disease (PD), highlighting the potential role of subcortical areas in language processing and in the semantic integration of actions. However, this disorder-related language impairment is frequently unrecognized by clinicians and often remains untreated. Early detection of action-language processing deficits could be critical for diagnosing and developing treatment strategies for PD. In this article, we review how action-verb processing is affected in PD and propose a model in which multiple and parallel frontotemporal circuits between the cortex and the basal ganglia provide the anatomic substrate for supporting action-language processing. We hypothesize that contextual coupling of action-language networks are partially dependent on cortical-subcortical integration, and not only on somatotopic motor cortical organization or in a mirror neuron system. This hypothesis is supported by both experimental and clinical evidence. Then, we identify further research steps that would help to determine the reliability of action-language impairments as an early marker of PD. Finally, theoretical implications for clinical assessment and for models of action-language interaction (action-perception cycle theories, mirror system models of language, and embodied cognition approaches to language) are discussed.