Optimizing touchscreen measures of rodent cognition by eliminating image bias

For the last twenty years, the Bussey-Saksida touchscreen-based operant conditioning platform has evolved in close parallel alongside the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) to produce batteries of tests for studying complex cognitive functions in rodents that are increasingly analogous to human diagnostic tests and greatly narrow the translational gap in cognition research. Naturally, with this increasing usefulness comes increasing use, and with it, a need for a greater understanding of and controlling for confounding factors that may limit the system's ability to optimally detect cognitive deficits. In the present study, we show a strong image preference bias in a standard pairwise discrimination task with a widely used spider-plane image pairing. This bias greatly influenced the performance of our experimental mice, significantly affecting the length of time it took mice to complete the task, their progress over time, and several accessory measures usefully recorded by the Bussey-Saksida touchscreen system. We further show that this bias can be corrected by using more highly similar image pairings without sacrificing the animal's ability to learn to distinguish the stimuli. This eliminated all significant stimuli specific differences seen with the spider-plane pairing. We then analyze the pixel composition of the various stimuli to suggest that the bias is due to a difference in image brightness. These findings highlight the importance of carefully modulating paired touchscreen stimuli to ensure equivalence prior to learning and the need for more studies of visual perception in mice, particularly as it relates to their performance in cognitive assays.

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A longitudinal evaluation of cognitive deficits in patients with first episode of psychosis

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.01.2117 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (S1) ◽

pp. S190-S190

Author(s):

A. Dardagani ◽

P. Athanasis ◽

A. Lagoudis ◽

A. Ramnalis ◽

E. Ntouros ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Cognitive Deficits ◽

Repeated Measures ◽

Neuropsychological Test ◽

First Episode ◽

Psychotic Episode ◽

Cognitive Domains ◽

Mental Flexibility ◽

Competing Interest ◽

Over Time

It has been well documented in many studies till now that patients in their first episode of psychosis demonstrate cognitive deficits. However, it is yet to be made clear how these deficits progress. Deterioration, stability or even amelioration in some domains has been noted from researchers. The aim of this study was to examine the longitudinal course of cognitive deficits over time. We administered a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological test to a group of first psychotic episode patients at the acute phase, 6 months and 1 year later. The sample comprised of 25 patients (13 male) in the first episode of psychosis. Specific tests of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) were used. The cognitive domains of attention, memory, working memory, visuospatial ability and planning, mental flexibility/shifting were examined. Repeated measures ANOVA was used in order to detect changes in the patients’ performance over time. According to our data, there was an improvement from baseline to 6 months in attention, planning and visual working memory. There was no change in performance in these cognitive domains from 6 months to 1 year from baseline. Memory, mental flexibility/shifting and visuospatial memory remained stable over time. Our data suggest variability concerning neuropsychological performance in specific tests examining different domains. Evaluation of cognitive function in the first episode of psychosis needs more thorough and comprehensive research, in relation to its course over time.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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The Ten Point Clock Test: A Quick Screen and Grading Method for Cognitive Impairment in Medical and Surgical Patients

The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine ◽

10.2190/5a0f-936p-vg8n-0f5r ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 229-244 ◽

Cited By ~ 144

Author(s):

Peter J. Manos ◽

Rae Wu

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Cognitive Deficits ◽

Neuropsychological Tests ◽

Medical Center ◽

Neuropsychological Test ◽

Hospitalized Patients ◽

Surgical Patients ◽

Tertiary Referral Center ◽

The Mean ◽

State Examination

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of the ten point clock test in screening for and grading cognitive deficits in medical and surgical patients. Method: The setting was the hospital and clinics of Virginia Mason Medical Center, a tertiary referral center. Consecutive samples of hospitalized patients, and clinic outpatients—with and without a dementia—were administered the ten point clock test as well as a number of other neuropsychological tests and measures of cognitive impairment. Results: Clock scores correlated with neuropsychological test scores and with the mini-mental state examination. They were stable from rater to rater, and from day to day in stable patients. The mean clock score of elderly outpatient controls was 8.5, significantly different from the mean of 5.5 scored by patients with a dementia. A cut off score of seven identified 76 percent of outpatients with dementia and 78 percent of elderly controls. Clock scores correlated well with nurses' ratings of their inpatients' cognitive deficits (Spearman's rs = −0.61). The test was easy to administer, even to hospitalized patients. Conclusions: The ten point clock test is reliable, valid, and useful as a quick screen and grading method for cognitive deficits in medical and surgical patients.

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THE GUEST’S PREFERENCES OF THREE-STAR HOTEL ROOMS BASED ON VISUAL AND PHYSICAL PERCEPTION

International Journal on Livable Space ◽

10.25105/livas.v4i2.5529 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 60

Author(s):

Nadya Nilafianty Prasetya ◽

Maria Immaculata Ririk Winandari

Keyword(s):

Visual Perception ◽

Interior Design ◽

Mixed Method ◽

Tourism Industry ◽

Central Bureau ◽

Occupancy Rate ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Wall Element ◽

Over Time ◽

Research Show

ABSTRACT The development of the tourism industry in Indonesia needs to be supported by appropriate facilities and infrastructure. Hotel as one of the supporting tourism in Indonesia has to be properly expanded. According to the data from Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), the occupancy rate of star-rated hotels continues to increase over time. One of the factors affecting the customer's decision in choosing a hotel is its interior design. Interior elements consist of floor, wall, ceiling, and furniture. The wall element is one of the interior elements that are attractive to visitors. To find out the perception of hotel visitors, the author surveyed five three-star hotels in Jakarta. The five hotels are Maxone hotel in Matraman, Yellow Hotel in Harmoni, Lynt Hotel in Gambir, Park 5 Hotel and Swissbellinn both are located in Simatupang. The method used in this study is a mixed-method with a visual perception approach in the form of direct interviews and distributed questionnaires to 40 respondents. The results of the research show that several wall criteria of the hotel that are suitable for visitors among others are: bright wall colors and walls with soothing color schemes. Keywords: Guest’s preferences, hotel rooms, visual perception, wall design

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Cognitive Deficits Associated with Sleep Apnea Syndrome: A Proposed Neuropsychological Test Battery

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/23.3.1d ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 23 (3) ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 122

Author(s):

Anne Décary ◽

Isabelle Rouleau ◽

Jacques Montplaisir

Keyword(s):

Sleep Apnea ◽

Cognitive Deficits ◽

Neuropsychological Test ◽

Sleep Apnea Syndrome ◽

Test Battery ◽

Neuropsychological Test Battery ◽

Apnea Syndrome

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NCOG-48. LONGITUDINAL ASSESSMENT OF SUBJECTIVE COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN A BRAIN TUMOR SAMPLE: IMPROVED CORRESPONDENCE WITH NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE OVER TIME

Neuro-Oncology ◽

10.1093/neuonc/noab196.637 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (Supplement_6) ◽

pp. vi162-vi162

Author(s):

Melissa Gardner ◽

Giuliana Zarrella ◽

Jorg Dietrich ◽

Michael Parsons

Keyword(s):

Brain Tumor ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Neuropsychological Test ◽

Initial Evaluation ◽

Longitudinal Assessment ◽

Change Scores ◽

Subjective Cognitive Function ◽

Neuropsychological Evaluations ◽

Over Time

Abstract INTRODUCTION Estimates of subjective cognitive function (SCF) generally show minimal correlation with objective measures of neurocognitive function (NCF). Our group recently validated a new metric of SCF in neuro-oncology patients, creating the Cognitive Index of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Brain (FACT-Br-CI). This study examines whether brain tumor (BT) patients evaluated on more than one occasion show improved relationship between SCF and NCF. We hypothesized that change scores in SCF and NCF across evaluation would be more highly correlated than SCF and NCF at either timepoint. METHODS A retrospective study of BT patients who completed two neuropsychological evaluations (baseline, follow-up) was conducted. NCF was measured by the clinical trial battery composite (CTBC), a mean of 6 commonly used neuropsychological test scores. SCF was measured by the FACT-Br-CI. Mood/Anxiety were measured by the Beck scales (BAI/BDI-II). Change over time on each metric was evaluated with paired t-test. Correlational analyses evaluated relationships between NCF, SCF, and mood within and between time points. RESULTS Twenty-nine patients (16 female; mean age=54.6y; mean education=15.5y) completed all CTBC measures and FACT-Br-CI, 28 of whom completed and BDI and/or BAI. On group analyses, there were no significant differences between baseline and follow-up on CTBC (t=-.53;p=ns) or FACT-Br-CI (t=-.98;p=ns). Correlations between CTBC and FACT-Br-CI were nonsignificant at baseline (r=.24;p=ns), but significant at follow-up (r=.56;p=0.002). Change scores over time were unrelated (r=-.104;p=ns). Similar to previous studies, the FACT-BR-CI correlated with the BDI-II at baseline (r=-.38;p=0.04) and follow-up (r=-.59;p< 0.001) and with the BAI at follow-up (r=-.44;p=0.02). CONCLUSION In this small group of brain tumor patients seen for repeated neuropsychological evaluations, we found that agreement between SCF and NCF was much higher on their second than initial evaluation. These findings suggest that patients may develop enhanced awareness of their cognitive function from an initial evaluation that persists over time.

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Responses of monkey inferior temporal neurons to luminance-, motion-, and texture-defined gratings

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.1995.73.4.1341 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 73 (4) ◽

pp. 1341-1354 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

G. Sary ◽

R. Vogels ◽

G. Kovacs ◽

G. A. Orban

Keyword(s):

Visual Perception ◽

Relative Motion ◽

Discrimination Task ◽

Stimulus Presentation ◽

Response Strength ◽

The Other ◽

Orientation Discrimination ◽

Macaque Monkeys ◽

Tuning Width ◽

Visual Cortical

1. We recorded from neurons responsive to gratings in the inferior temporal (IT) cortices of macaque monkeys. One of the monkeys performed an orientation discrimination task; the other maintained fixation during stimulus presentation. Stimuli consisted of gratings based on discontinuities in luminance, relative motion, and texture. 2. IT cells responded well to gratings defined solely by relative motion, implying either direct or indirect motion input into IT, an area that is part of the ventral visual cortical pathway. 3. Response strength in general did not depend on the cue used to define the gratings. Latency values observed for the two static grating types (luminance- and texture-defined gratings) were similar, but significantly shorter than those measured for the kinetic gratings. 4. Stimulus orientation had a significant effect in 27%, 27%, and 9% of the cells tested with luminance-, kinetic-, and texture-defined gratings, respectively. 5. Only a small proportion of cells were orientation sensitive for more than one defining cue. The average preferred orientation for luminance and kinetic gratings matched; the tuning width was similar for the two cues. 6. Our results indicate that IT cells may contribute to cue-invariant coding of boundaries and edges. We discuss the relevance of these results to visual perception.

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Changes in signal parameters over time for an echolocating Atlantic bottlenose dolphin performing the same target discrimination task

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America ◽

10.1121/1.2772213 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 122 (4) ◽

pp. 2446-2450 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Stuart D. Ibsen ◽

Whitlow W. L. Au ◽

Paul E. Nachtigall ◽

Caroline M. DeLong ◽

Marlee Breese

Keyword(s):

Bottlenose Dolphin ◽

Discrimination Task ◽

Target Discrimination ◽

Signal Parameters ◽

Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin ◽

Over Time

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Visual perception: An event over time.

Psychological Review ◽

10.1037/h0047487 ◽

1957 ◽

Vol 64 (5) ◽

pp. 306-313 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Gudmund Smith

Keyword(s):

Visual Perception ◽

Over Time

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Right thalamic lacunar infarction presenting with anomic aphasia

International Journal on Disability and Human Development ◽

10.1515/ijdhd-2014-0008 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Naveed Natanzi ◽

Sogol Ashourpour ◽

Pedram Goel ◽

Patricia W. Nance

Keyword(s):

Temporal Lobe ◽

Cognitive Deficits ◽

Medical Literature ◽

Parietal Lobe ◽

Speech Impairment ◽

Subcortical Structures ◽

Thalamic Infarction ◽

Crossed Aphasia ◽

Over Time

AbstractWe present two cases of thalamic infarction presentation with aphasia, which has rarely been documented in the literature. Of interest, the second case presented with a lesion in the non-dominant thalamus, which made the finding of speech impairment exceedingly rare. Anomic aphasia has been associated with lesions to the basal temporal lobe, anterior inferior temporal lobe, temporo-parieto-occipital junction and the inferior parietal lobe, but rarely in association with the thalamus. Thalamic strokes most often present with motor, sensory, and cognitive deficits; few reports in the medical literature associate aphasia with a thalamic infarction. Possible explanations include crossed aphasia, diaschisis, the hypometabolic theory, and the thalamus as a secondary language center. Our findings may hint to a relationship among language, higher cognitive function, subcortical structures, and interhemispheric connections that are yet to be understood completely. We postulate that an increasingly important role of subcortical neuronal structures in cognitive functions will be recognized as diagnostic imaging technology improves over time.

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