scholarly journals An examination of factors that may contribute to gender differences in psychomotor processing speed

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eka Roivainen ◽  
Frans Suokas ◽  
Anne Saari
Keyword(s):  
Processing Speed ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Fine Motor ◽  
Motor Speed ◽  
Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Gross Motor ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Motor Dexterity ◽  
Nonverbal Reasoning

Abstract Background For unknown reasons, females outperform males on tests of psychomotor processing speed (PS), such as the Coding and Symbol Search subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Method In the present study, the effects of intelligence, memory, personality, fine motor speed, gross motor dexterity, height, weight, age, sex, and education on psychomotor processing speed were studied in an outpatient sample (n = 130). Results Moderate (r > .40) correlations were found between PS and verbal reasoning, nonverbal reasoning, verbal memory, and fine motor speed. Weak (r > .20) correlations were found between PS and gross motor dexterity, extraversion, education, weight, and sex. Females outperformed males in PS and in fine motor speed. Stepwise linear regression analysis indicated nonverbal reasoning, fine motor speed, and sex as independent predictors of PS. Conclusions One interpretation of the results is that the factors underlying sex differences in processing speed are not psychological but neurological or physiological in nature and therefore a wider variety of measures from these disciplines are needed for further studies. For clinical assessment purposes, psychological tests should preferably provide different norms for male and female PS scores.

Memory impairment following intentional self-poisoning with benzodiazepines: Should we pay more attention to attention?

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (11) ◽  
pp. 1428-1435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliette Salles ◽  
Jérémie Pariente ◽  
Laurent Schmitt ◽  
Dominique Lauque ◽  
Thomas Lanot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Cognitive Capacity ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Cognitive Tests ◽  
Psychiatric Assessment ◽  
Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Cognitive Predictors ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence

Study hypothesis: In cases where patients attempt suicide through intentional self-poisoning, they often ingest drugs such as benzodiazepines that alter the central nervous system and memory. This is problematic, given that experts recommend the recovery of a patient’s cognitive capacity before any psychiatric assessment is conducted. A previous pilot study by our group showed that cognitive tests focusing on attention are the most valuable when it comes to determining whether sufficient cognitive recovery has occurred to ensure that patients will remember the assessment after intentional self-poisoning with benzodiazepines. The main aim of our study was to determine cognitive predictors of the recall of the psychiatric assessment after a suicide attempt. The second aim was to determine the threshold for episodic memory. Methods: We recruited 97 patients admitted for intentional self-poisoning. At the time of the psychiatric assessments, we quantified plasma benzodiazepine levels and performed a cognitive assessment. We then used a linear regression model to identify the associations in a control and a benzodiazepine group between cognitive functions and episodic memory scores obtained 24 hours after psychiatric assessment. Results: Our model accounted for 28% and 37%, respectively, of the variance in memory in the control and benzodiazepine groups. The most significant correlations were found for the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale coding test in both groups. In the control group, tests such as visual and verbal memory were also associated with recall. Conclusions: Benzodiazepines particularly affect memory by impairing what is remembered of attentional tests. These are, however, the most suitable cognitive tests for predicting recall of the memory assessment.

scholarly journals Prefrontal Cortex Activity during Response Selection Predicts Processing Speed Impairment in Schizophrenia

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 782-791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil D. Woodward ◽  
Brittney Duffy ◽  
Haleh Karbasforoushan
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Response Selection ◽  
Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Intelligence Scale ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Cognitive Operations ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractProcessing speed is the most impaired neuropsychological domain in schizophrenia and a robust predictor of functional outcome. Determining the specific cognitive operations underlying processing speed dysfunction and identifying their neural correlates may assist in developing pro-cognitive interventions. Response selection, the process of mapping stimuli onto motor responses, correlates with neuropsychological tests of processing speed and may contribute to processing speed impairment in schizophrenia. This study investigated the relationship between behavioral and neural measures of response selection, and a neuropsychological index of processing speed in schizophrenia. Twenty-six patients with schizophrenia and 21 healthy subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning during performance of two- and four-choice reaction time (RT) tasks and completed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III (WAIS) Processing Speed Index (PSI). Response selection, defined as RT slowing between two- and four-choice RT, was impaired in schizophrenia and correlated with psychometric processing speed. Greater activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) was observed in schizophrenia and correlated with poorer WAIS PSI scores. Deficient response selection and abnormal recruitment of the dorsolateral PFC during response selection contribute to processing speed impairment in schizophrenia. Interventions that improve response selection and normalize dorsolateral PFC function may improve processing speed in schizophrenia. (JINS, 2013, 19, 1–10)

scholarly journals B-27 Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis in an Older Man

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 973-973
Author(s):  
C Schieszler-Ockrassa ◽  
F Bylsma
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Cognitive Dysfunction ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Demyelinating Disease ◽  
Progressive Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Fine Motor ◽  
Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Primary Progressive ◽  
Motor Dexterity ◽  
One Year

Abstract Objective Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune demyelinating disease more common in women than men, usually diagnosed between 20-30 years of age. Approximately 50% of individuals with MS develop cognitive dysfunction, with men and progressive MS subtype cases at higher risk (Beatty & Aupperle, 2002). Mr. Doe’s case is unique because he was diagnosed with primary progressive MS at age 56 and demonstrated only mild cognitive dysfunction. Method Mr. Doe presented to his neurologist with complaints of extreme fatigue, slowed processing, and sensory and motor disturbances. He was seen for neuropsychological evaluation one year after diagnosis and was reassessed one year later. He reported worsening mood including passive suicidal ideation since diagnosis. He reported difficulties with work duties (attorney) and household demands due to gradual motor and sensory disturbances, slowed processing speed, fatigue, and mood disturbance. Results Mr. Doe’s initial neuropsychological assessment revealed variability in auditory working memory, weakness in sustained visual attention, and mild deficits in upper extremity fine motor dexterity. Memory, executive functioning, language, and processing speed were all intact unless a motor component was involved (mild decline after one year). His cognitive performances remained generally stable after one year, but depression, anxiety, and hopelessness levels were all significantly worse. Conclusions Although Mr. Doe’s impairments are extremely mild and somewhat unexpected given the primary progressive MS diagnosis, his gender, and age, the affected domains are consistent with the diagnosis. This case demonstrates the importance of understanding base rates for conditions we assess, but also not ruling out lower base rate conditions.

Is age kinder to the initially more able? A study of eminent scientists and academics

1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 935-946 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Christensen ◽  
A. S. Henderson
Keyword(s):  
The Elderly ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Blue Collar ◽  
High Ability ◽  
Motor Speed ◽  
Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Blue Collar Workers ◽  
Young Subjects ◽  
Inferential Thinking

SYNOPSISElderly eminent academics and blue-collar workers were compared with Doctor of Philosophy students and trade apprentices to investigate whether intelligence and memory deteriorate at a slower rate in persons with high ability. The elderly groups showed decline on tests of perceptual-motor speed, visuospatial reasoning, inferential thinking and memory relative to the young subjects. Initial ability determined the level of intellectual performance, such that elderly academics maintained their initial advantage over the elderly blue-collar workers. However, with the exception of the Similarities subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, the rate of change on tests of memory and intelligence did not differ for the high- and low-ability groups. The hypothesis that high ability is associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline was not supported.

scholarly journals Improvement of Working Memory and Processing Speed in Patients over 70 with Bilateral Hearing Impairment Following Unilateral Cochlear Implantation

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (15) ◽  
pp. 3421
Author(s):  
Steffen Knopke ◽  
Arvid Schubert ◽  
Sophia Marie Häussler ◽  
Stefan Gräbel ◽  
Agnieszka J. Szczepek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Cochlear Implantation ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Research Question ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Neurocognitive Deficits ◽  
Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

Several studies demonstrated the association of hearing disorders with neurocognitive deficits and dementia disorders, but little is known about the effects of auditory rehabilitation on the cognitive performance of the elderly. Therefore, the research question of the present study was whether cochlear implantation, performed in 21 patients over 70 with bilateral severe hearing impairment, could influence their cognitive skills. The measuring points were before implantation and 12 months after the first cochlear implant (CI) fitting. Evaluation of the working memory (WMI) and processing speed (PSI) was performed using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale 4th edition (WAIS-IV). The audiological assessment included speech perception (SP) in quiet (Freiburg monosyllabic test; FMT), noise (Oldenburg sentence test; OLSA), and self-assessment inventory (Oldenburg Inventory; OI). Twelve months after the first CI fitting, not only the auditory parameters (SP and OI), but also the WMI and PSI, improved significantly (p < 0.05) in the cohort. The presented results imply that cochlear implantation of bilaterally hearing-impaired patients over 70 positively influences their cognitive skills.

Factor Analysis of the WAIS—R and Verbal Memory and Visual Memory Indices of the Wechsler Memory Scale—Revised, for a Vocational Rehabilitation Sample

1993 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 907-911 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Harmon ◽  
Tanya Clausen ◽  
Ralph Scott
Keyword(s):  
Vocational Rehabilitation ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Factor Solution ◽  
Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Wechsler Memory Scale ◽  
Combining Data ◽  
Three Factor

Few empirical studies have examined factor structures of responses of vocationally impaired persons, and those studies have drawn only on aptitude scores (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised: WAIS—R). Results have been inconclusive as to whether a two- or three-factor solution is more appropriate. The present work examined the factor scores of a vocational rehabilitation sample of 54 adults who had been given the WAIS—R and the Verbal Memory and Visual Memory Indices of the Wechsler Memory Scale—Revised. Analysis indicated that combining data from the two tests yields a viable three-factor solution which may contribute to the refinement of intervention strategies for vocationally vulnerable adults.

Intermanual Differences on Motor and Psychomotor Tests in Alcoholics: No Evidence for Selective Right-Hemisphere Dysfunction

1997 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 403-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren M. Kwon ◽  
Sean B. Rourke ◽  
Igor Grant
Keyword(s):  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Fine Motor ◽  
Motor Speed ◽  
Psychomotor Tests ◽  
Chronic Alcohol Abuse ◽  
Right Hemisphere Dysfunction ◽  
Motor Dexterity ◽  
The Right

Some previous studies have suggested that alcoholics exhibit selective right-hemisphere dysfunction, based on alcoholics' poor performance on tests believed to subserve the right hemisphere. However, some of these experiments did not account adequately for differences in difficulty or novelty in putative right hemisphere tasks. This experiment was designed to evaluate and compare intermanual differences in grip strength, motor speed, fine-motor dexterity, and nonverbal problem-solving ability in 93 recently detoxified alcoholics, 54 long-term abstinent alcoholics, and 73 nonalcoholic controls. All subjects were right-handed men, matched for age and education, and both alcoholic groups had similar drinking histories. Using percent difference scores to assess intermanual differences, adjusted for demographics where appropriate, we found that, although recently detoxified alcoholics demonstrate some motor and psychomotor impairments, there is no evidence using these tests to suggest the right hemisphere is selectively more vulnerable to the effects of chronic alcohol abuse.

scholarly journals A-136 Effect of Language Ability on Processing Speed in TBI

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 929-929
Author(s):  
Ream D ◽  
Fernandes P ◽  
Tourgeman I
Keyword(s):  
Processing Speed ◽  
Brain Injuries ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Average Level ◽  
Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Visual Spatial ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence

Abstract Objective Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are not uniformly represented across monolinguals and bilinguals. Processing speed is often impacted as a result of a TBI. The objective of this study is to examine how processing speed is influenced by linguistic abilities after sustaining a TBI. Hypothesis: bilinguals will perform better than monolinguals on measures of processing speed. Method A total of 89 subjects, 36 monolinguals with a mean age of 37.83 (SD = 13.25) and 53 bilinguals with a mean age of 37.74 (SD = 13.53) were grouped based on language ability and performance was compared on the Trail Making Test, Part-A (TMT-A), Processing Speed Index (PSI) of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, 4th Edition (WAIS-IV), and the Symbol Search (SS) and Coding (CD) subtests of the PSI. Results An independent samples t-test revealed a significant different between bilinguals and monolinguals on TMT-A [t (87) = .154, p = .003], CD subtest [t (87) = −.823, p = .008], and PSI [t (87) = −2.10, p = .014]. There was not a significant difference observed on the SS subtest [t (87) = −2.71, p = .364]. Conclusion This study revealed that bilinguals demonstrated better performance on measures that emphasize scanning, cognitive flexibility, sequencing abilities, and visual–spatial functioning. These data suggest that bilinguals perform at an average level while monolinguals perform on a low average level regarding processing speed after sustaining a TBI.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document