Virtual reality cognitive & functional assessment in psychosis

AimsTo compare the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) and a novel Virtual Reality (VR) task, called VStore, in assessing cognition and functional capacity (FC) in schizophrenia. We hypothesise that VStore reliably discriminates between patients and controls, correlates with the MCCB, and is well-tolerated. Additionally, VStore is expected to strongly correlate with FC measures.BackgroundCognitive and functional deficits in schizophrenia have a major impact on everyday functioning of patients. The gold-standard cognitive assessment is the MCCB, while the USCD Performance-Based Skills Assessment (UPSA) is used to assess FC in this patient group. Neither of which are without limitations. For example, both take a long time to administer, and the MCCB alone cannot give clear indications of FC. We propose the use of a novel VR task to simultaneously measure cognition and FC in a single assessment. VStore is a shopping task, which involves a verbal learning task followed by buying items from a predetermined shopping list in a virtual minimarket.MethodTen patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and ten age/gender-matched healthy controls recruited from South London, completed the following assessments: VStore, MCCB, UPSA & Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), and VR-Symptom Questionnaire (VRSQ); while controls only completed the VR task. To test whether VStore can differentiate between patients and controls we employed unpaired t-test. To explore associations between VStore Total Time, MCCB composite score and FC measures Pearson's r was used. Finally, mean differences between pre/post-VR symptoms scores were tested using paired t-test.ResultThere was a significant difference between patients and controls on the verbal learning task (t16.38=−4.67,p < .001), and total time spent completing the VR task (t11.41 = 2.67, p = .023). In addition, VStore had a strong association with MCCB composite score (r=−.80,p = .010). While both VStore (r=−.82, p < 001) and MCCB (r = .77,p = .010) had significant correlation with the UPSA, only VStore had a significant association with the GAF (r=−.68,p = .030). Finally, VStore appears to be well-tolerated, causing no measurable side effects in the VRSQ (Pre-VR Mean =12.1[SD = 13.5], Post-VR Mean = 9.6[SD = 11.5],t9 = 0.49,p > .05).ConclusionResults suggest that VStore can discriminate between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls. In addition, VStore and MCCB seem to be strongly associated, suggesting that they tap into identical cognitive domains. VStore seems to be strongly correlated with FC, more so than the MCCB, and cause no measurable side effects. Taken together, this suggests that this novel VR task has the potential to reliably measure cognition and FC simultaneously.

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Subject-Controlled Feedback in a Verbal Learning Task

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e527342012-788 ◽

2007 ◽

Author(s):

Ashley N. D. Meyer ◽

Jessica M. Logan

Keyword(s):

Verbal Learning ◽

Learning Task ◽

Verbal Learning Task

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The Effects of Anxiety, Stress, and Task Difficulty on Performance on a Verbal Learning Task

The Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1080/00223980.1966.10544844 ◽

1966 ◽

Vol 64 (2) ◽

pp. 199-212 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Donald W. Brown

Keyword(s):

Task Difficulty ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Learning Task ◽

Verbal Learning Task ◽

And Task

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Memory in a Mood-Inducing Verbal Learning Task

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1990.70.1.307 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 70 (1) ◽

pp. 307-314 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Robert Whissell ◽

Kimberly Marshall ◽

Cynthia Whissell

Keyword(s):

Verbal Learning ◽

Learning Task ◽

Verbal Learning Task

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Motivation, Anxiety and Stress in a Difficult Verbal Task

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.1965.17.1.247 ◽

1965 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 247-255 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Gertrude R. Schmeidler ◽

Stanley Ginsberg ◽

Iris Bruel ◽

Mary Lukomnik

Keyword(s):

Negative Correlation ◽

Significant Interaction ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Significant Negative Correlation ◽

Learning Task ◽

Verbal Task ◽

Achievement Scores ◽

Need For Achievement ◽

Verbal Learning Task

A complex verbal learning task was administered under stress or nonstress conditions to Ss shown by pre-tests to have either high or low scores on anxiety and need for achievement. Subsidiary findings from the pre-tests were that debilitating anxiety scores had a significant negative correlation with facilitating anxiety scores, and also with achievement scores. The verbal learning showed a significant interaction with “drive” variables: Ss high in need for achievement performed better if anxiety and stress were high but Ss low in need for achievement performed better if anxiety and stress were low. Ss high on only one or two drive variables showed significantly poorer learning than the pool of Ss high on all three or low on all three drive variables.

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Neuropsychological and Syntactic Deficits in HIV Seropositive Males

The Open Neurology Journal ◽

10.2174/1874205x01913010107 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 107-118

Author(s):

Maria Kambanaros ◽

Lambros Messinis ◽

Mina Psichogiou ◽

Lydia Leonidou ◽

Charalambos A. Gogos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Care ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Control Group ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Language Deficits ◽

Sentence Repetition ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Neurocognitive Measures ◽

Hiv Seropositive ◽

Repetition Task

Objective: Given the underlying frontal-basal ganglia circuit neuropathogenesis of HIV-infected individuals, it is surprising that little is reported about potential language deficits as part of their higher cognitive dysfunctional profile. This study aims to elucidate whether HIV-positive individuals have linguistic impairments that may originate from or be intensified by deficits in cognitive functions. The research questions address (i) quantitative differences in sentence repetition abilities involving complex syntactic phenomena between adults with HIV and non-HIV healthy controls (ii) correlations of sentence repetition scores with neurocognitive measures and (iii) correlation of sentence repetition performance with duration and severity of HIV. Methods: A battery of neuropsychological tests were administered to 40 HIV - seropositive males and 40 demographically matched healthy controls to assess verbal learning/episodic memory, psychomotor speed, executive functions and visuospatial abilities. Language abilities were evaluated using a repetition task that screened specific complex syntactic operations at the sentence-level. Results: A significant difference was noted between the two groups regarding correct repetition of the sentence repetition task with the control group outperforming the HIV-seropositive group. For the HIV group, significant correlations were found for correct sentence repetition with years of education, duration of illness, Mini-Mental State Examination, semantic and phonemic fluency, symbol digit modality test scores, and the Trail Making Test (parts A and B). Conclusion: Speech-language pathologists and neuropsychologists should screen for language deficits associated with the different clinical syndromes in HIV patients as part of their routine clinical care.

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A Model for Hypogalactia Treatment Using Electrical Acupoint to Increase Breast Milk Volume and Improve Prolactin Content

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/20187306020 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 73 ◽

pp. 06020

Author(s):

Najwatul Maula Sheyla ◽

Nurul Widyawati Melyana ◽

Suryono Suryono

Keyword(s):

Side Effects ◽

Breast Milk ◽

Prolactin Level ◽

Statistical Test ◽

T Test ◽

Post Treatment ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Milk Volume ◽

Prolactin Content ◽

Paired T Test

Hypogalactia is one of the problems for breastfeeding mothers that accounts for 63%. Nowadays, efforts have been done to prevent hypogalactia pharmacologically. However, this approach often comes with side effects for the mothers. This research proposes the implementation of non-pharmacological electrical acupoint method via activation of neurological, bio-mechanical, and psychological systems. It is aimed at proving the method’s efficacy in improving breast milk volume and prolactin level. The model of electrical acupoint is carried out at 0. 5 watt frequency of scale 3 for 10 minutes at acupoints SI1, ST36 and SP6. Paired t-test statistical test was then conducted to differentiate the effects of electrical acupoint treatment on breastfeeding mothers. Results show significant differences (p<0. 05) after implementation of electrical acupoint. This significant difference is proven from the unpaired t-test which indicated different results of pre-and post-treatment. This means that electrical acupoint improves breast milk volume by an average of 70. 915 mL and prolactin level by around 313. 47 ng/Ml. It can then be inferred that the use of electrical acupoint readily handles the problem of hypogalactia.

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