scholarly journals Human click-based echolocation: Effects of blindness and age, and real-life implications in a 10-week training program

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0252330
Author(s):  
Liam J. Norman ◽  
Caitlin Dodsworth ◽  
Denise Foresteire ◽  
Lore Thaler
Keyword(s):  
Vision Loss ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Binaural Hearing ◽  
Sensory Loss ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Rate Of Learning ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Better Than

Understanding the factors that determine if a person can successfully learn a novel sensory skill is essential for understanding how the brain adapts to change, and for providing rehabilitative support for people with sensory loss. We report a training study investigating the effects of blindness and age on the learning of a complex auditory skill: click-based echolocation. Blind and sighted participants of various ages (21–79 yrs; median blind: 45 yrs; median sighted: 26 yrs) trained in 20 sessions over the course of 10 weeks in various practical and virtual navigation tasks. Blind participants also took part in a 3-month follow up survey assessing the effects of the training on their daily life. We found that both sighted and blind people improved considerably on all measures, and in some cases performed comparatively to expert echolocators at the end of training. Somewhat surprisingly, sighted people performed better than those who were blind in some cases, although our analyses suggest that this might be better explained by the younger age (or superior binaural hearing) of the sighted group. Importantly, however, neither age nor blindness was a limiting factor in participants’ rate of learning (i.e. their difference in performance from the first to the final session) or in their ability to apply their echolocation skills to novel, untrained tasks. Furthermore, in the follow up survey, all participants who were blind reported improved mobility, and 83% reported better independence and wellbeing. Overall, our results suggest that the ability to learn click-based echolocation is not strongly limited by age or level of vision. This has positive implications for the rehabilitation of people with vision loss or in the early stages of progressive vision loss.

scholarly journals Sensory loss and suicide ideation in older adults: findings from the Three-City cohort study

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Cosh ◽  
I. Carrière ◽  
V. Daien ◽  
C. Tzourio ◽  
C. Delcourt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Suicide Ideation ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Sensory Loss ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Increased Risk

ABSTRACTObjectives:To examine the longitudinal risk of vision loss (VL) or hearing loss (HL) for experiencing suicidal ideation in older adults.Design:The Three-City study, examining data from three waves of follow-up (2006–2008, 2008–2010, and 2010–2012).Setting:Community-dwelling older French adults.Participants:N = 5,438 adults aged 73 years and over.Measurements:Suicidality was assessed by the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Major Depressive Disorder module. Mild VL was defined as Parinaud of 3 or 4 and severe VL as Parinaud >4. Mild HL was self-reported as difficulty understanding a conversation and severe HL as inability to understand a conversation.Results:Severe VL was associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation at baseline (OR = 1.59, 95% CIs = 1.06–2.38) and over five years (OR = 1.65, 95% CIs = 1.05–2.59). Mild and severe HL were associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation, both at baseline (OR = 1.29, 95% CIs = 1.03–1.63; OR = 1.78, 95% CIs = 1.32–2.40) and over five years (OR = 1.47, 95% CIs = 1.17–1.85; OR = 1.97, 95% CIs = 1.44–2.70).Conclusion:Sensory losses in late life pose a risk for suicidal ideation. Suicidality requires better assessment and intervention in this population.

scholarly journals Treatment Efficacy and Compliance in Patients with Diabetic Macular Edema Treated with Ranibizumab in a Real-Life Setting

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Laurence Best ◽  
Franck Fajnkuchen ◽  
Sylvia Nghiem-Buffet ◽  
Typhaine Grenet ◽  
Gabriel Quentel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Macular Edema ◽  
Diabetic Macular Edema ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Treatment Compliance ◽  
Age Related Macular Degeneration ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Real Life Setting ◽  
The Mean

Purpose. To assess real-life efficacy of ranibizumab and treatment compliance of patients with vision loss secondary to diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods. A retrospective study was conducted in DME patients treated with ranibizumab. Patients were monitored every 4 weeks for visual acuity (VA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) by SD-OCT. All patients received a loading dose of 3 monthly injections followed by retreatments on an as-needed basis. The primary endpoint was the change in VA at M12. Patient compliance to the follow-up and the correlation between the injection number and VA were also investigated. Compliance was compared to that of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) patients. Results. Seventy-two eyes of 55 consecutive DME patients were included. At baseline, the mean VA was 56.5 letters and CRT was 470 μm. At M12, the mean VA was 63.4 letters (p<0.0001), 31.1% of patients had a VA > 70 letters, the mean VA change was +6.9 letters, and the mean CRT was 361.9 μm (p=0.0001) after a mean number of 5.33 intravitreal injections. In patients who received ≥7 injections, the VA gain and final VA were significantly higher than in patients who received <7 injections. At M12, 25.45% of DME patients were lost to follow-up versus 16.8% of nAMD patients (n=55). Discussion/Conclusion. Our study confirms the real-life efficacy of ranibizumab in DME at M12 and the need for a large number of injections to achieve better visual outcomes. We also showed a trend to a lower compliance in diabetic versus nAMD patients.

scholarly journals Endoscopic surgery for patients with syndromic craniosynostosis and the requirement for additional open surgery

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Hersh ◽  
Julie E. Hoover-Fong ◽  
Natalie Beck ◽  
Amir H. Dorafshar ◽  
Edward S. Ahn
Keyword(s):  
Endoscopic Surgery ◽  
Open Surgery ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Endoscopic Repair ◽  
Syndromic Craniosynostosis ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Estimated Blood Loss ◽  
Helmet Therapy ◽  
The Brain

OBJECTIVERecent reports have described early endoscopic suturectomy as a treatment option for patients with syndromic craniosynostosis, but such patients often require subsequent calvarial remodeling. The authors describe their experience with this patient population and seek to identify predictors of sufficiency of endoscopic surgery alone.METHODSThe medical records of patients with syndromic craniosynostosis who underwent endoscopic repair were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic data, operative details, and follow-up data were collected.RESULTSA total of 6 patients with syndromic craniosynostosis underwent endoscopic surgery followed by helmet therapy during the study period. Of these, 3 patients were male. The involved syndromes included Crouzon, Pfeiffer, Jackson-Weiss, Muenke, Saethre-Chotzen, and craniosynostosis-3 (n = 1 each). The patients underwent endoscopic surgery at a median age of 2.1 months (range 0.9–4.1 months). The median estimated blood loss was 30 ml (range 20–100 ml), with 2 patients requiring a transfusion. The median length of stay in the hospital was 1.5 days (range 1–4 days), and the median follow-up was 29.0 months (range 16.8–81.7 months), with 1 patient (16.7%) requiring an open revision. Three patients (50%) were classified as Whitaker Category I at the last follow-up. The patients for whom additional open surgery was performed or recommended (Whitaker Category IV) were the oldest patients in the cohort, ranging from 2.6 to 4.1 months at the time of surgery.CONCLUSIONSThis series demonstrates that endoscopic surgery can be sufficient to treat syndromic craniosynostosis without subsequent open calvarial remodeling over a median follow-up period of at least 2 years. The findings suggest that younger age at the time of endoscopic surgery may be an important factor in determining the sufficiency of this procedure. Even among patients who require subsequent open calvarial remodeling, early endoscopic surgery may allow for growth and development of the brain and skull while delaying the need for open remodeling until the patient is older and can better tolerate the procedure.

Wards leaving care: Follow up five years on

2006 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 18-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy Cashmore ◽  
Marina Paxman
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
The United States ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Care Study ◽  
Better Than

Young people ‘ageing out of care’ have to manage multiple transitions – leaving ‘home’, moving into independent accommodation, leaving school and trying to find work or some other means of support, becoming financially independent, and often becoming parents - at a much younger age and with fewer resources and supports than other young people their age. This paper presents the findings of the fourth interview in the follow-up to the Longitudinal Study of Wards Leaving Care study in New South Wales, and focuses on three main questions. How were these young people faring 4–5 years after leaving care compared with other young people their age? How were they faring compared with their circumstances and outcomes 12 months after leaving care? What predicted better outcomes and not-so-good outcomes? While the pattern of low levels of educational attainment, and high rates of unemployment, mobility, homelessness, financial difficulty, loneliness and physical and mental health problems was consistent with that from other research in England, Ireland, Canada and the United States, some young people were faring quite well and much better than others. Understanding why is important in trying to support young people leaving care. The paper highlights some of the implications for policy and practice.

scholarly journals Diabetic Macular Edema Patients with Poor Baseline Visual Acuity Treated with Ranibizumab in Real Life and Optical Coherence Tomography Based Predictor Factors for Visual Outcomes

2018 ◽  
Vol 08 (02) ◽  
pp. 008-014
Author(s):  
Abdullah Ozkaya ◽  
Mehmet Ozveren ◽  
Okkes Baz ◽  
Hatice Nur Tarakcioglu ◽  
Korhan Fazil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Macular Edema ◽  
Diabetic Macular Edema ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Stable Vision ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Baseline Visual Acuity

Abstract Purpose: We aimed to evaluate the real life outcomes of ranibizumab in the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME) patients with a baseline visual acuity<0.05 in decimals. Methods: Newly diagnosed DME patients with a visual acuity ≤0.05, treated with ranibizumab monotherapy, and completed a follow-up time of 12 months were included retrospectively. Patients were evaluated in regards to change in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness, and the total visit and injection numbers. Results: A total of 24 eyes of 24 patients were included. Mean BCVA at baseline, month 3, 6, 9, and 12 was, 0.04±0.01, 0.12±0.12, 0.12±0.11, 0.17±0.19, and 0.21±0.21 (p<0.05 for all), respectively. One eye (4.2%) had VA loss of ≥3 lines, and six eyes (25.0%) had stable vision (loss of <3 line, or remained stable, or gained <1 lines), and 17 eyes (70.8%) had VA gain of ≥3 lines at month 12.The mean visit number at month 12 was 4.8±1 and the mean injection number was 4.0 ±1.4. Conclusion: Ranibizumab seemed to be effective in the treatment of DME patients with a low visual acuity in real life.

Longitudinal Changes in Individual BrainAGE in Healthy Aging, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Alzheimer’s Disease

GeroPsych ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 235-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Franke ◽  
Christian Gaser
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Additional Increase ◽  
Longitudinal Changes ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
The Brain

We recently proposed a novel method that aggregates the multidimensional aging pattern across the brain to a single value. This method proved to provide stable and reliable estimates of brain aging – even across different scanners. While investigating longitudinal changes in BrainAGE in about 400 elderly subjects, we discovered that patients with Alzheimer’s disease and subjects who had converted to AD within 3 years showed accelerated brain atrophy by +6 years at baseline. An additional increase in BrainAGE accumulated to a score of about +9 years during follow-up. Accelerated brain aging was related to prospective cognitive decline and disease severity. In conclusion, the BrainAGE framework indicates discrepancies in brain aging and could thus serve as an indicator for cognitive functioning in the future.

The “How” of Animacy Effects in Episodic Memory

2015 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 371-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Bonin ◽  
Margaux Gelin ◽  
Betty Laroche ◽  
Alain Méot ◽  
Aurélia Bugaiska
Keyword(s):  
Memory Load ◽  
Recall Performance ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Human Memory ◽  
Recall Rate ◽  
Interactive Imagery ◽  
Ultimate Explanation ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Observation Results

Abstract. Animates are better remembered than inanimates. According to the adaptive view of human memory ( Nairne, 2010 ; Nairne & Pandeirada, 2010a , 2010b ), this observation results from the fact that animates are more important for survival than inanimates. This ultimate explanation of animacy effects has to be complemented by proximate explanations. Moreover, animacy currently represents an uncontrolled word characteristic in most cognitive research ( VanArsdall, Nairne, Pandeirada, & Cogdill, 2015 ). In four studies, we therefore investigated the “how” of animacy effects. Study 1 revealed that words denoting animates were recalled better than those referring to inanimates in an intentional memory task. Study 2 revealed that adding a concurrent memory load when processing words for the animacy dimension did not impede the animacy effect on recall rates. Study 3A was an exact replication of Study 2 and Study 3B used a higher concurrent memory load. In these two follow-up studies, animacy effects on recall performance were again not altered by a concurrent memory load. Finally, Study 4 showed that using interactive imagery to encode animate and inanimate words did not alter the recall rate of animate words but did increase the recall of inanimate words. Taken together, the findings suggest that imagery processes contribute to these effects.

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