Persistent Homology-Based Topological Analysis on the Gestalt Patterns during Human Brain Cognition Process

The neuropsychological characteristics inside the brain are still not sufficiently understood in previous Gestalt psychological analyses. In particular, the extraction and analysis of human brain consciousness information itself have not received enough attention for the time being. In this paper, we aim to investigate the features of EEG signals from different conscious thoughts. Specifically, we try to extract the physiologically meaningful features of the brain responding to different contours and shapes in images in Gestalt cognitive tests by combining persistent homology analysis with electroencephalogram (EEG). The experimental results show that more brain regions in the frontal lobe are involved when the subject perceives the random and disordered combination of images compared to the ordered Gestalt images. Meanwhile, the persistence entropy of EEG data evoked by random sequence diagram (RSD) is significantly different from that evoked by the ordered Gestalt (GST) images in several frequency bands, which indicate that the human cognition of the shape and contour of images can be separated to some extent through topological analysis. This implies the feasibility to digitize the neural signals while preserving the whole and local features of the original signals, which are further verified by our extensive experiments. In general, this paper evaluates and quantifies cognitively related neural correlates by persistent homology features of EEG signals, which provides an approach to realizing the digitization of neural signals. Preliminary verification of the analyzability of human consciousness signals provides reliable research ideas and directions for the realization of feature extraction and analysis of human brain consciousness cognition.

THE USE OF THE PHENOMENON OF SYNESTHESIA IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MNEMONIC TECHNIQUES BY STUDENTS

Рассматривается проблема разработки и апробации комплекса мнемотехнических приемов «Синестет» в рамках внедрения в образовательный процесс школ и вузов учебного курса «Основы мнемотехники». Проблема обучения мнемотехникам является актуальной для отечественной и зарубежной психолого-педагогической науки и образовательной практики, так как воспроизведение большого количества учебной (научной) информации требует использования ресурсов памяти обучающихся, а на фоне имеющегося дефицита специальных методик и техник запоминания данный процесс становится неэффективным. Теоретической основой исследования являются работы в области нейропсихологии, психофизиологии, нейропедагогики, нейродидактики. Особое внимание уделено изучению феномена синестезии. Результатом внедрения комплекса мнемотехнических приемов «Синестет» является развитие у обучающихся умения и готовности активизировать визуальную, аудиальную и кинестетическую память при восприятии, сохранении, переработке и воспроизведении учебной информации. Высокие результаты достигают обучающиеся, которые проявляют творческую активность и создают персональные системы более рациональной работы памяти на основе учета особенностей функционирования собственной модальности внутреннего опыта (репрезентативной системы). The article examines the problem of developing and testing the complex of mnemonic techniques «Synesthete» within the framework of introducing the training course «Fundamentals of mnemonics» into the educational process of schools and universities. The problem of teaching mnemonic technicians is relevant for domestic and foreign psychological and pedagogical science and educational practice, since the reproduction of a large amount of educational (scientific) information requires the use of students’ memory resources, and against the background of the existing shortage of special methods and techniques of memorization, this process becomes ineffective. The theoretical basis of the research is work in the field of neuropsychology, psychophysiology, neuropedagogy, neurodidactics. Particular attention is paid to the study of the phenomenon of synesthesia. The results of the use of this complex is the development of students – the ability and willingness to activate visual, auditory and kinesthetic memory in the perception, preservation, processing and reproduction of educational information. High results are achieved by students who are creative and create their own systems for more rational work of memory, based on taking into account their own neuropsychological characteristics – the modality of internal experience. The «Synesthete» complex complements and promotes the development of the main methods of mnemonics, such as: the method of associative connections; the method of «Places» for writing texts; eidotechnics; the method of memorizing numerical information and mathematical (chemical, physical) formulas, historical dates; the method of memorizing foreign words.

Childhood Antisocial Behavior: A Neurodevelopmental Problem

Early-onset disruptive, aggressive, and antisocial behavior is persistent, can become increasingly serious as children grow older, and is difficult to change. In 2007, our group proposed a theoretical model highlighting the interplay between neurobiological deficits and cognitive and emotional functioning as mediators of the link between genetic influences and early social adversity, on the one hand, and antisocial behavioral problems in childhood, on the other. In this article, we review the post-2007 evidence relevant to this model. We discuss research on genetics/epigenetics, stress/arousal regulation, and emotion and executive functioning in support of the argument that antisocial children, especially those who persist in engaging in antisocial behavior as they grow older, have a range of neuropsychological characteristics that are important in explaining individual differences in the severity and persistence of antisocial behavior. Current clinical practice tends not to acknowledge these individual neuropsychological risks factors or to target them for intervention. We argue that aggressive and disruptive behavior in childhood should be regarded as a neurodevelopmental problem and that intervening at the level of mediating neuropsychological processes represents a promising way forward in tackling these serious behavioral problems. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Psychology, Volume 73 is January 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Neuropsychological profile of entrepreneurs

PurposeBy analyzing variables from the fields of business and neuropsychology, this document examines alternative combinations of behavioral economics and neuropsychological characteristics that would explain a successful entrepreneurial profile.Design/methodology/approachThe research is based on information gathered through a survey of 1,080 entrepreneurs. The findings offer interesting perspectives for academics, professionals and government institutions, which illustrate various neuropsychological characteristics that a person must have to be a successful entrepreneur. The method consists of a novel perspective that integrates qualitative comparative analysis (QCAs), a method based on Boolean algebra that offers a study from a configurational perspective.FindingsFrom the mixture of configurations, the paper explores following possible traits of an entrepreneurial mindset: cognitive flexibility, risk-taking, decision-making and teamwork.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature on emerging attempts and approaches to understand the entrepreneurial mindset and the possible skillset that underpins successful entrepreneurship.

Frequencies and Neuropsychological Characteristics of Errors in the Clock Drawing Test

Background: Few studies have investigated associations between types of clock drawing test (CDT) errors and cognitive impairment. Objective: To explore associations of qualitative errors in the CDT with comprehensive neurocognitive assessment scores and clinical diagnosis. Methods: Outpatients at a memory clinic were enrolled. Frequencies of errors determined by Cahn’s method were explored according to cognitive status (cognitively normal [CN] (n = 279), mild cognitive impairment [MCI] (n = 321), and Alzheimer’s disease [AD]) (n = 575). Neuropsychological assessment scores were compared between participants with and without errors. Results: Stimulus-bound response (SB) was relatively rare (6.8%) in the CN group but was markedly more common in the MCI (23.4%) and AD (33.2%) groups. Conceptual deficit (CD) was found in more than 20%of CN individuals, as well as about 50%of AD patients. Planning deficit (PD) frequencies were relatively similar among the groups. SB in both of CN and MCI individuals, and CD in both of CN and MCI individuals were associated with lower scores in several neuropsychological assessments. Meanwhile, PD was not associated with lower assessment scores in any of CN, MCI, or AD individuals. Conclusion: The frequencies of SB and CD increased from CN, MCI, to AD but showed somewhat different patterns. Both SB and CD were associated with lower cognition in all three cognitive stages.

Wada test results contribute to the prediction of change in verbal learning and verbal memory function after temporal lobe epilepsy surgery

In recent years, the clinical usefulness of the Wada test (WT) has been debated among researchers in the field. Therefore, we aimed to assess its contribution to the prediction of change in verbal learning and verbal memory function after epilepsy surgery. Data from 56 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy who underwent WT and subsequent surgery were analyzed retrospectively. Additionally, a standard neuropsychological assessment evaluating attentional, learning and memory, visuospatial, language, and executive function was performed both before and 12 months after surgery. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were used to determine the incremental value of WT results over socio-demographic, clinical, and neuropsychological characteristics in predicting postsurgical change in patients’ verbal learning and verbal memory function. The incorporation of WT results significantly improved the prediction models of postsurgical change in verbal learning (∆R2 = 0.233, p = .032) and verbal memory function (∆R2 = 0.386, p = .005). Presurgical performance and WT scores accounted for 41.8% of the variance in postsurgical change in verbal learning function, and 51.1% of the variance in postsurgical change in verbal memory function. Our findings confirm that WT results are of significant incremental value for the prediction of postsurgical change in verbal learning and verbal memory function. Thus, the WT contributes to determining the risks of epilepsy surgery and, therefore, remains an important part of the presurgical work-up of selected patients with clear clinical indications.