Preliminary comparative study of cortical thickness in HIV-infected patients with and without working memory deficit

Purpose Changes in cerebral cortical regions occur in HIV-infected patients, even in those with mild neurocognitive disorders. Working memory / attention is one of the most affected cognitive domain in these patients, worsening their quality of life. Our objective was to assess whether cortical thickness differs between HIV-infected patients with and without working memory deficit. Methods Forty-one adult HIV-infected patients with and without working memory deficit were imaged on a 1.5 T scanner. Working memory deficit was classified by composite Z scores for performance on the Digits and Letter-Number Sequencing subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (third edition; WAIS-III). Cortical thickness was determined using FreeSurfer software. Differences in mean cortical thickness between groups, corrected for multiple comparisons using Monte-Carlo simulation, were examined using the query design estimate contrast tool of the FreeSurfer software. Results Greater cortical thickness in left pars opercularis of the inferior frontal gyrus, and rostral and caudal portions of the left middle frontal gyrus (cluster 1; p = .004), and left superior frontal gyrus (cluster 2; p = .004) was observed in HIV-infected patients with working memory deficit compared with those without such deficit. Negative correlations were found between WAIS-III–based Z scores and cortical thickness in the two clusters (cluster 1: ρ = –0.59; cluster 2: ρ = –0.47). Conclusion HIV-infected patients with working memory deficit have regions of greater thickness in the left frontal cortices compared with those without such deficit, which may reflect increased synaptic contacts and/or an inflammatory response related to the damage caused by HIV infection.

Narcissistic Traits and Executive Functions

Several personality disorders have been associated with cognitive impairment, including executive functions like working memory. Yet, it is unclear whether subclinical expression in non-clinical persons is associated with cognitive functioning. Recent studies indicate that non-clinical subjects might, in fact, perform better with increasing moderate to mild expressions of narcissistic features. We tested working memory performance in a cohort of n=70 psychiatrically and neurologically healthy subjects using Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS/WIE) subtests Arithmetic, Digit Span and Letter-Number Sequencing, and assessed narcissistic features using three different inventories: the widely used Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), as well as two clinically used measures of narcissistic traits and states, respectively, derived from schema-focused therapy, i.e., the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ) entitlement/grandiosity subscale and the Schema Mode Inventory (SMI) self-aggrandizer subscale. In accordance with our hypothesis, we found nominally significant positive correlations of WIE Arithmetic performance with NPI total score (Spearman’s rho=0.208; p=0.043) and SMI self-aggrandizer scale (Spearman’s rho=0.231; p=0.027), but findings did not survive false discovery rate (FDR) adjustment for multiple comparisons (pFDR=0.189 and pFDR=0.243, respectively). While our findings add to recent studies on cognitive performance in subclinical narcissism, they fail to demonstrate an association of cognitive performance with narcissistic traits across multiple working memory tests, indicating the need for additional study, including complementary executive functions in larger cohorts and ranges of phenotype expression.

The Comparison Between Neuropsychological Features of Psychogenic Non-epileptic Seizures and Epileptic Seizures

Background: Both epileptic seizures (ES) and psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are often associated with some degree of cognitive impairment. Video electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring is the gold standard for diagnosing PNES. This diagnostic procedure is costly and available in specific tertiary centers. Neuropsychological assessment can provide clues for the differential diagnosis of PNES and ES and help clarify the nature and etiology of these two disorders. Objectives: Therefore, this study aimed to compare the neuropsychological profiles of PNES and ES patients. Methods: In this analytical cross-sectional study, 30 patients with ES and 31 patients with PNES were compared by neuropsychiatric tests, such as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence scale (WAIS), Addenbrooke’s Cognitive examination (ACE), and California Verbal Learning test (CVLT). Results: There was a female predominance in the PNES group (female-to-male ratio = 4.16/1, P = 0.003). In the PNES group, 77.4% of the patients had a psychiatric disorder versus 66.7% of the patients in the ES group; however, the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.34). The mean score of total intelligence was higher in the PNES group (84.77 ± 16.94), compared to the ES group (83.63 ± 10.04); however, the difference was not significant (P = 0.75). Based on the mean subscale scores, the digit symbol score (WAIS-IV subscale) and memory score (ACE subscale) were significantly higher in the PNES group compared to the ES group (P = 0.037 and 0.032, respectively). Conclusions: This study showed that neuropsychological assessments might not differentiate ES from non-epileptic seizures.

Interpreting Cross-Cultural Bias in Psychological Assessments: An Empirical Example

Cockcroft et al. (2015) fit a multigroup confirmatory factor model to Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III (WAIS-III) data from South Africa and the United Kingdom. They found evidence for measurement bias and suggested that bias was greatest in those subtests of the WAIS-III that showcased the largest mean group differences. They went on to state that the "[i]dentification of tests that do not favor individuals from Eurocentric and favorable SES circumstances with advantaged educational backgrounds is valuable in providing direction for the development of culture fair tests", in effect suggesting that the results confirmed the test was biased towards culturally European groups. However, a reanalysis that included estimation of the effect sizes and directions of bias showed that, far from their conclusions, bias operated in different directions, but primarily in favor of the lower-scoring South African population examined in their study. The need for greater qualification in measurement invariance testing is shown and recommended.

Token ekonomi sebagai perlakuan menurunkan perilaku hiperaktif pada anak dengan attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a behavior that can affect the others. In this case, the subject cannot sit quietly, running around, talk endlessly, cannot be queued, not focus and the pronunciation is not clear. Based on the problems experienced by the subject of today’s most troubling is hyperactive behavior, the subject is not able to sit quietly and often running around. It is reported by parents and the class teacher. Assessment methodswere interviews, observation and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. The intervention given to overcome these problems was token economy. The results of the intervention showed that the behavior of a hyperactive form of cannot sit quietly and often running around can be reduced.

Meningkatkan keterampilan sosial pasien skizofrenia katatonik melalui social skill training

Social interaction in people with schizophrenia is a serious problem, because if it is not treated it will make the situation worse. This case study aims to improve social skills in people with schizophrenia using Social Skills Training. Psychological assessment using interviews, observation, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), Graphic Test, and Sack’s Sentence Completion Test (SSCT). The subject is 18 year old male. The results of the intervention showchanges in the form of being able to say hello, introduce yourself first, interact with people around, and the subject is no longer in the room often.

Schedulling activity untuk meningkatkan aktivitas sehari-hari penderita skizofrenia

People with schizophrenia bring up positive and negative symptoms, among these symptoms cause sufferers to have no interest in one particular activity. This study aims to increase the activity of people with schizophrenia. The assessment methods used are interviews, observation, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), Graphics and Wartegg Test. To deal with these problems, Scheduling Activity Method isused. The results obtained are the subject’s activity in leisure time increases so that daydreaming and hallucinating activities are reduced.

A-195 Reliability of Scores Obtained on the WAIS-IV and WISC-V in a Largely Pacific Islander Sample

Objective With the emergence of Covid-19, the field of assessment had to adapt immediately to telehealth administration without the typical rigorous standardization procedures neuropsychologists are accustomed to. This study will provide some support for reliability of scores obtained on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV) and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-V) utilizing telehealth in a largely Pacific Islander sample. Method Participants were all individuals who had completed a psychological evaluation with the principal author in either a community health care clinic or a nearby independent assessment practice. Testing had to have taken place a minimum to one year prior and participant’s had to be within the age range to repeat the same test that was previously administered. Thus far, there are 16 total participants. Results Paired samples t-tests indicated that there were no significant differences between the Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI), Fluid Reasoning Index (FRI), and Working Memory Index (WMI) on the WISC-V for those administered in person and through telehealth VCI (t(4) = 2.08, p = 0.106) FRI (t(4) = −0.86, p = 0.439); and WMI (t(3) = −0.104, p = 0.924). Findings were similar for the WAIS-IV with non-significant scores on the VCI (t(5) = −0.1.3, p = 0.903) or WMI (t(5) = −0.1.3, p = 0.903). Conclusion Although telehealth is not the gold-standard for psychological assessment, telehealth administration can provide reliable scores and important information for diagnostic clarity. As such, telehealth administration remains a valuable tool for psychologists to generate diagnoses and provide recommendations for treatment.