Influência do uso de psicoativos na autopercepção da memória: análise durante a pandemia de SARS-CoV-2

O presente estudo teve como objetivo verificar a influência do uso de psicoativos na autopercepção da memória retrospectiva e prospectiva durante a pandemia de SARS-CoV-2. Trata-se de um estudo transversal, observacional e analítico conduzido em 2020 com a população brasileira. A pesquisa foi realizada por meio do preenchimento de questionários digitais contendo perguntas referentes a dados sociodemográficos, conhecimentos relacionados à pandemia, uso e frequência de substâncias psicoativas e o protocolo Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ-10). Os resultados foram analisados por estatística descritiva e pela regressão linear múltipla, com um nível de significância de 5%. Participaram 361 pessoas, sendo a maioria do gênero feminino, com ensino superior completo, que não pertenciam ao grupo de risco para a COVID-19 e que residiam com pessoas deste grupo. Quanto à frequência do uso de substâncias psicoativas, a maioria da amostra fez uso durante a pandemia de SARS-CoV-2 de forma esporádica. A frequência de uso de remédios com e sem prescrição foi capaz de prever a pontuação total do PRMQ-10, evidenciando que o uso de substâncias psicoativas utilizados interferiram na autopercepção da memória retrospectiva e prospectiva.

Subjective Cognitive Dysfunction in Patients with Dizziness and Vertigo

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Patients with vestibular disorders sometimes report cognitive difficulties, but there is no consensus about the type or degree of cognitive complaint. We therefore investigated subjective cognitive dysfunction in a well-defined sample of neuro-otology patients and used demographic factors and scores from a measure of depression, anxiety, and stress to control for potential confounding factors. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We asked 126 neuro-otology clinic outpatients whether they experienced difficulties with thinking, memory, or concentration as a result of dizziness or vertigo. They and 42 nonvertiginous control subjects also completed the Neuropsychological Vertigo Inventory (NVI, which measures cognitive, emotional, vision, and motor complaints), the Everyday Memory Questionnaire (EMQ), and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS). <b><i>Results:</i></b> In the initial interview questions, 60% of patients reported experiencing cognitive difficulties. Cognitive questionnaire scores were positively correlated with the overall DASS score and to a lesser extent with age and gender. Therefore, we compared patients and controls on the NVI and EMQ, using these mood and demographic variables as covariates. Linear regression analyses revealed that patients scored significantly worse on the total NVI, NVI cognitive composite, and 3 individual NVI cognition subscales (Attention, Space Perception, and Time Perception), but not the EMQ. Patients also scored significantly worse on the NVI Emotion and Motor subscales. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Patients with dizziness and vertigo reported high levels of cognitive dysfunction, affecting attention, perceptions of space and time. Although perceptions of cognitive dysfunction were correlated with emotional distress, they were significantly elevated in patients over and above the impact of depression, anxiety, or stress.

A Comparison of Memories of Fiction and Autobiographical Memories

People consume, remember, and discuss not only memories of lived experiences, but also events from works of fiction, such as books, movies, and television shows. We argue that these memories of fiction represent an important category of event memory, best understood within an autobiographical memory framework. How do fictional events yield psychological realities even when they are known to be invented? We explored this question in three studies by comparing the memory content, phenomenological qualities, and functional roles of naturally occurring personal memories to memories of fiction. In Studies 1 and 2, we characterized the subjective experience of memories of fiction by adapting established measures of autobiographical remembering, such as the Autobiographical Memory Questionnaire (Rubin et al., 2003), Centrality of Event Scale (Berntsen &amp; Rubin, 2006), and items from the Thinking About Life Experiences scale (Bluck et al., 2005; Pillemer et al., 2015). In Study 3, we investigated similarities and differences in personal memories and memories of fiction for events from childhood or the recent past. In doing so, we observed the impact of a unique property of memories of fiction: their ability to be repeatedly re-experienced in their original form. Taken together, we argue that memories of fiction can be considered similar to other forms of autobiographical remembering and describe a theoretical framework for understanding memories of fiction in the context of other event memories.

A Cross-sectional study on Metamemory in Primigravid Women of South Indian population

Introduction: Metamemory awareness refers to our feelings or experiences of our own memory. For example, if a person feels certain that he or she will remember later something just learned now, that person is having a metamemory experience. Metamemory is a subarea of metacognitions. Aim: The aim is to assess metamemory in primigravid individuals. Materials and methods: A study was conducted among 120 pregnant female of south Indian population. The participants were asked to complete a self-reported questionnaire on metamemory. It includes multifactorial memory questionnaire (MMQ), developed to assess separate dimensions of memory ratings that are applicable to clinical assessment and intervention, includes scales of Contentment, Ability, and Strategy. Results: Association between corresponding subscale scores and gestational period indicates a weak correlation for satisfaction (r = -.09), ability (r = -.12) and strategy (r = -.17). In addition, the MMQ subscales and the total score showed good internal consistency (αs = 0.81-0.89). Conclusion: The results would conclude metamemory components were found to be generally poorer in pregnancy particularly less in third trimester. These impact in pregnant female on quality of life and everyday functioning requires further investigation.

Everyday Memory in People with Down Syndrome

Although memory functions in people with Down Syndrome (DS) have been studied extensively, how well people with DS remember things about everyday life is not well understood. In the current study, 31 adolescents/young adults with DS and 26 with intellectual disabilities (ID) of mixed etiology (not DS) participated. They completed an everyday memory questionnaire about personal facts and recent events (e.g., school name, breakfast). They also completed a standard laboratory task of verbal long-term memory (LTM) where they recalled a list of unrelated words over trials. Results did not indicate impaired everyday memory, but impaired verbal LTM, in people with DS relative to people with mixed ID. Furthermore, the laboratory verbal LTM task predicted everyday memory for both groups after taking into account mental age equivalent. Our research showed both an independence and a connection between everyday memory and the standard laboratory memory task and has important research and clinical implications.

Using Virtual Reality to Assess and Promote Transfer of Memory Training in Older Adults With Memory Complaints: A Randomized Controlled Trial

In this proof-of-concept study, we assessed the potential for immersive virtual reality (VR) to measure transfer following strategic memory training, and whether efficacy and transfer are increased when training is complemented by practice in an immersive virtual environment. Forty older adults with subjective memory complaints were trained with the method of loci. They were randomized to either a condition where they practiced the strategy in VR (n = 20) or a control condition where they were familiarized with VR using a non-memory task (n = 20). Training efficacy was measured with word recall, and transfer of the training benefit was measured with a recall task completed in two VR tasks (primary outcomes) as well as a self-report memory questionnaire (secondary outcomes). Testing was administered before (PRE), midway (POST 3), and after (POST 6) training. Participants improved their scores on word recall. Regarding transfer measures, participants improved their performance in the two VR recall tasks but not on the self-report memory questionnaire. No significant group effect was observed. Improvement was found when comparing PRE to POST 3 with no further improvement at POST 6. Thus, strategic memory training improved the memory of seniors with memory complaints on word recall and a transfer task relying on a VR scenario that resembles real-life. However, no evidence supporting an increase in transfer effects was found when enriching training with VR memory exercises.

Autoavaliação da memória de jovens universitários

RESUMO Objetivo analisar a autoavaliação da memória de jovens universitários. Métodos trata-se de um estudo observacional, transversal, de caráter analítico, com abordagem quantitativa. Participaram 519 estudantes, matriculados regularmente em instituições de ensino superior, com média de idade de 22,9 anos (±5,5), sendo 408 mulheres e 111 homens. Os instrumentos utilizados foram o Questionário de Memória Prospectiva e Retrospectiva - QMPR (Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire - PRMQ-10) e um questionário com informações sociodemográficas e com queixas de memória relacionadas às atividades acadêmicas. Os dados foram analisados quantitativamente, de forma descritiva e inferencial, com uso do teste Qui-quadrado, considerando o valor de p<5%. Resultados os jovens universitários relataram dificuldades frequentes de memória, em especial na prospectiva e de curto prazo. Foi visto que 46,6% dos participantes apresentaram queixas de memória e 62,8% referiram acreditar que a rotina na universidade pode provocar aumento nas falhas de memória. Na autoavaliação, verificou-se que 47,7% mencionaram dificuldades na memória prospectiva e de curto prazo e, em relação à rotina acadêmica dos universitários, 46,4% relataram dificuldades na memória retrospectiva. Conclusão há associação entre a presença de queixa e os dados da autoavaliação da memória.

Prospective memory in students with learning disabilities

Introduction. The importance of memory is not restricted to remembering the knowledge and experiences of the past retrospective memory (RM), but also to remember what an individual must accomplish in the future prospective memory (PM). Objectives. The aim of this study was to identify RM and PM levels in students with learning disabilities (LD) according to some variables (gender, grade) and to identify the differences between the two types of memories. Methods. The study followed the comparative descriptive statistics. The study sample consisted of 37 male and female students with LD in middle school. The Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) was used in this study. Results. The results include the following: a statistically significant decrease from the average in PM and RM levels in students with LD, the existence of statistically significant differences between PM and RM in students with LD for the RM, the presence of statistically significant differences in the PM and RM according to the gender variable for females, and the presence of statistically significant differences in PM and RM according to the grade variable for the third grade of middle school. Conclusion. Students with LD may suffer from a decrease in their capacity to remember in the future, which causes many difficulties in daily life. We guide teachers to use external AIDS for students with LD (such as writing notes) to help students remember performing their tasks.