Genetic Mechanisms Underlying the Evolution of Connectivity in the Human Cortex

One of the most salient features defining modern humans is our remarkable cognitive capacity, which is unrivaled by any other species. Although we still lack a complete understanding of how the human brain gives rise to these unique abilities, the past several decades have witnessed significant progress in uncovering some of the genetic, cellular, and molecular mechanisms shaping the development and function of the human brain. These features include an expansion of brain size and in particular cortical expansion, distinct physiological properties of human neurons, and modified synaptic development. Together they specify the human brain as a large primate brain with a unique underlying neuronal circuit architecture. Here, we review some of the known human-specific features of neuronal connectivity, and we outline how novel insights into the human genome led to the identification of human-specific genetic modifiers that played a role in the evolution of human brain development and function. Novel experimental paradigms are starting to provide a framework for understanding how the emergence of these human-specific genomic innovations shaped the structure and function of neuronal circuits in the human brain.

Investigating the cognitive capacity constraints of an ICU care team using a systems engineering approach

Background ICU operational conditions may contribute to cognitive overload and negatively impact on clinical decision making. We aimed to develop a quantitative model to investigate the association between the operational conditions and the quantity of medication orders as a measurable indicator of the multidisciplinary care team’s cognitive capacity. Methods The temporal data of patients at one medical ICU (MICU) of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN between February 2016 to March 2018 was used. This dataset includes a total of 4822 unique patients admitted to the MICU and a total of 6240 MICU admissions. Guided by the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety model, quantifiable measures attainable from electronic medical records were identified and a conceptual framework of distributed cognition in ICU was developed. Univariate piecewise Poisson regression models were built to investigate the relationship between system-level workload indicators, including patient census and patient characteristics (severity of illness, new admission, and mortality risk) and the quantity of medication orders, as the output of the care team’s decision making. Results Comparing the coefficients of different line segments obtained from the regression models using a generalized F-test, we identified that, when the ICU was more than 50% occupied (patient census > 18), the number of medication orders per patient per hour was significantly reduced (average = 0.74; standard deviation (SD) = 0.56 vs. average = 0.65; SD = 0.48; p < 0.001). The reduction was more pronounced (average = 0.81; SD = 0.59 vs. average = 0.63; SD = 0.47; p < 0.001), and the breakpoint shifted to a lower patient census (16 patients) when at a higher presence of severely-ill patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation during their stay, which might be encountered in an ICU treating patients with COVID-19. Conclusions Our model suggests that ICU operational factors, such as admission rates and patient severity of illness may impact the critical care team’s cognitive function and result in changes in the production of medication orders. The results of this analysis heighten the importance of increasing situational awareness of the care team to detect and react to changing circumstances in the ICU that may contribute to cognitive overload.

More Aspects of Aspects

Howard Lasnik elaborates on some of Anna Maria Di Sciullo’s points regarding Aspects of the Theory of Syntax—Noam Chomsky’s landmark text in the investigation of human language and cognitive capacity.

An evaluation of the question types used by criminal justice professionals with complainants in child sexual assault trials

The way that complainants of child sexual assault are questioned about their experiences can profoundly influence the accuracy, credibility, and consistency of their evidence. This is the case for all people, but especially children whose language, social, and cognitive capacity is still developing. In this study, we examined the questions used by a representative sample of Australian prosecutors, defense lawyers, and judges/magistrates to determine if this is an area that warrants improvement. Our focus was the type of questions used by the different professionals and how (if at all) these varied across complainant age groups (children, adolescents, and adults, total N = 63). Our findings revealed that each complainant group was questioned in a manner known to heighten misunderstanding and error (e.g., complex and leading questions were used frequently by all professional groups). There was also little indication of question adaption according to age (e.g., prosecutors asked children more complex questions than they asked adults). When the results are considered in the context of the broader literature on the impact of different question styles, they suggest that professional development in questioning would improve the quality of trial advocacy and judicial rulings.

From the concept of Independence to the questioning of its use in practice: scoping review

Background: Independence is a widely used concept by the most practical areas of health knowledge, being essential to know its real meaning for subsequent application. Method: Scoping review based on the recommended principles by Joanna Briggs Institute and by the conceptual analysis method from Walker and Avant. Careful research was realized in the databases: Scopus, CINAHL complete, and MEDLINE. Two independent reviewers evaluate the relevance of the articles' understudy, the extraction, and article synthesis.Results: One hundred and two articles were included, after the application of the inclusion criteria. The majority of the authors define independence as the physical capacity for self-care and for the realization of the daily activities. Other authors, confuse independence with autonomy, referring to independence as the cognitive capacity, financial capacity, social capacity, and decision capacity.Conclusions: Independence includes the ability to perform self-care and daily living activities. Introducción: La independencia es un concepto muy utilizado por las áreas más prácticas del conocimiento en salud, siendo fundamental conocer su significado real para su posterior aplicación.Método: Revisión de alcance basada em los princípios recomendados por el Instituto Joanna Briggs y por el método de análisis conceptual de Walker y Avant. Se realizó uma cuidadosa investigación en las bases de datos: Scopus, CINAHL complete y MEDLINE. Dos revisores independientes evalúan la relevancia de los artículos en estudio, la extracción y síntesis del artículo.Resultados: Se incluyeron ciento y dos de los artículos, luego de la aplicación de los criterios de inclusión. La mayoria de los autores definen la independencia como la capacidad física para el autocuidado y para la realización de las actividades diarias. Otros autores confunden independencia com autonomia, refiriéndose a la independencia como capacidad cognitiva, capacidade financiera, capacidad social y capacidad de decisión.Conclusiones: La independencia incluye la capacidad para realizar actividades de autocuidado y de la vida diaria. Antecedentes: Independência é um conceito amplamente utilizado pelas áreas mais práticas do conhecimento em saúde, sendo essencial conhecer o seu real significado para posterior aplicação. Método: Scoping review baseada nos princípios recomendados pela Joanna Briggs Institute e pelo método de análise conceitual de Walker e Avant. Uma pesquisa cuidados foi realizada nas bases de dados: Scopus, CINAHL complete, and MEDLINE. Dois revisores independentes avaliaram a relevância dos artigos em estudo, a extração e síntese dos artigos.Resultados: Cento e dois artigos foram incluídos, após a aplicação dos critérios de inclusão. A maioria dos autores define independência como a capacidade física para o autocuidado e para a realização das atividades de vida diárias. Outros autores confundem independência com autonomia, referindo-se à independência como a capacidade cognitiva, capacidade financeira, capacidade de sociabilizar e capacidade de decisão. Conclusions: Independência inclui a capacidade para o autocuidado e para as atividades de vida diária.

An Eye-Tracking Study on the Word Order Preference and the Effect of Phrasal Length in Korean

Objectives: Although Korean is a typical free word order language, when the same logical meaning is realized in several sentences with different word order, preference for the word order and the processibility of that sentence may vary. In this study, we investigated the word order preference on the instrumental adjunct and argument (direct object) of Korean when they were both short and when one of the two components was lengthened in the sentence using Eye-tracking technology. Additionally, the underlying cognitive mechanisms of the word order preference were discussed.Methods: Thirty-five college students were asked to read 24 sentences consisting of a condition in which both the adjunct and argument were short and one of them was lengthened, and their gaze was tracked.Results: When both components were short, the preferred word order was not confirmed. However, when one of the two components was lengthened, the canonical word order effect of putting the instrumental adjunct before the object argument and the LbS (Long before Short) effect of placing the lengthened components before the short ones were confirmed.Conclusion: The word order preference seems to reflect the strategy of keeping essential components close to the verb and minimizing the efficiency of integrated processing between critical components such as the head of an argument. However, the preference may vary depending on the burden of sentence processing or the level of the cognitive capacity of the processor. The timing at which word order preference is reflected may also vary depending on how strong the effect of the canonical order between two components is.

The Impact of Early Life Stress on the Genetic Influence on Brain and Cognitive Development in Children

Early life stress (ELS), such as abuse, neglect, and maltreatment, is a well-known risk factor for mental illness. However, it is unclear how ELS affects the brain and cognitive development. Identifying specific relationships of ELS with the genetic and brain-related underpinnings of cognitive development may reveal biological mechanisms responsible for the negative impact of ELS and those that lead to individual differences in sensitivity (or resilience) to ELS. In this study, to investigate the interlinked processes of cognitive development, we analyzed the multimodal data of DNA genotypes, brain imaging (MRI), and neuropsychological assessment (NIH Toolbox) outcomes of 4,276 children (ages 9 to 10 years, European ancestry) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. We estimated the genetic influence on cognitive capacity using genome-wide polygenic scores (GPSs). Our regression and mediation analyses revealed significant causal relationships for the gene-brain-cognition pathway: Brain structural development significantly mediated the genetic influence on cognitive development (partial mediation effect = 0.016, PFWE<0.001). Interestingly, within the triangular relationship, we found a significant moderation effect of abuse only on the gene-to-brain pathway (Index of Moderated Mediation = -0.007; 95% CI= -0.012 ~ -0.002; PFWE<0.05). These findings indicate the negative modulatory effects of ELS on the genetic influence on brain structural development that lead to disadvantageous neurocognitive development in prepubertal children.

Consumption, risk factors, and the impact of psychoactive substances in road transport by professional drivers: a review

Traffic accidents are a serious public health problem, especially in developing countries. Driving under the influence of psychoactive substances, such as illicit drugs, can significantly increase the risk of motor vehicle accidents. This fact potentiates the probability of serious traffic accidents occurring, making it necessary to combat them with seriousness and urgency. Many road traffic crashes are related to sleepiness and/or fatigue. In addition to long driving hours, important contributors to fatigue among professional drivers are insufficient night-time sleep and insufficient rest breaks. Research data on the topic show that several psychoactive drugs alter the motor and cognitive capacity of users, however, most of these studies pointed out such outcomes based on the prevalence of illicit drug use in professional hospitalized drivers. Despite the existence of laws against driving doped, the effectiveness of these laws in controlling the problem is questionable. For this research, the study was conducted to highlight and discuss, by a descriptive review, the consumption of psychoactive substances among professional drivers, and the role of working conditions in the prediction of such use. Data about drug use were obtained in this review aims to contribute for the development of preventive measures, especially public policies on the risks of driving while under the influence of psychoactive drugs.

Navigating Concepts in the Human Mind Unravels the Latent Geometry of Its Semantic Space

Mechanisms for retrieving basic knowledge in the human mind are still unknown. Exploration is usually represented by cognitive units, i.e., concepts, linked together by associative relationships forming semantic networks. However, understanding how humans navigate such networks remains elusive, because the underlying topology of concepts cannot be observed directly, and only functional representations are accessible. Here, we overcome those limitations and show that the hypothesis of an underlying, latent geometry characterizing the human mind is plausible. We characterize this geometry by means of adequate descriptors for exploring and navigating dynamics, demonstrating that they can capture the differences between healthy subjects and patients at different stages of dementia. Our results provide the first fundamental step to develop a new unifying conceptual and computational framework that can be used to support the assessment of neurodegenerative diseases from language and semantic memory retrieval tasks, as well as helping develop targeted nonpharmacological therapies to maintain residual cognitive capacity.

Changes in Brain Volume Resulting from Cognitive Intervention by Means of the Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment Program in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI): A Pilot Study

There is increasing interest in identifying biological and imaging markers for the early detection of neurocognitive decline. In addition, non-pharmacological strategies, including physical exercise and cognitive interventions, may be beneficial for those developing cognitive impairment. The Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment (FIE) Program is a cognitive intervention based on structural cognitive modifiability and the mediated learning experience (MLE) and aims to promote problem-solving strategies and metacognitive abilities. The FIE program uses a variety of instruments to enhance the cognitive capacity of the individual as a result of mediation. A specific version of the FIE program was developed for the cognitive enhancement of older adults, focusing on strengthening orientation skills, categorization skills, deductive reasoning, and memory. We performed a prospective interventional pilot observational study on older subjects with MCI who participated in 30 mediated FIE sessions (two sessions weekly for 15 weeks). Of the 23 subjects who completed the study, there was a significant improvement in memory on the NeuroTrax cognitive assessment battery. Complete sets of anatomical MRI data for voxel-based morphometry, taken at the beginning and the end of the study, were obtained from 16 participants (mean age 83.5 years). Voxel-based morphometry showed an interesting and unexpected increase in grey matter (GM) in the anterolateral occipital border and the middle cingulate cortex. These initial findings of our pilot study support the design of randomized trials to evaluate the effect of cognitive training using the FIE program on brain volumes and cognitive function.