The aim of this paper was to test the thesis from media history that by transforming ways of presenting, transmitting, and receiving, technological innovations also transform individual consciousness - ways of apprehending, experiencing, remembering, recollecting, recognizing, and understanding. We attempted to do this with the aid of an empirical, cognitive approach. We were specifically interested in the higher cognitive processes of understanding and recollecting while reading select poetic texts on paper and on screen. We did not take a position on which way of reading is superior. We were interested in how the complementarity of the cognitive processes facilitated by the two reading media and the cognitive processes generated by the selected characteristics of texts, influence the "quality" of recollection and understanding. Among the most interesting results from the pilot study stage, which employs a kind of behavioral test on young subjects, was that poetry that depends on regular use (repetition) of rhyme or rhythm and meter in order to support understanding and recollecting processes is not better committed to memory than more freely structured (and less regular) poetry. Neither did results show statistically relevant differences between the two ways of reading, leading us to conclude that textual traits rather than presentation mode produce "quality" reading. We close with thoughts about the research project's limitations and describe its continuation.
COBISS.SI-ID: 64443746
The aim of the study was to describe the relationship between electroencephalographic (EEG) findings obtained by standardized visual analysis, subclinical white matter lesions (WML) and brain atrophy in a large memory clinic population. Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD, n=58), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n=141), subjective cognitive impairment (SCI, n=194) had clinical, MRI based WML severity and regional atrophy assessments, and routine resting EEG recording. Background activity (BA) and episodic and continuous abnormalities were assessed visually in EEG. WML (p=0.006) and atrophy in medial temporal regions (MTA) (p=(0.001) were associated with slower BA in all diagnoses. WML were associated in SCI with total episodic EEG abnormalities (p=0.03). EEG is associated with subclinical WML burden and cortical brain atrophy in a memory clinic population. Even the standard visually assessed EEG can complement a memory clinic diagnostic workup.
COBISS.SI-ID: 4030124
Human postural stability is commonly assessed by a set of posturographic tests during quiet upright standing. Numerous studies extend these tests with cognitive and mental tasks where various physiological and biomechanical sensors are used in combination with a force plate. The aim of our study is to determine whether psychological effects of sensor attachment and the awareness of the subject being measured could influence the posturographic tests performed using the force plate. A series of experiments were performed where 54 participants (14 women and 40 men) were subjected to different conditions. Measurement protocol was composed of combinations of conditions; performing posturographic tests with eyes open or eyes closed, with biomedical instrumentation sensors attached or not attached, being aware of the measurement or not being aware of it. The results indicate that the presence of biomedical instrumentation sensors and the awareness of being measured have a statistically significant impact on the centre of pressure path length and ellipse area as well as on the perceived difficulty of the task and its pleasantness. We conclude that the attachment of sensors on the body of the participants during biomechanical experiments significantly affects the perception of the experimental situation and alters the output of posturographic tests. It is therefore important to appropriately take into account the possible effects of psychological strain in the experimental design and in the interpretation of the results.
COBISS.SI-ID: 30009383
We aimed to determine the added value of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to clinical and imaging tests to predict progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to any type of dementia. The risk of progression to dementia was estimated using two logistic regression models based on 250 MCI participants: the first included standard clinical measures (demographic, clinical, and imaging test information) without CSF biomarkers, and the second included standard clinical measures with CSF biomarkers. Adding CSF improved predictive accuracy with 0.11 (scale from 0-1). Of all participants, 136 (54%) had a change in risk score of 0.10 or higher (which was considered clinically relevant), of whom in 101, it was in agreement with their dementia status at follow-up. An individual person's risk of progression from MCI to dementia can be improved by relying on CSF biomarkers in addition to recommended clinical and imaging tests for usual care.
COBISS.SI-ID: 3596716
The aim of this study was to describe the rate and clinical predictors of cognitive decline in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and compare the findings with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) patients. Longitudinal scores for the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in 1,290 patients (835 DLB, 198 PDD, and 257 AD) were available from 18 centers with up to three years longitudinal data. Linear mixed effects analyses with appropriate covariates were used to model MMSE decline over time. Several subgroup analyses were performed, defined by anti-dementia medication use, baseline MMSE score, and DLB core features. The mean annual decline in MMSE score was 2.1 points in DLB, compared to 1.6 in AD (p = 0.07 compared to DLB) and 1.8 in PDD (p = 0.19). Rates of decline were significantly higher in DLB compared to AD and PDD when baseline MMSE score was included as a covariate, and when only those DLB patients with an abnormal dopamine transporter SPECT scan were included. Decline was not predicted by sex, baseline MMSE score, or presence of specific DLB core features. The average annual decline in MMSE score in DLB is approximately two points. Although in the overall analyses there were no differences in the rate of decline between the three neurodegenerative disorders, there were indications of a more rapid decline in DLB than in AD and PDD. Further studies are needed to understand the predictors and mechanisms of cognitive decline in DLB.
COBISS.SI-ID: 3674284