Memory specificity is linked to repetition effects in event-related potentials across the lifespan

The specificity with which past experiences can be remembered varies across the lifespan, possibly due to differences in how precisely information is encoded. Memory formation can be investigated through repetition effects, the common finding that neural activity is altered when stimuli are repeated. However, whether differences in this indirect measure of memory formation relate to lifespan differences in memory specificity has not yet been established. In the present study, we examined repetition effects in event-related potentials and their relation to recognition. During incidental encoding, children (aged 7–9 years), young adults (18–30 years), and older adults (65–76 years) viewed repeated object images from different categories. During subsequent recognition, we distinguished memory for the specific items versus the general categories. We identified repetition suppression in all age groups, and repetition enhancement for adults. Furthermore, individual item recognition performance comprising lure discrimination was positively associated with the magnitude of the neural repetition effects, which did not differ between groups, indicating common neural mechanisms of memory formation. Our findings demonstrate that neural repetition effects reflect the formation of highly specific memory representations and highlight their significance as a neural indicator of individual differences in episodic memory encoding across the lifespan.     

Topometric and Tomographic Evaluation of Subclinical Keratoconus

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To investigate the corneal topometric and tomographic findings that can be used in the diagnosis of subclinical keratoconus.     

Partial Youden index and its inferences

In medical diagnostic research, medical tests with continuous values are widely employed to distinguish between diseased and non-diseased subjects. The diagnostic accuracy of a medical test can be assessed by using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the test. To summarize the ROC curve and determine an optimal cut-off point for test results, the Youden index is commonly used. In particular, the Youden index is optimized over the entire range of values for sensitivity and specificity, which determine the ROC space. However in clinical practice, one may only be interested in the regions of the ROC curve that correspond to low false-positive rates or/and high sensitivities. In this paper, a new summary index for the ROC curve, called the “partial Youden index”, is defined on regions of the ROC space in which sensitivity/specificity values are of practical interest. The traditional Youden index is a special case of the partial Youden index. Various parametric and non-parametric interval estimation methods are proposed for the partial Youden index. Extensive simulation studies are conducted to evaluate the finite sample performances of the proposed methods. A real example is used to illustrate the application of the new methods.     

Validation of the UPDRS section IV for detection of motor fluctuations in Parkinson's disease

IntroductionThe UPDRS-IV represents the most common screening tool to assess motor fluctuations in patients with PD despite the lack of a clinimetric validation.ObjectivesWe evaluated sensitivity and specificity of UPDRS-IV using a 12-h waking-day motor assessment as the gold standard.MethodsWe consecutively enrolled PD patients who underwent a 12-h waking-day motor assessment in the study. Patients were clinically evaluated every 2 h for 12 h using the UPDRS-III. Motor scores were reported as a line graph and six blinded raters classified patients as having or not having motor fluctuations. The UPDRS-IV was used in order to assess the presence of predictable and unpredictable motor fluctuations according to items 36–38.ResultsSixty two PD patients were enrolled in the study. According to the raters' evaluations, 39 (62.9%) were classified as having motor fluctuations, while according to the UPDRS-IV 47 (75.8%) presented a motor fluctuation giving a sensitivity of 87.2% (95%CI 72.6–95.7) and a specificity of 43.5% (95%CI 23.2–65.5).ConclusionOur study results confirm the high level of sensitivity with a lower level of specificity of UPDRS-IV to screen motor fluctuations in PD patients.     

静息态功能磁共振成像功能连接特异性指数模型在评估健康老年人认知分数中的应用

与传统量表法和任务态功能磁共振成像(fMRI)相比,静息态功能磁共振(rfMRI)在认知功能检测上有很大优势(特别是针对老年人),但脑老化功能影像学标记尚在探索中。提出功能连接特异性指数模型,试图与健康壮年人对照,分析健康老年人脑功能特异性,寻求区分认知分数的功能影像学指标,探索其分类认知分数优差的可能性,为替代提供研究基础。实验数据来自98名健康老年人和90名健康壮年人,前者来源于葡萄牙健康老年人认知功能的队列研究,在rfMRI扫描前,在认知量表测试分数最优和最差中,分别选出55名和43名作为实验组;后者数据来自哈佛医学院GSP影像组学,年龄在18～35岁之间,在rfMRI扫描前的认知功能评价分数居中,作为对照组。首先,对rfMRI预处理后,计算每人全脑功能连接,构建以脑区为单位的功能连接特异性指数模型,分析老年人脑功能连接与壮年人的偏移程度,统计、对比获得对优、差分数敏感的标志性脑区;然后,以其特异性指数值形成特征向量;最后,应用概率神经网络(PNN)模型对优、差分数组进行分类和N折交叉验证以检验所建指数模型的分类能力。健康老年人脑功能连接特异性指数模型可定位于健康老年人认知分数敏感的标志性脑区,分别处于额叶、颞叶、顶叶中的5个脑区;以这些脑区的指数为特征向量,可有效地区分优、差认知分数,准确度可达81.7%。通过对评价指数的建模并联合机器学习方法,可为rfMRI评估健康老年人认知分数提供有效的评价指标和新方法。     

Ultrasonography to Measure Swallowing Muscle Mass and Quality in Older Patients With Sarcopenic Dysphagia

Background

Sarcopenic dysphagia is characterized by difficulty swallowing due to a loss of whole-body skeletal and swallowing muscle mass and function. However, no study has reported on swallowing muscle mass and quality in patients with sarcopenic dysphagia.