Working memory as a moderator of impulsivity and alcohol involvement: Testing the cognitive-motivational theory of alcohol use with prospective and working memory updating data

Research consistently shows that individuals high in impulsivity are at increased risk for excessive alcohol use and alcohol-related problems including alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Recent theorizing posits that working memory (WM) ability might moderate this association, but extant studies have suffered from methodological shortcomings, particularly mischaracterizing WM as a single, unitary construct and using only cross-sectional designs. This paper reports two studies that attempted to replicate and extend previous investigations of the relationship between WM, impulsivity, and alcohol involvement using two independent samples. Study 1 used a large (N = 489 at baseline), prospective cohort of college students at high and low risk for AUD to investigate interactions between WM capacity and impulsivity on cross-sectional and prospective alcohol involvement. Study 2 used a large (N = 420), cross-sectional sample of participants in an alcohol challenge study to investigate similar interactions between WM updating and impulsivity on recent alcohol involvement. Whereas Study 1 found that WM capacity moderates the relationship between some measures of impulsivity and alcohol involvement, with effects prospectively predicting alcohol involvement for up to three years, Study 2 did not find similar moderation effects when using measures of WM updating. These findings highlight the multifaceted nature of WM, which is often overlooked in the alcohol and impulsivity literature.     

From the Cover: The age-specific force of natural selection and biodemographic walls of death

W. D. Hamilton’s celebrated formula for the age-specific force of natural selection furnishes predictions for senescent mortality due to mutation accumulation, at the price of reliance on a linear approximation. Applying to Hamilton’s setting the full nonlinear demographic model for mutation accumulation recently developed by Evans, Steinsaltz, and Wachter, we find surprising differences. Nonlinear interactions cause the collapse of Hamilton-style predictions in the most commonly studied case, refine predictions in other cases, and allow walls of death at ages before the end of reproduction. Haldane’s principle for genetic load has an exact but unfamiliar generalization.     

Impact of general cognition and executive function deficits on addiction treatment outcomes: Systematic review and discussion of neurocognitive pathways

This systematic review aims to examine growing evidence linking cognitive-executive functions with addiction treatment outcomes, and to discuss significant cognitive predictors drawing upon addiction neuroscience theory. We conducted a systematic search to identify studies using measures of general cognition and executive functions in patients with substance use disorders for the purpose of predicting two treatment outcomes: therapeutic adherence and relapse. Forty-six studies were selected, and sample characteristics, timing of assessments, and cognitive measures were analyzed. We observed significant methodological differences across studies, resulting in substantial variability in the relationships between cognitive-executive domains and treatment outcomes. Notwithstanding this variability, we found evidence of associations, of medium effect size, between general cognition and treatment adherence, and between reward-based decision-making and relapse. The link between general cognition and treatment adherence is consistent with emerging evidence linking limited cognitive-executive resources with less ability to benefit from talk therapies. The link between reward-based decision-making and relapse accords with decision neuroscience models of addiction. Findings may inform preclinical and clinical research concerning addiction treatment mechanisms.     

Susceptibility to interference and intrusion errors in consequence of the dominant hemisphere’s hippocampal infarct: A case report

We present a case of a man with an ischemic lesion of the left hippocampus. Detailed neuropsychological assessment revealed susceptibility to retroactive interference and a tendency to make intrusion errors in addition to mild deficits in the verbal memory processes. Although retroactive interference and intrusion errors are normally considered to be the manifestations of frontal lobe dysfunctions, the idea of susceptibility to interference has recently begun to emerge in the literature, as an explanation of medial temporal lobe amnesia. Our data support this new theory, suggesting that one role of the hippocampus is to decrease the interference during the learning processes.     

Neuropsychological Assessment in a Case of Adult-Onset Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH)

We present a case of an individual diagnosed with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), an extremely rare and commonly fatal disorder characterized by rapid dysregulation of immune system processes. Typical age of onset is in childhood, with adult-onset occurring less frequently. The pathophysiology of this condition is characterized by a hyperinflammatory response with infiltration of visceral organs, lymph nodes, bone marrow, and the central nervous system. The clinical presentation has been documented in the extant medical literature. However, there appear to be no published reports of neuropsychological functioning in HLH patients. The patient we present here is a 28-year-old woman with 16 years of education who developed HLH subsequent to systemic lupus erythematosus flare-up. She was initially comatose for 3 weeks. Acute MRI reported multiple subcortical abnormalities, including the brainstem. The patient underwent chemotherapy, immunosuppresant, and steroid treatments. She underwent a neuropsychological evaluation at 2.5 and 7 months post initial presentation. Preliminary neuropsychological evaluation found impairments in motor abilities and aspects of executive functions. Subsequent evaluation showed improved executive function and relative sparing of higher-order cognitive abilities, but continued impairment on motor tests. To our knowledge this is the first study to report neuropsychological data for an adult diagnosed with HLH.     

Socioeconomic status and neural processing of a go/no-go task in preschoolers: An assessment of the P3b

While it is well established that lower socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with poorer executive functioning (EF), how SES relates to the neural processing of EF in childhood remains largely unexplored. We examined how household income and parent education related to amplitudes of the P3b, an event-related potential component, during one EF task. We assessed the P3b, indexing inhibition and attention allocation processes, given the importance of these skills for academic success. Children aged 4.5–5.5 years completed a go/no-task, which assesses inhibitory control and attention, while recording EEG. The P3b was assessed for both go trials (indexing sustained attention) and no-go trials (indexing inhibition processes). Higher household income was related to larger P3b amplitudes on both go and no-go trials. This was a highly educated sample, thus results indicate that P3b amplitudes are sensitive to household income even within the context of high parental education. Findings build on the behavioral literature and demonstrate that SES also has implications for the neural mechanisms underlying inhibition and attention processing in early childhood.     

Association between cognitive impairments and anxiety disorders following traumatic brain injury

This study examined the association between cognitive impairment and anxiety disorders following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Sixty-six participants recruited from a rehabilitation hospital completed the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM–IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fourth Edition) and cognitive tests at one year post injury. Prevalence of anxiety disorder was 27.3%. Logistic regression analyses revealed that the attention/working memory, information processing, and executive functions models were significantly associated with anxiety disorder. The memory model was not significant. Processing speed emerged as the strongest model associated with anxiety disorder. The role of cognitive impairment in the etiology of anxiety disorders after TBI is discussed, and treatment implications are explored.     

多种油脂肪乳剂对超未成熟儿肝功能影响

目的: 探讨多种油脂肪乳剂对超未成熟儿肝脏功能的影响。方法: 回顾分析2015年7月1日至2021年6月30日收治的胎龄＜28周、接受肠外静脉营养超过2周的超未成熟儿60例。根据应用脂肪乳剂种类不同,分为SMOF (多种油脂肪乳)组(n=30),和LCT (长链脂肪乳)组(n=30)。比较2组DBIL、ALT、γ-GT、TBA达峰值的指标及胃肠外营养相关性胆汁淤积(PNAC)发病率。结果: LCT组DBIL、ALT、γ-GT、TBA峰值均数分别为25.7(6.5~223)μmol·L^-1、(52.5±44.7) U·L^-1、(204.9±74.7) U·L^-1、(64.9±48.6)μmol·L^-1,SMOF组DBIL、ALT、γ-GT、TBA峰值均数分别为15.1(5.2~167.7)μmol·L^-1、(32.5±18.8) U·L^-1、(176.9±74.7) U·L^-1、(53.3±35.8)μmol·L^-1,其中2组DBIL、ALT峰值比较,P分别为0.026及0.034,差异均有统计学意义。2组γ-GT、TBA峰值比较差异无统计学意义。LCT组PNAC发生率为40%,SMOF组PNAC发生率为16.7%,2组比较差异有统计学意义(P=0.042)。结论: 与LCT比较,SMOF能减轻超未成熟儿DBIL、GOT、γ-GT、TBA的严重程度,并降低PNAC的发生率,对肝脏有一定的保护作用。     

Interaction between natural killer cells and regulatory T cells: perspectives for immunotherapy

Regulatory T (Treg) cells and natural killer (NK) cells are key players in the immune system. The interaction between these two cell types has been reported to be beneficial in healthy conditions such as pregnancy. However, in the case of certain pathologies such as autoimmune diseases and cancer this interaction can become detrimental, as Treg cells have been described to suppress NK cells and in particular to impair NK cell effector functions. This review aims to discuss the recent information on the interaction between Treg cells and NK cells under healthy and pathologic conditions, to describe the specific conditions in which this interaction takes place, the effect of Treg cells on hematopoietic stem cell differentiation and the consequences of this interaction on the optimization of immunotherapeutic protocols.