Search Results (8,317)

Background/Objectives: This study investigates specific neuropsychological functions—visuospatial working memory, attention, planning, and decision-making—among preschool-aged children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) compared to typically developing (TD) peers. The objective was to assess deficits in selective, sustained, and focused expressive attention, visuospatial and visual/verbal working memory, and decision-making abilities, and to examine their relationship with fundamental motor skills. Methods: A comparative study was conducted with Greek preschool-aged children using the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS) to evaluate cognitive processing (planning, attention, simultaneous processing) and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children—Second Edition (MABC-2) to assess motor skills. Results: Significant performance disparities were identified between DCD and TD children across attentional and planning domains, with notable cognitive–motor correlations. Discriminant function analyses revealed high classification accuracy (e.g., 73.9% for receptive attention, 79.5% for simultaneous processing), reinforcing the diagnostic value of targeted cognitive indices. Notably, approximately one-third of the children with DCD (17 out of 44) exhibited deficits in one or more cognitive domains. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of neuropsychological profiling in understanding DCD and suggest that targeted motor interventions may simultaneously enhance executive function. A strength-based, holistic assessment approach is recommended, supported by educator training and evidence-based therapeutic programming. Full article

Biometric authentication using human physiological and behavioral characteristics has been widely adopted, with speaker verification attracting attention due to its convenience and noncontact nature. Conventional speaker verification systems remain vulnerable to spoofing attacks, however, often requiring integration with separate spoofed speech detection models. In this work, the authors propose an emotion-dependent speaker verification system that integrates speaker characteristics with emotional speech characteristics, enhancing robustness against spoofed speech without relying on additional classification models. By comparing acoustic characteristics of emotions between registered and verification speech using pretrained models, the proposed method reduces the equal error rate compared to conventional speaker verification systems, achieving an average equal error rate of 1.13% for speaker verification and 17.7% for the anti-spoofing task. Researchers additionally conducted a user evaluation experiment to assess the usability of emotion-dependent speaker verification. The results indicate that although emotion-dependent authentication was initially cognitively stressful, participants adapted over time, and the burden was significantly reduced after three sessions. Among the tested emotions (anger, joy, sadness, and neutral), sadness proved most effective, with stable scores, a low error rate, and minimal user strain. These findings suggest that neutral speech is not always the optimal choice for speaker verification and that well-designed emotion-dependent authentication can offer a practical and robust security solution. Full article

Background/Objectives: Although COVID-19 may cause cognitive impairments for up to six months, the long-term effects of mild cases remain unclear. Given their high exposure and critical role in public health, assessing this impact on healthcare workers is essential. Aim: The present study aimed to examine the cognitive and emotional effects of mild COVID-19 in 92 healthcare workers one year after infection. Methods: In total, 50 had experienced mild COVID-19, while 42 had not been infected. Participants completed a neuropsychological assessment evaluating attention, memory, and executive functions, along with self-reported measures of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, occupational stress, and burnout. Results: No significant cognitive differences were observed between the groups. However, both exhibited moderate-to-severe psychological distress, with the COVID-19 group showing higher trait anxiety (p = 0.032). Emotional symptoms were significantly associated with neuropsychological performance—higher burnout (ρ from −0.20 to −0.28, p < 0.05) and stress (ρ from −0.25 to −0.33, p < 0.01) correlated with slower responses and more errors in tasks such as the D2 variation index, TESEN execution speed, Rey–Osterrieth Figure recall, and Digit Span forward span. Conclusions: These findings suggest no long-term cognitive impairment after mild COVID-19 but highlight the substantial emotional toll of the pandemic on healthcare workers. Future research should explore cognitive reserve as a protective factor. Full article

This study introduces the Human-AI Symbiotic Theory (HAIST), designed to guide authentic collaboration between human researchers and artificial intelligence in academic contexts, while pioneering a novel AI-assisted approach to theory validation that transforms educational research methodology. Addressing critical gaps in educational theory and advancing validation practices, this research employed a sequential three-phase mixed-methods approach: (1) systematic theoretical synthesis integrating five paradigmatic perspectives across learning theory, cognition, information processing, ethics, and AI domains; (2) development of an innovative validation framework combining three established theory-building approaches with groundbreaking AI-assisted content assessment protocols; and (3) comprehensive theory validation through both traditional multi-framework evaluation and novel AI-based content analysis demonstrating unprecedented convergent validity. This research contributes both a theoretically grounded framework for human-AI research collaboration and a transformative methodological innovation demonstrating how AI tools can systematically augment traditional expert-driven theory validation. HAIST provides the first comprehensive theoretical foundation designed explicitly for human-AI partnerships in scholarly research with applicability across disciplines, while the AI-assisted validation methodology offers a scalable, reliable model for theory development. Future research directions include empirical testing of HAIST principles in live research settings and broader application of the AI-assisted validation methodology to accelerate theory development across educational research and related disciplines. Full article

Background: Obesity is a complex disorder with both metabolic and neurocognitive consequences, including impairments in prefrontal cortex (PFC)-dependent learning and memory. Combination pharmacotherapy may offer a more effective approach for addressing obesity-induced cognitive deficits. Objective: This study evaluated the effects of 30-day co-administration of lorcaserin (5-HT₂C agonist) and betahistine (H₁ agonist/H₃ antagonist) in reversing cognitive deficits in a diet-induced obesity (DIO) rat model. Methods: Male Lewis rats were subjected to DIO and administered lorcaserin (2 mg/kg) and betahistine (5 mg/kg), either alone or in combination, via intraperitoneally implanted osmotic minipumps for 30 days. Y-maze, novel object recognition, and object-in-place (OIP) tests were used to assess cognitive functions. In vivo electrophysiological recordings were employed to examine effects of the combination treatment on ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopaminergic neuron activity. Results: Obese Western-diet-fed rats showed lower discrimination scores in the OIP task, a behavioral test that engages PFC functions, while their performance in the Y-maze and novel object recognition tasks was similar to that of non-obese Control-diet-fed rats. Combination treatment with lorcaserin and betahistine significantly improved the OIP scores of obese rats. However, the combination treatment did not reduce body weight or obesity-associated morphometrical parameters. Electrophysiological recordings revealed a reduction in the number of spontaneously active dopaminergic neurons in the VTA of obese rats. Lorcaserin and betahistine co-treatment significantly increased the number of spontaneously active dopaminergic neurons of obese animals. Conclusions: These results demonstrate the potential of combination lorcaserin–betahistine treatment to reverse obesity-related cognitive deficits, possibly through enhancement of mesocortical dopaminergic neuron activity. Full article

Emotion vocabulary is essential for recognising, expressing, and regulating emotions, playing a critical role in language proficiency and emotional competence. However, traditional vocabulary assessments have largely overlooked emotion-specific lexicons, limiting their ability to identify learners’ gaps in this area. Therefore, this study addresses this gap by developing and validating the Productive Emotion Vocabulary Size Test (PEVST), a tool designed to evaluate productive emotion vocabulary knowledge in ESL/EFL contexts. The PEVST incorporates low-, mid-, and high-frequency emotion words, assessed through context-rich vignettes, offering a comprehensive tool for measuring productive emotion vocabulary knowledge. The study recruited 156 adult participants with varying language proficiency levels. Findings revealed that word frequency significantly influenced production accuracy: higher frequency words were more easily retrieved, while lower frequency words often elicited higher frequency synonyms. Rasch analysis provided validity evidence for the test’s scoring, highlighting the effectiveness of a granular scoring system that considers nuanced responses. However, some limitations arose from misfitting items and the homogeneity of participants’ language proficiency, calling for further evidence with a more linguaculturally diverse target group and careful control for individual differences. Future iterations should address these challenges by incorporating cultural adaptations and accounting for individual differences. The PEVST offers a robust foundation for advancing emotion vocabulary assessment, deepening our understanding of the interplay between language, emotions, and cognition, and informing emotion-focused language pedagogy. Full article

Traditional culture plays a vital role in shaping national identity and emotional belonging, making it imperative to explore innovative strategies for its digital preservation and engagement. This study investigates how interaction design in cultural digital games influences users’ emotional experiences and cultural understanding. Centering on the Chinese intangible cultural heritage puppet manipulation, we developed an interactive cultural game with three modes: gesture-based interaction via Leap Motion, keyboard control, and passive video viewing. A multimodal evaluation framework was employed, integrating subjective questionnaires with physiological indicators, including Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS), infrared thermography (IRT), and electrodermal activity (EDA), to assess users’ emotional responses, immersion, and perception of cultural content. Results demonstrated that gesture-based interaction, which aligns closely with the embodied cultural behavior of puppet manipulation, significantly enhanced users’ emotional engagement and cultural comprehension compared to the other two modes. Moreover, fNIRS data revealed broader activation in brain regions associated with emotion regulation and cognitive control during gesture interaction. These findings underscore the importance of culturally congruent interaction design in enhancing user experience and emotional resonance in digital cultural applications. This study provides empirical evidence supporting the integration of cultural context into interaction strategies, offering valuable insights for the development of emotionally immersive systems for intangible cultural heritage preservation. Full article

Background: Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a promising biomarker of neuroaxonal injury, increasingly used to monitor neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Multiple analytical platforms are available for NfL quantification in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), but data on cross-platform consistency remain limited. Objective: This pilot study aimed to provide CSF NfL concentrations measured using Simoa and Lumipulse immunoassays in patients with biologically confirmed AD. Methods: Twenty-eight patients with cognitive impairment fulfilling the biological criteria for AD were enrolled. CSF NfL levels were measured using both Simoa and Lumipulse immunoassays. Statistical analyses assessed intra-individual agreement, correlation between platforms, and associations with cognitive status. Results: NfL concentrations measured with Simoa and Lumipulse showed a strong positive correlation between platforms (Spearman’s ρ = 0.965, p < 0.001), demonstrating excellent analytical concordance. Conclusions: In this pilot study, Simoa and Lumipulse yielded strongly correlated CSF NfL measurements, providing initial evidence of cross-platform consistency. However, these findings require confirmation in larger and diverse cohorts before definitive validation. Full article

Education for sustainability requires the integration of eco-social competences that encompass cognitive, affective, and behavioural dimensions to face today’s global challenges. This paper presents the development and initial validation of a multidimensional and adaptive assessment tool designed to assess these competences in early childhood education. Based on robust international frameworks and pedagogical models such as “CARE-KNOW-DO”, the instrument includes nine items that measure children’s environmental awareness, social responsibility, and ethical sense across three levels: knowledge, emotional engagement, and behaviour. The study involved a sample of 150 children aged 5–6 and showed that, while their knowledge was considerable, emotional engagement played a key mediating role in transforming awareness into action. These findings confirm the theoretical assumption that emotional resonance is essential to bridge the gap between knowledge and behaviour. The tool proposed provides educators with a reliable age-appropriate method to assess eco-social competences and promotes transformative learning practices from an early age onwards. This study addresses the urgent need for using empirical tools in the field and supports the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals through critical, participatory, and values-based education. Full article

Background/Objectives: Neurological disorders (ND) are a global health challenge, affecting millions and greatly reducing quality of life. Disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), schizophrenia, and depression often share overlapping symptoms, complicating diagnosis and treatment. Early detection is crucial for timely intervention; however, traditional diagnostic methods rely on subjective assessments and costly imaging, which are not universally accessible. Addressing these challenges, this study investigates the classification of multiple ND using electroencephalography (EEG) signals. Methods: Various feature extraction methods were employed, and the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (Lasso) algorithm was utilized for effective feature selection. Two-class (disease–disease and healthy control–disease), three-class (healthy control and two ND, as well as three ND), and four-class (healthy control and three ND) classifications were conducted using different machine learning algorithms with the selected features. An EEG dataset comprising 40 Alzheimer’s patients, 43 healthy controls, 42 schizophrenia patients, 28 MCI patients, and 28 depression patients served as the experimental benchmark. Results: The Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) classifier achieved the highest accuracy, distinguishing between healthy controls and Alzheimer’s with 100% accuracy and demonstrating strong performance in other comparisons. Multi-class classification reached 84.67% accuracy for distinguishing depression, MCI, and schizophrenia, while four-class classification achieved 57.89%, highlighting the complexity of differentiating among multiple ND. The frequent selection of frontal lobe channels across ND indicates their critical role in classification. Conclusions: This study contributes to the literature by emphasizing disease-to-disease classification over the traditional control-versus-patient framework, highlighting the potential for more effective diagnostic tools in clinical settings. Full article

Background/Objective: The use of immersive virtual reality (VR) for cognitive training in older adults has shown promising results in recent years. However, the number of well-designed studies remains limited, and variability in methodologies makes it difficult to draw generalizable conclusions. This systematic review aims to examine the effects of VR-based cognitive training in older adults, describe the technological characteristics of these interventions, identify current gaps in the literature, and suggest future research directions. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, a search was conducted across major databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, ProQuest, ACM, and Web of Science) from 2018 to 2025. The database search identified 156 studies, of which 12 met the inclusion criteria after screening and eligibility assessment. Across these studies, a total of 3202 older adult participants (aged 60 years or older) were included. Interventions varied in duration from 4 to 36 sessions, targeting domains such as memory, executive function, attention, and global cognition. Most interventions were based on cognitive training, with a few employing cognitive stimulation or cognitive rehabilitation approaches. Quality was assessed using the Effective Public Health Practice Project tool. Results: Most studies reported positive effects of VR interventions on cognitive domains such as attention, executive functions, and global cognition. Fewer studies showed improvements in memory. The majority used head-mounted displays connected to computers and custom-built software, often without public access. Sample sizes were generally small, and blinding procedures were often unclear. The average methodological quality was moderate. Conclusions: Immersive VR has potential as an effective tool for cognitive training in older adults. Future research should include larger randomized controlled trials, long-term follow-up, standardized intervention protocols, and the development of accessible software to enable replication and broader application in clinical and community settings. Full article

Background/Objectives: Anosognosia for hemiplegia (AHP) is a multifaceted syndrome in which stroke survivors fail to recognize motor impairments. Although AHP has significant clinical implications, rehabilitation strategies have remained fragmented and underexplored. This systematic review aimed to critically evaluate rehabilitation interventions for AHP published between 2006 and 2025, categorize intervention types, and assess clinical outcomes to inform future research and practice. Methods: A structured search was conducted in the PubMed and PsycINFO databases on 31 March 2025, using predefined keywords related to stroke, anosognosia, and rehabilitation. The eligible studies included randomized controlled trials, case–control studies, and case studies. Following title, abstract, and full-text screening, nine studies focusing on rehabilitation interventions for AHP were selected and analyzed. Results: The interventions reviewed included sensorimotor recalibration techniques, neuromodulatory approaches, error-based cognitive training, and self-observation in video replay strategies. Interventions emphasizing motor intention monitoring, error correction, and self-observation were more consistently associated with durable improvements in motor awareness than neglect-based spatial interventions were. However, many studies were limited by small sample sizes and a lack of standardized outcome measures. Assessment methodologies vary widely, highlighting the need for multidimensional theory-driven evaluation tools. Conclusions: Effective rehabilitation for AHP requires strategies targeting disrupted self-monitoring and agency mechanisms, rather than spatial realignment alone. The video self-observation and error-based learning paradigms show particular promise. Future research should focus on controlled trials, longitudinal tracking, and the integration of individualized, mechanism-specific rehabilitation models to optimize outcomes for stroke survivors with AHP. Full article

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia worldwide and is becoming one of the most morbid diseases of this century. Recently, ocular research in AD has gained significance, as the eye, due to its close relationship with the brain, can reflect the presence of neurological disorders. Several studies have reported alterations in various ocular structures in AD, ranging from tear fluid to the retina. These changes, particularly in the retina and the optic nerve, along with cerebral atrophy affecting visual brain areas, may lead to visual dysfunctions. This narrative review summarizes and critically examines current evidence on these impairments and explores their possible underlying mechanisms. A decrease in visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and color vision has been observed, primarily associated with retinal ganglion cell loss or damage. Furthermore, alterations in the visual field, ocular motility, and visual perception have been recorded, mainly resulting from cortical changes. These optical parameters frequently correlate with patients’ cognitive status. In conclusion, these findings highlight the importance of developing strategies to preserve visual function in these patients, helping to prevent further deterioration in their quality of life, and emphasize the potential of visual function assessment as a tool for diagnosis or predicting AD progression. Full article

Background/Objectives: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often display heightened sensitivity to simple auditory stimuli, but have difficulty discriminating and integrating multiple phonological features (segmental: consonants and vowels; suprasegmental: lexical tones) at the syllable level, which negatively impacts their communication. This study aims to investigate the neural basis of segmental, suprasegmental and combinatorial speech processing challenges in Mandarin-speaking children with ASD compared with typically developing (TD) peers. Methods: Thirty children with ASD and thirty TD peers will complete a multi-feature oddball paradigm to elicit auditory ERP during passive listening. Stimuli include syllables with single (e.g., vowel only), dual (e.g., vowel + tone), and triple (consonant + vowel + tone) phonological deviations. Neural responses will be analyzed using temporal principal component analysis (t-PCA) to isolate overlapping ERP components (early/late MMN), and representational similarity analysis (RSA) to assess group differences in neural representational structure across feature conditions. Expected Outcomes: We adopt a dual-framework approach to hypothesis generation. First, from a theory-driven perspective, we integrate three complementary models, Enhanced Perceptual Functioning (EPF), Weak Central Coherence (WCC), and the Neural Complexity Hypothesis (NCH), to account for auditory processing in ASD. Specifically, we hypothesize that ASD children will show enhanced or intact neural discriminatory responses to isolated segmental deviations (e.g., vowel), but attenuated or delayed responses to suprasegmental (e.g., tone) and multi-feature deviants, with the most severe disruptions occurring in complex, multi-feature conditions. Second, from an empirically grounded, data-driven perspective, we derive our central hypothesis directly from the mismatch negativity (MMN) literature, which suggests reduced MMN amplitudes (with the exception of vowel deviants) and prolonged latencies accompanied by a diminished left-hemisphere advantage across all speech feature types in ASD, with the most pronounced effects in complex, multi-feature conditions. Significance: By testing alternative hypotheses and predictions, this exploratory study will clarify the extent to which speech processing differences in ASD reflect cognitive biases (local vs. global, per EPF/WCC/NCH) versus speech-specific neurophysiological disruptions. Findings will advance our understanding of the sensory and integrative mechanisms underlying communication difficulties in ASD, particularly in tonal language contexts, and may inform the development of linguistically tailored interventions. Full article

Objectives: Chronic psychological stress among college students increases sensitivity to negative emotional stimuli. Emotion regulation, a critical coping mechanism, draws upon cognitive resources and may impair subsequent cognitive control. Physical exercise has been proposed as an effective intervention to enhance both emotional and cognitive functioning. This study investigated whether a 12-week structured exercise intervention could modulate emotion regulation outcomes and improve cognitive control in college students experiencing high psychological stress. Methods: Forty-seven college students, identified as highly stressed via the Chinese College Students Psychological Stress Scale, were randomly assigned to either an exercise group (n = 25) or a control group (n = 22). The exercise group participated in supervised rope-jumping sessions three times per week for 40 min, following ACSM guidelines, over 12 weeks. Before and after the intervention, participants completed tasks measuring two emotion regulation strategies—expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal—and tasks assessing cognitive control. Results: A significant group × time × strategy interaction emerged for subjective emotional valence: following the intervention, the exercise group reported attenuated negative valence under expressive suppression. For subjective arousal, post-intervention ratings decreased under suppression but increased under reappraisal in the exercise group, suggesting strategy-specific modulation by physical activity. Regarding cognitive control, electrophysiological measures revealed that the P3 component showed a significant interaction: the exercise group exhibited enhanced P3 amplitudes in congruent versus incongruent conditions after the intervention. Moreover, P3 interference scores were significantly reduced post-intervention in the exercise group compared to both its pre-intervention baseline and the control group. Conclusions: A 12-week aerobic exercise intervention enhanced emotion regulation outcomes and improved cognitive control under high psychological stress. These findings underscore the utility of physical exercise as a non-pharmacological approach to bolster cognitive–affective resilience in young adults. Full article