Search Results (6,669)

Background/Objectives: This article aims to investigate the multifaceted effects of alcohol on neurophysiopathological development from gestational stages through adult life and the consequent dynamic-relational challenges in individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). FASD, resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), is characterized by a range of neurological, cognitive, behavioral, and sometimes physical impairments. This article explores how alcohol and its toxic metabolites cross the placenta, inducing direct cellular toxicity and epigenetic alterations that disrupt critical neurodevelopmental processes such as neurogenesis and brain circuit formation. Clinically, individuals with FASD exhibit diverse deficits in executive functioning, learning, memory, social skills, and sensory-motor abilities, leading to significant lifelong disabilities. A central focus is the application of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) criteria to comprehensively frame these disabilities. The ICF’s biopsychosocial model allows for a multidimensional assessment of impairments in body functions and structures, limitations in activities, and restrictions in participation, while also considering the crucial role of environmental factors. Methods: PubMed and Semantic Scholar databases were searched for relevant papers published in English. Results: This article highlights the utility of the ICF in creating individualized functioning profiles to guide interventions and support services, addressing the limitations of traditional assessment methods. Conclusions: While the ICF framework offers a robust approach for understanding and managing FASD, further research is essential to develop and validate FASD-specific ICF-based assessment tools to enhance support and social participation for affected individuals. Full article

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most prevalent form of dementia, poses a critical global health challenge as its incidence rises with aging populations. Despite extensive research into its genetic and molecular underpinnings, effective therapeutic strategies remain limited. Growing evidence suggests that physical exercise may offer neuroprotective benefits, potentially mitigating AD progression through multifactorial mechanisms. This review synthesizes current findings on the interplay between aerobic exercise and AD pathophysiology, with a focus on amyloid-β (Aβ) metabolism, gene expression, and neuroinflammation. We explore how exercise influences Aβ clearance, modulates amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing, and impacts the activity of key enzymes such as secretases and neprilysin. Further, we highlight the gene–exercise crosstalk identified through transcriptomic data, particularly in the entorhinal cortex—an early site of Aβ deposition. Our analysis also discusses how exercise-induced modulation of molecular pathways—including mitochondrial function, oxidative stress responses, and neuroinflammatory cascades—may confer cognitive resilience. By integrating molecular, genetic, and systems biology data, this review underscores the potential of structured physical activity as a non-pharmacological intervention to delay or attenuate AD pathology. These insights support a precision medicine approach, which combines lifestyle interventions with molecular profiling, to improve prevention strategies and therapeutic outcomes in AD. Full article

This review examines the effects of oxidative stress on the aging process in canines, focusing on the role of antioxidants in the prevention of age-related diseases. Oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance between the production of free radicals and the body’s antioxidant defenses, resulting in damage to cell structures. Dogs, especially older animals, are particularly susceptible to such damage, which contributes to the development of cognitive impairment, chronic disease and a reduced quality of life. Antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, coenzyme Q₁₀ and polyphenols play an important role in neutralizing free radicals and mitigating oxidative damage. Various studies confirm that these antioxidants can improve overall health, slow cognitive decline and reduce the risk of diseases such as osteoarthritis, cancer and heart disease. The results suggest that an appropriate diet supplemented with antioxidants can significantly contribute to a better quality of life for dogs. However, given that some studies report limited or no effects, additional long-term clinical trials are warranted to validate the reproducibility and degree of presented benefits. Full article

Background/Objectives: Neuropsychological assessments are valuable tools for evaluating the cognitive performance of older adults. Limitations associated with these in-person paper-and-pencil tests have inspired efforts to develop digital assessments, which would expand access to cognitive screening. Digital tests, however, often lack validity relative to gold-standard paper-and-pencil versions that have been robustly validated. Speech-to-text (STT) technology has the potential to improve the validity of digital tests through its ability to capture verbal responses, yet the effect of its performance on standardized scores used for cognitive characterization is unknown. Methods: The present study evaluated the accuracy of Apple’s STT engine relative to ground-truth transcriptions (RQ1), as well as the effect of the engine’s transcription errors on resulting standardized scores (RQ2). Our study analyzed data from 223 older adults who completed a digital assessment on an iPad that used STT to transcribe and score task responses. These automated transcriptions were then compared against ground-truth transcriptions that were human-corrected via external recordings. Results: Results showed differences between STT and ground-truth transcriptions (RQ1). Nevertheless, these differences were not large enough to practically affect standardized measures of cognitive performance (RQ2). Conclusions: Our results demonstrate the practical utility of Apple’s STT engine for digital neuropsychological assessment and cognitive characterization. These findings support the possibility that speech-to-text, with its ability to capture and process verbal responses, will be a viable tool for increasing the validity of digital neuropsychological assessments. Full article

Background/Objectives: Despite the intent of most mothers to breastfeed their children, breast or nipple pain can be the reason for early cessation of breastfeeding. Current understanding about lactation-related pain revolves around mechanical or pathological causes, discounting the role of psychosocial factors which can influence management of pain. The Breastfeeding Pain Reasoning Model is a clinical reasoning tool developed to support those evaluating women’s lactation-related pain. We aimed to explore perspectives of breastfeeding women on lactation-associated pain and determine how they align with the Breastfeeding Pain Reasoning Model (BPRM). Methods: We conducted a qualitative descriptive study using phenomenological approach in Singapore. Eighteen women with recent breast and/or nipple pain during lactation underwent individual semi-structured interviews in 2022. Thematic analysis was performed. Results: Deductive analysis showed that lactation-associated pain was aligned with BPRM’s domains (i.e., local stimulation, external influences, and central modulation). Psychosocial factors likely influencing central processing of pain were not recognised by most of the participants. Participants described severe breastfeeding pain often accompanied by feelings of vulnerability, injustice, and uncertainty. Inductive analysis identified two additional themes of motivation and expectations. Conclusions: Greater awareness of the interplay between the broad influences on pain is needed. Using an interoceptive lens could help to illustrate how signals from the breast inform the brain, and how social, emotional, and cognitive factors influence the individuals’ perception of painful experiences. Educating breastfeeding women and healthcare personnel about the biopsychosocial nature of pain may empower women to better navigate the challenges of breastfeeding and improve breastfeeding outcomes. Full article

Action bias, the cognitive tendency to favor action over inaction regardless of its necessity, has been extensively studied across domains such as behavioral economics, organizational behavior, and policy development. However, its manifestation in educational contexts remains critically underexplored. In the digital age, with an abundance of both factual and misleading information, the persistence of action bias within education jeopardizes the cultivation of initial critical thinking capable of addressing multifaceted global challenges. The analysis indicates how institutional norms may foster a performative academic identity that conflates speed and compliance with intellectual competence. Through workshops conducted with university students ranging from undergraduate to PhD levels, participants were tasked with solving a practical yet ambiguous problem to highlight potential cognitive differences across educational stages. Despite prior training in critical thinking, participants consistently defaulted to immediate ideation, bypassing fundamental inquiries into the problem’s legitimacy or broader implications. Using a sensemaking approach, this study demonstrates that reflexive actions are not interpreted as merely cognitive shortcuts but behaviors shaped by educational systems prioritizing visible outputs over critical inquiry. The findings reveal how institutional norms foster a performative academic identity, conflating speed and compliance with intellectual competence. This research challenges traditional pedagogical models, advocating for educational reforms that emphasize assessing the process of learning. By situating action bias within the broader framework of active learning, this study offers actionable insights for educators, policy makers and researchers to foster critical innovative thinking, essential in an increasingly digital future. Full article

The influence of lighting color on food is a multidimensional process, linking visual interventions with people’s perception of food appearance, physiological responses, and psychological associations. This study, as a preliminary exploratory research, aims to initially investigate the effects of different lighting colors on food-induced consumer appetite and emotional perception. By measuring consumers’ physiological facial expression data, we verify whether the results are consistent with self-reported subjective evaluations. Questionnaires, Shapiro–Wilk tests, and one-sample t-tests were employed for data mining and cross-validation and combined with generalized facial expression recognition (GFER) technology to analyze participants’ emotional perceptions under various lighting colors. The results show that consumers displayed the most positive emotions and the highest appetite under 2700 K warm white light. Under this condition, the average intensity of participants’ “happy” emotion was 0.25 (SD = 0.12), indicating a clear positive emotional state. Eating willingness also reached its peak at 2700 K. In contrast, blue light-induced negative emotions and lower appetite. Among all lighting types, blue light evoked the strongest “sad” emotion (M = 0.39). This study provides a preliminary exploration of the theoretical framework regarding the relationship between food and consumer behavior, offering new perspectives for product marketing in the food industry and consumer food preference cognition. However, the generalizability of its conclusions still requires further verification in subsequent studies. Full article

Chronic pain (CP) represents a multidimensional condition in which cognitive and emotional factors shape the individual experience from perception to action. The purpose of this study was to characterize the functional significance of alterations in neural oscillatory dynamics underlying the transition from resting-state to cognitive load across distinct CP phenotypes. Continuous electroencephalographic data were acquired from patients with headache, migraine, and spine-related pain, as well as healthy controls, during rest and three visual–cognitive–motor (VCM) tasks: reaction time, working memory, and associative learning. First, within CP subgroups, we examined cognitive-load-related changes in oscillatory activity. In migraine patients, alpha/beta power attenuation induced during cognitive processing correlated with higher reported pain intensity. Relative to the spine-related pain group, migraine patients exhibited increased occipital alpha and gamma band activity during working memory and associative learning conditions, as a possible neurophysiological signature of cortical hyperexcitability. By comparing a subset of headache patients to healthy controls, we found elevated resting-state delta and gamma activity in the patient group. Under cognitive load conditions, headache patients showed higher power across delta, theta, beta, and gamma frequency bands. Delta and theta activity elicited during the working memory task correlated negatively with pain intensity. Our results demonstrate that the experience of chronic pain is accompanied by frequency-specific alterations in both resting and cognitive-associated oscillatory dynamics, reflecting impaired visual working-memory processing and top–down modulation of behaviorally relevant stimuli. Full article

This study examines how domain-general (processing speed and receptive vocabulary) and domain-specific (symbolic and non-symbolic comparison) cognitive skills contribute to early informal mathematical thinking in preschoolers. The aim was to assess the invariance of these predictive relationships across two sociocultural contexts: Chilean and Spanish samples. A total of 130 children participated, and structural equation modeling was used to estimate latent structures and test multigroup invariance. The results revealed a consistent latent structure across samples and a significant contribution of symbolic and non-symbolic comparison to early math performance, while processing speed and vocabulary showed context-specific variations. These findings indicate that although foundational mathematical competencies rely on common cognitive mechanisms, cultural and educational contexts modulate the strength of these associations. This study contributes to understanding the cognitive architecture underlying early numeracy and highlights the importance of culturally sensitive assessment and intervention strategies. Full article

Mind shaping is a concept in philosophy and cognitive science that explores how social and cultural interactions influence the development of individual minds. Rather than viewing cognition as a strictly internal or individual process, the literature on mind shaping emphasizes the profound role of external, interpersonal, and societal factors in shaping mental capacities, beliefs, and behaviors. In this paper, I bring the discussion of mind shaping to bear on discussions of mental state ascription to groups. Full article

Cognition is often modeled in terms of abstract reasoning and neural computation, yet a growing body of theoretical and experimental work suggests that the roots of cognition lie in fundamental embodied regulatory processes. This article presents a theory of cognition grounded in sensing, feeling, and affect—capacities that precede neural systems and are observable in even the simplest living organisms. Based on the info-computational framework, this entry outlines how cognition and proto-subjectivity co-emerge in biological systems. Embodied appraisal—the system’s ability to evaluate internal and external conditions in terms of valence (positive/negative; good/bad)—and the capacity to regulate accordingly are described as mutually constitutive processes observable at the cellular level. This concept reframes cognition not as abstract symbolic reasoning but as value-sensitive, embodied information dynamics resulting from self-regulating engagement with the environment that spans scales from unicellular organisms to complex animals. In this context, information is physically instantiated, and computation is the dynamic, self-modifying process by which organisms regulate and organize themselves. Cognition thus emerges from the dynamic coupling of sensing, internal evaluation, and adaptive morphological (material shape-based) activity. Grounded in findings from developmental biology, bioelectric signaling, morphological computation, and basal cognition, this account situates intelligence as an affect-driven regulatory capacity intrinsic to biological life. While focused on biological systems, this framework also offers conceptual insights for developing more adaptive and embodied forms of artificial intelligence. Future experiments with minimal living systems or synthetic agents may help operationalize and test the proposed mechanisms of proto-subjectivity and affect regulation. Full article

Background/Objectives: End-of-life (EoL) experiences are critically important for everyone involved, giving rise to a set of needs that extend far beyond bio-physiological aspects, to encompass the spiritual dimension as the core of human beings. Understanding the processes of spiritual awakening (SA) assists palliative care professionals in enhancing the quality of care provided to individuals with life-threatening illnesses, as well as to their families. SA is a fundamental occurrence linked to the fulfilment of our spiritual needs when facing an existential crisis, such as the proximity of death. However, its conceptual boundaries need to be clarified to provide qualified and humanized palliative care. Therefore, this study aims to identify the key attributes, antecedents, consequents, and empirical referents of SA at EoL, as well as to clarify the concept’s existing ambiguities. Methods: Walker and Avant’s eight-step concept analysis was used. A literature search was conducted in May 2025 across three databases (PubMed, CINAHL and Scopus). Results: Following the review, 21 articles were included for analysis. The concept analysis revealed four main attribute domains: (1) sensory–perceptual domain; (2) affective/cognitive domain; (3) relational domain; and (4) transcendental domain. Moreover, spiritual consciousness and the existential matrix were antecedents to this concept; revaluation of beliefs, finding spiritual serenity and inner freedom, fostering spiritual growth, and the desire to leave a legacy were its consequences. Conclusions: The concept of SA at the EoL reveals itself to be a complex and multifactorial phenomenon, with a profound impact on a person’s confrontation with finitude. Recognizing and integrating SA into palliative care allows for a more comprehensive understanding of human consciousness. To deal with SA experiences in healthcare settings, a multifaceted approach is needed. This encompasses acknowledging spirituality as a determinant of health, including spiritual care in standard practice, and offering education and training on spiritual care competence for healthcare practitioners. Further transdisciplinary research should be undertaken to explore SA phenomenological variations, guide clinical interventions, and evaluate SA impacts on spiritual well-being and spiritual growth. Full article

The rapid evolution of human–technology interaction necessitates continuous sensorimotor adaptation to new digital interfaces and tasks. Mobile typing, defined as text entry on smartphone touchscreens, offers a compelling example of this process, requiring users to adapt fine motor control and coordination to a constrained virtual environment. Aligned with the embodied cognition framework, understanding these digital sensorimotor experiences is crucial. A key theoretical question is whether these skills primarily involve adaptation of existing motor patterns or necessitate de novo learning, a distinction particularly relevant across generations with differing early sensorimotor experiences. This narrative review synthesizes current understanding of the sensorimotor aspects of smartphone engagement and typing skill evaluation methods. It examines touchscreen competence, skill acquisition, diverse strategies employed, and the influence of interface constraints on motor performance, while also detailing various sophisticated performance metrics and analyzing different data collection methodologies. Research highlights that analyzing typing behaviors and their underlying neural correlates increasingly serves as a potential source of behavioral biomarkers. However, while notable progress has been made, the field is still developing, requiring stronger methodological foundations and crucial standardization of metrics and protocols to fully capture and understand the dynamic sensorimotor processes involved in digital interactions. Nevertheless, mobile typing emerges as a compelling model for advancing our understanding of human sensorimotor learning and cognitive function, offering a rich, ecologically valid platform for investigating human-world interaction. Full article

This study evaluates the impact of Generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) algorithms on human decision making in complex problem-solving tasks. Rather than assessing the algorithms in isolation, we focus on how their use shapes three critical cognitive components of decision making: analytical thinking, creative thinking, and systems thinking. In an experimental setting, student participants were randomly assigned to solve management consulting cases either with or without access to an AI algorithm. Their solutions were evaluated using a structured rubric that captures sub-skills across the three cognitive dimensions. The results of this exploratory study reveal that AI-supported participants achieved stronger outcomes in logical reasoning, structuring, and problem definition, but showed weaknesses in novel idea generation, multidisciplinary integration, and critical rejection of unsupported conclusions. These findings highlight how algorithmic support influences the configuration of human cognitive processes in decision making. Full article

Background/Objectives: Understanding the relationship between metabolism and eating behavior may improve how we treat and prevent obesity. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a hormone secreted by the liver with a putative role in energy expenditure, energy intake, and weight regulation. In this secondary analysis, we studied how fasting FGF21 is correlated with eating behavior and decision making, as measured by the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) and the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), respectively. Methods: Participants (n = 98; women = 19; white = 31) were medically healthy, between 18 and 55 years of age, weight-stable 6 months before admission, and had normal glucose regulation. Women were premenopausal and not pregnant. Pearson partial correlations were determined, accounting for age, sex, and body fat percentage. A mediation analysis examining whether the association between hunger and IGT score was mediated by FGF21 values was performed using general linear models. Results: In partial correlations adjusted for age, sex, and body fat percentage, we found that fasting FGF21 concentrations were positively correlated with hunger susceptibility (sum of internal and external cues) (partial r = 0.26, p = 0.02) and internal hunger (partial r = 0.22, p = 0.04), disinhibition (partial r = 0.27, p = 0.01), and better decision making (higher IGT scores) (partial r = 0.40, p = 0.0001). We also found a correlation between hunger susceptibility and better decision making, including the same covariates (partial r = 0.25, p = 0.03). However, this correlation was mediated (36%) by fasting FGF21. Conclusions: In this study, participants with greater susceptibility to hunger cues had higher IGT scores (better decision making) in the setting of higher fasting FGF21 concentrations. This provides further evidence of the role of FGF21 in the interplay between eating behavior and decision making. Further studying this topic may improve our understanding of the complex relationship between assessing energy requirements and cognitive processes related to eating behavior. Full article