Met de vergrijzing van de bevolking groeit ook het belang van een vroege en nauwkeurige diagnose van neurodegeneratieve aandoeningen zoals de ziekte van Alzheimer (AD). Dit onderzoek richt zich...Show moreMet de vergrijzing van de bevolking groeit ook het belang van een vroege en nauwkeurige diagnose van neurodegeneratieve aandoeningen zoals de ziekte van Alzheimer (AD). Dit onderzoek richt zich specifiek op het verkennen van de verschillen tussen twee vormen van AD, namelijk Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease (EOAD) en Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease (LOAD), met als doel het verbeteren van classificatiemodellen. We hebben vier classificatiemodellen ontworpen, elk gericht op specifieke hersengebieden die mogelijk atrofie vertonen, met Model 1 en 2 gericht op respectievelijk LOAD en EOAD, Model 3 als een gecombineerd model en Model 4 dat de algehele hersenatrofie omvat. Deze modellen zijn geanalyseerd aan de hand van Area Under the Curve (AUC) en zijn ontwikkeld met behulp van logistische regressie en LASSO om de meest relevante variabelen te selecteren. Onze bevindingen suggereren dat EOAD en LOAD verschillende neuropathologische patronen vertonen, waarbij EOAD mogelijk wordt gekenmerkt door specifiekere neuropathogenese patronen, terwijl LOAD meer uniforme hersenveranderingen vertoont. Model 3, dat specifieke hersengebieden combineerde, presteerde het beste bij het classificeren van beide groepen, terwijl Model 4, dat alle hersengebieden omvatte, een lagere classificatie-accuratesse vertoonde voor EOAD. Deze resultaten benadrukken dat AD patiënten geen homogene groep zijn en benadrukken het belang van gedifferentieerde diagnostische benaderingen om rekening te houden met de heterogeniteit binnen deze aandoening.Show less
Prosocial behavior, defined as any action taken to benefit another, has maintained persistent interest in regarding its intricate relationship with loneliness and apathy. Loneliness, conceptualized...Show moreProsocial behavior, defined as any action taken to benefit another, has maintained persistent interest in regarding its intricate relationship with loneliness and apathy. Loneliness, conceptualized as a subjective feeling of social isolation is often found comorbid with apathy; one’s reduced motivation to put in effort for others’ benefit relative to one’s own benefit. Although all three variables demonstrate a relationship to one another, research remains scarce regarding their shared impact. However, findings show a positive influence of prosocial behaviors on social connections, consequently decreasing experiences of isolation as well as apathy. This investigation aims to uncover the potential mediating effect of prosocial behavior on the bidirectional relationship of loneliness and apathy. To fill the gap in the literature, assessing both models helps highlight intervention approaches aiming to effectively break the cycle – ultimately improving well-being. Higher levels of loneliness are expected to indicate higher levels of apathy, whereas prosocial behaviors may mediate and limit the negative affect. Ultimately, it is also expected higher levels of apathy lead to higher levels of loneliness, with prosocial behavior possibly mitigating this negative affect. 287 participants underwent a behavioral task assessing their prosocial tendencies, as well as questionnaires measuring their level of loneliness and apathy. Both mediation analyses revealed a significant total effect between the variables. This was indicative of a negligible mediating role of prosocial acts. These results underline the specific gaps left for future research, ranging from exploring the nuanced relationships and contextual factors involved affecting the constructs over time.Show less
Research suggests a prominent relationship between self-esteem and social evaluation, such that individuals with low self-esteem may show biased perceptions of social evaluation. This study...Show moreResearch suggests a prominent relationship between self-esteem and social evaluation, such that individuals with low self-esteem may show biased perceptions of social evaluation. This study examines interactions between self-esteem, attachment styles, and neural sensitivity to social feedback using electroencephalography (EEG). The focus was on the Feedback-Related Negativity (FRN) component, indicative of neural sensitivity to expectancy violations in social feedback. It was hypothesized that low self-esteem would predict greater FRN during the SELF-Profile task, with insecure attachment styles adding to the variance of this relationship. Individuals with insecure attachment styles were also predicted to underestimate proportions of acceptance feedback received during the task, with low self-esteem and an insecure attachment predicting a lower proportion of expected acceptance feedback. Eighty adolescents aged 12-to-18 years (60 females, 20 males) participated in this study. Participants completed the SELF-Profile task, involving receiving probabilistic feedback from peers on social-media-like profiles, mimicking real-word scenarios of social feedback and potential uncertainties around these interactions. Participants indicated their perception of the interaction, reporting percentages of perceived social acceptance from peers. EEG recordings were conducted throughout this task. Results demonstrated that participants with low self-esteem exhibited heightened FRN amplitudes in response to positive incongruent feedback, suggesting increased sensitivity to unexpected positive social feedback. Moreover, individuals with insecure attachment styles show trends of amplified neural reactivity to social feedback which was visible in FRN outputs. Regression analyses additionally found significant correlations between self-esteem, attachment style and overall expectation of social feedback (positive and negative), with self-esteem explaining most of the variance. These findings elucidate neural mechanisms underlying feedback processing in relation to self-esteem and attachment, suggesting that low self-esteem and insecure attachment styles influence our social feedback sensitivity and expectation. Results provide insights for clinical practice suggesting the importance of improving self-esteem when working on client difficulties in social settings through positive feedback reinforcement.Show less
Steun die vanuit ouders wordt ontvangen blijkt uit onderzoek negatief samen te hangen met depressie symptomen in adolescenten. Uit onderzoek blijkt daarnaast dat adolescenten die lage steun vanuit...Show moreSteun die vanuit ouders wordt ontvangen blijkt uit onderzoek negatief samen te hangen met depressie symptomen in adolescenten. Uit onderzoek blijkt daarnaast dat adolescenten die lage steun vanuit ouders, maar hoge steun vanuit vrienden ontvangen, meer depressie symptomen laten zien dan adolescenten die vanuit beide groepen lage steun ontvangen. In dit cross-sectionele onderzoek is gekeken of dit effect ook te vinden is in een gedeeltelijk klinische steekproef. Gezonde (N = 80) en depressieve adolescenten (N = 35) voerden een gesprek met hun ouders over een emotionele gebeurtenis. Hierna werd de steun vanuit de ouders tijdens het gesprek beoordeeld door de adolescenten. Deze steun vanuit ouders was negatief gecorreleerd met depressie symptomen bij de adolescenten. Steun vanuit vrienden bleek deze negatieve relatie niet significant te beïnvloeden. Er zal meer onderzoek gedaan moeten worden in welke context steun vanuit vrienden wel of niet deze relatie tussen steun vanuit ouders en depressie beïnvloedt.Show less
Pediatric oncology patients with tumors outside their central nervous system may be at risk for neuropsychological impairments, such as executive dysfunctions, which can manifest shortly after...Show morePediatric oncology patients with tumors outside their central nervous system may be at risk for neuropsychological impairments, such as executive dysfunctions, which can manifest shortly after diagnosis. Oncology treatments can induce peripheral neuropathy, characterized by damaged nerves, which can result in sensory and motor complaints. Previously, peripheral neuropathy has been associated with cognitive impairments, including executive dysfunctions. Understanding the progression of executive dysfunctions and identifying associated risk factors, such as neuropathy, is crucial for early intervention. This longitudinal study investigated executive functioning in pediatric non-CNS oncology patients over the first two years post-diagnosis. Participants (N = 110), aged 6-18 years at diagnosis (M = 11.7; SD = 3.7), were assessed at three time-points (3-6, 6-12, and 12-18 months) post-diagnosis. 40 participants (36%) experienced peripheral neuropathy. Executive functions were measured using neuropsychological tests and a questionnaire. Linear Mixed Models, examining the change over time in executive functions, revealed significant improvements on the neuropsychological tests of working memory (p < .001) and the reaction times of planning (p < .001), inhibition (p = .010), and cognitive flexibility (p < .001) over the first years post-diagnosis. Older age at diagnosis was associated with better cognitive flexibility (p = .042). Males made fewer errors in cognitive flexibility (p = .016). After correcting for multiple testing, improvements over time in working memory and planning and flexibility reaction times remained significant. No significant interaction effects were found between peripheral neuropathy and time on executive functioning. Contrary to hypotheses, executive functioning did not deteriorate over time; instead, improvements were observed in some domains. The hypothesis that neuropathy would exacerbate declines in executive functioning was not supported. Although these findings contrasted with some previous long-term survivors’ studies, they aligned with research showing initial improvements post-diagnosis. Practice effects due to repeated exposure to the same tests may explain some of the observed improvements. The study's strengths include its longitudinal design and comprehensive assessment approach, but limitations such as potential sample heterogeneity were noted. Future research should consider factors such as socio-economic status and the severity and duration of treatments and neuropathy to better understand their impacts on executive functioning.Show less
Objective: In 2023, 44% of 32.000 Dutch students reported depressive or anxiety symptoms. This research investigated the relationship between academic stress and depressive symptoms among students...Show moreObjective: In 2023, 44% of 32.000 Dutch students reported depressive or anxiety symptoms. This research investigated the relationship between academic stress and depressive symptoms among students and examined whether sleep quality mediates the association between academic stress and depressive symptoms. Methods: A cross-sectional design was employed, involving N = 315 Dutch students. (mean age = 20.8 (SD = 2.5), 78.4% women). Participants completed questionnaires measuring academic stress, sleep problems, and depressive symptoms. Results: Linear regression analyses indicated that higher academic stress was significantly associated with more depressive symptoms (B = .217, p < .001) and poorer sleep quality (B = .083, p < .001). Additionally, a poorer sleep quality was positively associated with more depressive symptoms (B = .873, p < .001). Mediation analysis confirmed that sleep quality partially mediated the relationship between academic stress and depressive symptoms. Conclusion: These findings suggest that academic stress contributes to depressive symptoms partly through its impact on sleep quality. This study highlights the importance of addressing sleep quality in interventions aimed at reducing the negative mental health effects of academic stress. More extensive and longitudinal research is advised to further investigate the underlying mechanisms of the correlations found in this study. Future research should focus on developing and testing stress management interventions that also target sleep problems, to prevent depressive symptoms in student populations.Show less
The global prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease is expected to rise from 50 to 152 million cases by 2050 due to the limited availability of therapeutic and preventive strategies and ageing populations...Show moreThe global prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease is expected to rise from 50 to 152 million cases by 2050 due to the limited availability of therapeutic and preventive strategies and ageing populations. Although digital tools can address the growing gap between healthcare supply and demand, their implementation is difficult, and personal factors can influence individuals’ intention to use such tools. Thus, this study explores the relationship between various personal factors, as self-reported by healthy individuals (N = 507) who are part of a brain research registry, and their intention to use and promote using digital tools in the context of brain health and dementia. According to the hypothesis formulated for the research, higher financial scarcity, lower educational attainment, and lower employment status predict lower intention to use and promote digital tools for brain health. The study examined four distinct digital tools: (1) MijnBreincoach (a prevention tool), (2) cCog (a diagnostic tool), (3) ADappt (a patient- orchestrated care tool), and Neurokeys (a prediction tool). It was found that Neurokeys exhibited the highest score for intention to use but the lowest score for intention to promote. In addition, medium and high educational attainment predicted higher behavioral intention to use MijnBreincoach, while the most beneficial (i.e., most secure, stable, and safe) employment status predicted higher intention to promote MijnBreincoach and cCog. In conclusion, it is important to recognize differences in intention to use and promote different types of digital tools across potential users and the influence of personal characteristics on the intention to use and promote digital tools for brain health. During the development of a digital tool, it is recommended to consider which target audience would derive the greatest benefit from it and tailor it accordingly.Show less
This 3-wave study aims to examine the relationship between cognitive empathy (awareness and understanding of another’s emotion), affective empathy (experience of emotions consistent with those of...Show moreThis 3-wave study aims to examine the relationship between cognitive empathy (awareness and understanding of another’s emotion), affective empathy (experience of emotions consistent with those of the observed person), and self-perception of close friendships (one’s perception of the ability to form and maintain close friendships), both directly and indirectly through prosocial behavior (voluntary behavior intended to benefit another person) from late childhood to early adolescence. Participants were 127 adolescents aged between 10 and 14 years old who reported on their empathy, prosocial behavior, and self-perception of close friendships in three consecutive years, respectively. Simple mediation analyses revealed that cognitive and affective empathy did not have a significant positive effect on adolescents’ self-perception of close friendships two years later. Considering these findings, prosocial behavior was not found to be a mediator between adolescents’ cognitive or affective empathy and their self-perception of close friendships from late childhood to early adolescence. Moreover, cognitive and affective empathy did not significantly predict prosocial behavior one year later, whereas prosocial behavior did significantly predict the self-perception of adolescents’ close friendships one year later. These results underline the significance of developing tailored intervention programs targeting prosocial behavior to foster adolescents’ self-perception as close friends, a competence that is crucial during this developmental period considering the greater influence of peers.Show less
There are numerous people that experience financial hardship. It is important that they get support to get financially back on track. However, they often refrain from seeking help, likely due to...Show moreThere are numerous people that experience financial hardship. It is important that they get support to get financially back on track. However, they often refrain from seeking help, likely due to the shame associated with their financial situation (Keizer, 2016; Plantinga, 2019). This shame hinders their ability to adopt problem-focused coping strategies and consequently improve their financial circumstances (De Hooge et al., 2010). However, shame resilience shows a promising role in addressing this issue. It involves reducing feelings of entrapment, powerlessness, and isolation, thereby managing feelings of shame in a way so that enables people to effectively deal with their situation (Brown, 2006). This study investigates the effectiveness of shame resilience interventions in increasing communication between creditors and debtors. We conducted an experiment involving participants in debt and manipulated creditor letters to increase shame resilience. Results indicate that shame resilience interventions significantly increase willingness to contact creditors and improve the perceived trustworthiness of the company. These findings suggest that applying shame resilience interventions can assist people in taking the first step toward seeking help to address their debt.Show less
Gezonder eten: een doel dat velen van ons nastreven, maar vaak lukt het niet dit gedrag vol te houden. Op dat moment vindt er een terugval plaats, ook wel een setback genoemd. Na het ervaren van...Show moreGezonder eten: een doel dat velen van ons nastreven, maar vaak lukt het niet dit gedrag vol te houden. Op dat moment vindt er een terugval plaats, ook wel een setback genoemd. Na het ervaren van een setback wordt het moeilijker een gedragsdoel vol te houden. Deze studie onderzoekt waarom dit moeilijk wordt door de relatie tussen de ervaren setbacks tijdens het volgen van een dieet en maintenance self-efficacy te analyseren, met subjectief succes als mogelijke mediator. Met een online vragenlijst (N= 74) zijn de ervaren setbacks, maintenance self-efficacy en subjectief succes uitgevraagd. De vragenlijst had een cross-sectioneel, between-subjects design. De antwoorden op de vragenlijst zijn geanalyseerd met lineaire regressieanalyses en met een mediatie analyse. De resultaten lieten een significante negatieve relatie zien tussen de ervaren setbacks en maintenance self-efficacy. De relatie tussen de ervaren setbacks en subjectief succes was significant negatief, maar de relatie tussen subjectief succes en maintenance self-efficacy was niet significant. Echter, de resultaten lieten zien dat de ervaren setbacks weldegelijk negatief gerelateerd waren aan maintenance self-efficacy, en dat subjectief succes een negatieve mediërende rol in deze relatie kan hebben. Samengevat, de resultaten suggereren dat de ervaren setbacks kunnen zorgen voor een afname in maintenance self-efficacy en subjectief succes, wat weer zou kunnen leiden tot een toename in het ervaren van setbacks. Deze resultaten hebben gezorgd voor nieuwe inzichten, maar meer onderzoek is nodig naar andere mediërende factoren zoals recovery self-efficacy om het setback effect beter te kunnen begrijpen.Show less
As more environmental challenges arise, pro-environmental engagement becomes increasingly important. While sustainable diets are widely acknowledged for their ecological benefits, the interplay of...Show moreAs more environmental challenges arise, pro-environmental engagement becomes increasingly important. While sustainable diets are widely acknowledged for their ecological benefits, the interplay of social-emotional factors shaping such choices remained relatively underexplored. This study explored the interplay between guilt proneness, emotional support from best friends, and open- mindedness and their influence on young adults’ pro-environmental dietary choices. These variables were selected for their distinct impacts on decision-making processes and behavioural intentions, as guilt proneness motivates alignment with moral values, emotional support provides social reinforcement and validation, and open-mindedness encourages adoption of atypical diets. Plant-based diets involve (mostly) excluding meat including variations like flexitarian and pescetarian diets, while vegetarian diets exclude meat, and vegan diets exclude meat and animal-derived foods and products. The dietary choices in this study rank from the least to the most sustainable diet, being omnivores, plant-based, vegetarian, and ultimately, vegan. The cross-sectional design incorporated 213 individuals aged 17 to 26 from multiple genders and nationalities. The multiple stages assessment included a 45-minute online survey that employed specific tests to assess the factors. Dietary choice was assessed using the Dietarian Identity Questionnaire, guilt proneness using the Test of Self-Conscious Affect–3, emotional support from best friends using the Official short version of the Network Relationship Inventory, and open-mindedness using the Big Five Inventory-2. The multiple regression analyses indicated that guilt proneness, emotional support from best friend, open-mindedness, and the three-way interaction of these variables were non-significant predictors of dietary choice. These results diverged from initial hypotheses, emphasizing the need for exploration within different contexts and populations. The study's strengths included its cross-sectional design encompassing multiple nationalities and genders, and the thorough validation of statistical assumptions. However, the questionable to low reliability of some measures and the unequal gender distribution possibly affected the generalizability of the findings. Additional factors that may influence dietary choices among young adults, including cultural norms, socioeconomic status, anticipated pride, and peer influence, should be incorporated in future research. Interventions aimed at promoting pro- environmental dietary choices among young adults must adopt a holistic approach, considering individual, social, and environmental factors to facilitate long-term behaviour change.Show less
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a form of early-onset dementia, characterised by a gradual decline in language abilities. PPA comprises three different subtypes with each subtype presenting...Show morePrimary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a form of early-onset dementia, characterised by a gradual decline in language abilities. PPA comprises three different subtypes with each subtype presenting unique linguistic impairments: nonfluent/agrammatic (nfvPPA), semantic (svPPA), and logopenic (lvPPA) PPA. However, diagnosing PPA in general, and specifically these variants, currently remains clinically challenging. To address this, the Mini Linguistic State Examination was adapted to the Dutch language (MLSE-NL). The MLSE-NL is a screening tool to evaluate language deficits related to PPA, measuring five different domains: motor speech, phonology, semantics, syntax, and working memory. This study aimed to validate and determine the effectiveness of MLSE-NL in distinguishing between PPA variants. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 99 participants, including 21 patients diagnosed with PPA and 78 cognitively healthy controls. A psychometric evaluation of the MLSE-NL was performed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the test. Furthermore, differences in performance on the MLSE-NL across PPA variants and the control group were analysed. Results showed that the MLSE-NL demonstrated robust psychometric properties, exhibiting high inter-rater reliability and strong convergent validity compared to other validated language tests. Significant differences were observed in the MLSE-NL total and subdomains scores between patients with PPA and control groups. Patients with PPA exhibited lower total scores and domain-specific scores on the MLSE-NL compared to cognitively healthy controls. Notably, within the motor speech and working memory domains, significant differences were observed within the PPA subtypes; nfvPPA, svPPA and lvPPA. No significant differences were found in the other domains. The findings of the current study are in line with outcomes from the original English version of the MLSE. Results showed that the MLSE is robust for use in another language and cultural context. When interpreting the results of the current study, the small sample size should be taken into account. In conclusion, the MLSE-NL emerges as a reliable and valid instrument for diagnosing and distinguishing PPA variants within the Dutch-speaking population. Future research with larger samples is necessary to validate these findings and expand the normative data.Show less
Placebos have been shown to affect both subjective experiences and physiological markers. However, their influence on defensive responses to threat has yet to be investigated. This study examines...Show morePlacebos have been shown to affect both subjective experiences and physiological markers. However, their influence on defensive responses to threat has yet to be investigated. This study examines whether a placebo manipulation can impact subjective pain ratings in response to the shock, as well as heart rate during shock anticipation, in healthy individuals. Participants (n=72) were tested in a Pavlovian threat conditioning paradigm over two days with a 24-hour interval, in a within-subject design. A sham analgesic electrical stimulation (TENS) was used to induce a placebo effect. The placebo conditioning process paired a placebo stimulus ("painful shock + TENS") with a low pain response, followed by two sessions of associative threat conditioning. Subjective pain ratings and heart rate, as an indicator of the freezing response, were measured across different conditions. The STAI-trait questionnaire was also completed. Results indicated higher subjective pain levels in response to the painful shock compared to the TENS shock during the threat acquisition phase. Importantly, during this phase, stronger heart rate deceleration, indicative of freezing, was observed when anticipating the painful shock versus the TENS shock. There was no evidence the placebo effect persisted during the threat retention stage, as there were no significant differences in heart rate while anticipating the two conditions. Trait anxiety did not significantly influence the placebo response. These findings demonstrate that a placebo intervention affects not only subjective experiences but also physiological responses to threat, highlighting the potential of using placebos as co-interventions for individuals experiencing anxiety.Show less
With an aging population, the need for informal care is rising, significantly impacting caregivers. The Oog Voor Naasten en Nabestaanden “Eye for Family Caregivers” (ON2) was a tailored...Show moreWith an aging population, the need for informal care is rising, significantly impacting caregivers. The Oog Voor Naasten en Nabestaanden “Eye for Family Caregivers” (ON2) was a tailored intervention aimed to involve volunteers and healthcare professionals in providing structural support to informal caregivers in palliative care settings in the Netherlands. The ON2 intervention was implemented with SMART goals, implementation intentions, a workshop, and training sessions with a duration of a year. The study employed a pre-post design to assess the care for informal caregivers by volunteers and healthcare professionals, with data collected via surveys from 98 healthcare professionals, 117 volunteers, and 229 informal caregivers across 15 healthcare organizations. Measures included inquiries about the ‘Wellbeing and Needs’ of informal caregivers, ‘Care Provided’ by volunteers and professionals and ‘Care Received’ by informal caregivers, perceived ‘Competence’ of volunteers and professionals to support informal caregivers, and informal caregiver ‘Satisfaction’. Post-intervention, professionals inquired about ‘Wellbeing and Needs’ from 76.41% and volunteers from 49.36% of informal caregivers. Healthcare professionals showed a significant increase in inquiries and perceived competence, while volunteers showed an increase in perceived competence alone. Informal caregivers reported higher ‘Satisfaction’ with the care they received post-intervention. The informal caregiver reported ‘Care Provided’, and ‘Care Received’ did not significantly increase post-intervention. The healthcare professionals' inquiries about ‘Wellbeing and Needs’ across different settings showed no significant overall change, but informal caregivers indicated more frequent inquiries in hospices and homecare compared to hospitals. Informal caregivers are an important resource for healthcare and their wellbeing is crucial to carry on their several roles. The ON2 intervention demonstrates that structural facilitation of informal caregiver support is achievable in palliative care settings.Show less
