This study explored cognitive function in patients with hypothyroidism who continue to experience complaints despite achieving biochemical euthyroidism with standard care. These subjective...Show moreThis study explored cognitive function in patients with hypothyroidism who continue to experience complaints despite achieving biochemical euthyroidism with standard care. These subjective complaints are related to fatigue and subjective feelings of cognitive difficulties. Although the link between untreated hypothyroidism and neurocognitive complaints has been thoroughly studied, there is limited data on such complaints among treated hypothyroid patients experiencing cognitive complaints, despite its clinical relevance in their care. This study evaluated whether patients with feelings of cognitive difficulties show objective cognitive deficits in attention, working memory, learning ability, executive function, and psychomotor speed. Additionally, the study investigated whether health-related quality of life (hr-QoL) could be predicted by objective overall neurocognitive function. The cognitive domains were measured in patients with hypothyroidism and subjective complaints despite normalized levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) (N = 17) using several standardized tests and compared to normative data with one sample t-tests. To measure hr-QoL, a widely used thyroid patient-reported questionnaire was used. Subsequently, a linear regression analysis was conducted to determine the predictive relationship between objective cognitive function on hr-QoL. Patients showed significantly lower test scores on the domains of working memory (p < .001, Cohen’s d = .69) and memory and learning (p = .008, Cohen’s d = .77). The total composite score of the objective test measures was not a determinant of hr-QoL (p = .963, R² = 0.00). The observed memory deficiencies emphasize the importance of addressing subjective cognitive complaints, while the absence of significant deficiencies in the other domains highlights the complexity of the relationship between subjective and objective neurocognitive measures. Additionally, this study did not find a predictive relationship between cognitive test scores and hr-QoL, which calls for future investigation into individual cognitive domains or other explanations for the lower hr-QoL of this patient group. This is the first study that distinguished the patient group experiencing subjective neurocognitive complaints from the overall group of patients with hypothyroidism. Consequently, this research contributes valuable insights to enhance future care in managing neurocognitive symptoms, particularly for the subgroup that frequently discusses such concerns with their healthcare provider.Show less
This study investigates the relationship between autistic traits, interoceptive awareness, and sensorimotor cognitive flexibility. Building on the Interoceptive Trait Prediction Error (ITPE) theory...Show moreThis study investigates the relationship between autistic traits, interoceptive awareness, and sensorimotor cognitive flexibility. Building on the Interoceptive Trait Prediction Error (ITPE) theory, it is hypothesized that autistic traits are predictive of cognitive flexibility in a negative direction, while interoceptive awareness is predictive of cognitive flexibility in a positive direction. Interoceptive awareness was measured with the eight subscales of the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness Version 2 (Noticing, Not Distracting, Not Worrying, Attention Regulation, Emotional Awareness, Self-Regulation, Body Listening, and Trust), and autistic traits were measured with the short version of the Autism Quotient (AQ-10). Sensorimotor cognitive flexibility was measured with a virtual reality game task. With the data of 80 participants, a multiple linear regression was performed. Emotional awareness significantly and positively predicted cognitive flexibility, which can be explained through the lens of emotion regulation. Autistic traits significantly predicted cognitive flexibility in a negative direction. However, the regression model in which these predictors existed was insignificant, leading to overall inconclusive results. Future replication based on our limitations is encouraged, and the necessity of similar research is underlined in light of autistic trait networks.Show less
Our rapidly changing society has shown that adaptability is an essential and fundamental characteristic. Adaptability is not a one-dimensional psychological construct, as it consists of both a...Show moreOur rapidly changing society has shown that adaptability is an essential and fundamental characteristic. Adaptability is not a one-dimensional psychological construct, as it consists of both a mental and motor component. Although the interaction between these two constructs seems essential, it is an underexplored area of investigation. This study therefore examined the following research question: are mental and motor adaptability correlated? In this study, motor adaptability was measured by a VR game, consisting of different levels in which various degrees of asynchrony occurred: temporal, spatial, or both. Mental adaptability was tested by means of the Brief Resilience Scale questionnaire (BRS) and by looking how a participant recovered after making a mistake in the VR game (recovery ratio), i.e. the presence of post-error adjustments. No significant correlation was found between the performance of the VR game and the BRS and between the performance of the VR game and the recovery ratio. This may be because the BRS and the recovery ratio are too short-sighted to measure full mental adaptability. Another explanation is that mental and motor adaptability are indeed different psychological constructs, which are not associated. Mental adaptability is conscious and requires goal-oriented thinking, whereas motor adaptability can be seen as reflexive and automatic behaviour. However, it is recommended to investigate the association between these two components of adaptability in future research. Uncovering a link between mental and motor adaptability holds a substantial promise which can be of great use, specifically on the applications and implementations of individual treatment plans.Show less
This study investigates the association between coping and cognitive flexibility. This study found no relationship between coping and cognitive flexibility. As some studies already found...Show moreThis study investigates the association between coping and cognitive flexibility. This study found no relationship between coping and cognitive flexibility. As some studies already found relationships between these two constructs we wanted to see if it was possible to find this relationship with a new method, namely a VR game. By doing this it could serve as a mean to implement the VR into treatment and improvement of cognitive flexibility as well as coping. We tested 80 adults between the age of 18-28. The participants played the VR game which measured cognitive flexibility, and coping was measured with the questionnaire of Hambry and colleagues (2013). A Pearson r correlation showed no significant associations between coping and cognitive flexibility (r=0.118 with a p<.296). This study hypothesized that a higher score on coping would also mean a higher cognitive flexibility score. This means that the study did not find a relationship between coping and cognitive flexibility for adults between the age of 18-28 by measuring cognitive flexibility with a VR game. The reason why this was not found could be because there was a generalized questionnaire for the coping measurement and some coping styles correlate better with cognitive flexibility than others. Replication of this study with another coping questionnaire, wider age range, and the deviation of the participants into groups of gender, could help to find a significant correlation between the two constructs.Show less
Retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukoencephalopathy and systemic manifestations (RVCL-S) is a rare, autosomal dominantly inherited small vessel disease, caused by TREX1 gene mutations. Vascular...Show moreRetinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukoencephalopathy and systemic manifestations (RVCL-S) is a rare, autosomal dominantly inherited small vessel disease, caused by TREX1 gene mutations. Vascular retinopathy, focal neurological deficits, cognitive deterioration, and several other systemic features are indicative of RVCL-S. Moreover, the disease is characterized by white matter hyperintensities, which could contribute to cognitive deterioration observed in RVCL-S patients. Especially the cognitive domains working memory and processing speed are impaired during neuropsychological assessment, even though the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Consequently, this thesis examined whether TREX1 mutation carriers (n = 23) perform cognitively poorer on working memory and processing speed tasks compared to healthy controls (n = 47). In addition, it has been examined whether white matter hyperintensities, according to the Fazekas scale, are predictive of cognitive functioning in TREX1 mutation carriers. Contrary to the pre-defined hypotheses, TREX1 mutation carriers did not perform significantly poorer on the Digit Span test, the Letter Span test, and the Trail Making Test-B, compared to the control group. It can therefore not be concluded that working memory and processing speed performance are affected in TREX1 mutation carriers. Future studies are advised to use more sensitive neuropsychological tests to detect subtle cognitive changes.Show less
Neuroticism plays an enormous role in someone’s adaptability to unexpected and unfavorable events. Research on the influence of a neurotic personality profile on motor adaptability has not been...Show moreNeuroticism plays an enormous role in someone’s adaptability to unexpected and unfavorable events. Research on the influence of a neurotic personality profile on motor adaptability has not been conducted yet. However, preliminary findings show the impact of neurotic personality on affect, cognition, and the physical body, straining the healthcare system. The current study makes use of the Big Five Inventory (BFI) and a Virtual Reality (VR) game in which temporal and spatial asynchronies between participants and their VR avatars were present. This paper aims to find an answer to: What is the relationship between the degree of neuroticism and motor adaptability to the asynchrony of your VR avatar? The hypothesis states that neurotic character traits are related to lower motor adaptability. The effect of neuroticism score on motor adaptability to the presented mismatches is investigated among 70 participants. Experience with VR is included as a covariate. A hierarchical multiple linear regression using the “enter” command is executed within SPSS. Based on this, it can be concluded that a higher neuroticism score does not predict worse motor adaptability. Therefore, the hypothesis is rejected. Results also reveal no significant effect of VR experience. Taken together, the current study implies that the expression of a neurotic personality profile is not to be extended to motor aspects. More research is necessary, both to investigate motor effects using a different study design and to acquire knowledge on how to help neurotic individuals overcome challenges in life to diminish negative individual and societal outcomes.Show less
Introductie: Cafeïne kan zorgen voor veel positieve effecten, zoals een verhoogde alertheid, betere neuromusculaire coördinatie, snellere reactietijden en het sneller kunnen oplossen van problemen....Show moreIntroductie: Cafeïne kan zorgen voor veel positieve effecten, zoals een verhoogde alertheid, betere neuromusculaire coördinatie, snellere reactietijden en het sneller kunnen oplossen van problemen. In dit onderzoek werd gekeken of een recente cafeïne-inname ook zorgt voor een betere prestatie op een virtual reality (VR) game waarbij asynchronie optrad. Hierbij werd er gecontroleerd voor normale dagelijkse inname, omdat hierdoor een tolerantie kan worden opgebouwd die het effect van een recente inname kan verminderen. Ook werd gecontroleerd voor gevoelens van verwarring. De onderzoeksvraag die daaruit voortkomt luidt: Wat is de invloed van een recente cafeïne-intake op het vermogen van de participanten om zo snel mogelijk voor een verwarrende mismatch corrigeren? Methode: Vooraf werd er een korte vragenlijst ingevuld. Daarna speelden de 70 participanten de VR game, waarin ze items moesten vangen die op hen afkwamen. Op willekeurige momenten trad er temporele, spatiële of dubbele asynchronie tussen de arm van de participant en de avatar op, waarvoor gecorrigeerd moest worden. Na de game vulden de participanten vragenlijsten in over onder andere hun cafeïnegebruik. Resultaten: Er waren geen verschillen in scores tussen participanten die wel of niet recent cafeïne hadden genomen. Normale dagelijkse inname en gevoelens van verwarring hadden noch invloed op de score op de game, noch op het verband tussen recente inname en score op de game. Discussie: Op basis van deze studie kan niet gezegd worden dat cafeïne ervoor zorgt dat men beter kan corrigeren voor asynchronie. Verder onderzoek zou nog meer kunnen ingaan op de relatie tussen verwarring en cafeïne of experimenteren met een meer natuurgetrouwe artificiële omgeving.Show less
Bipolar disorder (BD), characterized by fluctuations of mood and motivation, depicts behavioral and neurological impairments in reward processing. These impairments seem to be related to anhedonia....Show moreBipolar disorder (BD), characterized by fluctuations of mood and motivation, depicts behavioral and neurological impairments in reward processing. These impairments seem to be related to anhedonia. The clinical assessment of anhedonia is associated with anticipatory experience of pleasure (AEP). Deficits in AEP in major depressive disorder (MDD) and schizophrenia (SCZ) seem to predict a lower effort expenditure for reward. BD is underrepresented in AEP studies, and AEP’s effect on effort expenditure. More research is needed to determine if AEP is in deficit; and if improving this can decrease disability and mortality rates in BD. This study aims to confirm deficits in AEP and effort expenditure in BD and explore possible interactions between BD, AEP, and effort. Data was obtained from the Positive Valence study. 46 BD patients (59% female, M age = 57.6 years, SD = 11.2) and 39 controls (46% female, M age = 49.2 years, SD = 14.1) participated. Participants completed the Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale (TEPS), a self-report measure to score AEP, and the multi-trial Effort Expenditure for Reward Task (EEFRT). This study found a group difference in effort expenditure (p = .012), but not in AEP (p = .963), nor an interaction effect between group + AEP and effort (p = .407). AEP did not predict effort within the BD group (p = .488). This study found that BD patients expended less effort than healthy controls but found no deficits in AEP. It was proposed that anhedonia could be a deficit in consummatory pleasure instead of AEP in BD. More research for AEP in BD is needed to conclude if no deficits occur at all (accounting for the presence/severity of depressive symptoms, medication use, and treatment). Future research in effort expenditure in BD should control for psychomotor activity. This study states that the similarity between BD, MDD and SCZ is overestimated and that therapeutic interventions should be tailored specifically to BD.Show less
