Predictive coding postulates that our brain develop an internal model of the external world to predict incoming information. However, these internal models need to be constantly updated, since the...Show morePredictive coding postulates that our brain develop an internal model of the external world to predict incoming information. However, these internal models need to be constantly updated, since the expected stimulus and actual sensory input could not coincide. This discrepancy generates activations in the brain, the so-called prediction errors. There are two types of prediction errors: the positive prediction error is triggered when an unpredicted stimulus appears, whilst negative prediction error is triggered by the omission of a predicted stimulus. This fMRI study explores the involvement of auditory subcortical nuclei, specifically the inferior colliculus (IC) and the medial geniculate body (MGB), in eliciting and encoding negative prediction errors. Five healthy participants were involved in the study, employing a variation of the auditory oddball paradigm with abstract rules to manipulate subjects’ expectations. Notably, subjects were aware that within a 7-sound sequence, one sound would be omitted in one of three known positions. We conducted a two-level analysis: the first level used a General Linear Model (GLM) on single subjects, followed by a second analysis using a Linear Mixed Effect (LME) model at the group level. Both bilateral MGB and left IC showed activations in response to omitted sounds. Notably, only the bilateral MGB resulted in encoding negative prediction errors, showing a decreased activation as subjects’ expectations of sound omissions increased. Our findings suggest that the auditory brain dynamically updates the internal model of the external environment when the sensory input deviates from expectations, such as the omission of expected sounds. The results provide insights into the hierarchical organisation of the auditory pathway, paving the way for future research to explore the differential involvement of auditory lemniscal and non-lemniscal pathways in encoding negative prediction errors. Additionally, this study posits the first steps in comprehending the neural processes underlying auditory perception as well as in providing insights for understanding perceptual anomalies, such as hallucinations and delusions.Show less
Research on executive functions in young children is lacking and inconsistent due to inadequate tests for this age group, although important since the development of executive functions is critical...Show moreResearch on executive functions in young children is lacking and inconsistent due to inadequate tests for this age group, although important since the development of executive functions is critical for behavioral, cognitive, and social development throughout life. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between motor performance and working memory, a core executive function, in typically developing young children. In addition, this study investigated whether age and socio-economic status moderated this relationship. In this cross-sectional study, a test battery developed by Utrecht University was used to measure young children’s working memory (n = 187) during a house visit. Motor performance, including fine and gross motor skills, was measured with ten questions from the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), filled out by the parent. Socio-economic status was measured by asking about the highest achieved education. Children were recruited by master students in their own personal network and via several institutions for young children (e.g. day-care, preschool, etc.). Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis were performed to answer the research questions. Results revealed a significant positive correlation between fine motor skills and working memory in typically developing young children. However, no significant correlations between other aspects of motor performance and working memory were found. In addition, there is no evidence for a moderating effect of either age or socio-economic status in the relationship between any aspect of motor performance and working memory in typically developing young children. These outcomes have an important implication in research, offering more evidence for a correlation between fine motor skills and working memory at a young age. Additionally, these outcomes give an indication of how factors can influence the development of executive functions.Show less
Background: Angelman syndrome (AS) is partially characterized by a severe intellectual disability and absence of speech, which have been indicated as limiting factors in the applicability of...Show moreBackground: Angelman syndrome (AS) is partially characterized by a severe intellectual disability and absence of speech, which have been indicated as limiting factors in the applicability of standard diagnostic instruments for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), such as the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, second edition (ADOS-2). The current study examines the applicability of the ADOS-2 and SRS in a pediatric AS population and investigates the effect of instrument type (parent report [SRS] versus clinical assessment [ADOS-2]) on ASD- classification. ASD incidence was hypothesized to be lower based on parent report than on clinical assessment. Methods: SRS and ADOS-2 assessments and DSM diagnoses of 57 AS patients (mean age = 8.5 years) were collected retrospectively at the ENCORE Angelman expertise center (Erasmus MC). Sample prevalence of ASD based on the DSM, SRS and ADOS-2 was determined. DSM diagnosis was considered as the ‘true diagnosis’. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value of the ADOS-2 and SRS were calculated. A Generalized Linear Mixed Model was used to analyze the differences in ASD-classification based on instrument type, with gender, age, epilepsy, and genotype as covariates. An exploratory paired t-test was used to examine subscale differences. Results: ASD prevalence in the current sample (10.5%) was higher than in the general population (1%) but lower than previously suggested (34-81%). Both the SRS and ADOS-2 had perfect sensitivity, but poor specificity (SRS = 5.88%, ADOS-2 = 37.25%). A significant difference between parent report and clinical assessment was found (p < .001), with parent report resulting in more ASD-classifications. Exploratory analysis revealed differing scores on both the social and repetitive behavior subscales of the instruments (p < .001). Genotype affected ASD-classification (p < .006). Conclusion: Standard diagnostic instruments for ASD were found to be unsuitable for use in the AS population, especially the SRS. The ADOS-2 provided a slightly more accurate representation of the child’s functioning. Use of the ADOS-2 and SRS should be carefully considered, and scores and classifications should be interpreted with extreme caution. Meanwhile, future research should focus on the development of suitable alternatives to current standard instruments.Show less
Executive functions (EF) are often impaired in patients with a psychiatric disorder, even after treatment. The neuropsychological assessment Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery ...Show moreExecutive functions (EF) are often impaired in patients with a psychiatric disorder, even after treatment. The neuropsychological assessment Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) measures cognitive function, including EF, which is located in the prefrontal cortex. EF performance is associated with prefrontal lobe function and deficits lead to difficulties in everyday functioning. Psychiatry is, in addition to current psychological measures, in search of biological underlying mechanisms. However, the clinical practice lacks biomarkers for investigating psychopathology. Electroencephalography (EEG) has promising utility to measure electrical brain activity, thereby having potential as a biomarker in clinical practice to ease describing, diagnosing and detecting neuropsychological functions. The objective of this study was to estimate a partialcorrelations network of three EF domains and EEG oscillations. A sample of 216 patients with a psychiatric DSM-5 diagnosis conducted a CANTAB assessment and an EEG-scan. In a network analysis, the EF subdomains were correlated to closed-eye resting state EEG oscillations. It was found that alpha oscillations positively correlate (r = .12) with performance on spatial planning tasks (One Touch Stockings of Cambridge: OTS), whereas theta oscillations negatively correlate (r = -.17) with performance on this task. Accordingly, alpha oscillations are suitable for the detection of high prefrontal lobe function performance, , whereas theta oscillations indicate a lower prefrontal lobe function. Therefore, EEG could have practical implications as a biomarker of EF performance.Show less
Background: Psychotic like experiences (PLE) play a role in the development of psychotic disorders. However, less is known about the clinicopathological significance of PLE for the development of...Show moreBackground: Psychotic like experiences (PLE) play a role in the development of psychotic disorders. However, less is known about the clinicopathological significance of PLE for the development of nonpsychotic disorders. The current study examined the association of PLE with non-psychotic disorders in adolescents. Secondly, I proposed that this association between PLE and non-psychotic disorders would be moderated by intelligence. The aim of this study is to gain a broader understanding of the development of disorders and to give foundation for interventions concerned with early detection and prevention. Methods: A sample (N=430) of Dutch adolescents aged 13- to 18-year-olds were recruited as part of the iBerry prospective cohort study. The current study is a cross-sectional observational study based on its baseline data. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire (PQ-16) regarding PLE and were subjected to an intelligence test (SON) and a structured interview (MINI) to assess psychiatric disorders. Using logistic regression analysis and moderation analysis I investigated associations between PLE, the presence of non-psychotic disorders and intelligence. Results: The logistic regression model was statistically significant (χ2 (8) = 25.337, p = .001) and explained 15.3% of the variance in non-psychotic disorders. The control variables age, gender and educational level were also taken into account in the analysis. PLE was the only significant predictor (p < .001) and provided an odds ratio of 5.00 (95% CI = 2.16 - 11.56). Because of this wide confidence interval this effect can be considered small to big. The proposed moderating effect of intelligence on the association between PLE and non-psychotic disorders could not be found (p = .179) in the current sample. Conclusions: The results support a model of psychological vulnerability in which subclinical psychiatric symptoms could be indicative for non-specific psychiatric disorders. Further research is indicated to better understand the underlying mechanisms and clinical relevance of PLE in relation to transition to clearly defined psychiatric disorders. Research is also indicated to explore the possible protective role of intelligence in this transition.Show less
Challenging behavior, shown by people with severe dementia, can be experiences as stressful for the nursing staff, family caregivers, volunteers and it also has a negative impact on the quality of...Show moreChallenging behavior, shown by people with severe dementia, can be experiences as stressful for the nursing staff, family caregivers, volunteers and it also has a negative impact on the quality of life of the person with dementia. The Namaste Care Family (NCF) program is a person-centered, multisensory intervention which makes use of palliative care methodologies and emphasizes the involvement of family carers and volunteers. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of the NCF program on challenging behavior in people with severe dementia (N = 231). This longitudinal study is part of a large cluster-randomized controlled trial that examines the effects of the NCF program. In this study, 19 nursing homes from across the Netherlands participated of which 10 nursing homes implemented the NCF program (n = 116) and 9 nursing homes served as control group (n = 115). The implementation of the NCF program started after the baseline assessment in the nursing homes. The follow-up assessments were after 1 month, 3, 6 and 12 months. Challenging behaviors were measured using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire. Mixed models were used to analyze the overall effect of the intervention on 12 symptoms of challenging behavior and three clusters. The False Discovery Rate was used to correct for multiple testing. The intervention group showed more depressive symptoms in the follow-up assessments than the control group on average. The depressive symptoms showed a significant difference if controlled for confounders of 0.33, p = 0.001, with a 95% Confidence Interval of [0.16, 0.50]. The NCF program had no significant effect on 10 of the 12 symptoms. The results for the three clusters were also not significant. To conclude, challenging behavior did not reduce as a result of the NCF program. Depressive symptoms were shown more in the intervention group after receiving NCF. Therefore, it is important to do more research into the NCF program to clarify if and which components of the Namaste sessions have a possible positive or negative effect on symptoms of challenging behavior in order to specify the NCF program.Show less
A stroke is a worldwide health-care issue, yet rehabilitation methods for the motor disabilities that are common after a stroke remain limited. This paper explores the possibility of using music...Show moreA stroke is a worldwide health-care issue, yet rehabilitation methods for the motor disabilities that are common after a stroke remain limited. This paper explores the possibility of using music therapy to fill in this gap, taking a deeper look into which musical predictors have influence on the urge to move. In the paper we will specifically look at the influence of repetition and musical preference on the urge to move in healthy participants. Based on literature it was predicted that both predictors would have a positive influence on the shown urge to move. The study contained 41 healthy participants. Participants listened to rhythms varying on repetition and syncopation, after listening to the rhythm they had to rate them on scales regarding; familiarity, urge to move, beat clarity and preference of a rhythm. The goal of the first hypothesis was to study the influence of repetition on urge to move. This was tested by comparing the urge to move for repetitive and non-repetitive rhythms by using a paired t-test. The results suggested that repetition has a significant positive influence on the amount of reported urge to move. The goal of the second hypothesis was to study the influence personal preference for a rhythm had on the urge to move. This was tested by using a mixed model analysis to compare preference on a personal level to the reported urge to move. The results suggested that when a participant heard a rhythm, he/she liked, they were more inclined to report a higher urge to move. Future research should focus on applying the results of this paper into the actual patient group. This way it will become clear if the results are generalizable and possibly applicable into rehabilitation. Besides this, the experiment could be conducted with a movement task to replace the urge to move scale to gain a more objective view of the results.Show less
Stress is known to negatively affect an individual’s health. Music interventions are used to manage stress on both physiological and psychological stress outcomes. If we have a better understanding...Show moreStress is known to negatively affect an individual’s health. Music interventions are used to manage stress on both physiological and psychological stress outcomes. If we have a better understanding of the role of preference, the effect of positive feelings in the context of music therapy can be better evaluated. To examine the difference between self-selected preferred and non-preferred music on the human stress response, 11 participants were assigned to three conditions. Two conditions consisted of music listening, both listening to self -selected preferred or non-preferred music. The other condition was a positive control condition, where participants were exposed to a Cold Pressure Test (CPT), consisting of keeping both feet in cold water of three degrees for two minutes. As the control condition was intended to always cause a physiological response in a stressful situation. During the experiment, the electrocardiogram was measured continuously with the variables heart rate and heart rate variability, and self-rated valence of the participant’s emotional state before and after the music or CPT. The results showed a statistically significant increase in heart rate for the CPT condition, compared to both conditions with music listening. In addition, in the condition with preferred music, there was an indication of lower heart rates and higher valence after listening to self-selected preferred music. However, these results were not significant. Together these results may suggest that listening to music is an effective way of affecting physiological measure of stress (in particular heart rate) and valence, where self-selected preferred music is more effective. Nevertheless, this cannot be said with certainty, because the study has yet to be completed with, for example, more participants and other measures.Show less
Objective: Patients with psychiatric disorders often experience problems with executive functioning, including cognitive flexibility, planning, and working memory. Prior results on healthy subjects...Show moreObjective: Patients with psychiatric disorders often experience problems with executive functioning, including cognitive flexibility, planning, and working memory. Prior results on healthy subjects suggest that a low Socio-Economic Status (SES) might be related to such problems. However, little research has been done regarding the relationship between deficits in executive functioning and SES within psychiatric populations. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the possible relationships between the SES and three executive functions in patients with psychiatric disorders using a transdiagnostic approach. We also tentatively explored the relationship between SES and executive functions as a function of the different diagnostic groups to evaluate whether this relationship itself is transdiagnostic. Method: A total of 298 patients diagnosed with different psychiatric disorders were included in this study: schizophrenia and psychosis (103), major depressive disorders (100), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (95). The participants’ cognitive flexibility, planning, and working memory was evaluated using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). The area-level SES (an index for SES) data were obtained from the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP). Results: Area-level SES was significantly negatively related to cognitive flexibility (β = -.043, p = .007). However, area-level SES was not related to planning (p =.072) nor to working memory (p = .412). The relationship between area-level SES and executive functioning by diagnostic category was non-significant (p = .355). Conclusion: The results of the current study indicated that a high area-level SES was associated with a higher degree of cognitive flexibility. The study also suggests that the relationship between area-level SES and cognitive flexibility cuts across psychiatric disorders and could be considered as a transdiagnostic mechanism. Healthcare providers could use area-level SES to predict which patients might require extra attention regarding deficits in cognitive flexibility. This study can also function as a steppingstone for future research into the relationship between SES and executive functions in psychiatric populations as it provides insight into the pitfalls and possible remedies for applying aggregate (area-level) data at the individual level.Show less
Cancer is a common disease and causes cognitive problems, including memory problems. Regardless of the type of cancer, cognitive impairment is a common outcome. In this study we expected to see the...Show moreCancer is a common disease and causes cognitive problems, including memory problems. Regardless of the type of cancer, cognitive impairment is a common outcome. In this study we expected to see the accelerated aging effect in participants reporting a history of any type of cancer. Research has shown that in addition to age, gender, the APOE ε4 allele and psychiatric diagnoses also influence memory performance after a cancer diagnosis. For this study, the data from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) was used. Memory performance over time was analyzed. The variables were tested via a multilevel analysis, to see if there was any difference in memory function over time between the group of cancer survivors and individuals without a history of cancer. The first hypothesis tested was whether memory decline in older (healthy aging) individuals was accelerated in those with a history of cancer. In this study, no effect of a cancer diagnosis on memory was found over time. The second hypothesis was whether this effect was stronger in female cancer survivors than in male cancer survivors. This research showed that there is indeed a gender effect, in which women have better memory retention, but that this difference does not interact with a cancer diagnosis. As a third hypothesis, this research investigated whether the APOE ε4 allele had an influence on memory decline in individuals with and without a cancer diagnosis. It was found that the APOE ε4 allele appeared to have an influence on the course of memory retention in the group with a history of cancer, but that this result was most likely not reliable due to an analysis on a small sample. The fourth hypothesis tested was the influence of psychiatric diagnoses on memory performance. It was found that depression accelerated memory loss over time, but there was no interaction with other factors. Further research could investigate whether there is a difference between different types of memory performance after cancer treatment. It is also important to investigate this in different types of cancer and their different treatments.Show less
