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1.
BMJ Open ; 14(1): e078246, 2024 01 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38216181

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The SHARE Mental Health (SHARE-MH) cohort was established to address the paucity of clinical and genetic data available for mental health research. The cohort brings together detailed mental health questionnaire responses, routinely collected electronic health data and genetic data to provide researchers with an unprecedented linkable dataset. This combination of data sources allows researchers to track mental health longitudinally, across multiple settings. It will be of interest to researchers investigating the genetic and environmental determinants of mental health, the experiences of those interacting with healthcare services, and the overlap between self-reported and clinically derived mental health outcomes. PARTICIPANTS: The cohort consists of individuals sampled from the Scottish Health Research Register (SHARE). To register for SHARE, individuals had to be over the age of 16 years and living in Scotland. Cohort participants were recruited by email and invited to take part in an online mental health survey. When signing up for SHARE, participants also provided written consent to the use of their electronic health records and genetic data-derived from spare blood samples-for research purposes. FINDINGS TO DATE: From 5 February 2021 to 27 November 2021, 9829 individuals completed a survey of various mental health topics, capturing information on symptoms, diagnoses, impact and treatment. Survey responses have been made linkable to electronic health records and genetic data using a single patient identifier. Linked data have been used to describe the cohort in terms of their demographics, self-reported mental health, inpatient and outpatient hospitalisations and dispensed prescriptions. FUTURE PLANS: The cohort will be improved through linkage to a broader variety of routinely collected data and to increasing amounts of genetic data obtained through blood sample diversion. We see the SHARE-MH cohort being used to drive forward novel areas of mental health research and to contribute to global efforts in psychiatric genetics.


Subject(s)
Mental Health , Routinely Collected Health Data , Humans , Adolescent , Surveys and Questionnaires , Electronic Health Records , Self Report
2.
JAMA Netw Open ; 6(9): e2335651, 2023 09 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37773496

ABSTRACT

Importance: Older adults are increasingly prescribed medications that have adverse effects. Prior studies have found a higher risk of motor vehicle crashes to be associated with certain medication use. Objective: To determine whether specific medication classes were associated with performance decline as assessed by a standardized road test in a community sample of cognitively healthy older adults, to evaluate additional associations of poor road test performance with comorbid medical conditions and demographic characteristics, and to test the hypothesis that specific medication classes (ie, antidepressants, benzodiazepines, sedatives or hypnotics, anticholinergics, antihistamines, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or acetaminophen) would be associated with an increase in risk of impaired driving performance over time. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a prospective cohort study of 198 cognitively healthy adults 65 years and older with a valid driver's license who were followed up annually, with rolling enrollment. Data were collected from participants in St Louis, Missouri, and neighboring Illinois who were enrolled in the Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. Data were collected from August 28, 2012, to March 14, 2023, and analyzed from April 1 to 25, 2023. Participants with healthy cognition, defined as a Clinical Dementia Rating score of 0 at baseline and subsequent visits, who had available clinical, neuropsychological, road tests, and self-reported medication data were included. Exposure: Potentially driver-impairing medication use. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome measure was performance on the Washington University Road Test (pass or marginal/fail). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate associations between potentially driver-impairing medication use and road test performance. Results: Of the 198 included adults (mean [SD] baseline age, 72.6 [4.6] years; 87 female [43.9%]), 70 (35%) received a marginal/fail rating on the road test over a mean (SD) follow-up of 5.70 (2.45) years. Any use of antidepressants (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.68; 95% CI, 1.69-4.71), serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (aHR, 2.68; 95% CI, 1.54-4.64), sedatives or hypnotics (aHR, 2.70; 95% CI, 1.40-5.19), or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (aHR, 2.72; 95% CI, 1.31-5.63) was associated with an increase in risk of receiving a marginal/fail rating on the road test compared with control individuals. Conversely, participants taking lipid-lowering agents had a lower risk of receiving a marginal/fail rating compared to control individuals. There were no statistically significant associations found between anticholinergic or antihistamines and poor performance. Conclusions and Relevance: In this prospective cohort study, specific medication classes were associated with an increase in risk of poor road test performance over time. Clinicians should consider this information and counsel patients accordingly when prescribing these medications.


Subject(s)
Antidepressive Agents , Cholinergic Antagonists , Humans , Female , Aged , Prospective Studies , Cholinergic Antagonists/adverse effects , Hypnotics and Sedatives , Histamine Antagonists , Anti-Inflammatory Agents
3.
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry ; 31(12): 1190-1199, 2023 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37544835

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of neuropsychiatric symptoms and depression symptoms, respectively, and Alzheimer disease (AD) biomarkers (cerebrospinal fluid [CSF] or Positron Emission Tomography [PET] imaging) on the progression to incident cognitive impairment among cognitively normal older adults. DESIGN: Prospective, observation, longitudinal study. SETTING: Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center (ADRC) at Washington University School of Medicine. PARTICIPANTS: Older adults aged 65 and above who participated in AD longitudinal studies (n = 286). MEASUREMENTS: CSF and PET biomarkers, Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q). RESULTS: Participants had an average follow-up of eight years, and 31 progressed from CDR 0 to CDR >0. After adjusting for sex, age, and education in the Cox proportional hazards survival models, neuropsychiatric symptoms as a time-dependent covariate was statistically significant in the three CSF (Aß42/Aß40, t-Tau/Aß42, p-Tau/Aß42) PET imaging models (HR = 1.33-1.50). The biomarkers were also significant as main effects (HR = 2.00-4.04). Change in depression symptoms was not significant in any models. The interactions between biomarkers and neuropsychiatric symptoms and depression were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in neuropsychiatric symptoms increase the risk of progression to cognitive impairment among healthy, cognitively normal adults, independent of AD biomarkers. Routine assessment of neuropsychiatric symptoms could provide valuable clinical information about cognitive functioning and preclinical disease state.


Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease , Cognitive Dysfunction , Humans , Aged , Alzheimer Disease/diagnostic imaging , Alzheimer Disease/cerebrospinal fluid , Longitudinal Studies , Prospective Studies , Amyloid beta-Peptides/cerebrospinal fluid , tau Proteins/cerebrospinal fluid , Cognitive Dysfunction/diagnostic imaging , Biomarkers/cerebrospinal fluid , Positron-Emission Tomography , Peptide Fragments/cerebrospinal fluid , Disease Progression
4.
J Alzheimers Dis ; 92(4): 1487-1497, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36938737

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Driving behavior as a digital marker and recent developments in blood-based biomarkers show promise as a widespread solution for the early identification of Alzheimer's disease (AD). OBJECTIVE: This study used artificial intelligence methods to evaluate the association between naturalistic driving behavior and blood-based biomarkers of AD. METHODS: We employed an artificial neural network (ANN) to examine the relationship between everyday driving behavior and plasma biomarker of AD. The primary outcome was plasma Aß42/Aß40, where Aß42/Aß40 < 0.1013 was used to define amyloid positivity. Two ANN models were trained and tested for predicting the outcome. The first model architecture only includes driving variables as input, whereas the second architecture includes the combination of age, APOE ɛ4 status, and driving variables. RESULTS: All 142 participants (mean [SD] age 73.9 [5.2] years; 76 [53.5%] men; 80 participants [56.3% ] with amyloid positivity based on plasma Aß42/Aß40) were cognitively normal. The six driving features, included in the ANN models, were the number of trips during rush hour, the median and standard deviation of jerk, the number of hard braking incidents and night trips, and the standard deviation of speed. The F1 score of the model with driving variables alone was 0.75 [0.023] for predicting plasma Aß42/Aß40. Incorporating age and APOE ɛ4 carrier status improved the diagnostic performance of the model to 0.80 [>0.051]. CONCLUSION: Blood-based AD biomarkers offer a novel opportunity to establish the efficacy of naturalistic driving as an accessible digital marker for AD pathology in driving research.


Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease , Male , Humans , Aged , Female , Alzheimer Disease/diagnosis , Amyloid beta-Peptides , Artificial Intelligence , Biomarkers , Peptide Fragments , Apolipoproteins E
5.
J Neurol Sci ; 448: 120616, 2023 05 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36989588

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) as measured by cortical atrophy and white matter hyperintensities [leukoaraiosis], captured via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are increasing in prevalence due to the growth of the aging population and an increase in cardiovascular risk factors in the population. CSVD impacts cognitive function and mobility, but it is unclear if it affects complex, functional activities like driving. METHODS: In a cohort of 163 cognitively normal, community-dwelling older adults (age ≥ 65), we compared naturalistic driving behavior with mild/moderate leukoaraiosis, cortical atrophy, or their combined rating in a clinical composite termed, aging-related changes to those without any, over a two-and-a-half-year period. RESULTS: Older drivers with mild or moderate cortical atrophy and aging-related changes (composite) experienced a greater decrease in the number of monthly trips which was due to a decrease in the number of trips made within a one-to-five-mile diameter from their residence. Older drivers with CSVD experience a larger reduction in daily driving behaviors than drivers without CSVD, which may serve as an early neurobehavioral marker for functional decline. CONCLUSIONS: As CSVD markers, leukoaraiosis and cortical atrophy are standard MRI metrics that are widely available and can be used for screening individuals at higher risk for driving safety risk and decline in community mobility.


Subject(s)
Cerebral Small Vessel Diseases , Leukoaraiosis , White Matter , Humans , Aged , Leukoaraiosis/diagnostic imaging , Leukoaraiosis/complications , Cognition , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , Cerebral Small Vessel Diseases/complications , Cerebral Small Vessel Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Cerebral Small Vessel Diseases/pathology , Atrophy/pathology , White Matter/pathology
6.
J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn ; 49(1): 51-77, 2023 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35604698

ABSTRACT

How working memory supports dual-task performance is the focus of a long-standing debate. Most previous research on this topic has focused on participant performance data. In three experiments, we investigated whether changes in participant-reported strategies across single- and dual-task conditions might help resolve this debate by offering new insights that lead to fruitful integration of theories rather than perpetuating debate by attempting to identify which theory best fits the data. Results indicated that articulatory suppression was associated with reduced reports of the use of rehearsal and clustering strategies but to an increase of the reported use of a visual strategy. Elaboration and clustering strategies were reported less for memory under dual task compared with single task. Under both dual task and articulatory suppression, more participants reported attempting to remember fewer memory items than were presented (memory reduction strategy). For arithmetic verification, articulatory suppression and dual task resulted in a reduction in reports of a counting strategy and an increase in reports of a retrieval strategy for arithmetic knowledge. It is argued that experimenters should not assume that participants perform the same task in the same way under different experimental conditions and that carefulty investigation of how participants change their strategies in response to changes in experimental conditions has considerable potential for resolving theoretical challenges. It is argued further that this approach points toward the value of attempting to integrate rather than proliferate theories of working memory. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).


Subject(s)
Memory, Short-Term , Mental Recall , Humans , Memory, Short-Term/physiology , Task Performance and Analysis , Adaptation, Physiological
7.
Alzheimers Dement ; 19(5): 2014-2023, 2023 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36419201

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: We investigated the relationship between preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers and adverse driving behaviors in a longitudinal analysis of naturalistic driving data. METHODS: Naturalistic driving data collected using in-vehicle dataloggers from 137 community-dwelling older adults (65+) were used to model driving behavior over time. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers were used to identify individuals with preclinical AD. Additionally, hippocampal volume and cognitive biomarkers for AD were investigated in exploratory analyses. RESULTS: CSF biomarkers predicted the longitudinal trajectory of the incidence of adverse driving behavior. Abnormal amyloid beta (Aß42 /Aß40 ) ratio was associated with an increase in adverse driving behaviors over time compared to ratios in the normal/lower range. DISCUSSION: Preclinical AD is associated with increased adverse driving behavior over time that cannot be explained by cognitive changes. Driving behavior as a functional, neurobehavioral marker may serve as an early detection for decline in preclinical AD. Screening may also help prolong safe driving as older drivers age.


Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease , Cognitive Dysfunction , Humans , Aged , Alzheimer Disease/epidemiology , Amyloid beta-Peptides/cerebrospinal fluid , tau Proteins/cerebrospinal fluid , Biomarkers/cerebrospinal fluid , Peptide Fragments/cerebrospinal fluid , Cognitive Dysfunction/cerebrospinal fluid
8.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci ; 77(10): 1769-1778, 2022 Oct 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35869666

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To determine the extent to which cognitive domain scores moderate change in driving behavior in cognitively healthy older adults using naturalistic (Global Positioning System-based) driving outcomes and to compare against self-reported outcomes using an established driving questionnaire. METHODS: We analyzed longitudinal naturalistic driving behavior from a sample (N = 161, 45% female, mean age = 74.7 years, mean education = 16.5 years) of cognitively healthy, nondemented older adults. Composite driving variables were formed that indexed "driving space" and "driving performance." All participants completed a baseline comprehensive cognitive assessment that measured multiple domains as well as an annual self-reported driving outcomes questionnaire. RESULTS: Across an average of 24 months of naturalistic driving, our results showed that attentional control, broadly defined as the ability to focus on relevant aspects of the environment and ignore distracting or competing information as measured behaviorally with tasks such as the Stroop color naming test, moderated change in driving space scores over time. Specifically, individuals with lower attentional control scores drove fewer trips per month, drove less at night, visited fewer unique locations, and drove in smaller spaces than those with higher attentional control scores. No cognitive domain predicted driving performance such as hard braking or sudden acceleration. DISCUSSION: Attentional control is a key moderator of change over time in driving space but not driving performance in older adults. We speculate on mechanisms that may relate attentional control ability to modifications of driving behaviors.


Subject(s)
Attention , Automobile Driving , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Self Report , Surveys and Questionnaires
9.
J Appl Gerontol ; 41(8): 1831-1842, 2022 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35543188

ABSTRACT

A thorough understanding of individual characteristics of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic is critical for managing the ongoing pandemic course and planning for the future pandemics. Here, we explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on driving, social distancing, protective, and coping behaviors of older adults. This study reports data on participants aged above 65 whose driving behaviors are being monitored using Global Positioning System (GPS) devices. Participants completed a COVID-19 survey in May 2020. We found that older adults decreased their number of days driving, number of trips per day, as well as average driving speed, and had fewer speeding incidents following COVID-19 onset. We also show that female and African American older adults engaged in more positive coping and cleaning behaviors, and had greater decreases in the number of days driving during the pandemic. The findings highlight the importance of considering older adults' individual characteristics for an equitable response to the COVID-19 pandemic.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Adaptation, Psychological , Aged , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/prevention & control , Female , Humans , Pandemics , Physical Distancing , SARS-CoV-2
10.
Sci Rep ; 12(1): 6486, 2022 04 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35443765

ABSTRACT

Our objective was to identify functional brain changes that associate with driving behaviors in older adults. Within a cohort of 64 cognitively normal adults (age 60+), we compared naturalistic driving behavior with resting state functional connectivity using machine learning. Functional networks associated with the ability to interpret and respond to external sensory stimuli and the ability to multi-task were associated with measures of route selection. Maintenance of these networks may be important for continued preservation of driving abilities.


Subject(s)
Automobile Driving , Brain , Aged , Brain Mapping , Cohort Studies , Humans , Machine Learning , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Middle Aged , Rest
11.
J Alzheimers Dis ; 87(1): 141-148, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35253769

ABSTRACT

Alzheimer's disease (AD) studies in cognitively normal (CN) older adults age≥65 suggest depression is associated with molecular biomarkers (imaging and cerebrospinal fluid [CSF]). This study used linear mixed models (covariance pattern model) to assess whether baseline CSF biomarkers (Aß42/Aß40, t-Tau/Aß42, p-Tau/Aß42) predicted changes in non-depressed mood states in CN older adults (N = 248), with an average of three follow-up years. Participants with higher levels of CSF biomarkers developed more anger, anxiety, and fatigue over time compared to those with more normal levels. Non-depressed mood states in preclinical AD may be a prodrome for neuropsychiatric symptoms in symptomatic AD.


Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease , Aged , Alzheimer Disease/cerebrospinal fluid , Alzheimer Disease/diagnostic imaging , Amyloid beta-Peptides/cerebrospinal fluid , Anger , Anxiety , Biomarkers/cerebrospinal fluid , Fatigue , Humans , Peptide Fragments/cerebrospinal fluid , tau Proteins/cerebrospinal fluid
12.
Sleep ; 45(6)2022 06 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35303111

ABSTRACT

Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology accumulates for decades before the onset of cognitive decline. Cognitively normal individuals with biomarker evidence of AD brain pathology (i.e. biomarker + or preclinical AD) can be differentiated from individuals without AD brain pathology based on naturalistic driving data, such as hard acceleration or braking and speeding, measured using in-vehicle dataloggers. Older adults are at increased risk of injury and death from motor vehicle crashes and driving cessation is also linked to negative health outcomes. Identifying potentially modifiable risk factors that increase driving risk may prolong safe driving in old age. Sleep apnea is associated with adverse driving behaviors across the age span. In this study, we hypothesized that high-risk driving behaviors would be associated with increased sleep apnea severity and AD pathology. We found that higher sleep apnea severity measured by a home sleep apnea test was associated with a higher incidence of adverse driving behaviors even after controlling for multiple confounders (ß = 0.24 ±â€…0.09, p < 0.01). This association was independent of AD biomarker positivity (i.e. increased t-tau/Aß 42 ratio). Increasing age was associated with a higher likelihood of high-risk driving behaviors in individuals with AD brain pathology (ß = 0.12 ±â€…0.04, p < 0.01), but a lower likelihood in individuals without AD brain pathology (ß = -0.06 ±â€…0.03, p < 0.05). These findings suggest that adverse driving behaviors linked to a higher rate of traffic crashes in older adults are associated with sleep apnea severity and AD pathology even in cognitively unimpaired individuals. Further studies are needed to determine if treatment of sleep apnea decreases high-risk driving behaviors and therefore motor vehicle crashes.


Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease , Automobile Driving , Sleep Apnea Syndromes , Accidents, Traffic , Aged , Alzheimer Disease/psychology , Amyloid beta-Peptides , Automobile Driving/psychology , Biomarkers , Humans , Sleep Apnea Syndromes/complications , tau Proteins
13.
Alzheimers Dement ; 18(12): 2593-2602, 2022 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35213795

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: We examined baseline differences in depression and antidepressant use among cognitively normal older adults in five ethnoracial groups and assessed whether depression predicted a faster progression to incident cognitive impairment across groups. METHODS: Data from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (n = 8168) were used to examine differences between non-Hispanic Whites (nHW), African Americans (AA), Hispanics, Asians, and American Indian and Alaskan Natives in cross-sectional and longitudinal models. RESULTS: AA had a lower risk of depression compared to nHW at baseline. No statistical interactions were noted between ethnoracial groups and depression. However, depression independently predicted a faster progression to incident cognitive impairment. Hispanics and Asian participants had a higher hazard for progression compared to nHW. DISCUSSION: Previously established risk factors between depression and dementia were not found among AA and nHW participants. The relationship between depression and ethnoracial groups is complex and suggests differential effects on progression from cognitive normality to impairment.


Subject(s)
Cognitive Dysfunction , Ethnicity , Aged , Humans , Cognitive Dysfunction/epidemiology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Depression/epidemiology , White People , Black or African American , Hispanic or Latino , American Indian or Alaska Native , Asian
14.
Front Psychol ; 13: 1076735, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36619039

ABSTRACT

Daily driving is a multi-faceted, real-world, behavioral measure of cognitive functioning requiring multiple cognitive domains working synergistically to complete this instrumental activity of daily living. As the global population of older adult continues to grow, motor vehicle crashes become more frequent among this demographic. Cognitive reserve (CR) is the brain's adaptability or functional robustness despite damage, while brain reserve (BR) refers the structural, neuroanatomical resources. This study examined whether CR and BR predicted changes in adverse driving behaviors in cognitively normal older adults. Cognitively normal older adults (Clinical Dementia Rating 0) were enrolled from longitudinal studies at the Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Washington University. Participants (n = 186) were ≥65 years of age, required to have Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data, neuropsychological testing data, and at least one full year of naturalistic driving data prior to the beginning of COVID-19 lockdown in the United States (March 2020) as measured by Driving Real World In-vehicle Evaluation System (DRIVES). Findings suggest numerous changes in driving behaviors over time were predicted by increased hippocampal and whole brain atrophy, as well as lower CR scores as proxied by the Wide Range Achievement Test 4. These changes indicate that those with lower BR and CR are more likely to reduce their driving exposure and limit trips as they age and may be more likely to avoid highways where speeding and aggressive maneuvers frequently occur.

15.
Psychol Aging ; 36(2): 200-213, 2021 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33734736

ABSTRACT

Working memory is defined by many as the system that allows us to simultaneously store information over brief time periods while engaging in other information processing activities. In a previous study (Rhodes, Jaroslawska et al. (2019) Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 148, 1204-1227.) we found that retention of serially presented letters was disrupted by the introduction of an arithmetic processing task during a 10 second delay period. Importantly, the magnitude of this dual task disruption increased with age from 18 to 81. The demands of each task were adjusted prior to dual task so that age differences did not reflect baseline differences in single task performance. Motivated by these findings, theories of working memory, and additional analyses of processing reaction times from this previous experiment, we report two experiments, using the same tasks and adjustment procedure, attempting to modulate the magnitude of age differences in dual task effects via manipulations focused on time for encoding to-be-remembered material. Providing a delay prior to processing activities, to facilitate switching between the two tasks, did not modulate age differences. Neither did separating the to-be-remembered material temporally, to allow for the creation of more distinct representations. These findings provide two replications of our initial finding and suggest that age differences in working memory dual tasking are not due to limitations in the speed of encoding. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).


Subject(s)
Aging/psychology , Memory, Short-Term/physiology , Task Performance and Analysis , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Male , Mental Recall/physiology , Middle Aged , Reaction Time/physiology , Time Factors , Young Adult
16.
Ecol Evol ; 11(4): 1535-1543, 2021 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33613987

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a microfluidic device capable of performing genetic analysis on dung samples to identify White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). The development of a microfluidic device, which can be used in the field, offers a portable and cost-effective solution for DNA analysis and species identification to aid conservation efforts. Optimization of the DNA extraction processes produced equivalent yields compared to conventional kit-based methods within just 5 minutes. The use of a color-changing loop-mediated isothermal amplification reaction for simultaneous detection of the cytochrome B sequence of C. simum enabled positive results to be obtained within as little as 30 minutes. Field testing was performed at Knowsley Safari to demonstrate real-world applicability of the microfluidic device for testing of biological samples.

17.
Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) ; 74(4): 682-704, 2021 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33073696

ABSTRACT

Although there is evidence that the effect of including a concurrent processing demand on the storage of information in working memory is disproportionately larger for older than younger adults, not all studies show this age-related impairment, and the critical factors responsible for any such impairment remain elusive. Here we assess whether domain overlap between storage and processing activities, and access to semantic representations, are important determinants of performance in a sample of younger and older adults (N = 119). We developed four versions of a processing task by manipulating the type of stimuli involved (either verbal or non-verbal) and the decision that participants had to make about the stimuli presented on the screen. Participants either had to perform a spatial judgement, in deciding whether the verbal or non-verbal item was presented above or below the centre of the screen, or a semantic judgement, in deciding whether the stimulus refers to something living or not living. The memory task was serial-ordered recall of visually presented letters. The study revealed a large increase in age-related memory differences when concurrent processing was required. These differences were smaller when storage and processing activities both used verbal materials. Dual-task effects on processing were also disproportionate for older adults. Age differences in processing performance appeared larger for tasks requiring spatial decisions rather than semantic decisions. We discuss these findings in relation to three competing frameworks of working memory and the extant literature on cognitive ageing.


Subject(s)
Memory, Short-Term , Semantics , Aged , Aging , Humans , Mental Recall
18.
Perspect Psychol Sci ; 15(4): 1011-1025, 2020 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32511059

ABSTRACT

There are few examples of an extended adversarial collaboration, in which investigators committed to different theoretical views collaborate to test opposing predictions. Whereas previous adversarial collaborations have produced single research articles, here, we share our experience in programmatic, extended adversarial collaboration involving three laboratories in different countries with different theoretical views regarding working memory, the limited information retained in mind, serving ongoing thought and action. We have focused on short-term memory retention of items (letters) during a distracting task (arithmetic), and effects of aging on these tasks. Over several years, we have conducted and published joint research with preregistered predictions, methods, and analysis plans, with replication of each study across two laboratories concurrently. We argue that, although an adversarial collaboration will not usually induce senior researchers to abandon favored theoretical views and adopt opposing views, it will necessitate varieties of their views that are more similar to one another, in that they must account for a growing, common corpus of evidence. This approach promotes understanding of others' views and presents to the field research findings accepted as valid by researchers with opposing interpretations. We illustrate this process with our own research experiences and make recommendations applicable to diverse scientific areas.


Subject(s)
Biomedical Research , Competitive Behavior , Cooperative Behavior , Interprofessional Relations , Psychological Theory , Science , Aging/physiology , Attention/physiology , Biomedical Research/organization & administration , Biomedical Research/standards , Humans , Mathematical Concepts , Memory, Short-Term/physiology , Multicenter Studies as Topic , Retention, Psychology/physiology , Science/organization & administration , Science/standards
19.
J Exp Psychol Gen ; 148(7): 1204-1227, 2019 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30667263

ABSTRACT

There is a theoretical disagreement in the working memory literature, with some proposing that the storage and processing of information rely on distinct parts of the cognitive system and others who posit that they rely, to some extent, on a shared attentional capacity. This debate is mirrored in the literature on working memory and aging, where there have been mixed findings on the ability of older adults to perform simultaneous storage and processing tasks. We assess the overlap between storage and processing and how this changes with age using a procedure in which both tasks have been carefully adjusted to produce comparable levels of single-task performance across a sample (N = 164) of participants aged 18-81. By manipulating incentives to perform one task over the other, this procedure was also capable of disentangling concurrence costs (single- vs. dual-task performance) from prioritization costs (relative payoffs for storage vs. processing performance) in a theoretically meaningful manner. The study revealed a large general cost to serial letter recall performance associated with concurrent performance of an arithmetic verification processing task, a concurrence cost that increased with age. For the processing task, there was no such general concurrence cost. Rather, there was a prioritization effect in dual-task performance for both tasks, irrespective of age, in which performance levels depended on the relative emphasis assigned to memory versus processing. This prioritization effect was large, albeit with a large residual in performance. The findings place important constraints on both working memory theory and our understanding of how working memory changes across the adult lifespan. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).


Subject(s)
Aging/psychology , Memory, Short-Term/physiology , Task Performance and Analysis , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Attention/physiology , Female , Humans , Longevity/physiology , Male , Mental Recall , Middle Aged , Young Adult
20.
J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn ; 45(9): 1529-1551, 2019 Sep.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30407025

ABSTRACT

[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 45(9) of Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition (see record 2019-48991-001). In the article, the copyright attribution was incorrectly listed and should have published under the Creative Commons CC-BY license. The correct copyright is "© 2018 The Author(s)." All versions of this article have been corrected.] Theories of working memory often disagree on the relationships between processing and storage, particularly on how heavily they rely on an attention-based limited resource. Some posit separation and specialization of resources resulting in minimal interference to memory when completing an ongoing processing task, while others argue for a greater overlap in the resources involved in concurrent tasks. Here, we present four experiments that investigated the presence or absence of dual-task costs for memory and processing. The experiments were carried in an adversarial collaboration in which researchers from three opposing theories collaboratively designed a set of experiments and provided differential predictions in line with each of their models. Participants performed delayed recall of aurally and visually presented letters and an arithmetic verification task either as single tasks or with the arithmetic verification task between presentation and recall of letter sequences. Single- and dual-task conditions were completed with and without concurrent articulatory suppression. A consistent pattern of dual-task and suppression costs was observed for memory, with smaller or null effects on processing. The observed data did not fit perfectly with any one framework, with each model having partial success in predicting data patterns. Implications for each of the models are discussed, with an aim for future research to investigate whether some combination of the models and their assumptions can provide a more comprehensive interpretation of the pattern of effects observed here and in relevant previous studies associated with each theoretical framework. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).


Subject(s)
Executive Function/physiology , Memory, Short-Term/physiology , Mental Recall/physiology , Psychomotor Performance/physiology , Adult , Cooperative Behavior , Female , Humans , Interprofessional Relations , Male , Pattern Recognition, Visual/physiology , Reading , Speech Perception/physiology , Thinking/physiology
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