Methods for transition toward computer assisted cognitive examination.

INTRODUCTION: We present a software framework which enables the extension of current methods for the assessment of cognitive fitness using recent technological advances. BACKGROUND: Screening for cognitive impairment is becoming more important as the world's population grows older. Current methods could be enhanced by use of computers. Introduction of new methods to clinics requires basic tools for collection and communication of collected data. OBJECTIVES: To develop tools that, with minimal interference, offer new opportunities for the enhancement of the current interview based cognitive examinations. METHODS: We suggest methods and discuss process by which established cognitive tests can be adapted for data collection through digitization by pen enabled tablets. We discuss a number of methods for evaluation of collected data, which promise to increase the resolution and objectivity of the common scoring strategy based on visual inspection. By involving computers in the roles of both instructing and scoring, we aim to increase the precision and reproducibility of cognitive examination. RESULTS: The tools provided in Python framework CogExTools available at http://bsp. brain.riken.jp/cogextools/ enable the design, application and evaluation of screening tests for assessment of cognitive impairment. The toolbox is a research platform; it represents a foundation for further collaborative development by the wider research community and enthusiasts. It is free to download and use, and open-source. CONCLUSION: We introduce a set of open-source tools that facilitate the design and development of new cognitive tests for modern technology. We provide these tools in order to enable the adaptation of technology for cognitive examination in clinical settings. The tools provide the first step in a possible transition toward standardized mental state examination using computers.

Immediate and selective maternal brain responses to own infant faces.

Infant faces elicit caregiving in adults. In previous research on brain responses to images of infant faces, the faces were unknown to participants. This study investigated EEG in primiparous mothers of 3- to 6-month-old infants viewing their own infant's face compared to an unfamiliar but appearance-matched infant's face. Spectral power was calculated and compared, and power at three EEG bands (delta, theta, and gamma) was found to differ between faces. Brain responses among primiparous mothers distinguish images of their own versus unfamiliar infants.

Asymptomatic multiple duodenal diverticulosis. A rare case report.

The authors report the case of a patient with an unusually high number of diverticular formations (at least five), distributed along the entire duodenal tract. Following a review of the literature on this subject, the authors focus on the lack of symptoms manifested by duodenal diverticula, even if they are numerous and large in size, and on the extremely rare reports of multiple diverticula, as in this case.