Papers by Maria Luisa Rusconi
Healthcare, Mar 9, 2024
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Healthcare, Mar 24, 2024
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Amnestic versus non-amnestic MCI: tye role of cueing in a spatial navigation memory task
Neurological Sciences, 2016
The aim of the present work is to assess the effect of visual cueing in a spatial navigation memo... more The aim of the present work is to assess the effect of visual cueing in a spatial navigation memory task related to global cognitive profile in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Hippocampus is deeply involved in both spatial navigation (Maguire et al., 2000) and encode and recall processes by verbal cueing (Dubois et al., 2007). Rusconi et al. (2015) suggested differences in spatial navigation between amnestic (aMCI) and non-amnestic (naMCI) subtypes. However, the role of cueing in topoghaphical orientation tasks is still poorly investigated.
Erratum: Exploring somatosensory hemineglect by vestibular stimulation (Brain (1993) 116 (71-86))
Brain, 1993
Spatial navigation in elderly healthy subjects, amnestic and non amnestic MCI patients
Journal of the Neurological Sciences, Dec 1, 2015
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered an early stage of cognitive impairment. Therefore, ... more Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered an early stage of cognitive impairment. Therefore, it is important to identify early cognitive markers of MCI conversion to dementia and topographical disorientation (TD) may help differentiate normal aging from MCI and prodromal Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our aim was to propose a new instrument in elderly healthy subjects and MCI patients of amnestic (aMCI) and non-amnestic (naMCI) type. We observed 18 healthy subjects and 18 MCI patients (9 aMCI and 9 naMCI). All participants were submitted to a neuropsychological battery and to a new experimental small-scale spatial navigation test reproducing an ideal city. a-MCI patients performed worse in learning a new route, in replacing landmarks in the city and in drawing a map of the city. Na-MCI patients' performance was not different from that observed in healthy subjects, except for a longer time span in Route Forward learning. MCI and healthy samples showed different correlations between experimental subtests and neuropsychological tests. Our task seems to be sensitive in pointing out differences in spatial abilities of MCI subtypes, especially with regard to the following subtests: learning a new route, retrieving a landmark's place and building a map of the environment. In comparison with more complex tests, these results allow us to consider the new tool as useful to evaluate spatial navigation in healthy elderly subjects and MCI patients.
Eye-to-Hand Coordination in Obstructive Sleep APNEA Syndrome: a Descriptive Study
Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, Jul 30, 2022
ObjectivePsychomotor slowdown was observed in individuals with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (... more ObjectivePsychomotor slowdown was observed in individuals with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS). Previous studies evaluated separately cognitive and motor reaction times, finding that OSAS individuals show a specific impairment in the latter. The present study investigates whether eye-to-hand coordination (EHC), a specific psychomotor ability, is compromised in OSAS.MethodThe EHC was measured in 30 OSAS individuals who were matched with 30 healthy controls by the Two-Hand Coordination Test analyzing the speed, accuracy, and coordination; the role of these variables was investigated in predicting the group they belonged to.ResultsThe OSAS participants showed poorer performance in the execution accuracy (t(55) = −3.36, d’Cohen = −0.89, p ≤ .001), which was also found to be the only predictor of the belonging to group (β = 0.43 (0.18), p < .05).ConclusionsThe OSAS individuals show impairments in EHC and in correcting their error (executive slowdown). This is the first investigation exploring EHC coordination in this population and contributes in understanding the psychomotor slowness characterizing OSAS.
Frontiers in Psychology, Jan 13, 2021
It is thought that just as hunger itself, the expectancy to eat impacts attention and cognitive c... more It is thought that just as hunger itself, the expectancy to eat impacts attention and cognitive control toward food stimuli, but this theory has not been extensively explored at a behavioral level. In order to study the effect of expectancy to eat on attentional and cognitive control mechanisms, 63 healthy fasting participants were presented with an affective priming spatial compatibility Simon task that included both food and object (non-food) distracters. The participants (N = 63) were randomly assigned to two groups: an "immediate expectancy" group made up of participants who expected to eat immediately after the task (N = 31; females = 21; age = 26.8 ± 9.6) and a "delayed expectancy" cohort made up of individuals who expected to eat a few hours later (N = 32; females = 21; age = 25.0 ± 8.0). Slower reaction times (RTs) toward the food and non-food distracters and a more pronounced effect on the RTs in the incompatible condition [i.e., the Simon effect (SE)] were noted in both groups. The effect of the food and non-food distracters on the RTs was more pronounced in the immediate with respect to the delayed expectancy group. The magnitude of the SE for the food and the non-food distracters was also greater in the immediate with respect to the delayed expectancy group. These results seem to indicate that when the expectancy to eat is short, the RTs are delayed, and the SE is more pronounced when food and nonfood distracters are presented. Instead, when the expectancy to eat is more distant, the distracters have less of an effect on the RTs and the correspondence effect is smaller. Our results suggest that the expectancy to eat can modulate both attention orienting and cognitive control mechanisms in healthy fasting individuals when distracting details are competing with information processing during goal directed behavior.
Creative thinking in patients with Parkinson's disease and healthy subjects: the artistic profession makes the difference?
We described the case of a patient affected by a progressive semantic memory disorder associated ... more We described the case of a patient affected by a progressive semantic memory disorder associated with prevalent temporal lobe atrophy. This deficit seems to be "pure" in the sense that it has not been found to overlap with other cognitive deficits (intellectual, linguistic, perceptual, visuo-spatial etc.) for a long time. Furthermore, despite his impaired semantic knowledge, the autobiographical memory of the patient was largely intact. This case therefore represents a form of "semantic amnesia" without dementia, and supports the hypothesis that there is a partial distinction between "semantic" and "episodic" memory.
La diagnosi clinica in neuropsicologia
Ricerche di psicologia, 1997
Modulation of corticospinal excitability during paintings viewing: A TMS study
Neuropsychologia, Dec 1, 2020
It has been hypothesized that embodied mechanisms encompassing the simulation of actions, emotion... more It has been hypothesized that embodied mechanisms encompassing the simulation of actions, emotions and corporeal sensations contribute to aesthetic appreciation of art. In line with this, in this study we assessed whether there is a relationship between the extent to which an artwork triggers motor resonance mechanisms and liking for the artwork. To this aim, we measured motor evoked potentials (MEPs) induced by TMS over M1 whilst participants viewed a series of paintings depicting either humans in static postures or performing dynamic actions, and paintings depicting static or dynamic non-human scenes. Following recording of MEPs, participants indicated how much they liked each painting and found the painting to be dynamic. Viewing of paintings depicting dynamic human actions was associated with a significant increase in MEPs size compared to baseline and to viewing of the other paintings. The more the painting conveyed the impression of a dynamic human action, the higher the MEPs amplitude and the more the artwork was liked. However, liking per se was not related to MEPs size. In fact, the positive relationship between MEPs size and preference for paintings depicting humans was entirely mediated by the perceived dynamism of the portrayed actions, and no positive relationship was observed between subjective preference for paintings depicting landscapes/objects and MEPs size. Overall, our data help shed light on the intriguing link between embodied resonance and aesthetic experience elicited by visual art, and show that characterization of motor cortical excitability may serve as a promising approach in neuroaesthetics.
Il ruolo della valenza emotiva di parole astratte e concrete nel contrastare gli effetti dell’invecchiamento sulle abilità di controllo
Developmental topographical disorientation (DTD) is a newly discovered cognitive disorder in whic... more Developmental topographical disorientation (DTD) is a newly discovered cognitive disorder in which individuals experience a lifelong history of getting lost in both novel and familiar surroundings. Recent studies have shown that such a selective orientation defect relies primarily on the inability of the individuals to form cognitive maps, i.e., mental representations of the surrounding that allow individuals to get anywhere from any location in the environment, although other orientation skills are additionally affected. To date, the neural correlates of this developmental condition are unknown. Here, we tested the hypothesis that DTD may be related to ineffective functional connectivity between the hippocampus (HC; known to be critical for cognitive maps) and other brain regions critical for spatial orientation. A group of individuals with DTD and a group of control subjects underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) scan. In addition, we performed voxel-based morphometry to investigate potential structural differences between individuals with DTD and controls. The results of the rsfMRI study revealed a decreased functional connectivity between the right HC and the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in individuals with DTD. No structural differences were detected between groups. These findings provide evidence that ineffective functional connectivity between HC and PFC may affect the monitoring and processing of spatial information while moving within an environment, resulting in the lifelong selective inability of individuals with DTD to form cognitive maps that are critical for orienting in both familiar and unfamiliar surroundings.
The modulatory effects of negative emotional valence of abstract words upon cognitive control mechanisms: implications for connectivity networks
Evaluation of Spatial Navigation in MCI patients with a new Tool: a follow up study
CREC (CReativity in Everyday life Challenges). A Cognitive training for patients affected by Mild Cognitive Impairment: a pilot study
A pilot study of a cognitive stimulation programme based on divergent thinking tasks. An application for patients affected by Mild Cognitive impairment
Divergent thinking (DT) has recently attracted researchers’ attention for its potential role as a... more Divergent thinking (DT) has recently attracted researchers’ attention for its potential role as an indicator of cognitive reserve (CR). Undoubtedly, CR is a pivotal psychological construct for prevention and intervention strategies which try to promote successful aging and slow down the onset of dementia. Furthermore, the effectiveness of cognitive training based on creativity and DT has been proved by several metaEanalytic evidence; however, few of these training have been applied to elderly people with neurological disease. This study aimed to preliminary evaluate the feasibility and the possible effects of an adapted creativity training (CREC, “CReativity in Everyday life Challenges”) in patients affected by Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).
CREC (CReativity in Everyday life Challenges), a new cognitive stimulation programme for patients affected by Mild Cognitive Impairment: a pilot study
Divergent thinking (DT) has attracted neuroscientists’ attention for its potential role in terms ... more Divergent thinking (DT) has attracted neuroscientists’ attention for its potential role in terms of diagnosis and rehabilitation for patients affected by neurodegenerative diseases. Indeed, some recent studies have demonstrated the relationships between DT and cognitive reserve (CR) that is considered as an essential mechanism for coping with brain damage. Undoubtedly, CR is a pivotal psychological construct for prevention and intervention strategies which try to promote successful aging and slow the onset of dementia . Furthermore, the effectiveness of cognitive training based on creativity has been proved by several meta-analytic research. However, few of these training have been applied to elderly people with neurological disease. This pilot study aimed to preliminary evaluates the feasibility and the possible positive effects of an adapted version of a creativity training, CREC, “CReativity in Everyday-life Challenges” (Colautti & Antonietti, 2018; Colautti et al., 2018) in elderly patients affected by Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).
Pensiero divergente e riserva cognitiva in pazienti con Mild Cognitive Impairment
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Papers by Maria Luisa Rusconi