Antonia Ypsilanti

Linguistic profile of individuals with Down syndrome: comparing the linguistic performance of three developmental disorders.

An increasing number of studies, addressing the linguistic abilities of individuals with Down syndrome (DS) suggest that they exhibit strengths and weaknesses within the linguistic domain. This article critically reviews the literature on the linguistic profile of individuals with DS, with particular emphasis on the expression and reception of vocabulary and grammar, including nonverbal linguistic expression during infant development. In doing so, attention is given to recent comparative studies of the linguistic abilities of individuals with DS, Specific Language Impairment (SLI), and Williams syndrome (WS). The possibility that deficits in one cognitive system may have consequences in another cognitive system, and that these consequences may define the nature of the impairment in each clinical syndrome is further discussed with suggestions for future research.

Digit ratio (2D:4D) in individuals with intellectual disability: Investigating the role of testosterone in the establishment of cerebral lateralisation

It has been proposed that the ratio of the second to fourth digits (2D:4D) may be a proxy of prenatal androgen exposure, such that low 2D:4D ratio is associated with high prenatal androgen exposure. The aim of the present study was to measure the 2D:4D ratio in 100 right- and non-right-handed individuals with intellectual disability of unknown idiopathic origin and compare them to a control group of 85 typically developing individuals. We also sought to determine whether sexually dimorphic traits, such as 2D:4D ratio, tend to be more pronounced on the right hand of these groups than on the left. Our results indicated that males had lower 2D:4D ratios than females in both groups, and individuals with intellectual disability had higher ratios only in their right hand compared to typically developing individuals. Further, right-handed individuals had lower ratios in both hands compared to non-right-handed individuals. Our results are discussed in relation to the “Geschwind-Behan-Galaburda theory of cerebral lateralisation” and Witelsons callosal hypothesis that differential levels of prenatal testosterone exposure will cause atypical cerebral laterality in individuals with intellectual disability, and the suggestion that this atypicality will become evident in the 2D:4D ratio (Manning, Scutt, Wilson, & Lewis-Jones, 1998).

Speed of naming in children with Williams and Down syndromes

Abstract Background Williams syndrome (WS) and Down syndrome (DS) are two neurodevelopmental genetically based disorders which exhibit mental retardation with a unique cognitive profile. Naming in individuals with WS and DS has been investigated in several studies, with results indicating that the performance of children with WS and DS is at a similar level and below mental age expectations on naming tasks. Method Speed of naming pictures, colours, numbers, letters and words was assessed in 8 individuals with WS, 10 individuals with DS, and 18 mental age controls. All stimuli were presented on a computer monitor and reaction times for naming were recorded. Results Our results indicated that speed of naming in children with DS and WS is not statistically different to that of mental age controls. However, error analysis in naming words and pictures revealed qualitative differences between the three groups. Conclusion These results challenge the tenet of increased naming speed in children with WS compared to mental age controls. The findings are discussed in the light of current evidence concerning the linguistic abilities of children with neurodevelopmental disorders and those with typical development.

Are serious video games something more than a game? A review on the effectiveness of serious games to facilitate intergenerational learning

Aging diversity in organizations creates potential challenges, particularly for knowledge management, skills update and skills obsolescence. Intergenerational learning (IGL) involves knowledge building, innovation and knowledge transfer between generations within an organization (Ropes 2011). Serious games refer to the use of computer games in raising awareness about educational topics, acquiring new knowledge and skills by enabling learners to engage and participate in situations that would otherwise be impossible to experience (Corti 2006). Although learning with the use of serious games is similar to traditional learning in several cognitive respects, there are noted differences in the learning style and structure of learning using serious games. The success of learning using serious games lies in the actual involvement of a participant playing the game, which in turn, creates increased cognitive links with real-life situations allowing the individual to make relevant associations, to use mnemonic strategies with the facilitation of multi-dimensional educational aids (e.g., visual, auditory). Some of the beneficial aspects of learning with the use of serious games include the elevation of several cognitive skills, which are directly or indirectly implicated in the learning process. Among them are attention and visuo-spatial abilities, memory and motor skills. However, several barriers have been noted that fall into two general categories: a) health issues (e.g., cognitive strain, headaches) and b) psychological issues (e.g., social isolation, emotional disturbances). Since the training conditions are learner-centered and highly determined by the individual, there is increased need for evaluating the learning outcomes using specific success indicators. Examples of games that are designed to facilitate IGL are scarce, while there are no examples of IGL games in most EU countries. The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate the current literature of theories on learning through serious games in adults and the elderly with reference to the cognitive mechanisms implicated, benefits and barriers in learning using new technologies in different generations. Secondly, this paper reviews the existence of serious games designed to facilitate IGL in Europe, as well as the characteristics of serious games in raising awareness that could be used to facilitate IGL. In doing so, specific focus is placed on the development of success indicators that determine the effectiveness of serious games on raising awareness on IGL.

Lateralized effects of hand and eye on anticipatory postural adjustments in visually guided aiming movements

This study investigated hemisphere-specific processing of visually aimed movements and associated postural adjustments while controlling for handedness and eyedness. Eleven right-handed, right-eyed and right-footed healthy adult volunteers performed, from a standing position, an aiming task under two hand (right and left hand) and three visual conditions (binocular vision, right and left eye monocular vision). Centre of pressure (CoP) displacement, hand kinematics and the targets position were synchronously recorded during performance of the aiming task. Analysis revealed a lower RMS error, a later postural adjustment onset and a smaller centre of pressure dispersion when aiming was performed with the dominant right compared to the non-dominant left hand. On the other hand, no differences on either aiming performance or postural adjustments were noted under the three visual conditions. These results suggest a strong handedness and absence of an eyedness effect on the accuracy of aiming and associated postural adjustments.

Sleep-related attentional bias for tired faces in insomnia: evidence from a dot-probe paradigm

People with insomnia often display an attentional bias for sleep-specific stimuli. However, prior studies have mostly utilized sleep-related words and images, and research is yet to examine whether people with insomnia display an attentional bias for sleep-specific (i.e. tired appearing) facial stimuli. This study aimed to examine whether individuals with insomnia present an attentional bias for sleep-specific faces depicting tiredness compared to normal-sleepers. Additionally, we aimed to determine whether the presence of an attentional bias was characterized by vigilance or disengagement. Forty-one individuals who meet the DSM-5 criteria for Insomnia Disorder and 41 normal-sleepers completed a dot-probe task comprising of neutral and sleep-specific tired faces. The results demonstrated that vigilance and disengagement scores differed significantly between the insomnia and normal-sleeper groups. Specifically, individuals with insomnia displayed difficulty in both orienting to and disengaging attention from tired faces compared to normal-sleepers. Using tired facial stimuli, the current study provides novel evidence that insomnia is characterized by a sleep-related attentional bias. These outcomes support cognitive models of insomnia by suggesting that individuals with insomnia monitor tiredness in their social environment.

Examining the requirements for an intergenerational learning game

Intergenerational learning (IGL) has been identified as a viable way to help organizations deal with the problems an ageing worker population brings with it. Information and communications technology (ICT) in its many forms can be utilized to support IGL. This paper investigates the requirements for a game that would help raise stakeholder awareness for IGL, and allow individuals to practice skills related to it. By interviewing members of the European Union (EU)-funded SILVER-project we aim to find out suitable contexts, interventions and mechanisms that allow us to design such a game. Based on the interviews we found out that the game should be easily contextualized so that it works in—or is easily adapted to—different countries and cultures. For example sports or nature could be such contexts. As for mechanisms and interventions we found out that there are many possibilities. We conclude that such a logical combination of mechanisms and interventions that support the selected context must be chosen.

Sleep-related attentional bias for faces depicting tiredness in insomnia: evidence from an eye-tracking study

STUDY OBJECTIVES To date, evidence of an attentional bias in insomnia has mostly been obtained through reaction time tasks, with a limited number of studies using eye tracking. Here, using an eye-tracking paradigm, this study sought to determine whether individuals with insomnia display an attentional bias for novel faces depicting tiredness. METHODS Individuals with insomnia (n = 20) and normal sleepers (n = 20) viewed a series of face pairs depicting neutral and tired expressions each for periods of 4000 milliseconds. Eye movements were recorded using eye tracking, and first fixation onset, first fixation duration, total fixation duration, and total gaze duration were examined for three interest regions (eyes, nose, mouth). RESULTS Significant group × face interactions for total fixation duration and total gaze duration indicated that, regardless of interest-region, participants with insomnia spent more time fixating on and observing tired faces relative to neutral faces when compared with normal sleepers. Additionally, significant group × face × interest-region interactions for total fixation duration and total gaze duration indicated that participants with insomnia spent more time observing the eye region of the tired faces than the eye region of the neutral faces when compared with normal sleepers. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with insomnia display an attentional bias toward tired faces, more specifically for the eye region compared to normal sleepers. These findings contribute to our understanding of face perception in insomnia and provide more objective support for cognitive models of insomnia, suggesting that individuals with insomnia selectively attend to faces for tiredness cues.

Language and Visuospatial Abilities in Down Syndrome Phenotype: A Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective

Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic disorder with a prevalence that ranges from 1:700 to 1:100 live births and accounts for 25–30% of people with intellectual disability (Nadel, 1999; Rogers, Roizen, & Capone, 1996; Rondal, 1988, 1998; Rondal, Perera, & Nadel, 1999). Trisomy 21, one of the three forms of DS, is caused by the presence of a third chromosome at band 21q22 of the long arm. The other two forms, namely translocation 21 and mosaicism, account for only 6% of children with DS (Rogers et al., 1996). Recent medical advances suggest that over 300 genes are affected, making the genetic etiology of DS a complex mechanism that implicates gene interactions that are not clearly understood (Pennington, Moon, Edgin, Stedron, & Nadel, 2003; Antonarakis et al., 2004). The syndrome is characterized by specific phenotypic characteristics, health related problems, cognitive and language impairments, neuromotor dysfunction and early aging, often associated with increased prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease. Interest in the cognitive profile of DS has been robust during the past decades, with a large number of published studies discussing the atypical and unique profile of cognitive abilities in this population. Yet, there is no clear understanding of the cognitive profile of individuals with DS and how this differentiates from other forms of intellectual disability. The uniqueness of the cognitive make-up of individuals with DS will contribute to a better understanding of the specific strengths and impairments of this population, as well as to the development of more effective educational programs suitable for them. This chapter will focus on language and visuo-spatial abilities of individuals with DS from a cognitive neuroscience perspective. The chapter is organized in four parts. The first part discusses language abilities in individuals with DS, with particular emphasis on expressive and receptive vocabulary and grammar. In the second part, research in visuospatial abilities in individuals with DS is reviewed. The third part deals with the concept of atypical cerebral laterality (ACL) in DS individuals and, in particular, how ACL may affect their language and visuospatial abilities. Finally, the last part discusses the contribution of laterality research in understanding the unique pattern of cognitive abilities in DS.

Self-disgust as a potential mechanism explaining the association between loneliness and depression

BACKGROUND Loneliness and self-disgust have been considered as independent predictors of depressive symptoms. In the present study, we hypothesized that self-disgust can explain the association between loneliness and depression, and that emotion regulation strategies interact with self-disgust in predicting depressive symptoms. METHODS Three hundred and seventeen participants (M = 29.29 years, SD = 14.11; 76.9% females) completed structured anonymous self-reported measures of loneliness, self-disgust, emotion regulation strategies, and depressive symptoms. RESULTS One-way MANOVA showed that participants in the high-loneliness group reported significantly higher behavioural and physical self-disgust, compared to those in the middle and low-loneliness groups. Bootstrapped hierarchical linear regression analysis showed that self-disgust significantly improved predicted variance in depressive symptoms, after controlling for the effects of loneliness. Regression-based mediation modelling showed that both physical and behavioural self-disgust significantly mediated the association between loneliness and depression. Finally, moderated regression analysis showed that expressive suppression interacted with self-disgust in predicting depressive symptoms. LIMITATIONS A cross-sectional design was used, and our study focused on expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal but not on other aspects of emotion regulation or the modulation of emotional arousal and responses. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated, for the first time, that self-disgust plays an important role in the association between loneliness and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, variations in emotion regulation strategies can explain the association between self-disgust and depressive symptoms.