Izabel Hazin

Investigação da memória autobiográfica em idosos com Demência de Alzheimer nas fases leve e moderada

This research investigated autobiographical memory (AM) in elderly individuals having Alzheimers disease (AD) in mild and moderate stages. 44 aged persons participated in this research, divided in three sub-samples: AD in mild stage (n = 15), AD in moderate stage (n = 15) and subjects without morbid indication of AD (control group). A short version of Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) and Autobiographical Memory Questionnaire were used for memory evaluation. Data showed significant differences between AD (mild and moderate) and Control groups, the former being able to recall a greater number of specific memories, along with elevated emotional intensity in phenomenal qualities of these memories, when compared to the other two AD groups. These findings allow the main conclusion that changes in autobiographic memory among AD patients can be observed since early stages of this disease, in terms of both capacity of recalling and emotional quality of remembered content.

Intellectual impairment after treatment for medulloblastoma and astrocytoma in childhood: the Brazilian experience.

Background This study investigated the impact of posterior fossa tumors and their respective treatments, and the impact of clinical and sociodemographic variables, on the intelligence quotient (IQ) of Brazilian children. Methods Twenty patients took part in the study, of which 13 were diagnosed with astrocytoma (average age at evaluation 10.2 y) and 7 with medulloblastoma (average age at evaluation 9.2 y). The first subgroup was submitted exclusively to tumor resection surgery and the second subgroup underwent surgery, chemotherapy (Vincristine, Cisplatine, and Carmustine), and radiotherapy (total dose of 54 Gy). The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISCIII) was used. Results The following statistically significant effects were identified: treatment modality on performance intelligence quotient scores (P=0.02) and processing speed index (PSI) (P=0.01); presence of hydrocephalus at diagnosis on verbal intelligence quotient (P=0.04); tumor localization on perceptual organization index (P=0.03); time interval between diagnosis and neuropsychological evaluation on PSI (P=0.05) and freedom from distraction index (P=0.03); and level of parental formal education on full scale IQ (P=0.02). Conclusions Exposure to radiotherapy has a significant effect on processing speed and consequently on global intellectual capacity. The impact on intelligence of clinical and sociodemographic variables such as tumor localization, time interval between diagnosis and cognitive evaluation, and parental level of formal education is confirmed in the specific setting of a developing country.

Avaliação das Funções Executivas na Infância: Revisão dos Conceitos e Instrumentos

As funcoes executivas (FE) sao funcoes mentais complexas, responsaveis pela autoregulacao. Apesar do crescente interesse cientifico no estudo dessas funcoes, ainda existem indefinicoes acerca do construto. Este artigo objetiva agregar evidencias de pesquisas no campo da avaliacao neuropsicologica infantil. Trata-se de revisao sistematica de publicacoes indexadas nas bases de dados PsycINFO e PubMed, nos ultimos cinco anos (2008–2013). Foram identificados 25 artigos. Os resultados indicam aumento da producao cientifica sobre o tema nos tres ultimos anos. Os principais instrumentos de avaliacao das FE identificados foram o BRIEF, as escalas Wechsler e tarefas baseadas nos paradigmas Go/No-Go e Stroop. Observou-se relativo consenso acerca da natureza multidimensional das FE. Contudo, permanecem divergencias teoricas e metodologicas quanto a natureza e a quantidade desses componentes.

Treatment Related Cognitive Impairment in Pediatric Oncology Patients: A Brazilian Experience

Background: Acute Lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and Posterior Fossa Tumors (PFT) are the most common types of cancer in Brazilian children. Parallel to the sophistication of treatment and increased survival rates, the concern about the neurotoxicity of anti-neoplastic treatment and its impact on neurodevelopment has been growing. The objective of this study was to compare the cognitive impact of treatment modality on intellective capacity of children survivors of PFT and ALL. Method: 22 Children and adolescents aged from 6 to 14 years old have participated in this study, being 06 children diagnosed with Astrocytoma, 06 diagnosed with medulloblastoma and 10 diagnosed with ALL. Children with astrocytoma underwent surgery for tumor resection; children with medulloblastoma were submitted to surgical resection, systemic chemotherapy and cranial and neuraxis radiation therapy (54Gy) and; children with ALL underwent systemic and intrathecal chemotherapy. Intellectual functioning was evaluated through WISC-III, and performance of subgroups was compared using One Way ANOVA followed by post hoc LSD. Results: Children with astrocytoma obtained average performance in all assessed domains, while children with medulloblastoma and ALL obtained downgraded scores. In all indices children with ALL obtained better results than children with medulloblastoma, except on verbal scores (VIQ and VCI) and Freedom from Distractibility Index (FDI). Statistical analysis revealed significant contrasts in performance of groups, mainly between children with medulloblastoma and other groups in non-verbal scores, as Processing Speed Index (PSI). Conclusion: Data suggest that the combination of surgery, systemic chemotherapy and radiotherapy may intensify the incidence of cognitive effects. Moreover, reinforce the hypothesis that cranial radiation therapy underlies severe cognitive losses, through damage to cortical and subcortical white matter, so that motor and mental processing speed is affected. The combination of intrathecal and systemic chemotherapy in turn promotes significant impacts on executive functioning, in particular on working memory.

A supergeneralização da memória autobiográfica nos transtornos depressivos

This article aims to review studies focusing on the relationship between overgeneral autobiographical memory and depressive disorders. Such characteristic has attracted attention because of its relationship with a poor ability to solve problems and to imagine the future, as well as with the maintenance and a poor prognosis of depression. Data were collected through a systematic search on LILACS, SciELO, MEDLINE, and IBECS databases, and also on the health sciences records of Portal de Periodicos da Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES), a Brazilian journal database, focusing on articles published between 2000 and 2010. The following keywords were used: memoria autobiografica, supergeneralizacao da memoria autobiografica, and memoria autobiografica e depressao in Portuguese; and autobiographical memory, overgeneral autobiographical memory, and autobiographical memory and depression in English. Following application of exclusion criteria, a total of 27 studies were reviewed. Overgeneral autobiographical memory has been investigated in several depressive disorders. However, further longitudinal studies are required to confirm the relevant role of this cognitive characteristic in anamnesis and in the treatment of mood disorders.

Heuristic value of eclecticism in theory development: the case of Piagetian-Vygotskian dialogue about proportional reasoning.

Køppe’s proposition of four layers in theoretical building are used here in the exploration of a specific case of eclectic combination, the use of Piagetian and Vygotskian general approaches to the analysis of proportional reasoning as a cognitive mathematical ability. It is proposed here that the eclectic consideration of these contributions depends on the consideration of their specificity, in the sense that they highlight different aspects of the phenomenon under scrutiny, and also on the consideration of the coherence between this eclectic convergence and premises in terms of schools of thought under which each contribution is framed. We conclude proposing in accordance to S. Køppe’s proposal that eclecticism can be valuable and heuristic in theory development, but this contribution will depend largely on the effort in establishing careful relations between the four layers of theory-building.

Autoestima e desempenho escolar em matemática: contribuições teóricas sobre a problematização das relações entre cognição e afetividade

The research reported here aimed to analyze the relations between affect and cognition in school learning, focusing on mathematical learning at school. Twenty-seven elementary level (5th year) students from a public school at Recife (PE) took part in this research, which covered two stages: 1. Application of HTP Test to the participant students, aiming to identify their self-esteem levels. This procedure allowed the constitution of homogenous and heterogeneous dyads according to gender and self-esteem level. 2. Application to the dyads of an instrument of evaluation of mathematics performance, to be solved by the students cooperatively. Data collected during these two stages were analyzed with the help of multidimensional descriptive statistical tools, which allowed the interpretation of a link between self-esteem and mathematical performance: low and high levels of self-esteem were respectively associated to low and high levels of performance in school mathematics. These data are discussed in terms of both theoretical and pedagogical consequences for mathematics learning.

Autobiographical memory and precursor skills in the second phase of childhood amnesia

ABSTRACT The construct autobiographical memory (AM) refers to the mnemonic skill that enables individuals to form personal memories about their lives and re-experience them. Its ontogeny can be understood from the dialectic construction of maturational processes and the cultural–historical context. This research sought to further the knowledge regarding the ontogeny of AM, especially its relationship with precursor cognitive functions – language level, theory of mind, executive functions, and the subsystems for semantic and episodic memory. The sample consisted of 25 preschoolers of both sexes. Correlation between the indexes analyses were performed. The difference between groups, and the effect of educational level on performance were verified using the Mann–Whitney test (U) and non-parametric analysis of variance factor (Kruskal–Wallis). Multidimensional ANOVA followed by post hoc Tukey Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) was used to verify the contrasts between instances of categorical variables. The results suggest that the developmental profile of AM for 4–6 years is complex, heterogeneous, associated with narrative skill and cognitive flexibility, as well as the quality of free recall in AM and autonomy in the recall process.

Neuropsicologia e Oncologia Pediátrica: um diálogo em emergência

Dados do INCA estimam que anualmente cerca de 11.530 casos de neoplasias sao diagnosticados em criancas e adolescentes. O aumento do numero de sobreviventes vem crescendo, junto com as sequelas cognitivas decorrentes da doenca e de seu tratamento. Nesse sentido, o presente artigo discute acerca da pertinencia do estabelecimento de dialogo entre a neuropsicologia e a oncologia. O artigo aborda os dois subtipos de câncer mais comuns na infância e adolescencia: os tumores de fossa posterior e a leucemia linfoide aguda. A discussao sera ilustrada com resultados oriundos de dois estudos distintos realizados em servicos publicos de referencia no tratamento do câncer pediatrico na Regiao Nordeste do Brasil.

Brazilian Normative Data on Letter and Category Fluency Tasks: Effects of Gender, Age, and Geopolitical Region.

Verbal fluency is a basic function of language that refers to the ability to produce fluent speech. Despite being an essentially linguistic function, its measurements are also used to evaluate executive aspects of verbal behavior. Performance in verbal fluency (VF) tasks varies according to age, education, and cognitive development. Neurodevelopmental disorders that affect the functioning of frontal areas tend to cause lower performance in VF tasks. Despite the relative consensus that has been reached in terms of the use of VF tasks for the diagnosis of dyslexia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, few studies have considered regional variations in Brazil. The present study sought to provide normative data on VF tasks in children by considering gender, age, education, and geopolitical region of origin with auxiliary purposes in neuropsychological diagnosis of disorders that occur with executive changes The study included 298 participants, 7–10 years of age of both genders, who performed three letter fluency tasks and three category fluency tasks. The data were subjected to correlational and variance analyses, with age and gender as factors. No effect of gender on the childrens performance was found. However, significant differences between age groups were observed, with better performance in letter tasks in older children and better performance in letter tasks compared with category tasks. Significant regional differences in performance on the letter VF task were observed. These results reinforce the importance of regional normative data in countries with high regional cultural variations, such as Brazil.