Massimiliano Pastore

Electrode montage dependent effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on semantic fluency

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has proved to be valuable in improving many language processes. However, its influence on verbal fluency still needs to be fully proved. In the present study, we explored the effects of different electrode montages on a semantic fluency task, aimed at comparing their effectiveness in affecting language production. Ninety healthy, right-handed volunteers were randomly assigned to receive one of the following stimulation protocols: (1) anode over the left frontal cortex/cathode over the right supraorbital (rSO) area, (2) anode over the left fronto-temporal (lFT) cortex/cathode over the rSO area, (3) anode over the lFT cortex/cathode over the right FT cortex, (4) anode over the lFT cortex/big-size cathode over the rSO area, (5) sham. In the active stimulation conditions, 2 mA current was delivered for 20 min. Participants performed the semantic fluency task before the stimulation, immediately after it, and 15 min after the first post-stimulation task. Although none of the different protocols improved language production immediately after the stimulation, anodal stimulation over the left frontal cortex (standard-size cathode over the rSO area) improved fluency at the second post-stimulation task. This proved that small differences in either active electrode positioning, or reference positioning/size can impact tDCS behavioral effects also in the cognitive domain. These findings, which can be sometimes missed when tested immediately after the stimulation only, add new information on tDCS spatial and temporal features, thus providing new indications to increase the effectiveness of stimulation protocols.

Perceived Neighborhood Social Resources as Determinants of Prosocial Behavior in Early Adolescence

The present study aims to develop an integrative model that links neighborhood behavioral opportunities and social resources (neighborhood cohesion, neighborhood friendship and neighborhood attachment) to prosocial (sharing, helping, empathic) behavior in early adolescence, taking into account the potential mediating role of perceived support of friends. Path analysis was used to test the proposed theoretical model in a sample of 1,145 Italian early adolescents (6th through 8th graders). More perceived opportunities and social resources in the neighborhood are related to higher levels of adolescent prosocial behavior, and this relationship is partially mediated by perceived social support from friends. The results offer promising implications for future research and intervention programs that aim to modify social systems to improve child and adolescent social competencies.

Attachment in institutionalized children: a review and meta-analysis.

In this article we review the literature on attachment patterns in institutionalized children and then perform a meta-analysis on data from 10 attachment studies involving 399 children in institutional settings. We computed the overall attachment distribution of secure, insecure, and disorganized rates and explored the effect of a set of moderating variables (i.e., country of institutionalization, attachment assessment procedure, age at entry, and age at assessment). To overcome bias related to the small number of studies, we conducted both classical and Bayesian meta-analysis and obtained comparable results. Distribution of childrens attachment patterns was: 18% secure, 28% insecure, and 54% disorganized/cannot classify. Compared to their family-reared peers, children living in an institution were found to be at greater risk for insecure and disorganized attachment, with a similar medium effect size for both distributions (d=0.77 and d=0.76, respectively). The following moderating variables were associated with insecure attachment: representational assessment procedures (d=0.63) and Eastern European countries of origin (d=1.13). Moderators for disorganized attachment were: Eastern European countries of origin (d=1.12), age at institution entry before the first birthday (d=0.93), and age at assessment under three years of age (d=0.91). Implications for child development and policies are discussed.

Day-to-day co-variations of psychological and physical symptoms of the menstrual cycle: Insights to individual differences in steroid reactivity

The associations between physical and psychological symptoms of the menstrual cycle have not been carefully studied in past research, but may lead to a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of these symptoms. The present study examines the day-to-day co-variations among physical and psychological symptoms of the menstrual cycle. These symptoms were evaluated on a daily basis across one entire menstrual cycle, with a non-clinical sample of 92 university students. Results showed that headaches, gastrointestinal problems, lower abdominal bloating, skin changes, and breast changes, were all significantly associated with higher levels of psychological symptoms; whereas back and joint pain, lower abdominal cramps, cervical mucous, and menstrual flow, were not associated with psychological symptoms. However, significant differences in these associations were observed across individuals for back and joint pain, headaches, lower abdominal cramps, skin changes, and menstrual flow: Whereas some women demonstrated higher levels of psychological symptoms associated with these physical symptoms, other women demonstrated lower levels of psychological symptoms. Finally, correlations among the associations between physical and psychological symptoms (slopes) demonstrated clear differences across the different physical symptoms. These results indicate that, although higher levels of some physical symptoms are associated with higher levels of psychological symptoms, there are significant differences in the magnitude and direction of these relations across individuals. Further consideration of physical symptoms may provide useful information for understanding individual differences in symptom profiles and response to steroid fluctuations, and for improving differential diagnosis and treatment planning and evaluation.

Modeling the contribution of personality, social identity and social norms to problematic Facebook use in adolescents

Facebook is the most popular social networking site in the world providing the opportunity to maintain and/or establish relationships, to share media contents and experiences with friends, and to easily communicate with them. Despite the resources and the innovative social features offered by Facebook research has emerged indicating that its use may become problematic, with negative consequences on personal psycho-social well-being, especially among adolescents and young adults. The main aim of this study was to examine the unique contribution of personality traits and social influence processes (i.e. subjective norms, group norms, and social identity) to perceived frequency of Facebook Use and Problematic Facebook Use in a sample of adolescents. A total of 968 Italian adolescents participated in the study. Structural equation modeling showed that emotional stability, extraversion, conscientiousness and norms directly predicted Problematic Facebook Use, whereas gender, group norms and social identity predicted perceived frequency of Facebook use. In conclusion, both personal and social variables appear to explain perceived frequency of Facebook use and Problematic Facebook Use among adolescents, and should be taken into account by researchers and educational practitioners.

The contribution of general cognitive abilities and approximate number system to early mathematics

BACKGROUND Math learning is a complex process that entails a wide range of cognitive abilities to be fulfilled. There is sufficient evidence that both general and specific cognitive skills assume a fundamental role, despite the absence of shared consensus about the relative extent of their involvement. Moreover, regarding general abilities, there is no agreement about the recruitment of the different memory components or of intelligence. In relation to specific factors, great debate subsists regarding the role of the approximate number system (ANS). AIMS Starting from these considerations, we wanted to conduct a wide assessment of memory components and ANS, by controlling for the effects associated with intelligence and also exploring possible relationships between all precursors. SAMPLE AND METHOD To achieve this purpose, a sample of 157 children was tested at both beginning and end of their Grade 1. Both general (memory and intelligence) and specific (ANS) precursors were evaluated by a wide battery of tests and put in relation to concurrent and subsequent math skills. Memory was explored in passive and active aspects involving both verbal and visuo-spatial components. RESULTS Path analysis results demonstrated that memory, and especially the more active processes, and intelligence were the strongest precursors in both assessment times. ANS had a milder role which lost significance by the end of the school year. Memory and ANS seemed to influence early mathematics almost independently. CONCLUSION Both general and specific precursors seemed to have a crucial role in early math competences, despite the lower involvement of ANS.

Working Memory Training for Healthy Older Adults: The Role of Individual Characteristics in Explaining Short- and Long-Term Gains

Objective: The aim of the present study was to explore whether individual characteristics such as age, education, vocabulary, and baseline performance in a working memory (WM) task—similar to the one used in the training (criterion task)—predict the short- and long-term specific gains and transfer effects of a verbal WM training for older adults. Method: Four studies that adopted the Borella et al. (2010) verbal WM training procedure were found eligible for our analysis as they included: healthy older adults who attended either the training sessions (WM training group), or alternative activities (active control group); the same measures for assessing specific gains (on the criterion WM task), and transfer effects (nearest on a visuo-spatial WM task, near on short-term memory tasks and far on a measure of fluid intelligence, a measure of processing speed and two inhibitory measures); and a follow-up session. Results: Linear mixed models confirmed the overall efficacy of the training, in the short-term at least, and some maintenance effects. In the trained group, the individual characteristics considered were found to contribute (albeit only modestly in some cases) to explaining the effects of the training. Conclusions: Overall, our findings suggest the importance of taking individual characteristics and individual differences into account when examining WM training gains in older adults.

Parenting Stress: The Roles of Attachment States of Mind and Parenting Alliance in the Context of Adoption

SYNOPSIS Objective. To examine whether parent’s attachment states of mind and parenting alliance contribute to parental stress in the potentially demanding context of adoption. Design. Fifty mother–father pairs (n = 100) completed the Adult Attachment Interview within six months of adoption to investigate attachment states of mind. The Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI/SF) and the Parenting Alliance Measure questionnaires were administered two years after adoption to evaluate stress and the parenting alliance. Results. Multivariate regression models showed that unresolved attachment predicted stress to a greater extent than insecure attachment and, together with low parenting alliance, significantly contributed to explaining levels of stress perceived by parents. In mothers, but not in fathers, parenting alliance moderated the effect of an unresolved state of mind on parenting stress. Conclusion. Unresolved attachment states of mind and the parenting alliance singly, and even more so jointly, influence stress experienced by parents. Understanding of the family’s adjustment to adoption may benefit from an in-depth analysis of the role of individual and dyadic variables involved in childrearing.

Transcranial direct current stimulation and cognitive training in the rehabilitation of Alzheimer disease: A case study.

In the present study we tested the cognitive effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in a case of probable Alzheimer disease (AD). The patient (male, 60 years, mild AD) underwent two cycles of treatments, separated by 2 months. In the first cycle, active stimulation (10 sessions, 2 mA for 20 min; anode over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) was followed by computerised tasks (CTs) specifically chosen to engage the most impaired cognitive processes in the patient (tDCS+CT condition). In the second cycle, which was structured as the first, CTs were administered after placebo stimulation (sham+CT condition). Effects on cognitive performance were evaluated not only by the CTs, but also by neuropsychological tests assessing global cognitive functioning. Statistical analyses revealed that whereas the tDCS+CT condition had few effects on the CTs, it induced a stability of the patients global cognitive functioning lasting approximately 3 months, which was not achieved when the patient underwent sham+CT condition. Therefore, the synergetic use of tDCS and CTs appeared to slow down the cognitive decline of our patient. This preliminary result, although in need of further confirmation, suggests the potentiality of tDCS as an adjuvant tool for cognitive rehabilitation in AD.

Longitudinal aspects of obsessive compulsive cognitions in a non-clinical sample: A five-year follow-up study

The cognitive behavioural models of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) have stressed the role of cognitions, not only in aetiology but also in maintenance of the disorder. Little is known about the temporal relations between obsessive-compulsive cognitions and OCD symptoms. The aim of this study was to carry out a prospective assessment of OCD related beliefs and symptoms in a non-clinical sample. A total of 99 university students completed the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ), Padua Inventory (PI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Worry Domain Questionnaire (WDQ) one, three and five years after baseline administration. Structural modelling predicting scores at later time periods and growth curve modelling were used to analyze the data. The results showed that obsessive-compulsive cognitions varied significantly over time. It was also found that the OBQ predicted symptom scales (Impaired Mental Control, Contamination and Checking) only at baseline. However symptom scores remained stable at each time point, as shown by the subscales of Impaired Mental Control, Contamination and Checking of the PI and the BAI, BDI and WDQ. Implications for future research and the cognitive model of OCD are discussed.