Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2015-12-17T18:50:18Z No. of bitstreams: 1 mayarasilvadamata.pdf: 1134340 bytes, checksum: c4c65cefb5b2804563f056ccd867cdfe (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-01-25T15:09:09Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 mayarasilvadamata.pdf: 1134340 bytes, checksum: c4c65cefb5b2804563f056ccd867cdfe (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-25T15:09:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 mayarasilvadamata.pdf: 1134340 bytes, checksum: c4c65cefb5b2804563f056ccd867cdfe (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-10 / O álcool elicia prejuízo em habilidades cognitivas, tais como as funções executivas (FE), que incluem vários constructos distinguíveis. Assim, o conhecimento dos efeitos agudos desta substância sobre os constructos das FE é necessário para melhor caracterizar seus potenciais efeitos cognitivos. Objetivo: Verificar os efeitos agudos do álcool no desempenho de seis constructos eleitos das funções executivas (alternância, atualização, inibição, eficiência do acesso à memória de longo prazo, planejamento, dupla tarefa) em jovens saudáveis. Metodologia: Foram recrutados 45 indivíduos do sexo masculino com idades entre 18 e 30 anos que eram bebedores sociais. Eles foram alocados aleatoriamente em três grupos de 15 participantes: um grupo cuja dose de álcool era de 0,6 g/kg de peso; outro de 1,0 g/kg de peso; e o grupo placebo. Resultados: Não foram detectadas diferenças significativas entre grupos nos testes executivos. Discussão: Foram determinados os tamanhos de amostras necessários para a observação de efeitos de álcool nesta população, que foram em geral bastante elevados. Conclusão: O presente estudo foi pioneiro no Brasil no âmbito proposto e encontrou magnitudes de efeito de relevância clínica para os constructos: alternância, fluência semântica, inibição e atualização. / Alcohol (ethanol) elicits impairment in cognitive abilities such as executive functions (EF), which includes various separable constructs. Thus, knowledge of the acute effects of this substance on the constructs of EF is necessary to better characterize its potential cognitive effects. Objective: To investigate the acute effects of alcohol on performance of six elected constructs of executive functions (shifting, updating, inhibition, access to long-term memory, planning, dual-tasking) in young healthy individuals. Methods: we recruited 45 male subjects aged between 18 and 30 years who were social drinkers. They were randomly allocated to three groups of 15 participants: one group whose alcohol dose was 0.6 g / kg; another group whose dose was 1.0 g / kg; and the placebo group. Results: No group significant differences were found in the executive tests. Discussion: It was determined the sample size necessary to monitor the effects of alcohol in this population were generally quite high. Conclusion: The present study was pioneer in Brazil in the proposed framework and found effect magnitudes of clinical relevance for the constructs: shifting, semantic fluency, inhibition and updating.

There is a high rate of academic failure among disadvantaged preschool and post preschool students in some school districts in Virginia, yet little is understood about the relationship between education models and academic performance among economically disadvantaged students (EDS). The problem explored is the absence of classroom exercises in pre and post preschools that capitalize on cognitive development to improve executive function (EF) and self-regulation (SR) skills. The purpose of this study is to understand if a change in current classroom practices impacts academic performance among low-income students. Narrative policy serves as a theoretical guide in this qualitative case study that focused on the perceptions of principals, teachers, and administrators regarding best practices for preschool and post-preschool students and, secondly, how teachers implement classroom exercises to capitalize on the development of executive function and self-regulation skills among economically disadvantaged students. All data were inductively coded and then subjected to a thematic analysis procedure and included archived school report cards, preschool enrollment, and semi structured interviews with 3 former teachers now serving as administrators who supervise classroom activities. Findings indicate that best practices for EDS were a responsive classroom approach to correct disruptive behavior while developing mental capacity and simultaneously capitalizing on exercises to improve EF and SR skills in a classroom environment. Implications of social change begin with the empowerment of students, teachers, and administrators. Policy recommendations for social change include mandating two years of high-quality preschool for EDS as well as pursuing policies supporting SR and EF skills.

This dissertation explores the occurrence of symptoms of temporolimbic dysfunction with persons with mood disorder. Groups of pacients was concerned to persons with depression and manic depression disorder. The occurrence of symptoms was examined by questionnaire method. It is assumed that mood disorders are result of damage of structures in the temporolimbic area and that they will also manifest in the questionnaires being used. Theoretical part describes anatomy of the temporolimbic area and temporolimbic dysfunction. Practical part is focused on the evaluation of the outcomes from submitted questionnaires. KEY WORDS Temporolimbic disfunction, limbic system, depression, manic depression

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Early childhood adversity, particularly poverty, can be a source of chronic stress that contributes to emotion dysregulation at the start of formal schooling. Children’s reactivity to novel challenges in the classroom is associated with externalizing behavior and subsequent difficulties developing academic and social emotional skills (Blair & Raver, 2015; Hackman, Farah & Meaney, 2010). Research grounded in the “science of feeling safe” (Porges, 2011) and attachment theory demonstrates that sensitive, empathic teachers can foster the development of emotion regulation in at-risk children, leading to more adaptive classroom behaviors (Pianta, Belsky, Vandergrift et al., 2008). This study was designed to help explain the associations between student-teacher relationship quality and externalizing behavior, self-regulation and executive function, and then examine if these associations are moderated by poverty. The results of a multilevel analysis highlight significant correlations both within and between classrooms for closeness/conflict and externalizing behavior and teacher-rated self-regulation. Classroom-level SES was observed to moderate the association of relationship closeness with externalizing behavior. In the discussion of these findings, the needs for more nuanced measures of student stress and teacher sensitivity are examined. Professional development opportunities are also presented for teachers to learn stress management techniques and to build social regulation skills. / Educational Psychology

Children with ADHD are characterized frequently as possessing underdeveloped executive functions and sustained attentional abilities, and recent commercial claims suggest that computer-based cognitive training can remediate these impairments and provide significant and lasting improvement in their attention, impulse control, social functioning, academic performance, and complex reasoning skills. The present review critically evaluates these claims through meta-analysis of 25 studies of facilitative intervention training (i.e., cognitive training) for children with ADHD. Random effects models corrected for publication bias and sampling error revealed that studies training short-term memory alone resulted in moderate magnitude improvements in short-term memory (d= 0.63), whereas training attention did not significantly improve attention and training mixed executive functions did not significantly improve the targeted executive functions (both nonsignificant: 95% confidence intervals include 0.0). Far transfer effects of cognitive training on academic functioning, blinded ratings of behavior (both nonsignificant), and cognitive tests (d= 0.14) were nonsignificant or negligible. Unblinded raters (d= 0.48) reported significantly larger benefits relative to blinded raters and objective tests (both p < .05), indicating the likelihood of Hawthorne effects. Critical examination of training targets revealed incongruence with empirical evidence regarding the specific executive functions that are (a) most impaired in ADHD, and (b) functionally related to the behavioral and academic outcomes these training programs are intended to ameliorate. Collectively, meta-analytic results indicate that claims regarding the academic, behavioral, and cognitive benefits associated with extant cognitive training programs are unsupported in ADHD. The methodological limitations of the current evidence base, however, leaves open the possibility that cognitive training techniques iv designed to improve empirically documented executive function deficits may benefit children with ADHD.

Introduction: Many studies have found an association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and behavioral and cognitive changes in animal models and in humans. In addition, early findings have suggested an association between T. gondii seropositivity and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We sought to determine whether there is an association between T. gondii seropositivity and AD as well as cognitive functioning (including memory, working memory, processing speed, language functioning, executive functioning) in a large, well-characterized sample of subjects with AD and matched controls without dementia. Method: Using ELISA assays, we determined anti-T. gondii IgG antibody titers in 114 control subjects and in 105 subjects diagnosed with AD through an Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. We compared the seroprevalence between the two groups using propensity score matching (PSM). We also compared associations between T. gondii seropositivity and cognitive functioning using both PSM and linear regressions. Results: We found no differences between groups in age, ethnicity, or gender. Education and socioeconomic status was slightly higher in the control group. Using PSM, we did not find a significant difference in having AD due to T. gondii seropositivity between the two groups. Using PSM, we found T. gondii seropositivity was associated with worse performance on the WAIS-R Digit Symbol test. Within the AD group, we found T. gondii seropositivity was associated with worse performance on the WAIS Block Design and Trail Making B tests. Conclusion: In this sample, we found no evidence of an association between T. gondii seropositivity and AD in a larger study than previous studies. We found evidence of a negative association between processing speed and T. gondii seropositivity as well as a negative association between processing speed, executive functioning, and T. gondii seropositivity in those with AD.

Introduction: Many studies have found an association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and behavioral and cognitive changes in animal models and in humans. In addition, early findings have suggested an association between T. gondii seropositivity and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We sought to determine whether there is an association between T. gondii seropositivity and AD as well as cognitive functioning (including memory, working memory, processing speed, language functioning, executive functioning) in a large, well-characterized sample of subjects with AD and matched controls without dementia. Method: Using ELISA assays, we determined anti-T. gondii IgG antibody titers in 114 control subjects and in 105 subjects diagnosed with AD through an Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. We compared the seroprevalence between the two groups using propensity score matching (PSM). We also compared associations between T. gondii seropositivity and cognitive functioning using both PSM and linear regressions. Results: We found no differences between groups in age, ethnicity, or gender. Education and socioeconomic status was slightly higher in the control group. Using PSM, we did not find a significant difference in having AD due to T. gondii seropositivity between the two groups. Using PSM, we found T. gondii seropositivity was associated with worse performance on the WAIS-R Digit Symbol test. Within the AD group, we found T. gondii seropositivity was associated with worse performance on the WAIS Block Design and Trail Making B tests. Conclusion: In this sample, we found no evidence of an association between T. gondii seropositivity and AD in a larger study than previous studies. We found evidence of a negative association between processing speed and T. gondii seropositivity as well as a negative association between processing speed, executive functioning, and T. gondii seropositivity in those with AD.