Associations between delusion proneness and personality structure in non-clinical participants: Comparison between young and elderly samples

in Psychopathology (2006), 39(5), 218-226

Hallucinations and delusions in children and adolescents

in Current Psychiatry Reviews (2006), 2

Influence of emotion on memory for temporal information

in Emotion (Washington, D.C.) (2005), 5(4), 503-507

Contextual information. such as color and spatial location, has been found to be better remembered for emotional than for neutral items. The current study examined whether the influence of emotion extends ... [more ▼]

Contextual information. such as color and spatial location, has been found to be better remembered for emotional than for neutral items. The current study examined whether the influence of emotion extends to memory for another fundamental feature of episodic memory: temporal information. Results from a list-discrimination paradigm showed that (a) item memory was enhanced for both negative and positive pictures compared with neutral ones and was better for negative than for positive pictures and (b) temporal information was better remembered for negative than for positive and neutral pictures, whereas positive and neutral pictures did not differ from each other. These findings are discussed in relation to the processes involved in memory for temporal information. [less ▲]

Affective valence and the self-reference effect: influence of retrieval conditions

in British Journal of Psychology (2005), 96(Pt 4), 457-466

Positive trait information is typically better recalled than negative trait information when encoded in reference to the self, but not when encoded in reference to someone else or when processed for ... [more ▼]

Positive trait information is typically better recalled than negative trait information when encoded in reference to the self, but not when encoded in reference to someone else or when processed for general meaning. This study examined whether this influence of affective meaning is modulated by retrieval conditions. Participants encoded positive and negative trait adjectives in reference to themselves or to a celebrity. They were then presented with either a free-recall task (Experiment 1) or a recognition memory task (Experiment 2). Positive adjectives were better recalled than negative adjectives, but only when they were encoded in reference to the self. In contrast, encoding condition and valence did not interact in the recognition memory task. Taken together, these findings suggest that the difference in memory between positive and negative self-referent information is due, at least in part, to a control exerted on memory retrieval. [less ▲]

Exploring the unity and diversity of the neural substrates of executive functioning

in Human Brain Mapping (2005), 25(4), 409-423

Previous studies exploring the neural substrates of executive functioning used task-specific analyses, which might not be the most appropriate approach due to the difficulty of precisely isolating ... [more ▼]

Previous studies exploring the neural substrates of executive functioning used task-specific analyses, which might not be the most appropriate approach due to the difficulty of precisely isolating executive functions. Consequently, the aim of this study was to use positron emission tomography (PET) to reexamine by conjunction and interaction paradigms the cerebral areas associated with three executive processes (updating, shifting, and inhibition). Three conjunction analyses allowed us to isolate the cerebral areas common to tasks selected to tap into the same executive process. A global conjunction analysis demonstrated that foci of activation common to all tasks were observed in the right intraparietal sulcus, the left superior parietal gyrus, and at a lower statistical threshold, the left lateral prefrontal cortex. These regions thus seem to play a general role in executive functioning. The right intraparietal sulcus seems to play a role in selective attention to relevant stimuli and in suppression of irrelevant information. The left superior parietal region is involved in amodal switching/integration processes. One hypothesis regarding the functional role of the lateral prefrontal cortex is that monitoring and temporal organization of cognitive processes are necessary to carry out ongoing tasks. Finally, interaction analyses showed that specific prefrontal cerebral areas were associated with each executive process. The results of this neuro-imaging study are in agreement with cognitive studies demonstrating that executive functioning is characterized by both unity and diversity of processes. [less ▲]

Further exploration of controlled and automatic memory processes in early Alzheimer's disease

in Neuropsychology (2005), 19(4), 420-427

The authors' aim in this study was to explore automatic and controlled processes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) by using a variant of the word-stem completion task that applies the process-dissociation ... [more ▼]

The authors' aim in this study was to explore automatic and controlled processes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) by using a variant of the word-stem completion task that applies the process-dissociation procedure. Several methodological precautions were taken in order to limit problems observed in previous studies (e.g., poor task sensitivity, ceiling and/or floor effects, no control over comprehension of instructions). Our results (a) confirmed the marked deterioration in controlled processes and (b) showed that when psychometric constraints were limited, automatic memory processes were preserved in AD. These data are in line with those from more global studies in suggesting that AD is characterized by an early deterioration in controlled processes and an initial preservation of automatic processes. [less ▲]

Self-referential reflective activity and its relationship with rest : a PET study

in NeuroImage (2005), 25(2), 616-624

This study used positron emission tomography (PET) to identify the brain substrate of self-referential reflective activity and to investigate its relationship with brain areas that are active during the ... [more ▼]

This study used positron emission tomography (PET) to identify the brain substrate of self-referential reflective activity and to investigate its relationship with brain areas that are active during the resting state. Thirteen healthy volunteers performed reflective tasks pertaining to three different matters (the self, another person, and social issues) while they were scanned. Rest scans were also acquired, in which subjects were asked to simply relax and not think in a systematic way. The mental activity experienced during each scan was assessed with rating scales. The results showed that, although self-referential thoughts were most frequent during the self-referential task, some self-referential reflective activity also occurred during rest. Compared to rest, performing the reflective tasks was associated with increased blood flow in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, the left anterior middle temporal gyros, the temporal pole bilaterally, and the right cerebellum; there was a decrease of blood flow in right prefrontal regions,and in medial and right lateral parietal regions. In addition, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) (1) was more active during the self-referential reflective task than during the other two reflective tasks, (2) showed common activation during rest and the self-referential task, and (3) showed a correlation between cerebral metabolism and the amount of self-referential processing. It is suggested that the VMPFC is crucial for representing knowledge pertaining to the self and that this is an important function of the resting state. [less ▲]

Memory evaluation with a new cued recall test in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

in Journal of Neurology (2005), 252(1), 47-55

Free delayed recall is considered the memory measure with the greatest sensitivity for the early diagnosis of dementia. However, its specificity for dementia could be lower, as deficits other than those ... [more ▼]

Free delayed recall is considered the memory measure with the greatest sensitivity for the early diagnosis of dementia. However, its specificity for dementia could be lower, as deficits other than those of pure memory might account for poor performance in this difficult and effortful task. Cued recall is supposed to allow a better distinction between poor memory due to concurrent factors and impairments related to the neurodegenerative process. The available cued recall tests suffer from a ceiling effect. This is a prospective, longitudinal study aiming to assess the utility of a new memory test based on cued recall that avoids the ceiling effect in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Twenty-five patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 22 probable AD patients ( NINCDS-ADRDA) at a mild stage, 22 elderly patients with subjective memory complaints (SMC) and 38 normal age-matched controls took part in the study. The patients underwent a thorough cognitive evaluation and the recommended screening procedure for the diagnosis of dementia. All patients were re-examined 12 - 18 months later. A newly devised delayed cued recall test using semantic cues ( The RI48 Test) was compared with three established memory tests: the Ten Word-List Recall from CERAD, the "Doors" and the "Shapes" Tests from "The Doors and People Test Battery". Forty-four % of the MCI patients fulfilled criteria for probable AD at follow-up. The RI48 Test classified correctly 88% of the MCI and SMC participants and was the best predictor of the status of MCI and mild AD as well as the outcome of the MCI patients. Poor visual memory was the second best predictor of those MCI patients who evolved to AD. A cued recall test which avoids the ceiling effect is at least as good as the delayed free recall tests in the early detection of AD. [less ▲]

Memory for temporal context : Effects of aging, encoding instructions and retrieval strategies

in Memory (2005), 13(1), 95-109

Young and older adults were compared on a list discrimination task. In Experiment 1, performance declined with aging after incidental and intentional encoding of the temporal context. Moreover, there was ... [more ▼]

Young and older adults were compared on a list discrimination task. In Experiment 1, performance declined with aging after incidental and intentional encoding of the temporal context. Moreover, there was no benefit for intentional encoding in either group. In Experiment 2, each list was associated with a different encoding context. There were age differences in performance when participants tried to retrieve the encoding context of the items as a cue for their list of occurrence, but not when participants evaluated temporal distance from the strength of the memory trace. This suggests that the age-related decrease in list discrimination could be at least partly due to a difficulty to infer strategically the temporal context of the items from information encoded in the same time. [less ▲]

Phenomenal characteristics of autobiographical memories for emotional and neutral events in older and younger adults

in Experimental Aging Research (2005), 31(2), 173-189

The authors investigated age-related differences in phenomenal characteristics of autobiographical memories for positive, negative, and neutral events. Younger and older participants were asked to recall ... [more ▼]

The authors investigated age-related differences in phenomenal characteristics of autobiographical memories for positive, negative, and neutral events. Younger and older participants were asked to recall two specific memories of each type and then to rate their memories on several sensorial ( e. g., visual, taste) and contextual ( e. g., location, time) characteristics. The authors found that emotional ( both positive and negative) memories contained more sensorial and contextual details than neutral memories in both age groups, whereas positive and negative memories did not differ on most dimensions. In addition, negative memories were associated with a higher intensity of positive feelings and a reduced complexity of storyline in older as compared to younger adults. These results suggest that the effect of emotion on phenomenal characteristics of autobiographical memories is similar in younger and older adults, but that older adults tend to reappraise negative events in a more positive light than younger adults. [less ▲]