RESUMO
Objective: The process of detecting faces can be considered one of the initial steps in face recognition, which is essential for human interaction. We sought to investigate whether a face perception task reliably detects subtle perceptual disturbances between patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and healthy controls. Methods: In this multisite study, we examined differences between BD patients and matched healthy controls. Participants were instructed to detect the orientation (either left or right) of a face when it was presented as a face/non-face pair on a computer screen using Bayesian entropy estimation. Data analyses compared performance between the groups. Results: Overall, BD patients exhibited more perceptual disturbances compared with controls. BD patients who took olanzapine had better performance and faster reaction times (RTs) than patients who took lithium or were medication-naive. BD patients who took lithium had better performance and faster RTs than medication-naive patients. The medication-naive BD group exhibited greater disturbances than all other groups. Conclusion: These findings highlight the reliability of the face perception task used herein and may be important for public health initiatives and follow-up studies that seek to understand the diverse effects of other variables that can affect sensory processing in this population.
RESUMO
Malnutrition is characterised by deficient nutrient ingestion and absorption and is still one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide. Our main rationale was that protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) may affect eye movement in children with malnutrition. Twenty children without PEM (mean age = 10.8; SD = 1.0 years) and 18 children with PEM (mean age = 10.9; SD = 1.2 years) were included in the present study. We applied three types of tests: one that consisted of a maze and two versions of the Spot the Seven Errors test using boats and elephants. Our results indicated that children with PEM exhibited performance deficits in the maze test (p < .001) and Spot the Seven Errors test for both boats (p < .001) and elephants (p < .001). These data suggest that nutritional impairments during the first year of life (i.e., a critical period) can directly impact eye movement. Eye tracking is a reliable technique to investigate higher-order processes, but our results should be interpreted with caution. Our findings highlight the relevance of cognitive development in malnourished children, which can negatively affect their development. Screening, assessment and rehabilitation strategies are essential in this at-risk population.
Assuntos
Elefantes , Desnutrição Proteico-Calórica , Animais , Movimentos Oculares , Humanos , Desnutrição Proteico-Calórica/epidemiologiaRESUMO
Chronic tobacco consumption, identified as Tobacco Use Disorder (TUD), is a public health problem. We present a case report of a 37-year-old Brazilian male diagnosed with TUD at age 26, with no comorbidities, that presented visual improvements (i.e., lower thresholds and better discrimination) after nicotine gum administration. Here, we assessed contrast sensitivity and chromatic discrimination using the Metropsis and the Cambridge Colour Test, respectively. Results showed lower thresholds for both visual tasks after the use of nicotine gum. Even considering this is a single case report, our intent is to open new avenues for research involving smoking, addiction and the use of nicotine gum as a replacement tool or adjuvant tool for improvement of visual and/or cognitive processing. It is well known that nicotine gum has protective effects for some diseases, and improves some cognitive functions. However, unclear were its effects on visual processing of people with TUD.
Assuntos
Abandono do Hábito de Fumar , Tabagismo , Adulto , Humanos , Masculino , Nicotina/uso terapêutico , Fumar/psicologia , Abandono do Hábito de Fumar/métodos , Dispositivos para o Abandono do Uso de Tabaco , Tabagismo/tratamento farmacológicoRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The process of detecting faces can be considered one of the initial steps in face recognition, which is essential for human interaction. We sought to investigate whether a face perception task reliably detects subtle perceptual disturbances between patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and healthy controls. METHODS: In this multisite study, we examined differences between BD patients and matched healthy controls. Participants were instructed to detect the orientation (either left or right) of a face when it was presented as a face/non-face pair on a computer screen using Bayesian entropy estimation. Data analyses compared performance between the groups. RESULTS: Overall, BD patients exhibited more perceptual disturbances compared with controls. BD patients who took olanzapine had better performance and faster reaction times (RTs) than patients who took lithium or were medication-naive. BD patients who took lithium had better performance and faster RTs than medication-naive patients. The medication-naive BD group exhibited greater disturbances than all other groups. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the reliability of the face perception task used herein and may be important for public health initiatives and follow-up studies that seek to understand the diverse effects of other variables that can affect sensory processing in this population.
Assuntos
Transtorno Bipolar , Humanos , Transtorno Bipolar/tratamento farmacológico , Transtorno Bipolar/epidemiologia , Emoções , Lítio/farmacologia , Teorema de Bayes , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Expressão Facial , Imageamento por Ressonância MagnéticaRESUMO
Objectives: The effects of smoking on color vision have been scarcely studied. To bridge such gap, this study examined if there were differences in chromatic discrimination between heavy and light smokers. Methods: The psychophysical Trivector test was used to evaluate chromatic discrimination in healthy controls (n = 36), heavy smokers (n = 29), and light smokers (n = 32). The subject's task was to identify the orientation of the Landolt C ring gap - presented and randomized in one of the four positions (e.g., up, down, right, and left). Results: The thresholds for Protan (red), Deutan (green) and Tritan (blue) were higher in heavy smokers compared to nonsmokers but not to light smokers. Conclusions: The results confirm that heavy smoking and chronic exposure to its harmful compounds affect color discrimination when compared to light smoking; and this is more pronounced in heavy smokers than light smokers. This is particularly important to understand the differences among smokers on visual and multisensory processing.
Assuntos
Testes de Percepção de Cores , Percepção de Cores , Testes de Percepção de Cores/métodos , Humanos , Fumantes , Fumar/epidemiologiaRESUMO
Background: Although some studies have shown impairments in patients with bipolar disorder (BPD) and in smokers, it is unclear how these two factors work together. Our premise was that chronic smoking affects color discrimination and this is more pronounced in BPD. Objective: Our main purpose was to investigate the influence of smoking and BPD on color discrimination. Methods: Twenty-three smokers and 23 BPD smokers patients, aged 25-45 years old, participated in this study. Color vision testing was performed using the Trivector subtest of the Cambridge Colour Test. Participants' task was to indicate the pseudoisochromatic stimulus in four directions (up, down, right, and left). Results: It was shown that the smokers had better color vision than BPD smokers for the Protan (p < .001), Deutan (p < .001), and Tritan (p < .001) (red, green, and blue, respectively) axes. Thus, the BPD smokers' group had greater difficulty distinguishing the chromaticity variations (i.e., presented diffuse color vision impairments and not specific to any axis). Conclusions: The present study highlights a possible relationship between smoking and BPD in color discrimination. This highlights the importance of understanding the diffuse effects of this relationship.