Publications by authors named "Marina Rita Manera"

Background: The use of music in cognitive interventions represents a possibility with potential worthy of further investigation in the field of aging, both in terms of prevention from dementia, in the phase of mild cognitive impairment, and in the treatment of overt dementia.

Objectives: Currently, the types of music-based interventions proposed in the literature are characterized by wide heterogeneity, which is why it is necessary to clarify which interventions present more evidence of effectiveness in stimulating different cognitive domains.

Method: The study was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The heightened risk of dementia resulting from multiple comorbid conditions calls for innovative strategies. Engaging in physical and cognitive activities emerges as a protective measure against cognitive decline. This protocol aims to discuss a multidomain intervention targeting individuals with dementias secondary to cerebrovascular or other medical diseases, emphasizing an often underrepresented demographic.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Researchers wanted to find the best way to encourage people to be more active by sending messages through a mobile app.
  • They had 564 participants who received different kinds of messages for two weeks, and they measured their thoughts and feelings about exercising.
  • The study showed that using smart computer methods alongside their theories helped them create an AI chatbot that could choose the best messages to motivate people based on their personal traits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Cognitive dysfunctions, both subjective and detectable at psychometric testing, may follow SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, the ecological-functional relevance of such objective deficits is currently under-investigated. This study thus aimed at investigating the association between objective cognitive measures and both physical and cognitive, ecological-functional outcomes in COVID-19.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study explores the association between psychiatric symptoms following COVID-19 and demographic, disease-related and premorbid clinical confounders. Global cognition, depression, anxiety and PTSD features were assessed in 152 post-COVID-19 patients, subdivided into being at risk for brain disorders or not. In both groups, clinically meaningful depression, anxiety and PTSD symptoms were mildly-to-moderately frequent (4-45%).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Episodic long-term memory (LTM) difficulties/deficits are frequent in COVID-19-recovered patients and negatively impact on prognosis and outcome. However, little is known about their semiology and prevalence, also being still debated whether they arise from primary amnesic features or are secondary to dysexecutive/inattentive processes and disease-related/premorbid status. Hence, this study aimed at (1) assessing LTM functioning in post-infectious SARS-CoV-2 patients by accounting for premorbid and disease-related confounders and (2) exploring its cognitive etiology.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The novel human coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) shows neurotropism and systemically affects the central nervous system (CNS). Cognitive deficits have been indeed reported as both short- and long-term sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, the association between these disturbances and background/disease-related clinical features remains elusive.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Due to SARS-CoV-2-related encephalopathic features, COVID-19 patients may show cognitive sequelae that negatively affect functional outcomes. However, although cognitive screening has been recommended in recovered individuals, little is known about which instruments are suitable to this scope by also accounting for clinical status. This study thus aimed at comparatively assessing the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in detecting cognitive deficits in post-COVID-19 patients premorbidly/contextually being or not at risk for cognitive deficits (RCD + ; RCD-).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) can cause neurological, psychiatric, psychological, and psychosocial impairments. Literature regarding cognitive impact of COVID-19 is still limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate cognitive deficits and emotional distress among COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 patients who required functional rehabilitation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a chronic relapsing condition characterized by excessive alcohol consumption despite its multifaceted adverse consequences, associated with impaired performance in several cognitive domains including decision-making. While choice deficits represent a core component of addictive behavior, possibly consecutive to brain changes preceding the onset of the addiction cycle, the evidence on grey-matter and white-matter damage underlying abnormal choices in AUD is still limited. To fill this gap, we assessed the neurostructural bases of decision-making performance in 22 early-abstinent alcoholic patients and 18 controls, by coupling the Cambridge Gambling Task (CGT) with quantitative magnetic resonance imaging metrics of grey-matter density and white-matter integrity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF