Musculoskeletal symptomatology in skeletally immature students carrying heavy backpacks: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Young students with skeletal immaturity report an increasing number of musculoskeletal symptoms associated with daily use of heavy backpacks. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between heavy backpack use and reports of pain.

Methods: Data were collected from 300 students aged 11 to 18 at the University of Toronto Schools.

Neurocognitive performance and cognitive biases in young adults with schizotypal traits.

Recent research suggests that neurocognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia may increase the risk of developing cognitive biases. As such, we set out to determine this predictive relationship as it pertains to the development of a first-episode psychosis. We hypothesized that poorer performance in processing speed would be associated with jumping to conclusions and an externalizing bias.

Long-term neurocognitive and psychological outcomes in meningioma survivors: Individual changes over time and radiation dosimetry.

Background: This study investigates long-term changes in neurocognitive performance and psychological symptoms in meningioma survivors and associations with radiation dose to circumscribed brain regions.

Methods: We undertook a retrospective study of meningioma survivors who underwent longitudinal clinical neurocognitive assessments. Change in neurocognitive performance or psychological symptoms was assessed using reliable change indices.

A review of the reliability of remote neuropsychological assessment.

The provision of clinical neuropsychological services has predominately been undertaken by way of standardized administration in a face-to-face setting. Interpretation of psychometric findings in this context is dependent on the use of normative comparison. When the standardization in which such psychometric measures are employed deviates from how they were employed in the context of the development of its associated norms, one is left to question the reliability and hence, validity of any such findings and in turn, diagnostic decision making.

Modeling Effort-Based Decision Making: Individual Differences in Schizophrenia and Major Depressive Disorder.

Background: A critical facet of motivation is effort-based decision making, which refers to the mental processes involved in deciding whether a potential reward is worth the effort. To advance understanding of how individuals with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder utilize cost-benefit information to guide choice behavior, this study aimed to characterize individual differences in the computations associated with effort-based decision making.

Methods: One hundred forty-five participants (51 with schizophrenia, 43 with depression, and 51 healthy control participants) completed the Effort Expenditure for Rewards Task, with mixed effects modeling conducted to estimate the predictors of decision making.

Return to work following mild traumatic brain injury: Psychological and cognitive factors in a litigating sample in the post acute stage of recovery.

The purpose of this study was to investigate return to work (RTW) rates following a single uncomplicated mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) in the post-acute stage in the context of active litigation. More specifically, we sought to determine what psychological and/or cognitive factors predict a RTW after mTBI. Archival data were obtained from a random sample of litigating patients ( = 125; 54% female; mean age: 42.

Base rates of non-credible performance in a post-secondary student sample seeking accessibility accommodations.

Performance Validity Tests (PVTs) have been used to identify non-credible performance in clinical, medicolegal, forensic, and, more recently, academic settings. The inclusion of PVTs when administering psychoeducational assessments is essential given that specific accommodation such as flexible deadlines and increased writing time can provide an external incentive for students without disabilities to feign symptoms. The present study used archival data to establish base rates of non-credible performance in a sample of post-secondary students (n = 1045) who underwent a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation for the purposes of obtaining academic accommodations.

Behavioural phenotypes of intrinsic motivation in schizophrenia determined by cluster analysis of objectively quantified real-world performance.

Intrinsic motivation deficits are a prominent feature of schizophrenia that substantially impacts functional outcome. This study used cluster analysis of innate real-world behaviours captured during two open-field tasks to dimensionally examine heterogeneity in intrinsic motivation in schizophrenia patients (SZ) and healthy controls (HC). Wireless motion capture quantified participants' behaviours aligning with distinct aspects of intrinsic motivation: exploratory behaviour and effortful activity in the absence of external incentive.

Sex differences in risk factors that predict progression from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's dementia.

Objectives: To evaluate whether cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, apolipoprotein e4, neuroimaging abnormalities, and neuropsychological data differentially predict progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia for men and women.

Methods: Participants who were diagnosed with MCI at baseline ( = 449) were classified as either progressing to Alzheimer's dementia at follow-up or as not progressing. Men and women were first compared using bivariate analyses.

Radiation dose to circumscribed brain regions and neurocognitive function in patients with meningioma.

Background: Although radiation (RT) is standard treatment for many brain tumors, it may contribute to neurocognitive decline. The objective of this study was to investigate associations between RT dose to circumscribed brain regions and specific neurocognitive domains in patients with meningioma.

Methods: We undertook a retrospective study of 40 patients with meningioma who received RT and underwent an in-depth clinical neurocognitive assessment.

Cognitive reserve, cognition, and real-world functioning in MCI: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To synthesize quantitatively the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) literature with respect to the relationship between cognitive reserve and neuropsychological and functional outcomes.

Method: Participants with a diagnosis of MCI (total n = 7,871; 53% female) were included in this random-effects meta-analysis. Neuropsychological measures were combined into composite scores (e.

Long-term neurocognitive, psychological, and return to work outcomes in meningioma patients.

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate long-term neurocognitive, psychological, and return to work (RTW) outcomes in meningioma patients, and to explore whether neurocognitive and psychological factors influence RTW outcomes in this population.

Methods: In this retrospective study, 61 meningioma patients completed in-depth clinical neuropsychological assessments. Of these participants, 42 were of working-age and had RTW information available following neuropsychological assessment.

Stability of Verbal Fluency in Outpatients with Schizophrenia.

While it is well established that individuals with schizophrenia exhibit a wide range of neurocognitive deficits, there is significant heterogeneity in this regard. Impairments in verbal fluency appear to present consistently across most individuals with the illness. The present study examined the stability of verbal fluency abilities in chronic schizophrenia longitudinally.

Reliability of the French-Canadian adaptation of the Personality Assessment Inventory: Medical-legal implications.

The Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) is a reliable multidimensional psychometric inventory that is increasingly being used in the medical-legal context. To date, 18 language adaptations of the PAI exist, yet only the Spanish, Greek and German language versions have been examined psychometrically. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the French-Canadian version of the PAI by comparing mean scale and subscale scores between the French-Canadian and English language versions, and analyzing the internal consistency and mean item inter-correlations (MICs) of each version in a sample of 50 bilingual university students.

The effect of diagnostic terminology on cognitive, emotional, and post-concussive sequelae following mild brain injury.

Objective: We sought to determine whether the diagnostic terms 'mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)' and 'concussion' result in differences in perceived cognitive, emotional, and post-concussive sequelae.

Method: A total of 81 healthy university students (79% female; 69% of Asian descent) were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: mTBI ( = 41), or concussion ( = 40), and were instructed to simulate on a battery of cognitive (Neuropsychological Assessment Battery - Screening Module), emotional (Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory-II), and post-concussive (Rivermead Postconcussive Symptoms Questionnaire) measures.

Results: There were no significant group differences between expected cognitive, emotional, or post-concussive consequences.

On the nature of objective and perceived cognitive impairments in depressive symptoms and real-world functioning in young adults.

Cognitive impairments in depression contribute to disability. According to prevailing cognitive theories, one's perception related to cognitive ability can cause and maintain depression, and related outcomes. Here, we investigate the degree to which perceived cognitive impairment predicts functional impairment above and beyond objective neurocognition.

Spiritual Well-Being as a Predictor of Emotional Impairment Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability, with injuries classified as mild in severity being the most frequently sustained. While the majority of patients recover within 3 months post-injury, many individuals continue to experience debilitating emotional sequelae several months after the injury. While spiritual well-being has been shown to carry protective benefits against both depression and anxiety in the general population, it has not been investigated as a protective factor in this population.

Prefrontal cortical dopamine release in clinical high risk for psychosis during a cognitive task: a [C]FLB457 positron emission tomography study.

Research suggests decreased cortical dopamine is a neural correlate of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. Evidence of impaired cognitive task-induced cortical dopamine release was demonstrated in patients with psychosis. However, whether cortical dopamine release in response to a cognitive task in clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR) is also impaired, is currently unknown.

Goal-directed planning and action impairments in schizophrenia evaluated in a virtual environment.

Planning and executing goal-directed behaviours are critical final steps in translating motivation into action. Amotivation is a key feature of schizophrenia, but its impact on goal-directed functioning has not been extensively studied in an objective and ecologically valid manner. To address this, we investigated goal-directed planning and action in schizophrenia using a virtual reality task, the Multitasking in the City Test (MCT).

Reward-driven decision-making impairments in schizophrenia.

The ability to use feedback to guide optimal decision-making is essential for goal-directed behaviour. While impairments in feedback-driven decision-making have been associated with schizophrenia and depression, this has been examined primarily in the context of binary probabilistic choice paradigms. In real-world decision-making, however, individuals must make choices when there are more than two competing options that vary in the frequency and magnitude of potential rewards and losses.

Objective investigation of activity preference in schizophrenia: A pilot study.

Amotivation and reduced goal-directed activity engagement are prominent features of schizophrenia. Previous investigations of patients' activities have relied on accounts of daily living activities, rather than objective measures. This study used wireless motion capture to objectively evaluate activity preference when individuals are provided an explicit choice between an active versus passive engagement option.

Examining the dimensions of schizotypy from the top down: A hierarchical comparison of item-level factor solutions.

Numerous factor analytic studies of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire have supported a range of solutions, many with differing numbers of factors. Although some solutions have received more support than others, it remains unclear how clinicians and researchers may evaluate solutions with similar levels of empirical support in relation to one another, and few item-level analyses have been conducted. In the current study, we seek to explore the relationships among various factor solutions in a hierarchical manner using Goldberg's (2006) Bass-Ackward approach.

An Examination of the Multi-Faceted Motivation System in Healthy Young Adults.

Amotivation is a prevalent symptom in schizophrenia (SZ) and depression (MDD), and is linked to poor functional outcomes in affected individuals. Conceptualizations of motivation have outlined a multi-faceted construct comprised of reward responsiveness, reward expectancy, reward valuation, effort valuation, and action selection/preference-based decision making. To date, findings from studies utilizing variable-centered approaches to examining isolated facets of motivation in SZ and MDD have been inconsistent.

The relationship between post-traumatic growth and return to work following mild traumatic brain injury.

To investigate the prevalence of post-traumatic growth (PTG) following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and to examine whether PTG is associated with vocational status. Archival data from a random sample of 74 individuals who sustained mTBI (mean age: 43.23; male, 55%) were obtained from a larger sample of litigating patients who were referred for a neuropsychological examination.