ADVANCES IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE
Year:2001 | Volume:3 | Issue:3|Papers Count:16

This is the first report of using fMRI in Iran. A normal subject underwent fMRI scanning while generating visual mental images from concrete words in a block designed paradigm; while, passive listening to abstract words and rest conditions were control trials. We found activation in Primary Visual Area (PVA) during mental imagery; as well as activation in regions participated in object recognition, memory retrieval, visual working memory and comprehension of complex auditory stimuli. Also we observed more activity in PVA when the subject was given more time for generation of mental images from concrete words. These findings are further indicative of shared mechanisms between visual-mental imagery and visual perception.

In this study, effects of intrahippocampal (IH) injection of adrenoceptor agents on imipramine-induced impairment of memory retention were investigated. Imipramine (2-8 µg/rat) decreased retention latencies in passive avoidance task.Administration of α1. -adrenoceptor agonist, phenylephrine (0.05 µg/rat) and prazosin, an α1- adrenoceptor antagonist (0.5 µg/rat) did not alter the response of imipramine. Low doses of phenylephrine (0.005 and 0.015 µg/rat) decreased, while higher doses of the drug (0.025 and 0.05 µg/rat) increased memory retention. The effect of phenylephrine was not altered by (0.5 and 1 µg/rat) prazosin pretreatment however, prazosin alone decreased retention latencies. The α2-adrenocetor antagonist, yohimbine (0.5 and 1 µg/rat) decreased the response induced by imipramine. However, the α2 adrenoceptor agonist, clonidine (0.08 µg/rat) did not alter the response of the drug. Clonidine (0.15 and 0.3 µg/rat), by itself, decreased but yohimbine (1 and 2 µg/rat) increased retention latencies. Yohimbine pretreatment decreased the response of clonidine.It is concluded that adrenoceptor mechanism(s) may be involved in imipramine-induced impairment of memory retention.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between metacognitive knowledge and problem solving. Ninety-three third-grade male students in middle schools were selected through random cluster sampling. In order to assess metacognitive knowledge, each of the students was interviewed individually and their responses were tape-recorded. Then, to assess problem solving ability, the pendulum problem was presented to students individually. Results indicated that metacognitive knowledge has positive correlations with problem solving ability. Further personal category of metacognitive knowledge, rather than task and strategy categories, accounts well for predicting the problem solving variance.

This study described the application and validation of Problem-Solving Metacognitive Knowledge Questionnaire-Interview that was designed to assess the general background of problem-solving. First the Questionnaire was translated from English in to Farsi and after recancy modifications it was administered to two groups of high school students and the initial scoring guide was prepared. Then, in order to consider developmental changes in devicing of scoring guide, the cross-sectional study was designed. The subjects of this study were 30 fourth grade male students in elementary schools. Thirty second-grade male students in middle schools and 30 third-grade male students in high schools at 16th Educational District of Tehran were selected through random cluster sampling. After each subject was individually interviewed, the responses were tape-recorded and then, the scoring guide in 6 categories was formulated. The subject's responses were again scored and analyzed. The results indicated that the Questionnaire had favorable psychometric indices such as face validity, content validity, and construct validity (convergent and differential). Reliability of the Questionnaire was high (r=0.99) and the internal consistency was also favorable (α=0.87).

We aimed to study "new words" used by adolescents and the possibility of its application in treatment using a qualitative approach. The study was done through holding "focus groups". One focus group of adolescents and one focus group of counselors (working at the Ministry of Education) were run and the contents of the sessions were audiotaped. The results indicated four possibilities: 1) adolescents used such words as a territory to protect themselves; 2) they used them as a mean to disregard views the previous generations; 3) these words merely represented a different viewpoint; 4) and it could also be the sign of a generational quarrel. The results also showed a three-level process by counselors in working with adolescents: 1) resistance; 2) normalizing; 3) the use of such words to facilitate relationship and emotional processing treatment.

 Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood psychiatric disorders. These disorders are characterized by inattentiveness, impassivity, and over-activity and cause some problems for the children and their parents.The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of Problem Solving Training on the reduction of ADHD symptoms in the primary school children. Methods using cluster sampling, five boy primary schools were randomly chosen from 30 boy primary schools of Elam (a city in the west of Iran). Then based on the parent and teacher version of the Child Symptom Inventory-Four (CSI-4) and diagnostic criteria of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in the forth edition of the Statistical and Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders, 28 boys who had ADHD were randomly assigned in the experimental and control groups. The experimental group received 10 sessions of 40 minutes Problem Solving Training adopted Division and Gold Fried and Huton et al. The control group did not receive any treatment. Parents and teachers completed the CSI-4 one week (post-test) and three weeks (follow-up) after the treatment. Results of Multi Variate Analyses of Variance showed that according to the teacher and parent assessments one week after the training, the differences between the 2 groups were significant on the severity score of the total symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity as well as on the severity scores of the symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity separately (P<0.05). It was also found those three weeks after the training, the differences between the 2 groups were significant on the severity score of hyperactivity symptoms according to the teacher and parent assessments and on the severity score of total symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity as well as on the symptoms of attention reported by (P<0.05). It was concluded that the Problem Solving Training as one of the cognitive behavioral interventions is a useful method in the treatment of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children.

The purpose of this study is to examine gender differences in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders. First, gender stereotypes are discussed, usually defined as being relatively fixed and oversimplified generalizations about people on the basis of their gender. Previous studies have shown that some of these stereotypes are based on reality while others lack strong evidences. Higher rates of psychiatric disorders among women seem to be true. Various explanations for higher prevalence of depression in female populations are reviewed. Elucidation of underlying factors and implementation of potentially preventive strategies may prove useful in reducing the rate of mental disorders among women.

Deficits in decision making comprise the core of various psychiatric disorders, The cognitive processes underlying decision making would encompass a wide range including impulse control, risk taking, harm avoidance, novelty seeking, reward dependence, and quality of choice.In recent years, different groups of researchers, from various fields of neuroscience, have attempted to develop experimental tasks in order to examine the cognitive processes involved in decision making. One of the best known examples among others is being Gambling Task (GT). First introduced in 1999, GT has been used to assess cognitive impairments in patients with brain damages, and also to evaluate the cognitive deficits seen in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, mood disorders, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and in professional gamblers as well.Authors of this paper have designed a new version of GT seeking to provide novel capabilities with more precision in the evaluation of decision making process. Preliminary studies using these new and other versions of GT in groups of Iranian populations showed a unique pattern of decision making which was totally different from many other studies among western people. It seems that Iranian people are being more sensitive to the number rather than the amount of losses.In addition to GT, other tasks have been developed as well to assess the processes of decision making, including Rogers' Decision Making Task (RDMT), Delayed Discounting Procedure (DDP), Delayed No matching to Sample (DNMS), Gehring's Task, and many others. Such studies have identified the role of specific brain regions, especially prefrontal cortex, in the cognitive process of decision making.