Negative metacognitive bias, underestimating one’s abilities, is consistently linked to psychopathology, yet prior work has often collapsed anxiety/stress and depression or examined depression alone. We tested the unique associations of depression, anxiety/stress, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with metacognitive bias in post-9/11 veterans.

Veterans from the Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS, N = 601; 90% male; M age = 34.31) completed 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (depression, anxiety/stress), CAPS-IV (PTSD), WHODAS-II Understanding/Communicating (self-reported cognition), and an objective cognition composite (assessment of executive function, memory, and attention). Bias was computed as self-report minus objective cognition. A subsample (n = 239) repeated testing ∼2 years later.

At time 1, more negative metacognitive bias was associated with greater anxiety/stress (r = −.41), depressive (r = −.37), and PTSD symptoms (r = −.31) (all ps < .001). In a simultaneous model, anxiety/stress (β = −.29 p < .001) and depressive symptoms (β = −.12, p = .045) explained unique variance though PTSD symptoms did not (β = −.03, p = .524). Longitudinally, changes in bias were uniquely predicted by symptom changes in anxiety/stress (β = −.33, p < .001) and PTSD (β = −.16, p = .001), but not depression (β = −.10, p = .137).

Across cross-sectional and longitudinal models, anxiety/stress emerged as the most consistent correlate of metacognitive bias, with weaker contributions from depression and PTSD. These findings highlight the importance of assessing the self-report versus objective cognition gap and the need to further understand the temporal relationship between anxiety/stress and metacognitive bias.

While early-life adverse experiences have been linked to late-life cognitive decline, few studies have explored war exposure. Paradoxically, one study even indicated a late-life cognitive advantage of early-childhood war exposure. In the present study, we explored these associations.

We examined older adults exposed to World War II (1940–1944; n = 1179) and the subsequent Civil war (1946–1949; n = 962) in Greece during early and middle childhood with a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment and for ApoE-ε allele status, including demographic information and medical history.

Higher cognitive performance in language tasks predicted middle childhood, relative to early childhood, WWII-exposure group membership (B = .316, p = .038, OR:1.372, 95%CI:1.018–1.849), primarily for men, while higher attention/speed (B = .818, p = .002, OR:2.265, 95%CI:1.337–3.838) and total cognitive score (B = .536, p = .040, OR:1.709, 95%CI:1.026–2.849) were predictors of belonging to the middle-childhood group, only in men. Individuals who did not meet criteria for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)/dementia were more likely to belong to the middle-childhood war-exposure group. Similarly, for the Civil war, higher cognitive scores and reduced likelihood to meet criteria for MCI/dementia were predictors of middle, relative to early childhood war exposure group membership (visuospatial score: B = .544, p = .001, OR:1.723, 95%CI:1.246–2.381, MMSE: B = .134, p = .020, OR:1.143, 95%CI:1.021–1.297), primarily for women. Results remained consistent when adjusting for multimorbidity, sex, education, current age, depression, and anxiety.

The present findings suggest that better cognitive performance and lower likelihood of MCI or dementia were associated with being exposed to significant hardships, such as war, during middle childhood, regardless of potentially confounding factors. Further studies are needed to shed light on this relationship.

Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may represent the earliest observable stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), yet identifying individuals at risk of progressing remains challenging. Cognitive dispersion, or intra-individual variability (IIV-D), may serve as a sensitive early marker. This study examined IIV-D across diagnostic groups, focusing on SCD and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) progressors (SCD-p, aMCI-p; progressing to a more advanced disease stage) versus non-progressors (SCD-np, aMCI-np; not progressing to a more advanced stage). We expected greater IIV-D across groups (AD > aMCI > SCD > controls) and in progressors.

A total of 308 participants aged 65–94 (67 healthy controls [HC], 126 SCD, 79 aMCI, 36 AD) from the Consortium for the Early Identification of Alzheimer’s Disease – Quebec (CIMA-Q) were included. SCD and aMCI participants were followed for up to eight years (34 SCD-p, 92 SCD-np; 29 aMCI-p, 50 aMCI-np). Analyses of covariance assessed baseline across- and verbal memory within-domain IIV-D, maximum discrepancy (MD), and domain-specific deviation.

IIV-D increased with disease severity (HC = SCD < aMCI < AD). Among SCD participants, progressors showed greater episodic memory deviation than non-progressors, primarily driven by poorer Logical Memory delayed recall. In aMCI, progressors showed higher IIV-D across all indices (across- and within-domain, IIV-D and MD), with domain-specific differences limited to episodic memory.

These findings indicate that IIV-D measures distinguish aMCI progressors from non-progressors, although they do not appear to enhance predictive accuracy for progression to AD and may not yet be a reliable marker at the SCD stage.

Pulse pressure (PP) calculated as systolic minus diastolic blood pressure is a surrogate measure of arterial stiffness that may affect executive function; however, this relationship could be moderated by age and genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We therefore examined relationships among PP, age, AD risk (i.e., APOE genotype) and executive function measured by the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB) in older adults.

PP was determined in 216 older adults without dementia (mean age: 77.5 ± 7.9 years, education: 16.8 ± 2.4 years, 55% women, 34.8% APOE ϵ4+) who were tested with the NIHTB-CB as part of the Advancing Reliable Measurement of Alzheimer’s Disease and Cognitive Aging (ARMADA) study.

Multiple linear regression revealed PP × Age × APOE genotype interaction effects for List Sorting Working Memory (β = 0.04; p = .007) and Picture Sequence Memory (β = 0.04; p = .006); higher PP was associated with worse scores in younger APOE ϵ4+ older adults (same pattern for fluid and total cognition composite scores). Higher PP was associated with lower Picture Vocabulary scores in ApoE ϵ4+ (PP X APOE interaction: β = −0.19; p = .022). Higher PP was associated with lower Flanker Inhibitory Control scores (β = −0.13; p = .005) across all participants.

Arterial stiffness measured by PP in older adults is associated with worse performance on NIHTB-CB tests of executive function, working memory, and episodic sequence memory, particularly in younger APOE ϵ4 carriers. Arterial stiffness and AD risk may work synergistically in an age dependent manner to adversely affect cognition.

Network modeling of post-concussion symptoms following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) has emerged as a promising tool for understanding how cognitive, emotional, and somatic symptoms co-occur and interact. However, the generalizability of networks developed in individual studies remains unclear. This study aimed to develop the first-ever meta-analytic pooled between-persons network structure of post-concussion symptoms and systematically examine the between-study heterogeneity of these symptom networks.

Using the Meta-Analytic Gaussian Network Aggregation (MAGNA) framework, a single pooled network model was developed by aggregating data from 6 distinct samples, comprising a total of 5,776 participants. Additionally, this study quantitatively assessed the degree of heterogeneity across these studies.

Strong symptom clusters between cognitive, emotional, and somatic symptoms were identified. Concentration difficulty and slowed thinking were the most central symptoms in the pooled MAGNA network. Large between-study heterogeneity was observed.

Findings from this meta-analysis highlight cognitive symptoms as most important for defining the network structure after mTBI at a group level, potentially perpetuating and/or being perpetuated by symptoms in other domains. The large heterogeneity observed between studies underscores the need for an idiographic (person-specific) approach to studying post-concussion symptom networks to inform precision rehabilitation.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) involves measurable cognitive decline that does not yet significantly disrupt daily functioning but may signal increased risk of dementia. Reliable prediction of dementia conversion in MCI is essential for early intervention and optimized clinical trial design. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive performance of various machine learning (ML) classification algorithms using clinical and neuropsychological data.

Data were drawn from the Gothenburg MCI Study and included 347 patients from a memory clinic, of whom 84 (24%) converted to dementia within two to six years. We applied 11 ML classification algorithms (logistic regression, linear discriminant analysis, naïve Bayes, k-nearest neighbors, LASSO, ridge regression, elastic net, decision tree, random forest, gradient boosting, and support vector machine (SVM)) to predict dementia conversion based on 54 clinical predictors (e.g., cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, neuropsychological test scores, comorbidities, and demographics). In a second step, we included delta scores reflecting change in neuropsychological test performance from baseline to follow-up.

Without delta scores, LASSO, ridge, elastic net, random forest, and SVM performed best, achieving accuracy ≥0.87, kappa = 0.64, and AUC-ROC ≥0.90. These models demonstrated high specificity (0.94) but moderate sensitivity (0.68). Including delta scores improved performance, with ridge and elastic net achieving accuracy = 0.90, kappa = 0.73 and 0.72, AUC-ROC = 0.94, specificity = 0.96, and sensitivity = 0.73. The elastic net model yielded a positive predictive value of 0.85 and a negative predictive value of 0.92.

ML models incorporating clinical and cognitive change data can accurately predict dementia conversion in MCI, supporting their utility in clinical decision-making.

This study examines how multiple dimensions of socio-emotional well-being relate to cognitive functioning in older adults, and whether the associations vary by cognitive status, depression, and socio-demographic factors.

Data from the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (n = 2,650; mean age = 76; 54.5% females) were used to test associations between life satisfaction, meaning in life, social connectedness, and loneliness with global, domain-specific cognitive performance, and informant-rated cognitive decline.

Linear mixed models, with individuals nested within five countries, found that higher life satisfaction, meaning in life, and social connectedness were associated with better cognitive outcomes, whereas greater loneliness was associated with worse performance and greater informant-rated decline. The largest effect sizes were observed for meaning in life (median β = .10) and loneliness (median β = −.09) across cognitive measures. The associations generally remained significant adjusting for well-known clinical (e.g., diabetes), behavioral (e.g., physical inactivity), and psychological (depressive symptomatology) risk factors for dementia. Moderation and sensitivity analyses suggested that associations with global cognition hinged on the inclusion of participants classified with cognitive impairment, while some domain-specific associations (e.g., loneliness and episodic memory) were observed only in individuals without cognitive impairment. Overall, evidence for moderation by cognitive status, depression and age was limited, and no moderation was observed for sex or education.

The results underscore the importance of socio-emotional well-being in cognitive aging and highlight the need for longitudinal research to clarify mechanistic pathways and inform targeted interventions.

This study investigated functional connectivity in the default mode, central executive, dorsal attention, and salience networks (SN) and its relation to executive function in youth with traumatic brain injury.

Twenty-three youth with traumatic brain injury (11 with moderate-to-severe injury (6 male, mage = 11.78 ± 2.68 years, mtimesinceinjury = 3.71 ± 2.43 years) and 12 with complicated-mild injury (9 male, mage = 12.59 ± 1.99 years, mtimesinceinjury = 4.55 ± 1.59 years) and 17 youth with orthopedic injury (11 male, mage = 11.75 ± 2.12 years, mtimesinceinjury = 3.95 ± 1.79 years)) completed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and a parent rated their child’s executive function.

We found group differences in the strength of connectivity among four regions in the default mode network (DMN) and two regions of the SN, ps < .05, Eta2 = .151–.229. The orthopedic injury group demonstrated significant negative between-network connectivity, while brain injury groups had negligible negative or, in some cases, positive between-network associations. Groups did not differ on parent ratings of executive function, as all groups fell above the normative mean, reflecting poorer than expected everyday executive behavior. Attenuation of typical negative between-network association between the posterior cingulate in the DMN and two regions of the salience network was associated with worse parent-rated executive behavior (rs = .291–.317, ps < .05).

Findings illustrate the implications of disrupted downregulation of the default mode network by the SN following pediatric brain injury. They also demonstrate how disruption in functional connectivity may underlie poor executive function after childhood traumatic brain injury.

The cognitive-behavioral model of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) implicates impaired cognition; yet existing evidence of cognitive impairment in the disorder is often inconsistent. To date, cognitive performance in BDD has not been measured utilizing the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV), a gold standard cognitive assessment in clinical settings. Accordingly, this study compared WAIS-IV performance between individuals with BDD and healthy controls.

Participants included 59 BDD patients and 56 controls. Cognitive performance was evaluated via the WAIS-IV, and clinical characteristics of the BDD group were examined via multiple clinician and self-report questionnaires.

The BDD group demonstrated significantly poorer performance compared to the control group in the WAIS-IV index and subtests that reflect processing speed abilities (Processing Speed Index: d = −0.55, 95% CI [−0.92, −0.18], Symbol Search: d = −0.70, 95% CI [−1.07, −0.32], Coding: d = −0.79, 95% CI [−1.17, −0.41]), yet other indices were not significantly different. These impairments were not correlated with anxiety or BDD-YBOCS symptom severity. Reduced overall cognitive performance was primarily driven by impairments in processing speed.

The study suggests that in BDD, processing speed is notably lower than other index scores, falling in the low average range. This may reflect difficulties with rapid visual processing, attention to detail, or motor speed. Performance in domains reflective of reasoning and verbal functioning were unimpaired relative to controls. This selective cognitive pattern in BDD may be driven by increased cognitive load associated with perfectionistic traits. This has clinical implications for cognitive-behavioral treatment.

Few studies have examined the relationship between racial identity and baseline assessment performance in collegiate athletes, and even fewer have contextualized results using structural factors linked to test performance. This study examined racial differences in baseline assessment performance before and after controlling for performance on a word-reading task as a proxy for education quality. We hypothesized that there would be racial differences in baseline performance but that controlling for education quality would reduce these differences.

For this observational cross-sectional study, 875 collegiate athletes were grouped based on racial identity (White = 661, Black = 165, Another Race = 49) and underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Cognitive composite scores and intraindividual variability (IIV) were calculated for two neurocognitive domains: attention/processing speed and memory. Education quality was assessed with the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WTAR). ANCOVAs were used to examine racial differences in these cognitive domains before and after controlling for WTAR scores.

There were significant racial differences in both composite scores and in attention/processing speed IIV, p’s < .001, f = 0.13–0.21. However, there were no significant racial differences in memory IIV, p = .97. After controlling for WTAR scores, there were no significant racial differences in the attention/processing (p = .530, f = 0.03) or memory (p = .183, f = 0.06) composite scores, and the relationship between racial identity and attention/processing speed IIV was less prominent (p = .014, f = 0.10).

Results suggest that racial differences at baseline assessment can be largely accounted for by education quality as assessed by the WTAR, which underscores the importance of considering sociocultural context when assessing racially diverse athletes.

This study examined age-specific associations between parent-reported executive function (EF) difficulties and internalizing/externalizing symptoms in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a genetic condition underrepresented in psychiatric research.

Cross-sectional data of 1,049 observations from 803 children with NF1 (Mage = 10.58 years, SD = 3.84, range = 3–18; 47.5% female; 67.5% from higher-education households; 36.6% with familial NF1) across nine U.S. and Australian institutions were integrated. Parents rated EF difficulties using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function and internalizing/externalizing symptoms using the Child Behavior Checklist and the Behavior Assessment System for Children. Time-varying effect modeling estimated age-specific associations between EF and internalizing/externalizing symptoms and tested moderation by sex and parental education.

Poorer functioning in all EF domains was associated with greater internalizing and externalizing symptoms from ages 3 to 18. The associations were largely consistent across ages as well as sex and parental education subgroups with a few differences: (1) emotional control and cognitive flexibility problems were more strongly associated with internalizing symptoms during middle and late adolescence; (2) inhibitory control was more strongly linked to externalizing symptoms in childhood; (3) stronger associations between EF and internalizing symptoms were observed among males in early adolescence.

Parental complaints of EF difficulties are robustly linked to internalizing and externalizing problems from early childhood to late adolescence in children with NF1. Further longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to determine the directionality of these associations and whether EF represents a viable target for intervention.

Neuropsychological (NP) tests are multi-domain in execution. Reliance on a single score representing specific domains obscures the detection of subtle cognitive changes and increases risk of inaccurate assessment. Rooted in the Boston Process Approach (BPA), the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) captures multi-dimensional errors and process features within and across NP tests. We examined these BPA variables in community-dwelling older adults.

We analyzed data from 2363 dementia-free participants aged 60 and above. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses used Kemeny covariance structures. Measurement invariance was estimated across age, sex, and education groups. We assessed the impact of demographics on latent factors, and the ability of these factors to predict future conversion to all-cause dementia. We trained machine learning (ML) models to compare NP and BPA data.

Participants were older adults (mean age 71.5 ± 8.7 years), primarily female (54.2%), and non-Hispanic White (96.5%). The bifactor model was the only model with adequate fit (CFI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.03). General and specific factors captured ability for accurate and strategic responses, test-specific variance, and nuanced executive and semantic processes distributed across tests. Higher general ability and stronger verbatim story recall were associated with a reduced likelihood of developing all-cause dementia (general: OR = 0.15, 95% CI [0.12–0.86]; recall: OR = 0.24, 95% CI [0.23–0.90]) over a median of 5.2 years. With NP/BPA data, ML models identified >99% of 222 converters.

This study highlights the strengths of NP/BPA data. Multidimensional cognitive features may enhance sensitivity to early changes predictive of incipient dementia.

Evaluating pauses in natural speech is a promising strategy for improving reliability, validity, and efficiency in assessing cognitive functions in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s dementia (AD).

We conducted a quantitative meta-analysis of studies employing automated pause analysis. We included measures of speaking rate for comparison.

We identified 13 studies evaluating pause measures and 8 studies of speaking rate in people with MCI (n’s = 276 & 109, respectively) and AD (n’s = 170 & 81, respectively) and healthy aged controls (n’s = 492 & 231, respectively). Studies evaluated speech across various tasks, including standard neuropsychological, reading, and free/conversational tasks. People with AD and MCI showed longer pauses than controls at approximately 1.20 and 0.62 standard deviations, respectively, though there was substantial heterogeneity across studies. A more modest effect, of 0.66 and 0.27 SDs, was observed between these groups in speech rate. The largest effects were observed for standardized memory tasks.

Of the many ways that speech can be objectified, pauses appear particularly important for understanding cognition in AD. Pause analysis has the benefit of being face valid, interpretable in ratio format as a reaction time, tied to known socio-cognitive functions, and relatively easy to measure, compute, and interpret. Automation of speech analysis can greatly expand the assessment of AD and potentially improve early identification of one of the most devastating and costly diseases affecting humans.

Subjective cognitive complaints (SCC) can precede cognitive decline and are associated with demographic, exposure, lifestyle, and psychological factors. Prevalences of SCC and their correlates in individuals with repetitive head impacts (RHI) are poorly understood. This study characterized SCC in former elite American football players by frequency, mood and behavioral correlates, concordance with informant reports, and associations with neuropsychological test performance, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers of neurodegeneration.

Former American football players (n = 180) completed measures of global and domain-specific SCC, neuropsychiatric symptom questionnaires, neuropsychological testing, lumbar puncture, and MRI. Elastic net regression evaluated the relative importance of potential SCC correlates. Intraclass correlation coefficients measured concordance between self and informant reports. Multiple linear regressions tested associations between SCC and verbal memory and executive functioning scores. CSF Aβ1-42, p-tau181, t-tau, neurofilament light (NfL), hippocampal volume, and regional cortical thickness were examined for their potential associations with SCC.

Rates of SCC ranged from 43 to 77% depending on the domain. Symptoms of depression, impulsivity, and anxiety were strongly associated with SCC. Self- and informant-reported SCC showed moderate inter-rater agreement. Adjusting for age, race, education, APOE ϵ4 carrier status, and depressive symptoms, SCC were associated with lower objective verbal memory and executive functioning performance. SCC were associated with lower parahippocampal cortical thickness but not with hippocampal volume or any of the measured CSF tests.

SCC are strongly associated with neuropsychiatric factors in former American football players. SCC may also be a marker of cognitive decline and neurodegeneration.

Psychologists are increasingly asked to assess intellectual functions in adults from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. This study investigated the impact of acculturation and bilingualism on Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)-IV performance among Arabic-Danish bilingual university students.

Forty-eight academically high-achieving participants (69% female), fluent in Danish and educated entirely in Denmark, were recruited in Greater Copenhagen and completed a demographic questionnaire, the Danish version of the WAIS-IV, and self-report measures of acculturation and bilingualism.

Several WAIS-IV indexes and subtests were significantly associated with degree of bilingualism and acculturation, even after controlling for educational variables. Despite being academically high-achieving university students, participants scored below the national mean on most indexes and subtests. In fact, only performances on the Processing Speed Index, and the Coding and Symbol Search subtests were at the expected level. Notably, the lowest scores were observed on Block Design, which showed a strong correlation with Arabic acculturation scores. Finally, participants had index profiles that were more uneven than predicted based on the norms.

These findings underscore the influence of cultural and linguistic factors on WAIS-IV performance and suggest that WAIS-IV may not fully capture the intellectual abilities of bilingual individuals, even when they are fluent in the test language and have the same educational experience as the norm population.

Mathematical computation skills are a common vulnerability in those born very preterm (VP), but the underlying cognitive mechanisms have not been established. Using causal mediation methods, we aimed to investigate whether working memory, processing speed, and selective attention at 7 years of age could mediate the relationship between VP birth and mathematics computation performance at 13 and 20 years of age.

Participants completed standardized measures of working memory, processing speed, and selective attention at 7 years. At 13 and 20 years, participants completed a standardized measure of mathematical computation. Using an interventional effects approach, we estimated the extent to which differences in mathematic performance could be reduced by hypothetically intervening on working memory, processing speed, and selective attention in childhood.

The VP group performed lower than the FT group on mathematic computation at 13 and 20 years. Improving working memory, processing speed, and selective attention separately in the VP group to the level of the FT group reduced the difference in mathematics performance at both 13 and 20 years. If all cognitive domains were to be simultaneously intervened on so that the VP group matched the FT group, there would be a reduction in difference in mathematic performance by 68.7% at 13 years and 44.1% reduction at 20 years.

Findings from our causal mediation analyses suggest that interventions targeting working memory, processing speed, and selective attention in childhood for those born VP have potential for improving mathematical outcomes in adolescence born VP, especially if implemented concurrently.

Increasing survival probabilities among children and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have led to a growing population at risk for long-term neurocognitive sequelae. This study investigated cognitive functioning among individuals treated for ALL under the Nordic Society of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology ALL2008 protocol in Eastern Denmark, including performance across multiple domains and associations with age at diagnosis, sex, time since end of treatment, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and neurotoxic events during treatment.

Eighty-three survivors of ALL diagnosed before age 25 underwent neurocognitive testing at a median of 7.24 years post-treatment (interquartile range: 4.20–8.78). Performance was measured as age-standardized Z scores derived from normative data. Impairment was defined as Z ≤ −1.3 and severe impairment as Z ≤ −2.0. Multiple linear regression was used to investigate associations between cognitive outcomes and clinical risk factors.

Average performance was generally comparable to norms, but at least 38.6% of participants showed severe impairment in one or more domains, and at least 12% in two or more. Younger age at diagnosis was associated with poorer processing speed, executive functions, and non-verbal reasoning, while HSCT was associated with poorer processing speed and non-verbal reasoning.

Although average performance of the participants was generally comparable to norms, a notable proportion exhibited multi-domain, severe cognitive impairment. Associations with age at diagnosis and HSCT indicate potential for risk-stratified cognitive monitoring and targeted interventions.

The quest for non-invasive and cost-effective biomarkers for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has led to growing interest in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This study examined associations between whole-brain functional connectivity measures and cognitive performance across a spectrum of cognitive aging.

A total of 108 older adults (mean age 74.1 ± 5.7 years), comprised of cognitively intact individuals, participants with amnestic MCI, and those with mild dementia due to probable AD, underwent high-resolution structural MRI and resting-state functional MRI scans and cognitive testing with the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Functional connectivity values were derived from a 17-network brain parcellation. Correlations were established between network connectivity values and RBANS Index scores.

Analyses revealed that lower RBANS Attention Index and Total Scale scores were significantly associated with increased connectivity between the ventral attention, central executive network, and limbic and default mode networks. Lower RBANS total scores were also associated with functional connectivity strength between the dorsal default mode networks and lateral frontoparietal regions of the central executive network, with increased connectivity observed across the dementia spectrum (Intact-MCI-AD).

These findings suggest that aberrant and potentially compensatory increases in functional connectivity may be linked to cognitive decline, supporting the utility of resting-state functional MRI as a promising biomarker for MCI and AD.

Despite its clinical relevance, emotion recognition is difficult to assess in culturally, linguistically, and educationally diverse populations due to a lack of adapted tools.

In Part I, we adapted the Test d’Identification des Émotions Faciales (TIE-93), an emotion recognition test, from French into Dutch, Moroccan-Arabic, and Turkish. In Part II, the translated versions were piloted.

The procedures and challenges encountered during the translation and adaptation process are reported qualitatively. The translated versions were piloted, with performance on the TIE-93 compared across Dutch (n = 13), Surinamese (n = 15), Moroccan (n = 14), and Turkish (n = 16) healthy control groups. Second, we compared Surinamese, Moroccan, and Turkish healthy controls to matched patients (n = 20) with subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, or dementia. Third, we compared Moroccan healthy controls from the Netherlands and France (n = 20).

The challenges encountered during the translation process highlighted the difficulty of translating tests of social cognition, as emotional concepts are intricately linked to culture. As a result, literal translations often failed to maintain meaning equivalence; therefore, adaptations were necessary. Seventy-eight participants were included for piloting, and exploratory analyses were conducted. Healthy controls significantly outperformed patients, and Moroccan healthy controls from the Netherlands, who tested in their native language, significantly performed better than those from France.

Results highlight challenges in cross-cultural test adaptation in social cognition, as achieving conceptual equivalence was complicated by cultural and linguistic nuances in emotion-related terms. Nevertheless, the TIE-93 shows clinical potential; this should be examined in larger samples.

Spatial neglect is a heterogeneous post-stroke disorder with subtypes differing in reference frames, processing stages, and spatial domains. While egocentric peri-personal neglect recovery has been studied, recovery trajectories of allocentric peri-personal visuospatial and personal neglect remain unclear. This study investigated recovery time courses of egocentric and allocentric peri-personal visuospatial and personal neglect during the first 12 weeks post-stroke; whether initial severity predicts recovery and defines distinct patient clusters; and how subtypes interrelate over time.

Forty-one first-ever stroke patients were evaluated at weeks 3, 5, 8, and 12 post-stroke using the Broken Hearts Test, Line Bisection Test, Visuospatial Search Time Test, and Fluff Test. Recovery was analyzed using linear mixed models, clustering with Gaussian finite mixture models, and interrelationships using Spearman correlations.

Significant improvements occurred in egocentric and allocentric peri-personal visuospatial and personal neglect, primarily between weeks 3 and 5, followed by a plateau. The Line Bisection Test detected no changes. Higher initial severity predicted greater residual impairment. Cluster analysis identified near-normal, mild, and moderate-to-severe baseline subgroups with distinct recovery trajectories. Moderate-to-good correlations (ρ = 0.33 – 0.55) emerged between egocentric and allocentric neglect at week 3 and when timepoints were pooled.

Neglect improved mainly between weeks 3 and 5 after which recovery plateaued, mirroring motor and language recovery and suggesting a shared time-limited window. Initial severity was a determinant of recovery, highlighting the value of early severity stratification to monitor and support recovery potential after stroke. As subtypes are distinctive, assessment should include multiple neglect tests.