Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) related dementia and mild cognitive impairment experience difficulties with spatial navigation (SN). However, SN has rarely been investigated in individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), a preclinical stage with elevated progression rate to symptomatic AD. In this study, 30 SCD subjects and 30 controls underwent cognitive scale (CS) evaluation, a 2D computerized SN test, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning. Two SN brain networks (ego-network and allo-network), each with 10 selected spherical regions, were defined. We calculated the average network functional connectivity (FC) and region-to-region FC within the two networks and evaluated correlations with SN performance. Compared with the controls, the SCD group performed worse in the SN test and showed decreased FC between the right retrosplenial and right prefrontal cortices in the ego-network, and between the right retrosplenial cortex and right hippocampus in the allo-network. The logistic regression model based on SN and FC measures revealed a high area under the curve of .880 in differentiating SCD individuals from controls. These results suggest that SN network disconnection contributes to spatial deficits in SCD, and SN and FC measures could benefit the preclinical detection of subjects with incipient AD dementia.
- Klíčová slova
- Allocentric, Egocentric, Functional connectivity, Spatial navigation, Subjective cognitive decline,
- MeSH
- Alzheimerova nemoc * diagnostické zobrazování MeSH
- ego MeSH
- kognitivní dysfunkce * diagnostické zobrazování MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- magnetická rezonanční tomografie MeSH
- mozek MeSH
- zmatenost MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
Studies on education generally find that higher education has a positive impact on various aspects of life. Nevertheless, studies focused on elderly people and their psychosocial health and development seldom view higher education as an important factor. Our aim was to explore the relation between higher education and ego integrity, a measure based on Erikson's concept of psychological maturity in later life. We used four national samples of non-institutionalized elderly people from Cameroon (N = 238), China (N = 254), Czech Republic (N = 167), and Germany (N = 240). Relationships between ego integrity and several possible moderator variables were tested by multivariate regressions in each sample. Between-subject ANOVA was employed to test differences in ego integrity between university educated and non-university educated people. We found that ego integrity is affected by culture in interaction with gender and the level of education attained. University-educated people reported higher ego integrity than persons with lower education in three of four cultural samples, which suggests a relatively stable relationship between university education and ego integrity when controlling for gender, age, and working status. These findings highlight the importance of education in late adulthood. In terms of policies and practice, they underscore the importance of reduction of educational inequalities as well as desirability of improved access to higher education, expansion of opportunities for the achievement of complete education in later life, and facilitation and support of lifelong learning.
- Klíčová slova
- Successful aging, inequalities, social determination, wellbeing,
- MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- ego MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- postup MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- srovnání kultur * MeSH
- stupeň vzdělání MeSH
- univerzity * MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
We examined two contradictory views of Erikson's concept of ego integrity: as an outcome of the tension between integrity and despair, or as a dialogical process of balancing positive and negative life experiences. One hundred sixty-seven Czech older adults participated in the study. Dialogically integrated, outcome-integrated, and outcome-despairing participants were selected based on the Ego Integrity Scale and based on methods mapping life-reviewing dialogue. The three subsamples were compared in their psychological adaptation. The results showed that the dialogically integrated participants scored similarly in well-being and meaningfulness of life as outcome-integrated participants and better than outcome-despairing participants. However, the dialogically integrated participants were also prone to experiencing negative emotions. As they were older than the other two subsamples and reported worse physical health, we concluded that the life-reviewing dialogue helps them maintain a sense of meaning in life and a certain level of well-being. Hence, the results support relevance of the dialogical-process view.
- Klíčová slova
- dialogical self-theory, ego integrity, future time perspective, late adulthood, life review, meaningfulness of life, older adults, reminiscence, subjective health, well-being,
- MeSH
- adaptace psychologická * MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- ego * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- sebepojetí MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- životní změny MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
This cross-cultural study examined a potential direct effect of generativity and indirect effect through ego integrity on fear of death. In sum, 617 adults aged 60-86 from Germany, the Czech Republic, and Cameroon provided self-report information on their generative concern, ego integrity, and fear of death. Whereas it had no direct effect, generativity had an indirect effect on fear of death: It was associated with increased ego integrity which, in turn, was associated with reduced fear of death. This pattern was verified for the three cultural groups via structural equation modeling. Results suggest that generativity is not sufficient in coming to terms with one's mortality. Instead, generativity contributes to ego integrity which then helps to face death relatively unafraid.
- Klíčová slova
- Culture, Ego integrity, Fear of death, Generativity,
- MeSH
- ego * MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- postoj ke smrti * MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- srovnání kultur MeSH
- stárnutí etnologie psychologie MeSH
- strach * MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
- Kamerun MeSH
- Německo MeSH
There is evidence that schizophrenic associations display "chaotic", random-like behavior and decreased predictability. The evidence suggests a hypothesis that the "chaotic" mental disorganization could be explained within the concept of nonlinear dynamics and complexity in the brain that may cause chaotic neural organization. Testing of the hypothesis in the present study was performed using nonlinear analysis of bilateral electrodermal activity (EDA) during resting state and an association test in 56 schizophrenic patients and 44 healthy participants. EDA is a suitable measure of brain and autonomic activity reflecting neurobiological changes in schizophrenia that may indicate changes in nonlinear neural dynamics related to associative process. The results show that quantitative indices of chaotic dynamics (the largest Lyapunov exponents) calculated from EDA signals recorded during rest and the association test are significantly higher in schizophrenia patients than in the control group and increase during the test in comparison to the resting state. The difference was confirmed by statistical methods and using surrogate data testing that rejected an explanation within the linear statistical framework. The results provide supportive evidence that pseudo-randomness of schizophrenic associations and less predictability could be linked to increased complexity of nonlinear neural dynamics, although certain limitations in data interpretation must be taken into account.
- MeSH
- asociace (psychologie) * MeSH
- časové faktory MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- galvanická kožní odpověď fyziologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- metafora * MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- nelineární dynamika * MeSH
- neparametrická statistika MeSH
- neuropsychologické testy MeSH
- ověřování skutečnosti * MeSH
- psychologické modely MeSH
- schizofrenie (psychologie) * MeSH
- schizofrenie patofyziologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- MeSH
- ego * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- motivace MeSH
- psychoanalytická interpretace MeSH
- sebepojetí * MeSH
- testování osobnosti MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- MeSH
- ego MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- LSD farmakologie MeSH
- nevědomí (psychologie) MeSH
- psychoanalytická terapie MeSH
- psychoterapie * MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Názvy látek
- LSD MeSH
