The Edinburgh Social Cognition Test (ESCoT):Examining the effects of age on a new measure of theory of mind and social norm understanding

<div><p>Current measures of social cognition have shown inconsistent findings regarding the effects of healthy aging. Moreover, no tests are currently available that allow clinicians and researchers to examine cognitive and affective theory of mind (ToM) and understanding of social norms within the same test. To address these limitations, we present the Edinburgh Social Cognition Test (ESCoT) which assesses cognitive and affective ToM and inter- and intrapersonal understanding of social norms. We examined the effects of age, measures of intelligence and the Broader Autism Phenotype (BAP) on the ESCoT and established tests of social cognition. Additionally, we investigated the convergent validity of the ESCoT based on traditional social cognition measures. The ESCoT was administered alongside Reading the Mind in Films (RMF), Reading the Mind in Eyes (RME), Judgement of Preference and Social Norm Questionnaire to 91 participants (30 aged 18–35 years, 30 aged 45–60 years and 31 aged 65–85 years). Poorer performance on the cognitive and affective ToM ESCoT subtests were predicted by increasing age. The affective ToM ESCoT subtest and RMF were predicted by gender, where being female predicted better performance. Unlike the ESCoT, better performance on the RMF was predicted by higher verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning abilities, while better performance on the RME was predicted by higher verbal comprehension scores. Lower scores on inter-and intrapersonal understanding of social norms were both predicted by the presence of more autism-like traits while poorer interpersonal understanding of social norms performance was predicted by increasing age. These findings show that the ESCoT is a useful measure of social cognition and, unlike established tests of social cognition, performance is not predicted by measures of verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning. This is particularly valuable to obtain an accurate assessment of the influence of age on our social cognitive abilities.</p></div

Global Phylogeography with Mixed-Marker Analysis Reveals Male-Mediated Dispersal in the Endangered Scalloped Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini)

Background: The scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini, is a large endangered predator with a circumglobal distribution, observed in the open ocean but linked ontogenetically to coastal embayments for parturition and juvenile development. A previous survey of maternal (mtDNA) markers demonstrated strong genetic partitioning overall (global W ST = 0.749) and significant population separations across oceans and between discontinuous continental coastlines. Methodology/Principal Findings: We surveyed the same global range with increased sample coverage (N = 403) and 13 microsatellite loci to assess the male contribution to dispersal and population structure. Biparentally inherited microsatellites reveal low or absent genetic structure across ocean basins and global genetic differentiation (FST = 0.035) over an order of magnitude lower than the corresponding measures for maternal mtDNA lineages (W ST = 0.749). Nuclear allelic richness and heterozygosity are high throughout the Indo-Pacific, while genetic structure is low. In contrast, allelic diversity is low while population structure is higher for populations at the ends of the range in the West Atlantic and East Pacific. Conclusions/Significance: These data are consistent with the proposed Indo-Pacific center of origin for S. lewini, and indicate that females are philopatric or adhere to coastal habitats while males facilitate gene flow across oceanic expanses. This study includes the largest sampling effort and the most molecular loci ever used to survey the complete range of

Association between gene expression and neurodegeneration in dementia with Lewy bodies

AbstractBackgroundPatterns of regional atrophy and hypometabolism have been observed in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). However, determinants of regional vulnerability to structural and functional neurodegeneration remain largely unexplored. First, we investigated the association between regional gene expression and grey matter volumes in probable DLB patients. Since hypometabolism presumably precedes overt brain atrophy, we additionally investigate the association between regional gene expression and hypometabolism in DLB.MethodTo investigate the association between gene expression and regional volumes, 165 DLB patients along with 165 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls from three European centres and the Mayo Clinic (USA) were included. Regional volumes were quantified from MRI using SPM12 in 112 cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar brain regions, and compared between groups, using w‐scores. Regional expression data of seven genes involved in the formation and degradation of pathological protein aggregates (APOE, APP, BIN1, GBA, MAPT, SNCA, TMEM175) was extracted from six healthy donors from the Allen Human Brain Atlas and correlated with regional volumetric w‐scores. To assess the predictive value of regional gene expression on regional volumes we used Gaussian stepwise backwards linear regression including all seven genes as predictors. To investigate the association between gene expression and hypometabolism, we are currently applying the same analysis pipeline to FDG‐PET data of 139 DLB patients from 8 European centres.ResultMost brain regions showed lower volumes in DLB patients compared to healthy controls, with differences being most pronounced in occipital and parietal lobes. Regional expression of APOE correlated positively with regional volumes in DLB. Conversely, regional expression of MAPT correlated negatively with regional volumes. Both APOE and MAPT gene expression were significant predictors of regional volumes in the regression analysis. None of the other gene expression values was significantly associated with regional volumes in DLB.ConclusionOur findings show that regional expression of genes associated with the abnormal accumulation of amyloid and tau, common co‐pathologies in DLB, partially account for the brain atrophy pattern observed in DLB patients. Analyses are ongoing for the hypometabolism pattern. Our finding emphasises the relevance of co‐pathologies in predicting atrophy progression and identifying potential targets for future disease‐modifying treatments.</sec

The TRANSFORM Patient Safety Project: A Microsystem Approach to Improving Outcomes on Inpatient Units

BACKGROUND: Improvements in hospital patient safety have been made, but innovative approaches are needed to accelerate progress. Evidence is emerging that microsystem approaches to quality and safety improvement in hospital care are effective. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the effects of a multifaceted, microsystem-level patient safety program on clinical outcomes and safety culture on inpatient units. DESIGN: A 1-year prospective interventional study was conducted, followed by a 6-month sustainability phase. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Four medical and surgical inpatient units within an academic university medical center were included, with registered nurses and residents representing study participants. INTERVENTIONS: In situ simulation training; debriefing of medical emergencies; monthly patient safety team meetings; patient safety champion role; interdisciplinary patient safety conferences; recognition program for exemplary teamwork. OUTCOMES: Hospital-acquired severe sepsis/septic shock and acute respiratory failure; unplanned transfers to higher level of care (HLOC); weighted risk-adjusted mortality. Safety culture was measured using a widely accepted, validated survey. RESULTS: Rates of hospital-acquired severe sepsis/septic shock and acute respiratory failure decreased on study units, from 1.78 to 0.64 (p = 0.04) and 2.44 to 0.43 per 1,000 unit discharges (p = 0.03), respectively. The mean number of days between cases of severe sepsis/septic shock increased from baseline to the intervention period (p = 0.03). Unplanned transfers to HLOC increased from 715 to 764 per 1,000 unit transfers (p = 0.08). The weighted risk-adjusted observed-to-expected mortality ratio on all study units decreased from 0.50 to 0.40 (p < 0.001). Overall scores of safety culture on study units improved after the 1-year intervention, significantly for nurses (p < 0.001), but not for residents (p = 0.06). Scores significantly improved in nine of twelve survey dimensions for nurses, compared to in four dimensions for residents. CONCLUSION: A multifaceted patient safety program suggested an association with improved hospital-acquired complications and weighted, risk-adjusted mortality, and improved nurses’ perceptions of safety culture on inpatient study units