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There is great body of evidence showing a relationship between childhood adversity and psychosis onset. Genetic factors moderate the association between childhood adversity and psychosis risk potentially by influencing biological and/or psychological reaction following exposure to adversity. In this review, we discuss studies identifying the specific genetic variants known to affect dopamine levels involved in this interaction. Our review shows that the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2), AKT1 gene play a key role in mediating the relationship between childhood adversity and development of psychosis. We have also found conflicting findings on the impact of dopamine genes on the relationship between childhood adversity and development of psychosis, suggesting that other genetic and environmental factors should be taken into account. We here discuss the implications of our findings and future directions., Author(s): Dorota Frydecka [sup.1] , Eid Abo Hamza [sup.2] [sup.3] , Ahmed Helal [sup.3] , Ahmed A. Moustafa [sup.4] [sup.5] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.4495.c, 0000 0001 1090 049X, Department of [...]

Introduction: The present research aims to investigate the efficacy of a newly developed memory training strategy on improving the memory capabilities of students with learning impairments. Methods: Involving thirty male and female students with learning challenges, the study divided participants into experimental and control groups, with the former undergoing a novel memory training program. Memory was evaluated before and after a 3-month training period using a recall assessment technique developed from prior studies. Results: Findings indicated statistically significant differences in memory scores between the experimental and control groups on the novel memory scale (total score) and its aspects (Auditory, Visual, and Visual kinesthetic memory), with improvements noted only in the experimental group. Gender did not significantly impact the scores, and there was no significant interaction between gender and group on training outcomes, suggesting the training's universal applicability. Discussion: The study demonstrates that a novel memory training course can significantly enhance memory functions in students with learning impairments, irrespective of gender. These results offer promising directions for integrating cognitive training into educational strategies to support students facing learning challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on internet gaming disorder (IGD) has increased considerably over the last decade. Although most IGD research has focused on Western or South Asian samples, it is critical to understand and assess this disorder among other populations. The present study investigated the association between IGD and sensation seeking among Arab adolescents. An online survey consisting of the short internet gaming disorder short scale (IGDSS) and brief sensation seeking scale (B-SSS) was completed by 260 participants (mean age = 14.61, SD = 2.43). The results showed that sensation seeking behaviours were associated with higher gaming hours and greater chances of exhibiting IGD. The findings support the current perspective of understanding this disorder from a disease framework as it highlights the relevance of behavioural components in gaming addiction. Importantly, the results will further aid the development of reliable diagnosis and efficacious treatments within clinical practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study is to measure the capacity of the working memory, and also to investigate its relationship to life stress and depressive thoughts. The study sample consisted of 50 college students studied on Science and Art major. A cognitive task was designed to measure the working memory capacity based on the determinants found in previous research. The results indicated that there were statistically significant differences in the level of life stress events (high/low) on the task of measuring the working memory capacity. The results also showed that there were no statistically significant differences neither between genders nor between majors on the task of measuring the working memory capacity. Furthermore, the results reported that there was no statistically significant effect of the interaction of the level of life stress (high/low) and gender (male/female) on the task of measuring working memory capacity. Finally, the results reported that there were significant differences in the level of depressive thoughts (high/low) on the task of measuring working memory. The current research concludes that neither the interaction of stressful life events, gender, and academic major, nor the interaction of depressive thoughts, gender, and academic major have an effect on working memory capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and fusiform gyrus are brain areas that deteriorate during early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD). The ApoE4 allele has been identified as a risk factor for AD development, is linked to an increase in the aggregation of amyloid ß (Aß) plaques in the brain, and is responsible for atrophy of the hippocampal area. However, to our knowledge, the rate of deterioration over time in individuals with AD, with or without the ApoE4 allele, has not been investigated., Method: In this study, we, for the first time, analyze atrophy in these brain structures in AD patients with and without the ApoE4 using the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset., Results: It was found that the rate of decrease in the volume of these brain areas over 12 months was related to the presence of ApoE4. Further, we found that neural atrophy was not different for female and male patients, unlike prior studies, suggesting that the presence of ApoE4 is not linked to the gender difference in AD., Conclusion: Our results confirm and extend previous findings, showing that the ApoE4 allele gradually impacts brain regions impacted by AD., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

The Alzheimer's disease (AD) continuum is a unique spectrum of cognitive impairment that typically involves the stages of subjective memory complaints (SMC), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and AD dementia. Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), such as apathy, anxiety, stress, and depression, are highly common throughout the AD continuum. However, there is a dearth of research on how these NPS vary across the AD continuum, especially SMC. There is also disagreement on the effects of specific NPS on each stage of the AD continuum due to their collinearity with other NPS, cognitive decline, and environmental factors (e.g., stress). In this article, we conduct a novel perspective review of the scientific literature to understand the presence of NPS across the AD continuum. Specifically, we review the effects of apathy, depression, anxiety, and stress in AD, MCI, and SMC. We then build on this knowledge by proposing two theories of NPS' occurrence across the AD continuum. Consequently, we highlight the current landscape, limitations (e.g., differing operationalization), and contentions surrounding the NPS literature. We also outline theories that could clear up contention and inspire future NPS research., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)