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The COVID-19 pandemic and government imposed social restrictions like lockdown exposed most individuals to an unprecedented stress, increasing mental health disorders worldwide. We explored subjective cognitive functioning and mental health changes and their possible interplay related to COVID-19-lockdown. We also investigated potential risk factors to identify more vulnerable groups. Across Italy, 1215 respondents completed our Qualtrics-based online-survey during the end of a seven to 10-week imposed lockdown and home confinement (from April 29 to May 17, 2020). We found subjective cognitive functioning and mental health severely changed in association with the lockdown. Under government regulations, cognitive complaints were mostly perceived in routine tasks involving attention, temporal orientation and executive functions—with no changes in language abilities. A paradoxical effect was observed for memory, with reduced forgetfulness compared to pre-lockdown. We found higher severity and prevalence of depression, anxiety disorders, abnormal sleep, appetite changes, reduced libido and health anxiety: with mild-to-severe depression and anxiety prevalence climbing to 32 and 36 percent, respectively, under restrictions. Being female, under 45 years, working from home or being underemployed were all identified as relevant risk factors for worsening cognition and mental health. Frequent consumers of COVID-19 mass media information or residents in highly infected communities reported higher depression and anxiety symptoms, particularly hypochondria in the latter. If similar restrictions are reimposed, governments must carefully consider these more vulnerable groups in their decisions, whilst developing effective global and long-term responses to the cognitive and mental health challenges of this type of pandemic; as well as implementing appropriate psychological interventions with specific guidelines: particularly regarding exposure to COVID-19 mass-media reports.

To deepen the development of positive affect during early adolescence and shed new light on its predictors, this study adopts an exploratory network approach to first identify the main domains that describe the variability of children’s psychological, environmental, and behavioral characteristics, and then use these domains to longitudinally predict positive affect and its development within a latent growth framework. To this aim, we considered 10,904 US participants (9 years old at baseline; 13 years old 42 months later), six measurement occasions of positive affect, and 46 baseline indicators from the ABCD study. Our results not only confirm that positive affect declines between 9 and 13 years old, but also show that among the five domains identified (behavioral dysregulation, cognitive functioning, psychological problems, supportive social environment, and extracurricular activities), only a supportive social environment consistently predicts positive affect. This is crucial for practitioners and policymakers, as it can help them focus on the elements within our complex network of psychological, social, and environmental variability.

According to the ATOM (A Theory Of Magnitude), formulated by Walsh more than fifteen years ago, there is a general system of magnitude in the brain that comprises regions, such as the parietal cortex, shared by space, time and other magnitudes. The present meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies used the Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) method in order to determine the set of regions commonly activated in space and time processing and to establish the neural activations specific to each magnitude domain. Following PRISMA guidelines, we included in the analysis a total of 112 and 114 experiments, exploring space and time processing, respectively. We clearly identified the presence of a system of brain regions commonly recruited in both space and time that includes: bilateral insula, the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA), the right frontal operculum and the intraparietal sulci. These regions might be the best candidates to form the core magnitude neural system. Surprisingly, along each of these regions but the insula, ALE values progressed in a cortical gradient from time to space. The SMA exhibited an anterior-posterior gradient, with space activating more-anterior regions (i.e., pre-SMA) and time activating more-posterior regions (i.e., SMA-proper). Frontal and parietal regions showed a dorsal-ventral gradient: space is mediated by dorsal frontal and parietal regions, and time recruits ventral frontal and parietal regions. Our study supports but also expands the ATOM theory. Therefore, we here re-named it the ‘GradiATOM’ theory (Gradient Theory of Magnitude), proposing that gradient organization can facilitate the transformations and integrations of magnitude representations by allowing space- and time-related neural populations to interact with each other over minimal distances.

Transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) is a recent neuromodulation protocol. The high-frequency band (hf-tRNS) has shown to be the most effective in enhancing neural excitability. The frequency band of hf-tRNS typically spans from 100 to 640 Hz. Here we asked whether both the lower and the higher half of the high-frequency band are needed for increasing neural excitability. Three frequency ranges (100–400 Hz, 400–700 Hz, 100–700 Hz) and Sham conditions were delivered for 10 minutes at an intensity of 1.5 mA over the primary motor cortex (M1). Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was delivered over the same area at baseline, 0, 10, 20, 30, 45 and 60 minutes after stimulation, while motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded to evaluate changes in cortical excitability. Only the full-band condition (100–700 Hz) was able to modulate excitability by enhancing MEPs at 10 and 20 minutes after stimulation: neither the higher nor the lower sub-range of the high-frequency band significantly modulated cortical excitability. These results show that the efficacy of tRNS is strictly related to the width of the selected frequency range.

‘Good things come to those who wait’ is a popular saying, which goes along with numerous daily life decisions requiring trade-offs between immediate-small and later-larger rewards; however, some individuals have a tendency to prefer sooner rewards while discounting the value of delayed rewards, known as delay discounting. The extant literature indicates that emotions and gender can modulate intertemporal choices, but their interplay remains hitherto poorly investigated. Here, 308 participants were randomized to different conditions, inducing distinct emotions–fear, joy, a neutral state–through standardized movie clips, and then completed a computerized delay discounting task for hypothetical money rewards. Following the induction of fear, women discount the future steeper than men, thus preferring immediate-smaller rewards rather than larger-delayed ones. Also, women were more prone to choose immediate rewards when in a fearful condition than when in a positive state of joy/happiness. By contrast, men were unaffected by their emotional state when deciding on monetary rewards. Our findings provide evidence that fear can trigger different intertemporal choices according to gender, possibly reflecting the adoption of different evolutionary strategies.

Remembering to execute delayed intentions (i.e., prospective memory, PM) entails the allocation of internal and external attention. These processes are crucial for rehearsing PM intentions in memory and for monitoring the presence of the PM cue in the environment, respectively. The study took advantage of the excellent spatial and temporal resolution of magnetoencephalography (MEG) to delineate the neural mechanisms of the memory and monitoring processes underlying PM. The spatio-temporal dynamic of theta and alpha oscillations were explored in 21 participants in two PM tasks compared to a baseline condition (i.e., a lexical decision task with no PM instruction). The PM tasks varied for the load of internally-directed attention (Retrospective-load task) vs externally-directed attention (Monitoring-load task). Increase in theta activity was observed in the Retrospective-load task, and was particularly expressed in the regions of the Default Mode Network, such as in medial temporal regions, precuneus, posterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex. Alpha decrease was the most relevant feature of the Monitoring-load task, and it was expressed over bilateral occipital, occipito-parietal and fronto-temporal regions, as well as over left dorsal fronto-parietal regions. Theta and alpha oscillations are strictly associated with the direction of attention during the PM tasks. In particular, theta increase is linked to internal attention necessary for maintaining the intention active in working memory, whereas alpha decrease supports the external attention for detecting the PM cue in the environment. •The spatiotemporal dynamic of MEG signal during prospective memory (PM) tasks is measured.•Theta and alpha oscillations are associated with the direction of attention.•Theta increase over Default Mode network indicates internally directed attention.•Theta increase reflects internal attention to intention in memory.•Alpha decrease supports external attention towards PM cues linked to intention.

Prospective Memory (PM) is the ability to encode an intention in memory and retrieve it at the right time in the future. After the intention is formed, it must be maintained in memory while simultaneously monitoring the environment until the occurrence of the stimulus associated with its retrieval. Therefore, monitoring and maintenance processes must work in conjunction to subserve PM processing (monitoring/maintenance phase). Several brain regions play a role in PM, such as the anterior prefrontal cortex, inferior parietal lobules, and precuneus. Notably, these regions belong to different brain networks and are differently involved depending on the memory and attentional requests of the PM task. In this study, we investigate the neural bases of PM from a network perspective, using functional connectivity (FC) analysis to identify the networks involved in the attentional and memory mechanisms underlying PM. To this end, we analyzed MEG data collected in two different PM conditions, enhancing either the monitoring (i.e., attention) or the maintenance (i.e., memory) loads of the PM task. To disentangle the neural correlates of these mechanisms from other processes occurring after stimulus presentation, the analysis focused on the prestimulus time window (monitoring/maintenance phase). The monitoring-load condition was characterized by increased inter-network FC of the Dorsal Attention Network (DAN) in the alpha band, a marker of increased top-down monitoring. In contrast, the maintenance-load condition was associated with increased connectivity of the Ventral Attention Network (VAN) with the FrontoParietal Control and the Default-Mode Networks (FPCN and DMN, respectively). Additionally, response times were found to correlate with prestimulus alpha connectivity of different networks in the two conditions. These differences in connectivity within and between networks support the hypothesis that different networks (DAN, or VAN and DMN) and mechanisms (top-down or bottom-up, respectively) are involved in PM processing depending on the features of the PM task.

Prospective memory (PM), the ability to remember and execute intended actions in the future, is a critical component of daily functioning and independent living, particularly in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Although PM deficits in PD have been widely documented, their underlying neural mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study addresses this gap by being the first to investigate the neurophysiological signatures of PM in a sample of 28 PD patients without mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 34 matched healthy controls using high-density electroencephalography (hd-EEG). Participants completed naturalistic event-based and time-based PM tasks while monitoring virtual cooking activities embedded in a movie presented on a smart TV, with concurrent neurophysiological recording. Behavioral performance did not differ between groups in either PM task, likely reflecting preserved global cognition in the PD sample; however, EEG analyses revealed marked oscillatory differences. During time-based PM tasks, PD patients exhibited increased theta, alpha, and beta power, suggesting greater engagement of internal attention monitoring and proactive control mechanisms. Conversely, during event-based PM tasks, PD patients showed reduced power in these frequency bands, consistent with a shift toward externally driven attention to monitor the occurrence of the PM event. This pattern of findings can be interpreted within the framework of the Attention to Delayed Intention (AtoDI) model. Overall, the present study demonstrates that electrophysiological measures can detect subtle neural alterations in the absence of overt behavioral impairments and can reveal compensatory mechanisms adopted by PD patients to cope with PM demands.

How do we visually explore and remember objects in our environment? Despite extensive research, the interplay between eye movements and visual memory remains incompletely understood. Traditional models of eye movements focus on image-specific factors like saliency and semantics, but emerging evidence highlights the role of intrinsic factors (e.g., genetic variability, endogenous dynamics). Additionally, eye movements and memory processes are tightly linked at the neural level. This study investigates the influence of eye movement spatial distribution during free exploration of visual scenes on long-term memory formation, examining whether fixation density patterns are a stronger determinant of memory than image factors. We recorded eye movements from 120 participants exploring 180 images, with five repeated five times. Participants then completed a free recall task, verbally reporting objects from the repeated images. Eye movement topography (gaze maps) demonstrated significant overlaps with memory maps, exceeding the overlap with saliency and semantics. Notably, gaze-to-memory map overlap predicted individual performance. These findings provide novel evidence that eye movement patterns contribute directly to long-term memory formation, with gaze topography serving as a critical input for encoding visual scenes. This study highlights the role of eye movements in memory and sheds light on visual exploration and memory consolidation mechanisms.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder primarily characterized by motor and cognitive symptoms. However, emerging evidence suggests that personality alterations may also be present, potentially affecting patients' quality of life and clinical outcomes. Prior studies have identified patterns such as lower openness and extraversion and higher neuroticism in PD patients, although findings have been inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the structural organization of personality in PD using a network-based approach, and to examine the influence of age, sex, disease duration, and impulsive-compulsive symptoms on personality traits. A total of 237 PD patients (aged 45-86) completed the HEXACO Adjective Scale (HAS), assessing six personality traits: Honesty-Humility (H), Emotionality (E), Extraversion (X), Agreeableness (A), Conscientiousness (C), and Openness (O). Impulsive-compulsive behaviors were assessed using the Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease-Rating Scale (QUIP-RS). Personality structure was analyzed Exploratory Graph Analysis (EGA), a network model that identifies item clusters based on conditional dependencies. Multivariate multiple linear regression was used to test the effects of demographic and clinical variables on trait expression. EGA identified seven item-level communities. Traits E, X, and C formed coherent and distinct clusters, while items from A and H tended to cluster based on item polarity (positive negative wording) rather than theoretical trait boundaries. O items split into two distinct communities, one composed of the items from the facet, and the other encompassing the remaining O items. At the trait level, HEXACO dimensions grouped into two higher-order clusters: a Cooperativity-Integrity community (H, A, C) and an Engagement community (E, X, O). Regression analyses showed that higher ICD symptoms predicted lower levels of H, A, and C; longer disease duration was associated with lower C, and sex showed significant differences in E. These findings reveal subtle but systematic alterations in the structural organization of personality traits in PD. Specifically, we observed a polarity-based overlap between H and A, possibly reflecting age-related convergence of the two traits-consistent with a recent study reporting similar effects in healthy aging-and a bifurcation within O centered on the Unconventionality facet, a trait often considered idiopathic in PD, even in its prodromal stages. These personality signatures may contribute to a refined clinical profiling of PD patients and support the value of incorporating personality assessment into personalized care approaches.