Rodrigo Vergara
Especialidad:
Neurociencias cognitivas
Rodrigo es licenciado en ciencias mención biología, y doctor en psicología. Trabaja en el desarrollo de una propuesta naturalista para explicar el procesamiento neuronal en redes biológicas.
PUBLICACIONES
Numerous studies have shown that mindfulness is positively associated with relationship and sexual satisfaction. However, most have examined the benefits of intrapersonal or trait mindfulness, rather than directly investigating interpersonal mindfulness or considering polyvagal theory. Our main objective was to determine the variable importance of interpersonal mindfulness and psychological safety for relationship and sexual satisfaction using random forests and regression trees and to explore the importance of demographics, social and couple‐related factors, and emotional wellbeing in this analysis. 356 adults in committed romantic relationships were recruited for a self‐report survey. Results suggested that mindfulness in couple relationships, psychological safety, conflict strategies, and depression symptoms were of top importance for relationship and sexual satisfaction. Limitations and future directions involving dyadic data and physiological measures were discussed. The findings will inform the development of interpersonal mindfulness‐ and polyvagal‐based interventions aimed at promoting safety and stability in relationships while enhancing personal wellbeing.
Publisher: Alzheimer's Association Link>
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
Age-related hearing loss is an important risk factor for cognitive decline. However, audiogram thresholds are not good estimators of dementia risk in subjects with normal hearing or mild hearing loss. Here we propose to use distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) as an objective and sensitive tool to estimate the risk of cognitive decline in older adults with normal hearing or mild hearing loss.METHODS
We assessed neuropsychological, brain magnetic resonance imaging, and auditory analyses on 94 subjects > 64 years of age.RESULTS
We found that cochlear dysfunction, measured by DPOAEs—and not by conventional audiometry—was associated with Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR-SoB) classification and brain atrophy in the group with mild hearing loss (25 to 40 dB) and normal hearing (<25 dB).DISCUSSION
Our findings suggest that DPOAEs may be a non-invasive tool for detecting neurodegeneration and cognitive decline in the older adults, potentially allowing for early intervention.
No measure of compassion for animals exists. Previous scales measured empathy or attitudes towards animals. In line with previous compassion questionnaires for self (CQS) and others (CQO), the proposed Compassion Questionnaire for Animals (CQA) aims to operationalize compassion for animals by grounding it in affective, cognitive, behavioral, and interrelatedness dimensions, each representing a set of skills that can be cultivated through training and practice.
Methods: Based on the proposed theoretical approach, the CQA items were developed through consultations with a panel of eight graduate students. A large study was conducted to validate the CQA, investigate the relationship between empathy/compassion for other human beings and compassion for animals, and test the role of gender and age in compassion for animals.
Results: Results suggested the presence of three dimensions along with a global latent variable. Psychometric characteristics of the CQA and its subscales were robust. These findings were additionally supported by convergent and discriminate evidence; as such, the CQA presented strong associations with measures of empathy for animals and nature relatedness. In addition, empathy and compassion for other human beings and for animals were found to be moderately associated. Gender and age were found to be related to compassion for animals, with women and older individuals displaying higher levels of compassion.
Conclusions: The CQA is the first scale that operationalizes compassion for animals as a set of affective, cognitive, behavioral, and interrelatedness skills/abilities with important theoretical and practical implications. Limitations as well as theoretical and practical implications of the CQA are thoroughly discussed.
The Compassion Questionnaire for Animals (CQA) was developed to measure compassion for animals as a multifaceted construct encompassing affective, cognitive, behavioral, and interrelatedness dimensions, each representing skills that can be cultivated through training and practice. Nonetheless, the original 28-item limited its usability in research. This study aimed to address this limitation by developing a shortened version of the questionnaire while preserving its strengths. The CQA underwent an iterative shortening process that was evaluated in a large-scale validation study was conducted to evaluate the shortened questionnaires. The final version comprised 18 items (CQA-18) with high content and valence balance among items. Psychometric analysis indicated that CQ-18 maintained properties similar to the original questionnaire in terms of internal consistency, convergent validity, and discriminant validity, while also presenting an invariant factor structure by gender. CQA-18 represents a significant reduction in length compared to the original version, while maintaining robust psychometric properties. The study findings underscore the theoretical and practical significance of the questionnaire in assessing and cultivating compassion for animals. However, certain limitations warrant consideration, and the implications for research and clinical practice are thoroughly discussed.
Publisher: Cognitive Systems Research, Elsevier Link>
ABSTRACT
This article presents a transdisciplinary analysis of the challenges in fusing neuroscience concepts with artificial intelligence (AI) to create AI systems inspired by biological cognition. We explore the structural and functional disparities between the neocortex’s canonical microcircuits and existing AI models, focusing on architectural differences, learning mechanisms, and energy efficiency. The discussion extends to adapting non-goal-oriented learning and dynamic neuronal connections from biological brains to enhance AI’s flexibility and efficiency. This work underscores the potential of neuroscientific insights to revolutionize AI development, advocating for a paradigm shift towards more adaptable and brain-like AI systems. We conclude that there is major room for bioinspiration by focusing on developing architecture, objective functions, and learning rules using a local instead of a global approach.
[:es]Publisher: The European journal of neuroscience Link>
ABSTRACT
It is widely accepted that the brain, like any other physical system, is subjected to physical constraints that restrict its operation. The brain's metabolic demands are particularly critical for proper neuronal function, but the impact of these constraints continues to remain poorly understood. Detailed single-neuron models are recently integrating metabolic constraints, but these models’ computational resources make it challenging to explore the dynamics of extended neural networks, which are governed by such constraints. Thus, there is a need for a simplified neuron model that incorporates metabolic activity and allows us to explore the dynamics of neural networks. This work introduces an energy-dependent leaky integrate-and-fire (EDLIF) neuronal model extension to account for the effects of metabolic constraints on the single-neuron behavior. This simple, energy-dependent model could describe the relationship between the average firing rate and the Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) cost as well as replicate a neuron's behavior under a clinical setting such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Additionally, EDLIF model showed better performance in predicting real spike trains – in the sense of spike coincidence measure – than the classical leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF) model. The simplicity of the energy-dependent model presented here makes it computationally efficient and, thus, suitable for studying the dynamics of large neural networks.
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The Empathy Toward Animals (ETA) scale measures two dimensions of animal-directed empathy: (1) Empathic Concern, encompassing the emotional aspects, and (2) Perspective Taking, encompassing the cognitive aspects. Although adapted from an existing measure of human-directed empathy, the original version of the ETA scale has not undergone a comprehensive investigation of its internal and external validity. Nevertheless, it continues to be used in research assessing animal-directed empathy, based on indicators of internal consistency and face/content validity. The current study sought to enhance the evidence for the ETA scale by (1) evaluating construct validity and (2) assessing convergent validity. To accomplish these objectives, a sample of 800 adults was recruited. Construct validity was evaluated using two sample cross-validation techniques to perform confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses, as well as assess internal consistency. Convergent validity was assessed through correlation matrices, t-tests, and a multiple linear regression exploring variables associated with the ETA scale. Results support the reliability of two distinct dimensions (i.e., Empathic Concern and Perspective Taking) and the latent variable (i.e., Empathy Toward Animals), and there were significant associations with conceptual constructs as expected (e.g., human-directed empathy and compassion, attitudes and beliefs about animals and nature, demographic variables). Additionally, human-directed empathy and nature relatedness significantly predict ETA. Implications for the definition and measurement of animal-directed empathy are discussed. The findings highlight the potential of leveraging empathy within interventions aimed at deepening human–animal bonds and promoting pro-environmental behaviors.
In Latin America, dementia cases will double by 2050. For effective prevention in this region, it is crucial to comprehend the distribution of dementia risk factors within the local population and to assess their association with social determinants of health (SDH). Our objective was to explore the association between different modifiable dementia risk factors within the Chilean population in a cross-sectional study. Methods 3379 dementia-free subjects ≥ 45 years old from the 2016–2017 Chilean National Health Survey were analyzed and stratified into four groups by sex and age, searching for clusters using six continuous variables that had been related to dementia risk (years of education, systolic blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), units of alcohol consumption, physical activity, and depressive symptoms). Results Three clusters of individuals shared similar risk factors in each sex/age group. A cluster with high cardiometabolic risk was present in all sex/age groups, characterized by high systolic blood pressure (HSBP) in men midlife and by HSBP associated with high BMI (HSBP/HBMI) in women and in men later-life. A depressive cluster and a physically inactive cluster were present in 3⁄4 of the sex/age groups. Additionally, there was a cluster that was relatively healthy but had a risk of excessive alcohol consumption in men later-life and a low risk one in women midlife. The HSBP/HBMI and depressive clusters presented a high proportion of multiple dementia risk factors. Lower levels of education (and lower family income) were associated with the HSBP and HSBP/HBMI cluster; in contrast, higher levels of education were associated with clusters with lower risk. Conclusion In Chile, subpopulations with more disadvantages SDH have a high prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors. Subpopulations with depression and those with high cardiometabolic risk have a higher accumulation of dementia risk factors. These results highlight that tailored programs improving healthcare accessibility for those with more disadvantages SDH and multidisciplinary interventions for high-risk populations are needed for effective dementia prevention.
To detect and characterize sleep quality profiles and to analyze their relationship with depression, anxiety, and stress in a sample of 1,861 Chilean students. Materials and Methods After providing informed consent, the students filled out online questionnaires and received immediate feedback. Hierarchical cluster analyses were conducted to detect sleep quality profiles, which were characterized using the Kruskal-Wallis's test. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to correlate sleep quality profiles with mental health variables. The dendrogram revealed four distinct groups of interest, each with different patterns in the subscales of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Results The results enabled us to establish four sleep quality profiles based on hierarchical cluster analysis, which were, in different ways, associated with the prevalence of symptoms of mental health issues. A profile of good sleeper was found, which presents good overall sleep quality and mild symptoms of mental health issues. The effective sleeper profile presents poor subjective sleep quality and good sleep efficiency, with mild symptoms of mental health issues. The poor sleeper profile presents poor overall sleep quality, sleeping between 5 and 6 hours and presenting moderate symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. The sleeper with hypnotic use profile obtains the most deficient results in sleep quality and presents symptoms of severe mental health issues. Conclusions The present study revealed a strong association and correlation between sleep quality profiles and mental health issues. Four distinct sleep quality profiles were identified, showing notable differences. This understanding enables the application of targeted preventive strategies according to each profile.
The regenerative potential of developing cortical axons depends on intrinsic mechanisms, such as axon-autonomous protein synthesis, that are still not fully understood. An emerging factor in this regenerative response is the bidirectional interplay between microtubule dynamics and the axonal ER. We hypothesize that locally synthesized ER proteins regulate microtubule dynamics and the regeneration of cortical axons. RNA data mining identified the ER-shaping protein Reticulon-1 as a relevant candidate across eight axonal transcriptomes. Using microfluidics, we show that axonal treatment with a small RNA against Reticulon-1 mRNA (Reticulon-1 knockdown) increases outgrowth of injured cortical axons while reducing their tubulin levels. We show by live-cell imaging that axonal Reticulon-1 knockdown increases microtubule growth rate in noninjured axons and restores this parameter after injury. Axonal inhibition of the microtubule-severing protein Spastin prevents the effects of Reticulon-1 knockdown over tubulin levels and outgrowth. We provide evidence that the Reticulon-1C isoform is synthesized within axons and attenuates Spastin-mediated microtubule severing. These findings support a model in which axonal protein synthesis regulates microtubule dynamics and axon outgrowth after injury.
Edificio de Innovación UC, Piso 2
Vicuña Mackenna 4860
Macul, Chile
Vicuña Mackenna 4860
Macul, Chile