Francesco Panico

The left-to-right spatial representation of time is reflected in faster responses when past-related concepts are associated with the left side of space and future-related concepts with the right. Most research has examined this time–space congruency effect using general temporal concepts, leaving unclear whether it also characterizes personally relevant temporal contents. The present study investigated whether the time–space congruency effect extends to self-referential negative events referring to the past and the future, and whether its expression is related to individual differences in maladaptive negative thinking. Forty-seven adults categorized individually generated words referring to past or future negative personal events, as well as neutral temporal words, by making left- or right-hand responses. A significant time–space congruency effect was observed for both self-referential and neutral words. The congruency effect was numerically smaller for self-referential words, and its strength was significantly and inversely related to anxiety sensitivity, whereas no such association was found for neutral words. These findings extend the mental timeline account to personally relevant negative events and provide initial evidence that individual differences in anxiety sensitivity are related to the spatial representation of such events. Psychological distance may represent a plausible mechanism underlying this association, a possibility that warrants direct testing in future research.

Background/Objectives: Constructional apraxia (CA) is an impairment in combining simple elements into coherent spatial configurations without basic motor deficits. Although common in neurodegenerative disorders, the qualitative features of visuo-constructional errors and their role in differentiating dementia types remain unclear. This systematic review aimed to synthesize patterns of visuo-constructional errors in dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), exploring distinctive qualitative features associated with different neurodegenerative conditions. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for studies published between January 1990 and January 2026, following PRISMA guidelines. Studies on adults with dementia or MCI assessing drawing/copying abilities through standardized tasks and qualitative error analysis were included. Reviews, meta-analyses, case reports, non-English articles, and studies not explicitly assessing constructional apraxia were excluded. The quality of evidence was assessed using an adapted version of the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Results: A total of 25 studies were included, showing heterogeneous and condition-specific visuo-constructional deficits. Spatial errors and simplifications were the most common across disorders, while perseverations, rotations, and closing-in phenomena were less frequent. Alzheimer’s disease was mainly associated with spatial disorganization, omissions, and conceptual errors linked to temporo-parietal dysfunction; frontotemporal dementia with executive deficits such as perseverations and planning impairments; Lewy body and Parkinson’s disease dementias with visuospatial and attentional alterations; and Huntington’s disease with simplifications and executive dysfunction related to fronto-striatal involvement. Conclusions: No single error pattern was pathognomonic, but qualitative assessment of constructional errors may provide clinically useful information when integrated with the broader neuropsychological profile.

Disorders of consciousness (DoC) can result from severe acquired brain injuries disrupting arousal (wakefulness) and/or awareness (self and environment perception) (1,2). In coma, both arousal and ...

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder involving motor, cognitive and affective symptoms. Processing of emotional prosody, namely the modulation of pitch, volume, and frequency in speech conveying emotional nuances, seems to be affected in PD, but its neural mechanisms have not been fully comprehended. To address this issue, the present systematic review searched for the studies which investigated the neural correlates of emotional prosody in PD patients by means of electrophysiological, neuroimaging, and brain stimulation techniques. Studies on deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus provided conflicting information on the alterations in emotional prosody perception and expression, with some inconsistency about lateralization. Brain recording and imaging techniques revealed associations of perception and expression deficits of emotional prosody with striatal, frontal, and limbic dysfunction. No study adopted non-invasive brain stimulation to assess emotional prosody processing. Future research should incorporate these techniques in experimental settings and use standardised emotional prosody tasks in patients with PD and in control healthy individuals. Clarifying the neural correlates of emotional prosody may enhance understanding of social communication deficits and could be informative for future therapeutic approaches to improve quality of life in patients with PD.

Background: Emotional prosody refers to the variations in pitch, pause, melody, rhythm, and stress of pronunciation conveying emotional meaning during speech. Although several studies demonstrated that the cerebellum is involved in the network subserving recognition of emotional facial expressions, there is only preliminary evidence suggesting its possible contribution to recognising emotional prosody by modulating the activity of cerebello-prefrontal circuits. The present study aims to further explore the role of the left and right cerebellum in the recognition of emotional prosody in a sample of healthy individuals who were required to identify emotions (happiness, anger, sadness, surprise, disgust, and neutral) from vocal stimuli selected from a validated database (EMOVO corpus). Methods: Anodal transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) was used in offline mode to modulate cerebellar activity before the emotional prosody recognition task, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to monitor stimulation-related changes in oxy- and deoxy- haemoglobin (O2HB and HHB) in prefrontal areas (PFC). Results: Right cerebellar stimulation reduced reaction times in the recognition of all emotions (except neutral and disgust) as compared to both the sham and left cerebellar stimulation, while accuracy was not affected by the stimulation. Haemodynamic data revealed that right cerebellar stimulation reduced O2HB and increased HHB in the PFC bilaterally relative to the other stimulation conditions. Conclusions: These findings are consistent with the involvement of the right cerebellum in modulating emotional processing and in regulating cerebello-prefrontal circuits.

Background: Vaccine hesitancy may represent a global threat because of its inherent consequences for health, social and economic systems. Understanding the factors associated with vaccine hesitancy is fundamental to developing effective healthcare policies. While previous studies have mainly focused on sociological and cultural variables and transient illness-specific fears and beliefs, the present systematic review focuses on the psychological factors (such as emotional dispositions, cognitive functioning and expectations, and stable personality traits) associated with vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 era. Methods: A systematic review using a systematic search of PubMed, PsychINFO and Web of Science databases was performed with a time frame ranging between 1 January 2020 to 31 January 2025 focusing on psychological factors and vaccine hesitancy. Studies targeting the general population and employing validated instruments to assess emotional, cognitive and personality factors and vaccine hesitancy were selected, while investigations on context-specific, psycho-social, cultural and political factors were excluded. Quality and risk of bias in the selected studies was assessed using an adapted version of the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and main studies’ characteristics, variables and outcomes were synthesised using a narrative approach and table. Results: Fourteen studies were finally included in the qualitative synthesis. The results showed that some variables such as depressive and anxiety levels, as well as emotion regulation strategies may affect vaccination behaviour, although some cultural and generational differences were also observed. Differences in cognitive flexibility, decision-making, and personal expectations may influence vaccine hesitancy. Notably, some personality factors, like extraversion, openness, conscientiousness and dark personality traits, may influence hesitancy to vaccinate. Conclusion: This review highlights emotional, cognitive, and personality factors associated with vaccine hesitancy, providing evidence for personalised, evidence-based interventions aimed at promoting adherence to national vaccination policies.

We describe a peculiar contralesional drawing disorder in three patients affected by focal brain lesions, who did not show signs of unilateral neglect at standard clinical assessment, including the star cancellation test. This picture, that could be termed selective constructional hemi‐apraxia (CHA), could follow both right and left‐hemisphere lesions and is observed in complex constructional tasks. Future studies are warranted to explore the clinical and functional implications of CHA and its boundaries with unilateral neglect and constructional apraxia.

Background: Available evidence on effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions for cognitive and affective symptoms in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and the early stages of dementia is encouraging but still limited. Multifocal high-definition brain stimulation could detain the potential of improving these symptoms by modulating the activity of a fronto-temporal network. Moreover, combined electrophysiological measures might contribute monitoring the underlying neurophysiological effects. In this study protocol an innovative and integrated intervention for patients with MCI and early-stage dementia will be proposed, also exploring the modulatory role of some specific variables such as education and cognitive reserve.Method: Sixty patients with MCI and early-stage dementia will be enrolled in a crossover double-blind randomized controlled trial utilizing an integrated intervention combining conventional cognitive treatment with multifocal brain stimulation and electrophysiological recordings. A battery of standardized neuropsychological tests will be employed at several time points to monitor changes, and inferential statistics will identify the changes specifically associated with the intervention. Regression analyses will be performed to ascertain the extent to which education and cognitive reserve scores may influence intervention outcomes. Analysis of electrophysiological data will contribute characterizing responders to treatment.Discussion: The project will contribute to a transformation in the landscape of non-pharmacological interventions for MCI and dementia, integrating diverse techniques and levels of analysis within a unified, comprehensive approach.Trial registration: This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov database under registry number NCT06668610 on October 30, 2024.