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Giorgini R, Maestu F, Sara FM, Pastore M, Abellan M, Quattrone A, Caparello S, Quattrone A, Vaccaro MG. Measurement invariance across countries of the Test of Memory Strategies (TMS): A contribution to the cross-national validity study. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2024; 246:104291. [PMID: 38703656 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous literature showed a complex interpretation of recall tasks due to the complex relationship between Executive Functions (EF) and Long Term Memory (M). The Test of Memory Strategies (TMS) could be useful for assessing this issue, because it evaluates EF and M simultaneously. This study aims to explore the validity of the TMS structure, comparing the models proposed by Vaccaro et al. (2022) and evaluating the measurement invariance according to three countries (Italy, Spain, and Portugal) through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Four hundred thirty-one healthy subjects (Age mean = 54.84, sd = 20.43; Education mean = 8.85, sd =4.05; M = 177, F = 259) were recruited in three countries (Italy, Spain, and Portugal). Measurement invariance across three country groups was evaluated through Structural Equation modeling. Also, convergent and divergent validity were examined through the correlation between TMS and classical neuropsychological tests. CFA outcomes suggested that the best model was the three-dimensional model, in which list 1 and list2 reflect EF, list 3 reflects a mixed factor of EF and M (EFM) and list4 and list5 reflect M. This result is in line with the theory that TMS decreases EF components progressively. TMS was metric invariant to the country, but scalar invariance was not tenable. Finally, the factor scores of TMS showed convergent validity with the classical neuropsychological tests. The overall results support cross-validation of TMS in the three countries considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Giorgini
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University Magna Græcia of Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Fernando Maestu
- Networking Research Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Complutense University of Madrid, Spain; Department of Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
| | - Fernandes Margarida Sara
- Department of Psychology and Education, CINTESIS - Research Center For Technology and Health Services- Portucalense University, Portugal
| | | | - Maria Abellan
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
| | - Andrea Quattrone
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Sara Caparello
- Department of Business and Legal Sciences, University of Calabria, Italy
| | - Aldo Quattrone
- Neuroscience Research Center (CR), Department of Medical and Surgical Scienze, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Vaccaro
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Italy; Neuroscience Research Center (CR), Department of Medical and Surgical Scienze, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Italy.
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Chino B, Torres-Simón L, Żelwetro A, Rodríguez-Rojo IC, Carnes-Vendrell A, Piñol-Ripoll G, Yubero R, Paúl N, Maestú F. Understanding the Episodic Memory and Executive Functioning Axis Impairment in MCI Patients: A Multicenter Study in Comparison with CSF Biomarkers. Biomedicines 2023; 11:3147. [PMID: 38137368 PMCID: PMC10741228 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11123147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study aimed to explore the association between a verbal learning task that evaluates the potential mutual dependency between memory and executive functions (i.e., the Test of Memory Strategies, TMS) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Alzheimer's Disease (AD) biomarkers. METHODS A sample of 47 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) participants from Poland and Spain were classified according to the Erlangen Score Diagnostic Algorithm (ESA) into CSF- (n = 16) and CSF+ (n = 31) groups. Correlation analyses between TMS word-list conditions and CSF biomarkers were conducted. Additionally, an analysis of covariance was performed to define the effect on ESA classification in the sample, using as a covariable the country of origin of the participants. RESULTS Significant associations between the TMS-3 condition and Aβ42, t-tau, and p-tau were observed for the whole sample. In addition, the CSF- participants obtained higher cognitive performance in TMS-3 compared to the CSF+ group. This outcome persisted if the groups were based on Aβ42 scores, but not t-tau or p-tau values. CONCLUSIONS These findings could indicate that poor performance on verbal learning tests may be affected by executive dysfunctions. Therefore, future intervention plans focused on training executive functions would be of interest to improve the ability of MCI patients to encode and organize information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenda Chino
- Institute of Neuroscience, Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Barcelona, Spain;
- Center for Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (L.T.-S.); (F.M.)
| | - Lucía Torres-Simón
- Center for Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (L.T.-S.); (F.M.)
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Cognitive Processes and Speech Therapy, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Agnieszka Żelwetro
- Interdisciplinary Doctoral School, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, 53-238 Wrocław, Poland;
- Alzheimer’s Disease Research, Center in Ścinawa, 59-330 Ścinawa, Poland
| | - Inmaculada Concepción Rodríguez-Rojo
- Center for Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (L.T.-S.); (F.M.)
- Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad de Alcalá, 28801 Madrid, Spain
| | - Anna Carnes-Vendrell
- Unitat de Trastorns Cognitius, Cognition and Behavior Study Group, Universitat de Lleida, IRBLleida, 25198 Lleida, Spain; (A.C.-V.); (G.P.-R.)
| | - Gerard Piñol-Ripoll
- Unitat de Trastorns Cognitius, Cognition and Behavior Study Group, Universitat de Lleida, IRBLleida, 25198 Lleida, Spain; (A.C.-V.); (G.P.-R.)
| | - Raquel Yubero
- Neurology Department, Hospital Quirónsalud Madrid, 28223 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Nuria Paúl
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Cognitive Processes and Speech Therapy, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Fernando Maestú
- Center for Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (L.T.-S.); (F.M.)
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Cognitive Processes and Speech Therapy, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain;
- Instituto de Investigación del Hospital Clínico San Carlos, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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Vaccaro MG, Pullano L, Canino S, Pastore M, Sarica A, Quattrone A, Fernandes SM, Migliorini F, Maestu F, Quattrone A. Assessing of the Italian version of the Memory Strategy Test (TMS) in people with Parkinson disease: a preliminary descriptive psychometric study. Neurol Sci 2023; 44:3895-3903. [PMID: 37354323 PMCID: PMC10570218 DOI: 10.1007/s10072-023-06906-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous literature has shown that executive functions (EF) are related to performance in memory (M) tasks. The Test of Memory strategies (TMS) is a psychometric test that examines EF and M simultaneously and it was recently validated on an Italian healthy cohort. The first aim of the study was to apply TMS, for the first time, on a sample of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), who are characterized by mild cognitive impairment. The second aim is to investigate whether TMS scores can discriminate PD patients from healthy controls. METHOD Ninety-eight subjects were enrolled, including 68 patients with PD, and 30 Italian healthy controls (HC), who also underwent a memory evaluation through well-known tests. RESULTS Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) demonstrated that TMS of PD patients had a bi-dimensional structure as previously found in healthy cohort. In detail, The TMS-1 and TMS-2 lists require greater involvement of the EF factor, while TMS-3, TMS-4 and TMS-5 the M factor. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and precision-recall (PR) curves showed that the M subscale can distinguish between HC and PD, while EF had poor discrimination power. CONCLUSION The hypothesized prediction model of TMS test seems to have adequate ability to discriminate PD from HC especially for the M function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Grazia Vaccaro
- Neuroscience Research Centre, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University, Viale Europa, Germaneto, Catanzaro, 88100, Italy.
| | - Luca Pullano
- Department of Health Sciences, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, 88100, Italy
| | - Silvia Canino
- Department of Health Sciences, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, 88100, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Pastore
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Padova University, Padua, Italy
| | - Alessia Sarica
- Neuroscience Research Centre, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University, Viale Europa, Germaneto, Catanzaro, 88100, Italy
| | - Andrea Quattrone
- Neuroscience Research Centre, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University, Viale Europa, Germaneto, Catanzaro, 88100, Italy
| | | | - Filippo Migliorini
- Department of Orthopaedic, Trauma, and Reconstructive Surgery, RWTH University Hospital, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Fernando Maestu
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Center for Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Aldo Quattrone
- Neuroscience Research Centre, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University, Viale Europa, Germaneto, Catanzaro, 88100, Italy
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Vaccaro MG, Liuzza MT, Pastore M, Paúl N, Yubero R, Quattrone A, Antonucci G, Gambardella A, Maestú F. The validity and reliability of the Test of Memory Strategies among Italian healthy adults. PeerJ 2022; 10:e14059. [PMID: 36196404 PMCID: PMC9527021 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Previous literature has shown that executive functions (EF) are related to performance in memory (M) tasks. Nevertheless, there is a shortage of psychometric tests that examine these two constructs simultaneously. The Test of Memory Strategies (TMS; previously validated in Spain and Portugal) could be a useful verbal learning task that evaluates these two constructs at once. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the TMS in an Italian adult sample. Method One hundred twenty-one healthy volunteers (74 F, Mean age = 45.9 years old, SD = 20.4) who underwent a neuropsychological examination participated in this study. We conducted a Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to evaluate the structural validity of the TMS. We conducted a latent variable analysis to examine convergent and discriminant validity of the TMS sub-scale scores reflecting executive functions and memory. We also examined the TMS reliability in terms of internal consistency through the McDonald's omega. Results The CFA confirmed the expectation that the TMS-1 and TMS-2 subtests reflect a factor and that the TMS-3, TMS-4, and TMS-5 subtests reflect a different factor. This result is in line with the prediction that TMS-1 and TMS-2 require the use of executive functions and memory simultaneously, and therefore we called this factor executive functions (EF); whereas the TMS-3, TMS-4, and TMS-5 subtests require less involvement of executive functions, thus reflecting a construct that we named memory (M). The TMS subtests for EF and M showed convergent validity with the test scores using a traditional neuropsychological battery, assessing memory and executive functions separately. Finally, the reliability of the subtests was good. Conclusions These preliminary findings suggest that TMS is a valid and reliable scale to simultaneously assess M and EF while among Italian healthy adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Grazia Vaccaro
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Calabria, Italia,Neuroscience Center, “Magna Græcia” University, Catanzaro, Italy, Catanzaro, Calabria, Italia
| | - Marco Tullio Liuzza
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Calabria, Italia
| | - Massimiliano Pastore
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Padova University, Padova, Veneto, Italy
| | - Nuria Paúl
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Raquel Yubero
- Department of Neurology, Quirón Pozuelo Hospital, 28223, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Andrea Quattrone
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Calabria, Italia
| | - Gabriella Antonucci
- Department of Psychology, University of Roma “La Sapienza”, Roma, Lazio, Italy,Fondazione Santa Lucia, IRCCS, Roma, Lazio, Italia
| | - Antonio Gambardella
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, “Magna Græcia” University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Calabria, Italia
| | - Fernando Maestú
- Networking Research Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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García-Laredo E, Castellanos MÁ, Badaya E, Paúl N, Yubero R, Maestú F, Molina JD, Chacón J. Executive Functions Influence on Memory Process in Patients with Paranoid Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorders with and without Psychotic Symptoms. A Pilot Study. THE SPANISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 24:e40. [PMID: 34346301 DOI: 10.1017/sjp.2021.38] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The objective of the present study was to evaluate whether declarative memory deficits are related to executive function deficits (EF), since they could be a consequence of a poor organization of the material to memorize. This interaction between both cognitive processes can be studied simultaneously in a single task such as the Test of Memory Strategies (TSM). 23 patients with paranoid schizophrenic disorder, 11 with bipolar disorder with psychotic symptoms, 13 with bipolar disorder without psychotic symptoms and 15 healthy subjects were evaluated with the TSM; with the memory test Texts A and B (subtest of the Barcelona neuropsychological assessment battery), which assesses short-term and immediate recall without the influence of EF; and with the Trail Making Test (TMT): Part A (sustained attention) and Part B (executive control). The patients groups and the control group showed an improvement in memory performance across each of the TSM conditions. However, this facilitating effect of the strategies differed among the groups (the patients with higher EF deficits showed less improvement). Regarding these results, we conclude that this cognitive process cannot be independent of EF. However, due to the pilot nature of this study, it would be recommended to replicate these findings in new studies.
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Abellán-Martínez M, Castellanos López MÁ, Delgado-Losada ML, Yubero R, Paúl N, Unturbe FM. Executive Control on Memory Test Performance across Life: Test of Memory Strategies. THE SPANISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 22:E50. [PMID: 31767050 DOI: 10.1017/sjp.2019.47] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The ability to generate memory strategies is a key factor in performance of episodic memory tests. There is evidence about the inefficient use of memory strategies in old adults. However, a question remains unresolved: Worse performance on memory test in the older people is due to an inability to mobilize cognitive strategies or to an episodic memory deficit? In this study we tried to answer it by using the Test of Memory Strategies (TMS), which parametrically reduces the need of executive functions on memory tests. The test consists of five experimental conditions (TMS1-5) where a progressive external organization of the material reduces the need to mobilize memory strategies. TMS was applied to a sample of 180 participants (n = 180) divided into three age groups (25-45; 46-65; 66-85). The results showed an increased performance in all groups groups (F(2, 177) = 14.79, p < .001) across conditions (F(3.88,674.04) = 292.48, p < .001), without group differences in those conditions with a maximum reduction of the need of executive functions (F(7.61,674.04) = 1.95, p = .053). However, middle age and older adults showed more difficulties in establishing cognitive strategies, in the initial conditions. These results lead to the conclusion that the typical pattern of low performance on episodic memory tasks in the older population may be due to the deterioration of executive functions and not mainly to a primary decline of memory process.
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