The main experimental tasks in the area of neuroscience and psychology have been performed in industrialized populations, but they have not been developed and adapted in a Latin population. The aim of this study was to validate the attentional networks task in an Ecuadorian sample. For this purpose, a construct validity analysis was carried out through an analysis of variance and correlation between the networks; and a reliability analysis for the global components of the attentional networks.
The results showed main and interaction effects proving construct validity in the population. Likewise, for the interaction validity, a high significant correlation was found between all conditions of the attentional networks. For the reliability analysis, a moderate and high relationship was found for the orientation and cognitive control network, but not for the alertness network.
At the end, the importance of the validation of the experimental tasks in the Latin American population and the clinical relevance in the field of neuropsychology are discussed.
orientación
Validez y confiabilidad de la tarea experimental de Redes Atencionales para investigaciones de neuropsicología en el contexto ecuatoriano. Validity and reliability of the experimental task of Attentional Networks for neuropsychological research in the Ecuadorian context
La Atención Involuntaria: Aspectos clínicos y electrofisiológicos.
One of the brain functions presenting more interest within the study of cognitive neurosciences is attention, which has a voluntary and an involuntary component. Involuntary attention is related to the detection of potentially relevant stimulus but originally not attended. It is considered that involuntary attention is made up by at least three stages: a) an automatic mismatch detection of a stimulus related to a given sensory context, b) an involuntary attention change associated to the orientation response, and c) a re-orientation towards the originally carried out task. The three-stage model of involuntary attention has been originated mainly based on the results obtained by Event Related Potentials (ERP) technique, by which three electrophysiological components associated with each stage of the theoretical model have been identified: mismatch negativity (MMN), P3a, and reorientation negativity (RON). This work reviews describing experimental, morphological, and topographic characteristics of each one, as well as their appearance through the development, and their alteration in clinical populations, such as traumatic brain injury, alcoholism and attention deficit disorder, is made. Finally, research perspectives are defined for future studies.
