Background: The paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT) was primarily developed to assess the effects of traumatic brain injury on cognitive functioning. Working memory (WM) is one of the most important aspects of cognitive function, and WM impairment is one of the clinically remarkable signs of aphasia. To develop the Persian version of PASAT, an initial version was used in individuals with aphasia (IWA). Methods: In this study, 25 individuals with aphasia (29-60 years) and 85 controls (18-60 years) were included. PASAT was presented in the form of recorded 61 single-digit numbers (1 to 9). The participants repeatedly added the 2 recent digits. The psychometric properties of PASAT including convergent validity (using the digit memory span tasks), divergent validity (using results in the control group and IWA group), and face validity were investigated. Test-retest reliability was considered as well. Results: The relationship between the PASAT and digit memory span tests was moderate to strong in the control group (forward digit memory span test: r= 0. 52, p< 0. 0001; backward digit memory span test: r = 0. 48, p< 0. 0001). A strong relationship was found in IWA (forward digit memory span test: r= 0. 72, p< 0. 0001; backward digit memory span test: r= 0. 53, p= 0. 006). Also, strong testretest reliability (intraclass correlation= 0. 95, p< 0. 0001) was observed. Conclusion: According to our results, the PASAT is a valid and reliable test to assess working memory, particularly in IWA. It could be used as a feasible tool for clinical and research applications.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation on working memory and selective attention of dyslexic students. The research had a quasi-experimental design with a clinical trial with pretest-posttest design and a control group. The research population consisted of all dyslexic students who referred to Arak Educational and Rehabilitation Center of Omid in 2017 (n=124). Through available sampling method, thirty students were selected as the sample of the study and random divided into an experimental and a control group. The research tools were Stroop and Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test. The experimental group was trained in 12 sessions of cognitive rehabilitation. The results were analyzed using multivariate covariance test. Results of MANCOVA showed that cognitive rehabilitation was effective on working memory and the attention of dyslexic patients (p
0. 05). Considering the cognitive rehabilitation problems of these children can be effective in expediting their learning.

Background and Aim: Today, Bilingualism is a developing phenomenon which half of the world population is bilingual. Auditory system is the main route to language learning, so it is expected that bilingualism has an effect on functions of the auditory system. Auditory memory is one of the auditory processes which is a cornerstone of linguistic skills and learning process growth, so that, it has an important role in language learning. In this paper, functions of the auditory memory in monolinguals and precocious bilinguals have been investigated through dichotic auditory-verbal memory test.Methods: A cross sectional-contrastive study of the Persian version of dichotic auditory-verbal memory test has been carried out among 30 monolingual and 30 bilingual persons. The participants were chosen from both sexes in the age range of 18-30, and test scores have been compared in both groups and sexes.Results: Mean score of dichotic auditory-verbal memory test in monolinguals was 5.47 (from 10), with a standard deviant of 0.55, and in bilinguals were 7.52, with a standard deviant of 0.90, which statistically, it showed a significant difference in scores between the two groups (p<0.001). There was no significant difference among men and women’s scores in monolingual (p=0.06) and bilingual (p=0.10) groups.Conclusion: Results of this limited research showed that there was a considerable functional difference between monolinguals and bilinguals in dichotic auditory-verbal memory test.Therefore, it seems precocious bilingualism has a positive effect on the auditory memory.

Objectives: Assessment of cognitive deficits in patients with schizo-phrenia bears significant implications, particularly in localizing the underlying accompanying neurological impairments. This study aimed for evaluation of cognitive deficits in first-degree relatives of these patients who reflect the same underlying genetic vulnerability for the disorder.Method: In this cross-sectional study, 30 patients with schizophrenia, 30 first-degree relatives, and 30 control subjects were assessed. They completed tests of verbal & visual paired associate recall, Wechsler digit span, and Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). Data were analysed using statistical t-test, ANOVA, Tukey test, Chi-square, and Kruskal-Wallis test.Results: Our study revealed alterations in the memory of patients with schizophrenia and their first-degree relatives compared to the controls. Both patients and their relatives also showed significant diffrence in verbal and visual paired associate recall tests, backward digit span, and PASAT.Conclusion: Diminished cognitive functions are observed in first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia. Verbal and visual paired asso-ciation tests, Backward digit Span test, and PASAT may indicate vulner-ability towards this disorder.

Introduction: This research investigated the effects of violent and football video games on cognitive functions, cortisol levels, and brain waves. Methods: A total of 64 participants competed in a single-elimination tournament. Saliva samples of all players were obtained before and after the games for the assessment of cortisol levels. The cognitive performances of the players were also assessed by paced auditory serial addition test. Moreover, the electroencephalogram recording was conducted during the games. Results: The results showed that salivary cortisol levels significantly decreased after playing both games. Also, playing the football game increased reaction time, whereas decreased sustained attention and mental fatigue. Conclusion: Conversely, following playing a violent game, the reaction time decreased, and sustained attention and mental fatigue increased. Furthermore, the results of the EEG recording revealed that playing a violent game engaged more brain regions than the football game. In conclusion, playing violent game more effectively improved cognitive performances in the players than the football game.

In this paper, a new scheme for serial communication is proposed. In this method, in addition to the pulse states (high and low), either of negative slope or positive slope of the pulse (saw-tooth waveform) is employed as a representative for another digit. Using pulse slope as a representative for a separate digit will result in sending two-bit-digits using a single pulse, which doubles the transfer rate. The proposed scheme can be used in both synchronized and asynchronized communications and can improve communication speed. Through simulating the proposed scheme, it turned out that this method, because of its proper immunity to noise, can be used as a peripheral interface alongside in-chip communication. The main idea in the raised discussion is to obtain four different geometric pulse shapes acting as four different numbers in the quaternary numeric system, in which it can be serialized/desrialized as easy as pulse states. This proposed method and the suggested system for serialization and deserialization of data can be an adequate alternative in high-speed communication approaches.