Gastrointestinal problems are important in the chronic stage of spinal cord injury. We review the literature on problems of specific segments of the alimentary tract in this setting and add observations based on clinical experience. Emphasis is placed on the colon and rectum, where most clinically apparent problems occur. While bowel management programs are often successful in the near-term, long-term dysfunctions are common and difficult to treat. Studies to determine colonic transit time and rectal physiologic responses are useful to provide scientific basis of management of such patients. More information is needed on the relative roles of extrinsic and intrinsic nervous system in GI function.
Working memory is a key construct within cognitive science. It is an important theory in its own right, but the influence of working memory is enriched due to the widespread evidence that measures of its capacity are linked to a variety of functions in wider cognition. To facilitate the active research environment into this topic, we describe seven computer-based tasks that provide estimates of short-term and working memory incorporating both visuospatial and verbal material. The memory span tasks provided are; digit span, matrix span, arrow span, reading span, operation span, rotation span, and symmetry span. These tasks are built to be simple to use, flexible to adapt to the specific needs of the research design, and are open source. All files can be downloaded from the project website http://www.cognitivetools.uk and the source code is available via Github.
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