Mauricio Alejandro Garcia-Barrera

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• PhD
• Professor (Full) at University of Victoria

Background The prevalence of acquired brain injury (ABI) and mental health/substance use (MHSU) disorders is high amongst people experiencing homelessness, yet guidance for addressing these complex comorbidities is lacking. Therefore, the objective of this study was to engage community-based stakeholders in a health priority-setting process to gene...

Introduction Adolescence represents a critical developmental period, with changes in emotional regulation capacities influencing physical and mental health. With less than 6% of Canadian youth currently meeting the 24-hour movement guidelines for physical activity, sleep and sedentary behaviour, there is an urgent need to understand the potential a...

Background: The prevalence of acquired brain injury (ABI) and mental health/substance use (MHSU) disorders is high amongst people experiencing homelessness, yet guidance for addressing these complex comorbidities is lacking. Therefore, the objective of this study was to engage community-based stakeholders in a health priority-setting process to gen...

BACKGROUND Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the most prevalent cause of dementia globally. Because of ageing populations and limited access to treatments, there is a pressing need for innovative cognitive markers supporting timely preventive interventions. This study introduces NavegApp, an innovative Serious Game (SG) for assessing Spatial Cognition (S...

Background Alzheimer disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia worldwide. With aging populations and limited access to effective treatments, there is an urgent need for innovative markers to support timely preventive interventions. Emerging evidence highlights spatial cognition (SC) as a valuable source of cognitive markers for AD. This study p...

Background Psychedelics are receiving growing interest among clinical researchers for their effects on mood and cognition. Psilocybin is one of the most widely studied classic psychedelics which has shown good safety and clinical benefit for major depression and substance use disorders. Athletes frequently sustain concussions and often experience m...

Background People with acquired brain injury (ABI) may experience concurrent conditions such as, mental health and substance use concerns, that require specialized care. There are services that aim to support people with ABI and these conditions separately; however, little is known about the facilitators and barriers of these services. Therefore, t...

Objectives The purpose of this study was to engage key stakeholders in a health research priority‐setting process to identify, prioritize and produce a community‐driven list of research questions addressing intersectional issues on mental health and addictions (MHA) in acquired brain injury (ABI). Methods A multiphasic health research priority‐set...

Purpose While previous quantitative research has explored the malleability of executive functions in sports, there’s a gap in understanding athletes’ descriptions and utilization of executive functions during gameplay. Understanding these processes from athletes’ perspectives is crucial for developing relevant assessments, particularly following sp...

Over the past decade, research using virtual reality and serious game-based instruments for assessing spatial navigation and spatial memory in at-risk and AD populations has risen. We systematically reviewed the literature since 2012 to identify and evaluate the methodological quality and risk of bias in the analyses of the psychometric properties...

This study examined how physical activity and history of sports participation affect subjective and objective executive functioning in university students. A total of 215 university students aged 18-25 (81% female) completed a virtual assessment of executive function. The correlates were age, sex, physical activity, and history of sports participat...

Objective Factors such as physical activity and sports participation may have a positive effect on executive functioning. However, people involved in sports are at a higher risk of experiencing a concussion, which may have a detrimental effect. Previous research has yet to investigate those combined negative and positive effects while also utilizin...

Objective: Sport participation may benefit executive functioning (EF), but EF can also be adversely affected by concussion, which can occur during sport participation. Neural variability is an emerging proxy of brain health that indexes the brain's range of possible responses to incoming stimuli (i.e., dynamic range) and interconnectedness, but ha...

Abstract Background: Sports-related concussions (SRC), a form of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), are a frequent consequence of sports involvement. 10-30% of athletes who sustain a concussion will experience persisting symptoms after they return to normal activities. Persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS) include symptoms of anxiety and depr...

Background: Research on psilocybin has become increasingly popular during the current psychedelic renaissance, which began in the early 1990s. Psilocybin's effects on mental health are promising and there are ongoing efforts to investigate its clinical implementation and its effects on cognition. Aims: The purpose of this study is to report tren...

Introduction: While previous quantitative research has determined that executive function is impacted by sport participation and sports-related concussion, athletes’ accounts of their deployment of executive functioning in sport has not yet been investigated. A qualitative examination of the executive processes used in sports from the athletes’ per...

This study examined how physical activity and history of sports participation affect subjective and objective measures of executive functioning in university students. A total of 217 university students aged 18-25 (83% female) completed a virtual assessment of executive function. The predictor variables were age, sex, physical activity, and history...

Purpose Although there are certain injury risks associated with sports participation (e.g., concussion), there are also neuropsychological benefits relating to physical activity. Evidence suggests that trait mindfulness (TM) may contribute to the neuropsychological benefits of physical activity and exercise, including those pertaining to executive...

Purpose Our aim was to investigate the role of lifestyle factors, physical activity, sport, and concussion history, as well as Miyake and colleague’s (2000) three lower-order factors of executive function (shifting, updating, and inhibition) on higher-order decision making and self-reported executive functioning in young women. Methods 180 Canadia...

Purpose The current investigation examined the potential consequences of concussion on speech-language abilities by analyzing quantitative and qualitative data from two independent studies. Methods Study 1: 185 rugby, soccer, football, rowing, and hockey athletes (M=17.42 years, SD=3.80; 44% female) completed the Rosenbaum Concussion Attitude and...

Purpose This study aimed to examine the relationship between concussion history and executive function in a sample of Canadian university students. Methods 247 participants completed an online survey and a web-based assessment battery consisting of nine computerized executive function tasks. Participants self-identified as ‘non-athletes’ (14.75%)...

Objective: Prior research has revealed potential effects of sports expertise and physical exercise on cognition, though there is limited research examining their effects on the "hot," emotional-processing aspects of executive functioning (e.g., valence and reward processing important for decision-making). The present study aimed to address this ga...

Purpose: Our aim was to investigate the role of lifestyle factors, physical activity, sport, and concussion history, as well as Miyake and colleague’s (2000) three lower-order factors of executive function (shifting, updating, and inhibition) on higher-order decision making and self-reported executive functioning in young women. Method: 180 Canadi...

Poster presented at INS 2023 in San Diego.

Research studies have shown thatExecutive Functions are associated with mood disorders in older adults, including anxiety and depression.This association suggests that greater numbersof symptoms of depression and rumination thoughts areassociated withpoorerexecutive function. Objective.To determine whether measures of executive functioning, obtaine...

Objective. Although physical activity declined with social distancing measures and stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic, youth who engaged in more physical activity experienced fewer mental health problems. If and how physical activity maintained its protective role throughout the ongoing pandemic remains unclear. This study models asso...

Al leer el presente libro de Homenaje Póstumo usted encontrara el relato de quienes fueron sus compañeros de travesía, sus amigos, sus más cercanos colaboradores, sus estudiantes y jóvenes psicólogos de Latinoamérica que lo leyeron, estudiaron, algunos lo conocieron y otros se inspiraros en sus páginas sin tener el tiempo de llegar a él pese a los...

Objective. Although physical activity declined with social distancing measures and stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic, youth who engaged in more physical activity experienced fewer mental health problems. If and how physical activity maintained its protective role throughout the ongoing pandemic remains unclear. This study models asso...

Objective Emerging evidence highlights intraindividual variability (IIV) during executive function (EF) tasks as a reliable endophenotype of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and as contributing to motor dysregulation and hyperactive-impulsive behaviors. This study examined the relationship between EF and motor control in children wit...

Background and Objectives: While sports concussion education is increasingly prevalent in collision sports, there may be fewer education initiatives in non-collision sports and noncontact sports. Nevertheless, athletes of all sports are at some risk of concussions through incidental contact with other players, equipment, etc. Thus, it is important...

Objective Previous research has focused on understanding the symptoms and long-term effects of sport-related concussion (SRC) through quantitative methods. Less is known about the impacts of SRC from the athletes’ perspective. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of SRC symptoms among Canadian varsity athletes....

Objective Physical exercise shows benefits to executive functioning (EF), a cognitive process that is relevant to goal-directed planning, application of complex rules, and dynamic control of action. However, many older adults have not engaged in exercise due to social distancing measures implemented to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. The present stud...

Objective Purpose. Daily physical activity (PA) is effective in supporting cognitive and physical health. However, many Canadians do not meet the public health recommendation of at least 150 mins/week of moderate-to-vigorous PA. The current study examined individual differences in traits such as motivation (intrinsic-IM, extrinsic-EM), and competit...

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are both associated with lower performances on executive function tasks. However, few researchers have evaluated ACEs, posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms, and executive function difficulties in conjunction. Using an online micropayment service, the current study assessed...

Objective: This study evaluated the sensitivity/specificity of a global sum score (GSS) from the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition, Executive Function screener (BASC-2-EF) at classifying children with/without ADHD and/or reading disability (RD). Method: The BASC-2 Teacher/Parent Rating Scales (TRS/PRS) were completed for child...

Context: Student-athletes are commonly administered the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT®) battery at preseason baseline and post concussion. The ImPACT® is available in many different languages, but few studies have examined differences in cognitive performances and symptom ratings based on language of administrat...

Background: The purpose of this study was to explore socio-ecological predictors of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) as a result of the COVD-19 pandemic restrictions. Method: A representative sample of 1,055 English-speaking Canadians (18+ years) completed measures of MVPA during the COVID-19 restrictions and reflecting on MVPA prio...

The practice of heading in soccer has become a public concern due to the potential for subconcussive impacts to cause cumulative concussive-like effects; however experimental evidence for this hypothesis has been mixed. This systematic review used pre-defined search parameters to assess primary literature that examined changes in cognitive, behavio...

A trauma history is present in approximately 90% of adults in the United States. Comparatively, lifetime post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) prevalence is only 8.3% (Kilpatrick et al. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 26, 537-547, 2013). A neuropsychological understanding of trauma is essential to effective trauma-informed assessments and treatments....

Objectives: Despite having a general understanding of concussions, many athletes choose not to report symptoms of a sports-related concussion (SRC) which leads to a larger burden on our healthcare system due to longer recoveries, more Emergency Department visits, and future medical appointments. Thus, there is a need to identify factors, such as c...

Prolonged stress is associated with poor physical and mental health outcomes. Understanding the mediators between personality and stress is critical for developing effective stress management interventions during a pandemic. Our study explored whether perceptions of threat from COVID-19 and efficacy to follow government recommendations for preventi...

Objective Our previous research indicated that athletes scoring high in competitiveness were less likely to report sports-related concussion symptoms and withdraw from the game. The present study examined whether athletes’ desire to succeed (competitiveness motive), win (win orientation), and achieve personal goals (goal orientation) were related t...

Objective With some variability, research indicates that a high percentage (20–60%) of athletes do not report post-concussion symptoms, despite having sufficient concussion knowledge. Our study examined whether competitiveness and past reporting predicted future reporting intention in males participating in high contact sports. Method Participants...

Objective: Executive functioning encompasses interactive cognitive processes such as planning, organization, set-shifting, inhibition, self-monitoring, working memory, and initiating and sustaining motor and mental activity. Researchers therefore typically assess executive functioning with multiple tests, each yielding multiple scores. A single co...

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia. A lack of curative treatments and a rapidly aging global population have amplified the need for early biomarkers of the disease process. Recent advances suggest that subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may be one of the earliest symptomatic markers of the AD cascade. Previous stu...

Objective Previous researchers have examined the frequency at which healthy participants obtain one or more low scores on neuropsychological test batteries, proposing five psychometric principles of multivariate base rates: (a) low scores are common, with their frequency contingent on (b) the low score cutoff used, (c) the number of tests administe...

Inconsistency of performance across neuropsychological testing instruments (dispersion) shows sensitivity to acquired injury and neurodegenerative pathology in older adults. The underlying neural correlates have remained speculative however, in spite of known white matter degradation seen in conjunction with elevated inconsistency in related operat...

Background Although soccer players routinely head the ball in practice and games, recent research has suggested that cumulative effects of repetitive heading may cause sub-concussive injury with accompanying effects on brain and behavior. The current study aimed to prospectively investigate the effects of repetitive, intentional heading in soccer p...

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is defined as an alteration in brain function, produced after focal or diffuse brain damage caused by external biomechanical forces. TBI severity is classified on a continuum, ranging from mild to moderate to severe, and about 80% of TBIs are mild. They are one of the leading causes of mortality in the world, constituti...

The nature of executive functioning remains a wonder and a mystery in Neuropsychology. To better understand how it may be impaired by brain damage, it is worth exploring first how is the term “executive function” defined and what are the processes that may comprise this central control system. Most of the discussion about executive function focuses...

Objective Approximately 90% of adults in the United States have been exposed to trauma (Kilpatrick et al. 2013). Among clients seen for neuropsychological services, trauma may be an etiological or co-occurring factor, especially with traumatic brain injury. Understanding neuropsychological impact is essential to trauma-informed assessment, diagnosi...

Purpose Limited research examines how electrophysiological markers of reward sensitivity in athletes with concussion history may relate to corresponding executive behavior. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the relationship between event-related brain potentials (ERPs) elicited during a reward-processing task, and self-report of emotion...

Purpose Executive functions (EF) are a dynamic collection of complex cognitive processes governing volitional, goal-directed behaviour. EFs are particularly susceptible to environmental influences such as exercise or concussion. Exercise improves EF but it is unclear if having good EF improves exercise engagement habits. Expanding upon a previously...

Introduction: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with a clinical presentation characterized by memory impairment and executive dysfunction. Our group previously demonstrated significant alterations in white matter microstructural metrics in AD compared to healthy older adults. We aimed to further investigate the relationship b...

Are mathematical learning difficulties caused by impairment of the abilities that underlie mathematical talent? Or are mathematical difficulties and talent qualitatively different? The main goal of this study was to determine whether mathematical learning difficulties are explained by the same executive functions as mathematical talent. We screened...

This appendix contains Tables A-D and Fig A. (DOCX)

This study provides observed base rates of low executive functioning test scores among healthy children and adolescents, stratifies those base rates by narrow intellectual functioning and age groupings, and provides normative classification ranges to aid the interpretation of performances on the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) in cl...

Objective: Typical executive functioning (EF) measurements do not reflect the complexity of daily life. We derived an executive behavior screener from the BASC-2-PRS-A using a previously derived four-component model of EF and provided support for the use of the screener in adolescent populations. Methods: A total of 2,722 census-matched American ad...

Objective: Test and normative data selection in cross-cultural neuropsychology remain a complex issue. Despite growing awareness, more studies and instruments are needed to adequately address the impact of cultural factors, such as quantity and quality of education. In this study, we examine the interpretive effects of applying six relevant WAIS-I...

Ecologically valid indicators of executive functions are designed to capture dysfunction not easily measured in a lab setting. Here, we present two studies on the development and validity analyses of a behavioral screener for executive functions among young adults. In Study 1, we derived a four-factor (problem solving, attentional control, behavior...

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) has been frequently applied to executive function measurement since first used to identify a three-factor model of inhibition, updating, and shifting; however, subsequent CFAs have supported inconsistent models across the lifespan, ranging from unidimensional to nested-factor models (i.e., bifactor without inhibit...

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) has been frequently applied to executive function measurement since first used to identify a three-factor model of inhibition, updating, and shifting; however, subsequent CFAs have supported inconsistent models across the life span, ranging from unidimensional to nested-factor models (i.e., bifactor without inhibi...

Objective: The current study aimed to determine whether the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) taps into three executive function factors (inhibition, shifting, fluency) and to assess the relationship between these factors and tests of executive-related constructs less often measured in latent variable research: reasoning, abstraction...

Objective: although the preponderance of research on functional brain activity investigates mean group differences, mounting evidence suggests that variability in neural activity is beneficial for optimal central nervous system (CNS) function. Independent of mean signal estimates, recent findings have shown that neural variability diminishes with...

How empathic are battle-experienced war veterans and demobilized ex-combatants? Individuals who have participated in war-related violence tend to show an increased risk of mental health problems, which makes their readaptation to postconflict civilian life much more difficult. This study is the first systematic attempt to evaluate whether war exper...

Emotions can be generated in response to inher-ently emotional perceptual properties of a stimulus (‘bot-tom up’) and in response to cognitive interpretations of an event (‘top down’). Similarly, emotion regulation (ER) strategies may deploy bottom-up or top-down processes, however the specific nature of these processes remains unclear. In this stud...

Objective: Multivariate base rates allow for the simultaneous statistical interpretation of multiple test scores, quantifying the normal frequency of low scores on a test battery. This study provides multivariate base rates for the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS). Method: The D-KEFS consists of 9 tests with 16 Total Achievement s...

Objective: Falls represent a major concern for older adults and may serve as clinically salient index events for those presenting in the prodromal stages of mild cognitive impairment. Declines in executive function performance and in gait consistency have shown promise in predicting fall risk; however, associated neurophysiological underpinnings ha...

Objective: Executive function consists of multiple cognitive processes that operate as an interactive system to produce volitional goal-oriented behavior, governed in large part by frontal microstructural and physiological networks. Identification of deficits in executive function in those with neurological or psychiatric conditions can be difficu...

Using items embedded in the first edition of the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC), a recent line of research has consistently replicated a behavioral screener for the assessment of executive functions, termed the BASC-EF. This screener has demonstrated strong evidence of reliability and validity in its evaluation of 4 posited executiv...

Purpose This clinical focus article highlights the need for future research involving ways to assist children who stutter in the classroom. Method The 4 most commonly recommended strategies for teachers were found via searches of electronic databases and personal libraries of the authors. The peer-reviewed evidence for each recommendation was subs...

The Republic of Colombia has a long-standing history of internal armed conflict, further complicated by the ideological assumptions underlying their war. In recent years, its government designed the Program for Reincorporation to Civilian Life (Programa para la Reincorporación a la Vida Civil, PRVC), aiming demobilization of thousands of insurgents...

Executive functioning and intelligence are two umbrella constructs with prominent similarities in the way each is conceptualized and measured. A key characteristic of frontal lobe syndrome post brain injury is relatively intact intellectual capacity with marked executive functioning impairment; however, accumulating research indicates a potentially...

The fact that some people who stutter have the ability to anticipate a stuttering moment is essential for several theories of stuttering and important for maximum effectiveness of many currently used treatment techniques. The "anticipation effect," however, is poorly understood despite much investigation into this phenomenon. In the present paper,...

Garcia-Barrera, Kamphaus, and Bandalos (2011) derived a 25-item executive functioning screener from the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC), measuring 4 latent executive constructs: problem solving, attentional control, behavioral control, and emotional control. The current study included a cross-cultural examination of this screener in...

RÉSUMÉ Les personnes âgées qui ont une déficience cognitive et celles qui sont intactes cognitivement diffèrent apparemment par rapport à leur participation dans aspects de la planification préalable des soins (PPS). Utilisant les rapports d'informateurs dans l'Étude canadienne sur la santé et le vieillissement, nous avons examiné les différences e...

Throughout their careers, many soldiers experience repeated blasts exposures from improvised explosive devices, which often involve head injury. Consequentially, blast-related mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) has become prevalent in modern conflicts, often occuring co-morbidly with psychiatric illness (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD])...

A robust body of aging-related research has established benefits of both physical exercise (PE) and cognitive training (CT) on executive functions related to the activities of daily living of older adults; however, no meta-analysis has compared these treatments. Objective: The current quantitative review involved a comparison of the overall effect...

As it was suggested by Strayhorn (1993) 2 decades ago, one of the most limiting constraints of our scientific progress in measuring human behavior has been our inability to produce valid and reliable instruments, despite our technological developments. These difficulties have been made readily apparent when trying to measure psychological construct...

Unlabelled: The long-term outcomes of executive functions and intraindividual variability (IIV; i.e., trial-to-trial or across-task variability in cognitive performance) following concussion are unclear due to inconsistent and limited research findings, respectively. Objective: Responding to these gaps in scientific understanding, the current st...

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI), also known as concussion, has become a growing public health concern, prevalent in both athletic and military settings. Many researchers have examined post-mTBI neuropsychological outcomes, leading to multiple meta-analyses amalgamating individual study results. Objective: Considering the plethora of meta-analyti...

This study included a replicated derivation of a behavioral screener for executive functions among children, longitudinal invariance analyses to evaluate measurement reliability across time, and latent growth modeling of 4 executive functions: problem solving, attentional control, behavioral control, and emotional control. The sample included 1,237...

The planum temporale is a highly lateralized cortical region, located within Wernicke's area, which is thought to be involved in auditory processing, phonological processing, and language. Research has linked abnormal morphology of the planum temporale to developmental dyslexia, although results have varied in large part due to methodological incon...