JNBS
Üsküdar Üniversitesi

ARTICLES

Original Article

The Effect of Memorizing the Quran on Cognitive Functions

Turkish Title : The Effect of Memorizing the Quran on Cognitive Functions

Sirin Sumeyye,Metin Barıs,Tarhan Nevzat
JNBS, 2021, 8(1), p:22-27

DOI : 10.4103/jnbs.jnbs_42_20

Background: Memorizing the Quran is an education continuing from the early periods of Islamic education until today. Although this education started in the past to protect the Quran, nowadays, it is continuing as a tradition. Aims and Objectives: The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of memorizing the Quran on certain cognitive functions of individuals. Materials and Methods: The scope of the study is limited to 18 female and 15 male students who have been studying in the 5th, 6th, and 7th grades of Anatolian Imam Preacher Secondary Schools in different districts of İstanbul. After Demographic Information Questionnaire was used, California Verbal Learning Test children’s version, Wechsler Memory Scale revised visual reproduction subtest, Trail Making Test, and Verbal Fluency Test were applied twice to collect data about individuals before and after memorization training. Results: Findings demonstrated that there is a statistically significant difference
in verbal learning, visual learning, attention speed, and phonemic and semantic fluency before and after memorization training. Conclusion: In conclusion, memorizing the Quran has positive impacts on verbal and visual memory, attention processes, and lexical and semantic fluency of individuals. It is important with regard to eliminate emptiness in the literature. In future studies, it can be investigated the effects of textual memorization in a foreign language on brain structures and connections.

Background: Memorizing the Quran is an education continuing from the early periods of Islamic education until today. Although this education started in the past to protect the Quran, nowadays, it is continuing as a tradition. Aims and Objectives: The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of memorizing the Quran on certain cognitive functions of individuals. Materials and Methods: The scope of the study is limited to 18 female and 15 male students who have been studying in the 5th, 6th, and 7th grades of Anatolian Imam Preacher Secondary Schools in different districts of İstanbul. After Demographic Information Questionnaire was used, California Verbal Learning Test children’s version, Wechsler Memory Scale revised visual reproduction subtest, Trail Making Test, and Verbal Fluency Test were applied twice to collect data about individuals before and after memorization training. Results: Findings demonstrated that there is a statistically significant difference
in verbal learning, visual learning, attention speed, and phonemic and semantic fluency before and after memorization training. Conclusion: In conclusion, memorizing the Quran has positive impacts on verbal and visual memory, attention processes, and lexical and semantic fluency of individuals. It is important with regard to eliminate emptiness in the literature. In future studies, it can be investigated the effects of textual memorization in a foreign language on brain structures and connections.


Review Article

Investigating the neuroplastic effects of treatment methods applied in cerebral palsy

Turkish Title : Serebral palsi’de uygulanan tedavi yöntemlerinin nöroplastisite etkilerinin incelendiği çalışmalar

Karakuş Arzu Burcu,Metin Barış
JNBS, 2020, 7(2), p:90-97

DOI : 10.4103/JNBS.JNBS_10_20

Cerebral Palsy (SP), formed as a result of lesions in the developing brain, has been one of the main areas of interest in pediatric physiotherapy. There are many researches and reviews about the physical and social consequences of the therapy methods used in daily life. In this review, electronic databases were scanned in PUBMED and Web of Science to examine the publications investigating the neuroplastic effects that are the equivalent of the rehabilitation applied in the brain. In a limited number of publications about research on this subject, all of the results are evidence to prove that neuroplasticity developed as a result of rehabilitation. In this review, the methods used to measure neuroplasticity are briefly mentioned and it is aimed to shed more light on one of the subjects in need of investigation. 

Gelişmekte olan beyindeki lezyonlar sonucu oluşan Serebral Palsi (SP), pediatrik fizyoterapinin ana ilgi alanlarından biri olmuştur. Uygulanan terapi yöntemlerinin günlük hayattaki bedensel ve sosyal sonuçlarını içeren pek çok araştırma ve derleme mevcuttur. Bu derlemede, uygulanan rehabilitasyonun beyinlerdeki karşılığı olan nöroplastik etkileri araştıran yayınları incelemek için elektronik veri tabanları PUBMED ve Web of Science içerisinde tarama yapılmıştır. Bu konudaki araştırmalarla ilgili ulaşılan sınırlı sayıdaki yayında, sonuçların hepsi rehabilitasyon sonucu nöroplastisitenin geliştiğini delillendirir niteliktedir. Bu derlemede, nöroplastisiteyi ölçmek için kullanılan yöntemlere de kısaca değinilmiş ve araştırılmaya muhtaç konulardan birine daha ışık tutmak hedeflenmiştir.


Original Article

Working memory performance, theta/beta ratio and trait anxiety

Turkish Title : Çalışan bellek performansı, teta/beta oranı ve sürekli kaygı arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi

Arasıl Ayşe Berna Sarı,Tarman Güliz Zeynep,Özdoğan Büşra,Çebi Merve,Metin Barış
JNBS, 2020, 7(1), p:16-20

DOI : 10.5455/JNBS.1571993852

Working memory, a cognitive construct, which is essential to perform complex cognitive tasks, is negatively associated with trait anxiety. However the exact mechanism underlying this relationship is not clear yet. In this study we aimed at investigating the relationship between working memory and anxiety considering the role of resting state frontal theta/beta ratio, a neuromarker which has been associated with attentional control. Fifty-six university students (Mage = 21, SD = 2; 7 males) participated in the study voluntarily. Participants filled in trait anxiety and attentional control scales. Then resting state EEG was recorded. Afterwards, participants completed dual n back task to assess working memory performance. Our results showed no relationship between theta/beta ratio, trait anxiety and working memory performance. Furthermore, trait anxiety and attentional control scores were also not associated with dual-n-back performance. Results are suggestive of critical evaluation of existing literature and utilizing different cognitive tasks or EEG markers in the future. Also, in addition to trait anxiety the role of state anxiety can also be investigated within this context.

Karmaşık bilişsel görevleri yerine getirmek için esas teşkil eden çalışan bellek performansı kaygı durumundan olumsuz etkilenmektedir. Ancak bunun altında yatan mekanizmalar henüz netlik kazanmamıştır. Bu çalışmada dinlenim durumu EEG kullanılarak özellikle dikkat kontrolü ile ilişkilendirilen bilişsel nörobelirteçlerden frontal teta/beta oranının çalışan bellek performansı ve kaygı ile olan ilişkisinin incelenmesi hedeflenmiştir. Çalışmaya 56 üniversite öğrencisi (Ort.yaş = 21, SS = 2; 7 erkek) gönüllü olarak katılmıştır. Katılımcılar sürekli kaygı, dikkat kontrol ölçeklerini doldurduktan sonra dinlenim durumu EEG kayıtları alınmıştır. Sonrasında da çalışan bellek performanslarını ölçebilmek için çoklu n geri görevini tamamlamışlardır. Çalışmanın sonuçları dinlenim durumu teta/beta oranının ölçek skorları ve çalışan bellek performansı ile ilişkili olmadığını göstermiştir. Bununla birlikte kaygı durumu ve dikkat kontrol ölçeği skorları da çalışan bellek performansı ile ilişkilendirilememiştir. Sonuçlar doğrultusunda var olan literatürün kritik bir biçimde değerlendirilmesi gerektiği ve farklı bilişsel görevler veya nörobelirteçlerle çalışmanın tekrarlanması önerilmektedir. Ayrıca ilerleyen çalışmalar sürekli kaygı ile birlikte durumlu kaygının da çalışan bellek ile ilişkisini inceleyebilir.


Original Article

Are flashbulb memories preserved in alzheimer’s disease?

Turkish Title : Alzheimer hastalığında flaşbellek korunuyor mu?

Çebi Merve,Metin Baris,Çevre Burak,Tarhan Nevzat
JNBS, 2020, 7(1), p:21-26

DOI : 10.5455/JNBS.1578904847

Alzheimer’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterised by a progressive memory loss. However, it is not clear whether flashbulb memories- a subgroup of autobiographical memories with an emotional component- are influenced to the same extent in Alzheimer’s Disease. In this study, we investigated flashbulb memory performances of 29 early stage Alzheimer’s Disease patients as compared to healthy young controls. In addition, we measured the verbal memory performance of patients by using Verbal Memory Processes Test. Results showed that although the patient group displayed a significant impairment in verbal memory encoding, their flashbulb memory performance was not significantly different from healthy young controls. In conclusion, our study supports the notion that flashbulb memories can have a special neural network and suggests that flashbulb memories are preserved in early stage Alzheimer’s Disease.

Amaç: Alzheimer Hastalığı, ilerleyici bellek bozukluğuyla karakterize bir nörodejeneraitf hastalıktır. Fakat, otobiyografik belleğin bir alt grubu olarak kabul edilen ve emosyonel içeriği olan flaşbelleğin Alzheimer hastalığında aynı derecede etkilenip etkilenmediği yeterince açık değildir. Yöntem: Bu çalışmada, 29 erken evre Alzheimer hastalığı olan katılımcıların flaşbellek performansı incelenmiş ve sağlıklı genç yetişkinlerle karşılaştırılmıştır. Ek olarak, hasta grubunun sözel bellek performansı Öktem Sözel Bellek Süreçleri Testi kullanılarak ölçülmüştür. Sonuç: Yapılan analizler sonucuda, Alzheimer hastalığı olan grubun sözel bellek kayıt sürecinde anlamlı kayıp bulunmasına ragmen flaşbellek performansları açısından sağlıklı genç yetişkinler ile aralarında anlamlı fark bulunmamıştır. Tartışma: Sonuç olarak, bu çalışma flaşbelleğin özel bir nöral şebekeye sahip olduğu görüşünü destekleyerek, erken evre Alzheimer Hastalığında flaşbellek performansının korunuyor olabileceğini düşündürmektedir.


Original Article

Turkish Title : The Impact of Respiratory Biofeedback Use on Symptom Severity in Panic Disorder

Burkovik Hatice Yıldız,Göçmen Buse Sıdıka,Metin Barış
JNBS, 2025, 12(1), p:1-7

DOI : 10.32739/jnbs.12.1.1

Aim: This study aimed to enhance conscious awareness of respiratory control in panic disorder patients to prevent panic attacks. Materials and Method: Thirty participants (aged 18–65) diagnosed with panic disorder were recruited from NP Istanbul Brain Hospital and NP Istanbul Medical Center. They were divided into two groups: one received only psychoeducation on breathing techniques, while the other received psychoeducation combined with visual biofeedback (Galvanic Skin Resistance, heart rate, respiratory depth, and skin temperature). Breathing training was conducted over four weeks, and outcomes were assessed using the Panic Agoraphobia Scale, State and Trait Anxiety Scale, and biofeedback metrics. Result: Both groups showed significant improvements in Panic Agoraphobia Scale scores and reductions in State and Trait Anxiety scores. The biofeedback group demonstrated more pronounced improvements in respiratory control, with significantly lower breathing rates in the final assessment. Conclusion: Respiratory biofeedback combined with psychoeducation effectively improves respiratory control and reduces anxiety symptoms in panic disorder patients.


Original Article

Turkish Title : Low-frequency Prefrontal Cortex Magnetic Stimulation Improves Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptoms: A Pilot Study

Tarhan Nevzat,Aydoğdu Muammer,İbadi Yelda,Gökten Emel Sarı,Metin Barış
JNBS, 2023, 11(1), p:3-7

DOI : 10.4103/jnbs.jnbs_24_22

Aim: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder affecting
multiple levels of social and cognitive skills and causing a significant health‑care burden.
Currently, there is no approved treatment for ASD. Methods: In this study, 10 children with
ASD between the ages 6 and 19 years (M = 12.3, standard deviation = 3.94) were recruited.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) was applied and symptom severity was
measured before and after treatment using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and
Autistic Behavior Checklist (ABC). All children received sessions of low‑frequency rTMS to the
bilateral prefrontal cortices. Results: The results showed that the children improved according
to both symptom ratings. Specifically, both the relating (z = −2.02, P < 0.05), body and object
use (z = −2.03, P < 0.05) and language (z = −2.21, P < 0.05) subscale scores and the total
score of ABC (z = −2.37, P < 0.05) decreased. Regarding CARS, visual response (z = −2.06,
P < 0.05), verbal communication (z = −2.12, P < 0.05) subscale scores, and the total score (z
= −2.52, P = 0.01) decreased significantly after TMS therapy. Conclusion: Our study was open
label and in terms of sample size should be considered a pilot study. Although the results should
be evaluated cautiously, the findings suggest that rTMS might be a safe and useful tool for
improving deficits related to ASD in children.


ISSN (Print) 2149-1909
ISSN (Online) 2148-4325

2020 Ağustos ayından itibaren yalnızca İngilizce yayın kabul edilmektedir.