Exercise and cognition in multiple sclerosis: The importance of acute exercise for developing better interventions.

PubMed

Sandroff, Brian M

2015-12-01

Cognitive dysfunction is highly prevalent, disabling, and poorly-managed in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Exercise training represents a promising approach for managing this clinical symptom of the disease. However, results from early randomized controlled trials of exercise on cognition in MS are equivocal, perhaps due to methodological concerns. This underscores the importance of considering the well-established literature in the general population that documents robust, beneficial effects of exercise training on cognition across the lifespan. The development of such successful interventions is based on examinations of fitness, physical activity, and acute exercise effects on cognition. Applying such an evidence-based approach in MS serves as a way of better informing exercise training interventions for improving cognition in this population. To that end, this paper provides a focused, updated review on the evidence describing exercise effects on cognition in MS, and develops a rationale and framework for examining acute exercise on cognitive outcomes in this population. This will provide keen insight for better developing exercise interventions for managing cognitive impairment in MS. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cognitive Dissonance or Revenge? Student Grades and Course Evaluations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maurer, Trent W.

2006-01-01

I tested 2 competing theories to explain the connection between students' expected grades and ratings of instructors: cognitive dissonance and revenge. Cognitive dissonance theory holds that students who expect poor grades rate instructors poorly to minimize ego threat whereas the revenge theory holds that students rate instructors poorly in an…

A Comparison of Cognitive Flexibility and Metalinguistic Skills in Adult Good and Poor Comprehenders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cartwright, Kelly B.; Bock, Allison M.; Coppage, Elizabeth A.; Hodgkiss, Melinda D.; Nelson, Marisa Isaac

2017-01-01

Good and poor comprehenders exhibit different profiles of cognitive abilities, despite comparable decoding skills. Recent work suggests that executive functions, particularly cognitive flexibility, may underlie poor comprehenders' difficulties in childhood and adulthood. However, metalinguistic skills that enable readers to reflect on various…

Development of Morphological Awareness in Young Chinese Readers: Comparing Poor Comprehenders and Good Comprehenders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Haomin

2017-01-01

The present study explored the relationship between reading comprehension skill and morphological awareness among young Chinese readers. The objectives were to investigate whether morphological awareness is a critical cognitive and linguistic ability to differentiate poor comprehenders and good comprehenders and to further scrutinize the…

Neurophysiological evidence of an association between cognitive control and defensive reactivity processes in young children.

PubMed

Lo, Sharon L; Schroder, Hans S; Moran, Tim P; Durbin, C Emily; Moser, Jason S

2015-10-01

Interactions between cognitive control and affective processes, such as defensive reactivity, are intimately involved in healthy and unhealthy human development. However, cognitive control and defensive reactivity processes are often studied in isolation and rarely examined in early childhood. To address these gaps, we examined the relationships between multiple neurophysiological measures of cognitive control and defensive reactivity in young children. Specifically, we assessed two event-related potentials thought to index cognitive control processes--the error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe)--measured across two tasks, and two markers of defensive reactivity processes--startle reflex and resting parietal asymmetry--in a sample of 3- to 7-year old children. Results revealed that measures of cognitive control and defensive reactivity were related such that evidence of poor cognitive control (smaller ERN) was associated with high defensive reactivity (larger startle and greater right relative to left parietal activity). The strength of associations between the ERN and measures of defensive reactivity did not vary by age, providing evidence that poor cognitive control relates to greater defensive reactivity across early childhood years. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Schooling, Environment and Cognitive Development: A Cross-Cultural Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevenson, Harold W.; And Others

1978-01-01

Investigated the influence of schooling and environment on young children's memory and cognitive skills. Subjects were five- and six-year-old Mestizo and Quechua Indian children living in jungle villages or city slums in Peru. Samples of upper-middle-class children in Lima and poor children in Detroit were also tested. (JMB)

Design and study of piracetam-like nootropics, controversial members of the problematic class of cognition-enhancing drugs.

PubMed

Gualtieri, Fulvio; Manetti, Dina; Romanelli, Maria Novella; Ghelardini, Carla

2002-01-01

Cognition enhancers are drugs able to facilitate attentional abilities and acquisition, storage and retrieval of information, and to attenuate the impairment of cognitive functions associated with head traumas, stroke, age and age-related pathologies. Development of cognition enhancers is still a difficult task because of complexity of the brain functions, poor predictivity of animal tests and lengthy and expensive clinical trials. After the early serendipitous discovery of first generation cognition enhancers, current research is based on a variety of working hypotheses, derived from the progress of knowledge in the neurobiopathology of cognitive processes. Among other classes of drugs, piracetam-like cognition enhancers (nootropics) have never reached general acceptance, in spite of their excellent tolerability and safety. In the present review, after a general discussion of the problems connected with the design and development of cognition enhancers, the class is examined in more detail. Reasons for the problems encountered by nootropics, compounds therapeutically available and those in development, their structure activity relationships and mechanisms of action are discussed. Recent developments which hopefully will lead to a revival of the class are reviewed.

Children's concepts of physical illness: a review and critique of the cognitive-developmental literature.

PubMed

Burbach, D J; Peterson, L

1986-01-01

Cognitive-developmental studies relevant to children's concepts of physical illness are reviewed and critiqued. Although numerous methodological weaknesses make firm conclusions difficult, most data appear to suggest that children's concepts of illness do evolve in a systematic and predictable sequence consistent with Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Methodological weaknesses identified include poor description of samples, assessment instruments, and procedures; lack of control over potential observer bias, expectancy effects, and other confounding variables; and minimal attention to reliability and validity issues. Increased methodological rigor and a further explication of the specific and unique ways in which children's concepts of illness develop over the course of cognitive development could substantially increase the value of these studies for professionals in pediatric health care settings.

Interrelationship between growth and development in low and middle income countries.

PubMed

Martorell, Reynaldo; Nguyen, Phuong

2010-01-01

Early childhood growth failure is a significant public health problem in developing countries. We examine relationships between low birthweight and stunting with child development. Compared to children born with normal birthweight, low birth-weight children have substantially poorer cognitive and schooling outcomes later in life. Linear growth failure leading to stunting mostly occurs before age 2 years, with stunting in older children reflecting growth failure in early life. Many studies show that stunting is associated with poor mental and motor development in infants and with low scores in cognitive tests, increased frequency of behavioral problems and poor school achievement in older children. Very few studies have assessed the relative importance for development of prenatal vs. postnatal growth failure and even fewer have done so using appropriate statistical techniques. The limited evidence to date suggests growth during the first 2 years of life is more important than growth at any other time, including the prenatal period, for predicting later cognitive development, schooling and educational achievement. In conclusion, children in settings of poverty who experience growth failure prior to age 2 years have reduced potential to succeed in school and to be productive members of society. Copyright (c) 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Evidence that communication impairment in schizophrenia is associated with generalized poor task performance.

PubMed

Merrill, Anne M; Karcher, Nicole R; Cicero, David C; Becker, Theresa M; Docherty, Anna R; Kerns, John G

2017-03-01

People with schizophrenia exhibit wide-ranging cognitive deficits, including slower processing speed and decreased cognitive control. Disorganized speech symptoms, such as communication impairment, have been associated with poor cognitive control task performance (e.g., goal maintenance and working memory). Whether communication impairment is associated with poorer performance on a broader range of non-cognitive control measures is unclear. In the current study, people with schizophrenia (n =51) and non-psychiatric controls (n =26) completed speech interviews allowing for reliable quantitative assessment of communication impairment. Participants also completed multiple goal maintenance and working memory tasks. In addition, we also examined (a) simple measures of processing speed involving highly automatic prepotent responses and (b) a non-cognitive control measure of general task performance. Schizophrenia communication impairment was significantly associated with poor performance in all cognitive domains, with the largest association found with processing speed (r s =-0.52). Further, communication impairment was also associated with the non-cognitive control measure of poor general task performance (r s =-0.43). In contrast, alogia, a negative speech symptom, and positive symptoms were less if at all related to cognitive task performance. Overall, this study suggests that communication impairment in schizophrenia may be associated with relatively generalized poor cognitive task performance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relationship between Poor Sleep and Daytime Cognitive Performance in Young Adults with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Limoges, Elyse; Bolduc, Christianne; Berthiaume, Claude; Mottron, Laurent; Godbout, Roger

2013-01-01

Poor sleep is a common feature in autism even though patients themselves do not necessarily complain. The impact of poor sleep on daytime cognitive functioning in autism is not well-known and we therefore investigated whether sleep in autism correlates with daytime cognitive performance. A battery of non-verbal tasks was administered, in the…

Developmental Trajectories for Children with Dyslexia and Low IQ Poor Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuppen, Sarah E. A.; Goswami, Usha

2016-01-01

Reading difficulties are found in children with both high and low IQ and it is now clear that both groups exhibit difficulties in phonological processing. Here, we apply the developmental trajectories approach, a new methodology developed for studying language and cognitive impairments in developmental disorders, to both poor reader groups. The…

Nutritional status of foster children in the U.S.: Implications for cognitive and behavioral development.

PubMed

Tooley, Ursula A; Makhoul, Zeina; Fisher, Philip A

2016-11-01

Children in foster care are at greater risk for poor health, physical, cognitive, behavioral, and developmental outcomes than are children in the general population. Considerable research links early nutrition to later cognitive and behavioral outcomes. The aim of this narrative review is to examine the prevalence of poor nutrition and its relation to subsequent health and development in foster children. Relevant studies for inclusion were identified from numerous sources (e.g., PubMed, Google Scholar, and reference sections). Inclusion criteria were studies published between 1990 and 2016 of (i) the nutritional status of children in foster care or (ii) the nutritional status of children exposed to early adversity (e.g., low-income and internationally adopted children) or (iii) the developmental effects of poor nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. Two key findings that have adverse implications for cognitive development emerged: (i) the prevalence of anemia and iron-deficiency anemia is higher among foster children than among the general population of children in the U.S., and (ii) the developmental demands of catch-up growth post-placement may lead to micronutrient deficiencies even after children have begun sufficient dietary intake of these nutrients. Moreover, there is a paucity of recent studies on the nutritional status of children in foster care, despite the multiple factors that may place them at risk for malnutrition. Attention to nutritional status among care providers and medical professionals may remove one of the possible negative influences on foster children's development and in turn significantly alter their trajectories and place them on a more positive path early in life. Recommendations for further research, policy, and practice are discussed.

Differing Cognitive Trajectories of Mexican American Toddlers: The Role of Class, Nativity, and Maternal Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuller, Bruce; Bein, Edward; Kim, Yoonjeon; Rabe-Hesketh, Sophia

2015-01-01

Recent studies reveal early and wide gaps in cognitive and oral language skills--whether gauged in English or Spanish--among Latino children relative to White peers. Yet, other work reports robust child health and social development, even among children of Mexican American immigrants raised in poor households, the so-called "immigrant…

[Cognitive disorders in patients with chronic mercury intoxication].

PubMed

Katamanova, E V; Shevchenko, O I; Lakhman, O L; Denisova, I A

2014-01-01

To assess severity of cognitive disorders in chronic mercury intoxication, the authors performed claster and discrimination analysis of neuropsychologic and neurophysiologic research data from workers exposed to mercury during long length of service, from patients with early and marked stages of chronic mercurial intoxication. Cognitive disorders in chronic mercurial intoxication have three severity degrees, in the light degree disorders patients demonstrate lower amplitude of cognitive evoked potentials, poor long-term memory and associative thinking. Moderate cognitive disorders are characterized by decreased visual, long-term memory, concentration of attention, poor optic and spatial gnosis. Marked cognitive disorders with chronic mercurial intoxication present with more decreased long-term, short-term, picturesque memory, poor intellect, optic and spatial gnosis and associative thinking.

Theory of Mind in Schizophrenia: Associations With Clinical and Cognitive Insight Controlling for Levels of Psychopathology.

PubMed

Popolo, Raffaele; Dimaggio, Giancarlo; Luther, Lauren; Vinci, Giancarlo; Salvatore, Giampaolo; Lysaker, Paul H

2016-03-01

Poor insight in schizophrenia is a risk factor for both poor outcomes and treatment adherence. Accordingly, interest in identifying causes of poor insight has increased. This study explored whether theory of mind (ToM) impairments are linked to poor clinical and cognitive insight independent of psychopathology. Participants with schizophrenia (n = 37) and control subjects (n = 40) completed assessments of ToM with the Hinting Task and the Brüne Picture Sequencing Task, clinical insight and psychopathology with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, and cognitive insight with the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale. Results indicated that the schizophrenia group had greater impairments in ToM relative to control subjects. In the schizophrenia group, the Hinting Task performance was related to both cognitive and clinical insight, with only the relationship with cognitive insight persisting after controlling for psychopathology. Picture Sequencing Task performance was related to cognitive insight only. Future research directions and clinical implications are discussed.

Social cognitive markers of short-term clinical outcome in first-episode psychosis.

PubMed

Montreuil, Tina; Bodnar, Michael; Bertrand, Marie-Claude; Malla, Ashok K; Joober, Ridha; Lepage, Martin

2010-07-01

In psychotic disorders, impairments in cognition have been associated with both clinical and functional outcome, while deficits in social cognition have been associated with functional outcome. As an extension to a recent report on neurocognition and short-term clinical outcome in first-episode psychosis (FEP), the current study explored whether social cognitive deficits could also identify poor short-term clinical outcome among FEP patients. We defined the social-cognition domain based on the scores from the Hinting Task and the Four Factor Tests of Social Intelligence. Data were collected in 45 FEP patients and 26 healthy controls. The patients were divided into good- and poor-outcome groups based on clinical data at six months following initiation of treatment. Social cognition was compared among 27 poor-outcome, 18 good-outcome, and 26 healthy-control participants. Outcome groups significantly differed in the social cognition domain (z-scores: poor outcome=-2.0 [SD=1.4]; good outcome=-1.0 [SD=1.0]; p=0.005), with both groups scoring significantly lower than the control group (p<0.003). Moreover, outcome groups differed significantly only on the Cartoon Predictions subtest (z-scores: poor outcome=-2.7 [SD=2.7]; good outcome=-0.7 [SD=1.8]; p=0.001) among the five subtests used. Overall, social cognition appears to be compromised in all FEP patients compared to healthy controls. More interestingly, significant differences in social cognitive impairments exist between good and poor short-term clinical outcome groups, with the largest effect found in the Cartoon Predictions subtest.

Poor Decision Making Is a Consequence of Cognitive Decline among Older Persons without Alzheimer’s Disease or Mild Cognitive Impairment

PubMed Central

Boyle, Patricia A.; Yu, Lei; Wilson, Robert S.; Gamble, Keith; Buchman, Aron S.; Bennett, David A.

2012-01-01

Objective Decision making is an important determinant of health and well-being across the lifespan but is critical in aging, when many influential decisions are made just as cognitive function declines. Increasing evidence suggests that older adults, even those without dementia, often make poor decisions and are selectively vulnerable to scams. To date, however, the factors associated with poor decision making in old age are unknown. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that poor decision making is a consequence of cognitive decline among older persons without Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment. Methods Participants were 420 non-demented persons from the Memory and Aging Project, a longitudinal, clinical-pathologic cohort study of aging in the Chicago metropolitan area. All underwent repeated cognitive evaluations and subsequently completed assessments of decision making and susceptibility to scams. Decision making was measured using 12 items from a previously established performance-based measure and a self-report measure of susceptibility to scams. Results Cognitive function data were collected over an average of 5.5 years prior to the decision making assessment. Regression analyses were used to examine whether the prior rate of cognitive decline predicted the level of decision making and susceptibility to scams; analyses controlled for age, sex, education, and starting level of cognition. Among 420 persons without dementia, more rapid cognitive decline predicted poorer decision making and increased susceptibility to scams (p’s<0.001). Further, the relations between cognitive decline, decision making and scams persisted in analyses restricted to persons without any cognitive impairment (i.e., no dementia or even mild cognitive impairment). Conclusions Poor decision making is a consequence of cognitive decline among older persons without Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment, those widely considered “cognitively healthy.” These findings suggest that even very subtle age-related changes in cognition have detrimental effects on judgment. PMID:22916287

Socioeconomic disadvantage and child development.

PubMed

McLoyd, V C

1998-02-01

Recent research consistently reports that persistent poverty has more detrimental effects on IQ, school achievement, and socioemotional functioning than transitory poverty, with children experiencing both types of poverty generally doing less well than never-poor children. Higher rates of perinatal complications, reduced access to resources that buffer the negative effects of perinatal complications, increased exposure to lead, and less home-based cognitive stimulation partly account for diminished cognitive functioning in poor children. These factors, along with lower teacher expectancies and poorer academic-readiness skills, also appear to contribute to lower levels of school achievement among poor children. The link between socioeconomic disadvantage and children's socioemotional functioning appears to be mediated partly by harsh, inconsistent parenting and elevated exposure to acute and chronic stressors. The implications of research findings for practice and policy are considered.

Lifestyle, glucose regulation and the cognitive effects of glucose load in middle-aged adults.

PubMed

Riby, Leigh M; McLaughlin, Jennifer; Riby, Deborah M; Graham, Cheryl

2008-11-01

Interventions aimed at improving glucose regulatory mechanisms have been suggested as a possible source of cognitive enhancement in the elderly. In particular, previous research has identified episodic memory as a target for facilitation after either moderate increases in glycaemia (after a glucose drink) or after improvements in glucose regulation. The present study aimed to extend this research by examining the joint effects of glucose ingestion and glucose regulation on cognition. In addition, risk factors associated with the development of poor glucose regulation in middle-aged adults were considered. In a repeated measures design, thirty-three middle-aged adults (aged 35-55 years) performed a battery of memory and non-memory tasks after either 25 g or 50 g glucose or a sweetness matched placebo drink. To assess the impact of individual differences in glucose regulation, blood glucose measurements were taken on four occasions during testing. A lifestyle and diet questionnaire was also administered. Consistent with previous research, episodic memory ability benefited from glucose ingestion when task demands were high. Blood glucose concentration was also found to predict performance across a number of cognitive domains. Interestingly, the risk factors associated with poor glucose regulation were linked to dietary impacts traditionally associated with poor health, e.g. the consumption of high-sugar sweets and drinks. The research replicates earlier work suggesting that task demands are critical to the glucose facilitation effect. Importantly, the data demonstrate clear associations between elevated glycaemia and relatively poor cognitive performance, which may be partly due to the effect of dietary and lifestyle factors.

Vitamins and neural and cognitive developmental outcomes in children.

PubMed

Benton, David

2012-02-01

The role of vitamin status in the development of the brain and the subsequent functioning of the brain was considered. There are data with a range of vitamins, from animal studies and human studies in developing countries, suggesting that a clinical deficiency during the critical period when the brain is developing causes permanent damage. To date there is, however, with the exception of cases of clinical deficiency such as those that might be associated with a vegan diet, little evidence that variations in the diet of those living in industrialised countries have a lasting developmental influence. Similarly, later in life clinical deficiencies of various vitamins disrupt cognition although there is to date limited evidence that variations in the intake of single vitamins in industrialised societies influence functioning. It may well be, however, unreasonable to expect that vitamins examined in isolation will be associated with differences in cognitive functioning. The output of the brain reflects millions of metabolic processes, each potentially susceptible to any of a range of vitamins. A diet poor in one respect is likely to be poor in other respects as well. As such, the preliminary reports in double-blind placebo-controlled trials that aspects of cognition and behaviour respond to supplementation with multi-micronutrients may indicate the way forward.

The Simultaneous Effects of Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Child Health on Children’s Cognitive Development

PubMed Central

Lee, Dohoon; Jackson, Margot

2018-01-01

Family socioeconomic status (SES) and child health are so strongly related that scholars have speculated child health to be an important pathway through which a “cycle of poverty” is reproduced across generations. Despite increasing recognition that SES and health work reciprocally and dynamically over the life course to produce inequality, however, existing research has yet to address how these two pathways simultaneously shape children’s development. Using longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study and marginal structural models, we ask three questions: 1) how does the reciprocal relationship between socioeconomic disadvantage and child health affect estimates of each circumstance on children’s cognitive development?; 2) how do their respective effects vary with age?; and 3) do family SES and child health have differential effects on cognitive development across population subgroups? The results show that the negative effects of socioeconomic disadvantage and poor health are insensitive to their reciprocal relationships over time. We find divergent effects of socioeconomic disadvantage and poor health on children’s cognitive trajectories, with a widening pattern for family SES effects and a leveling-off pattern for child health effects. Finally, the effects of socioeconomic disadvantage are similar across all racial/ethnic groups, while the effects of child health are largely driven by white children. We discuss theoretical and policy implications of these findings for future research. PMID:28836169

Executive Function in Children with High and Low Attentional Skills: Correspondences between Behavioural and Cognitive Profiles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scope, Alison; Empson, Janet; McHale, Sue

2010-01-01

Cognitive performance was compared between two groups of typically developing children, who had been observed and rated as differing significantly in their attentional skills at school. The participants were 24 8- and 9-year-old children scoring poorly relative to peers, on a classroom observation scale and teacher rating scale for attention,…

Development of the Supported Employment, Comprehensive Cognitive Enhancement, and Social Skills Program for Adults on the Autism Spectrum: Results of Initial Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker-Ericzén, Mary J.; Fitch, Meghan A.; Kinnear, Mikaela; Jenkins, Melissa M.; Twamley, Elizabeth W.; Smith, Linda; Montano, Gabriel; Feder, Joshua; Crooke, Pamela J.; Winner, Michelle G.; Leon, Juan

2018-01-01

The population of adults on the autism spectrum continues to increase, and vocational outcomes are particularly poor. Longitudinal studies of adults with autism spectrum and without intellectual disability have shown consistent and persistent deficits across cognitive, social, and vocational domains, indicating a need for effective treatments of…

The Impact of School Based Anti-Malarial Treatment on Adolescents' Cognition: Evidence from a Cluster-Randomized Intervention in Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gee, Kevin A.

2010-01-01

Children's health is an important factor that influences their success in education--poor health, especially when induced by disease, has been linked to poorer cognitive performance, particularly among children across the developing world (Behrman, 1996; UNESCO, 2008; Jukes et al., 2008). One health concern, particularly for sub-Saharan Africa,…

Influence of malnutrition on cognitive development assessed by Piagetian tasks.

PubMed

Agarwal, D K; Upadhyay, S K; Agarwal, K N

1989-01-01

Cognitive development of 1336 children (6-8 yr) was studied in relation to their nutritional status. Seven Piagetian tasks covering the mental process of a concrete operational period were given to each child to assess the cognitive development. Weschler intelligence scale for Indian Children was used to assess the IQ of each child. The percentage of malnourished children in stage I of development (preoperational) was significantly higher as that of wellnourished children. A higher percentage of children in the latter group was in stage III of development (concrete operation). In boys performance on all the tasks was influenced by undernutrition except for class inclusion. In girls this was true only for conservation of liquid, substance and ordinal relation. The results of the regression analysis showed that nutrition was the only factor weakly associated with the poor performance of the children in various tasks. Further, the effect of nutrition was more pronounced in conservation tasks indicating poor verbal reasoning and comprehension in malnourished children. Information was also collected regarding the parental education and occupation, socio-economic status, caste, economic sufficiency, psychosocial stimulation and home environment. However, these environmental factors did not influence the development of rural children. This might be due to the fact that the population in the present study did not vary much with regard to these variables.

Medication self-management skills and cognitive impairment in older adults hospitalized for heart failure: A cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Howell, Erik H; Senapati, Alpana; Hsich, Eileen; Gorodeski, Eiran Z

2017-01-01

Cognitive impairment is highly prevalent among older adults (aged ≥65 years) hospitalized for heart failure and has been associated with poor outcomes. Poor medication self-management skills have been associated with poor outcomes in this population as well. The presence and extent of an association between cognitive impairment and poor medication self-management skills in this population has not been clearly defined. We assessed the cognition of consecutive older adults hospitalized for heart failure, in relation to their medication self-management skills. We conducted a cross-sectional study of older adults (aged ≥65 years) who were hospitalized for heart failure and were being discharged home. Prior to discharge, we assessed cognition using the Mini-Cog. We also tested patients' ability to read a pill bottle label, open a pill bottle safety cap, and allocate mock pills to a pill box. Pill allocation performance was assessed quantitatively (counts of errors of omission and commission) and qualitatively (patterns suggestive of knowledge-based mistakes, rule-based mistakes, or skill-based slips). Of 55 participants, 22% were found to have cognitive impairment. Patients with cognitive impairment tended to be older as compared to those without cognitive impairment (mean age = 81 vs 76 years, p = NS). Patients with cognitive impairment had a higher prevalence of inability to read pill bottle label (prevalence ratio = 5.8, 95% confidence interval = 3.2-10.5, p = 0.001) and inability to open pill bottle safety cap (prevalence ratio = 3.3, 95% confidence interval = 1.3-8.4, p = 0.03). While most patients (65%) had pill-allocation errors regardless of cognition, those patients with cognitive impairment tended to have more errors of omission (mean number of errors = 48 vs 23, p = 0.006), as well as more knowledge-based mistakes (75% vs 40%, p = 0.03). There is an association between cognitive impairment and poor medication self-management skills. Medication taking failures due to poor medication self-management skills may be part of the pathway linking cognitive impairment to poor post-discharge outcomes among patients with heart failure transitioning from hospital to home.

Systems genetics identifies a convergent gene network for cognition and neurodevelopmental disease.

PubMed

Johnson, Michael R; Shkura, Kirill; Langley, Sarah R; Delahaye-Duriez, Andree; Srivastava, Prashant; Hill, W David; Rackham, Owen J L; Davies, Gail; Harris, Sarah E; Moreno-Moral, Aida; Rotival, Maxime; Speed, Doug; Petrovski, Slavé; Katz, Anaïs; Hayward, Caroline; Porteous, David J; Smith, Blair H; Padmanabhan, Sandosh; Hocking, Lynne J; Starr, John M; Liewald, David C; Visconti, Alessia; Falchi, Mario; Bottolo, Leonardo; Rossetti, Tiziana; Danis, Bénédicte; Mazzuferi, Manuela; Foerch, Patrik; Grote, Alexander; Helmstaedter, Christoph; Becker, Albert J; Kaminski, Rafal M; Deary, Ian J; Petretto, Enrico

2016-02-01

Genetic determinants of cognition are poorly characterized, and their relationship to genes that confer risk for neurodevelopmental disease is unclear. Here we performed a systems-level analysis of genome-wide gene expression data to infer gene-regulatory networks conserved across species and brain regions. Two of these networks, M1 and M3, showed replicable enrichment for common genetic variants underlying healthy human cognitive abilities, including memory. Using exome sequence data from 6,871 trios, we found that M3 genes were also enriched for mutations ascertained from patients with neurodevelopmental disease generally, and intellectual disability and epileptic encephalopathy in particular. M3 consists of 150 genes whose expression is tightly developmentally regulated, but which are collectively poorly annotated for known functional pathways. These results illustrate how systems-level analyses can reveal previously unappreciated relationships between neurodevelopmental disease-associated genes in the developed human brain, and provide empirical support for a convergent gene-regulatory network influencing cognition and neurodevelopmental disease.

Neural Correlates of Socioeconomic Status in the Developing Human Brain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noble, Kimberly G.; Houston, Suzanne M.; Kan, Eric; Sowell, Elizabeth R.

2012-01-01

Socioeconomic disparities in childhood are associated with remarkable differences in cognitive and socio-emotional development during a time when dramatic changes are occurring in the brain. Yet, the neurobiological pathways through which socioeconomic status (SES) shapes development remain poorly understood. Behavioral evidence suggests that…

Nutritional status of foster children in the U.S.: Implications for cognitive and behavioral development☆

PubMed Central

Tooley, Ursula A.; Makhoul, Zeina; Fisher, Philip A.

2016-01-01

Objective Children in foster care are at greater risk for poor health, physical, cognitive, behavioral, and developmental outcomes than are children in the general population. Considerable research links early nutrition to later cognitive and behavioral outcomes. The aim of this narrative review is to examine the prevalence of poor nutrition and its relation to subsequent health and development in foster children. Method Relevant studies for inclusion were identified from numerous sources (e.g., PubMed, Google Scholar, and reference sections). Inclusion criteria were studies published between 1990 and 2016 of (i) the nutritional status of children in foster care or (ii) the nutritional status of children exposed to early adversity (e.g., low-income and internationally adopted children) or (iii) the developmental effects of poor nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. Results Two key findings that have adverse implications for cognitive development emerged: (i) the prevalence of anemia and iron-deficiency anemia is higher among foster children than among the general population of children in the U.S., and (ii) the developmental demands of catch-up growth post-placement may lead to micronutrient deficiencies even after children have begun sufficient dietary intake of these nutrients. Moreover, there is a paucity of recent studies on the nutritional status of children in foster care, despite the multiple factors that may place them at risk for malnutrition. Conclusion Attention to nutritional status among care providers and medical professionals may remove one of the possible negative influences on foster children's development and in turn significantly alter their trajectories and place them on a more positive path early in life. Recommendations for further research, policy, and practice are discussed. PMID:28626279

Family poverty and trajectories of children's emotional and behavioural problems: the moderating roles of self-regulation and verbal cognitive ability.

PubMed

Flouri, Eirini; Midouhas, Emily; Joshi, Heather

2014-08-01

Socio-economic disadvantage is strongly associated with children's emotional (internalising) and behavioural (externalising) problems. Self-regulation and verbal cognitive ability have been related to children's emotional and behavioural resilience to socio-economic disadvantage. Despite being inter-related, self-regulation and verbal cognitive ability have not been examined jointly as promoting resilience in young children. This study investigated the roles of self-regulation and verbal cognitive ability in children's emotional and behavioural resilience to family socio-economic disadvantage from early to middle childhood (ages 3, 5, and 7 years; N = 16,916; 49 % girls). Using multivariate response growth curve modelling, we found that the relationship between socio-economic disadvantage and internalising problems was stronger for children with lower verbal cognitive ability. Also, poor children with high and low levels of self-regulation showed a widening gap in both emotional and behavioural problems over time. Poor and non-poor children alike benefited from self-regulation, but poor children appeared to be more vulnerable to low self-regulation. Self-regulation and verbal cognitive ability seem to be important protective factors for young children growing up in poor families.

Frequency of and risk factors for poor cognitive performance in hemodialysis patients

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

There are few detailed data on cognition in patients undergoing dialysis. We evaluated the frequency of and risk factors for poor cognitive performance using detailed neurocognitive testing. In this cross-sectional cohort study, 314 hemodialysis patients from 6 Boston-area hemodialysis units underwe...

Low serum omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and other metabolites are associated with poor linear growth in young children from rural Malawi

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Stunting affects ~25% of children <5 y of age and is associated with impaired cognitive and motor development and increased morbidity and mortality. The pathogenesis of stunting is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to identify altered metabolic pathways associated with child stunting...

Measuring cognitive load: mixed results from a handover simulation for medical students.

PubMed

Young, John Q; Irby, David M; Barilla-LaBarca, Maria-Louise; Ten Cate, Olle; O'Sullivan, Patricia S

2016-02-01

The application of cognitive load theory to workplace-based activities such as patient handovers is hindered by the absence of a measure of the different load types. This exploratory study tests a method for measuring cognitive load during handovers. The authors developed the Cognitive Load Inventory for Handoffs (CLI4H) with items for intrinsic, extraneous, and germane load. Medical students completed the measure after participating in a simulated handover. Exploratory factor and correlation analyses were performed to collect evidence for validity. Results yielded a two-factor solution for intrinsic and germane load that explained 50 % of the variance. The extraneous load items performed poorly and were removed from the model. The score for intrinsic load correlated with the Paas Cognitive Load scale (r = 0.31, p = 0.004) and was lower for students with more prior handover training (p = 0.036). Intrinsic load did not, however, correlate with performance. Germane load did not correlate with the Paas Cognitive Load scale but did correlate as expected with performance (r = 0.30, p = 0.005) and was lower for those students with more prior handover training (p = 0.03). The CLI4H yielded mixed results with some evidence for validity of the score from the intrinsic load items. The extraneous load items performed poorly and the use of only a single item for germane load limits conclusions. The instrument requires further development and testing. Study results and limitations provide guidance to future efforts to measure cognitive load during workplace-based activities, such as handovers.

Young APOE[subscript 4] Targeted Replacement Mice Exhibit Poor Spatial Learning and Memory, with Reduced Dendritic Spine Density in the Medial Entorhinal Cortex

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez, Gustavo A.; Burns, Mark P.; Weeber, Edwin J.; Rebeck, G. William

2013-01-01

The apolipoprotein E4 ("APOE-[epsilon]4") allele is the strongest genetic risk factor for developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease, and may predispose individuals to Alzheimer's-related cognitive decline by affecting normal brain function early in life. To investigate the impact of human APOE alleles on cognitive performance in mice, we trained…

Implications of newborn amygdala connectivity for fear and cognitive development at 6-months-of-age

PubMed Central

Graham, Alice M.; Buss, Claudia; Rasmussen, Jerod M.; Rudolph, Marc D.; Demeter, Damion V.; Gilmore, John H.; Styner, Martin; Entringer, Sonja; Wadhwa, Pathik D.; Fair, Damien A.

2015-01-01

The first year of life is an important period for emergence of fear in humans. While animal models have revealed developmental changes in amygdala circuitry accompanying emerging fear, human neural systems involved in early fear development remain poorly understood. To increase understanding of the neural foundations of human fear, it is important to consider parallel cognitive development, which may modulate associations between typical development of early fear and subsequent risk for fear-related psychopathology. We, therefore, examined amygdala functional connectivity with rs-fcMRI in 48 neonates (M=3.65 weeks, SD=1.72), and measured fear and cognitive development at 6-months-of-age. Stronger, positive neonatal amygdala connectivity to several regions, including bilateral anterior insula and ventral striatum, was prospectively associated with higher fear at 6-months. Stronger amygdala connectivity to ventral anterior cingulate/anterior medial prefrontal cortex predicted a specific phenotype of higher fear combined with more advanced cognitive development. Overall, findings demonstrate unique profiles of neonatal amygdala functional connectivity related to emerging fear and cognitive development, which may have implications for normative and pathological fear in later years. Consideration of infant fear in the context of cognitive development will likely contribute to a more nuanced understanding of fear, its neural bases, and its implications for future mental health. PMID:26499255

Developing a Tool for Measuring the Decision-Making Competence of Older Adults

PubMed Central

Finucane, Melissa L.; Gullion, Christina M.

2010-01-01

The authors evaluated the reliability and validity of a tool for measuring older adults’ decision-making competence (DMC). Two-hundred-five younger adults (25-45 years), 208 young-older adults (65-74 years), and 198 old-older adults (75-97 years) made judgments and decisions related to health, finance, and nutrition. Reliable indices of comprehension, dimension weighting, and cognitive reflection were developed. Unlike previous research, the authors were able to compare old-older with young-older adults’ performance. As hypothesized, old-older adults performed more poorly than young-older adults; both groups of older adults performed more poorly than younger adults. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that a large amount of variance in decision performance across age groups (including mean trends) could be accounted for by social variables, health measures, basic cognitive skills, attitudinal measures, and numeracy. Structural equation modeling revealed significant pathways from three exogenous latent factors (crystallized intelligence, other cognitive abilities, and age) to the endogenous DMC latent factor. Further research is needed to validate the meaning of performance on these tasks for real-life decision making. PMID:20545413

Poor school and cognitive functioning with silent cerebral infarcts and sickle cell disease.

PubMed

Schatz, J; Brown, R T; Pascual, J M; Hsu, L; DeBaun, M R

2001-04-24

The authors evaluated education attainment and neuropsychological deficits in children with sickle cell disease (SCD) and silent cerebral infarcts. Children with silent infarcts had twice the rate of school difficulties as children without infarcts. Eighty percent of silent infarct cases had clinically significant cognitive deficits, whereas 35% had deficits in academic skills. Children with silent cerebral infarcts show high rates of poor educational attainment, cognitive deficits, and frontal lobe injury. Poor school performance in SCD is one indicator of silent infarcts.

Cognitive impulsivity and the development of delinquency from late childhood to early adulthood: Moderating effects of parenting behavior and peer relationships.

PubMed

Menting, Barbara; Van Lier, Pol A C; Koot, Hans M; Pardini, Dustin; Loeber, Rolf

2016-02-01

Cognitive impulsivity may increase children's risk of developing delinquent behavior. However, the influence of cognitive impulsivity may depend on social environmental risk factors. This study examined the moderating effect of late childhood parenting behaviors and peer relations on the influence of children's cognitive impulsivity on delinquency development across adolescence and early adulthood, while taking possible interactions with intelligence also into account. Delinquent behavior of 412 boys from the Pittsburgh Youth Study was measured annually from ages 13 to 29 years with official arrest records. Cognitive impulsivity (neurocognitive test scores) and intelligence were assessed at age 12-13. Parenting behaviors (persistence of discipline, positive reinforcement, and parental knowledge), peer delinquency, and peer conventional activities were assessed between ages 10 and 13 years. Results showed that, while controlling for intelligence, the influence of youths' cognitive impulsivity on delinquency depended on their parents' behaviors. An interaction was found among cognitive impulsivity, intelligence, and peer delinquency, but instead of cognitive impulsivity, the effect of intelligence on delinquency was particularly moderated. Overall, findings suggest that when there was moderation, high cognitive impulsivity and low intelligence were associated with an increased probability for engaging in delinquency predominantly among boys in a good social environment, but not in a poor social environment.

The Effect of Vascular Neuropathology on Late-life Cognition: Results from the SMART Project.

PubMed

Kryscio, R J; Abner, E L; Nelson, P T; Bennett, D; Schneider, J; Yu, L; Hemmy, L S; Lim, K O; Masaki, K; Cairns, N; Xiong, C; Woltjer, R; Dodge, H H; Tyas, S; Fardo, D W; Lou, W; Wan, L; Schmitt, F A

2016-06-01

Cerebral vascular pathology may contribute to cognitive decline experienced by some elderly near death. Given evidence for mixed neuropathologies in advanced age, preventing or reducing cerebrovascular burden in late life may be beneficial. To correlate measures of cerebral vascular pathology with cognitive trajectories. Observational study. A cohort of 2,274 individuals who came to autopsy at a mean age of 89.3 years and 82 percent of whom had at least two cognitive assessments within the last six years of life was compiled from six centers conducting longitudinal studies. For each cognitive domain: immediate and delayed memory, language, and naming, three trajectories were examined: good, intermediate, and poor cognition. The probability of a participant belonging to each trajectory was associated with measures of cerebral vascular pathology after adjustment for demographics, APOE, and Alzheimer neuropathology. A large proportion of the cohort (72-94%) experienced good or intermediate cognition in the four domains examined. The presence of arteriolosclerosis and the presence of lacunar infarcts doubled the odds of belonging to the poor cognitive trajectory for language when compared to the good trajectory. The presence of lacunar infarcts increased the odds of an intermediate or poor trajectory for immediate and delayed recall while the presence of large artery infarcts increased the odds of poor trajectories for all four cognitive domains examined. Microinfarcts and cerebral amyloid angiopathy had little effect on the trajectories. Indicators of cerebral vascular pathology act differently on late life cognition.

The Effect of Vascular Neuropathology on Late-life Cognition: Results from the SMART Project

PubMed Central

Kryscio, R.J.; Abner, E.L.; Nelson, P.T.; Bennett, D.; Schneider, J.; Yu, L.; Hemmy, L.S.; Lim, K.O.; Masaki, K.; Cairns, N.; Xiong, C.; Woltjer, R.; Dodge, H.H.; Tyas, S.; Fardo, D.W.; Lou, W.; Wan, L.; Schmitt, F.A.

2016-01-01

Background Cerebral vascular pathology may contribute to cognitive decline experienced by some elderly near death. Given evidence for mixed neuropathologies in advanced age, preventing or reducing cerebrovascular burden in late life may be beneficial. Objective To correlate measures of cerebral vascular pathology with cognitive trajectories. Setting Observational study. Participants A cohort of 2,274 individuals who came to autopsy at a mean age of 89.3 years and 82 percent of whom had at least two cognitive assessments within the last six years of life was compiled from six centers conducting longitudinal studies. Measurements For each cognitive domain: immediate and delayed memory, language, and naming, three trajectories were examined: good, intermediate, and poor cognition. The probability of a participant belonging to each trajectory was associated with measures of cerebral vascular pathology after adjustment for demographics, APOE, and Alzheimer neuropathology. Results A large proportion of the cohort (72-94%) experienced good or intermediate cognition in the four domains examined. The presence of arteriolosclerosis and the presence of lacunar infarcts doubled the odds of belonging to the poor cognitive trajectory for language when compared to the good trajectory. The presence of lacunar infarcts increased the odds of an intermediate or poor trajectory for immediate and delayed recall while the presence of large artery infarcts increased the odds of poor trajectories for all four cognitive domains examined. Microinfarcts and cerebral amyloid angiopathy had little effect on the trajectories. Conclusion Indicators of cerebral vascular pathology act differently on late life cognition. PMID:27709107

Educational inequalities in health behaviors at midlife: Is there a role for early-life cognition?

PubMed Central

Clouston, Sean; Richards, Marcus; Cadar, Dorina; Hofer, Scott

2015-01-01

Educational attainment is a fundamental cause of social inequalities in health because it influences the distribution of resources, including money, knowledge, power, prestige, and beneficial social connections that can be used in situ to influence health. However, recent studies have highlighted early-life cognition as commonly indicating the propensity for education and determining health and mortality. A primary causal mechanism through which education and adolescent cognition plausibly impact health is through the modification of health behaviors. We integrate analyses using the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, the National Survey of Health and Development, and the National Childhood Development Study to examine the role of adolescent cognition and education on smoking, heavy drinking, and physical inactivity at midlife. Results suggest that adolescent cognition is associated with the propensity for education, but that associations between cognition and health behaviors are attenuated by adjusting for education. In contrast, education was robustly associated with poor health behaviors. These results support the view that education is robustly associated with health behaviors. PMID:26315501

Exploring the relationship between cognitive illness representations and poor emotional health and their combined association with diabetes self-care. A systematic review with meta-analysis.

PubMed

Hudson, Joanna L; Bundy, Chris; Coventry, Peter A; Dickens, Chris

2014-04-01

Depression and anxiety are common in diabetes and are associated with lower diabetes self-care adherence. How this occurs is unclear. Our systematic review explored the relationship between cognitive illness representations and poor emotional health and their combined association with diabetes self-care. Medline, Psycinfo, EMBASE, and CINAHL were searched from inception to June 2013. Data on associations between cognitive illness representations, poor emotional health, and diabetes self-care were extracted. Random effects meta-analysis was used to test the relationship between cognitive illness representations and poor emotional health. Their combined effect on diabetes self-care was narratively evaluated. Nine cross-sectional studies were included. Increased timeline cyclical, consequences, and seriousness beliefs were associated with poorer emotional health symptoms. Lower perceived personal control was associated with increased depression and anxiety, but not mixed anxiety and depressive symptoms. Remaining cognitive illness representation domains had mixed statistically significant and non-significant relationships across emotional states or were measured only once. Effect sizes ranged from small to large (r=±0.20 to 0.51). Two studies explored the combined effects of cognitions and emotions on diabetes self-care. Both showed that cognitive illness representations have an independent effect on diabetes self-care, but only one study found that depression has an independent effect also. Associations between cognitive illness representations and poor emotional health were in the expected direction - negative diabetes perceptions were associated with poorer emotional health. Few studies examined the relative effects of cognitions and emotions on diabetes self-care. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify directional pathways. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exposure to unpredictable maternal sensory signals influences cognitive development across species.

PubMed

Davis, Elysia Poggi; Stout, Stephanie A; Molet, Jenny; Vegetabile, Brian; Glynn, Laura M; Sandman, Curt A; Heins, Kevin; Stern, Hal; Baram, Tallie Z

2017-09-26

Maternal care is a critical determinant of child development. However, our understanding of processes and mechanisms by which maternal behavior influences the developing human brain remains limited. Animal research has illustrated that patterns of sensory information is important in shaping neural circuits during development. Here we examined the relation between degree of predictability of maternal sensory signals early in life and subsequent cognitive function in both humans ( n = 128 mother/infant dyads) and rats ( n = 12 dams; 28 adolescents). Behaviors of mothers interacting with their offspring were observed in both species, and an entropy rate was calculated as a quantitative measure of degree of predictability of transitions among maternal sensory signals (visual, auditory, and tactile). Human cognitive function was assessed at age 2 y with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and at age 6.5 y with a hippocampus-dependent delayed-recall task. Rat hippocampus-dependent spatial memory was evaluated on postnatal days 49-60. Early life exposure to unpredictable sensory signals portended poor cognitive performance in both species. The present study provides evidence that predictability of maternal sensory signals early in life impacts cognitive function in both rats and humans. The parallel between experimental animal and observational human data lends support to the argument that predictability of maternal sensory signals causally influences cognitive development.

Prevalence and Nature of Late-Emerging Poor Readers.

PubMed

Catts, Hugh W; Compton, Donald; Tomblin, J Bruce; Bridges, Mindy Sittner

2012-02-01

Some children demonstrate adequate or better reading achievement in early school grades, but fall significantly behind their peers in later grades. These children are often referred to as late-emerging poor readers. In this study, we investigated the prevalence and heterogeneity of these poor readers. We also examined the early language and nonverbal cognitive abilities of late-emerging poor readers. Participants were 493 children who were a subsample from an epidemiological study of language impairments in school-age children. In kindergarten, children were administered a battery of language, early literacy, and nonverbal cognitive measures. Word reading and reading comprehension achievement was assessed in second, fourth, eighth, and tenth grades. Latent transition analysis was used to model changes in reading classification (good vs. poor reader) across grades. Population estimates revealed that 13.4% percent of children could be classified as late-emerging poor readers. These children could be divided into those with problems in comprehension alone (52%), word reading alone (36%), or both (12%). Further results indicated that late-emerging poor readers often had a history of language and/or nonverbal cognitive impairments in kindergarten. Subtypes of poor readers also differed significantly in their profiles of language, early literacy, and nonverbal cognitive abilities in kindergarten. Results are discussed in terms of causal factors and implications for early identification.

An integrative model of the impairments in insight in schizophrenia: emerging research on causal factors and treatments.

PubMed

Vohs, Jenifer L; George, Sunita; Leonhardt, Bethany L; Lysaker, Paul H

2016-10-01

Poor insight, or unawareness of some major aspect of mental illness, is a major barrier to wellness when it interferes with persons seeking out treatment or forming their own understanding of the challenges they face. One barrier to addressing impaired insight is the absence of a comprehensive model of how poor insight develops. To explore this issue we review how poor insight is the result of multiple phenomena which interfere with the construction of narrative accounts of psychiatric challenges, rather than a single social or biological cause. Expert commentary: We propose an integrative model of poor insight in schizophrenia which involves the interaction of symptoms, deficits in neurocognition, social cognition, metacognition, and stigma. Emerging treatments for poor insight including therapies which focus on the development of metacognition are discussed.

University Students With Poor Reading Comprehension: The Hidden Cognitive Processing Deficit.

PubMed

Georgiou, George K; Das, J P

2015-01-01

The present study aimed to examine the nature of the working memory and general cognitive ability deficits experienced by university students with a specific reading comprehension deficit. A total of 32 university students with poor reading comprehension but average word-reading skills and 60 age-matched controls with no comprehension difficulties participated in the study. The participants were assessed on three verbal working memory tasks that varied in terms of their processing demands and on the Das-Naglieri Cognitive Assessment System, which was used to operationalize intelligence. The results indicated first that the differences between poor and skilled comprehenders on working memory were amplified as the processing demands of the tasks increased. In addition, although poor comprehenders as a group had average intelligence, they experienced significant difficulties in simultaneous and successive processing. Considering that working memory and general cognitive ability are highly correlated processes, these findings suggest that the observed differences between poor and skilled comprehenders are likely a result of a deficient information processing system. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2013.

Associations of objective and subjective sleep disturbance with cognitive function in older men with comorbid depression and insomnia.

PubMed

Biddle, Daniel J; Naismith, Sharon L; Griffiths, Kathleen M; Christensen, Helen; Hickie, Ian B; Glozier, Nicholas S

2017-06-01

To examine whether poor objective and subjective sleep quality are differentially associated with cognitive function. Cross-sectional. Participants were recruited from primary and secondary care, and directly from the community, in Sydney, Australia. The sample consisted of 74 men 50years and older (mean [SD], 58.4 [6.2] years), with comorbid depression and above-threshold insomnia symptoms, participating in a trial of online cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. Insomnia severity and depression severity were assessed via self-report. Objective sleep efficiency and duration were measured using actigraphy. Objective cognitive function was measured using 3 subtests of a computerized neuropsychological battery. Poor objective sleep efficiency was associated with slower reaction time (r=-0.249, P=.033) and poorer executive functioning (odds ratio, 4.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.35-12.69), but not memory. These associations remained after adjusting for age, education, depression severity, cardiovascular risk, and medication. Subjective sleep quality was not related to cognitive function. Among older men with depression and insomnia, objectively measured poor sleep efficiency may be associated with worse cognitive function, independent of depression severity. Objective poor sleep may be underpinned by neurobiological correlates distinct from those underlying subjective poor sleep and depression, and represent a potentially effective modifiable mechanism in interventions to improve cognitive functioning in this population. This supports the use of objective measures of sleep in diagnostic assessments and care. Copyright © 2017 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Feeding Patterns and Emotional Care in Breastfed Infants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Julie P.; Ellwood, Mark

2011-01-01

A number of studies have suggested breastfed infants have improved bonding and attachment or cognitive development outcomes. However, mechanisms by which these differences might develop are poorly understood. We used maternal time use data to examine whether exclusively breastfeeding mothers spend more time in close interactive behaviors with…

Mothers' depressive symptoms in infancy and children's adjustment in grade school: The role of children's sustained attention and executive function.

PubMed

Wang, Yiji; Dix, Theodore

2017-09-01

On the basis of longitudinal data across 9 years, this study examined the contribution of sustained attention and executive function to the poor cognitive and socioemotional adjustment of school-age children whose mothers had depressive symptoms during the child's infancy. Mothers (N = 1,364) reported depressive symptoms across their child's infancy and early childhood. Maternal sensitivity was observed during laboratory interactions at 36 months. At school entry children's sustained attention and executive function were measured with computer-generated tasks. In third grade, cognitive and socioemotional adjustment was assessed with standardized tests and the reports of fathers and teachers. Using structural equation modeling, findings showed that (a) exposure to mothers' depressive symptoms during the child's infancy, independent of later exposure, uniquely predicted children's poor sustained attention and executive function at school entry; (b) deficits in children's sustained attention and executive function occurred because of depressed mothers' tendencies to display insensitive parenting behavior; and (c) these deficits explained in part relations between exposure to mothers' depressive symptoms in infancy and children's poor cognitive and socioemotional adjustment in third grade. Findings highlight the potential importance of children's exposure to mothers' depressive symptoms specifically during the child's infancy for disrupting the development of fundamental cognitive processes that may underlie the adjustment problems children of depressed mothers display in middle childhood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Factors Influencing The Six-Month Mortality Rate In Patients With A Hip Fracture

PubMed Central

Ristic, Branko; Rancic, Nemanja; Bukumiric, Zoran; Zeljko, Stepanovic; Ignjatovic-Ristic, Dragana

2016-01-01

Abstract Background There are several potential risk factors in patients with a hip fracture for a higher rate of mortality that include: comorbid disorders, poor general health, age, male gender, poor mobility prior to injury, type of fracture, poor cognitive status, place of residence. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of potential risk factors for six-month mortality in hip fracture patients. Methods The study included all patients with a hip fracture older than 65 who had been admitted to the Clinic for orthopaedic surgery during one year. One hundred and ninety-two patients were included in the study. Results Six months after admission due to a hip fracture, 48 patients had died (6-month mortality rate was 25%). The deceased were statistically older than the patients who had survived. Univariate regression analysis indicated that six variables had a significant effect on hip fracture patients’ survival: age, mobility prior to the fracture, poor cognitive status, activity of daily living, comorbidities and the place where they had fallen. Multivariate regression modelling showed that the following factors were independently associated with mortality at 6 months post fracture: poor cognitive status, poor mobility prior to the fracture, comorbid disease. Conclusion Poor cognitive status appeared to be the strongest mortality predictor. The employment of brief tests for cognitive status evaluation would enable orthopaedists to have good criteria for the choice of treatment for each patient screened. PMID:27284379

Access to Obstetric Care and Children's Health, Growth and Cognitive Development in Vietnam: Evidence from Young Lives.

PubMed

Lavin, Tina; Preen, David B; Newnham, Elizabeth A

2017-06-01

Background The impact of birth with poor access to skilled obstetric care such as home birth on children's long term development is unknown. This study explores the health, growth and cognitive development of children surviving homebirth in the Vietnam Young Lives sample during early childhood. Methods The Young Lives longitudinal cohort study was conducted in Vietnam with 1812 children born in 2001/2 with follow-up at 1, 5, and 8 years. Data were collected on height/weight, health and cognitive development (Peabody Picture Vocabulary test). Statistical models adjusted for sociodemographic and pregnancy-related factors. Results Children surviving homebirth did not have significantly poorer long-term health, greater stunting after adjusting for sociodemographic/pregnancy-related factors. Rural location, lack of household education, ethnic minority status and lower wealth predicted greater stunting and poorer scores on Peabody Vocabulary test. Conclusions Social disadvantage rather than homebirth influenced children's health, growth and development.

Determining team cognition from delay analysis using cross recurrence plot.

PubMed

Hajari, Nasim; Cheng, Irene; Bin Zheng; Basu, Anup

2016-08-01

Team cognition is an important factor in evaluating and determining team performance. Forming a team with good shared cognition is even more crucial for laparoscopic surgery applications. In this study, we analyzed the eye tracking data of two surgeons during a laparoscopic simulation operation, then performed Cross Recurrence Analysis (CRA) on the recorded data to study the delay behaviour for good performer and poor performer teams. Dual eye tracking data for twenty two dyad teams were recorded during a laparoscopic task and then the teams were divided into good performer and poor performer teams based on the task times. Eventually we studied the delay between two team members for good and poor performer teams. The results indicated that the good performer teams show a smaller delay comparing to poor performer teams. This study is compatible with gaze overlap analysis between team members and therefore it is a good evidence of shared cognition between team members.

Sleep and Women

MedlinePlus

... Cognitive Development parenting poor sleep Work stress Time change beds School Symptoms mental fatigue Headache mortality pain Apetite Technology ... adds Dr. Fiona Baker, sleep physiologist in SRI International’s Human Sleep Research Lab in the Center for ... behaviors such as caffeine or alcohol consumption ...

Explicit versus implicit social cognition testing in autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Callenmark, Björn; Kjellin, Lars; Rönnqvist, Louise; Bölte, Sven

2014-08-01

Although autism spectrum disorder is defined by reciprocal social-communication impairments, several studies have found no evidence for altered social cognition test performance. This study examined explicit (i.e. prompted) and implicit (i.e. spontaneous) variants of social cognition testing in autism spectrum disorder. A sample of 19 adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and 19 carefully matched typically developing controls completed the Dewey Story Test. 'Explicit' (multiple-choice answering format) and 'implicit' (free interview) measures of social cognition were obtained. Autism spectrum disorder participants did not differ from controls regarding explicit social cognition performance. However, the autism spectrum disorder group performed more poorly than controls on implicit social cognition performance in terms of spontaneous perspective taking and social awareness. Findings suggest that social cognition alterations in autism spectrum disorder are primarily implicit in nature and that an apparent absence of social cognition difficulties on certain tests using rather explicit testing formats does not necessarily mean social cognition typicality in autism spectrum disorder. © The Author(s) 2013.

Development of the Supported Employment, Comprehensive Cognitive Enhancement, and Social Skills program for adults on the autism spectrum: Results of initial study.

PubMed

Baker-Ericzén, Mary J; Fitch, Meghan A; Kinnear, Mikaela; Jenkins, Melissa M; Twamley, Elizabeth W; Smith, Linda; Montano, Gabriel; Feder, Joshua; Crooke, Pamela J; Winner, Michelle G; Leon, Juan

2018-01-01

The population of adults on the autism spectrum continues to increase, and vocational outcomes are particularly poor. Longitudinal studies of adults with autism spectrum and without intellectual disability have shown consistent and persistent deficits across cognitive, social, and vocational domains, indicating a need for effective treatments of functional disabilities as each impact employment. This initial pilot study is an open trial investigation of the feasibility, acceptability, and initial estimates of outcomes for the newly developed Supported Employment, Comprehensive Cognitive Enhancement, and Social Skills intervention, a manualized "soft skills" curriculum, to enhance both cognitive and social development in adults with autism spectrum. A total of eight adults with autism spectrum, without intellectual disability (78% males), participated in the study. Results support the original hypothesis that adults with autism spectrum can improve both cognitive (i.e. executive functioning) and social cognitive (i.e. social thinking and social communication) abilities. Further Supported Employment, Comprehensive Cognitive Enhancement, and Social Skills was found to be feasible, acceptable, and highly satisfactory for participants and parents. Employment rates more than doubled post-intervention, with an increase from 22% to 56% of participants employed. Conclusion is that Supported Employment, Comprehensive Cognitive Enhancement, and Social Skills has promise as an intervention that can be easily embedded into exiting supported employment vocational training programs to improve cognitive, social, and vocational outcomes.

Development of the Supported Employment, Comprehensive Cognitive Enhancement, and Social Skills program for adults on the autism spectrum: Results of initial study

PubMed Central

Baker-Ericzén, Mary J; Fitch, Meghan A; Kinnear, Mikaela; Jenkins, Melissa M; Twamley, Elizabeth W; Smith, Linda; Montano, Gabriel; Feder, Joshua; Crooke, Pamela J; Winner, Michelle G; Leon, Juan

2018-01-01

The population of adults on the autism spectrum continues to increase, and vocational outcomes are particularly poor. Longitudinal studies of adults with autism spectrum and without intellectual disability have shown consistent and persistent deficits across cognitive, social, and vocational domains, indicating a need for effective treatments of functional disabilities as each impact employment. This initial pilot study is an open trial investigation of the feasibility, acceptability, and initial estimates of outcomes for the newly developed Supported Employment, Comprehensive Cognitive Enhancement, and Social Skills intervention, a manualized “soft skills” curriculum, to enhance both cognitive and social development in adults with autism spectrum. A total of eight adults with autism spectrum, without intellectual disability (78% males), participated in the study. Results support the original hypothesis that adults with autism spectrum can improve both cognitive (i.e. executive functioning) and social cognitive (i.e. social thinking and social communication) abilities. Further Supported Employment, Comprehensive Cognitive Enhancement, and Social Skills was found to be feasible, acceptable, and highly satisfactory for participants and parents. Employment rates more than doubled post-intervention, with an increase from 22% to 56% of participants employed. Conclusion is that Supported Employment, Comprehensive Cognitive Enhancement, and Social Skills has promise as an intervention that can be easily embedded into exiting supported employment vocational training programs to improve cognitive, social, and vocational outcomes. PMID:29034696

A review of studies of the effect of severe malnutrition on mental development.

PubMed

Grantham-McGregor, S

1995-08-01

This is a review of studies on the relationship between mental development and severe malnutrition. School-age children who suffered from early childhood malnutrition have generally been found to have poorer IQ levels, cognitive function, school achievement and greater behavioral problems than matched controls and, to a lesser extent, siblings. The disadvantages last at least until adolescence. There is no consistent evidence of a specific cognitive deficit. The evidence of a causal relationship is strong but not unequivocal because of difficulties in interpreting retrospective case control studies. Marked improvements in development can occur after adoption or intervention. Therefore, the outcome depends to a large extent on the quality of the subsequent environment. It is likely that extremely deprived environments would exacerbate the effects. There is limited evidence that other nutritional deficiencies may interact with previous malnutrition in affecting cognition. The mechanism linking malnutrition to poor development is still not established.

Early-life enteric infections: relation between chronic systemic inflammation and poor cognition in children

PubMed Central

Murray-Kolb, Laura E.; Scharf, Rebecca J.; Pendergast, Laura L.; Lang, Dennis R.; Kolling, Glynis L.; Guerrant, Richard L.

2016-01-01

The intestinal microbiota undergoes active remodeling in the first 6 to 18 months of life, during which time the characteristics of the adult microbiota are developed. This process is strongly influenced by the early diet and enteric pathogens. Enteric infections and malnutrition early in life may favor microbiota dysbiosis and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, resulting in intestinal barrier dysfunction and translocation of intestinal bacterial products, ultimately leading to low-grade, chronic, subclinical systemic inflammation. The leaky gut–derived low-grade systemic inflammation may have profound consequences on the gut–liver–brain axis, compromising normal growth, metabolism, and cognitive development. This review examines recent data suggesting that early-life enteric infections that lead to intestinal barrier disruption may shift the intestinal microbiota toward chronic systemic inflammation and subsequent impaired cognitive development. PMID:27142301

Structure and Style in Career Decision Making.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kortas, Linda; And Others

1992-01-01

The Career Decision Scale, Assessment of Career Decision Making, and Cognitive Differentiation Grid were administered to 598 community college students. Results indicated a relationship between decision-making styles and vocational construct structure. Poorly developed vocational schemas predispose individuals toward dependent and intuitive…

Physical Exercise And Cognitive Engagement Outcomes for Mild Neurocognitive Disorder

ClinicalTrials.gov

2018-03-21

Mild Cognitive Impairment; Memory Disorders; Mild Dementia; Impaired Cognition; Mild Cognitive Disorder; Amnestic Disorder; Dementia and Amnestic Conditions; Poor Short-term Memory; Memory Impairment; Mild Neurocognitive Disorder

Poverty and Brain Development During Childhood: An Approach from Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience. Human Brain Development Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lipina, Sebastian J.; Colombo, Jorge A.

2009-01-01

Poverty remains an urgent crisis worldwide. In the United States, 28.6 million children live in low-income families and 12.7 million children live in poor families. In nations belonging to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 47 million children live below national poverty lines. These figures pertain to…

An Update on Maternal Use of Antiepileptic Medications in Pregnancy and Neurodevelopment Outcomes

PubMed Central

Gerard, Elizabeth E.; Meador, Kimford J.

2015-01-01

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are prescribed commonly to women of childbearing age. In utero exposure to some AEDs can have significant cognitive and behavioral consequences for the unborn child. Recently, prospective studies of women taking AEDs during pregnancy have added significantly to our understanding of cognitive and behavioral teratogenic risks posed by fetal AED exposure. Valproate is clearly associated with impaired cognitive development as well as an increased risk of disorders such as autism and autism spectrum disorder. Exposure to carbamazepine, lamotrigine, levetiracetam, or phenytoin monotherapy is associated with more favorable cognitive and behavioral outcomes than valproate, but more data are required to clarify if these AEDs have more subtle effects on cognition and behavior. There are insufficient data on the developmental effects of other AEDs in humans. Further, the underlying mechanisms of cognitive teratogenesis are poorly understood, including the genetic factors that affect susceptibility to AEDs. PMID:27617120

Relationship between insight and theory of mind in schizophrenia: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Bora, Emre

2017-12-01

Poor insight in schizophrenia has been associated with executive dysfunction and deficits in general cognitive ability. The overall outcome of available neurocognitive studies suggests that there is a significant but modest relationship between cognitive deficits and poor insight in schizophrenia. However, social cognitive abilities, particularly, theory of mind (ToM), might also play a role in poor insight in schizophrenia. A novel meta-analysis of the relationship between ToM and insight in schizophrenia was conducted. Current meta-analysis included 16 studies including 1085 patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. There was a significant association between ToM and clinical insight (r=0.28, CI=0.20-0.36). By contrast, there was no significant relationship between ToM and cognitive insight. Current findings suggest that there is a small but significant relationship between ToM and clinical insight in schizophrenia. ToM impairment is one of the factors contributing to poor insight in schizophrenia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Self-affirmation among the poor: cognitive and behavioral implications.

PubMed

Hall, Crystal C; Zhao, Jiaying; Shafir, Eldar

2014-02-01

The poor are universally stigmatized. The stigma of poverty includes being perceived as incompetent and feeling shunned and disrespected. It can lead to cognitive distancing, diminish cognitive performance, and cause the poor to forego beneficial programs. In the present research, we examined how self-affirmation can mitigate the stigma of poverty through randomized field experiments involving low-income individuals at an inner-city soup kitchen. Because of low literacy levels, we used an oral rather than written affirmation procedure, in which participants verbally described a personal experience that made them feel successful or proud. Compared with nonaffirmed participants, affirmed individuals exhibited better executive control, higher fluid intelligence, and a greater willingness to avail themselves of benefits programs. The effects were not driven by elevated positive mood, and the same intervention did not affect the performance of wealthy participants. The findings suggest that self-affirmation can improve the cognitive performance and decisions of the poor, and it may have important policy implications.

Nocturnal insomnia symptoms and stress-induced cognitive intrusions in risk for depression: A 2-year prospective study

PubMed Central

Pillai, Vivek; Drake, Christopher L.

2018-01-01

Nearly half of US adults endorse insomnia symptoms. Sleep problems increase risk for depression during stress, but the mechanisms are unclear. During high stress, individuals having difficulty falling or staying asleep may be vulnerable to cognitive intrusions after stressful events, given that the inability to sleep creates a period of unstructured and socially isolated time in bed. We investigated the unique and combined effects of insomnia symptoms and stress-induced cognitive intrusions on risk for incident depression. 1126 non-depressed US adults with no history of DSM-5 insomnia disorder completed 3 annual web-based surveys on sleep, stress, and depression. We examined whether nocturnal insomnia symptoms and stress-induced cognitive intrusions predicted depression 1y and 2y later. Finally, we compared depression-risk across four groups: non-perseverators with good sleep, non-perseverators with insomnia symptoms, perseverators with good sleep, and perseverators with insomnia symptoms. Insomnia symptoms (β = .10–.13, p < .001) and cognitive intrusions (β = .19–.20, p < .001) predicted depression severity 1y and 2y later. Depression incidence across 2 years was 6.2%. Perseverators with insomnia had the highest rates of depression (13.0%), whereas good sleeping non-perseverators had the lowest rates (3.3%, Relative Risk = 3.94). Perseverators with sleep latency >30 m reported greater depression than good sleeping perseverators (t = 2.09, p < .04). Cognitive intrusions following stress creates a depressogenic mindset, and nocturnal wakefulness may augment the effects of cognitive arousal on depression development. Poor sleepers may be especially vulnerable to cognitive intrusions when having difficulty initiating sleep. As treatable behaviors, nighttime wakefulness and cognitive arousal may be targeted to reduce risk for depression in poor sleepers. PMID:29438400

Nocturnal insomnia symptoms and stress-induced cognitive intrusions in risk for depression: A 2-year prospective study.

PubMed

Kalmbach, David A; Pillai, Vivek; Drake, Christopher L

2018-01-01

Nearly half of US adults endorse insomnia symptoms. Sleep problems increase risk for depression during stress, but the mechanisms are unclear. During high stress, individuals having difficulty falling or staying asleep may be vulnerable to cognitive intrusions after stressful events, given that the inability to sleep creates a period of unstructured and socially isolated time in bed. We investigated the unique and combined effects of insomnia symptoms and stress-induced cognitive intrusions on risk for incident depression. 1126 non-depressed US adults with no history of DSM-5 insomnia disorder completed 3 annual web-based surveys on sleep, stress, and depression. We examined whether nocturnal insomnia symptoms and stress-induced cognitive intrusions predicted depression 1y and 2y later. Finally, we compared depression-risk across four groups: non-perseverators with good sleep, non-perseverators with insomnia symptoms, perseverators with good sleep, and perseverators with insomnia symptoms. Insomnia symptoms (β = .10-.13, p < .001) and cognitive intrusions (β = .19-.20, p < .001) predicted depression severity 1y and 2y later. Depression incidence across 2 years was 6.2%. Perseverators with insomnia had the highest rates of depression (13.0%), whereas good sleeping non-perseverators had the lowest rates (3.3%, Relative Risk = 3.94). Perseverators with sleep latency >30 m reported greater depression than good sleeping perseverators (t = 2.09, p < .04). Cognitive intrusions following stress creates a depressogenic mindset, and nocturnal wakefulness may augment the effects of cognitive arousal on depression development. Poor sleepers may be especially vulnerable to cognitive intrusions when having difficulty initiating sleep. As treatable behaviors, nighttime wakefulness and cognitive arousal may be targeted to reduce risk for depression in poor sleepers.

Early growth of Mexican-American children: lagging in preliteracy skills but not social development.

PubMed

Guerrero, Alma D; Fuller, Bruce; Chu, Lynna; Kim, Anthony; Franke, Todd; Bridges, Margaret; Kuo, Alice

2013-11-01

Latino toddlers fall behind White peers at 24 months of age in oral language and interactive skills with their mothers in English or Spanish. But Latino children enter kindergarten with social skills that rival White peers, despite social-class disparities. We ask whether cognitive trajectories widen during the 24-48 month period, how these patterns differ for Latinos, especially Mexican-Americans, and whether similar gaps in social-emotional growth appear. We analyzed growth patterns for a nationally representative birth sample (n = 4,690) drawn in 2001, estimating levels of change in development from 24 to 48 months of age, focusing on Latino subgroups. The mean gap in cognitive processing for Mexican-American children, already wide at 24-months of age relative to Whites (three-fourths of a standard deviation), remained constant at 48 months. But differences in social-emotional status were statistically insignificant at both 24 and 48 months. Mexican-American mothers were observed to be equally warm and supportive relative to White peers during interaction tasks. Yet the former group engaged less frequently in cognitive facilitation, oral language, and preliteracy activities in the home. Growth in both cognitive and social domains was considerably lower in larger families, placing children raised in poor or Spanish-speaking homes within a large household at greater risk of delays. Pediatricians and practitioners must carefully gauge the social-emotional well-being of Latino children, in developmental surveillance activities. Growth in cognitive and social domains unfolds independently for children of Mexican heritage, even when raised in economically poor families.

Impact of poor sleep quality and physical inactivity on cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults.

PubMed

Nakakubo, Sho; Makizako, Hyuma; Doi, Takehiko; Tsutsumimoto, Kota; Lee, Sangyoon; Lee, Sungchul; Hotta, Ryo; Bae, Seongryu; Suzuki, Takao; Shimada, Hiroyuki

2017-11-01

The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the combination of subjective sleep quality and physical activity is associated with cognitive performance among community-dwelling older adults. Cross-sectional data on 5381 older adults who participated in part of the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology - Study of Geriatric Syndromes were analyzed. We assessed general cognitive impairment using the Mini-Mental State Examination, and also assessed story memory, attention, executive function and processing speed using the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology Functional Assessment Tool. Physical activity was assessed using two questionnaires, and participants were categorized as active or inactive. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and participants were categorized as having poor (PS) or good sleep quality (GS). Participants in the inactive + PS group had worse performances than those in the active + GS group in all cognitive measures (Mini-Mental State Examination: P = 0.008, story memory: P = 0.007, other cognitive measures: P < 0.001), and also had worse performances than those in the inactive + GS and active + PS groups in the trail-making test, part B, and the symbol digit substitution test (P < 0.001, respectively). Additionally, participants in the inactive + GS group had worse performances than in the active + GS in the trail-making test, part B, and the symbol digit substitution test (P = 0.002 and P = 0.001, respectively). Inactivity and poor sleep quality were associated with poor cognitive performance among community-dwelling older adults. The combination of poor sleep quality and physical inactivity also worsened cognitive performance. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1823-1828. © 2017 Japan Geriatrics Society.

Cognitive development in children with cochlear implants: relations to reading and communication.

PubMed

Lyxell, Björn; Sahlén, Birgitta; Wass, Malin; Ibertsson, Tina; Larsby, Birgitta; Hällgren, Mathias; Mäki-Torkko, Elina

2008-11-01

The purpose of the present article is to present an overview of a set of studies conducted in our own laboratory on cognitive and communicative development in children with cochlear implants (CI). The results demonstrate that children with CIs perform at significantly lower levels on the majority of the cognitive tasks. The exceptions to this trend are tasks with relatively lower demands on phonological processing. A fairly high proportion of the children can reach a level of reading comprehension that matches hearing children, despite the fact that they have relatively poor phonological skills. General working memory capacity is further correlated with the type of questions asked in a referential communication task. The results are discussed with respect to issues related to education and rehabilitation.

A cognitive behavioral course for at-risk senior nursing students preparing to take the NCLEX.

PubMed

Poorman, Susan G; Mastorovich, Melissa L; Liberto, Terri L; Gerwick, Michele

2010-01-01

For some nursing students, the stress of preparing for and taking the NCLEX can lead to maladaptive behaviors such as poor test performance and inadequate preparation. A different approach to NCLEX preparation for at-risk seniors is described. A 3-credit course that combines cognitive behavioral techniques, metacognitive strategies, test-taking strategies, and simulated NCLEX experience with practice questions is presented. Students also develop an individualized plan of preparation from graduation until they take the NCLEX.

Investigation of basic cognitive predictors of reading and spelling abilities in Tunisian third-grade primary school children.

PubMed

Batnini, Soulef; Uno, Akira

2015-06-01

This study investigated first the main cognitive abilities; phonological processing, visual cognition, automatization and receptive vocabulary in predicting reading and spelling abilities in Arabic. Second, we compared good/poor readers and spellers to detect the characteristics of cognitive predictors which contribute to identifying reading and spelling difficulties in Arabic speaking children. A sample of 116 Tunisian third-grade children was tested on their abilities to read and spell, phonological processing, visual cognition, automatization and receptive vocabulary. For reading, phonological processing and automatization uniquely predicted Arabic word reading and paragraph reading abilities. Automatization uniquely predicted Arabic non-word reading ability. For spelling, phonological processing was a unique predictor for Arabic word spelling ability. Furthermore, poor readers had significantly lower scores on the phonological processing test and slower reading times on the automatization test as compared with good readers. Additionally, poor spellers showed lower scores on the phonological processing test as compared with good spellers. Visual cognitive processing and receptive vocabulary were not significant cognitive predictors of Arabic reading and spelling abilities for Tunisian third grade children in this study. Our results are consistent with previous studies in alphabetic orthographies and demonstrate that phonological processing and automatization are the best cognitive predictors in detecting early literacy problems. We suggest including phonological processing and automatization tasks in screening tests and in intervention programs may help Tunisian children with poor literacy skills overcome reading and spelling difficulties in Arabic. Copyright © 2014 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Color discrimination deficits in Parkinson's disease are related to cognitive impairment and white-matter alterations.

PubMed

Bertrand, Josie-Anne; Bedetti, Christophe; Postuma, Ronald B; Monchi, Oury; Génier Marchand, Daphné; Jubault, Thomas; Gagnon, Jean-François

2012-12-01

Color discrimination deficit is a common nonmotor manifestation of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the pathophysiology of this dysfunction remains poorly understood. Although retinal structure changes found in PD have been suggested to cause color discrimination deficits, the impact of cognitive impairment and cortical alterations remains to be determined. We investigated the contribution of cognitive impairment to color discrimination deficits in PD and correlated them with cortical anomalies. Sixty-six PD patients without dementia and 20 healthy controls performed the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 hue test and underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment for mild cognitive impairment diagnosis. In a subgroup of 26 PD patients, we also used high-definition neuroanatomical magnetic resonance imaging for cortical thickness and diffusion tensor analysis. PD patients with mild cognitive impairment performed poorly on the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 hue test compared with PD patients without mild cognitive impairment and controls. In PD patients, performance on the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 hue test was correlated with measures of visuospatial abilities and executive functions. Neuroimaging analysis revealed higher mean and radial diffusivity values in right posterior white-matter structures that correlated with poor performance on the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 hue test. No cortical thickness correlation reached significance. This study showed that cognitive impairment makes a major contribution to the color discrimination deficits reported in PD. Thus, performance on the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 hue test may reflect cognitive impairment more than color discrimination deficits in PD. Poor performance on the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 hue test was also associated with white-matter alterations in right posterior brain regions. Copyright © 2012 Movement Disorder Society.

Microstructural and functional connectivity in the developing preterm brain

PubMed Central

Lubsen, Julia; Vohr, Betty; Myers, Eliza; Hampson, Michelle; Lacadie, Cheryl; Schneider, Karen C.; Katz, Karol H.; Constable, R. Todd; Ment, Laura R.

2011-01-01

Prematurely born children are at increased risk for cognitive deficits, but the neurobiological basis of these findings remains poorly understood. Since variations in neural circuitry may influence performance on cognitive tasks, recent investigations have explored the impact of preterm birth on connectivity in the developing brain. Diffusion tensor imaging studies demonstrate widespread alterations in fractional anisotropy, a measure of axonal integrity and microstructural connectivity, throughout the developing preterm brain. Functional connectivity studies report that preterm neonates, children and adolescents exhibit alterations in both resting state and task-based connectivity when compared to term control subjects. Taken together, these data suggest that neurodevelopmental impairment following preterm birth may represent a disease of neural connectivity. PMID:21255705

Distinct Aging Effects on Functional Networks in Good and Poor Cognitive Performers

PubMed Central

Lee, Annie; Tan, Mingzhen; Qiu, Anqi

2016-01-01

Brain network hubs are susceptible to normal aging processes and disruptions of their functional connectivity are detrimental to decline in cognitive functions in older adults. However, it remains unclear how the functional connectivity of network hubs cope with cognitive heterogeneity in an aging population. This study utilized cognitive and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data, cluster analysis, and graph network analysis to examine age-related alterations in the network hubs’ functional connectivity of good and poor cognitive performers. Our results revealed that poor cognitive performers showed age-dependent disruptions in the functional connectivity of the right insula and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), while good cognitive performers showed age-related disruptions in the functional connectivity of the left insula and PCC. Additionally, the left PCC had age-related declines in the functional connectivity with the left medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Most interestingly, good cognitive performers showed age-related declines in the functional connectivity of the left insula and PCC with their right homotopic structures. These results may provide insights of neuronal correlates for understanding individual differences in aging. In particular, our study suggests prominent protection roles of the left insula and PCC and bilateral ACC in good performers. PMID:27667972

Relationship between nutritional status, psychosocial stimulation, and cognitive development in preschool children in Indonesia.

PubMed

Warsito, Oktarina; Khomsan, Ali; Hernawati, Neti; Anwar, Faisal

2012-10-01

The purposes of the study were to analyze nutritional status, psychosocial stimulation, and factors affecting the cognitive development of preschool-age children. This study was conducted in the Village of Babakan, Sub-District of Dramaga, Bogor Regency, West Java. This cross-sectionally designed study was conducted with mothers who had preschool children aged 3-5 years as respondents. Fifty-eight children were included. The distribution of mother's educational level was quite diverse, and the largest percentage (44.8%) had senior high school education. Approximately 78% of the family income per capita was classified into the non-poor category and 22.4% into the poor category. The average mother's nutritional knowledge score was 76.7 ± 2.5 (moderate category). Most of the preschool children (84.4%) had psychosocial stimulation scores in the moderate category (30-45). The nutritional status of children showed that 15.5% were underweight, 5.2% were wasted, 3.4% were severely wasted, and 19% of the children were in the short and very short categories (stunted). The stepwise regression results showed that psychosocial stimulation (P < 0.001), participation in early childhood education (P = 0.002) and nutritional status based on the height index for age (P = 0.028) had a positive and significant effect on cognitive development of the preschool children (adjusted R(2), 0.434; P = 0.028).

Relationship between nutritional status, psychosocial stimulation, and cognitive development in preschool children in Indonesia

PubMed Central

Warsito, Oktarina; Hernawati, Neti; Anwar, Faisal

2012-01-01

The purposes of the study were to analyze nutritional status, psychosocial stimulation, and factors affecting the cognitive development of preschool-age children. This study was conducted in the Village of Babakan, Sub-District of Dramaga, Bogor Regency, West Java. This cross-sectionally designed study was conducted with mothers who had preschool children aged 3-5 years as respondents. Fifty-eight children were included. The distribution of mother's educational level was quite diverse, and the largest percentage (44.8%) had senior high school education. Approximately 78% of the family income per capita was classified into the non-poor category and 22.4% into the poor category. The average mother's nutritional knowledge score was 76.7 ± 2.5 (moderate category). Most of the preschool children (84.4%) had psychosocial stimulation scores in the moderate category (30-45). The nutritional status of children showed that 15.5% were underweight, 5.2% were wasted, 3.4% were severely wasted, and 19% of the children were in the short and very short categories (stunted). The stepwise regression results showed that psychosocial stimulation (P < 0.001), participation in early childhood education (P = 0.002) and nutritional status based on the height index for age (P = 0.028) had a positive and significant effect on cognitive development of the preschool children (adjusted R2, 0.434; P = 0.028). PMID:23198025

The Effects of Combinations of Cognitive Impairment and Pre-frailty on Adverse Outcomes from a Prospective Community-Based Cohort Study of Older Chinese People.

PubMed

Yu, Ruby; Morley, John E; Kwok, Timothy; Leung, Jason; Cheung, Osbert; Woo, Jean

2018-01-01

To examine how various combinations of cognitive impairment (overall performance and specific domains) and pre-frailty predict risks of adverse outcomes; and to determine whether cognitive frailty may be defined as the combination of cognitive impairment and the presence of pre-frailty. Community-based cohort study. Chinese men and women ( n  = 3,491) aged 65+ without dementia, Parkinson's disease and/or frailty at baseline. Frailty was characterized using the Cardiovascular Health Study criteria. Overall cognitive impairment was defined by a Cantonese Mini-Mental Status Examination (CMMSE) total score (<21/24/27, depending on participants' educational levels); delayed recall impairment by a CMMSE delayed recall score (<3); and language and praxis impairment by a CMMSE language and praxis score (<9). Adverse outcomes included poor quality of life, physical limitation, increased cumulative hospital stay, and mortality. Compared to those who were robust and cognitively intact at baseline, those who were robust but cognitively impaired were more likely to develop pre-frailty/frailty after 4 years ( P  < 0.01). Compared to participants who were robust and cognitively intact at baseline, those who were pre-frail and with overall cognitive impairment had lower grip strength ( P  < 0.05), lower gait speed ( P  < 0.01), poorer lower limb strength ( P  < 0.01), and poorer delayed recall at year 4 [OR, 1.6; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.2-2.3]. They were also associated with increased risks of poor quality of life (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-2.2) and incident physical limitation at year 4 (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.3-2.5), increased cumulative hospital stay at year 7 (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-2.1), and mortality over an average of 12 years (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.0-2.1) after adjustment for covariates. There was no significant difference in risks of adverse outcomes between participants who were pre-frail, with/without cognitive impairment at baseline. Similar results were obtained with delayed recall and language and praxis impairments. Robust and cognitively impaired participants had higher risks of becoming pre-frail/frail over 4 years compared with those with normal cognition. Cognitive impairment characterized by the CMMSE overall score or its individual domain score improved the predictive power of pre-frailty for poor quality of life, incident physical limitation, increased cumulative hospital stay, and mortality. Our findings support to the concept that cognitive frailty may be defined as the occurrence of both cognitive impairment and pre-frailty, not necessarily progressing to dementia.

Malnutrition at age 3 years and lower cognitive ability at age 11 years: independence from psychosocial adversity.

PubMed

Liu, Jianghong; Raine, Adrian; Venables, Peter H; Dalais, Cyril; Mednick, Sarnoff A

2003-06-01

Early malnutrition is linked to poor cognition, but long-term effects have not been extensively examined and psychosocial confounds have not always been controlled. To test the hypothesis that malnutrition at age 3 years will be associated with poorer cognitive ability at age 11 years independent of psychosocial confounds. A prospective, longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1559 children originally assessed at age 3 years for malnutrition (low hemoglobin level, angular stomatitis, kwashiorkor, and sparse, thin hair) and followed up to age 11 years. A community sample of 1559 children (51.4% boys and 48.6% girls) born between September 1, 1969, and August 31, 1970, in 2 towns in the island of Mauritius, with 68.7% Indians and 25.7% Creoles (African origin). Verbal and spatial ability measured at ages 3 and 11 years and reading, scholastic ability, and neuropsychologic performance measured at age 11 years. Malnourished children had poorer cognition at both ages. Deficits were stable across time, applied to all sex and ethnic groups, and remained after controlling for multiple measures of psychosocial adversity. Children with 3 indicators of malnutrition had a 15.3-point deficit in IQ at age 11 years. Malnutrition at age 3 years is associated with poor cognition at age 11 years independent of psychosocial adversity. Promoting early childhood nutrition could enhance long-term cognitive development and school performance, especially in children with multiple nutritional deficits.

Malnutrition at Age 3 Years and Lower Cognitive Ability at Age 11 Years

PubMed Central

Liu, Jianghong; Raine, Adrian; Venables, Peter H.; Dalais, Cyril; Mednick, Sarnoff A.

2014-01-01

Background Early malnutrition is linked to poor cognition, but long-term effects have not been extensively examined and psychosocial confounds have not always been controlled. Objective To test the hypothesis that malnutrition at age 3 years will be associated with poorer cognitive ability at age 11 years independent of psychosocial confounds. Design A prospective, longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1559 children originally assessed at age 3 years for malnutrition (low hemoglobin level, angular stomatitis, kwashiorkor, and sparse, thin hair) and followed up to age 11 years. Setting and Participants A community sample of 1559 children (51.4% boys and 48.6% girls) born between September 1, 1969, and August 31, 1970, in 2 towns in the island of Mauritius, with 68.7% Indians and 25.7% Creoles (African origin). Main Outcome Measures Verbal and spatial ability measured at ages 3 and 11 years and reading, scholastic ability, and neuropsychologic performance measured at age 11 years. Results Malnourished children had poorer cognition at both ages. Deficits were stable across time, applied to all sex and ethnic groups, and remained after controlling for multiple measures of psychosocial adversity. Children with 3 indicators of malnutrition had a 15.3-point deficit in IQ at age 11 years. Conclusions Malnutrition at age 3 years is associated with poor cognition at age 11 years independent of psychosocial adversity. Promoting early childhood nutrition could enhance long-term cognitive development and school performance, especially in children with multiple nutritional deficits. PMID:12796242

Childhood obesity among the poor in Peru: Are there implications for cognitive outcomes?

PubMed

Wisniewski, Suzanne L

2017-08-01

This paper exploits three rounds of panel data provided by the Peruvian dataset of the Young Lives study to investigate the relationship between child cognition and obesity status among the poor. Child weight status is measured by a full distribution of child weight, from severely thin to obese, using data from a z-score for body mass index and cognition is measured by the Spanish version of the Picture Peabody Vocabulary Test (PPVT). This relationship is studied at age five and age eight (school age), and disaggregated across socioeconomic factors of gender, urban/rural setting and indigenous/nonindigenous status. The initial results suggests that obese children have higher cognitive scores and that this result is driven by those who are female, non-indigenous and live in an urban region. However, after correcting for possible bias due to unobservable heterogeneity, there is little evidence of this relationship. The one exception is for a weakly significant relationship between obese female children and higher cognition, a relationship which tends to weaken between the ages of five and eight. On the other end of the weight distribution, indigenous children who are severely thin or thin have significantly lower cognitive scores, a relationship that holds after correcting for possible bias and appears to strengthen between ages of five and eight. This paper contributes to a very small set of literature on child cognition and obesity, points to the importance of controlling for unobserved heterogeneity in estimation, and is the first of its kind to study this relationship in a developing country. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Learning potential and cognitive remediation in schizophrenia].

PubMed

Raffard, S; Gely-Nargeot, M-C; Capdevielle, D; Bayard, S; Boulenger, J-P

2009-09-01

Many studies have stressed the importance of neurocognitive deficits in schizophrenia that represent a core feature of the pathology. Cognitive dysfunctions are present in 80% of schizophrenic patients, including deficits in attention, memory, speed processing and executive functioning, with well-known functional consequences on daily life, social functioning and rehabilitation outcome. Recent studies have stressed that cognitive deficits, rather than the positive or negative symptoms of schizophrenia, predict poor performance in basic activities of daily living. If it is possible to reduce psychotic symptoms and to prevent relapses with antipsychotic medication, it is not yet possible to have the same convincing impact on cognitive or functional impairments. Cognitive remediation is a new psychological treatment which has proved its efficacy in reducing cognitive deficits. A growing literature on cognitive rehabilitation suggests possibilities that in schizophrenia, specific techniques are able to enhance an individual's cognitive functioning. Presently, two distinct and complementary cognitive remediation methods have been developed: the compensatory and the restorative approaches: (A) restorative approaches attempt to improve function by recruiting relatively intact cognitive processes to fill the role of those impaired, or by using prosthetic aids to compensate for the loss of function; (B) in contrast, in the restorative approach cognitive deficits are targeted directly through repeated practice training. However, results concerning cognitive remediation remain inconsistent. It is clear that not all individuals with schizophrenia display cognitive impairment, and even among those who do, the specific pattern of cognitive functioning varies. Moreover, traditional neurocognitive assessment, with a single or static administration of cognitive measures, provides moderately good prediction of skills acquisition in schizophrenia. Among other factors such as motivation, awareness of having a disease and acuteness of symptomatology, some studies have exposed that a cognitive variable, learning potential could mediate in part the effectiveness of cognitive remediation. The concept of learning potential is used to explain some of the observed variability in cognitive functioning. Learning potential is the ability to attain and utilize cognitive skills after cognitive training: it is assessed by individual variation in performance across three consecutive administrations of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST): a pretest with standard instruction procedures, a training phase with expanded instruction and a post test with only standard instruction. Three learner subtypes can be identified: "learners" who perform poorly at the pretest but improve performance during the post-test, "non-retainers" who perform poorly at pre-test and do not improve at post-testing and "high achievers" who perform well in the initial pretest and maintain their good performance across the other two administrations. The assessment of learning potential could predict, with other psychological measures such as insight and motivation, the most effective neurocognitive rehabilitation program for an individual patient, and could help the clinician to optimize patient outcome through appropriate individual management. Indeed, learning potential could represent a good cognitive predictor and indicator for rehabilitation in schizophrenia for clinicians and should be used in cognitive assessment practice. However, the individuals most likely to benefit from cognitive remediation, and whether changes in cognitive function translate into functional improvements, are as yet unclear.

The association between premorbid cognitive ability and social functioning and suicide among young men: A historical-prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Weiser, Mark; Fenchel, Daphna; Werbeloff, Nomi; Goldberg, Shira; Fruchter, Eyal; Reichenberg, Abraham; Burshtein, Shimon; Large, Matthew; Davidson, Michael; Lubin, Gad

2017-01-01

Previous studies have found associations between low cognitive ability and later completed suicide. The aim of this study was to examine the association between cognitive ability and social functioning in adolescence, and later completed suicide in a large population-based longitudinal study. Data from the Israeli Draft Board Register for 634,655 Israeli male adolescents aged 16 and 17 was linked to a causes-of-death data registry, with a mean follow-up of 10.6 years for completed suicide. Our results show that in males without a psychiatric diagnosis, both low (adjusted HR=1.51, 95% CI: 1.19-1.92) and high (adjusted HR=1.36, 95% CI: 1.04-1.77) cognitive ability, and very poor (adjusted HR=2.30, 95% CI: 1.34-3.95) and poor (adjusted HR=1.64, 95% CI: 1.34-2.07) social functioning were associated with increased risk for later completed suicide; however positive predictive values were low (PPVs=0.09% and 0.10%, for low cognitive ability and very poor or poor social functioning, respectively). No association between cognitive ability or social functioning and risk for suicide was found in males with a psychiatric diagnosis. These data do not support the clinical utility of screening for such potential predictors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Brain imaging and electrophysiology biomarkers: is there a role in poverty and education outcome research?

PubMed

Pavlakis, Alexandra E; Noble, Kimberly; Pavlakis, Steven G; Ali, Noorjahan; Frank, Yitzchak

2015-04-01

Prekindergarten educational interventions represent a popular approach to improving educational outcomes, especially in children from poor households. Children from lower socioeconomic groups are at increased risk for delays in cognitive development that are important for school success. These delays, which may stem from stress associated with poverty, often develop before kindergarten. Early interventions have been proposed, but there is a need for more information on effectiveness. By assessing socioeconomic differences in brain structure and function, we may better be able to track the neurobiologic basis underlying children's cognitive improvement. We conducted a review of the neuroimaging and electrophysiology literature to evaluate what is known about differences in brain structure and function as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging and electrophysiology and evoked response potentials among children from poor and nonpoor households. Differences in lower socioeconomic groups were found in functional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, and volumetric magnetic resonance imaging as well as electroencephalography and evoked response potentials compared with higher socioeconomic groups. The findings suggest a number of neurobiologic correlates for cognitive delays in children who are poor. Given this, we speculate that magnetic resonance imaging and electrophysiology parameters might be useful as biomarkers, after more research, for establishing the effectiveness of specific prekindergarten educational interventions. At the very least, we suggest that to level the playing field in educational outcomes, it may be helpful to foster communication and collaboration among all professionals involved in the care and education of children. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Digital technologies for cognitive assessment to accelerate drug development in Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Leurent, C; Ehlers, M D

2015-11-01

For many neurological and psychiatric diseases, novel therapeutics have been elusive for decades. By focusing on attention interference in Alzheimer's disease (AD), we provide a future vision on how emerging mobile, computer, and device-based cognitive tools are converting classically noisy, subjective, data-poor clinical endpoints associated with neuropsychiatric disease assessment into a richer, scalable, and objective set of measurements. Incorporation of such endpoints into clinical drug trials holds promise for more quickly and efficiently developing new medicines. © 2015 The Authors. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

Cognitive impairment and olfactory panic from occupational exposure to VOCs.

PubMed

Reinhartz, Abe

2006-10-01

A Canadian government clerical worker in her early thirties developed frontal lobe dysfunction from inhalation of volatile organic compounds off-gassed during an office renovation. Pulmonary function, bronchial provocation, allergy testing, and a brain (SPECT) scan were performed. SPECT scanning showed frontotemporal hypoperfusion and neuropsychologic testing revealed deficits in verbal learning and poor organizational memory. A significant component of this worker's impairment was the development of "olfactory panic," a debilitating aversion to odor accompanied by symptoms of panic. The Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal granted entitlement for her cognitive difficulties and olfactory panic as a result of her toxic exposure.

Poor sleep quality predicts decreased cognitive function independently of chronic mountain sickness score in young soldiers with polycythemia stationed in Tibet.

PubMed

Kong, Fan-Yi; Li, Qiang; Liu, Shi-Xiang

2011-01-01

Little is known about the association between poor sleep and cognitive function in people with polycythemia at high altitude. The aim of this study was to survey the sleep quality of individuals with polycythemia at high altitude and determine its association with cognitive abilities. We surveyed 230 soldiers stationed in Tibet (all men; mean age 21-52±4.30 yr) at altitudes ranging from 3658 to 3996 m. All participants were given a blood tests for hemoglobin level and a questionnaire survey of cognitive function. Polycythemia was defined as excessive erythrocytosis (Hb≥21 g/dL in men or ≥19 g/dL in women). Poor sleepers were defined as having a global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score (PSQI)>5. Cognitive abilities were determined by the Chinese revision of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and the Benton Visual Retention Test. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the association between the PSQI and cognitive function. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the independent effect of sleep quality on cognitive function. The global PSQI score of enrolled participants was 8.14±3.79. Seventy-five (32.6%) soldiers were diagnosed with polycythemia. The proportion of poor sleepers was 1.45 times greater in those with polycythemia compared with those without polycythemia [95% (confidence interval) CI 1.82-2.56], and they had a statistically significant lower score for cognitive function. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the global PSQI score was negatively associated with IQ (β=0.11, 95% CI -0.16 to -0.05) and digit symbol scores (β=0.66, 95% CI -0.86 to -0.44). Poor sleep quality was determined to be an independent predictor of impaired IQ [odds ratio (OR) 1.59, 95% CI 1.30-1.95] and digit symbol score (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.07-1.31) in logistic regression analysis. The present study showed that for young soldiers with polycythemia at high altitude impaired subjective sleep quality was an independent predictor of decreased cognitive function, especially IQ and verbal short-term memory.

Occupational solvent exposure and cognition

PubMed Central

Sabbath, E.L.; Glymour, M.M.; Berr, C.; Singh-Manoux, A.; Zins, M.; Goldberg, M.

2012-01-01

Objective: Chronic occupational solvent exposure is associated with long-term cognitive deficits. Cognitive reserve may protect solvent-exposed workers from cognitive impairment. We tested whether the association between chronic solvent exposure and cognition varied by educational attainment, a proxy for cognitive reserve. Methods: Data were drawn from a prospective cohort of French national gas and electricity (GAZEL) employees (n = 4,134). Lifetime exposure to 4 solvent types (chlorinated solvents, petroleum solvents, benzene, and nonbenzene aromatic solvents) was assessed using a validated job-exposure matrix. Education was dichotomized at less than secondary school or below. Cognitive impairment was defined as scoring below the 25th percentile on the Digit Symbol Substitution Test at mean age 59 (SD 2.8; 88% of participants were retired at testing). Log-binomial regression was used to model risk ratios (RRs) for poor cognition as predicted by solvent exposure, stratified by education and adjusted for sociodemographic and behavioral factors. Results: Solvent exposure rates were higher among less-educated patients. Within this group, there was a dose-response relationship between lifetime exposure to each solvent type and RR for poor cognition (e.g., for high exposure to benzene, RR = 1.24, 95% confidence interval 1.09–1.41), with significant linear trends (p < 0.05) in 3 out of 4 solvent types. Recency of solvent exposure also predicted worse cognition among less-educated patients. Among those with secondary education or higher, there was no significant or near-significant relationship between any quantification of solvent exposure and cognition. Conclusions: Solvent exposure is associated with poor cognition only among less-educated individuals. Higher cognitive reserve in the more-educated group may explain this finding. PMID:22641403

Screening an elderly hearing impaired population for mild cognitive impairment using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).

PubMed

Lim, Magdalene Yeok Leng; Loo, Jenny Hooi Yin

2018-07-01

To determine if there is an association between hearing loss and poorer cognitive scores on Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and to determine if poor hearing acuity affects scoring on the cognitive screening tests of MMSE and MoCA. One hundred fourteen elderly patients (Singapore residents) aged between 55 and 86 years were sampled. Participants completed a brief history questionnaire, pure tone audiometry, and 2 cognitive screening tests-the MMSE and MoCA. Average hearing thresholds of the better ear in the frequencies of 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz were used for data analysis. Hearing loss was significantly associated with poorer cognitive scores in Poisson regression models adjusted for age. Mini-Mental State Examination scores were shown to decrease by 2.8% (P = .029), and MoCA scores by 3.5% (P = .013) for every 10 dB of hearing loss. Analysis of hearing-sensitive components of "Registration" and "Recall" in MMSE and MoCA using chi-square tests showed significantly poorer performance in the hearing loss group as compared to the normal hearing group. Phonetic analysis of target words with high error rates shows that the poor performance was likely contributed by decreased hearing acuity, on top of a possible true deficit in cognition in the hearing impaired. Hearing loss is associated with poorer cognitive scores on MMSE and MoCA, and cognitive scoring is likely confounded by poor hearing ability. This highlights an important, often overlooked aspect of sensory impairment during cognitive screening. Provisions should be made when testing for cognition in the hearing-impaired population to avoid over-referral and subsequent misdiagnoses of cognitive impairment. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

[Lack of insight in schizophrenia: a review].

PubMed

Raffard, S; Bayard, S; Capdevielle, D; Garcia, F; Boulenger, J-P; Gely-Nargeot, M-C

2008-10-01

Relative to other psychiatric disorders, patients with schizophrenia are often unaware of the consequences of their disease and their need for treatment. These deficits in awareness referred in general in the English literature as "poor insight", have been the focus of many clinical studies over recent years. This phenomenon, which is considered as fundamental in clinical evaluations of schizophrenia, should be understood as a multidimensional process rather than a dichotomic phenomenon, as is presently the case. The links between insight deficits and responses to vocational rehabilitation efforts represent a major interest in research, including those related to medication compliance and clinical outcome. To conduct such studies, various evaluation tools have been developed, enabling the assessment of insight, of its time-course and of its components in psychosis and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The Scale to Assess Unawareness of illness in Mental Disorders (SUMD) developed by Amador and Strauss appears to be the most frequently used scale for the evaluation of awareness of the disorder in schizophrenia. Although the model proposed by Amador and Strauss is considered as the privileged model in the multidimensional approach of insight, it corresponds only to a phenomenological analysis of this concept. In the second part of this article, we thus review the current models attempting to explain the lack of insight in schizophrenia. Four current explanatory models of lack of insight will be described as follows: resulting either from adaptation or defence mechanisms to environmental stressors, resulting from cognitive bias of data processing, resulting from neuropsychological functional deficits and resulting from metacognitive deficits. Several hypotheses concerning these deficits arise from clinical studies. Although coping, and defence mechanisms to the consequences and stigmatization of the disease were hardly studied, the fact that poor insight does not appear related to the severity of symptomatology or to the emotional state of the patients argue against this hypothesis. Conversely, a considerable body of literature emphasized how unawareness may result from cognitive deficits. Research in neuropsychology and cognitive psychology has provided consistent results concerning the link between deficit in executive functions, frontal lobe dysfunction and poor insight. Recent studies on bias in cognitive information treatment and social cognition theories currently open new prospects.

Parents’ Education, Mothers’ Vocabulary, and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood: Longitudinal Evidence From Ecuador

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Objectives. I estimated the association between parents’ education, mothers’ vocabulary, and early child cognitive development in a sample of poor children in rural Ecuador. Methods. I used regression analysis to estimate the association between parents’ education, mothers’ vocabulary, and the vocabulary, memory, and visual integration skills of children at early ages, controlling for possible confounders. The study is based on a longitudinal cohort of children in rural Ecuador (n = 2118). Results. The schooling and vocabulary levels of mothers were strong predictors of the cognitive development of young children. Household wealth and child's height, weight, and hemoglobin levels explained only a modest fraction of the observed associations. The vocabulary levels of mothers and children were more strongly correlated among older children in the sample, suggesting that the effects of a richer maternal vocabulary are cumulative. Conclusions. Differences in children's cognitive outcomes start very early, which has important implications for the intergenerational transmission of poverty and inequality. Programs that seek to increase early stimulation for disadvantaged children, perhaps through parenting programs or high-quality center-based care, hold promise. PMID:22021308

Childhood Obesity and Cognitive Achievement.

PubMed

Black, Nicole; Johnston, David W; Peeters, Anna

2015-09-01

Obese children tend to perform worse academically than normal-weight children. If poor cognitive achievement is truly a consequence of childhood obesity, this relationship has significant policy implications. Therefore, an important question is to what extent can this correlation be explained by other factors that jointly determine obesity and cognitive achievement in childhood? To answer this question, we exploit a rich longitudinal dataset of Australian children, which is linked to national assessments in math and literacy. Using a range of estimators, we find that obesity and body mass index are negatively related to cognitive achievement for boys but not girls. This effect cannot be explained by sociodemographic factors, past cognitive achievement or unobserved time-invariant characteristics and is robust to different measures of adiposity. Given the enormous importance of early human capital development for future well-being and prosperity, this negative effect for boys is concerning and warrants further investigation. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Learning a Foreign Language: A New Path to Enhancement of Cognitive Functions.

PubMed

Shoghi Javan, Sara; Ghonsooly, Behzad

2018-02-01

The complicated cognitive processes involved in natural (primary) bilingualism lead to significant cognitive development. Executive functions as a fundamental component of human cognition are deemed to be affected by language learning. To date, a large number of studies have investigated how natural (primary) bilingualism influences executive functions; however, the way acquired (secondary) bilingualism manipulates executive functions is poorly understood. To fill this gap, controlling for age, gender, IQ, and socio-economic status, the researchers compared 60 advanced learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) to 60 beginners on measures of executive functions involving Stroop, Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST) and Wechsler's digit span tasks. The results suggested that mastering English as a foreign language causes considerable enhancement in two components of executive functions, namely cognitive flexibility and working memory. However, no significant difference was observed in inhibitory control between the advanced EFL learners and beginners.

Cognitive-Processing Bias in Chinese Student Teachers with Strong and Weak Professional Identity.

PubMed

Wang, Xin-Qiang; Zhu, Jun-Cheng; Liu, Lu; Chen, Xiang-Yu

2017-01-01

Professional identity plays an important role in career development. Although many studies have examined professional identity, differences in cognitive-processing biases between Chinese student teachers with strong and weak professional identity are poorly understood. The current study adopted Tversky's social-cognitive experimental paradigm to explore cognitive-processing biases in Chinese student teachers with strong and weak professional identity. Experiment 1 showed that participants with strong professional identity exhibited stronger positive-coding bias toward positive profession-related life events, relative to that observed in those with weak professional identity. Experiment 2 showed that participants with strong professional identity exhibited greater recognition bias for previously read items, relative to that observed in those with weak professional identity. Overall, the results suggested that participants with strong professional identity exhibited greater positive cognitive-processing bias relative to that observed in those with weak professional identity.

Cognitive-Processing Bias in Chinese Student Teachers with Strong and Weak Professional Identity

PubMed Central

Wang, Xin-qiang; Zhu, Jun-cheng; Liu, Lu; Chen, Xiang-yu

2017-01-01

Professional identity plays an important role in career development. Although many studies have examined professional identity, differences in cognitive-processing biases between Chinese student teachers with strong and weak professional identity are poorly understood. The current study adopted Tversky’s social-cognitive experimental paradigm to explore cognitive-processing biases in Chinese student teachers with strong and weak professional identity. Experiment 1 showed that participants with strong professional identity exhibited stronger positive-coding bias toward positive profession-related life events, relative to that observed in those with weak professional identity. Experiment 2 showed that participants with strong professional identity exhibited greater recognition bias for previously read items, relative to that observed in those with weak professional identity. Overall, the results suggested that participants with strong professional identity exhibited greater positive cognitive-processing bias relative to that observed in those with weak professional identity. PMID:28555123

Multimodal imaging of the self-regulating developing brain.

PubMed

Fjell, Anders M; Walhovd, Kristine Beate; Brown, Timothy T; Kuperman, Joshua M; Chung, Yoonho; Hagler, Donald J; Venkatraman, Vijay; Roddey, J Cooper; Erhart, Matthew; McCabe, Connor; Akshoomoff, Natacha; Amaral, David G; Bloss, Cinnamon S; Libiger, Ondrej; Darst, Burcu F; Schork, Nicholas J; Casey, B J; Chang, Linda; Ernst, Thomas M; Gruen, Jeffrey R; Kaufmann, Walter E; Kenet, Tal; Frazier, Jean; Murray, Sarah S; Sowell, Elizabeth R; van Zijl, Peter; Mostofsky, Stewart; Jernigan, Terry L; Dale, Anders M

2012-11-27

Self-regulation refers to the ability to control behavior, cognition, and emotions, and self-regulation failure is related to a range of neuropsychiatric problems. It is poorly understood how structural maturation of the brain brings about the gradual improvement in self-regulation during childhood. In a large-scale multicenter effort, 735 children (4-21 y) underwent structural MRI for quantification of cortical thickness and surface area and diffusion tensor imaging for quantification of the quality of major fiber connections. Brain development was related to a standardized measure of cognitive control (the flanker task from the National Institutes of Health Toolbox), a critical component of self-regulation. Ability to inhibit responses and impose cognitive control increased rapidly during preteen years. Surface area of the anterior cingulate cortex accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in cognitive performance. This finding is intriguing, because characteristics of the anterior cingulum are shown to be related to impulse, attention, and executive problems in neurodevelopmental disorders, indicating a neural foundation for self-regulation abilities along a continuum from normality to pathology. The relationship was strongest in the younger children. Properties of large-fiber connections added to the picture by explaining additional variance in cognitive control. Although cognitive control was related to surface area of the anterior cingulate independently of basic processes of mental speed, the relationship between white matter quality and cognitive control could be fully accounted for by speed. The results underscore the need for integration of different aspects of brain maturation to understand the foundations of cognitive development.

Cognitive development after traumatic brain injury in young children

PubMed Central

GERRARD-MORRIS, AIMEE; TAYLOR, H. GERRY; YEATES, KEITH OWEN; WALZ, NICOLAY CHERTKOFF; STANCIN, TERRY; MINICH, NORI; WADE, SHARI L.

2014-01-01

The primary aims of this study were to examine post-injury cognitive development in young children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to investigate the role of the proximal family environment in predicting cognitive outcomes. Age at injury was 3–6 years, and TBI was classified as severe (n = 23), moderate (n = 21), and complicated mild (n = 43). A comparison group of children who sustained orthopedic injuries (OI, n = 117) was also recruited. Child cognitive assessments were administered at a post-acute baseline evaluation and repeated at 6, 12, and 18 months post-injury. Assessment of the family environment consisted of baseline measures of learning support and stimulation in the home and of parenting characteristics observed during videotaped parent–child interactions. Relative to the OI group, children with severe TBI group had generalized cognitive deficiencies and those with less severe TBI had weaknesses in visual memory and executive function. Although deficits persisted or emerged across follow-up, more optimal family environments were associated with higher scores for all injury groups. The findings confirm other reports of poor recovery of cognitive skills following early childhood TBI and suggest environmental influences on outcomes. PMID:19849883

Diet quality and cognitive function in an urban sample: findings from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (HANDLS) study.

PubMed

Wright, Regina S; Waldstein, Shari R; Kuczmarski, Marie Fanelli; Pohlig, Ryan T; Gerassimakis, Constance S; Gaynor, Beatrice; Evans, Michele K; Zonderman, Alan B

2017-01-01

Poor diet quality contributes to morbidity, including poor brain health outcomes such as cognitive decline and dementia. African Americans and individuals living in poverty may be at greater risk for cognitive decrements from poor diet quality. Cross-sectional. Baltimore, MD, USA. Participants were 2090 African Americans and Whites (57 % female, mean age=47·9 years) who completed two 24 h dietary recalls. We examined cognitive performance and potential interactions of diet quality with race and poverty status using baseline data from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (HANDLS) study. Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010) scores were calculated and interpreted using federal guidelines. A neurocognitive test battery was administered to evaluate cognitive function over several domains. Linear regression analyses showed that lower HEI-2010 scores were associated with poorer verbal learning and memory (P<0·05) after adjustment for covariates. Diet quality within the sample was poor. Significant interactions of HEI-2010 and poverty status (all P<0·05) indicated that higher diet quality was associated with higher performance on tests of attention and cognitive flexibility, visuospatial ability and perceptual speed among those below the poverty line. No significant race interactions emerged. Higher diet quality was associated with better performance on two measures of verbal learning and memory, irrespective of race and poverty status. Findings suggest that diet quality and cognitive function are likely related at the population level. Future research is needed to determine whether the association is clinically significant.

Cognitive functioning in bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria (BPP): clinical and radiological correlations.

PubMed

Jansen, An C; Leonard, Gabriel; Bastos, Alexandre C; Esposito-Festen, Josée E; Tampieri, Donatella; Watkins, Kate; Andermann, Frederick; Andermann, Eva

2005-05-01

Bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria (BPP) is a malformation of cortical development, frequently associated with severe dysarthria or anarthria. BPP patients are therefore often labeled as severely retarded, but a detailed neuropsychological profile has not been reported to date. In a series of 14 patients, we demonstrated that only a minority had extremely low intelligence, and that some aspects of cognitive function correlated with the extent of the cortical disorganization. Early age at seizure onset correlated positively with Performance IQ scores (P<0.05) and negatively with the extent of the lesion (P<0.01), reflecting that patients with more severe BPP are more likely to have early seizure onset, resulting in greater interference with ongoing cognitive development. Receptive and expressive language skills were found to be equally poor. Frontal lobe function and memory abilities were relatively well preserved, suggesting that the observed cognitive profiles were related, at least in part, to specific areas of cortical dysfunction and not only to global dysfunction.

Nutrition Programs for Children. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Urbana, IL.

Despite recognition of the importance of good nutrition for children's cognitive development, many children in America are poorly nourished. This digest reviews programs designed to address this problem and suggests ways to improve child nutrition and school meal programs. Federal programs administered by the Food and Nutrition Service of the…

Memory and Neuropsychology in Down Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jarrold, Christopher; Nadel, Lynn; Vicari, Stefano

2009-01-01

This paper outlines the strengths and weaknesses in both short-term and long-term memory in Down syndrome, and the implications of these patterns for both other aspects of cognitive development and underlying neural pathology. There is clear evidence that Down syndrome is associated with particularly poor verbal short-term memory performance, and…

Performance of a cognitive load inventory during simulated handoffs: Evidence for validity.

PubMed

Young, John Q; Boscardin, Christy K; van Dijk, Savannah M; Abdullah, Ruqayyah; Irby, David M; Sewell, Justin L; Ten Cate, Olle; O'Sullivan, Patricia S

2016-01-01

Advancing patient safety during handoffs remains a public health priority. The application of cognitive load theory offers promise, but is currently limited by the inability to measure cognitive load types. To develop and collect validity evidence for a revised self-report inventory that measures cognitive load types during a handoff. Based on prior published work, input from experts in cognitive load theory and handoffs, and a think-aloud exercise with residents, a revised Cognitive Load Inventory for Handoffs was developed. The Cognitive Load Inventory for Handoffs has items for intrinsic, extraneous, and germane load. Students who were second- and sixth-year students recruited from a Dutch medical school participated in four simulated handoffs (two simple and two complex cases). At the end of each handoff, study participants completed the Cognitive Load Inventory for Handoffs, Paas' Cognitive Load Scale, and one global rating item for intrinsic load, extraneous load, and germane load, respectively. Factor and correlational analyses were performed to collect evidence for validity. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded a single factor that combined intrinsic and germane loads. The extraneous load items performed poorly and were removed from the model. The score from the combined intrinsic and germane load items associated, as predicted by cognitive load theory, with a commonly used measure of overall cognitive load (Pearson's r = 0.83, p < 0.001), case complexity (beta = 0.74, p < 0.001), level of experience (beta = -0.96, p < 0.001), and handoff accuracy (r = -0.34, p < 0.001). These results offer encouragement that intrinsic load during handoffs may be measured via a self-report measure. Additional work is required to develop an adequate measure of extraneous load.

[Early childhood development and risk factors in rural China: a cohort study].

PubMed

Cui, Y; Gao, J Q; Yue, A; Tang, L; Luo, R F; Scott, Rozelle

2018-02-02

Objective: To investigate the development status and risk factors of infants and toddlers in rural China. Methods: In this cohort study, 603 infants (6-12 months of age, Phase Ⅰ) in the rural areas of QinLing-Bashan (Qin-Ba) in Shaanxi were recruited in the control group that received no intervention from April 2013 to October 2015. Three follow-up visits were performed every six months (Phase Ⅱ(12-18 months of age), Phase Ⅲ (18-24 months of age) and Phase Ⅳ(24-30 months of age)). In all the 4 phases (Ⅰ-Ⅳ), general data of the children and the families were collected by questionnaires, early childhood growth and development were assessed by door to door visits, children's hemoglobin levels were determined by laboratory tests, and the cognitive and motor development screening was conducted by the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development. Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors affecting the development of infants and toddlers in rural areas and the data were analyzed in terms of risk factors from infants, guardians and family. Results: Phase Ⅱ, Phase Ⅲ and Phase Ⅳ survey recruited 497, 483 and 486 participants respectively. The incidences of cognitive impairment (mental development scores<80) in rural areas of southern Shaanxi were 13.4% (81/603) in Phase Ⅰ(6-12 months), 20.1%(100/497) in PhaseⅡ(12-18 months), 42.9% (207/483) in Phase Ⅲ(18-24 months) and 50.4%(245/486) in Phase Ⅳ(24-30 months) respectively, which showed a significant increase with age (χ(2)=233.40, P< 0.01); the incidences of psychomotor impairment (psychomotor development scores<80) of Phase Ⅰ, Phase Ⅱ, Phase Ⅲ and Phase Ⅳ were 25.0% (151/603), 26.8% (133/497), 8.3% (40/483) and 11.9% (58/486), which showed a significant decrease with age (χ(2)=87.08, P< 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the leading risk factor of the cognitive development of 24-30-month-old children was the mothers' poor education background (≤9 years of school education) ( OR= 2.56, P< 0.01), and the main risk factors affecting psychomotor development were the mothers' poor education background (≤9 years of school education) ( OR= 2.64, P< 0.05) and growth retardation ( OR= 2.95, P= 0.07). Conclusions: The early childhood development (especially cognitive development) in the rural areas of Qin-Ba in Shaanxi of China is not optimistic. More attention should be paid to the early childhood development in rural China, especially to the development of children from the mothers with poor education background.

Early-life conditions and older adult health in low- and middle-income countries: a review

PubMed Central

McEniry, M.

2012-01-01

Population aging and subsequent projected large increases in chronic conditions will be important health concerns in low- and middle-income countries. Although evidence is accumulating, little is known regarding the impact of poor early-life conditions on older adult (50 years and older) health in these settings. A systematic review of 1141 empirical studies was conducted to identify population-based and community studies in low- and middle-income countries, which examined associations between early-life conditions and older adult health. The resulting review of 20 studies revealed strong associations between (1) in utero/early infancy exposures (independent of other early life and adult conditions) and adult heart disease and diabetes; (2) poor nutrition during childhood and difficulties in adult cognition and diabetes; (3) specific childhood illnesses such as rheumatic fever and malaria and adult heart disease and mortality; (4) poor childhood health and adult functionality/disability and chronic diseases; (5) poor childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and adult mortality, functionality/disability and cognition; and (6) parental survival during childhood and adult functionality/disability and cognition. In several instances, associations remained strong even after controlling for adult SES and lifestyle. Although exact mechanisms cannot be identified, these studies reinforce to some extent the importance of early-life environment on health at older ages. Given the paucity of cohort data from the developing world to examine hypotheses of early-life conditions and older adult health, population-based studies are relevant in providing a broad perspective on the origins of adult health. PMID:23316272

Psychosocial functioning in first-episode psychosis and associations with neurocognition, social cognition, psychotic and affective symptoms.

PubMed

Stouten, Luyken H; Veling, Wim; Laan, Winfried; van der Helm, Mischa; van der Gaag, Mark

2017-02-01

Most studies on the determinants of psychosocial functioning in first-episode psychosis used few predictors. This study examines the effects of multiple cognitive domains and multiple symptoms on psychosocial functioning. A total of 162 patients with a first-episode psychosis were assessed within 3 months after referral to an early psychosis treatment department. Four psychopathological subdomains (positive and negative symptoms, depression and anxiety) and five subdomains of psychosocial functioning (work/study, relationships, self-care, disturbing behaviour and general psychosocial functioning) were measured. Neurocognitive and social cognitive factors were identified through principal component analyses (PCA) of a 15-measure cognitive battery. Stepwise backward regression models were computed to identify the determinants of psychosocial functioning. The three neurocognitive and four social cognitive factors identified through PCA were largely independent of psychopathology. The strongest associations were between cognitive factors and anxiety. Higher levels of negative symptoms, poor general neurocognition and poor general social cognition showed strongest associations with impaired psychosocial functioning, followed by low verbal processing speed and low emotion processing speed. Together, these factors accounted for 39.4% of the variance in psychosocial functioning. The results suggest that negative symptoms, impaired neurocognition and poor social cognition are related to psychosocial problems in patients with first-episode psychosis. None of the affective or positive symptoms had a marked impact on psychosocial functioning. © 2015 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Cognitive insight in psychosis: the relationship between self-certainty and self-reflection dimensions and neuropsychological measures.

PubMed

Cooke, Michael A; Peters, Emmanuelle R; Fannon, Dominic; Aasen, Ingrid; Kuipers, Elizabeth; Kumari, Veena

2010-07-30

Cognitive insight in schizophrenia encompasses the evaluation and reinterpretation of distorted beliefs and appraisals. We investigated the neuropsychological basis of cognitive insight in psychosis. It was predicted that, like clinical insight, cognitive insight would be associated with a wide range of neuropsychological functions, but would be most strongly associated with measures of executive function. Sixty-five outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were assessed on tests of intelligence quotient (IQ), executive function, verbal fluency, attention and memory, and completed the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale, which includes two subscales, self-certainty and self-reflection. Higher self-certainty scores reflect greater certainty about being right and more resistant to correction (poor insight), while higher self-reflection scores indicate the expression of introspection and the willingness to acknowledge fallibility (good insight). The self-certainty dimension of poor cognitive insight was significantly associated with lower scores on the Behavioural Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome; this relationship was not mediated by IQ. There were no relationships between self-reflection and any neuropsychological measures. We conclude that greater self-certainty (poor cognitive insight) is modestly associated with poorer executive function in psychotic individuals; self-reflection has no association with executive function. The self-certainty and self-reflection dimensions of cognitive insight have differential correlates, and probably different mechanisms, in psychosis. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language skills and nonverbal cognitive processes associated with reading comprehension in deaf children.

PubMed

Daza, María Teresa; Phillips-Silver, Jessica; Ruiz-Cuadra, María del Mar; López-López, Francisco

2014-12-01

The main aim of this study was to examine the relationship between language skills (vocabulary knowledge and phonological awareness), nonverbal cognitive processes (attention, memory and executive functions) and reading comprehension in deaf children. Participants were thirty prelingually deaf children (10.7 ± 1.6 years old; 18 boys, 12 girls), who were classified as either good readers or poor readers by their scores on two reading comprehension tasks. The children were administered a rhyme judgment task and seven computerized neuropsychological tasks specifically designed and adapted for deaf children to evaluate vocabulary knowledge, attention, memory and executive functions in deaf children. A correlational approach was also used to assess the association between variables. Although the two groups did not show differences in phonological awareness, good readers showed better vocabulary and performed significantly better than poor readers on attention, memory and executive functions measures. Significant correlations were found between better scores in reading comprehension and better scores on tasks of vocabulary and non-verbal cognitive processes. The results suggest that in deaf children, vocabulary knowledge and nonverbal cognitive processes such as selective attention, visuo-spatial memory, abstract reasoning and sequential processing may be especially relevant for the development of reading comprehension. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Contribution of Childhood Parental Rejection and Early Androgen Exposure to Impairments in Socio-Cognitive Skills in Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators with High Alcohol Consumption

PubMed Central

Romero-Martínez, Ángel; Lila, Marisol; Catalá-Miñana, Alba; Williams, Ryan K.; Moya-Albiol, Luis

2013-01-01

Alcohol consumption, a larger history of childhood parental rejection, and high prenatal androgen exposure have been linked with facilitation and high risk of recidivism in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators. Participants were distributed into two groups according to their alcohol consumption scores as high (HA) and low (LA). HA presented a higher history of childhood parental rejection, prenatal masculinization (smaller 2D:4D ratio), and violence-related scores than LA IPV perpetrators. Nonetheless, the former showed poor socio-cognitive skills performance (cognitive flexibility, emotional recognition and cognitive empathy). Particularly in HA IPV perpetrators, the history of childhood parental rejection was associated with high hostile sexism and low cognitive empathy. Moreover, a masculinized 2D:4D ratio was associated with high anger expression and low cognitive empathy. Parental rejection during childhood and early androgen exposure are relevant factors for the development of violence and the lack of adequate empathy in adulthood. Furthermore, alcohol abuse plays a key role in the development of socio-cognitive impairments and in the proneness to violence and its recidivism. These findings contribute to new coadjutant violence intervention programs, focused on the rehabilitation of basic executive functions and emotional decoding processes and on the treatment of alcohol dependence. PMID:23965927

The contribution of childhood parental rejection and early androgen exposure to impairments in socio-cognitive skills in intimate partner violence perpetrators with high alcohol consumption.

PubMed

Romero-Martínez, Ángel; Lila, Marisol; Catalá-Miñana, Alba; Williams, Ryan K; Moya-Albiol, Luis

2013-08-20

Alcohol consumption, a larger history of childhood parental rejection, and high prenatal androgen exposure have been linked with facilitation and high risk of recidivism in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators. Participants were distributed into two groups according to their alcohol consumption scores as high (HA) and low (LA). HA presented a higher history of childhood parental rejection, prenatal masculinization (smaller 2D:4D ratio), and violence-related scores than LA IPV perpetrators. Nonetheless, the former showed poor socio-cognitive skills performance (cognitive flexibility, emotional recognition and cognitive empathy). Particularly in HA IPV perpetrators, the history of childhood parental rejection was associated with high hostile sexism and low cognitive empathy. Moreover, a masculinized 2D:4D ratio was associated with high anger expression and low cognitive empathy. Parental rejection during childhood and early androgen exposure are relevant factors for the development of violence and the lack of adequate empathy in adulthood. Furthermore, alcohol abuse plays a key role in the development of socio-cognitive impairments and in the proneness to violence and its recidivism. These findings contribute to new coadjutant violence intervention programs, focused on the rehabilitation of basic executive functions and emotional decoding processes and on the treatment of alcohol dependence.

Work stressors, perseverative cognition and objective sleep quality: a longitudinal study among Dutch Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) Pilots.

PubMed

Radstaak, Mirjam; Geurts, Sabine A E; Beckers, Debby G J; Brosschot, Jos F; Kompier, Michiel A J

2014-01-01

This longitudinal study examined the associations between work stressors, perseverative cognition and subjective and objective sleep quality. We hypothesized work stressors to be associated with (i) poor nocturnal sleep quality and (ii) higher levels of perseverative cognition during a free evening. We further hypothesized (iii) perseverative cognition to be associated with poor nocturnal sleep quality and (iv) the association between work stressors and sleep quality to be mediated by perseverative cognition. The participants were 24 pilots working for the Dutch Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS). They completed six questionnaires: at the end of three consecutive day shifts and each morning following the shifts. The questionnaires addressed work stressors (workload, distressing shifts and work-related conflicts), subjective sleep quality and perseverative cognition. Participants wore actigraphs to assess sleep onset latency, total sleep time and number of awakenings. Correlation analysis revealed that (i) distressing shifts were related to delayed sleep onset (r=0.50, p=0.026) and that workload was related to impaired sleep quality (e.g., subjective sleep quality: r=-0.42, p=0.044). Moreover, (ii) distressing shifts were positively related to perseverative cognition (r=0.62, p=0.002), (iii) perseverative cognition delayed sleep onset (r=0.74, p<0.001) and (iv) mediated the association between distressing shifts and sleep onset latency. Perseverative cognition may be an explanatory mechanism in the association between work stressors and poor sleep.

Declarative memory deficits and schizophrenia: problems and prospects.

PubMed

Stone, William S; Hsi, Xiaolu

2011-11-01

Cognitive deficits are among the most important factors leading to poor functional outcomes in schizophrenia, with deficits in declarative memory among the largest and most robust of these. Thus far, attempts to enhance cognition in schizophrenia have shown only modest success, which underlies increasing efforts to develop effective treatment strategies. This review is divided into three main parts. The first section delineates the nature and extent of the deficits in both patients with schizophrenia and in their adult, non-psychotic relatives. The second part focuses on structural and functional abnormalities in the hippocampus, both in people with schizophrenia and in animal studies that model relevant features of the illness. The third section views problems in declarative memory and hippocampal function from the perspective of elevated rates of common medical disorders in schizophrenia, with a focus on insulin insensitivity/diabetes. The likelihood that poor glucose regulation/availability contribute to declarative memory deficits and hippocampal abnormalities is considered, along with the possibility that schizophrenia and poor glucose regulation share common etiologic elements, and with clinical implications of this perspective for enhancing declarative memory. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Early Childhood Developmental Status in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: National, Regional, and Global Prevalence Estimates Using Predictive Modeling.

PubMed

McCoy, Dana Charles; Peet, Evan D; Ezzati, Majid; Danaei, Goodarz; Black, Maureen M; Sudfeld, Christopher R; Fawzi, Wafaie; Fink, Günther

2016-06-01

The development of cognitive and socioemotional skills early in life influences later health and well-being. Existing estimates of unmet developmental potential in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are based on either measures of physical growth or proxy measures such as poverty. In this paper we aim to directly estimate the number of children in LMICs who would be reported by their caregivers to show low cognitive and/or socioemotional development. The present paper uses Early Childhood Development Index (ECDI) data collected between 2005 and 2015 from 99,222 3- and 4-y-old children living in 35 LMICs as part of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) and Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) programs. First, we estimate the prevalence of low cognitive and/or socioemotional ECDI scores within our MICS/DHS sample. Next, we test a series of ordinary least squares regression models predicting low ECDI scores across our MICS/DHS sample countries based on country-level data from the Human Development Index (HDI) and the Nutrition Impact Model Study. We use cross-validation to select the model with the best predictive validity. We then apply this model to all LMICs to generate country-level estimates of the prevalence of low ECDI scores globally, as well as confidence intervals around these estimates. In the pooled MICS and DHS sample, 14.6% of children had low ECDI scores in the cognitive domain, 26.2% had low socioemotional scores, and 36.8% performed poorly in either or both domains. Country-level prevalence of low cognitive and/or socioemotional scores on the ECDI was best represented by a model using the HDI as a predictor. Applying this model to all LMICs, we estimate that 80.8 million children ages 3 and 4 y (95% CI 48.1 million, 113.6 million) in LMICs experienced low cognitive and/or socioemotional development in 2010, with the largest number of affected children in sub-Saharan Africa (29.4.1 million; 43.8% of children ages 3 and 4 y), followed by South Asia (27.7 million; 37.7%) and the East Asia and Pacific region (15.1 million; 25.9%). Positive associations were found between low development scores and stunting, poverty, male sex, rural residence, and lack of cognitive stimulation. Additional research using more detailed developmental assessments across a larger number of LMICs is needed to address the limitations of the present study. The number of children globally failing to reach their developmental potential remains large. Additional research is needed to identify the specific causes of poor developmental outcomes in diverse settings, as well as potential context-specific interventions that might promote children's early cognitive and socioemotional well-being.

Subjective complaints of cognitive symptoms are related to psychometric findings of memory deficits in patients with HIV-1 infection.

PubMed

Poutiainen, E; Elovaara, I

1996-05-01

Eighty-five subjects at various stages of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infection and 39 seronegative controls underwent neurological and neuropsychological evaluation to assess the relationship between cognitive test results and subjective complaints (cognitive, affective, motor, and other). The effect of psychiatric disorders on the association between cognitive performance and complaints of the patients was also examined. Patients with symptomatic infection had higher frequency of complaints than subjects at asymptomatic stage. Detailed neuropsychological examination confirmed a strong association between poor verbal memory and cognitive complaints. Poor performance on cognitive speed and flexibility was associated with motor complaints and motor abnormalities. These associations were not explained by psychiatric disorders or elevated depression questionnaire scores. Our observations indicate that, especially in symptomatic HIV-1 infection cognitive changes reported by patients often reflect "objective" cognitive decline, and may be the earliest signs of HIV-1 associated cognitive disorder. No direct relationship was observed between "subjective" complaints and neuropsychological performance of asymptomatic subjects. Understanding the significance of reported cognitive changes have important therapeutic implications.

The Effects of Poor Sleep Quality on Cognitive Function of Patients with Cirrhosis

PubMed Central

Stewart, Charmaine A.; Auger, Robert; Enders, Felicity T. B.; Felmlee-Devine, Donna; Smith, Glenn E.

2014-01-01

Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the ill-defined relationship between sleep quality and multiple, specific domains of cognitive function in patients with cirrhosis. Methods: A comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests (divided into six neurocognitive domains) and a standardized, validated measure of sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]) were administered to patients with cirrhosis and without evidence of overt hepatic encephalopathy, recruited from liver transplant and advanced liver disease clinics (n = 34). An inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) control group (n = 23) was similarly recruited and evaluated to control for the secondary effect of a chronic illness on cognition. PSQI global and component scores were used to predict cognitive function in each neurocognitive domain, using linear regression Results: Global PSQI scores were significantly higher (indicating poorer sleep quality) in the cirrhosis group (median [range] = 10 [1-19]) than in IBD controls = 5 (1-14); p = 0.002). After controlling for age and education, short duration of sleep was associated with impaired memory for patients with cirrhosis; the use of soporific agents was associated with poor visual-perceptual function in patients with IBD. Conclusions: Poor sleep was associated with worsening of the already impaired cognitive function of patients with cirrhosis. Citation: Stewart CA; Auger R; Enders FTB; Felmlee-Devine D; Smith GE. The effects of poor sleep quality on cognitive function of patients with cirrhosis. J Clin Sleep Med 2014;10(1):21-26. PMID:24426816

Reliability and validity of play-based assessments of motor and cognitive skills for infants and young children: a systematic review.

PubMed

O'Grady, Michael G; Dusing, Stacey C

2015-01-01

Play is vital for development. Infants and children learn through play. Traditional standardized developmental tests measure whether a child performs individual skills within controlled environments. Play-based assessments can measure skill performance during natural, child-driven play. The purpose of this study was to systematically review reliability, validity, and responsiveness of all play-based assessments that quantify motor and cognitive skills in children from birth to 36 months of age. Studies were identified from a literature search using PubMed, ERIC, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases and the reference lists of included papers. Included studies investigated reliability, validity, or responsiveness of play-based assessments that measured motor and cognitive skills for children to 36 months of age. Two reviewers independently screened 40 studies for eligibility and inclusion. The reviewers independently extracted reliability, validity, and responsiveness data. They examined measurement properties and methodological quality of the included studies. Four current play-based assessment tools were identified in 8 included studies. Each play-based assessment tool measured motor and cognitive skills in a different way during play. Interrater reliability correlations ranged from .86 to .98 for motor development and from .23 to .90 for cognitive development. Test-retest reliability correlations ranged from .88 to .95 for motor development and from .45 to .91 for cognitive development. Structural validity correlations ranged from .62 to .90 for motor development and from .42 to .93 for cognitive development. One study assessed responsiveness to change in motor development. Most studies had small and poorly described samples. Lack of transparency in data management and statistical analysis was common. Play-based assessments have potential to be reliable and valid tools to assess cognitive and motor skills, but higher-quality research is needed. Psychometric properties should be considered for each play-based assessment before it is used in clinical and research practice. © 2015 American Physical Therapy Association.

Effect of Mastery Learning on Senior Secondary School Students' Cognitive Learning Outcome in Quantitative Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitee, Telimoye Leesi; Obaitan, Georgina N.

2015-01-01

The cognitive learning outcome of Senior Secondary School chemistry students has been poor over the years in Nigeria. Poor mathematical skills and inefficient teaching methods have been identified as some of the major reasons for this. Bloom's theory of school learning and philosophy of mastery learning assert that virtually all students are…

Social attribution processes and comorbid psychiatric symptoms in children with Asperger syndrome

PubMed Central

Meyer, Jessica A.; Mundy, Peter C.; Van Hecke, Amy Vaughan; Durocher, Jennifer Stella

2009-01-01

The factors that place children with Asperger syndrome at risk for comorbid psychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, remain poorly understood. We investigated the possibility that the children’s emotional and behavioral difficulties are associated with social information and attribution processing. Participants were children with either Asperger syndrome (n = 31) or typical development (n = 33).To assess social information and attribution processing, children responded to hypothetical social vignettes.They also completed self-report measures of social difficulties and psychological functioning. Their parents provided information on social competence and clinical presentation. Children with Asperger syndrome showed poor psychosocial adjustment, which was related to their social information and attribution processing patterns. Cognitive and social-cognitive abilities were associated with aspects of social information processing tendencies, but not with emotional and behavioral difficulties. Results suggest that the comorbid symptoms of children with Asperger syndrome may be associated with their social perception, understanding, and experience. PMID:16908481

The cognitive treatment components and therapies of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia: A systematic review.

PubMed

Jansson-Fröjmark, Markus; Norell-Clarke, Annika

2018-06-07

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, there has been an increased focus on developing and testing cognitive components and therapies for insomnia disorder. The aim of the current review was thus to describe and review the efficacy of cognitive components and therapies for insomnia. A systematic review was conducted on 32 studies (N = 1455 subjects) identified through database searches. Criteria for inclusion required that each study constituted a report of outcome from a cognitive component or therapy, that the study had a group protocol, adult participants with diagnosed insomnia or undiagnosed insomnia symptoms or reported poor sleep, and that the study was published until and including 2016 in English. Each study was systematically reviewed with a standard coding sheet. Several cognitive components, a multi-component cognitive program, and cognitive therapy were identified. It is concluded that there is support for paradoxical intention and cognitive therapy. There are also other cognitive interventions that appears promising, such as cognitive refocusing and behavioral experiments. For most interventions, the study quality was rated as low to moderate. We conclude that several cognitive treatment components and therapies can be viewed as efficacious or promising interventions for patients with insomnia disorder. Methodologically stronger studies are, however, warranted. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Association between glycemic load and cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults: Results from the Brain in Motion study.

PubMed

Garber, Anna; Csizmadi, Ilona; Friedenreich, Christine M; Sajobi, Tolulope T; Longman, Richard S; Tyndall, Amanda V; Drogos, Lauren L; Davenport, Margie H; Poulin, Marc J

2017-07-17

Impaired glucose tolerance is a risk factor for non-age-related cognitive decline and is also associated with measures of physical activity (PA) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). A low glycemic load (GL) diet can aid in the management of blood glucose levels, but little is known about its effect on cognition with poor glucoregulation. We assessed the relation between GL and cognitive function by glucoregulation and possible mediatory effects by CRF and PA in older adults from the Brain in Motion Study. A cross-sectional analysis of 194 cognitively healthy adults aged ≥55 years (mean = 65.7, SD = 6.1) was conducted. GL was assessed using a quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and glucoregulation was characterized on the HOMA-IR index. Subjects also completed a cognitive assessment, CRF testing, a validated self-reported PA questionnaire, and a blood draw. Multiple linear regression models adjusted for significant covariates were used to evaluate the relation between GL and cognition, and mediation by CRF and PA was also assessed. GL was inversely associated with global cognition (β = -0.014; 95% CI -0.024, -0.004) and figural memory (β = -0.035; 95% CI -0.052, -0.018) in subjects with poor glucoregulation. Neither CRF nor PA mediated these relations. In subjects with good glucoregulation, no association was found between GL and cognitive function (p > 0.05). A low GL diet is associated with better cognitive function in older adults with poor glucoregulation. This study provides supportive evidence for the role of GL in maintaining better cognitive function during the aging process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

Social outcome related to cognitive performance and computed tomographic findings after surgery for a ruptured intracranial aneurysm.

PubMed

Vilkki, J; Holst, P; Ohman, J; Servo, A; Heiskanen, O

1990-04-01

A series of 83 patients was examined with a battery of cognitive tests, a clinical interview, and computed tomography 1 year after surgery for a ruptured intracranial aneurysm. Disability on the Glasgow Outcome Scale (33%), failure to return to work (25%), impaired social relations (25%), and subjective or clinical mental impairment (56%) were found to be related to each other and to poor performance on cognitive tests, especially to verbal impairments in patients with left lateral infarctions and to memory deficits and cognitive inflexibility in patients with frontal medial infarctions. Furthermore, cognitive deficits and poor outcome were associated with diffuse brain damage. Depression and anxiety were unrelated to test performances, but were frequently reported by patients with right lateral infarctions.

Heterogeneity in development of aspects of working memory predicts longitudinal attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptom change.

PubMed

Karalunas, Sarah L; Gustafsson, Hanna C; Dieckmann, Nathan F; Tipsord, Jessica; Mitchell, Suzanne H; Nigg, Joel T

2017-08-01

The role of cognitive mechanisms in the clinical course of neurodevelopmental disorders is poorly understood. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is emblematic in that numerous alterations in cognitive development are apparent, yet how they relate to changes in symptom expression with age is unclear. To resolve the role of cognitive mechanisms in ADHD, a developmental perspective that takes into account expected within-group heterogeneity is needed. The current study uses an accelerated longitudinal design and latent trajectory growth mixture models in a sample of children ages 7-13 years carefully characterized as with (n = 437) and without (n = 297) ADHD to (a) identify heterogeneous developmental trajectories for response inhibition, visual spatial working memory maintenance, and delayed reward discounting and (b) to assess the relationships between these cognitive trajectories and ADHD symptom change. Best-fitting models indicated multiple trajectory classes in both the ADHD and typically developing samples, as well as distinct relationships between each cognitive process and ADHD symptom change. Developmental change in response inhibition and delayed reward discounting were unrelated to ADHD symptom change, while individual differences in the rate of visual spatial working memory maintenance improvement predicted symptom remission in ADHD. Characterizing heterogeneity in cognitive development will be crucial for clarifying mechanisms of symptom persistence and recovery. Results here suggest working memory maintenance may be uniquely related to ADHD symptom improvement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Low Birth Weight and Cognitive Outcomes: Evidence for a Gradient Relationship in an Urban, Poor, African American Birth Cohort

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dombrowski, Stefan C.; Noonan, Kelly; Martin, Roy P.

2007-01-01

This study is one of the first to investigate the relationship between low birth weight and cognitive outcomes in an urban, poor, prospectively designed African-American birth cohort. Multivariate analyses of the Pathways to Adulthood study, a subset of the Johns Hopkins Collaborative Perinatal study, compared low birth weight African-American…

Relationship between individual differences in speech processing and cognitive functions.

PubMed

Ou, Jinghua; Law, Sam-Po; Fung, Roxana

2015-12-01

A growing body of research has suggested that cognitive abilities may play a role in individual differences in speech processing. The present study took advantage of a widespread linguistic phenomenon of sound change to systematically assess the relationships between speech processing and various components of attention and working memory in the auditory and visual modalities among typically developed Cantonese-speaking individuals. The individual variations in speech processing are captured in an ongoing sound change-tone merging in Hong Kong Cantonese, in which typically developed native speakers are reported to lose the distinctions between some tonal contrasts in perception and/or production. Three groups of participants were recruited, with a first group of good perception and production, a second group of good perception but poor production, and a third group of good production but poor perception. Our findings revealed that modality-independent abilities of attentional switching/control and working memory might contribute to individual differences in patterns of speech perception and production as well as discrimination latencies among typically developed speakers. The findings not only have the potential to generalize to speech processing in other languages, but also broaden our understanding of the omnipresent phenomenon of language change in all languages.

Exploratory analysis of social cognition and neurocognition in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis.

PubMed

Yong, Emma; Barbato, Mariapaola; Penn, David L; Keefe, Richard S E; Woods, Scott W; Perkins, Diana O; Addington, Jean

2014-08-15

Neurocognition and social cognition are separate but related constructs known to be impaired in schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to extend the current knowledge of the relationship between social cognition and neurocognition in individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) of developing psychosis by examining, in a large sample, the associations between a wide range of neurocognitive tasks and social cognition. Participants included 136 young people at CHR. Specific domains within neurocognition and social cognition were compared using Spearman correlations. Results showed that poor theory of mind correlated with low ratings on a wide range of neurocognitive tasks. Facial affect was more often associated with low ratings on spatial working memory and attention. These results support a link between neurocognition and social cognition even at this early stage of potential psychosis, with indication that poorer performance on social cognition may be associated with deficits in attention and working memory. Understanding these early associations may have implications for early intervention. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Number-specific and general cognitive markers of preschoolers' math ability profiles.

PubMed

Gray, Sarah A; Reeve, Robert A

2016-07-01

Different number-specific and general cognitive markers have been claimed to underlie preschoolers' math ability. It is unclear, however, whether similar/different cognitive markers, or combinations of them, are associated with different patterns of emerging math abilities (i.e., different patterns of strength and weakness). To examine this question, 103 preschoolers (40-60 months of age) completed six math tasks (count sequence, object counting, give a number, naming numbers, ordinal relations, and arithmetic), three number-specific markers of math ability (dot enumeration, magnitude comparison, and spontaneous focusing on numerosity), and four general markers (working memory, response inhibition, attention, and vocabulary). A three-step latent profile modeling procedure identified five math ability profiles that differed in their patterns of math strengths and weaknesses; specifically, the profiles were characterized by (a) excellent math ability on all math tasks, (b) good arithmetic ability, (c) good math ability but relatively poor count sequence recitation ability, (d) average ability on all math tasks, and (e) poor ability on all math tasks. After controlling for age, only dot enumeration and spontaneous focusing on numerosity were associated with the math ability profiles, whereas vocabulary was also marginally significant, and these markers were differentially associated with different profiles; that is, different cognitive markers were associated with different patterns of strengths and weaknesses in math abilities. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the development of math cognition. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Correlates of children's cognitive skills in an Agrarian community with mixed crop-livestock production systems, Ghinchi, central Ethiopia.

PubMed

Ketema, Lemma; Abate, Gugsa; Jabar, Mohammed

2003-04-01

A cross-sectional survey was carried out in Ghinchi farming community, central Ethiopia during October and November 2001 to assess the level of association between children's nutritional status, families' socio-economic gradient, and degree of maternal attention and cognitive development. Ninety children were enrolled in the study, and assessment for cognitive performance was carried out using Bailey Infant Development Scale II. A pilot tested questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-economic status, mothers' care behavior, sanitary conditions of households and feeding pattern, and anthropometry of children. Chronic malnutrition expressed as height for age < -2Z-score of standard was prevalent beginning from the second birthday. Poor cognitive performance was comparatively common in the age group where chronic malnutrition is proportionately prevalent. Logistic regression analysis for variables that demonstrated significant association in correlation study revealed height for age, household possession of consumable durables, maternal care time, type and frequency of feeding and birth order of the child to be significant determinants for cognitive performance of children. Findings implicate a need for comprehensive approach, which incorporates, programs in nutrition, environmental sanitation, family planning, and strategies to reduce maternal workload, to ensure adequate physical and mental development of children.

A Measure of Staff Burnout among Health Professionals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, John W.

Staff burnout among health professionals refers to a syndrome of physical and emotional exhaustion involving the development of negative job attitudes, a poor professional self-concept, and a loss of empathic concern for clients. The Staff Burnout Scale for Health Professionals (SBS-HP) is a 20-item inventory assessing cognitive, affective,…

The Multiple Subfunctions of Attention: Differential Developmental Gateways to Literacy and Numeracy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steele, Ann; Karmiloff-Smith, Annette; Cornish, Kim; Scerif, Gaia

2012-01-01

Attention is construed as multicomponential, but the roles of its distinct subfunctions in shaping the broader developing cognitive landscape are poorly understood. The current study assessed 3- to 6-year-olds (N = 83) to: (a) trace developmental trajectories of attentional processes and their structure in early childhood and (b) measure the…

Treating an HIV/AIDS Patient's PTSD and Medication Nonadherence with Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: A Principle-Based Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chernoff, Robert A.

2007-01-01

HIV/AIDS patients with medication adherence problems are vulnerable to developing drug resistance, immune system degradation, and opportunistic infections. Poor adherence to antiretroviral medication regimens can be aggravated by psychiatric problems, including depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. This article presents the case study of a…

Metacognition, Motivation, and Emotions: Contribution of Self-Regulated Learning to Solving Mathematical Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tzohar-Rozen, Meirav; Kramarski, Bracha

2014-01-01

Mathematical problem solving is one of the most valuable aspects of mathematics education. It is also the most difficult for elementary-school students (Verschaffel, Greer, & De Corte, 2000). Students experience cognitive and metacognitive difficulties in this area and develop negative emotions and poor motivation, which hamper their efforts…

Redefining the Repertoire of Reluctant Readers at the Secondary School Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstead, Major, Jr.

An inservice program designed to assist teachers to develop instructional strategies for high school students with poor cognitive skills is described in this paper. The discussion focuses on the employment of a "prima-facie analysis technique" designed to give the teacher and student immediate feedback about the student's reading behavior, to…

The association of lifetime insight and cognition in psychosis.

PubMed

Sánchez-Torres, Ana M; Zarzuela, Amalia; Peralta, Victor; Cuesta, Manuel J

2015-03-01

Poor insight has been related to poor course in psychosis. However, the role of cognition in insight remains unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of cognition and lifetime psychopathological dimensions on insight in psychosis. We followed up 42 patients with psychotic disorders over 10years. Lifetime psychopathological dimensions and cognitive performance were assessed. Patients were divided into two groups by lifetime patterns of insight and compared with 42 healthy volunteers. Lower IQ and poorer social cognition were associated with higher risks of poorer lifetime insight of feeling ill and global insight respectively. Lifetime negative symptoms were associated with a higher risk of poorer lifetime insight into symptoms. Lifetime lack of insight is independent of cognitive impairment in specific domains, except for social cognition. Higher IQ may contribute to better lifetime awareness of illness, while better ability to manage emotions is involved in lifetime global insight. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Longitudinal associations of social cognition and substance use in childhood and early adolescence: findings from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.

PubMed

Fluharty, Meg E; Heron, Jon; Munafò, Marcus R

2018-06-01

Substance use is associated with impaired social cognition. Experimental studies have shown that acute intoxication of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis decreases the performance in non-verbal, social communication and theory of mind tasks. However, in epidemiological studies the temporal direction of this association has gone relatively unstudied. We investigated both directions of association within an adolescent birth cohort: the association of social cognition with subsequent substance use, and the association of early substance use with subsequent social cognition. We used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a UK birth cohort. Logistic regression indicated that poor childhood non-verbal communication was associated with decreased odds of adolescent alcohol (OR 0.70, 95% 0.54-0.91), tobacco (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.47-0.83), and cannabis use (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.46-0.83). Early adolescent substance use was associated with increased odds of poor social communication (alcohol: OR 1.46, 95% CI 0.99-2.14; tobacco: OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.33-2.86) and poor social reciprocity (alcohol: OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.18-2.09; tobacco: OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.43-2.58; cannabis: OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.16-2.05). Overall, the relationship between social cognition and substance use was different in each temporal direction. Poor non-verbal communication in childhood appeared protective against later substance use, while adolescent substance use was associated with decreased social cognitive performance.

Self-reflection and set-shifting mediate awareness in cognitively preserved schizophrenia patients.

PubMed

Gilleen, James; David, Anthony; Greenwood, Kathryn

2016-05-01

Poor insight in schizophrenia has been linked to poor cognitive functioning, psychological processes such as denial, or more recently with impaired metacognitive capacity. Few studies, however, have investigated the potential co-dependency of multiple factors in determining level of insight, but such a model is necessary in order to account for patients with good cognitive functioning who have very poor awareness. As evidence suggests that set-shifting and cognitive insight (self-reflection (SR) and self-certainty) are strong predictors of awareness we proposed that these factors are key mediators in the relationship between cognition and awareness. We hypothesised that deficits specifically in SR and set-shifting determine level of awareness in the context of good cognition. Thirty schizophrenia patients were stratified by high and low awareness of illness and executive functioning scores. Cognitive insight, cognition, mood and symptom measures were compared between sub-groups. A low insight/high executive functioning (LI-HE) group, a high insight/high executive functioning (HI-HE) group and a low insight/low executive functioning (LI-LE) group were revealed. As anticipated, the LI-HE patients showed significantly lower capacity for SR and set-shifting than the HI-HE patients. This study indicates that good cognitive functioning is necessary but not sufficient for good awareness; good awareness specifically demands preserved capacity to self-reflect and shift-set. Results support Nelson and Narens' [1990. Metamemory: A theoretical framework and new findings. The Psychology of Learning and Motivation, 26, 125-173] model of metacognition by which awareness is founded on control (set-shifting) and monitoring (SR) processes. These specific factors could be targeted to improve insight in patients with otherwise unimpaired cognitive function.

A Community-Based Study of Sleep and Cognitive Development in Infants and Toddlers.

PubMed

Sun, Wanqi; Li, Shirley Xin; Jiang, Yanrui; Xu, Xiaojuan; Spruyt, Karen; Zhu, Qi; Tseng, Chia-Huei; Jiang, Fan

2018-06-15

To examine the prevalence and correlates of nighttime awakenings and to explore the association between sleep and cognitive development in a community sample of infants and toddlers. A total of 590 healthy infants (aged 2-11 months) and 512 toddlers (aged 12-30 months) from 8 provinces of China were assessed for their sleep and cognitive development. Data on sleep duration and nighttime awakenings were collected through the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire. Cognitive development was assessed by trained pediatricians using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. Prevalence of no nighttime awakening, and nighttime awakening(s) for 1×/night, 2×/night, and ≥ 3×/night was 6.8%, 20.2%, 33.2%, and 39.3% in infants, and was 25.8%, 34.6%, 23.8%, and 15.8% in toddlers, respectively. Nighttime awakenings were generally associated with younger age, lower maternal education level, and being currently breastfed. In addition, nighttime awakenings were associated with being boys in toddlers. After controlling for potential confounders, infants with nighttime awakenings for 2×/night were found to have significantly higher Mental Development Index (MDI) score, as compared to those without and those with more frequent nighttime awakenings. However, toddlers with nighttime awakenings for ≥ 3×/night had significantly lower MDI, as compared to those with fewer nighttime awakenings. Total sleep duration was not associated with any developmental indices in both infants and toddlers. Frequent nighttime awakenings are associated with poor cognitive functions in toddlers. Meanwhile, a nonlinear association between nighttime awakenings and cognitive performance was found among infants. The findings provide a developmental context for the effect of sleep on cognitive abilities in young children. Further longitudinal studies and interventional studies on the effects of parent-based sleep-focused intervention on cognitive abilities among young children are warranted. © 2018 American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Can integrating the Memory Support Intervention into cognitive therapy improve depression outcome? Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Harvey, Allison G; Dong, Lu; Lee, Jason Y; Gumport, Nicole B; Hollon, Steven D; Rabe-Hesketh, Sophia; Hein, Kerrie; Haman, Kirsten; McNamara, Mary E; Weaver, Claire; Martinez, Armando; Notsu, Haruka; Zieve, Garret; Armstrong, Courtney C

2017-11-14

The Memory Support Intervention was developed in response to evidence showing that: (1) patient memory for treatment is poor, (2) poor memory for treatment is associated with poorer adherence and poorer outcome, (3) the impact of memory impairment can be minimized by the use of memory support strategies and (4) improved memory for treatment improves outcome. The aim of this study protocol is to conduct a confirmatory efficacy trial to test whether the Memory Support Intervention improves illness course and functional outcomes. As a "platform" for the next step in investigating this approach, we focus on major depressive disorder (MDD) and cognitive therapy (CT). Adults with MDD (n = 178, including 20% for potential attrition) will be randomly allocated to CT + Memory Support or CT-as-usual and will be assessed at baseline, post treatment and at 6 and 12 months' follow-up (6FU and 12FU). We will compare the effects of CT + Memory Support vs. CT-as-usual to determine if the new intervention improves the course of illness and reduces functional impairment (aim 1). We will determine if patient memory for treatment mediates the relationship between treatment condition and outcome (aim 2). We will evaluate if previously reported poor treatment response subgroups moderate target engagement (aim 3). The Memory Support Intervention has been developed to be "transdiagnostic" (relevant to a broad range of mental disorders) and "pantreatment" (relevant to a broad range of types of treatment). This study protocol describes a "next step" in the treatment development process by testing the Memory Support Intervention for major depressive disorder (MDD) and cognitive therapy (CT). If the results are promising, future directions will test the applicability to other kinds of interventions and disorders and in other settings. ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT01790919 . Registered on 6 October 2016.

Correlates of Canadian Native Children's Reading Performance: From Cognitive Styles to Cognitive Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Das, J. P.; Janzen, Troy; Georgiou, George K.

2007-01-01

Individual differences in reading and cognitive processing among a sample of generally poor readers were studied in order to answer two major questions: Do they have a specific cognitive style that favors global-simultaneous strategies and a weak sequential strategy? If they do not have a distinct cognitive style or strategy, but are merely poor…

How Do Clinical Information Systems Affect the Cognitive Demands of General Practitioners?: Usability Study with a Focus on Cognitive Workload.

PubMed

Ariza, Ferran; Kalra, Dipak; Potts, Henry Ww

2015-11-20

Clinical information systems in the National Health Service do not need to conform to any explicit usability requirements. Poor usability can increase the mental workload experienced by clinicians and cause fatigue, increase error rates and impact the overall patient safety. Mental workload can be used as a measure of usability. To assess the subjective cognitive workload experienced by general practitioners (GPs) with their systems. To raise awareness of the importance of usability in system design among users, designers, developers and policymakers. We used a modified version of the NASA Task Load Index, adapted for web. We developed a set of common clinical scenarios and computer tasks on an online survey. We emailed the study link to 199 clinical commissioning groups and 1,646 GP practices in England. Sixty-seven responders completed the survey. The respondents had spent an average of 17 years in general practice, had experience of using a mean of 1.5 GP computer systems and had used their current system for a mean time of 6.7 years. The mental workload score was not different among systems. There were significant differences among the task scores, but these differences were not specific to particular systems. The overall score and task scores were related to the length of experience with their present system. Four tasks imposed a higher mental workload on GPs: 'repeat prescribing', 'find episode', 'drug management' and 'overview records'. Further usability studies on GP systems should focus on these tasks. Users, policymakers, designers and developers should remain aware of the importance of usability in system design.What does this study add?• Current GP systems in England do not need to conform to explicit usability requirements. Poor usability can increase the mental workload of clinicians and lead to errors.• Some clinical computer tasks incur more cognitive workload than others and should be considered carefully during the design of a system.• GPs did not report overall very high levels of subjective cognitive workload when undertaking common clinical tasks with their systems.• Further usability studies on GP systems should focus on the tasks incurring higher cognitive workload.• Users, policymakers, and designers and developers should remain aware of the importance of usability in system design.

Stunting, poor iron status and parasite infection are significant risk factors for lower cognitive performance in Cambodian school-aged children.

PubMed

Perignon, Marlene; Fiorentino, Marion; Kuong, Khov; Burja, Kurt; Parker, Megan; Sisokhom, Sek; Chamnan, Chhoun; Berger, Jacques; Wieringa, Frank T

2014-01-01

Nutrition is one of many factors affecting the cognitive development of children. In Cambodia, 55% of children <5 y were anemic and 40% stunted in 2010. Currently, no data exists on the nutritional status of Cambodian school-aged children, or on how malnutrition potentially affects their cognitive development. To assess the anthropometric and micronutrient status (iron, vitamin A, zinc, iodine) of Cambodian schoolchildren and their associations with cognitive performance. School children aged 6-16 y (n = 2443) from 20 primary schools in Cambodia were recruited. Anthropometry, hemoglobin, serum ferritin, transferrin receptors, retinol-binding protein and zinc concentrations, inflammation status, urinary iodine concentration and parasite infection were measured. Socio-economic data were collected in a sub-group of children (n = 616). Cognitive performance was assessed using Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM) and block design and picture completion, two standardized tests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III). The prevalence of anemia, iron, zinc, iodine and vitamin A deficiency were 15.7%; 51.2%, 92.8%, 17.3% and 0.7% respectively. The prevalence of stunting was 40.0%, including 10.9% of severe stunting. Stunted children scored significantly lower than non-stunted children on all tests. In RCPM test, boys with iron-deficiency anemia had lower scores than boys with normal iron status (-1.46, p<0.05). In picture completion test, children with normal iron status tended to score higher than iron-deficient children with anemia (-0.81; p = 0.067) or without anemia (-0.49; p = 0.064). Parasite infection was associated with an increase in risk of scoring below the median value in block design test (OR = 1.62; p<0.05), and with lower scores in other tests, for girls only (both p<0.05). Poor cognitive performance of Cambodian school-children was multifactorial and significantly associated with long-term (stunting) and current nutritional status indicators (iron status), as well as parasite infection. A life-cycle approach with programs to improve nutrition in early life and at school-age could contribute to optimal cognitive performance.

A Truth that's Told with Bad Intent: An ERP Study of Deception

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carrion, Ricardo E.; Keenan, Julian P.; Sebanz, Natalie

2010-01-01

Human social cognition critically relies on the ability to deceive others. However, the cognitive and neural underpinnings of deception are still poorly understood. Why does lying place increased demands on cognitive control? The present study investigated whether cognitive control processes during deception are recruited due to the need to…

Cognitive insight in schizophrenia patients and their biological parents: a pilot study.

PubMed

Raffard, Stéphane; Bortolon, Catherine; Macgregor, Alexandra; Norton, Joanna; Boulenger, Jean-Philippe; El Haj, Mohamad; Capdevielle, Delphine

2014-11-01

Clinical insight in schizophrenia patients is partly associated with familial environment but has been poorly studied to date. We aimed to explore (1) the relationship between parents' cognitive insight and their offspring's; (2) the relationship between parents' cognitive insight and their clinical insight into the disease of their offspring; and (3) the clinical and cognitive determinants of cognitive insight in parents. Cognitive insight was assessed in 37 patient-biological parent pairs/dyads with the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS). Other measures included the Scale to assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder and cognitive assessments. We found no significant association between parents' cognitive insight and their offspring's. Conversely, a positive association between parents' cognitive insight and parents' insight into their offspring's symptoms was found. Better awareness of their offspring's specific symptoms was associated with lower levels of overconfidence in one's beliefs and with BCIS total score. BCIS Self-Certainty and BCIS total score were associated with better executive functioning and verbal comprehension. Better insight into their offspring's symptoms is associated with cognitive insight in biological parents of schizophrenia patients. Our results support the integration of cognitive intervention targeting parents' cognitive flexibility in family psychoeducational programs and provide an important first step towards developing a more refined understanding of the factors involved in insight into symptoms of illness in parents of schizophrenia patients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cognitive enhancement as a pharmacotherapy target for stimulant addiction.

PubMed

Sofuoglu, Mehmet

2010-01-01

No medications have been proven to be effective for cocaine and methamphetamine addiction. Attenuation of drug reward has been the main strategy for medications development, but this approach has not led to effective treatments. Thus, there is a need to identify novel treatment targets in addition to the brain reward system. To propose a novel treatment strategy for stimulant addiction that will focus on medications enhancing cognitive function and attenuating drug reward. Pre-clinical and clinical literature on potential use of cognitive enhancers for stimulant addiction pharmacotherapy was reviewed. Cocaine and methamphetamine users show significant cognitive impairments, especially in attention, working memory and response inhibition functions. The cognitive impairments seem to be predictive of poor treatment retention and outcome. Medications targeting acetylcholine and norepinephrine are particularly well suited for enhancing cognitive function in stimulant users. Many cholinergic and noradrenergic medications are on the market and have a good safety profile and low abuse potential. These include galantamine, donepezil and rivastigmine (cholinesterase inhibitors), varenicline (partial nicotine agonist), guanfacine (alpha(2)-adrenergic agonist) and atomoxetine (norepinephrine transporter inhibitor). Future clinical studies designed optimally to measure cognitive function as well as drug use behavior would be needed to test the efficacy of these cognitive enhancers for stimulant addiction.

Short-term effect of back school based on cognitive behavioral therapy involving multidisciplinary collaboration.

PubMed

Motoya, Ryo; Otani, Koji; Nikaido, Takuya; Ono, Yoko; Matsumoto, Takatomo; Yamagishi, Ryohei; Yabuki, Shoji; Konno, Shin-Ichi; Niwa, Shin-Ichi; Yabe, Hirooki

2017-08-09

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive back school program that included elements of CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), implement this through multidisciplinary collaboration, and ascertain its effectiveness as a pilot study. DesignThis school was implemented in the form of five 90-minute group sessions held every other week.MethodsParticipants comprised 7 chronic low back pain patients with poor improvement in the usual treatment. Practitioners were orthopaedic surgeon, physical therapist, and a clinical psychologist. This school contents were patient education, self-monitoring, back exercise, relaxation, stress management, cognitive restructuring, activity pacing, and exposure. ResultsFrom the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, each score of four scales or items (sense of control, PCS (pain catastrophizing), PASS-20 (escape/avoidance), FFD (finger-floor distance)) after this program significantly improved. Results of calculating the effect size, sense of control (d=0.55) is 'moderate', the PCS (d=1.12) and the PASS-20 (d=1.64) were 'large'.ConclusionsThis back school may be useful for physical function and psychological variables which much related to pain management and daily disabilities in patients with poor respond to standard orthopaedic treatment.

Neurocognition, presence and acceptance of a VR programme for psychotic patients: a correlational study.

PubMed

Rus-Calafell, Mar; Gutiérrez-Maldonado, José; Ribas-Sabaté, Joan

2013-01-01

Patients with psychosis exhibit a wide range of cognitive deficits which are associated with poor functioning and poor outcomes in psychosocial interventions. Recently, virtual reality (VR) has been demonstrated to be a useful tool for treatment and rehabilitation of these patients. We have developed and applied an integrated VR programme to improve social skills in people with schizophrenia: the Soskitrain. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the relationship between patients' cognitive deficits, their sense of presence and their ratings of the programme's acceptability. Twelve clinically stabilized outpatients with a well-established diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder underwent neuropsychological assessment prior to treatment, while after the intervention they completed a questionnaire about their sense of presence and the acceptability of the VR programme. Post-treatment results revealed a high sense of presence among patients, as well as good verisimilitude and high acceptance of the virtual environments. In addition, there were significant negative correlations between sense of presence and deficits in both delayed verbal learning and processing speed. The paper discusses the implications of cognitive impairment for the experience and acceptance of VR when treating psychotic patients.

Parents of children with dyslexia: cognitive, emotional and behavioural profile.

PubMed

Bonifacci, Paola; Montuschi, Martina; Lami, Laura; Snowling, Margaret J

2014-05-01

Within a dimensional view of reading disorders, it is important to understand the role of environmental factors in determining individual differences in literacy outcome. In the present study, we compared a group of 40 parents of children with dyslexia (PDys) with a group of 40 parents of typically developing children. The two parent groups did not differ in socioeconomic status or nonverbal IQ. Participants were assessed on cognitive (IQ, digit span) and literacy (reading fluency and accuracy) tasks, phonological awareness and verbal fluency measures. Questionnaires addressed reading history, parental distress, family functioning, anxiety and depression. The PDys group performed worse in all literacy measures and more frequently reported a history of poor reading; they also showed more parental distress. There were no differences between the two groups in depression or family functioning and no differences between mothers and fathers. Findings indicate that PDys show a cognitive profile consistent with the broader phenotype of dyslexia (i.e. reading impairment and poor phonological awareness), whereas, considering the emotional profile, the impact of dyslexia on the family system is limited to parental distress associated with the perception of having a child with specific needs. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Characterizing associations and dissociations between anxiety, social, and cognitive phenotypes of Williams syndrome

PubMed Central

Ng, Rowena; Järvinen, Anna; Bellugi, Ursula

2014-01-01

Williams syndrome (WS) is a neurogenetic disorder known for its “hypersocial” phenotype and a complex profile of anxieties. The anxieties are poorly understood specifically in relation to the social-emotional and cognitive profiles. To address this gap, we employed a Wechsler intelligence test, the Brief Symptom Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Salk Institute Sociability Questionnaire, to (1) examine how anxiety symptoms distinguish individuals with WS from typically developing (TD) individuals; and (2) assess the associations between three key phenotypic features of WS: intellectual impairment, social-emotional functioning, and anxiety. The results highlighted intensified neurophysiological symptoms and subjective experiences of anxiety in WS. Moreover, whereas higher cognitive ability was positively associated with anxiety in WS, the opposite pattern characterized the TD individuals. This study provides novel insight into how the three core phenotypic features associate/dissociate in WS, specifically in terms of the contribution of cognitive and emotional functioning to anxiety symptoms. PMID:24973548

Identification of Heterogeneous Cognitive Subgroups in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Latent Class Analysis of the Einstein Aging Study.

PubMed

Zammit, Andrea R; Hall, Charles B; Lipton, Richard B; Katz, Mindy J; Muniz-Terrera, Graciela

2018-05-01

The aim of this study was to identify natural subgroups of older adults based on cognitive performance, and to establish each subgroup's characteristics based on demographic factors, physical function, psychosocial well-being, and comorbidity. We applied latent class (LC) modeling to identify subgroups in baseline assessments of 1345 Einstein Aging Study (EAS) participants free of dementia. The EAS is a community-dwelling cohort study of 70+ year-old adults living in the Bronx, NY. We used 10 neurocognitive tests and 3 covariates (age, sex, education) to identify latent subgroups. We used goodness-of-fit statistics to identify the optimal class solution and assess model adequacy. We also validated our model using two-fold split-half cross-validation. The sample had a mean age of 78.0 (SD=5.4) and a mean of 13.6 years of education (SD=3.5). A 9-class solution based on cognitive performance at baseline was the best-fitting model. We characterized the 9 identified classes as (i) disadvantaged, (ii) poor language, (iii) poor episodic memory and fluency, (iv) poor processing speed and executive function, (v) low average, (vi) high average, (vii) average, (viii) poor executive and poor working memory, (ix) elite. The cross validation indicated stable class assignment with the exception of the average and high average classes. LC modeling in a community sample of older adults revealed 9 cognitive subgroups. Assignment of subgroups was reliable and associated with external validators. Future work will test the predictive validity of these groups for outcomes such as Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia and death, as well as markers of biological pathways that contribute to cognitive decline. (JINS, 2018, 24, 511-523).

Maternal education, anthropometric markers of malnutrition and cognitive function (ELSA-Brasil).

PubMed

Araújo, Larissa Fortunato; Giatti, Luana; Chor, Dora; Passos, Valéria Maria Azeredo; Barreto, Sandhi Maria

2014-07-02

The early exposure to poor social and nutritional conditions may influence cognitive function during adult age. However, the relative impact of these factors has not yet been established and they can vary during the course of life. Analysis of data from 12,997 participants (35-64 years) of the baseline exams (2008-2010) of the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil), a cohort of Brazilian civil servants. Four cognitive tests were applied: learning, recall and word recognition; semantic and phonemic verbal fluency; trail-making test version B. The markers of early nutritional and social conditions were maternal educational level, birth weight, and length of trunk and leg. The presence of independent association between every early marker and the poor performance in each cognitive test was investigated by multiple logistic regression, after mutual adjustment and considering the effects of gender, age and participant's schooling level. The cut off for poor performance was the worst age-specific percentile of the final score distribution for each test. After full adjustments, lower maternal education increased the chances of poor performance in all cognitive tests, with a dose-response gradient; low birth-weight was related to poor performance in the trail-making test B (OR = 1.63, 95% IC = 1.29-2.06); and greater trunk length decreased the chances of poor performance in the semantic and phonemic verbal fluency (OR = 0.96, 95% IC = 0.94-0.97) and in the trail-making test B (OR = 0.94, 95% IC = 0.92-0.95). Leg length was not associated with any of the tests examined. The associations found were not modified by the educational attainment of the participants. Early exposure to adverse social and nutritional conditions appear detrimental to semantic memory, learning, concentration, executive control and language among adults, independent of adulthood educational achievement.

Predictors of cognitive enhancement after training in preschoolers from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds

PubMed Central

Segretin, M. Soledad; Lipina, Sebastián J.; Hermida, M. Julia; Sheffield, Tiffany D.; Nelson, Jennifer M.; Espy, Kimberly A.; Colombo, Jorge A.

2014-01-01

The association between socioeconomic status and child cognitive development, and the positive impact of interventions aimed at optimizing cognitive performance, are well-documented. However, few studies have examined how specific socio-environmental factors may moderate the impact of cognitive interventions among poor children. In the present study, we examined how such factors predicted cognitive trajectories during the preschool years, in two samples of children from Argentina, who participated in two cognitive training programs (CTPs) between the years 2002 and 2005: the School Intervention Program (SIP; N = 745) and the Cognitive Training Program (CTP; N = 333). In both programs children were trained weekly for 16 weeks and tested before and after the intervention using a battery of tasks assessing several cognitive control processes (attention, inhibitory control, working memory, flexibility and planning). After applying mixed model analyses, we identified sets of socio-environmental predictors that were associated with higher levels of pre-intervention cognitive control performance and with increased improvement in cognitive control from pre- to post-intervention. Child age, housing conditions, social resources, parental occupation and family composition were associated with performance in specific cognitive domains at baseline. Housing conditions, social resources, parental occupation, family composition, maternal physical health, age, group (intervention/control) and the number of training sessions were related to improvements in specific cognitive skills from pre- to post-training. PMID:24659975

Education, Cognitive Development, and Poverty: Implications for School Finance Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BenDavid-Hadar, Iris

2014-01-01

Child poverty is a growing problem that adversely affects both future society and the poor children themselves. This paper's purpose is to investigate the intergenerational links between education and poverty. Israel serves as an interesting case study because it has exhibited an incremental trend in child poverty between 1980 and 2010 (from 5% to…

A Life Course Perspective on Child Health, Cognition and Occupational Skill Qualifications in Adulthood: Evidence from a British Cohort

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Margot I.

2010-01-01

Existing research rarely examines the social consequences of poor childhood health from a longitudinal perspective. Using data from the British National Child Development Study, I follow a cohort from before birth through middle age to examine whether children's health limitations before and during the educational process predict occupational…

Early childhood growth and cognitive outcomes: Findings from the MAL-ED study.

PubMed

Scharf, Rebecca J; Rogawski, Elizabeth T; Murray-Kolb, Laura E; Maphula, Angelina; Svensen, Erling; Tofail, Fahmida; Rasheed, Muneera; Abreu, Claudia; Vasquez, Angel Orbe; Shrestha, Rita; Pendergast, Laura; Mduma, Estomih; Koshy, Beena; Conaway, Mark R; Platts-Mills, James A; Guerrant, Richard L; DeBoer, Mark D

2018-02-02

Although many studies around the world hope to measure or improve developmental progress in children to promote community flourishing and productivity, growth is sometimes used as a surrogate because cognitive skills are more difficult to measure. Our objective was to assess how childhood measures of anthropometry correlate with measures of child development in low-income settings with high prevalence of poor nutrition and enteric disease, to inform studies considering growth outcomes in the absence of direct child developmental skill assessment. Children from the MAL-ED study were followed from birth to 24 months of age in field sites in 8 low- and middle-income countries across 3 continents. Monthly weight, length, and head circumference measurements were performed. At 24 months, the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development was administered. We correlated cognitive measures at 24 months with anthropometric measurements from birth to 2 years comparing 3 constructs: absolute attained monthly measures, summative difference in measures from the mean growth curve, and rate of change in measures. Growth faltering at multiple time periods is related to Bayley cognitive outcomes at 24 months. Birthweight, overall growth by 18-24 months, and rate of growth in the 6- to 18-month period were most associated with 24-month developmental scores. In this study, head circumference measurements, compared with length, was more closely linked to cognitive scores at 24 months. Notably, all studies between growth and cognitive outcomes exhibited low r 2 values (0.001-0.049). Anthropometric measures, particularly head circumference, were related to cognitive development, although explaining a low percent of variance. When feasible, direct measures of child development may be more useful. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Loss of white matter connections after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its relationship to social cognition.

PubMed

McDonald, Skye; Dalton, Katie I; Rushby, Jacqueline A; Landin-Romero, Ramon

2018-06-14

Adults with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) often suffer poor social cognition. Social cognition is complex, requiring verbal, non-verbal, auditory, visual and affective input and integration. While damage to focal temporal and frontal areas has been implicated in disorders of social cognition after TBI, the role of white matter pathology has not been examined. In this study 17 adults with chronic, severe TBI and 17 control participants underwent structural MRI scans and Diffusion Tensor Imaging. The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT) was used to assess their ability to understand emotional states, thoughts, intentions and conversational meaning in everyday exchanges. Track-based spatial statistics were used to perform voxelwise analysis of Fractional Anisotropy (FA) and Mean Diffusivity (MD) of white matter tracts associated with poor social cognitive performance. FA suggested a wide range of tracts were implicated in poor TASIT performance including tracts known to mediate, auditory localisation (planum temporale) communication between nonverbal and verbal processes in general (corpus callosum) and in memory in particular (fornix) as well as tracts and structures associated with semantics and verbal recall (left temporal lobe and hippocampus), multimodal processing and integration (thalamus, external capsule, cerebellum) and with social cognition (orbitofrontal cortex, frontopolar cortex, right temporal lobe). Even when controlling for non-social cognition, the corpus callosum, fornix, bilateral thalamus, right external capsule and right temporal lobe remained significant contributors to social cognitive performance. This study highlights the importance of loss of white matter connectivity in producing complex social information processing deficits after TBI.

Poor Cognitive Inhibition Predicts Rumination About Insomnia in a Clinical Sample.

PubMed

Ballesio, Andrea; Ottaviani, Cristina; Lombardo, Caterina

2018-04-20

According to the Cognitive Model of Insomnia disorder, rumination about lack of sleep and its diurnal consequences plays a crucial role in maintaining insomnia. Consolidated evidence shows that rumination is related to poor executive functions, which are cognitive control processes impacted by insomnia. Despite this evidence, no studies so far investigated the relationship between executive functions and rumination in individuals with insomnia. The aim of this pilot study was to cover this gap by investigating whether poor executive functions are associated with rumination in a sample of individuals with a diagnosis of insomnia disorder. Thirty young adults (22.67 ± 3.68 years, 73.3% females) diagnosed with insomnia disorder by clinical psychologists with expertise in behavioral sleep medicine completed the study. Measures of insomnia, depression, emotion regulation, and rumination about the daytime consequences of insomnia were collected. Executive functions were assessed using a Task Switching paradigm, measuring cognitive inhibition and set-shifting with cognitive flexibility. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that higher depression (β = 0.781, p < 0.001) and cognitive reappraisal (β = 0.329, p = 0.016), and poorer cognitive inhibition (β = -0.334, p = 0.014), significantly predicted higher rumination. Rumination about symptoms of insomnia in a clinical sample is associated with impaired inhibitory but not switching capacities above and beyond the role played by traditional predictors such as depression and emotion regulation strategies. If replicated, present preliminary results suggest the need to target cognitive inhibition deficits in insomnia treatment.

Prospective Evaluation of Pretreatment Executive Cognitive Impairment and Depression in Patients Referred for Radiotherapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fuller, Clifton D.; Graduate Division of Radiological Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX; Department of Radiation Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR

Purpose: Cancer patients are at risk of cognitive impairment and depression. We sought to ascertain the prevalence of executive, visuospatial, memory, and general cognitive performance deficits before radiotherapy in a radiation oncology clinic referral population and correlate the neurocognitive measures with the depression symptom burden. Methods and Materials: A total of 122 sequential patients referred for radiotherapy evaluation were administered a test battery composed of the Executive Interview (EXIT25), Executive Clock Drawing Task (CLOX1 and CLOX2), Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Memory Impairment Screen (MIS), and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). The mean age {+-} standard deviation was 58 {+-} 17more » years. Of 122 patients, 24 (20%) had been referred for breast cancer, 21 (17%) for gastrointestinal cancer, 17 (14%) for genitourinary disease, and 8 (7%) for brain lesions; the rest were a variety of tumor sites. The cognitive performance among the tumor cohorts was compared using Bonferroni-corrected analysis of variance and Tukey-Kramer tests. Pearson correlation coefficients were determined between each cognitive instrument and the GDS. Results: Of the 122 patients, 52 (43%) exhibited a detectable executive cognition decrement on one or more test measures. Five percent had poor memory performance (MIS), 18% had poor visuospatial performance (CLOX2), and 13% had poor global cognition (MMSE). Patients with brain tumors performed substantially worse on the EXIT25. No between-group differences were found for CLOX1, CLOX2, MIS, or GDS performance. The EXIT25 scores correlated significantly with the GDS scores (r = 0.26, p = 0.005). Conclusions: The results of this study have shown that patients referred for radiotherapy exhibit cognitive impairment profiles comparable to those observed in acutely ill medical inpatients. Executive control impairment appears more prevalent than global cognitive deficits, visuospatial impairment, or depression.« less

Neurogranin as a predictor of memory and executive function decline in MCI patients.

PubMed

Headley, Alison; De Leon-Benedetti, Andres; Dong, Chuanhui; Levin, Bonnie; Loewenstein, David; Camargo, Christian; Rundek, Tatjana; Zetterberg, Henrik; Blennow, Kaj; Wright, Clinton B; Sun, Xiaoyan

2018-03-06

To determine whether high CSF levels of neurogranin (Ng) predict longitudinal decline in memory and executive function during early-stage Alzheimer disease (AD). Baseline levels of CSF Ng were studied in relation to cross-sectional and longitudinal cognitive performance over 8 years. Data were obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database, and participants with normal cognition (n = 111) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (n = 193) were included. High levels of CSF Ng were associated with poor baseline memory scores (β = -0.21, p < 0.0001). CSF Ng predicted both memory and executive function decline over time (β = -0.0313, p = 0.0068 and β = -0.0346, p = 0.0169, respectively) independently of age, sex, education, and APOE ε4 status. When the rate of decline by tertiles was examined, CSF Ng was a level-dependent predictor of memory function, whereby the group with highest levels of Ng showed the fastest rates of decline in both memory and executive function. When examined separately, elevated Ng was associated with cognitive decline in participants with MCI but not in those with normal cognition. The levels of CSF Ng were not associated with cognitive measures when tau and amyloid 42 (Aβ 42 ) were controlled for in these analyses. High CSF Ng associates with poor memory scores in participants with MCI cross-sectionally and with poor memory and executive function longitudinally. The association of Ng with cognitive measures disappears when tau and Aβ 42 are included in the statistical models. Our findings suggest that CSF Ng may serve as a biomarker of cognition. Synaptic dysfunction contributes to cognitive impairment in early-stage AD. © 2018 American Academy of Neurology.

Physical activity and cohabitation status moderate the link between diabetes mellitus and cognitive performance in a community-dwelling elderly population in Germany

PubMed Central

Buchmann, Nikolaus; Tegeler, Christina; Steinhagen-Thiessen, Elisabeth

2017-01-01

Aims/Hypothesis The increasing number of people with dementia and cognitive impairments makes it essential to detect and prevent modifiable risk factors of dementia. This study focuses on type 2 diabetes mellitus, especially on undiagnosed cases and their increased risk of cognitive impairment. Furthermore, the potential of physical activity and social integration to moderate the relation between diabetes and cognitive impairment is assessed. Methods We used cross-sectional data from 1299 participants of the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II) aged between 60 to 84 years and performed logistic regression models to analyze the association of diabetes status, physical activity, and cohabitation status with poor cognitive performance. Cognitive performance was measured with the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD)-Plus test battery. Results Undiagnosed diabetes (odds ratio (OR) = 2.12, p = 0.031), physical inactivity (OR = 1.43, p = 0.008) and non-cohabiting (OR = 1.58, p = 0.002) were associated with an increased likelihood of poor cognitive performance. The highest odds were observed in participants who suffered from undiagnosed or insulin-dependent diabetes and, in addition, were inactive (undiagnosed diabetes: OR = 3.44, p = 0.003; insulin-dependent diabetes: OR = 6.19, p = 0.019) or lived alone (undiagnosed diabetes: OR = 4.46, p = 0.006; insulin-dependent diabetes: OR = 6.46 p = 0.052). Physical activity and cohabiting appeared to be beneficial. Conclusions/Interpretation Physical activity and cohabitation status moderate the link between diabetes mellitus and cognitive performance. Special attention should be paid to undiagnosed and insulin-dependent diabetes cases, which have a particularly high risk of poor cognitive performance. PMID:29073237

Cognitive impairment and hypertension in older adults living in extreme poverty: a cross-sectional study in Peru.

PubMed

Lazo-Porras, Maria; Ortiz-Soriano, Victor; Moscoso-Porras, Miguel; Runzer-Colmenares, Fernando M; Málaga, German; Jaime Miranda, J

2017-10-26

Previous studies have shown that hypertension is a risk factor for cognitive impairment, but whether this association is also present in extremely poor populations in Low Middle Income Countries settings remains to be studied. Understanding other drivers of cognitive impairment in this unique population also merits attention. We performed a secondary analysis using data from the "Encuesta de Salud y Bienestar del Adulto Mayor", a regional survey conducted in an extremely poor population of people older than 65 years old from 12 Peruvian cities in 2012. The outcome variable was cognitive impairment, determined by a score of ≤7 in the modified Mini-Mental State Examination. The exposure was self-reported hypertension status. Variables such as age, gender, controlled hypertension, education level, occupation, depression and area of living (rural/urban) were included in the adjusted analysis. We used Poisson regression with robust variance to calculate prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) adjusting for confounders. Data from 3842 participants was analyzed, 51.8% were older than 70 years, and 45.6% were females. The prevalence of cognitive impairment was 1.7% (95% CI 1.3%-2.1%). There was no significant difference on the prevalence of cognitive impairment between the group of individuals with hypertension in comparison with those without hypertension (PR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.33-1.23). The association described between hypertension and cognitive impairment was not found in a sample of extremely poor Peruvian older adults.

Cognitive performance after mild traumatic brain injury: the impact of poor effort on test results and its relation to distress, personality and litigation.

PubMed

Stulemeijer, Maja; Andriessen, Teuntje M J C; Brauer, Jolanda M P; Vos, Pieter E; Van Der Werf, Sieberen

2007-03-01

To compare consecutive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) patients with and without adequate effort on cognitive performance, litigation status, fatigue, distress and personality. (Neuro)psychological assessment was done 6 months post-injury in 110 patients from a cohort of 618 consecutive MTBI patients aged 18-60, who attended the emergency department of our level I trauma centre. Effort was tested with the Amsterdam Short Term Memory test. Thirty patients (27%) failed the effort test. Poor effort was associated with significantly poorer scores on seven out of eleven measures, covering all tested domains. Poor effort was associated with lower educational level and changes in work status, but not litigation. Furthermore, poor effort was related to high levels of distress, Type-D personality and fatigue. Even in a sample of non-referred MTBI patients, poor effort was common and was strongly associated with inferior test performance. These findings imply that effort testing should be part of all cognitive assessments, also outside mediolegal settings. Behavioural factors like distress and personality should be considered as potential threats to the validity of neuropsychological testing after MTBI.

The effects of vitamin B12 supplementation in pregnancy and postpartum on growth and neurodevelopment in early childhood: Study Protocol for a Randomized Placebo Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Chandyo, Ram K; Ulak, Manjeswori; Kvestad, Ingrid; Shrestha, Merina; Ranjitkar, Suman; Basnet, Sudha; Hysing, Mari; Shrestha, Laxman

2017-01-01

Introduction Vitamin B12 is crucial for normal cell division and differentiation, and necessary for the development and myelination of the central nervous system. Pregnant mothers in resource poor settings are at risk for poor vitamin B12 status. Poor vitamin B12 status in infancy is linked to poor growth and neurodevelopment. Brain development starts from conception, and pregnancy is a period of rapid growth and development for the brain. Methods and analysis The study is an individually randomised double-blind placebo controlled trial in 800 pregnant Nepalese women randomised in a 1:1 ratio. A daily dose of 50 µg of vitamin B12 or placebo is given to women from early pregnancy, not later than week 15, until 6 months after birth. Weekly visits are conducted in order to record compliance, growth and morbidity. The primary outcomes are scores on the cognitive, language and motor subscales of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition, measured at 6 and 12 months of age, and growth (length and weight) measured at 6 and 12 months of age. Ethics and dissemination National Health and Research Council, Nepal (NHRC 253/2016) and Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics of Western Norway (2016/1620/REK vest) have approved the study. Investigators who have contributed to the conceptualising, conducting, as well as being involved in the data analyses and manuscript writing will be eligible for authorship and be responsible to share outcomes with different stakeholders through publications and workshops. The results from this study may support new dietary guidelines for Nepalese and possibly South Asian pregnant women that can lead to improved pregnancy outcomes, neurodevelopment and cognitive functioning in children. Trial registration number Universal Trial Number: U1111-1183-4093. Trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03071666. Protocol date: version 1.2, 1 June 2017. PMID:28851784

Cognitive Skills and Street Activity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foley, Matthew; McGuire, Donald

1981-01-01

Discusses trends in the descriptive literature about children and the poor. Presents anecdotal material of children's spontaneous street play and analyzes cognitive skills exhibited in these situations. (Author/GC)

Factors associated with cognitive achievement in late childhood and adolescence: the Young Lives cohort study of children in Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam.

PubMed

Crookston, Benjamin T; Forste, Renata; McClellan, Christine; Georgiadis, Andreas; Heaton, Tim B

2014-10-04

There is a well-established link between various measures of socioeconomic status and the schooling achievement and cognition of children. However, less is known about how cognitive development is impacted by childhood improvements in growth, a common indicator of child nutritional status. This study examines the relationship between socioeconomic status and child growth and changes in cognitive achievement scores in adolescents from resource-poor settings. Using an observational cohort of more than 3000 children from four low- and middle-income countries, this study examines the association between cognitive achievement scores and household economic, educational, and nutritional resources to give a more accurate assessment of the influence of families on cognitive development. A composite measure of cognition when children were approximately 8, 12, and 15 years of age was constructed. Household factors included maternal schooling, wealth, and children's growth. A positive and statistically significant relationship between household factors and child cognition was found for each country. If parents have more schooling, household wealth increases, or child growth improves, then children's cognitive scores improve over time. Results for control variables are less consistent. Our findings suggest there is a consistent and strong association between parental schooling, wealth, and child growth with child cognitive achievement. Further, these findings demonstrate that a household's ability to provide adequate nutrition is as important as economic and education resources even into late childhood and adolescence. Hence, efforts to improve household resources, both early in a child's life and into adolescence, and to continue to promote child growth beyond the first few years of life have the potential to help children over the life course by improving cognition.

Unintended consequences of Helicobacter pylori infection in children in developing countries

PubMed Central

Queiroz, Dulciene MM; Rocha, Andreia MC; Crabtree, Jean E

2013-01-01

Helicobacter pylori infection is predominantly acquired early in life. The prevalence of the infection in childhood is low in developed countries, whereas in developing countries most children are infected by 10 y of age. In poor resource settings, where malnutrition, parasitic/enteropathogen and H. pylori infection co-exist in young children, H. pylori might have potentially more diverse clinical outcomes. This paper reviews the impact of childhood H. pylori infection in developing countries that should now be the urgent focus of future research. The extra-gastric manifestations in early H. pylori infection in infants in poor resource settings might be a consequence of the infection associated initial hypochlorhydria. The potential role of H. pylori infection on iron deficiency, growth impairment, diarrheal disease, malabsorption and cognitive function is discussed in this review. PMID:23988829

The Effects of Hypertension on Cognitive Function in Children and Adolescents

PubMed Central

Cha, Stephen D.; Patel, Hiren P.; Hains, David S.; Mahan, John D.

2012-01-01

Hypertension (HTN) is found in about 3-4% of the pediatric population with long-term risks of end organ damage if untreated or poorly controlled. Although children with HTN are being more frequently screened for end organ damage (i.e., LVH), the cognitive effects of HTN and methods to screen for cognitive dysfunction have not been extensively explored. In recent years, there have been a small number of studies that have provided important insights that can guide future research in this area. These studies show that HTN can be associated with headaches, restlessness, sleep disturbance, anxiety, depression, decreased attention, and also poor executive functioning. By increasing the utilization of cognitive tests in hypertensive children and adolescents, important cognitive defects secondary to HTN may be detected. More research is needed in the area, and the results of future studies could have far reaching implications for long-term outcomes in hypertensive children and adolescents. PMID:22518186

Clinical management of poor adherence to CPAP: motivational enhancement.

PubMed

Aloia, Mark S; Arnedt, J Todd; Riggs, Raine L; Hecht, Jacki; Borrelli, Belinda

2004-01-01

Adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in patients with sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) is poor. Previous studies have attempted to identify specific barriers to treatment, but none has identified the sole cause for the problem. We outline a behavioral approach to the problem of CPAP adherence that is based on the theories of the transtheoretical model and social cognitive theory. We used these theories to guide the development of an intervention based on the methods of motivational interviewing. We present our motivational enhancement therapy for CPAP (ME-CPAP) here, with some brief pilot data to show its efficacy. Finally, we outline some strengths and weaknesses of taking a behavior change approach to the problem of poor CPAP adherence.

Aversive and non-aversive memory impairment in the mucopolysaccharidosis II mouse model.

PubMed

Azambuja, Amanda Stapenhorst; Correa, Lilian; Gabiatti, Bernardo Pappi; Martins, Giselle Renata; de Oliveira Franco, Álvaro; Ribeiro, Maria Flávia Marques; Baldo, Guilherme

2018-02-01

Hunter syndrome (MPS II, OMIM 309900) is a lysosomal storage disorder due to deficient iduronate sulphatase activity. Patients present multiple cognitive alterations, and the aim of this work was to verify if MPS II mice also present some progressive cognitive alterations. For that, MPS II mice from 2 to 6 months of age were submitted to repeated open field and inhibitory avoidance tests to evaluate memory parameters. MPS II mice presented impaired memory at 6 months evaluated by open field test. They also performed poorly in the inhibitory avoidance test from 4 months. We conclude that MPS II mice develop cognitive alterations as the disease progresses. These tests can be used in the future to study the efficacy of therapeutic approaches in the central nervous system.

Multiple Pathways Linking Racism to Health Outcomes

PubMed Central

Harrell, Camara Jules P.; Burford, Tanisha I.; Cage, Brandi N.; Nelson, Travette McNair; Shearon, Sheronda; Thompson, Adrian; Green, Steven

2012-01-01

This commentary discusses advances in the conceptual understanding of racism and selected research findings in the social neurosciences. The traditional stress and coping model holds that racism constitutes a source of aversive experiences that, when perceived by the individual, eventually lead to poor health outcomes. Current evidence points to additional psychophysiological pathways linking facets of racist environments with physiological reactions that contribute to disease. The alternative pathways emphasize prenatal experiences, subcortical emotional neural circuits, conscious and preconscious emotion regulation, perseverative cognitions, and negative affective states stemming from racist cognitive schemata. Recognition of these pathways challenges change agents to use an array of cognitive and self-controlling interventions in mitigating racism’s impact. Additionally, it charges policy makers to develop strategies that eliminate deep-seated structural aspects of racism in society. PMID:22518195

Predictors of Self-care among the Elderly with Diabetes Type 2: Using Social Cognitive Theory.

PubMed

Borhaninejad, Vahidreza; Iranpour, Abedin; Shati, Mohsen; Tahami, Ahmad Naghibzadeh; Yousefzadeh, Gholamrezan; Fadayevatan, Reza

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases among the elderly and is also a very serious health problem. Adopting theory-based self-care behaviors is an effective means in managing such diseases. This study aimed to determine the predictors of diabetes self-care in the elderly in Kerman based on a social cognitive theory. In this cross-sectional study, 384 elderly diabetic patients who had referred to health screening centers in Kerman were chosen via cluster sampling. To collect information about self-care and its predictors, Toobert Glasgow's diabetes self-efficacy scale as well as a questionnaire was used which was based on social cognitive theory constructs. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and linear regression analysis in SPSS software 17. Among the subjects, 67.37% (252) had poor self-care ability; 29.14% (109) had average ability, and 3.40% (13) enjoyed a proper level of self- care ability. There was a significant relationship between the constructs of the social cognitive theory (knowledge, self- efficacy, social support, outcome expectations, outcome expectancy and self-regulation) and the self-care score. Furthermore, the mentioned constructs could predict 0.47% of the variance of the self-care behaviors. self-care behaviors in this study were poor. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an educational intervention based on cognitive theory constructs with the goal of properly managing diabetes in the elderly patients. Copyright © 2016 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: Nature and Relation to Non-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

PubMed

Lorenzo-Luaces, Lorenzo; Keefe, John R; DeRubeis, Robert J

2016-11-01

Since the introduction of Beck's cognitive theory of emotional disorders, and their treatment with psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral approaches have become the most extensively researched psychological treatment for a wide variety of disorders. Despite this, the relative contribution of cognitive to behavioral approaches to treatment are poorly understood and the mechanistic role of cognitive change in therapy is widely debated. We critically review this literature, focusing on the mechanistic role of cognitive change across cognitive and behavioral therapies for depressive and anxiety disorders. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Recommendations for Development of Botanical Polyphenols as “Natural Drugs” for Promotion of Resilience Against Stress-Induced Depression and Cognitive Impairment

PubMed Central

Ward, Libby; Pasinetti, Giulio Maria

2016-01-01

Extensive evidence has demonstrated that psychological stress has detrimental effects on psychological health, cognitive function, and ultimately well-being. While stressful events are a significant cause of psychopathology, most individuals exposed to adversity maintain normal psychological functioning. The mechanisms underlying such resilience are poorly understood, and there is an urgent need to identify and target these mechanisms to promote resilience under stressful events. Botanicals have been used throughout history to treat various medical conditions; however, the development of botanical compounds into potential preventative and therapeutic agents in studies promoting brain health is hindered by the fact that most orally consumed botanicals are extensively metabolized during absorption and/or by post-absorptive xenobiotic metabolism. Therefore, the primary objective of this review article is to provide recommendations for developing natural compounds as novel therapeutic strategies to promote resilience in susceptible subjects. The development of botanical polyphenols to ultimately attenuate mood disorders and cognitive impairment will rely on understanding (1) the absorption and bioavailability of botanical polyphenols with emphasis on flavan-3-ols, (2) the characterization of tissue specific accumulation of biologically available polyphenols and their mechanisms of action in the brain, and eventually (3) the characterization of biologically available polyphenol metabolites in mechanisms associated with the promotion of resilience against mood disorders and cognitive impairment in response to stress. We also summarize exciting new lines of investigation about the role of botanicals such as polyphenols in the promotion of cognitive and psychological resilience. This information will provide a strategical framework for the future development of botanicals as therapeutic agents to promote resilience, ultimately preventing and/or therapeutically treating cognitive impairment and psychological dysfunction. PMID:27342633

Recommendations for Development of Botanical Polyphenols as "Natural Drugs" for Promotion of Resilience Against Stress-Induced Depression and Cognitive Impairment.

PubMed

Ward, Libby; Pasinetti, Giulio Maria

2016-09-01

Extensive evidence has demonstrated that psychological stress has detrimental effects on psychological health, cognitive function, and ultimately well-being. While stressful events are a significant cause of psychopathology, most individuals exposed to adversity maintain normal psychological functioning. The mechanisms underlying such resilience are poorly understood, and there is an urgent need to identify and target these mechanisms to promote resilience under stressful events. Botanicals have been used throughout history to treat various medical conditions; however, the development of botanical compounds into potential preventative and therapeutic agents in studies promoting brain health is hindered by the fact that most orally consumed botanicals are extensively metabolized during absorption and/or by post-absorptive xenobiotic metabolism. Therefore, the primary objective of this review article is to provide recommendations for developing natural compounds as novel therapeutic strategies to promote resilience in susceptible subjects. The development of botanical polyphenols to ultimately attenuate mood disorders and cognitive impairment will rely on understanding (1) the absorption and bioavailability of botanical polyphenols with emphasis on flavan-3-ols, (2) the characterization of tissue-specific accumulation of biologically available polyphenols and their mechanisms of action in the brain, and eventually (3) the characterization of biologically available polyphenol metabolites in mechanisms associated with the promotion of resilience against mood disorders and cognitive impairment in response to stress. We also summarize exciting new lines of investigation about the role of botanicals such as polyphenols in the promotion of cognitive and psychological resilience. This information will provide a strategical framework for the future development of botanicals as therapeutic agents to promote resilience, ultimately preventing and/or therapeutically treating cognitive impairment and psychological dysfunction.

Predictors of cognitive and physical fatigue in post-acute mild-moderate traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Schiehser, Dawn M; Delano-Wood, Lisa; Jak, Amy J; Hanson, Karen L; Sorg, Scott F; Orff, Henry; Clark, Alexandra L

2017-10-01

Post-traumatic fatigue (PTF) is a common, disabling, and often chronic symptom following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Yet, the impact of chronic cognitive and physical fatigue and their associations with psychiatric, sleep, cognitive, and psychosocial sequelae in mild-moderate TBI remain poorly understood. Sixty Veterans with a history of mild-moderate TBI and 40 Veteran controls (VC) were administered the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale, a validated measure of TBI-related cognitive and physical fatigue as well as measures of neuropsychiatric, psychosocial, sleep, and objective cognitive functioning. Compared to VC, TBI Veterans endorsed significantly greater levels of cognitive and physical fatigue. In TBI, psychiatric symptoms, sleep disturbance, and post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) were associated with both cognitive and physical fatigue, while loss of consciousness (LOC) and poor attention/processing speed were related to elevations in cognitive fatigue only. In regression analyses, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and LOC significantly predicted cognitive fatigue, while only post-traumatic stress symptoms and PTA contributed to physical fatigue. Cognitive and physical fatigue are problematic symptoms following mild-moderate TBI that are differentially associated with specific injury and psychiatric sequelae. Findings provide potential symptom targets for interventions aimed at ameliorating fatigue, and further underscore the importance of assessing and treating fatigue as a multi-dimensional symptom following TBI.

Working memory and executive function decline across normal aging, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Kirova, Anna-Mariya; Bays, Rebecca B; Lagalwar, Sarita

2015-01-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease marked by deficits in episodic memory, working memory (WM), and executive function. Examples of executive dysfunction in AD include poor selective and divided attention, failed inhibition of interfering stimuli, and poor manipulation skills. Although episodic deficits during disease progression have been widely studied and are the benchmark of a probable AD diagnosis, more recent research has investigated WM and executive function decline during mild cognitive impairment (MCI), also referred to as the preclinical stage of AD. MCI is a critical period during which cognitive restructuring and neuroplasticity such as compensation still occur; therefore, cognitive therapies could have a beneficial effect on decreasing the likelihood of AD progression during MCI. Monitoring performance on working memory and executive function tasks to track cognitive function may signal progression from normal cognition to MCI to AD. The present review tracks WM decline through normal aging, MCI, and AD to highlight the behavioral and neurological differences that distinguish these three stages in an effort to guide future research on MCI diagnosis, cognitive therapy, and AD prevention.

Functional (Psychogenic) Cognitive Disorders: A Perspective from the Neurology Clinic.

PubMed

Stone, Jon; Pal, Suvankar; Blackburn, Daniel; Reuber, Markus; Thekkumpurath, Parvez; Carson, Alan

2015-09-24

Cognitive symptoms such as poor memory and concentration represent a common cause of morbidity among patients presenting to general practitioners and may result in referral for a neurological opinion. In many cases, these symptoms do not relate to an underlying neurological disease or dementia. In this article we present a personal perspective on the differential diagnosis of cognitive symptoms in the neurology clinic, especially as this applies to patients who seek advice about memory problems but have no neurological disease process. These overlapping categories include the following 'functional' categories: 1) cognitive symptoms as part of anxiety or depression; 2) "normal" cognitive symptoms that become the focus of attention; 3) isolated functional cognitive disorder in which symptoms are outwith 'normal' but not explained by anxiety; 4) health anxiety about dementia; 5) cognitive symptoms as part of another functional disorder; and 6) retrograde dissociative (psychogenic) amnesia. Other 'non-dementia' diagnoses to consider in addition are 1) cognitive symptoms secondary to prescribed medication or substance misuse; 2) diseases other than dementia causing cognitive disorders; 3) patients who appear to have functional cognitive symptoms but then go on to develop dementia/another neurological disease; and finally 4) exaggeration/malingering. We discuss previous attempts to classify the problem of functional cognitive symptoms, the importance of making a positive diagnosis for the patient, and the need for large cohort studies to better define and manage this large group of patients.

Infants with complex congenital heart diseases show poor short-term memory in the mobile paradigm at 3 months of age.

PubMed

Chen, Chao-Ying; Harrison, Tondi; Heathcock, Jill

2015-08-01

The purpose of this study was to examine learning, short-term memory and general development including cognitive, motor, and language domains in infants with Complex Congenital Heart Defects (CCDH). Ten infants with CCHD (4 males, 6 females) and 14 infants with typical development (TD) were examined at 3 months of age. The mobile paradigm, where an infant's leg is tethered to an overhead mobile, was used to evaluate learning and short-term memory. The Bayley Scales of Infant Development 3rd edition (Bayley-III) was used to evaluate general development in cognitive, motor, and language domains. Infants with CCHD and infants with TD both showed learning with significant increase in kicking rate (p<0.001) across periods of the mobile paradigm, but only infants with TD demonstrated short-term memory (p=0.017) in the mobile paradigm. There were no differences on cognitive, motor, and language development between infants with CCHD and infants with TD on the Bayley-III. Early assessment is necessary to guide targeted treatment in infants with CCHD. One-time assessment may fail to detect potential cognitive impairments during early infancy in infants with CCHD. Supportive intervention programs for infants with CCHD that focuses on enhancing short-term memory are recommended. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Influence of controlled encoding and retrieval facilitation on memory performance in patients with different profiles of mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Perri, Roberta; Monaco, Marco; Fadda, Lucia; Serra, Laura; Marra, Camillo; Caltagirone, Carlo; Bruni, Amalia C; Curcio, Sabrina; Bozzali, M; Carlesimo, Giovanni A

2015-01-01

Memory tests able to differentiate encoding and retrieval processes from the memoranda storing ones should be used to differentiate patients in a very early phase of AD. In fact, individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be characterized by two different memory profiles: a pure amnestic one (with poor learning and retrieval and poor improvement when encoding is assisted and retrieval is facilitated) and a dysexecutive one (with inefficient encoding and/or poor retrieval strategies and improvement with assisted encoding and retrieval). The amnestic profile characterizes subjects affected by medio-temporal atrophy typical of AD. In this study, a Grober-Buschke memory procedure was used to evaluate normal controls and MCI patients with different cognitive profiles: pure amnestic (aMCIsd), amnestic plus other cognitive impairments (aMCImd) and non-amnestic (naMCI). An index of sensitivity of cueing (ISC) measured the advantage passing from free to cued recall. Results showed that both strategic and consolidation abilities were impaired in the aMCIsd and aMCImd groups and were preserved in the naMCI group. aMCImd, however, compensated the memory deficit with assisted encoding and retrieval, but aMCIsd performed very poorly. When MCI subjects were defined according to the ISC value, subjects with poor ISC were primarily in the aMCIsd group and, to a lesser extent, in the aMCImd group and the naMCI group. Finally, patients with a poor ISC showed cerebral atrophy documented in the precocious phase of AD and the retrosplenial cerebral areas seemed to be the most useful areas for identifying patients in the early phase of AD.

The Role of Nutrition and Literacy on the Cognitive Functioning of Elderly Poor Individuals.

PubMed

Leist, Anja K; Novella, Rafael; Olivera, Javier

2018-06-08

Maintaining cognitive function is a prerequisite of living independently, which is a highly valued component in older individuals' wellbeing. In this paper we assess the role of early-life and later-life nutritional status, education and literacy on the cognitive functioning of older adults living in poverty in Peru. We exploit the baseline sample of the Peruvian non-contributory pension program Pension 65 and find that current nutritional status and literacy are strongly associated with cognitive functioning for poor older adults. In a context of rising popularity of non-contributory pension programs around the world, our study intends to contribute to the discussion of designing accompanying measures to the pension transfer, such as adult literacy programs and monitoring of adequate nutrition of older adults.

Parenting Efficacy and the Early School Adjustment of Poor and Near-Poor Black Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Aurora P.; Choi, Jeong-Kyun; Bentler, Peter M.

2009-01-01

This short-term longitudinal study investigates whether maternal educational attainment, maternal employment status, and family income affect African American children's behavioral and cognitive functioning over time through their impacts on mothers' psychological functioning and parenting efficacy in a sample of 100 poor and near-poor single…

Contralateral Associated Movements Correlate with Poorer Inhibitory Control, Attention and Visual Perception in Preschool Children.

PubMed

Kakebeeke, Tanja H; Messerli-Bürgy, Nadine; Meyer, Andrea H; Zysset, Annina E; Stülb, Kerstin; Leeger-Aschmann, Claudia S; Schmutz, Einat A; Arhab, Amar; Puder, Jardena J; Kriemler, Susi; Munsch, Simone; Jenni, Oskar G

2017-10-01

Contralateral associated movements (CAMs) frequently occur in complex motor tasks. We investigated whether and to what extent CAMs are associated with inhibitory control among preschool children in the Swiss Preschoolers' Health Study. Participants were 476 healthy, typically developing children (mean age = 3.88 years; 251 boys) evaluated on two consecutive afternoons. The children performed the Zurich Neuromotor Assessment, the statue subtest of the Neuropsychological Assessment for Children (NEPSY), and cognitive tests of the Intelligence and Development Scales-Preschool (IDS-P). CAMs were associated with poor inhibitory control on the statue test and poor selective attention and visual perception on the IDS-P. We attributed these findings to preschoolers' general immaturity of the central nervous system.

Hydrocephalus

MedlinePlus

... lethargy Nausea or vomiting Unstable balance Poor coordination Poor appetite Seizures Urinary incontinence Behavioral and cognitive changes Irritability Change in personality Decline in school performance Delays or problems with previously acquired skills, such ...

Early-stage primary school children attending a school in the Malawian School Feeding Program (SFP) have better reversal learning and lean muscle mass growth than those attending a non-SFP school.

PubMed

Nkhoma, Owen W W; Duffy, Maresa E; Cory-Slechta, Deborah A; Davidson, Philip W; McSorley, Emeir M; Strain, J J; O'Brien, Gerard M

2013-08-01

In developing countries, schoolchildren encounter a number of challenges, including failure to complete school, poor health and nutrition, and poor academic performance. Implementation of school feeding programs (SFPs) in less developed countries is increasing and yet there is mixed evidence regarding their positive effects on nutrition, education, and cognition at the population level. This study evaluated cognitive and anthropometric outcomes in entry-level primary school children in Malawi with the aim of generating evidence for the ongoing debate about SFPs in Malawi and other developing countries. A total of 226 schoolchildren aged 6-8 y in 2 rural Malawian public primary schools were followed for one school year. Children attending one school (SFP school) received a daily ration of corn-soy blend porridge, while those attending the other (non-SFP school) did not. Baseline and post-baseline outcomes included the Cambridge Neurological Test Automated Battery cognitive tests of paired associate learning, rapid visual information processing and intra-extra dimensional shift, and anthropometric measurements of weight, height, and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC). At follow-up, the SFP subcohort had a greater reduction than the non-SFP subcohort in the number of intra-extra predimensional shift errors made (mean 18.5 and 24.9, respectively; P-interaction = 0.02) and also showed an increase in MUAC (from 16.3 to 17.0; P-interaction <0.0001). The results indicate that the SFP in Malawi is associated with an improvement in reversal learning and catch-up growth in lean muscle mass in children in the SFP school compared with children in the non-SFP school. These findings suggest that the Malawian SFP, if well managed and ration sizes are sustained, may have the potential to improve nutritional and cognitive indicators of the most disadvantaged children.

The Longitudinal Impact of Cognitive Speed of Processing Training on Driving Mobility

PubMed Central

Edwards, Jerri D.; Myers, Charlsie; Ross, Lesley A.; Roenker, Daniel L.; Cissell, Gayla M.; McLaughlin, Alexis M.; Ball, Karlene K.

2009-01-01

Purpose: To examine how cognitive speed of processing training affects driving mobility across a 3-year period among older drivers. Design and Methods: Older drivers with poor Useful Field of View (UFOV) test performance (indicating greater risk for subsequent at-fault crashes and mobility declines) were randomly assigned to either a speed of processing training or a social and computer contact control group. Driving mobility of these 2 groups was compared with a group of older adults who did not score poorly on the UFOV test (reference group) across a 3-year period. Results: Older drivers with poor UFOV test scores who did not receive training experienced greater mobility declines as evidenced by decreased driving exposure and space and increased driving difficulty at 3 years. Those at risk for mobility decline who received training did not differ across the 3-year period from older adults in the reference group with regard to driving exposure, space, and most aspects of driving difficulty. Implications: Cognitive speed of processing training can not only improve cognitive performance but also protect against mobility declines among older drivers. Scientifically proven cognitive training regimens have the potential to enhance the everyday lives of older adults. PMID:19491362

Disordered Eating-Related Cognition and Psychological Flexibility as Predictors of Psychological Health among College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masuda, Akihiko; Price, Matthew; Anderson, Page L.; Wendell, Johanna W.

2010-01-01

The present cross-sectional study investigated the relation among disordered eating-related cognition, psychological flexibility, and poor psychological outcomes among a nonclinical college sample. As predicted, conviction of disordered eating-related cognitions was positively associated with general psychological ill-health and emotional distress…

Feasibility of Using Actigraphy and Motivational-Based Interviewing to Improve Sleep among School-Age Children and Their Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willgerodt, Mayumi A.; Kieckhefer, Gail M.; Ward, Teresa M.; Lentz, Martha J.

2014-01-01

Inadequate sleep occurs in 25% of our nation's children; poor sleep is associated with physical, cognitive, and social consequences. Developing good sleep hygiene in middle childhood is important, because habits typically extend to adolescence and adulthood; yet, there has been little research on sleep interventions for school-age children. The…

Mild cognitive impairment is associated with poor physical function but not bone structure or density in late adulthood: findings from the Hertfordshire cohort study.

PubMed

Patel, A; Jameson, K A; Edwards, M H; Ward, K; Gale, C R; Cooper, C; Dennison, Elaine M

2018-04-24

This study investigated the association between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and physical function and bone health in older adults. MCI was associated with poor physical performance but not bone mineral density or bone microarchitecture. Cross-sectional study to investigate the association between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and physical performance, and bone health, in a community-dwelling cohort of older adults. Cognitive function of 222 men and 221 women (mean age 75.5 and 75.8 years in men and women, respectively) was assessed by the Strawbridge questionnaire and Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE). Participants underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), peripheral-quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) and high-resolution peripheral-quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) scans to assess their bone density, strength and microarchitecture. Their physical function was assessed and a physical performance (PP) score was recorded. In the study, 11.8% of women and 8.1% of men were cognitively impaired on the MMSE (score < 24). On the Strawbridge questionnaire, 24% of women were deemed cognitively impaired compared to 22.3% of men. Cognitive impairment on the Strawbridge questionnaire was associated with poorer physical performance score in men but not in women in the unadjusted analysis. MMSE < 24 was strongly associated with the risk of low physical performance in men (OR 12.9, 95% CI 1.67, 99.8, p = 0.01). Higher MMSE score was associated with better physical performance in both sexes. Poorer cognitive function, whether assessed by the Strawbridge questionnaire, or by MMSE score, was not associated with bone density, shape or microarchitecture, in either sex. MCI in older adults was associated with poor physical performance, but not bone density, shape or microarchitecture.

White matter fiber integrity of the saccadic eye movement network differs between schizophrenia and healthy groups.

PubMed

Schaeffer, David J; Rodrigue, Amanda L; Burton, Courtney R; Pierce, Jordan E; Murphy, Megan N; Clementz, Brett A; McDowell, Jennifer E

2017-12-01

Recent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies suggest that altered white matter fiber integrity is a pathophysiological feature of schizophrenia. Lower white matter integrity is associated with poor cognitive control, a characteristic of schizophrenia that can be measured using antisaccade tasks. Although the functional neural correlates of poor antisaccade performance have been well documented, fewer studies have investigated the extent to which white matter fibers connecting the functional nodes of this network contribute to antisaccade performance. The aim of the present study was to assess the white matter structural integrity of fibers connecting two functional nodes (putamen and medial frontal eye fields) of the saccadic eye movement network implicated in poor antisaccade performance in schizophrenia. To evaluate white matter integrity, DTI was acquired on subjects with schizophrenia and two comparison groups: (a) behaviorally matched healthy comparison subjects with low levels of cognitive control (LCC group), and (b) healthy subjects with high levels of cognitive control (HCC group). White matter fibers were tracked between functional regions of interest generated from antisaccade fMRI activation maps, and measures of diffusivity were quantified. The results demonstrated lower white matter integrity in the schizophrenia group than in the HCC group, but not the LCC group who showed similarly poor cognitive control performance. Overall, the results suggest that these alterations are not specific to the disease process of schizophrenia, but may rather be a function of uncontrolled cognitive factors that are concomitant with the disease but also observed in some healthy people. © 2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Relationship between cognitive functions and prevalence of fatigue in elementary and junior high school students.

PubMed

Mizuno, Kei; Tanaka, Masaaki; Fukuda, Sanae; Imai-Matsumura, Kyoko; Watanabe, Yasuyoshi

2011-06-01

Fatigue is a common complaint among elementary and junior high school students, and is related to poor academic performance. Since grade-dependent development of cognitive functions also influences academic performance, we attempted to determine whether cognitive functions were associated with the prevalence of fatigue. Participants were 148 elementary school students from 4th- to 6th-grades and 152 junior high school students from 7th- to 9th-grades. Participants completed a questionnaire about fatigue (Japanese version of the Chalder Fatigue Scale) and paper-and-pencil and computerized cognitive tests which could evaluate the abilities of motor processing, immediate, delayed and working memory, selective, divided and alternative attention, retrieve learned material, and spatial construction. We found that in multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusted for grade and gender, slow motor processing was positively correlated with the prevalence of fatigue in the elementary school students and decreases in working memory and divided and alternative attention processing were positively correlated with the prevalence of fatigue in the junior high school students. The grade-dependent development of cognitive function influences the severity of fatigue in elementary and junior high school students. Copyright © 2010 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Correlates of Social Functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Role of Social Cognition.

PubMed

Bishop-Fitzpatrick, Lauren; Mazefsky, Carla A; Eack, Shaun M; Minshew, Nancy J

2017-03-01

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience marked challenges with social function by definition, but few modifiable predictors of social functioning in ASD have been identified in extant research. This study hypothesized that deficits in social cognition and motor function may help to explain poor social functioning in individuals with ASD. Cross-sectional data from 108 individuals with ASD and without intellectual disability ages 9 through 27.5 were used to assess the relationship between social cognition and motor function, and social functioning. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that greater social cognition, but not motor function, was significantly associated with better social functioning when controlling for sex, age, and intelligence quotient. Post-hoc analyses revealed that, better performance on second-order false belief tasks was associated with higher levels of socially adaptive behavior and lower levels of social problems. Our findings support the development and testing of interventions that target social cognition in order to improve social functioning in individuals with ASD. Interventions that teach generalizable skills to help people with ASD better understand social situations and develop competency in advanced perspective taking have the potential to create more durable change because their effects can be applied to a wide and varied set of situations and not simply a prescribed set of rehearsed situations.

Auditory Pitch Perception in Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Associated With Nonverbal Abilities.

PubMed

Chowdhury, Rakhee; Sharda, Megha; Foster, Nicholas E V; Germain, Esther; Tryfon, Ana; Doyle-Thomas, Krissy; Anagnostou, Evdokia; Hyde, Krista L

2017-11-01

Atypical sensory perception and heterogeneous cognitive profiles are common features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, previous findings on auditory sensory processing in ASD are mixed. Accordingly, auditory perception and its relation to cognitive abilities in ASD remain poorly understood. Here, children with ASD, and age- and intelligence quotient (IQ)-matched typically developing children, were tested on a low- and a higher level pitch processing task. Verbal and nonverbal cognitive abilities were measured using the Wechsler's Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. There were no group differences in performance on either auditory task or IQ measure. However, there was significant variability in performance on the auditory tasks in both groups that was predicted by nonverbal, not verbal skills. These results suggest that auditory perception is related to nonverbal reasoning rather than verbal abilities in ASD and typically developing children. In addition, these findings provide evidence for preserved pitch processing in school-age children with ASD with average IQ, supporting the idea that there may be a subgroup of individuals with ASD that do not present perceptual or cognitive difficulties. Future directions involve examining whether similar perceptual-cognitive relationships might be observed in a broader sample of individuals with ASD, such as those with language impairment or lower IQ.

Prolonged Delirium Secondary to Hypoxic-ischemic Encephalopathy Following Cardiac Arrest

PubMed Central

Yogaratnam, Jegan; Jacob, Rajesh; Naik, Sandeep; Magadi, Harish

2013-01-01

Hypoxic-ischemic brain injury encompasses a complex constellation of pathophysiological and cellular brain injury induced by hypoxia, ischemia, cytotoxicity, or combinations of these mechanisms and can result in poor outcomes including significant changes in personality and cognitive impairments in memory, cognition, and attention. We report a case of a male patient with normal premorbid functioning who developed prolonged delirium following hypoxic-ischemic brain insults subsequent to cardiac arrest. The case highlights the importance of adopting a multidisciplinary treatment approach involving the coordinated care of medical and nursing teams to optimise management of patients suffering from such a debilitating organic brain syndrome. PMID:23678354

Building Services and Systems To Support the Healthy Emotional Development of Young Children: An Action Guide for Policymakers. Promoting the Emotional Well-Being of Children and Families Policy Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knitzer, Jane

Noting that there is a group of young children for whom emotional development does not proceed smoothly, placing the children at risk for poor cognitive, social, and behavioral outcomes, this policy paper paints a portrait of the kinds of young children and families who are in need of preventive, early intervention, or treatment services and…

Systematic, Evidence-Based Review of Exercise, Physical Activity, and Physical Fitness Effects on Cognition in Persons with Multiple Sclerosis.

PubMed

Sandroff, Brian M; Motl, Robert W; Scudder, Mark R; DeLuca, John

2016-09-01

Cognitive dysfunction is highly prevalent, disabling, and poorly-managed in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Recent evidence suggests that exercise might have beneficial effects on cognition in this population. The current systematic, evidence-based review examined the existing literature on exercise, physical activity, and physical fitness effects on cognition in MS to accurately describe the current status of the field, offer recommendations for clinicians, and identify study-specific and participant-specific characteristics for providing future direction for ongoing MS research. We performed an open-dated search of Medline, PsychInfo, and CINAHL in December 2015. The search strategy involved using the terms 'exercise' OR 'physical activity' OR 'physical fitness' OR 'aerobic' OR 'resistance' OR 'balance' OR 'walking' OR 'yoga' OR 'training' OR 'rehabilitation' AND 'multiple sclerosis'. Articles were eliminated from the systematic review if it was a review article, theoretical paper, or textbook chapter; did not involve persons with MS; involved only persons with pediatric-onset MS; did not involve neuropsychological outcomes; did not include empirical data to evaluate outcomes; involved pharmacological interventions; or was not available in English. The selected articles were first classified as examining exercise, physical activity, or physical fitness, and were then randomly assigned to 2 independent reviewers who rated each article for level of evidence based on American Academy of Neurology criteria. Reviewers further completed a table to characterize important elements of each study (i.e., intervention characteristics), the cognitive domain(s) that were targeted, participant-specific characteristics, outcome measures, and study results. The present review resulted in 26 studies on the effects of exercise, physical activity, and physical fitness on cognition in persons with MS. This included 1 Class I study, 3 Class II studies, 8 Class III studies, and 14 Class IV studies. Of the 26 total studies, 6 were randomized controlled trials. Overall, there is conflicting evidence for the effects of exercise on cognition in MS, and overall positive, but not definitive evidence for the effects of physical activity and physical fitness, respectively, on cognition in this population. Collectively, there is insufficient well-designed research to definitively conclude that exercise, physical activity, and physical fitness are effective for improving cognition in MS. This is based, in part, on methodological issues of Class I and II studies, such as inclusion of cognition as a secondary outcome (35 % of reviewed studies), poorly-developed exercise interventions, and paucity of research that included cognitively-impaired MS samples. However, promising evidence from Class III and Class IV studies may be useful for informing the development of better intervention research.

Association between muscle function, cognitive state, depression symptoms and quality of life of older people: evidence from clinical practice.

PubMed

Gariballa, Salah; Alessa, Awad

2018-04-01

Although low muscle function/strength is an important predictor of poor clinical outcome in older patients, information on its impact on mental health in clinical practice is still lacking. The aim of this report is to measure the impact of low muscle function measured by handgrip strength on mental health of older people during both acute illness and recovery. Four hundred and thirty-two randomly selected hospitalized older patients had their baseline demographic and clinical characteristics assessed within 72 h of admission, at 6 weeks and at 6 months. Low muscle strength-handgrip was defined using the European Working Group criteria. Mental health outcome measures including cognitive state, depression symptoms and quality of life were also measured. Among the 432 patients recruited, 308 (79%) had low muscle strength at baseline. Corresponding figures at 6 weeks and at 6 months were 140 (73%) and 158 (75%). Patients with poor muscle strength were significantly older with increased disability and poor nutritional status compared with those with normal muscle strength. After adjustment for age, gender, disability, comorbidity including severity of acute illness and body mass index patients with low muscle strength had worse cognitive function, quality of life and higher depression symptoms compared with those with normal muscle strength over a 6-month period (p < 0.05). Poor muscle strength in older people is associated with poor cognitive state and quality of life and increased depression symptoms during both acute illness and recovery.

A comparison of the language skills of ELLs and monolinguals who are poor decoders, poor comprehenders, or normal readers.

PubMed

Geva, Esther; Massey-Garrison, Angela

2013-01-01

The overall objective of this article is to examine how oral language abilities relate to reading profiles in English language learners (ELLs) and English as a first language (EL1) learners, and the extent of similarities and differences between ELLs and EL1s in three reading subgroups: normal readers, poor decoders, and poor comprehenders. The study included 100 ELLs and 50 EL1s in Grade 5. The effect of language group (ELL/EL1) and reading group on cognitive and linguistic skills was examined. Except for vocabulary, there was no language group effect on any measure. However, within ELL and EL1 alike, significant differences were found between reading groups: Normal readers outperformed the two other groups on all the oral language measures. Distinct cognitive and linguistic profiles were associated with poor decoders and poor comprehenders, regardless of language group. The ELL and EL1 poor decoders outperformed the poor comprehenders on listening comprehension and inferencing. The poor decoders displayed phonological-based weaknesses, whereas the poor comprehenders displayed a more generalized language processing weakness that is nonphonological in nature. Regardless of language status, students with poor decoding or comprehension problems display difficulties with various aspects of language.

DriveID: safety innovation through individuation.

PubMed

Sawyer, Ben; Teo, Grace; Mouloua, Mustapha

2012-01-01

The driving task is highly complex and places considerable perceptual, physical and cognitive demands on the driver. As driving is fundamentally an information processing activity, distracted or impaired drivers have diminished safety margins compared with non- distracted drivers (Hancock and Parasuraman, 1992; TRB 1998 a & b). This competition for sensory and decision making capacities can lead to failures that cost lives. Some groups, teens and elderly drivers for example, have patterns of systematically poor perceptual, physical and cognitive performance while driving. Although there are technologies developed to aid these different drivers, these systems are often misused and underutilized. The DriveID project aims to design and develop a passive, automated face identification system capable of robustly identifying the driver of the vehicle, retrieve a stored profile, and intelligently prescribing specific accident prevention systems and driving environment customizations.

Structural contingency theory and individual differences: examination of external and internal person-team fit.

PubMed

Hollenbeck, John R; Moon, Henry; Ellis, Aleksander P J; West, Bradley J; Ilgen, Daniel R; Sheppard, Lori; Porter, Christopher O L H; Wagner, John A

2002-06-01

This article develops and tests a structurally based, integrated theory of person-team fit. The theory developed is an extension of structural contingency theory and considers issues of external fit simultaneously with its examination of internal fit at the team level. Results from 80 teams working on an interdependent team task indicate that divisional structures demand high levels of cognitive ability on the part of teammembers. However, the advantages of high cognitive ability in divisional structures are neutralized when there is poor external fit between the structure and the environment. Instead, emotional stability becomes a critical factor among teammembers when a divisional structure is out of alignment with its environment. Individual differences seem to play little or no role in functional structures, regardless of the degree of external fit.

Poor Comprehenders in English-Only and English Language Learners: Influence of Morphological Analysis during Incidental Word Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Jie; Shulley, Leah

2017-01-01

This study investigated whether weakness in using morphological analysis to infer new word meanings during reading is a source of poor text comprehension and the relative importance of psycholinguistic and cognitive factors as contributors of poor text comprehension in English-only and English language learners. Thirty-seven poor comprehenders and…

Aberrant Intrinsic Activity and Connectivity in Cognitively Normal Parkinson's Disease.

PubMed

Harrington, Deborah L; Shen, Qian; Castillo, Gabriel N; Filoteo, J Vincent; Litvan, Irene; Takahashi, Colleen; French, Chelsea

2017-01-01

Disturbances in intrinsic activity during resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI) are common in Parkinson's disease (PD), but have largely been studied in a priori defined subnetworks. The cognitive significance of abnormal intrinsic activity is also poorly understood, as are abnormalities that precede the onset of mild cognitive impairment. To address these limitations, we leveraged three different analytic approaches to identify disturbances in rsfMRI metrics in 31 cognitively normal PD patients (PD-CN) and 30 healthy adults. Subjects were screened for mild cognitive impairment using the Movement Disorders Society Task Force Level II criteria. Whole-brain data-driven analytic approaches first analyzed the amplitude of low-frequency intrinsic fluctuations (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo), a measure of local connectivity amongst functionally similar regions. We then examined if regional disturbances in these metrics altered functional connectivity with other brain regions. We also investigated if abnormal rsfMRI metrics in PD-CN were related to brain atrophy and executive, visual organization, and episodic memory functioning. The results revealed abnormally increased and decreased ALFF and ReHo in PD-CN patients within the default mode network (posterior cingulate, inferior parietal cortex, parahippocampus, entorhinal cortex), sensorimotor cortex (primary motor, pre/post-central gyrus), basal ganglia (putamen, caudate), and posterior cerebellar lobule VII, which mediates cognition. For default mode network regions, we also observed a compound profile of altered ALFF and ReHo. Most regional disturbances in ALFF and ReHo were associated with strengthened long-range interactions in PD-CN, notably with regions in different networks. Stronger long-range functional connectivity in PD-CN was also partly expanded to connections that were outside the networks of the control group. Abnormally increased activity and functional connectivity appeared to have a pathological, rather than compensatory influence on cognitive abilities tested in this study. Receiver operating curve analyses demonstrated excellent sensitivity (≥90%) of rsfMRI variables in distinguishing patients from controls, but poor accuracy for brain volume and cognitive variables. Altogether these results provide new insights into the topology, cognitive relevance, and sensitivity of aberrant intrinsic activity and connectivity that precedes clinically significant cognitive impairment. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine if these neurocognitive associations presage the development of future mild cognitive impairment or dementia.

Cognitive Development of Toddlers: Does Parental Stimulation Matter?

PubMed

Malhi, Prahbhjot; Menon, Jagadeesh; Bharti, Bhavneet; Sidhu, Manjit

2018-02-01

To examine the impact of quality of early stimulation on cognitive functioning of toddlers living in a developing country. The developmental functioning of 150 toddlers in the age range of 12-30 mo (53% boys; Mean = 1.76 y, SD = 0.48) was assessed by the mental developmental index of the Developmental Assessment Scale for Indian Infants (DASII). The StimQ questionnaire- toddler version was used to measure cognitive stimulation at home. The questionnaire consists of four subscales including availability of learning materials (ALM), reading activities (READ), parent involvement in developmental activities (PIDA), and parent verbal responsivity (PVR). Multivariate regression analysis was used to predict cognitive scores using demographic (age of child), socio-economic status (SES) (income, parental education), and home environment (subscale scores of StimQ) as independent variables. Mean Mental Development Index (MDI) score was 91.5 (SD = 13.41), nearly one-fifth (17.3%) of the toddlers had MDI scores less than 80 (cognitive delay). Children with cognitive delay, relative to typically developing (TD, MDI score ≥ 80) cohort of toddlers, had significantly lower scores on all the subscales of StimQ and the total StimQ score. Despite the overall paucity of learning materials available to toddlers, typical developing toddlers were significantly more likely to have access to symbolic toys (P = 0.004), art materials (P = 0.032), adaptive/fine motor toys (P = 0.018), and life size toys (P = 0.036). Multivariate regression analysis results indicated that controlling for confounding socio-economic status variables, higher parental involvement in developmental activities (PIDA score) and higher parental verbal responsivity (PVR score) emerged as significant predictors of higher MDI scores and explained 34% of variance in MDI scores (F = 23.66, P = 0.001). Disparities in child development emerge fairly early and these differences are not all linked to economic disparities. There is a need to develop evidence-based parenting interventions for primary prevention of developmental problems, especially in resource poor countries.

Cognitive and academic functioning of juvenile detainees: implications for correctional populations and public health.

PubMed

Lansing, Amy E; Washburn, Jason J; Abram, Karen M; Thomas, Ursula C; Welty, Leah J; Teplin, Linda A

2014-01-01

Cognitive functioning affects health. This study assessed cognitive functioning among participants in the Northwestern Juvenile Project, a stratified random sample of 1,829 newly detained juveniles (10 to 18 years old) from Cook County, Illinois. The study examined receptive vocabulary, oral reading, arithmetic computation skills, and general intellectual abilities. The sample exhibited impaired overall intellectual functioning and deficits in all areas. Males performed more poorly than females. More than three quarters of males showed below average overall intellectual functioning, and 9 in 10 had below average receptive vocabulary skills. Hispanic and African American males performed more poorly than non-Hispanic White males. The multiple systems that serve delinquent youth--correctional, health, legal, and rehabilitative--must collaborate to tailor needed services to the cognitive level of youth in the juvenile justice system.

Cognitive and academic functioning of juvenile detainees: Implications for correctional populations and public health

PubMed Central

Lansing, Amy E.; Washburn, Jason J.; Abram, Karen M.; Thomas, Ursula C.; Welty, Leah J.; Teplin, Linda A.

2014-01-01

Cognitive functioning affects health. This study assessed cognitive functioning among participants in the Northwestern Juvenile Project, a stratified random sample of 1,829 newly detained juveniles (10-18 years old) from Cook County, Illinois. We examined receptive vocabulary, oral reading, arithmetic computation skills, and general intellectual abilities. Our sample exhibited impaired overall intellectual functioning and deficits in all areas. Males performed more poorly than females overall. More than three-quarters of males showed below average overall intellectual functioning, and nine in ten males had below average receptive vocabulary skills. Hispanic and African American males performed more poorly than non-Hispanic white males; The multiple systems that serve delinquent youth—correctional, health, legal, and rehabilitative—must collaborate to tailor needed services to the cognitive level of youth in the juvenile justice system. PMID:24352405

Prenatal methamphetamine exposure and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children from 1 to 3 years

PubMed Central

Wouldes, Trecia A.; LaGasse, Linda L.; Huestis, Marilyn A.; DellaGrotta, Sheri; Dansereau, Lynne M.; Lester, Barry M.

2014-01-01

Background: Despite the evidence that women world-wide are using methamphetamine (MA) during pregnancy little is known about the neurodevelopment of their children. Design: The controlled, prospective longitudinal New Zealand (NZ) Infant Development, Environment and Lifestyle (IDEAL) study was carried out in Auckland, NZ. Participants were 103 children exposed to MA prenatally and 107 not exposed. The Mental Developmental Index (MDI) and the Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition (BSID-II) measured cognitive and motor performance at ages 1, 2 and 3, and the Peabody Developmental Motor Scale, Second Edition (PDMS-II) measured gross and fine motor performance at 1 and 3. Measures of the child’s environment included the Home Observation of Measurement of the Environment and the Maternal Lifestyle Interview. The Substance Use Inventory measured maternal drug use. Results: After controlling for other drug use and contextual factors, prenatal MA exposure was associated with poorer motor performance at 1 and 2 years on the BSID-II. No differences were observed for cognitive development (MDI). Relative to non-MA exposed children, longitudinal scores on the PDI and the gross motor scale of the PDMS-2 were 4.3 and 3.2 points lower, respectively. Being male and of Maori descent predicted lower cognitive scores (MDI) and being male predicted lower fine motor scores (PDMS-2) Conclusions: Prenatal exposure to MA was associated with delayed gross motor development over the first 3 years, but not cognitive development. However, being male and of Maori descent were both associated with poorer cognitive outcomes. Males in general did more poorly on tasks related to fine motor development. PMID:24566524

Prenatal methamphetamine exposure and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children from 1 to 3 years.

PubMed

Wouldes, Trecia A; Lagasse, Linda L; Huestis, Marilyn A; Dellagrotta, Sheri; Dansereau, Lynne M; Lester, Barry M

2014-01-01

Despite the evidence that women world-wide are using methamphetamine (MA) during pregnancy little is known about the neurodevelopment of their children. The controlled, prospective longitudinal New Zealand (NZ) Infant Development, Environment and Lifestyle (IDEAL) study was carried out in Auckland, NZ. Participants were 103 children exposed to MA prenatally and 107 who were not exposed. The Mental Developmental Index (MDI) and the Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition (BSID-II) measured cognitive and motor performances at ages 1, 2 and 3, and the Peabody Developmental Motor Scale, Second Edition (PDMS-II) measured gross and fine motor performances at 1 and 3. Measures of the child's environment included the Home Observation of Measurement of the Environment and the Maternal Lifestyle Interview. The Substance Use Inventory measured maternal drug use. After controlling for other drug use and contextual factors, prenatal MA exposure was associated with poorer motor performance at 1 and 2 years on the BSID-II. No differences were observed for cognitive development (MDI). Relative to non-MA exposed children, longitudinal scores on the PDI and the gross motor scale of the PDMS-2 were 4.3 and 3.2 points lower, respectively. Being male and of Maori descent predicted lower cognitive scores (MDI) and being male predicted lower fine motor scores (PDMS-2). Prenatal exposure to MA was associated with delayed gross motor development over the first 3 years, but not with cognitive development. However, being male and of Maori descent were both associated with poorer cognitive outcomes. Males in general did more poorly on tasks related to fine motor development. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cobalamin and folate status predicts mental development scores in North Indian children 12-18 mo of age.

PubMed

Strand, Tor A; Taneja, Sunita; Ueland, Per M; Refsum, Helga; Bahl, Rajiv; Schneede, Joern; Sommerfelt, Halvor; Bhandari, Nita

2013-02-01

Micronutrient deficiencies can affect cognitive function. Many young children in low- and middle-income countries have inadequate cobalamin (vitamin B-12) status. The objective was to measure the association of plasma concentrations of folate, cobalamin, total homocysteine, and methylmalonic acid with cognitive performance at 2 occasions, 4 mo apart, in North Indian children aged 12-18 mo. Bayley Scales of Infant Development II were used to assess cognition. In multiple regression models adjusted for several potential confounders, we measured the association between biomarkers for folate and cobalamin status and psychomotor or mental development scores on the day of blood sampling and 4 mo thereafter. Each 2-fold increment in plasma cobalamin concentration was associated with a significant increment in the mental development index score of 1.3 (95% CI: 0.2, 2.4; P = 0.021). Furthermore, each 2-fold increment in homocysteine or methylmalonic acid concentration was associated with a decrement in mental development index score of 2.0 (95% CI: 0.5, 3.4; P = 0.007) or 1.1 (95% CI: 0.3, 1.8; P = 0.004) points, respectively. Plasma folate concentration was significantly and independently associated with mental development index scores only when children with poor cobalamin status were excluded, ie, in those who had cobalamin concentrations below the 25th percentile. None of these markers was associated with psychomotor scores in the multiple regression models. Cobalamin and folate status showed a statistically significant association with cognitive performance. Given the high prevalence of deficiencies in these nutrients, folate and cobalamin supplementation trials are required to measure any beneficial effect on cognition.

A Lifespan Approach to Neuroinflammatory and Cognitive Disorders: A Critical Role for Glia

PubMed Central

Bilbo, Staci D.; Smith, Susan H.; Schwarz, Jaclyn M.

2011-01-01

Cognitive decline is a common problem of aging. Whereas multiple neural and glial mechanisms may account for these declines, microglial sensitization and/or dystrophy has emerged as a leading culprit in brain aging and dysfunction. However, glial activation is consistently observed in normal brain aging as well, independent of frank neuroinflammation or functional impairment. Such variability suggests the existence of additional vulnerability factors that can impact neuronal-glial interactions and thus overall brain and cognitive health. The goal of this review is to elucidate our working hypothesis that an individual‘s risk or resilience to neuroinflammatory disorders and poor cognitive aging may critically depend on their early life experience, which can change immune reactivity within the brain for the remainder of the lifespan. For instance, early-life infection in rats can profoundly disrupt memory function in young adulthood, as well as accelerate age-related cognitive decline, both of which are linked to enduring changes in glial function that occur in response to the initial infection. We discuss these findings within the context of the growing literature on the role of immune molecules and neuroimmune crosstalk in normal brain development. We highlight the intrinsic factors (e.g., chemokines, hormones) that regulate microglial development and their colonization of the embryonic and postnatal brain, and the capacity for disruption or “re-programming” of this crucial process by external events (e.g, stress, infection). An impact on glia, which in turn alters neural development, has the capacity to profoundly impact cognitive and mental health function at all stages of life. PMID:21822589

Influence of Cognitive Ability on Therapy Outcomes for Anomia in Adults with Chronic Poststroke Aphasia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dignam, Jade; Copland, David; O'Brien, Kate; Burfein, Penni; Khan, Asaduzzaman; Rodriguez, Amy D.

2017-01-01

Purpose: The relationship between cognitive abilities and aphasia rehabilitation outcomes is complex and remains poorly understood. This study investigated the influence of language and cognitive abilities on anomia therapy outcomes in adults with aphasia. Method: Thirty-four adults with chronic aphasia participated in Aphasia Language Impairment…

Cognitive impairment in folate-deficient rats corresponds to depleted brain phosphatidylcholine and is prevented by methionine without lowering homocysteine

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Poor folate status is associated with cognitive decline and dementia in older adults. Although impaired brain methylation activity and homocysteine toxicity are widely believed to account for this association, how folate deficiency impairs cognition is uncertain. To better define the role of folate ...

[Negative Symptoms Revisited--Toward the Recovery of Persons with Schizophrenia].

PubMed

Ikebuchi, Emi

2015-01-01

The negative symptoms of schizophrenia are usually treatment-refractory, and considered to be a major cause of a poor outcome. Recently, it has become an important issue to elucidate the etiology of and develop treatment for negative symptoms in order to improve the outcome of schizophrenia patients. Firstly, the history of negative symptoms was reviewed. Several lines of factor-analysis studies have suggested that negative symptoms are independent from other symptoms of schizophrenia, and consist of two factors, the poverty of expression and avolition, while the results depend upon the assessment scale employed in each analysis. Anhedonia, a part of avolition, may be considered as the impairment of pleasure-seeking behavior, the impairment of remembering non-current feelings, and a person's belief that he/she cannot experience pleasure, rather than the loss of pleasure itself. As neurological bases for avolition, decreases in reward expectancy, value representation, and the behavior to seek uncertain reward were observed, which resulted in poor social functioning due to the difficulties of initiating adaptive behaviors for the future. These impairments are the bases of decreased intrinsic motivation. The negative symptoms were considered to result in poor social functioning mediated by neuro-and social cognitive dysfunction and dysfunctional cognition, such as low self-efficacy and self-stigma. Pharmacotherapy for negative symptoms remains to be established due to a lack of evidence. Several psycho-social interventions in self-efficacy, self-stigma, intrinsic motivation, and environmental contexts are now being developed, while their effects are rather limited. The principles of psychiatric rehabilitation, i.e., respecting one's own value system and preference, self-determination, and motivation, are worth revisiting from the viewpoint of neuro-cognitive science. Furthermore, a hope-oriented approach, the presence of peers, and reconstructing social values as barrier-free may be considered to be of marked help not only for treating negative symptoms through re-establishing self-esteem, but also to aid the general population.

Subregional volumes of the hippocampus in relation to cognitive function and risk of dementia.

PubMed

Evans, Tavia E; Adams, Hieab H H; Licher, Silvan; Wolters, Frank J; van der Lugt, Aad; Ikram, M Kamran; O'Sullivan, Michael J; Vernooij, Meike W; Ikram, M Arfan

2018-05-18

Total hippocampal volume has been consistently linked to cognitive function and dementia. Yet, given its complex and parcellated internal structure, the role of subregions of the hippocampus in cognition and risk of dementia remains relatively underexplored. We studied subregions of the hippocampus in a large population-based cohort to further understand their role in cognitive impairment and dementia risk. We studied 5035 dementia- and stroke-free persons from the Rotterdam Study, aged over 45 years. All participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging (1.5 T) between 2005 and 2015. Automatic segmentation of the hippocampus and 12 of its subregions was performed using the FreeSurfer software (version 6.0). A cognitive test battery was performed, and participants were followed up for the development of dementia until 2015. Associations of hippocampal subregion volumes with cognition and incident dementia were examined using linear and Cox regression models, respectively. All analyses were adjusted for age, sex, education, and total hippocampal volume. Mean age was 64.3 years (SD 10.6) with 56% women. Smaller volumes of the hippocampal fimbria, presubiculum and subiculum showed the strongest associations with poor performance on several cognitive domains, including executive function but not memory. During a mean follow-up of 5.5 years, 76 persons developed dementia. Smaller subiculum volume was associated with risk of dementia adjusted for total volume (hazard ratio per SD decrease in volume: 1.75, 95% confidence interval 1.35; 2.26). In a community-dwelling non-demented population, we describe patterns of association between hippocampal subregions with cognition and risk of dementia. Specifically, the subiculum was associated with both poorer cognition and higher risk of dementia. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Malnutrition, poverty and intellectual development.

PubMed

Brown, J L; Pollitt, E

1996-02-01

New findings with important policy implications have revealed that malnutrition in childhood impairs intellectual function in more ways than was previously recognized, but also that some of the damage to the brain caused by malnutrition may be reversed. Early research indicated that malnourished animals lacked the energy to interact with their environment and, thus, performed poorly on tests of mental ability. To determine the effect of poor diet and an impoverished environment on mental development in humans, an extensive follow-up study was made of Guatemalan children who received two different nutritional supplements in a 1969-77 study. Mothers and children in two villages received a high-protein supplement (Atole), and those in two additional villages received a supplement with no protein (Fresco). Both supplements reduced mortality, but Atole villages saw a 69% reduction in infant mortality (vs. 24% in the Fresco villages). The 1988-89 follow-up of 70% of the original participants involved extensive cognitive testing and socioeconomic assessment. Atole subjects performed significantly better on the cognitive tests, and the lowest-income children did as well as their more economically advantaged (but still poor) peers. Those who received Atole exhibited an increased benefit from their years of education and grew up faster and stronger than those who received Fresco. Smaller children who appear younger than their age may receive less stimulation from adult expectations than larger children. These findings indicate that the deleterious effects of early malnutrition on intellectual development can continue into adulthood. Other research has revealed that iron supplements can improve the intellectual and motor abilities of infants. While enriched educational programs can ameliorate some of the problems associated with malnutrition, poor children rarely live where such programs are available. The best and least expensive policy would be to prevent malnutrition among young children who would then be able to take advantage of the money invested in schools for their education.

Body-related behaviours and cognitions: relationship to eating psychopathology in non-clinical women and men.

PubMed

Meyer, Caroline; McPartlan, Lauren; Rawlinson, Anthony; Bunting, Jo; Waller, Glenn

2011-10-01

Eating disturbances and poor body image are maintained by body-related safety behaviours and their associated cognitions. These include body checking, avoidance, comparison and display, which can be seen as safety behaviours, maintaining eating pathology and poor body image. It is not clear from the existing literature whether these behavioural and cognitive patterns are independently related to eating psychopathology. This study of a non-clinical group of women and men (N = 250) explored the association of eating attitudes and behaviours with these four elements of body-related behaviours and cognitions. It was found that each of the four elements had independent associations with eating attitudes and behaviours. Those associations were not explained by anxiety or depression levels. Whilst these findings require study within a clinical group, they suggest that all four elements of body-related behaviours and cognitions need to be considered as potential maintaining factors when formulating eating psychopathology and body image disturbance.

Recovery from stunting and cognitive outcomes in young children: evidence from the South African Birth to Twenty Cohort Study.

PubMed

Casale, D; Desmond, C

2016-04-01

In this study we analyse the implications for cognitive function of recovery from stunting in early childhood. More specifically, we test whether children who met the definition for stunted at age 2, but not at age 5, perform better in cognitive tests than children who remain stunted over this period. The sample is drawn from the Birth to Twenty Cohort Study, a prospective data set of children born in 1990 in urban South Africa. The measure of cognitive function that we use is based on the Revised Denver Prescreening Developmental Questionnaire implemented when the children were age 5. We employ multivariate regression in the analysis to control for child-specific characteristics, socio-economic status, the home environment and caregiver inputs. We find that recovery from stunting is not uncommon among young children in our sample. However, children who recover from stunting by age 5 still perform significantly worse on cognitive tests than children who do not experience early malnutrition, and almost as poorly as children who remain stunted. These findings suggest that the timing of nutritional inputs in the early years is key in a child's cognitive development, with implications for school readiness and achievement.

Evaluation of a cognitive remediation intervention for college students with psychiatric conditions.

PubMed

Mullen, Michelle G; Thompson, Judy L; Murphy, Ann A; Malenczak, Derek; Giacobbe, Giovanna; Karyczak, Sean; Holloway, Katherine E; Twamley, Elizabeth W; Silverstein, Steven M; Gill, Kenneth J

2017-03-01

Given the poor educational outcomes associated with psychiatric conditions, we developed Focused Academic Strength Training (FAST), a 12-week strategy-focused cognitive remediation intervention designed to improve academic functioning among college students with psychiatric conditions. Here we report initial results from a randomized controlled trial of FAST. Seventy-two college students with mood, anxiety, and/or psychotic disorders were randomized to receive FAST or services as usual and were assessed at baseline and 4 months (posttreatment). Repeated-measures analyses of variance indicated FAST-associated improvements in self-reported cognitive strategy use (p < .001), self-efficacy (p = .001), and academic difficulties (p = .025). There were no significant treatment-related improvements in neuropsychological performance. FAST may lead to an increase in self-efficacy and cognitive strategy use, as well as a reduction in academic difficulties among students with psychiatric conditions. Future analyses with follow-up data through 12 months will address the potential of FAST to improve academic functioning among this population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Development of a virtual reality assessment of everyday living skills.

PubMed

Ruse, Stacy A; Davis, Vicki G; Atkins, Alexandra S; Krishnan, K Ranga R; Fox, Kolleen H; Harvey, Philip D; Keefe, Richard S E

2014-04-23

Cognitive impairments affect the majority of patients with schizophrenia and these impairments predict poor long term psychosocial outcomes.  Treatment studies aimed at cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia not only require demonstration of improvements on cognitive tests, but also evidence that any cognitive changes lead to clinically meaningful improvements.  Measures of "functional capacity" index the extent to which individuals have the potential to perform skills required for real world functioning.  Current data do not support the recommendation of any single instrument for measurement of functional capacity.  The Virtual Reality Functional Capacity Assessment Tool (VRFCAT) is a novel, interactive gaming based measure of functional capacity that uses a realistic simulated environment to recreate routine activities of daily living. Studies are currently underway to evaluate and establish the VRFCAT's sensitivity, reliability, validity, and practicality. This new measure of functional capacity is practical, relevant, easy to use, and has several features that improve validity and sensitivity of measurement of function in clinical trials of patients with CNS disorders.

The longitudinal course of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia: an examination of data from premorbid through posttreatment phases of illness.

PubMed

Keefe, Richard S E

2014-01-01

Cognitive impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia that is present across the course of the illness. However, due to complexities of studying cognitive decline in patients prior to the onset of illness, the longitudinal course is not fully understood. The cognitive effects in patients with schizophrenia are robust, with a 1.5 to 2.5 standard deviation gap between patients and healthy controls on composite scores. People with schizophrenia manifest a prior history of cognitive impairment in the premorbid phases of the illness. Examination of school records suggests that children who will eventually develop schizophrenia begin school at a level of functioning that is a full grade behind their peers, with the gap increasing by the time they finish high school. Epidemiologic work suggests that there are both static cognitive impairments and developmental lags in these patients during childhood, well before the illness is fully manifest. Although there was initial promise of improved cognitive function with second-generation antipsychotic treatment, more recent studies have suggested no differences among antipsychotics, with the initial appearance of improvement very likely attributable to practice effects, inappropriate medication dosing, and poor study design. Two large, prominent studies evaluating first- and second-generation antipsychotics suggested that, although there was slight to modest improvement in cognitive function for all treatments, there were no differences among medications, regardless of the generation of the agents. In summary, patients who develop schizophrenia, on average, demonstrate cognitive impairment beginning as early as the first grade, with deterioration seen across school years. Further, these patients had substantial cognitive deficits after the initiation of psychosis. Finally, while antipsychotic treatment improves symptoms, antipsychotics have little impact on cognition, and there appear to be no differences in the degree of cognitive improvement between first- and second-generation agents. © Copyright 2014 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Early physical health conditions and school readiness skills in a prospective birth cohort of U.S. children.

PubMed

Kull, Melissa A; Coley, Rebekah Levine

2015-10-01

Extant research identifies associations between early physical health disparities and impaired functioning in adulthood, but limited research examines the emergence of these associations in the early years of children's lives. This study draws on data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Birth Cohort (ECLS-B; N = 5900) to assess whether a host of early health indicators measured from birth to age five are associated with children's cognitive and behavioral skills at age five. After adjusting for child and family characteristics, results revealed that children's neonatal risks (prematurity or low birth weight) and reports of poor health and hospitalizations were associated with lower cognitive skills, and neonatal risks and poor health predicted lower behavioral functioning at age five. Some of the association between neonatal risks and school readiness skills were indirect, functioning through children's poor health and hospitalization. Analyses further found that associations between early physical health and children's school readiness skills were consistent across subgroups defined by family income and child race/ethnicity, suggesting generalizability of results. Findings emphasize the need for more interdisciplinary research, practice, and policy related to optimizing child well-being across domains of physical health and development in the early years of life. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identifying balance and fall risk in community-dwelling older women: the effect of executive function on postural control.

PubMed

Muir-Hunter, Susan W; Clark, Jennifer; McLean, Stephanie; Pedlow, Sam; Van Hemmen, Alysia; Montero Odasso, Manuel; Overend, Tom

2014-01-01

The mechanisms linking cognition, balance function, and fall risk among older adults are not fully understood. An evaluation of the effect of cognition on balance tests commonly used in clinical practice to assess community-dwelling older adults could enhance the identification of at-risk individuals. The study aimed to determine (1) the association between cognition and clinical tests of balance and (2) the relationship between executive function (EF) and balance under single- and dual-task testing. Participants (24 women, mean age of 76.18 [SD 16.45] years) completed six clinical balance tests, four cognitive tests, and two measures of physical function. Poor balance function was associated with poor performance on cognitive testing of EF. In addition, the association with EF was strongest under the dual-task timed up-and-go (TUG) test and the Fullerton Advanced Balance Scale. Measures of global cognition were associated only with the dual-task performance of the TUG. Postural sway measured with the Standing Balance Test, under single- or dual-task test conditions, was not associated with cognition. Decreased EF was associated with worse performance on functional measures of balance. The relationship between EF and balance was more pronounced with dual-task testing using a complex cognitive task combined with the TUG.

Cognitive and Social Lifestyle: Links with Neuropathology and Cognition in Late Life

PubMed Central

Bennett, David A.; Arnold, Steven E.; Valenzuela, Michael J; Brayne, Carol; Schneider, Julie A.

2014-01-01

Many studies report an association of cognitive and social experiential factors and related traits with dementia risk. Further, many clinical-pathologic studies find a poor correspondence between levels of neuropathology and the presence of dementia and level of cognitive impairment. The poor correspondence suggests that other factors contribute to the maintenance or loss of cognitive function, with factors associated with the maintenance of function referred to as neural or cognitive reserve. This has led investigators to examine the associations of cognitive and social experiential factors with neuropathology as a first step in disentangling the complex associations between these experiential risk factors, neuropathology, and cognitive impairment. Despite the consistent associations of a range of cognitive and social lifestyle factors with cognitive decline and dementia risk, the extant clinical pathologic data finds only a single factor from one cohort, linguistic ability, related to AD pathology. Other factors, including education, harm avoidance, and emotional neglect, are associated with cerebrovascular disease. Overall, the associations are weak. Some factors, such as education, social networks, and purpose in life modify the relation of neuropathology to cognition. Finally, some factors such as cognitive activity appear to bypass known pathologies altogether suggesting a more direct association with biologic indices that promote person-specific differences in reserve and resilience. Future work will first need to replicate findings across more studies to ensure the veracity of the existing data. Second, effort is need to identify the molecular substrates of neural reserve as potential mediators of the association of lifestyle factors with cognition. PMID:24356982

Sleep and its associations with perceived and objective cognitive impairment in individuals with multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Hughes, Abbey J; Parmenter, Brett A; Haselkorn, Jodie K; Lovera, Jesus F; Bourdette, Dennis; Boudreau, Eilis; Cameron, Michelle H; Turner, Aaron P

2017-08-01

Problems with sleep and cognitive impairment are common among people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The present study examined the relationship between self-reported sleep and both objective and perceived cognitive impairment in MS. Data were obtained from the baseline assessment of a multi-centre intervention trial (NCT00841321). Participants were 121 individuals with MS. Nearly half (49%) of participants met the criteria for objective cognitive impairment; however, cognitively impaired and unimpaired participants did not differ on any self-reported sleep measures. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of participants met the criteria for 'poor' sleep, and poorer sleep was significantly associated with greater levels of perceived cognitive impairment. Moreover, the relationships between self-reported sleep and perceived cognitive impairment were significant beyond the influence of clinical and demographic factors known to influence sleep and cognitive functioning (e.g. age, sex, education level, disability severity, type of MS, disease duration, depression and fatigue). However, self-reported sleep was not associated with any measures of objective cognitive impairment. Among different types of perceived cognitive impairment, poor self-reported sleep was most commonly related to worse perceived executive function (e.g. planning/organization) and prospective memory. Results from the present study emphasize that self-reported sleep is significantly and independently related to perceived cognitive impairment in MS. In terms of clinical implications, interventions focused on improving sleep may help improve perceived cognitive function and quality of life in this population; however, the impact of improved sleep on objective cognitive function requires further investigation. © 2017 European Sleep Research Society.

What is the Relationship between Health, Mood, and Mild Cognitive Impairment?

PubMed

Yates, Jennifer A; Clare, Linda; Woods, Robert T

2017-01-01

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) often co-exists with mood problems, and both cognitive functioning and mood are known to be linked with health. This study aims to investigate how health, mood, and cognitive impairment interact. Health is often assessed using a single proxy measure, but the use of a range of measures can provide a more informative picture and allows for combination into a comprehensive measure of health. We report an analysis of data from the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study Wales (CFAS Wales, N = 3,173), in which structured interviews with older people captured measures of cognition, mood, and health. Each measure of health was assessed independently in relation to cognition and mood, and then all measures were combined to form a latent health variable and tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). SEM confirmed the association between health and cognition, with depression acting as a mediator. All measures of health were individually associated with levels of anxiety and depression. Participants reporting mood problems were less likely to engage in physical activity and more likely to report poor or fair health, have more comorbid health conditions, use more services, and experience difficulties with instrumental activities of daily living. Perceived health was associated with cognitive status; participants with MCI were more likely to report fair or poor health than participants who were cognitively unimpaired. Careful intervention and encouragement to maintain healthy lifestyles as people age could help to reduce the risk of both mood problems and cognitive decline.

Childhood deprivation and later-life cognitive function in a population-based study of older rural South Africans.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Lindsay C; Glymour, M Maria; Kahn, Kathleen; Payne, Collin F; Wagner, Ryan G; Montana, Livia; Mateen, Farrah J; Tollman, Stephen M; Berkman, Lisa F

2017-10-01

Little research has evaluated the life course drivers of cognitive aging in South Africa. We investigated the relationships of self-rated childhood health and father's occupation during childhood with later-life cognitive function score and whether educational attainment mediated these relationships among older South Africans living in a former region of Apartheid-era racial segregation. Data were from baseline assessments of "Health and Aging in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community" (HAALSI), a population-based study of 5059 men and women aged ≥40 years in 2015 in rural Agincourt sub-district, South Africa. Childhood health, father's occupation during childhood, and years of education were self-reported in study interviews. Cognitive measures assessed time orientation, numeracy, and word recall, which were included in a z-standardized latent cognitive function score variable. Linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, and country of birth were used to estimate the total and direct effects of each childhood risk factor, and the indirect effects mediated by years of education. Poor childhood health predicted lower cognitive scores (total effect = -0.28; 95% CI = -0.35, -0.21, versus good); this effect was not mediated by educational attainment. Having a father in a professional job during childhood, while rare (3% of sample), predicted better cognitive scores (total effect = 0.25; 95% CI = 0.10, 0.40, versus unskilled manual labor, 29% of sample). Half of this effect was mediated by educational attainment. Education was linearly associated with later-life cognitive function score (0.09; 95% CI = 0.09, 0.10 per year achieved). In this post-Apartheid, rural South African context, older adults with poor self-reported childhood health or whose father worked in unskilled manual labor had relatively poor cognitive outcomes. Educational attainment strongly predicted cognitive outcomes, and appeared to be, in part, a mechanism of social stratification in later-life cognitive health in this context. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Poor quality of life, depressed mood, and memory impairment may be mediated by sleep disruption in patients with Addison's disease

PubMed Central

Henry, Michelle; Wolf, Pedro S.A.; Ross, Ian L.; Thomas, Kevin G.F.

2015-01-01

Standard replacement therapy for Addison's disease (AD) does not restore a normal circadian rhythm. In fact, hydrocortisone replacement in AD patients likely induces disrupted sleep. Given that healthy sleep plays an important role in improving quality of life, optimizing cognition, and ensuring affect regulation, the aim of this study was to investigate whether poor quality of life, mood alterations, and memory complaints reported by AD patients are associated with their disrupted sleep patterns. Sixty patients with AD and 60 matched healthy controls completed a battery of self-report questionnaires assessing perceived physical and mental health (Short-Form 36), mood (Beck Depression Inventory—II), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and cognition (Cognitive Failures Questionnaire). A latent variable model revealed that although AD had a significant direct effect on quality of life, the indirect effect of sleep was significantly greater. Furthermore, although AD had no direct effect on cognitive functioning, the indirect effect of sleep was significant. The overall model showed a good fit (comparative fit index = 0.91, root mean square of approximation = 0.09, and standardized root mean square residual = 0.05). Our findings suggest that disrupted sleep, and not the disease per se, may induce poor quality of life, memory impairment, and affect dysregulation in patients with AD. We think that improving sleep architecture may improve cognitive, affective, and physical functioning. PMID:26256520

Slow Physical Growth, Delayed Reflex Ontogeny, and Permanent Behavioral as Well as Cognitive Impairments in Rats Following Intra-generational Protein Malnutrition

PubMed Central

Naik, Aijaz A.; Patro, Ishan K.; Patro, Nisha

2015-01-01

Environmental stressors including protein malnutrition (PMN) during pre-, neo- and post-natal age have been documented to affect cognitive development and cause increased susceptibility to neuropsychiatric disorders. Most studies have addressed either of the three windows and that does not emulate the clinical conditions of intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR). Such data fail to provide a complete picture of the behavioral alterations in the F1 generation. The present study thus addresses the larger window from gestation to F1 generation, a new model of intra-generational PMN. Naive Sprague Dawley (SD) dams pre-gestationally switched to LP (8% protein) or HP (20% protein) diets for 45 days were bred and maintained throughout gestation on same diets. Pups born (HP/LP dams) were maintained on the respective diets post-weaningly. The present study aimed to show the sex specific differences in the neurobehavioral evolution and behavioral phenotype of the HP/LP F1 generation pups. A battery of neurodevelopmental reflex tests, behavioral (Open field and forelimb gripstrength test), and cognitive [Elevated plus maze (EPM) and Morris water maze (MWM)] assays were performed. A decelerated growth curve with significantly restricted body and brain weight, delays in apparition of neuro-reflexes and poor performance in the LP group rats was recorded. Intra-generational PMN induced poor habituation-with-time in novel environment exploration, low anxiety and hyperactive like profile in open field test in young and adult rats. The study revealed poor forelimb neuromuscular strength in LP F1 pups till adulthood. Group occupancy plots in MWM test revealed hyperactivity with poor learning, impaired memory retention and integration, thus modeling the signs of early onset Alzehemier phenotype. In addition, a gender specific effect of LP diet with severity in males and favoring female sex was also noticed. PMID:26696810

Somatic-Affective, But Not Cognitive-Depressive Symptoms are Associated With Reduced Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Congestive Heart Failure.

PubMed

Patron, Elisabetta; Messerotti Benvenuti, Simone; Lopriore, Vincenzo; Aratari, Jenny; Palomba, Daniela

Depression has been associated with poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). However, to date, whether somatic-affective and cognitive-depressive symptoms differently contribute to poor HRQoL and behavioral functional capacity in patients with CHF has yet to be investigated. To examine the differential influence of somatic-affective vs cognitive-depressive symptoms on HRQoL and behavioral functional capacity in CHF patients. Overall, 55 patients with CHF completed a psychologic evaluation, including the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory for HRQoL, depressive, and anxiety symptoms, respectively. The patients completed the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Questionnaire and the 6-minute walk test for behavioral functional capacity. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to predict HRQoL and behavioral functional capacity from Beck Depression Inventory-II and Beck Anxiety Inventory scores. Somatic-affective depressive symptoms were associated with physical (β = 0.37, p = 0.005) and emotional (β = 0.39, p = 0.008) Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire subscale scores. Likewise, somatic-affective depressive symptoms predicted Instrumental Activities of Daily Livings Scores (β = 0.43, p = 0.004) and distance ambulated during the 6-minute walk test (β = -0.36, p = 0.029). By contrast, cognitive-depressive symptoms and anxiety were unrelated to HRQoL and behavioral functional capacity (all p > 0.05). These findings showed that somatic-affective depressive symptoms, but not cognitive-depressive symptoms and anxiety, are associated with poor HRQoL and behavioral functional capacity independent of age, clinical functional status, and medical comorbidities. This study suggests that patients with CHF with somatic-affective rather than cognitive-depressive symptoms or anxiety may be at greater risk of poor HRQoL and behavioral functional capacity. Copyright © 2017 The Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The impact of motivation on cognitive performance in an animal model of the negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia.

PubMed

Ward, Ryan D; Winiger, Vanessa; Higa, Kerin K; Kahn, Julia B; Kandel, Eric R; Balsam, Peter D; Simpson, Eleanor H

2015-06-01

Interactions between motivation and cognition are implicated in producing functional impairments and poor quality of life in psychiatric patients. This interaction, however, is not well understood at either the behavioral or neural level. We developed a procedure for mice in which a cognitive measure, sustained attention, is modulated by a motivationally relevant signal that predicts reward probability on a trial-by-trial basis. Using this paradigm, we tested the interaction between motivation and cognition in mice that model the increased striatal D2 receptor activity observed in schizophrenia patients (D2R-OE mice). In control mice, attention was modulated by signaled-reward probability. In D2R-OE mice, however, attention was not modulated by reward-related cues. This impairment was not due to any global deficits in attention or maintenance of the trial-specific information in working memory. Turning off the transgene in D2R-OE mice rescued the motivational modulation of attention. These results indicate that deficits in motivation impair the ability to use reward-related cues to recruit attention and that improving motivation improves functional cognitive performance. These results further suggest that addressing motivational impairments in patients is critical to achieving substantive cognitive and functional gains. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Standard dose valproic acid does not cause additional cognitive impact in a rodent model of intractable epilepsy.

PubMed

Jellett, Adam P; Jenks, Kyle; Lucas, Marcella; Scott, Rod C

2015-02-01

Children with epilepsy face significant cognitive and behavioral impairments. These impairments are due to a poorly characterized interaction between the underlying etiology, the effect of seizures and the effect of medication. The large variation in these factors make understanding the main drivers of cognitive impairment in humans extremely difficult. Therefore, we investigated the cognitive effect of seizures and the antiepileptic drug valproic acid in a rodent model of cortical dysplasia. Rats were divided into seizure-receiving and non-receiving groups. Rats experienced frequent early life seizures using the flurothyl inhalation method: 50 seizures between postnatal day 5 and 15 and then one seizure a day following that. Rats were further divided into drug-treated and vehicle treated groups. Valproic acid treated animals were treated from 5 days preceding behavioral testing in the Morris water maze at a clinically relevant concentration. We show here that the main driver of cognitive impairments are the brain malformations, and that persistent seizures in animals with brain malformations and valproic acid caused no additional impact. These findings suggest that neither an appropriate dose of a standard antiepileptic drug or intractable seizures worsen cognition associated with a malformation of cortical development and that alternative treatment strategies to improve cognition are required. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mechanisms of radiotherapy-associated cognitive disability in patients with brain tumours.

PubMed

Makale, Milan T; McDonald, Carrie R; Hattangadi-Gluth, Jona A; Kesari, Santosh

2017-01-01

Standard treatment of primary and metastatic brain tumours includes high-dose megavoltage-range radiation to the cranial vault. About half of patients survive >6 months, and many attain long-term control or cure. However, 50-90% of survivors exhibit disabling cognitive dysfunction. The radiation-associated cognitive syndrome is poorly understood and has no effective prevention or long-term treatment. Attention has primarily focused on mechanisms of disability that appear at 6 months to 1 year after radiotherapy. However, recent studies show that CNS alterations and dysfunction develop much earlier following radiation exposure. This finding has prompted the hypothesis that subtle early forms of radiation-induced CNS damage could drive chronic pathophysiological processes that lead to permanent cognitive decline. This Review presents evidence of acute radiation-triggered CNS inflammation, injury to neuronal lineages, accessory cells and their progenitors, and loss of supporting structure integrity. Moreover, injury-related processes initiated soon after irradiation could synergistically alter the signalling microenvironment in progenitor cell niches in the brain and the hippocampus, which is a structure critical to memory and cognition. Progenitor cell niche degradation could cause progressive neuronal loss and cognitive disability. The concluding discussion addresses future directions and potential early treatments that might reverse degenerative processes before they can cause permanent cognitive disability.

A mechanistic link between chick diet and decline in seabirds?

PubMed Central

Kitaysky, Alexander S; Kitaiskaia, Evgenia V; Piatt, John F; Wingfield, John C

2005-01-01

A climatic regime shift during the mid-1970s in the North Pacific resulted in decreased availability of lipid-rich fish to seabirds and was followed by a dramatic decline in number of kittiwakes breeding on the Pribilof Islands. Although production of chicks in the mid-1970s was adequate to sustain kittiwake populations in the early 1980s, the disappearance of birds from breeding colonies apparently exceeded recruitment. No mechanism has been proposed to explain why recruitment would differ among fledglings fed lipid-rich or lipid-poor fish during development. Here we show that diets low in lipids induce nutritional stress and impair cognitive abilities in young red-legged kittiwakes, Rissa brevirostris. Specifically, growth retardation, increased secretion of stress hormones and inferior ability to associate food distribution with visual cues were observed in individuals fed lipid-poor diets. We conclude that lipid-poor diets during development affect the quality of young seabirds, which is likely to result in their increased mortality and low recruitment. PMID:16615211

A mechanistic link between chick diet and decline in seabirds?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kitaysky, A.S.; Kitaiskaia, E.V.; Piatt, John F.; Wingfield, J.C.

2006-01-01

A climatic regime shift during the mid-1970s in the North Pacific resulted in decreased availability of lipidrich fish to seabirds and was followed by a dramatic decline in number of kittiwakes breeding on the Pribilof Islands. Although production of chicks in the mid-1970s was adequate to sustain kittiwake populations in the early 1980s, the disappearance of birds from breeding colonies apparently exceeded recruitment. No mechanism has been proposed to explain why recruitment would differ among fledglings fed lipid-rich or lipid-poor fish during development. Here we show that diets low in lipids induce nutritional stress and impair cognitive abilities in young red-legged kittiwakes, Rissa brevirostris. Specifically, growth retardation, increased secretion of stress hormones and inferior ability to associate food distribution with visual cues were observed in individuals fed lipid-poor diets. We conclude that lipid-poor diets during development affect the quality of young seabirds, which is likely to result in their increased mortality and low recruitment. ?? 2005 The Royal Society.

Gender Differences in Cognition among Older Adults in China.

PubMed

Lei, Xiaoyan; Hu, Yuqing; McArdle, John J; Smith, James P; Zhao, Yaohui

2012-01-01

In this paper, we model gender differences in cognitive ability in China using a new sample of middle-aged and older Chinese respondents. Modeled after the American Health and Retirement Study (HRS), the CHARLS Pilot survey respondents are 45 years and older in two quite distinct provinces-Zhejiang, a high-growth industrialized province on the East Coast, and Gansu, a largely agricultural and poor province in the West-in a sense new and old China. Our cognition measures proxy for two different dimensions of adult cognition-episodic memory and intact mental status. On both measures, Chinese women score much lower than do Chinese men, a gender difference that grows among older Chinese cohorts. We relate both these cognition scores to schooling, urban residence, family and community levels of economic resources, and height. We find that cognition is more closely related to mean community resources than to family resources, especially for women, suggesting that in traditional poor Chinese communities there are strong economic incentives to favor boys at the expense of girls. We also find that these gender differences in cognitive ability have been steadily decreasing across birth cohorts as the economy of China grew rapidly. Among cohorts of young adults in China, there is no longer any gender disparity in cognitive ability. This parallels the situation in the United States where cognition scores of adult women actually exceed those of adult men.

That Poor Laddie Cannae Tell His Thoughts Fae His Actions: A Reply to Sturmey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindsay, William R.

2006-01-01

It is good that Peter Sturmey is scrutinizing the basis of cognitive therapy for people with intellectual disabilities. This response argues that behavioural therapies have always employed cognitive techniques and produced cognitive change but have omitted to measure them. It is further argued that unobservable variables are germane to scientific…

Growth parameters at birth mediate the relationship between prenatal manganese exposure and cognitive test scores among a cohort of 2- to 3-year-old Bangladeshi children.

PubMed

Lee, Jane J; Valeri, Linda; Kapur, Kush; Ibne Hasan, Md Omar Sharif; Quamruzzaman, Quazi; Wright, Robert O; Bellinger, David C; Christiani, David C; Mazumdar, Maitreyi

2018-05-03

Our previous study demonstrated that prenatal manganese exposure is associated with cognitive test scores among a cohort of 2- to 3-year-old Bangladeshi children. This study tested the hypothesis that the adverse effects of manganese are mediated through poor prenatal growth. Pregnant mothers were enrolled in a birth cohort in Bangladesh between 2008 and 2011, and children were followed at birth and age 20-40 months. Manganese concentration was measured in umbilical cord blood. Anthropometric measurements (weight, length, head circumference) were assessed at delivery. Children's cognitive development was assessed at age 20-40 months using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition. Using recently developed statistical approaches that estimate mediation and interaction effects simultaneously, we evaluated whether the association between cord blood manganese and cognitive score was mediated through anthropometric measures at birth. This analysis included 764 mother-child pairs. Higher manganese concentration was associated with lower cognitive score [β=-0.61, standard error (SE)=0.23, p = 0.009]. Among the birth measures, we found a significant indirect effect only through birth length (β =-0.10, SE = 0.03, p = 0.001). We also found evidence of mediated interaction (both mediation and interaction, β =-0.03, SE = 0.01, p = 0.01) with birth length in the association between cord blood manganese and cognitive score. The overall proportion mediated by birth length was 33% (p = 0.02) and the proportion attributed to interaction was 11% (p = 0.04). We did not find evidence of a mediating effect through birth weight or head circumference. Our findings confirm that prenatal growth, particularly birth length, contributes to the overall effect of environmental manganese exposure on a child's cognitive development.

Important factors in the cognitive development of children with hearing impairment: case studies of candidates for cochlear implants.

PubMed

Nasralla, Heloisa Romeiro; Goffi Gomez, Maria Valéria Schimidt; Magalhaes, Ana Tereza; Bento, Ricardo Ferreira

2014-10-01

Introduction The factors that affect the development of children with and without hearing disabilities are similar, provided their innate communication abilities are taken into account. Parents need to mourn the loss of the expected normally hearing child, and it is important that parents create bonds of affection with their child. Objective To conduct a postevaluation of the development and cognition of 20 candidates for cochlear implants between 1 and 13 years of age and to observe important factors in their development. Methods The following instruments were used in accordance with their individual merits: interviews with parents; the Vineland Social Maturity Scale; the Columbia Maturity Scale; free drawings; Bender and Pre-Bender testing; and pedagogical tests. Results The results are described. Conclusion Parental acceptance of a child's deafness proved to be the starting point for the child's verbal or gestural communication development, as well as for cognitive, motor, and emotional development. If the association between deafness and fine motor skills (with or without multiple disabilities) undermines the development of a child's speech, it does not greatly affect communication when the child interacts with his or her peers and receives maternal stimulation. Overprotection and poor sociability make children less independent, impairs their development, and causes low self-esteem. Further observational studies are warranted to determine how cochlear implants contribute to patient recovery.

Important Factors in the Cognitive Development of Children with Hearing Impairment: Case Studies of Candidates for Cochlear Implants

PubMed Central

Nasralla, Heloisa Romeiro; Goffi Gomez, Maria Valéria Schimidt; Magalhaes, Ana Tereza; Bento, Ricardo Ferreira

2014-01-01

Introduction The factors that affect the development of children with and without hearing disabilities are similar, provided their innate communication abilities are taken into account. Parents need to mourn the loss of the expected normally hearing child, and it is important that parents create bonds of affection with their child. Objective To conduct a postevaluation of the development and cognition of 20 candidates for cochlear implants between 1 and 13 years of age and to observe important factors in their development. Methods The following instruments were used in accordance with their individual merits: interviews with parents; the Vineland Social Maturity Scale; the Columbia Maturity Scale; free drawings; Bender and Pre-Bender testing; and pedagogical tests. Results The results are described. Conclusion Parental acceptance of a child's deafness proved to be the starting point for the child's verbal or gestural communication development, as well as for cognitive, motor, and emotional development. If the association between deafness and fine motor skills (with or without multiple disabilities) undermines the development of a child's speech, it does not greatly affect communication when the child interacts with his or her peers and receives maternal stimulation. Overprotection and poor sociability make children less independent, impairs their development, and causes low self-esteem. Further observational studies are warranted to determine how cochlear implants contribute to patient recovery. PMID:25992122

Reliability and validity of two self-report measures of cognitive flexibility.

PubMed

Johnco, Carly; Wuthrich, Viviana M; Rapee, Ronald M

2014-12-01

Neuropsychological testing currently represents the gold standard in assessing cognitive flexibility. However, this format presents some challenges in terms of time and skills required for administration, scoring, and interpretation. Two self-report measures of cognitive flexibility have been developed to measure aspects of cognitive flexibility in everyday settings, although neither has been validated in an older sample. In this study, we investigated the psychometric properties of 2 self-report measures of cognitive flexibility, the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI; Dennis & Vander Wal, 2010) and the Cognitive Flexibility Scale (CFS; Martin & Rubin, 1995), against neuropsychological measures of cognitive flexibility in a clinical sample of 47 older adults with comorbid anxiety and depression and a nonclinical sample of 53 community-dwelling older adults. Internal consistency was good for the CFS and CFI in all samples. The clinical sample reported poorer cognitive flexibility than did the nonclinical sample on self-report measures and performed more poorly on some neuropsychological measures. There was evidence of convergent validity between the 2 self-report measures but little relationship between the self-report and neuropsychological measures of cognitive flexibility, suggesting that self-report measures assess a different aspect of cognitive flexibility than does neuropsychological testing. Divergent validity was weak from measures of anxiety and depression in the combined and nonclinical samples but acceptable in the clinical sample. Results suggest that these measures are suitable for use with an older adult sample but do not assess the same aspects of cognitive flexibility as are assessed by neuropsychological assessment. (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Appraising the Role of Iron in Brain Aging and Cognition: Promises and Limitations of MRI Methods

PubMed Central

Daugherty, Ana M; Raz, Naftali

2015-01-01

Age-related increase in frailty is accompanied by a fundamental shift in cellular iron homeostasis. By promoting oxidative stress, the intracellular accumulation of non-heme iron outside of binding complexes contributes to chronic inflammation and interferes with normal brain metabolism. In the absence of direct non-invasive biomarkers of brain oxidative stress, iron accumulation estimated in vivo may serve as its proxy indicator. Hence, developing reliable in vivo measurements of brain iron content via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is of significant interest in human neuroscience. To date, by estimating brain iron content through various MRI methods, significant age differences and age-related increases in iron content of the basal ganglia have been revealed across multiple samples. Less consistent are the findings that pertain to the relationship between elevated brain iron content and systemic indices of vascular and metabolic dysfunction. Only a handful of cross-sectional investigations have linked high iron content in various brain regions and poor performance on assorted cognitive tests. The even fewer longitudinal studies indicate that iron accumulation may precede shrinkage of the basal ganglia and thus predict poor maintenance of cognitive functions. This rapidly developing field will benefit from introduction of higher-field MRI scanners, improvement in iron-sensitive and -specific acquisition sequences and post-processing analytic and computational methods, as well as accumulation of data from long-term longitudinal investigations. This review describes the potential advantages and promises of MRI-based assessment of brain iron, summarizes recent findings and highlights the limitations of the current methodology. PMID:26248580

State of the Art Review: Poverty and the Developing Brain.

PubMed

Johnson, Sara B; Riis, Jenna L; Noble, Kimberly G

2016-04-01

In the United States, >40% of children are either poor or near-poor. As a group, children in poverty are more likely to experience worse health and more developmental delay, lower achievement, and more behavioral and emotional problems than their more advantaged peers; however, there is broad variability in outcomes among children exposed to similar conditions. Building on a robust literature from animal models showing that environmental deprivation or enrichment shapes the brain, there has been increasing interest in understanding how the experience of poverty may shape the brain in humans. In this review, we summarize research on the relationship between socioeconomic status and brain development, focusing on studies published in the last 5 years. Drawing on a conceptual framework informed by animal models, we highlight neural plasticity, epigenetics, material deprivation (eg, cognitive stimulation, nutrient deficiencies), stress (eg, negative parenting behaviors), and environmental toxins as factors that may shape the developing brain. We then summarize the existing evidence for the relationship between child poverty and brain structure and function, focusing on brain areas that support memory, emotion regulation, and higher-order cognitive functioning (ie, hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex) and regions that support language and literacy (ie, cortical areas of the left hemisphere). We then consider some limitations of the current literature and discuss the implications of neuroscience concepts and methods for interventions in the pediatric medical home. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

State of the Art Review: Poverty and the Developing Brain

PubMed Central

Riis, Jenna L.; Noble, Kimberly G.

2016-01-01

In the United States, >40% of children are either poor or near-poor. As a group, children in poverty are more likely to experience worse health and more developmental delay, lower achievement, and more behavioral and emotional problems than their more advantaged peers; however, there is broad variability in outcomes among children exposed to similar conditions. Building on a robust literature from animal models showing that environmental deprivation or enrichment shapes the brain, there has been increasing interest in understanding how the experience of poverty may shape the brain in humans. In this review, we summarize research on the relationship between socioeconomic status and brain development, focusing on studies published in the last 5 years. Drawing on a conceptual framework informed by animal models, we highlight neural plasticity, epigenetics, material deprivation (eg, cognitive stimulation, nutrient deficiencies), stress (eg, negative parenting behaviors), and environmental toxins as factors that may shape the developing brain. We then summarize the existing evidence for the relationship between child poverty and brain structure and function, focusing on brain areas that support memory, emotion regulation, and higher-order cognitive functioning (ie, hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex) and regions that support language and literacy (ie, cortical areas of the left hemisphere). We then consider some limitations of the current literature and discuss the implications of neuroscience concepts and methods for interventions in the pediatric medical home. PMID:26952506

Influences of early child nutritional status and home learning environment on child development in Vietnam.

PubMed

Nguyen, Phuong H; DiGirolamo, Ann M; Gonzalez-Casanova, Ines; Young, Melissa; Kim, Nicole; Nguyen, Son; Martorell, Reynaldo; Ramakrishnan, Usha

2018-01-01

Early childhood development plays a key role in a child's future health, educational success, and economic status. However, suboptimal early development remains a global challenge. This study examines the influences of quality of the home learning environment (HOME) and child stunting in the first year of life on child development. We used data collected from a randomized controlled trial of preconceptional micronutrient supplementation in Vietnam (n = 1,458). The Bayley Scales of Infant Development-III were used to assess cognition, language, and motor development domains at 2 years. At 1 year, 14% of children were stunted, and 15%, 58%, and 28% of children lived in poor, medium, and high HOME environments, respectively. In multivariate generalized linear regression models, living in a high HOME environment was significantly associated with higher scores (0.10 to 0.13 SD) in each of the developmental domains. Stunted children scored significantly lower for cognitive, language, and motor development (-0.11 to -0.18), compared to nonstunted children. The negative associations between stunting on development were modified by HOME; the associations were strong among children living in homes with a poor learning environment whereas they were nonsignificant for those living in high-quality learning environments. In conclusion, child stunting the first year of life was negatively associated with child development at 2 years among children in Vietnam, but a high-quality HOME appeared to attenuate these associations. Early interventions aimed at improving early child growth as well as providing a stimulating home environment are critical to ensure optimal child development. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Relationship between cognitive and non-cognitive symptoms of delirium.

PubMed

Rajlakshmi, Aarya Krishnan; Mattoo, Surendra Kumar; Grover, Sandeep

2013-04-01

To study relationship between the cognitive and the non-cognitive symptoms of delirium. Eighty-four patients referred to psychiatry liaison services and met DSM-IVTR criteria of delirium were assessed using the Delirium Rating Scale Revised-1998 (DRSR-98) and Cognitive Test for Delirium (CTD). The mean DRS-R-98 severity score was 17.19 and DRS-R-98 total score was 23.36. The mean total score on CTD was 11.75. The mean scores on CTD were highest for comprehension (3.47) and lowest for vigilance (1.71). Poor attention was associated with significantly higher motor retardation and higher DRS-R-98 severity scores minus the attention scores. There were no significant differences between those with and without poor attention. Higher attention deficits were associated with higher dysfunction on all other domains of cognition on CTD. There was significant correlation between cognitive functions as assessed on CTD and total DRS-R-98 score, DRS-R-98 severity score and DRS-R-98 severity score without the attention item score. However, few correlations emerged between CTD domains and CTD total scores with cognitive symptom total score of DRS-R-98 (items 9-13) and non-cognitive symptom total score of DRS-R-98 (items 1-8). Our study suggests that in delirium, cognitive deficits are quite prevalent and correlate with overall severity of delirium. Attention deficit is a core symptom of delirium. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Social Differentiation of Sun-Protection Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Factors.

PubMed

Bocquier, Aurélie; Fressard, Lisa; Legleye, Stéphane; Verger, Pierre; Peretti-Watel, Patrick

2016-03-01

Adherence to sun-protection guidelines in developed countries is low, especially among people of low SES. Mechanisms underlying this social differentiation are poorly understood. This study aimed to examine the social differentiation of sun-protection behaviors and of two cognitive factors (knowledge about both sun health and behavioral risk factors for cancer) and to determine if these cognitive factors mediate the association between SES and sun-protection behaviors. Data came from the 2010 Baromètre Cancer survey (analyzed in 2014), a random cross-sectional telephone survey conducted among the French general population (n=3,359 individuals aged 15-75 years). First, bivariate associations between a composite individual SES indicator (based on education level, occupation, and income) and both sun-protection behaviors and cognitive factors were tested with chi-square tests and ANOVA. Then, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to test the mediating role of cognitive factors with a multiple mediation model including four latent variables. In bivariate analyses, the individual SES indicator was positively associated with sun-protection behaviors and both cognitive factors. Multiple mediation analyses showed that both cognitive factors partially mediated the effect of individual SES on sun-protection behaviors. The overall proportion of mediated effects was 48%. The direct effect of SES remained significant. These results suggest that interventions aimed at modifying the knowledge and perceptions of people of low SES might help to reduce social differentiation of sun-protection behaviors. Further qualitative research is needed to better understand these cognitive factors and develop suitable prevention messages. Copyright © 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Valued Activities among Individuals with and without Cognitive Impairments: Findings from the National Health and Aging Trends Study.

PubMed

Parisi, Jeanine M; Roberts, Laken; Szanton, Sarah L; Hodgson, Nancy A; Gitlin, Laura N

2017-04-01

Using the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), we examined activity preferences and participation among individuals with and without cognitive impairments. Respondents were classified as having No Dementia (n = 5,264), Possible Dementia (n = 893), or Probable Dementia (n = 518). Respondents rated importance of and actual participation (yes/no) in four activities (visiting friends/family, religious services, clubs/classes, going out for enjoyment). We also examined whether transportation or health limited participation. Overall, visiting friends/family was most important (64.03%); although relative importance of activities varied with cognitive status. Compared to cognitively healthy individuals, those with possible and probable dementia were less likely to indicate activities were important and engage in valued activities (ps < .0001). Additionally, poor health limited participation in activities for those cognitively intact or with possible dementia; this was not true for those with probable dementia. Transportation difficulty limited going out for enjoyment for a greater percentage of those with cognitive impairment than those without impairment. Regardless of cognitive level, older adults highly value activities; however, actual participation may decrease with greater impairment in cognitive and physical health and with transportation challenges. Developing tailored interventions for specific populations to achieve desired activity goals is needed. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Correlates of Social Functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Role of Social Cognition

PubMed Central

Bishop-Fitzpatrick, Lauren; Mazefsky, Carla A.; Eack, Shaun M.; Minshew, Nancy J.

2017-01-01

Background Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience marked challenges with social function by definition, but few modifiable predictors of social functioning in ASD have been identified in extant research. This study hypothesized that deficits in social cognition and motor function may help to explain poor social functioning in individuals with ASD. Method Cross-sectional data from 108 individuals with ASD and without intellectual disability ages 9 through 27.5 were used to assess the relationship between social cognition and motor function, and social functioning. Results Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that greater social cognition, but not motor function, was significantly associated with better social functioning when controlling for sex, age, and intelligence quotient. Post-hoc analyses revealed that, better performance on second-order false belief tasks was associated with higher levels of socially adaptive behavior and lower levels of social problems. Conclusions Our findings support the development and testing of interventions that target social cognition in order to improve social functioning in individuals with ASD. Interventions that teach generalizable skills to help people with ASD better understand social situations and develop competency in advanced perspective taking have the potential to create more durable change because their effects can be applied to a wide and varied set of situations and not simply a prescribed set of rehearsed situations. PMID:28839456

The effects of vitamin B12 supplementation in pregnancy and postpartum on growth and neurodevelopment in early childhood: Study Protocol for a Randomized Placebo Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Chandyo, Ram K; Ulak, Manjeswori; Kvestad, Ingrid; Shrestha, Merina; Ranjitkar, Suman; Basnet, Sudha; Hysing, Mari; Shrestha, Laxman; Strand, Tor A

2017-08-29

Vitamin B 12 is crucial for normal cell division and differentiation, and necessary for the development and myelination of the central nervous system. Pregnant mothers in resource poor settings are at risk for poor vitamin B 12 status. Poor vitamin B 12 status in infancy is linked to poor growth and neurodevelopment. Brain development starts from conception, and pregnancy is a period of rapid growth and development for the brain. The study is an individually randomised double-blind placebo controlled trial in 800 pregnant Nepalese women randomised in a 1:1 ratio. A daily dose of 50 µg of vitamin B 12 or placebo is given to women from early pregnancy, not later than week 15, until 6 months after birth. Weekly visits are conducted in order to record compliance, growth and morbidity. The primary outcomes are scores on the cognitive, language and motor subscales of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition, measured at 6 and 12 months of age, and growth (length and weight) measured at 6 and 12 months of age. National Health and Research Council, Nepal (NHRC 253/2016) and Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics of Western Norway (2016/1620/REK vest) have approved the study. Investigators who have contributed to the conceptualising, conducting, as well as being involved in the data analyses and manuscript writing will be eligible for authorship and be responsible to share outcomes with different stakeholders through publications and workshops. The results from this study may support new dietary guidelines for Nepalese and possibly South Asian pregnant women that can lead to improved pregnancy outcomes, neurodevelopment and cognitive functioning in children. Universal Trial Number: U1111-1183-4093. clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03071666. Protocol date: version 1.2, 1 June 2017. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Arbitrary and semantic associations in subjective memory impairment and amnestic mild cognitive impairment among Taiwanese individuals: A cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Chang, Hsin-Te; Chen, Ta-Fu; Cheng, Ting-Wen; Lai, Ya-Mei; Hua, Mau-Sun

2018-05-01

Researchers have recently proposed a preclinical stage of dementia of Alzheimer's type (DAT), referred to as subjective memory impairment (SMI), with the aim of developing methods for the early detection of DAT and subsequent intervention. It has been proposed that the objective memory functions of individuals with SMI are normal; however, arbitrary and semantic associations are both used to describe the processes of memory. No previous studies have investigated these processes among individuals with SMI. Cross-sectional analysis was used to compare the memory function of individuals with SMI, amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), or DAT. One hundred and eighty-three participants were recruited from the Memory Clinic of National Taiwan University Hospital and communities in northern Taiwan, including individuals with no memory complaints (HC, n = 30) and individuals with SMI (n = 61), aMCI-single domain (n = 24), aMCI-multiple domain (n = 33), or DAT (n = 35). The Word Sequence Learning Test (WSLT) was used to assess the formation of arbitrary associations and the Logical Memory subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition was used to assess the formation of semantic associations. Compared to the HC group, the SMI group performed poorly only on the WSLT, whereas the other groups performed poorly on both of the memory tasks. This study demonstrated that SMI individuals tend to perform poorly in the formation of arbitrary associations. Our findings suggest that tasks requiring arbitrary associations may provide greater sensitivity in the detection cognitive changes associated with preclinical DAT. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The mechanisms mediating the effects of poverty on children's intellectual development.

PubMed

Guo, G; Harris, K M

2000-11-01

Although adverse consequences of poverty for children are documented widely, little is understood about the mechanisms through which the effects of poverty disadvantage young children. In this analysis we investigate multiple mechanisms through which poverty affects a child's intellectual development. Using data from the NLSY and structural equation models, we have constructed five latent factors (cognitive stimulation, parenting style, physical environment, child's ill health at birth, and ill health in childhood) and have allowed these factors, along with child care, to mediate the effects of poverty and other exogenous variables. We produce two main findings. First, the influence of family poverty on children's intellectual development is mediated completely by the intervening mechanisms measured by our latent factors. Second, our analysis points to cognitive stimulation in the home, and (to a lesser extent) to parenting style, physical environment of the home, and poor child health at birth, as mediating factors that are affected by lack of income and that influence children's intellectual development.

Elevated NT-proBNP Levels are Associated with Poor Cognitive Function in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Results from the Rancho Bernardo Study

PubMed Central

Daniels, Lori B.; Laughlin, Gail A.; Kritz-Silverstein, Donna; Clopton, Paul; Chen, Wei-Chung; Maisel, Alan S.; Barrett-Connor, Elizabeth

2011-01-01

Background Natriuretic peptides (NP’s) have prognostic value across a wide spectrum of cardiovascular diseases and may predict cognitive dysfunction in patients with cardiovascular disease even in the absence of prior stroke. Little is known about the association of NP’s with cognitive function in community-dwelling adults. We assessed the association between NT-proBNP levels and cognitive function in community-dwelling ambulatory older adults in the Rancho Bernardo Study. Methods We studied 950 men and women, aged 60 years and older, who attended a research clinic visit where a medical history and examination were performed, and blood for cardiovascular disease risk factors and NT-proBNP levels were obtained. Three cognitive function tests were administered: Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE), Trail-Making Test B (Trails B), and Category Fluency. Results Participants with high NT-proBNP levels (≥450 pg/mL, n=198) were older and had a higher prevalence of coronary heart disease (12% vs. 30%), and stroke (5% vs. 11%) (both p’s≤0.001). In unadjusted analyses, all three cognitive function test scores were significantly associated with NT-proBNP levels (p<0.001). After adjusting for age, sex, education, hypertension, body mass index, exercise, alcohol use, smoking, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, creatinine clearance, and prior cardiovascular disease, elevated NT-proBNP levels remained independently associated with poor cognitive performance on MMSE (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 2.0 [1.1–3.6], p=0.02) and Trails B (1.7 [1.2–2.7], p=0.01), but not Category Fluency (1.4 [0.9–2.2], p=0.19). Results were unchanged after excluding the 6% of participants with a history of stroke. Conclusions NT-proBNP levels were strongly and independently associated with poor cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults. PMID:21683832

The Relationship Between Televised Instruction and Cognitive Performance, Attitude Change, and Self-Reported Behavior Change in Sub-Groups with Varying Backgrounds and Characteristics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cory, Genevieve Hansen

One of the problems scarcely touched upon by community college effort is the amelioration of poverty in the urban college area. Since financial incompetence creates in the poor an abject state of hopelessness that affects ability to function in other areas, it may be necessary to develop skills and improve competence in handling money and in…

Nutrition, Frailty, Cognitive Frailty and Prevention of Disabilities with Aging.

PubMed

Guyonnet, Sophie; Secher, Marion; Vellas, Bruno

2015-01-01

Older adults can be categorized into three subgroups to better design and develop personalized interventions: the disabled (those needing assistance in the accomplishment of basic activities of daily living), the 'frail' (those presenting limitations and impairments in the absence of disability) and the 'robust' (those without frailty or disability). However, despite evidence linking frailty with a poor outcome, frailty is not implemented clinically in most countries. Since many people are not identified as frail, their treatment is frequently inappropriate in health care settings. Assessing the frail and prefrail older adults can no longer be delayed, we should rather act preventively before the irreversible disabling cascade is in place. Clinical characteristics of frailty such as weakness, low energy, slow walking speed, low physical activity and weight loss underline the links between nutrition and frailty. Physical frailty is also associated with cognitive frailty. We need to better understand cognitive frailty, a syndrome which must be differentiated from Alzheimer's disease. At the Gérontopôle frailty clinics, we have found that almost 40% of the patients referred to our center by their primary care physicians to evaluate frailty had significant weight loss in the past 3 months, 83.9% of patients presented slow gait speed, 53.8% a sedentary lifestyle and 57.7% poor muscle strength. Moreover, 43% had a Mini-Nutritional Assessment less than 23.5 and 9% less than 17, which reflects protein-energy undernutrition. More than 60% had some cognitive impairment associated with physical frailty. © 2015 Nestec Ltd., Vevey/S. Karger AG, Basel.

Effects of oxytocin and genetic variants on brain and behaviour: Implications for treatment in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Bartholomeusz, Cali F; Ganella, Eleni P; Labuschagne, Izelle; Bousman, Chad; Pantelis, Christos

2015-11-01

Impairments in social cognition and poor social functioning are core features of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. In recent years, there has been a move towards developing new treatment strategies that specifically target social cognitive and social behavioural deficits. Oxytocin (OXT) is one such strategy that has gained increasing attention. There is a strong rationale for studying OXT in psychosis, from both an evolutionary perspective and neurodevelopmental-cognitive model of schizophrenia. Thus, the aim of this review was to critique and examine the observational and clinical oxytocin trial literature in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. A handful of clinical trials suggest that OXT treatment may be beneficial for remediating social cognitive impairments, psychiatric symptoms, and improving social outcomes. However, inconsistencies exist in this literature, which may be explained by individual differences in the underlying neural response to OXT treatment and/or variation in the oxytocin and oxytocin receptor genes. Therefore, we additionally reviewed the evidence for structural and functional neural intermediate phenotypes in humans that link genetic variants to social behaviour/thinking, and discuss the implications of such interactions in the context of dysfunctional brain networks in schizophrenia. Factors that pose challenges for future OXT clinical research include the impact of age, sex, and ancestry, task-specific effects, bioavailability and pharmacokinetics, as well as neurotransmitter and drug interactions. While initial findings from OXT single dose/clinical trial studies are promising, more interdisciplinary research in both healthy and psychiatric populations is needed before determining whether OXT is a viable treatment option/adjunct for addressing poor illness outcomes in psychotic disorders. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Group psychotherapy for persons with traumatic brain injury: management of frustration and substance abuse.

PubMed

Delmonico, R L; Hanley-Peterson, P; Englander, J

1998-12-01

Residual emotional and behavioral difficulties in individuals who have sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been well documented in the literature. The issues are complex, interdependent, and often include substance abuse, depression, anxiety, chronic suicidal or homicidal ideation, poor impulse control, and significant degrees of frustration and anger. Often, preexisting psychological conditions and poor coping strategies are exacerbated by the trauma. Emotional and behavioral difficulties can interfere with the neurorehabilitation process at all levels. In acute rehabilitation, these issues have traditionally been addressed on an individual basis. However, in postacute settings, an interpersonal group format can be effectively implemented. The majority of individuals with TBI have minimal funding for long-term cognitive and behavioral remediation; often the only avenue available is support groups. This article will describe group psychotherapy models used with individuals with acute or postacute TBI within a comprehensive rehabilitation center. Interdisciplinary treatment of frustration and substance abuse and a continuum of care will be emphasized. Education, social support, skills development, interpersonal process, and cognitive-behavioral approaches will also be discussed. The psychotherapy groups focus on treatment of substance abuse and frustration management through education, social support, and development of interpersonal skills. Practical considerations of running such groups are presented.

Poor Performance on a Preoperative Cognitive Screening Test Predicts Postoperative Complications in Older Orthopedic Surgical Patients.

PubMed

Culley, Deborah J; Flaherty, Devon; Fahey, Margaret C; Rudolph, James L; Javedan, Houman; Huang, Chuan-Chin; Wright, John; Bader, Angela M; Hyman, Bradley T; Blacker, Deborah; Crosby, Gregory

2017-11-01

The American College of Surgeons and the American Geriatrics Society have suggested that preoperative cognitive screening should be performed in older surgical patients. We hypothesized that unrecognized cognitive impairment in patients without a history of dementia is a risk factor for development of postoperative complications. We enrolled 211 patients 65 yr of age or older without a diagnosis of dementia who were scheduled for an elective hip or knee replacement. Patients were cognitively screened preoperatively using the Mini-Cog and demographic, medical, functional, and emotional/social data were gathered using standard instruments or review of the medical record. Outcomes included discharge to place other than home (primary outcome), delirium, in-hospital medical complications, hospital length-of-stay, 30-day emergency room visits, and mortality. Data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses. Fifty of 211 (24%) patients screened positive for probable cognitive impairment (Mini-Cog less than or equal to 2). On age-adjusted multivariate analysis, patients with a Mini-Cog score less than or equal to 2 were more likely to be discharged to a place other than home (67% vs. 34%; odds ratio = 3.88, 95% CI = 1.58 to 9.55), develop postoperative delirium (21% vs. 7%; odds ratio = 4.52, 95% CI = 1.30 to 15.68), and have a longer hospital length of stay (hazard ratio = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.42 to 0.95) compared to those with a Mini-Cog score greater than 2. Many older elective orthopedic surgical patients have probable cognitive impairment preoperatively. Such impairment is associated with development of delirium postoperatively, a longer hospital stay, and lower likelihood of going home upon hospital discharge.

Evaluating the Specificity of Cognitive Control Deficits in Schizophrenia Using Antisaccades, Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and Healthy Individuals With Poor Cognitive Control.

PubMed

Rodrigue, Amanda L; Schaeffer, David J; Pierce, Jordan E; Clementz, Brett A; McDowell, Jennifer E

2018-01-01

Cognitive control impairments in schizophrenia (SZ) can be evaluated using antisaccade tasks and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Studies, however, often compare people with SZ to high performing healthy people, making it unclear if antisaccade-related disruptions are specific to the disease or due to generalized deficits in cognitive control. We included two healthy comparison groups in addition to people with SZ: healthy people with high cognitive control (HCC), who represent a more typical comparison group, and healthy people with low cognitive control (LCC), who perform similarly on antisaccade measures as people with SZ. Using two healthy comparison groups may help determine which antisaccade-related deficits are specific to SZ (distinguish SZ from LCC and HCC groups) and which are due to poor cognitive control (distinguish the LCC and SZ groups from the HCC group). People with SZ and healthy people with HCC or LCC performed an antisaccade task during fMRI acquisition. LCC and SZ groups showed under-activation of saccade circuitry. SZ-specific disruptions were observed in the left superior temporal gyrus and insula during error trials (suppression of activation in the SZ group compared to the LCC and HCC group). Differences related to antisaccade errors may distinguish people with SZ from healthy people with LCC.

Metacognitive awareness of cognitive problems in schizophrenia: exploring the role of symptoms and self-esteem.

PubMed

Cella, M; Swan, S; Medin, E; Reeder, C; Wykes, T

2014-02-01

People with a diagnosis of schizophrenia have limited metacognitive awareness of their symptoms. This is also evident for cognitive difficulties when neuropsychological assessments and self-reports are compared. Unlike for delusions and hallucinations, little attention has been given to factors that may influence the mismatch between objective and subjectively reported cognitive problems. Symptom severity, and also self-esteem and social functioning, can have an impact on cognitive problem perception and help to explain the gap between objective and subjective cognitive assessments in psychosis. One-hundred participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia were recruited and assessed with a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, a measure of awareness of cognitive problems and measures of psychotic symptoms, social and behavioural functioning and self-esteem. Regression was used to investigate the influence of symptoms, social functioning and self-esteem, and patients with different levels of cognitive problem awareness were contrasted. Simple correlation analysis replicated the lack of association between objective cognitive measures and metacognitive awareness of cognitive problems. However, the results of the regression analyses highlight that self-esteem and negative symptoms predict metacognitive awareness. When significant predictors were controlled, individuals with better awareness had more impaired working memory but higher IQ. Poor self-esteem and high negative symptoms are negatively associated with metacognitive awareness in people with schizophrenia. Interventions that aim to improve cognition should consider that cognitive problem reporting in people with schizophrenia correlates poorly with objective measures and is biased not only by symptoms but also by self-esteem. Future studies should explore the causal pathways using longitudinal designs.

Strategic Role of Frontal White Matter Tracts in Vascular Cognitive Impairment: A Voxel-Based Lesion-Symptom Mapping Study in CADASIL

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duering, Marco; Zieren, Nikola; Herve, Dominique; Jouvent, Eric; Reyes, Sonia; Peters, Nils; Pachai, Chahin; Opherk, Christian; Chabriat, Hugues; Dichgans, Martin

2011-01-01

Cerebral small vessel disease is the most common cause of vascular cognitive impairment. It typically manifests with lacunar infarcts and ischaemic white matter lesions. However, little is known about how these lesions relate to the cognitive symptoms. Previous studies have found a poor correlation between the burden of ischaemic lesions and…

A Comparative Study of Autistic Subjects' Performance at Two Levels of Visual and Cognitive Perspective Taking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Taffy; Peterson, Candida

1990-01-01

This study found that 13 autistic subjects performed less well on cognitive than on visual perspective-taking tasks at two levels of difficulty. Autistic subjects performed as well as 13 intellectually handicapped controls and 13 normal controls on visual perspective-taking tasks but more poorly than controls on cognitive perspective-taking tasks.…

Now where was I going? The challenge of care transitions for the cognitively impaired.

PubMed

Noel, Margaret A

2012-01-01

Transitions in care settings can be disconcerting to anyone, but they can be particularly difficult for people with cognitive impairment. MemoryCare's design of integrated clinical and care management services is well suited to minimizing the preventable morbidity that can accompany transitions in health care for cognitively impaired older adults at high risk for poor outcomes.

Determinants of Body Mass Index and Intelligence Quotient of Elementary School Children in Mountain Area of Nepal: An Explorative Study.

PubMed

Ranabhat, Chhabi; Kim, Chun-Bae; Park, Myung Bae; Kim, Chang Soo; Freidoony, Leila

2016-02-03

The physical growth and cognitive development of elementary school children are very crucial and this group is large in number but has little research dedicated to it. The physical growth and cognitive development of children occur simultaneously and can be measured by body mass index (BMI) and intelligence quotient (IQ). Previous studies could not sufficiently focus on both aspects. The aim of this study was to identify determinants of BMI and IQ of students in two elementary schools in the Humla district of Nepal. Two randomly selected elementary schools and all children available there (n = 173) participated in the study. BMI was calculated with the objective of proper measurement of height and weight of the children. Likewise, the updated universal nonverbal intelligence test (UNIT) was applied for IQ. Descriptive statistics, t-test, analysis of variance and multiple linear regressions were used when appropriate. Study findings showed that one-tenth of the children had grade 2 thinness (-2SD) and about one-third had poor IQ (<85). The age of the children (p < 0.05) and household economic status (p < 0.001) were significant for the BMI. Likewise, frequencies of illness in the previous year, mother's education (p < 0.05) and father's education (p < 0.001) were significant factors for the IQ score. More commonly, BMI and IQ scores were significantly lower in the ultra-poor group. Economic status and parent education are still major determinants of IQ and BMI in these students. Special programs and strategies should be launched to improve the poor ranking of IQ and BMI.

Effect of Preschool Working Memory, Language, and Narrative Abilities on Inferential Comprehension at School-Age in Children with Spina Bifida Myelomeningocele and Typically Developing Children

PubMed Central

Pike, Meredith; Swank, Paul; Taylor, Heather; Landry, Susan; Barnes, Marcia A.

2014-01-01

Children with spina bifida myelomeningocele (SBM) are more likely to display a pattern of good-decoding/poor comprehension than their neurologically intact peers. The goals of the current study were to (1) examine the cognitive origins of one of the component skills of comprehension, bridging inferences, from a developmental perspective and (2) to test the effects of those relations on reading comprehension achievement. Data from a sample of children with SBM and a control group (n = 78) who participated in a longitudinal study were taken from age 36-month and 9.5-year time points. A multiple mediation model provided evidence that three preschool cognitive abilities (working memory/inhibitory control, oral comprehension, narrative recall), could partially explain the relation between group and bridging inference skill. A second mediation model supported that each of the 36-month abilities had an indirect effect on reading comprehension through bridging inference skill. Findings contribute to an understanding of both typical and atypical comprehension development, blending theories from the developmental, cognitive, and neuropsychological literature. PMID:23388065

Effect of preschool working memory, language, and narrative abilities on inferential comprehension at school-age in children with spina bifida myelomeningocele and typically developing children.

PubMed

Pike, Meredith; Swank, Paul; Taylor, Heather; Landry, Susan; Barnes, Marcia A

2013-04-01

Children with spina bifida myelomeningocele (SBM) are more likely to display a pattern of good-decoding/poor comprehension than their neurologically intact peers. The goals of the current study were to (1) examine the cognitive origins of one of the component skills of comprehension, bridging inferences, from a developmental perspective and (2) to test the effects of those relations on reading comprehension achievement. Data from a sample of children with SBM and a control group (n = 78) who participated in a longitudinal study were taken from age 36-month and 9.5-year time points. A multiple mediation model provided evidence that three preschool cognitive abilities (working memory/inhibitory control, oral comprehension, narrative recall), could partially explain the relation between group and bridging inference skill. A second mediation model supported that each of the 36-month abilities had an indirect effect on reading comprehension through bridging inference skill. Findings contribute to an understanding of both typical and atypical comprehension development, blending theories from the developmental, cognitive, and neuropsychological literature.

Mathematical difficulties in developmental coordination disorder: Symbolic and nonsymbolic number processing.

PubMed

Gomez, Alice; Piazza, Manuela; Jobert, Antoinette; Dehaene-Lambertz, Ghislaine; Dehaene, Stanislas; Huron, Caroline

2015-01-01

At school, children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) struggle with mathematics. However, little attention has been paid to their numerical cognition abilities. The goal of this study was to better understand the cognitive basis for mathematical difficulties in children with DCD. Twenty 7-to-10 years-old children with DCD were compared to twenty age-matched typically developing children using dot and digit comparison tasks to assess symbolic and nonsymbolic number processing and in a task of single digits additions. Results showed that children with DCD had lower performance in nonsymbolic and symbolic number comparison tasks than typically developing children. They were also slower to solve simple addition problems. Moreover, correlational analyses showed that children with DCD who experienced greater impairments in the nonsymbolic task also performed more poorly in the symbolic tasks. These findings suggest that DCD impairs both nonsymbolic and symbolic number processing. A systematic assessment of numerical cognition in children with DCD could provide a more comprehensive picture of their deficits and help in proposing specific remediation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cognitive impairments associated with alterations in synaptic proteins induced by the genetic loss of adenosine A2A receptors in mice.

PubMed

Moscoso-Castro, Maria; López-Cano, Marc; Gracia-Rubio, Irene; Ciruela, Francisco; Valverde, Olga

2017-11-01

The study of psychiatric disorders usually focuses on emotional symptoms assessment. However, cognitive deficiencies frequently constitute the core symptoms, are often poorly controlled and handicap individual's quality of life. Adenosine receptors, through the control of both dopamine and glutamate systems, have been implicated in the pathophysiology of several psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Indeed, clinical data indicate that poorly responsive schizophrenia patients treated with adenosine adjuvants show improved treatment outcomes. The A 2A adenosine receptor subtype (A 2A R) is highly expressed in brain areas controlling cognition and motivational responses including the striatum, hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Accordingly, we study the role of A 2A R in the regulation of cognitive processes based on a complete cognitive behavioural analysis coupled with the assessment of neurogenesis and sub-synaptic protein expression in adult and middle-aged A 2A R constitutional knockout mice and wild-type littermates. Our results show overall cognitive impairments in A 2A R knockout mice associated with a decrease in new-born hippocampal neuron proliferation and concomitant changes in synaptic protein expression, in both the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus. These results suggest a deficient adenosine signalling in cognitive processes, thus providing new opportunities for the therapeutic management of cognitive deficits associated with psychiatric disorders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Shorter sleep duration is associated with reduced cognitive development at two years of age.

PubMed

Smithson, Lisa; Baird, Tieghan; Tamana, Sukhpreet K; Lau, Amanda; Mariasine, Jennifer; Chikuma, Joyce; Lefebvre, Diana L; Subbarao, Padmaja; Becker, Allan B; Turvey, Stuart E; Sears, Malcolm R; Beal, Deryk S; Pei, Jacqueline; Mandhane, Piush J

2018-04-30

Both short sleep duration and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) are associated with poor neurocognitive development. However, the co-contributions of short sleep duration and SDB on neurodevelopment in pre-school children are relatively unknown. We assessed both sleep duration and SDB by quarterly questionnaire from three months to two years of age among Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) birth cohort participants. Group-based modeling determined trajectories of total, daytime, and nighttime sleep duration and SDB. Linear regression was used to assess the impact of sleep duration and SDB trajectories on cognitive (primary outcome) and language (secondary) development at two years of age as assessed by the Bayley Scale of Infant Development (BSID-III) (mean 100; standard deviation of 15). Of the 822 CHILD Edmonton participants, 703 (86%) were still enrolled at two years of age with 593 having BSID-III data at two years of age. Trajectory analysis identified four total sleep durations phenotypes [short sleepers (17.9%), decline to short sleepers (21.1%), intermediate sleepers (36.9%) and long sleepers (24.1%)]. Compared to children with intermediate sleep durations, short sleepers had a 5.2-point lower cognitive development score at two years of age [standard error (SE) 1.7; p = 0.002]. Nocturnal sleep duration, compared to daytime sleep duration had the greatest effect on cognitive development. We also identified three SDB symptom trajectories [early-onset SDB (15.7%), late-onset SDB (14.2%), and persistent SDB (5.3%)] and 79.5% of children had no SDB symptoms. Children with persistent SDB also had a 5.3-point lower language score (SE 2.7; p = 0.05) compared to children with no SDB. SDB trajectories were not associated with cognitive development. In a population-representative birth cohort study, both short sleep duration and SDB were associated with adverse neurodevelopment at two years of age. Children with short nighttime sleep duration had lowered cognitive and language scores and children with persistent SDB also had lower language scores. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Music-Based Cognitive Remediation Therapy for Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury

PubMed Central

Hegde, Shantala

2014-01-01

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the common causes of disability in physical, psychological, and social domains of functioning leading to poor quality of life. TBI leads to impairment in sensory, motor, language, and emotional processing, and also in cognitive functions such as attention, information processing, executive functions, and memory. Cognitive impairment plays a central role in functional recovery in TBI. Innovative methods such as music therapy to alleviate cognitive impairments have been investigated recently. The role of music in cognitive rehabilitation is evolving, based on newer findings emerging from the fields of neuromusicology and music cognition. Research findings from these fields have contributed significantly to our understanding of music perception and cognition, and its neural underpinnings. From a neuroscientific perspective, indulging in music is considered as one of the best cognitive exercises. With “plasticity” as its veritable nature, brain engages in producing music indulging an array of cognitive functions and the product, the music, in turn permits restoration and alters brain functions. With scientific findings as its basis, “neurologic music therapy” (NMT) has been developed as a systematic treatment method to improve sensorimotor, language, and cognitive domains of functioning via music. A preliminary study examining the effect of NMT in cognitive rehabilitation has reported promising results in improving executive functions along with improvement in emotional adjustment and decreasing depression and anxiety following TBI. The potential usage of music-based cognitive rehabilitation therapy in various clinical conditions including TBI is yet to be fully explored. There is a need for systematic research studies to bridge the gap between increasing theoretical understanding of usage of music in cognitive rehabilitation and application of the same in a heterogeneous condition such as TBI. PMID:24715887

Poor quality of life, depressed mood, and memory impairment may be mediated by sleep disruption in patients with Addison's disease.

PubMed

Henry, Michelle; Wolf, Pedro S A; Ross, Ian L; Thomas, Kevin G F

2015-11-01

Standard replacement therapy for Addison's disease (AD) does not restore a normal circadian rhythm. In fact, hydrocortisone replacement in AD patients likely induces disrupted sleep. Given that healthy sleep plays an important role in improving quality of life, optimizing cognition, and ensuring affect regulation, the aim of this study was to investigate whether poor quality of life, mood alterations, and memory complaints reported by AD patients are associated with their disrupted sleep patterns. Sixty patients with AD and 60 matched healthy controls completed a battery of self-report questionnaires assessing perceived physical and mental health (Short-Form 36), mood (Beck Depression Inventory-II), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and cognition (Cognitive Failures Questionnaire). A latent variable model revealed that although AD had a significant direct effect on quality of life, the indirect effect of sleep was significantly greater. Furthermore, although AD had no direct effect on cognitive functioning, the indirect effect of sleep was significant. The overall model showed a good fit (comparative fit index = 0.91, root mean square of approximation = 0.09, and standardized root mean square residual = 0.05). Our findings suggest that disrupted sleep, and not the disease per se, may induce poor quality of life, memory impairment, and affect dysregulation in patients with AD. We think that improving sleep architecture may improve cognitive, affective, and physical functioning. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cerebrovascular function and cognition in childhood: a systematic review of transcranial doppler studies

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The contribution of cerebrovascular function to cognitive performance is gaining increased attention. Transcranial doppler (TCD) is portable, reliable, inexpensive and extremely well tolerated by young and clinical samples. It enables measurement of blood flow velocity in major cerebral arteries at rest and during cognitive tasks. Methods We systematically reviewed evidence for associations between cognitive performance and cerebrovascular function in children (0-18 years), as measured using TCD. A total of 2778 articles were retrieved from PsychInfo, Pubmed, and EMBASE searches and 25 relevant articles were identified. Results Most studies investigated clinical groups, where decreased blood flow velocities in infants were associated with poor neurological functioning, and increased blood flow velocities in children with Sickle cell disease were typically associated with cognitive impairment and lower intelligence. Studies were also identified assessing autistic behaviour, mental retardation and sleep disordered breathing. In healthy children, the majority of studies reported cognitive processing produced lateralised changes in blood flow velocities however these physiological responses did not appear to correlate with behavioural cognitive performance. Conclusion Poor cognitive performance appears to be associated with decreased blood flow velocities in premature infants, and increased velocities in Sickle cell disease children using TCD methods. However knowledge in healthy samples is relatively limited. The technique is well tolerated by children, is portable and inexpensive. It therefore stands to make a valuable contribution to knowledge regarding the underlying functional biology of cognitive performance in childhood. PMID:24602446

The cognitive impact of antiepileptic drugs

PubMed Central

Eddy, Clare M.; Rickards, Hugh E.

2011-01-01

Effective treatment of epilepsy depends on medication compliance across a lifetime, and studies indicate that drug tolerability is a significant limiting factor in medication maintenance. Available antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) have the potential to exert detrimental effects on cognitive function and therefore compromise patient wellbeing. On the other hand, some agents may serve to enhance cognitive function. In this review paper, we highlight the range of effects on cognition linked to a variety of newer and older AEDs, encompassing key alterations in both specific executive abilities and broader neuropsychological functions. Importantly, the data reviewed suggest that the effects exerted by an AED could vary depending on both patient characteristics and drug-related variables. However, there are considerable difficulties in evaluating the available evidence. Many studies have failed to investigate the influence of patient and treatment variables on cognitive functioning. Other difficulties include variation across studies in relation to design, treatment group and assessment tools, poor reporting of methodology and poor specification of the cognitive abilities assessed. Focused and rigorous experimental designs including a range of cognitive measures assessing more precisely defined abilities are needed to fill the gaps in our knowledge and follow up reported patterns in the literature. Longitudinal studies are needed to improve our understanding of the influence of factors such as age, tolerance and the stability of cognitive effects. Future trials comparing the effects of commonly prescribed agents across patient subgroups will offer critical insight into the role of patient characteristics in determining the cognitive impact of particular AEDs. PMID:22164192

Measures of readiness for cognitive behavioural therapy in people with intellectual disability: A systematic review.

PubMed

Stott, Joshua; Charlesworth, Georgina; Scior, Katrina

2017-01-01

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a promising treatment for mental health problems in people with intellectual disabilities but some may not be suited or ready. This review critically evaluates the quality and utility of measures of CBT readiness in people with intellectual disabilities. Twelve studies of six measures based on three aspects of CBT readiness were identified through systematic review. Across measures, measurement quality was largely poor or un-assessed. Only one study evaluated measurement change over the course of CBT. Not all participants with intellectual disabilities could 'pass' readiness measures and performance may be affected by levels of language and cognitive functioning. There was some evidence that CBT readiness is trainable with brief interventions. Before using readiness measures in a clinical context, further work is needed to extend initial evidence on recognising cognitive mediation as a CBT readiness ability. Given the lack of consensus as to the definition of CBT readiness and the heterogeneity of CBT interventions, future research could also focus on developing readiness measures using a bottom up approach, developing measures within the context of CBT interventions themselves, before further refining and establishing their psychometric properties. This paper is the first to systematically review measures of skills thought necessary to be ready for cognitive behavioural therapy in intellectual disabilities. The findings suggest that while readiness skills may be trainable with brief interventions, the available measures of these skills have not been fully evaluated for quality. Levels of functioning on these measures have yet to be established relative to those without intellectual disabilities and critically, there is very little evidence as to whether these skills are important in cognitive behavioural therapy process and outcome. We suggest that future research could focus on those constructs where there is preliminary evidence for utility such as recognising cognitive mediation and also on developing the concept of readiness perhaps by developing measures within the context of specific CBT interventions. Until this is done, clinicians should exercise caution in using these measures to assess readiness for cognitive behavioural therapy in people with intellectual disabilities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

THE EDUCATION-HEALTH GRADIENT.

PubMed

Conti, Gabriella; Heckman, James; Urzua, Sergio

2010-05-01

In this paper, we determine the role played by early cognitive, noncognitive, and health endowments. We identify the causal effect of education on health and health-related behaviors. We develop an empirical model of schooling choice and post-schooling outcomes, where both schooling and the outcomes determined in part by schooling are influenced by measured early family environments and latent capabilities (cognitive, noncognitive and health). We show that family background characteristics, and cognitive, noncognitive, and health endowments developed by age 10, are important determinants of labor market and health disparities at age 30. Not properly accounting for personality traits overestimates the importance of cognitive ability in determining adult health. Selection on factors determined early in life explains more than half of the observed difference by education in poor health, depression, and obesity. Education has an important causal effect in explaining differences in many adult outcomes and healthy behaviors. We uncover significant gender differences. We go beyond the current literature which typically estimates mean effects to compute distributions of treatment effects. We show how the health returns to education can vary among individuals who are similar with respect to their observed characteristics, and how a mean effect can hide gains and losses for different individuals. Our research highlights the important role played by the early years in producing health.

Effects of prenatal methamphetamine exposure: a review of cognitive and neuroimaging studies.

PubMed

Kwiatkowski, Maja A; Roos, Annerine; Stein, Dan J; Thomas, Kevin G F; Donald, Kirsty

2014-06-01

Prenatal methamphetamine exposure (PME) is a significant problem in several parts of the world and poses important health risks for the developing fetus. Research on the short- and long-term outcomes of PME is scarce, however. Here, we summarize present knowledge on the cognitive and behavioral outcomes of PME, based on a review of the neuroimaging, neuropsychology, and neuroscience literature published in the past 15 years. Several studies have reported that the behavioral and cognitive sequelae of PME include broad deficits in the domains of attention, memory, and visual-motor integration. Knowledge regarding brain-behavior relationships is poor, however, in large part because imaging studies are rare. Hence, the effects of PME on developing neurocircuitry and brain architecture remain speculative, and are largely deductive. Some studies have implicated the dopamine-rich fronto-striatal pathways; however, cognitive deficits (e.g., impaired visual-motor integration) that should be associated with damage to those pathways are not manifested consistently across studies. We conclude by discussing challenges endemic to research on prenatal drug exposure, and argue that they may account for some of the inconsistencies in the extant research on PME. Studies confirming predicted brain-behavior relationships in PME, and exploring possible mechanisms underlying those relationships, are needed if neuroscience is to address the urgency of this growing public health problem.

Functional brain networks associated with cognitive control, cocaine dependence, and treatment outcome.

PubMed

Worhunsky, Patrick D; Stevens, Michael C; Carroll, Kathleen M; Rounsaville, Bruce J; Calhoun, Vince D; Pearlson, Godfrey D; Potenza, Marc N

2013-06-01

Individuals with cocaine dependence often evidence poor cognitive control. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate networks of functional connectivity underlying cognitive control in cocaine dependence and examine the relationship of the networks to the disorder and its treatment. Independent component analysis (ICA) was applied to fMRI data to investigate if regional activations underlying cognitive control processes operate in functional networks, and whether these networks relate to performance and treatment outcome measures in cocaine dependence. Twenty patients completed a Stroop task during fMRI prior to entering outpatient treatment and were compared to 20 control participants. ICA identified five distinct functional networks related to cognitive control interference events. Cocaine-dependent patients displayed differences in performance-related recruitment of three networks. Reduced involvement of a "top-down" fronto-cingular network contributing to conflict monitoring correlated with better treatment retention. Greater engagement of two "bottom-up" subcortical and ventral prefrontal networks related to cue-elicited motivational processing correlated with abstinence during treatment. The identification of subcortical networks linked to cocaine abstinence and cortical networks to treatment retention suggests that specific circuits may represent important, complementary targets in treatment development for cocaine dependence. 2013 APA, all rights reserved

The relative contributions of social cognition and self-reflectiveness to clinical insight in enduring schizophrenia.

PubMed

Béland, Sophie; Lepage, Martin

2017-12-01

Poor clinical insight represents a major barrier to recovery in schizophrenia. Research suggests that higher-order social cognitive abilities such as theory of mind (TOM) and metacognition contribute to levels of clinical insight. However, few studies have examined whether social cognitive abilities other than TOM are related to clinical insight. Moreover, to date, no investigation has attempted to determine whether the contribution of metacognitive ability to clinical insight can be differentiated from the contribution of higher-order social cognition, despite their conceptual similarity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relative contribution of different social cognitive abilities, as well as metacognition, to clinical insight in a large sample of 139 enduring schizophrenia patients, and controlling for established predictors of clinical insight. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to evaluate the portion of variance explained by 3 social cognitive abilities: emotion recognition, TOM, and affective empathy, and the metacognitive ability of self-reflectiveness. Clinical insight levels were assessed using the Schedule for the Assessment of Insight-Expanded version. Results indicated that affective empathy and self-reflectiveness are the strongest predictors of clinical insight. These results provide insights on the development of targeted interventions for improving clinical insight in this population. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Food for thought: the role of appetitive peptides in age-related cognitive decline.

PubMed

Fadel, Jim R; Jolivalt, Corinne G; Reagan, Lawrence P

2013-06-01

Through their well described actions in the hypothalamus, appetitive peptides such as insulin, orexin and leptin are recognized as important regulators of food intake, body weight and body composition. Beyond these metabolic activities, these peptides also are critically involved in a wide variety of activities ranging from modulation of immune and neuroendocrine function to addictive behaviors and reproduction. The neurological activities of insulin, orexin and leptin also include facilitation of hippocampal synaptic plasticity and enhancement of cognitive performance. While patients with metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes have greater risk of developing cognitive deficits, dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD), the underlying mechanisms that are responsible for, or contribute to, age-related cognitive decline are poorly understood. In view of the importance of these peptides in metabolic disorders, it is not surprising that there is a greater focus on their potential role in cognitive deficits associated with aging. The goal of this review is to describe the evidence from clinical and pre-clinical studies implicating insulin, orexin and leptin in the etiology and progression of age-related cognitive decline. Collectively, these studies support the hypothesis that leptin and insulin resistance, concepts normally associated with the hypothalamus, are also applicable to the hippocampus. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Diet, gut microbiota and cognition.

PubMed

Proctor, Cicely; Thiennimitr, Parameth; Chattipakorn, Nipon; Chattipakorn, Siriporn C

2017-02-01

The consumption of a diet high in fat and sugar can lead to the development of obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline. In the human gut, the trillions of harmless microorganisms harboured in the host's gastrointestinal tract are called the 'gut microbiota'. Consumption of a diet high in fat and sugar changes the healthy microbiota composition which leads to an imbalanced microbial population in the gut, a phenomenon known as "gut dysbiosis". It has been shown that certain types of gut microbiota are linked to the pathogenesis of obesity. In addition, long-term consumption of a high fat diet is associated with cognitive decline. It has recently been proposed that the gut microbiota is part of a mechanistic link between the consumption of a high fat diet and the impaired cognition of an individual, termed "microbiota-gut-brain axis". In this complex relationship between the gut, the brain and the gut microbiota, there are several types of gut microbiota and host mechanisms involved. Most of these mechanisms are still poorly understood. Therefore, this review comprehensively summarizes the current evidence from mainly in vivo (rodent and human) studies of the relationship between diet, gut microbiota and cognition. The possible mechanisms that the diet and the gut microbiota have on cognition are also presented and discussed.

The Development and Validation of the Memory Support Rating Scale (MSRS)

PubMed Central

Lee, Jason Y.; Worrell, Frank C.; Harvey, Allison G.

2015-01-01

Patient memory for treatment information is poor, and worse memory for treatment information is associated with poorer clinical outcomes. Memory support techniques have been harnessed to improve patient memory for treatment. However, a measure of memory support used by treatment providers during sessions has yet to be established. The present study reports on the development and psychometric properties of the Memory Support Rating Scale (MSRS) – an observer-rated scale designed to measure memory support. Forty-two adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) were randomized to either cognitive therapy plus memory support (CS+MS; n = 22) or cognitive therapy as-usual (CT-as-usual; n = 20). At post-treatment, patients freely recalled treatment points via the Patient Recall Task. Sessions (n = 171) were coded for memory support using the MSRS, 65% of which were also assessed for the quality of cognitive therapy via the Cognitive Therapy Rating Scale (CTRS). A unidimensional scale composed of 8 items was developed using exploratory factor analysis, though a larger sample is needed to further assess the factor structure of MSRS scores. High inter-rater and test-retest reliabilities of MSRS scores were observed across seven MSRS coders. MSRS scores were higher in the CT+MS condition compared to CT-as-usual, demonstrating group differentiation ability. MSRS scores were positively associated with Patient Recall Task scores but not associated with CTRS scores, demonstrating convergent and discriminant validity, respectively. Results indicate that the MSRS yields reliable and valid scores for measuring treatment providers’ use of memory support while delivering cognitive therapy. PMID:26389597

Continuity of Genetic and Environmental Influences on Cognition across the Life Span: A Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Twin and Adoption Studies

PubMed Central

Tucker-Drob, Elliot M.; Briley, Daniel A.

2014-01-01

The longitudinal rank-order stability of cognitive ability increases dramatically over the lifespan. Multiple theoretical perspectives have proposed that genetic and/or environmental mechanisms underlie the longitudinal stability of cognition, and developmental trends therein. However, the patterns of stability of genetic and environmental influences on cognition over the lifespan largely remain poorly understood. We searched for longitudinal studies of cognition that reported raw genetically-informative longitudinal correlations or parameter estimates from longitudinal behavior genetic models. We identified 150 combinations of time points and measures from 15 independent longitudinal samples. In total, longitudinal data came from 4,538 monozygotic twin pairs raised together, 7,777 dizygotic twin pairs raised together, 34 monozygotic twin pairs raised apart, 78 dizygotic twin pairs raised apart, 141 adoptive sibling pairs, and 143 non-adoptive sibling pairs, ranging in age from infancy through late adulthood. At all ages, cross-time genetic correlations and shared environmental correlations were substantially larger than cross-time nonshared environmental correlations. Cross-time correlations for genetic and shared environmental components were low during early childhood, increased sharply over child development, and remained relatively high from adolescence through late adulthood. Cross-time correlations for nonshared environmental components were low across childhood and increased gradually to moderate magnitudes in adulthood. Increasing phenotypic stability over child development was almost entirely mediated by genetic factors. Time-based decay of genetic and shared environmental stability was more pronounced earlier in child development. Results are interpreted in reference to theories of gene-environment interaction and correlation. PMID:24611582

Memory Binding Test Predicts Incident Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment.

PubMed

Mowrey, Wenzhu B; Lipton, Richard B; Katz, Mindy J; Ramratan, Wendy S; Loewenstein, David A; Zimmerman, Molly E; Buschke, Herman

2016-07-14

The Memory Binding Test (MBT), previously known as Memory Capacity Test, has demonstrated discriminative validity for distinguishing persons with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and dementia from cognitively normal elderly. We aimed to assess the predictive validity of the MBT for incident aMCI. In a longitudinal, community-based study of adults aged 70+, we administered the MBT to 246 cognitively normal elderly adults at baseline and followed them annually. Based on previous work, a subtle reduction in memory binding at baseline was defined by a Total Items in the Paired (TIP) condition score of ≤22 on the MBT. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the predictive validity of the MBT for incident aMCI accounting for the effects of covariates. The hazard ratio of incident aMCI was also assessed for different prediction time windows ranging from 4 to 7 years of follow-up, separately. Among 246 controls who were cognitively normal at baseline, 48 developed incident aMCI during follow-up. A baseline MBT reduction was associated with an increased risk for developing incident aMCI (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.44, 95% confidence interval: 1.30-4.56, p = 0.005). When varying the prediction window from 4-7 years, the MBT reduction remained significant for predicting incident aMCI (HR range: 2.33-3.12, p: 0.0007-0.04). Persons with poor performance on the MBT are at significantly greater risk for developing incident aMCI. High hazard ratios up to seven years of follow-up suggest that the MBT is sensitive to early disease.

The development and validation of the Memory Support Rating Scale.

PubMed

Lee, Jason Y; Worrell, Frank C; Harvey, Allison G

2016-06-01

Patient memory for treatment information is poor, and worse memory for treatment information is associated with poorer clinical outcomes. Memory support techniques have been harnessed to improve patient memory for treatment. However, a measure of memory support used by treatment providers during sessions has yet to be established. The present study reports on the development and psychometric properties of the Memory Support Rating Scale (MSRS)-an observer-rated scale designed to measure memory support. Adults with major depressive disorder (MDD; N = 42) were randomized to either cognitive therapy plus memory support (CT + MS; n = 22) or cognitive therapy as-usual (CT-as-usual; n = 20). At posttreatment, patients freely recalled treatment points via the patient recall task. Sessions (n = 171) were coded for memory support using the MSRS, 65% of which were also assessed for the quality of cognitive therapy via the Cognitive Therapy Rating Scale (CTRS). A unidimensional scale composed of 8 items was developed using exploratory factor analysis, though a larger sample is needed to further assess the factor structure of MSRS scores. High interrater and test-retest reliabilities of MSRS scores were observed across 7 MSRS coders. MSRS scores were higher in the CT + MS condition compared with CT-as-usual, demonstrating group differentiation ability. MSRS scores were positively associated with patient recall task scores but not associated with CTRS scores, demonstrating convergent and discriminant validity, respectively. Results indicate that the MSRS yields reliable and valid scores for measuring treatment providers' use of memory support while delivering cognitive therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Cognitive performance is associated with macronutrient intake in healthy young and middle-aged adults.

PubMed

Zhang, Jian; Mckeown, Robert E; Muldoon, Matthew F; Tang, Shenghui

2006-01-01

The objective was to examine whether dietary intakes of macronutrients are associated with neuropsychological performance. Study participants were 3960 adults aged 20-59 years, who completed three neuropsychological tests and a 24-hour dietary recall as a part of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994. Poor performance was defined as the test score below gender-specific 15th percentile. While holding the energy percentages from different macronutrients, additional 100 kcal intake of energy was associated with a reduced odds of poor performance on serial digital learning test (OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.96, 0.99) and symbol digital substitution test (OR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.96, 0.99). Compared with equivalent energy from carbohydrates, each 5% of energy from poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) or total fat was associated with a reduced OR of poor performance on simple reaction time test (PUFA: OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.63-0.95 and total fat: OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.87, 0.99). Poor global cognition was associated with an additional intake of 100 mg cholesterol (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.05, 1.23). These associations were more salient in men. Habitual intake of macronutrients is weakly but significantly associated with cognitive functioning. These relationships are more evident in men.

The development of a change model of "exits" during cognitive analytic therapy for the treatment of depression.

PubMed

Sandhu, Sundeep Kaur; Kellett, Stephen; Hardy, Gillian

2017-11-01

"Exits" in cognitive analytic therapy (CAT) are methods that change unhelpful patterns or roles during the final "revision" phase of the therapy. How exits are conceived and achieved is currently poorly understood. This study focussed on the revision stage to explore and define how change is accomplished in CAT. Qualitative content analysis studied transcripts of sessions 6 and 7 of a protocol delivered 8-session CAT treatment for depression. Eight participants met the study inclusion criteria, and therefore, 16 sessions were analysed. The exit model developed contained 3 distinct (but interacting) phases: (a) developing an observing self via therapist input or client self-reflection, (b) breaking out of old patterns by creating new roles and procedures, and (c) utilisation of a range of methods to support and maintain change. Levels of interrater reliability for the exit categories that formed the model were good. The revision stage of CAT emerged as a complex and dynamic process involving 3 interacting stages. Further research is recommended to understand how exits relate to durability of change and whether change processes differ according to presenting problem. Exit work in cognitive analytic therapy is a dynamic process that requires progression through stages of insight, active change, and consolidation. Development of an "observing self" is an important foundation stone for change, and cognitive analytic therapists need to work within the client's zone of proximal development. A number of aspects appear important in facilitating change, such as attending to the process and feelings generated by change talk. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A single dose of oxytocin nasal spray improves higher-order social cognition in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Guastella, Adam J; Ward, Philip B; Hickie, Ian B; Shahrestani, Sara; Hodge, Marie Antoinette Redoblado; Scott, Elizabeth M; Langdon, Robyn

2015-11-01

Schizophrenia is associated with significant impairments in both higher and lower order social cognitive performance and these impairments contribute to poor social functioning. People with schizophrenia report poor social functioning to be one of their greatest unmet treatment needs. Recent studies have suggested the potential of oxytocin as such a treatment, but mixed results render it uncertain what aspects of social cognition are improved by oxytocin and, subsequently, how oxytocin might best be applied as a therapeutic. The aim of this study was to determine whether a single dose of oxytocin improved higher-order and lower-order social cognition performance for patients with schizophrenia across a well-established battery of social cognition tests. Twenty-one male patients received both a single dose of oxytocin nasal spray (24IU) and a placebo, two weeks apart in a randomized within-subjects placebo controlled design. Following each administration, participants completed the social cognition tasks, as well as a test of general neurocognition. Results revealed that oxytocin particularly enhanced performance on higher order social cognition tasks, with no effects on general neurocognition. Results for individual tasks showed most improvement on tests measuring appreciation of indirect hints and recognition of social faux pas. These results suggest that oxytocin, if combined to enhance social cognition learning, may be beneficial when targeted at higher order social cognition domains. This study also suggests that these higher order tasks, which assess social cognitive processing in a social communication context, may provide useful markers of response to oxytocin in schizophrenia. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Asymptomatic cervicocerebral atherosclerosis, intracranial vascular resistance and cognition: the AsIA-neuropsychology study.

PubMed

López-Olóriz, Jorge; López-Cancio, Elena; Arenillas, Juan F; Hernández, María; Jiménez, Marta; Dorado, Laura; Barrios, Maite; Soriano-Raya, Juan José; Miralbell, Júlia; Cáceres, Cynthia; Forés, Rosa; Pera, Guillem; Dávalos, Antoni; Mataró, Maria

2013-10-01

Carotid atherosclerosis has emerged as a relevant contributor to cognitive impairment and dementia whereas the role of intracranial stenosis and vascular resistance in cognition remains unknown. This study aims to assess the association of asymptomatic cervicocerebral atherosclerosis and intracranial vascular resistance with cognitive performance in a large dementia-free population. The Barcelona-AsIA (Asymptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerosis) Neuropsychology Study included 747 Caucasian subjects older than 50 with a moderate-high vascular risk (assessed by REGICOR score) and without history of neither symptomatic vascular disease nor dementia. Extracranial and transcranial color-coded duplex ultrasound examination was performed to assess carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), presence of carotid plaques (ECAD group), intracranial stenosis (ICAD group), and middle cerebral artery pulsatility index (MCA-PI) as a measure of intracranial vascular resistance. Neuropsychological assessment included tests in three cognitive domains: visuospatial skills and speed, verbal memory and verbal fluency. In univariate analyses, carotid IMT, ECAD and MCA-PI were associated with lower performance in almost all cognitive domains, and ICAD was associated with poor performance in some visuospatial and verbal cognitive tests. After adjustment for age, sex, vascular risk score, years of education and depressive symptoms, ECAD remained associated with poor performance in the three cognitive domains and elevated MCA-PI with worse performance in visuospatial skills and speed. Carotid plaques and increased intracranial vascular resistance are independently associated with low cognitive functioning in Caucasian stroke and dementia-free subjects. We failed to find an independent association of intracranial large vessel stenosis with cognitive performance. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parkinson's Disease Subtypes in the Oxford Parkinson Disease Centre (OPDC) Discovery Cohort.

PubMed

Lawton, Michael; Baig, Fahd; Rolinski, Michal; Ruffman, Claudio; Nithi, Kannan; May, Margaret T; Ben-Shlomo, Yoav; Hu, Michele T M

2015-01-01

Within Parkinson's there is a spectrum of clinical features at presentation which may represent sub-types of the disease. However there is no widely accepted consensus of how best to group patients. Use a data-driven approach to unravel any heterogeneity in the Parkinson's phenotype in a well-characterised, population-based incidence cohort. 769 consecutive patients, with mean disease duration of 1.3 years, were assessed using a broad range of motor, cognitive and non-motor metrics. Multiple imputation was carried out using the chained equations approach to deal with missing data. We used an exploratory and then a confirmatory factor analysis to determine suitable domains to include within our cluster analysis. K-means cluster analysis of the factor scores and all the variables not loading into a factor was used to determine phenotypic subgroups. Our factor analysis found three important factors that were characterised by: psychological well-being features; non-tremor motor features, such as posture and rigidity; and cognitive features. Our subsequent five cluster model identified groups characterised by (1) mild motor and non-motor disease (25.4%), (2) poor posture and cognition (23.3%), (3) severe tremor (20.8%), (4) poor psychological well-being, RBD and sleep (18.9%), and (5) severe motor and non-motor disease with poor psychological well-being (11.7%). Our approach identified several Parkinson's phenotypic sub-groups driven by largely dopaminergic-resistant features (RBD, impaired cognition and posture, poor psychological well-being) that, in addition to dopaminergic-responsive motor features may be important for studying the aetiology, progression, and medication response of early Parkinson's.

Influence of health on job-search behavior and re-employment: the role of job-search cognitions and coping resources.

PubMed

Carlier, B E; Schuring, M; van Lenthe, F J; Burdorf, A

2014-12-01

To investigate the influence of poor health on job-search behavior and re-employment, and the mediating role of job-search cognitions and coping resources. A prospective study was conducted among unemployed persons receiving social security benefits in the Netherlands (n = 510). Self-rated health, self-esteem, mastery, job-search cognitions, and the intention to search for a job were measured at baseline. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate determinants of job-search behavior during a follow-up period of 6 months. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to investigate the influence of health, job-search cognitions and coping resources on re-employment during a mean follow-up period of 23 months. Persons with poor health were less likely to search for paid employment (OR 0.58, 95 % CI 0.39-0.85) and were also less likely to find paid employment (HR 0.58, 95 % CI 0.39-0.89). Persons with a positive attitude toward job-search, high perceived social pressure to look for a job, high job-search self-efficacy and high job-search intention were more likely to search actively and also to actually find paid employment. Adjustment for job-search cognitions and coping reduced the influence of health on active search behavior by 50 % and on re-employment by 33 %. Health-related differences in job-search behavior and re-employment can be partly explained by differences in coping, job-search attitude, self-efficacy, and subjective norms towards job-search behavior. Measures to reduce the negative impact of poor health on re-employment should address the interplay of health with job-search cognitions and coping resources.

Social relationships and cognitive decline: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies.

PubMed

Kuiper, Jisca S; Zuidersma, Marij; Zuidema, Sytse U; Burgerhof, Johannes Gm; Stolk, Ronald P; Oude Voshaar, Richard C; Smidt, Nynke

2016-08-01

Although poor social relationships are assumed to contribute to cognitive decline, meta-analytic approaches have not been applied. Individual study results are mixed and difficult to interpret due to heterogeneity in measures of social relationships. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the relation between poor social relationships and cognitive decline. MEDLINE, Embase and PsycINFO were searched for longitudinal cohort studies examining various aspects of social relationships and cognitive decline in the general population. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using random effects meta-analysis. Sources of heterogeneity were explored and likelihood of publication bias was assessed. We stratified analyses according to three aspects of social relationships: structural, functional and a combination of these. We identified 43 articles. Poor social relationships predicted cognitive decline; for structural (19 studies): pooled OR: 1.08 (95% CI: 1.05-1.11); functional (8 studies): pooled OR: 1.15 (95% CI: 1.00-1.32); and combined measures (7 studies): pooled OR: 1.12 (95% CI: 1.01-1.24). Meta-regression and subgroup analyses showed that the heterogeneity could be explained by the type of social relationship measurement and methodological quality of included studies. Despite heterogeneity in study design and measures, our meta-analyses show that multiple aspects of social relationships are associated with cognitive decline. As evidence for publication bias was found, the association might be overestimated and should therefore be interpreted with caution. Future studies are needed to better define the mechanisms underlying these associations. Potential causality of this prognostic association should be examined in future randomized controlled studies. © The Author 2016; all rights reserved. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association.

An eye-tracking controlled neuropsychological battery for cognitive assessment in neurological diseases.

PubMed

Poletti, Barbara; Carelli, Laura; Solca, Federica; Lafronza, Annalisa; Pedroli, Elisa; Faini, Andrea; Zago, Stefano; Ticozzi, Nicola; Ciammola, Andrea; Morelli, Claudia; Meriggi, Paolo; Cipresso, Pietro; Lulé, Dorothée; Ludolph, Albert C; Riva, Giuseppe; Silani, Vincenzo

2017-04-01

Traditional cognitive assessment in neurological conditions involving physical disability is often prevented by the presence of verbal-motor impairment; to date, an extensive motor-verbal-free neuropsychological battery is not available for such purposes. We adapted a set of neuropsychological tests, assessing language, attentional abilities, executive functions and social cognition, for eye-tracking (ET) control, and explored its feasibility in a sample of healthy participants. Thirty healthy subjects performed a neuropsychological assessment, using an ET-based neuropsychological battery, together with standard "paper and pencil" cognitive measures for frontal (Frontal Assessment Battery-FAB) and working memory abilities (Digit Sequencing Task) and for global cognitive efficiency (Montreal Cognitive Assessment-MoCA). Psychological measures of anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y-STAI-Y) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory-BDI) were also collected, and a usability questionnaire was administered. Significant correlations were observed between the "paper and pencil" screening of working memory abilities and the ET-based neuropsychological measures. The ET-based battery also correlated with the MoCA, while poor correlations were observed with the FAB. Usability aspects were found to be influenced by both working memory abilities and psychological components. The ET-based neuropsychological battery developed could provide an extensive assessment of cognitive functions, allowing participants to perform tasks independently from the integrity of motor or verbal channels. Further studies will be aimed at investigating validity and usability components in neurological populations with motor-verbal impairments.

Information processing speed as a mediator between psychosocial stress and global cognition in older adults.

PubMed

Foong, Hui F; Hamid, Tengku A; Ibrahim, Rahimah; Haron, Sharifah A

2018-01-01

The link between psychosocial stress and cognitive function is complex, and previous studies have indicated that it may be mediated by processing speed. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to examine whether processing speed mediates the association between psychosocial stress and global cognition in older adults. Moreover, the moderating role of gender in this model is examined as well. The study included 2322 community-dwelling older adults in Malaysia who were randomly selected through a multistage proportional cluster random sampling technique. Global cognition construct was measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment; psychosocial stress construct was measured by perceived stress, depression, loneliness, and neuroticism; and processing speed was assessed by the Digit Symbol Substitution Test. Structural equation modelling was used to analyze the mediation and moderation tests. Processing speed was found to partially mediate the relationship between psychosocial stress and global cognition (β in the direct model = -0.15, P < 0.001; β in the full mediation model = -0.11, P < 0.001). Moreover, the relationship between psychosocial stress and global cognition was found to be significant in men only, whereas the association between processing speed and global cognition was significant in men and women. Psychosocial stress may increase the likelihood that older adults will experience poor processing capacity, which could reduce their higher level cognition. Results indicate that there is a need to develop processing capacity intervention programmes for psychologically distressed older adults to prevent them from suffering cognitive decline. © 2018 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society.

Building research in diet and cognition: The BRIDGE randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Tussing-Humphreys, Lisa; Lamar, Melissa; Blumenthal, James A; Babyak, Michael; Fantuzzi, Giamila; Blumstein, Lara; Schiffer, Linda; Fitzgibbon, Marian L

2017-08-01

Obesity has been linked to cognitive impairment, cognitive decline and dementia. Given that 38.5% of U.S. adults 60years and older are obese and these numbers are rapidly increasing, strategies to decouple obesity from cognitive decline are needed. Innovative lifestyle strategies that may postpone the onset of subclinical symptoms or even arrest the transition to overt dementia in at-risk individuals are critically needed. Poor diet is central to the development of obesity and diet may affect cognition. Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) is associated with reduced risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. Furthermore, weight loss through caloric restriction improves cognitive function. This paper describes the Building Research in Diet and CoGnition (BRIDGE) study, a randomized trial examining the effect of the MedDiet, with and without weight loss, on cognitive functioning in obese older adults. Obese (BMI≥30 and ≤50kg/m 2 ) older adults (≥55years) (n=180) will be randomized in a 2:2:1 allocation scheme to: Typical Diet Control; MedDiet alone, without weight loss; or MedDiet lifestyle intervention to promote weight loss and weight loss maintenance. Both MedDiet intervention groups will meet for one individual session and 27 group sessions over an 8-month period. Individuals in the control group will not receive instruction on changing lifestyle habits. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, 8 and 14months. The primary outcome is cognitive functioning; secondary outcomes will include changes in body weight, diet, cardiovascular, metabolic, and inflammatory biomarkers. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Cognitive function in Japanese women with posttraumatic stress disorder: Association with exercise habits.

PubMed

Narita-Ohtaki, Ryoko; Hori, Hiroaki; Itoh, Mariko; Lin, Mingming; Niwa, Madoka; Ino, Keiko; Imai, Risa; Ogawa, Sei; Sekiguchi, Atsushi; Matsui, Mie; Kunugi, Hiroshi; Kamo, Toshiko; Kim, Yoshiharu

2018-08-15

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been associated with cognitive impairments, yet little is documented on the cognitive function of PTSD patients in Asian countries. It is shown that regular exercise can reduce PTSD symptoms, while no study has investigated the association between exercise and cognition in PTSD patients. This study aimed to examine cognitive functions of Japanese women with PTSD, and to explore the association between regular exercise and cognitive functions. Forty-two women with DSM-IV PTSD and 66 demographically matched healthy control women participated in this study. Most of the patients developed PTSD after experiencing interpersonal violence. Cognitive functions were assessed by the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Regular exercise habit was assessed by a self-reported questionnaire. Compared to controls, PTSD patients performed significantly more poorly in all cognitive domains examined, including immediate memory, visuospatial construction, language, attention, delayed memory, as well as the total score of RBANS (all p < 0.001). Compared to PTSD patients without the habit of exercise, those who habitually exercised showed significantly better performance on delayed memory (p = 0.006), which survived after controlling for potentially confounding variables in a multiple regression model. The cross-sectional design and relatively small sample size limited our findings. PTSD in Japanese women is associated with pervasively impaired cognitive functions, including notable impairments in verbal memory. Such memory deficits might be improved by regular exercise, although further studies are needed to investigate the causal relationship between exercise and cognition in PTSD. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Therapeutic music for patients with psychiatric disorders.

PubMed

Covington, H

2001-01-01

Many patients with psychiatric disorders struggle with poor skills in coping, communication, socialization, and self-expression that may result in dysfunctional behavioral, cognitive, and emotional responses. Therapeutic music offers a noninvasive approach to strengthen these skills and effect behavior change. At a regional inpatient psychiatric hospital in Colorado, a program of therapeutic music was developed using Rogers' theory of unitary human beings as the theoretical framework. This article describes the approach used to strengthen coping skills in communication, socialization, and self-expression. Suggestions are made for developing a program of music with similar patient populations.

New insights into environmental enteric dysfunction

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) has been recognised as an important contributing factor to physical and cognitive stunting, poor response to oral vaccines, limited resilience to acute infections and ultimately global childhood mortality. The aetiology of EED remains poorly defined but the ep...

Perceived Social Isolation and Cognition

PubMed Central

Cacioppo, John T.; Hawkley, Louise C.

2009-01-01

Social species, from Drosophila melanogaster to Homo sapiens, fare poorly when isolated. Homo sapiens, an irrepressibly meaning-making species, are, in normal circumstances, dramatically affected by perceived social isolation. Research indicates that perceived social isolation (i.e., loneliness) is a risk factor for, and may contribute to, poorer overall cognitive performance, faster cognitive decline, poorer executive functioning, more negativity and depressive cognition, heightened sensitivity to social threats, a confirmatory bias in social cognition that is self-protective and paradoxically self-defeating, heightened anthropomorphism, and contagion that threatens social cohesion. These differences in attention and cognition impact emotions, decisions, behaviors, and interpersonal interactions that may contribute to the association between loneliness and cognitive decline and between loneliness and morbidity more generally. PMID:19726219

Genetic enhancement of cognition in a kindred with cone–rod dystrophy due to RIMS1 mutation

PubMed Central

Sisodiya, Sanjay M; Thompson, Pamela J; Need, Anna; Harris, Sarah E; Weale, Michael E; Wilkie, Susan E; Michaelides, Michel; Free, Samantha L; Walley, Nicole; Gumbs, Curtis; Gerrelli, Dianne; Ruddle, Piers; Whalley, Lawrence J; Starr, John M; Hunt, David M; Goldstein, David B; Deary, Ian J; Moore, Anthony T

2007-01-01

Background The genetic basis of variation in human cognitive abilities is poorly understood. RIMS1 encodes a synapse active‐zone protein with important roles in the maintenance of normal synaptic function: mice lacking this protein have greatly reduced learning ability and memory function. Objective An established paradigm examining the structural and functional effects of mutations in genes expressed in the eye and the brain was used to study a kindred with an inherited retinal dystrophy due to RIMS1 mutation. Materials and methods Neuropsychological tests and high‐resolution MRI brain scanning were undertaken in the kindred. In a population cohort, neuropsychological scores were associated with common variation in RIMS1. Additionally, RIMS1 was sequenced in top‐scoring individuals. Evolution of RIMS1 was assessed, and its expression in developing human brain was studied. Results Affected individuals showed significantly enhanced cognitive abilities across a range of domains. Analysis suggests that factors other than RIMS1 mutation were unlikely to explain enhanced cognition. No association with common variation and verbal IQ was found in the population cohort, and no other mutations in RIMS1 were detected in the highest scoring individuals from this cohort. RIMS1 protein is expressed in developing human brain, but RIMS1 does not seem to have been subjected to accelerated evolution in man. Conclusions A possible role for RIMS1 in the enhancement of cognitive function at least in this kindred is suggested. Although further work is clearly required to explore these findings before a role for RIMS1 in human cognition can be formally accepted, the findings suggest that genetic mutation may enhance human cognition in some cases. PMID:17237123

The effect of adult children living in the United States on the likelihood of cognitive impairment for older parents living in Mexico.

PubMed

Downer, Brian; González-González, Cesar; Goldman, Noreen; Pebley, Anne R; Wong, Rebeca

2018-01-01

The increased risk for poor physical and mental health outcomes for older parents in Mexico who have an adult child living in the United States may contribute to an increased risk for cognitive impairment in this population. The objective of this study was to examine if older adults in Mexico who have one or more adult children living in the United States are more or less likely to develop cognitive impairment over an 11-year period compared to older adults who do not have any adult children living in the United States. Data for this study came from Wave I (2001) and Wave III (2012) of the Mexican Health and Aging Study. The final sample included 2609 participants aged 60 and over who were not cognitively impaired in 2001 and had one or more adult children (age ≥15). Participants were matched using a propensity score that was estimated with a multivariable logistic regression model that included sociodemographic characteristics and migration history of the older parents. Having one or more adult children living in the United States is associated with lower socioeconomic status and higher number of depressive symptoms, but greater social engagement for older parents living in Mexico. No significant differences in the odds for developing cognitive impairment according to having one or more adult children living in the United States were detected. In summary, having one or more adult children living in the United States was associated with characteristics that may increase and decrease the risk for cognitive impairment. This may contribute to the non-significant relationship between migration status of adult children and likelihood for cognitive impairment for older parents living in Mexico.

Sleep and its association with aggression among prisoners: Quantity or quality?

PubMed

Barker, Lyndsie Fiona; Ireland, Jane L; Chu, Simon; Ireland, Carol A

2016-01-01

The current paper aims to examine the association between self-reported sleep quality and quantity and how these relate to aggression motivation and hostile cognition in a male prisoner sample. The cognitive component of sleep, namely perception, is consequently a variable of particular interest and one neglected by previous research. Two independent studies are presented. The first comprised 95 adult male prisoners who completed a sleep quality index along with measures of implicit and explicit aggression. The second study extended this to consider aggression motivation and hostile attribution biases using a sample of 141 young male adult prisoners. In study one, sleep quantity and indicators of sleep quality were found not to associate with aggression whereas the perception of poor sleep did; those perceiving poor sleep quality were more likely than those perceiving good sleep to report they had perpetrated aggression in the previous week and to report higher levels of implicit aggression. Study two found that while increased indicators of poor sleep quality were associated with lower prosocial attribution tendencies and higher levels of reactive and proactive aggression, sleep quantity was not associated. The perception of poor quality sleep was important; those perceiving poor sleep were more likely to report higher levels of reactive and proactive aggression than those reporting good sleep. Collectively the studies highlight the importance of accounting for the perception of sleep quality as an important cognitive component in understanding the association between sleep and aggression. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a Virtual Reality Assessment of Everyday Living Skills

PubMed Central

Ruse, Stacy A.; Davis, Vicki G.; Atkins, Alexandra S.; Krishnan, K. Ranga R.; Fox, Kolleen H.; Harvey, Philip D.; Keefe, Richard S.E.

2014-01-01

Cognitive impairments affect the majority of patients with schizophrenia and these impairments predict poor long term psychosocial outcomes.  Treatment studies aimed at cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia not only require demonstration of improvements on cognitive tests, but also evidence that any cognitive changes lead to clinically meaningful improvements.  Measures of “functional capacity” index the extent to which individuals have the potential to perform skills required for real world functioning.  Current data do not support the recommendation of any single instrument for measurement of functional capacity.  The Virtual Reality Functional Capacity Assessment Tool (VRFCAT) is a novel, interactive gaming based measure of functional capacity that uses a realistic simulated environment to recreate routine activities of daily living. Studies are currently underway to evaluate and establish the VRFCAT’s sensitivity, reliability, validity, and practicality. This new measure of functional capacity is practical, relevant, easy to use, and has several features that improve validity and sensitivity of measurement of function in clinical trials of patients with CNS disorders. PMID:24798174

Formative Evaluation of a Neuroanatomy Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sterret, Patrick R.; Littlefield, John H.

1976-01-01

Student cognitive performance data and affective reactions provided the basis for a formative evaluation of this neuroanatomy curriculum for freshmen medical students. The cerebral hempispheres topic area was marked by poor cognitive performance and low ratings in lecture quality. Videotapes designed to augment neurophysiology also received low…

Epigenetic Contributions to Cognitive Aging: Disentangling Mindspan and Lifespan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spiegel, Amy M.; Sewal, Angila S.; Rapp, Peter R.

2014-01-01

Epigenetic modifications of chromatin structure provide a mechanistic interface for gene-environment interactions that impact the individualization of health trajectories across the lifespan. A growing body of research indicates that dysfunctional epigenetic regulation contributes to poor cognitive outcomes among aged populations. Here we review…

Dual-task effects of simulated lane navigation and story recall in older adults with and without memory impairment

PubMed Central

Cook, Sarah E.; Sisco, Shannon M.; Marsiske, Michael

2013-01-01

While driving is a complex task, it becomes relatively automatic over time although unfamiliar situations require increased cognitive effort. Much research has examined driving risk in cognitively impaired elders and found little effect. This study assessed whether mildly memory impaired elders made disproportionate errors in driving or story recall, under simultaneous simulated driving and story recall. Forty-six healthy (61% women; mean age = 76.4) and 15 memory impaired (66% women, mean age = 79.4) elders participated. Cognitive status was determined by neuropsychological performance. Results showed that during dual-task conditions, participants stayed in lane more, and recalled stories more poorly, than when they did the tasks separately. Follow-up analysis revealed that verbatim recall, in particular, was reduced while driving for healthy participants. While memory impaired participants performed more poorly than healthy controls on both tasks, cognitive status was not associated with greater dual-task costs when driving and story recall were combined. PMID:23043546

Dual-task effects of simulated lane navigation and story recall in older adults with and without memory impairment.

PubMed

Cook, Sarah E; Sisco, Shannon M; Marsiske, Michael

2013-01-01

While driving is a complex task, it becomes relatively automatic over time although unfamiliar situations require increased cognitive effort. Much research has examined driving risk in cognitively impaired elders and found little effect. This study assessed whether mildly memory impaired elders made disproportionate errors in driving or story recall, under simultaneous simulated driving and story recall. Forty-six healthy (61% women; mean age = 76.4) and 15 memory impaired (66% women, mean age = 79.4) elders participated. Cognitive status was determined by neuropsychological performance. Results showed that during dual-task conditions, participants stayed in lane more, and recalled stories more poorly, than when they did the tasks separately. Follow-up analysis revealed that verbatim recall, in particular, was reduced while driving for healthy participants. While memory impaired participants performed more poorly than healthy controls on both tasks, cognitive status was not associated with greater dual-task costs when driving and story recall were combined.

Human-system interfaces for space cognitive awareness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ianni, J.

Space situational awareness is a human activity. We have advanced sensors and automation capabilities but these continue to be tools for humans to use. The reality is, however, that humans cannot take full advantage of the power of these tools due to time constraints, cognitive limitations, poor tool integration, poor human-system interfaces, and other reasons. Some excellent tools may never be used in operations and, even if they were, they may not be well suited to provide a cohesive and comprehensive picture. Recognizing this, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is applying cognitive science principles to increase the knowledge derived from existing tools and creating new capabilities to help space analysts and decision makers. At the center of this research is Sensemaking Support Environment technology. The concept is to create cognitive-friendly computer environments that connect critical and creative thinking for holistic decision making. AFRL is also investigating new visualization technologies for multi-sensor exploitation and space weather, human-to-human collaboration technologies, and other technology that will be discussed in this paper.

Therapy was not what I expected: a preliminary qualitative analysis of concordance between client expectations and experience of cognitive-behavioural therapy.

PubMed

Westra, Henny Alice; Aviram, Adi; Barnes, Marissa; Angus, Lynne

2010-07-01

Expectancy violations have generally been neglected in psychotherapy research but may have important implications for therapy process and outcome. A qualitative approach was used to examine discrepancies between actual experience and expectations in client posttreatment accounts of cognitive-behavioural therapy. Nine good- and nine poor-outcome cases were included. Good-outcome clients frequently reported disconfirmation of process expectations, including surprise that therapy was collaborative, that they had the freedom to direct therapy, and that they were comfortable and could trust the process. Poor-outcome clients generally failed to report such experiences. Good-outcome clients also reported gaining more from treatment than expected, whereas poor-outcome clients reported being disappointed. These findings suggest an important role for expectancy disconfirmation in therapy.

The role of preoccupation in attributions for poor sleep.

PubMed

Ellis, Jason; Hampson, Sarah E; Cropley, Mark

2007-04-01

Studies examining the impact of daytime preoccupations with sleep are rare. The aim of the present study was to determine whether daytime preoccupations mediate the relationship between anxiety and attributions for poor sleep within older adults. A cross-sectional study examined the mediational role of sleep preoccupations in the link between anxiety and attributions for poor sleep in a sample of late-life insomniacs (n=92). The findings show that a preoccupation with sleep during the day mediates the relationship between anxiety and both sleep effort and sleep pattern problem attributions but does not mediate cognitive arousal attributions for insomnia and only partially mediates the relationship between anxiety and physical tension attributions for insomnia. The results are discussed in terms of the existing models of insomnia and cognitive intervention strategies.

Emotional and cognitive social processes are impaired in Parkinson's disease and are related to behavioral disorders.

PubMed

Narme, Pauline; Mouras, Harold; Roussel, Martine; Duru, Cécile; Krystkowiak, Pierre; Godefroy, Olivier

2013-03-01

Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with behavioral disorders that can affect social functioning but are poorly understood. Since emotional and cognitive social processes are known to be crucial in social relationships, impairment of these processes may account for the emergence of behavioral disorders. We used a systematic battery of tests to assess emotional processes and social cognition in PD patients and relate our findings to conventional neuropsychological data (especially behavioral disorders). Twenty-three PD patients and 46 controls (matched for age and educational level) were included in the study and underwent neuropsychological testing, including an assessment of the behavioral and cognitive components of executive function. Emotional and cognitive social processes were assessed with the Interpersonal Reactivity Index caregiver-administered questionnaire (as a measure of empathy), a facial emotion recognition task and two theory of mind (ToM) tasks. When compared with controls, PD patients showed low levels of empathy (p = .006), impaired facial emotion recognition (which persisted after correction for perceptual abilities) (p = .001), poor performance in a second-order ToM task (p = .008) that assessed both cognitive (p = .004) and affective (p = .03) inferences and, lastly, frequent dysexecutive behavioral disorders (in over 40% of the patients). Overall, impaired emotional and cognitive social functioning was observed in 17% of patients and was related to certain cognitive dysexecutive disorders. In terms of behavioral dysexecutive disorders, social behavior disorders were related to impaired emotional and cognitive social functioning (p = .04) but were independent of cognitive impairments. Emotional and cognitive social processes were found to be impaired in Parkinson's disease. This impairment may account for the emergence of social behavioral disorders. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Effects of Sleep Deprivation on the Cognitive Performance of Nurses Working in Shift.

PubMed

Kaliyaperumal, Deepalakshmi; Elango, Yaal; Alagesan, Murali; Santhanakrishanan, Iswarya

2017-08-01

Sleep deprivation and altered circadian rhythm affects the cognitive performance of an individual. Quality of sleep is compromised in those who are frequently involved in extended working hours and shift work which is found to be more common among nurses. Cognitive impairment leads to fatigability, decline in attention and efficiency in their workplace which puts their health and patients' health at risk. To find out the prevalence of sleep deprivation and its impact on cognition among shift working nurses. Sleep deprivation among 97 female and three male healthy nurses of age 20-50 years was assessed by Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS). Cognition was assessed by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) questionnaire. Mobile applications were used to test their vigilance, reaction time, photographic memory and numerical cognition. The above said parameters were assessed during end of day shift and 3-4 days after start of night shift. Poor sleep quality was observed among 69% of shift working nurses according to ESS scores. The cognitive performance was analysed using Wilcoxon signed rank test. The MoCA score was found to be lesser among 66% of nurses during night (25.72) than day (26.81). During the night, 32% made more mathematical errors. It was also found that, 71%, 83% and 68% of the nurses scored lesser during night in the Stroop's colour test, vigilance test and memory tests respectively. Thus, impairment in cognitive performance was statistically significant (p<0.001) among shift working nurses. Cognitive performance was found to be impaired among shift working nurses, due to poor sleep quality and decreased alertness during wake state. Thus, shift work poses significant cognitive risks in work performance of nurses.

Metacognitive capacity as a predictor of insight in first-episode psychosis.

PubMed

Vohs, Jenifer L; Lysaker, Paul H; Liffick, Emily; Francis, Michael M; Leonhardt, Bethany L; James, Alison; Buck, Kelly D; Hamm, Jay A; Minor, Kyle S; Mehdiyoun, Nikki; Breier, Alan

2015-05-01

Impaired insight is common in the first episode of psychosis (FEP). Although considerable research has examined the factors that are associated with impaired insight in chronic psychosis, less is known about the factors that underlie and sustain poor insight in FEP. Impaired metacognition, or the ability to form integrated representations of self and others, is a promising potential contributor to poor insight in FEP. To explore this possibility, the authors assessed insight and metacognition in 40 individuals with FEP and then examined the relationship between these areas and social cognition domains, neurocognitive domains, and psychotic symptoms. Correlation analyses revealed that improved insight was associated with higher metacognition, better vocabulary and Theory of Mind scores, and fewer symptoms. The domain of metacognitive mastery also predicted clinical insight. Results support the need to develop an integrative therapeutic approach focused on improving metacognition, hence addressing poor insight in FEP.

Rich Man, Poor Man: Developmental Differences in Attributions and Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sigelman, Carol K.

2012-01-01

In an examination guided by cognitive developmental and attribution theory of how explanations of wealth and poverty and perceptions of rich and poor people change with age and are interrelated, 6-, 10-, and 14-year-olds (N = 88) were asked for their causal attributions and trait judgments concerning a rich man and a poor man. First graders, like…

Early Cognitive and Linguistic Profiles of Different Types of 7- to 8-Year-Old Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Potocki, Anna; Ecalle, Jean; Magnan, Annie

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the early characteristics of four profiles of readers established in second grade (7-8 years of age): good readers, specific poor decoders, specific poor comprehenders and general poor readers. These profiles were compared retrospectively on a range of measures administered 2 years earlier, in kindergarten.…

[Cognitive complaints in people with human immunodeficiency virus in Spain: prevalence and related variables].

PubMed

Muñoz-Moreno, José A; Fuster-Ruiz de Apodaca, Maria J; Fumaz, Carmina R; Ferrer, Maria J; Molero, Fernando; Jaen, Àngels; Clotet, Bonaventura; Dalmau, David

2014-05-20

Cognitive complaints have been scarcely studied in people with HIV in Spain. The aim of this research was to know the prevalence of cognitive complaints in HIV-infected people, as well as its potential relationships with demographic, clinical and psychological variables, in the era of combination antiretroviral therapies. Observational multicenter study developed in 4 hospitals and 10 NGOs, in which 791 people with HIV in Spain participated. A self-reported questionnaire was used to evaluate demographic and clinical variables, and an assessment of cognitive complaints, emotional status and quality of life variables was also included. Descriptive and inferential tests were used for statistical analyses. Almost half of the sample (49.8%) referred cognitive complaints, in 72.1% of them an association with interference on daily living activities was found. Memory and attention were the areas most prevalently perceived as affected. The existence of cognitive complaints correlated with a longer HIV infection, lower CD4+ cell count, undetectable viral load and worse quality of life. A discriminant analysis determined that depression, anxiety, older age, living with no partner and low education level allowed to classify optimally HIV-infected people with cognitive complaints. Self-reported cognitive complaints are frequent in people infected with HIV in the current era of combination antiretroviral therapies. This fact is related to emotional disturbances and poor quality of life, but also to impaired immunological and virological status. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

The MAL-ED study: a multinational and multidisciplinary approach to understand the relationship between enteric pathogens, malnutrition, gut physiology, physical growth, cognitive development, and immune responses in infants and children up to 2 years of age in resource-poor environments.

PubMed

2014-11-01

Highly prevalent conditions with multiple and complex underlying etiologies are a challenge to public health. Undernutrition, for example, affects 20% of children in the developing world. The cause and consequence of poor nutrition are multifaceted. Undernutrition has been associated with half of all deaths worldwide in children aged <5 years; in addition, its pernicious long-term effects in early childhood have been associated with cognitive and physical growth deficits across multiple generations and have been thought to suppress immunity to further infections and to reduce the efficacy of childhood vaccines. The Etiology, Risk Factors, and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health (MAL-ED) Study, led by the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, has been established at sites in 8 countries with historically high incidence of diarrheal disease and undernutrition. Central to the study is the hypothesis that enteropathogen infection contributes to undernutrition by causing intestinal inflammation and/or by altering intestinal barrier and absorptive function. It is further postulated that this leads to growth faltering and deficits in cognitive development. The effects of repeated enteric infection and undernutrition on the immune response to childhood vaccines is also being examined in the study. MAL-ED uses a prospective longitudinal design that offers a unique opportunity to directly address a complex system of exposures and health outcomes in the community-rather than the relatively rarer circumstances that lead to hospitalization-during the critical period of development of the first 2 years of life. Among the factors being evaluated are enteric infections (with or without diarrhea) and other illness indicators, micronutrient levels, diet, socioeconomic status, gut function, and the environment. MAL-ED aims to describe these factors, their interrelationships, and their overall impact on health outcomes in unprecedented detail, and to make individual, site-specific, and generalized recommendations regarding the nature and timing of possible interventions aimed at improving child health and development in these resource-poor settings. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2014. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

Neural correlates of socioeconomic status in the developing human brain.

PubMed

Noble, Kimberly G; Houston, Suzanne M; Kan, Eric; Sowell, Elizabeth R

2012-07-01

Socioeconomic disparities in childhood are associated with remarkable differences in cognitive and socio-emotional development during a time when dramatic changes are occurring in the brain. Yet, the neurobiological pathways through which socioeconomic status (SES) shapes development remain poorly understood. Behavioral evidence suggests that language, memory, social-emotional processing, and cognitive control exhibit relatively large differences across SES. Here we investigated whether volumetric differences could be observed across SES in several neural regions that support these skills. In a sample of 60 socioeconomically diverse children, highly significant SES differences in regional brain volume were observed in the hippocampus and the amygdala. In addition, SES × age interactions were observed in the left superior temporal gyrus and left inferior frontal gyrus, suggesting increasing SES differences with age in these regions. These results were not explained by differences in gender, race or IQ. Likely mechanisms include differences in the home linguistic environment and exposure to stress, which may serve as targets for intervention at a time of high neural plasticity. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Missing focus on Human Factors – organizational and cognitive ergonomics – in the safety management for the petroleum industry

PubMed Central

Johnsen, Stig O; Kilskar, Stine Skaufel; Fossum, Knut Robert

2017-01-01

More attention has recently been given to Human Factors in petroleum accident investigations. The Human Factors areas examined in this article are organizational, cognitive and physical ergonomics. A key question to be explored is as follows: To what degree are the petroleum industry and safety authorities in Norway focusing on these Human Factors areas from the design phase? To investigate this, we conducted an innovative exploratory study of the development of four control centres in Norwegian oil and gas industry in collaboration between users, management and Human Factors experts. We also performed a literature survey and discussion with the professional Human Factors network in Norway. We investigated the Human Factors focus, reasons for not considering Human Factors and consequences of missing Human Factors in safety management. The results revealed an immature focus and organization of Human Factors. Expertise on organizational ergonomics and cognitive ergonomics are missing from companies and safety authorities and are poorly prioritized during the development. The easy observable part of Human Factors (i.e. physical ergonomics) is often in focus. Poor focus on Human Factors in the design process creates demanding conditions for human operators and impact safety and resilience. There is lack of non-technical skills such as communication and decision-making. New technical equipment such as Closed Circuit Television is implemented without appropriate use of Human Factors standards. Human Factors expertise should be involved as early as possible in the responsible organizations. Verification and validation of Human Factors should be improved and performed from the start, by certified Human Factors experts in collaboration with the workforce. The authorities should check-back that the regulatory framework of Human Factors is communicated, understood and followed. PMID:29278242

Cognitive Abilities of Children With Neurological and Liver Forms of Wilson Disease.

PubMed

Favre, Emilie; Lion-François, Laurence; Canton, Marie; Vanlemmens, Claire; Bonneton, Marjorie; Bouillet, Lise; Brunet, Anne-Sophie; Lachaux, Alain

2017-03-01

Cognitive impairment in adult patients experiencing Wilson disease is now more clearly described, even in liver forms of the disease. Although this condition can appear during childhood, the cognitive abilities of children have not yet been reported in a substantial case series. This retrospective study included 21 children with Wilson disease who had undergone general cognitive assessment. The results argue in favor of a poor working memory capacity in the liver form of the disease, and more extensive cognitive impairments in its neurological form. Extensive neuropsychological investigations on all children experiencing Wilson disease are thus required.

Cognitive Impairment in Acquired Brain Injury: A Predictor of Rehabilitation Outcomes and an Opportunity for Novel Interventions

PubMed Central

Whyte, Ellen; Skidmore, Elizabeth; Aizenstein, Howard; Ricker, Joseph; Butters, Meryl

2015-01-01

Cognitive impairment is a common sequela in acquired brain injury and one that predicts rehabilitation outcomes. There is emerging evidence that impairments in cognitive functions can be manipulated by both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions to improve rehabilitation outcomes. By using stroke as a model for acquired brain injury, we review the evidence that links cognitive impairment to poor rehabilitation outcomes and discuss possible mechanisms to explain this association. Furthermore, we examine nascent promising research that suggests that interventions that target cognitive impairments can lead to better rehabilitation outcomes. PMID:21703580

Poor sleep quality is independently associated with physical disability in older adults.

PubMed

Chien, Meng-Yueh; Chen, Hsi-Chung

2015-03-15

We aimed to evaluate the association between sleep quality and physical disability in community-dwelling older adults. There were 213 community-dwelling adults (76 men and 137 women) aged 65 years and above participated into this investigation. The Groningen Activity Restriction Scale and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were utilized to evaluate physical disability and subjective sleep quality, respectively. Global functional capacity was measured by the 6-minute walk test (6MWT). The Mini Mental State Examination and the Chinese Geriatric Depression Screening Scale were used to evaluate cognitive function and depression. Univariate analysis revealed a correlation between physical disability and poor sleep quality, older age, 2 or more comorbidities, depression, functional capacity, and poor cognitive function. However, in the multivariate analyses, depression failed to show significant association with physical disability. In contrast, an independent association was observed between poor sleep quality and physical disability (OR = 2.03; 95% CI: 1.02-4.05). In community-dwelling older adults, subjective poor sleep was significantly associated with physical disability, even after controlling for the effects of other established risk factors. © 2014 American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Determinants of early child development in rural Tanzania.

PubMed

Ribe, Ingeborg G; Svensen, Erling; Lyngmo, Britt A; Mduma, Estomih; Hinderaker, Sven G

2018-01-01

It has been estimated that more than 200 million children under the age of five do not reach their full potential in cognitive development. Much of what we know about brain development is based on research from high-income countries. There is limited evidence on the determinants of early child development in low-income countries, especially rural sub-Saharan Africa. The present study aimed to identify the determinants of cognitive development in children living in villages surrounding Haydom, a rural area in north-central Tanzania. This cohort study is part of the MAL-ED (The Interactions of Malnutrition & Enteric Infections: Consequences for Child Health and Development) multi-country consortium studying risk factors for ill health and poor development in children. Descriptive analysis and linear regression analyses were performed. Associations between nutritional status, socio-economic status, and home environment at 6 months of age and cognitive outcomes at 15 months of age were studied. The third edition of the Bayley Scales for Infant and Toddler Development was used to assess cognitive, language and motor development. There were 262 children enrolled into the study, and this present analysis included the 137 children with data for 15-month Bayley scores. Univariate regression analysis, weight-for-age and weight-for-length z-scores at 6 months were significantly associated with 15-month Bayley gross motor score, but not with other 15-month Bayley scores. Length-for-age z-scores at 6 months were not significantly associated with 15-month Bayley scores. The socio-economic status, measured by a set of assets and monthly income was significantly associated with 15-month Bayley cognitive score, but not with language, motor, nor total 15-month Bayley scores. Other socio-economic variables were not significantly associated with 15-month Bayley scores. No significant associations were found between the home environment and 15-month Bayley scores. In multivariate regression analyses we found higher Bayley scores for girls and higher Bayley scores in families with more assets. Adjusted R-squared of this model was 8%. We conclude that poverty is associated with a slower cognitive development in children and malnutrition is associated with slower gross motor development. This information should encourage authorities and other stakeholders to invest in improved welfare and nutrition programmes for children from early infancy.

Sustainable School Music for Poor, White, Rural Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bates, Vincent C.

2011-01-01

"Poor white trash" is likely the most enduring and degrading in a long line of "stigmatypes"--"stigmatizing boundary terms that simultaneously denote and enact cultural and cognitive divides between in-groups and out-groups"--such as "redneck," "cracker," and "hillbilly." Some people…

Achievement of take-home dose privileges is associated with better-perceived sleep and with cognitive status among methadone maintenance treatment patients.

PubMed

Peles, Einat; Schreiber, Shaul; Domany, Yoav; Sason, Anat; Tene, Oren; Adelson, Miriam

2014-12-01

Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) patients may achieve up to a 2-week privilege of methadone take-home doses (THD), which is associated with considerable responsibility. MMT patients are characterized as having poor sleep quality and low cognitive states. We studied sleep indices and cognitive status with respect to THD privileges. A sample of 123 MMT patients stratified by THD groups was studied. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and the cognitive Clock Drawing Test (CDT) were performed. Thirty-one of 123 patients never had any THD and 92 did (25 had the maximum of 2 weeks). The never THD had history of longer duration of opiate usage and a shorter period in MMT. They had the highest rates of poor sleep (80.6%, PSQI > 5), daily sleepiness ("fall asleep while talking") (41.9%), and impaired cognitive status (58.1%, CDT < 3), while those who had 2-week privileges had the lowest (56, 8, and 28%, respectively). Logistic regression characterized THD patients as no-benzodiazepine and no-cocaine, short opiate usage duration, low ADHD scores, and no cognitive impairment (CDT = 3) and its interaction with treatment duration. Privileges that reflect patients' abstinence and rehabilitation were also expanded to be associated with better cognitive states. These finding confirm the THD dispensing performance. Including CDT as part of the decision for dispensing THD may be considered.

Linguistic ability in early life and cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease in late life. Findings from the Nun Study.

PubMed

Snowdon, D A; Kemper, S J; Mortimer, J A; Greiner, L H; Wekstein, D R; Markesbery, W R

1996-02-21

To determine if linguistic ability in early life is associated with cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease in late life. Two measures of linguistic ability in early life, idea density and grammatical complexity, were derived from autobiographies written at a mean age of 22 years. Approximately 58 years later, the women who wrote these autobiographies participated in an assessment of cognitive function, and those who subsequently died were evaluated neuropathologically. Convents in the United States participating in the Nun Study; primarily convents in the Milwaukee, Wis, area. Cognitive function was investigated in 93 participants who were aged 75 to 95 years at the time of their assessments, and Alzheimer's disease was investigated in the 14 participants who died at 79 to 96 years of age. Seven neuropsychological tests and neuropathologically confirmed Alzheimer's disease. Low idea density and low grammatical complexity in autobiographies written in early life were associated with low cognitive test scores in late life. Low idea density in early life had stronger and more consistent associations with poor cognitive function than did low grammatical complexity. Among the 14 sisters who died, neuropathologically confirmed Alzheimer's disease was present in all of those with low idea density in early life and in none of those with high idea density. Low linguistic ability in early life was a strong predictor of poor cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease in late life.

Which factors are associated with global cognitive impairment in Wilson's disease?

PubMed Central

Frota, Norberto Anízio Ferreira; Barbosa, Egberto Reis; Porto, Claudia Sellitto; Lucato, Leandro Tavares; Ono, Carla Rachel; Buchpiguel, Carlos Alberto; Machado, Alexandre Aluizio Costa; Caramelli, Paulo

2016-01-01

Background Patients with Wilson's disease (WD) present cognitive impairment, especially in executive functions. Which other factors might be associated with global cognitive decline in these patients remains unclear. Objective To assess which factors are associated with worse performance on a global cognitive test in patients with WD. Methods Twenty patients with WD underwent cognitive assessment with the following tests: the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Dementia Rating Scale (DRS), verbal fluency test, brief cognitive battery, clock drawing test, Frontal Assessment Battery, Stroop test, Wisconsin card sorting test, Hopper test, cubes (WAIS) and the Pfeffer questionnaire. MRI changes were quantified. Patients with poor performance on the DRS were compared to patients with normal performance. Results Nine patients had a poor performance on the DRS. This group had lower educational level (9.11±3.58× 12.82±3.06) and a greater number of changes on MRI (9.44±2.74× 6.27±2.45). The presence of hyperintensity in the globus pallidus on MRI was more frequent in this group (66.6% vs 9.0%), with OR=5.38 (95% CI 0.85-33.86). Conclusion Global cognitive impairment was prevalent in this sample of patients with WD and was associated with low educational level, number of changes on MRI and MRI hyperintensity in the globus pallidus. PMID:29213476

Cognitive Remediation Strategies

PubMed Central

WEINSTEIN, CHERYL S.

1994-01-01

Evidence continues to emerge that childhood symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) persist into adulthood. These symptoms include motoric hyperactivity, restlessness, attention deficits, poor organizational skills, impulsivity, and memory impairment. Poor academic and work performance, frustration, humiliation, and shame are also components of adult ADHD. Psychotherapists are challenged to understand the meaning of the disorder and its ramifications in all aspects of life. An active multimodal approach, including somatic treatment and psychotherapy, is needed. In addition, cognitive remediation strategies to enhance attention, organization, memory, and problem-solving skills are an important adjunct to treatment. These strategies serve as psychological tools to circumvent deficits. PMID:22700173

Metabolic syndrome correlates poorly with cognitive performance in stroke-free community-dwelling older adults: a population-based, cross-sectional study in rural Ecuador.

PubMed

Del Brutto, Oscar H; Mera, Robertino M; Zambrano, Mauricio

2016-04-01

Studies investigating a possible correlation between metabolic syndrome and cognitive decline have been inconsistent. To determine whether metabolic syndrome or each of its components correlate with cognitive performance in community-dwelling older adults in rural Ecuador. Stroke-free Atahualpa residents aged ≥60 years were identified during a door-to-door survey. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation criteria. Cognition was evaluated by the use of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Multivariate logistic regression models estimated the association between metabolic syndrome and each of its components with cognitive performance. A total of 212 persons (mean age: 69.2 ± 7.2 years, 64 % women) were enrolled. Of these, 120 (57 %) had metabolic syndrome. Mean scores in the MoCA were 18.2 ± 4.6 for persons with and 19 ± 4.7 for those without metabolic syndrome. In fully adjusted logistic models, MoCA scores were not associated with metabolic syndrome (p = 0.101). After testing individual components of metabolic syndrome with the MoCA score, we found that only hypertriglyceridemia was independently associated with the MoCA score (p = 0.009). This population-based study showed a poor correlation of metabolic syndrome with cognitive performance after adjusting for relevant confounders. Of the individual components of metabolic syndrome, only hypertriglyceridemia correlated with worse cognitive performance.

A Comparative Study of Cognition and Brain Anatomy between Two Neurodevelopmental Disorders: 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome and Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Linda E.; Stevens, Angela; Daly, Eileen; Toal, Fiona; Azuma, Rayna; Karmiloff-Smith, Annette; Murphy, Declan G. M.; Murphy, Kieran C.

2009-01-01

Background: 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is associated with intellectual disability, poor social interaction and a high prevalence of psychosis. However, to date there have been no studies comparing cognition and neuroanatomical characteristics of 22q11DS with other syndromes to investigate if the cognitive strengths and difficulties and…

Internet addiction: coping styles, expectancies, and treatment implications.

PubMed

Brand, Matthias; Laier, Christian; Young, Kimberly S

2014-01-01

Internet addiction (IA) has become a serious mental health condition in many countries. To better understand the clinical implications of IA, this study tested statistically a new theoretical model illustrating underlying cognitive mechanisms contributing to development and maintenance of the disorder. The model differentiates between a generalized Internet addiction (GIA) and specific forms. This study tested the model on GIA on a population of general Internet users. The findings from 1019 users show that the hypothesized structural equation model explained 63.5% of the variance of GIA symptoms, as measured by the short version of the Internet Addiction Test. Using psychological and personality testing, the results show that a person's specific cognitions (poor coping and cognitive expectations) increased the risk for GIA. These two factors mediated the symptoms of GIA if other risk factors were present such as depression, social anxiety, low self-esteem, low self-efficacy, and high stress vulnerability to name a few areas that were measured in the study. The model shows that individuals with high coping skills and no expectancies that the Internet can be used to increase positive or reduce negative mood are less likely to engage in problematic Internet use, even when other personality or psychological vulnerabilities are present. The implications for treatment include a clear cognitive component to the development of GIA and the need to assess a patient's coping style and cognitions and improve faulty thinking to reduce symptoms and engage in recovery.

Internet addiction: coping styles, expectancies, and treatment implications

PubMed Central

Brand, Matthias; Laier, Christian; Young, Kimberly S.

2014-01-01

Internet addiction (IA) has become a serious mental health condition in many countries. To better understand the clinical implications of IA, this study tested statistically a new theoretical model illustrating underlying cognitive mechanisms contributing to development and maintenance of the disorder. The model differentiates between a generalized Internet addiction (GIA) and specific forms. This study tested the model on GIA on a population of general Internet users. The findings from 1019 users show that the hypothesized structural equation model explained 63.5% of the variance of GIA symptoms, as measured by the short version of the Internet Addiction Test. Using psychological and personality testing, the results show that a person’s specific cognitions (poor coping and cognitive expectations) increased the risk for GIA. These two factors mediated the symptoms of GIA if other risk factors were present such as depression, social anxiety, low self-esteem, low self-efficacy, and high stress vulnerability to name a few areas that were measured in the study. The model shows that individuals with high coping skills and no expectancies that the Internet can be used to increase positive or reduce negative mood are less likely to engage in problematic Internet use, even when other personality or psychological vulnerabilities are present. The implications for treatment include a clear cognitive component to the development of GIA and the need to assess a patient’s coping style and cognitions and improve faulty thinking to reduce symptoms and engage in recovery. PMID:25426088

Cognition and bimanual performance in children with unilateral cerebral palsy: protocol for a multicentre, cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Hoare, Brian; Ditchfield, Michael; Thorley, Megan; Wallen, Margaret; Bracken, Jenny; Harvey, Adrienne; Elliott, Catherine; Novak, Iona; Crichton, Ali

2018-05-08

Motor outcomes of children with unilateral cerebral palsy are clearly documented and well understood, yet few studies describe the cognitive functioning in this population, and the associations between the two is poorly understood. Using two hands together in daily life involves complex motor and cognitive processes. Impairment in either domain may contribute to difficulties with bimanual performance. Research is yet to derive whether, and how, cognition affects a child's ability to use their two hands to perform bimanual tasks. This study will use a prospective, cross-sectional multi-centre observational design. Children (aged 6-12 years) with unilateral cerebral palsy will be recruited from one of five Australian treatment centres. We will examine associations between cognition, bimanual performance and brain neuropathology (lesion type and severity) in a sample of 131 children. The primary outcomes are: Motor - the Assisting Hand Assessment; Cognitive - Executive Function; and Brain - lesion location on structural MRI. Secondary data collected will include: Motor - Box and Blocks, ABILHAND- Kids, Sword Test; Cognitive - standard neuropsychological measures of intelligence. We will use generalized linear modelling and structural equation modelling techniques to investigate relationships between bimanual performance, executive function and brain lesion location. This large multi-centre study will examine how cognition affects bimanual performance in children with unilateral cerebral palsy. First, it is anticipated that distinct relationships between bimanual performance and cognition (executive function) will be identified. Second, it is anticipated that interrelationships between bimanual performance and cognition will be associated with common underlying neuropathology. Findings have the potential to improve the specificity of existing upper limb interventions by providing more targeted treatments and influence the development of novel methods to improve both cognitive and motor outcomes in children with unilateral cerebral palsy. ACTRN12614000631606 ; Date of retrospective registration 29/05/2014.

Impact of cognitive function on oral perception in independently living older people.

PubMed

Fukutake, Motoyoshi; Ogawa, Taiji; Ikebe, Kazunori; Mihara, Yusuke; Inomata, Chisato; Takeshita, Hajime; Matsuda, Kenichi; Hatta, Kodai; Gondo, Yasuyuki; Masui, Yukie; Inagaki, Hiroki; Arai, Yasumichi; Kamide, Kei; Ishizaki, Tatsuro; Maeda, Yoshinobu

2018-04-10

Oral tactile perception is important for better mastication, appetite, and enjoyment of food. However, previous investigations have not utilized comprehensible variables thought to have negative effect on oral perception, including aging, denture wearing, and cognitive function. The aim of this study was to elucidate the impact of cognitive function on oral perception in independently living older individuals. The study sample was comprised of 987 participants (466 males, 521 females; age 69-71 years). Oral examinations, assessments of cognitive function in preclinical level by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)-J, and determination of oral stereognostic ability as an indicator of oral perception were performed. Related variables were selected by univariate analyses; then, multivariate logistic regression model analysis was conducted. Univariate analyses revealed that number of teeth, removable dentures usage, and cognitive function respectively had a significant relationship with stereognostic score. Next, the subjects were classified into good and poor perception groups (lowest 17.4%) according to oral stereognostic ability. Logistic regression analysis revealed that lower cognitive function was significantly associated with poor oral perception (OR = 0.934, p = 0.017) after controlling for other variables. Cognitive decline even in preclinical stage was associated with reduced oral perception after controlling for gender, tooth number and denture use in independent living older people. This study suggested that preclinical level of change in cognitive function affected oral perception. Dental practitioners and caregivers may need to pay attention to reduced oral perception among older people even if they do not have trouble in daily life.

The role of objective cognitive dysfunction in subjective cognitive complaints after stroke.

PubMed

van Rijsbergen, M W A; Mark, R E; Kop, W J; de Kort, P L M; Sitskoorn, M M

2017-03-01

Objective cognitive performance (OCP) is often impaired in patients post-stroke but the consequences of OCP for patient-reported subjective cognitive complaints (SCC) are poorly understood. We performed a detailed analysis on the association between post-stroke OCP and SCC. Assessments of OCP and SCC were obtained in 208 patients 3 months after stroke. OCP was evaluated using conventional and ecologically valid neuropsychological tests. Levels of SCC were measured using the CheckList for Cognitive and Emotional (CLCE) consequences following stroke inventory. Multivariate hierarchical regression analyses were used to evaluate the association of OCP with CLCE scores adjusting for age, sex and intelligence quotient. Analyses were performed to examine the global extent of OCP dysfunction (based on the total number of impaired neuropsychological tests, i.e. objective cognitive impairment index) and for each OCP test separately using the raw neuropsychological (sub)test scores. The objective cognitive impairment index for global OCP was positively correlated with the CLCE score (Spearman's rho = 0.22, P = 0.003), which remained significant in multivariate adjusted models (β = 0.25, P = 0.01). Results for the separate neuropsychological tests indicated that only one task (the ecologically valid Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test) was independently associated with the CLCE in multivariate adjusted models (β = -0.34, P < 0.001). Objective neuropsychological test performance, as measured by the global dysfunction index or an ecologically valid memory task, was associated with SCC. These data suggest that cumulative deficits in multiple cognitive domains contribute to subjectively experienced poor cognitive abilities in daily life in patients post-stroke. © 2016 EAN.

What physical performance measures predict incident cognitive decline among intact older adults? A 4.4year follow up study.

PubMed

Veronese, Nicola; Stubbs, Brendon; Trevisan, Caterina; Bolzetta, Francesco; De Rui, Marina; Solmi, Marco; Sartori, Leonardo; Musacchio, Estella; Zambon, Sabina; Perissinotto, Egle; Crepaldi, Gaetano; Manzato, Enzo; Sergi, Giuseppe

2016-08-01

Reductions in physical performance, cognitive impairment (CI) and decline (CD), are common in older age, but few prospective cohort studies have considered the relationship between these domains. In this study we investigated whether reduced physical performance and low handgrip/lower limbs strength, could predict a higher incidence of CI/CD during a 4-year follow-up among a cohort of elderly individuals. From 3099 older community-dwelling individuals initially enrolled in the Progetto Veneto Anziani (PRO.V.A.) study, 1249 participants without CI at the baseline were included (mean age 72.2years, 59.5% females). Physical performance measures included the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), 4m gait speed, chair stands time, leg extension and flexion, handgrip strength, and 6-Minute Walking Test (6MWT), categorized in gender-specific tertiles. CI was defined as a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score below 24; CD a decline of 3 or more points in the MMSE without CI. At baseline, participants developing CI during follow-up scored significantly worse across all physical performance measures compared to those that retained normal cognitive status. After adjusting for potential confounders, a significant trend for MMSE changes was noted for all physical performance tests, except for the SPPB and chair stands time. Multinomial logistic regression revealed that slow gait speed at baseline significantly predicted CD at follow up. Poor SPPB performance and slower gait speed predicted the onset of CI at the follow-up. In conclusion, slow walking speed appears to be the best independent predictor of poor cognitive status over a 4.4-year follow-up, while other items of SPPB were also significantly associated with CI. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessment of cognitive bias in decision-making and leadership styles among critical care nurses: a mixed methods study.

PubMed

Lean Keng, Soon; AlQudah, Hani Nawaf Ibrahim

2017-02-01

To raise awareness of critical care nurses' cognitive bias in decision-making, its relationship with leadership styles and its impact on care delivery. The relationship between critical care nurses' decision-making and leadership styles in hospitals has been widely studied, but the influence of cognitive bias on decision-making and leadership styles in critical care environments remains poorly understood, particularly in Jordan. Two-phase mixed methods sequential explanatory design and grounded theory. critical care unit, Prince Hamza Hospital, Jordan. Participant sampling: convenience sampling Phase 1 (quantitative, n = 96), purposive sampling Phase 2 (qualitative, n = 20). Pilot tested quantitative survey of 96 critical care nurses in 2012. Qualitative in-depth interviews, informed by quantitative results, with 20 critical care nurses in 2013. Descriptive and simple linear regression quantitative data analyses. Thematic (constant comparative) qualitative data analysis. Quantitative - correlations found between rationality and cognitive bias, rationality and task-oriented leadership styles, cognitive bias and democratic communication styles and cognitive bias and task-oriented leadership styles. Qualitative - 'being competent', 'organizational structures', 'feeling self-confident' and 'being supported' in the work environment identified as key factors influencing critical care nurses' cognitive bias in decision-making and leadership styles. Two-way impact (strengthening and weakening) of cognitive bias in decision-making and leadership styles on critical care nurses' practice performance. There is a need to heighten critical care nurses' consciousness of cognitive bias in decision-making and leadership styles and its impact and to develop organization-level strategies to increase non-biased decision-making. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Stunting, selenium deficiency and anemia are associated with poor cognitive performance in preschool children from rural Ethiopia.

PubMed

Gashu, Dawd; Stoecker, Barbara J; Bougma, Karim; Adish, Abdulaziz; Haki, Gulelat D; Marquis, Grace S

2016-04-12

Anthropometric characteristics and iron status affect cognitive performance in children. In addition, selenium can influence cognitive outcomes; protection of the brain from oxidative stress and its role in thyroid hormone metabolism are putative mechanisms. To investigate their association with cognitive performance, anthropometric indicators, iron biomarkers, and serum selenium of children (n = 541) of 54-60mo of age from rural Ethiopia were assessed. Cognitive assessment was conducted with the administration of two reasoning subtests of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence and the school readiness test. Stunting was found in 41.4 % of children, 28.7 % were underweight, and 6.3 % were wasted. The mean score of stunted children was lower than that of non-stunted children on non-verbal reasoning (7.0 ± 3.2vs7.9 ± 3.1; p = 0.01) and the school readiness tests (4.3 ± 2.2 vs 3.3 ± 2.1; p < 0.001). Compared to non-anemic children, anemic children had lower score for the verbal reasoning test (9.5 ± 1.7 vs 8.9 ± 2.2; p = 0.02). However, except for hemoglobin, none of the iron biomarkers had significant associations with the cognitive score of the study children (p > 0.05). Selenium deficient children had lower scores on all cognitive tests than normal children (p < 0.05). The present study finding linking chronic undernutrition and micronutrient deficiency to cognitive deficits suggests the need for designing effective intervention programmes to control for protein energy malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency and address cognitive development in children.

Limitations of subjective cognitive load measures in simulation-based procedural training.

PubMed

Naismith, Laura M; Cheung, Jeffrey J H; Ringsted, Charlotte; Cavalcanti, Rodrigo B

2015-08-01

The effective implementation of cognitive load theory (CLT) to optimise the instructional design of simulation-based training requires sensitive and reliable measures of cognitive load. This mixed-methods study assessed relationships between commonly used measures of total cognitive load and the extent to which these measures reflected participants' experiences of cognitive load in simulation-based procedural skills training. Two groups of medical residents (n = 38) completed three questionnaires after participating in simulation-based procedural skills training sessions: the Paas Cognitive Load Scale; the NASA Task Load Index (TLX), and a cognitive load component (CLC) questionnaire we developed to assess total cognitive load as the sum of intrinsic load (how complex the task is), extraneous load (how the task is presented) and germane load (how the learner processes the task for learning). We calculated Pearson's correlation coefficients to assess agreement among these instruments. Group interviews explored residents' perceptions about how the simulation sessions contributed to their total cognitive load. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and subjected to qualitative content analysis. Total cognitive load scores differed significantly according to the instrument used to assess them. In particular, there was poor agreement between the Paas Scale and the TLX. Quantitative and qualitative findings supported intrinsic cognitive load as synonymous with mental effort (Paas Scale), mental demand (TLX) and task difficulty and complexity (CLC questionnaire). Additional qualitative themes relating to extraneous and germane cognitive loads were not reflected in any of the questionnaires. The Paas Scale, TLX and CLC questionnaire appear to be interchangeable as measures of intrinsic cognitive load, but not of total cognitive load. A more complete understanding of the sources of extraneous and germane cognitive loads in simulation-based training contexts is necessary to determine how best to measure and assess their effects on learning and performance outcomes. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Midlife sleep characteristics associated with late life cognitive function.

PubMed

Virta, Jyri J; Heikkilä, Kauko; Perola, Markus; Koskenvuo, Markku; Räihä, Ismo; Rinne, Juha O; Kaprio, Jaakko

2013-10-01

Previous studies with limited follow-up times have suggested that sleep-related traits are associated with an increased risk of incident dementia or cognitive decline. We investigated the association between midlife sleep characteristics and late life cognitive function. A follow-up study with a median follow-up time of 22.5 (range 15.8-25.7) years assessing the association between midlife sleep characteristics and later cognitive function. Questionnaire data from 1981 were used in the assessment of sleep characteristics, use of hypnotics, and covariates at baseline. Between 1999 and 2007, participants were assigned a linear cognitive score with a maximum score of 51 based on a telephone interview (mean score 38.3, SD 6.1). Linear regression analyses were controlled for age, sex, education, ApoE genotype, and follow-up time. 2,336 members of the Finnish Twin cohort who were at least 65 years of age. N/A. Baseline short (< 7 h/day) and long (> 8 h/day) sleepers had lower cognitive scores than participants sleeping 7-8 h/ day (β = -0.84, P = 0.014 and β = -1.66, P < 0.001, respectively). As compared to good sleep quality, poor or rather poor sleep quality was associated with a lower cognitive score (β = -1.00, P = 0.011). Also, the use of hypnotics ≥ 60 days per year was associated with poorer cognitive function (β = -1.92, P = 0.002). This is the first study indicating that midlife sleep length, sleep quality, and use of hypnotics are associated with late life cognitive function. Further confirmation is needed, but sleep-related characteristics may emerge as new risk factors for cognitive impairment.

Mathematics skills in good readers with hydrocephalus.

PubMed

Barnes, Marcia A; Pengelly, Sarah; Dennis, Maureen; Wilkinson, Margaret; Rogers, Tracey; Faulkner, Heather

2002-01-01

Children with hydrocephalus have poor math skills. We investigated the nature of their arithmetic computation errors by comparing written subtraction errors in good readers with hydrocephalus, typically developing good readers of the same age, and younger children matched for math level to the children with hydrocephalus. Children with hydrocephalus made more procedural errors (although not more fact retrieval or visual-spatial errors) than age-matched controls; they made the same number of procedural errors as younger, math-level matched children. We also investigated a broad range of math abilities, and found that children with hydrocephalus performed more poorly than age-matched controls on tests of geometry and applied math skills such as estimation and problem solving. Computation deficits in children with hydrocephalus reflect delayed development of procedural knowledge. Problems in specific math domains such as geometry and applied math, were associated with deficits in constituent cognitive skills such as visual spatial competence, memory, and general knowledge.

High density event-related potential data acquisition in cognitive neuroscience.

PubMed

Slotnick, Scott D

2010-04-16

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is currently the standard method of evaluating brain function in the field of Cognitive Neuroscience, in part because fMRI data acquisition and analysis techniques are readily available. Because fMRI has excellent spatial resolution but poor temporal resolution, this method can only be used to identify the spatial location of brain activity associated with a given cognitive process (and reveals virtually nothing about the time course of brain activity). By contrast, event-related potential (ERP) recording, a method that is used much less frequently than fMRI, has excellent temporal resolution and thus can track rapid temporal modulations in neural activity. Unfortunately, ERPs are under utilized in Cognitive Neuroscience because data acquisition techniques are not readily available and low density ERP recording has poor spatial resolution. In an effort to foster the increased use of ERPs in Cognitive Neuroscience, the present article details key techniques involved in high density ERP data acquisition. Critically, high density ERPs offer the promise of excellent temporal resolution and good spatial resolution (or excellent spatial resolution if coupled with fMRI), which is necessary to capture the spatial-temporal dynamics of human brain function.

Predicting Parent-Child Aggression Risk: Cognitive Factors and Their Interaction With Anger.

PubMed

Rodriguez, Christina M

2018-02-01

Several cognitive elements have previously been proposed to elevate risk for physical child abuse. To predict parent-child aggression risk, the current study evaluated the role of approval of parent-child aggression, perceptions of children as poorly behaved, and discipline attributions. Several dimensions of attributions specifically tied to parents' discipline practices were targeted. In addition, anger experienced during discipline episodes was considered a potential moderator of these cognitive processes. Using a largely multiple-indicator approach, a sample of 110 mothers reported on these cognitive and affective aspects that may occur when disciplining their children as well as responding to measures of parent-child aggression risk. Findings suggest that greater approval of parent-child aggression, negative perceptions of their child's behavior, and discipline attributions independently predicted parent-child aggression risk, with anger significantly interacting with mothers' perception of their child as more poorly behaved to exacerbate their parent-child aggression risk. Of the discipline attribution dimensions evaluated, mothers' sense of external locus of control and believing their child deserved their discipline were related to increase parent-child aggression risk. Future work is encouraged to comprehensively evaluate how cognitive and affective components contribute and interact to increase risk for parent-child aggression.

'Speedy action over goal orientation': cognitive impulsivity in male forensic patients with dyslexia.

PubMed

Dåderman, Anna M; Meurling, Ann Wirsén; Levander, Sten

2012-11-01

Previous neuropsychiatric studies suggest a relationship between reading disability and cognitive impulsivity. This relationship is not entirely explained by the high comorbidity between reading disability and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as children with a co-occurrence of these disorders tend to be more impulsive than those with ADHD only. Other research has demonstrated that poor verbal skill (irrespective of the presence of dyslexia) deficits in executive functions and impulsivity are important risk factors for criminal behaviour. The present study bridges these two research traditions by examining whether patients undergoing forensic psychiatric investigation who also have dyslexia, have a cognitive style characterized by impulsivity. Male forensic patients (mean age 27 years, range 16-35) with (n = 9) and without (n = 13) dyslexia were evaluated on the computerized EuroCog test battery. The findings suggest that patients with dyslexia tend to use a cognitive impulsive style and suggest a more direct link between dyslexia and cognitive impulsivity that is not mediated by the presence of ADHD. In order to identify treatment needs and tailor treatment accordingly, forensic patients should be assessed with respect to poor verbal skill, dyslexia and impulsivity. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A unifying theory for cognitive abnormalities in functional neurological disorders, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome: systematic review.

PubMed

Teodoro, Tiago; Edwards, Mark J; Isaacs, Jeremy D

2018-05-07

Functional cognitive disorder (FCD) describes cognitive dysfunction in the absence of an organic cause. It is increasingly prevalent in healthcare settings yet its key neuropsychological features have not been reported in large patient cohorts. We hypothesised that cognitive profiles in fibromyalgia (FM), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and functional neurological disorders (FNDs) would provide a template for characterising FCD. We conducted a systematic review of studies with cognition-related outcomes in FM, CFS and FND. We selected 52 studies on FM, 95 on CFS and 39 on FND. We found a general discordance between high rates of subjective cognitive symptoms, including forgetfulness, distractibility and word-finding difficulties, and inconsistent objective neuropsychological deficits. Objective deficits were reported, including poor selective and divided attention, slow information processing and vulnerability to distraction. In some studies, cognitive performance was inversely correlated with pain, exertion and fatigue. Performance validity testing demonstrated poor effort in only a minority of subjects, and patients with CFS showed a heightened perception of effort. The cognitive profiles of FM, CFS and non-cognitive FND are similar to the proposed features of FCD, suggesting common mechanistic underpinnings. Similar findings have been reported in patients with mild traumatic brain injury and whiplash. We hypothesise that pain, fatigue and excessive interoceptive monitoring produce a decrease in externally directed attention. This increases susceptibility to distraction and slows information processing, interfering with cognitive function, in particular multitasking. Routine cognitive processes are experienced as unduly effortful. This may reflect a switch from an automatic to a less efficient controlled or explicit cognitive mode, a mechanism that has also been proposed for impaired motor control in FND. These experiences might then be overinterpreted due to memory perfectionism and heightened self-monitoring of cognitive performance. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Cattell-Horn-Carroll Cognitive Ability Profiles of Poor Comprehenders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Floyd, Randy G.; Bergeron, Renee; Alfonso, Vincent C.

2006-01-01

This study examines cognitive ability profiles of children with specific age-based normative weaknesses in reading comprehension and compares those profiles to the profiles of (a) children with at least average achievement in reading comprehension, reading decoding skills, and mathematics and (b) children with low achievement across the 3…

Variations in Cognitive Maps: Understanding Individual Differences in Navigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weisberg, Steven M.; Schinazi, Victor R.; Newcombe, Nora S.; Shipley, Thomas F.; Epstein, Russell A.

2014-01-01

There are marked individual differences in the formation of cognitive maps both in the real world and in virtual environments (VE; e.g., Blajenkova, Motes, & Kozhevnikov, 2005; Chai & Jacobs, 2010; Ishikawa & Montello, 2006; Wen, Ishikawa, & Sato, 2011). These differences, however, are poorly understood and can be difficult to…

A Rights-Based Approach to Food Insecurity in the United States

PubMed Central

Rose, Donald

2009-01-01

Food insecurity is a serious public health problem associated with poor cognitive and emotional development in children and with depression and poor health in adults. Despite sizable continued investments in federal food assistance, food insecurity still affects 11.1% of US households—almost the same rate as in 1995, when annual measurement began. As a fresh approach to solving the problem of food insecurity, we suggest adoption of a human rights framework. This approach could actively engage those affected and would ensure that food security monitoring would be compared to benchmarks in national action plans. We describe key elements of a right-to-food approach, review challenges to implementing it, and suggest actions to foster its adoption. PMID:19443834

Developmental outcomes of toddlers of young Latina mothers: Cultural, family, and parenting factors.

PubMed

Grau, Josefina M; Duran, Petra A; Castellanos, Patricia; Smith, Erin N; Silberman, Stephanie G; Wood, Lauren E

2015-11-01

Children of adolescent mothers are at risk for poor developmental outcomes. This study is among the first to examine how cultural, family, and parenting factors prospectively predict the cognitive and language development of children of young Latina mothers (N=170; Mage=17.9 years). Mothers were interviewed and observed interacting with their children at 18 months (W1). Children were tested at 18 (W1) and 24 (W2) months. Mothers' cultural orientation (W1) was related to aspects of the childrearing environment (W1), which in turn had implications for the children's development (W2). Specifically, a stronger orientation toward American culture was related to higher mother-reported engagement in parenting by their own mothers (grandmothers), which in turn predicted stronger gains in cognitive and expressive language functioning from W1 to W2. A stronger Latino orientation related to the display of more directiveness and greater mother-reported engagement by the children's biological fathers; directiveness, in turn, predicted fewer gains in cognitive functioning only when father engagement was low and did not predict expressive language development. Finally, mothers' display of more positive affect, a stronger American orientation, and higher grandmother engagement uniquely predicted gains in W2 expressive language functioning. Implications for intervention are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developmental Outcomes of Toddlers of Young Latina Mothers: Cultural, Family, and Parenting Factors

PubMed Central

Grau, Josefina M.; Duran, Petra A.; Castellanos, Patricia; Smith, Erin N.; Silberman, Stephanie G.; Wood, Lauren

2015-01-01

Children of adolescent mothers are at risk for poor developmental outcomes. This study is among the first to examine how cultural, family, and parenting factors prospectively predict the cognitive and language development of children of young Latina mothers (N=170; Mage = 17.9 years). Mothers were interviewed and observed interacting with their children at 18 months (W1). Children were tested at 18 (W1) and 24 (W2) months. Mothers’ cultural orientation (W1) was related to aspects of the childrearing environment (W1), which in turn had implications for the children's development (W2). Specifically, a stronger orientation toward American culture was related to higher mother-reported engagement in parenting by their own mothers (grandmothers), which in turn predicted stronger gains in cognitive and expressive language functioning from W1 to W2. A stronger Latino orientation related to the display of more directiveness and greater mother-reported engagement by the children's biological fathers; directiveness, in turn, predicted fewer gains in cognitive functioning only when father engagement was low and did not predict expressive language development. Finally, mothers’ display of more positive affect, a stronger American orientation, and higher grandmother engagement uniquely predicted gains in W2 expressive language functioning. Implications for intervention are discussed. PMID:26454205

Micro-scale environment and mental health in later life: Results from the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study II (CFAS II).

PubMed

Wu, Yu-Tzu; Prina, A Matthew; Jones, Andy; Barnes, Linda E; Matthews, Fiona E; Brayne, Carol

2017-08-15

Poor micro-scale environmental features, such as graffiti and broken windows, have been associated with crime and signs of social disorder with a potential impact on mental health. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between micro-scale environment and mental health problems in later life, including cognitive (cognitive impairment and dementia) and common mental disorders (depressive and anxiety symptoms). The method of visual image audits was used to collect micro-scale environmental data for 3590 participants in the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study II, a population-based multicentre cohort of people aged 65 or above in England. Multilevel logistic regression was used to examine the associations between the quality of micro-scale environment and mental health problems taking into account urban/rural difference. Poor quality of micro-scale environment was associated with nearly 20% increased odds of depressive (OR: 1.19; 95% CI: 0.99, 1.44) and anxiety symptoms (OR: 1.17; 95% CI: 0.99, 1.38) while the direction of association for cognitive disorders differed across urban and rural settings. Although higher odds of cognitive disorders were found in rural settings, living in a poor quality environment was associated with nearly twice higher odds of cognitive impairment (OR: 1.88; 95% CI: 1.18, 2.97) in urban conurbations but 20% lower odds in rural areas (OR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.57, 1.11). The causal direction could not be fully determined due to the cross-sectional nature of the data. The visual nature of the environmental assessment tool means it likely does not fully capture features related to the availability of local support services, or opportunities for social participation and interaction. The quality of micro-scale environment appears to be important to mental health in older people. Interventions may incorporate the environmental aspect to reduce cognitive and common mental disorders. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Identifying instruments to quantify financial management skills in adults with acquired cognitive impairments.

PubMed

Engel, Lisa; Bar, Yael; Beaton, Dorcas E; Green, Robin E; Dawson, Deirdre R

2016-01-01

Financial management skills-that is, the skills needed to handle personal finances such as banking and paying bills-are essential to a person's autonomy, independence, and community living. To date, no comprehensive review of financial management skills instruments exists, making it difficult for clinicians and researchers to choose relevant instruments. The objectives of this review are to: (a) identify all available instruments containing financial management skill items that have been used with adults with acquired cognitive impairments; (b) categorize the instruments by source (i.e., observation based, self-report, proxy report); and (c) describe observation-based performance instruments by populations, overarching concepts measured, and comprehensiveness of financial management items. Objective (c) focuses on observation-based performance instruments as these measures can aid in situations where the person with cognitive impairment has poor self-awareness or where the proxy has poor knowledge of the person's current abilities. Two reviewers completed two systematic searches of five databases. Instruments were categorized by reviewing published literature, copies of the instruments, and/or communication with instrument authors. Comprehensiveness of items was based on nine key domains of financial management skills developed by the authors. A total of 88 discrete instruments were identified. Of these, 44 were categorized as observation-based performance and 44 as self- and/or proxy-reports. Of the 44 observation-based performance instruments, 8 had been developed for acquired brain injury populations and 24 for aging and dementia populations. Only 7 of the observation-based performance instruments had items spanning 6 or more of the 9 financial management skills domains. The majority of instruments were developed for aging and dementia populations, and few were comprehensive. This review provides foundation for future instrument psychometric and clinimetric reviews. It a necessary first step in providing information to support decision making for clinicians and researchers selecting financial management skills instruments.

Self-reported empathy deficits are uniquely associated with poor functioning in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Smith, Matthew J; Horan, William P; Karpouzian, Tatiana M; Abram, Samantha V; Cobia, Derin J; Csernansky, John G

2012-05-01

Social cognitive deficits have been proposed to be among the causes of poor functional outcome in schizophrenia. Empathy, or sharing and understanding the unique emotions and experiences of other people, is one of the key elements of social cognition, and prior studies suggest that empathic processes are impaired in schizophrenia. The current study examined whether impairments in self-reported empathy were associated with poor functioning, above and beyond the influences of neurocognitive deficits and psychopathology. Individuals with schizophrenia (n=46) and healthy controls (n=37) completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), a measure of emotional and cognitive empathy. Participants also completed a neuropsychological test battery, clinical ratings of psychopathology, and functional outcome measures assessing both functional capacity and community functioning. After testing for between-group differences, we assessed the relationships between self-reported empathy and the measures of functioning, neurocognition, and psychopathology. Regression analyses examined whether empathic variables predicted functional outcomes. Individuals with schizophrenia reported lower IRI scores for perspective-taking and empathic concern, and higher IRI scores for personal distress than controls. Among individuals with schizophrenia, lower perspective-taking, greater disorganized symptoms, and deficits in working memory and episodic memory were correlated with poorer functional capacity and community functioning. Lower scores for perspective-taking explained significant incremental variance in both functional capacity (ΔR(2)=.09, p<.05) and community functioning (ΔR(2)=.152, p<.01) after accounting for relevant neurocognitive and psychopathological variables. Impaired perspective-taking, a component of cognitive empathy, is associated with poor functioning even after taking into account the influences of neurocognitive deficits and psychopathology. These findings support further efforts to clarify the underlying causes of empathic disturbances and suggest that treatments for these disturbances may help functional recovery in schizophrenia. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cognitive theory and brain fact: Insights for the future of cognitive neuroscience. Comment on “Toward a computational framework for cognitive biology: Unifying approaches from cognitive neuroscience and comparative cognition” by W. Tecumseh Fitch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowling, Daniel

2014-09-01

A central challenge in neuroscience is to understand the relationship between the mechanistic operation of the nervous system and the psychological phenomena we experience everyday (e.g., perception, memory, attention, emotion, and consciousness). Supported by revolutionary advances in technology, knowledge of neural mechanisms has grown dramatically over recent decades, but with few exceptions our understanding of how these mechanisms relate to psychological phenomena remains poor.

The independent and interacting effects of hedonic hunger and executive function on binge eating

PubMed Central

Manasse, Stephanie M.; Espel, Hallie M.; Forman, Evan M.; Ruocco, Anthony C.; Juarascio, Adrienne S.; Butryn, Meghan L.; Zhang, Fengqing; Lowe, Michael R.

2015-01-01

Poor executive function (EF; pre-frontal cognitive control processes governing goal-directed behavior) and elevated hedonic hunger (i.e., preoccupation with palatable foods in the absence of physiological hunger) are theoretical risk and maintenance factors for binge eating (BE) distinct from general obesity. Recent theoretical models posit that dysregulated behavior such as BE may result from a combination of elevated appetitive drive (e.g., hedonic hunger) and decreased EF (e.g., inhibitory control and delayed discounting). The present study sought to test this model in distinguishing BE from general obesity by examining the independent and interactive associations of EF and hedonic hunger with BE group status (i.e., odds of categorization in BE group versus non-BE group). Treatment-seeking overweight and obese women with BE (n = 31) and without BE (OW group; n = 43) were assessed on measures of hedonic hunger and EF (inhibitory control and delay discounting). Elevated hedonic hunger increased the likelihood of categorization in the BE group, regardless of EF. When hedonic hunger was low, poor EF increased the likelihood of categorization in the BE group. Results indicate that the interplay of increased appetitive drives and decreased cognitive function may distinguish BE from overweight/obesity. Future longitudinal investigations of the combinatory effect of hedonic hunger and EF in increasing risk for developing BE are warranted, and may inform future treatment development to target these factors. PMID:25613129

Twin-singleton differences in cognitive abilities in a sample of Africans in Nigeria.

PubMed

Hur, Yoon-Mi; Lynn, Richard

2013-08-01

Recent studies comparing cognitive abilities between contemporary twins and singletons in developed countries have suggested that twin deficits in cognitive abilities no longer exist. We examined cognitive abilities in a sample of twins and singletons born recently in Nigeria to determine whether recent findings can be replicated in developing countries. Our sample consisted of 413 pairs of twins and 280 singletons collected from over 45 public schools in Abuja and its neighboring states in Nigeria. The ages of twins and singletons ranged from 9 to 20 years with a mean (SD) of 14.6 years (2.2 years) for twins and 16.1 years (1.8 years) for singletons. Zygosity of the same-sex twins was determined by analysis of 16 deoxyribonucleic acid markers. We asked participants to complete a questionnaire booklet that included Standard Progressive Matrices-Plus Version (SPM+), Mill-Hill Vocabulary Scale (MHV), Family Assets Questionnaire, and demographic questions. The data were corrected for sex and age and then analyzed using maximum likelihood model-fitting analysis. Although twins and singletons were comparable in family social class indicators, singletons did better than twins across all the tests (d = 0.10 to 0.35). The average of d for SPM+ total [0.32; equivalent to 4.8 Intelligence Quotient (IQ) points] and d for MHV (0.24; equivalent to 3.6 IQ points) was 0.28 (equivalent to 4.2 IQ points), similar to the twin-singleton gap found in old cohorts in developed countries. We speculate that malnutrition, poor health, and educational systems in Nigeria may explain the persistence of twin deficits in cognitive abilities found in our sample.

Regional brain amyloid-β accumulation associates with domain-specific cognitive performance in Parkinson disease without dementia.

PubMed

Akhtar, Rizwan S; Xie, Sharon X; Chen, Yin J; Rick, Jacqueline; Gross, Rachel G; Nasrallah, Ilya M; Van Deerlin, Vivianna M; Trojanowski, John Q; Chen-Plotkin, Alice S; Hurtig, Howard I; Siderowf, Andrew D; Dubroff, Jacob G; Weintraub, Daniel

2017-01-01

Parkinson disease patients develop clinically significant cognitive impairment at variable times over their disease course, which is often preceded by milder deficits in memory, visuo-spatial, and executive domains. The significance of amyloid-β accumulation to these problems is unclear. We hypothesized that amyloid-β PET imaging by 18F-florbetapir, a radiotracer that detects fibrillar amyloid-β plaque deposits, would identify subjects with global cognitive impairment or poor performance in individual cognitive domains in non-demented Parkinson disease patients. We assessed 61 non-demented Parkinson disease patients with detailed cognitive assessments and 18F-florbetapir PET brain imaging. Scans were interpreted qualitatively (positive or negative) by two independent nuclear medicine physicians blinded to clinical data, and quantitatively by a novel volume-weighted method. The presence of mild cognitive impairment was determined through an expert consensus process using Level 1 criteria from the Movement Disorder Society. Nineteen participants (31.2%) were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment and the remainder had normal cognition. Qualitative 18F-florbetapir PET imaging was positive in 15 participants (24.6%). Increasing age and presence of an APOE ε4 allele were associated with higher composite 18F-florbetapir binding. In multivariable models, an abnormal 18F-florbetapir scan by expert rating was not associated with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment. However, 18F-florbetapir retention values in the posterior cingulate gyrus inversely correlated with verbal memory performance. Retention values in the frontal cortex, precuneus, and anterior cingulate gyrus retention values inversely correlated with naming performance. Regional cortical amyloid-β amyloid, as measured by 18F-florbetapir PET, may be a biomarker of specific cognitive deficits in non-demented Parkinson disease patients.

Motivational deficits after brain injury: effects of bromocriptine in 11 patients.

PubMed Central

Powell, J H; al-Adawi, S; Morgan, J; Greenwood, R J

1996-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that treatment with bromocriptine would ameliorate deficits in clinical motivation, responsiveness to reward, and frontal cognitive function after brain injury. METHOD: An open trial in six men and five women who had had either traumatic brain injury or subarachnoid haemorrhage between two months and five years previously. After repeated baseline assessments, bromocriptine was given in gradually increasing doses. Assessments were repeated at increasing doses, during maintenance, and after withdrawal. Novel structured instruments for quantifying motivation were developed; measures of anxiety and depression, and cognitive tests sensitive to motivation or frontal lobe involvement were also given. RESULTS: Bromocriptine treatment was followed by improved scores on all measures other than mood. Improvement was maintained after bromocriptine withdrawal in eight of the patients. CONCLUSION: Poor motivation in patients with brain injury may result from dysfunction in the mesolimbic/mesocortical dopaminergic circuitry, giving rise to associated deficiencies in reward responsiveness and frontal cognitive function. PMID:8774407

Intolerance of uncertainty as the vulnerability factor among parents of childhood cancer survivors: A 3-month follow-up study.

PubMed

Vander Haegen, Marie; Etienne, Anne-Marie

2018-05-14

In a 3-month follow-up study, we assessed the intolerance of uncertainty in 61 parents of a childhood cancer survivor. The objective was to compare its prevalence over time. We tested these parents twice i.e., at treatment completion (time 1) and 3 months later (time 2). We hypothesized that this personality factor stayed stable and had aversive effects on cognitive processes. Noticeable intolerance of uncertainty rates were found. At both assessments, results showed that this factor was central in the development of excessive worries, poor problem orientation, rumination, cognitive avoidance and positive beliefs about worry. Repeated measures revealed a decrease for anxiety and cognitive avoidance, and an increased level for somatic symptoms. Parents who are intolerant of uncertainty are at risk to display dysfunctional behaviors over time. Sensitizing health care professionals to the identification of this factor and its associated difficulties is essential for the implementation of efficient intervention strategies.

The impact of junk foods on the adolescent brain.

PubMed

Reichelt, Amy C; Rank, Michelle M

2017-12-01

Adolescence is a significant period of physical, social, and emotional development, and is characterized by prominent neurobiological changes in the brain. The maturational processes that occur in brain regions responsible for cognitive control and reward seeking may underpin excessive consumption of palatable high fat and high sugar "junk" foods during adolescence. Recent studies have highlighted the negative impact of these foods on brain function, resulting in cognitive impairments and altered reward processing. The increased neuroplasticity during adolescence may render the brain vulnerable to the negative effects of these foods on cognition and behavior. In this review, we describe the mechanisms by which junk food diets influence neurodevelopment during adolescence. Diet can lead to alterations in dopamine-mediated reward signaling, and inhibitory neurotransmission controlled by γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), two major neurotransmitter systems that are under construction across adolescence. We propose that poor dietary choices may derail the normal adolescent maturation process and influence neurodevelopmental trajectories, which can predispose individuals to dysregulated eating and impulsive behaviors. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Social cognitive development during adolescence

PubMed Central

Blakemore, Sarah-Jayne; Charman, Tony

2006-01-01

Social relationships are particularly important during adolescence. In recent years, histological and MRI studies have shown that the brain is subject to considerable structural development during adolescence. Brain regions that are implicated in social cognition, including parts of prefrontal, parietal and superior temporal cortex, undergo the most pronounced and prolonged change. However, the development of social cognition during adolescence and its neural underpinnings remains poorly understood. Here, we begin by outlining how the brain changes between childhood and adulthood. We then describe findings that have emerged from behavioural and neuroimaging studies of the recognition of facial expression during adolescence. Finally, we present new data that demonstrate development of emotional perspective taking during adolescence. In this study, 112 participants, aged 8–36 years, performed a computerised task that involved taking an emotional perspective either from the participant's own point of view or from that of another person. The results showed that average difference in reaction time (RT) to answer questions in the first person perspective (1PP) and third person perspective (3PP) significantly decreased with age. The RT difference of adults tended to cluster close to the zero line (3PP = 1PP), while a greater proportion of pre-adolescents had higher difference values in both the positive (3PP > 1PP) and negative direction (1PP > 3PP) of the scale. The data suggest that the efficiency, and possibly strategy, of perspective taking develop in parallel with brain maturation and psychosocial development during adolescence. PMID:18985103

Long-term outcome of the shaken baby syndrome and medicolegal consequences: a case report.

PubMed

Laurent-Vannier, A; Toure, H; Vieux, E; Brugel, D G; Chevignard, M

2009-06-01

Studies of long-term outcome of the shaken baby syndrome (SBS) are scarce, but they usually indicate poor outcome. To describe long-term outcome of a child having sustained a SBS, to ascertain possible delayed sequelae and to discuss medicolegal issues. We report a single case study of a child having sustained a SBS, illustrating the initial clinical features, the neurological, cognitive and behavioural outcomes as well as her social integration. The child sustained diffuse brain injuries, responsible for spastic right hemiplegia leading to secondary orthopaedic consequences, as well as severe cognitive impairment, worsening over time: the developmental quotient measured at 15 months of age was 55 and worsened as age increased. At 6 years and 8 months, the child's IQ had fallen to 40. Behavioural disorders became apparent only after several months and precluded any social integration. The child eventually had to be placed in a specialised education centre at age 5. The SBS has a very poor outcome and major long-standing sequelae are frequent. Cognitive or behavioural sequelae can become apparent only after a long sign-free interval, due to increasing demands placed on the child during development. This case report confirms severity of early brain lesions and necessity for an extended follow-up by a multi-disciplinary team. From a medicolegal point of view, signaling the child to legal authorities allows protection of the child, but also conditions later compensation if sequelae compromise autonomy.

Age of onset of marijuana use and executive function.

PubMed

Gruber, Staci A; Sagar, Kelly A; Dahlgren, Mary Kathryn; Racine, Megan; Lukas, Scott E

2012-09-01

Marijuana (MJ) remains the most widely abused illicit substance in the United States, and in recent years, a decline in perceived risk of MJ use has been accompanied by a simultaneous increase in rates of use among adolescents. In this study, the authors hypothesized that chronic MJ smokers would perform cognitive tasks, specifically those that require executive function, more poorly than control subjects and that individuals who started smoking MJ regularly prior to age 16 (early onset) would have more difficulty than those who started after age 16 (late onset). Thirty-four chronic, heavy MJ smokers separated into early and late onset groups, and 28 non-MJ smoking controls completed a battery of neurocognitive measures. As hypothesized, MJ smokers performed more poorly than controls on several measures of executive function. Age of onset analyses revealed that these between-group differences were largely attributed to the early onset group, who were also shown to smoke twice as often and nearly 3 times as much MJ per week relative to the late onset smokers. Age of onset, frequency, and magnitude of MJ use were all shown to impact cognitive performance. Findings suggest that earlier MJ onset is related to poorer cognitive function and increased frequency and magnitude of MJ use relative to later MJ onset. Exposure to MJ during a period of neurodevelopmental vulnerability, such as adolescence, may result in altered brain development and enduring neuropsychological changes. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

Children neglected: Where cumulative risk theory fails.

PubMed

O'Hara, Mandy; Legano, Lori; Homel, Peter; Walker-Descartes, Ingrid; Rojas, Mary; Laraque, Danielle

2015-07-01

Neglected children, by far the majority of children maltreated, experience an environment most deficient in cognitive stimulation and language exchange. When physical abuse co-occurs with neglect, there is more stimulation through negative parent-child interaction, which may lead to better cognitive outcomes, contrary to Cumulative Risk Theory. The purpose of the current study was to assess whether children only neglected perform worse on cognitive tasks than children neglected and physically abused. Utilizing LONGSCAN archived data, 271 children only neglected and 101 children neglected and physically abused in the first four years of life were compared. The two groups were assessed at age 6 on the WPPSI-R vocabulary and block design subtests, correlates of cognitive intelligence. Regression analyses were performed, controlling for additional predictors of poor cognitive outcome, including socioeconomic variables and caregiver depression. Children only neglected scored significantly worse than children neglected and abused on the WPPSI-R vocabulary subtest (p=0.03). The groups did not differ on the block design subtest (p=0.4). This study shows that for neglected children, additional abuse may not additively accumulate risk when considering intelligence outcomes. Children experiencing only neglect may need to be referred for services that address cognitive development, with emphasis on the linguistic environment, in order to best support the developmental challenges of neglected children. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long term effects of early adversity on cognitive function.

PubMed

Richards, M; Wadsworth, M E J

2004-10-01

To investigate long term effects of early adverse circumstances on cognitive function. Associations between early material home circumstances, parental divorce, maternal management and understanding, and cognitive function in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood were analysed using multiple linear regression, controlling for sex, parental SES, and birth order in 1339 males and females from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development. Early adverse circumstances were strongly associated with lower cognitive ability in childhood and adolescence, and were detectable on measures of verbal ability, memory, and speed and concentration in midlife. However, these long term effects were mostly explained by the effects of adversity on childhood or adolescent cognitive ability or by differences in educational attainment and adult social class. An exception was the effect of poor material home conditions on visual search speed at 53 years, which was maintained after controlling for adolescent ability, as well as further control for educational attainment, adult social class, physical growth, cigarette smoking, and affective state. There was no evidence of more rapid decline in memory and psychomotor function across middle age in those exposed to early adversity. The effect of early adversity on cognitive function tracks across the life course at least as far as middle age, although there was little evidence from this study of effect amplification over this interval. Nevertheless, in view of the persistence of child poverty in the industrialised world, these findings give cause for concern.

Cognitive Components Underpinning the Development of Model-Based Learning

PubMed Central

Potter, Tracey C.S.; Bryce, Nessa V.; Hartley, Catherine A.

2016-01-01

Reinforcement learning theory distinguishes “model-free” learning, which fosters reflexive repetition of previously rewarded actions, from “model-based” learning, which recruits a mental model of the environment to flexibly select goal-directed actions. Whereas model-free learning is evident across development, recruitment of model-based learning appears to increase with age. However, the cognitive processes underlying the development of model-based learning remain poorly characterized. Here, we examined whether age-related differences in cognitive processes underlying the construction and flexible recruitment of mental models predict developmental increases in model-based choice. In a cohort of participants aged 9–25, we examined whether the abilities to infer sequential regularities in the environment (“statistical learning”), maintain information in an active state (“working memory”) and integrate distant concepts to solve problems (“fluid reasoning”) predicted age-related improvements in model-based choice. We found that age-related improvements in statistical learning performance did not mediate the relationship between age and model-based choice. Ceiling performance on our working memory assay prevented examination of its contribution to model-based learning. However, age-related improvements in fluid reasoning statistically mediated the developmental increase in the recruitment of a model-based strategy. These findings suggest that gradual development of fluid reasoning may be a critical component process underlying the emergence of model-based learning. PMID:27825732

Cognitive components underpinning the development of model-based learning.

PubMed

Potter, Tracey C S; Bryce, Nessa V; Hartley, Catherine A

2017-06-01

Reinforcement learning theory distinguishes "model-free" learning, which fosters reflexive repetition of previously rewarded actions, from "model-based" learning, which recruits a mental model of the environment to flexibly select goal-directed actions. Whereas model-free learning is evident across development, recruitment of model-based learning appears to increase with age. However, the cognitive processes underlying the development of model-based learning remain poorly characterized. Here, we examined whether age-related differences in cognitive processes underlying the construction and flexible recruitment of mental models predict developmental increases in model-based choice. In a cohort of participants aged 9-25, we examined whether the abilities to infer sequential regularities in the environment ("statistical learning"), maintain information in an active state ("working memory") and integrate distant concepts to solve problems ("fluid reasoning") predicted age-related improvements in model-based choice. We found that age-related improvements in statistical learning performance did not mediate the relationship between age and model-based choice. Ceiling performance on our working memory assay prevented examination of its contribution to model-based learning. However, age-related improvements in fluid reasoning statistically mediated the developmental increase in the recruitment of a model-based strategy. These findings suggest that gradual development of fluid reasoning may be a critical component process underlying the emergence of model-based learning. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Sleep and its importance in adolescence and in common adolescent somatic and psychiatric conditions

PubMed Central

Brand, Serge; Kirov, Roumen

2011-01-01

Restoring sleep is strongly associated with a better physical, cognitive, and psychological well-being. By contrast, poor or disordered sleep is related to impairment of cognitive and psychological functioning and worsened physical health. These associations are well documented not only in adults but also in children and adolescents. Importantly, adolescence is hallmarked by dramatic maturational changes in sleep and its neurobiological regulation, hormonal status, and many psychosocial and physical processes. Thus, the role of sleep in mental and physical health during adolescence and in adolescent patients is complex. However, it has so far received little attention. This review first presents contemporary views about the complex neurobiology of sleep and its functions with important implications for adolescence. Second, existing complex relationships between common adolescent somatic/organic, sleep-related, and psychiatric disorders and certain sleep alterations are discussed. It is concluded that poor or altered sleep in adolescent patients may trigger and maintain many psychiatric and physical disorders or combinations of these conditions, which presumably hinder recovery and may cross into later stages of life. Therefore, timely diagnosis and management of sleep problems appear critical for growth and development in adolescent patients. PMID:21731894

Physical activity and cognitive function in adults with multiple sclerosis: an integrative review.

PubMed

Morrison, Janet D; Mayer, Lori

2017-09-01

To identify and synthesize the research evidence concerning (1) the relationship between physical activity and cognitive performance in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) and (2) to review the reported effects of physical activity interventions on neurocognitive performance conducted in this population. Relevant peer-reviewed journal articles were identified by searching PubMed, PsychINFO, and SPORTDiscus through May 2016. Full-text articles meeting the inclusion criteria were evaluated for quality using tools developed by the National Institutes of Health. Studies deemed to be of poor quality were excluded from the review. Nineteen studies meeting the inclusion/exclusion criteria were analyzed. Nine studies reported significant relationships between higher levels of physical activity or cardiorespiratory fitness and measures of cognitive function. Data extracted from 10 physical activity intervention studies reported mixed results on the effectiveness of physical activity to improve selected domains of cognitive function in persons with MS. Although correlational studies provide evidence to support a linkage between physical activity and cognitive function in persons with MS, this linkage is confounded by factors that may have influenced the studies' results. Evidence derived from intervention studies that could support a positive effect of physical activity on cognition in persons with MS is equivocal. Implications for Rehabilitation Physical activity has numerous benefits for persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) including improvements in balance, ambulation, depression, fatigue, and quality of life. Structured physical activity programs may contribute to cognitive function stability or improvement in persons with MS.

Stroke injury, cognitive impairment and vascular dementia☆

PubMed Central

Kalaria, Raj N.; Akinyemi, Rufus; Ihara, Masafumi

2016-01-01

The global burden of ischaemic strokes is almost 4-fold greater than haemorrhagic strokes. Current evidence suggests that 25–30% of ischaemic stroke survivors develop immediate or delayed vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) or vascular dementia (VaD). Dementia after stroke injury may encompass all types of cognitive disorders. States of cognitive dysfunction before the index stroke are described under the umbrella of pre-stroke dementia, which may entail vascular changes as well as insidious neurodegenerative processes. Risk factors for cognitive impairment and dementia after stroke are multifactorial including older age, family history, genetic variants, low educational status, vascular comorbidities, prior transient ischaemic attack or recurrent stroke and depressive illness. Neuroimaging determinants of dementia after stroke comprise silent brain infarcts, white matter changes, lacunar infarcts and medial temporal lobe atrophy. Until recently, the neuropathology of dementia after stroke was poorly defined. Most of post-stroke dementia is consistent with VaD involving multiple substrates. Microinfarction, microvascular changes related to blood–brain barrier damage, focal neuronal atrophy and low burden of co-existing neurodegenerative pathology appear key substrates of dementia after stroke injury. The elucidation of mechanisms of dementia after stroke injury will enable establishment of effective strategy for symptomatic relief and prevention. Controlling vascular disease risk factors is essential to reduce the burden of cognitive dysfunction after stroke. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia edited by M. Paul Murphy, Roderick A. Corriveau and Donna M. Wilcock. PMID:26806700

Emotional, behavioral, and developmental features indicative of neglect or emotional abuse in preschool children: a systematic review.

PubMed

Naughton, Aideen Mary; Maguire, Sabine Ann; Mann, Mala Kanthi; Lumb, Rebecca Caroline; Tempest, Vanessa; Gracias, Shirley; Kemp, Alison Mary

2013-08-01

Early intervention for neglect or emotional abuse in preschoolers may mitigate lifelong consequences, yet practitioners lack confidence in recognizing these children. To define the emotional, behavioral, and developmental features of neglect or emotional abuse in preschoolers. A literature search of 18 databases, 6 websites, and supplementary searching performed from January 1, 1960, to February 1, 2011, identified 22 669 abstracts. Standardized critical appraisal of 164 articles was conducted by 2 independent, trained reviewers. Inclusion criteria were children aged 0 to 6 years with confirmed neglect or emotional abuse who had emotional, behavioral, and developmental features recorded or for whom the carer-child interaction was documented. Twenty-eight case-control (matched for socioeconomic, educational level, and ethnicity), 1 cross-sectional, and 13 cohort studies were included. Key features in the child included the following: aggression (11 studies) exhibited as angry, disruptive behavior, conduct problems, oppositional behavior, and low ego control; withdrawal or passivity (12 studies), including negative self-esteem, anxious or avoidant behavior, poor emotional knowledge, and difficulties in interpreting emotional expressions in others; developmental delay (17 studies), particularly delayed language, cognitive function, and overall development quotient; poor peer interaction (5 studies), showing poor social interactions, unlikely to act to relieve distress in others; and transition (6 studies) from ambivalent to avoidant insecure attachment pattern and from passive to increasingly aggressive behavior and negative self-representation. Emotional knowledge, cognitive function, and language deteriorate without intervention. Poor sensitivity, hostility, criticism, or disinterest characterize maternal-child interactions. Preschool children who have been neglected or emotionally abused exhibit a range of serious emotional and behavioral difficulties and adverse mother-child interactions that indicate that these children require prompt evaluation and interventions.

Psychological heterogeneity in AD/HD--a dual pathway model of behaviour and cognition.

PubMed

Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J S

2002-03-10

Psychological accounts have characterised attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) as either a neuro-cognitive disorder of regulation or a motivational style. Poor inhibitory control is thought to underpin AD/HD children's dysregulation while delay aversion is a dominant characteristic of their motivational style. A recent 'head to head' study of these two accounts suggest that delay aversion and poor inhibitory control are independent co-existing characteristics of AD/HD (combined type). In the present paper we build on these findings to propose a dual pathway model of AD/HD that recognises two quite distinct sub-types of the disorder. In one AD/HD is the result of the dysregulation of action and thought resulting from poor inhibitory control associated with the meso-cortical branch of the dopamine system projecting in the cortical control centres (e.g. pre-frontal cortex). In the other AD/HD is a motivational style characterised by an altered delay of reward gradient linked to the meso-limbic dopamine branch associated with the reward circuits (e.g. nucleus accumbens). The two pathways are further distinguished at the levels of symptoms, cognitive and motivation profiles and genetic and non-genetic origins.

Poor health and loneliness in later life: the role of depressive symptoms, social resources, and rural environments.

PubMed

Burholt, Vanessa; Scharf, Thomas

2014-03-01

We draw on cognitive discrepancy theory to hypothesize and test a pathway from poor health to loneliness in later life. We hypothesize that poor health will have a negative influence on social participation and social resources, and these factors will mediate between health and loneliness. We hypothesize that rural environments will amplify any difficulties associated with social participation or accessing social resources and that depression will moderate how intensely people react to levels of social contact and support. We conceptualize a mediation model and a moderated-mediation model. Nationally representative data on older people living in the Republic of Ireland are used to validate the hypothesized pathways. In the mediation model, health has a significant indirect effect on loneliness through the mediating variables social resources and social participation. In the moderated-mediation model, rurality moderates the pathway between health and social resources but not social participation. Depressive symptoms moderate the effect of social resources on loneliness but not social participation. The results provide further credence to cognitive discrepancy theory, suggesting that depressive symptoms influence cognitive processes, interfering with judgments about the adequacy of social interaction. The theory is extended by demonstrating the impact of the environment on loneliness.

[The Influence of the Functioning of Brain Regulatory Systems onto the Voluntary Regulation of Cognitive Performance in Children. Report 2. Neuropsychological and Electrophysiological Assessment of Brain Regulatory Functions in Children Aged 10-12 with Learning Difficulties].

PubMed

Semenova, O A; Machinskaya, R I

2015-01-01

A total number of 172 children aged 10-12 were electrophysiologically and neuropsychologically assessed in order to analyze the influence of the functioning of brain regulatory systems onto the voluntary regulation of cognitive performance during the preteen years. EEG patterns associated with the nonoptimal functioning of brain regulatory systems, particularly fronto-thalamic, limbic and fronto-striatal structures were significantly more often observed in children with learning and behavioral difficulties, as compared to the control group. Neuropsychological assessment showed that the nonoptimal functioning of different brain regulatory systems specifically affect the voluntary regulation of cognitive performance. Children with EEG patterns of fronto-thalamic nonoptimal functioning demonstrated poor voluntary regulation such as impulsiveness and difficulties in continuing the same algorithms. Children with EEG patterns of limbic nonoptimal functioning showed a less pronounced executive dysfunction manifested only in poor switching between program units within a task. Children with EEG patterns of fronto-striatal nonoptimal functioning struggled with such executive dysfunctions as motor and tactile perseverations and emotional-motivational deviations such as poor motivation and communicative skills.

Cognitive motivations of free riding and cooperation and impaired strategic decision making in schizophrenia during a public goods game.

PubMed

Chung, Dongil; Kim, Yang-Tae; Jeong, Jaeseung

2013-01-01

Schizophrenia is generally characterized by various positive and negative symptoms that are accompanied by significant social dysfunction. Various researchers investigated the functional impairments in schizophrenia including impaired theory of mind (TOM), poor integration of affective and cognitive information, and malfunctioning of adaptive and strategic learning process. However, most of the studies were limited to simplified cognitive tests or computerized choice games that exclude real social interaction. The aim of the current study was to investigate human strategies based on the incentives and particularly the cognitive and emotional motivations of free riding. We examined the decision patterns of 41 healthy subjects (HSs) and 37 schizophrenia patients (SZ) during the public goods game (PGG), one of the games simulating human cooperation and free riding in group interactions. Strategic decision processes during the iterative binary PGG were assessed in terms of cognitive understanding, loss sensitivity, and TOM. We found that greed and loss sensitivity both motivated free-riding behavior in the HS, but that they were more vulnerable to greedy incentives than to possible loss. More significantly, the SZ clearly displayed a lower prevalence of free riding and distinct decision patterns from HS. Nonstrategic and unexpectedly low free ridings in the SZ likely arise from poor integration of cognitive and affective information. We suggest that loss sensitivity and TOM as well as cognitive understanding are involved in regulation of the free riding and cooperative behavior.

Thirteen-year prospective study between fish consumption, long-chain n-3 fatty acids intakes and cognitive function.

PubMed

Kesse-Guyot, E; Péneau, S; Ferry, M; Jeandel, C; Hercberg, S; Galan, P

2011-02-01

Because of their structural, anti-inflammatory and antithrombic properties, long-chain n-3 fatty acids may be key factors in the aging process. We sought to elucidate the association between intake of long-chain n-3 fatty acids and/or fish and cognitive function evaluated 13 years after dietary assessment. Prospective population-based study. 3,294 adults from the SU.VI.MAX study (Supplementation with Antioxidant Vitamins and Minerals study). MEASUREMENTS/STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Subjects underwent a standardized clinical examination which included cognitive tests and self-reported cognitive difficulties scale (2007-2009). Poor scores were defined using percentiles as cut-off. Dietary data were assessed through repeated 24-h dietary records. Odd ratio (OR), comparing the fourth (Q4) to the first quartile (Q1), of having a poor score were calculated using adjusted logistic regression. Self-reported cognitive difficulties were less frequent among subjects with higher intakes of total n-3 long chain fatty acids (OR = 0.72, CI 95%=0.56-0.92) and eicosapentaenoic acid (OR Q4 versus Q1 = 0.74, CI 95%=0.58-0.95), even after adjustment for depressive symptoms. A borderline significant association was also found with high fish consumption (OR Q4 versus Q1 = 0.80, CI 95%=0.63-1.01). Cognitive complaints, which may be an early indicator of cognitive decline, are less frequent among the elderly who have a high long-chain n-3 acids intake, as assessed 13 years earlier.

Cognitive Motivations of Free Riding and Cooperation and Impaired Strategic Decision Making in Schizophrenia During a Public Goods Game

PubMed Central

Chung, Dongil; Kim, Yang-Tae; Jeong, Jaeseung

2013-01-01

Schizophrenia is generally characterized by various positive and negative symptoms that are accompanied by significant social dysfunction. Various researchers investigated the functional impairments in schizophrenia including impaired theory of mind (TOM), poor integration of affective and cognitive information, and malfunctioning of adaptive and strategic learning process. However, most of the studies were limited to simplified cognitive tests or computerized choice games that exclude real social interaction. The aim of the current study was to investigate human strategies based on the incentives and particularly the cognitive and emotional motivations of free riding. We examined the decision patterns of 41 healthy subjects (HSs) and 37 schizophrenia patients (SZ) during the public goods game (PGG), one of the games simulating human cooperation and free riding in group interactions. Strategic decision processes during the iterative binary PGG were assessed in terms of cognitive understanding, loss sensitivity, and TOM. We found that greed and loss sensitivity both motivated free-riding behavior in the HS, but that they were more vulnerable to greedy incentives than to possible loss. More significantly, the SZ clearly displayed a lower prevalence of free riding and distinct decision patterns from HS. Nonstrategic and unexpectedly low free ridings in the SZ likely arise from poor integration of cognitive and affective information. We suggest that loss sensitivity and TOM as well as cognitive understanding are involved in regulation of the free riding and cooperative behavior. PMID:21705433

Beyond Phonological and Morphological Processing: Pure Copying as a Marker of Dyslexia in Chinese but Not Poor Reading of English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kalindi, Sylvia Chanda; McBride, Catherine; Tong, Xiuhong; Wong, Natalie Lok Lee; Chung, Kien Hoa Kevin; Lee, Chia-Ying

2015-01-01

To examine cognitive correlates of dyslexia in Chinese and reading difficulties in English as a foreign language, a total of 14 Chinese dyslexic children (DG), 16 poor readers of English (PE), and 17 poor readers of both Chinese and English (PB) were compared to a control sample (C) of 17 children, drawn from a statistically representative sample…

Poor Sleep Quality is Independently Associated with Physical Disability in Older Adults

PubMed Central

Chien, Meng-Yueh; Chen, Hsi-Chung

2015-01-01

Study Objective: We aimed to evaluate the association between sleep quality and physical disability in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: There were 213 community-dwelling adults (76 men and 137 women) aged 65 years and above participated into this investigation. The Groningen Activity Restriction Scale and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were utilized to evaluate physical disability and subjective sleep quality, respectively. Global functional capacity was measured by the 6-minute walk test (6MWT). The Mini Mental State Examination and the Chinese Geriatric Depression Screening Scale were used to evaluate cognitive function and depression. Results: Univariate analysis revealed a correlation between physical disability and poor sleep quality, older age, 2 or more comorbidities, depression, functional capacity, and poor cognitive function. However, in the multivariate analyses, depression failed to show significant association with physical disability. In contrast, an independent association was observed between poor sleep quality and physical disability (OR = 2.03; 95% CI: 1.02–4.05). Conclusions: In community-dwelling older adults, subjective poor sleep was significantly associated with physical disability, even after controlling for the effects of other established risk factors. Citation: Chien MY, Chen HC. Poor sleep quality is independently associated with physical disability in older adults. J Clin Sleep Med 2015;11(3):225–232. PMID:25515275

Selectivity in associative learning: a cognitive stage framework for blocking and cue competition phenomena

PubMed Central

Boddez, Yannick; Haesen, Kim; Baeyens, Frank; Beckers, Tom

2014-01-01

Blocking is the most important phenomenon in the history of associative learning theory: for over 40 years, blocking has inspired a whole generation of learning models. Blocking is part of a family of effects that are typically termed “cue competition” effects. Common amongst all cue competition effects is that a cue-outcome relation is poorly learned or poorly expressed because the cue is trained in the presence of an alternative predictor or cause of the outcome. We provide an overview of the cognitive processes involved in cue competition effects in humans and propose a stage framework that brings these processes together. The framework contends that the behavioral display of cue competition is cognitively construed following three stages that include (1) an encoding stage, (2) a retention stage, and (3) a performance stage. We argue that the stage framework supports a comprehensive understanding of cue competition effects. PMID:25429280

Depression and prospection.

PubMed

Roepke, Ann Marie; Seligman, Martin E P

2016-03-01

Prospection, the mental representation of possible futures, is usually adaptive. When it goes awry, however, it disrupts emotion and motivation. A negative view of the future is typically seen as one symptom of depression, but we suggest that such negative prospection is the core causal element of depression. Here, we describe the empirical evidence supporting this framework, and we explore the implications for clinical interventions. We integrate several literatures: Using the database PsycInfo, we retrieved empirical studies with the keywords prospection, prediction, expectation, pessimism, mental simulation, future-thinking, future-directed thinking, foresight, and/or mental time travel, in conjunction with depression, depressed, or depressive. Three kinds of faulty prospection, taken together, could drive depression: Poor generation of possible futures, poor evaluation of possible futures, and negative beliefs about the future. Depressed mood and poor functioning, in turn, may maintain faulty prospection and feed a vicious cycle. Future-oriented treatment strategies drawn from cognitive-behavioural therapy help to fix poor prospection, and they deserve to be developed further. Prospection-based techniques may lead to transdiagnostic treatment strategies for depression and other disorders. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

University Students with Poor Reading Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Georgiou, George K.; Das, J. P.

2015-01-01

The present study aimed to examine the nature of the working memory and general cognitive ability deficits experienced by university students with a specific reading comprehension deficit. A total of 32 university students with poor reading comprehension but average word-reading skills and 60 age-word-matched controls with no comprehension…

The presence of a perseverative iterative style in poor vs. good sleepers.

PubMed

Barclay, N L; Gregory, A M

2010-03-01

Catastrophizing is present in worriers and poor sleepers. This study investigates whether poor sleepers possess a 'perseverative iterative style' which predisposes them to catastrophize any topic, regardless of content or affective valence, a style previously found to occur more commonly in worriers as compared to others. Poor (n=23) and good sleepers (n=37) were distinguished using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), from a sample of adults in the general population. Participants were required to catastrophize 2 topics: worries about sleep, and a current personal worry; and to iterate the positive aspects of a hypothetical topic. Poor sleepers catastrophized/iterated more steps to a greater extent than good sleepers to these three interviews, (F(1, 58)=7.35, p<.05). However, after controlling for anxiety and worry, this effect was reduced to non-significance for the 'sleep' and 'worry' topics, suggesting that anxiety may mediate some of the association between catastrophizing and sleep. However there was still a tendency for poor sleepers to iterate more steps to the 'hypothetical' topic, after controlling for anxiety and worry, which also suggests that poor sleepers possess a cognitive style which may predispose them to continue iterating consecutive steps to open-ended tasks regardless of anxiety and worry. Future research should examine whether the presence of this cognitive style is significant in leading to or maintaining insomnia.

Factors associated with poor academic achievement among urban primary school children in Malaysia.

PubMed

Ong, L C; Chandran, V; Lim, Y Y; Chen, A H; Poh, B K

2010-03-01

The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with poor academic achievement during the early school years. This was a cross-sectional study of urban Primary Two children. Sociodemographic and medical data were obtained from questionnaires and interviews. Achievement was based on marks obtained in the core subjects of the Primary One examination. All students underwent the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices test as a general measure of cognitive ability, audiometry and visual tests, and standardised measurements of weight and height. Out of 1,470 eligible children, 206 (14 percent) had poor academic achievement. Of the 919 children who participated in the study, 111 (12.1 percent) had poor achievement compared with 95 (17.2 percent) of the 551 non-participants. Using logistic regression analysis, the factors that were found to be independently associated with poor academic achievement were lower mean Raven scores (p-value is less than 0.001), lower mean socioeconomic status scores (p-value is less than 0.001), larger sibship size (p-value is 0.031), male gender (odds ratio [OR] 1.7; 95 percent confidence interval [CI] 1.1-2.65) and a history of prematurity (OR 14; 95 percent CI 2-97.8). Cognitive ability, gender, prematurity and social factors contribute to poor academic achievement during the early school years. The higher proportion of poor achievers among non-participants warrants further attention.

E-learning, dual-task, and cognitive load: The anatomy of a failed experiment.

PubMed

Van Nuland, Sonya E; Rogers, Kem A

2016-01-01

The rising popularity of commercial anatomy e-learning tools has been sustained, in part, due to increased annual enrollment and a reduction in laboratory hours across educational institutions. While e-learning tools continue to gain popularity, the research methodologies used to investigate their impact on learning remain imprecise. As new user interfaces are introduced, it is critical to understand how functionality can influence the load placed on a student's memory resources, also known as cognitive load. To study cognitive load, a dual-task paradigm wherein a learner performs two tasks simultaneously is often used, however, its application within educational research remains uncommon. Using previous paradigms as a guide, a dual-task methodology was developed to assess the cognitive load imposed by two commercial anatomical e-learning tools. Results indicate that the standard dual-task paradigm, as described in the literature, is insensitive to the cognitive load disparities across e-learning tool interfaces. Confounding variables included automation of responses, task performance tradeoff, and poor understanding of primary task cognitive load requirements, leading to unreliable quantitative results. By modifying the secondary task from a basic visual response to a more cognitively demanding task, such as a modified Stroop test, the automation of secondary task responses can be reduced. Furthermore, by recording baseline measures for the primary task as well as the secondary task, it is possible for task performance tradeoff to be detected. Lastly, it is imperative that the cognitive load of the primary task be designed such that it does not overwhelm the individual's ability to learn new material. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.

Serum phosphate and cognitive function in older men.

PubMed

Slinin, Yelena; Vo, Tien; Taylor, Brent C; Murray, Anne M; Schousboe, John; Langsetmo, Lisa; Ensrud, Kristine

2018-01-01

Determine whether serum phosphate is associated with concurrent cognitive impairment and subsequent cognitive decline in older men independent of demographic covariates and atherosclerotic risk factors. In a prospective study of 5529 men enrolled in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men study, we measured baseline serum phosphate, baseline cognitive function, and change in cognitive function between baseline and follow-up exams an average of 4.6 years later using the Modified Mini-Mental State (3MS) Examination and Trails B. There was no association between serum phosphate and odds of cognitive impairment as assessed by baseline 3MS score or risk of cognitive decline as assessed by longitudinal change in 3MS score. Higher baseline serum phosphate was associated with higher odds of poor executive function as assessed by Trails B with fully adjusted odds ratios 1.12 (95% confidence interval: 0.83-1.52), 1.31 (0.97-1.77), and 1.45 (1.08-1.94) for men in the second, third, and fourth versus the bottom quartile (referent group) of serum phosphate (p-trend 0.007). However, higher phosphate level was not associated with risk of decline in executive function as assessed by longitudinal change in Trails B score with fully adjusted odds ratios 0.94 (95% confidence interval 0.69-1.28), 0.96 (0.70-1.32), and 1.21 (0.89-1.66) for men in the second, third, and fourth versus the bottom quartile (referent group) of serum phosphate (p-trend 0.22). Higher serum phosphate in older men was associated with a higher likelihood of poor executive function, but not with impaired global cognitive function or decline in executive or global cognition. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Associations of Subjective Sleep Quality and Daytime Sleepiness With Cognitive Impairment in Adults and Elders With Heart Failure.

PubMed

Byun, Eeeseung; Kim, Jinyoung; Riegel, Barbara

2017-01-01

This study examined the association of subjective nighttime sleep quality and daytime sleepiness with cognitive impairment in 105 adults (< 60 years old) and 167 elders (≥ 60 years old) with heart failure. Nighttime sleep quality and daytime sleepiness were measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Cognitive impairment was assessed using a neuropsychological battery measuring attention, memory, and processing speed. Multivariate logistic regression was used. In adults, daytime sleepiness was associated with cognitive impairment, whereas poor nighttime sleep quality was associated with cognitive impairment in elders. Age may play an important role in how sleep impacts cognition in persons with heart failure. Improving nighttime sleep quality and daytime sleepiness in this population may improve cognition.

The Feldenkrais Method(®) can enhance cognitive function in independent living older adults: A case-series.

PubMed

Ullmann, Gerhild; Williams, Harriet G

2016-07-01

Poor cognitive health a major concern of aging individuals, can compromise independent living. More than 16 million people in the United States are affected by cognitive impairment. We have studied the effects of the Feldenkrais Method(®) on cognitive function. In this case series with three participants cognitive function was assessed with the Trail Making Test A and B at baseline and after the Feldenkrais intervention. All participants improved performance on Trail Making Test A and B after completing the Feldenkrais intervention indicating that Feldenkrais lessons may offset age-related decline in cognitive function. The results of this case series warrant larger scale studies on cognitive outcomes of Feldenkrais interventions in clinical and non-clinical populations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Frontostriatal Maturation Predicts Cognitive Control Failure to Appetitive Cues in Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Somerville, Leah H.; Hare, Todd; Casey, B. J.

2011-01-01

Adolescent risk-taking is a public health issue that increases the odds of poor lifetime outcomes. One factor thought to influence adolescents' propensity for risk-taking is an enhanced sensitivity to appetitive cues, relative to an immature capacity to exert sufficient cognitive control. We tested this hypothesis by characterizing interactions…

Cognitive Operations on Space and Their Impact on the Precision of Location Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lansdale, Mark; Humphries, Joyce; Flynn, Victoria

2013-01-01

Learning about object locations in space usually involves the summation of information from different experiences of that space and requires various cognitive operations to make this possible. These processes are poorly understood and, in the extreme, may not occur--leading to mutual exclusivity of memories (Baguley, Lansdale, Lines, & Parkin,…

Evaluation of Undergraduate Geologists' Problem Solving and Cognition during Field Exams Using a Mixed Methods Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balliet, Russell N.

2012-01-01

Understanding how geologists conduct fieldwork through analysis of problem solving has significant potential impact on field instruction methods. Recent progress has been made in this area but the problem solving behaviors displayed by geologists during fieldwork and the associated underlying cognition remains poorly understood. We present…

Food insecurity is associated with subsequent cognitive decline in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: Living with hunger and fear of not having enough food is a growing worldwide concern. In our previous cross-sectional study, we found that food insecurity was associated with poor cognitive function, but the direction of this relation remains unclear. Objective: We investigated whether f...

Feasibility Study Combining Art Therapy or Cognitive Remediation Therapy with Family-based Treatment for Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa.

PubMed

Lock, James; Fitzpatrick, Kathleen Kara; Agras, William S; Weinbach, Noam; Jo, Booil

2018-01-01

Adolescents with anorexia nervosa who have obsessive-compulsive (OC) features respond poorly to family-based treatment (FBT). This study evaluated the feasibility of combining FBT with either cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) or art therapy (AT) to improve treatment response in this at-risk group. Thirty adolescents with anorexia nervosa and OC features were randomized to 15 sessions of FBT + CRT or AT. Recruitment rate was 1 per month, and treatment attrition was 16.6% with no differences between groups. Suitability, expectancy and therapeutic relationships were acceptable for both combinations. Correlations between changes in OC traits and changes in cognitive inefficiencies were found for both combinations. Moderate changes in cognitive inefficiencies were found in both groups but were larger in the FBT + AT combination. This study suggests that an RCT for poor responders to FBT because of OC traits combining FBT with either CRT or AT is feasible to conduct. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Accelerated cognitive aging following severe traumatic brain injury: A review.

PubMed

Wood, Rodger Ll

2017-01-01

The primary objective of this review was to examine relevant clinical and experimental literatures for information on the long-term cognitive impact of serious traumatic brain injury (TBI) with regard to the process of cognitive aging. Online journal databases were queried for studies pertaining to cognitive aging in neurologically healthy populations, as well as the late cognitive effects of serious TBI. Additional studies were identified through searching bibliographies of related publications and using Google search engine. Problems of cognition exhibited by young adults after TBI resemble many cognitive weaknesses of attention deficit and poor working memory that are usually seen in an elderly population who have no neurological history. The current state of the literature provides support for the argument that TBI can result in diminished cognitive reserve which may accelerate the normal process of cognitive decline, leading to premature aging, potentially increasing the risk of dementia.

The Display of Visual Information in Mission Command Systems: Implications for Cognitive Performance in the Command Post of the Future

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-08-01

position unless so designated by other authorized documents. Citation of manufacturer’s or trade names does not constitute an official endorsement or...the presence of large volumes of time critical information. CPOF was designed to support the Army transformation to network-enabled operations. The...Cognitive Performance The visual display of information is vital to cognitive performance. For example, the poor visual design of the radar display

Deficits in social cognition and response flexibility in pediatric bipolar disorder.

PubMed

McClure, Erin B; Treland, Julia E; Snow, Joseph; Schmajuk, Mariana; Dickstein, Daniel P; Towbin, Kenneth E; Charney, Dennis S; Pine, Daniel S; Leibenluft, Ellen

2005-09-01

Little is known about neuropsychological and social-cognitive function in patients with pediatric bipolar disorder. Identification of specific deficits and strengths that characterize pediatric bipolar disorder would facilitate advances in diagnosis, treatment, and research on pathophysiology. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that youths with bipolar disorder would perform more poorly than matched healthy comparison subjects on measures of social cognition, motor inhibition, and response flexibility. Forty outpatients with pediatric bipolar disorder and 22 comparison subjects (no differences in age, gender, and IQ) completed measures of social cognition (the pragmatic judgment subtest of the Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language, facial expression recognition subtests of the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy Scale, the oral expression subtest of the Test of Language Competence), inhibition and response flexibility (stop and stop-change tasks), and motor inhibition (continuous performance tasks). Pediatric bipolar disorder patients performed more poorly than comparison subjects on social-cognitive measures (pragmatic judgment of language, facial expression recognition) and on a task requiring response flexibility. These deficits were present in euthymic patients. Differences between patients and comparison subjects could not be attributed to comorbid attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Findings of impaired social cognition and response flexibility in youths with pediatric bipolar disorder suggest continuity between pediatric bipolar disorder and adult bipolar disorder. These findings provide a foundation for neurocognitive research designed to identify the neural mechanisms underlying these deficits.

Drug Stroop: Mechanisms of response to computerized cognitive behavioral therapy for cocaine dependence in a randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

DeVito, Elise E; Kiluk, Brian D; Nich, Charla; Mouratidis, Maria; Carroll, Kathleen M

2018-02-01

Poor performance on Drug Stroop tasks, which could indicate attentional bias to drug-related cues, craving, poor cognitive control (including poor response inhibition), has been associated with substance use severity, treatment retention and substance use treatment outcomes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on training in appraisal and coping strategies, including strategies to minimize the negative impact of triggers and coping with drug-cue-induced craving. One mechanism of action of CBT may be the strengthening of cognitive control processes and reduction of attentional bias to drug-related stimuli. Methadone-maintained individuals with cocaine-use disorders, participating in a randomized controlled trial of treatment as usual (TAU) versus TAU plus access to computer-based CBT (CBT4CBT), completed a computerized Drug Stroop task at pre- and post-treatment. Analyses determined whether attentional bias toward drug-related stimuli changed differentially by treatment group or cocaine use outcomes across the treatment period and whether engagement in components of CBT4CBT or TAU treatment related to changes in attentional bias toward drug-related stimuli at post- versus pre-treatment. Participants achieving a longer duration of cocaine abstinence during treatment (3+ weeks) showed greater reductions in Drug Stroop Effect than those with shorter maximum continuous abstinence. Reductions in Drug Stroop Effect across treatment were associated with greater engagement with CBT4CBT-specific treatment components, but not TAU-specific treatment components. Reduction in attentional bias to drug-related cues and craving and/or improved executive cognitive control and response inhibition may contribute to the mechanism of action of CBT4CBT. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Relationship Between Short Sleep Duration and Preseason Concussion Testing.

PubMed

Silverberg, Noah D; Berkner, Paul D; Atkins, Joseph E; Zafonte, Ross; Iverson, Grant L

2016-05-01

Baseline, preseason assessment of cognition, symptoms, and balance has been recommended as part of a comprehensive sport concussion management program. We examined the relationship between sleep and baseline test results. We hypothesized that adolescents who slept fewer hours the night before would report more symptoms and perform more poorly on cognitive testing than students who had a full night sleep. Cross-sectional observation study. Preseason concussion testing for high school athletes. A large sample (n = 2928) of student athletes from Maine, USA, between the ages of 13 and 18 years completed preseason testing. Participants with developmental problems, a history of treatment for neurological or psychiatric problems, recent concussion, or 3 or more prior concussions were excluded. Athletes were divided into 4 groups based on their sleep duration the night before testing. Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT; ImPACT Applications, Inc, Pittsburgh, PA) cognitive composite scores and the embedded Post-Concussion Symptom Scale. Sleep was not related to any ImPACT cognitive composite score, after covarying for age and controlling for multiple comparisons. In contrast, there were sleep duration, sex, and sleep duration by sex effects on the Post-Concussion Symptom Scale. The effect of sleep duration on symptom reporting was more pronounced in girls. Supplementary analyses suggested that sleep insufficiency was associated with a diverse array of postconcussion-like symptoms. Poor sleep the night before baseline or postinjury testing may be an important confound when assessing postconcussion symptoms. Girls may be more vulnerable to experiencing and reporting symptoms following insufficient sleep. Clinicians should routinely ask how the athlete slept the night before preseason baseline testing and consider deferring the symptom assessment or later retesting athletes who slept poorly.

Understanding the Relationship between Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Falls in Older Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Roman de Mettelinge, Tine; Cambier, Dirk; Calders, Patrick; Van Den Noortgate, Nele; Delbaere, Kim

2013-01-01

Background Older adults with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus are at increased risk of falling. The current study aims to identify risk factors that mediate the relationship between diabetes and falls. Methods 199 older adults (104 with diabetes and 95 healthy controls) underwent a medical screening. Gait (GAITRite®), balance (AccuGait® force plate), grip strength (Jamar®), and cognitive status (Mini-Mental State Examination and Clock Drawing Test) were assessed. Falls were prospectively recorded during a 12-month follow-up period using monthly calendars. Results Compared to controls, diabetes participants scored worse on all physical and cognitive measures. Sixty-four participants (42 diabetes vs. 22 controls) reported at least one injurious fall or two non-injurious falls (“fallers”). Univariate logistic regression identified diabetes as a risk factor for future falls (Odds Ratio 2.25, 95%CI 1.21–4.15, p = 0.010). Stepwise multiple regressions defined diabetes and poor balance as independent risk factors for falling. Taking more medications, slower walking speed, shorter stride length and poor cognitive performance were mediators that reduced the Odds Ratio of the relationship between diabetes and faller status relationship the most followed by reduced grip strength and increased stride length variability. Conclusions Diabetes is a major risk factor for falling, even after controlling for poor balance. Taking more medications, poorer walking performance and reduced cognitive functioning were mediators of the relationship between diabetes and falls. Tailored preventive programs including systematic medication reviews, specific balance exercises and cognitive training might be beneficial in reducing fall risk in older adults suffering from diabetes. PMID:23825617

Hypertension-Induced Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Leading to Cognitive Impairment.

PubMed

Liu, Yang; Dong, Yan-Hong; Lyu, Pei-Yuan; Chen, Wei-Hong; Li, Rui

2018-03-05

Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia are responsible for more than 80% of dementia cases. These two conditions share common risk factors including hypertension. Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is strongly associated with both hypertension and cognitive impairment. In this review, we identify the pathophysiological changes in CSVD that are caused by hypertension and further explore the relationship between CSVD and cognitive impairment. We searched and scanned the PubMed database for recently published literatures up to December 2017. We used the keywords of "hypertension", "cerebral small vessel disease", "white matter lesions", "enlarged perivascular spaces", "lacunar infarcts", "cerebral microbleeds", and "cognitive impairment" in the database of PubMed. Articles were obtained and reviewed to analyze the hypertension-induced pathophysiological changes that occur in CSVD and the correlation between CSVD and cognitive impairment. In recent years, studies have demonstrated that hypertension-related changes (e.g., small vascular lesions, inflammatory reactions, hypoperfusion, oxidative stress, damage to autoregulatory processes and the blood-brain barrier, and cerebral amyloid angiopathy) can occur over time in cerebral small vessels, potentially leading to lower cognitive function when blood pressure (BP) control is poor or lacking. Both isolated and co-occurrent CSVD can lead to cognitive deterioration, and this effect may be attributable to a dysfunction in either the cholinergic system or the functionality of cortical and subcortical tracts. We explore the currently available evidence about the hypertensive vasculopathy and inflammatory changes that occur in CSVD. Both are vital prognostic indicators of the development of cognitive impairment. Future studies should be performed to validate the relationship between BP levels and CSVD progression and between the numbers, volumes, and anatomical locations of CSVD and cognitive impairment.

Predictors of Vascular Cognitive Impairment Poststroke in a Middle Eastern (Bahrain) Cohort: A Proposed Case-Control Comparison.

PubMed

Donnellan, Claire; Al Banna, Mona; Redha, Noor; Al Jishi, Adel; Al Sharoqi, Isa; Taha, Safa; Bakhiet, Moiz; Abdulla, Fatema; Walsh, Patrick

2016-11-28

Poststroke dementia and cognitive impairment are associated with poor long-term outcomes after stroke. The contribution of genetic factors such as the presence of apolipoprotein (ApoE) ɛ4 allele and its association with cognitive impairment poststroke remains inconclusive, particularly in Middle Eastern regions. The aim of this study is to examine all correlates and potential predictors of cognitive impairment including self-awareness and regulation deficits in stroke patients and compare these functions with healthy older adults from a Middle Eastern population. A prospective stroke sample of 200 patients (case group) and 100 healthy aging individuals (control group) will be recruited from the largest medical complex in Bahrain. A neuropsychological battery of cognitive assessments (global, executive, and metacognition) will be conducted on all participants. Participants will be categorized into 4 subgroups (nonvascular cognitive impairment, vascular cognitive impairment with no dementia, vascular dementia, and mixed dementia) using standardized cognitive assessment scores and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, dementia criteria. Biomarkers will include ApoE genotype, soluble form of receptor for advanced glycation end products, neprilysin, beta-secretase 1, biochemistry, and hematology measurements. The primary study outcome is to determine early risk factors for cognitive impairment after stroke in a Bahraini cohort. The study has received full ethical approval from the Bahrain Ministry of Health and from the affiliated university. With increasing stroke incidence rates in the Middle East, this research study will provide useful biological and epidemiological data for future development and planning of health policies and guidelines for stroke care within the Gulf region. ©Claire Donnellan, Mona Al Banna, Noor Redha, Adel Al Jishi, Isa Al Sharoqi, Safa Taha, Moiz Bakhiet, Fatema Abdulla, Patrick Walsh. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 28.11.2016.

The heterogeneity of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms and conduct problems: Cognitive inhibition, emotion regulation, emotionality, and disorganized attachment.

PubMed

Forslund, Tommie; Brocki, Karin C; Bohlin, Gunilla; Granqvist, Pehr; Eninger, Lilianne

2016-09-01

This study examined the contributions of several important domains of functioning to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and conduct problems. Specifically, we investigated whether cognitive inhibition, emotion regulation, emotionality, and disorganized attachment made independent and specific contributions to these externalizing behaviour problems from a multiple pathways perspective. The study included laboratory measures of cognitive inhibition and disorganized attachment in 184 typically developing children (M age = 6 years, 10 months, SD = 1.7). Parental ratings provided measures of emotion regulation, emotionality, and externalizing behaviour problems. Results revealed that cognitive inhibition, regulation of positive emotion, and positive emotionality were independently and specifically related to ADHD symptoms. Disorganized attachment and negative emotionality formed independent and specific relations to conduct problems. Our findings support the multiple pathways perspective on ADHD, with poor regulation of positive emotion and high positive emotionality making distinct contributions to ADHD symptoms. More specifically, our results support the proposal of a temperamentally based pathway to ADHD symptoms. The findings also indicate that disorganized attachment and negative emotionality constitute pathways specific to conduct problems rather than to ADHD symptoms. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

Emotion Risk-Factor in Patients With Cardiac Diseases: The Role of Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies, Positive Affect and Negative Affect (A Case-Control Study)

PubMed Central

Bahremand, Mostafa; Alikhani, Mostafa; Zakiei, Ali; Janjani, Parisa; Aghaei, Abbas

2016-01-01

Application of psychological interventions is essential in classic treatments for patient with cardiac diseases. The present study compared cognitive emotion regulation strategies, positive affect, and negative affect for cardiac patients with healthy subjects. This study was a case-control study. Fifty subjects were selected using convenient sampling method from cardiac (coronary artery disease) patients presenting in Imam Ali medical center of Kermanshah, Iran in the spring 2013. Fifty subjects accompanied the patients to the medical center, selected as control group, did not have any history of cardiac diseases. For collecting data, the cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire and positive and negative affect scales were used. For data analysis, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was applied using the SPSS statistical software (ver. 19.0). In all cognitive emotion regulation strategies, there was a significant difference between the two groups. A significant difference was also detected regarding positive affect between the two groups, but no significant difference was found regarding negative affect. We found as a result that, having poor emotion regulation strategies is a risk factor for developing heart diseases. PMID:26234976

Developmental Demands of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression in Children and Adolescents: Cognitive, Social, and Emotional Processes.

PubMed

Garber, Judy; Frankel, Sarah A; Herrington, Catherine G

2016-01-01

Although some treatments for depression in children and adolescents have been found to be efficacious, the effects sizes have tended to be modest. Thus, there is considerable room to improve upon existing depression treatments. Some children may respond poorly because they do not yet have the cognitive, social, or emotional maturity needed to understand and apply the skills being taught in therapy. Therefore, treatments for depression may need to be tailored to match children's ability to both comprehend and implement the therapeutic techniques. This review outlines the steps needed for such developmental tailoring: (a) Specify the skills being taught in depression treatments; (b) identify what cognitive, social, and emotional developmental abilities are needed to attain these skills; (c) describe the normative developmental course of these skills and how to determine a child's developmental level; and (d) use this information to design an individualized treatment plan. Possible approaches to intervening include: alter the therapy to meet the child's level of development, train the child on the skills needed to engage in the therapy, or apply a dynamic assessment approach that integrates evaluation into treatment and measures children's current abilities as well as their potential.

Emotion Risk-Factor in Patients with Cardiac Diseases: The Role of Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies, Positive Affect and Negative Affect (A Case-Control Study).

PubMed

Bahremand, Mostafa; Alikhani, Mostafa; Zakiei, Ali; Janjani, Parisa; Aghei, Abbas

2015-05-17

Application of psychological interventions is essential in classic treatments for patient with cardiac diseases. The present study compared cognitive emotion regulation strategies, positive affect, and negative affect for cardiac patients with healthy subjects. This study was a case-control study. Fifty subjects were selected using convenient sampling method from cardiac (coronary artery disease) patients presenting in Imam Ali medical center of Kermanshah, Iran in the spring 2013. Fifty subjects accompanied the patients to the medical center, selected as control group, did not have any history of cardiac diseases. For collecting data, the cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire and positive and negative affect scales were used. For data analysis, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) Was applied using the SPSS statistical software (ver. 19.0). In all cognitive emotion regulation strategies, there was a significant difference between the two groups. A significant difference was also detected regarding positive affect between the two groups, but no significant difference was found regarding negative affect. We found as a result that, having poor emotion regulation strategies is a risk factor for developing heart diseases.

Translation of Contextual Control Model to chronic disease management: A paradigm to guide design of cognitive support systems.

PubMed

Leecaster, Molly K; Weir, Charlene R; Drews, Frank A; Hellewell, James L; Bolton, Daniel; Jones, Makoto M; Nebeker, Jonathan R

2017-07-01

Electronic health records (EHRs) continue to be criticized for providing poor cognitive support. Defining cognitive support has lacked theoretical foundation. We developed a measurement model of cognitive support based on the Contextual Control Model (COCOM), which describes control characteristics of an "orderly" joint system and proposes 4 levels of control: scrambled, opportunistic, tactical, and strategic. 35 clinicians (5 centers) were interviewed pre and post outpatient clinical visits and audiotaped during the visit. Behaviors pertaining to hypertension management were systematically mapped to the COCOM control characteristics of: (1) time horizon, (2) uncertainty assessment, (3) consideration of multiple goals, (4) causal model described, and (5) explicitness of plan. Each encounter was classified for overall mode of control. Visits with deviation versus no deviation from hypertension goals were compared. Reviewer agreement was high. Control characteristics differed significantly between deviation groups (Wilcox rank sum p<.01). K-means cluster analysis of control characteristics, stratified by deviation were distinct, with higher goal deviations associated with more control characteristics. The COCOM control characteristics appear to be areas of potential yield for improved user-experience design. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Executive function in children with high and low attentional skills: correspondences between behavioural and cognitive profiles.

PubMed

Scope, Alison; Empson, Janet; McHale, Sue

2010-06-01

Cognitive performance was compared between two groups of typically developing children, who had been observed and rated as differing significantly in their attentional skills at school. The participants were 24 8- and 9-year-old children scoring poorly relative to peers, on a classroom observation scale and teacher rating scale for attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity [low-attentional skills (LAS) group] and 24 sex- and age-matched children scoring at a high level compared to peers [high-attentional skills (HAS) group]. The two groups were compared on a series of cognitive tasks to assess executive function (EF). The LAS group performed within the typical range yetat a significantly lower level than the HAS group on the majority of the EF tasks administered, namely working memory and inhibition measures, even though there were no significant differences between the groups on a measure of intellectual ability. Working memory measures followed by measures of inhibition emerged as the best predictors of group membership. These findings provide empirical evidence that there are individual differences in attentional skills. Specifically, that there is a relationship between behavioural inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity and cognitive performance on working memory and inhibitory control tasks.

Prenatal Iron Deficiency, Neonatal Ferritin, and Infant Cognitive Function

PubMed Central

Davidson, Leslie L.; Boivin, Michael J.; Zoumenou, Romeo; Massougbodji, Achille; Cot, Michel; Bodeau-Livinec, Florence

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of prenatal maternal iron deficiency (ID) on cord blood serum ferritin (CBSF) concentration and infant cognitive and motor development. METHODS: Our prospective cohort study included 636 mother-singleton child pairs from 828 eligible pregnant women who were enrolled during their first antenatal care (ANC) visit in Allada, Benin, into a clinical trial comparing the efficacy of mefloquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine. Venous blood samples of women were assessed for ferritin and hemoglobin concentrations at the first and second ANC visits (occurring at least 1-month apart) and at delivery. Women were prescribed daily iron and folic acid supplements throughout pregnancy. Hematologic examinations were repeated for cord blood at birth. At age 1 year, cognitive and motor functions of children were assessed by using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning. RESULTS: The prevalence of prenatal ID at first and second ANC visits, and at delivery was 30.5%, 34.0%, and 28.4%, respectively. CBSF concentrations were similar between ID and non-ID pregnant women. Neither prenatal ID nor CBSF concentration was associated with poor cognitive or gross motor function of children at age 1 year. CBSF concentrations were lower among mothers who had ID anemia (IDA) at delivery compared with non-IDA pregnant women (adjusted mean difference: –0.2 [95% confidence interval: –0.4 to –0.0]). CONCLUSIONS: In a malaria-endemic region, ID in pregnancy in the context of iron supplementation is neither associated with CBSF concentration nor with infant cognitive and motor development. Prenatal IDA around the time of delivery is associated with lower CBSF concentrations. PMID:27940685

Perception and Cognition in the Ageing Brain: A Brief Review of the Short- and Long-Term Links between Perceptual and Cognitive Decline

PubMed Central

Roberts, Katherine L.; Allen, Harriet A.

2016-01-01

Ageing is associated with declines in both perception and cognition. We review evidence for an interaction between perceptual and cognitive decline in old age. Impoverished perceptual input can increase the cognitive difficulty of tasks, while changes to cognitive strategies can compensate, to some extent, for impaired perception. While there is strong evidence from cross-sectional studies for a link between sensory acuity and cognitive performance in old age, there is not yet compelling evidence from longitudinal studies to suggest that poor perception causes cognitive decline, nor to demonstrate that correcting sensory impairment can improve cognition in the longer term. Most studies have focused on relatively simple measures of sensory (visual and auditory) acuity, but more complex measures of suprathreshold perceptual processes, such as temporal processing, can show a stronger link with cognition. The reviewed evidence underlines the importance of fully accounting for perceptual deficits when investigating cognitive decline in old age. PMID:26973514

Cognitive computer training in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) versus no intervention: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Bikic, Aida; Leckman, James F; Lindschou, Jane; Christensen, Torben Ø; Dalsgaard, Søren

2015-10-24

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by symptoms of inattention and impulsivity and/or hyperactivity and a range of cognitive dysfunctions. Pharmacological treatment may be beneficial; however, many affected individuals continue to have difficulties with cognitive functions despite medical treatment, and up to 30 % do not respond to pharmacological treatment. Inadequate medical compliance and the long-term effects of treatment make it necessary to explore nonpharmacological and supplementary treatments for ADHD. Treatment of cognitive dysfunctions may prove particularly important because of the impact of these dysfunctions on the ability to cope with everyday life. Lately, several trials have shown promising results for cognitive computer training, often referred to as cognitive training, which focuses on particular parts of cognition, mostly on the working memory or attention but with poor generalization of training on other cognitive functions and functional outcome. Children with ADHD have a variety of cognitive dysfunctions, and it is important that cognitive training target multiple cognitive functions. This multicenter randomized clinical superiority trial aims to investigate the effect of "ACTIVATE™," a computer program designed to improve a range of cognitive skills and ADHD symptoms. A total of 122 children with ADHD, aged 6 to 13 years, will be randomized to an intervention or a control group. The intervention group will be asked to use ACTIVATE™ at home 40 minutes per day, 6 days per week for 8 weeks. Both intervention and control group will receive treatment as usual. Outcome measures will assess cognitive functions, symptoms, and behavioral and functional measures before and after the 8 weeks of training and in a 12- and 24-week follow-up. Results of this trial will provide useful information on the effectiveness of computer training focusing on several cognitive functions. Cognitive training has the potential to reduce cognitive dysfunctions and to become a new treatment option, which can promote a more normal neural development in young children with ADHD and thus reduce cognitive dysfunctions and symptoms. This could help children with ADHD to perform better in everyday life and school. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01752530 , date of registration: 10 December 2012.

Adolescent Executive Dysfunction in Daily Life: Relationships to Risks, Brain Structure and Substance Use

PubMed Central

Clark, Duncan B.; Chung, Tammy; Martin, Christopher S.; Hasler, Brant P.; Fitzgerald, Douglas H.; Luna, Beatriz; Brown, Sandra A.; Tapert, Susan F.; Brumback, Ty; Cummins, Kevin; Pfefferbaum, Adolf; Sullivan, Edith V.; Pohl, Kilian M.; Colrain, Ian M.; Baker, Fiona C.; De Bellis, Michael D.; Nooner, Kate B.; Nagel, Bonnie J.

2017-01-01

During adolescence, problems reflecting cognitive, behavioral and affective dysregulation, such as inattention and emotional dyscontrol, have been observed to be associated with substance use disorder (SUD) risks and outcomes. Prior studies have typically been with small samples, and have typically not included comprehensive measurement of executive dysfunction domains. The relationships of executive dysfunction in daily life with performance based testing of cognitive skills and structural brain characteristics, thought to be the basis for executive functioning, have not been definitively determined. The aims of this study were to determine the relationships between executive dysfunction in daily life, measured by the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), cognitive skills and structural brain characteristics, and SUD risks, including a global SUD risk indicator, sleep quality, and risky alcohol and cannabis use. In addition to bivariate relationships, multivariate models were tested. The subjects (n = 817; ages 12 through 21) were participants in the National Consortium on Alcohol and Neurodevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA) study. The results indicated that executive dysfunction was significantly related to SUD risks, poor sleep quality, risky alcohol use and cannabis use, and was not significantly related to cognitive skills or structural brain characteristics. In multivariate models, the relationship between poor sleep quality and risky substance use was mediated by executive dysfunction. While these cross-sectional relationships need to be further examined in longitudinal analyses, the results suggest that poor sleep quality and executive dysfunction may be viable preventive intervention targets to reduce adolescent substance use. PMID:29180956

Cognitive, academic, and behavioral correlates of medication adherence in children and adolescents with perinatally acquired HIV infection.

PubMed

Nichols, Sharon L; Montepiedra, Grace; Farley, John J; Sirois, Patricia A; Malee, Kathleen; Kammerer, Betsy; Garvie, Patricia A; Naar-King, Sylvie

2012-05-01

Medication adherence is critical to the success of antiretroviral therapies for children and youth with perinatally acquired HIV. Factors that influence successful transition of medication responsibility from caregivers to youth are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship of medication adherence with demographic, cognitive, academic, and behavioral characteristics. Randomly selected youth, N = 151, aged 8 to 18 years, completed cognitive and academic measures, and they and their caregivers completed questionnaires assessing behavior and emotional well-being. An announced pill count and questionnaires completed by youth and their caregivers were used to evaluate adherence. Of 151 participants, 100 completed all adherence measures. Adherence rates varied by assessment method. Nonadherence (<90%) by pill count was associated with older child age, greater youth responsibility for medications, and other demographic and medication regimen variables. Verbal impairment predicted better self-reported adherence and reading problems predicted better self- and caregiver-reported adherence. Youth-reported locus of control was associated with pill count nonadherence, and poor relationships with parents were associated with youth-reported nonadherence. Consideration of youth cognitive or academic status may be helpful in evaluating medication adherence in patients with perinatally acquired HIV infection, particularly when using self- or caregiver reports to assess adherence. Vigilance for adherence problems is indicated when youth are older, responsible for medications, report poor caregiver relationships, and/or sense a lack of control over their lives.

Nutritional and socio-economic determinants of cognitive function and educational achievement of Aboriginal schoolchildren in rural Malaysia.

PubMed

Al-Mekhlafi, Hesham M; Mahdy, Mohammed A; Sallam, Atiya A; Ariffin, W A; Al-Mekhlafi, Abdulsalam M; Amran, Adel A; Surin, Johari

2011-10-01

A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among Aboriginal schoolchildren aged 7-12 years living in remote areas in Pos Betau, Pahang, Malaysia to investigate the potential determinants influencing the cognitive function and educational achievement of these children. Cognitive function was measured by intelligence quotient (IQ), while examination scores of selected school subjects were used in assessing educational achievement. Blood samples were collected to assess serum Fe status. All children were screened for soil-transmitted helminthes. Demographic and socio-economic data were collected using pre-tested questionnaires. Almost two-thirds (67·6 %) of the subjects had poor IQ and most of them (72·6 %) had insufficient educational achievement. Output of the stepwise multiple regression model showed that poor IQ was significantly associated with low household income which contributed the most to the regression variance (r2 0·059; P = 0·020). Low maternal education was also identified as a significant predictor of low IQ scores (r2 0·042; P = 0·043). With educational achievement, Fe-deficiency anaemia (IDA) was the only variable to show significant association (r2 0·025; P = 0·015). In conclusion, the cognitive function and educational achievement of Aboriginal schoolchildren are poor and influenced by household income, maternal education and IDA. Thus, effective and integrated measures to improve the nutritional and socio-economic status of rural children would have a pronounced positive effect on their education.

Cognitive outcome following unilateral arterial ischaemic stroke in childhood: effects of age at stroke and lesion location.

PubMed

Westmacott, Robyn; Askalan, Rand; MacGregor, Daune; Anderson, Peter; Deveber, Gabrielle

2010-04-01

Plasticity in the developing brain is a controversial issue. Although language and motor function often recover remarkably well following early brain injury, recent evidence suggests that damage to the developing brain results in significant long-term neuropsychological impairment. Our aim was to investigate the relationship among age at injury, lesion location and intellectual outcome. Using age-appropriate Wechsler scales of intellectual ability, we explored this issue by evaluating a large group (n=145) of children (89 males, 56 females) who experienced unilateral arterial ischaemic stroke during the perinatal period (diagnosed mean 73d, SD 29d), between the ages of 1 month and 5 years (mean 2y 10mo, SD 1y 9mo), or between the ages of 6 and 16 years (mean 11y 1mo SD 3y 6mo). The mean age at assessment was 8 years (SD 3y 10mo) in the perinatal group, 7 years 5 months (SD 2y 9mo) in the 1 month to 5 years group, and 12 years 5 months (SD 3y 9mo) in the 6 to 16 years group. The mean time interval between stroke and assessment was 8 years (SD 18d) for perinatal, 4 years 6 months (SD 1y 5mo) for 1 month to 5 years, and 1 year 4 months (SD 2y 9mo) for 6 to 16 years. The relationship between age at stroke and lesion location (subcortical, cortical, or combined) as it pertains to cognitive outcome was also examined. Measures of overall intelligence, verbal ability, working memory, and processing speed were significantly lower in children who had had a stroke than in the normative sample (all z>2.5, all p<0.01). The perinatal group performed more poorly than the other two groups on most cognitive measures, regardless of lesion location. The combined lesion location group performed more poorly than those with damage to either cortical or subcortical areas alone. Further investigation revealed different periods of peak vulnerability for subcortical lesions (perinatal) and cortical lesions (1mo-5y). Lesion location modulates the relationship between age at stroke and cognitive outcome.

The role of cognitive flexibility in cognitive restructuring skill acquisition among older adults.

PubMed

Johnco, C; Wuthrich, V M; Rapee, R M

2013-08-01

Cognitive flexibility is one aspect of executive functioning that encompasses the ability to produce diverse ideas, consider response alternatives, and modify behaviors to manage changing circumstances. These processes are likely to be important for implementing cognitive restructuring. The present study investigated the impact of cognitive flexibility on older adults' ability to learn cognitive restructuring. Neuropsychological measures of cognitive flexibility were administered to 40 normal community-dwelling older adult volunteers and their ability to implement cognitive restructuring was coded and analyzed. Results indicated that the majority of participants showed good cognitive restructuring skill acquisition with brief training. The multiple regression analysis suggested that those with poorer cognitive flexibility on neuropsychological testing demonstrated poorer quality cognitive restructuring. In particular, perseverative thinking styles appear to negatively impact the ability to learn cognitive restructuring. Further research is needed to clarify whether older adults with poor cognitive flexibility can improve their cognitive restructuring skills with repetition over treatment or whether alternative skills should be considered. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms and cognitive skills of preschool children.

PubMed

Thomaidis, L; Choleva, A; Janikian, M; Bertou, G; Tsitsika, A; Giannakopoulos, G; Anagnostopoulos, D C

2017-01-01

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) constitutes a neurobehavioral disorder which may potentially adversely affect children's wellbeing and academic achievement. The onset of symptoms is present prior to 12 years of age, and often the symptoms are evident in the preschool years. In fact, it has been suggested that screening for ADHD symptoms may be initiated as early as four years of age. Preschool children with ADHD have been shown to present with poor pre-academic skills and might be at increased risk for numerous school-related problems, including functional impairment during elementary school years and persistent poor academic performance thereafter. Although preschool years are characterized by rapid cognitive growth, preschoolers with ADHD may present with poorer cognitive and neuropsychological functioning. Due to the early onset of ADHD symptoms, exploring the cognitive correlates of this condition among preschool children is thought to be of notable importance. The aim of the present study was to evaluate any association between ADHD symptoms and cognitive skills among preschool children. A cross-sectional study was conducted among a nationwide random sample of 4,480 preschool children. ADHD symptoms were assessed though interviews with parents and teachers based on DSM-IV-TR criteria. Cognitive skills were assessed through a standardized school readiness test (A' TEST). Among participants, the occurrence of ADHD symptoms was 4.6% (boys/girls: 3.4/1). The presence of ADHD symptoms among children was inversely associated with non-verbal and verbal cognitive skills; specifically, with abstract thinking (aOR 1.97, 95% CI 1.30-3.00), language (2.36, 1.55-3.59), critical reasoning (2.58, 1.84-3.62), visual perception (2.42, 1.38- 4.24), and visual motor skills (2.61, 1.91-3.55). Children with ADHD symptoms were five times as likely to have compromised organizational skills (4.92, 3.04-7.97). Abstract thinking was the least affected domain particularly among boys, while organizational skills were the most affected domain in both sexes, and possibly more among girls. Concluding, the present study confirms that even during preschool years, children with ADHD symptoms are more likely to present with concomitant cognitive difficulties. Thus, screening for the presence of ADHD, as well as cognitive and affective screenings among preschool aged children may facilitate the early detection and determent of the development of cognitive difficulties, and subsequently the early intervention for fostering skills that are amenable to change, such as organizational skills and planning. As a result, the study findings reveal the necessity for the evaluation of pre-academic skills among preschool children with ADHD symptoms in order to mitigate unfavorable academic functioning.

Are behaviour and motor performances of rheumatoid arthritis patients influenced by subclinical cognitive impairments? A clinical and neuroimaging study.

PubMed

Bartolini, M; Candela, M; Brugni, M; Catena, L; Mari, F; Pomponio, G; Provinciali, L; Danieli, G

2002-01-01

To determine whether some behavioural manifestations and poor motor performances in patients affected by rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are due to subclinical cognitive defects. We performed a psychometric assessment of 30 patients affected by RA exploring several cognitive domains such as memory, visual-spatial integration, motor planning, mental flexibility, relating performances with morphological and functional neuroimaging (MRI and SPECT). We also related the cognitive data with the Ritchie and Lee indexes and other clinical parameters. We found an impairment in visual-spatial tasks in 71% of patients with a high correlation to activity and disease severity as expressed by the Ritchie and Lee indexes (p < 0.005; p < 0.01). Furthermore, we detected in 38% of patients some difficulties in mental flexibility related to the Lee Index (p < 0.05). These poor performances are related to hypoperfusion of the frontal and parietal lobes as detected by brain SPECT; this finding is more evident in patients with brain white matter alterations on MRI. Our data allow us to hypothesize that manual dexterity could be due to a disconnection between subcortical white matter and parietal-frontal lobes because of microangiopathy; furthermore, a chronic reduction in sensorial stimuli by impaired joints could lead to produce an alteration in motor planning cognitive processes.

The relationship between clinical insight and cognitive and affective empathy in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Atoui, Mia; El Jamil, Fatima; El Khoury, Joseph; Doumit, Mark; Syriani, Nathalie; Khani, Munir; Nahas, Ziad

2018-06-01

Schizophrenia is often associated with poor clinical insight (unawareness of mental illness and its symptoms) and deficits in empathy, which are important for social functioning. Cognitive empathy has been linked to clinical insight while affective empathy and its role in insight and pathology have received mixed evidence. Instruments assessing symptomatology (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale; PANSS), clinical insight (Scales to assess awareness of mental disorders; SUMD), and cognitive and affective empathy were administered to 22 participants with first episode and chronic schizophrenia and 21 healthy controls. Self-report, parent-report, and performance based measures were used to assess cognitive and affective empathy (The interpersonal reactivity index; IRI/Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test/Faux Pas) to reduce bias and parse shared variance. Age of onset, gender, and symptomatology emerged as significant predictors of poor clinical insight. Additionally, the fantasy subscale of the IRI as reported by parents emerged as a positive predictor while the personal distress (parent report) subscale emerged as a negative predictor of awareness into mental illness. There were significant differences on performance-based measures of empathy between the control and schizophrenia groups. Findings suggest that affective empathy is relatively intact across phases of illness whereas cognitive empathy abilities are compromised and could be targets for psychotherapy intervention.

Insight and awareness as related to psychopathology and cognition.

PubMed

Trevisi, Manuela; Talamo, Alessandra; Bandinelli, Pier Luca; Ducci, Giuseppe; Kotzalidis, Giorgio D; Santucci, Chiara; Manfredi, Giovanni; Girardi, Nicoletta; Tatarelli, Roberto

2012-01-01

Insight affects adherence and treatment outcome and relates to cognitive impairment and psychopathology. We investigated the relationship of insight with cognition in patients with major depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in acute psychiatric care, long-term inpatient, and outpatient settings. Eighty-one patients (women, 59.5%; age, 45.9 ± 13.5 years; 27 in each setting group; 33.3% with DSM-IV bipolar disorder, 39.5% with unipolar major depression, and 27.2% with schizophrenia) underwent the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) to test flexibility, clinician-rated Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder (SUMD), and self-rated Insight Scale (IS) to assess insight/awareness. Poor performance on the WCST correlated with higher SUMD scores such as current psychiatric illness unawareness, impaired symptom attribution, unawareness of medication effect, or of social consequences, but not with IS scores. The latter correlated with days on continuous treatment. Patients receiving psycho-education showed greater symptom awareness compared to patients treated with drugs alone. Cognitive flexibility and diagnostic category did not correlate. Poor insight corresponded with severe mental illness, particularly acute psychosis. Treatment setting specificity reflects psychopathology and severity. Insight is inversely proportional to illness severity and cognitive flexibility, which is also affected by psychopathology. Limitations comprise group heterogeneity, cross-sectional design, and limited sample size. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Changes in Imaging and Cognition in Juvenile Rats After Whole-Brain Irradiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brown, Robert J.; Jun, Brandon J.; Advanced Imaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

Purpose: In pediatric cancer survivors treated with whole-brain irradiation (WBI), long-term cognitive deficits and morbidity develop that are poorly understood and for which there is no treatment. We describe similar cognitive defects in juvenile WBI rats and correlate them with alterations in diffusion tensor imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) during brain development. Methods and Materials: Juvenile Fischer rats received clinically relevant fractionated doses of WBI or a high-dose exposure. Diffusion tensor imaging and MRS were performed at the time of WBI and during the subacute (3-month) and late (6-month) phases, before behavioral testing. Results: Fractional anisotropy in the spleniummore » of the corpus callosum increased steadily over the study period, reflecting brain development. WBI did not alter the subacute response, but thereafter there was no further increase in fractional anisotropy, especially in the high-dose group. Similarly, the ratios of various MRS metabolites to creatine increased over the study period, and in general, the most significant changes after WBI were during the late phase and with the higher dose. The most dramatic changes observed were in glutamine-creatine ratios that failed to increase normally between 3 and 6 months after either radiation dose. WBI did not affect the ambulatory response to novel open field testing in the subacute phase, but locomotor habituation was impaired and anxiety-like behaviors increased. As for cognitive measures, the most dramatic impairments were in novel object recognition late after either dose of WBI. Conclusions: The developing brains of juvenile rats given clinically relevant fractionated doses of WBI show few abnormalities in the subacute phase but marked late cognitive alterations that may be linked with perturbed MRS signals measured in the corpus callosum. This pathomimetic phenotype of clinically relevant cranial irradiation effects may be useful for modeling, mechanistic evaluations, and testing of mitigation approaches.« less

Determinants of cognitive development of low SES children in Chile: a post-transitional country with rising childhood obesity rates.

PubMed

Galván, Marcos; Uauy, Ricardo; Corvalán, Camila; López-Rodríguez, Guadalupe; Kain, Juliana

2013-09-01

Studies conducted in developing countries have noted associations between concurrent stunting, social-emotional problems and poor cognitive ability in young children. However, the relative contribution of these variables in Latin America is likely changing as undernutrition rates decline and prevalence of childhood obesity rises. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 106 normal-weight and 109 obese preschool children to compare the relative contribution of early nutrition, sociodemographic factors and psychosocial variables on cognitive development in normal-weight and obese preschool children in Chile. The study variables were categorized as: (1) socio-demographic (age, sex, birth order and socioeconomic) (2) early nutrition (maternal height, birth weight, birth length and height at 5 years) (3) psychosocial factors (maternal depression, social-emotional wellbeing and home space sufficiency). In order to assess determinants of cognitive development at 4-5 years we measured intelligence quotient (IQ); variability in normal children was mostly explained by socio-demographic characteristics (r(2) = 0.26), while in obese children early nutritional factors had a significant effect (r(2) = 0.12) beyond socio-demographic factors (r(2) = 0.19). Normal-weight children, who were first born, of slightly better SES and height Z score >1, had an IQ ≥ 6 points greater than their counterparts (p < 0.05). Obese children who were first born with birth weight >4,000 g and low risk of socio-emotional problems had on average ≥5 IQ points greater than their peers (p < 0.05). We conclude that in Chile, a post-transitional country, IQ variability of normal children was mostly explained by socio-demographic characteristics; while in obese children, early nutrition also played a significant role.

The Elsevier trophoblast research award lecture: Impacts of placental growth factor and preeclampsia on brain development, behaviour, and cognition.

PubMed

Rätsep, Matthew T; Hickman, Andrew F; Croy, B Anne

2016-12-01

Preeclampsia (PE) is a significant gestational disorder affecting 3-5% of all human pregnancies. In many PE pregnancies, maternal plasma is deficient in placental growth factor (PGF), a placentally-produced angiokine. Beyond immediate fetal risks associated with acute termination of the pregnancy, offspring of PE pregnancies (PE-F1) have higher long-term risks for hypertension, stroke, and cognitive impairment compared to F1s from uncomplicated pregnancies. At present, mechanisms that explain PE-F1 gains in postpartum risks are poorly understood. Our laboratory found that mice genetically-deleted for Pgf have altered fetal and adult brain vascular development. This is accompanied by sexually dimorphic alterations in anatomic structure in the adult Pgf -/- brain and impaired cognitive functions. We hypothesize that cerebrovascular and neurological aberrations occur in fetuses exposed to the progressive development of PE and that these brain changes impair cognitive functioning, enhance risk for stroke, elevate severity of stroke, and lead to worse stroke outcomes. These brain and placental outcomes may be linked to down-regulated PGF gene expression in early pre-implantation embryos, prior to gastrulation. This review explores our hypothesis that there are mechanistic links between low PGF detection in maternal plasma prodromal to PE, PE, and altered brain vascular, structural, and functional development amongst PE-F1s. We also include a summary of preliminary outcomes from a pilot study of 7-10 year old children that is the first to report magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance angiography, and functional brain region assessment by eye movement control studies in PE-F1s. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A cognitive approach for design of a multimedia informed consent video and website in pediatric research.

PubMed

Antal, Holly; Bunnell, H Timothy; McCahan, Suzanne M; Pennington, Chris; Wysocki, Tim; Blake, Kathryn V

2017-02-01

Poor participant comprehension of research procedures following the conventional face-to-face consent process for biomedical research is common. We describe the development of a multimedia informed consent video and website that incorporates cognitive strategies to enhance comprehension of study related material directed to parents and adolescents. A multidisciplinary team was assembled for development of the video and website that included human subjects professionals; psychologist researchers; institutional video and web developers; bioinformaticians and programmers; and parent and adolescent stakeholders. Five learning strategies that included Sensory-Modality view, Coherence, Signaling, Redundancy, and Personalization were integrated into a 15-min video and website material that describes a clinical research trial. A diverse team collaborated extensively over 15months to design and build a multimedia platform for obtaining parental permission and adolescent assent for participant in as asthma clinical trial. Examples of the learning principles included, having a narrator describe what was being viewed on the video (sensory-modality); eliminating unnecessary text and graphics (coherence); having the initial portion of the video explain the sections of the video to be viewed (signaling); avoiding simultaneous presentation of text and graphics (redundancy); and having a consistent narrator throughout the video (personalization). Existing conventional and multimedia processes for obtaining research informed consent have not actively incorporated basic principles of human cognition and learning in the design and implementation of these processes. The present paper illustrates how this can be achieved, setting the stage for rigorous evaluation of potential benefits such as improved comprehension, satisfaction with the consent process, and completion of research objectives. New consent strategies that have an integrated cognitive approach need to be developed and tested in controlled trials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Accelerated behavioural development changes fine-scale search behaviour and spatial memory in honey bees (Apis mellifera L.).

PubMed

Ushitani, Tomokazu; Perry, Clint J; Cheng, Ken; Barron, Andrew B

2016-02-01

Normally, worker honey bees (Apis mellifera) begin foraging when more than 2 weeks old as adults, but if individual bees or the colony is stressed, bees often begin foraging precociously. Here, we examined whether bees that accelerated their behavioural development to begin foraging precociously differed from normal-aged foragers in cognitive performance. We used a social manipulation to generate precocious foragers from small experimental colonies and tested their performance in a free-flight visual reversal learning task, and a test of spatial memory. To assess spatial memory, bees were trained to learn the location of a small sucrose feeder within an array of three landmarks. In tests, the feeder and one landmark were removed and the search behaviour of the bees was recorded. Performance of precocious and normal-aged foragers did not differ in a visual reversal learning task, but the two groups showed a clear difference in spatial memory. Flight behaviour suggested normal-aged foragers were better able to infer the position of the removed landmark and feeder relative to the remaining landmarks than precocious foragers. Previous studies have documented the cognitive decline of old foragers, but this is the first suggestion of a cognitive deficit in young foragers. These data imply that worker honey bees continue their cognitive development during the adult stage. These findings may also help to explain why precocious foragers perform quite poorly as foragers and have a higher than normal loss rate. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

The effect of the use of android-based application in learning together to improve students' academic performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulfa, Andi Maria; Sugiyarto, Kristian H.; Ikhsan, Jaslin

2017-05-01

Poor achievement of students' performance on Chemistry may result from unfavourable learning processes. Therefore, innovation on learning process must be created. Regarding fast development of mobile technology, learning process cannot ignore the crucial role of the technology. This research and development (R&D) studies was done to develop android based application and to study the effect of its integration in Learning together (LT) into the improvement of students' learning creativity and cognitive achievement. The development of the application was carried out by adapting Borg & Gall and Dick & Carey model. The developed-product was reviewed by chemist, learning media practitioners, peer reviewers, and educators. After the revision based on the reviews, the application was used in the LT model on the topic of Stoichiometry in a senior high school. The instruments were questionnaires to get comments and suggestion from the reviewers about the application, and the another questionnaire was to collect the data of learning creativity. Another instrument used was a set of test by which data of students' achievement was collected. The results showed that the use of the mobile based application on Learning Together can bring about significant improvement of students' performance including creativity and cognitive achievement.

Poor sleep quality is associated with a negative cognitive bias and decreased sustained attention.

PubMed

Gobin, Christina M; Banks, Jonathan B; Fins, Ana I; Tartar, Jaime L

2015-10-01

Poor sleep quality has been demonstrated to diminish cognitive performance, impair psychosocial functioning and alter the perception of stress. At present, however, there is little understanding of how sleep quality affects emotion processing. The aim of the present study was to determine the extent to which sleep quality, measured through the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, influences affective symptoms as well as the interaction between stress and performance on an emotional memory test and sustained attention task. To that end, 154 undergraduate students (mean age: 21.27 years, standard deviation = 4.03) completed a series of measures, including the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, the Sustained Attention to Response Task, an emotion picture recognition task and affective symptom questionnaires following either a control or physical stress manipulation, the cold pressor test. As sleep quality and psychosocial functioning differ among chronotypes, we also included chronotype and time of day as variables of interest to ensure that the effects of sleep quality on the emotional and non-emotional tasks were not attributed to these related factors. We found that poor sleep quality is related to greater depressive symptoms, anxiety and mood disturbances. While an overall relationship between global Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index score and emotion and attention measures was not supported, poor sleep quality, as an independent component, was associated with better memory for negative stimuli and a deficit in sustained attention to non-emotional stimuli. Importantly, these effects were not sensitive to stress, chronotype or time of day. Combined, these results suggest that individuals with poor sleep quality show an increase in affective symptomatology as well as a negative cognitive bias with a concomitant decrease in sustained attention to non-emotional stimuli. © 2015 European Sleep Research Society.

The precursors of double dissociation between reading and spelling in a transparent orthography.

PubMed

Torppa, Minna; Georgiou, George K; Niemi, Pekka; Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina; Poikkeus, Anna-Maija

2017-04-01

Research and clinical practitioners have mixed views whether reading and spelling difficulties should be combined or seen as separate. This study examined the following: (a) if double dissociation between reading and spelling can be identified in a transparent orthography (Finnish) and (b) the cognitive and noncognitive precursors of this phenomenon. Finnish-speaking children (n = 1963) were assessed on reading fluency and spelling in grades 1, 2, 3, and 4. Dissociation groups in reading and spelling were formed based on stable difficulties in grades 1-4. The groups were compared in kindergarten phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, letter knowledge, home literacy environment, and task-avoidant behavior. The results indicated that the double dissociation groups could be identified even in the context of a highly transparent orthography: 41 children were unexpected poor spellers (SD), 36 were unexpected poor readers (RD), and 59 were poor in both reading and spelling (RSD). The RSD group performed poorest on all cognitive skills and showed the most task-avoidant behavior, the RD group performed poorly particularly on rapid automatized naming and letter knowledge, and the SD group had difficulties on phonological awareness and letter knowledge. Fathers' shared book reading was less frequent in the RD and RSD groups than in the other groups. The findings suggest that there are discernible double dissociation groups with distinct cognitive profiles. This further suggests that the identification of difficulties in Finnish and the planning of teaching and remediation practices should include both reading and spelling assessments.

Anger Assessment in Rural High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamb, Jacqueline M.; Puskar, Kathryn R.; Sereika, Susan; Patterson, Kathy; Kaufmann, Judith A.

2003-01-01

Anger and aggression in school children are a major concern in American society today. Students with high anger levels and poor cognitive processing skills are at risk for poor relationships, underachievement in school, and health problems. This article describes characteristics of children who are at risk for high anger levels and aggression as…

Animal models of the non-motor features of Parkinson’s disease

PubMed Central

McDowell, Kimberly; Chesselet, Marie-Françoise

2012-01-01

The non-motor symptoms (NMS) of Parkinson’s disease (PD) occur in roughly 90% of patients, have a profound negative impact on their quality of life, and often go undiagnosed. NMS typically involve many functional systems, and include sleep disturbances, neuropsychiatric and cognitive deficits, and autonomic and sensory dysfunction. The development and use of animal models have provided valuable insight into the classical motor symptoms of PD over the past few decades. Toxin-induced models provide a suitable approach to study aspects of the disease that derive from the loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons, a cardinal feature of PD. This also includes some NMS, primarily cognitive dysfunction. However, several NMS poorly respond to dopaminergic treatments, suggesting that they may be due to other pathologies. Recently developed genetic models of PD are providing new ways to model these NMS and identify their mechanisms. This review summarizes the current available literature on the ability of both toxin-induced and genetically-based animal models to reproduce the NMS of PD. PMID:22236386

When aging-onset diabetes is coming across with Alzheimer disease: comparable pathogenesis and therapy.

PubMed

Tang, Jun; Pei, Yijin; Zhou, Guangji

2013-08-01

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder that is characterized by high blood glucose because of the insulin-resistance and insulin-deficiency in Type 2, while the insulin deficiency due to destruction of islet cells in the pancreas in Type 1. The development of Type 2 diabetes is caused by a combination of lifestyle and genetic factors. Aging patients with diabetes are at increased risk of developing cognitive and memory dysfunctions, which is one of the significant symptoms of Alzheimer disease (AD). Also, over 2/3 of AD patients were clinically indentified with impairment of glucose. Cognitive dysfunction would be associated with poor self-care ability in diabetes patients. This review will briefly summarize the current knowledge of the pathogenesis of these two diseases and highlight similarities in their pathophysiologies. Furthermore, we will shortly discuss recent progress in the insulin-targeted strategy, aiming to explore the inner linkage between these two diseases in aging populations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Income and Child Development

PubMed Central

Berger, Lawrence M.; Paxson, Christina; Waldfogel, Jane

2010-01-01

We examine how income is associated with the home environments and the cognitive and behavioral development of pre-school children, using data from a birth cohort study of children born at the end of the 20th century. Lower-income 3-year-old children are more likely than wealthier children to live in homes with inadequate physical environments and to have mothers who are more likely to be stressed, depressed, harsh and unresponsive. Additionally, low income children have lower PPVT scores, more mother-reported aggressive, withdrawn, and anxious behavior problems, and also more interviewer-reported problems with behavior, than more affluent children. A key policy question is whether increases in the incomes of poor families would result in improvements in children’s outcomes, at least in part through improvements in the home environment. This question is difficult to answer using observational data. However, we argue that, even under the most generous interpretation of the associations we estimate, large income transfer programs would have relatively small effects on children’s cognitive and behavioral outcomes. PMID:20368763

Neighborhood Economic Disadvantage and Children's Cognitive and Social-Emotional Development: Exploring Head Start Classroom Quality as a Mediating Mechanism.

PubMed

McCoy, Dana Charles; Connors, Maia C; Morris, Pamela A; Yoshikawa, Hirokazu; Friedman-Krauss, Allison H

Past research has shown robust relationships between neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and children's school achievement and social-emotional outcomes, yet the mechanisms for explaining these relationships are poorly understood. The present study uses data from 1,904 Head Start participants enrolled in the Head Start Impact Study to examine the role that classroom structural and relational quality play in explaining the association between neighborhood poverty and children's developmental gains over the preschool year. Results suggest that neighborhood poverty is directly related to lower levels of classroom quality, and lower gains in early literacy and math scores. Indirect relationships were also found between neighborhood poverty and children's social-emotional outcomes (i.e., approaches to learning and behavior problems) via differences in the physical resources and negative student-teacher relationships within classrooms. These findings highlight the need for policy initiatives to consider community characteristics as potential predictors of disparities in classroom quality and children's cognitive and social-emotional development in Head Start.

Can the Principles of Cognitive Acceleration Be Used to Improve Numerical Reasoning in Science?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clowser, Anthony; Jones, Susan Wyn; Lewis, John

2018-01-01

This study investigates whether the Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) scheme could be used to meet the demands of the Literacy and Numeracy Framework (LNF). The LNF is part of the Welsh Government's improvement strategy in response to perceived poor performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)…

Executive Cognitive Functions and Impulsivity as Correlates of Risk Taking and Problem Behavior in Preadolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romer, Daniel; Betancourt, Laura; Giannetta, Joan M.; Brodsky, Nancy L.; Farah, Martha; Hurt, Hallam

2009-01-01

Initiation of drug use and other risky behavior in preadolescence is associated with poor developmental outcomes. In this research, we examine models that ascribe the trajectory to (a) weak executive cognitive function (ECF), (b) early manifestation of externalizing problems, or (c) heightened levels of trait impulsivity. We test the explanatory…

Silver Drawing Test of Cognition and Emotion. Third Edition, Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silver, Rawley

This test, the Silver Drawing Test (SDT), evolved from a belief that the intelligence of children and adults who have poor language skills tends to be underestimated. The aim of the SDT is to provide an instrument for assessing the cognitive skills of individuals who have difficulty understanding others and making themselves understood. There are…

Cognitive, Psychosocial, and Reported Sexual Behavior Differences between Pregnant and Nonpregnant Adolescents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holden, George W.; And Others

1993-01-01

Assessed differences in pregnant (n=69) and nonpregnant (n=58) adolescents on cognitive, psychosocial, and sexual behavior variables. Pregnant teenagers were more likely than nonpregnant teenagers to be doing poorly in school; less likely to use contraceptives; more likely to have relative or friend who was adolescent mother; and more likely to…

Deleterious Effects of Chronic Under-Nutrition on Cognitive Abilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashem, Beatrice; Janes, Margaret D.

1978-01-01

In order to determine the effects of malnutrition on children's cognitive abilities, the McCarthy Scale of Abilities was administered to 118 Nigerian children between the ages of 2 1/2 and 6 years who came from "well-to-do" urban and "poor" urban and rural environments. Scores of malnourished children were lower than those of…

Applying Cognitive Load Theory to the Redesign of a Conventional Database Systems Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mason, Raina; Seton, Carolyn; Cooper, Graham

2016-01-01

Cognitive load theory (CLT) was used to redesign a Database Systems course for Information Technology students. The redesign was intended to address poor student performance and low satisfaction, and to provide a more relevant foundation in database design and use for subsequent studies and industry. The original course followed the conventional…

The Longitudinal Impact of Cognitive Speed of Processing Training on Driving Mobility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Jerri D.; Myers, Charlsie; Ross, Lesley A.; Roenker, Daniel L.; Cissell, Gayla M.; McLaughlin, Alexis M.; Ball, Karlene K.

2009-01-01

Purpose: To examine how cognitive speed of processing training affects driving mobility across a 3-year period among older drivers. Design and Methods: Older drivers with poor Useful Field of View (UFOV) test performance (indicating greater risk for subsequent at-fault crashes and mobility declines) were randomly assigned to either a speed of…

Effects of Nonmaternal Child Care on Inequality in Cognitive Skills. Discussion Papers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gamoran, Adam; Mare, Robert D.; Bethke, Lynne

As a result of changing welfare policies, large numbers of children of poor, uneducated mothers are likely to receive care from others as their mothers enter the workforce. How will this change affect inequality in cognitive skills among young children? Analysis of data on children of mothers in the National Longitudinal Study of Youth provides…

Iconic Sign Comprehension in Older Adults: The Role of Cognitive Impairment and Text Enhancement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scialfa, Charles; Spadafora, Pat; Klein, Marianne; Lesnik, Agata; Dial, Lindsay; Heinrich, Antje

2008-01-01

Sign comprehension is critical for effective driving, responses to warnings, and way-finding. Signs that are poorly comprehended by older people increase accident risk and may compromise independence. This study sought to determine whether iconic sign comprehension suffers in healthy aging and in the presence of cognitive impairment. Additionally,…

The Effect of Cognitive Behavior Therapy on Decision Making in Adolescents Who Self-Harm: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oldershaw, Anna; Simic, Mima; Grima, Emanuela; Jollant, Fabrice; Richards, Clair; Taylor, Lucy; Schmidt, Ulrike

2012-01-01

Research shows poor decision making in adolescents who self-harm and a positive correlation between decision-making abilities and duration since last self-harm episode. This exploratory study investigated whether decision making in self-harming adolescents could be improved through treatment with a novel cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). It also…

Migraine and cognitive function: Baseline findings from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health: ELSA-Brasil.

PubMed

Pellegrino Baena, Cristina; Goulart, Alessandra Carvalho; Santos, Itamar de Souza; Suemoto, Claudia Kimie; Lotufo, Paulo Andrade; Bensenor, Isabela Judith

2017-01-01

Background The association between migraine and cognitive performance is unclear. We analyzed whether migraine is associated with cognitive performance among participants of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health, ELSA-Brasil. Methods Cross-sectional analysis, including participants with complete information about migraine and aura at baseline. Headache status (no headaches, non-migraine headaches, migraine without aura and migraine with aura), based on the International Headache Society classification, was used as the dependent variable in the multilinear regression models, using the category "no headache" as reference. Cognitive performance was measured with the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease word list memory test (CERAD-WLMT), the semantic fluency test (SFT), and the Trail Making Test version B (TMTB). Z-scores for each cognitive test and a composite global score were created and analyzed as dependent variables. Multivariate models were adjusted for age, gender, education, race, coronary heart disease, heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, body mass index, smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, depression, and anxiety. In women, the models were further adjusted for hormone replacement therapy. Results We analyzed 4208 participants. Of these, 19% presented migraine without aura and 10.3% presented migraine with aura. All migraine headaches were associated with poor cognitive performance (linear coefficient β; 95% CI) at TMTB -0.083 (-0.160; -0.008) and poorer global z-score -0.077 (-0.152; -0.002). Also, migraine without aura was associated with poor cognitive performance at TMTB -0.084 (-0.160, -0.008 and global z-score -0.077 (-0.152; -0.002). Conclusion In participants of the ELSA-study, all migraine headaches and migraine without aura were significantly and independently associated with poorer cognitive performance.

Timed Up and Go test, atrophy of medial temporal areas and cognitive functions in community-dwelling older adults with normal cognition and mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Kose, Yujiro; Ikenaga, Masahiro; Yamada, Yosuke; Morimura, Kazuhiro; Takeda, Noriko; Ouma, Shinji; Tsuboi, Yoshio; Yamada, Tatsuo; Kimura, Misaka; Kiyonaga, Akira; Higaki, Yasuki; Tanaka, Hiroaki

2016-12-01

This study aimed to ascertain if performance on the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test is associated with indicators of brain volume and cognitive functions among community-dwelling older adults with normal cognition or mild cognitive impairment. Participants were 80 community-dwelling older adults aged 65-89years (44 men, 36 women), including 20 with mild cognitive impairment. Participants completed the TUG and a battery of cognitive assessments, including the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Logical Memory I and II (LM-I, LM-II) subtests of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised; and the Trail Making Test A and B (TMT-A, TMT-B). Bilateral, right- and left-side medial temporal area atrophy as well as whole gray and white matter indices were determined with the Voxel-based Specific Regional Analysis System for Alzheimer's Disease. We divided participants into three groups based on TUG performance: "better" (≤6.9s); "normal" (7-10s); and "poor" (≥10.1s). Worse TMT-A and TMT-B performance showed significant independent associations with worse TUG performance (P<0.05, P<0.01 for trend, respectively). After adjusting for covariates, severe atrophy of bilateral, right-, and left-side medial temporal areas were significantly independently associated with worse TUG performance (P<0.05 for trend). However, no significant associations were found between MMSE, LM-I, LM-II, whole gray and white matter indices, and TUG performance. Worse TUG performance is related to poor performance on TMT-A and TMT-B, and is independently associated with severe medial temporal area atrophy in community-dwelling older adults. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Episodic memory impairment in Addison's disease: results from a telephonic cognitive assessment.

PubMed

Henry, Michelle; Thomas, Kevin G F; Ross, Ian L

2014-06-01

Patients with Addison's disease frequently self-report memory and attention difficulties, even when on standard replacement therapy. However, few published studies examine, using objective measures and assessing across multiple domains, the cognitive functioning of Addison's disease patients relative to healthy controls. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether the previously reported subjective cognitive deficits in Addison's disease are confirmed by objective measures. Conducting comprehensive neuropsychological assessments of patients with relatively rare clinical disorders, such as Addison's disease, is challenging because access to those patients is often limited, and because their medical condition might prevent extended testing sessions. Brief telephonic cognitive assessments are a useful tool in such circumstances. Hence, we administered the Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone to 27 Addison's disease patients and 27 matched healthy controls. The instrument provides objective assessment of episodic memory, working memory, executive functioning, reasoning, and speed of processing. Statistical analyses confirmed that, as expected, patients performed significantly more poorly than controls on the episodic memory subtest. There were, however, no significant between-group differences on the attention, executive functioning, reasoning, and speed of processing subtests. Furthermore, patients with a longer duration of illness performed more poorly across all domains of cognition. We conclude that, for Addison's disease patients, previously reported subjective cognitive deficits are matched by objective impairment, but only in the domain of episodic memory. Future research might investigate (a) whether these memory deficits are material-specific (i.e., whether non-verbal memory is also affected), and (b) the neurobiological mechanisms underlying these deficits.

Imitation of body postures and hand movements in children with specific language impairment.

PubMed

Marton, Klara

2009-01-01

Within the domain-general theory of language impairment, this study examined body posture and hand movement imitation in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and in their age-matched peers. Participants included 40 children with SLI (5 years 3 months to 6 years 10 months of age) and 40 children with typical language development (5 years 3 months to 6 years 7 months of age). Five tests were used to examine imitation and its underlying cognitive and motor skills such as kinesthesia, working memory, and gross motor coordination. It was hypothesized that children with SLI show a weakness in imitation of body postures and that this deficit is not equally influenced by the underlying cognitive and motor skills. There was a group effect in each cognitive and motor task, but only gross motor coordination proved to be a strong predictor of imitation in children with SLI. In contrast, hand movement imitation was strongly predicted by performance in the Kinesthesia task in typically developing children. Thus, the findings show not only that children with SLI performed more poorly on the imitation tasks than their typically developing peers but also that the groups' performances showed qualitative differences. The results of the current study provide additional support to the view that the weaknesses in children with SLI are not limited to the verbal domain.

Affective Biases in Humans and Animals.

PubMed

Robinson, E S J; Roiser, J P

Depression is one of the most common but poorly understood psychiatric conditions. Although drug treatments and psychological therapies are effective in some patients, many do not achieve full remission and some patients receive no apparent benefit. Developing new improved treatments requires a better understanding of the aetiology of symptoms and evaluation of novel therapeutic targets in pre-clinical studies. Recent developments in our understanding of the basic cognitive processes that may contribute to the development of depression and its treatment offer new opportunities for both clinical and pre-clinical research. This chapter discusses the clinical evidence supporting a cognitive neuropsychological model of depression and antidepressant efficacy, and how this information may be usefully translated to pre-clinical investigation. Studies using neuropsychological tests in depressed patients and at risk populations have revealed basic negative emotional biases and disrupted reward and punishment processing, which may also impact on non-affective cognition. These affective biases are sensitive to antidepressant treatments with early onset effects observed, suggesting an important role in recovery. This clinical work into affective biases has also facilitated back-translation to animals and the development of assays to study affective biases in rodents. These animal studies suggest that, similar to humans, rodents in putative negative affective states exhibit negative affective biases on decision-making and memory tasks. Antidepressant treatments also induce positive biases in these rodent tasks, supporting the translational validity of this approach. Although still in the early stages of development and validation, affective biases in depression have the potential to offer new insights into the clinical condition, as well as facilitating the development of more translational approaches for pre-clinical studies.

Does cognitive ability buffer the link between childhood disadvantage and adult health?

PubMed

Bridger, Emma; Daly, Michael

2017-10-01

Individual differences in childhood cognitive ability have been neglected in the study of how early life psychosocial factors may buffer the long-term health consequences of social disadvantage. In this study, we drew on rich data from two large British cohorts to test whether high levels of cognitive ability may protect children from experiencing the physical and mental health consequences of early life socioeconomic disadvantage. Participants from the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS; N = 11,522) were followed from birth to age 42, and those from the 1958 National Child Development Study (NCDS; N = 13,213) were followed from birth to age 50. Childhood social disadvantage was indexed using 6 indicators gauging parental education, occupational prestige, and housing characteristics (i.e., housing tenure and home crowding). Standardized assessments of cognitive ability were completed at ages 10 (BCS) and 11 (NCDS) years. Psychological distress, self-rated health, and all-cause mortality were examined from early adulthood to midlife in both cohorts. Early social disadvantage predicted elevated levels of psychological distress and lower levels of self-rated health in both cohorts and higher mortality risk in the NCDS. Childhood cognitive ability moderated each of these relationships such that the link between early life social disadvantage and poor health in adulthood was markedly stronger at low (-1 SD) compared to high (+1 SD) levels of childhood cognitive ability. This study provides evidence that high childhood cognitive ability is associated with a decrease in the strength of socioeconomic status-driven health inequalities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Predictors of Long-Term Change in Adult Cognitive Performance: Systematic Review and Data from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966.

PubMed

Rannikko, Irina; Jääskeläinen, Erika; Miettunen, Jouko; Ahmed, Anthony O; Veijola, Juha; Remes, Anne M; Murray, Graham K; Husa, Anja P; Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta; Isohanni, Matti; Haapea, Marianne

2016-01-01

Several social life events and challenges have an impact on cognitive development. Our goal was to analyze the predictors of change in cognitive performance in early midlife in a general population sample. Additionally, systematic literature review was performed. The study sample was drawn from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 at the ages of 34 and 43 years. Primary school performance, sociodemographic factors and body mass index (BMI) were used to predict change in cognitive performance measured by the California Verbal Learning Test, Visual Object Learning Test, and Abstraction Inhibition and Working Memory task. Analyses were weighted by gender and education, and p-values were corrected for multiple comparisons using Benjamini-Hochberg procedure (B-H). Male gender predicted decrease in episodic memory. Poor school marks of practical subjects, having no children, and increase in BMI were associated with decrease in episodic memory, though non-significantly after B-H. Better school marks, and higher occupational class were associated with preserved performance in visual object learning. Higher vocational education predicted preserved performance in visual object learning test, though non-significantly after B-H. Likewise, having children predicted decreased performance in executive functioning but non-significantly after B-H. Adolescent cognitive ability, change in BMI and several sociodemographic factors appear to predict cognitive changes in early midlife. The key advantage of present study is the exploration of possible predictors of change in cognitive performance among general population in the early midlife, a developmental period that has been earlier overlooked.

Psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Cognitive Reserve Scale (I-CRS).

PubMed

Altieri, Manuela; Siciliano, Mattia; Pappacena, Simona; Roldán-Tapia, María Dolores; Trojano, Luigi; Santangelo, Gabriella

2018-05-04

The original definition of cognitive reserve (CR) refers to the individual differences in cognitive performance after a brain damage or pathology. Several proxies were proposed to evaluate CR (education, occupational attainment, premorbid IQ, leisure activities). Recently, some scales were developed to measure CR taking into account several cognitively stimulating activities. The aim of this study is to adapt the Cognitive Reserve Scale (I-CRS) for the Italian population and to explore its psychometric properties. I-CRS was administered to 547 healthy participants, ranging from 18 to 89 years old, along with neuropsychological and behavioral scales to evaluate cognitive functioning, depressive symptoms, and apathy. Cronbach's α, corrected item-total correlations, and the inter-item correlation matrix were calculated to evaluate the psychometric properties of the scale. Linear regression analysis was performed to build a correction grid of the I-CRS according to demographic variables. Correlational analyses were performed to explore the relationships between I-CRS and neuropsychological and behavioral scales. We found that age, sex, and education influenced the I-CRS score. Young adults and adults obtained higher I-CRS scores than elderly adults; women and participants with high educational attainment scored higher on I-CRS than men and participants with low education. I-CRS score correlated poorly with cognitive and depression scale scores, but moderately with apathy scale scores. I-CRS showed good psychometric properties and seemed to be a useful tool to assess CR in every adult life stage. Moreover, our findings suggest that apathy rather than depressive symptoms may interfere with the building of CR across the lifespan.

Conflict and performance monitoring throughout the lifespan: An event-related potential (ERP) and temporospatial component analysis.

PubMed

Clawson, Ann; Clayson, Peter E; Keith, Cierra M; Catron, Christina; Larson, Michael J

2017-03-01

Cognitive control includes higher-level cognitive processes used to evaluate environmental conflict. Given the importance of cognitive control in regulating behavior, understanding the developmental course of these processes may contribute to a greater understanding of normal and abnormal development. We examined behavioral (response times [RTs], error rates) and event-related potential data (N2, error-related negativity [ERN], correct-response negativity [CRN], error positivity [Pe]) during a flanker task in cross-sectional groups of 45 youth (ages 8-18), 52 younger adults (ages 20-28), and 58 older adults (ages 56-91). Younger adults displayed the most efficient processing, including significantly reduced CRN and N2 amplitude, increased Pe amplitude, and significantly better task performance than youth or older adults (e.g., faster RTs, fewer errors). Youth displayed larger CRN and N2, attenuated Pe, and significantly worse task performance than younger adults. Older adults fell either between youth and younger adults (e.g., CRN amplitudes, N2 amplitudes) or displayed neural and behavioral performance that was similar to youth (e.g., Pe amplitudes, error rates). These findings point to underdeveloped neural and cognitive processes early in life and reduced efficiency in older adulthood, contributing to poor implementation and modulation of cognitive control in response to conflict. Thus, cognitive control processing appears to reach peak performance and efficiency in younger adulthood, marked by improved task performance with less neural activation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exposure to severe urban air pollution influences cognitive outcomes, brain volume and systemic inflammation in clinically healthy children.

PubMed

Calderón-Garcidueñas, Lilian; Engle, Randall; Mora-Tiscareño, Antonieta; Styner, Martin; Gómez-Garza, Gilberto; Zhu, Hongtu; Jewells, Valerie; Torres-Jardón, Ricardo; Romero, Lina; Monroy-Acosta, Maria E; Bryant, Christopher; González-González, Luis Oscar; Medina-Cortina, Humberto; D'Angiulli, Amedeo

2011-12-01

Exposure to severe air pollution produces neuroinflammation and structural brain alterations in children. We tested whether patterns of brain growth, cognitive deficits and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) are associated with exposures to severe air pollution. Baseline and 1 year follow-up measurements of global and regional brain MRI volumes, cognitive abilities (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, WISC-R), and serum inflammatory mediators were collected in 20 Mexico City (MC) children (10 with white matter hyperintensities, WMH(+), and 10 without, WMH(-)) and 10 matched controls (CTL) from a low polluted city. There were significant differences in white matter volumes between CTL and MC children - both WMH(+) and WMH(-) - in right parietal and bilateral temporal areas. Both WMH(-) and WMH(+) MC children showed progressive deficits, compared to CTL children, on the WISC-R Vocabulary and Digit Span subtests. The cognitive deficits in highly exposed children match the localization of the volumetric differences detected over the 1 year follow-up, since the deficits observed are consistent with impairment of parietal and temporal lobe functions. Regardless of the presence of prefrontal WMH, Mexico City children performed more poorly across a variety of cognitive tests, compared to CTL children, thus WMH(+) is likely only partially identifying underlying white matter pathology. Together these findings reveal that exposure to air pollution may perturb the trajectory of cerebral development and result in cognitive deficits during childhood. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mental state attribution in schizophrenia: what distinguishes patients with "poor" from patients with "fair" mentalising skills?

PubMed

Brüne, M; Schaub, D

2012-07-01

Although many patients with schizophrenia are impaired in mental states attribution abilities, a significant number perform within normal or near-normal ranges in mental state attribution tasks. No studies have analysed cognitive or behavioural differences between patients with - to some extent - preserved mental state attribution skills and those with poor mentalising abilities. To examine characteristics of "poor" and "fair" mentalisers, 58 patients with schizophrenia performed a mental state attribution task, a test of general intelligence, and two executive functioning tests. "Poor" and "fair" mentalising skills were defined according to a median-split procedure; the median score in the patient group was also within two standard deviations of the control group. In addition, patients' social behavioural skills and psychopathological profiles were rated. Patients performing within normal or near normal ranges on the mental state attribution task had fewer social behavioural abnormalities than patients with poor mentalising abilities (even when controlled for intelligence), but did not differ in executive functioning. Fair mental state performers showed less disorganisation and excitement symptoms than poor performers. The degree of disorganisation mediated the influence of mental state attribution on social behavioural skills. Schizophrenia patients with (partially) preserved mentalising skills have fewer behavioural problems in the social domain than patients with poor mentalising abilities. Conceptual disorganisation mediates the prediction of social behavioural skills through mentalising skills, suggesting that disorganised patients may require special attention regarding social-cognitive skills training. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The independent and interacting effects of hedonic hunger and executive function on binge eating.

PubMed

Manasse, Stephanie M; Espel, Hallie M; Forman, Evan M; Ruocco, Anthony C; Juarascio, Adrienne S; Butryn, Meghan L; Zhang, Fengqing; Lowe, Michael R

2015-06-01

Poor executive function (EF; pre-frontal cognitive control processes governing goal-directed behavior) and elevated hedonic hunger (i.e., preoccupation with palatable foods in the absence of physiological hunger) are theoretical risk and maintenance factors for binge eating (BE) distinct from general obesity. Recent theoretical models posit that dysregulated behavior such as BE may result from a combination of elevated appetitive drive (e.g., hedonic hunger) and decreased EF (e.g., inhibitory control and delayed discounting). The present study sought to test this model in distinguishing BE from general obesity by examining the independent and interactive associations of EF and hedonic hunger with BE group status (i.e., odds of categorization in BE group versus non-BE group). Treatment-seeking overweight and obese women with BE (n = 31) and without BE (OW group; n = 43) were assessed on measures of hedonic hunger and EF (inhibitory control and delay discounting). Elevated hedonic hunger increased the likelihood of categorization in the BE group, regardless of EF. When hedonic hunger was low, poor EF increased the likelihood of categorization in the BE group. Results indicate that the interplay of increased appetitive drives and decreased cognitive function may distinguish BE from overweight/obesity. Future longitudinal investigations of the combinatory effect of hedonic hunger and EF in increasing risk for developing BE are warranted, and may inform future treatment development to target these factors. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The relationship between clinical characteristics, metacognitive appraisals, and cognitive insight in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

PubMed

Ekinci, Okan; Ekinci, Asli

2016-11-01

Cognitive insight, a recently developed insight measure, refers to metacognitive processes of the re-evaluation and correction of distorted beliefs and misinterpretations. However, to the best of the authors' knowledge, no study has specifically examined cognitive insight, demographics, psychopathological variables, and distorted beliefs in OCD. The aim of this research was to examine links between cognitive insight and demographics, clinical factors, and distorted beliefs among patients with OCD. Eighty-four consecutive outpatients with a diagnosis of OCD underwent a detailed clinical assessment for OCD, including the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS), Thought-Action Fusion Scale (TAFS), White Bear Thought Suppression Inventory, Metacognition Questioniarre-30 (MCQ-30), and a sociodemographic questionnaire. In addition, 82 control subjects matched for age, education, and gender were tested. BCIS-self-certainty scores were all substantially higher in subjects with remitted and unremitted OCD than in healthy comparison subjects, while BCIS-composite scores were significantly lower in both patient groups than controls. Obsession and compulsion severity had significant effects on BCIS scores. In addition, it was found that the specific symptoms were linked to self-certainty scores. Self-reflectiveness and composite scores had positive correlations with the sub-scale scores of the MCQ-30, while the TAF-morality score was positively correlated with self-certainty scores. The results demonstrated poor cognitive insight among remitted and unremitted OCD patients. In addition, the present study suggested significant associations between sociodemographic and clinical features and dysfunctional appraisals. Cognitive-behavioural techniques aimed at enhancing cognitive insight may be beneficial for patients with OCD, particularly patients who have prominent dysfunctional beliefs.

The role of social cognition and prosocial behaviour in relation to the socio-emotional functioning of primary aged children with specific language impairment.

PubMed

Bakopoulou, Ioanna; Dockrell, Julie E

2016-01-01

Children with language impairments often experience difficulties with their socio-emotional functioning and poorly developed prosocial behaviour. However, the nature of the association between language impairment and difficulties with socio-emotional functioning remains unclear. The social cognition skills of a group of primary-aged children (6-11 years old) with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) were examined in relation to their teachers' ratings of socio-emotional functioning. Forty-two children with SLI were individually matched with 42 children for chronological age and non-verbal cognitive ability, and 42 children for receptive language ability. The children all attended mainstream primary schools or one Language Unit. Four aspects of social cognition were directly assessed: emotion identification, emotion labelling, inferring the causes of emotions, and knowledge of conflict resolution strategies. The children's socio-emotional functioning was assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire (SDQ), a standardised measure, completed by their teachers. Associations between children's performance on tasks of social cognition and children's socio-emotional functioning were explored. Significant group differences were found for all social cognition tasks. The SLI group was rated to experience significantly more problems with socio-emotional functioning by their teachers than both control groups, indicating problems with all aspects of socio-emotional functioning. Social cognition and prosocial behaviour, but not language ability, predicted teacher-rated behavioural, emotional and social difficulties for the SLI group. The results challenge current understanding of socio-emotional functioning in children with SLI by pointing to the crucial role of social cognition and prosocial behaviour. Factors other than expressive and receptive language play a role in the socio-emotional functioning of children with SLI. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cortical morphology as a shared neurobiological substrate of attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and executive functioning: a population-based pediatric neuroimaging study

PubMed Central

Mous, Sabine E.; White, Tonya; Muetzel, Ryan L.; El Marroun, Hanan; Rijlaarsdam, Jolien; Polderman, Tinca J.C.; Jaddoe, Vincent W.; Verhulst, Frank C.; Posthuma, Danielle; Tiemeier, Henning

2017-01-01

Background Attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms have repeatedly been associated with poor cognitive functioning. Genetic studies have demonstrated a shared etiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and cognitive ability, suggesting a common underlying neurobiology of ADHD and cognition. Further, neuroimaging studies suggest that altered cortical development is related to ADHD. In a large population-based sample we investigated whether cortical morphology, as a potential neurobiological substrate, underlies the association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and cognitive problems. Methods The sample consisted of school-aged children with data on attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms, cognitive functioning and structural imaging. First, we investigated the association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and different domains of cognition. Next, we identified cortical correlates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and related cognitive domains. Finally, we studied the role of cortical thickness and gyrification in the behaviour–cognition associations. Results We included 776 children in our analyses. We found that attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms were associated specifically with problems in attention and executive functioning (EF; b = −0.041, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.07 to −0.01, p = 0.004). Cortical thickness and gyrification were associated with both attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and EF in brain regions that have been previously implicated in ADHD. This partly explained the association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and EF (bindirect = −0.008, bias-corrected 95% CI −0.018 to −0.001). Limitations The nature of our study did not allow us to draw inferences regarding temporal associations; longitudinal studies are needed for clarification. Conclusion In a large, population-based sample of children, we identified a shared cortical morphology underlying attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and EF. PMID:27673503

Cortical morphology as a shared neurobiological substrate of attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and executive functioning: a population-based pediatric neuroimaging study.

PubMed

Mous, Sabine E; White, Tonya; Muetzel, Ryan L; El Marroun, Hanan; Rijlaarsdam, Jolien; Polderman, Tinca J C; Jaddoe, Vincent W; Verhulst, Frank C; Posthuma, Danielle; Tiemeier, Henning

2017-03-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms have repeatedly been associated with poor cognitive functioning. Genetic studies have demonstrated a shared etiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and cognitive ability, suggesting a common underlying neurobiology of ADHD and cognition. Further, neuroimaging studies suggest that altered cortical development is related to ADHD. In a large population-based sample we investigated whether cortical morphology, as a potential neurobiological substrate, underlies the association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and cognitive problems. The sample consisted of school-aged children with data on attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms, cognitive functioning and structural imaging. First, we investigated the association between attention-deficit/ hyperactivity symptoms and different domains of cognition. Next, we identified cortical correlates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and related cognitive domains. Finally, we studied the role of cortical thickness and gyrification in the behaviour-cognition associations. We included 776 children in our analyses. We found that attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms were associated specifically with problems in attention and executive functioning (EF; b = -0.041, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.07 to -0.01, p = 0.004). Cortical thickness and gyrification were associated with both attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and EF in brain regions that have been previously implicated in ADHD. This partly explained the association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and EF (b indirect = -0.008, bias-corrected 95% CI -0.018 to -0.001). The nature of our study did not allow us to draw inferences regarding temporal associations; longitudinal studies are needed for clarification. In a large, population-based sample of children, we identified a shared cortical morphology underlying attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and EF.

A cognitive vulnerability model on sleep and mood in adolescents under naturalistically restricted and extended sleep opportunities.

PubMed

Bei, Bei; Wiley, Joshua F; Allen, Nicholas B; Trinder, John

2015-03-01

School terms and vacations represent naturally occurring periods of restricted and extended sleep opportunities. A cognitive model of the relationships among objective sleep, subjective sleep, and negative mood was tested across these periods, with sleep-specific (i.e., dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep) and global (i.e., dysfunctional attitudes) cognitive vulnerabilities as moderators. Longitudinal study over the last week of a school term (Time-E), the following 2-w vacation (Time-V), and the first week of the next term (Time-S). General community. 146 adolescents, 47.3% male, mean age =16.2 years (standard deviation +/- 1 year). N/A. Objective sleep was measured continuously by actigraphy. Sociodemographics and cognitive vulnerabilities were assessed at Time-E; subjective sleep, negative mood (anxiety and depressive symptoms), and academic stress were measured at each time point. Controlling for academic stress and sex, subjective sleep quality mediated the relationship between objective sleep and negative mood at all time points. During extended (Time-V), but not restricted (Time-E and Time-S) sleep opportunity, this mediation was moderated by global cognitive vulnerability, with the indirect effects stronger with higher vulnerability. Further, at Time-E and Time-V, but not Time-S, greater sleep-specific and global cognitive vulnerabilities were associated with poorer subjective sleep quality and mood, respectively. Results highlighted the importance of subjective sleep perception in the development of sleep related mood problems, and supported the role of cognitive vulnerabilities as potential mechanisms in the relationships between objective sleep, subjective sleep, and negative mood. Adolescents with higher cognitive vulnerability are more susceptible to perceived poor sleep and sleep related mood problems. These findings have practical implications for interventions. © 2015 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Associations between regional brain volumes at term-equivalent age and development at 2 years of age in preterm children.

PubMed

Lind, Annika; Parkkola, Riitta; Lehtonen, Liisa; Munck, Petriina; Maunu, Jonna; Lapinleimu, Helena; Haataja, Leena

2011-08-01

Altered brain volumes and associations between volumes and developmental outcomes have been reported in prematurely born children. To assess which regional brain volumes are different in very low birth weight (VLBW) children without neurodevelopmental impairments ([NDI] cerebral palsy, hearing loss, blindness and significantly delayed cognitive performance) compared with VLBW children with NDI, and to evaluate the association between regional brain volumes at term-equivalent age and cognitive development and neurological performance at a corrected age of 2 years. The study group consisted of a regional cohort of 164 VLBW children, divided into one group of children without NDI (n = 148) and one group of children with NDI (n = 16). Brain (MRI) was performed at term-equivalent age, from which brain volumes were manually analysed. Cognitive development was assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II (BSID-II), and neurological performance with the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination at the corrected age of 2 years. The volumes of total brain tissue, cerebrum, frontal lobes, basal ganglia and thalami, and cerebellum were significantly smaller, and the volume of the ventricles significantly larger, in the children with NDI than in those without NDI. Even in children without NDI, a smaller cerebellar volume was significantly correlated with poor neurological performance at 2 years of corrected age. Volumetric analysis at brain MRI can provide an additional parameter for early prediction of outcome in VLBW children.

Reach on sound: a key to object permanence in visually impaired children.

PubMed

Fazzi, Elisa; Signorini, Sabrina Giovanna; Bomba, Monica; Luparia, Antonella; Lanners, Josée; Balottin, Umberto

2011-04-01

The capacity to reach an object presented through sound clue indicates, in the blind child, the acquisition of object permanence and gives information over his/her cognitive development. To assess cognitive development in congenitally blind children with or without multiple disabilities. Cohort study. Thirty-seven congenitally blind subjects (17 with associated multiple disabilities, 20 mainly blind) were enrolled. We used Bigelow's protocol to evaluate "reach on sound" capacity over time (at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months), and a battery of clinical, neurophysiological and cognitive instruments to assess clinical features. Tasks n.1 to 5 were acquired by most of the mainly blind children by 12 months of age. Task 6 coincided with a drop in performance, and the acquisition of the subsequent tasks showed a less agehomogeneous pattern. In blind children with multiple disabilities, task acquisition rates were lower, with the curves dipping in relation to the more complex tasks. The mainly blind subjects managed to overcome Fraiberg's "conceptual problem"--i.e., they acquired the ability to attribute an external object with identity and substance even when it manifested its presence through sound only--and thus developed the ability to reach an object presented through sound. Instead, most of the blind children with multiple disabilities presented poor performances on the "reach on sound" protocol and were unable, before 36 months of age, to develop the strategies needed to resolve Fraiberg's "conceptual problem". Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Poor Health and Loneliness in Later Life: The Role of Depressive Symptoms, Social Resources, and Rural Environments

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Objectives. We draw on cognitive discrepancy theory to hypothesize and test a pathway from poor health to loneliness in later life. We hypothesize that poor health will have a negative influence on social participation and social resources, and these factors will mediate between health and loneliness. We hypothesize that rural environments will amplify any difficulties associated with social participation or accessing social resources and that depression will moderate how intensely people react to levels of social contact and support. Methods. We conceptualize a mediation model and a moderated-mediation model. Nationally representative data on older people living in the Republic of Ireland are used to validate the hypothesized pathways. Results. In the mediation model, health has a significant indirect effect on loneliness through the mediating variables social resources and social participation. In the moderated-mediation model, rurality moderates the pathway between health and social resources but not social participation. Depressive symptoms moderate the effect of social resources on loneliness but not social participation. Discussion. The results provide further credence to cognitive discrepancy theory, suggesting that depressive symptoms influence cognitive processes, interfering with judgments about the adequacy of social interaction. The theory is extended by demonstrating the impact of the environment on loneliness. PMID:24326076

Age-related cognitive decline coincides with accelerated volume loss of the dorsal but not ventral hippocampus in mice.

PubMed

Reichel, J M; Bedenk, B T; Czisch, M; Wotjak, C T

2017-01-01

Even in the absence of neurodegenerative diseases, progressing age often coincides with cognitive decline and morphological changes. However, longitudinal studies that directly link these two processes are missing. In this proof-of-concept study we therefore performed repeated within-subject testing of healthy male R26R mice in a spatial learning task in combination with manganese-enhanced volumetric MRI analyses at the ages of 8, 16, and 24 months. We grouped the mice into good and poor performers (n = 6, each), based on their spatial learning abilities at the age of 24 months. Using this stratification, we failed to detect a priori volume differences, but observed a significant decrease in total hippocampal volume over time for both groups. Interestingly, this volume decrease was specific for the dorsal hippocampus and significantly accelerated in poor performers between 16 and 24 months of age. This is the first time that individual changes in hippocampal volume were traced alongside cognitive performance within the same subjects over 1½ years. Our study points to a causal link between volume loss of the dorsal hippocampus and cognitive impairments. In addition, it suggests accelerated degenerative processes rather than a priori volume differences as determining trajectories of age-related cognitive decline. Despite the relatively small sample sizes, the strong behavioral and moderate morphological alterations demonstrate the general feasibility of longitudinal studies of age-related decline in cognition and hippocampus integrity. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Anxiety symptoms and risk of cognitive decline in older community-dwelling men.

PubMed

Kassem, Ahmed M; Ganguli, Mary; Yaffe, Kristine; Hanlon, Joseph T; Lopez, Oscar L; Wilson, John W; Cauley, Jane A

2017-07-01

Previous research regarding anxiety as a predictor of future cognitive decline in older adults is limited and inconsistent. We examined the independent relationship between anxiety symptoms and subsequent cognitive decline. We included 2,818 community-dwelling older men (mean age = 76.1, SD ±5.3 years) who were followed on an average for 3.4 years. We assessed anxiety symptoms at baseline using the Goldberg Anxiety Scale (GAS; range = 0-9). We assessed cognitive function at baseline and at two subsequent visits using the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MS; global cognition) and the Trails B test (executive function). At baseline, there were 690 (24%) men with mild anxiety symptoms (GAS 1-4) and 226 (8%) men with moderate/severe symptoms (GAS 5-9). Men with anxiety symptoms were more likely to have depressed mood, poor sleep, more chronic medical conditions, and more impairment in activities of daily living compared to those with no anxiety symptoms. Compared to those with no anxiety symptoms at baseline, men with any anxiety symptoms were more likely to have substantial worsening in Trails B completion time (OR = 1.56, 95% CI 1.19, 2.05). The association was attenuated after adjusting for potential confounders, including depression and poor sleep, but remained significant (OR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.04, 1.88). In cognitively healthy older men, mild anxiety symptoms may potentially predict future decline in executive functioning. Anxiety is likely a manifestation of an underlying neurodegenerative process rather than a cause.

Relationship between cognitive function and prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation in adolescents

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Decrease in intrinsic motivation is a common complaint among elementary and junior high school students, and is related to poor academic performance. Since grade-dependent development of cognitive functions also influences academic performance by these students, we examined whether cognitive functions are related to the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation. Methods The study group consisted of 134 elementary school students from 4th to 6th grades and 133 junior high school students from 7th to 9th grades. Participants completed a questionnaire on intrinsic academic motivation. They also performed paper-and-pencil and computerized cognitive tests to measure abilities in motor processing, spatial construction, semantic fluency, immediate memory, short-term memory, delayed memory, spatial working memory, and selective, alternative, and divided attention. Results In multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusted for grade and gender, scores of none of the cognitive tests were correlated with the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation in elementary school students. However, low digit span forward test score and score for comprehension of the story in the kana pick-out test were positively correlated with the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation in junior high school students. Conclusions The present findings suggest that decrease in capacity for verbal memory is associated with the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation among junior high school students. PMID:21235802

Relationship between cognitive function and prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation in adolescents.

PubMed

Mizuno, Kei; Tanaka, Masaaki; Fukuda, Sanae; Imai-Matsumura, Kyoko; Watanabe, Yasuyoshi

2011-01-14

Decrease in intrinsic motivation is a common complaint among elementary and junior high school students, and is related to poor academic performance. Since grade-dependent development of cognitive functions also influences academic performance by these students, we examined whether cognitive functions are related to the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation. The study group consisted of 134 elementary school students from 4th to 6th grades and 133 junior high school students from 7th to 9th grades. Participants completed a questionnaire on intrinsic academic motivation. They also performed paper-and-pencil and computerized cognitive tests to measure abilities in motor processing, spatial construction, semantic fluency, immediate memory, short-term memory, delayed memory, spatial working memory, and selective, alternative, and divided attention. In multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusted for grade and gender, scores of none of the cognitive tests were correlated with the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation in elementary school students. However, low digit span forward test score and score for comprehension of the story in the kana pick-out test were positively correlated with the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation in junior high school students. The present findings suggest that decrease in capacity for verbal memory is associated with the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation among junior high school students.

Gamified Cognitive Control Training for Remitted Depressed Individuals: User Requirements Analysis

PubMed Central

Van Looy, Jan; Hoorelbeke, Kristof; Baeken, Chris; Koster, Ernst HW

2018-01-01

Background The high incidence and relapse rates of major depressive disorder demand novel treatment options. Standard treatments (psychotherapy, medication) usually do not target cognitive control impairments, although these seem to play a crucial role in achieving stable remission. The urgent need for treatment combined with poor availability of adequate psychological interventions has instigated a shift toward internet interventions. Numerous computerized programs have been developed that can be presented online and offline. However, their uptake and adherence are oftentimes low. Objective The aim of this study was to perform a user requirements analysis for an internet-based training targeting cognitive control. This training focuses on ameliorating cognitive control impairments, as these are still present during remission and can be a risk factor for relapse. To facilitate uptake of and adherence to this intervention, a qualitative user requirements analysis was conducted to map mandatory and desirable requirements. Methods We conducted a user requirements analysis through a focus group with 5 remitted depressed individuals and individual interviews with 6 mental health care professionals. All qualitative data were transcribed and examined using a thematic analytic approach. Results Results showed mandatory requirements for the remitted sample in terms of training configuration, technological and personal factors, and desirable requirements regarding knowledge and enjoyment. Furthermore, knowledge and therapeutic benefits were key requirements for therapists. Conclusions The identified requirements provide useful information to be integrated in interventions targeting cognitive control in depression. PMID:29622525

Medication and finance management among HIV-infected adults: the impact of age and cognition.

PubMed

Thames, April D; Kim, Michelle S; Becker, Brian W; Foley, Jessica M; Hines, Lindsay J; Singer, Elyse J; Heaton, Robert K; Castellon, Steven A; Hinkin, Charles H

2011-02-01

This study examined the effects of aging and cognitive impairment on medication and finance management in an HIV sample. We observed main effects of age (older < younger) and neuropsychological impairment on functional task performance. Interactions between age and cognition demonstrated that older impaired individuals performed significantly more poorly than all other comparison groups. There were no relationships between laboratory performance and self-reported medication and finance management. The interaction of advancing age and cognitive impairment may confer significant functional limitations for HIV individuals that may be better detected by performance-based measures of functional abilities rather than patient self-report.

Medication and finance management among HIV-infected adults: The impact of age and cognition

PubMed Central

Thames, April D.; Kim, Michelle S.; Becker, Brian W.; Foley, Jessica M.; Hines, Lindsay J.; Singer, Elyse J.; Heaton, Robert K.; Castellon, Steven A.; Hinkin, Charles H.

2013-01-01

This study examined the effects of aging and cognitive impairment on medication and finance management in an HIV sample. We observed main effects of age (older < younger) and neuropsychological impairment on functional task performance. Interactions between age and cognition demonstrated that older impaired individuals performed significantly more poorly than all other comparison groups. There were no relationships between laboratory performance and self-reported medication and finance management. The interaction of advancing age and cognitive impairment may confer significant functional limitations for HIV individuals that may be better detected by performance-based measures of functional abilities rather than patient self-report. PMID:20694873

Child Maltreatment and Adult Living Standards at 50 Years.

PubMed

Pinto Pereira, Snehal M; Li, Leah; Power, Chris

2017-01-01

Child maltreatment (abuse and neglect) has established effects on mental health. Less is known about its influence on adult economic circumstances. We aimed to establish associations of child maltreatment with such outcomes and explore potential pathways. We used 1958 British birth cohort data (N = 8076) to examine associations of child neglect and abuse with adult (50 years) long-term sickness absence, not in employment, education or training (NEET), lacking assets, income-related support, poor qualifications, financial insecurity, manual social class, and social mobility. We assessed mediation of associations by 16-year cognition and mental health. Abuse prevalence varied from 1% (sexual) to 10% (psychological); 16% were neglected. A total of 21% experienced 1 maltreatment type, 10% experienced ≥2 types. Sexual and nonsexual abuse were associated with several outcomes; eg, for sexual abuse, adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of income-related support was 1.75 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-2.72). Associations were little affected by potential mediating factors. Neglect was associated with several adult outcomes (eg, aOR of NEET was 1.43 [95% CI, 1.10-1.85]) and associations were mediated by cognition and mental health (primarily by cognition): percent explained varied between 4% (NEET) to 70% (poor qualifications). In general, the risk of poor outcome increased by number of maltreatment types (eg, aOR for long-term sickness absence increased from 1.0 [reference] to 1.76 [95% CI, 1.32-2.35] to 2.69 [95% CI, 1.96-3.68], respectively, for 0, 1, and ≥2 types of maltreatment. Childhood maltreatment is associated with poor midadulthood socioeconomic outcomes, with accumulating risk for those experiencing multiple types of maltreatment. Cognitive ability and mental health are implicated in the pathway to outcome for neglect but not abuse. Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

[Calcium hypothesis of Alzheimer disease].

PubMed

Riazantseva, M A; Mozhaeva, G N; Kaznacheeva, E V

2012-01-01

Alzheimer's disease is the most common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive memory and cognitive abilities loss. The etiology of Alzheimer's disease is poorly understood. In this regard, there is no effective treatment for the disease. Various hypotheses to explain the nature of the pathology of Alzheimer's disease led to the development of appropriate therapeutics. Despite of decades of research and clinical trials available therapeutics, at best, can only slow down the progression of the disease, but cannot cure it. This review dedicated to the one of modern hypotheses of Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis implied the impairment of calcium homeostasis as a key event for the development of neurodegenerative processes.

A Formative Evaluation of Healthy Heroes: A Photo Comic Book-Social Cognitive Theory Based Obesity Prevention Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Branscum, Paul; Housley, Alexandra; Bhochhibhoya, Amir; Hayes, Logan

2016-01-01

Purpose: Low consumption of fruits and vegetables is often associated with poor diet quality, and childhood obesity. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility, and conduct a formative evaluation, of Healthy Heroes, an innovative, social cognitive theory-based program that uses child created photo-comic books to promote fruit and…

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adherence and Depression (CBT-AD) in HIV-Infected Injection Drug Users: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Safren, Steven A.; O'Cleirigh, Conall M.; Bullis, Jacqueline R.; Otto, Michael W.; Stein, Michael D.; Pollack, Mark H.

2012-01-01

Objective: Depression and substance use, the most common comorbidities with HIV, are both associated with poor treatment adherence. Injection drug users comprise a substantial portion of individuals with HIV in the United States and globally. The present study tested cognitive behavioral therapy for adherence and depression (CBT-AD) in patients…

Pointing to Parallels in Ability-Related Differences in the Use of Metacognition in Academic and Psychomotor Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martini, Rose; Shore, Bruce M.

2008-01-01

This paper offers a brief review of the use of metacognition by proficient and poor performers in academic and psychomotor tasks as well as highlights the parallels and provides directions for future research. Metacognition is knowledge about one's own cognitive processes [Flavell, J.H. (1979). "Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: A new area…

Sleep, Fatigue, and Problems with Cognitive Function in Adults Living with HIV

PubMed Central

Gay, Caryl L.; Lee, Kathryn A.

2015-01-01

Up to 50% of people living with HIV have some neurocognitive impairment. We examined associations of sleep and fatigue with self-reported cognitive problems in 268 adults living with HIV. Multivariate regression was used to examine associations between cognitive problems, self-reported sleep quality, actigraphy-measured total sleep time and wake after sleep onset, and fatigue severity. Poorer self-reported sleep quality (p < .001), short or long total sleep time (< 7 or > 8 vs. 7–8 hours, p = .015), and greater fatigue (p < .001) were associated with lower self-reported cognitive function scores after controlling for demographic and clinical characteristics. However, objective measure of wake after sleep onset was unrelated to self-reported cognitive function scores. Findings suggest that assessing and treating poor sleep and complaints about fatigue would be areas for intervention that could have a greater impact on improving cognition function than interventions that only target cognitive problems. PMID:26547298

Personality, cognitive appraisal and adjustment in chronic pain patients.

PubMed

Herrero, Ana M; Ramírez-Maestre, Carmen; González, Vanessa

2008-11-01

This study investigated the relationship between clinical personality patterns and cognitive appraisal as well as their repercussions on adjustment to chronic pain in a sample of 91 patients. It was predicted that clinical personality patterns would be related to adjustment and cognitive appraisal processes, whereas cognitive appraisals would be related to anxiety, depression and levels of perceived pain. The instruments used were as follows: the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, the Cognitive Appraisal Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Multiple regression analyses, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the Mann Whitney U-test were used to analyse the data obtained. The results show that certain clinical personality patterns were associated with poor adjustment to chronic pain. The use of cognitive appraisal of harm predicted higher anxiety levels and greater perceived pain in chronic pain patients. The use of cognitive appraisals of challenge predicted lower depression levels.

Cognition and Health in African American Men

PubMed Central

Sims, Regina C.; Thorpe, Roland J.; Gamaldo, Alyssa A.; Aiken-Morgan, Adrienne T.; Hill, LaBarron K.; Allaire, Jason C.; Whitfield, Keith E.

2015-01-01

Objective Despite high rates of poor health outcomes, little attention has been focused on associations between prominent health factors and cognitive function in African American men, exclusively. The objective was to examine relationships between cardiovascular and pulmonary health, and cognitive function in African American men. Method Data from 257 men were pooled from two studies of African American aging. The mean age of participants was 58.15 and mean educational attainment was 11.78 years. Participants provided self-reported health and demographic information, completed cognitive measures, and had their blood pressure and peak expiratory flow assessed. Results After adjustment, significant relationships were found between average peak expiratory flow rate (APEFR) and cognitive performance measures. Discussion Results suggest that lung function is important to consider when examining cognitive function in African American men. Understanding the role of health in cognition and implications for quality of life in this population will be critical as life expectancies increase. PMID:25053802

Role of Insulinlike Growth Factor 1 in Fetal Development and in the Early Postnatal Life of Premature Infants

PubMed Central

Hellström, Ann; Ley, David; Hansen-Pupp, Ingrid; Hallberg, Boubou; Ramenghi, Luca A.; Löfqvist, Chatarina; Smith, Lois E. H.; Hård, Anna-Lena

2018-01-01

The neonatal period of very preterm infants is often characterized by a difficult adjustment to extrauterine life, with an inadequate nutrient supply and insufficient levels of growth factors, resulting in poor growth and a high morbidity rate. Long-term multisystem complications include cognitive, behavioral, and motor dysfunction as a result of brain damage as well as visual and hearing deficits and metabolic disorders that persist into adulthood. Insulinlike growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is a major regulator of fetal growth and development of most organs especially the central nervous system including the retina. Glucose metabolism in the developing brain is controlled by IGF-1 which also stimulates differentiation and prevents apoptosis. Serum concentrations of IGF-1 decrease to very low levels after very preterm birth and remain low for most of the perinatal development. Strong correlations have been found between low neonatal serum concentrations of IGF-1 and poor brain and retinal growth as well as poor general growth with multiorgan morbidities, such as intraventricular hemorrhage, retinopathy of prematurity, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and necrotizing enterocolitis. Experimental and clinical studies indicate that early supplementation with IGF-1 can improve growth in catabolic states and reduce brain injury after hypoxic/ischemic events. A multicenter phase II study is currently underway to determine whether intravenous replacement of human recombinant IGF-1 up to normal intrauterine serum concentrations can improve growth and development and reduce prematurity-associated morbidities. PMID:27603537

Social cognition dysfunction in adolescents with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (velo-cardio-facial syndrome): relationship with executive functioning and social competence/functioning.

PubMed

Campbell, L E; McCabe, K L; Melville, J L; Strutt, P A; Schall, U

2015-09-01

Social difficulties are often noted among people with intellectual disabilities. Children and adults with 22q.11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) often have poorer social competence as well as poorer performance on measures of executive and social-cognitive skills compared with typically developing young people. However, the relationship between social functioning and more basic processes of social cognition and executive functioning are not well understood in 22q11DS. The present study examined the relationship between social-cognitive measures of emotion attribution and theory of mind with executive functioning and their contribution to social competence in 22q11DS. The present cross-sectional study measured social cognition and executive performance of 24 adolescents with 22q11DS compared with 27 age-matched typically developing controls. Social cognition was tested using the emotion attribution task (EAT) and a picture sequencing task (PST), which tested mentalising (false-belief), sequencing, cause and effect, and inhibition. Executive functioning was assessed using computerised versions of the Tower of London task and working memory measures of spatial and non-spatial ability. Social competence was also assessed using the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Adolescents with 22q11DS showed impaired false-belief, emotion attribution and executive functioning compared with typically developing control participants. Poorer performance was reported on all story types in the PST, although, patterns of errors and response times across story types were similar in both groups. General sequencing ability was the strongest predictor of false-belief, and performance on the false-belief task predicted emotion attribution accuracy. Intellectual functioning, rather than theory of mind or executive functioning, predicted social competence in 22q11DS. Performance on social-cognitive tasks of theory of mind indicate evidence of a general underlying dysfunction in 22q11DS that includes executive ability to understand cause and effect, to logically reason about social scenarios and also to inhibit responses to salient, but misleading cues. However, general intellectual ability is closely related to actual social competence suggesting that a generalised intellectual deficit coupled with more specific executive impairments may best explain poor social cognition in 22q11DS. © 2015 MENCAP and International Association of the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Single-Dose Testosterone Administration Impairs Cognitive Reflection in Men.

PubMed

Nave, Gideon; Nadler, Amos; Zava, David; Camerer, Colin

2017-10-01

In nonhumans, the sex steroid testosterone regulates reproductive behaviors such as fighting between males and mating. In humans, correlational studies have linked testosterone with aggression and disorders associated with poor impulse control, but the neuropsychological processes at work are poorly understood. Building on a dual-process framework, we propose a mechanism underlying testosterone's behavioral effects in humans: reduction in cognitive reflection. In the largest study of behavioral effects of testosterone administration to date, 243 men received either testosterone or placebo and took the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT), which estimates the capacity to override incorrect intuitive judgments with deliberate correct responses. Testosterone administration reduced CRT scores. The effect remained after we controlled for age, mood, math skills, whether participants believed they had received the placebo or testosterone, and the effects of 14 additional hormones, and it held for each of the CRT questions in isolation. Our findings suggest a mechanism underlying testosterone's diverse effects on humans' judgments and decision making and provide novel, clear, and testable predictions.

Social anhedonia associated with poor evaluative processing but not with poor cognitive control.

PubMed

Martin, Elizabeth A; Kerns, John G

2010-07-30

Emotion researchers have distinguished between automatic vs. controlled processing of evaluative information. There is suggestive evidence that social anhedonia might be associated with problems in controlled evaluative processing. The current study examined whether college students with elevated social anhedonia would exhibit an increased processing effect on tasks involving either evaluative processing or cognitive control. On an evaluative processing task, affective primes and targets could be either congruent or incongruent and participants judged the valence of targets. On a cognitive control task, participants completed the color-naming Stroop task. Compared to control participants (n=47), people with elevated social anhedonia (n=27) exhibited an increased evaluative processing effect as they were slower and made more errors for incongruent than for congruent trials on the evaluative processing task. In contrast, there were no group differences on the Stroop task or on a semantic priming task. Overall, these results suggest that people with elevated social anhedonia might have problems with some aspects of evaluative processing. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chronic Methamphetamine Abuse and Corticostriatal Deficits Revealed by Neuroimaging

PubMed Central

London, Edythe D.; Kohno, Milky; Morales, Angelica; Ballard, Michael E.

2014-01-01

Despite aggressive efforts to contain it, methamphetamine use disorder continues to be major public health problem; and with generic behavioral therapies still the mainstay of treatment for methamphetamine abuse, rates of attrition and relapse remain high. This review summarizes the findings of structural, molecular, and functional neuroimaging studies of methamphetamine abusers, focusing on cortical and striatal abnormalities and their potential contributions to cognitive and behavioral phenotypes that can serve to promote compulsive drug use. These studies indicate that individuals with a history of chronic methamphetamine abuse often display several signs of corticostriatal dysfunction, including abnormal gray- and white-matter integrity, monoamine neurotransmitter system deficiencies, neuroinflammation, poor neuronal integrity, and aberrant patterns of brain connectivity and function, both when engaged in cognitive tasks and at rest. More importantly, many of these neural abnormalities were found to be linked with certain addiction-related phenotypes that may influence treatment response (e.g., poor self-control, cognitive inflexibility, maladaptive decision-making), raising the possibility that they may represent novel therapeutic targets. PMID:25451127

Postoperative Delirium: Acute Change with Long-Term Implications

PubMed Central

Rudolph, James L.; Marcantonio, Edward R.

2011-01-01

Delirium is an acute change in cognition and attention, which may include alterations in consciousness and disorganized thinking. While delirium may affect any age group, it is most common in older patients, especially those with preexisting cognitive impairment. Patients with delirium after surgery recover more slowly than those without delirium and, as a result, have increased length of stay and hospital costs. The measured incidence of postoperative delirium varies with the type of surgery, the urgency of surgery, and the type and sensitivity of the delirium assessment. While generally considered a short-term condition, delirium can persist for months and is associated with poor cognitive and functional outcomes beyond the immediate postoperative period. In this article we will provide a guide to assess delirium risk preoperatively, and to prevent, diagnose, and treat this common and morbid condition. Care improvements such as identifying delirium risk preoperatively; training surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses to screen for delirium; implementing delirium prevention programs; and developing standardized delirium treatment protocols may reduce the risk of delirium and its associated morbidity. PMID:21474660

Environmental Toxicity and Poor Cognitive Outcomes in Children and Adults

PubMed Central

Liu, Jianghong; Lewis, Gary

2014-01-01

Extensive literature has already documented the deleterious effects of heavy metal toxins on the human brain and nervous system. These toxins, however, represent only a fraction of the environmental hazards that may pose harm to cognitive ability in humans. Lead and mercury exposure, air pollution, and organic compounds all have the potential to damage brain functioning yet remain understudied. In order to provide comprehensive and effective public health and health care initiatives for prevention and treatment, we must first fully understand the potential risks, mechanisms of action, and outcomes surrounding exposure to these elements in the context of neurocognitive ability. This article provides a review of the negative effects on cognitive ability of these lesser-studied environmental toxins, with an emphasis on delineating effects observed in child versus adult populations. Possible differential effects across sociodemographic populations (e.g., urban versus rural residents; ethnic minorities) are discussed as important contributors to risk assessment and the development of prevention measures. The public health and clinical implications are significant and offer ample opportunities for clinicians and researchers to help combat this growing problem. PMID:24645424

Designing websites for persons with cognitive deficits: Design and usability of a psychoeducational intervention for persons with severe mental illness.

PubMed Central

Rotondi, Armando J.; Sinkule, Jennifer; Haas, Gretchen L.; Spring, Michael B.; Litschge, Christine M.; Newhill, Christina E.; Ganguli, Rohan; Anderson, Carol M.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of the design elements that influence the ability of persons with severe mental illness (SMI) and cognitive deficits to use a website, and to use this knowledge to design a web-based telehealth application to deliver a psychoeducation program to persons with schizophrenia and their families. Usability testing was conducted with 98 persons with SMI. First, individual website design elements were tested. Based on these results, theoretical website design models were used to create several alternative websites. These designs were tested for their ability to facilitate use by persons with SMI. The final website design is presented. The results indicate that commonly prescribed design models and guidelines produce websites that are poorly suited and confusing to persons with SMI. Our findings suggest an alternative model that should be considered when designing websites and other telehealth interventions for this population. Implications for future studies addressing the characteristics of accessible designs for persons with SMI and cognitive deficits are discussed. PMID:26321884

Review articles: postoperative delirium: acute change with long-term implications.

PubMed

Rudolph, James L; Marcantonio, Edward R

2011-05-01

Delirium is an acute change in cognition and attention, which may include alterations in consciousness and disorganized thinking. Although delirium may affect any age group, it is most common in older patients, especially those with preexisting cognitive impairment. Patients with delirium after surgery recover more slowly than those without delirium and, as a result, have increased length of stay and hospital costs. The measured incidence of postoperative delirium varies with the type of surgery, the urgency of surgery, and the type and sensitivity of the delirium assessment. Although generally considered a short-term condition, delirium can persist for months and is associated with poor cognitive and functional outcomes beyond the immediate postoperative period. In this article, we provide a guide to assess delirium risk preoperatively and to prevent, diagnose, and treat this common and morbid condition. Care improvements such as identifying delirium risk preoperatively; training surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses to screen for delirium; implementing delirium prevention programs; and developing standardized delirium treatment protocols may reduce the risk of delirium and its associated morbidity. © 2011 International Anesthesia Research Society

Environmental toxicity and poor cognitive outcomes in children and adults.

PubMed

Liu, Jianghong; Lewis, Gary

2014-01-01

Extensive literature has already documented the deleterious effects of heavy metal toxins on the human brain and nervous system. These toxins, however, represent only a fraction of the environmental hazards that may pose harm to cognitive ability in humans. Lead and mercury exposure, air pollution, and organic compounds all have the potential to damage brain functioning yet remain understudied. In order to provide comprehensive and effective public health and health care initiatives for prevention and treatment, we must first fully understand the potential risks, mechanisms of action, and outcomes surrounding exposure to these elements in the context of neurocognitive ability. This article provides a review of the negative effects on cognitive ability of these lesser-studied environmental toxins, with an emphasis on delineating effects observed in child versus adult populations. Possible differential effects across sociodemographic populations (e.g., urban versus rural residents; ethnic minorities) are discussed as important contributors to risk assessment and the development of prevention measures. The public health and clinical implications are significant and offer ample opportunities for clinicians and researchers to help combat this growing problem.