Tag: cognitive

Young children who practice visual working memory and reasoning tasks improve their math skills more than children who focus on spatial rotation exercises, according to a large study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The findings support the notion that training spatial cognition can enhance academic performance and that when it comes to math,

(HealthDay)—Cardiovascular risk factors are associated with cognitive impairment among individuals with schizophrenia, according to a review and meta-analysis published online March 3 in JAMA Psychiatry. Katsuhiko Hagi, Ph.D., from Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma in Tokyo, and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the association between risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cognition

A team of neuroscientists has identified a potential means to address the loss of cognitive function due to Alzheimer’s disease by targeting protein synthesis in mice. Their findings, reported in the journal Science Signaling, reveal that synthetic pharmaceuticals could rescue the activity of brain cells needed for memory formation. “This work is the first to

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered in mice what they believe is the first known genetic mutation to improve cognitive flexibility—the ability to adapt to changing situations. The gene, KCND2, codes for a protein that regulates potassium channels, which control electrical signals that travel along neurons. The electrical signals stimulate chemical messengers

Higher levels of abdominal fat were linked with reduced cognitive function in a Clinical Obesity study of older Asians with type 2 diabetes—even in individuals with normal weight. In the 677-participant study, higher abdominal fat—or visceral adiposity—was associated with lower scores related to memory and language. Source: Read Full Article

Parkinson’s patients’ motor and non-motor symptoms were improved with a weekly exercise regimen that included physical and cognitive tasks, according to new research presented today (18 December) at The Physiological Society early career conference, Future Physiology 2019: Translating Cellular Mechanisms into Lifelong Health Strategies. Parkinson’s Disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that can lead to

People around the world are living longer, and dementia has consequently become recognized as a public health priority in many countries. The Lancet Commission paper in 2017 collated a large body of medical research evidence that aims to address the dementia epidemic and following challenge for health and social care. It is estimated that as

New Kent-led research shows that popular mobile phone games could provide a new tool to help doctors spot early signs of cognitive decline, some of which may indicate the onset of serious conditions like dementia. Investigating the link between patterns of tap, swipe and rotational gestures during mobile game play and the users’ cognitive performance,

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet has been associated with less cognitive decline over five years in older adults in the United States, according to a new study led by University of Maine and the University of South Australia researchers. The study, conducted by researchers Alexandra Wade, Merrill Elias and Karen Murphy and published in the

BOSTON -Increasingly, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research has focused on the preclinical stage, when people have biological evidence of AD but no or minimal symptoms, and when interventions might have the potential to prevent future decline of older adults. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have shed important new light on this area, reporting in a

Researchers have shown that higher intelligence and younger age are predictors of greater cognitive recovery 2-5 years post-mild to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). In contrast, injury severity, as measured by the duration of post-traumatic amnesia, was not associated with greater or worse long-term cognitive recovery, as supported by a study published in Journal of

(HealthDay)—Cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective nonpharmacologic treatment for insomnia during pregnancy, according to a study published online April 5 in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Rachel Manber, Ph.D., from Stanford University in California, and colleagues evaluated the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia during pregnancy among women (18 to 32 weeks of gestation) randomly assigned

Washington State University researchers have seen cognitive changes in the offspring of rats exposed to heavy amounts of cannabis. Their work is one of the rare studies to look at the effects of cannabis during pregnancy. The drug is the most commonly used illicit substance among pregnant women. Ryan McLaughlin, an assistant professor of Integrative

Although studies have shown that alcohol and cannabis misuse are related to impaired cognition in youth, previous studies were not designed to understand this relationship and differentiate whether cannabis use was causal or consequential to cognitive impairment. A new study by researchers at CHU Sainte-Justine and Université de Montréal, published in the American Journal of

Do you know someone afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease? Odds are the answer to that question is yes, since Alzheimer’s is one of the most common age-related disorders in the United States. It’s also the fifth-leading cause of death among adults aged 65 and older. But as pervasive as the disease may be, one of its

Adult rats that had been exposed before birth and during nursing to a mixture of chemicals found in a wide range of consumer products have a smaller medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and perform worse on an attention-switching task than rats not exposed to the chemicals early in life. These findings, published in JNeurosci, demonstrate a

An international team of scientists have developed a new way to screen for age-related cognitive decline at home using a test which asks people to detect sounds and flashes on their laptop or phone. Developed by researchers from Switzerland and the UK, the study shows that the simple, cost-effective test may be used to help

Reversing memory deficits and impairments in spatial learning is a major goal in the field of dementia research. A lack of knowledge about cellular pathways critical to the development of dementia, however, has stood in the way of significant clinical advance. But now, researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM)

Depression can affect anyone at any stage of their life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 in 6 people in the United States will experience depression at some point in their life. Scientists do not know the exact cause of depression, but many believe it is a combination of

A Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)-supported randomized clinical trial of cancer survivors showed that eight weeks of either acupuncture or cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) decreased the severity of insomnia among cancer survivors, though improvements were greatest among patients receiving cognitive behavioral therapy. The study will be presented at the upcoming 2018 ASCO Annual