SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “processing speed”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

PubMed1987

CGP 11.952: an experimental benzodiazepine derivative. Effects on cognitive functioning in patients with epilepsy.

1. In two open studies using patients with intractable epilepsy, the effects of CGP 11.952, a triazolyl benzophenone, on cognitive functioning were assessed by means of a computerized neuropsychological battery. 2. In the first study CGP 11.952 turned out to have a positive effect on information processing speed, perceptual sensitivity and preciseness of responses. 3. Negative effects were found on reaction time. 4. In the second study this latter effect was less clear. 5. A striking result was the less negative effect on memory consolidation under influence of CGP 11.952 in comparison with other benzodiazepines.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

The effect of stimulus-response incompatibility on P3 latency depends on the task but not on age.

To help identify the loci of age-related slowing of cognitive processing, the effects of stimulus-response (S-R) incompatibility and stimulus degradation on P3 latency and reaction time (RT) were assessed in ten young and ten elderly women. Subjects saw the words right, left, RIGHT, or LEFT in tasks which required responses to (1) the meaning of the word (WORD) (2) its case (CASE) and (3) both (CASE/WORD). Each task was tested with regular and degraded stimuli. On half the trials, the stimulus and response were incompatible. Although RTs and P3s of elderly subjects were slower, especially RTs in CASE/WORD, stimulus degradation and S-R incompatibility did not differentially affect the two groups, suggesting that cognitive processing of older subjects is not especially prolonged in perceptual and response-related stages. For both groups RTs and P3s were task dependent and were prolonged by degradation and S-R incompatibility. Incompatibility delayed RTs in WORD and CASE/WORD but P3s in WORD only. Thus, young and elderly subjects show qualitatively similar psychophysiological and behavioral indicators of processing speed.

Adult↗

PubMed2026

Post-intervention effectiveness of a computerized personalized cognitive stimulation program adapted according to cognitive reserve in older adults without cognitive impairment in Primary Care: A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive reserve may influence responsiveness to cognitive interventions, yet it is rarely used to tailor computerized stimulation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a computerized cognitive stimulation program personalized according to cognitive reserve on cognition, reserve-related activities, and digital competence in community-dwelling older adults without cognitive impairment in Primary Care. METHODS: In this randomized clinical trial, 102 adults aged ≥65 years with normal cognitive performance were recruited from three primary care centers in Zaragoza, Spain, and stratified by cognitive reserve level before random allocation to intervention or control. The intervention comprised digital literacy sessions followed by 8 weeks of home-based computerized cognitive stimulation tailored to participants' cognitive reserve profiles and life history. Controls received a single group-based health education session focused on maintaining everyday cognitive activity. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and post-intervention using global cognition (MEC-35), the Cognitive Reserve Questionnaire, the Mobile Device Proficiency Questionnaire-16, and domain-specific neuropsychological tests. A total of 100 participants completed the final evaluation and were included in complete-case analyses. RESULTS: Compared with controls, the intervention group showed greater adjusted post-intervention improvements in global cognition (MEC-35 between-group difference: 1.8 points) and several cognitive measures, including temporal orientation, calculation, attention, praxis, verbal fluency, processing speed, executive functions, and verbal learning. CRQ scores and digital competence also improved, with small-to-large effect sizes. CONCLUSIONS: A computerized cognitive stimulation program adapted according to cognitive reserve appears feasible in Primary Care and may improve cognition, engagement in reserve-related activities, and digital competence in older adults without cognitive impairment.

Humans↗

PubMed2026

Effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen in traumatic brain injury patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most common neurological disorder and a leading cause of global mortality and disability. Although growing evidence suggests potential benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) for TBI, its efficacy remains controversial. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from inception to March 2026. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating HBOT versus any comparator including sham, standard care and no treatment in adults with TBI were included. Two independent reviewers screened records, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I² statistic. Effect sizes were pooled using random/fixed-effects models per heterogeneity results. RESULTS: 8 studies involving 570 participants were included. HBOT significantly improved computerized cognitive performance (SMD = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.07-0.40, p = 0.004, I² = 0%), executive function and processing speed (SMD = -0.59, 95% CI: -0.93 to -0.26, p = 0.0005, I² = 30%), memory function (SMD = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.03-0.63, p = 0.03, I² = 0%), and sleep quality (MD = 1.98, 95% CI: 0.07-3.88, p = 0.04, I² = 65%). No significant benefits were observed for Glasgow Outcome Scale (RR = 1.57, 95% CI: 0.55-4.44, I² = 87%), PTSD symptoms (MD = -3.05, 95% CI: -7.05-0.95, I² = 67%), neurobehavioral symptoms (MD = -9.06, 95% CI: -32.13-14.00, I² = 97%), and emotional distress (SMD = 0.25, 95% CI: -0.32-0.81, I² = 85%). Most adverse events were mild and transient. CONCLUSION: HBOT demonstrates domain‑specific benefits for cognitive function and sleep quality in TBI patients, predominantly those with mild TBI. However, evidence for PTSD, neurobehavioral symptoms, and emotional distress remains uncertain. Furthermore, the applicability of current evidence to moderate-to-severe TBI populations is restricted.

Humans↗

PubMed2026

Potential contribution of the microbiota-gut-brain axis to doxorubicin-associated cognitive impairment: Mechanisms, evidence, and therapeutic opportunities.

Chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI), often termed chemobrain, is a clinically important complication of cancer treatment that can affect memory, attention, executive function, and processing speed during and after therapy. Doxorubicin is of particular mechanistic interest because brain parenchymal exposure is limited, yet preclinical studies consistently identify neuroinflammatory, oxidative, vascular, and synaptic abnormalities after treatment. This critical narrative review evaluates whether intestinal injury and disruption of the microbiota-gut-brain axis may contribute to these central effects. Preclinical evidence indicates that doxorubicin can alter microbial community structure, injure the intestinal barrier, modify SCFA-associated taxa or predicted functions, alter selected metabolite profiles, and promote systemic inflammatory and metabolic signaling. These peripheral changes could interact with brain endothelial cells, glia, mitochondria, hippocampal neurogenesis, and synaptic-plasticity pathways. However, the proposed doxorubicin-gut-brain pathway remains a predominantly preclinical and incompletely tested framework. No longitudinal human study has yet established, within the same patients, the temporal sequence linking doxorubicin exposure, microbiome or metabolome changes, systemic inflammation, and objective cognitive outcomes. Existing animal studies also vary in dose, regimen, tumor context, sampling time, microbiome methodology, and control of behavioral or microbiological confounders, while causal rescue experiments remain limited. Key priorities are therefore longitudinal human cohorts with pretreatment baselines and repeated multi-omics and cognitive assessments; animal studies that test temporal precedence and causal rescue or pathway blockade in the same model; mediation analyses that determine whether microbial or metabolic changes lie between treatment and cognitive dysfunction; and mechanism-informed clinical trials that demonstrate target engagement, cognitive benefit, oncology safety, and preservation of antitumor efficacy. Microbiome-directed interventions are promising but remain investigational for doxorubicin-associated CICI.

blood–brain barrier↗

PubMed2025

Mediterranean and standard American diet consumption in psychosis and non-psychosis affective disorders groups: Symptoms and cognition.

UNLABELLED: Research supports an association between diet and health, and emerging evidence suggests that diet is associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms. However, no human study has examined an anti-inflammatory diet across rigorously defined psychiatric diagnoses and its associations with symptom severity and cognition. As inflammation is implicated in mental illness, we investigated adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD), an anti-inflammatory diet, and the standard American diet (SAD), and examined cross-sectional relationships with psychiatric symptoms and cognition. METHOD: Participants included 54 individuals with psychotic disorders, 30 with non-psychosis affective disorders and 40 healthy controls. Participants underwent diagnostic interviews, PANSS symptom ratings, and MATRICS cognitive assessments. The self-report GBAQ was used to assess adherence to the MD versus SAD. RESULTS: The psychosis group was significantly more likely to consume the SAD than healthy controls (p = 0.007), with MD adherence predicting better working memory (r = 0.461, p < 0.001). In the non-psychosis affective disorders group, MD adherence predicted slower processing speed (r = -0.376, p = 0.049). In the non-psychosis affective disorders group, MD predicted reduced PANSS General Psychopathology scale (r = -0.449, p = 0.013), as well as the Activation (r = -0.362, p = 0.049), and Dysphoric Mood factors (r = -0.403, p = 0.027). DISCUSSION: This first-of-its kind study identified poor dietary choices in persons with psychosis, showing significantly lower symptoms and better cognition in association with the MD in transdiagnostic analyses. It supports the study of dietary interventions for prevention and treatment of psychiatric conditions.

Humans↗

PubMed1996

Personality: a moderator of the relation between cognitive functioning and depression in adults aged 55-85?

Previous studies found modest associations between cognitive functioning and depressive symptoms in community samples of older adults. Low levels of cognitive functioning are associated with depressive symptoms. The present study investigates whether personality (locus of control and neuroticism) moderates this relation, and whether gender-differences in moderating effects can be established. The study is based on data of the baseline sample of 3107 participants of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA), which was age (55-85 years) and sex-stratified. Multiple regression analyses are used to detect moderating effects. The findings show modest effects, indicating that personality is a moderator of the relation between cognitive functioning and depressive symptoms, particularly in women. In women, a relatively strong internal locus of control is protective of becoming depressed when experiencing impairment in general cognitive functioning (MMSE), and impairment in fluid intelligence and information processing speed. In men, a low level of neuroticism is protective of becoming depressed when experiencing memory impairment. If these findings are replicated and extended in future studies, pertinent interventions such as cognitive therapy or memory training may be designed to alleviate depressive symptoms.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1987

The cuing and priming of cognitive operations.

The effect on performance of advance information about the specific cognitive operations to be performed on a stimulus was investigated in two experiments using cues (information useful and necessary for performance) and primes (information useful but not necessary for performance). In the first experiment, a cue presented prior to a digit stimulus indicated whether the digit was to be classified as odd or even, or low (less than 6) or high (greater than 5). Results showed that performance improved with increasing time between cue and digit and with practice. A stroop-like asymmetric interference of the low-high operation on the odd-even operation was also observed. In the second experiment, a prime that matched the cue, mismatched it, or was neutral was presented before the cue. Results showed facilitatory and inhibitory priming effects, as well as a distance effect based on the position of a digit relative to the boundary between 5 and 6. The results of both experiments were discussed in terms of a model based on relative processing speeds of the two relevant properties of the digits.

Attention↗

PubMed1996

Set size, novelty, and visual pop-out in infancy.

The effects of set size and novelty on visual pop-out in 6-month-old infants was assessed in a perceptual-identification (memory reactivation) paradigm in which infants, trained and tested in their own homes, viewed a mobile containing a unique novel or familiar object amidst different numbers of familiar or novel distractors, respectively. Unique objects of both types popped out at all set sizes except the largest, where there was modest evidence that familiar distractors speeded processing (Experiment 1). When the proportion of familiar targets in a display of intermediate set size was increased, however, infants no longer detected the familiar target (Experiment 2). These findings offer additional support for the proposition that visual pop-out in infants and adults is the some phenomenon.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Conceptual knowledge in the interpretation of idioms.

The authors examined how people determine the contextual appropriateness of idioms. In Experiment 1, idioms referring to the same temporal stage of a conceptual prototype were judged to be more similar in meaning than idioms referring to different temporal stages. In Experiment 2, idioms in a prototypical temporal sequence were more meaningful than idioms in sentences that violated the temporal sequence. In Experiment 3, idioms referring to the same stage of a conceptual prototype were differentiable on the basis of conceptual information. The conceptual coherence between idioms and contexts facilitated the processing speed of idioms in Experiment 4. Experiment 5 showed that speakers can recover the underlying conceptual metaphors that link an idiom to its figurative meaning. Experiment 6 showed that the metaphoric information reflected in the lexical makeup of idioms also determined the metaphoric appropriateness of idioms in certain contexts.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Maintaining excellence: deliberate practice and elite performance in young and older pianists.

Two studies investigated the role of deliberate practice in the maintenance of cognitive-motor skills in expert and accomplished amateur pianists. Older expert and amateur pianists showed the normal pattern of large age-related reductions in standard measures of general processing speed. Performance on music-related tasks showed similar age-graded decline for amateur pianists but not for expert pianists, whose average performance level was only slightly below that of young expert pianists. The degree of maintenance of relevant pianistic skills for older expert pianists was predicted by the amount of deliberate practice during later adulthood. The role of deliberate practice in the active maintenance of superior domain-specific performance in spite of general age-related decline is discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

A time course analysis of Stroop interference and facilitation: comparing normal individuals and individuals with schizophrenia.

Using randomized stimulus onset asynchrony (SOAs), the authors traced the time course of Stroop interference and facilitation in normal participants and participants with schizophrenia. Unlike earlier findings using blocked SOAs, singular peaks in interference, facilitation, or both occurred at particular SOAs. The peaks of normal participants and participants with schizophrenia differed. Findings are congruent with a model of Stroop performance that posits individual differences in processing speeds of target and nontarget stimulus dimensions, coupled with critical points in response selection. Participants with schizophrenia also showed more overall interference than normal control participants. A second experiment that added a temporal gap between the distractor word and target color obliterated Stroop effects only for individuals with schizophrenia. These findings provide a new empirical basis for models of Stroop effects. They are also consistent with hypotheses about the importance of the prefrontal cortex for working memory and prefrontal dysfunction in schizophrenia.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

The moderating influence of physical fitness on age gradients in vigilance and serial choice responding tasks.

The moderating influence of physical fitness on age gradients in measures obtained from vigilance and serial choice responding tasks is examined in a sample of 90 postal workers. Physiological data relating to aerobic fitness determined fitness level within 2 age groups: younger participants ages 18 to 30 years (M = 25.19; 24 men, 24 women) and older participants ages 43 to 62 years (M = 49.19; 20 men, 22 women). A performance decrement across time was found in several measures, and some variation as a function of age was apparent. However, post hoc statistical analyses did not indicate this was due to older adults underperforming younger adults. According to predictions, significant Age x Fitness interactions showed older less fit workers to consistently underperform other participants. The findings suggest that older less fit individuals have lower signal sensitivity and processing speed than older fitter people and younger individuals. Results are discussed in relation to underlying physiological mechanisms.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Category knowledge in Alzheimer's disease: normal organization and a general retrieval deficit.

Three hypotheses that could account for deficits in the retrieval of category information in Alzheimer's disease (AD) were evaluated: abnormal organization, class- or category-specific vulnerability, and limitation by general factors, such as decreased processing speed. Relative to 18 elderly control subjects, 18 patients with AD produced fewer items in a category fluency task and had longer reaction times in a category decision task. The pattern of performance across categories on both tasks was normal in the AD group: The same categories elicited the most (or fastest) responses in both the control group and the AD group. AD patients showed normal performance in ranking of category exemplars by typicality. There was no evidence for differential accessibility by category or by class of information (animate vs. inanimate). The authors conclude that a general factor or factors limit(s) retrievability equally across all categories.

Aged↗

PubMed1994

Memory knowledge and memory monitoring in adulthood.

Age differences in 2 specific processing dimensions of metamemory, namely memory knowledge and memory monitoring, were examined. Young and old Ss recalled lists of words paired with letter, rhyme, and meaning cues over 2 trials. On both trials, Ss made predictions of recall likelihood on presentation of each word-cue pair. No age differences in initial predictions (i.e., prior memory knowledge) were apparent, whereas age-based performance differences were observed. On Trial 2, both young and old Ss significantly revised their predictions; however, old adults monitored only global discrepancies between previous expectation and performance. Young adults raised and lowered expectations across cue types in accordance with their previous performance. Age differences in processing speed accounted for some but not all of the memory-monitoring differences.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Neurocognitive function in chronic hemodialysis patients.

We administered a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery, including measures of intelligence, immediate and delayed memory, attention and mental processing speed, language abilities, complex problem solving, motor skills, and depression, to 16 well-dialyzed (Kt/Vurea = 1.46 +/- 0.24) patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and 12 age- and education-matched medical controls. We observed no clear neuropsychological deficits in these ESRD patients who had low average intelligence and limited educational achievement, and hypothesize that previously observed apparent deficits resulted either from very low dialysis delivery or comparison with poorly-matched historical controls. There were significant deficits in language ability and intelligence in ESRD patients with higher than median scores on the Beck Depression Inventory compared with less-depressed ESRD patients. However, this effect of depression did not result in differences between dialysis and non-ESRD patient groups.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[The "Lower Saxony/Northern Rhine-Westphalia" Neuroblastoma Screening Project: on the need for epidemiologic comparison].

The proof for the general evolution of metastatic neuroblastoma from localized disease by a low-speed process is lacking. The epidemiological approach would require the decrease of neuroblastoma related mortality by reduction of the number of metastatic cases per population unit as a result of a screening program. During 1983 through 1990 the neuroblastoma incidence in the FRG was 0.85-1.09 cases per 100,000 children less than 15 years of age. The mortality rate ranged between 0.25 and 0.49 deaths per 100,000 children. The project "Niedersachsen/Nordrhein-Westfalen" started April 1st, 1992 and is investigating urinary catecholamine metabolite excretion in infants at the age of 10-12 months and for a second time in toddlers at 17-19 months. The target population includes 24.7 million inhabitants with 267,000 births per year. The urine sampled on filter paper is analyzed using thin layer chromatography. Positive and questionable positive results are confirmed by HPLC and GC-MS. The aim of the study is to demonstrate the feasibility of the chosen approach. Furthermore first epidemiological data will be obtained. Until a population-based study on neuroblastoma mortality in screened versus controlled populations has proven the usefulness of the screening it cannot be recommended as a general service to the public.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

[Patchy changes in white matter in cranial computerized and magnetic resonance tomography--significance for (differential) diagnosis of dementia of the Alzheimer type and vascular dementia].

With the advancement of technical progress, especially with respect to magnetic resonance imaging, patchy cerebral white matter lesions (WML) are being found with increasing frequency. The (differential) diagnosis between the two main dementias of old age, (senile) dementia of the Alzheimer type ([S]DAT) and vascular dementia (VD) is made more frequently in favour of the latter, since the detection of WML leads to support a vascular origin for dementia. The present article reviews the literature concerning X-ray computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in these disorders. For comparison purposes some methodological problems must be taken into account including different scoring systems for WML severity, differences in imaging techniques and in the criteria for the selection of patients and controls. A great number of studies demonstrates a strong association of frequency and severity of WML with increasing age and presence of cerebrovascular risk factors such arterial hypertension. Some studies revealed an association with neuropsychiatric deficits including gait disorders, urinary incontinence, affective lability and reduced attention and information processing speed. In CT studies, about 30% of patients with (S)DAT had WML but 36-88% in MR studies. However, only few studies controlled for the presence of cerebrovascular risk factors. More recent studies - with improved techniques - revealed a higher frequency of (slight or moderate) WML in the (S)DAT group compared to controls. The prevalence of WML in VD patients was 75-97% in CT studies and about 100% in MR studies. Therefore, without the presence of WML, the diagnosis of VD is currently in doubt. A number of in vivo investigations proved consistently - and with different methods - that cerebral blood flow was reduced in WML regions. As shown in some studies the neuropathologic correlates of WML have in common that the relative tissue water content is increased: This includes inflammation, gliosis, complete and incomplete infarctions, dilation of the perivascular (Virchow-Robin) spaces with myelin atrophy. Thus the finding of WML in watershed areas can be understood. Three case reports serve to illustrate the problems pointed out. In conclusion, the occurrence of WML is an unspecific finding which is observed in up to 50% of the elderly. Diagnostic classification as "vascular lesions" or signs of "vascular encephalopathy" or VD based on CT or MRI alone, should not be made.

Aged↗