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Minor whiplash head injury with major debilitation.

A group of patients suffering major debility after minor whiplash head trauma, seen in one office practice, has been retrospectively studied. Typically, acute neck and upper back aches and headache evolved into a multiple somatic, affective and cognitive dysfunction syndrome. Neuropsychological evaluations noted impairments on tests of cognitive flexibility, non-verbal reasoning, new learning/memory, psychomotor agility, and attention. However, in the subacute period, neurological examination, imaging and clinical electrophysiological studies were unable to localize, structurally or functionally, the source of the above dysfunctions.

Adolescent↗

Social, neurological and cognitive disorders in alcoholics.

OBJECTIVES: To construct the social, neurological and neuropsychological profiles of patients with suspected alcohol related brain damage, and to test the hypothesis that cognitive dysfunction develops in alcoholics before signs of alcohol related neurological disease. DESIGN: The study design comprised: a retrospective analysis of patients' records; a comparison of patients' demographic and social variables with age-matched population data from the 1986 Census; and a comparison of neuropsychological test scores of male patients with suspected alcohol related brain damage and age-matched controls. SETTING: The Neuropsychology Unit of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, a tertiary referral teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: All patients (n = 641) referred to the Neuropsychology Unit for assessment of suspected alcohol related brain damage from July 1, 1987 to June 30, 1989, and a control group (n = 93) consisting of healthy volunteers who drank no more than 40 g of alcohol per day. RESULTS: Of the patients, 515 (80%) were men and 410 (64%) were 55 years or younger; their median daily alcohol consumption was 180 g. Compared with the general population the patients were significantly more likely to be in receipt of social security payments, to be separated, divorced or widowed and living in rented or temporary accommodation. However, the proportion of professional and skilled individuals was the same as in the general population. Cerebellar degeneration (38%), peripheral neuropathy (34%) and seizures (14%) were the most frequent neurological disorders. Frontal lobe dysfunction (58%) and short-term memory loss (32%) were the most frequent cognitive abnormalities. Dementia was relatively uncommon (4%). The mean age of male patients with alcohol related brain damage but no neurological disorders (43 years) was significantly less than the mean age of those with neurological disease (54 years; P less than 0.001). In the former, neuropsychological tests of frontal lobe function showed significant impairment compared with control subjects (P less than 0.001), despite normal intelligence. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive impairment in alcoholics frequently takes the form of frontal lobe dysfunction and may be relatively subtle, requiring a neuropsychological examination for diagnosis. Signs of cognitive impairment may precede those of alcohol related neurological disorders by more than ten years.

Adult↗

Long-term effects of radiation therapy on cognitive and endocrine function in children with leukemia and brain tumors.

BACKGROUND: As the number of long-term survivors of childhood cancer has grown, it has become increasingly clear that central nervous system therapy may have serious long-term effects on cognition and endocrine function. These complications have been studied most extensively in children with brain tumors and leukemia. REVIEW SUMMARY: Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia previously treated with cranial irradiation are at risk for cognitive decline. Chemotherapy-only regimens, which rely on high-dose frequently administered methotrexate, are also associated with producing cognitive dysfunction. Children irradiated for brain tumors are even more vulnerable. Risk factors include perioperative morbidity, young age, large-volume high-dose cranial irradiation, supra-tentorial location of tumor, moyamoya syndrome, and leukoencephalopathy. Cognitive decline is progressive over at least a decade. The most common radiation-induced endocrinopathies are hypothyroidism and growth hormone deficiency. Treatment effects on growth are multifactorial and include growth hormone deficiency,spinal shortening, precocious puberty, undetected hypothyroidism,and poor nutrition. Fifty percent to 80% of children treated with craniospinal radiation for brain tumors will experience growth failure. In hopes of reducing neurotoxicity, current treatments limit the dose and volume of radiation while adding chemotherapy. Results have not been uniformly positive, however, and may increase toxicity in some cases. CONCLUSIONS: The standard of care in 2004 is that children who have been treated for brain tumors and leukemia should be monitored for cognitive and endocrine dysfunction. Until effective non-neurotoxic treatment is identified, long-term effects assessments are essential to maximize the quality of life of survivors of childhood cancer.

Brain Neoplasms↗

Colour form representation test: a developmental method for the study of cognition in schizophrenia.

The Colour Form Representation Test (CFR) was devised as one of a series of developmentally rooted objective measures of schizophrenic cognitive dysfunction. Based on the observations of Piaget and others in relation to the conceptual use of colour, form and representational cues, it provided a four-level response hierarchy corresponding to the preverbal and early verbal stages of cognitive growth. The CFR was tested with 66 schizophrenics and 42 non-psychotic subjects and found to distinguish between these two groups and among schizophrenic subtypes. It showed significant correlations with measures of cognitive and attentional dysfunction and, longitudinally, was observed to be a reliable instrument that reflected the differential therapeutic outcome of various schizophrenic groups. The research potential of the CFR and its relevance to developmental and psychophysiological theories of schizophrenic cognitive disorder were discussed.

Adolescent↗

Cognitive and behavioral effects of antiepileptic drugs.

In managing epilepsy, drugs that offer the best seizure control to the patient should be used, but their influence on quality of life must also be considered. This must include any effects on mood and mental state, which should be minimal in order that these patients may achieve their full potential. Subtle behavioral and cognitive disadvantages may occur with anticonvulsant drug use. Behavioral changes with phenobarbital are both idiosyncratic and dose related. Carbamazepine and valproic acid can have adverse effects on mood and cognition, but do so less frequently than the other medications or combinations (Table 1). Cognitive dysfunction may relate to antiepileptic drug blood levels, but impairment of skills can occur in the nonintoxicated patient. Thus, office neurologic examinations are insufficient to detect these subtle mental impairments. Practical methods need to be developed to identify and monitor these problems so that in the future cognitive and behavioral dysfunction in epileptic patients can be minimized.

Anticonvulsants↗

Relationship of prefrontal and temporal lobe MRI measures to neuropsychological performance in chronic schizophrenia.

This preliminary study focused on the relationship between prefrontal and temporal lobe MRI measures and neuropsychological performance in chronic schizophrenia. Seventeen schizophrenic inpatients received an MRI and a neuropsychological test battery after clinical stabilization, on average 2 months after admission. The central finding was a significant inverse correlation between neurocognitive measures of prefrontal function and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) area, strongest in the left hemisphere. Neurocognitive performance did not correlate significantly with orbital frontal area or total temporal lobe volume. The correlations of neuropsychological performance with total frontal volume and whole brain volume were generally not significant, although the pattern was similar to that associated with the DLPFC. Because a number of executive-attention and abstraction measures were significantly associated with the DLPFC, dysfunctions of this region may underlie a syndrome of cognitive dysfunctions. Long-term memory functions were also significantly correlated with the DLPFC, raising the possibility that recall memory defects in schizophrenia are, in part, associated with prefrontal contributions of attention, abstract reasoning, and executive function. This study needs replication with a larger sample of patients and more comprehensive volumetric morphometric analyses.

Adolescent↗

Markers from event-related potential subcomponents and reaction time for information processing dysfunction in schizophrenia.

Event-related potentials (ERPs) can serve as markers for cognitive processing stages. Identification of those ERPs altered in schizophrenia offer information about cognitive dysfunction. Auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) were elicited within an oddball paradigm in 35 schizophrenic patients and compared with 35 healthy controls. N100 and P200, as well as N200, frontal P300 and parietal P300 subcomponents, were separated using dipole source analysis. The amplitudes of the N100 and the parietal P300 measured in schizophrenics were diminished. The input-related processing stages (N100 and P200) were not altered, whereas later, the deviant and task-related processes (N200, frontal P300, parietal P300 and reaction time) were significantly prolonged in schizophrenia.

Adult↗

Patient outcomes in schizophrenia II: the impact of cognition.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive dysfunction is increasingly considered to be the strongest clinical predictor of poor long-term outcome in schizophrenia. Associations have been found between the severity of cognitive deficits and social dysfunction, impairments in independent living, occupational limitations, and disturbances in quality of life (QOL). METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the relationships of cognitive deficits and treatment outcomes in terms of QOL, needs, and psychosocial functioning were examined in 60 outpatients with schizophrenia who had a duration of illness over 2 years and had been treated with either clozapine or olanzapine for at least 6 months. RESULTS: The present study suggests that cognitive functioning might be a predictor of work functioning/independent living outcome in stabilized patients with schizophrenia: deficits of visual memory and working memory were negatively associated with occupational functioning, and older patients lived independently and/or in a stable partnership more often. The patients' assessments of QOL and needs for care did not show any significant associations with cognitive functioning. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that cognitive functioning is a key determinant of work functioning/independent living for stable outpatients with schizophrenia.

Adult↗

The development, validation, and applications of a computerized measurement of cognitive impairment from the content analysis of verbal behavior.

This is a report of the development, validation, and computerized applications of a method of measuring cognitive and intellectual impairment through the content analysis of verbal behavior. The content analysis procedure utilized is based on the method developed by Gottschalk and Gleser for the measurement of the magnitude of many other psychological states and traits, in addition to cognitive dysfunction. Verbal behavior studies are reviewed that examine the cognitive effects of age, certain psychoactive drugs, alcohol, total body irradiation, sensory overload, and dementia. Finally, the availability of a recently developed artificial intelligence software program is reported that will reliably, rapidly, and objectively score speech samples (on Gottschalk-Gleser Scales) transcribed according to specific directions from IBM-compatible computer diskettes.

Adolescent↗

Cerebral white matter lesions and cognitive function: the Rotterdam Scan Study.

Cerebral white matter lesions (WMLs) have been associated with cognitive dysfunction. Whether periventricular or subcortical WMLs relate differently to cognitive function is still uncertain. In addition, it is unclear whether WMLs are related to specific cognitive domains such as memory or psychomotor speed. We examined the relationship between periventricular and subcortical WMLs and cognitive functioning in 1,077 elderly subjects randomly sampled from the general population. Quantification of WMLs was assessed by means of an extensive rating scale on 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging scans. Cognitive function was assessed by using multiple neuropsychological tests from which we constructed compound scores for psychomotor speed, memory performance, and global cognitive function. When analyzed separately, both periventricular and subcortical WMLs were related to all neuropsychological measures. When periventricular WMLs were analyzed conditional on subcortical WMLs and vice versa, the relationship between periventricular WMLs and global cognitive function remained unaltered whereas the relationship with subcortical WMLs disappeared. Subjects with most severe periventricular WMLs performed nearly 1 SD below average on tasks involving psychomotor speed, and more than 0.5 SD below average for global cognitive function. Tasks that involve speed of cognitive processes appear to be more affected by WMLs than memory tasks.

Aged↗

Panic disorder: cognitive-behavioral treatment.

The effectiveness of an integrated treatment program utilizing cognitive-behavioral therapies for Panic Disorder was examined. Treatment was comprised of Cognitive Model of Panic-derived procedures, Cognitive Therapy and Applied Relaxation Training. Subjects meeting DSM-III-R criteria for Panic Disorder received thirteen 2.5-hr sessions of outpatient therapy in small groups, over a 12-week period. Subjects were given an extensive rationale of the etiology, development and maintenance of Panic Disorder, within the framework of the Cognitive Model of Panic, and controlled behavioral experiments in panic evocation to internal panicogenic cues, cognitive reappraisal of somatic and ideational cues, breathing retraining, Applied Relaxation Training and Cognitive Therapy to identify and remediate maladaptive beliefs and dysfunctional cognitive schemas. A comprehensive assessment battery was given at pre-mid-post-treatment which included measures of tripartite functioning, global severity, panic, fear, anxiety, depression and psychiatric symptomatology. Analyses indicated statistically significant improvements across all outcome domains. All subjects were free of spontaneous (uncued) panic attacks at post-treatment, and all met operationalized criteria for high endstate functioning. These findings are discussed, with recommendations for future research.

Adult↗

Quality of life of 125 adults surviving 6-18 years after bone marrow transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies examining the medical and psychosocial sequelae of bone marrow transplantation have reported most survivors do relatively well while a smaller group continues to experience less than optimal quality of life (QOL). Many of these studies are limited by small sample sizes, limited scope, and focus on a narrow (1-4 year) window of survival. METHODS: The descriptive survey examined the QOL, late medical complications, psychological distress, demands of long-term recovery, and health perceptions of 125 adults surviving 6-18 (mean 10) years after marrow transplantation. Seven wide-ranging tests covering 271 items were completed on average in 90 min. Two tests were developed by the authors specifically for assessing QOL in this population. RESULTS: 74% of long-term survivors of bone marrow transplantation reported their current QOL was the same or better than before transplantation, 80% rated their current health status and QOL as good to excellent, and 88% said the benefits of transplantation outweighed the side effects. Ten years or more post-transplantation, long-term survivors continued to experience a moderate incidence of lingering complications and demands, including emotional and sexual dysfunction, fatigue, eye problems, sleep disturbance, general pain and cognitive dysfunction. However, the severity or degree of distress attributed to those complications was, for most survivors, consistently low. Nearly all were back to work or school. Only 5% rated both their QOL and health status as poor. Long-term survivors demonstrated good mood and low psychological distress compared to cancer and population norms, and had the same perceptions as the general population of their current health and expectation of future health. Demands attributed to long-term survival appeared to impose little hardship. The most frequently cited demand of recovery was the perceived lack of social support as time went on. CONCLUSIONS: Almost all long-term survivors were leading full and meaningful lives. Persistent complications were, on the whole, dismissed as relatively trivial and the overwhelming majority viewed themselves as cured and well.

Adult↗

Effect of schizotypy on cognitive performance and its tuning by COMT val158 met genotype variations in a large population of young men.

BACKGROUND: Mirroring schizophrenia, specific dimensions of schizotypy are related to cognitive dysfunction. The relation of schizotypy and state psychopathology to cognitive performance and its link to catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) val(158) met genotype variations was studied in a large sample of young men. METHODS: State psychopathology and schizotypy were assessed with self-rated questionnaires. Cognitive performance was assessed with tests of reasoning ability, sustained attention, and verbal and spatial working memory. Subjects were genotyped for the val(158) met polymorphism of the gene for COMT (low enzymatic activity met/met, intermediate met/val, and high val/val). RESULTS: The val/val group had higher scores in measures of state psychopathology as well as negative and disorganized schizotypy dimensions, whereas there was no effect of COMT genotype on cognitive performance measures. Structural equation modeling showed that cognitive performance accuracy but not speed decreased with increasing negative schizotypy, increased with increasing paranoid schizotypy, and was not affected by state psychopathology. Increasing val loading resulted in a dose-dependent increase in the factor loading for the relation between negative schizotypy and cognitive performance accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Different schizotypal phenotypes had opposing relations to cognitive performance in the population. COMT genotype modulated the relation between the negative schizotypal phenotype and cognitive performance.

Adolescent↗

Ability to counselors to detect cognitive impairment among substance-abusing patients: an examination of diagnostic efficiency.

Counselors (N = 12) in 1 of 2 substance abuse treatment facilities were asked to identify which of their patients (N = 97) had general neurocognitive impairment. Counselors were required to base their judgements on information collected from patients during psychosocial history gathering, clinical interviews, physical examinations, brief cognitive screening tests, and substance abuse severity evaluations, but not on neuropsychological test results. All patients were subsequently administered a neuropsychological test battery. Diagnostic agreement between counselors' impressions of patients' cognitive status and patients' actual neuropsychological test performance was poor. Subsequent analyses revealed counselors' impressions about patients' neuropsychological functioning were based on information that did not reliably discriminate between cognitively impaired and intact patients (e.g., years of education and self-reported symptoms of cognitive dysfunction).

Adult↗

Cognitive recovery from Encephalitis Lethargica.

The cognitive profile and outcome of Encephalitis Lethargica has not been systematically described in the literature. Treatment has typically focused upon medical management. The first case report of a patient with Encephalitis Lethargica who underwent a systematic programme of cognitive rehabilitation is presented. Initial neuropsychological assessment conducted during her acute presentation indicated generalized cognitive dysfunction, including memory and executive function impairments. An outpatient cognitive rehabilitation programme addressed the development of awareness and the remediation of memory and executive function impairments. Repeat assessment indicated significant improvement in cognitive function. The components of her rehabilitation programme are discussed. She has been able to successfully return to her pre-morbid level of work responsibility within 8 months of her admission.

Adult↗

Cognitive function in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder of unknown etiology. Although there was a widely held belief that ALS does not cause cognitive impairment, cognitive function in patients with ALS has received more attention recently. In this paper, we discuss the clinical, neuroanatomical and neuropathological basis for cognitive dysfunction in ALS.

Brain↗

Deletion of the neuron-specific protein delta-catenin leads to severe cognitive and synaptic dysfunction.

Delta-catenin (delta-catenin) is a neuron-specific catenin, which has been implicated in adhesion and dendritic branching. Moreover, deletions of delta-catenin correlate with the severity of mental retardation in Cri-du-Chat syndrome (CDCS), which may account for 1% of all mentally retarded individuals. Interestingly, delta-catenin was first identified through its interaction with Presenilin-1 (PS1), the molecule most frequently mutated in familial Alzheimer's Disease (FAD). We investigated whether deletion of delta-catenin would be sufficient to cause cognitive dysfunction by generating mice with a targeted mutation of the delta-catenin gene (delta-cat(-/-)). We observed that delta-cat(-/-) animals are viable and have severe impairments in cognitive function. Furthermore, mutant mice display a range of abnormalities in hippocampal short-term and long-term synaptic plasticity. Also, N-cadherin and PSD-95, two proteins that interact with delta-catenin, are significantly reduced in mutant mice. These deficits are severe but specific because delta-cat(-/-) mice display a variety of normal behaviors, exhibit normal baseline synaptic transmission, and have normal levels of the synaptic adherens proteins E-cadherin and beta-catenin. These data reveal a critical role for delta-catenin in brain function and may have important implications for understanding mental retardation syndromes such as Cri-du-Chat and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, that are characterized by cognitive decline.

Analysis of Variance↗

Acute hypoglycemia in humans causes attentional dysfunction while nonverbal intelligence is preserved.

OBJECTIVE: Experimentally induced hypoglycemia in humans causes progressive but reversible cognitive dysfunction, but it is not known to what extent neuropsychological tests index abilities of cognitive functioning that are important in everyday life. This study examines the effects of acute insulin-induced hypoglycemia on attention and intelligence in nondiabetic humans. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A hyperinsulinemic glucose clamp was used to achieve controlled euglycemia (4.50 [0.22] mmol/l) and hypoglycemia (blood glucose 2.59 [0.19] mmol/l) in 20 healthy volunteers. Subjects were studied on two occasions in a counterbalanced order. During each study condition, subjects completed parallel tests of cognitive function. Cognitive function was assessed by the Test of Everyday Attention and Raven's Progressive Matrices. RESULTS: Hypoglycemia induced a significant deterioration in tests sensitive to both visual and auditory selective attention. During hypoglycemia, attentional flexibility deteriorated and speed of information processing was delayed. Sustained attention was preserved and intelligence scores did not deteriorate during hypoglycemia. CONCLUSIONS: During hypoglycemia, a significant deterioration occurs in attentional abilities, whereas fluid intelligence is preserved. On the basis of these results, it can be surmised that many complex attention tasks relevant to everyday life are impaired during moderate hypoglycemia.

Adult↗