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Results for “Cognitive functioning”

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At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

PubMed1992

Cognitive function--victim of disease or hostage to treatment?

In persons suffering from epilepsy, cognitive functioning may be compromised for various reasons, including--first and foremost--the learning and behavioral effects of the conditions causing the epilepsy. In addition, the epilepsy itself may cause changes in the nervous system through the metabolic and excitotoxic effects of the seizures and the neurotransmitter elements involved at the membrane level. The effect of the treatment modality, be it pharmacologic or surgical, may also play havoc with cognitive function. The neurobehavioral effects of antiepileptic drugs, although probably less important with the newer agents than in the past, must be considered, especially in polypharmacy, as recent reports have indicated. With increasing data, the effects of various surgical procedures on the cognitive elements of human behavior are becoming better recognized.

Anticonvulsants↗

PubMed1991

Reversed lateralization of cognitive functions in right handers. Exceptions to classical aphasiology.

Most current and past research on the cerebral organization of cognitive functions has presupposed certain specialized hemisphere operations. At least for right handers, language and praxis are to be organized in the left hemisphere, while affective prosody, configurational spatial capacity, and global attention are lateralized in the right hemisphere. Deviations from these presuppositions, as in crossed aphasics and perhaps left handers, are generally considered to be 'exceptions' and either to disprove the rules or to be irrelevant to the rule. We report 4 very 'exceptional' cases, right handers with almost entirely reversed lateralization of functions. Analysis of the intrahemispheric relationships between functions suggests that there may be a specific neurobiology to the interrelationships between and among cognitive functions, handedness, and the intrahemisphere localization of the function.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Stress and cognitive function.

Stress affects cognition in a number of ways, acting rapidly via catecholamines and more slowly via glucocorticoids. Catecholamine actions involve beta adrenergic receptors and also availability of glucose, whereas glucocorticoids biphasically modulate synaptic plasticity over hours and also produce longer-term changes in dendritic structure that last for weeks. Prolonged exposure to stress leads to loss of neurons, particularly in the hippocampus. Recent evidence suggests that the glucocorticoid- and stress-related cognitive impairments involving declarative memory are probably related to the changes they effect in the hippocampus, whereas the stress-induced catecholamine effects on emotionally laden memories are postulated to involve structures such as the amgydala.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Sensory-motor and cognitive functioning in children who have undergone bone marrow transplantation.

Sensory-motor and cognitive functioning was investigated in a group of 32 children treated with bone marrow transplantation (BMT), 1-6 years after treatment. Twenty-five of the patients had suffered from leukemia. The BMT procedure had involved a regimen of cytostatic drugs and, for leukemia patients, total body irradiation at a dose of 10 Gy, administered in one session. Cytostatic drugs and irradiation are known to be potentially neurotoxic, particularly when combined. The examination involved four neuropsychological tests of sensory-motor and cognitive functioning, as well as an age-appropriate intelligence test. For control the bone marrow donors (n = 32), siblings of the patients, were also investigated. A pronounced delay in motor development was found in four children, who had been treated with BMT including total body irradiation before 3 years of age. Patients between 3 and 11 years of age at BMT were at a slight disadvantage, compared to donors, on tasks involving perceptual and fine motor speed. In older patients no deficits were observed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Care for demented patients in different living conditions. Effects on cognitive function, ADL-capacity and behaviour.

OBJECTIVE: To assess if and how demented patients' living conditions affect their level of functioning. DESIGN: A prospective concurrent control-study. SETTING: Sundsvall, an industrial community in the middle of Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-six demented patients in group-living (GL-group) and 62 controls (C-group). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Cognitive function, ADL-capacity and behaviour were measured every third month during one year. RESULTS: Both groups deteriorated, but the decline was significantly slower in the GL-group regarding some ADL-functions, e.g. dressing and motor functions, whereas some behavioural disturbances were significantly more frequent in the GL-group. No differences were observed regarding the level of cognitive function. CONCLUSION: The living condition has small effects on cognitive function and ADL-capacity. The behavioural disturbances observed in GL should be the focus of future research.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1991

Brain somatostatin: receptor-coupled transducing mechanisms and role in cognitive functions.

In recent years there has been an increased interest in understanding the role of somatostatin in the brain. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the anatomical distribution of somatostatin and its receptors, the receptor-coupling mechanisms and the somatostatinergic modulation of cognitive functions. Somatostatin is also highly concentrated in the extra-hypothalamic areas of the brain, including the frontal and parietal cortex and the hippocampus. At these locations somatostatin may play a fundamental role in the modulation of cognitive functions. Activation of somatostatin receptors in the brain results in an inhibition of adenylate cyclase enzyme activity, reduction in intracellular Ca2+ levels and hypopolarization of cells by inducing outward K+ currents. Biological studies on the effects of increased brain somatostatin showed a facilitation in learning behavioural tasks, while brain somatostatin depletion by cysteamine caused memory loss. These observations, along with the severe somatostatinergic neurotransmission impairment demonstrated in Alzheimer's patients, strongly suggest a fundamental role for somatostatin in the modulation of cognitive functions.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

Antiepileptic drugs, cognitive function, and behavior in children.

In conclusion, it should be repeated that behavioral and cognitive functions in children with epilepsy, as in adults, represent the outcome of multifactorial processes. However, interest has been growing in the role of anticonvulsant drugs as an important variable. Studies in adults have clearly shown the impact of these drugs on both cognitive function and behavior, and the beneficial effects of achieving monotherapy, especially with carbamazepine, have been noted. Extrapolation of these results to children would seem reasonable, and there is some evidence in the literature to support this conclusion. Data in children, however, are complicated by several confounding factors. These include the status of the child under investigation; for example, children with a pre-existing behavior disorder appear to be more susceptible to developing grossly disturbed behavior with medications such as phenobarbital, as opposed to those who at pretreatment assessment do not display abnormalities. Mentally retarded children may be another group specifically susceptible to developing problems with medications. The effect of the anticonvulsant drug on seizure frequency is a complicating variable in interpretation of many investigations: in some patients improvement of seizures leads to improved behavior, while in others the opposite occurs. In some children, behavior exacerbations appear to be provoked by the sudden cessation of seizures, which may occur, for example, in forced normalization associated with barbiturates or benzodiazepines. Serum level monitoring is often not possible in childhood studies because of ethical considerations, and interpreting pharmacokinetic interactions from mere knowledge of orally prescribed agents is hazardous.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Anticonvulsants↗

PubMed1992

[The effect of dihydroergocristine on cognitive functions and sleep in elderly subjects].

The aim of this study was to assess the effect induced by the dopamine agonist dihydroergocristine (DHEC, CAS 17479-19-5), whose memory-improving activity is well-known, on sleep pattern and cognitive function, and the possible relationship between them. Ten elderly volunteers were included in the study. Selected subjects had to be neither demented nor depressed, according to neuropsychodiagnostic criteria (SCAG < 30, Hachinski dementia score < or = 15, Hachinski ischemic score < 6, HRSD < or = 22). All subjects underwent a nightly polysomnographic evaluation during placebo, after single and long-term once-daily 6 mg DHEC administration. Cognitive function and attention were also assessed by the Randt memory test and WAIS digit-symbol subtest. DHEC caused a marked and significant increase in the acquisition subitem, and memory improvement was documented during DHEC treatment. A significant direct relationship between the effect of DHEC on REM sleep and memory test was also evidenced. Our results confirmed the role of REM sleep in the restoration of cognitive function.

Aged↗

PubMed1987

Magnetic resonance imaging and cognitive functioning in multiple sclerosis.

The relationship between cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis and brain lesions seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was studied. Three groups of 11 patients with multiple sclerosis, matched for the variables of disability, duration of illness, age and sex, were included. On the basis of neuropsychological testing, the groups were seen to differ in their level of cognitive impairment. The first group showed no cognitive impairment, the second group a moderate, and the third group a serious cognitive impairment. These differences between the groups were reflected by MRI, which revealed more abnormalities in the groups with cognitive impairment compared with the group with normal cognitive function. However, by MRI it was not possible to distinguish between the groups with moderate and that with serious cognitive impairment.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of vigabatrin on cognitive function and mood when used as add-on therapy in patients with intractable epilepsy.

Cognitive function and mood of patients with epilepsy who received 2 g/day vigabatrin (GVG) in addition to their usual antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) was assessed on two occasions: before start of treatment (baseline) and 4 weeks after start of treatment. A battery of selected psychological tasks measuring attention, mental speed, motor speed, central cognitive processing, and perceptuomotor performance was used, along with standardized, objective mood assessments. A comparison group (n = 15) of patients receiving stable medication was also tested to evaluate practice effects of the psychometric tests. Administration of 2 g/day GVG significantly decreased response time on a test of central cognitive processing ability (arithmetic). No adverse effect was noted on any other test of cognitive function or mood.

Adult↗

PubMed2026

Association between pulse pressure and markers of cognitive function: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Our aim was to systematically review and meta-analyse evidence on the association between pulse pressure (PP) and cognitive function using PubMed, PsycInfo, Embase and Scopus (inception-July 2025) publication databases. Studies were included if they reported an association between PP and cognitive function and summarized narratively and by performing fixed-effects meta-analysis. The search identified 4171 publications with 43 studies meeting inclusion criteria. Domains assessed included global cognition, memory, language, attention, executive function, processing speed and visuospatial ability. Meta-analysis suggests a positive association between PP and global cognition, and a negative association with memory in both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies with inconsistent findings from narratively summarized studies. Processing speed, executive function and language negatively associated with PP in cross-sectional studies with limited evidence provided by longitudinal studies or narratively summarized studies. There was limited evidence of an association with attention and visuospatial ability.

Humans↗

PubMed1982

Non-MAOI antidepressant drugs and cognitive functions: a review.

Little is known about the effects of non-MAOI antidepressants on cognitive functions, despite their wide application to ambulant patients. Evidence from studies involving healthy volunteers suggests that differences exist between drugs, with imipramine, amitriptyline and mianserin being associated with the most marked detrimental effects. However, these findings have generally not been supported by the few studies using clinical populations, for which improvements in cognitive functions are often recorded following treatment. The reasons for this discrepancy are discussed, and the need for further research suggested.

Amitriptyline↗

PubMed1994

Cerebral white matter lesions, vascular risk factors, and cognitive function in a population-based study: the Rotterdam Study.

Cerebral white matter lesions are a common finding on MRI in elderly persons. We studied the prevalence of white matter lesions and their relation with classic cardiovascular risk factors, thrombogenic factors, and cognitive function in an age- and gender-stratified random sample from the general population that consisted of 111 subjects 65 to 84 years of age. Overall, 27% of subjects had white matter lesions. The prevalence and severity of lesions increased with age. A history of stroke or myocardial infarction, factor VIIc activity, and fibrinogen level were each significantly and independently associated with the presence of white matter lesions. Significant relations with blood pressure level, hypertension, and plasma cholesterol were present only for subjects aged 65 to 74 years. White matter lesions tended to be associated with lower scores on tests of cognitive function and were significantly associated with subjective mental decline. This study suggests that classic cardiovascular risk factors, as well as thrombogenic factors, are associated with white matter lesions in subjects over 65 years of age in the general population, and that these lesions may be related to cognitive function.

Aged↗

PubMed1991

Relation of blood pressure to cognitive function in the elderly.

Clinical case-control studies of the relation between blood pressure and cognitive function have generally found lower function among hypertensives. Most of these studies were small and incompletely controlled for confounders. Two population-based studies have yielded conflicting results. This study examines cognitive function over the entire range of blood pressure in a defined elderly population. A questionnaire administered in the home to 3,809 persons aged greater than or equal to 65 years in East Boston, Massachusetts, in 1982 and 1983 contained four brief cognitive tests: immediate memory, delayed memory, a mental status questionnaire, and digit span. In linear regression analyses adjusting for age, sex, and education, the direction of the association was not consistent among the tests. An increase in diastolic pressure of 10 mmHg was associated with an increase of 1.0 in percentile scores on the immediate memory test (95% confidence interval (CI) -0.04 to 1.9); with an increase of 1.1 in percentile scores on the delayed memory test (95% CI -0.1 to 2.3); with a decrease of -0.8 in percentile scores on the mental status questionnaire (95% CI -1.8 to 0.2); and with a decrease of -0.9 in percentile scores on the attention test (95% CI -1.5 to -0.2). These results suggest that blood pressure is not a substantial contributor to cognitive status in the elderly.

Aged↗

PubMed1977

Drinking practices and cognitive functioning.

The relationships between drinking practices and cognitive functioning were examined in a non-patient sample. Neither the amount of alcohol consumed over a lifetime nor current frequency of drinking occasions was significantly (ps greater than .05) correlated with cognitive test scores. However, the quantity of alcohol consumed per drinking occasion was inversely related to performance on tests of abstraction, adaptive abilities and concept formation. The results suggest that social drinking may have deleterious effects on cognitive processes.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

The role of acetylcholine in the cognitive function of frontal neurons in monkeys.

To study the role of acetylcholine (ACh) in the cognitive function of frontal lobes, ACh and atropine were applied iontophoretically to the task-related neurons recorded from an area around the superior ramus of arcuate sulcus in the frontal cortex of 4 rhesus monkeys during the performance of two tasks. The spontaneous discharges and task-related responses of most of the neurons which increased their discharge rate in the delay and differentiation periods of the discrimination response go/no-go task and in the cue and delay periods of the delayed discrimination go/no-go task, were further increased during the application of ACh and suppressed during atropine. These results suggest that ACh may be involved in the excitatory process of the activity of the neurons in the above-mentioned area of frontal cortex to play an important role in the cognitive functions of attention, discrimination and short-term memory.

Acetylcholine↗

PubMed1992

The impact of pacemaker implantation on cognitive functioning in elderly patients.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and quantify the impact of pacemaker implantation on cognitive functioning in the elderly. DESIGN: Prospective case-control, non-randomized trial. Data were collected from clinical and family interviews and from a psychological test battery. SETTING: Pacemaker clinic in a tertiary care hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Nineteen elderly (65+ years) patients undergoing new or replacement pacemaker implantation for dysrhythmias and volunteer controls matched for age, sex, and short Mental Status Questionnaire test results, without dysrhythmia or intervention. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Subjective and clinical impressions based on family interviews; results of psychological test battery before and 6-12 months after pacemaker implantation. RESULTS: Prior to pacemaker implantation, three patients met DSM-III criteria for dementia and two for delirium. Paced patients demonstrated deficiency in immediate memory, language, memory for less structured information, and learning of abstract materials. These deficits were due primarily to the poor performance of patients with complete heart block. Despite clinical and subjective impressions of improvement, there was no change in psychologic test performance subsequent to pacemaker implantation. CONCLUSIONS: Impaired cognitive functioning is not always clinically apparent but appears common in patients with cardiac dysrhythmias; it is not altered 6-12 months after pacemaker implantation.

Aged↗

PubMed1987

Effects of anterior temporal lobectomy on cognitive function.

Sixty-three patients with intractable partial complex epilepsy were treated by anterior temporal lobectomy for seizure control. Psychometric studies before and after operation documented cognitive function and evaluated the effects of operation on cognition. The mean follow-up period was 7.7 months. Sixty-two of 63 patients had improved seizure control; 49 (78%) were seizure free. Operation had different effects on cognitive abilities in those with right vs. left temporal lobe excisions. Although both groups maintained summary IQ scores in the average range, after operation the left temporal group was less efficient on language-dependent cognitive tasks, particularly those that involved complex learning and memory. In contrast, persons who had right temporal ablations were either unchanged or slightly better cognitively after operation. Future research and clinical evaluations should focus on the components of the learning and memory processes when the ramifications of temporal lobe ablations on cognitive function are studied.

Adult↗