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PubMedDate not supplied

Does endogenous zinc protoporphyrin modulate carbon monoxide formation from heme? Implications for long-term potentiation, memory, and cognitive function.

Carbon monoxide, which is formed endogenously from heme catabolism catalyzed by heme oxygenase and shares some of the chemical and biological properties of nitric oxide, may play a similar role as a widespread signal transduction mechanism for the regulation of cell function and communication. Zinc protoporphyrin, an inhibitor of heme oxygenase, prevents induction of long-term potentiation. Zinc protoporphyrin is an endogenous substance and we suggest that it has a physiological role, by modulating heme oxygenase activity and, therefore, formation of carbon monoxide from heme. This in turn would modulate long-term potentiation, memory, and cognitive function.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Cognitive functions in survivors of primary central nervous system lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: The standard treatment for primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) involves high-dose methotrexate-based (MTX) chemotherapy and whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT). This combined regimen prolongs patient survival, but also carries a substantial risk for delayed neurotoxicity particularly in the elderly. However, cognitive outcome evaluations have not been included in most clinical trials. OBJECTIVE: To assess cognitive functioning and quality of life in PCNSL survivors treated either with WBRT +/- MTX-based chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone. METHODS: Twenty-eight PCNSL patients in disease remission received a post-treatment baseline neuropsychological evaluation, and a subset of patients were available for an 8-month follow-up evaluation. Assessment of quality of life and extent of white matter disease on MRI were also performed. RESULTS: Patients displayed mild to moderate impairments across several cognitive domains. These were of sufficient severity to reduce quality of life in half of the patient sample. Comparisons according to treatment type revealed more pronounced cognitive impairment, particularly in the memory and attention/executive domains, among patients treated with WBRT +/- chemotherapy. Extent of white matter disease correlated with attention/executive, memory, and language impairment. CONCLUSIONS: PCNSL survivors treated with WBRT +/- chemotherapy displayed more pronounced cognitive dysfunction than patients treated with MTX-based chemotherapy alone.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Effect of hospital in the home treatment on physical and cognitive function: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Hospitalization for acute illness is associated with higher rates of mortality and morbidity, as well as functional decline, for older patients. We have previously shown that treatment in Hospital in the Home (HITH) results in less confusion and fewer bowel and bladder problems for these patients. However, it is not clear what impact HITH has on physical and cognitive function. METHODS: One hundred patients (mean age 70) presenting to the emergency department and assessed by a senior doctor to require admission were randomized to be treated in hospital or at home. We measured the Barthel index, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) index, and Mental Status Questionnaire (MSQ) on admission and at discharge. RESULTS: The HITH-treated group improved in the IADL and MSQ indices, whereas the hospital-treated group improved only in the MSQ. The improvement in IADL scores remained significant after adjusting for age, sex, living arrangements, development of confusion, and length of stay. CONCLUSIONS: HITH offers a safe option for treatment of older patients with a functional advantage over in-hospital care.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1993

HIV-related ocular microangiopathic syndrome and cognitive functioning.

Ocular microangiopathic syndrome is found frequently in patients with AIDS or severe HIV infection. Symptoms of this microvascular syndrome can include cotton-wool spots, hemorrhages, and Roth's spots. The clinical and functional significance of HIV-related ocular microangiopathic syndrome has not been clarified as yet. The objective of this study was to evaluate a possible association between HIV-related ocular microangiopathic syndrome and cognitive functioning. Thirty-seven patients infected with HIV (24 with AIDS) underwent ophthalmological and neuropsychological examination. HIV-related ocular microangiopathic syndrome was measured by counting the number of cotton-wool spots in both eyes. Neuropsychological examination included five standardized tests, with the first three primarily measuring function of short-term memory; these tests were as follows: the Auditory-Verbal Learning Test, the Benton Test, the Stroop Colour Word Test, the Trail-Making Part B test, and the Vocabulary for Measuring Premorbid Intelligence test. HIV-related ocular microangiopathic syndrome was found in 15 patients with AIDS (62.5%), and in one patient, staged Walter Reed 5. In 10 patients, one eye was affected (mean count of cotton-wool spots 1.5). In six patients, both eyes were affected (mean count of cotton-wool spots 7.0). Univariate correlations between the number of cotton-wool spots in both eyes and test scores were as follows: Auditory-Verbal Learning Test: 0.56 (p < 0.001); Benton Test: 0.51 (p < 0.001); Stroop Colour and Word: 0.50 (p < 0.001); Trail-Making Part B: 0.15 (not significant); Vocabulary for Measuring Premorbid Intelligence: -0.05 (not significant). Multiple correlation between the test scores and the number of cotton-wool spots was 0.70 (p < 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Mediation of cognitive function by high fat diet following stress and inflammation.

In addition to commonly advertised hazards of obesity contributed by excess dietary fat, evidence of alterations in brain chemistry and structure are well documented. This brief review examines the role of nutrients, minerals and certain lipids, primarily the essential fatty acids (FA), that are beneficial to the maintenance of good health and that may offer therapeutic options by dietary supplementation. The review also considers the damaging effects of stress, especially in pre-existing conditions of obesity and diabetes, as studied in both animals and humans. The main focus of this brief review is to examine the effects of a high fat diet on stress and the immune system with particular emphasis on brain and cognitive function.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Double-blind comparative study of the action of repeated administration of milnacipran versus placebo on cognitive functions in healthy volunteers.

OBJECTIVE: The principal objective was to compare the effects of milnacipran, an antidepressant characterized by a dual-action on serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake, with placebo on memory, attention and psychomotor performance in healthy volunteers. The secondary objective was to evaluate the effects of milnacipran on mood, anxiety and vigilance in these subjects. METHODS: In a double-blind crossover randomized trial, milnacipran (50 mg b.d.) or placebo was administered during two periods of 7 days separated by a washout period of 7 days. Memory tests (recall of words, images and coloured bars), tests to evaluate attention and vigilance (squares test, critical flicker fusion test and choice reaction time test) and visual analogue scales for affect and sleep were used. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between milnacipran and placebo groups with respect to the psychomotor functions tested. No differences were observed in the Norris scales for vigilance, anxiety or satisfaction or in the sleep questionnaire (sleep latency, sleep quality and waking). CONCLUSION: Milnacipran, administered at 100 mg per day for 7 days to healthy volunteers, had no effects on cognitive functions.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Changes in cognitive function performance in patients after anesthesia].

This study evaluates the mental performance of 112 patients (ASA grade 1 and 2) submitted to Orthopaedic, Urologic, Gynecologic, General and ENT surgery in Santo Antonio General Hospital. These patients received different types of anaesthesia: General Balanced Anaesthesia--GBA (n = 80), Total Intravenous Anaesthesia--TIVA (n = 17) and Regional Anaesthesia--RA (n = 15). Cognitive function was tested using the mini mental state test (MMS), which was done 24 hours before and 24 hours after anaesthesia. There was a high correlation between pre and postoperative MMS scores (R = 0.94). Patients in the GBA group show a significant (p < 0.001) decrease in cognitive performance 24 hours after surgery in comparison to the preoperative test. No differences were observed between the pre and postoperative MMS tests in the TIVA and RA groups.

Adult↗

PubMed1987

Neuronal antibodies and cognitive function in systemic lupus erythematosus.

The pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric lupus (NP-SLE) is unclear, but may involve vasculopathy, antibodies against nervous system tissue, or both. A major difficulty in determining the significance of antineuronal antibodies in NP-SLE has been lack of consistent clinical diagnostic approaches. By utilizing a new clinical classification of NP-SLE, neuropsychological assessments, and an assay for IgG antineuronal antibodies, we have found a significant association between antibody-positivity and cognitive impairment or nonfocal NP-SLE. These observations indicate that antineuronal antibodies may play a role in NP-SLE and emphasize the clinical importance of cognitive function in patients with SLE.

Autoantibodies↗

PubMed2005

A "deficient environment" in prenatal life may compromise systems important for cognitive function by affecting BDNF in the hippocampus.

The intrauterine environment has the capacity to mold the prenatal nervous system. Particularly, recent findings show that an adverse prenatal environment produces structural defects of the hippocampus, a critical area sub-serving learning and memory functions. These structural changes are accompanied by a disruption in the normal expression pattern of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its cognate tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) receptor. The important role that the BDNF system plays in neural modeling and learning and memory processes suggests that fetal exposure to unfavorable intrauterine conditions may compromise proper cognitive function in adult life. These findings have implications for disorders that involve a dysfunction in the BDNF system and are accompanied by cognitive deficits.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Gestational hypothyroxinemia and cognitive function in offspring.

The effects of gestational hypothyroxinemia on the neurointellectual prognosis of children in the first year of life living in an industrial city (megalopolis) with mild iodine deficiency were studied in 13 children of mothers with thyroid hormone-corrected gestational hypothyroxinemia in the first trimester and 10 children of mothers with normal levels of free thyroxine by assessing cognitive functions at ages six, nine, and 12 months using the Gnome mental development scale. The results showed that maternal free thyroxine levels at the early stages (5-9 weeks) of pregnancy correlated significantly with the coefficients of mental development among the children at ages 6, 9, and 12 months, i.e., represented one of the factors defining the neuropsychological development of offspring. Early (not later than nine weeks) correction of gestational hypothyroxinemia with levothyroxine at a mean daily dose of at lest 1.2 microg/kg improved the neurointellectual prognosis of the offspring, increasing the coefficient of mental development of children to 92-97 points during the first year of life, i.e., to the level of development of mental functions of children born to mothers with normal thyroxine levels.

Child Development↗

PubMed1994

Stability of cognitive functioning early in the course of schizophrenia.

This study evaluated the longitudinal course of neuropsychological deficits in a group of patients with new or recent onset schizophrenia. Thirty-five inpatients with DSM-III-R diagnoses of schizophrenia were administered a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests during their index hospitalization, and either 1 or 2 years after intake. Cognitive function remained stable in most domains, including motor speed, verbal and nonverbal memory, and verbal learning. Significant improvement in neuropsychological performance was observed on a task of complex attention (Trails B) and a set response shifting task (Stroop). These improvements were correlated with changes in clinical symptoms, but not with changes in medication dose. These findings suggest that most of the neuropsychological functioning in schizophrenia is stable over the first few years of the illness. Moreover, those neuropsychological deficits that remain unchanging appear to be independent of significant change in clinical symptoms, suggesting they may be a trait of the illness. However, a small subset of functions such as complex attention and response inhibition appear to fluctuate with time, and in particular, with clinical symptomatology, and may be considered 'state' dependent.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Effect of overtime work on cognitive function in automotive workers.

OBJECTIVE: The present investigation examined whether increased overtime work predicts impairment in cognitive performance in the domains of attention, executive function, and mood. METHODS: The behavioral and cognitive functions of 248 automotive workers were measured by a neurobehavioral test performance. Overtime, defined as number of hours worked greater than 8 h a day or greater than 5 d a week, was calculated from company payroll records for the week before the test day. The number of consecutive days worked before the test day was also determined. RESULTS: Cross-sectional data analysis by multiple linear regression, after adjustment for the effects of age, education, gender, alcohol intake, repeated grade in school, acute petroleum naphtha exposure, shift worked, job type, number of consecutive days worked before the test day, and number of hours worked on the test day before the testing, demonstrated that increased overtime was significantly associated with impaired performance on several tests of attention and executive function. Increased feelings of depression, fatigue, and confusion were also associated with increased overtime work. In addition significant interaction effects were observed for job type but not for naphtha exposure. CONCLUSIONS: The findings support the hypothesis that overtime work results in impaired cognitive performance in the areas of attention and executive function and that both overtime hours and the number of consecutive days worked prior to a test day affect mood.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Progress in cardiovascular diseases: cognitive function in essential hypertension.

Essential hypertension has rather recently become recognized as a major factor in the development of the 2 main types of dementia, that is, no longer merely vascular dementia but Alzheimer disease as well. The relationship between high blood pressure (BP) and the dementias is quite a complicated one, given a wide variability in temporal courses. The interval between the respective manifestations of hypertension and cognitive deterioration may vary from a few years to several decades. Moreover, temporal relationships may be obscured because of the observation that BP tends to fall in the face of imminent Alzheimer disease. Although the cause-and-effect sequence of this relationship has not been established, it may suggest that a low BP in this phase of life could be equally harmful as hypertension in the preceding period. Individual monitoring of BP and drug titration in the hypertensive elderly may well become mandatory in the highest age group. The question whether some antihypertensive drug categories might act more effectively in preventing cognitive deterioration than others, irrespective of their antihypertensive potential, remains. A modest meta-analysis on our part seems to suggest that suppression of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) would fail to offer such protection, in contrast to certain dihydropyridine (DHP) calcium-channel blockers. Unfortunately, recently published comparative prospective megatrials (Anti-hypertensive and Lipid-lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial and Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial-Blood Pressure Lowering Arm) failed to carry any record on the mental status of the study populations, thereby missing a golden opportunity to resolve the above issue. Consequently, there remains an urgent need for further blinded long-term comparative hypertension trials, including follow-up evaluation of cognitive functions in relation to the course of BP.

Aged↗

PubMed1995

Dental amalgam and cognitive function in older women: findings from the Nun Study.

The authors determined the number and surface area of occlusal dental amalgams in a group of 129 Roman Catholic sisters who were 75 to 102 years of age. Findings from this study of women with relatively homogeneous adult lifestyles and environments suggest that existing amalgams are not associated with lower performance on eight different tests of cognitive function.

Aged↗

PubMed2006