The present study was designed to assess the neuropsychological test performances of non-concussed female and male high school athletes of different ages in high and low contact sports. Large samples of 2,510 high school athletes in High Contact sports (e.g., football) and 1,437 in Low Contact sports (e.g., basketball) were examined. The participants were administered a baseline Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) prior to their respective seasons. Multivariate linear regression showed that the High Contact athletes had significantly poorer results than the Low Contact athletes in all four ImPACT Composite scores and the Total Symptom scores. No age differences were found, but in all three age groups, the High Contact athletes had lower Visual Motor Speed scores than the Low Contact athletes. No test score differences were noted between the females in the High and Low Contact groups, but the High Contact males had poorer Visual Motor Speed and Reaction Time than the Low Contact males. The present results were consistent with prior studies of subconcussive head trauma, with High Contact athletes obtaining overall poorer neuropsychological test results than Low Contact athletes. More investigations in this age group seems is warranted.

Sleep problems and executive dysfunction are associated with functional impairment in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. In this study, we aimed to investigate these aspects in children with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) and SLD with comorbid Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), while also evaluating differences with typically developing (TD) children. Our study hypothesizes that children with SLD, especially those with comorbid ADHD, face greater sleep disturbances and executive function challenges compared to TD peers. We also propose that sleep disturbances aggravate functional impairment and that executive functions mediate this relationship. The data obtained from psychiatric evaluations, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires filled out by parents were analyzed. SLD + ADHD group had worse scores in all scales, followed by SLD and TD groups. Mediator analysis demonstrated that executive functions had a mediator role in the relationship between sleep problems and functional impairment. Our findings suggest that children with SLD experience more significant difficulties in daily living than their typically developing peers and having ADHD comorbidity, poor executive functions, and additional sleep problems can further exacerbate impairment. Notably, our mediation analysis suggests that executive functions mediate the relationship between sleep disturbances and the severity of functional impairments.

Methamphetamine is a substance that causes neurotoxicity and its use is increasing in recent years. Literature highlights cognitive impairment resulting from Methamphetamine use. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the relationship between cognitive impairment and inflammatory processes in adolescents with Methamphetamine use disorder. The study included 69 adolescents aged 15-19 years, comprising 37 participants with Methamphetamine Use Disorder and 32 healthy controls. Central Nervous System Vital Signs was used to detect cognitive impairment. Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-33 and The Children's Depression Inventory scales were used. In addition, venous blood was collected from the volunteers. Biochemical parameters (IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF-a, BDNF, FAM19A5, TAS, TOS) were analyzed. Our study showed that (I) IL-6 and TNF-a levels of Methamphetamine users were lower than the healthy group; (II) BDNF levels of Methamphetamine users were higher than the healthy group; (III) mean Neurocognitive Index in cognitive tests of Methamphetamine using adolescents was negatively correlated with duration of Methamphetamine use and BDNF levels. Our study suggests that Methamphetamine use may have a negative effect on cognitive functions.