Cognitive Consequences Research Articles

Education is necessary but not sufficient for addressing disparities in concussion knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions

ABSTRACT Introduction Concussion leads to immediate cognitive, physiological, psychological, and emotional consequences that, if left untreated, may persist resulting in longer-term effects. Concussion education programs provide students with the knowledge necessary for them to make an informed decision to seek care should an injury occur. Methods In this observational cohort study, youth participating in public middle or high school athletics in a suburban county in Pennsylvania were asked to complete a survey to assess their concussion knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions before and after concussion education. Results All students increased scores from pre- to posteducation (mean difference, 0.08 to 0.67). Students from noncontact sports, higher grades, and higher Child Opportunity Index (COI) schools tended to have higher scores both before and after concussion education compared to students from contact sports, lower grades, or lower COI schools. Discussion Disparities were identified before and after the educational intervention between sport participation, grade level, and schools with different COI. Although concussion education was successful, with students showing improvement in all questions related to concussion knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions, this study identifies a need for the development of more equitable educational support systems. Understanding these differences may provide opportunities for targeted educational strategies, which might result in improved outcomes for younger athletes, those participating in contact sports, and those from lower COI schools.

Anatomical Connectivity Constrains Dynamic Functional Connectivity among Neural Systems: Implications for Cognition and Behavior

Abstract Leslie Ungerleider had a tremendous impact across many different areas of cognitive neuroscience. Her ideas and her approach, as well as her findings, will continue to impact the field for generations to come. One of the most impactful aspects of her approach was her focus on the ways that anatomical connections constrain functional communications among brain regions. Furthermore, she emphasized that changes in these functional communications, whether from lesions to the anatomical connections or temporary modulations of the efficacy of information transmission resulting from selective attention, have consequences for cognition and behavior. By necessity, this short review cannot cover the vast amount of research that contributed to or benefited from Leslie's work. Rather, we focus on one line of research that grew directly from some of Leslie's early work and her mentoring on these important concepts. This research and the many other lines of research that arose from these same origins has helped develop our understanding of the visual system, and cognitive systems more generally, as collections of highly organized, specialized, dynamic, and interacting subsystems.

ProtAct-Us from serious injuries with long-term consequences

Abstract Battling serious injuries and long-term consequences in road traffic remains one important issue in the overall goal of resilient future road transport and its Vision Zero. Challenges of increasing personal transport in urban areas coupled with autonomous vehicles and shuttles, new mobility devices and the overall need to ensure the safety of vulnerable road users as well as all types of vehicle occupants’ require solid medical background knowledge paired with innovative engineering approaches. EU Horizon Europe is currently funding the ProtAct-Us consortium (2024-2027) that aims at protecting all Road User Groups from serious injury and long-term physical, cognitive and mental health consequences related to road crashes through innovatively interlinked research action between medical and engineering methods and approaches. ProtAct-Us works on the following goals and challenges: i) Medical data correlation, standardisation and classification of long-term consequences of road crashes; ii) Robust and reliable medical, epidemiological and engineering tools like agreed methods to collect information on long-term consequences, upgraded Human Body Models and virtual assessment methods for the extremities, head, neck and face allowing for effective countermeasure development for all road users; iii) Reduction of long-term consequences and related socio-economic cost of road crash related injuries for all road users. The ProtAct-Us solutions will influence new standards in respect of extending current injury codification system with relevant long-term aspects, allowing new physical as well as virtual safety assessment procedures and adaption of rules and regulations to be implemented. Finally, scientifically well-founded suggestion for future implementation into policy, regulatory, and standardization guidelines for an inclusive safety improvement approach for in- as well as post-crash will be provided.

Behavioral and Cognitive Consequences of Spreading Depolarizations: A Translational Scoping Review.

Spreading depolarizations (SDs) are self-propagating waves of mass depolarization that cause silencing of brain activity and have the potential to impact brain function and behavior. In the eight decades following their initial discovery in 1944, numerous publications have studied the cellular and molecular underpinning of SDs, but fewer have focused on the impact of SDs on behavior and cognition. It is now known that SDs occur in more than 60% of patients with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), and their presence is associated with poor 6-month outcomes. Since cognitive dysfunction is a key component of TBI pathology and recovery, understanding the impact of SDs on behavior and cognition is an important step in developing diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. This study summarizes the known behavioral and cognitive consequences of SDs based on historical studies on awake animals, recent experimental paradigms, and modern clinical examples. This scoping review showcases our current understanding of the impact of SDs on cognition and behavior and highlights the need for continued research on the consequences of SDs.

Recommendations and future perspective for follow-up and rehabilitation after surviving cardiac arrest

Cardiac arrest (CA) survivorship is associated with risk of cognitive deficits, emotional and social consequences. Early recognition of these symptoms and referral to rehabilitation is considered to be the fifth link in the chain of survival. This review highlights the need for a national standardized care plan for CA survivors based on a multidisciplinary approach. A patient-tailored law-bound rehabilitation form is essential to proper services in Denmark and should be mandatory. Further research within different rehabilitation areas following CA is warranted to support clinical practice.

Slight and hidden hearing loss in young rats is associated with impaired recognition memory and reduced myelination in the corpus callosum.

Slight and hidden hearing loss in children have been linked to cognitive and social difficulties, and yet the neurobiological mechanisms behind these issues remain poorly understood. Most animal models focus on severe hearing loss, leaving the effects of hidden or slight hearing loss largely unexplored. To uncover the neural mechanisms connecting slight/hidden hearing loss to cognitive and social challenges, we induced hearing loss in young (4-week-old) Wistar rats through noise exposure. We then examined cognitive function (object recognition test) and social behavior (juvenile play behavior and social interaction). Changes in brain anatomy were assessed using cortical thickness and hippocampal size measurements, while (immuno)histochemical staining investigated neuronal circuitry maturation (myelin basic protein, parvalbumin, and perineuronal nets) and neurogenesis (doublecortin). Noise-exposed rats displayed slight high-frequency hearing loss (around 20 dB) and hidden hearing loss at other tested frequencies. This slight/hidden hearing loss was associated with impaired object recognition but did not alter social behavior. Slight/hidden hearing loss was associated with reduced myelin basic protein expression in the corpus callosum but no other alterations in cortical thickness, hippocampal size, or other markers of maturation and neurogenesis were found. These findings show that even slight/hidden hearing loss can lead to subtle brain alterations tied to cognitive deficits. This study emphasizes the need for further research to fully understand the brain changes associated with slight/hidden hearing loss and to pinpoint the mechanisms connecting these changes to behavioral deficits. This information is crucial to develop interventions to prevent the cognitive and social consequences of hearing loss. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Sleep-sensitive dopamine receptor expression in male mice underlies attention deficits after a critical period of early adversity.

Early life stress (ELS) yields cognitive impairments of unknown molecular and physiological origin. We found that fragmented maternal care of mice during a neonatal critical period from postnatal days P2-9 elevated dopamine receptor D2R and suppressed D4R expression, specifically within the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in only the male offspring. This was associated with poor performance on a two-choice visual attention task, which was acutely rescued in adulthood by local or systemic pharmacological rebalancing of D2R/D4R activity. Furthermore, ELS male mice demonstrated heightened hypothalamic orexin and persistently disrupted sleep. Given that acute sleep deprivation in normally reared male mice mimicked the ACC dopamine receptor subtype modulation and disrupted attention of ELS mice, sleep loss likely underlies cognitive deficits in ELS mice. Likewise, sleep impairment mediated the attention deficits associated with early adversity in human children, as demonstrated by path analysis on data collected with multiple questionnaires for a large child cohort. A deeper understanding of the sex-specific cognitive consequences of ELS thus has the potential to reveal therapeutic strategies for overcoming them.

Forecasting the evolution of urban mobility: The influence of anthropomorphism and social responsiveness in the transition from human to automated driving

The transition to automated driving has prompted efforts to anthropomorphize urban transportation, aiming to replicate traditional driver-pedestrian interactions and enhance safety when human drivers are absent. However, prior research on anthropomorphism has shown inconsistency, potentially hindering its practical implementation in pedestrian-vehicle interactions. This study addressed these inconsistencies by examining the contingent role of social responsiveness. Using a 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design, this study investigated the crossover interaction effects of anthropomorphism and social responsiveness on pedestrian-vehicle interactions at urban crossings. Two sequential studies were conducted: Study 1 examined the crossover interaction effects on cognitive factors and behavioral consequences (responsibility attribution and behavioral intention). Study 2 delved into the underlying mechanisms and contingencies of these interactions. Results reveal: (1) combining anthropomorphism and social responsiveness is crucial for effective pedestrian crossing and communication in the absence of human drivers; (2) the positive effects of this combination on responsibility attribution and behavioral intention are mediated by cognitive factors; and (3) non-responsive humanoid vehicles may not measure up to non-responsive, non-humanoid vehicles, yet responsive humanoid vehicles can outperform responsive, non-humanoid vehicles. These findings support the theory and guide the development of secure, interactive designs for the next generation of urban mobility in the transition to automated driving.

Pharmacological inhibition of PLK2 kinase activity mitigates cognitive decline but aggravates APP pathology in a sex-dependent manner in APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Converging evidence from clinical and experimental studies suggest the potential significance of Polo-like kinase 2 (PLK2) in regulating the phosphorylation and toxicity of the Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related protein, amyloid precursor protein (APP). These findings have prompted various experimental trials aimed at inhibiting PLK2 kinase activity in different transgenic mouse models of AD. While positive impacts on cognitive decline were reported in these studies, the cellular effects remained controversial. In the present study, we sought to assess the cognitive and cellular consequences of chronic PLK2 inhibitor treatment in the APP/PS1 transgenic mouse model of AD. First, we confirmed that inhibiting PLK2 prevented cognitive decline in a sex-dependent manner, particularly by enhancing working memory in male APP/PS1 mice. Surprisingly, cellular analysis revealed that treatment with PLK2 inhibitor increased the load of amyloid plaques and elevated levels of soluble amyloid β (Aβ) 40 and Aβ42 in the cortex, as well as insoluble Aβ42 in the hippocampus of female mice, without affecting APP pathology in males. These results underscore the potential of PLK2 inhibition to mitigate cognitive symptoms in males. However, paradoxically, it intensifies amyloid pathology in females by enhancing APP amyloidogenic processing, creating a controversial aspect to its therapeutic impact. Overall, these data highlight the sex-dependent nature of the effects of PLK2 inhibition, which may also be influenced by the genetic background of the transgenic mouse model utilized.

Neuroprotective effects of Apigenin on prenatal Valproic acid-induced autism spectrum disorder in rats

Valproic acid (VPA) demonstrates teratogenic effects during pregnancy. Prenatal exposure to VPA may result in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) -like phenotypes. Apigenin, a natural flavonoid, has been shown to have neuroprotective impacts due to its antioxidant properties. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of apigenin in prenatal Valproic acid-induced autism in rats. Female rats (220–240g, 2-3 months) received a single dose of VPA (600mg/kg, i.p.) on the 12.5th day of gestational. The male offspring were given oral apigenin (50mg/kg, p.o.) or the vehicle for 30 days. Behavioral tests, biochemical assessments for oxidative stress markers and pro-inflammatory cytokines were performed. VPA-treated rats exhibited increased anxiety-like behavior, and repetitive behavior. Social interaction was reduced, and detection of the novel object was impaired. Also, VPA-treated rats have shown higher levels of oxidative stress malondialdehyde (MDA) and lower GPX and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels. Furthermore, IL-6 and TNF-α increased in the prefrotalcortex decreased. On the other hand, apigenin-treated rats restored the cognitive consequences and lowered oxidative stress and inflammation in the prefrotalcortex. ConclusionChronic apigenin treatment restored the behavioral and biochemical abnormalities caused by prenatal VPA exposure.

Social cognitive consequences of leader artistic literacy

Social cognitive consequences of leader artistic literacy

Is dialect proficiency associated with improved executive function?

Abstract A broad and extensive literature has investigated the cognitive consequences of bilingualism on cognitive control. Results from these studies, while controversial, support the conclusion that speaking a second language confers non-linguistic benefits. Whether other related linguistic experiences, such as dialect use, confer similar benefits remains an underexplored and open question. The common use of a diverse range of local dialects across China provides ideal conditions under which to explore this question. Using a dialectally heterogeneous sample of Mandarin-English bilingual young adults (n = 74), the present study investigated whether differences in dialect proficiency impacted on inhibition and attentional control while accounting for variation in language experience. Dialect proficiency was not associated with improved performance on the Simon task, Attention Network Test, or Flanker task, suggesting no benefits in inhibition or attentional control. Considerations for future studies investigating the influence of Chinese dialect experience on cognitive control are discussed.

On the lasting impact of mild traumatic brain injury on working memory: Behavioural and electrophysiological evidence

Despite increasing recognition of the significance of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), the long-term cognitive consequences of the injury remain unclear. More sensitive measures that can detect subtle cognitive changes and consideration of individual variability are needed to properly characterise cognitive outcomes following mTBI. Here, we used complex behavioural tasks, individual differences approaches, and electrophysiology to investigate the long-term cognitive effects of a history of mTBI. In Experiment 1, participants with self-reported mTBI history (n=82) showed poorer verbal working memory performance on the operation span task compared to control participants (n=88), but there were no group differences in visual working memory, multitasking, cognitive flexibility, attentional control, visuospatial ability, or information processing speed. Individual differences analyses revealed that time since injury and presence of memory loss predicted visual working memory capacity and visuospatial ability, respectively, in those with mTBI history. In Experiment 2, participants with mTBI history (n=20) again demonstrated poorer verbal working memory on the operation span task compared to control participants (n=38), but no group differences were revealed on a visuospatial complex span task or simpler visual working memory measures. We also explored the electrophysiological indices of visual working memory using EEG during a change detection task. No differences were observed in early sensory event-related potentials (P1, N1) or the later negative slow wave associated with visual working memory capacity. Together, these findings suggest that mTBI history may be associated with a lasting, isolated disruption in the subsystem underlying verbal working memory storage. The results emphasise the importance of sensitive cognitive measures and accounting for individual variability in injury characteristics when assessing mTBI outcomes.

Home and psychological well‐being in global consumer mobility

AbstractHome is typically understood as a singular place that provides a sense of groundedness, belonging, and well‐being. Yet, this singular notion of home is challenged in global mobility, where consumers live and travel across borders and relocate internationally frequently. We expect globally mobile consumers to experience multiple and multilayered notions of home with significant psychological consequences for their sense of well‐being, ownership, and identity. In a qualitative study of 40 globally mobile consumers, we examine what it means to have multiple homes and how consumers cope with it. We identified four types of home that coexist in global mobility: emotional home, home away from home, base of operation, and home on the road. These types are characterized by different degrees of permanence and serve different psychological benefits that are at times in opposition or complementary (respectively, belonging and ontological security, functioning and psychological ownership, productivity, and flexibility). We also explored how this home portfolio provokes emotional, social, and cognitive consequences with which globally mobile consumers cope through strategic use of marketplace resources.

Digital Divide: Comparing the Impact of Mobile Phone Usage on Generation Y and Generation Z

This study investigates the distinct effects of mobile phone usage on the Y (Millennials) and Z (Zoomers) generational cohorts, focussing on the social, psychological, and cognitive consequences. This study uses a mixed-methods approach, including surveys, interviews, and a literature review, to investigate how mobile phones affect communication habits, mental health, academic achievement, and social relationships across different generations. The findings show that, while both generations are heavily involved with mobile technology, Generation Z (Zoomers) rely more on mobile devices, which has a higher impact on attention span and social anxiety. Generation Y (Millennials), having spent their early years without mobile phones, has a more balanced integration of mobile technology into their lives.

Functional MRI Assessment of Brain Activity Patterns Associated with Reading in Medulloblastoma Survivors.

Medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor primarily affecting children, poses significant challenges to patients and clinicians due to its complex treatment and potential long-term cognitive consequences. While recent advancements in treatment have significantly improved survival rates, survivors often face cognitive impairments, particularly in reading, impacting their quality of life. According to the double deficit theory, reading impairments are caused by deficits in one or both of two independent reading-related functions: phonological awareness and rapid visual naming. This longitudinal study investigates neurofunctional changes related to reading in medulloblastoma survivors in comparison to controls using functional MRI acquired during rapid automatized naming tasks over three annual visits. Support vector machine classification of functional MRI data reveals a progressive divergence in brain activity patterns between medulloblastoma survivors and healthy controls over time, suggesting delayed effects of cancer treatment on brain function. Alterations in brain regions involved in visual processing and orthographic recognition during rapid naming tasks imply disruptions in the ventral visual pathway associated with normal orthographic processing. These alterations are correlated with performance in tasks involving sound awareness, reading fluency, and word attack. These findings underscore the dynamic nature of post-treatment neurofunctional alterations and the importance of early identification and intervention to address cognitive deficits in survivors.

Cognitive vulnerabilities and depressed mood in acquired brain injury

ABSTRACT Acquired Brain Injury (ABI), an important cause of long-term disability, is associated with increased rates of depression in addition to common cognitive and physical consequences. Past research has linked post-ABI depression to injury severity (e.g., extent of physical or cognitive impairment) and premorbid mood problems. In the general (non-ABI) population, depression is associated with cognitive vulnerabilities that have informed the development of psychological interventions. In this observational study in a heterogeneous sample of individuals with chronic stage ABI, we examine two cognitive vulnerabilities – dysfunctional attitudes (DAs) and autobiographical memory specificity – and explore whether these are linked to depression symptoms and ongoing cognitive difficulties as in the general population. Compared to control participants, individuals with an ABI demonstrated increased endorsement of DAs and reduced specificity of autobiographical memory recall. Within the ABI group, cognitive vulnerability–depression symptom correlations were detected for an explicit measure of DAs, but not for a more implicit DA measure or for autobiographical memory specificity. While individual differences in injury severity and other factors likely obscured subtle relationships between mood and cognitive vulnerabilities, evidence of these vulnerabilities may be relevant to changes in identity and psychological interventions that target low mood in ABI.

Epidemiological features and psychoneurological consequences of infection of people with the Nipah virus

The lecture outlines modern ideas about the etiology, features of the epidemic process, mechanisms of damage to the human body, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of infection caused by the Nipah virus. Particular attention is paid to the characteristics of individual outbreaks of the infectious process in various geographical regions of the world, early and long-term psychopathological, neurological and cognitive consequences due to human infection with the Nipah virus. The risk factors for the emergence and rapid spread of infection with a very high mortality rate, reaching 100%, are emphasized, which determines the high pandemic potential and hidden threats to human society. Recommendations are outlined for the prevention of transmission of infection caused by the Nipah virus at all levels: from animals to humans, from humans to humans, in medical institutions, which, in the absence of effective vaccine prevention and specific antiviral treatment, are the basis for containing the spread of the infectious process. In this regard, measures taken and planned to provide patients and contact persons with adequate medical and psychological care, features of the development and implementation of effective anti-epidemic, clinical diagnostic algorithms, timely and high-quality social and hygienic monitoring of environmental objects against the backdrop of increasing biological threats from outside, and within the country will minimize the risks of biological threats. The lecture is intended for doctors of various specialties, including infectious disease specialists, epidemiologists, general practitioners, neurologists, psychiatrists, laboratory diagnosticians, radiologists etc.

Influence of perceived harm due to substance use on the relationships between positive psychotic experiences and suicidal experiences in people with non-affective psychosis.

The ways in which perceived harm due to substance use affects relationships between psychotic and suicidal experiences are poorly understood. The goal of the current study was to redress this gap by investigating the moderating effects of harm due to substance use on pathways involving positive psychotic symptoms, the perceived cognitive-emotional sequelae of those symptoms, and suicidal ideation. The design was cross-sectional. Mediation and moderated mediation pathways were tested. The predictor was severity of positive psychotic symptoms. Cognitive interpretative and emotional characteristics of both auditory hallucinations and delusions were mediators. Suicidal ideation was the outcome variable. General symptoms associated with severe mental health problems were statistically controlled for. There was evidence of an indirect pathway between positive psychotic symptom severity and suicidal ideation via cognitive interpretation and emotional characteristics of both auditory hallucinations and delusions. Harm due to drug use, but not alcohol use, moderated the indirect pathway involving delusions such that it was most prominent when harm due to drug use was at medium-to-high levels. The components of suicidal ideation that were most strongly affected by this moderated indirect pathway were active intent, passive desire, and lack of deterrents. From both scientific and therapy development perspectives, it is important to understand the complex interplay between, not only the presence of auditory hallucinations and delusions, but the ensuing cognitive and emotional consequences of those experiences which, when combined with harm associated with substance use, in particular drug use, can escalate suicidal thoughts and acts.

Self-reported immune status and COVID-19 associated subjective cognitive functioning in post-COVID-19 syndrome: Examination of an Irish cohort.

Cognitive changes are very frequently reported by people with post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS), but there is limited understanding of the underpinning mechanisms leading to these difficulties. It is possible that cognitive difficulties are related to immune status and/or low mood. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between immune status and cognitive functioning in PCS, while considering whether depression symptoms also influence this association. Participants were recruited in an online study of cognitive and psychological consequences of PCS, involving individuals attending a post-COVID clinic in an acute general hospital in Ireland, and a comparison sample of age- and sex-matched community controls who had also been infected with COVID-19 but had not experienced PCS. Participants with PCS (n=71) and community controls (n=50) completed the immune status questionnaire, Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue Scale (FACIT-F). Significant differences were observed between groups in terms of perceived immune status, perceived cognitive function, depression scores, and fatigue, with the "PCS" group reporting lower immune status, more cognitive difficulties, and higher levels of depression and fatigue. Regression analysis in the PCS group indicated that immune status and depression significantly contributed to variance in subjective cognitive functioning, with immune status remaining a significant predictor of cognitive functioning scores even when accounting for depression, fatigue, and other covariates related to PCS, such as Body Mass Index(BMI). Our findings suggest that subjective cognitive functioning is influenced by self-reported immune status in PCS, emphasising the importance of immune status, cognitive, and mood screening as part of routine clinical care in PCS.