Executive Function Performance Research Articles

Effects of Executive Functions and Cognitive Variables in Experimentally Induced Acute Pain Perception during a Distraction Task: A Study on Asymptomatic Pain-Free Individuals.

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of executive functioning and cognitive performance on individual experimentally induced pain perception during distractor tasks in an asymptomatic pain-free population. A total of 59 healthy pain-free subjects (59.3% women, mean age: 46.5 ± 24.7 years) completed a battery test that assessed execution functions (cognitive flexibility, working memory, mental inhibition), attention level, and psychological aspects (anxiety/depressive levels-HADS, pain catastrophizing-PCS, pain anxiety symptoms-PASS 20, sleep quality-PSQI) before conducting two n-back distraction tasks. Pain was experimentally induced with a thermal stimulus that was able to induce moderate pain (70/100 points) and applied to the non-dominant forearm. The thermal stimulus was applied before and during both (one-back and two-back) distraction tasks. The analyses consisted of separated repeated-measures ANOVA that considered the functioning on each test (cognitive flexibility, working memory, mental inhibition, selective attention) and controlled for sociodemographic and psychological aspects by comparing the pain intensity at the baseline and during the one-back and two-back distractor tasks. All ANOVAs found a significant effect of the distraction task, which indicates that the perceived pain intensity scores were lower during the one-back and two-back tasks (p < 0.001) as compared with the baseline. No interaction effect between the distractor tasks and working memory (p = 0.546), mental inhibition (p = 0.16), cognitive flexibility (p = 0.069), or selective attention (p = 0.105) was identified. The current study found that a distraction task decreased the perceived intensity of experimentally induced pain in asymptomatic pain-free individuals and that this effect was not related to executive function or attention levels.

Scope of Yoga Education in Promoting ‘21st Century Skills’ of the Digital Natives: An Overview

The pattern of social life of the adolescent has completely altered with the onslaught of digital media; truly they are digital natives nurtured in a unique period of an unprecedented influx of technology. Teens are usually have inadequate ability for self-regulation and are fragile and vulnerable to peer pressure and indulgence to any kind of adventure and experimentations with social media may be lethal for them. Adolescents exposed heavily in digital world are less competent in formal socialization as evident by latest research. In this era of digitalization, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is a dragging attention of educationist to mitigate negative impact of such digital dumping and to inculcate core social and emotional competencies. An ancient scientific way of life practiced in India which is combinations of practice of specific postures, breathing regulation, and meditation is yoga, which have been shown its efficacy in improving in cognitive performance in executive function and also in socio emotional adjustment. Broadly Desk Review Method has been adopted. Collection &amp; analysis of the data collected by other researchers and as published in the journal of Repute has been considered. In the context of school education, the curriculum agreed to accommodate yoga as it could contribute to the physical, social, emotional and mental development of a child (NCF, 2005). The theoretical idea of Yoga are organized from experiences. Therefore, the need of the time is to device a frame work which can relate the theoretical construct of Yoga with learning objectives of ‘21st Century skills’ also referred to as ‘Transversal competencies’. This overview the scope of yoga education in the current approaches of the social cognitive principle of “Transversal competencies” in reference to digital generation.

Executive function performance in persons with non-syndromic cleft lip and palate

Background: Executive functions (EFs) are crucial cognitive functions that mature from birth to adolescence. They are vital for daily task execution and overall success and also influence language and communication development. Children with EFs deficits often experience delays in language and speech abilities. These impairments are particularly prevalent among individuals with cleft lip and palate. Consequently, speech and language pathologists must address these impairments through assessments and interventions. Despite this urgent need for action, there is a scarcity of research on executive function performance in this population in Thailand, prompting an investigation to address this issue. This study explores executive function performance in this population to enhance the quality of life for individuals with cleft lip and palate. Materials and methods: Using a survey-based approach, executive function performance was assessed in 5- to 15-year-old volunteer with non-syndromic cleft lip and palate attending the speech therapy camp provided by the Princess Sirindhorn IT Foundation Craniofacial Center at Chiang Mai University in April 2024. Parents completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (Parent form), with scores ≥65 indicating executive function difficulties. Results: The study involved 29 participants, 14 males (48.28%) and 15 females (51.72%), with a mean age of 8 years and 9 months. Average scores for executive function abilities in BRI, MI, and GEC were 52.21, 56.48, and 58.90, respectively. There are several participants with abnormal executive function in each age group, along with their average T-scores across different domains. Children aged 5, 6-8, and 9-11 have T-scores for executive function performances falling into problematic levels for 1, 2, and 5 individuals, respectively. Conclusion: Most of the sample group demonstrated executive function skills within the normal range. However, a certain number of individuals experienced issues with executive function. These findings offer guidance for speech and language pathologists and emphasize the importance of executive function in individuals with cleft palates.

Brain topology underlying executive functions across the lifespan: focus on the default mode network.

While traditional neuroimaging approaches to the study of executive functions (EFs) have typically employed task-evoked paradigms, resting state studies are gaining popularity as a tool for investigating inter-individual variability in the functional connectome and its relationship to cognitive performance outside of the scanner. Using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from the Human Connectome Project Lifespan database, the present study capitalized on graph theory to chart cross-sectional variations in the intrinsic functional organization of the frontoparietal (FPN) and the default mode (DMN) networks in 500 healthy individuals (from 10 to 100 years of age), to investigate the neural underpinnings of EFs across the lifespan. Topological properties of both the FPN and DMN were associated with EF performance but not with a control task of picture naming, providing specificity in support for a tight link between neuro-functional and cognitive-behavioral efficiency within the EF domain. The topological organization of the DMN, however, appeared more sensitive to age-related changes relative to that of the FPN. The DMN matures earlier in life than the FPN and it ıs more susceptible to neurodegenerative changes. Because its activity is stronger in conditions of resting state, the DMN might be easier to measure in noncompliant populations and in those at the extremes of the life-span curve, namely very young or elder participants. Here, we argue that the study of its functional architecture in relation to higher order cognition across the lifespan might, thus, be of greater interest compared with what has been traditionally thought.

Executive functions in psychopathy: a meta-analysis of inhibition, planning, shifting, and working memory performance.

Much research has focused on executive function (EF) impairments in psychopathy, a severe personality disorder characterized by a lack of empathy, antisocial behavior, and a disregard for social norms and moral values. However, it is still unclear to what extent EF deficits are present across psychopathy factors and, more importantly, which EF domains are impaired. The current meta-analysis answers these questions by synthesizing the results of 50 studies involving 5,694 participants from 12 different countries. Using multilevel random-effects models, we pooled effect sizes (Cohen's d) for five different EF domains: overall EF, inhibition, planning, shifting, and working memory. Moreover, differences between psychopathy factors were evaluated. Our analyses revealed small deficits in overall EF, inhibition, and planning performance. However, a closer inspection of psychopathy factors indicated that EF deficits were specific to lifestyle/antisocial traits, such as disinhibition. Conversely, interpersonal/affective traits, such as boldness, showed no deficits and in some cases even improved EF performance. These findings suggest that EF deficits are not a key feature of psychopathy per se, but rather are related to antisociality and disinhibitory traits. Potential brain correlates of these findings as well as implications for future research and treatment are discussed.

Cancer-related cognitive impairment: updates to treatment, the need for more evidence, and impact on quality of life-a narrative review.

Due to advances in early detection and treatment options, non-central nervous system (non-CNS) cancer survivors are living longer, even those with metastatic disease. Many of these survivors will experience enduring symptoms of breast cancer, such as cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI). Although CRCI is bothersome and, in some cases, potentially debilitating, little research has been done to address this symptom. Thus, the overarching goal of this narrative review is to provide both an overview of the problem of CRCI and its impact and focus on the latest research aimed at addressing CRCI in non-CNS cancer survivors. A MEDLINE database (PubMed) search was conducted for terms related to non-CNS cancer, cognition, impacts of CRCI, and interventions. The English-language articles published until April 8th, 2024, were included in the search. CRCI includes self-reported cognitive complaints and/or impaired performance in multiple cognitive domains, including memory, processing speed, attention, and executive function. CRCI, in turn, can have a significant impact on everyday functioning, work ability, work engagement and productivity, and overall quality of life (QoL) of cancer survivors. While some researchers have examined pharmacological approaches, the vast majority of the interventional studies to date to address CRCI has focused on non-pharmacological approaches. Three of the most common non-pharmacological approaches are physical activity or exercise, mind-body approaches [e.g., mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)], and cognitive rehabilitative approaches [e.g., cognitive training (CT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)]. Addressing the cognitive health of cancer survivors is imperative but has only recently been the focus of interventional research. More research in larger and more diverse samples of non-CNS cancer survivors is needed to identify effective ways to manage CRCI for all cancer survivors. Overall, maintaining cognitive health, especially in cancer survivors who are at increased risk for deficits, is a national health care priority that should not be ignored.

Olympic team rowers and team swimmers show altered functional brain activation during working memory and action inhibition

BackgroundHigh-level expertise in team-sports is associated with superior performance on executive functions (EFs) such as working memory (WM) and action inhibition, and with altered activation of brain areas related to these EFs. In most such studies, athletes were sampled from the domain of dynamic (i.e., open-skill) team-sports (e.g., soccer players). Whether static (i.e., closed-skill) team-sports athletes (e.g., rowers and synchronized swimmers) also show superior EFs performance and differential EF-related functional brain activation remains unknown. MethodsWe recruited 14 elite closed-skill athletes, all national champions, and internationally competitive in various rowing disciplines, as well as 14 controls matched on gender, age, and education, and had them perform working memory and action inhibition (stop-signal) tasks during fMRI scanning. ResultsGroup differences in performance in either task failed to obtain statistical significance, although athletes showed a numerical trend toward higher WM capacity than controls. Importantly, task-related BOLD responses suggested that Olympic closed-skill team athletes show stronger recruitment of brain areas that emphasize relatively stable task demands and weaker engagement of brain areas that emphasize rapidly changing demands imposed by extraneous stimulation. ConclusionFunctional brain imaging data suggest elite closed-skill athletes may employ different cognitive strategies.

Maternal emotional availability and perinatal depressive symptoms as predictors of early childhood executive function

BackgroundThe interconnected effects of maternal perinatal depression and the early mother-infant relational quality on children's executive function development are crucial yet understudied. This study addresses this gap, focusing on how perinatal depressive symptoms and emotional availability at 6 months predict child executive function performance at age four, with an emphasis on the moderating role of emotional availability. MethodThis study included 282 mother-infant pairs recruited from the Mercy Pregnancy and Emotional Wellbeing Study, utilising repeated Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale measurement over the perinatal period, Emotional Availability Scales, and child executive function assessments (Shape School, NEPSY-II, Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity scale, inattentive subscale). Latent growth curve analysis incorporated controls for socioeconomic status and maternal cognitive abilities, and moderation effects were examined through multiplicative interaction terms. ResultsWe found that emotional availability influences children's executive function, specifically switching, motor inhibition, and inattentive symptoms, irrespective of maternal depressive symptom changes. This effect is further nuanced by emotional availability's moderating role in the association between depressive symptom change and switching. LimitationsThe study's limitations include a relatively small sample size for moderation analysis and the exclusion of paternal influences. ConclusionThis study is a significant step in understanding the profound influence of maternal emotional availability in infancy on child executive function development, offering new avenues for research and, if replicated, a foundation for innovative intervention approaches.

Pitfalls in using ML to predict cognitive function performance.

Machine learning analyses are widely used for predicting cognitive abilities, yet there are pitfalls that need to be considered during their implementation and interpretation of the results. Hence, the present study aimed at drawing attention to the risks of erroneous conclusions incurred by confounding variables illustrated by a case example predicting executive function performance by prosodic features. Healthy participants (n = 231) performed speech tasks and EF tests. From 264 prosodic features, we predicted EF performance using 66 variables, controlling for confounding effects of age, sex, and education. A reasonable model fit was apparently achieved for EF variables of the Trail Making Test. However, in-depth analyses revealed indications of confound leakage, leading to inflated prediction accuracies, due to a strong relationship between confounds and targets. These findings highlight the need to control confounding variables in ML pipelines and caution against potential pitfalls in ML predictions.

Does the coexistence of pain and depressive symptoms accelerate cognitive decline?

Objectives Investigate whether the coexistence of pain and depressive symptoms is a risk factor for cognitive decline in individuals aged 50 or older. Method Longitudinal trajectory study involving 4,718 participants from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). Joint pain was self-reported, and intensity was classified as mild, moderate/intense. Depressive symptoms were investigated using the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-8 ≥ 4). The sample was divided into six groups: no pain and no depression (NP/NDe), mild pain and no depression (MP/NDe), moderate/intense pain and no depression (M-IP/NDe), no pain and depression (NP/De), mild pain and depression (MP/De), and moderate/intense pain and depression (M-IP/De). The outcome of interest was performance in memory, executive function, and global cognition. Generalised linear mixed models were used to analyse performance in the cognitive domains and global cognition score as a function of pain and depressive symptoms during 12 years of follow-up. Results Over time, individuals with M-IP/De had a greater memory decline (-0.038 SD/year, 95%CI: −0.068 to −0.007) and the global cognition score (-0.033 SD/year, 95%CI: −0.063 to −0.002) than those with NP/NDe. Conclusion The coexistence of moderate/intense pain and depressive symptoms is a risk factor for the decline of global cognition and memory.

Executive functions in children with developmental language disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The purpose of the current study was to assess the differences between children with developmental language disorder (DLD) and typically developing (TD) children in their performance of executive functions from working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. We performed a systematical search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science for case control studies (published in English between January 1, 1950, and October 11, 2023) comparing the differences in the performance of executive functions between DLD and TD children. Forty eligible studies were included in the present study (N = 3,168 participants). In comparison with TD children, DLD children exhibited significantly poorer performances in all six verbal working memory tasks (backward digit recall task, SMD -1.4321, 95% CI -2.2692 to -0.5950; listening recall task, SMD -1.4469, 95% CI -1.7737 to -1.1202; counting recall task, SMD -0.9192, 95% CI -1.4089 to -0.4295; digit recall task, SMD -1.2321, 95% CI -1.4397 to -1.0244; word list recall task, SMD -1.1375, 95% CI -1.5579 to -0.7171; non-word recall task, SMD -1.5355, 95% CI -1.8122 to -1.2589). However, regarding inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility, the differences between DLD and TD children depended on specific circumstances. In subgroup analyses of all verbal working memory tasks, DLD children presented notably lower performance than TD children in both the monolingual English and monolingual non-English groups, and in both the preschooler and school-aged groups. This study proves that verbal working memory deficits can be seen as a marker for children with DLD and are not affected by age or language type. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=391070, CRD42023391070.

Naturalistic patterns of sustained attention across early childhood: Developmental profiles and longitudinal associations with executive functions.

The capacity to sustain attention over time develops rapidly over early childhood and is associated with socioemotional and cognitive outcomes. However, sustained attention has largely been studied in either shared or independent contexts, leading to gaps in our understanding of how trade-offs between sustained attention to shared versus individual targets may predict later outcomes. We examined this question in a longitudinal sample of 1,290 children (49% female, 43% Black), living in predominately rural, low-income regions, using a naturalistic shared picture book reading task. Children's sustained attention to individual relative to shared targets during the book reading task was measured at 24 and 35 months. Using latent profile analysis, we identified four developmental profiles of children's attentional trajectories: three of the profiles differed in the extent that children' attention shifted toward more socially directed relative to individually directed attention; a fourth profile showed atypical decreases in both socially directed and individually directed attention across development. Importantly, heterogeneity in children's attentional profiles were associated with differences in executive functions at 48 months of age. Specifically, children who showed greater relative increases in socially directed attention had higher executive functions performance, whereas children with atypical decreases in attention showed substantial deficits in this domain. These findings reveal distinct longitudinal patterns of sustained attention in naturalistic contexts and show that heterogeneity in these patterns are robust predictors of subsequent executive functions. This person-centered approach provides novel insights into how quantitative and qualitative changes in attention may impact executive functions development and may help identify children at risk for nonnormative trajectories. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The Influence of Vision Impairment on the Measurement of Cognition in Older Adults in India: Findings From LASI-DAD.

Prior investigations have not considered whether poor vision biases cognitive testing. However, such research is vital given increasing evidence that vision impairment (VI) may be an important modifiable risk factor for dementia, particularly in low- and middle-income settings where the prevalence of VI is high. This study employed data from 3784 participants in Wave 1 of the Longitudinal Aging Study in India-Diagnostic Assessment of Dementia (LASI-DAD) who underwent both visual acuity and cognitive function testing. We used multiple indicators and multiple causes models to assess differential item functioning (DIF; eg, bias) in cognitive testing by objectively measured distance and near VI. Multivariable linear regression was used to model the association between VI and cognitive factor scores before and after DIF adjustment. Analyses were performed for general cognition and separate cognitive domains, corresponding to memory, language/fluency, executive functioning, and visuospatial performance. Models were adjusted for demographic, health, and socioeconomic covariates. Participants in our sample were 60 and older. Most participants with VI were 60-69 years old (59.6%) and 50.8% were female. Individuals experiencing both distance and near VI tended to be older, have lower educational attainment, be married, reside in rural settings, and belong to lower consumption and BMI categories. Both distance and near VI were associated with poorer cognition before and after DIF-adjustment. Differences between DIF-unadjusted and -adjusted scores were small compared to the standard error of measurement, indicating no evidence of meaningful measurement differences by VI. In well-conducted large-scale surveys, bias in cognitive testing due to VI is likely minimal. Findings strengthen previous evidence on the association between VI and dementia by showing that such associations are unlikely to be attributable to vision-related measurement error in the assessment of cognitive functioning.

Exposure to low (10 cGy) doses of 4He ions leads to an apparent increase in risk taking propensity in female rats

The planned missions to the Moon and Mars will present more significant health challenges to astronauts compared to low earth orbit missions. During deep space missions, astronauts will be constantly exposed to Space radiation (SR). Multiple rodent studies suggest that < 25 cGy of SR impairs performance in executive functions, which play a key role in advanced cognitive processes, but also regulate response inhibition and impulse control. There is the possibility that SR exposure may exacerbate aberrant behaviors evoked by psychological stress related to exposure to isolated and confined (ICE) hostile environment or independently induce additional aberrant behaviors. This study has determined that female Wistar rats exposed to 10 cGy of 250 MeV/n He had an increased risk taking propensity (RTP)\\compared to shams. The increased RTP of the He-exposed rats was associated with significantly increased reaction times during the trials, suggesting a SR-induced loss of processing speed. The response times of the He-exposed rats were even further reduced in trials that immediately followed a loss, raising the possibility that conflict and interference avoidance may be impaired after SR exposure. Whether these findings occur following other types of SR exposure, and/or in male rats remains to be determined.

Social Cognition, Executive Functioning, Mood, and Disability in Cervical Dystonia.

Individuals with idiopathic adult-onset isolated cervical dystonia (CD) may have cognitive difficulties and increased mood challenges. Social cognition and executive functioning may be particularly affected. To explore social cognition and executive functioning performance in individuals with CD, using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), as previous research has used traditional, nondigital neuropsychological assessments. We sought to investigate the relationships between social cognition, executive functioning, mood, and disability in individuals with CD. We recruited 37 individuals with CD, including 26 women with an age range of 33 to 69 years (M = 56.64, SD = 8.31) from a dystonia clinic in a hospital neurology department. The individuals completed selected tasks from the CANTAB measuring social cognition and executive functioning. We compared the individuals' performance with CANTAB normative data. Depression, anxiety, disease severity, and disability were measured. The individuals with CD had significantly lower scores than the CANTAB normative data in both social cognition and executive functioning tasks, with the largest differences evident in problem-solving, attention, and positive emotion bias tasks. Poorer emotion recognition was associated with increased difficulties in problem-solving tasks. The individuals demonstrated a bias toward identifying happiness in facial affect, which was related to a poorer recognition of emotions. Cognitive performance was not related to CD severity or disability or to current mood symptoms. Difficulties with both social cognition and executive functioning were identified in the individuals with CD, and are likely important targets for clinical interventions.

The effect of cognitive orientation to daily occupational performance in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A pilot randomized controlled study

This single-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) study was planned to examine the effect of the Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) intervention on occupational performance and executive functions through daily routines children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using a simple random method, the children were divided into two groups: n = 15 in the CO-OP group (4 girls, 11 boys) and n = 15 in the control group (3 girls, 12 boys). CO-OP intervention included 12 sessions (2 sessions per week, each lasting 1 hour, 6 weeks in total) focusing on teaching cognitive strategies to improve daily living activities. These sessions involved personalized goal setting, performance analysis, and the application of cognitive strategies to enhance executive function and occupational performance in children with ADHD. The data were collected by assessing the children with the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, Goal Attainment Scaling, and Executive Functions and Occupational Routines Scale at the beginning and end of the study. When comparing the pre- and post-evaluations of the CO-OP group, statistically significant improvements were noted in occupational performance and satisfaction (p < 0.001), occupational performance goals (p < 0.001), and executive functions through daily routines (p < 0.05). Test results for differences in posttest scores between the two groups showed that the CO-OP group had significantly better activity performance and satisfaction (p < 0.001), as well as gains in social routines for executive skills (p < 0.05), compared to the control group. The findings suggest that the CO-OP approach represents a promising and effective method for facilitating skill acquisition in various activities among children diagnosed with ADHD. Trial registration: This research was registered to clinical trials with the code NCT05125120.

Executive functions and their relationship with age: Insights from a novel neuropsychological Assessment Battery in Children—a pilot study

Executive functions (EFs) are a set of cognitive processes that enable individuals to manage and coordinate their thoughts and actions toward achieving specific goals. EFs include planning, organizing, initiating, and monitoring actions, and have been found to improve with age due to the maturation of the brain, especially during childhood. Therefore, our correlational study sought to determine the relationship between the performance in executive functions and age in 79 children (36 girls, 45.6%) throughout development, between the ages of 6 and 12 (mean = 9.25; SD = 2.05), using a battery designed in Chile: BEFE (Batería de Evaluación de las Funciones Ejecutivas: Executive Function Assessment Battery) based on traditional neuropsychological tests to evaluate Working Memory, Inhibitory Control, Cognitive Flexibility, and Planning skills. Our results showed various correlations between the variables age and performance in various behavioral parameters, demonstrating an increase in the number of correct responses (positive correlation) and/or a decrease in errors (negative correlation) with age (6–12) in the subtests that correspond to dimensions of Cognitive Flexibility (Semantic and Phonological Fluency, Card Sorting Game, and Tracing Tasks), Inhibitory Control (ENA-F and Sentence Completion), Working Memory (Audio-verbal WM Forward and Ordering, and Visuospatial WM Forward and Backward), and Planning (La Portada de Antofagasta and FISA Maps). These results are consistent with previous empirical evidence and support the notion of a developmental relationship between EF performance and age. Additionally, this study contributes to understanding EF development in culturally specific contexts, highlighting the importance of contextually relevant assessment tools in evaluating cognitive development.

Cognitive reserve and executive functions in dual task gait performance in Parkinson’s disease

A higher level of education was correlated with less severe motor impairment in Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Nevertheless, there is limited evidence on the relationship between cognitive reserve and motor performance in complex situations in PD. To investigate the association between cognitive reserve and the dual-task gait effect in PD. Additionally, we examined the relationship between executive function, clinical and sociodemographic variables and, dual-task gait effects. We conducted a cross-sectional study with 44 PD participants. We evaluated dual-task effect on cadence, stride length, and gait velocity. Dual-task effects were correlated with neurophysiological factors, including cognitive reserve (Cognitive Reserve Index Questionnaire), overall cognitive performance of executive functions, a specific executive function domain (Trail Making Test), and the global cognitive status (Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Mini-Mental State Examination). Age, gender, and disease severity were considered as variables to be examined for correlation. We found that cognitive reserve did not influence gait performance under dual-task conditions in this sample. However, executive functions, age, and disease severity were associated with the dual-task effect on gait. The overall cognitive performance with respect to the Trail Making Test showed an inverse relationship in the dual-task gait effect on cadence. Our study’s findings have important implications for understanding the association between executive functions, age, and disease severity with the dual-task effect on gait in PD. Pre-life factors, such as education, occupation, and leisure activity, did not contribute to coping with complex gait situations in PD.

Association between the performance of executive function and the remission of depressive state after clinical treatment in patients with depression

BackgroundPrevious studies have reported that patients with depression have significant cognitive impairment. The aim of this study is to comprehensively evaluate the impairment of executive functions in patients with depression and whether the cognitive behavior performance of executive function is association with remission of depressive state after clinical treatment. MethodsWe used cognitive-behavioral test to evaluate the performance of executive functions of 95 inpatients with depression before hospitalization and conducted two follow-up evaluations of their depression status on the 15th day of hospitalization and approximately 9 months after discharge. ResultsThe performance of executive function except the accuracy of inhibition control in patients with depression were significantly worse than that of healthy controls. Multivariate linear regression analysis found that the reaction time of working memory not only had a significant linear relationship with the baseline depression scores of patients with depression, but also had a significant linear relationship with the reduced depression scores after two follow-up visits. LimitationsWe only used cognitive-behavioral data as indicators to evaluate the cognitive performances of participants and only measured three components of executive function. ConclusionsThe reaction time of working memory was a stable and effective predictor of symptom relief in patients with depression after clinical treatment. These results provide initial evidence for working memory to predict the clinical prognosis of inpatients with depression prospectively, which could be further leveraged to improve intervention approaches and analyze the heterogeneity of depression.

A Preliminary Analysis of Stress Burden and Cognitive Function and Clinically Adjudicated Cognitive Outcomes in Black American Adults.

The combination of exposure to multiple stressors and psychological distress may contribute to the disproportionate burden of dementia risk among Black Americans. This study estimates the effect of an index of stress and psychological distress (ie, "stress burden") on cognitive function and clinically adjudicated cognitive outcomes among older Black American adults, and examines sleep as a mediator. The sample included 204 Black adults (79% female; mean age = 64 years) from Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Stress burden comprised 3 self-reported stress and distress measures assessed in 2016: discrimination, psychological distress, and posttraumatic stress. Potential mediators included actigraphy-assessed sleep duration and efficiency from 2018. Cognitive battery and clinical adjudication in 2019 assessed cognitive function and clinically adjudicated outcomes. Causal mediation analysis estimated the direct effect between stress burden and cognitive outcomes, and indirect effects through sleep, after adjusting for sociodemographics and hypertension. Higher stress burden had a significant direct effect on lower executive functioning and visuospatial performance. However, there were no significant indirect effects (ie, mediation) by sleep disturbances on any domain of cognitive function assessed. Also, there were no significant direct or indirect effects on clinically adjudicated outcomes. Multiple stressors often co-occur and may contribute to racial disparities in cognitive health. Findings suggest that higher stress burden had negative effects on functioning in executive and visuospatial domains in this community-based sample of older Black American adults. However, there was no evidence of mediation by sleep. Findings highlight the importance of continued work to identify modifiable pathways between stress burden and cognitive health disparities.