High-level Cognitive Functions Research Articles

Altered Angular Gyrus Resting State Functional Connectivity Associated with Financial Capacity in Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Financial capacity (FC) is a complex ability commonly impaired in older individuals with cognitive impairment; however, the underlying neural mechanisms are not well understood. To assess resting state functional connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and impaired FC compared to cognitively normal older adults. rs-fMRI scans were obtained from individuals with MCI (N = 17) and normal older adults (N = 15). All participants completed the Financial Capacity Instrument Short Form (FCI-SF) and neuropsychological assessments. Based on previous findings, the left angular gyrus (lAG) was used as the seed region. Connectivity correlation coefficients were calculated for each seed-based connection that showed significantly altered connectivity. A Pearson's correlation was calculated between the connectivity correlation values from relevant regions and FC and other cognitive measures. A total of 26 brain regions showed significantly increased functional connectivity with the lAG. Of these regions, 14 were identified as relevant to higher-level cognitive function for analysis. Pearson's correlations showed a significant negative correlation between the FCI-SF total score and increased connectivity between the IAG and the right temporal fusiform cortex (rTFC) (r = -0.455, p = 0.009). Results showed a significant correlation between FC and increased functional connectivity between the lAG and the rTFC in cognitively normal older adults compared to participants with MCI. These exploratory findings suggest that cognitive functions play important roles in FC as the functional connectivity between the lAG and rTFC was not associated with other tests of executive or visuospatial cognition.

Not Just How Much, But How Many: Overall and Domain-Specific Activity Variety and Cognitive Functioning in Adulthood.

Active lifestyles are related to higher levels of cognitive functioning. Fewer studies have examined the importance of engaging in different activities (activity variety) for cognitive functioning. Moreover, it is unclear whether activity variety in specific domains (i.e., cognitive, physical, or social) is important for cognitive health. The current study examined whether overall activity variety as well as variety in specific domains relate to cognitive functioning. In Waves 2 and 3 of the Survey of Midlife Development in the United States, 3,337 adults reported their activity engagement and completed a cognitive battery. For longitudinal analyses, 2,049 participants were classified into 4 groups based on their rank ordering of activity variety across 9 years (remained high, increased, decreased, or remained low). Cross-sectional analyses revealed that overall activity variety was related to higher cognitive functioning over and above activity frequency; physical and social activity variety each contributed significantly and uniquely to this association. Longitudinal analyses revealed that those with consistently low overall activity variety at both waves had lower cognitive functioning at Wave 3 than those with high activity variety at either wave, after adjusting for cognitive functioning at Wave 2. Those with consistently high or increasing social activity variety had higher cognitive functioning at Wave 3 than participants with low activity variety at both waves. Findings suggest that activity variety, particularly in the social domain, is related to concurrent and future cognitive function across adulthood.

Social Isolation, Cognitive Function, and Depression Among Chinese Older Adults: Examining Internet Use as a Predictor and a Moderator.

ObjectivesDespite the theoretical and practical interest in Internet use among older adults, evidence examining the impacts of Internet use on late-in-life health is limited. This study examines how Internet use affects depression and cognitive function in older adults and investigates if Internet use moderates the relationship between social isolation and depression/cognitive function.MethodWe performed regression analyses using data came from the second wave of the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey of 2016. Our final sample featured 8,835 older adults.ResultsThe results show 11.4% of Chinese older adults often used the Internet to engage in at least one activity. Internet use was negatively associated with depression, but it was positively related to cognitive function. Socially isolated older adults were more likely to have more depressive symptoms and higher level of cognitive function. There was also an interaction effect between Internet use and social isolation on depression/cognitive function. The negative effect of social isolation was stronger for older adults who used the Internet less. The moderating effect of Internet use was significant for both males and females. However, among those who used the Internet more, the depression levels of socially isolated male participants were much lower than female participants.ConclusionsOur results reveal the importance of considering Internet use in buffering the negative effects of social isolation and the associated health burdens for aging populations. Recommendations for service practice and future research are discussed.

489 Time to Following Commands and Favorable Recovery After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

INTRODUCTION: Accurate prognostication after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is crucial to goals-of-care discussions and assisting with difficult medical decisions. The capacity to follow commands indicates clinical arousal from unconsciousness and higher level of cognitive function. While it is a predictor of good outcome, time to following commands after injury can widely vary. METHODS: Consecutive participants from 2003-2018 were recruited at the Brain Trauma Research Center (BTRC) using IRB-approved prospective observational study design. Inclusion criteria were age 16-80 years, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score =8 and motor GCS score <6, and Glasgow Outcome Scale - Extended (GOS-E) measure =4 at 2 years post injury. Interquartile range (IQR), mean increases/decreases (B), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported. Statistical significance was assessed at p=0.05. RESULTS: A total of 580 patients were enrolled in the BTRC from 2003-2018. There were 229 (39.5%) deaths, and 140 (24.1%) patients had favorable outcomes on the GOS-E at 24 months. Average age was 33.7±14.5 years old, median GCS was 7 (IQR 6-7), and median Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 30 (IQR 26-38). Mean time to following commands was 12.7±11.8 days, median GOS-E at 2 years was 6 (IQR 5-7). On multivariate regression, evidence of diffuse axonal injury (DAI) (B=9.2 days [4.8,13.7], p<0.0001) or intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) (B=6.4 days [0.5,12.3], p<0.035) was associated with longer time to following commands, and patients who developed nosocomial infections (B=6.5 days [1.6-11.4], p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The majority of patients with favorable recovery after severe TBI began to follow commands by 2 weeks. Evidence of DAI, IVH, or nosocomial infections delay cognitive improvement in the acute period during hospitalization. These patients make considerable recovery after discharge and continue to benefit from long-term tailored rehabilitation.

The Effect of Caffeine and Sleep Quality on Military Pilot Students’ Flight Performance-Related Cognitive Function

ABSTRACT Objective To assess the effect of caffeine and sleep quality on the flight performance-related cognitive function. Background High levels of cognitive performance in pilots is required for flight safety. Methods Students at a military flight school in Thailand were invited to participate in this study. Exclusion criteria was positive screening for caffeine use disorder. We examined three cognitive functions required for flight performance: (1) vigilance (Mackworth Clock Test), (2) situational awareness, including memory (Corsi block-tapping test) and spatial reasoning (mental rotation test), and (3) reaction time (Deary-Liewald task). Neuropsychological tasks were performed before and 30 minutes after drinking a bottle of 220 ml coffee containing 143 mg of caffeine. Sleep quality was measured by the Thai-Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Results Twenty-nine healthy males without caffeine use disorder with a mean age of 25.1 years were enrolled. After low-dose caffeine intake (<3 mg/kg body weight), cognitive performance improved significantly in vigilance, situation awareness, and reaction time. Baseline cognitive performance was not different between high (HSQ) and low sleep quality (LSQ) groups. After drinking coffee, however, participants with HSQ demonstrated improvements in vigilance and reaction time, while the LSQ group had improved vigilance only. Conclusion Low dose caffeine improved vigilance, situational awareness, and reaction time which were cognitive functions required for flight performance. The cognitive-enhancing effect of caffeine was more obvious in student pilots with high-quality sleep.

Baseline Global Cognitive Function Affects Cognitive and Functional Outcomes of Combined Physical and Cognitive Training Among Older Adults With Cognitive Decline.

Baseline global cognitive function may affect cognitive and functional outcomes during combined physical and cognitive training; however, how it influences the effects of combined training remains uncertain. To determine the impact of baseline global cognitive function on cognitive and functional outcomes after combined physical and cognitive training among older adults with cognitive decline. Observational. Local communities and senior centers. Older adults with mild cognitive decline (MCD; n = 51) and moderate to severe cognitive decline (MSCD; n = 40). Participants received 45 to 55 min of physical exercise training followed by 45 to 55 min of cognitive training in one session per week for 12 wk. Outcomes and Measures: Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Lawton-Brody Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (Lawton-Brody IADL), Word Recall Test (WRT), Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT), Digital Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), and Trail Making Test (TMT) scores were assessed and compared between the MCD and MSCD groups. Significant interaction effects were found for the WRT, SCWT, MoCA, and Lawton-Brody IADL. WRT and SCWT scores significantly improved in the MCD group, whereas MoCA and Lawton-Brody IADL scores significantly improved in the MSCD group. DSST scores increased among all participants, but TMT scores improved only in the MCD group. Older adults' baseline global cognitive function affected cognitive and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) outcomes regarding combined training. High-level cognitive function, including inhibition and shifting abilities and working memory capacity, improved among older adults with MCD, whereas general cognitive function and IADLs improved among older adults with MSCD. What This Article Adds: Findings revealed domain-specific changes with respect to baseline cognitive function, which may help to refine current combined training protocols and facilitate development of personalized combined training programs for older adults with cognitive impairments.

Whole-brain connectivity during encoding: age-related differences and associations with cognitive and brain structural decline.

There is a limited understanding of age differences in functional connectivity during memory encoding. In the present study, a sample of cognitively healthy adult participants (n = 488, 18-81years), a subsample of whom had longitudinal cognitive and brain structural data spanning on average 8years back, underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing an associative memory encoding task. We investigated (1) age-related differences in whole-brain connectivity during memory encoding; (2) whether encoding connectivity patterns overlapped with the activity signatures of specific cognitive processes, and (3) whether connectivity associated with memory encoding related to longitudinal brain structural and cognitive changes. Age was associated with lower intranetwork connectivity among cortical networks and higher internetwork connectivity between networks supporting higher level cognitive functions and unimodal and attentional areas during encoding. Task-connectivity between mediotemporal and posterior parietal regions-which overlapped with areas involved in mental imagery-was related to better memory performance only in older age. The connectivity patterns supporting memory performance in older age reflected preservation of thickness of the medial temporal cortex. The results are more in accordance with a maintenance rather than a compensation account.

Investigating the role of age and maturation on the association between tennis experience and cognitive function in junior beginner to intermediate-level tennis players

Sport engagement, including tennis, and physical activity have been shown to have a positive influence on cognition in children. However, age has also been found to have a strong association with cognition in youth athletes. This study examines the threshold hypothesis by investigating the moderating role of age and maturation on the association between tennis experience and cognitive measures in Australian and German junior beginner to intermediate-level tennis players. The demographic information, which includes years of tennis experience, and anthropometrics (e.g. height and weight) was collected for 48 junior tennis players. A comprehensive cognitive testing battery was then completed to assess cognitive performance, with a principle component analysis used to determine an overall cognitive performance score. Multiple regression analyses were then performed to test the relationship between tennis experience and cognitive performance as well as the moderating effects of age and maturation. The results of this study indicate that the age and maturation rather than the exposure to tennis training are related to cognitive performance. Additionally, the positive relations of tennis experience to cognitive performance were stronger in younger participants, specifically those younger than 12 years old. Therefore, tennis may not provide a stimulus large enough for further cognitive improvement once players have developed a high level of cognitive performance. While age and biological maturity will largely dictate cognitive performance in adolescents, tennis experience may play some role in the cognitive performance of children (specifically &lt;12 years of age).

Evaluation of executive functions in children with rheumatic heart diseases.

Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is a multisystemic inflammatory disease in children and young adults. The most notable complications of ARF are rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and Sydenham's chorea (SC). There have been many reports about executive dysfunctions with children who have SC. "Executive function" is an umbrella term that is used to describe higher level cognitive functions. The aim of this study is to determine the executive functions of children with RHD. We evaluated executive functions in healthy children with the same sociodemographic characteristics as children with RHD. Our study was designed as a cross-sectional randomized study, including children with RHD aged between 12 and 18, and healthy controls. The difference between the patient and control group participants in terms of age, gender, education level, education level of the parents, family income level, and executive functions were investigated. Executive functions composed of Digit Sequence Test, Verbal Fluency Test, Trail-Making Test, Stroop Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. In our study, a total of 30 children with RHD were followed up at the pediatric cardiology outpatient clinic of Bezmialem Vakif University Hospital composed the patient group. The control group was made up of 30 healthy children of the same sex and age group as the patient group. The mean age of the case group was 14.73 ± 1.84 years. The Digit Span Test, Verbal Fluency Test, Trail-Making Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and Stroop Test produced no statistically significant differences between the RHD patients and the controls. No statistically significant difference was found between the RHD patients and control patients in any executive function test. It was suggested that executive dysfunction might not develop in RHD patients before developing SC.

Impact of Key Nutrients on Brain and Executive Function Development in Infants and Toddlers: A Narrative Review

Executive function skills are an essential aspect of cognition and are influenced in early life by multiple factors. One of the significant factors that influence brain development is nutrition, which plays a specific role in the brain’s developmental processes and functioning from fetal to adult age. Infants in their early life rely on breastmilk for nutrition. Knowledge of the composition of breast milk and the biochemical composition of the brain has led to the identification of critical nutrients needed for the brain’s growth, development, and functioning. Key nutrients for brain development are those that, when deficient during the precise, sensitive periods of early brain development, could have long-term adverse effects on brain functioning. This narrative review highlights the importance of some key nutrients in early brain development and executive functions, including cognitive performances in infants and toddlers. Lipids are crucial for brain development. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) and sphingomyelin are the key ingredients to influence cognitive performance potentially. Early development of executive function precursors in infants and toddlers is an essential foundation for executive functions outcomes in early childhood or adulthood. Evidence suggests that specific nutrients such as phospholipids, including sphingomyelin and LC-PUFAs (docosahexaenoic acid), are essential for developing higher-level cognitive functions.

Effects of tACS-Like Electrical Stimulation on Correlated Firing of Retinal Ganglion Cells: Part III.

PurposeTranscranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is a stimulation protocol used for learning enhancement and mitigation of cognitive dysfunction. Correlated firing has been postulated to be a meta-code that links neuronal spike responses associated with a single entity and may be an important component of high-level cognitive functions. Thus, changes in the covariance firing structure of CNS neurons such as retinal ganglion cells are one potential mechanism by which tACS can exert its effects.Materials and MethodsWe used microelectrode arrays to record light-evoked spike responses of 24 retinal ganglion cells in 7 rabbit eyecup preparations and analyzed the covariance between 30 pairs of neighboring retinal ganglion cells before, during, and after 10-minute application of alternating currents of 1 microampere at 10 or 20 Hz.ResultstACS stimulation significantly changed the covariance structure of correlated firing in 60% of simultaneously recorded retinal ganglion cells. Application of tACS in the retinal preparation increased cross-covariance in 26% of cell pairs, an effect usually associated with increased light-evoked ganglion cell firing. tACS associated decreases in cross-covariance occurred in 37% of cell pairs. Increased covariance was more common in response to the first, 10-minute application of tACS in isolated retina preparation. Changes in covariance were rare after repeated stimulation, and more likely to result in decreased covariance.ConclusionRetinal ganglion cell correlated firing is modulated by 1 microampere tACS currents showing that electrical stimulation can significantly and persistently change the structure of the correlated firing of simultaneously recorded rabbit retinal ganglion cells.

Childhood Socioeconomic Status and Cognitive Aging: An Intersectional Life Course Perspective

Abstract Greater childhood socioeconomic status (cSES) is associated with better later life cognition. Largely absent from this literature is how structural racism potentially influences this relationship. Guided by intersectional life course theory, we examined if the influence of cSES and region of schooling on later life cognitive outcomes differs among non-Hispanic White (NHW) and Black older adults. We used data from the 2010-2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study for participants ages 65 and older in 2010. Using growth mixture modeling, we estimated the associations between race, cSES (parental education, social, and financial capital), and region of schooling at age 10 (southern versus not) on cognitive performance. Consistent with prior research, there was a main effect of race on cognitive performance levels (but not with decline over time), with lower scores among older Black adults, on average. Among NHWs, higher cSES was protective for later life cognition, especially for NHW participants from the South. Although Black older adults who attended school outside of the South had higher levels of cognitive performance than their counterparts who attended school at age 10 in the South, Black older adults who attended school outside of the South--regardless of cSES--still had lower average scores on cognition at baseline than the most disadvantaged NHW participants. This paper implicates the effects of structural racism on cognitive performance among older Black adults, indicating the need for heightened attention to structural racism within interventions for optimizing brain health and promoting equitable cognitive aging across the life course.

The Association Between Leisure Games and Cognitive Functioning Among Older Adults

Stimulating leisure games have been shown to offer cognitive stimulation among older adults. This cross-sectional study examined the association between word games (crossword puzzles and scrabble) / cards and games (games such as chess) and cognitive functioning among adults aged 65 years and older (n=3271). All data were collected from the Health and Retirement Study (2016). Results from the hierarchical regression models suggest that higher levels of participation in word games (p<.01) and cards and games (p<.01) predicted higher levels of cognitive functioning. In the final model, after controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education, and income, a total variance of 31 percent was explained. All covariates were statistically significant except marital status. Word games (β=.117, p<01) and cards and games (β=.054, p<.01) had a significantly positive association with cognitive functioning. These findings suggest that participation in word games and cards and games are associated with cognitive functioning among older adults.

Novel Functional, Health, and Genetic Determinants of Cognitive Terminal Decline: Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program/Honolulu-Asia Aging Study.

To investigate interindividual differences in cognitive terminal decline and identify determinants including functional, health, and genetic risk and protective factors, data from the Honolulu Heart Program/Honolulu-Asia Aging Study, a prospective cohort study of Japanese American men, were analyzed. The sample was recruited in 1965-1968 (ages 45-68 years). Longitudinal performance of cognitive abilities and mortality status were assessed from Exam 4 (1991-1993) through June 2014. Latent class analysis revealed 2 groups: maintainers retained relatively high levels of cognitive functioning until death and decliners demonstrated significant cognitive waning several years prior to death. Maintainers were more likely to have greater education, diagnosed coronary heart disease, and presence of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε2 allele and FOXO3 G allele (SNP rs2802292). Decliners were more likely to be older and have prior stroke, Parkinson's disease, dementia, and greater depressive symptoms at Exam 4, and the APOE ε4 allele. Findings support terminal decline using distance to death as the basis for modeling change. Significant differences were observed between maintainers and decliners 15 years prior to death, a finding much earlier compared to the majority of previous investigations.

NQPC-2 Cognitive function of a low-grade glioma patient treated with radiation therapy 28 years ago

While there are many reports that long-term survivors of low-grade glioma patients treated with radiation therapy cannot lead a healthy social life due to cognitive dysfunction, we report a low-grade glioma patient with almost normal cognitive function even after radiation therapy 28 years ago. CASE REPORT. A 64-year-old woman developed with sudden left hemiparesis and was diagnosed as a small infarction in the left corona radiata. After treated by anticoagulant therapy, she was admitted to our hospital for rehabilitation. Twenty-eight years ago, she underwent surgical resection and radiation therapy with 60 Gy for astrocytoma (WHO grade 2) in the right insular cortex. At the time of this admission, she presented with a good MMSE score of 30 points, but she couldn’t walk and her left hand was less maneuverable. After 109 days of intensive rehabilitation in our hospital, she was discharged on a cane walk, and returned to work as a gas station clerk. COGNITIVE FUNCION. We evaluated her cognitive function on TMT-A/B test, CAT (Clinical Assessment for Attention)and WAIS-4. The TMT test was normal with age adjustments. In CAT, the percentage of correct answers for the 7 constituent items was within the standard range, but in the task of evaluating the required time, a slight delay in processing speed was observed. In WAIS-4, the Full scale IQ was 98 points (normal range) including normal 3 of 4 constituent items. But, only the PSI (processing speed) of 75 point was below the standard range. CONCLUSION: We observed a slight delay in processing speed on her high-level cognitive function tests, but determined that she would be well-adapted to a familiar job in a small community. In fact, she was doing well on the job 10 months after her discharge.

Cancer-related cognitive impairment is associated with perturbations in inflammatory pathways.

Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is a significant problem for patients receiving chemotherapy. While a growing amount of pre-clinical and clinical evidence suggests that inflammatory mechanisms underlie CRCI, no clinical studies have evaluated for associations between CRCI and changes in gene expression. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate for differentially expressed genes and perturbed inflammatory pathways across two independent samples of patients with cancer who did and did not report CRCI. The Attentional Function Index (AFI) was the self-report measure used to assess CRCI. AFI scores of <5 and of >7.5 indicate low versus high levels of cognitive function, respectively. Of the 185 patients in Sample 1, 49.2% had an AFI score of <5 and 50.8% had an AFI score of >7.5. Of the 158 patients in Sample 2, 50.6% had an AFI score of <5 and 49.4% had an AFI score of >7.5. Data from 182 patients in Sample 1 were analyzed using RNA-seq. Data from 158 patients in Sample 2 were analyzed using microarray.Twelve KEGG signaling pathways were significantly perturbed between the AFI groups, five of which were signaling pathways related to inflammatory mechanisms (e.g., cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, tumor necrosis factor signaling). This study is the first to describe perturbations in inflammatory pathways associated with CRCI. Findings highlight the role of cytokines both in terms of cytokine-specific pathways, as well as pathways involved in cytokine production and cytokine activation. These findings have the potential to identify new targets for therapeutics and lead to the development of interventions to improve cognition in patients with cancer.

Impact of Psychosocial Occupational Therapy Combined with Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to the Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex on the Cognitive Performance of Patients with Schizophrenia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BackgroundThe most common cognitive dysfunctions in patients with schizophrenia are information processing, memory, and learning. Based on the hypothesis of rehabilitation and brain stimulation in memory and learning, adding a form of neuromodulation to conventional rehabilitation might increase the effectiveness of treatments.AimsTo explore the effects of psychosocial occupational therapy combined with anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on cognitive performance in patients with Schizophrenia.MethodsTwenty-four patients diagnosed with schizophrenia were randomized into the experimental and control groups. We used The Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) and the Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment battery (LOTCA) to assess spatial recognition, attention, visual memory, learning abilities, and high-level cognitive functions like problem-solving. All participants received customized psychosocial occupational therapy activities. Furthermore, the experimental group received 12 sessions of active anodal tDCS for 20 minutes with 2 mA intensity on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) while the patients in the sham group received sham tDCS.ResultsCombining tDCS to conventional psychosocial occupational therapy resulted in a significant increase in spatial memory, visual learning, and attention.ConclusionsAnodal tDCS on the left DLPFC improved visual memory, attention, and learning abilities. Contrary to our expectations, we could not find any changes in complex and more demanding cognitive functions.

Regional Cortical Thickness Predicts Top Cognitive Performance in the Elderly.

While aging is typically associated with cognitive decline, some individuals are able to diverge from the characteristic downward slope and maintain very high levels of cognitive performance. Prior studies have found that cortical thickness in the cingulate cortex, a region involved in information processing, memory, and attention, distinguish those with exceptional cognitive abilities when compared to their cognitively more typical elderly peers. Others major areas outside of the cingulate, such as the prefrontal cortex and insula, are also key in successful aging well into late age, suggesting that structural properties across a wide range of areas may better explain differences in cognitive abilities. Here, we aim to assess the role of regional cortical thickness, both in the cingulate and the whole brain, in modeling Top Cognitive Performance (TCP), measured by performance in the top 50th percentile of memory and executive function. Using data from National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center and The 90 + Study, we examined healthy subjects aged 70–100 years old. We found that, while thickness in cingulate regions can model TCP status with some degree of accuracy, a whole-brain, network-level approach out-performed the localist, cingulate models. These findings suggests a need for more network-style approaches and furthers our understanding of neurobiological factors contributing to preserved cognition.

Cognitive and Executive Functions of Young Men regarding Sport Activity and Personality Traits

Sport activity can be a moderator of change in the level of cognitive and executive functions. This research sample consisted of 71 men aged 22.66 ± 1.91 years. This group was split into two subgroups: nonathletes (n = 26) and athletes (n = 45). The athletes included open skill sport athletes (n = 21) and closed skill sport athletes (n = 24). We used a standardized S-test to detect the level of cognitive functions, a standardized EPQ-R questionnaire to find out the degree of neuroticism and a standardized IVE questionnaire to measure the level of impulsivity. For data processing, we used the Kruskal–Wallis test following the Mann–Whitney test. To calculate the effect of size differences we used the coefficients η2 and r. Our research showed a higher level of cognitive function of athletes compared to nonathletes. More detailed data analysis showed that open skill sport disciplines are influential. There is also a negative relationship between the level of cognitive function and the degree of impulsivity and neuroticism. It seems that sport activity, specifically open skill sport disciplines, has the potential to increase the cognitive functions of young adult men. Personality traits—neuroticism and impulsivity—have a negative relationship with the level of cognitive functions of young men.

Listening Effort Measured Using a Dual-task Paradigm in Adults With Different Amounts of Noise Exposure.

Excessive noise levels can result in hearing damage and/or hearing-related symptoms, thereby leading to impaired communication and, eventually a decrease in the quality of life. Moreover, in daily practice, subjects often indicate that listening in noisy situations is a challenging and often exhausting experience, even in the absence of a clinically significant hearing loss. Hence, a person's perceived difficulty of the listening situation will also be important to consider. It has been suggested that beyond the peripheral factors, there are some central cognitive correlates of speech understanding that are essential for communication abilities. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the amount of noise exposure on hearing as measured by pure-tone audiometry and otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) on the one hand and listening effort measured using a dual-task paradigm on the other hand. The study included 152 adults between 18 and 40 years of age. First, participants completed a self-administered questionnaire regarding the amount of noise exposure. Second, hearing status was evaluated using pure-tone audiometry and transient evoked OAEs (TEOAEs) as well as distortion product OAEs (DPOAEs). Finally, listening effort was evaluated using a dual-task paradigm, which consisted of a primary speech-recognition task in different listening conditions and a secondary visual memory task that were performed both separately and simultaneously. Based on the quartiles of their subjective estimation of noise exposure, the participants were categorized into a group with low noise exposure (lower quartile), moderate noise exposure (two middle quartiles), and high noise exposure (upper quartile). There was no significant difference in hearing thresholds between the participants with low, moderate, and high noise exposure for each frequency of the pure-tone audiometry. In contrast, more absent TEOAEs and DPOAEs were found in the high noise exposed group. Regarding the primary speech-recognition task of the dual-task paradigm, no significant difference in speech recognition was found between the different groups of noise exposure. For the amount of listening effort, it was found that across all listening conditions subjects with high noise exposure expend significantly more listening effort compared with subjects with low and moderate noise exposure. This study is a first exploration of the effects of different amounts of noise exposure on listening effort showing that, listening effort is increased in subjects with high noise exposure compared with subjects with low and medium noise exposure. The most plausible hypothesis pertains to an effect of noise exposure on the peripheral and central auditory system, or a combination of effects on both the auditory system and the high-level cognitive functions necessary for speech understanding in the subjects with high levels of noise exposure. As such, a test for listening effort would be useful as part of a comprehensive test battery within the assessment of subjects exposed to noise.