Poor Memory Research Articles

Tissue-resident memory T cells mediate mucosal immunity to recurrent urinary tract infection.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most prevalent human bacterial infections. New therapeutic approaches, including vaccination and immunotherapy, are urgently needed to combat the rapid global dissemination of multidrug-resistant uropathogens. Development of therapies is impeded by an incomplete understanding of memory development during UTI. Here, we found that reducing bacterial load early in infection, by reducing the inoculum or with antibiotics after infection, completely abrogated the protective memory response. We observed a mixed T helper (TH) cell polarization, composed of TH1, TH2, and TH17 T cells, among T cells infiltrating the bladder during primary infection. Thus, we hypothesized that reducing antigen load altered TH cell polarization, leading to poor memory. Unexpectedly, however, TH cell polarization was unchanged in these scenarios. Instead, we uncovered a population of tissue-resident memory (TRM) T cells that was significantly reduced in the absence of sufficient antigen. Demonstrating that TRM cells are necessary for immune memory, transfer of lymph node- or spleen-derived infection-experienced T cells to naïve animals did not confer protection against infection. Supporting that TRM cells are sufficient to protect against recurrent UTI, animals depleted of systemic T cells, or treated with FTY720 to block memory lymphocyte migration from lymph nodes to infected tissue, were equally protected compared with unmanipulated mice against a second UTI. Thus, we uncovered an unappreciated key role for TRM cells in the memory response to bacterial infection in the bladder mucosa, providing a target for non-antibiotic-based immunotherapy and/or new vaccine strategies to prevent recurrent UTI.

Dose-Dependent Atrophy in Bilateral Amygdalae and Nuclei After Brain Radiation Therapy and Its Association With Mood and Memory Outcomes on a Longitudinal Clinical Trial

Amygdalae, bilateral almond-shaped structures located anterior to the hippocampi, are critical to limbic system functions of emotional processing and memory consolidation. The amygdalae are heterogeneous, composed of multiple nuclei with distinct structural and functional properties. We prospectively assessed associations between longitudinal changes in amygdala morphometry, including component nuclei, and functional outcomes in primary brain tumor patients receiving radiation therapy (RT). On a prospective longitudinal trial, patients (n=63) underwent high-resolution volumetric brain MRI and testing for mood (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI]; Beck Anxiety Inventory [BAI]), memory (BVMT-Total/Delayed Recall; HVLT-Total/Delayed Recall) and health-related quality of life (hrQOL) outcomes (FACT-Br Social/Emotional Well-being) at baseline, 3, 6, and 12-months post-RT. Amygdalae, including eight nuclei, were auto-segmented bilaterally using validated techniques. Linear mixed effects models assessed longitudinal change in amygdalae/nuclei volumes, and association with dose and outcomes. Wilcoxon rank sum tests compared amygdala volume change between subject groups with worse and stable outcomes at each timepoint. We found atrophy in the right amygdala at 6 months (p=0.001) and the left amygdala at 12 months (p=0.046). Higher dose was associated with atrophy of the left amygdala (p=0.013) at 12 months. Right amygdala showed dose-dependent atrophy at 6 months (p=0.016) and 12 months (p=0.001). Worse BVMT-Total, HVLT-Total and HVLT-Delayed performance was associated with smaller left lateral (p= 0.014, p=0.004, p=0.007) and left basal (p=0.034, p=0.016, p=0.026) nuclei volumes. Increased anxiety at 6 months was associated with greater combined (p=0.031) and right (p=0.007) amygdala atrophy. Greater left amygdala atrophy (p=0.038) was noted in patients with decreased emotional well-being at 12 months. Bilateral amygdalae and nuclei undergo time- and dose-dependent atrophy after brain RT. Atrophy in amygdalae and specific nuclei was associated with poorer memory, mood, and emotional well-being. Amygdalae-sparing treatment planning may preserve neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric outcomes in this population.

Wearable devices: underrepresentation in the ageing society

Wearable devices: underrepresentation in the ageing society

Quantitative Lipidomic Analysis of Serum Phospholipids Reveals Dissociable Markers of Alzheimer's Disease and Subcortical Cerebrovascular Disease.

Circulating phospholipid species have been shown to predict Alzheimer's disease (AD) prognosis but the link between phospholipid disturbances and subcortical small vessel cerebrovascular disease (CeVD) common in AD patients is not known. This study used quantitative lipidomics to measure serum diacyl, alkenyl (ether), alkyl, and lyso phospholipid species in individuals with extensive CeVD (n = 29), AD with minimal CeVD (n = 16), and AD with extensive CeVD (n = 14), and compared them to age-matched controls (n = 27). Memory was assessed using the California Verbal Learning Test. 3.0T MRI was used to assess hippocampal volume, atrophy, and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volumes as manifestations of CeVD. AD was associated with significantly higher concentrations of choline plasmalogen 18:0_18:1 and alkyl-phosphocholine 18:1. CeVD was associated with significantly lower lysophospholipids containing 16:0. Phospholipids containing arachidonic acid (AA) were associated with poorer memory in controls, whereas docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-containing phospholipids were associated with better memory in individuals with AD+CeVD. In controls, DHA-containing phospholipids were associated with more atrophy and phospholipids containing linoleic acid and AA were associated with less atrophy. Lysophospholipids containing 16:0, 18:0, and 18:1 were correlated with less atrophy in controls, and of these, alkyl-phosphocholine 18:1 was correlated with smaller WMH volumes. Conversely, 16:0_18:1 choline plasmalogen was correlated with greater WMH volumes in controls. This study demonstrates discernable differences in circulating phospholipids in individuals with AD and CeVD, as well as new associations between phospholipid species with memory and brain structure that were specific to contexts of commonly comorbid vascular and neurodegenerative pathologies.

Working Memory Constrains Long-Term Memory in Children and Adults: Memory of Objects and Bindings

We explored how individual and age-related differences in working memory (WM) capacity affected subsequent long-term memory (LTM) retrieval. Unlike past studies, we tested WM and LTM not only for items, but also for item-color bindings. Our sample included 82 elementary school children and 42 young adults. The participants performed a WM task with images of unique everyday items presented sequentially at varying set sizes in different colors. Later, we tested LTM for items and item-color bindings from the WM task. The WM load during encoding constrained LTM, and participants with a higher WM capacity retrieved more items in the LTM test. Even when accounting for young children's poor item memory by considering only the items that they did remember, they exhibited an exacerbated difficulty with remembering item-color bindings in WM. Their LTM binding performance, however, as a proportion of remembered objects, was comparable to that of older children and adults. The WM binding performance was better during sub-span encoding loads, but with no clear transfer of this benefit to LTM. Overall, LTM item memory performance was constrained by individual and age-related WM limitations, but with mixed consequences for binding. We discuss the theoretical, practical, and developmental implications of this WM-to-LTM bottleneck.

Exploring semantic verbal fluency patterns and their relationship to age and Alzheimer's disease in adults with Down syndrome.

Adults with Down syndrome (DS) are at ultra-high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD), characterized by poor episodic memory and semantic fluency in the preclinical phase in the general population. We explored semantic fluency performance in DS and its relationship to age, AD, and blood biomarkers. A total of 302 adults with DS at baseline and 87 at follow-up from the London Down Syndrome Consortium cohort completed neuropsychological assessments. Blood biomarkers were measured with the single molecule array technique in a subset of 94 participants. Poorer verbal fluency performance was observed as age increases. Number of correct words declined in those with AD compared to those without over 2 years and was negatively correlated with neurofilament light (r=-0.37, P=.001) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (r=-0.31, P=.012). Semantic fluency may be useful as an early indicator of cognitive decline and provide additional information on AD-related change, showing associations with biomarkers in DS.

The association between retinal vascular fractal dimension and cognitive function in the community-dwelling older adults cohort TIGER

The small retinal vessels reflect cerebral microcirculation and its fractal dimension (Df), representing the complexity of the retinal microcirculation. However, the connection between retinal circulation and cognitive function lacked consistent and longitudinal evidence. This study aimed to explore the association between retinal vascular complexity and cognitive impairment over time in non-demented community-dwelling older adults. This four-year prospective cohort study (2015-2019) is part of the ongoing Taiwan Initiative for Geriatric Epidemiological Research (TIGER, 2011 to present). Of the 434 older adults (age >65) recruited, 207 participants were included for analysis. The retinal vascular Df was assessed by baseline images from fundus photography (2015-2017). Global (Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Taiwanese version, MoCA-T) and domain-specific cognition were assessed at the baseline and 2-year follow-up (2017-2019). The multivariable linear regression models and generalized linear mixed models were used to evaluate the association of Df with cognitive decline/impairment over time. Decreased left retinal vascular complexity was associated with poor attention performance (β=-0.40). As follow-up time increased, decreased vascular complexity was associated with poor memory performance (right: β=-0.25; left: β=-0.19), and decreased right vascular complexity was associated with poor attention performance (β=-0.18). Low retinal vascular complexity of the right or left eye may be differentially associated with cognitive domains in community-dwelling older adults over two years. The retinal vascular Df of either eye may be served as a screening tool for detecting cognitive impairment in the preclinical phase of dementia.

A Comprehensive Review on T Cells, B Cells, Natural Killer Cells, and Dendritic Cells Exhaustion: From Main Concepts to Clinical Use

During chronic infections, a distinct physiological condition named “exhaustion” arises that is associated with the dysfunctionality in immune cells and their eventual removal from the environment, which evidently help the progress of infection or tumors in human or animal bodies. This state of immune cells could be under the control of different elements such as the antigen load, help from inhibitory cells, lack of costimulatory signals and etc. Exhaustion that has been found in different immune system cells, is usually accompanied by impaired effector function and proliferation of immune cells, poor memory recall, upregulation of inhibitory molecules, compromised metabolism and altered transcription program, and is considered a reversible process, unlike other physiological states like anergy or senescence, organized through the blockage of several factors. Although the emergence of these cells in viral infections and cancer is an undesirable event, the importance of the presence of exhausted cells in autoimmune diseases and organ transplantation is highlighted as a positive change. In this review, we aimed to determine the occurrence of this process in different immune cells, the characteristics obtained by these cells, effective and primitive factors on exhaustion, metabolic and transcriptional cell changes, and the use of these cells in autoimmune diseases and organ transplantation.

18F-FDG PET/CT as a molecular biomarker in the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis associated with prostate cancer and progressive supranuclear palsy: A case report

Introduction Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative, multisystem disorder. Its clinical presentation typically consists of progressive focal muscle atrophy and weakness. In addition to motor disorders, the association between ALS and cancer has been researched, such as frontotemporal dementia and progressive supranuclear palsy. The diagnosis is based primarily on the clinical history, physical examination, electrodiagnostic tests (with an EMG needle), and neuroimaging, such as MRI and 18 F-FDG PET/CT. Presentation of the case A 67-year-old male patient was diagnosed with prostate adenocarcinoma with a clinical picture of muscle weakness in the lower limbs that caused falls and was associated with fasciculations in the thighs and arms, alterations in the tone of voice, poor memory, and difficulty articulating words. In the neurological assessment, he described walking supported by a walker with decreased strength in both lower limbs and sensitivity without alterations. The diagnoses of upper and lower motor neuron disease and probable ALS were integrated. Furthermore, the probable coexistence of frontotemporal dementia/disorder (FDD) with ALS was considered. The main findings in the 18 F-FDG PET/CT study was hypometabolism in the cortex of the bilateral motor and premotor areas, the anterior cingulate, both caudate and putamen, a metabolic pattern compatible with ALS, and progressive supranuclear palsy. Conclusion Through the PET/CT studies, we demonstrated a case in which ALS, prostate cancer and progressive supranuclear palsy coexisted molecularly; it was clinically difficult to diagnose. Molecular imaging has potential in the diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of ALS. It is crucial to identify the disease early and reliably through metabolic patterns that allow us to confirm the disease or differentiate it from other pathologies.

Associations of bullying perpetration and peer victimization subtypes with preadolescent’s suicidality, non-suicidal self-injury, neurocognition, and brain development

BackgroundAlthough both peer victimization and bullying perpetration negatively impact preadolescents’ development, the underlying neurobiological mechanism of this adverse relationship remains unclear. Besides, the specific psycho-cognitive patterns of different bullying subtypes also need further exploration, warranting large-scale studies on both general bullying and specific bullying subtypes.MethodsWe adopted a retrospective methodology by utilizing the data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive DevelopmentSM Study (ABCD Study®) cohort collected between July 2018 and January 2021. Participants were preadolescents aged from 10 to 13 years. The main purpose of our study is to examine the associations of general and specific peer victimization/bullying perpetration with preadolescents’ (1) suicidality and non-suicidal self-injury; (2) executive function and memory, including attention inhibition, processing speed, emotion working memory, and episodic memory; (3) brain structure abnormalities; and (4) brain network disturbances. Age, sex, race/ethnicity, body mass index (BMI), socioeconomic status (SES), and data acquisition site were included as covariates.ResultsA total of 5819 participants aged from 10 to 13 years were included in this study. Higher risks of suicide ideation, suicide attempt, and non-suicidal self-injury were found to be associated with both bullying perpetration/peer victimization and their subtypes (i.e., overt, relational, and reputational). Meanwhile, poor episodic memory was shown to be associated with general victimization. As for perpetration, across all four tasks, significant positive associations of relational perpetration with executive function and episodic memory consistently manifested, yet opposite patterns were shown in overt perpetration. Notably, distinct psycho-cognitive patterns were shown among different subtypes. Additionally, victimization was associated with structural brain abnormalities in the bilateral paracentral and posterior cingulate cortex. Furthermore, victimization was associated with brain network disturbances between default mode network and dorsal attention network, between default mode network and fronto-parietal network, and ventral attention network related connectivities, including default mode network, dorsal attention network, cingulo-opercular network, cingulo-parietal network, and sensorimotor hand network. Perpetration was also associated with brain network disturbances between the attention network and the sensorimotor hand network.ConclusionsOur findings offered new evidence for the literature landscape by emphasizing the associations of bullying experiences with preadolescents’ clinical characteristics and cognitive functions, while distinctive psycho-cognitive patterns were shown among different subtypes. Additionally, there is evidence that these associations are related to neurocognitive brain networks involved in attention control and episodic retrieval. Given our findings, future interventions targeting ameliorating the deleterious effect of bullying experiences on preadolescents should consider their subtypes and utilize an ecosystemic approach involving all responsible parties.

A Successful Case Study on Ayurvedic Management of Hypothyroidism

Abstract: Hypothyroidism is mainly classified, resulting in failure of thyroid function and secondary (middle) due to failure of an adequate thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) from the pituitary gland or thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH) from the hypothalamus. Secondary hypothyroidism can be distinguished from the pituitary and hypothalamic by using TRH tests. In some cases, failure of hormone action in peripheral muscles can be detected. Primary hypothyroidism may be clinical when free T4 (FT4) decreases and TSH increases or subclinical when FT4 is normal and TSH increases. In secondary hypothyroidism FT4 decreases and TSH normal or decreases. Major hypothyroidism is often caused by chronic autoimmune thyroiditis, causes that are rarely treated with radioiodine and thyroidectomy. Hypothyroidism is one of the most common endocrine disorders seen in daily OPD. As per Charak Samhita, we can categorize Hypothyroidism in Anukta vhadhies. Vata and Kapha are two main doshas involved in this vhadhies. Present case is one of my successful cases of hypothyroidism. 32 year’s female patient suffering from weakness, dry skin, poor memory, hair loss, constipation, acidity, breathlessness since the last 8 years, and from last one month all symptoms increase rapidly. Patient having history of piles and thyroid and under allopathic treatment since last 4 years. After 1.5 months Ayurvedic treatment patient got relief in most of symptoms of disease and TSH level before treatment 8.65 to reduce 3.40.

Sensory Overlap for Specific Memories Only Matters for Poor Memory Traces

Sensory Overlap for Specific Memories Only Matters for Poor Memory Traces

A study on prevalence of anemia in school going Yanadi tribal children of Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh, India

Owing to the living condition, tribal community is at higher risk for diet-associated health disorders. The indigenous tribal populations like “The Yanadi”, residing in state of Andhra Pradesh in India. Being in the lower economic strata, they are deprived of proper food and access to basic health facilities is also constrained. Yanadi tribal children exhibit characteristic features of IDA, stunted growth, wasting and lower cognitive skills, which significantly affects their education. The study investigated the prevalence of anemia in 384 male Yanadi tribal schoolchildren aged 6-14 years and multiple approaches were adopted for survey-based data on social, economic and environment variables of the study-cohort was gathered along with anthropometric information. It was observed that huge majority of the tribal parents lacked primary school education and economic condition of such families is under dilapidating state, leading to consumption of improper food. Strikingly, 56% of the children exhibited the commonest symptom of anemia, pale conjunctiva. Overall analysis of the study participating children, following the WHO grading, close to 28% were found to be anemic and hemoglobin content (g/L) was observed to be close in both age groups, 11 to 14 years (11.889±1.123) and 7 to 10 years (11.734±1.309). Largely, the Yanadi tribal children projected cognitive impairment in the form of poor memory function (33%), down regulated cognitive functions (46%), and impaired attention functions (74.5%). It is somewhat relieving to see that anemia amongst Yanadi male children is not as severe as observed in children of other populations, as reported. However, the study projects out impaired cognitive and behavior skills amongst the participants, emphasizing the need of extending the study in a larger cohort.

Psychological distress is involved in CRCI in breast cancer survivors via mediating cytokine levels.

Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is a frequent consequence in breast cancer survivors after chemotherapy and lowers their quality of life (QOL). Psychological distress is frequently experienced by breast cancer survivors. There are currently few studies investigating the role of psychological distress in the genesis of CRCI. In total, 122 breast cancer survivors after standard chemotherapy within a year were recruited and assessed using the Psychological Distress Thermometer (DT). Sixty breast cancer survivors had non-psychological distress (NPD group) and sixty-two breast cancer survivors with psychological distress (PD group). The scores of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), prospective and retrospective memory (PM and RM) Questionnaire (PRMQ), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) and the levels of cytokines including interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-4 (IL-4) were compared between the two groups. Using PROCESS, we investigated whether psychological distress predicted cognitive function based on MMSE through IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-4. The PD group had higher scores on RM, PM, and FACT-G and lower scores on MMSE than the NPD group (t=-11.357, t=-10.720, t=-15.419, t=10.162, respectively; p < 0.05). Meanwhile, a higher level of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-4 was observed in the PD group than in the NPD group (t=-3.961, t=-3.396, t=-3.269, respectively; p < 0.05). The link between psychological distress and cognitive function as measured by the MMSE was also mediated by IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-4 (effect size: 26%, 25%, and 24%). Breast cancer patients with psychological distress displayed poor cognitive function, poor memory, and inferior quality of life, which was accompanied by higher cytokine levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-4. This study demonstrated IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-4 as potential pathways to CRCI in response to ongoing psychological distress, which provided evidence for the involvement of psychological distress in CRCI in breast cancer survivors.

Longitudinal Dyadic Associations Between Loneliness and Cognition Among Older Couples in the UnitedStates.

Loneliness is associated with diminished health and cognition for older individuals. However, little research has examined dyadic loneliness-that is, loneliness of both partners in a relationship-and its potential consequences for cognitive functioning among both spouses, nor whether one partner's cognition may affect both partners' loneliness over time. We analyze 3-wave dyadic Health and Retirement Study data (2010-2020; N=1,061 dyads) to determine (a) whether loneliness predicts participants' own and/or their partners' episodic memory and verbal fluency over 8years, and (b) whether cognitive functioning predicts older spouses' own or their partners' loneliness over the same period. Loneliness predicted participants' own and their partners' loneliness at follow-up, at both time points. Loneliness was also associated with own episodic memory at follow-up, but not with verbal fluency. Episodic memory and verbal fluency predicted one another over time. Neither episodic memory nor verbal fluency predicted loneliness at follow-up. Significant dyadic mediation was established such that Time 1 loneliness was linked with partner's Time 3 episodic memory via that partner's Time 2 loneliness. Lonelier older adults displayed worse trajectories of episodic memory over time, yet poor memory did not precede changes to loneliness. Further, having a lonely partner was linked with poorer episodic memory 8years later, indicating that both one's own and-to a lesser extent-a partner's emotional well-being may be consequential for maintaining cognitive functioning with age. Associations were more clearly established with episodic memory than with verbal fluency, suggesting potential domain-specific effects of loneliness.

Association of subclinical depressive symptoms and sleep with cognition in the community-dwelling older adults

/Purpose: This study aimed to explore the association of subclinical depressive symptoms and sleep with cognition in community-dwelling Taiwanese older adults. This four-year prospective cohort study (2015-2019) included 379 participants aged 65 years or older from the annual senior health checkup program at National Taiwan University Hospital who were followed up two years later. Global and domain cognitive functions were assessed using validated neuropsychological tests. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale. Sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Excessive daytime sleepiness was assessed using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Generalized linear mixed models were used to explore the associations of subclinical depressive symptoms and sleep variables with cognition, adjusting for important covariates. Stratification analyses were performed using the sleep variables. Over time, depressive symptoms were associated with poor performance of memory (βˆ=0.24, P=0.04) and executive function (βˆ=-0.24, P=0.03). Poor sleep quality (elevated PSQI score) was associated with poor memory performance (βˆ=-0.04 to -0.03, P<0.05). Excessive daytime sleepiness (elevated ESS score) was associated with poor performance of memory (βˆ=-0.02, P<0.05) and executive function (βˆ=-0.02, P=0.001). At baseline, better sleep quality and no excessive daytime sleepiness were associated with better memory performance over time. Subclinical depressive symptoms, worse sleep quality, and excessive daytime sleepiness were differentially associated with impairment of cognitive domains (mainly memory and executive function).

The RECAPACITA project: Description of the clinical, neuropsychological and functional profile of a sample of people with severe mental disorder and legal capacity modification in Spain

Severe mental disorder (SMD) includes people with long-term mental disorders, disability and social dysfunction. The mental capacity evaluation of the people has been a key aspect in legislative systems around the world and different proposals have been made. In countries like Spain, until 2021, the mental capacity of individuals was assessed by means of legal proceedings. In the last years, there has been a notable increase in the number of claims for legal incapacity, but no data are available on the total number of persons with CM, neither on the specific pathologies, or clinical and cognitive profiles. In view of the total absence of data on the profile of people with SMD and modification of capacity, the RECAPACITA study was born. This study includes patients with SMD and CM, as well as those without CM, with the aim to describe exhaustively their clinical, neuropsychological and functional profile of people with SMD and CM, as well as obtaining a basic description of the social environment. ObjectivesTo describe CM in SMD, to identify clinical diagnoses, clinical severity and neuropsychological deterioration. Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study. 77 adult patients with SMD and CM, inpatients from the mental health sector of the Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu (Spain), outpatients linked to the community rehabilitation services (CRS), and penitentiary inmates. CM, sociodemographic, clinical, functional and neuropsychological data are collected. ResultsIn the sample, 59.5% present total CM. 74.7% are men (mean: 52.5 years). 87,0% have a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The estimated premorbid IQ is 91.4. The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) had a mean of 50.5, the “Clinical Global Impression Scale” (CGI) was 4.6 and Scale Unawareness of Mental Disorders (SUMD) was 9.28. The cognitive results shows a profile with slow proceeding speed (mean scale score: 6.6), good working memory (mean SC: 8.3) and adequate verbal comprehension (mean SC: 7.3). In memory, coding is altered (Pz: −1.9), and long-term spontaneous recall (Pz: −2.3). In abstract reasoning, a slight alteration is obtained (Mean SC: 6), as well as in semantic fluency (Mean SC: 6.3), phonological (Mean SC: 5.9), and inhibitory capacity (Mean SC: 5.7). ConclusionsMost of the sample are men with schizophrenia, with a total MC assumed by a tutelary foundation. They show a moderate alteration in global functioning and clinical global impression, with partial awareness of the disease. They present dysexecutive mild cognitive impairment, with poor memory coding and free retrieval capacity, and a normal IQ, adequate verbal comprehension and working memory. This study is the first to present objective data on the psychiatric, functional and cognitive status of a group of patients with CM. Such research could be a good starting point to address a topic of great interest from the health, social and legal point of view of the CM processes of people with SMD.

Assessment of Uncertainties and Errors in Post-Chernobyl Dosimetry.

The present paper reviews the uncertainties and errors in complex dosimetry systems that were developed to estimate individual doses in different post-Chernobyl (Chornobyl) radiation epidemiology studies among the general population and the cleanup workers. These uncertainties and errors are associated with (i) instrumental radiation measurements of humans and environmental samples, (ii) inherent uncertainties arising from the stochastic random variability of the parameters used in exposure assessment and from a lack of knowledge about the true values of the parameters, and (iii) human factor uncertainties due to poor memory recall resulting in incomplete, inaccurate, or missing responses during personal interview with study subjects conducted long after exposure. Relative measurement errors of 131I thyroid activity associated with devices for measuring radioactivity in the thyroid reached up to 0.86 (coefficient of variation). The inherent uncertainty in estimates of individual doses varied between different studies and exposure pathways (GSD from 1.2 to 15 for model-based doses and from 1.3 to 5.1 for measurement-based doses). The human factor uncertainties can cause individual doses to be underestimated or overestimated by an average of 10 times for model-based doses and 2 times for measurement-based doses calculated for the general population and up to 3 times for doses calculated for cleanup workers. The sources of errors and uncertainties, especially the human factor uncertainties, should be carefully considered in dose assessment for radiation epidemiological studies, with particular attention to studies involving persons without instrumental radiation measurements.

Association Between Metabolic Syndrome and Decline in Cognitive Function: A Cross-Sectional Study.

We investigated whether metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with a decline in cognitive function in a cohort of middle-aged and elderly individuals without known cognitive dysfunction diseases in Qatar. We conducted a cross-sectional study on randomly selected participants aged 40-80 years from the Qatar Biobank, with data on cognitive tests and MetS components. Participants with a history of dementia, stroke, or mental disorders were excluded. MetS was diagnosed using the NCEP-ATP III criteria and cognitive performance was assessed using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Two cognitive function domains were assessed. These are speed of reaction, measured using the Reaction Time (RT), and short-term visual memory, measured using the Paired Associate Learning (PAL) test. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine associations between MetS and poor speed of reaction and poor memory performance. The mean age of the participants included was 49.8 years (SD 6.7). Of these, 51.9% were females and 88.0% were of Qatari nationality. Most of the 1000 participants had MetS (n=302) or 1-2 MetS components (n=523), whereas only 170 had no MetS components. There was a strong association between MetS and poor memory performance (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.04-2.96, P=0.034), but a weaker association with poor speed of reaction (OR 1.5, 95% CI 0.89-2.50, P=0.125). In middle-aged and elderly individuals, MetS was strongly associated with diminished short-term visual memory, psychomotor coordination and motor speed.

Individual variability in speech recognition with compression and beamforming at positive signal-to-noise ratios

Individuals with hearing loss often struggle to communicate in noisy conditions. Aggressive hearing aid (HA) processing, such as fast-acting wide dynamic range compression (WDRC), may reduce speech recognition under some circumstances, and there is concern about disproportionate reductions in listeners with poor working memory. We investigated how speech recognition is affected when WDRC is combined with highly directional beamforming intended to reduce noise from lateral and rear locations. We also sought to determine how listener factors—working memory, age, and hearing loss—affect such interactions in typical listening conditions, including positive signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) and different spatial noise locations. To-date 22 listeners with mild to moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss repeated low-context sentences (0°) mixed with six-talker interference at + 3 and + 8 dB SNRs, distributed equally in two ( + /−90°) or three ( + /−90°/180°) locations. Wearable HAs presented four signal processing combinations, matched for audibility: microphone directionality (omnidirectional or beamformer) and WDRC (fast- or slow-acting). Data show higher speech recognition with beamforming (re omnidirectional), especially at + 3 dB SNR, regardless of WDRC and spatial locations. Relative contributions of listener factors will be assessed in mixed models in the context of combined signal distortions from HA processing and interferers. [Work supported by NIH-K01DC018324.]