Premorbid Intelligence Quotient Research Articles

Convergent and Discriminant Validity of the Blast Exposure Threshold Survey in United States Military Service Members and Veterans.

The Blast Exposure Threshold Survey (BETS) is a recently developed and promising new self-report measure of lifetime blast exposure (LBE). However, there are no studies that have examined the psychometric properties of the BETS, which currently limits its clinical utility. The purpose of this study was to examine the convergent and discriminant validity of the BETS by comparing the BETS Generalized Blast Exposure Value (GBEV) to six variables hypothesized to be associated with LBE (i.e., single-item LBE, combat exposure, years in the military, number of combat deployments, and military occupation specialty [MOS]) and three variables hypothesized not to be associated with LBE (i.e., age at the time of injury, estimated pre-morbid Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient [FSIQ], and resilience). Participants were 202 United States service members and veterans prospectively enrolled from three military medical treatment facilities (68.7%) and via community recruitment initiatives (31.3%). Participants completed the BETS, Combat Exposure Scale (CES), Deployment Risk and Resiliency Inventory-2 Combat Experiences (DRRI-2 CE), Traumatic Brain Injury-Quality of Life Resilience scale, and a brief structured interview. For some analyses, participants were classified into two blast risk MOS groups: high (n = 89) and low (n = 94). The BETS GBEV was not significantly correlated with all three non-blast related variables (rs = 0.01 to rs = -0.12). In contrast, GBEV was significantly (p < 0.001) associated with all blast-related variables; single-item LBE (rs = 0.76), CES (rs = 0.58), number of combat deployments (rs = 0.53), DRRI-2 CE (rs = 0.48), and high blast risk MOS (r = 0.36, medium effect size). However, a stronger relationship was found between the blast-related variables and three modified GBEV scores when excluding some small weapons categories; single-item LBE (rs = 0.80-0.82), CES (rs = 0.64-0.67), number of combat deployments (rs = 0.56), DRRI-2 CE (rs = 0.51-0.53), and high blast risk MOS (r = 0.42-0.49, medium-large effect size). This is the first study to examine the psychometric properties of the BETS. Overall, these results offer support for the convergent and discriminant validity of the BETS. In order to ensure that the BETS can be confidently used as a valid and reliable measure of LBE, more research is needed to further examine the psychometric properties of the test, particularly with regard to the establishment of test-retest reliability.

Premorbid intelligence quotient and school failure as risk markers for bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder

Mood disorders significantly impact global health, with MDD ranking as the second leading cause of disability in the United States and BD ranking 18th. Despite their prevalence and impact, the relationship between premorbid intelligence and the subsequent development of BD and MDD remains inconclusive.This study investigates the potential of premorbid Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and school failure frequency as risk factors for Bipolar Disorder (BD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in a birth cohort setting. We analyze data from the Pelotas population-based birth cohort study, comprising 3580 participants aged 22, who had no prior mood disorder diagnoses. Utilizing regression models and accounting for potential confounders, we assess the impact of IQ and school failure, measured at age 18, on the emergence of BD and MDD diagnoses at age 22, using individuals without mood disorders as comparators. Results reveal that lower IQ (below 70) at 18 is associated with an increased risk of BD (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] 1.75, 95%CI: 1.00–3.09, p < 0.05), while higher IQ (above 120) is linked to MDD (AOR 2.16, 95%CI: 1.24–3.75, p < 0.001). Moreover, an elevated number of school failures is associated with increased BD risk (AOR 1.23, 95%CI: 1.11–1.41, p < 0.001), particularly for BD type 1 (AOR 1.36, 95% CI: 1.17–1.58, p < 0.001). These findings offer insights into the distinct premorbid intellectual characteristics of BD and MDD and contribute to a deeper understanding of their developmental trajectories, potentially informing the development of risk assessment tools for mood disorders.

Intelligence quotient changes over 10years: Diversity of cognitive profiles in first episode of psychosis and healthy controls.

This study aimed to analyse whether intelligence quotient (IQ) improves, declines, or remains stable over 10years among FEP patients and healthy subjects. A group of FEP patients enrolled in a Program of First Episode Psychosis in Spain called PAFIP, and a sample of Healthy Controls (HC) completed the same neuropsychological battery at baseline and approximately 10years later, which included the WAIS vocabulary subtest to estimate premorbid IQ and 10-year IQ. Cluster analysis was performed separately in the patient group and the HC group to determine their profiles of intellectual change. One hundred and thirty-seven FEP patients were grouped into five clusters: "Improved low IQ" (9.49% of patients), "Improved average IQ" (14.6%), "Preserved low IQ" (17.52%), "Preserved average IQ" (43.06%), and "Preserved high IQ" (15.33%). Ninety HC were grouped into three clusters: "Preserved low IQ" (32.22% of the HC), "Preserved average IQ" (44.44%), and "Preserved high IQ" (23.33%). The first two clusters of FEP patients, characterized by a low IQ, earlier age at illness onset, and lower educational attainment, showed a substantial cognitive improvement. The remaining clusters demonstrated cognitive stability. The FEP patients showed intellectual improvement or stability, but no decline post-onset of psychosis. However, their profiles of intellectual change are more heterogeneous than that of HC over 10years. Particularly, there is a subgroup of FEP patients with a significant potential for long-term cognitive enhancement.

The relevance of processing speed in the functioning of people with first-episode psychosis

Deficits in functioning affect people with first-episode psychosis. Deficits in cognitive performance are common in such individuals and appear to be related to functioning. The present study examined the relationship between the domains of cognitive performance and personal and social functioning, as well as evaluating which cognitive domains are the most closely related to personal and social functioning and whether they explain variations once other clinical and sociodemographic aspects are accounted for. Ninety-four people with first-episode psychosis participated in the study; they were assessed with the MATRICS battery. Symptoms were evaluated with the Emsley factors of the positive and negative syndrome scale. Cannabis use, duration of untreated psychosis, suicide risk, perceived stress, antipsychotic doses, and premorbid intelligence quotient was accounted for. Processing speed, attention/vigilance, working memory, visual learning, reasoning and problem solving correlated to personal and social functioning. Processing speed emerged as the strongest predictor of social and personal functioning and underscores the importance of targeting this domain in treatment. Moreover, suicide risk and excited symptoms were also significant variables in functioning. Early intervention, focusing on improvement of processing speed, may be crucial to the improvement of functioning in first-episode psychosis. The relationship of this cognitive domain with functioning in first-episode psychosis should be studied further.

Plasma neuropeptide levels in patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder and healthy controls: A multiplex immunoassay study.

We aimed to compare neuropeptide levels between patients with major psychiatric disorders and healthy controls and examine their association with symptoms and cognitive function. The participants were 149 patients with schizophrenia, 115 patients with bipolar disorder (BD), 186 unremitted patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), and 350 healthy controls. Psychiatric (schizophrenic, manic, and depressive) symptoms, sleep state, and cognitive (premorbid intelligence quotient, general cognitive, and memory) functions were evaluated. A multiplex immunoassay kit was used to measure cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH), β-endorphin, neurotensin, oxytocin, and substance P levels. The verification assay revealed that CSF α-MSH, β-endorphin, neurotensin, oxytocin, and substance P levels were too low to be reliably measured, while plasma α-MSH, β-endorphin, neurotensin, oxytocin, and substance P levels could be successfully measured. Plasma α-MSH, β-endorphin, neurotensin, oxytocin, and substance P levels were not significantly different between patients with schizophrenia, BD, or MDD and healthy controls. Plasma α-MSH, β-endorphin, neurotensin, oxytocin, and substance P levels were not significantly correlated with psychiatric symptom scores in patients with schizophrenia, BD, or MDD and cognitive function scores in patients or healthy controls. Our data suggest that plasma neuropeptide levels do not elucidate the involvement of neuropeptides in the pathology of schizophrenia, BD, or MDD.

Sex Differences in Social Cognition and Association of Social Cognition and Neurocognition in Early Course Schizophrenia.

BackgroundBoth impairment and sex differences in social cognition and neurocognition have been documented in schizophrenia. However, whether sex differences exist in the association between social cognition and neurocognition are not known. We aimed to investigate the contribution of areas of neurocognition to theory of mind (ToM) and hostility bias, representing social cognition, according to sex in early course schizophrenia.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, we assessed neurocognition using the Japanese version of the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) and assessed the ToM and hostility bias subdomains of social cognition using the Social Cognition Screening Questionnaire (SCSQ) in 131 participants (65 female, 66 male) diagnosed with schizophrenia within 5 years of onset. Sex differences were analyzed using t-tests. The associations of neurocognitive subdomains with ToM and hostility bias according to sex were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Results were adjusted by age, estimated premorbid intelligence quotient, and symptomatology.ResultsNo sex differences were found in ToM (p = 0.071) or hostility bias (p = 0.057). Higher verbal fluency was significantly associated with higher ToM in females (p < 0.01), whereas higher executive function was significantly associated with higher ToM in males (p < 0.05). Higher verbal fluency was significantly associated with lower hostility bias in females (p < 0.05), whereas neurocognition and hostility bias were not significantly associated in males.ConclusionThe results suggest that neurocognition associated with social cognition differ according to sex. These differences should be considered for more effective treatment of social cognition.

Heterogeneity of effects of cognitive reserve on performance in probable Alzheimer's disease and in subjective cognitive decline.

Cognitive reserve (CR) is a term used to describe the adaptability of cognitive processes to brain changes. It helps to explain the different cognitive adaptation to daily functioning in aging individuals and in individuals with brain pathology: a higher CR is associated with a delay in the manifestation of cognitive symptoms. CR is estimated using different proxies, such as education, cognitively stimulating life experiences, premorbid intelligence quotient (IQ), and vocabulary size. Despite the complexity of CR, little research to date has systematically focused on the heterogeneity of its effects. We investigated this issue in individuals with probable Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and in individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) by focusing on two variables: (a) the type of CR proxy (i.e., Education and Life experience) and (b) the type of test used to assess cognitive performance (i.e., the Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE] screening test and the extensive Brief Neuropsychological Examination-2 [ENB-2] test battery). Our results suggest that effects on CR varied: in individuals with probable AD, we found a positive relationship of Education with performance on both the MMSE and the ENB-2 tests; in contrast, individuals with SCD showed a positive relationship of a Life experience proxy selectively with the ENB-2 global score. Different proxies may reflect different compensatory mechanisms of CR depending on task demand and on an individual's global cognitive condition. In particular, while the Education proxy can capture CR-related cognitive compensation in a pathological condition such as probable AD, the more complex Life experience proxy might be useful for capturing CR-related effects when signs of deterioration are subtle, like in SCD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Neuropsychological performance in young adults with cannabis use disorder.

Background and Aims:Cannabis is a commonly used recreational drug in young adults. The worldwide prevalence in 18- to 25-year-olds is approximately 35%. Significant differences in cognitive performance have been reported previously for groups of cannabis users. However, the groups are often heterogeneous in terms of cannabis use. Here, we study daily cannabis users with a confirmed diagnosis of cannabis use disorder (CUD) to examine cognitive performance on measures of memory, executive function and risky decision-making.Methods:Forty young adult daily cannabis users with diagnosed CUD and 20 healthy controls matched for sex and premorbid intelligence quotient (IQ) were included. The neuropsychological battery implemented was designed to measure multiple modes of memory (visual, episodic and working memory), risky decision-making and other domains of executive function using subtests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB).Results:Our results showed that young adult daily cannabis users with CUD perform significantly poorer on tasks of visual and episodic memory compared with healthy controls. In addition, executive functioning was associated with the age of onset.Conclusions:Further research is required to determine whether worse performance in cognition results in cannabis use or is a consequence of cannabis use. Chronic heavy cannabis use during a critical period of brain development may have a particularly negative impact on cognition. Research into the persistence of cognitive differences and how they relate to functional outcomes such as academic/career performance is required.

Cognitive reserve proxies, Alzheimer pathologies, and cognition

This study aimed to explore the moderating effects of the frequently used cognitive reserve (CR) proxies [i.e., education, premorbid intelligence quotient (pIQ), occupational complexity (OC), and lifetime cognitive activity (LCA)] on the relationships between various in vivo Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathologies and cognition. In total, 351 [268 cognitively unimpaired (CU), 83 cognitive impaired (CI)] older adults underwent multi-modal brain imaging to measure AD pathologies and cognitive assessments, and information on CR proxies was obtained. For overall participants, only education moderated the relationship between Aβ deposition and cognition. Education, pIQ, and LCA, but not OC, showed moderating effect on the relationship between AD-signature cerebral hypometabolism and cognition. In contrast, only OC had a moderating effect on the relationship between cortical atrophy of the AD-signature regions and cognition. Such moderation effects of the CR proxies were similarly observed in CI individuals, but most of them were not in CU individuals. The findings suggest that the proposed CR proxies have different moderating effects on the relationships between specific AD pathologies and cognition.

Brain White Matter Microstructure as a Risk Factor for Cognitive Decline After Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer.

Cognitive decline is frequently observed after chemotherapy. As chemotherapy is associated with changes in brain white matter microstructure, we investigated whether white matter microstructure before chemotherapy is a risk factor for cognitive decline after chemotherapy. Neuropsychologic tests were administered before and 6 months (n = 49), 2 years (n = 32), and 3 years (n = 32) after chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer receiving anthracycline-based chemotherapy (BC + CT group), at matched intervals to patients with BC who did not receive systemic therapy (BC - CT group: n = 39, 23, and 19, respectively) and to no-cancer controls (NC group: n = 37, 29, and 28, respectively). Using multivariate normative comparison, we evaluated to what extent the cognitive profiles of patients deviated from those of controls. Fractional anisotropy (FA), derived from magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging, was used to measure white matter microstructure before treatment. FA was evaluated as a risk factor for cognitive decline, in addition to baseline age, fatigue, cognitive complaints, and premorbid intelligence quotient. We subsequently ran voxel-wise diffusion tensor imaging analyses to investigate white matter microstructure in specific nerve tracts. Low FA independently predicted cognitive decline early (6 months, P = .013) and late (3 years, P < .001) after chemotherapy. FA did not predict cognitive decline in the BC - CT and NC groups. Voxel-wise analysis indicated involvement of white matter tracts essential for cognitive functioning. Low FA may reflect low white matter reserve. This may be a risk factor for cognitive decline after chemotherapy for BC. If validated in future trials, identification of patients with low white matter reserve could improve patient care, for example, by facilitating targeted, early interventions or even by influencing choices of patients and doctors for receiving chemotherapy.

Cognitive reserve as a moderator of outcomes in five clusters of first episode psychosis patients: a 10-year follow-up study of the PAFIP cohort.

Cognitive reserve (CR) has been associated with the development and prognosis of psychosis. Different proxies have been used to estimate CR among individuals. A composite score of these proxies could elucidate the role of CR at illness onset on the variability of clinical and neurocognitive outcomes. Premorbid intelligence quotient (IQ), years of education and premorbid adjustment were explored as proxies of CR in a large sample (N = 424) of first-episode psychosis (FEP) non-affective patients. Clusters of patients were identified and compared based on premorbid, clinical and neurocognitive variables at baseline. Additionally, the clusters were compared at 3-year (N = 362) and 10-year (N = 150) follow-ups. The FEP patients were grouped into five CR clusters: C1 (low premorbid IQ, low education and poor premorbid) 14%; C2 (low premorbid IQ, low education and good premorbid adjustment) 29%; C3 (normal premorbid IQ, low education and poor premorbid adjustment) 17%; C4 (normal premorbid IQ, medium education and good premorbid adjustment) 25%; and C5 (normal premorbid IQ, higher education and good premorbid adjustment) 15%. In general, positive and negative symptoms were more severe in the FEP patients with the lowest CR at baseline and follow-up assessments, while those with high CR presented and maintained higher levels of cognitive functioning. CR could be considered a key factor at illness onset and a moderator of outcomes in FEP patients. A high CR could function as a protective factor against cognitive impairment and severe symptomatology. Clinical interventions focused on increasing CR and documenting long-term benefits are interesting and desirable.

The Heterogeneity of Longitudinal Cognitive Decline in Euthymic Bipolar I Disorder With Clinical Characteristics and Functional Outcomes.

We characterized the heterogeneity and risk factors of cognitive decline in euthymic bipolar disorder (BD), and their magnitude of associations with subjective daily functions. In this retrospective cohort, BD type I patients (N = 128) were followed for an average of 6.5 years. Intelligence quotient (IQ) at index date was recorded, and premorbid IQ was estimated. We used Brief Assessment of Cognition in Affective Disorders (BAC-A) to assess cognition at follow-up. We evaluated current functions with World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0. Clinical and sociodemographic factors were examined for their independent effects on longitudinal cognitive decline. In addition, we employed multivariate adaptive regression spline to detect inflection points for the nature of slope changes in cognitive decline among BD patients. During follow-up years, 21 BD patients (16.4%) showed longitudinal cognitive decline. In cognitive decline group, all cognitive domains of BAC-A were significantly worsened. We found that density of episodes with psychotic features was an independent risk factor for cognitive decline after adjusted for age, gender and dose of mood stabilizer. After the age of 42 years, a steeper cognitive change was observed in the cognitive decline group. The correlation pattern between cognitive domains and functional outcomes differed between patients with and without cognitive decline. The present study characterized cognitive heterogeneity longitudinally in BD patients. As density of episodes play roles for cognitive decline, our results emphasize the importance of relapse prevention. Our findings provide hints for future personalized interventions and facilitating genetic and biological studies for dissecting the heterogeneity of bipolar illness.

Education and long-term outcomes in first episode psychosis: 10-year follow-up study of the PAFIP cohort.

Lower levels of education have been associated with the development of psychosis. Investigating educational achievement in the first episode of psychosis (FEP) patients may shed light on the origins of the alterations and on the variability of outcomes in psychotic disorders. Education achievement was explored in a large sample (n = 659) of FEP patients enrolled in programa de atención a fases iniciales de psicosis (PAFIP), a research and assistance program conducted in Spain. Patients were stratified according to the Spanish educational system according to their attendance in primary (low), secondary (medium) or university studies (high). The three groups were compared on available premorbid, clinical and neuropsychological variables. A subgroup of patients (n = 209), comprising the 10-year follow-up PAFIP cohort, were again compared. Overall, 49% and 37% of FEP patients had low and medium levels of education, respectively. In total, 13% of the patients with a higher level of education were more frequently women (64%) and older at illness onset (36 years old), reported better premorbid adjustment, presented less severe positive symptoms and better functioning; and showed higher premorbid intelligence quotient and better performance on all the explored cognitive domains. Ten years later the FEP patients in the medium- and high-education groups had good global functioning and a neurocognitive performance within the normal limits. Higher education is associated with better initial conditions and more favourable outcomes after an FEP. Sharing this information with the world's educational systems is essential to targeting resources and designing innovative programs or strategies to compensate for student difficulties.

Subtypes of depression characterized by different cognitive decline and brain activity alterations

Depression is characterized by the heterogeneity in anti-depressant treatment response and clinical outcomes. Cognitive impairment may be one of the more practically important aspects of depression. A new approach was to identify neuropsychologically derived depression subtypes based on the trajectory of neuro-cognition such as intelligence quotient (IQ) change. We used a classical premorbid IQ prediction algorithm and then compared predicted premorbid IQ with current IQ. IQ change was used to delineate the patterns of neuropsychological heterogeneity within a large dataset consisting of 131 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 165 healthy controls (HCs). Neurocognitive results from CANTAB and 3 T resting-state fMRI data were compared among the subgroups identified. IQ change heterogeneity identified two subgroups within the MDD group: preserved IQ (PIQ) and deteriorated IQ (DIQ) in MDD. The DIQ subgroup was marked by poorer functioning across multiple cognition domains, including increased impairments in motor speed, cognitive flexibility, and catastrophic thinking when compared to PIQ and HCs. Moreover, cognitive performance of patients with DIQ was correlated with IQ decline. Also, increased brain activity of anterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex was found in DIQ but not in PIQ and HCs. IQ-based subgroups of depression may be differentially associated with the extent of neurocognitive impairment and brain activities, which suggests that classifying the cognitive heterogeneity associated with depression may provide a platform to better characterize the neurobiological underpinnings of the disease.

Intelligence decline across major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

Major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (BD), and schizophrenia (SCZ) are associated with impaired intelligence that predicts poor functional outcomes. However, little is known regarding the extent and severity of intelligence decline, that is, decreased present intelligence quotient (IQ) relative to premorbid levels, across psychiatric disorders and which clinical characteristics affect the decline. Premorbid IQ, present IQ, and intelligence decline were compared across patients with MDD (n=45), BD (n=30), and SCZ (n=139), and healthy controls (HCs; n=135). Furthermore, we investigated which factors contribute to the intelligence decline in each diagnostic group. Significant differences were observed in premorbid IQ, present IQ, and intelligence decline across the diagnostic groups. Patients with each psychiatric disorder displayed lower premorbid and present IQ and more intelligence decline than HCs. Patients with SCZ displayed lower premorbid and present IQ and more intelligence decline than patients with MDD and BD, while there were no significant differences between patients with MDD and BD. When patients with BD were divided based on bipolar I disorder (BD-I) and bipolar II disorder (BD-II), degrees of intelligence decline were similar between MDD and BD-II and between BD-I and SCZ. Lower educational attainment was correlated with a greater degree of intelligence decline in patients with SCZ and BD but not MDD. These findings confirm that although all psychiatric disorders display intelligence decline, the severity of intelligence decline differs across psychiatric disorders (SCZ, BD-I>BD-II, MDD>HCs). Higher educational attainment as cognitive reserve contributes to protection against intelligence decline in BD and SCZ.

C-Reactive Protein as a Possible Predictor of Trail-Making Performance in Individuals with Psychiatric Disorders

Cognitive dysfunction is a prominent feature of psychiatric disorders. Studies have shown that systemic low-grade inflammation is crucial in the development of cognitive deficits across psychiatric disorders. The aim of this study was to further examine the role of inflammation and inflammatory mediators in cognitive function in psychiatric disorders. This study included 364 inpatients (53% females) with International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 F3 (affective disorders) and F4 (neurotic, stress-related, and somatoform disorders) diagnoses. The mean age was 52 years (22 to 69 years) and the median body mass index was 27.6. Cognitive function was assessed with the Color–Word Interference Test after Stroop and the Trail-Making Test A/B. Multiple linear regression models were calculated to assess the predictive value of C-reactive protein and the kynurenine/tryptophan ratio on cognitive function controlling for age, sex, education, premorbid verbal intelligence quotient, illness duration, depressive symptoms, and obesity-related parameters (e.g., body mass index, high-density lipoprotein). Our data confirm that in patients with psychiatric disorders, C-reactive protein serum concentration is a relevant and important predictor of Trail-Making Test B performance, measuring cognitive flexibility. The effect size of this association did not change much after adding clinical and metabolic variables into the regression model. The kynurenine/tryptophan ratio was not related to cognitive test scores. The involvement of C-reactive protein as a peripheral inflammatory marker in cognitive flexibility and psychomotor processing speed in psychiatric illness can be concluded.

Association between cognitive reserve dimensions and frailty among older adults: A structured narrative review.

Frailty is a broadly investigated geriatric condition, which is characterized by an increased vulnerability to stressors. It represents an extremely relevant public health issue, increasingly conceptualized in a multidimensional perspective. The concept of cognitive reserve (CR), as originally conceptualized by Stern, has been developed in the past decades as a potential factor able to determine individual differences in cognitive vulnerability and trajectories occurring with aging. Our purpose was to provide a comprehensive review of the literature exploring the relationship between CR dimensions, selected according to the Stern model, and frailty status. A review of the literature on the association between potential CR dimensions and frailty was carried out through PubMed, Web of Knowledge and Scopus. CR expressed in terms of education, occupation, premorbid intelligence quotient and leisure time activities was associated with frailty in both cross-sectional and longitudinal observations. The majority of reviewed evidence suggests a potential protective role of CR factors against the onset and the worsening of frailty among older adults. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to provide a comprehensive overview regarding the association between CR dimensions and frailty. Education, occupation, premorbid intelligence quotient and leisure time activities are able to interact with the general concept of frailty, rather than simply affecting the cognitive trajectory towards dementia. The lack of a unique and operationalized approach to the assessment of CR, as well as the wide heterogeneity of frailty evaluation tools and criteria, denote some methodological critical issues that need to be overcome. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 1005-1023..

Is There a Correlation Between the Number of Brain Cells and IQ?

Our access to a unique material of postmortem brains obtained from decades of data collection enabled a stereological analysis of the neuron numbers and correlation of results with individual premorbid intelligence quotient (IQ) data. In our sample of 50 brains from men, we find that IQ does not correlate with the number of brain cells in the human neocortex and was only weakly correlated to brain weight. Our stereological examination extended to measures of several other parameters that might be of relevance to intelligence, including numbers of cerebral glial cells (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia) and the volume of key areas in the gray and white matter and of the cerebral ventricles, also showing near-zero nonsignificant correlations to IQ.

Evaluation of cognitive impairment in a French sample of patients with restrictive anorexia nervosa: two distinct profiles emerged with differences in impaired functions and psychopathological symptoms

PurposeThe cognitive profiles of patients suffering from anorexia nervosa (AN) are currently explored as potential facilitating and/or maintenance factors. Specific data in restrictive AN (AN-R) remain contradictory. This study focused on women with AN-R to evaluate their cognitive functions to develop a more specific cognitive remediation program.MethodsFemale patients older than 15 years who were suffering from AN-R were recruited in a specialized unit for eating disorder management. Female healthy control (HC) participants were recruited who were matched with AN patients on age. All participants completed a cognitive evaluation (premorbid intelligence quotient (IQ), planning, information processing speed, cognitive flexibility) and a clinical evaluation (impulsivity, anxiety, depression).ResultsA total of 122 participants were included. Patients suffering from AN-R had significant impairment in information processing speed and planning. Patients exhibited significantly better cognitive flexibility than did the HC group when adjustments were made for other cognitive functions and impulsivity. Two distinct subgroups of patients were identified. The first subgroup had more marked cognitive impairment and fewer psychopathological symptoms than did the second subgroup of patients and the HC group.ConclusionOur results highlight cognitive impairment in patients with AN who had normal premorbid IQ. Two distinct profiles emerge. In clinical practice, these results open up perspectives for the development of more specific cognitive remediation programs (one specific program for cold cognitions and another specific program targeting emotions and hot cognitions). These results warrant confirmation by larger studies with a more specific evaluation of the impact of emotional status.Trial registration NTC02381639, Date of registration. March 6, 2015

Hippocampal volume is more related to patient-reported memory than objective memory performance in early multiple sclerosis

Background: When persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) report memory decline but objective memory performance is normal, there is a bias toward believing objective test results. Objective: Investigate whether subjective memory decline or objective memory performance is more related to hippocampal and hippocampal subfield volumes in early MS. Methods: Persons with early MS (n = 185; ⩽5.0 years diagnosed) completed a subjective memory questionnaire; an objective memory composite was derived from four memory tests. Total hippocampal and subfield volumes were derived from high-resolution 3.0 T magnetic resonance images (MRIs). Partial correlations assessed links between hippocampal volumes and both subjective and objective memory, controlling for age, sex, mood, and pre-morbid intelligence quotient (IQ). Results: Lower total hippocampal and CA1 volumes were related to worse subjective memory but not objective memory (controlling for multiple comparisons). Correlations between subjective memory and both CA1 and subiculum were significantly stronger than were correlations between objective memory and these subfields. Patients in the worst tertile of subjective memory complaints (but not objective memory) had lower hippocampal volumes than 35 demographically similar healthy controls. Conclusion: Patient-report is inherently a longitudinal assessment of within-person memory change in everyday life, which may be more sensitive to subtle disease-related changes than cross-sectional objective tests. Findings align with the aging literature.