Memory Scale Research Articles

1543-P: Dietary Inflammatory Index Associated with Complications in Long Duration Type 1 Diabetes

Cognitive impairment, micro and macrovascular complications contribute to the high morbidity and mortality of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in an aging population. The dietary inflammatory index (DII), a validated measure of the inflammatory potential of dietary nutrients, has not been evaluated for its relationship to complications in T1D. To this end, validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires were administered at baseline to 591 individuals of the Joslin 50-year Medalist Study (“Medalists”), a well-characterized cohort having ≥50 years of T1D. The DII score was derived for each Medalist as a weighted summary score from 35 nutrients that have been associated with inflammatory markers in literature. A higher score indicated the pro-inflammatory potential of the diet. Logistic and linear regression models were applied to test cross-sectional relationships between the DII and complications. A higher DII was significantly (p<0.05) associated with 1.6 and 1.4 times increased odds of nephropathy (eGFR≤60 ml/min/1.7m2) and neuropathy (MNSI score >2) respectively, independent of glycemic control, diabetes duration, or other confounders. The DII was not associated with baseline self-report history of cardiovascular disease, nor with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (ETDRS >53). In a subset (n=69) who were given a cognitive battery, a higher DII was significantly associated (p=0.02) with worse working memory (Wechsler memory scale) but not with motor skills (Grooved Pegboard), executive function (Delis Kaplan) or immediate or delayed recall (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Tests). To conclude, in aging adults with chronic T1D, a pro-inflammatory diet is associated with nephropathy, neuropathy and worse working memory, signaling a need for further studies examining diet and inflammation to eventually inform better strategies to lower morbidity in populations with long duration T1D. Disclosure H. Shah: None. E. Wolfson: None. M. Yu: None. F. Hu: None. G.L. King: Research Support; Self; Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Funding National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (1DP3DK112192-01, 1DP3DK094333-01); Beatson Pledge Fund

Scalable probabilistic PCA for large-scale genetic variation data.

Principal component analysis (PCA) is a key tool for understanding population structure and controlling for population stratification in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). With the advent of large-scale datasets of genetic variation, there is a need for methods that can compute principal components (PCs) with scalable computational and memory requirements. We present ProPCA, a highly scalable method based on a probabilistic generative model, which computes the top PCs on genetic variation data efficiently. We applied ProPCA to compute the top five PCs on genotype data from the UK Biobank, consisting of 488,363 individuals and 146,671 SNPs, in about thirty minutes. To illustrate the utility of computing PCs in large samples, we leveraged the population structure inferred by ProPCA within White British individuals in the UK Biobank to identify several novel genome-wide signals of recent putative selection including missense mutations in RPGRIP1L and TLR4.

A Scalable Virtual memory system based on decentralization for many-cores

Abstract Traditional centralized virtual memory system design encounters severe scalability problems, which impede the multithreaded applications’ performance increment on many-core systems. In this paper, we propose a decentralized system model to scale the VM systems for many-cores. Our model improves system parallelism by avoiding resource sharing and minimizing state coordination. By applying the model, we build a novel scalable virtual memory system called MedusaVM+ . MedusaVM+ presents a decentralized system architecture, which avoids resource conflicts or cache line contention among processors or threads. Furthermore, MedusaVM+ provides a scalable address space by incorporating decentralized VM space management and a hybrid page table design. Critical system services and internal system operations, such as TLB coherence, are also fully optimized to maximize the system parallelism. Our prototype system is implemented based on the Linux kernel 4.4.0 and glibc 2.23. Experimental results evaluated on a 72-core machine demonstrate that MedusaVM+ scales much better than the state-of-the-art systems and decreases the memory consumption by up to 27 × compared with current approaches. For microbenchmark experiments, MedusaVM+ achieves nearly linear performance speedup. When evaluated with multithreaded applications, MedusaVM+ also outperforms other systems by up to a factor of 4.5 × .

Examining memory performance in body dysmorphic disorder (BDD): A comparison study with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

The aim of this study is comparing directly the BDD and OCD disorders in terms of similarities and differences in memory function for the first time. 19 BDD patients, 15 OCD patients and 26 individuals in a healthy control group were recruited from three hospitals in Tehran. They were administered the following subtests of the Wechsler Memory Scale: logical memory (immediate and delayed), verbal paired association (immediate and delayed), digit span and spatial span as well as the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test (RCFT). The results showed that BDD and OCD groups had lower performance in comparison to the control group across all measures, except for the immediate memory of the verbal paired associate task, which was similar across the three groups. Both the BDD and OCD groups showed poor performance on the auditory-verbal memory tasks. However, only the BDD group showed poor performance in the visual domain (i.e. spatial span and RCFT). This suggest that memory deficits are similar between BDD and OCD patients in the verbal domain. Furthermore, BDD patients demonstrated poorer visual working memory. The findings of this study reveal that BDD and OCD patients have more similarities than differences regarding neuropsychological features, in other words, the idea of the incorporation of BDD within the obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (OCRDs) spectrum in DSM-5 is supported, at least through the viewpoint of neuropsychology.

S59. LINKING VERBAL MEMORY DEFICITS, HIPPOCAMPAL VOLUME, AND FUNCTIONING: SEX DIFFERENCES ARE CRUCIAL

BackgroundVerbal memory (VM) is one of the most affected cognitive domains in individuals with a first episode of psychosis (FEP). In the general population, there are well-documented sex differences in VM such that males perform worse than females. This has implications for understanding cognitive deficits in psychosis given that male patients present with more severe negative symptoms and poorer functional outcomes, both of which are associated with cognitive deficits. There lacks, however, a clear understanding of how VM deficits might contribute to males’ poorer functioning. From a neuroanatomical perspective, VM relies on a network of brain regions, including the hippocampus (HC) as an important hub in the acquisition of new information. Interestingly, many of the brain regions that differ between males and females, including the HC, show structural abnormalities in psychosis. Thus, consideration of sex differences may be essential for better characterizing and understanding brain alterations in psychosis and their effects on cognition. The aims of the current research were to: (1) evaluate whether the propensity for poorer functional outcomes among FEP males is mediated by sex differences in VM; and (2) investigate whether HC volume mediates the effect of sex on VM.Methods137 FEP (90 males, 47 females) and 81 controls (55 males, 26 females) completed a VM task (Wechsler Memory Scale or CogState Research Battery) and a structural MRI scan (1.5 Tesla). Patients were additionally assessed for negative symptoms (Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms) at baseline and functioning (Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale) at 1-year follow-up. Performance of the matched control group was used as normative data to derive VM z-scores. HC volumes were computed for each subject and hemisphere using the MAGeT brain algorithm. Mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro with SPSS. The behavioral model (‘sex VM negative symptoms functioning’) was performed in patients only, controlling for education; the imaging model (‘sex HC volume VM’) was performed in both groups and additionally controlled for age and total brain volume. Significance was assessed at 95% confidence intervals.ResultsThe effect of sex on functioning at 1-year follow-up was fully mediated by verbal memory capacity and negative symptoms (β=0.54, CI=[0.12, 1.12]. Importantly, neither VM nor negative symptoms alone mediated the relationship between sex and functioning at 1-year follow-up. Left and right HC volumes, which were larger in males than in females in both groups, demonstrated a suppression effect on the relation between sex and verbal memory in patients (left HC: β=-0.21, CI=[-0.39, -0.07]; right HC: β=-0.24, CI=[-0.45,-0.09]), but not in controls (left HC: β=0.04, CI=[-0.14, 0.24]; right HC: β=0.06, CI=[-0.13,0.25]).DiscussionThis study reveals that sex differences in VM are robust and influence functioning through negative symptoms in FEP. Given that males are typically overrepresented in psychosis samples, it is possible that male patients chiefly contribute to associations between negative symptoms and neurocognitive impairments observed in previous studies in which sex was not explicitly examined. Further, our results suggest that the role of the HC in memory may be differentially affected by sex. This second model was specific to FEP, indicating that certain structure-function relationships are not consistent between patients and controls. Overall, such findings highlight the need to consider sex differences when developing personalized treatment plans and highlight neurocognitive deficits as a promising avenue for treatment.

S96. EXAMINING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CURRENT CANNABIS CONSUMPTION AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING OF FIRST-EPISODE PSYCHOSIS PATIENTS: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

BackgroundAlthough growing research has observed a positive association between cannabis consumption and cognition in patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP), such better performance has not always been found across all cognitive domains. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether frequency of use is related to cognitive functioning in a dose-dependent manner. Understanding these associations may help to better manage cognitive impairments highly prevalent in FEP patients and inform prognosis. The aim of this study was to compare current cannabis use and cognitive functioning of FEP patients in a naturalistic setting. We hypothesized that FEP patients with current cannabis consumption (for the past 6 months or more) would present with higher cognitive performance scores compared to patients with no current consumption.MethodsThis cross-sectional, retrospective study included 192 current cannabis-using and 137 non-using patients at time of admission to a specialized early intervention clinic for FEP at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute in Montreal, Canada. Participants completed clinical and cognitive test batteries, including assessments of verbal memory, executive functioning, processing speed, working memory, attention, and visual memory. Cognitive domains were assessed using Weschler Memory Scale III and CogState Battery. Current cannabis consumption and frequency of use were assessed using the Chemical Use, Abuse, and Dependence Scale (CUAD). In addition to comparing status of cannabis consumption, four groups of FEP patients were analyzed according to frequency of use: 1) non-users (NU, n = 102), 2) light-users (LU, n = 21), 3) moderate-users (MU, n = 35), and heavy-users (HU, n = 64). Separate MANCOVA analyses were conducted to test the main effects of 1) current cannabis consumption (use vs non-use) and 2) frequency of cannabis use (none, light-use, moderate use, heavy use) on six cognitive domain performance scores. Age, sex, cigarette use, and cognitive battery type were entered as covariates, as they are known to influence neurocognitive scores.ResultsBetween-group comparisons on demographic variables revealed statistically significant differences in age (with NU being older than LU) and cigarette use (with the HU having higher % of use). Contrary to our hypothesis, no significant differences were found between current users and non-users, even while controlling for potential confounds, F(6,143) =1.61, p=.149. When splitting the user group based on frequency of use, no significant differences were observed on cognitive performance, F(18,399.3) =.903, p=.575.DiscussionOur findings reveal no significant differences between current cannabis consumption and cognitive functioning in a large representative sample of FEP patients at time of entry into a treatment clinic. This is consistent with previous studies that showed absence of differences in neurocognitive functioning between FEP cannabis users and non-users (e.g., Bugra et al., 2013). Other potential confounds such as the age of cannabis use onset, history of use and the different types of cannabis preparations may influence the present results and necessitate measurement in future investigations. The age differences observed may suggest that those who develop psychosis at a later age could be less predisposed to use cannabis. Alternatively, it is possible that light-use of cannabis somehow triggers the onset of psychosis, as is suggested by the literature that cannabis use is a component cause of developing psychosis.

T105. VERBAL MEMORY MEASUREMENT TOWARDS DIGITAL PERSPECTIVES IN FIRST-EPISODE PSYCHOSIS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW STUDY

BackgroundPsychosis is a clinical syndrome which can have detrimental effects on patients in different aspects of functioning such as thought, behavior, and cognition. Even in early phases psychotic spectrum illnesses like schizophrenia, patients can experience cognitive decline prior to overt classical symptoms like delusions and hallucinations. Early detection and reducing the duration of untreated psychosis through early intervention can prevent or slow the progress of cognitive symptoms and the entire illness. Although cognition research in early psychosis has demonstrated that verbal memory is one the first cognitive domains impacted in first-episode of psychosis and continuously declines after the first-episode, it is still not clear which tests are most widely used to measure verbal memory and which may be most amenable to being translated to a digital format. In this systematic review, we assessed which verbal memory assessments are most widely used in first-episode psychosis and may be potentially applied via digital technologies (smartphone applications, telepsychiatry, chatbots, etc.) for use in early detection in the future.MethodsFrom September to November 2019, we searched studies measured verbal memory in first-episode psychosis or schizophrenia over the past 10 years on PubMed and PsycINFO. We screened abstracts of these studies and we excluded review studies and duplicates. We downloaded full-texts of included studies to identify the verbal memory measurement tests used, follow-up frequencies, and sample sizes.ResultsWe screened 233 papers and found that 121 original research studies measured verbal memory in first-episode psychosis over the past 10 years. Of these 121 studies, 32(%26) used Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), 29(24%) used California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT), 27(22%) used Weschler Memory Scale (WMS), 14(12%) used Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT), 4(3%) used both WMS and CVLT, 3(2%) used both WMS and RAVLT, and 12(%10) used other tests to measure verbal memory. Four (3%) of these studies specified that they used a computer, 23(20%) used paper-pen, 2(2%) studies used both, and 92(76%) studies did not specify their verbal measurement application tools. Thirty-six (30%) studies had follow-up measurements of verbal memory, while 85(70%) studies had only a single time point verbal memory measurement during the study period. Study sample sizes range from 6 to 498.DiscussionWe found that four main tests to measure verbal memory in first-episode psychosis are RAVLT, CVLT, WMS, and HVLT although they are not often administered via technology. Of these four verbal memory measurement tests, RAVLT is the most widely used and HVLT is easier to administer while CVLT appears able to assess a broader range of verbal memory domains. There is an emerging opportunity to apply RAVLT, CVLT, WMS, and HVLT via digital technologies for expanding access to early detection of cognitive decline in clinical high risk and first-episode psychosis.

M160. INVESTIGATING STRUCTURAL CONNECTIVITY CORRELATES OF VERBAL MEMORY DEFICITS AMONG FIRST-EPISODE PSYCHOSIS PATIENTS

BackgroundVerbal memory is one of the most affected cognitive domains in patients with schizophrenia and related psychoses. Several studies have found associations between cognitive abilities and white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) in schizophrenia; however, only a few tractography studies have investigated FA relative to verbal memory in patients with a first episode of psychosis (FEP) compared with healthy controls (HC). Although white matter tractography differences have been well established between chronic patients and HC, the direction of findings from FEP studies has been inconsistent. Thus, the present study aims to examine whole-brain white matter differences and its association with verbal memory in individuals with a FEP relative to HC using tractography.MethodsDiffusion-weighted images were acquired on a 1.5T scanner for patients (n=65) and controls (n=54) at baseline. The Wechsler Memory Scale was used as a measure of verbal memory. Pre-processing was performed on a subject-by-subject basis using MRtrix. Diffusion tractography was generated using a probabilistic anatomically-constrained tractography algorithm, which constrains the reconstruction to specific biological priors. Furthermore, the spherical-deconvolution informed filtering of tractograms (SIFT) tool will be used to ensure the tractogram is biologically meaningful. This results in subject-specific connectomes defining the mean FA between two regions of interest that were defined using the Desikan- Killiany atlas. A linear model was used to test for main effect of group and main effect of verbal memory on white matter tract FA, covarying for age and sex. For both sets of analyses, results were corrected for multiple comparisons using false discovery rate (FDR).ResultsA significant main effect of group on whole-brain average FA was observed, with patients displaying lower average FA compared to healthy controls (Patients=0.291, controls=0.300, p<0.05). Whole-brain white matter tract FA analysis revealed that there are widespread differences between controls and individuals with a FEP. Group most strongly predicted white matter tract FA differences between left caudal anterior cingulate and left lateral orbitofrontal (patients mean FA=0.302, controls mean FA=0.342), left hippocampus and right isthmus cingulate (patient mean FA= 0.217 controls mean FA= 0.318), and finally left lingual and left rostral anterior cingulate (patients mean FA=0.162, controls mean FA= 0.249. However, none survived correction for multiple comparisons. Further, there was no significant association between verbal memory and white matter tract FA in FEP or HC.DiscussionFindings from this study suggest there are some significant differences in whole-brain average FA between individuals experiencing a FEP and healthy controls. However, when analyzing whole-brain tract FA, none of the connections survived corrections for multiple comparisons. These findings might be limited by the scanner resolution included in this study, which may not capture more subtle differences. Nonetheless, these results are consistent with a cross-sectional study comparing healthy individuals to chronic and first-episode patients suggesting that modest differences are present early in the disease and increase as the disease progresses. We suggest that future studies analyze white matter tract using a longitudinal design to identify disease progression.

Characterization of scalable Josephson memory element containing a strong ferromagnet

Josephson junctions (JJs) containing ferromagnetic (F) materials are being considered for applications as cryogenic random access memories (RAM). In this work, we report on the fabrication and characterization of tunnel JJs, based on Nb technology with a strong ferromagnetic interlayer Ni80Fe20 alloy (Permalloy), which is suitable for the realization of devices with reduced area and guarantees relative low saturation and coercive fields in the use of JJs as RAM elements. We have successfully realized Josephson memory elements that work well down to 7 μm2 preserving high values of the characteristic voltage. We have also investigated the role of the F layer thickness, and by measuring the critical current dependence on the external applied magnetic field, we have optimized our devices as memory elements using thin ferromagnetic layers with thickness down to 3 nm. We have experimentally proved their functioning as memory elements by applying magnetic field pulses in opposite directions that can change the F layer magnetization.

Effect of Functional BDNF and COMT Polymorphisms on Symptoms and Regional Brain Volume in Frontotemporal Dementia and Corticobasal Syndrome.

The authors examined the effects of two common functional polymorphisms-brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met-on cognitive, neuropsychiatric, and motor symptoms and MRI findings in persons with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) syndromes. The BDNF Val66Met and COMT Val158Met polymorphisms were genotyped in 174 participants with FTLD syndromes, including behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, primary progressive aphasia, and corticobasal syndrome. Gray matter volumes and scores on the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System, Mattis Dementia Rating Scale, Wechsler Memory Scale, and Neuropsychiatric Inventory were compared between allele groups. The BDNF Met allele at position 66 was associated with a decrease in depressive symptoms (F=9.50, df=1, 136, p=0.002). The COMT Val allele at position 158 was associated with impairment of executive function (F=6.14, df=1, 76, p=0.015) and decreased bilateral volume of the head of the caudate in patients with FTLD (uncorrected voxel-level threshold of p<0.001). Neither polymorphism had a significant effect on motor function. These findings suggest that common functional polymorphisms likely contribute to the phenotypic variability seen in patients with FTLD syndromes. This is the first study to implicate BDNF polymorphisms in depressive symptoms in FTLD. These results also support an association between COMT polymorphisms and degeneration patterns and cognition in FTLD.

Association of a CAMK2A genetic variant with logical memory performance and hippocampal volume in the elderly

Calcium/Calmodulin-dependent kinase alpha (αCaMKII) has been shown to play an essential role in synaptic plasticity and in learning and memory in animal models. However, there is little evidence for an involvement in specific memories in humans. Here we tested the potential involvement of the αCaMKII coding gene CAMK2A in verbal logical memory in two Caucasian populations from Germany, in a sample of 209 elderly people with cognitive impairments and a sample of 142 healthy adults. The association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located within the genomic region of CAMK2A with verbal logical memory learning and retrieval from the Wechsler Memory Scale was measured and hippocampal volume was assessed by structural MRI. In the elderly people, we found the minor allele of CAMK2A intronic SNP rs919741 to predict a higher hippocampal volume and better logical memory retrieval. This association was not found in healthy adults. The present study may provide evidence for an association of a genetic variant of the CAMK2A gene specifically with retrieval of logical memory in elderly humans. This effect is possibly mediated by a higher hippocampal volume.

Inflammatory cytokines derived from peripheral blood contribute to the modified electroconvulsive therapy-induced cognitive deficits in major depressive disorder.

Little is known about the pathophysiology of memory deficits in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) treated with modified electroconvulsive therapy (MECT). This study examined the profiles of cytokines, the memory function, and their association in MECT-treated MDD patients. Forty first-episode, drug-free MDD patients and 40 healthy controls were recruited. MECT was started with antidepressant treatment at a stable initial dose. The Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression 17 (HRSD-17) were used to assess the cognitive function. MDD patients were divided into the memory impairment group (WMS < 50) and the non-memory impairment group (WMS ≥ 50) based on the total WMS scores after MECT. The levels of NOD-like receptor 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, interleukin-18 (IL-18) and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) in the serum were measured. MDD patients showed significantly higher levels of NLRP3 inflammasome, IL-18 and NF-κB than that in the controls prior to MECT, and the levels also significantly increased after MECT. In MDD patients, the serum levels of these inflammatory cytokines were negatively associated with the total WMS scores and likely contributed to the scores independently. The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the serum levels of these inflammatory cytokines may predict the cognitive impairment risk in MDD patients receiving MECT. Abnormal levels of NLRP3 inflammasome, IL-18 and NF-κB reflecting the disturbed balance of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mechanisms likely contribute to the MECT-induced cognitive deficits in MDD patients.

Comparing cognitive dysfunction in euthymic patients with first episode and recurrent episodes of major depression

Background Euthymic patients with major depressive disorder demonstrate cognitive deficits in executive function, attention, and memory, but to date, limited amount of work has compared patients with first-episode depression (FED) with patients with recurrent episodes of depression (RED), and no studies have been conducted in the Egyptian population. Aim The aim was to compare cognitive functions between euthymic patients after FED and patients with RED. Participants and methods A total of 60 euthymic participants (30 with FED and 30 with RED) were administered a battery of cognitive tasks, including the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Wechsler Memory Scale, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Results Patients with RED performed significantly poorly than patients with FED on tasks measuring abstract thinking, verbal memory, working memory, verbal immediate recall, and executive functions (which included tasks for conceptualization, cognitive flexibility, shifting, planning, and sustained attention). Conclusion There are significant differences in performance on cognitive functions between euthymic patients with FED and RED across memory tasks and executive functions but with relative sparing of tasks of general intelligence. Poorer cognitive functions may possibly be associated with recurrent episodes.

Executive function in phenylketonuria (PKU): Insights from the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and a large sample of individuals with PKU.

Previous research has documented executive function (EF) impairments in individuals with early treated phenylketonuria (ETPKU). It remains unclear, however, whether some aspects of EF may be more affected than others. A number of factors, including small sample sizes and variability in EF tasks, have likely contributed to past mixed findings. The present objective was to elucidate further the EF profile associated with ETPKU, particularly as it relates to report-based assessment of EF. Data from 286 individuals (5-48 years of age) with ETPKU on the child and adult versions of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), a well-established report-based assessment tool, were analyzed. The Working Memory scale showed the largest effect size in both young and older ETPKU samples, with 19% of children and 29% of adults scoring in the "abnormally elevated" range. In addition, EF impairment appeared more general (i.e., affecting more domains) in the adult sample as compared to the child sample. Exploratory analyses also suggested that the presence/absence of overall impairment on the BRIEF among our ETPKU participants could be predicted based on a small subset of items. A 10-item subset showed total classification accuracy values of 90% and above for both groups. Working memory represents an aspect of EF that appears to be particularly affected in individuals with ETPKU. Findings also provide preliminary support of the viability for the development and/or adoption of an abbreviated screening measure for EF difficulties in children and adults with ETPKU. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Vertical limits of resistive memory scaling: The detrimental influence of interface states

This work elucidates the role of interface states of a metal-oxide-silicon device, the basic structure of CMOS integrated resistive random access memory (ReRAM) devices. By fabricating Au/Al2O3/Si ReRAM devices on silicon substrates oriented along ⟨100⟩ and ⟨111⟩ directions and employing the frequency dependence of capacitance and parallel conductance, we explore the role of interface trap densities (Dit) in the breakdown mechanism of ReRAM devices. In order to quantify the interface states, we measured the parallel conductance of the ReRAM devices as a function of frequency, which gives an accurate picture of the spread of Dit along the bandgap of silicon. Analysis of interface state density before and after the breakdown process reveals that the Si ⟨111⟩ surface is more prone to generate defects than Si ⟨100⟩ surfaces, and its elucidation is done by analyzing the pre-breakdown current behavior of the devices. Finally, the influence of the interface states on the thickness scaling is shown, where the thinner devices are inclined to have an earlier breakdown (Set voltage) due to the strong coupling with interface states.

The Analysis of the Effects of Executive Functions, Working Memory and Other Factors on Medication Adherence in Elderly Men with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Overactive Bladder Symptoms.

Evaluation of the executive function and working memory influence, as well as the general state of memory, on adherence to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) and overactive bladder symptoms treatment in elderly men. The influence of the executive function and working memory on treatment adherence in older men with BPH has not been studied enough. To determine the level of influence of various factors on the treatment adherence in older men with BPH. The executive function and working memory evaluation, as well as a general memory assessment, were carried out using the Wisconsin Test, the Wechsler Memory Scale, and the California Verbal Test. Hierarchical and simultaneous regressions were calculated to study the effect of executive function and working memory. After the end of the study, the symptoms of hyperactive bladder significantly decreased, the symptoms of evacuation did not change significantly, and the cognitive status of the patients remained unchanged. The predictor variables significantly influencing adherence of elderly men to BPH and overactive bladder (OAB) treatment are executive function and working memory composite (β = .33, p < .05), severe symptoms of lower urinary tract (-.34, p < .05), and age (-.27, p < .05). The status of executive function and working memory, as well as the age and severity of the pathological symptoms of the lower urinary tract, should be taken into account when predicting the risks of rejecting BPH and OAB treatment in elderly patients.

Effects of Pranayama on Human Memory Improvement

Aim and Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate results of memory scores in normal healthy adult.Brain areas involved in memory such as the hippocampus, the amygdala, the striatum, or the mammillarybodies are thought to be involved in specific types of memory. Pranayama is to control the body function bycontrolling our breathMaterials and Method: This study was conducted in the yoga center on 62 subjects. Subjects were trainedfor breath holding yoga training. they performed for total of 30 minutes duration daily. At the end of fourweek the subjects were examined by WECHSLER memory scale.Observations: The results showed increase in scores of all types of test DSF, DSB, and all are highlysignificant P&lt;0.001.Results: All the scores of Wechsler memory scales are highly significant after pranayama.Conclusion: The repeated measure ANOVA analysis revealed a significant increase in memory. This studyconcludes that yoga enhances numerical data retrieval mostly as a result of left-brain activation.

Exploring the Hierarchical Influence of Cognitive Functions for Alzheimer Disease: The Framingham Heart Study.

BackgroundAlthough some neuropsychological (NP) tests are considered more central for the diagnosis of Alzheimer disease (AD), there is a lack of understanding about the interaction between different cognitive tests.ObjectiveThis study aimed to demonstrate a global view of hierarchical probabilistic dependencies between NP tests and the likelihood of cognitive impairment to assist physicians in recognizing AD precursors.MethodsOur study included 2091 participants from the Framingham Heart Study. These participants had undergone a variety of NP tests, including Wechsler Memory Scale, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, and Boston Naming Test. Heterogeneous cognitive Bayesian networks were developed to understand the relationship between NP tests and the cognitive status. The performance of probabilistic inference was evaluated by the 10-fold cross validation.ResultsA total of 4512 NP tests were used to build the Bayesian network for the dementia diagnosis. The network demonstrated conditional dependency between different cognitive functions that precede the development of dementia. The prediction model reached an accuracy of 82.24%, with sensitivity of 63.98% and specificity of 92.74%. This probabilistic diagnostic system can also be applied to participants that exhibit more heterogeneous profiles or with missing responses for some NP tests.ConclusionsWe developed a probabilistic dependency network for AD diagnosis from 11 NP tests. Our study revealed important psychological functional segregations and precursor evidence of AD development and heterogeneity.

Memory deficits in patients with major depression: yes, they are trying hard enough!

ABSTRACTBackground: Cognitive impairment is a common symptom of patients with Major Depression (MDD) with negative clinical and social effects. With this study we investigated the question of whether MDD patients’ effort to memorize items is reduced and whether this reduction is related to patients’ memory impairment.Research design and methods: Twenty-two patients with MDD and 28 healthy control participants took part in the study. Both groups did not differ with respect to age, gender, and basic education. MDD was confirmed by the Mini Diagnostic Interview for Mental Disorders (Mini-DIPS). Willingness to make an effort was assessed by the Amsterdam Short-Term Memory Test (ASTM). Logical Memory (LM) from the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS IV) was used to assess verbal memory.Results: With respect to the willingness to make an effort, all MDD-patients performed above the cutoff and did not perform worse than healthy control participants. Depression appears to have a negative impact on recall and recognition of verbal information, but the effect on recall was larger.Conclusions: These findings support studies indicating no motivational deficits in patients with depression during standardized neuropsychological testing. Reduced motivation is not a plausible explanation for depressive patients’ cognitive deficits assessed with neuropsychological tests.

An enhanced delayed recognition measure for the Logical Memory subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale – IV

We provide a supplemental measure based on the Logical Memory (LM) subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale – IV (Wechsler, 2008) to assist in distinguishing deficient memory storage from compromised retrieval operations. A 20-item five-option multiple choice delayed recognition test for the LM stories is described, followed by descriptive data based on a normative sample of 273 neuropsychologically normal outpatient referrals to a neuropsychology clinic. The analysis indicated that about 43% to 48% of the neuropsychology referrals exhibited retrieval difficulties and were able to store more information in long-term memory than they were able to retrieve on the delayed free recall trial. The 20-item measure, freely available to qualified clinicians, provides useful information regarding a person’s ability to store and access newly acquired information.