Verbal Memory Test Research Articles

Towards a Heuristic Neuropsychological Model of Adjudicative Competency.

This study sought to delineate the neuropsychological processes that undergird the psycho-legal concept of competency to stand trial (CST). Accordingly, we retrospectively examined the relationship between clinical judgments of competence or incompetence of defendants committed to a maximum-security psychiatric facility and neuropsychological measures of cognitive and social intelligence and declarative memory. Results indicated that both groups (competent and incompetent) showed similar levels of depressed cognitive intelligence with Wechsler full-scale IQ levels falling in the upper end of the borderline range. Compared with defendants clinically judged as incompetent, defendants recommended as competent scored significantly higher on measures of social intelligence and episodic memory, with the most pronounced advantage occurring on tests of verbal memory that place heavy demands on encoding, consolidation, and retrieval of aurally presented narrative material. Cognitive capacities in areas of social intelligence and episodic memory may play critical roles in developing a heuristic neuropsychological model of CST. The evaluation of these domains offers implications for the assessment, restoration, and understanding of CST.

Association of long-term air pollution and ambient noise with cognitive decline in the Heinz Nixdorf Recall study

Little is known about the impact of long-term ambient air pollution (AP) and noise exposure on change in cognitive function over years in the elderly. In this study, we wanted to examine the association between long-term exposure to AP and noise with the rate of cognitive decline in a population aged 50 and older and susceptible groups with mild cognitive impairment or at a genetically higher risk of Alzheimer's disease (Apolipoprotein E ε4 positive). Participants in the German population-based Heinz Nixdorf Recall study carried out five neuropsychological tests. Individual tests scores at the first (T1 = 2006–2008) and second (T2 = 2011–2015) follow-up for each test were used as outcomes after standardization using predicted means adjusted for age and education. Global cognitive score (GCS) was defined as sum of five standardized scores of individual tests. Long-term exposures to particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10, PM2.5 absorbance), accumulation mode particle number (PNacc), a proxy of ultrafine particles, and nitrogen dioxide were estimated by the land-use regression and chemistry transport models. Noise exposures were assessed as outdoor weighted nighttime road traffic noise (Lnight) means. We performed linear regression analyses adjusted for sex, age, individual and neighborhood socio-economic status, and lifestyle variables. Effect modification in vulnerable groups was estimated using multiplicative interaction terms between exposure and a modifier. Overall, 2554 participants (49.5% men, median age is 63 (IQR = 12)) were included. We found weak associations between higher exposure to PM10 and PM2.5 with faster decline in the immediate verbal memory test. Adjustment for potential confounders and for co-exposures did not change the results. We saw no effects on GCS, and no effect of noise exposure. In susceptible groups, higher AP and noise exposure were tended to be associated with faster decline in GCS. Our results suggest that AP exposure may accelerate cognitive decline in older ages, particularly in susceptible groups.

Effects of Abstinence From Opioid on Neuropsychological Performance in Men With Opioid Use Disorder: A Longitudinal Study.

Impairments in neuropsychological functioning (mainly memory, learning, attention, and executive functioning) among persons with long-term opioid use disorder (OUD) have been widely reported, with few studies suggesting that these are not permanent and can improve with abstinence. Thus, present study aimed to evaluate the neuropsychological functioning in persons with OUD and examine the effects of abstinence on the same over a period 8 weeks. A total of 50 patients with diagnosis of OUD as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , Fifth Edition ( DSM-5 ) criteria underwent serial longitudinal neuropsychological assessments for executive functioning, attention and concentration, and verbal and nonverbal memory at baseline, 2 weeks, and 8 weeks of abstinence. The mean performance scores representative of attention, concentration, verbal memory, and nonverbal memory showed significant improvement in the initial 2 weeks, and executive functioning showed significant improvement by 8 weeks of abstinence (all P 's < 0.01). A significant negative correlation was found between the duration of opioid use and performance on verbal memory tests (0.014), the frequency of intake per day and performance on nonverbal memory and executive functioning tests, and the severity of opioid dependence and performance on nonverbal memory test (0.019). Neuropsychological functioning in certain domains was associated with the duration of opioid use, the frequency of daily opioid intake, and the severity of opioid dependence among persons with OUD at baseline. It showed significant improvement in domains of attention, concentration, verbal and nonverbal memory, and executive functions over a period of 8 weeks of abstinence.

Cognitive test performance in chronic cannabis flower users, concentrate users, and non-users

Extremely high-potency cannabis concentrates are becoming increasingly available and popular among consumers. While prior research indicates these products are perceived to have greater detrimental effects relative to cannabis flower, few studies have examined their relative objective effects, and no existing studies have compared the cognitive test performance of sober flower users, concentrate users, and non-users. A total of 198 healthy adults (98 non-users, 46 exclusive flower users, and 54 concentrate users) were administered a battery of tests of memory, psychomotor speed, attention, and executive functioning under sober laboratory-controlled conditions. Significant group differences were detected on tests of verbal free recall and episodic prospective memory, with both the flower users and concentrate users demonstrating significantly worse performance than non-users. Concentrate (but not flower) users performed worse than non-users on a measure of source memory, but contrary to our hypothesis, there were no significant differences between flower and concentrate users on any of the cognitive tests. Results indicate that, under sober conditions, individuals who regularly use concentrates are no more cognitively impacted than those who exclusively use flower. These null findings may reflect the tendency for concentrate users to self-titrate and use significantly lower quantities of concentrates than flower.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy investigation in the right human hippocampus following spinal cord injury.

Preclinical studies have shown that cognitive impairments following spinal cord injury (SCI), such as impaired spatial memory, are linked to inflammation, neurodegeneration, and reduced neurogenesis in the right hippocampus. This cross-sectional study aims to characterize metabolic and macrostructural changes in the right hippocampus and their association to cognitive function in traumatic SCI patients. Within this cross-sectional study, cognitive function was assessed in 28 chronic traumatic SCI patients and 18 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls by a visuospatial and verbal memory test. A magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and structural MRI protocol was performed in the right hippocampus of both groups to quantify metabolic concentrations and hippocampal volume, respectively. Group comparisons investigated changes between SCI patients and healthy controls and correlation analyses investigated their relationship to memory performance. Memory performance was similar in SCI patients and healthy controls. The quality of the recorded MR spectra was excellent in comparison to the best-practice reports for the hippocampus. Metabolite concentrations and volume of the hippocampus measured based on MRS and MRI were not different between two groups. Memory performance in SCI patients and healthy controls was not correlated with metabolic or structural measures. This study suggests that the hippocampus may not be pathologically affected at a functional, metabolic, and macrostructural level in chronic SCI. This points toward the absence of significant and clinically relevant trauma-induced neurodegeneration in the hippocampus.

Combined use of gray matter volume and neuropsychological test performance for classification of individuals with bipolar I disorder via artificial neural network method.

Diagnosis of patients with bipolar disorder may be challenging and delayed in clinical practice. Neuropsychological impairments and brain abnormalities are commonly reported in bipolar disorder (BD); therefore, they can serve as potential biomarkers of the disorder. Rather than relying on these predictors separately, using both structural and neuropsychiatric indicators together could be more informative and increase the accuracy of the automatic disorder classification. Yet, to our information, no Artificial Intelligence (AI) study has used multimodal data using both neuropsychiatric tests and structural brain changes to classify BD. In this study, we first investigated differences in gray matter volumes between patients with bipolar I disorder (n = 37) and healthy controls (n = 27). The results of the verbal and non-verbal memory tests were then compared between the two groups. Finally, we used the artificial neural network (ANN) method to model all the aforementioned values for group classification. Our voxel-based morphometry results demonstrated differences in the left anterior parietal lobule and bilateral insula gray matter volumes, suggesting a reduction of these brain structures in BD. We also observed a decrease in both verbal and non-verbal memory scores of individuals with BD (p < 0.001). The ANN model of neuropsychiatric test scores combined with gray matter volumes has classified the bipolar group with 89.5% accuracy. Our results demonstrate that when bilateral insula volumes are used together with neuropsychological test results the patients with bipolar I disorder and controls could be differentiated with very high accuracy. The findings imply that multimodal data should be used in AI studies as it better represents the multi-componential nature of the condition, thus increasing its diagnosability.

Cognitive Performance of Brazilian Patients With Favorable Outcomes After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Prospective Study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the cognitive performance of patients with favorable outcomes, determined by the Glasgow Outcome Scale, 1 yr after hospital discharge due to severe traumatic brain injury. This was a prospective case-control study. From 163 consecutive adult patients with severe traumatic brain injury included in the study, 73 patients had a favorable outcome (Glasgow Outcome Scale score of 4 or 5) 1 yr after hospital discharge and were eligible for the cognitive evaluation, of which 28 completed the evaluations. The latter were compared with 44 healthy controls. The average loss of cognitive performance among participants with traumatic brain injury varied between 13.35% and 43.49% compared with the control group. Between 21.4% and 32% of the patients performed below the 10th percentile on three language tests and two verbal memory tests, whereas 39% to 50% performed below this threshold on one language test and three memory tests. Longer hospital stay, older age, and lower education were the most important predictors of worse cognitive performance. One year after a severe traumatic brain injury, a significant proportion of Brazilian patients with the favorable outcome determined by Glasgow Outcome Scale still showed significant cognitive impairment in verbal memory and language domains.

Plasma concentrations of anti-inflammatory cytokine TGF-β are associated with hippocampal structure related to explicit memory performance in older adults

Human cognitive abilities, and particularly hippocampus-dependent memory performance typically decline with increasing age. Immunosenescence, the age-related disintegration of the immune system, is increasingly coming into the focus of research as a considerable factor contributing to cognitive decline. In the present study, we investigated potential associations between plasma levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and learning and memory performance as well as hippocampal anatomy in young and older adults. Plasma concentrations of the inflammation marker CRP as well as the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α and the anti-inflammatory cytokine TGF-β1 were measured in 142 healthy adults (57 young, 24.47 ± 4.48 years; 85 older, 63.66 ± 7.32 years) who performed tests of explicit memory (Verbal Learning and Memory Test, VLMT; Wechsler Memory Scale, Logical Memory, WMS) with an additional delayed recall test after 24 h. Hippocampal volumetry and hippocampal subfield segmentation were performed using FreeSurfer, based on T1-weighted and high-resolution T2-weighted MR images. When investigating the relationship between memory performance, hippocampal structure, and plasma cytokine levels, we found that TGF-β1 concentrations were positively correlated with the volumes of the hippocampal CA4–dentate gyrus region in older adults. These volumes were in turn positively associated with better performance in the WMS, particularly in the delayed memory test. Our results support the notion that endogenous anti-inflammatory mechanisms may act as protective factors in neurocognitive aging.

Investigation of the Relationships Between Beck Depression/Anxiety Scores and Neuropsychological Tests Scores with Lifestyle Behaviors in the Context of Neuroplasticity and Neurogenesis Approach.

In this study, the relationships between lifestyle behaviors within the scope of neuroplasticity and neurogenesis approach and depression, anxiety and neuropsychological test scores were examined. As this study aimed to reveal the relationships between events or variables, it was designed using the "descriptive cross-sectional study" method, one of descriptive and relational research methods, was used. The data were collected from 117 students by the researchers using the Öktem Verbal Memory Test, WCST, Digit Span Test, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Scale and Lifestyle Behaviors Survey.According to the results, the quality of sport/exercise and the quality of life showed a significant difference in the depression model, while social support demonstrated a significant difference in the anxiety model. It was seen that those with high scores in life quality and in perceived social support had significantly lower depression and anxiety scores. Moreover, those with good levels of sleep quality, social interaction and nutrition had significantly lower depression scores.Both depression and anxiety scores of those who did sport/exercise, which was among the lifestyle behaviors, were found to be significantly lower. Lastly, the correlations between the neuropsychological test scores and the depression and anxiety scores were examined, and a significant positive correlation was found between both depression and anxiety scores and the "failure to maintain set" scores.

A Cross-sectional Study on the Association of KIBRA Genetic Polymorphism with Episodic Memory in North Jordanian Adults

One of the cognitive processes most damaged by aging and thought to be the system most susceptible to neurodegenerative illnesses is episodic memory. Recently, episodic memory function has been linked to a single nucleotide polymorphism (rs17070145) in the ninth intron of the KIBRA gene (kidney and brain expressed gene). This study looked at the relationship between the KIBRA polymorphism (rs17070145) and the episodic memory abilities assessed by the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test and Rey Complex Figure Test at various time points (20-minute, 30-minute, 24-hours and 6-month). 112 healthy adult Jordanians between the ages of 18 and 45 were included in the study, and the genotypes at the KIBRA (rs17070145) polymorphic site were identified using the PCR-RFLP method. The outcomes did not reveal any statistically significant any assessment of verbal and visual episodic memory tests and the KIBRA polymorphism. The findings also indicated that KIBRA polymorphism had no statistically significant impact on short-term memory or learning capacity, indicating that KIBRA had no effect on a person's ability to pay attention or concentrate. Additionally, in the Jordanian population, the genotype percentages for KIBRA rs17070145 were: 10.7% for TT, 43.8% for TC, and 45.5% for CC, and the percentage of the T allele was 0.326. The current investigation discovered no statistically significant differences between the Jordanian population and either the European or the South Asian populations in terms of the percentages of alleles and genotypes of the KIBRA rs17070145 gene.

The associations between cognitive functions and TSNAX genetic variations in patients with schizophrenia

BackgroundThe translin-associated factor X (TSNAX) gene, located adjacent to the DISC1 gene, has been implicated in schizophrenia. While cognitive impairment determines long-term the functional outcome of schizophrenia, the role of TSNAX in cognitive dysfunction of schizophrenia patients remains elusive. This study aimed to explore the genetic effect of TSNAX on cognitive functions of schizophrenia. MethodsWe recruited 286 chronic schizophrenia patients who had been stabilized with antipsychotics for at least 2 months and genotyped three TSNAX SNPs (rs1630250, rs766288, rs6662926). Clinical symptoms and seven cognitive domains were assessed. The score of cognitive tests was standardized to T score. ResultsClinical symptoms were similar among genotypes of all the three SNPs. The GLM analysis demonstrated that TSNAX genetic polymorphisms influenced cognitive function of schizophrenia patients after adjustment for gender, age, and education. The patients with the rs1630250 C/G genotype performed better than the G/G homozygotes in the Trail Making A (p = 0.034). Those with the rs766288 G/T genotype also performed better than the G/G homozygotes in the Trail Making A (p = 0.012). The patients with the G/G genotype of rs6662926 also performed better than the C/C homozygotes in verbal learning and memory test (p = 0.044). ConclusionsThis study suggests that the TSNAX gene variation may influence the cognitive functions of the patients with schizophrenia.

Task Demands and Sentence Reading Comprehension among Healthy Older Adults: The Complementary Roles of Cognitive Reserve and Working Memory

Ageing entails different functional brain changes. Education, reading experience, and leisure activities, among others, might contribute to the maintenance of cognitive performance among older adults and are conceptualised as proxies for cognitive reserve. However, ageing also conveys a depletion of working memory capacity, which adversely impacts language comprehension. This study investigated how cognitive reserve proxies and working memory jointly predict the performance of healthy older adults in a sentence reading comprehension task, and how their predictive value changes depending on sentence structure and task demands. Cognitively healthy older adults (n = 120) completed a sentence-picture verification task under two conditions: concurrent viewing of the sentence and picture or their sequential presentation, thereby imposing greater demands on working memory. They also completed a questionnaire on cognitive reserve proxies as well as a verbal working memory test. The sentence structure was manipulated by altering the canonical word order and modifying the amount of propositional information. While the cognitive reserve was the main predictor in the concurrent condition, the predictive role of working memory increased under the sequential presentation, particularly for complex sentences. These findings highlight the complementary roles played by cognitive reserve and working memory in the reading comprehension of older adults.

Evaluation of the executive dysfunction in patients with bipolar disorder

IntroductionBipolar disorders (BD) associate impairments in cognitive functioning not restricted to acute mood episodes. The functional impact of these cognitive dysfunctions is significant in many cases, therefore, an extensive evaluation is granted for BD patients from this perspective. Executive dysfunction in BD has been reported, especially during mania and was associated with formal thought disorder, but multiple cognitive deficits may reflect an underlying pathologic process related to the mood disorder itself.ObjectivesTo assess the level of executive dysfunction in a sample of patients with type I BD (BDI) using structured measurement methods.MethodsFive patients diagnosed with BDI (two patients during manic episodes, one during the euthymic phase, and 2 during depressive episodes) were evaluated for working memory (n-back test), verbal fluency (Controlled Oral Word Association Test, COWAT) and verbal learning (Verbal Learning and Memory test, VLMT). All patients were adults, mean age of 35.5 years, and all were undergoing psychotropic treatment with antipsychotics and/or mood stabilizers. Also, five normal healthy controls, matched for age, were evaluated using the same test battery.ResultsAll five BDI patients presented dysfunctions (three at a trend level, and one at a significant level, p&lt;0. 01) in at least one cognitive domain, with three patients presenting modifications in all three tests that were administered vs. normal controls. The most affected domain was verbal learning, followed by working memory and verbal fluency. No individual in the control group had significant cognitive deterioration, on any outcome assessed.ConclusionsCognitive domains are altered in BDI patients, therefore, a test battery destined to quantify executive dysfunctions, independent of the presence of an acute mood episode or during the euthymic phase, may be useful for case management.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Timing of physical activity across adulthood on later-life cognition: 30 years follow-up in the 1946 British birth cohort

BackgroundTo assess how timing, frequency and maintenance of being physically active, spanning over 30 years in adulthood, is associated with later-life cognitive function.MethodsParticipants (n=1417, 53% female) were from the prospective...

Apraxia testing to distinguish early Alzheimer’s disease from psychiatric causes of cognitive impairment

Objective: Mood- and stress-related disorders commonly cause attentional and memory impairments in middle-aged individuals. In memory testing, these impairments can be mistakenly interpreted as symptoms of dementia; thus, more reliable diagnostic approaches are needed. The present work defines the discriminant accuracy of the Dementia Apraxia Test (DATE) between psychiatric conditions and early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD) on its own and in combination with memory tests. Method: The consecutive sample included 50–70-year-old patients referred to dementia investigations for recent cognitive and/or affective symptoms. The DATE was administered and scored as a blinded measurement, and a receiver operating curve analysis was used to define the optimal diagnostic cut-off score. Results: A total of 24 patients were diagnosed with probable AD (mean age 61 ± 4) and 23 with a psychiatric condition (mean age 57 ± 4). The AD patients showed remarkable limb apraxia, but the psychiatric patients mainly performed at a healthy level on the DATE. The test showed a total discriminant accuracy of 87% for a total sum cut-off of 47 (sensitivity 79% and specificity 96%). The limb subscale alone reached an accuracy of 91% for a cut-off of 20 (sensitivity 83% and specificity 100%). All memory tests were diagnostically less accurate, while the combination of the limb praxis subscale and a verbal episodic memory test suggested a correct diagnosis in all but one patient. Conclusions: Apraxia testing may improve the accuracy of differentiation between AD and psychiatric aetiologies. Its potential in severe and chronic psychiatric conditions should be examined in the future.

Heroin use and neuropsychological impairments: comparison of intravenous and inhalational use.

Injection and inhalational heroin use are associated with different levels of brain exposure to heroin and its metabolites and differences in the severity of dependence, which might lead to differential impacts on neuropsychological functions. We examined the difference and the magnitude of difference in the neuropsychological functions between inhalational and injection heroin-dependent subjects and also compared them with healthy controls. The study sample comprised three groups: 73 subjects with injection heroin dependence, 74 with inhalational heroin dependence, and 75 healthy controls (HC). We excluded patients with HIV, head injury, epilepsy, and severe mental illness. Neuropsychological assessments were done by Standard Progressive Matrices, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Iowa Gambling Task, Trail-Making Tests A and B (TMT), and Verbal and Visual Memory 1 and 2 Backtests (NBT). We estimated independent effects of the groups on various neuropsychological test parameters, adjusted for age and duration of dependence. In the WCST, the inhalational heroin-dependent group took more trials to complete the first category and had higher scores in the failure to maintain set than controls. The intravenous group had higher total errors than controls in verbal working memory tests and Visual Working Memory 2 Backtest. This group scored higher commission errors in the Verbal 2 Backtest than the controls. The two groups of heroin users differed in failure to maintain set and Verbal Working Memory 2 Backtests. The effect sizes of the group differences were modest. Either route of heroin use is associated with cognitive impairments; inhalational and injection use involve different cognitive domains.

Association between olfactory dysfunction and mood disturbances with objective and subjective cognitive deficits in long-COVID.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with olfactory dysfunction. The persistent symptoms of anosmia or hyposmia were associated in previous studies with the development of memory impairment and mood disturbances. We aimed to investigate the association between the chronicity of reported olfactory dysfunction and subjective and objective cognitive performance in long-COVID patients and to explore whether their emotional symptoms are related to their cognition. One hundred twenty-eight long-COVID participants were recruited. Reported symptomatology, subjective memory complaints, anxiety and depression symptomatology, and trait-anxiety were assessed. Subjective memory complaints and mood disturbances were compared among groups of participants with olfactory dysfunction as an acute (AOD), persistent (POD), or nonexistent (NOD) symptom. Seventy-six of the volunteers also participated in a face-to-face session to assess their objective performance on tests of general cognitive function and verbal declarative memory. Objective cognitive performance and mood disturbances were compared among the AOD, POD, and NOD groups. The subjective memory complaints and the anxiety and depression symptoms were similar among the groups, but the score in general cognitive function was lower in the participants with symptoms of acute olfactory dysfunction than in those with no olfactory symptoms at any time. Participants' memory complaints were positively related to their emotional symptoms. The relationship between depressive symptomatology and memory complaints interacted with the olfactory dysfunction, as it only occurred in the participants without symptoms of olfactory dysfunction. Depressive symptomatology and acute olfactory symptoms were negatively associated with general cognitive function and delayed memory performance. The months elapsed from diagnosis to assessment also predicted delayed memory performance. Anxious symptomatology was negatively associated with the immediate ability to recall verbal information in participants who did not present olfactory dysfunction in the acute phase of the infection. Olfactory dysfunction in the acute phase of the infection by COVID-19 is related to cognitive deficits in objective tests, and mood disturbances are associated with self-reported and objective memory. These findings may contribute to further understanding the neuropsychological and emotional aspects of long-COVID.

Assessment of depression, anxiety, stress, and cognitive parameters in medical students: A pilot study

Background: As there is an increase in mental health issues among medical students, it is mandatory to assess their mental health status. In our earlier studies, we observed differences in the scores of depression, anxiety, and stress between male and female students. Aims and Objectives: The present study was undertaken to assess depression, anxiety, stress, and cognitive parameters in male and female medical students. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 medical students’ males (n=50) and females (n=50) were part of the study after obtaining voluntary, written informed consent. The required sample size for the study was 97 with a 95% of confidence level, 10% of margin of error, and 50% of the population proportion. This means 97 or more measurements/surveys are needed to have a confidence level of 95% that the real value is within ±10% of the measured/surveyed value. Depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed using the DASS 21 questionnaire. Spatial and verbal memory test was administered to assess the cognitive functions. Results: The depression scores were significantly higher (P&lt;0.0001) in females when compared with males. Anxiety scores were significantly higher in females when compared with males (P&lt;0.0001). Stress scores were significantly higher (P&lt;0.0001) in females when compared with males. Spatial (P&lt;0.0001) and verbal (P=0.0141) memory was significantly higher in females when compared with males. Conclusion: There were significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress scores in female students when compared with males. Further, spatial and verbal memory was also higher in females. There is a strong need for further detailed studies in this area and for adopting adequate management methods to manage negative psychological emotions in females.

Exploring the associations of daily movement behaviours and mid-life cognition: a compositional analysis of the 1970 British Cohort Study

BackgroundMovement behaviours (eg, sedentary behaviour (SB), moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light intensity physical activity (LIPA) and sleep) are linked to cognition, yet the relative importance of each component...

Photobiomodulation improves frontal lobe cognitive functions and mental health of older adults with non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment: Case studies.

This study investigated the effects of transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) on improving the frontal lobe cognitive functions and mental health of older adults. Three older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) of the non-amnestic type received 18-session tPBM stimulation for 9 weeks and were assessed with neuropsychological tests of memory and executive functions and standardized questionnaires on depressive and anxiety symptoms, global cognitive functions, and daily functioning abilities before and after tPBM stimulation. At baseline, their intrusion and/or perseveration errors in a verbal memory test and a fluency test, as measures of the frontal lobe cognitive functions, were in the borderline to severely impaired range at baseline. After tPBM stimulation, the three older adults showed various levels of improvement in their frontal lobe cognitive functions. One older adult's intrusion and perseveration errors improved from the <1st-2nd percentile (moderately to severely impaired range) to the 41st-69th percentile (average range), another older adult's intrusion errors improved from the 11th percentile to the 83rd percentile, and the third older adult's intrusion errors improved from the 5th percentile to the 56th percentile. Moreover, improvements in their anxiety and/or depressive symptoms were also observed. One older adult's depressive and anxiety symptoms improved from the severe range at baseline to the mild range after the intervention. The other two older adults' depressive symptoms improved from the mild range at baseline to the normal range after the intervention. These findings provide preliminary support for the potential of tPBM to improve the frontal lobe cognitive functions and mental health of older adults with MCI. Given the small sample size of only three older adults and the absence of a placebo control group, larger randomized controlled studies are needed to confirm its potential.