Verbal Memory Test Research Articles

Race, APOE genotypes, and cognitive decline among middle-aged urban adults

BackgroundAssociations of Apolipoprotein (APOE) ε2 or ε4 (APOE2 or APOE4) dosages with cognitive change may differ across racial groups.MethodsLongitudinal data on 1770 middle-aged White and African American adults was compiled from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (HANDLS 2004-2013) study. APOE2 and APOE4 dosages were the two main exposures, while v1 and annual rate of change in cognitive performance (between v1 and v2) on 11 test scores were the main outcomes of interest (v1: 2004–2009 and v2: 2009–2013). Mixed-effects linear regression models were conducted adjusting for socio-demographic, lifestyle, and health-related potential confounders. Race (African American vs. White) and sex within racial groups were main effect modifiers.ResultsUpon adjustment for multiple testing and potential confounders, APOE4 allelic dosage was associated with faster decline on a test of verbal memory among Whites only (CVLT-List A: γ12 = − 0.363 ± 0.137, p = 0.008), but not among African Americans. In contrast, among African American women, APOE4 dosage was linked to slower decline on a test of attention (BTA: γ12 = + 0.106 ± 0.035, p = 0.002), while no association was detected among African American men. APOE2 and APOE4 dosages showed inconsistent results in other domains of cognition overall and across racial groups that did not survive correction for multiple testing.ConclusionsIn conclusion, APOE4 dosage was associated with faster decline on a test of verbal memory among Whites only, while exhibiting a potential protective effect among African American women in the domain of attention. Further longitudinal studies are needed to replicate our race and sex-specific findings.

Cognitive symptoms associated with antipsychotic course experience in residual schizophrenia

Urgency. The cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia are recognized either as a part of a negative complex of symptomatic, where cognitive malfunction seem to be the secondary complication of emotional and motivational dysregulation; or as a separate group of schizophrenia manifestations that constitutes a massive part of a residual condition. Aim – to evaluate the cognitive functioning and analyze its violation levels in association with antipsychotic course experience in patients with residual schizophrenia. Results. The assessment of cognitive functions was established by direct testing in clinical setting. Education in years varied from 9 to 16, mean 11,27±2,12 in the population under study. The basic level of cognitive impairment was established: verbal memory test result was 31,6±11,6; digit sequencing test result was 13,4±5,7; token motor task test result was 40,1±18,3; verbal fluency test result was 41,2±10,7; symbol coding test result was 30,6±13,1; tower of london test result was 12,2±4,5. Some correlations were found: for chlorpromazine we can assume minor negative impact on token motor task (r= -0,22) and verbal fluency test (r= -0,27) results; for haloperidol we can assume more pronounced but still minor impact on token motor task (r= -0,22), verbal fluency test (r= -0,27), verbal memory test (r= -0,28) and tower of London test (r= -0,20) results; for trifluoperazine we can see minor negative impact on verbal fluency test (r= -0,26); for clozapine we can’t find any representative correlations with cognitive tests; chlorprothixene as we can assume have minor negative impact on verbal memory test (r= -0,32) result, but minor positive – on tower of London test (r= 0,21) result; for risperidone also assume minor positive impact on sequence coding test (r= 0,25), but other tests in battery show no significant correlations; for zuclopenthixol we can assume minor negative impact on token motor task (r= -0,22) and verbal fluency test (r= -0,31) results.

The Effect of Vitamin B12, Physical and Cognitive Activity on Idiopathic Forgetfulness

Aim: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of physical activity, vitamin B supplementation and mental activity on cognitive functions in middle-aged individuals with subjective forgetfulness. Methods: We included 82 people between 40-65 years of age who were admitted to Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Family Medicine and Neurology Departments polyclinics with the complaint of subjective forgetfulness between May 2017 and May 2018. General physical examination, blood tests including B12, folic acid level and thyroid functions were performed. In addition to the socio-demographic questionnaire, Beck Anxiety and Beck Depression Scale, Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test, Visual and Verbal Memory Tests were performed. Sixty-eight subjects were randomly allocated to 3 groups as cognitive activity, physical activity and vitamin B supplementation. The physical activity group made a minimum of half-hour brisk walk daily. The cognitive activity group was asked to solve a hooked puzzle every day. Vitamin supplement group used daily vitamin B complex. At the end of the third month, cognitive tests and B12 blood level test were repeated. Results: Improvement in cognitive functions was found only in the walking group. Long-term visual memory and verbal memory sub-test scores improved significantly in all groups. There were some differences between the groups in terms of verbal memory subtest scores. Conclusion: In people with forgetfulness, walking, puzzle and vitamin B supplementation seem to have positive effects even after a period of three months in terms of cognitive functions and memory. Keywords: dementia, cognitive activity, exercise, physical, B vitamins

Relationship between hippocampal subfields and Verbal and Visual memory function in Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy patients

ObjectiveHigh-resolution protocols used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) currently enable the detailed analysis of the hippocampus along with its subfield segmentation. The relationship between episodic memory and the hippocampus is well established, and there is growing evidence that some specific memory processing steps are associated with individual hippocampal segments, but there are inconsistencies in the literature. We focused our analysis on hippocampal subfield volumetry and neuropsychological visual and verbal memory tests in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) presenting with unilateral hippocampal atrophy. MethodsThe study involved a cohort of 62 patients with unilateral TLE, including unilateral hippocampal atrophy (29 on the left side) based on MRI and unequivocal ipsilateral ictal onsets based on surface video electroencephalography recordings. The hippocampal subfield volumes were evaluated using FreeSurfer version 7.1. We used the Rey-Auditory Verbal Learning Test to evaluate short-term (A1), learning (ΣA1-A5), immediate (A6), and delayed (A7) recall of episodic verbal memory. We used the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test to evaluate the immediate and delayed recall of visual memory. We analyzed the correlations between the asymmetry index scores for the hippocampal subfield volumes of thecornu ammonis (CA)1, CA2/3, and CA4 and memory test performance. ResultsModerate associations were established between the CA2/3 asymmetry index scores and visual memory in TLE (both right and left hippocampal atrophy), as well as visual memory and CA4 in the right atrophy cases. The CA1 asymmetry index scores did not correlate with any of the memory test results. We did not find any significant correlation between verbal memory tests and specific hippocampal subfields. ConclusionsThe use of high-resolution MRI protocols andin vivo automated segmentation processing revealed moderate associations between hippocampal subfields and memory parameters. Further investigations are needed to establish the utility of these results for clinical decisions.

Influence of pro-obesogenic dietary habits on stress-induced cognitive alterations in healthy adult volunteers

Stress is a fundamental biological response that can be associated with alterations in cognitive processes. Unhealthy dietary habits are proposed to modulate this effect, notably through their pro-inflammatory potential. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the influence of an obesogenic dietary pattern with inflammatory potential on stress-induced cognitive alterations in healthy volunteers.Fifty healthy adult participants were stratified into two diet groups: obesogenic vs. non-obesogenic, based on their self-reported consumption of fat, sugar, and salt, assessed by the French National Program for Nutrition and Health questionnaire and a food frequency questionnaire. Serum high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) was measured as a marker of systemic inflammation using ELISA. Verbal memory and sustained attention were evaluated through the Verbal Recognition Memory (VRM) test and the Rapid Visual Information Processing (RVP) test respectively, from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. Assessments were performed before and after exposure to the psychological stressor Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Stress response was evaluated by subjective stress perception, salivary cortisol, blood pressure, and heart rate.Twenty-two participants (44%) presented an obesogenic diet. Systemic inflammation was significantly higher in the obesogenic diet group (p=0.005). The TSST induced a significant stress response, regardless of dietary habits (Time effect p < 0.001). In the whole sample, exposure to TSST was associated with cognitive changes in the form of impaired performance on the VRM test and overall improved RVP scores. However, the obesogenic diet group exhibited an increased total number of false alarms (Time x Diet: p=0.014) on the RVP test after TSST exposure as well as a greater impairment in immediate verbal recognition on the VRM test (Time x Diet: p=0.002). This effect was not associated with the inflammatory component of the obesogenic diet.These results suggest that an obesogenic diet may sensitize healthy individuals to the detrimental effects of acute stress on cognitive performance.

Exercise Improves Cognitive Function-A Randomized Trial on the Effects of Physical Activity on Cognition in Type 2 Diabetes Patients.

Background: Lifestyle habits strongly influence health. It is strongly believed that physical activity may improve cognitive function. We examined the association between two kinds of physical activity and cognitive function in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: Using a random allocation sequence, 49 patients with type 2 diabetes (metformin, insulin, and diet-controlled) were randomized to a 12-week intervention of either walking 40 min three times a week (n = 17), performing pedometer-controlled activity (E-health, goal 10,000 steps a day, n = 17), or receiving standard care (n = 16 controls). We prospectively examined cognitive function, metabolic parameters, height, and weight. The groups were compared using linear regression adjusted for age. Results: Compared with the control group (n = 16), nonverbal memory improved significantly after the intervention in the walking group (n = 16) (28.2 (+/−6.1) vs. 35.3 (+/−5.3) p < 0.001) and the E-health (pedometer) group ((n = 17) (29.7 (+/−3.9) vs. 35.6 (+/−3.8) p < 0.001). The verbal memory test showed improvement in the walking and E-health groups. Cognitive attention/performance measured by the FAIR-test was also significantly enhanced in the walking group (252.4/304.3 p < 0.001, 51.87 (CI 27.13–76.62)) and the E-health-group (85.65 (CI: 52.04–119.26, p < 0.001)). Abdominal circumference (−3 cm (CI: −9.69–3.31, p < 0.001)), heart rate (−6.50 (CI: −9.69, −3.31, p < 0.001)) and fat percentage (−2.74 (CI: −4.71, −0.76, p < 0.007)) changed significantly in only the walking group. Conclusions: This is the first intervention study in patients with type 2 diabetes that shows that pedometer-supported training significantly improves brain function. Walking additionally improves body composition and waist circumference. Physical activity is an inexpensive treatment with substantial preventative and restorative properties for cognitive and memory brain function in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Cognitive and Neuroimaging Correlates of the Insomnia Severity Index in Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Pilot-Study.

We aim to determine the sleep correlates of age-related brain loss in a sample of middle-aged to older males with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We recruited consecutive treatment naïve male patients with moderate to severe OSA from January to November of 2019. We excluded participants if they had dementia, stroke or heart disease. We collected demographic variables and vascular risk factors. We also obtained the insomnia severity index, the Epworth sleepiness scale and the Pittsburgh sleep quality index. We also obtained computerized neurocognitive testing with the go-no-go response inhibition test, Stroop interference test, catch game test, staged information processing speed test, verbal memory test and non-verbal memory test. We derived age and education adjusted domain-specific Z-scores for global cognition, memory, attention, processing speed and executive function. We used brain MRI T1-weighted images to derive total hippocampal and gray matter volumes. Partial correlations evaluated associations between variables from sleep questionnaires (e.g., insomnia severity index score), and polysomnographic variables (the apnea-hypopnea index, average oxygen levels during sleep) with cognitive domains and brain volumes. We examined 16 participants with an age range of 40–76 years, 73% Hispanic/Latino. The mean apnea-hypopnea index was 48.9 ± 25.5 and average oxygen saturation during sleep was 91.4% ± 6.9%. Hypertension was seen in 66% and diabetes mellitus in 27%. We found that the insomnia severity index score and average oxygen levels during sleep had the strongest correlations with brain volumes and cognition. These preliminary findings may aid in developing future strategies to improve age-related brain loss in patients with OSA.

The relationships between cognitive control and psychological symptoms in patients with somatic symptom disorder: a pilot longitudinal study

ABSTRACT Introduction The present study explored how neurocognitive function correlated with the clinical symptoms of somatic symptom disorder (SSD) by evaluating changes in cognitive abilities according to differences in relevant factors. Methods A total of 44 patients with SSD and 30 healthy controls completed tests assessing various neurocognitive domains, including verbal memory, psychomotor speed, executive function, working memory, and sustained and divided attention. They also completed questionnaires for psychological assessment. The same tests and questionnaires were completed by 26 SSD patients 6 months later. Results The SSD patients had significantly lower scores on the attentional and verbal memory tests than did the healthy controls. Performance on the attentional test was significantly associated with the level of somatic symptoms and anxiety. The follow-up assessment results of the SSD patients revealed improved performance on the verbal learning and fluency tests as well as improvements in somatic symptoms, anxiety, and depression. It was also observed that changes in verbal learning and attentional functions were significantly associated with improvements in somatic symptoms. Conclusions The present study suggests that neurocognitive dysfunctions are subtle and not specific to SSD, but certain cognitive functions may be related to the clinical symptoms and improvements of patients with SSD.

Can Cochlear Implantation in Older Adults Reverse Cognitive Decline Due to Hearing Loss?

Older adults with late-onset hearing loss are at risk for cognitive decline. Our study addresses the question of whether cochlear implantation (CI) can counteract this potential influence. We investigated whether cognitive performance in older adults with severe and profound hearing loss improves 12 months after CI to a level comparable to controls with normal hearing, matched for age, sex, and education level. This cohort study was performed at two tertiary referral centers. The study included 29 patients, of age between 60 and 80 years, with adult-onset, severe to profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and indication for CI (study group), as well as 29 volunteers with age-adjusted hearing abilities, according to the norm curves of ISO-702 9:2000-01, (control group). Before CI and 12 months after CI, participants completed a neurocognitive test battery including tests of global cognition, verbal and figural episodic memory, and executive functions (attentional control, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility). Twelve months after CI, the performance of the study group improved significantly in global cognition, compared to the situation before CI. Differences in verbal episodic memory, figural episodic memory, and executive function were not significant. Moreover, the improvement of the study group was significantly larger only in global cognition compared to the control group. Noninferiority tests on the cognitive performances of the study group after CI revealed that comparable levels to normal hearing controls were reached only in global cognition, figural episodic memory (immediate recall), and attentional control. The improvement in global cognition was significantly associated with speech recognition 3 months after CI, but not with speech recognition 12 months after CI. One year after CI, cognitive deficits in older individuals with adult-onset hearing loss, compared to normal-hearing peers, could only improve some cognitive skills.

Early Detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment Using Visual Immediate Recall Test in the Community

Objective: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is transitional state between cognitively normal and dementia. It is not easy to detect MCI patient early in the community. This study aimed to detect MCI early performing learning memory tests of neuropsychological test domains in the community sample. Methods: Overall 7,307 individuals were already registered with Korean version of Mini-Mental Status Examination for Dementia Screening (MMSE-DS) evaluation. It was conducted across all 5 districts of Gwangju, Republic of Korea from April 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020. As first step, we screened them applying inclusion criteria of age, sex, education adjusted norm based MMSE Z score between -1.5 and 0, and MMSE delayed recall score less than 2. And second assessments of neuropsychological tests and clinical diagnosis with visit were performed. We examined whether verbal and constructional learning memory tests can improve the detection of MCI by receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis. Results: Clinical diagnosis finally defined 100 amnestic MCI, 8 non-amnestic MCI and 6 cognitively normal (CN). Visual immediate and delayed recall test had the highest ROC overall accuracy of 79.2% (95% confidence interval 67.8-90.6%) differentiating MCI from CN. Conclusion: Our study suggests that visual immediate recall test might be time saving and cost-effective in addition to accuracy to early detect MCI in the community.

Memory and Executive Function in Adolescent and Young Adult Females with Moderate to Severe Obesity Before and After Weight Loss Surgery.

There is a global increase in the prevalence of severe obesity in females during adolescence, which is a critical period for neurocognitive development. An increasing number of adolescents and young adults are now undergoing weight loss surgery as a treatment strategy for obesity. In addition to metabolic complications, obesity has been linked to neurocognitive comorbidity, and studies exploring cognitive performance in adolescents with severe obesity and the impact of bariatric surgery on cognitive abilities are limited. Verbal memory and executive function were assessed cross-sectionally in 69 females with moderate to severe obesity and 24 females without obesity, 13-24 years old. In an exploratory analysis, cognitive changes were also assessed longitudinally over 12 months in a subset of 35 females with moderate to severe obesity following weight loss surgery (n = 21) or following usual care without surgery (n = 14). In cross-sectional analysis, females with moderate to severe obesity showed lower scores for short-term and long-term recall (verbal memory) and response inhibition and cognitive flexibility (executive function) than the comparison group, when adjusted for age and baseline intelligence. Females with moderate to severe obesity who underwent surgery showed significant weight loss but no improvement in verbal memory and executive function scores over 12 months compared with those who did not have surgery. Females with moderate to severe obesity demonstrate worse performance in tests of verbal memory and executive function than the comparison group without obesity. In addition, exploratory analyses provide no indication that weight loss surgery improves these observed cognitive decrements over a period of 12 months. Further studies are necessary to comprehensively evaluate changes in cognitive function following bariatric surgery.

Assessing altered executive functioning in substance use disorder: Evidence from a novel neurocognitive screening battery

IntroductionRecently, clinical models based on neuroscientific evidence have highlighted the detrimental role of executive functions impairments in negatively contributing to the functional decline of patients with Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Yet, despite these potential implications, the screening tools that are typically used to assess such impairments are not specific for patients presenting addiction and are not able to properly sketch their dysfunctional executive control profile.ObjectivesThis study aimed at testing the clinical potential of a novel screening battery for neurocognitive disorders in addiction.MethodsThe screening battery was tested on 151 patients with SUD and 55 control subjects. The battery consisted of five neuropsychological tests tapping on verbal and working memory, focused attention, and cognitive flexibility and two computerized neurocognitive tasks (Stroop and Go/No-go tasks adapted for the evaluation of interference inhibition, executive control, and attention bias towards drugs of abuse).ResultsStatistical analyzes showed worse cognitive performance in patients with SUD compared to controls, both at neuropsychological tests of cognitive flexibility, focused attention and verbal memory and at neurocognitive tasks, suggesting the presence of deficit of regulatory mechanisms involved in inhibition and orientation of attention/cognitive resources. These results were also confirmed by second-level analyses where the role of age and education as potential moderators was checked, suggesting the robustness of the tested measures.ConclusionsThe results further stress the link between specific executive impairments and SUD and suggest the potential of the battery as a quick yet valid neurocognitive screening tool.

New digital tools for assessing neuropsychological executive functioning in old and new addictions. an exploratory study

IntroductionNowadays new tools suitable for exploring executive functioning (EF) of behavioral addicted individuals are needed.ObjectivesThis study tests a novel digital assessment battery that can be easily and remotely adopted by neuropsychologists working in the field of addiction.MethodsTwenty-three participants were divided into two groups, balanced for age and education: an experimental (EXP) group of 13 patients with gambling behavior, and a control (CNT) group of 10 healthy subjects. A neuropsychological battery including 5 neuropsychological tests (measuring long- and short-term verbal memory, working memory, cognitive flexibility, verbal and non-verbal fluency, attention), and a behavioral task (modified Go/NoGo task with addiction-related stimuli) was digitally administered. Anxiety, depression, and impulsivity levels were collected before the evaluation.ResultsSignificantly higher scores were found for repetition errors in the short-term verbal memory test, in the EXP subjects compared to controls. Higher reaction times were found in the Go/No-Go task for the EXP compared to CNT, with significant differences for neutral and addiction-related (cocaine, THC) stimuli. Furthermore, EXP showed higher impulsivity scores.ConclusionsAlthough the study was only exploratory, the significant results could support the validity of this new digital tool. Besides, we could conclude that memory impairment and attentional bias in inhibitory control tasks could cover a significant role in new and old addiction and that impulsivity could represent a critical factor in explaining the relationship between EF impairment and addiction. Lastly, this study contributes not only to the understanding of EF impairment in addictions but also in the delivery of remote suitable digital neuropsychological testing.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Cognitive profile in early stage Parkinson disease

Purpose: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by both motor and nonmotor symptoms mainly due to striatal dopamine deficiency. Cognitive dysfunction is one of nonmotor symptoms. The purpose of this study is to determine the cognitive dysfunction with practical screening tests and to investigate relationship between cognitive dysfunction and clinical severity in early stage of PD (EPD) Materials and Methods: EPD patients and healthy control group were included into the study. Mini mental state examination (MMSE), digit span (DS), clock drawing (CD), verbal and visual memory tests were applied to all cases. Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and Hoehn & Yahr Staging (H&Y) tests were performed to EPD patients. Correlation of neurocognitive tests with UPDRS and H&Y scores were examined in EPD patients. Results: There were 30 EPD patients (11 female/19 male) and 20 healthy controls (10 female/10 male). There was a significant difference only in CD test between EPD and healthy controls. EPD with H&Y stage 1. group had higher score on backward DS, CD, and visual memory tests than EPD with H&Y stage 2. Verbal memory test scores had negatively correlated with UPDRS scores. Conclusion: The first impaired test was CD in EPD compared to control group. Other cognitive tests (backward DS, verbal and visual memory tests) were also impaired with increasing severity of disease. MMSE was not different from the control group and did not change with increasing severity of disease. MMSE alone is not enough for evaluating of EPD, other cognitive tests have to be used.

La Cognición Social en la Esclerosis Múltiple Temprana: Enfoque neuropsicológico y anatómico

Cognitive impairment and deficits in social cognition (SC) are frequent in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of the present work is to study SC in patients with early MS and to analyze its neuroanatomical correlation. Thirty-four patients with relapsing remitting MS, with ≤ 2 years of disease progression and EDSS and ≤2, and 30 healthy control subjects matched for age, sex, and educational level were recruited. Subjects performed a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment (Rao BRB). SC was assessed using the International Affective Picture System IAPS, The Eyes in the Mind Test, the Empathy Quotient, and the Faux Pas Test. The anatomical correlation of patients with deficits in social cognition was studied through brain MRI and voxel-based morphometric for which cortical reconstruction and volumetric segmentation were performed using Freesurfer processing software. Patients showed significant deficits in executive functions, verbal memory and language tests. SC assessment showed that patients presented greater difficulties in the Faux Pas Test (p = 0.023), The Mind in the Eyes Test (p = 0.014), and presented a positive bias in the interpretation of neutral images of the IAPS (P = 0.023). Furthermore, patients with CS deficits presented less cortical thickness in areas of the right supramarginal gyrus, pars opercularis, and anterior cingulum.

The impact of verbal working memory on written translation: Empirical evidence and an initial model

Working memory refers to a metaphorical mental workspace involved in the temporary storage and processing of information which has been considered a key construct in Cognitive Translation Studies. This study investigates whether verbal working memory in the translator’s first and/or second language is related to written translation speed and quality. Through three selection tests, 33 student translators in the second or third year of their Master’s in Translation and Interpreting at nine Chinese universities were selected to participate. In the first test, processing and storage capacities of verbal working memory in their first and second language were assessed separately by means of a dual-task paradigm implemented in the e-Prime software suite. In the second study, participants translated a technical text from their second language to their first language. Their behavioural data were collected with a keylogger and the quality of their translations was evaluated by four expert translators. The correlation analysis suggests that the processing function of verbal working memory in the second language does affect logged translation speed; and that the processing function of verbal working memory in the first language has an effect on translation quality. Furthermore, through regression analysis, an initial model was established, which shows the precise structure of the impact of bilingual working memory on written translation. These findings have significant implications for translation skills training. It appears that additional verbal working memory training for both first and second languages would enhance the students’ translation skills.

Extending the usefulness of the verbal memory test: The promise of machine learning

The evaluation of verbal memory is a core component of neuropsychological assessment in a wide range of clinical and research settings. Leveraging story recall to assay neurocognitive function could be made more useful if it were possible to administer frequently (i.e., would allow for the collection of more patient data over time) and automatically assess the recalls with machine learning methods. In the present study, we evaluated a novel story recall test with 24 parallel forms that was deployed using smart devices in 94 psychiatric inpatients and 80 nonpatient adults. Machine learning and vector-based natural language processing methods were employed to automate test scoring, and performance using these methods was evaluated in their incremental validity, criterion validity (i.e., convergence with trained human raters), and parallel forms reliability. Our results suggest moderate to high consistency across the parallel forms, high convergence with human raters (r values ~ 0.89), and high incremental validity for discriminating between groups. While much work remains, the present findings are critical for implementing an automated, neuropsychological test deployable using remote technologies across multiple and frequent administrations.

Lack of association between proton pump inhibitor use and brain aging: a cross-sectional study

PurposeDue to conflicting scientific evidence for an increased risk of dementia by intake of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), this study investigates associations between PPI use and brain volumes, estimated brain age, and cognitive function in the general population.MethodsTwo surveys of the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) conducted in Northeast Germany were used. In total, 2653 participants underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and were included in the primary analysis. They were divided into two groups according to their PPI intake and compared with regard to their brain volumes (gray matter, white matter, total brain, and hippocampus) and estimated brain age. Multiple regression was used to adjust for confounding factors. Cognitive function was evaluated by the Verbal Learning and Memory Test (VLMT) and the Nuremberg Age Inventory (NAI) and put in relation to PPI use.ResultsNo association was found between PPI use and brain volumes or the estimated brain age. The VLMT score was 1.11 lower (95% confidence interval: − 2.06 to − 0.16) in immediate recall, and 0.72 lower (95% CI: − 1.22 to − 0.22) in delayed recall in PPI users than in non-users. PPI use was unrelated to the NAI score.ConclusionsThe present study does not support a relationship between PPI use and brain aging.

Cognitive changes during the menopausal transition: a longitudinal study in women with and without HIV.

To assess longitudinal changes in cognitive performance across menopause stages in a sample comprised primarily of low-income women of color, including women with HIV (WWH). A total of 443 women (291 WWH; 69% African American; 18% Hispanic; median age = 42 y) from the Women's Interagency HIV Study completed tests of verbal learning and memory, attention/working memory, processing speed, verbal fluency, motor skills, and executive function first at an index premenopausal visit and thereafter once every 2 years for up to six visits (mean follow-up = 5.7 y). General linear-mixed effects regression models were run to estimate associations between menopause stages and cognition, in the overall sample and in WWH. We examined both continuous scores and categorical scores of cognitive impairment (yes/no >1 standard deviation below the mean). Adjusting for age and relevant covariates, the overall sample and WWH showed longitudinal declines in continuous measures of learning, memory, and attention/working memory domains from the premenopause to the early perimenopause and from the premenopause to the postmenopause, Ps < 0.05 to < 0.001. Effects on those same domains were also evident in categorical scores of cognitive impairment, with the increased odds of impairment ranging from 41% to 215%, Ps < 0.05 to < 0.001. The increase in predicted probability of impairment by menopausal stage (% affected) ranged from 4% to 13%. Menopause stage was a key determinant of cognition in a sample of low-income women of color, including WWH. Many of these changes reached a clinically significant level of cognitive impairment.

Visual, Verbal and Everyday Memory 2 Years After Bariatric Surgery: Poorer Memory Performance at 1-Year Follow-Up.

Severe obesity has been associated with reduced performance on tests of verbal memory in bariatric surgery candidates. There is also some evidence that bariatric surgery leads to improved verbal memory, yet these findings need further elucidation. Little is known regarding postoperative memory changes in the visual domain and how patients subjectively experience their everyday memory after surgery. The aim of the current study was to repeat and extend prior findings on postoperative memory by investigating visual, verbal, and self-reported everyday memory following surgery, and to examine whether weight loss and somatic comorbidity predict memory performance. The study was a prospective, observational study in which participants (n = 48) underwent cognitive testing at baseline, 1 and 2 years after bariatric surgery. Repeated measures analyses of variance revealed significantly poorer visual and verbal memory performance at the 1-year follow-up, with performance subsequently returning to baseline levels after 2 years. Verbal learning and self-reported everyday memory did not show significant postoperative changes. Memory performance at 1 year was not significantly predicted by weight loss, changes in C-reactive protein levels or postoperative somatic comorbidity (Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and hypertension). The study demonstrated poorer visual and verbal memory performance at 1-year follow-up that returned to baseline levels after 2 years. These findings are in contrast to most previous studies and require further replication, however, the results indicate that postoperative memory improvements following bariatric surgery are not universal. Findings suggest that treatment providers should also be aware of patients potentially having poorer memory at 1 year following surgery.