Neurocognitive function in users of MDMA: the importance of clinically significant patterns of use

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
KAREN L. HANSON ◽  
MONICA LUCIANA
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Patterns Of Use ◽  
Psychological Dysfunction ◽  
Dsm Iv ◽  
Clinically Significant ◽  
Significant Patterns ◽  
With Memory

Background. Use of MDMA (ecstasy), a serotonin neurotoxin, has been associated with memory impairment and psychological dysfunction. This study examined cognitive functioning in abstinent MDMA users and MDMA-naïve controls.Method. Participants completed measures of intelligence, motor function, attention, memory span, verbal fluency, immediate and delayed verbal memory, and working memory. They were also assessed for the presence of psychopathology. In addition to comparing cognitive function in MDMA users relative to controls, the possibility that clinically dysfunctional MDMA use increases the risk of cognitive impairment was examined.Results. MDMA users exhibited relative deficits in mnemonic and executive functions. Additionally, users that met DSM-IV substance use disorder criteria for lifetime MDMA abuse or dependence exhibited a number of additional deficits relative to those who did not meet these criteria.Conclusion. These findings suggest that clinically dysfunctional, rather than purely recreational, MDMA use is associated with cognitive impairment. Future research studies of diverse samples of users may shed light on the mechanisms that underlie these differences.

scholarly journals Communicating through music: creating accessible songs for Individuals with memory loss

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hallie Anthony
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Memory Loss ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Human Communication ◽  
Information Retention ◽  
Scholarly Literature ◽  
Musical Compositions ◽  
Original Musical ◽  
With Memory

This Major Research Paper (MRP) is a research-­creation project that explores the role, impact and influence of music n human communication. More specifically, this MRP investigates the way that music can assist in cognitive comprehension and information retention in individuals with varied forms of memory loss and considers the ways that music can be used to assist in aiding verbal memory and communicating emotion. It also offers insight on methods that could be utilized to further study this area of research. As a research-­creation project, this MRP includes three original musical compositions (Composition A1, Composition B2, and Composition C3) that were developed in response to the scholarly literature on this topic. The three musical compositions that have been produced for this project aim to communicate emotion, create aesthetic satisfaction, and aid in reinforcing the production of memories based on the information presented in the compositions. The composition creation process was informed by information gathered throughout the research process that addresses topics such as: the influence of music on individual listeners, emotion in music, and musical techniques that can be used to successfully communicate ideas. Beyond the scope of this MRP/research-­creation project, these compositions aim to serve as a basis for testing cognitive function in individuals with varied forms of memory loss. Detailed discussion of the design of the musical compositions, including information related to the composition influences, and a breakdown of each composition are included alongside the MRP’s focus on scholarly literature and research. Furthermore, the potential implications of these compositions, including the ways they could assist in future research, is discussed.

scholarly journals Altered Brain Metabolome Is Associated with Memory Impairment in the rTg4510 Mouse Model of Tauopathy

Metabolites ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
Mireia Tondo ◽  
Brandi Wasek ◽  
Joan Carles Escola-Gil ◽  
David de Gonzalo-Calvo ◽  
Clinton Harmon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Memory Impairment ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Brain Cortex ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mice Model ◽  
Mice Brain ◽  
With Memory ◽  
Metabolomic Approach

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized, amongst other features, by the pathologic accumulation of abnormally phosphorylated tau filaments in neurons that lead to neurofibrillary tangles. However, the molecular mechanisms by which the abnormal processing of tau leads to neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment remain unknown. Metabolomic techniques can comprehensively assess disturbances in metabolic pathways that reflect changes downstream from genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic systems. In the present study, we undertook a targeted metabolomic approach to determine a total of 187 prenominated metabolites in brain cortex tissue from wild type and rTg4510 animals (a mice model of tauopathy), in order to establish the association of metabolic pathways with cognitive impairment. This targeted metabolomic approach revealed significant differences in metabolite concentrations of transgenic mice. Brain glutamine, serotonin and sphingomyelin C18:0 were found to be predictors of memory impairment. These findings provide informative data for future research on AD, since some of them agree with pathological alterations observed in diseased humans.

scholarly journals Communicating through music: creating accessible songs for Individuals with memory loss

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hallie Anthony
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Memory Loss ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Human Communication ◽  
Information Retention ◽  
Scholarly Literature ◽  
Musical Compositions ◽  
Original Musical ◽  
With Memory

This Major Research Paper (MRP) is a research-­creation project that explores the role, impact and influence of music n human communication. More specifically, this MRP investigates the way that music can assist in cognitive comprehension and information retention in individuals with varied forms of memory loss and considers the ways that music can be used to assist in aiding verbal memory and communicating emotion. It also offers insight on methods that could be utilized to further study this area of research. As a research-­creation project, this MRP includes three original musical compositions (Composition A1, Composition B2, and Composition C3) that were developed in response to the scholarly literature on this topic. The three musical compositions that have been produced for this project aim to communicate emotion, create aesthetic satisfaction, and aid in reinforcing the production of memories based on the information presented in the compositions. The composition creation process was informed by information gathered throughout the research process that addresses topics such as: the influence of music on individual listeners, emotion in music, and musical techniques that can be used to successfully communicate ideas. Beyond the scope of this MRP/research-­creation project, these compositions aim to serve as a basis for testing cognitive function in individuals with varied forms of memory loss. Detailed discussion of the design of the musical compositions, including information related to the composition influences, and a breakdown of each composition are included alongside the MRP’s focus on scholarly literature and research. Furthermore, the potential implications of these compositions, including the ways they could assist in future research, is discussed.

Pharmacological Interventions for Cognitive Dysfunction in Major Depressive Disorder

2019 ◽  
pp. 225-240
Author(s):  
Marco Solmi ◽  
Beatrice Bortolato ◽  
Nicola Veronese ◽  
Brendon Stubbs ◽  
Nathan Herrmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Cognitive Dysfunction ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Antidepressant Treatment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Memory And Attention ◽  
Psychosocial Dysfunction

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a severe, chronic, and recurring mental disorder, which is frequently accompanied by co-occurring mental and somatic illnesses. Compelling evidence indicates that patients with MDD exhibit cognitive impairment encompassing several domains, including but not limited to, executive function, verbal memory, and attention. In addition, cognitive impairment may be evident even during remission and appears to play a major role in the persistence of psychosocial dysfunction (including impairment in workforce). Therefore, several compounds have been tested as putative cognitive enhancers for MDD. Although antidepressant treatment may be associated with modest improvements in some cognitive domains (namely psychomotor speed and delayed recall), evidence thus far remains unclear owing to methodological limitations across clinical trials. These methodological limitations include: (i) lack of adequate screening for cognitive dysfunction at baseline; (ii) the inclusion of samples that were not in remission at baseline; pseudospecificity (i.e. observed effects on cognition could be due to secondary improvement in mood); (iii) cognitive function was not the primary outcome in some trials; and (iv) lack of standardization of cognitive measures employed across studies. Replicated evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) indicates that vortioxetine and duloxetine may have procognitive effects. Furthermore, data from RCTs suggest that lisdexamfetamine, modafinil, metformin, and erythropoietin may also have beneficial cognitive effects. In conclusion, the achievement of cognitive remission remains an unmet goal in the treatment of MDD. Future research directions, including methodological improvements in the conduct of RCTs targeting MDD-related cognitive dysfunction, are discussed.

Estimation of premorbid intelligence and executive cognitive functions with lexical reading tasks

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Pluck
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Lexical Decision ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Clinical Sample ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Stem Completion ◽  
Clinical Neuropsychology ◽  
Premorbid Intelligence ◽  
Highly Correlated

Introduction: Estimation of premorbid function is essential to accurate assessment of cognitive impairments in clinical neuropsychology and behavioral neurology, and has numerous research applications. However, current methods are rudimentary and imperfect. We explored how lexical tasks can be best used to accurately and precisely estimate intelligence and executive functions.Methods: We studied lexical word pronunciation, lexical decision, and stem-completion naming in the estimation of cognitive ability, in samples of healthy adults (n = 143), and patients with cognitive impairment due to neurological illness (n =15). Cognitive assessments included intelligence (WAIS-IV), episodic memory, and eight tests of executive functioning, including Theory of Mind.Results: When examined at the group level, single word pronunciation was particularly robust in the presence of cognitive impairment in patients with dementia. However, as a case series, patients showed idiosyncratic patterns of preservation of lexical skills including on tests of pronunciation, lexical decision and stem-completion naming. All of these tasks were highly correlated with IQ scores in a non-clinical sample, suggesting that they could be used as estimators of premorbid intelligence. Simulated impairments in non-clinical controls suggested that the median score from the three different tasks had the highest correlation with, and provided the most accurate and precise estimates of, intelligence, and was also the least sensitive to impairment. Finally, we show that these methods also predict executive functions, in particular, strong correlations were found for proverb interpretation, phonemic/semantic alternating verbal fluency, and working memory span performance. Conclusions: Several lexical tasks are potentially useful in predication of pre-illness cognitive ability in patients with neurological or psychiatric illness. However, due to the heterogeneity of impairments between patients, estimation of premorbid levels could be improved by the use of the median estimated values from multiple tests. This could potentially improve diagnostic accuracy and quantification of neuropsychological impairments.

Disorders of Development

2010 ◽  
pp. 551-574
Author(s):  
V. Mark Durand
Keyword(s):  
Pervasive Developmental Disorders ◽  
Developmental Disorders ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Learning Disorders ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Asperger Disorder ◽  
Oppositional Defiant ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Clinically Significant

Disorders of development include a range of problems first evidenced in childhood. Although most disorders have their origins in childhood, a few fully express themselves before early adulthood. This chapter describes the nature, assessment, and treatment of the more common disorders that are revealed in a clinically significant way during a child’s developing years. The disorders of development affect a range of functioning, from single skills deficits to more pervasive problems that negatively impact a child’s ability to function. Included is coverage of several disorders usually diagnosed first in infancy, childhood, or adolescence, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, learning disorders, communication and related disorders, pervasive developmental disorders (including autistic disorder and Asperger disorder), and intellectual disabilities. Recommendations for future research on the potential for advancing knowledge regarding spectrums within some of these disorders, as well as recommendations for treatment, are outlined.

scholarly journals Event-related potential and EEG oscillatory predictors of verbal memory in mild cognitive impairment

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangyi Xia ◽  
Ali Mazaheri ◽  
Katrien Segaert ◽  
David P Salmon ◽  
Danielle Harvey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Single Trial ◽  
Prodromal Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alpha Beta

Abstract Reliable biomarkers of memory decline are critical for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. Previous work has found three EEG measures, namely the event-related brain potential P600, suppression of oscillatory activity in the alpha frequency range (∼10 Hz) and cross-frequency coupling between low theta/high delta and alpha/beta activity, each of which correlates strongly with verbal learning and memory abilities in healthy elderly and patients with mild cognitive impairment or prodromal Alzheimer’s disease. In the present study, we address the question of whether event-related or oscillatory measures, or a combination thereof, best predict the decline of verbal memory in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. Single-trial correlation analyses show that despite a similarity in their time courses and sensitivities to word repetition, the P600 and the alpha suppression components are minimally correlated with each other on a trial-by-trial basis (generally |rs| < 0.10). This suggests that they are unlikely to stem from the same neural mechanism. Furthermore, event-related brain potentials constructed from bandpass filtered (delta, theta, alpha, beta or gamma bands) single-trial data indicate that only delta band activity (1–4 Hz) is strongly correlated (r = 0.94, P < 0.001) with the canonical P600 repetition effect; event-related potentials in higher frequency bands are not. Importantly, stepwise multiple regression analyses reveal that the three event-related brain potential/oscillatory measures are complementary in predicting California Verbal Learning Test scores (overall R2’s in 0.45–0.63 range). The present study highlights the importance of combining EEG event-related potential and oscillatory measures to better characterize the multiple mechanisms of memory failure in individuals with mild cognitive impairment or prodromal Alzheimer’s disease.

scholarly journals Impact of Shift Work and Long Working Hours on Worker Cognitive Functions: Current Evidence and Future Research Needs

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6540
Author(s):  
Veruscka Leso ◽  
Luca Fontana ◽  
Angela Caturano ◽  
Ilaria Vetrani ◽  
Mauro Fedele ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Rhythm ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Night Work ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Long Working Hours ◽  
Main Determinants

Particular working conditions and/or organization of working time may cause important sleep disturbances that have been proposed to be predictive of cognitive decline. In this regard, circadian rhythm misalignment induced by exposure to night work or long working hours would be responsible for cognitive impairment. Nevertheless, evidence supporting this correlation is limited and several issues still need to be elucidated. In this regard, we conducted a systematic review to evaluate the association between shift/night work and cognitive impairment and address its main determinants. Information provided by the reviewed studies suggested that night work might have serious immediate negative effects especially on cognitive domains related to attention, memory and response inhibition. Furthermore, cognitive performance would progressively worsen over consecutive night shifts or following exposure to very long work shifts. Otherwise, conflicting results emerged regarding the possible etiological role that night work chronic exposure would have on cognitive impairment. Therefore, circadian rhythm desynchronization, lack of sleep and fatigue resulting from night work may negatively impact worker’s cognitive efficiency. However, in light of the considerable methodological variability of the reviewed studies, we proposed to develop a standardized research and evaluation strategy in order to obtain a better and comprehensive understanding of this topic.

Cognitive Impairment and Length of Stay in Acute Care Hospitals: A Scoping Review of the Literature

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Jonathan Plante ◽  
Karine Latulippe ◽  
Edeltraut Kröger ◽  
Dominique Giroux ◽  
Martine Marcotte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Older persons experiencing a longer length of stay (LOS) or delayed discharge (DD) may see a decline in their health and well-being, generating significant costs. This review aimed to identify evidence on the impact of cognitive impairment (CI) on acute care hospital LOS/DD. A scoping review of studies examining the association between CI and LOS/DD was performed. We searched six databases; two reviewers independently screened references until November 2019. A narrative synthesis was used to answer the research question; 58 studies were included of which 33 found a positive association between CI and LOS or DD, 8 studies had mixed results, 3 found an inverse relationship, and 14 showed an indirect link between CI-related syndromes and LOS/DD. Thus, cognitive impairment seemed to be frequently associated with increased LOS/DD. Future research should consider CI together with other risks for LOS/DD and also focus on explaining the association between the two.

scholarly journals Network analysis of impulse dyscontrol in mild cognitive impairment and subjective cognitive decline

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
T. Saari ◽  
E. E. Smith ◽  
Z. Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Prospective Observational Study ◽  
Subjective Cognitive Decline ◽  
Behavioral Impairment ◽  
Conditional Dependence ◽  
With Memory ◽  
Central Symptom

ABSTRACT Objectives: To investigate conditional dependence relationships of impulse dyscontrol symptoms in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and subjective cognitive decline (SCD). Design: A prospective, observational study. Participants: Two hundred and thirty-five patients with MCI (n = 159) or SCD (n = 76) from the Prospective Study for Persons with Memory Symptoms dataset. Measurements: Items of the Mild Behavioral Impairment Checklist impulse dyscontrol subscale. Results: Stubbornness/rigidity, agitation/aggressiveness, and argumentativeness were frequent and the most central symptoms in the network. Impulsivity, the fourth most central symptom in the network, served as the bridge between these common symptoms and less central and rare symptoms. Conclusions: Impulse dyscontrol in at-risk states for dementia is characterized by closely connected symptoms of irritability, agitation, and rigidity. Compulsions and difficulties in regulating rewarding behaviors are relatively isolated symptoms.

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