Drink and Think: Impact of Alcohol on Cognitive Functions and Dementia – Evidence of Dose-Related Effects

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (04) ◽  
pp. 136-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Gutwinski ◽  
Stefanie Schreiter ◽  
Josef Priller ◽  
Jonathan Henssler ◽  
Corinde Wiers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Literature Search ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Regular Alcohol Consumption

AbstractRegular alcohol consumption affects cognitive performance and the development of dementia. So far, findings are contradicting, which might be explained in part by dose-related effects. For this narrative review, we undertook a literature search for surveys investigating the impact of alcohol consumption on cognitive performance and the development of dementia. The majority of studies observed a U-shaped relationship between regular alcohol consumption and cognitive function: frequent heavy consumption of alcohol alters brain functions and decreases cognitive performance; regular light and moderate consumption may have protective impact. In many studies, total abstainers show an inferior cognitive performance than people with moderate or light consumption. Nevertheless, policy implications are difficult to draw for at least 2 reasons: (1) the possible risks associated with alcohol consumption and (2) the potential confounders in the group of non-consumers and heavy consumers.

scholarly journals Macronutrients and water – do they matter in the context of cognitive performance in athletes?

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 114-124
Author(s):  
ewa KARPĘCKA ◽  
BARBARA FRĄCZEK
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Omega 3 ◽  
Carbohydrate Supplementation ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Relevant Role ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain

Proper nutrition is a key factor in physical performance, but there are also indications of an impact of dietary components on the brain function. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess the impact of macronutrients and water on cognitive performance. Assumptions of the Mediterranean diet correlate with better global cognition, episodic memory, lower risk of cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative diseases. In turn, a high-fat and high-sugar diet shows the opposite effect. Omega-3 fatty acids could be used as a preventive tool for cognitive decline, but there is still insufficient evidence if supplementation improves cognitive functions. The proper intake of protein may be important in cognitive performance. Tyrosine seems to be potentially effective in inhibition of fatigue under extreme conditions, and the influence of BCAA on cognitive performance is still unclear. An appropriate glucose level is a critical factor for brain functions. Carbohydrate supplementation before and during exercise is associated with enhanced brain activation and decreased exercise perception, as well as improved cognitive functions. Dehydration worsens cognitive performance, especially for tasks requiring attention, executive functions and coordination. Based on the review of available studies, it should be assumed that proper nutrition might play a relevant role in athletes’ cognitive performance.

scholarly journals The Impact of Cigarette Excise Tax Increases on Regular Drinking Behavior: Evidence from China

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 3327
Author(s):  
Zili Zhang ◽  
Rong Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Drinking Behavior ◽  
Daily Smoking ◽  
Excise Tax ◽  
Excise Taxes ◽  
Smoking Quantity ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Regular Alcohol Consumption

(1) Background: Many studies have shown that increasing taxation on cigarettes does play a role in tobacco control, but few studies have focused on whether increasing cigarette excise taxes significantly affects alcohol consumption. In this article, we aim to examine the effects of China’s 2015 increase in the cigarette excise tax on residents’ regular drinking behavior. (2) Methods: Using survey data from China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), we performed a panel logit regression analysis to model the relationship between the cigarette excise tax and regular drinking behavior. The Propensity Score Matching with Difference-in-Differences (PSM-DID) approach was adopted to determine the extent to which the cigarette excise tax affected residents’ drinking behavior. To test whether the cigarette excise tax could change regular drinking behavior by decreasing daily smoking quantity, we used an interaction term model. (3) Results: China’s 2015 increase in the cigarette excise tax had a significant negative effect on the probability of regular alcohol consumption among smokers, and the cigarette excise tax worked by reducing the average daily smoking of smokers. We also found that the regular drinking behavior of male smokers was more deeply affected by the increased cigarette excise tax than females. (4) Conclusions: Our research results not only give a deeper understanding of the impact of the cigarette excise tax, but also provide an important reference with which to guide future decisions concerning excise taxes imposed on cigarettes.

scholarly journals Alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems during the COVID-19 pandemic: a narrative review

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 524-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Ramalho
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Alcohol Use Disorder ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Excessive Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Potential Increase ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Alcohol Related Problems

Objective: To summarise publications reporting on alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in a narrative review. Methods: ProQuest, Web of Science and Google Scholar were searched for articles published in 2020. This search used two terms: ‘alcohol’ and ‘COVID’. Reference lists of articles were reviewed to identify additional articles. Results: There is growing concern around an increase in alcohol intake and alcohol-related harms. These concerns are related to the impact of excessive alcohol consumption in a person with COVID-19 and/or with alcohol use disorder, as well as with a potential increase in the prevalence of harmful drinking, alcohol use disorder, withdrawal symptoms, intimate partner violence, harm to children, suicide, mental health problems and non-communicable diseases. The need for assessing alcohol use and providing adequate advice during the pandemic have been highlighted. Conclusion: The time for action is now, and all necessary measures to prevent an increase in alcohol-related problems should be adopted. At the same time, healthcare services should also prepare for such potential increase, while adapting to the exceptional circumstances presented by the pandemic, such as physical distancing.

Cognitive Functions under Anti-HER2 Targeted Therapy in Cancer Patients: A Scoping Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier García-Sánchez ◽  
María D. Torregrosa ◽  
Omar Cauli
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Uterine Cancer ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Acute Administration ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Her 2 ◽  
The Impact

Background and Objective: Pharmacological therapy targeting the HER2 protein is one of the major breakthroughs in the treatment of cancer patients overexpressing HER2 who have increased survival rates. Despite improved survival, it is important to determine the less frequent adverse effects in order to tailor treatments more personalized to the patients’ features. The possible impact of cancer treatments on cognitive functions is huge, and the effects of anti-HER 2 therapies on this issue have not been reviewed and are the objective of this study. Results: Analysis of PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane library and Web of Science databases revealed six studies performed in breast and serous uterine cancer patients analyzing cognitive function under chemotherapy regimens including anti-HER2 drugs. Four of these studies reported small to significant worsening of cognitive function following chemotherapy regimens containing trastuzumab (the most widely used anti-HER2 drug). In neoadyuvant settings, and in breast cancer patients, treatment with the new anti-HER-2 drug trastuzumab emtansine seems to induce less cognitive impairment than therapeutic regimens containing chemotherapy and trastuzumab. Acute administration of trastuzumab induced cognitive impairment in gastric cancer mice models, confirming its ability to alter cognitive function in patients,. Conclusions: More studies analyzing the impact of anti-HER2 therapy on cognitive function are necessary at preclinical and clinical levels in order to personalize pharmacological treatment and offers cancer patients a better quality of life.

scholarly journals Effect of multi-micronutrient-fortified rice on cognitive performance depends on premix composition and cognitive function tested: results of an effectiveness study in Cambodian schoolchildren

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 816-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Fiorentino ◽  
Marlène Perignon ◽  
Khuov Kuong ◽  
Richard de Groot ◽  
Megan Parker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
School Performance ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Micronutrient Status ◽  
Picture Completion ◽  
Parasite Infestation ◽  
The Impact

AbstractObjectiveEven though current policy is strongly focused on the crucial first ‘1000 days’, it might be still possible to enhance cognitive function during the pre-adolescent and adolescent years by improving micronutrient status. In Cambodia, nutritional status is poor. Provision of rice fortified with micronutrients through a school meal programme (SMP) could be a cost-effective strategy to help improve health and school performance. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of three different micronutrient-fortified rice formulations on cognitive function in Cambodian children.SettingSixteen Cambodian schools receiving SMP.DesignThe FORISCA-UltraRice®+NutriRice®study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Four groups of four schools were randomly allocated to receive normal rice, UltraRice®Original, UltraRice®New or NutriRice®. Within each school, 132 children were randomly selected. Data on cognitive performance (picture completion, block design and Raven’s coloured progressive matrices (RCPM)), anthropometry, parasite infestation and micronutrient status were collected before the intervention and after 6 months.SubjectsCognitive data were available for 1796 children aged 6–16 years.ResultsAll cognitive scores improved after 6 months (P<0·001). Block design score improvement was significantly higher in children consuming UltraRice®Original (P=0·03) compared with the other fortified rice groups and placebo. No difference among groups was found on RCPM or picture completion scores. Stunting, parasite infestation and inflammation negatively affected the impact of the intervention.ConclusionsCombined with other interventions, using SMP to distribute fortified rice to schoolchildren may be a cost-effective way to increase cognitive performance and thereby improve school performance and educational achievements.

Cognitive functions in multiple sclerosis: impact of gray matter integrity

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 424-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Llufriu ◽  
Eloy Martinez-Heras ◽  
Juan Fortea ◽  
Yolanda Blanco ◽  
Joan Berenguer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Lesion Volume ◽  
Memory And Attention ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Images ◽  
Explained Variance ◽  
The Impact

Objectives: Our aim was to investigate the impact of gray matter (GM) integrity on cognitive performance in multiple sclerosis (MS), and its relationship with white matter (WM) integrity and presence of lesions. Methods: Sixty-seven patients with MS and 26 healthy controls underwent voxel-based analysis of diffusion tensor images (DTI) in GM and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) from WM to identify the regional correlations between cognitive functions and integrity. Lesion probability mapping (LPM) was generated for correlation analysis with cognition. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to identify the imaging measures associated with cognitive scores. Results: Compared with controls, patients showed abnormal DTI indices in several GM regions and in most WM tracts. Impairment in DTI indices in specific GM regions was associated with worse performance of distinct cognitive functions. Those regions showed anatomical correspondence with cognitively relevant tracts in TBSS and LPM. The combination of regional GM and WM DTI and lesion volume accounted for 36–51% of the variance of memory and attention scores. Regional GM DTI explained less than 5% of that variance. Conclusion: GM and WM integrity of specific networks influences cognitive performance in MS. However, GM damage assessed by DTI only adds a small increment to the explained variance by WM in predicting cognitive functioning.

scholarly journals The cognitive function and the framework of the functional hierarchy

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 81-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulla Gain
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Cognitive Systems ◽  
Cognitive Computing ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Cognitive Services ◽  
Functional Hierarchy ◽  
Computing Literature

Cognitive computing is part of AI and cognitive applications consists of cognitive services, which are building blocks of the cognitive systems. These applications mimic the human brain functions, for example, recognize the speaker, sense the tone of the text. On this paper, we present the similarities of these with human cognitive functions. We establish a framework which gathers cognitive functions into nine intentional processes from the substructures of the human brain. The framework, underpins human cognitive functions, and categorizes cognitive computing functions into the functional hierarchy, through which we present the functional similarities between cognitive service and human cognitive functions to illustrate what kind of functions are cognitive in the computing. The results from the comparison of the functional hierarchy of cognitive functions are consistent with cognitive computing literature. Thus, the functional hierarchy allows us to find the type of cognition and reach the comparability between the applications.

Heavy drinking habits are associated with worse in-hospital outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
G Tersalvi ◽  
L Biasco ◽  
D Radovanovic ◽  
H Rickli ◽  
M Roffi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Hospital Mortality ◽  
Alcohol Intake ◽  
Funding Source ◽  
Hospital Outcomes ◽  
Coronary Syndrome ◽  
Daily Alcohol Intake ◽  
Heavy Alcohol Consumption ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Regular Alcohol Consumption

Abstract Introduction The association between alcohol consumption and the occurrence of coronary heart disease is well described in literature. Data regarding the impact of regular alcohol consumption on in-hospital outcomes in the setting of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are lacking. Purpose We aimed to evaluate the impact of self-reported alcohol consumption on in-hospital outcomes in patients with ACS. Methods Data derived from patients enrolled between 2007 and 2019 in the Acute Myocardial Infarction in Switzerland (AMIS) Plus registry were retrospectively analyzed. The primary endpoint was all-cause in-hospital mortality, while secondary endpoints were set as incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs). Outcomes comparisons according to quantity of daily alcohol intake were also performed. Results Records concerning alcohol consumption were available in 25707 patients; 5298 of them (21%) fulfilled the criteria of regular alcohol consumption. Daily alcohol intake was reported in 4059 (77%), of these patients (regular drinkers) with 2640 light drinkers (≤2 drinks/day) and 1419 heavy drinkers (&gt;2 drinks/day). Regular drinkers were predominantly male, younger, smokers, more comorbid and with a worse clinical presentation as compared to abstainers/occasional drinkers. In-hospital mortality and MACCEs of heavy drinkers were significantly higher compared to light drinkers (5.4% vs. 3.3% and 7.0% vs. 4.4%, both p=0.001). When tested together with GRACE risk score parameters, heavy alcohol consumption was independently associated to in-hospital mortality (p=0.004). Conclusions Heavy alcohol consumption is an additional independent predictor of in-hospital mortality in patients presenting with ACS. Figure 1. Study flowchart. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Other. Main funding source(s): Swiss Heart Foundation

scholarly journals The Relationship between Cognitive Performance and Quality of Life in Elite Athletes after Spinal Cord Injury

2022 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 948
Author(s):  
Agata Goraczko ◽  
Alina Zurek ◽  
Maciej Lachowicz ◽  
Katarzyna Kujawa ◽  
Grzegorz Zurek
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Elite Athletes ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
The Impact

Background: The present investigation was designed to determine cognitive performance and quality of life (QoL) in a group of elite athletes who sustained spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods: nine participants suffering a SCI participated in the study. Different cognitive functions were evaluated through the following tests: COWAT, Digit Span, Stroop color–word and QoL through the WHOQoL-BREF scale. Results: Generally, participants positively assessed their overall quality of life and health status. Although the tests conducted indicate reduced cognitive function among the athletes, it did not affect the reduction in QoL. Single correlations between the results of cognitive tests and QoL could be treated as coincidental. Conclusions: Despite the observed decline in selected cognitive functions, the participants positively assessed their quality of life and physical health.Reduced cognitive functioning could be influenced by the impact of sleep-disordered breathing, pain, depressive disorders and medication. This indicates the need for an individualized approach to define the patient’s deficits, needs and best care. Further studies with a larger group of participants are needed.

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