A-11 Investigating Gene–Gene Interactions by Cognitive Domain in Healthy Older Adults

Abstract Objective ApoE is a well-known gene carrying risk for Alzheimer’s disease and is associated with memory performance while the COMT gene is associated with executive functioning but is understudied. The present study investigated these gene interactions across cognitive domains. Method A larger study on gait and aging recruited 89 healthy community-dwelling adults over the age of 60. The primary analyses included 82 participants (67% female, mean age = 74.61, SD = 6.71). The analyses on executive functioning included 72 participants (65% female, mean age = 73.02, SD = 4.99) who completed all measures of interest. ApoE status was defined as presence/absence of Ɛ4. The rs4680 gene on the COMT allele was classified into Val/Met, Val/Val, and Met/Met genotypes. Biological sex was included as a binary term (i.e., male/female). Index variables and age corrected standard scores on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status, verbal fluency, and Trail Making Test were included. Results Gene–gene interactions were found for overall cognitive functioning, immediate memory, and semantic fluency. There were main effects of sex for overall cognitive functioning, immediate memory, delayed memory, and semantic fluency. There were main effects for COMT for delayed memory and a main effect for both COMT and ApoE for visuospatial functioning, coding, and verbal fluency (all p’s < 0.05). There were no ApoE x COMT x Sex interactions and Trail Making Test B was not related to either gene or sex. Conclusion(s) Our findings suggest that both COMT and ApoE (and their interaction) influence cognition. Future research should investigate gene–gene interactions in larger samples with more comprehensive cognitive batteries.

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The Impact of Micronutrient Fortified Foods on Cognitive Functioning among Low-Income Children: A Pilot and Feasibility Study

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12113351 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 3351

Author(s):

Juliana F. W. Cohen ◽

Kelly Sagar ◽

Mary Kathryn Dahlgren ◽

Laura B. F. Kurdziel ◽

Staci A. Gruber

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Low Income ◽

Care Setting ◽

Mixed Model ◽

Trail Making Test ◽

Continuous Performance Task ◽

Low Income Children ◽

Trail Making ◽

Main Effects ◽

The Impact

Brain development continues throughout childhood and requires micronutrients for optimal maturation, but studies have typically examined only a limited number of micronutrients and there has been inconsistent use of validated cognitive measures. This study evaluated the impact of providing low-income children with a daily fortified meal (570 kcal) in the form of a bar and shake containing >75% of the FDA Daily Values for all essential vitamins and minerals, as well as macronutrients (e.g., omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and protein), in an afterschool care setting (instead of the usual meal provided) on cognitive functioning. Students aged 8–12 were randomly assigned to intervention (n = 19) or control (n = 16) meals. Students completed the Stroop Color Word Task, Trail Making Test, and Conner’s Continuous Performance Task (CPT) at baseline and 3 months post-intervention. Differences in cognitive scores were examined using 2 × 2 mixed model ANOVAs (Stroop and CPT) and ANCOVAs (Trail Making Test). Significant main effects of time indicated improvements in both intervention and control groups, but there were no significant main effects of group or group*time interactions. When the amount of meal consumed was examined, most results became non-significant, suggesting that overall meal consumption significantly impacted the observed results. Overall, this pilot study suggests that there may be limited additional benefits to short-term consumption of micronutrient fortified meals among low-income children in an afterschool care setting, and potential benefits observed may be directly related to the amount of food consumed.

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The Effects of Risperidone vs Haloperidol on Cognitive Functioning in Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia: The Trail Making Test

CNS Spectrums ◽

10.1017/s1092852900005058 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 2 (8) ◽

pp. 60-64 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Susan R. Mcgurk ◽

Michael F. Green ◽

William C. Wirshing ◽

Donna Ames ◽

B.D. Marshall ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Function ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Antipsychotic Agent ◽

Trail Making Test ◽

Direct Effects ◽

Treatment Resistant ◽

Antipsychotic Medications ◽

Trail Making ◽

Positive Effect

AbstractIn this article, data are presented from Parts A and B of the Trail Making Test, which examined the effects of haloperidol vs risperidone on cognitive function in treatment-resistant scxhizophrenic patients. This report focuses on findings from the Trail Making Test. Overall, risperidone had a positive effect on Trail Making Part B performance following 4 weeks of treatment. These effects were due, at least in part, to the direct effects of risperidone. The possibility that an antipsychotic agent can enhance executive functioning through direct mechanisms, perhaps mediated by frontal cortex neurochemistry, indicates that the evaluation of antipsychotic medications in the treatment of schizophrenia should be expanded to include cognition.

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B-70 The Effect of Bilingualism on Trail Making Test Performance in Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors and Healthy Adults

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/acz034.153 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (6) ◽

pp. 1018-1018

Author(s):

P Litvin ◽

R Rugh-Fraser ◽

W Lopez-Hernandez ◽

J Knight ◽

R Cervantes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Test Performance ◽

Control Group ◽

Trail Making Test ◽

Neurocognitive Performance ◽

Post Injury ◽

Trail Making ◽

Main Effects

Abstract Objective Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with a number of cognitive deficits. Language factors also impact neurocognitive performance. We examined the effects of TBI and bilingualism/monolingualism on a test of attention and executive functioning (Trail Making Test; TMT). Method The sample (N = 96) consisted of 36 healthy controls (19 bilingual; 17 monolingual), 34 acute TBI participants (12 bilingual; 21 monolingual), and 27 chronic TBI participants (16 bilingual; 11 monolingual). Acute TBI participants were tested 6 months post-injury and chronic TBI participants were tested 12 months or more post-injury. 3X2 ANOVAs were conducted to determine the effect of TBI and bilingualism/monolingualism on TMT part A and B. Results Main effects were found between groups (i.e., control and TBI groups) on TMT A, p < .001, ηp² = .17 and TMT B, p < .05, ηp² = .09. Pairwise comparisons revealed a difference only between the control group and the 6-month TBI group, with the latter performing worse. Main effects were found for bilingualism/monolingualism on TMT A, p < .05, ηp² = .04 and TMT B, p < .05, ηp² = .05; monolingual participants performed better than bilingual participants. No interactions emerged. Conclusion Relative to monolinguals, bilingual participants demonstrated worse attention and executive functioning performances 6 months post-TBI; however, 12 months post-TBI, the difference was negligible.

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A-09 The Relationship Between Subjective Cognitive Complaints, Depression, and Executive Functioning in mTBI Veterans

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/acaa067.09 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (6) ◽

pp. 782-782

Author(s):

T Scott ◽

J Spellman ◽

N Walker ◽

J Rivera ◽

D Waltzman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Principal Component ◽

Trail Making Test ◽

Cognitive Complaints ◽

Adult Intelligence Scale ◽

Neuropsychological Measures ◽

Trail Making ◽

Subjective Complaints ◽

Subjective Cognitive Complaints

Abstract Objective Among individuals with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), those with depression report greater subjective cognitive complaints than those without depression. In mTBI patients with general cognitive complaints, depression may account for poor performance on objective neuropsychological measures. This study seeks to expand this research by examining depression, subjective executive functioning (EF) complaints, and objective EF performance in Veterans with mTBI. Method Fifty-seven Veterans with deployment-related mTBI (12% female; age M = 42.0, SD = 13.6; years education M = 15.0, SD = 1.8) with (n = 29) or without (n = 28) a chart diagnosis of depression. Participants were administered the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF) and objective neuropsychological measures of working memory (i.e., Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV Working Memory Index) and aspects of EF (i.e., Trail Making Test B and Delis-Kaplan Executive Functioning System (D-KEFS) subtests). Results Principal component analysis identified similar domains of EF to the BRIEF, including: task monitoring (Trail Making Test B, D-KEFS Letter Fluency, and D-KEFS Tower Test, eigenvalue = 1.93) and shifting (D-KEFS: Color-Word Interference Conditions 3 and 4, and Category Switching, eigenvalue = 1.24). Individuals with depression had greater subjective EF complaints in each BRIEF domain than non-depressed individuals (p’s ≤ .01). However, subjective complaints in these domains were not related to objective performance (r’s = −0.17,-0.19, p’s > .05). Moreover, depressed and non-depressed individuals performed similarly on all EF measures (p’s > .05). Conclusions mTBI Veterans with depression report more subjective EF complaints than those without depression. The lack of association between subjective complaints and objective EF performance suggests it is important to treat depression in mTBI patients to remedy perceived cognitive deficits.

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A comparison of cognitive functioning in acute schizophrenia and depression

Acta Neuropsychiatrica ◽

10.1017/neu.2013.21 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 25 (6) ◽

pp. 334-341 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Tina Gooren ◽

Peter Schlattmann ◽

Peter Neu

Keyword(s):

Major Depression ◽

Cognitive Deficits ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Trail Making Test ◽

Acute Schizophrenia ◽

Wechsler Memory Scale ◽

Schizophrenic Patients ◽

Trail Making ◽

Unipolar Major Depression

ObjectiveEven though cognitive deficits are well recognised in schizophrenia and depression, direct comparisons between the disorders are scarce in literature. This study aims to assess specificity and degree of cognitive deficits in inpatients with acute schizophrenia and unipolar major depression.MethodsA neuropsychological test battery was administered to 76 schizophrenic patients, 102 patients with unipolar major depression and 85 healthy controls (HCs), assessing verbal learning [Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT)], processing speed (Trail Making Test), verbal fluency and visual memory (Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised test).ResultsBoth patient groups were significantly impaired compared with HCs with regard to all test outcomes. The schizophrenia group (SG) performed significantly worse in the Wechsler Memory Scale and verbal fluency than the depression group (DG). The DG reached significantly lower scores than the SG in the RAVLT delayed recall subtest. No significant group difference between SG and DG was found for the Trail Making Test and the RAVLT direct recall trails.ConclusionOur results indicate that cognitive impairment is present in both disorders. Schizophrenic patients performed worse than patients with unipolar depression in only two of the administered tests. Differences in cognitive performance between the groups are not as general as often assumed. Therefore, during the acute phase of illness, a diagnostic classification on the grounds of the patients’ neurocognitive performance has to be done with caution.

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Qualitative Assessment of Verbal Fluency Performance in Frontotemporal Dementia

Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders ◽

10.1159/000477538 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 44 (1-2) ◽

pp. 35-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Esther van den Berg ◽

Lize C. Jiskoot ◽

Mariëlle J.H. Grosveld ◽

John C. van Swieten ◽

Janne M. Papma

Keyword(s):

Executive Functioning ◽

Frontotemporal Dementia ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Verbal Ability ◽

Primary Progressive Aphasia ◽

Longitudinal Change ◽

Qualitative Assessment ◽

Semantic Fluency ◽

Additional Information ◽

With Memory

Background/Aims: Verbal fluency is impaired in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and primary progressive aphasia (PPA). This study explored qualitative differences in verbal fluency (clustering of words, switching between strategies) between FTD and PPA variants. Methods: Twenty-nine patients with behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD) and 50 with PPA (13 nonfluent/agrammatic, 14 semantic, and 23 logopenic) performed a semantic and letter fluency task. Clustering (number of multiword strings) and switching (number of transitions between clustered and nonclustered words) were recorded by two independent raters. Between-group differences, associations with memory, language, and executive functioning, and longitudinal change (subsample) in clustering and switching were examined. Results: Interrater reliability was high (median 0.98). PPA patients generated (a) smaller (number of) clusters on semantic and letter fluency than bvFTD patients (p < 0.05). Semantic variant patients used more switches than nonfluent/agrammatic or logopenic variant patients (p < 0.05). Clustering in semantic fluency was significantly associated with memory and language (range standardized regression coefficients 0.24-0.38). Switching in letter fluency was associated with executive functioning (0.32-0.35). Conclusion: Clustering and switching in verbal fluency differed between patients with subtypes of FTD and PPA. Qualitative aspects of verbal fluency provide additional information on verbal ability and executive control which can be used for clinically diagnostic purposes.

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A-166 The Role of Apathy on Executive Functioning After Stroke

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/acaa068.166 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (6) ◽

pp. 960-960

Author(s):

Lopez A ◽

Lopez Palacios D ◽

Quintana A ◽

Gibson D ◽

Arguelles-Borge S

Keyword(s):

Executive Functioning ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Trail Making Test ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Data Set ◽

Test Part ◽

Trail Making

Abstract Objective This study examined the role of apathy on performance of an executive functioning task. Method The data for this study was derived from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center’s Uniform Data Set containing neuropsychological information for stroke patients (n = 317) who completed the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire (NPI-Q) and the Trail Making Test (Part B). The sample was divided into two groups. One which endorsed feelings of apathy in the last month (n = 102; mean age = 84,SD = 8.33) and a second group which denied feelings of apathy within the last month (n = 215; mean age = 86, SD = 8.02). Results After controlling for depression [as measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)], age, gender, and motor impairment, the results of an ANCOVA showed that those who reported apathy performed significantly slower on the Trail Making Test—Part B than those who did not report it [F(1,312 = 6.01, p = .02]. Conclusions It has previously been found that cognitive performance can be impacted by depression on stroke patients. However, recently, it has been identified that apathy specifically, can have an effect on cognitive domains such as verbal learning, short-term, and long-term memory. The present study further supports that apathy may play a role in overall cognitive performance. Therefore, even if patients do not meet criteria for depression, the presence of apathy should still be taken into account. Future research should examine other possible contributing factors such as processing speed should be taken into account as they could be affecting the scores. Finally, researchers should utilize additional measures of executive functioning as only one was available for this study.

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ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE NIH TOOLBOX COGNITION BATTERY AND GAIT IN OLDER ADULTS

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.3388 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S931-S931

Author(s):

Kate Hamel ◽

Sarah Barber ◽

Carl Ketcham ◽

Kristy Lui

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Sex Education ◽

Stride Length ◽

Dimensional Change ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Trail Making Test ◽

Card Sort ◽

Cognitive Predictors ◽

Trail Making ◽

Temporal Measures

Abstract The relationship between older adults’ gait and cognition has been well-studied, however there is little consensus regarding a best set of measures to assess cognition. One option that has not been previously examined is the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIHT-CB), which was developed to be used across the lifespan and across research disciplines. This study examined the relationships between the seven subtests of the NIHT-CB, Trail-Making Tests A and B, and temporospatial measures of gait. One hundred sixty-seven healthy, community-dwelling older adults (115 females, 73.4 ± 4.5 years) completed these cognitive measures and also walked at their self-selected pace back-and-forth five times along a temporospatial-measuring walkway. The mean and coefficient of variation were calculated for each gait variable (stride length, width, time and velocity; stance/swing time and % of stride). After controlling for potential confounders (height, weight, age, sex, education, self-efficacy, health, exercise and falls history), executive function measures were typically the most significant cognitive predictors. More specifically, the Dimensional Change Card Sort task was the best predictor of temporal measures and stride velocity (all ps < 0.001) and the Trail-Making Test Part B was the best predictor for variability measures (five of eight p-values < 0.001). Interestingly, stride length and also stance and swing % of stride were strongly related to a measure of language - Picture Vocabulary (all ps < 0.006). The NIHT-CB appears to be a useful tool for studies of gait in older adults, particularly when used in conjunction with Trail-Making Test B.

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Trail Making Test, Stroop, and Verbal Fluency: Regression-Based Norms for the Icelandic Population

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/acz049 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

BB Magnusdottir ◽

HM Haraldsson ◽

E Sigurdsson

Keyword(s):

Executive Function ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Demographic Variables ◽

Trail Making Test ◽

Gender And Education ◽

Icelandic Population ◽

Function Test ◽

Trail Making ◽

User Friendly ◽

Final Equation

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to construct regression-based norms for 3 executive-function tests: the Trail Making Test, Stroop, and Verbal Fluency. Method A sample of 1,034 healthy Icelandic adults (18–64 years) was used to calculate predicted scores for test measures from all 3 tests, controlled for the effects of age, gender, and education, as well as the interaction between these variables. Results The 3 demographic variables showed significant effects on most test measures and were included in the final equation for estimating predicted scores. An older age and less education predicted worse cognitive performances in most cases, and women tended to outperform men. Conclusion These results highlight the importance of adjusting for age, gender, and educational level when constructing normative data. Controlling for age alone may be insufficient or misleading in clinical-practice settings. A simple, user-friendly program for predicting executive-function test scores is provided.

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