scholarly journals Effects of 12-WeekBacopa monnieriConsumption on Attention, Cognitive Processing, Working Memory, and Functions of Both Cholinergic and Monoaminergic Systems in Healthy Elderly Volunteers

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatimah Peth-Nui ◽  
Jintanaporn Wattanathorn ◽  
Supaporn Muchimapura ◽  
Terdthai Tong-Un ◽  
Nawanant Piyavhatkul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Ache Activity ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Treated Group ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Healthy Elderly

At present, the scientific evidence concerning the effect ofBacopa monnierion brain activity together with working memory is less available. Therefore, we aimed to determine the effect ofB. monnierion attention, cognitive processing, working memory, and cholinergic and monoaminergic functions in healthy elderly. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled design was utilized. Sixty healthy elderly subjects (mean age 62.62 years; SD 6.46), consisting of 23 males and 37 females, received either a standardized extract ofB. monnieri(300 and 600 mg) or placebo once daily for 12 weeks. The cholinergic and monoaminergic systems functions were determined using AChE and MAO activities. Working memory was assessed using percent accuracy and reaction time of various memory tests as indices, whereas attention and cognitive processing were assessed using latencies and amplitude of N100 and P300 components of event-related potential. All assessments were performed before treatment, every four weeks throughout study period, and at four weeks after the cessation of intervention.B. monnieri-treated group showed improved working memory together with a decrease in both N100 and P300 latencies. The suppression of plasma AChE activity was also observed. These results suggest thatB. monnierican improve attention, cognitive processing, and working memory partly via the suppression of AChE activity.

Skipping Breakfast Affects the Early Steps of Cognitive Processing

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-118
Author(s):  
Andrés Antonio González-Garrido ◽  
Jacobo José Brofman-Epelbaum ◽  
Fabiola Reveca Gómez-Velázquez ◽  
Sebastián Agustín Balart-Sánchez ◽  
Julieta Ramos-Loyo
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Brain Potentials ◽  
Brain Functioning ◽  
Attentional Processes ◽  
Electrical Brain Activity ◽  
Skipping Breakfast

Abstract. It has been generally accepted that skipping breakfast adversely affects cognition, mainly disturbing the attentional processes. However, the effects of short-term fasting upon brain functioning are still unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effect of skipping breakfast on cognitive processing by studying the electrical brain activity of young healthy individuals while performing several working memory tasks. Accordingly, the behavioral results and event-related brain potentials (ERPs) of 20 healthy university students (10 males) were obtained and compared through analysis of variances (ANOVAs), during the performance of three n-back working memory (WM) tasks in two morning sessions on both normal (after breakfast) and 12-hour fasting conditions. Significantly fewer correct responses were achieved during fasting, mainly affecting the higher WM load task. In addition, there were prolonged reaction times with increased task difficulty, regardless of breakfast intake. ERP showed a significant voltage decrement for N200 and P300 during fasting, while the amplitude of P200 notably increased. The results suggest skipping breakfast disturbs earlier cognitive processing steps, particularly attention allocation, early decoding in working memory, and stimulus evaluation, and this effect increases with task difficulty.

scholarly journals Amino Acid Availability of a Dairy and Vegetable Protein Blend Compared to Single Casein, Whey, Soy, and Pea Proteins: A Double-Blind, Cross-Over Trial

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jue Liu ◽  
Marianne Klebach ◽  
Monique Visser ◽  
Zandrie Hofman
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Protein Quality ◽  
Tube Feeding ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Amino Acid Profile ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Healthy Elderly ◽  
Amino Acid Availability ◽  
Pea Proteins

Protein quality is important for patients needing medical nutrition, especially those dependent on tube feeding. A blend of dairy and vegetable proteins (35% whey, 25% casein, 20% soy, 20% pea; P4) developed to obtain a more balanced amino acid profile with higher chemical scores, was compared to its constituent single proteins. Fourteen healthy elderly subjects received P4, whey, casein, soy, and pea (18 g/360 mL bolus) on five separate visits. Blood samples were collected at baseline until 240 min after intake. Amino acid availability was calculated using incremental maximal concentration (iCmax) and area under the curve (iAUC). Availability for P4 as a sum of all amino acids was similar to casein (iCmax and iAUC) and whey (iCmax) and higher vs. soy (iCmax and iAUC) and pea (iCmax). Individual amino acid availability (iCmax and iAUC) showed different profiles reflecting the composition of the protein sources: availability of leucine and methionine was higher for P4 vs. soy and pea; availability of arginine was higher for P4 vs. casein and whey. Conclusions: The P4 amino acid profile was reflected in post-prandial plasma levels and may be regarded as more balanced compared to the constituent single proteins.

scholarly journals Effect of cortisol levels on working memory performance in elderly subjects with Alzheimer's disease

2008 ◽  
Vol 66 (3b) ◽  
pp. 619-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana Nery de Souza-Talarico ◽  
Paulo Caramelli ◽  
Ricardo Nitrini ◽  
Eliane Corrêa Chaves
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Acute Administration ◽  
Healthy Elderly ◽  
Cortisol Levels

BACKGROUND: Subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have elevated cortisol levels as a result of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction. Acute administration of hydrocortisone has been associated with working memory (WM) performance in young adults. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether cortisol levels are associated with WM performance in subjects with AD. METHOD: Eighty subjects were included, comprising 40 patients with mild AD and 40 healthy elderly controls. WM was assessed using the Digit Span Backward test (DSB). Saliva samples were collected to determine cortisol levels. RESULTS: AD subjects had poorer performance on the DSB than controls (p=0.002) and also presented higher levels of cortisol than control group (p=0.04). No significant correlation was observed between the DSB and cortisol levels in both groups (r= -0.29). CONCLUSION: In this study, elevated cortisol levels were not associated with poorer WM performance in patients with AD or in healthy elderly subjects.

Effects of acute tryptophan depletion on cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease and in the healthy elderly

2002 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. PORTER ◽  
B. S. LUNN ◽  
J. T. O'BRIEN
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Rating Scales ◽  
Senile Dementia ◽  
Specific Effect ◽  
Acute Tryptophan Depletion ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Tryptophan Depletion ◽  
Emotional Symptoms ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Healthy Elderly

Background. The cholinergic system is profoundly impaired in senile dementia of Alzheimer type (SDAT) and replacement therapy produces only modest clinical benefits. The serotonergic system is also impaired and may contribute both to cognitive and non-cognitive symptoms in SDAT. To investigate this further we assessed the effects of lowering brain serotonin using the technique of acute tryptophan depletion on cognitive function in patients with SDAT and in age matched control subjects.Method. Sixteen patients with probable SDAT and 17 healthy elderly subjects received two amino acid drinks in a within subject, double-blind, placebo-controlled, counterbalanced, crossover design. One of the drinks was nutritionally balanced and contained tryptophan (placebo), the other was identical but contained no tryptophan. A battery of detailed neuropsychological tests was performed between 4 and 6 h after the drink. Mood rating scales and other ratings of behavioural and emotional symptoms were also performed on both occasions.Results. Acute tryptophan depletion resulted in impairment on tasks of working memory in both groups. There was no group specific effect. Female SDAT subjects performed better on a task of pattern recognition during acute tryptophan depletion compared with placebo. There were no changes in behavioural symptoms during acute tryptophan depletion in either group.Conclusion. Compromised serotonergic function may be an important contributor to cognitive decline in SDAT and in ageing. Strategies targeting specific 5HT receptors may be helpful in SDAT.

scholarly journals Residual effects of eszopiclone and placebo in healthy elderly subjects: a randomized double-blind study

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Takahashi ◽  
Takashi Kanbayashi ◽  
Sachiko Ito Uemura ◽  
Youhei Sagawa ◽  
Kou Tsutsui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blind Study ◽  
Residual Effects ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Double Blind Study ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Healthy Elderly ◽  
Healthy Elderly Subjects

scholarly journals Altered Functional Connectivity in Children with ADHD Revealed by Scalp EEG: An ERP Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Chunli Chen ◽  
Huan Yang ◽  
Yasong Du ◽  
Guangzhi Zhai ◽  
Hesheng Xiong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Brain Networks ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Scalp Eeg ◽  
Adhd Children ◽  
The One

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental brain disorders in childhood. Despite extensive researches, the neurobiological mechanism underlying ADHD is still left unveiled. Since the deficit functions, such as attention, have been demonstrated in ADHD, in our present study, based on the oddball P3 task, the corresponding electroencephalogram (EEG) of both healthy controls (HCs) and ADHD children was first collected. And we then not only focused on the event-related potential (ERP) evoked during tasks but also investigated related brain networks. Although an insignificant difference in behavior was found between the HCs and ADHD children, significant electrophysiological differences were found in both ERPs and brain networks. In detail, the dysfunctional attention occurred during the early stage of the designed task; as compared to HCs, the reduced P2 and N2 amplitudes in ADHD children were found, and the atypical information interaction might further underpin such a deficit. On the one hand, when investigating the cortical activity, HCs recruited much stronger brain activity mainly in the temporal and frontal regions, compared to ADHD children; on the other hand, the brain network showed atypical enhanced long-range connectivity between the frontal and occipital lobes but attenuated connectivity among frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes in ADHD children. We hope that the findings in this study may be instructive for the understanding of cognitive processing in children with ADHD.

scholarly journals Nimodipine improves cortical efficiency during working memory in healthy subjects

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline F. Zink ◽  
Mellissa Giegerich ◽  
Greer E. Prettyman ◽  
Kayla E. Carta ◽  
Marcus van Ginkel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Calcium Channel ◽  
Calcium Channel Blockers ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Cortical Activity ◽  
Cortical Activation ◽  
Channel Blockers ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Emotional Processes

Abstract The L-type calcium channel gene, CACNA1C, is a validated risk gene for schizophrenia and the target of calcium channel blockers. Carriers of the risk-associated genotype (rs1006737 A allele) have increased frontal cortical activity during working memory and higher CACNA1C mRNA expression in the prefrontal cortex. The aim of this study was to determine how the brain-penetrant calcium channel blocker, nimodipine, changes brain activity during working memory and other cognitive and emotional processes. We conducted a double-blind randomized cross-over pharmacoMRI study of a single 60 mg dose of oral nimodipine solution and matching placebo in healthy men, prospectively genotyped for rs1006737. With performance unchanged, nimodipine significantly decreased frontal cortical activity by 39.1% and parietal cortical activity by 42.8% during the N-back task (2-back > 0-back contrast; PFWE < 0.05; n = 28). Higher peripheral nimodipine concentrations were correlated with a greater decrease in activation in the frontal cortex. Carriers of the risk-associated allele, A (n = 14), had a greater decrease in frontal cortical activation during working memory compared to non-risk allele carriers. No differences in brain activation were found between nimodipine and placebo for other tasks. Future studies should be conducted to test if the decreased cortical brain activity after nimodipine is associated with improved working memory performance in patients with schizophrenia, particularly those who carry the risk-associated genotype. Furthermore, changes in cortical activity during working memory may be a useful biomarker in future trials of L-type calcium channel blockers.

scholarly journals 0358 RESIDUAL EFFECTS OF ESZOPICLONE AND PLACEBO IN HEALTHY ELDERLY SUBJECTS, A RANDOMIZED DOUBLE BLIND STUDY

SLEEP ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. A133-A133
Author(s):  
J Takahahsi ◽  
K Takashi ◽  
S Ito Uemura ◽  
Y Sagawa ◽  
K Tsutsui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blind Study ◽  
Residual Effects ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Double Blind Study ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Healthy Elderly ◽  
Healthy Elderly Subjects

scholarly journals Influence of a combination ofLactobacillus acidophilusNCFM and lactitol on healthy elderly: intestinal and immune parameters

2008 ◽  
Vol 101 (3) ◽  
pp. 367-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur C. Ouwehand ◽  
Kirsti Tiihonen ◽  
Markku Saarinen ◽  
Heli Putaala ◽  
Nina Rautonen
Keyword(s):  
Intestinal Microbiota ◽  
Bowel Function ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Immune Markers ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Healthy Elderly ◽  
Immune Parameters ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Healthy Elderly Subjects

With increasing age, a number of physiological changes take place which are reflected in immune and bowel function. These changes may relate to the commonly assumed age-related changes in intestinal microbiota; most noticeably a reduction in bifidobacteria. The current study aimed at modifying the intestinal microbiota with a potential synbiotic on selected immune and microbiota markers. Healthy elderly subjects were randomised to consume during 2 weeks either a placebo (sucrose) or a combination of lactitol andLactobacillus acidophilusNCFM twice daily in a double-blind parallel trial. After the intervention, stool frequency was higher in the synbiotic group than in the placebo group and a significant increase in faecalL. acidophilusNCFM levels was observed in the synbiotic group, after baseline correction. In contrast to the generally held opinion, the study subjects had faecalBifidobacteriumlevels that were similar to those reported in healthy young adults. These levels were, nevertheless, significantly increased by the intervention. Levels of SCFA were not changed significantly. Of the measured immune markers, PGE2levels were different between treatments and IgA levels changed over time. These changes were modest which may relate to the fact that the volunteers were healthy. Spermidine levels changed over time which may suggest an improved mucosal integrity and intestinal motility. The results suggest that consumption of lactitol combined withL. acidophilusNCFM twice daily may improve some markers of the intestinal microbiota composition and mucosal functions.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document