scholarly journals Healthy Aging and Compensation of Sentence Comprehension Auditory Deficits

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcela Lima Silagi ◽  
Camila Maia Rabelo ◽  
Eliane Schochat ◽  
Letícia Lessa Mansur
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Execution Time ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Sentence Comprehension ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Functional Communication ◽  
Auditory Comprehension ◽  
Young Old

Objectives. To analyze the effect of aging on sentence auditory comprehension and to study the relationship between this language skill and cognitive functions (attention, working memory, and executive functions).Methods. A total of 90 healthy subjects were divided into three groups: adults (50–59 years), young-old (60–69 years), and old-old (70–80 years). Subjects were assessed using the Revised Token Test. The measures used for performance analysis were number of correct answers (accuracy) and execution time of commands on the different subtests.Results. Regarding accuracy, groups showed similar performance on the first blocks, but the young-old and old-old performed worse than adults on blocks 9 and 10. With respect to execution time, groups differed from block 2 (i.e., the groups differed for all blocks, except for block 1), with the worst performance observed in the old-old group, followed by that of the young-old group. Therefore, the elderly required more time to attain performance similar to that of adults, showing that time measurements are more sensitive for detecting the effects of age. Sentence comprehension ability is correlated with cognitive test performance, especially for global cognition and working memory tests.Conclusions. Healthy aging is characterized by the ability to compensate for difficulties in linguistic processing, which allows the elderly to maintain functional communication.

scholarly journals A randomised control trial of the effects of home-based online attention training and working memory training on cognition and everyday function in a community stroke sample.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Polly V Peers ◽  
Sarah F Punton ◽  
Fionnuala C Murphy ◽  
Peter Watson ◽  
Andrew Bateman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Randomised Control Trial ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Attention Training ◽  
Everyday Functioning ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Everyday Function

Cognitive difficulties are common following stroke and can have widespread impacts on everyday functioning. Technological advances offer the possibility of individualised cognitive training for patients at home, potentially providing a low-cost, low-intensity adjunct to rehabilitation services. Using this approach, we have previously demonstrated post-training improvements in attention and everyday functioning in fronto-parietal stroke patients. Here we examine whether these benefits are observed more broadly in a community stroke sample. Patients were randomised to either 4 weeks of online adaptive attention training (SAT), working memory training (WMT) or waitlist (WL). Cognitive and everyday function measures were collected before and after intervention, and after 3months. During training, weekly measures of patients' subjective functioning were collected. The training was well received and compliance good. No differences in standardised cognitive tests were observed for either intervention relative to controls. However, on patient reported outcomes, SAT participants showed greater levels of improvement in everyday functioning than WMT or WL participants. In line with our previous work, everyday functioning improvements were greatest for patients with spatial impairments and those who received SAT training. Whether attention training can be recommended for stroke survivors depends on whether cognitive test performance or everyday functioning is considered more relevant.

When does anxiety help or hinder cognitive test performance? The role of working memory capacity

2012 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Owens ◽  
Jim Stevenson ◽  
Julie A. Hadwin ◽  
Roger Norgate
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Cognitive Test Performance

scholarly journals REPRESENTATION OF THE ELDERLY PROTAGONIST IN TRACY LETTS’ AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

2018 ◽  
pp. 120-125
Author(s):  
A. Gaidash ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Aging ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Heavy Smoker ◽  
Pulitzer Prize ◽  
Late Adulthood ◽  
Old Adults ◽  
Passive Strategies ◽  
Young Old ◽  
Osage County

This article examines the literary portrayal of the female sexagenarian in the Pulitzer-Prize winning play. The gerontological portrait of the elderly is analyzed in the context of “the young old” adults. The theoretical background of the article is formed from an array of humanities-related disciplines: in particular, sociology, literary gerontology, medical humanities. The author of the article studies how the notion of normativity in late adulthood is represented in August: Osage County. The playwright subverts the concepts of successful and healthy aging in the images of Violet and Beverly Westons: Violet is a heavy smoker; Beverly is a heavy drinker. The issue of ableism allows us to detect the element of a new genre of pathography, a battle, which is indicative of the gerontological portrayal of the elderly protagonist. In his drama, Tracy Letts develops active and passive strategies of aging, which his elderly characters choose to cope with their disabilities in late adulthood.

scholarly journals Predictors and Correlates of Perceived Cognitive Decline in Retired Professional Rugby League Players

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Van Patten ◽  
Grant L. Iverson ◽  
Douglas P. Terry ◽  
Christopher R. Levi ◽  
Andrew J. Gardner
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Neuropsychological Testing ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Rugby League ◽  
Self Report ◽  
American Football ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Full Contact

Objective: Rugby league is an international full-contact sport, with frequent concussive injuries. Participation in other full-contact sports such as American football has been considered to be a risk factor for neuropsychiatric sequelae later-in-life, but little research has addressed the mental and cognitive health of retired professional rugby league players. We examined predictors and correlates of perceived (self-reported) cognitive decline in retired National Rugby League (NRL) players.Methods: Participants were 133 retired male elite level rugby league players in Australia. Participants completed clinical interviews, neuropsychological testing, and self-report measures. The Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly, self-report (IQCODE-Self), measured perceived cognitive decline.Results: The median age of the sample was 55.0 (M = 53.1, SD = 13.9, range = 30–89) and the median years of education completed was 12.0 (M = 11.9, SD = 2.6, range = 7–18). The retired players reported a median of 15.0 total lifetime concussions (M = 28.0, SD = 36.6, range = 0–200). The mean IQCODE-Self score was 3.2 (SD = 0.5; Range = 1.3–5.0); 10/133 (7.5%) and 38/133 (28.6%) scored above conservative and liberal cutoffs for cognitive decline on the IQCODE-Self, respectively. Perceived cognitive decline was positively correlated with current depressive symptoms, negatively correlated with years of professional sport exposure and resilience, and unrelated to objective cognition and number of self-reported concussions. A multiple regression model with perceived cognitive decline regressed on age, concussion history, professional rugby league exposure, depression, resilience, objective cognitive functioning, daytime sleepiness, and pain severity showed depression as the only significant predictor.Conclusion: This is the first large study examining subjectively experienced cognitive decline in retired professional rugby league players. Similar to studies from the general population and specialty clinics, no relationship was found between objective cognitive test performance and perceived cognitive decline. Depressive symptoms emerged as the strongest predictor of perceived cognitive decline, suggesting that subjective reports of worsening cognition in retired elite rugby league players might reflect psychological distress rather than current cognitive impairment.

scholarly journals Mild cognitive impairment: historical development and summary of research

2004 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-367
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
Molecular Genetic ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Cross Sectional

This review article broadly traces the historical development, diagnostic criteria, clinical and neuropathological characteristics, and treatment strategies related to mild cognitive impairment (MCI), The concept of MCI is considered in the context of other terms that have been developed to characterize the elderly with varying degrees of cognitive impairment Criteria based on clinical global scale ratings, cognitive test performance, and performance on other domains of functioning are discussed. Approaches employing clinical, neuropsychological, neuroimaging, biological, and molecular genetic methodology used in the validation of MCI are considered, including results from cross-sectional, longitudinal, and postmortem investigations. Results of recent drug treatment studies of MCI and related methodological issues are also addressed.

scholarly journals Cognitive Phenotypes, Brain Morphometry and the Detection of Cognitive Decline in Preclinical AD

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 29-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark W. Jacobson ◽  
Linda K. McEvoy ◽  
Anders Dale ◽  
Christine Fennema-Notestine
Keyword(s):  
Test Performance ◽  
Neuropsychological Tests ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Cognitive Changes ◽  
Brain Morphometry ◽  
Preclinical Phase ◽  
Preclinical Ad ◽  
Cognitive Test Performance

Identifying a preclinical phase of Alzheimer’s Disease (PCAD) that is distinct from cognitive changes in healthy aging continues to be a major research focus. Combining neuropsychological and neuroimaging methodologies should improve our ability to differentiate healthy from pathological aging, although studies that utilize both methods often result in equivocal findings, possibly due to variability in cognitive test performance that may be capturing distinct phenotypes. One method of capturing this cognitive variability is to utilize contrasting neuropsychological tests to identify subgroups representative of distinct cognitive phenotypes, and determine whether differences in brain morphometry support these classifications. We review several approaches to defining cognitive subgroups, and we consider the possibility that cognitive asymmetry might provide one means of identifying both functional and structural changes associated with aging and dementia.

scholarly journals Musical Aptitude as a Variable in the Assessment of Working Memory and Selective Attention Tasks

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 178-188
Author(s):  
Kavassery Venkateswaran Nisha ◽  
Devi Neelamegarajan ◽  
Nishant N. Nayagam ◽  
Jim Saroj Winston ◽  
Sam Publius Anil
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Selective Attention ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Musical Training ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Musical Aptitude ◽  
Low Performance ◽  
Cognitive Test Performance

Background and Objectives: The influence of musical aptitude on cognitive test performance in musicians is a long-debated research question. Evidence points to the low performance of nonmusicians in visual and auditory cognitive tasks (working memory and attention) compared with musicians. This cannot be generalized to all nonmusicians, as a sub-group in this population can have innate musical abilities even without any formal musical training. The present study aimed to study the effect of musical aptitude on the working memory and selective attention.Subjects and Methods: Three groups of 20 individuals each (a total of 60 participants), including trained-musicians, nonmusicians with good musical aptitude, and nonmusicians with low musical aptitude, participated in the present study. Cognitive-based visual (Flanker’s selective attention test) and auditory (working memory tests: backward digit span and operation span) tests were administered.Results: MANOVA (followed by ANOVA) revealed a benefit of musicianship and musical aptitude on backward digit span and Flanker’s reaction time (p<0.05). Discriminant function analyses showed that the groups could be effectively (accuracy, 80%) segregated based on the backward digit span and Flanker’s selective attention test. Trained musicians and nonmusicians with good musical aptitude were distinguished as one cluster and nonmusicians with low musical aptitude formed another cluster, hinting the role of musical aptitude in working memory and selective attention.Conclusions: Nonmusicians with good musical aptitude can have enhanced working memory and selective attention skills like musicians. Hence, caution is required when these individuals are included as controls in cognitive-based visual and auditory experiments.

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