scholarly journals Effects of a Cognitive-Motor Training on Anticipatory Brain Functions and Sport Performance in Semi-Elite Basketball Players

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 68
Author(s):  
Stefania Lucia ◽  
Valentina Bianco ◽  
Luca Boccacci ◽  
Francesco Di Russo
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Proactive Inhibition ◽  
Sport Performance ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Motor Training ◽  
Basketball Players ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Response Task

The aim of this research was to test the possible effects of cognitive–motor training (CMT) on athletes’ sport performance and cognitive functions. Namely, specific athletic tests, brain processes associated with anticipatory event-related potential (ERP) components and behavioral performance during a cognitive discrimination response task were evaluated pre- and post-training. Twenty-four young semi-professional basketball players were recruited for the study and randomly divided into an experimental (Exp) group executing the CMT training and a control (Con) group performing standard motor training. The CMT training protocol included exercises in which participants performed cognitive tasks during dribbling exercises using interactive devices which emitted visual and auditory stimuli, in which athletes’ responses were recorded. Results showed that following training, only the Exp group improved in all sport-specific tests (17%) and more than the Con group (88% vs. 60%) in response accuracy during the cognitive test. At brain level, post-training anticipatory cognitive processes associated with proactive inhibition and top-down attention in the prefrontal cortex were earlier and heightened in the Exp group. Our findings confirm previous studies on clear improved efficacy of CMT training protocols on sport performance and cognition compared to training based on motor exercises only, but extend the literature in showing that these effects might be explained by enhanced anticipatory brain processing in the prefrontal cortex. The present study also suggests that in order to achieve specific athletic goals, the brain adapts cognitive functions by means of neuroplasticity processes.

scholarly journals Variations in the TNF-α Gene (TNF-α -308G→A) Affect Attention and Action Selection Mechanisms in a Dissociated Fashion

2010 ◽  
Vol 104 (5) ◽  
pp. 2523-2531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Beste ◽  
Bernhard T. Baune ◽  
Michael Falkenstein ◽  
Carsten Konrad
Keyword(s):  
Single Nucleotide Polymorphism ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Action Selection ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphism ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Genotype Group ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Tnf Α

There is growing interest to understand the molecular basis of complex cognitive processes. While neurotransmitter systems have frequently been examined, other, for example neuroimmunological factors have attracted much less interest. Recent evidence suggests that the A allele of the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) 308G→A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP; rs1800629) enhances cognitive functions. However, it is also known that TNF-α exerts divergent, region-specific effects on neuronal functioning. Thus the finding that the A allele is associated with enhanced cognitive performance may be due to regionally specific effects of TNF-α. In this study, associations between the TNF-α −308G→A single nucleotide polymorphism (rs1800629) and cognitive function in an event-related potential (ERP) study in healthy participants ( n = 96) are investigated. We focus on subprocesses of stimulus-response compatibility that are known to be mediated by different brain systems. The results show a dissociative effect of the TNF- 308G→A SNP on ERPs reflecting attentional (N1) versus conflict and action selection processes [N2 and early-lateralized readiness potential (e-LRP)] between the AA/AG and the GG genotypes. Compared with the GG genotype group, attentional processes (N1) were enhanced in the combined AA/AG genotype group, while conflict processing functions (N2) and the selection of actions (LRP) were reduced. The results refine the picture of the effects of the TNF-α −308G→A SNP on cognitive functions and emphasize the known divergent effects of TNF-α on brain functions.

Malfunctional Reorganization in the Developing Limbo-Prefrontal System in Animals: Implications for Human Psychoses?

2001 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-14
Author(s):  
Gertraud Teuchert-Noodt ◽  
Ralf R. Dawirs
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Dentate Gyrus ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Experimental Approach ◽  
Regulatory Mechanisms ◽  
Hippocampal Dentate Gyrus ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Invasive Method ◽  
Activity Dependent

Abstract: Neuroplasticity research in connection with mental disorders has recently bridged the gap between basic neurobiology and applied neuropsychology. A non-invasive method in the gerbil (Meriones unguiculus) - the restricted versus enriched breading and the systemically applied single methamphetamine dose - offers an experimental approach to investigate psychoses. Acts of intervening affirm an activity dependent malfunctional reorganization in the prefrontal cortex and in the hippocampal dentate gyrus and reveal the dopamine position as being critical for the disruption of interactions between the areas concerned. From the extent of plasticity effects the probability and risk of psycho-cognitive development may be derived. Advance may be expected from insights into regulatory mechanisms of neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus which is obviously to meet the necessary requirements to promote psycho-cognitive functions/malfunctions via the limbo-prefrontal circuit.

scholarly journals Resting-State Functional Connectivity and Cognitive Impairment in Children with Perinatal Stroke

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigul Ilves ◽  
Pilvi Ilves ◽  
Rael Laugesaar ◽  
Julius Juurmaa ◽  
Mairi Männamaa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Outcome Measurement ◽  
Pediatric Stroke ◽  
Resting State Networks ◽  
Neurocognitive Deficits ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Perinatal Stroke ◽  
Brain Functions

Perinatal stroke is a leading cause of congenital hemiparesis and neurocognitive deficits in children. Dysfunctions in the large-scale resting-state functional networks may underlie cognitive and behavioral disability in these children. We studied resting-state functional connectivity in patients with perinatal stroke collected from the Estonian Pediatric Stroke Database. Neurodevelopment of children was assessed by the Pediatric Stroke Outcome Measurement and the Kaufman Assessment Battery. The study included 36 children (age range 7.6–17.9 years): 10 with periventricular venous infarction (PVI), 7 with arterial ischemic stroke (AIS), and 19 controls. There were no differences in severity of hemiparesis between the PVI and AIS groups. A significant increase in default mode network connectivity (FDR 0.1) and lower cognitive functions (p<0.05) were found in children with AIS compared to the controls and the PVI group. The children with PVI had no significant differences in the resting-state networks compared to the controls and their cognitive functions were normal. Our findings demonstrate impairment in cognitive functions and neural network profile in hemiparetic children with AIS compared to children with PVI and controls. Changes in the resting-state networks found in children with AIS could possibly serve as the underlying derangements of cognitive brain functions in these children.

Improvement of cognitive test performance in patients undergoing primary CABG and other CPB-assisted cardiac procedures

Perfusion ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 267-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
JM van den Goor ◽  
BK Saxby ◽  
JG Tijssen ◽  
KA Wesnes ◽  
BA de Mol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Artery Bypass ◽  
Cardiac Surgical Procedures ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Cardiac Procedures ◽  
Patient Groups ◽  
Cognitive Test Performance ◽  
Composite Scores ◽  
Cabg Patients

Cardiac surgical procedures assisted by cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) impair cognitive functions. Several studies, however, showed that cognitive functions were unaffected in patients undergoing either primary coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or more complex surgery assisted by CPB. Therefore, we conducted a straightforward study to compare patient groups who differed significantly in terms of risk factors such as prolonged CPB times. Consecutive patients (n = 54) were included, undergoing either non-primary CABG, e.g. valve and/or CABG, (n = 30) or primary CABG (n = 24), assisted by CPB. Cognitive function was determined pre-operatively on the day of hospital admission, and post-operatively after one and six months using the Cognitive Drug Research computerized assessment battery. Data from the fourteen individual task variables were summarized in four composite scores: Power of Attention (PoA), Continuity of Attention (CoA), Quality of Episodic Memory (QoEM), and Speed of Memory (SoM). In the non-primary CABG patients, both CoA and QoEM improved after 1 month (p = 0.001 and p = 0.016, respectively), whereas, after 6 months, CoA (p = 0.002), QoEM (p = 0.002) and SoM (p < 0.001) were improved. In primary CABG patients, CoA improved at one month after surgery (p = 0.002) and, after six months, not only CoA (p = 0.003), but also QoEM and SoM were improved (p = 0.001 and p = 0.030, respectively). The test performance was similar in non-primary and primary CABG patients after surgery. Our present study shows a post-operative improvement of cognitive composite scores after cardiac surgery assisted by CPB in both non-primary CABG and in primary CABG patients.

Neuropsychological Effects of Sleep Loss: Implication for Neuropsychologists

2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 571-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flavie Waters ◽  
Romola S. Bucks
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Sleep Loss ◽  
Neuropsychological Effects ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Normal Sleep ◽  
Time Awake

AbstractThere is rapidly accumulating evidence of a close relationship between sleep loss and cognition. Neuropsychologists need to become aware of this body of knowledge as the effects of sleep loss on brain functions are significant. The current study (a) outlines the extent to which insufficient sleep affects performance on cognitive tasks in otherwise healthy people, (b) discusses the relationship between sleep and neurocognitive disorders, and (c) highlights key issues that merit consideration for neuropsychologists. This review shows that sleep loss has a measurable impact on performance through decreases in cognitive functions and effects on biological pathways that support cognitive performance. Sleep loss reliably produces reductions in speed of processing and attention. Higher order cognitive functions are affected to a lesser extent, and there is sparing on tasks of crystallized abilities. Deficits worsen with increasing time awake, but may be overturned after normal sleep is resumed. The review also shows that sleep disorders are a major feature of neuropsychological conditions contributing to the pattern of cognitive impairment. Overall, neuropsychologists must be alert to sleep problems in their clients, so that sleep interventions, or referrals, are put in place in the rehabilitation plan of individuals with cognitive dysfunctions. Recommendations also include routine screening of sleep as part of cognitive assessment. (JINS, 2011,17, 571–586)

scholarly journals Developmental Fractionation of Working Memory and Response Inhibition During Childhood

2007 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Tsujimoto ◽  
Mariko Kuwajima ◽  
Toshiyuki Sawaguchi
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Efficient Processing ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. The lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) plays a major role in both working memory (WM) and response inhibition (RI), which are fundamental for various cognitive abilities. We explored the relationship between these LPFC functions during childhood development by examining the performance of two groups of children in visuospatial and auditory WM tasks and a go/no-go RI task. In the younger children (59 5- and 6-year-olds), performance on the visuospatial WM task correlated significantly with that in the auditory WM task. Furthermore, accuracy in these tasks correlated significantly with performance on the RI task, particularly in the no-go trials. In contrast, there were no significant correlations among those tasks in older children (92 8- and 9-year-olds). These results suggest that functional neural systems for visuospatial WM, auditory WM, and RI, especially those in the LPFC, become fractionated during childhood, thereby enabling more efficient processing of these critical cognitive functions.

Recognition Memory for Emotional and Neutral Faces: An Event-Related Potential Study

2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. 1840-1853 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikael Johansson ◽  
Axel Mecklinger ◽  
Anne-Cécile Treese
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Recognition Memory ◽  
Recognition Performance ◽  
Facial Affect ◽  
Test Phase ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Affect Recognition ◽  
Negative Events ◽  
Familiarity And Recollection ◽  
Criterion Setting

This study examined emotional influences on the hypothesized event-related potential (ERP) correlates of familiarity and recollection (Experiment 1) and the states of awareness (Experiment 2) accompanying recognition memory for faces differing in facial affect. Participants made gender judgments to positive, negative, and neutral faces at study and were in the test phase instructed to discriminate between studied and nonstudied faces. Whereas old–new discrimination was unaffected by facial expression, negative faces were recollected to a greater extent than both positive and neutral faces as reflected in the parietal ERP old–new effect and in the proportion of remember judgments. Moreover, emotion-specific modulations were observed in frontally recorded ERPs elicited by correctly rejected new faces that concurred with a more liberal response criterion for emotional as compared to neutral faces. Taken together, the results are consistent with the view that processes promoting recollection are facilitated for negative events and that emotion may affect recognition performance by influencing criterion setting mediated by the prefrontal cortex.

scholarly journals Cognitive functions and underlying parameters of human brain physiology are associated with chronotype

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ali Salehinejad ◽  
Miles Wischnewski ◽  
Elham Ghanavati ◽  
Mohsen Mosayebi-Samani ◽  
Min-Fang Kuo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Cortical Excitability ◽  
Long Term Potentiation ◽  
Cortical Inhibition ◽  
Memory And Attention ◽  
Brain Physiology ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Term Potentiation

AbstractCircadian rhythms have natural relative variations among humans known as chronotype. Chronotype or being a morning or evening person, has a specific physiological, behavioural, and also genetic manifestation. Whether and how chronotype modulates human brain physiology and cognition is, however, not well understood. Here we examine how cortical excitability, neuroplasticity, and cognition are associated with chronotype in early and late chronotype individuals. We monitor motor cortical excitability, brain stimulation-induced neuroplasticity, and examine motor learning and cognitive functions at circadian-preferred and non-preferred times of day in 32 individuals. Motor learning and cognitive performance (working memory, and attention) along with their electrophysiological components are significantly enhanced at the circadian-preferred, compared to the non-preferred time. This outperformance is associated with enhanced cortical excitability (prominent cortical facilitation, diminished cortical inhibition), and long-term potentiation/depression-like plasticity. Our data show convergent findings of how chronotype can modulate human brain functions from basic physiological mechanisms to behaviour and higher-order cognition.

scholarly journals An Evaluation of Visual Perception Visual Memory Cognitive Functions and Emotional Status among Genders in Elderly Subjects

2021 ◽  
pp. 330-336
Author(s):  
A. Ruhina ◽  
G. Sridevi
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Visual Perception ◽  
Depth Perception ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Emotional Status ◽  
Cognitive Test Performance ◽  
Picture Identification

Background: Gender differences in visual memory and perception and cognitive test performance have been significantly influenced by factors like sex Objective: The current study aimed to evaluate the gender differences in patterns of cognitive test performance and visual perception in healthy elderly individuals. Methods: Cognitive functions and visual perception was analyzed using clock drawing test and picture identification test in 20 elderly men and women (10 each) and their emotional status was assessed using depression scale Results: The results revealed that females had a better visual memory and depth perception compared to men and the value was statistically significant at p<0.05. Females performed better than men on tests of Picture identification and were better in phonemic verbal skills compared to male men and the value was statistically significant at p<0.05 Conclusion: The present study concluded an innovative finding that women were better in their performance related to visual depth perception and cognitive functions.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document