scholarly journals Unaffected Memory and Inhibitory Functioning Several Weeks Postpartum in Women with Pregnancy Complicated by Preeclampsia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Ilona Papousek ◽  
Elisabeth M. Weiss ◽  
Manfred G. Moertl ◽  
Karin Schmid-Zalaudek ◽  
Edina Krenn ◽  
...  

Several studies reported impaired cognitive functioning after pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia. The present study examined cognitive and executive functioning in women with preeclampsia at a time at which immediate effects of gestation have resolved, brain damage due to other risk factors have not yet manifested, and impairments may thus primarily occur as a result of the huge stress induced by the potentially life threatening condition. Verbal learning/memory (California Verbal Learning Test) and inhibitory functioning (Mittenecker Pointing Test) of 35 women with preeclampsia and 38 women with uncomplicated pregnancy were followed over five measurement time points during the period from 16 to 48 weeks postpartum. A further control group comprised 40 women with no history of recent pregnancy. The groups did not differ in their verbal learning/memory performance. Higher levels of currently experienced everyday-life stress were associated with poorer inhibitory control/greater stereotypy in responding, but this effect was not directly connected with pregnancy complications. Taken together, the findings do not indicate rapid-onset cognitive impairment after preeclampsia, brought about by its extremely stressful nature or other factors that take effect during gestation. Deficits observed in later life may develop on a long-term basis through late-diagnosed hypertension and unfavorable lifestyle factors. The large time window in which exaggerated cognitive decline can be prevented or mitigated should be utilized for the control of risk factors and interventions to improve lifestyle where appropriate.

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A15-A15
Author(s):  
Andrea Ricciardiello ◽  
Sharon Naismith ◽  
Angela D’Rozario ◽  
Fiona Kumfor ◽  
Rick Wassing

Abstract Introduction Late-life depression is the most common psychiatric disorder in older adults and is associated with cognitive deficits, however, the role of sleep disturbance in cognitive deficits is poorly defined. In the current study we aimed to examine sleep macro and micro-architecture differences between those with late-life depression and controls. Secondly, we sought to determine how sleep changes relate to clinical memory and executive function measures in those with late-life depression and controls. Methods Using prior clinical data, this retrospective study assessed adults >50 years who had completed an overnight PSG study and comprehensive psychiatric, neuropsychological, and medical assessment. Memory performance was measured using the Weschler Memory Scale logical Memory 1 and 2 components, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (Senior) 30-minute recall and Rey Complex Figure 3-minute recall. Executive function was defined by z scores from Trail Making Test, D-KEFS Stroop Test and Controlled Oral Word Association Test. The sample comprised of 71 depressed participants, defined by a Geriatric Depression Scale score ≥6, and 101 non-depressed participants (GDS <6 and no lifetime history of depression using DSM-IV criteria). Results Contrary to our hypothesis no significant macroarchitectural differences were observed between the groups. Less time spent in slow-wave sleep (SWS) was associated with worse delayed memory recall scores in the depression group (z=.342, p=0.008) although this was not seen in the control group. SWS and slow wave activity (SWA) were not related to measures of executive function performance. Depressed participants demonstrated a reduced level of sleep spindles (Dep= 159 ±142.8, con= 213±163, p=.03) although there were no associations with memory outcomes. Conclusion Compared to younger adults with depression, macroarchitectural differences in those with late-life depression are not as pronounced, due to a reduction of SWS and SWA power as a function of ageing. The efficiency of SWS hippocampal dependent memory processes in depression may be reduced, therefore, more time spent in SWS is related to better memory performance. This study assessed the density of sleep spindles but not spindle and slow wave oscillation coupling which may be more important for hippocampal dependent memory. Support (if any):


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay S. Nagamatsu ◽  
Alison Chan ◽  
Jennifer C. Davis ◽  
B. Lynn Beattie ◽  
Peter Graf ◽  
...  

We report secondary findings from a randomized controlled trial on the effects of exercise on memory in older adults with probable MCI. We randomized 86 women aged 70–80 years with subjective memory complaints into one of three groups: resistance training, aerobic training, or balance and tone (control). All participants exercised twice per week for six months. We measured verbal memory and learning using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and spatial memory using a computerized test, before and after trial completion. We found that the aerobic training group remembered significantly more items in the loss after interference condition of the RAVLT compared with the control group after six months of training. In addition, both experimental groups showed improved spatial memory performance in the most difficult condition where they were required to memorize the spatial location of three items, compared with the control group. Lastly, we found a significant correlation between spatial memory performance and overall physical capacity after intervention in the aerobic training group. Taken together, our results provide support for the prevailing notion that exercise can positively impact cognitive functioning and may represent an effective strategy to improve memory in those who have begun to experience cognitive decline.


2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
D.-C. Herta ◽  
B. Nemes ◽  
S. Nica ◽  
D. Cozman

Introduction:Recent data suggest that schizophrenia is a complex disorder with intricate patterns of neurocognitive impairment supported by specific neurobiological systems, present in schizophrenia patients, regardless of individual or clinical variables. the neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia states that early insults (pre-, perinatal), late environmental, early and late genetic factors interact in various developmental stages, leading to various individual expressions of the disorder.Aim:To assess specific developmental risk factors in connection with the level of neurocognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia.Material and methods:Issues concerning family history, parenting style, attachment and early life stress were investigated in correlation with general intellectual functioning, working memory and executive functions in a set of young schizophrenia patients and a control group.Results:The authors found that certain prenatal insults, complications of delivery and early development, along with the quality of attachment and parenting style, were strongly correlated with the patterns of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia patients.Conclusions:Cognitive impairment might be a trait-like feature, stable throughout the lifetime, occurring years before the onset of the illness. Extending the concept of development to the entire life span could entail that factors with limited timeframe of action may play a role in the epigenetic regulation of certain genes and proteins expressed in specific areas of the brain, in specific developmental stages, which in turn may lead to overt and definitive changes much later in life.


2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (suppl 2) ◽  
pp. 79-87
Author(s):  
Alice Milani Nespollo ◽  
Samira Reschetti Marcon ◽  
Nathalie Vilma Pollo de Lima ◽  
Tatiane Lebre Dias ◽  
Mariano Martínez Espinosa

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention through cognitive stimulation associated with Taigeiko practice in memory performance and executive function of elderly women, compared to a group exposed to Taigeiko alone. Method: A quasi-experimental study was performed with 16 elderly women. 10 were allocated to the experimental group (EG) submitted to 16 sessions of cognitive stimulation and Taigeiko, and 6 elderly women in the control group (CG) submitted to Taigeiko alone. Cognition was assessed before and after intervention by the tests: Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning (RAVLT); Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test; Trail-Making Test; Stroop Effect; Digit Span Test and Semantic Verbal Fluency Test. Results: Both groups presented differences in RAVLT domains (EG p=0.004, CG p=0.005) and Stroop Effect (EG p=0.012; CG p=0.024). However, in EG, better scores were shown in the tests, although not statistically significant. Conclusion: Taigeiko has been shown to be a potential activity in obtaining cognitive gains, independently of the associated cognitive stimulation.


1992 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-145
Author(s):  
Marilyn L. Turner

This experiment investigated whether mnemonic strategy training, occurring over a two-month period, would result in improved memory performance when combined with reattribution training. It was also hypothesized that the old and young may differ in their ability to perform nonverbal and verbal mnemonics. Therefore, age-related differences in memory performance were investigated as a function of whether the mnemonic was verbal (Alphabet Search Method) or non-verbal (Method of Loci), and whether or not reattribution training was combined with mnemonic training. Subjects were 34 old (Mean age = 69.5) and 34 young (Mean age = 22.8) adults. Memory performance was measured on the California Verbal Learning Test, the Nelson-Denny Vocabulary Test, the Beck Depression Inventory and four memory span tasks, prior and following a two-month period of weekly mnemonic strategy training sessions. A third of the subjects were trained with the Method of Loci, a third with Alphabet Search, and the remaining third served as the waitlist control group. In addition, half the young and old subjects from each mnemonic group did, and half did not, participate in a reattribution training workshop. Results clearly showed that mnemonic strategy training was useful for the old and young. However, the combination of reattribution and mnemonic strategy training only enhanced old, not young, memory scores when the type of strategy required verbal skills (Alphabet Search). The implication was that mnemonic strategy training may be more effective for the old if combined with reattribution training, and, if the mnemonic requires verbal rather than non-verbal skills.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Junyeon Won ◽  
Daniel D. Callow ◽  
Gabriel S. Pena ◽  
Leslie S. Jordan ◽  
Naomi A. Arnold-Nedimala ◽  
...  

Background: Exercise training (ET) has neuroprotective effects in the hippocampus, a key brain region for memory that is vulnerable to age-related dysfunction. Objective: We investigated the effects of ET on functional connectivity (FC) of the hippocampus in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and a cognitively normal (CN) control group. We also assessed whether the ET-induced changes in hippocampal FC (Δhippocampal-FC) are associated with changes in memory task performance (Δmemory performance). Methods: 32 older adults (77.0±7.6 years; 16 MCI and 16 CN) participated in the present study. Cardiorespiratory fitness tests, memory tasks (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and Logical Memory Test (LM)), and resting-state fMRI were administered before and after a 12-week walking ET intervention. We utilized a seed-based correlation analysis using the bilateral anterior and posterior hippocampi as priori seed regions of interest. The associations of residualized ET-induced Δhippocampal-FC and Δmemory performance were assessed using linear regression. Results: There were significant improvements in RAVLT Trial 1 and LM test performance after ET across participants. At baseline, MCI, compared to CN, demonstrated significantly lower posterior hippocampal FC. ET was associated with increased hippocampal FC across groups. Greater ET-related anterior and posterior hippocampal FC with right posterior cingulate were associated with improved LM recognition performance in MCI participants. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that hippocampal FC is significantly increased following 12-weeks of ET in older adults and, moreover, suggest that increased hippocampal FC may reflect neural network plasticity associated with ET-related improvements in memory performance in individuals diagnosed with MCI.


2010 ◽  
Vol 218 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Slawomira J. Diener ◽  
Herta Flor ◽  
Michèle Wessa

Impairments in declarative memory have been reported in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Fragmentation of explicit trauma-related memory has been assumed to impede the formation of a coherent memorization of the traumatic event and the integration into autobiographic memory. Together with a strong non-declarative memory that connects trauma reminders with a fear response the impairment in declarative memory is thought to be involved in the maintenance of PTSD symptoms. Fourteen PTSD patients, 14 traumatized subjects without PTSD, and 13 non-traumatized healthy controls (HC) were tested with the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) to assess verbal declarative memory. PTSD symptoms were assessed with the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale and depression with the Center of Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Several indices of the CVLT pointed to an impairment in declarative memory performance in PTSD, but not in traumatized persons without PTSD or HC. No group differences were observed if recall of memory after a time delay was set in relation to initial learning performance. In the PTSD group verbal memory performance correlated significantly with hyperarousal symptoms, after concentration difficulties were accounted for. The present study confirmed previous reports of declarative verbal memory deficits in PTSD. Extending previous results, we propose that learning rather than memory consolidation is impaired in PTSD patients. Furthermore, arousal symptoms may interfere with successful memory formation in PTSD.


1972 ◽  
Vol 27 (01) ◽  
pp. 114-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A Hassanein ◽  
Th. A El-Garf ◽  
Z El-Baz

SummaryADP-induced platelet aggregation and calcium-induced platelet aggregation tests were studied in 14 diabetic patients in the fasting state and half an hour after an intravenous injection of 0.1 unit insulin/kg body weight. Platelet disaggregation was significantly diminished as compared to a normal control group, and their results were negatively correlated with the corresponding serum cholesterol levels. Insulin caused significant diminution in the ADP-induced platelet aggregation as a result of rapid onset of aggregation and disaggregation. There was also a significant increase in platelet disaggregation. In the calcium-induced platelet aggregation test, there was a significant shortening of the aggregation time, its duration, and the clotting time. The optical density fall due to platelet aggregation showed a significant increase. Insulin may have a role in correcting platelet disaggregation possibly through improvement in the intracellular enzymatic activity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-179
Author(s):  
Melania Macarie ◽  
Simona Bataga ◽  
Simona Mocan ◽  
Monica Pantea ◽  
Razvan Opaschi ◽  
...  

Background and Aims: The importance of sessile serrated lesions (SSLs) in the pathogenesis of colorectal carcinoma has been recently established. These are supposed to cause the so-called “interval cancer”, having a rapidly progressive growth and being difficult to detect and to obtain an endoscopic complete resection. We aimed to establish the most important metabolic risk factors for sessile serrated lesions. Methods: We performed a retrospective case-control study, on a series of 2918 consecutive patients who underwent colonoscopy in Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Unit, County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Târgu-Mureș, Romania between 1 st of January 2015-31 th of December 2017. In order to evaluate the metabolic risk factors for polyps’ development, enrolled participants were stratified in two groups, a study group, 33 patients with SSLs lesions, and a control group, 138 patients with adenomatous polyps, selected by systematic sampling for age and anatomical site. Independent variables investigated were: gender, smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, arterial hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperuricemia, nonalcoholic liver disease. Results: For SSLs the most common encountered localization was the right colon in 30.55% of cases. By comparative bivariate analysis between SSLs group and control group, it was observed that hypertension (p=0.03, OR 2.33, 95 %CI 1.03-5.24), obesity (p=0.03, OR 2.61, 95 %CI 1.08-6.30), hyperuricemia (p=0.04, OR 2.72, 95 %CI 1.28-7.55), high cholesterol (p=0.002, OR 3.42; 95 %CI 1.48-7.87), and high triglycerides level (p=0.0006, OR 5.75; 95 %CI 1.92-17.2) were statistically associated with SSLs development. By multivariate analysis hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia retained statistical significance. Conclusions: Our study showed that the highest prevalence of SSLs was in the right colon and hypertension and increased triglycerides levels were associated with the risk of SSLs development. These risk factors are easy to detect in clinical practice and may help identifying groups with high risk for colorectal cancer, where screening is recommended.


Author(s):  
Tupitsyn V.V. ◽  
Bataev Kh.M. ◽  
Men’shikova A.N. ◽  
Godina Z.N.

Relevance. Information about the cardiovascular diseases risk factors (CVD RF) for in men with chronic lung inflam-matory pathology (CLID) is contradictory and requires clarification. Aim. To evaluate the peculiarities of CVD RF in men under 60 years of age with CLID in myocardial infarction (MI) to improve prevention. Material and methods. The study included men aged 19-60 years old with type I myocardial infarction. Patients are divided into two age-comparable groups: I - the study group, with CLID - 142 patients; II - control, without it - 424 patients. A comparative analysis of the frequency of observation of the main and additional cardiovascular risk fac-tors in groups was performed. Results. In patients of the study group, more often than in the control group we observed: hereditary burden of is-chemic heart disease (40.8 and 31.6%, respectively; p = 0.0461) and arterial hypertension (54.2 and 44.6%; p = 0.0461), frequent colds (24.6 and 12.0%; p = 0.0003), a history of extrasystoles (19.7 and 12.7%; p = 0.04); chronic foci of infections of internal organs (75.4 and 29.5%; p˂0.0001), non-ulcer lesions of the digestive system (26.1 and 14.6%; p = 0.007), smoking (95.1 and 66.3%; p˂0.0001), MI in winter (40.8 and 25.9%; p = 0.006). Less commonly were observed: oral cavity infections (9.2 and 23.6%; p˂0.0001); hypodynamia (74.5 and 82.5%; p = 0.0358), over-weight (44.4 and 55.2%; p = 0.0136), a subjective relationship between the worsening of the course of coronary heart disease and the season of the year (43.7 and 55.2%; p = 0.0173) and MI - in the autumn (14.1 and 21.9%; p = 0.006) period. Conclusions. The structure of CVD RF in men under 60 years of age with CLID with MI is characterized by the pre-dominance of smoking, non-ulcer pathology of the digestive system, frequent pro-student diseases, meteorological dependence, a history of cardiac arrhythmias and foci of internal organ infections. It is advisable to use the listed factors when planning preventive measures in such patients.


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