scholarly journals Verbal Memory Performance in Depressed Children and Adolescents: Associations with EPA but Not DHA and Depression Severity

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3630
Author(s):  
Sophie Emery ◽  
Isabelle Häberling ◽  
Gregor Berger ◽  
Noemi Baumgartner ◽  
Michael Strumberger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Learning Curves ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Depression Severity ◽  
Omega 3 ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Cognitive Improvement

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) have been described as positively associated with cognitive functioning. Current meta-analyses have identified eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) as potentially more effective than docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). An especially vulnerable subgroup that might benefit from these beneficial effects are depressed youths. In this study, we examined associations between red blood cell (RBC) DHA and EPA levels and depression severity and verbal memory performance in a sample of 107 moderately (n = 63) and severely (n = 44) depressed youths. The findings showed that youths with high RBC EPA levels had steeper learning curves compared to those with moderate or low RBC EPA levels (Pillai’s Trace = 0.195, p = 0.027, ηp2 = 0.097). No associations between RBC DHA levels or depression severity and verbal memory performance were observed. Our results further confirm previous findings indicating a more important role of EPA compared to DHA in relation to cognitive functioning. Future research should further investigate the differential role of EPA and DHA concerning cognitive functioning in depressed youths. Evidence supporting beneficial supplementation effects could potentially establish a recommendation for a natural and easily accessible intervention for cognitive improvement or remission.

The effects of long-term interferon-beta-1b treatment on cognitive functioning in multiple sclerosis: a 16-year longitudinal study

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (13) ◽  
pp. 1765-1772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen Lacy ◽  
Meagan Hauser ◽  
Neil Pliskin ◽  
Stephanie Assuras ◽  
Mildred O Valentine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Interferon Beta ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Short Term Treatment ◽  
Beneficial Effects

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive disease of the central nervous system that affects cognition. Short-term treatment with interferon-beta-1b (IFN-b-1b) has been shown to have beneficial effects on cognition. Objective: The objective of this paper is to evaluate the effects of IFN-b-1b on cognitive functioning in patients with MS over the course of 16 years. Methods: Sixteen subjects with relapsing–remitting MS participated in the study. Nine of these subjects received IFN-b-1b, while seven received placebo treatment in the pivotal MS trial. After five years, all subjects were switched to IFN-b-1b treatment. At two and four years into the study, all subjects underwent a brief neuropsychological test battery, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and neurologic ratings; measures were repeated at 16 years. Results: Across the total cohort, cognitive functioning remained relatively stable over the course of 16 years. The placebo/IFN-b-b group exhibited increased visual memory performance relative to the IFN-b-1b treatment group, but had a greater decline in verbal memory. Initial MRI lesion load demonstrated a significant, negative correlation with overall cognitive performance at 16 years ( p = 0.00). Conclusion: We conclude that IFN-b-1b has beneficial effects on long-term cognition outcomes in MS.

The Role of Personal Control in Adaptive Functioning

2009 ◽  
pp. 270-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne C. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Differences ◽  
Perceived Control ◽  
Adaptive Functioning ◽  
Coping Skills ◽  
Personal Control ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sense Of Control ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Controllable Factors

A sense of personal control is an important resource that helps people maintain emotional stability and successfully negotiate their way through life. People foster their perceived control by focusing on reachable goals, creating new avenues for control, and accepting difficult-to-change circumstances. In general, perceived control need not be realistic in order to have beneficial effects, although in the area of health promotion, overestimating one's control can reduce the motivation to engage in protection. Research on ethnic differences in the benefits of a sense of personal control suggests that those from more collectivistic cultures or subcultures may be less benefited by a sense of personal control, relying instead on a socially derived sense of control. Successful interventions to enhance personal control include programs that bolster coping skills, give options and decisions to participants, and provide training that encourages attributions to controllable factors. Future research should further explore ethnic differences in the effects of personal control, the consequences of unrealistic control perceptions, and interventions to enhance the sense of control.

The Role of Empathy and Compassion in Conflict Resolution

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 310-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga M. Klimecki
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Resolution ◽  
Prosocial Behavior ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Intergroup Relations ◽  
Interpersonal Relations ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Personal Distress ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Intergroup Conflicts

Empathy and empathy-related processes, such as compassion and personal distress, are recognized to play a key role in social relations. This review examines the role of empathy in interpersonal and intergroup relations, including intractable conflicts. Despite the limitations of empathy, there is growing evidence that empathy and compassion are associated with more prosocial behavior in interpersonal relations. Furthermore, empathy and compassion have been associated with more favorable attitudes and higher readiness for reconciliation across a range of intergroup settings. This review ends by summarizing recent evidence for the beneficial effects of compassion training on interpersonal and intergroup relations and by outlining new avenues for future research on how compassion training could reduce intergroup conflicts.

Cognitive functioning in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a meta-analysis

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 1121-1130 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Y. Shin ◽  
T. Y. Lee ◽  
E. Kim ◽  
J. S. Kwon
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Confounding Factors ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Pubmed Database

BackgroundSubstantial empirical evidence has indicated impairment in the cognitive functioning of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) despite inconsistencies. Although several confounding factors have been investigated to explain the conflicting results, the findings remain mixed. This study aimed to investigate cognitive dysfunction in patients with OCD using a meta-analytic approach.MethodThe PubMed database was searched between 1980 and October 2012, and reference lists of review papers were examined. A total of 221 studies were identified, of which 88 studies met inclusion criteria. Neuropsychological performance and demographic and clinical variables were extracted from each study.ResultsPatients with OCD were significantly impaired in tasks that measured visuospatial memory, executive function, verbal memory and verbal fluency, whereas auditory attention was preserved in these individuals. The largest effect size was found in the ability to recall complex visual stimuli. Overall effect estimates were in the small to medium ranges for executive function, verbal memory and verbal fluency. The effects of potentially confounding factors including educational level, symptom severity, medication status and co-morbid disorders were not significant.ConclusionsPatients with OCD appear to have wide-ranging cognitive deficits, although their impairment is not so large in general. The different test forms and methods of testing may have influenced the performance of patients with OCD, indicating the need to select carefully the test forms and methods of testing used in future research. The effects of various confounding variables on cognitive functioning need to be investigated further and to be controlled before a definite conclusion can be made.

scholarly journals Cognition, The Menstrual Cycle, and Premenstrual Disorders: A Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Le ◽  
Natalie Thomas ◽  
Caroline Gurvich
Keyword(s):  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Negative Experience ◽  
Cognitive Disturbances ◽  
Brain Behavior ◽  
Convenient Model

Sex hormones, such as estrogens, progesterone, and testosterone, have a significant influence on brain, behavior, and cognitive functioning. The menstrual cycle has been a convenient model to examine how subtle fluctuations of these hormones can relate to emotional and cognitive functioning. The aim of the current paper is to provide a narrative review of studies investigating cognitive functioning in association with the menstrual cycle in biological females, with a focus on studies that have investigated cognitive functioning across the menstrual cycle in females with premenstrual mood disorders, such as premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). In line with previous reviews, the current review concluded that there is a lack of consistent findings regarding cognitive functioning across the menstrual cycle. Most studies focused on changes in levels of blood estrogen, and neglected to explore the role of other hormones, such as progesterone, on cognitive functioning. Cognitive research involving premenstrual disorders is in its infancy, and it remains unclear whether any cognitive disturbances that are identified may be attributed to negative experience of mood and psychological symptoms or be a more direct effect of hormonal dysregulation or sensitivity. Suggestions for future research are provided.

scholarly journals Lifespan trajectories and relationships to memory of the macro- and microstructure of the anterior and posterior hippocampus – a longitudinal multi-modal imaging study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Espen Langnes ◽  
Markus H. Sneve ◽  
Donatas Sederevicius ◽  
Inge K. Amlien ◽  
Kristine B Walhovd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Hippocampal Formation ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Memory Function ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Microstructural Development

AbstractThere is evidence for a hippocampal long axis anterior-posterior (AP) differentiation in memory processing, which may have implications for the changes in episodic memory performance typically seen across development and aging. The hippocampal formation shows substantial structural changes with age, but the lifespan trajectories of hippocampal sub-regions along the AP axis are not established. The aim of the present study was to test whether the micro- and macro-structural age-trajectories of the anterior (aHC) and posterior (pHC) hippocampus are different. In a single-center longitudinal study, 1790 cognitively healthy participants, 4.1-93.4 years of age, underwent a total of 3367 MRI examinations and 3033 memory tests sessions over 1-6 time points, spanning an interval up to 11.1 years. T1-weighted scans were used to estimate the volume of aHC and pHC, and diffusion tensor imaging to measure mean diffusion (MD) within each region. We found that the macro- and microstructural lifespan-trajectories of aHC and pHC were clearly distinguishable, with partly common and partly unique variance shared with age. aHC showed a protracted period of microstructural development, while pHC microstructural development as indexed by MD was more or less completed in early childhood. In contrast, pHC showed larger unique aging-related changes. A similar aHC – pHC difference was observed for volume, although not as evident as for microstructure. All sub-regions showed age-dependent relationships to episodic memory function. For aHC micro- and macrostructure, the relationships to verbal memory performance varied significantly with age, being stronger among the older participants. Future research should disentangle the relationship between these structural properties and different memory processes – encoding vs. retrieval in particular – across the lifespan.

scholarly journals Psychopharmacologic treatment of borderline personality disorder

2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-224 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Antipsychotic Agents ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Omega 3 ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Omega 3 Fatty Acid ◽  
Atypical Antipsychotic Agents

The best available evidence for psychopharmacologic treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is outlined here. BPD is defined by disturbances in identity and interpersonal functioning, and patients report potential medication treatment targets such as impulsivity, aggression, transient psychotic and dissociative symptoms, and refractory affective instability Few randomized controlled trials of psychopharmacological treatments for BPD have been published recently, although multiple reviews have converged on the effectiveness of specific anticonvulsants, atypical antipsychotic agents, and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. Stronger evidence exists for medication providing significant improvements in impulsive aggression than in affective or other interpersonal symptoms. Future research strategies will focus on the potential role of neuropeptide agents and medications with greater specificity for 2A serotonin receptors, as well as optimizing concomitant implementation of evidence-based psychotherapy and psychopharmacology, in order to improve BPD patients' overall functioning.

Assessing the effectiveness of interactional feedback for L2 acquisition: Issues and challenges

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Nassaji
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Conversational Interaction ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Challenging Question ◽  
Considerable Body

AbstractHow to correct learner errors has long been of interest to both language teachers and second language acquisition (SLA) researchers. One way of doing so is through interactional feedback, which refers to feedback provided on learners' erroneous utterances during conversational interaction. Various theoretical claims have been made regarding the beneficial effects of interactional feedback, and over the years a considerable body of research has examined its effectiveness. In this context, a central and challenging question has always been how to determine whether such feedback is effective for language learning. Studies investigating the role of feedback have used various measures to assess its usefulness. In this paper, I will begin with a brief overview of the recent studies examining interactional feedback, with a focus on how its effectiveness has been assessed. I will then examine the various measures used in both descriptive and experimental research and discuss the issues associated with such measures. I will conclude with what continues to pose us a challenge in assessing the role of feedback and offer some recommendations to inform future research in this area.

scholarly journals Effects of Some Common Food Constituents on Cardiovascular Disease

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaling Yang ◽  
Sze Wa Chan ◽  
Miao Hu ◽  
Richard Walden ◽  
Brian Tomlinson
Keyword(s):  
Observational Studies ◽  
Red Wine ◽  
Omega 3 Fatty Acids ◽  
Omega 3 ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Myocardial Infraction ◽  
All Cause Mortality ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Cocoa Tea

Cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and there is considerable interest in the role of dietary constituents and supplements in the prevention and treatment of these disorders. We reviewed the major publications related to potential effects on cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes of some common dietary constituents: carotenoids, flavonoid-rich cocoa, tea, red wine and grapes, coffee, omega-3 fatty acids, and garlic. Increased intake of some of these has been associated with reduced all-cause mortality or reduced incidence of myocardial infraction, stroke, and hypertension. However, although the evidence from observational studies is supportive of beneficial effects for most of these foodstuffs taken as part of the diet, potential benefits from the use of supplements derived from these natural products remain largely inconclusive.

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