Cognitive Performance and Iron Status are Negatively Associated with Hookworm Infection in Cambodian Schoolchildren

This study aimed to determine the effect of a multiple-micronutrient-fortified beverage on the micronutrient status, physical fitness, and cognitive performance of schoolchildren. The study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of schoolchildren assigned to receive either the fortified or nonfortified beverage with or without anthelmintic therapy. Data on hemoglobin level, urinary iodine excretion (UIE) level, physical fitness, and cognitive performance were collected at baseline and at 16 weeks post-intervention. The fortified beverage significantly improved iron status among the subjects that had hemoglobin levels < 11 g/dl at baseline. The proportion of children who remained moderately to severely anemic was significantly lower among those given the fortified beverage. In the groups that received the fortified product, the median UIE level increased, whereas among those who received the placebo beverage, the median UIE level was reduced significantly. Iron- and/or iodine-deficient subjects who received the fortified beverage showed significant improvements in fitness (post-exercise reduction of heart rate) and cognitive performance (nonverbal mental ability score). The study showed that consumption of a multiple-micronutrient-fortified beverage for 16 weeks had significant effects on iron status, iodine status, physical fitness, and cognitive performance among iron- and/or iodine-deficient Filipino schoolchildren. Anthelmintic therapy improved iron status of anemic children and iodine status of the iron-adequate children at baseline but it had no effect on physical fitness and cognitive performance. The results from the clinical study showed that a multiple-micronutrient-fortified beverage could play an important role in preventing and controlling micronutrient deficiencies.

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Poor socioeconomic state, stress, stunting and fatness are negatively associated with cognitive performance of female adolescents

Sri Lanka Journal of Child Health ◽

10.4038/sljch.v50i4.9886 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 50 (4) ◽

pp. 674

Author(s):

H. J. H. Madhushanthi ◽

S. W. Wimalasekera ◽

C. S. E. Goonewardena ◽

A. A. T. D. Amarasekara ◽

Janaka Lenora

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Performance ◽

Female Adolescents ◽

Negatively Associated ◽

State Stress

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Relationships Between Iron Status, Cognitive Performance, and Smoking Cessation

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzab049_011 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 898-898

Author(s):

Laili Boozary ◽

Lisa De Stefano ◽

Amy Barnett ◽

Joseph Waring ◽

Darla Kendzor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Iron Status ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Small Sample ◽

Reward Processing ◽

Nonlinear Relationship ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Quit Smoking ◽

Dopaminergic Pathways

Abstract Objectives Smoking cessation research suggests that women are more likely than men to respond to financial incentives to quit smoking, despite having lower rates of smoking cessation overall. Animal models suggest that iron deficiency, which is more prevalent in women, may alter dopaminergic pathways involved in both reward processing and addiction. The present study examines the extent to which iron status impacts ability to quit smoking and performance on a battery of cognitive tasks, including tasks assessing learning and decision-making which depend on the integrity of the dopaminergic pathways. Methods Participants were recruited from a local smoking cessation clinic and followed for 6 months as they received counseling to quit smoking. Visits included a baseline appointment, as well as 1- and 6-month follow up visits. At each appointment, participants performed cognitive tests, including the serial reaction time task (SRT) and probabilistic selection task (PST), with concurrent EEG, then gave a small sample of blood. Smoking behavior was examined using time to relapse (TTR), which was the week (1–26) in which the participant relapsed, if relapse occurred. Iron status variables of interest were hemoglobin (Hb) and percentile of the NHANES III age- and race-adjusted distributions of serum ferritin (sFtP). Correlations examined the associations between iron status variables and reaction times (RTs) on the SRT and PST, choice behavior on PST, and TTR. Results TTR was positively related to sFtP (r = 0.79, P < .005). Regarding the cognitive measures, there was a nonlinear relationship between sFtP and RT for the SRT task: participants with sFtP at or below the 45th percentile had a negative relationship with RT, while those with sFtP above the 55th percentile had a positive one. Hb was negatively correlated with learning from negative consequences in the PST. In addition, RTs for high-conflict choices and correct responses had a nonlinear relationship with sFtP like that found with the SRT. Conclusions Variations in iron affect smoking cessation as well as cognitive performance. Being low in iron may represent an additional burden to a woman who attempts to quit smoking. Funding Sources TSET Health Promotion Research Center - Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET; Grant # r21–02) and NCI Support Grant P30CA225520.

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Associations Between Relative Morning Blood Pressure, Cerebral Blood Flow, and Memory in Older Adults Treated and Controlled for Hypertension

Hypertension ◽

10.1161/hypertensionaha.120.16124 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 77 (5) ◽

pp. 1703-1713

Author(s):

Adrián Noriega de la Colina ◽

Atef Badji ◽

Marie-Christine Robitaille-Grou ◽

Christine Gagnon ◽

Tommy Boshkovski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Older Adults ◽

Blood Flow ◽

Cerebral Blood Flow ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Memory Processing ◽

Negatively Associated ◽

Cerebrovascular Events ◽

Morning Blood Pressure

Hypertension, elevated morning blood pressure (BP) surges, and circadian BP variability constitute risk factors for cerebrovascular events. Nevertheless, while evidence indicates that hypertension is associated with cognitive dysfunctions, the link between BP variability and cognitive performance during aging is not clear. The purpose of this study is to determine the interaction between relative morning BP, cerebral blood flow (CBF) levels, and cognitive performance in hypertensive older adults with controlled BP under antihypertensive treatment. Eighty-four participants aged between 60 and 75 years old were separated into normotensive (n=51) and hypertensive (n=33) groups and underwent 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring. They were also examined for CBF in the gray matter (CBF-GM) by magnetic resonance imaging and 5 cognitive domains: global cognition, working memory, episodic memory, processing speed, and executive functions. There was no difference in cognitive performance and CBF between normotensive and controlled hypertensive participants. Through a sensitivity analysis, we identified that, among relative morning BP variables, the best fit for CBF values in this cohort was the morning-evening difference in BP. The relative morning BP was negatively associated with CBF-GM in these hypertensive older adults only. In turn, CBF-GM levels were negatively associated with working and episodic memory scores in hypertensive older adults. This is the first extended study demonstrating an association between high relative morning BP and lower levels of CBF-GM, including the further impact of CBF-GM levels on the cognitive performance of specific domains in a community-based cohort of older adults with hypertension.

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