scholarly journals Cognitive mechanisms underlying Armoni: A computer-assisted cognitive training programme for individuals with intellectual disabilities

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Peñaloza-Salazar ◽  
José Gutiérrez-Maldonado ◽  
Marta Ferrer-García ◽  
Alejandra Caqueo-Urízar ◽  
Antonio Reverter-Guimeso ◽  
...  

<p>Although a number of cognitive deficits have been described in individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID), few studies have examined the use of computer-assisted cognitive training programmes in this group of people. This study sought to determine the cognitive mechanisms underlying 16 activities included in Armoni, a computerized cognitive training programme for individuals with ID, in order to validate its use with this population. Fifty adults with ID from four residential care centres in Spain underwent neuropsychological testing tapping attention, verbal memory, visual memory, comprehension, visuoperception, visuoconstruction, naming ability, verbal fluency, verbal reasoning and motor function. In addition, they performed 16 activities included in the Armoni programme. The relationships between cognitive function and the computer-based activities were assessed using Spearman correlations. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were then used to explore how cognitive function predicted the performance of individuals with ID on the programme activities. Most programme activities correlated with visuoconstruction, comprehension and naming ability. Naming ability, visual memory, comprehension and visuoconstruction contributed the most to the predictive models regarding performance on the Armoni activities. Our findings support the validity of Armoni for cognitive training in individuals with ID.</p>

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (13) ◽  
pp. 3262-3270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn M. Taylor ◽  
Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou ◽  
Jim Clover ◽  
Brent A. Coull ◽  
Jack T. Dennerlein ◽  
...  

Background: The incidence of reported concussions in the adolescent population is increasing, yet research on the effects of concussions in this population is minimal and inconclusive. Purpose: To assess the association between concussion and performance on a cognitive test battery. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Using multivariate models, the authors assessed the association between concussion and performance on a cognitive test battery among 5616 high school and junior high school athletes. The researchers utilized a global cognitive score and scores for 5 domains: verbal memory, visual memory, visual motor, reaction time, and impulse control. Each cognitive score was converted to a z score with the mean and SD of the nonconcussed population. Results from each model were then interpreted as change in the standardized unit score. In the models, concussion was evaluated as ever having a concussion, number of concussions, time since last concussion, and age at first concussion. Results: Ever having a concussion was associated with a mean decrease of 0.11 standardized units (95% CI, −0.20 to −0.01) on the global cognitive score and lower scores in all cognitive domains. Each additional concussion was associated with lower scores on global cognitive function (effect estimate, −0.06; 95% CI, −0.11 to −0.02), verbal memory, visual memory, and impulse control. Concussion in early childhood was associated with lower global cognition (effect estimate, −0.05; 95% CI, −0.08 to −0.01), visual memory, and motor visual scores as compared with concussions in later childhood. The associations between time since last concussion and cognitive test scores were nonlinear, and on all tests, lower scores were observed even ≥1 year after the concussion. Conclusion: On the basis of objective performance metrics for cognitive function, concussions had a more persistent effect on cognitive function than previously thought. The age at which an individual has his or her first concussion may be an important factor in determining long-lasting cognitive effects.


2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (34) ◽  
pp. 5030-5037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shabbir M.H. Alibhai ◽  
Henriette Breunis ◽  
Narhari Timilshina ◽  
Shireen Marzouk ◽  
Diane Stewart ◽  
...  

Purpose To evaluate the effects of androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) on cognitive function in men with nonmetastatic prostate cancer (PC). Patients and Methods The following three groups of men age 50 years or older and matched on age and education were enrolled: patients with PC starting continuous ADT (n = 77), patients with PC not receiving ADT (PC controls, n = 82), and healthy controls (n = 82). A battery of 14 neuropsychological tests, examining eight cognitive domains, was administered at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Changes in cognitive scores over time were analyzed using the following three approaches: multivariable linear regression; the proportion of participants per group with 1 standard deviation (SD) or greater declines, and the proportion of participants who declined by at least 1.5 SD on two or more tests. Results The mean age and education level of participants were 68.9 years (range, 50 to 87 years) and 15.4 years of education (range, 8 to 24 years), respectively. Adjusted for age and education, all three cohorts had similar cognitive scores at baseline other than in one test of working memory. In adjusted regressions, ADT use was not associated with significant changes in the domains of attention/processing speed, verbal fluency, verbal memory, visual memory, or cognitive flexibility at either 6 months (all P > .05) or 12 months (all P > .05). One test each of immediate memory (P = .029), working memory (P = .031), and visuospatial ability (P = .034) were worse among ADT users than controls at 12 months, but these findings were not confirmed using other analytic approaches. Conclusion There is no consistent evidence that 12 months of ADT use has an adverse effect on cognitive function in elderly men with PC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anupma Kaul ◽  
Manas Behera

Abstract Background and Aims Evidences have shown diverse responses on thedescription of cognitive function in patients who have undergone renaltransplantation. The present study examined the changes in cognitive functionamong ESRD patients on maintenance haemodialysis or on CAPD and followingthey post renal transplant. We also looked into the ccognitive status among frailand non frail ESRD patients and their performance in the post transplant period Method 67 patients who were stable ESRD on thrice a week haemodialysis or onCAPD were investigated 6 months pre and post transplant using a battery ofneurophysiologic testing. Transplant function was assessed on regular interval andfollowing a stable graft function and on stable doses of immunosuppressive medication 6 months post transplant. Results CAPD compared to HD had better preservation of cognitive functionsassessed 6 months after initiation of dialysis. There was statistically significantimprovement in general cognitive status performance (P &lt; 0.001), motor speed,spatial reasoning, verbal memory and visual memory post transplant compared tothe pre transplant state. However, non-significant improvements were observed indomains of attention, executive functioning, language and verbal fluency. Theanxiety and depression scores did not show significant improvement despitetransplant. On the basis of fraility, frail individuals experienced less improvement in cognitive function as compared to non frail recipients in our study. Conclusion The data demonstrate improvements in cognition following kidneytransplant and emphasize the reversibility of the memory problems evidencedamong patients on dialysis.Focus should be made for interventions in terms ofprevention of cognitive decline among frail patients very early in pre-end stage thus helping in overall outcomes post transplant.


2016 ◽  
Vol 74 (10) ◽  
pp. 823-828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Yang ◽  
Xiaojing Cheng ◽  
Qingzhi Xu ◽  
Renjun Li ◽  
Zengxun Liu ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the effect of maintenance modified electroconvulsive therapy (MECT) on schizophrenic patients. Methods From June 2012 to June 2014, 62 patients with schizophrenia, who had recovered from a successful course of acute MECT, were recruited. Thirty-one patients received maintenance MECT and risperidone, as the experimental group. Another 31 patients were enrolled in the control group, and received risperidone only. The effects on cognitive functions, clinical symptoms and relapse rate were determined. Results Patients in the experimental group had a lower relapse rate and longer relapse-free survival time than the controls. Relative to the baseline evaluation, patients showed statistically significant improvement in verbal memory and visual memory. At the final assessment, the scores of verbal and visual memory were remarkably lower in the experimental group than the controls but there was no significant difference in other tests. Conclusion Maintenance MECT plus medication is superior to medication alone in preventing relapse and improving cognitive function.


2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 305-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen L. Seliger ◽  
Carrington R. Wendell ◽  
Shari R. Waldstein ◽  
Luigi Ferrucci ◽  
Alan B. Zonderman

Background: Renal disease has been associated with greater risk of dementia and greater cognitive impairment. However, the relationship of lower renal function with long-term decline in specific domains of cognitive function remains unclear among community-dwelling, non-demented individuals. Methods: Stroke- and dementia-free participants (n = 2,116) were enrolled in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, a community-based, prospective, longitudinal study. Renal function was estimated by the inverse of serum creatinine adjusted for age, sex and race and (in sensitivity analyses) estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using the MDRD formula. Outcome measures were changes in scores on 6 cognitive tests encompassing a range of cognitive functions, measured at 2-year intervals. Mixed-effects regression models examined the longitudinal relations of renal function with cognitive functions after adjusting for demographics, comorbidity and other potential confounders. Results: Mean age at initial testing was 53.9 years (SD 17.1), and 94 participants (4.4%) had an eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 and 18.5% had at least one comorbidity. With increasing age, longitudinal increases in creatinine concentrations were associated with more rapid decline in performance on several cognitive measures, including the learning slope of the California Verbal Learning Test, a test of verbal learning (p < 0.01), and the Benton Visual Retention Test, a test of visual memory (p < 0.01). Associations were similar for changes in eGFRMDRD, which was also associated with the rate of decline in verbal memory. Conclusion: In a community-based adult population, declines in renal function independently associated with greater long-term declines in visual memory and verbal memory and learning.


2018 ◽  
Vol 128 (2) ◽  
pp. 583-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feilong Gong ◽  
Peng Li ◽  
Bin Li ◽  
Shizhen Zhang ◽  
Xinjie Zhang ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEAnterior capsulotomy (AC) is sometimes used as a last resort for treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Previous studies assessing neuropsychological outcomes in patients with OCD have identified several forms of cognitive dysfunction that are associated with the disease, but few have focused on changes in cognitive function in OCD patients who have undergone surgery. In the present study, the authors investigated the effects of AC on the cognitive function of patients with treatment-refractory OCD.METHODSThe authors selected 14 patients with treatment-refractory OCD who had undergone bilateral AC between 2007 and 2013, 14 nonsurgically treated OCD patients, and 14 healthy control subjects for this study. The 3 groups were matched for sex, age, and education. Several neuropsychological tests, including Similarities and Block Design, which are subsets of the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence; Immediate and Delayed Logical Memory and Immediate and Delayed Visual Reproduction, which are subsets of the Wechsler Memory Scale–Revised; and Corrects, Categories, Perseverative Errors, Nonperseverative Errors, and Errors, subtests of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, were conducted in all 42 subjects at baseline and after AC, after nonsurgical treatment, or at 6-month intervals, as appropriate. The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) was used to measure OCD symptoms in all 28 OCD patients.RESULTSThe Y-BOCS scores decreased significantly in both OCD groups during the 12-month follow-up period. Surgical patients showed higher levels of improvement in verbal memory, visual memory, visuospatial skills, and executive function than the nonsurgically treated OCD patients.CONCLUSIONSThe findings of this study suggest that AC not only reduces OCD symptoms but also attenuates moderate cognitive deficits.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luobing Wu ◽  
Caihong Wang ◽  
Jingchun Liu ◽  
Jun Guo ◽  
Ying Wei ◽  
...  

Recent neuroimaging studies have shown the possibility of cognitive impairment after pontine stroke. In this study, we aimed to use voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) to investigate changes in the cognitive function in chronic pontine stroke. Functional MRI (fMRI) and behavioral assessments of cognitive function were obtained from 56 patients with chronic pontine ischemic stroke [28 patients with left-sided pontine stroke (LP) and 28 patients with right-sided pontine stroke (RP)] and 35 matched healthy controls (HC). The one-way ANOVA test was performed for the three groups after the VMHC analysis. Results showed that there were significant decreases in the bilateral lingual gyrus (Lingual_L and Lingual_R) and the left precuneus (Precuneus_L) in patients with chronic pontine ischemic stroke compared to HCs. However, in a post-hoc multiple comparison test, this difference remained only between the HC and RP groups. Moreover, we explored the relationship between the decreased z-values in VMHC and the behavior-task scores using a Pearson's correlation test and found that both scores of short-term memory and long-term memory in the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test were positively correlated with z-values of the left lingual gyrus (Lingual_L), the right lingual gyrus (Lingual_R), and the left precuneus (Precuneus_L) in VMHC. Besides that, the z-values of Precuneus_L in VMHC were also negatively correlated with the reaction time for correct responses in the Flanker task and the spatial memory task. In conclusion, first, the lingual gyrus played an important role in verbal memory. Second, the precuneus influenced the working memory, both auditory-verbal memory and visual memory. Third, the right-sided stroke played a greater role in the results of this study. This study provides a basis for further elucidation of the characteristics and mechanisms of cognitive impairment after pontine stroke.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maki Shigyo ◽  
Kaori Tamura ◽  
Tsuyoshi Okamoto

AbstractComputerized and non-computerized games are used in training designed to improve cognitive function. However, it is unclear which properties of the games influence the transfer of cognitive performance. This study aimed to examine the expandability of this transfer according to the properties of training tools. We introduced two training tools (virtual and standard Rubik’s Cubes) and examined bidirectional transfer between the two cube types and transfer to other cognitive tasks. The results showed that transfer from the virtual cube to the standard cube was greater relative to that observed from the standard cube to the virtual cube. Regarding transfer to other tasks, cognitive transfer did not differ significantly between the virtual and standard cubes, but the training exerted beneficial effects. These results suggest that transfer expandability differed between computerized and non-computerized games. The findings of the study could contribute to the provision of an effective cognitive training programme.


Author(s):  
Katie L.J. Cederberg ◽  
Brianna Mathison ◽  
Morgan L. Schuetz ◽  
Robert W. Motl

Abstract Background: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sleep disorder present in as many as 26% of persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) and can be associated with cognitive function. The present study examined the relationships between RLS symptoms (severity, frequency, occurrence) and cognitive function in adults with MS who have RLS. Methods: Twenty-two participants attended one laboratory session and completed the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group Rating Scale (IRLS), the Restless Legs Syndrome-6 Scale (RLS-6), and then the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis battery consisting of the Symbol Digit Modalities Test; California Verbal Learning Test, Second Edition; and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test–Revised. Results: Nonparametric bivariate correlations indicated that worse IRLS total severity was associated with slower processing speed (ρ = −0.42), worse verbal memory (ρ = −0.63), and worse visual memory (ρ = −0.61); worse RLS severity at falling asleep was associated with worse verbal memory (ρ = −0.45) and worse visual memory (ρ = −0.55); and worse RLS severity during the day while active was associated with slower processing speed (ρ = −0.58), worse verbal memory (ρ = −0.52), and worse visual memory (ρ = −0.60). Conclusions: These results suggest that those with more severe RLS, including worse symptoms at falling asleep and during the day while active, might experience worse cognitive function, particularly processing speed and memory. Future research should evaluate whether treatment of RLS symptoms can offer new opportunities for managing cognitive dysfunction in adults with MS.


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