Preseason Symptom Reporting and Cognition in Middle School Athletes with Past Concussions

This study examined the association between past concussions and current preseason symptom reporting and cognitive performance in 9,257 youth ages 11–13. Participants completed neurocognitive testing prior to participating in a school sports between 2009 and 2019. We stratified the sample by gender and number of prior concussions and assessed group differences on the Post-Concussion Symptom Scale total score and the ImPACT cognitive composite scores. Those with≥2 prior concussions reported more symptoms than those with 0 concussions (d=0.43–0.46). Multiple regressions examining the contribution of concussion history and developmental/health history to symptom reporting showed the most significant predictors of symptoms scores were (in descending order): treatment for a psychiatric condition, treatment for headaches, history of learning disability (in boys only), history of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and age. Concussion history was the weakest statistically significant predictor in boys and not significant in girls. Cognitively, boys with 1 prior concussion had worse speed those with 0 concussions (d=0.11), and girls with≥2 prior concussions had worse verbal/visual memory than girls with 0 concussions (ds=0.38–0.39). In summary, youth with≥2 prior concussions reported more symptoms than those with no concussions. Boys with multiple concussions performed similarly on cognitive testing, while girls had worse memory scores.

BDNF Val66Met gene polymorphism modulates brain activity following rTMS-induced memory impairment

The BDNF Val66Met gene polymorphism is a relevant factor explaining inter-individual differences to TMS responses in studies of the motor system. However, whether this variant also contributes to TMS-induced memory effects, as well as their underlying brain mechanisms, remains unexplored. In this investigation, we applied rTMS during encoding of a visual memory task either over the left frontal cortex (LFC; experimental condition) or the cranial vertex (control condition). Subsequently, individuals underwent a recognition memory phase during a functional MRI acquisition. We included 43 young volunteers and classified them as 19 Met allele carriers and 24 as Val/Val individuals. The results revealed that rTMS delivered over LFC compared to vertex stimulation resulted in reduced memory performance only amongst Val/Val allele carriers. This genetic group also exhibited greater fMRI brain activity during memory recognition, mainly over frontal regions, which was positively associated with cognitive performance. We concluded that BDNF Val66Met gene polymorphism, known to exert a significant effect on neuroplasticity, modulates the impact of rTMS both at the cognitive as well as at the associated brain networks expression levels. This data provides new insights on the brain mechanisms explaining cognitive inter-individual differences to TMS, and may inform future, more individually-tailored rTMS interventions.

Construction of Polymer Materials with Specific Responses to Violet and Green Lights and Their Potential Applications in Artificial Visual Memory System

Artificial retinal materials play an important role in vision repair and robotics. However, the inability to convert characteristic visible light signals into electrical signals has seriously hindered the development and...

Cognitive ageing: 20 years process

Background: People with normal functionality have normal cognitive changes associated with the ageing process while many people age without cognitive decline. The most exact effects of age are cognitive impairments in learning, memory, and problem solving. These age-related effects slightly increase or do not change for many years, and do not affect the daily life activities of the person. Methods: To investigate age-related cognitive effects, detailed cognitive evaluations were compared with 20 years intervals in 7 (seven) elderly individuals at Haydarpaşa Numune Training and Research Hospital in 2019. These individuals are continuing daily life activities and sociocultural relations independently. Mini-mental state examination, verbal memory processes test and visual memory test-Wechsler memory scale for memory processes, digit span test for attention function, verbal fluency, similarities, stroop, and trail-making test for the evaluation of frontal lobe functions, Benton’s line direction determination test for the visuospatial organization have been applied to individuals. Results: In comparison with the cognitive test results applied twenty years ago; immediate memory impairment is evident, abstraction and attention function are relatively less affected. The tests showing the frontal lobe function, the verbal fluency which also reflects the vocabulary information is less affected, while the cognitive impairment is more in consecutive-complex processes. Conclusion: Cognitive functions based on attention, vocabulary and knowledge are substantially preserved with mild improvement in normal ageing. The most important improvement is on executive functions due to the decrease in motor and cognitive processing speed in cases where complex information needs to be processed.

IMPACT OF PLAYING VIDEO GAMES ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING AND LEARNING STYLES

Video games are especially popular with teenagers and young adults as a form of entertainment, and their time spent playing video games has grown exponentially. The main purpose of this study was to assess the effect of video games on cognitive functions and learning style in young people. A cross-sectional research study was used to investigate cognitive function in teen video game players. Cognitive functions, including memory, attention, and executive functions, were applied to 80 adolescents who were divided into two groups: those who regularly played video games (50) and those who did not play (50). Other data, such as demographics, medical information, types of video games, and time spent playing video games, were collected through the questionnaire. No significant difference was identified between the groups in terms of age and sociodemographic variables. Results indicated that visual memory and visual learning type scores were significantly better in the play group. Participants who were playing video games regularly indicated significant differences in visual type of learning (p=0.000). Whereas, no significant differences were found in other learning styles aural (p=1.000) and verbal (p=1.000)

The Effect of Test Setting Upon Test-Retest Reliability of ImPACT Baseline Tests in High School Athletes

ObjectiveTo determine the test-retest reliability of ImPACT baseline tests across different schools within the same larger concussion management program.BackgroundImPACT is the most widely used concussion management cognitive testing tool. Baseline testing is often required for high school sports participation. Typically, testing occurs every 2 years based on test-retest reliability statistics in previous studies. Demographic and environmental factors, such as age, sex, number of participants, and supervision, all impact baseline performance. Studies to date have not examined test-retest differences across testing sites, such as between school differences.Design/MethodsCross-sectional retrospective design. Valid baseline tests from high school athletes over a 2-year interval were included. Participants who experienced concussions prior to or between tests were excluded. A total of 979 student athletes from 5 schools were included. The Intra-class correlations were determined over a 2-year period for each ImPACT composite score and school.ResultsICC estimates averaged between schools reflected good reliability for visual-motor speed (0.833), visual memory (0.673) and reaction time (0.615) over the two-year period. Verbal memory (0.586) and impulse control (0.556) were less reliable. Between schools a greater range of composite reliability was observed for reaction time (0.484–0.730) and impulse control (0.461–0.655) compared to verbal memory (0.534–0.637), visual memory (0.61–0.719), and visual-motor speed (0.769–914).ConclusionsAs previously established, reliability of ImPACT baselines vary by composite. This study revealed that reliability also varies by setting, as different schools yielded different ICCs. Consistent with the literature, the most reliable measure was visual-motor speed. The greatest difference in reliability between schools was for reaction time. These results suggest that test setting and environment affect reliability of ImPACT baseline scores, with varying effects per composite. Attention must be paid to environmental setting to improve reliability of baseline cognitive test performance to maximize athlete safety.