Biomedical subjects

J Jolles

Publications and source records attributed to J Jolles.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed2001

Head size and cognitive ability in nondemented older adults are related.

In a cross-sectional analysis of 818 healthy older individuals (aged 50 to 81 years), head size was found to be related to performance on tests measuring intelligence, global cognitive functioning, and speed of information processing, but not memory. These relations were not confounded by educational level, socioeconomic background, or height. Large head/brain size may protect elderly people against cognitive deterioration, supporting a reserve hypothesis of brain aging.

Aged↗

PubMed2001

Single or multiple familial cognitive risk factors in schizophrenia?

The fact that relatives of patients with schizophrenia display subtle cognitive abnormalities suggests genetic transmission of an underlying cognitive endophenotype. It was examined to what extent the cognitive abnormalities that discriminate patients and relatives from controls do so independently of each other, and independent of IQ. Neuropsychological measures were assessed in 50 patients with schizophrenia, 50 first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia, and 50 healthy controls. The assessment focused on episodic memory, attentional span, simple and complex speed of information, and semantic memory. Factor analysis of the cognitive test results yielded four factors reflecting speed, episodic memory, working memory, and semantic fluency. Performance of the relatives was intermediate to that of the patients and the controls after adjustment for age, sex, educational level, and IQ. For both patients and relatives, speed of information processing, working memory, and episodic memory independently discriminated from control performance, with a similar pattern in the order of the size of the effects. The results suggest the existence of more than one familial cognitive risk factor for schizophrenia. Independent familial cognitive risk factors may represent separate causal influences or separate indicators of risk related to the same genetic mechanism.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Factors affecting the relation between parental education as well as occupation and problem behaviour in Dutch 5- to 6-year-old children.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated whether problem behaviour in 5- to 6-year-old children is related to parental education and occupation. It also analysed the contribution of correlating factors to explain this association. METHOD: The Child Behaviour Checklist was administered to a large community sample of 1317 children who were in the 1st year of normal primary school in the Netherlands. Outcome measures were total problem score, and externalising and internalising scale scores. RESULTS: Results of the logistic regression analyses indicated that higher rates of reported behaviour problems were significantly associated with low parental education and occupation. These associations were mediated by low maternal age at delivery and single-parent families. The number of children in a family and physical illness of the parents did not contribute to these associations. CONCLUSIONS: Parental education and occupation have a large impact on the mental health of young children. Psychosocial and biological factors are possible explanations for this phenomenon.

Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorder↗

PubMed2001

Thalamic volume predicts performance on tests of cognitive speed and decreases in healthy aging. A magnetic resonance imaging-based volumetric analysis.

Recent studies have indicated a role for the thalamus in attention, arousal and the capacity to perform tasks of speeded information processing. The present study evaluated the role of the thalamus in age-related cognitive decline by investigating the correlations between thalamic volume, cognition and age. This was done in 57 healthy subjects ranging from 21 to 82 years of age. All subjects underwent neurocognitive testing with information processing tests and structural magnetic resonance imaging. A significant decrease in volume of the thalamus with increasing age was found, relatively stronger than and independent of the decrease of total brain volume. The decrease of thalamic volume was apparent before the onset of loss of volume of the total brain. Over the age-span studied, the thalamic decrease in volume correlated with the diminished performance on tests of cognitive speed. Additionally, in young and middle-aged, but not in old subjects, the size of the thalamus predicted performance on tasks that require cognitive speed.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Diagnosis of preclinical Alzheimer's disease in a clinical setting.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to investigate whether the preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD) can be diagnosed in a clinical setting. To this end we investigated whether subjects with preclinical AD could be differentiated from subjects with nonprogressive mild cognitive impairment and from subjects with very mild AD-type dementia. METHODS: Twenty-three subjects with preclinical AD, 44 subjects with nonprogressive mild cognitive impairment, and 25 subjects with very mild AD-type dementia were selected from a memory clinic population. Variables that were used to differentiate the groups were demographic variables, the Mini-Mental State Examination score, performance on cognitive tests, measures of functional impairment, and measures of noncognitive symptomatology. RESULTS: Age and the scores for the delayed recall task could best discriminate between subjects with preclinical AD and subjects with nonprogressive mild cognitive impairment. The overall accuracy was 87%. The score on the Global Deterioration Scale and a measure of intelligence could best discriminate between subjects with preclinical AD and subjects with very mild AD-type dementia. The overall accuracy was 85%. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects with preclinical AD can be distinguished from subjects with nonprogressive mild cognitive impairment and from subjects with very mild AD-type dementia. This means that preclinical AD is a diagnostic entity for which clinical criteria should be developed.

Aged↗

PubMed2001

Visual determinants of reduced performance on the Stroop color-word test in normal aging individuals.

It is unknown to what extent the performance on the Stroop color-word test is affected by reduced visual function in older individuals. We tested the impact of common deficiencies in visual function (reduced distant and close acuity, reduced contrast sensitivity, and color weakness) on Stroop performance among 821 normal individuals aged 53 and older. After adjustment for age, sex, and educational level, low contrast sensitivity was associated with more time needed on card I (word naming), red/green color weakness with slower card 2 performance (color naming), and reduced distant acuity with slower performance on card 3 (interference). Half of the age-related variance in speed performance was shared with visual function. The actual impact of reduced visual function may be underestimated in this study when some of this age-related variance in Stroop performance is mediated by visual function decrements. It is suggested that reduced visual function has differential effects on Stroop performance which need to be accounted for when the Stroop test is used both in research and in clinical settings. Stroop performance measured from older individuals with unknown visual status should be interpreted with caution.

Aged↗

PubMed2001

The influence of soy-derived phosphatidylserine on cognition in age-associated memory impairment.

Phosphatidylserine (PS) is a phospholipid widely sold as a nutritional supplement. PS has been claimed to enhance neuronal membrane function and hence cognitive function, especially in the elderly. We report the results of a clinical trial of soybean-derived PS (S-PS) in aging subjects with memory complaints. Subjects were 120 elderly (> 57 years) of both sexes who fulfilled the more stringent criteria for age-associated memory impairment (AAMI); some also fulfilled the criteria for age-associated cognitive decline. Subjects were allocated at random to one of the three treatment groups: placebo, 300mg S-PS daily, or 600mg S-PS daily. Assessments were carried out at baseline, after 6 and 12 weeks of treatment, and after a wash-out period of 3 weeks. Tests of learning and memory, choice reaction time, planning and attentional functions were administered at each assessment. Delayed recall and recognition of a previously learned word list comprised the primary outcome measures. No significant differences were found in any of the outcome variables between the treatment groups. There were also no significant interactions between treatment and 'severity of memory complaints'. In conclusion, a daily supplement of S-PS does not affect memory or other cognitive functions in older individuals with memory complaints.

Aged↗

PubMed2001

Long-term consequences of repeated pentobarbital anaesthesia on choice reaction time performance in ageing rats.

Recent studies have suggested that anaesthesia may be a factor in cognitive decline with age. We examined the effect of repeated (eight times) anaesthesia with pentobarbital on reaction time performance in rats in a longitudinal study. Treated rats had faster response times and made more premature responses than the control rats when they were older than 21 months. The results suggest that repeated anaesthesia during the lifespan can lead to an increase in impulsivity, as assessed by a choice reaction time test, during the later stages of life in the rat. These findings support the theory that repeated anaesthesia is a biological factor that affects cognitive ageing.

Adjuvants, Anesthesia↗

PubMed2001

Child psychiatric diagnoses in a population of Dutch schoolchildren aged 6 to 8 years.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence rates of child psychiatric diagnoses in a school-based population of children aged 6 to 8 years in the south of the province of Limburg (The Netherlands). METHOD: In a two-stage design 1,317 children were screened with the Child Behavior Checklist. From 403 of these children, child psychiatric information was obtained with the Amsterdam Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents (ADIKA, DSM-III-R/IV). Data were generalized to the responder group (n = 1,317) and to the entire cohort (N = 2,290). For the latter procedure, a prediction model was used to generalize ADIKA results to the nonresponders (n = 973). RESULTS: Estimates of the prevalence of different ADIKA diagnoses in the responder group were quite comparable with those for the entire cohort. Twenty-four percent of the entire cohort met criteria for a single disorder, and 21.0% met criteria for two or more disorders. However, in only 5.7% of the cases parents did report a need for help. CONCLUSIONS: Where other studies generalize psychiatric diagnoses to the responder group only, this report adds new information by generalizing the prevalence to a school-based cohort of children aged 6 to 8 years. These prevalence estimates are of importance with regard to the demand for care for child psychopathology.

Child↗

PubMed2001

Neighbourhood level and individual level SES effects on child problem behaviour: a multilevel analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether neighbourhood level socioeconomic variables have an independent effect on reported child behaviour problems over and above the effect of individual level measures of socioeconomic status. DESIGN AND SETTING: Multilevel analysis of cross sectional survey data relating individual level child behavioural problems and parental measures of socioeconomic status with neighbourhood level measures of socioeconomic deprivation in the city of Maastricht, the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: Children born in the years 1990-1991 attending the second grade of normal kindergarten schools in the city of Maastricht, the Netherlands. Out of 1417 eligible 5-7 year olds, the parents of 734 children (51.8%) agreed to participate. MAIN RESULTS: Child behaviour problems were more frequent in families of low parental occupation and education (F=14.51, df 3, 721, p<0.001; F=12.20, df 3, 721, p<0.001, respectively) and in families living in deprived neighbourhoods (F=13.26, df 2, 722, p<0.001). Multilevel random effects regression analysis showed that the effect of neighbourhood level deprivation remained after adjustment for individual level socioeconomic status (B over three levels of deprivation: 1.36; 95%CI=0.28, 2.45). CONCLUSIONS: Living in a more deprived neighbourhood is associated with higher levels of child problem behaviour, irrespective of individual level socioeconomic status. The additional effect of the neighbourhood may be attributable to contextual variables such as the level of social cohesion among residents.

Child↗

PubMed2001

Prevalence of cerebral white matter lesions in elderly people: a population based magnetic resonance imaging study. The Rotterdam Scan Study.

OBJECTIVE: White matter lesions are often seen on MR scans of elderly non-demented and demented people. They are attributed to degenerative changes of small vessels and are implicated in the pathogenesis of cognitive decline and dementia. There is evidence that especially periventricular white matter lesions are related to cognitive decline, whereas subcortical white matter lesions may be related to late onset depression. The frequency distribution of subcortical and periventricular white matter lesions according to age and sex reported. METHODS: A total of 1077 subjects aged between 60-90 years were randomly sampled from the general population. All subjects underwent 1.5T MR scanning; white matter lesions were rated separately for the subcortical region and the periventricular region. RESULTS: Of all subjects 8% were completely free of subcortical white matter lesions, 20% had no periventricular white matter lesions, and 5% had no white matter lesions in either of these locations. The proportion with white matter lesions increased with age, similarly for men and women. Women tended to have more subcortical white matter lesions than men (total volume 1.45 ml v 1. 29 ml; p=0.33), mainly caused by marked differences in the frontal white matter lesion volume (0.89 ml v 0.70 ml; p=0.08). Periventricular white matter lesions were also more frequent among women than men (mean grade 2.5 v 2.3; p=0.07). Also severe degrees of subcortical white matter lesions were more common in women than in men (OR 1.1; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.8-1.5) and periventricular white matter lesions (OR 1.2; 95% CI 0.9-1.7), albeit that none of these findings were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence and the degree of cerebral white matter lesions increased with age. Women tended to have a higher degree of white matter lesions than men. This may underlie the finding of a higher incidence of dementia in women than in men, particularly at later age.

Aged↗

PubMed2001

Test-retest stability of the behavioural assessment of the dysexecutive syndrome in a sample of psychiatric patients.

The Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS) is a relatively new test battery designed to measure disorders of executive functions. We studied the temporal stability of the BADS in a sample of 22 adult psychiatric patients. All patients were administered the BADS twice with an interval of 3 weeks. Test-retest correlations for the BADS tests ranged from .22 to .85. On the repeat administration, patients obtained higher scores on one test as well as on the total BADS. Our results suggest that the BADS should not be administered on two occasions a few weeks apart.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

MR imaging, single-photon emission CT, and neurocognitive performance after mild traumatic brain injury.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) (Glasgow Coma Scale = 14-15) is a common neurologic disorder and a common cause of neurocognitive deficits in the young population. Most patients recover fully from mTBI, but 15% to 29% of patients have persistent neurocognitive problems. Although a partially organic origin is considered likely, little brain imaging evidence exists for this assumption. The aims of the present study were to establish the prevalence of posttraumatic lesions in mTBI patients on MR images and to assess the relation between these imaging findings and posttraumatic symptoms. Secondly, we explored the value of early posttraumatic single-photon emission CT (SPECT) for the evaluation of mTBI. METHODS: Twenty-one consecutive patients were included in the study. Patients underwent MR examination, technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime SPECT, and neurocognitive assessment within 5 days after injury. Neurocognitive follow-up was conducted 2 and 6 months after injury, and MR imaging was repeated after 6 months. Lesion size and brain atrophy were measured on the MR studies. RESULTS: Twelve (57%) of 21 patients had abnormal MR findings, and 11 (61%) of 18 had abnormal SPECT findings. Patients with abnormal MR or SPECT findings had brain atrophy at follow-up. The mean neurocognitive performance of all subjects was within normal range. There was no difference in neurocognitive performance between patients with normal and abnormal MR findings. Patients with abnormal MR findings only showed significantly slower reaction times during a reaction-time task. Seven patients had persistent neurocognitive complaints and one patient met the criteria for a postconcussional syndrome. CONCLUSION: Brain lesions are common after mTBI; up to 77% of patients may have abnormal findings either on MR images or SPECT scans, and these lesions may lead to brain atrophy. The association between hypoperfusion seen on acute SPECT and brain atrophy after 6 months suggests the possibility of (secondary) ischemic brain damage. There is only a weak correlation between neuroimaging findings and neurocognitive outcome.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

[Consensus on the concepts of cortical, subcortical and frontal dementia. Research by national and international dementia experts].

The level of agreement concerning the concepts cortical, subcortical and frontal dementia. The level of agreement between experts in the field of dementia concerning cortical, subcortical and frontal dementia was established. Nowadays these syndromes are implemented in clinical practice; the discussion about the validity and reliability of these concepts however has diminished. Forty-one national and international dementia experts of four disciplines completed a questionnaire, based on the cognitive section of the CAMDEXR. For each syndrome they marked whether the cognitive function mentioned was impaired or unimpaired in cortical, subcortical and frontal dementia. The level of agreement between experts was determined by use of a derivative of the kappa-coefficient. Cortical dementia was characterised by high levels of agreement between the experts. With an observed level of agreement of 0.76, experts reached the highest consensus about this syndrome. Less agreement was observed in the judgements of subcortical and frontal dementia, with observed levels of agreement of 0.64 and 0.67 respectively. No differences were found in the assessments of national and international experts, as well as between the participating disciplines. Apparently, the application of these syndromes in clinical practice is difficult. Because of this confusion the practical meaning is limited, and one may wonder wether these concepts must still be used in clinical practice.

Brain↗

PubMed2000

Pesticide exposure and risk of mild cognitive dysfunction.

Little is known about the adverse effects of substances, such as pesticides and metals, on the development of mild cognitive dysfunction (MCD). Cross-sectional and prospective data from the Maastricht Aging Study were used to find out the potential neurotoxicity of particular substances. Exposure to pesticides, for example by arable farmers and gardeners, was associated with increased risks of MCD. Exposure to metals and organic solvents was not associated with MCD. Our findings might reflect subtle changes in brain function among people exposed to pesticides.

Aged↗

PubMed2000

Tardive dyskinesia is associated with impaired retrieval from long-term memory: the Curaçao Extrapyramidal Syndromes Study: IV.

Tardive dyskinesia may be associated with cognitive dysfunction. It is not clear whether this dysfunction occurs in the form of a global or specific cognitive deficit. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a well-defined catchment area (Curaçao, The Netherlands Antilles). All schizophrenic inpatients who had been taking neuroleptic medication for at least 3months and who were younger than 65years were included (n=53). Tardive dyskinesia was assessed with the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale. The neuropsychological assessment comprised tests of memory, executive function, and speed of information processing. Of the six cognitive measures, only delayed recall was significantly associated with orofacial dyskinesia. Limb-truncal dyskinesia was not associated with any of the cognitive measures. The pattern of memory impairment is consistent with there being a frontal-subcortical disturbance in orofacial dyskinesia. The results underscore the importance of using specific cognitive test procedures in the search for the cognitive correlates of dyskinesia.

Basal Ganglia Diseases↗

PubMed2000

Cerebral white matter lesions and depressive symptoms in elderly adults.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence for a vascular cause of late-life depression. Cerebral white matter lesions are thought to represent vascular abnormalities. White matter lesions have been related to affective disorders and a history of late-onset depression in psychiatric patients. Their relation with mood disturbances in the general population is not known. We investigated the relation between white matter lesions and the presence of depressive symptoms or a history of depression in a population-based study. METHODS: In a sample of 1077 nondemented elderly adults, we assessed the presence and severity of subcortical and periventricular white matter lesions using magnetic resonance imaging, presence of depressive symptoms, and history of depression. Using multiple regression analysis, we examined the relation among white matter lesions, depressive symptoms, and history of depression. RESULTS: Most of the subjects had white matter lesions. Persons with severe white matter lesions (upper quintile) were 3 to 5 times more likely to have depressive symptoms as compared with persons with only mild or no white matter lesions (lowest quintile) (periventricular odds ratio [OR] = 3.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2-9.5; subcortical OR = 5.4; 95% CI, 1.8-16.5). In addition, persons with severe subcortical but not periventricular white matter lesions were more likely to have had a history of depression with an onset after age 60 years (OR = 3.4; 95% CI, 1.1-10.7) compared with persons with only mild or no white matter lesions. CONCLUSION: The severity of subcortical white matter lesions is related to the presence of depressive symptoms and to a history of late-onset depression.

Age of Onset↗

PubMed2000

Course of objective memory impairment in non-demented subjects attending a memory clinic and predictors of outcome.

The aim of the study was to investigate the course of objective memory impairment in non-demented subjects who attended a memory clinic and to test predictors of outcome. Non-demented subjects (N=74) were included when they were older than 40 years and had a baseline score on the delayed recall of a word learning test below the tenth percentile. Subjects with memory impairment due to known somatic or neurological causes were excluded. The subjects were reassessed after 2 and 5 years. At the 5-year follow-up, 42% of the subjects had no memory impairment, 19% of the subjects had memory impairment without dementia, and 39% of the subjects had Alzheimer type dementia (AD). Predictors at baseline of reversible memory impairment in a multivariate analysis were age, scores on the MMSE and delayed recall, and the degree of functional impairment. Predictors at baseline of AD in a multivariate analysis were age and the score on the MMSE. The apolipoprotein E genotype and the presence of depression at baseline were not predictors of outcome. The positive predictive value was 72% for reversible memory impairment and 81% for AD. Memory impairment is often reversible and therefore its presence alone is not sufficient to consider subjects as preclinically demented. Predictive accuracy can be increased by including simple measures such as age, the scores on the MMSE and delayed recall, and the degree of functional impairment.

Age Factors↗