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R Portin

Publications and source records attributed to R Portin.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Education, gender and cognitive performance in a 62-year-old normal population: results from the Turva Project.

Four WAIS (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale) subtests, and tasks of memory and cognitive control were administered to a population sample of 143 men and 179 women. Subjects with a minor advantage in years of education out-performed those with only primary schooling. Gender-related effects were also remarkable. Whereas the general abilities were equal in the genders, women out-performed men on recall of word pairs and objects, on verbal cognitive control and on Digit Symbol. In contrast, men excelled on Trail Making A, and on Block Design. The findings emphasize the need for age norms by gender and education for cognitive tests.

Aging↗
PubMed1995

Attention related performance in two cognitively different subgroups of patients with multiple sclerosis.

To evaluate the underlying mechanisms of cognitive decline in multiple sclerosis, two clinically and demographically matched multiple sclerosis groups differing in cognitive status were assessed with attention related tasks. In addition to the attention tests recommended by the Cognitive Function Study Group of the American National Multiple Sclerosis Society, a test of sustained attention was used to evaluate the role of possible fatigue on cognitive performance. The cognitively mildly deteriorated group was slower than the cognitively preserved group and the controls on all tests of attention. The mildly deteriorated group did not, however, consistently differ from the other groups in the error scores of the attention tests. The preserved group exhibited slowness at the end of the visual vigilance test, but no deficits were found on the other attention related tests in this group. It is suggested that dissociable kinds of processing slowness are the origin of the deficits found on the attention tests in the two multiple sclerosis groups. Our preserved group exhibited signs of motor and fatigue related slowness, whereas the mildly deteriorated group also had extensive cognitive slowness. As sensitive indicators of cognitive slowness, attentional tests should be included in evaluation of the cognitive status of patients with multiple sclerosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Automatic and controlled information processing in multiple sclerosis.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the kind of slowing of information processing associated with multiple sclerosis and how this possible slowness is related to cognitive deterioration. We selected 45 patients with definitive multiple sclerosis diagnosis and 35 control subjects. Twenty-two patients had mild cognitive deterioration and 23 patients had preserved cognitive capacities, otherwise the groups were matched. Using computerized tests, we investigated three separate stages of information processing: automatic and controlled processing, and motor programming. The results indicate that patients with mild cognitive deterioration are slower than patients with preserved capacities or controls in every stage of processing measured in this study. Additionally, the preserved patients showed signs of mild slowing in automatic visual processing. These results show that, in multiple sclerosis patients, widespread information processing slowness is associated with multiple sclerosis-related cognitive deterioration. This study emphasizes the importance of studying subgroups rather than cognitively heterogeneous patient samples and, furthermore, the need to divide information processing into different stages is indicated.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Slowing of information processing in Parkinson's disease.

In this study, we criticize the notion of bradyphrenia and argue that "slowness of thought" in Parkinson's disease (PD) must be analyzed as slowness of different information-processing stages and that unselected patients should not be used in experimental studies. We selected 32 patients with a long history of PD and 50 control subjects. Sixteen patients had mild cognitive deterioration (not dementia) and 16 patients had preserved cognitive capacities; otherwise the groups were matched. By using computerized tests, we investigated three separate stages: automatic and controlled processing and motor programming. The results indicate that patients with mild cognitive deterioration are slower than patients with preserved cognitive capacities or controls in automatic visual and in controlled processing but not in motor programming. We conclude that the slowing of controlled processing reflects the disruption of central neural networks, that a long history of PD does not necessitate cognitive slowing, and that PD is not a neuropsychologically serviceable category.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Quality of life and cognitive performance after carotid endarterectomy during long-term follow-up.

The quality of life and the cognitive performance of patients with extracranial carotid stenosis were investigated 8-11 years after treatment in 18 non-operatively treated patients and 44 patients treated with carotid endarterectomy. The cognitive performance was compared with data on a normal control group. Cognitive performance was assessed with neuropsychological tests and the quality of life by personal interview based on a questionnaire. Most of the carotid stenosis patients recovered well both subjectively and cognitively regardless of the type of treatment. Only the subgroup operated twice was subjectively worse compared to the other groups. Even 10 years later the cognitive performance of carotid stenosis patients was remarkably close to normal.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Senile dementia of the Alzheimer type treated with aniracetam: a new nootropic agent.

Forty-four patients with senile dementia of the Alzheimer type were randomly allocated into double-blind treatment with either aniracetam (RO 13-5057) 1 g or placebo daily for 3 months. Neurological examinations were made before and after treatment and psychometric tests were performed before and after 1 month's and after 3 month's treatment. Treatment was interrupted due to occurrence of confusion in four cases in the aniracetam group and in one case in the placebo group. During treatment, an improvement was seen in several cognitive tests, especially those associated with memory, but this improvement occurred in the placebo as well as in the aniracetam-treated group. In clinical evaluation no difference was seen in efficacy between the two treatment groups.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

The effect of deprenyl (selegiline) on cognition and emotion in parkinsonian patients undergoing long-term levodopa treatment.

The effects of deprenyl on memory, other cognitive functions, vigilance and emotional processes were investigated in seven parkinsonian patients undergoing long-term levodopa treatment. The patients were selected on the basis of their cognitive impairment, observed during a follow-up study of 8-10 years. Four of the patients had progressive dementia and three did not. After deprenyl treatment lasting 4 weeks, there were two patterns of responses. Patients with slow progressive dementia failed to respond to treatment, whereas patients without progressive impairment tended to show improvement in memory and motor speed; the former group also showed more emotional changes than the latter. Typical responses in all patients treated with deprenyl were: increased arousal, paradoxical spells of tiredness, deterioration in vigilance and in set shifting, but improvement of parkinsonian disability. These preliminary findings indicate that there is a dissociation between pure motor responses and cognitive as well as other behavioural responses to deprenyl. It is probable that although enhanced availability of dopamine by MAO-B inhibition partly explains the present neuropsychological findings, also other brain mechanisms are involved.

Aged↗