STIMULUS EXPOSURE TIME AS A FACTOR IN SERIAL LEARNING IN AN AGED SAMPLE.
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Geriatrics↗
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The effect of familial sinistrality and academic experience on cognition in right-handed women.
Research in sex, brain lateralization, and cognition suggests that right-handed women vary in cognitive ability according to handedness inheritance patterns. Right-handed college women with positive familial sinistrality (FS+; i.e., the presence of at least one left-handed biological relative; n=30) were compared with right-handed women with negative familial sinistrality (FS-; n=30) by means of visuospatial (the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale--Revised Block Design subtest), verbal (the California Verbal Learning Test and Animal Naming), and motor performance tests (Finger Tapping and Grooved Pegboard). FS+ women outperformed FS- women on spatial tasks and used more efficient spatial strategies. The FS- group showed no corresponding verbal advantage. Spatial differences were not accounted for by motor skill, intellectual ability, or academic major.
Adolescent↗
Practice effect and test-retest reliability of attentional and executive tests in middle-aged to elderly subjects.
There is a lack of data about the practice effect and test-retest reliability (TRR) on many attentional and executive tests in neuropsychology. In this study, 37 subjects aged 52 to 80 were tested three times with an inter-assessment interval of 14 days. The battery included the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, the Stroop interference test, the Letter-Number Sequencing test, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III (WAIS-III), the Ruff 2 and 7 Selective Attention Test, the Tower of London, the Verbal Fluency test, and simple, choice, and sequential reaction time tests. The results showed that tasks were generally subject to a practice effect, except for those with alternate forms. In all tests, there were a number of scores demonstrating good TRR, but others, although largely used in clinical practice, failed to reach acceptable TRR standards. Usually, time derived scores were associated with the best TRR.
Aged↗
Infant motor development is associated with adult cognitive categorisation in a longitudinal birth cohort study.
BACKGROUND: The relationship between the age of reaching infant developmental milestones and later intellectual function within the normal population remains unresolved. We hypothesised that the age of learning to stand in infancy would be associated with adult executive function and that the association would be apparent throughout the range of abilities, rather than confined to extremes. METHODS: The Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort is based upon 12,058 live-born children in a geographic and temporally defined population. Information on age at learning to stand without support was obtained at one year. At age 33-35 a random sample of 104 subjects underwent a neuropsychological test battery including tests of executive function (cognitive categorisation), visuo-spatial memory, verbal learning and visual object learning. We investigated associations between developmental data and adult neuropsychological test scores. RESULTS: There was a significant linear relationship between age of learning to stand and adult categorisation: the earlier the attainment of the milestone, the better was the categorisation. No such relationships were observed between infant neurodevelopment and adult cognition in other neuropsychological domains. CONCLUSION: Even within the normal range of development, early development in the gross motor domain is associated with better adult executive function (in tests of categorisation). Investigation of the determinants and sequelae of normal neural development will facilitate research into a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Adult↗
Body side of motor symptom onset in Parkinson's disease is associated with memory performance.
The relation of body side of motor symptom onset in Parkinson's disease (PD) to memory measures associated with hemispheric dominance was examined. Fourteen patients with right body side motor symptom onset (RPD, inferred left hemisphere dysfunction) and 16 patients with left side onset (LPD, right hemisphere dysfunction) were administered measures of verbal (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised) and visual memory (Brief Visual Memory Test-Revised), that require similar task demands and are associated with left or right hemisphere dominance, respectively. The LPD group demonstrated poorer visual than verbal memory, both within group and in comparison to the RPD group. By contrast, the RPD group showed poorer verbal than visual memory within group. These findings suggest that side of motor symptom onset is associated with asymmetrical memory dysfunction.
Aged↗
Alcohol and retrograde memory effects: role of individual differences.
OBJECTIVE: When alcohol is consumed following learning, the effect on delayed, sober memory can vary from person to person. We examined a range of individual differences to look for predictors of this variability. METHOD: Male social drinkers (N = 65; average age 23.3 years) were exposed to emotionally charged verbal stimulus materials while sober. Participants consumed 1.0 ml/kg alcohol immediately afterward and remained in an environment designed to minimize retrograde interference. Stimulus recall and recognition were tested 24 hours later, when participants had breath-alcohol concentrations of zero. Relationship between memory scores and individual differences (in age, education, alcohol consumption, vocabulary, verbal learning, emotionality, mood state 24 hours after learning, response to alcohol, personality and alcohol expectancies) were determined. RESULTS: Only age and vocabulary were significantly associated with memory score following drinking, probably because they constrained initial understanding of the statements and mediated the effects of alcohol on memory consolidation. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of a given dose of alcohol on emotionally charged verbal memory are similar for men of equal age and verbal skill, but independent of other individual differences. It is most likely that alcohol affects incidental memory by nonspecific enhancement or interference processes.
Adult↗
Cortical dysfunction in schizophrenia during auditory word and tone working memory demonstrated by functional magnetic resonance imaging.
BACKGROUND: Verbal learning and memory deficits are among the most severe cognitive deficits observed in schizophrenia. We have demonstrated that such deficits do not extend to working memory for tones in a substantial number of patients even when verbal working memory is impaired. In this study we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to study the neural basis of this dissociation of auditory verbal and nonverbal working memory in individuals with schizophrenia. METHODS: While undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging, 12 schizophrenic patients and 12 matched control subjects performed auditory Word Serial Position Task and Tone Serial Position Task. RESULTS: Both tasks produced activation in frontal cortex and temporal and parietal lobes of the cerebrum in both groups. While robust activation was observed in the left inferior frontal gyrus (areas 6, 44, and 45) in the control group during the Word Serial Position Task, activation in the patient group was much reduced in these areas and failed to show the same task-specific activation as in controls. Reduced activation in patients was not confined to the inferior frontal gyrus, but also extended to a medial area during the Tone Serial Position Task and to premotor and anterior temporal lobe areas during both tasks. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the hypothesis that abnormalities in cortical hemodynamic response in the inferior frontal gyrus underlie the verbal working memory deficit in schizophrenia. The relationship of verbal working memory deficits to other cognitive functions suggests that abnormal functioning in the speech-related areas may reflect a critical substrate of a broad range of cognitive dysfunctions associated with schizophrenia.
Adult↗
Neurocognitive functioning in patients with first-episode schizophrenia : results of a prospective 5-year follow-up study.
To assess the course of neuropsychological (NP) impairment in schizophrenia, 71 patients with first episode (FE) schizophrenia and 71 healthy controls were given a comprehensive battery of NP tests at index assessment, after a 2-year and after a 5-year follow-up period. By means of the z-score standardization, summary scores for verbal intelligence (VBI), spatial organisation (SPT), verbal fluency (VBF), Verbal learning (VBL), semantic memory (SEM), visual memory (VIM), delay/retention rate (DEL), short-term memory (STM), visuomotor processing and attention (VSM) and abstraction/flexibility (ABS) were constructed. FE schizophrenia patients showed a worse performance compared to controls in all areas investigated, most pronounced in VSM, SEM and VBL. In the majority of cognitive domains, an improvement was found over the 5-year follow-up period without differences between the two groups. However, in VBF patients slightly deteriorated whilst controls improved and in memory functions patients improved less compared to controls. When controlling for relevant confounders, neither conventional nor atypical neuroleptics showed a deleterious influence on NP performance, except on VBF. Our data suggest that NP impairment is already present at the onset of the illness and remains stable over the early course of schizophrenia.
Adult↗
The effects of unilateral and bilateral ECT on verbal and visual spatial memory.
Investigated the effects of unilateral left (UL), unilateral right (UR), and bilateral (B) ECT on the performance of right-handed male patients on the Wechsler Memory Scale and two tests of the Williams battery, which provided eight independent measures of verbal memory and two of visual-spatial memory. Patients were tested three times: (1) within 1 week prior to ECT; (2) within 30 minutes after the sixth ECT; (3) 10 days after the sixty ECT. Double blind procedures were maintained carefully. Results showed a significant loss on second testing followed by a significant improvement 10 days later for all ECT groups compared with matched controls. There was some tendency for the UR group to show the least impairment on verbal measures and the UL group to show the least impairment on visual-spatial memory test of the WMS, but most of the differences between UL and UR groups and between each of these and the B group were not significant. The most sensitive test in differentiating among the ECT groups was the brief Verbal Learning subtest of the Williams battery.
Adult↗
Organization of verbal memory after severe closed-head injury.
Verbal learning and memory over repeated trials were studied in 12 severely closed-head-injured patients and a matched control group of 10 subjects for three types of word lists, i.e., unrelated, related but unclustered, and clustered words. Verbal memory was facilitated in both groups by presentation of related words in a clustered format. However, the performance of head-injured patients was characterized by low levels of recall, clustering, and subjective organization. In addition, they had a larger number of intrusive errors. The results provide evidence for some preserved semantic memory following closed-head injury and their implications for rehabilitation are discussed.
Adult↗
Significance of crossed eye-hand dominance for the adult neuropsychological evaluation.
The variable of opposit eye and hand dominance is reviewed as a possible sign of learning problems and as an indication of congenital or early developmental brain impairment. It is considered as an independent variable in examining differences along several dimensions of psychological functioning as a possible discriminator of performance levels. It is also considered as a variable in discriminant function analysis to predict brain lesion process. Although few results were statistically significant, the numerous analyses were remarkably convergent in suggesting that crossed dominance is related to poorer verbal learning skills and is a useful variable in differentiating various process diagnostic groups.
Adult↗
Learning and recall in subjects at genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease.
Deficits in delayed recall of learned information may be an early marker of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The apolipoprotein E E4 allele and a positive family history (FH) are both genetic risk factors for AD. The authors cross-sectionally compared performance on the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) in 153 prospectively recruited normal elderly subjects (mean age 67 years, mean MMSE=28) stratified by genetic risk into four groups (E4+/FH+, E4+/FH-, E4-/FH+, E4-/FH-). Neither FH nor E4 status affected performance, except on List B (a distraction word list), on which the FH+ group performed worse. The high-risk group (E4+/FH+) also performed worse on List B than the low-risk group (E4-/FH-) but did not differ on other measures. Memory impairments associated with genetic or family history risk may not manifest until the person is much closer to the onset age of AD.
Aged↗
Development of two spanish versions of the verbal selective reminding test.
The Selective Reminding procedure has become a widely used test for evaluating verbal learning and memory. However, since this test was mainly devised for use in English speaking individuals, disadvantages could appear when translations of the test are applied to Spanish speaking patients. To overcome these difficulties, two Spanish versions of the Verbal Selective Reminding Test were devised and administered to 48 healthy individuals, 19-31 years in age, in two separate sessions. We found that performances on the two forms were comparable, except for one measure. All the variables on both forms yielded significant positive correlations. We also examined test-retest reliability separately for both possible orders, with Order 2 (Form 2 administered first) being more reliable than Order 1 (Form 1 administered first).
Adult↗
Verbal memory and aspects of attentional control in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders or depressive disorders.
BACKGROUND: The aim was to examine basic performance on attention and memory tasks in treatment-naive children and adolescents with anxiety disorder or depressive disorder and in healthy subjects under drug-free conditions. METHODS: Basic neurocognitive performance on attention and verbal memory tasks was examined in children and adolescents with emotional disorders, between 6 and 17 years of age. A total of 34 children with an anxiety disorder, 31 children with a depressive disorder, and 33 healthy controls were assessed with a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery. All children were treatment-naive at the time of testing. Five different computerised attention tasks and the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test were administered. RESULTS: A significant effect of diagnosis was found for verbal memory but not for attention. LIMITATIONS: The large age range and inclusion of different diagnoses resulted in rather inhomogeneous groups. CONCLUSION: The present study provided evidence for an undisturbed attentional performance in both patient groups and a dissociation in memory functioning between anxious and depressed children. Memory impairment was found to be specifically associated with childhood depression.
Adolescent↗
Captopril and enalapril improve cognition and depressed mood in hypertensive patients.
UNLABELLED: In this study, we evaluate the effects of two angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), captopril and enalapril given chronically as antihypertensive treatment, on certain cognitive and emotional processes in humans. Thirty-nine subjects with mild to moderate hypertension and fifteen normotensive controls were divided into four groups consisting of normotensive and hypertensive subjects taking captopril, enalapril, or no medication at all. The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test and the Wechsler Memory Scale were used to evaluate their cognitive functioning. Mood changes in all subjects were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory and the Hopkins Symptom Check- list (HSC). RESULTS: Untreated hypertensive patients scored lower than normotensive controls in cognitive tests and significantly worse in cumulative recall (P < 0.05) and paired words association (P < 0.01). When compared with normotensive subjects, untreated hypertensive patients also scored significantly higher on the depression with anxiety subscale in HSC (P < 0.05). No significant influence of hypertension was found in any other examined aspect of cognition and mood. In most cases captopril improved and enalapril reversed the adverse memory effects of hypertension. High arterial blood pressure is significantly associated with an impairment of cognition and the occurrence of depression with anxiety in humans. Enalapril and, to a lesser extent, captopril reversed these deficits.
Affect↗
Memory and learning strategies in patients with Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's disease patients (PD) do not differ from control subjects (CS) when they have to execute a problem solving task in which external cues for solving the problem are given. However, when PD have to solve a problem by means of an internally generated strategy, they show a serious decrease in performance. We hypothesised that this distinction may also apply to the way PD and CS organize recall. In order to test our hypothesis the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) was administered to 59 PD and 30 CS. The test consists of five learning trials using a 16-word target list, composed of four items from each of four semantic categories. The fact that the word list was built on this implicit organization was not divulged in advance. The sequence in which the words were read is fixed; each subsequent word belongs to a category being different from the category to which the preceding word belongs. The organization in recall according to the semantic categories is considered to be the result of an unprompted, internally generated strategy. Recall according to the sequence in which the words are read by the experimenter, is viewed as an externally offered strategy. The results prove to be in line with our hypothesis: unlike CS who appeared to rely mainly and increasingly on an internally generated semantic organization, PD showed evidence of gradually adhering more to the externally imposed serial sequence.
Aged↗
Cholesterol, copper and Abeta in controls, MCI, AD and the AD cholesterol-lowering treatment trial (ADCLT).
Cholesterol clearly plays an influential role in promoting the production of amyloid beta (Abeta) and possibly the progression of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The AD Cholesterol-Lowering Treatment trial (ADCLT; 1 year duration) tested atorvastatin and found significant benefit on measures of cognition and depressive symptoms in treated patients (N = 32) compared to placebo (N = 31). We assessed the circulating levels of Abeta(1-40), Abeta(1-42), ceruloplasmin (copper chaperone), apolipoprotein E and HDL-cholesterol in blood collected at each clinical visit during the ADCLT. We also determined the circulating cholesterol, ceruloplasmin, and Abeta levels in AD and MCI (mild cognitive impairment) patients, and controls (two groups stratified by function; high and low) participating in our Brain Bank Program. Each Brain Bank individual was clinically assessed for performance on the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE), Rey auditory verbal learning test (AVLT), Clock draw, and UPSIT (smell identification test). Among individuals of equal age and education, scores on the MMSE were significantly reduced in AD compared to both MCI and controls, as were scores on the UPSIT. Ability on delayed verbal recall was significantly reduced in AD compared to MCI, and in MCI compared to both control groups. Performance on the Clock draw was similar for AD and MCI patients, but was significantly reduced when comparing MCI to control. Both cholesterol and ceruloplasmin levels were significantly increased in low-function controls compared to the high-function control group, but were not different from levels identified in the MCI and AD patients. Significantly increased levels of Abeta(1-40) occurred in low- compared to high-function controls, with a further significant increase in MCI compared to low-function controls. Circulating Abeta(1-40) levels were decreased in AD compared to MCI. Levels of Abeta(1-42) were not significantly different between the groups. The slight gradual increase in circulating Abeta(1-40) and Abeta(1-42) levels produced by atorvastatin treatment in the ADCLT were not significant compared placebo. There was a trend for significant reduction in circulating ceruloplasmin levels after a year of atorvastatin therapy compared to levels observed at screen. The levels of HDL-cholesterol remained stable in the atorvastatin treated AD patients for 9 months and then decreased significantly compared to the placebo group at the 1-year time-point. The combined data support a role for cholesterol in AD and a possible influence of increasing circulating copper levels. The deterioration of function in controls and transition to MCI may be associated with concomitant incremental increases in circulating Abeta(1-40) levels. Increased cholesterol and ceruloplasmin levels may be associated with slight deterioration in function among controls as a precursor to impairment considered MCI. The clinical benefit of atorvastatin therapy is clearly not associated with decreased circulating Abeta or increased HDL-cholesterol, but a positive influence of reduced copper (ceruloplasmin) levels may be a consideration.
Adult↗
Memory functioning in Lyme borreliosis.
BACKGROUND: To objectively measure memory functioning in patients with Lyme borreliosis and examine the relationship between subjective reports of memory dysfunction and actual impairment. METHOD: A prospective pretreatment study of patients with Lyme borreliosis (N = 21), a patient control group (osteomyelitis, N = 21), and healthy controls (N = 21) was conducted by using tests of verbal memory functioning (California Verbal Learning Test) and self-reported depression (Beck Depression Inventory-Cognitive Index), fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale), and subjective ratings of memory abilities (Self-Rating Scale of Memory Functions). RESULTS: Patients with Lyme borreliosis performed worse than healthy controls on verbal memory testing, but did not perform significantly differently from patient controls. Lyme borreliosis patients reported increased fatigue, which was correlated with poorer memory performance. Although the Lyme borreliosis patients rated their memory as more impaired, subjective complaints were not correlated with objective memory scores. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest impaired memory performance is not specific to Lyme borreliosis and may be a result of evaluating cognitive functioning in patients with physical illness and somatic complaints. Fatigue is a prominent presenting complaint in patients with Lyme borreliosis and needs to be controlled for since it is known to influence neuropsychological performance. Subjective complaints are not correlated with objective memory assessment, so self-report of memory impairment should not be the criterion for inclusion in studies investigating cognitive manifestations of Lyme borreliosis.
Adult↗