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PubMed2001

Cortical serotonin transporter density and verbal memory in individuals who stopped using 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "ecstasy"): preliminary findings.

BACKGROUND: Although the popular drug 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "ecstasy") has been shown to damage brain serotonin (5-HT) neurons in animals, the fate and functional consequences of 5-HT neurons after MDMA injury are not known in humans. We investigated the long-term effects of MDMA use on cortical 5-HT neurons in humans and memory function, because brain 5-HT has been implicated in memory function. METHODS: Twenty-two recent MDMA users, 16 ex-MDMA users who had stopped using MDMA for more than 1 year, and 13 control subjects. The effects of MDMA use on cortical 5-HT neurons was studied by means of single-photon emission computed tomography with iodine 123-labeled 2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-(4-iodophenyl) tropane ([(123)I]beta-CIT) by quantification of brain 5-HT transporter densities. Verbal memory performance was assessed with the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. RESULTS: Mean cortical [(123)I]beta-CIT-labeled 5-HT transporter density was significantly lower in recent MDMA users than in controls (1.17 vs. 1.28 [-9%]) but not in ex-MDMA users (1.24 vs. 1.28 [-3%]). Recent and ex-MDMA users recalled significantly fewer words than did controls on the immediate recall (47.0 and 48.0 vs 60.0, respectively; P =.001) as well as the delayed recall (9.8 and 10.1 vs. 13.1, respectively; P =.003). Greater use of MDMA was associated with greater impairment in immediate verbal memory. However, memory performance was not associated with [(123)I]beta-CIT binding to cortical 5-HT transporters or duration of abstinence from MDMA. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that, while the neurotoxic effects of MDMA on 5-HT neurons in the human cortex may be reversible, the effects of MDMA on memory function may be long-lasting.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Recalling word lists reveals "cognitive dysmetria" in schizophrenia: a positron emission tomography study.

OBJECTIVE: This study explored the neural circuitry used during recall of unstructured verbal material in schizophrenic patients and healthy volunteer subjects. METHOD: The subjects were 13 healthy volunteers and 14 schizophrenic patients. All patients were free of medication, and all subjects were right-handed. Two experimental cognitive conditions were used: recall of novel and practiced word lists (two 15-item lists from the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test). Both active recall tasks were compared with an eyes-closed resting baseline condition. A nonparametric randomization test was used to determine within- and between-group differences in regional cerebral blood flow. RESULTS: Performance on both the practiced and novel memory tasks was nonsignificantly different in the patients and control subjects. During the novel memory task, the patients showed decreased flow in the right anterior cingulate, right thalamus, and bilateral cerebellum (left greater than right) relative to the control subjects. When recalling the practiced word lists, the patients showed decreased flow in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, bilateral medial frontal cortex, left supplementary motor area, left thalamus, left cerebellar regions, anterior vermis, and right cuneus. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with schizophrenia fail to activate cortical-cerebellar-thalamic-cortical circuitry during recall of both well-learned and novel word lists.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Verbal intellectual and verbal memory performance of youths with childhood-onset insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Tested the hypothesis that memory dysfunction mediated the decline in verbal intellectual performance (as measured by the WISC-R Vocabulary test) that we detected previously in a prospective study of children who developed IDDM between the ages of 8 to 13 years. Three tests of verbal learning and memory were administered to 57 diabetic youths at end-of-study who had been followed for 8 years, on average. Memory performance at end-of-study was predicted only by Vocabulary test score at study entry. IDDM duration, long-term metabolic control, depression/anxiety, demographic variables, or blood glucose level at the time of assessment were not associated with memory test scores. Stepwise multiple regression revealed that level of performance on a test of short-term or working memory was associated with magnitude of decline in verbal intellectual performance over time, providing partial support for our hypothesis.

Age of Onset↗
PubMed1990

Effects of aging on source monitoring: differences in susceptibility to false fame.

Older adults were less likely than young adults to spontaneously recollect the source of familiarity for previously read nonfamous names. Older adults were more likely to call old nonfamous names famous when subsequently encountered in a fame judgment task. Poor source monitoring by the elderly could not be accounted for by inability to recognize earlier read nonfamous names when specifically asked to do so. Both source-monitoring errors and recognition memory performance were based on attributions made about the experience of familiarity. Elderly subjects most prone to making familiarity errors recalled fewer items on a verbal learning task and were less likely to chunk information into semantic categories as it was recalled. This finding suggests that a decline in the tendency to spontaneously organize and integrate information underlies the poor source monitoring observed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Impaired performance and sedation after a single dose of lorazepam.

In a double-blind cross-over study using normal student volunteers, the effects of 1 and 2.5 mg lorazepam on self-rated mood and bodily symptoms, as well as performance in a number of tests were assessed. Both doses significantly increased self ratings of physical and mental sedation, the effects being more marked 4 h after drug administration than after 1 h. Lorazepam impaired simple reaction time, verbal learning, number cancellation, symbol copying and performance in the digit-symbol substitution test. The impairments were greater with the 2.5 mg dose and were more marked 4 h after drug administration than after 1 h.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[Verbal memory disorders provoked by a variety of stokes].

In recent years a consensus has been reached about the neuroanatomical substrate of verbal memory, but this state of knowledge has not yet been implemented in clinical practice. One reason for this may be that most of the neuroscientific studies on verbal memory used different neuropsychological instruments and that only a small set of patient groups with the same etiology but different lesion sites were analysed. Returning to three earlier studies, we analyse the possibility to make differential judgements on the verbal memory impairments of four different patient groups by using the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT). We compare patients with left-sided (n = 16) and right-sided (n = 10) posterior cerebral artery infarcts and patients with infarcts of the left (n = 10) or right (n = 21) frontal lobe, and we integrated data about their retention errors that had not been analysed so far. Our findings reveal significant differences between these patient groups, concerning the quantitative aspects of impairments, and also the profiles of memory errors (recall, interference and perseverations). Our study documents a relation between the site of the lesion and the type of verbal memory impairment, agreeing with some of the most recent neuroscientific findings. Starting from this observation we try to define a neuropsychological pattern of memory impairment which enables differential clinical diagnoses using the CVLT as a memory test.

Female↗
PubMed1978

Patterns of performance in amnesic subjects.

Patients with Korsakoff's syndrome, dementia, alcoholism, right and left temporal lobectomy, and normal subjects were compared on verbal learning and picture recognition memory tasks. Alcoholics and right lobectomy patients were similar on all measures, but the other groups had a characteristic pattern, particularly on hit and false positive rates in picture recognition.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Cognitive function in hypertension: a community based study.

Cognitive function was investigated in a random sample of subjects on the general practitioners' registry of hypertensive patients in an inner city area and matched with normotensive controls. The response rate was 66% giving 90 matched pairs, average age 63 yrs, with 47% men. There was no difference in educational background or measures of reading ability between the two groups. Cognitive function tests showed a consistent trend of poorer performance in hypertensives, with significant differences in Verbal Learning (immediate recall and retention). Age was inversely related to cognitive function, but no additional deterioration with increasing age was shown in hypertensives.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Cases with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease fail to benefit from repeated exposure to episodic memory tests as compared with controls.

Memory tests may be predictive for cognitive decline. We investigated the sensitivity and change in performance over time of the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT) and the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) when compared to cognitively healthy controls. Participants included elderly controls (n = 54), MCI (n = 19) and AD cases (n = 28) from OPTIMA. The MMSE and the HVLT (version 1) were administered twice to all subjects with an interval of 2-3 years.MCI and AD cases had poorer performance than controls on the HVLT and MMSE at both testing episodes (p < 0.05). The HVLT profile over time showed a learning effect in the control group (P < 0.0001), a trend to decline in the AD group (p = 0.09) and no change in the MCI group (P = 0.8). A subgroup of MCI subjects had lower HVLT scores at follow-up. The MMSE profile showed no significant change over time for all three groups (P > 0.05). The HVLT had better sensitivity and specificity compared to the MMSE for detecting MCI and AD. The HVLT is not only valuable for cross-sectional designs but has also proved to be valuable in a longitudinal design. Cognitively healthy controls showed evidence of learning strategies on the HVLT after a 2-3 year interval, with improved scores at the second testing episode. By contrast, an MCI group showed no benefits of previous exposure to this test. Lack of use of learning strategies on the HVLT may be an important marker of the likelihood of cognitive decline to MCI or dementia.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

The category test perseveration, loss of set, and memory scales: three new scales and their relationship to executive functioning measures.

The Category Test (CT) is a neuropsychological measure that taps into multiple domains of complex reasoning but yields a single error score, limiting the use of the test. In this study, three new CT scales were developed to assess specific aspects of executive dysfunction: Perseveration, Failure to Maintain Cognitive Set, and Inability to Recall and Re-Initiate Past Behavior. The relationship of these scales to well-established neuropsychological measures was examined in head-injured individuals and schizophrenia patients. The CT Perseveration score was correlated with the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) Perseverative Responses score, but also with measures from the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised and the California Verbal Learning Test. The CT Memory score correlated with other memory measures, but also with the WCST Perseveration measure. Although future studies designed to test discriminant and convergent validity are warranted, these scales may be useful in determining specific aspects of impaired CT performance.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Memory interference in multiple sclerosis.

To explore verbal memory impairments associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), we compared proactive and retroactive interference effects on the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT; Delis et al., 1987) in a sample of 83 community-residing individuals with MS and 80 healthy participants. Individuals with MS demonstrated normal accumulation of proactive interference (PI), but attenuated release from PI relative to healthy individuals. Furthermore, accumulation of retroactive interference (RI) at short-delay free recall (SDFR) was intensified for those with MS as compared to healthy participants. Interestingly, accumulation of RI predicted long-term memory (LTM) only for participants with MS. These findings suggest that individuals with MS may experience particular difficulty when required to use semantic properties of information flexibly to facilitate verbal LTM.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Cognitive decline over time following electrical injury.

Electrical injury (EI) is on the rise in the US, with more than 2400 injuries occurring annually. Consequences of EI often include diffuse neurological damage and a myriad of emotional and behavioural sequelae. While delayed onset of cognitive dysfunction is frequently alluded to in the literature, few cases have been published that document the progressive neuropsychological manifestations of EI over time. This paper offers a case study of a 49 year-old female who suffered a high voltage EI and who underwent neuropsychological evaluations at 6 and 56 months post-injury. Comparison of test results suggested a progressive pattern of global decline in cognitive functioning, with particular impairment in memory, verbal learning, abstract reasoning and sensory-motor functions. This case study illustrates the delayed onset and progression of neuropsychological dysfunction that may occur following EI, as well as the importance of long-term follow-up with patients after high voltage EI.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

L-deprenyl therapy improves verbal memory in amnesic Alzheimer patients.

Altered monoaminergic neurotransmission could play an important role in the cognitive dysfunctions typical of dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). DAT is not, however, a homogenous phenomenon inasmuch as two forms are distinguishable: early onset (EO) and late onset (LO). Moreover, focal patterns of neuropsychological deterioration fall into various subgroups. According to our hypothesis, DAT patients, who at the onset of the disease mainly manifest memory disorders, also represent a specific subgroup characterized by impaired cortically projecting catecholaminergic pathways. In a 6-month randomized, double-blind, cross-over study versus placebo we analysed the influence of L-deprenyl on the verbal memory of 19 amnesic EO-DAT patients. Verbal memory was assessed by means of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. The results obtained show significantly better performances for L-deprenyl treated patients in learning and long-term memory skills. We suggest that L-deprenyl, through selective inhibition of MAO-B and by increasing the activity of the catecholaminergic systems, positively influences cognitive functions and behaviour founded on memory efficiency.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Cognitive deficits in insomnia patients.

This study investigates performance in insomnia patients, comparing it with performance in normals matched not only on age and sex but also on education and occupation. There were 26 pairs of insomniacs and normals; and the computer-driven performance battery, lasting about one hour, was administered three times over the course of a day. In addition, an auditory vigilance test was also administered twice. Insomniacs performed worse than normals on reaction time (they were both slower and more variable), they swayed more on the balance test, and they forgot more numbers on the Digit Span Test. There were no significant differences in Digit Symbol Substitution, Divided Attention, and Auditory Verbal Learning Tests, suggesting that the pattern of deficiencies in insomnia is different than that in sleep-deprived subjects. When insomniacs were administered the performance batteries after spontaneously occurring good or poor nights, little differences in performance were observed.

Attention↗
PubMed2004

Procedural and declarative memory in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been associated with frontostriatal abnormality. This has led to the hypothesis that the disorder is characterized by abnormality of procedural memory. However, evidence for either procedural or declarative memory disturbance has been mixed, and few studies have directly assessed both of these forms of memory in the same patient group. In the present study, we assessed encoding and retrieval in declarative memory using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), and procedural memory using the Pursuit Rotor Task, in 27 adults with OCD and 29 matched healthy controls. Groups did not differ with respect to salient demographic characteristics or memory on the RAVLT. In contrast, patients with OCD performed significantly better than controls during the early, but not later trial blocks of the Pursuit Rotor Task. This pattern of results indicates intact encoding and retrieval in declarative memory, but abnormally enhanced procedural memory during the early course of learning in OCD. These findings may be consistent with striatal overactivation observed in neuroimaging studies of OCD, as well as the prominent role of the striatum during early stages of procedural memory.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Memory strategies with brain damage.

The ability of anterograde amnesics with and without a history of alcoholism and patients with frontal lobe damage to think about memory, memorizing, and remembering was assessed. Alcoholic Korsakoffs' and frontal lobe patients' knowledge and use of memory strategies was deficient when compared with controls whereas nonalcoholic amnesics' was not. The use of the categorization mnemonic was assessed in a verbal learning experiment. Frontal lobe patients failed to spontaneously categorize a categorizable word list when trying to memorize it. Nevertheless, when forced to categorize the list, they benefited from the imposed structure. Nonalcoholic amnesics spontaneously categorized the list and benefited from the resulting organization.

Alcohol Amnestic Disorder↗
PubMed2005

Perospirone in the treatment of schizophrenia: effect on verbal memory organization.

The present study was performed to determine if perospirone, a novel antipsychotic drug with D2/5-HT2A antagonist and partial 5-HT1A agonist properties, would improve memory organization in twelve patients with chronic schizophrenia. Switching to equivalent dose of perospirone from prior antipsychotic medication was associated with a significant improvement in indices of verbal memory organization of the Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Negative symptoms and extrapyramidal side effects were also ameliorated after switching to perospirone. The distinct cognitive enhancement profile of perospirone may be attributable to its partial 5-HT1A agonist action.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Relational verbal memory processing in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.

Patients with left temporal lobe epilepsy (LTLE) have been shown to demonstrate impaired categorization in semantic memory tasks leaving open the question whether this is due to problems with active categorization or to problems with consolidation/retrieval of relations. 35 patients with left or right temporal lobe epilepsy (LTLE, RTLE) and 20 healthy controls performed three verbal learning and memory tests differing in the relational distance between the items to be learned (unrelated, low associative, high associative). In order to separate the memory component in relational memory processing, we avoided problems in active categorization and perception of semantic relations by presenting category members already clustered in the order of category membership, and by checking whether the patients had actually noticed the categories. In controls and in patients with RTLE, both semantic conditions significantly improved the test performance. LTLE-patients showed the worst test performance independent of the test condition. Their performance improved under the high associative condition, but they did not at all profit from the low associative condition. Although the semantic tasks had no demand on active clustering and although all LTLE-patients noticed the relational properties very well, they could not make use of the offered clusters. They demonstrated significantly more "item specific" than "relational" encoding than the other groups. This was pronounced in the low associative condition but became evident also in the high associative condition. In contrast to the other groups, the order in recall (clustering) deteriorated with passing time in LTLE-patients. In conclusion the data provide evidence of impaired semantic relational processing in LTLE. The impairment depends on the relational properties of the material to be learned, in that it increases with the relational distance between the memory contents. Because the tasks did not demand active clustering, we can attribute this impairment to deficits in relational encoding/retrieval which would be consistent with current opinions of the role of temporolimbic structures in relational memory processing.

Adult↗