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Frontiers in Global Women's Health 2024Evidence suggests that a combination of biological and social factors influence risk of dementia differently for women and men. In healthy older women, several factors...
BACKGROUND
Evidence suggests that a combination of biological and social factors influence risk of dementia differently for women and men. In healthy older women, several factors may contribute to changes in cognition.
OBJECTIVE
Describe the characteristics associated with variation in cognition in a sample of cognitively healthy older Panamanian women.
METHODS
The study includes cross-sectional analyses of cognitive domains at baseline (= 357) and 17-month (SD = 2.0) follow-up (= 200) for women aged 60 years and older enrolled in the Panama Aging Research Initiative-Health Disparities (PARI-HD) study. Instruments included clinical questionnaires, physiological measures, and a neuropsychological test battery assessing global cognition and seven cognitive domains. Multiple regression analyses examined the associations between demographic and clinical characteristics and cognition at baseline. Repeated measures analyses were used to investigate changes in cognition from baseline to follow-up.
RESULTS
On average, participants were 68.6 years of age (SD = 5.9) with 16.1 years of education (SD = 4.7). Age, income, and education showed robust associations with baseline cognition. Subjective cognitive impairment was associated with lower performance in global cognition, verbal learning, and memory domains. Only performance in the attention domain decreased at follow-up, and subjective health state and depressive symptoms significantly predicted the change in attention.
DISCUSSION
Our study findings contribute to the investigation of cognitive health in older Hispanic women and to the understanding of sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with cognitive decline and the progression to cognitive impairment and dementia.
PubMed: 38939750
DOI: 10.3389/fgwh.2024.1353657 -
Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma Jun 2024The literature suggests that there is a significant overlap in definition, measurement, and outcomes between trauma and bullying victimization, but the relative impact...
The literature suggests that there is a significant overlap in definition, measurement, and outcomes between trauma and bullying victimization, but the relative impact on current emotional distress of these events has not been explored. The goal of the current study was to explore whether traditional and cyber bullying victimization has a similar negative impact on current emotional disrtresss as other adverse childhood experiences which may also lead to a traumatic response. In addition, this study examined whether the association between bullying victimization and emotional distress is exacerbated when individuals also experience additional ACEs. Retrospective reports from a diverse sample of 576 adults were collected via an online survey. When ranked against other ACEs such as viewing family mental health problems or substance abuse, or verbal, physical, emotional, and sexual victimization not from peers, nearly 30% of participants ranked bullying victimization as having the most negative impact on their levels of emotional distress. Multi-group path analyses indicated that experiencing additional ACEs seems to exacerbate distress caused by bullying and cyber bullying victimization. The current study suggests that bullying victimization may be just as detrimental as other types of ACEs that occur in childhood.
PubMed: 38938969
DOI: 10.1007/s40653-023-00567-5 -
Cureus Jun 2024This article discusses issues and perspectives related to the study of disruptive clinician behavior (DCB) to improve patient safety and healthcare professionals' work... (Review)
Review
This article discusses issues and perspectives related to the study of disruptive clinician behavior (DCB) to improve patient safety and healthcare professionals' work environments. Multiple terminologies and ambiguous definitions have resulted in conceptual confusion in studies on DCB. In addition, subjective classifications have led the attributes of DCB to overlap and fluctuate. Therefore, we share Rosenberg's definition of DCB as "any inappropriate behavior, confrontation, or conflict, ranging from verbal abuse to physical and sexual harassment." It is recommended that DCB be understood as a hierarchical structure identified through statistical analysis of field survey data. Furthermore, a recurring list of items is duplicated across existing studies on DCB triggers, contributing factors, and influences. These items can be organized into separate path models based on their mutual relationships. Given these assumed models, we believe that further studies on DCB can shift toward elucidating the mechanisms of occurrence and impact. Finally, based on the path models, we recommend improving healthcare professionals' psychological and social states through a policy shift from "zero-tolerance" to "to err is human" as a priority issue for DCB prevention and countermeasures.
PubMed: 38938907
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.63314 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024Central coherence is the normal tendency to process and give meaning to incoming information taking into account the context or global view of that information.
INTRODUCTION
Central coherence is the normal tendency to process and give meaning to incoming information taking into account the context or global view of that information.
METHODS
We assessed the central coherence of 252 school children of normal intelligence between 6 and 11 years old. We compared the performance of two groups: (a) a control group ( = 194), and (b) a clinical group ( = 58) comprising children with NVLD+ADHD ( = 24), ADHD alone ( = 16), SCD ( = 8) and level-1ASD ( = 10) (Kluskall-Wallis H and Mann-Whitney U were calculated to make comparisons within groups and between pairs of groups). The effects of medication were studied (Student's test).
RESULTS
The NVLD+ADHD, SCD and ASD1 groups showed weak central coherence. The performance of the ADHD group was normal and differed significantly from the NVLD+ADHD group.
CONCLUSION
Central coherence deficit was not exclusive to ASD1: it also characterizes NVLD and SCD.
PubMed: 38933578
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1348074 -
Journal of Diabetes and Metabolic... Jun 2024Mild-moderate cognitive impairment has been identified in general diabetes, and early evidence indicates cognitive reductions may be more pronounced in those with...
OBJECTIVE
Mild-moderate cognitive impairment has been identified in general diabetes, and early evidence indicates cognitive reductions may be more pronounced in those with diabetes-related foot complications (DRFC). Cognitive difficulties may impede treatment engagement and self-management. This requires further explication to optimise patient care and outcomes. The current study aimed to characterise cognitive function in people with DRFC using comprehensive cognitive measures.
METHOD
This cross-sectional cohort study recruited 80 adult participants ( = 63.38, SD = 11.40, range = 30 - 89) from the Royal Melbourne Hospital Diabetic Foot Unit in Victoria, Australia, all with DRFC. Each completed a comprehensive cognitive battery (memory, attention, executive functions) and scores were calculated using age-matched population norms, where available.
RESULTS
On the majority of tasks, DRFC participants performed significantly worse than age-matched norms, with the largest decrements seen in inhibition control, verbal memory, verbal abstract reasoning and working memory. Small to moderate reductions were also seen in visual learning, verbal fluency, processing speed and premorbid functioning. Demographic (lower education, male gender) and clinical factors (higher HbA1c, macrovascular and microvascular disease, longer diabetes duration) were associated with poorer cognitive functioning.
CONCLUSIONS
Marked reductions in cognitive functioning were found in individuals with DRFC, predominantly in the domains of verbal memory and executive functioning. Lower education, male gender and indicators of diabetes severity, such as vascular disease, are associated with heightened risk for poorer cognitive functioning. As DRFCs are a serious complication with devastating outcomes if not successfully managed, cognitive barriers to self-management must be addressed to optimise treatment.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40200-023-01381-4.
PubMed: 38932904
DOI: 10.1007/s40200-023-01381-4 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Violin is one of the most complex musical instruments to learn. The learning process requires constant training and many hours of exercise and is primarily based on a...
Violin is one of the most complex musical instruments to learn. The learning process requires constant training and many hours of exercise and is primarily based on a student-teacher interaction where the latter guides the beginner through verbal instructions, visual demonstrations, and physical guidance. The teacher's instruction and practice allow the student to learn gradually how to perform the correct gesture autonomously. Unfortunately, these traditional teaching methods require the constant supervision of a teacher and the interpretation of non-real-time feedback provided after the performance. To address these limitations, this work presents a novel interface (Visual Interface for Bowing Evaluation-VIBE) to facilitate student's progression throughout the learning process, even in the absence of direct teacher intervention. The proposed interface allows two key parameters of bowing movements to be monitored, namely, the angle between the bow and the string (i.e., α angle) and the bow tilt (i.e., β angle), providing real-time visual feedback on how to correctly move the bow. Results collected on 24 beginners (12 exposed to visual feedback, 12 in a control group) showed a positive effect of the real-time visual feedback on the improvement of bow control. Moreover, the subjects exposed to visual feedback judged the latter as useful to correct their movement and clear in terms of the presentation of data. Although the task was rated as harder when performed with the additional feedback, the subjects did not perceive the presence of a violin teacher as essential to interpret the feedback.
Topics: Humans; Music; Feedback, Sensory; Students; Female; Male; Learning
PubMed: 38931745
DOI: 10.3390/s24123961 -
Children (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Selective mutism (SM) is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by a child's persistent inability to communicate verbally in some or all contexts of social life. It...
Selective mutism (SM) is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by a child's persistent inability to communicate verbally in some or all contexts of social life. It is often associated with other cognitive-affective disorders. Performing cognitive-behavioral assessments and psychological interventions can be challenging due to the difficulty in administering standardized neuropsychological tests and involving family and teachers in the intervention program. In a single case study, a young Filipina girl with SM underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment and received multimodal therapeutic intervention between the ages of 7 and 11. The psychological intervention included cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy to improve social-cognitive skills and learning abilities, reduce anxiety, and provide speech therapy. The parents and teachers were actively involved in the therapeutic process and a underwent a psycho-education program. Following this treatment, at the age of 11, the girl started verbalizing in therapy and school contexts, although she still used non-verbal strategies. There was also a gradual improvement in her communicative-linguistic skills and school learning. In conclusion, this report emphasizes the importance of applying an integrated and multimodal intervention to treat SM in children, including psychoeducation for parents and teachers.
PubMed: 38929325
DOI: 10.3390/children11060746 -
Genes May 2024Mutations in the gene are associated with a diverse spectrum of retinopathies with phenotypic variability causing severe visual impairment. The gene has a role in...
UNLABELLED
Mutations in the gene are associated with a diverse spectrum of retinopathies with phenotypic variability causing severe visual impairment. The gene has a role in retinal development and is expressed in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, but its role in cognition has not been described before. This study compares cognitive function in retinopathy individuals with subjects with other retinopathies and the normal population.
METHODS
Neuropsychological tests of cognitive function were used to test individuals with and non- retinopathies and compare results with a standardised normative dataset.
RESULTS
retinopathy subjects significantly outperformed those with non- retinopathy in list learning tasks of immediate ( = 0.001) and delayed memory ( = 0.007), tests of verbal fluency ( = 0.017), verbal IQ digit span subtest ( = 0.037), and estimation test of higher execution function ( = 0.020) but not in the remaining tests of cognitive function ( > 0.05). retinopathy subjects scored significantly higher than the normal population in all areas of memory testing ( < 0.05) and overall verbal IQ tests ( = 0.0012). Non- retinopathy subjects scored significantly higher than the normal population in story recall, verbal fluency, and overall verbal IQ tests ( = 0.0016).
CONCLUSIONS
Subjects with retinopathy may have enhanced cognitive function in areas of memory and learning. Further work is required to understand the role of in cognition.
Topics: Humans; Nerve Tissue Proteins; Male; Female; Membrane Proteins; Adult; Middle Aged; Eye Proteins; Memory; Retinal Diseases; Neuropsychological Tests; Cognition; Learning; Young Adult; Adolescent; Aged
PubMed: 38927596
DOI: 10.3390/genes15060660 -
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition Jun 2024To investigate the association of serum saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and prevalent mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among middle-aged and elderly Chinese.
OBJECTIVES
To investigate the association of serum saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and prevalent mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among middle-aged and elderly Chinese.
METHODS
A total of 607 Chinese adults aged at least 45 years were included in the baseline survey of The Lifestyle and Healthy Aging of Chinese Square Dancer Study. Serum concentrations of individual SFAs including 6 even-chain SFAs (C14:0, C16:0, C18:0, C20:0, C22:0, and C24:0) and 4 odd-chain SFAs (C15:0, C17:0, C21:0, and C23:0), were quantified by Gas chromatography system with a mass spectrometer. According to Petersen's criteria, prevalent MCI was diagnosed by neurologists through uniformed neuropsychological tests, including trail-making test-part B (TMT-B), auditory verbal learning test (AVLT), digit symbol substitution test (DSST), and verbal fluency test (VFT).
RESULTS
The median age was 62 years with an interquartile range of 57.0 to 67.0 years, and 86 (14.17%) participants were living with MCI. Higher levels of either even-chain or odd-chain individual SFAs were associated with the higher odds of MCI, and their odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were 2.054 (1.012 to 4.171) for C14:0, 2.246 (1.061 to 4.755) for C16:0, 2.789 (1.321 to 5.886) for C18:0, and 2.329 (1.136 to 4.778) for C15:0, and 2.761 (1.310 to 5.820) for C17:0, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
The serum concentration of SFAs was positively related to the odds of MCI in middle-aged and elderly adults. Determining the link between SFAs profiles and MCI may inform a better understanding of the potential role of saturated fat intake on cognitive function.
PubMed: 38926607
DOI: 10.1038/s41430-024-01468-y -
Pediatric Reports May 2024Klinefelter syndrome (KS), also known as 47,XXY, is a genetic disorder characterized by the presence of an extra X chromosome. Despite the prevalence of verbal learning... (Review)
Review
Klinefelter syndrome (KS), also known as 47,XXY, is a genetic disorder characterized by the presence of an extra X chromosome. Despite the prevalence of verbal learning disabilities, memory impairments, and executive function deficits in individuals with KS, comprehensive research on the neuropsychological profiles of affected children and adolescents remains limited. Additionally, KS has been associated with comorbid conditions such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). However, systematic investigations into the neuropsychological manifestations of KS in pediatric populations are scarce. Therefore, the primary objectives of this review are to provide an overview of key studies examining the neuropsychological profiles of children and adolescents with KS and to delineate the limitations and implications of existing research findings. By synthesizing available literature, this review aims to bridge the gap in understanding the cognitive and behavioral characteristics of children and adolescents with KS, shedding light on potential avenues for future research and clinical interventions. Ultimately, this review serves as a valuable resource for clinicians, researchers, policymakers, parents, and educators involved in the assessment and management of the neuropsychological aspects of Klinefelter syndrome in pediatric populations.
PubMed: 38921701
DOI: 10.3390/pediatric16020036