Futurity.org » cognitive impairment

Aging musicians have sharp brains

Kathi Baker-Emory — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:10:16 +0000

EMORY (US) — Playing a musical instrument throughout life may help fight cognitive decline as we age.

Older musicians perform better on cognitive tests than individuals who did not play an instrument, according to a new study published in the April issue of Neuropsychology.

Teen depression likely to recur

Dennis O'Shea-JHU — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:36:54 +0000

DUKE / JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — Nearly half of teens who recover from severe depression are likely to slip back into depression within two to three years, regardless of the type of treatment they’ve received.

The study, in the November issue of JAMA-Archives of General Psychiatry, highlights a need for long-term follow-up and rigorous monitoring of symptoms among depressed teens—even when they seem to be on the mend.

Childhood malnutrition has long reach

Andy Henion-Michigan State — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:39:20 +0000

MICHIGAN STATE (US)—Malnutrition early in life appears to diminish brain function in older adults, according to a new study that has implications for poor, developing nations.

Across the world, 178 million children younger than 5 are stunted or short in stature due to hunger, infection, or both, says Zhenmei Zhang, assistant professor of sociology at Michigan State University.

Depression, brain injury go hand-in-hand

Leila Gray-UW — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:54:26 +0000

U. WASHINGTON (US)—More than half of adults who suffer a traumatic brain injury develop major depression in the following year, according to a new study, but less than 50 percent of them receive antidepressant medications or counseling.

“We found a very high prevalence of depression in the months after the head injury,” explains Charles Bombardier, professor of rehabilitative medicine at the University of Washington.

Maternal diet supplement eases Down syndrome

Ted Boscia-Cornell — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:08:49 +0000

CORNELL (US)—More choline—a nutrient found in egg yolks, liver, nuts, and vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower—during pregnancy and nursing could provide lasting cognitive and emotional benefits to individuals with Down syndrome and protect against conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.

“We found that supplementing the maternal diet with additional choline resulted in dramatic improvements in attention and some normalization of emotion regulation in a mouse model of Down syndrome,” says lead author Barbara Strupp, professor of nutritional sciences and of psychology at Cornell University.

Vitamin D may play role in MS severity

Lois Baker-Buffalo — Wed, 05 May 2010 10:57:55 +0000

“Results showed that MS patients who were impaired on tests of executive function—critical reasoning and abstract thinking—and the ability to plan and organize, were more likely to be deficient in vitamin D,” says Sarah Morrow who compared vitamin D levels in MS patients. “This relationship held true when controlling for the season during which vitamin D was measured, as well as depression.” (Credit: iStockphoto)

U. BUFFALO (US)—New research finds that low vitamin D levels may be associated with more advanced physical disability and cognitive impairment in persons with multiple sclerosis.

While lower-than-normal vitamin D status is known to be associated with a higher risk of developing MS, little is known about its relationship to cognitive impairment.

Simple test an early predictor of Alzheimer’s

A'ndrea Elyse Messer-Penn State — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:21:27 +0000

A new inexpensive and simple test can screen for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition that affects language, memory, and related mental functions that is distinct from ordinary mental degradation associated with aging and is a likely precursor to the more serious Alzheimer’s disease. MRI—magnetic resonance imaging—is the most reliable and direct way to diagnose MCI. But for many, the procedure is unavailable or too expensive, says Michael Wenger. Credit: Courtesy iStockphoto

PENN STATE (US)—An inexpensive and easy test has been developed to test the brain’s capacity for information—a reliable predictor of Alzheimer’s disease.

“We have developed a low-cost behavioral assessment that can clue someone in to Alzheimer’s disease at its earliest stage,” says Michael Wenger, associate professor of psychology at Penn State.

Sex ed overlooks youth with learning difficulties

Simon Jenkins-Leeds — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:01:46 +0000

A three-year research project reveals that while some young people with learning difficulties have some knowledge of sex, they also had some serious misunderstandings. “Sex education is done in mainstream school, of course, but it’s pitched at a level which some young people with learning difficulties don’t understand,” says says Ruth Garbutt, who led the research. (Courtesy: iStockphoto)

U. LEEDS (UK)—Young people with learning difficulties are more integrated into society than ever before, but a lack of basic sex education often leaves them embarrassed, vulnerable, and confused, according to a recent study.

The three-year project by the Centre for Disability Studies at the University of Leeds explored sexual and relationship issues for young people with learning difficulties. Data was collected through role play, group sessions, improvised drama, and interviews with parents and teachers.

More aggressive MS seen in blacks

Lois Baker-Buffalo — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:28:40 +0000

MRI scans of the same brain slice at monthly intervals reveal bright spots within the brain tissue indicating active lesions. MRI scans of participants in a recent study show that African Americans with MS had more damage to brain tissue and had less normal white and grey matter compared to whites with the disease. (Courtesy: U.S. Brookhaven National Laboratory)

U. BUFFALO (US)—Compared to Caucasians, fewer African Americans develop multiple sclerosis, but researchers say their disease progresses more rapidly and therapies are less effective.

“Black patients showed more brain tissue damage and accumulated brain lesions faster than whites, along with rapid clinical deterioration,” says Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, associate professor of neurology at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Where’d I put those keys?

Lauren Woods-NYU — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:40:19 +0000

“These intriguing results more fully describe the possible relationship between early signs of memory loss and development of more serious impairment. This is critical to know, as we look for ways to define who is at risk and for whom the earliest interventions might be successful,” says Neil Buckholtz, National Institute on Aging.

NYU—Memory lapses in seniors—losing items, forgetting names—may be a symptom of subjective cognitive impairment (SCI), the earliest sign of cognitive decline. A new study shows that healthy older adults reporting SCI are 4.5 times more likely to develop more pronounced memory loss or dementia.

The long-term study completed by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center tracked 213 adults with and without SCI over an average of seven years, with data collection taking nearly two decades. Further cognitive decline to the more advanced mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia was observed in 54 percent of SCI persons, while only in 15 percent of persons free of SCI.