Cognitive Function News and Research

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Cognition is a concept used in different ways by different disciplines, but is generally accepted to mean the process of thought. For example, in psychology and cognitive science it refers to an information processing view of an individual's psychological functions.

Exposure to toxin domoic acid might negatively affect unborn children

Duke University Medical Center researchers have found that the naturally occurring marine toxin domoic acid can cause subtle but lasting cognitive damage in rats exposed to the chemical before birth. Humans can become poisoned by the potentially lethal, algal toxin after eating contaminated shellfish.

6 Sep 2005

People with serious mental illness have higher rates of type 2 diabetes

...yet their knowledge of diabetes was generally poor and significantly lower than people without mental illness, according to a new study.

1 Sep 2005

Blood flow into the brain may play a larger role in the development of dementia than previously believed

Researchers from Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine the brains of elderly patients with and without dementia related to Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.

30 Aug 2005

Subtle effects of hearing loss on memory and cognitive function in older adults

In a new study, Brandeis University researchers conclude that older adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss may expend so much cognitive energy on hearing accurately that their ability to remember spoken language suffers as a result.

29 Aug 2005

Inhibitory systems essential for controlling the pattern of activity in the cortex

Inhibitory systems are essential for controlling the pattern of activity in the cortex, which has important implications for the mechanisms of cortical operation, according to a Yale School of Medicine study in Neuron.

28 Aug 2005

Parts of the brain used in daydreaming are the same areas that fail in people who have Alzheimer's disease

Researchers who used five different medical imaging techniques to study the brain activity of 764 people, including those with Alzheimer's disease, those on the brink of dementia, and healthy individuals, have found that the areas of the brain that young, healthy people use when daydreaming are the same areas that fail in people who have Alzheimer's disease.

25 Aug 2005

Coronary angioplasty increases risk of developing Alzheimer's disease

Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers have discovered that patients who have either coronary artery bypass graft surgery or coronary angioplasty are at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

25 Aug 2005

Healthy or wealthy, dementia affects us all the same

According to a UK study, dementia is no respector of wealth or health, and does not appear to be governed by social background or health status.

24 Aug 2005

There are subtle effects of hearing loss on memory and cognitive function in older adults

13 Aug 2005

Drugs with similar chemical attributes as Ecstasy might offer useful alternatives to current therapies for Parkinson's disease

Amphetamines, including the drug popularly known as Ecstasy, can reverse the symptoms of Parkinson's disease in mice with an acute form of the condition, according to new research at Duke University Medical Center.

2 Aug 2005

Statins not effective in reducing dementia risk

According to a recently published study, the use of statins and other lipid-lowering agents by older adults is not associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia.

12 Jul 2005

Statins not associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia

The use of statins and other lipid-lowering agents by older adults was not associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, according to a study in the July issue of Archives of Neurology.

11 Jul 2005

Folic acid improves memory and protects the brain from aging

According to scientists in Holland high doses of folic acid might help slow the cognitive decline of aging.

22 Jun 2005

Excessive sleepiness in adolescents may indicate more than just lack of sleep

A new technical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH) says that although sleepiness is rather common in this age group, pediatricians should pay special attention to patients who exhibit evidence of excessive sleepiness because it could indicate an underlying medical or mental health condition.

9 Jun 2005

Adolescents who are lethargic, cranky and forgetful may have chronic sleep deprivation

Adolescents who are lethargic, cranky and forgetful may have a common ailment: chronic sleep deprivation. But some tired teens may actually have a medical condition such as depression, insomnia, narcolepsy or sleep apnea, warns a new report in Pediatrics.

6 Jun 2005

Cancer treatments linked to decline in mental abilities later on in life

A study in the U.S. has found that cancer survivors who have undergone cancer treatment are twice as likely to develop cognitive problems than people who had never been treated for cancer, and they may be at risk of problems with mental abilities such as memory and learning.

1 Jun 2005

Nearly half of non-ventilated patients in intensive care units experience delirium

A study published today in the open access journal Critical Care reveals for the first time that nearly half of non-ventilated patients in intensive care units (ICU) experience delirium, which is also an independent predictor of longer hospital stay. It was previously though that this was only an issue for mechanically-ventilated ICU patients.

31 May 2005

Cancer patients have increased risk of cognitive dysfunction

Cancer patients may have an increased risk of cognitive dysfunction compared with individuals who have never had cancer, according to a new study in the June 1 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

31 May 2005

National study to evaluate the effectiveness Targacept

Wake Forest University School of Medicine is one of 15 centers nationwide recruiting participants for a research study to evaluate the effectiveness of an investigational drug as an oral treatment for age associated memory impairment (AAMI), a condition that is marked by memory loss and poor concentration.

27 Apr 2005

Substantially more effective therapy than current treatments for Alzheimer's disease

PET scans and cognitive tests have suggested that Alzheimer's disease patients with genetically modified tissue inserted directly into their brains show a reduction in the rate of cognitive decline and increased metabolic activity in the brain, according to a study published in the April 24, 2005 online issue of the journal Nature Medicine by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine.

25 Apr 2005