Cognitive Function News and Research

RSS

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.

Strategy-based cognitive training has potential to enhance cognitive performance

Strategy-based cognitive training has the potential to enhance cognitive performance and spill over to real-life benefit according to a data-driven perspective article by the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience.

29 Apr 2014

Physical activity reduces hippocampal atrophy in elders at genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease

A study of older adults at increased risk for Alzheimer's disease shows that moderate physical activity may protect brain health and stave off shrinkage of the hippocampus- the brain region responsible for memory and spatial orientation that is attacked first in Alzheimer's disease.

25 Apr 2014

Sleeping more than 8 hours favours development of cognitive impairment in people over 65

Sleeping more than 8 hours and less than 6 and the lack of cognitive stimulation such as reading favours the development of cognitive impairment in people over 65. This is the main conclusion of a study carried out by researchers from the Department of Pharmacy at the University CEU Cardenal Herrera and pharmacists in the Valencian Region (Spain).

23 Apr 2014

Researchers investigate impact of nutrition in resource-poor regions on infant brain development

Brain activity of babies in developing countries could be monitored from birth to reveal the first signs of cognitive dysfunction, using a new technique piloted by a London-based university collaboration.

22 Apr 2014

Dopamine replacement therapy linked with decline in depressed Parkinson patients' cognitive function

A group of scientists from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging has found interesting new information in a study on depression and neuropsychological function in Parkinson's disease (PD).

19 Apr 2014

Researchers examine relationship between vitamin D deficiency and cognitive impairment

Vitamin D deficiency and cognitive impairment are common in older adults, but there isn't a lot of conclusive research into whether there's a relationship between the two.

16 Apr 2014

Taking care of grandkids one day a week helps keep grandmothers mentally sharp, shows study

Taking care of grandkids one day a week helps keep grandmothers mentally sharp, finds a study from the Women's Healthy Aging Project study in Australia, published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

9 Apr 2014

African Americans are at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than white population

A new study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center reviews research that suggests that the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease among older African Americans may be two to three times greater than in the non-Hispanic white population and that they differ from the non-Hispanic white population in risk factors and disease manifestation.

8 Apr 2014

Ketamine offers novel treatment for patients with severe depression

New data show ketamine (a drug widely used for anaesthesia and pain relief) has a rapid antidepressant effect in some patients with severe depression. The first UK study of ketamine intravenous infusions in people with treatment-resistant depression was conducted by the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Oxford.

3 Apr 2014

Sleep fragmentation, poor sleep quality associated with decline in executive function

A new study of older men found a link between poor sleep quality and the development of cognitive decline over three to four years.

1 Apr 2014

Young adults with cardiac risk factors have worse cognitive function in middle age

Young adults with such cardiac risk factors as high blood pressure and elevated glucose levels have significantly worse cognitive function in middle age, according to a new study by dementia researchers at UC San Francisco.

1 Apr 2014

Cogstate's cognition test to play key role in A4 trial for Alzheimer’s disease

Cognition testing technology developed by Cogstate will be used to track the neurological health of elderly people involved in the multinational Phase III clinical trial of a promising new Alzheimer’s disease (AD) drug.

26 Mar 2014

Two new risk loci for bipolar disorder identified

Researchers have found two new risk loci for bipolar disorder in a genome-wide association study of 2.3 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms.

19 Mar 2014

Eye abnormalities may help reveal features of early-stage Alzheimer's disease, says study

Investigators at the Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute have discovered eye abnormalities that may help reveal features of early-stage Alzheimer's disease. Using a novel laboratory rat model of Alzheimer's disease and high-resolution imaging techniques, researchers correlated variations of the eye structure, to identify initial indicators of the disease.

18 Mar 2014

Kessler Foundation receives grant to supports variety of rehabilitation research projects in spinal cord injury

Kessler Foundation has received more than $718,000 in grant funding from the Craig Neilsen Foundation. The funding, comprised of five grants, supports a variety of rehabilitation research projects in spinal cord injury (SCI), including pain management, functional outcomes, quality of life, and factors affecting cognitive function.

18 Mar 2014

Researchers create statistical model to predict whether heart scans are useful in prescribing statins

As long as inexpensive statins, which lower cholesterol, are readily available and patients don't mind taking them, it doesn't make sense to do a heart scan to measure how much plaque has built up in a patient's coronary arteries before prescribing the pills, according to a new study by researchers at UC San Francisco.

17 Mar 2014

Education improves cognitive performance decades after school completion

European populations are growing older on average, a trend that could pose serious challenges to health care, budgets, and economic growth. As a greater proportion of a country's population grows into old age, average cognition levels and national productivity tend to decline, and the incidence of dementia increases.

12 Mar 2014

Cognitive Function News and Research

Further Reading