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.

RTMS safe and effective for hallucination in schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation uses a non-invasive and relatively painless tool to stimulate the human brain in vivo using very strong, pulsed magnetic fields. It is also used to explore and elucidate neocortical functions and treat neuropsychiatric disorders.

9 Dec 2013

Heptares starts HTL9936 Phase 1 study for improving cognitive function in Alzheimer's patients

Heptares Therapeutics, the leading GPCR structure-guided drug discovery and development company, announces that it has initiated a Phase 1 clinical study of HTL9936, the first fully selective muscarinic M1 receptor agonist to enter clinical development. HTL9936 is an orally available, small molecule drug candidate discovered using the Heptares GPCR structure-based drug design platform.

9 Dec 2013

People who rely on visual identification of medications may risk poor BP control

People who identify their blood pressure medications by shape, size and color instead of by name may risk poor blood pressure control and increase their risk of hospitalization, finds a recent study in the Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives.

4 Dec 2013

Accumulation of small protein in brain’s blood vessels can drive early cognitive impairment

A team of Stony Brook University researchers led by William Van Nostrand, PhD, Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery, has discovered in a model of Alzheimer's disease that early accumulation of a small protein, known as amyloid β, in the blood vessels of the brain can drive early cognitive impairment.

28 Nov 2013

CKD children with lower socio-economic status less likely to grow to normal height ranges

Even with more prescriptions for growth hormone, children and adolescents with chronic kidney disease were less likely to grow to normal height ranges if they came from lower-income families, according to research funded by the National Institutes of Health. Results from the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children Study are published in the December issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases and online today at http://www.ajkd.org.

22 Nov 2013

Cognition and illness course predict bipolar employment

Patients with bipolar disorder are more likely to be successfully employed if they have good cognitive function and a more benign course of illness, suggest findings from a meta-analysis.

20 Nov 2013

Higher 36°C temperature as effective as 33°C for therapeutic hypothermia treatment

Therapeutic hypothermia - cooling the body and brain down to 33-C - is the method used worldwide to treat cardiac arrest, even though a lower body temperature may raise the risk of side-effects. However, keeping the temperature steady at 36-C is just as effective, a study led by Lund University researchers has found.

20 Nov 2013

Research findings offer new hope for millions of traumatic brain injury patients

Every year, nearly two million people in the United States suffer traumatic brain injury (TBI), the leading cause of brain damage and permanent disabilities that include motor dysfunction, psychological disorders, and memory loss. Current rehabilitation programs help patients but often achieve limited success.

19 Nov 2013

Protein shed by HIV-infected brain cells alters synaptic connections between networks of nerve cells

A protein shed by HIV-infected brain cells alters synaptic connections between networks of nerve cells, according to new research out of the University of Minnesota. The findings could explain why nearly half of all patients infected with the AIDS virus experience some level of neurocognitive impairment.

16 Nov 2013

Research could refine next generation of drugs to help treat dementia

A £1.1 million grant to understand how one of the brain's key neurotransmitters called 'acetylcholine' influences brain activity has been awarded to University of Bristol researchers. The Wellcome Trust award will help scientists understand more precisely how the release of acetylcholine is changing brain cell activity to influence memory and cognition.

15 Nov 2013

Men’s cognitive advantage maintained in early bipolar disorder

Patients in the early stages of bipolar disorder show the same gender differences in cognitive functioning as mentally healthy individuals, findings from the STOP-EM trial show.

14 Nov 2013

Single dose of intranasal insulin can help improve cognitive function in diabetes patients

In recent years, the link between type 2 diabetes and dementia has become widely recognized. Older individuals with diabetes develop Alzheimer's disease at an earlier age, and are more likely to develop vascular dementia than people who do not have diabetes.

14 Nov 2013

Research reveals unexpected roles that sex hormones may play in cognitive function

Research released today demonstrates unexpected roles that sex hormones may play in the cognitive function of females, including memory and interpreting social cues.

12 Nov 2013

Patients' quality of life negatively affected by perceived discrimination, mistrust in health care

Perceived discrimination and mistrust in health care can negatively affect patients' quality of life, according to a study that will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2013 November 5-10 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA.

11 Nov 2013

Magnesium deficiency may play important role in cognitive impairment

November is National Alzheimer's Awareness Month and the serious issues of cognitive health will be in the spotlight in the coming weeks. The medical community agrees that cognitive impairment, ranging from mild to severe, is almost epidemic in the U.S. as the Baby Boomer generation is aging and living longer. Scientists believe one reason is that the human brain begins shrinking after age 25. Structural changes and loss of brain synapses lead to rapid decline in cognitive health.

5 Nov 2013

Stem cell therapy after traumatic brain injury promotes lasting cognitive improvement

A stem cell therapy previously shown to reduce inflammation in the critical time window after traumatic brain injury also promotes lasting cognitive improvement, according to preclinical research led by Charles Cox, M.D., at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School.

4 Nov 2013

Alzheimer's patients more prone to heart disease, but undergo fewer related surgeries

Persons with Alzheimer's disease suffer from ischaemic heart diseases more frequently than others, yet they undergo related procedures and surgery less frequently than persons with no diagnosed AD, according to a nation-wide register-based study carried out at the University of Eastern Finland.

30 Oct 2013

Hypoxia can be detected prior to incapacitating physical symptoms, say researchers

A team of Mayo Clinic researchers have found that hypoxia can be detected prior to incapacitating physical symptoms which can be a safety threat at high altitudes. The findings were published as the lead article in the October issue of Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine.

25 Oct 2013

Research: Learning mentally demanding skill likely to improve cognitive functioning

Older adults are often encouraged to stay active and engaged to keep their minds sharp, that they have to "use it or lose it." But new research indicates that only certain activities - learning a mentally demanding skill like photography, for instance - are likely to improve cognitive functioning.

21 Oct 2013

Study illuminates definitive brain alterations in troops with Gulf War Illness

New research illuminates definitive brain alterations in troops with Gulf War Illness thought to result from the exposure to neurotoxic chemicals, including sarin gas, during the first Persian Gulf War.

15 Oct 2013