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.

Study: 40% of patients with atrial fibrillation may have unknown brain damage

Four out of ten patients with atrial fibrillation but no history of stroke or transient ischaemic attack have previously unknown brain damage, according to the first results of the Swiss Atrial Fibrillation Cohort Study presented today at ESC Congress 2018.

27 Aug 2018

Dehydration changes shape and activity of the brain, reduces task performance

When dehydration strikes, part of the brain can swell, neural signaling can intensify, and doing monotonous tasks can get harder.

21 Aug 2018

Largest brain imaging study uncovers factors that accelerate brain aging

In the largest known brain imaging study, scientists from Amen Clinics, Google, John's Hopkins University, University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, San Francisco evaluated 62,454 brain SPECT scans of more than 30,000 individuals from 9 months old to 105 years of age to investigate factors that accelerate brain aging. SPECT tomography evaluates regional cerebral blood flow in the brain that is reduced in various disorders.

21 Aug 2018

Researchers find long-term structural, functional brain abnormalities in individuals with AUDs

Alcohol use disorders are known to adversely impact brain structure and function. Although recovery of brain morphology and function has been reported following abstinence from long-term alcohol use, some structural (e.g., brain area volumes and connections) and functional (e.g., cognitive) abnormalities due to long-term effects of AUDs may persist even after abstinence from alcohol.

17 Aug 2018

Why some patients with brain markers for Alzheimer's never develop the condition

Scientists have discovered the reason why patients who show brain markers for Alzheimer's never develop the condition.

17 Aug 2018

Research shows link between high blood levels of omega-3s and better brain function in children

New research published in the July edition of the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, has established a strong correlation between blood levels of omega-3s, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and better brain function in children two to six years old.

14 Aug 2018

Older kidney disease patients on dialysis have higher dementia risk

Older kidney disease patients who are sick enough to require the blood-filtering treatment known as dialysis are at high risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, according to a study led by scientists at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

9 Aug 2018

Alzheimer's drug may prevent disease progression if used before symptoms appear

About 50 percent of people who reach the age of 85 will develop Alzheimer's disease. Most will die within about five years of exhibiting the hallmark symptoms of the disease - severe memory loss and a precipitous decline in cognitive function.

2 Aug 2018

Measure of belly fat associated with reduced cognitive function in older adults

A new study using data from over 5,000 individuals has found that a measure of belly fat (waist:hip ratio) was associated with reduced cognitive function in older Irish adults (>60 years of age).

1 Aug 2018

Researchers explore influence of dietary nitrate on cognitive function in veterans with GWI

Glenn Wylie, DPhil, and Jorge Serrador, PhD, have won an award from the Rutgers Brain Health Institute. The grant funds a collaborative study between the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and Kessler Foundation.

1 Aug 2018

Study: Women's brains more vulnerable than men's to injury from soccer heading

Women's brains are much more vulnerable than men's to injury from repeated soccer heading, according to a new study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, part of Montefiore.

31 Jul 2018

Cannabis appears to have no effect on breathlessness during exercise in advanced COPD patients

Inhaled vaporized cannabis does not appear to improve or worsen exercise performance and activity-related breathlessness in patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a randomized controlled trial published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

27 Jul 2018

Newly identified target may lead to discovery of treatments for chronic inflammatory diseases

Inflammation is part of the body's natural healing process. But when it becomes chronic, inflammation can lead to cancer, Alzheimer's disease and other conditions.

26 Jul 2018

Aggressive lowering of blood pressure reduces MCI risk, study shows

Significant reductions in the risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and the combination of MCI and dementia, have been shown for the first time through aggressive lowering of systolic blood pressure in new research results from the federally-funded SPRINT MIND Study reported at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2018 in Chicago.

25 Jul 2018

Reduced plasmalogen level may increase risk of Alzheimer's disease, shows study

Reduced levels of plasmalogens - a class of lipids created in the liver that are integral to cell membranes in the brain - are associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's Disease, according to new research presented this week at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2018 by Mitchel A. Kling, MD, an associate professor of Psychiatry in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

25 Jul 2018

Muscle fitness is strongly associated with improved rate of aging in the brain

Researchers at King's College London have found that muscle fitness as measured by power in the legs is strongly associated with an improved rate of ageing in the brain.

20 Jul 2018

Study finds link between anesthesia, surgery and subtle cognitive decline in older adults

In adults over 70, exposure to general anesthesia and surgery is associated with a subtle decline in memory and thinking skills, according to new Mayo Clinic research.

19 Jul 2018

Study provides insights into healthy aging of Asian-Americans

Older Asian-American immigrants are healthier and happier if they are socially active, connected to their families and communities and are able to maintain their cultural values while adapting to western culture, according to a new Rutgers study.

19 Jul 2018

Therapy dogs found to be effective in reducing ADHD symptoms in children

In a first of its kind randomized trial, researchers from the UCI School of Medicine found therapy dogs to be effective in reducing the symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children.

19 Jul 2018

Cognitive functions often wilt as water departs the body, shows study

Anyone lost in a desert hallucinating mirages knows that extreme dehydration discombobulates the mind. But just two hours of vigorous yard work in the summer sun without drinking fluids could be enough to blunt concentration, according to a new study.

18 Jul 2018