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.

Cognitive impairment after traumatic brain injury linked to brain connectivity disruptions

Cognitive impairment following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is common, often adversely affecting quality of life for those 1.7 million Americans who experience a TBI each year. Researchers at the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas have identified complex brain connectivity patterns in individuals with chronic phases of traumatic brain injury which may explain long term higher order cognitive function deficits.

2 Mar 2016

Fetal alcohol exposure results in permanent fragmentation in slow-wave sleep

Slow-wave sleep - the deeper sleep during which the brain turns each day's events into permanent memories - is fragmented in adulthood in people exposed to high levels of alcohol in the womb.

25 Feb 2016

FDA-approved Alzheimer's medications may help people quit smoking

Despite several safe drug therapies available to help smokers quit, three-quarters report relapsing within six months of a quit attempt. University of Pennsylvania researchers Rebecca Ashare and Heath Schmidt saw potential for a permanent cessation solution in a class of FDA-approved medications used to improve cognitive impairments from Alzheimer's disease.

19 Feb 2016

Testosterone treatment for older men improves sexual function, walking ability and mood

As men age, their testosterone levels decrease, but prior studies of the effects of administering testosterone to older men have been inconclusive. Now, research shows that testosterone treatment for men over 65 improves sexual function, walking ability and mood, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine by team researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and twelve other medical centers in the United States, in partnership with the National Institute on Aging.

18 Feb 2016

Researchers identify brain region where Alzheimer's disease starts

A critical but vulnerable region in the brain appears to be the first place affected by late onset Alzheimer's disease and may be more important for maintaining cognitive function in later life than previously appreciated, according to a new review of the scientific literature.

17 Feb 2016

West Cancer Center introduces promising new treatment method for brain cancer patients

Brain Cancer patients in the Mid-South now have a promising new treatment method at West Cancer Center. Optune™, a portable device using low intensity electric fields to inhibit cancer cell replication causing death of cancer cells, is the first FDA-approved therapy in more than a decade to show a significant extension in overall survival rates for newly diagnosed adult Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) patients.

11 Feb 2016

Computerized cognitive rehabilitation can improve outcomes in brain injury survivors

For the first time, researchers have shown that computerized cognitive rehabilitation (a program to help brain-injured or otherwise cognitively impaired individuals to restore normal functioning) can improve attention and executive functioning in brain injury survivors including traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke.

11 Feb 2016

Marijuana use could pose serious cognitive function risk later in life

Marijuana is the most frequently used illicit drug in the United States, according to a recent survey from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, and new data suggest that marijuana use now could pose a serious cognitive function risk later in life.

9 Feb 2016

UCI researchers identify potential strategies to prevent cognitive decline

As brain cells age they lose the fibers that receive neural impulses, a change that may underlie cognitive decline. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine recently found a way to reverse this process in rats. The study was published February 3 in The Journal of Neuroscience. Researchers caution that more studies are needed, but the findings shed light on the mechanisms of cognitive decline and identify potential strategies to stem it.

3 Feb 2016

Negative attitudes towards ageing seem to affect health in later years

Negative attitudes to ageing affect both physical and cognitive health in later years, new research reveals. The study from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, at Trinity College Dublin, further reveals that participants with positive attitudes towards ageing had improved cognitive ability.

30 Jan 2016

Hearing aids improve brain function in people with hearing loss

A recent study by Jamie Desjardins, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the speech-language pathology program at The University of Texas at El Paso, found that hearing aids improve brain function in persons with hearing loss.

30 Jan 2016

Education level influences cognitive training outcomes in older adults

The first study to investigate the effects of cognitive training on the cognitive functioning of older adults by education level has found that individuals with fewer than 12 years of schooling benefit more from cognitive training than their more highly educated counterparts.

29 Jan 2016

Second-hand smoke exposure linked to larger waist, poorer cognition in children

Exposure to second-hand smoke is associated with a larger waist and poorer cognition in children, researchers say.

29 Jan 2016

Four factors help predict later cognitive function, motor performance for children with low birth weight

Four factors - medical complications at birth, maternal education, early motor assessments, and early cognitive assessments - help predict later cognitive function and motor performance for children born early and at a very low birth weight, finds a new study by NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.

28 Jan 2016

Synaptic plasticity alterations responsible for memory impairment in Alzheimer's disease

Neurons communicate with one another by synaptic connections, where information is exchanged from one neuron to its neighbor. These connections are not static, but are continuously modulated in response to the ongoing activity (or experience) of the neuron. This process, known as synaptic plasticity, is a fundamental mechanism for learning and memory in humans as in all animals.

27 Jan 2016

Genes that influence people's health also have impact on some cognitive functions

Genes that influence people's health also shape how effectively they think, a study shows. Scientists found that genes associated with diseases including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and autism also have an impact on some cognitive functions.

27 Jan 2016

Preventing memory loss in Alzheimer's Disease, a new key mechanism

26 Jan 2016

Mayo Clinic study finds no association between surgical anesthesia and development of MCI later in life

A Mayo Clinic study of people who received anesthesia for surgery after age 40 found no association between the anesthesia and development of mild cognitive impairment later in life. Mild cognitive impairment is a stage between the normal cognitive decline of aging and dementia.

20 Jan 2016

Rapastinel demonstrates pro-cognitive benefits in animal model of cognitive impairment

Allergan plc, a leading global pharmaceutical company, announced today that new data on the investigational medication rapastinel (GLYX-13) and its lack of impairment on cognitive function were published in the peer-reviewed journal Behavioural Brain Research.

19 Jan 2016

Taking up new mental challenges may help maintain cognitive vitality

One of the greatest challenges associated with the growing numbers of aged adults is how to maintain a healthy aging mind. Taking up a new mental challenge such as digital photography or quilting may help maintain cognitive vitality, say researchers reporting in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience.

18 Jan 2016