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.

Imbalance in neuroendocrine system linked to depression in MS patients: Study

Now, in the first such study in living humans, researchers at UCLA suggest a cause, and it's not psychological, but physical: atrophy of a specific region of the hippocampus, a critical part of the brain involved in mood and memory, among other functions.

2 Jul 2010

Researchers use neonatal piglet model to study infant brain development

Events occurring during the development of an infant's brain can leave behind fingerprints. And researchers at the University of Illinois are interested in learning how these fingerprints can predict future behavioral problems such as cognitive deficits, anxiety disorders, depression, and even autism.

29 Jun 2010

Masimo granted FDA clearance for Pronto-7 noninvasive hemoglobin spot-check testing device

Masimo, the inventor of Masimo Rainbow Pulse CO-Oximetry™, Masimo Rainbow Acoustic Monitoring™, and Masimo SET® Measure-Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, today announced FDA 510(k) clearance for the Pronto-7™—a new handheld device designed for quick and easy noninvasive hemoglobin (SpHb®) spot-check testing, along with SpO2, pulse rate, and perfusion index, in virtually any environment.

28 Jun 2010

ARS study finds link between vitamin D and cognitive function

At a time when consumer interest in health-enhancing foods is high, Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-funded scientists have contributed to a limited but growing body of evidence of a link between vitamin D and cognitive function.

25 Jun 2010

Masimo announces limited market release of Pronto-7 handheld hemoglobin spot-check testing device

Masimo, the inventor of Rainbow Pulse CO-Oximetry™, Rainbow Acoustic Monitoring™, and Masimo SET® Measure-Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, today announced the international limited market release of Masimo Pronto-7 -- a new handheld device designed for quick and easy noninvasive hemoglobin (SpHb®) spot-check testing in virtually any environment.

23 Jun 2010

New book gives hope to women and families who are in difficult stages of anorexia treatment

Women and families struggling with an eating disorder or another addiction should never lose sight of the need to sustain the spirit, according to a new book by Jena Morrow, an author in recovery after more than 20 years with anorexia nervosa. Morrow, a behavioral health specialist at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center, details a battle with anorexia that begins in early childhood in Hollow: An Unpolished Tale, recently released by Moody Publishers.

17 Jun 2010

Apple juice calms declining moods that are part of normal progression of AD: AJADD study

Apple juice can be a useful supplement for calming the declining moods that are part of the normal progression of moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's Disease, according to a study in American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, published by SAGE.

15 Jun 2010

FDA grants HeartWare approval for IDE destination therapy study of Ventricular Assist System

HeartWare International, Inc., a leading innovator of less invasive, miniaturized circulatory support technologies that are revolutionizing the treatment of advanced heart failure, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted HeartWare conditional approval to begin enrollment in an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) destination therapy clinical study for the HeartWare® Ventricular Assist System.

15 Jun 2010

Brain stimulation with ultrasound may enhance cognitive function

The ability to diagnose and treat brain dysfunction without surgery, may rely on a new method of noninvasive brain stimulation using pulsed ultrasound developed by a team of scientists led by William "Jamie" Tyler, a neuroscientist at Arizona State University. The approach, published in the journal Neuron on June 9, shows that pulsed ultrasound not only stimulates action potentials in intact motor cortex in mice but it also "elicits motor responses comparable to those only previously achieved with implanted electrodes and related techniques," says Yusuf Tufail, the lead author from ASU's School of Life Sciences.

10 Jun 2010

Adeona completes 50% enrollment in Part 2 CopperProof-2 study of oral zinc cysteine for Alzheimer's Disease

Adeona Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the completion of 50% enrollment in Part 2 of its clinical study, A Prospective, Randomized, Double Blind Trial of a Novel Oral Zinc Cysteine Preparation in Alzheimer's Disease (CopperProof-2).

7 Jun 2010

DBS procedure effective for treating Parkinson's disease

Studies have shown that a "brain pacemaker" called deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective treatment for Parkinson's disease.

3 Jun 2010

Excess levels of a protein associated with TNF may produce cognitive decline: Studies

Two new studies suggest that excess levels of a protein associated with inflammation, TNF, may produce cognitive decline. TNF regulates both inflammation and brain function. TNF is elevated in the blood in many autoimmune diseases, and in the fluid surrounding the brain in Alzheimer's disease.

2 Jun 2010

Corvalen M introduced for treatment of fibromyalgia symptoms

Fibromyalgia affects as many as one in 50 Americans, 90 percent of whom are women. Yet, despite its nearly epidemic status, patients still often rely on pharmaceutical options solely for treatment. That's why Bioenergy Life Science, Inc. has introduced Corvalen M, a natural treatment option for fibromyalgia symptoms.

28 May 2010

UCSF scientists discover new stem cell in developing human brain

UCSF scientists have discovered a new stem cell in the developing human brain. The cell produces nerve cells that help form the neocortex - the site of higher cognitive function -- and likely accounts for the dramatic expansion of the region in the lineages that lead to man, the researchers say.

26 May 2010

Increasing levels of GGA3 protein prevent accumulation of enzyme linked to Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine have zeroed in on a protein that may play a role in the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The team found that increasing levels of the protein (called GGA3) prevented the accumulation of an enzyme linked to Alzheimer's. The strategy may lead to new treatments for the neurodegenerative disease.

26 May 2010

Non-adherence to medication increases risk of falling in older adults

Older adults increase their chances of falling by not taking their medications as directed, according to an article in the latest edition of the Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological and Medical Sciences (Volume 65A, Number 5). This new information comes from a recent study of Boston-area residents over age 70, which found that those who sometimes neglected their medications experienced a 50 percent increased rate of falls compared with those who did not.

20 May 2010

Study confirms inverse association of increase in BMI with lower brain volumes

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine determined that excess abdominal fat places otherwise healthy, middle-aged people at risk for dementia later in life. Preliminary findings suggest a relationship between obesity and dementia that could lead to promising prevention strategies in the future. Results of this study are published early online in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association.

20 May 2010

Targacept commences Phase 2 clinical proof of concept trial of TC-5619 in adults with ADHD

Targacept, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel NNR Therapeutics (TM), today announced that it has initiated a Phase 2 clinical proof of concept trial of TC-5619 in adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). TC-5619 is a novel small molecule that is highly selective for the alpha7 neuronal nicotinic receptor, which Targacept refers to as NNR, and was discovered by Targacept scientists using Targacept's proprietary drug discovery platform known as Pentad (TM).

19 May 2010

Study examines impact of APOE ε4 on cognitive function, brain anatomy in AD patients

In the most comprehensive study to date, neurologists have clearly identified significant differences in the ways that Alzheimer's disease affects patients with and without the apolipoprotein E ε4 gene, a known genetic risk factor for the neurodegenerative disease, using a combination of cognitive and neuroanatomic measures. The study found that this gene influences the way the disease manifests, even at its mildest clinical stages.