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.

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

Patient with certain gene variation more likely to suffer cognitive decline five years after surgery

Long-term memory loss, difficulty understanding verbal or written communication or impaired ability to pay attention may still occur five years after heart surgery if a patient has a certain gene variation, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2013 annual meeting.

14 Oct 2013

Cholinergic degeneration marks gait speed in Parkinson’s patients

Gait speed is preserved in patients with Parkinson’s disease who have isolated dopaminergic denervation, but reduced in those with comorbid cholinergic denervation, research shows.

10 Oct 2013

U.S. Army Grants QR Pharma, UCLA $3M To Test TBI Treatment

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9 Oct 2013

GABA inverse agonist restores learning, memory performances in cognitively-impaired DS mice

A selective GABA inverse agonist has restored cognitive function in a mouse model of Down's syndrome (DS) and has the potential to benefit humans, French researchers have revealed.

8 Oct 2013

Statin medications pose no threat to short-term memory and may protect against dementia

A review of dozens of studies on the use of statin medications to prevent heart attacks shows that the commonly prescribed drugs pose no threat to short-term memory, and that they may even protect against dementia when taken for more than one year.

2 Oct 2013

Cogstate test shows effective treatment option for schizophrenia

Medical technology company Cogstate continues to strengthen its position as an essential partner for measuring cognition in important studies around the world, with results from a schizophrenia study using Cogstate's test published in a major scientific journal.

27 Sep 2013

Research shows commonly prescribed statin medicines can adversely affect cognitive function

New research that looked at whether two commonly prescribed statin medicines, used to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or 'bad cholesterol' levels in the blood, can adversely affect cognitive function has found that one of the drugs tested caused memory impairment in rats.

26 Sep 2013

Cerebral imaging in patients with early symptoms of AD may have better clinical outcomes

Patients suffering from early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease who were diagnosed sooner than usual using a brain imaging test received Alzheimer-specific medications earlier than those who did not have the brain imaging results available to their doctors or themselves.

25 Sep 2013

Protecting stem cells around hippocampus in brain reduces rate of memory loss in cancer patients

Protecting the stem cells that reside in and around the hippocampus - a C-shaped area in the temporal lobe on both sides of the brain associated with the ability to form and store memories - substantially reduces the rate of cancer patients' memory loss during whole-brain radiotherapy without a significant risk of recurrence in that area of the brain, a new study shows.

24 Sep 2013

Sleep disturbances may influence vascular cognitive decline

Patients with vascular cognitive impairment without dementia have distinct abnormal sleep patterns that may be related to their cognitive deficits, researchers report.

23 Sep 2013

Falls are the leading cause of injuries in older populations

One of the top reasons for trauma admission at Vanderbilt University Medical Center may come as a surprise: falls.

23 Sep 2013

First clinical trials to diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s disease

More than a century ago, Alois Alzheimer, a Bavarian physician, first identified the neurodegenerative brain condition that came to be known as Alzheimer's disease. Finding ways to diagnose and treat this disease has frustrated scientists and clinicians ever since.

19 Sep 2013

Brain atrophy leads to cognitive decline in T2DM people

New research has shown that cognitive decline in people with Type 2 Diabetes is likely due to brain atrophy, or shrinkage, that resembles patterns seen in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

13 Sep 2013

Levels of certain fats in cerebral spinal fluid can predict patients with HIV, say scientists

Johns Hopkins scientists have found that levels of certain fats found in cerebral spinal fluid can predict which patients with HIV are more likely to become intellectually impaired.

12 Sep 2013

UK and US policies risk conscription into unwanted 'war against dementia'

A political drive, led by the UK and US, to screen older people for minor memory changes (often called mild cognitive impairment or pre-dementia) is leading to unnecessary investigation and potentially harmful treatment for what is arguably an inevitable consequence of ageing, warn experts on bmj.com today.

11 Sep 2013