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BACKGROUND: Hispanics/Latinos are the largest racial/ethnic group among underrepresented populations in the U.S. and multiple sociodemographic, cultural, and linguistic factors have been found to impact their performances on cognitive testing. Despite this, few normative data are available for the heterogeneous Spanish-speaking population in the U.S. OBJECTIVE: To generate normative data on the Trail-Making Test (TMT), Bells Test, Symbol-Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), and the Brief Test of Attention (BTA) for Spanish speakers residing in the U.S. METHODS: The sample included 245 Spanish-speaking individuals aged 18– 80 from eight states across the U.S. (California, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, New Jersey, Oregon, Virginia, and Wisconsin). Participants were administered attention and processing speed measures as part of a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. We used a Bayesian regression approach to estimate normative data, including covariates found to be important for predicting performances on measures of attention and processing speed. RESULTS: Sociodemographic factors including education, time in the U.S., acculturation, age, and/or sex had differential effects on the TMT-A, TMT-B, SDMT, and the BTA whereas the Bells Test was not influenced by any of these sociodemographic factors. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that while sex, age, and educational attainment are important factors to consider, language and acculturation can also influence attention and processing speed performances among Spanish speakers in the U.S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Improve data‐driven research to inform clinical decision‐making with pediatric epilepsy surgery patients by expanding the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium Epilepsy Surgery (PERC‐Surgery) Workgroup to include neuropsychological data. This article reports on the process and initial success of this effort and characterizes the cognitive functioning of the largest multi‐site pediatric epilepsy surgery cohort in the United States. Methods: Pediatric neuropsychologists from 18 institutions completed surveys regarding neuropsychological practice and the impact of involvement in the collaborative. Neuropsychological data were entered through an online database. Descriptive analyses examined the survey responses and cognitive functioning of the cohort. Statistical analyses examined which patients were evaluated and if composite scores differed by domain, demographics, measures used, or epilepsy characteristics. Results: Positive impact of participation was evident by attendance, survey responses, and the neuropsychological data entry of 534 presurgical epilepsy patients. This cohort, ages 6 months to 21 years, were majority White and non‐Hispanic, and more likely to have private insurance. Mean intelligence quotient (IQ) scores were below to low average, with weaknesses in working memory and processing speed. Full‐scale IQ (FSIQ) was lowest for patients with younger age at seizure onset, daily seizures, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities. Significance: We established a collaborative network and fundamental infrastructure to address questions outlined by the Epilepsy Research Benchmarks. There is a wide range in the age and IQ of patients considered for pediatric epilepsy surgery, yet it appears that social determinants of health impact access to care. Consistent with other national cohorts, this US cohort has a downward shift in IQ associated with seizure severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress can elicit both positive and negative impacts on cognition. Less is known about whether and how daily stressors are associated with perceived cognitive performance in healthcare workers. We examined daily associations between stressors and perceived cognitive performance in nurses and whether these associations differed by age or nursing tenure. Using 14‐day smartphone‐based ecological momentary assessment, 60 inpatient nurses at a U.S. cancer hospital reported the frequency and severity of daily stressors (e.g., arguments, accidents). Each day, participants subjectively evaluated their mental focus, memory, and processing speed. Multilevel modelling examined the within‐ and between‐person associations of daily stressors with cognitive performance. More stressors were associated with poorer perceived cognitive performance at both within‐ and between‐person levels for both daily stressor frequency and severity. For moderation by age, the within‐person stressor severity—cognitive performance relationship was only significant for nurses who were younger, but not for those who were older. Similarly, the within‐person associations of daily stressor frequency and severity with cognitive performance were only significant for nurses with a shorter tenure. Findings suggest daily stressors may degrade perceived cognitive performance in nurses and the impact may be stronger for those who are younger or with less experience on the job. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acculturation to the mainstream culture and the settlement contexts could shape cognitive function of older immigrants. Guided by ecological theory, this study examines the interaction effect between individual acculturation and ecology of family on cognitive function among older Chinese Americans. Data were derived from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago (n = 3,019). Family types included tight-knit (high solidarity and low conflicts), unobligated-ambivalent (high solidarity and conflicts), commanding-conflicted (low solidarity and high conflicts), and detached (low solidarity and low conflicts). Acculturation was measured via language ability, media use, and ethnic social relations. Cognitive function was evaluated by global cognition, episodic memory, working memory, processing speed, and mini-mental state examination. Multiple regression analyses and interaction terms were used. Older adults in the commanding-conflicted type had the lowest cognitive function. After controlling confounding variables, higher levels of acculturation (b = 0.009, SE = 0.003, p <.01) were associated with higher levels of global cognition. Acculturation buffered the negative impact of having a commanding-conflicted relationship with children on global cognition (b = 0.070, SE = 0.016, p <.001). Language ability, media use, and ethnic social relations played a unique role in the relationships between family types and cognitive domains. Acculturation to the dominant culture is identified as a cultural asset for cognitive function in older Chinese Americans. Social services could protect cognitive function of older immigrants in the commanding-conflicted type through enhancing cultural participation. Future research could test how affective and cognitive aspects of acculturation affect health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cognitive decline may progress for decades before dementia onset. Better cardiovascular health (CVH) has been related to less cognitive decline, but it is unclear whether this begins early, for all racial subgroups, and all domains of cognitive function. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of CVH on decline in the 2 domains of cognition that decline first in White and Black women at midlife., Methods and Results: Subjects were 363 Black and 402 White women, similar in baseline age (mean±SD, 46.6±3.0 years) and education (15.7±2.0 years), from the Chicago site of the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation. Cognition, measured as processing speed and working memory, was assessed annually or biennially over a maximum of 20 years (mean±SD, 9.8±6.7 years). CVH was measured as Life's Essential 8 (blood pressure, body mass index, glucose, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, smoking, physical activity, diet, sleep). Hierarchical linear mixed models identified predictors of cognitive decline with progressive levels of adjustment. There was a decline in processing speed that was explained by race, age, and the 3-way interaction of race, CVH, and time ( F 1,4308 =8.8, P =0.003). CVH was unrelated to decline in White women but in Black women poorer CVH was associated with greater decline. Working memory did not decline in the total cohort, by race, or by CVH., Conclusions: In midlife Black women, CVH promotion may be a target for preventing the beginnings of cognitive decline, thereby enhancing independent living with aging.

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess utility of in vivo myelin imaging in combat Veterans with and without history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). We hypothesized that those with history of mTBI would have lower myelin water fraction (MWF), a marker of myelin integrity and content, than those without, and lower MWF would be associated with worse speeded attention/processing speed. Research design: Combat Veterans (N = 70) with (n = 42) and without history of mTBI (n = 28) underwent neuroimaging including a novel myelin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging technique (multicomponent-driven equilibrium single-pulse observation of T1/T2; mcDESPOT) and comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. Results: There were no group differences in MWF using a region-of-interest approach. An exploratory analysis applying limited spatial constraints, however, revealed significantly more 'potholes' (clusters of low MWF) in Veterans with history of mTBI compared to those without. Lower MWF across several ROIs was associated with worse performance on a speeded attention task across groups. Conclusion: Veterans in the post-acute period following mTBI showed limited and spatially heterogeneous MWF changes and myelin integrity was significantly related to processing speed. This preliminary evidence for usefulness of mcDESPOT in combat Veterans with history of mTBI warrants future research to determine mcDESPOT's relative utility compared to techniques such as diffusion tensor imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tilt refers to a pattern of specific abilities and is based on within subject differences in two abilities (e.g., technical and academic), producing relative strength in one ability (technical) and relative weakness in another ability (academic). This study examined sex differences in the development of tilt in adolescence (13- to 17-years) using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (N = 6969), a representative sample of adolescents in the United States. Tilt was based on within subject differences in technical (mechanical, electrical, automotive) and academic abilities (math or verbal) on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. The differences produced tech tilt (technical > academic) and academic tilt (academic > technical). Consistent with investment theories and sex differences in technical preferences, males showed increases in tech tilt over time, whereas females showed increases in academic tilt over time, with sex differences in tilt increasing with age. In addition, processing speed and general intelligence (g) mediated most age-tilt relations, with age-tech tilt relations generally being stronger for males. The stronger age-tech tilt relations for males support investment theories and sex differences in vocational interests, which assume that stronger technical interests in males accelerate increases in tech tilt over time. The mediating effects of speed and g are consistent with cascade theories, which assume that age-related increases in speed boost g , which in turn boosts tilt. Future research should examine factors that influence sex differences in the development of tilt, including vocational interests (e.g., technical and academic), developmental period (e.g., later adulthood), and exceptional ability (e.g., intellectual giftedness). • Tilt was based on differences in technical and academic (math or verbal) abilities. • Tilt relations with age, processing speed, and g were examined in adolescence. • Males showed age-related increases in tech tilt (tech > academic). • Females showed age-related increases in academic tilt (academic > tech). • Age-tech tilt relations were stronger for males and mediated by speed and g. • Results supported investment theories and sex differences in technical preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Processing Speed Test (PST), a validated iPad®-based cognitive screening test for MS, has been applied to the cognitive assessment of Japanese MS patients using US normative data., Methods: To develop PST normative data from Japanese healthy volunteers and compare the PST score distribution between Japanese and US healthy volunteers, 254 healthy Japanese-speaking volunteers were enrolled and stratified by age (20-65 years). Potential participants with a Mini-Mental State Examination score < 27 were excluded. PST raw scores (total correct) were from the Japan cohort and compared with age-restricted US normative data and propensity score-matched data created by matching sex, age, and educational level from a published study of 428 healthy participants. PST score distributions and standardized z-scores were compared using t-test and Kolmogorov-Smirnov test statistics., Results: The mean age of the Japan cohort was 44.1 years. The PST scores of Japanese volunteers were significantly different from those of the age-restricted (mean ± SD 61.8 ± 10.1 vs 53.7 ± 10.8; p < 0.001) and the propensity score-matched US cohort (62.1 ± 10.1 vs 53.3 ± 10.6; p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Regression analyses centered on US normative data could underestimate disease severity in Japanese MS patients, suggesting that separate normative data should be considered for each population sample., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest MN has received consultant fees from Biogen; and travel and/or speaker honoraria from Biogen, Takeda, Mitsubishi Tanabe, Chugai, Alexion, and Novartis, YM has nothing to disclose, AA and ME were former employees of Biogen, NB, MK, IC, CdM, and JRW are employees of and may hold stock/stock options in Biogen, SMR has authored IP around the MS PATHS software; is a stockholder and scientific officer of Qr8 Health; and has received royalties and grant funding from Biogen, National MS Society, Department of Defense, and NIH., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The article presents a study which examines the effects of a supplement containing stimulants, such as caffeine and dimethylamylamine, use on Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) among athletes. The study used Web-based version of ImPACT to assess neurocognitive function. Results show the significant effect of stimulant ingestion for the improvement of memory, visual processing speed, and reaction time.

Although previous research has identified contemporaneous associations between cognitive deficits and symptom phenotypes in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, no studies have as yet attempted to identify direction of effect. The present study used cross-lagged path modeling to examine competing hypotheses about longitudinal associations between rapid naming speed and symptoms of inattention in children. 1,506 school-age twins from Australia and the U.S. were tested for inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and rapid naming speed at three and four time points, respectively. Symptom severity of inattention from Kindergarten to fourth grade is consistently predicted by previous rapid naming, over and above auto-regressive and correlational associations in the model. Likewise, inattention symptoms have a small but significant predictive effect on subsequent rapid naming. The findings support a reciprocal relationship between naming speed and ADHD inattentive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neuropsychological test scores of 47 children with traumatic head injury (THI), aged 9-14 years, were evaluated to determine the relative contributions of severity of injury (length of coma) and age on performance. Stepwise regression analyses revealed that age consistently explained a statistically significant proportion of the variance on the Trail Making Test (TMT) and Finger Tapping Test (FTT), even after accounting for injury severity. However, logistic regression analyses indicated that currently available age-based norms for these tests did not improve classification of mild-moderate vs. severe injuries, as compared to a system based exclusively on raw scores. It is concluded that, whereas age is an important consideration when assessing children with THI, available age-based norms for some common paediatric neuropsychological tests do not appear to be sufficiently stratified or robust to fully capture these age effects. It is suggested that more comprehensive age-referenced norms, based on larger and more adequately stratified samples, are needed. In addition, some practical implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]