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AbstractPurposeMethodsResultsConclusions\nIMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThis study evaluates the effects of phonological awareness (PA) and combined PA/transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) interventions to improve rapid automatized naming (RAN) and verbal short-term memory (VSTM) in developmental dyslexia.In this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial, we included a PA+sham tDCS group [Mean age: 9.54 (1.15), 71% male] and a PA+ active tDCS group [Mean age: 9.18 (1.30), 85% male] in which we applied tDCS over the left parieto-temporal junction. Each volunteer participated in 15 intervention sessions (session duration 60 min, 3 times per week × 5 weeks). Data of the groups over time were analyzed by a mixed model analysis of variance (ANOVA) with the between-subject factor group and the within-subject factor time.The PA intervention led to increased RAN and VSTM test scores in both groups after the end of interventions (p < 0.05). tDCS had no further effect on outcome measures as compared to PA intervention alone.PA training is valuable to improve RAN and VSTM abilities in dyslexia. Anodal tDCS during the PA intervention had no further therapeutic effect on these skills. Therefore, the use of anodal tDCS over the left parieto-temporal junction is not recommended to improve RAN and VSTM functions in dyslexia. Phonological processing difficulties, including reduced phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming and verbal short-term memory are the leading cause of dyslexia.Phonological awareness training is beneficial to improve automatized naming and verbal short-term memory abilities in dyslexia.Transcranial direct current stimulation is an adjunctive method applied in reading studies to improve performance.This study showed the effectiveness of phonological awareness training on rapid automatized naming and verbal short-term memory abilities, but transcranial direct current stimulation did not have an additional effect on this improvement in the present study.Because of the limited effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation as adjunctive intervention in the treatment of dyslexia, rehabilitation professionals should use it conservatively.Rehabilitation professionals should use phonological awareness training to improve rapid automatized naming and verbal short-term memory instead of separate treatment of these deficits.Phonological processing difficulties, including reduced phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming and verbal short-term memory are the leading cause of dyslexia.Phonological awareness training is beneficial to improve automatized naming and verbal short-term memory abilities in dyslexia.Transcranial direct current stimulation is an adjunctive method applied in reading studies to improve performance.This study showed the effectiveness of phonological awareness training on rapid automatized naming and verbal short-term memory abilities, but transcranial direct current stimulation did not have an additional effect on this improvement in the present study.Because of the limited effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation as adjunctive intervention in the treatment of dyslexia, rehabilitation professionals should use it conservatively.Rehabilitation professionals should use phonological awareness training to improve rapid automatized naming and verbal short-term memory instead of separate treatment of these deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cognitive decline in multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with neuro-axonal loss, quantifiable by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Associations between OCT measures and cognition in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) remain incompletely investigated, particularly the added value of OCT when combined with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We investigated the contributions of OCT and MRI while applying stringent criteria to control for subclinical optic neuropathy. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 137 RRMS patients underwent OCT, Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS), Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and brain MRI (lesion load, grey and white matter volume); associations were explored using linear regression models. Results: RRMS patients (aged 40.88 ± 10.6 years; disease duration 7.95 ± 7.39 years; EDSS 2; 0–6.5) were studied. Of BICAMS, 50.36% showed impaired Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), 37.23% impaired Brief Visuospatial Memory Test and 5.11% impaired California Verbal Learning and Memory Test; better SDMT performance was associated with thicker ganglion cell-inner plexiform (GCIPL) layers for eyes unaffected by optic neuritis (B = 0.23, 95% CI = (0.01–0.44), p = 0.03), but not when MRI measures were included (B = 0.18, CI = (−0.03 to 0.38), p = 0.09). Conclusion: GCIPL thinning correlates with SDMT, supporting OCT as a biomarker of cognitive dysfunction. However, GCIPL did not uniquely predict SDMT performance when including MRI measures, suggesting limited utility of OCT in predicting cognitive performance over MRI in RRMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Memory decline is common in multiple sclerosis (MS), although pathophysiological mechanisms are not fully understood. Objective: The objective was to investigate the relationship of changes in structural and functional neuroimaging markers to memory decline over 3-year follow-up. Methods: Participants with MS underwent cognitive evaluation and structural, diffusion, and functional 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans at baseline and 3-year follow-up. Changes in neuroimaging metrics from baseline to follow-up were compared between memory stable and memory decline groups. Our hypothesis that structural and functional connectivity changes mediate the association of atrophy to memory decline was tested. Results: A total of 249 MS patients completed baseline visit; 169 (67.8%) returned at 3-year follow-up. Based on ⩾10% decline, memory decline was observed in 44.4% (n = 75). Those with memory decline showed marginally greater whole-brain volume loss over time compared with those with stable memory performance (p = 0.08). In those with memory decline, changes in white matter tract integrity were related to regional cortical thinning (p < 0.01). Exploratory mediation analysis revealed structural and functional connectivity to mediate the relationship of atrophy to verbal and visual memory decline. Conclusion: Further work is needed to characterize complex interrelationships of atrophy and structural/functional connectivity changes to memory decline in MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information that is particularly relevant for upcoming behaviour can be prioritised within working memory, by directing attention to it. Receiving focused attention during retention is assumed to be associated with specific benefits, such as increased memory performance and reduced vulnerability to perceptual distractions. This has been demonstrated in visuospatial working memory. Given the domain-general nature of the focus of attention, these benefits should extend to verbal working memory as well. This was tested in the current study. In particular, we examined and compared the effects of cue-based and reward-based prioritisation in verbal working memory across a series of five preregistered experiments. These experiments varied in their memory materials, set size, interference, and memory task. Our results collectively revealed several key findings. First, both cue-based and reward-based prioritisation led to a clear and consistent memory boost for prioritised information in verbal working memory. Second, the memory boost induced by cue-based prioritisation was mostly comparable to that induced by reward-based prioritisation. Third, memory for verbal information did not drastically suffer when exposed to perceptual interference. And finally, the effect of perceptual interference on verbal information was not drastically influenced by whether the information was prioritised or not. Overall, this series of experiments contributes to understanding the consequences of directed attention in verbal working memory and highlights similarities and differences from findings in visuospatial working memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working memory is the system that supports the temporary storage and processing of information. It is generally agreed that working memory is a mental workspace, with a combination of resources operating together to maintain information in mind for potential use in thought and action. Theories typically acknowledge the contributions of long-term memory to this system. One particular aspect of long-term memory, namely semantic long-term memory, can effectively supplement or "boost" working memory performance. This may be a relatively automatic process via the semantic properties of the stimuli or more active via strategy development and implementation. However, the precise mechanisms require greater theoretical understanding. In this review of the literature, we critically discuss theoretical models of working memory and their proposed links with long-term memory. We also explore empirical research that contributes to our understanding of the ways in which semantics can support performance of both verbal and visuospatial working memory tasks, with a view to potential intervention development. This includes the possibility of training people with lower performance (e.g., older adults) to use semantics during working memory tasks. We conclude that semantics may offer an opportunity to maximise working memory performance. However, to realise this potential, more research is needed, particularly in the visuospatial domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visuospatial bootstrapping refers to the well-replicated phenomena in which serial recall in a purely verbal task is boosted by presenting digits within the familiar spatial layout of a typical telephone keypad. The visuospatial bootstrapping phenomena indicates that additional support comes from long-term knowledge of a fixed spatial pattern, and prior experimentation supports the idea that access to this benefit depends on the availability of the visuospatial motor system. We investigate this by tracking participants' eye movements during encoding and retention of verbal lists to learn whether gaze patterns support verbal memory differently when verbal information is presented in the familiar visual layout. Participants' gaze was recorded during attempts to recall lists of seven digits in three formats: centre of the screen, typical telephone keypad, or a spatially identical layout with randomised number placement. Performance was better with the typical than with the novel layout. Our data show that eye movements differ when encoding and retaining verbal information that has a familiar layout compared with the same verbal information presented in a novel layout, suggesting recruitment of different spatial rehearsal strategies. However, no clear link between gaze pattern and recall accuracy was observed, which suggests that gazes play a limited role in retention, at best. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key quality of a good theory is its fruitfulness, one measure of which might be the degree to which it compels researchers to test it, refine it, or offer alternative explanations of the same empirical data. Perhaps the most fruitful element of Baddeley and Hitch's (1974) Working Memory framework has been the concept of a short-term phonological store, a discrete cognitive module dedicated to the passive storage of verbal material that is architecturally fractionated from perceptual, language, and articulatory systems. This review discusses how the phonological store construct has served as the main theoretical springboard for an alternative perceptual-motor approach in which serial-recall performance reflects the opportunistic co-opting of the articulatory-planning system and, when auditory material is involved, the products of obligatory auditory perceptual organisation. It is argued that this approach, which rejects the need to posit a distinct short-term store, provides a better account of the two putative empirical hallmarks of the phonological store—the phonological similarity effect and the irrelevant speech effect—and that it shows promise too in being able to account for nonword repetition and word-form learning, the supposed evolved function of the phonological store. The neuropsychological literature cited as strong additional support for the phonological store concept is also scrutinised through the lens of the perceptual-motor approach for the first time and a tentative articulatory-planning deficit hypothesis for the "short-term memory" patient profile is advanced. Finally, the relation of the perceptual-motor approach to other "emergent-property" accounts of short-term memory is briefly considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In principle, functional neuroimaging provides uniquely informative data in addressing linguistic questions, because it can indicate distinct processes that are not apparent from behavioral data alone. This could involve adjudicating the source of unacceptability via the different patterns of elicited brain responses to different ungrammatical sentence types. However, it is difficult to interpret brain activations to syntactic violations. Such responses could reflect processes that have nothing intrinsically related to linguistic representations, such as domain-general executive function abilities. To facilitate the potential use of functional neuroimaging methods to identify the source of different syntactic violations, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment to identify the brain activation maps associated with two distinct syntactic violation types: phrase structure (created by inverting the order of two adjacent words within a sentence) and subject islands (created by extracting a wh-phrase out of an embedded subject). The comparison of these violations to control sentences surprisingly showed no indication of a generalized violation response, with almost completely divergent activation patterns. Phrase structure violations seemingly activated regions previously implicated in verbal working memory and structural complexity in sentence processing, whereas the subject islands appeared to activate regions previously implicated in conceptual-semantic processing, broadly defined. We review our findings in the context of previous research on syntactic and semantic violations using ERPs. Although our results suggest potentially distinct underlying mechanisms underlying phrase structure and subject island violations, our results are tentative and suggest important methodological considerations for future research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain serotonin 4 receptor (5-HT 4 R) levels are lower in untreated patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and are linked to verbal memory. Here, we investigated the relationship between 5-HT 4 R levels, clinical outcomes, and cognitive function in patients with MDD who initiated selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor drug treatment. Ninety patients with moderate to severe depression underwent molecular brain imaging to measure 5-HT 4 R binding prior to antidepressant treatment with escitalopram. Pretreatment 5-HT 4 R binding was assessed for its ability to predict treatment outcome at weeks 4, 8, or 12. In 40 patients who were rescanned 8 weeks posttreatment, change in cerebral 5-HT 4 R binding was correlated with change in verbal memory and with change in depressive symptoms, as evaluated by the 6-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. After 8 weeks of serotonergic intervention, neostriatal 5-HT 4 R binding was reduced by 9%. Global change in 5-HT 4 R binding from baseline was associated with verbal memory outcomes, but not with overall clinical depressive symptom outcomes. Pretreatment 5-HT 4 R binding did not predict clinical recovery status at week 8 and was not associated with change in the 6-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores. In patients with moderate to severe MDD, treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors downregulated neostriatal 5-HT 4 R levels, which is consistent with the notion that the drugs increase cerebral extracellular serotonin. The less global brain 5-HT 4 R levels were downregulated after selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the more verbal memory improved, highlighting the potential importance of 5-HT 4 R as a treatment target in MDD. The findings offer insights into mechanisms that underlie antidepressant effects and point to new directions for precision medicine treatments for MDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Changes in verbal memory have been reliably reported across the menopause transition. To understand the role of endogenous estrogens in verbal memory performance, this study assessed the associations of endogenous estradiol and estrone with brain network connectivity during a verbal memory fMRI task. Objective Determine associations of endogenous estrogens with memory systems in the postmenopausal brain and evaluate clinical significance. Methods In the MsBrain cohort (n = 199, mean age 59.3 ± 3.9 years, 83.9% White), we examined the cross-sectional association of serum estradiol (E2) and estrone (E1), measured using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), during a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task of word encoding and recognition. To characterize the clinical significance of those associations, we examined the magnitude of activation in relation to a neuropsychological measures of memory and affect. Results Endogenous E2 was positively associated with activation in temporal and frontal cortices during encoding and negatively associated with one prefrontal region during recognition (P <.05). Activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus was associated with memory performance (β [SE] = 0.004 [0.002]; P <.05), and anxiety (β [SE] = −0.100 [0.050]; P <.05). The left middle frontal gyrus was associated with memory performance (β [SE] = 0.006 [0.002]; P <.01), depression, and anxiety. The left superior temporal gyrus (STG) was associated with depression (β [SE] = −0.083 [0.036]; P <.05) and anxiety (β [SE] = −0.134 [0.058]; P <.05). E1 was positively associated with activation in a range of brain areas including bilateral STG and right superior frontal gyrus during encoding (P <.05). Activation of the left insula and precentral gyrus were associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. None related to memory. Conclusion The function of brain areas critical to memory performance varies with estrogen levels in the postmenopause, even though those levels are low. Higher levels of E2 may facilitate memory performance through enhanced function of temporal and frontal cortices during encoding of verbal material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The effect of oral Cannabidiol (CBD) on interference during learning and memory (L&M) in healthy human volunteers has not been studied. Method: A two-arm crossover, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at Colorado State University Pueblo (CSU Pueblo) to evaluate the effects of 246 mg oral CBD on L&M in healthy adults. Among 57 healthy volunteers enrolled, 35 were included in the analyses. For assessment of L&M, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) was used to evaluate verbal baseline cognitive function; RAVLT-R tests (List A and List B recalls, Proactive and Retroactive Interference ratios, and Forgetting Speed ratio) were used to evaluate verbal declarative memory; and total prose recall was used to evaluate verbal logical memory. Linear Mixed Models with Bonferroni Corrections were used to compare L&M results between primary outcomes (CBD vs. placebo) and secondary demographic outcomes, with a two-tailed statistical significance of P < 0.05. Results: CBD administration did not affect any of the dependent variables measured compared to the placebo group. There were no effects of THC, history of CBD use, or sex on CBD's modulation of L&M. However, a highly significant interaction effect between treatment groups (CBD vs. placebo) and age of subjects was observed for the PI ratio (P = 0.008; n = 35). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that administration of oral CBD alone does not significantly impair L&M in healthy adults. However, age might influence CBD related modulation of proactive interference during human L&M. Future research involving a larger group of older adults is needed to confirm this potential effect. Trial registration: The study was approved by the CSU Pueblo IRB, conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06074172). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Monocytes are susceptible to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, form HIV reservoirs, and contribute to central nervous system complications (eg, cognitive impairment) in virally suppressed women with HIV (vsWWH). However, it remains unknown if the quality and/or quantity of the monocyte reservoir contributes to cognition in vsWWH. Methods Sixty-two vsWWH (mean age = 56.1 years, SD = 7.1; 93% Black, non-Hispanic; all HIV RNA <250 copies/mL) completed a cognitive test battery, blood draw, and whole-blood immunophenotyping. Monocytes and CD4 T cells were isolated from a subset of 53 participants and the HIV reservoir was assessed using cell-specific intact proviral DNA assays (IPDA). Demographically adjusted z-scores were calculated for each outcome using data from participants without HIV in the Women's Interagency HIV Study. Cognitive outcomes of interest included domain-specific and global z-scores. Results Thirty-Eight percent of vsWWH had detectable intact HIV genomes in monocytes (median = 21.5 copies/million). Higher levels of intact HIV genomes per million monocytes were associated with poorer verbal memory (delayed recall, r = 0.55, P =.01; recognition, r = 0.46, P =.04), fine motor skills (r = 0.50, P =.03), and global function (r = 0.47, P =.04). Higher levels of intact HIV genomes in monocytes were associated with percent intermediate monocytes (r = 0.60, P =.008), and the ratio of intact per intermediate monocyte was associated with worse memory (r = −0.59, P =.008). There were no associations between CD4 reservoir and cognition. Conclusions The number of intact HIV genomes per million monocytes was related to poorer cognition and the percentage of intermediate monocytes. These findings suggest that the presence of HIV genomes in general do not relate to cognitive complications, but intact, and therefore potentially replication-competent HIV, may contribute to cognitive complications in vsWWH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pathophysiology of cognitive impairment (CI) in multiple sclerosis (MS) remains unclear. Meningeal B cell aggregates may contribute to cortical grey matter pathology. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), kappa free light chains (KFLC), and KFLCs-Index (kappa-Index) are reliable quantitative markers of intrathecal synthesis, but few data have been presented exploring the association with CI, and no data are present for lambda FLC (LFLC) in MS. We evaluated cognition using the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS) battery and collected serum and CSF at diagnosis in newly diagnosed drug-naïve MS patients. We observed that patients with impaired verbal memory and overall CI showed increased CSF KFLCs (respectively p: 0.0003 and p: 0.003) and kappa-Index (respectively p: 0.01 and p: 0.02) compared to those with normal verbal memory and no CI. Patients with CI also displayed lower CSF LFLCs (p: 0.04) and lambda-Index (p: 0.001); however, only CSF KFLC negatively correlated with normalized results of verbal memory (for age, sex, and educational levels), even after correction for EDSS (r: −0.27 p: 0.01). Finally, CSF FKLC and kappa-Index were significant predictors of verbal memory in a multivariate analysis. Our results, suggest that intrathecal B cell activity might contribute to CI development in MS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short-term memory for sequences of verbal items such as written words is reliably impaired by task-irrelevant background sounds, a phenomenon known as the "Irrelevant Sound Effect" (ISE). Different theoretical accounts have been proposed to explain the mechanisms underlying the ISE. Some of these assume specific interference between obligatory sound processing and phonological or serial order representations generated during task performance, whereas other posit that background sounds involuntarily divert attention away from the focal task. To explore the roles of phonological processing, serial order retention, and attention control, we analyzed the effects of environmental non-speech sounds and unfamiliar speech on serial recall of verbal items (pictures representing German nouns) and spatial items (dot locations) in children (n = 137) and adults (n = 98). In the verbal task, both age groups were equally affected by background sounds, with speech impairing recall more than environmental sounds. In the spatial task, no ISE was found in adults and fourth graders, but third graders exhibited significant performance impairment from both sounds. There was no habituation to the sound effects across the experimental trials. The findings indicate that both specific interference and attention capture may contribute to the ISE, with the impact of attention capture potentially decreasing with age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many aspects of human performance require producing sequences of items in serial order. The current study takes a multiple-case approach to investigate whether the system responsible for serial order is shared across cognitive domains, focusing on working memory (WM) and word production. Serial order performance in three individuals with post-stroke language and verbal WM disorders (hereafter persons with aphasia, PWAs) were assessed using recognition and recall tasks for verbal and visuospatial WM, as well as error analyses in spoken and written production tasks to assess whether there was a tendency to produce the correct phonemes/letters in the wrong order. One PWA exhibited domain-specific serial order deficits in verbal and visuospatial WM. The PWA with verbal serial order WM deficit made more serial order errors than expected by chance in both repetition and writing-to-dictation tasks, whereas the other two PWAs showed no serial order deficits in verbal WM and production tasks. These findings suggest separable serial order systems for verbal and visuospatial WM and a shared system for serial order processing in verbal WM and word production. Implications for the domain-generality of WM, its connection to language production, and serial order processing across cognitive functionssc are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Objective Methods Results Conclusions Cognitive impairment is common at all stages of Parkinson's disease (PD), but there is no consensus on which neuropsychological tests to use or how to interpret cognitive battery results. A cognitive summary score (CSS) combines the richness of a neuropsychological battery with the simplicity of a single score.The objective of this study was to determine whether a CSS created using robust norming can detect early cognitive deficits in de novo, untreated PD.Baseline cognitive data from PD participants and healthy control participants (HCs) in the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative were used to (1) create a robust HC subgroup without cognitive decline, (2) generate regression‐based z scores for six cognitive measures using this subgroup, and (3) create a CSS by averaging all z scores.PD participants scored worse than HCs on all cognitive tests, with larger effects when compared with the robust HC subgroup rather than all HCs. Applying internally derived norms, the largest effects were for processing speed/working memory (Cohen's d = −0.55) and verbal episodic memory (Cohen's d = −0.48 and −0.52). Robust norming shifted PD performance from average (CSS z score = −0.01) to low average (CSS z score = −0.40), with a larger effect for the CSS (PD vs. robust HC subgroup; Cohen's d = −0.60) compared with individual tests.Patients with PD perform worse cognitively than HCs, particularly in processing speed and verbal memory. Robust norming increases effect sizes and decreases PD scores to expected levels. The CSS outperformed individual tests and may detect cognitive changes in early PD, making it a useful outcome measure in clinical research. © 2025 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Narration is a sensitive tool for the assessment of language in children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HF-ASD) since mild language deficits beyond the sentential level are not always noticeable through the administration of standardized language tests targeting the lexical or sentential level. This study investigated the narrative ability of monolingual Greek-speaking HF-ASD children in comparison to that of their typically developing (TD) peers and explored the associations between narrative variables, ADHD symptomatology, and memory skills in the participants on the autistic spectrum. Methods: The participants were 39 children aged 7 to 12 years, 19 with HF-ASD and 20 age-matched, vocabulary-matched, and cognitively matched TD peers. Results: The two groups were similar in most microstructural and macrostructural variables but differed significantly in syntactic complexity (p = 0.024; d = 0.754) and subordination (p < 0.001; d = −1.576) indices, implying that the HF-ASD group presented syntactic delay in comparison to their TD peers. The HF-ASD participants showed significantly higher heterogeneity in the amount of information generated for the story's main character (p = 0.004; d = −0.093) in comparison to their TD peers. Significant associations were observed between verbal and visual memory, complex syntactic structures, and Theory of Mind-related internal state terms. ADHD symptomatology was negatively correlated with the generation of simple and coordinated clauses. Finally, complex syntax and delayed vSTM were correlated with retelling total scores, indicating that language ability and verbal memory compensate for narrative competence in HF-ASD children. Conclusions: The findings highlight the impact that language skills, memory ability, and ADHD symptomatology have on narrative competence in children with HF-ASD, as well as the importance of narrative use for assessing the language skills in populations with mild language impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Memory dysfunction is a persistent cognitive symptom following traumatic brain injury (TBI), negatively impacting capacity for independent living and productivity. Traditional scoring of neuropsychological memory tests does not allow for differentiation of specific impairments of encoding, consolidation and/or retrieval, or the potential impact of strategy deficits. Method: The current study examined performance of 142 moderate-to-severe TBI participants and 68 demographically matched healthy controls on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) using Item Specific Data Analysis (ISDA) and strategy use analyses. Results: Results revealed significantly greater impairments in encoding, consolidation, and retrieval in TBI participants, compared to controls. Encoding deficits significantly explained the most variance in the long-delayed recall of TBI participants, followed by consolidation, and then retrieval. Participants with TBI showed a reduced ability to spontaneously apply strategies during learning, evident in decreased subjective clusters and increased word omissions, compared to controls. No difference was found between groups in passive learning strategy application, shown through serial clustering. Spontaneous strategy measures both uniquely accounted for variance in the encoding ability of TBI participants. Conclusions: These findings highlight the potential value in using ISDA and strategy use measures to assess RAVLT results to better characterize individual memory profiles and inform rehabilitative interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is not well understood how neighborhood disadvantage is associated with specific domains of cognitive function and underlying brain health within older adults. Thus, the objective was to examine associations between neighborhood disadvantage, brain health, and cognitive performance, and examine whether associations were more pronounced among women. The study included 136 older adults who underwent cognitive testing and MRI. Neighborhood disadvantage was characterized using the Area Deprivation Index (ADI). Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and multiple regressions were run. Multiple regressions, adjusted for age, sex, education, and depression, showed that higher ADI state rankings (greater disadvantage) were associated with poorer working memory performance (p <.01) and lower hippocampal volumes (p <.01), but not total, frontal, and white matter lesion volumes, nor visual and verbal memory performance. There were no significant sex interactions. Findings suggest that greater neighborhood disadvantage may play a role in working memory and underlying brain structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• There is consistent evidence for the existence of 3 cognitive subgroups in BD • Good-performance subgroup is characterized by better executive functions and normal functioning in all other domains. • Severe-impairment subgroup is associated with more severe course of illness and higher ratio of antipsychotic use. • Severe-impairment subgroup is also chaarctereized by lower educational attainment and later-onset of illness. • The characteristics of the moderate-impairment subgroup was lying between the other two subgroups for most of the measures. The delineation of cognitive subgroups of bipolar disorder (BD) might be helpful for identifying biologically valid subtypes of this disorder. This meta-analysis identified peer-reviewed literature on studies investigating cognitive subgroups of BD with data-driven clustering methods. Relevant studies were searched in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Random-effects meta-analysis was performed using R software. A total of 14 cross-sectional studies including euthymic or mildly symptomatic patients with BD were included in the current meta-analysis. The available studies have consistently supported a 3-cluster solution. The pooled prevalence of the severe-impairment, moderate-impairment, and major good-functioning groups were 23.1 % (95%CI, 18.5 %–27.7 %), 42.5 % (95%CI, 36.3 %–48.8 %), and 33.5 % (95%CI, 25.9 %–41.1 %) respectively. Compared to healthy controls, both the severe-impairment (g=−1.40 to −1.73) and moderate-impairment groups (g=−0.59 to −0.96) had significant deficits in all six cognitive domains (verbal memory, visual memory, executive functions, working memory, attention and processing speed). The good-performance subgroup had a small increase in the performance of executive functions (g=0.23) and normal functioning in all other domains. Compared to the good-performance subgroup, the severe-impairment subgroup was characterized by more severe functional impairment, more hospital admissions, a higher percentage of type I BD and antipsychotic use. The characteristics of the moderate-impairment subgroup were lying between the other two subgroups for most of the measures. The current findings support the existence of 3 cognitive subgroups in BD including severe-impairment and moderate-impairment groups which are associated with a more severe course of illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substantial individual variation exists in the frequency of gestures produced while speaking. This study investigated the associations between cognitive abilities, empathy levels, and personality traits with the frequency of representational gestures. A cartoon narration task and a social dilemma solving task were used to elicit gestures. Predictor variables were selected based on prior research on individual differences in gesture production and the cognitive and communicative functions of gestures in speech. Our findings revealed that an increased frequency of representational gestures was associated with higher empathy levels in the cartoon narration task. However, in the social dilemma solving task, a higher frequency of representational gestures was associated with lower visuospatial working memory, spatial transformation, and inhibition control abilities. Moreover, no significant relationships were found between verbal working memory, personality traits, and the frequency of representational gestures in either task. These findings suggested that predictor variables for representational gesture production vary depending on the nature of the gesture elicitation task (e.g., spatiomotoric vs. abstract topics). Future research should examine the relationship between individuals' cognitive abilities, empathy and gesture production with across a broader range of topics and in more ecologically valid contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and its prodromal presentation with mild cognitive impairment is characterized by prominent deficits in attention/executive domains and in visual processing abilities with relative sparing of memory. Neuropsychological research is continuously refining the tools to define more in detail the patterns of relatively preserved and impaired cognitive abilities that help differential diagnosis between DLB and Alzheimer disease (AD). This review summarizes the main studies exploring specific cognitive tasks investigating different visual processing abilities and verbal memory that better differentiate DLB from AD. The findings provide evidence that substantial impairments in visual-spatial and visual-constructional abilities and relatively better performance on memory tasks that depend on hippocampal function characterize the prodromal stage of DLB. The ability to detect early indicators of prodromal DLB through clinical and cognitive assessments is the first step to guide instrumental diagnostic work-ups and provide the opportunity for early intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjective: The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) is a classic test used to assess episodic verbal memory in research and clinical practice. We aimed to adapt the RAVLT materials into Russian, provide performance norms across the adult lifespan for the Russian adaptation, and develop a mobile application for automated RAVLT administration across languages. Method: We created three psycholinguistically matched alternative versions of the RAVLT materials in Russian and incorporated them into a new RAVLT World tablet application. We tested 354 neurologically healthy 21-to-89-year-old Russian speakers, modeled their performance using multivariate multiple regression, and calculated demographically adjusted norms. We also tested the equivalence of performance across the three alternative Russian versions and between the pen-and-paper and digital form. Results: Performance across three alternative versions and between the pen-and-paper and digital form was equivalent, although test-retest reliability measured via intraclass correlation coefficients was limited. Older age, male gender and fewer years of education were associated with lower performance on both raw trial scores (R2 = .515) and composite scores (R2 = .961). Demographically adjusted norms are now available in a paper form and as part of the RAVLT World application. Conclusions: The new RAVLT adaptation can be used to assess verbal memory in Russian-speaking adults, serving their clinical needs and diversifying research on verbal memory. The equivalent alternative versions can serve for repeated testing in longitudinal designs. The RAVLT World tablet application, with automated administration and scoring, makes the test more accessible to patients and allows to incorporate multiple language versions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the extensive history of investigation, characterization and diagnostics of giftedness is still a point of debate. The lack of understanding of the phenomenon affects the identification process of gifted children, development of targeted educational programs and state of research in the field of gifted education. In the current systematic review, we seek to delineate the specific aspects in which gifted children differ from their typically developing peers in cognitive abilities, psychophysiology and psychological characteristics. Secondly, we aim to document the prevalence and criteria of intelligence tests used to assess gifted children and adolescents. We reviewed 104 articles from more than 25 countries that examined a total of 77,705 children ages 5–18 years. Results reveal a discernible trend toward adopting more culturally appropriate measures for assessing giftedness in children. Findings highlight that gifted children generally outperform their peers in several cognitive domains such as verbal working memory, inhibition, geometric problem solving, attention-switching and elemental information processing, showcasing an accuracy-reaction time trade-off. Psychophysiological assessments demonstrate heightened and accelerated brain activity during complex effortful cognitive processes. Psychological and behavioral measures reveal that gifted children score higher on tests measuring intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and openness to experience; as well as achieving higher grades in school and employing better problem-solving strategies. Our systematic review can be beneficial in educational and research contexts, giving directions in assessment of giftedness and designing future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used the dual-task paradigm to explore the relationships between melody, rhythm, and verbal processing. Our rationale was that we would see greater interference between two tasks involving the same internal mechanism than between two tasks involving distinct mechanisms. We used a melody memory task or a rhythm memory task as the primary task and a verbal memory task as the secondary task. The performance of the secondary verbal task was poorer when paired with a melody primary task than when paired with a rhythm primary task. This result suggests a that greater overlap occurs between melody and verbal processing than between rhythm and verbal processing. The study findings can shed light on our understanding of the disassociated internal processing resources of melody and rhythm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Corsi Block Tapping Test, or Corsi Span (CS), is a widely used task to measure visuospatial short-term and working memory. The same setup can be used to administer the Corsi SupraSpan Learning (CSSL) and Recall (CSSR), tests assessing visuospatial long-term memory. While the CS has relatively recent normative data, those of the CSSL are outdated For CSSR, no normative data are available. Given this critical lack, our study aimed to provide updated norms for CS, CSSL, and specifically for the recall delayed phase (CSSR). Materials and methods: A sample of 340 healthy participants, aged between 20 and 89, took part in the study. Norms were developed using a regression approach and defined using rank equivalent scores and percentiles. Results: Age and education influenced Corsi's Span, while SupraSpan Learning and Recall were influenced by age, education, and span. The comparison with previous norms for Span and SupraSpan Learning shows a high level of agreement. Conclusions: This study provides integrated norms to evaluate visuospatial memory in all aspects of immediate recall, long-term learning and delayed recall. Its use is needed to assess specific neuropsychological deficits, dissociate visuospatial versus verbal memory deficits and allow the evaluation of memory in patients with limited verbal abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narrative recall and comprehension are important lifelong skills. While gesturing may improve recall by alleviating cognitive load, it may be differentially beneficial, depending on task and individual characteristics. While research on gesture’s effects on a variety of task modalities is burgeoning, effects on recall of narratives read aloud are under-examined. Further, emotional valence and individual differences in verbal memory may affect recall, through effects on task difficulty. If gesturing lightens cognitive load, it may be more beneficial for harder tasks, namely for narratives lacking emotional content and for individuals with poorer verbal memory. Across two studies, impacts of gesture production, emotional valence, and individual differences on narrative recall were evaluated. In Study 1, participants (N = 100) read aloud three emotive narratives (positive, negative, neutral) while either instructed to gesture or receiving no gesture instructions. Gesture production hindered recall, particularly for those with higher verbal memory. Emotion benefited recall, with enhanced recall of the negative narrative and impaired recall for the neutral narrative. In Study 2, following a measure of individual propensity to gesture, participants (N = 98) similarly read aloud three emotive narratives. Instructions to gesture hindered recall for participants with a lower propensity to gesture, and emotional narratives again saw enhanced recall relative to the neutral narrative. Propensity to gesture and verbal memory were positively associated with narrative comprehension. Results suggest instructions to produce gestures may for some individuals hinder recall for self-guided learners when studying written texts, while emotional content benefits recall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep spindles mediate sleep-dependent memory consolidation, particularly when coupled to neocortical slow oscillations (SOs). Schizophrenia is characterized by a deficit in sleep spindles that correlates with reduced overnight memory consolidation. Here, we examined sleep spindle activity, SO-spindle coupling, and both motor procedural and verbal declarative memory consolidation in early course, minimally medicated psychosis patients and non-psychotic first-degree relatives. Using a four-night experimental procedure, we observed significant deficits in spindle density and amplitude in patients relative to controls that were driven by individuals with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia patients also showed reduced sleep-dependent consolidation of motor procedural memory, which correlated with lower spindle density. Contrary to expectations, there were no group differences in the consolidation of declarative memory on a word pairs task. Nor did the relatives of patients differ in spindle activity or memory consolidation compared with controls, however increased consistency in the timing of SO-spindle coupling were seen in both patients and relatives. Our results extend prior work by demonstrating correlated deficits in sleep spindles and sleep-dependent motor procedural memory consolidation in early course, minimally medicated patients with schizophrenia, but not in first-degree relatives. This is consistent with other work in suggesting that impaired sleep-dependent memory consolidation has some specificity for schizophrenia and is a core feature rather than reflecting the effects of medication or chronicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It was reported that those who practice chanting of the Shiva panchakshari mantra can overcome stress, attain prosperity, and get stability in life. However, there are no research studies in this area in the PubMed literature to support scientific evidence. Aims and Objectives: The present study was undertaken to observe the effectiveness of 8 weeks of Panchakshari mantra chanting on cognitive and psychological parameters in young adults. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 young adults were part of the study after obtaining the written informed consent. After recruiting, they were randomly assigned to two groups, control and experimental groups with 30 participants in each group. After recording the baseline, the participants in the experimental group were trained in chanting the panchakshari mantra for a week under the supervision of Vedic teachers. The participants in the control group were not allowed to chant during the study period. All the parameters were recorded in both groups after 8 weeks of the intervention. Results: There was a significant decrease in the depression, anxiety, and stress scores of the participants of the experimental group after the intervention. There was a significant improvement in the scores of spatial and verbal memory in the participants of the experimental group followed by the intervention. Conclusion: There was a significant improvement in the verbal memory scores in the participants of the experimental group. There was a significant decrease in the depression, anxiety, and stress scores of the participants followed by the chanting. The study recommends further detailed studies in this area to provide further scientific evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that occurs due to the damage of the neurons that secrete the neurotransmitter called dopamine and the cases are growing worldwide. The studies on the observation of the non-motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease are sparse in the Indian context. The estimated prevalence of Parkinson's disease in India is 7 million. Aims and Objectives: The present study was undertaken to assess the psychological and cognitive parameters and sleep quality in newly diagnosed patients with Parkinson's disease. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 newly diagnosed patients within the age group of 35-70 years, with Parkinson's disease were part of the study after obtaining the informed consent. Thirty age and gender-matched healthy participants were also part of the study. Cognitive parameters were recorded using spatial and verbal memory tests. The psychological parameters were collected using the generalized anxiety disorder seven questionnaires which is a self-administered questionnaire. Sleep quality was assessed using an insomnia severity questionnaire which is a sevenitem questionnaire. Results: The anxiety scores were significantly high in the patients with Parkinson's disease when compared with the controls. The sleep quality was significantly poor in the Parkinson's patients compared to the controls. Spatial and verbal memory scores were significantly lower in Parkinson's patients than in the controls. Conclusion: The present study results support that the non-motor symptoms are also prominent in patients with Parkinson's disease. Higher scores of anxiety, lower scores of spatial and verbal memory, and poor sleep quality were observed in patients with Parkinson's disease. The study recommends further detailed studies in this area to consider these parameters also in managing Parkinson's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acquiring new knowledge necessitates alterations at the synaptic level within the brain. Glutamate, a pivotal neurotransmitter, plays a critical role in these processes, particularly in learning and memory formation. Although previous research has explored glutamate's involvement in cognitive functions, a comprehensive understanding of its real-time dynamics remains elusive during memory tasks. Objective: This study aimed to investigate glutamate modulation during memory tasks in the right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC) and parieto-occipital regions using functional Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (fMRS). Material and Methods: This experimental research applied fMRS acquisition concurrently with a modified Sternberg's verbal working memory task for fourteen healthy right-handed participants (5 females, mean age=30.64±4.49). The glutamate/total-creatine (Glu/tCr) ratio was quantified by LCModel in the DLPFC and parietooccipital voxels while applying the tissue corrections. Results: The significantly higher Glu/tCr modulation was observed during the task with a trend of increased modulation with memory load in both the DLPFC (19.9% higher, P-value=0.018) and parieto-occipital (33% higher, P-value=0.046) regions compared to the rest. Conclusion: Our pioneering fMRS study has yielded groundbreaking insights into brain functions during S-term Memory (STM) and learning. This research provides valuable methodological advancements for investigating the metabolic functions of both healthy and disordered brains. Based on the findings, cognitive demands directly correlate with glutamate levels, highlighting the neurochemical underpinnings of cognitive processing. Additionally, the obtained results potentially challenge the traditional left-hemisphere-centric model of verbal working memory, leading to the deep vision of hemispheric contributions to cognitive functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Perfumes to Hijack Your Brain" explores the use of modern perfumes, known as 'neuroscents,' to alter brain chemistry and evoke specific emotional responses. Fragrance companies claim to have developed scents that can trigger feelings of calm, relaxation, euphoria, and happiness by targeting specific brain patterns. While there is evidence that pleasant smells can improve memory and well-being, the effectiveness of neuroscents in treating conditions like dementia is still under debate. The olfactory system's direct connection to memory and emotional centers of the brain makes scents uniquely powerful in triggering emotional responses and memories. [Extracted from the article]

This study aimed to verify the impact of consuming food containing fermented rice bran with 3-(4-hydroxy- 3-methoxyphenyl) propionic acid (HMPA) combined with light exercise on cognitive function and muscle mass. This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group study involved healthy men and women aged 65-79. Participants consumed either rice bran fermented food containing HMPA or a placebo, in combination with light exercise, for 24 weeks. The primary outcome measures were Cognitrax and muscle mass. Secondary outcomes included body composition, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), Apathy Scale, and biochemical tests (pentosidine and homocysteine). Analysis of the per-protocol set (n=67) revealed a significant improvement in change c of Cognitrax reaction time (subject score) in the active food group after 24 weeks compared to the placebo group. No significant difference in muscle mass was observed between the two groups. Subgroup analysis of individuals without exercise habits also showed no significant difference in muscle mass between the active food and placebo groups. However, significant improvements in the active food group compared to the placebo group were noted in the following: change in Cognitrax Neurocognition Index (NCI) (standardized score, % score) after 24 weeks, composite memory (subject score score, standardized score, % score) after 24 weeks, verbal memory (subject score) after 12 and 24 weeks, and reaction time (% score) after 24 weeks. The results of this study confirmed that consuming foods containing fermented rice bran with HMPA combined with light exercise improved reaction time, a part of cognitive function. Additionally, for individuals without exercise habits, this combination improved NCI, composite memory, verbal memory, and reaction time, a part of cognitive function (UMIN000050287). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objective Left hippocampal sclerosis (HS) is associated with verbal‐specific memory impairment. This association is well established for word list learning tasks, and there is some evidence that this may also be relevant to verbal paired associates learning (PAL), though the evidence is limited. We aimed to evaluate the utility of verbal PAL as a marker for left HS, compare this with word list learning, and derive cutoff scores to facilitate clinical application. Methods Retrospective analysis of Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and PAL scores obtained from 116 surgically naïve temporal lobe epilepsy patients with HS (14 bilateral, 57 left, 45 right; range of N across test indices: 77–110). Results Relative to right HS, left HS and bilateral HS were associated with poorer performance on PAL Hard Pairs (p 0.05). PAL Hard Pairs and all RAVLT indices displayed acceptable discriminatory ability (AUC > 0.70) in classifying left‐sided HS (unilateral left or bilateral HS), with RAVLT delayed recall the strongest predictor (AUC = 0.87; PAL Hard Pairs Learning and Delay = 0.80 and 0.83, respectively). Optimal cutoff scores for left‐sided HS classification were generated. Significance Although the RAVLT delayed recall was the strongest predictor of left‐sided HS, PAL Hard Pairs also demonstrated excellent discriminatory capacity, offering an additional cognitive marker of left hippocampal integrity to complement word list learning in clinical assessments. Plain Language Statement The results of the study show that the ability to learn unrelated pairs of words (e.g., “silver”–“run”) is compromised in the setting of epilepsy with left‐sided hippocampal sclerosis (HS), be it unilateral left HS or bilateral HS. The ability of unrelated word pair learning to discriminate left vs. right HS was comparable to word list learning, a task with demonstrated sensitivity to left HS. Our results suggest that the ability to learn unrelated pairs of words provides another useful marker of left‐sided hippocampal compromise in epilepsy. We provide cutoff scores to facilitate clinical interpretation.

Background. The mechanisms of serial information retention in working memory (WM) in children are an important and debated topic. It is related to both general theoretical ideas about memory and practical issues of learning organization. Despite numerous studies of WM regarding the retention of verbal and non-verbal sequences as well as differently presented sequences (as static or dynamic objects), there are virtually no studies that consider both the factor of modality and the way of sequence presentation. Objective. The aim of the study is to conduct a comparative analysis of delayed reproduction of verbal and non-verbal sequences by children aged 9–11 years. Study Participants. Typically developing children (n = 19, mean age 10.75±0.57) Methods. Subjects were asked to remember and recall the sequences of letters, digits, and segments that formed a broken curve. In the experiment, we varied length, retention time, and presentation mode (static or dynamic). Accuracy and reaction time were analyzed. Results. Analysis of accuracy showed that numerical sequences were best remembered, and letter sequences were worst remembered, static information was remembered better than dynamic, accuracy decreased with time and with increasing length of a sequence. Also, the analysis revealed dependence of accuracy of broken curve reproduction on the presentation mode and retention time, but these factors showed no effect on the reproduction of verbal sequences. Reaction time significantly decreased with increasing retention time for nonverbal sequences. Conclusion. Verbal and nonverbal sequences presented statically and dynamically are stored differently in children's WM. Apparently, verbal stimuli are remembered as a sequence in any presentation mode, while numerical sequences can be stored as multidigit numbers, and nonverbal sequences as a single object when presented statically and as a sequence when presented dynamically. During the retention of sequences in WM, the representations of non-verbal information are more mutable than the representations of verbal information.

BACKGROUND: Between 29% and 67% of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder patients have cognitive alterations. OBJECTIVE: To assess the frequency of cognitive impairment in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder in Mexico using the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis. METHODS: We evaluated 40 neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder patients and 40 healthy controls from Mexico. RESULTS: 28 (70.0%) patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder had cognitive impairment in two or more cognitive domains. Student´s T test showed statistically poor performance by neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder patients compared to healthy controls on all three neuropsychological test scores. This significant difference was observed on the Symbols Digit Modalities Test (t = 8.875; p ≤ 0.001); California Verbal Learning Test-II memory (t = 10.418; p ≤ 0.001); and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test Revised (t = 6.123; p ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that 70% of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder patients exhibited cognitive impairment in two or more cognitive domains. Determining the frequency of cognitive impairment will guide the decision of Neuropsychologists in planning cognitive rehabilitation across various domains.

OBJECTIVES: Antipsychotics are widely used to treat first-episode psychosis but may have an anticholinergic burden, that is, a cumulative effect of medications that block the cholinergic system. Studies suggest that a high anticholinergic burden negatively affects memory in psychosis, where cognitive deficits, particularly those in verbal memory, are a core feature of the disease. The present study sought to replicate this in a large cohort of well-characterized first-episode psychosis patients. We expected that patients in the highest anticholinergic burden group would exhibit the poorest verbal memory compared to those with low anticholinergic burden and healthy controls at baseline (3 months following admission). We further hypothesized that over time, at month 12, patients verbal memory performance would improve but would remain inferior to controls. METHODS: Patients (n  =  311; low anticholinergic burden [n  =  241] and high anticholinergic burden [n  =  70], defined by a Drug Burden Index cut-off of 1) and healthy controls (n  =  128) completed a clinical and neurocognitive battery including parts of the Wechsler Memory Scale at months 3 and 12. RESULTS: Cross-sectionally, using an analysis of variance, patients in the highest anticholinergic burden group had the poorest performance in verbal memory when compared to the other groups at month 3, F(2,430)  =  52.33, P

Historically, Friedreich's Ataxia (FRDA) has been linked to a relatively preserved cerebellar cortex. Recent advances in neuroimaging have revealed altered cerebello-cerebral functional connectivity (FC), but the extent of intra-cerebellar FC changes and their impact on cognition remains unclear. This study investigates intra-cerebellar FC alterations and their cognitive implications in FRDA. In this cross-sectional, single-center study, resting-state functional MRI data from 17 patients with FRDA (average age 27.7 ± 13.6 years; F/M = 6/11) and 20 healthy controls (HC) (average age 29.4 ± 9.7 years; F/M = 9/11), all of whom underwent neuropsychological testing, were analyzed. From functional connectivity matrices, graph measures were computed at both the network and node levels using two complementary parcellations. FRDA patients exhibited decreased global efficiency (p = 0.04), nodal degree (p = 0.001) and betweenness centrality (p = 0.04) in the vermal portion of lobule VIII, along with reduced global efficiency in cerebellar regions belonging to the Control-A network (p = 0.02), one of the three subdivisions of the Frontoparietal network. Verbal memory deficits correlated with global efficiency in both the vermal portion of lobule VIII (r = 0.53, p = 0.02) and the cerebellar regions of the Control-A network (r = 0.49, p = 0.05). Graph analysis revealed regional intra-cerebellar FC changes in FRDA, marked by reduced functional centrality in cerebellar regions of the vermis and responsible for executive functions. These changes correlated with cognitive alterations, highlighting the role of the cerebellar cortex in the cognitive impairment observed in FRDA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: While numerous studies have established associations between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and cognitive functioning, limited research has delved into the role of BDNF concerning cognitive outcomes in atherosclerosis-related conditions. This study aimed to investigate the correlations between cognitive performance, serum BDNF levels, and the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism in individuals diagnosed with chronic limb ischemia (CLI). Participants and procedure: The study encompassed 159 CLI patients (52 females, 107 males) aged 59-73 years. Genetic analysis involved assessing the BDNF Val66Met single-nucleotide polymorphism using a TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assay and the ViiA™ 7 Real-Time PCR System. Serum BDNF levels were quantified. Cognitive functioning was evaluated through a computerized battery of tests, including the simple reaction test (SRT) for speed and accuracy assessment, verbal memory test (VMT) for short and long-term memory evaluation, and the GoNoGo test for cognitive control and inhibition. Results: Gender differences in cognitive performance were observed, with women excelling in VMT, while men demonstrated superior performance in SRT and the GoNoGo test. No statistically significant differences were noted between the Met/Met or Met/Val and Val/Val subgroups. However, notable differences emerged in female Met carriers, exhibiting superior VMT scores but more incorrect Go responses in the GoNoGo test. Conversely, female Val homozygotes showed significantly more incorrect NoGo responses compared to male Val homozygotes. In men carrying the Met allele, higher BDNF concentrations correlated with improved GoNoGo test results (r = 0.248, p = 0.01). Conversely, in women with the Val/Val variant, lower BDNF concentrations were associated with better VMT scores. Conclusions: This study underscores the sex-specific impact of BDNF serum levels and the BDNF polymorphism on cognitive processes among CLI patients. The findings highlight the nuanced influence of BDNF in shaping cognitive functioning, emphasizing the need for further research into these sex-dependent associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundMethodsResultsConclusionChildren diagnosed with brain tumors are at risk to develop neurocognitive problems. Post-traumatic stress and sleep have been associated with poorer neurocognitive outcomes in the general population, and could be potential targets for intervention in brain tumor patients. Therefore, this study examined neurocognitive functioning in children newly diagnosed with a brain tumor and the associations between posttraumatic stress and sleep with neurocognitive outcomes.Children 6–16 years old who were newly diagnosed with a brain tumor completed questionnaires on post-traumatic stress and sleep, actigraphy for sleep, and tests for neurocognitive outcomes. One-sample t-tests and chi-square tests were used to compare neurocognitive scores with age norms. Multivariable regression examined associations between post-traumatic stress, sleep, demographics, and medical factors associated with neurocognitive functioning.Of all eligible children, 60 patients with newly diagnosed brain tumors were included, at an average of 51 days after diagnosis (67% male, mean = 11.5 years at diagnosis). Compared to age norms, patients with brain tumors scored lower on measures of attention, inhibition, and verbal memory (meanZ = −0.40 to −0.98, p < .05). History of obstructive hydrocephalus was associated with poorer attention (p < .05) and processing speed (p < .05), posterior fossa tumor location was associated with poorer working memory (p < .01), and starting chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment before the assessment was associated with poorer verbal memory (p < .05). Post-traumatic stress and sleep were not associated with neurocognitive outcomes at this phase (p > .20).A subgroup of children with newly diagnosed brain tumors shows deficits in neurocognitive functioning, which highlights the importance of early monitoring to identify children at-risk for problems. Hydrocephalus, posterior fossa tumor location, and starting treatment, but not post-traumatic stress and sleep, are associated with poorer neurocognitive performance at this phase. Longitudinal research will be important for identifying biopsychosocial factors that may be associated with cognition over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of humans to store spoken words in verbal working memory and build extensive vocabularies is believed to stem from evolutionary changes in cortical connectivity across primate species. However, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain unclear. Why can humans acquire vast vocabularies, while non-human primates cannot? This study addresses this question using brain-constrained neural networks that realize between-species differences in cortical connectivity. It investigates how these structural differences support the formation of neural representations for spoken words and the emergence of verbal working memory, crucial for human vocabulary building. We develop comparative models of frontotemporal and occipital cortices, reflecting human and non-human primate neuroanatomy. Using meanfield and spiking neural networks, we simulate auditory word recognition and examine verbal working memory function. The “human models”, characterized by denser inter-area connectivity in core language areas, produced larger cell assemblies than the “monkey models”, with specific topographies reflecting semantic properties of the represented words. Crucially, longer-lasting reverberant neural activity was observed in human versus monkey architectures, compatible with robust verbal working memory, a necessary condition for vocabulary building. Our findings offer insights into the structural basis of human-specific symbol learning and verbal working memory, shedding light on humans’ unique capacity for large vocabulary acquisition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective treatment for patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression but its use is often limited by the concern for cognitive side effects. This study examines the effect of ECT on autobiographical and verbal memory compared to a healthy control group and the impact of the mean stimulus dose on cognition after ECT. Methods: Autobiographical and verbal memory were assessed in depressed patients and healthy controls before the first and within one week after the last ECT treatment. Neuropsychological testing included the Autobiographical Memory Interview, the Verbal Learning and Memory Test and five tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. The mean charge delivered across the ECT series and the total number of sessions were examined in relationship to cognitive impairment after ECT using a multiple regression model. Results: Autobiographical memory was significantly impaired after ECT treatment compared to healthy controls. Baseline scores were lower for depressed patients on all cognitive domains. Improvements in performance after ECT were found on tests for executive functions and working memory. Effects of the mean charge delivered on cognitive functioning after ECT were heterogeneous across cognitive domains but significant for verbal retrograde memory. Conclusion: ECT led to autobiographical memory impairment. The relationship between mean charge delivered and cognitive performance is heterogeneous across different cognitive domains and requires further research. Significant effects of the mean charge delivered were found without a significant difference in cognitive functioning compared to a healthy control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research suggests a potential of gamma oscillation entrainment for enhancing memory in Alzheimer's disease and healthy subjects. Gamma entrainment can be accomplished with oscillatory electrical, but also sensory stimulation. However, comparative studies between sensory stimulation and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) effects on memory processes are lacking. This study examined the effects of rhythmic gamma auditory stimulation (rAS) and temporal gamma‐tACS on verbal long‐term memory (LTM) and working memory (WM) in 74 healthy individuals. Participants were assigned to two groups according to the stimulation techniques (rAS or tACS). Memory was assessed in three experimental blocks, in which each participant was administered with control, 40, and 60 Hz stimulation in counterbalanced order. All interventions were well‐tolerated, and participants reported mostly comparable side effects between real stimulation (40 and 60 Hz) and the control condition. LTM immediate and delayed recall remained unaffected by stimulations, while immediate recall intrusions decreased during 60 Hz stimulation. Notably, 40 Hz interventions improved WM compared to control stimulations. These results highlight the potential of 60 and 40 Hz temporal cortex stimulation for reducing immediate LTM recall intrusions and improving WM performance, respectively, probably due to the entrainment of specific gamma oscillations in the auditory cortex. The results also shed light on the comparative effects of these neuromodulation tools on memory functions, and their potential applications for cognitive enhancement and in clinical trials. We compared the effects of a single session online gamma‐rhythmic auditory stimulation (rAS) and temporal gamma‐transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) on memory processes in healthy individuals. Findings reveal that 40 Hz stimulation enhances verbal working memory (i.e., digit span backward score), while 60 Hz stimulation reduces immediate recall intrusions rate during a declarative long‐term memory task. These frequency‐specific effects suggest a potential role for auditory cortex activity in immediate cognitive demands, shedding light on the mechanisms of gamma frequency neuromodulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report 10 experiments exploring the proposition that memory retrieval is perceptual attention turned inward. The experiments adapt the Eriksen and Eriksen perceptual flanker effect to a memory task in which subjects must decide whether a cued item in a probe display appeared in the same position in a memory list. Previous research with this episodic flanker task found distance and compatibility effects like those in the perceptual flanker task, suggesting that the same attentional spotlight is turned inward in memory retrieval. The previous experiments used lists of six consonants. The experiments reported here were designed to generalize the results to a broader range of conditions, from letters to words, colors, and pictures, and from set size 6 to set sizes of 4 and 5. Experiments 1–4 varied distance and set size with lists of four, five, or six letters, words, colors, and pictures, respectively. The distance effect was observed with all materials and all set sizes. Experiments 5–8 varied compatibility by presenting context items in the probe that were either the same as the memory list (and therefore compatible with "yes" responses and incompatible with "no" responses) or different from the memory list (and therefore incompatible with "yes" responses and compatible with "no" responses). We found compatibility effects with all materials and all set sizes. These results support the proposition that memory retrieval is attention turned inward. Turned inward or outward, attention is a general process that applies the same computations to different kinds of materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The present study characterized heterogeneity in the cognitive profiles of monolingual and bilingual Latino older adults enrolled in the HABS-HD. Methods: A total of 859 cognitively unimpaired older adults completed neuropsychological testing. Raw scores for cognitive tests were converted to z -scores adjusted for age, education, sex, and language of testing. A latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted for monolingual and bilingual speaker groups. A series of 2–5 class solutions were examined, and the optimal model was selected based on fit indices, posterior probabilities, proportion of sample sizes, and pattern of scores. Identified classes were compared on sociodemographic, psychosocial, and health characteristics. Results: For the monolingual group (n = 365), a 3-class solution was optimal; this consisted of a Low Average Memory group with low average verbal memory performances on the SEVLT Total Learning and Delayed Recall trials, as well as an Average Cognition group and a High Average Cognition group. For the bilingual group (n = 494), a 3-class solution was observed to be optimal; this consisted of a Low Average Memory group, with low average verbal memory performances on the learning and delayed recall trials of Logical Memory; a Low Average Executive group, where performance on Trails A and B and Digit Substitution were the lowest; and a High Average Cognition group, where performance was generally in the high average range across most cognitive measures. Conclusions: Cognitive class solutions differed across monolingual and bilingual groups and illustrate the need to better understand cognitive variability in linguistically diverse samples of Latino older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Neuropsychological assessment of preschool children is essential for early detection of delays and referral for intervention prior to school entry. This is especially pertinent in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which are disproportionately impacted by micronutrient deficiencies and teratogenic exposures. The Grenada Learning and Memory Scale (GLAMS) was created for use in limited resource settings and includes a shopping list and face-name association test. Here, we present psychometric and normative data for the GLAMS in a Grenadian preschool sample. Methods: Typically developing children between 36 and 72 months of age, primarily English speaking, were recruited from public preschools in Grenada. Trained Early Childhood Assessors administered the GLAMS and NEPSY-II in schools, homes, and clinics. GLAMS score distributions, reliability, and convergent/divergent validity against NEPSY-II were evaluated. Results: The sample consisted of 400 children (190 males, 210 females). GLAMS internal consistency, inter-rater agreement, and test-retest reliability were acceptable. Principal components analysis revealed two latent factors, aligned with expected verbal/visual memory constructs. A female advantage was observed in verbal memory. Moderate age effects were observed on list learning/recall and small age effects on face-name learning/recall. All GLAMS subtests were correlated with NEPSY-II Sentence Repetition, supporting convergent validity with a measure of verbal working memory. Conclusions: The GLAMS is a psychometrically sound measure of learning and memory in Grenadian preschool children. Further adaptation and scale-up to global LMICs are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]