Search results for ‘Subject term:"cognitive impairment"’ Sort:
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Long-term course of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia
- Authors:
- MORRISON Gary, O'CARROLL Ronan, McCREADIE Robin
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 189(6), December 2006, pp.556-557.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
The aim of this study was to examine the long-term course of cognitive impairment in people with schizophrenia. Forty-three people with schizophrenia were followed up over an average of 33 years along with a control group of 12 matched individuals free from psychosis. Cognitive function was assessed at baseline and follow-up. The participants with schizophrenia were found to show impairment in verbal and non-verbal intelligence at baseline compared with estimated premorbid scores, this was not found in the control group. At follow-up there was a significant decline in non-verbal intelligence over time in participants with schizophrenia compared with controls (P=0.007). This differential change over time was not seen in verbal intelligence (P= 0.318).
Cognitive impairment in bipolar II disorder
- Authors:
- TORRENT Carla, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 189(3), September 2006, pp.254-259.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Persistent impairments in neurocognitive function have been described in bipolar disorder. The aim was to compare the cognitive performance of patients with bipolar II disorder with that of patients with bipolar I disorder and a healthy control group. The study included 71 euthymic patients with bipolar disorder (38 bipolar I, 33 bipolar II), who were compared on clinical and neuropsychological variables (e.g. executive function, attention, verbal and visual memory) and contrasted with 35 healthy controls on cognitive performance. Compared with controls, both bipolar groups showed significant deficits in most cognitive tasks including working memory (DigitSpan Backwards, P=0.002) and attention (DigitSpan Forwards, P=0.005; Trail Making Test, P=0.001). Those with type II disorders had an intermediate level of performance between the bipolar I group and the control group in verbal memory (P<0.005) and executive functions. Cognitive impairment exists in both subtypes of bipolar disorder, although more so in the bipolar I group. The best predictors of poor psychosocial functioning in bipolar II disorder were subclinical depressive symptoms, early onset of illness and poor performance on a measure related to executive function
Working memory impairments in schizophrenia: a meta-analysis
- Authors:
- LEE Junghee, PARK Sohee
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 114(4), 2005, pp.599-611.
- Publisher:
- American Psychology Association
Working memory impairment is a cardinal feature of schizophrenia, but the differences between the tasks and measures used to assess this deficit make it difficult to compare across studies. This meta-analysis of 124 studies addresses three questions: do patients with schizophrenia show working memory deficits across diverse methodologies; does working memory deficit operate regardless of task; and does working memory deficit worsen with longer delays between task setting and performance? The results show that such deficits are found across all studies, operate independently of the type of memory task that is set and do not worsen with increased delays. They conclude that working memory deficit is a robust indicator of schizophrenia.
Cognitive heterogeneity in first-episode schizophrenia
- Authors:
- JOYCE Eileen M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 18(6), December 2005, pp.516-522.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Studies of chronic schizophrenia suggest that there are subgroups with different profiles of cognitive impairment. The aim was to determine whether such heterogeneity is present at illness onset and any relationship to clinical variables. Ninety-three community patients with first-episode schizophrenia and 50 healthy volunteers were assessed for premorbid (Revised National Adult ReadingTest) and current IQ, memory and executive function. Half of those with schizophrenia had preserved IQ in the normal range but there was evidence of a specific impairment in spatial working memory even in those with high/average IQ; 37 out of 93 (40%) had generalised cognitive decline. Those with low premorbid IQ were significantly younger at illness onset. For the entire group, age at onset correlated positively with premorbid but not current IQ. At illness onset, cognitive heterogeneity is present in people with schizophrenia, with a high proportion having undergone general cognitive decline. However, working memory impairment may be a common feature. Lower premorbid IQ is a risk factor for an earlier onset.
Evaluation of effect of cognitive intervention programs for the community-dwelling elderly with subjective memory complaints
- Authors:
- TSAI Athena Yi-jung, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 23(11), November 2008, pp.1172-1174.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This study compared the efficacy of cognitive training (CT) and cognitive stimulation (CS) programs for the community elderly with subjective memory complaints (SMC). The single-blind non-randomized controlled study was applied. The numbers of CT and CS participants were 14 and 11. The mean ages of CT and CS participants were 68.71 and 70.36. Memory training and problem solving strategies were applied in the CT group. There were ten 2-hourly sessions of CT, held twice weekly. CS group met once weekly in a 1.5-h class for eight classes. Cognitive performance tests of general cognitive performance, verbal memory and executive function were measured before/after the training and at 6 months follow-up. In both training conditions, the general cognitive performance were enhanced. The CT group showed improvement in the verbal memory test. The CS group did not trigger any training effect in the verbal memory test but the executive function. All cognitive progresses remained at follow-up. Both cognitive training and cognitive stimulation programs showed training effects and remained until 6 months.
Subjective memory complaints in an elderly sample: a cross-sectional study
- Authors:
- MINETT Thaís Soares Cianciarullo, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 23(1), January 2008, pp.49-54.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Community based studies show that neurological or psychiatric symptoms are very frequent among the elderly population, with poor memory complaints being the most common. However, the relationship between poor memory complaints and objective memory performance is unclear. The authors designed this study to evaluate whether subjective memory complaints (SMC) are associated with objective cognitive performance or depression amongst the elderly Brazilian generation. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 114 patients who were 50+, with or without SMC having no obvious cognitive impairment at its baseline (this was screened by the Mini-Mental State Examination with cut-off values adapted according to the subjects' educational background). Subjects were assessed regarding memory difficulty complaints, demographic data and underwent a neuropsychological assessment made up of nine cognitive tests (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Visual Reproduction Test, Logic Memory - History A, Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test, Stroop Test, Digit Span, Digit Symbol, Trail Making Test, fluency tests: naming animals and fruits) and the Geriatric Depression Scale. Twenty-one percent of the subjects had subjective memory complaints. The scores in the cognitive assessment of subjects with SMC did not differ from the scores of subjects without SMC. However, patients with subjective memory complaints had lower scores in the fluency test - category animals and the Geriatric Depression Scale. These results support the finding from other cross-sectional studies showing that subjective memory complaints are associated with depressive symptoms rather than objective cognitive performance.
Cognitive functioning in elderly patients with early onset bipolar disorder
- Authors:
- SCHOUWS S. N. T. M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 22(9), September 2007, pp.856-861.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Very little is known about the long term cognitive sequelae of bipolar disorder. The aim was to investigate neuropsychological functioning in older euthymic persons with early onset bipolar disorder. Fifteen older patients (age >60) with an early onset (<50 years) bipolar-I disorder in a euthymic mood were tested using a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery. Neuropsychological functioning was compared with that of a sex, age and education-matched group of 15 comparison subjects without mood disorders or memory complaints. Bipolar subjects scored lower than comparison subjects on selective attention, verbal memory, verbal fluency and mental effort tests. The findings suggest that euthymic bipolar patients are impaired across a range of cognitive domains. This could represent a trait-like cognitive disability related to the disease, as the impairments are comparable with those found in younger bipolar patients.
Cognitive plasticity in people at risk for dementia: Optimising the testing-the-limits-approach
- Authors:
- SCHREIBER M., SNEIDER R.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 11(1), January 2007, pp.75-81.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
A topic of great interest in gerontology research is the prediction of cognitive deterioration which marks the transition from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia. In this area, the term cognitive plasticity can be of great interest. We examined the utility of the Adaptive Figure Series Learning Test (ADAFI) to evoke cognitive plasticity and to show whether reduced plasticity can be found in people with MCI. In a pre-test–intervention–post-test design, intervention with the ADAFI was compared to an unspecific brain jogging task in MCI participants and healthy controls. A total of 42 subjects were included. Independent of mental health status only using the ADAFI led to pronounced improvements in post-test performances, but MCI participants profited less from the intervention with the ADAFI than healthy controls, that is, showed lower cognitive plasticity. Thus, the overlap in performance distributions between healthy participants and MCI individuals at pre-test was reduced at the time of post-test once the ADAFI had been given as intervention. The findings of the present article indicate that plasticity oriented information can be gained when the ADAFI is given as an intervention in a pre-test–training–post-test-design. The cognitive plasticity approach seems potentially useful for purposes of early identification of dementia.
Awareness in dementia: conceptual issues
- Authors:
- MARKOVA Ivana S., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 9(5), September 2005, pp.386-393.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
There has been a recent proliferation of studies exploring awareness in people with dementia and, as is the case with similar studies in other clinical areas, results are generally mixed and inconsistent. One of the reasons underlying variability in study results relates to the complexities around the concept of awareness itself. Two sources of conceptual problems are explored. First, the meaning of awareness is examined and, within the dementia literature, various conceptualizations of awareness are identified which could be traced to three broad frameworks within which awareness and related terms are conceived. Differences between meanings of awareness are thus highlighted and the importance of making such differences explicit in studies was discussed. Second, the relational aspect of awareness is raised as a crucial issue determining the phenomenon of awareness elicited in clinical practice. Thus, in dementia, awareness is related to various “objects” including the illness as a whole, memory problems, activities of daily living, affective changes and many others. In each case, however, the object of awareness will elicit a different phenomenon of awareness, again carrying implications for the generalizability of study results. Clarification of conceptual problems is essential for future work in this area in order that empirical studies can provide meaningful answers concerning the therapeutic and predictive validity of different aspects of awareness.
Developing a problem-solving treatment for Gulf War Illness: cognitive rehabilitation of veterans with complex post-deployment health concerns
- Authors:
- GREENBERG Lauren M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Clinical Social Work Journal, 46(2), 2018, pp.100-109.
- Publisher:
- Springer
- Place of publication:
- New York
Social workers play an essential role in facilitating veterans’ reintegration into their communities and daily lives. Many veterans, particularly those who have been deployed, experience comorbid physical, psychological, and neurocognitive problems that significantly impact their health function in multiple domains. Veterans deployed to Operation Desert Shield/Operation Desert Storm have reported a wide range of persistent, diverse, medically unexplained symptoms that have come to be known as Gulf War Illness (GWI). These symptoms make it difficult for veterans to participate in daily activities, thereby impacting health function. There are few effective treatments to improve the health function for those with GWI. The goals of this article are to provide social workers with information about GWI, and describe how we modified an evidence-based treatment, problem-solving therapy, for veterans with GWI. This tailoring of an existing treatment may serve as a model for adapting evidence-based treatments for veterans and civilians with multiple chronic symptoms and other complex health concerns. Furthermore, the detailed description provided may facilitate dissemination of problem-solving therapy among social workers and trainees. (Publisher abstract)