Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Neurocognitive function'
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1
Taylor, Eleanor. "Neurocognitive function in substance dependence." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2016. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/neurocognitive-function-in-substance-dependence(48f6ce99-680f-40de-9680-1a662ebfda5d).html.
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Background: Changes in neuropsychological and emotional systems are associated with substance dependence and reduce the chance of successfully maintaining abstinence after treatment. Impulsivity is strongly associated with substance dependence and is a risk factor for development, a consequence of excessive use and a marker for poor treatment outcomes. The focus of this thesis is impulsivity, as well as emotional and motivational factors, in the context of harmful substance use and dependence. The thesis is formed of two parts; the first (Studies 1 and 2) focusses on the multi-faceted role of impulsivity in substance dependence. The second part (Studies 3 and 4) investigates negative reinforcement and automatic approach and avoidance behaviour in heavy alcohol use. Study 1: A multi-dimensional investigation of impulsivity in abstinent substance dependent individuals using three complementary techniques: self-report, behavioural and neural measures. Results suggest that self-report measures of impulsivity are more sensitive in abstinent individuals than behavioural or fMRI measures. Study 2: An alternative approach to the classification of substance dependent individuals; using Latent Profile Analysis, abstinent substance dependent participants from Study 1 were regrouped based on personality risk factors rather than primary dependence. Important differences were detected within a previously undifferentiated group of abstinent substance dependent individuals; notably the greater incidence of childhood adversity and stimulant dependence history in one group, while the other did not differ from controls. Study 3: A behavioural investigation of the effect of stress induction on automatic approach and avoidance in heavy drinking individuals compared to light drinkers. Results indicated no differential effect of stress. These findings may suggest that the behaviour of older, more established heavy drinkers is comparable to that of alcohol dependent participants and reflects an advanced stage along the spectrum of alcohol use and dependence. Study 4: An fMRI investigation conducted on a subset of participants from Study 3 using neuroimaging paradigms to assess automatic approach and avoidance behaviour in heavy drinking individuals compared to light drinkers. Results can be interpreted to suggest that heavy drinkers approach alcohol in a less controlled manner than light drinkers, and that trait anxiety may be involved in the extent of avoidance behaviour. Conclusions: Although there are more questions raised by this research than are answered, some general conclusions can be drawn. Specifically, impulsivity measures need to be made more appropriate to all stages of substance use and dependence. Furthermore I propose a longitudinal theory of substance use and dependence with different neurocognitive profiles at each stage, as well as individual differences throughout the trajectory. This has implications for future addiction research that should enable better understanding for the benefit of clinical practice and treatment of substance related disorders.
2
Heine, Erin. "The Effects of Caffeine on Neurocognitive Function." Thesis, North Dakota State University, 2016. https://hdl.handle.net/10365/28142.
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Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of caffeine, as introduced by a popular energy drink, on neurocognitive function. Methods: Twenty-four male participants, 18-28 yrs old, completed two days of testing: baseline and post-consumption testing. Exactly 48-hours separated the two sessions. During the second day of testing, participants received treatment or control drink and waited 90 minutes before performing the ImPACT for post-consumption data. Results: Verbal Memory: (F[1, 22]=0.69, p=.416, ?2=.03) Visual Memory:(F[1,22]=1.31, p=.264, n2=.056) Visual Motor Speed:(F[1,22]=.660, p=.425, n2=.029) Reaction Time: (F[1,22]=.015, p=.903, n2=.001) Impulse Control: (F[1,22]=.453, p=.508, n2=.020) Conclusions: Researchers determined caffeine from an energy drink, consumed 90 minutes prior to ImPACT baseline testing has no statistically significant effect on ImPACT composite scores compared to control group. Therefore, caffeine does not appear to be an obstacle for clinicians when assessing composite scores of ImPACT.NDSU Athletic Training Program Faculty; NDSU HNES Department
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Ruth, Natasha M. "Childhood-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Neurocognitive Function." Cincinnati, Ohio : University of Cincinnati, 2006. http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?acc_num=ucin1148060762.
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Thesis (M.S.)--University of Cincinnati, 2006.Advisor: Dr. Kim N. Dietrich. Title from electronic thesis title page (viewed June 3, 2009). Includes abstract. Keywords: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus; Neurocognitive Function; ANAM. Includes bibliographical references.
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Ekerholm, Maria, and Svala Firus. "Neurocognitive Function in Schizophrenia : A follow-up study." Thesis, Stockholm University, Department of Psychology, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-8017.
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Neurocognitive deficits are considered a core feature of schizophrenia.
Deficits covering a wide range of functions have been well
documented. However there are still relatively few longitudinal
studies regarding the long-term development of neurocognitive
impairment. The current study examined the effect of time in
schizophrenic patients and controls concerning cognitive functions. A
neurocognitive test-battery was administered on two occasions to 36
schizophrenic patients and 46 healthy controls with approximately 4.5
year interval. Results showed that schizophrenic patients performed
significantly worse on all measures on both occasions. No significant
decline was found over time for either group except for on Trail
Making Test, part B. Improvement on Continuous Performance Test
was found for affected patients and improvement on Rey Auditory
Verbal Learning Test was found for controls. Age was related to
outcome in controls and education was related to outcome in patients.
The conclusion is drawn that neurocognitive measures are relatively
stable over 4.5 years in patients with schizophrenia, in line with earlier
research. The authors discuss the impact of age and education and
limitations of the study.
5
Johal, Amardeep. "Executive function deficits in HIV-associated neurocognitive decline." Thesis, University of East London, 2014. http://roar.uel.ac.uk/3967/.
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People with HIV infection are living longer as a result of advances in combination antiretroviral therapy. This increase in lifespan has been coupled with an increase in the prevalence of HIV associated neurocognitive decline (HAND). A central feature of this presentation is the impairment of executive functioning, and the aim of this study was to explore whether there is general impairment of this domain or whether there is an executive function profile (of deficits versus relatively preserved aspects of function) in people with HAND. Sixteen participants with HAND (mean age = 49.25 years, range 23 to 72 years) were recruited from an inpatient HIV-rehabilitation unit, and completed cognitive and executive function batteries. The executive function profile obtained at group level suggested impairments in working memory, verbal initiation, verbal inhibition, rule induction, and processing speed abilities. In contrast letter fluency and visuo-spatial switching scores were less affected. Case series analyses indicated that cognitive and executive functioning varied widely within the participant sample. However verbal initiation and inhibition were impaired in all profiles, indicating these impairments are prominent in the early stages of disease. The findings of this study indicate that it may be beneficial for clinicians to use executive function batteries when assessing for HAND, since a thorough assessment of this multi-faceted cognitive domain can support more informed clinical decision-making. Further, the study suggests which tests may be clinically useful in detecting executive function deficits in HAND.
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Abanmy, Norah. "Neurocognitive function, renin-angiotensin function and polymorphism in chronic kidney disease patients." Thesis, University of Brighton, 2011. https://research.brighton.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/b5f27563-daf3-4813-9611-c76f6ec50f77.
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Uraemic patients demonstrate cognitive deficits, particularly in attention and memory and chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a risk factor for cognitive impairment. Memory enhancing properties of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and angiotensin receptor antagonists (AlIA) have been reported in rats and mice. In humans, chronic treatment with an AlIA improved cognition in elderly hypertensive patients; ACEls improve cognition in young, hypertensive patients and acute administration of an AlIA has cognition-enhancing effects in young, healthy volunteers. The aim of this thesis was to investigate possible differential effects of ACEI and AlIA on mood and cognition in comparison to other antihypertensives in CKD patients. To rule out the possible effect of chronic disease on mood and cognition by examining neurocognitive attributes of colon cancer patients in remission, and finally to investigate the possible contribution of renin angiotensin system (RAS) gene polymorphisms to neurocognitive improvement associated with drugs targeted at the RAS.
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Cleveland, David. "The Effects of Low-Intensity Exercise on Neurocognitive Function." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2018. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1248508/.
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Acute aerobic exercise exerts a small beneficial effect on cognition. Much of the research to date has focused on cognitive changes following a bout of exercise, while little is currently known about changes in cognitive performance during exercise. The limited research that has been conducted suggests either positive, negative, or no effects on cognitive performance during exercise. Thus, the primary purpose of this study was to examine the effects of low-intensity cycling on cognitive function in college-aged students, indexed by response accuracy, reaction time, P3 amplitude, and P3 latency. Twenty-seven (Mage = 22.9 ± 3.0 years old) college-aged individuals were counterbalanced into low-intensity exercise (EX) and seated control (SC) conditions. During each condition, participants completed a 10-minute resting baseline period, 20 minutes of either sustained cycling or seated rest, and a 20-minute recovery period. Primary outcomes were assessed at 10-minute intervals (5 blocks total) throughout each condition via a modified oddball task. Across time blocks, both conditions exhibited faster reaction times on frequent trials but reduced accuracy to rare trials, suggesting a speed-accuracy tradeoff. There were no differences between conditions in P3 latency whereas a significant reduction in P3 amplitude was observed during the 20-minute exercise period compared to the control condition. Taken together, the results suggest that exercise at lower doses may have minimal influence on behavioral outcomes of cognitive performance but may impact more basic measures of brain function. Information gathered from this study may aid in the development of appropriate exercise prescriptions for populations looking to specifically target cognitive function deficits.
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Hewson, R. M. "Neurocognitive function in adults depressed during the school age years." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.603984.
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This study was designed to investigate the theory of glucocorticoids mediated neurotoxicity as an explanation for anatomical changes and the likelihood of depressive recurrence in a group of recovered young adults. The study examines the changes in levels of the hormones cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) between the first episode of depression and present day. It also investigates cognitive ability in tasks of memory ability and affect bias, and explores the functional processes associated with these tasks using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). Anatomical correlates of these cognitive processes were examined using MRI, specifically the hippocampus and the amygdala. fMRI, MRI and cognitive task results were correlated with cortisol and DHEA levels and the length of previous illness. Results suggest that cortisol and DHEA return to similar levels as controls in recovery, and that DHEA levels at the first episode of depression may predict the length and severity of the illness. Although there is no significant difference in cognitive ability between the recovered participants and controls, those with a history of depression do show altered patterns of activation when performing tasks of memory encoding and retrieval and implicit affect recognition. In addition, there are significant positive correlations between hippocampal activation whilst encoding memories and cortisol levels at the first episode, and negative correlations of hippocampal grey matter density and the length of illness. Results also suggest that high levels of cortisol during episodes of depression result in damage to the hippocampus. Subsequently, in recovery, the “damaged” hippocampus requires greater activation to successfully encode memories in order to compensate for the loss of grey matter.
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Ireland, Elizabeth. "Exploring social cognition and executive function in HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HAND)." Thesis, University of East London, 2011. http://roar.uel.ac.uk/3711/.
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With the success of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), people with HIV are living longer and the incidence and prevalence of HIV-associated disorders, including neurocognitive impairments (e.g. HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders; HAND) are increasing. To date, research into social cognition, referring to the ability to understand other people's internal mental states (such as beliefs, desires and emotions) has been neglected in individuals with HAND despite social cognitive impairments being found in individuals with other neurological problems (e.g. brain injury or dementias involving the frontal lobe). This study sought to explore whether social cognitive deficits are present in individuals with HAND, and if so whether this is a specific deficit or occurs as part of, or secondary to other decline in neuropsychological function, including executive functions which have been associated with social cognition in the literature. Sixteen participants with HAND (mean age = 40.9 years, range 23 to 56 years) were recruited from an inpatient neuro-rehabilitation centre and completed two social cognition tests (a verbal theory of mind test, and a visual test of emotional perception) and a battery of neuropsychological assessments including executive function tests. Group means suggested specific weaknesses on the social cognition tests, and also on tests of processing speed and immediate memory, but these tests were not correlated. Case series analysis suggests that social cognition is separate to other cognitive domains and executive functions since social cognition was impaired in individuals who are functioning relatively well on other cognitive areas. The results indicate that social cognition impairment may be a prominent early problem in individuals with HAND. A task of social cognition on a screening test for HAND may be beneficial for early detection and diagnosis, and useful for understanding the impact that social cognitive deficits may have on everyday life and social functioning. Further research, using bigger samples and better instruments is required to understand social cognitive functioning in HIV individuals.
10
Gonterman, Andrea R. "The relationships between insight, psychopathological symptoms, and neurocognitive function in psychotic disorders." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2001. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc3054/.
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Many psychotic patients fail to admit they are mentally ill. The current study evaluated the associations between insight, specific symptoms, and neurocognitive impairments. Thirty-three acute inpatients with a schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or psychotic disorder NOS diagnosis were rated on the SAIE, Birchwood's IS, and the BPRS. Neurocognitive assessments of attention and frontal lobe functioning were also conducted. Stepwise multiple regression analyses found composites representing delusions, disorganization, and anxiety/depression, as well as CPT-IP shapes hit rate, served as significant predictors of total insight or the specific insight dimensions. At least for acute patients, symptoms tended to have stronger relationships with and were more regularly predictive of insight than neurocognitive measures, though the attentional task associated with right hemisphere functioning, contributed significantly.
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Wong, Keith Keat Huat. "Measuring sleep and neurobiological functional parameters in patients with obstructive sleep apnea." University of Sydney, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/2245.
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Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine)Sleepiness is an important source of morbidity in the community, with potentially catastrophic consequences of occupational or driving injuries or accidents. Although many measures of sleepiness exist, there is no gold standard. The electroencephalograph (EEG) has been studied as an indicator of sleep pressure in the waking organism, or sleep depth. A mathematical model has been developed, relating the observed EEG to interactions between groups of neurons in the cortex and thalamus (Robinson, Rennie, Rowe, O'Connor, & Gordon, 2005; Robinson, Rennie, & Wright, 1997). These interactions are thought to be important in the transition from wake to sleep. Sleepiness is common in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The measurement of sleepiness would have great utility in quantifying the disease burden, measuring treatment response, or determining fitness for work or driving. This study will evaluate parameters derived from the EEG mathematical model as a measure of sleepiness. It is divided into the following four parts: 1. Subjects with likely OSA based on symptoms and demographics from an international database were compared with matched non-OSA controls. The OSA group showed deficits in executive function and abnormalities on evoked response potential testing. 2. Outcomes from a cross-sectional study in a sleep-clinic OSA population were aggregated by factor analysis into a five summary variables relevant to sleepiness: subjective sleepiness, mood & anxiety, memory & learning, driving, and executive functioning. 3. EEG mathematical model parameters from wake EEG recordings were related to the five summary outcomes. Executive function correlated with a parameter Z, representing the negative feedback loop between the thalamic reticular nucleus and the thalamocortical relay nuclei. 4. EEG model parameters during first NREM sleep cycle of 8 subjects with regular sleep architecture were studied. Net cortical excitation (parameter X) is predicted to increase across the cycle, while there was, as predicted, a greater inhibitory effect of the thalamic reticular nucleus upon thalamocortical relay cells (parameter Z). In this preliminary assessment, EEG model parameters reflecting thalamocortical interactions are sensitive to prefrontal lobe tasks such as executive function, which are known to be vulnerable to sleep loss and sleepiness, and these parameters also show variation with increasing sleep depth.
12
Wong, Keith Keat Huat. "Measuring sleep and neurobiological functional parameters in patients with obstructive sleep apnea." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/2245.
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Sleepiness is an important source of morbidity in the community, with potentially catastrophic consequences of occupational or driving injuries or accidents. Although many measures of sleepiness exist, there is no gold standard. The electroencephalograph (EEG) has been studied as an indicator of sleep pressure in the waking organism, or sleep depth. A mathematical model has been developed, relating the observed EEG to interactions between groups of neurons in the cortex and thalamus (Robinson, Rennie, Rowe, O'Connor, & Gordon, 2005; Robinson, Rennie, & Wright, 1997). These interactions are thought to be important in the transition from wake to sleep. Sleepiness is common in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The measurement of sleepiness would have great utility in quantifying the disease burden, measuring treatment response, or determining fitness for work or driving. This study will evaluate parameters derived from the EEG mathematical model as a measure of sleepiness. It is divided into the following four parts: 1. Subjects with likely OSA based on symptoms and demographics from an international database were compared with matched non-OSA controls. The OSA group showed deficits in executive function and abnormalities on evoked response potential testing. 2. Outcomes from a cross-sectional study in a sleep-clinic OSA population were aggregated by factor analysis into a five summary variables relevant to sleepiness: subjective sleepiness, mood & anxiety, memory & learning, driving, and executive functioning. 3. EEG mathematical model parameters from wake EEG recordings were related to the five summary outcomes. Executive function correlated with a parameter Z, representing the negative feedback loop between the thalamic reticular nucleus and the thalamocortical relay nuclei. 4. EEG model parameters during first NREM sleep cycle of 8 subjects with regular sleep architecture were studied. Net cortical excitation (parameter X) is predicted to increase across the cycle, while there was, as predicted, a greater inhibitory effect of the thalamic reticular nucleus upon thalamocortical relay cells (parameter Z). In this preliminary assessment, EEG model parameters reflecting thalamocortical interactions are sensitive to prefrontal lobe tasks such as executive function, which are known to be vulnerable to sleep loss and sleepiness, and these parameters also show variation with increasing sleep depth.
13
Carmichael, Kaitlyn E. "Effects of a Single Bout of Exercise on Neurocognitive Function following Acute Sleep Restriction." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2018. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1248395/.
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Acute sleep loss may lead to elevated fatigue, decreased energy, and diminished cognitive performance. Traditionally, sleep extension is used to restore mood and cognitive function to baseline levels following insufficient sleep, yet this method may not be feasible or preferred. Acute exercise may serve as an affordable and relatively safe intervention to reduce detriments to daytime functioning following sleep loss. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the effects of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on neurocognitive function following acute sleep restriction. A secondary aim was to examine the effects of exercise in subjective reports of fatigue, energy, and sleepiness following acute sleep restriction. Fifty-six participants, matched by sex, age, and chronotype, were randomly assigned to either an exercise (EX) or seated control (SC) condition. Following a 4-hour sleep restriction protocol, participants completed the oddball paradigm before and after 20 minutes of exercise or stationary sitting. P3 amplitude and latency, arousal, sleepiness, energy, and fatigue were assessed during the experiment. After controlling for pre-test differences, P3 latency was significantly faster following exercise relative to the control group. No significant P3 amplitude differences were observed between conditions. The EX group displayed significant improvements in arousal, sleepiness, energy, and fatigue compared to the SC group. Findings suggest that 20 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise following acute sleep restriction may improve cognitive processing speeds, as well as improve arousal, sleepiness, energy, and fatigue.
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Koester, Dirk [Verfasser]. "Hierarchy, sequence, function: a contribution to the architecture of the human neurocognitive system / Dirk Koester." Bielefeld : Universitätsbibliothek Bielefeld, 2016. http://d-nb.info/1122285779/34.
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Wyman, Cynthia Elizabeth. "Association Between Latent Toxoplasma gondii Infection and Alzheimer's Disease." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2017. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/7272.
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Introduction: Many studies have found an association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and behavioral and cognitive changes in animal models and in humans. In addition, early findings have suggested an association between T. gondii seropositivity and Alzheimer<'>s disease (AD). We sought to determine whether there is an association between T. gondii seropositivity and AD as well as cognitive functioning (including memory, working memory, processing speed, language functioning, executive functioning) in a large, well-characterized sample of subjects with AD and matched controls without dementia. Method: Using ELISA assays, we determined anti-T. gondii IgG antibody titers in 114 control subjects and in 105 subjects diagnosed with AD through an Alzheimer<'>s Disease Research Center. We compared the seroprevalence between the two groups using propensity score matching (PSM). We also compared associations between T. gondii seropositivity and cognitive functioning using both PSM and linear regressions. Results: We found no differences between groups in age, ethnicity, or gender. Education and socioeconomic status was slightly higher in the control group. Using PSM, we did not find a significant difference in having AD due to T. gondii seropositivity between the two groups. Using PSM, we found T. gondii seropositivity was associated with worse performance on the WAIS-R Digit Symbol test. Within the AD group, we found T. gondii seropositivity was associated with worse performance on the WAIS Block Design and Trail Making B tests. Conclusion: In this sample, we found no evidence of an association between T. gondii seropositivity and AD in a larger study than previous studies. We found evidence of a negative association between processing speed and T. gondii seropositivity as well as a negative association between processing speed, executive functioning, and T. gondii seropositivity in those with AD.
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Abdollahi, Shameem. "A single 9hr recovery sleep is sufficient for the restoration of neurocognitive function following 39hrs TSD /." Title page and abstract only, 2004. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09SB/09sba1359.pdf.
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Roberts, Kate Hannah. "Longitudinal examination of neurocognitive function and community functioning in patients with recent onset and chronic schizophrenia." Thesis, University of Hull, 2004. http://hydra.hull.ac.uk/resources/hull:12381.
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Introduction: The importance of quantifying the impact of illness on functional abilities is well recognised. Previous research has indicated that the cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia may have considerable functional significance (Green, 1996. 2000). However, evidence linking these two domains in schizophrenia research has largely come from cross-sectional or prospective short-term investigations. Thus, the predictive impact of these deficits on daily living is still unclear. The current study examined cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between cognition and different aspects of community function. It also explored the linearity of the relationship between these domains, focusing on cognitive severity as a mediating factor, as well as task complexity. A better understanding of the degree and nature of functional limitations in schizophrenia may help focus on areas for remediation in order to maximise independence of functioning. Methods: Fifty-four patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia were recruited from community psychiatric clinics serving the Hull and East Yorkshire, and South Humber Health Authorities. The patient group was initially divided into two categories, 'recent onset' and 'chronic', with the majority of these participants being treated as outpatients (57%). A small cognitive comparative group of twenty non-psychiatric, matched controls was also recruited. Symptoms, cognition and social function were comprehensively assessed at baseline, nine-months and eighteen-months. The Independent Living Skills Survey (ll.SS) and Social Behaviour Schedule (SBS) were utilised to quantify levels of community functioning, whilst a battery of manual and computerised neurocognitive tests were administered in order to establish patterns of cognitive deficit Constellations of clinical and affective symptoms were assessed with the Brief Psychiatric Research Survey (BPRS) and the Hamilton Depression Scale (HADRS). Results: Few differences were demonstrated between the two patient groups on predictor and outcome variables, thus the patient groups were pooled for subsequent analyses. Stepwise regression analyses determined that neurocognitive deficits, and in particular deficits of executive function, were important predictors of some aspects of community functioning in patients with schizophrenia, but not community functioning per se. Clinical and affective symptom variables were also found to significantly predict functional outcomes in the study, including overall social behaviour. In most models the variance explained by symptom variables was greater than that explained by cognitive variables. A non-linear relationship between cognitive functioning and social functioning was also suggested. Level of cognitive performance was found to discriminate social performance, whereby severe cognitive disturbance demonstrated poorer outcomes than either moderate or normal performance groups. However, few differences were found between 'normal performance' and 'moderate deficit' groups on social function scores. The study also implied that neurocognitive function did not differentially affect performance on basic and complex instrumental tasks. Conclusions: These findings validate the hypothesis that neurocognitive deficits and clinical symptoms are important 'rate-limiting' factors, but cannot support the notion that neurocognitive impairments are functionally more important than the clinical symptoms of the disorder. A combined psychopharmacological and psychosocial approach that takes account of an individual's neurocognitive deficits would therefore appear to offer a reasonable treatment stratagem. The study also suggests that further investigation in larger studies with increased analytical strategies for capturing the non-linear reciprocal relationships between cognition and social function are needed. Finally, a substantial unexplained variance in social functioning exists, which indicates the need for investigations to evaluate other candidate risk factors in relation to both the clinical and cognitive symptoms of the disorder.
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Woo, Minjung. "Cardiovascular fitness modifies the relationship between genotype and neurocognitive function during executive challenge in late adolescence." College Park, Md.: University of Maryland, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1903/8804.
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Thesis (Ph. D.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2008.Thesis research directed by: Dept. of Kinesiology. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.
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Viglietti, Paola. "Maternal alcohol consumption and socio-demographic determinants of neurocognitive function of school children in the rural Western Cape." Master's thesis, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/33095.
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Background. Within the South African context there is a large body of research regarding the associations between maternal gestational drinking and diagnosable child FASDs. However, there remains a paucity of local research regarding the impacts of other kinds of maternal drinking behaviours (e.g. past and present maternal drinking) and related socio-demographic factors on developmentally sensitive areas of child neurocognitive functioning, such as executive functioning (EF). Methods. This study was cross-sectional in design, utilising a gender balanced sample of N=464 children between the ages of 9.00 and 15.12 (year.months) in three rural areas within the Western Cape. Information regarding maternal drinking behaviours (before, during and after pregnancy) and related socio-demographic factors was collected via structured interviews with mothers or proxy respondents. Six subtests from the Cambridge Automated Neuropsychological Battery (CANTAB), were used to assess three aspects of child EF namely: (1) processing speed, assessed by the MOT and RTI subtests, (2) attention, assessed by the MTT and RVP subtests and (3) memory, assessed by the SWM and PAL subtests. Findings. For all three maternal alcohol use behaviours examined, there was an apparent non-significant trend whereby children of mothers who reported alcohol use (before, during and after pregnancy) performed worse (on average) than children of mothers reporting non-alcohol use on the EF subtests. Several of the socio-demographic factors were found to act as significant predictors of subtest specific EF performance including child sex (RTI: B=.46, p<. 01; MTT: B=.05, p<.05), child age (RTI: B=.27, p<.05; MTT: B=.11, p<.01), home language (MOT: B=- .13, p<.05), maternal employment (MTT: B=-.04, p<.05) and household size (SWM: B=-1.29, p<.05). Conclusions. These study findings provide initial insights into the impacts of different types of maternal drinking behaviours and related socio-demographic factors on child EF outcomes within the context of an LMIC, South Africa.
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Mhandire, Kudakwashe. "Virus restriction gene variants and their possible role in neurocognitive function in children born to HIV-infected mothers." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/3100.
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Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references.
Host genetic variation is an important determinant of HIV infection, disease progression and HIV-associated neurocognitive deficits. However, there is no sufficient knowledge on the role of genetic variants especially among African populations. This study is focused on investigating variation in HIV/AIDS restriction genes; CCR2, CX3CR1, SDF1, RANTES, APOBEC3G and MBL2 and their possible role in HIV infection and neurocognitive function among children born to HIV infected mothers, recruited in Harare, Zimbabwe. A total of 116 children comprising of 73 perinatally exposed to HIV (34 who were born infected and 39 who were uninfected) and 43 unexposed controls were recruited in 2011(at ages 7-9 years) from a cohort of mother-baby pairs that has been followed up since 2002. The demographic characteristics of the recruited children were captured from their medical records. A McCarthy Scale of Children‟s Abilities (MSCA) was administered to determine each child‟s neurocognitive status. Genotyping for allelic variants was done using PCR-RFLP, SNaPshot® and Sanger DNA sequencing. Statistical analysis was carried out to determine association between genotypes, HIV status and neurocognitive function. The observation of different genetic variants or combinations of genotypes between the HIV-exposed and infected group and that of the HIV-exposed but uninfected group may be a pointer to critical pathways in differential HIV susceptibility. Exposure and infection with HIV is controlled by a multitude of genes/processes, thus, SNPs are unlikely to show statistically significant effects individually and may be more useful in a multifactorial model, as observed from comparisons of genotype combinations and haplotypes. The role of host genetic variation on neurocognitive function remains disputed but our observations suggest innate immune factors such as MBL2 may have a pronounced effect. Therefore, it may be possible to genotype for a suite of genes and use them as markers of either HIV susceptibility or neuro-developmental patterns.
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Tinker, Jennifer Ruby Zillmer Eric. "Reported visual disturbance and post-concussion cognitive function in collegiate athletes : the relationship between symptom report and neurocognitive outcome /." Philadelphia, Pa. : Drexel University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1860/3264.
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Hawkins, Camilla. "Relationships between self-reported function, quality-of-life and occupational therapist assessed real-world performance in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders." Thesis, Glasgow Caledonian University, 2016. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.743889.
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Uddin, Akhlaque. "Magnetic resonance imaging in the assessment of surgical and transcatheter aortic valve replacement : the impact on neurocognitive function and myocardial reverse remodelling." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2016. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/16299/.
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Background: Aortic valve stenosis is the most common degenerative valve disease affecting the Western elderly population. Medical therapy is ineffective at treating the mechanical obstruction of blood flow. Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement (SAVR) is the current recommended treatment for symptomatic severe AS but often high risk patients are declined for this. Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) allows the percutaneous delivery of the prosthetic valve but this novel approach is associated with complications. Aims: This thesis aims to focus on the effects of TAVI and contemporary SAVR on patients’ quality of life, neurocognitive function and the left ventricular reverse remodelling. Methods: High risk patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis were studied at baseline, 30 days, 6 month and 12 months after intervention. Cerebral MRI with diffusion weighted imaging for micro-embolism was conducted before and after intervention and again at 6 months. Cardiac MR was conducted at baseline and 6 months. Health related quality of life and a comprehensive battery of neurocognitive functional assessments were also conducted across 3 and 4 time points respectively. Results: The incidence (54(77%) vs. 17(43%), p=0.001) and number (3.4±4.9 vs. 1.2±1.8, p=0.001) of new micro-infarcts was greater after TAVI compared to SAVR. Physical component scores (PCS) in TAVI increased after 30 days (32.1±6.6 vs. 38.9±7.0, p<0.0001) and 6m (40.4±9.3, p<0.0001); the improvement occurred later in SAVR (baseline: 34.9±10.6, 30d: 35.9±10.2, 6m: 42.8±11.2, p<0.001). At 12 months, the majority of neurocognitive function tests did not show a significant change in the proportion of patients categorised as having impaired NCF compared to baseline in the TAVI or SAVR groups. After 6 months, there were significant improvements in indexed end-diastolic volumes (TAVI: 100±25mls vs. 87±26mls, p<0.001; SAVR 91±28mls vs. 82±17mls, p<0.05) Extracellular volumes were similar for both groups at baseline (range 22.8 to 24.6%). There was no significant change in ECV after 6 months (TAVI, 24.0±9% vs. 29.3±11%, SAVR, 23.8±7 vs. 23.5±9, p= 0.76). Conclusions: TAVI patients experience higher numbers of cerebral micro-infarcts than contemporary SAVR patients, but this appears to have no effect on HRQoL; TAVI patients experienced earlier improvements in quality of life than SAVR patients. There was also no evidence of neurocognitive functional decline after TAVI using a battery of very sensitive neurocognitive function tests. Both TAVI and SAVR improved cardiac imaging parameters with evidence of reverse LV remodelling but no change in diffuse myocardial fibrosis after 6 months.
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Devlin, Kathryn Noel. "EMPIRICALLY IDENTIFIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL SUBTYPES IN HIV INFECTION: IMPLICATIONS FOR ETIOLOGY AND PROGNOSIS." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2018. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/521261.
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PsychologyPh.D.
Heterogeneity in the profile of HIV-associated neuropsychological disorder (HAND) may obscure understanding of its etiology and prognosis. Despite longstanding acknowledgement of this heterogeneity, HAND diagnostic approaches such as the Frascati criteria characterize neuropsychological function based on the level of impairment, without regard to the pattern of strengths and weaknesses. Attention to these patterns may enhance etiologic and prognostic specificity. We used latent class analysis (LCA) to identify relatively homogeneous subtypes of neurocognitive function in adults with well-treated HIV infection. We compared the diagnostic agreement of latent classes and Frascati categories, as well as their associations with demographics, HIV markers and antiretroviral factors, comorbid medical and psychiatric conditions, and everyday functioning. LCA identified four classes, whose cognitive profiles are depicted in Figure 1: cognitively intact, mild-to-moderate motor/speed impairment, mild-to-moderate memory/visuoconstruction impairment, and moderate mixed impairment. Latent classes and Frascati categories demonstrated good agreement in the overall classification of impaired cognition but more disagreement regarding subtypes of impairment. Both latent classes and Frascati categories demonstrated unique associations with etiologic factors and significant associations with functional outcomes. However, only latent classes, not Frascati categories, were associated with HIV variables. Additionally, functional difficulties were significantly elevated in the motor impairment class but not the memory impairment class despite similar levels of cognitive impairment in the two groups. Findings support the utility of a diagnostic approach that accounts for both the level and pattern of neurocognitive impairment. Future research should examine the neuropathological mechanisms, longitudinal trajectories, and treatments of empirically identified HAND subtypes.
Temple University--Theses
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Fonseca, Luciana Mascarenhas. "Evidência de disfunção executiva, desinibição e apatia no declínio cognitivo e demência de Alzheimer em pessoas com Síndrome de Down." Universidade de São Paulo, 2018. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/5/5142/tde-11022019-162727/.
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INTRODUÇÃO. Embora esteja bem estabelecida a relação neuropatológica da síndrome de Down (SD) com a doença de Alzheimer (DA), os primeiros sintomas de demência na população com SD são considerados atípicos. Estudos indicam que os sintomas iniciais estão relacionados à disfunção comportamental que envolvem circuitos cerebrais fronto-subcorticais, como mudança de comportamento e disfunção executiva. O presente estudo teve como objetivo investigar fatores associados ao funcionamento do lobo frontal (disfunção executiva, desinibição e apatia) durante o declínio cognitivo e a DA em adultos com SD. MÉTODOS. 92 indivíduos com SD com idade acima de 30 anos foram alocados em três diferentes grupos diagnósticos (cognição estável, demência prodrômica e DA) por meio da avaliação com o instrumento Exame Cambridge para Transtornos Mentais em Adultos com Síndrome de Down e Deficiência Intelectual (CAMDEX-DS), previamente validado como parte da metodologia de trabalho. Os participantes foram avaliados com um protocolo de funções executivas desenvolvido para pessoas com deficiência intelectual por pesquisadores da Universidade de Cambridge e classificados para a presença de disfunção executiva, desinibição e apatia através da entrevista com um informante utilizando a Escala de Personalidade Frontal. Além disso, dados sobre características de comportamentos resultantes de disfunções frontais, memória e orientação foram analisados por meio do CAMDEX-DS em conjunto com uma amostra inglesa totalizando amostra combinada de 162 participantes com SD com mais de 30 anos e divididos em quatro grupos: cognição estável abaixo de 45 anos, cognição estável acima de 45 anos, demência prodrômica e DA. RESULTADOS. Os relatos de disfunção executiva, desinibição e apatia através da Escala de Personalidade Frontal foram correlacionados com o desempenho cognitivo dos participantes: quanto maior a disfunção comportamental nestas áreas, pior o desempenho cognitivo nas tarefas executivas. A desinibição e a disfunção executiva foram associadas aos diferentes diagnósticos. A probabilidade de ter DA aumentou com elevações nos escores da Escala de Personalidade Frontal (p <= 0,5). Na análise com o CAMDEX-DS, os sintomas frontais, assim como as queixas de memória e orientação, estavam presentes antes da evidência de declínio cognitivo. Diante do diagnóstico prodrômico e de DA, esses sintomas se agravaram. O impacto da deterioração cognitiva ocorreu em memória e orientação (odds ratio 35,07; P < 0,001) e disfunção executiva (odds ratio 7,16; P < 0,001) para o grupo prodrômico em relação à cognição estável; desinibição (odds ratio 3,54; P = 0,04) para DA em relação ao grupo prodrômico; e apatia (odds ratio 34,18; P < 0,001) para DA em relação à cognição estável. CONCLUSÃO. Disfunção executiva, desinibição e apatia estiveram presentes em indivíduos com SD e cognição estável. Estas medidas se agravam no declínio cognitivo inicial (prodrômico) e na DA nessa população e estão associados ao desempenho cognitivo em tarefas de funções executivas. Disfunções comportamentais devem ser levadas em consideração durante a avaliação clínica. Estudos futuros considerando a interseção entre neuropatologia, conectividade cerebral e expressão de comportamento podem agregar conhecimento sobre a base e a natureza dessas associações e servirem de base para a criação de estratégias preventivas eficazesINTRODUCTION. Although a neuropathological correlation has been established between Down syndrome (DS) and Alzheimer\'s disease (AD), the early symptoms of dementia present atypically in the DS population. There is evidence that frontal-subcortical circuits play an important role in the initial presentation of dementia in DS, including changes in behaviour and executive dysfunction. The present study aimed to investigate factors associated with frontal lobe functioning (executive dysfunction, disinhibition and apathy) during cognitive decline and AD in adults with DS. METHODS. 92 individuals with DS aged over 30 years were evaluated and divided into three groups of diagnosis (stable cognition, prodromal dementia and AD) using the Cambridge Examination for Mental Disorders in Adults with Down Syndrome and others with Intellectual Disability (CAMDEX-DS), previously validated as part of our methodology. Participants were assessed with an executive function protocol developed for people with intellectual disabilities by researchers from University of Cambridge, and were rated for executive dysfunction, disinhibition and apathy by an informant using the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe). In addition, data on characteristics of frontal behaviour, memory and orientation were analysed through CAMDEX-DS in conjunction with an English sample totalling 162 participants with DS over 30 years old and divided into four groups: stable cognition under 45 years, stable cognition above 45 years, prodromal dementia and AD. RESULTS. Reports of executive dysfunction, disinhibition and apathy through FrSBe were correlated with participants\' cognitive performance: the higher the behavioural dysfunction in these areas, the worse the cognitive performance in executive tasks. Disinhibition and executive dysfunction were associated with diagnoses. The odds of having AD increased in parallel with increases in FrSBe scores (p <= 0.5). In the CAMDEX-DS analysis, amnestic and non-amnestic symptoms were found to be present before there was evidence of a cognitive decline. During the progression to dementia, those symptoms tended to worsen. Memory and orientation were poorer in the prodromal dementia group than in the stable cognition group (odds ratio 35.07, P < 0.001) as was executive function (odds ratio 7.16, P < 0.001). Disinhibition was greater in the AD group than in the prodromal dementia group (odds ratio 3.54, P = 0.04), and apathy was more pronounced in the AD group than in the stable cognition group (odds ratio 34.18; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION. Executive dysfunction, disinhibition and apathy were present in individuals with DS and stable cognition. These measures hasten the initial cognitive decline of AD and are related with cognitive performance in executive function tasks. Frontally mediated behaviour should be taken into consideration during the clinical evaluation of adults with DS. Future studies considering the intersection of neuropathology, brain connectivity, and behaviour may aggregate knowledge about the basis and nature of these associations, leading to the development of effective preventive strategies
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Remes, T. (Tiina). "Signs of radiation-induced accelerated ageing in survivors of childhood brain tumors:the incidence of cerebrovascular disease, neurocognitive impairment, secondary neoplasms, and low bone mineral density after 18 years of follow-up." Doctoral thesis, Oulun yliopisto, 2019. http://urn.fi/urn:isbn:9789526224305.
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Abstract Background: Childhood brain tumors (CBTs) are the most common solid tumors in childhood. CBT survivors have a high risk of several late-effects, including cerebrovascular disease (CVD), neurocognitive impairment, secondary neoplasms, and low bone mineral density; however, only a few studies have clinically investigated the late-sequelae in young-adult CBT survivors. Aim: To determine the prevalence of CVD, neurocognitive impairment, secondary neoplasms, and bone mineral density in a national cohort of radiotherapy-treated long-term survivors of CBT. Subjects and Methods: Radiotherapy-treated CBT survivors diagnosed between 1970–2008 were selected based on the following inclusion criteria: follow-up ≥5 years since the cessation of therapy and age of ≥16 years at the time of the study. Survivors were clinically and neuropsychologically examined, and investigated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), bone mineral densitometry, and laboratory analysis. Results: We included 74 survivors after a mean follow-up time of 18.9 ± 6.1 years. The mean age at follow-up was 28.4 ± 6.8 years and at diagnosis 8.3 ± 4.3 years. At the 20-year follow-up, the cumulative prevalence of CVD, along with small- and large-vessel disease was 52%, 38%, and 16%, respectively. Ischemic infarcts or transient ischemic attacks were diagnosed in 11% of the survivors, lacunar infarcts in 10%, and cerebral hemorrhage in 3%. White matter lesions (WMLs) were noted in 49% of the survivors. Higher blood pressure was associated with CVD, large-vessel disease, WMLs, and lacunar infarcts. Survivors had lower cognitive performance in all neuropsychological domains than controls. Mean verbal intelligence quotient was 89 ± 14 and mean performance intelligence quotient 87 ± 19. Executive functions (Z-score -5.0 ± 5.3 SD) and processing speed (Z-score -4.3 ± 5.4 SD) were extensively impaired. Executive functions and processing speed were associated with everyday life skills. Cumulative incidence of secondary meningiomas was 10.2% at the 25-year follow-up using the clinical data, and that of secondary neoplasms was 2.4% using the Finnish Cancer Registry data. We observed low bone mineral density in 23.6% of the survivors, which was associated with fractures in long bones. Conclusions: Young adult CBT survivors experienced late-consequences typically associated with ageingTiivistelmä Taustaa: Suomessa sairastuu vuosittain 46-60 lasta aivokasvaimeen, joka on lapsuusiän yleisin, kiinteä kasvain. Selviytyneillä on todettu lisääntynyt hoitojen myöhäisvaikutuksien riski. Kuitenkin nuorten aikuisten haittavaikutuksia on toistaiseksi tutkittu melko vähän. Tutkimuksen tarkoitus: Tarkoituksena oli selvittää sädehoidon jälkihaittoina esiintyvien sairauksien, kuten aivoverisuonisairauksien, älyllisten ongelmien, sekundaaristen kasvainten ja luustonhaurastumisen yleisyyttä ja riskitekijöitä suomalaisessa, kansallisessa kohortissa. Aineisto ja Menetelmät: Tutkimukseen kutsuttiin kaikki Suomessa lapsuusiällä aivokasvaimen sairastaneet aikuiset, jotka oli hoidettu sädehoidolla vuosina 1970-2008. Tutkittavat olivat yli 16-vuotiaita ja hoitojen päättymisestä oli yli 5 vuotta. Osallistuneille tehtiin kliininen ja neuropsykologinen tutkimus, pään magneettikuvaus, luustontiheysmittaus ja laboratoriotutkimuksia. Tulokset: Tutkimukseemme osallistui 74 nuorta aikuista 18,9 ± 6,1 vuotta hoitojen päättymisen jälkeen. Tutkittavat olivat iältään 28,4 ± 6,8 -vuotiaita osallistuessaan, ja 8,3 ± 4,3 -vuotiaita diagnoosihetkellä. Aivoverisuonisairaus todettiin 52% tutkimukseen osallistuneella 20 vuoden seurannan jälkeen, pienten suonten tauti oli 38 %:lla ja suurten suonten tauti 16 %:lla. Aivoinfarktin oli sairastanut 9 % tutkituista, lakuunainfarktin 10 % ja aivoverenvuodon 3 % tutkituista. Valkean aivoaineen muutoksia todettiin 49 %:lla magneettikuvauksessa. Korkea verenpaine lisäsi aivoverisuonisairauden, suurten suonten taudin, valkoisen aivoaineen muutoksien sekä lakuunainfarktien riskiä. Selviytyjien keskimääräinen kielellinen älykkyysosamäärä oli 89 ± 14 ja ei-kielellinen 87 ± 19. Suurimmat vaikeudet todettiin toiminnanohjauksessa (Z-luku -5,0 ± 5,3 SD) ja prosessointinopeudessa (Z-luku -4,3 ± 5,4 SD). Toiminnanohjauksen ja prosessointinopeuden vaikeudet olivat yhteydessä arkielämän haasteisiin. Sekundaaristen aivokalvokasvainten kumulatiivinen esiintyvyys oli 25 vuoden seuranta-aikana 10,2 % kliinisessä tutkimuksessa ja sekundaaristen kasvainten 2,4 % Syöpärekisteriaineistossa. Matala luustontiheys todettiin 23,6%:lla selviytyneistä. Johtopäätökset: Nuorilla aikuisilla, jotka ovat lapsena aivokasvaimen vuoksi saaneet sädehoitoa, esiintyy useita sellaisia jälkihaittoja, jotka yleensä liittyvät ikääntymiseen
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Ma, Po-wing, and 馬寶詠. "Effects of blood pressure on neurocognitive functions." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/209531.
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Prior clinical studies have documented that high blood pressure is one of the prominent risk factors leading to cerebrovascular disease and subsequent cognitive impairment. The present study aims to examine the relationship between blood pressure and brain and cognitive function in a community sample. This study recruited 41 elderly persons aged 60–70. Multiple imaging modalities were adopted to assess white matter microstructure, regional brain volume, and resting-state neural activity while a set of neuropsychological tests was used to assess cognitive function. With blood pressure measured at clinical interview, correlation and regression analyses were performed. Results showed reduced white matter integrity with increased systolic blood pressure in the splenium of the corpus callosum and inferior longitudinal fasciculus in the absence of change in brain volume or neural activity. Also, increased systolic blood pressure was found to be correlated with poorer cognitive performance in information processing speed. The results held significant after controlling age, sex, and education. These observations of the subclinical sample suggest that high blood pressure relates to subtle changes in the brain and cognitive deficits. Blood pressure control, as a relatively modifiable factor, should be taken seriously in community-dwelling elderly.published_or_final_version
Clinical Psychology
Doctoral
Doctor of Psychology
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Marklund, Petter. "Cross-functional brain imaging of attention, memory and executive functions : unity and diversity of neurocognitive component processes /." Doctoral thesis, Umeå : Department of Psychology, Umeå University, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-805.
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Tso, F., and 曹斐. "Longitudinal neurocognitive functions in First-episode psychosis: 24-month follow-up." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2002. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31227909.
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Crouse, Jacob Jeffrey. "Mapping the Early Functional Course of Emerging Mental Disorders." Thesis, University of Sydney, 2020. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/23974.
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Mental disorders cause profound functional impairment among young people during foundational socio-developmental phases. Most studies have examined predictors of impairment in adults with chronic disorders, and much less is known about the causes of impairment in young people in early illness phases. Accordingly, the overarching aim of this thesis was to investigate the relationships between functioning and several candidate predictors, including substance use, symptoms, and neurocognition, in a cohort of young people accessing mental health services. In Chapter 2, latent class analysis is used to show that subgroups of young people with earlier and later relative onsets of substance use have distinct functional courses for around four years, with lower functioning over time in contact with services among the earlier onset subgroup. In Chapter 3, mixed effects modelling is used to reveal an association between impairment in cognitive flexibility and a lower rate of functional recovery over time. In Chapter 4 and Chapter 5, cluster analysis is used to demonstrate that neurocognitive subgroups are differentially related to functioning cross-sectionally and over time. Specifically, Chapter 4 shows that a subgroup characterised by global neurocognitive impairment has the lowest functioning cross sectionally, and Chapter 5 extends this finding to show that global neurocognitive impairment is related to persistently lower functioning over three years. Finally, bivariate latent change score modelling is used in Chapter 6 to demonstrate that changes in global symptoms are negatively correlated with changes in functioning, such that a reduction in overall symptom load is related to functional improvement. Altogether, the findings of this thesis highlight the enduring functional consequences of specific and global neurocognitive impairment, and to a lesser extent earlier substance use, and supports global symptom reduction as a strategy for encouraging functional recovery.
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Jackson, Allison N. "Neurocognitive Ability in Individuals with Chronic Ankle Instability." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1491917830289932.
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Menzies, Lara Alexandre Caroline. "Functional and structural abnormalities of large-scale neurocognitive networks in neuropsychiatric disorders." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.612102.
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Buchy, Lisa. "Clinical, neurocognitive, and structural and functional MRI correlates of insight in first-episode psychosis." Thesis, McGill University, 2012. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=110600.
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Background. Poor insight is primary symptom of psychosis that can be characterized along clinical and cognitive dimensions. Clinical insight describes ones awareness of illness, awareness of treatment need/efficacy, and ability to relabel unusual mental events, while cognitive insight reflects ones self-reflectiveness and self-certainty in beliefs. Purpose. Our overall aim was to map the psychopathological correlates and cognitive and neural systems underlying poor clinical and cognitive insight in FEP using behavioural analyses, and MRI-based cortical thickness, diffusion tensor imaging and functional imaging measurements.Methods. We carried out the following experiments: 1. Assessing the trajectory of clinical insight at multiple time points over the first year of a FEP 2–3. Mapping the extent of cortical thinning in FEP patients with poor clinical insight. 4. Analyzing the role of the hippocampus in cognitive insight in FEP 5. Analyzing the integrity of the fornix in relation to self-certainty in FEP. 6. Assessing the significance of delusional severity for cognitive insight in FEP. 7. Analyzing the role of source memory for cognitive insight in FEP using a virtual reality cognitive activation paradigm during fMRI data acquisition. Results. 1. Clinical insight improved concurrently with positive, negative and anxious symptoms between baseline and month 1. Five patient subgroups were discriminated: good, increasing, decreasing, moderate poor and very poor. 2–3. Cortical thinning was associated with clinical insight. 4. Verbal memory associated with self-reflectiveness, while hippocampal volume was associated with self-certainty. 5. Fornix integrity associated to self-certainty. 6. Delusions were associated with self-reflectiveness. 7. FES patients demonstrated statistically similar source memory performance to that of healthy controls. Despite this, within-group analyses revealed BOLD signal differences in frontal and parietal regions in correlation with higher self-reflectiveness and lower self-certainty in FES and controls during source memory recognition.Conclusions and significance. 1. Specific longitudinal insight trajectories appeared to be driving the observed associations between clinical insight and negative and depressive symptoms in the entire FEP cohort. 2–3. The findings suggest that the neural signature of clinical insight in FEP involves a network of semi-independent brain structures. 4–5. Structural deficits in the hippocampus and its circuitry, including fornix integrity, appear to be emerging as an intermediate phenotype for self-certainty in FEP. In individuals with a FEP, cognitive insight may rely on memory whereby current experiences are appraised based on previous ones. 6. Self-reflection may be important for delusion severity. 7. The disparate regional brain activity in FES might reflect the use of an alternate cognitive stratagem to achieve adaptive self-reflectiveness and self-certainty levels, or may reflect underlying neuropathology in frontal and parietal areas.Contexte. Le manque d'auto-critique (insight) est un symptôme primaire de psychose qui peut être caractérisé sur les plans cliniques et cognitifs. L'insight clinique décrit la conscience qu'a une personne de sa maladie, la conscience du besoin ou de l'efficacité du traitement et l'habileté d'une personne à catégoriser des événements mentaux inhabituels, alors que l'insight cognitif représente la capacité de réflexion sur soi et le niveau de certitude par rapport à ses propres croyances. Objectif. Notre objectif général était de définir les corrélats psychopathologiques et cognitifs ainsi que les systèmes neuronaux impliqués dans le manque d'insight clinique et cognitif chez les premiers épisodes psychotiques (PEP) en utilisant des analyses comportementales ainsi que des mesures basées sur l'IRM comme l'épaisseur corticale, l'imagerie par tenseur de diffusion et l'imagerie fonctionnelle.Méthodes. Nous avons fait les expériences suivantes : 1. Évaluer la progression de l'insight clinique à plusieurs moments de la première année d'un PEP 2–3. Définir l'ampleur de l'amincissement cortical chez les patients PEP avec un manque d'insight clinique. 4. Analyser le rôle de l'hippocampe dans l'insight cognitif chez les PEP 5. Analyser l'intégrité du fornix en relation avec la certitude de soi chez les PEP. 6. Évaluer le rôle de la sévérité des délires par rapport à l'insight cognitif des PEP. 7. Analyser le rôle de la mémoire de la source dans l'insight cognitif chez les PEP en utilisant un paradigme d'activation cognitive en réalité virtuelle durant une acquisition de données d'IRMf.Résultats. 1. L'insight clinique s'est amélioré simultanément avec les symptômes positifs, négatifs et d'anxiété entre l'évaluation initiale et le premier mois. Cinq sous-groupes de patients ont été identifiés : bon, croissant, décroissant, modérément faible et très faible. 2–3. L'amincissement cortical était associé avec l'insight clinique 4. La mémoire verbale était associée avec la réflexion sur soi alors que le volume de l'hippocampe était associé avec la certitude de soi, indépendamment des effets de la mémoire verbale chez les PEP. 5. L'intégrité du fornix était associée à la certitude de soi. 6. Les délires étaient associés avec la réflexion sur soi. 7. Les patients PEP démontraient une performance de leur mémoire source similaire aux contrôles sains. Malgré ceci, les analyses à l'intérieur de chaque groupe ont révélé une différence du signal BOLD dans les régions frontales et pariétales en corrélation avec une plus grande réflexion de soi et une plus faible certitude de soi chez les PEP et les contrôles durant une tâche de reconnaissance de la mémoire source.Conclusions et importance. 1. La progression longitudinale spécifique de l'insight semble entraîner les associations entre l'insight clinique et les symptômes négatifs et dépressifs dans l'ensemble de la cohorte PEP. 2–3. Les résultats suggèrent que la signature neuronale de l'insight chez les PEP implique un réseau de structures cérébrales semi-indépendantes. 4–5. Les déficits structuraux de l'hippocampe et de ses circuits, incluant l'intégrité du fornix, semblent émerger en tant que phénotype de la certitude de soi chez les PEP. Chez les individus avec un PEP, l'insight cognitif pourrait reposer sur la mémoire puisque les expériences actuelles sont jugées sur la base des expériences précédentes. 6. La réflexion sur soi pourrait être importante pour la sévérité des délires. 7. L'hétérogénéité de l'activité des régions du cerveau chez les PEP peut refléter l'utilisation d'une stratégie cognitive alternative pour adapter la réflexion de soi ou la certitude de soi. Ceci pourrait aussi refléter une neuropathologie sous-jacente dans les régions frontales ou pariétales.
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Cherkasova, Mariya V. "Dopaminergic function in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in relation to symptomatology, neurocognition and cortical structure." Thesis, McGill University, 2012. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=107597.
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Converging evidence suggests a dysfunction in dopamine (DA) neurotransmission in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). For example, DA genes are implicated in the etiology of ADHD, and DA augmenting agents, such as methylphenidate (MPH) and dextroamphetamine (d-AMPH) produce significant symptom improvement. In this dissertation, I examined the response of striatal DA to a d-AMPH challenge in treatment-naïve adults with ADHD and control participants, using positron emission tomography (PET) and the radioligand [11C]raclopride. I also examined the relationship between DA response and symptomatology, neurocognitive function, and neuroanatomy. The ADHD group showed greater d-AMPH induced striatal DA responses than controls. A quadratic U-shaped relationship was observed between the d-AMPH induced DA responses and self-reported hyperactivity across both groups, with the largest DA response in individuals reporting moderate levels of activity and smaller responses in both non-hyperactive and highly hyperactive individuals. Compared to Controls, ADHD participants performed more poorly on tests of response inhibition, showing longer inhibitory reaction times on the stop signal reaction time task, a higher error rate on the antisaccade task, and a higher error rate on a version of the go/ no-go task. Inhibitory performance on one measure of the antisaccade task, anticipatory saccades, was linearly related to DA release. Frontal cortical thickness did not differ significantly between ADHD and control participants. Cortical thickness was linearly related to striatal DA response but the direction of the association was opposite in the two groups. In the control group, thicker cortex was associated with smaller d-AMPH-induced DA increases while in the ADHD group thicker cortex was associated with larger d-AMPH-induced DA increases. The findings are consistent with a model of ADHD proposing abnormally low striatal DA tone coupled with an exaggerated phasic DA release (Grace, 2001). The greater d-AMPH induced increases in extracellular DA in the ADHD group likely reflect the exaggerated phasic component. Stimulant medications might acutely increase DA tone and diminish phasic reactivity. Since the most severely hyperactive patients had lower DA responses, the quadratic association may reflect a more rapid increase in DA tone accompanied by a down-modulation of phasic reactivity, effects that would be consistent with reports of the greatest clinical response to stimulants in the most symptomatic patients (Robbins & Sahakian, 1979; Buitelaar et al, 1995). The performance on neuropsychological tests is consistent with previous reports (Nigg, 2005) suggesting an important neurocognitive deficit in the area of inhibitory function. The divergent associations of frontal cortical thickness and d-AMPH induced DA release in the two groups may reflect differences in cortical developmental trajectories in Controls and ADHD participants (Shaw et al. 2007) or differences in cortico-striatal connectivity between the two groups.Plusieurs données semblent suggérer qu'un dérèglement du système dopaminergique pourrait être présent dans le trouble déficitaire d'attention avec hyperactivité (TDAH). Par exemple, les gènes liés au système dopaminergique sont impliqués dans l'étiologie du TDAH et des agents qui augmentent la neurotransmission dopaminergique, tels que le méthylphénidate (MPH) et la dextroamphétamine (d-AMPH), améliorent les symptômes du trouble. Dans la présente thèse, j'ai examiné la réactivité du système dopaminergique à une dose de d-AMPH chez des adultes présentant un TDAH et n'ayant jamais reçu de traitement comparé à un groupe témoin. J'ai également examiné la relation entre la réactivité du système dopaminergique et la symptomatologie, la fonction neurocognitive et la neuroanatomie. Le groupe TDAH a montré une plus grande augmentation de la réactivité du système de neurotransmission dopaminergique que le groupe témoin après une dose de d-AMPH. Une relation quadratique a pu être observée entre les réponses dopaminergiques induites par d-AMPH et les symptômes d'hyperactivité auto-rapportés dans les deux groupes. Les sujets déclarant des niveaux modérés d'activité avaient la plus grande réponse dopaminergique, tandis que les sujets non hyperactifs et les sujets très hyperactifs avaient la réponse moins prononcée. Les participants présentant un TDAH ont obtenu des performances moindres que ceux du groupe témoin dans les taches d'inhibition d'une réponse motrice, y compris la tâche de "signal-arret" (stop-signal), la tâche « antisaccade », et la tâche «go/ no-go». Il y avait une relation linéaire entre un aspect de la performance au niveau de l'inhibition – saccades anticipatifs – et la réactivité dopaminergique à d-AMPH. L'épaisseur du cortex frontal ne différait pas significativement entre les participants TDAH et le groupe témoin. Il y avait une relation linéaire entre l'épaisseur du cortex frontal et la réactivité du système dopaminergique, mais la direction de cette association était opposée dans les deux groupes. Dans le groupe témoin, une plus grande épaisseur du cortex frontal était associée à une réponse dopaminergique moins prononcée, tandis que dans le groupe TDAH, une plus grande épaisseur du cortex frontal était associée à une réponse dopaminergique plus prononcée. Les résultats sont cohérents avec le modèle proposant que le tonus dopaminergique dans le striatum soit diminué et que la libération phasique de la dopamine soit amplifiée chez les individus présentant un TDAH (Grace, 2001). L'administration aiguë des médicaments stimulants pourrait augmenter le tonus dopaminergique et diminuer la libération phasique de la dopamine. Étant donné que les patients les plus hyperactifs avaient la réponse dopaminergique moins prononcée à d-AMPH, la relation quadratique peut refléter une amplification plus rapide du tonus dopaminergique accompagnée par une diminution de réactivité phasique du système. Ces effets sont concordants avec les études ayant démontré une meilleure réponse clinique aux stimulants chez des patients les plus symptomatiques (Robbins & Sahakian, 1979; Buitelaar et al, 1995). De plus, les résultats des tests neuropsychologiques sont compatibles avec les études précédentes (Nigg, 2005), suggérant un déficit neurocognitif important au niveau de l'inhibition. Le fait que l'association entre l'épaisseur du cortex frontal et la réactivité du système dopaminergique soit inverse dans les deux groupes pourrait indiquer des différences dans les trajectoires de développement cortical chez les participants présentant un TDAH comparé aux participants témoins ou des différences dans la connectivité cortico-striatale entre les deux groupes.
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Couture, Shannon Marie Penn David L. "Neurocognition, social cognition, and functional outcome in schizophrenia and high-functioning autism." Chapel Hill, N.C. : University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006. http://dc.lib.unc.edu/u?/etd,598.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006.Title from electronic title page (viewed Oct. 10, 2007). "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Psychology." Discipline: Psychology; Department/School: Psychology.
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McCleery, Amanda. "PATHWAYS TO FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENT IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: CONTRIBUTIONS OF NEUROCOGNITION AND SOCIAL COGNITION." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1338234028.
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Sacco, Guillaume. "Les jeux vidéo sérieux en pratique gérontologique : application aux relations activité physique/cognition." Thesis, Université Côte d'Azur (ComUE), 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018AZUR4040/document.
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Ce travail de thèse présente une approche clinique et thérapeutique visant à fournir de nouvelles techniques de soins pour les patients atteints de troubles neurocognitifs et notamment de maladie d’Alzheimer. Les serious exergames sont des jeux vidéo sérieux intégrant une activité physique. Ils peuvent constituer des outils de production d’environnement enrichi pour les utilisateurs, en associant notamment exercice physique et entraînement cognitif. L’objectif de cette thèse est d’explorer en quoi les serious exergames peuvent contribuer à la prise en charge non médicamenteuse des troubles neurocognitifs. Dans ce travail, nous avons réalisé deux types de contribution. Les premières contributions sont générales, l’une présente notre approche clinique intégrative combinant exercice physique et entraînement cognitif via l’utilisation de serious exergames, et l’autre présente des recommandations concernant l’usage des serious games. Les secondes contributions sont de nature expérimentale. La première expérimentation vise à vérifier une des bases théoriques de notre approche clinique. Les deux expérimentations suivantes constituent une évaluation de la mise en œuvre de notre approcheThis thesis presents a clinical and therapeutic approach aiming to create new care for patients with neurocognitive disorder. Serious exergames are serious video games integrating physical activity. Serious exergames could be tools to product enriched environment associating physical exercise and cognitive training. The aim of this thesis is to investigate whether serious exergames can contribute to the non-pharmacological management of neurocognitive disorders. In this thesis we have made two types of contributions. The first type are general contributions. One presents our integrative clinical approach associating physical exercise and cognitive training using serious exergames. The other one presents recommendations concerning the use of serious exergames. The second type of contributions are experimental. The first one aims to confirm a theoretical base of our clinical approach. The two other experiments assess the implementation of our approached in a population of patients with neurocognitive disorder
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Lanzi, Alyssa M. "Effects of External Memory Aid Assessment and Treatment on Everyday Task Performance of Individuals with Mild Neurocognitive Disorder." Scholar Commons, 2019. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/7835.
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Individuals with mild neurocognitive disorder complete many activities of daily living independently; however, they may require the use of compensatory strategies while performing everyday tasks. Compensatory strategies, such as external memory aids, incorporate a strengths-based approach to enhance the functional needs of individuals. Although external memory aids have a strong evidence-base, limited assessment tools and interventions are available to facilitate the development of individualized treatment plans that promote sustained strategy use. To better support the everyday needs of individuals with mild neurocognitive disorder and to inform clinicians who are developing interventions, the current dissertation includes four paper that examine a functional framework for external memory aid assessment and intervention. The first paper examined a group intervention teaching three types of external memory aids on functional strategy use, perceived strategy use, and cognitive skills. The second paper identified individual preferences for experiences with external memory aids during and following intervention. The third paper examined individual changes in functional and perceived strategy use following a group-based intervention teaching external memory aids. Lastly, the fourth paper examined the content validity and internal structure of the Functional External Memory Aid Tool: a measure that explores external memory aid use with simulated everyday tasks. By understanding the weaknesses in currently used assessment and intervention practices and the unique preferences of clients, this multi-manuscript dissertation aims to enhance the immediate and long-term needs of individuals with mild neurocognitive disorder.
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Davies, Geoff. "A metacognitive account for the relationship between neurocognition and functional outcome in first-episode psychosis." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2016. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/61167/.
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Neurocognitive and functional outcome deficits have long been acknowledged in schizophrenia and are considered a core feature of the disorder. Neurocognition has been found to account for functional disability to a greater extent than psychopathology however much of the variance in functional outcome still remains unexplained. How functional outcome is measured also requires clarification. By investigating the relationship between neurocognition and functional outcome in First-Episode Psychosis (FEP), much can be learnt about the trajectory of disability and the course of illness in schizophrenia. Metacognition, or thinking about thinking, has been proposed as a mediating variable between neurocognition and functional outcome. Despite different theoretical backgrounds, authors generally converge on there being higher-order, explicit, conscious metacognitive knowledge and lower-order, implicit metacognitive processes. How these relate to each other requires clarification. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been implicated in higher order thought and metacognitive processing, and deficits have been observed in PFC Grey Matter (GM) volume in schizophrenia. These metacognitive deficits may contribute to the relationship between cognitive ability and community functioning. A preliminary meta-analysis demonstrated that a moderate effect size is found between neurocognition and metacognition and a moderate effect size exists between metacognition and functional outcome. The present thesis investigated whether metacognition mediates the relationship between neurocognition and functional outcome in FEP (N=80). Path models were created to investigate the different relationships between neurocognition, metacognition and both capacity to perform everyday tasks and objective functioning in the community. A secondary Voxel-based Morphometry (VBM) analysis was also conducted investigating perceptual metacognitive accuracy and its relationship to GM volume in both FEP (N=41) and a matched healthy control sample (N=21). Current findings support the model that metacognition and negative symptoms mediate the relationship between neurocognition and functional capacity in FEP. Path models also demonstrated a significant mediation effect of metacognition between neorocognition and objective function, and functional capacity and objective function. Significant group differences were found between FEP and controls in perceptual metacognitive accuracy however no significant relationship was found between metacognition and GM volume in the PFC. The present thesis suggests that metacognitive deficits are present at first episode and may account for the relationship between cognitive ability and functioning in the community. Findings also suggest that cognitive remediation programmes may wish to focus on metacognition to maximise the transfer of cognitive skills to community functioning. The findings also suggest the presence of two metacognitive processing routes; explicit, declarable, higher-order knowledge and implicit, intuition-based, lower-order experience which can be accounted for by Nelson and Narens (1990) metacognitive model.
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Adrover, Roig Daniel. "Análisis neurocognitivo de la dinámica de las redes de memoria en el envejecimiento." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de les Illes Balears, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/9448.
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Durant l'envelliment es dónen canvis estructurals i funcionals al cervell, especialment a l'escorça prefrontal, un dels substractes anatòmics responsables del control atencional. Aquest es va mesurar emprant tècniques neuropsicològioques i neurofuncionals durant l'execució de tasques de canvi amb senyals implícites (tipus WCST). 80 subjectes majors sans es varen dividir segons la seva edat i el seu nivell de control cognitiu. El baix control cognitiu (però no l'edat) s'associà a un augment dels costos residuals de resposta, en paral.lel amb una major amplitud del component P2 davant els senyals. L'edad avançada, en conjunt amb un baix nivell de control s'associà a un increment dels costos locals de resposta durant el canvi de tasca, paral.lelament amb l'augment de les ones lentes durant la fase de senyalització. Mantenir dues tasques en memòria es més difícil per als subectes amb baix control, reflexat per una reducció en l'amplitud de les ones lentes fronto-parietals
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Helldin, Lars. "The Importance of Remission in the Treatment of Patients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Syndromes : Clinical Long-term Investigation of Psychosis in Sweden." Doctoral thesis, Karlstads universitet, Avdelningen för psykologi, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-3738.
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The goal of this thesis was to investigate the hypothesis whether symptomatic remission for patents with schizophrenia spectrum syndrome would provide practical and qualitative benefits for patients and for society. The first work (Paper I) examines the relationship between cross-sectional remission and the patients’ practical resources. The patients’ adaptations to society as well as their employments, living situations and social networks were studied. Their activity of daily living resources are described in terms of the extent to which they could pursue various undertakings autonomously. Their need for care was also studied. The results showed that the patient group that had achieved remission scored better on all of the variables studied, had better resources and less need for medical care and sheltered housing. The second work (Paper II) analysed the relationship between cross-sectional remission and quality of life, burden placed on patients by the illness, and the patients’ satisfaction with care received and with their medication, and also their capacity for understanding their symptoms and their illness. Even the results of this study showed that the patients in the remission group had a better quality of life, bore a lesser burden, were more satisfied with their care and had better insight into their illness. The third work (Paper III) studied the patients’ neurocognitive capacity to see if a higher capacity resulted in a higher percentage of patients achieving remission. The results showed unequivocally that the patients in remission consistently performed better in the cognitive tests. They also showed that they even had a larger vocabulary indicating a higher premorbid capacity. The fourth work (Paper IV) followed the patients over an average time of 65 months. In this study, the patients’ needs for medical care and for housing were investigated. Patients who were not in cross-sectional remission at baseline had for all the measured variables a higher consumption than those in remission even if the differences were not significant, except for patients who lived in sheltered housing and who had greater need for medical care. Taking all these findings together, the result of this thesis shows that the attainment of remission provides practical and qualitative advantages to the patients and to society.
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Denis, Gauthier. "Implication des dimensions neurocognitives dans le maintien de l’effort physique au travers du rôle endossé par le cortex préfrontal et de la perspective coûts/bénéfices." Thesis, Université Côte d'Azur, 2020. http://www.theses.fr/2020COAZ4091.
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Le cortex préfrontal (CPF), habituellement connu pour son implication dans le contrôle cognitif supérieur, apparaît particulièrement impliqué dans le maintien de l’effort physique. Si cette implication suggère l’existence d’une composante psychologique dans la capacité à tolérer et maintenir l’exercice, les mécanismes neurocognitifs sous-jacents demeurent relativement méconnus. Des propositions théoriques récentes envisagent que l’arrêt de l’exercice soit déterminé par un processus décisionnel contrôlé par le CPF. L’intégration et l’évaluation consciente des coûts (i.e, sensations désagréables de fatigue) et des bénéfices (e.g., récompenses) associés à la tâche d’effort conditionneraient cette décision. Le maintien de l’effort serait dynamisé lorsque les bénéfices estimés augmentent ou que les coûts perçus diminuent. Toutefois, la manière dont le fonctionnement cognitif et le CPF pourraient moduler l’intégration de ces informations pour favoriser une décision orientée vers la poursuite de l’exercice reste à clarifier. Le niveau d’attention accordée aux coûts et aux bénéfices jouerait un rôle dans ce processus. De plus, les sensations désagréables de fatigue seraient limitées via une fonction inhibitrice implémentée au niveau du CPF. L’objectif de ce travail doctoral était de préciser l’implication des dimensions neurocognitives et notamment du CPF dans l’intégration et le traitement des coûts et des bénéfices susceptibles de moduler le maintien de l’effort. Les résultats de l’étude 1 n’ont pas permis de révéler l’implication du CPF dans l’endurance physique via l’engagement de sa fonction cognitive d’inhibition. Toutefois, les résultats des études 2, 3 et 4 ont indiqué que l’orientation de l’attention, plus ou moins dirigée vers les coûts ou les bénéfices, modulait les performances d’endurance et l’activité des régions du CPF impliquées dans l’intégration et la régulation de ces informations. Une focalisation de l’attention sur les bénéfices monétaires a amélioré les performances comparativement à une focalisation sur les coûts de l’effort ou à une tâche de distraction cognitive. Les focalisations sur les coûts et les bénéfices ont induit une intensification de l’activité des régions antérieures et inférieures du CPF impliquées dans l’interprétation de ces informations (étude 3). De plus, la réalisation d’une tâche de distraction cognitive a repoussé la décision d’arrêter l’exercice et a entrainé une diminution de l’activité inhibitrice de régions préfrontales susceptibles de réguler les coûts de l’effort (étude 2). Cette partie de nos résultats suggère la capacité de l’attention à repousser l’arrêt de l’exercice en favorisant l’intégration consciente des bénéfices (via une focalisation vers ces informations) et en perturbant celle des coûts (via une distraction cognitive). Elle tend aussi à souligner l’implication du CPF dans la régulation des coûts perçus et le traitement des coûts et des bénéfices associés à l’effort d’endurance. De manière relativement contradictoire, une focalisation sur les coûts n’a pas nécessairement conduit à un arrêt plus précoce de l’effort (comparativement à une condition de distraction cognitive) mais à une amélioration de l’endurance musculaire chez les individus disposant des meilleures capacités aérobies (étude 4). Faciliter l’intégration consciente des coûts de l’effort s’avérerait ainsi favorable au maintien de l’exercice chez certains individus. Les résultats de ce travail renforcent l’idée d’une implication des processus neurocognitifs dans le maintien de l’effort physique. Chercher à identifier les stratégies attentionnelles favorisant l’engagement dans l’exercice physique et le maintien de l’effort chez différentes populations constitue une perspective de recherche intéressante, notamment chez des individus sédentaires pour qui la pratique physique représente un réel enjeu de santéThe prefrontal cortex (PFC), usually known for its involvement in higher cognitive control, appears to be particularly involved in maintaining physical effort. While this involvement suggests the existence of a psychological component in the ability to tolerate and maintain exercise, the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms remain relatively unknown. Recent theoretical proposals speculate that exercise termination is determined by a decision-making process, controlled by the PFC. The integration and conscious evaluation of the costs (i.e., unpleasant feelings of fatigue) and benefits (e.g., rewards), associated with the physical task, would control this decision. Maintaining an effort would be facilitated when estimated benefits increase or perceived costs decrease. However, how cognitive functioning and the PFC may modulate the integration of this information to support a decision to continue exercise remains to be clarified. The level of attention given to costs and benefits could play a role in this process. In addition, the unpleasant sensations of fatigue would be limited via an inhibitory function implemented at the level of the PFC. The objective of this doctoral work was to clarify the involvement of the neurocognitive dimensions and in particular of the PFC in the integration and processing of costs and benefits likely to modulate maintaining an effort. The results of study 1 failed to reveal the involvement of the PFC through the engagement of its inhibitory cognitive function in physical endurance. However, the results of studies 2, 3 and 4 indicated that the orientation of attention, more or less directed towards the costs or the benefits, modulated the endurance performance and the activity of the regions of the PFC involved in the integration and regulation of this information. Attention focused on monetary benefits improved performance compared to a focus on the costs of the effort or a cognitive distraction task. The focus on costs and benefits led to increased activity in the anterior and inferior regions of the PFC involved in interpreting this information (study 3). In addition, performing a cognitive distraction task delayed the decision to stop the exercise and resulted in decreased inhibitory activity in prefrontal regions that may regulate exercise costs (study 2). These results suggest the ability of attention to delay exercise cessation by facilitating the conscious integration of benefits (through focusing on that information) and disrupting that of costs (through cognitive distraction). It also tends to emphasize the involvement of the PFC in the regulation of perceived costs and the processing of costs and benefits associated with endurance effort. In a relatively contradictory way, a focus on costs did not necessarily lead to an earlier cessation of the effort (compared to a cognitive distraction condition) but to an improvement in muscular endurance in individuals with the best aerobic capacities (study 4). Facilitating the conscious integration of the costs of the effort would thus prove favorable in maintaining the exercise in certain individuals. The results of this work reinforce the idea that neurocognitive processes are involved in maintaining physical effort. Identifying attentional strategies that could facilitate engaging in physical activity and exercise pursuit in different populations is an interesting research perspective, particularly in sedentary individuals for whom physical activity represents a real health issue
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Cléry-Melin, Galichon Marie-Laure. "Étude des fonctions neurocognitives dans la dépression : caractérisation de déficits motivationnels et cognitifs, évaluation de leur valeur pronostique Why don't you try harder? An investigation of effort production in major depression Neural mechanisms underlying motivation of mental versus physical effort Psychomotor retardation is a scar of past depressive episodes, revealed by simple cognitive tests Are cognitive deficits in major depressive disorder progressive? A simple attention test in the acute phase of a major depressive episode is predictive of later functional remission Progress in elucidating biomarkers of antidepressant pharmacological treatment response: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the last 15 years Stability of the diagnosis of seasonal affective disorder in a long-term prospective study." Thesis, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018USPCB218.
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Les données issues de la recherche en neurosciences permettent de considérer la dépression comme une affection invalidante générale, caractérisée par des déficits neurocognitifs et comportementaux, au delà des symptômes dépressifs cliniques définis dans les classifications nosographiques. Ces déficits coexistent à la phase aiguë d’un épisode dépressif caractérisé (EDC) et interfèrent dans la prise de décision et réalisation d’un comportement orienté vers un but, et la sensation d’effort associée. Ils semblent persister en période de rémission clinique, altérant la qualité de la réponse thérapeutique et fonctionnelle et aggravant à terme le pronostic du trouble. L’objectif de ce travail est d’identifier des marqueurs neurocognitifs objectivement mesurables en pratique clinique, et d’étudier leur association au pronostic d’un EDC, afin de mieux prédire les probabilités de rémission et d’optimiser les stratégies de prescription thérapeutique des patients. L’altération des processus neurocognitifs liés à la récompense constitue un premier marqueur de vulnérabilité du trouble dépressif : dans une étude explorant la production d’un effort moteur dans le but d’obtenir une récompense, les patients déprimés présentaient un déficit de production d’effort, à la différence des sujets sains. Ce trouble de la motivation par incitation - processus sous tendu en imagerie fonctionnelle chez le sujet sain par l’activation de circuits cortico-striataux ventraux -pourrait constituer une dimension spécifique de la maladie dépressive. Participant à l’altération des processus de prise de décision et d’action, ce déficit motivationnel est associé, et possiblement secondaire, à des déficits plus spécifiquement cognitifs que nous avons ensuite étudiés. Dans une étude explorant plusieurs fonctions cognitives chez des patients déprimés au sein d’une large cohorte, la présence d’un ralentissement psychomoteur séquellaire après 6 à 8 semaines de traitement – chez des patients pourtant en rémission clinique -, était positivement et de manière indépendante, significativement corrélée au nombre d’épisodes dépressifs passés, constituant ainsi un marqueur d’une sévérité « cumulative » du trouble dépressif. Enfin, dans une revue de la littérature sur le caractère progressivement évolutif des déficits cognitifs dans le trouble dépressif unipolaire, nous avons discuté l’existence d’un effet « neurotoxique » cérébral de l’accumulation d’EDC, à l’origine de troubles neurocognitifs et de conséquences sur le cours évolutif de la maladie (risque majoré de rémission clinique et/ou fonctionnelle partielle, de récurrence, d’évolution démentielle). Un des principaux intérêts de l’identification de marqueurs de vulnérabilité cliniques et cognitifs est de mettre en évidence leur rôle prédictif du cours évolutif d’un épisode -ou d’un trouble- dépressif. Dans une étude menée sur une cohorte de plus de 500 patients déprimés, une variable attentionnelle (d2 test d’attention) était capable de prédire l’évolution ultérieure vers la rémission complète (clinique et fonctionnelle) de façon significative, linéaire, et indépendante des autres variables et de représenter un marqueur-trait de la dépression, aisément utilisable en pratique clinique. D’autres marqueurs cognitifs (tels que les fonctions exécutives) ont montré une valeur prédictive élevée de la réponse thérapeutique, avec une précision proche de celle de marqueurs d’imagerie ou électrophysiologie, selon les résultats d’une méta-analyse récente, justifiant leur emploi dans le suivi des patientsHese deficits coexist in the acute phase of a depressive episode and interfere with decision-making and goal-directed behaviors, and the associated feeling of effort. They appear to persist in periods of clinical remission, decreasing the quality of the therapeutic and functional response and lately worsening the prognosis of the disorder. The aim of this work is to identify objectively measurable neurocognitive markers in clinical practice, and to study their association with the prognosis of a depressive episode, in order to better predict remission and potentially to optimize therapeutic prescribing strategies for patients accordingly. The impairment of neurocognitive processes related to reward constitutes a first vulnerability marker for major depressive disorder (MDD): in a study assessing the production of motor effort in order to obtain a reward, depressed patients had a deficit in production of effort, unlike healthy subjects. Such deficit in incentive motivation - a process underpinned by the activation of ventral cortico-striatal circuits in healthy subjects - may constitute a specific dimension of MDD. It participates in the decision-making and action processes impairments and is associated with – and possibly a consequence of- more specifically cognitive deficits. In a study assessing several cognitive functions in a large cohort of depressed patients, the persistence of psychomotor retardation after 6 to 8 weeks of treatment - in patients considered as being in clinical remission - was positively and independently correlated with the number of past depressive episodes, thus constituting a marker of "cumulative" marker of past depressive episodes. Finally, in a literature review on the progressive evolution of cognitive deficits in MDD, we discussed the existence of a “neurotoxic” effect of the lifetime accumulation of depressive episodes on neurocognitive deficits and its consequences on disease prognosis (increased risk of incomplete functional/clinical remission, relapses, evolution towards dementia). One of the main interest in identifying clinical and cognitive markers of vulnerability is to highlight their capacity to predict the course of a depressive episode-or disorder. In a study based on a cohort of more than 500 depressed patients, a measurement of attention (d2 attention test) was able to significantly and independently predict the subsequent course towards complete remission (clinical and functional) and to constitute a trait -marker of depression, easy to use in clinical practice. Other cognitive markers (such as executive functions) have shown high predictive values for therapeutic response, comparable to those provided by imaging or electrophysiology markers, according to the results of a recent meta-analysis, that emphasizes the interest of using them in patient’s follow-up. Finally, in order to better assess the prognosis of depressive disorder, we have shown that Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) diagnosis criteria - which nevertheless represents a specific depressive disorder with well-known physiopathology substrates (construction validity) - had a low predictive validity, prompting to consider this disorder as a temporary expression of a mood disorder, rather than a specific disorder. The identification of clinical tools measuring motivational and cognitive deficits in clinical routine and predicting the course of a depressive episode or disorder represents a major challenge in the improvement of personalized therapeutic management and the long-term prognosis in depressed patients
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Dwyer, M. "The consumption of alcohol and neurocognitive function in youth." Thesis, 2016. https://eprints.utas.edu.au/23579/1/Dwyer_whole_thesis.pdf.
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Binge drinking appears to be associated with frontal lobe damage and executive function impairments in adults (Wilcox et al., 2014). It is suggested that as adolescent’s brains have not yet reached full development (Petit et al., 2013), they may be particularly vulnerable to these effects. The current study aimed to investigate if binge drinking is associated with deficits in behavioral and psychophysiological measures of executive function, interference control. Twenty two adolescent males (11 binge drinkers and 11 low level drinkers) were recruited. All participants completed a flanker/go-nogo task which required them to respond to target stimuli whilst withholding their responses to irrelevant stimuli. Binge drinkers did not show a significantly higher number of errors or longer reaction times on the flanker/go-nogo task in comparison to low level drinkers. Additionally, binge drinkers did not show significantly reduced N2 and P3 amplitude at frontal and parietal electrode sites in comparison to low level drinkers. However, low level drinkers showed significantly greater N2 amplitude at frontal in comparison to central electrode sites, whereas binge drinkers did not show this difference. The results from the current study suggest that binge drinkers may employ more widespread recruitment of electrophysiological resources to inhibit their responses and attend to stimuli with no increase in task performance, in comparison to low level drinkers. This study has identified that early intervention may be especially important for adolescent males in order to attempt to reduce binge drinking and protect adolescents from cognitive difficulties associated with binge drinking.
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HUNG, YING-TZU, and 洪櫻慈. "A Follow Up Study on Neurocognitive Function of Patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury." Thesis, 2017. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/61868078892315595049.
Full textAbstract:
碩士輔仁大學
臨床心理學系碩士班
105
Background and Purpose: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) used to be characterized as a “Silent Epidemic”, with many people dying or undergoing treatment and rehabilitation following such injury every year. The disability and mortality caused by traumatic brain injury is year by year more than other diseases. In addition to physical disability, traumatic brain injury may cause cognitive dysfunction. According to research, many patients continue to experience long-term cognitive dysfunction rather than physical disability. Cognitive function is the set of all mental abilities and processes related to knowledge, including attention, memory, executive function, and speed of information processing. Functional limitations or psychosocial morbidity are prevalent and constitute the most significant consequences of TBI. Problems such as independence in self-care, social integration, employment, and family burden have far-reaching economic and social consequences. Our study focused on patients with mild TBI as an attempt to determine their performances on cognitive function at 1 and 6 months after injury, and their post-concussion symptoms and emotions related to cognitive dysfunction. Methods: 12 patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) were paired with healthy controls for age, gender, and level of education. All participants were evaluated individually. They completed emotional evaluations (Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory), cognitive function tests (MMES; logical memory test I, II; face I, II; verbal paired association I, II; family picture I, II; Wisconsin Card Sorting Test–Modified; digit symbol; symbol search; Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test-Revised), post-concussion symptoms evaluation (Checklist of Post-Concussion Symptoms), and daily function evaluation (WHO Quality of Life-Brief). Result: (1) Neurocognitive function performance showed significant differences at 1 and 6 months after injury in the patients with mTBI. Neurocognitive function performance was also significantly different at 6 months between patients with mTBI and paired controls. (2) The patients with mTBI presented post-concussion symptoms at 1 month after injury. Post-concussion symptoms were significantly different at 1 and 6 months after injury in the patients with traumatic brain injury. (3) Neurocognitive function performance was significantly related to post-concussion symptoms and emotion at 1 and 6 months after injury in the patients with mTBI (4) Quality of life performance was significantly different at 1 and 6 months after injury in the patients with traumatic brain injury. Conslusion: Neurocognitive function would significantly improve at 6 months post injury and not be significantly different from that of the control group. Also, depression and anxiety were not found at either 1 month or 6 months post injury, and inadequate evidence of an association between neurocognitive function and emotion disturbance in mTBI. However, the symptoms of dizziness and attention deficits have persistently lasting at 6 months post injury. It should be mentioned long-term PCS in mTBI need to be taken seriously when evaluating or treating patients after mTBI, and may go a long way in avoiding prolonged loss of productivity and poor perceived quality of life in these patients.
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Chia-WeiChen and 陳家威. "Therapeutic Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Neurocognitive Function in Patients with Heroin Dependence." Thesis, 2019. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/habuww.
Full textAbstract:
碩士國立成功大學
行為醫學研究所
107
This study aims at probing the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on neurocognitive function in patients with heroin dependence. Through different stimulation sites of prefrontal cortex targeted, effects from two stimulation sites would be compared and further tested if they benefit frontal function to the same extent. This experiment is a randomized, counterbalanced, sham-controlled factorial design, which includes two prefrontal areas to be targeted, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and orbitofrontal cortex, as one between variable; while two experimental treatments, sham and active treatments, as one within variable. All research participants have been diagnosed as heroin dependence and shared a characteristic of heavy tobacco use to a moderate or severe extent. Results showed that no significant effects were obtained on their neurocognitive performance; moreover, no final conclusion has yet to be reached about the interaction effect of stimulation sites and experimental treatments. This study would like to suggest scaling a larger sample, treatment intensity or dosage, and/or combining neuropsychological rehabilitation to shape a more specific cognitive learning that may be facilitated by tDCS.
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Kayser, Kimberly Anne. "Dichotomizing spelling errors to examine language and executive function abilities in children at risk of reading failure." Thesis, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/ETD-UT-2011-08-4066.
Full textAbstract:
Substantial evidence emphasizing the importance of linguistic systems in reading acquisition, as well as emerging literature identifying the contribution of executive function to linguistic-based difficulties, underscores the importance of clarifying the neurocognitive mechanisms affecting reading performance. Research demonstrating the interrelationship between reading and spelling, coupled with neurocognitive theories of spelling, suggests that analysis of children’s spelling attempts may capture more subtle differences in their understanding of how to decode text. This study aimed to determine the utility of applying a spelling error analysis system as a method for differentiating between reading difficulties resulting from executive dysfunction or language deficits in a sample of children at risk for reading failure.
The present study examined the relationship between executive function, language, and spelling achievement in a sample of 82 children aged 6-15 years identified as having a reading deficit and/or diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated language-based skills, particularly word reading, and age significantly predicted the phonemic equivalency of misspellings. Tasks of executive functioning were not found to significantly contribute to performance on phonological spelling; however, analysis of group differences suggest that ADHD and Reading Deficit groups demonstrated unique cognitive profiles, including distinct performances on executive functioning tasks. Exploratory analyses also revealed that ADHD and Reading Deficit groups differed significantly in phonological spelling performance.
Results from the current study provide evidence for the presence of two distinct underlying cognitive processes affecting spelling and, in effect, reading. Current findings have implications for the need to further examine characteristic deficits in language and executive functioning affecting children at risk for reading failure. Findings also provide support for the validity of further investigating the potential to infer differential diagnostic categories using a phonological spelling analysis. The use of an analysis of spelling errors as a diagnostic data source holds promise for a better understanding of reading failure and, ultimately, may contribute to more effective intervention practices.text
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Espinet, Stacey. "From Perseveration to Flexibility: Reflection and the Down-regulation of Conflict Detection Underlying Executive Function Development." Thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1807/35816.
Full textAbstract:
Introduction. Executive function refers to the top-down neurocognitive processes involved in flexible, goal-oriented behavior. A number of studies have shown positive effects of EF training. The overall aim of these studies was to explore the neurocognitive processes that support the development of EF by understanding how EF training works and what the active ingredients are. Particular interest was in isolating the role of reflection in EF training to understand its top-down affect on ACC-mediated conflict detection. Method. In Exp. 1 the neural markers of EF were explored by comparing ERPs of preschoolers who passed the DCCS and preschoolers who failed. Exp. 2 represents an attempt to replicate the key findings of Kloo & Perner, (2003, Exp. 2) that reflection training improves preschoolers’ performance on the DCCS and demonstrates far transfer. A shortened version of the training protocol was also tested (Exp. 3). In Exp. 4, the neural correlates of reflection training in preschoolers were explored by examining changes in the neural marker of EF found in Exp. 1. Results. In Exp. 1, the N2 amplitude was smaller (less negative) for children who passed the DCCS and were able to efficiently resolve the conflict in the stimuli than for children who failed and were unable to resolve the conflict. Exp. 2 replicated the findings of Kloo & Perner, (2003, Exp. 2) even using a brief (15 min) intervention targeting reflection (Exp. 3). In Exp. 4, one brief session of reflection training made children who initially failed the DCCS look like children who initially passed at both the behavioral and neural level (reduced N2 amplitude). Conclusion. Results suggest that reflective processing facilitates the development of EF in young children by teaching them to notice conflict, reflect on it, and formulate rules for resolving it, resulting in the down-regulation of ACC-mediated conflict detection.
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"Effects of low-dose prenatal methylmercury exposure on long-term neurocognitive outcomes and cardiac autonomic function of children." 2011. http://library.cuhk.edu.hk/record=b5894835.
Full textAbstract:
Kwok, Ka Ming.Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 124-146).
Abstracts in English and Chinese.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.i
ABSTRACT
In English --- p.ii
In Chinese --- p.v
LIST OF TABLES --- p.vii
LIST OF FIGURE --- p.ix
ABBREVIATIONS
For Units --- p.x
For Prefixes of the International System of Units --- p.x
For Terms Commonly Used --- p.xi
Role of research workers --- p.xv
Chapter CHAPTER 1 --- Overview of methylmercury
Chapter 1.1 --- Source of methylmercury --- p.1
Chapter 1.2 --- Toxicokinetics --- p.3
Chapter 1.2.1 --- Absorption and distribution --- p.3
Chapter 1.2.2 --- Half-life --- p.5
Chapter 1.2.3 --- Metabolism/Biotransformation --- p.5
Chapter 1.2.4 --- Biochemical mechanism of toxicity --- p.7
Chapter 1.3 --- Health effects of mercury exposure --- p.9
Chapter 1.3.1 --- Adult central nervous system --- p.10
Chapter 1.3.2 --- The developing central nervous system --- p.11
Chapter 1.3.3 --- Cardiovascular effects --- p.13
Chapter 1.3.4 --- Immunotoxicity --- p.14
Chapter 1.4 --- Biomarkers for prenatal exposure --- p.15
Chapter 1.5 --- MeHg exposure in high risk populations in Hong Kong --- p.17
Chapter CHAPTER 2 --- Neurocognitive performance
Chapter 2.1 --- Introduction --- p.19
Chapter 2.1.1 --- New Zealand --- p.20
Chapter 2.1.2 --- Seychelles --- p.21
Chapter 2.1.3 --- Faroe Islands --- p.22
Chapter 2.1.4 --- The Hong Kong situation --- p.23
Chapter 2.2 --- Method --- p.23
Chapter 2.2.1 --- Subjects and study design --- p.23
Chapter 2.2.2 --- Questionnaires --- p.24
Chapter 2.2.3 --- Hg concentration measurement --- p.25
Chapter 2.2.4 --- Neurocognitive measurements --- p.26
Chapter 2.2.4.1 --- Hong Kong - Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children --- p.27
Chapter 2.2.4.2 --- Hong King List Learning Test --- p.28
Chapter 2.2.4.3 --- Test of Everyday Attention for Children --- p.29
Chapter 2.2.4.4 --- Boston Naming Test --- p.31
Chapter 2.2.4.5 --- Grooved Pegboard Test --- p.31
Chapter 2.2.5 --- Statistical analysis --- p.32
Chapter 2.3 --- Results --- p.33
Chapter 2.3.1 --- Subject characteristic --- p.33
Chapter 2.3.2 --- Test results --- p.34
Chapter 2.3.3 --- Statistical analysis results --- p.35
Chapter 2.4 --- Discussion --- p.36
Chapter CHAPTER 3 --- Cardiac autonomic function
Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.60
Chapter 3.1.1 --- Mechanism --- p.60
Chapter 3.1.2 --- The association between HRV and the ANS --- p.61
Chapter 3.1.3 --- Clinical applications and related studies --- p.63
Chapter 3.1.4 --- Associations between MeHg exposure & HRV --- p.64
Chapter 3.2 --- Methods --- p.65
Chapter 3.2.1 --- Subjects and study design --- p.65
Chapter 3.2.2 --- Physical and HRV measurement --- p.66
Chapter 3.2.3 --- Time domain analysis --- p.68
Chapter 3.2.4 --- Frequency domain analysis --- p.68
Chapter 3.2.5 --- Non-linear method --- p.69
Chapter 3.2.6 --- Statistical analysis --- p.70
Chapter 3.3 --- Results --- p.71
Chapter 3.3.1 --- Subjects characteristics --- p.71
Chapter 3.3.2 --- HRV and statistical analysis results --- p.71
Chapter 3.4 --- Discussion --- p.73
Chapter CHAPTER 4 --- Immuno-toxicity
Chapter 4.1 --- Introduction --- p.91
Chapter 4.2 --- Methods --- p.96
Chapter 4.2.1 --- Subjects and Study Design --- p.96
Chapter 4.2.2 --- Cytokine measurement --- p.96
Chapter 4.2.3 --- Reversibility --- p.98
Chapter 4.2.4 --- Statistical Analysis --- p.99
Chapter 4.3 --- Results --- p.101
Chapter 4.3.1 --- Subject Characteristics --- p.101
Chapter 4.3.2 --- Atopic and non-atopic diseases group --- p.101
Chapter 4.3.3 --- Cytokine profiles --- p.102
Chapter 4.3.4 --- Reversibility --- p.103
Chapter 4.4 --- Discussion --- p.104
Chapter CHAPTER 5 --- Conclusion --- p.119
Reference List --- p.124
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Riesterer, Amanda M. "Investigating the utility of protective soccer headbands in preserving neurocognitive function following an acute bout of soccer heading." 2008. http://www.oregonpdf.org/index.cfm.
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