Dynamic latent variable models for the analysis of cognitive abilities in the elderly population

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Bianconcini ◽  
Silvia Cagnone
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Latent Variable ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Latent Variable Models ◽  
The Elderly

scholarly journals Cognitive reserve in elderly: neuropsychological aspects and the education role in the latest findings

2015 ◽  
Vol 94 (3) ◽  
pp. 136
Author(s):  
João Gabriel Magalhães Dias ◽  
Pablo Rodrigo Andrade da Silva ◽  
Tânia Corrêa de Toledo Ferraz Alvez
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Cognitive Reserve ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cortical Atrophy ◽  
Print Exposure ◽  
Cognitive Markers

The elderly population is growing worldwide, and therefore cognitive decline and dementia is a major problem for healthcare system. However, many elders do not develop dementia or significant cognitive impairment even though present brain lesions, such as cortical atrophy and/or lesions, leading to the concept of Cognitive Reserve (CR). The main objective of this review is to establish the recent findings of CR in elderly cognition and explore some of the cognitive markers related to CR. In order to accomplish that we carried out a search for papers published either in English or Portuguese language in the last 5 years in the Medline database using as keywords cognitive reserve, elderly and aging/ageing. We filtered 14 studies that specifically approached the neuropsychological aspects (e.g, memory, attention, orientation, executive function) and reviewed them in detail. Based on these papers regarding old-aged individuals, education appears to have several implications on CR by strengthening cognitive abilities, however does not appear to impact on cognitive decline. Besides, we realized that cognitive performance is one of the form to measure CR, even though the methods cannot be standardized, which may be the cause of some varied conclusions. Regarding CR, education was the most prevalent measure, and CR seems to have a beneficial effect on executive function and episodic memory and it seems to act by both neural reserve and neural compensation. Print exposure appears as a potential variable positively related to cognitive performance and CR.

scholarly journals Use of Music Therapy as an Audiological Rehabilitation Tool in the Elderly Population: A Mini-Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Sophie Grenier ◽  
Louise Lafontaine ◽  
Andréanne Sharp
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Vestibular Function ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The Impact

It is well known and documented that sensory perception decreases with age. In the elderly population, hearing loss and reduced vestibular function are among the most prevalently affected senses. Two important side effects of sensory deprivation are cognitive decline and decrease in social participation. Hearing loss, vestibular function impairment, and cognitive decline all lead to a decrease in social participation. Altogether, these problems have a great impact on the quality of life of the elderly. This is why a rehabilitation program covering all of these aspects would therefore be useful for clinicians. It is well known that long-term music training can lead to cortical plasticity. Behavioral improvements have been measured for cognitive abilities and sensory modalities (auditory, motor, tactile, and visual) in healthy young adults. Based on these findings, it is possible to wonder if this kind of multisensory training would be an interesting therapy to not only improve communication but also help with posture and balance, cognitive abilities, and social participation. The aim of this review is to assess and validate the impact of music therapy in the context of hearing rehabilitation in older adults. Musical therapy seems to have a positive impact on auditory perception, posture and balance, social integration, and cognition. While the benefits seem obvious, the evidence in the literature is scarce. However, there is no reason not to recommend the use of music therapy as an adjunct to audiological rehabilitation in the elderly when possible. Further investigations are needed to conclude on the extent of the benefits that music therapy could bring to older adults. More data are needed to confirm which hearing abilities can be improved based on the many characteristics of hearing loss. There is also a need to provide a clear protocol for clinicians on how this therapy should be administered to offer the greatest possible benefits.

scholarly journals Análise da estrutura eletrônica da tacrina e do neurotransmissor acetilcolina.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Letícia A. Nascimento ◽  
Érica C. M. Nascimento ◽  
João B. L. Martins
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Symptomatic Treatment ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Empirical Method ◽  
Neurodegenerative Process ◽  
Computational Calculations ◽  
Successful Approach ◽  
Semi Empirical ◽  
Acetylcholine Concentration

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a more common neurodegenerative process in the elderly population, characterized by a progressive loss of cognitive abilities, such as memory, language skills, disorientation, attention and depression. Cholinergic hypothesis therapy is the most successful approach for the symptomatic treatment of AD. The therapy consists in the use of drugs with inhibitory action against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) to avoid the decrease of acetylcholine concentration in synaptic clefts. Thus, this research aims to carry out the electronic and structural study of tacrina drug compared to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, through computational calculations based on theoretical chemistry, using PM6 semi-empirical method jointly to DFT and MP2 methods.

scholarly journals The Role of Mitochondria in Alzheimer’s Disease and its Potential Therapies

2020 ◽  
pp. 175-183
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Gradual Decline ◽  
Potential Therapeutic Target ◽  
Diet And Lifestyle

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a common form of dementia, affecting millions of people worldwide, mostly the elderly population. The gradual decline in cognitive functions, loss of memory, and sleep disorder are the most frequently reported in AD patients. Multiple studies have been carried out to find a potential therapeutic approach to prevent the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and increase the performance of cognitive abilities. Mitochondrial dysfunction leading to oxidative stress and other environmental factors, diet and lifestyle are the major risk factors. Mitochondria play an essential role and are a potential therapeutic target for treating and preventing AD progression. Various biochemical molecules involved in mitochondrial metabolic pathways are tested as directly acting on mitochondria. Numerous antioxidants are considered as a potential treatment for AD. Here, we highlighted the emerging mitochondrial base therapies and potent antioxidants that can be used in Alzheimer’s disease treatments.

scholarly journals Effect of Chronic Administration of Resveratrol on Cognitive Performance during Aging Process in Rats

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Navarro-Cruz ◽  
R. Ramírez y Ayala ◽  
C. Ochoa-Velasco ◽  
E. Brambila ◽  
R. Avila-Sosa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Geriatric Patients ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Chronic Administration ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Health Demands ◽  
Sirt1 Gene

The increase in the elderly population has generated concern to meet health demands. The research efforts to elucidate the mechanisms of damage associated with aging have also been significantly increased, especially in order to avoid the reduction of the cognitive abilities in geriatric patients, resulting from the damage generated mainly at the level of the hippocampus during old age. At present, many studies describe resveratrol as an antiaging component. There are reports that it can activate the Sirt1 gene related to antiaging, emulating the effects obtained by caloric restriction in rodents. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of chronic administration of resveratrol (10 mg/kg) on cognitive performance in behavioral tests after 8 months of treatment and on the preservation of cerebral integrity in the cytoarchitecture of regions CA1 and CA2. Results showed that the cytoarchitecture of the CA1 and CA2 regions in the hippocampus retained their integrity over time in rats treated with resveratrol, and the behavioral test performed revealed that chronic resveratrol administration for 8 months showed improvements in cognitive performance. The results indicate that resveratrol may exhibit therapeutic potential for age-related conditions.

scholarly journals Psychometric Network Analysis of the Hungarian WAIS

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Schmank ◽  
Sara Anne Goring ◽  
Kristof Kovacs ◽  
Andrew R. A. Conway
Keyword(s):  
Network Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Latent Variable ◽  
Network Models ◽  
Latent Variable Models ◽  
Latent Variable Modeling ◽  
Attractive Alternative ◽  
Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Network Analyses

The positive manifold—the finding that cognitive ability measures demonstrate positive correlations with one another—has led to models of intelligence that include a general cognitive ability or general intelligence (g). This view has been reinforced using factor analysis and latent variable models. However, a new theory of intelligence, Process Overlap Theory (POT; Kovacs & Conway, 2016), posits that g is not a psychological attribute but an index of cognitive abilities that results from an interconnected network of cognitive processes. From this perspective, psychometric network analysis is an attractive alternative to latent variable modeling. Network analyses display partial correlations among observed variables that demonstrate direct relationships among observed variables. To demonstrate the benefits of this approach, the Hungarian Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Fourth Edition (H-WAIS-IV; Wechsler, 2008) was analyzed using both psychometric network analysis and latent variable modeling. Network models were directly compared to latent variable models. Results indicate that the H-WAIS-IV data was better fit by network models than by latent variable models. We argue that POT, and network models, provide a more accurate view of the structure of intelligence than traditional approaches.

Amalgam fillings and cognitive abilities in a representative sample of the elderly population

Gerodontology ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Nitschke ◽  
F. Muller ◽  
J. Smith ◽  
W. Hopfenmuller
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Amalgam Fillings

scholarly journals Cognitive assessment in an elderly population with metabolic syndrome in Brazil

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Shigaeff ◽  
Alessandro Ferrari Jacinto ◽  
Fabio Gazelato de Mello Franco ◽  
Gabriela Chiochetta ◽  
Maysa Seabra Cendoroglo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Syndrome ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Recall Memory ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
And Control

ABSTRACT Chronic degenerative conditions are very common in the elderly. According to medical literature, there is a correlation between cognitive impairment among elders and arterial hypertension/hyperglycemia which in turn are common diseases among the elderly population worldwide. Nonetheless, data on the association between cognitive impairment and Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) remains controversial. Objective: To compare the cognitive status of Brazilian elderly outpatients with and without MetS. Methods: A cross-sectional case-control study with 49 subjects (25 MetS and 24 controls) who underwent a global geriatric and neuropsychological assessment was carried out. The scores for cognitive abilities (sustained attention, alternating attention, immediate memory, working memory, memory - immediate recall, memory - delayed recall, memory - recognition, executive function, ideomotor praxis, constructive praxis, naming ability, verbal fluency) were compared with the data for the normal population and differences between case and control groups were analyzed using Student's t-test or the Mann-Whitney test. Results: Forty-five patients (91.8%) were female, with a mean age of 73.9±5.9 years, and 3.0±1.0 years of schooling. A significant difference (p<0.01) was found between case and control groups regarding the MetS components. For cognitive abilities, no statistically significant difference was detected between the groups and all subjects presented low cognitive scores. Conclusion: The results obtained in the present study showed that MetS was not associated with cognitive impairment in this population. Further prospective studies are necessary to investigate the influence of well-controlled MetS on cognitive performance among elders.

Validity and Reliability of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE)

GeroPsych ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 145-151
Author(s):  
Mahshid Foroughan ◽  
Zahra Jafari ◽  
Ida Ghaemmagham Farahani ◽  
Vahid Rashedi
Keyword(s):  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cognitive State ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Internal Reliability ◽  
Dsm Iv ◽  
Test Retest Reliability ◽  
Farsi Version

Abstract. This study examines the psychometric properties of the IQCODE and its applicability in the Iranian elderly population. A group of 95 elderly patients with at least 4 years of formal education who fulfilled the criteria of DSM-IV-TR for dementia were examined by the MMSE and the AMTs. The Farsi version of the IQCODE was subsequently administered to their primary caregivers. Results showed a significant correlation ( p = .01) between the score of the questionnaire and the results of the MMSE ( r = −0.647) and AMTs ( r = −0.641). A high internal reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α = 0.927) and test-retest reliability by correlation coefficient ( r = 0.81). This study found that the IQCODE has acceptable psychometric properties and can be used for evaluating the cognitive state in the elderly population of Iran.

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