General Visual Ability as a Moderator in the Relationship RAN –Fluency in a Regular Orthography

Visual skills play a controversial role in the literacy process. The predictive part of RAN on fluency is known, especially in transparent spelling. In this research, we wanted to explore the influence of visual abilities on literacy for primary school students; for this purpose, we evaluated 209 students. We tested both the Reading and decoding efficiency, rapid naming, and visual abilities. The interaction of rapid naming (RAN) and visual ability (VA) significantly determined fluency. This association is discussed concerning other findings that have demonstrated the visuospatial abilities influence literacy.

WLS-ILIAD: New Longitudinal Resource for Cognitive and Dementia Data

One of the distinctive strengths of WLS is the availability of Henmon-Nelson IQ scores on all participants while in high school, followed by prospective collection of data through cognitive batteries of varying size and sophistication. Launched in 1993, the initial longitudinal cognitive testing included 8 abstract reasoning items followed by the administration of larger cognitive batteries in 2004 and 2011 comprised of a 10-item word recall test, digit ordering task, phonemic and category fluency, as well as repeated and new items from the WAIS-R similarities task first administered in the 1993 survey. In 2018, with R01 funding from NIA, the scope of cognitive testing expanded significantly and includes administration of a phone-based cognitive screening measure, and a comprehensive in-person neuropsychological assessment for individuals identified at risk for dementia targeting a range of cognitive domains, including memory, language, attention, visuospatial abilities, and executive functioning.

Trends in Cognitive Function Pre- and Post- Stroke among Chinese Population

Introduction: To learn the trajectories of cognitive function before and after stroke among Chinese participants. Method: During the seven-year follow-up, 401 participants survived incident stroke and 7551 remained stroke free. Cognitive function was assessed by a global cognition score, which included episodic memory, visuospatial abilities, and executive function. A linear mixed model was developed to explore the repeated measurements. Result: There was no significant difference between the rate of pre-stroke cognitive decline and the decline rate of cognition among stroke-free participants. Among the stroke survivors, the acute decline was -0.123 and -0.187 SD/y in cognitive domains of episodic memory and visuospatial ability, respectively. Executive function did not decline acutely after stroke. In the years after stroke, the decline rate of global cognition was 0.074 SD/y faster than the rate before stroke. The additional decline rate of episodic memory and executive function was 0.043 and 0.061 SD/y, respectively. The rate of visuospatial ability did not change after stroke. Conclusion: Among Chinese stroke survivors, incident stroke was associated with acute decline in episodic memory and visuospatial abilities, and accelerated decline in episodic memory, orientation, attention, and calculation. Cognitive training may help alleviate post-stroke cognitive impairment.

Does Gender Difference Play a Significant Role in Verbal and Visuospatial Working Memory Performance?

The present study investigates gender differences in working memory performance, both verbal and visuospatial working memory performance. Quasi-experimental research was conducted individually on 32 undergraduates at a public university in Malaysia, using a reading span task and rotation span task. The performance was based on the total number of correct recalled and the total time taken. Results showed a significant gender difference in the verbal and visuospatial working memory performance. The observation was based on the total time taken, in which males performed more rapidly than females in both tasks. In terms of accuracy, female participants recalled better than their male counterparts in the verbal task, which is consistent with numerous past studies. However, no gender difference was identified in the visuospatial task performance, based on the total number of correct recalled. The study also found that male participants did not show an advantage in visuospatial abilities, contradicting findings by past studies.

Associations Between Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Cardiovascular Risk, and Cognition Are Mediated by Structural Brain Health in Midlife

Background Evidence in older adults suggests that higher cardiorespiratory fitness and lower cardiovascular risk are associated with greater cognition. However, given that changes in the brain that lead to cognitive decline begin decades before the onset of symptoms, understanding the mechanisms by which modifiable cardiovascular factors are associated with brain health in midlife is critical and can lead to the development of strategies to promote and maintain brain health as we age. Methods and Results In 501 middle‐aged (aged 40–65 years) adult participants of the BBHI (Barcelona Brain Health Initiative), we found differential associations among cardiorespiratory fitness, cardiovascular risk, and cognition and cortical thickness. Higher cardiorespiratory fitness was significantly associated with better visuospatial abilities and frontal loading abstract problem solving (β=3.16, P =0.049) in the older middle‐aged group (aged 55–65 years). In contrast, cardiovascular risk was negatively associated with better visuospatial reasoning and problem‐solving abilities (β=−0.046, P =0.002), flexibility (β=−0.054, P <0.001), processing speed (β=−0.115, P <0.001), and memory (β=−0.120, P <0.001). Cortical thickness in frontal regions mediated the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and cognition, whereas cortical thickness in a disperse network spanning multiple cortical regions across both hemispheres mediated the relationship between cardiovascular risk and cognition. Conclusions The relationships between modifiable cardiovascular factors, cardiorespiratory fitness, and cardiovascular risk, and cognition are present in healthy middle‐aged adults. These relationships are also mediated by brain structure highlighting a potential mechanistic pathway through which higher cardiorespiratory fitness and lower cardiovascular risk can positively impact cognitive function in midlife.

A-55 Neuropsychological Findings Associated with Progressive Lesion Development in Cerebral Cavernous Malformation Secondary to PDCD10 Mutation

Objective A rare mutation in the PDCD10 gene causes cerebral cavernous malformations, which can result in multiple brain hemorrhages and hundreds of lesions. Up to 50% of individuals with the PDCD10 mutation remain symptom-free throughout their lives; however, others can suffer from seizures or focal neurologic deficits. Participant: A 67-year-old Caucasian male presented for a neuropsychological re-evaluation (2020) following a progressive decline in his memory and attention dating back 20 years. A baseline neuropsychological evaluation was obtained 7 years ago. Relevant medical history included a 5 mm left falcine meningioma, epilepsy, obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, and type II diabetes. Neuroimaging revealed over 250 scattered lesions that had advanced over the past 7 years, particularly in the paramedian pontine reticular formation, left inferior cerebellum, and right middle frontal gyrus. Results His neurocognitive profile was marked by mild impairments in immediate verbal memory. The remainder of his cognitive profile was average. Compared to his 2013 evaluation, he showed only a minimal decline in verbal memory, but he showed slight improvements in the domains of executive functioning, visuospatial abilities, and language. Conclusion Despite the marked progression of lesions documented on current neuroimaging, aside from immediate verbal memory problems the patient’s neurocognitive functioning was relatively well-preserved. He even exhibited minor improvements within several domains. Given the patient’s current neurocognitive status, this case illustrates the importance of comprehensive neuropsychological testing in cases that would appear more severe based on neuroimaging data alone. Relatedly, progression of neuropathological disease burden on neuroimaging is not necessarily accompanied by consistent progression of neuropsychological dysfunction.