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Dietary Lutein and Cognitive Function in Adults: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Li, J, Abdel-Aal, EM
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). 2021;(19)
Abstract
Emerging literature suggests that dietary lutein may have important functions in cognitive health, but there is not enough data to substantiate its effects in human cognition. The current study was intended to determine the overall effect of lutein on the main domains of cognition in the adult population based on available placebo randomized-controlled trials. Literature searches were conducted in PubMed, AGRICOLA, Scopus, MEDLINE, and EMBASE on 14 November 2020. The effect of lutein on complex attention, executive function and memory domains of cognition were assessed by using an inverse-variance meta-analysis of standardized mean differences (SMD) (Hedge's g method). Dietary lutein was associated with slight improvements in cognitive performance in complex attention (SMD 0.02, 95% CI -0.27 to 0.31), executive function (SMD 0.13, 95% CI -0.26 to 0.51) and memory (SMD 0.03, 95% CI -0.26 to 0.32), but its effect was not significant. Change-from-baseline analysis revealed that lutein consumption could have a role in maintaining cognitive performance in memory and executive function. Although dietary lutein did not significantly improve cognitive performance, the evidence across multiple studies suggests that lutein may nonetheless prevent cognitive decline, especially executive function. More intervention studies are needed to validate the role of lutein in preventing cognitive decline and in promoting brain health.
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A Narrative Review of Handgrip Strength and Cognitive Functioning: Bringing a New Characteristic to Muscle Memory.
Shaughnessy, KA, Hackney, KJ, Clark, BC, Kraemer, WJ, Terbizan, DJ, Bailey, RR, McGrath, R
Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD. 2020;(4):1265-1278
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Measures of handgrip strength have not only emerged as a clinically viable screening tool for determining risk for morbidity, functional disability, and early mortality, but also for helping to identify cognitive deficits. However, the phenomena that links low handgrip strength with cognitive decline remains unclear. The role of the muscular and neural systems, and their adaptations to muscle strengthening activities over the life course, may provide important information for how age-related changes to muscle mass, strength, and neural capacity influence cognition. Moreover, disentangling how handgrip strength and cognitive function are associated may help to inform healthcare providers working with aging adults and guide targeted interventions aiming to preserve muscle and cognitive functioning. OBJECTIVE To 1) highlight and summarize evidence examining the associations of handgrip strength and cognitive functioning, and 2) provide directions for future research in this area. METHODS Articles from the PubMed database were searched from November 2018-May 2019. The search term algorithm, inclusion and exclusion criteria were pre-specified by investigators. RESULTS Several cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have revealed that measures of handgrip strength were associated with cognitive declines regardless of age demographics and the presence of comorbidities. CONCLUSION Handgrip strength can be used in clinical and epidemiological settings for helping to determine the onset and progression of cognitive impairment. Future research should continue to examine how handgrip strength and cognitive function are linked.
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Assessment of Factors Contributing to the Enhancement of Memory and Cognitive Abilities in the Context of Neurosciences.
Ktenas, S
Advances in experimental medicine and biology. 2020;:43-47
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to present a brief on the evaluation of factors which contribute to cognitive ability enhancement under the spectrum of neuroscience, through the bibliographical research of scientific literature. The human brain has many possibilities, but it remains a largely uncharted area, which we just begin to understand in detail. One of its potentials, as concluded by the research, is its ability to adapt and improve its functioning by itself. Based on this physiological function, we can improve our ability to learn and remember, but we currently have limited resources to do so. After studying and evaluating relevant studies, it seems that the combination of physical exercise and nutrition has a more positive effect on molecular systems associated with synaptic plasticity, than more sophisticated methods, such as pharmaceutical drugs. Brain training using computer applications is also an area under heavy research but with mixed results at the moment. While brain training with scientific techniques can improve performance in specific areas, appropriate physical exercises, as well as proper nutrition, have additional benefits for the body. Supplementary studies will be useful in order to further specify the benefits and the ways of using both exercise and nutrition to design therapeutic interventions.
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Neurologic issues related to glucocorticoid use in oral surgery: memory and attention impairment in association with cannabis consumption.
Piperea-Șianu, D, Tălășman, S, Ceau, AM, Lorean, A, Piperea-Șianu, A, Levin, L
Quintessence international (Berlin, Germany : 1985). 2019;(2):126-134
Abstract
The use of hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs is a common practice in oral and dental surgery. They have proven enhanced efficacy, increasing therapeutic success when the treatment is properly chosen and managed. However, given the complexity of neurophysiologic processes, little is known regarding the consequences of administering glucocorticoids on brain function. This article aims to bring to the attention of dental health professionals the main neurophysiologic mechanisms by which glucocorticoid hormones can affect memory and attention. In addition, in the context of increasing global prevalence and incidence of cannabinoid consumption, both for medical and recreational purposes, the issue of the association of cortisone-derived drugs in the systemic context of these phytocannabinoids is addressed, in terms of memory issues and attention.
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Cognitive and motivational selectivity in healthy aging.
Swirsky, LT, Spaniol, J
Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science. 2019;(6):e1512
Abstract
Normal aging is associated with a reduction in the selectivity of cognitive processes such as attention and memory. This loss of selectivity is attributed to diminished inhibition and cognitive control mechanisms in older adults, which render them more susceptible to distraction and more likely to attend to and encode irrelevant information. However, motivational selectivity appears largely preserved in aging. For example, older adults selectively avoid high-demand tasks, exhibit a positivity bias in attention and memory, and show better memory for high-value compared to low-value information. The aim of this review is to integrate these seemingly paradoxical findings of reduced and preserved selectivity in aging, discuss potential neural mechanisms, and propose questions for future research. This article is categorized under: Neuroscience > Cognition Psychology > Development and Aging.
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6.
Temporal lobe surgery and memory: Lessons, risks, and opportunities.
Bauman, K, Devinsky, O, Liu, AA
Epilepsy & behavior : E&B. 2019;(Pt A):106596
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Abstract
Careful study of the clinical outcomes of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) surgery has greatly advanced our knowledge of the neuroanatomy of human memory. After early cases resulted in profound amnesia, the critical role of the hippocampus and associated medial temporal lobe (MTL) structures to declarative memory became evident. Surgical approaches quickly changed to become unilateral and later, to be more precise, potentially reducing cognitive morbidity. Neuropsychological studies following unilateral temporal lobe resection (TLR) have challenged early models, which simplified the lateralization of verbal and visual memory function. Diagnostic tests, including intracarotid sodium amobarbital procedure (WADA), structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and functional neuroimaging (functional MRI (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)), can more accurately lateralize and localize epileptogenic cortex and predict memory outcomes from surgery. Longitudinal studies have shown that memory may even improve in seizure-free patients. From 70 years of experience with epilepsy surgery, we now have a richer understanding of the clinical, neuroimaging, and surgical predictors of memory decline-and improvement-after TLR. "Special Issue: Epilepsy & Behavior's 20th Anniversary".
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Successful Memory Aging.
Nyberg, L, Pudas, S
Annual review of psychology. 2019;:219-243
Abstract
For more than 50 years, psychologists, gerontologists, and, more recently, neuroscientists have considered the possibility of successful aging. How to define successful aging remains debated, but well-preserved age-sensitive cognitive functions, like episodic memory, is an often-suggested criterion. Evidence for successful memory aging comes from cross-sectional and longitudinal studies showing that some older individuals display high and stable levels of performance. Successful memory aging may be accomplished via multiple paths. One path is through brain maintenance, or relative lack of age-related brain pathology. Through another path, successful memory aging can be accomplished despite brain pathology by means of efficient compensatory and strategic processes. Genetic, epigenetic, and lifestyle factors influence memory aging via both paths. Some of these factors can be promoted throughout the life course, which, at the individual as well as the societal level, can positively impact successful memory aging.
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Can Slow-Wave Sleep Enhancement Improve Memory? A Review of Current Approaches and Cognitive Outcomes.
Zhang, Y, Gruber, R
The Yale journal of biology and medicine. 2019;(1):63-80
Abstract
Slow-wave sleep (SWS) is involved in the overnight consolidation of declarative memories. Recent efforts using auditory stimulation, slow-oscillatory transcranial direct current stimulation (so-tDCS), and pharmacological agents have targeted sleep slow-waves as a method for enhancing cognitive performance. However, no studies thus far have integrated current evidence to provide a preliminary review of the effects of SWS enhancement on memory and other cognitive outcomes. The objective of this review was to synthesize the results of recent experimental studies that have used auditory stimulation, electrical, and pharmacological methods to boost both SWS and cognitive performance. A systematic review was done to identify and consolidate all currently existing empirical studies in this area. We found that each stimulation method could enhance slow-wave power and/or SWS duration in human subjects. Closed-loop, in-phase auditory stimulation enhanced verbal declarative memory in healthy adults. Electrical stimulation using so-tDCS showed some efficacy in promoting verbal declarative memory, picture recognition memory, and location memory. Interleukin-6 and sodium oxybate enhanced declarative verbal memory, while tiagabine and sodium oxybate improved some non-memory measures of cognitive performance. There is some evidence that so-tDCS can also improve certain cognitive outcomes in clinical populations. Overall, future studies should recruit larger sample sizes drawn from more diverse populations, and determine clinical significance and effect sizes of each enhancement methodology.
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The Impact of Epicatechin on Human Cognition: The Role of Cerebral Blood Flow.
Haskell-Ramsay, CF, Schmitt, J, Actis-Goretta, L
Nutrients. 2018;(8)
Abstract
Epicatechin is a monomeric flavanol found in food sources such as tea, apples, berries and cocoa. A number of large-scale epidemiological studies have demonstrated an association between the consumption of these foods and cognitive function, as well as improved blood flow. The aim of this review is to summarise the evidence from intervention studies to clarify the effect of epicatechin on cognition and to consider the role of increased cerebral blood flow as a mechanism for any effects. The effects of epicatechin as consumed in cocoa are, therefore, reviewed here as this represents the only dietary source where it is purported to be the major active component. Our main findings are that a) the positive modulation of tasks that involve memory, executive function and processing speed in older adults; b) the cognitive benefits are more often shown in studies containing more than 50 mg epicatechin/day; and c) all studies with a duration of 28 days or longer in populations >50 years old demonstrate a cognitive improvement. However, as highlighted by this review, it is not currently possible to attribute effects solely to epicatechin without consideration of synergies. In order to overcome this issue, further studies examining the cognitive effects of epicatechin in isolation are required. The role of cerebral blood flow also requires further investigation through simultaneous measurement alongside cognitive function.
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Gastrointestinal hormones in regulation of memory.
Mandal, A, Prabhavalkar, KS, Bhatt, LK
Peptides. 2018;:16-25
Abstract
The connection between the gastrointestinal hormones and the brain has been established many years ago. This relation is termed the gut-brain axis (GBA). The GBA is a bidirectional communication which not only regulates gastrointestinal homeostasis but is also linked with higher emotional and cognitive functions. Hypothalamus plays a critical role in the regulation of energy metabolism, nutrient partitioning and control of feeding behaviors. Various gut hormones are released inside the gastrointestinal tract on food intake. These hormones act peripherally and influence the different responses of the tissues to the food intake, but do also have effects on the brain. The hypothalamus, in turn, integrates visceral function with limbic system structures such as hippocampus, amygdala, and cerebral cortex. The hippocampus has been known for its involvement in the cognitive function and the modulation of synaptic plasticity. This review aims to establish the role of various gut hormones in learning and memory, through the interaction of various receptors in the hippocampus. Understanding their role in memory can also aid in finding novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of the neurological disorders associated with memory dysfunctions.