Neuropsychology最新文献

Objective: Although early diagnosis and treatment prevent the severe impairments associated with untreated phenylketonuria (PKU), individuals with early treated PKU (ETPKU) nonetheless experience significant neurocognitive and psychological sequelae, including difficulties in working memory (WM) and increased risk of anxiety. The primary objective of the present study was to examine the extent to which anxiety may moderate the relationship between ETPKU and WM performance.

Method: A sample of 40 adults with ETPKU and a demographically comparable sample of 40 healthy adults without PKU completed a comprehensive assessment of WM performance and anxiety symptomatology. Data were collected using a variety of remote assessment methods (e.g., web-based neurocognitive tests, semistructured interview, report-based measures).

Results: The ETPKU group demonstrated significantly poorer WM performance as compared to the non-PKU group. The groups did not differ significantly in anxiety; however, high anxiety was more common in the ETPKU group (53% of sample) than the non-PKU group (33%). A significant interaction between anxiety, metabolic control (as reflected by Phe levels), and WM performance was observed for the ETPKU group. Individuals with high anxiety and/or high Phe levels (> 360 μmol/L) performed poorer than the non-PKU group. Individuals with low anxiety and relatively low Phe levels (< 360 μmol/L) performed comparably to the non-PKU group.

Conclusions: Anxiety was found to moderate the relationship between Phe levels and WM performance in individuals with ETPKU. This finding underscores the importance of accounting for anxiety when evaluating neurocognitive performance in individuals with ETPKU whether for research or clinical purposes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: The processing speed (PS) is highly impacted in individuals experiencing their first episode of psychosis (FEP). Conducting family studies can help to determine whether PS can serve as an endophenotype of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs), offering valuable insights into the prevention and diagnosis of SSDs.

Method: A comprehensive cognitive battery, encompassing tests for PS, verbal memory, visual memory, working memory, executive functions, motor dexterity, and attention, was administered to a sample consisting of 133 FEP patients, 146 parents, 98 siblings, and 202 healthy controls (HCs). Univariate analyses (analysis of covariance [ANCOVA]) were conducted to compare the different cognitive domains between groups, utilizing sex, age, and years of education as covariates and Bonferroni corrections. Effect sizes (ESs) were calculated for estimating the magnitude of differences between groups.

Results: Group comparisons revealed significant differences in all cognitive domains. PS was the most impaired function in patients. Parents and siblings had intermediate PS performance between FEP patients and HC. Large ES were observed in PS between FEP versus siblings, FEP versus controls, parents versus controls, and parents versus siblings.

Conclusions: Despite not meeting all the necessary criteria, the PS observed in FEP patients and their first-degree relatives suggests its potential as a promising endophenotype of SSDs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD), and about half of older people with MCI will progress to AD within the next 5 years. The aim of the present study was to compare the semantic performance of MCI progressors (MCI-p) and nonprogressors (MCI-np). The hypothesis was that MCI-p would present with poorer semantic performance relative to MCI-np at baseline, indicating that semantic deficits may increase the risk of future decline toward AD.

Method: Fifty-six MCI participants (aged 65-89) from the Consortium for Early Identification of Alzheimer's Disease-Quebec study were analyzed, with 18 progressing and 38 remaining stable over 2 years. Analysis of covariance assessed their initial semantic and nonsemantic cognitive performance, and mixed analyses of variance gauged longitudinal patterns of cognitive decline at the 2-year follow-up.

Results: In the semantic domain, MCI-p performed significantly worse than MCI-np at baseline on two semantic tests (category fluency and object decision). In other cognitive domains, MCI-p performed worse than MCI-np on a test of executive functions (cognitive flexibility) but showed similar performance on a test of episodic memory. There were no significant differences between groups in the rates of progression on semantic tests over the 2-year period, but a steeper decline was observed in MCI-p at follow-up on tests of global cognition, episodic memory, and processing speed.

Conclusion: This suggest that MCI patients who present with semantic memory impairment in addition to episodic memory impairment are at greater risk of future progression to AD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: We investigated whether vascular risk factors (VRFs), assessed with Life's Simple 7 (LS7), are associated with the rate of cognitive decline in the years preceding a dementia diagnosis.

Method: This study included 1,449 stroke-free participants aged ≥60 years from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen, who underwent repeated neuropsychological testing (episodic memory, semantic memory, verbal fluency, perceptual speed) across 12 years. The LS7 score, assessed at baseline, included smoking, diet, physical activity, body mass index, plasma glucose, total cholesterol, and blood pressure. Preclinical dementia was defined as being dementia-free at baseline and diagnosed with dementia during follow-up. Level and change in cognitive performance as a function of LS7 category (poor vs. intermediate to optimal) and future dementia status were estimated using linear mixed-effect models.

Results: Participants who later developed dementia had, on average, a poorer LS7 score compared to those who remained dementia-free. For individuals aged 60-72 years, poor diet was associated with accelerated decline in perceptual speed (β = -0.05, 95% CI [-0.08, -0.02]), and a poor glucose score was associated with faster rates of verbal fluency (β = -0.019, 95% CI [-0.09, -0.01]) and global cognitive (β = -0.028, 95% CI [-0.06, 0.00]) decline in the preclinical dementia group.

Conclusions: VRFs exacerbate rate of cognitive decline in the years preceding a dementia diagnosis. This effect was most pronounced in young-old age and primarily driven by diet and glucose. The effect of VRFs may be especially detrimental for cognitive decline trajectories of individuals with impending dementia. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).