Diabetes reduces the cognitive function with the decrease of the visual perception and visual motor integration in male older adults.

This study investigated the influence of diabetes on cognitive decline between the diabetes and non- diabetes patients and identified the associations between diabetes and cognitive function, visual perception (VP), and visual motor integration (VMI). Sixty elderly men (67.10± 1.65 yr) with and without diabetes (n= 30 in each group) who were surveyed by interview and questionnaire in South Korea were enrolled in this study. The score of Mini-Mental State Examination of Korean version (MMSE-KC), Motor-free Visual Perception Test-Vertical Format (MVPT-V), and Visual-Motor Integration 3rd Revision (VMI-3R) were assessed in all of the participants to evaluate cognitive function, VP, and VMI in each. The score of MMSE-KC in the diabetic group was significantly lower than that of the non-diabetes group (P< 0.01). Participants in the diabetes group also had lower MVPT-V and VMI-3R scores than those in the non-diabetes group (P< 0.01, respectively). Especially, the scores of figure-ground and visual memory among the subcategories of MVPT-V were significantly lower in the diabetes group than in the non-diabetes group (P< 0.01). These findings indicate that the decline in cognitive function in individuals with diabetes may be greater than that in non-diabetics. In addition, the cognitive decline in older adults with diabetes might be associated with the decrease of VP and VMI. In conclusion, we propose that VP and VMI will be helpful to monitor the change of cognitive function in older adults with diabetes as part of the routine management of diabetes-induced cognitive declines.

Effect of complex treatment using visual and auditory stimuli on the symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children.

We investigated the effects of complex treatment using visual and auditory stimuli on the symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. Forty-seven male children (7-13 yr old), who were clinically diagnosed with ADHD at the Balance Brain Center in Seoul, Korea, were included in this study. The complex treatment consisted of visual and auditory stimuli, core muscle exercise, targeting ball exercise, ocular motor exercise, and visual motor integration. All subjects completed the complex treatment for 60 min/day, 2-3 times/week for more than 12 weeks. Data regarding visual and auditory reaction time and cognitive function were obtained using the Neurosync program, Stroop Color-Word Test, and test of nonverbal intelligence (TONI) at pre- and post-treatment. The complex treatment significantly decreased the total reaction time, while it increased the number of combo actions on visual and auditory stimuli (P< 0.05). The Stroop color, word, and color-word scores were significantly increased at post-treatment compared to the scores at pretreatment (P< 0.05). There was no significant change in the TONI scores, although a tendency toward an increase in these scores was observed. In conclusion, complex treatment using visual and auditory stimuli alleviated the symptoms of ADHD and improved cognitive function in children. In addition, visual and auditory function might be possible indicators for demonstrating effective ADHD intervention.

[Self-care behaviors and depressive symptoms of low-income elderly women with hypertension].

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare self-care behaviors and depressive symptoms between the young old (65-74 yr) and the old-old (75-84 yr) in low-income women with hypertension. METHODS: This study used a descriptive research design. The subjects of this study were 136 elderly women over 65 yr living in D city. Data was collected from September to December 2007 through personal interviews using a questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed using the SPSS WIN 12.0 Program. RESULTS: Self-care behaviors, functional status, and number of medications showed a significant difference between young elderly and middle elderly. There was a negative correlation between self-care behaviors and depressive symptoms. 52.2% of variance in self-care behaviors of young elderly and 76.8% of variance in self-care behaviors of middle elderly were explained by depressive symptoms, number of medications, and functional status. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to manage depressive symptoms to improve the self-care behaviors of low-income elderly with hypertension. Depressive symptoms need to be considered in planning hypertension programs for low-income elderly women.