COVID-19 and Cognitive and Mental Health During Post-Infection Phase: A Study Among Middle-Aged and Older Indigenous Adults From Brazilian Amazons.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the rate of self-reported coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) and its association with mental and cognitive health during the post-infection phase among middle-aged and older indigenous adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted, including 141 individuals ≥50 and over from an urban indigenous community in Amazonas, Brazil. COVID-19 was deduced from self-reported infections. Cognitive function was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Exam, Brief Cognitive Screening Battery (BCSB), and language fluency tests. Meanwhile, mental health was assessed through validated scales examining happiness, stress, and depression symptoms. The association between the rate of COVID-19 and cognitive and mental well-being was analyzed using logistic and linear regressions, adjusted for covariates. RESULTS: From March 2020 to February 2022, 65.2% of the urban indigenous group tested positive for COVID-19. Lower functional capacity decreased the odds of contracting COVID-19 (p = .03). Adjusted linear regression models showed that COVID-19 was associated with higher BCSB learning (p = .017) and delayed recall (p = .028). Women, higher age, lower functional capacity, and hospitalization were associated with worse cognitive performance (p < .05). No impact of mental health indicators on past COVID-19 infection was noted. DISCUSSION: COVID-19 was prevalent among urban Indigenous Brazilians. Unexpectedly, it was linked to enhanced learning and memory, not mental health issues. Cognitive performance was lower for men, older individuals, those with less functional ability, and hospitalized patients, indicating that participant characteristics and disease severity affect the COVID-19 and cognition relationship. Longitudinal studies across diverse Indigenous communities are necessary to understand COVID-19's impact on their cognitive and mental health.

Affective theory of mind in people with mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVE: This study compared the affective theory of mind (ToM) of people with mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) and healthy older adults and also investigated the relationship between affective ToM and cognitive and clinical functioning in AD people. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 156 older adults with AD and 40 healthy older adults. We used an experimental task involving reasoning processes in different contextual situations. RESULTS: The affective ToM was impaired in AD groups compared with healthy group, with moderate AD group showing lower performance than mild AD group. The affective ToM task of mild AD group was significantly correlated with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and education years. Linear regression showed only education years as a predictor of ToM task performance. The neuropsychiatric symptoms and functionality were not correlated with the affective ToM. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated that people with mild and moderate AD presented impairments in affective ToM that can be explained by the difficulties to infer emotion from reasoning processes. In addition, the education years variable proved to be an affective ToM performance's predictor for the mild AD group, but not for the moderate AD group, indicating that ToM abilities are affected differently in different stages of AD. Neuropsychiatric symptoms and functionality seem to have no influence on affective ToM impairments in people with AD.

The Effects of High versus Low Levels of Altruism and Volunteering on the 4-Year Follow-Up Cognitive Performance of Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

OBJECTIVES: Currently, there is a growing interest on the benefits of volunteering. Nevertheless, there is scarce evidence for non-volunteering altruistic behaviors. This study aims to investigate the role of both altruism and volunteering on the cognitive performance of older individuals followed for four years. METHODS: This was cohort study carried out in 180 Brazilian older adults assessed in three different timepoints (baseline [2015-2016], 2 years of follow-up [2017-2018] and 4 years of follow-up [2019-2020]). Composite cognitive score was calculated based on the Mini-Mental State Examination, Verbal Fluency, Clock-Drawing test, and CERAD Word-List. Altruism was assessed through the Self-reported Altruism Scale and self-reported volunteering status. Mixed ANCOVAS were performed. RESULTS: For altruism, there were significant differences in all time points (Baseline, 2 years and 4 years) favoring higher cognitive scores for higher levels of altruism. However, no differences were observed for volunteering in all time points. CONCLUSIONS: Having higher levels of altruism was significantly associated with better cognitive scores. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Altruism, even without volunteering, seem to have positive effects on the cognitive functioning of older adults. Health professionals who take care of older adults might take account of the presence or absence of altruistic behaviors of their patients in their formulations and recommendations.

Children Newly Diagnosed with Fetal and Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia: Neurodevelopmental Outcome at School Age.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the neurodevelopmental outcome at school age in children newly diagnosed with fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT). STUDY DESIGN: This observational cohort study included children diagnosed with FNAIT between 2002 and 2014. Children were invited for cognitive and neurological testing. Behavioral questionnaires and school performance results were obtained. A composite outcome of neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) was used, defined, and subdivided into mild-to-moderate and severe NDI. Primary outcome was severe NDI, defined as IQ <70, cerebral palsy with Gross Motor Functioning Classification System level ≥ III, or severe visual/hearing impairment. Mild-to-moderate NDI was defined as IQ 70-85, minor neurological dysfunction or cerebral palsy with Gross Motor Functioning Classification System level ≤ II, or mild visual/hearing impairment. RESULTS: In total, 44 children were included at a median age of 12 years (range: 6-17 years). Neuroimaging at diagnosis was available in 82% (36/44) of children. High-grade intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) was detected in 14% (5/36). Severe NDI was detected in 7% (3/44); two children had high-grade ICH, and one had low-grade ICH and perinatal asphyxia. Mild-to-moderate NDI was detected in 25% (11/44); one child had high-grade ICH, and eight children were without ICH, yet for two children, neuroimaging was not performed. Adverse outcome (perinatal death or NDI) was 39% (19/49). Four children (9%) attended special needs education, three of whom had severe NDI and one had mild-to-moderate NDI. Total behavioral problems within the clinical range were reported in 12%, which is comparable with 10% in the general Dutch population. CONCLUSION: Children who are newly diagnosed with FNAIT are at increased risk for long-term neurodevelopmental problems, even those without ICH. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT04529382).

Longitudinal associations between cognitive functioning and depressive symptoms among couples in the Mexican Health and Aging Study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the bidirectional associations between older adult spouses' cognitive functioning and depressive symptoms over time and replicate previous findings from the United States (US) in Mexico. DESIGN: Longitudinal, dyadic path analysis with the actor-partner interdependence model. SETTING: Data were from the three most recent interview waves (2012, 2015, and 2018) of the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS), a longitudinal national study of adults aged 50+ years in Mexico. PARTICIPANTS: Husbands and wives from 905 community-dwelling married couples (N = 1,810). MEASUREMENTS: The MHAS cognitive battery measured cognitive function. Depressive symptoms were assessed using a modified nine-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Baseline covariates included age, education, number of children, limitation with any activity of daily living, limitation with any instrumental activity of daily living, and pain. RESULTS: As hypothesized, there were significant within-individual associations in which one person's own cognitive functioning and own depressive symptoms predicted their own follow-up cognitive functioning and depressive symptoms, respectively. In addition, a person's own cognitive functioning predicted their own depressive symptoms, and a person's own depressive symptoms predicted their own cognitive functioning over time. As hypothesized, there was a significant partner association such that one person's depressive symptoms predicted more depressive symptoms in the partner. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study of older Mexican couples replicates findings from studies of older couples in the US, showing that depressive symptoms in one partner predict depressive symptoms in the other partner over time; however, there was no evidence for cognition-depression partner associations over time.

Comparing cognitive function in white Mexican & non-Hispanic white Americans with/without diabetes.

Objectives: An association between type-2 diabetes mellitus and cognitive decline is well known. Additionally, type 2 diabetes is known to be more physically burdensome for minorities. However, the combined impact of both ethnicity and diabetes on cognition is still not clear. Methods: Data from the 2014 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) was used in this study to compare the cognitive functioning of non-Hispanic White (n = 10,658) and White Mexican/Mexican American (n = 847) individuals, age 50+ years, with or without type 2 diabetes. Cognitive functioning was measured by a composite of three constructs (serial 7 s, immediate, delayed recall). Ethnic groups and diabetes status were examined concerning cognitive functioning. Results: A Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) indicated significant main effects for ethnicity (F(3,11,496) = 11.15, p < .001) and diabetes status (F(3,11,496) = 3.15, p < .024), with Mexican Americans and those with diabetes exhibiting worse cognitive performance than non-Hispanic Whites and individuals without diabetes. There were significant effects for all covariates. A step-wise multiple regression indicated that education, age, depression, ethnicity and diabetes status accounted for a combined 28.4% variance in the cognitive performance composite. Conclusions: Results found that education contributes significantly to variation of cognitive performance. The impact of education could be related to various possibilities. However, the impact of health literacy is a likely component, which has a positive relationship with level of education. Individuals with higher health literacy are more conscientious in health actions (e.g., exhibit regular self-care, glucose monitoring, and foot care). Therefore, the study results indicate it is likely that the duration of diabetes, and diabetes management (e.g., effective control of blood glucose, blood pressure, and lipids), contributing to cognitive decline. Cognitive screening at routine doctor visits is encouraged, particularly for Mexican/Mexican Americans, as the current study found support for ethnic minority vulnerability to the negative impacts of diabetes.

Disentangling the Phenomenology of Mind-Wandering.

OBJECTIVE: In the last decade, the research about mind-wandering (MW) significantly improved and allowed us to depth the phenomenology of thoughts. Prototypically, excessive MW was linked with ADHD symptoms. However, many studies have demonstrated the need to relate the type of mind-wandering with specific phenomenological presentations. METHOD: Participants (N = 53; 54.7% male; age range 18-36 years) selfreported the Mind Excessively Wandering Scale (MEWS), and they were investigated for ADHD, impulsivity levels, and anxiety/depressive symptoms. RESULTS: The exploratory analysis indicated a meaningful correlation between MEWS and anxiety traits and depressive symptoms. There was no significant relationship with ADHD symptoms. CONCLUSION: These findings based our discussion about MW's phenomenology considering the novel classification model based on the consideration of clinical markers such as thoughts' content.

Cognitive Profile and Relationship with Quality of Life and Psychosocial Functioning in Mood Disorders.

BACKGROUND: Comparisons between healthy controls (HCs) and individuals with mood disorders have shown more cognitive dysfunction among the latter group, in particular in bipolar disorder (BD). This study aimed to characterize the pattern of cognitive function of BD and major depressive disorder (MDD) and compare them to HC using the (CogState Research Battery) CSRB™. METHOD: Participants were tested, comprising the following domains: processing speed, attention, working memory, visual memory, executive functions, and verbal memory. Quality of life and functionality were also assessed. Multiple linear regression models were performed to examine the effect of demographic characteristics and functionality on cognitive outcomes separately for BD and MDD. RESULTS: Ninety individuals participated in the study, of which 32 had BD, 30 had MDD, and 28 were HC. Differences were found between both BD and MDD and HC for the composite cognitive score, with significant differences between BD and HC (Diff = -5.5, 95% CI = [-9.5, -1.5], p = 0.005), and MDD and HC (Diff = -4.6, 95% CI = [-8.6, -0.5], p = 0.025). There were overall significant differences in five cognitive domains: processing speed (p = 0.001 and p = 0.004), attention (p = 0.002), working memory (p = 0.02), visual memory (p = 0.021), and verbal memory (p = 0.007). BD also presented worse performance than both MDD and HC, and MDD presented better performance than BD but worse than HC in quality of life and functionality. Multiple linear regression models were significative for education (p < 0.001) and age (p = 0.004) for BD and education (p < 0.001) for MDD. CONCLUSION: In general, cognition is more affected in BD than MDD, which could be associated with functional and quality of life impairment.

Cerebral Palsy in Very Preterm Infants: A Nine-Year Prospective Study in a French Population-Based Tertiary Center.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence of cerebral palsy (CP) at age 2 years in infants born before 33 weeks of gestation and to analyze the fetal neuroprotective effect of the antenatal administration of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) treatment on CP. STUDY DESIGN: Preterm infants born before 33 weeks of gestation and discharged from the Rouen University Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit between 2007 and 2015 were included. At age 2 years, pediatricians of the perinatal network of Eure and Seine-Maritime counties administered standardized questionnaires analyzing motor, cognitive, and behavioral items, derived from the Denver and Amiel-Tison scales. A routine protocol based on MgSO4 infusion was introduced in 2010. The primary outcome measure was the occurrence of CP according to the Surveillance of Cerebral Palsy in Europe network definition. RESULTS: A total of 1759 very preterm infants were included, among whom 138 (7.8%) died and 148 (9.1%) were lost to follow-up. Assuming that those lost to follow-up had no CP, at 2 years, 55 of 1621 infants (3.4%; 95% CI, 2.6%-4.4%) had CP. After statistical adjustment for birth term and antenatal corticosteroid use, a significant decrease in CP was observed after implementation of a protocol of MgSO4 administration in mothers before imminent preterm birth at <33 weeks of gestation (aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.29-0.98; P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of CP at 2 years after very preterm birth was low. The implementation of a neuroprotective protocol with MgSO4 was associated with reduced CP occurrence; however, several relevant limitations must be considered for interpretation.

Lack of association between proton pump inhibitor use and decline in cognitive performance in the ELSA-Brasil cohort.

OBJECTIVE: The study aims to investigate the longitudinal association of use and time of use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) with decreased performance in three cognitive tests. METHODS: Prospective cohort study included 7115 participants with mean age of 58.9 years at baseline (2008-2010) who participated in the second wave (2012-2014) of ELSA-Brasil (average interval between visits = 3.9 years (range: 1.7 to 6.0 years)). Cognitive performance was assessed by tests of memory, phonemic and semantic verbal fluency, and the trail making test, applied to both waves. Associations with the use and time of use of PPIs at baseline were investigated using linear models with mixed effects after adjusting for confounding factors. RESULTS: At baseline, 7.4% (529) of the participants used PPIs on a regular basis. After all adjustments, the interaction term use of PPI × age was not statistically significant for the cognitive tests evaluated, indicating that the use of PPI at baseline was not associated with a more accelerated decline in cognitive performance between waves. The interaction term PPI use × age was not statistically significant, in any of the categories of medication use time, any of the cognitive function tests evaluated, indicating that PPI use time is not associated with decrease in cognitive scores as the time interval between visits increases. CONCLUSION: In this cohort middle-aged and elderly adults, after average interval of 3.9 years (relatively short time to detect cognitive decline in a young cohort), the use and time of use of PPIs at the beginning of the study were not associated with a decline in cognitive performance in these tests between visits.

Hydroxyurea Use Associated with Nonverbal and Executive Skills in Sickle Cell Anemia.

OBJECTIVE: Hydroxyurea (HU) is used in children with sickle cell disease (SCD) to increase fetal hemoglobin (HF), contributing to a decrease in physical symptoms and potential protection against cerebral microvasculopathy. There has been minimal investigation into the association between HU use and cognition in this population. This study examined the relationship between HU status and cognition in children with SCD. METHODS: Thirty-seven children with SCD HbSS or HbS/ß0 thalassaemia (sickle cell anemia; SCA) ages 4:0-11 years with no history of overt stroke or chronic transfusion completed a neuropsychological test battery. Other medical, laboratory, and demographic data were obtained. Neuropsychological function across 3 domains (verbal, nonverbal, and attention/executive) was compared for children on HU (n = 9) to those not taking HU (n = 28). RESULTS: Children on HU performed significantly better than children not taking HU on standardized measures of attention/executive functioning and nonverbal skills. Performance on verbal measures was similar between groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that treatment with HU may not only reduce physical symptoms, but may also provide potential benefit to cognition in children with SCA, particularly in regard to attention/executive functioning and nonverbal skills. Replication with larger samples and longitudinal studies are warranted.

Social Support and Cognition: A Systematic Review.

Although the influence of social support in health is a widely acknowledged factor, there is a significant gap in the understanding of its role on cognition. The purpose of this systematic review was, therefore, to determine the state-of-the-art on the literature testing the association between social support and cognition. Using six databases (WoS, PubMed, ProQuest, PsycINFO, Scopus and EBSCOhost), we identified 22 articles published between 1999 and 2019 involving an empirical quantitative focus which meet the inclusion criteria. Data extraction was performed following PRISMA recommendations. To summarize the extracted data, we used a narrative synthesis approach. Despite limitations, there is overall preliminary evidence of a relevant positive association between social support and cognition. Our results demonstrate there is enough information for an outbreak of experimental research in the area and an expansion of this body of knowledge. We argue that the present evidence lays the foundations for a more comprehensive theoretical model, one that corresponds with the complexity of the topic and possibly considers models derived from social interaction and active inference theories.

Later-life trajectories of cognitive functioning among immigrants of Mexican origin: implications of age at immigration and social resources.

Objective. This study examines age-at-immigration disparities in later-life trajectories of cognitive functioning among immigrant men and women of Mexican descent. This study also considers the role of socioeconomic resources, family status, and church attendance in these disparities.Methods. This study draws on eight waves of the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly and employs growth curve models. This study distinguished between immigrants who moved from Mexico to the U.S. in early life (before age 19), midlife (between ages 20 and 49; reference category), and late life (beyond age 50). The analyses were conducted separately for men and women. The final analytic sample consisted of 2,030 repeated observations from 639 men and 2,883 observations from 884 women.Results. Compared to midlife immigration, late-life immigration was associated with lower cognitive functioning at baseline among both men and women, whereas early- as well as late-life immigration was related to faster cognitive decline over time only among men. Adjusting for socioeconomic resources reduced cognitive disadvantages among late-life immigrants, regardless of gender. Family status also partially accounted for poorer cognitive functioning among late-life immigrant women.Conclusion. This study demonstrates that later-life cognitive functioning among immigrant men and women of Mexican descent might be contingent on age at immigration. By highlighting the importance of individuals' social resources for overall cognitive functioning and for age-at-immigration disparities, this study also suggests that social programs and interventions to improve cognitive health in this population group should address later-life disadvantages related to low educational attainment, being unmarried, and less frequent religious participation.

Síntomas depresivos y funcionamiento cognitivo de las personas en proceso de reintegración mayores (PPRM) de Colombia / Depressive Symptoms and Cognitive Functioning of Senior Citizens in the Reintegration Process (PPRM) in Colombia

Resumen Algunas personas en procesos de reintegración mayores (PPRM) que participaron en la guerra presentan alteraciones mentales explicadas por el largo tiempo desescola rizados y las situaciones vividas, que le disminuyen la posibilidad de acceso al campo laboral y a la sociedad, el funcionamiento cognitivo alterado fue más prevalente en personas sin educación formal, sin pareja o vivir en familias no funcionales. Entre los factores demográficos de las PPRM que aumentan la probabilidad de tener un sínto ma depresivo fue pertenecer al sexo masculino, tener más de 65 años, no contar con apoyo de una pareja y disminuye esta probabilidad si se cuenta con algún grado de escolaridad. De los factores familiares y sociales que se analizaron, solo se encontró que vivir con una familia no funcional aumenta el riesgo de sufrir síntomas depre sivos. Por lo que se requiere acompañamiento para la aceptación de su proceso de envejecimiento, el aprovechamiento de experiencias y el ejercicio de la ciudadanía.

Abstract Some Senior Citizens in Reintegration Processes (PPRM), who participated in war have mental disturbances explained by the long de-schooling and living situations, which decrease the possibility of accessing the workforce and society. Altered cognitive func tioning was more prevalent in people without formal education, without a partner, or living in non-functional families. Among the PPRM demographic factors of PPRM, which increase the likelihood of having a depressive symptom was belonging to the male sex, being over 65 years old, not having support from a partner. This likelihood decreases if there is any degree of schooling. Among the family and social factors discussed, only living with a non-functional family was found to increase the risk of depressive symptoms. Thus, accompaniment is required for the acceptance of their aging process, the use of experiences, and the exercise of citizenship.

Exergames for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Overview.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder associated with various etiologies and characterized by deficits in social interaction, emotional reciprocity, communication, motor skills and cognitive functions. Studies have proposed that limited levels of physical activity and late motor skills and fitness, particularly in children and adolescents with ASD, may accentuate social and emotional deficits. In view of this, exergames, which are active video-games, can be considered a low-cost and safe type of exercise for children and adolescents with ASD, since they are more enjoyable than ordinary physical activities, influencing on treatment adherence. Thus, our study aims to evidence the effects of exergames on physical fitness, cognitive functions, and repetitive behaviors in children and adolescents with ASD. Despite the small number of studies investigating the effects of exergames as new strategy in children and adolescents with ASD, results suggest exergames as potential tool for the treatment of children and adolescents with ASD for improvement in physical fitness, cognitive functions and repetitive behavior. Our review pointed towards the importance of exergames for children and adolescents with ASD. Despite few studies conducted about this issue, we can consider exergames a potential tool to increase physical fitness, cognitive functions and to decrease repetitive behavior in children and adolescents with ASD. Moreover, health professionals should be careful when attempting to help this population, because the current literature is unclear yet about the improvement of ASD features through exergames.

Early Childhood Nutrition and Cognitive Functioning in Childhood and Adolescence.

BACKGROUND: The Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) Longitudinal Study provides a unique opportunity to examine the role of nutrition in cognitive functioning over time, controlling for other sociocultural factors. OBJECTIVE: This article describes results of analyses carried out in the INCAP Longitudinal Study on relationships between early childhood nutritional status and supplementation with concurrent and subsequent cognitive development in childhood and adolescence/young adulthood. METHODS: Articles were chosen for review that addressed this topic from the original and 1988 follow-up studies; 41 articles were reviewed and key results summarized for relationships between early nutrition and cognition in infancy, early childhood, and adolescence/young adulthood. RESULTS: Overall, results suggest strong relationships between indicators of a child's early nutritional status and motor and cognitive development in infancy and through the preschool years, continuing into adolescence/young adulthood, particularly for males. Nutritional supplementation during gestation through 2 years of age was associated with improvements in motor development and small, but consistent improvements in cognitive development during infancy and preschool years, with similar results of greater magnitude found with cognitive functioning in adolescence and young adulthood. Findings remain strong after controlling for various sociocultural factors (eg, socioeconomic status [SES]) and schooling. Among adolescents, significant interactions were found with SES and years of school attained; differences in performance favored Atole over Fresco children, with greatest differences for participants of low SES and those with higher levels of schooling. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the need for programs to address unmet nutritional requirements among at-risk mothers and children and potential beneficial effects for human cognitive development.

Later-Life Trajectories of Cognitive Functioning among Married and Widowed Older Men and Women of Mexican Origin.

Research on marital status-gender differences in later-life trajectories of cognitive functioning is scarce. Drawing on seven waves of data from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly, this research uses growth curve models to examine later-life dynamics of cognitive functioning among married and widowed older men and women of Mexican descent (aged 65+; N = 3329). The findings demonstrate that the widowed, regardless of gender, had lower initial levels of cognition but a less steep cognitive decline across waves, compared to married men. Age and socioeconomic resources accounted for these marital status differences in levels and rates of change in cognitive functioning completely among widowed men and partially among widowed women. Moreover, net of all the factors, married women had a slower cognitive decline than married men. This study also shows that health and social integration might shape cognitive functioning among older adults of Mexican descent.

Rendimiento cognitivo en mujeres con síndrome de ovario poliquístico: un estudio piloto / Cognitive Performance in Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: A Pilot Study

Resumen El Síndrome de ovario poliquístico (SOP) es la enfermedad endocrina-metabólica más frecuente en las mujeres en edad reproductiva. A pesar de su alta prevalencia, hay pocas investigaciones que analizan los efectos de los cambios hormonales sobre la cognición de pacientes con SOP. Objetivo: comparar el rendimiento en habilidades cognitivas y los niveles de hormonas sexuales de un grupo de pacientes con SOP y con las de un grupo control. Método: Participaron 20 mujeres mayores de 21 años, sin tratamiento hormonal, dividas en dos grupos, el primero compuesto por 10 pacientes diagnosticadas con SOP según los criterios de Rotterdam (GSOP) y el otro, de control, compuesto por 10 mujeres sin diagnóstico de SOP (GCT). Se aplicaron las pruebas WAIS III y fluidez verbal semántica y fonológica de la batería NEUROPSI Atención y memoria, y se realizaron análisis sanguíneos de hormonas sexuales. Resultados: Las pacientes del GSOP obtuvieron puntajes inferiores a las del GCT en el CI Verbal (p=0.009), CI Total (p=0.029), índice de comprensión verbal (p=0.005), índice de memoria de trabajo (p=0.023) y en la prueba de fluidez verbal semántica (p=0.029). No se encontraron diferencias significativas en los niveles hormonales. Conclusión: el GSOP presentó menor rendimiento que el GCT en pruebas de tipo verbal, aunque no se presentó déficit en su ejecución. Se sugiere estudiar la relación de la insulinorresistencia con la cognición en pacientes con SOP.

Abstract Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine-metabolic disease in women of reproductive age. Despite its high prevalence, little research analyzes the effects of hormonal changes on cognition in patients with PCOS. Objective: To compare the performance in cognitive abilities and sexual hormone levels of a group of patients with PCOS and those of a control group. Method: Twenty women older than 21 years, without hormone treatment, divided in two groups, the first consisting by 10 patients diagnosed with PCOS according to the Rotterdam criteria (GSOP), and the other composed of 10 women without diagnosis of PCOS (GCT). WAIS III and semantic and phonological verbal fluency tests of the NEUROPSI attention and memory test battery were applied, and blood analyzes of sexual hormones were analyzed. Results: The GSOP patients obtained lower scores than the GCT in Verbal IQ (p=0.009), full scale IQ (p=0.029), verbal comprehension index (p=0.005), working memory index (p=0.023) and semantic verbal fluency test (p=0.029). No significant differences were found in sexual hormone levels. Conclusion: the GSOP showed lower performance than the GCT in verbal tests, although there was not deficit in its execution. It is suggested to study the relationship of insulin resistance with cognition in patients with GSOP.

Estrés y funcionamiento cognitivo en universitarios / Stress and cognitive functioning in undergraduate students

La presente investigación corresponde a un estudio de tipo no experimental, transversal, descriptivo y correlacional en el que se evaluaron niveles de estrés, estrategias de afrontamiento, manifestaciones físicas y psicológicas por estrés, hábitos de sueño y alimentación, consumo de tabaco y alcohol, y funcionamiento cognitivo en 50 estudiantes universitarios durante el período de exámenes de fin de semestre académico, con objetivo de determinar la relación entre variables ya que en la literatura se reporta que el estrés es considerado un factor de riesgo, y la exposición continua puede afectar funciones cognitivas. Los participantes reportaron niveles medios o bajos de estrés percibido, uso moderado de estrategias adecuadas e inadecuadas y no se halló correlación entre estrés y funcionamiento cognitivo, concluyendo que el estrés debido a exámenes no es suficientemente intenso, la muestra posee adecuado manejo del mismo y se requieren más estudios para validar y estandarizar la prueba MoCA en población general colombiana.

This research correspond to a non-experimental, cross-sectional, descriptive and correlational study in which stress levels, coping strategies, physical and psychological manifestations due to stress, sleeping and eating habits, tobacco and alcohol consumption, and cognitive functioning were evaluated in 50 undergraduate students during the period of exam at the end of the semester, in order to determine the relationship between variables since in the literature it is reported that stress is considered a risk factor, and continuous exposure can affect cognitive functions. Participants reported medium or low levels of perceived stress, moderate use of appropriate and inappropriate strategies and no correlation was found between stress and cognitive functioning, concluding that stress due to exams is not intense enough, the sample has adequate handling of it, and more studies are required to validate and standardize the MoCA test in the general population of Colombia.