Assessing basic motor competences, physical fitness, and executive function in 4-5-year-old children: a longitudinal study in a primary care setting.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the progression of physical fitness (PF), basic motor competence (BMC), and executive function (EF) over one year in children aged 4-5 years at a health center. METHODS: In this longitudinal analysis, children's BMC was evaluated using the MOBAK KG test for object and self-movement. The PREFIT Battery gauged PF through handgrip strength, standing long jump, and other fitness measures, while the Early Years Toolbox appraised EF. RESULTS: Adjustments for confounding factors showed notable improvements in BMC, particularly in object movement (OM; mean difference 0.789, p = 0.044) and self-movement (SM; mean difference 0.842, p = 0.037), with overall MOBAK scores also increasing (mean difference 1.632, p = 0.018). Enhancements in the standing long jump (mean difference 9.036 cm, p = 0.014) and EF tasks "Mr. Ant" (mean difference 0.669, p < 0.001) and "Go/No-Go" (mean difference 0.120, p < 0.001) were evident, signifying substantial BMC gains and some progress in PF and EF. CONCLUSION: This research underscores the positive impact of regular training on BMC and PF in young children. Significant BMC development and associated improvements in PF and EF over the study period highlight the importance of structured activities in early childhood. These findings advocate for standardized training programs to enhance childhood health and encourage active lifestyles. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05741879. Registered February 14, 2023, Version 1.

The role of cognitive flexibility on higher level executive functions in mild cognitive impairment and healthy older adults.

BACKGROUND: Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a preclinical condition between healthy and pathological aging, which is characterized by impairments in executive functions (EFs), including cognitive flexibility. According to Diamond's model, cognitive flexibility is a core executive function, along with working memory and inhibition, but it requires the development of these last EFs to reach its full potential. In this model, planning and fluid intelligence are considered higher-level EFs. Given their central role in enabling individuals to adapt their daily life behavior efficiently, the goal is to gain valuable insight into the functionality of cognitive flexibility in a preclinical form of cognitive decline. This study aims to investigate the role of cognitive flexibility and its components, set-shifting and switching, in MCI. The hypotheses are as follows: (I) healthy participants are expected to perform better than those with MCI on cognitive flexibility and higher-level EFs tasks, taking into account the mediating role of global cognitive functioning; (II) cognitive flexibility can predict performance on higher-level EFs (i.e., planning and fluid intelligence) tasks differently in healthy individuals and those diagnosed with MCI. METHODS: Ninety participants were selected and divided into a healthy control group (N = 45; mean age 64.1 ± 6.80; 66.6% female) and an MCI group (N = 45; mean age 65.2 ± 8.14; 40% female). Cognitive flexibility, fluid intelligence, planning, and global cognitive functioning of all participants were assessed using standardized tasks. RESULTS: Results indicated that individuals with MCI showed greater impairment in global cognitive functioning and EFs performance. Furthermore, the study confirms the predictive role of cognitive flexibility for higher EFs in individuals with MCI and only partially in healthy older adults.

Reversibility of Cognitive Deficits and Functional Connectivity With Transfusion in Children With Sickle Cell Disease.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: People with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at risk of cognitive dysfunction independent of stroke. Diminished functional connectivity in select large-scale networks and white matter integrity reflect the neurologic consequences of SCD. Because chronic transfusion therapy is neuroprotective in preventing stroke and strengthening executive function abilities in people with SCD, we hypothesized that red blood cell (RBC) transfusion facilitates the acute reversal of disruptions in functional connectivity while white matter integrity remains unaffected. METHODS: Children with SCD receiving chronic transfusion therapy underwent a brain MRI measuring white matter integrity with diffusion tensor imaging and resting-state functional connectivity within 3 days before and after transfusion of RBCs. Cognitive assessments with the NIH Toolbox were acquired after transfusion and then immediately before the following transfusion cycle. RESULTS: Sixteen children with a median age of 12.5 years were included. Global assessments of functional connectivity using homotopy (p = 0.234) or modularity (p = 0.796) did not differ with transfusion. Functional connectivity within the frontoparietal network significantly strengthened after transfusion (median intranetwork Z-score 0.21 [0.17-0.30] before transfusion, 0.29 [0.20-0.36] after transfusion, p < 0.001), while there was not a significant change seen within the sensory motor, visual, auditory, default mode, dorsal attention, or cingulo-opercular networks. Corresponding to the change within the frontoparietal network, there was a significant improvement in executive function abilities after transfusion (median executive function composite score 87.7 [81.3-90.7] before transfusion, 90.3 [84.3-93.7] after transfusion, p = 0.021). Participants with stronger connectivity in the frontoparietal network before transfusion had a significantly greater improvement in the executive function composite score with transfusion (r = 0.565, 95% CI 0.020-0.851, p = 0.044). While functional connectivity and executive abilities strengthened with transfusion, there was not a significant change in white matter integrity as assessed by fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity within 16 white matter tracts or globally with tract-based spatial statistics. DISCUSSION: Strengthening of functional connectivity with concomitant improvement in executive function abilities with transfusion suggests that functional connectivity MRI could be used as a biomarker for acutely reversible neurocognitive injury as novel therapeutics are developed for people with SCD.

Multimodal neuroimaging network associated with executive function in adolescent major depressive disorder patients via cognition-guided magnetic resonance imaging fusion.

Adolescents are high-risk population for major depressive disorder. Executive dysfunction emerges as a common feature of depression and exerts a significant influence on the social functionality of adolescents. This study aimed to identify the multimodal co-varying brain network related to executive function in adolescent with major depressive disorder. A total of 24 adolescent major depressive disorder patients and 43 healthy controls were included and completed the Intra-Extra Dimensional Set Shift Task. Multimodal neuroimaging data, including the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and gray matter volume from structural magnetic resonance imaging, were combined with executive function using a supervised fusion method named multimodal canonical correlation analysis with reference plus joint independent component analysis. The major depressive disorder showed more total errors than the healthy controls in the Intra-Extra Dimensional Set Shift task. Their performance on the Intra-Extra Dimensional Set Shift Task was negatively related to the 14-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety score. We discovered an executive function-related multimodal fronto-occipito-temporal network with lower amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation and gray matter volume loadings in major depressive disorder. The gray matter component of the identified network was negatively related to errors made in Intra-Extra Dimensional Set Shift while positively related to stages completed. These findings may help to deepen our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction in adolescent depression.

Association between executive functions and COMT Val108/158Met polymorphism among healthy younger and older adults: A preliminary study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Genetic variability in the dopaminergic system could contribute to age-related impairments in executive control. In this study, we examined whether genetic polymorphism for catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT Val158Met) is related to performance on updating, shifting and inhibition tasks. METHODS: We administered a battery of executive tasks assessing updating, shifting and inhibition functions to 45 older and 55 younger healthy participants, and created composite z-scores associated to each function. Six groups were created based on genetic alleles (Val/Val, Val/Met, Met/Met) derived from the COMT gene and age (younger, older). Age and genotype effects were assessed with t-test and ANOVA (p<0.05). RESULTS: A lower performance was observed in the older group for the three executive processes, and more particularly for inhibition. Moreover, older participants homozygous for the Val allele have a lower performance on the inhibition composite in comparison to younger Val/Val. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm presence of executive performance decrease in healthy aging. With regard to genetic effect, older participants seem particularly disadvantaged when they have a lower baseline dopamine level (i.e., Val/Val homozygous) that is magnified by aging, and when the executive measure emphasize the need of stable representations (as in inhibition task requiring to maintain active the instruction to not perform an automated process).

A cautionary tale on the effects of different covariance structures in linear mixed effects modeling of fMRI data.

With the steadily increasing abundance of longitudinal neuroimaging studies with large sample sizes and multiple repeated measures, questions arise regarding the appropriate modeling of variance and covariance. The current study examined the influence of standard classes of variance-covariance structures in linear mixed effects (LME) modeling of fMRI data from patients with pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (pmTBI; N = 181) and healthy controls (N = 162). During two visits, participants performed a cognitive control fMRI paradigm that compared congruent and incongruent stimuli. The hemodynamic response function was parsed into peak and late peak phases. Data were analyzed with a 4-way (GROUP×VISIT×CONGRUENCY×PHASE) LME using AFNI's 3dLME and compound symmetry (CS), autoregressive process of order 1 (AR1), and unstructured (UN) variance-covariance matrices. Voxel-wise results dramatically varied both within the cognitive control network (UN>CS for CONGRUENCY effect) and broader brain regions (CS>UN for GROUP:VISIT) depending on the variance-covariance matrix that was selected. Additional testing indicated that both model fit and estimated standard error were superior for the UN matrix, likely as a result of the modeling of individual terms. In summary, current findings suggest that the interpretation of results from complex designs is highly dependent on the selection of the variance-covariance structure using LME modeling.

Greater utilization of executive functions networks when listening to stories with visual stimulation is related to lower reading abilities in children.

Narrative comprehension relies on basic sensory processing abilities, such as visual and auditory processing, with recent evidence for utilizing executive functions (EF), which are also engaged during reading. EF was previously related to the "supporter" of engaging the auditory and visual modalities in different cognitive tasks, with evidence of lower efficiency in this process among those with reading difficulties in the absence of a visual stimulus (i.e. while listening to stories). The current study aims to fill out the gap related to the level of reliance on these neural circuits while visual aids (pictures) are involved during story listening in relation to reading skills. Functional MRI data were collected from 44 Hebrew-speaking children aged 8-12 years while listening to stories with vs without visual stimuli (i.e., pictures). Functional connectivity of networks supporting reading was defined in each condition and compared between the conditions against behavioral reading measures. Lower reading skills were related to greater functional connectivity values between EF networks (default mode and memory networks), and between the auditory and memory networks for the stories with vs without the visual stimulation. A greater difference in functional connectivity between the conditions was related to lower reading scores. We conclude that lower reading skills in children may be related to a need for greater scaffolding, i.e., visual stimulation such as pictures describing the narratives when listening to stories, which may guide future intervention approaches.

A spatial version of the Stroop task for examining proactive and reactive control independently from non-conflict processes.

Conflict-induced control refers to humans' ability to regulate attention in the processing of target information (e.g., the color of a word in the color-word Stroop task) based on experience with conflict created by distracting information (e.g., an incongruent color word), and to do so either in a proactive (preparatory) or a reactive (stimulus-driven) fashion. Interest in conflict-induced control has grown recently, as has the awareness that effects attributed to those processes might be affected by conflict-unrelated processes (e.g., the learning of stimulus-response associations). This awareness has resulted in the recommendation to move away from traditional interference paradigms with small stimulus/response sets and towards paradigms with larger sets (at least four targets, distractors, and responses), paradigms that allow better control of non-conflict processes. Using larger sets, however, is not always feasible. Doing so in the Stroop task, for example, would require either multiple arbitrary responses that are difficult for participants to learn (e.g., manual responses to colors) or non-arbitrary responses that can be difficult for researchers to collect (e.g., vocal responses in online experiments). Here, we present a spatial version of the Stroop task that solves many of those problems. In this task, participants respond to one of six directions indicated by an arrow, each requiring a specific, non-arbitrary manual response, while ignoring the location where the arrow is displayed. We illustrate the usefulness of this task by showing the results of two experiments in which evidence for proactive and reactive control was obtained while controlling for the impact of non-conflict processes.

To be or not to be flexible: A hierarchical model of affective flexibility in typical development and internalizing problems.

Affective flexibility is defined as a complex executive function which enables individuals to successfully alternate between distinct emotional and non-emotional features of a given situation in order to attain a specific goal. A large body of research has focused exclusively on flexibility in a non-emotional context, although most of our interactions with our environment are emotionally satiated. Our main aim was to propose a hierarchical framework to describe this construct from a macro-level perspective to a more nuanced and micro-level perspective, including three different levels of affective flexibility: elementary, shifting, and generative. Next, we employed this hierarchical framework to examine the role played by affective flexibility in typical development and different forms of developmental psychopathology. Lastly, we discuss how this knowledge could inform future prevention and intervention programs aimed at reducing cognitive vulnerability to developmental psychopathology.

Measurement invariance across countries of the Test of Memory Strategies (TMS): A contribution to the cross-national validity study.

Previous literature showed a complex interpretation of recall tasks due to the complex relationship between Executive Functions (EF) and Long Term Memory (M). The Test of Memory Strategies (TMS) could be useful for assessing this issue, because it evaluates EF and M simultaneously. This study aims to explore the validity of the TMS structure, comparing the models proposed by Vaccaro et al. (2022) and evaluating the measurement invariance according to three countries (Italy, Spain, and Portugal) through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Four hundred thirty-one healthy subjects (Age mean = 54.84, sd = 20.43; Education mean = 8.85, sd =4.05; M = 177, F = 259) were recruited in three countries (Italy, Spain, and Portugal). Measurement invariance across three country groups was evaluated through Structural Equation modeling. Also, convergent and divergent validity were examined through the correlation between TMS and classical neuropsychological tests. CFA outcomes suggested that the best model was the three-dimensional model, in which list 1 and list2 reflect EF, list 3 reflects a mixed factor of EF and M (EFM) and list4 and list5 reflect M. This result is in line with the theory that TMS decreases EF components progressively. TMS was metric invariant to the country, but scalar invariance was not tenable. Finally, the factor scores of TMS showed convergent validity with the classical neuropsychological tests. The overall results support cross-validation of TMS in the three countries considered.

An exploration of neural predictors of treatment compliance in cognitive-behavioral group therapy for hoarding disorder.

A persistent and influential barrier to effective cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for patients with hoarding disorder (HD) is treatment retention and compliance. Recent research has suggested that HD patients have abnormal brain activity identified by functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) in regions often engaged for executive functioning (e.g., right superior frontal gyrus, anterior insula, and anterior cingulate), which raises questions about whether these abnormalities could relate to patients' ability to attend, understand, and engage in HD treatment. We examined data from 74 HD-diagnosed adults who completed fMRI-measured brain activity during a discarding task designed to elicit symptom-related brain dysfunction, exploring which regions' activity might predict treatment compliance variables, including treatment engagement (within-session compliance), homework completion (between-session compliance), and treatment attendance. Brain activity that was significantly related to within- and between-session compliance was found largely in insula, parietal, and premotor areas. No brain regions were associated with treatment attendance. The results add to findings from prior research that have found prefrontal, cingulate, and insula activity abnormalities in HD by suggesting that some aspects of HD brain dysfunction might play a role in preventing the engagement needed for therapeutic benefit.

Association of NOTCH3 Variant Risk Category With 2-Year Clinical and Radiologic Small Vessel Disease Progression in Patients With CADASIL.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pathogenic variants in NOTCH3 are the main cause of hereditary cerebral small vessel disease (SVD). SVD-associated NOTCH3 variants have recently been categorized into high risk (HR), moderate risk (MR), or low risk (LR) for developing early-onset severe SVD. The most severe NOTCH3-associated SVD phenotype is also known as cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL). We aimed to investigate whether NOTCH3 variant risk category is associated with 2-year progression rate of SVD clinical and neuroimaging outcomes in CADASIL. METHODS: A single-center prospective 2-year follow-up study was performed of patients with CADASIL. Clinical outcomes were incident stroke, disability (modified Rankin Scale), and executive function (Trail Making Test B given A t-scores). Neuroimaging outcomes were mean skeletonized mean diffusivity (MSMD), normalized white matter hyperintensity volume (nWMHv), normalized lacune volume (nLV), and brain parenchymal fraction (BPF). Cox regression and mixed-effect models, adjusted for age, sex, and cardiovascular risk factors, were used to study 2-year changes in outcomes and differences in disease progression between patients with HR-NOTCH3 and MR-NOTCH3 variants. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-two patients with HR (n = 90), MR (n = 67), and LR (n = 5) NOTCH3 variants were included. For the entire cohort, there was 2-year mean progression for MSMD (ß = 0.20, 95% CI 0.17-0.23, p = 7.0 × 10-24), nLV (ß = 0.13, 95% CI 0.080-0.19, p = 2.1 × 10-6), nWMHv (ß = 0.092, 95% CI 0.075-0.11, p = 8.8 × 10-20), and BPF (ß = -0.22, 95% CI -0.26 to -0.19, p = 3.2 × 10-22), as well as an increase in disability (p = 0.002) and decline of executive function (ß = -0.15, 95% CI -0.30 to -3.4 × 10-5, p = 0.05). The HR-NOTCH3 group had a higher probability of 2-year incident stroke (hazard ratio 4.3, 95% CI 1.4-13.5, p = 0.011), and a higher increase in MSMD (ß = 0.074, 95% CI 0.013-0.14, p = 0.017) and nLV (ß = 0.14, 95% CI 0.034-0.24, p = 0.0089) than the MR-NOTCH3 group. Subgroup analyses showed significant 2-year progression of MSMD in young (n = 17, ß = 0.014, 95% CI 0.0093-0.019, p = 1.4 × 10-5) and premanifest (n = 24, ß = 0.012, 95% CI 0.0082-0.016, p = 1.1 × 10-6) individuals. DISCUSSION: In a trial-sensitive time span of 2 years, we found that patients with HR-NOTCH3 variants have a significantly faster progression of major clinical and neuroimaging outcomes, compared with patients with MR-NOTCH3 variants. This has important implications for clinical trial design and disease prediction and monitoring in the clinic. Moreover, we show that MSMD is a promising outcome measure for trials enrolling premanifest individuals.

Neurophysiological avenues to better conceptualizing adaptive cognition.

We delve into the human brain's remarkable capacity for adaptability and sustained cognitive functioning, phenomena traditionally encompassed as executive functions or cognitive control. The neural underpinnings that enable the seamless navigation between transient thoughts without detracting from overarching goals form the core of our article. We discuss the concept of "metacontrol," which builds upon conventional cognitive control theories by proposing a dynamic balancing of processes depending on situational demands. We critically discuss the role of oscillatory processes in electrophysiological activity at different scales and the importance of desynchronization and partial phase synchronization in supporting adaptive behavior including neural noise accounts, transient dynamics, phase-based measures (coordination dynamics) and neural mass modelling. The cognitive processes focused and neurophysiological avenues outlined are integral to understanding diverse psychiatric disorders thereby contributing to a more nuanced comprehension of cognitive control and its neural bases in both health and disease.

Mind-Body Exercises as an Intervention for Improving Executive Functioning: A Systematic Review of RCTs.

Background/Aim: Executive function (EF) is essential for a myriad of functional tasks where deficits in EF can impair school/career success, relationship quality, and overall life satisfaction. As such, interventions for improving EF are crucial. Research on utilizing mindfulness-body exercise (MBE) as an intervention for deficits in executive function (EF) is quickly accumulating. However, no consensus has been reached as to the mechanisms involved, which is consequential in the disparate results found for the efficacy of MBE in improving EF. As such, a review of the literature on the impact of three major MBEs on EF is needed. This review aims to systematically detail the current research investigating MBE as an intervention for improving EF in adults and to discuss proposed mechanisms to anchor future research in this area. Methods: A comprehensive search through PubMed, MEDLINE, ERIC, and PsycINFO was performed. Inclusion criteria for studies included in this review consisted of randomized control trials testing either Qi Gong, tai chi, or yoga as an intervention for improving EF in adults. Studies were excluded if they did not use two or more measures of core EF's, did not examine MBE, and were not published in English. Measurements of EF consist of either multiple core components or a higher-order function. Results: Thirty-two studies fit the criteria and are presented. A majority of the research reports MBE had a positive effect on EF. Possible mechanisms, observations, and directions for future research are then described. Conclusion: This review demonstrates the effectiveness of MBE as a treatment option for improving EF, where MBE should be considered as a treatment option for individuals with deficits in EF. Future research should aim to ascertain the components and duration of MBE interventions that provide the greatest benefit.

Cognitive trajectories preluding the onset of different dementia entities: a descriptive longitudinal study using the NACC database.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the 10-year preclinical cognitive trajectories of older, non-demented individuals towards the onset of the four most prevalent types of dementia, i.e., Alzheimer's disease(AD), Lewy body(LBD), vascular(VD) and frontotemporal dementia(FTD). METHODS: Our analysis focused on data from older (≥ 60years) NACC (National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center) participants. Four distinct presymptomatic dementia groups (AD-LBD-VD-FTD) and a comparison group of cognitively unimpaired(CU) participants were formed. Comprehensive cognitive assessments involving verbal episodic memory, semantic verbal fluency, confrontation naming, mental processing speed - attention and executive function - cognitive flexibility were conducted at baseline and on an approximately yearly basis. Descriptive analyses (adjusted general linear models) were performed to determine and compare the yearly cognitive scores of each group throughout the follow-up. Exploratory analyses were conducted to estimate the rates of cognitive decline. RESULTS: There were 3343 participants who developed AD, 247 LBD, 108 FTD, 155 VD and 3398 composed the CU group. Participants with AD performed worse on episodic memory than those with VD and LBD for about 3 to 4 years prior to dementia onset (the FTD group documented an intermediate course). Presymptomatic verbal fluency and confrontation naming trajectories differentiated quite well between the FTD group and the remaining dementia entities. Participants with incident LBD and VD performed worse than those with AD on executive functions and mental processing speed-attention since about 5 years prior to the onset of dementia, and worse than those with FTD more proximally to the diagnosis of the disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Heterogeneous cognitive trajectories characterize the presymptomatic courses of the most prevalent dementia entities.

Prolonged intermittent theta burst stimulation targeting the left prefrontal cortex and cerebellum does not affect executive functions in healthy individuals.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for alleviating negative symptoms and cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia commonly targets the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC). However, the therapeutic effectiveness of rTMS at this site remains inconclusive and increasingly, studies are focusing on cerebellar rTMS. Recently, prolonged intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) has emerged as a rapid-acting form of rTMS with promising clinical benefits. This study explored the cognitive and neurophysiological effects of prolonged iTBS administered to the LDLPFC and cerebellum in a healthy cohort. 50 healthy participants took part in a cross-over study and received prolonged (1800 pulses) iTBS targeting the LDLPFC, cerebellar vermis, and sham iTBS. Mixed effects repeated measures models examined cognitive and event-related potentials (ERPs) from 2-back (P300, N200) and Stroop (N200, N450) tasks after stimulation. Exploratory non-parametric cluster-based permutation tests compared ERPs between conditions. There were no significant differences between conditions for behavioural and ERP outcomes on the 2-back and Stroop tasks. Exploratory cluster-based permutation tests of ERPs did not identify any significant differences between conditions. We did not find evidence that a single session of prolonged iTBS administered to either the LDLPFC or cerebellum could cause any cognitive or ERP changes compared to sham in a healthy sample.

Association between the executive dysfunction and balance function in patients with stroke.

INTRODUCTION: A previous study has shown an association between executive dysfunction (ED) and balance function in patients with stroke. However, it is unclear what factors mediate the association between ED and balance function. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between ED and balance function and to identify mediating factors using mediation analysis. METHODS: This study had a cross-sectional design. The study included 107 patients with stroke. This study was divided into two groups (ED and non-ED) using trail making test (TMT) part B. Two groups were compared for balance function (timed up and go test [TUGT] and Berg balance scale [BBS]) and other variables using paired test. In addition, partial correlation analysis with age, cognitive function as a control factor, and mediation analysis were also performed. RESULTS: The ED group (N = 55) had significantly lower TUGT and BBS scores than the non-ED group (N = 52). TMT part B correlated with TUGT (ρ = 0.41), BBS (ρ = -0.33), and Brunnstrom recovery stage (BRS) lower limb (ρ = -0.22). The TUGT model of mediation analysis showed a significant indirect effect as a result of mediation of the BRS lower limb between TMT part B and TUGT. The BBS model showed a significant indirect effect as a result of mediation of the activities of daily living (ADL) motor function between TMT part B and BBS. CONCLUSIONS: ED and balance function were associated, and the degree of paralysis and ADL motor function were associated with them in patients with stroke.

Unveiling the cognitive network organization through cognitive performance.

The evaluation of cognitive functions interactions has become increasingly implemented in the cognition exploration. In the present study, we propose to examine the organization of the cognitive network in healthy participants through the analysis of behavioral performances in several cognitive domains. Specifically, we aim to explore cognitive interactions profiles, in terms of cognitive network, and as a function of participants' handedness. To this end, we proposed several behavioral tasks evaluating language, memory, executive functions, and social cognition performances in 175 young healthy right-handed and left-handed participants and we analyzed cognitive scores, from a network perspective, using graph theory. Our results highlight the existence of intricate interactions between cognitive functions both within and beyond the same cognitive domain. Language functions are interrelated with executive functions and memory in healthy cognitive functioning and assume a central role in the cognitive network. Interestingly, for similar high performance, our findings unveiled differential organizations within the cognitive network between right-handed and left-handed participants, with variations observed both at a global and nodal level. This original integrative network approach to the study of cognition provides new insights into cognitive interactions and modulations. It allows a more global understanding and consideration of cognitive functioning, from which complex behaviors emerge.

The association of insulin responses and insulin sensitivity with cognition in adults with pre-diabetes: The Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study.

OBJECTIVE: Dysglycemia is a significant risk factor for cognitive impairment. However, which pathophysiologic determinant(s) of dysglycemia, impaired insulin sensitivity (ISens) or the islet ß-cell's response (IResp), contribute to poorer cognitive function, independent of dysglycemia is not established. Among 1052 adults with pre-diabetes from the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS), we investigated the relationship between IResp, ISens and cognitive function. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: IResp was estimated by the insulinogenic index (IGI; pmol/mmol) and ISens as 1/fasting insulin from repeated annual oral glucose tolerance tests. The mean IResp and mean ISens were calculated over approximately 12 years of follow-up. Verbal learning (Spanish-English Verbal Learning Test [SEVLT]) and executive function (Digital Symbol Substitution Test [DSST]) were assessed at the end of the follow-up period. Linear regression models were run for each cognitive outcome and were adjusted for dysglycemia and other factors. RESULTS: Higher IResp was associated with poorer performance on the DSST (-0.69 points per 100 unit increase in IGI, 95 % CI: -1.37, -0.01). ISens was not associated with DSST, nor were IResp or ISens associated with performance on the SEVLT. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that a greater ß-cell response in people at high risk for type 2 diabetes is associated with poorer executive function, independent of dysglycemia and ISens.

Tai Chi Chuan evidence related to impulsivity and impulse related disorders: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to review the evidence for the potential of Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) as a model of meditative movement in benefiting people with impulsivity related disorders and provide guidance for future research. METHODS: A scoping review of the literature was conducted in five databases. Eligibility criteria were original articles reporting TCC based interventions or included TCC techniques and provided any assessment on impulsivity or related measures, impulse control disorders, or other psychiatric disorders related to impulsivity (e.g., addictive disorders, ADHD, and other conduct disorders). Twenty-eight out of 304 studies initially retrieved were reviewed. The reports concentrated mostly on neurodegenerative conditions, cognitive decline, and substance use disorders (SUD). RESULTS: TCC had several positive effects in cognitive domains resulting in improvements in memory, executive functions, inhibitory control, attention, and verbal fluency. These improvements in memory, executive function, including inhibitory control and attention, and verbal fluency were associated with changes in the brain plasticity, resting activity, and other neurobiological markers. CONCLUSION: Albeit no study was found on the use of TCC in impulse control disorders or impulse related conditions, other than SUD, the findings suggest that considering the behavioral impact of TCC, especially the improvement of executive functions, it could be a valuable therapeutic tool for approaching impulse control related disorders.