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Social interest and recent advance in technology have made concussions on the largest topics is scientific research today. Knowledge continues to be uncovered and more data and information is studied on the effects of concussions and links to later in life cognitive decline. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease have been known consequences of chronic traumatic encephalopathy but with recent findings in retired football players, more research is needed to show the correlation between concussions and the effects on cognition. Furthermore, with millions of youth athletes participating in sports each year, the impact of concussions on development and maturation need to be further researched. Initial retrospective studies seem to show the correlation between early in life concussions and decreased cognitive function later in life but longitudinal studies are lacking. Cognitive function data collected in longitudinal studies may help to show how early changes in function may be able to be identified and prevent further decline from repetitive impacts. Studies such as this would help fill the gap in research that could change youth sports as well as medical treatment and prevention to youth concussions.

The present study examined the neuropsychological relevance of poor sleep in a sample of community dwelling healthy older adults and a clinical sample of patients with untreated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) between 40 and 90 years of age. The cognitive performance of 67 patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was compared to those of 46 controls screened for OSA using a portable device called ApneaLinkTM. The current study identified common neuropsychological variables associated with poor sleep quality in general (i.e., as a result of daytime sleepiness) and neuropsychological variables unique to only OSA patients (i.e., manifesting oxygen desaturation at night in addition to daytime sleepiness). Results indicated executive functions were related to hypoxemia and sustained attention was related to sleep fragmentation in the current study. A medical sequelae model and a neuropsychological sequelae model were tested. The neuropsychological sequelae model predicted whether one was a control or an OSA patient 70% accurately based on the predictors (scores on Wisconsin Card Sorting Test perseverance error, vigilance task, WAIS III forward digit span, WAIS III Block Design, phonemic and semantic fluency, and WAIS III backward digit span). The medical sequelae model predicted OSA status 89% accurately based on the predictors (BMI, depression, subjective sleep quality, age, hypertension, diabetes, total mood disturbance, gender, and general health). The current study provides further justification for OSA screening in the general population during middle age and late adulthood especially in those most at risk (i.e., overweight, male, hypertensive, and poor subjective sleep quality).

Darbo objektas - kognityvinės funkcijos. Darbo tikslas - nustatyti moteriškų lytinių hormonų įtaką šokėjų (16-20 metų) kognityvinėms fukcijoms. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. Nustatyti ir palyginti šokėjų merginų dėmesį skirtingų menstruacijų fazių metu. 2. Nustatyti ir palyginti šokėjų merginų atmintį skirtingų menstruacijų fazių metu. 3. Nustatyti ir palyginti šokėjų merginų vykdomąsias funkcijas skirtingų menstruacijų fazių metu. Išvados: 1. Nustatėme, kad šokėjų paprastoji reakcija nepriklauso nuo menstruacijų fazių, tačiau sudėtingos reakcijos rodikliai buvo geresni ovuliacinės fazės metu. 2. Šokėjų verbalinės ir darbinės atmintis rodikliai priklauso nuo estrogeno kiekio, tačiau aktyvus išmokimas ir atmintis nesiskyrė folikulinės ir ovoliacinės fazių metu. 3. Šokėjų erdvinio suvokimo ir vykdomosios funkcijos rezultatai buvo geresni ovuliacinės fazės metu, tačiau išmokimo slopinimo ir strategijų plėtojimo rodikliai skirtingų menstruacijų fazių metu (folikulinė ir ovuliacinė) nesiskyrė. / The research object – cognitive functions. The aim of research – to assess the influence of female sex hormones on dancers’ (16-20 years old) cognitive functions. The objectives: 1. To identify and compare the attention of girls dancers during different menstrual phases. 2. To identify and compare the memory of girls dancers during different menstrual phases. 3. To identify and compare the executive functions of girls dancers during different menstrual phases. Conclusions: 1. It has been ascertained that the reaction and accuracy of girls dancers during attention tests do not depend on menstrual phase. The ordinary reaction does not differ but the complex reaction is better durning the ovulatory phase. 2. The indicators of verbal and working memory were better during ovulatory then follicular phase, but the learning and memory were similar during different menstrual phases in dancers. 3. The indicators of spatial procesing and executive function were better during during ovulatory phase but strategy development, execution and inhibition did not differ during different menstrual phases in dancers.

O Programa de Enriquecimento Instrumental (PEI) é um programa psicoeducativo que busca, por meio de instrumentos apropriados, estimular funções cognitivas de forma que o aluno otimize seu pensamento e torne-o mais reflexivo. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi realizar uma avaliação da influência do Programa de Enriquecimento Instrumental sobre algumas funções cognitivas dos idosos, quais sejam: resolução de problemas, memória, atenção e concentração. Participaram 66 indivíduos voluntários de ambos os sexos, com idade igual ou superior a 60 anos, fisicamente independentes e saudáveis, com escolaridade mínima 4ª série do ensino fundamental I (atual 5º ano) e máxima 8ª série do ensino fundamental II (atual 9º ano), sem restrições quanto ao nível socioeconômico, subdivididos em dois grupos: experimental e controle. Os sujeitos de ambos os grupos foram avaliados antes do início do programa de intervenção (fase pré-teste) e ao seu final (fase pós-teste) por meio dos seguintes testes: Teste Wisconsin de classificação de cartas versão para idosos, subescala memória do Exame Cognitivo de Addenbrooke, Teste de Memória de Lista de Palavras, Teste de Repetição de Pseudoplavaras, subescala atenção e orientação do Exame Cognitivo de Addenbrooke e teste de Trilhas parte A e parte B. Com o objetivo de rejeitar a hipótese de que a melhora do desempenho do grupo experimental, que recebeu a intervenção cognitiva, pudesse ser devida a aprendizagem dos testes na primeira fase em que foram aplicados, outros testes para avaliação das mesmas funções investigadas foram realizados nas fases pós e reteste, esta última realizada após três meses do término do programa de intervenção. Os testes com este objetivo foram: subteste cubos da Escala Wechsler Abreviada de Inteligência, testes de extensão de dígitos em ordem direta e em ordem inversa da Escala de Memória Wechsler de Inteligência para Adultos, Bateria Psicológica para Avaliação da Atenção. A escala de autoestima foi aplicada nas fases pré, pós e reteste apenas para o grupo experimental. As aulas do Programa de Enriquecimento Instrumental foram ministradas ao grupo experimental pela pesquisadora durante cinco meses e meio, uma vez por semana com a duração de 90 minutos cada, totalizando 21 aulas. A avaliação dos resultados mostrou que o Programa de Enriquecimento Instrumental levou a um maior desempenho do grupo experimental quando comparado ao grupo controle em todas as funções cognitivas analisadas, as quais ou se mantiveram ou apresentaram melhoras no desempenho mesmo após três meses do término do programa. Na discussão dos resultados procurou-se identificar e relacionar os instrumentos do PEI com as funções cognitivas avaliadas / The Instrumental Enrichment Program (IEP) is a psycho-educative program that seeks, through appropriate instruments, to stimulate cognitive functions so the student optimizes her/his thinking and makes it more reflective. The objective of this research was to conduct an assessment of the Instrumental Enrichment Program influence on some cognitive functions of the elderly, such as: problem solving, memory, attention and concentration. Sixty-six volunteers from both sexes participated, aged 60 years or older, physically independent and healthy, schooled until the 4th grade of elementary school (currently 5th year) at minimum and until the 8th grade of secondary school (currently 9th year) at maximum, without restrictions on the socioeconomic level, subdivided into two groups: experimental and control. The subjects from both groups were assessed before the intervention program (pre-test phase) and its ending (post-test phase) through the following tests: Wisconsin Card Sorting Test version for the elderly, memory subscale of Addenbrookes Cognitive Examination, Word List Memory Test, Pseudowords Repetition Test, attention and guidance subscale of Addenbrooke\'s Cognitive Examination, and Trails Test parts A and B. In order to reject the hypothesis that improvement in the experimental group performance, that received cognitive intervention, could be due to the learning of tests during the first phase in which they have been applied, other tests for evaluation of the same investigated functions were performed in post-test and retest phases, the latter performed after three months of the intervention program completion. The tests used for this purpose were: Wechslers Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence cubes subtest, digit extension tests in direct and in reverse order from Wechslers Adult Intelligence Memory Scale, and Psychological Battery for Attention Assessment. The self-esteem scale was applied in the pre, post and retest phases only for the experimental group. The Instrumental Enrichment Program classes were given to the experimental group by the researcher for five and a half months, once a week, lasting 90 minutes each, totaling 21 classes. Evaluation of the results showed that the Instrumental Enrichment Program has led to a higher performance by the experimental group compared to the control group in all cognitive functions analyzed, which either remained or showed improvement in performance even after three months of program completion. The discussion of results sought to identify and relate the IEP instruments with the assessed cognitive functions

My aim for this literature review is to present and discuss a possible relationship between physical exercise and different kinds of cognitive functions. With the increasing interest on the topic, more studies have been conducted and the results from the studies have been a little ambiguous. The most part of the studies has been showing that exercise has a positive effect on cognitive functions. The evidence from the studies also says that exercise can help the brain to regulate the production of new neurons and to increase brain volume in the prefrontal and temporal areas. That can be very beneficial for elderly people with dementia, Alzheimer's disease or other cognitive declines. Evidence of exercise combined with the right nutrition can enhance cognitive performance even more but to establish this more research is needed.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T19:36:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 28 / Nenhuma / O presente trabalho apresenta uma revisão bibliográfica feita na base de dados Web of Science, onde foram encontrados 266 artigos que tratam diretamente sobre estimulação aversiva e cognição. Posteriormente, foram utilizados 53 artigos para esta revisão. Fez-se então uma citação das principais categorias e métodos de trabalho, assim como tópicos que direcionam as pesquisas atuais e principais avanços sobre o tema. Considerando os trabalhos encontrados, embora haja um grande avanço, principalmente, nas últimas duas décadas, sobre o assunto, ainda é um campo que necessita de muito estudo, para avaliar a interferência da estimulação aversiva sobre a cognição. / This work presents a bibliographical review of material from Web of Science database. 266 publications were found that link directly aversive stimulation and cognition. Based on further analysis, 53 studies were used for this review. It was made a citation of the main categories and methods then, as well as topics that address the current researches and main progresses on the theme. Considering the selected papers, although there is considerable progress, mainly, in the last two decades on this topic, it is still a field that needs a lot of study in order to evaluate the interference of cognition by aversive stimulation.

Burnout syndrome is increasingly affecting more people in Westerncountries. The question of treatment is important. In this study, we recruitedand investigated 27 burnout patients (16 women, 9 men) and 20 healthycontrols (8 men and 12 women) before and after an intervention. Theintervention consisted of a combination of both cognitive therapy, cognitivebehavioral therapy, individual counseling, and a form of mindfulness grouptherapy (centered around own body awareness) to see whether the treatmenthad an effect on cognitive functions possibly affected by burnout and onsubjective well-being. A battery of neuropsychological tests andquestionnaires were administered to all participants, once before treatment,and once after. All test scores were z transformed and reduced to compositevariables, measuring executive function, verbal memory function andpsychomotor function. No significant interaction effects between group andtest occasions were found. Treatment does not appear to influence cognitivefunctions affected in burnout. However, reports of subjective well-being asmeasured by questionnaires improved after treatment.

Description and explanation of a natural decline of cognitive functions during ontogenetic aging laid in a century of its history grounds for various experiments trying to find wals to slow down or revoke theis process of decline. One of the cognitive domains that has been gaining ever stronger attention among neuroscientists is working memory, which is interconnected with other functions, especially with attention, executive function and fluid intelligence. So far, there has not been reached a consensus regarding a model of working memory. Nevertheless, there are many efforts to describe it, to explain its role within cognitive processes, and to enhance performance. They resulted in various complex and also specialized interventions that are used also in studies focused on older persons. This study adds to the body of literature on transfer effects of working memory training in young-old persons (age 65-75 years; N=65). It is a randomized controlled study with 2 intervened and 1 passive control groups. The goal was to find about an effect of different numbers of training lessons (10 or 20 in 5 weeks) with a computer-based adaptive visually presented verbal n-back, on latent variables of working memory and fluid intelligence. The results showed an ability of older people to significantly improve their...