Introduction-Physical activity can reduce the risk of contracting many of the 'diseases of the sedentary', such as coronary heart disease and cancer (Blair et al., 1996). Recognition of this protective effect has led to the development of many programmes designed to promote the benefit of participation in sport and physical exercise (Hillary Commission, 1993; Nicholl et aI., 1995). With participation in sport, especially contact sport, the risk for injuries increases, including injuries to the head and neck (Wilberger, 1993; Wekesa et al., 1996; Pettersen, 2002). Mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBI) or concussion as used interchangeably in the literature (Maroon et al., 2000; Wills & Leathem, 2001) are an important public health concern, due to the high incidence and frequently persisting symptomatology (Evans, 1992). Mild traumatic brain injury is defined as a complex patho-physiological process affecting the brain induced by traumatic biomechanical forces (Aubry et al., 2002; McCrory et al., 2004). A sub-concussive injury or very mild traumatic brain injury (vMTBI) may be defined as an apparent brain insult with insufficient force to cause hallmark symptoms of concussion (Jordan, 2000; Webbe & Bath, 2003). The high incidence of sport related head injuries in South Africa is alarming, although the prevalence thereof is unknown and difficult to assess, as the seemingly trivial injuries frequently remain unreported (Roux et al., 1987). This is especially applicable in sport where a milder form of head injury is common. This is cause for concern as cumulative head injuries traditionally regarded as trivial or 'minor' may result in players running the risk of increasingly negative consequences following repetitive 'minor' head injuries. In contact sport such as rugby, players are at great risk of sustaining repetitive mild traumatic brain injuries. The negative outcome following these repetitive minor head injuries has been demonstrated by numerous studies on boxers and other athletes exposed to repeated MTBI and vMTBI (McLatchie et aI., 1987). The incidence of vMTBI has not yet been researched in school rugby and this study is the first to report the incidence of vMTBI in a secondary school rugby team. Obiectives - The objectives of this study were to determine the incidence, the neuropsychological consequences and the effect on the academic performance of repeated mild (MTBI) and very mild traumatic brain injuries (vMTBI) in a secondary school rugby team during one playing season. Methods - A cohort of 35 secondary school male rugby players divided into a vMTBI (group 1) (n=26) and a MTBI (group 2) (n=9) from a local secondary school's first and second team, was followed for a full competitive season by a trained Biokineticist, who was present at all the games and contact sessions played. All vMTBI and MTBI and the severity of these injuries were documented. A control (group 3) that consisted of 10 secondary school non-rugby players were compared with the vMTBI and MTBI groups. The incidence of repeated MTBI and vMTBI in a secondary school rugby team were gathered by questionnaires and observation next to the field by a trained Biokineticist. Pre-season and post-season neuropsychological tests were conducted on the research groups and the control group. The neuropsychological tests that were conducted on the three groups were the Colour Trial Test 1 and 2 (CTT 1 + 2), the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) and the Standardised Assessment of Concussion (SAC). After each match played throughout the season the research group also completed a SAC test. The academic results of the final examination (year 1) of the year of the specific rugby season were obtained, as well as the academic results of the final examination of the preceding two years (year 2 and 3). The programme STATISTICA (version 7.0, Stat soft, Tulsa, OK) was used to analyse the data. Descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA's, two-way repeated measures ANOVA's, Post-hoc Tuckey HSD analysis and Pearson's product moment correlation were used for all the statistical analyses. Results - This study of a secondary school rugby team has shown 726 vMTBI's and 18 MTBI's throughout one rugby season. This relates to 1951 vMTBI's per 1000 player hours and 48 MTBI's per 1000 player hours. Reductions in delayed memory (p=O.O1)from preseason to post-season in a group of players with repetitive vMTBI's during a single rugby season were found. This was the first evidence of possible neurocognitive deficits towards delayed memory in very mild traumatic brain injuries at secondary school level. Statistically significant (p<=0.05)results of the SAC test totals between both the vMTBI and MTBI groups were documented in the different games throughout the rugby season and compared with the baseline test. No statistically significant differences (p<=0.05) between the pre-season and post-season's scores of the SAC test totals were documented. A decrease in academic performance in the subject Afrikaans (year 1 compared with year 2) with a p-value of p=O.O17(group 1) and p=O.O16(group 2) respectively was found. Conclusion - The findings of this study indicate a high incidence of vMTBI in a cohort of secondary school rugby players in one season, a statistically significant reduction (p=O.O1 )in delayed memory of the vMTBI rugby players and a statistically significant decrease in academic performance p=O.O17 (group 1) and p=O.O16 (group 2) in the subject Afrikaans from year 1 to year 2 final examinations. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

No description available.

Yes / Background: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the prior consumption of 200mg of pure caffeine affected neuropsychological test scores in a group of elderly participants aged over 60 years. Method: Using a double blind placebo vs. caffeine design, participants were randomly assigned to receive 200mg of caffeine or placebo. A neuropsychological assessment testing the domains of general cognitive function, processing speed, semantic memory, episodic memory, executive function, working memory and short-term memory was carried out. Results: Significant interaction effects between age, caffeine and scores of executive function and processing speed were found; participants who had received caffeine showed a decline in performance with increasing age. This effect was not seen for participants who received placebo. Conclusion: The results highlight the need to consider and control prior caffeine consumption when scoring neuropsychological assessments in the elderly which is important for accuracy of diagnosis and corresponding normative data.

A Esclerose Múltipla (EM) é uma doença inflamatória autoimune caracterizada por desmielinização e degeneração do sistema nervoso central (SNC) duas a três vezes mais frequente em mulheres. A etiologia da EM é dividida em dois subtipos principais: o tipo remitente-recorrente (EMRR) mais comum, caracterizado por dois ou mais episódios de agravamento dos sintomas que envolvem diferentes locais do SNC, separados por pelo menos 1 mês e remisão dos sintomas e o tipo progressivo é a forma menos comum, caracterizada por um contínuo agravamento dos sintomas desde o início geralmente sem recaídas claras ou remissões. A presente pesquisa teve por objetivo avaliar o comprometimento da visão de cores e de sua relação com perdas de atenção, memória visual imediata, memória visual tardia, memória operacional e funções executivas dos portadores de esclerose múltipla tipo remitente recorrente. Método: participaram 41 pacientes com esclerose múltipla de idades entre 20 e 58 anos (35,4±12,2) e 37 controles com idade (34,7±12,1) e escolaridade semelhante. A discriminação de cores foi avaliada com o Cambridge Colour Test (CCT) e a avaliação de funções neuropsicológicas foram utilizados subtestes da bateria Cambridge Neuropsychological Testing Automated Battery (CANTAB) - Pattern Recognition Memory, Spatial Span, Spatial Recognition Memory, Information Sampling Task, Stop Signal Task e Rapid Information Processing; Escalas de Depressão e Ansiedade de Beck e Escala de Determinação Funcional da Qualidade de vida (DEFU). Resultados: A visão de cores está prejudicada de forma difusa em 24% dos pacientes com esclerose múltipla, tanto em pacientes com histórico de neurite óptica quando em pacientes que não tiveram neurite óptica. Na parte cognitiva, os pacientes demonstraram lentidão em executar as tarefas, comprometimento na atenção, na memória visual de curto e longo prazo, na memória operacional, na memória visuoespacial, além de lentidão no processamento de informações. Há uma relação entre alterações na visão de cores e alterações de memória visual somente em testes em que os estímulos são complexos e com inúmeros detalhes / Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease characterized by demyelination and central nervous system (CNS) degeneration. It is two times more frequent in women. It can be presented in two subtypes: the relapsing-remitting (RR), most common type, characterized by two or more episodes of focal disorders in different sites of the CNS, and remission of the symptoms; and the progressive subtype, less common, characterized by a continuous worsening of the symptoms, since the beginning, usually with no remissions. The present research evaluated color vision impairment and its relationship to attention loss, short-term memory, long-term memory, working memory and executive function in patients with the relapsing-remitting MS type. Methods: 41 patients with multiple sclerosis (20 to 58 years, 35.4 ± 12.2 in average) and 37 controls matched to age (34.7 ± 12.1 in average) and years of education participated of the study. Color vision was tested using the Cambridge Colour Test (CCT) and the neuropsychological assessment was performed using tests of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Testing Automated Battery (CANTAB) - Pattern Recognition Memory, Spatial Span, Spatial Recognition Memory, Information Sampling Task, Stop Signal Task, Rapid Information Processing the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories and the Functional Assessment of Multiple Sclerosis quality of life instrument. Results: Color vision was diffusely impaired in 24% of the MS patients, with or with no history of optic neuritis. Patients also showed a delay during the tasks execution, impairment in attention, short and long-term visual memory and working memory, and slowness in the information processing. There was a relationship between color vision loss and visual memory impairment, but only in tests with complex and highly detailed stimuli

A Esclerose Múltipla (EM) é uma doença inflamatória autoimune caracterizada por desmielinização e degeneração do sistema nervoso central (SNC) duas a três vezes mais frequente em mulheres. A etiologia da EM é dividida em dois subtipos principais: o tipo remitente-recorrente (EMRR) mais comum, caracterizado por dois ou mais episódios de agravamento dos sintomas que envolvem diferentes locais do SNC, separados por pelo menos 1 mês e remisão dos sintomas e o tipo progressivo é a forma menos comum, caracterizada por um contínuo agravamento dos sintomas desde o início geralmente sem recaídas claras ou remissões. A presente pesquisa teve por objetivo avaliar o comprometimento da visão de cores e de sua relação com perdas de atenção, memória visual imediata, memória visual tardia, memória operacional e funções executivas dos portadores de esclerose múltipla tipo remitente recorrente. Método: participaram 41 pacientes com esclerose múltipla de idades entre 20 e 58 anos (35,4±12,2) e 37 controles com idade (34,7±12,1) e escolaridade semelhante. A discriminação de cores foi avaliada com o Cambridge Colour Test (CCT) e a avaliação de funções neuropsicológicas foram utilizados subtestes da bateria Cambridge Neuropsychological Testing Automated Battery (CANTAB) - Pattern Recognition Memory, Spatial Span, Spatial Recognition Memory, Information Sampling Task, Stop Signal Task e Rapid Information Processing; Escalas de Depressão e Ansiedade de Beck e Escala de Determinação Funcional da Qualidade de vida (DEFU). Resultados: A visão de cores está prejudicada de forma difusa em 24% dos pacientes com esclerose múltipla, tanto em pacientes com histórico de neurite óptica quando em pacientes que não tiveram neurite óptica. Na parte cognitiva, os pacientes demonstraram lentidão em executar as tarefas, comprometimento na atenção, na memória visual de curto e longo prazo, na memória operacional, na memória visuoespacial, além de lentidão no processamento de informações. Há uma relação entre alterações na visão de cores e alterações de memória visual somente em testes em que os estímulos são complexos e com inúmeros detalhes / Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease characterized by demyelination and central nervous system (CNS) degeneration. It is two times more frequent in women. It can be presented in two subtypes: the relapsing-remitting (RR), most common type, characterized by two or more episodes of focal disorders in different sites of the CNS, and remission of the symptoms; and the progressive subtype, less common, characterized by a continuous worsening of the symptoms, since the beginning, usually with no remissions. The present research evaluated color vision impairment and its relationship to attention loss, short-term memory, long-term memory, working memory and executive function in patients with the relapsing-remitting MS type. Methods: 41 patients with multiple sclerosis (20 to 58 years, 35.4 ± 12.2 in average) and 37 controls matched to age (34.7 ± 12.1 in average) and years of education participated of the study. Color vision was tested using the Cambridge Colour Test (CCT) and the neuropsychological assessment was performed using tests of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Testing Automated Battery (CANTAB) - Pattern Recognition Memory, Spatial Span, Spatial Recognition Memory, Information Sampling Task, Stop Signal Task, Rapid Information Processing the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories and the Functional Assessment of Multiple Sclerosis quality of life instrument. Results: Color vision was diffusely impaired in 24% of the MS patients, with or with no history of optic neuritis. Patients also showed a delay during the tasks execution, impairment in attention, short and long-term visual memory and working memory, and slowness in the information processing. There was a relationship between color vision loss and visual memory impairment, but only in tests with complex and highly detailed stimuli

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transition phase between normal aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Individuals with MCI show impairment in cognition as well as corresponding damage to areas of their brain. Performance on tasks such as discriminating objects with ambiguous features has been associated with damage to the perirhinal cortex, while scenes with structural (spatial) elements have been associated with damage to the hippocampus. In addition, attention is regarded as one of the first non-memory domains to decline in MCI. A relatively new MRI technique called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is sensitive to white matter microstructural integrity and has been associated with changes due to cognitive decline. 18 MCI (14 amnesic, 4 vascular) and 12 healthy matched controls were assessed in feature ambiguity, attention and structural learning to assess associated deficits in MCI. Associations with white matter microstructural integrity were then investigated. The MCI groups were discovered to perform worse than controls on the test of structural learning. In addition, altered attention networks were found in MCI and were associated with white matter microstructural integrity. No significant differences were found for feature ambiguity. These findings suggest there may be specific damage to the hippocampus while the perirhinal cortex may be preserved in MCI. Furthermore, dysfunction in attention was found to be associated with white matter microstructural integrity. These experimental tests may be useful in assessing dysfunction in MCI and identifying degeneration in white matter microstructural integrity. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to validate these findings.

Hintergrund: Die bakterielle Meningitis hat eine Letalität von 10-20%. Das Hirnödem stellt bei ca. 14 % der Erkrankten eine prognosebestimmende Komplikation dar. Ein aktueller Forschungsansatz umfasst die Bedeutung der Aquaporine für die Entwicklung, Aufrechterhaltung und Resorption der verschiedenen Hirnödemformen, insbesondere des zytotoxischen und des vasogenen Hirnödems. In dieser Arbeit wird untersucht, ob Aquaporin 1 und Aquaporin 4 im Liquor von Patienten mit bakterieller und viraler Meningitis, im Vergleich zu einer gesunden Kontrollgruppe, nachweisbar sind. Zudem sollte geklärt werden, ob sich hieraus eine differenzialdiagnostische Einordnung ergibt und sich Rückschlüsse auf das Ausmaß eines Hirnödems und das Outcome schließen lassen. Methode: Aquaporin 1 und 4 wurde im Liquor und im Serum von Patienten mit bakterieller (nCSF = 35 , nSerum = 20) und viraler  (nCSF = 22) Meningitis sowie in einer Kontrollgruppe (nCSF = 27 , nSerum = 12) mittels eines (kommerziell erhältlichen) ELISAs bestimmt. Klinische Daten und Routinelaborparameter wurden verglichen und in Korrelation zu den Aquaporinkonzentrationen gesetzt. Ergänzend wurde bei einer Untergruppe der Patienten mit bakterieller Meningitis (n = 8) eine neuropsychologische Testung durchgeführt. Ergebnisse: Aquaporin 1 und 4 ließen sich in allen Gruppen nachweisen, ca. 40% der Aquaporin 4 Konzentrationen lagen unterhalb der Nachweisgrenze des ELISAs. Im Gruppenvergleich aller drei Gruppen unterschieden sich die Aquaporin 1-Konzentrationen (p = 0,0001) und die Aquaporin 4-Konzentrationen (p = 0,035) im Liquor signifikant voneinander. In der Gruppe der Patienten mit bakterieller Meningitis ließ sich eine negative Korrelation zwischen Aquaporin 1 und 4 im Liquor feststellen (r = - 0,519, p = 0,002). Aussagekräftige Korrelationen der klinischen Daten, der liquor- und laborchemischen Parameter sowie der neuropsychologischen Testergebnisse zu den Aquaporin 1- und Aquaporin 4-Konzentrationen fanden sich nicht.  Diskussion: In dieser Arbeit konnte erstmalig gezeigt werden, dass Aquaporin 1 und Aquaporin 4 im Liquor (und Serum) von Patienten mit einer bakteriellen und viralen Meningitis sowie in einer Kontrollgruppe nachweisbar sind. Für Aquaporin 1 und Aquaporin 4 im Liquor fanden sich signifikante Unterschiede im Vergleich aller Gruppen im Kruskal-Wallis-Test. Rückschlüsse bezüglich einer differenzial-diagnostischen Einordnung zur viralen Meningitis konnten nicht gezogen werden. Aussagen zur Schwere eines Hirnödems und zur Prognose können mit den vorliegenden Daten nicht getroffen werden. Der Ursprung der gemessenen Aquaporine bei Patienten mit Meningitis lässt sich in dieser Arbeit nicht abschließend klären und bedarf weiterer Grundlagenforschung.