Genes, brainpower and scary areas

Most researchers now think that our genes, our environment, our experiences and our behaviour work together to increase, or decrease, our risk of disease. One gene which is linked to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease is APOE4 and researchers from Drexel University School of Public Health in Philadelphia have been researching how this gene is affected by living in a 'psychosocially hazardous' - i.e. scary - neighbourhood. They studied 1,124 people aged between 50 and 70, testing them for the gene and giving them a series of cognitive tests. The people with the risky variation of the gene who lived in the scariest neighbourhoods performed worst in the tests. However, those without the gene who lived in the scary areas and those with the gene who lived in less-frightening parts of town were at no greater risk of worse performance.

Metabolic syndrome makes for more senior moments

Metabolic syndrome is a catch-all term used to cover a number of different risk factors for health problems, such as high blood pressure, a pot belly, high blood fats (triglycerides), high blood sugar and low 'good' cholesterol - to be defined as having metabolic syndrome you need to have at least three of the above. Researchers from the French National Institute of Health Research in Bordeaux studied 7,087 people aged 65 and over from three French cities. They tested them for metabolic syndrome and gave them a series of memory and cognitive tests two and four years later. Those people (16%) with metabolic syndrome were 20% more likely to show a decline on the memory test and 13% more likely to show a decline on a test of visual working memory.Specifically, higher triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol were linked to poorer memory scores; diabetes, but not higher fasting blood sugar, was linked to poorer visual working memory and word fluency scores.

Spanish study shows drugs' effect on cognition

As well as having adverse effects on people's physical health drug abuse can also affect people's cognition, including their ability to recognise emotions in other people. Researchers from the University of Granada in Spain compared 123 drug users with 67 non users on a variety of different tests. 70% of the drug users showed some type of neuropsychological deterioration, regardless of the type of substance consumed. The study showed deterioration in the drug users' working memory, fluency, flexibility, planning and multitasking abilities. The study also found that drug users had difficulty in recognising negative emotions such as anger, disgust, fear and sadness.

Cognitive problems and stroke risk

People with memory problems or other cognitive difficulties could be at a higher risk of having a stroke. Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham studied thousands of people who were aged 45 and over at the start of the study. At the outset of the study 14,842 people took a verbal fluency test and 17,851 took a word-recall memory test. The participants were then followed-up by phone for up to five years to see whether they had had a stroke. Those who scored in the bottom 20% for verbal fluency were 3.6 times more likely to develop a stroke than those who scored in the top 20% while those who were in the top 20% on the memory test were 3.5 times more likely to have a stroke than those in the bottom 20%.

Language learning could stave off senior moments

People who speak more than two languages could be at a lower risk of developing memory problems as they grow older. Researchers from the Public Research Centre for Health in Luxembourg - where many people are multilingual - studied 230 men and women with an average age of 73. Those people who spoke four or more languages were five times less likely to develop cognitive problems compared to those who were only bilingual and people who spoke three languages were three times less likely. The study's results took into account the age and education of its participants.

Heart risk and cognitive decline

Researchers from the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research have added more weight to the growing body of evidence that a healthy heart is linked to keeping one's mental faculties as one grows older. The researchers studied 4,827 men and women who had an average age of 55 when the study started. At the start of the study the participants were given a Framingham heart-risk score based on their age, sex, cholesterol, blood pressure and whether they smoked or had diabetes. The participants then took cognitive tests measuring their reasoning, memory, fluency and vocabulary three times over the next ten years. The people with a higher cardiovascular risk at the start of the study were more likely to have lower cognitive function and a faster overall rate of cognitive decline. A 10% higher cardiovascular risk was associated with a 2.8% lower score in the memory test for men and a 7.1% fall in women.

Ecstasy and cognition

A new study led by John Halpern of Maclean Hospital in Belmont, Massachussetts has found no evidence that ecstasy affects people's cognitive abilities. The study of 111 people compared 52 ecstasy users with 59 non-users. The non-users were also members of the "rave" scene and had also taken part in all-night raves where they suffered from fluid and sleep deprivation. The participants were screened for drug and alcohol use to make sure they were unaffected on the day of testing and the ecstasy users did not habitually use other drugs that might impair their cognition. The study found no signs that ecstasy impaired people's cognitive ability but the study's authors point out that there are still a number of other risks to taking ecstasy including other side effects and the risk of overdosing and contamination.

Cognitive problems and schizophrenia - which comes first?

Cognitive problems are considered to be one of the main features of schizophrenia. However, it is unclear whether the problems are already there before people's first experience of psychosis or whether developing psychosis has a deleterious effect on people's cognition. A team of researchers from the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam studied 58 people, 41 of whom were deemed to be at ultra-high risk of developing psychosis while 17 were unaffected controls. Of the ultra-high risk group 17 developed psychosis during the course of the study. The participants' cognitive performance was assessed at the start of the study and again 18 months later. The people who developed psychosis did not perform any worse at the second test than before they became unwell and the ultra-high-risk group actually performed better on the second test. The control group of unaffected people scored significantly better on test of verbal learning, memory and verbal fluency. So this study at least suggests that problems with cognition come before the development of psychosis and not afterwards.

Becker, H.E. ... [et al] - Neurocognitive functioning before and after the first psychotic episode: does psychosis result in cognitive deterioration? Psychological Medicine, October 2010, 40(10), 1599-1606

Even gentle exercise boosts brain power

Even gentle exercise three times a week could help to improve people's cognitive functioning, maintain networks in the brain and fight off the mental decay associated with aging. Researchers from Illinois University studied 100 people, aged between 18 and 35 and 59 and 80. The participants had previously led very sedentary lives. Some of the participants walked three times a week, at their own pace, for 40 minutes while others did toning exercises. The participants had brain scans at the start of the study and after six months and a year and took tests to measure their cognitive function. At the end of the year the older participants who had exercised by walking had better connections in their brain than those who had done toning and stretching and they also did significantly better on cognitive tests, being better at planning, prioritising, deciding on strategies and multitasking.

You can find out more about this research by clicking on the title of this post.

Insomnia and cognition

Researchers at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences have been looking into the effects of long-term insomnia on people's cognition. They compared a group of older adults with insomnia to a group of unaffected participants. The participants took four tests. In test one they had to press a button when they saw a star on the screen. In test two they had to press a button when they saw a 'p' on screen but not when they saw a 'd.' In test three they had to come up with as many words in a certain category, e.g. animals, as possible and in test four they had to come up with as many words beginning with a certain letter as possible. Surprisingly although the insomniacs performed worse in test two they performed better in tests one, three and four. The participants' brain activity was monitored while they carried out the tests and the insomniacs showed less activity in the regions needed to carry them out. Their superior performance was put down to them being in a state of extra vigilance, increased adrenalin and more stress known as hyperarousal. The participants with insomnia also had less grey matter in their orbitofrontal cortex. After six weeks of sleep therapy the insomniacs did less well in task one, better in task two and showed the same performance in tasks three and four. Their levels of brain activity while they carried out the tasks showed signs of improving but it could be that the state of hyperarousal experienced by the insomniacs leads to some of the physical and mental health problems associated with the condition.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100615151713.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Omega 3s not a miracle solution for older people's cognition

Along with statins and aspirin omega-3s seem to be touted as the miracle cure for just about everything. However, a trial by researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has found no evidence that it can improve cognition in older people. The trial studied 867 people aged between 70 and 80. For two years half of the participants were given omega-3 and half a placebo and their cognition was tested at the beginning and end of the study. After two years there was no change in cognitive function in either group of participants.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100421133116.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Heart disease risk factor affects cognition

C-reactive protein (CRP) is found in the blood and its levels rise in response to inflammation. High levels of CRP have been linked with an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease and now researchers at the University of Muenster in Germany have found that they could also be linked to cognitive problems. The researchers studied 447 people with an average age of 63. The participants had their levels of CRP measured, had MRI brain scans and took tests to measure their verbal memory, word fluency and decision-making. Memory and language skills were found not to be associated with CRP but higher levels of the protein were associated with worse performance in executive function. The MRI scans showed changes to the frontal lobe of the brain equivalent to 12 years of aging for those with the highest levels of CRP compared to those with the lowest levels.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/04/01/inflammation-response-lowers-cognitive-ability/12515.html