Showing posts with label Cognitive Enhancement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cognitive Enhancement. Show all posts
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Naringin Reverses Chronic Stress-Induced Cognitive Deficits and Enhances Hippocampal Neuroplasticity in Mice
You do expect your doctor to be up-to-date on stroke research? Otherwise, you would be selecting a better doctor, right?
Saturday, February 14, 2026
Alzheimer's Dementia Risk Nearly 40% Lower With Lifelong Learning
Will your competent? doctor provide this to reduce your dementia risk? Oh, DOING NOTHING LIKE USUAL! Because your doctor doesn't even know of the need?
With your risk of dementia, you need this.
Parkinson’s Disease May Have Link to Stroke March 2017
1. A documented 33% dementia chance post-stroke from an Australian study? May 2012.
2. Then this study came out and seems to have a range from 17-66%. December 2013.`
3. A 20% chance in this research. July 2013.
4. Dementia Risk Doubled in Patients Following Stroke September 2018 The latest here:
Alzheimer's Dementia Risk Nearly 40% Lower With Lifelong Learning
Key Takeaways
- Lifelong intellectual activity, such as reading or museum visits, was tied to lower Alzheimer's dementia risk in older adults.
- Adults with the highest level of cognitive enrichment developed mild cognitive impairment about 7 years later than others.
- Results persisted even after adjusting for Alzheimer's pathology, suggesting strong cognitive resilience.
A lifetime enriched with intellectually stimulating activities -- including reading, writing, or frequently visiting museums -- was associated with lower risks of Alzheimer's disease dementia and mild cognitive impairment in late life, longitudinal research showed.
Over nearly 8 years of follow-up, each 1-point increase in lifetime cognitive enrichment correlated with a 38% lower risk of Alzheimer's dementia (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.52-0.73), reported Andrea Zammit, PhD, of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and colleagues.
The risk of developing mild cognitive impairment also was reduced by 33% (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.58-0.78) for every 1-point increase in lifetime enrichment, Zammit and colleagues wrote in Neurology.
Compared with people in the lowest 10% of lifetime enrichment, those in the top 10% developed mild cognitive impairment an average of 7 years later and had dementia onset 5.4 years later.
The relationship between lifelong intellectual stimulation and higher cognitive function persisted after adjusting for Alzheimer's pathologies at autopsy, suggesting higher resilience, the researchers observed.
"Our findings are encouraging, suggesting that consistently engaging in a variety of mentally stimulating activities throughout life may make a difference in cognition," Zammit said in a statement. "Public investments that expand access to enriching environments, like libraries and early education programs designed to spark a lifelong love of learning, may help reduce the incidence of dementia."
Zammit and colleagues studied 1,939 adults from the Rush Memory and Aging Project. Participants completed surveys reflecting lifetime enrichment, had annual clinical evaluations, and were dementia-free at baseline.
Baseline age was 79.6 years, and 75% of the sample was female. Mean education level was 15 years.
A composite measure from baseline surveys reflected cognitive enrichment at three life stages:
- Early enrichment up to age 18 included the frequency of being read to and reading books, access to newspapers and/or an atlas at home, and learning a foreign language
- Midlife enrichment included income at age 40, household resources like magazine subscriptions, dictionaries, and library cards, and the frequency of visiting museums or libraries
- Late-life enrichment included the frequency of reading, writing, and playing games, and income from Social Security and other sources
The researchers followed participants for an average of 7.6 years; in that period, 551 people developed Alzheimer's disease dementia.
A subset of 948 participants who died during the study had neuropathology data. Each 1-point higher of lifetime enrichment was associated with higher global cognition (P<0.001) and slower rate of decline (P=0.02) proximate to death, independent of neuropathology, the researchers said.
"Individuals in the topmost decile of lifetime enrichment experienced over 43% less decline than individuals in the lowest decile, equivalent to being about 6 years younger," Zammit and co-authors observed. "These results suggest that lifelong cognitive enrichment may delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease dementia and protect cognition in the presence of neuropathology."
The findings have several limitations, the researchers acknowledged. Participants reported details about their early and midlife experiences late in life, which carries risks of potential recall bias and reliability.
The sample included mainly white individuals of European descent who were highly educated, leading to potential ascertainment bias, they added. The results support previous work linking higher cognitive activity engagement to better Alzheimer's and dementia outcomes, underscoring "the need to be replicated in more diverse cohorts," Zammit and colleagues wrote.
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Exploring the Potential of Polyrhythmic Entrainment for Cognitive Enhancement and Neuroplasticity
Your competent? doctor can just add this music on top of the protocols they already have you doing for the past decade. Oh, you don't have music protocols, do you? Well fucking incompetency reigns again. How long has your doctor been incompetent? You can call your hospital president and ask when competent personnel will be hired. Your doctor writing prescriptions of E.T.(Evaluate and Treat) is the first sign of pure incompetence!
music (94 posts back to March 2011)
music therapy (53 posts back to October 2014)
musical training (13 posts back to June 2014)
singing (12 posts to July 2013)
Exploring the Potential of Polyrhythmic Entrainment for Cognitive
Enhancement and Neuroplasticity
Adam B. Lewartowski1,2,*, Karolina Finc1
1 Centre for Modern Interdisciplinary Technologies, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
2Interdisciplinary Doctoral School of Social Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
*Correspondence: lewartowski@doktorant.umk.pl
Abstract
Polyrhythms—the simultaneous layering of multiple rhythmic patterns—are a defining
feature of musical complexity across cultures. Yet, their significance extends far beyond
music. By examining polyrhythms in neural oscillations, body physiology, and movement
coordination, we highlight their role in cognitive flexibility, executive function, and
sensorimotor adaptation. We further discuss how polyrhythmic engagement can enhance
neuroplasticity, improve attention and memory, and support motor learning and
rehabilitation. Finally, we propose future research directions to investigate the broader
implications of entrainment to polyrhythms for cognitive and physiological optimization.
By reframing polyrhythms as a cross-domain mechanism, this article opens new avenues for
studying their impact on perception, action, and learning across multiple disciplines.
1. Introduction
Polyrhythms, the simultaneous layering of multiple rhythmic patterns, are a hallmark of musical
complexity across cultures. From African drumming traditions to contemporary jazz and electronic
music, they challenge performers and listeners to perceive and process multiple temporal structures at
once (London, 2012). Their significance, however, extends far beyond the realm of music. Rhythm, in its
most fundamental sense, is not just an artistic construct but a basic principle of organiziation of
biological and cognitive systems (Large & Snyder, 2009; Kwak et al., 2022).
In the brain, polyrhythmic structures reflect the interactions between neural oscillations across
different frequencies, forming the foundation for cognitive functions such as attention, memory, and
motor coordination (Buzsáki, 2006; Fries, 2005). Neural rhythms operate in a hierarchical and dynamic
manner, where slower oscillations modulate faster ones, supporting multi-scale integration of
information across neural networks (Canolty & Knight, 2010; Arnal & Giraud, 2012). This rhythmic
coordination is not limited to the brain. It extends throughout the body, where polyrhythmic patterns
emerge in respiration, heart rate variability, and motor coordination, facilitating sensorimotor
integration and autonomic regulation (Thaut, 2015).
The intricate organization of rhythmic interactions raises an intriguing possibility: Could
engaging with polyrhythms—through music, movement, or cognitive training—enhance brain function
and neuroplasticity? Research suggests that rhythmic training can improve executive function, working
memory, and motor learning, particularly in populations with neurological disorders (Repp & Su, 2013;
Tierney & Kraus, 2014). Moreover, rhythmic entrainment has been explored in therapeutic contexts,
such as Parkinson’s disease rehabilitation and cognitive training for ADHD (Nombela et al., 2013;
Morillon & Baillet, 2017).
In this perspective article, we explore polyrhythms as a cross-domain mechanism that could link
music cognition, neuroscience, and embodied cognition. We examine their role in neural oscillations,
body physiology, and cognitive flexibility, considering how they might be harnessed for neurocognitive
enhancement and therapeutic applications. By reframing polyrhythms as more than a musical
phenomenon, we open new avenues for research into their potential to shape perception, cognition, and
human performance.
More at link.
Thursday, June 6, 2024
Better Cognitive Outcomes Tied to Vigorous Exercise in Hypertensive Adults
Your competent? doctor is responsible for getting you 100% recovered with EXACT 100% recovery protocols so you can do this vigorous exercise. There is NO valid excuse for not having those protocols, your doctor has known since medical school that only 10% get rehab full recovery!
So if s/he didn't immediately start advocating and working on getting 100% recovery protocols, that is a sign of COMPLETE INCOMPETENCE! Why are you seeing incompetent doctors?
Send me hate mail on this:
oc1dean@gmail.com. I'll print your complete statement with your name and my
response in my blog. Or are you afraid to engage with my stroke-addled
mind? You'll want 100% recovery when you are the 1 in 4 per WHO that has a stroke! My definition of competence is 100% recovery, what is your definition?
Better Cognitive Outcomes Tied to Vigorous Exercise in Hypertensive Adults
SPRINT MIND analysis looks at 7,600 older adults at high risk of cognitive decline
Key Takeaways
- Vigorous physical activity appeared to preserve cognitive function in older adults with hypertension, a post hoc analysis showed.
- Hypertension is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline.
- Among older adults with hypertension, at least one weekly vigorous exercise session was associated with a lower risk of future cognitive impairment.
Vigorous exercise appeared to preserve cognitive function in older adults with hypertension, a post hoc analysis of SPRINT MIND trial data showed.
At least one vigorous physical activity session per week reduced the risk of future mild cognitive impairment and probable dementia for people with hypertension over 4.5 years of follow-up, reported Richard Kazibwe, MD, of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and co-authors.
Participants who had one or more vigorous physical exercise sessions weekly had a significantly lower risk of mild cognitive impairment (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.67-0.95) and a composite of mild cognitive impairment/probable dementia (HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.70-0.94) compared with those who had less than one vigorous session a week, Kazibwe and colleagues wrote in Alzheimer's and Dementiaopens in a new tab or window.
Higher vigorous physical activity trended toward a lower risk of probable dementia, but the relationship didn't reach statistical significance (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.63-1.02).
"We know that physical exercise offers many benefits, including lowering blood pressure, improving heart health, and potentially delaying cognitive decline," Kazibwe said in a statement. "However, the amount and the intensity of exercise needed to preserve cognition is unknown."
Many epidemiological studies support the role of lifestyle in dementia risk. In 2020, the Lancet Commissionopens in a new tab or window reported that up to 40% of dementia cases may be prevented or delayed by modifying 12 risk factors, including physical inactivity. Studies of U.K. Biobank participants have linked moderate and vigorous exerciseopens in a new tab or window with midlife cognition, and sedentary lifestylesopens in a new tab or window in older adults with incident dementia.
Hypertension is associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment. In their analysis, Kazibwe and co-authors evaluated data from 7,670 people who participated in the SPRINT MINDopens in a new tab or window substudy of the SPRINTopens in a new tab or window randomized clinical trial. The SPRINT trial was stopped early when its primary outcome showed a significant benefit of intensive systolic blood pressure treatment compared with standard treatment.
The SPRINT MIND substudy showed that treating hypertensive older adults to a systolic blood pressure goal of less than 120 mm Hg, compared with treating them to a goal of less than 140 mm Hg, reduced the risk of probable dementia by 17%, a statistically non-significant difference. Intensive blood pressure control showed statistically significant benefits in secondary outcomes, including a 19% lower rate of mild cognitive impairment.
At enrollment, SPRINT participants were asked about their frequency of vigorous-intensity physical activity over the past 12 months. The researchers categorized vigorous physical activity into two groups: less than one session per week (low activity group), and one or more sessions per week (high activity group). Participants with significant limitations in physical function or missing data were excluded from the post hoc analysis.
Mean participant age was 68 years, 34.5% were women, and 59.6% were white. Kazibwe noted that nearly 60% of study participants reported vigorous activity at least once a week, even those ages 75 and older. This "suggests that older adults who recognize the importance of exercise may be more inclined to exercise at higher intensity," he observed.
Over a maximum follow-up of 7.4 years (median 4.5 years), 570 mild cognitive impairment events, 273 probable dementia events, and 759 mild cognitive impairment/probable dementia events were reported.
Among participants in the high activity group compared with the low activity group, the incidence of mild cognitive impairment events was 6.5% versus 8.8%, 3.1% versus 4.3% for probable dementia events, and 8.7% versus 11.7% for mild cognitive impairment/probable dementia events.
Compared with participants in the low activity group, those in the high activity group experienced lower event rates per 1,000 person-years of mild cognitive impairment (13.9 vs 19.7), probable dementia (6.3 vs 9.0), and mild cognitive impairment/probable dementia (18.5 vs 25.8). Overall, the protective relationship between vigorous exercise and cognitive outcomes was more pronounced for people under age 75.
In the post hoc analysis, participants in the SPRINT intensive and standard blood pressure treatment groups had comparable results for the relationship between vigorous physical activity and risk of cognitive outcomes.
The study had several limitations. The relatively fewer cases of probable dementia might mean the study lacked statistical power to detect whether vigorous activity influenced its risk, the researchers noted. In addition, all physical activity was self-reported at baseline.
"While this study provides evidence that vigorous exercise may preserve cognitive function in high-risk patients with hypertension, more research is needed to include device-based physical activity measurements and more diverse participant populations," Kazibwe said.
Disclosures
The SPRINT trial is funded by the NIH.
Kazibwe and co-authors reported no conflicts of interest.
Primary Source
Alzheimer's & Dementia
Source Reference: opens in a new tab or windowKazibwe R, et al "Effect of vigorous-intensity physical activity on incident cognitive impairment in high-risk hypertension" Alzheimer's Dement 2024; DOI: 10.1002/alz.13887.
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Coffee Component Boosts Memory
If you have competent doctors and hospital they will contact stroke leadership to get human testing going.
Do you prefer your doctor and hospital incompetence NOT KNOWING? OR NOT DOING?
Coffee Component Boosts Memory
Summary: Trigonelline (TG), a compound in coffee and certain vegetables, is believed to improve cognitive decline in aging. Researchers administered TG to aging mice, noting enhancements in spatial learning and memory.
Deep dives into the hippocampus found that TG bolstered neurotransmitters and curtailed inflammation. This natural compound holds potential in mitigating age-linked cognitive challenges.
Key Facts:
- Trigonelline (TG), found in coffee, fenugreek seed, and radish, significantly enhanced spatial learning and memory in aged mice.
- TG was discovered to support pathways tied to nervous system development, mitochondrial function, and neurotransmitter release.
- The compound also suppressed neuroinflammation and increased key neurotransmitter levels in the hippocampus.
Source: University of Tsukuba
The search for functional natural compounds that can improve age-related cognitive decline has recently emerged as an important research focus to promote healthy aging.
Trigonelline (TG), a plant alkaloid found in coffee, as well as in fenugreek seed and radish, was anticipated to possess cognitive enhancement properties.
In this study, researchers led by the University of Tsukuba investigated the effects of TG on memory and spatial learning (acquiring, retaining, structuring, and applying information related to the surrounding physical environment) from both a cognitive and molecular biology perspective in an integrated manner using a senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) model.
Following oral administration of TG to SAMP8 mice for 30 days, the Morris water maze test indicated a significant improvement in spatial learning and memory performance compared with SAMP8 mice that did not receive TG.
Next, the researchers performed whole-genome transcriptomic analysis of the hippocampus to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. They found that signaling pathways related to nervous system development, mitochondrial function, ATP synthesis, inflammation, autophagy, and neurotransmitter release were significantly modulated in the TG group.
Furthermore, the research team found that TG suppressed neuroinflammation by negatively regulating signaling factor Traf6-mediated activation of the transcription factor NF-κB. Additionally, quantitative protein analysis confirmed that the levels of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 were significantly decreased and the levels of neurotransmitters dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin were significantly increased in the hippocampus.
These findings suggest the efficacy of TG in preventing and improving age-related spatial learning memory impairment.
Funding: This work was supported by DyDo DRINCO and Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST grant number JPMJPF2017).
About this memory research news
Author: YAMASHINA Naoko
Source: University of Tsukuba
Contact: YAMASHINA Naoko – University of Tsukuba
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Transcriptomics
and Biochemical Evidence of Trigonelline Ameliorating Learning and
Memory Decline in the Senescence-Accelerated Mouse Prone 8 (SAMP8) Model
by Suppressing Proinflammatory Cytokines and Elevating Neurotransmitter
Release” by KAGAWA, Tamami et al. GeroScience
Monday, August 28, 2023
Essential Oils Enhance Cognition in Healthy Older Adults During Sleep
We are not healthy so this doesn't apply to us until our fucking failures of stroke associations complete this research on stroke survivors. Don't do this until then.
Essential Oils Enhance Cognition in Healthy Older Adults During Sleep
Nightly exposure to essential oils showed improvement in cognitive functioning among older adults.
Minimal overnight exposure to essential oils may be a cost-effective method to improve cognitive and neural functioning in healthy older adults, according to study findings published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience.
Previous research has shown that olfactory enrichment alone, defined as the daily exposure of multiple odorants in individuals, could improve both memory and neurogenesis in mouse models. With cognitive loss becoming more common among older adults, researchers have acknowledged the need for an inexpensive low-effort method to improve cognition in this patient population. This prompted a group of researchers from at the University of California, Irvine to assess whether the use of olfactory enrichment at night could improve cognition in healthy older adults.
The researchers enrolled 132 older adults aged 60-85 who had normal cognition and good general health into a randomized controlled trial, Sensory Enrichment for Older Adults (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03914989), to assess the impact of olfactory enrichment on cognition. Each participant was randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: olfactory enrichment with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), olfactory enrichment without MRI, control condition with MRI, and control condition without MRI. Research disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused some attrition, and 44 participants were ultimately excluded from analyses. The final count included: 20 participants in the olfactory-enriched with MRI group, 21 participants in the olfactory-enriched group without MRIs, 23 participants in the control group with MRI, and 24 participants in the control group without MRI scans.
Individuals in both olfactory-enriched groups were provided with an odorant diffuser and 7 different essential oil odorants. The diffuser released 1 scent for 2 hours per night, cycling through the scents each week. Individuals in the 2 control groups were given the same testing instructions, but the essential oil odorants were replaced with sham trace odorants. All groups used their odorant diffusers for 6 continuous months.
We
have shown that minimal olfactory enrichment at night using an odorant
diffuser results in significant improvements in both verbal memory and
the integrity of a specific brain pathway.
Study participants underwent assessments for cognitive and olfactory functioning at baseline and after 6 months of odorant exposure. These assessments included the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) to confirm normal cognitive functioning as well as the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test to evaluate verbal learning and memory, and the completion of 3 subsets of the Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III). The researchers used the “Sniffin’ Sticks” test to assess olfactory system function as a way to determine whether olfactory enrichment enhanced olfactory performance.
Sunday, December 19, 2021
Protocols for cognitive enhancement. A user manual for Brain Health Services—part 5 of 6
Your doctor and hospital will be required to get this research going in stroke patients.
Protocols for cognitive enhancement. A user manual for Brain Health Services—part 5 of 6
Alzheimer's Research & Therapy volume 13, Article number: 172 (2021)
Abstract
Cognitive complaints in the absence of objective cognitive impairment, observed in patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), are common in old age. The first step to postpone cognitive decline is to use techniques known to improve cognition, i.e., cognitive enhancement techniques.
We aimed to provide clinical recommendations to improve cognitive performance in cognitively unimpaired individuals, by using cognitive, mental, or physical training (CMPT), non-invasive brain stimulations (NIBS), drugs, or nutrients. We made a systematic review of CMPT studies based on the GRADE method rating the strength of evidence.
CMPT have clinically relevant effects on cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes. The quality of evidence supporting the improvement of outcomes following a CMPT was high for metamemory; moderate for executive functions, attention, global cognition, and generalization in daily life; and low for objective memory, subjective memory, motivation, mood, and quality of life, as well as a transfer to other cognitive functions. Regarding specific interventions, CMPT based on repeated practice (e.g., video games or mindfulness, but not physical training) improved attention and executive functions significantly, while CMPT based on strategic learning significantly improved objective memory.
We found encouraging evidence supporting the potential effect of NIBS in improving memory performance, and reducing the perception of self-perceived memory decline in SCD. Yet, the high heterogeneity of stimulation protocols in the different studies prevent the issuing of clear-cut recommendations for implementation in a clinical setting. No conclusive argument was found to recommend any of the main pharmacological cognitive enhancement drugs (“smart drugs”, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, memantine, antidepressant) or herbal extracts (Panax ginseng, Gingko biloba, and Bacopa monnieri) in people without cognitive impairment.
Altogether, this systematic review provides evidence for CMPT to improve cognition, encouraging results for NIBS although more studies are needed, while it does not support the use of drugs or nutrients.
Background
Forgetfulness is one of the most common worries among the elderly. While in some cases, subjects are satisfied with their cognitive functions and simply concerned about preserving them (worried-well, WW), others perceive a subjective decline in cognition in the absence of objective evidence of cognitive impairment (subjective cognitive decline, SCD). Although not described in DSM-V or ICD-11, the detection of SCD in clinical practice and the knowledge that biomarkers of neurodegenerative disorders appear long before the onset of objective cognitive deficits was a motivation for the SCD-Initiative working group to establish research criteria [1], recently commented and completed by Jessen et al. (2020) [2].
Representing a high percentage of patients seeking help in memory clinics for whom specific instructions are lacking [3], the definition of interventions to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia in these subjects is a clinical need that is unmet. Up to 40 % of dementia cases could in fact be prevented by acting on modifiable factors (e.g., cardiovascular factors, depression, physical inactivity, social isolation, education) [4], thus interventions should target cognitively unimpaired individuals [5], especially those who have SCD. In order to address this need, we envision the creation of Brain Health Services, i.e. new services with specific missions, namely dementia risk profiling [6], dementia risk communication [7], dementia risk reduction [8], and cognitive enhancement [9], and with specific societal challenges [10].
This review focuses on randomized control trials (RCT) assessing techniques expected to improve cognition, thus targeting interventions that generally improve the performance in a short-term period (weeks, months), including cognitive, mental, or physical training (CMPT), non-invasive brain stimulations (NIBS), drugs, and nutrients.
The goal is to make “actionable” clinical recommendations based, whenever possible, on the Grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation (GRADE) methodology.
Cognitive, mental, or physical training (CMPT)
Here we considered as a CMPT intervention any training that had a potential impact on cognition, including cognitive intervention, physical activity and mental training e.g., mindfulness meditation.
Two recent papers, a systematic review and a meta-analysis, addressed the topic of cognitive enhancement with various interventions on the SCD population [11, 12]. Both of them found encouraging results in favor of a positive effect, not only on cognition, but also on well-being and quality of life. Smart et al. (2017) reviewed 9 studies (mainly RCT) addressing the effect of various non-pharmacological interventions on SCD older than 55 years [11]. Despite a large heterogeneity of designs and study quality, the interventions had a positive impact on the outcomes, with a small global effect size (effect size = 0.22, highest density intervals (HDI) = 0.01 to 0.51), which increased when taking into consideration only cognitive interventions (including mindfulness meditation) (effect size = 0.37, HDI: 0.06 to 0.71). Bhome et al. (2018) included 20 studies with both non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic interventions [12]. Cognitive training improved slightly, but significantly, objective cognitive performance. In contrast, psychological interventions (e.g., psycho-education, mindfulness meditation) significantly improved well-being but failed to improve metacognitive abilities or other cognitive performances.
Cognitive interventions and physical training
Cognitive intervention is a powerful mean to stimulate brain plasticity, as it showed not only an impact on behavior but also on the brain [13,14,15]. There are two main kinds of cognitive interventions: restorative (repeated practice) and compensation programs (strategic learning) (see Table 2); they both imply to train a specific cognitive function. However, a restorative program targets a dysfunctional cognitive function and aims to improve it with repeated practice. A compensatory program aims at supporting the impaired function, relying on unimpaired functions, and using strategies or metacognitive skills to compensate via alternative pathways [16].
Physical training intervention is a structured and repetitive program of physical exercise among which aerobic is usually an important part. It can be associated with some cognitive training or not. Studies showed that exercise leads to an increase in brain tissue, notably in the hippocampus, and an increased level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor [17].
Mindfulness meditation
Meditation refers to a set of emotional and attentional regulatory training exercises [18, 19], encompassing different practices, such as focused attention, open monitoring, and loving-kindness meditations [19]. Several mindfulness-based therapy programs have been developed for health care, the first one being the mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn [20]. Meditation-based intervention programs usually combine weekly sessions with an instructor and daily home practice, sometimes associated with one day of more intense practice. A typical meditation practice session would consist in sitting down in quiet environment and bringing your attention on your breath, without effort, gently refocusing on your breath each time your mind wanders, without judgment. Each session can combine different types of meditative practice, which relate to different targets, such as increasing skills in regulation of attention, skills in meta-cognition, and skills in compassion and loving-kindness [19, 21]. Most of the studies currently rely on 8-weeks mindfulness-based intervention, while longer interventions have recently been developed [21, 22].
Monday, November 15, 2021
How Nicotine Influences Hippocampal Dependent Cognition
Hasn't this been known for years? And isn't your doctor prescribing nicotine immediately post stroke?
I'm going to do the nicotine patches for my next stroke even though I have no clue on dosage. Don't listen to me with no medical training. Is your doctor trained in the latest research? Say the last 20 years?
How is your doctor having your nicotine delivered?
Too bad the nicotine gum got cancelled.
So I guess I'll have to do patches for my nicotine needs post stroke.
Nicotine Holds Promise for Stronger Stroke Recovery
Nicotine Patch Appears To Help Mild Cognitive Loss
Can nicotine protect the aging brain?
This Legal Drug Could Protect Brain From Ageing - Nicotine
The latest here:
How Nicotine Influences Hippocampal Dependent Cognition
Summary: Nicotine exposure significantly altered the metabolism and secretion of serotonin, acetylcholine, kynurenic acid, and choline in HT22 hippocampal cells. Findings suggest nicotine could have neuroprotective properties and provide cognitive enhancement.
Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Nicotine ingested from smoking exerts neuroprotection and developmental neurotoxicity in the central nervous system. It can produce changes of cognitive behaviors through regulating the release of different neurotransmitters in the brain.
However, the effects of nicotine exposure or withdrawal on neurotransmitter metabolism of hippocampal neurons still remain unclear.
Dr. Luo Qian’s group from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has revealed the possible mechanism of nicotine on hippocampal-dependent cognition.
Their study was published in Chinese Chemical Letters on Sept. 24.
Through a microfluidic chip coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (MC-LC-MS) system, the researchers used mice in real-time to evaluate the dynamic alterations induced by nicotine exposure and withdrawal at relevant exposure levels of smoking and secondhand smoke in the neurotransmitter metabolism of hippocampal neuron (HT22) cells.
The MC-LC-MS system showed an advantage in detecting unstable metabolites over the conventional method of using in vitro model. “We found that HT22 cells mainly released related neurotransmitters of tryptophan and choline metabolism,” said Dr. Luo.
Moreover, exposure to nicotine at relevant levels of smoking and secondhand smoke significantly altered the metabolism and secretion of serotonin, kynurenic acid, choline and acetylcholine of HT22 cells, and their alterations were closely associated with the exposure dose and duration.
These results suggested the acute exposure to nicotine was beneficial to protect the neurons, especially cognitive enhancement, and the elevated picolinic acid continually protected neuronal cognitive function after nicotine withdrawal.
Furthermore, the dynamic alterations of neurotransmitter metabolism induced by nicotine might be a possible protective mechanism of nicotine on hippocampal dependent cognition.
About this neuroscience research news
Author: Press Office
Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Contact: Press Office – Chinese Academy of Sciences
Image: The image is in the public domain
Original Research: Closed access.
“Real-time
effects of nicotine exposure and withdrawal on neurotransmitter
metabolism of hippocampal neuronal cells by microfluidic chip-coupled
LC-MS” by Zhiyu Chen et al. Chinese Chemical Letters
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