Relationship between early diet and subsequent cognitive performance during adolescence.

Abstract: Theoretical accounts of pain and empirical evidence indicate that pain and cognitive control share common neurocognitive processes. Numerous studies have examined the interactions between pain and cognitive performance when they occur simultaneously, typically showing analgesic effects on task performance and impaired performance due to pain. However, the sequential impact of pain on cognitive control and effort remains less clear. This study investigated the influence of a first task, including painful vs. non-painful thermal stimuli, on effort-related cardiac response and performance in a subsequent moderately difficult cognitive task. Drawing on the hypothesis that experiencing pain should recruit cognitive resources (such as attention and working memory) and reduce perceived ability, we predicted lower task performance and/or stronger compensatory effort in the subsequent cognitive task after the painful than after the non-painful first task. Results support our predictions regarding the effect of pain on subsequent cognitive performance, which was moderately lower after the painful task. However, such a decrease in task proficiency was not associated with a comparable decrease in perceived capacity or increase in effort-related cardiac reactivity. Nevertheless, further correlational analyses indicated that effort and perceived capacity were significantly related to pain ratings. Moderate pain was associated with stronger effort during the cognitive task, whereas high pain led to disengagement, that is, a low effort. Moreover, in line with our predictions, higher pain ratings were associated with a lower self-reported capacity to perform the cognitive task. We discuss these findings regarding the relationship between effort and performance, the impact of fatigue on motivation, and interindividual variability in these after-effects.

Midlife Iron Status Is Inversely Associated with Subsequent Cognitive Performance, Particularly in Perimenopausal Women

Background/Aims: We evaluated the cross-time association between midlife dietary vitamin D intake and subsequent cognitive performance in a French general-population sample. Methods: Data from participants in both the SU.VI.MAX trial (1994-2002) and the SU.VI.MAX 2 observational study (2007-2009) were used. Dietary intake was estimated at baseline from 6 or more 24-hour records. Cognitive performance was evaluated 13 years later with a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Parameter estimates of cognitive performance according to quartiles (Q) of vitamin D intake were estimated via ANCOVA. Results: In a sample of 1,990 aging adults, principal component analyses yielded two cognitive factors - for episodic/semantic memory and short-term memory/executive function; however, neither one displayed associations with dietary vitamin D intake. Midlife vitamin D intake was significantly and positively associated with scores on the forward digit span task measuring short-term memory (fully adjusted model: mean difference, Q4 vs. Q1 = 1.95; 95% CI 0.37-3.53; p_trend = 0.03). No significant interaction with either sex or lifetime sun exposure was found. Conclusions: Midlife vitamin D intake exhibited a cross-time and domain-specific association with cognition in the context of aging. Further investigations in this area of prevention are warranted given the rapidly expanding elderly population and the absence of curative treatment for dementia.

A substantial body of evidence suggests positive effects of acute aerobic exercise (AAE) on subsequent higher cognitive functions in healthy young adults. These effects are widely understood as a result of the ongoing physiological adaptation processes induced by the preceding AAE. However, designs of published studies do not control for placebo, Hawthorne and subject expectancy effects. Therefore, these studies do not, at a high degree of validity, allow attributing effects of AEE on subsequent cognitive performance to exercise induced physical arousal. In the present study, we applied a randomized controlled blinded experiment to provide robust evidence for a physiological basis of exercise induced cognitive facilitation. Beyond that, the dose response relationship between AAE`s intensity and subsequent cognitive performances as well as a potentially mediating role of peripheral lactate in AAE induced cognitive facilitation was investigated. The 121 healthy young subjects who participated in this study were assigned randomly into 3 exercise groups and a self-myofascial release training control group. Exercise groups comprised a low, moderate and high intensity condition in which participants cycled on an ergometer at a heart rate corresponding to 45–50%, 65–70% and 85–90% of their individual maximum heart rate, respectively, for 35 minutes. Participants assigned to the control group completed a 35 minute instructed self-massage intervention using a foam roll. Before and after treatment, participants completed computer based versions of the Stroop task and the Trail Making Test as well as a free recall task. None of the applied exercise regimes exerted a significant effect on participants`performance at any of the applied cognitive testing procedure if compared to self-myofascial release training control group. Post hoc power analyses revealed no effect in the population of f = .2 or larger at a risk of type II error (β) ≤.183 for all measured variables. Our results, therefore, indicate that AAE induced cognitive facilitation is not (exclusively) based on physiological effects. Even if there is a substantial contribution of physiological adaptations to AAE in reported AAE induced cognitive facilitation, in this study, peripheral lactate could not be confirmed as such a factor. Peripheral lactate concentrations and cognitive testing performances after exercise showed rather small empirical and no significant associations. Our results suggest that other psychosocial aspects like expectations and social attention play an important role in AAE induced cognitive facilitation.

BackgroundCognition has long been regarded as a significant factor influencing individuals’ lives. Prior studies have underscored that self-esteem is associated with cognition, and there exists a knowledge gap regarding whether self-esteem remains associated with subsequent cognitive performance during adolescence, a crucial period for neurological development and influencing adult outcomes.MethodsWe conducted this population-based study using longitudinal data stretching three waves (2014, 2016, and 2018) of surveys from the nationally representative China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) to explore the association between adolescents’ self-esteem in 2014 and cognitive performance in 2014, 2016, and 2018.ResultsThe results of the present study showed that self-esteem during adolescence in 2014 was significantly associated with cognitive performance in 2014, 2016, and 2018. This association remained robust after an extensive range of covariate adjustments (e.g., adolescents, parental, and family characteristics).ConclusionThe findings in this study provide further insight into the understanding of the related factors for cognitive development across the life course and highlight the importance of improving individual self-esteem during adolescence.

Hypovitaminosis D has been linked with poor cognitive function, particularly in older adults, but studies lack a lifespan approach; hence, the effects of reverse causality remain unknown. In the present study, we aimed to assess the relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations and subsequent cognitive performance in mid-adulthood and the influence of earlier life factors, including childhood cognitive ability, on this association. Information for the present study was obtained from the members of the 1958 British birth cohort (n 6496). Serum 25(OH)D concentration, indicating vitamin D status, was measured at age 45 years. Verbal memory (immediate and delayed word recall), verbal fluency (animal naming) and speed of processing were tested at age 50 years. Information on childhood cognitive ability, educational attainment, vitamin D-related behaviours and other covariates was collected prospectively from participants throughout their life. Childhood cognitive ability and educational attainment by age 42 years were strongly correlated with cognitive performance at age 50 years and with several vitamin D-related behaviours in mid-adulthood, but not with 25(OH)D concentrations at age 45 years. Participants with both low (<25 nmol/l) and high (≥75 nmol/l) 25(OH)D concentrations at age 45 years performed significantly worse on immediate word recall. The associations attenuated after adjustment for childhood cognitive ability, education, and socio-economic position; however, for the immediate word recall test, there was a non-linear association with 25(OH)D after further adjustment for obesity, menopausal status, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity and depressive symptoms at age 45 years (P(curvature)=0·01). The present study demonstrated that 25(OH)D concentrations were non-linearly associated with immediate word recall in mid-life. A clarification of the level of 25(OH)D concentrations that is most beneficial for predicting better cognitive performance in mid-life is required.

Objectiveto investigate the association between variability and loss of body weight with subsequent cognitive performance and activities of daily living in older individuals.Designcross-sectional cohort study.SettingPROspective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk, multicentre trial with participants from Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands.Subjects4,309 participants without severe cognitive dysfunction (mean age 75.1 years, standard deviation (SD) = 3.3), at higher risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).Methodsbody weight was measured every 3 months for 2.5 years. Weight loss was defined as an average slope across all weight measurements and as ≥5% decrease in baseline body weight during follow-up. Visit-to-visit variability was defined as the SD of weight measurements (kg) between visits. Four tests of cognitive function were examined: Stroop test, letter-digit coding test (LDCT), immediate and delayed picture-word learning tests. Two measures of daily living activities: Barthel Index (BI) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). All tests were examined at month 30.Resultsboth larger body weight variability and loss of ≥5% of baseline weight were independently associated with worse scores on all cognitive tests, but minimally with BI and IADL. Compared with participants with stable weight, participants with significant weight loss performed 5.83 seconds (95% CI 3.74; 7.92) slower on the Stroop test, coded 1.72 digits less (95% CI −2.21; −1.13) on the LDCT and remembered 0.71 pictures less (95% CI -0.93; −0.48) on the delayed picture-word learning test.Conclusionin older people at higher risk for CVD, weight loss and variability are independent risk-factors for worse cognitive function.

25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) insufficiency is very common in many countries. Yet, the extent to which 25(OH)D status affects cognitive performance remains unclear. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the cross-time association between midlife plasma 25(OH)D concentrations and subsequent cognitive performance, using a subsample from the French 'SUpplémentation en Vitamines et Minéraux AntioXydants' randomised trial (SU.VI.MAX, 1994-2002) and the SU.VI.MAX 2 observational follow-up study (2007-9). 25(OH)D concentrations were measured in plasma samples drawn in 1994-5, using an electrochemoluminescent immunoassay. Cognitive performance was evaluated in 2007-9 with a neuropsychological battery including phonemic and semantic fluency tasks, the RI-48 (rappel indicé-48 items) cued recall test, the Trail Making Test and the forward and backward digit span. Cognitive factors were extracted via principal component analysis (PCA). Data from 1009 individuals, aged 45-60 years at baseline, with available 25(OH)D and cognitive measurements were analysed by multivariable linear regression models and ANCOVA, stratified by educational level. PCA yielded two factors, designated as 'verbal memory' (strongly correlated with the RI-48 and phonemic/semantic fluency tasks) and 'short-term/working memory' (strongly correlated with the digit span tasks). In the fully adjusted regression model, among individuals with low education, there was a positive association between 25(OH)D concentrations and the 'short-term/working memory' factor (P=0.02), mainly driven by the backward digit span (P=0.004). No association with either cognitive factor was found among better educated participants. In conclusion, higher midlife 25(OH)D concentrations were linked to better outcomes concerning short-term and working memory. However, these results were specific to subjects with low education, suggesting a modifying effect of cognitive reserve.

Adherence to nutritional recommendations and subsequent cognitive performance: findings from the prospective Supplementation with Antioxidant Vitamins and Minerals 2 (SU.VI.MAX 2) study

Objective of the present thesis was to investigate the emotional influences on subsequent brain activity. Behaviorally, lingering effects of emotions have been observed in a variety of indicators like subsequent cognitive performance or mood. However, underlying mechanisms of these effects are poorly understood. To address this issue, we focused either on resting state activity or on performance in an unrelated task following emotional exposure. Specifically, we studied how spontaneous neural activity is modulated after induction of negative and positive emotions, how functional coupling is affected in a prevalent anxiety disorder such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and how stress induction changes this pattern. We found significant changes triggered by both emotion induction and disease. Furthermore, we discovered 'signatures' of emotional brain states both in healthy and patient populations. Critically, we identified certain functional connections, which predict trait anxiety or account for symptoms of OCD at an individual level. In addition, we studied lingering effects of emotions that are triggered as a result of self-decision. Specifically, pride and regret effects were investigated in the subsequent resting activity. In this particular study, we found brain activation patterns, for the first time, which predict individual traits such as reward sensitivity and rumination tendency.

The role of heightened arousal has been previously discussed as a contributor to neurocognitive impairment in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To investigate whether psychological effects (distraction, re-location of resources) elicited by the evocation of traumatic memories impact on subsequent cognitive performance in PTSD, two parallel versions of a working memory task were administered to 33 trauma-exposed participants (15 with and 18 without PTSD). Between first and second working memory assessment a trauma-related interview was conducted including the narration of the trauma. Levels of working memory impairment in PTSD patients remained unchanged. This study provides preliminary evidence that neurocognitive impairment is not secondary to psychological effects induced by the evocation of traumatic memories. Nevertheless, it is recommended that future PTSD research should devote more care to the order in which trauma-related and other dependent variables such as cognitive tests are presented to participants.

It is still unclear if cognitive abnormalities in human 3,4-methylenedioxymeth-amphetamine (MDMA) users existed before the beginning of use or if other confounders could explain the deficits. The present study was conducted in order to assess the relationship between beginning MDMA use and subsequent cognitive performance and to overcome previous methodological shortcomings. A prospective cohort study in new MDMA users between 2006 and 2009 with a follow-up duration of 12 months. Of the 149 almost MDMA-naive subjects examined at the initial assessment, 109 subjects participated again after 1 year. During this period, 43 subjects did not use any other illicit substance apart from cannabis; 23 subjects used more than 10 pills MDMA (mean = 33.6). These groups then were compared by means of multivariate analyses of variance. Change scores between the initial examination and follow-up on a neuropsychological test battery including measures of learning, memory, and frontal executive functions [Auditiv-Verbaler Lerntest (AVLT), Lern- und Gedächtnistest (LGT) 3, digit span test, digit symbol test, Stroop task, Trail-making test]. In addition, a comprehensive number of possibly relevant confounders including age, general intelligence, cannabis use, alcohol use, cigarette use, medical treatment, participation in sports, nutrition, sleep patterns and subjective wellbeing was assessed. Groups did not differ in any of the potential confounders. However, significant effects of immediate and delayed recall of a visual paired associates learning task between MDMA users and controls were found (respectively, F ((1,64)) = 11.43, P = 0.001, η(2) = 0.136 and F ((1,64)) = 11.08, P = 0.002, η(2) = 0.144). No significant differences on the other neuropsychological tests were found. MDMA appears to impair visual paired associates learning in new users, suggesting serotonergic dysfunction in hippocampal regions as a consequence of MDMA use.

Pre-activating the mesial temporal lobe facilitates learning

Purpose:Although many studies have demonstrated that prolonged cognitive load can impair subsequent cognitive and physical performance, commonly described as mental fatigue, more recent findings suggest that the relationship is more nuanced. Moreover, significant heterogeneity between different smaller studies makes it difficult to summarize definitive conclusions. The aim of the present study was to provide a more robust examination of the detrimental effects of sustained cognitive demands on cognitive and physical performance fatigability using a large sample within a controlled environment.Methods:One hundred seventeen participants (57 female; 32 ± 9 yr) were included in this randomized counterbalanced crossover experiment (NCT05576935) consisting of familiarization, intervention (45-min individualized Stroop task), and control (45-min self-chosen documentary) sessions. Performance was evaluated using a 6-min GoNoGo task and a 20-min cycling time trial. Multiple secondary outcomes, such as rate of perceived exertion (RPE), feelings of fatigue, and motivation, were incorporated to explore their relationship to possible behavioral effects.Results:There was a significant worsening of GoNoGo reaction time between conditions (P < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.07). A trend toward significance was found regarding the negative influence of the Stroop task on time trial distance (P = 0.059; d = 0.20), which was linked to a significant decrease in cadence (P = 0.042; d = 0.22) in the intervention condition. Moreover, the feelings of physical fatigue (P < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.01), mental fatigue (P < 0.001; r = 0.37–0.47), and RPE (P = 0.002; ηp2 = 0.01) remained higher during the time trial in the intervention condition compared with the control condition.Conclusions:In the present study, prolonged cognitive effort impaired specific cognitive and physical performance outcomes, consistent with the characteristics of mental fatigue. Secondary outcomes show an important role for the feeling of fatigue in the determination of physical performance.

Background: Exposure to heat stress is considered one of the most prevalent occupational hazards affecting performance.This study was conducted to investigate heat stress and its impact on the physiological and cognitive functions of operational field workers at a power plant. Methods:This study was conducted on 150 male power plant personnel with 41.342.91 years (conducted in the summer of 2023).Physiological parameters were measured, and the assessment of heat stress (based on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index) and environmental monitoring were performed according to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 7243 standards.Also, cognitive performance was investigated using the continuous performance test (CPT).Results: Based on the results, individuals were exposed to heat stress conditions, and the mean WBGT index at the workstations was reported as 31.500.31(above the standard limit).It was observed that all physiological indices in the exposed group increased significantly compared to the controls (P<0.05).The mean commission and omission errors showed a significant difference between the non-exposure and exposure groups.Also, the reaction time in the presence of occupational heat differed significantly from the mean reaction time in the absence of exposure (P<0.05). Conclusion:Based on the results and considering the importance of the power generation industry, the exposure of employees to heat stress and the subsequent physiological and cognitive performance disorders can have significant implications for health and safety outcomes.Therefore, attention to occupational exposures, the functional status of employees, and influencing factors are necessary as part of control and management strategies.