Frailty and neurocognitive impairments in Chinese survivors of childhood cancer.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and predictors of frailty and the association between frailty and neurocognitive impairments among Chinese survivors of childhood cancer.

Methods: A total of 185 survivors of childhood cancer were recruited from a long-term follow-up clinic in Hong Kong (response rate: 94.4%; 48.

Eye-tracking training improves visuospatial working memory of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder.

Given the close connection between eye movement and frontal lobe functions and some evidence supporting the effect of eye-tracking training on enhancing cognitive performance mediated by the frontal lobe, this study aimed to explore if after-school eye-tracking training can improve the visuospatial working memory (VSWM) and cognitive flexibility performance in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study is a non-randomized cluster trial. Forty children from eight primary schools were selected, half receiving eye-tracking training for 20 sessions over 9 months, while the other half served as a waitlist control.

Dose Response of Transcranial Photobiomodulation on Cognitive Efficiency in Healthy Older Adults: A Task-Related Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study.

Background: Alzheimer's disease has become increasingly prevalent among the older population, leading to significant social and economic burdens. Transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) has shown promise as a cognitive intervention for enhancing cognitive efficiency in healthy older adults, and individuals with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. However, determining the optimal tPBM dosage is crucial for ensuring effective and efficient intervention.

fNIRS as a biomarker for individuals with subjective memory complaints and MCI.

Introduction: Identifying individuals at risk of developing dementia is crucial for early intervention. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and subjective memory complaints (SMCs) are considered its preceding stages. This study aimed to assess the utility of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in identifying individuals with MCI and SMC.

Lifestyle Medicine Program Improves Memory and Executive Functions of Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment.

The Lifestyle Medicine Program (CLMP) was found to enhance the memory and executive functions of older adults with or without subjective memory complaints. The present study investigated whether similar beneficial effects can be extended to mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Twenty-four older adults with MCI were randomly assigned to receive the CLMP (the experimental group) or strategic memory training (SMT; the active control group) for 10 weeks.

Temporal processing tele-intervention improves language, attention, and memory in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Objective: Temporal processing is the brain's ability to process rapid successive stimuli, and children with neurodevelopmental disorders showed temporal processing deficits. Empirical evidence suggests that in-person intervention on temporal processing improves various cognitive functions of these children, and the present study aimed to study the effects of temporal processing tele-intervention (TPT) on the cognitive functions of children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Methods: Ninety-five children with neurodevelopmental disorders were recruited and randomly assigned to remotely receive either TPT or conventional language remediation (CLR) in 20 parallel group-based intervention sessions once per week.

Photobiomodulation may enhance cognitive efficiency in older adults: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.

Introduction: The relative oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has been considered as an index for cognitive loading, with the more difficult the task, the higher the level. A previous study reported that young adults who received transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) showed a reduced HbO of a difficult task, suggesting that tPBM may enhance cognitive efficiency. The present study further investigated the effect of tPBM on cognitive efficiency in older adults.

Prefrontal hemodynamic features of older adults with preserved visuospatial working memory function.

Memory decline has been observed in the aging population and is a risk factor for the later development of dementia. Understanding how memory is preserved in older adults has been an important topic. The present study examines the hemodynamic features of older adults whose memory is comparable with that of young adults.

Association of markers of inflammation on attention and neurobehavioral outcomes in survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Background: Survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are at-risk of developing cognitive impairment and neurobehavioral symptoms. Inflammation induced by a compromised health status during cancer survivorship is proposed as a pathophysiological mechanism underlying cognitive impairment in cancer survivors.

Objectives: To evaluate the associations of biomarkers of inflammation with attention and neurobehavioral outcomes in survivors of childhood ALL, and to identify clinical factors associated with biomarkers of inflammation in this cohort.

Effects of prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation on social functioning in autism spectrum disorder: A randomized clinical trial.

Currently available pharmacological and behavioral interventions for adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) yield only modest effect in alleviating their core behavioral and cognitive symptoms, and some of these treatment options are associated with undesirable side effects. Hence, developing effective treatment protocols is urgently needed. Given emerging evidence shows that the abnormal connections of the frontal brain regions contribute to the manifestations of ASD behavioral and cognitive impairments, noninvasive treatment modalities that are capable in modulating brain connections, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), have been postulated to be potentially promising for alleviating core symptoms in ASD.

Temporal processing deficit in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: An online assessment.

Objective: The sensory deficit has been considered as one of the core features in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present study aimed to examine the temporal processing of simple and more complex auditory inputs in ASD children and adolescents with an online assessment that can be conducted remotely.

Methods: One hundred fifty-eight children and adolescents aged 5-17 years participated in this study, including 79 ASD participants and 79 typically developing (TD) participants.

Effectiveness of lifestyle medicine on cognitive functions in mild cognitive impairments and dementia: A systematic review on randomized controlled trials.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia are associated with lifestyle risk factors, making lifestyle medicine a potentially viable intervention for people with MCI and dementia. The present study aims to examine the effectiveness of lifestyle medicine on cognitive functions among people with MCI and dementia, by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis on randomized controlled trials (RCT). A systematic literature search was conducted to extract RCTs adopting lifestyle interventions of diet, exercise, and stress management or emotional well-being.

Photobiomodulation improves frontal lobe cognitive functions and mental health of older adults with non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment: Case studies.

Introduction: This study investigated the effects of transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) on improving the frontal lobe cognitive functions and mental health of older adults.

Methods: Three older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) of the non-amnestic type received 18-session tPBM stimulation for 9 weeks and were assessed with neuropsychological tests of memory and executive functions and standardized questionnaires on depressive and anxiety symptoms, global cognitive functions, and daily functioning abilities before and after tPBM stimulation.

Results: At baseline, their intrusion and/or perseveration errors in a verbal memory test and a fluency test, as measures of the frontal lobe cognitive functions, were in the borderline to severely impaired range at baseline.

Can transcranial photobiomodulation improve cognitive function? A systematic review of human studies.

Background: Transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) has been studied for over a decade as a possible cognitive intervention.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of tPBM for enhancing human cognitive function in healthy adults and remediating impaired cognitive function in adults with cognitive disorders.

Methods: A systematic literature search from three electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science) was conducted from 1987 to May 2022.

Temporal processing deficit in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: An online assessment.

Objective: Temporal processing deficits were found among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The present study aims to develop an online temporal processing assessment that can be conducted remotely, and the sensitivity of the test was assessed on a group of children with ADHD.

Methods: A total of 188 children were recruited, including 94 typically developing (TD) children, and 94 children with ADHD.

Eye-tracking training improves the learning and memory of children with learning difficulty.

Children who experience difficulty in learning at mainstream schools usually are provided with remediation classes after school to facilitate their learning. The present study aims to evaluate an innovative eye-tracking training as possible alternative remediation. Our previous findings showed that children who received eye-tracking training demonstrated improved attention and inhibitory control, and the present randomized controlled study aims to evaluate if eye-tracking training can also enhance the learning and memory of children.

Digital Cognitive Biomarker for Mild Cognitive Impairments and Dementia: A Systematic Review.

The dementia population is increasing as the world's population is growing older. The current systematic review aims to identify digital cognitive biomarkers from computerized tests for detecting dementia and its risk state of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and to evaluate the diagnostic performance of digital cognitive biomarkers. A literature search was performed in three databases, and supplemented by a Google search for names of previously identified computerized tests.

Prefrontal Activation During Effortful Processing Differentiates Memory Abilities in Adults with Memory Complaints.

Background: Identifying individuals at increased risks for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) is crucial for early intervention. Memory complaints are associated with brain abnormalities characteristic of AD in cognitively normal older people. However, the utility of memory complaints for predicting mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or AD onset remains controversial, likely due to the heterogeneous nature of this construct.

Altered Cytokine and BDNF Levels in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Previous studies have shown that immunological factors are involved in the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The present study examined whether immunological abnormalities are associated with cognitive and behavioral deficits in children with ASD and whether children with ASD show different immunological biomarkers and brain-derived neurotrophic factor BDNF levels than typically developing (TD) children. Sixteen children with TD and 18 children with ASD, aged 6-18 years, voluntarily participated in the study.

Neurophysiological and behavioral effects of multisession prefrontal tDCS and concurrent cognitive remediation training in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD): A double-blind, randomized controlled fNIRS study.

Background: The clinical effects and neurophysiological mechanisms of prefrontal tDCS and concurrent cognitive remediation training in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remain unclear.

Objective: This two-armed, double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial aimed to investigate the beneficial effects of tDCS combined with concurrent cognitive remediation training on adolescents and young adults with ASD.

Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to either active or sham tDCS groups and received 1.

Effects of working memory load on frontal connectivity in children with autism spectrum disorder: a fNIRS study.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) perform poorly in working memory (WM) tasks, with some literature suggesting that their impaired performance is modulated by WM load. While some neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies have reported altered functional connectivity during WM processing in individuals with autism, it remains largely unclear whether such alterations are moderated by WM load. The present study aimed to examine the effect of WM load on functional connectivity within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in ASD using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).

Depressive and anxiety symptoms are related to decreased lateral prefrontal cortex functioning during cognitive control in older people.

Some studies have found a relationship between negative emotional symptoms and decreased lateral PFC functioning during a cognitive control task in healthy younger adults. Here, we asked whether this relationship is also present in the general older population and across different functional domains of the lateral PFC. Thirty-six older people (13 males) self-reported their recent depressive and anxiety symptoms.

Prefrontal activation and pupil dilation during n-back task performance: A combined fNIRS and pupillometry study.

The n-back task is one of the most commonly used working memory (WM) paradigms in cognitive neuroscience. Converging evidence suggests activation in the lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and pupil dilation [a proxy for locus coeruleus (LC) activation] during this task. However, it remains unclear whether the lateral PFC and the LC are functionally associated during n-back task performance.

Photoneuromodulation makes a difficult cognitive task less arduous.

A positive effect of photoneuromodulation (PNM) has been found on cognitive and emotional functions in healthy populations. However, the hemodynamic changes associated with improved cognitive functions (i.e.

Photobiomodulation Enhances Memory Processing in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study.

Background: Recent studies of photobiomodulation (PBM) in patients with cognitive or psychological disorders (including traumatic brain injury, stroke, and dementia) have yielded some encouraging results.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of a single stimulation on memory in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: After PBM, hemodynamic changes, as a measure of functional brain activity, were evaluated using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).