Publications by authors named "Catherine Mewborn"

The population of older adults is increasing, indicating a need to examine factors that may prevent or mitigate age-related cognitive decline. The current study examined whether microstructural white matter characteristics mediated the relation between physical activity and executive function in older adults without any self-reported psychiatric and neurological disorders or cognitive impairment (N = 43, mean age = 73 y). Physical activity was measured by average intensity and number of steps via accelerometry.

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A growing literature emphasizes the importance of lifestyle factors such as nutrition in successful aging. The current study examined if one year of supplementation with lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z), two nutrients with known antioxidative properties and cognitive benefits, impacted structural brain outcomes in older adults using a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial design. Community-dwelling older adults (20 males and 27 females) aged 65-87 years ( = 71.

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Objective: Multiple concussions sustained in youth sport may be associated with later-life brain changes and worse cognitive outcomes. We examined the association between two or more concussions during high school football and later-life white matter (WM) microstructure (i.e.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how aging affects the connectivity between the default mode network (DMN) and other resting state networks in older adults.
  • It finds a positive correlation between age and inter-network connectivity, suggesting that as people get older, their brain networks become more interconnected.
  • Additionally, higher levels of intelligence appear to help maintain this connectivity, meaning that more intelligent older adults may experience less overlap or desegregation in their DMN compared to those with lower intelligence.
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The carotenoids lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) accumulate in retinal regions of the eye and have long been shown to benefit visual health. A growing literature suggests cognitive benefits as well, particularly in older adults. The present randomized controlled trial sought to investigate the effects of L and Z on brain function using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

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Objectives: Given that black American older adults are more likely to have lower educational attainment and perform worse on cognitive tests than white Americans, we examined whether increased education would confer greater cognitive advantage to black Americans on measures of global and specific domains of cognitive function.

Methods: The sample included 522 community-dwelling older adults from a larger study. An analysis of covariance was conducted with race and education as between-participant factors and global cognition as the dependent variable.

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Obesity is a growing concern worldwide because of its adverse health effects, including its negative impact on cognitive functioning. This concern is especially relevant for older adults, who are already likely to experience some cognitive decline and loss of brain volume due to aging, (Gea et al., 2002).

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Article Synopsis
  • Lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) are carotenoids known for their antioxidant properties, vital for eye health and potentially beneficial for cognitive functions, particularly in older adults.
  • The study explored how higher levels of L and Z correlate with neural efficiency during visual-spatial tasks, specifically using blood serum and retinal measurements alongside fMRI scans.
  • Results indicated that greater concentrations of L and Z were linked to reduced BOLD signals in brain areas critical for visual perception and decision-making, suggesting these carotenoids may enhance cognitive function by improving neural efficiency.
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Objective: Lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) are phytonutrients that accumulate in human brain tissue and positively impact cognition. Given their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and their role in stabilizing cell membranes, L&Z may relate to measures of white matter integrity (WMI).

Method: The current study tested the relation of retinal (macular pigment optical density/MPOD) and blood serum concentrations of L&Z to WMI in community-dwelling older adults (n = 54) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

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Past studies have suggested that higher lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) levels in serum and in the central nervous system (as quantified by measuring macular pigment optical density, MPOD) are related to improved cognitive function in older adults. Very few studies have addressed the issue of xanthophylls and cognitive function in younger adults, and no controlled trials have been conducted to date to determine whether or not supplementation with L + Z can change cognitive function in this population. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not supplementation with L + Z could improve cognitive function in young (age 18-30), healthy adults.

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High levels of xanthophyll carotenoids lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) in the central nervous system have been previously correlated with improved cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults. In this study, we tested the effects of supplementing L and Z on older men and women with a range of baseline cognitive abilities. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not supplementation with L+Z could improve cognitive function in community-dwelling, older adults.

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Cognitive interventions may improve cognition, delay age-related cognitive declines, and improve quality of life for older adults. The current meta-analysis was conducted to update and expand previous work on the efficacy of cognitive interventions for older adults and to examine the impact of key demographic and methodological variables. EBSCOhost and Embase online databases and reference lists were searched to identify relevant randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) of cognitive interventions for cognitively healthy or mildly impaired (MCI) older adults (60+ years).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated how lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) supplementation affects brain function in older adults, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
  • Participants were 44 older adults given either a placebo or L+Z for one year, with their cognitive performance assessed through a verbal learning task and fMRI scans.
  • Results suggested L and Z may help buffer cognitive decline, linked to increased brain activation rather than decreased, indicating they could improve neurocognitive function even with short-term use.
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Objectives: It is well known that the carotenoids lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) improve eye health and an accumulating evidence base suggests cognitive benefits as well. The present study investigated underlying neural mechanisms using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). It was hypothesized that lower L and Z concentrations would be associated with neurobiological inefficiency (i.

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Critical flicker fusion (CFF), a measure of visual processing speed, has often been regarded as a basic metric underlying a number of higher cognitive functions. To test this, we measured CFF, global cognition, and several cognitive subdomains. Because age is a strong covariate for most of these variables, both younger (n = 72) and older (n = 57) subjects were measured.

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