Everyday Executive Functioning Profiles in Adults with Down Syndrome.

Research on everyday executive functions in individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) has focused mostly on children and adolescents. The current study examined everyday executive functions in DS adults. 27 DS adults (aged 22.

Cognitive remediation in residential substance use treatment: A randomized stepped-wedge trial.

Executive dysfunction is common in individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) and presents a barrier to treatment engagement. The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive remediation (CR) for improving executive functioning and treatment retention in patients with SUD, using a stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial. The sample included 527 adults enrolled across ten residential SUD treatment providers in NSW, Australia.

Neuropsychological Deficits in Disordered Screen Use Behaviours: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Over the last few decades, excessive and disordered screen use has become more prevalent, prompting investigations into its associated consequences. The extent to which disordered screen use behaviours impact neuropsychological functioning has been reportedly mixed and at times inconsistent. This review sought to synthesise the literature and estimate the magnitude of overall cognitive impairment across a wide range of disordered screen use behaviours.

Fifteen minutes of high intensity running can impair performance on concussion testing; Implications for on-field diagnosis in sport.

Objectives: To examine the effects of 15 min of high intensity treadmill running on concussion testing assessed by the King-Devick test.

Design: Prospective Cohort Study.

Methods: Participants self-selected to either a running or a control group.

Not all mentally stimulating activities are alike: insights from a 4-factor model and implications for late-life cognition.

It is not yet known which specific qualities of cognitively stimulating activities are most likely to enhance cognitive reserve in older adults. Taking an inductive approach to this problem, we asked 504 older adults with subjective and/or cognitive impairment to complete the Cognitively Stimulating Activities Questionnaire (CSA-Q). Exploratory factor analysis identified a 4-factor structure within a split-half sample, after which confirmatory factor analysis cross-validated the model.

Psychometric Properties of a New Decision-Making Capacity Assessment Tool for People with Substance Use Disorder: The CAT-CAT.

Individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) often present with cognitive impairments, which may impede their ability to make decisions for themselves, including treatment-related decisions. It is therefore important to assess whether individuals with SUD have adequate decision-making capacity. Indeed, there have not been any capacity assessment tools tailored for use with SUD populations that demonstrate adequate psychometric properties or that have the strong ethical foundation that is required of capacity assessment tools.

Engagement in cognitively stimulating activities in individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment: relationships with neuropsychological domains and hippocampal volume.

Late-life participation in cognitively stimulating activities is thought to contribute to an individual's cognitive reserve and thus protect against cognitive decline, yet its association with clinical markers of neurodegeneration is not well established. To investigate, we developed a 13-item self-report "cognitively stimulating activities" questionnaire (CSA-Q), which was completed by a community sample of 269 older adults (>50 years) at risk of dementia. Participants met criteria for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and were classified as amnestic (aMCI; = 93) or non-amnestic (naMCI; = 176).

Rates of false positive outcomes on the A-WPTAS picture items in a sample of non-concussed athletes.

Accurate diagnosis of sports related concussion ensures that athletes are removed from play if concussed and prevents incorrect removal when a concussion has not occurred. Although various screening tools are currently in use, there is no gold standard measure with which to diagnose sports related concussion.: The current study aimed to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of the Abbreviated Westmead Post Traumatic Amnesia Scale (A-WPTAS) picture task, a neurocognitive measure used to assess mild traumatic brain injury.

Cognitive Remediation as an Adjunct Treatment for Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review.

Substance use disorders are associated with diverse neuropsychological impairments, with deficits in memory and executive functioning commonly observed. Cognitive remediation has been shown to be effective in other populations with cognitive impairments in these domains, including those with psychiatric disorders and acquired brain injuries, and it has been hypothesised to be similarly effective for those in treatment for substance use disorders. We aimed to systematically review the evidence for cognitive remediation interventions administered as an adjunct treatment to substance use rehabilitation.

Chronic Neurophysiological Effects of Repeated Head Trauma in Retired Australian Male Sport Athletes.

This study investigated the somatosensory and corticomotor physiology of retired contact sport athletes with a history of repeated concussion/subconcussion head trauma. Retired male athletes with a history of playing contact sports and repeated head trauma ( = 122) were divided into two groups: those who expressed concerns regarding their mental and cognitive health ("symptomatic": = 83), and those who did not express any ongoing concerns ("asymptomatic": = 39). Both groups were compared to age-matched male controls ( = 50) with no history of concussions or participation in contact sports, an absence of self-reported cognitive, or mood impairments.

The Alcohol and Drug Cognitive Enhancement (ACE) Screening Tool: A simple and brief questionnaire to screen for cognitive impairment in substance use disorder treatment services.

The objective of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability; construct and criterion validity; and test operating characteristics of a newly developed cognitive impairment risk factor screening instrument, the Alcohol and Drug Cognitive Enhancement (ACE) Screening Tool. Participants in the validation study were 129 adults with substance use disorder (SUD) enrolled in residential SUD treatment services and 209 normal controls. Test and retest data were available for 36 participants with SUD and 40 normal control individuals on the ACE Screening Tool.

Cognitive abilities in Williams syndrome.

The current study utilized a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery to investigate cognitive abilities in a sample of 49 WS individuals (25 male) aged 6-39 years. Age effects were also investigated by splitting the sample into child and adult groups. Cognitive heterogeneity was found on the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities, Australian Adaptation (WJ-III COG) (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001), with cognitive abilities ranging from profoundly impaired to superior and individualized profiles of strength and weakness varying considerably.

Length of post-traumatic amnesia and its prediction of neuropsychological outcome following severe to extremely severe traumatic brain injury in a litigating sample.

The aim of the current study was to examine the relationship between duration of post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) and neuropsychological outcome at one or more years following severe to extremely severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a litigating sample. Retrospective study design, using data collected from 2010 to 2017. Data from 41 cases obtained from a private medicolegal neuropsychological database was examined.

An examination of the heterogeneity of cognitive outcome following severe to extremely severe traumatic brain injury.

The current study aimed to explore neuropsychological outcomes in the initial recovery period following severe to extremely severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Using reliable change statistics, individuals were categorized as demonstrating cognitive improvement, stability or decline based on performance on 11 neuropsychological measures relative to scores returned during an initial assessment conducted in the acute post-injury stage. The study explored injury, demographic, and other variables as predictors of group membership.

Current sleep disturbance in older people with a lifetime history of depression is associated with increased connectivity in the Default Mode Network.

Background: The present study investigated Default Mode Network (DMN) functional connectivity in subjects with a lifetime history of major depression, comparing those with and without current sleep disturbance. Controls were included to assess DMN abnormalities specific to depression.

Methods: A total of 93 adults aged 50 years and over were recruited from the Healthy Brain Ageing Clinic at the Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney, Australia.

Cognitive screening in substance users: Diagnostic accuracies of the Mini-Mental State Examination, Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised, and Montreal Cognitive Assessment.

Introduction: Despite the considerable prevalence of cognitive impairment in substance-using populations, there has been little investigation of the utility of cognitive screening measures within this context. In the present study the accuracy of three cognitive screening measures in this population was examined-the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R), and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).

Method: A sample of 30 treatment-seeking substance users and 20 healthy individuals living in the community were administered the screening measures and a neuropsychological battery (NPB).

Functional Connectivity in the Default Mode Network is Reduced in Association with Nocturnal Awakening in Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Background: Sleep disturbance is prevalent in MCI, and is a risk factor for cognitive deterioration.

Objective: To identify functional connectivity deficits in the default mode network (DMN) in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and sleep disturbance, relative to MCIs with intact sleep.

Methods: Participants comprised 47 adults aged 55 years and over, recruited from the Healthy Brain Ageing Clinic at the Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney, Australia.

Cognitive Tests and Determining Fitness to Drive in Dementia: A Systematic Review.

Evidence has shown that although all individuals with dementia will eventually need to stop driving, most can continue to drive safely early in the disease. Fitness to drive needs to be monitored, and the use of cognitive testing to determine driver safety has been suggested. This review is the first to examine cognitive test results pertaining only to individuals with dementia.

Sleep disturbance in mild cognitive impairment is associated with alterations in the brain's default mode network.

This study aimed to identify default mode network (DMN) functional connectivity deficits in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and sleep disturbance, relative to those with MCI and no sleep disturbance. A control group was included to aid in identifying DMN changes specific to MCI. A cross-sectional, single-center study was performed at the Brain and Mind Research Centre in Sydney, Australia.

Examining Rey Complex Figure Test organization in healthy adults.

Introduction: The Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT) is a popular measure of visuospatial and executive functioning. Clinical interpretations of RCFT performance are partly based on how an individual approaches the task with piecemeal organization often considered indicative of impairment. This is despite little previous research examining RCFT organizational variability in healthy adults and considerable individual differences previously shown in processing the global and local features of visual stimuli.

An exploratory study of the association of acute posttraumatic stress, depression, and pain to cognitive functioning in mild traumatic brain injury.

Objective: Few studies have examined whether psychological distress and pain affect cognitive functioning in the acute to subacute phase (up to 30 days postinjury) following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The current study explored whether acute posttraumatic stress, depression, and pain were associated with performance on a task of selective and sustained attention completed under conditions of increasing cognitive demands (standard, auditory distraction, and dual-task), and on tests of working memory, memory, processing speed, reaction time (RT), and verbal fluency.

Method: At a mean of 2.

Perceived cognitive difficulties and cognitive test performance as predictors of employment outcomes in people with multiple sclerosis.

Perceived cognitive difficulties and cognitive impairment are important determinants of employment in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). However, it is not clear how they are related to adverse work outcomes and whether the relationship is influenced by depressive symptoms. Thus, this study examined perceived and actual general cognitive and prospective memory function, and cognitive appraisal accuracy, in relation to adverse work outcomes.