Midlife psychological distress associated with late-life brain atrophy and white matter lesions: a 32-year population study of women.

Objective: Long-standing psychological distress increases the risk of dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease. The present study examines the relationship between midlife psychological distress and late-life brain atrophy and white matter lesions (WMLs), which are common findings on neuroimaging in elderly subjects.

Methods: A population-based sample of 1462 women, aged 38 to 60 years, was examined in 1968, with subsequent examinations in 1974, 1980, 1992, and 2000.

Head size may modify the impact of white matter lesions on dementia.

We aimed to examine whether total intracranial volume (TICV), a marker of premorbid brain size, modified the impact of the apolipoprotein E (apoE) e4 phenotype and ischemic white matter lesions (WMLs) on odds for dementia. The study comprised a population-based sample of 104 demented and 135 nondemented 85-year-olds, and included physical and neuropsychiatric examinations, and head computerized tomography (CT). Dementia disorders were defined according to standard criteria.

Temporal lobe atrophy and white matter lesions are related to major depression over 5 years in the elderly.

The influence of organic brain changes on the development of depression in the elderly is uncertain. Cross-sectional studies, most often from clinical samples, report associations with brain atrophy and cerebrovascular disease, while longitudinal population studies have given mixed results. Our aim was to investigate whether cortical atrophy and white matter lesions (WMLs) on computed tomography (CT) predict occurrence of depression in the elderly.

High education may offer protection against tauopathy in patients with mild cognitive impairment.

The concepts of brain and cognitive reserve stem from the observation that premorbid factors (e.g., education) result in variation in the response to brain pathology.

HIV infection affects parietal-dependent spatial cognition: evidence from mental rotation and hierarchical pattern perception.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the asymptomatic phase of the infection impairs some aspects of cognition, but little is known about how visuospatial functions are affected. In the present study, performance on tasks of mental rotation and hierarchical pattern perception was investigated in 14 HIV-positive men and 12 age- and education-matched HIV-negative men. Processes related to mental rotation of objects and hands were impaired in HIV-positive participants as compared to the HIV-negative group.

Brain activity related to working memory and distraction in children and adults.

In order to retain information in working memory (WM) during a delay, distracting stimuli must be ignored. This important ability improves during childhood, but the neural basis for this development is not known. We measured brain activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging in adults and 13-year-old children.

Computerized training of working memory in children with ADHD--a randomized, controlled trial.

Objective: Deficits in executive functioning, including working memory (WM) deficits, have been suggested to be important in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). During 2002 to 2003, the authors conducted a multicenter, randomized, controlled, double-blind trial to investigate the effect of improving WM by computerized, systematic practice of WM tasks.

Method: Included in the trial were 53 children with ADHD (9 girls; 15 of 53 inattentive subtype), aged 7 to 12 years, without stimulant medication.

Increased prefrontal and parietal activity after training of working memory.

Working memory capacity has traditionally been thought to be constant. Recent studies, however, suggest that working memory can be improved by training. In this study, we have investigated the changes in brain activity that are induced by working memory training.

Combined analysis of DTI and fMRI data reveals a joint maturation of white and grey matter in a fronto-parietal network.

The aim of this study was to explore whether there are networks of regions where maturation of white matter and changes in brain activity show similar developmental trends during childhood. In a previous study, we showed that during childhood, grey matter activity increases in frontal and parietal regions. We hypothesized that this would be mediated by maturation of white matter.