Publications by authors named "Thomas G Issac"

Background: Evidence from multiple converging sources has demonstrated the clear benefits of physical activity in promoting mental health and improving cognitive function. However, more than 54% of Indians do not engage in the recommended amount of physical activity. The present study aims to explore the association of physical activity with cognitive abilities among the elderly aging population in an urban Indian setting.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Frailty, synonymous with physical vulnerability and decline, may exert nuanced effects on cognitive functions.(Borges, Canevelli, Cesari, & Aprahamian, 2019) This study assesses possible association between frailty and cognitive performance with the aim of identifying vulnerable cognitive domains.

Method: We analysed the baseline data from Tata Longitudinal Study of Ageing (TLSA)(Sundarakumar et al.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In the early stages of typical Alzheimer's disease, there is a well-documented pattern of memory deficits, especially episodic memory, substantiated with evidence of medial temporal lobe atrophy, specifically of the hippocampus in line with the memory deficits. Studies have shown that several other demographic, biological, and lifestyle factors influence memory and there is a need for identifying early risk factors and for the development of clinical intervention programs to delay or prevent cognitive decline. Therefore, the objective of this study is to explore the impact of various factors on episodic memory decline in an urban cohort.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Dementia, a global health challenge, drives the need for comprehensive understanding. Longitudinal cohort studies are vital, yet maintaining follow-up in dementia cohorts poses challenges. This study explores challenges in follow-up, refines protocols, and develops strategies that can elevate dementia research quality.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Recent epidemiological studies have shown that diabetes can have negative effects on cognitive function, and insulin resistance (IR) acts as a key factor in this association. IR can impede glucose uptake in brain, leading to energy deficits and toxic protein accumulation which may cause cognitive decline. Type 3 diabetes mellitus (T3DM), or AD type of diabetes is caused due to impaired insulin signalling restricted to brain regions, resulting in memory decline.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Refractive errors are common visual comorbidities among the elderly. Cognitive dysfunction also occurs in this population. A study by Ong et al (2013) demonstrated an association of refractive errors with poor cognitive performance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Cognitive control deficits can be early indicators of cognitive decline in individuals. Studies have found a bilingual advantage in cognitive control, however, there is little research on the Indian population, particularly those residing in rural areas. We aimed to investigate how cognitive control is influenced by the number of languages known to individuals among the aging population in both urban and rural settings in South India.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Visuo-cognitive skills represent a network of different abilities that rely on vision and cognition. While visuo-cognitive abilities have been considered prominent indicators of dementia, there is a dearth of studies that profile these abilities with demographic correlates in an aging Indian population. Investigating the pattern of visuo-cognitive abilities is essential to facilitate early indication, better prognosis and treatment of symptoms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTs) are the non-invasive tests to measure the lung function. Relationship between pulmonary function and cognition is an emerging area of research, understanding this is crucial for prevention and management of dementia. Hence this study aims to investigate the association between pulmonary function and cognition.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Auditory attention and memory are the understudied aspects of cognition. Poor performance on cognitive tasks is assumed to be due to peripheral hearing loss, which is not always the case. Auditory processing issues may affect the auditory recall and attention tasks even though the hearing and cognition are normal.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Alterations in Heart Rate (HR) and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) reflect autonomic dysfunction associated with neurodegeneration making them biomarkers suitable for detecting Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). The study involves 297 urban Indian participants [48.48% (144) were male and 51.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The study conducted on a South Indian urban cohort aimed to emphasize the prevalence and patterns of hypothyroidism and its association with cognition among individuals aged 45 years and above. A cross-sectional design was adopted, utilizing data from the Tata Longitudinal Study of Aging cohort, comprising 1201 non-demented participants in Bangalore, South India. The study contains detailed clinical assessments, including medical history, physical examination and cognitive tests such as the COGNITO battery, Hindi Mental State Examination and Addenbrooke's Cognition Examination III.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the relationship between homocysteine (HCY) levels, vitamin B12, folic acid, and cognitive impairment across urban and rural populations.
  • It analyzes data from two longitudinal studies, revealing that urban participants had higher levels of HCY, vitamin B12, and folic acid compared to their rural counterparts, but no significant difference in these levels between normal and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) cases in the urban cohort.
  • While there was no found association between HCY and cognitive status in either cohort, vitamin B12 deficiency was positively linked to cognitive impairment, particularly in the context of higher Clinical Dementia Rating scores.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hyperhomocysteinemia or high levels (> 15 µmol/L) of homocysteine (Hcy)in the blood has been suggested to affect the brain through vascular and neurodegenerative pathways and potentially impact cognition. The current study aims to explore the association of high homocysteine with cognition and brain volume changes in a cohort of middle and old agedr adults. The study recruited 1296 participants aged ≥ 45 years from Tata Longitudinal Study of Ageing (TLSA), an ongoing cohort study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Vascular dementia (VaD) is a complex neurodegenerative condition, with cerebral small vessel dysfunctions as the central role in its pathogenesis. Given the lack of suitable animal models to study the disease pathogenesis, we developed a mouse model to closely emulate the clinical scenarios of recurrent transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) leading to VaD using vasoconstricting peptide Endothelin-1(ET-1). We observed that administration of ET-1 led to blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption and detrimental changes in its components, such as endothelial cells and pericytes, along with neuronal loss and synaptic dysfunction, resulting in irreversible memory loss.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: This study examines the association between apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotypes and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in an older urban population in South India, as part of the Tata Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Methods: A total of 618 participants aged 45 and above were analyzed cross-sectionally for the association between APOE carrier status and MetS (based on both NCEP ATP III and Consensus criteria).

Results: Despite the high prevalence of MetS observed in this cohort (51.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Evidence for the effect of early menopause on cognition among older women is not consistent and is scant among the Indian population.

Methods: We aimed to examine the effect of early menopause (≤45 years) on cognitive performance and brain morphology among older dementia-free females of the TLSA cohort using a multiple linear regression analysis.

Results: In a sample of 528 women, 144 (27%) had early menopause.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The amygdala has an important role in cognitive and affective functions. The involvement of amygdala and related limbic structures is implicated in many aspects of memory and emotion in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In the present study, we aimed to compare the volumetric measurements of amygdala and its subfields as well as their association with cognitive functions in stable MCI (sMCI).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Vitamin D (VitD) is a naturally occurring, fat-soluble vitamin which regulates calcium and phosphate homeostasis in the human body and is also known to have a neuroprotective role. VitD deficiency has often been associated with impaired cognition and a higher risk of dementia. In this study, we aimed to explore the relationship between levels of VitD and cognitive functioning in adult individuals.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transition state in which individuals have cognitive abilities that are in between those of normal aging and dementia. Although not everyone with MCI develops dementia, the risk of progression to dementia is higher in people with MCI. Interventions at this stage can prevent or delay the onset of dementia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF