CapMan: independent investigation of capacity and manipulation with a new working memory paradigm.

In a new working memory paradigm, CapMan, we independently investigated brain activity associated with capacity and manipulation of information. The investigation of Capacity, resulted in activation of the fronto-parietal network of regions that overlapped with areas usually found to be active in working memory tasks. The investigation of Manipulation revealed a more dorsal network of areas that also overlapped with areas usually found to be active in working memory tasks, but that did not overlap with the areas associated with Capacity.

Heroin and amphetamine users display opposite relationships between trait and neurobehavioral dimensions of impulsivity.

The multidimensional construct of impulsivity is implicated in all phases of the addiction cycle. Substance dependent individuals (SDIs) demonstrate elevated impulsivity on both trait and laboratory tests of neurobehavioral impulsivity; however our understanding of the relationship between these different aspects of impulsivity in users of different classes of drugs remains rudimentary. The goal of this study was to assess for commonalities and differences in the relationships between trait and neurobehavioral impulsivity in heroin and amphetamine addicts.

Self-efficacy as a predictor of self-reported physical, cognitive, and social functioning in multiple sclerosis.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate whether self-efficacy is associated with physical, cognitive, and social functioning in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) when controlling for disease-related characteristics and depressive symptomatology.

Method: Study subjects were 81 individuals between the ages of 29 and 67 with a diagnosis of clinically definite MS. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine the relationships between self-efficacy and self-reported physical, cognitive, and social functioning.

Examination of cognitive fatigue in multiple sclerosis using functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging.

The present study investigated the neural correlates of cognitive fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis (MS), looking specifically at the relationship between self-reported fatigue and objective measures of cognitive fatigue. In Experiment 1, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to examine where in the brain BOLD activity covaried with "state" fatigue, assessed during performance of a task designed to induce cognitive fatigue while in the scanner. In Experiment 2, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to examine where in the brain white matter damage correlated with increased "trait" fatigue in individuals with MS, assessed by the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) completed outside the scanning session.

Warmer outdoor temperature is associated with task-related increased BOLD activation in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) demonstrate worse cognition on warmer days. Here, we examine the neurophysiology underlying this temperature-cognition relationship. The association between task-related BOLD fMRI activation and outdoor temperature was investigated in 28 MS patients who demonstrated worse cognitive function on warmer days.

Aerobic exercise increases hippocampal volume and improves memory in multiple sclerosis: preliminary findings.

Multiple sclerosis leads to prominent hippocampal atrophy, which is linked to memory deficits. Indeed, 50% of multiple sclerosis patients suffer memory impairment, with negative consequences for quality of life. There are currently no effective memory treatments for multiple sclerosis either pharmacological or behavioral.

Sex-related differences of cortical thickness in patients with chronic abdominal pain.

Background & Aims: Regional reductions in gray matter (GM) have been reported in several chronic somatic and visceral pain conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and chronic pancreatitis. Reported GM reductions include insular and anterior cingulate cortices, even though subregions are generally not specified. The majority of published studies suffer from limited sample size, heterogeneity of populations, and lack of analyses for sex differences.

Brain white matter shape changes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): a fractal dimension study.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Current diagnosis time is about 12-months due to lack of objective methods. Previous brain white matter voxel based morphometry (VBM) studies in ALS reported inconsistent results.

Cognitive reserve in multiple sclerosis.

Cognitive impairment is common among persons with multiple sclerosis (MS), but some patients are able to withstand considerable disease burden (e.g. white matter lesions, cerebral atrophy) without cognitive impairment (cognitive inefficiency, memory decline).

Spouses of stroke survivors may be at risk for poor cognitive functioning: a cross-sectional population-based study.

Background: Stroke often results in chronic disability and the need for long-term assistance, which is provided in large part by spouses. Stroke caregivers experience poorer health and well-being compared with non-caregivers, but less is known about the specific toll that caregiving may exact on cognitive functioning.

Objective: To investigate whether persons caring for a spouse who experienced a recent stroke may be at risk for poor cognitive functioning compared with non-caregivers.

Neural correlates of cognitive fatigue: cortico-striatal circuitry and effort-reward imbalance.

Recently, there has been renewed interest in the study of cognitive fatigue. It is known that fatigue is one of the most disabling symptoms in numerous neurological populations, including stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and traumatic brain injury. Behavioral studies of cognitive fatigue are hampered by lack of correlation of self-report measures with objective performance.

Effects of passive versus dynamic loading interventions on bone health in children who are nonambulatory.

Purpose: To investigate the effectiveness of a novel dynamic standing intervention compared with a conventional passive standing intervention on bone health in children with cerebral palsy who are nonambulatory.

Methods: Four children in passive standers and 5 in dynamic standers were followed for 15 months (standing 30 min/d, 5 d/wk). Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans of the distal femur were obtained at 3-month intervals to measure changes in bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content, and area.

The relationship between executive functioning, processing speed, and white matter integrity in multiple sclerosis.

The primary purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between performance on executive tasks and white matter integrity, assessed by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in multiple sclerosis (MS). A second aim was to examine how processing speed affects the relationship between executive functioning and fractional anisotropy (FA). This relationship was examined in two executive tasks that rely heavily on processing speed: the Color-Word Interference Test and the Trail Making Test (Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System).

Reduced plastic brain responses to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Objectives: Abnormalities in cortical excitability have been proposed to underlie the pathophysiology of various neurocognitive manifestations of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) provides a noninvasive method for study and modulation of cortical excitability in the human brain, and repetitive TMS (rTMS) has been proven useful for neurophysiologic investigation in various neurologic conditions. We aimed to investigate cortical excitability in patients with OSAS during wakefulness and to determine if rTMS would change the abnormal excitability patterns.

Retrieval practice is a robust memory aid for memory-impaired patients with MS.

Memory impairment is prevalent in multiple sclerosis (MS). Retrieval practice is a powerful memory technique whereby retrieving information (quizzing oneself) leads to better memory than restudying. In a within-subjects experiment, 12 memory-impaired MS patients encoded verbal paired associates (VPAs) through massed restudy (MR), spaced restudy (SR), or retrieval practice (RP).

Brain reserve and cognitive reserve in multiple sclerosis: what you've got and how you use it.

Objective: We first tested the brain reserve (BR) hypothesis in multiple sclerosis (MS) by examining whether larger maximal lifetime brain volume (MLBV; determined by genetics) protects against disease-related cognitive impairment, and then investigated whether cognitive reserve (CR) gained through life experience (intellectually enriching leisure activities) protects against cognitive decline independently of MLBV (BR).

Methods: Sixty-two patients with MS (41 relapsing-remitting MS, 21 secondary progressive MS) received MRIs to estimate BR (MLBV, estimated with intracranial volume [ICV]) and disease burden (T2 lesion load; atrophy of gray matter, white matter, thalamus, and hippocampus). Early-life cognitive leisure was measured as a source of CR.

Unemployment in multiple sclerosis (MS): utility of the MS Functional Composite and cognitive testing.

Unemployment is a significant concern among individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Determinations regarding ability to work are highly dependent on measurement tools used by neurologists and allied professionals. However, little is known of the usefulness of these tools when determining issues pertaining to employment status.

Measuring ambulation in adults with central neurologic disorders.

This review discusses challenges faced by clinicians and researchers when measuring ambulation in individuals with central neurologic disorders within 3 distinct environments: clinical, laboratory, and community. Even the most robust measure of ambulation is affected by the environment in which it is implemented and by the clinical or research question and the specificity of the hypothesis being investigated. The ability to accurately measure ambulation (one of the most important metrics used to show transition into a community environment) is essential to measure treatment effectiveness and rehabilitation outcomes in populations with central neurologic disorders.

Limb-shaking transient ischemic attack.

Limb shaking Transient Ischemic Attack is a rare manifestation of carotid-occlusive disease. The symptoms usually present with seizure like activity and often misdiagnosed as focal seizures. Only on careful history the important clinical clues-which may help in differentiating from seizure-are revealed: Lack of Jacksonian march or aura; precipitation by maneuvers that lead to carotid compression.

The effect of hierarchical task representations on task selection in voluntary task switching.

The current study explored the potential for hierarchical representations to influence action selection during voluntary task switching. Participants switched between 4 individual task elements. In Experiment 1, participants were encouraged to represent the task elements as grouped within a hierarchy based on experimental manipulations of varying complexity.

Processing speed versus working memory: contributions to an information-processing task in multiple sclerosis.

Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) often experience cognitive impairments in information processing. However, the relative contributions of processing speed abilities and working memory abilities to information-processing tasks are not yet fully understood. The current study examined the extent to which processing speed and/or working memory abilities contributed to an information-processing task, the Keeping Track Task (KTT).

The role of speed versus working memory in predicting learning new information in multiple sclerosis.

The most common cognitive impairments in multiple sclerosis (MS) have been documented in specific domains, including new learning and memory, working memory, and information processing speed. However, little attempt has been made to increase our understanding of their relationship to one another. While recent studies have shown that processing speed impacts new learning and memory abilities in MS, the role of working memory in this relationship has received less attention.

Cognitive and neuropsychiatric disease manifestations in MS.

Multiple sclerosis is associated with a wide array of behavioral problems. This brief overview begins with a summary of the pathophysiology and treatment of MS. Thereafter, sections are devoted to psychiatric syndromes and cognitive decline linked to MS.