Using three waves (2011–15) of CHARLS data, we analyze the short-term effects of widowhood on cognitive function among older Chinese. Fixed-effect models show that widowhood has significant adverse effects on cognition for rural elders but not for urban ones. Furthermore, compared to rural men, rural women exhibit greater declines in cognition, especially in fluid cognition. We explore the possible mechanism from the neighborhood perspective. The results show that community sports and entertainment facilities and public services can effectively mitigate the negative impact of widowhood on cognitive function for rural widows. Sports and entertainment facilities can mainly enhance word recall ability, especially delayed word recall. Public services such as elderly health centers focusing on the healthcare function for the elderly can also improve the word recall ability of rural widows. On the other hand, family-based elderly care centers mainly increase the cognition ability of mental intactness.

This study focused on the effect of the cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) combined with aripiprazole on cognitive functions and psychological state of schizophrenia patients. Seventy-eight schizophrenia patients were divided into two groups. One group received aripiprazole with conventional nursing treatment for 3 months (control group, n = 39), and the other received aripiprazole with CBT for 3 months (observation group, n = 39) (1 session per week, each session lasting 60 min. In the two groups before and after treatment, the severity of symptoms was evaluated using the Psychiatric Symptom Rating Scale (BPRS). Cognitive function was assessed with the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). The Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) was utilised to evaluate mental status, while the Generalised Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) measured psychological state. Additionally, the quality of life was assessed using the General Quality of Life Inventory-74 (GQOLI-74). In the final analysis, post-treatment efficacy and complications for the two groups were counted. Both groups showed significant improvements: BPRS and PANSS scores decreased, while RBANS, GSES, and GQOLI-74 scores increased. The observation group showed greater improvements than the control group. The total improvement rate was 89.74% (35/39) in the observation group, higher than the 71.79% (28/39) in the control group. The complication rate was 33.33% (13/39) in the observation group and 38.46% (15/39) in the control group. The treatment of CBT combined with aripiprazole for schizophrenia has a significantly positive effect on the cognitive functions and psychological state of patients.

At present, the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease involves only symptomatic medications which have continually demonstrated little efficacy, primarily due to the presence of biological barriers. Despite efforts, researchers have yet to discover a therapeutic treatment that delays neurodegenerative progression or restores associated Alzheimer neuropathological processes. For centuries, Hericium erinaceus (HE) has been used predominantly in Asian countries for its culinary and medicinal purposes; however, this mushroom has not yet been utilised in western pharmacology. This review systematically investigates evidence pertaining to the use of HE as a potential future therapeutic treatment for the prevention and delayed progression of Alzheimer’s disease, by highlighting any fundamental neurotrophic and neuroprotective properties. In total, three human clinical trials and thirteen animal-model studies were included in review. The use of HE demonstrated positive significant differences in results obtained from behavioural, histological and biochemical assessments from both human clinical trials and animal model studies accentuating its utility for the improvement of cognitive function. In addition, erinacine-A-enriched HE appears to demonstrate the highest bioactive potency of all HE extracted compounds, providing the greatest effects while also showing transportability ease across biological barriers. In conclusion, evidence suggests that intake of HE may be an appropriate and relevant future therapeutic treatment for the prevention and delayed progression of Alzheimer’s disease; however, continued research is necessary to provide further significant evidence of this relationship, through an increased quantity of human clinical trials.

Households are frequently subject to income and asset shocks. We performed a lab experiment, inducing losses on a real effort task, after which we measured cognitive performance, loss aversion and cheating behavior. We found that asset losses, but not income losses, act as a cognitive load, by decreasing accuracy and increasing response times. We did not detect any change in dishonesty or loss aversion.

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a leading cause of disability and is linked to cognitive and functional impairment, increased mortality from cardiometabolic disorders and bipolar disorder suicide. Few studies in sub-Saharan Africa have explored cognitive dysfunction in bipolar disorder. Our study explores the cognitive characteristics in a bipolar patient cohort in Nigeria and assesses its association with clinical and demographic variables.

40 participants from the Bipolar Disorder Longitudinal Study, at baseline, were included in the pilot study of the BiDiLos-Ng. Using a cross-sectional design, cognitive function was assessed using the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry. Multiple linear regression models were used to explore associations between dependent and independent variables.

Cognitive impairment was present in 41% of the bipolar cohort, it was not associated with the frequency of mood episodes, and higher educational level was associated with higher verbal fluency test scores (p = 0.02). Being in employment (p = 0.03), younger age (p = 0.00), and lower YMRS score (p = 0.006) were associated with higher working memory test scores.

The presence of mania symptoms during the euthymic phase of BD was associated with cognitive impairment. Executive function and working memory were linked to better academic and occupational attainment.

Early childhood growth is associated with cognitive function. However, the independent associations of fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) with cognitive function are not well understood. We investigated associations of FM and FFM at birth and 0–5 years accretion with cognitive function at 10 years. Healthy-term newborns were enrolled in this cohort. FM and FFM were measured at birth, 1·5, 2·5, 3·5, 4·5 and 6 months and 4 and 5 years. Cognitive function was assessed using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) at 10 years. FM and FFM accretions were computed using statistically independent conditional accretion from 0 to 3 months, 3 to 6 months, 6 months to 4 years and 4 to 5 years. Multiple linear regression was used to assess associations. At the 10-year follow-up, we assessed 318 children with a mean (sd) age of 9·8 (1·0) years. A 1 sd higher birth FFM was associated with a 0·14 sd (95 % CI 0·01, 0·28) higher PPVT at 10 years. FFM accretion from 0 to 3 and 3 to 6 months was associated with PPVT at 10 years: β = 0·5 sd (95 % CI 0·08, 0·93) and β = −0·48 sd (95 % CI −0·90, −0·07, respectively. FFM accretion after 6 months showed no association with PPVT. Neither FM at birth nor 0–5 years accretion showed an association with PPVT. Overall, birth FFM, but not FM, was associated with cognitive function at 10 years, while the association of FFM accretion and cognitive function varied across distinct developmental stages in infancy. The mechanisms underlying this varying association between body composition and cognitive function need further investigation.

Coffee drinking has been associated with benefits for various health outcomes, with many attributed to the most prevalent family of polyphenols within coffee, chlorogenic acids (CGA). Whilst reviews of the association between coffee and cognition exist, evidence exploring effects of coffee-specific CGA on cognition has yet to be systematically synthesised. The purpose was to systematically review the current literature investigating the relationship between CGA from coffee and cognitive performance. A further objective was to undertake a meta-analysis of relevant randomised controlled trials (RCT). Observational and intervention studies were included if they considered coffee-based CGA consumption in human participants and applied a standardised measure of cognition. Furthermore, intervention studies were required to define the CGA content and include a control group/placebo. Studies were excluded if they examined CGA alone as an extract or supplement. A search of Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect and PsycINFO resulted in including twenty-three papers, six of which were interventions. The evidence from the broader systematic review suggests that CGA from coffee may need to be consumed chronically over a sustained period to produce cognitive benefits. However, the meta-analysis of RCT showed no benefits of coffee CGA intake on cognitive function (d = 0.00, 95% CI −0.05, 0.05). Overall, this review included a limited number of studies, the sample sizes were small, and a wide range of cognitive measures have been utilised. This indicates that further, good-quality interventions and RCT are required to systematically explore the conditions under which coffee CGA may provide benefits for cognitive outcomes.

This article reviews some of the various shorter cognitive tests that are available. They vary in complexity, time taken to administer them and what specific neurocognitive domains they assess. They range from screening tests such as the Mini-Cog to more detailed measures such as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment or the Mini-Mental State Examination. The Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination is more comprehensive and covers attention, memory, verbal fluency, language and visuo-spatial function. The article suggests areas of cognition that may be related to the six competencies assessed in the determination of fitness to plead and to stand trial.

This study tested the hypothesis that within older Barbadian adults, sex, education, and occupation type lessen age-related cognitive decline. The analyses used a cross-sectional data set from 1325 people collected in the 2006 SABE Study (Health, Well-being, and Aging). Cognition was assessed as scores in each subdomain of the Mini-Mental State Exam. The loss of a single point in each subdomain was predicted by sex, years of education, job type, and their interactions with age. Results demonstrated that age and protective factors affect each cognitive domain differently. High education combined with mentally complex employment helped maintain cognitive performance in later life. Beneficial lifetime exposures are additive, providing combined benefits. Findings provide insight into public policy aiming to minimize the number of adults with cognitive decline and dementia in Barbados and the Caribbean.

This study aimed to (a) investigate the associations between indices of stress severity across the lifespan (early, middle, late life) and cognitive function among community-dwelling older adults, and (b) examine whether a healthy lifestyle composite score comprised of physical activity, healthy diet adherence, social engagement, sleep quality, and mindful relaxation moderates the associations between lifespan stress severity and cognitive function. Participants (n = 226, Mage = 68.2 ± 6.5, 68.1% female) completed questionnaires to measure stress and lifestyle behaviours, and three online neurocognitive tasks. No direct associations between stress severity and cognition were found. The healthy lifestyle composite score moderated the associations between early, midlife, and late-life stress severity and inhibitory control. Exploratory analyses suggest that this moderating effect may be sex-dependent. Despite study limitations and the need for additional research, findings provide preliminary support for the role of lifestyle behaviours in enhancing older adults’ resilience to the effects of stress on cognitive health in a sex-specific manner.

Brain ageing, the primary risk factor for cognitive impairment, occurs because of the accumulation of age-related neuropathologies. Identifying effective nutrients that increase cognitive function may help maintain brain health. Tomatoes and lemons have various bioactive functions and exert protective effects against oxidative stress, ageing and cancer. Moreover, they have been shown to enhance cognitive function. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of tomato and lemon ethanolic extracts (TEE and LEE, respectively) and their possible synergistic effects on the enhancement of cognitive function and neurogenesis in aged mice. The molecular mechanisms underlying the synergistic effect of TEE and LEE were investigated. For the in vivo experiment, TEE, LEE or their mixture was orally administered to 12-month-old mice for 9 weeks. A single administration of either TEE or LEE improved cognitive function and neurogenesis in aged mice to some extent, as determined using the novel object recognition test and doublecortin immunohistochemical staining, respectively. However, a significant enhancement of cognitive function and neurogenesis in aged mice was observed after the administration of the TEE + LEE mixture, which had a synergistic effect. N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor 2B, postsynaptic density protein 95, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels and tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation also synergistically increased after the administration of the mixture compared with those in the individual treatments. In conclusion, compared with their separate treatments, treatment with the TEE + LEE mixture synergistically improved the cognitive function, neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity in aged mice via the BDNF/TrkB/ERK signalling pathway.