Lower blood levels of vitamin B12 are related to decreased performance of healthy subjects in the Stroop Color-Word Test

The effects of age and sex on the serum levels of vitamin B12 were determined after an overnight fast in 80 adult ambulatory, disease-free persons who had undergone rigorous health screening and neuropsychological testing. No significant age or sex differences were found. When adjusted for the effects of age and education, it appeared that individual vitamin B12 levels influenced cognitive functioning, in that subjects with lower vitamin B12 levels performed the Stroop test significantly less well than persons with higher levels of the vitamin, especially on a modified subtask of increased complexity

Levels of trace elements in blood in healthy aging subjects

The effects of age and sex on the serum levels of trace elements were determined after an overnight fast in SO ambulatory, disease-free adults who had undergone rigorous health screening. Significant age and sex differences were found for Mn. Blood levels of Cu and Zn showed both age and sex differences. No age or sex differences were found for Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Se, and Al

Water metabolism and postconcussional symptoms 5 weeks after mild head injury

Posttraumatic diabetes insipidus has been reported as a sequela to head injury. It is unknown whether subclinical types of diabetes insipidus, or other types of water metabolism disorders, occur after mild head injury (MHI) and, if so, whether they are related to the persistence of postconcussional symptoms. MHI patients (n = 38) were screened for disturbances of water metabolism by comparing plasma and urine osmolalities at about 5 weeks after the trauma. Eight patients had evidence of an increased plasma osmolality together with a relatively decreased urine osmolality after an overnight fast. The presence of this disturbance was significantly related to the persistence of postconcussional symptoms. The results suggest that subclinical disturbances of water metabolism may, among other factors, be related to the persistence of symptoms after MHI

Post-traumatic and emotional symptoms in different subgroups of patients with mild head injury

Post-concussional symptoms, such as headache, dizziness and irritability, are thought to result from the emotional stress associated with decreased cognitive performance after a head injury. A questionnaire-based investigation was carried out in 71 patients with mild head injury (MHI), using a heterogeneous item pool in order to study the interrelationships between traditional post-concussive complaints, cognitive problems, and more emotional and functional complaints. Factor analysis indicated that post-concussive symptoms loaded together with items on problems associated with decreased work performance and fatigability on a first factor, whereas psychovegetative and emotional complaints loaded together on a second factor. Two rating scales were constructed from the relevant items and were used to compare between subgroups of MHI patients and non-concussed controls. Patients with uncomplicated MHI had significantly higher scores than non-concussed subjects on the post-concussive-cognitive scale, but not on the emotional-vegetative scale. Patients with multiple head injuries or pre-existing emotional problems had higher scores on both the post-concussive-cognitive scale and the emotional-vegetative scale than MHI patients without a history of emotional problems. Reliable rating scales may be useful m multidiagnostic studies of MHI patients