59 research outputs found

    B vitamins and cognitive performance in older adults: Review

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    A copious amount of scientific scrutiny has been dedicated to documenting typical and atypical human ageing, with a substantial body of work focusing upon the impact of lifestyle choices. One such lifestyle choice is that of diet and, in particular, micronutrient ingestion. Epidemiological studies have reported positive associations between B vitamin status and cognitive function, including negative associations between biological markers (i.e., homocysteine) of dysregulated one-carbon metabolism and cognitive function. This has led to a surge of randomised control trials (RCTs) investigations into B vitamin therapy. However, results have continuingly failed to show beneficial behavioural effects. Despite this, results reliably show treatment-related increases in B vitamin level and decreases in homocysteine level—both of which have been identified as risk factors for atypical ageing. In this paper we argue that it would be premature to conclude that B vitamin therapy has no potential and that more research is needed to systematically investigate the optimal dose, the therapeutic “window,” and individual differences in therapy responders and nonresponders. We start with a brief look at one-carbon metabolism and then consider the evidence from epidemiological studies and RCTs in relation to three specific B vitamins: folic acid (B9), pyridoxine (B6), and cobamides (B12)

    Retrieval and monitoring processes during visual working memory: An ERP study of the benefit of visual semantics

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    In this study we examined electrophysiological indices of episodic remembering whilst participants recalled novel shapes, with and without semantic content, within a visual working memory paradigm. The components of interest were the parietal episodic (PE; 400-800ms) and late posterior negativity (LPN; 500-900ms), as these have previously been identified as reliable markers of recollection and post retrieval monitoring, respectively. Fifteen young adults completed a visual matrix patterns task, assessing memory for low and high semantic visual representations. Matrices with either low semantic or high semantic content (containing familiar visual forms) were briefly presented to participants for study (1500ms), followed by a retention interval (6000ms) and finally a same/different recognition phase. The event-related potentials of interest were tracked from the onset of the recognition test stimuli. Analyses revealed equivalent amplitude for the earlier PE effect for the processing of both low and high semantic stimulus types. However, the LPN was more negative-going for the processing of the low semantic stimuli. These data are discussed in terms of relatively ‘pure’ retrieval of high semantic items, where support can readily be recruited from semantic memory. However, for the low semantic items additional executive resources, as indexed by the LPN, are recruited when memory monitoring and uncertainty exist in order to recall previously studied items more effectively

    Perfectionism and PERMA: The Benefits of Other-Oriented Perfectionism

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    The two-factor theory of perfectionism differentiates between positive and negative forms, yet some researchers still argue that perfectionism, as a whole, is detrimental to wellbeing. To this end, the present study investigated the relationship between the tripartite model of perfectionism and the PERMA model of wellbeing, with specific attention given to the relationship each form of perfectionism had with each element of wellbeing. Ninety-two participants (M age= 24.99) completed online self-report measures of perfectionism (self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed) and PERMA (positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment). Results showed that perfectionism accounted for a substantial amount of variance in all elements of wellbeing. A series of multiple regressions showed that socially prescribed perfectionism negatively predicted all PERMA elements. Self-oriented perfectionism positively predicted positive emotion, engagement, meaning and accomplishment. Other-oriented perfectionism positively predicted meaning and accomplishment. As for overall wellbeing, socially prescribed perfectionism was a negative predictor whereas self-oriented and other-oriented perfectionism were positive predictors. The findings indicate that self-oriented perfectionism is an adaptive form of perfectionism conducive to flourishing whereas socially prescribed perfectionism is a maladaptive form which undermines it. As for other-oriented perfectionism, the findings indicate it is an adaptive form and challenge the view that this “dark” form of perfectionism cannot enhance wellbeing

    The effects of age, task complexity and task domain on dual task performance.

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    Available from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN051139 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

    Mindfulness in primary school children as a route to enhanced life satisfaction, positive outlook and effective emotion regulation

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    Background: Mindfulness programmes as a potential avenue of enhancing pupil wellbeing are beginning to show great promise. However, research concerning the effectiveness of mindfulness training for primary aged school children (7-11 years of age) has been neglected. Methods: Building on methodological limitations of prior research, this study employed an active controlled design to assess the longer term wellbeing and emotion regulation outcomes after a 6 week mindfulness programme (Living Mindfully Programme, UK), for a group of school children aged between 9 and 10. The programme was delivered by class teachers as part of their normal curriculum entitlement. One hundred and eight children took part from across three schools in North East of England. Participants formed a treatment group (n=64), active control (n=19) and wait list control (n=25). Self-report measures of wellbeing, mindfulness and emotion regulation were collected at pre and post training as well as at 3 months follow up. Results: Reliable findings, judged by medium to large effect sizes across both post intervention, follow-up and between both controls, demonstrated enhancement in a number of domains. Immediately after training and follow up, when compared with the wait list control, children who received mindfulness training showed significant improvements in mindfulness (d =.76 and.77), Positive Outlook (d =.55 and.64) and Life Satisfaction (d =.65 and 0.72). Even when compared to an active control, the effects remained although diminished reflecting the positive impact of the active control condition. Furthermore, a significant positive relationship was found between changes in mindfulness and changes in cognitive reappraisal. Conclusions: Taken together, this study provides preliminary evidence that the Living Mindfully Primary Programme is feasibly delivered by school staff, enjoyed by the children and may significantly improve particular components of wellbeing. Importantly, higher levels of mindfulness as a result of training may be related to effective emotional regulatory and cognitive reappraisal strategies

    The disentanglement of the neural and experiential complexity of self-generated thoughts : A users guide to combining experience sampling with neuroimaging data

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    Human cognition is not limited to the processing of events in the external environment, and the covert nature of certain aspects of the stream of consciousness (e.g. experiences such as mind-wandering) provides a methodological challenge. Although research has shown that we spend a substantial amount of time focused on thoughts and feelings that are intrinsically generated, evaluating such internal states, purely on psychological grounds can be restrictive. In this review of the different methods used to examine patterns of ongoing thought, we emphasise how the process of triangulation between neuroimaging techniques, with self-reported information, is important for the development of a more empirically grounded account of ongoing thought. Specifically, we show how imaging techniques have provided critical information regarding the presence of covert states and can help in the attempt to identify different aspects of experience

    Food for Thought: the Efficiency of Glucose Metabolism Predicts the Self-generation of Temporally Distant Cognition

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    The generation of thought independent of environmental input occupies almost half of mental life and is important for skills such as creativity and planning. To understand how this ubiquitous cognitive process relates to the brain's ‘energy budget’, a cross-sectional study is carried out to examine how the capacity for mental time travel relates to the efficiency with which adults metabolize glucose, the brain’s primary source of fuel. On day 1 the ability of a group of 36 younger and 36 older individuals to metabolize glucose was assessed using the gold standard two-hour glucose tolerance test. Twenty-four hours later, the same group of participants returned to the laboratory to perform a non-demanding choice reaction time task during which experience sampling was used to assess the frequency with which they generated thoughts that were unrelated to the here and now. Analysis indicated that younger individuals who were the most efficient at metabolizing glucose exhibited mental time travel that spanned longer time periods. Given the importance of self-generated thought in daily life these results suggest that the capacity to mentally simulate events not present in the immediate environment is highly dependent on efficient glucose metabolis

    Glucose enhancement of human memory: A comprehensive research review of the glucose memory facilitation effect

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    The brain relies upon glucose as its primary fuel. In recent years, a rich literature has developed from both human and animal studies indicating that increases in circulating blood glucose can facilitate cognitive functioning. This phenomenon has been termed the ‘glucose memory facilitation effect’. The purpose of this review is to discuss a number of salient studies which have investigated the influence of glucose ingestion on neurocognitive performance in individuals with (a) compromised neurocognitive capacity, as well as (b) normally functioning individuals (with a focus on research conducted with human participants). The proposed neurocognitive mechanisms purported to underlie the modulatory effect of glucose on neurocognitive performance will also be considered. Many theories have focussed upon the hippocampus, given that this brain region is heavily implicated in learning and memory. Further, it will be suggested that glucose is a possible mechanism underlying the phenomenon that enhanced memory performance is typically observed for emotionally laden stimuli

    Reduced Semantic Control in Older Adults is Linked to Intrinsic DMN Connectivity

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    Ageing provides an interesting window into semantic cognition: while younger adults generally outperform older adults on many cognitive tasks, knowledge continues to accumulate over the lifespan and consequently, the semantic store (i.e., vocabulary size) remains stable (or even improves) during healthy ageing. Semantic cognition involves the interaction of at least two components – a semantic store and control processes that interact to ensure efficient and context-relevant use of representations. Given older adults perform less well on tasks measuring executive control, their ability to access the semantic store in a goal driven manner may be compromised. Older adults also consistently show reductions in intrinsic brain connectivity, and we examined how these brain changes relate to age-related changes in semantic performance. We found that while older participants outperformed their younger counterparts on tests of vocabulary size (i.e., NART), younger participants were faster and more accurate in tasks requiring semantic control, and these age differences correlated with measures of intrinsic connectivity between the anterior temporal lobe (ATL) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), within the default mode network. Higher intrinsic connectivity from right ATL to mPFC at rest related to better performance on verbal (but not picture) semantic tasks, and older adults showed an exaggerated version of this pattern, suggesting that this within-DMN connectivity may become more important for conceptual access from words as we age. However, this appeared to be at the expense of control over semantic retrieval – there was little relationship between connectivity and performance for strong associations in either group, but older adults with stronger connectivity showed particularly inefficient retrieval of weak associations. Older adults may struggle to harness the default mode network to support demanding patterns of semantic retrieval, resulting in a performance cost

    The impact of social isolation and changes in work patterns on ongoing thought during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom

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    The COVID-19 pandemic led to lockdowns in countries across the world, changing the lives of billions of people. The United Kingdom’s first national lockdown, for example, restricted people’s ability to socialize and work. The current study examined how changes to socializing and working during this lockdown impacted ongoing thought patterns in daily life. We compared the prevalence of thought patterns between two independent real-world, experience-sampling cohorts, collected before and during lockdown. In both samples, young (18 to 35 y) and older (55+ y) participants completed experience-sampling measures five times daily for 7 d. Dimension reduction was applied to these data to identify common “patterns of thought.” Linear mixed modeling compared the prevalence of each thought pattern 1) before and during lockdown, 2) in different age groups, and 3) across different social and activity contexts. During lockdown, when people were alone, social thinking was reduced, but on the rare occasions when social interactions were possible, we observed a greater increase in social thinking than prelockdown. Furthermore, lockdown was associated with a reduction in future-directed problem solving, but this thought pattern was reinstated when individuals engaged in work. Therefore, our study suggests that the lockdown led to significant changes in ongoing thought patterns in daily life and that these changes were associated with changes to our daily routine that occurred during lockdown
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