27 research outputs found
Glucocorticoids Decrease Hippocampal and Prefrontal Activation during Declarative Memory Retrieval in Young Men
Glucocorticoids (GCs, cortisol in human) are associated with impairments in declarative memory retrieval. Brain regions hypothesized to mediate these effects are the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Our aim was to use fMRI in localizing the effects of GCs during declarative memory retrieval. Therefore, we tested memory retrieval in 21 young healthy males in a randomized placebo-controlled crossover design. Participants encoded word lists containing neutral and emotional words 1Â h prior to ingestion of 20Â mg hydrocortisone. Memory retrieval was tested using an old/new recognition paradigm in a rapid event-related design. It was found that hydrocortisone decreased brain activity in both the hippocampus and PFC during successful retrieval of neutral words. These observations are consistent with previous animal and human studies suggesting that glucocorticoids modulate both hippocampal and prefrontal brain regions that are crucially involved in memory processing
Effect of different exercise programs on the psychological and cognitive functions of people with Parkinson's disease
The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of different exercise programs on the psychological and cognitive functions in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Forty-five patients with PD participated in the study. The participants were randomized in three intervention programs: Group-1 (n=15, cognitive-activities), Group-2 (n=15, multimodal exercise) and Group-3 (n=15, exercises for posture and gait). The clinical, psychological and cognitive functions were assessed before and after 4 months of intervention. Univariate analysis did not reveal significant interactions between groups and time (p>0.05). However, univariate analysis for time revealed differences in stress level and memory. Participants showed less physical stress (p<0.01) and overall stress (p < 0.04) and higher performance in episodic declarative memory (p < 0.001) after exercise. These findings suggest that group work with motor or non-motor activities can improve cognitive and psychological functions of patients with PD
Acute Modulation of Aged Human Memory by Pharmacological Manipulation of Glucocorticoids
In a previous longitudinal study of basal cortisol levels and
cognitive function in humans, we showed that elderly humans
with 4- to 7-yr cumulative exposure to high levels of cortisol
present memory impairments, compared with elderly humans
with moderate cortisol levels over years. Here, we measured
whether memory performance in two groups of elderly humans
separated on the basis of their cortisol history over a
5-yr period could be modulated by a hormone-replacement
protocol in which we inhibited cortisol secretion by the administration
of metyrapone and then restored baseline cortisol
levels by infusion of hydrocortisone. We showed that in
elderly subjects with a 5-yr history of moderate cortisol levels
(n 8), metyrapone treatment significantly impaired memory
performance, a deficit that was reversed following hydrocortisone
replacement. In the elderly subjects with a 5-yr history
of high cortisol levels and current memory deficits (n 9),
metyrapone treatment did not have any significant effect on
memory performance, but hydrocortisone treatment significantly
decreased delayed memory. These results suggest that
memory function in elderly humans can be intensely modulated
by pharmacological manipulation of glucocorticoids, although
the direction of these effects depends on the cortisol
history of each individual