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- Persson, Jonas, 1971-, et al.
(författare)
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The memory-enhancing effects of Ginseng and Ginkgo biloba in healthy volunteers
- 2004
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Ingår i: Psychopharmacology. - Berlin : Springer-Verlag. - 0033-3158 .- 1432-2072. ; 172:4, s. 430-434
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rationale: The use of herbal remedies, such as Ginkgo biloba and Ginseng, for improving cognitive performance has become increasingly popular during recent years. Several previous studies have indicated that administration of Ginkgo biloba and Ginseng may improve aspects of learning and memory in healthy volunteers. These results, however, are generally not supported by well-controlled clinical studies. Also, positive results have often been reported from studies investigating effects related to short-term, chronic administration of the extract. Nonetheless, both Ginkgo biloba and Ginseng are marketed as having the capacity to enhance cognitive functions, such as memory and learning, in the long term. Objective: This study aimed at investigating whether the use of Ginkgo biloba and Ginseng for a long period of time has positive effects on performance on learning and memory. Methods: Community-dwelling volunteers ( n=3500) from The Betula prospective cohort study: memory, health, and aging were included in the study. Results: It was found that the use of neither Ginkgo biloba ( n=40) nor Ginseng ( n=86) was associated with enhanced memory performance in any of the eight memory tests examined, relative to control groups either using or not using nutritional supplements. Conclusions: These findings indicate that use of Ginkgo biloba or Ginseng does not provide any quantifiable beneficial effects on memory performance in the long-term in healthy adult volunteers.
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| 2. |
- Sundström, Anna, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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APOE influences on neurosychological function after mild head injury : within-person comparisons
- 2004
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Ingår i: Neurology. - Minneapolis, Minn : Lancet Publications Inc.. - 0028-3878 .- 1526-632X. ; 62:11, s. 1963-1966
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To examine the relationship between neuropsychological outcome following mild head injury (MHI) and APOE genotype. Methods: Data from a population-based longitudinal study (n = 3,500) were used to identify 34 adults who experienced MHI during the course of the study. Their pre- and postinjury performances on a battery of nine neuropsychological tests were compared within person, and the postinjury performance was compared with that of age- and gender-matched control subjects. Results: The within-person comparisons showed that participants with at least oneAPOE ε4 allele (n = 11) had a significantly decreased postinjury performance on three of the tests, whereas the postinjury performance for APOE ε4-negative participants (n = 23) was unchanged. There was no significant difference in postinjury performance between participants with/without the ε4 allele, and neither group was impaired relative to controls. Conclusions: APOE genotype may influence the outcome following an MHI. Pre/postinjury within-person comparisons seem more sensitive than control group comparisons for detecting injury-related effects.
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| 3. |
- Eriksson, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Visual consciousness : dissociating the neural correlates of perceptual transitions from sustained perception with fMRI
- 2004
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Ingår i: Consciousness and Cognition. - San Diego, Calif. : Academic Press. - 1053-8100 .- 1090-2376. ; 13:1, s. 61-72
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To investigate the possible dichotomy between the neurophysiological bases of perceptual transitions versus sustaining a particular percept over time, an fMRI study was conducted with subjects viewing fragmented pictures. Unlike most other perceptually unstable stimuli, fragmented pictures give rise to only one perceptual transition and a continuous period of sustained perception. Earlier research is inconclusive on the subject of which anatomical regions should be attributed to what temporal aspect of perception, and the aim of the present study was to shed more light on the subject. In this study occipitotemporal and fronto-parietal regions were found to be activated for both aspects. However, regions in the medial-temporal lobe were activated specifically for transitions, whereas medial and dorsolateral prefrontal regions were activated specifically for sustained perception. These results provide further support for the theory that the initial creation of perceptual awareness and upholding perceptual awareness over time are separate processes involving different brain regions.
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