| 1. |
- Kubik, Veit, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Individual and Combined Effects of Enactment and Testing on Memory for Action Phrases
- 2014
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In: Experimental psychology (Göttingen). - : Hogrefe Publishing Group. - 1618-3169 .- 2190-5142. ; 61:5, s. 347-355
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We investigated the individual and combined effects of enactment and testing on memory for action phrases to address whether bothstudy techniques commonly promote item-specific processing. Participants (N = 112) were divided into four groups (n = 28). They eitherexclusively studied 36 action phrases (e.g., ‘‘lift the glass’’) or both studied and cued-recalled them in four trials. During study trials participantsencoded the action phrases either by motorically performing them, or by reading them aloud, and they took final verb-cued recall tests over 18-min and 1-week retention intervals. A testing effect was demonstrated for action phrases, however, only when they were verbally encoded, andnot when they were enacted. Similarly, enactive (relative to verbal) encoding reduced the rate of forgetting, but only when the action phraseswere exclusively studied, and not when they were also tested. These less-than-additive effects of enactment and testing on the rate of forgetting,as well as on long-term retention, support the notion that both study techniques effectively promote item-specific processing that can only bemarginally increased further by combining them.
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| 2. |
- Nilsson, Lars-Göran, et al.
(author)
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Cognitive test battery of CASCADE : Tasks and data.
- 2005
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In: Aging, Neuropsychology and Cognition. - 1382-5585. ; 12:1, s. 32-56
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper presents the cognitive test battery used in the CASCADE Study (Cardiovascular Determinants of Dementia) for examining the consequences of cerebral white matter lesions and atrophy. The test battery includes nine different tasks assessing memory, executive function, and global cognitive function. Three episodic memory tasks were used in combinations to assess the role of attention and speed on encoding. Estimates of short- and long-term memory capacity were also derived from these three memory tasks. Semantic memory production / frontal lobe functions were assessed by means of a word fluency test. The Letter Digit Substitution test and the Stroop test were used to assess speed of processing and attention. Motor speed was measured with the Purdue Pegboard test, and global cognitive function was assessed by the Mini Mental State Examination. Overall performance data for the whole CASCADE sample and for each of eight study centers are presented for each test. Possible reasons for performance differences among study centers are discussed.
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| 3. |
- Söderlund, Hedvig, et al.
(author)
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Cerebral changes on MRI and cognitive function: The CASCADE Study.
- 2006
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In: Neurobiology of Aging. - : Elsevier BV. - 0197-4580. ; 27:1, s. 16-23
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aging, non-demented brain undergoes several physiological changes, some of which may and some of which may not affect cognitive function. The goal of the present study was to examine the effects of subcortical and periventricular white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), and cortical and subcortical atrophy on cognitive function (episodic and semantic memory, attention, and perceptual, cognitive, and motor speed). This was done within a European collaborative study, CASCADE (Cardiovascular Determinants of Dementia), in which Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was performed on community-dwelling individuals. The study includes 1,254 persons from eight European study centers, ranging between 64 and 76 years of age (M 69.4 + 3.3; 55% men). When demographics (age, education, and sex), study center, and concurrent brain changes had been adjusted for, periventricular WHMS predicted lower performance in motor speed and Stroop (errors). The findings are consistent with findings from lesion and functional neuroimaging studies.
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| 4. |
- Wikgren, Mikael, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Shorter telomere length is linked to brain atrophy and white matter hyperintensities
- 2014
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In: Age and Ageing. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0002-0729 .- 1468-2834. ; 43:2, s. 212-217
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: leukocyte telomere length (TL) is considered a marker of biological aging. Several studies have investigated the link between leukocyte TL and aging-associated functional attributes of the brain, but no prior study has investigated whether TL can be linked to brain atrophy and white matter hyperintensities (WMHs); two prominent structural manifestations of brain aging. Methods: we investigated whether leukocyte TL was related to brain atrophy and WMHs in a sample of 102 non-demented individuals aged 64-75 years. Results: shorter TL was related to greater degree of subcortical atrophy (beta = -0.217, P = 0.034), but not to cortical atrophy. Furthermore, TL was 371 bp shorter (P = 0.041) in participants exhibiting subcortical WMHs, and 552 bp shorter (P = 0.009) in older participants exhibiting periventricular WMHs. Conclusion: this study provides the first evidence of leukocyte TL being associated with cerebral subcortical atrophy and WMHs, lending further support to the concept of TL as a marker of biological aging, and in particular that of the aging brain.
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