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Yeung MK. Effects of age, gender, and education on task performance and prefrontal cortex processing during emotional and non-emotional verbal fluency tests. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2023; 245:105325. [PMID: 37748413 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2023.105325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
The emotional semantic fluency test (SFT) is an emerging verbal fluency test that requires controlled access to emotional lexical information. Currently, how demographic variables influence neurocognitive processing during this test remains elusive. The present study compared the effects of age, gender, and education on task performance and prefrontal cortex (PFC) processing during the non-emotional and emotional SFTs. One-hundred and thirty-three Cantonese-speaking adults aged 18-79 performed the non-emotional and emotional SFTs while their PFC activation was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Results showed that more education predicted better non-emotional SFT performance, whereas younger age, being female, and more education predicted better emotional SFT performance. Only age significantly affected PFC activation during the SFTs, and the effect was comparable between the two SFTs. Thus, compared with its non-emotional analog, the emotional SFT is influenced by overlapping yet distinct demographic variables. There is a similar age-related reorganization of PFC function across SFT performances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael K Yeung
- Department of Psychology, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; University Research Facility in Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China.
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2
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Thornton T, Mills D, Bliss E. Capsaicin: A Potential Treatment to Improve Cerebrovascular Function and Cognition in Obesity and Ageing. Nutrients 2023; 15:nu15061537. [PMID: 36986266 PMCID: PMC10057869 DOI: 10.3390/nu15061537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Impaired cognition is the primary symptom of dementia, which can lead to functional disability and reduced quality of life among an increasingly ageing population. Ageing is associated with increased oxidative stress, chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction, which reduces cerebrovascular function leading to cognitive decline. Chronic low-grade systemic inflammatory conditions, such as obesity, exacerbate this decline beyond normal ageing and predispose individuals to neurodegenerative diseases, such as dementia. Capsaicin, the major pungent molecule of chilli, has recently demonstrated improvements in cognition in animal models via activation of the transient receptor potential vanilloid channel 1 (TRPV1). Capsaicin-induced TRPV1 activation reduces adiposity, chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, and oxidative stress, as well as improves endothelial function, all of which are associated with cerebrovascular function and cognition. This review examines the current literature on capsaicin and Capsimax, a capsaicin supplement associated with reduced gastrointestinal irritation compared to capsaicin. Acute and chronic capsaicin treatment can improve cognition in animals. However, studies adequately assessing the effects of capsaicin on cerebrovascular function, and cognition in humans do not exist. Capsimax may be a potentially safe therapeutic intervention for future clinical trials testing the effects of capsaicin on cerebrovascular function and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tammy Thornton
- School of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Southern Queensland, Ipswich, QLD 4305, Australia
| | - Dean Mills
- School of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Southern Queensland, Ipswich, QLD 4305, Australia
- Respiratory and Exercise Physiology Research Group, School of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Southern Queensland, Ipswich, QLD 4305, Australia
- Centre for Health Research, Institute for Resilient Regions, University of Southern Queensland, Ipswich, QLD 4305, Australia
- Molecular Biomarkers Research Group, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD 4350, Australia
| | - Edward Bliss
- School of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Southern Queensland, Ipswich, QLD 4305, Australia
- Respiratory and Exercise Physiology Research Group, School of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Southern Queensland, Ipswich, QLD 4305, Australia
- Centre for Health Research, Institute for Resilient Regions, University of Southern Queensland, Ipswich, QLD 4305, Australia
- Molecular Biomarkers Research Group, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD 4350, Australia
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Lu H, Li J, Fung AWT, Lam LCW. Diversity in verbal fluency performance and its associations with MRI-informed brain age matrices in normal ageing and neurocognitive disorders. CNS Neurosci Ther 2023. [PMID: 36914578 DOI: 10.1111/cns.14144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/15/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Category verbal fluency test (CVFT) has been widely used to assess and monitor the cognitive capacities in epidemiological studies and clinical trials. Pronounced discrepancy in CVFT performance has been found in individuals with different cognitive statuses. This study aimed to combine the psychometric and morphometric approaches to decode the complex verbal fluency performance in senior adults with normal ageing and neurocognitive disorders. METHODS This study adopted a two-stage cross-sectional design involving quantitative analyses of neuropsychological and neuroimaging data. In study I, capacity- and speed-based measures of CVFT were developed to evaluate the verbal fluency performance in normal ageing seniors (n = 261), those with mild cognitive impairment (n = 204), and those with dementia (n = 23) whose age range is from 65 to 85 years. In study II, structural magnetic resonance imaging-informed gray matter volume (GMV) and brain age matrices were calculated in a subsample (n = 52) from Study I through surface-based morphometry analysis. With age and gender as covariates, Pearson's correlation analysis was used to examine the associations of CVFT measures, GMV, and brain age matrices. RESULTS Speed-based measures showed extensive and stronger associations with other cognitive functions than capacity-based measures. The component-specific CVFT measures showed shared and unique neural underpinnings with lateralized morphometric features. Moreover, the increased CVFT capacity was significantly correlated with younger brain age in mild neurocognitive disorder (NCD) patients. CONCLUSION We found that the diversity of verbal fluency performance in normal ageing and NCD patients could be explained by a combination of memory, language, and executive abilities. The component-specific measures and related lateralized morphometric correlates also highlight the underlying theoretical meaning of verbal fluency performance and its clinical utility in detecting and tracing the cognitive trajectory in individuals with accelerated ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Lu
- Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.,The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ada Wai Tung Fung
- Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Linda Chiu Wa Lam
- Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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Grässler B, Herold F, Dordevic M, Gujar TA, Darius S, Böckelmann I, Müller NG, Hökelmann A. Multimodal measurement approach to identify individuals with mild cognitive impairment: study protocol for a cross-sectional trial. BMJ Open 2021; 11:e046879. [PMID: 34035103 PMCID: PMC8154928 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), that is, the transitory phase between normal age-related cognitive decline and dementia, remains a challenging task. It was observed that a multimodal approach (simultaneous analysis of several complementary modalities) can improve the classification accuracy. We will combine three noninvasive measurement modalities: functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), electroencephalography and heart rate variability via ECG. Our aim is to explore neurophysiological correlates of cognitive performance and whether our multimodal approach can aid in early identification of individuals with MCI. METHODS AND ANALYSIS This study will be a cross-sectional with patients with MCI and healthy controls (HC). The neurophysiological signals will be measured during rest and while performing cognitive tasks: (1) Stroop, (2) N-back and (3) verbal fluency test (VFT). Main aims of statistical analysis are to (1) determine the differences in neurophysiological responses of HC and MCI, (2) investigate relationships between measures of cognitive performance and neurophysiological responses and (3) investigate whether the classification accuracy can be improved by using our multimodal approach. To meet these targets, statistical analysis will include machine learning approaches.This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first study that applies simultaneously these three modalities in MCI and HC. We hypothesise that the multimodal approach improves the classification accuracy between HC and MCI as compared with a unimodal approach. If our hypothesis is verified, this study paves the way for additional research on multimodal approaches for dementia research and fosters the exploration of new biomarkers for an early detection of nonphysiological age-related cognitive decline. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION Ethics approval was obtained from the local Ethics Committee (reference: 83/19). Data will be shared with the scientific community no more than 1 year following completion of study and data assembly. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04427436, registered on 10 June 2020, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT04427436.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard Grässler
- Institute of Sport Science, Faculty of Humanities, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Fabian Herold
- Department of Neuroprotection, German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases Site Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Milos Dordevic
- Department of Neuroprotection, German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases Site Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Tariq Ali Gujar
- Institute of Sport Science, Faculty of Humanities, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Sabine Darius
- Occupational Medicine, Otto von Guericke University Medical Faculty, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Irina Böckelmann
- Occupational Medicine, Otto von Guericke University Medical Faculty, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Notger G Müller
- Department of Neuroprotection, German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases Site Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Otto von Guericke University Medical Faculty, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Anita Hökelmann
- Institute of Sport Science, Faculty of Humanities, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
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Duda BM, Sweet LH. Functional brain changes associated with cognitive training in healthy older adults: A preliminary ALE meta-analysis. Brain Imaging Behav 2021; 14:1247-1262. [PMID: 30900077 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-019-00080-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggests that cognitive training (CT) programs may provide healthy older adults (OAs) with cognitive benefits that are accompanied by alterations in neural activity. The current review offers the first quantitative synthesis of the available literature on the neural effects of CT in healthy aging. It was hypothesized that OAs would evidence increased and decreased neural activations across various challenging CTs, and that these effects would be observed as significantly altered clusters within regions of the frontoparietal network (FPN). Online databases and reference lists were searched to identify peer-reviewed publications that reported assessment of neural changes associated with CT programs in healthy OAs. Among the 2097 candidate studies identified, 14 studies with a total of 238 participants met inclusionary criteria. GingerALE software was used to quantify neural effects in a whole-brain analysis. The activation likelihood estimation technique revealed significant increases in activation following CT in the left hemisphere middle frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, and posterior parietal cortex, extending to the superior occipital gyrus. Two clusters of diminished neural activity following CT were identified within the right hemisphere middle frontal gyrus and supramarginal gyrus, extending to the superior temporal gyrus. These results provide preliminary evidence of common neural effects of different CT interventions within regions of the FPN. Findings may inform future investigations of neuroplasticity across the lifespan, including clinical applications of CT, such as assessing treatment outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryant M Duda
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602-3001, USA.
| | - Lawrence H Sweet
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602-3001, USA.,Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Brown University Medical School, Providence, RI, USA
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6
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Vintimilla R, Balasubramanian K, Hall J, Johnson L, O'Bryant S. Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Cognitive Dysfunction, and Mild Cognitive Impairment. Dement Geriatr Cogn Dis Extra 2020; 10:154-162. [PMID: 33442392 PMCID: PMC7772868 DOI: 10.1159/000511103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives The present study sought to evaluate the contribution of cardiovascular risk factors to cognitive functioning in a sample of Mexican Americans diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods Hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and obesity were diagnosed based on self-report and/or standardized procedures. Cognitive function was measured with MMSE, Logical Memory I and II, Trail A & B, FAS, animal naming, and digit span tests. Independent samples t tests and two-way ANOVAs were conducted for analyses, adjusting for relevant covariates. We studied 100 Mexican Americans (65 female) with MCI, ages 50–86, from a longitudinal study of cognitive aging conducted at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. Results A difference between subjects with and without obesity and memory scores was shown by t tests. Two-way ANOVAs detected an association between the coexistence of hypertension and diabetes with language measures, diabetes and dyslipidemia with executive function, and diabetes and obesity with memory and language measures. Conclusions This study provides additional evidence about the link between cardiovascular risk factors and cognitive dysfunction in MCI subjects, and also demonstrated that comorbid risk factors increased the degree of cognitive deficit in many areas, which may indicate a higher risk of developing dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raul Vintimilla
- Institute for Translational Research, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - Kishore Balasubramanian
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - James Hall
- Institute for Translational Research, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - Leigh Johnson
- Institute for Translational Research, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - Sid O'Bryant
- Institute for Translational Research, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
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Yeung MK, Chan AS. A Systematic Review of the Application of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy to the Study of Cerebral Hemodynamics in Healthy Aging. Neuropsychol Rev 2020; 31:139-166. [PMID: 32959167 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-020-09455-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have shown that healthy aging is associated with functional brain deterioration that preferentially affects the prefrontal cortex. This article reviews the application of an alternative method, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), to the study of age-related changes in cerebral hemodynamics and factors that influence cerebral hemodynamics in the elderly population. We conducted literature searches in PudMed and PsycINFO, and selected only English original research articles that used fNIRS to study healthy individuals with a mean age of ≥ 55 years. All articles were published in peer-reviewed journals between 1977 and May 2019. We synthesized 114 fNIRS studies examining hemodynamic changes that occurred in the resting state and during the tasks of sensation and perception, motor control, semantic processing, word retrieval, attentional shifting, inhibitory control, memory, and emotion and motivation in healthy older adults. This review, which was not registered in a registry, reveals an age-related reduction in resting-state cerebral oxygenation and connectivity in the prefrontal cortex. It also shows that aging is associated with a reduction in functional hemispheric asymmetry and increased compensatory activity in the frontal lobe across multiple task domains. In addition, this article describes the beneficial effects of healthy lifestyles and the detrimental effects of cardiovascular disease risk factors on brain functioning among nondemented older adults. Limitations of this review include exclusion of gray and non-English literature and lack of meta-analysis. Altogether, the fNIRS literature provides some support for various neurocognitive aging theories derived from task-based PET and fMRI studies. Because fNIRS is relatively motion-tolerant and environmentally unconstrained, it is a promising tool for fostering the development of aging biomarkers and antiaging interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael K Yeung
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
| | - Agnes S Chan
- Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T, Hong Kong, SAR, China. .,Chanwuyi Research Center for Neuropsychological Well-being, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
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Yoo SH, Hong KS. Hemodynamics Analysis of Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment During Working Memory Tasks. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2020; 2019:4470-4473. [PMID: 31946858 DOI: 10.1109/embc.2019.8856956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Diagnosis of dementia in early stage is important to prevent progression of dementia in the aging society. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) denotes an early stage of Alzheimer disease (AD). In this paper, we aim to classify MCI patients from healthy controls (HC) during working memory tasks using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). To achieve this objective, t-values and correlation coefficients are calculated to find the region of interest (ROI) channels and brain connectivity. From the ROI channels averaged over subjects, features (mean and slope) of hemodynamic responses were extracted for classification. Extracted features were labelled as two classes and classified via two classifiers, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and support vector machine (SVM). The classification accuracies were 73.08 % with LDA and 71.15 % with SVM. The results show that there are significant differences in the hemodynamic responses (HR) between MCI patients and healthy controls. Therefore, these results suggest a possibility of using fNIRS as a diagnostic tool for MCI patients.
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Yeung MK, Chan AS. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy reveals decreased resting oxygenation levels and task-related oxygenation changes in mild cognitive impairment and dementia: A systematic review. J Psychiatr Res 2020; 124:58-76. [PMID: 32120065 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Nuclear medicine and functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have shown that mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), are characterized by changes in cerebral blood flow. This article reviews the application of an alternative method, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), to the study of cerebral oxygenation changes in MCI and dementia. We synthesized 36 fNIRS studies that examined hemodynamic changes during both the resting state and the execution of tasks of word retrieval, memory, motor control, and visuospatial perception in MCI and dementia. This qualitative review reveals that (amnestic) MCI and AD patients have disrupted frontal and long-range connectivity in the resting state compared to individuals with normal cognition (NC). These patients also exhibit reduced frontal oxygenation changes in various cognitive domains. The review also shows that disrupted connectivity and decreased frontal oxygenation levels/changes are more severe in AD than in (amnestic) MCI, confirming that MCI is an intermediate stage between NC and dementia. Thus, there is reduced resting frontal perfusion, which is greater than expected for age, and a lack of frontal compensatory responses to functional decline across cognitive operations (i.e., word retrieval and memory functioning) in MCI and AD. These indices might potentially serve as perfusion- or oxygenation-based biomarkers for MCI/dementia. To expand the utility of fNIRS for MCI and dementia, further studies that measure tissue oxygenation in a wider range of brain regions and cognitive domains, compare different MCI and dementia types, and correlate changes in cerebral oxygenation over time with disease progression are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael K Yeung
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Agnes S Chan
- Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Chanwuyi Research Center for Neuropsychological Well-being, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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10
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Udina C, Avtzi S, Durduran T, Holtzer R, Rosso AL, Castellano-Tejedor C, Perez LM, Soto-Bagaria L, Inzitari M. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy to Study Cerebral Hemodynamics in Older Adults During Cognitive and Motor Tasks: A Review. Front Aging Neurosci 2020; 11:367. [PMID: 32038224 PMCID: PMC6985209 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2019.00367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The integrity of the frontal areas of the brain, specifically the prefrontal cortex, are critical to preserve cognition and mobility in late life. Prefrontal cortex regions are involved in executive functions and gait control and have been related to the performance of dual-tasks. Dual-task performance assessment may help identify older adults at risk of negative health outcomes. As an alternative to neuroimaging techniques that do not allow assessment during actual motion, functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive technique that can assess neural activation through the measurement of cortical oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin levels, while the person is performing a motor task in a natural environment as well as during cognitive tasks. The aim of this review was to describe the use of fNIRS to study frontal lobe hemodynamics during cognitive, motor and dual-tasks in older adults. From the 46 included publications, 20 studies used only cognitive tasks, three studies used motor tasks and 23 used dual-tasks. Our findings suggest that fNIRS detects changes in frontal activation in older adults (cognitively healthy and mild cognitive impairment), especially while performing cognitive and dual-tasks. In both the comparison between older and younger adults, and in people with different neurological conditions, compared to healthier controls, the prefrontal cortex seems to experience a higher activation, which could be interpreted in the context of proposed neural inefficiency and limited capacity models. Further research is needed to establish standardized fNIRS protocols, study the cerebral hemodynamic in different neurological and systemic conditions that might influence cortical activation and explore its role in predicting incident health outcomes such as dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Udina
- Parc Sanitari Pere Virgili, Barcelona, Spain.,RE-FiT Barcelona Research Group, Vall d'Hebrón Institute of Research, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Stella Avtzi
- Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Turgut Durduran
- Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain.,Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roee Holtzer
- Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, New York, NY, United States.,Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Andrea L Rosso
- Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Carmina Castellano-Tejedor
- Parc Sanitari Pere Virgili, Barcelona, Spain.,RE-FiT Barcelona Research Group, Vall d'Hebrón Institute of Research, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laura-Monica Perez
- Parc Sanitari Pere Virgili, Barcelona, Spain.,RE-FiT Barcelona Research Group, Vall d'Hebrón Institute of Research, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Luis Soto-Bagaria
- Parc Sanitari Pere Virgili, Barcelona, Spain.,RE-FiT Barcelona Research Group, Vall d'Hebrón Institute of Research, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marco Inzitari
- Parc Sanitari Pere Virgili, Barcelona, Spain.,RE-FiT Barcelona Research Group, Vall d'Hebrón Institute of Research, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Yeung MK, Lee TL, Chan AS. Frontal lobe dysfunction underlies the differential word retrieval impairment in adolescents with high-functioning autism. Autism Res 2019; 12:600-613. [PMID: 30758144 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2018] [Revised: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
There is substantial evidence of word retrieval impairment as indicated by poor performance on the category fluency test in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying this impairment. Functional neuroimaging studies have shown that the lateral frontal cortex plays a key role in flexible word retrieval. Thus, we examined whether individuals with ASD exhibited altered frontal processing during the category fluency test using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Twenty-two adolescents with high-functioning ASD (20 males) and 22 typically developing (TD) adolescents (16 males) aged 11-18 years were recruited. All underwent a category fluency paradigm, which required production of animal or means of transportation words for 1 min each although their frontal hemodynamic changes were recorded with fNIRS. We found that adolescents with ASD produced fewer animal but not transportation words (group-by-category interaction: P = 0.003), suggesting differential word retrieval impairment. In addition, unlike TD adolescents who exhibited activation primarily in lateral frontal regions during word production, adolescents with ASD had comparable activation across lateral and medial frontal regions. More importantly, this lack of lateral-medial distinction of activation, which was associated with poor word retrieval, differed significantly between groups only in the animal category (group-by-category interaction: P = 0.018). Thus, our findings implicate frontal lobe dysfunction in the impairment of differential word retrieval in adolescents with ASD. The relatively greater involvement of the medial frontopolar cortex might reflect the use of nonspecialized brain regions to compensate for the category-dependent difficulties with word retrieval in ASD. Autism Res 2019, 12: 600-613. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Using an optical imaging tool, we found that adolescents with autism had difficulties with producing semantically related words and exhibited frontal lobe dysfunction. Nonetheless, poor word production and altered brain processing was only seen when these adolescents were asked to produce words from a category of living things but not nonliving things (i.e., animals but not means of transportation). Category-dependent word retrieval problems and frontal lobe dysfunction might be two features of this disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael K Yeung
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Tsz L Lee
- Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Agnes S Chan
- Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Chanwuyi Research Center for Neuropsychological Well-Being, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
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12
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Omurtag A, Aghajani H, Keles HO. Decoding human mental states by whole-head EEG+fNIRS during category fluency task performance. J Neural Eng 2018; 14:066003. [PMID: 28730995 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/aa814b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Concurrent scalp electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which we refer to as EEG+fNIRS, promises greater accuracy than the individual modalities while remaining nearly as convenient as EEG. We sought to quantify the hybrid system's ability to decode mental states and compare it with its unimodal components. APPROACH We recorded from healthy volunteers taking the category fluency test and applied machine learning techniques to the data. MAIN RESULTS EEG+fNIRS's decoding accuracy was greater than that of its subsystems, partly due to the new type of neurovascular features made available by hybrid data. SIGNIFICANCE Availability of an accurate and practical decoding method has potential implications for medical diagnosis, brain-computer interface design, and neuroergonomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmet Omurtag
- Engineering Department, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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13
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Relevance of Dorsolateral and Frontotemporal Cortex on the Phonemic Verbal Fluency – A fNIRS-Study. Neuroscience 2017; 367:169-177. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.10.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2016] [Revised: 09/22/2017] [Accepted: 10/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Polak T, Herrmann MJ, Müller LD, Zeller JBM, Katzorke A, Fischer M, Spielmann F, Weinmann E, Hommers L, Lauer M, Fallgatter AJ, Deckert J. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and vagus somatosensory evoked potentials (VSEP) in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease: rationale, design, methods, and first baseline data of the Vogel study. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2017; 124:1473-1488. [DOI: 10.1007/s00702-017-1781-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2017] [Accepted: 08/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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15
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Shigaeff N, Amaro E, Franco FGM, Jacinto AF, Chiochetta G, Cendoroglo MS, Citero VA. Functional magnetic resonance imaging response as an early biomarker of cognitive decline in elderly patients with metabolic syndrome. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2017; 73:1-7. [PMID: 28711765 DOI: 10.1016/j.archger.2017.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2016] [Revised: 06/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We assessed whether potential changes in brain activation patterns of elderly individuals with metabolic syndrome (MetS) who were cognitively healthy (without mild cognitive impairment or dementia) were associated with cognitive decline in executive function in the short-term. METHOD We analyzed 43 individuals (23 MetS, 20 controls) using a global geriatric evaluation, a neuropsychological battery, and task-related (attention) fMRI exam. Correlation analysis between the fMRI signal at baseline and cognitive impairment after 1year was based on the voxel-based Pearson coefficient, corrected for multiple comparisons. RESULTS At baseline, MetS patients showed reduced brain response in frontal and parietal regions compared to controls. After one year, the MetS group also showed a decline in verbal fluency performance. fMRI response in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and bilateral parietal lobes was negatively correlated with verbal fluency decline in the MetS group. DISCUSSION Our results provide an early biomarker of the possible development of cognitive impairment, particularly in the executive function, of elderly individuals suffering from MetS. These findings also point to an up or down regulation which could be interpreted as compensatory mechanism for possible brain tissue burden caused by MetS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Shigaeff
- Psychiatry Department, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo and Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Rua Borges Lagoa, 570, CEP:04038-030, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Edson Amaro
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Avenida Albert Einstein, 627, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Fabio G M Franco
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Rua Madre Cabrini, 462, CEP:04020-001, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Alessandro F Jacinto
- Psychiatry Department, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São, Paulo and Internal Medicine Department, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual de Sao Paulo Julio de Mesquita Filho, Rua Borges Lagoa, 570, CEP:04038-030, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Gabriela Chiochetta
- Psychiatry Department, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Borges Lagoa, 570, CEP:04038-030, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Maysa S Cendoroglo
- Geriatric Division - Internal Medicine Department, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Francisco de Castro, 105, CEP:04020-050, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Vanessa A Citero
- Psychiatry Department, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Borges Lagoa, 570, CEP:04038-030, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
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Katzorke A, Zeller JBM, Müller LD, Lauer M, Polak T, Reif A, Deckert J, Herrmann MJ. Reduced Activity in the Right Inferior Frontal Gyrus in Elderly APOE-E4 Carriers during a Verbal Fluency Task. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:46. [PMID: 28220068 PMCID: PMC5292419 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2016] [Accepted: 01/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Apolipoprotein-E4 (APOE-E4) is a major genetic risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). The verbal fluency task (VFT), especially the subtask category fluency, has shown to provide a good discrimination between cognitively normal controls and subjects with AD. Interestingly, APOE-E4 seems to have no effect on the behavioral performance during a VFT in healthy elderly. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to reveal possible compensation mechanisms by investigating the effect of APOE-E4 on the hemodynamic response in non-demented elderly during a VFT by using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We compared performance and hemodynamic response of high risk APOE-E4/E4, -E3/E4 carriers with neutral APOE-E3/E3 non-demented subjects (N = 288; 70-77 years). No difference in performance was found. APOE-E4/E4, -E3/E4 carriers had a decreased hemodynamic response in the right inferior frontal junction (IFJ) with a corresponding higher response in the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG) during category fluency. Performance was correlated with the hemodynamic response in the MFG. We assume a compensation of decreased IFJ brain activation by utilizing the MFG during category fluency and thus resulting in no behavioral differences between APOE-groups during the performance of a VFT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Katzorke
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Würzburg Würzburg, Germany
| | - Julia B M Zeller
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Würzburg Würzburg, Germany
| | - Laura D Müller
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Würzburg Würzburg, Germany
| | - Martin Lauer
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Würzburg Würzburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Polak
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Würzburg Würzburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Reif
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jürgen Deckert
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Würzburg Würzburg, Germany
| | - Martin J Herrmann
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Würzburg Würzburg, Germany
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Yeung MK, Sze SL, Woo J, Kwok T, Shum DHK, Yu R, Chan AS. Altered Frontal Lateralization Underlies the Category Fluency Deficits in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study. Front Aging Neurosci 2016; 8:59. [PMID: 27065857 PMCID: PMC4809883 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2016.00059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2016] [Accepted: 03/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have been consistently found to have category fluency deficits. However, little is known about the neural basis of these deficits. A diversity of neuroimaging studies has revealed left-lateralized prefrontal activations due to verbal processing and control functions during the performance of category fluency tasks. Given the reports of structural and functional abnormalities in the prefrontal cortices in individuals with MCI, it is conceivable that these individuals would also exhibit altered prefrontal activation patterns during a category fluency task. The present study aimed to investigate the prefrontal dynamics during the category fluency task in older adults with MCI by using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Twenty-six older adults with MCI were compared with 26 older adults with normal cognition (NC) who were matched in age, gender, handedness, and educational level. All participants performed a category fluency task while the prefrontal dynamics were recorded. The results showed that the MCI group generated fewer unique words, made fewer switches between subcategories, and generated fewer new subcategories than did the NC group. Importantly, the NIRS results showed that the NC group exhibited a left lateralization of frontal activations during the category fluency task, while the MCI group did not exhibit such a lateralization. Furthermore, there was a significant positive correlation between the category fluency performance and the extent of lateralization, suggesting that the category fluency deficits in the MCI group could be related to frontal dysfunction. That is, the rightward shift of frontal activations in the MCI group may reflect the presence of cortical reorganization in which the contralateral regions (i.e., the right hemisphere) are recruited to take over the function that is declining in the specialized regions (i.e., the left hemisphere). Our lateralization finding may serve as an objective neural marker for distinguishing between normal aging and MCI. Our study highlights that an alteration of neural functioning is already present at the prodromal stage of dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael K Yeung
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Sophia L Sze
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong KongNew Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China; Chanwuyi Research Center for Neuropsychological Well-Being, The Chinese University of Hong KongNew Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jean Woo
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Timothy Kwok
- School of Public Health, The Chinese University of Hong Kong New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - David H K Shum
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland and School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
| | - Ruby Yu
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Agnes S Chan
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong KongNew Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China; Chanwuyi Research Center for Neuropsychological Well-Being, The Chinese University of Hong KongNew Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
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