View clinical trials related to Cognition.
Filter by:The objective of the current study is to determine the acute effect of a glucose drink and a sacharose drink compared to a placebo on cognitive performance in elderly with light memory complaints. The investigators expect that the sugar containing drinks will improve memory and attentional functions. Furthermore, blood glucose response will be measured.
There is some evidence that polyphenols can affect cognitive function. Therefore, consumption of polyphenols has the potential to prevent cognitive impairment or even enhance cognitive performance. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of polyphenol consumption served in the form of Concord Grape Juice (CGJ) on cognitive performance and driving performance in Mums. The study design will be a repeated measures, double-blind, randomised, placebo controlled, crossover study. There will be 2 conditions; CGJ and a placebo drink. 20 participants will undergo two 12 week dietary interventions which will entail daily consumption of a 12oz serving of CGJ or placebo in a counterbalanced manner. There will be a 4 week washout period between conditions. At baseline, 6, and 12 weeks of each 12-week treatment arm cognitive performance and driving performance will be assessed (using the driving simulator at the Institute for Transport Studies). CGJ is a common ingredient in commercially available products. Mums will be defined as mothers of pre-teen children (aged under 13 years) who are aged 40-50. This population generally have hectic and stressful lifestyles and therefore there is potential for this population to receive cognitive benefit from polyphenol consumption.
Recent trends have identified decreasing levels of physical activity, fitness, and health in preadolescent children. Examining factors, such as physical activity behavior and aerobic fitness that positively influence cognitive health of school-age children are important for improving school performance, maximizing health, and improving the overall functioning of individuals as they progress through the human lifespan. A sample of preadolescent children from the Urbana, Illinois elementary school system will be randomly assigned to a 9- month afterschool program that focuses on either aerobic exercise or wait-list control group to determine the effects of physical activity on basic and applied aspects of cognition. Changes in neuroimaging and behavioral indices of cognitive function and performance on standardized academic achievement tests of mathematics and reading will be examined as a function of participation in the intervention. Preliminary research supports that physical activity is positively associated with basic and applied aspects of cognition, with a stronger relationship for tasks requiring extensive amounts of executive control. However, previous research has mainly focused on older adults, and little research has examined the relationship between physical activity and executive control in children. These findings will provide lifestyle considerations for children to improve their cognitive health across the lifespan.
Cognitive rehabilitation involves enhancing an individual's capacity to process information to improve their everyday functioning. One common form of intervention is computerised cognitive training (CT); however, efficacy results have been mixed. This research aims to investigate a novel method for enhancing outcomes from CT through combining CT with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive and painless form of brain stimulation. In this study we aim to determine the efficacy of this approach through comparing in a randomized controlled study tDCS combined with CT versus CT and tDCS alone in healthy participants. We hypothesise that tDCS combined with CT will have greater generalisability effects than the other conditions.
This study investigates the effects of Allergic Rhinitis (AR) on driving ability and memory functions. Our group has previously shown that patients suffering from AR symptoms perform less well on tasks requiring sustained attention compared to non symptomatic controls. Car driving is a typical behavior that is susceptible for changes in sustained attention and might therefore become worse under conditions when patients suffer from AR symptoms. We will compare the driving performance of untreated, symptomatic AR patients with the performance of symptomatic patients that have been treated with either a systemic AR medication (a pill) or a topical medication (nasal spray)
School feeding programs provide students meals conditional on school attendance, which can have impacts on school participation, cognition and learning, and nutritional outcomes. Although the literature on impacts of school feeding programs is substantial, high quality studies with evaluation designs that provide causal impact estimates are relatively few. Thus program impacts on educational, cognitive and nutritional outcomes are not well-understood, particularly in a field setting. Nutritional impacts in particular are questionable, which may be a result program design. Most studies provide only small transfers to children and examine average macro-nutrient effects of the transfer on the treated children, thus it is not surprising that detection of nutritional gains has been minimal. This study is a cluster-randomized evaluation of a school feeding program administered by the World Food Programme in the Northern Ugandan Districts of Lira and Pader. The program provides substantially larger food rations than most programs (representing 1/3 of children's daily caloric needs and 99% of iron intake requirements). The key research objectives are: 1. Impact on the treated: Assess the effectiveness of the program at improving nutritional status, education and cognitive and learning outcomes for school-age children, with particular attention to the anemia status of older school-age girls . 2. Impact on untreated but nutritionally vulnerable sub-groups: Assess the effectiveness of the program at reducing anemia prevalence in mothers and younger siblings. 3. Optimal program design: Assess the differential impacts of a program in which children are fed at school compared with one in which they are given dry rations to bring home.
Many disorders where attentional problems are a hallmark, such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia, display abnormal regulation of the so-called default network of resting brain function that maintains internally directed thought when the mind is free to wander. There is indication that nicotine may improve attention by aiding the deactivation of the default network, and this mechanism may be of therapeutic benefit for the above disease states. The current project aims at providing a proof of concept by demonstrating that nicotinic drugs modulate default network function. The nicotinic agonist nicotine is hypothesized to improve attention by facilitating the down-regulation of default network activity, and the nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine is hypothesized to impair attention by impeding the down-regulation of default network activity during attentional task performance.
Background: - Non-invasive functional near infrared (fNIR) imaging techniques use infrared light to detect changes in blood volume and oxygen levels during brain activity. fNIR is being studied as a possible way to examine the brain activity of individuals who are unable to undergo standard brain function imaging techniques (such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI). For instance, war veterans who have iron shrapnel in the body are not able to have fMRI scans, and very young children or children with autism and related disorders are often not able or willing to cooperate long enough in the MRI environment to allow full imaging studies to take place. Researchers are interested in comparing the results of fNIR and fMRI performed on healthy volunteers to determine if fNIR produces similarly accurate results. Objectives: - To examine the capabilities of non-invasive functional near infrared imaging techniques on healthy volunteers and compare the results with the existing outcomes of functional magnetic resonance imaging. Eligibility: - Healthy volunteers at least 18 years of age. Design: - Participants will have one study visit. Depending on the complexity of the task, the whole exam will take between 5 minutes and 1 hour to perform. - Participants will be asked to sit as still as possible while wearing a headband that includes light sources and detectors (the fNIR device). - Participants will be asked to perform a set of tasks (e.g., reading sentences or counting numbers in one s head). Data will be collected during these experiments.
Resistance training as well as creatine supplementation may be beneficial for cognitive function, such as memory and attention. Therefore, the investigators speculate that resistance training combined with creatine supplementation would promote additive benefits on cognitive function in elderly women.
The purpose is to compare solifenacin and oxybutynin with an inactive tablet and assess any potential effects on mental ability.