View clinical trials related to Cognitive Change.
Filter by:As we age, a number of factors can reduce our cognitive (or thinking) abilities. This study will evaluate whether transcranial electrical stimulation (TES), which uses small amounts of electricity to modulate brain functioning, can improve cognitive abilities. Here, the effects of TES on working memory, learning, and memory, will be evaluated in a group of healthy older adults.
The demand for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in pediatric patients is increasing due to its use in medical diagnosis and surveillance. Pediatric patients often require general anesthesia (GA) for MRI due to the need for prolonged immobility during the scanning process to obtain high quality images. Two widely used anesthetic techniques for pediatric MRIs are volatile-based anesthesia using sevoflurane and total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) using propofol. Concerns have been raised regarding the potential neurotoxic effects of anesthetics on the developing brain. Within the animal literature, there is emerging evidence to suggest that both sevoflurane and propofol may cause inflammation, impacting brain cell survival and connections, thereby contributing to possible cognitive dysfunction. However, given the challenges in extrapolating the animal data to humans, and the relatively limited human cohort studies examining the long-term effects of anesthesia exposure, there is inadequate information available to make informed clinical decisions regarding the choice of optimal anesthetic agents for MRI in children. Therefore, this study will uniquely examine the mechanisms of two widely used anesthetics and their short and long-term impact on developmental outcomes in healthy children.
Hypoglycaemia in subjects suffering from type 2 diabetes may have substantial consequences including a significant negative impact on quality of life. Further, repeated minor hypoglycaemias may result in significant productivity losses. Here, the investigators propose to provide quantitative results on cognition during an acute mild hypoglycaemic episode (target plasma glucose 3 mmol/L) in 28 subjects with type 2 diabetes. Data will be provided on executive function, attention and memory.
Patients assume that cognitive performance rapidly returns to baseline after anesthesia and surgery. Several studies have shown that one week after major non-cardiac surgery about 27% of patients have postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) and 10% of patients at 3 months. Very few studies have assessed the incidence of POCD beyond 3 months. POCD significantly reduces quality of life. Identifying risk factors for POCD is important because it is associated with prolonged hospital stay, loss of independence, and premature retirement. There is an urgent need to measure and document the level of cognitive change associated with surgery with an easy to use tool, both prior to admission and after discharge. This information can be used to plan appropriate care paths and to identify or test the efficacy of potential new treatments to alter the negative trajectory.
Past epidemiological studies have demonstrated that larger social networks, or more frequent social interactions, could have potential protective effects on the incidence of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). However, in those studies, indicators of social interactions were often broad, and included distinct elements that affected cognition and overall health. This project will examine whether conversation-based cognitive stimulation has positive effects on domain-specific cognitive functions among the elderly. Face-to-face communication will be conducted through the use of personal computers, webcams, and user-friendly simple interactive Internet programs to allow participants to have social engagement while staying at their home and also for the cost effective execution of the study.