New study explains cognitive ability differences among the elderly

Study compares data from hundreds of people in childhood and old age

2013-06-04

(Press-News.org) A new study shows compelling evidence that associations between cognitive ability and cortical grey matter in old age can largely be accounted for by cognitive ability in childhood. The joint study by the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, The Neuro, McGill University and the University of Edinburgh, UK was published today, June 4 in Molecular Psychiatry.

It has long been thought that preserving brain cortical thickness was a determining factor in superior cognitive ability in old age; however the rare availability of childhood cognitive scores reveals other possible explanations. The article's lead authors, Dr. Sherif Karama at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, and Dr. Ian Deary of the University of Edinburgh, found in fact that childhood cognitive ability accounted for more than two-thirds of the association between cognitive ability and cortical thickness in old age.

The researchers compared the results of standardized intelligence tests of 588 people taken when the subjects were 11 years old and when they were 70, as well as MRI brain scans taken when participants turned 73. Those with dementia were excluded from the analysis.

"Without early-life measures of cognitive ability, it would have been tempting to conclude that preservation of cortical thickness in old age is a foundation for successful cognitive aging when, instead, it is a lifelong association," says Dr. Karama, who has done extensive research into factors that influence cognitive development. "Reasons behind this lifelong association are likely complex. There might be a reciprocal, dynamic association between cortical thickness and cognitive ability. For example, greater cortical thickness in childhood could lead to greater cognitive ability, which in turn might lead to a greater likelihood to engage in stimulating activities that could result in better cortical maintenance. As a whole, these results can be viewed as compatible with the notion that the factors that account for associations between cognitive ability and cortical thickness in old age have been acting throughout one's life and are not exclusive to old age."

### Funding for the joint study included grants from the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Quebec, the Research into Ageing programme, the Age-UK funded Disconnected Mind Project, the UK Medical Research Council, the Scottish Funding Council, UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council, and the Medical Research Council.

Contact Anita Kar
The Neuro
514 398-3376
anita.kar@mcgill.ca

The Neuro The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital — The Neuro, is a unique academic medical centre dedicated to neuroscience. Founded in 1934 by the renowned Dr. Wilder Penfield, the Neuro is recognized internationally for integrating research, compassionate patient care and advanced training, all key to advances in science and medicine. The Neuro is a research and teaching institute of McGill University and forms the basis for the Neuroscience Mission of the McGill University Health Centre. Neuro researchers are world leaders in cellular and molecular neuroscience, brain imaging, cognitive neuroscience and the study and treatment of epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and neuromuscular disorders. For more information, visit theneuro.com.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Behold the 9-day fresh strawberry: New approach to slowing rot doubles berry shelf life

2013-06-04

WASHINGTON, June 4, 2013—Strawberry lovers rejoice: the days of unpacking your luscious berries from the refrigerator only to find them sprouting wispy goatees of mold may be numbered. A research team from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Components and Health Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., and Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc. (SETi) in Columbia, S.C., has demonstrated that low irradiance ultra-violet (UV) light directed at strawberries over long exposure periods at low temperature and very high humidity—typical home refrigerator conditions—delays spoilage. ...

NASA MASTER infrared view of the Powerhouse Fire, California

2013-06-04

NASA's MASTER instrument captured this infrared composite image of California's Powerhouse Fire. The MASTER image shows the intensity of the heat from the fire in different colors. The MASTER instrument, also known as the MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator that was developed for the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) projects. ASTER and MODIS are both spaceborne imaging instruments aboard the Terra satellite. This image is a color composite of three infrared bands from the MASTER ...

Rates of emergency bowel surgery vary wildly from state to state

2013-06-04

Johns Hopkins researchers have documented huge and somewhat puzzling interstate variations in the percentage of emergency versus elective bowel surgeries. Figuring out precisely why the differences occur is critical, they say, because people forced to undergo emergency procedures are far more likely to die from their operations than those able to plan ahead for them. "With surgery, just as with most things in life, planning under optimal conditions leads to a better result," says study leader Adil H. Haider, M.D., M.P.H., an associate professor of surgery at the Johns ...

Exposure to rocket attacks in Israel increases adolescent violence -- Ben-Gurion U. study

2013-06-04

BEER-SHEVA, Israel…June 4, 2013 — Chronic exposure to rocket attacks launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel is causing an increase in severe adolescent violence, according to a new study by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers. The study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP), followed 362 Israeli adolescents from the southwestern Negev from 2008 to 2011, and conducted annual assessments of exposure to rocket attacks, symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as acts of violence. "This is the ...

Can genetic analysis of breast milk help identify ways to improve a newborn's diet?

2013-06-04

New Rochelle, NY, June 4, 2013—The composition of breast milk varies from mother to mother, and genetic factors may affect the levels of protective components in breast milk that could influence a newborn's outcomes. The potential to perform genomic studies on breast milk samples is explored in a Review article in Breastfeeding Medicine, the Official Journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Breastfeeding Medicine website at http://www.liebertpub.com/bfm. Kelley Baumgartel and ...

PROSPER prevention programs dramatically cut substance abuse among teens

2013-06-04

Prevention is often the best medicine, not only for physical health, but also public health, according to researchers at Penn State and Iowa State University. According to the researchers, young adults reduce their overall prescription drug misuse up to 65 percent if they are part of a community-based prevention effort while still in middle school. The reduced substance use is significant considering the dramatic increase in prescription drug abuse, said Richard Spoth, director of the Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute at Iowa State. The research, published ...

Los Alamos catalyst could jump-start e-cars, green energy

2013-06-04

LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, June 4, 2013—Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have designed a new type of nanostructured-carbon-based catalyst that could pave the way for reliable, economical next-generation batteries and alkaline fuel cells, providing for practical use of wind- and solar-powered electricity, as well as enhanced hybrid electric vehicles. In a paper appearing recently in Nature Communications, Los Alamos researchers Hoon T. Chung, Piotr Zelenay and Jong H. Won, the latter now at the Korea Basic Science Institute, describe a new type of nitrogen-doped ...

Anesthetic for depression? Mayo Clinic study finds low-dose ketamine effective

2013-06-04

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Low-dose intravenous infusions of ketamine, a general anesthetic used in minor surgeries, given over a long period are an effective treatment for depression, Mayo Clinic researchers found. The study is published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. About a decade ago researchers discovered that ketamine had the potential to alleviate severe depression. However, ketamine also can have serious psychiatric side effects, so studies have been exploring the safest way to use it. "It's surprising both that it works and how rapidly it has effects," says ...

Penn research shows way to improve stem cells' cartilage formation

2013-06-04

Cartilage injuries are difficult to repair. Current surgical options generally involve taking a piece from another part of the injured joint and patching over the damaged area, but this approach involves damaging healthy cartilage, and a person's cartilage may still deteriorate with age. Bioengineers are interested in finding innovative ways to grow new cartilage from a patient's own stem cells, and, thanks to a new study from the University of Pennsylvania, such a treatment is a step closer to reality. The research was conducted by associate professor Jason Burdick ...

A reduction in BMI improves insulin sensitivity in obese teens

2013-06-04

Obese teenagers who reduced their body mass index (BMI) by 8 percent or more had improvements in insulin sensitivity, an important metabolic factor related to the later development of type 2 diabetes. The teens followed a family-based, lifestyle-modification weight loss program that offers the potential to become a broader model. BMI is a measure of body weight adjusted for height. "This threshold effect that occurs at 8 percent suggests that obese adolescents don't need to lose enormous amounts of weight to achieve improvements," said pediatric endocrinologist Lorraine ...

New study explains cognitive ability differences among the elderly

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: