Kessler Foundation MS researchers find task meaningfulness influences learning and memory

Self-generation may be influenced by variables such as task meaningfulness during learning and memory

2014-02-21

(Press-News.org) West Orange, NJ. February 21, 2014. Kessler Foundation researchers have found that among persons with multiple sclerosis, self-generation may be influenced by variables such as task meaningfulness during learning and memory. They also found that type of task (functional versus laboratory) had a significant effect on memory.

This is the first controlled investigation of therapeutic and patient-specific factors that supports the inclusion of self-generation in cognitive rehabilitation. The study was published in the January issue of Neuropsychological Rehabilitation: An International Journal. (Yael Goverover, Nancy D. Chiaravalloti & John DeLuca: Task meaningfulness and degree of cognitive impairment: Do they affect self-generated learning in persons with multiple sclerosis? http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09602011.2013.868815). Yael Goverover, PhD, OT, is a Visiting Scientist at Kessler Foundation. She is an associate professor at New York University. Dr. Goverover is a recipient of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research Fellowship award (Mary Switzer Award).

The researchers studied two groups: 35 persons with MS who had moderate to severe learning and memory impairments (SEVERE-MS), and 35 persons with little to no impairment (MILD-MS). All the participants learned two types of tasks (functional everyday tasks and laboratory tasks), each in two learning conditions (Provided and Generated). Participants were required to recall the information immediately, 30 minutes, and 1 week following initial learning.

Significantly more words were recalled from the generated condition, a finding that was consistent for both SEVERE-MS and MILD-MS. Also, self-generated learning was more effective for recall of functional vs laboratory tasks, a finding consistent in both groups.

These results have implications for the design of effective strategies for cognitive rehabilitation in MS, according to Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, director of Neuropsychology & Neuroscience research at Kessler Foundation. "A self-generation strategy can significantly improve learning and memory on tasks that are important for persons in their everyday lives," said Dr. Chiaravalloti, "which is an important objective of cognitive rehabilitation. This study brings us closer to developing effective treatment for memory and learning impairments in individuals with MS, and consequently improving their quality of life." INFORMATION: Supported by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society [grant number RG 3935A2/2

About MS Research at Kessler Foundation Kessler Foundation's cognitive rehabilitation research in MS is funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, National MS Society, NJ Commission of Brain Injury Research, Consortium of MS Centers, and Kessler Foundation. Under the leadership of John DeLuca, PhD, senior VP for Research & Training, and Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, director of Neuropsychology & Neuroscience Research, scientists have made important contributions to the knowledge of cognitive decline in MS. Clinical studies span new learning, memory, executive function, attention and processing speed, emotional processing, employment and cognitive fatigue. Research tools include innovative applications of neuroimaging, iPADs, and virtual reality. Among recent findings are the benefits of cognitive reserve and aerobic exercise; correlation between cognitive performance and outdoor temperatures; efficacy of short-term cognitive rehabilitation using modified story technique; factors related to risk for unemployment, and the correlation between memory improvement and cerebral activation on fMRI. Foundation research scientists have faculty appointments at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. The opening of the Neuroimaging Center at Kessler Foundation in 2013 has greatly expanded the Foundation's capability for neuroscience research in MS and other neurological conditions.

About Kessler Foundation Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research that seeks to improve cognition, mobility and long-term outcomes, including employment, for people with neurological disabilities caused by diseases and injuries of the brain and spinal cord. Kessler Foundation leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. For more information, visit KesslerFoundation.org. facebook.com/KesslerFoundation http://twitter.com/KesslerFdn

Carolann Murphy, PA; 973.324.8382; CMurphy@KesslerFoundation.org Lauren Scrivo, 973.324.8384/973.768.6583 (cell); LScrivo@KesslerFoundation.org

[Attachments] See images for this press release:

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

If you think you have Alzheimer's, you just might be right, study suggests

2014-02-21

Lexington, Ky. -- (Feb. 20, 2014) -- a recent study suggests that self-reported memory complaints might predict clinical memory impairment later in life. Erin Abner, Ph.D, an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, asked 3,701 men aged 60 and higher a simple question: "Have you noticed any change in your memory since you last came in?" That question led to some interesting results. "It seems that subjective memory complaint can be predictive of clinical memory impairment," Abner said. "Other epidemiologists have seen similar ...

Researchers look to reduce hep C infections for injecting drug user

2014-02-21

Despite a number of social/behavioral intervention and educational programs, the spread of hepatitis C (HCV) in people who inject drugs (PWIDs) remains a chronic problem. Now, researchers affiliated with New York University's Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR) are focusing on intervention strategies that highlight the lesser-known dangers of HCV transmission through the sharing of other injection equipment such as cookers, filters, drug-dilution water and water containers. Their article, "The Staying Safe Intervention: Training People Who Inject Drugs in ...

Optimizing custody is child's play for physicists

2014-02-21

Physics can provide insights into societal trends. Problems involving interactions between people linked in real-life networks can be better understood by using physical models. As a diversion from his normal duties as a theoretical physicist, Andrés Gomberoff from the Andres Bello University in Santiago, Chile, set out to resolve one of his real-life problems: finding a suitable weekend for both partners in his recomposed family to see all their children at the same time. He then joined forces with a mathematician and a complex systems expert. This resulted in a study ...

Report reveals significant increase in overdoses involving heroin in Kentucky

2014-02-21

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 21, 2014) -- A new report from the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC) reveals the prevalence and charges associated with drug overdose in the Bluegrass state. The report, "Drug Overdose Deaths, Hospitalizations, and Emergency Department Visits in Kentucky, 2000-2012", analyzes overdose morbidity and mortality among Kentucky residents and documents the enormous societal and financial toll on the Commonwealth's population. KIPRC, located in the UK College of Public Health, is a bona fide agent for the Kentucky Department for Public ...

Newly discovered marsupial the victim of fatal attraction

2014-02-21

A QUT mammalogist has discovered a highly sexed mouse-like marsupial in Queensland's Springbrook National Park. The Black-tailed Antechinus was found in the high-altitude regions of the World Heritage Area. It's the third new species in the genus Antechinus Dr Andrew Baker's research team has discovered in the past two years, all from south-east Queensland. Dr Baker said he suspected the rare, Black-tailed Antechinus was a separate species when he and his team came across it last May because it had distinctive yellow-orange markings around its eyes and on its rump, and ...

Degradation of viral DNA in the cell nucleus is opening up new treatment

2014-02-21

Viruses such as HBV can persist by depositing their genetic information (DNA) in the cell nucleus, where the DNA is normally not degraded. This prevents antiviral drugs from eliminating these viruses. But the newly discovered mechanism could make this possible without damaging the infected cell in the liver. In the current issue of the prestigious journal 'Science', the scientists report that now new therapeutic possibilities are consequently opening up. Although preventive vaccination is possible, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that more than 240 million ...

Microparticles show molecules their way

2014-02-21

This news release is available in German. A team of researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Michigan/USA has produced novel microparticles, whose surface consists of three chemically different segments. These segments can be provided with different (bio-) molecules. Thanks to the specific spatial orientation of the attached molecules, the microparticles are suited for innovative applications in medicine, biochemistry, and engineering. The researchers now report about their development in the journal Angewandte Chemie. "Microparticles ...

Optimising custody is child's play for physicists

2014-02-21

Team sport compensates for estrogen loss

2014-02-21

When women enter menopause, their oestrogen levels taper. This increases their risk of cardiovascular disease. New research from University of Copenhagen shows that interval-based team sport can make up for this oestrogen loss as it improves their conditions, reduces blood pressure and thereby protects the cardiovascular system. While aging and an array of physical transformations go hand in hand for all, menopause has a significant influence on physical changes in women. Oestrogen, the primary female sex hormone, is an important guardian of the female vascular system. ...

Enzalutamide: IQWiG assessed data subsequently submitted by the manufacturer

2014-02-21

Enzalutamide (trade name: Xtandi) has been approved since June 2013 for men with metastatic prostate cancer in whom the commonly used hormone blockade is no longer effective and who have already been treated with the cytostatic drug docetaxel. In an early benefit assessment pursuant to the Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products (AMNOG) in November 2013, the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) determined an added benefit of this new drug over the appropriate comparator therapy specified by the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA). ...