Cognitive function plays a pivotal role in assessing an individual’s quality of life. This research aimed to investigate how azelaic acid (AzA), a natural dicarboxylic acid with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, affects aluminium chloride (AlCl3)-induced behavioural changes and biochemical alterations in the hippocampus of rats.

Thirty-two male Wistar rats divided into four groups received distilled water, AzA 50 mg/kg, AlCl3 100 mg/kg and AzA plus AlCl3, respectively, by oral gavage for 6 weeks. Behavioural changes were evaluated using open-field maze, elevated plus maze, novel object recognition (NOR), passive avoidance task, and Morris water maze (MWM) tests. Also, malondialdehyde (MDA), carbonyl protein, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3β), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity were examined.

AzA significantly affected AlCl3-provoked anxiety-like behaviours and learning and memory impairments. It also reduced the toxic effect of AlCl3 on MDA, carbonyl protein, TNF-α, IL-1β, NF-κB and GSK-3β status; however, its beneficial effects on AlCl3-induced changes of CHOP, BDNF and AChE activity were not significant.

These findings disclosed that AzA could improve behavioural and cognitive function and almost limit the oxidative stress and neuroinflammation caused by AlCl3.

Validated computerized assessments for cognitive functioning are crucial for older individuals and those at risk of cognitive decline. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB) exhibits good construct validity but requires validation in diverse populations and for adults aged 85+. This study uses data from the Assessing Reliable Measurement in Alzheimer’s Disease and cognitive Aging study to explore differences in the factor structure of the NIHTB-CB for adults 85 and older, Black participants versus White participants, and those diagnosed as amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) vs cognitively normal (CN).

Subtests from the NACC UDS-3 and NIHTB-CB were administered to 503 community-dwelling Black and White adults ages 55–99 (367 CN; 136 aMCI). Confirmatory factor analyses were used to investigate the original factor structure of NIHTB-CB that forms the basis for NIHTB-CD Index factor scores.

Factor analyses for all participants and some participant subsets (aMCI, White, 85+) substantiated the two anticipated factors (Fluid and Crystallized). However, while Black aMCI participants had the expected two-factor structure, for Black CN participants, the List Sorting Working Memory and Picture Sequence tests loaded on the Crystallized factor.

Findings provide psychometric support for the NIHTB-CB. Differences in factor structure between Black CN individuals and Black aMCI individuals suggest potential instability across levels of cognitive impairment. Future research should explore changes in NIHTB-CB across diagnoses in different populations.

Cognitive impairment, a major determinant of poor functioning in schizophrenia, had limited responses to existing antipsychotic drugs. The limited efficacy could be due to regional differences in the dysregulation of the dopamine system. This study investigated striatal and peripheral dopaminergic makers in schizophrenia and their relationship with cognitive impairment.

Thirty-three patients with schizophrenia and 36 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC) participated. We evaluated their cognitive performance, examined the availability of striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) using single-photon emission computed tomography with 99mTc-TRODAT, and measured plasma levels of dopaminergic precursors (phenylalanine and tyrosine) and three branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) that compete with precursors for brain uptake via ultra-performance liquid chromatography.

Schizophrenia patients exhibited lower cognitive performance, decreased striatal DAT availability, and reduced levels of phenylalanine, tyrosine, leucine, and isoleucine, and the ratio of phenylalanine plus tyrosine to BCAA. Within the patient group, lower DAT availability in the left caudate nucleus (CN) or putamen was positively associated with attention deficits. Meanwhile, lower tyrosine levels and the ratio of phenylalanine plus tyrosine to BCAA were positively related to executive dysfunction. Among all participants, DAT availability in the right CN or putamen was positively related to memory function, and plasma phenylalanine level was positively associated with executive function.

This study supports the role of dopamine system abnormalities in cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. The distinct associations between different dopaminergic alterations and specific cognitive domain impairments suggest the potential need for multifaceted treatment approaches to target these impairments.

Social isolation has been implicated in the development of cognitive impairment, but research on this association remains limited among racial-ethnic minoritized populations. Our study examined the interplay between social isolation, race–ethnicity and dementia.

We analyzed 11 years (2011–2021) of National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) data, a prospective nationally representative cohort of U.S. Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older. Dementia status was determined using a validated NHATS algorithm. We constructed a longitudinal score using a validated social isolation variable for our sample of 6,155 community-dwelling respondents. Cox regression determined how the interaction between social isolation and race–ethnicity was associated with incident dementia risk.

Average longitudinal frequency of social isolation was higher among older Black (27.6%), Hispanic (26.6%) and Asian (21.0%) respondents than non-Hispanic White (19.1%) adults during the 11-year period (t = −7.35, p < .001). While a higher frequency of social isolation was significantly associated with an increased (approximately 47%) dementia risk after adjusting for sociodemographic covariates (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.47, 95% CI [1.15, 1.88], p < .01), this association was not significant after adjusting for health covariates (aHR = 1.21, 95% CI [0.96, 1.54], p = .11). Race–ethnicity was not a significant moderator in the association between social isolation and dementia.

Older adults from racial-ethnic minoritized populations experienced a higher longitudinal frequency of social isolation. However, race–ethnicity did not moderate the positive association observed between social isolation and dementia. Future research is needed to investigate the underlying mechanisms contributing to racial-ethnic disparities in social isolation and to develop targeted interventions to mitigate the associated dementia risk.

Cognitive impairment (CI) is one of the most prevalent and burdensome consequences of COVID-19 infection, which can persist up to months or even years after remission of the infection. Current guidelines on post-COVID CI are based on available knowledge on treatments used for improving CI in other conditions. The current review aims to provide an updated overview of the existing evidence on the efficacy of treatments for post-COVID CI.

A systematic literature search was conducted for studies published up to December 2023 using three databases (PubMed–Scopus–ProQuest). Controlled and noncontrolled trials, cohort studies, case series, and reports testing interventions on subjects with CI following COVID-19 infection were included.

After screening 7790 articles, 29 studies were included. Multidisciplinary approaches, particularly those combining cognitive remediation interventions, physical exercise, and dietary and sleep support, may improve CI and address the different needs of individuals with post-COVID-19 condition. Cognitive remediation interventions can provide a safe, cost-effective option and may be tailored to deficits in specific cognitive domains. Noninvasive brain stimulation techniques and hyperbaric oxygen therapy showed mixed and preliminary results. Evidence for other interventions, including pharmacological ones, remains sparse. Challenges in interpreting existing evidence include heterogeneity in study designs, assessment tools, and recruitment criteria; lack of long-term follow-up; and under-characterization of samples in relation to confounding factors.

Further research, grounded on shared definitions of the post-COVID condition and on the accurate assessment of COVID-related CI, in well-defined study samples and with longer follow-ups, is crucial to address this significant unmet need.

Few studies have examined the impact of late-life depression trajectories on specific domains of cognitive function. This study aims to delineate how different depressive symptom trajectories specifically affect cognitive function in older adults.

Prospective longitudinal cohort study

Australia and the United States of America

In total, 11,035 community-dwelling older adults with a mean age of 75 years

Depressive trajectories were modelled from depressive symptoms according to annual Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale 10 (CES-D-10) surveys. Four trajectories of depressive symptoms were identified: low (“nondepressed”), consistently mild (“subthreshold depression”), consistently moderate (“persistent depression”), and initially low but increasing (“emerging depression”). Global cognition (Modified Mini-Mental State Examination [3MS]), verbal fluency (Controlled Oral Word Association Test [COWAT]), processing speed (Symbol Digit Modalities Test [SDMT]), episodic memory (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test – Revised [HVLT-R]), and a composite z-score were assessed over a subsequent median 2 years.

Subthreshold depression predicted impaired performance on the SDMT (Cohen’s d −0.04) and composite score (−0.03); emerging depression predicted impaired performance on the SDMT (−0.13), HVLT-R (−0.09), 3 MS (−0.08) and composite score (−0.09); and persistent depression predicted impaired performance on the SDMT (−0.08), 3 MS (−0.11), and composite score (−0.09).

Depressive symptoms are associated with later impaired processing speed. These effects are small. Diverse depression trajectories have different impacts on cognitive function.

Cognitive changes that result from cerebrovascular disease contribute to a poor functional outcome with reduced quality of life. Among patients undergoing endovascular therapy (EVT), we aim to assess cognitive function and evaluate the impact of reperfusion time in cognitive performance.

Patients with acute right anterior circulation strokes that underwent EVT between January 2018 and August 2020 at Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, participated in the study. Modified treatment in cerebral infarction (mTICI) assessed the level of recanalization. Cognitive evaluation was assessed with Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination revised (ACE-R). Multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine the association between time for recanalization and ACE-R. The level of significance adopted was 0.05.

The mean age of participants was 71.5 (interquartile range [IQR] 62.0–78.2) years, and 50% (22) were women. The median time after stroke was 28.6 months (IQR 18.94–31.55). All patients in our sample had a successful level of recanalization with EVT (mTICI ≥ 2b). Time for recanalization showed an inverse association with the ACE-R (b = −0.0207, P = 0.0203). Also the mRS at 3 months had an inverse association with cognition (b = −5.2803, p = 0.0095). Level of education had a strong and direct relationship with ACE-R results (b = 3.0869, p < 0.0001).

Longer time between stroke symptoms and recanalization with EVT in patients with right hemisphere ischemic stroke lead to lower ACE-R scores. Measures to improve door-to-recanalization time are also important for cognitive performance after ischemic stroke.

Patients with a first episode of psychosis (FEP) display clinical, cognitive, and structural brain abnormalities at illness onset. Ventricular enlargement has been identified in schizophrenia since the initial development of neuroimaging techniques. Obstetric abnormalities have been associated with an increased risk of developing psychosis but also with cognitive impairment and brain structure abnormalities. Difficulties during delivery are associated with a higher risk of birth asphyxia leading to brain structural abnormalities, such as ventriculomegaly, which has been related to cognitive disturbances.

We examined differences in ventricular size between 142 FEP patients and 123 healthy control participants using magnetic resonance imaging. Obstetric complications were evaluated using the Lewis–Murray scale. We examined the impact of obstetric difficulties during delivery on ventricle size as well as the possible relationship between ventricle size and cognitive impairment in both groups.

FEP patients displayed significantly larger third ventricle size compared with healthy controls. Third ventricle enlargement was associated with diagnosis (higher volume in patients), with difficulties during delivery (higher volume in subjects with difficulties), and was highest in patients with difficulties during delivery. Verbal memory was significantly associated with third ventricle to brain ratio.

Our results suggest that difficulties during delivery might be significant contributors to the ventricular enlargement historically described in schizophrenia. Thus, obstetric complications may contribute to the development of psychosis through changes in brain architecture.

People with borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) encounter greater social adversities than the general population and have an increased prevalence of mental illness. However, little is known about the socio-demographic characteristics and mental health of parents with BIF.

A secondary data analysis of the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014 was conducted. Logistic regression models were fitted to compare differences in socio-demographic, mental health and service-use characteristics between parents and non-parents with and without BIF, and to investigate if the relationship between parent status and mental health outcomes was modified by BIF status, sex, and employment.

Data from 6872 participants was analyzed; 69.1% were parents. BIF parents had higher odds of common mental disorder, severe mental illness, post-traumatic stress disorder, self-harm/suicide and were more likely to see their General Practitioner (GP) and to receive mental health treatment than non-BIF parents. BIF parents did not have a higher prevalence of mental health problems than BIF non-parents. Being a parent, after adjusting for BIF status and other confounders, was associated with increased odds of having a common mental disorder, visits to see a GP and treatment for mental health. Female parents had higher odds of treatment for mental health problems.

Being a parent is associated with elevated rates of common mental disorders. There is a higher burden of mental health problems and service use in people with BIF. A greater provision of specialist support services including ascertainment is indicated for this group.