11 documents found, page 1 of 2
Assessing Cognitive Function in Older Adults Using a Videoconference Approach
Castanho, TC; Amorim, L; Moreira, PS; Mariz, J; Palha, JA; Sousa, N; Santos, NCBACKGROUND: The use of communication technologies is an emerging trend in healthcare and research. Despite efficient, reliable and accurate neuropsychological batteries to evaluate cognitive performance in-person, more diverse and less expensive and time consuming solutions are needed. Here we conducted a pilot study to determine the applicability of a videoconference (VC, Skype®) approach to assess cognitive f...
The Bounds Of Education In The Human Brain Connectome
Marques, P; Soares, JM; Magalhães, R; Santos, NC; Sousa, NInter-individual heterogeneity is evident in aging; education level is known to contribute for this heterogeneity. Using a cross-sectional study design and network inference applied to resting-state fMRI data, we show that aging was associated with decreased functional connectivity in a large cortical network. On the other hand, education level, as measured by years of formal education, produced an opposite eff...
Age effects on EEG correlates of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test
Dias, NS; Ferreira, D; Reis, J; Jacinto, LR; Fernandes, L; Pinho, F; Festa, J; Pereira, M; Afonso, N; Santos, NC; Cerqueira, JJ; Sousa, NBody and brain undergo several changes with aging. One of the domains in which these changes are more remarkable relates with cognitive performance. In the present work, electroencephalogram (EEG) markers (power spectral density and spectral coherence) of age-related cognitive decline were sought whilst the subjects performed the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Considering the expected age-related cognitive...
Effector memory CD4(+) T cells are associated with cognitive performance in a s...
Serre-Miranda, C; Roque, S; Santos, NC; Portugal-Nunes, C; Costa, P; Palha, JA; Sousa, N; Correia-Neves, MOBJECTIVE: Immunosenescence and cognitive decline are common markers of the aging process. Taking into consideration the heterogeneity observed in aging processes and the recently described link between lymphocytes and cognition, we herein explored the possibility of an association between alterations in lymphocytic populations and cognitive performance. METHODS: In a cohort of cognitively healthy adults (n = 1...
Brain structure across the lifespan: the influence of stress and mood
Soares, JM; Marques, P; Magalhães, R; Santos, NC; Sousa, NNormal brain aging is an inevitable and heterogeneous process characterized by a selective pattern of structural changes. Such heterogeneity arises as a consequence of cumulative effects over the lifespan, including stress and mood effects, which drive different micro- and macro-structural alterations in the brain. Investigating these differences in healthy age-related changes is a major challenge for the compr...
The role of sex and sex-related hormones in cognition, mood and well-being in o...
Castanho, TC; Moreira, PS; Portugal-Nunes, C; Novais, A; Costa, PS; Palha, JA; Sousa, N; Santos, NCAlterations in hormone levels during aging impact on cognition and mood. Serum concentration levels of testosterone (TT), estradiol (E2), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and prolactin (PRL) were assessed in 120 community-dwellers (51+ years of age, males and females), in a cross-sectional approach. Performance clusters based on executive funct...
Risk and clinical-outcome indicators of delirium in an emergency department int...
Mariz, J; Santos, NC; Afonso, H; Rodrigues, P; Faria, A; Sousa, N; Teixeira, JBACKGROUND: Identification of delirium in emergency departments (ED) is often underestimated; within EDs, studies on delirium assessment and relation with patient outcome in Intermediate Care Units (IMCU) appear missing in European hospital settings. Here we aimed to determine delirium prevalence in an EDIMCU (Hospital de Braga, Braga, Portugal) and assessed routine biochemical parameters that might be delirium...
Plasticity of resting state brain networks in recovery from stress
Soares, JM; Sampaio, A; Marques, P; Ferreira, LM; Santos, NC; Marques, F; Palha, JA; Cerqueira, JJ; Sousa, NChronic stress has been widely reported to have deleterious impact in multiple biological systems. Specifically, structural and functional remodeling of several brain regions following prolonged stress exposure have been described; importantly, some of these changes are eventually reversible. Recently, we showed the impact of stress on resting state networks (RSNs), but nothing is known about the plasticity of ...
Stress Impact on Resting State Brain Networks
Soares, JM; Sampaio, A; Ferreira, LM; Santos, NC; Marques, PS; Marques, F; Palha, JA; Cerqueira, JJ; Sousa, NResting state brain networks (RSNs) are spatially distributed large-scale networks, evidenced by resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. Importantly, RSNs are implicated in several relevant brain functions and present abnormal functional patterns in many neuropsychiatric disorders, for which stress exposure is an established risk factor. Yet, so far, little is known about the effect ...
Revisiting thyroid hormones in schizophrenia
Santos, NC; Costa, P; Ruano, D; MacEdo, A; Soares, MJ; Valente, J; Pereira, AT; Azevedo, MH; Palha, JAThyroid hormones are crucial during development and in the adult brain. Of interest, fluctuations in the levels of thyroid hormones at various times during development and throughout life can impact on psychiatric disease manifestation and response to treatment. Here we review research on thyroid function assessment in schizophrenia, relating interrelations between the pituitary-thyroid axis and major neurosign...