Browsing by Author "Schroeder, Johannes"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Differences in Cognitive Functioning in Two Birth Cohorts Born 20 Years Apart: Data from the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study of Ageing
    (2022) Degen, Christina; Frankenberg, Claudia; Toro, Pablo; Schroeder, Johannes
    We compared neuropsychological functioning and prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in two birth cohorts born 20 years apart when participants had reached the same age, i.e., the mid-60s. The study followed up 500 volunteers born 1930-1932 (C30) and 502 born 1950-1952 (C50). Participants underwent medical, neuropsychological, and psychiatric examinations in 1993-1996 (T1), 1997-2000 (T2), 2005-2008 (T3), and 2014-2016 (T4), including assessment of abstract thinking, memory performance, verbal fluency, visuo-spatial thinking, psychomotor speed, and attention. Healthy participants from C30 at T2 (n = 298) and from C50 at T4 (n = 205) were compared using multivariate ANCOVAs. Groups slightly differed with respect to age (C50: 63.86 +/- 1.14 vs. C30: 66.80 +/- 0.91; p < 0.05) and years of education (13.28 +/- 2.89 vs. 14.56 +/- 2.45). After correcting for age, C50 significantly outperformed C30 in all domains except concentration and verbal fluency. After additionally adjusting for education, C50 significantly outperformed C30 in declarative memory performances and abstract thinking only. Prevalence rates of MCI were 25.2% in C30 and 9.6% in C50 (p < 0.001). Our findings confirm the association between better educational attainment and enhanced cognitive performance in "younger" old individuals. While this association corresponds to the Flynn effect, various life course influences may have also contributed to better performance, including improvements in healthcare provision, medication, and lifestyle factors. Their overall effects may foster cognitive reserve and thus translate into the decline in MCI prevalence reported here.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    High contextual sensitivity of metaphorical expressions and gesture blending: A video event-related potential design
    (ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD, 2011) Ibanez, Agustin; Toro, Pablo; Cornejo, Carlos; Hurquina, Hugo; Manes, Facundo; Weisbrod, Matthias; Schroeder, Johannes
    Human communication in a natural context implies the dynamic coordination of contextual clues, paralinguistic information and literal as well as figurative language use. In the present study we constructed a paradigm with four types of video clips: literal and metaphorical expressions accompanied by congruent and incongruent gesture actions. Participants were instructed to classify the gesture accompanying the expression as congruent or incongruent by pressing two different keys while electrophysiological activity was being recorded. We compared behavioral measures and event related potential (ERP) differences triggered by the gesture stroke onset. Accuracy data showed that incongruent metaphorical expressions were more difficult to classify. Reaction times were modulated by incongruent gestures, by metaphorical expressions and by a gesture-expression interaction. No behavioral differences were found between the literal and metaphorical expressions when the gesture was congruent. N400-like and LPC-like (late positive complex) components from metaphorical expressions produced greater negativity. The N400-like modulation of metaphorical expressions showed a greater difference between congruent and incongruent categories over the left anterior region, compared with the literal expressions. More importantly, the literal congruent as well as the metaphorical congruent categories did not show any difference. Accuracy, reaction times and ERPs provide convergent support for a greater contextual sensitivity of the metaphorical expressions. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Neurological soft signs and brain morphology in people living with HIV
    (2022) Herold, Christina J.; Kong, Li; Ceballos, Maria Elena; Schroeder, Johannes; Toro, Pablo
    Neurological soft signs (NSS) are a common feature of severe psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia but are also prevalent in organic brain diseases like HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) or Alzheimer's disease. While distinct associations between NSS, neurocognition, and cerebral regions were demonstrated in schizophrenia, these associations still have to be elucidated in HIV. Therefore, we investigated 36 persons with HIV of whom 16 were neurocognitively healthy and 20 were diagnosed with HAND. NSS were assessed using the Heidelberg scale. NSS scores were correlated with gray matter (GM) using whole brain voxel-based morphometry. Results showed significantly elevated NSS in the HAND group when compared to the neurocognitively healthy with respect to NSS total score and the subscores "orientation" and "complex motor tasks". While the two groups showed only minor, non-significant GM differences, higher NSS scores (subscales "motor coordination", "orientation") were significantly correlated with GM reduction in the right insula and cerebellum (FWE-corrected). Our results corroborate elevated NSS in HIV+ patients with HAND in contrast to cognitively unimpaired patients. In addition, cerebral correlates of NSS with GM reductions in insula and cerebellum were revealed. Taken together, NSS in this patient group could be considered a marker of cerebral damage and neurocognitive deficits.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Physical Fitness as a Protective Factor for Cognitive Impairment in a Prospective Population-Based Study in Germany
    (IOS PRESS, 2011) Sattler, Christine; Erickson, Kirk I.; Toro, Pablo; Schroeder, Johannes
    To evaluate the predictive effects of subjective measures of physical activity (PA) and objective measures of physical fitness (PF) on dementia risk, participants of the prospective population-based ILSE-study (*1930-1932; 12-year follow-up) were examined at three examination waves (t1 : 1993/94; t2 : 1997/98; t3 : 2005/07). 381 subjects of the original cohort (n = 500) were re-examined at t3. 29% of the subjects who were cognitively healthy at baseline received the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 7% of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Subjects were screened for physical and mental health using medical interviews, physical, and neuropsychological examinations. Participants completed a questionnaire on their current and past PA at t1. Subjects were classified as physically active if they reported a regular sport activity for at least 2 hours per week in the past year. Muscular strength (handgrip) and motor coordination (balance) served as objective indicators of PF. Subjects who passed the balance-test at t1 had a reduced risk of developing MCI/AD at t3 (OR = 0.35, 95%CI 0.19-0.66, p < 0.01) and performed significantly better on various neuropsychological measures. Muscular strength or subjective reports of PA did not predict MCI/AD development. Our results confirm the hypothesis that PF acts as a protective factor for the development of cognitive disorders. In our study context, motor coordination served as a better predictor than muscular strength or self-rated PA. Since subjects with cognitive disorders due to cerebral and/or systemic disorders were excluded from the analyses, our findings suggest that the effect of skill-related PF extends beyond the reduction of cardiovascular risk factors.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Verbal fl uency in normal aging and cognitive decline: Results of a longitudinal study
    (2021) Frankenberg, Claudia; Weiner, Jochen; Knebel, Maren; Abulimiti, Ayimunishagu; Toro, Pablo; Herold, Christina J.; Schultz, Tanja; Schroeder, Johannes
    Verbal fluency -i.e. the ability to name as many words of a given category as possible in a defined time interval -is an integral part of neuropsychological test batteries for the diagnosis of dementia. Verbal fluency can be easily administered and thus may also be implemented in computerized dementia screening tests.