Executive Function

Low sexual satisfaction linked to memory decline later in life

Low sexual satisfaction in middle age may serve as an early warning sign for future cognitive decline, according to a new study. The study, which tracked associations between erectile function, sexual satisfaction and cognition in hundreds of men aged 56 through 68, found that declines in sexual sat...
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Study finds brain connectivity, memory improves in older adults after walking

Regular walks strengthen connections in and between brain networks, according to new research, adding to growing evidence linking exercise with slowing the onset of Alzheimer's disease. The study examined the brains and story recollection abilities of older adults with normal brain function and thos...
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People who live to be 90+ with superior thinking skills are resilient to Alzheimer's pathology in their brains

Researchers have discovered that the oldest-old, those who live to be 90+ and have superior cognitive skills, have similar levels of brain pathology as Alzheimer's patients, however, they also have less brain pathology of other neurodegenerative diseases that cause memory and thinking problems....
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Deep sleep may mitigate Alzheimer's memory loss

Deep sleep, also known as non-REM slow-wave sleep, can act as a 'cognitive reserve factor' that may increase resilience against a protein in the brain called beta-amyloid that is linked to memory loss caused by dementia.

Astrocyte dysfunction causes cognitive decline

People with dementia have protein build-up in astrocytes that may trigger abnormal antiviral activity and memory loss, according to a preclinical study.

Common infections linked to poorer cognitive performance in middle-aged and older adults

A new study found that signs of common infections in a sample of middle-aged and older adults were associated with poorer performance on a test of global cognitive function.

Parental perceived immigration threat and children’s mental health, self-regulation and executive functioning in pre-Kindergarten.

Many children in immigrant households endure unique stressors shaped by national, state, and local immigration policies and enforcement activity in the United States. Qualitative studies find that during times of heightened immigration enforcement, children as young as 3 years of age show signs of b...
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Suicidal ideation in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with mental health conditions at risk for homelessness.

Suicide prevention among Veterans is a national priority. Overlap exists between conditions that may increase risk for suicide (e.g., mental health conditions, financial stressors, lack of social support) and homelessness among Veterans. We examined predictors of variance in suicidal ideation (SI) a...
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A novel model of obesity prediction: Neurobehaviors as targets for treatment.

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic that is on the rise, with approximately 30% of the world population classified as either overweight or obese. The United States has some of the highest rates of obesity, and in most countries in the world, obesity now poses more of a serious health concern than malnut...
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The rodent lateral orbitofrontal cortex as an arbitrator selecting between model-based and model-free learning systems.

Our understanding of orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) function has progressed remarkably over the past decades in part due to theoretical advances in associative and reinforcement learning theories. These theoretical accounts of OFC function have implicated the region in progressively more psychologically...
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