New and Noteworthy Information—August 2017
Brain Training Shows Little Benefit
Commercial brain training with Lumosity has no effect on decision making or cognitive function beyond practice effects on training tasks, according to a study published online ahead of print July 10 in the Journal of Neuroscience. Researchers tested whether training executive cognitive function could influence choice behavior and brain responses. In a randomized controlled trial, 128 young adults (71 male) participated in 10 weeks of training with either a commercial web-based cognitive training program or web-based video games that do not specifically target executive function or adapt the level of difficulty throughout training. The participants also completed a series of cognitive tests that were not part of the training. Although both groups showed improvement, commercial brain training did not lead to more improvement than online video games did.
Kable JW, Caulfield MK, Falcone M, et al. No effect of commercial cognitive training on neural activity during decision-making. J Neurosci. 2017 Jul 10 [Epub ahead of print].
Sense of Purpose Linked to Better Sleep
A higher level of meaning and purpose in life among older adults is associated with better sleep quality and appears to protect against symptoms of sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome (RLS), according to a study published online ahead of print July 10 in Sleep Science and Practice. Included in this study were 825 nondemented older African Americans (n = 428) and whites (n = 397), from the Minority Aging Research Study and the Rush Memory and Aging Project. Participants completed a 32-item questionnaire assessing sleep quality and symptoms of sleep apnea, RLS, and REM sleep behavior disorder. Longitudinal follow-up data indicated that higher levels of purpose in life were associated with lower risk of sleep apnea at baseline, one-year follow-up, and two-year follow-up, and with reduced RLS symptoms at one-year and two-year follow-up.
Turner AD, Smith CE, Ong JC. Is purpose in life associated with less sleep disturbance in older adults? Sleep Sci Pract. 2017 July 10 [Epub ahead of print].
Can Breastfeeding Reduce MS Risk in Mothers?
Mothers who breastfeed longer may be at lower subsequent risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study published online ahead of print July 12 in Neurology. Researchers recruited women with newly diagnosed MS or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and matched controls into the MS Sunshine Study from the membership of Kaiser Permanente Southern California. An in-person questionnaire was administered to collect behavioral and biologic factors to calculate ovulatory years. Among women who had live births, a cumulative duration of breastfeeding for 15 months or more was associated with a reduced risk of MS and CIS (adjusted odds ratio, 0.47). Being age 15 or older at menarche also was associated with a lower risk of MS and CIS (adjusted odds ratio, 0.56).
Langer-Gould A, Smith JB, Hellwig K, et al. Breastfeeding, ovulatory years, and risk of multiple sclerosis. Neurology. 2017 July 12 [Epub ahead of print].
Does Added Weight Increase Survival After Stroke?
People who are overweight or mildly obese survive strokes at a higher rate, compared with people of normal body weight, according to a study published June 24 in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Participants from the Framingham Heart Study were followed for as long as 10 years, with BMI measured prior to their strokes. Researchers compared all-cause mortality in participants stratified by prestroke weight. Separate analyses were performed for ischemic stroke and all stroke and for age-, sex-, and BMI category-matched stroke-free controls. There were 782 stroke cases and 2,346 controls. The association of reduced mortality with BMI of 25 or higher, compared with BMI of 18.5 to less than 25, was pronounced among ischemic stroke cases, but diminished with inclusion of hemorrhagic strokes.
Aparicio HJ, Himali JJ, Beiser AS, et al. Overweight, obesity, and survival after stroke in the Framingham Heart Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2017;6(6).
Poor Sleep Linked to CSF Biomarkers
Self-reported poor sleep is associated with greater Alzheimer’s disease-related pathology in cognitively healthy adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study published online ahead of print July 5 in Neurology. Researchers investigated the relationship between sleep quality and CSF Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers in a cohort enriched for parental history of sporadic Alzheimer’s disease. In all, 101 participants completed sleep assessments and CSF collection and were cognitively normal. CSF was assayed for biomarkers of amyloid metabolism and plaques, tau pathology, neuronal and axonal degeneration, neuroinflammation and astroglial activation, and synaptic dysfunction and degeneration. Worse subjective sleep quality, more sleep problems, and daytime somnolence were associated with greater Alzheimer’s disease pathology, indicated by lower CSF Aβ42/Aβ40 and higher t-tau/Aβ42, p-tau/Aβ42, MCP-1/Aβ42, and YKL-40/Aβ42.
