Academic literature on the topic '(deficit) cognitive function'

The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Longitudinal Studies of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) evaluated and followed a large sample of both boys and girls with ADHD and controls without ADHD, along with their families, ascertained from psychiatric and pediatric sources. These studies documented that ADHD in both sexes is associated with high levels of persistence onto adulthood; high levels of familiality with ADHD and other psychiatric disorders; a wide range of comorbid psychiatric and cognitive disorders including mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders; learning disabilities with reading and math; executive function deficits; emotional dysregulation and autistic traits; as well as educational, social, and occupational dysfunctions. The MGH studies also suggested that stimulant treatment significantly decreased the risk of developing comorbid psychiatric disorders, substance use disorders, and impaired functional outcomes. The studies also documented the neural basis of the persistence of ADHD using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Cognitive disturbances are ubiquitous in neurologic and psychiatric disorders. Schizophrenia, depression, developmental disorders, acquired brain disorders (traumatic brain injury and stroke), and neurodegenerative disorders all have cognitive impairment as a manifestation. Cognitive enhancers can improve intellectual function and have been approved for Alzheimer’s dementia, dementia of Parkinson’s disease, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Cognitive enhancers are being developed for other cognitive disorders. There are many advantages for development of symptomatic cognitive enhancers compared to disease-modifying agents. Cognitive enhancers typically modulate transmitter systems. Cross-disease phenotypes such as executive function impairment may represent a development strategy for cognitive enhancing agents. Life cycle management strategies for cognitive enhancers include expanding indications to disorders with related pathophysiology or to different stages of disease severity and development of alternate formulations. Cognitive enhancers can restore essential cognitive capability and are a critical element of optimal care of patients with neurologic and psychiatric disorders.

The prevalence of cognitive impairment caused by neurodegenerative diseases and other neurologic disorders associated with aging is expected to rise dramatically between now and year 2050, when the population of Americans aged 65 or older will nearly double. Cognitive impairment also commonly occurs in other neurologic conditions, as well as in non-neurologic medical disorders (and their treatments), idiopathic psychiatric illnesses, and adult neurodevelopmental disorders. Cognitive impairment can thus infiltrate all aspects of healthcare, making it necessary for clinicians and clinical researchers to have an integrated knowledge of the spectrum of adult cognitive disorders. The Oxford Handbook of Adult Cognitive Disorders is meant to serve as an up-to-date, scholarly, and comprehensive volume covering most diseases, conditions, and injuries resulting in impairments in cognitive function in adults. Topics covered include normal cognitive and brain aging, the impact of medical disorders (e.g., cardiovascular, liver, pulmonary) and psychiatric illnesses (e.g., depression and bipolar disorder) on cognitive function, adult neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., Down Syndrome, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), as well as the various neurological conditions (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, concussion). A section of the Handbook is also dedicated to unique perspectives and special considerations for the clinicians and clinical researchers, covering topics such as cognitive reserve, genetics, diversity, and neuroethics. The target audience of this Handbook includes: (1) clinicians, particularly psychologists, neuropsychologists, neurologists (including behavioral and cognitive neurologists), geriatricians, and psychiatrists (including neuropsychiatrists), who provide clinical care and management for adults with a diverse range of cognitive disorders; (2) clinical researchers who investigate cognitive outcomes and functioning in adult populations; and (3) graduate level students and post-doctoral trainees studying psychology, clinical neuroscience, and various medical specialties.

Chapter 3 discusses aspects of normal and abnormal language function, followed by a brief description of disorders of calculation (acalculia) and of higher-order motor control (apraxia). The second half of the chapter deals with disturbed right hemisphere functions: neglect phenomena, dressing and constructional apraxia, and complex visuo-perceptual deficits (agnosias).

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are common neurodevelopmental disorders. Impairments in attention and executive functions are core characteristics of ADHD. ASD is primarily characterized by severe deficits in social communication, but cognitive impairments are common, including in attention and executive functions. Currently, there is only limited evidence for efficacy of either pharmacological or behavioral interventions for the treatment of the cognitive deficits associated with the disorders. This chapter presents the current evidence base for cognitive enhancements for ADHD and ASD. It summarizes evidence from available and experimental pharmacological interventions, as well as behavioral, cognitive, and psychosocial interventions. The chapter also discusses the limitations of current tools and future directions.

Chapter 5 covers testing cognitive function at the bedside, and how the first part of the examination should assess distributed cognitive functions; deficits in these indicate damage to particular brain systems, but not to focal areas of one hemisphere. The second part of the assessment should deal with more localized functions, divided into those associated with the dominant (i.e. the left side, in right-handers) and non-dominant hemispheres.

This chapter explores the second component of assessment in patients with suspected cognitive dysfunction: testing cognitive function at the bedside. The first part of the examination should assess distributed cognitive functions, notably orientation and attention, episodic and semantic memory, and frontal executive function (initiation in the form of verbal fluency, abstraction, response inhibition, and set shifting); deficits in these indicate damage to particular brain systems, but not to focal areas of one hemisphere. The second part of the assessment deals with localized functions, divided into those associated with the dominant (i.e. the left side, in right-handers) and non-dominant hemispheres. The former relates largely to tests of spoken language with supplementary tests of reading, writing, calculation, and praxis when applicable. Testing right hemisphere function focuses on neglect (personal and extrapersonal), visuospatial and constructional abilities, and the agnosias including object and face agnosia.