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Rehabilitation engineering across the lifespan
Published in Alex Mihailidis, Roger Smith, Rehabilitation Engineering, 2023
Knowledge of cognitive abilities over the lifespan is evolving as new research becomes available. Cross-sectional studies have shown that specific cognitive abilities that reflect processing efficiency or effectiveness such as reasoning, spatial visualization, memory, and speed peak and decline nearly linearly from early adulthood (Salthouse 2010, 754–760; Salthouse 2012, 201–226). Cognitive abilities for previously acquired information such as knowledge and vocabulary appear to increase until at least about 60 years of age, after which decline is noted (Salthouse 2012, 201–226; Salthouse 2010, 754–760). While these lab-based assessments showing cognitive changes may suggest that increased age is related to lower functional levels in real life, this is not the case. Possible reasons for this observation are the greater dependence on knowledge and experience in carrying out daily activities and the unnecessary need to perform at maximum efficiency in everyday situations. The cognitive control of behaviors, or executive functions, integrates several components which reach maturity at different periods during the lifespan (De Luca and Leventer 2010, 57–90). During early adulthood and continuing through middle adulthood, components such as cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, working memory, and goal setting/problem solving are said to be at maturity (De Luca and Leventer 2010, 57–90).
VR-Based Assessment and Intervention of Cognitive Functioning after Stroke
Published in Christopher M. Hayre, Dave J. Muller, Marcia J. Scherer, Virtual Reality in Health and Rehabilitation, 2020
Pedro Gamito, Ágata Salvador, Jorge Oliveira, Teresa Souto, Ana Rita Conde, João Galhordas
Deficits in cognitive abilities such as attention, memory, and executive functioning are among the most frequent problems (Tang et al. 2018), conflicting with quality of life and treatment adherence (Cumming et al. 2013). Executive functions compose of a set of integrated skills that include problem solving, planning, shifting, updating, inhibition, self-monitoring, cognitive flexibility, and working memory (De Luca et al. 2016), being crucial for the everyday functioning through the performance of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) (Sadek et al. 2011). For example, finances, shopping, choosing clothes to wear, or preparing a meal, etc., are aspects that require proper executive functioning due to its cognitive complexity (Lezak et al. 2012). This means that stroke patients may show compromised ability in participating in meaningful activities and social relationships, affecting daily life activities. Therefore, assessing stroke's impact on cognitive functioning, but also on daily life activities, is essential to define a rehabilitation plan that seeks to improve the functional domains affected and to promote the returning to routines and the autonomy in everyday life activities (Bogdanova et al. 2016).
Whole Body Vibration, Cognition, and the Brain
Published in Redha Taiar, Christiano Bittencourt Machado, Xavier Chiementin, Mario Bernardo-Filho, Whole Body Vibrations, 2019
Eddy A. van der Zee, Marelle Heesterbeek, Oliver Tucha, Anselm B. M. Fuermaier, Marieke J. G. van Heuvelen
The aim of this chapter is to give an overview of current knowledge regarding the impact of WBV on cognition and the brain in animals and humans including putative underlying working mechanisms. Cognition is defined as mental processes of perception, information processing, learning and thinking. Important aspects are memory and executive functions like attention, planning, inhibition or working memory. WBV-induced cognitive effects can be established at three time points: (1) acute effects, which are measured during the exposure to WBV; (2) short-term effects, which are measured right after a single session of WBV; and (3) chronic or long-term effects, which are measured after a series of WBV sessions (e.g. three times a week for two months) and are suggested to last for some period of time. As the term cognition is often a less suitable term for animals we will instead refer to learning and memory performance in the findings from animal studies.
A Preliminary Study of Voicebot to Assist ADHD Children in Performing Daily Tasks
Published in International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 2023
Do Eun Park, Junghan Lee, Jeehyun Han, Jinwoo Kim, Yee Jin Shin
Defective executive function is the main characteristic of children with ADHD (Pennington & Ozonoff, 1996; Willcutt et al., 2005). Executive function refers to a conscious cognitive process that controls goal-directed thinking, behavior, and emotions (Zelazo & Carlson, 2012). It is an essential process in problem-solving and adaptive behavior in everyday life (Clark et al., 2002). The problem among children diagnosed with ADHD with executive function is not knowing what to do but doing what is to be done (Barkley, 1997). When defective executive function impairs the process of regulating behavior by internally represented forms of information, it is helpful to obtain an externalized form of information (Barkley, 2011, 2015). Particularly, the physical representation of information should be externalized at the time of performing the task (Barkley, 2011).
Media multitasking is linked to attentional errors, mind wandering and automatised response to stimuli without full conscious processing
Published in Behaviour & Information Technology, 2023
Myoungju Shin, Dimitar Taseski, Karen Murphy
Media multitasking, a concurrent use of multiple forms of media, is prevalent especially in adolescents and young adults (Matthews, Mattingley, and Dux 2022). Frequent multitasking with media has been linked to executive function deficits (Moisala et al. 2016), impulsivity (Shin, Webb, and Kemps 2019) and preference for immediate rewards at the expense of more beneficial future rewards (Schutten, Stokes, and Arnell 2017). Executive functions refer to a broad set of higher-order cognitive processes that allow individuals to regulate their thoughts and actions, and engage in goal-directed behaviour (Diamond 2013). One of the key executive functions is inhibitory control, the ability to focus one's attention, thoughts and actions to override impulses and select a behaviour that is consistent with goal achievement (Diamond 2013). Inhibitory control is positively associated with sustained attention, which refers to the ability to sustain or maintain one's attention on a task for a length of time (Robertson et al. 1997). This is because individuals with poor inhibitory control are often unable to focus on stimuli within a task, as they have difficulty suppressing stimuli (internal or external) that are irrelevant to the task (Barkley 1997).
Effects of physical activity interventions on cognitive outcomes and academic performance in adolescents and young adults: A meta-analysis
Published in Journal of Sports Sciences, 2020
Barbara Franca Haverkamp, Rikstje Wiersma, Karen Vertessen, Hanneke van Ewijk, Jaap Oosterlaan, Esther Hartman
Furthermore, the type of interventions that were delivered seem to differ between acute and chronic studies. In acute intervention studies only aerobic or resistance exercises were given, but in chronic studies also yoga and cognitively challenging exercises were given besides or instead of the aerobic exercises. In cognitively challenging interventions the motor-cognition network might play a role in the improvement of the executive functions. This network is supported by the recruitment of neural regions during performance of motor tasks, which are typically associated with cognitive operations such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the neo-cerebellum (Ludyga et al., 2016). During physical activity, cognition may or may not be challenged by performing (increasingly) difficult movements or by increasing rules or the number of objects to be handled in an exercise (Tomporowski et al., 2015). We assume that in particular these characteristics of exercises challenge the motor-cognition network and this might explain the different results found in working memory. There were too few studies to examine whether cognitively challenging interventions have a different effect on executive functions compared to other types of physical activity interventions, but results of meta-analyses in preadolescent children support this hypothesis (De Greeff et al., 2018; Vazou et al., 2019). In sum, chronic intervention studies seem more promising to improve working memory than acute interventions in adolescents, however, it is not clear what causes this difference.