Desempenho cognitivo em diferentes níveis de escolaridade de adultos e idosos ativos

OBJETIVO: Comparar o desempenho cognitivo em diferentes níveis de escolaridade de indivíduos adultos e idosos praticantes de atividade física. MÉTODOS: Foram avaliados 122 indivíduos sem comprometimento cognitivo, idade entre 46 a 85 anos e escolaridade entre 1 a 15 anos, praticantes de atividade física há mais de 6 meses no Programa de Atividades Físicas e Recreativas para a Terceira Idade. Foi aplicada uma bateria de testes cognitivos para verificar as seguintes variáveis: memória de curto prazo, linguagem, aprendizagem, taxa de esquecimento e funções executivas. RESULTADOS: O teste de Kruskal-Wallis apontou diferenças entre os grupos, com diferentes níveis de escolaridade, apenas para a memória de curto prazo, sendo que o teste de U Mann Whitney demonstra diferença entre o grupo de menor escolaridade (1-4 anos) com o grupo de maior escolaridade (> 12 anos). CONCLUSÃO: Diante disso, sugere-se que adultos e idosos ativos, em diferentes níveis de escolaridade, apresentam um perfil cognitivo semelhante para os seguintes domínios cognitivos: linguagem, aprendizagem, taxa de esquecimento e funções executivas.

Conceptual spaces and consciousness: Integrating cognitive and affective processes

In the book Conceptual Spaces: the Geometry of Thought [2000] Peter Gärdenfors proposes a new framework for cognitive science. Complementary to symbolic and subsymbolic [connectionist] descriptions, conceptual spaces are semantic structures constructed from empirical data representing the universe of mental states. We argue that Gärdenfors' modeling can be used in consciousness research to describe the phenomenal conscious world, its elements and their intrinsic relations. The conceptual space approach affords the construction of a universal state space of human consciousness, where all possible kinds of human conscious states could be mapped. Starting from this approach, we discuss the inclusion of feelings and emotions in conceptual spaces, and their relation to perceptual and cognitive states. Current debate on integration of affect/emotion and perception/cognition allows three possible descriptive alternatives: emotion resulting from basic cognition; cognition resulting from basic emotion, and both as relatively independent functions integrated by brain mechanisms. Finding a solution for this issue is an important step in any attempt of successful modeling of natural or artificial consciousness. After making a brief review of proposals in this area, we summarize the essentials of a new model of consciousness based on neuro-astroglial interactions. © 2011 World Scientific Publishing Company.

Influência do exercício físico em memória e funções executivas de pessoas com doença de Parkinson

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Dança de salão, funções executivas e memória em idosos institucionalizados

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

O efeito do treino musical sobre a capacidade da memória operacional e da cognição numérica de crianças com discalculia do desenvolvimento

Pós-graduação em Psicologia do Desenvolvimento e Aprendizagem - FC

Funções neuropsicológicas executivas pós acidente vascular encefálico hemorrágico

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Avaliação psicológica de pessoas com HIV

Pós-graduação em Psicologia - FCLAS

Equilíbrio, funções executivas e quedas de idosos com demência de Alzheimer: um estudo longitudinal

Falls among older people is a major clinical problem due to its high incidence, with consequent implications for the health and care costs. Elderly patients with dementia of Alzheimer type (AD) are more susceptible to falls due to the impairment of executive functions and gait, with the risk of falls 3 times higher than non-demented elderly. This study used a longitudinal design and aimed to analyze the effects of a regular and systematized physical activity program on the frequency of falls in patients with AD. Additionally, we aimed to correlate the frequency of falls with the executive functions and equilibrium, after and before the physical activity program. The study included 21 patients with clinical diagnosis of AD, divided into two groups: control group (CG), composed of 11 subjects not engaged in any systematized physical activity and training group (TG): 10 seniors who participated in the Cinesioterapia Functional and Cognitive in Elderly with Alzheimer's disease program (PRO-CDA). The physical activity program lasted four months, with weekly frequency of three times, with each session lasting 60 minutes. Were administered the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) to assess cognitive functioning and global score of the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) to classify the severity of dementia. For the evaluation of executive functions were used the Clock Drawing Test (TDR) and Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). In addition, we used the Functional Balance Scale, Berg test (EEFB) and Timed Up-and-Go (TUG) to assess the equilibrium and risk of falls. Falls were recorded by means of a questionnaire, which included the number of falls in the last four months. Analyzing the results, it was observed that TG obtained significant improvements in equilibrium and in executive functions, highlighting the beneficial effects of physical activity in these variables... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Efeitos do Square Stepping Exercise nas capacidades funcionais e funções executivas em frequentadores do Centro do Idoso de Rio Claro - SP

With aging process, there is a natural biological decline that eventually may lead to a functional and cognitive decrease. It is important that older people preserve these functions so they can live an independent life. Some declines in old people who attend Geriatric Day-Care tend to be more severe and recurrent. The Square Stepping Exercise (SSE) is a program created by Shigematsu & Okura (2006), in order to improve the balance of its practitioners, thereby decreasing the risk of falls. It is also believed that the SSE stimulates cognition, and thus, executive functions. The present study, with a longitudinal design, evaluated the effects of SSE in balance performance and executive functions of elderly from the “Centro-Dia do Idoso Padre Casagrande” from Rio Claro – SP. A group of 15 people (GT, n = 15), which performed a four month SSE intervention, and a control group (GC; n = 17) answered the following evaluations.: Questionnaire Registration Data and Anamnesis, Questionnaire Baeck Modified for Elderly, Mini-Mental State Examination, Modified Card Sorting Test, Geriatric Depressive Scale, Questionnaire Pfeffer for Instrumental Activities, Berg Balance Scale and Time Up and Go Test. Although significant improvements have not been observed in GT, the results showed a decline in instrumental activities performance in GC, as well as maintenance in executive functions and balance, and also an improvement in depressive symptoms in GT. This way, Square Stepping Exercise can be considered an activity that helps maintaining functional capacity, among them balance, and executive function in elderly people.