Abstract Objective: We evaluated performance-based differences in neuropsychological functioning in older adults (age 65+) across the dementia continuum (cognitively intact, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia) according to recent cannabis use (past six months). Method: A sample of 540 older adults from a well-characterized observational cohort was included for analysis. Participants...
Objective: Responsive neurostimulation (RNS) is a surgical intervention to reduce the frequency of seizures as an adjunctive therapy for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). Presurgical neuropsychological evaluations capture symptoms of anxiety and depression, which occur in higher rates within the epilepsy population than in the general population; however, the effects of mood are...
Objective: To determine the effects of the non-classic psychedelic, ibogaine, on cognitive functioning. Ibogaine is an indole alkaloid derived from the Tabernanthe Iboga plant family, indigenous to Africa, and traditionally used in spiritual and healing ceremonies. Ibogaine has primarily been studied with respect to its clinical efficacy in reducing substance addiction. There are, however,...
Abstract & Learning Objectives:For millenniums, mindfulness was believed to diminish pain by reducing the influence of self-appraisals of noxious sensations. Today, mindfulness meditation is a highly popular and effective pain therapy that is believed to engage multiple, nonplacebo-related mechanisms to attenuate pain. Recent evidence suggests that mindfulness meditation-induced pain relief is...
Abstract Objective: The U.S. population is aging and increasing numbers of older adults are using cannabis. Cognitive decline is common in older age and subjective memory complaints (SMC) have been associated with increased risk for dementia. While residual cognitive effects of cannabis use at younger ages are well understood, the links between cannabis use and cognition in older adults is less...
Given the different goals of recreational cannabis users and medical patients, which drive cannabis product choice and use patterns, it is likely that those who use cannabis for medical purposes may experience differential effects on cognition. Potential moderators of cannabis-related effects One explanation for inconsistencies in the literature regarding neurocognitive effects of cannabis is...
Abstract Objective: Cannabis use has increased dramatically across the country; however, few studies have assessed the long-term impact of medical cannabis (MC) use on cognition. Studies examining recreational cannabis users generally report cognitive decrements, particularly in those with adolescent onset. As MC patients differ from recreational consumers in motives for use, product selection,...
Abstract Objectives: Previous research suggests recovery from cannabis-related deficits in verbal learning and memory functioning after periods of cannabis abstinence in adolescents. Here, we examine how cannabis cessation affects cognitive performance over 2 weeks of monitored abstinence compared to controls in adolescents and young adults. Methods: Seventy-four participants (35 cannabis...
Objectives: Aging is associated with declines in performance on certain laboratory tasks of attentional control. However, older adults tend to report greater mindful, present-moment attention and less mind-wandering (MW) than young adults. For older adults, high levels of these traits may be protective for attentional performance. This study examined age-related differences in global (i.e.,...
Although blind people heavily depend on working memory to manage daily life without visual information, it is not clear yet whether their working memory processing involves functional reorganization of the memory-related cortical network. To explore functional reorganization of the cortical network that supports various types of working memory processes in the early blind, we investigated...
Neuropsychological disturbances have been reported in association with use of the recreational drug "ecstasy," or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), but findings have been inconsistent. We performed comprehensive neuropsychological testing examining seven ability domains in 21 MDMA users (MDMA+) and 21 matched control participants (MDMA-). Among MDMA+ participants, median [interquartile...
Inner Presence: Consciousness as a Biological Phenomenon, by Antti Revonsuo. 2006. Cambridge, Massachusetts, MIT Press, 473 pp., $55.00 (HB). In his Prologue, Antti Revonsuo describes the main task of his book: “To depict a biological research program on consciousness.” (pg. xviii). He is interested in drawing upon proven research strategies to describe how we can study consciousness from a...