Background Most evidence of target‐organ damage in hypertension (HTN) is related to the kidneys and heart. Cerebrovascular and cognitive impairment are less well studied. Therefore, this study analyzed changes in cognitive function in patients with different stages of hypertension compared to nonhypertensive controls. Methods and Results In a cross‐sectional study, 221 (71 normotensive and 150 hypertensive) patients were compared. Patients with hypertension were divided into 2 stages according to blood pressure (BP) levels or medication use (HTN‐1: BP, 140–159/90–99 or use of 1 or 2 antihypertensive drugs; HTN‐2: BP, ≥160/100 or use of ≥3 drugs). Three groups were comparatively analyzed: normotension, HTN stage 1, and HTN stage 2. The Mini–Mental State Examination, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and a validated comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests that assessed 6 main cognitive domains were used to determine cognitive function. Compared to the normotension and HTN stage‐1, the severe HTN group had worse cognitive performance based on Mini–Mental State Examination (26.8±2.1 vs 27.4±2.1 vs 28.0±2.0; P =0.004) or Montreal Cognitive Assessment (23.4±3.7 vs 24.9±2.8 vs 25.5±3.2; P Conclusions Cognitive impairment was more frequent in patients with hypertension, and this was related to hypertension severity.

Hypertension Severity Is Associated With Impaired Cognitive Performance.

B: Hypertension affects the target-organs diversely. Most evidence on target-organ damage in hypertension is related to kidney and heart. The cerebrovascular and cognitive impairment are less studied. O: To study the cognitive function changes in patients with hypertension on different stages compared to the control pairs and their correlation with the arterial stiffness properties assessed by non-invasive methods and cerebral circulation assessed by transcranial Doppler. M: In a cross sectional study 162 patients (42 controls and 120 hypertensive) were comparatively evaluated. Hypertensive patients were divided in three stages according to the blood pressure levels or medication use (HTN-1: BP 140-159/90-99 or use of one antihypertensive drug; HTN-2: BP 160-179/100-109 or use of two drugs and HTN-3: BP ≥180/110 or use of three or more drugs). The following variables were evaluated: pulse wave velocity, intima medial thickness, cerebral blood flow velocities by transcranial Doppler (TD) and cognitive function. Mean velocity of middle cerebral artery was continuously monitored at resting and during the breath holding test (30 seconds) and 3 minutes handgrip maneuver. Cognitive function was assessed by mini mental state examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment. R: Compared to control group, HTN-3 group was older, had higher BMI, IMT and PWV and lower educational level and family income (Table 1). Interestingly, the higher the hypertension stage the poorer was the performance in cognitive tests even after age correction. There was no difference among the groups related to TD velocities at rest and the hand-grip maneuver. However, it was noted a lower breath holding index in the hypertensive group (HTN-1=0.94±0.56; HTN-3=0.97±0.59 vs Control=1.5±0.68; p=0.002) which could infer less vasomotor reactivity in these patients. C: Cognitive impairment was more frequent in patients with hypertension and this frequency was related to hypertension severity.

Abstract 17612: Hypertension Severity is Associated With Impaired Cognitive Performance

The Boston Naming Test (BNT) (Kaplan, Goodglass, & Weintraub, 1983) is the most commonly used test of confrontation naming in neuropsychology (Rabin, Barr, & Burton, 2005). However, there are significant criticisms of the BNT which suggest that it might not be the assessment measure of choice. These criticisms are that the BNT has poor psychometric properties, is not adequately standardized, and has inadequate norms. It is further suggested that when considered in the context of contemporary conceptualizations of the neuropsychology of naming, the BNT does not adequately capture the processes known to be required for successful naming, and does not sample widely enough from the content domain of "naming". These criticisms suggest that the BNT is flawed as a measure of naming, and are discussed in detail in this review. Other stand-alone visual confrontation naming tasks are reviewed to evaluate whether any might be viable substitutes for the BNT in clinical neuropsychology. The Naming Test from the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (Stern & White, 2009) was identified as a possible alternative to the BNT, however, neither of these tests was designed with reference to models of the neuropsychology of naming, and development of a new test of naming is indicated.

Is the Boston Naming Test Still Fit For Purpose

Objective
The recognition of the limits between normal and pathological aging is essential to start preventive actions. The aim of this paper is to compare the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) and language tests to distinguish subtle differences in cognitive performances in two different age groups, namely young adults and elderly cognitively normal subjects.

/pdf/cantab-object-recognition-and-language-tests-to-detect-aging-dux3k4qw1m.pdf

CANTAB object recognition and language tests to detect aging cognitive decline: an exploratory comparative study.

The relationship between depression and cognitive impairment, frequent after stroke, is complex and has not been sufficiently elucidated. Objective: To review the relationship between post-stroke depression and cognitive impairment. Methods: We performed a PubMed database search spanning the last ten years, using the terms post-stroke depression, cognitive dysfunction, cognitive impairment and neuropsychological tests. Our target studies were original quantitative studies that investigated the relationship between post-stroke depression (PSD) and cognitive impairment in stroke patients. Articles published in English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese were considered. Selection criteria were the use of neuropsychological tests to assess cognitive function, and of either instruments to diagnose major depression, or scales to assess depressive symptoms, within the first three months after stroke. Results: Six original quantitative studies fulfilled the criteria. The prevalence of PSD within the first three months after stroke ranged from 22% to 31%. Incidence ranged from 25% to 27% and was evaluated in only two studies. PSD was associated with increased cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairment was reported in 35.2% to 87% of the patients. Post-stroke cognitive deficits were reported mostly in executive function, memory, language, and speed of processing. Conclusion: Executive dysfunction and depression occur in stroke survivors, are frequently coexistent, and also associated with worse stroke prognosis. Healthcare professionals need to address and provide adequate treatment for depression and executive dysfunctions in stroke patients early in the first three months after stroke. Future studies should evaluate the efficacy of programs evaluating the early detection and treatment of PSD and executive dysfunction in stroke survivors.

/pdf/association-among-depression-cognitive-impairment-and-4ximnaokk2.pdf

Association among depression, cognitive impairment and executive dysfunction after stroke

https://www.scielo.br/pdf/rbp/v32n3/aop0610.pdf

Development of an adapted version of the Boston Naming Test for Portuguese speakers.

In this study we examined differences in fMRI activation and deactivation patterns during episodic verbal memory encoding between individuals with MCI (n=18) and healthy controls (n=17). Participants were scanned in two different sessions during the application of self-initiated or directed instructions to apply semantic strategies at encoding of word lists. MCI participants showed reduced free recall scores when using self-initiated encoding strategies that were increased to baseline controls’ level after directed instructions were provided. During directed strategic encoding, greater recruitment of frontoparietal regions was observed in both MCI and control groups; group differences between sessions were observed in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the right superior frontal gyrus. This study provides evidence suggesting that differences of activity in these regions may be related to encoding deficits in MCI, possibly mediating executive functions during task performance.

/pdf/differences-in-prefrontal-cortex-activation-and-deactivation-1qmumba6lt.pdf

Differences in prefrontal cortex activation and deactivation during strategic episodic verbal memory encoding in mild cognitive impairment.

Objective: To present the development of an adapted version of the Boston Naming Test for Portuguese speakers, and to investigate the effects of age, education and gender on both the original and the adapted Boston Naming Test in respect of Brazilian Portuguese speakers. Method: Eighty items, including the 60 original ones and 20 adapted items were administered to 739 healthy Brazilian subjects aged between 6 and 77 years who received 0 to 17 years of education. Results: The coefficients of the General Linear Model estimation suggested that both age and education were statistically significant to predict total scores. In addition, score variances, justified by such predictors, were 41.20% in the original Boston Naming Test against 25.84% in the adapted Boston Naming Test. These results suggest that the scores from the original BNT are more dependent on age and education than those from the adapted Boston Naming Test. Conclusion: These findings demonstrated the suitability of the adapted Boston Naming Test version for the Brazilian population and described provisional norms for the original and adapted Boston Naming Test for Portuguese speakers.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Eliane_Miotto/publication/43352699_Development_of_an_adapted_version_of_the_Boston_Naming_Test_for_Portuguese_speakers/links/0deec52503d5bcef33000000.pdf

Development of an adapted version of the Boston Naming Test for Portuguese speakers Desenvolvimento de uma versão adaptada do Boston Naming Test para a língua portuguesa

Joao Sato

Papers

Development of an adapted version of the Boston Naming Test for Portuguese speakers.

Differences in prefrontal cortex activation and deactivation during strategic episodic verbal memory encoding in mild cognitive impairment.

Development of an adapted version of the Boston Naming Test for Portuguese speakers Desenvolvimento de uma versão adaptada do Boston Naming Test para a língua portuguesa