We evaluated the association between nutritional status and cognitive functioning in 260 noninstitutionalized men and women older than 60 years who had no known physical illnesses and were receiving no medications Nutritional status was evaluated by three-day food records and also by biochemical determination of blood levels of specific nutrients Cognitive status was evaluated by the Halstead-Reitan Categories Test (a nonverbal test of abstract thinking ability) and by the Wechsler Memory Test Subjects with low blood levels of vitamins C or B 12 scored worse on both tests Subjects with low levels of riboflavin or folic acid scored worse on the categories test These differences remained significant after controlling for age, gender, level of income, and amount of education "Subclinical" malnutrition may play a small role in the depression of cognitive function detectable in some elderly individuals, or depressed cognitive function may result in reduced nutrient intake ( JAMA 1983;249:2917-2921)

Association between nutritional status and cognitive functioning in a healthy elderly population

Aging, plasticity and environmental enrichment: structural changes and neurotransmitter dynamics in several areas of the brain.

Objective: Self-reported sleep disturbances are present in over 80% of patients with depression. However, sleep electroencephalography (EEG) findings, based on overnight polysomnography have not always differentiated depressed patients from healthy individuals. Method: The present paper will review the findings on sleep EEG studies in depression highlighting how recent technological and methodological advances have impacted on study outcomes. Results: The majority of studies, including our own work, do indicate that sleep homeostasis and sleep EEG rhythms are abnormal in depression, but the sleep disturbances were strongly moderated by gender and age. Melancholic features of depression correlated significantly with low slow-wave activity in depressed men, but not in depressed women. Women with depression showed low temporal coherence of sleep EEG rhythms but the presence or absence of melancholic features did not influence correlations. Conclusion: Diagnostic classification schemas and clinical features of depression may influence sleep EEG findings, but gender may be a more important consideration.

/pdf/sleep-and-circadian-rhythms-in-mood-disorders-37y8arg675.pdf

Sleep and circadian rhythms in mood disorders

Adolescence is marked by dramatic changes in sleep. Older adolescents go to bed later, have an increased preference for evening activities, and sleep less than younger adolescents. This behavior change is driven by external factors, notably increased pressures from academic, social, and extracurricular activities and by biological circadian factors. There are also substantial changes in sleep architecture across adolescence, with dramatic declines in slow wave sleep, and slow wave activity (delta, ~ 0.5–4.5 Hz). These changes are associated with underlying changes in brain structure and organization, with a decrease in synaptic density likely underlying the reduction in high amplitude slow waveforms. While changes in sleep across adolescence are a normal part of development, many adolescents are getting insufficient sleep and are consequently, less likely to perform well at school, more likely to develop mood-related disturbances, be obese, and are at greater risk for traffic accidents, alcohol and drug abuse.

/pdf/changes-in-sleep-as-a-function-of-adolescent-development-44gunppmki.pdf

Kalidas Nandy

Papers

The Aging Brain and Senile Dementia