Activation of the cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA) pathway has been proposed as a mechanism for improving age-related cognitive deficits based on studies of hippocampal function. However, normal aging also afflicts prefrontal cortical cognitive functioning. Here, we report that agents that increase PKA activity impair rather than improve prefrontal cortical function in aged rats and monkeys with pre...

The present paper reports a pilot study which tested cognitive effects of mindfulness practice in a theory-driven approach. Thirty-four fifth graders received either a mindfulness training which was based on the mindfulness-based stress reduction approach (experimental group), a concentration training (active control group), or no treatment (passive control group). Based on the operational defi...

Glossary Cognitive control – The organization of thoughts, behaviors, and emotions to achieve selected goals. Conflict – The cognitive state that arises from competition between different behavioral options when only one option may be selected. Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex – An area of the prefrontal cortex that comprises Brodmann’s areas 9 and 46 and that subserves working memory and topdown...

Impairments in executive functioning have been identified as an underlying cause of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Obsessive patients attempt to suppress certain unwanted thoughts through a mechanism that Wegner referred to as 'chronic thought suppression', whereas compulsive patients are unable to inhibit their rituals. We tested 51 OCD patients using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive ...

PURPOSE Cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury causes hippocampal apoptosis and cognitive impairment, and the dysfunction of gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) may contribute to the cognitive impairment. We aim to examine the impact of cerebral I/R injury on cognitive impairment, the role of GJIC dysfunction in the rat hippocampus and the involvement of the phosphatidylinositol...

BACKGROUND Cognitive control (also known as executive function) encompasses mental processes that underlie goal-directed behavior, and it enables us to adjust our behavior according to changing environmental demands. Previous research among children has demonstrated that aerobic fitness and obesity have contrasting and selective effects on cognitive control. However, the relationship between wa...

BACKGROUND A depressive state is a common symptom in the elderly and often accompanies cognitive impairment. The coexistence of depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment is a serious problem, as it increases adverse outcomes for health, functional status, and mortality. It would thus be of great value to clarify the cognitive dysfunction associated with depressive symptoms. We aimed to ident...

The prevalence of age-related cognitive decline will increase due to graying of the global population. The goal of the present study was to test whether playing online cognitive training games can improve cognitive control (CC) in healthy older adults. Fifty-four older adults (age 60-77) played five different cognitive training games online for 30 min a day over a period of seven weeks (game gr...

This study explores the precursors of employees' safety behaviors based on a dual-process model, which suggests that human behaviors are determined by both controlled and automatic cognitive processes. Employees' responses to a self-reported survey on safety attitudes capture their controlled cognitive process, while the automatic association concerning safety measured by an Implicit Associatio...

The present study is the first to assess whether the neural correlates of cognitive control processes differ in adults with and without a behaviorally inhibited temperament during early childhood. Adults with and without childhood behavioral inhibition completed an emotional conflict task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning. While no group differences in behavior wer...