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Objectives: Children with functional abdominal pain (FAP) frequently report comorbid complaints such as anxiety and activity limitations. Their parents often experience heightened levels of anxiety, depression, and somatization. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether these comorbid complaints in children and their parents are specific for FAP or can also be found in a community sample., Patients and Methods: Six hundred sixty-five schoolchildren (ages 7-18 years) filled out questionnaires concerning AP, activity limitations, somatic complaints, quality of life, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. A total of 391 of their parents filled out questionnaires concerning parental anxiety, depression, and somatization. Pearson correlations and multiple regression analyses were performed., Results: A total of 56.5% of the children reported AP at least once in a 2-week period. Univariate relations with AP were found for activity limitations (r = 0.392), somatic complaints (r = 0.408), 3 of 5 domains of quality of life (r ranging from -0.120 to -0.209), and symptoms of anxiety and depression (r, respectively, 0.329 and 0.361). Multivariate analyses showed only significant relations for female sex (β = 0.230), younger age (β = -0.077), activity limitations (β = 0.247), somatic complaints (β = 0.170), and depressive symptoms (β = 0.093)., Conclusions: Activity limitations, somatic complaints, and depressive symptoms are related to AP in the general population, whereas a reduced quality of life, anxiety, and parental internalizing problems seem specific comorbid complaints for FAP. Future research on parental internalizing problems, quality of life, and anxiety as risk factors for FAP is warranted.

Objective: To determine whether endogenous sex hormone levels are associated with cognitive functioning in men., Methods: Cognitive performance was assessed in 400 independently living men between ages 40 and 80 in a population-based cross-sectional study. Compound scores were calculated for memory function, processing capacity/speed, and executive function. The Mini-Mental State Examination was used as a measure of global cognitive function. The adjusted association of testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) (total, bioavailable) with neuropsychological test scores in the total group and in subgroups was assessed by linear and logistic regression analysis., Results: Curvilinear associations were observed between T and memory performance and processing capacity/speed, suggesting optimal sex hormone levels. No association between E2 and cognitive functioning was found. After the population was subdivided into four age decades, a linear association of T with cognitive functioning in the oldest age category remained. No association was found in the other age decades. Lower bioavailable T levels were associated with lower scores on processing capacity/speed and executive function; beta (95% CI) values were 0.36 (0.07 to 0.66) and 0.17 (-0.01 to 0.35). Similar results were observed for total T., Conclusions: Higher testosterone (T) levels are associated with better cognitive performance in the oldest age category. Apparent curvilinear associations between T and certain cognitive functions in men suggest an optimal hormone level for particular cognitive tasks and are explained by linear associations in the oldest age category.

Objective: To evaluate the prognostic value of domain-specific cognitive abilities in acute stroke with respect to long-term cognitive and functional outcome in addition to neurologic and demographic predictors., Methods: The authors evaluated 168 patients within the first 3 weeks after first-ever stroke. The prevalence of neuropsychological impairment was calculated vs 75 matched healthy controls. The authors also recorded demographic data, vascular risk factors, lesion characteristics, and clinical factors at admission. Independent predictor variables associated with long-term cognitive impairment (assessed with a follow-up neuropsychological examination) and functional impairment (assessed with the modified Barthel Index and the Frenchay Activities Index) were identified with stepwise multiple logistic regression. Areas under receiver operator characteristic curves were used to compare the predictive value of three models, i.e., a standard medical model, a purely cognitive model, and a model consisting of both medical and cognitive predictors., Results: Thirty-one percent of patients showed long-term cognitive impairment. Basic and instrumental ADL disturbances remained present in 19% and 24% of patients. Domain-specific cognitive functioning predicted cognitive and functional outcome better than any other variable. Moreover, the prediction of instrumental ADL functioning improved when cognitive predictors were added to the standard medical model (p < 0.05). Impairments in abstract reasoning and executive functioning were independent predictors of long-term cognitive impairment. Inattention and perceptual disorders were more important in predicting long-term functional impairment., Conclusion: Domain-specific cognitive abilities in the early phase of stroke are excellent independent predictors of long-term cognitive and functional outcome.

We explored the ability of congenitally totally blind people (who were contrasted with age-, sex- and education matched blindfolded sighted subjects) to perform tasks which are mediated by visual mental imagery in sighted people. In the first (pictorial) task, subjects had to mentally compare the shape of the outline of three named objects and to indicate the odd-one-out. In the second (spatial) task the participants were asked to memorise the position of a target cube in two- and three-dimensional matrices, based on a sequence of spatially based imagery operations. In addition, during half of the trials of both imagery tasks subjects were required to perform a concurrent finger tapping task, to investigate whether the blind subjects would be more dependent on spatial processing. Although blind participants made significantly more errors than sighted participants, they were well able to perform the spatial imagery task as well as the pictorial imagery task. Interference from the concurrent tapping task affected both groups to the same extent. Our results shed new light on the question whether early visual experience is necessary for performance on visual imagery tasks, and strongly suggest that vision and haptics may share common representations.

Objective: At a minimum of 6 months after their stroke, 16 single supratentorial lacunar infarct (SSLI) patients and 16 controls underwent neuropsychological testing. After 6 months, neuropsychological testing was repeated to investigate the robustness and validity of the initial test results., Background: An SSLI can cause subtle cognitive disturbances, which could explain the decrease in quality of life often observed in patients with these lesions. It is unclear at which stage after the occurrence of neurologic deficit possible neuropsychological impairment can be interpreted as chronic and at what moment neuropsychological testing can best be performed., Method: Patients and controls were administered a specifically developed neuropsychological test battery that included 14 standardized tasks tapping the main cognitive domains. Differences in test-performances between the groups were analyzed by parametric statistics., Results: At both examinations, similar abnormalities were found on five demanding neuropsychological tasks (language, concept shifting, abstraction, incidental memory, and verbal fluency), suggesting a generalized energetic deficiency., Conclusions: This long-term follow-up study showed evidence of subtle neurocognitive deficits after the occurrence of an SSLI, which are robust after 6 months. These mild cognitive disturbances may explain the decrease in quality of life that patients with an SSLI often experience.

In a sham-controlled design (n = 12), slow repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) was applied to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for 20 min, and the subsequent effects on mood and the EEG spectrum were investigated, Analysis revealed a significant left hemisphere increase in EEG theta activity at 25-35 and 55-65 min after stimulation. In addition, participants reported significant decrease in anxiety immediately after stimulation, as well as 35 and 65 min after rTMS. These findings indicate that reductions in anxiety after slow rTMS at the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex are associated with a contralateral increase in theta activity.

It was the purpose of this experiment to study interference effects of colour or luminance peripheral flicker (in order to saturate either the parvocellular or the magnocellular stream) on object identity and spatial location memory. Colour flicker interfered with object identity recognition, whereas luminance flicker affected memory for spatial location. Moreover, overall performance was worse if coloured rather than grey-scaled objects were used in the stimulus display. There was no selective effect of coloured flicker affecting coloured objects and chromatic flicker affecting chromatic objects. These results provide strong evidence for the theoretical position that the what pathway relies heavily on information derived from the P stream and the where pathway on the M stream.