Search

The article presents the results of theoretical, psychological and pedagogical research on the effectiveness of management of cognitive activity of students of higher educational institutions in the conditions of quarantine and coronavirus epidemics. The notion of postmodern model of education as a mixed type of pedagogical technologies of education and with orientation on educational and professional needs of students is substantiated. The postmodern model of teaching is described through the actualization of the creative potential of the pedagogical process, while preserving the classical educational paradigm. Peculiarities of students' cognitive activity management in the postmodern model of education are analyzed. Important personal and motivational characteristics of the student as a subject of educational activity in the process of his professionalization are reflected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This cross‐sectional study aimed to examine the association of the combined engagement in cognitive activity (CA) and physical activity (PA) with domain‐specific cognition in community‐dwelling older adults. Methods: We analysed data from 3192 dementia‐free participants aged ≥50 years in the Shanghai Aging Study. CA was assessed using Shanghai Cognitive Activities Scale. PA was determined based on questionnaires and further transformed into metabolic equivalent values. We used multivariate linear and logistic regression models to estimate the β and odds ratio of CA, PA, or combined CA and PA and each neuropsychological test. Results: A high level of CA was associated with a better performance in most of the tests, except for the conflicting instructions task (CIT) and stick test (ST). In contrast, PA displayed no significant associations with any test. Engagement in high CA and high PA was associated with the best performance in Mini‐Mental State Examination, recall in ST, categorisation in Modified Common Objects Sorting Test (MCOST), immediate recall, delayed recall, and recognition in Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Participants with "high CA and low PA" had the lowest risk of impairment in Go/No‐Go correct tapping in CIT, rotate in ST, item naming, and category naming in MCOST, Trail Making Test (TMT)‐A, and TMT‐B. Conclusions: Our study suggests that engagement in both high CA and high PA may be the most efficacious way to maintain various domains of cognition. A higher level of CA may help to preserve cognition among older individuals who have difficulties in performing PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Potentially modifiable dementia risk factors include diet and physical and cognitive activity. However, there is a paucity of scales to quantify cognitive activities. To address this, we developed the Cognitive & Leisure Activity Scale (CLAS). Methods: The CLAS was validated in 318 consecutive individuals with and without cognitive impairment. Psychometric properties were compared with sample characteristics, disease stage, and etiology. Results: The CLAS has very good data quality (Cronbach alpha: 0.731; 95% confidence interval: 0.67-0.78). CLAS scores correlated with gold standard measures of cognition, function, physical functionality, behavior, and caregiver burden. CLAS scores were positively correlated with other resilience factors (eg, diet, physical activity) and negatively correlated with vulnerability factors (eg, older age, frailty). Discussion: The CLAS is a brief inventory to estimate dosage of participation in cognitive activities. The CLAS could be used in clinical care to enhance cognitive activity or in research to estimate dosage of activities prior to an intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article substantiates the peculiarities of the implementation of the method of ecological projects as one of the effective ways of organizing the cognitive activity of students-ecologists. Features of creation of ecological projects are resulted. The structure of the ecological project and its implementation in the organization of project activity in the process of training students of ecologists is revealed. The authors prove the effectiveness of the application of the method of ecological projects in the formation of cognitive activity of students-ecologists. The project method is a means of effective and high-quality development of scientific creativity of students of ecology. During the project activity, future specialists acquire the following skills and abilities: independently find a way to acquire knowledge, obtain the necessary information, offer several options for solving the problem, put forward their own hypothesis, identify environmental problems. Ecology students develop a desire for scientific creativity and self-study. They apply knowledge in practice. using the basics of project activities. The project method allows the student-ecologist to rise to a higher level of scientific development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Gerontologie und Geriatrie is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The development of intellectual capital at the macro- and mesoscale is the main tool for the transition of the economy to a progressive sixth technological mode, and at the level of an individual organization it ensures its stable position and high competitiveness in the market. However, training and educating its applications are of a great importance. A prerequisite for an effective implementation of this process is the formation of a systemic idea about the phenomenon of intellectual capital, the composition of its elements, the sequence of stages and the necessary conditions for its formation. To solve this problem, the article proposes to use a categorical-system methodology, in particular, the method of “categorical series”. Using the method, the analysis and a comprehensive description of intellectual capital development within the categories of the subject area is performed. The main characteristics of cognitive activity at various stages of intellectual capital development are determined. An ontological model of intellectual capital, which is based on the comparison of concept pairs in accordance with the nature of the contradictions developing between them, is proposed. Application of the model makes it possible to determine some promising areas for the development of intellectual capital, taking into account available resources, as well as to formulate the requirements for the composition of resources to obtain a certain type of intellectual capital. A further prospect of the obtained model use is the development of a full-fledged scientific theory of intellectual capital, including, in addition to its constituent element description, the determination of their formation stage sequence and the mechanism of their interaction. The use of this theory will make it possible to implement effective managerial influences on intellectual capital in order to increase the level of its systemic and organizational complexity. The presented results can be applied in legislative activity and in the development of program documents of the Government and the constituent entities of the Federation aimed at the Russian economy change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of normative competence is essential in education for sustainability, because with it students learn to include or discard values and principles from an ethical foundation of justice, equity and responsibility. For this article, the formation of this competence was investigated in 22 students of the Biology career, in a public university of Mexico City, in a 12-week environmental planning course in which low resource aquaculture farms are analyzed to make their production sustainable. It was found that several students advanced towards their training by grounding their practice on ethical principles and established theoretical assumptions. There were also detected deficiencies that it is suggested to overcome through the establishment of a pedagogic practice structured by a system of nuclear tasks called environmental empathy, articulation of learning, cognitive activity, transactional and promotion of self-regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Social engagement may be an important protective resource for cognitive aging. Some evidence suggests that time spent with friends may be more beneficial for cognition than time spent with family. Because maintaining friendships has been demonstrated to require more active maintenance and engagement in shared activities, activity engagement may be one underlying pathway that explains the distinct associations between contact frequency with friends versus family and cognition. Methods: Using two waves of data from the national survey of Midlife in the United States (n = 3707, Mage = 55.80, 51% female at baseline), we examined longitudinal associations between contact frequency with friends and family, activity engagement (cognitive and physical activities), and cognition (episodic memory and executive functioning) to determine whether activity engagement mediates the relationship between contact frequency and cognition. Results: The longitudinal mediation model revealed that more frequent contact with friends, but not family, was associated with greater concurrent engagement in physical and cognitive activities, which were both associated with better episodic memory and executive functioning. Conclusion: These findings suggest that time spent with friends may promote both cognitively and physically stimulating activities that could help to preserve not only these social relationships but also cognitive functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urgency of the research. The modern system of education is designed to help each individual realize their own unique "I", to reveal their own potential, to promote self-awareness, self-determination, self-realization and self-affirmation. This task arises in the context of reforming the Ukrainian education system, the guiding principle of which is humanization. Target setting. The basis for building a new educational paradigm, which involves not only the formation of a system of knowledge, skills and abilities, but also the creation of certain competencies taking into account the social, economic and scientific-theoretical realities of the XXI century is the search for educational technologies that will humanize education. One of them is the use of the situation of success in humanities classes. Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. Recently, there is a growing interest in the problem of creating a situation of success in the educational process. A number of dissertations (for example, O. Husak, T. Dokuchyna, etc.), scientific articles (see I. Bekh, I. Larionova, A. Sivak, O. Chirkova, etc.), abstracts of international conferences (A. Velyka, M. Matronova, Y. Andreeva, etc.). are devoted to it. The research objective. Theoretical substantiation of advantages of creation of a situation of success in the conditions of humanization of education on the basis of the analysis of practical experience and theoretical views. The statement of basic materials. The problem of success became relevant at the beginning of the XXI century. Everyone strives to succeed, to be confident in themselves and in the future. Success is recognized as one of the needs of the individual. Reforming modern education is designed to make it human-centered, effective, close to the practical needs of the learner. The humanization of education is impossible without creating situations of success in learning. Such situations activate a person's cognitive motivation, reveal his creative potential, make a person strong and confident. To create situations of success, teachers use a variety of methods and tools that enhance the cognitive activity of students. Conclusions. Creating the situations of success in teaching the humanities is a prerequisite for the humanization of education, as success is a factor in the search activity of the student, encourages cognitive independence and creativity, affects self-esteem and personality, allows individuals to self-determine, self-affirm, form their own attitudes with the traits of a successful personality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to a research problem that emphasizes the necessity to guide and organize schoolchildren’s cognitive activities. In a situation when cognition becomes the leading activity, new opportunities are opened up for the organization of the whole educational process, including its other aspects such as – development, and learning. The experiment conducted revealed problem points of organizing the process of cognition as well as the necessity for collecting additional data for a future experiment. The paper also puts forward the idea of a correlation between the hierarchical system of principles of education and types of adequacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Article is dedicated to learn the impact of increasing cognitive activity in preschool children. 44 children aged 5-6 were selected for the research and the impact on the cognitive activity through didactic games with them were investigated. Different aspects manifested itself in development of cognitive processes, especially mentality during the comparison of methodologies used in conducting didactic games with children on the experimental and control groups in the research process. Unlike the control groups, the experimental groups were more likely to observe cognitive processes and tasks, and the tasks were performed more adequate by the experimental group. It is determined that organization of transforming didactic games into a leading activity in preschool preparation of children and trying to improve the activity of game increases the cognitive activity. The research has shown that there is a significant dependence between increasing the cognitive activity and didactic games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the desire of today's students to receive knowledge and information in a dynamic, intriguing, interesting way. In order to adequately meet their expectations, teachers are applying the benefits of ICT in the context of a new and more modern school environment. One example is the binary lesson - creativity of two teachers, which grows into a creative process for students. The activities in the described binary lesson are highly motivating for students because the boundary between marketing and economic informatics is very small. The teacher succeeds in engaging students, provoking creative pursuit and cognitive activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The psychophysiological signs of aging were studied in F1 (C57BL/6 × DBA/2) mice at the age of 3, 7, and 14 months. It was found that cognitive abilities, memory, and spatial orientation in all animals did not depend on age; they were able to form a four-link, food-getting habit. The instability of behavior in the form of the periodic reproduction of mistaken and irrational decisions found in all mice at the stereotyping stage was determined by the characteristics of basic neural processes: increased excitability and weak inhibition. It was found that a consistent reduction of the excitation phase with aging caused instability of the dominant state and motivational activity, negatively affecting attention and, hence, the ability to reproduce consistently the optimal habit variant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article, the necessity to introduce innovative educational technologies to improve the effectiveness of the learning process is actualized. It is noted that the use of innovative computer technologies is not only a means of gaining knowledge, but also a means of forming professional competencies. A number of modern methods of teaching a foreign language are distinguished and a description of the tasks of the Web technology quest is given in detail. The authors come to the conclusion that it is expedient to use web quests as one of the varieties of innovative technologies in the educational process, the effectiveness of which is confirmed by the growing cognitive activity of students, the possibility of individualizing the learning process, raising the level of socialization of future specialists, and the level of professional competence.

Human has the ability to think that comes from the brain. Electrical signals generated by brain and represented in wave form. To record and measure the activity of brainwaves in the form of electrical potential required electroencephalogram (EEG). In this study a cognitive task is applied to trigger a specific human brain response arising from the cognitive aspect. Stimulation is given by using nine types of cognitive tasks including breath, color, face, finger, math, object, password thinking, singing, and sports. Principal component analysis (PCA) is implemented as a first step to reduce data and to get the main component of feature extraction results obtained from EEG acquisition. The results show that PCA succeeded reducing 108 existing datasets to 2 prominent factors with a cumulative rate of 65.7%. Factor 1 (F1) includes mean, standard deviation, and entropy, while factor 2 (F2) includes skewness and kurtosis.

El ajedrez es un juego que demanda una continua actividad atencional en la solución de problemas. El entrenamiento adecuado de la atención en el ajedrecista mediante el empleo de técnicas psicológicas permite una mayor regulación de la precisión perceptiva, capacidad para integrar y procesar estímulos simultáneamente, fiabilidad de la respuesta, tiempo de reacción y concentración. En correspondencia con estos particulares la investigación tiene como objetivo diseñar una plataforma neurotecnológica que permita el estudio y entrenamiento de la actividad cognitiva de los ajedrecistas. El sistema neurotecnológico presentado es pertinente para el entrenamiento de los ajedrecistas en los marcos de los sistemas de entrenamientos contemporáneos. Su instrumentación permite la regulación del componente cognitivo, incrementa la tolerancia a la interferencia atencional, la concentración, el control espacial del tablero de ajedrez, la resistencia atencional y la velocidad de procesamiento de la información en la solución de problemas ajedrecísticos. ABSTRACT Chess is a game that demands a continuous attention activity in the solution of problems. The adequate training of the attention in the chess player through the use of psychological techniques allows a greater regulation of the perceptive precision, ability to integrate and process stimuli simultaneously, reliability of the response, reaction time and concentration. In correspondence with these individuals, the research aims to design a neurotechnological platform that allows the study and training of the cognitive activity of chess players. The neurotechnological system presented is relevant for the training of chess players in the frames of contemporary training systems. Its instrumentation allows the regulation of the cognitive component, it increases the tolerance to the attentional interference, the concentration, the spatial control of the chessboard, the attentional resistance and the speed of information processing in the solution of chess problems.

This paper present results of the research on the specifics of cognitive activity development in preschool children. The hypothesis tested was that content and dynamic components of cognitive activity reveal themselves in a different way depending on the stage of preschool childhood. The authors reviewed the diagnostic tools suitable for studying cognitive activity in preschoolers and selected the techniques. The research proved that content and dynamic components of cognitive activity have their own age specifics; it was found that by the end of preschool age cognitive activity is more expressed in verbal form rather than in productive actions. The outcomes of this research may be applied in educational work with children of preschool age.

The article is devoted to the role of increase of junior schoolchildren’s cognitive activity as an important condition for the development of cognitive abilities of learners. Psycho-pedagogical support should be focused on the development of cognitive functions of junior schoolchildren, and psychologists and parents should be involved in this process, as well as the teachers. Traditionally, psycho-pedagogical support at primary school focuses on the child's adaptation to the new educational environment. We consider that a child needs the same support in the process of mastering the curriculum. There is no true support without an emotional involvement and empathy, and as a result cognitive activity of a child might suffer greatly. It was proven by empirical results obtained in an ordinary school, where no innovative teaching methods are used. At the end of primary school pupils have a significantly reduced motivation, teachers express no serious interest in problems of junior high school students. Not entirely satisfactory educational environment also could not provide a positive influence on the development of cognitive sphere.

Children’s questions are an indicator of active cognitive perception of reality. Questions but not answers are relevant in revealing a child’s mental life, consciousness and thinking. The lack of question-asking skills can hinder learning, searching and exploration in children. To determine in 7- and 8-year-old school children the common and variable peculiarities of designing a search process for necessary information concerning an unknown object by volitionally formulated questions, as well as the dynamics of the questioning process throughout a school year. The study was based on an experimental methodology, codenamed Guess what there is in the box, and was conducted in four schools in Cheboksary. The sample comprised 158 primary school first-graders who took part in a confirmatory experiment twice, once in September and once in May. The research showed that 96.3% of the questions asked were search questions. Only 30% of the first-graders initiated their searching activities of their own will without having to resort to the given search algorithm, while 70% did not begin asking questions without outside stimulation. The analysis of the dynamics of children’s question-asking behavior exhibited a tendency to decrease in a number of questions asked over the course of the school year. Primary school children need psychological and pedagogical scaffolding aimed at developing a question-asking behavior as a form of cognitive activity to achieve a possible age potential in development.

This study aimed to investigate whether the midlife cognitive activity and physical activity moderate the relationship between apolipoprotein Eε4 (APOE4) and in vivo Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathologies. In total, 287 non-demented older adults (mean age 72 years) from the Korean Brain Aging Study for the Early diagnosis and prediction of Alzheimer’s disease cohort were included. Participants underwent a comprehensive clinical assessment including the evaluation for midlife CA and physical activity, [11C]-Pittsburgh-Compound-B-positron emission tomography (PET), [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose PET, structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and APOE genotyping. We used linear regression and regression-based mediated-moderation models for statistical analyses. Neither midlife cognitive activity nor physical activity moderated the effect of APOE4 on β-amyloid (Aβ) retention itself. Midlife cognitive activity significantly moderated the effect of APOE4 on hippocampal volume [B (SE) = − 627.580 (252.327), t = −2.488, p = 0.014]: APOE4 carriers had smaller hippocampal volume than non-carriers at relatively high cognitive activity state (p = 0.004), but not at relatively low cognitive activity condition (p = 0.937). Midlife physical activity significantly moderated the effect of Aβ retention, which was closely related to APOE4, on AD-signature region cerebral glucose metabolism [AD-CM; B (SE) = 0.004 (0.002), t = 2.030, p = 0.043]: higher Aβ accumulation was associated with lower AD-CM in relatively low physical activity condition (p < 0.001), whereas no such association was observed in relatively high physical activity state (p = 0.791). The findings suggest that high midlife cognitive activity may accelerate hippocampal atrophy induced by APOE4, whereas high midlife physical activity may delay AD-related cerebral hypometabolism by weakening the influence of APOE4-associated Aβ retention.

The article deals with the concept of a continuum of regulation being also important to understanding Vygotsky’s view of cognitive development which clearly suggests that communicative collaboration with adults or more skilled peers contributes to the development of self-regulation, that is, the capacity for independent problem solving and self-directed activity. Attention is drawn to the fact that in the language classroom, using sociocultural theory and its tenets as a framework, we would see a highly interactive classroom, where the students’ zone of proximal development is identified through strategies such as portfolios, and dialogue journals. Necessity of compiling a textbook based on the above-mentioned principles is stressed.

Peculiar features of digital environment include: integration of ICTs; use of local and global networks and resources; support and development of qualitatively new technologies of information processing; active use of modern means, methods and forms of teaching in the educational process. The organization of activities in terms of digital learning environment provides appropriate changes in the interaction between subjects of the educational process. Today, means and technologies of the information and communication networks (ICNs), in particular the Internet, which custom and operational-procedural properties were changed at the initial stage from closed local to open ones at present, become widespread. The development of ICNs (from closed local to open ones) changes the typology of learning environments. The following models of learning environments, which widely use ICT and ICN tools (with basic features that characterize them) are distinguished: using the local communication network for presentation of educational information; using the local communication network and open network resources; using open network resources; for independent use of open network resources directly in the classroom by a student; for use of open network resources by a student in the process of independent learning activity; for use by a student educational resources, specially created by a teacher, as well as resources of an open networks in his independent learning activity.

Diabetes mellitus (DM), a prevalent metabolic disorder, is associated with widespread damage to bodily systems, notably causing significant dysfunction within the peripheral and central nervous systems (CNS). The primary objective of this study is to explore the extent of DM's impact on cognitive and behavioral functions and to evaluate the therapeutic potential of ethanol leaf extracts from Ziziphus jujuba (ZJ) and Eclipta alba (EA) in mitigating these adverse effects. Utilizing an established animal model, we aimed to determine the effectiveness of these plant extracts in ameliorating the cognitive impairments commonly seen in diabetic states. In our experimental framework, we allocated Wistar rats (n=6 per group) into eight different groups, inducing DM through alloxan administration. The intervention groups were treated orally with either the standard antidiabetic drug glibenclamide or varying doses of ZJ and EA extracts over periods of seven and 21 days. Throughout the study, we carefully tracked fluctuations in blood glucose levels, noting considerable decreases, particularly following the 21-day treatment interval. Post-treatment, the rats' cognitive functions were assessed using the Morris water maze (MWM) test. This evaluation revealed significant cognitive enhancement in the diabetic rats administered with ZJ and EA extracts, with these groups displaying reduced latency in finding the submerged platform, indicative of improved learning and memory. These observations were statistically significant (p<0.01). The findings underscore the hypoglycemic effects of ZJ and EA extracts and suggest their viability as cognitive enhancers in the context of DM. The protective effects of these extracts against cognitive decline caused by DM are clear. They add important new information to the research on natural phytochemicals for managing chronic diseases. This study opens new avenues for the application of these substances in treating neurocognitive disorders associated with DM., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024, Annepaka et al.)

This study aimed to investigate whether the midlife cognitive activity and physical activity moderate the relationship between apolipoprotein Eε4 (APOE4) and in vivo Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathologies. In total, 287 non-demented older adults (mean age 72 years) from the Korean Brain Aging Study for the Early diagnosis and prediction of Alzheimer's disease cohort were included. Participants underwent a comprehensive clinical assessment including the evaluation for midlife CA and physical activity, [11C]-Pittsburgh-Compound-B-positron emission tomography (PET), [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose PET, structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and APOE genotyping. We used linear regression and regression-based mediated-moderation models for statistical analyses. Neither midlife cognitive activity nor physical activity moderated the effect of APOE4 on β-amyloid (Aβ) retention itself. Midlife cognitive activity significantly moderated the effect of APOE4 on hippocampal volume [ B (SE) = − 627.580 (252.327), t = −2.488, p = 0.014]: APOE4 carriers had smaller hippocampal volume than non-carriers at relatively high cognitive activity state (p = 0.004), but not at relatively low cognitive activity condition (p = 0.937). Midlife physical activity significantly moderated the effect of Aβ retention, which was closely related to APOE4, on AD-signature region cerebral glucose metabolism [AD-CM; B (SE) = 0.004 (0.002), t = 2.030, p = 0.043]: higher Aβ accumulation was associated with lower AD-CM in relatively low physical activity condition (p < 0.001), whereas no such association was observed in relatively high physical activity state (p = 0.791). The findings suggest that high midlife cognitive activity may accelerate hippocampal atrophy induced by APOE4, whereas high midlife physical activity may delay AD-related cerebral hypometabolism by weakening the influence of APOE4-associated Aβ retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the activity of mirror neurons in humans during observation, pronunciation and mental pronunciation of emotional and neutral words depending on the lateral organization of the brain. To achieve this goal, the methods of electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were used to examine brain activity in young men when observing, pronouncing and mental pronouncing emotional and neutral words. EEG was recorded monopolar using a 24-channel encephalograph-analyzer "Encephalan-131-03" (Medicom, Taganrog, Russia), fMRI were obtained on a 3 T Magnetom Verio tomograph (Siemens). Research have shown that the performance of activities related to observation, pronouncing and mental pronouncing of words is accompanied by a depression of the mu rhythm and, most often, increased levels of cortical communication at the frequency of this rhythm between the central and frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital zones of brain. The results of fMRI - studies showed the participation of a complex of structures represented by neurons of the left inferior frontal gyrus, the right posterior region of the middle temporal gyrus, and the right region of the angular gyrus, which, presumably, is part of the system of mirror neurons and the complex of structures represented by the neurons of the area of precuneus right areas of the gyrus, which are likely to be part of the system of production of speech directly in the provision of cognitive activity associated with observation, associated with the observation, pronunciation and mental pronunciation of emotional and neutral words. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies over the last 40 years have mainly investigated sleep structure changes as a result of wake duration, in the frame of the classical sleep regulation theories. However, wake intervals of the same duration can profoundly differ in their intensity, which actually reflects the degree of cognitive and physical activity. Data on how sleep can be modified by wake intensity changes (initially sparse and of little consistence) have become much more substantial, especially in the frame of the intense research debate on sleep-memory relationships. Our aim is to examine the vast repertoire of sleep modifications that depend on waking cognitive manipulations, highlighting the sleep features that appear most affected. By systematically addressing this issue, we want to set the basis for future research exploring both the specific nature of the mechanisms involved and the applicative psychosocial and clinical fall-outs, in terms of possible behavioural interventions for sleep quality improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To explore the risk factors for subjective cognitive decline and cognitive function among older adults in South Korea. Design: This study employed a descriptive cross‐sectional design. Methods: A convenience sample of 182 patients was recruited from a senior welfare center in Seoul. The mean age of the participants was 78.4 years (SD 5.91). Among them, 64.3% were women. The data were collected by a trained research assistant using structured questionnaires from September 2016–February 2017. Demographic characteristics, comorbidities, depression, physical and cognitive activity levels, instrumental activities of daily living, subjective cognitive decline, and cognitive function were assessed. Student's t tests, chi‐square tests, and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used for statistical analyses. Results: The findings revealed that 37.4% of the participants were not cognitively intact. Depression, perceived health status, and cognitive function were significantly associated with subjective cognitive decline (F = 7.10, p <.001, adjusted R2 = 25.3). Age, educational level, perceived health status, and subjective cognitive decline were significantly related to cognitive function (F = 20.98, p <.001, adjusted R2 = 47.0). After controlling for these variables, cognitive activity was significantly and independently related to cognitive function. Conclusion: The results suggest that for the maintenance of cognitive function, cognitive activity should be encouraged. In addition, older adults who complain of subjective cognitive decline and have risk factors such as depression need therapeutic interventions to prevent actual decrease of cognitive function. Impact: The present findings advance prior knowledge by considering variables such as physical and cognitive activity levels to provide novel evidence that can be used to develop interventions for community‐dwelling older adults. Thus, to be effective, nursing interventions must seek to improve cognitive function through intellectual stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The world's older population is growing rapidly and the need to find measures to combat age-associated decline of physical, mental, and cognitive functions and improve their health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is escalating. Biobran/MGN-3, an arabinoxylan rice bran, has been previously reported to improve the quality of life in cancer patients. The objective of the current study was to examine the effect of a low dose of Biobran/MGN-3 supplementation on the HRQOL in a healthy older adult population.Methods: Sixty apparently healthy subjects, 40 males and 20 females, over 56 years old were recruited and blindly randomized into two group receiving either placebo or Biobran/MGN-3 (250 mg/day for 3 months). Participants did not take any vitamins or medications during the study and their health was closely monitored. HRQOL was assessed at the initiation and termination of the study using the previously validated Arabic version of SF-12v2 questionnaire.Results: For all measured HRQOL domains, there was no statistically significant difference in baseline scores between the two groups. Compared to baseline values and placebo-treated subjects, Biobran/MGN-3 supplementation significantly enhanced the levels of physical and mental component summary scores as well as role-physical, bodily pain, vitality, and social functioning subdomain scores.Conclusion: These results show that Biobran/MGN-3 is a promising psychoneuroimmune modulatory agent that could improve the HRQOL in healthy old adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Dilemas Contemporáneos: Educación, Política y Valores is the property of Dilemas Contemporaneos: Educacion, Politica y Valores and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Older adults, especially those above age 80, are the fastest growing segment of the population in the United States and at risk for age-related cognitive decline and dementia. There is growing evidence that cognitive activity and training may allow adults to maintain or improve cognitive functioning, but little is known about the potential benefit in the oldest old. In this randomized trial, the effectiveness of a computerized cognitive training program (CCT program) was compared to an active control games program to improve cognition in cognitively normal individuals aged 80 and older.Methods: Sixty-nine older adults were randomized to a 24-session CCT program (n = 39) or an active control program (n = 30). Participants completed a pre- and post- training neuropsychological assessment. The primary outcome measure was a global cognitive composite, and the secondary outcomes were the scores on specific cognitive domains (of memory, executive function/attention, and language).Results: Using linear mixed models, there were no significant differences between the CCT and the active control program on the primary (p = 0.662) or any of the secondary outcomes (language functioning, p = .628; attention/executive functioning, p = .428; memory, p = .749).Conclusion: This study suggests that short-term CCT had no specific benefit for cognitive functioning in non-demented individuals aged 80 and older. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of analyzing the problems of the higher school teacher's pedagogical activity through the eyes of higher education postgraduate students the article surveys the essence and peculiarities of the student-centered conception as the methodological basis of organizing the educational process in the context of pedagogical training the prospective higher school teachers; it highlights the principles of education in terms of this approach. The author outlines the conceptual ideas of the studentcentered approach: organizing the educational process as the cognitive activity of students by means of cognitive strategies and metacognition, presenting higher education content in professional and social contexts by using the authentic sources and activity, organizing the educational process on the basis of subject-subject interaction of higher school teacher and students based on a dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]