In this cross-sectional analysis, we examined associations between socioeconomic status (SES), body mass index (BMI), inflammation, diet, and cognitive performance. While low SES is associated with lower cognitive scores, the present study investigated whether these variables – specifically BMI, inflammatory biomarkers, and dietary intake – statistically mediate this relationship.

The final sample included 109 young adults (mean age = 21.31; 65% female; 45% white). Analyses utilized a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, including the NIH Cognitive Toolbox and Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, alongside biomarkers of inflammation (Interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)), and self-reported dietary intake via the National Cancer Institute’s Diet History Questionnaire – Third Edition. A pre-registered analysis using bootstrapped standard errors across 5,000 bootstrapped replications in ‘lavaan’ tested whether (i) associations between SES and executive functioning and episodic memory were statistically mediated by a higher BMI and (ii) associations between BMI and executive functioning and episodic memory were statistically mediated by elevated inflammation and sugar or fat intake.

BMI did not account for the association between SES and cognition; however, BMI, fat intake, and sugar intake were inversely correlated with cognitive functioning. Sugar intake mediated the association between BMI and cognition, though this finding was not significant after adjusting for covariates. Inflammation did not mediate the relationship between BMI and cognition.

These results provide support for a link between BMI and cognitive performance and preliminary evidence of a mediating role of sugar intake. Further longitudinal and experimental research is needed to extend these findings and characterize underlying mechanisms.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with an increased risk of cognitive function through multiple metabolic and vascular mechanisms. Evidence on the association between diabetes self-management skills and cognitive function in individuals with T2DM remains limited.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between diabetes self-management and cognitive function among individuals with T2DM and to identify factors associated with cognitive function.

A cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted with 170 adults with T2DM at a public hospital in Ankara, Türkiye. Data were collected between June 2024 and January 2025 using a Participant Information Form, the Type 2 Diabetes Self-Management Scale (T2DM-SMS), and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) to assess cognitive function. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression.

The mean T2DM-SMS score was 58.84 ± 12.58, and the mean MMSE score was 17.77 ± 5.13. Diabetes self-management was positively correlated with cognitive function (r = 0.50, p < 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that diabetes self-management remained independently associated with MMSE scores after adjustment for age, gender, and diabetes-related complications (β = 0.12, p < 0.001). Older age was independently associated with lower MMSE scores (β = −0.17, p < 0.001), whereas male participants had significantly higher MMSE scores than female participants (β = 1.59, p = 0.006).

Better diabetes self-management was independently associated with better cognitive function among individuals with T2DM. Integrating cognitive assessment and individualised self-management education into diabetes care may support early identification and help preserve cognitive function and improve long-term outcomes.

Research has indicated that many medical and psychosocial factors contribute to cognitive deficits in sickle cell disease (SCD). Some studies of SCD in early childhood found cognitive functioning to be associated with socioeconomic status but not disease severity. The current study examined how the home environment is associated with cognitive functioning and school readiness in children with SCD.

Young children (n = 29; Mage = 4.4 years SD = 0.3) with SCD underwent an evaluation of cognitive and academic skills. Subsequently, researchers and caregivers completed the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME), an in-home measure of cognitive stimulation. Linear regression was used to examine the relationship between each of the HOME subscales and cognitive and academic measures while controlling for genotype.

The total score from the HOME inventory was associated with overall IQ, working memory, and school readiness. Among the subscales of the HOME inventory, Learning Materials, Modeling, and Variety were associated with cognitive and academic outcomes.

Stimulation in a child’s home may affect cognitive and academic development in young children with SCD. Future research should examine the benefits of increasing learning materials and the variety of activities in the homes of young SCD patients.

Sleep disorder, cognitive impairment, and psychological distress usually co-occur in older adults, yet their dynamic relationships over time remain poorly understood, particularly in rural aging populations.

This study employed cross-lagged panel network (CLPN) analysis to examine temporal relationships among sleep quality, cognitive function, and psychological distress in 2,196 rural Chinese older adults across 4 years. We analyzed autoregressive and cross-lagged effects, centrality measures, and sex differences in network structures over two time intervals.

CLPN analysis revealed temporal associations among sleep quality, psychological distress, and cognitive function domains. Subjective sleep quality emerged as the most influential predictor node across both time periods. Cognitive components – particularly orientation, attention and calculation, and language – were identified as the most vulnerable target nodes. Sex-stratified analyses revealed moderate structural similarity between male and female networks across time periods.

This study provides new evidence for understanding the temporal relationships among sleep quality, psychological distress, and cognitive function in rural older adults. These findings may suggest that subjective sleep quality represents a central and modifiable target within the aging-related symptom network, with potential implications for early intervention across cognitive and psychological domains.

Prior observational studies have reported conflicting results regarding whether antidepressant treatment reduces long-term dementia risk, likely due to confounding by indication and reverse causation. We aimed to investigate the association between baseline antidepressant use and incident dementia, incorporating cognitive and neuroimaging outcomes.

We conducted a prospective cohort study using UK Biobank participants free of dementia at baseline. Antidepressant use was self-reported at baseline (2006–2010). Incident dementia was identified through linked electronic health records until December 19, 2022. Cox proportional hazards models estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for all-cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VD), adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle, health-related, antidepressant indication factors, and co-medication of other anticholinergics. In subsamples, cognitive performance (n = 57,330) and structural brain imaging (n = 42,276) were examined as intermediate outcomes.

Among 461,464 participants, 33,721 (7.3%) reported baseline antidepressant use. Over a mean follow-up of 13.4 years, 7,922 (1.7%) developed incident dementia. Baseline antidepressant use was associated with higher risks of all-cause dementia (adjusted HR: 1.47, 95% CI 1.36–1.60), AD (1.53, 1.36–1.73), and VD (1.44, 1.23–1.70). Users performed worse on fluid intelligence and prospective memory tasks and showed lower total and gray matter volume, regional reductions in the hippocampal gray matter and basal nucleus, and greater white matter hyperintensity volume.

Baseline antidepressant use was linked to a higher risk of dementia, poorer cognitive performance, and adverse brain structural changes. These findings underscore the importance of judicious prescribing, regular cognitive monitoring, and consideration of non-pharmacological approaches in clinical care.

Cognitive dysfunction is a core feature of major depressive disorder. During transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), the temporal relationship between symptom changes and cognitive performance remains unclear. We examined depressive symptoms and cognitive trajectories during TMS and tested whether time-varying cognitive change was associated with symptom trajectories.

This retrospective naturalistic study included 89 patients with TRD who completed 20 sessions of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex TMS (high-frequency repetitive TMS or intermittent theta-burst stimulation). Depression severity (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale [HAMD-17]) and computerized attentional control measures from the Test of Attentional Performance were assessed at baseline, day 10, and day 20. Generalized estimating equations examined time effects and time-adjusted symptom-cognition associations. Exploratory analyses evaluated whether early cognitive change was associated with subsequent symptom improvement. Multiple comparisons were controlled.

Depressive symptoms decreased significantly (p < 0.001), with response and remission rates of 65.2% and 51.7%. Several attentional indices showed significant time effects; however, after false discovery rate correction, only visual divided-attention commission errors were independently associated with depressive severity beyond time effects. Person-mean centering indicated that this association was driven by within-person change (B = 0.209, p < 0.001), not between-person differences. Greater early reduction in visual divided-attention commission errors was associated with larger overall symptom improvement (B = 0.172, p = 0.016).

Within-person changes in divided attention tracked depressive symptom trajectories during TMS. Attentional control measures may therefore help track symptom-cognition dynamics during TMS in real-world clinical settings.

The cognitive-behavioral model of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) implicates impaired cognition; yet existing evidence of cognitive impairment in the disorder is often inconsistent. To date, cognitive performance in BDD has not been measured utilizing the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV), a gold standard cognitive assessment in clinical settings. Accordingly, this study compared WAIS-IV performance between individuals with BDD and healthy controls.

Participants included 59 BDD patients and 56 controls. Cognitive performance was evaluated via the WAIS-IV, and clinical characteristics of the BDD group were examined via multiple clinician and self-report questionnaires.

The BDD group demonstrated significantly poorer performance compared to the control group in the WAIS-IV index and subtests that reflect processing speed abilities (Processing Speed Index: d = −0.55, 95% CI [−0.92, −0.18], Symbol Search: d = −0.70, 95% CI [−1.07, −0.32], Coding: d = −0.79, 95% CI [−1.17, −0.41]), yet other indices were not significantly different. These impairments were not correlated with anxiety or BDD-YBOCS symptom severity. Reduced overall cognitive performance was primarily driven by impairments in processing speed.

The study suggests that in BDD, processing speed is notably lower than other index scores, falling in the low average range. This may reflect difficulties with rapid visual processing, attention to detail, or motor speed. Performance in domains reflective of reasoning and verbal functioning were unimpaired relative to controls. This selective cognitive pattern in BDD may be driven by increased cognitive load associated with perfectionistic traits. This has clinical implications for cognitive-behavioral treatment.

Subthreshold depression (StD) is considered a prodromal stage of major depressive disorder (MDD). This study aims to investigate the neurobiological mechanisms of StD by analyzing functional connectivity (FC) and cognitive function in comparison to MDD.

A total of 153 StD individuals, 188 MDD patients, and 110 healthy controls (HCs) were studied using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Whole-brain FC was calculated using seeds from the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), executive control network, and affective network (AN). Cognitive function was assessed across seven domains.

StD showed only a deficit in social cognition, while MDD exhibited multidomain cognitive impairments compared to HCs. Both MDD and StD exhibited reduced FC between the right anterior insula (AI) and the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and increased FC between the right subcallosal cingulate cortex and the left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), key areas of the SN and AN, compared to HCs. MDD particularly showed decreased connectivity between the left PCC and the left middle temporal gyrus, and within the left PCC, while no abnormal FC of the DMN was found in StD. Altered AI-IFG FC was positively correlated with social cognition in StD.

Abnormal connectivity patterns of the SN and AN may contribute to the development of depressive symptoms in StD and MDD, while altered FC of the DMN may be involved in the onset of the disease. A social cognition deficit appeared first in StD, relating to the abnormal connectivity of the SN.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of central vestibular dysfunction on physical functionality and cognitive function in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Fifty-two fully ambulatory individuals with MS (Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS] ≤ 4) were included and divided into two groups: those with central vestibular involvement (Group 1; n = 25) and those without (Group 2; n = 27). Central vestibular involvement was assessed using videonystagmography. Physical and cognitive functions were evaluated in all participants using the Glittre Activities of Daily Living (ADL) test, Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ), and the physical dimension of the MSQoL-54 for physical functionality, and the BICAMS, Trail Making Test (TMT), Word List Generation test and the cognitive dimension of the MSQoL-54 for cognitive function.

According to the physical functionality assessment results, the time required to complete the Glittre ADL test was longer in group 1 than in group 2 (p = 0.01). The score for the physical dimension of the MSQoL-54 was lower in group 1 (p = 0.045). In the BICAMS Symbol Digit Modalities Test, Group 1 scored lower than Group 2 (p = 0.013). A significant difference between the groups was also observed in the time taken to complete the TMT (p = 0.017). Additionally, Group 1 exhibited lower scores on the cognitive dimension of the MSQoL-54 (p = 0.012).

Physical functionality and specific cognitive domains differed between MS participants with and without central vestibular involvement. It should be considered that vestibular dysfunction may adversely impact cognitive and physical functionality, even in low-moderate disability level.

Cognitive impairment in major depressive disorder (MDD) may be driven by neuro-inflammatory processes involving pro-inflammatory cytokines.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between serum tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels and cognitive performance across different domains in individuals with MDD.

Sixty patients with MDD and 60 healthy controls were recruited. Cognitive function was assessed using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), and serum TNF-α levels were measured via flow cytometry.

After adjusting for covariates, RBANS total and subscale scores were significantly lower in MDD patients compared with controls (P < 0.001), while log10-transformed TNF-α levels were significantly higher in the MDD group (P = 0.006). In MDD patients, log10TNF-α levels were inversely correlated with immediate memory scores after adjusting for confounding factors (r = −0.35, P = 0.009); however, this relationship was not observed in healthy controls (r = −0.02, P = 0.90). Stepwise multivariate regression analysis further confirmed the negative association of log10TNF-α with immediate memory scores in MDD patients (β = −14.58, t = −4.14, P < 0.001), but not in healthy controls (β = −0.02, t = −0.14, P = 0.89).

These findings suggest that elevated serum TNF-α may contribute to the pathophysiology of MDD and is specifically associated with deficits in immediate memory.

For patients with primary malignant brain tumors, cognitive decline is incredibly common and contributes to reduced independence in daily functioning. These patients often rely on informal caregivers (e.g., family, friends) for functional support, shown to increase caregiver distress in other neurologic populations. However, few studies have investigated this relationship in neuro-oncology; thus, we explored whether neuro-oncology patients’ neurocognitive function was associated with caregiver burden.

Neuro-oncology patients completed neuropsychological tests assessing commonly affected cognitive domains, and caregivers completed a validated measure of caregiver burden including impact on daily schedule, self-esteem, and availability of family support. Dyads were selected from a previous randomized-controlled trial (SmartCare) for distressed neuro-oncology caregivers. Independent samples t-tests and hierarchical regressions were used to evaluate the relationship between patients’ neurocognitive performance and caregiver burden.

Seventy-eight neuro-oncology dyads were included for analyses (Patients: Mage = 53.4, 65.4% male, Caregivers: Mage = 52.5, 71.8% female, 84.6% spouse). Caregiver schedule burden, but not self-esteem or family support, was significantly higher for caregivers of patients with deficits in verbal memory and divided attention (p < .05). After controlling for disease-specific characteristics and motor dexterity, only patient verbal memory performance remained a significant predictor of caregiver burden (p < .05). Inhibition and verbal fluency were not related to caregiver burden domains (ps > .05).

Patients’ verbal memory performance appears to be indicative of cognitive changes that contribute to increased caregiver demands on their daily schedule and time burden. Maximizing patients’ functioning through leveraging their continued cognitive strengths and implementing individualized cognitive rehabilitation programs may improve caregiver burden.