Archive for the ‘Cognitive Dysfunction’ Category

High Blood Pressure: A Cause of Dementia?

Tuesday, January 15th, 2008

                                   Cognitive impairment is the decline in higher level thought processes of the brain, such as the ability to interpret information, make decisions or memory function.  The risk of cognitive decline increases with advanced age.  In the early stages of this process, this is only detected with careful testing with ...

Increases in Autism Does Not Appear To Be Related To Vaccinations

Monday, January 7th, 2008

                                Concerns regarding the link between childhood vaccinations and the development of autism have existed for some time.  It has been suggested that the preservative Thimerosal, which contains mercury, that had been prevalent in vaccines prior to 2000 may be a causative factor.  However, this relationship has never been proven, ...

Mouth-to-Mouth Not Necessary for Effective CPR

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007

                                       CPR, also known as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is well recognized as being a potentially life saving technique when performed quickly on somebody who has a sudden cardiac arrest(stopping of the heart).  A simpler version of CPR where one administers only chest compressions without mouth-to-mouth resuscitation may be just as effective ...

Dementia in the Elderly and Fish Intake

Thursday, November 29th, 2007

Researchers have discovered a possible link between diet  and dementia in the elderly.   Recent evidence has suggested that fish intake in the elderly may favorably influence cognitive function and mental performance and possibly prevent or at least slow dementa.     A study conducted in Norway performed cognitive performance tests on ...

Is Fever during Pregnany a Risk Factor for Schizophrenia?

Friday, November 16th, 2007

Recently a hypothesis was presented by investigators from Australia that hyperthermia (fever) in utero may be an environmental risk factor for the child's development of schizophrenia. The study specifically looked at the maternal development of Influenza during the second trimester and how the hyperthermia resulting from it can be associated ...

Adolescent Exam Failure Related to Environmental Tobacco Smoke

Friday, November 9th, 2007

A recent UK study investigated the relationship of prenatal and environmental tobacco smoke , among other factors and adolescent performance on standardised exams ("O" levels and "A" levels - exams of akin importance to the US's SAT's). The results were that although prenatal tobacco exposure did not relate to ...