Background Physical activity has been shown to be important in relation to cognitive functioning, mental health, and happiness. Cognitive functioning consists of several subdomains like information...Show moreBackground Physical activity has been shown to be important in relation to cognitive functioning, mental health, and happiness. Cognitive functioning consists of several subdomains like information processing speed and episodic memory. Physical activity can be distinguished from physical exercise and fitness. A relatively easy way to assess physical activity is by using grip strength as measurable parameter. Aims The current study researches the relationship between grip strength and cognitive functioning. Furthermore, it assesses the relationship between age and cognitive functioning and the difference in grip strength among sexes. Methods The Multiple Screener is used to assess cognitive functioning. This tool consists of the online versions of the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), the Dutch version of the California Verbal Learning Test – second edition (CVLT-II) and the Spatial Recall Test (SPART). Grip strength is measured by using a handheld hydraulic dynamometer. The sample consists of 29 healthy individuals aged between 19 and 59 years old. Results A borderline significant negative relationship was found between grip strength and cognitive functioning (p = .066). In addition, a significant inverse relationship between age and cognitive functioning was observed (p = .016). A significant difference in sex was found for grip strength (p = .002), with men having greater grip strength than women. Discussion The borderline significant negative relationship between grip strength and cognitive functioning could be a consequence of the sample used in the current study. The relationship between grip strength and cognitive functioning has been found to be positive in an elderly population researched in previous studies. The significant difference in grip strength between men and women could potentially play a role in the negative relationship found in the primary hypothesis. Interventions aimed at improving grip strength could possibly function as a resiliency factor or could be used to detect early cognitive decline in later age, but not yet in younger adults.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2016-12-16T00:00:00Z
This study investigated an aspect of cognitive functioning or more specifically of executive functioning, that appears to be strongly affected in NF1: working memory. The primary goal of this...Show moreThis study investigated an aspect of cognitive functioning or more specifically of executive functioning, that appears to be strongly affected in NF1: working memory. The primary goal of this functional MRI study was to investigate whether or not the neuronal activity during working memory performance differs between NF1 children and controls. A second aim was to investigate the working memory performance outside the scanner. Participants included children with NF1 (N=21, 7 female), and controls (N=18, 10 female). Ages ranged between 8.2 and 19.1 (Mage= 13.12, SD=3.17). Neuronal activity was measured during the N-back task, and working memory performance outside the scanner was measured with the Memory Search 2D task of the ANT program. With respect to the main aim, the group means comparisons revealed non-significant differences. Though, the participants with NF1 had greater activity in the prefrontal cortex, and less activation in the posterior brain regions compared with controls. Overall, the NF1 children performed poorer on the working memory task outside the scanner. They performed even worse on the second, more demanding condition than the controls. These results may be explained by the dysfunction of the protein neurofibromin and a possible compensatory function of brain regions in individuals with NF1. These insights in brain functioning of individuals with NF1 might contribute to the development of intervention or treatment programs, medication and gene therapy.Show less
De voorkeur voor een bepaalde slaapwaak tijd en het doen van een activiteit op een bepaald tijdstip wordt het ‘chronotype’ genoemd. In dit onderzoek is gekeken of kinderen van het ochtend- en...Show moreDe voorkeur voor een bepaalde slaapwaak tijd en het doen van een activiteit op een bepaald tijdstip wordt het ‘chronotype’ genoemd. In dit onderzoek is gekeken of kinderen van het ochtend- en avondchronotype in hun cognitieve prestaties van elkaar verschillen bij afname van neurocognitieve tests in de vroege ochtend (8.30 uur). De ouders van basisschoolkinderen vulden een vragenlijst over het chronotype van hun kind in. Op basis van het chronotype werden 114 kinderen in de leeftijd van zeven tot en met twaalf jaar geselecteerd voor neurocognitieve testing op psychometrische snelheid, gerichte aandacht en werkgeheugen, volgehouden aandacht en visuospatiële patroonherkenning met taken van de Amsterdamse Neuropsychologische Taken (ANT). Deze taken werden op dinsdag, donderdag en vrijdag om 8.30 uur ’s morgens afgenomen. De resultaten wezen uit dat er een minimaal verschil op het testonderdeel visuospatiële informatieverwerking van de ANT bestaat tussen het ochtend- en avondchronotype bij deze kinderen. Daarbij presteerde ochtendchronotypen slechter dan de avondchronotypen in het verwerken van moeilijke informatie op basis van de reactietijd in de vroege ochtend. De conclusie is dat ochtend- en avondchronotypen in de leeftijdscategorie van zeven tot en met twaalf jaar op visuospatiële informatieverwerking in de vroege ochtend van elkaar verschillen.Show less
