Cognition & Humanity: Take the Test, Make the Choice
Cognition & Genes. Brain imagine showing differences in top layer of brain samples of mutant animals. These depict if a particular gene correlates to "presymptomatic" or affected cognitive impairment subjects. (Cash et al. 2018)
Recently, we have engaged in a huuuge discussion related to the mental health and stability of political officials. Well, honesty, just one or two officials. Repeated shrieks of “are you crazy?” have echoed globally when a certain anti-quintessential politico assumed reign. Public interrogations have petitioned the mental fitness assessment of appointees in order to validate seemingly outlandish utterances as verifiable derangement. Most Earth citizens eagerly anticipate that a severe neurological instability answers for recurring and unimaginably overt statements. However, humans do not always get their desired performance test results- either good or bad. This leads to questioning whether critics grasp what cognitive impairment, like dementia, encompasses.
Political biases call for cognitive testing.
Feeling lost, disoriented, and hopeless are unenjoyable life experiences and can trigger anxiety. The inability to learn new material or recall what one learned within the hour is frustrating and frightening. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and dementia are the most acknowledged forms of neurological abnormality. Impediment of fundamental mental functions will affect nearly 14 million people by 2050. Cognitive impairment is vital to assess, especially in the elderly or those who have obtained some sort of trauma or injury, such as stroke. A self-assessment study revealed a nearly 1% increase of impairment in older individuals over a 20-year period. Determining the prevalence and rate of cognitive decline is necessary for prevention, early care, and reducing health care costs. Unfortunately, most do not readily realize that the obstacle lies in how to determine the onset of disease in the complex cerebral system.
Brain Cellular Function. Astrocytes, cerebral support cells, have been shown to be involved in cognitive function. This image from a research project illustrates the various interactions depending on mental state. (Dossi et al. 2018)
Throwing It Back: History of the Science of Intelligence
Historically, STEMmers™ are generally responsible for setting foundations of psychological tests to determine cognitive function and intelligence. Francis Galton, James McKeen Cattell, and Alfred Binet were the psychologists and statisticians who made advances in measuring and defining intellect and sanity.
The Briton Galton evolved the work of his cousin, Darwin, by gauging the intelligence capabilities of twins and generations of subjects originating from “distinguished” males- you know, those guys who came from prominent families, made a lot of money, and held a so-called respectable societal status. Based on statistical observations and self-reporting, his findings lead to the coinage of “nature vs nurture” (1875) and “eugenics” (1883). Galton’s twin studies tested heredity versus environment- like the Trading Places $1 bet- in an attempt to improve society by methodically choosing the best intellectually successful candidates for procreation. He extended his theory to proposing that the US be hospitable to only the most cognitively capable immigrants.
While in Germany in the late 1800’s, American rich-boy Cattell developed a study on intelligence and mental tests with his doctoral advisor. Cattell, who loved hashish and had family ties in New Jersey politics, assessed memory, movement, and reaction time as a means of reliably quantifying and qualifying intellectual capacity. Like Galton, he believed that eugenics would generate an intellectual society based on Darwin’s findings in natural selection. Cattell’s promotion of eugenics did not prevent him from acquiring acclaimed STEM publications in Science and Popular Science. Although used on incoming freshman at Columbia University to determine their aptitude, Cattell’s cognitive tests were null and void after the French psychologist, Binet, devised the more reliable IQ (Intelligence Quotient) test.
Binet analyzed his daughters in order to construct IQ studies for the purpose of tailoring education for all. He and his student developed tests to determine the level of intelligence in children to tackle aberrant learning. He thrice re-developed the tests, with the final one in 1911 culminating in studies of children 3-18 years old. Because he deemed it a multifactorial phenomenon, Binet was later dismayed at the use of his methods in the US to narrow the intelligence ascertainment of people in privileged classes.
The Cortical Maze
In the 21st century, lab tests in research settings consist of a T Maze, in which an animal tries to recall its route in a T-shaped maze. Prolonged time spent in the maze correlates to lower intelligence. Furthermore, post-mortem molecular and morphologic evaluations of brain tissue are assessed in lab studies. Unfortunately, we can’t simply remove a living person’s brain, grind or slice it up, and measure the amount of cognitive activity. Earthlings are given various derivations of the original Binet IQ test to measure cognitive function. For medical purposes, simple tests include a set of tasks, such as recitation of word lists from memory or answering which circumstance a sentence is describing. The degree of cognitive function or existence of defect can also be partially assessed using brain imaging, such as MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), of regions pertinent to learning and memory, like the hippocampus. The Alzheimer’s Association offers a “cognitive assessment toolkit”, including the GPCOG (General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition), that anyone can take and discuss with their medical professional. However, speculation by the individual, examiner, and family members might remain after receiving the test results.
The roots of cognitive dysfunction are not well understood, but wide-ranging studies aspire to devise solutions. Filed under Reaching Research™ is the correlation of dental decline to dementia. More feasibly is the finding that astrocytes, regarded as nervous system support cells, contribute to learning and memory functions. Alois Alzheimer had suspicions of glia partaking in AD in 1901. Nearly 120 years later, the level of astrocyte function in AD can be identified with molecular and biological assessments- most taken post-mortem and usually with increased astrocyte-produced biomarkers in hippocampal regions. Astrocyte function is upregulated near beta-amyloid plaques, which are related to AD. Too bad humans can’t reach into their brains and change their molecular content.
The Dr. Oz types advocate that efficient exercise maintains optimal cerebral processing. So, dodging obesity might correlatively ward off mental decline. Metabolic dysfunction, likely registered as weight gain, might be a precursor to cognitive dysfunction or forming amyloid plaques responsible for AD. This was shown in mice- animals that have 98% gene overlap with humans- so who knows what happens in humans. Right? Researchers have investigated direct brain changes, but not correlations with metabolic alterations throughout the body. Perhaps the corresponding increase in weight and decrease in cognition is a sign of overall human laziness. Metabolism and the hippocampus are now related to AD, so the incorporation of simultaneously running and reading into currently hectic social media schedules might ward off lunatic-like utterings.
Imploring realistic excuses for observed human fallacies may genuinely equate to requesting peace-of-mind from uncharted shocking experiences. Despite widespread detestation of a common target, it is disheartening to see sanguine lobbying for an individual’s cognitive difficulties. The goal of STEM is to progress humanity by ameliorating unbearable conditions and illuminating disbeliefs. Knowing of someone who shows signs of cognitive impairment provides the opportunity to act humanely by taking the time to engage them in learning and memory activities. In cases of mild cognitive dysfunction, such as the first phase of AD when short term memory is affected, “cognitive training” may be beneficial for selective individuals. Cognitive training takes place for a minimum of 5 weeks and requires a multitude of learning and memory exercises, which plausibly works better than drug therapy and strengthens reasoning skills. Regular walking, reading, or playing golf together are sufficient to reverse or delay the loss of critical cognitive functioning. However, excoriating the sufferer for not behaving as per conventional standards exacerbates neurological ailments and intensifies isolation. Choose which type of earthling you’d like to be. After a while, most of us look the same to the cognitively impaired.
Brain-Picking $cientists
Dossi, E. (2018) Human astrocytes in the diseased brain Brain Research Bulletin 136 139–156https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2017.02.001
He, J et al. (2017) Neurochemical changes in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex associated with electroacupuncture for learning and memory impairment. Intl J Molec Med 41: 709-716
Lin C-s. (2018) Revisiting the link between cognitive decline and masticatory dysfunction BMC Geriatrics 18:5 DOI 10.1186/s12877-017-0693-z
Peter, J et al. (2018) Biological Factors Contributing to the Response to Cognitive Training in Mild Cognitive Impairment J Alzheimer’s Dis 61 333–345 DOI 10.3233/JAD-170580
Pillsbury, WB. (1947) Biographical Memoir Of James Mckeen Cattell 1860-1944 The NAS Autumn Meeting