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Impairment of cognitive functions in patients with multiple
Abrahámová, Miroslava ; Kulišťák, Petr (advisor) ; Šivicová, Gabriela (referee)
The theme of the bachelor thesis are cognitive impairments in people with multiple scle- rosis. The first part focuses on cognitive functions, which are briefly described. Considerable part of the work is devoted to the disease itself, because it is important to describe the specific condition to be able to focus on its impact on cognitive function. Following part focuses on cognitive impairment in people - patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and provides an overview of studies on cognitive impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis. This section also briefly writes about neuropsychological methods used for the diagnosis of cognitive impairment in MS patients, treatment options of cognitive deficits in MS patients and its psychosocial impact. The last part of the thesis is dedicated to the research project proposal. Qualitative rese- arch aims to map used strategies to compensate cognitive impairment. Keywords: multiple sclerosis, cognitive functions, memory
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Ecological validity of cognitive training research
Bláhová, Lucie ; Preiss, Marek (advisor) ; Viktorová, Ida (referee)
This Master thesis is focused on ecological validity of a cognitive training in university students. Forty-five students participated in three months research during which 30 of them took regular personalized cognitive training using CogniFit programme on their computers. The study examines the impact of the cogntitive training on everyday cognitive functioning of students. The scientific methods used for the ecological validity research were the following self-reporting questionnaires: Cognititive Failure Questionnaire, Everyday Memory Questionnaire and Dysexecutive Questinnaire. Students also filled in Schwartz Outcome Scale - 10 and Self-image questionnaire for detailed exploration of more variables. For the research, we applied test-retest design and used control group of fifteen students for results comparison. Analysis of the gathered data proved little evidence of ecological validity of cognitive training, which can be attributed to considerable cognitive stress at students. An unexpected outcome of the study which proved to be very significant is relation between executive functions and well-being of a student. This relation was confirmed repeatedly. Possible improvements of methodology and also problem with randomization of students is discussed. Proposal for the further development of...
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Effect of dizocilpine on behavioral strategies of rats in the place avoidance task
Antošová, Eliška ; Valeš, Karel (advisor) ; Frynta, Daniel (referee)
Non-competitive antagonists of NMDA receptors can induce psychomimetic effects - they can cause schizophrenia-like behavior in healthy volunteers. MK-801 is such an agent. It is often used to model schizophrenia-like behavior in experimental animals. On the other hand, non-competitive antagonists of NMDA receptors show antidepressant effects both in patients suffering from depression and in animal models. Currently, cognitive deficit is considered to be a crucial symptom of the schizophrenia. Cognitive coordination is a process distinguishing irrelevant and relevant stimuli. A disruption of this process could play a pivotal role in cognitive deficit in schizophrenia. Active Allothetic Place Avoidance task (AAPA) could be a useful tool to study this phenomenon. In this task an animal has to distinguish between two spatial (reference) frames, whereas one of them is irrelevant and the other is relevant. The aims of my diploma thesis were: to study 1) behavioral strategies of laboratory rats in AAPA task and 2) effect of MK-801 on behavioral strategies and cognitive efficiency of rats in this task. The rats demonstrated two different strategies in the AAPA task. The first strategy was an active avoidance of an aversive sector; the second one was "freezing" with minimal active movement on the arena. Application...
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The influence of the neuroactive steroids inhibiting NMDA receptors on behaviour
Chvojková, Markéta ; Valeš, Karel (advisor) ; Mareš, Pavel (referee)
The neuroactive steroid pregnanolone glutamate (Pg glu), a synthetic analogue of the naturally occurring pregnanolone sulfate (3alpha5betaS), has neuroprotective properties and a minimum of adverse effects. The subject of my thesis is the influence of selected structural modifications of the molecule Pg glu on biological effects. The first modification involves an increase of lipophilicity, the second involves the attachment of a positively charged group to C3. All these neuroactive steroids are use-dependent inhibitors of NMDA receptors. The first aim of this thesis was to determine the neuroprotective effectiveness of the neuroactive steroids chosen. The second aim was to explore the influence of selected neuroactive steroids on motor coordination, reflexes, anxiety and locomotor activity, as well as the effect of their high doses. The third aim was to create a battery of behavioural tests for screening the biological effects of analogues of Pg glu in laboratory rodents. The neuroprotective effects were evaluated in a model of excitotoxic damage of hippocampus in the rat on the basis of its behavioural consequences. The neuroprotective efficacy of androstane glutamate (And glu) and Pg glu was demonstrated. In the case of positively charged molecules, neuroprotective efficacy was not demonstrated....
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The effect of partial agonist of serotonin-1A receptor on cognitive functions in animal model of schizophrenia
Antošová, Eliška ; Valeš, Karel (advisor) ; Telenský, Petr (referee)
Serotoin is a neurotransmitter participating in regulation of many physiologic fuctions. Main serotogenous neurons can be found in nukleus raphe of the brain stem. Nucleus raphe inervates many areas of the brain including the cerebal cortex and hipocampus. These structures are important for controling of higher cognitive functions. 5HT1A receptor is one of many subtypes of serotonin receptors and its activation inhibits iniciating of the action potencials. 5HT1A receptor is expressed presynapticaly as an autorecpetor in nucleus raphe. Activation of 5HT1A receptors decreased the output of the serotonin in the target structures. This key position enables to regulate the serotonin level in the brain. 5HT1A receptor can be found also postsynapticaly as an heteroreceptor in the hippocampus and in the brain cortex, where it affects the output of many other neurotransmitters. Experimental studies indicate that affecting of the 5HT1A function can improve many neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, anxiety, depresion and it can also moderate the congitive deficit. It is supposed that the activation of 5HT1A autoreceptors and the inhibition of 5HT1A heteroreceptors can positively affect the cognigtive abilities. It seems that 5TH1A autoreceptors are more sensible for pharmacologic influence. Thus in these...
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The behavioral effects of NMDA receptor antagonists
Chvojková, Markéta ; Valeš, Karel (advisor) ; Horák, Martin (referee)
NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors are glutamate-gated ion channels, which are located in the central nervous system. They permit excitatory neurotransmission and are crucial for synaptic plasticity and other functions, but on the other hand for excitotoxicity. By the administration of NMDA receptor antagonists it would be possible to restrict the consequences of excessive glutamate exposure. However, the use of many of these drugs is made impossible by their serious behavioral side effects. NMDA receptor antagonists can influence cognitive and motor functions in laboratory animals and also in humans, and can cause temporary psychosis. These negative behavioral effects are most pronounced in the case of non-competitive antagonists. Conversely, the behavioral side effects of uncompetitive antagonists, antagonists selective for NMDA receptors containing a NR2B subunit or NMDA receptor glycine binding site antagonists are milder. From a clinical point of view, some other behavioral effects of NMDA receptor antagonists are beneficial. These effects include anxiolytic and antidepressant effects and also an alleviation of cognitive deficit and behavioral aberration in Alzheimer's disease through the administration of memantine. The aim of this thesis is to summarize the main behavioral effects known to us of...
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Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment Program from the Point of View of Primary School Teachers
Lipská, Ludmila ; Štech, Stanislav (advisor) ; Pavelková, Isabella (referee) ; Mareš, Jiří (referee)
FEUERSTEIN'S INSTRUMENTAL ENRICHMENT PROGRAM FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS The presented doctoral work covers the programme of cognitive stimulation created by Reuven Feuerstein. It aims to describe the effects that the teachers are triggered with by this programme. The work presents Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment (FIE) in context of all the Feuerstein's work. It explains its theoretical grounds in detail, and connects them with broader questions from educational psychology field, that are related to the teaching of thinking skills. There is compared the Feuerstein's theory of Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) with L. S. Vygotsky's theory of mediation in the work. It also refers to the work of J. Piaget in many passages. The research part of the work is based on interviews and two small semantic- differential scales. The research group contained 9 experimental and 6 control teachers from primary schools. The main aim of the carried research was to map what form gain the influences that FIE has on the teachers. We also worked on the teachers' opinions regarding the implementation of this programme at mainstream schools. Besides the description of effects, we were also describing and comparing opinions of both groups on teaching thinking. The closing part of the work is...
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Artistic expression via methods of training memory and cognitive abilities in senior citizens.
ŠVECOVÁ, Dagmar
The thesis deals with the use of artistic expression in methods to train the cognitive functions of the elderly. The theoretical part includes a summary of findings about aging and old age and explains the importance of stimulating the elderly in our republic. It also deals with characteristic features of artistic expression and artheterapy for elderly. In the practical part methods are described which exploit artistic expression in enhancing cognitive functions not only in elderly people with dementia within the framework of the stimulation programme in old people's homes but also, by means of voluntary memory training courses. The author tries to ascertain the extent how art therapy methods can be applied in these programmes in such a way that the two approaches could complement, supplement and enrich each other.
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Application of ICT for Cognitive Functions Support
Šuchman, Ondřej ; Pstružina, Karel (advisor) ; Kulišťák, Petr (referee)
Performance of cognitive abilities, like attention, memory, language and speech, planning, decision making or logical thinking, is the basic assumption for quality of life. There are many ways how to keep and improve them. This thesis deals with connection of information technologies and cognitive sciences with focus on memory support. At the beginning there is introduced an aim of thesis in detail, in the next chapter there are described memory systems and other cognitive functions. Third chapter is focused on short introduction of brain structures, neurotransmitters affecting memory activities and imaging methods that serve for observing memory activities. In the forth chapter there are described the most common memory deficits. In the fifth part there is description of several computer programs currently used for cognitive functions support. Within the scope of practical part there was tested one software from fifth chapter with focus on memory abilities of researched sample. The results of conducted experiment are described in detail at the very end of this thesis.
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