OBJECTIVE: According to the increase of older people, the need for effective methods to maintain or improve cognitive functions in the elderly has increased. These cognitive enhancing methods may contribute to the prevention of elderly cognitive decline by aging and dementing illness as well. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of multistrategic memory training with the metamemory concept on cognitive functions in the normal health elderly in Korea. METHODS: The program used in this study was developed by psychiatrists and psychologists in accordance with Korean situations. We applied the training program to the community-dwelling elderly with subjective memory complaints. Twenty participants were randomly received the intervention with 20 non-treatment controls. This program consisted of 10 sessions and was administered once a week. We examined the effects of this memory training for verbal memory, visuospatial memory, working memory, and verbal fluency ability by repeated ANOVA. RESULTS: There were significant improvements in Word List Short-term Delayed Free and Cued Recall, Word list Long-term Delayed Free and Cued Recall and visuospatial recognition memory. Performance improvements in visuospatial span forwards and the Categorical Fluency Test were also significant. These improvements were still significant after adjusting for depression improvement exact categorical fluency. CONCLUSION: This study shows that multistrategic memory training with the metamemory concept may improve memory ability and other cognitive functions which are not trained and that these improvements may be achieved by pure cognitive training effects.
Adult ; Aged ; Aging ; Depression ; Humans ; Memory ; Memory, Short-Term ; Psychiatry

Background: This study aimed to determine if sleep disturbances may mediate the relationship between panic symptoms and depression in patients with panic disorder (PD). Methods: Electronic medical records were retrospectively reviewed for 110 consecutive patients with diagnosed PD in an outpatient clinic between October 2018 and December 2019. Measurements include the PD Severity Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Statistical analyses were performed to assess any potential relationship between PD, insomnia and depression. Results: Of the PD patients, 88 (80%) and 89 (80.9%) had comorbid depression (BDI-II ≥ 14) and insomnia (Korean version of the ISI ≥ 8), respectively. In a mediation model using insomnia as the mediating variable, the total effect of panic symptom severity on depression was significant (t = 7.23, P < 0.001). There were significant effects of panic symptoms on insomnia (t = 4.62,P < 0.001) and of insomnia on depression (t = 6.69, P < 0.001). The main effect of panic symptom severity on depression was also significant, after controlling for the effect of insomnia (t = 5.10, P < 0.001), suggesting partial mediation. Conclusion Both depressive symptoms and insomnia are common in patients with PD and depression was partially mediated by insomnia in these patients. These results suggest that an intervention for insomnia in patients with PD might help prevent the development of depression.

Background: This study aimed to determine if sleep disturbances may mediate the relationship between panic symptoms and depression in patients with panic disorder (PD). Methods: Electronic medical records were retrospectively reviewed for 110 consecutive patients with diagnosed PD in an outpatient clinic between October 2018 and December 2019. Measurements include the PD Severity Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Statistical analyses were performed to assess any potential relationship between PD, insomnia and depression. Results: Of the PD patients, 88 (80%) and 89 (80.9%) had comorbid depression (BDI-II ≥ 14) and insomnia (Korean version of the ISI ≥ 8), respectively. In a mediation model using insomnia as the mediating variable, the total effect of panic symptom severity on depression was significant (t = 7.23, P < 0.001). There were significant effects of panic symptoms on insomnia (t = 4.62,P < 0.001) and of insomnia on depression (t = 6.69, P < 0.001). The main effect of panic symptom severity on depression was also significant, after controlling for the effect of insomnia (t = 5.10, P < 0.001), suggesting partial mediation. Conclusion Both depressive symptoms and insomnia are common in patients with PD and depression was partially mediated by insomnia in these patients. These results suggest that an intervention for insomnia in patients with PD might help prevent the development of depression.

Objective: This study explored whether temperament profiles are associated with psychological functioning and whether character maturity affects this association in patients with panic disorders (PD). Methods: A total of 270 patients with PD were enrolled in this study. Measurements included the Temperament and Character Inventory-revised-short (TCI-RS), a self-report version of the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS-SR), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Cluster analysis was used to define the patients’ temperament profiles, and the differences in discrete variables among temperament clusters were calculated using a one-way analysis of variance. An analysis of covariance was conducted to control for the impact of character maturity on psychological functioning among clusters. Results: We identified four temperament clusters of patients with PD. Significant differences in the PDSS-SR, BDI-II, STAI-state, and STAI-trait scores among the four clusters were detected [F(3, 262)=9.16, p<0.001; F(3, 266)=33.78, p<0.001; F(3, 266)=19.12, p<0.001; F(3, 266)=39.46, p<0.001]. However, after controlling for the effect of character maturity, the effect of cluster type was either eliminated or reduced ([STAI-state] cluster type: F(3, 262)=0.94, p>0.05; SD+CO: F(1, 262)=65.95, p<0.001, ηp2 =0.20). Conclusion This study enabled a more comprehensive and integrated understanding of patients by exploring the configuration of all temperament dimensions together rather than each temperament separately. Furthermore, we revealed that depending on the degree of character maturity, the psychological functioning might differ even within the same temperament cluster. These results imply that character maturity can complement inherently vulnerable temperament expression.

Currently, the expanding recreational use of synthetic cannabinoids (SCBs) threatens public health. SCBs produce psychoactive effects similar to those of tetrahydrocannabinol, the main component of cannabis, and additionally induce unexpected pharmacological side effects. SCBs are falsely advertised as legal and safe, but in reality, SCB abuse has been reported to cause acute intoxication and addictive disorders. However, because of the lack of scientific evidence to elucidate their dangerous pharmacological effects, SCBs are weakly regulated and continue to circulate in illegal drug markets. In the present study, the intravenous self-administration (IVSA) paradigm was used to evaluate the abuse potential of three SCBs (AM-1248, CB-13, and PB-22) in rats. All three SCBs maintained IVSA with a large number of infusions and active lever presses, demonstrating their reinforcing effects.The increase of active lever presses was particularly significant during the early IVSA sessions, indicating the reinforcementenhancing effects of the SCBs (AM-1248 and CB-13). The number of inactive lever presses was significantly higher in the SCB groups (AM-1248 and CB-13) than that in the vehicle group, indicating their impulsive effects. In summary, these results demonstrated that SCBs have distinct pharmacological properties and abuse potential.

Currently, the expanding recreational use of synthetic cannabinoids (SCBs) threatens public health. SCBs produce psychoactive effects similar to those of tetrahydrocannabinol, the main component of cannabis, and additionally induce unexpected pharmacological side effects. SCBs are falsely advertised as legal and safe, but in reality, SCB abuse has been reported to cause acute intoxication and addictive disorders. However, because of the lack of scientific evidence to elucidate their dangerous pharmacological effects, SCBs are weakly regulated and continue to circulate in illegal drug markets. In the present study, the intravenous self-administration (IVSA) paradigm was used to evaluate the abuse potential of three SCBs (AM-1248, CB-13, and PB-22) in rats. All three SCBs maintained IVSA with a large number of infusions and active lever presses, demonstrating their reinforcing effects.The increase of active lever presses was particularly significant during the early IVSA sessions, indicating the reinforcementenhancing effects of the SCBs (AM-1248 and CB-13). The number of inactive lever presses was significantly higher in the SCB groups (AM-1248 and CB-13) than that in the vehicle group, indicating their impulsive effects. In summary, these results demonstrated that SCBs have distinct pharmacological properties and abuse potential.