Objective:To evaluate the learning effect of computerized cognitive testing in the elderly.Methods:Cross-sectional study with 20 elderly, 10 women and 10 men, with average age of 77.5 (±4.28) years. The volunteers performed two series of computerized cognitive tests in sequence and their results were compared. The applied tests were: Trail Making A and B, Spatial Recognition, Go/No Go, Memory Span, Pattern Recognition Memory and Reverse Span.Results:Based on the comparison of the results, learning effects were observed only in the Trail Making A test (p=0.019). Other tests performed presented no significant performance improvements. There was no correlation between learning effect and age (p=0.337) and education (p=0.362), as well as differences between genders (p=0.465).Conclusion:The computerized cognitive tests repeated immediately afterwards, for elderly, revealed no change in their performance, with the exception of the Trail Making test, demonstrating high clinical applicability, even in short intervals.

Thermal stress has a negative effect on the cognitive performance of military personnel and industry workers exposed to extreme environments. However, no studies have investigated the effects of environmental thermal stress on the cognitive functions of older adults. We carried out a controlled trial with 68 healthy older adults (mean age 73.3 years, 69 % female), each of whom has been assessed twice on the same day with selected tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Repeated sessions were conducted with air temperatures set at 24 °C and 32 °C in a balanced order. Our primary analyses did not show significant differences when comparing the cognitive performance of the total sample under the two experimental temperatures. However, interaction analysis has shown that humidity levels modify the effect of temperature on cognitive outcomes. The subgroup exposed to relative humidity greater than the median value (57.8 %) presented worse cognitive performance in the heat session when compared to the control session. Reported exercising frequency explained individual vulnerability to heat stress. Volunteers with lower levels of physical activity (<4 times per week) were more likely to present worsened cognitive performance under heat stress. In a fully adjusted linear regression model, the performance under heat stress remained associated with relative humidity (β = -0.21; p = 0.007) and frequency of exercising (β = 0.18; p = 0.020). Our results indicate that heat stress may have detrimental effects on the cognitive functioning of some subgroups of older adults and under particular circumstances. Further research is needed for exploring a variety of potentially influential factors.

ABSTRACT. With the aging of the population, the possibility of the occurrence of cognitive decline rises. A number of types of intervention seek to attenuate or reverse this impairment. The use of computerized tests helps quantify the effects of interventions on cognitive function in the elderly. The objective of the present review was to analyze studies that have utilized computerized cognitive tests to determine the effects of interventions in the elderly population, describing the batteries and tests employed, the populations studied and reports by authors on the limitations or benefits of employing these tests in older adults. The review was performed on the PubMed database using the descriptors: cognitive computerized test and elderly. We retrieved 530 studies and, following analysis of their abstracts, selected 32 relevant to the subject. The studies utilized 19 different types of computerized tests and batteries to assess the interventions, which were predominantly drug trials. There were no reports on limitations in the use of the computerized tests, suggesting this type of intervention had good applicability, sensitivity, and little or no practice effects in this population. Key words: elderly, neuropsychological tests, diagnosis by computer, intervention studies. USO DE TESTES COMPUTADORIZADOS PARA A AVALIAÇÃO DO IMPACTO COGNITIVO DE INTERVENÇÕES NA POPULAÇÃO IDOSARESUMO. Com o envelhecimento da população aumenta a possibilidade de ocorrência de um declínio cognitivo. Diversas formas de intervenção buscam amenizar ou reverter este prejuízo. O emprego de testes computadorizados auxilia na detecção dos efeitos das intervenções nas funções cognitivas dos idosos. O objetivo desta revisão foi o de analisar os estudos que utilizaram testes cognitivos computadorizados para verificar o efeito de intervenções na população idosa, descrevendo as baterias e testes empregados, as populações analisadas e o relato dos autores sobre limitações ou facilidades do emprego destes testes na população. Foi revista a base de dados PubMed com os descritores: teste cognitivo computadorizado e idoso. Encontramos 530 estudos e, pela leitura dos resumos, selecionamos 32 pela relevância com o tema. Estes utilizaram 19 tipos de testes ou baterias computadorizadas para avaliar as intervenções, que na sua maioria foram medicamentosas. Não houve relato de limitações na utilização dos testes computadorizados, sugerindo que a aplicação desta forma de avaliação tenha boa aplicabilidade, sensibilidade e pouco ou nenhum efeito de aprendizagem nesta população. Palavras-chave: idoso, testes neuropsicológicos, diagnóstico por computador, estudos de intervenção.

Atmospheric quasi-ultrafine particles (qUFP; PM <0.25) can cause harmful effects to human health, mainly to elderly people. Although not always considered, these effects can be mostly due to its chemical composition. The scope of this work is (i) to quantify the abundance of ions and trace elements in qUFP in elderly residences, (ii) to identify the sources of these qUFP and (iii) to estimate the respiratory deposition doses (RDD) of qUFP and black carbon (rBC), which is an important component of qUFP, to various parts of the respiratory tract. In order to evaluate the qUFP chemical composition in elderly residences in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP), we collected qUFP by using a Personal Cascade Impactor Sampler (PCIS). We analysed ions by chromatography and trace elements by Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence. We identified the sources of qUFP by applying Positive Matrix Factorization. We calculated the RDD through an equation, which use the tidal volume of lung, the typical breath frequency, the deposition fraction and the mass concentration of different size fractions of a PM. We collected 60 samples from 59 residences between May 2014 and July 2015. The major of ions concentrations in qUFP were found to be SO 4 2and NH 4 + , and the major trace elements were Si and Fe. Some residences have a high concentration of the toxic heavy metals Cu, Ni, Pb and Cr. We found six dominant sources of the indoor qUFP: vehicular emission (57%), secondary inorganic aerosol (21%), soil and construction (7%), wall painting (7%), cooking (5%) and industry (3%). The maximum RDD of qUFP and rBC are in the tracheobronchial part. Our results show that vehicular emissions dominate the indoor qUFP concentrations and uptake in elderly residences in the MASP.

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