The aim of this study is to describe the development of neuropsychological research among epilepsy patients in Malaysia so far, the current trend and the focus of future research endeavour. The research in epilepsy grows concurrently with the interest in the field of neuropsychology in Malaysia. Beginning with the presurgical evaluation of epilepsy patients as part of the epilepsy protocols, research areas expanded further into neuropsychological profiling. The current trend in Malaysia is determining the factors influencing neuropsychological outcomes as well as the risk factors associated with low quality of life among epilepsy patients. The future neuropsychological research should emphasize on the effectiveness of neurorehabilitation of epilepsy patients as well as psychosocial and cultural issues particularly on social stigma and employability in line with the research priorities set by the Research Task Force of the ILAE Commission on Asian and Oceanian Affairs for people with epilepsy in Asia-Oceanic region.
Kajian ini mengukur kesan pembawaan semula jadi, punca tekanan dan reaksi tekanan ke atas kesihatan mental di kalangan juvana. Ia melibatkan 55 orang juvana dari pusat pemulihan akhlak dari lingkungan umur 15 hingga 18 tahun. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ28), Student Life Stress Inventory (SLSI), dan Dimensions of Temperament DOTSR-Child (Self) digunakan sebagai alat kajian. Manakala analisis regresi dan korelasi telah dikendalikan untuk menganalisis data. Keputusan kajian menunjukkan punca tekanan, reaksi tekanan dan pembawaan semula jadi tidak memberi kesan yang signifikan ke atas kesihatan mental juvana. Namun punca tekanan secara tunggal didapati menjadi peramal yang signifikan kepada kemurungan juvana dengan menyumbang sebanyak 14.6% daripada varian. Punca kekecewaan menyumbang sebanyak 18.1% daripada varian dalam meramal kemurungan. Reaksi emosi menyumbang sebanyak 10.6% kepada kesan anxieti dan insomnia. Punca tekanan dan pembawaan semula jadi pula menyumbang sebanyak 31% kepada reaksi emosi. Punca tekanan mempunyai korelasi positif yang sederhana dengan reaksi emosi (k = 0.55) dan mempunyai korelasi positif yang rendah dengan pembawaan semula jadi (k = 0.11) dan kesihatan mental (k = 0.23). Kesimpulannya punca tekanan memainkan peranan yang penting dalam mempengaruhi reaksi terhadap tekanan. Faktor pembawaan semula jadi tidak mempunyai pengaruh yang kuat dalam mempengaruhi reaksi tekanan dan kesihatan mental juvana. Faktor kekecewaan pula merupakan peramal yang signifikan kepada kemurungan.
Literature review suggests that polyphenols in particular flavonoids, are beneficial for mental health during aging process. This review examines the effect of consumption of all polyphenols groups on mental health and cognitive status during aging process. The keywords searched were “mental health,” “depression,” “anxiety,” “stress” and “cognitive” combined with “dietary,” and “polyphenols.” The databases including PubMed, Web of Science and CAB Abstracts were searched for a period of 10 years. A total of 11 studies were identifi ed to fulfi ll the inclusion criteria. From this review, polyphenols may confer beneficial effects towards mental health, in particular the decline in cognitive functions during aging process, however, some studies showed contradictory results. Polyphenols have been proven to improve language and verbal ability, which is among the main vulnerable aspects in cognitive decline in pathological brain aging. In contrast, polyphenols intake did not seem to affect executive functioning. The effects of polyphenols towards cognitive status were more prominent among the elderly as compared to young and middle-aged adults. This review also shows that flavonoids is the main type of polyphenols that confer positive effects towards cognitive status during aging. This review provides evidence that consumption of polyphenols may lead to cognitive and mental health benefits. Further clinical trials involving human subjects are required with carefully designed methodology to elucidate the potential mechanisms underlying the relationship between polyphenols consumption and improvement in cognitive and mental health status.
The goal of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA-BM) and to determine its optimal cut-off score among older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), after adjustments for age, gender, levels of education, physical functioning and depressive symptoms. A total of 2237 community dwelling older adults aged 60 years and above were randomly selected for the study, excluding those with MMSE score below 14. Instruments administered were the MoCA-BM, the Malay Mini-Mental State Examination (MMMSE), the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), the Digit Span and the Digit Symbol subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), activities of daily living (ADL) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). MCI were determined using the Petersen’s 2014 criteria as the gold standard. SPSS version 22 was used for reliability and validity analysis and optimal cut-off score detection. Cronbach’s α of the MoCA-BM was 0.691 and concurrent validity was high between MoCA-BM and MMMSE scores (r=0.741). Optimal cut-off point for MoCA-BM to detect MCI among older adults in Malaysia was 17/18, with sensitivity of 68.2% and specificity of 61.3%. Using this cut-off, 38.9% of participants were detected to be at risk of MCI. In conclusion, MoCA-BM is a reliable and valid screening instrument for MCI among Malaysian elderly community. The newly derived optimal cut-off for MCI is much lower than the original MoCA with modest ability to discriminate between normal and MCI older adults in the community.
Objective: The aim of the study is to examine the prevalence and factors influencing PTSD among a sample of help-seeking women experiencing domestic violence. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey study of 40 women in two shelters in Malaysia from 2007 to 2008. Measures include the Detailed Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress; the Measure of Wife Abuse; the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory; the Coping Scale for Adults; and the Provision of Social Relations. Results: Results showed that 60% of subjects
exhibited patterns of symptoms consistent with the diagnosis of PTSD. The most prominent posttraumatic symptoms reported were re-experience, avoidance, dissociative responses, and symptoms of increased arousal. Both negative appraisals about themselves and self blame for the abusive situations were positively associated with increased tendency to develop PTSD. The greater use of optimism coping style and the higher quality social
support appeared to lead to a significantly reduced tendency of developing PTSD. Negative appraisals about themselves were found to be the strongest positive predictor of PTSD [R² = 0.32, F(1,38)=17.67, p
Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk mengenal pasti perkaitan antara tahap kemurungan, kesihatan mental, kesan sokongan sosial dan kesejahteraan psikologi di kalangan mangsa rogol dengan aspek demografik. Subjek kajian seramai 30 wanita telah dipilih dari Pusat Perlindungan dan Pemulihan Wanita, di Batu Caves, Selangor. Kaedah ujian yang digunakan terdiri daripada Beck Depression Inventory, General Health Questionnaire-28, Provision Social Relation dan soalan demografik. Soalan diedarkan di kalangan mangsa diikuti dengan penerangan ringkas ke atas kaedah ujian. Analisis data menunjukkan terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan di antara faktor umur dan kesejahteraan psikologi mangsa (p = 0.004). Selain itu, kemurungan didapati mempengaruhi secara signifikan ke atas kesihatan mental (R' = 0.60, [F (1, 27) = 40.312, p < 0.0011). Kajian inijuga mendapati hubungan yang positif antara kesihatan mental dan kemurungan (r = 0.77). Ini bermaksud semakin tinggi kemurungan yang dialami mangsa, semakin tinggi kesan ke atas kesihatan mentalnya.
There is some evidence stated that mood states might influence cognitive functioning, such as episodic memory, working memory and creative problem solving. This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between mood states and cognitive functioning among older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). This study involved 12 male and 37 female subjects from Klang Valley aged 60 year old and above. MCI was defined based on criteria proposed by Peterson. Cognitive functions of the subjects were accessed using Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), Digit Span, Digit Symbol Substituition Test (DSST) and Visual Reproduction; while mood states including tension, depression, anger, vigour, esteem related affect, fatigue and confusion were accessed using Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire. Total positive subscales score, total negative subscales score and total mood disturbance (TMD) were also calculated. There were significant positive correlations between tension (r = 0.325, p = 0.30), vigour (r = 0.235, p = 0.036), esteem related affect (r = 0.316, p = 0.034) and total positive subscales score (r = 0.307, p = 0.040) with verbal episodic memory as measured using RAVLT fifth trial. In addition, positive correlations were also observed between vigour (r = 0.228, p = 0.035) and total positive subscales score (r = 0.237, p = 0.025) with DSST. After adjusted for confounding factors, subjects who scored higher in esteem related affect (Adjusted OR = 0.390, 95% CI [0.069-0.711], p = 0.019) and tension (Adjusted OR = 0.253, 95% CI [0.075-0.431], p = 0.007) had better verbal episodic memory. Subjects who have higher total positive subscales score were also had faster processing speed (OR = 0.856, 95% CI [0.099-1.614], p = 0.028). However after adjusted for confounding factors, the relationship was not significant (Adjusted OR = 0.383, 95% CI [-0.247-1.013], p = 2.226). Older adults with MCI who had a more positive mood tend to have a better short-term verbal memory and faster processing speed.
Ulam is fresh traditional Malaysian vegetables which normally consumed in raw form or after a short blanching process.It contains high antioxidants and polyphenols. However, there is limited study about the relationship between ulam consumption and cognitive status. Thus, a cross sectional study was conducted to determine the relation with cognitive function among 132 middle-aged Malays adults (45-59 years old), ecruited by convenient sampling from low income residences in Klang Valley. Respondents were interviewed to obtain data on sociodemography, dietary intake and total ulam intake and also measured for anthropometric parameters at respective community centres. Cognitive status was measured using Digit Span (attention and working memory), Rey auditory verbal learning test (RAVLT) (verbal memory) and comprehensive trail making test (CTMT) (cognitive flexibility). The average ulam intake by the respondents was 15.1 ± 8.2g/day and the top five highest consumed ulam were petai (68.1%), pucuk paku (62.9%), ulam raja (56.8%), pegaga (54.6%) and kesum (44.7%).There was a significant correlation between ulam intake with Digit Span (r = 0.265, p = 0.006), total immediate recall of RAVLT (r = 0.427, p < 0.001) and CTMT (r = 0.257, p = 0.007). Analysis of multiple regression indicated that total ulam intake was a significant predictor for Digit Span (R2 = 0.152, p < 0.05), RAVLT (R2 = 0.335, p = 0.001) and CTMT (R2 = 0.310, p < 0.001). In conclusion, this study showed that ulam has the potential to protect against cognitive decline, however, randomized control trials should be conducted to determine the efficacy of the ulam as neuroprotective agent.
This paper investigate the effect of parents’ education background and family monthly income on the Intelligence Quotient
(IQ) of students with special needs in Kelantan, Malaysia. This cross-sectional method study was employed multistage
random sampling to obtain information drawn from 130 participants from 10 selected school in Kelantan, Malaysia.
Questionnaire was used to obtain parents’ education background, family monthly income and demographic variables.
Students IQ were assessed using Comprehensive Test for Non-Verbal Intelligence (CTONI 2nd Edition). Data analysis involve
independent sample t-test, one-way between group ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation and multiple linear regression. From
analysis of IQ score, 63.8% of the special needs students scored very poor IQ, 12.3% scored below average and only
1.5% score average IQ. Significant mean difference were revealed between age group (p = 0.002), parents’ education (p
= 0.018) and family monthly income (p < 0.05) on special needs students IQ. Post-hoc tukey shows significance between
parents who never went to school, went to secondary school (p = 0.037) and university/college (p = 0.021). In term of
family monthly income, significance difference were found between family with low and high monthly income (p < 0.05).
Family monthly income (r = 0.393, p < 0.01) showed positive moderate correlation on special needs students IQ. After
being forwarded by multiple linear regression, it was found that family monthly income (B = 3.605, p < 0.05) and age
group of special needs students (B = 0.879, p = 0.002) were significant predictor for IQ score and explained 22.5% of
the variance (R2
= 0.225, F (5,124) = 83.94, p < 0.05. Overally, majority of special needs students in current study have
very poor IQ score. Further explanation are discussed on the paper.
This review aims to present an overview of current research findings on the possible relationship between phonological awareness and visual-spatial skills among individuals with dyslexia. Narrative review of the relevant articles were obtained through computerized searches of databases such as PubMed, PubMed Central (PMC) and Google Scholar which included articles from SAGE, Taylor & Francis and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Press from the year 2000 to 2014. The key words were explored, both exclusively and in combination with each other, so as to provide a better understanding of the relationship between them among individuals with dyslexia. Although it is evident that there is a phonological deficit in individuals with dyslexia, however, it is inconclusive with regards to the visual-spatial deficit and strength. There is a consensus on the nature of phonological awareness skill deficits but not on the visual spatial abilities in dyslexia. In fact, the relationship between phonological awareness and visual spatial abilities in dyslexia is dependent on the area of visual ability measured.
Polygonum minus is a plant rich in flavonoids and antioxidants beneficial for reducing oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in neuronal membranes. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated the potential benefits of P. minus extract (LineMinusTM) towards improving cognitive function, mood status and quality of life. Thirty five middle-aged women (35-55 years old) were randomized into intervention (n=17) and control group (n=18). Two capsules of P. minus (250 mg) or placebo (100 mg maltodextrin) each were taken once daily for six weeks. Cognitive tests, mood and anthropometric measurements were measured at baseline, week 3 and week 6, whilst biomarkers were measured at baseline and week 6. Parameters related to mood and quality of life including energy/fatigue, social functioning and general health significantly improved from baseline to week 6 in the intervention group (p<0.05). Mean score for cognitive tests (i.e. digit span, comprehensive trail making test (CTMT) and three domains of CNS vital sign (CNSVS)] improved significantly in both intervention and control groups (p<0.05). There was a significant decrease of mean uric acid, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), total cholesterol and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) in the intervention group from baseline to week 6. P. minus supplementation has the potential to improve mood and quality of life and no adverse effects were reported by the participants after 6 weeks supplementation.
Introduction: This study aimed to identify dietary patterns (DPs) and their
association with successful aging (SA). Methods: A comparative cross-sectional
study was conducted among 579 elderly subjects recruited from four states in
Malaysia through a multistage random sampling method. SA was defined as having
no chronic illnesses, no functional limitation, normal global function, no depression,
a good quality of life and good self-perceived health. Information on dietary intake was
obtained using a diet history questionnaire. Cognitive functions were assessed using
the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), depressive symptoms using Geriatric
Depression Score-15 items (GDS-15) and a question regarding their perceived health
and quality of life. Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily
Living (IADL) questionnaires were used to determine functional status. DPs were
obtained using the principal component analysis (PCA) approach. An ordinal logistic
regression model was used to examine associations between DP scores and SA.
Results: Five DPs were identified namely ‘sweet foods-beverages’, ‘meat-vegetablesrice and noodles’, ‘local snacks-fish and seafood-high salt foods’, ‘fruits-legumes’, and
‘tropical fruits-oats’. A higher score for ‘tropical fruits-oats’ DP was associated with
SA [Adjusted OR=1.59 (95% CI: 1.08-2.32)]. However, the association diminished
when the model was adjusted for education level. Further analysis indicated that
this DP increased the chance of SA among those with secondary education and above
[Adjusted OR=2.43 (95% CI: 1.09–5.42)]. Conclusion: ‘Tropical fruits-oats’ DP is
associated with SA among elderly with secondary education and above. There is a
need to investigate DPs among those with lower education.
Kajian terdahulu menunjukkan kualiti hidup dapat ditingkatkan melalui amalan keagamaan dan kerohanian. Hafazan al-Quran merupakan amalan keagamaan dan kerohanian yang memperkasa aspek mental dan fizikal. Namun, kajian saintifik yang mengaitkan hafazan al-Quran dengan kualiti hidup masih terhad terutamanya dalam konteks pelajar tahfiz. Maka, kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti hubungan antara hafazan al-Quran dengan kualiti hidup dalam kalangan pelajar tahfiz di Selangor, Malaysia. Satu kajian keratan rentas telah dijalankan ke atas 116 pelajar dengan pensampelan rawak berstrata dari tiga buah sekolah tahfiz di Selangor. Pelajar tahfiz dikategorikan kepada tiga tahap hafazan berdasarkan jumlah juzuk yang telah dihafaz iaitu Tahap 1 (1-10 juzuk), Tahap 2 (11-20 juzuk) dan Tahap 3 (21-30 juzuk). Borang soal selidik telah digunakan untuk mendapatkan data sosiodemografi dan borang soal selidik Short Form-36 Quality of Life (SF-36) versi Bahasa Malaysia telah digunakan untuk menilai tahap kualiti hidup. Data telah dianalisa menggunakan SPSS versi 23.0. Hasil kajian mendapati wujud hubungan positif yang signifikan antara hafazan al-Quran dengan kesihatan fizikal (r = 0.300, p < 0.05) dan kesihatan mental (r = 0.194, p < 0.05). Ini jelas menunjukkan bahawa semakin banyak pelajar menghafaz al-Quran semakin tinggi tahap kualiti hidup mereka. Faktor yang mempengaruhi kesihatan mental dan fizikal adalah jumlah muka surat hafazan. Kesimpulannya, hafazan al-Quran berpotensi meningkatkan kualiti hidup serta kesihatan mental dan fizikal pelajar tahfiz.
Sekolah tahfiz merupakan institusi yang mengkhususkan pendidikan kepada pelajar yang boleh menghafaz serta mengingati keseluruhan al-Quran. Aktiviti menghafaz al-Quran dengan teknik pengucapan berulang kali akan membantu meningkatkan keupayaan otak untuk memproses, mengingati maklumat dan membina memori. Kehadiran logam berat akan memberi kesan kepada sistem saraf serta mengganggu fungsi sistem saraf pusat dan periferi di mana akan seterusnya menyebabkan berlakunya kecelaan fungsi mental dan kognitif. Keupayaan untuk belajar, mengingati atau menghafaz, penggunaan bahasa dan untuk memahami sesuatu akan terganggu serta mengurangkan IQ dan perhatian. Kajian keratan rentas telah dilakukan bagi mengukur dan mengenal pasti hubungan di antara tahap logam berat, hafazan al-Quran dan tahap kecerdasan (IQ) dalam kalangan pelajar di sekolah tahfiz berbanding sekolah bukan tahfiz terpilih di Selangor. Kepekatan logam berat ditentukan melalui analisa sampel kuku dan rambut pelajar dengan menggunakan Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Ujian kecerdasan Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Edisi Kedua (WASI-II) digunakan untuk mengukur IQ pelajar. Borang soal selidik yang digunakan untuk mengumpulkan data demografik dianalisa menggunakan SPSS versi 23.0. Berdasarkan ujian korelasi Pearson yang dilakukan, terdapat korelasi negatif yang sangat lemah tetapi signifikan antara logam mangan dalam sampel rambut dengan tahap hafazan al-Quran (r = -0.178, p = 0.017). Selain itu, terdapat korelasi positif yang lemah tetapi signifikan antara IQ dengan tahap hafazan al-Quran (r = 0.375, p = < 0.001). Kesimpulannya, semakin tinggi kepekatan logam mangan akan menyebabkan penurunan tahap hafazan al-Quran serta apabila semakin tinggi tahap hafazan al-Quran akan menyebabkan tahap kecerdasan (IQ) juga semakin meningkat.
Exposure to toxic metals and excessive amount of trace elements is a risk factor of cognitive decline. Continuous monitoring of these elements by the use of metabolically inactive tissues such as fingernails may help in taking preventive measures to delay the cognitive decline process. In this study, the cognitive function of 54 elderlies (60-72 years old) from FELDA Sungai Tengi, Selangor, was evaluated using the Malay version of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The levels of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in fingernail were detected using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry. Results showed that (92.6 %) our population was cognitively impaired based on the MoCA with mean score of 18.07 ± 5.11. The mean level of elements in fingernails for As, Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Zn were 16.68 ± 3.52, 4.26 ± 0.91, 4.81 ± 1.16, 1.00 ± 0.23, 1.83 ± 0.47, and 40.86 ± 10.81 μg/g, respectively. Significant inverse correlations were observed between MoCA with age (r = -0.543, p