Higher neural demands on stimulus processing after prolonged hospitalization can be mitigated by a cognitively stimulating environment

Prolonge d periods of complete physical inactivity or bed rest trigger various alterations in the functional and metabolic levels of the human body. However, bed rest-related adaptations of the central nervous system are less known and thoroughly studied. The aim of this study was to investigate brain electrophysiological changes using event-related potentials (ERPs) after 14 days of bed rest and 12 consecutive sessions of computerized cognitive training (CCT). Sixteen older (Mage= 60 years) healthy volunteers were randomly divided into a CCT treatment group and an active control group. All participants performed ERP measurements based on the foveal visual presentation of a circle on a black background before and after bed rest. After 14 days of bed rest, participants in the control group showed increased peak P1 amplitude (p = .012), decreased P1 latency (p = .024), and increased P2 amplitude (p = .036), while the CCT group also showed decreased P1 latency (p = .023) and decreased P2 latency (p = .049). Our results suggest that, even from a central adaptation perspective, prolonged periods of physical inactivity or bed rest trigger additional neural recruitment and should therefore be minimized, and that CCT may serve as a tool to mitigate this. Future research should focus on other aspects of central nervous system adaptation following periods of immobilization/hospitalization to improve our knowledge of infl uence of physical inactivity and its eff ects on cortical activity and to develop appropriate countermeasures to mitigate functional dysregulation.Dolgotrajna obdobja popolne gibalne neaktivnosti ali horizontalnega ležanja sprožijo v človeškem telesu različne spremembe na funkcionalni in metabolni ravni. Prilagoditve centralnega živčnega sistema, povezane s horizontalnim ležanjem, so manj poznane in še ne dovolj preučene. Namen te raziskave je bil oceniti možganske elektrofi ziološke spremembe z uporabo metode z dogodkom povezanih potencialov (ERP) po 14-dnevnem horizontalnem ležanju in 12 zaporednih vadbah računalniškega kognitivnega treninga (RKT). Šestnajst starejših (Mstarost= 60 let) zdravih prostovoljcev je bilo naključno razdeljenih v intervencijo RKT in aktivno kontrolno skupino. Vsi udeleženci so izvajali meritve ERP pred in po horizontalnem ležanju na podlagi fovealne vidne predstavitve kroga na črni podlagi. Po 14-dnevnem horizontalnem ležanju je analiza ERP pokazala povečano amplitudo P1 (p = ,012), zmanjšano latenco P1 (p = ,024) in povečano amplitudo P2 (p = ,036) pri kontrolni skupini, medtem ko sta se v skupini RKT latenci P1 (p = ,023) in P2 skrajšali (p = ,049). Naši rezultati kažejo, da daljša obdobja gibalne neaktivnosti ali horizontalnega ležanja sprožijo, tudi z vidika centralne prilagoditve, dodatno rekrutacijo nevronov, zato je treba taka obdobja zmanjšati na najmanjšo možno mero. Ugotovljeno je bilo tudi, da lahko RKT služi kot orodje za ublažitev upada. Prihodnje raziskave bi se morale osredotočiti še na druge vidike prilagajanja centralnega živčnega sistema po obdobjih imobilizacije/hospitalizacije, da bi izboljšali razumevanje posledic gibalne neaktivnosti in njenih učinkov na kortikalno aktivnost ter razvili ustrezne protiukrepe za blaženje funkcionalne disregulacije

Physical Activity in Older Adults and the Problems Occurring within

The fact that the decline of the human functional capacity is determined by behaviors and exposures to health risks across the whole, gives physical activity (PA) and the concept of the active life style an important role. In monitoring the PA through the adult population health surveillance (quantity of PA) of the older population, there are many kinds of self-reported questionnaires such as the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and General Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ), which are suitable and acceptable instruments according to the World Health Organization (WHO) for those below the age of 65. Understanding the PA surveillance of older adults (> 65 years), with the exception of a few studies, also examined our institute within the framework of the PANGeA project. In 2013, we monitored the quantity of PA with GPAQ in three Slovenian towns using a sample of 445 subjects [women N = 284 (64 %), age 66.9 ± 5.1 years, men N = 161 (36 %), age 68.4 ± 5.6 years]. The comprehensive revision of the questionnaires and participants alike was carried out at the end of a day where mass measurements were taken. The results showed that only 22.6 % of participants were able to understand and fill in data properly. Furthermore, corrections were required more often in the case of the women’s data (80.1 % of the women’s data compared to 72.7 % of the men’s data). Almost a half (49.4 %) of the PA data required correction in more than one area. Fewer corrections were necessary in the case of subjects with a higher level of education. No age related differences were evident between the group requiring corrections and the group where no corrections were needed. The results indicate a need for caution in the assessment of PA in such surveys of the elderly population to ensure data correctness and to avoid the unreliability and incomparability of the data

Stand up to excite the spine : neuromuscular, autonomic, and cardiometabolic responses during motor imagery in standing vs. sitting posture

Motor imagery (MI) for health and performance strategies has gained interest in recent decades. Nevertheless, there are still no studies that have comprehensively investigated the physiological responses during MI, and no one questions the influence of low-level contraction on these responses. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate the neuromuscular, autonomic nervous system (ANS), and cardiometabolic changes associated with an acute bout of MI practice in sitting and standing condition. Twelve young healthy males (26.3 % 4.4 years) participated in two experimental sessions (control vs. MI) consisting of two postural conditions (sitting vs. standing). ANS, hemodynamic and respiratory parameters, body sway parameters, and electromyography activity were continuously recorded, while neuromuscular parameters were recorded on the right triceps surae muscles before and after performing the postural conditions. While MI showed no effect on ANS, the standing posture increased the indices of sympathetic system activity and decreased those of the parasympathetic system (p < 0.05). Moreover, MI during standing induced greater spinal excitability compared to sitting posture (p < 0.05), which was accompanied with greater oxygen consumption, energy expenditure, ventilation, and lower cardiac output (p < 0.05). Asking individuals to perform MI of an isometric contraction while standing allows them to mentally focus on the motor command, not challenge balance, and produce specific cardiometabolic responses. Therefore, these results provide further evidence of posture and MI-related modulation of spinal excitability with additional autonomic and cardiometabolic responses in healthy young men

Učinkovitost računalniškega kognitivnega treninga v domovih starejših občanov

Ohranjanje in krepitev fi zičnega in kognitivnega zdravja je pri starejših osebah izziv, še posebej pri tistih, ki so podvržene pospešenim starostnim ali nevrodegenerativnim spremembam. Obstoječe nefarmakološke intervencije lahko stabilizirajo ali upočasnijo kognitivni upad, vendar se učinkovite preventivne tretmaje, ki bi zakasnili pojavnost simptomov, še raziskuje. Eden izmed nefarmakoloških tretmajev je kognitivni trening. Namen naše raziskave je bil oceniti izvedljivost in učinkovitost kognitivnega treninga z nalogo prostorske navigacije pri stanovalcih domov starejših občanov. Enaintrideset stanovalcev (povprečna starost 81,6 leta, razpon 69%94 letpovprečna ocena MoCA 22,8 točke, razpon 17%277 moških) je bilo naključno razporejenih v kontrolno skupino ali intervencijsko skupino. Slednja je bila vključena v dvomesečni kognitivni trening (2-krat tedenskoskupaj 16 treningov), v katerem so udeleženci vadili učenje virtualnega labirinta. Vsi udeleženci raziskave so bili merjeni pred in po intervenciji na nevropsihološki ocenjevalni bateriji testov. Udeleženci kontrolne skupine niso prejeli nobene posebne obravnave in so tako sodelovali le na %pred in po% meritvah. Pomembne izboljšave so bile ugotovljene le pri Reyjevem testu slušno-besednega učenja (AVLT), kjer so udeleženci v intervencijski skupini značilno izboljšali svoj rezultat v primerjavi s kontrolno skupino. Kljub omejeni učinkovitosti kognitivnega treninga je bila naša intervencija izvedljiva in pozitivno sprejeta s strani večine udeležencev. Nadaljnje raziskave bi morale ovrednotiti dolgoročne učinke kognitivnega treninga na druge funkcionalne sposobnosti in aktivnosti vsakodnevnega življenja. Na splošno naša raziskava ponuja empirične dokaze, da je kognitivni trening sprejemljiv za stanovalce domov za starejše občane, in kar je najpomembneje, da lahko izboljša mnemonične kognitivne sposobnosti.Maintaining and improving physical and cognitive health is becoming a challenging task, especially for older people who are exposed to accelerated age- or neurodegenerative-related decline. Existing non-pharmacological interventions may stabilize or slow down cognitive decline, but eff ective preventive treatments that would delay the symptom onset are currently being explored. One of such non-pharmacological treatments is cognitive training, which has gained in popularity over the last two decades. The aim of our research was to evaluate the feasibility and eff ectiveness of cognitive training with spatial navigation task in nursing home residents. Thirty-one nursing home residents (mean age = 81.6 years, range 69%94 yearsmean MoCA score = 22.8, range 17%277 male) were randomly assigned to control or intervention group, where they underwent a 2-month cognitive training (two-times weeklyaltogether 16 sessions) with virtual maze navigation. Participants were measured pre- and post-intervention on neuropsychological assessment battery, while the control group received no specifi c treatment and performed pre- and postmeasurements only. The only signifi cant improvements were found on Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) where participants in the intervention group signifi cantly improved as compared to their control counterparts. Despite limited generalization of cognitive training, our intervention was feasible and positively perceived by the majority of nursing home residents. Future studies should evaluate long-term eff ects and generalization to other functional capabilities as well as activities of daily living. Overall, our study provides empirical evidence that cognitive training is accepted by nursing home residents, and most importantly, can improve mnemonic cognitive abilities