Motor neuroplasticity: A MEG-fMRI study of motor imagery and execution in healthy ageing

Age-related decline in motor function is associated with over-activation of the sensorimotor circuitry. Using a multimodal MEG-fMRI paradigm, we investigated whether this neural over-recruitment in old age would be related to changes in movement-related beta desynchronization (MRBD), a correlate of the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and whether it would characterize compensatory recruitment or a reduction in neural specialization (dedifferentiation). We used MEG to assess age-related changes in beta band oscillations in primary motor cortices, fMRI to localize age-related changes in brain activity, and the Finger Configuration Task to measure task performance during overt and covert motor processing: motor execution (ME) and motor imagery (MI). The results are threefold: first, showing age-related neuroplasticity during ME of older adults, compared to young adults, as evidenced by increased MRBD in motor cortices and over-recruitment of sensorimotor areas; second, showing similar age-related neuroplastic changes during MI; and finally, showing signs of dedifferentiation during ME in older adults whose performance negatively correlated with connectivity to bilateral primary motor cortex. Together, these findings demonstrate that elevated MRBD levels, reflecting greater GABAergic inhibitory activity, and over-activation of the sensorimotor network during ME may not be compensatory, but rather might reflect an age-related decline of the quality of the underlying neural signal

Reducing occupational stress among registered nurses in very remoteAustralia: A participatory action research approach

© 2017 Australian College of Nursing Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access articleunder the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).tBackground: Nurses in very remote areas of Australia (RANs), work in complex and isolated settings forwhich they are often inadequately prepared, and stress levels are high. This paper, based on the ‘Backfrom the edge’ project, evaluates the development and implementation of an intervention to reduce andprevent the impact of occupational stress in the RAN workforce in the Northern territory.Methods: The methods involved a combined participatory action research/organisational developmentmodel, involving seven steps, to develop and implement system changes within the (then) Northern Ter-ritory Department of Health and Families (NTDH&F). The development, implementation and evaluationwas informed via information from participants collected during workshops and interviews. Pre and postsurveys were undertaken to evaluate the study.Results: Occupational stress interventions developed by the workgroups were categorised into four maingroups: (1) remote context, (2) workload and scope of practice, (3) poor management, and (4) violenceand safety concerns. The main interventions centred on promoting a well educated, stable workforce.There were very few measurable changes as a result of the interventions as many were not able to beimplemented in the time period of the study, but implementation is continuing.Conclusion: While the outcome evaluations showed few effects, the study through consensus approaches,provides a blueprint for reducing stress among remote area nurses and evidence which should informpolicy and practice with respect to service delivery in remote areas

Psychosocial safety climate as an antecedent of work characteristics and psychological strain: a multilevel model

Psychosocial safety climate (PSC) refers to a specific organizational climate for the psychological health of workers. It is largely determined by management and at low levels is proposed as a latent pathogen for psychosocial risk factors and psychological strain. Using an extended Job Demands-Control-Support framework, we predicted the (24 month) cross-level effects of PSC on psychological strain via work conditions. We used a novel design whereby data from two unrelated samples of nurses working in remote areas were used across time (N=202, Time 1; N=163, Time 2), matched at the work unit level (N= 48). Using hierarchical linear modelling we found that unit PSC assessed by nurses predicted work conditions (workload, control, supervisor support) and psychological strain in different nurses in the same work unit 24 months later. There was evidence that the between-group relationship between unit PSC and psychological strain was mediated via Time 2 work conditions (workload, job control) as well as Time 1 emotional demands. The results support a multilevel work stress model with PSC as a plausible primary cause, or "cause of the causes", of work-related strain. The study adds to the literature that identifies organizational contextual factors as origins of the work stress process

The Australasian Association of Writing Programs 1996–2011

This paper traces the development of creative writing in Australian tertiary education, examining the Australasian Association of Writing Program's (AAWP) institutional formation in 1996 and its development and activities since then. It outlines the AAWP's contributions to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and learning, to academic research, and to the growth of the discipline of writing, nationally and internationally