Long-term physical activity modulates brain processing of somatosensory stimuli : Evidence from young male twins

Leisure-time physical activity is a key contributor to physical and mental health. Yet the role of physical activity in modulating cortical function is poorly known. We investigated whether precognitive sensory brain functions are associated with the level of physical activity. Physical activity history (3-yr-LTMET), physiological measures and somatosensory mismatch response (sMMR) in EEG were recorded in 32 young healthy twins. In all participants, 3-yr-LTMET correlated negatively with body fat%, r=0.77 and positively with VO2max, r=0.82. The fat% and VO2max differed between 15 physically active and 17 inactive participants. Trend toward larger sMMR was seen in inactive compared to active participants. This finding was significant in a pairwise comparison of 9 monozygotic twin pairs discordant for physical activity. Larger sMMR reflecting stronger synchronous neural activity may reveal diminished gating of precognitive somatosensory information in physically inactive healthy young men compared to the active ones possibly rendering them more vulnerable to somatosensory distractions from their surroundings. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Yksilöllistä kuntoutusta muistisairaan kotona : Työkaluja toimintaan

Muistisairaudet ovat kansainvälisesti kasvava kansanterveysongelma väestön ikääntymisen myötä. Suomessa arvioidaan olevan 120 000 henkilöä, joilla kognitiivinen toiminta on heikentynyt. Muistisairaan hoidon kustannukset kasvavat joka vuosi. Kuntoutus auttaa ylläpitämään muistisairaan omaa toimintakykyä ja se voi myös hidastaa muistisairauden etenemistä. Kuntoutuksen tarkoituksena on edesauttaa kotona pärjäämistä ja ylläpitää muistisairaan toimintakykyä. Kirjallisuuskatsauksen tarkoitus on saada käsitys tämänhetkisestä muistikuntoutuksen tilanteesta tutkimusten kautta. Tavoitteena on kartoittaa sopivia keinoja muistisairaiden kotona tapahtuvaan kuntoutustoimintaan. Kirjallisuuskatsaus toteutettiin terveysalan kansainvälisiin tietokantoihin tammikuussa 2017. Alkuperäisiä tutkimusartikkeleita haettiin Cinahl, Medline, Cochrane, PEDro ja OTSeeker tietokannoista ja hakua täydennettiin käsihaun kautta. Kotona asuvien muistisairaiden kuntoutusta käsitteleviä ja tutkimuskysymyksiin vastaavia artikkeleita löytyi lopulta kahdeksan. Artikkeleista yksi käsitteli puhtaasti kompensatorista näkökulmaa ja viisi edusti restoratiivista mallia. Kahdessa artikkelissa käsiteltiin molempiin kategorioihin sopivia menetelmiä. Muististrategiat ja niiden opettelu olivat vahvimmin esillä, mutta myös muistin apuvälineitä ja toimintaterapiaa käsiteltiin artikkeleissa. Muistikuntoutukseen liittyvää tutkimusta on hyvin vähän ja laatu on yleisesti heikkoa. Varmojen johtopäätösten vetämiseksi tarvitaan vielä lisää laadukkaita tutkimuksia.Memory disorders are an internationally growing health concern with the aging of the population. According to estimations, there are 120 000 persons in Finland with declined cognitive capabilities. The costs of the care of people with memory illnesses rise every year. Rehabilitation helps to maintain the functional ability, and it can even slow down the progression of the disease. The purpose of memory rehabilitation is to support living at home and sustaining occupational performance of a person with memory disorders. The purpose of this literature review was to form an understanding of the present state of research concerning memory rehabilitation. The aim was to find suitable means for a home-based rehabilitation program for persons with memory disorders. The literature review was carried out in January 2017 by using international health-related databases. In the retrieval of original research articles, the databases Cinahl, Medline, Cochrane, PEDro and OTSeeker were used. In addition, the search was complemented by using a manual search. Eight articles dealing with the home-based rehabilitation of persons with memory disorders and answering the research questions were eventually selected. One of the articles only dealt with compensatory methods and five represented the restorative methods of rehabilitation. Two articles discussed methods that suited both categories. Memory strategies and their learning were the most widely discussed means, but also memory aids and occupational therapy were addressed. There are only a few studies related to memory rehabilitation, and they are of low quality. Further high-quality studies on the subject are needed for drawing definite conclusions

Public buyer's concerns influencing the early phases of information system acquisition

Information system (IS) procurement in the public sector is a strictly legislated process where different worries and concerns emerge already in its early phases. They may later lead to hazardous and unwanted outcomes when procuring, acquiring, or implementing the IS. To reduce unsatisfactory outcomes and fears and improve public IS procurement, we thus need to understand different concerns and their effects. In this paper, we present a qualitative single case study where different concerns emerge in the market consultation documentation of a public IS procurement. We identify and analyze the concerns by using the grounded theory approach. We then reflect them with the public IS procurement challenges and the European Union (EU) procurement legislation to understand their influence in public procurement. This provides twofold outcomes: a list of concerns and a model that illustrates their interrelations and a long impact chain within the procurement documentations. The model underlines the impacts of different concerns on IS procurement in general, and on system requirements and vendor selection in particular. Especially the role of requirement specifications is emphasized as it largely defines the vendor selection and the contract. This research did not receive any grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Childrens Recall of Words Spoken in Their First and Second Language: Effects of Signal-to-Noise Ratio and Reverberation Time

Speech perception runs smoothly and automatically when there is silence in the background, but when the speech signal is degraded by background noise or by reverberation, effortful cognitive processing is needed to compensate for the signal distortion. Previous research has typically investigated the effects of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and reverberation time in isolation, whilst few have looked at their interaction. In this study, we probed how reverberation time and SNR influence recall of words presented in participants first- (L1) and second-language (L2). A total of 72 children (10 years old) participated in this study. The to-be-recalled wordlists were played back with two different reverberation times (0.3 and 1.2 s) crossed with two different SNRs (+3 dBA and +12 dBA). Children recalled fewer words when the spoken words were presented in L2 in comparison with recall of spoken words presented in L1. Words that were presented with a high SNR (+12 dBA) improved recall compared to a low SNR (+3 dBA). Reverberation time interacted with SNR to the effect that at +12 dB the shorter reverberation time improved recall, but at +3 dB it impaired recall. The effects of the physical sound variables (SNR and reverberation time) did not interact with language.Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council Formas [242-2010-1006]</p

Guardian or threat: does golden eagle predation risk have cascading effects on forest grouse?

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Longitudinal Metabolome-Wide Signals Prior to the Appearance of a First Islet Autoantibody in Children Participating in the TEDDY Study

Children at increased genetic risk for type 1 diabetes (T1D) after environmental exposures may develop pancreatic islet autoantibodies (IA) at a very young age. Metabolic profile changes over time may imply responses to exposures and signal development of the first IA. Our present research in The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study aimed to identify metabolome-wide signals preceding the first IA against GAD (GADA-first) or against insulin (IAA-first). We profiled metabolomes by mass spectrometry from children's plasma at 3-month intervals after birth until appearance of the first IA. A trajectory analysis discovered each first IA preceded by reduced amino acid proline and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), respectively. With independent time point analysis following birth, we discovered dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA) contributing to the risk of each first IA, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAs) associated with the first autoantibody against insulin (IAA-first). Methionine and alanine, compounds produced in BCAA metabolism and fatty acids, also preceded IA at different time points. Unsaturated triglycerides and phosphatidylethanolamines decreased in abundance before appearance of either autoantibody. Our findings suggest that IAA-first and GADA-first are heralded by different patterns of DHAA, GABA, multiple amino acids, and fatty acids, which may be important to primary prevention of T1D