"Effects of aerobic exercise on cognitive and psychosocial functioning in patients with mild hypertension": Correction.

Reports an error in the original article by T. W. Pierce et al (Health Psychology, 1993[Jul], Vol 12[4], 286–291). Table 4, which was inadvertently excluded, is provided. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1993-46609-001.) The effects of 16 wks of physical exercise training on the psychological functioning of 90 patients with mild hypertension were examined. At baseline and after 16 wks of training, patients completed a psychometric test battery that included objective measures of neuropsychological performance and standardized self-report measures of psychosocial functioning. Patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: aerobic exercise, strength training and flexibility exercise, or a waiting list control group. After training, there were no group differences on any of the psychological measures, even though patients who engaged in exercise perceived themselves as functioning better in a number of psychological domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prospective memory functioning in mild cognitive impairment.

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate prospective memory (PM) in persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Method: Twenty individuals with MCI (10 with an amnestic profile and 10 with a dysexecutive profile of cognitive impairment) and 20 control subjects (CS) were recruited. In the PM tasks, subjects had to execute three actions after 20 min had elapsed (time-based condition) or after a timer rang (event-based condition). Separate scores were computed for correct recall of the intention to perform the actions (prospective component) and for correct execution of the actions (retrospective component). Results: Although individuals with MCI were less accurate than CS in both prospective (Cohen's d ranged from 1.04 to 2.23) and retrospective (Cohen's d ranged from 0.81 to 1.06) components of the experimental task, they were significantly more impaired in the former than the latter component (Cohen's d = 0.42). Moreover, the deficit in the prospective component of the time-based task was particularly evident in MCI participants presenting with a dysexecutive impairment in respect to amnestic MCI individuals (Cohen's d = 0.99). Conclusions: Results of the present study show that the ability of subjects with MCI to comply effectively with a planned delayed intention is impaired and suggest that dysexecutive disorders are likely responsible for this deficit. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intrainstitutional relocation. Effects on residents'' behavior and psychosocial functioning

INTRODUCTION: Relocation effects in the elderly have been a topic of gerontologic research for many years. Prior research, however, has focused on individuals who could make a cognitive appraisal of the relocation process. With a greater prevalence of cognitive impairments and/or psychiatric illnesses in long-term care residents, research is needed to clarify the impact of relocation on these individuals. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine how intrainstitutional relocation affects behavior and psychosocial functioning in residents with and without cognitive, mood, and/or psychotic disorders. METHOD: This prospective study followed 78 residents being relocated intrainstitutionally in a health-related facility that was undergoing major renovations. Medical and nursing information was collected at 1 month pre-move and at 1 and 3 months post-move. Five areas of behavioral and psychosocial functioning (self-care, disoriented behavior, depressed/anxious mood, irritable behavior, and withdrawn behavior) were assessed using the Multidimensional Observation Scale for Elderly Subjects (MOSES). RESULTS: A significant increase was seen in the number of medical visits (p = .04) from time of relocation to 1 month post-move. The groups diagnosed with mood disorder and psychotic disorder had a statistically significant weight loss (p = .04) between 1 month pre-move and 1 month post-move. The study revealed an increase in the number of residents who fell immediately after relocation, but the increase did not reach statistical significance (p = 12). Residents who fell after relocation had resided at the facility for a longer time than the remainder of the sample (p = .08). Residents with a diagnosis of cognitive impairment showed a statistically significant difference in self-care (p = 0.01) and withdrawn behavior (p = 0.01) at 3 months post-move. Extensive relocation preparation and support may have been the main contribution to diminishing the stress of relocation over time and across diagnostic categories.     

有氧运动对治疗慢性下背痛的疗效

目的:探索有氧运动对治疗慢性下背痛疗效的影响.方法:选择社区医疗服务中心40例病史3个月以上的下背痛患者,采用电脑随机方法将受试者分为两组:一组为实验组,进行有氧训练;另一组为对照组,不接受任何训练计划.对照组和实验组分别在干预介入前与介入后进行下背痛失能程度量表和疼痛评分(Visual Analogue Scale,VAS).结果:治疗12周后,发现实验组在治疗后欧式下背痛失能程度显著小于对照组,且VAS评分结果显著优于对照组.结论:有氧运动可以改善慢性下腰痛患者的疼痛程度及改善其失能状况.     

Cerebral lateralization and cognitive functioning in patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

A battery of tests was administered to 17 patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and 17 normal controls to investigate the effect of prenatal androgen exposure on cerebral lateralization and cognitive performance. Individuals were compared on measures of hand preference, verbal and performance IQ, and temporal processing asymmetry. A higher incidence of left-handedness was found among CAH participants. CAH individuals exhibited higher performance IQs as opposed to verbal IQs. Temporal processing asymmetries were investigated using an auditory gap detection task. Measures of reaction time and response error revealed a right-ear, therefore left-hemisphere, advantage for gap detection. This right-ear advantage did not differ between CAH individuals and controls. Results partially support the hypothesis that prenatal androgen exposure causes a shift in cerebral lateralization toward right-hemisphere dominance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of school-based aerobic exercise on blood pressure in adolescent girls at risk for hypertension

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate 1. the extent of weight gain by high school wrestlers between an evening weigh-in and the first round of wrestling the next morning and 2. the relationship between weight gain and wrestling success. METHODS: Body weights of competitors (N = 260) in a high school wrestling tournament were recorded at official weigh-in and again, about 12 h later, immediately before the first round of wrestling. Data for the heavyweight class was excluded. Weight gain (WG in kg), relative weight gain (RWG in %), and weight discrepancy between opponents (WD in kg) were calculated from data obtained at the weighings. The mean WG for all wrestlers was 1.3 kg +/- 1.1 with a range of -2.0 kg to +4.4 kg. This corresponds to RWG of 2.2 +/- 1.7% body weight. RESULTS: WG in the lower weight classes was statistically larger than that seen in the highest weight classes (P < 0.05). The smallest RWG was seen in the 189-lb. class (1.1 +/- 1.9%), and the largest RWG was seen in the 112-lb. class (3.0 +/- 2.1%). Average WD between competitors was 1.7 +/- 1.5 kg (range 0-7.5 kg.). Average WD was largest in the two heaviest classes. Average WG was 1.5 +/- 1.1 kg for winners and 1.2 +/- 1.0 kg for losers. RWG was 2.4 +/- 1.8% for winners and 1.9 +/- 1.6% for losers. CONCLUSIONS: The difference in WG and RWG between winners and losers was significant (P < 0.05). In 74 of the 130 bouts (57%), the heavier wrestler was successful (NS).     

Disturbances of sleep and cognitive functioning in patients with dementia

The relationship of sleep, circadian rhythms, and cognitive impairment in dementia patients is briefly reviewed. All-night sleep EEG data were collected in relatively young and relatively unimpaired patients with presumptive Alzheimer's disease and eight age-matched controls. Delta sleep time and Delta sleep % (Stages 3 and 4)--but not REM sleep measures--were significantly reduced in the patients. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Characterizing multiple memory deficits and their relation to everyday functioning in individuals with mild cognitive impairment.

The authors evaluated multiple memory processes and explored their contributions to everyday functional limitations in persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Participants included individuals with amnestic MCI, nonamnestic MCI, and healthy older adults. As expected, the amnestic MCI group performed more poorly than the control and nonamnestic MCI groups on a content memory measure. Both MCI groups, however, performed more poorly than controls on the noncontent memory measures of prospective memory, temporal order memory, and source memory. Informants also reported that the MCI groups were experiencing greater difficulty than controls completing instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). Noncontent memory measures were found to make an independent contribution to IADL performances over and above that of content memory. These findings demonstrate that impairments in memory beyond the traditionally assessed content memory are present in individuals with amnestic MCI and with nonamnestic MCI. The results further show that these noncontent memory processes, which have been linked with executive functioning, play a role in supporting IADLs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of exercise on cognitive processes: A review.

In a review of the literature on the effect of physical exercise on information processing and cognition, the studies were classified according to the intensity and duration of the exercise intervention. The studies were evaluated on the basis of current theories of information processing. Although several studies suggest that exercise produces short-term facilitative effects on mental tasks, the relation remains problematic. It is concluded that inconsistencies among studies are due to the failure of researchers to use a theory-based parametric approach to the issue. (61 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychosocial functioning of wife-dominant families.

Investigated the hypothesis that wife-dominance is associated with psychosocial dysfunction in the family, using data from 94 intact families with male adolescents (mean age 14.9 yrs). Families were classified as wife dominant (WD), husband dominant (HD), or egalitarian based on family and observer's ratings and measures of family psychosocial functioning. Results indicate that (1) family members did not evidence more neurotic symptoms and (2) there was not a higher percentage of adolescent delinquency in WD families compared with either HD or egalitarian families. Results do not support the hypothesis. Rates of positive parental communication by race are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of aerobic exercise on depression.

43 depressed undergraduate women were randomly assigned to either an aerobic exercise treatment condition in which they participated in strenuous exercise, a placebo treatment condition in which they practiced relaxation exercises, or a no-treatment condition. Aerobic capacity was assessed before and after a 10-wk treatment period. Self-reported depression was assessed before, during, and after the treatment period. Results show that Ss in the aerobic exercise condition had reliably greater increases in aerobic capacity and reliably greater decreases in depression than did Ss in the placebo or no-treatment condition. There was a reduction in depression that was independent of treatment; it is suggested that a no-treatment control condition is a necessity in research on depression. It is concluded that findings provide clear evidence that participation in a program of strenuous aerobic exercise is effective for reducing depression. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Task switching performance reveals heterogeneity amongst patients with mild cognitive impairment.

Objective: To assess executive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and to determine whether task switching ability is associated with transition to Alzheimer's disease. Methods: Twenty-seven MCI patients and 19 older controls were tested using a cued letter-digit classification switching task. Sixteen patients could perform the task (MCI-able), 6 could not (MCI-unable), and 5 were able only with cognitive support (MCI-cue). Demographic, neuropsychological, event-related potential (ERP), MRI, and genetic data were also collected. Results: The four groups did not differ on age, gender, and APO E4 frequency. Compared to the controls, the MCI-unable group had significantly poorer performance on the Trail Making task (η2 = .430), lower education (η2 = .234), and smaller cortical volume (η2 = .245). Most MCI patients exhibited task-switching deficits but to vastly different degrees and with varying outcomes. The combined pattern of neuropsychological and task switching performance indicates that the MCI-able patients displayed memory retrieval difficulties (F(2,39) = 3.6, p = .036, MSE = 1.44), generally preserved task switching abilities, and had a high probability of remaining dementia-free at follow-up. The MCI-cue patients had increased mixing costs, F(2,39) = 11.0, p     

Effects of a cold-water stressor on psychomotor and cognitive functioning in humans

The effects of an acute stressful and painful stimulus, cold water, on psychomotor and cognitive functioning, was assessed in 14 healthy volunteers. Subjects immersed their forearm in ice-cold water (2-3 degrees C) and luke-warm water (37 degrees C) for 3 min, and during this time period a psychomotor or cognitive test was performed. These immersions were done over the course of two experimental sessions, spaced at least 2 days apart, with six trials in each session. Within each session, cold and warm water immersions alternated. Results indicated that flicker-from-fusion threshold from the critical flicker frequency test was higher in the cold-water condition than in the luke-warm-water condition, indicative of increased alertness from the cold stimulus. Short-term memory was attenuated, however, in the cold-water condition. Performance on other tests including those that required speed and/or concentration were not affected by the manipulation. Subjects rated the cold-water stimulus as painful and bothersome, and their blood pressure was significantly elevated by the stimulus. We conclude that a painful stimulus may affect psychomotor and/or cognitive functioning, but the relationship is somewhat complex and depends on the particular tests used.     

Couples- versus individual-based therapy for alcohol and drug abuse: Effects on children's psychosocial functioning.

The study compared the effect of couples-based vs individual-based therapy for men who entered outpatient substance abuse treatment on the psychosocial functioning of children in their homes. Men were randomly assigned to (1) behavioral couples therapy (BCT), (2) individual-based treatment (IBT) or (3) couples-based psychoeducational attention control treatment (PACT). For both children of alcohol (N=71) and drug-abusing men (N=64), parents' ratings of children's psychosocial functioning was higher for children whose fathers participated in BCT at posttreatment and at 6- and 12-mo follow-up than for children whose fathers participated in IBT or PACT. BCT resulted in greater improvements in parents' dyadic adjustment and fathers' substance use. Thus, couples-based intervention that addresses both issues may have greater benefits for children in these homes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longitudinal change in cognitive performance among individuals with mild cognitive impairment.

The authors used mixed-effects growth models to examine longitudinal change in neuropsychological performance over a 4-year period among 197 individuals who were either normal or had mild cognitive impairment (MCI) at baseline. At follow-up, the participants were divided into 4 groups: (a) controls: participants who were normal at both baseline and follow-up (n = 33), (b) stables: participants with MCI whose Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB) score did not differ between the first and last evaluations (n = 22), (c) decliners: participants with MCI whose CDR-SB score declined between the first and last evaluations (n = 95), and (d) converters: participants who received a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease during the follow-up period (n = 47). Only the Episodic Memory factor showed a significantly greater rate of decline over the follow-up period among the converters. Two other factors were significantly lower in converters at baseline in comparison with other groups (the executive function factor and the general knowledge factor), but the rate of decline over time did not differ. Individuals with an APOE ε4 allele scored lower on the episodic memory and executive function factors at baseline. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of cognitive load on semantic priming in patients with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenic and control participants received 2 blocks of trials in each experiment. In 1 block they were exposed to regular priming trials (doctor–nurse), and in another block a nonlexical probe was presented at prime onset for 40 ms. Regardless of stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA), the schizophrenic patients showed hyperpriming when no distractor was present. Paying attention to the distracting stimulus reduced priming in the patient group irrespective of SOA. Under certain situations, the reduction in priming appeared even when participants were asked to ignore the distracting stimulus. Thus, even a nonsemantic distractor may be detrimental to schizophrenic patients' language processing. That SOA did not modulate the reduction in priming effect is consistent with the suggestion that attentional resources are required even with short prime–target intervals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Physical androgyny and cognitive functioning in adolescence.

Investigated the relationship of physical manifestations of sex hormone influence to cognitive functioning in a longitudinal sample of 106 male and 99 female adolescents. Cognitive and physical data were obtained on all Ss at ages 13, 16, and 18 yrs. Spatial abilities and verbal production measures were taken from the Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scales and the Primary Mental Abilities Test. Physical measures were ratings of nude whole-body photographs. Results suggest that, in males, the relatively less masculine (androgynous) physical characteristics were positively related to spatial ability and negatively related to fluent production. Similarly, more masculine physical characteristics were positively related to fluent production and negatively related to spatial ability. Fluent production was unrelated to physical characteristics in females. The less feminine (androgynous) physical characteristics were related to spatial ability. Possibilities for the development of these relationships are discussed. (11/2 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acute effects of aerobic exercise on mood.

32 female medical students (aged 18–23 yrs) completed 2 8-min trials of high-intensity exercise and 2 8-min trials of low-intensity exercise. One high- and 1 low-exercise trial were accompanied by music; the other 2 trials were accompanied by metronome. Mood was assessed with a modification of the Profile of Mood States before and immediately after each trial. Ss were divided into fit and unfit groups based on heart rate responses during high-exercise trials. High-intensity exercise led to increases in tension/anxiety and fatigue, whereas positive mood changes (vigor and exhilaration) were seen following low-intensity exercise only. No fitness group differences in mood responses were observed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of aerobic exercise training, age, and physical fitness on memory-search performance.

We investigated the effects of exercise training on memory performance. One group of 13 men (M?=?42.92 years of age) participated in supervised aerobic exercise (jogging) three times a week for 12 weeks. A second group of 15 men (M?=?43.67 years of age) performed anaerobic exercise (strength training) for the same period of time. Subjects' reaction time (RT) performance in a memory-search task was assessed both before (Time 1) and after (Time 2) the 12 weeks of exercise training. Results indicated that there was no significant change in memory-search performance over time as a function of exercise training. Analyses of the Time 2 RTs demonstrated that aspects of memory-search performance were related significantly both to subjects' initial (Time 1) level of fitness and to age, but not to the amount of change of fitness associated with aerobic exercise training over this 12-week duration in this age group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of cognitive stimulation on the relations between age and cognitive functioning.

To make a convincing argument that cognitive stimulation moderates age trends in cognition there must be (a) a negative relation between age and level of cognitive stimulation, (b) a positive relation between level of cognitive stimulation and level of cognitive functioning, and (c) evidence of an interaction between age and cognitive stimulation in the prediction of cognitive functioning. These conditions were investigated in a study in which 204 adults between 20 and 91 years of age completed an activity inventory and performed a variety of cognitive tasks. Only the 1st condition received empirical support, and, thus, the results of this study provide little evidence for the hypothesis that cognitive stimulation preserves or enhances cognitive functioning that would otherwise decline. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)