Sensitivity to mental effort and test-retest reliability of heart rate variability measures in healthy seniors.

Objectives: To determine (1) whether heart rate variability (HRV) was a sensitive and reliable measure in mental effort tasks carried out by healthy seniors and (2) whether non-linear approaches to HRV analysis, in addition to traditional time and frequency domain approaches were useful to study such effects.

Methods: Forty healthy seniors performed two visual working memory tasks requiring different levels of mental effort, while ECG was recorded. They underwent the same tasks and recordings 2 weeks later.

Assessing sleep architecture in dementia caregivers at home using an ambulatory polysomnographic system.

Findings from previous research assessing sleep quality in caregivers are inconsistent due to differences in sleep assessment methods. This study evaluated sleep in dementia caregivers using a comprehensive sleep assessment utilizing an ambulatory polysomnography (PSG) device. A total of 20 caregivers and 20 noncaregivers rated their perceived sleep quality, stress, and depressive symptoms; provided samples of cortisol and inflammatory biomarkers; and completed an objective sleep assessment using a portable PSG device.

Pilot controlled trial of mindfulness meditation and education for dementia caregivers.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to evaluate whether a mindfulness meditation intervention may be effective in caregivers of close relatives with dementia and to help refine the protocol for future larger trials.

Design: The design was a pilot randomized trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a mindfulness meditation intervention adapted from the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy program in relation to two comparison groups: an education class based on Powerful Tools for Caregivers serving as an active control group and a respite-only group serving as a pragmatic control.

Settings/location: This study was conducted at the Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR.

Second generation complementary and alternative medicine physiologic data collection and monitoring research platform.

Progress on our second generation portable system specifically designed to collect 24 hour ambulatory physiologic data from human subjects is reported. The upgraded system has more sensor flexibility and better performance and is smaller, lighter, and simpler to use than our previous version. The new system continues to support a wide variety of sensors found useful for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) research and has been designed using a modular approach for future expansion of capabilities.

Salivary cortisol awakening response in mild Alzheimer disease, caregivers, and noncaregivers.

Alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis have been noted in people with Alzheimer disease (AD) and in the people caring for them. In a case-control study, we assessed whether the cortisol response at awakening and diurnal cortisol would reflect these changes. AD patients, their caregivers, and healthy senior noncaregivers collected saliva within 5 minutes of waking, 30 minutes after waking, before lunch, 1 hour after lunch, and at 11 pm or when getting ready for bed.

Expectancy effect: impact of pill administration on cognitive performance in healthy seniors.

Expectancy or placebo effects on cognitive function have not been well studied. To determine the effect of taking pills on cognitive function, 40 participants were randomly assigned to a pill or no-pill condition. Healthy seniors who took a 2-week supply of methylcellulose pills, which they were told was an experimental cognitive enhancer, were compared to seniors not taking any pills.

24 hour ambulatory research system supporting multiple physiologic sensors.

The design and development of a 24-hour ambulatory physiological data collection system is reported. The system was designed specifically to support the needs of investigators studying mind-body interventions but could be used for a variety of research needs. The system is novel in that it supports a wide variety of physiologic sensors with a relatively high sample rate, full data storage, and standalone run-time of greater than 24 hours.

Cognition and fatigue in multiple sclerosis: Potential effects of medications with central nervous system activity.

To evaluate the potential effects of medications with central nervous system (CNS) activity on cognitive function and fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS), we performed a retrospective analysis of medication use among 70 subjects with MS who were participating in a clinical trial for evaluation of the effects of yoga and exercise programs on cognition and fatigue. Among these MS subjects, 74% were taking at least one potentially CNS-active medication. These 70 subjects were divided into two groups: those taking at least one CNS-active medication (n = 52) and those not on any medications with potential CNS activity (n = 18).

Randomized, controlled, six-month trial of yoga in healthy seniors: effects on cognition and quality of life.

Context: There are potential benefits of mind-body techniques on cognitive function because the techniques involve an active attentional or mindfulness component, but this has not been fully explored.

Objective: To determine the effect of yoga on cognitive function, fatigue, mood, and quality of life in seniors.

Design: Randomized, controlled trial comparing yoga, exercise, and wait-list control groups.

Patterns of dietary supplement usage in demographically diverse older people.

Objective: To analyze dietary supplement usage data from 494 older adults, aged 65 to 101 years.

Setting: Community dwellers living independently of institutionalized care.

Design: All dietary supplements, including botanicals, were recorded to aid in assessing the health status of older adults.

Nicotine effects on alertness and spatial attention in non-smokers.

Nicotine reportedly improves covert orienting of spatial attention, but enhanced alertness may also play a role. The present study explored nicotine effects on measures of spatial attention and alertness in non-smokers. Nicotine was delivered to 17 non-smokers (data from 12 subjects were analyzed) by a 7-mg transdermal patch (one patch in a low-nicotine condition; two patches in a high-nicotine condition).