Feasibility, Experiences and Short-Term Outcomes on Challenging Behaviour and Well-Being of a Partially Online Music Intervention Pilot Study for Adults With Intellectual Disabilities.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic we implemented a partially online music intervention to examine the feasibility, experiences and short-term outcomes on the challenging behaviour and well-being of adults with intellectual disabilities.

Method: This mixed-methods study included 10 participants with mild or moderate intellectual disabilities who received 16 one-hour individual music sessions in 10 weeks, either face-to-face or online. Data on feasibility and experiences from participants and music workers were collected and analysed using inductive thematic analysis.

The Effect of 6 weeks Physical Activity on Cognitive Control and Trait Impulsivity in Multi-problem Young Adults: First Findings of an RCT-study.

This study aimed to report the effect of a 6-week light-active versus moderate-active physical activity intervention embedded in a multimodal day treatment program on selected measures of cognitive control (i.e., response inhibition, error processing, and cognitive interference) and trait impulsivity.

Characteristics of forensic psychiatric patients with a neurocognitive disorder.

Background: Emotional and behavioural disturbances accompanying neurocognitive disorders may sometimes lead to a criminal offence. Our knowledge of this specific forensic subpopulation is lagging behind the knowledge on, and attention for, 'classic' psychiatric disorders in forensic populations.

Aims: To gain knowledge on the prevalence and characteristics of individuals with neurocognitive disorders in the forensic population.

The effects of individual music therapy in nursing home residents with dementia to improve general well-being: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Dementia is often associated with Neuropsychiatric Symptoms (NPS) such as agitation, depression, hallucinations, anxiety, that can cause distress for the resident with dementia in long-term care settings and can impose emotional burden on the environment. NPS are often treated with psychotropic drugs, which, however, frequently cause side effects. Alternatively, non-pharmacological interventions can improve well-being and maintain an optimal quality of life (QoL) of those living with dementia.

Effect of an 18-Month Walking Intervention on the Rest-Activity Rhythm of Older Adults With Mild-Moderate Dementia.

The objective of this 18-month walking intervention was to evaluate the effect on rest-activity rhythm (RAR) for older adults with mild-to-moderate dementia (65.8% female; aged M = 82.4 [SD = 6.

Observing videos of mastication in dementia: Results of a clustered randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine effects of the observation of video-recorded chewing in a daily setting on mixing ability, cognition, activities of daily living, depressive symptoms and quality of life of older adults with dementia.

Methods: A clustered randomised controlled trial was carried out with residents from 14 residential care facilities. n = 56 participants' data were analysed.

Active music making and leisure activities for people with intellectual disabilities: A cluster randomized pilot study.

Aim: A pilot cluster randomized controlled trial was performed to evaluate the effects of a music group intervention and a leisure activities group intervention on well-being, self-esteem, social acceptance, challenging behaviour and three components of executive functions (inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility and visual working memory) of adults with intellectual disabilities (ID).

Method: Twenty-nine participants living in four residential facilities for people with ID were randomized into a music or a leisure activities group intervention. Sixteen weekly sessions of one hour were performed with six to eight participants per group.

Prison and the brain.

Imprisonment is a common punishment in most countries. Goals of imprisonment are often not only retribution, but also prevention. Specific prevention aims to reduce the risk of reoffending of the imprisoned offender.

Aggressive Incidents by Incarcerated People With Psychiatric Illness and Their Relationship With Psychiatric Symptoms.

Aim: A prospective design was used to investigate the relationship of current psychiatric symptoms of incarcerated people with serious mental illness (SMI) and aggressive behavior on a penitentiary ward for crisis intervention.

Methods: One hundred sixty detainees with SMI, detained in a high-security penitentiary psychiatric facility, were screened every 2 weeks with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale-Extended (BPRS-E) by trained clinicians, to ensure that the data on psychiatric symptoms were up-to-date. Aggressive behavior was registered with the Staff Observation Aggression Scale-Revised.

The effects of a moderate physical activity intervention on physical fitness and cognition in healthy elderly with low levels of physical activity: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Increasing physical activity is one of the most promising and challenging interventions to delay or prevent cognitive decline and dementia.

Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess the effects of a physical activity intervention, aimed at increasing step count, in elderly with low levels of physical activity on measures of strength, balance, aerobic capacity, and cognition. Participants were assigned to 9 months of exercise counseling or active control.

Brief report: Free-living physical activity levels and cognitive control in multi-problem young adults.

Previous studies indicate a positive association between physical activity and cognitive control in sedentary but healthy adults, yet not much is known about physical activity levels in multi-problem young adults. We examined the level of self-reported free-living physical activity (i.e.

The long-term relation between physical activity and executive function in the Rotterdam Study.

Background: Research on the association between physical inactivity and cognitive decline and dementia is dominated by studies with short-term follow-up, that might be biased by reverse causality.

Objective: Investigate the long-term association between physical activity, cognition, and the rate of age-associated cognitive decline.

Methods: We investigated the association between late-life physical activity and executive functioning and rate of decline of executive abilities during follow-up of up to 16 years, in 3553 participants of the prospective Rotterdam Study cohort.

A Randomized Controlled Trial on the Effects of a 12-Week High- vs. Low-Intensity Exercise Intervention on Hippocampal Structure and Function in Healthy, Young Adults.

Physical exercise affects hippocampal structure and function, but the underlying neural mechanisms and the effects of exercise intensity remain incompletely understood. Therefore, we undertook a comprehensive, multi-modal 3T and 7T MRI randomized controlled trial (Netherlands Trial Register - NL5847) in which we randomized 52 young, non-athletic volunteers to a 12-week low- or high-intensity exercise program. Using state-of-the-art methods, we investigated changes in hippocampal volume, as well as changes in vasculature, neuro-metabolites, and peripheral growth factors as potential underpinnings.

Neural basis of affective touch and pain: A novel model suggests possible targets for pain amelioration.

Pain is one of the most common health problems and has a severe impact on quality of life. Yet, a suitable and efficient treatment is still not available for all patient populations suffering from pain. Interestingly, recent research shows that low threshold mechanosensory C-tactile (CT) fibres have a modulatory influence on pain.

The impact of pain on the course of ADL functioning in patients with dementia.

Background: Understanding if and how pain influences activities of daily living (ADL) in dementia is essential to improving pain management and ADL functioning. This study examined the relationship between the course of pain and change in ADL functioning, both generally and regarding specific ADL functions.

Methods: Participants were Dutch nursing home residents (n = 229) with advanced dementia.

Cognitive reserve relates to executive functioning in the old-old.

Cognitive reserve (CR) is known to reduce or even protect against the negative effects of aging on cognitive functioning. Nonetheless, little is known about how CR influences the relationship between different cognitive abilities and age in the old-old. The goal of the present study was, therefore, to test the hypothesis whether, in the old-old, CR still modifies the relationship between age and cognitive functioning.

Chewing Efficiency, Global Cognitive Functioning, and Dentition: A Cross-sectional Observational Study in Older People With Mild Cognitive Impairment or Mild to Moderate Dementia.

: Previous studies suggest an association between poor mastication and cognitive impairment. The role of chewing efficiency and dentition in this relation is unclear. The aim was to examine global cognitive functioning and dentition as predictors for chewing efficiency, in older people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia.

Sensory Stimulation for Nursing-Home Residents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Its Effects on Sleep Quality and Rest-Activity Rhythm in Dementia.

Introduction: Disrupted sleep-wake cycles might be associated with an exacerbation of behavioural disturbances and accelerate disease progression in dementia. The effect of sensory stimulation for improving sleep quality is unclear.

Methods: A systematic literature search was performed and all studies examining the effects of a sensory stimulation intervention (i.

Mood and behavioral problems are important predictors of quality of life of nursing home residents with moderate to severe dementia: A cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To examine the predictors associated with quality of life of nursing home residents with dementia, in order to identify which predictors are most important and hold most promise for future intervention studies.

Methods/design: This cross-sectional analysis of data collected in two intervention trials included 143 participants with moderate to severe dementia who resided in 40 psychogeriatric wards in 13 nursing homes. The outcome measure quality of life was assessed with the Qualidem.

Effectiveness of the implementation project 'Don't forget the mouth!' of community dwelling older people with dementia: a prospective longitudinal single-blind multicentre study protocol (DFTM!).

Background: The oral health of community dwelling frail older people is poor, and depends on the oral health care provisions available within their own community. The implementation project 'Don't forget the mouth!' (i.e.

Psychotropic drug use in residents with dementia living in small-scaled special care facilities; a longitudinal study.

: Over the past decade, a trend has been noticed in the Netherlands to replace large-scaled special care units (SCUs) caring for 20-30 residents with dementia by small-scaled SCUs caring for up to 8 residents. Systematic evaluations, however, have yielded a differentiated picture of the effects. As the impact on psychotropic drug use has hardly been addressed thus far, we examined the (potential) impact of psychotropic drug use when moving residents with dementia from large-scaled to small-scaled SCUs.

Revisiting the Role of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I Receptor Stimulating Activity and the Apolipoprotein E in Alzheimer's Disease.

: Alterations in insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) signaling have been associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Studies on the association between IGF-I levels and dementia risk have been inconclusive. We reported earlier that higher levels of IGF-I receptor stimulating activity are associated with a higher prevalence and incidence of dementia.

Predictors of care dependency in nursing home residents with moderate to severe dementia: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Nursing home residents with dementia show a rapid decline in their ability to perform activities of daily living. This decline is linked to a greater care dependency, which is associated with a reduced quality of life. Care dependency is influenced by multiple predictors, yet current research often focuses on the contribution of a single or a small number of predictors of care dependency.

Exposure to a musically-enriched environment; Its relationship with executive functions, short-term memory and verbal IQ in primary school children.

Background: Previous literature has shown a putative relationship between playing a musical instrument and a benefit in various cognitive domains. However, to date it still remains unknown whether the exposure to a musically-enriched environment instead of playing an instrument yourself might also increase cognitive domains such as language, mathematics or executive sub-functions such as for example planning or working memory in primary school children.

Design: Cross-sectional.