Comparison of practice-related changes in dual task walking performance and neural efficiency between older adults with progressive and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Background: There is limited research comparing both performance and brain control of walking between older adults with progressive and relapsing-remitting MS.

Objective: This study compared older adults with progressive and relapsing-remitting MS for differences in prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation in single- and dual-task-walking and practice-related effects on neural efficiency, walking, and cognitive performances.

Methods: Older adults with progressive (n = 32, age=65±6ys) and relapsing-remitting (n = 63, age=65±4ys) MS completed three conditions (single-task walk, single-task-alpha, i.

Examining the Use of Virtual Reality to Support Mindfulness Skills Practice in Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Mixed Methods Study.

Background: Virtual reality (VR) has been proposed as a technology to support mindfulness practice through promoting increased engagement and presence. The proposed benefits of this technology have been largely unexamined with clinical populations. Further research is required to understand its clinical potential and utility in improving and managing mental health symptoms.

Expanding the Connection Between Cognition and Illness Intrusiveness in Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) disease factors, such as cognitive impairment, can cause disruptions in meaningful activities, also known as illness intrusiveness. Although the association between specific objective measures of cognition and illness intrusiveness has been documented in MS, the contributions of individuals' perceptions of their cognition or whether any psychological factors can buffer the relationship have yet to be explored. This study aimed to (1) simultaneously examine objective processing speed and subjective cognition as disease factors contributing to illness intrusiveness and (2) explore whether resilience moderates the relationship between cognition and illness intrusiveness.

Brain hemodynamic responses and fall prediction in older adults with multiple sclerosis.

Objective: We examined whether brain hemodynamic responses, gait, and cognitive performances under single- and dual-task conditions predict falls during longitudinal follow-up in older adults with multiple sclerosis (OAMS) with relapsing-remitting and progressive subtypes.

Methods: Participants with relapsing-remitting ( = 53, mean age = 65.02 ± 4.

Personal growth in caregivers of persons with brain injury or multiple sclerosis.

An existing scale of personal growth in caregivers of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) was expanded for use with an acquired brain injury (ABI) population, and was modified following additional psychometric analyses. A cross-sectional online survey was administered to 315 caregiving partners of persons with MS and 310 family caregivers of persons with ABI. Principal component analysis (PCA) performed on the original 32-item instrument yielded a 4-component, 17-item solution with correlated subscales with solid psychometric properties.

Disability Moderates Dual Task Walking Performance and Neural Efficiency in Older Adults With Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Mobility and cognitive impairment are prevalent and co-occurring in older adults with multiple sclerosis (OAMS), yet there is limited research concerning the role of disability status in the cognitive control of gait among OAMS.

Objective: We investigated the levels of prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation, using oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO), during cognitively-demanding tasks in OAMS with lower and higher disability using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to: (1) identify PFC activation differences in single task walk and cognitively-demanding tasks in OAMS with different levels of disability; and (2) evaluate if disability may moderate practice-related changes in neural efficiency in OAMS.

Methods: We gathered data from OAMS with lower (n = 51, age = 65 ± 4 years) or higher disability (n = 48, age = 65 ± 5 years), using a cutoff of 3 or more, in the Patient Determined Disease Steps, for higher disability, under 3 different conditions (single-task walk, Single-Task-Alpha, and Dual-Task-Walk [DTW]) administered over 3 counterbalanced, repeated trials.

Life space assessment and falls in older adults with multiple sclerosis.

Background/objective: Falls research in older adults with MS (OAMS) is scarce, and no studies have reported on the association between life-space mobility and falls in this group. Herein, we hypothesized that higher baseline life-space scores would be associated with reduced odds of reporting falls during follow-up, and explored whether the association differed by MS subtype (progressive vs. relapsing-remitting).

Frontal-striatal tract integrity and depression in older adults with and without multiple sclerosis.

Objective: Lower white matter integrity of frontal-subcortical circuitry has been associated with late-life depression in normally aging older adults and with the presence of multiple sclerosis (MS). Frontal-striatal white matter tracts involved in executive, cognitive, emotion, and motor function may underlie depression in older adults with MS. The present study examined the association between depression score and frontal-striatal white matter integrity in older adults with MS and controls.

Brain control of dual-task walking can be improved in aging and neurological disease.

The peak prevalence of multiple sclerosis has shifted into older age groups, but co-occurring and possibly synergistic motoric and cognitive declines in this patient population are poorly understood. Dual-task-walking performance, subserved by the prefrontal cortex, and compromised in multiple sclerosis and aging, predicts health outcomes. Whether acute practice can improve dual-task walking performance and prefrontal cortex hemodynamic response efficiency in multiple sclerosis has not been reported.

Initial validation of the university of Alabama Birmingham study of aging life-space assessment in older adults with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Older adults with multiple sclerosis (OAMS) have declines in walking and physical performance that may erode community mobility defined as the spatial extent of mobility in one's daily life and environment.

Objective: This study provided the first application and validation of the University of Alabama Birmingham Study of Aging Life-Space Assessment (UAB LSA) as a measure of community mobility in OAMS.

Methods: The sample included 97 OAMS and 108 healthy controls (HCs) who completed baseline assessments as part of an ongoing, longitudinal study.

Age-related differences in the severity of sexual dysfunction symptoms and psychological distress in individuals with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Sexual dysfunction (SD) is a common symptom for many with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, SD research in general appears to often overlook young adults within their samples, which can be a major issue for better understanding and treatment for the MS population. Few studies have compared age-related differences in distress in response to physical disability.

Caudate volume and symptoms of apathy in older adults with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Apathy is common in multiple sclerosis (MS) and neurological disease, but its presence and underlying brain mechanisms in older adults with MS (OAMS) have not been evaluated.

Objective: Examine apathy and its association with caudate nuclei volume in OAMS and controls. We hypothesized that compared to controls, OAMS would demonstrate: a) greater apathy; b) stronger associations between apathy and caudate nuclei volumes.

Leadership Coaching in Surgical Residency: Reasons for Referral and Topics Addressed to Improve Nontechnical Skill.

Purpose: Professional coaching has been utilized in the military and private sector with a long track record of optimizing efficiency, improving high-functioning team performance, and creating greater satisfaction among the workforce. Recent studies in physician populations have suggested that coaching may protect healthcare providers from burnout and improve quality of life and resilience. The aims of the current study were to describe our single-institution experience with the introduction of a leadership coaching program among surgical residents and to characterize the nature of the common reasons for referral for coaching.

Validation and cross-cultural adaptation of the (MSISQ-15) into Spanish.

Background: The Multiple Sclerosis Intimacy and Sexuality Questionnaire-15 (MSISQ-15) is a valid and reliable tool to assess the sexuality of people with multiple sclerosis. The objectives of this study were: 1) to cross-culturally adapt and examine the psychometric properties of the MSISQ-15 in the Spanish context and 2) to examine the association between sexual dysfunction and other related factors.

Methods: We conducted a instrumental study.

Differential Associations of Mobility With Fronto-Striatal Integrity and Lesion Load in Older Adults With and Without Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Mobility impairment is common in older persons with multiple sclerosis (MS), and further compounded by general age-related mobility decline but its underlying brain substrates are poorly understood.

Objective: Examine fronto-striatal white matter (WM) integrity and lesion load as imaging correlates of mobility outcomes in older persons with and without MS.

Methods: Fifty-one older MS patients (age 64.

Individual reserve in aging and neurological disease.

Background And Objective: Cognitive and physical functions correlate and delineate aging and disease trajectories. Whereas cognitive reserve (CR) is well-established, physical reserve (PR) is poorly understood. We, therefore, developed and evaluated a novel and more comprehensive construct, individual reserve (IR), comprised of residual-derived CR and PR in older adults with and without multiple sclerosis (MS).

Establishing the Test-Retest Reliability and Minimal Detectable Change of the Multiple Sclerosis Resiliency Scale.

Background: The Multiple Sclerosis Resiliency Scale (MSRS) was designed to assess factors connected to resilience when facing MS-related challenges. Although the MSRS has demonstrated good internal consistency and construct validity, its test-retest reliability has yet to be established. Identifying the minimal detectable change (MDC) of the scale will also improve its utility as an outcome measure for resilience-based interventions.

Injustice, quality of life, and psychiatric symptoms in people with migraine.

Objective: To describe and examine the relationships between perceived injustice, quality of life (QoL), and psychiatric symptoms through a mixed-methods, cross-sectional observational study design in people with migraine.

Method: Participants completed a series of online quantitative questionnaires, including the Injustice Experience Questionnaire (IEQ). Then, 10 participants took part in qualitative phenomenological interviews.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of the Greek version of the Multiple Sclerosis Intimacy and Sexuality Questionnaire-19.

Introduction: Multiple Sclerosis Intimacy and Sexuality Questionnaire-19 (MSISQ-19) explores optimally impact of MS on sexual activity/satisfaction/intimacy.

Aim: The present study aims to provide the only validation of the Greek Version of MSISQ-19, and compare results to validation studies in other languages.

Methods: The original/English version of the MSISQ-19 was translated into Greek according to standardized guidelines, while validity/reliability, correlations with other scales and sexual dysfunction prevalence were tested.

Illness intrusiveness: A key part of the cognition-mood link in multiple sclerosis.

Purpose: The current study attempted to expand the literature on cognition and mood in MS by determining if illness intrusiveness may potentially serve as an intermediary factor in the well-established cognition-mood relationship in people with MS.

Method: This study employed a retrospective cross-sectional design to answer this question. Baseline neuropsychological test data and mood questionnaires from 199 participants with clinically definite MS were used in this study.

What factors are associated with resilience in persons with multiple sclerosis? The role of personality traits.

Purpose/objective: While personality traits have been well-documented to be related to resilience in several populations, they have yet to be explored in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). As such, this study aimed to understand how personality traits are associated with MS-related resilience after considering the independent contributions of self-efficacy, a significant component of the biopsychosocial model of resilience in MS, and demographic and disease characteristics.

Research Method/design: Participants ( = 112) were PwMS who completed a 1-time cross-sectional study.

Using a digital personal recovery resource in routine mental health practice: feasibility, acceptability and outcomes.

Background: Digital technologies enable the dissemination of multimedia resources to support adults with serious mental illness in their self-management and personal recovery. However, delivery needs to accommodate engagement and accessibility challenges.

Aims: We examined how a digital resource, designed for mental health workers and consumers to use together in session, would be used in routine practice.

A neuropsychologically based employment intervention for women with multiple sclerosis: A quasi-randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Job loss is common in multiple sclerosis (MS) and frequently associated with depression, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction. Identifying these modifiable risk factors and providing "at-risk" women with a neuropsychologically-based intervention may improve employment outcomes. Our study seeks to investigate the utility of a neuropsychologically-based intervention with varying levels of treatment and follow-up, and evaluate treatment and employment outcomes among groups.

Managing Cognitive Dysfunction in Multiple Sclerosis: A Snapshot of Changes in Screening, Assessment, and Treatment Practices.

Background: Cognitive dysfunction is prevalent in multiple sclerosis (MS) and can have a negative effect on several aspects of the daily lives of individuals with MS. In 2010, members of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) were surveyed to understand MS clinicians' screening, assessment, and treatment practices for cognitive problems. Given the advancements made in the field in the past decade, it was deemed time to reevaluate how cognitive dysfunction is managed in the clinical setting.

Pilot Testing in the Wild: Feasibility, Acceptability, Usage Patterns, and Efficacy of an Integrated Web and Smartphone Platform for Bipolar II Disorder.

Background: Bipolar II disorder (BD-II) is associated with significant burden, disability, and mortality; however, there continues to be a dearth of evidence-based psychological interventions for this condition. Technology-mediated interventions incorporating self-management have untapped potential to help meet this need as an adjunct to usual clinical care.

Objective: The objective of this pilot study is to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and clinical utility of a novel intervention for BD-II (Tailored Recovery-oriented Intervention for Bipolar II Experiences; TRIBE), in which mindfulness-based psychological content is delivered via an integrated web and smartphone platform.