Mind Your Heart: A Mindful Eating and Diet Education eHealth Program.

Objective: Examine user perceptions of the Mind Your Heart (MYH) program, a mindful eating and nutrition education program delivered via an eHealth system.

Methods: Sixteen participants (41.5 ± 13.

A Dietary Strategy for Optimizing the Visual Range of Athletes.

Visual range is quantified by assessing how far one can see clearly (an ability crucial to many athletes). This ability tends to vary significantly across individuals despite similar personal characteristics. We hypothesize that the primary driver of these differences is the individual response to scattered short-wave light in the environment moderated by the dietarily derived retinal pigments lutein and zeaxanthin.

Contrast sensitivity functions measured using simple optics and computer testing.

Purpose: Contrast sensitivity function (CSF) testing is a common approach to assessing clinical changes to specific aspects of spatial vision. Different stimulus presentations and testing procedures, however, yield significant differences in CSF curves that are more a feature of the method than the observer. In this study, we designed a simple optical device for measuring CSF that could be directly calibrated and compared with a commonly used computer-based system.

The effect of a short-wave filtering contact lens on color appearance.

We assessed the effect of a contact lens that filters short-wavelength (SW) visible light on color appearance. These effects were modeled and measured by direct comparison to a clear contact lens. Sixty-one subjects were enrolled, and 58 completed as cohort; 31 were 18 to 39 years old (mean ± SD, 29.

The Influence of HEV-Filtering Contact Lenses on Behavioral Indices of Glare.

Objectives: We assessed the effects of a HEV-filtering contact lens on positive dysphotopsia (halos and starbursts) and a behavioral index of scatter measured using two-point light thresholds. These effects were assessed by direct comparison to a clear (i.e.

Reduction of Glare Discomfort and Photostress Recovery Time Through the Use of a High-Energy Visible-Filtering Contact Lens.

Objectives: Glare discomfort (GDC) is the slight pain (discomfort) that arises when exposed to light that exceeds one's adaptive state. Such light can also cause a temporary loss in visual function (photostress, PS). We tested the hypothesis that filtering with a high-energy visible (HEV) light-filtering contact lens can reduce GDC and speed PS recovery time.

Blue-Light Filtering Intraocular Implants and Darker Irises Reduce the Behavioral Effects of Higher-Order Ocular Aberrations.

Purpose: Higher order ocular aberrations (e.g. entopic scatter) arising from cornea and lens, decreases retinal image contrast by dispersing part of the image-forming optics over a broad retinal surface.

Robot-Led Piano Lessons May Improve Cognitive Function: A Feasibility Study in a Sample with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Cognitive training has been shown to increase neural plasticity and cognitive reserve, potentially reducing the risk of developing dementia. Music learning, specifically piano playing, has been shown to be an effective form of multimodal cognitive training. This pilot study explored the feasibility and efficacy of using a socially assistive robot to provide a piano learning cognitive training intervention to older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

Weight Status and Visceral Adiposity Mediate the Relation between Exclusive Breastfeeding Duration and Skin Carotenoids in Later Childhood.

Background: Breastfeeding is associated with healthier weight and nutrient status in early life. However, the impact of breastfeeding on carotenoid status beyond infancy, and the influence of adiposity, are unknown.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to retrospectively investigate the relation between breastfeeding and carotenoid status, and the mediating effect of weight status and adiposity on this relation, among school-age children.

The Effect of a Photochromic Contact Lens on Visual Function Indoors: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

Significance: Photochromic soft contact lenses contain light-sensitive additives that allow them to darken when exposed to ultraviolet or violet light. One question, however, is whether the lenses influence vision indoors (minimally activated). In this study, we found that the minimally activated lenses improved many aspects of visual function under bright light.

The effects of light scatter when using a photochromic vs. non-photochromic contact lens.

Purpose: To assess the visual effects of wearing both an activated and an inactivated photochromic contact lens, with a direct comparison to a non-photochromic contact lens worn in the fellow eye. This study focused on the visual effects of scatter quantified as the minimum distance between two points of light, and the diameter of the halo and starbursts that surround a bright white point source.

Methods: 60 subjects (aged 18-65 years) were measured in a contralateral design where lens type was randomly assigned, one type to each eye.

The Effects of Lutein and Zeaxanthin Supplementation on Brain Morphology in Older Adults: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

A growing literature emphasizes the importance of lifestyle factors such as nutrition in successful aging. The current study examined if one year of supplementation with lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z), two nutrients with known antioxidative properties and cognitive benefits, impacted structural brain outcomes in older adults using a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial design. Community-dwelling older adults (20 males and 27 females) aged 65-87 years ( = 71.

Temporal vision is related to cognitive function in preadolescent children.

The relation between visual processing speed (critical flicker fusion thresholds [CFF] and psychomotor reaction time) and higher-level cognitive function was assessed using a cross-sectional sample ( = 51) of 7 to 13-year-old preadolescent children. Data on visual processing speed (CFF and psychomotor reaction time) and cognitive function (Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities) were collected. Woodcock-Johnson III composite standard scores (brief intellectual ability [BIA], cognitive efficiency, processing speed, and executive processes) were calculated to control for age in the cognitive variables.

Dietary Carotenoids Lutein and Zeaxanthin Change Brain Activation in Older Adult Participants: A Randomized, Double-Masked, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Scope: Steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP) can be used to test the topological response of cortical neurons. Studies have shown that a lutein (L) preferentially accumulates within cortical tissue. L, zeaxanthin (Z), and their isomers can be measured directly in retina (macular pigment optical density, MPOD), and retinal L+Z correlate highly with L+Z levels in cortical visual processing areas.

Intelligence moderates the relationship between age and inter-connectivity of resting state networks in older adults.

Age-related changes in the interactive behavior of default mode network (DMN) with other resting state networks are poorly understood. We hypothesized that age would positively correlate with inter-network connectivity in late life and intellectual functioning was expected to moderate this relationship. The sample consisted of 48 community-dwelling older adults with resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data.

Neural Activation During Visual Attention Differs in Individuals with High versus Low Macular Pigment Density.

Scope: The neural efficiency hypothesis for lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) suggests that higher levels of L+Z in the central nervous system (CNS) are predictive of stronger stimulus-specific brain responses. Past research suggests that supplementing L+Z can improve neural processing speed and cognitive function across multiple domains, which supports this hypothesis. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which CNS L+Z levels predict brain responses using an attentionally taxing task.

The effects of lutein and zeaxanthin on resting state functional connectivity in older Caucasian adults: a randomized controlled trial.

The carotenoids lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) accumulate in retinal regions of the eye and have long been shown to benefit visual health. A growing literature suggests cognitive benefits as well, particularly in older adults. The present randomized controlled trial sought to investigate the effects of L and Z on brain function using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

The Macular Carotenoids are Associated with Cognitive Function in Preadolescent Children.

The macular carotenoids lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) are obtained via diet and accumulate in the central retina where they are referred to as macular pigment. The density of this biomarker (macular pigment optical density; MPOD) has been positively correlated with cognitive functioning via measures of global cognition, processing speed, and visual-spatial abilities, among others. Although improvements in cognitive function have been found in adults, much less is known about how L and Z intake may support or improve cognitive functioning during periods of rapid developmental change, such as childhood and pre-adolescence.

Relation of Retinal and Serum Lutein and Zeaxanthin to White Matter Integrity in Older Adults: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study.

Objective: Lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) are phytonutrients that accumulate in human brain tissue and positively impact cognition. Given their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and their role in stabilizing cell membranes, L&Z may relate to measures of white matter integrity (WMI).

Method: The current study tested the relation of retinal (macular pigment optical density/MPOD) and blood serum concentrations of L&Z to WMI in community-dwelling older adults (n = 54) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

Effects of a Lutein and Zeaxanthin Intervention on Cognitive Function: A Randomized, Double-Masked, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Younger Healthy Adults.

Past studies have suggested that higher lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) levels in serum and in the central nervous system (as quantified by measuring macular pigment optical density, MPOD) are related to improved cognitive function in older adults. Very few studies have addressed the issue of xanthophylls and cognitive function in younger adults, and no controlled trials have been conducted to date to determine whether or not supplementation with L + Z can change cognitive function in this population. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not supplementation with L + Z could improve cognitive function in young (age 18-30), healthy adults.

Effects of Lutein/Zeaxanthin Supplementation on the Cognitive Function of Community Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized, Double-Masked, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

High levels of xanthophyll carotenoids lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) in the central nervous system have been previously correlated with improved cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults. In this study, we tested the effects of supplementing L and Z on older men and women with a range of baseline cognitive abilities. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not supplementation with L+Z could improve cognitive function in community-dwelling, older adults.

Lutein and Zeaxanthin Influence Brain Function in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objectives: The present study constitutes the first randomized controlled trial to investigate the relation of lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) to brain function using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). It was hypothesized that L and Z supplementation in older adults would enhance neural efficiency (i.e.

The Role of Retinal Carotenoids and Age on Neuroelectric Indices of Attentional Control among Early to Middle-Aged Adults.

One apparent consequence of aging appears to be loss of some aspects of cognitive control. This loss is measurable as early as mid-adulthood. Since, like many aspects of cognition, there is wide variance among individuals, it is possible that behavior, such as one's diet, could drive some of these differences.