Designing an intervention process that embeds work-focussed interventions within inpatient rehabilitation: An intervention mapping approach.

Introduction: Returning to work is a goal for many people after brain injury. The failure to return to work after injury brings both economic and personal (quality of life) costs to those living with stroke or brain injury, their families, and society. This study explored the barriers to providing work-focused interventions during hospital-based rehabilitation and co-created solutions with rehabilitation providers to increase the provision of work-focused intervention during inpatient rehabilitation.

Evidence that anhedonia is a symptom of opioid dependence associated with recent use.

Background: Anhedonia is prevalent among substance-dependent populations. The hedonic allostasis model suggests this is due to the effects of addictive substances on neural substrates of reward processing. However, previous research may have been confounded by other factors likely to influence anhedonia, including tobacco use, psychopathology, and history of trauma and other stressors.

Anti-stress effects of lemon balm-containing foods.

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) has been used historically and contemporarily as a modulator of mood and cognitive function, with anxiolytic effects following administration of capsules, coated tablets and topical application. Following a pilot study with lemon balm extract administered as a water based drink, which confirmed absorption of rosmarinic acid effects on mood and cognitive function, we conducted two similar double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover studies. These evaluated the mood and cognitive effects of a standardised M.

The effects of multivitamin supplementation on diurnal cortisol secretion and perceived stress.

Recent evidence suggests that dietary intake of vitamins, in particular the B-vitamins including B6, B9 and B12 may have a number of positive effects on mood and stress. Given the effects of stress on a range of biological mechanisms including the endocrine system, it could be reasonably expected that multivitamin supplementation may also affect markers of these mechanisms such as diurnal cortisol secretion. In the current double-blind placebo-controlled study 138 adults (aged 20 to 50 years) were administered a multivitamin containing B-vitamins versus placebo over a 16-week period.

A randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of PCSO-524, a patented oil extract of the New Zealand green lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus), on the behaviour, mood, cognition and neurophysiology of children and adolescents (aged 6-14 years) experiencing clinical and sub-clinical levels of hyperactivity and inattention: study protocol ACTRN12610000978066.

Background: The prevalence rate of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) within Western cultures is between 5% and 12%, and is the most common psychiatric illness among school-aged children, with an estimated 50% of these children retaining ADHD symptoms for the rest of their lives. Children with ADHD have lower blood levels of long-chain Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids (LC PUFAs) compared with children without ADHD, and following PUFA supplementation, have shown improvements in ADHD-related symptoms. One highly promising marine based LC PUFA preparation is the Omega-3-rich Lyprinol/Omega XL which is a natural formulation containing standardised lipid extract of the New Zealand green lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus) known as PCSO-524® which contains a unique combination of free fatty acids, sterol esters, polar lipids and carotenoids.

Cocoa polyphenols enhance positive mood states but not cognitive performance: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

This study aimed to examine the acute and sub-chronic effects of cocoa polyphenols on cognition and mood. In a randomized, double-blind study, healthy middle-aged participants received a dark chocolate drink mix standardized to contain 500 mg, 250 mg or 0 mg of polyphenols (placebo) in a parallel-groups design. Participants consumed their assigned treatment once daily for 30 days.

Participant experiences from chronic administration of a multivitamin versus placebo on subjective health and wellbeing: a double-blind qualitative analysis of a randomised controlled trial.

Background: While many randomised controlled trials have been conducted on multivitamins, to our knowledge no qualitative research exploring the subjective experience of taking a multivitamin during a clinical trial has been reported.

Methods: Semi-structured and open-ended written questions were incorporated into a 16-week double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel groups trial of once-daily multivitamin administration. At the final study visit (week 16), three open-ended questions were posed to elucidate any positive, negative or unusual experiences from taking either the multivitamin or matched placebo.

Behavioural effects of a 10-day Mediterranean diet. Results from a pilot study evaluating mood and cognitive performance.

There are surprisingly few randomised, controlled trials into the effects of dietary change on mood and cognition in healthy individuals. Here we examined the effects of 10 days of changing to a nutrient-rich diet on mood and cognitive performance. Young female adults (N=25) were randomised to a diet change (DC), or a no change (NC) control group.

Healthy middle-aged individuals are vulnerable to cognitive deficits as a result of increased arterial stiffness.

Objectives: Whilst pulse pressure and pulse wave velocity have been shown to predict cognitive outcomes, the relationship between arterial stiffness and cognition has not yet been explored in an entirely healthy nonclinical population. Furthermore, the effects of arterial stiffness on cognition are yet to be examined with computerized cognitive test batteries sensitive to subtle differences in cognitive performance. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between arterial stiffness (pulse pressure and augmentation index) and specific domains of cognitive performance in a healthy middle-aged sample.