Examining efficacy and potential mechanisms of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for anxiety and stress reduction among college students in a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

The pervasiveness of anxiety and stress among college students necessitates the investigation of potential alternative and accessible interventions which can be implemented into existing curricular and student-support programming to improve students' mental health. Mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) smartphone applications have shown promising outcomes in alleviating anxiety and stress. However, it is essential to gain insight into the feasibility and efficacy of such an interventional approach in a collegiate population, as well as explore potential underlying mechanisms, which could be better targeted to enhance the efficacy of future interventions for promoting mental health and well-being.

A mechanistic understanding of cognitive performance deficits concurrent with vigorous intensity exercise.

This study aimed to evaluate whether cerebral oxygenation of the prefrontal cortex and associative-dissociative focus while completing the task mediate changes in cognition during exercise. Seventy-five young college-aged adults participated in this within-subjects randomized cross-over two-arm experimental design. During each session, participants completed a Stroop task four separate times: at baseline, two times during the exercise session, and at post-test.

Aspects of Physical Activity and Quality of Life in Adults with Cerebral Palsy.

Physical activity and sedentary behavior may differentially impact health-related quality of life in adults with cerebral palsy. The present investigation assessed the independent relationships between aspects of physical activity and sedentary behavior related to health related quality of life in adults with cerebral palsy. Through a cross-sectional online survey of 118 adults with cerebral palsy, participants self-reported the extent of their functional impairments using the Gross Motor Function Classification System, Manual Ability Classification System, and Communication Function Classification System; while mental and physical health-related quality of life were assessed using the RAND-36.

Concussion Risk and Recovery in Athletes With Psychostimulant-Treated Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Findings From the NCAA-DOD CARE Consortium.

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) -related psychostimulant use in the context of concussion risk and symptom recovery. Data were obtained from the National Collegiate Athletic Association Department of Defense Grand Alliance Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education (NCAA-DOD CARE) Consortium from 2014 to 2017. Relative to individuals without diagnosed ADHD (i.

Increased anxiety and depression among collegiate athletes with comorbid ADHD and history of concussion.

Background: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is prevalent among student-athletes when compared to the general population. Mental health disruptions (i.e.

Association of physical activity and fitness with executive function among preschoolers.

It is well-documented in the literature that high levels of regular physical activity (PA), low levels of sedentary behavior (SB), and high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) are associated with superior cognitive functioning, especially with regard to older populations. However, concerning other age groups (e.g.

Validation of the g.tec Unicorn Hybrid Black wireless EEG system.

Although dry and hybrid-style electrode technology has been well validated, systems utilizing these electrodes have not been widely adopted. One reason for this may be that the systems incorporating such technology present limitations that are fundamental to the EEG approach. The g.

Look into my eyes: What can eye-based measures tell us about the relationship between physical activity and cognitive performance?

Background: There is a growing interest to understand the neurobiological mechanisms that drive the positive associations of physical activity and fitness with measures of cognitive performance. To better understand those mechanisms, several studies have employed eye-based measures (e.g.

Physical activity and sleep moderate the relationship between stress and screen time in college-aged adults.

For undergraduate students, excessive screen time is associated with poorer mental health and greater perceived stress. : The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the potential moderating influence of physical activity and sleep on the relationship between screen time and stress. : A cross-sectional sample of 513 undergraduate students between Fall 2017 & Spring 2020 were given a questionnaire to assess perceived stress level, physical activity engagement, screen time, and sleep.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder-Related Self-Reported Symptoms Are Associated With Elevated Concussion Symptomatology.

The aim of the present investigation was to provide insight into how postconcussion symptomatology may be altered in individuals exhibiting attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related behaviors and examine factors that may be responsible for driving such relationships. A total of 99 individuals were assessed during the subacute phase of concussion recovery. Inattentive symptomatology, but not diagnosis of ADHD, was related to greater concussion-symptom severity and overall symptoms endorsed.

Paired cognitive flexibility task with symptom factors improves detection of sports-related concussion in high school and collegiate athletes.

Determining the sensitivity and specificity of short neurocognitive assessments to objectively detect concussion will help clinicians more confidently integrate such tools in clinical management decisions. This study quantified the sensitivity and specificity of a computerized cognitive flexibility task isolating shifts of visuospatial attention in combination with clinical symptoms acutely (< 72 h) following concussion. A total of 100 athletes (53 concussed; 47 non-injured control; 42% female) completed computerized neurocognitive testing and clinical symptom reports (Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 3rd edition: SCAT3).

The effect of acute exercise for reducing cognitive alterations associated with individuals high in anxiety.

Single bouts of exercise have been observed to exhibit therapeutic benefits for reducing affective responses associated with anxiety. However, anxiety has also been found to relate to less efficient cognitive processing as well as a greater reliance on action monitoring processes. Given the extant body of evidence demonstrating that single bouts of exercise result in cognitive enhancements; the present investigation sought to determine the extent to which exercise might be effective at reducing these anxiety-related impairments in cognition.

Aerobic fitness relates to superior exact and approximate arithmetic processing in college-aged adults.

Background: Aerobic fitness relates to superior math achievement, but the underlying reasons remain unclear. This study tested how more efficient processing (efficiency hypothesis) or enhanced allocation of cognitive resources (resources hypothesis) underly fitness-related differences in arithmetic cognition in a sample of 138 college-aged adults.

Method: Participants completed an arithmetic task while pupillary measures were recorded prior to an aerobic fitness test.

Placebo controlled phase II clinical trial: Safety and efficacy of combining intranasal insulin & acute exercise.

A growing number of investigations are exploring the utility of intranasal insulin as a means of mitigating cognitive decline. However, as a basic tenant of dementia prevention programs is increasing physical activity, it is essential to obtain a preliminary assessment of the safety profile of combining intranasal insulin with physical activity; to ensure that undue risks are not incurred. Utilizing a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled design, a sample of 116 non-diabetic, fasted college-aged adults were randomly assigned to receive a dose of 0-to-120 IU of NovoLog (Insulin Aspart) before being randomized to 20 min of exercise or sitting control condition.

Physically active learning in preschoolers: Improved self-regulation, comparable quantity estimation.

Background: Providing physical activity during the school day may mitigate increasingly sedentary lifestyles among children. Young children may be susceptible to interference during learning and consolidation when performing physical activity concurrently with academic instruction.

Methods: Preschoolers (N = 72, mean age 5.

Phasic activity of the locus-coeruleus is not a mediator of the relationship between fitness and inhibition in college-aged adults.

Aerobic fitness is consistently and robustly associated with superior performance on assessments of cognitive control. One potential mechanism underlying this phenomenon is activation of the locus-coeruleus. Specifically, individuals with greater aerobic fitness may be better able to sustain engagement in a cognitively demanding task via a superior ability to meet the metabolic demands of this neural system.

The role of BMI on cognition following acute physical activity in preadolescent children.

Background: There is an increasing prevalence of physical inactivity during childhood, concurrent with a rise in obesity rates, which is associated with a variety of health problems. However, the extent to which increased body mass index (BMI) influences acute physical activity (PA) benefits on cognition in childhood remains unknown. The aim of this study was to examine whether BMI influences the effects of acute PA on inhibitory control task performance.

Aerobic Fitness Unrelated to Acquisition of Spatial Relational Memory in College-Aged Adults.

While compelling evidence indicates that poorer aerobic fitness relates to impairments in retrieving information from hippocampal-dependent memory, there is a paucity of research on how aerobic fitness relates to the acquisition of such relational information. Accordingly, the present investigation examined the association between aerobic fitness and the rate of encoding spatial relational memory-assessed using a maximal oxygen consumption test and a spatial configuration task-in a sample of 152 college-aged adults. The findings from this investigation revealed no association between aerobic fitness and the acquisition of spatial relational memory.

Greater childhood cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with better top-down cognitive control: A midfrontal theta oscillation study.

The aim of the current study was to examine the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and electroencephalogram-based neural oscillations, using midfrontal theta, during an inhibitory control task in children. One-hundred seventy-one school-aged children (mean age = 8.9 ± 0.

Preschoolers exhibit greater on-task behavior following physically active lessons on the approximate number system.

Objective: To determine how the dual-task nature of incorporating physical activity with instructional activities immediately impacts acuity of the approximate number system and on-task behavior in preschoolers.

Methods: Using a randomized within-participants repeated-measures crossover design, 51 children completed an approximate number system task before and after either 20-min of physically active instruction corresponding to 38% heart rate reserve (HRR; light-to-moderate intensity) or conventional sedentary instruction at corresponding to 21% HRR (very light intensity).

Results: Findings revealed that preschool-aged children exhibited similar learning and greater on-task behavior following a single bout of physically active instruction relative to conventional sedentary instruction.

Fitness, physical activity, sedentary time, inhibitory control, and neuroelectric activity in children with overweight or obesity: The ActiveBrains project.

Whereas numerous studies have investigated the relationship of cardiorespiratory fitness with inhibition and neuroelectric activity, the role of other physical fitness components and physical activity (PA) intensities in this relationship remain unclear, especially in children with obesity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the association of physical fitness, PA, and sedentary time with inhibitory control and neuroelectric activity in children. Eighty-four children (8-11 years) with overweight or obesity performed the ALPHA battery to assess their physical fitness components (i.

Preliminary investigation of a multimodal enhanced brain function index among high school and collegiate concussed male and female athletes.

: The primary purpose of this study was to examine the longitudinal effects of sports-related concussion (SRC) on a multi-faceted assessment battery which included neuropsychological testing, symptom reporting, and enhanced brain function index (eBFI) among athletes with and without SRC. A secondary purpose was to explore longitudinal sex differences among these measures in athletes with and without SRC. : A case-control, repeated-measures design was used for this study.

Carbohydrate mouth rinse has no effects on behavioral or neuroelectric indices of cognition.

Rinsing the mouth with a carbohydrate solution has been suggested as a means to enhance aspects of both physical and cognitive performance. However, evidence in support of these assertions is relatively weak. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a carbohydrate mouth rinse solution on motor speed, inhibition, and sustained attention as indexed by both behavioral and neuroelectric measures.

Aerobic fitness relates to differential attentional but not language-related cognitive processes.

Compelling evidence supports an association between the attribute of aerobic fitness and achievement scores on standardized tests of reading. However, such standardized assessments provide only a broad valuation of a complex network of language related sub-processes that contribute to reading and are heavily confounded by other attention-related processes. The present investigation sought to clarify the nature of the association between aerobic fitness and language processing in a sample of college-aged adults.