Differences in brain connectivity between older adults practicing Tai Chi and Water Aerobics: a case-control study.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the neural mechanisms that differentiate mind-body practices from aerobic physical activities and elucidate their effects on cognition and healthy aging. We examined functional brain connectivity in older adults (age > 60) without pre-existing uncontrolled chronic diseases, comparing Tai Chi with Water Aerobics practitioners.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, case-control fMRI study involving two strictly matched groups ( = 32) based on gender, age, education, and years of practice.

Psychosocial factors affected by burden in family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease.

Unlabelled: The world's population is experiencing an aging process, which is resulting in an increase in diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Consequently, more and more people need care, which can lead to overload and harm to their family's quality of life.

Objective: Identify the psychosocial factors affected by the burden on family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease.

Baseline emotional state influences on the response to animated short films: A randomized online experiment.

Introduction: Considering the relevance of the emotional state, it is necessary to understand how daily stimuli can modulate the emotions. Animated short films are common stimuli, but it is unknown how they can modulate the emotional state. The study aimed to evaluate: how participants' emotional state changed after watching animated short films with positive or negative emotional valence in an online experiment; the relationship between participants' baseline score on an Emotional Intensity Scale and their potential change in the main emotion after watching the films; and the association between the initial main emotion valence and the potential change in this emotion with participants' sociodemographic information.

The use of functional near infrared spectroscopy and gait analysis to characterize cognitive and motor processing in early-stage patients with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Dual-task paradigms are a known tool to evaluate possible impairments in the motor and cognitive function in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). A technique to evaluate the cortical function during movement is functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The evaluation of the MS course or its treatment by associating fNIRS with gait measurements may be flexible and low-cost; however, there are no feasibility studies in the literature using these combined techniques in early-stage patients with MS.

COVID-19 news valence effects on emotion and its modulation by a relaxation: A randomized online experiment during COVID-19 pandemic.

This study evaluated how news with positive and negative content about COVID-19, as well as a relaxation pause, affect the emotional state. We also investigated the association between emotional state and practicing meditation/yoga, physical activity or having a mental disease. For that, a sample of 717 participants, recruited through social media, were randomly assigned to listen to negative or positive news about COVID-19.

Quantitative assessment of pilot-endured workloads during helicopter flying emergencies: an analysis of physiological parameters during an autorotation.

The procedures to be performed after sudden engine failure of a single-engine helicopter impose high workload on pilots. The maneuver to regain aircraft control and safe landing is called autorotation. The safety limits to conduct this maneuver are based on the aircraft height versus speed diagram, which is also known as "Dead Man's Curve".

Can news with positive or negative content affect and a relaxation pause improve the emotional state of health care professionals? A randomized online experiment during COVID-19 pandemic.

A cause of mental distress during the COVID-19 pandemic is media exposure, which can impact health care professionals (HCPs) who must keep up to date with the statistics and procedures to fight the outbreak. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of listening to negative and positive news about COVID-19 pandemic and a relaxation pause audio. For that, we measured the emotional state through Likert items in a scale developed to assess how anxious, stressed, hopeful, conscious about emotions, irritated, despondent, joyful, optimistic, and preoccupied, he or she was feeling in the moment of evaluation.

Contralesional Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Does Not Enhance Upper Limb Function in Subacute Stroke: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has the potential to improve upper limb motor outcomes after stroke. According to the assumption of interhemispheric inhibition, excessive inhibition from the motor cortex of the unaffected hemisphere to the motor cortex of the affected hemisphere may worsen upper limb motor recovery after stroke. We evaluated the effects of active cathodal tDCS of the primary motor cortex of the unaffected hemisphere (ctDCSM1) compared to sham, in subjects within 72 hours to 6 weeks post ischemic stroke.

Mindfulness-Based Versus Story Reading Intervention in Public Elementary Schools: Effects on Executive Functions and Emotional Health.

Introduction: In this study we compared the effects of a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) with a story reading intervention (SI) on the executive functions and psychological profile of children in two different public schools in São Paulo, Brazil.

Methods: In this controlled clinical trial, 207 children aged 8 to 9 years old responded to the Five-Digit Test (FDT), stress levels, depression, anxiety, positive and negative affect, at baseline (T0) and 8 weeks later (T1). From T0 to T1, school 1 participated in MBI classes and school 2 in IS classes.

The Integration of Meditation and Positive Psychology Practices to Relieve Stress in Women Workers (Flourish): Effects in Two Pilot Studies.

Meditation and positive psychology have been reported as promising approaches to deal with stress. This exploratory pilot study aims to evaluate the efficacy of meditation and positive psychology-based intervention on stress. Two experiments are reported; in the first one, 29 healthcare professionals were included (intervention = 14; control = 15), and the second one included 57 women managers (intervention = 27; control = 30).

The effects of a short-term meditation-based mindfulness protocol in patients receiving hemodialysis.

Mindfulness-based approaches that promote health, improve quality of life, and reduce the impact of comorbidities are key aspects in chronic diseases management. We aimed to verify the impact of a short-term meditation protocol on psychosocial and physiological parameters in chronic hemodialysis patients. We enrolled twenty-two patients, median age of 69.

An Intervention to Increase Situational Awareness and the Culture of Mutual Care (Foco) and Its Effects During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Controlled Trial and Qualitative Analysis.

Situational awareness is especially important to decision-making in health care. Comprehending the situation is crucial for anticipating any change in the environment and delivering optimal care. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a training to increase situational awareness and mutual care designed for health care workers (FoCo) in a randomized controlled trial with additional qualitative analysis.

COVID-19 information exposure in digital media and implications for employees in the health care sector: findings from an online survey.

Objective: To estimate coronavirus disease 2019-related information consumption and related implications for health care professionals (medical and nonmedical personnel) during the pandemic.

Methods: A cross-sectional on-line survey was distributed to employees of a major health care institution located in São Paulo, Brazil between April 3 and April 10, 2020. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

The accuracy of hippocampal volumetry and glucose metabolism for the diagnosis of patients with suspected Alzheimer's disease, using automatic quantitative clinical tools.

The hippocampus is one of the earliest sites involved in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, we specifically investigated the sensitivity and specificity of hippocampal volume and glucose metabolism in patients being evaluated for AD, using automated quantitative tools (NeuroQuant - magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] and Scenium - positron emission tomography [PET]) and clinical evaluation.This retrospective study included adult patients over the age of 45 years with suspected AD, who had undergone fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (FDG-PET-CT) and MRI.

A New Mental Health Mobile App for Well-Being and Stress Reduction in Working Women: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Although the availability and use of mobile mental health apps has grown exponentially in recent years, little data are available regarding their efficacy.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an app developed to promote stress management and well-being among working women compared with a control app.

Methods: Female employees at a private hospital were invited to participate in the study via mailing lists and intranet ads.

Greater Anteroposterior Default Mode Network Functional Connectivity in Long-Term Elderly Yoga Practitioners.

Large-scale brain networks exhibit changes in functional connectivity during the aging process. Recent literature data suggests that Yoga and other contemplative practices may revert, at least in part, some of the aging effects in brain functional connectivity, including the Default Mode Network (DMN). The aim of this cross-sectional investigation was to compare resting-state functional connectivity of the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex-precuneus (PCC-Precuneus) in long-term elderly Yoga practitioners and healthy paired Yoga-naïve controls.

Impaired brain dopamine transporter in chemobrain patients submitted to brain SPECT imaging using the technetium-99m labeled tracer TRODAT-1.

Purpose: "Chemobrain" is a medical secondary effect of cancer chemotherapy treatment characterized by a general decline in cognition affecting visual and verbal memory, attention, complex problem-solving skills, and motor function. Dopamine (DA) central nervous system neurotransmitters serve an important role in cognition, and changes in DA could potentially explain impaired cognition associated with chemotherapy. Therefore, our objective was to assess in vivo dopaminergic dysfunction in the central nervous system (CNS) of a group of female breast cancer survivors with cognitive impairment following chemotherapy.

c-Jun expression after cerebral hyperstimulation differs between rats and marmosets.

Immediate early genes (IEGs) are a fundamental element in the way we respond and adapt to a variety of stimuli. We have recently reported that IEG response, as measured by c-Fos expression, is different between rodents and primates. Here, we further extend this analysis by assessing the expression of c-Jun, one of the main complements of c-Fos, under the same stimulation protocol.

Self-compassion is associated with less stress and depression and greater attention and brain response to affective stimuli in women managers.

Background: Women have been assuming more responsibilities and higher positions in major companies, which exposes them to high levels of stress. Higher perceived work stress is related to higher emotional reactivity. Difficulties with emotional regulation can lead to anxiety and mood disorders, which are more prevalent in women than men.

Cognition and brain function in elderly Tai Chi practitioners: A case-control study.

Objective: To compare cognition and brain function in elderly Tai Chi and Water Aerobics practitioners.

Methods: Eight Tai Chi (TC) and 8 Water Aerobics (WA) practitioners matched by gender, education and age underwent neuropsychological and fMRI scan during attention (Stroop Word Color Task) and working memory (N Back) tasks.

Results: Groups were similar for demographic and cognitive variables.

The effects of perceived chronic stress on the fMRI correlates of attentional control in women managers.

The aims of the current study were to examine differences in brain responses to cognitive control in stressed and non-stressed women managers. Stress complaints are highly prevalent among active workers and play an important role in women managers mental health and cognitive functioning. Psychosocial stress has been associated with differential executive functions in this population, but little is known about the neural correlates underlying such differences.

Effects of a 7-Day Meditation Retreat on the Brain Function of Meditators and Non-Meditators During an Attention Task.

Meditation as a cognitive enhancement technique is of growing interest in the field of health and research on brain function. The Stroop Word-Color Task (SWCT) has been adapted for neuroimaging studies as an interesting paradigm for the understanding of cognitive control mechanisms. Performance in the SWCT requires both attention and impulse control, which is trained in meditation practices.