Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Neurofeedback and Motor training for Parkinson’s Disease: Randomised Trial

Objective: Real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rt-fMRI) neurofeedback (NF) uses feedback of the patient’s own brain activity to self-regulate brain networks which in turn could lead to a change in behaviour and clinical symptoms. The objective was to determine the effect of neurofeedback and motor training and motor training (MOT) alone on motor and non-motor functions in Parkinson’s disease (PD) in a 10-week small Phase I randomised controlled trial. Methods: 30 patients with PD (Hoehn & Yahr I-III) and no significant comorbidity took part in the trial with random allocation to two groups. Group 1 (NF: 15 patients) received rt-fMRI-NF with motor training. Group 2 (MOT: 15 patients) received motor training alone. The primary outcome measure was the Movement Disorder Society – Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale-Motor scale (MDS-UPDRS-MS), administered pre- and post-intervention ‘off-medication’. The secondary outcome measures were the ‘on-medication’ MDS-UPDRS, the Parkinson’s disease Questionnaire-39, and quantitative motor assessments after 4 and 10 weeks. Results: Patients in the NF group were able to upregulate activity in the supplementary motor area by using motor imagery. They improved by an average of 4.5 points on the MDS-UPDRS-MS in the ‘off-medication’ state (95% confidence interval: -2.5 to -6.6), whereas the MOT group improved only by 1.9 points (95% confidence interval +3.2 to -6.8). However, the improvement did not differ significantly between the groups. No adverse events were reported in either group. Interpretation: This Phase I study suggests that NF combined with motor training is safe and improves motor symptoms immediately after treatment, but larger trials are needed to explore its superiority over active control conditions. Clinical Trial website : Unique Identifier: NCT01867827 URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01867827?term=NCT01867827&rank=1

Investigating the effects of caffeine on executive functions using traditional Stroop and a new ecologically-valid virtual reality task, the Jansari assessment of Executive Functions (JEF©)

Objective: Caffeine has been shown to have effects on certain areas of cognition, but in executive functioning the research is limited and also inconsistent. One reason could be the need for a more sensitive measure to detect the effects of caffeine on executive function. This study used a new non-immersive virtual reality assessment of executive functions known as JEF© (the Jansari Assessment of Executive Function) alongside the ‘classic’ Stroop Colour- Word task to assess the effects of a normal dose of caffeinated coffee on executive function. Method: Using a double-blind, counterbalanced within participants procedure 43 participants were administered either a caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee and completed the ‘JEF©’ and Stroop tasks, as well as a subjective mood scale and blood pressure pre- and post condition on two separate occasions a week apart. JEF© yields measures for eight separate aspects of executive functions, in addition to a total average score. Results: Findings indicate that performance was significantly improved on the planning, creative thinking, event-, time- and action-based prospective memory, as well as total JEF© score following caffeinated coffee relative to the decaffeinated coffee. The caffeinated beverage significantly decreased reaction times on the Stroop task, but there was no effect on Stroop interference. Conclusion: The results provide further support for the effects of a caffeinated beverage on cognitive functioning. In particular, it has demonstrated the ability of JEF© to detect the effects of caffeine across a number of executive functioning constructs, which weren’t shown in the Stroop task, suggesting executive functioning improvements as a result of a ‘typical’ dose of caffeine may only be detected by the use of more real-world, ecologically valid tasks.

The Effect of Carbohydrate Mouth Rinsing On Skill Specific Performance and Cognitive Function Following a Fatigue Inducing Bout of Fencing

The aim of this study was to investigate whether rinsing the mouth with a carbohydrate solution could improve skill-specific fencing performance and cognitive function following a fatigue inducing simulated bout of fencing in epee fencers. Eleven healthy, competitive epee fencers (three female; eight male; 33.9 ± 14.7 years; body mass 79 ± 16 kg; height 162 ± 54 cm) volunteered to participant in a single-blind crossover design study. During visit 1 participants completed a 1-minute lunge test and stroop test pre and post fatigue inducing fencing protocol. A 30 second electroencephalography (EEG) recording was taken pre-protocol participants were instructed stay in a seated stationary position with their eyes closed. Heart rate and ratings of perceived exertion were recorded following each fight during the fatiguing protocol. Participants mouth rinsed (10 seconds) either 25ml of a 6.7% maltodextrin solution (CHO) or 25ml of water (placebo) between fights and during the EEG recording. Blood lactate and glucose measurements were taken at baseline, pre and post protocol. All measurements and tests were repeated during a 2nd visit to the laboratory, except participants were given a different solution to mouth rinse, separated by a minimum of 5 days. The results showed an increase in heart rate (P < 0.05) and overall RPE (P < 0.001) over time in both trials. There were no recorded differences in blood glucose (F(1,8) = 0.634, P = 0.4, ηp 0.07) or blood lactate levels (F(1,8) = 0.123, P = 0.7, ηp 0.01) between trials. There was a significant improvement in lunge test accuracy in the CHO trial (F(1,8) = 5.214, P = 0.05, ηp 0.40). However, there was no recorded difference in response time to congruent (F(1,8) = 0.326, P = 0.58, ηp 0.04) or incongruent (F(1,8) = 0.189, P = 0.68, ηp 0.02) stimuli between trials. In conclusion mouth rinsing a CHO solution significantly improves accuracy of skill-specific fencing performance but does not affect cognitive function following a fatigue inducing fencing protocol in epee fencers.

The Development and Evaluation of a School-Based Programme to Promote and the Enhance Well-Being of Primary School Children

The current study was carried out to evaluate the impact of a well-being curriculum based on existing knowledge of themes within PP, which contribute to well-being. The Positive Well-Being Curriculum consists of twelve ninety minute sessions delivered weekly during a school term. The twelve well-being sessions fit into four domains: positive experience, positive emotions, positive relationships, achievement and meaning (Seligman, 2007). The objectives of the study were to test the practical implications of running a well-being curriculum, to develop a range of activities within each domain and to evaluate the impact on student well-being with regard to life satisfaction, positive affectivity and subjective happiness. A pilot was carried out as preparation for the main mixed method intervention study, which was conducted in two London primary schools. Pre and post data was collected using standardised measures, focus groups and one to one interviews. Findings from the pilot demonstrated a significant increase in well-being as demonstrated by increases in: life satisfaction, positive affect and subjective happiness. Additional information was gathered which informed the content and implementation of the curriculum in the main study. The experience of taking part in the study as evidenced through qualitative and quantitative results, indicate that the Positive Well-being Curriculum was perceived by participating teachers and children to contribute positively to the well-being of the children. These findings would be of interest to educational psychologists as there is an increasing interest by schools to include creative and validated resources to support and enhance the well-being of all children. A number of useful insights were developed about the usefulness of the curriculum for children in a variety of educational settings.

The effect of carbohydrate mouth rinsing on fencing performance and cognitive function following fatigue-inducing fencing

This study investigated the impact that mouth rinsing carbohydrate solution has on skill-specific performance and reaction time following a fatigue inducing bout of fencing in epee fencers. Nine healthy, national level epee fencers visited a laboratory on 2 occasions, separated by a minimum of 5 days, to complete a 1-minute lunge test and Stroop test pre and post fatigue. Heart rate and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded during completion of the fatiguing protocol. Between fights the participants mouth rinsed for 10 seconds, either 25ml of 6.7% maltodextrin solution (MALT) or water (PLAC). Blood lactate and glucose were recorded at baseline, pre- and post-testing. Results showed an increase in heart rate and overall RPE over time in both conditions. There were no differences in blood glucose (F(1,8)=.63, P=.4, ηp=.07) or blood lactate levels (F(1,8)=.12, P=.70, ηp=.01) between conditions as a function of time. There was a significant improvement in lunge test accuracy during the MALT trial (F(1,8)=5.21, P=.05, ηp=.40) with an increase from pre (81.2 ±8.3%) to post (87.6 ±9.4%), whereas there was no significant change during the placebo (pre 82.1 ±8.8%, post 78.8 ±6.4%). There were no recorded differences between conditions in response time to congruent (F(1,8)=.33, P=.58, ηp=.04) or incongruent stimuli (F(1,8)=.19, P=.68, ηp=.02). The study indicates that when fatigued mouth rinsing MALT significantly improves accuracy of skill-specific fencing performance but no corresponding influence on reaction time was observed.