Celiac Disease (CD) is a multisystem disorder that is caused by gluten and affects approximately 1% of the United States population. Approximately 10% of CD patients have neurological complications, such as ataxia, brain atrophy, dementia, epileptic seizures, peripheral neuropathy, and cognitive impairment. CD patients have also been found to have lower health-related quality of life (HRQL) than the general population. Given the established relationships of physical activity and aerobic fitness with HRQL and executive function in other chronic disease populations and in older adults, it seems likely that these same relationships may exist for CD patients. However, these relationships have not been investigated. PURPOSE: Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if both physical activity (number of vigorous bouts of physical activity/week; MET hours/week) and aerobic fitness were positive predictors of HRQL and executive function in CD patients. The relationship of functional fitness with those same outcome variables was also explored given the established positive relationship between functional fitness and HRQL. METHODS: Forty-seven community dwelling men and women between the ages of 24 to 70 years with CD were recruited to participate in the study. Separate canonical correlations were used for the HRQL composite and the executive function composite with the physical activity measures, aerobic fitness, and functional fitness. RESULTS: Canonical correlations for the HRQL composite with number of vigorous bouts of physical activity/week, MET hours/week, aerobic fitness, or functional fitness were not statically significant. However, canonical correlations for the executive function composite with number of vigorous bouts of physical activity/week (Rc =.55; p=0.02) and functional fitness (Rc =.57; p=0.01) were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The results do not support positive relationships for any of the predictor variables with HRQL, and this may be due to our high functioning CD sample, which scored higher than normative scores on measures of HRQL. However, these findings do support a positive relationship for number of vigorous bouts of physical activity/week and functional fitness with executive function.
Abstract Although a generally positive effect of acute exercise on cognitive performance has been demonstrated, the specific nature of the relationship between exercise-induced arousal and cognitive performance remains unclear. This study was designed to identify the relationship between exercise-induced arousal and cognitive performance for the central and peripheral components of a response time task at two different levels of task difficulty. Sixteen male participants performed both simple and choice response time tasks at eight different arousal levels (from 20% to 90% heart rate reserve). Performance on the simple and choice response time tasks was examined after fractionating the response time into its central component, premotor time, and peripheral components, motor, and movement time. A priori trend analysis was used to test both linear and quadratic relationships. Results indicated that exercise-induced arousal has a positive influence on the peripheral components of response time tasks; however, it has a limited impact on the central components of these tasks. Key words: inverted-U hypothesisfractionated response time Additional informationNotes on contributorsYu-Kai Chang Please address all correspondence concerning this article to Jennifer L. Etnier, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, P.O. Box 26170, Greensboro, NC 27402-6170.
Previous research has demonstrated that exercise participation benefits certain psychological outcomes. However, few studies have examined the dose-response relationship between the various components of an exercise program (intensity, duration, frequency) and these outcomes. PURPOSE: Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study was to compare psychological outcomes resulting from participation in a 6-month exercise program for either 30- or 60-min per day. METHODS: Young overweight women (n=10, M age = 22.8 yrs, MBMI=32.0) completed psychological measures [Physical Self-Perception Profile (PSPP); Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (EE); Self-Esteem Scale (S-E); Satisfaction with Physical Function and Appearance (Sat); Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (Dep)] at baseline and at the end of a 6-month exercise program. Participants were randomly assigned to exercise for either 30 minutes or 60 minutes/day 3 days/week for 6 months. Effect sizes (ESs) were calculated from baseline to 6-months for each group. RESULTS: ESs indicated that both durations of exercise resulted in small improvements in Dep. However, 60-min of 30 min exercise resulted in larger positive effects on i6o mm PSPP, EE, S-E, and Sat than did 30-min of exercise (see Figure). CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that participation in 60 minutes of aerobic exercise results in better psychological outcomes in physical self-perception, exercise self-efficacy, self esteem and satisfaction with physical function and appearance as compared to 30 minutes. This provides preliminary support for a dose response relationship between duration of physical activity and psychological outcomes in young overweight women. Funded in part by NIH 1R15HL077933–01
Abstract Although a generally positive effect of acute exercise on cognitive performance has been demonstrated, the specific nature of the relationship between exercise-induced arousal and cognitive performance remains unclear. This study was designed to identify the relationship between exercise-induced arousal and cognitive performance for the central and peripheral components of a response time task at two different levels of task difficulty. Sixteen male participants performed both simple and choice response time tasks at eight different arousal levels (from 20% to 90% heart rate reserve). Performance on the simple and choice response time tasks was examined after fractionating the response time into its central component, premotor time, and peripheral components, motor, and movement time. A priori trend analysis was used to test both linear and quadratic relationships. Results indicated that exercise-induced arousal has a positive influence on the peripheral components of response time tasks; however, it has a limited impact on the central components of these tasks. Key words: inverted-U hypothesisfractionated response time Additional informationNotes on contributorsYu-Kai Chang Please address all correspondence concerning this article to Jennifer L. Etnier, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, P.O. Box 26170, Greensboro, NC 27402-6170.
Previous research has demonstrated that exercise participation is predictive of psychological benefits, including enhanced self-esteem and decreases in depressive and anxiety symptoms. However, fewer studies have examined the reverse pathway that suggests that better psychological well-being promotes exercise participation and, to our knowledge, no study has examined this relationship in overweight women. PURPOSE: To assess psychological predictors of continued participation in a 6-month randomized exercise trial. METHODS: Overweight women (n =15, age M =22.00, SD =3.21; Body Mass Index M =30.69, SD =3.49) were recruited for participation in a 6-month exercise trial. At baseline, participants completed psychological wellbeing measures including the General Well Being Scale (GWB); Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (S-E for Ex); The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD); Self-Esteem (S-E); and Satisfaction with Physical Function and Appearance (SAT). Participants were then randomly assigned to an exercise group or to a wait-list control group. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), with univariate follow-ups, was performed to examine differences between the adherent (n =6) and non-adherent groups (n =9) on the psychological measures. The adherent group was denned as women who were still enrolled in the study and had completed at least 5 months of participation and the non-adherent group was denned as participants who had dropped out of the program. Given that this was a pilot study, alpha was set at 0.10. RESULTS: The MANOVA was significant, F(5,9)=3.07, p <.07. Univariate analyses indicated that there were significant differences among groups on the GWB, F(1,13)=4.26, p =.06, and the CESD, F(1,13)=15.28, p <.01. Those in the adherent group (M =78.00, SD =5.55) reported greater well-being compared to those in the non-adherent group (M =72.11, SD =5.33). Conversely, those in the adherent group (M =12.83, SD =2.48) had greater depressed mood than those in the non-adherent group (M =6.63, SD =3.30). A score on the CESD in the range of 10–15 is interpreted as being in the mildly depressed range. There were no significant differences among groups on S-E for Ex, S-E, or SAT. CONCLUSIONS: The data demonstrate the relevance of psychological variables, specifically general well-being and depression, to adherence in an exercise trial. These findings suggest that a mildly depressive state and a higher level of general well-being serve as motivators to adhere to a 6-month exercise trial. Further research is warranted to examine psychological factors predictive of exercise adherence in overweight women. Funded in part by NIH 1R15HL077933-01
Many researchers have used correlational designs to explore the relationship between physical activity (PA) and academic achievement in children. In these studies, PA has been assessed directly using accelerometers or self-report measures or has been inferred from measures of physical fitness or body mass index (BMI). In studies assessing the relationship between physical fitness and academic achievement, physical fitness has typically been measured using the Fitnessgram. This is a standardized battery consisting of measures of aerobic fitness, muscular fitness, flexibility, and BMI. A number of studies have been conducted using laboratory-based measures to assess particular types of cognitive abilities sensitive to PA and/or to include neuroelectric indices or measures of brain structure to explore potential mechanisms. Researchers interested in testing the effects of fitness on brain function have typically used electroencephalographic measures to record event-related potentials known to be influenced by chronic aerobic exercise.
Research on the acute effects of exercise on cognitive performance by older adults is limited by a focus on nonhealthy populations. Furthermore, the duration of cognitive improvements after exercise has not been examined. Thus, this study was designed to test the immediate and delayed effects of acute exercise on cognitive performance of healthy older adults. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Stroop task. Participants were randomly assigned to an exercise (20 min of walking) or control (sitting quietly) condition. The Stroop task was administered at baseline and at 12 time points after treatment. Acute exercise resulted in better Stroop test performance immediately postexercise; however, the effects were limited to the color test. No effects of exercise on performance were observed for the Stroop interference or inhibition tests. Findings suggest that acute exercise performed by healthy older adults has short-term benefits for speed of processing but does not affect other types of cognitive functioning.
Background: This pilot study was designed to test the efficacy of a physical activity program for improving psychological variables and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) symptoms and to provide preliminary evidence regarding the effects on perceived cognitive symptoms and objectively measured cognitive performance by FMS patients. Methods: Sixteen women diagnosed with FMS were randomly assigned to an 18-week physical activity program or to a control condition. Psychological measures, FMS symptoms, perceived cognitive function, objective measures of cognition, and walking capacity were assessed at baseline and post-test. Results: At posttest, there were significant differences in fatigue (effect size, ES = 1.86), depression (ES = 1.27), FMS symptoms (ES = 1.56), self-reported cognitive symptoms (ES = 1.19), and delayed recall performance (ES = 1.16) between the physically active group and the control group, indicating that the FMS patients benefited from physical activity. Beneficial effects were also observed for 6 of the 7 objective measures of cognition and ranged from small to large (ESs = 0.26 to 1.06). Conclusions: Given that all FMS patients do not respond well to conventional treatments, these beneficial effects of physical activity are important. Future studies with larger samples are warranted to test the reliability of the findings for the objective measures of cognition.
Research on acute bouts of exercise is scarce and is limited by a focus on special populations and the failure to include a control condition. In addition, no research with any population has tested the duration of cognitive improvements as a function of the amount of time since an acute bout of exercise. PURPOSE: Therefore, the purpose of this study was to test the immediate and delayed effects of an acute bout of moderate intensity exercise on cognitive function in healthy older adults. Cognitive function was assessed using three conditions of the Stroop task. All three conditions of the Stroop task required participants to identify the color of visual stimuli. In the control condition the stimuli were neutral, in the interference condition the stimuli were color names, and in the inhibition condition the stimuli were color names and the color of each word was the same as the color name on the previous stimulus. METHODS: Older community-dwelling adults (60–90 yrs) who were self-reported to be healthy and had no diagnosed cognitive impairments, were randomly assigned to the exercise condition (5-min warm-up and 20 minutes of walking at 60% age-predicted HRR) or the control condition (25 minutes of sitting quietly). All three conditions of the Stroop task were administered at 13 test times (baseline and 12 post-treatment times: immediately, 5-, 10-, 15-, 20-, 30-, 45-, 60-, 75-, 90-, 105-, and 120-min post-treatment) in a random, counter-balanced order. Reaction times were analyzed using a mixed design analysis of variance with repeated measures on time, with treatment as the between-groups variable, and with baseline reaction time as a covariate. RESULTS: For the Stroop control and Stroop interference conditions, there were no significant effects. However, for the Stroop inhibition condition, there was a significant interaction of condition by time, F(11,88)=2.31, p <.02. An examination of the data demonstrated that the control group performed more quickly than the exercise group at every time point beginning at 5-min post-exercise. CONCLUSIONS: When inhibition is facilitated, performance on the inhibition condition should be slower. Therefore, although counter-intuitive, these results suggest that an acute bout of exercise has a beneficial effect on the inhibitory processes of older adults (as demonstrated by slower performance on the inhibition condition of the Stroop). Further, the time course of this effect is such that it is apparent 5-min post-exercise and lasts for up to 2 hours post exercise. Thus, it is concluded that a 5-min warm-up and 20-min of moderate intensity exercise benefit the inhibitory functions of older adults for 2-hrs following the exercise bout.
'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(60)'/%3e%3ccircle r='17' fill='%23000095'/%3e%3ccircle r='15' fill='%23fff'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
