Physical and Cognitive Fatigue Impacts on Neuropsychological Function in MS

Abstract Introduction Sleep loss has a range of detrimental effects on cognitive ability. However, few studies have examined the impact of sleep restriction on neuropsychological function using an experimental design. The goal of this study was to examine the extent to which maintained insufficient sleep affects cognition in healthy adults compared to habitual adequate sleep. Methods This study used a randomized, crossover, outpatient sleep restriction design. Adults who regularly slept at least 7 h/night, verified by 2 weeks of screening with actigraphy, completed 2 phases of 6 weeks each: habitual sleep (>7 h of sleep/night) or sleep restriction (habitual sleep minus 1.5 h) separated by a 6-week washout period. During the sleep restriction phase, participants were asked to delay their bedtime by 1.5 hours/night while maintaining their habitual wake time. Neuropsychological function was evaluated with the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery at baseline (week 0) and endpoint (week 6) of each intervention phase. The NIH Toolbox evaluates a range of cognitive abilities, including attention, executive functioning, and working memory. General linear models with post hoc paired t-tests were used to assess demographically-adjusted test scores prior to and following each sleep condition. Results At the time of analyses, 16 participants were enrolled (age 34.5□14.5 years, 9 women), 10 of whom had completed study procedures. An interaction between sleep condition and testing session revealed that individuals performed worse on List Sorting, a working memory test, after sleep restriction but improved slightly after habitual sleep (p<0.001). While not statistically reliable, the pattern of test results was similar on the other tests of processing speed, executive function, and attention. Conclusion In these preliminary results from this randomized experimental study, we demonstrated that sleep restriction has a negative impact while stable habitual adequate sleep has a positive impact on working memory, or the ability to temporarily hold information in mind while executing task demands. This finding contributes to our understanding of the complex interplay between different aspects of sleep quality (i.e., both sleep restriction as well as the maintenance of stable sleep patterns) on cognition and underscores the importance of routine sleep screening as part of medical evaluations. Support (if any):

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Yoga therapy to reduce fatigue in cancer: effects of reminder e-mails and long-term efficacy

Supportive Care in Cancer ◽

10.1007/s00520-021-06345-z ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Teresa Zetzl ◽

Andre Pittig ◽

Agnes Renner ◽

Birgitt van Oorschot ◽

Elisabeth Jentschke

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Mediation Model ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Long Term Outcomes ◽

Cognitive Fatigue ◽

Yoga Therapy ◽

Life Data

Abstract Objective To examine the efficacy of reminder e-mails to continue yoga therapy on practice frequency and fatigue in cancer patients and long-term effects of yoga on fatigue, depression, and quality of life. Methodology One hundred two cancer patients who completed an 8-week yoga therapy were randomly allocated to two groups: reminder (N = 51) vs. no-reminder group (N = 51). After completing yoga therapy, the reminder group received weekly e-mails for 24 weeks, which reminded them of practicing yoga, whereas the no-reminder group did not. Primary outcomes were fatigue and practice frequency, and long-term outcomes were fatigue, depression, and quality of life. Data were assessed using questionnaires after yoga therapy (T1) and 6 months after completing yoga therapy (T2). Result A significantly stronger reduction of general (p = 0.038, d = 0.42) and emotional fatigue (p = 0.004, d = 0.59) and a higher increase of practice frequency (p = 0.015, d = 0.52) between T1 and T2 were found for the reminder group compared to the no-reminder group. In the mediation model, practice frequency as a mediator partially explained the changes in emotional fatigue (indirect effect B = − 0.10). Long-term effects of yoga therapy regarding fatigue, depression, and quality of life were found (F > 7.46, p < 0.001, d > 0.54). Conclusion Weekly reminder e-mails after yoga therapy can positively affect general and emotional fatigue and help cancer patients with fatigue establish a regular yoga practice at home. However, higher practice frequency did not lead to higher physical or cognitive fatigue improvement, suggesting other factors that mediate efficacy on physical or cognitive fatigue, such as mindfulness or side effects of therapy.

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Relationship between fractional anisotropy and neuropsychological evaluation in sports-related concussion

Neurology ◽

10.1212/01.wnl.0000550605.03730.d7 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 91 (23 Supplement 1) ◽

pp. S17.1-S17

Author(s):

Haruo Nakayama ◽

Yu Hiramoto ◽

Yuriko Numata ◽

Satoshi Fujita ◽

Nozomi Hirai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Processing Speed ◽

Corticospinal Tract ◽

Diffusion Tensor ◽

Neuropsychological Testing ◽

Diffusion Tensor Mri ◽

Neuropsychological Evaluation ◽

Neuropsychological Function ◽

Significant Fluctuation ◽

The Relationship ◽

The Brain

ObjectiveTo evaluate the relationship between functional anisotropy (FA) and neuropsychological evaluation in concussion.MethodsDiffusion tensor MRI included FA of the Brain and neuropsychological evaluation were conducted on 10 patients with concussion who were diagnosed from April 2017 to March 2018. FA was extracted from 2 regions of interest in Corpus callosum (CC) and corticospinal tract (CT). Detailed neuropsychological testing with an emphasis on Working memory (WM) and Processing speed (PS) was also conducted. The FA value in that 2 regions were compared between the 2 groups of 5 patients (group F) who failed either in WM or PS and 5 cases (group NF) who did not admit it.ResultsMean FA values in CC and CT in the Group F were 0.70 and 0.52. Mean FA values in CC and CT in the Group NF were 0.48 and 0.55.ConclusionsOur result suggests that the FA value of CC did not explain the significant fluctuation of the neuropsychological function. However, FA value in CT were shown to explain the fluctuation of WM and PS.

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Systematic Changes in Gait Pursuant to Choir Participation for Caregivers and Persons With Dementia

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.3036 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 830-830

Author(s):

Michael Willden ◽

Stuart MacDonald ◽

Debra Sheets ◽

Andre Smith

Keyword(s):

Multilevel Modeling ◽

Caregiver Burden ◽

Social Cognitive ◽

Physiological Function ◽

Gait Velocity ◽

Neuropsychological Function ◽

Psychological Benefits ◽

Depressive Affect ◽

Cognitive Interventions ◽

Burst Data

Abstract Choir interventions confer psychological benefits for persons with dementia (PwD) and their caregivers. However, less is known about whether physiological function also exhibits improvements pursuant to such social-cognitive interventions. The present study, based upon a subsample of the Voices in Motion (ViM) project, explored whether participation in an intergenerational choir results in systematic improvements in gait velocity (indexed using a GAITRite computerized walkway) for both informal caregivers (n=14; 71.4% female) and PwD (n=14; 64.3% female). Longitudinal burst data from the first of three cohorts spanning 4 assessments over 3.5 months was analysed using multilevel modeling. Whereas caregivers exhibited significant improvements (p<.05) in gait velocity, PwD showed no improvement. Ongoing analyses are exploring additional cohorts, and whether improvements in gait dynamically covary with reductions in comorbidities (e.g., neuropsychological function, caregiver burden, depressive affect). These results underscore the potential of choir for facilitating both psychosocial and physiological function for caregivers and PwD.

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Quality of life in multiple sclerosis: The differential impact of motor and cognitive fatigue

Multiple Sclerosis Journal - Experimental Translational and Clinical ◽

10.1177/2055217321996040 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 205521732199604

Author(s):

Sabina David Ruban ◽

Claudia Christina Hilt ◽

Thor Petersen

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Short Form ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

University Hospital ◽

Cognitive Fatigue ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Impact Scale ◽

Assessment And Treatment

Background Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease leading to reduced quality of life. Objectives To investigate whether motor and cognitive fatigue impact differently on aspects of quality of life among patients with multiple sclerosis, independently from bodily disability. Methods 79 patients with multiple sclerosis from Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark were included in an observational, cross-sectional study. Each subject completed two separate questionnaires regarding fatigue (Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive Functions and Modified Fatigue Impact Scale) and one regarding quality of life (Short Form 36). Disability was measured with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS)-scores obtained from patient records. Results All fatigue scores were significantly correlated to all areas of quality of life (p < 0,05). This remained significant after adjustment for age, disease duration and EDSS-score. When looking at each type of fatigue separately, cognitive fatigue correlated mainly with mental health aspects of quality of life and motor fatigue with physical health areas of quality of life. Conclusion Increased motor and cognitive fatigue lead to a differential reduction in physical and mental quality of life, independently of bodily disability. This underlines the importance of proper assessment and treatment of fatigue among patients with multiple sclerosis.

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