Environmental Training and Synaptic Functions in Young and Old Brain: A Presynaptic Perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (20) ◽  
pp. 3670-3684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tommaso Bonfiglio ◽  
Matteo Vergassola ◽  
Guendalina Olivero ◽  
Anna Pittaluga

Background:Aging is an unavoidable, physiological process that reduces the complexity and the plasticity of the synaptic contacts in Central Nervous System (CNS), having profound implications for human well-being. The term “cognitive reserve” refers to central cellular adaptations that augment the resilience of human brain to damage and aging. The term “Cognitive training” indicates the cultural, social and physical stimulations proposed as add-on therapy for the cure of central neurological diseases. “Cognitive training” reinforces the “cognitive reserve” permitting to counteract brain impairments and rejuvenating synaptic complexity. The research has begun investigating the clinical impact of the “cognitive training” in aged people, but additional work is needed to definitively assess its effectiveness. In particular, there is a need to understand, from a preclinical point of view, whether “cognitive training” promotes compensatory effects or, alternatively, if it elicits genuine recovery of neuronal defects. Although the translation from rodent studies to the clinical situation could be difficult, the results from pre-clinical models are of high clinical relevance, since they should allow a better understanding of the effects of environmental interventions in aging-associated chronic derangements in mammals.Conclusion:Data in literature and the recent results obtained in our laboratory concerning the impact of environmental stimulation on the presynaptic release of noradrenaline, glutamate and gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) suggest that these neurotransmitters undergo different adaptations during aging and that they are differently tuned by “cognitive training”. The impact of “cognitive training” on neurotransmitter exocytosis might account for the cellular events involved in reinforcement of “cognitive reserve” in young and old animals.

2021 ◽  
pp. 194187442110166
Author(s):  
Tarini Goyal ◽  
John C. Probasco ◽  
Carl A. Gold ◽  
Joshua P. Klein ◽  
Natalie R. Weathered ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose: Neurohospitalists play an important role in, and have been variably affected by, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we survey neurohospitalists to characterize practice changes and the impact of the pandemic on their well-being. Methods: A 22-item survey was distributed to neurohospitalists through the Neurohospitalist Society and the American Academy of Neurology Neurohospitalist, Stroke & Vascular Neurology, and Critical Care & Emergency Neurology Sections. Results: After 2 weeks of collection, 123 responses were received, with 57% of respondents practicing in academic settings, 23% in private practice, and 7% in community hospitals. A minority of neurohospitalists (8%) were redeployed to care for COVID-19 or non-COVID-19 medicine patients. The most common neurologic diagnoses they reported in COVID-19 patients were delirium (85%), cerebrovascular events (75%), and seizure (35%); however, most neurohospitalists (59%) had evaluated fewer than 10 patients with COVID-19. Respondents observed that fewer patients with unrelated neurological diseases were admitted to the hospital compared to before the pandemic. Neurohospitalists experienced changes in administrative (27%), educational (15%), and research duties (11%), and had overall worse well-being and work-life balance (77%). Conclusions: The most common neurologic diagnoses seen in COVID-19 patients by neurohospitalists in this sample are delirium, cerebrovascular disease, and seizure. Though the majority of survey respondents reported not being primary frontline providers, they report key clinical and operational roles during the pandemic, and report worse well-being as compared to before the pandemic. Our data suggests that there are opportunities to improve neurohospitalists’ experience through flexible work practices and providing family care support.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Ana Rita Pedro ◽  
Ana Gama ◽  
Patrícia Soares ◽  
Marta Moniz ◽  
Pedro A. Laires ◽  
...  

The COVID-19 pandemic brought new challenges to the global community, reinforcing the role of public health in society. The main measures to combat it had (and still have) a huge impact on the daily lives of citizens. This investigation aimed to identify and monitor the population’s perceptions about how it faced this period and the impact on health, well-being, and daily life. In this study, we describe the main trends observed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of mental health status, confidence in the capacity of the health services to respond to the pandemic, and the use of health services by participants. The online survey collected responses from 171,947 individuals ≥16 years of age in Portugal, over a period of 15 weeks that started on 21 March 2020. Participants could fill the questionnaire once or weekly, which enabled us to analyse trends and variations in responses. Overall, 81% of the respondents reported having felt agitated, anxious, or sad during the COVID-19 pandemic; 19% did not experience these feelings. During the confinement period, the proportion of participants feeling agitated, anxious, or sad every day/almost every day ranged between 20 and 30%, but since the deconfinement this proportion decreased. Around 30% reported having more difficulty getting to sleep or to sleep all night; 28.4% felt more agitated; 25.5% felt sadder, discouraged, or cried more easily; and 24.7% felt unable to do everything they had to do, women more frequently than men. Overall, 65.8% of the participants reported feeling confident or very confident in the health services’ capacity to respond to the challenges associated with the pandemic, and this confidence increased over time. Concerning the people who needed a consultation, 35.6% had one in person and 20.8% had one remotely, but almost 44% did not have one due to cancellation by the service (27.2%) or their own decision not to go (16.3%). At this unusual time in which we find ourselves and based on our findings, it is essential to continue monitoring how the population is facing the different phases of the pandemic until it officially ends. Analysing the effects of the pandemic from the point of view of citizens allows for anticipating critical trends and can contribute to preventative action.


Gerontology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 612-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Altaf Engineer ◽  
Esther M. Sternberg ◽  
Bijan Najafi

Background: With the increasing global population of older adults, there is a need for environmental interventions that directly affect their physical, psychological, and emotional well-being to help them maintain or regain their independence and autonomy – all of which promote longevity. Methods: To better understand potential opportunities and challenges associated with interior design and “future homes” that may promote well-being, aging in place, and independent living in older adults, the authors reviewed relevant literature and included their own expert opinions from a multidisciplinary point of view including interior design, wellness, and engineering. Results: After summarizing existing environmental interventions for the aging population and their effectiveness, this review reveals knowledge gaps in interior design for the well-being and longevity of older adults followed by a discussion of opportunities for future research that may fill these gaps. Some of these opportunities include finding habilitative design strategies that identify and address unique situational needs of each user, advancing multidisciplinary fields such as environmental gerontology that recreate security and independence for older adults even outside of their homes, implementing technically advanced design strategies, which are flexible and adaptive to individual needs; and integrating the Internet of things (IoT) into living environments, including voice-activated command technologies to improve seniors’ central role in enabling an optimized healthcare ecosystem. Conclusions: Knowledge of current evidence regarding the impact of different environmental factors may hasten adaptation of well-designed innovations that can provide optimal healing and living environments for the aging population. By effectively addressing older adults’ unique and specialized needs, design practitioners can become an indispensable part of their medical, social, and environmental team. One of the rapidly developing infrastructures promising to revolutionize the design of “future homes” is the IoT. While it is at an early stage of development, ultimately we envisage a connected home using voice-controlled technology and Bluetooth-radio-connected add-ons, to augment much of what home health does today. Bringing these approaches together into an effective strategy for a model of effective geriatric care is important and needs to become an integral part of both design education and practice.


2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-221
Author(s):  
Viktor Pacholík

This list deals with the impact of the Halliwick Swimming Concept on subjective experience and psychical states of people with physical impairment. By means of the Halliwick Swimming Concept, that consisted of 10 swimming lessons, we observed the psychical response of the tested persons to individual lessons as well as to the whole programme within a frame of a case study. The acquired data indicate a positive impact of the swimming programme in the field of elimination of negative psychical state in water environment such as anxiety, discomfort and despondency and gradual increase of psychical well-being, activity and feelings of power and energy connected with positive expectations. Most of these changes proved not only in individual lessons, but also from the point of view of the whole programme evaluation. This paper has been written within a project OP VK CZ.1.07/2.4.00/17.0037 „Development of Pedagogical and Research Activities within the Department of Social Sciences in Sport at the FSpS MU“.


Author(s):  
Vitaliia Harapko ◽  
Marianna Bedevelska

Although the World Scientific Society of Educators does not yet have sufficient evidence to measure the impact of school attendance on the risk of disease transmission, the harmful effects of a full transition to distance education are indisputable and affect the safety, well-being and education of children / students. and documents of many states. The purpose of the article is to determine the risks of the absence of a traditional educational process in educational institutions during the Covid-19 pandemic using the materials of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The study was based on the following theoretical methods: analytical and descriptive methods of developing theoretical and critical sources and resources related to the implementation of the educational process, in order to determine the risks associated with providing distance learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. Analysis of contextual benefits and risks allows to determine the priority of educational institutions (or their components) to resume their work; priority of measures to reduce the risk of infection in educational institutions and communities; and focus areas for distance learning. Direct funding for education institutions most affected by the crisis, for example through formula-based funding, which gives priority to the most marginalized groups of pupils / students. From the point of view of mechanisms, scholarships for certain blocks and remittances (conditional or unconditional) to pupils / students should be considered. Tuition and other costs (school uniforms, etc.) should be waived where possible and other barriers to entry should be removed to maximize re-enrollment. We see prospects for further research in the analysis of ensuring the availability of educational materials / platforms, information, services and learning tools for people with disabilities in the process of obtaining education.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-70
Author(s):  
Mike Haizon M. David, MSHRM ◽  
Alfer S. Sanchez, CHP, MSHTM ◽  
Ilyn M. Mendoza, MSHRM

The hospitality industry faced extraordinary challenges as opposed to the pandemic that causes the decrease of occupancy rate until 4% for economy hotels and 15% for luxury hotels. This condition affects to joblessness of the hotel workers. The study focuses on the psychosocial impact of joblessness due to the covid-19 pandemic on the hotel workers.  A qualitative research design was used in this study. Data gathered was from the point of view of the hotel workers of the industries done through interviews online. The implication of the study reveals the challenges brought by this pandemic are mostly loss of revenues leading to employee layoffs. The study reveals that despite the pandemic faced by the industries, the resiliency of Filipinos was evidently seen. Furthermore, the hospitality industry distinguished the impact of Covid-19 on the well-being of hotel workers. Thus, results from this study can be used by companies to develop a more efficient coping mechanism for unforeseen situations like pandemics and any other circumstances unpredicted by humankind.


Author(s):  
Soundouss I. Talantikite ◽  
Meriama Bencherif

Objectives: In this work, we aim to have a better understanding of the impact of the architectural ambiance on patient well-being, by exploring patient’s perception of physical ambiantal factors in their rooms. Background: Perception of ambiantal factors is beginning to be relatively documented in space psychology, including health. There is no research in this field in Algeria; therefore, we would like to fill this gap and draw attention to the importance of the ambiantal physical factors in our hospitals. Methods: We conducted a practical study via a 19-item questionnaire at the neurology hospitalization department of two hospitals. This is complemented by in situ observations and reactivated observations. Descriptive, principal component analysis and statistical tests were applied on the responses. Results: Thirteen ambiantal physical items studied were all classified relatively medium with mean scores ranging between −0.55 < mean < 1.34, with SD 0.765, on a scale of −2 to 2. Patients therefore consider the room ambiance medium. Patients’ satisfaction and well-being results meet with findings about ambiantal physical factors. Neurological diseases affect patient cognition, which increase the importance of space-sensitive perception. The bad general condition of the building is negatively pointed in all testimonies of the questioned, especially spatial organization with multiple occupation room. Conclusion: The results indicate that reflection should be oriented on the design of single or double rooms, taking into account the emotional (sensitive) state of the patient, by integrating ambiantal physical factors (natural lighting variable, sound variable, thermal variable, olfactory variable), to contribute significantly to their well-being.


2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 3-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Rožman ◽  
Sonja Treven ◽  
Marijan Cingula

AbstractThe main objective of the paper is to determine the impact of behavioral symptoms of burnout of older employees on their work engagement in large- and mediumsized companies in Slovenia. The research is based on the implementation of a factor analysis by which we wanted to reduce the large number of variables into a smaller number of factors. With those factors, we performed a simple linear regression. Based on the results, we confirmed the hypothesis that behavioral symptoms of burnout of older employees have a statistically significant negative impact on their work engagement. Well-being of employees of varying ages in the workplace is key for long-term effectiveness of companies. From this point of view, companies should apply appropriate measures to reduce burnout as well as to contribute to employees’ well-being and better workplace performance, which is reflected in work engagement of employees.


2021 ◽  
pp. 8-17
Author(s):  
A. Kravchenko ◽  
S. Bezrukov

In the article, the authors attempt to analyze the various origins of libertarian paternalism - political, social, cultural, and try to explore the essence of this social and social phenomenon. Libertarian paternalism has both positive and negative features, which are actualized, in turn, by modern planetary challenges.The aim and the tasks: analysis of the essence of the social phenomenon of libertarian paternalism, and the study of its origins - political, social, cultural. Research methods are historical, structural and functional, systemic and equitable.For the revision of specific projects, it is also the principle of consistency, objectivity, convergence from the abstract to the concrete. Research results: Democracy and human rights have found themselves in the grip of challenges, to which both the government and the private sector of the economy in particular react in a peculiar way. In the civilized world, the problem of social protection is acute; an ordinary person dramatically perceives the massive pressure of advertising, the media, certain structures that are interested, first of all, in the early sale of their products - material, spiritual and social. Libertarian paternalism is seen by the authors as a possible way to reconcile these issues, especially from the point of view of protecting the human rights and freedoms. Discussion. In this regard, other authors note that in the practical implementation of Nudge technology, people rarely follow the ideal interpretation of private well-being in terms of full satisfaction of needs. Opponents suggest in this regard that people can be guided by temporary benefits in terms of irrational consumer behavior, that is, the socio-psychological bases of consumerism are affected. Conclusion. Libertarian paternalism was created as a reaction to political, economic and sociocultural changes in society under the impact of globalization, informatization and revision of social programs in the governments.The concept of libertarian paternalism and its practical implementation of nudge technology is relevant and promising in the context of a constant increase in the level of welfare of citizens. Libertarian paternalism affects the most subtle sociophilosophical, socio-psychological elements of the consciousness of an individual who has become hostage to government programs and private projects. The price of a rational choice of an individual is his own freedom, in the context of modern realities of social life.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaccaro M

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to changes in the habits of human beings with repercussions on psychological well-being from an emotional and affective point of view. So far, research in the literature has focused on the critical elements of distance learning from a connection point of view and software used. It is necessary to expand the research aimed at assessing the impact that the pandemic has had on the psychological well-being of teachers who have been asked not only to change their habits but at the same time the working context and teaching tools. The research was born as an observational study through structured interview, conducted on a sample of 38 randomly selected teachers, representative of the Calabria region. Each respondent was subjected to a questionnaire which explored the perceived psychological well-being and demographic descriptors, such as age, sex, marital status, city of residence, profession, city where they work, years of work, experience, duration of the working week, and the impact that the pandemic has had on their work. To assess the quality of life at work over the last 30 days, the Hundall Self Report proQOL – Professional Quality of Life Scale Questionnaire (2009) was used, consisting of 30 questions on a Likert scale (from 1”never” to 5 “very often”), which can be traced back to 3 dimension: Compassion Fatigue, Burnout and Compassion Satisfaction. The results have shown that a sudden and radical change in one’s habitual behaviors, as well as the way and context of work, have led teachers to have a reduced perception of the quality of life in one’s work environment. The man by nature has enchored to his daily habits and asking him to change his routine behavior involves a decompensating in the perception of his quality of life as demonstrated by the study conducted.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document