Psychomotor Efficiency in Golf: The Role of Physiological Responses on Putting Performance

Putting is paramount to performance in golf and differentiates low and high achievers in the sport. In the present study, we compared the heart rate, respiration rate, and galvanic skin response for missed and holed putts performed by 13 skilled male golfers from a 12-ft (3.65-m) distance. Contrary to our expectations, no significant effects were observed for heart rate and respiration rate, likely because skilled athletes (a) engage in preperformance routines and are able to control their breathing rhythms, which in turn influence their heart rate; and (b) physiological responses are idiosyncratic, akin to the Individual Zones of Optimal Functioning framework. Congruent with our expectations, we observed a significant effect for galvanic skin response, with higher values observed for missed putts. This effect was robust to individual differences and suggests that biofeedback interventions aimed at enhancing awareness of autonomous physiological responses can be beneficial for performance enhancement in golf putting.

Modulation of Repeated Anodal HD-tDCS on Attention in Healthy Young Adults

High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) is a valid brain stimulation technology to optimize cognitive function. Recent evidence indicates that single anodal tDCS session enhances attention; however, the variation in attention produced by repeated anodal HD-tDCS over a longer period of time has not been explored. We examined the modulation of attention function in healthy young participants (39 young adults) who received repeated HD-tDCS sustained for 4 weeks. The results showed a robust benefit of anodal HD-tDCS on executive control and psychomotor efficiency, but not on orienting, alerting, or selective attention (inhibition); the benefit increased successively over 4 weeks; and the enhancement on executive control of each week was significant compared to baseline in the anodal group. In addition, the subjects’ performances on the test of executive control and psychomotor efficiency gradually restored to the initial level in the sham group, which appeared obviously from week 3 (after 9 interventions), but the improvement of attention in the anodal group was persistent. We conclude that repeated anodal HD-tDCS provides a positive benefit on executive control and psychomotor efficiency and has obvious accumulative effect after 9 or more times intervention compared to sham HD-tDCS. Additionally, our findings might provide pivotal guidance for the formulation of a strategy for the use of repeated anodal HD-tDCS to modulate on attention function.

An Exploratory Study of Cytokine Markers of Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment in Hematological Malignancy

Introduction. Cancer-related cognitive impairment is a distressing symptom that affects numerous patients after cancer therapy, including those treated for hematological malignancy. The lack of effective interventions has driven interest in determining underlying mechanisms. Accumulating evidence in the context of solid tumours suggests inflammatory processes are involved in the development of cognitive symptoms. The objective of this study was to explore whether changes in serum markers of inflammation underlie differences in cognitive functioning among patients treated for hematological malignancies. Methods. The sample comprised participants treated for lymphoma or multiple myeloma who were participating in a feasibility study of a computerized cognitive training program. Prior to the intervention, a battery of neuropsychological tests were administered to assess cognitive function in the following domains: Learning Efficiency and Memory; Information Processing and Psychomotor Efficiency; and Executive Functioning and Working Memory. Composite T-scores for each domain were computed as the mean of demographically adjusted T-scores from constituent tests. Blood was drawn concurrently from consenting participants. Soluble proteins were quantified from serum using a multiplex sandwich elisa assay of 27 arrayed cytokine and chemokine analytes. Pearson's correlations between composite T-scores and cytokine concentrations were calculated. T-tests assessed differences in cytokine concentrations between participants who met the criteria for impairment (composite T-score<40) compared to those who did not. Results. Eleven participants (Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: n=5; Hodgkin Lymphoma: n=3; Multiple Myeloma: n=3; Mean age = 52 years; 6 males/5 females) were included in this analysis. Six of the participants were treated with autologous stem cell transplant for either lymphoma or multiple myeloma; five with primary chemotherapy treatment for lymphoma. Participants were a median 59 days (range 28-265 days) from completion of treatment. Proportion of patients impaired in each domain were: Leaning Efficiency and Memory (5/11); Information Processing and Psychomotor Efficiency (5/11); and Executive Functioning and Working Memory (3/11). Serum concentration of Chemokine Ligand 4 (CCL4, also known as Macrophage Inflammatory Protein 1β) was positively correlated with performance in Information Processing and Psychomotor Efficiency, such that increased CCL4 was associated with better cognitive performance (r=0.62, p=0.0418). Participants who met the criteria for impairment in the domain of Information Processing and Psychomotor Efficiency had a significantly lower concentration of CCL4 compared to those who did not (impaired: 8.14 pg/ml; non-impaired: 14.88 pg/ml; p= 0.0072). Participants who met the criteria for impairment in the domain of Information Processing and Psychomotor Efficiency also had a lower concentration of Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (GCSF) compared to those who did not (impaired: 14.40 pg/ml; non-impaired: 22.47 pg/ml; p=0.0467). We did not detect any other significant relationships between cytokine concentration and cognitive performance. Conclusions. The findings from this exploratory study suggest that there may be a role for macrophage recruitment in modulating the pathogenesis of cancer-related cognitive impairment in hematological malignancies, particularly in the area of information processing and psychomotor speed. Larger studies are needed to validate this finding and clarify the role of CCL4 in the context of cell signalling pathways involved in cognitive functioning. Disclosures Kuruvilla: Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Merck: Consultancy, Honoraria; Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Canada: Research Funding; Abbvie: Consultancy; Celgene: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria; Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Honoraria; Karyopharm: Honoraria; Lundbeck: Honoraria; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding.

A new method of psychotechnical testing of transport operators

New expectations in the field of psychotechnical tests and screening of transport operators has led to the improvement of theoretical foundations and increase in quality of the psychological judicature, which has proved to be challenging to the scientific units and health centers. The purpose of the abovementioned adjudicating is to determine the existence or the absence of the contraindications to drive a vehicle or to perform the duties of an instructor or an examiner. This is particularly difficult in case of the branch of unit based transport (that is road transport) where the results of the emergencies are usually incomparably lesser than in others means of transport (air, rail, sea). These tests have been presented only from the perspective of professional transport operators and their range is limited. The publication contains the description of a new methodology of testing transport operators with the use of a device that allows to determine the level of functional efficiency of the nervous system and the correlation of mental processes (such as the efficiency of cognitive, intellectual, and psychomotor functions and selected personality features, temperament) with the physiological parameters (pulse, GRS etc.) – that is Psychotronics. This device allows to diagnose the psychomotor efficiency of people employed in professions requiring special psychomotor vigilance and human activity where current psychological possibilities determine the life and safety of others.

Predictors of the Trajectory of Neurocognitive Functioning in the First Six Months after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Background: While most patients will not experience lasting neurocognitive effects from stem cell transplant, certain subgroups of patients may be particularly vulnerable to cognitive declines. The objective of this study was to identify factors that can predict the trajectory of neurocognitive functioning changes within the first six months after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). Methods: Adult patient scheduled for their first allogeneic HCT completed a neuropsychological test battery to assess neurocognitive functioning prior to transplant, and at 100 days and six months post-transplant. The neuropsychological testing battery consisted of six tests over 3 domains: learning/memory, psychomotor efficiency/processing speed, and executive functioning/working memory. Sociodemographic (e.g. intelligence quotient (IQ), years of education) and transplant-related (e.g. conditioning regimen, HCT-Comorbidity Index) characteristics were collected at baseline. Additional clinical characteristics were collected at each time point, including Karnofsky Performance Status, acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) graded using revised Glucksberg grading system, chronic GVHD graded with National Institutes of Health consensus criteria, and patient-reported outcomes of fatigue, depressive symptoms, and physical symptom distress. Raw scores were converted to standardized T-scores (Mean=50, SD=10) based on demographically-adjusted norms. Neurocognitive impairment was defined as performance of <1.5 SD on two tests or <2 SD on one test. Composite scores for each domain were tabulated based on average of scores on constituent tests. Participants who completed the baseline and at least one follow-up visit were included in the analysis. Unconditional growth models were used to assess for overall changes in neurocognitive functioning over time. Multivariate multilevel models were then specified to identify predictors of the trajectory of neurocognitive functioning. To address the issue of missing data, a sensitivity analysis was conducted in which all models were replicated using only the data from complete cases, or participants who were assessed at every time point. Results: 58 participants were included in the main analysis, 71% of whom provided data at all three time points. Missing data was mostly due to ill health preventing participation in study procedures. Mean age was 48.2 years; 47% were female; 81% of the sample was Caucasian. Mean years of formal education was 13.81 and the mean IQ was 114. The most frequent indications for allogeneic HCT included AML (34%), MDS (10%), CML (10%) and myelofibrosis (10%). 53% were treated with a myeloablative conditioning protocol. 46% of participants met the criteria for neuropsychological impairment prior to transplant. Mean T-scores of domain-specific neuropsychological performance prior to transplant were 39.93 (SD = 1.40) for learning/memory, 49.57 (SD = 1.26) for psychomotor efficiency/processing speed, and 49.37 (SD = 1.30) for executive functioning/working memory. Unconditional models specified overall improvements in learning/memory (3.64 units, p<.01), psychomotor efficiency/processing speed (3.44 units, p<.01), and executive functioning/working memory (3.82 units, p<.01) over the six months after transplant, that were not an effect of attrition. No significant change in the prevalence of overall impairment was detected over time. On multivariate analyses controlling for a range of sociodemographic and clinical predictors, Karnofsky Performance Status <80 was associated with worsening learning/memory over time (Figure 1); peak severity of acute GVHD higher than grade 2 was associated with worsening psychomotor efficiency/processing speed over time (Figure 2); and greater years of education predicted a faster improvement in psychomotor efficiency/processing speed over time. The effect of performance status and acute GVHD were maintained in subsequent sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: Overall, domain-specific neuropsychological performance demonstrated mild but statistically significantly improvement over the first six months after transplant. However, post-transplant outcomes, such as low functional status and severe acute GVHD, may influence the direction of change in neurocognitive functioning. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Changes in cognitive function in patients with diabetes mellitus

Patients with diabetes are approximately 1.5 times more likely to experience cognitive decline than individuals without diabetes mellitus. Most of the data suggest that patients with diabetes have reduced performance in numerous domains of cognitive function. In patients with type 1 diabetes, specific and global deficits involving speed of psychomotor efficiency, information processing, mental flexibility, attention, and visual perception seem to be present, while in patients with type 2 diabetes an increase in memory deficits, a reduction in psychomotor speed, and reduced frontal lobe (executive) functions have been found. The complex pathophysiology of changes in the central nervous system in diabetes has not yet been fully elucidated. It is important to consider the patient’s age at the onset of diabetes, the glycemic control status, and the presence of diabetic complications. Neurological consequences of diabetes appear parallel to those observed in the aging brain. Neuroimaging studies highlight several structural cerebral changes, cortical and subcortical atrophy, beside increased leukoaraiosis that occurs in association with diabetes. There is supporting evidence from many hypotheses to explain the pathophysiology of cognitive decline associated with diabetes. The main hypotheses pointing to the potential, implied mechanisms involve hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, microvascular disease, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinism, hyperphosphorylation of tau protein, and amyloid-β deposition. Orv. Hetil., 2012, 153, 323–329.