Function In Healthy Young Adults Research Articles

Dyspnea induced by inspiratory loading limits dual-tasking in healthy young adults.

Dyspnea is a common and multidimensional experience of healthy adults and those with respiratory disorders. Due to its neural processing, it may limit or interfere with cognition, which may be examined with a dual-task paradigm. The aim of this study was to compare single-task performance of Stroop Colour and Word Test (SCWT) or inspiratory threshold loading (ITL) to their combined dual-task performance. Secondly, whether mood was related to dyspnea or cognitive performance was also evaluated. A virtual pre-post design examined single (SCWT and ITL) and dual-task (SCWT+ITL) performance. For ITL, a Threshold Trainer™ was used to elicit a "somewhat severe" rating of dyspnea. The SCWT required participants to indicate whether a colour-word was congruent or incongruent with its semantic meaning. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) was completed to assess mood. Breathing frequency, Borg dyspnea rating, and breathing endurance time were ascertained. Thirty young healthy adults (15F, 15M; median age = 24, IQR [23-26] years) completed the study. SCWT+ITL had lower SCWT accuracy compared to SCWT alone (98.6%, [97.1-100.0] vs 99.5%, [98.6-100.0]; p = 0.009). Endurance time was not different between ITL and SCWT+ITL (14.5 minutes, [6.9-15.0]) vs 13.7 minutes, [6.1-15.0]; p = 0.59). DASS-21 scores positively correlated with dyspnea scores during ITL (rho = 0.583, p<0.001) and SCWT+ITL (rho = 0.592, p<0.001). ITL significantly reduced dual-task performance in healthy young adults. Lower mood was associated with greater perceived dyspnea during single and dual-task ITL. Considering the prevalence of dyspnea in respiratory disorders, the findings of this dual task paradigm warrant further exploration to inform dyspnea management during daily activities.

Effects of interferential current electrical stimulation (IFCS) on mastication and swallowing function in healthy young adults: A preliminary study.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of interferential current electrical stimulation (IFCS) on masticatory and swallowing function. Twenty healthy young adults were enrolled. The measurement items were spontaneous swallowing frequency (SSF), voluntary swallowing frequency (VSF), saliva secretion volume (SSV), glucose elution volume (GEV), and velocity of chew (VOC). All participants underwent both IFCS and sham stimulation (without stimulation, sham). Two sets of independent IFCS electrodes were placed on the bilateral neck. The precise location of the upper electrodes was just below the angle of the mandible, while the lower electrodes were placed at the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle. The intensity of IFCS was determined to be one level below the perceptual threshold that all participants felt discomfort. Statistical analysis was performed using a two-way repeated measures analysis of variance. For IFCS, the results of each measurement before and during stimulation were SSF: 1.16 and 1.46, VSF: 8.05 and 8.45, SSV: 5.33 and 5.56 g, GEV: 171.75 and 208.60 mg/dL, and VOC: 87.20 and 95.20, respectively. SSF, GEV, and VOC during stimulation were significantly increased by IFCS (SSF, p = .009; GEV, p = .048; and VOC, p = .007). Following sham stimulation, the results were SSF: 1.24 and 1.34, VSF: 7.75 and 7.90, SSV: 5.65 and 6.04 g, GEV: 176.45 and 187.35 mg/dL, and VOC: 91.35 and 88.25, respectively. While no significant differences were observed in the sham group, our findings suggest that IFCS of the superior laryngeal nerve may impact not only the swallowing function but also the masticatory function.

Can computerized cognitive training enhance executive functions in healthy young adults? A preliminary study

Computerized cognitive training (CCT) is a computer-based intervention that targets cognitive functioning that has become increasingly popular in the recent decade. We examined the effectiveness of RehaCom as a standard computerized cognitive training on the executive functions of healthy adults in this preliminary study. The study was a quasi-experimental study using a pretest-posttest experimental design without a control group. The participants included 10 healthy adults. The participants were evaluated before and after the intervention using the Trail Making Test (TMT), Intra-Extra Dimensional Set Shift (IED), and Stockings of Cambridge (SOC) computerized tasks. The subjects trained by RehaCom software for 45 minutes per day, one day per week, for a total of four sessions over one month. Data were analyzed in the SPSS software (version 26) using the paired t-test test. Results show significant enhancement in participants’ central executive functioning (p < 0.01), shifting (p<0.05), and planning (p<0.05). A computerized cognitive training program can improve cognitive functions of healthy adults.

Muscular and Prefrontal Cortex Activity during Dual-Task Performing in Young Adults

Postural control depends on attentional resources besides automatic processes. The dual-task paradigm is a possible approach to analyzing the interference and performance between motor and/or cognitive tasks. Various studies showed that, when individuals simultaneously perform two tasks, the postural stability can decline during a dual-task compared with a single-task due to the attentional resources required performing the tasks. However, little is known about the cortical and muscular activity pattern during dual-task performance. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the muscular and prefrontal activity under dual-task performance in healthy young adults. Thirty-four healthy young adults (mean age ± SD = 22.74 ± 3.74 years) were recruited to perform a postural task (standing posture) and a dual-task (maintaining standing posture while performing a cognitive task). Lower-limb muscle activity was bilaterally collected from five muscles using surface electromyography (sEMG), and the co-contraction index (CCI) was also calculated for selected muscle pairings. The oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin concentrations (prefrontal cortex activity) were recorded using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Data were compared between single- and dual-task performance. Prefrontal activity increased (p < 0.05), and muscle activity decreased in most analyzed muscles (p < 0.05), from the single-task to cognitive dual-task performing. The co-contraction index patterns changed from single- to dual-task conditions in most selected muscle pairs (p < 0.05). We conclude that the cognitive task negatively interfered with motor performance once the muscle activity decreased and the prefrontal cortex activity increased under a dual-task, suggesting that young adults prioritized cognitive task performance, and they allocated more attentional resources to the cognitive task over the motor performance. Understanding the neuromotor changes can help adopt a better clinical practice to prevent injuries. However, future studies are recommended to assess and monitor muscular and cortical activity during the dual-task performance to provide additional information about the cortical and muscular activity patterns in postural control while performing a dual-task.

Comparisons of Online Assessment Platforms for Action Naming Tests in Healthy Young and Middle-aged Adults

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of action naming tests when using a chatbot-based online platform. The performance of healthy young adults and healthy middle-aged adults on action naming tests was compared between online assessment platforms.Methods: A total of 81 participants were included in this study (40 young adults, 41 middle-aged adults). Participants were divided into two groups according to the online assessment platforms, 40 individuals (20 young adults, 20 middle-aged adults) receiving the action naming tests via Zoom and 41 individuals (20 young adults, 21 middle-aged adults) via chatbot.Results: The results indicated that there was no significant difference in action naming performance across online assessment platforms. In addition, young adults showed statistically higher performance compared to the middle-aged adults. There was a significant main effect of verb argument structure on action naming performance, with one- and two-place verbs having a higher correct response rate than three-place verbs.Conclusion: Although the younger group performed better than the middle-aged group, there were no significant differences in action naming performance between chatbot and Zoom groups, suggesting that chatbot-based action naming tests can be used interchangeably with the established online platforms. Accordingly, it is expected that we will be able to provide appropriate online language assessment services for each client in a future clinical setting.

The causal mechanisms underlying analogical reasoning performance improvement by executive attention intervention.

Analogical reasoning is important for human. We have found that a short executive attention intervention improved analogical reasoning performance in healthy young adults. Nevertheless, previous electrophysiological evidence was limited for comprehensively characterizing the neural mechanisms underlying the improvement. And although we hypothesized that the intervention improved active inhibitory control and attention shift first and then relation integration, it is still unclear whether there are two sequential cognitive neural activities were indeed changed during analogical reasoning. In the present study, we combined hypothesis with multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) to explore the effects of the intervention on electrophysiology. Results showed that in the resting state after the intervention, alpha and high gamma power and the functional connectivity between the anterior and middle in the alpha band could discriminate the experimental group from the active control group, respectively. These indicated that the intervention influenced the activity of multiple bands and the interaction of frontal and parietal regions. In the analogical reasoning, alpha, theta, and gamma activities could also fulfill such discrimination, and furthermore, they were sequential (alpha first, theta, and gamma later). These results directly supported our previous hypothesis. The present study deepens our understanding about how executive attention contributes to higher-order cognition.

Motor and cognitive deficits limit the ability to flexibly modulate spatiotemporal gait features in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

Introduction: Dance-based therapies are an emerging form of movement therapy aiming to improve motor and cognitive function in older adults with mild cognitive impairments (MCIs). Despite the promising effects of dance-based therapies on function, it remains unclear how age-related declines in motor and cognitive function affect movement capacity and influence which movements and rhythms maximize dance therapy efficacy. Here, we evaluated the effects of age and MCI on the ability to accurately modulate spatial (i.e., joint kinematics), temporal (i.e., step timing), and spatiotemporal features of gait to achieve spatial and temporal targets during walking. Methods: We developed novel rhythmic movement sequences-nine spatial, nine temporal, and four spatiotemporal-that deviated from typical spatial and temporal features of walking. Healthy young adults (HYA), healthy older adults (HOA), and adults with MCI were trained on each gait modification before performing the modification overground, with kinematic data recorded using wearable sensors. Results: HOA performed spatial (p = 0.010) and spatiotemporal (p = 0.048) gait modifications less accurately than HYA. Individuals with MCI performed spatiotemporal gait modifications less accurately than HOA (p = 0.017). Spatial modifications to the swing phase of gait (p = 0.006, Cohen's d = -1.3), and four- and six-step Duple rhythms during temporal modifications (p ≤ 0.030, Cohen's d ≤ 0.9) elicited the largest differences in gait performance in HYA vs. HOA and HOA vs. MCI, respectively. Discussion: These findings suggest that age-related declines in strength and balance reduce the ability to accurately modulate spatial gait features, while declines in working memory in individuals with MCI may reduce the ability to perform longer temporal gait modification sequences. Differences in rhythmic movement sequence performance highlight motor and cognitive factors potentially underlying deficits in gait modulation capacity, which may guide therapy personalization and provide more sensitive indices to track intervention efficacy.

The Impact of Energy Beverage Consumption on Arterial Endothelial Function in Young Healthy Adults

The Impact of Energy Beverage Consumption on Arterial Endothelial Function in Young Healthy Adults

Effects of a single session action observation training on hand function in healthy young adults: a randomised controlled assessor and participants-blinded trial

Purpose The aim was to investigate the effects of a single session action observation training (AOT) on hand function and evaluate whether observing self-actions would be more effective than observing someone else. Materials and Methods A total of 60 right-handed healthy young adults, (32 female, 28 males and the mean age was 21.32 ± 1.07 years) were included in the study. The participants were randomly divided into five groups, self-action observation (sAO), observation of a third person (AO), action practice (AP), non-action observation (nAO), and control. A single session was performed for all participants. The primary outcome was the Jebsen Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHFT) assessed by a masked assessor. Results Significant differences were observed between the sAO and control group in total left side JTHFT performance (p < 0.001). Additionally, there were significant differences between the AO and control group (p < 0.001), and AP and nAO group (p = 0.003) and AP and control group (p < 0.001) in total JTHFT performance change of the left side. Significant differences were found between the sAO and nAO (p = 0.001) and control groups (p < 0.001) in dominant side total JTHFT performance change. No difference between sAO and AP groups were observed (p > 0.05). Conclusion It was observed that a single session of action observation training improved hand function in healthy adults. The better performance achieved in the group watching the self-video may suggest that watching the self-image activates more mirror neurons.

Exercise Induced Muscle Inflammation, Pain Sensitivity and Pain Modulatory Function in Healthy Young Adults: A Pilot Study

Exercise Induced Muscle Inflammation, Pain Sensitivity and Pain Modulatory Function in Healthy Young Adults: A Pilot Study

Oral Function for Diagnosing Oral Hypofunction in Healthy Young Adults: A Comparison with the Literature.

This study investigated decline in oral function in healthy young adults and compared it with that observed in an earlier studies employing older adults. The participants comprised 130 young healthy adults (mean age 24.1±2.9 yr), all with complete dentition. All participants underwent the oral hypofunction test established by the Japanese Society of Gerodontology, which evaluates oral hygiene, oral dryness, occlusal force, tongue-lip motor function (oral diadochokinetic rate; ODK), tongue pressure, and masticatory and swallowing function. The average value for and rate of hypofunction of each parameter were calculated. In healthy young adults, the scores were 28.9±17.1% for oral hygiene; 28.8±2.2 for oral dryness; 959.9±499.8 N for occlusal force; 7.0±0.8 times/sec for ODK /pa/, 7.6±0.8 times/sec for /ta/, and 6.9±0.9 times/sec for /ka/; 41.8±8.4 kPa for tongue pressure; 249.8±94.1 mg/dl for masticatory function; and 0.2±0.7 for swallowing function. No sign or symptom of change in oral function was observed at a high rate in young adults. Occlusal force, tongue-lip motor function, and tongue pressure showed a large difference in the rate of hypofunction between younger and older adults, however.

Acute effects of moderate-intensity continuous physical exercise performed with different amounts of muscle mass on executive function in healthy young adults: a randomized trial.

We examined the effect of amount of muscle mass involved in moderate-intensity continuous physical exercise on executive function. To this end, fifty-five participants completed two acute physical exercise sessions on an airbike ergometer using the upper and lower limbs simultaneously and only the upper limbs, and a resting control session in a randomized order. The physical exercise session lasted 30 min and was performed at moderate intensity (between 64 %-76 % of maximal heart rate evaluated in graded maximal exercise testing). Participants took the Stroop test (congruent and incongruent trials) before and after the sessions to assess executive performance. For the congruent trial, both physical exercise interventions improved executive function performance (pre vs. post, p-value = 0.002 and 0.003 for physical exercise with upper limbs and physical exercise with upper and lower limbs, respectively). Furthermore, executive function performance was higher after the physical exercise interventions than after the control session (p-value = 0.002 and 0.004 for physical exercise with upper limbs and physical exercise with upper and lower limbs, respectively). For the incongruent trial, both physical exercise interventions also improved executive function performance (pre vs. post, p-value < 0.001 for physical exercise with upper limbs and physical exercise with upper and lower limbs, respectively). However, there were no significant differences after both physical exercise interventions and resting control session (p-value = 0.175). Executive function (congruent trial) was positively impacted by acute aerobic physical exercise regardless of the amount of muscle mass involved (upper limbs or upper plus lower limbs). Therefore, we recommend aerobic physical exercise with less or more muscle mass involved to improve cognitive function.

Oral-diadochokinetic rate for healthy young Jordanian adults

ABSTRACT We used a sequential motion rate (SMR) oral-diadochokinetic (oral-DDK) rate task to examine speech motor performance in healthy young adults. The goals of this study were to: (1) establish SMR oral-DDK rate values for healthy young adult Jordanians, (2) examine the effect of gender on oral-DDK rate, and (3) examine the trial-to-trial variability of mean oral-DDK rate in consecutive trials. One hundred and six healthy young adults (53 males and 53 females, age range 18–26) participated in this study. One hundred and six healthy young adults (53 males and 53 females, age range 18–26) participated in this study. Participants repeated the trisyllable /pataka/ as fast as they could in three consecutive trials. For each participant and group, (a) the number of syllables per second were examined and analyzed, and (b) the oral-DDK rate values were compared across the three trials in order to examine trial-to-trial variability. The results of the study indicated that: (1) SMR oral-DDK mean rate for the participants in the study was 6.57 syllables/s (SD = 0.84); (2) There were no significant differences between gender groups in oral-DDK rate; (3) Mean oral-DDK rate for repetitions was comparable across the three trials for participants. Gender does not seem to affect oral-DDK rate in healthy young adult Jordanian speakers. Also, performance is stable in consecutive trials of SMR oral-DDK rate tasks. Implications of these findings are presented and discussed.

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiac autonomic function in healthy young adults: potential role of symptomatology and time since diagnosis.

Emerging evidence suggests that COVID-19 may affect cardiac autonomic function; however, the limited findings in young adults with COVID-19 have been equivocal. Notably, symptomology and time since diagnosis appear to influence vascular health following COVID-19, but this has not been explored in the context of cardiac autonomic regulation. Therefore, we hypothesized that young adults who had persistent symptoms following COVID-19 would have lower heart rate variability (HRV) and cardiac baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) compared with those who had COVID-19 but were asymptomatic at testing and controls who never had COVID-19. Furthermore, we hypothesized that there would be relationships between cardiac autonomic function measures and time since diagnosis. We studied 27 adults who had COVID-19 and were either asymptomatic (ASYM; n = 15, 6 females); 21 ± 4 yr; 8.4 ± 4.0 wk from diagnosis) or symptomatic (SYM; n = 12, 9 females); 24 ± 3 yr; 12.3 ± 6.2 wk from diagnosis) at testing, and 20 adults who reported never having COVID-19 (24 ± 4 yr, 11 females). Heart rate and beat-to-beat blood pressure were continuously recorded during 5 min of rest to assess HRV and cardiac BRS. HRV [root mean square of successive differences between normal heartbeats (RMSSD); control, 73 ± 50 ms; ASYM, 71 ± 47 ms; and SYM, 84 ± 45 ms; P = 0.774] and cardiac BRS (overall gain; control, 22.3 ± 10.1 ms/mmHg; ASYM, 22.7 ± 12.2 ms/mmHg; and SYM, 24.3 ± 10.8 ms/mmHg; P = 0.871) were not different between groups. However, we found correlations with time since diagnosis for HRV (e.g., RMSSD, r = 0.460, P = 0.016) and cardiac BRS (overall gain, r = 0.470, P = 0.014). These data suggest a transient impact of COVID-19 on cardiac autonomic function that appears mild and unrelated to persistent symptoms in young adults.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The potential role of persistent COVID-19 symptoms on cardiac autonomic function in young adults was investigated. We observed no differences in heart rate variability or cardiac baroreflex sensitivity between controls who never had COVID-19 and those who had COVID-19, regardless of symptomology. However, there were significant relationships between measures of cardiac autonomic function and time since diagnosis, suggesting that COVID-19-related changes in cardiac autonomic function are transient in young, otherwise healthy adults.

Acute Moderate-Intensity Aerobic Exercise under High PM2.5 Levels Does Not Influence the Pulmonary Function and Lung Diffusion Capacity in Healthy Young Men

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) impairs the respiratory system and increases the morbidity and mortality of respiratory diseases. Even though aerobic exercise is known to improve pulmonary function in diverse populations, it can lead to an increase in the inhalation of PM2.5 in polluted environments. We aimed to investigate the effects of aerobic exercise under high PM2.5 conditions on the pulmonary function in young adults. Nine healthy young men performed indoor treadmill running in both high and low PM2.5 conditions (59.0 ± 2.1 vs. 7.8 ± 1.0 μg/m3) by a crossover study design. Pulmonary function was assessed by spirometry and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) at pre- and 1-h post-exercise. There was no difference in the response of pulmonary function and lung diffusion capacity to the acute aerobic exercise in high and low PM2.5 conditions (p ≥ 0.09). These findings indicate that aerobic exercise in high PM2.5 conditions may not adversely affect pulmonary function in healthy young adults.

Randomized Pilot Study on the Effects of Sarcocornia as a Salt Substitute in Arterial Blood Pressure and Vascular Function in Healthy Young Adults.

Previous studies have shown that excessive salt intake is strongly associated with high blood pressure (HT), vascular dysfunction, and the overall risk of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate Sarcocornia effectiveness as a salt substitute, addressing its effect on cardiovascular function in healthy young individuals. Thirty healthy participants, aged 18 to 26 years, were randomized into two groups: the control group (CG) and the intervention group (IG). The IG used Sarcocornia powder as a salt substitute for cooking, and the CG used regular salt, during a period of 1 month. A baseline evaluation was performed before the participants started the intervention phase, and was repeated after a 30-day intervention period. Each evaluation included blood pressure (BP) measurement, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), and carotid pulse wave analysis (PWA), and blood samples were also collected for analysis. Sodium excretion was measured at baseline and after intervention through spot urine collection and analysis, a method suitable for this population but with known limitations. Baseline parameters were similar between groups and were within the normal range. Sodium excretion remained unchanged in the two evaluations in the CG, but significantly decreased after intervention in the IG. The reduction in sodium excretion in the IG was followed by a significant reduction in brachial and aortic systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and also in PWV. No significant changes were observed in the CG in terms of cardiovascular parameters. This preliminary study conveys positive results in favor of Sarcocornia as a dietary substitute for regular salt, providing added evidence of the negative cardiovascular effects of high salt intake in young and healthy adults.

Predictive models for social functioning in healthy young adults: A machine learning study integrating neuroanatomical, cognitive, and behavioral data

ABSTRACT Poor social functioning is an emerging public health problem associated with physical and mental health consequences. Developing prognostic tools is critical to identify individuals at risk for poor social functioning and guide interventions. We aimed to inform prediction models of social functioning by evaluating models relying on bio-behavioral data using machine learning. With data from the Human Connectome Project Healthy Young Adult sample (age 22–35, N = 1,101), we built Support Vector Regression models to estimate social functioning from variable sets of brain morphology to behavior with increasing complexity: 1) brain-only model, 2) brain-cognition model, 3) cognition-behavioral model, and 4) combined brain-cognition-behavioral model. Predictive accuracy of each model was assessed and the importance of individual variables for model performance was determined. The combined and cognition-behavioral models significantly predicted social functioning, whereas the brain-only and brain-cognition models did not. Negative affect, psychological wellbeing, extraversion, withdrawal, and cortical thickness of the rostral middle-frontal and superior-temporal regions were the most important predictors in the combined model. Results demonstrate that social functioning can be accurately predicted using machine learning methods. Behavioral markers may be more significant predictors of social functioning than brain measures for healthy young adults and may represent important leverage points for preventative intervention.

Daily Physical Activity Is Not Related To Nitric Oxide-mediated Microvascular Function In Young Healthy Adults.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend a minimum of 150 min of moderate-to-very vigorous exercise per week for adults. Meeting these requirements is associated with long-term increases in functional capacity and brain health, as well as decreases in cardiovascular disease risk and all-cause mortality. However, whether or not daily physical activity levels acutely impact vascular function are unknown. PURPOSE: To determine the relation between daily physical activity and nitric oxide-mediated microvascular function in young healthy adults. Using the skin as a model circulation, we hypothesized greater physical activity would be positively related to nitric oxide (NO)-mediated microvascular function. METHODS: 20 young (25 ± 5 years) healthy (BMI: 24 ± 3 kg/m2; SBP: 112 ± 10 mmHg; DBP: 71 ± 6 mmHg; HDL: 56 ± 8 mg/dL; LDL: 88 ± 23mh/dL; HbA1c: 4.7 ± 0.3%) adults (11 W/9 M) wore an accelerometer around their waist while awake for 7 days. A minimum of 4 wear days for ≥10 hours/day were required for inclusion in these analyses. On day 8, microvascular physiology was assessed with a standardized 39 °C local heating protocol to quantify NO-dependent vasodilation through the perfusion of 15 mM NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester during the plateau of the heating response. Red blood cell flux was measured (laser-Doppler flowmetry) and cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC = flux/mmHg) was calculated and expressed as a percentage of maximum (%CVCmax; 28 mM sodium nitroprusside +43 °C). RESULTS: The local heating plateau (64 ± 21 %CVCmax) and NO-dependent vasodilation (68 ± 8%) were not related to percent time spent in sedentary (68 ± 7%; R2 = 0.01, p = 0.63; R2 = 0.06, p = 0.30), light (57 ± 7%; R2 = 0.03, p = 0.49; R2 = 0.06, p = 0.30), or moderate-to-very vigorous (6 ± 4%; R2 = 0.06, p = 0.35; R2 < 0.01, p = 0.80) physical activity. The local heating plateau and NO-dependent vasodilation were also not correlated with average steps per day (8111 ± 3374 steps; R2 < 0.01, p = 0.72; R2 < 0.01, p = 0.97). CONCLUSION: Daily physical activity was not related to cutaneous NO-mediated microvascular physiology in young healthy adults. These results indicate that the microvascular physiology in healthy young adults is unrelated to physical activity or sedentary behavior, likely due to robust redundant mechanisms underlying their vascular function.

Acute effects of real and imagined endurance exercise on sustained attention performance.

This study investigated acute effects of real and imagined endurance exercise on sustained attention performance in healthy young adults in order to shed light on the action mechanisms underlying changes in cognitive functioning. The neural similarities between both imagined and physically performed movements reveal that imagery induces transient hypofrontality, whereas real exercise reflects both transient hypofrontality effects and the global release of signaling factors (e.g., BDNF or serotonin) due to muscle contraction and the accompanying sensory feedback. We hypothesized improved cognitive functioning after both interventions (imagery and physical endurance exercise) with greater improvements for real exercise because it targets both mechanisms. Fifty-three sport science students completed two 25-min sessions of moderate endurance exercise in either a motor imagery modality or an executed bodily activity within the framework of an order-balanced crossover study. Assessments for sustained attention performance (d2-R) were performed before and after each endurance exercise condition. Statistical results showed improvements for both groups over time, which can mostly be explained by retest effects. However, we observed a significant interaction effect between group and time, F(1.6, 81.9) = 3.64, p = 0.04, η2 = 0.07, with higher increases in the first session in case physical endurance exercise was performed compared to motor imagery exercise, t(51) = −2.71, p = 0.09, d = 0.75. This might suggest that the release of signaling factors due to muscle contractions with sensory feedback processing is an additional mediating mechanism alongside motor-related transient hypofrontality that improves cognitive performance.

Tele-assessment of core performance and functional capacity: Reliability, validity, and feasibility in healthy individuals.

Many assessment methods are used in physiotherapy to analyze the fitness level and injury risk in athletes, and to determine the general health status and the effectiveness of the treatment applied in patients. Considering the need for telehealth use, it is essential to determine the usability of tests performed as tele-assessment. This study aimed to examine the intra-rater reliability, validity, and feasibility of the tele-assessment version of core strength and endurance and functional capacity assessments in healthy individuals. "Curl-up," "Modified Push-up," "Plank," and "Lateral Bridge" tests were used for core strength and endurance performance assessment, and "Timed Up and Go," "30 second Sit to Stand," and "Functional Reach Test" tests were used for functional capacity assessment in healthy individuals. Participants were evaluated first by tele-assessment, then one hour later on the same day, all assessments were repeated face-to-face procedures by the researchers thus the validity of the tele-assessment method was determined. All tests were applied as tele-assessment one week later to determine the intra-rater reliability of the tele-assessment method. The system usability scale was applied to evaluate the usability of our tele-assessment method. Eighty healthy people were enrolled. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged between 0.91 and 0.97 for core performance tests and between 0.95 and 0.97 for functional tests. All tele-assessment versions of the core performance and functional tests were highly correlated with the face-to-face versions. Core strength-endurance and functional tests performed via tele-assessment were reliable, valid, and feasible for practically measuring the performance of healthy young adults. This study supports the tele-assessment versions of these tests. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04899804.