Self-report Measures Of Mood Research Articles

B - 69 Exploring Gratitude: its Associations with Executive Function and Mental Health in College Undergraduates

Abstract Objective Strength-related traits, particularly gratitude, have received little attention in the literature on the psychological and cognitive well-being of undergraduate students. This study examined whether dispositional gratitude predicts both objective and perceived executive functions, and reconsidered other known predictors such as mood, gender, and positive affect in a diverse sample of 270 undergraduate students. Method The students completed self-report mood and executive skill measures, then participated in the computerized version of the Trails Making Test, parts A and B. Students with prior brain injury, Dx of ADHD, or learning disability were excluded. Correlations, T-tests, and ANOVAs were used to analyze data. Results Gratitude was negatively correlated with depression (r = −0.492), anxiety (r = −0.377), and stress (r = −0.260). Conversely, it was positively correlated with positive affect (r = 0.503), all statistically significant at p < 0.001. Additionally, students with higher levels of gratitude self-reported higher executive functioning skills, such as planning and emotional regulation, representing small sized effects. However, there was no significant relationship between gratitude and objective performance on a task of cognitive flexibility, nor were there differences in gratitude scores between male and female participants. Eighty-six percent of students who identified as Asian were in the lower level of gratitude group. Conclusion These findings support prior research suggesting that gratitude has a stronger influence on boosting mood and positive emotions, rather than on higher-order executive skills, such as cognitive flexibility. The study also highlights cultural considerations of gratitude interventions, taking into account differences found between ethnic groups.

Resiliency among older adults receiving lung cancer treatment (ROAR-LCT): A novel supportive care intervention for older adults with advanced lung cancer

IntroductionNovel supportive care interventions designed for an aging population with lung cancer are urgently needed. We aimed to determine the feasibility of a novel supportive care physical therapy (PT) plus progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) intervention delivered to older adults with advanced lung cancer in the United States (US). Materials and MethodsThis clinical trial, Resiliency Among Older Adults Receiving Lung Cancer Treatment (ROAR-LCT: NCT04229381), recruited adults aged ≥60 years with unresectable stage III/IV non-small cell (NSCLC) or small cell lung cancer (SCLC) receiving cancer treatment at The James Thoracic Oncology Center (planned enrollment, N = 20). There were no exclusion criteria pertaining to performance status, laboratory values, prior cancer diagnoses, comorbidities, or brain metastases. Participants were evaluated by PT and psychology and given an exercise pedaler, resistance bands, a relaxation voice recording, and instructions at study initiation. Participants were evaluated in-person by PTs and psychologists at the start and end of the 12-session intervention, with the intervening sessions conducted via virtual health. Participants completed self-reported measures of functional status, symptoms, and mood longitudinally with the following instruments: EQ-5D-5L, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and General Anxiety Disorder-7. PT assessments included the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and the two-minute walk test. Feasibility was defined as at least 60% of participants completing at least 70% of all intervention sessions. Optional gut microbiome samples and activity monitoring data (ActiGraph®) were also collected. ResultsThe ROAR-LCT study concluded after consenting 22 patients. Among the 22 consented, 18 (81.8%) started the intervention; 11 participants (61.1%) completed at least 70% of all study sessions. All participants with SCLC completed the intervention. Reasons for withdrawal included progression of disease or hospitalization. The majority (88.9%) of patients who started were able to complete at least one virtual health session. Participants' functional status, SPPB, depression, and anxiety scores were stable from pre- to post-intervention. Participants who withdrew had worse baseline scores across domains. Seven microbiome and six ActiGraph® samples were collected. Discussion: This is one of the first PT + PMR supportive care interventions using virtual health among older adults with advanced lung cancer to achieve feasibility in the US.

An evaluation of the validity of an aphasia friendly mood and anxiety measure for stroke patients

ABSTRACT Introduction People with post-stroke aphasia are at increased risk of experiencing depression and anxiety. Despite this, there is a lack of appropriate tools which can be used in routine stroke rehabilitation practice to support with the identification of patients experiencing these difficulties. The Stroke Aphasia Anxiety and Mood Screen (SAAMS) was developed by an interdisciplinary team of stroke rehabilitation professionals to improve mood and anxiety screening. The current study sought to evaluate the validity of this measure. Methods Twenty-one people undergoing in-patient stroke rehabilitation who experienced aphasia were administered the SAAMS, alongside the Stroke Aphasic Depression Questionnaire (SADQ-H10) and the Behavioural Outcomes of Anxiety (BOA). The inclusion criteria included patients whose aphasia prevented them from completing traditional self-report measures of mood and anxiety, but who demonstrated a reliable ability to correctly respond to yes/no closed questions in Speech and Language Therapy assessments. Results Both the SAAMS-anxiety (SAAMS-A) and depression (SAAMS-D) subscales achieved adequate internal consistency, and patients’ scores were correlated with observational measures of mood and anxiety. The SAAMS achieved fair classification accuracy for identifying clinical depression and anxiety. Conclusions Patients with aphasia provided reliable responses to questions about anxiety and depression, and this is of clinical importance. While the study identified that the SAAMS has reasonable classification accuracy, further research is required to validate the SAAMS more thoroughly before it can be used routinely in clinical practice.

Comparison of time-matched aerobic, resistance or combined exercise training in women living with obesity: The EXOFFIT study.

Improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) have been shown to largely attenuate the negative health risks associated with obesity. To date, literature on women with obesity has focused upon the evaluation of aerobic-based exercise interventions. Hence, there is a need to evaluate resistance and combined interventions with this cohort. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of three exercise modalities in women with obesity for improving CRF, strength, body composition and other health outcomes. Sixty-seven women with obesity were randomly assigned to the control (CON) or one of three exercise groups (aerobic [AE], resistance [RE], COM). Exercise groups were trained x3 times/week for 12weeks (up to 150-min/week). Feasibility outcomes included adherence, attendance, recruitment and retention rates and adverse events. Secondary outcomes were CRF (predicted VO2 max), body composition (body weight [BW], waist circumference [WC], body fat percentage [%BF], fat mass [FM] and lean mass) and strength (5RM bench press, leg dynamometry, grip strength) and self-reported measures of physical activity, mood, sleep, pain and quality of life. Findings support the feasibility of all three exercise modalities in terms of adherence, attendance, and retention. Interventions with a resistance component (COM and RE) were associated with the greatest improvements across the broad range of health outcomes measured. Combined was the most promising for body composition outcomes including body mass index (Effect size [ES]=0.79, p=0.04), BW (ES=0.75, p=0.05), %BF (ES=0.77, p=0.04), FM (ES=0.83, p=0.03) and WC (ES=0.90, p=0.02), physical activity (i.e., moderate physical activity [ES=0.69, p=0.07), mood (ES=0.83, p=0.03) and sleep (ES=0.78, p=0.04). Resistance was most promising for CRF (ES=1.47, p=0.002), strength (i.e., bench press [ES=2.88, p=<0.001]) and pain (i.e., pain severity [ES=0.40, p=0.31]). For health outcomes, these results indicate the importance of including a resistance component when prescribing exercise for women with obesity to achieve meaningful improvements. ISRCTN13517067.

A brief mindfulness meditation can ameliorate the effects of exposure to idealised social media images on self-esteem, mood, and body appreciation in young women: An online randomised controlled experiment

The study examined whether a 10-minute mindfulness meditation intervention could ameliorate effects of exposure to social media thinspiration and fitspiration images on women’s self-esteem, mood, and body appreciation. A total of 162 women aged 18–42 years (M = 25.94, SD = 4.38) completed an online experiment which involved viewing thinspiration and fitspiration images before random allocation to either a brief, ten-minute mindfulness meditation audio intervention or a ten-minute control audio about jujitsu. Participants completed self-reported measures of self-esteem, positive and negative mood, and body appreciation at baseline (Time 1), post-exposure to idealised social media images (Time 2), and immediately post-intervention (Time 3). Mixed, repeated-measures ANOVAs showed that scores were lower for body appreciation, self-esteem, and positive mood, and higher for negative mood, in both groups after exposure to idealised imagery. However, a brief mindfulness intervention ameliorated the negative effects of social media exposure. Specifically, self-esteem, body appreciation, and mood were higher in the mindfulness meditation group at Time 3, compared to the control group. Future interventions should explore the utility of mindfulness practices to provide long term buffering effects against such social media content, as well as targeting the idealisation of female physiques portrayed in thinspiration and fitspiration content.

Religious minority identity associates with stress and psychological health among Muslim and Hindu women in Bangladesh and London.

This study examined the association of minority religious identification (Hindu or Muslim) with self-reported stress and psychological symptoms among sedentee and immigrant Bangladeshi women. Women, aged 35-59 (n = 531) were drawn from Sylhet, Bangladesh and London, England. Muslim immigrants in London and Hindu sedentees in Sylhet represented minority religious identities. Muslim sedentees in Sylhet and Londoners of European descent represented majority religious identities. In bivariate analyses, minority religious identity was examined in relation to self-reported measures of stress, nervous tension, and depressed mood. Logistic regression was applied to examine the relationship between these variables while adjusting for marital status, parity, daily walking, and perceived financial comfort. In bivariate analyses, religious minorities reported more stress than religious majorities in all group comparisons (p < .05), and minority Muslims reported more nervous tension and depressed mood than majority Muslims (p < .05). In logistic regression models, minority Muslims had greater odds of high stress than majority Muslims (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.18-3.39). Minority Muslims had greater odds of stress (OR 3.05, 95% CI 1.51-6.17) and nervous tension (OR 3.37, 95% CI 1.66-6.87) than majority Londoners. Financial comfort reduced odds of stress and symptoms in all models. Socioeconomic situation, immigration history, and minority ethnicity appear to influence the relationship between religious identity and psychosomatic symptoms in Bangladeshi women. Attention to personal and socioeconomic context is important for research examining the association between religion and mental health.

Evaluating the impact of sling provision and training upon maternal mental health, wellbeing and parenting: A randomised feasibility trial.

Close body contact interventions such as Kangaroo Mother Care have been shown to improve maternal mental health following birth. Infant carriers ('slings') facilitate hands-free close body contact. No studies have specifically examined whether sling use improves maternal mental health. A full-scale efficacy study is needed to examine whether sling use is beneficial to maternal mental health. The current study is a feasibility study designed to gather information to support the design of a future RCT, such as acceptability and study parameters, including recruitment rates, consent rate and attrition. Mothers of infants aged 0-6 weeks were randomised to one of two conditions: intervention (n = 35) vs. waitlist control (n = 32). Intervention participants received sling training, support, and free sling hire for 12 weeks. Participants completed self-report measures of mood, wellbeing and parenting at baseline (Time 1), and 6- (Time 2) and 12- (Time 3) weeks post-baseline. Eligibility and consent rates met feasibility objectives, though there were some difficulties with retention of participants in the study. Preliminary effectiveness analyses showed a non-significant improvement with a small effect size in postnatal depression from T1 to T3, and a significant improvement with a medium effect size in maternal self-efficacy from T1 to T3. Qualitative feedback indicated acceptability of the intervention and study participation. Intervention participants attributed greater autonomy, bonding with their baby, and parental self-confidence, to the intervention. These findings indicate a randomised study of the impact of a sling and related support intervention upon maternal mental health is feasible. These findings should be interpreted within the context of sampling bias (due to the use of volunteer sampling methods), an absence of feedback from those who discontinued participation in the study, and the study not being adequately powered. Registration number ISRCTN88575352.

3 Neuropsychiatric Change and Childhood Adversity Levels in an Opioid Treatment Population

Objective:Early life adversity is strongly correlated with a number of negative health outcomes, with some of the highest risks are related to later illicit drug use and substance use disorders (SUDs). Specifically, it has been found that an ACEs score of &gt;4 confers a 7-10-fold risk of substance abuse. Subsequent research has identified a number of neurobiological effects of childhood trauma, including structural and functional disruptions of the LHPA axis, the brain's primary stress-response system. It has been hypothesized that various trauma-induced neurobiological changes may lead to later physical health, mental health, and psychosocial problems in persons with early life adversity. One area that such changes might affect is a person's ability to stop abusing substances, with factors such as trauma-related mood, self-efficacy, or cognitive functioning as considerations in early treatment success. This study followed a group of participants in a residential substance abuse treatment program across their first month of abstinence, to assess natural change in cognitive performance as well as potential effect of early life adversity on changes in neuropsychiatric outcomes.Participants and Methods:Participants were 37 adults (mean age=33.9 years, SD=6.7) who had completed detoxification and were first assessed during their first week of residential treatment. Follow-up assessment was completed 4 weeks later. Participants were primarily male (62%) and white (62%). They were all in treatment for opioid abuse, with a majority of participants reporting a history of polysubstance abuse. To measure adverse and protective factors, participants completed the Adverse Childhood Experiences scale and Protective And Compensatory Experiences Scale at baseline. Participants also completed the NIH Toolbox cognition battery and a set of self-report measures of cognitive functioning, mood, anxiety, and self-efficacy at baseline and follow up.Results:Results of paired samples t-test comparison between baseline and follow-up testing found a significant improvement in self-reported depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and self-efficacy (all p&lt;.001). Interestingly, participants overall reported an increase in cognitive problems between baseline and retest, even though on objective cognitive testing (NIH Toolbox cognition battery) there was significant improvement in cognitive performance. Participants generally had a high level of childhood adversity (mean ACE score of 4.5), with an average level of childhood compensatory experiences. Considering the specific effect for childhood adversity, ACE score was found to be predictive in amount of anxiety and self-reported cognitive change but not for objective cognitive performance or change in other factors.Conclusions:Consistent with previous research, these patients had a high level of past trauma, which interacted with a number of other neuropsychiatric measures and support the importance of assessing for trauma history and integrating trauma-focused treatment into substance abuse treatment programs.

Interpersonal stress and proinflammatory activity in emerging adults with a history of suicide risk: A pilot study

Interpersonal stress during adolescence and young adulthood can threaten healthy developmental trajectories. A “primed” proinflammatory response to acute stress may serve as an underlying process that results in negative outcomes for youth. The present pilot study examined the relation between interpersonal stress and two proinflammatory cytokines in a sample of 42 university-recruited emerging adults with recent suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Participants completed self-report measures of mood, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, recent peer-related stressors, and interpersonal sensitivity. They also participated in an acute laboratory social stress task and provided three saliva samples to measure their proinflammatory responses (IL-6 and TNF-α) to the stressor. Participants reported significant increases in sadness and exclusion, and significant decreases in inclusion, following task participation. Importantly, no participants reported an increase in or onset of suicidal thoughts. No significant associations between interpersonal stress and proinflammatory cytokines were found. Changes in affect during the task coupled with lack of increased suicidal thoughts indicate it is acceptable to use this exclusion and rejection paradigm with this population, with proper debriefing and positive mood induction procedures. Given all other nonsignificant associations, future research considerations are discussed, including impact of COVID-19 on task potency and incorporation of multiple stress response systems.

Study protocol for a randomized trial of a supportive care mobile application to improve symptoms, coping, and quality of life in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) often experience burdensome symptoms, emotional distress, and poor quality of life (QOL). While national guidelines recommend early palliative care to address these supportive care needs, most patients with advanced NSCLC lack access to such comprehensive care. Our aim in the current study is to test a novel model of palliative care delivery and use of innovative technology to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a supportive care mobile application (app) for improving symptom management and adaptive coping in patients with advanced NSCLC. We will enroll 120 patients with unresectable Stage III or IV NSCLC diagnosed within the past 12 weeks receiving care with palliative intent at a major academic comprehensive cancer center and its community affiliates. The study will take place in two phases, the first of which will be dedicated to adapting an evidence-based, early palliative care treatment guide and prior supportive care mobile app intervention to address the specific symptom management and coping needs of patients with advanced NSCLC. The second phase of the study will be a two-group, randomized controlled trial. Study patients will complete baseline self-report measures of symptoms, mood, coping skills, and QOL, after which they will be randomized to receive either the mobile app intervention combined with usual oncology care or usual oncology care alone. Intervention patients will use a tablet computer to self-administer the mobile app, which consists of six modules that teach evidence-based skills for managing burdensome symptoms and coping effectively with advanced cancer and its treatment. At 12 weeks follow up, patients in both groups will repeat the same self-report measures. We will use descriptive statistics to determine feasibility metrics of enrollment and retention rates. For secondary self-report measures, we will use linear regression controlling for baseline values. The results of the present study will contribute to a growing body of evidence regarding the supportive care needs of patients with advanced cancer and will have implications for how best to use innovative technology to widely disseminate comprehensive supportive care services to all patients who may benefit. Clinical Trial Registration: [www.ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier[NCT04629300].

Comparing The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Stress and Well-Being in College Students: A Study of Meditators Vs. Non-Meditators

This study aimed to compare the effects of mindfulness meditation on stress and well-being in college students. A total of 50 participants were recruited, with 25 self-identified as meditators and 25 as non-meditators. All participants completed self-report measures of stress, well-being, mood, resilience, self-compassion, and academic performance. The results showed that the meditator group had significantly lower levels of stress, higher well-being scores, better mood, greater resilience, and higher levels of self-compassion compared to the non-meditator group. In terms of academic performance, there was no significant difference between the two groups. The study findings suggest that mindfulness meditation may be an effective tool for reducing stress and improving well-being among college students. However, further research is needed to explore the barriers to practicing mindfulness meditation and to determine the optimal frequency and duration of practice to achieve significant benefits.

451 Posterior Cingulate Theta Power as a Novel Biomarker of Mood

INTRODUCTION: One third of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) are refractory to standard therapies. Progress in therapeutic neuromodulation for depression has been challenging because of the widespread, network basis of mood and lack of neurophysiologic biomarkers. Neuroimaging studies of depression demonstrate increased connectivity within the default mode network (DMN), which subserves internal processes such as self-reflection, mind wandering, and memory. Invasive electrophysiology in the resting state has demonstrated that DMN connectivity corresponds to correlations in theta-band power. DMN activity is anti-correlated with the dorsal attention network (DAN) which, in contrast, subserves externally oriented cognition (i.e., top-down attention), and demonstrates alpha-specific resting-state correlations. METHODS: We used hourly, self-reported measures of mood and video facial affect recognition to estimate mood valence in six epilepsy patients undergoing invasive stereotactic electroencephalography monitoring. We analyzed power spectra and functional connectivity (band-limited power correlations) in epochs corresponding to mood estimates. Patients without substantial inpatient mood variability (n=3) were excluded. RESULTS: Depressed mood was correlated with increased theta power. This was most significant in electrodes within posterior cingulate cortex (DMN region; r = -0.58; p = 0.0007). Conversely, alpha power was increased during elevated mood, most significantly in the intraparietal sulcus (DAN region; r = 0.55, p = 0.0013). Theta connectivity was correlated with depressed mood (r = -0.53, p = 0.003) whereas alpha connectivity was correlated with elevated mood (r = 0.56, p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Our results recapitulate the frequency specificity of resting-state physiology and encourage a network-based perspective of depression neurophysiology. Theta and alpha power within DMN and DAN networks, respectively, represent important biomarkers of mood and may guide neuromodulatory therapies. Posterior cingulate/precuneus cortex is a major DMN hub and should be sampled in future studies of neural correlates of mood.

The longitudinal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health behaviors, psychosocial factors, and cognitive functioning in older adults.

Background: Older adults are at a greater risk for contracting and experiencing severe illness from COVID-19 and may be further affected by pandemic-related precautions (e.g., social distancing and isolation in quarantine). However, the longitudinal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults is unclear. The current study examines changes in health behaviors, psychosocial factors, and cognitive functioning in a large sample of older adults using a pre-pandemic baseline and longitudinal follow-up throughout 9 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: One hundred and eighty-nine older adults (ages 65-89) were recruited from a multisite clinical trial to complete additional virtual assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mixed effects models evaluated changes in health behaviors, psychosocial factors, and cognitive functioning during the pandemic compared to a pre-pandemic baseline and over the course of the pandemic (i.e., comparing the first and last COVID-19 timepoints). Results: Compared to their pre-pandemic baseline, during the pandemic, older adults reported worsened sleep quality, perceived physical health and functioning, mental health, slight increases in depression and apathy symptoms, reduced social engagement/perceived social support, but demonstrated better performance on objective cognitive tasks of attention and working memory. Throughout the course of the pandemic, these older adults reported continued worsening of perceived physical health and function, fewer depression symptoms, and they demonstrated improved cognitive performance. It is important to note that changes on self-report mood measures and cognitive performance were relatively small regarding clinical significance. Education largely served as a protective factor, such that greater years of education was generally associated with better outcomes across domains. Conclusions: The present study provides insights into the longitudinal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health behaviors, psychosocial factors, and cognitive functioning in a population disproportionately affected by the virus. Replicating this study design in a demographically representative older adult sample is warranted to further inform intervention strategies targeting older adults negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trajectories of Return to Cigarette Smoking Up to 1 Year Postpartum Among People Who Quit Smoking During Pregnancy.

Previous work has identified predictors of relapse to smoking postpartum among parenting people who quit during pregnancy, but less is known about the time course of postpartum relapse. The study goals were to document patterns and correlates of smoking resumption among people who quit smoking during pregnancy and were motivated to remain abstinent. We conducted a secondary analysis among participants in a randomized controlled trial of postpartum-specific smoking relapse prevention interventions who self-reported no smoking since the quit date to delivery (n = 280). Participants provided expired air samples of carbon monoxide, and completed self-report measures of mood, perceived stress, and demographic and pregnancy-related information. Timeline follow-back interviews were conducted at the end of pregnancy and 12-, 24-, and 52-weeks postpartum. The largest group (49.7% of participants) belonged to a trajectory reflecting abstinence across 1 year postpartum. Another 13% remained abstinent 5-6 months after delivery. However, one in five started to smoke consistently within 100 days after delivery, and 16% relapsed in a pattern that can be described as inconsistent smoking. Participants with more prior quit attempts and those who smoked more cigarettes prior to their quit attempt were more likely to relapse within 100 days of delivery. The first 3 months postpartum represent a critical window for relapse prevention, given that most individuals who relapsed did so in the first 100 days or so after delivery. Assessing prior smoking history can help identify pregnant people who will need additional support in the early postpartum period. Relapse to smoking during the year after childbirth is common, but the time course of relapse after delivery is poorly understood. This study provides evidence for 4 distinct trajectories of relapse, and highlights variables linked to early relapse that may improve efforts to target and time intervention efforts. Specifically, assessing age at initiation, quantity of tobacco use prior to quit attempt, and number of previous quit attempts will identify pregnant people at greatest risk of early relapse. These findings also suggest that additional support early in the postpartum period is crucial for most people in the postpartum who will relapse.

Effect of human probiotics on memory, psychological and biological measures in elderly: A study protocol of bi-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial (CleverAge Biota).

Gut microbiota may influence brain functions. Therefore, we prepared a study protocol for a double-blind, crossover, randomized clinical trial to determine the complex effects of human probiotics on memory, psychological, and biological measures in the elderly. We selected eligible participants using an effective electronic questionnaire containing the inclusion and exclusion criteria and a brief electronic cognitive test. One-third of the respondents with the worst cognitive scores on the electronic test are randomized to group A, starting with a 3-month probiotic intervention, and to group B, starting with a placebo. In a crossover design, both groups change their intervention/placebo status after 3 months for the next 3 months. Participants refusing longer personal assessments due to the COVID-19 pandemic were randomly allocated to one of two subgroups assessed online. Participants in both groups are matched in age, education, gender, and cognitive scores on electronic testing at baseline. At three time points, participants are assessed using a neuropsychological battery, self-report measures of mood, a physical fitness test, blood, urine, and stool samples, and actigraphy. A subset of participants also provided their biological samples and underwent the neuropsychological battery in an extended testing phase 3 months after study termination to find out the long-term effect of the intervention. This is the first trial to address the comprehensive effects of human probiotics on memory and many other measures in the elderly. We assume that the probiotic group will have better outcomes than the placebo group after the first and second trimesters. We expect that the probiotic effect will persist for the next 3 months. These study's findings will contribute to an interesting area of how to improve memory, psychological and biological and other factors naturally and will examine the importance of probiotics for overall health in the elderly. [clinicaltrials.gov], identifier [NCT05051501].

Differential contributions of depression, apathy, and anxiety to neuropsychological performance in Parkinson’s disease versus essential tremor

ABSTRACT Introduction Mood symptoms are common features of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and essential tremor (ET) and have been linked to worse cognition. The goals of the present study were to compare the severity of anxiety, apathy, and depressive symptoms in PD, ET, and healthy controls (HC) and to examine differential relationships between mood and cognition. Method Older adults with idiopathic PD (N = 448), ET (N = 128), or HC (N = 136) completed a multi-domain neuropsychological assessment consisting of memory, executive function, and attention/working memory domains. Participants also completed self-reported mood measures. Between-group differences in mood and cognition were assessed, and hierarchical regression models were conducted to examine relationships between mood and cognition in each group. Results Relative to the HC group, the PD and ET groups reported more mood symptoms and scored lower across all cognitive measures. There were no differences between the two movement disorder groups. Mood variables explained 3.9–13.7% of the total variance in cognitive domains, varying by disease group. For PD, apathy was the only unique predictor of executive function (β = −.114, p = .05), and trait anxiety was the only unique predictor of attention/working memory (β = −.188, p < .05). For ET, there were no unique predictors, though the overall models significantly predicted performance in the executive function and attention/working memory domains. Conclusions In a large cohort of ET and PD, we observed that the two groups had similar self-reported mood symptoms. Mood symptoms were differentially associated with cognition in PD versus ET. In PD, increased apathy was associated with worse executive function and higher trait anxiety predicted worse attention/working memory. For ET, there were no unique predictors, though the overall mood symptom severity was related to cognition. Our study highlights the importance of considering the relationship between mood and neuropsychological performance in individuals with movement disorders.

Expectation for stimulant type modifies caffeine's effects on mood and cognition among college students.

Caffeine is regularly used by college students to enhance mood and academic performance. Although high doses confer risk for negative consequences, moderate doses of caffeine may lead to acute improvements in mood and cognitive functioning. Notably, the pharmacological effects of caffeine may be enhanced by expectancy effects. College students may also engage in nonmedical prescription stimulant use for similar purposes, as students expect strong cognitive enhancement from prescription stimulants and consider them to be more efficacious than caffeine. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether the pharmacological effects of caffeine on mood/drug effects and cognitive performance are enhanced when expecting a conceivably stronger stimulant (i.e., Adderall) compared to when expecting caffeine. Sixty-five undergraduate students were randomized to condition across two variables: drug ingested (placebo or 200 mg caffeine) and drug expected (caffeine or Adderall). Participants completed self-report measures of mood and drug effects pre- and post-drug, as well as cognitive assessments post-drug. There were significant main effects of drug ingested and drug expected on several post-drug measures. Subjects receiving caffeine reported feeling more high, stimulated, anxious, and motivated than subjects receiving placebo. Further, subjects expecting Adderall reported stronger amphetamine effects and feeling more high, and performed better on a working memory test, than those expecting caffeine. Effects tended to be strongest in participants receiving caffeine and expecting Adderall. Modifying expectancies, in conjunction with the pharmacological properties of caffeine at moderate doses, may be one mechanism by which college students may experience differential effects of caffeine. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The effects of varying music tempo on vigilance performance and affective state

Vigilance tasks typically involve an operator monitoring an environment for infrequent, random critical signals, buried among more frequent neutral signals, for an extended period. In addition to a decline in task engagement, task performance, and arousal over time, these tasks are also associated with high perceived workload. Previously, music has been shown to positively influence operator engagement and response times during vigilance tasks; however, the differences between fast and slow tempo music on both vigilance performance and mood measures have not been studied. The present study examined the effects of music played at different tempos on a selection of performance metrics and self-report measures of mood, engagement, and workload. Results indicated that varying music tempo did not influence the typical decline in detection of critical signals, but the fast tempo condition had a modestly positive impact on worry and engagement from pre to post task.

A-152 Associations between Cognitive Functioning and Self-Report Mood Measures in a Veteran Clinical Population

Abstract Objective: To determine the strength of correlation between subjective mood distress and concurrent measures of objective cognitive functioning. Method: 334 veterans (89.6% male; 93.7% White) were seen for neuropsychological evaluation at the VA Portland Health Care System (VAPORHCS; M/SD: age = 56.45/14.43; education = 13.16/2.37). Participants were administered a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and either the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and/or PTSD Checklist (PCL). Partial correlations were used to determine associations between psychological distress and neuropsychological test performance, controlling for age and education. Three clinical groups were created based on each mood measure’s total score: 1.) BDI-II ≥ 20 (n= 96); 2.) GDS ≥ 11 (n = 17); 3.) PCL ≥ 33 (n = 57), and compared to a control group - scores below moderate cutoffs on BDI-II (n = 102), GDS (n = 16), and PCL (n = 8). Clinical groups were not mutually exclusive. Independent-samples t-tests compared neuropsychological test scores between groups. Results: Two of the 111 bivariate correlations between the three mood measures and neuropsychological tests were statistically significant at p &amp;lt; .01, both with medium effect sizes (BDI-II and Pegboard dominant and nondominant hand). Across clinical group comparisons, none were statistically significant at p &amp;lt; .01; four from the BDI-II group were statistically significant at p &amp;lt; .05. Conclusions: Few associations were found between subjective reports of mood distress and neuropsychological test performance, indicating statistical independence. Consistent with other literature, these results suggest reported mood distress has minimal impact on concurrent cognitive performance, except for motor slowing.

A-189 Multicomponent-Multidomain Cognitive Intervention with Care-partners

Abstract Objective: The main objective of this presentation is to present a case study assessing the feasibility of a cognitive intervention for individuals with mild cognitive impairment or early stages of dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. The secondary objective is to assess the efficacy of the intervention. Method: A multicomponent-multidomain intervention was conducted with patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment and their care-partners. Due to the pandemic the intervention was conducted in individual dyads, rather than in groups. The intervention consisted of three components - psychoeducation about brain health and cognition, compensatory strategies, and cognitive skills training in four domains – attention, processing speed, executive functioning, and memory. The training was completed in twenty to twenty five sessions. Pre and post cognition, self-reported mood and cognition measures, and measures of cognition, daily functioning and caregiver burden completed by care partners were utilized to assess the efficacy of the intervention. Results: Results suggested stable or improved cognition over a year, with improved daily functioning, mood, and reduced or stable caregiver burden. Conclusion(s): The multicomponent-multidomain intervention with care patterner is a feasible and efficacious treatment for mild cognitive impairment. In future, implementation in a group format will be assessed.