Changes In Temperament Research Articles

The relationship between prodromal symptom levels and affective temperament features and emotional dysregulation in patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder and their first-degree relatives: A controlled study

BackgroundThe frequency of developing psychiatric symptoms is higher in the first-degree relatives of bipolar patients compared to the healthy population. This study aims to determine the possible diagnosis of bipolarity by revealing the bipolar prodromal features, temperament changes, and emotional disregulation in the first-degree relatives of bipolar patients and their interrelationships. MethodsA total of 150 patients, including bipolar disorder patients, their first-degree relatives, and a healthy control group, aged 18–65 who met the study inclusion criteria, were included in the study. Sociodemographic data form, Bipolar Prodromal Symptom Scale (BPSS), Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A), and Difficulty in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) were administered to all participants. ResultsSignificant differences were found between the BPSS, TEMPS-A, and DERS total and subscale scores of the bipolar patient group, first-degree relatives, and healthy control group (p < 0.001). There were significant differences in BPSS frequency and severity subscale scores, TEMPS-A hyperthymic and cyclothymic subscale scores, and DERS strategy, goal-oriented, and awareness subscale scores between patients and their first-degree relatives (p < 0.001). Additionally, all scale scores of the patient relatives were significantly different from the healthy control group (p < 0.001). A significant relationship was found between the prodromal scores and temperament scores of the patient relatives, and between the temperament scores and DERS scores (p < 0.001). ConclusionIt has been observed that the severity and frequency of bipolar prodromal symptoms, temperament changes, and difficulty in mood regulation are higher in bipolar patients and their first-degree relatives compared to the healthy population. Differences were found in hyperthymic and cyclothymic temperament features and difficulty in mood regulation scores between bipolar patients and their first-degree relatives. Patient relatives showed significant changes in all parameters compared to the healthy group. The severity of bipolar prodromal symptoms in patient relatives was associated with cyclothymic and anxious temperament features, while the frequency of bipolar symptoms was associated with anxious temperament. Relationships were found between some temperament and mood regulation difficulty sub-scores. In light of these findings, evaluating clinical variables such as the frequency and severity of prodromal symptoms, temperament features, and difficulty in mood regulation in the first-degree relatives of bipolar patients may be an appropriate approach for diagnosing mood disorders.

Changes in temperament, character and intensity of empathy in adolescents treated in a day care unit – pilot study

Changes in temperament, character and intensity of empathy in adolescents treated in a day care unit – pilot study

Maternal psychological distress and temperament traits in children from infancy to late childhood.

Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy is associated with infant temperament. Whether associations persist into late childhood, whether maternal distress is associated with temperament change from infancy to late childhood, whether associations are independent of maternal concurrent distress, and whether maternal distress has sensitive exposure periods on child temperament remain unclear. Our study includes mother-child dyads from Finnish, prospective Prediction and Prevention of Preeclampsia and Intrauterine Growth Restriction study. The mothers completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, State Anxiety Inventory and Perceived Stress Scale: biweekly up to 14 times during pregnancy; once in infancy (at child age 4-12months); and once in late childhood (at child age 7-11years). They also completed the Infant Behavior Questionnaire Revised at the infancy (n=2538) and Temperament in Middle Childhood Questionnaire at the late childhood (n=2004; 1693 children had data at both follow-ups) follow-up on child negative affectivity, extraversion and effortful control. We examined the associations of maternal distress with child temperament with linear regression, linear mixed and Bayesian relevant lifecourse exposure models. Maternal distress during pregnancy was associated with higher negative affectivity and lower effortful control in children in infancy and late childhood. Maternal distress during pregnancy was also associated with increases in negative affectivity, decreases in effortful Control, and smaller decreases in extraversion from infancy to late childhood. The associations with late childhood temperament and temperament change were independent of maternal concurrent distress. Late childhood was a sensitive period for lifetime-to-date effects of maternal distress on late childhood negative affectivity and effortful control. Distress during pregnancy and infancy had smaller contributions. Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy is associated with individual differences and change in child temperament from infancy to late childhood. However, distress during pregnancy has a smaller effect on late childhood temperament than maternal concurrent distress.

13 Effects of an acclimation protocol during the handling events of the 7 d CO-synch + CIDR protocol on temperament and reproductive performance of Bos taurus commercial beef heifers

Abstract It has been previously reported that cattle temperament significantly impacts fertility to estrous synchronization (ES) protocols. In addition, enrolling heifers to acclimation protocols following weaning resulted in improved reproductive parameters with an increased proportion of acclimated heifers reaching puberty earlier when compared with non-acclimated cohorts. The objective of the present experiment was to assess the effects of an acclimation protocol during the handling events of an ES on changes in temperament and fertility to the ES protocol in Bos taurus commercial beef heifers. A total of 361 Angus-influenced commercial heifers from 5 different locations were enrolled in the experiment. Before enrolling heifers in the 7-d CO-Synch + CIDR protocol (d -10), individual heifers were evaluated for reproductive tract score (RTS), and chute score (CS) and stratified to receive acclimation (TRT) or to serve as control (CTRL). On d -10, heifers from TRT and CTRL groups received ear tags of different colors and individuals from CTRL and TRT were kept together in their pastures. Before each handling event of the ES (d 0,7,10), TRT heifers were sorted from CTRL and submitted to acclimation, which consisted of running heifers through the handling facilities without catching individuals in the restraining chute. Treatment heifers were then comingled with CTRL heifers, and all heifers were brought to the handling facilities for the ES event. Individual CS and exit velocities (EV) were recorded for all animals at all days (-10,0,7,10). Chute scores were recorded in a 1 to 5 scale, where 1 = calm, no movement; 2 = restless movements; 3 = frequent movement, vocalization; 4 = constant moving, vocalization, shaking of the chute; 5 = violent, continuous struggling. Individual estrus detection patch scores were assessed at the day of fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI) based on percentage of activation, where 0 = lost; 1 = less than 25% activated, 2 = less than 50% activated, 3 = less than 75% activated, 4 = more than 75% activated. Pregnancy status was determined by rectal ultrasonography approximately 40 d after FTAI. Estrus detection patch scores did not differ between CTRL and TRT heifers (P = 0.1906). In addition, pregnancy rates to FTAI did not differ between TRT and CTRL heifers (56.81% and 52.74%; P = 0.3563). Reproductive tract scores (P = 0.777), EV (P = 0.9607) and CS (P = 0.990) did not differ between CTRL and TRT on d -10. However, CS, but not EV was decreased on d 7 (P = 0.001) and 10 (P = 0.0002) for TRT heifers when compared with CTRL. We conclude that enrolling heifers to an acclimation protocol during the handling events of the ES protocol was effective at decreasing excitability of heifers by the day of FTAI, as evidenced by decreased CS observed for TRT heifers on d 7, and 10 but did not support an increase in fertility to the ES protocol.

Public health nurse-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for postpartum depression: Assessing the effects of maternal treatment on infant emotion regulation.

The effects of maternal postpartum depression (PPD) on offspring emotion regulation (ER) are particularly deleterious as difficulties with ER predict an increased risk of psychopathology. This study examined the impact of maternal participation in a public health nurse (PHN)-delivered group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention on infant ER. Mothers/birthing parents were ≥ 18 years old with an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score ≥ 10, and infants were < 12 months. Between 2017 and 2020, 141 mother-infant dyads were randomized to experimental or control groups. Infant ER was measured at baseline (T1) and nine weeks later (T2) using two neurophysiological measures (frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) and high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV)), and informant-report of infant temperament. Mothers were a mean of 30.8 years old (SD = 4.7), 92.3% were married/ common-law, and infants were a mean of 5.4 months old (SD = 2.9) and 52.1% were male. A statistically significant group-by-time interaction was found to predict change in HF-HRV between T1 and T2 (F(1,68.3) = 4.04, p = .04), but no significant interaction predicted change in FAA or temperament. Results suggest that PHN-delivered group CBT for PPD may lead to adaptive changes in a neurophysiological marker of infant ER, highlighting the importance of early maternal intervention.

Do temperament trajectories from late childhood through adolescence predict success in school? Findings from a longitudinal study of Mexican-origin youth.

School achievement has long-term consequences for occupational success, mental health, and overall psychological adjustment. The present study examined the association between temperament trajectories from late childhood through adolescence and academic outcomes during late adolescence and young adulthood. Data come from the California Families Project, a longitudinal study of 674 Mexican-origin youth assessed 12 times from Age 10 to 23, and from school records. Results from latent growth curve models indicate that higher levels of Effortful Control (EC) at Age 10 were associated with better academic achievement (i.e., higher high school grade point average and test scores, greater likelihood of high school graduation and college attendance) in late adolescence and young adulthood. Higher levels of Negative Emotionality (NEM) at Age 10 were associated with worse academic achievement, but this effect did not hold for all facets of NEM. Neither the levels nor slopes of Positive Emotionality (Surgency, Affiliation) consistently predicted school achievement. There were no main effects of the EC or NEM slopes; however, statistically significant interactions between these slopes and parental monitoring emerged. When parental monitoring was low, youth who experienced greater increases in EC (vs. flat or decreasing slopes) had better academic achievement, and youth who experienced greater increases in NEM had worse academic achievement; in contrast, when parents closely monitored their children, changes in EC and NEM were only weakly associated with achievement. Overall, these findings demonstrate that temperament in late childhood, and changes in temperament across adolescence, have important prospective effects on academic achievement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Mothers' symptoms of anxiety and depression and the development of child temperament: A genetically informative, longitudinal investigation.

Child temperament traits and mothers' emotional symptoms relating to anxiety and depression may drive changes in one another, leading to their 'co-development' across time. Alternatively, links between mother and child traits may be attributable to shared genetic propensities. We explored longitudinal associations between mothers' emotional symptoms and child temperament traits and adjusted for genetic effects shared across generations. This study is based on the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). Mothers (n=34,060) reported on their symptoms of anxiety and depression, and temperament among offspring (n=42,526), at child ages 1.5, 3 and 5years. Structural equation models parameterised developmental change in traits, and an extended family design adjusted for genetic effects. We found individual differences in stable trait scores and rate of change for all study variables. Longitudinal stability in mothers' emotional symptoms was associated with longitudinal stability in offspring emotionality (r=0.143), shyness (r=0.031), and sociability (r=-0.015). Longitudinal change in mothers' symptoms showed very small or negligible correlations with longitudinal change in child temperament. Both genetic and environmental influences explained the stable longitudinal association between mothers' symptoms and child emotionality. The studied associations between mother and child traits across time appeared to be due to stable, trait-like factors, involving genetic and environmental influence, rather than their co-development. Findings contribute knowledge on how emotional symptoms develop in families across time, and the methods with which we can explore such development.

Changes in the gut microbiome in the first two years of life predicted the temperament in toddlers

BackgroundTemperament has been shown to be associated with the change of gut microbiome. There were no longitudinal studies to explore the role of gut microbiome changes in the development of temperament in toddlers. MethodsThis study used longitudinal cohort to investigate the associations between changes in gut microbiome and temperament in toddlers in the first two years of life. Linear regression analysis and microbiome multivariate association with linear models were used to investigate the associations between the gut microbiome and toddlers' temperament. ResultsIn total, 41 toddlers were analyzed. This study found both Shannon and Chao-1 indices at birth were negatively correlated with the sadness dimension; the higher the Shannon and Chao-1 indices at 6 months, the lower the surgency/extraversion dimension scores; the higher the Shannon and Chao-1 indices at 2 years of ages, the lower the cuddliness dimension scores. After adjusting for covariates, beta diversity at birth was strongly associated with the negative affectivity dimension; beta diversity at 1 year of age was strongly associated with the activity level dimension; and beta diversity at 2 years of age was strongly associated with the discomfort and soothability dimension. Compared to Bifidobacterium cluster, this study also found Bacteroides cluster was associated with lower negative affectivity and its sub-dimensions frustration and sadness scores in toddlers. LimitationsGeneralizability of the results remains to be determined. ConclusionResults of this study confirmed the associations between changes in the gut microbiome diversity and composition in the first two years of life and toddlers' temperament.

Unraveling the phenotypic and genomic background of behavioral plasticity and temperament in North American Angus cattle

BackgroundLongitudinal records of temperament can be used for assessing behavioral plasticity, such as aptness to learn, memorize, or change behavioral responses based on affective state. In this study, we evaluated the phenotypic and genomic background of North American Angus cow temperament measured throughout their lifetime around the weaning season, including the development of a new indicator trait termed docility-based learning and behavioral plasticity. The analyses included 273,695 and 153,898 records for yearling (YT) and cow at weaning (CT) temperament, respectively, 723,248 animals in the pedigree, and 8784 genotyped animals. Both YT and CT were measured when the animal was loading into/exiting the chute. Moreover, CT was measured around the time in which the cow was separated from her calf. A random regression model fitting a first-order Legendre orthogonal polynomial was used to model the covariance structure of temperament and to assess the learning and behavioral plasticity (i.e., slope of the regression) of individual cows. This study provides, for the first time, a longitudinal perspective of the genetic and genomic mechanisms underlying temperament, learning, and behavioral plasticity in beef cattle.ResultsCT measured across years is heritable (0.38–0.53). Positive and strong genetic correlations (0.91–1.00) were observed among all CT age-group pairs and between CT and YT (0.84). Over 90% of the candidate genes identified overlapped among CT age-groups and the estimated effect of genomic markers located within important candidate genes changed over time. A small but significant genetic component was observed for learning and behavioral plasticity (heritability = 0.02 ± 0.002). Various candidate genes were identified, revealing the polygenic nature of the traits evaluated. The pathways and candidate genes identified are associated with steroid and glucocorticoid hormones, development delay, cognitive development, and behavioral changes in cattle and other species.ConclusionsCow temperament is highly heritable and repeatable. The changes in temperament can be genetically improved by selecting animals with favorable learning and behavioral plasticity (i.e., habituation). Furthermore, the environment explains a large part of the variation in learning and behavioral plasticity, leading to opportunities to also improve the overall temperament by refining management practices. Moreover, behavioral plasticity offers opportunities to improve the long-term animal and handler welfare through habituation.

Supplemental Material for Intervention-Induced Temperament Changes in Children: Evidence From a Randomized Controlled Trial of the Incredible Years Parent Program

Supplemental Material for Intervention-Induced Temperament Changes in Children: Evidence From a Randomized Controlled Trial of the Incredible Years Parent Program

Just as they expected: How parents' expectations about their unborn child's characteristics provide a context for early transactions between parenting and child temperament.

Prenatal expectations about what children will be like after birth may provide a context for how parents perceive their infant's actual temperament. We examined how these expectations and perceptions are associated and together predict early parenting behavior, with parenting behavior in turn predicting changes in temperament. Reports of 125 families (N = 122 fathers; N = 123 mothers; sample 1) about their expectations of their unborn child's temperament (negative affectivity, surgency, regulation, T1), their infant's temperament at 4 and 12 months post-partum (T2 and T3), and their hostile, responsive, warm, and overprotective parenting (T2) were included. We also included data from an independent sample of 168 mothers (sample 2), with the same measures, except that mothers reported on Big Five personality traits at T1. Results indicated that in both samples, parents' expectations were positively associated with perceptions of infant temperament. Prenatal expectations and newborn temperament independently predicted parenting behavior, and maternal and paternal parenting in turn predicted infant temperament at T3, controlling for infant temperament at T2. Although overall findings indicated associations between (expectations of) a more difficult temperament and more negative/less positive parenting, significant combinations of specific traits and parenting behaviors were sample-specific—indicating that more research is necessary to draw a conclusion about specific links. Both maternal and paternal expectations about their unborn child's temperament appear to carry over into the postpartum reality and provide a context for shaping early interactions between caregivers and their children, which may further shape the developing temperament of the child.

유아기 기질의 종단적 프로파일과 학령 초기 학교 적응

This study identifies patterns of change in temperament among infants aged 2 to 4 years old, and investigates the relationships between such patterns and school adjustments in the first grade of elementary school. Five distinct latent classes for patterns of change in children’s temperament emerged through latent profile analysis using three-year data from the Panel Study on Korean Children (N = 1,869): a) inactive & shy child (13.5%), b) decreasing activity & mild child (44.0%), c) highly emotional & unsociable child (13.4%), d) decreasing emotionality & highly sociable child (14.7%), and e) emotional & sociable child (14.4%). Significant associations with the five profiles of temperament were found for both gender and birth order of the children. Only the inactive & shy child class had more girls than boys; 47.1% of the children in the highly emotional & unsociable child class were the second child, while all other classes had more first children. Each child in the inactive & shy child class had a higher level of adjustment to school life than those in the highly emotional & unsociable child and the decreasing emotionality & highly sociable child classes when the children were seven years old. As for academic achievement, children in the decreasing activity & mild child class, in the decreasing emotionality & highly sociable child, and in the emotional & sociable child class exhibited more adjustments than those in the highly emotional & unsociable child class. Among the sub-domains of school adjustment, peer adjustment and teacher adjustment for the first grade of elementary school did not have significant associations with longitudinal profiles of temperament. The findings indicate that temperament through early childhood predicts adjustment to school life and academic achievement at an early school age.

CTCF in parvalbumin-expressing neurons regulates motor, anxiety and social behavior and neuronal identity

CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is a regulator of chromatin organization and has direct effects on gene transcription. Mutations in CTCF have been identified in individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions. There are wide range of behaviors associated with these mutations, including intellectual disabilities, changes in temperament, and autism. Previous mice-model studies have identified roles for CTCF in excitatory neurons in specific behaviors, particularly in regards to learning and memory. However, the role of CTCF in inhibitory neurons is less well defined. In the current study, specific knockout of CTCF in parvalbumin-expressing neurons, a subset of inhibitory neurons, induced a specific behavioral phenotype, including locomotor abnormalities, anxiolytic behavior, and a decrease in social behavior. The anxiolytic and social abnormalities are detected before the onset of locomotor abnormalities. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed a disbalance in parvalbumin-expressing and somatostatin-expressing cells in these mice. Single nuclei RNA sequencing identified changes in gene expression in parvalbumin-expressing neurons that are specific to inhibitory neuronal identity and function. Electrophysiology analysis revealed an enhanced inhibitory tone in the hippocampal pyramidal neurons in knockout mice. These findings indicate that CTCF in parvalbumin-expressing neurons has a significant role in the overall phenotype of CTCF-associated neurodevelopmental deficits.

Changes in temperament traits associated with remission of PTSD symptoms after pharmacology, psychotherapy and combined treatment in a sample of participants in motor vehicle accidents

The goal of the study was to examine whether treatments of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with psychotherapy (PE), pharmacotherapy (paroxetine) and their combination would result in changes in temperament towards a pattern of increasing stimulation processing capacity. We assumed that temperament changes might be recorded in participants with posttreatment remission of PTSD. The research question was whether all treatment modalities used in the study would lead to the same changes in temperament. Data from 135 patients who had completed therapy were randomly assigned to a twelve-week treatment of PE, paroxetine or combined treatments and were analysed. Temperamental traits were assessed by the Formal Characteristics of Behaviour-Temperament Inventory before and after treatment and at the one-year follow-up, and PTSD symptoms were assessed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders and a Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale. The results showed that temperament changes were observed only in subjects with remission of PTSD symptoms regardless of treatment modality and were maintained at follow-up. In conclusion, the study indicates that temperament traits change under effective treatment of PTSD towards a pattern of increased stimulation processing capacities. Despite the mechanisms of change, pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions influence this process.

Beef cattle behavior in integrated crop-livestock systems

ABSTRACT: Temperament often depends on the animals’ reaction to people, social and environmental conditions. However, little is known about the influence of changes in the pasture environment on cattle temperament. Thus, this study was designed to evaluate if an animals’ temperament changes in response to being kept in a silvopastoral system. This study evaluated the effect of the tree components in a pasture environment on the temperament of any grazing cattle in integrated crop-livestock systems. A total of thirty-two Angus steers were allocated to either a livestock (L) or livestock-forest (LF) system and observed from December 2019 to February 2020. Each animal was evaluated for their reactivity score, flight speed, and number of vocalizations. The statistical model established that the animals were random effects and that the treatments and periods were fixed effects using the MIXED procedure, and the means were compared using LSMeans. The flight speed and number of vocalizations were similar in both production systems, while the reactivity score was lower for animals kept in the LF system when compared to those in the L system. This suggested that the LF system interferes positively with the animal’s temperament in relation to the L production system. However, additional research is needed to understand the influence of the production system on animal temperament.

An Investigation of Changing Attitudes and Behaviors and Problematic Internet Use in Children Aged 8 to 17 Years During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

To examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lifestyle, habits, and behavioral differences in children, and their changing internet use habits. The research was planned as a cross-sectional study involving 4892 children aged 8 to 17 years attending schools in the city center of Trabzon, Turkey. Children's daily living activities, social habits, mood and temperament changes, and internet use were investigated before and during the pandemic. In terms of problematic internet use, internet addiction rates were evaluated using the validated Turkish-language version of the Parent-Child Internet Addiction Scale (PCIAT-20). The children's mean age was 13 ± 2.45 years, and 17.1% (n = 837) exhibited problematic internet use features on the PCIAT-20. Problematic internet use was higher in boys and in children older than 13 years. The presence of COVID-19 infection among members of the household, quarantine measures, attending private schools, the mother's occupation, the time spent by the mother and father on their mobile phones, and high parental education levels were associated with a high level of internet addiction. Families also described significant changes in their children's temperament and character compared with the pre-pandemic period. The prevalence of problematic internet use increased during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with previous studies from Turkey. Children were also more introverted, irritable, and pessimistic during the pandemic.

E-Waste Reporting in Malaysia – A Preliminary Study

Globally, the awareness of environmental sustainability is gaining prominence, and one of the critical issues discussed in this area is waste management. With the advent of the digitalisation age, where information may be retrieved with a finger point, the use of electric and electronic appliances has been increasing exponentially. The appliances contain components that are usually filled with toxic materials and heavy metals such as mercury, lead and brominated flame retardants that are considered hazardous under the Basel Convention. When these appliances reach the end of their useful life, the toxic components that are not properly disposed of will eventually end up in landfills, thus endangering human health and the environment (www.doe.gov.my). Unproperly managed e-waste will result in soil, atmospheric and aquatic contamination (Alabi, Adeoluwa, Huo, Xu, &amp; Bakare, 2021). Furthermore, these contaminations posed a threat to human, animals and plants (Alabi et al., 2021). Within humans, exposure to e-waste will lead to health problems such as changes in thyroid function, respiratory problems, changes in temperament and behaviour, decreased lung function, DNA damage and cancer (Grant et al., 2013; Alabi et al., 2021). Keywords: E-waste, Reporting, Annual reports, Malaysia

Association Between Geographic Tongue and Personal Temperament Based on the Knowledge of Persian Medicine

Background: Geographic tongue (GT) is one of the benign inflammatory oral diseases with unknown etiology. Objectives: The present study aimed to find the correlation between temperament (mizaj) and GT lesions in the context of Persian medicine and conventional approach. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 401 eligible participants were selected, 201 as the case group and 200 as the control group. After obtaining informed consent, the participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire. Then, the collected data were analyzed using SPSS, version 21. Results: Patients with GT were moderate regarding hot-cold temperament, and they had dry temperament. There was a statistically significant relationship between dry temperament and GT lesions (P value = 0.037). In the control group, people without GT lesion possessed average temperament either regarding hot-cold or wet-dry temperament. Moreover, there was a statistically significant relationship between hot-dry temperament and GT lesions (P value = 0.002). Conclusions: The results of our study showed a higher frequency of GT in dry temperament. The dominant pattern for people with GT in compound and simple temperament was hot-dry and dry, respectively. The second more frequent temperament was hot. Following temperament change, treatment of GT lesion or alleviation of its disturbing symptoms is an issue, which might be determined by conducting basic research and well-designed clinical trials in the future.

Effect of Oropharyngeal Stimulation and Tongue PNF on Cognition, Quality of Sleep and Hba1c in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea- A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: OSA is related to cognitive disturbances and poor sleep quality. The lifetime prevalence of OSA is 21.7% causing collapse of Upper Airway muscles which then leads to recurrent hypoxia and wakening of the individual. When intensity worsens, patients tend to feel sluggish during tasks that usually require alertness (e.g., education, work, driving), daytime fatigue/tiredness, cognitive deficits (short-term memory, concentration), decreased attention, morning agitation, changes in temperament and mood like depression and anxiety. Aim: The objective of the current research was to determine impact of Oropharyngeal Stimulation and Tongue Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) on Cognition, Quality of Sleep and glycated hemoglobin in OSA patients. Methods: 30 adults were recruited in the study and were randomized to 2 groups. A 4 week session of Oropharyngeal Stimulation was given to the subjects for 20 minutes for Group A and Tongue PNF for Group B. The outcome measures used in the study were Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, Addenbrooke Cognitive Examination- III, Trail Making Test, Digit Span Test and Glycated Hemoglobin. Results: The results state that there was a statistical noteworthy change in the all the outcome measures for all the participants of Group A and B. Improvements were also seen in the parameters for within group analysis. (p<0.05). Daytime sleepiness reduced in terms of both the interventions along with quality of sleep. In terms of cognition, significant change was seen in the Tongue PNF group. Conclusion: This study concluded that a 4 week intervention of Oropharyngeal Stimulation and Tongue PNF improved Cognition, Hba1c and Quality of Sleep in patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Examining changes in rodent temperament following repetitive mild traumatic brain injury in adolescence.

Mild traumatic brain injuries are known to cause a host of symptoms, including headaches, nausea, and depression, that when persistent, are known as postconcussive syndrome. In addition to these overt symptomologies, individuals may experience changes in day-to-day behavior or temperament, which although not meeting criteria for postconcussive diagnosis, does cause distress to the individual. The aim of this study was to determine whether we could measure temperament in a rat and, if so, determine whether temperament is altered in response to repetitive mild traumatic brain injuries (RmTBI). Forty male and female adolescent Sprague-Dawley rats were same-sex pair housed and subjected to RmTBIs or sham injuries. The rats were recorded at 6 different time points throughout the study for the temperament assessment protocol, a measure of the complex behavioral profile of each rat within its dyadic home cage environment. The temperaments were quantified via a novel behavioral scoring algorithm. The rats were also tested on a battery of tests that were designed to measure symptoms of postconcussion syndrome. We determined that rodent temperament is quantifiable, is sex dependent, changes with age, and is modifiable in response to experiential factors such as RmTBI. Rats that received the RmTBIs were significantly less active and showed decreased levels of social interaction compared with their sham-injury counterparts. Moreover, both task switching and recovery patterns for RmTBI rats were dependent on the injury status of their cage mates. Future studies are now required to determine the mechanisms underlying these important changes in temperament. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).