Within-subject Analysis Research Articles

ThermICA: Novel Approach for a Multivariate Analysis of Facial Thermal Responses.

Infrared Thermography (IRT) has been used to monitor skin temperature variation in a contactless manner, in both clinical medicine and psychophysiology. Here, we introduce a new methodology to obtain information about autonomic correlates related to perspiration, peripheral vasomotility, and respiration from infrared recordings. Our approach involves a model-based decomposition of facial thermograms using Independent Component Analysis (ICA) and an ad-hoc preprocessing procedure. We tested our approach on 30 healthy volunteers whose psychophysiological state was stimulated as part of an experimental protocol. Within-subject ICA analysis identified three independent components demonstrating correlations with the reference physiological signals. Moreover, a linear combination of independent components effectively predicted each physiological signal, achieving median correlations of 0.9 for electrodermal activity, 0.8 for respiration, and 0.73 for photoplethysmography peaks envelope. In addition, we performed a cross-validated inter-subject analysis, which allows to predict physiological signals from facial thermograms of unseen subjects. Our findings validate the efficacy of features extracted from both original and thermal-derived signals for differentiating experimental conditions. This outcome emphasizes the sensitivity and promise of our approach, advocating for expanded investigations into thermal imaging within biomedical signal analysis. It underscores its potential for enhancing objective assessments of emotional states.

Policy abstraction as a predictor of cognitive effort avoidance.

Consistent evidence has established that people avoid cognitively effortful tasks. However, the features that make a task cognitively effortful are still not well understood. Multiple hypotheses have been proposed regarding which task demands underlie cognitive effort costs, such as time-on-task, error likelihood, and the general engagement of cognitive control. In this study, we test the novel hypothesis that tasks requiring behavior according to higher degrees of policy abstraction are experienced as more effortful. Accordingly, policy abstraction, operationalized as the levels of contextual contingency required by task rules, drives task avoidance over and above the effects of task performance, such as time-on-task or error likelihood. To test this hypothesis, we combined two previously established cognitive control tasks that parametrically manipulated policy abstraction with the demand selection task procedure. The design of these tasks allowed us to test whether people avoided tasks with higher order policy abstraction while controlling for the contribution of factors such as time-on-task and expected error rate (ER). Consistent with our hypothesis, we observed that policy abstraction was the strongest predictor of cognitive effort choices, followed by ER. This was evident across both studies and in a within-subject cross-study analysis. These results establish at least one task feature independent of performance, which is predictive of task avoidance behavior. We interpret these results within an opportunity cost framework for understanding aversive experiences of cognitive effort while performing a task. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Within-Subject Principal Component Analysis of External Training Load and Intensity Measures in Youth Soccer Training.

Marynowicz, J, Lango, M, Horna, D, Kikut, K, Konefał, M, Chmura, P, and Andrzejewski, M. Within-participant principal component analysis of external training load and intensity measures in youth soccer training. J Strength Cond Res 37(12): 2411-2416, 2023-The aim of this study was to identify which combination of external training load (EL) and external intensity (EI) metrics during youth soccer training sessions captured similar or unique information. Data were collected from 18 youth soccer players during an 18-week in-season competition period using a 10-Hz global positioning system, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and session-RPE (sRPE). External training load measures included total distance (TD, in meters), PlayerLoad (PL, in arbitrary units), high-speed running distance (HSR, in meters), and number of accelerations (ACC, n). All EL metrics were also divided by session duration (minutes) to obtain EI values. A total of 804 training observations were undertaken (43 ± 17 sessions per player). The analysis was performed by use of the principal component analysis technique. The first principal component (PC) captured 49-70% and 68-89% of the total variance in EI and EL, respectively. The findings show that from the 5 EI metrics, most of the information can be explained by either TD per minute or PL per minute, with a loading from 0.87 to 0.98 and from 0.76 to 0.95, respectively. The majority of EL information can be explained by PL (loading: 0.93-0.98), TD (loading: 0.95-0.99), ACC (loading: 0.71-0.91), or sRPE (loading: 0.70-0.93). The second PC for EL metrics is most strongly correlated with HSR, with loadings from 0.53 to 0.84. The results suggest that the majority of the information contained in the EL variables can be captured in 1 PC without losing much information. The findings suggest that stakeholders who intend to provide a fast and holistic view of EL information in a daily training environment should report TD, PL, ACC, or sRPE plus HSR to coaching staff as a metrics that provides additional unique information.

Sleep Treatment Education Program for Young Adult Cancer Survivors (STEP-YA): Protocol for an Efficacy Trial.

Young adult cancer survivors (YACS) are at elevated risk for chronic insomnia, even years after completing treatment. In addition to potential health consequences, insomnia can interrupt social, educational, and vocational development just as they are trying to "make up" for time lost to cancer. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) is recommended as first-line treatment for insomnia but remains largely unavailable to YACS due to several barriers (ie, shortage of trained providers, geographic limitations, financial limitations). Traditional CBTI has not been adapted to meet YACS' unique developmental and circadian challenges. To improve availability of effective behavioral insomnia treatment for this population, we developed the Sleep Treatment Education Program for Young Adult Cancer Survivors (STEP-YA), a low-intensity educational intervention delivered virtually online. In this phase 2 "proof of concept" trial, primary aims are to test the efficacy of STEP-YA to improve insomnia symptoms and mood in YACS and assess the utility of individualized coaching to improve treatment effects. A secondary aim will explore participant variables associated with clinically significant response to STEP-YA. This 2-arm randomized prospective trial will enroll 74 off-treatment YACS aged 20 years to 39 years with clinically significant insomnia. Each participant completes the STEP-YA intervention in a 1-on-1 synchronous online session led by a trained interventionist following a structured outline. The 90-minute intervention presents educational information on the development of insomnia after cancer and offers specific suggestions for improving insomnia symptoms. During the session, participants review the suggestions and develop a personalized sleep action plan for implementing them. After the session, participants are randomized to either the coaching condition, in which they receive 2 telephone coaching sessions, or the no-coaching condition, which offers no subsequent coaching. The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and the Profile of Mood States: Short Form (POMS-SF) are assessed at baseline and 4 and 8 weeks postintervention. Enrollment began in November 2022, with 28 participants currently enrolled. We anticipate recruitment will be completed in 2024. The primary endpoint is a change in ISI score from baseline to 8 weeks postintervention. The secondary endpoint is change in mood symptoms (POMS-SF) from baseline to 8 weeks postintervention. Change scores will be treated as continuous variables. Primary analyses will use ANOVA methods. A within-subjects analysis will examine if the STEP-YA intervention is associated with significant changes in insomnia and mood over time. A 2-way ANOVA will be used to evaluate the utility of coaching sessions to improve treatment effects. Chronic insomnia has significant negative effects on YACS' medical, educational, and psychological functioning. STEP-YA aims to address their needs; study results will determine if the intervention warrants future effectiveness and dissemination studies and if individualized coaching is necessary for adequate treatment response. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05358951: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05358951. DERR1-10.2196/52315.

A digital platform to support communication and organization in the general practice: Evaluation of healthcare usage and costs using claims data of a health insurer

IntroductionThe pressure on general practitioners (GPs) is rising due to the increasing demand for care and a decreasing availability of GPs. eHealth is seen as one of the solutions to enhance accessibility and reduce workload. A platform supporting the organization and communication in general practice has been developed offering services, such as econsultations. This study aims to evaluate healthcare usage and costs of patients using this platform by comparing these outcomes (1) before and after implementation and (2) an intervention with a matched control group. Material and methodsThis study is a retrospective observational cohort study. To evaluate the longitudinal impact of the implementation on healthcare usage, mixed model Poisson analyses were used with time as a factor term for the within-subject analysis and exposure to the platform as a factor term and an interaction term (i.e., exposure X 6-months) in the between-subject analysis. Cost analyses were done with mixed model analyses of variance over time. ResultsThe total number of GP consultations significantly increased after compared to before implementation (i.e., Rate = 1.52; p < .001). The number of GP consultations was higher in the intervention compared to the control group (respectively, Rate = 1.23; p = .035). Healthcare costs increased for GP consultations after compared to before implementation (€13,57; p < .001). The costs for GP consults were significantly higher in the intervention compared to the control group (€7,06; p .018). ConclusionThis study showed a rise in GP consultations and costs when implementing a digital platform. This increase was presumably and partly caused by circumstances in one of the two included practices. Moreover, creating new options for contacting and communicating with the GP can enhance care accessibility and thereby driving an increase in consultations. This digital platform is a promising working method in general practice to facilitate patients and provide GPs with more flexibility.

Testing Nonmonotonicity in Health Preferences.

The main aim of this article is to test monotonicity in life duration. Previous findings suggest that, for poor health states, longer durations are preferred to shorter durations up to some threshold or maximum endurable time (MET), and shorter durations are preferred to longer ones after that threshold. Monotonicity in duration is tested through 2 ordinal tasks: choices and rankings. A convenience sample (n = 90) was recruited in a series of experimental sessions in which participants had to rank-order health episodes and to choose between them, presented in pairs. Health episodes result from the combination of 7 EQ-5D-3L health states and 5 durations. Monotonicity is tested comparing the percentage rate of participants whose preferences were monotonic with the percentage of participants with nonmonotonic preferences for each health state. In addition, to test the existence of preference reversals, we analyze the fraction of people who switch their preference from rankings to choices. Monotonicity is frequently violated across the 7 EQ-5D health states. Preference patterns for individuals describe violations ranging from almost 49% with choices to about 71% with rankings. Analysis performed by separate states shows that the mean rates of violations with choices and ranking are about 22% and 34%, respectively. We also find new evidence of preference reversals and some evidence-though scarce-of transitivity violations in choices. Our results show that there is a medium range of health states for which preferences are nonmonotonic. These findings support previous evidence on MET preferences and introduce a new "choice-ranking" preference reversal. It seems that the use of 2 tasks with a similar response scale may make preference reversals less substantial, although it remains important and systematic. Two procedures based on ordinal comparisons are used to elicit preferences: direct choices and rankings. Our study reports significant rates of nonmonotonic preferences (or maximum endurable time [MET]-type preferences) for different combinations of durations and EQ-5D health states.Analysis for separate health states shows that the mean rates of nonmonotonicity range from 22% (choices) to 34% (rankings), but within-subject analysis shows that nonmonotonicity is even higher, ranging from 49% (choices) to 71% (rankings). These violations challenge the validity of multiplicative QALY models.We find that the MET phenomenon may affect particularly those EQ-5D health states that are in the middle of the severity scale and not so much the extreme health states (i.e., very mild and very severe states).We find new evidence of preference reversals even using 2 procedures of a similar (ordinal) nature. Percentage rates of preference reversals range from 1.5% to 33%. We also find some (although scarce) evidence on violations of transitivity.

Deviations in stress and support: Associations with parenting emotions across the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stress is a potent disruptor of parents' emotional well-being and interactions with their children. In the context of the early months of the unfolding pandemic, parents' stress likely fluctuated, with downstream impacts on their parenting experiences. The sample consisted of 72 Latina mothers who participated in a 15-20-min phone interview roughly once a month between March 2020 and January 2021. Mothers were asked about their experiences of stress, the quality of partner support, and their emotional experience of parenting. Analyses revealed that mothers' experiences of stress were high at the beginning of the pandemic and slowly decreased as time went on, though this decline eventually leveled off. Partner support and mothers' emotional experiences of parenting, on the other hand, did not change across the first 10 months of the pandemic. Collectively, the within and between analyses revealed that stress (individually), and stress and support (interactively) were associated with mothers' emotional experiences while interacting with their children. Between-subjects analyses revealed greater stress was associated with greater negative emotions during parenting, though support did not buffer this association. Within-subjects analyses revealed a quadratic association between stress and positive parenting emotions, such that at lower levels of stress, increases in stress were associated with more positive than typical emotions during parenting. However, the inclusion of social support into the model as a moderator revealed that when mothers received less support than typical from their partners, mothers' greater experience of stress was associated with their greater experience of negativity during parent-child interactions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The Efficacy and Cost-Effectiveness of a Simulation-Based Primary Care Procedural Skills Training Program for Advanced Practice Providers.

The purpose of this program evaluation was to investigate the efficacy of simulation-based primary care procedural skills training to increase participant confidence, knowledge, and skill in performing the procedures included in the training and to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the training. A retrospective, within-subjects analysis of the change in perceived confidence, skill, and knowledge in procedure performance after the simulation-based primary care procedural skills training program measured by pretraining and post-training Likert scale surveys and change in clinical procedure performance frequency for abscess incision and drainage and laceration repair up to 6 months before and 6 months after the training in the outpatient setting was performed. Participants self-reported higher median confidence, perceived skill, and perceived knowledge of all procedures included in the training course, with statistically significant increases for all procedures. A mean increase in laceration repairs in the clinical setting of 10% after training was found. Higher median performance of abscess incision and drainage after training (median = 20.00%, n = 25) compared with before training (median = 0.00%, n = 25) and a mean increase in performance of abscess incision and drainage in the clinical setting of 6% after training was found, but increases were not statistically significant. Participation in a 2-day simulation-based primary care procedural skills training program was an effective method to increase confidence, perceived skill, and knowledge of outpatient procedures among practicing providers. Further evaluation to establish return on investment is needed, because statistically significant increases in clinical procedure performance were unable to be demonstrated.

Low-dose liver CT: image quality and diagnostic accuracy of deep learning image reconstruction algorithm

ObjectivesTo perform a comprehensive within-subject image quality analysis of abdominal CT examinations reconstructed with DLIR and to evaluate diagnostic accuracy compared to the routinely applied adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR-V) algorithm.Materials and methodsOncologic patients were prospectively enrolled and underwent contrast-enhanced CT. Images were reconstructed with DLIR with three intensity levels of reconstruction (high, medium, and low) and ASiR-V at strength levels from 10 to 100% with a 10% interval. Three radiologists characterized the lesions and two readers assessed diagnostic accuracy and calculated signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), figure of merit (FOM), and subjective image quality, the latter with a 5-point Likert scale.ResultsFifty patients (mean age: 70 ± 10 years, 23 men) were enrolled and 130 liver lesions (105 benign lesions, 25 metastases) were identified. DLIR_H achieved the highest SNR and CNR, comparable to ASiR-V 100% (p ≥ .051). DLIR_M returned the highest subjective image quality (score: 5; IQR: 4–5; p ≤ .001) and significant median increase (29%) in FOM (p < .001). Differences in detection were identified only for lesions ≤ 0.5 cm: 32/33 lesions were detected with DLIR_M and 26 lesions were detected with ASiR-V 50% (p = .031). Lesion accuracy of was 93.8% (95% CI: 88.1, 97.3; 122 of 130 lesions) for DLIR and 87.7% (95% CI: 80.8, 92.8; 114 of 130 lesions) for ASiR-V 50%.ConclusionsDLIR yields superior image quality and provides higher diagnostic accuracy compared to ASiR-V in the assessment of hypovascular liver lesions, in particular for lesions ≤ 0.5 cm.Clinical relevance statementDeep learning image reconstruction algorithm demonstrates higher diagnostic accuracy compared to iterative reconstruction in the identification of hypovascular liver lesions, especially for lesions ≤ 0.5 cm.Key Points• Iterative reconstruction algorithm impacts image texture, with negative effects on diagnostic capabilities.• Medium-strength deep learning image reconstruction algorithm outperforms iterative reconstruction in the diagnostic accuracy of ≤ 0.5 cm hypovascular liver lesions (93.9% vs 78.8%), also granting higher objective and subjective image quality.• Deep learning image reconstruction algorithm can be safely implemented in routine abdominal CT protocols in place of iterative reconstruction.

Chronic Deep Brain Stimulation of the Human Nucleus Accumbens Region Disrupts the Stability of Intertemporal Preferences.

When choosing between rewards that differ in temporal proximity (intertemporal choice), human preferences are typically stable, constituting a clinically relevant transdiagnostic trait. Here we show, in female and male human patients undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the anterior limb of the internal capsule/NAcc region for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder, that long-term chronic (but not phasic) DBS disrupts intertemporal preferences. Hierarchical Bayesian modeling accounting for temporal discounting behavior across multiple time points allowed us to assess both short-term and long-term reliability of intertemporal choice. In controls, temporal discounting was highly reliable, both long-term (6 months) and short-term (1 week). In contrast, in patients undergoing DBS, short-term reliability was high, but long-term reliability (6 months) was severely disrupted. Control analyses confirmed that this effect was not because of range restriction, the presence of obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms or group differences in choice stochasticity. Model-agnostic between- and within-subject analyses confirmed this effect. These findings provide initial evidence for long-term modulation of cognitive function via DBS and highlight a potential contribution of the human NAcc region to intertemporal preference stability over time.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Choosing between rewards that differ in temporal proximity is in part a stable trait with relevance for many mental disorders, and depends on prefrontal regions and regions of the dopamine system. Here we show that chronic deep brain stimulation of the human anterior limb of the internal capsule/NAcc region for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder disrupts the stability of intertemporal preferences. These findings show that chronic stimulation of one of the brain's central motivational hubs can disrupt preferences thought to depend on this circuit.

Antipsychotic effects on anthropometric outcomes in anorexia nervosa: a retrospective chart review of hospitalized children and adolescents

BackgroundOff-label antipsychotic use is not uncommon in youth with anorexia nervosa (AN), aiming to enhance suboptimal weight restoration, yet its efficacy remains debated, especially in youth.MethodsRetrospective chart review of consecutively admitted inpatients (ages 8–18 years) with restricting/binge-purge AN, comparing youth with versus without antipsychotic treatment regarding baseline factors, treatment, and anthropometric outcome characteristics including all patients and matched subgroups. Matched subsamples were also compared regarding faster versus slower weight change (median split). Furthermore, within-subject analyses compared weight gain trajectories before versus after antipsychotic use in antipsychotic-treated youth. These results were then compared in a pre-/post design with the matched control group without antipsychotic treatment, using the mean duration until antipsychotic use in the antipsychotic-treated group as the dividing timeline, controlling for a potential order effect, in that later rather than earlier antipsychotic treatment for AN may be more successful.ResultsOf 294 youth with AN (median age = 15.2 (interquartile range = 14.0, 16.6) years, females = 96.6%, restricting subtype = 81.0%, hospitalization duration = 98.2 ± 43.2 days), 44 (15.0%) underwent 52 antipsychotic trials (olanzapine = 63.5%). In multivariable analyses, antipsychotic use was independently associated with younger age, childhood physical abuse history, comorbid borderline personality traits, and lower pre-antipsychotic weight gain (p < 0.0001). In unmatched groups, antipsychotic-treated versus non-treated youth had significantly lower discharge anthropometric parameters, longer inpatient treatment, and lower weight change/week (p < 0.001–p = 0.005), without significant differences between olanzapine and non-olanzapine antipsychotics (p = 0.27–0.44). Non-significant antipsychotic effects on weight outcomes were confirmed in (1) matched subgroups of antipsychotic-treated versus non-treated youth (n = 43 each), (2) youth with faster versus slower weight gain (n = 21 vs. n = 22), and (3) antipsychotic-treated youth when comparing weight change before versus after antipsychotic use (n = 31). Moreover, in antipsychotic-treated youth, weight change/week remained significantly lower versus matched non-antipsychotic-treated youth (n = 31) both before (p = 0.053) and after (p = 0.006) the median time (5 weeks) until antipsychotic use.ConclusionsIn this naturalistic study, clinician's antipsychotic choice, given to a more severely ill subgroup of adolescents with AN, did not significantly improve overall worse weight change trajectories during inpatient treatment, even in matched subgroups. Randomized trials in individuals reflecting real-world samples are needed to evaluate the utility of antipsychotic treatment in youth with AN.

EMOTIONAL SURGE AS A MOTIVATOR OF PERSONAL BRAND DEVELOPMENT

The emergence of stress contributes to solving regular problems of adaptation, finding new ways of self-development, and social support. A short-term emotional surge (stress) stimulates the search for new ways of individual human development through ego marketing. Creating a personal brand on social networks is one of the ways to overcome the negative effects of stress. A popular personal brand focuses followers' attention on their personality, promoting self-improvement and personality development.The main task of this study is to identify the motivational factors of personal brand development and the impact of stress on them. To solve this problem, we conducted an experimental study using a structured interview method with individuals who have created their brands. An a priori power analysis for repeated measures within-subjects analysis of variance was performed to determine the sample size.At the same time, we conducted a regression analysis of the degree of involvement and trust in personal brands in social networks to determine the objects of the experimental analysis by the interview method. To analyze the effect of audience engagement through post-response, the effect of self-development and self-satisfaction, we ran a linear regression. The obtained data indicate that uncertainty about one's importance in society stimulates the appeal to social support through ego marketing, and stress factors motivate the development of a personal brand.

An Examination of the Challenge/Threat State and Sport-Performance Relationship While Controlling for Past Performance.

A challenge state is associated with superior performance compared to a threat state in a variety of performance domains (e.g.,sport, aviation, education). However, in the challenge and threat (C/T) literature, between-subjects variability in past performance is often inconsistently controlled for. Here, we aimed to investigate the effects of C/T states on performance using two methods to control for past performance. Experiment 1 used previous performance statistics in a between-subjects design and Experiment 2 used a within-subject design. In Experiment 1, regression analysis showed that cardiovascular correlates of C/T states predicted cricket batting performance in 45 amateur cricketers. In Experiment 2, between- and within-subject analysis found that past performance was the only predictor of subsequent golf putting performance in 40 noncompetitive golfers. Taken together, the findings challenge the role that C/T states play in predicting performance under pressure after controlling for past performance.

The effect of background audio and audiovisual stimuli on students' autonomic responses during and after an experimental academic examination.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown during the online-distant education period, certain students tended to combine their courses and homework with TV or social media news or other media content, such as classical music, including a wealth of audio and audiovisual stimuli. As the audio and audiovisual stimuli existing in a learning environment may affect students' autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses negatively, the present study aimed to monitor the impact of background TV, classical music, and silence on students' ANS activity represented by heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), blood volume amplitude (BVA), and skin conductance level (SCL) during and after an experimental academic examination. Seventy-six students were randomly allocated to background TV, classical music, or silence groups. The experiment with repeated measures design consisted of four consecutive periods: baseline, anticipation, challenge, and recovery, lasting 4 min each. Within-subject analyses indicated significant HRV decrement only in the background TV group. Regardless of the experimental groups, HR and SCL increased while BVA decreased during the task. In addition, the between-subject analysis showed that the background TV group experienced significantly larger changes in HR and HRV parameters compared to the other experimental groups relative to their respective baseline measurements. Based on these results, we concluded that relative to classical music and silence, background TV, including audiovisual and verbal stimuli, extant in a learning environment might raise students' sympathetic activity. Further, classical music, without lyrics, may suppress the withdrawal of vagal activity and elevate the autonomic regulation capacity during the academic reading comprehension task. HRV is a more valid and reliable indicator of students' autonomic responses during a challenging academic task.

Comparison of core and process scores on the California Verbal Learning Test-3 for Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor patients

ABSTRACT Introduction Parkinson’s disease (PD) and essential tremor (ET) are two disorders known to lead to executive dysfunction, presumably through distinct pathways to the frontal lobes via the striatum or cerebellum, respectively. Memory functioning in PD and ET patients has been previously suggested to be adversely impacted by executive dysfunction. The aims of this exploratory study were to compare memory performance between and within groups on the California Verbal Learning Test – 3 (CVLT-3) through the analysis of core and process scores and to understand the relationship of these scores with measures of executive functioning. Method Seventy PD and 54 ET patients completed comprehensive neuropsychological testing. Independent sample t-tests or Mann–Whitney tests were used to compare between group core and process scores on the CVLT-3. Within-subjects analyses were conducted via Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test due to nonparametric data. Spearman’s correlations were conducted to explore the relationship between memory process scores and measures of executive functioning. Results The ET and PD samples were similar with regard to age, education, gender, and general cognitive functioning. PD patients made more repetition errors (U = 2391.50, p = .01) than ET patients and Normal Memory PD patients made more repetition errors than Low Memory PD patients (U= 711.00, p= .00). Correlational analyses revealed repetition errors were negatively associated with tests of inhibition, set shifting, and working memory (rs = −.293, −.232). ET patients demonstrated a preference for a serial cluster learning strategy (T = 861.00, p = .005), similar to PD patients (T= 1633.00, p = <.001). Conclusions The study revealed presence of higher repetition errors in the PD sample that was demonstrated to have a negative relationship with measures of executive functioning. Implications for investigating process (“qualitative”) scores in memory performance to determine extent of executive involvement are discussed.

What Is Written on a Dog's Face? Evaluating the Impact of Facial Phenotypes on Communication between Humans and Canines.

Facial phenotypes are significant in communication with conspecifics among social primates. Less is understood about the impact of such markers in heterospecific encounters. Through behavioral and physical phenotype analyses of domesticated dogs living in human households, this study aims to evaluate the potential impact of superficial facial markings on dogs' production of human-directed facial expressions. That is, this study explores how facial markings, such as eyebrows, patches, and widow's peaks, are related to expressivity toward humans. We used the Dog Facial Action Coding System (DogFACS) as an objective measure of expressivity, and we developed an original schematic for a standardized coding of facial patterns and coloration on a sample of more than 100 male and female dogs (N = 103), aged from 6 months to 12 years, representing eight breed groups. The present study found a statistically significant, though weak, correlation between expression rate and facial complexity, with dogs with plainer faces tending to be more expressive (r = -0.326, p ≤ 0.001). Interestingly, for adult dogs, human companions characterized dogs' rates of facial expressivity with more accuracy for dogs with plainer faces. Especially relevant to interspecies communication and cooperation, within-subject analyses revealed that dogs' muscle movements were distributed more evenly across their facial regions in a highly social test condition compared to conditions in which they received ambiguous cues from their owners. On the whole, this study provides an original evaluation of how facial features may impact communication in human-dog interactions.

Improved interference control after exercise with blood flow restriction and cooling is associated with but not mediated by increased lactate

BackgroundTo evaluate the effects of recumbent sprint interval exercise with and without blood flow restriction and body cooling on interference control and whether the changes in interference control can be explained by the changes in blood lactate. Methods85 participants (22 SD 3 years old) completed 1 familiarization visit and then 5 experimental visits in a randomized order: exercise only (Ex), exercise with blood flow restriction (ExB), exercise with cooling (ExC), and exercise with blood flow restriction and cooling (ExBC), and non-exercise control (Con). Measurements of blood lactate and the Stroop Color Word Test were performed before and after exercise. Each bout began with a 15-minute low-moderate intensity warm-up, followed by five 20-second “all out” sprints separated by 40 s of active recovery. Bayes Factors (BF10) quantified evidence for or against the null hypothesis. Within-subject mediation analysis quantified the indirect effect of changes in blood lactate (mediator) on the change in interference control (each exercise condition vs. Con). Results: Bayesian pairwise comparisons found that only ExC [σ: -0.37 (-0.59, -0.15)] and ExBC [σ: -0.3 (-0.53, -0.09)] produced changes in incongruent reaction time different from that of Con. There was also evidence that all exercise conditions increased blood lactate (BF10 = 8.65e+29 – 1.9e+32) and improved congruent reaction time (BF10 = 4.01 – 15.371) compared to that of Con. There was no evidence to show that changes in lactate mediated the change in incongruent reaction time. ConclusionsBoth exercise with body cooling and when body cooling was combined with blood flow restriction presented favorable changes in incongruent reaction time (a marker of interference control), which might not be explained by the changes in systemic blood lactate concentration.

Do nerve conduction studies or ultrasound imaging correlate more closely with subjective symptom severity in carpal tunnel syndrome?

Previous studies have reported weak correlations between neurophysiological measurements and subjective severity of symptoms in carpal tunnel syndrome, with Pearson r ≤ 0.26. We hypothesize that this resulted in part from patient-to-patient variability in the assessment of subjective severity using tools such as the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire. To compensate for this, we aimed to assess within-patient differences in symptom and test result severity. In our study we used retrospective data from 13 005 patients with bilateral electrophysiological results and 790 patients with bilateral ultrasound imaging drawn from the Canterbury CTS database. Measures of neurophysiological (nerve conduction studies [NCS] grade) and anatomical (cross-sectional area on ultrasound) severity within individual patients were compared between the right and left hands, eliminating individual variation in the way in which patients interpret the questionnaire. There was a correlation found between right-hand NCS grade and symptom severity score (Pearson r = -0.302, P < .001, n = 13,005), but not between right-hand cross-sectional area and symptom severity (Pearson r = 0.058, P = .10, n = 790). In the within-subject analyses, there were significant correlations between symptoms and NCS grade (Pearson r = 0.6, P < .001, n = 6521) and between symptoms and cross-sectional area (Pearson r = 0.3. P < .001, n = 433). The simple correlation between symptomatic and electrophysiological severity was comparable with previous studies, but within-patient analysis revealed that the relationship was stronger than previously reported and strong enough to be clinically useful. The relationship between symptoms and cross-sectional area measurement on ultrasound imaging was weaker.

It’s Time to Bring Mental Health Literacy Education into the Postsecondary Curriculum

In the last twenty years, research on post-secondary students’ mental health and well-being has grown substantially, with a dramatic increase in publications over the past decade. Likewise, concerns about declining mental health on our campuses have risen; the mental well-being of postsecondary students is now widely recognized as a major public health issue. Over the last two decades, Canadian higher education has largely addressed these concerns by promoting mental health awareness through extracurricular means. Critically, a new movement towards mental health literacy has emerged across the nation: not just supplementary outreach, but education embedded into the curriculum. To put recommendations into practice, in 2020, one of the authors [CZ] developed and taught an undergraduate course on mental health literacy with a class of 106 students. In the first offering, we conducted a pre-post study to examine if this new course would be associated with changes in mental health knowledge, stigma, and help-seeking. Of the forty students who participated in the study, ten completed measures at both the start (T1) and the end of the course (T2). Within-subjects analyses showed that students made significant gains from T1 to T2, with a large effect size, in terms of attitudes toward seeking mental health services. Feedback on the course was very positive, both in students’ ratings and their comments. Looking ahead, student well-being will depend on how institutions approach and engage with mental health literacy. We recommend firmly integrating mental health literacy education into the post-secondary curriculum.

Online Peer-Led Support Program for Affected Family Members of People Living with Addiction: a Mixed Methods Study

Abstract This study reports outcomes from a preliminary study of an online, peer-led support group intervention for family members of people experiencing addiction. A mixed-methods design, comprising within-subjects analysis of intervention data and semi-structured interviews, was used. Seventy-eight participants received the intervention. Participants completed baseline and exit surveys: (i) General Self-Efficacy Scale, (ii) Personal Well-being Index, and (iii) Social Connectedness Scale; and at exit: (i) Client Satisfaction Questionnaire, (ii) Group Sessions Rating Scale, and (iii) Perceived Personal Benefits Scale. Eleven participants were interviewed. There was a significant improvement in mean general self-efficacy for the 23 participants who completed baseline and exit surveys. Most were satisfied with the intervention and reported it to be beneficial. Three themes were identified through a conventional content analysis of interviews: connection with others who share experiences, expertise of facilitators, and accessing support when in crisis. Online peer-led support groups may provide an opportunity for affected family members to share and learn coping strategies.