The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of age, sex, and education on category and letter verbal fluency task performance. A secondary goal was to examine whether resting EEG theta power in bilateral frontal and temporal lobes impacts age-associated decline in verbal fluency task performance. A large sample (N = 471) of healthy, normal participants, age 21-82, was assessed for letter fluency (i.e., FAS), and for category fluency (i.e., Animal Naming), and with a 32-channel EEG system for 'eyes-open' resting theta power. The effects of age, sex, and education were examined using analyses of variance. Correlation analyses were used to test the impact of theta power on age and fluency performance by controlling for the effects of theta when examining the relationship between the other two variables. The results indicated that performance on both fluency tests declined linearly with age, but that the rate of decline was greater for category fluency. These age changes were not associated with education level, and there were no sex differences. While theta power was negatively associated with age and positively associated with Animal Naming performance, it did not moderate the relationship between the two. The differential age-associated decline between category and letter fluency suggests separate neurobiological substrates underlying the two domains of performance, which is not related to theta activity.

The present study examined the relationship between multiple blood pressure (BP) indices and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) in a sample of 39 older adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Resting BP was measured using an automated monitor every 10 min for 2 h. WMH were quantified on FLAIR images and separate indices were generated for neocortical, periventricular and subcortical brain regions. Correlation analyses revealed systolic BP variability was related to neocortical and total WMH. A function of systolic BP variability and average diastolic pressure showed the strongest relationships, including significant correlation to neocortical, subcortical and total WMH. No BP index was related to WMH in periventricular regions. Exploratory analyses showed only the function of systolic BP variability and average diastolic pressure predicted total WMH, whereas as age, CVD conditions and psychosocial factors did not. These findings demonstrate BP variability is an important contributor to WMH in older adults with CVD and suggests it may have differential relationships to WMH in different brain regions. Additional studies are needed to examine the role of autoregulatory systems in the development of WMH, particularly those using beat-to-beat measures of BP.

Participation in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is associated with numerous benefits, including lower mortality rates, reduced systolic blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and improved health-related quality of life. 1 To date, no study has examined whether CR can also provide cognitive benefits.Numerous studies demonstrate that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is associated with cognitive deficits long before the onset of stroke or vascular dementia. 2,3 Patients with CVD, including those participating in CR, demonstrate deficits in multiple cognitive domains, with particular difficulty in tasks involving executive function and psychomotor speed. 2,4 Although the exact mechanisms remain unknown, cerebrovascular disease and reduced integrity of white matter pathways likely contribute to the cognitive deficits observed in individuals with CVD. 3,5 Recent studies suggest that improvements in cardiovascular fitness may result in improved cognitive performance, as healthy older adults completing an exercise program show gains in multiple cognitive domains. 6 Given that participation in CR is associated with improved cardiovascular fitness as well as reduction in risk factors that may affect cognitive functioning (eg, hypertension levels, inflammatory markers, endothelial dysfunction), it appears likely that CR may be associated with cognitive benefit.

No abstract

Objective: Despite the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in the US military veterans, binge eating has not been examined in this population. Design and Methods: Using a secondary data analysis approach, the prevalence and correlates of selfreported binge eating among 45,477 overweight or obese veterans receiving care in Veterans Health Administration facilities were examined. Participants completed a 23-item survey that assessed demographics, weight history, physical and mental health comorbidities, and eating habits during routine medical clinic visits. v 2 and logistic regression were used to examine the relationships among binge eating and demographic variables and medical and psychiatric comorbidities.Results: Nearly, three-quarters of the sample reported clinically meaningful binge eating (i.e., two or more times per week). Binge-eaters were more likely to report higher body mass index, depression, anxiety, and type 2 diabetes (P <0.0001). After controlling for potentially confounding variables, male veterans were significantly more likely to report clinically meaningful binge eating than female veterans (P < 0.001).Conclusion: These results have important implications for modifying weight management programs and highlight the need for the assessment and treatment to address binge eating, particularly among men and patients with type 2 diabetes.Obesity (2013) 21, 900-903.

Previous studies have examined the impact of subcortical hyperintensities (SH), a proxy measure of cerebrovascular disease, on the cognitive abilities of otherwise healthy older adults. However, there remains a limited understanding as to what extent this MRI marker of pathological processes explains the decline in specific cognitive functions that occur nearly ubiquitously with advanced age, especially in relation to other age-related imaging markers. In the present study we compared cognitive abilities between a sample of 53 older healthy adults (age range=50-79) and a sample of 53 younger adults (age range=21-40). As expected, the older group performed significantly worse on most cognitive measures compared to the younger group. Frontal volume and total grey matter volume were also significantly reduced among the older individuals compared to the younger individuals. SH volume was consistently associated with cognitive function in older adults, though, this relationship was evident only for a relatively small subset of older individuals with the most severe SH. These data suggest that the relationship between SH and cognition in the elderly is driven by a subset of individuals who may be in the earliest stages of vascular cognitive impairment. Further, the findings suggest that cognitive aging is largely determined by factors other than SH for most older adults.

Objective The American Diabetes Association recommends psychosocial screening for individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The purpose of this study is to present (a) several high priority decisions that program developers may encounter when building a new psychosocial screening program and (b) both the screening development process and results of one mental health screening program within a multidisciplinary pediatric diabetes clinic, with particular emphasis on parent-youth screening agreement and changes to elevation status over time. Methods Youth with T1D ages 12–17 and parents of youth with T1D ages 8–17 were administered mental health screeners as a part of outpatient diabetes visits over a 1-year period. Youth depression and anxiety were screened using self- and parent proxy-report versions of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). Results Youth (n = 154) and parents (n = 211) completed mental health screening measures, such that 228 youth were screened. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) between youth- and parent proxy-report agreement were good for the measures of depression (ICC = .787) and anxiety (ICC = .781), with parent proxy-reports significantly higher than youth self-reports of anxiety (p &lt; .01). Of the 93 youth with follow-up screening data and no youth- or parent proxy-reported elevation on the initial screener, 16.1% had at least one elevated screener within 1 year. Conclusions Findings indicate that questions of who to screen and how often to screen may deserve increased scrutiny, as this screening program’s data suggest that there may be benefit to obtaining both youth- and parent report more often than annually.

Purpose-Research from numerous theories shows teams' information sharing and discussion enhances effectiveness. Likewise, team communication structure can increase information sharing, manage conflict productively, and foster creativity. However, the lack of unifying theory hinders understanding of the disparate research findings. Agazarian aims to unify the field with her meta-theoretical, multi-level Theory of Living Human Systems (TLHS). Furthermore, her TLHS-derived Systems-Centered Training (SCT) presents an innovative structure to improve team performance. To test TLHS/SCT reliability and validity, this study compares the verbal process, productivity, and creativity of pre-existing work groups using SCT methods or Robert's Rules of Order (RRO). Design/methodology/approach-The verbal characteristics, information sharing, productivity, and creativity in SCT and RRO teams were compared using the System for Analyzing Verbal Interaction (SAVI), Group Productivity Scale and Work Group Inventory. Findings-SCT teams, compared to groups using RRO, talked in ways more likely to transfer and integrate task-related information Furthermore, SCT teams were more productive, better performing, and more creative. Research limitations/implications-The study's design does not permit cause-and-effect conclusions. Proposals for future research are made. Practical implications-The results suggest SCT methods improve team communication, productivity, and creativity. Because this study examined "real-world" teams, the findings may apply to similar groups in various workplaces. Social implications-Our ability to use differences as resources could improve society. This article is © Emerald Group Publishing and permission has been granted for this version to appear here (www.systemscentered.com). Emerald does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Originality/value-This paper suggests SCT methods offer innovative communication structures that focuses teams effectively, perhaps by minimizing off-task communications and conflict. Also, as SCT operationally defines TLHS, these results support the validity of TLHS.