Female athletes are at least as at risk as other women for eating disorders (EDs) and at risk for the female athlete triad (i.e., inadequate energy availability, menstrual disorders, and osteoporosis). This study investigated whether two evidence-based programs appear promising for future study if modified to address the unique needs of female athletes. Athletes were randomly assigned to athlete-modified dissonance prevention or healthy weight intervention (AM-HWI). ED risk factors were assessed pre/post-treatment, and 6-week and 1-year follow-up. Results (analyzed sample N = 157) indicated that both interventions reduced thin-ideal internalization, dietary restraint, bulimic pathology, shape and weight concern, and negative affect at 6 weeks, and bulimic pathology, shape concern, and negative affect at 1 year. Unexpectedly we observed an increase in students spontaneously seeking medical consultation for the triad. Qualitative results suggested that AM-HWI may be more preferred by athletes.

A large proportion of cerebral strokes disrupt descending commands from motor cortical areas to the spinal cord which can results in permanent motor de cits of the arm and hand1,2. However, below the lesion, the spinal circuits that control movement5 remain intact and could be targeted by neurotechnologies to restore movement6-9. Here we demonstrate that by engaging spinal circuits with targeted electrical stimulation we immediately improved voluntary motor control in two participants with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis. We implanted a pair of 8-contact percutaneous epidural leads on the lateral aspect of the cervical spinal cord to selectively target the dorsal roots that provide excitatory inputs to motoneurons controlling the arm and hand10,11. With this strategy, we obtained independent activation of shoulder, elbow and hand muscles. Continuous stimulation through selected contacts at speci c frequencies enabled participants to perform movements that they had been unable to perform for many years. Overall, stimulation improved strength, kinematics, and functional performance.Unexpectedly, both participants retained some of these improvements even without stimulation, suggesting that spinal cord stimulation could be a restorative as well as an assistive approach for upper limb recovery after stroke.

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