New technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and eye-tracking software have paved the way for more sophisticated and ecologically valid measures of cognitive function. Testing the sensitivity and reliability of such measurements in response to acute alcohol intoxication provides a first step in establishing how these measures may operate in relation to cognitive impairments observed post-concussion. Healthy young adults (N = 54, M = 20.65, SD = 2.06, 30 females) completed the CONVIRT test battery (manual simple and choice reaction-time and saccade reaction-time) at three breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) levels: 0.00% T1 , 0.05% T2 , 0.08% T3 . Participants consumed alcoholic beverages at 30-min intervals, with BrAC monitored at 15min intervals using a breathalyser. All three CONVIRT measures were sensitive to changes in cognitive performance induced by alcohol at BrAC levels at or exceeding 0.05%. A composite measure was also sensitive to alcohol intoxication (Cohen's d = .85 at BrAC = 0.05%; d = 1.20 at BrAC = 0.08%). Strong test-retest reliability was observed (all r < .80), with no gender differences noted. CONVIRT measures were reliable and detected dose-dependent changes in alcohol-induced cognitive impairment. Potentially, the ecologically valid measures may assist in better quantifying the effects of conditions such as concussion, on cognitive performance.

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Objective Jockeys have high rates of concussion, with 5% of jockeys receiving at least one concussion annually. The impact of acute concussion upon cognition is well understood, but less is known about the long-term effects of concussion upon cognition. Our aim was to assess the impact of concussion upon jockeys who had provided pre-concussion assessments of cognition using a prospective design. Method In this study, over a 5-year period, we assessed the cognitive performance of jockeys with ≥1 medically diagnosed concussion (MDC; n = 17, months since concussion, M = 29.18), against those who had not been concussed (NC; n = 41). Jockeys who had not been concussed in the preceding 6 months completed four computer-based cognitive assessments from the CogSport battery. Results Unlike the majority of the small existing literature, there was no difference (p ≥ .05) between the MDC and NC groups after controlling for age and baseline performance. Additionally, we used a measure of reliable change to assess for clinically meaningful decrements from baseline in each test and composite score 5 years later. None of the jockeys in the MDC group recorded significant decrements on any CogSport measure from baseline (z &gt; −1.65). Conclusions The findings suggest that the presence of concussion does not result in persistent decrements in cognitive performance and that when findings are considered collectively, assessing factors beyond medically diagnosed concussion (e.g., chronic stress, undiagnosed concussion) may improve the interpretation of our current findings.

Workplace stress and depression are positively related with inflammation, and each other. Low-grade inflammation and concurrent high levels of workplace stress or depression has been related with future morbidity. The potential pathway between constructs however, remains elusive. For the first time, this study explored the concurrent relationship between workplace stress, depressive symptomology and low-grade inflammation, and considered the role of gender in these relationships. Data from the Whitehall II cohort study ( N ​= ​2528, M age ​= ​57.01, 23.7% females) provided measures of workplace stress (job demand-control; JDC), depressive symptomology (Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale; CES-D) and circulating inflammatory markers, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) collected on the same day from a single time point. Females had higher workplace stress, depressive symptoms and lower serum IL-6 concentrations. For males, higher workplace stress was associated with higher depressive symptoms. For females, higher depressive symptoms were related with elevated IL-6 levels, and both higher workplace stress and IL-6 levels were associated with higher depressive symptoms. Higher depressive symptoms were related with higher CRP levels in men only. Higher depressive symptoms statistically mediated the relationship between higher workplace stress and IL-6 levels in females only, b ​= ​0.016, CI [0.002, 0.039]. Females in this large cohort had higher levels of job strain, depression and lower IL-6 concentrations than males. In females, higher depressive symptoms were associated with higher serum IL-6 levels and workplace stress was not. Considered together, these findings suggest that low job control may be more apparent in females than males, but it is primarily negative affect that drives the positive relationship between work stress and serum IL-6 concentrations in females. Replicating the current design with a suitably proximal follow-up is required to determine if the associations identified are causal.

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