Efficacy of the nootropic supplement Mind Lab Pro on memory in adults: Double blind, placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of taking Mind Lab Pro, a plant-based nootropic on memory in a group of healthy adults. Auditory, visual, visual working memory, immediate and delayed recall (DR) were assessed. METHODS: The study employed a pseudo randomised, double blinded, placebo-controlled design. A total of 49 healthy individuals completed the study with 36 in the experimental group and 13 in the control group. Participants ranged between 20 and 68 years with a mean age of 31.4 ± 14.4 years. Pre and post taking either the Mind Lab Pro supplement or placebo for 30 days. All participants completed the Wechsler Memory Scale Fourth UK Edition (WSM-IV UK). RESULTS: We found that the experimental group significantly improved in all memory subtests assessed (p < 0.05) whilst the control group only significantly improved in auditory memory and immediate recall (p = 0.004 and p = 0.014 respectively). A significant difference in immediate and DR was also found between the control and experimental group (p = 0.005 and 0.034 respectively). CONCLUSION: The use of Mind Lab Pro for 4 weeks improves memory with the experimental group significantly improving in all sub areas of memory as assessed by the WSM-IV UK.

Physical Activity in Hospice Care: A Social Ecological Perspective to Inform Policy and Practice.

Purpose: Physical activity (PA) is increasingly being used in hospice care as a rehabilitation strategy to help patients manage symptoms and improve quality of life. However, little is known about how to design and deliver interventions that promote uptake and maintenance of PA in this population. Single-level approaches (i.e., psychological models) have primarily been used to study factors that influence PA engagement among patients with advanced, incurable disease and therefore offer a limited perspective on strategies that target changes beyond the individual level. This study explored perspectives on factors perceived important for influencing PA participation in hospice care using a social-ecological framework. Method: Patients (n = 27) and health providers (n = 5) from multiple hospices (n = 5) across the UK were involved in this study. Data were collected using focus group and individual semi-structured interviews and analyzed using a thematic framework approach. Results: Eight main themes were perceived to be important for influencing PA engagement at the individual, interpersonal, physical environment, community, and policy levels including: (1) PA as therapy; (2) apprehension about PA-induced harm; (3) group-based PA with peers; (4) supervised PA sessions; (5) limited facilities and access; (6) patient-centered approach; (7) lack of a strong PA culture and; (8) absence of a policy and guidance for PA provision. Conclusion: Hospice-based PA interventions that target multiple levels simultaneously may be more effective at successfully changing and sustaining patients' PA behavior. Study findings provide evidence-based recommendations that may facilitate the effective delivery of PA interventions in hospice care.

Cycling Through Cancer: Exploring Childhood Cancer Survivors' Experiences of Well- and Ill-Being.

The benefits of informal physical activity during recovery from childhood cancer have rarely been investigated. This study adopted a multiple case study approach to explore the impact of recreational cycling on childhood cancer survivors' experiences of well- and ill-being. Three semistructured interviews were conducted over a 3-month period with four survivors to explore their experiences of physical, psychological, and social well- and ill-being. Within-case analysis followed by cross-case analysis identified three themes that captured their well- and ill-being experiences with recreational cycling and cancer: (a) cultivating feelings and emotions, (b) experiencing physical changes, and (c) encountering positive and negative social interactions. The results from this study show that recreational cycling may be a useful adjunct to conventional treatments for the self-management of multiple domains of well- and ill-being during recovery from childhood cancer.

Movement rehabilitation after spinal cord injuries: emerging concepts and future directions.

Considerable inroads are being made into developing new treatments for spinal cord injury (SCI) which aim to facilitate functional recovery, including locomotion. Research on rehabilitative strategies following SCI using animal models has demonstrated that regaining and maintaining motor function, such as standing or stepping, is governed by principles of skill acquisition. Mechanisms key to learning motor tasks, including retention and transfer of skill, feedback and conditions of practice, all have examples in the SCI animal literature, although the importance of many concepts may often be overlooked. Combinatorial strategies which include physical rehabilitation are beginning to yield promising results. However, the effects of molecular-cellular interventions including chondroitinaseABC, anti-NogoA, foetal stem cell transplantation, etc., are still poorly understood with reference to the changes made to spinal plasticity by training and exercise. Studies that investigate the interplay between rehabilitation and other treatments have had mixed results; it appears likely that precise timings of different interventions will help to maximize recovery of function. Understanding how the time-course of injury and different rehabilitative and treatment modalities might factor into spinal plasticity will be critical in future therapeutic interventions.

The use of sound during exercise to assist development for children with and without movement difficulties.

PURPOSE: To identify and review the literature on the role of sound in facilitating movement and development. The emphasis was to consider the role of sound during exercise and rehabilitation and to encourage researchers to further explore the role of sound in movement development and rehabilitation. METHODS: A review of key and relevant literature was conducted. Data related to the proof-of-concept of a ball emitting broadband sound to enhance motor development in children with and without movement disorders is presented. RESULTS: Analyses of the data indicated an interaction between group and block of training (p

Reflections on providing sport science support for athletes with learning difficulties.

PURPOSE: To highlight the benefits and the need for sport science support for athletes with learning difficulties, and to reflect on our experience of working with the GB squad for athletes with learning difficulties. METHODS: A review of key and relevant literature is presented, followed by a discussion of the sport science support provision and the issues that emerged in working with athletes with learning difficulties. Pre- and post- physiological tests along with evaluations of athletes' potential to benefit from sport psychology support were conducted. The aim of these tests was to provide information for the athletes and the coaches on fitness levels, to use this information to plan future training, and to identify how well the performance could be enhanced. RESULTS: A case study is presented for one athlete, who had competed in distance events. The focus is the psychological support that was provided. CONCLUSIONS: It is clear that athletes with learning difficulties require the same type of sports science support as their mainstream peers. However, sport scientists will need to consider ways to extend their practice in order to provide the appropriate level of support.

Coupling of the reach and grasp phase during catching in children with developmental coordination disorder.

The authors studied 2-handed catching behavior in 10 children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD), aged 7-10 years old, and their typically developing peers (TDC). Participants performed 15 catches, and the authors examined kinematics of both transport and grasp phases. In terms of the transport phase, movement initiation and movement time was longer and peak deceleration was earlier in children with DCD. In addition, such children initiated the grasp phase earlier, and their maximal grasp aperture was larger. In children with DCD, the time to maximal grasp aperture was more variable, and that aperture was earlier when the authors examined it with respect to the transport phase of the catch. The data suggest that children with DCD may use a decomposition strategy to simplify the movement control of the transport and grasp phases of a catch.

Developmental sequences of two-handed catching: how do children with and without developmental coordination disorder differ?

The present study examined the movement patterns in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and their age-matched controls (AMC) while catching two-handed. First, a cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate developmental characteristics within the three body component actions (arm, hand, and body) of two-handed catching hypothesized by Haywood and Getchell (2005). Data analyzed from 36 children (18 DCD, 18 AMC) aged 7-10 years who caught a ball 10 times, two-handed, showed that hypothesized sequences for the arm, hand, and body met the prelongitudinal screening criteria proposed by Roberton (1978), Langendorfer (1982), and Roberton, Williams, and Langendorfer (1980). In light of this, the second part of the study used these sequences to evaluate the movement patterns of 10 children with and 10 without DCD, aged 7-8 years. The data revealed that children with DCD displayed less advanced modal developmental sequence levels than AMC children with respect to the arm and body action components. (p

Ball catching in children with developmental coordination disorder: control of degrees of freedom.

This study investigated two-handed catching in eight children (four males, four females) aged 7 to 8 years (mean 7y 4mo [SD 3mo]) with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and their age-matched controls (AMCs). Kinematic data were collected to examine Bernstein's (1967) notion of freezing and releasing degrees of freedom (DF). Participants were asked to catch a ball 30 times, delivered in three blocks of 10 trials. Video analysis showed that children with DCD caught significantly fewer balls than their AMCs (p< or =0.001) counterparts. Kinematic analyses showed that children with DCD exhibited smaller ranges of motion and less variable angular excursions of the elbow joints than their AMCs, and that their elbows are more rigidly coupled (p< or =0.001). These data suggest that children with DCD rigidly fix and couple their limbs to reduce the number of DF actively involved in the task.

Two-handed catching in children with developmental coordination disorder.

This study investigated the nature and extent of inter and intralimb coupling of the upper limbs in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and their age-matched controls (AMC) when catching a ball two-handed. Sixteen children (8 DCD, 8 AMC) volunteered for the study; parental consent was gained for each child. Using standard video analysis and 3D kinematic analysis, all children were examined performing 30 two-handed catches. Video analysis showed that the AMC children caught more balls than the DCD children (p< .005). Analyses of the kinematic data showed DCD participants exhibit a greater degree of linkage both between and within limb than the AMC participants (p < .01), but the AMC participants demonstrate more intra individual variability in these linkages (p < .01). The data shows that both DCD and AMC children couple their limbs to exert control over redundant degrees of freedom when catching a ball two-handed. However, DCD children show little capacity to vary their motor behavior exhibiting a less adaptable movement system, which in turn affects their success at the task.