INTRODUÇÃO: A desidratação induzida pela combinação da restrição de líquidos junto com exercícios físicos no calor provoca queda no desempenho físico e cognitivo de atletas, principalmente, quando a desidratação atinge níveis iguais ou superiores a 2% da massa corporal. Esse processo prejudica a dissipação do calor para o meio ambiente, interferindo na termorregulação. O desempenho de jogadores de futebol é menor no segundo tempo de jogo quando comparado ao primeiro tempo, e isto pode ser devido a alterações metabólicas decorrentes da desidratação pelo exercício no calor. OBJETIVO: investigar o efeito da desidratação no tempo de reação (TR) de atletas submetidos a exercício intermitente. MÉTODOS: Dez jovens atletas de futebol (17±0,8 anos de idade) foram solicitados a realizar testes de TR durante exercício intermitente dentro de uma câmara ambiental com temperatura de 34ºC e URA de 50%. O protocolo incluiu sessões de exercícios na esteira ergométrica, simulando intensidades que ocorrem durante partidas de futebol, como caminhadas e corridas em diferentes velocidades, durante duas etapas de 45 minutos, com intervalo de 15 minutos. Durante o período de caminhada, foram realizados testes de TR. Em uma destas sessões os indivíduos foram reidratados com água e, na outra, os mesmos mantiveram-se desidratados. A ordem das sessões foi randomizada. O TR, a freqüência cardíaca e a taxa de percepção ao esforço foram avaliados periodicamente. RESULTADOS: Não houve diferença significativa no TR entre as sessões. Não houve diferença significativa no número de erros e na taxa de percepção ao esforço nos testes realizados. Foi encontrada diferença significativa entre as sessões com o aumento na freqüência cardíaca (maior na desidratada) dos indivíduos (p=0,005). CONCLUSÃO: Os jogadores de futebol não reduzem o TR quando desidratados por um exercício que simula uma partida de futebol. / INTRODUCTION: Exercise-induced dehydration combined with fluid restriction and warm environment may impair both physical and cognitive performance mainly when levels of dehydration are higher than 2% of body weight. This process affects heat dissipation to the surroundings, leading to an ineffective thermoregulation. Football players` performance is decreased at the second half of the match when compared to the first half. Such response may be due to a decrease on players` cognitive performance caused by exercise-induced dehydration. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of dehydration on reaction time of football players submitted to intermittent exercise bouts. METHODS: Ten young football players (17±0.8 years old) performed tasks of reaction time during an intermittent exercise bout inside an environmental chamber with a temperature of 34°C and relative humidity of 50%. The protocol included bouts of exercise on a treadmill, simulating the intensities that occur throughout football match including walking and running in different speeds during two halves of 45 min, with a break of 15 min in between. Tasks of reaction time were performed during the walking moment. In one of these bouts, the players were rehydrated with plain water, whereas in the other bout the athletes remained dehydrated, bouts were randomized. Heart rate, auricular temperature, and rate of perceived exertion were continuously monitored. RESULTS: There was no difference in reaction time between bouts. There was no difference regarding the number of errors in the tasks performed, neither regarding the rate of perceived exertion. Heart rate were different between bouts, higher in dehydration trial, p=0.05. CONCLUSION: Football players showed no changes in reaction time even when dehydrated through an exercise bout simulating a football match.

As we age, the risk for gut issues, such as smooth muscle tone, may be an underlying indirect or direct cause or risk factor for many age-related issues, such as frailty. Consequences of decreased motility and depleted epithelial barrier may result in nutrient deficiencies that may increase the risk for malnutrition (Brownie, 2006). Further, there is increasing evidence that there is a gut-brain-axis relationship that may influence cognition and mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. While there are relationships established, the interconnections of these factors have yet to be fully understood. This dissertation examined several relationships specific to nutrient intake, physical function, and depression in older adults while probing for a moderating effect of gut health. Looking further at this theory of the gut-brain bi-directional relationship, an additional gut health assessment was further examined to investigate the relationship with cognitive performance. Participants were from two separate but complementary data sets. The first data set from the National Health and Nutritional Examination study included a depression outcome analytic sample and a physical function analytic sample who had valid data on nutrient intake, bowel measures, demographic characteristics, depression scores, physical function measurements, and total BMI. The depression analytic sample had a total of 1918 participants with a mean age of 73.76 years, and 1864 participants with a mean age of 73.28 years in the physical function analytic sample. The available nutrients within the data set were further broken down into several different components by a component factor analysis and each component used as a predictor. Two separate bowel measures were examined with one as a fecal incontinence measure and the other, the Bristol Stool Form Scale, as categorical (normal, constipation, or diarrhea). The second data set, the Nutraceutical Blueberry Study, had a total of 108 participants with a mean age of 73.42 years who had valid data on cognitive measures and a complete gut assessment. Among the depression analytic sample, there were significant moderating effects of fecal incontinence between several nutrient components and depression after accounting for the control variables. An additional moderated multivariate regression with only the significant components was carried out and resulted in only Component 9 (carbohydrates, sugar, beta-cryptoxanthin, and vitamin C) and Component 12 (alcohol) having the fecal incontinence measure as a significant moderator with depression as the outcome. Within the physical function analytical sample, the Bristol Stool Form Scale categorical measure was a significant moderator among Component 6 (MFA22_1, PFA18_4, PFA20_5, PFA22_5, and PFA 22_6) and physical function. Both the constipation and diarrhea categories were related to worse physical function, while in all groups, increase in nutrients from Component 6 resulted in better physical function. Within the second data set, AVLT and AVLT Delay had a significant quadratic relationship with bowel function. Within the four different groups in the bowel measure (gastric function, gastrointestinal inflammation, small intestine and pancreas, and colon), gastrointestinal inflammation with a negative association and the colon category with a positive association were significant. Among the AVLT Delay, gastrointestinal inflammation was also negatively associated significant predictor. Outcomes from the current study suggest that fecal incontinence was indicative as a moderator among the first data set, as well as significant predictor for AVLT and AVLT Delayed in relation to cognition in older adults. Although there were many relationships not found with bowel function as a moderator, the current findings suggest that more thorough measures in additional to microbiota measures could further provide possible directions for new therapeutics in psychological and cognitive therapy, as well as improving physical function in older adults.

There are many studies conducted on cognitive performance and of different aspects that can affect the performance. However, the literature review reveal that there is a knowledge gap in the area of measurements for bicycle stability and in how bicycle stability is affected during acute alcohol intoxication. The aim of this study is, therefore, to investigate if different group characteristics such as cycling experience, physical activity, sensation-seeking, or previous alcohol habits have an effect on bicycle performance or executive functions during acute alcohol intoxication. The method of the study was to measure stability while bicycling on a tread-mill and give participants doses of alcohol until a Breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) level of approximately 0.8‰ was reached. The results showed that cognitive performance was almost unaffected for the different groups studied. The results of bicycle stability were almost equal in effect of time among the four different group characteristics in both Roll and YAW measurements. Three of the group characteristics showed a main effect or a tendency for interaction effect of group by time. The conclusion is that the measure of Roll, the vertical orientation on a bicycle, maybe is the most effective stability measurement for bicycles.

Background: Geriatric impairments and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are prevalent among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and adversely impact patient’s long-term outcomes. Little is known, however, about the association between OSA and frailty, cognitive performance, and AF-related quality of life in older men and women with AF. Objective: To examine the association of OSA with frailty, cognitive performance, and AF- related quality of life among older adults with AF. Methods: Data from the Systemic Assessment of Geriatrics Elements-AF study were used which includes participants ≥ 65 years with AF and a CHA2DS2-VASc ≥ 2. Multivariable adjusted logistic regression models were used to examine the association between OSA, as measured by the STOP-BANG questionnaire, and geriatric impairments including frailty, cognitive performance, and AF-related quality of life. Results: A total of 970 participants with AF (mean age 75 years, 51% male) were included in the analysis. Among the 680 participants without a medical history of OSA, 179 (26%) participants had low risk of OSA, 360 (53%) had an intermediate risk, and 141 participants (21%) had a high risk for OSA. Compared to those with low risk of OSA, those at intermediate or high risk for OSA were significantly more likely to be frail (aOR= 1.66, 95% CI: 1.08–2.56; aOR= 3.00, 95% CI: 1.69-5.32, respectively) after adjusting for sociodemographic, clinical, and health behavioral variables. Risk of OSA was not associated with cognitive performance and AF- related quality of life after adjusting for several potentially confounding factors. Conclusions: Older adults with AF who are at intermediate or high risk for OSA have a greater likelihood of being frail. Our findings identify a group of patients at high risk who would benefit from early screening for OSA. Future longitudinal studies are needed to assess the effect of OSA treatment on frailty, physical functioning, and QoL among patients with AF.

BACKGROUND: With the proportion of the world’s elderly population continuing to increase dramatically, tremendous amounts of research have focused on detecting the earliest signs of cognitive impairment before the onset of dementia. The pathophysiology of dementia is complex and recent genetic and biomarker studies have identified new biological pathways that might modify the risk of dementia. One potential risk factor, altered serum phosphorus levels, has been studied with respect to its potential impact on human cognition. The association between serum phosphorus and cognition needs further investigation using a population that is free of CKD. OBJECTIVE: I used data from the Framingham Offspring Study (FOS) cohort to investigate the cross-sectional association between measured serum phosphorus within the normal range and cognitive performance in women and men. METHODS: Participants from the FOS who attended the ninth examination cycle were included in this analysis (N=1253). The Wechsler Memory Scale: Logical Memory – Immediate and Delayed recall (LM-IR and LM-DR) and Visual reproduction – Immediate and Delayed recall (VR-IR and VR-DR) tests were used to assess verbal and visual memory, respectively. Times for the Trailmaking Test – Parts A and B along with the difference between the two tests (B-A) were used to assess attention, psychomotor speed, and executive functioning. Participants were categorized according to levels of fasting serum phosphorus as follows: Low Phosphorus - 2.0-<3.1 mg/dL for men and 2.6-<3.6 mg/dL for women, Moderate Phosphorus - 3.1-<3.6 mg/dL for men and 3.6-<3.9 mg/dL for women, High Phosphorus - 3.6-<5.2 mg/dL for men and 3.9-<5.3 mg/dL for women. Mean cognitive scores were compared across categories using a least squares general fit linear model. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to investigate the association between higher serum phosphorus levels and odds of cognitive impairment within each cognitive test. RESULTS: We did not find any statistically significant differences in mean scores on the Logical Memory, Visual Reproduction, and Trailmaking – Part A tests among the categories of fasting serum phosphorus. There was no association between higher serum phosphorus levels and odds of cognitive impairment on any of the verbal and visual memory tests. In men, higher serum phosphorus levels were associated with poorer performance on the Trailmaking Test – Part B (High phosphorus: -0.50 ± 0.04, Moderate phosphorus: -0.40 ± 0.03, Low phosphorus : -0.33 ± 0.04; P-trend: <0.002) and the difference in log-transformed times between the Trailmaking Test – Part B and A tests (High phosphorus: -1.16 ± 0.02, Moderate phosphorus: -1.10 ± 0.02, Low phosphorus: -1.07 ± 0.02; P-trend: <0.004). Higher serum phosphorus levels were associated with an 80% greater odds of having a cognitively impaired score on Trailmaking Test – Part B-A in men (OR: 1.81, 1.11-2.94), and this association was strengthened when adjusting for additional confounding variables (OR: 2.02, 1.15-3.54). There was no such association in women. Using a cubic spline regression analysis, we treated serum phosphorus as a continuous variable and observed a positive linear association between phosphorus and total time or Trailmaking – Part B-A in men. In particular, the odds of cognitive impairment increased at levels of phosphorus above 3.5 mg/dL. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that higher serum phosphorus levels were associated with poorer performance on the Trailmaking Test – Part B, and in times represented by the Trailmaking Test – Part B-A time in men. We also observed that higher fasting serum phosphorus levels as a continuous variable were associated with increased odds of cognitive impairment on Trailmaking Test – Part B-A in men. We found no association between higher serum phosphorus levels and lower verbal and visual memory scores or increased odds of cognitive impairment on those scores. Since fewer women had cognitive impairment on these test, statistical power was limited for some of these analyses. Future studies are necessary to examine the mechanistic pathways by which serum phosphorus could impact cognition and whether these effects are independent of cardiovascular disease.

The theory of formal operations as a final stage of adult development has come under criticism for various reasons, primarily the overemphasis on logical thought processes which are based on invariant and absolute rules within a closed system. Everyday problems, in contrast, are typically "open-ended" and are defined by the context in which they are embedded. The purpose of this study was to investigate cognitive behaviors that occurred between two individuals as they cooperatively worked together to solve logical problems. Of interest were the effects of marital adjustment on cognitive performance, the relation between social behaviors, marital adjustment, and cognition, and the influence of familiar versus a stranger dyadic problem-solving setting on cognitive behaviors. It was hypothesized that well adjusted married and stranger dyads would not only demonstrate mastery of problem-solving tasks at the formal operational level, but would also demonstrate more relativistic and/or dialectical problem solving, and more facilitative social behaviors, than poorly adjusted married and stranger dyads. Forty couples between the ages of 35 and 50, who had been married between five and thirty years, were prescreened for verbal intelligence and marital adjustment. They were then randomly assigned to participate in one of four dyadic settings, that is, maritally well versus poorly adjusted couples solving problems in either married or unmarried/stranger dyads. Dyads were administered five formal operational problems. Two of the five were formal logical, or mathematical in nature, while three problems contained both mathematical and interpersonal, or social elements. Each dyad was videotaped during the problem-solving process, beginning with the instructions. Participant averaged about 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete five problems. Analyses of variance were performed on marital adjustment and dyadic setting as related to formal and relativistic cognitions. There were no marital adjustment or dyadic setting differences in overall ability to use formal operations. However, maritally well adjusted stranger and married dyads evidenced significantly more relativistic cognitions, particularly on problems involving a social/everyday element, than poorly adjusted married and stranger dyads. These differences also held constant across each of three increasingly complex levels of relativistic behaviors. Multivariate analyses were performed on four separate social behavior scales as related to formal and relativistic cognitions, as well as marital adjustment and dyadic setting groups. Again, formal operations did not distinguish between the differing social behaviors; however, the social behavior scales, particularly avoidant versus cooperative behaviors, were strongly related to marital adjustment and relativistic thinking.

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