Happier Elderly Residents. The Positive Impact of Physical Activity on Objective and Subjective Health Condition of Elderly People in Nursing Homes. Evidence from a Multi-Site Randomized Controlled Trial

Applied Research in Quality of Life - We explore the effects of adapted physical exercise programs in nursing homes, in which some residents suffer from dementia and/or physical limitations and...     

Phonetic discrimination ability of a native vowel contrast in preterm infants

Preterm birth is considered a risk factor for cognitive and linguistic development; however, research focusing on the comparison between preterm and full term infants' early abilities in speech perception is still scarce. In this study, the ability to perceive and discriminate a native vowel contrast by a sample of preterm infants at 4 and 8 months of age (corrected for gestation) has been analyzed using the familiarization-preference procedure and complex stimuli (CV.CV, multispeakers). Results reveal differences at 4 months of age between pre-term and control groups; only the latter successfully categorize and react to the vowel change. By 8 months of age, preterm infants are able to solve the task. A positive correlation was observed between duration of attention (visual fixation measures) and a number of neonatal risk factors. Results show the effects of preterm birth on the processing of complex stimuli and suggest the need to further explore the connection between early speech perception capacities and language development in this at-risk population.     

Neurotoxicity of Kainate to the Hippocampus is not Accrued by Aging, Stress and Exogenous Corticosterone in Wistar Kyoto and Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

It has been reported that a high corticosterone milieu can exacerbate various experimental insults to the nervous system, in particular to the hippocampus. However, in many of these studies the above milieu was attained by injecting corticosterone in doses (e.g. 10 mg/rat) producing supraphysiological concentrations. In the present study we have investigated whether high plasma corticosterone levels, such as those associated with aging or stress, potentiate a hippocampal excitotoxic insult. Male Wistar Kyoto (WKY) and Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR) at the age of 6, 12, 18 and 24 months (only WKY for the oldest age) were used. As in other strains, aging in these rats was marked by an increase in basal plasma corticosterone levels. Rats were infused in the dorsal hippocampus with kainic acid (0.035 μg/hippocampus) and the neuronal injury was evaluated within the areas CA3 and CA4. Results indicated that neither aging nor the hypertensive condition affected kainic acid neurotoxicity. In order to study the effect of stress, rats were stressed twice a day, with alternate types of stressors to avoid possible habituation, 3 days prior to and 3 days following the kainic acid infusion. Using this experimental paradigm the hippocampal damage in stressed rats was of the same degree as in non-stressed controls. In a complementary set of experiments, 6 month old WKY and SHR rats were injected with corticosterone (10 mg/rat s.c.). Four hours after administration plasma corticosterone levels in the range of 60-70 μg/100 ml were found. Moreover, a time-course study showed a plasma corticosterone peak in the range of 240 μg/100 ml. Daily corticosterone administration for 3 days before and 3 days after kainic acid infusion potentiated the hippocampal damage in 6 months old SHR but not in the WKY. These results demonstrate that elevation of corticosterone levels within physiological range does not exacerbate hippocampal kainate neurotoxicity and that pharmacological doses of glucocorticoid hormone, which produces plasma levels well above those observable in any physiopathological condition, might, with some strain dependency, potentiate a hippocampal neurotoxic insult.     

Effects of a REBT Based Training on Children and Teachers in Primary School

Rational Emotive Education (REE) is a psychological educational program offering a preventative psycho-educational curriculum to children in order to teach them emotional literacy skills. REE helps children by teaching them to challenge irrational thinking, to minimize their reactions to disappointment and frustrations, to cope more effectively with problems, and to more fully accept themselves. The efficacy of REE training for children and teachers was examined in a sample of 211 third grade students from nine different classes and 26 teachers. Each class was randomly assigned to one of three different groups, two experimental groups and a control group, each receiving different training. First objective of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of a REE training based on storytelling in changing children’s irrational beliefs. Second objective of our study was to observe the efficacy of a teachers’ training similar to that applied in REBT-focused school consultation groups in enhancing their self-efficacy. Results show an improved tendency in children to think rationally and an enhanced perception of self-efficacy in teachers for those groups that underwent the training compared to the control group. Our results suggest that REBT based trainings for children and teachers should be integrated into the classroom curriculum in order to prevent mental health problems and encourage positive social and emotional well-being.