Cold-Water Immersion Improves Mood even with Short, Practical Exposure: Study

 Instead of EXACT 100% recovery protocols, is this your doctors lousy version of making you feel better about not recovering?

Cold-Water Immersion Improves Mood even with Short, Practical Exposure: Study

Addressing mood and fatigue in return-to-work programmes after stroke: a systematic review

 So mood and fatigue are poorly addressed in rehab. BUT YOU DID NOTHING TO SOLVE THAT! You're fired!

Addressing mood and fatigue in return-to-work programmes after stroke: a systematic review

Nicole Yun Ching Chen^1,2 YanHong Dong^2,3* Zaylea Zhong Jie Kua^1,2

• ¹Changi General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
• ²Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
• ³Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

Introduction: Return-to-work is a key rehabilitation goal for many working aged stroke survivors, promoting an overall improvement of quality of life, social integration, and emotional wellbeing. Conversely, the failure to return-to-work contributes to a loss of identity, lowered self-esteem, social isolation, poorer quality of life and health outcomes. Return-to-work programmes have largely focused on physical and vocational rehabilitation, while neglecting to include mood and fatigue management. This is despite the knowledge that stroke results in changes in physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning, which all impact one’s ability to return to work. The purpose of this systematic review is to conduct a comprehensive and up-to-date search of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of return-to-work programmes after stroke. The focus is especially on examining components of mood and fatigue if they were included, and to also report on the screening tools used to measure mood and fatigue.

Method: Searches were performed using 7 electronic databases for RCTs published in English from inception to 4 January 2023. A narrative synthesis of intervention design and outcomes was provided.

Results: The search yielded 5 RCTs that satisfied the selection criteria (n = 626). Three studies included components of mood and fatigue management in the intervention, of which 2 studies found a higher percentage of subjects in the intervention group returning to work compared to those in the control group. The remaining 2 studies which did not include components of mood and fatigue management did not find any significant differences in return-to-work rates between the intervention and control groups. Screening tools to assess mood or fatigue were included in 3 studies.

Conclusion: Overall, the findings demonstrated that mood and fatigue are poorly addressed in rehabilitation programmes aimed at improving return-to-work after stroke, despite being a significant predictor of return-to-work. There is limited and inconsistent use of mood and fatigue screening tools. The findings were generally able to provide guidance and recommendations in the development of a stroke rehabilitation programme for return-to-work, highlighting the need to include components addressing and measuring psychological support and fatigue management.

Eye tracking as a tool to identify mood in aphasia: A feasibility study.

Why work on this secondary problem? Mood problems in aphasia wouldn't exist if you had EXACT PROTOCOLS WITH EXACT REPETITION NUMBERS.   Yeah, that might be hard to solve but leaders solve problems, they don't work on minor shit. Solve the damn primary problem, getting to 100% recovery.

Eye tracking as a tool to identify mood in aphasia: A feasibility study.

Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair (NNR) , Volume 34(5) , Pgs. 463-471.

NARIC Accession Number: J83845.  What's this?
ISSN: 1545-9683.
Author(s): Ashaie, Sameer A. ; Cherney, Leora R..
Publication Year: 2020.
Number of Pages: 9.

Abstract: 

Study examined the feasibility of using eye tracking to measure mood in people with post-stroke aphasia. Twenty-two subjects with chronic aphasia and 12 healthy controls completed 2 self-report measures of mood. They also viewed faces that showed happy, sad, and neutral facial expressions during eye tracking. Two eye-tracking indices were analyzed: (1) initial gaze orientation and (2) gaze maintenance to happy, sad, and neutral faces. For initial gaze orientation, participants with aphasia fixated faster on emotional faces compared with healthy controls but directed their gaze less often to happy faces compared with healthy controls. For gaze maintenance components, the duration of first fixation and total fixation duration were shorter on sad faces for participants with aphasia compared with healthy controls. Findings indicate that use of eye tracking with faces representing different mood states is feasible in people with aphasia. Although there were some similarities, participants with aphasia had different gaze patterns to emotional faces compared with healthy controls. Further research is needed to establish whether this is a valid and reliable method of mood assessment.
Descriptor Terms: APHASIA, DEPRESSION, EMOTIONS, EVALUATION TECHNIQUES, FEASIBILITY STUDIES, VISION.


Can this document be ordered through NARIC's document delivery service*?: Y.
Get this Document: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1545968320916160.

Citation: Ashaie, Sameer A. , Cherney, Leora R.. (2020). Eye tracking as a tool to identify mood in aphasia: A feasibility study.  Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair (NNR) , 34(5), Pgs. 463-471. Retrieved 7/18/2020, from REHABDATA database.

Eye Tracking as a Tool to Identify Mood in Aphasia: A Feasibility Study

Why the fuck are you wasting time on this? Do the research that creates protocols for 100% aphasia recovery. And your mentors and senior researchers were ok with this crapola? Useless.

Eye Tracking as a Tool to Identify Mood in Aphasia: A Feasibility Study 

Sameer A. Ashaie PhD, Leora R. Cherney, PhD

First Published April 28, 2020 Research Article Find in PubMed

Abstract

Background.
Persons with aphasia often present with low mood/depression, which can negatively affect their quality of life.(Precisely because you have NO PROTOCOLS FOR RECOVERY. SOLVE THE CORRECT PROBLEM, APHASIA, not depression.)The validity and reliability of existing depression measures for aphasia have been called into question. Eye tracking in nonstroke populations is reliable in identifying low mood/depression. Depressed persons are biased to negative emotions compared with nondepressed persons and have an absence of bias to positive emotions. However, nondepressed persons may be biased to positive emotions.  
Objective.
To examine the feasibility of using eye tracking to measure mood in persons with aphasia.  
Methods.
We recruited 22 persons with chronic aphasia and 12 healthy controls. Participants completed 2 self-report measures of mood. They also viewed faces that showed happy, sad, and neutral facial expressions during eye tracking. We analyzed 2 eye tracking indices: initial gaze orientation and gaze maintenance to happy, sad, and neutral faces.  
Results. For initial gaze orientation, participants with aphasia fixated faster on emotional faces compared with healthy controls but directed their gaze less often to happy faces compared with healthy controls. For gaze maintenance components, the duration of first fixation and total fixation duration were shorter on sad faces for participants with aphasia compared with healthy controls.  
Conclusion.
Use of eye tracking with faces representing different mood states is feasible in persons with aphasia. Although there were some similarities, participants with aphasia had different gaze patterns to emotional faces compared with healthy controls. Further research is needed to establish whether this is a valid and reliable method of mood assessment.

The use of transcranial direct current stimulation in stroke rehabilitation: effects on mood and cognition

Useless. NO PROTOCOL.  We don't want 'suggestions', we want proven results. You're all fired for incompetence!

The use of transcranial direct current stimulation in stroke rehabilitation: effects on mood and cognition

N. Szépfalusi

,

V. Németh

,

C. Kazinczi

,

A. Holczer

,

T. Vékony

,

G. Csifcsák

,

K. Jakab

,

L. Vécsei

,

A. Must

920

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2018.12.859

• Abstract

• Full Text

Background: Stroke is a high prevalence disorder causing a variety of motor, cognitive and affective symptoms, with a tremendous effect on quality of life. Despite the various stroke localizations, a similar pattern of cognitive deficit typically occurs, involving verbal memory, visuospatial skills and executive functioning. Growing evidence suggests,(not proves) that non-invasive neuromodulation techniques serve as promising tools to enhance post-stroke cognitive rehabilitation.

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Should Stroke Physicians Assess Cognition and Mood?

And what is the point of assessing cognition and mood? There are no protocols to address either. I guess when your doctor KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT RECOVERY, faking it with assessments is the only viable option to fake competence!

Should Stroke Physicians Assess Cognition and Mood?

Terence J. Quinn, Emma Elliott, Peter Langhorne

https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.117.016994

Stroke. 2018;49:483-490

Originally published December 28, 2017

 

It would seem intuitive that for a brain disease, such as stroke, the examination of memory, thinking, and mood would be fundamental to the clinical assessment. Yet in contemporary stroke practice, we have tended to focus on the physical manifestations of stroke and neuropsychological aspects have received little, if any, attention.¹ Thankfully the landscape is changing, and there is an increasing recognition of the importance of the psychological consequences of stroke and a growing evidence base and standardization around assessment.^2–4 The stroke physician cannot be expected to take on the role of the neuropsychology specialist, and there will always be cases where expert input is required. However, a basic appreciation of how to approach cognitive and mood assessment should now be mandatory for all working in stroke care.

In this review, we discuss assessment of cognitive function and mood. We have drawn on evidence from recent research, particularly systematic review.³ We do not offer a comprehensive critique of all cognitive and mood assessment tools. Rather, we suggest a framework for assessment that emphasizes the need for differing approaches to testing at differing points in the stroke pathway (Figure 1).

Figure 1.

Neuropsychological assessment throughout the stroke pathway. Schematic illustrating a potential approach to neuropsychological assessment at various stages in the stroke pathway. The tests named are given as examples rather than recommendations. Note how all elements are used to inform the clinical diagnosis. Note also that the early assessments focus on prestroke cognition, delirium, and stroke impairments rather than detailed cognitive assessment. CAM-ICU indicates Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit; CES-D, Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression; E-ADL, Extended Activities of Daily Living; HR-QoL, Health-Related Quality of Life; IQCODE, Informant Questionnaire for Cognitive Decline in the Elderly; MoCA, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (mini-MoCA, short form of …

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Cognitive and Mood Assessment Tools for Use in Stroke

My mood after my doctor not telling me anything about my recovery prospects or stroke protocols being used to get recovered was not good.  My next doctor will not be let off without a complete dressing down of their lack of knowledge. If 10 million yearly stroke survivors  started dressing down their doctors for not knowing anything about recovery we might start getting somewhere.

Cognitive and Mood Assessment Tools for Use in Stroke

Terence J. Quinn, Emma Elliott, Peter Langhorne

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https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.117.016994

Stroke. 2018;49:483-490

Originally published December 28, 2017

Emma Elliott

From the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom.

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Peter Langhorne

From the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom.

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• cognition
• dementia
• depression
• sensitivity and specificity
• stroke

Should Stroke Physicians Assess Cognition and Mood?

It would seem intuitive that for a brain disease, such as stroke, the examination of memory, thinking, and mood would be fundamental to the clinical assessment. Yet in contemporary stroke practice, we have tended to focus on the physical manifestations of stroke and neuropsychological aspects have received little, if any, attention.¹ Thankfully the landscape is changing, and there is an increasing recognition of the importance of the psychological consequences of stroke and a growing evidence base and standardization around assessment.^2–4 The stroke physician cannot be expected to take on the role of the neuropsychology specialist, and there will always be cases where expert input is required. However, a basic appreciation of how to approach cognitive and mood assessment should now be mandatory for all working in stroke care.

In this review, we discuss assessment of cognitive function and mood. We have drawn on evidence from recent research, particularly systematic review.³ We do not offer a comprehensive critique of all cognitive and mood assessment tools. Rather, we suggest a framework for assessment that emphasizes the need for differing approaches to testing at differing points in the stroke pathway (Figure 1).

Figure 1.

Neuropsychological assessment throughout the stroke pathway. Schematic illustrating a potential approach to neuropsychological assessment at various stages in the stroke pathway. The tests named are given as examples rather than recommendations. Note how all elements are used to inform the clinical diagnosis. Note also that the early assessments focus on prestroke cognition, delirium, and stroke impairments rather than detailed cognitive assessment. CAM-ICU indicates Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit; CES-D, Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression; E-ADL, Extended Activities of Daily Living; HR-QoL, Health-Related Quality of Life; IQCODE, Informant Questionnaire for Cognitive Decline in the Elderly; MoCA, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (mini-MoCA, short form of …

Cognitive and mood improvements following acute supplementation with purple grape juice in healthy young adults

It would take a lot to extrapolate this to most stroke survivors, they aren't healthy or young. But the real question to be answered; is red wine even better than grape juice for cognition and mood improvements? Both are sorely needed for stroke survivors, When will followup and an updated diet protocol occur?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5682870/

C. F. Haskell-Ramsay,¹ R. C. Stuart,¹ E. J. Okello,² and A. W. Watson²

Author information ► Article notes ► Copyright and License information ►

This article has been corrected. See Eur J Nutr. 2017 October 06; : .

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Abstract

Purpose

Berry-derived phenolic compounds found in grapes have been associated with a number of health benefits, including the augmentation of human brain function and cognition. Previous intervention studies of Concord grape juice have demonstrated improvement to memory and driving ability following 3- to 4-month supplementation in middle-aged and older adults. However, no studies to date have demonstrated acute cognitive benefits of grape juice, and investigation of these effects in young adults is lacking.

Methods

This randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, counterbalanced-crossover study, assessed the effects of 230 ml purple grape juice or sugar-matched control in 20 healthy young adults. Computerised measures of episodic memory, working memory, attention and mood were completed at baseline and following a 20-min absorption period.

Results

Purple grape juice significantly improved reaction time on a composite attention measure (p = 0.047) and increased calm ratings (p = 0.046) when compared to placebo. Order effects also indicated an enduring positive effect on pre-dose memory reaction time (p = 0.018) and post-dose calm ratings (p = 0.019) when purple grape was consumed first.

Conclusions

These findings in a small sample of healthy young adults suggest that purple grape juice can acutely enhance aspects of cognition and mood. No significant effects of juice were observed on memory measures, suggesting that these may be less susceptible to manipulation following acute supplementation in healthy young adults. Potential mechanisms underlying these effects include modulation of cerebral blood flow, glucoregulation and inhibition of monoamine oxidase activity, all of which require further exploration.

Effects of singing bowl sound meditation on mood, tension, and well-being: An observational study

I had lots of tension, fatigue and depressed mood while in hospital. Anger didn't start till much later when I finally realized how incompetent my doctor and whole stroke medical world was. Bet this never makes it to your hospital.
http://www.mdlinx.com/internal-medicine/medical-news-article/2016/10/07/tibetan-bowls-anxiety-depression-spiritual-well/6892317/?

Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 10/07/2016 Goldsby TL, et al.

In this study, the authors aimed to investigate the effects of sound meditation, specifically Tibetan singing bowl meditation, on mood, anxiety, pain, and spiritual well–being. This meditation type might be particularly useful in diminishing tension in individuals who have not previously practiced this form of meditation.

Methods

• A total of 62 women and men (mean age 49.7 years) participated in this study.

Results

• Following the sound meditation participants reported significantly less tension, anger, fatigue, and depressed mood (all Ps <.001) as compared with pre–meditation.
• Also, participants who were previously naïve to this type of meditation experienced an essentially greater reduction in tension compared with participants experienced in this meditation (P < .001).
• The study found that feeling of spiritual well–being significantly increased across all participants (P < .001).
• As per the outcomes, Tibetan singing bowl meditation might be a feasible low–cost low technology intervention for reducing feelings of tension, anxiety, and depression, and increasing spiritual well–being.

Go to PubMed Go to Abstract Print Article Summary Cat 2 CME Report

Neurophysiologic Correlates of Post-stroke Mood and Emotional Control

My post-stroke mood gets worse and worse every time I find out how fucking incompetent our stroke medical world is. But I control it quite well except for a tiny bit of swearing on my blog. My mood on my recovery is great, life is great. I am definitely not emotionally disturbed, I tried analyzing my therapist to see where she was going with her questions.
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00428/full?

Deniz Doruk^1†, Marcel Simis^1,2*†, Marta Imamura², André R. Brunoni³, Leon Morales-Quezada¹, Renato Anghinah², Felipe Fregni^1,2* and Linamara R. Battistella²

• ¹Spaulding Neuromodulation Center, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
• ²Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine Institute of the University of São Paulo, Medical School General Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil
• ³Service of Interdisciplinary Neuromodulation, Laboratory of Neurosciences (LIM-27), Department and Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

Objective: Emotional disturbance is a common complication of stroke significantly affecting functional recovery and quality of life. Identifying relevant neurophysiologic markers associated with post-stroke emotional disturbance may lead to a better understanding of this disabling condition, guiding the diagnosis, development of new interventions and the assessments of treatment response.

Methods: Thirty-five subjects with chronic stroke were enrolled in this study. The emotion sub-domain of Stroke Impact Scale (SIS-Emotion) was used to assess post-stroke mood and emotional control. The relation between SIS-Emotion and neurophysiologic measures was assessed by using covariance mapping and univariate linear regression. Multivariate analyses were conducted to identify and adjust for potential confounders. Neurophysiologic measures included power asymmetry and coherence assessed by electroencephalography (EEG); and motor threshold, intracortical inhibition (ICI) and intracortical facilitation (ICF) measured by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

Results: Lower scores on SIS-Emotion was associated with (1) frontal EEG power asymmetry in alpha and beta bands, (2) central EEG power asymmetry in alpha and theta bands, and (3) lower inter-hemispheric coherence over frontal and central areas in alpha band. SIS-Emotion also correlated with higher ICF and MT in the unlesioned hemisphere as measured by TMS.

Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study using EEG and TMS to index neurophysiologic changes associated with post-stroke mood and emotional control. Our results suggest that inter-hemispheric imbalance measured by EEG power and coherence, as well as an increased ICF in the unlesioned hemisphere measured by TMS might be relevant markers associated with post-stroke mood and emotional control which can guide future studies investigating new diagnostic and treatment modalities in stroke rehabilitation.

Introduction

Emotional disturbance is a common complication of stroke (Annoni et al., 2006). About 30% of stroke survivors develop anxiety and depressive symptoms critically affecting functional recovery (Parikh et al., 1990; Hackett and Anderson, 2005) and quality of life (Robinson, 1997; Jonsson et al., 2005). Moreover, a significant number of patients remain undetected and therefore untreated due to difficulties in diagnosis (Dafer et al., 2008; El Husseini et al., 2012; Ayerbe et al., 2013). Investigation of neurophysiological markers associated with post-stroke mood and emotional control could have important implications in the development of new interventions as well as the assessment of current diagnostic and therapeutic modalities in stroke rehabilitation. For example, neurophysiologically guided interventions, such as EEG biofeedback entrainment, has already been shown to be effective in stroke patients with physical and cognitive impairments (Nelson, 2007). Similarly in depression, qEEG has been used to detect inter-hemispheric imbalance in cortical activity that has lead to the application of new therapeutic approaches such as TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) and tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation; Rosenfeld et al., 1996; Linden, 2014).

The exact causes of post-stroke emotional disturbance (PS-ED) are still unknown. Different mechanisms including direct effects of ischemia to mood regulating neural networks (Starkstein et al., 1988; Beblo et al., 1999) and a psychosocial (Gainotti et al., 1999) model have been proposed to explain PS-ED (Whyte and Mulsant, 2002). Additionally, several factors involving the severity of injury, cognitive impairment, pre-morbid depression, disability and localization of the stroke have been identified as predictors of PS-ED (Robinson, 1986; Hackett and Anderson, 2005; Ayerbe et al., 2013). However, some of these factors were inconsistent across studies. For example, earlier studies showed that left sided lesions that are close to the frontal lobe have been associated with depression (Robinson, 1986) whereas more recent studies showed no relation between the localization of stroke and depression after stroke (Carson et al., 2000).

Quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) is a safe, cost-effective technique used to assess cortical activity and has been valuable in assessing emotion related networks. Among the qEEG parameters, frontal alpha power asymmetry has been especially of interest given its relation to emotional processes and pathological conditions such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety (Coan and Allen, 2004; Thibodeau et al., 2006; Harmon-Jones et al., 2010). Yet, it is unknown whether emotional disturbance secondary to other neurological conditions, such as stroke, is associated with similar EEG changes. In fact, qEEG has already been used in stroke as a predictive measurement for prognosis and clinical management in motor recovery (Finnigan and van Putten, 2013). However, use of qEEG in non-motor outcomes of stroke is limited (Schleiger et al., 2014) and to our knowledge there is no study assessing the qEEG correlates of post-stroke depression and anxiety.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is another technique that is useful in assessing cortical activity in both MDD and stroke. TMS studies assessing changes in cortical activity in patients with MDD have shown decreased excitability in the left hemisphere (Maeda et al., 2000; Fitzgerald et al., 2004), and decreased motor threshold in the right hemisphere (Bajbouj et al., 2006). In stroke, TMS studies demonstrated that inter-hemispheric asymmetry in cortical activity (Murase et al., 2004) is associated with functional recovery after stroke (Hendricks et al., 2002). Therefore, together with EEG, TMS could potentially help elucidate changes in cortical activity related to PS-ED.

In this cross-sectional preliminary analysis of 35 stroke subjects we investigated the associations between the emotion sub-domain of Stroke Impact Scale (SIS-Emotion) and several neurophysiologic measures obtained by EEG and TMS when adjusted for potential confounders such as age and time since stroke. Given that hemispheric asymmetry plays an important role in both stroke and mood disorders, we hypothesized that post-stroke changes in mood and emotional control is associated with inter-hemispheric imbalance that can be indexed by EEG and TMS.

Testosterone gel shown for first time to benefit men over 65

Hmmm, better walking ability and less depression. That might be useful post stroke. Don't start taking this on your own.

Testosterone gel shown for first time to benefit men over 65

The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health was among a dozen sites nationwide to participate in the first clinical trial to show that testosterone treatment for men aged 65 and older improves sexual function, walking ability and mood.

 

Results of The Testosterone Trials (TTrials), led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will be published in tomorrow’s New England Journal of Medicine.

 

“Previous testosterone trials in older men yielded equivocal and inconsistent results,” said coauthor and chair of the TTrials recruitment committee, Jane A. Cauley, Dr.P.H., professor in Pitt Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology and principal investigator at the study’s Pittsburgh site. “We showed that testosterone improved men’s impression that their sexual function and walking ability had improved, suggesting that these effects are clinically important.”

 

The TTrials are a coordinated group of seven trials testing the effect of a testosterone gel compared with a placebo gel, and researchers have analyzed the results of the three primary trials – sexual function, physical function and vitality. They found that testosterone treatment increased the blood testosterone level in the men 65 and older to levels comparable to mid-normal for young men. Testosterone also improved all aspects of sexual function, including sexual activity, sexual desire and the ability to get an erection. Testosterone treatment did not significantly improve distance walked in six minutes when only men enrolled in the physical function trial were considered, but did increase the distance walked when all men in the TTrials were considered. The treatment did not improve energy, but did improve mood and depressive symptoms.

 

“The results of the TTrials show for the first time that testosterone treatment of older men who have unequivocally low testosterone levels does have some benefit,” said lead author and principal investigator of the TTrials Peter J. Snyder, M.D., a professor in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Penn. “However, decisions about testosterone treatment for these men also will depend on the results of the other four trials – cognitive function, bone, cardiovascular and anemia – and the risks of testosterone treatment.”

 

In 2003, the Institute of Medicine reported that there was insufficient evidence to support any beneficial effect of testosterone in such men. This report was the impetus for TTrials, which are now the largest trials to examine the efficacy of testosterone treatment in men 65 and older whose testosterone levels are low due seemingly to age alone. TTrials researchers screened 51,085 men to find 790 who qualified with a sufficiently low testosterone level and who met other criteria; 78 of the men were enrolled from the Pittsburgh area.

 

The men enrolled were randomized into two groups: one to apply the daily testosterone gel and the other a daily placebo gel, for one year. Efficacy was then evaluated at months three, six, nine and 12. Sexual function was assessed by questionnaires; physical function was measured by questionnaires and the distance walked in six minutes; and vitality, mood and depressive symptoms also were evaluated using questionnaires.

 

Across the three trials, adverse events – including heart attack, stroke, other cardiovascular events and prostate conditions – were similar in men who received testosterone and those who received placebo. However, the number of men in the TTrials was too small to draw conclusions about the risk of testosterone treatment, which the researchers say would require a larger and longer trial.

 

The TTrials were conducted at 11 additional medical centers across the country: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harbor-UCL Medical Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Puget Sound Health Care System, University of California at San Diego School of Medicine, University of Florida School of Medicine, University of Minnesota School of Medicine and Yale School of Medicine.

 

The TTrials were supported by NIH National Institute on Aging grant U01 AG030644, and supplemented by funds from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. AbbVie (formerly Solvay and Abbot Laboratories) also provided funding, AndroGel and placebo gel, but did not participate in the design or conduct of the trials, nor analysis or reporting of the data.

Investigation of the effects of solid lipid curcumin on cognition and mood in a healthy older population

Curcumin has been touted for its wonderful properties. What does this research tell your doctor about updating your stroke diet protocol?  I've only written 12 posts on curcumin.
YOU DO HAVE A STROKE DIET PROTOCOL? DON'T YOU?
http://jop.sagepub.com/content/29/5/642.abstract?&

1. Katherine HM Cox
2. Andrew Pipingas
3. Andrew B Scholey

1. Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

1. Andrew B Scholey, Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, 3122, Australia. Email: andrew@scholeylab.com

Abstract

Curcumin possesses many properties which may prevent or ameliorate pathological processes underlying age-related cognitive decline, dementia or mood disorders. These benefits in preclinical studies have not been established in humans. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial examined the acute (1 and 3 h after a single dose), chronic (4 weeks) and acute-on-chronic (1 and 3 h after single dose following chronic treatment) effects of solid lipid curcumin formulation (400 mg as Longvida®) on cognitive function, mood and blood biomarkers in 60 healthy adults aged 60–85. One hour after administration curcumin significantly improved performance on sustained attention and working memory tasks, compared with placebo. Working memory and mood (general fatigue and change in state calmness, contentedness and fatigue induced by psychological stress) were significantly better following chronic treatment. A significant acute-on-chronic treatment effect on alertness and contentedness was also observed. Curcumin was associated with significantly reduced total and LDL cholesterol and had no effect on hematological safety measures. To our knowledge this is the first study to examine the effects of curcumin on cognition and mood in a healthy older population or to examine any acute behavioral effects in humans. Results highlight the need for further investigation of the potential psychological and cognitive benefits of curcumin in an older population.

Aromas of rosemary and lavender essential oils differentially affect cognition and mood in healthy adults

This has only been out for 11 years, has your doctor included this in your stroke protocol to help your memory and mood? I'd have to see the actual research details before I believe this is not just placebo or recognition by participants that they got the real thing..

Aromas of rosemary and lavender essential oils differentially affect cognition and mood in healthy adults

Moss M¹, Cook J, Wesnes K, Duckett P.

Author information

Abstract

This study was designed to assess the olfactory impact of the essential oils of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and rosemary (Rosmarlnus officinalis) on cognitive performance and mood in healthy volunteers. One hundred and forty-four participants were randomly assigned to one of three independent groups, and subsequently performed the Cognitive Drug Research (CDR) computerized cognitive assessment battery in a cubicle containing either one of the two odors or no odor (control). Visual analogue mood questionnaires were completed prior to exposure to the odor, and subsequently after completion of the test battery. The participants were deceived as to the genuine aim of the study until the completion of testing to prevent expectancy effects from possibly influencing the data. The outcome variables from the nine tasks that constitute the CDR core battery feed into six factors that represent different aspects of cognitive functioning. Analysis of performance revealed that lavender produced a significant decrement in performance of working memory, and impaired reaction times for both memory and attention based tasks compared to controls. In contrast, rosemary produced a significant enhancement of performance for overall quality of memory and secondary memory factors, but also produced an impairment of speed of memory compared to controls. With regard to mood, comparisons of the change in ratings from baseline to post-test revealed that following the completion of the cognitive assessment battery, both the control and lavender groups were significantly less alert than the rosemary condition; however, the control group was significantly less content than both rosemary and lavender conditions. These findings indicate that the olfactory properties of these essential oils can produce objective effects on cognitive performance, as well as subjective effects on mood.