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The Effects Of Mindfulness And Exercise On Symptoms Of Parkinson’S Disease: A Systematic Review, Collin Tyler Garner

Dissertations

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease affecting which affects motor control, emotional regulation, cognition, and sleep through degradation of dopaminergic neurons. As of 2019, PD affects approximately 8.5 million individuals worldwide, with prevalence estimated to increase to between 8.7 and 9.3 million by 2030. The primary therapeutic approach to PD management is pharmaceutical, relying on dopamine replacement therapy. However, recent research has identified promising complementary therapies such as exercise and mindfulness training.

This review was conducted to compile and present evidence related to the efficacy of exercise, mindfulness, and combined exercise and mindfulness protocols as complementary …

From Young To Old: The Effects Of Sedentary-Aging And Exercise Interventions On Structural Plasticity Of Lumbar Motor Neurons, Nmj, And Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Expression, Alberto Felipe Cintron-Colon

Dissertations

Neuromuscular weakness has been associated with age progression. A possible reason is a disconnection between muscle and neuron, causing components from both the central and peripheral nervous systems to deteriorate. Exercise, however, has beneficial effects for both muscle and nervous tissue, inducing neuroprotection. Neurotrophic factors are powerful regulators of neuronal maintenance and synaptic strength. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is a neurotrophic factor that has been shown to be a potent survival factor for somatic motor neurons that innervate skeletal muscle.

This study aims to evaluate changes in structural plasticity of motor neurons in the lumbar spinal cord and …

The Impacts Of Aging, Sedentarism, And Exercise On Neurotrophic Factor Expression And Innervation In The Heart And The Effects Of Treatment With Α-Cgrp On Heart Function, Gabriel Almeida Alves

Dissertations

Neurotrophic factors (NFs) are important molecules responsible for development, differentiation, regeneration, and maintenance of new and mature neurons. Neurotrophic factors act as neurocytokines and may assist with the regulation of axonal and dendritic arrangements and synaptic plasticity between neurons themselves or with other non-neural target tissues. In this study, we analyze the levels of two NFs: glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF). Cardiomyocytes produce these neurotrophic factors which assist with the innervation pattern of the heart. The heart is innervated by the two branches of the autonomic nervous system; namely the sympathetic nervous system and …

Effects Of Instability On Core Muscle Activation In A Side Bridge, Erin E. Kishman

Masters Theses

Training the musculature of the core continues to be perceived as an essential component of conditioning and rehabilitation settings (11). A popular way to train the core is with the use of instability devices, such as Swiss ball or suspension trainer. However, there is limited research on the effects of these devices on core muscle activity. The purpose of this study was to examine core muscle activity during side bridge variations with and without instability devices (Floor, Swiss Ball, and TRX) through electromyography (EMG) of the rectus abdominis, external oblique, erector spinae, and latissimus dorsi. 39 participants performed three variations …

Facilitating Emotional Regulation In Adults With Developmental Disabilities Through Person-Centered Play Therapy, Otis Kemutambah

Honors Theses

Adults with developmental disabilities may employ maladaptive behaviors that stem from limited opportunities to interact with their community and non-nurturing interactions within their environment. This literature review explores the effects of play on maladaptive behaviors and provides a rationale that supports the use of PCPT to improve this population’s emotional regulation skills. More specifically, the sources indicate that activities containing exercise and games, improves the emotional regulation skills of this population. Based on the presented information, created cost effective activities will potentially improve these skills amongst adults with developmental disabilities. These activities that adhere to PCPT are basketball, water basketball, …

Assessing A Punching Bag Feedback Performance Device, Neil Deochand

Dissertations

Physical exercise has been integrated into treatment efforts in reversing the number of overweight and obese individuals. Furthermore, exercise extends mortality, enhances general quality of life, and it is a protective health factor for preventing the progression some mental health disorders. Electronic athletic training equipment easily allows monitoring of real-time physical activity, and enables tracking of progress made toward individualized performance goals. There are limitations to only using visual feedback (e.g., visual depictions of heart rate, speed, distance traveled, or calories burned etc.) to track and improve exercise and athletic performance, especially for some sports, such as boxing. This issue …

Factors Lnfluencing Weight Gain And Perceived Barriers Of Exercise In First Semester College Students, Noah C. Neuenfeldt

Masters Theses

College students believe that university weight management interventions impact their health habits. This suggests that universities can play a large role in encouraging students to be active. The purpose of this study was to investigate this claim and to acquire a better understanding of weight change in first year college students in the first semester. We specifically sought to identify the variables that influence weight gain, as well as determine the awareness and usage of resources available to the students. A survey was given to first year students addressing the variables of interest including change in weight and Body Mass …

Walk-Training Increases Expression Of Gdnf In Pectoralis Muscle But Not Diaphragm From Mouse, Erin Donovan

Honors Theses

Neurotrophic factors are proteins that play an important role in the development and maintenance of neurons. Recent studies have shown that neurotrophic factors may hold promise for treating damage to the nervous system caused by trauma or diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is expressed in skeletal muscles and affects peripheral motor neurons. Results of previous studies have demonstrated that exercise can increase GDNF content in skeletal muscle of rat. The goal of the current study was to examine whether expression of GDNF in skeletal muscle of mouse is also regulated …

The Effect Of An Exercise Regimen On The Psychological Health Of Parkinson's Disease Patients, Alexander Stephens

Honors Theses

This paper reports a study on the effect of an exercise regimen on the psychological health of Parkinson's disease patients. The 11 participants of the study were Parkinson's disease patients who were participants of a six-week exercise program titled 'Delay the Disease,' which was specifically designed for Parkinson's disease patients. The participants of the study were given the Geriatric Depression Scale twice before the start of the exercise regimen, and once per week for the duration of the six-week exercise regimen. They were also given a quality of life questionnaire at the beginning and end of the regimen. The data …

Exercise Alters Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (Gdnf) Protein Content In The Spinal Cord, Monica Janine Mccullough

Dissertations

Neurotrophic factors may play a role in exercise-induced neuroprotective effects; however, it is not known if exercise mediates changes in glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) protein levels in the spinal cord. The aim of the studies described herein was to determine if exercise alters GDNF protein expression in the lumbar spinal cord of healthy and diseased animals. The lumbar spinal cord was analyzed from adult rats aged 6-, 12-, 18- and 24-months, and from transgenic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) mice and wild-type mice aged 3 months. Animals had undergone either forced wheel running, voluntary wheel running or swimming for …

The Effect Of Ad Libitum Hydration On Cognitive Function Following Exercise In The Heat, Matthew Wittbrodt

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to quantify the effect of different hydration strategies on physiological and cognitive variables after an exercise bout in the heat. On three occasions, twelve males performed three heat stress tests of 50min at 60%VO_2peak in a hot environment (32°C; 65%RH). The heat stress tests differed in hydration strategy to be implemented during exercise (NF: no fluid, AL: ad libitum, FR: full fluid replacement). A cognitive battery was administered pre-­ and post-­exercise to examine alterations in cognition. Fluid loss during NF was greater than the AL and FR (NF: 1.54 %; AL: 0.29 …

Rpe And Mode Of Exercise, Victoria Helmus

Honors Theses

The American College of Sports Medicine currently recommends that all individuals age 18-65 perform vigorous aerobic activity for at least 20 minutes 3 days a week, or moderate intensity aerobic activity for at least 30 minutes 5 days a week. Activities that fall under this category include, but are not limited to walking, running, cycling, swimming and elliptical machines. When an individual exercises, they have a sense of what their intensity level is based on how they 'feel'. Ratings of Perceived Exertion charts serve as a guide for this subjective thought process. There are wide ranges of intensities associated with …