Digital Commons Network^™

Modulation Of The N170 With Classical Conditioning: The Use Of Emotional Imagery And Acoustic Startle In Healthy And Depressed Participants, David A. Camfield, Jessica Mills, Emma Kornfeld, Rodney J. Croft

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Recent studies have suggested that classical conditioning may be capable of modulating early sensory processing in the human brain, and that there may be differences in the magnitude of the conditioned changes for individuals with major depressive disorder. The effect of conditioning on the N170 event-related potential was investigated using neutral faces as conditioned stimuli (CS+) and emotional imagery and acoustic startle as unconditioned stimuli (UCS). In the first experiment, electroencephalogram was recorded from 24 undergraduate students (M = 21.07 years, SD = 3.38 years) under the following conditions: (i) CS+/aversive imagery, (ii) CS+/aversive imagery and acoustic startle, (iii) …

A Systematic Review Of Cognitive Failures In Daily Life: Healthy Populations, Nicole Carrigan, Emma Barkus

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Cognitive failures are minor errors in thinking reported by clinical and non-clinical individuals during everyday life. It is not yet clear how subjectively-reported cognitive failures relate to objective neuropsychological ability. We aimed to consolidate the definition of cognitive failures, outline evidence for the relationship with objective cognition, and develop a unified model of factors that increase cognitive failures. We conducted a systematic review of cognitive failures, identifying 45 articles according to the PRISMA statement. Failures were defined as reflecting proneness to errors in 'real world' planned thought and action. Vulnerability to failures was not consistently associated with objective cognitive performance. …

The Effect Of Sailuotong (Slt) On Neurocognitive And Cardiovascular Function In Healthy Adults: A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Crossover Pilot Trial, Genevieve Z. Steiner, Alan Yeung, Jian Liu, David A. Camfield, Frances M. De Blasio, Andrew Pipingas, Andrew Scholey, Con Stough, Dennis Chang

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Sailuotong (SLT) is a standardised herbal medicine formula consisting of Panax ginseng, Ginkgo biloba, and Crocus sativus, and has been designed to enhance cognitive and cardiovascular function. Methods: Using a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled crossover design, this pilot study assessed the effect of treatment for 1 week with SLT and placebo (1 week washout period) on neurocognitive and cardiovascular function in healthy adults. Sixteen adults completed a computerised neuropsychological test battery (Compass), and had their electroencephalographic (EEG) activity and cardiovascular system function assessed. Primary outcome measures were cognitive test scores and oddball task event-related potential (ERP) component amplitudes. Secondary …

Policies On Pets For Healthy Cities: A Conceptual Framework, Melanie Rock, Cindy L. Adams, Christopher J. Degeling, Alessandro Massolo, Gavin Mccormack

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Drawing on the One Health concept, and integrating a dual focus on public policy and practices of caring from the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, we outline a conceptual framework to help guide the development and assessment of local governments' policies on pets. This framework emphasizes well-being in human populations, while recognizing that these outcomes relate to the well-being of nonhuman animals. Five intersecting spheres of activity, each associated with local governments' jurisdiction over pets, are presented: (i) preventing threats and nuisances from pets, (ii) meeting pets' emotional and physical needs, (iii) procuring pets ethically, (iv) providing pets with veterinary …

Healthy Recovery: An Opportunity To Address Smoking, Diet And Physical Activity As Part Of Alcohol And Other Substance Abuse Treatment, Peter James Kelly

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract of a workshop at the ADDICTION 2015: the Australian & New Zealand Addiction Conference, Gold Coast, Australia, 20-22 May.

Online Cognitive Training In Healthy Older Adults: A Preliminary Study On The Effects Of Single Versus Multi-Domain Training, Courtney C. Walton, Alexandra Kavanagh, Luke Downey, Justine Lomas, David A. Camfield, Con Stough

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

It has been argued that cognitive training may be effective in improving cognitive performance in healthy older adults. However, inappropriate active control groups often hinder the validity of these claims. Additionally there are relatively few independent empirical studies on popular commercially available cognitive training programs. The current research extends on previous work to explore cognitive training employing a more robust control group. Twenty-eight healthy older adults (age: M = 64.18, SD = 6.9) completed either a multi-faceted online computerised cognitive training program or trained on a simple reaction time task for 20 minutes a day over a 28 day period. …

Study Protocol: A Stepped Wedge Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial Of A Healthy Lifestyle Intervention For People Attending Residential Substance Abuse Treatment, Peter James Kelly, Amanda Baker, Frank P. Deane, Robin Callister, Clare E. Collins, Christopher Oldmeadow, John R. Attia, Camilla Townsend, Isabella Ingram, Gerard Byrne, Carol Keane

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Cardiovascular disease and cancer are leading causes of mortality for people with a history of alcohol or other substance use disorders. These chronic diseases share the same four primary behavioural risk factors i.e. excessive alcohol use, smoking, low intake of fruit and vegetables and physical inactivity. In addition to addressing problematic alcohol use, there is the potential for substance abuse treatment services to also address these other behaviours. Healthy Recovery is an 8-session group-based intervention that targets these multiple behavioural health risk factors and was developed specifically for people attending substance abuse treatment. This protocol describes a Cancer Institute …

The Healthy Child Citizen: Biopedagogies And Web-Based Health Promotion, Jan Wright, Christine Halse

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The health of children in affluent economies has become closely tied to the ideal of a normative body weight achieved by monitoring and balancing diet and physical activity. As a result, the education of young people on how to avoid becoming fat begins at an early age through the language and practices of families, the messages embedded in children's media, and through formal schooling. In this paper we use the concept of biopedagogies to investigate how discourses that connect food, the body and health come together on Internet websites to instruct children on how they should come to know and …

If Sport's The Solution Then What's The Problem? The Social Significance Of Sport In The Moral Governing Of 'Good' And 'Healthy' Citizens In Sweden, 1922-1998, Malin Osterlind, Jan Wright

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

All over the westernised world, sport has been promoted as a 'solution' to many of the social 'problems' and challenges that face modern societies. This study draw on Foucault's concept of governmentality to examine the ways in which Swedish Government Official Reports on sport, from 1922 to 1998, define social problems and legitimate governing, and sport as a solution, in the name of benefiting Swedish society. The analysis shows that citizens' 'good' and 'healthy' behaviour and bodies are in focus of problematisation throughout the studied period. In relation to this, sport is seen as an important tool and solution. Parallel …

A Comprehensive Review Of Auditory Verbal Hallucinations: Lifetime Prevalence, Correlates And Mechanisms In Healthy And Clinical Individuals, Saskia De Leede-Smith, Emma Barkus

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Over the years, the prevalence of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) have been documented across the lifespan in varied contexts, and with a range of potential long-term outcomes. Initially the emphasis focused on whether AVHs conferred risk for psychosis. However, recent research has identified significant differences in the presentation and outcomes of AVH in patients compared to those in non-clinical populations. For this reason, it has been suggested that auditory hallucinations are an entity by themselves and not necessarily indicative of transition along the psychosis continuum. This review will examine the presentation of auditory hallucinations across the life span, as well …

Does Access To Neighbourhood Green Space Promote A Healthy Duration Of Sleep? Novel Findings From A Cross-Sectional Study Of 259 319 Australians, Thomas Astell-Burt, Xiaoqi Feng, Gregory Kolt

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objectives Experiments demonstrate that exposure to parks and other ‘green spaces’ promote favourable psychological and physiological outcomes. As a consequence, people who reside in greener neighbourhoods may also have a lower risk of short sleep duration (<6 h). This is potentially important as short sleep duration is a correlate of obesity, chronic disease and mortality, but so far this hypothesis has not been previously investigated.

Design Cross-sectional data analysis.

Setting New South Wales, Australia.

Participants This study investigated whether neighbourhood green space was associated with a healthier duration of sleep (to the nearest hour) among 259 319 Australians who completed the 45 and Up Study baseline questionnaire between 2006 and 2009 inclusive.

Primary and secondary outcome measures Multinomial logit regression was used to investigate the influence of an …

Australian Children Lack The Basic Movement Skills To Be Active And Healthy, Lisa Barnett, Louise Hardy, David Lubans, Dylan Cliff, Anthony Okely, A P. Hills, Philip Morgan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Just as children need to be taught their ABCs to read and write, they also need to be taught fundamental movement skills (FMS), such as running, jumping, throwing and kicking, to provide the strongest foundation for a physically active lifestyle. Children who are proficient at FMS are more likely to be physically active and have adequate cardiorespiratory fitness, and are less likely to be overweight or obese compared with children who are not proficient. In addition, FMS-proficient children are more likely to become adolescents who are more active and with higher cardiorespiratory fitness levels.

Monitoring The Availability Of Healthy And Unhealthy Foods And Non-Alcoholic Beverages In Community And Consumer Retail Food Environments Globally, C N. Mhurchu, S Vandevijvere, W Waterlander, L E. Thornton, Bridget Kelly, A J. Cameron, W Snowdon, Boyd A. Swinburn

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Retail food environments are increasingly considered influential in determining dietary behaviours and health outcomes. We reviewed the available evidence on associations between community (type, availability and accessibility of food outlets) and consumer (product availability, prices, promotions and nutritional quality within stores) food environments and dietary outcomes in order to develop an evidence-based framework for monitoring the availability of healthy and unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages in retail food environments. Current evidence is suggestive of an association between community and consumer food environments and dietary outcomes; however, substantial heterogeneity in study designs, methods and measurement tools makes it difficult to draw …

A Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating The Effect Of Pycnogenol And Bacopa Cdri08 Herbal Medicines On Cognitive, Cardiovascular, And Biochemical Functioning In Cognitively Healthy Elderly People: The Australian Research Council Longevity Intervention (Arcli) Study Protocol (Anzctr12611000487910), Con K. Stough, Matthew P. Pase, Vanessa Cropley, Stephen P. Myers, Karen Nolidin, Rebecca King, David Camfield, Keith Wesnes, Andrew Pipingas, Kevin Croft, Dennis Chang, Andrew Scholey

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background One of the major challenges associated with our ageing population is the increasing incidence of age-associated cognitive decline, which has significant implications for an individual's ability to lead a productive and fulfilling life. In pure economic terms the costs of ageing reflects decreased productivity and engagement with the workforce. The maintenance of brain health underpinning intact cognition is a key factor to maintaining a positive, engaged, and productive lifestyle. In light of this, the role of diet, including supplementation with nutritional and even pharmacological interventions capable of ameliorating the neurocognitive changes that occur with age constitute vital areas of …

Effects Of Supplementation With Purified Red Clover (Trifolium Pratense) Isoflavones On Plasma Lipids And Insulin Resistance In Healthy Premenopausal Women, Sarah Blakesmith, Philippa Lyons-Wall, Caroline George, George Joannou, Peter Petocz, Samir Samman

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Consumption of isoflavone-rich soyabean protein is reported to reduce total and LDL-cholesterol, but the specific components responsible are undetermined. In a previous crossover trial we showed that purified isoflavones, derived from red clover (Trifolium pratense), raised HDL₃-cholesterol in premenopausal women; however, these findings were inconclusive due to period and carryover effects. In an attempt to overcome this problem, we utilised a parallel study designed to re-examine the effects of purified isoflavones on plasma lipoproteins and markers of insulin resistance in premenopausal women. Twenty-five healthy premenopausal women participated in a double-blind, randomised, parallel study. The treatment group …