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Study: How Cardio Fitness, Exercise Counteract Cognitive Decline
The University of Texas at Dallas | By Stephen Fontenot
New research from The University of Texas at Dallas’ Center for Vital Longevity (CVL) supports the idea that the brains of older adults who maintain physical fitness by engaging in regular strenuous exercise more closely resemble those of younger adults.
Dr. Chandramallika Basak, associate professor of psychology in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, is the corresponding author of a study published online April 27 and in the June print edition of Neuroscience that describes how strenuous physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness help the brains of older adults compensate for age-related changes by improving their ability to perform complex cognitive tasks.
The results demonstrate the importance of maintaining physical fitness and regular strenuous exercise to prolong neurological health.
“Age is just one marker for cognitive health, and fitness can be a significant modifying factor,” said Basak, who directs the Lifespan Neuroscience and Cognition Lab in the CVL. “The brain activation patterns of high-fit older adults in our study resemble those of the young adults during a complex cognitive task that requires switching attention focus and updating memory rapidly. This suggests that physical fitness can significantly modify age-related changes in the brain.”
The researchers used functional MRI to measure fluctuations in blood oxygen level-dependent signals as the 52 study participants performed tasks involving several varieties of cognitive control. Limited research exists on contributions of physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness to cognitive functions like those tested in the study, including switching, updating and event anticipation, Basak said.
“Our findings suggest that a lifestyle involving moderate to strenuous physical activity may help maintain cognitive processing in the prefrontal cortex of older adults that matches that of younger adults, while cardiorespiratory fitness may preserve neurovascular health of posterior brain regions,” Basak said. “What we mean by strenuous physical activity is a level of physical activity that actually gets your heart rate up and increases your lung capacity.”
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Recruitment Announcement – Technical Expert Panel (TEP) for the Expanded Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model
Abt Associates is currently recruiting a wide range of home health stakeholders—for example, providers, patient advocates, and methodologists/researchers with expertise in areas such as performance measurement, quality of care, and health equity—to participate in a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) to provide input on potential refinements to the expanded HHVBP Model.
The Call for TEP materials, including the draft TEP Charter and Nomination Form, are available at the Current TEP Opportunities webpage.
If you have general questions about the TEP and would like to contact Abt Associates, please email [email protected].
The implementation work is under CMS contract number HHSM-500-2014-00026I and task order number HHSM-500-T0002. |
Caregivers Count! 13th Annual Conference
When: September 9, 16, 23, and 30, from 10 a.m. - 12 noon (PT)
Where: Online
Caregivers Count is designed for families and friends caring for their loved ones. This four-part online conference features expert speakers covering wide ranging topics to support caregivers. This year’s topics include: Making Tender Memories, Anticipatory Grief, Caring for Someone who did not Care for you, and Effective Communication with Medical Providers.
Schedule
- September 9: Making Tender Memories
- September 16: Anticipatory Grief
- September 23: Caring for Someone who did not Care for you
- September 30: Effective Communication with Medical Providers
Cost: No charge
Registration: Click here |
CMS: Nearly 400 Hospices Considered for ‘Administrative Action’ as Program Integrity Efforts Heat Up
Hospice News | By Jim Parker
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is considering administrative action against 400 hospices, which could include revocation of their Medicare certification.
The agency has been mobilizing against hospice fraud this year. In addition to new regulations and updated survey processes, CMS has been conducting unannounced onsite visits. To date, CMS personnel have appeared at 7,000 locations, with plans to visit every hospice site in the country.
Two CMS officials outlined the effort in a blog post emailed to Hospice News — Dara Corrigan, CMS deputy administrator and director of the Center for Program Integrity, and Dr. Dora Hughes, acting director of the agency’s Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ) and acting CMS chief medical officer.
“CMS revisited and revitalized our hospice program integrity strategy, focusing on identifying bad actors and addressing fraudulent activity to minimize impacts to beneficiaries in the Medicare program,” Corrigan and Hughes wrote. “As part of this strategy, CMS embarked on a nationwide hospice site visit project, making unannounced site visits to every Medicare-enrolled hospice. Our goal was to protect patients and their families from engaging with fraudulent actors by making sure that each hospice is operational at the address listed on their enrollment form.”
The agency is working to curb the impact of a rash of new providers that have emerged so far in four states: California, Arizona, Texas and Nevada…
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RSV Vaccine Approved for Use by Pregnant Women to Protect Newborns
KSL.com | By Lois Collins
WASHINGTON — For the first time, there's a vaccine for pregnant women to protect their babies against respiratory syncytial virus. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week approved Abrysvo for use at 32 to 36 weeks of gestation.
The vaccine, made by Pfizer, will protect infants from birth to up to 6 months of age from severe lower respiratory disease symptoms because of RSV, the agency said in announcing the approval, though the efficacy wanes to about 69% by 6 months.
"RSV is a common cause of illness in children and infants are among those at highest risk for severe disease, which can lead to hospitalization," said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, in the news release. "This approval provides an option for health care providers and pregnant individuals to protect infants from this potentially life-threatening disease."…
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