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Summary: The Stroop colour word test (SCWT) has been widely used to assess changes in cognitive performance such as processing speed, selective attention and the degree of automaticity. Moreover, the SCWT has proven to be a valuable tool to assess neuronal plasticity that is coupled to improvement in performance in clinical populations. In a previous study, we showed impaired cognitive processing during SCWT along with reduced task‐related activations in patients with fibromyalgia. In this study, we used SCWT and functional magnetic resonance imagingFMRI to investigate the effects of a 15‐week physical exercise intervention on cognitive performance, task‐related cortical activation and distraction‐induced analgesia (DIA) in patients with fibromyalgia and healthy controls. The exercise intervention yielded reduced fibromyalgia symptoms, improved cognitive processing and increased task‐related activation of amygdala, but no effect on DIA. Our results suggest beneficial effects of physical exercise on cognitive functioning in FM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The H2020/PERISCOPE project, including 32 partners from European universities & agencies, began 1st November 2020 and will last 36 months. The overarching objectives of PERISCOPE are to map and analyse the unintended impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak; develop solutions and guidance for policymakers and health authorities on how to mitigate the impact of the outbreak; enhance Europe's preparedness for future similar events; and reflect on the futuremulti-level governance in the health as well as other domains affected by the outbreak. During this session we will report about early lessons learnt fromthe mapping and assessments of the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on mental health at national and subnational level in the EU with respect to individuals, communities and societies. Further, we will comment on their comparability. The aim is to explore differences between countries regarding the occurrence of mental ill health, and especially the impact on vulnerable groups, and how this is related to exposure to SARS-CoV-2, differences in policies over time, and effects on the economy. We will reflect on the short- and long-term consequences on mental health and health inequalities, report on the ongoing development of holistic policy guidelines for health authorities & other authorities, and from the analysis of multilevel governance, at local, regional and national level, memberstate - EU-level, and EU - global governance level. PERISCOPE will continue collecting data and updating a common data "Atlas", which would lead the consortium to engage inmodelling and experiments to provide "continuous nowcasting" of the outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]