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The Emotional Stroop (ES) task (I. H. Gotlib & C. D. McCann, 1984) has been proposed as an experimental measure to assess the processing of emotion or the bias in attention of emotion-laden information. However, study results have not been consistent. To further examine its reliability for empirical research, the authors of this study administered the ES task to 33 participants on 2 separate occasions separated by 1 week. Results indicated that retest reliabilities for reaction times (RTs) derived from the 3 separate emotion conditions (manic, neutral, and depressive) across the 1 week interval were very high. However, consistent with previous research, the reliabilities were very low for the interference indices (manic and depressive). These low reliabilities reflect the very high intercorrelation between the RTs derived from the 3 conditions. The authors concluded that a better indicator of the reliability for this task is the individual RTs from each emotion condition.

Alcohol intoxication and distraction are two of the leading factors associated with impaired driving and fatalities, especially among younger drivers. However, it is currently unclear how these conditions affect mechanisms of visual attention considered essential for driving. The present article first reviews the literature to provide an overview of visual attention as it relates to driving. Secondly, the effects of alcohol and distraction on neurocognitive mechanisms of visual attention are summarised to provide a background which informs discussion of selected driving studies. Visual scanning impairment is identified as a consequence of both alcohol and distraction. Thus, experimental studies combining the use of simulated driving and eye tracking technologies are selected and critically reviewed to assess the relationship between eye movements and driving errors as possible indicators of visual scanning impairment. Seven of the eight studies selected investigated the effects of distraction while only one addressed alcohol. Evaluation of these studies suggests that distraction may affect visual scanning by increasing cognitive load which interferes with visual processing. The evidence for effects of alcohol on drivers' visual scanning capacity is currently scarce due to the lack of research with a specific focus on impairments of eye movement in intoxicated drivers. Lack of consistency between studies is identified as a current issue which makes it difficult to compare the results of different studies. Finally, we note that our strict selection of driving studies to avoid greater disparity between them is a limitation of the present review.

Summary As the Australian population ages the burden of dementia is increasing. Conventional drug treatment only provides modest benefits for patients, so patients and their carers often turn to complementary medicines. early trials showed promise for some compounds but larger better conducted studies have usually failed to confirm these benefits. However, there have been few large-scale interventions using complementary medicines for cognition. Health professionals should always ask patients (and their carers) if complementary medicines are being taken because adverse effects and interactions with conventional drugs can occur.

In recent years, the Australian university sector has undergone large-scale organizational change, including restructuring, downsizing and government funding cuts. At the same time, research from across the globe reports an alarming increase in the occupational stress experienced by university staff. We report on the first phase of a longitudinal investigation of occupational stress. A total of 22 focus groups were conducted with a representative sample of 178 academic and general staff from 15 Australian universities. The groups focused on understanding staff 's experience of occupational stress, and perceptions of the sources, consequences and moderators of stress. Both general and academic staff reported a dramatic increase in stress during the previous 5 years. As a group, academic staff reported higher levels of stress than general staff. Five major sources of stress were identified including: insufficient funding and resources; work overload; poor management practice; job insecurity; and insufficien...

Background Workplace stress in Australia and other western countries has been steadily increasing over the past decade. It can be observed not only in terms of increased compensation claims but also costs due to absenteeism, loss of productivity at work and reduced psychological and physiological health and well-being. Given the cost and pervasive effects of stress in the modern workforce, time efficient and cost-effective interventions capable of reducing occupational stress (or strain) and burnout are urgently required for the improved well-being of stressed employees. One intervention gaining scientific traction is supplementation with nutritional interventions, particularly the B group vitamins. Methods This study was developed to examine the effects of B group vitamins on workplace stress and mood variables with a sample of full-time employed older adults who subjectively report feeling stressed. The study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-groups clinical trial where 200 (N = 100/group) participants will be randomized to receive Blackmores® Executive B Stress Formula or placebo daily for a period of 6 months. Participants will be tested at baseline and 6 months post-randomization on workplace stress, cognitive, personality and mood measures, cardiovascular (brachial and aortic systolic and diastolic blood pressures as well as arterial stiffness), biochemical (assays to measure inflammation and safety) as well as genetic assessments (to assess stress processing) and neuroimaging measures (to investigate in vivo mechanisms of action of B vitamins). In addition to this pre- and post- supplementation testing, participants will also complete a battery of self-report questionnaires online to assess their stress and mood once a month for the duration of the study. The primary aim of the study is to investigate the effects of B vitamin supplementation on work related stress. The secondary aims are to explore the mechanisms underpinning any changes in mood or workplace stress due to the B vitamin intervention by examining relationships between cognitive, biological, neuroimaging and cardiovascular variables over 6 months. A subset of 40 participants (N = 20/group) will undergo neuroimaging at baseline and at 6 months using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in order to further explore in vivo mechanisms of action of B vitamins. Trial registration Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register (ANZCTR):ACTRN12613000294752

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To examine whether the identification of patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome can be made using more objective criteria than presently available (1), we compared 14 patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and 12 patients with chronic fatigue (but who did not meet the criteria for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) on sleep architecture, continuity, and sleep abnormalities from polysomnography recordings. No differences in sleep continuity or architecture were found between the two groups, except that patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome recorded significantly increased sleep latencies. There were no differences in the frequency of sleep disorders. Results indicated that apart from sleep latency, other sleep variables do not adequately differentiate patients with CFS from those with chronic fatigue and that other variables should be examined, which may validly diagnose patients with CFS.

Previous research has suggested that exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields increases electroencephalogram spectral power in non-rapid eye movement sleep. Other sleep parameters have also been affected following exposure. We examined whether aspects of sleep architecture show sensitivity to electromagnetic fields emitted by digital mobile phone handsets. Fifty participants were exposed to electromagnetic fields for 30 min prior to sleep. Results showed a decrease in rapid eye movement sleep latency and increased electroencephalogram spectral power in the 11.5-12.25 Hz frequency range during the initial part of sleep following exposure. These results are evidence that mobile phone exposure prior to sleep may promote rapid eye movement sleep and modify the sleep electroencephalogram in the first non-rapid eye movement sleep period.

Morningness–Eveningness refers to individual differences in circadian phase position of spontaneous sleep–wake rhythms and to subject alertness. There is some evidence indicating that performance on cognitive tasks may be influenced by Morningness–Eveningness and time-of-day. Given the potential importance of such a finding for the assessment of cognitive ability we conducted a study assessing the relationship between Morningness–Eveningness, time-of-day, and performance on the Multidimensional Aptitude Battery IQ (MAB-IQ) and Inspection Time (IT) task. Twenty male and 50 female participants classified according to their scores on the Morningness–Eveningness dimension ( Horne & Ostberg, 1976 ) were administered the MAB and IT tasks in the morning (0900 h) and in the late afternoon (1500 h). No significant effect of time of testing, and Morningness–Eveningness was observed except for the Spatial subtest of the MAB. Morning Type-participants performed significantly worse in the morning session in Spatial subtest and better in the late afternoon session and Evening Type-participants performed significantly better in the morning than in the late afternoon session. These results do not support the hypothesis that there is a reliable relationship between Morningness–Eveningness, time-of-day and cognitive ability.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture and cupping for fibromyalgia while incorporating patients’ preference into study design. Methods: The trial was registered in clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01869712). One hundred participants with fibromyalgia were to be included in this study. Diagnosis of fibromyalgia was based on the American College of Rheumatology criteria. Before treatment, participants were interviewed for their preference toward acupuncture or cupping. Fifty participants with no preference were randomly assigned to one of the two groups and another 50 participants with strong preference to either acupuncture or cupping received what they choose. For acupuncture and cupping, the main acupoints used were tender points (Ashi). The treatment session was three times a week for 5 consecutive weeks with a follow -up period of 12 weeks. Outcome measures included patient expectation, satisfaction, pain intensity, quality of life, and depression assessment. Intention to treat analysis was employed. Results: Results of intention-to-treat analysis from current 56 participants (29 in cupping group and 27 in acupuncture group, whose baseline data were comparable) showed no difference of pain intensity (Visual Analogue Scale 4.16mm, 95%confidence interval -5.40mm to 13.72mm), quality of life (SF36 5.93, 95%confidence interval -7.89 to 19.75), and depression assessment (HAMD 0.42, 95%confidence interval -4.09 to 4.93) between groups after treatment. Similar results were got on patients expectation before treatment between groups (p>0.05), and no statistically difference was showed on satisfactory after treatment between groups (p=0.17, 59.6% in acupuncture group and 58.3% in cupping group reported satisfied with the treatment). Conclusion: The present results showed no difference of effectiveness between acupuncture and cupping therapy for treatment of fibromyalgia on relieving pain, reducing depression and improving quality of life. Hence, patients accepted acupuncture had a similar satisfactory as them who received cupping. Contact: Huijuan Cao, huijuancao327@hotmail.com