Objective To test the hypothesis that aerobic exercise is associated with improvements in cognition and cerebrovascular regulation, we enrolled 206 healthy low-active middle-aged and older adults (mean ± SD age 65.9 ± 6.4 years) in a supervised 6-month aerobic exercise intervention and assessed them before and after the intervention. Methods The study is a quasi-experimental single group pre/postintervention study. Neuropsychological tests were used to assess cognition before and after the intervention. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound was used to measure cerebral blood flow velocity. Cerebrovascular regulation was assessed at rest, during euoxic hypercapnia, and in response to submaximal exercise. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the association between changes in cognition and changes in cerebrovascular function. Results The intervention was associated with improvements in some cognitive domains, cardiorespiratory fitness, and cerebrovascular regulation. Changes in executive functions were negatively associated with changes in cerebrovascular resistance index (CVRi) during submaximal exercise (β = −0.205, p = 0.013), while fluency improvements were positively associated with changes in CVRi during hypercapnia (β = 0.106, p = 0.03). Conclusion The 6-month aerobic exercise intervention was associated with improvements in some cognitive domains and cerebrovascular regulation. Secondary analyses showed a novel association between changes in cognition and changes in cerebrovascular regulation during euoxic hypercapnia and in response to submaximal exercise.

Objective: To investigate the sex and gender differences in the impact of the isolation period implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals’ sleep quality, empathy and mood. Design: Data were collected between March 23 and June 7, 2020 on a sample of volunteers in the Canadian population. Six hundred and thirty-eight volunteers completed an online survey (~30 minutes). Main outcome and measures: We first examined biological sex, gender and sexual identity differences (both components of the ampler concept of gender) in sleep empathy, and mood disturbances. Then, we assessed changes in sleep and mood over the course of the isolation period and then tested for significant relationships between sleep variables, mood and empathy. Results: We analyzed complete data for 573 participants (112 males and 459 females, 2 undisclosed, meanSD age = 25.910.5 years, meanSD education = 16.2 2.9 years). As compared to males, female participants reported lower quality of sleep, lower sleep efficiency, and greater symptoms of insomnia, anxiety, depression and trauma. In addition, females reported higher scores than males on the IRI empathy scale and all its subcomponents. Similar results were found when stratifying by gender. Sleep and mood disturbances increased over the course of the isolation period in the whole sample. The most significant predictors of poor quality of sleep and insomnia were depression, anxiety, and trauma scores, especially in females; higher empathy trait was associated with higher depression, anxiety, and trauma scores, perhaps indicating a more positive role of fear and anxiety responses to the pandemic crisis. Significance and conclusions: Sex and gender differences seem to play a role in the individuals’ psychological and behavioral reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic. These differences need to be considered in planning targeted psychological interventions.

Objective: Neurocognitive functions are affected by high altitude, however the altitude effects of acclimatization and repeated exposures are unclear. We investigated the effects of acute, subacute and repeated exposure to 5,050 m on cognition among altitude-naïve participants compared to control subjects tested at low altitude. Methods: Twenty-one altitude-naïve individuals (25.3 ± 3.8 years, 13 females) were exposed to 5,050 m for 1 week (Cycle 1) and re-exposed after a week of rest at sea-level (Cycle 2). Baseline (BL, 520 m), acute (Day 1, HA1) and acclimatization (Day 6, HA6, 5,050 m) measurements were taken in both cycles. Seventeen control subjects (24.9 ± 2.6 years, 12 females) were tested over a similar period in Calgary, Canada (1,103 m). The Reaction Time (RTI), Attention Switching Task (AST), Rapid Visual Processing (RVP) and One Touch Stockings of Cambridge (OTS) tasks were administered and outcomes were expressed in milliseconds/frequencies. Lake Louise Score (LLS) and blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂) were recorded. Results: In both cycles, no significant changes were found with acute exposure on the AST total score, mean latency and SD. Significant changes were found upon acclimatization solely in the altitude group, with improved AST Mean Latency [HA1 (588 ± 92) vs. HA6 (526 ± 91), p < 0.001] and Latency SD [HA1 (189 ± 86) vs. HA6 (135 ± 65), p < 0.001] compared to acute exposure, in Cycle 1. No significant differences were present in the control group. When entering Acute SpO₂ (HA1-BL), Acclimatization SpO₂ (HA6-BL) and LLS score as covariates for both cycles, the effects of acclimatization on AST outcomes disappeared indicating that the changes were partially explained by SpO₂ and LLS. The changes in AST Mean Latency [ΔBL (−61.2 ± 70.2) vs. ΔHA6 (−28.0 ± 58), p = 0.005] and the changes in Latency SD [ΔBL (−28.4 ± 41.2) vs. ΔHA6 (−0.2235 ± 34.8), p = 0.007] across the two cycles were smaller with acclimatization. However, the percent changes did not differ between cycles. These results indicate independent effects of altitude across repeated exposures. Conclusions: Selective and sustained attention are impaired at altitude and improves with acclimatization.The observed changes are associated, in part, with AMS score and SpO₂. The gains in cognition with acclimatization during a first exposure are not carried over to repeated exposures.