Campbellmurphy8197

The brain can utilise medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) as an alternative fuel to glucose, and research has shown that MCT ingestion improves cognitive function in diseased and/or elderly individuals. The aim of this study is to determine if these improvements can also be observed in young, healthy adults. Furthermore, we aim to establish the ideal dosage and timeframe necessary for an effect.

Participants were divided equally into three groups of 10 (Placebo (0g), 12g and 18g MCT/day) and were supplemented for 4 weeks. The supplement had a C

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ratio of 3070. Participants visited the laboratory once a week for 5 weeks (baseline, test weeks 1-4) to undergo a battery of cognitive tests; Trail Making, Digit Span, Spatial Span, Covert Shift of Attention, and Rapid Visual Information Processing.

After 2-3 weeks of supplementation, MCT ingestion enhanced performance in cognitive tasks, including Trail Making A/B and Digit Span Forwards/Backwards (ps<0.001) when compared to a placebo group taking a carbohydrate gel. In Spatial Span Backwards, there was a significant main effect of group (p=0.002). Where significance was seen, there were main effects of time after 2-3 weeks (ps<0.05). read more There was minimal difference between the two MCT intervention groups in most measures (ps>0.05). There were also null results in tasks measuring attention and reaction time (ps>0.05).

MCT ingestion improved cognitive performance after 2-3 weeks, with minimal difference between taking 12g and 18g MCT/day groups, suggesting a possible dose-response threshold at 12g MCT/day when supplementing over a short period.

MCT ingestion improved cognitive performance after 2-3 weeks, with minimal difference between taking 12 g and 18 g MCT/day groups, suggesting a possible dose-response threshold at 12 g MCT/day when supplementing over a short period.Juvenile and adult rats emit two affectively different types of ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), namely aversive 22-kHz and appetitive 50-kHz USVs. Aversive 22-kHz USVs are considered to be alarm calls that communicate negative affective states to conspecific receivers. Although the alarming effects of playback of 22-kHz USVs were reported recently, behavioral data showing those effects are still not abundant. Appetitive 50-kHz USVs are considered to communicate positive affective states to conspecific receivers, to pace and coordinate social behavior. In line with this, playback of 50-kHz USVs has been found to initiate behavioral activation and induce approach behavior in receiver rats. However, most of these playback studies have used male 50-kHz USVs; thus, it seems to remain unclear whether female 50-kHz USVs exert a similar social attractant effect on male rats. To investigate these issues, we performed modified open-field tests, during which USVs were continuously presented for 15 min to male receivers. In these tests, if negative affective changes are evoked in subject rats, the time spent in the open arena decreases, while the time spent on defensive behaviors increases. In contrast, when positive affective changes are evoked, the opposite phenomenon is observed. Playback of male aversive 22-kHz USVs induced anxiety-related defensive responses in receivers. However, playback of female appetitive frequency-modulated (FM) 50-kHz USVs increased opposite, appetitive pattern of exploratory behavior with increased exploration. The results indicate that playback of male aversive 22-kHz and female appetitive 50-kHz USVs might induce behavioral responses probably associated with negative and positive affective states in male rats, respectively, suggesting the validity of rat USVs as an animal model of vocal communication of emotion.Distilled water with NaHCO3 and KCl is a solution often referred to as 'artificial saliva' because its chemical composition mimics human saliva. It is often used as a control stimulus in gustatory research, especially in neuroimaging, owing to the claim that it does not produce a response in primary gustatory cortex Yet evidence that human research volunteers perceive this liquid as affectively neutral is lacking. Unpublished data from our lab suggested that this solution might be perceived as aversive. This study set out to systematically test the parameters influencing taste neutrality. We used two different concentrations of distilled water with NaHCO3 and KCl, as well as bottled water as a control stimulus. Healthy adults rated all stimuli on two separate scales to rule out an interpretation based on the specifics of a single scale. Our participants rated artificial saliva as aversive on both scales. The bottled water was rated as neutral in valence on both scales, and as significantly less intense in sensation than both concentrations of the artificial saliva. This is the first study to have directly tested the subjective feelings that accompany the ingestion of these oft-used solutions on a trial-by-trial basis. We found that these stimuli, which were previously assumed to be neutral, may not be perceived as such by research participants. Therefore, future gustatory studies should take care when using this solution as a neutral baseline. It is advised that trial-by-trial ratings are collected. Also, depending on the nature of future studies, bottled water may be considered as a preferable neutral baseline.

This study investigated the efficacy of l-menthol mouth-rinsing on thermal sensation and perceived effort in females and males, using a fixed-rating of perceived exertion (RPE) exercise protocol in a hot environment.

Twenty-two participants (eleven females, eleven males) completed two trials using a fixed-RPE protocol at an exercise intensity between 'hard' and 'very hard', equating to 16 on the RPE scale at ~35°C. Participants adjusted power output to maintain RPE-16. In a randomised, double-blind, crossover design, l-menthol or a control mouthwash was administered at an orally neutral temperature (~32 °C) prior to exercise and at 10min intervals thereafter. Measures of mechanical power output, core temperature, heart rate, perception of thermal sensation and thermal comfort, and whole-body sweat loss are reported.

Thermal sensation was lowered by l-menthol in both sexes (P < 0.05), however during exercise this was only maintained for 40% of the trial duration in females. Thermal comfort did not differ between conditions (P > 0.