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Stigsdotter Neely, AnnaORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0003-3450-8067
Publications (4 of 4) Show all publications
Malmberg Gavelin, H., Eskilsson, T., Boraxbekk, C.-J., Josefsson, M., Stigsdotter Neely, A. & Slunga Järvholm, L. (2018). Rehabilitation for improved cognition in patients with stress-related exhaustion disorder: RECO – a randomized clinical trial. Stress, 21(4), 279-291
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Rehabilitation for improved cognition in patients with stress-related exhaustion disorder: RECO – a randomized clinical trial
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2018 (English)In: Stress, ISSN 1025-3890, E-ISSN 1607-8888, Vol. 21, no 4, p. 279-291Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Stress-related exhaustion has been associated with selective and enduring cognitive impairments. However, little is known about how to address cognitive deficits in stress rehabilitation and how this influences stress recovery over time. The aim of this open-label, parallel randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03073772) was to investigate the long-term effects of 12 weeks cognitive or aerobic training on cognitive function, psychological health and work ability for patients diagnosed with exhaustion disorder (ED). One-hundred-and-thirty-two patients (111 women) participating in multimodal stress rehabilitation were randomized to receive additional cognitive training (n = 44), additional aerobic training (n = 47) or no additional training (n = 41). Treatment effects were assessed before, immediately after and one-year post intervention. The primary outcome was global cognitive function. Secondary outcomes included domain-specific cognition, self-reported burnout, depression, anxiety, fatigue and work ability, aerobic capacity and sick-leave levels. Intention-to-treat analysis revealed a small but lasting improvement in global cognitive functioning for the cognitive training group, paralleled by a large improvement on a trained updating task. The aerobic training group showed improvements in aerobic capacity and episodic memory immediately after training, but no long-term benefits. General improvements in psychological health and work ability were observed, with no difference between interventional groups. Our findings suggest that cognitive training may be a viable method to address cognitive impairments for patients with ED, whereas the effects of aerobic exercise on cognition may be more limited when performed during a restricted time period. The implications for clinical practice in supporting patients with ED to adhere to treatment are discussed.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Taylor & Francis, 2018
Keywords
burnout, stress rehabilitation, cognitive training, aerobic training, exhaustion disorder, randomized controlled trial
National Category
Applied Psychology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-147074 (URN)10.1080/10253890.2018.1461833 (DOI)000442694000001 ()29693483 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85046011368 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Forte, Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, 2009-0772Forte, Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, 2013-2056Swedish Social Insurance Agency, 99368-2009/RS09Västerbotten County Council
Available from: 2018-04-26 Created: 2018-04-26 Last updated: 2023-03-24Bibliographically approved
Malmberg Gavelin, H., Stigsdotter Neely, A., Andersson, M., Eskilsson, T., Slunga Järvholm, L. & Boraxbekk, C.-J. (2017). Neural activation in stress-related exhaustion: cross-sectional observations and interventional effects. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 269, 17-25
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Neural activation in stress-related exhaustion: cross-sectional observations and interventional effects
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2017 (English)In: Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, ISSN 0925-4927, E-ISSN 1872-7506, Vol. 269, p. 17-25Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the association between burnout and neural activation during working memory processing in patients with stress-related exhaustion. Additionally, we investigated the neural effects of cognitive training as part of stress rehabilitation. Fifty-five patients with clinical diagnosis of exhaustion disorder were administered the n-back task during fMRI scanning at baseline. Ten patients completed a 12-week cognitive training intervention, as an addition to stress rehabilitation. Eleven patients served as a treatment-as-usual control group. At baseline, burnout level was positively associated with neural activation in the rostral prefrontal cortex, the posterior parietal cortex and the striatum, primarily in the 2-back condition. Following stress rehabilitation, the striatal activity decreased as a function of improved levels of burnout. No significant association between burnout level and working memory performance was found, however, our findings indicate that frontostriatal neural responses related to working memory were modulated by burnout severity. We suggest that patients with high levels of burnout need to recruit additional cognitive resources to uphold task performance. Following cognitive training, increased neural activation was observed during 3-back in working memory-related regions, including the striatum, however, low sample size limits any firm conclusions.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Clare: Elsevier, 2017
Keywords
Working memory fMRI, Burnout, Stress rehabilitation, Exhaustion disorder, Cognitive training
National Category
Neurosciences Applied Psychology
Research subject
Psychology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-139932 (URN)10.1016/j.pscychresns.2017.08.008 (DOI)000412461700003 ()28917154 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85029348801 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2017-10-10 Created: 2017-10-10 Last updated: 2023-03-24Bibliographically approved
Nordvall, O., Jonsson, B. & Stigsdotter Neely, A. (2017). Self-reported and performance-based measures of executive functions in interned youth. Psychology, Crime and Law, 23(3), 240-253
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Self-reported and performance-based measures of executive functions in interned youth
2017 (English)In: Psychology, Crime and Law, ISSN 1068-316X, E-ISSN 1477-2744, Vol. 23, no 3, p. 240-253Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

This study address three questions: (a) Do interned adolescents exhibit general or specific deficits in the core executive functions, as compared to an age-matched control group? (b) Do interned adolescents report more executive problems in everyday life, as compared to an age-matched control group? And (c) are performance-based measures of executive functions related to self-reported executive problems? Thirty-one interned youths and 40 non-interned controls participated in the study. To this end, we measured the three constituents (inhibition, shifting, and updating) of the Unity/Diversity model of executive functioning, as well as the participants’ self-reported everyday executive functioning using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions scale. The interned group performed less well compared to the control group on the majority of performance-based tasks but did not show more pronounced deficits in any one executive function, reflective of a more general deficit. Compared to the controls, the interned adolescents also reported more dysfunction in executive behaviors related to the ability to inhibit action, behavioral flexibility, working memory, and the ability to follow through with tasks. Overall, correlations between self-report and performance-based measures were weak. These findings suggest that performance-based and self-report measures may assess different, albeit important, aspects of executive functioning.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Routledge, 2017
Keywords
adolescence, Antisocial behavior, executive functions, performance-based measures, ratings of behavior
National Category
Psychology (excluding Applied Psychology)
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-128353 (URN)10.1080/1068316X.2016.1239725 (DOI)000395410000003 ()2-s2.0-84991037578 (Scopus ID)
Funder
The Swedish National Board of Institutional Care, SiS, 1.2009/0018.5-1
Available from: 2016-12-02 Created: 2016-12-02 Last updated: 2023-03-23Bibliographically approved
Nordvall, O., Stigsdotter Neely, A. & Jonsson, B.Limited effects of executive-process training in interned and non-interned adolescents: Issues of transfer to school-related tasks, performance-based, and self-assessed cognition.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Limited effects of executive-process training in interned and non-interned adolescents: Issues of transfer to school-related tasks, performance-based, and self-assessed cognition
(English)Manuscript (preprint) (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a process-based executive functions (EFs) training program in interned and in non-interned adolescents. In particular, the extent to which training effects were transferred to non-trained executive functions, scholastic performance, as well as to self-reported everyday executive functioning, was addressed. Three groups participated in the study: one group consisted of interned adolescents receiving EF-training (n=21), the other two 30 non-interned adolescents randomized to either EF-training (n=15) or alternatively placebo-training (n=15). All three groups participated in 28 computer-based training sessions, each lasting 20 minutes, over a period of 10 weeks. Theresults showed that the non-interned adolescents receiving EF training did not improve over and above that of the placebo-training group on any of the criterion and transfer tasks, nor in self-assessed cognition. Instead both groups showed equivalent gains suggesting that the improvements seen after training most likely is driven by placebo responses. Comparing the interned and non-interned training progression revealed that the non-interned group gained substantially more across training than the interned group. Still, both groups showed equal improvements in several non-trained tasks, along with self-reported aspects of working memory and planning ability. The implication of these findings for EF training as part of rehabilitation in incarcerated settings will be discussed below.

Keywords
Cognitive training, Executive functions, Adolescence, Antisocial behavior, Self-reports
National Category
Psychology (excluding Applied Psychology)
Research subject
Psychology; caring sciences in social sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-144759 (URN)
Funder
The Kempe FoundationsThe Swedish National Board of Institutional Care, SiS, 1.2009/0018.5-1
Available from: 2018-02-13 Created: 2018-02-13 Last updated: 2018-06-09
Projects
Memory training for persons with Parkinson's diesease [2014-01654_Forte]; Umeå University
Organisations
Identifiers
ORCID iD: ORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0003-3450-8067

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