Peixuan Zheng

Background: Walking performance is worse in Black than White adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), and that difference might extend into real-world, device-based measurements. Objective: The current study examined peak 30-minute cadence (Peak-30 _CAD ) and peak 1-minute cadence (Peak-1 _CAD ) in Black and White adults with MS. Methods: Participants with MS who self-identified as Black (n = 43) or White (n = 96) completed the Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25FW) and 6-Minute Walk (6MW), and wore an accelerometer on a belt around the waist during the waking hours of the day for a 7-day period. Results: Peak-30 _CAD and Peak-1 _CAD along with T25FW and 6MW were significantly lower in Black than White participants when controlling for imbalances in age, sex, education, and disease duration, with the differences approaching a moderate magnitude. The differences in Peak-30 _CAD and Peak-1 _CAD were smaller and non-significant in additional sensitivity analyses further controlling for number of days of valid accelerometer data. Peak-30 _CAD and Peak-1 _CAD had strong correlations with T25FW and 6MW in Black and White participants. Conclusion: Peak-30 _CAD and Peak-1 _CAD were associated with laboratory-based walking performance in both Black and White adults with MS and may provide complementary real-world mobility metrics.

In increasingly diverse societies, intergroup prosocial behavior is crucial for improving intergroup relations and facilitating cross-group cooperation. Guided by the Fusion–Secure Base Hypothesis, the present research uses the North–South cultural divide in China as a meaningful intergroup boundary and examines whether identity fusion among Southern Chinese young adults is associated with intergroup prosocial behavior and through which psychological pathways. Study 1 employed a cross-sectional survey (N = 609) and showed that identity fusion was positively associated with intergroup prosocial behavior; group efficacy and empathy displayed parallel indirect effects linking identity fusion to intergroup prosocial behavior. Study 2 used a one-factor, three-level between-subjects experiment (N = 72) in which participants completed a Southern regional social self-reflection task, a personal self-reflection task, or a control task describing the laboratory setting. Results indicated that both activation groups reported higher intergroup prosocial intention than the control group, whereas the difference between the two activation groups was not significant. Exploratory mediation analyses suggested that group efficacy showed relatively more consistent preliminary evidence than empathy. Overall, the findings offer preliminary evidence that identity fusion is associated with intergroup prosocial behavior, while also suggesting that the underlying psychological pathways require further investigation.

Research demonstrates that exercise training is both safe and beneficial for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). This is a timely opportunity to upda

Background: People with multiple sclerosis (MS) often demonstrate both cognitive and physical dysfunctions, particularly with greater age and lower physical activity levels, and there is evidence of a relationship between these outcomes (i.e., cognitive–motor coupling) in MS. To date, little is known about cognitive–motor coupling when controlling for chronological age and levels of physical activity. Objectives: We examined cognitive–motor coupling in people with MS while accounting for chronological age and physical activity. Methods: The sample included 290 people with MS between the ages of 22 and 77 years. Participants underwent the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) for cognitive processing speed and the California Verbal Learning and Memory Test–Second Edition (CVLT-II) for verbal learning and memory. Participants completed the 6-Minute Walk and the Timed 25-Foot Walk tests for walking endurance and speed, respectively. Participants wore an accelerometer for a 7-day period to measure moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Results: The bivariate correlation analyses indicated that cognitive function had moderate-to-strong associations with motor function (range of r_s between 0.433 and 0.459). The linear regression analyses indicated cognitive–motor coupling between SDMT and motor function (with a range of β between 0.139 and 0.145) when controlling for demographic and clinical characteristics. The regression analyses further indicated that the CVLT-II was associated with motor function (with a range of β between 0.125 and 0.135) when controlling for demographic and clinical characteristics. When age and MVPA were entered into the regression analyses, SDMT was still associated with the motor function of individuals (β = 0.119), and CVLT-II was still associated with the motor function of individuals (with a range of β between 0.115 and 0.124). Conclusions: Cognitive–motor coupling is present in people with MS independent of chronological age and levels of physical activity. This warrants further investigation of the underlying mechanism and potential approaches for the management of co-occurring MS-related dysfunction.

Background: Cadence-controlled walking may be a desirable approach for older adults to self-monitor exercise intensity and achieve physical activity guidelines. We examined the acute effects of cadence-controlled walking on cognition and vascular function in physically inactive older adults. Methods: In a randomized crossover design, 26 participants (65% females, 67.8 ± 11.3 years) underwent 30-min acute exercise (walking at 100 steps/min) and control (sitting) conditions. We measured cognition, central blood pressure (BP), and arterial stiffness before, and immediately, after each condition. Results: We observed significant Time × Condition interactions in the Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention (Flanker) test and Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) test scores, and in central systolic BP, central pulse pressure, and carotid to femoral pulse wave velocity (p < .05). The Flanker and DCCS scores significantly increased after walking (d = 0.4 and 0.5, respectively), but not after sitting. Central systolic BP, central pulse pressure, and carotid to femoral pulse wave velocity significantly increased after sitting but remained unchanged after acute walking (d = 0.4–0.2), with p-values < .05. After walking, significant correlations were observed between DCCS and diastolic BP and central pulse pressure change scores and change scores in central pulse wave velocity, Flanker, and DCCS (r_s = −0.45 to −0.52). Conclusion: These findings suggest that a single bout of cadence-controlled walking elicited an immediate improvement in cognition and might have mitigated increases in arterial stiffness and central BP observed in the seated control condition. Further research is needed to examine the association between cognition and vascular function following acute exercise compared to control conditions. Significance: Our findings may have practical implications for developing daily physical activity recommendations for improving the cognitive health for successful aging.

The U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) physical activity monitor datasets for 2011–12 and 2013–14 were released in late 2020. To date, there has been limited interpretation of these nationally representative wrist‐worn accelerometer data (summarized and reported in Monitor Independent Movement Summary [MIMS] units) and their relationships with health‐related outcomes. This study examined the associations between free‐living Daily_MIMS (volume), Peak 1_MIMS and Peak 30_MIMS (intensity), and risk of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). Data from adults (N=3787; 18–80+ years) in the 2011–12 and 2013–14 NHANES cycles with health examination and accelerometry data were included. Accelerometer data were processed into Peak 1_MIMS and Peak 30_MIMS (MIMS/min), and Daily_MIMS (MIMS/day). Design‐based generalized linear and logistic regressions, and a sample‐weighted decision tree, were used to examine associations between MIMS variables and MetS risk factors. Lower Peak 1_MIMS, Peak 30_MIMS, and Daily_MIMS were observed for every one‐unit increase in the number of risk factors −3.9 [95% CI: −4.3, −3.4] and −2.3 [−2.6, −2.1] MIMS/min, (−672.1 [−772.7, −571.5] MIMS/day, respectively, all p< 0.001). The Decision Tree classified individuals ≥ 46.5 years with a Daily_MIMS ≥ 12 245 MIMS/day and a Peak 30_MIMS < 45.1 MIMS/min as having MetS (≥ 3 risk factors). Individuals < 46.5 years with a Peak 1_MIMS ≥ 62.9 MIMS/min were classified with 0 risk factors. Higher Daily_MIMS and Peak_MIMS were associated with an absence of MetS risk factors, with a progressive decline as the number of risk factors increased. These findings may be considered as preliminary benchmarks for Daily_MIMS and Peak_MIMS associated with cardiometabolic risk.