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Workplace stress is a significant risk for individuals in high-stress jobs. Identifying valid and reliable tools to measure conditions related to workplace stress is essential for targeted interventions. This study aimed to determine the psychometric properties of the revised and Iranian version of the Health & Safety Executive Management Standards Indicator Tool (MSIT-IR). The item pool was created based on the Health & Safety Executive Management Standards Indicator Tool (HSE-MSIT) and findings from a qualitative study. After face and content validity, the psychometric properties of the Indicator Tool were examined. Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s omega, and the intra-class correlation coefficient were calculated to assess reliability. A total of 220 health care workers from 80 primary health care centers completed the MSIT-IR. In exploratory factor analysis, 35 items were loaded, which indicated a 9-factor solution for the questionnaire: Superior support, Demands, Job control, Social support, Changes, Relationships, and three new factors, including Non-job factors, Cognitive structure, and Individual context. Cronbach’s alpha (0.949), MacDonald Omega (from 0.739 to 0.894), and intra-class correlation coefficient (0.92) were acceptable. Overall, the results show that the MSIT-IR is reliable and valid. In other words, MSIT-IR can be useful for identifying organizational, social, and individual factors related to workplace stress and implementing targeted interventions. However, further evaluation of MSIT-IR is recommended.

The vast majority of states have enacted full or partial medical marijuana (MMJ) programs, causing the number of patients seeking certification for MMJ use to increase dramatically in recent years. Despite increased use of MMJ across the nation, no studies thus far have examined the specific impact of MMJ on cognitive function and related brain activation. In the present study, MMJ patients seeking treatment for a variety of documented medical conditions were assessed prior to initiating MMJ treatment and after 3 months of treatment as part of a larger longitudinal study. In order to examine the effect of MMJ treatment on task-related brain activation, MMJ patients completed the Multi-Source Interference Test (MSIT) while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We also collected data regarding conventional medication use, clinical state, and health-related measures at each visit. Following 3 months of treatment, MMJ patients demonstrated improved task performance accompanied by changes in brain activation patterns within the cingulate cortex and frontal regions. Interestingly, after MMJ treatment, brain activation patterns appeared more similar to those exhibited by healthy controls from previous studies than at pre-treatment, suggestive of a potential normalization of brain function relative to baseline. These findings suggest that MMJ use may result in different effects relative to recreational marijuana (MJ) use, as recreational consumers have been shown to exhibit decrements in task performance accompanied by altered brain activation. Moreover, patients in the current study also reported improvements in clinical state and health-related measures as well as notable decreases in prescription medication use, particularly opioids and benzodiapezines after 3 months of treatment. Further research is needed to clarify the specific neurobiologic impact, clinical efficacy, and unique effects of MMJ for a range of indications and how it compares to recreational MJ use.

The gamma-band response is thought to represent a key neural signature of information processing in the human brain. These brain signals have been associated with a variety of sensory modalities (vision, sensation, and audition) and also following basic motor responses, yet the functional significance of the motor gamma-band response remains unclear. We used the Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT) to assess the sensitivity of these cortical motor gamma-band rhythms to stimuli producing response interference. We recorded MEG from adult participants (N=24) during MSIT task performance and compared motor gamma-band activity on Control and Interference trials. Reaction time on MSIT Interference trials was significantly longer (~0.2s) for all subjects. Response interference produced a significant increase in motor gamma-band activity including ~0.5s sustained increase in gamma-band activity from contralateral primary motor area directly preceding the response. In addition, activation of increased right Inferior Frontal Gyrus (R-IFG) was observed at gamma-band frequencies ~0.2s prior to the button press response. Post-hoc analysis of R-IFG gamma-band activity was observed to correlate with reaction time increases to response interference. Our study is the first to record MEG during MSIT task performance. We observed novel activity of the motor gamma-band on interference trials which was sustained prior to the response and in novel locations including contralateral (BA6), and R-IFG. Our results support the idea that R-IFG is specialized structure for response control that also functions at gamma-band frequencies. Together, these data provide evidence for a motor gamma-band network for response selection and maintenance of planned behavior. ► We measured motor gamma-band responses during MSIT task performance. ► Response interference trials were associated with increased motor gamma-band activity. ► This pre-response (~0.5s) gamma-band activity was localized to contralateral BA6. ► Right Inferior Frontal Gyrus (R-IFG) was also observed on interference trials. ► R-IFG activity was observed to correlate with reaction time.

Introduction Bidirectional effects between cognition and pain have been extensively reported. Although brain regions involved in cognitive and pain processing seem to partly overlap, it is unknown what specific brain regions are involved in the interaction between pain and cognition. Furthermore, the role of gonadal hormones on these interacting effects has not been examined. This study investigated brain activation patterns of the interaction between pain and cognition over different phases of the naturally occurring menstrual cycle. Methods Fifteen healthy normally cycling females were examined over the course of 4 different cycle phases. Sensory stimulation was applied using electrical pulses and cognitive performance was assessed using the Multi‐Source Interference Task. Brain imaging consisted of functional magnetic resonance imaging using a repeated measures ANOVA group analysis approach. Results Sensory stimulation was found to interact with task performance in the left precuneus, left posterior cingulate cortex and right inferior parietal lobule. No effects of cycle phase were observed to interact with main effects of stimulation, task or interaction effects between task performance and sensory stimulation. Conclusion Potential neural correlates of shared resources between pain and cognition were demonstrated providing further insights into the potential mechanisms behind cognitive performance difficulties in pain patients and opening avenues for new treatment options including targeting specific cognitive factors in pain treatment such as cognitive interference. Neural correlates of shared resources between pain and cognition were demonstrated in the precuneus, cingulate gyrus, and inferior parietal lobule. There were no significant effects of interactions of menstrual cycle phase.

Functional neuroimaging studies demonstrate age-related differences in recruitment of a large-scale attentional network during interference resolution, especially within dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). These alterations in functional responses have been frequently observed despite equivalent task performance, suggesting age-related reallocation of neural resources, although direct evidence for a facilitating effect in aging is sparse. We used the multi-source interference task and multivariate partial-least-squares to investigate age-related differences in the neuronal signature of conflict resolution, and their behavioral implications in younger and older adults. There were interference-related increases in activity, involving fronto-parietal and basal ganglia networks that generalized across age. In addition an age-by-task interaction was observed within a distributed network, including DLPFC and ACC, with greater activity during interference in the old. Next, we combined brain–behavior and functional connectivity analyses to investigate whether compensatory brain changes were present in older adults, using DLPFC and ACC as regions of interest (i.e. seed regions). This analysis revealed two networks differentially related to performance across age groups. A structural analysis revealed age-related gray-matter losses in regions facilitating performance in the young, suggesting that functional reorganization may partly reflect structural alterations in aging. Collectively, these findings suggest that age-related structural changes contribute to reductions in the efficient recruitment of a youth-like interference network, which cascades into instantiation of a different network facilitating conflict resolution in elderly people. •Old adults were less accurate than young adults during the interference condition.•Greater activity during interference in the old was observed in DLPFC and ACC.•Connectivity networks differentially related to performance across age groups.•Age-related GM losses were seen in regions facilitated performance in the young.

A promising approach in neuroimaging studies aimed at understanding effects of single genetic variants on behavior is the study of gene–trait interactions. Variation in the catechol-O-methyl-transferase gene (COMT) is associated with the regulation of dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex and with cognitive functioning. Given the involvement of dopaminergic neurotransmission in externalizing behavior, a trait characterized by impulsivity and aggression, especially in men, externalizing (as a trait) may index a set of genetic, environmental, and neural characteristics pertinent to understanding phenotypic effects of genetic variation in the COMT gene. In the current study, we used a gene–trait approach to investigate effects of the COMT val158met polymorphism and externalizing on brain activity during moments involving low or high demands on cognitive control. In 104 male participants, interference-related activation depended conjointly on externalizing and val158met: stronger activation in the dorsal anterior cingulate and lateral prefrontal cortex was found for val/val individuals with high trait externalizing while stronger activation in cingulate motor areas and sensorimotor precuneus was found for met/met individuals with low externalizing. Our results suggest that the val/val genotype, coupled with high levels of trait externalizing, lowers the efficiency of stimulus conflict resolution, whereas the met/met genotype, coupled with low levels of externalizing, lowers the efficiency of response selection.

This chapter contains sections titled: Self‐Regulation, Energy, and Self‐Regulatory Depletion Self‐Regulatory Depletion and Individual Differences Conclusion References