Acoustic stimulation during sleep predicts long-lasting increases in memory performance and beneficial amyloid response in older adults.

BACKGROUND: Sleep and neurodegeneration are assumed to be locked in a bi-directional vicious cycle. Improving sleep could break this cycle and help to prevent neurodegeneration. We tested multi-night phase-locked acoustic stimulation (PLAS) during slow wave sleep (SWS) as a non-invasive method to improve SWS, memory performance and plasma amyloid levels. METHODS: 32 healthy older adults (agemean: 68.9) completed a between-subject sham-controlled three-night intervention, preceded by a sham-PLAS baseline night. RESULTS: PLAS induced increases in sleep-associated spectral-power bands as well as a 24% increase in slow wave-coupled spindles, known to support memory consolidation. There was no significant group-difference in memory performance or amyloid-beta between the intervention and control group. However, the magnitude of PLAS-induced physiological responses were associated with memory performance up to 3 months post intervention and beneficial changes in plasma amyloid. Results were exclusive to the intervention group. DISCUSSION: Multi-night PLAS is associated with long-lasting benefits in memory and metabolite clearance in older adults, rendering PLAS a promising tool to build upon and develop long-term protocols for the prevention of cognitive decline.

Infant regulation during the pandemic: Associations with maternal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, well-being, and socio-emotional investment.

In the transition to parenthood, the COVID-19 pandemic poses an additional strain on parental well-being. Confirmed infections or having to quarantine, as well as public health measures negatively affect parents and infants. Contrary to previous studies mainly focusing on the well-being of school-aged children and their parents during lockdown periods, the present study investigated how mothers of infants respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and whether this is related to maternal well-being, maternal socio-emotional investment, and infant regulation. Between April and June 2021, 206 mothers of infants (Mage  = 7.14 months, SDage  = 3.75 months) reported on COVID-19 infections, their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, their well-being, socio-emotional investment, and their infant's regulation. Exploratory factor analyses yielded five dimensions of maternal response to the COVID-19 pandemic: social distancing, worrying about the child, birth anxiety, distancing from the child, and information on COVID-19-related parenting behavior and support. These dimensions were related to mother-reported infant regulatory problems. Path analyses revealed paths via reduced maternal well-being and maternal socio-emotional investment. Maternal perceptions of infant regulatory problems are related to how the mothers respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Better information about COVID-19-related parenting behavior and support might buffer against these effects.

Reliability and validity of the German version of the Iowa infant feeding attitude scale (IIFAS-G) and relations to breastfeeding duration and feeding method.

BACKGROUND: Public health initiatives (e.g., the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative) have led to an increase in breastfeeding rates worldwide. However, as (exclusive) breastfeeding duration is still below WHO recommendations, it is crucial to understand the factors that influence decisions on breastfeeding practice. Modifiable psychological factors such as intention to breastfeed have therefore become targets of recent interventions. As the intention to breastfeed is among the strongest predictors of breastfeeding duration, reliable tools for measuring the intention to breastfeed are needed. The Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS) measures attitudes towards infant feeding and is used in various languages and across different cultural contexts. However, there has been no German version of the IIFAS (IIFAS-G) so far. The aim of this study was to investigate reliability, validity, and associations of the IIFAS-G with feeding method and breastfeeding duration. METHODS: Between August and November 2022, a total of 353 mothers (Mage = 35 years, SDage = 4.2 years) of singleton infants (47.3% female (1 undetermined), Mage = 10.8 months, SDage = 4.7 months, age range: 3-547 days; 90.4% living in Switzerland) participated in an online survey. The IIFAS-G was administered as a part of a larger study on early child development and infant feeding method. RESULTS: The translated IIFAS-G showed unsatisfactory model fit for the two factor 17-item solution. Four items showed low factor loadings. After item reduction, a 13-item two factor solution showed satisfactory model fit (CFI = 0.92, TLI = 0.90, RMSEA = 0.07) and high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.85). The IIFAS-G score was higher for mothers who exclusively breastfed their infants compared to mothers who additionally or exclusively fed infant formula. Moreover, mothers with higher IIFAS-G scores were less likely to stop breastfeeding their child over the course of 1.5years (HR = 0.87). CONCLUSION: A shorter two-factor IIFAS-G is proposed to investigate attitudes towards breastfeeding and formula feeding in German-speaking mothers.