Evidence suggests that a history of head trauma is associated with memory deficits later in life. The majority of previous research has focused on moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), but recent evidence suggests that even a mild TBI (mTBI) can interact with the aging process and produce reductions in memory performance. This study examined the association of mTBI with memory and the brain by comparing young and middle-aged adults who have had mTBI in their recent (several years ago) and remote (several decades ago) past, respectively, with control subjects on a face-scene relational memory paradigm while they underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Hippocampal volumes were also examined from high-resolution structural images. Results indicated middle-aged adults with a head injury in their remote past had impaired memory compared to gender, age, and education matched control participants, consistent with previous results in the study of memory, aging, and TBI. The present findings extended previous results by demonstrating that these individuals also had smaller bilateral hippocampi, and had reduced neural activity during memory performance in cortical regions important for memory retrieval. These results indicate that a history of mTBI may be one of the many factors that negatively influence cognitive and brain health in aging.

Health factors such as an active lifestyle and aerobic fitness have long been linked to decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and other adverse health outcomes. Only more recently have researchers begun to investigate the relationship between aerobic fitness and memory function. Based on recent findings in behavioral and cognitive neuroscience showing that the hippocampus might be especially sensitive to the effects of exercise and fitness, the current study assessed hippocampal-dependent relational memory and non-hippocampal-dependent item memory in young adults across a range of aerobic fitness levels. Aerobic fitness was assessed using a graded exercise test to measure oxygen consumption during maximal exercise (VO2max), and relational and item memory were assessed using behavioral and eye movement measures. Behavioral results indicated that aerobic fitness was positively correlated with relational memory performance but not item memory performance, suggesting that the beneficial effects of aerobic fitness selectively affect hippocampal function and not that of the surrounding medial temporal lobe cortex. Eye movement results further supported the specificity of this fitness effect to hippocampal function, in that aerobic fitness predicted disproportionate preferential viewing of previously studied relational associations but not of previously viewed items. Potential mechanisms underlying this pattern of results, including neurogenesis, are discussed.

Background Burnout and depression throughout physicians’ career cycles have been increasing. There has been a call for medical education leaders to devote resources to bolster the next generation of providers and shift the culture of medicine to organizational initiatives that impact physician well-being. Objective: The goal of this project has been to monitor and improve the organizational wellness of a residency program based on four core organizational areas: (1) culture of meaning and mission, (2) work capacity, (3) control and flexibility in decision-making, and (4) creativity in work–life balance. Method: A quality improvement strategy was implemented to monitor organizational wellness. The wellness was assessed five times over the course of 18 months. The survey was designed to evaluate the four core components. At each time interval, improvement strategies were implemented to address the wellness drains and strengthen drivers. Results: The four time series evaluations (residents: n = 19) indicated that culture of meaning, teamwork, and personal creativity are consistent wellness drivers. Work capacity and lack of control over decision-making were consistent drains. From first until last measurement, there was a slight improvement in control-decision-making; however, the burden of electronic medical record (EMR) charting and strains of coverage continue to drain our residency. Discussion and Conclusions: This model incorporates four categories for assessing organizational wellness within a residency program. The conceptual model is used as a framework to define, measure, analyze, and improve on organizational wellness. This process provides programs with a feedback approach to continually monitor and reassess the wellness of the organizational systems.