Keeping Healthy
Type II Diabetes and Physical Exercise on Brain and Cognitive Responses
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Shyam Seetharaman
Type II Diabetes is a major source of health risk and mortality worldwide, and has broad health implications in aging populations. Although the physical outcomes arising from this disease is fairly well recognized by the general public (e.g. Heart Disease), the body of evidence suggesting that Type II Diabetes is a significant predictor of cognitive and neurobiological dysfunction is less understood. Dietary sugar is a major risk factor for developing Type II Diabetes. Here, research on the effects of blood sugar, dietary sugar, as well as Type II Diabetes on cognitive dysfunction, accelerated cognitive aging and the development of progressive neurocognitive disease is presented. Additionally, the influences of physical activity on mitigating cognitive deficits especially as we age are elucidated.
Featured Cultural, Physical and Psychological Wellbeing In Museums: Preliminary Results of the Anxiety, Stress, Brain-friendly Museum Approach Project
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Claudio Lucchiari, Annalisa Banzi, Vincenza Ferrara, Raffaella Folgieri, Maria Elide Vanutelli
The ASBA (Anxiety, Stress, Brain-friendly Museum Approach) project focuses on studying museums as spaces that promote cultural, physical, and psychological wellbeing. Since 2022, we have been collecting data thanks to the collaboration of several Italian museums, and the participation of 390 volunteers (aged 18 - 83, M = 45.55; Female = 300). We employed standardised questionnaires, analogue scales, and qualitative items to gather both quantitative and qualitative data on perceived stress, state anxiety, mood, and subjective experience. Our research protocol includes several methods aimed at eliciting wellbeing in museum contexts, particularly mindfulness, art therapy, Visual Thinking Strategies, Nature+Art, and guided tours. Using a pre-post research design, we assessed the impact of each technique on personal wellbeing. Additionally, we gathered data on trait parameters, such as trait anxiety and personality. All the treatments employed achieved the primary goal of reducing state anxiety. Mindfulness produced the most significant effect, with a reduction of nearly 25% between pre- and post-intervention. This decrease was especially notable in participants with high levels of state anxiety and stress. Art therapy also showed significant results, although to a slightly lesser extent (approximately 20%). A notable finding concerns guided tours, which not only reduced anxiety to a degree slightly below that of art therapy, like Nature+Art, but also proved effective regardless of participants’ initial levels of stress and anxiety. Thanks to this broad set of data, we can support the hypothesis that museums may be considered privileged spaces for fostering wellbeing.
