Previous studies have indicated that an active lifestyle is associated with better brain health and a longer life, compared to a more sedentary lifestyle. These studies, both on human and animal subjects, have typically focused on a single activity, usually physical exercise, but other activities have received an increasing interest. One proposed mechanism is that physical exercise increases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the brain. For the first time, the long-term effects on serum BDNF levels were compared in persons who engaged in either physical exercise training, cognitive training, or mindfulness practice during 5 weeks, and compared with an active control group. Two cohorts of healthy older individuals, one from the Boston area in the US and one from the Vaxjo area in Sweden, participated. A total of 146 participants were randomly assigned to one of the four groups. All interventions were structurally similar, using interactive, computer-based software that directed participants to carry out specified activities for 35 minutes/day, 5 days per week for 5 weeks. Blood samples were obtained at baseline and soon after the completion of the 5-week long intervention program, and serum BDNF levels were measured using a commercially available ELISA. Only the group that underwent cognitive training increased their serum BDNF levels after 5 weeks of training (F-1,F-74 = 4.22, p = 0.044, partial eta(2) = 0.054), corresponding to an average 10% increase. These results strongly suggest that cognitive training can exert beneficial effects on brain health in an older adult population.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has a central role in brain plasticity by mediating changes in cortical thickness and synaptic density in response to physical activity and environmental enrichment. Previous studies suggest that physical exercise can augment BDNF levels, both in serum and the brain, but no other study has examined how different types of activities compare with physical exercise in their ability to affect BDNF levels. By using a balanced cross over experimental design, we exposed nineteen healthy older adults to 35-minute sessions of physical exercise, cognitive training, and mindfulness practice, and compared the resulting changes in mature BDNF levels between the three activities. We show that a single bout of physical exercise has significantly larger impact on serum BDNF levels than either cognitive training or mindfulness practice in the same persons. This is the first study on immediate BDNF effects of physical activity in older healthy humans and also the first study to demonstrate an association between serum BDNF responsivity to acute physical exercise and working memory function. We conclude that the BDNF increase we found after physical exercise more probably has a peripheral than a central origin, but that the association between post-intervention BDNF levels and cognitive function could have implications for BDNF responsivity in serum as a potential marker of cognitive health.

Effects of a mindfulness-based program, Compassion and Attention in the Schools (Compas), were studied in 358 pupils in grades 5, 7, and 8 in Sweden. An experimental group undertook Compas practices in class three times a week during an eight-week period. A control group undertook content area academic lessons . Pre-/post-intervention analyses showed a significant improvement in the experimental group, but not in the control group, in pupils' capacity for effortful control, feelings of well-being at school and perceived peer relations. The positive effect of training increased with the number of times the participants took part in the training for all but one of the measures (general stress). Compas seems to be a useful tool for enhancing pupils' effortful control, well-being at school and peer relations.

Compassion may be directed towardat a broad range of targets. The present study investigated interrelations among other-directed compassion, self-compassion and environmental compassion in early adolescence (age 12-14; n = 256) and examined how the different manifestations of compassion were related to age and sex during this age period. Acts of Ccompassion directed at different targets were[1]  assessed through self-reports and peer nominations. SEM-analysis supported a model that displayedportrayed compassion toward self, others and the environment as three distinct, but interrelated factors. Other-directed compassion and environmental compassion were higher in girls than in boys. There was a decrease in self-compassion with age, which was linked to negative self-perceptions in 13- and 14-year-old girls. The roles of experience and cognitive factors in linking different forms of compassion were discussed.

Stress-related psychological difficulties amongst youths are of major concern in western countries. Causations are complex and not fully understood but school is known to be one major factor. Stress is well known to increase during adolescence and a WHO school-based study of some 120 000 students in 28 countries showed a threefold increase from the age of 11 to 15 years. Teachers in the modern classroom need means to handle contemporary problems in classroom milieus that are high in stress and low in concentration.

The aim of the present project was to study whether scheduled practice of a meditation-based technique for stillness affects pupils’ stress and general wellbeing at school. Some 400 pupils aged 12–15 years in Swedish schools were taking part in this pre-test post-test study. Parallel classes were assigned to either a control- or experiment group. A meditation based technique for inducing stillness was introduced and scheduled for practice in class three times a week during eight weeks in the experiment group. The control group received no intervention. All pupils completed a questionnaire individually in class before the intervention started (pre-test) and 10 weeks after (post-test). During this time the experiment group had practiced the technique for eight weeks. Testing for differences between groups showed no major differences between the control- and the experiment group. These results of ANOVA pre-test post-test analysis revealed improvement on psychological difficulties measured by the total score of the “Strengths and difficulties questionnaire” (SDQ) as well as on the subscale “Emotional symptoms” (SDQ) in the experiment- but not control group. Furthermore, general stress level measured by “General stress scale” (GSC) was somewhat lower at post condition after stillness practice. Results showed no significant differences in pre-test post-test scores in the experiment group as regards the scales “Psychological distress” (PD) or “Well-being at school” (WBS). Gender differences showed that girls but not boys in the experiment- but not the control group at post-test reported better well-being at school, less peer problems and less overall psychological difficulties. The results indicate that meditation-based techniques for stillness practices can have a positive effect on adolescent well-being when scheduled and practiced by pupils in class whereas the gender differences show that such techniques practiced in class during adolescence have different effects on girls’ well-being, compared to boys’.

Results show that the meditation-based technique for stillness used in this study enhances aspects of pupils well-being. This is supported by the fact that at one of the schools where this study was done the stillness practice is now mandatory.  Every class practices scheduled stillness several times a week and the pupils frequently asks for extra practices before examinations and other stress related events. Other schools in the city also have started this practice.

Objectives: Psychologic problems is increasing among pupils and has become a major problem in Sweden aswell as in other Western countries. The aim of this study was to explore whether scheduled qigong exercise couldhave an effect on well-being at school, psychologic distress, self-image, and general stress.Subjects: Pupils, 13–14 years, were assigned to either a qigong group or a control group.Intervention: The qigong group had scheduled qigong 2 times a week for 8 weeks.Measures: Self-reported well-being at school, psychologic distress, self-image, and stress were measured preandpostintervention.Results: The control group had reduced well-being at school during the semester and the qigong group wasstable. The qigong group reduced psychologic distress and stress, and had a tendency to improved self-image,whereas no changes were found in the control group. Self-image explains 47% (R2¼0.47) of well-being at school,and stress explains 29% (R2¼0.29) of psychologic distress.Conclusions: Scheduled qigong, meditative movement, is a possible way to improve well-being at school.