Patients with type II diabetes are more likely to show poor impulse control, according to a new study from Tokyo Women's Medical University in Japan.

• Dr. Yasuhiko Iwamoto and her colleagues found that middle-aged, newly diagnosed patients with Type II diabetes were more likely to have deficits in impulse control, which could explain why so many patients have trouble following their diets and maintaining exercise regimes.
• Dr. Iwamoto performed psychological tests on 27 Type II diabetic patients and 27 people without that condition.
• The research revealed that diabetics were more likely to have impulsive responses to stimuli instead of using executive function abilities in their brains.
  

The study appears in the journal BioPsychoSocial Medicine.

Labels: impluse control, impulsivity

A study that will appear in the March issue of Pediatrics has found that foster children who are placed in loving, stable homes have fewer issues with attention and impulsivity.

• The study was conducted through the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.
• The study followed 252 children in 95 families for four years.
• Researchers talked with biological parents, foster parents, teachers and the children themselves.
• Most interesting and encouraging to researches was the affect environment had on symptoms related to ADHD – a disorder with proven biological components.

"Children whose parents reported higher parental warmth – how much do the parents like the child, how much affection the parent reports toward the child, how much time they spend together – showed fewer ADHD symptoms," HealthDay News reported, "while children whose parents reported hostility – being annoyed at the child, thinking the child a burden, being angry at the child – showed more ADHD symptoms."

Labels: attention, foster care, impulsivity

Researchers at the University of Illinois have confirmed previous studies which concluded that exposure to green spaces has a calming effect on children with ADHD. The studies found that time spent outdoors improved both attention and impulse control.

An Oct. 17 article by Mary Helen Jones of the Henderson (NC) Daily Dispatch provided the following details about this discovery:

The "degree of green" appears to matter with greater effects from the greenest or most wilderness-like environment.

A walk in the forest trumps a walk in the park or playing organized sports in recreational park fields. Park experiences reap better results than a walk in a neighborhood or downtown area. "Green" play more effectively reduced ADHD symptoms than active play in a gym or play on paved surfaces. ...

According to researcher Frances E. Kuo, "as little as 20 minutes of outdoor exposure could potentially buy you an afternoon or a couple of hours to get homework done."

Labels: attention, environment, impulsivity