Protein shakes have long been touted as a gym bag essential, consumed by gym-goers in an effort to boost muscle recovery and minimise post-workout muscle soreness, but they may not be the most effective way to relieve aching muscles, according to a new study.

Research has found that neither whey-protein based shakes nor milk-based formulas enhanced the rate of muscle recovery following resistance training when compared to a carbohydrate only drink. The study is the first to compare the effectiveness of the two different protein formulas.

University of Lincoln, College of Social Science Research

Thomas Gee, University of Lincoln, School of Sport and Exercise Science

Mark Smith, University of Lincoln, School of Sport and Exercise Science

Thomas Woolrich, University of Lincoln, Sport and Exercise Science

The steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP), an electrophysiological marker of attentional resource allocation, has recently been demonstrated to serve as a neural signature of emotional content extraction from a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP). SSVEP amplitude was reduced for streams of emotional relative to neutral scenes passively viewed at 6 Hz (~167 ms per image), but it was enhanced for emotional relative to neutral scenes when viewed as 4 Hz RSVP (250 ms per image). Here, we investigated whether these seemingly contradictory observations may be related to different dynamics in the allocation of attentional resources as a consequence of stimulation frequency.

University of Lincoln, College of Social Science Research

Valeria Bekhtereva, University of Leipzig, Institute of Psychology

Matt Craddock, University of Lincoln, School of Psychology

Christopher Gundach, University of Leipzig, Institute of Psychology

Matthias Muller, University of Leipzig, Institute of Psychology

Previous research has indicated that disordered gamblers display deficits in impulsivity and risky decision-making, compared to healthy control groups. However, disordered gamblers are not a homogenous group, and differences in performance on neurocognitive tasks may be related to the form of gambling in which an individual chooses to engage. The present study used neurocognitive tasks and questionnaire measures to ascertain group differences in gamblers grouped by preferred form of gambling.

University of Lincoln, College of Social Science Research

Steve Sharman, University of East London, School of Psychology and University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology

Luke Clark, University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology and University of British Columbia, Department of Psychology

Amanda Roberts, University of Lincoln, School of Psychology

Rosanna Michalczuk, University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology and Bethlem Royal Hospital, South London and Maudsley Trust

Rachel Cocks, University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology and University of London, Royal Holloway

Henrietta Bowden-Joes, National Problem Gambling Clinic and Imperial College London, Faculty of Medicine