Publication date: Available online 9 December 2017
Source:Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Author(s): Nicola A. Maffiuletti, Julien Gondin, Nicolas Place, Jennifer Stevens-Lapsley, Isabelle Vivodtzev, Marco A. Minetto
The clinical success of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) for neuromuscular rehabilitation is greatly compromised by the poor consideration of different physiological and methodological issues that are not always obvious for the clinicians. Therefore, the aim of this narrative review is to re-examine some of these fundamental aspects of NMES using a tripartite model perspective. First, we contend that NMES does not actually bypass the central nervous system but results in a multitude of neurally-mediated responses that contribute substantially to force generation and may engender neural adaptations. Second, we argue that too much emphasis is generally placed on externally-controllable stimulation parameters, while the major determinant of NMES effectiveness is the intrinsically-determined muscle tension generated by the current (i.e., evoked force). Third, we believe that a more systematic approach to NMES therapy is required in the clinic, and this implies a better identification of the patient-specific impairment and of the potential "responders" to NMES therapy. Based on these considerations, we suggest that the crucial steps for ensuring the clinical effectiveness of a NMES treatment should consist of: (1) identifying the neuromuscular impairment with clinical assessment; (2) implementing algorithm-based NMES therapy while (3) properly dosing the treatment with tension-controlled NMES and eventually amplifying its neural effects.
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Σάββατο 9 Δεκεμβρίου 2017
The Clinical Use of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation for Neuromuscular Rehabilitation: What Are We Overlooking?
Zinc Detoxification: A Functional Genomics and Transcriptomics Analysis in Drosophila melanogaster Cultured Cells
Cells require some metals, such as zinc and manganese, but excess levels of these metals can be toxic. As a result, cells have evolved complex mechanisms for maintaining metal homeostasis and surviving metal intoxication. Here, we present the results of a large-scale functional genomic screen in Drosophila cultured cells for modifiers of zinc chloride toxicity, together with transcriptomics data for wildtype or genetically zinc-sensitized cells challenged with mild zinc chloride supplementation. Altogether, we identified 47 genes for which knockdown conferred sensitivity or resistance to toxic zinc or manganese chloride treatment, and more than 1800 putative zinc-responsive genes. Analysis of the 'omics data points to the relevance of ion transporters, glutathione-related factors, and conserved disease-associated genes in zinc detoxification. Specific genes identified in the zinc screen include orthologs of human disease-associated genes CTNS, PTPRN (also known as IA-2), and ATP13A2 (also known as PARK9). We show that knockdown of red dog mine (rdog; CG11897), a candidate zinc detoxification gene encoding an ABCC-type transporter family protein related to yeast cadmium factor (YCF1), confers sensitivity to zinc intoxication in cultured cells and that rdog is transcriptionally up-regulated in response to zinc stress. As there are many links between the biology of zinc and other metals and human health, the 'omics datasets presented here provide a resource that will allow researchers to explore metal biology in the context of diverse health-relevant processes.
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PRC2 is Dispensable in Vivo for {beta}-Catenin-Mediated Repression of Chondrogenesis in Mouse Embryonic Cranial Mesenchyme
A hallmark of craniofacial development is the differentiation of multiple cell lineages in close proximity to one another. The mouse skull bones and overlying dermis are derived from the cranial mesenchyme (CM). Cell fate selection of the embryonic cranial bone and dermis in the CM requires Wnt/β-catenin signaling, and loss of β-catenin leads to an ectopic chondrogenic cell fate switch. The mechanism by which Wnt/β-catenin activity suppresses the cartilage fate is unclear. Upon conditional deletion of β-catenin in the CM, several key determinants of the cartilage differentiation program, including Sox9, become differentially expressed. Many of these differentially expressed genes are known targets of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2). Thus, we hypothesized that PRC2 is required for Wnt/β-catenin-mediated repression of chondrogenesis in the embryonic CM. We find that β-catenin can physically interact with PRC2 components in the CM in vivo. However, upon genetic deletion of Enhancer of Zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), the catalytic component of PRC2, chondrogenesis remains repressed and the bone and dermis cell fate is preserved in the CM. Furthermore, loss of β-catenin does not alter either the H3K27me3 enrichment levels genome-wide or on cartilage differentiation determinants, including Sox9. Our results indicate that EZH2 is not required to repress chondrogenesis in the CM downstream of Wnt/β-catenin signaling.
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Growth of Caenorhabditis elegans in Defined Media Is Dependent on Presence of Particulate Matter
Caenorhabditis elegans are typically cultured in a monoxenic medium consisting of live bacteria. However, this introduces a secondary organism to experiments and restricts the manipulation of the nutritional environment. Due to the intricate link between genes and environment, greater control and understanding of nutritional factors are required to push the C. elegans field into new areas. For decades, attempts to develop a chemically defined, axenic medium as an alternative for culturing C. elegans have been made. However, the mechanism by which the filter feeder C. elegans obtain nutrients from these liquid media is not known. Using a fluorescence-activated cell sorting based approach, we demonstrate growth in all past axenic C. elegans media to be dependent on the presence of previously unknown particles. This particle requirement of C. elegans led to development of liposome-based, nanoparticle culturing that allows full control of nutrients delivered to C. elegans.
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Temporal and spatial variations of 134Cs and 137Cs levels in the Sea of Japan and Pacific coastal region: Implications for dispersion of FDNPP-derived radiocesium
Publication date: February 2018
Source:Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, Volume 182
Author(s): M. Inoue, Y. Shirotani, S. Yamashita, H. Takata, H. Kofuji, D. Ambe, N. Honda, Y. Yagi, S. Nagao
To investigate the dispersion of Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP)-derived radiocesium in the Sea of Japan and western Pacific coastal region and determine the sources of radiocesium in these areas, we examined the temporal and spatial variations of 134Cs and 137Cs concentrations (activities) during 2011–2016 in seawaters around the western Japanese Archipelago, particularly in the Sea of Japan. In May 2013, the surface concentration of 134Cs was ∼0.5 mBq/L (decay-corrected to March 11, 2011), and that of 137Cs exceeded the pre-accident level in this study area, where the effects of radiocesium depositions just after the FDNPP accident disappeared in surface waters in October 2011. Subsequently, radiocesium concentrations gradually increased during 2013–2016 (∼0.5–1 mBq/L for 134Cs), exhibiting approximately homogeneous distributions in each year. The temporal and spatial variations of 134Cs and 137Cs concentrations indicated that FDNPP-derived radiocesium around the western Japanese Archipelago, including the Sea of Japan, has been supported by the Kuroshio Current and its branch, Tsushima Warm Current, during 2013–2016. However, in the Sea of Japan, the penetration of 134Cs was limited to depths of less than ∼200 m during three years following the re-delivery of FDNPP-derived radiocesium.
Graphical abstract
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Spatial variations of 226Ra, 228Ra, 134Cs, and 137Cs concentrations in western and southern waters off the Korean Peninsula in July 2014
Source:Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, Volume 182
Author(s): M. Inoue, Y. Shirotani, S. Nagao, T. Aramaki, Y.I. Kim, K. Hayakawa
We examined the spatial distributions of 226Ra, 228Ra, 134Cs, and 137Cs concentrations (activities) in seawater off the western and southern Korean Peninsula in July 2014. Radium-228 (and 226Ra) concentrations in water samples varied widely from 5 to 14 mBq/L (2–4 mBq/L), showing a negative correlation with salinity, particularly at the surface off the western Korean Peninsula. This indicates that the seawaters in this area are fundamentally comprised of 228Ra-poor and high-saline Kuroshio Current water and 228Ra-rich and low-saline water (e.g., continental shelf water), with various mixing ratios. Although Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP)-derived 134Cs was below the detection limit (<0.08 mBq/L) in waters off the western Korean Peninsula, low level 134Cs (0.1–0.2 mBq/L) was detected in waters off the southern Korean Peninsula accompanied by higher 137Cs concentrations (1.6–1.9 mBq/L) relative to that off the western Korean Peninsula. Combined with the lower radium concentrations, the detection of 134Cs is explained by mixing of FDNPP-derived radiocesium-contaminated Kuroshio Current water.
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Validation of a method for estimating energy expenditure during walking in middle-aged adults
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study was to test the validity of a method using an inertial measurement unit for estimating activity-related energy expenditure (AEE) during walking in middle-aged adults.
Methods
Twenty healthy middle-aged participants completed different treadmill walking trials with an inertial measurement unit adhered to their lower back. Gas exchange was monitored with indirect calorimetry. Mechanical data were used to estimate AEE from an algorithm developed by Bouten et al. (Med Sci Sport Exer 26(12):1516–1523, 1994). Three methods for removing the gravitational component were proposed and tested: mean subtraction method (MSM), high-pass filter method (HPM) and free acceleration method (FAM).
Results
The three methods did not differ significantly from the indirect calorimetry [bias = − 0.08 kcal min−1; p = 0.47 (MSM), bias = − 0.08 kcal min−1; p = 0.48 (HPM) and bias = − 0.15 kcal min−1; p = 0.23 (FAM)]. Mean root mean square errors were 0.43, 0.42 and 0.51 kcal min−1 for MSM, HPM and FAM, respectively.
Conclusion
This study proposed an accurate method for estimating AEE in middle-aged adults for a large range of walking intensities, from slow to brisk walking, based on Bouten's algorithm.
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Pharmacological intervention and abstinence in smokers undergoing cessation treatment: A psychophysiological study
Source:International Journal of Psychophysiology
Author(s): Yong Cui, Jeffrey M. Engelmann, Jonathan Xian, Jennifer A. Minnix, Cho Y. Lam, Maher Karam-Hage, Paul M. Cinciripini, Jason D. Robinson
As a composite concept, negative affect comprises various aversive emotional experiences, such as irritability and nervousness. It is a critical motivational factor that helps maintain smoking behavior, and contributes significantly to smoking cessation failure as a core withdrawal symptom. Prior research has indicated an important role of nicotinic mechanisms in negative affect processing. The most effective smoking cessation medication, varenicline, targets nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) as a partial agonist, while another first-line cessation medication, bupropion, has shown antagonistic effects on nAChRs. Therefore, it is possible that both medications work to reduce smoking behavior through modulating negative affect processing. To evaluate this hypothesis, we examined the impact of varenicline tartrate and bupropion hydrochloride sustained-release on electrophysiological responses to affective, cigarette-related, and neutral cues before and during smoking cessation treatment in a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. The participants were 206 smokers, a subset of 294 participants that were enrolled in a larger smoking cessation clinical trial who were randomly assigned to one medication group for 12weeks. Orbicularis oculi (startle eyeblink response) and corrugator supercilii facial electromyographic (EMG) reactivity toward emotional pictures (i.e., pleasant and unpleasant) in a picture-viewing task were measured before treatment and 2 and 6weeks after treatment was started. The startle and corrugator EMG activities increase with the exposure to unpleasant cues, and served as indices for negative emotional reactivity (NER). We found that after 6weeks, drug reduced startle-related NER in the varenicline group, but not in the bupropion or placebo group. Independent of medication treatment, lower baseline NER, as measured by the corrugator EMG activity, predicted a higher likelihood of smoking abstinence 1 and 3months after quitting smoking. These findings indicate the important roles of varenicline in negative affect processing and negative emotional reactivity in the course of smoking cessation.
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Resting state connectivity mediates the relationship between collectivism and social cognition
Source:International Journal of Psychophysiology
Author(s): Gennady G. Knyazev, Alexander N. Savostyanov, Andrey V. Bocharov, Ekaterina A. Merkulova
Humans are intrinsically social beings and it is natural that self-processing is associated with social cognition. The degree to which the self is perceived as a part of social environment is modulated by cultural stereotypes, such as collectivism and individualism. Here, we tested the hypothesis that individuals who endorse collectivist values would spontaneously think more about their relationships with other people and this association would be mediated by connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and the rest of the brain. Connectivity was evaluated based on resting state EEG data using the recently developed methods, which combine beamformer spatial filtering with seed based connectivity estimation. The formal mediation analysis revealed that collectivism is associated with an enhanced connectivity of MPFC with a set of cortical regions that are frequently co-activated in moral reasoning, empathy, and theory of mind tasks and with diminished connectivity with the precuneus\posterior cingulate cortex, which is involved in self-centered cognition. The relationship between collectivism and social cognition was mediated by MPFC connectivity with the left middle temporal gyrus implying that in participants with collectivistic attitude, thinking about relationships with other people may be associated with semantic memory retrieval and reasoning on moral issues and others' intentions.
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IOP-details
Publication date: December 2017
Source:International Journal of Psychophysiology, Volume 122
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Full title with Editorial board members
Publication date: December 2017
Source:International Journal of Psychophysiology, Volume 122
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Instructions to Authors
Publication date: December 2017
Source:International Journal of Psychophysiology, Volume 122
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Feedback information and the reward positivity
Source:International Journal of Psychophysiology
Author(s): Jeffrey Cockburn, Clay B. Holroyd
The reward positivity is a component of the event-related brain potential (ERP) sensitive to neural mechanisms of reward processing. Multiple studies have demonstrated that reward positivity amplitude indices a reward prediction error signal that is fundamental to theories of reinforcement learning. However, whether this ERP component is also sensitive to richer forms of performance information important for supervised learning is less clear. To investigate this question, we recorded the electroencephalogram from participants engaged in a time estimation task in which the type of error information conveyed by feedback stimuli was systematically varied across conditions. Consistent with our predictions, we found that reward positivity amplitude decreased in relation to increasing information content of the feedback, and that reward positivity amplitude was unrelated to trial-to-trial behavioral adjustments in task performance. By contrast, a series of exploratory analyses revealed frontal-central and posterior ERP components immediately following the reward positivity that related to these processes. Taken in the context of the wider literature, these results suggest that the reward positivity is produced by a neural mechanism that motivates task performance, whereas the later ERP components apply the feedback information according to principles of supervised learning.
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Right frontal gamma and beta band enhancement while solving a spatial puzzle with insight
Source:International Journal of Psychophysiology, Volume 122
Author(s): A. Rosen, M. Reiner
Solving a problem with an "a-ha" effect is known as insight. Unlike incremental problem solving, insight is sudden and unique, and the question about its distinct brain activity, intrigues many researchers. In this study, electroencephalogram signals were recorded from 12 right handed, human participants before (baseline) and while they solved a spatial puzzle known as the '10 coin puzzle' that could be solved incrementally or by insight. Participants responded as soon as they reached a solution and reported whether the process was incremental or by sudden insight. EEG activity was recorded from 19 scalp locations. We found significant differences between insight and incremental solvers in the Gamma and Beta 2 bands in frontal areas (F8) and in the alpha band in right temporal areas (T6). The right-frontal gamma indicates a process of restructuring which leads to an insight solution, in spatial problems, further suggesting a universal role of gamma in restructuring.These results further suggest that solving a spatial puzzle via insight requires exclusive brain areas and neurological–cognitive processes which may be important for meta-cognitive components of insight solutions, including attention and monitoring of the solution.
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EEG-based cognitive load of processing events in 3D virtual worlds is lower than processing events in 2D displays
Source:International Journal of Psychophysiology, Volume 122
Author(s): Alex Dan, Miriam Reiner
Interacting with 2D displays, such as computer screens, smartphones, and TV, is currently a part of our daily routine; however, our visual system is built for processing 3D worlds. We examined the cognitive load associated with a simple and a complex task of learning paper-folding (origami) by observing 2D or stereoscopic 3D displays. While connected to an electroencephalogram (EEG) system, participants watched a 2D video of an instructor demonstrating the paper-folding tasks, followed by a stereoscopic 3D projection of the same instructor (a digital avatar) illustrating identical tasks. We recorded the power of alpha and theta oscillations and calculated the cognitive load index (CLI) as the ratio of the average power of frontal theta (Fz.) and parietal alpha (Pz). The results showed a significantly higher cognitive load index associated with processing the 2D projection as compared to the 3D projection; additionally, changes in the average theta Fz power were larger for the 2D conditions as compared to the 3D conditions, while alpha average Pz power values were similar for 2D and 3D conditions for the less complex task and higher in the 3D state for the more complex task. The cognitive load index was lower for the easier task and higher for the more complex task in 2D and 3D. In addition, participants with lower spatial abilities benefited more from the 3D compared to the 2D display. These findings have implications for understanding cognitive processing associated with 2D and 3D worlds and for employing stereoscopic 3D technology over 2D displays in designing emerging virtual and augmented reality applications.
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An anatomical and physiological basis for the cardiovascular autonomic nervous system consequences of sport-related brain injury
Source:International Journal of Psychophysiology
Author(s): Michael F. La Fountaine
Concussion is defined as a complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain that is induced by the application or transmission of traumatic biomechanical forces to the head. The result of the impact is the onset of transient symptoms that may be experienced for approximately 2weeks in most individuals. However, in some individuals, symptoms may not resolve and persist for a protracted period and a chronic injury ensues. Concussion symptoms are generally characterized by their emergence through changes in affect, cognition, or multi-sensory processes including the visual and vestibular systems. An emerging consequence of concussion is the presence of cardiovascular autonomic nervous system dysfunction that is most apparent through hemodynamic perturbations and provocations. Further interrogation of data that are derived from continuous digital electrocardiograms and/or beat-to-beat blood pressure monitoring often reveal an imbalance of parasympathetic or sympathetic nervous system activity during a provocation after an injury. The disturbance is often greatest early after injury and a resolution of the dysfunction occurs in parallel with other symptoms. The possibility exists that the disturbance may remain if the concussion does not resolve. Unfortunately, there is little evidence in humans to support the etiology for the emergence of this post-injury dysfunction. As such, evidence from experimental models of traumatic brain injury and casual observations from human studies of concussion implicate a transient abnormality of the anatomical structures and functions of the cardiovascular autonomic nervous system. The purpose of this review article is to provide a mechanistic narrative of multi-disciplinary evidence to support the anatomical and physiological basis of cardiovascular autonomic nervous system dysfunction after concussion. The review article will identify the anatomical structures of the autonomic nervous system and propose a theoretical framework to demonstrate the potential effects of concussive head trauma on corresponding outcome measurements. Evidence from experimental models will be used to describe abnormal cellular functions and provide a hypothetical mechanistic basis for the respective responses of the anatomical structures to concussive head trauma. When available, example observations from the human concussion literature will be presented to demonstrate the effects of concussive head trauma that may be related to anomalous activity in the respective anatomical structures of the autonomic nervous system.
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When two become one: Electrocortical correlates of the integration of multiple action consequences
Source:International Journal of Psychophysiology
Author(s): Roman Osinsky, Kristina Holst, Natalie Ulrich
In a recent study we have demonstrated that the feedback-related negativity (FRN) reflects the integrated value of instantaneous and delayed decision consequences (Osinsky et al. 2017). In the present work, we extend this research by using a novel choice task in which instant and delayed consequence values of a single decision outcome can be manipulated independently of each other in a trial-wise manner. Fifty-nine healthy participants completed this task while EEG was recorded. Twenty-two of them returned one week later for a retesting, allowing for investigating temporal stability of individual FRN indices. Our results show that the FRN mainly reflects the additively integrated value of instant and delayed outcome consequences. Individual differences in the FRN sensitivity to the two consequence dimensions were specifically predictive for consequence-driven adjustments in choice behavior and moderately stable over time. Altogether, our findings are inconsistent with the idea that the FRN reflects a simple binary distinction between favorable and unfavorable action outcomes. Rather, the FRN appears to mirror a fine-grained scaling of action outcomes, which results from stable personal reward preferences and which is used for adjusting choice behavior. Given that the FRN is generated in the anterior midcingulate cortex, our study adds to recent literature according to which this structure uses multiple information to learn complex action-outcome values.
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The electrocortical response to rewarding and aversive feedback: The reward positivity does not reflect salience in simple gambling tasks
Source:International Journal of Psychophysiology
Author(s): Elizabeth M. Mulligan, Greg Hajcak
The Reward Positivity (RewP) is an event-related potential (ERP) potentiated to monetary gains and reduced to monetary losses. Recently, competing data suggest that more salient outcomes elicit a positivity relative to less salient outcomes, regardless of valence. However, all previous work testing the impact of salience on the RewP have examined expected versus unexpected outcomes. In the current study, participants completed the same gambling task twice in which feedback was equally probable: in one condition, feedback indicated monetary gain or loss—and in the other condition, feedback indicated either safety or punishment from subsequent electric shock. Traditional ERP and principal component analysis (PCA)-derived measures confirmed that the RewP was more positive to feedback signaling monetary gain and safety from shock compared to feedback signaling monetary loss and punishment with shock. These results align with models in which the RewP indexes reward-related processes, including reward prediction error models. Potential explanations for salience-based effects on the RewP are discussed.
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Dissociable effects of reward and expectancy during evaluative feedback processing revealed by topographic ERP mapping analysis
Source:International Journal of Psychophysiology
Author(s): Davide Gheza, Katharina Paul, Gilles Pourtois
Evaluative feedback provided during performance monitoring (PM) elicits either a positive or negative deflection ~250–300ms after its onset in the event-related potential (ERP) depending on whether the outcome is reward-related or not, as well as expected or not. However, it remains currently unclear whether these two deflections reflect a unitary process, or rather dissociable effects arising from non-overlapping brain networks. To address this question, we recorded 64-channel EEG in healthy adult participants performing a standard gambling task where valence and expectancy were manipulated in a factorial design. We analyzed the feedback-locked ERP data using a conventional ERP analysis, as well as an advanced topographic ERP mapping analysis supplemented with distributed source localization. Results reveal two main topographies showing opposing valence effects, and being differently modulated by expectancy. The first one was short-lived and sensitive to no-reward irrespective of expectancy. Source-estimation associated with this topographic map comprised mainly regions of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. The second one was primarily driven by reward, had a prolonged time-course and was monotonically influenced by expectancy. Moreover, this reward-related topographical map was best accounted for by intracranial generators estimated in the posterior cingulate cortex. These new findings suggest the existence of dissociable brain systems depending on feedback valence and expectancy. More generally, they inform about the added value of using topographic ERP mapping methods, besides conventional ERP measurements, to characterize qualitative changes occurring in the spatio-temporal dynamic of reward processing during PM.
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Systematic review of mental health measures associated with concussive and subconcussive head trauma in former athletes
Source:International Journal of Psychophysiology
Author(s): Michael Hutchison, Alex Di Battista, Jacqueline McCoskey, Sarah Watling
Public concern has been a catalyst for an emerging body of literature investigating the potential long-term negative health consequences associated with sport-related concussion and subconcussive impacts. We conducted a systematic review of the literature on mental health measures associated with sport-related brain injuries in former athletes. Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsychINFO databases were used. Thirteen studies were included in the final review. We identified a consistent positive association between a history of concussion and depression among former athletes. However, limited and inconsistent findings were observed in studies that evaluated subconcussive impacts. Overall, several methodological shortcomings were noted, including selection bias, research design, operational definitions, and measurement tools. Evidence indicates that prior concussions are related to depression later in life, however the underlying causation remains unclear. Future research will benefit from employing prospective, longitudinal studies, surveillance data systems and standardized collection methods, and should attempt to account for psychosocial modifiers or confounders when reporting the mental health status of former athletes. Furthermore, this area would benefit from studies that include equal representation of male and female athletes, examine mental health disorders beyond depression, and assess a variety of sports and competition levels.
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Reliability of measurements for sub-painful and painful perception on artificial electrical stimulations
Source:International Journal of Psychophysiology
Author(s): Sam C.C. Chan, Jiaxin Peng, Chetwyn C.H. Chan
Artificial electrical stimulation is a common type of stimulus to induce sub-painful and painful sensation in clinical or neuroscience experiments. The Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) is often used to evaluate subjective perception due to external stimulations. Yet the relationship between the intensity levels of electrical stimulations and self-perception has seldom been examined. The aim of the study was to obtain evidence on the reliability and accuracy of sub-painful and painful perceptions of healthy participants using the NRS under different levels of electrical stimulus. A total of 72 pain-free healthy volunteers (female=44) were recruited. In the first experiment, each participant was given different levels of a non-nociceptive or nociceptive electrical stimulus and then asked to give a perception rating based on an 11-point NRS. In the second experiment, each participant was asked to memorize 5 levels of sub-nociceptive or nociceptive stimuli and to recognize the level of stimulus given each time. For the NRS rating task, intraclass coefficients (ICCs) reached satisfactory level for sub-nociceptive (0.85<ICC<0.93) and nociceptive stimulation (0.90<ICC<0.96). The ICCs were the highest for the weakest sub-nociceptive and nociceptive stimuli. For the stimulus recognition task, accuracy was also found to be highest for the weakest sub-nociceptive stimulus (κ=0.67) and lowest for the strongest nociceptive stimulus (κ=0.34). The results suggest that, with adequate training, NRS can be a reliable measurement tool for both sub-painful and painful rating due to electrical stimulation.
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Measuring physiological responses to the arts in people with a dementia
Source:International Journal of Psychophysiology
Author(s): George E.C. Thomas, Sebastian J. Crutch, Paul M. Camic
The dementias are a group of progressive symptoms that have multiple causes, usually caused by disease or injury of the brain, affecting higher brain functions such as language, perception, memory, reasoning and mood; they can also be associated with changes in personality. Arts interventions and interaction with the arts can create meaningful, positive experiences for people with a dementia, as well as improve quality of life. Qualitative research in particular, has been able to describe the emotional responses the arts can produce, but quantifiable changes have not been well documented. Physiological measurements such as stress hormone levels and galvanic skin response show promise in being able to quantify such responses. When taken together, these can give a picture of the kinds of physiological outcomes that are associated with positive affect and improvements in mental wellbeing in the context of arts interventions. This review provides a critical overview of the studies which measure some form of physiological outcome in response to the arts or an arts intervention in people with dementia, and indicates how future research in this area can help to broaden our understanding of the effects of the arts in dementia research and care.
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Electrophysiological parameters as biomarkers for psychiatry: Intra-individual variability and influencing factors
Publication date: Available online 16 November 2017
Source:International Journal of Psychophysiology
Author(s): Jan Sarlon, Simone Plaszczyk, Sinah Engel, Viola Oertel-Knöchel
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