Reflex epilepsy: a review

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Karim Nikkhah

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Interesting phenomena of reflex epileptic syndromes are characterized by epileptic seizures each one induced by specific stimulus with a variety of types. Simple triggers, which lead to seizures within seconds, are of sensory type (most commonly visual, most rarely tactile or proprioceptive stimuli. Complex triggers, which are mostly of cognitive type such as praxis, reading, talking, and music, usually induce the epileptic event within minutes. It should differ from what most epileptic patients report as provocative precipitants for seizures (such as emotional stress, fatigue, fever, sleep deprivation, alcohol, and menstrual cycle. The identification of a specific trigger is not only important for patients or their parents to avoid seizures, but also it might help neurologists to choose the most effective antiepileptic drug for each case. In addition, research in this area may possibly reveal some underlying pathophysiology of epileptic phenomena in the brain.In this review, we briefly introduce reported reflex epileptic seizures, their clinical features and management.

Proprioceptive Feedback through a Neuromorphic Muscle Spindle Model

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Lorenzo Vannucci

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Connecting biologically inspired neural simulations to physical or simulated embodiments can be useful both in robotics, for the development of a new kind of bio-inspired controllers, and in neuroscience, to test detailed brain models in complete action-perception loops. The aim of this work is to develop a fully spike-based, biologically inspired mechanism for the translation of proprioceptive feedback. The translation is achieved by implementing a computational model of neural activity of type Ia and type II afferent fibers of muscle spindles, the primary source of proprioceptive information, which, in mammals is regulated through fusimotor activation and provides necessary adjustments during voluntary muscle contractions. As such, both static and dynamic γ-motoneurons activities are taken into account in the proposed model. Information from the actual proprioceptive sensors (i.e., motor encoders is then used to simulate the spindle contraction and relaxation, and therefore drive the neural activity. To assess the feasibility of this approach, the model is implemented on the NEST spiking neural network simulator and on the SpiNNaker neuromorphic hardware platform and tested on simulated and physical robotic platforms. The results demonstrate that the model can be used in both simulated and real-time robotic applications to translate encoder values into a biologically plausible neural activity. Thus, this model provides a completely spike-based building block, suitable for neuromorphic platforms, that will enable the development of sensory-motor closed loops which could include neural simulations of areas of the central nervous system or of low-level reflexes.

Robot-assisted training of the kinesthetic sense: enhancing proprioception after stroke.

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De Santis, Dalia; Zenzeri, Jacopo; Casadio, Maura; Masia, Lorenzo; Riva, Assunta; Morasso, Pietro; Squeri, Valentina

2014-01-01

Proprioception has a crucial role in promoting or hindering motor learning. In particular, an intact position sense strongly correlates with the chances of recovery after stroke. A great majority of neurological patients present both motor dysfunctions and impairments in kinesthesia, but traditional robot and virtual reality training techniques focus either in recovering motor functions or in assessing proprioceptive deficits. An open challenge is to implement effective and reliable tests and training protocols for proprioception that go beyond the mere position sense evaluation and exploit the intrinsic bidirectionality of the kinesthetic sense, which refers to both sense of position and sense of movement. Modulated haptic interaction has a leading role in promoting sensorimotor integration, and it is a natural way to enhance volitional effort. Therefore, we designed a preliminary clinical study to test a new proprioception-based motor training technique for augmenting kinesthetic awareness via haptic feedback. The feedback was provided by a robotic manipulandum and the test involved seven chronic hemiparetic subjects over 3 weeks. The protocol included evaluation sessions that consisted of a psychometric estimate of the subject's kinesthetic sensation, and training sessions, in which the subject executed planar reaching movements in the absence of vision and under a minimally assistive haptic guidance made by sequences of graded force pulses. The bidirectional haptic interaction between the subject and the robot was optimally adapted to each participant in order to achieve a uniform task difficulty over the workspace. All the subjects consistently improved in the perceptual scores as a consequence of training. Moreover, they could minimize the level of haptic guidance in time. Results suggest that the proposed method is effective in enhancing kinesthetic acuity, but the level of impairment may affect the ability of subjects to retain their improvement in time.

Robot-assisted training of the kinesthetic sense: enhancing proprioception after stroke

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Dalia eDe Santis

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Proprioception has a crucial role in promoting or hindering motor learning. In particular, an intact position sense strongly correlates with the chances of recovery after stroke. A great majority of neurological patients present both motor dysfunctions and impairments in kinesthesia, but traditional robot and virtual reality training techniques focus either in recovering motor functions or in assessing proprioceptive deficits. An open challenge is to implement effective and reliable tests and training protocols for proprioception that go beyond the mere position sense evaluation and exploit the intrinsic bidirectionality of the kinesthetic sense, which refers to both sense of position and sense of movement. Modulated haptic interaction has a leading role in promoting sensorimotor integration and it is a natural way to enhance volitional effort. Therefore, we designed a preliminary clinical study to test a new proprioception-based motor training technique for augmenting kinesthetic awareness via haptic feedback. The feedback was provided by a robotic manipulandum and the test involved 7 chronic hemiparetic subjects over three weeks. The protocol included evaluation sessions, that consisted of a psychometric estimate of the subject’s kinesthetic sensation, and training sessions, in which the subject executed planar reaching movements in the absence of vision and under a minimally assistive haptic guidance made by sequences of graded force pulses. The bidirectional haptic interaction between the subject and the robot was optimally adapted to each participant in order to achieve a uniform task difficulty over the workspace. All the subjects consistently improved in the perceptual scores as a consequence of training. Moreover, they could minimize the level of haptic guidance in time. Results suggest that the proposed method is effective in enhancing kinesthetic acuity, but the level of impairment may affect the ability of subjects to retain their

Saccadic Eye Movement Improves Plantar Sensation and Postural Balance in Elderly Women.

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Bae, Youngsook

2016-06-01

Vision, proprioception and plantar sensation contribute to the control of postural balance (PB). Reduced plantar sensation alters postural response and is at an increased risk of fall, and eye movements reduce the postural sway. Therefore, the aim of this study was to study the improvement of plantar sensation and PB after saccadic eye movement (SEM) and pursuit eye movement (PEM) in community-dwelling elderly women. Participants (104 females; 75.11 ± 6.25 years) were randomly allocated into the SEM group (n = 52) and PEM groups (n = 52). The SEM group performed eye fixation and SEM for 5 minutes, and the PEM group performed eye fixation and PEM for 5 minutes. The plantar sensation was measured according to the plantar surface area of the feet in contact with the floor surface before and after the intervention. Before and after SEM and PEM with the eyes open and closed, PB was measured as the area (mm(2)), length (cm), and velocity (cm/s) of the fluctuation of the center of pressure (COP). The plantar sensation of both feet improved in both groups (p eye open and close in both groups (p < 0.01). The length and velocity of the COP significantly decreased in the SEM group compared to the PEM group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, SEM and PEM are effective interventions for improving plantar sensation and PB in elderly women, with greater PB improvement after SEM.

Lack of motor prediction, rather than perceptual conflict, evokes an odd sensation upon stepping onto a stopped escalator

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Gomi, Hiroaki; Sakurada, Takeshi; Fukui, Takao

2014-01-01

When stepping onto a stopped escalator, we often perceive an “odd sensation” that is never felt when stepping onto stairs. The sight of an escalator provides a strong contextual cue that, in expectation of the backward acceleration when stepping on, triggers an anticipatory forward postural adjustment driven by a habitual and implicit motor process. Here we contrast two theories about why this postural change leads to an odd sensation. The first theory links the odd sensation to a lack of sensorimotor prediction from all low-level implicit motor processes. The second theory links the odd sensation to the high-level conflict between the conscious awareness that the escalator is stopped and the implicit perception that evokes an endogenous motor program specific to a moving escalator. We show very similar postural changes can also arise from reflexive responses to visual stimuli, such as contracting/expanding optic flow fields, and that these reflexive responses produce similar odd sensations to the stopped escalator. We conclude that the high-level conflict is not necessary for such sensations. In contrast, the implicitly driven behavioral change itself essentially leads to the odd sensation in motor perception since the unintentional change may be less attributable to self-generated action because of a lack of motor predictions. PMID:24688460

Modulation of the masseteric reflex by gastric vagal afferents.

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Pettorossi, V E

1983-04-01

Several investigations have shown that the vagal nerve can affect the reflex responses of the masticatory muscles acting at level either of trigeminal motoneurons or of the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus (MTN). The present experiments have been devoted to establish the origin of the vagal afferent fibres involved in modulating the masseteric reflex. In particular, the gastric vagal afferents were taken into consideration and selective stimulations of such fibres were performed in rabbit. Conditioning electrical stimulation of truncus vagalis ventralis (TVV) reduced the excitability of the MTN cells as shown by a decrease of the antidromic response recorded from the semilunar ganglion and elicited by MTN single-shock electrical stimulation. Sympathetic and cardiovascular influences were not involved in these responses. Mechanical stimulation of gastric receptors, by means of gastric distension, clearly diminished the amplitude of twitch tension of masseteric reflex and inhibited the discharge frequency of proprioceptive MTN units. The effect was phasic and depended upon the velocity of distension. Thus the sensory volleys originating from rapid adapting receptors reach the brain stem through vagal afferents and by means of a polysynaptic connection inhibits the masseteric reflex at level of MTN cells.

Testing for and the role of anal and rectal sensation.

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Rogers, J

1992-03-01

The rectum is insensitive to stimuli capable of causing pain and other sensations when applied to a somatic cutaneous surface. It is, however, sensitive to distension by an experimental balloon introduced through the anus, though it is not known whether it is the stretching or reflex contraction of the gut wall, or the distortion of the mesentery and adjacent structures which induces the sensation. No specific sensory receptors are seen on careful histological examination of the rectum in humans. However, myelinated and non-myelinated nerve fibres are seen adjacent to the rectal mucosa, but no intraepithelial fibres arise from these. The sensation of rectal distension travels with the parasympathetic system to S2, S3 and S4. The two main methods for quantifying rectal sensation are rectal balloon distension and mucosal electrosensitivity. The balloon is progressively distended until particular sensations are perceived by the patient. The volumes at which these sensations are perceived are recorded. Three sensory thresholds are usually defined: constant sensation of fullness, urge to defecate, and maximum tolerated volume. The modalities of anal sensation can be precisely defined. Touch, pain and temperature sensation exist in normal subjects. There is profuse innervation of the anal canal with a variety of specialized sensory nerve endings: Meissner's corpuscles which record touch sensation, Krause end-bulbs which respond to thermal stimuli, Golgi-Mazzoni bodies and pacinian corpuscles which respond to changes in tension and pressure, and genital corpuscles which respond to friction. In addition, there are large diameter free nerve endings within the epithelium. The nerve pathway for anal canal sensation is via the inferior haemorrhoidal branches of the pudendal nerve to the sacral roots of S2, S3 and S4. Anal sensation may be quantitatively measured in response to electrical stimulation. The technique involves the use of a specialized constant current generator

Self-face recognition shares brain regions active during proprioceptive illusion in the right inferior fronto-parietal superior longitudinal fasciculus III network.

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Morita, Tomoyo; Saito, Daisuke N; Ban, Midori; Shimada, Koji; Okamoto, Yuko; Kosaka, Hirotaka; Okazawa, Hidehiko; Asada, Minoru; Naito, Eiichi

2017-04-21

Proprioception is somatic sensation that allows us to sense and recognize position, posture, and their changes in our body parts. It pertains directly to oneself and may contribute to bodily awareness. Likewise, one's face is a symbol of oneself, so that visual self-face recognition directly contributes to the awareness of self as distinct from others. Recently, we showed that right-hemispheric dominant activity in the inferior fronto-parietal cortices, which are connected by the inferior branch of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF III), is associated with proprioceptive illusion (awareness), in concert with sensorimotor activity. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that visual self-face recognition shares brain regions active during proprioceptive illusion in the right inferior fronto-parietal SLF III network. We scanned brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging while twenty-two right-handed healthy adults performed two tasks. One was a proprioceptive illusion task, where blindfolded participants experienced a proprioceptive illusion of right hand movement. The other was a visual self-face recognition task, where the participants judged whether an observed face was their own. We examined whether the self-face recognition and the proprioceptive illusion commonly activated the inferior fronto-parietal cortices connected by the SLF III in a right-hemispheric dominant manner. Despite the difference in sensory modality and in the body parts involved in the two tasks, both tasks activated the right inferior fronto-parietal cortices, which are likely connected by the SLF III, in a right-side dominant manner. Here we discuss possible roles for right inferior fronto-parietal activity in bodily awareness and self-awareness. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Trigeminal cardiac reflex and cerebral blood flow regulation

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Dominga Lapi

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The stimulation of some facial regions is known to trigger the trigemino-cardiac reflex: the main stimulus is represented by the contact of the face with water. This phenomenon called diving reflex induces a set of reactions in the cardiovascular and respiratory systems occurring in all mammals, especially marine (whales, seals. During the immersion of the face in the water, the main responses are aimed at reducing the oxygen consumption of the organism. Accordingly reduction in heart rate, peripheral vasoconstriction, blood pooling in certain organs, especially the heart and brain, and an increase in blood pressure have been reported. Moreover, the speed and intensity of the reflex is inversely proportional to the temperature of the water: more cold the water, more reactions as described are strong. In the case of deep diving an additional effect, such as blood deviation, has been reported: the blood is requested within the lungs, to compensate for the increase in the external pressure, preventing them from collapsing.The trigeminal-cardiac reflex is not just confined to the diving reflex; recently it has been shown that a brief proprioceptive stimulation (10 min by jaw extension in rats produces interesting effects both at systemic and cerebral level, reducing the arterial blood pressure and vasodilating the pial arterioles. The arteriolar dilation is associated with rhythmic diameter changes characterized by an increase in the endothelial activity. Fascinating the stimulation of trigeminal nerve is able to activated the nitric oxide release by vascular endothelial. Therefore the aim of this review was to highlight the effects due to trigeminal cardiac reflex induced by a simple mandibular extension, because produced opposite effects compared to those elicited by the diving reflex as it induces hypotension and modulation of cerebral arteriolar tone.

The Effects of Cryotherapy on Proprioception System

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Mariusz Paweł Furmanek

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Proprioception plays an important role in the complex mechanism of joint control. Contemporary sport activities impose extremely high physical demands on athletes. Winter sports are played in areas with excessively low temperatures. Moreover, many athletes are subjected to treatments that involve local lowering of the body temperature before, during, and after physical activity. This work reviews the current knowledge regarding the influence of local cryotherapy on the proprioception system. The reviewed literature identified several tests that evaluate different aspects of proprioception. There is no universally agreed protocol, or clear set of criteria for test conditions. The outcomes of different tests and assessments of cryotherapy procedures using different cold modalities are poorly correlated. In general, the published results on the mechanism of cryotherapy effects on proprioception are not uniquely conclusive and are frequently contradictory. Additional high-quality research is required to explicitly answer the following questions: (1 whether local cryotherapy influences all aspects of proprioception; (2 whether the current methods of evaluation are adequate for the exploration of the relationship between cryotherapy and proprioception; and (3 whether the application of local cryotherapy is safe for athletes regarding proprioception. The review clearly showed that there is no comprehensive model relating cryotherapy and proprioception.

The effects of cryotherapy on proprioception system.

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Furmanek, Mariusz Paweł; Słomka, Kajetan; Juras, Grzegorz

2014-01-01

Proprioception plays an important role in the complex mechanism of joint control. Contemporary sport activities impose extremely high physical demands on athletes. Winter sports are played in areas with excessively low temperatures. Moreover, many athletes are subjected to treatments that involve local lowering of the body temperature before, during, and after physical activity. This work reviews the current knowledge regarding the influence of local cryotherapy on the proprioception system. The reviewed literature identified several tests that evaluate different aspects of proprioception. There is no universally agreed protocol, or clear set of criteria for test conditions. The outcomes of different tests and assessments of cryotherapy procedures using different cold modalities are poorly correlated. In general, the published results on the mechanism of cryotherapy effects on proprioception are not uniquely conclusive and are frequently contradictory. Additional high-quality research is required to explicitly answer the following questions: (1) whether local cryotherapy influences all aspects of proprioception; (2) whether the current methods of evaluation are adequate for the exploration of the relationship between cryotherapy and proprioception; and (3) whether the application of local cryotherapy is safe for athletes regarding proprioception. The review clearly showed that there is no comprehensive model relating cryotherapy and proprioception.

Reflex epileptic mechanisms in humans: Lessons about natural ictogenesis.

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Wolf, Peter

2017-06-01

The definition of reflex epileptic seizures is that specific seizure types can be triggered by certain sensory or cognitive stimuli. Simple triggers are sensory (most often visual, more rarely tactile or proprioceptive; simple audiogenic triggers in humans are practically nonexistent) and act within seconds, whereas complex triggers like praxis, reading and talking, and music are mostly cognitive and work within minutes. The constant relation between a qualitatively, often even quantitatively, well-defined stimulus and a specific epileptic response provides unique possibilities to investigate seizure generation in natural human epilepsies. For several reflex epileptic mechanisms (REMs), this has been done. Reflex epileptic mechanisms have been reported less often in focal lesional epilepsies than in idiopathic "generalized" epilepsies (IGEs) which are primarily genetically determined. The key syndrome of IGE is juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), where more than half of the patients present reflex epileptic traits (photosensitivity, eye closure sensitivity, praxis induction, and language-induced orofacial reflex myocloni). Findings with multimodal investigations of cerebral function concur to indicate that ictogenic mechanisms in IGEs largely (ab)use preexisting functional anatomic networks (CNS subsystems) normally serving highly complex physiological functions (e.g., deliberate complex actions and linguistic communication) which supports the concept of system epilepsy. Whereas REMs in IGEs, thus, are primarily function-related, in focal epilepsies, they are primarily localization-related. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Genetic and Reflex Epilepsies, Audiogenic Seizures and Strains: From Experimental Models to the Clinic". Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Acute effects of high-frequency microfocal vibratory stimulation on the H reflex of the soleus muscle. A double-blind study in healthy subjects.

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Alfonsi, Enrico; Paone, Paolo; Tassorelli, Cristina; De Icco, Roberto; Moglia, Arrigo; Alvisi, Elena; Marchetta, Lucky; Fresia, Mauro; Montini, Alessandra; Calabrese, Marzia; Versiglia, Vittorio; Sandrini, Giorgio

2015-01-01

This study in healthy subjects examined the effects of a system delivering focal microvibrations at high frequency (Equistasi®) on tonic vibration stimulus (TVS)-induced inhibition of the soleus muscle H reflex. Highfrequency microvibrations significantly increased the inhibitory effect of TVS on the H reflex for up to three minutes. Moreover, Equistasi® also significantly reduced alpha-motoneuron excitability, as indicated by the changes in the ratio between the maximumamplitude H reflex (Hmax reflex) and the maximumamplitude muscle response (Mmax response); this effect was due to reduction of the amplitude of the H reflex because the amplitude of muscle response remained unchanged. The present findings indicate that Equistasi® has a modulatory effect on proprioceptive reflex circuits. Therefore, Equistasi® might interfere with some mechanisms involved in both physiological and pathophysiological control of movement and of posture.

Restoring penis sensation in patients with low spinal cord lesions: the role of the remaining function of the dorsal nerve in a unilateral or bilateral TOMAX procedure.

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Overgoor, Max L E; Braakhekke, Jan P; Kon, Moshe; De Jong, Tom P V M

2015-04-01

The recently developed TOMAX-procedure restores unilateral genital sensation, improving sexual health in men with a low spinal lesion (LSL). It connects one dorsal nerve of the penis (DNP) to the intact ipsilateral ilioinguinal nerve. We proposed bilateral neurotization for full sensation of the glans but this entails cutting both DNPs, risking patients' erection/ejaculation ability. The objective was to select patients for a bilateral TOMAX-procedure by measuring remaining DNP function, and perform the first bilateral cases. In 30 LSL patients with no penile- but normal groin sensation selected for a unilateral TOMAX-procedure the integrity of the sacral-reflex-arc and DNP function was tested pre-operatively using bilateral needle electromyography (EMG)-bulbocavernosus reflex (BCR) measurements, and an interview about reflex erections (RE) ability. In 13 spina bifida- and 17 spinal cord injury patients [median age 29.5 years (range 13-59 years), spinal lesion T12 (incomplete) to sacral], seven (23%) patients reported RE, four (57%) with intact BCR, and of nine (30%) patients with intact BCR, four reported RE (44%). Even patients with a LSL and no penile sensation can have signs of remaining DNP function, but cutting both DNPs to restore full glans sensation in a bilateral TOMAX-procedure might interfere with their RE/ejaculation. To avoid this risk, we propose a selecting-protocol for a unilateral- or bilateral procedure using RE and BCR measurements. Using this protocol, three patients were bilaterally operated with promising preliminary results. Full sensation of the glans could lead to further improvement in sexual function. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Neurophysiology and Clinical Implications of the Laryngeal Adductor Reflex.

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Domer, Amanda S; Kuhn, Maggie A; Belafsky, Peter C

2013-09-01

The laryngeal adductor reflex (LAR) is an involuntary protective response to stimuli in the larynx. The superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) acts as the afferent limb and the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) as the efferent limb of this reflex, which is modulated by the central nervous system. Perhaps the most clinically significant application of the LAR is its use in laryngopharyngeal (LP) sensory discrimination testing. Importantly, aberrations in the LAR may predict dysphagia or portend clinical phenotypes of chronic cough, vocal cord dysfunction or pediatric apneas. LP sensation is a potential target for interventions addressing the aforementioned conditions though currently remains an area of active investigation.

Lower-limb proprioceptive awareness in professional ballet dancers.

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Kiefer, Adam W; Riley, Michael A; Shockley, Kevin; Sitton, Candace A; Hewett, Timothy E; Cummins-Sebree, Sarah; Haas, Jacqui G

2013-09-01

Enhanced proprioceptive feedback strengthens synergistic muscle groups and stabilizes the coordination of limbs, thus contributing to the movement efficiency of ballet dancers. The present study compared lower-limb proprioceptive awareness in professional ballet dancers to matched controls who had no dance training. Two assessment methods were used to test the hypothesis that ballet dancers would demonstrate increased proprioceptive awareness in the ankle, knee, and hip: 1. a joint-position matching task to assess static proprioceptive joint awareness, and 2. an eyes-closed, quiet standing task to assess both static and dynamic proprioceptive awareness through measures of center of pressure (COP) variability. Results of the matching task indicated that the dancers exhibited greater proprioceptive awareness than controls for all three joints (p 0.05), whereas controls were less aware of their ankle position compared to their knee and hip joints (p 0.05). This indicates that quiet stance may have limited value as a means for evaluating proprioception. These findings provide preliminary evidence that enhanced proprioceptive awareness of lower limb joints should be considered as an evaluative criterion for dancers' ability to learn complex ballet skills. They also indicate that quiet standing tasks may not provide sufficient challenge for dancers' enhanced proprioceptive awareness to manifest.

Virtual Proprioception for eccentric training.

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LeMoyne, Robert; Mastroianni, Timothy

2017-07-01

Wireless inertial sensors enable quantified feedback, which can be applied to evaluate the efficacy of therapy and rehabilitation. In particular eccentric training promotes a beneficial rehabilitation and strength training strategy. Virtual Proprioception for eccentric training applies real-time feedback from a wireless gyroscope platform enabled through a software application for a smartphone. Virtual Proprioception for eccentric training is applied to the eccentric phase of a biceps brachii strength training and contrasted to a biceps brachii strength training scenario without feedback. During the operation of Virtual Proprioception for eccentric training the intent is to not exceed a prescribed gyroscope signal threshold based on the real-time presentation of the gyroscope signal, in order to promote the eccentric aspect of the strength training endeavor. The experimental trial data is transmitted wireless through connectivity to the Internet as an email attachment for remote post-processing. A feature set is derived from the gyroscope signal for machine learning classification of the two scenarios of Virtual Proprioception real-time feedback for eccentric training and eccentric training without feedback. Considerable classification accuracy is achieved through the application of a multilayer perceptron neural network for distinguishing between the Virtual Proprioception real-time feedback for eccentric training and eccentric training without feedback.

Mechanism of Activating the Proprioceptive NT-3/TrkC Signalling Pathway by Reverse Intervention for the Anterior Cruciate Ligament–Hamstring Reflex Arc with Electroacupuncture

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Lei Zhang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL is an important structure maintaining stability of the knee joints. Deficits in physical stability and the proprioceptive capabilities of the knee joints are observed, when the ACL is damaged. Additionally, a unilateral ACL injury can affect bilateral knee proprioception; therefore, proprioception of the ACL may play a key role in stability. Electroacupuncture therapy has a definite effect nerve regeneration. In this study, cynomolgus monkeys were randomly divided into 4 groups: the model control group, intervention of the injured knee with electroacupuncture (IIKE group, intervention of the bilateral knees with electroacupuncture (IBKE group, and the blank control group. The unilateral ACL injury model was developed in IIKE and IBKE groups; acupuncture points around the knees underwent intervention similarly in the IIKE and IBKE groups. Then, mRNA and protein expressions of NT-3 and TrkC in the dorsal root ganglion and of growth-associated protein-43 in the ACL increased according to reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting results. Decreased incubations and increased amplitudes were found for somatosensory-evoked potentials and motor nerve conduction velocity. The finding indicates that electroacupuncture may play an important role in the recovery of proprioception in the ACL by activating the NT-3/TrkC signalling pathway.

Effects of augmented proprioceptive cues on the parameters of gait of individuals with Parkinson′s disease

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Mohamed S El-Tamawy

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Context : Impairment of initiating sequential movements and processing of proprioception contribute to characteristic Parkinson′s disease (PD gait abnormalities. Many studies have used a single external cue or 2 different cues to correct PD gait. Aim: An aim of this study was to determine the influence of paired proprioceptive cues on gait parameters of individuals with PD. Setting and Design: Double-blind randomized controlled trial. Materials and Methods: Subjects were 30 PD patients who had mild to moderate impairment according to the United Parkinson′s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS. They were randomly assigned to either a routine physiotherapy program or treadmill training with vibratory stimuli applied to the feet plantar surfaces and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF as well as the same physiotherapy program. All Participants received a 45-minutes session of low intensity physiotherapy program, 3 times a week, for 8 weeks. The duration of treadmill training was 5 minutes at baseline and 25 minutes at the end of treatment. Walking speed and distance were recorded from the treadmill control panel for both groups before and immediately after the end of treatment. The Qualysis ProReflex motion analysis system was used to measure cadence, stride length, hip, knee, and ankle joints′ angular excursion. Results: The cadence, stride length, and lower limb joints′ angular excursion showed a significant improvement in both groups (P ≤ 0.05. These improvements in spatio-temporal parameters and angular excursion were higher in the study group than in the control group (P ≤ 0.05. Conclusion: Potentiated proprioceptive feedback improves parkinsonian gait kinematics, the hip, knee, and ankle joints′ angular excursion.

Pain sensation and nociceptive reflex excitability in surgical patients and human volunteers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dahl, J B; Erichsen, C J; Fuglsang-Frederiksen, A

1992-01-01

Pain threshold, nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR) threshold and responses to suprathreshold stimulation were investigated in 15 female patients (mean age 32 yr (range 22-48 yr)) before and 68 (range 48-96) h after gynaecological laparotomy. Control measurements were performed in 17 healthy human v...

Tentonin 3/TMEM150c Confers Distinct Mechanosensitive Currents in Dorsal-Root Ganglion Neurons with Proprioceptive Function.

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Hong, Gyu-Sang; Lee, Byeongjun; Wee, Jungwon; Chun, Hyeyeon; Kim, Hyungsup; Jung, Jooyoung; Cha, Joo Young; Riew, Tae-Ryong; Kim, Gyu Hyun; Kim, In-Beom; Oh, Uhtaek

2016-07-06

Touch sensation or proprioception requires the transduction of mechanical stimuli into electrical signals by mechanoreceptors in the periphery. These mechanoreceptors are equipped with various transducer channels. Although Piezo1 and 2 are mechanically activated (MA) channels with rapid inactivation, MA molecules with other inactivation kinetics have not been identified. Here we report that heterologously expressed Tentonin3 (TTN3)/TMEM150C is activated by mechanical stimuli with distinctly slow inactivation kinetics. Genetic ablation of Ttn3/Tmem150c markedly reduced slowly adapting neurons in dorsal-root ganglion neurons. The MA TTN3 currents were inhibited by known blockers of mechanosensitive ion channels. Moreover, TTN3 was localized in muscle spindle afferents. Ttn3-deficient mice exhibited the loss of coordinated movements and abnormal gait. Thus, TTN3 appears to be a component of a mechanosensitive channel with a slow inactivation rate and contributes to motor coordination. Identification of this gene advances our understanding of the various types of mechanosensations, including proprioception. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Do reflex seizures and spontaneous seizures form a continuum? - triggering factors and possible common mechanisms.

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Irmen, Friederike; Wehner, Tim; Lemieux, Louis

2015-02-01

Recent changes in the understanding and classification of reflex seizures have fuelled a debate on triggering mechanisms of seizures and their conceptual organization. Previous studies and patient reports have listed extrinsic and intrinsic triggers, albeit their multifactorial and dynamic nature is poorly understood. This paper aims to review literature on extrinsic and intrinsic seizure triggers and to discuss common mechanisms among them. Among self-reported seizure triggers, emotional stress is most frequently named. Reflex seizures are typically associated with extrinsic sensory triggers; however, intrinsic cognitive or proprioceptive triggers have also been assessed. The identification of a trigger underlying a seizure may be more difficult if it is intrinsic and complex, and if triggering mechanisms are multifactorial. Therefore, since observability of triggers varies and triggers are also found in non-reflex seizures, the present concept of reflex seizures may be questioned. We suggest the possibility of a conceptual continuum between reflex and spontaneous seizures rather than a dichotomy and discuss evidence to the notion that to some extent most seizures might be triggered. Copyright © 2014 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Restoring tactile and erogenous penile sensation in low-spinal-lesion patients: procedural and technical aspects following 43 TOMAX nerve transfer procedures.

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Overgoor, Max L E; de Jong, Tom P V M; Kon, Moshe

2014-08-01

The "TOMAX" (TO MAX-imize sensation, sexuality, and quality of life) procedure restores genital sensation in men with low spinal lesions, improving sexual health, as shown previously. It connects the dorsal nerve of the penis to the intact ipsilateral ilioinguinal nerve, unilaterally or bilaterally. This study reports on the technical aspects based on 43 TOMAX nerve transfers. In 40 patients with no penile but intact groin sensation, 43 nerve transfers were performed. Data on patient selection, surgical history, anatomy of the ilioinguinal nerve and dorsal nerve of the penis, unilateral or bilateral surgery, surgical technique, complications, and patient information were collected prospectively. Regardless of origin, all patients with no penile but good groin sensation are eligible for the procedure, provided the ilioinguinal nerve is not damaged because of former inguinal surgery or absent because of anatomical variations. Selection of a unilateral or bilateral procedure depends on the presence or absence of reflex erections and bulbocavernosus reflex. Preliminary experience with the first three bilateral cases shows that it is technically feasible, with encouraging results. The surgical technique has evolved (described in detail, including video) to enhance outcome and reduce complications. Patients are better informed, resulting in realistic expectations. This article synthesizes the procedural and technical experience of 43 TOMAX nerve transfers. Anyone skilled in peripheral nerve surgery and microsurgery can adopt this concept and further develop it. The TOMAX procedure can then be used to restore erogenous penile sensation and improve the quality of sexual health in patients with absent penile but good groin sensation.

The impaired proprioception in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome-Hypermobility Type/Joint hypermobility Syndrome: the rehabilitation role

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Filippo Camerota

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Hypermobility Type/Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (JHS/EDS-HT is an hereditary disorder of the connective tissue mainly manifesting with generalized joint hypermobility and skin hyperextensibility with an involvement of the connective tissue matrix proteins. Collagen alterations may influence the quality of movement in these patients but also movement has a role for the collagen quality: motion has a prevention role in the formation of contractures and adhesions. A poor sense of proprioception correlated with the collagenous connective tissues alterations could explain why people with JHS/EDS-HT become injured, having a lack of sensation of the joint at the end of the range. Rehabilitation approach may consider all these aspects.

Artificial proprioceptive feedback for myoelectric control.

Science.gov (United States)

Pistohl, Tobias; Joshi, Deepak; Ganesh, Gowrishankar; Jackson, Andrew; Nazarpour, Kianoush

2015-05-01

The typical control of myoelectric interfaces, whether in laboratory settings or real-life prosthetic applications, largely relies on visual feedback because proprioceptive signals from the controlling muscles are either not available or very noisy. We conducted a set of experiments to test whether artificial proprioceptive feedback, delivered noninvasively to another limb, can improve control of a two-dimensional myoelectrically-controlled computer interface. In these experiments, participants were required to reach a target with a visual cursor that was controlled by electromyogram signals recorded from muscles of the left hand, while they were provided with an additional proprioceptive feedback on their right arm by moving it with a robotic manipulandum. Provision of additional artificial proprioceptive feedback improved the angular accuracy of their movements when compared to using visual feedback alone but did not increase the overall accuracy quantified with the average distance between the cursor and the target. The advantages conferred by proprioception were present only when the proprioceptive feedback had similar orientation to the visual feedback in the task space and not when it was mirrored, demonstrating the importance of congruency in feedback modalities for multi-sensory integration. Our results reveal the ability of the human motor system to learn new inter-limb sensory-motor associations; the motor system can utilize task-related sensory feedback, even when it is available on a limb distinct from the one being actuated. In addition, the proposed task structure provides a flexible test paradigm by which the effectiveness of various sensory feedback and multi-sensory integration for myoelectric prosthesis control can be evaluated.

Right Temporoparietal Cortex Activation during Visuo-proprioceptive Conflict

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balslev, Daniela; Nielsen, Finn Årup; Paulson, Olaf B.

2005-01-01

with congruent movement activated the premotor area bilaterally and the right temporoparietal junction. These brain areas have previously been associated with shifts in the attended location in the visual space. These findings suggest an interaction between vision and proprioception in orienting to spatial......The conflict between vision and proprioception has been proposed to explain why healthy subjects perform worse than proprioceptively deafferented patients in conditions with optical displacement, e.g. novel mirror drawing. It is not known which brain processes depend upon the successful integration...... of visual and proprioceptive information and are therefore impaired when these modalities disagree. With fMRI in healthy subjects we compared brain activity across two conditions with similar visual and proprioceptive stimulation and similar task demands that differed by the congruence of movement showed...

Presbypropria: the effects of physiological ageing on proprioceptive control.

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Boisgontier, Matthieu P; Olivier, Isabelle; Chenu, Olivier; Nougier, Vincent

2012-10-01

Several changes in the human sensory systems, like presbycusis or presbyopia, are well-known to occur with physiological ageing. A similar change is likely to occur in proprioception, too, but there are strong and unexplained discrepancies in the literature. It was proposed that assessment of the attentional cost of proprioceptive control could provide information able to unify these previous studies. To this aim, 15 young adults and 15 older adults performed a position matching task in single and dual-task paradigms with different difficulty levels of the secondary task (congruent and incongruent Stroop-type tasks) to assess presumed age-related deficits in proprioceptive control. Results showed that proprioceptive control was as accurate and as consistent in older as in young adults for a single proprioceptive task. However, performing a secondary cognitive task and increasing the difficulty of this secondary task evidenced both a decreased matching performance and/or an increased attentional cost of proprioceptive control in older adults as compared to young ones. These results advocated for an impaired proprioception in physiological ageing.

Proprioceptive information processing in schizophrenia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arnfred, Sidse M H

of the left somatosensory cortex and it was suggested to be in accordance with two theories of schizophrenic information processing: the theory of deficiency of corollary discharge and the theory of weakening of the influence of past regularities. No gating deficiency was observed and the imprecision...... Rado (1890-1972) suggested that one of two un-reducible deficits in schizophrenia was a disorder of proprioception. Exploration of proprioceptive information processing is possible through the measurement of evoked and event related potentials. Event related EEG can be analyzed as conventional time...... and amplitude attenuation was not a general phenomenon across the entire brain response. Summing up, in support of Rado's hypothesis, schizophrenia spectrum patients demonstrated abnormalities in proprioceptive information processing. Future work needs to extend the findings in larger un-medicated, non...

Study II: mechanoreceptive sensation is of increased importance for human postural control under alcohol intoxication.

Science.gov (United States)

Modig, F; Patel, M; Magnusson, M; Fransson, P A

2012-03-01

Standing postural stability relies on input from visual, vestibular, proprioceptive and mechanoreceptive sensors. When the information from any of these sensors is unavailable or disrupted, the central nervous system maintains postural stability by relying more on the contribution from the reliable sensors, termed sensory re-weighting. Alcohol intoxication is known to affect the integrity of the vestibular and visual systems. The aim was to assess how mechanoreceptive sensory information contributed to postural stability at 0.00% (i.e. sober), 0.06% and 0.10% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in 25 healthy subjects (mean age 25.1 years). The subjects were assessed with eyes closed and eyes open under quiet standing and while standing was perturbed by repeated, random-length, vibratory stimulation of the calf muscles. Plantar cutaneous mechanoreceptive sensation was assessed for both receptor types: slowly adapting (tactile sensitivity) and rapidly adapting (vibration perception). The correlation between recorded torque variance and the sensation from both mechanoreceptor types was calculated. The recorded stability during alcohol intoxication was significantly influenced by both the tactile sensation and vibration perception of the subjects. Moreover, the study revealed a fluctuating association between the subjects' vibration perception and torque variance during balance perturbations, which was significantly influenced by the level of alcohol intoxication, vision and adaptation. Hence, one's ability to handle balance perturbations under the influence of alcohol is strongly dependent on accurate mechanoreceptive sensation and efficient sensory re-weighting. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Proprioceptive evoked gamma oscillations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arnfred, S.M.; Hansen, Lars Kai; Parnas, J.

2007-01-01

A proprioceptive stimulus consisting of a weight change of a handheld load has recently been shown to elicit an evoked potential. Previously, somatosensory gamma oscillations have only been evoked by electrical stimuli. We conjectured that a natural proprioceptive stimulus also would be able...... to evoke gamma oscillations. EEG was recorded using 64 channels in 14 healthy subjects. In each of three runs a stimulus of 100 g load increment in each hand was presented in 120 trials. Data were wavelet transformed and runs collapsed. Inter-trial phase coherence (ITPC) was computed as the best measure...

Increased excitability of spinal pain reflexes and altered frequency-dependent modulation in the dopamine D3-receptor knockout mouse.

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Keeler, Benjamin E; Baran, Christine A; Brewer, Kori L; Clemens, Stefan

2012-12-01

Frequency-dependent modulation and dopamine (DA) receptors strongly modulate neural circuits in the spinal cord. Of the five known DA receptor subtypes, the D3 receptor has the highest affinity to DA, and D3-mediated actions are mainly inhibitory. Using an animal model of spinal sensorimotor dysfunction, the D3 receptor knockout mouse (D3KO), we investigated the physiological consequences of D3 receptor dysfunction on pain-associated signaling pathways in the spinal cord, the initial integration site for the processing of pain signaling. In the D3KO spinal cord, inhibitory actions of DA on the proprioceptive monosynaptic stretch reflex are converted from depression to facilitation, but its effects on longer-latency and pain-associated reflex responses and the effects of FM have not been studied. Using behavioral approaches in vivo, we found that D3KO animals exhibit reduced paw withdrawal latencies to thermal pain stimulation (Hargreaves' test) over wild type (WT) controls. Electrophysiological and pharmacological approaches in the isolated spinal cord in vitro showed that constant current stimulation of dorsal roots at a pain-associated frequency was associated with a significant reduction in the frequency-dependent modulation of longer-latency reflex (LLRs) responses but not monosynaptic stretch reflexes (MSRs) in D3KO. Application of the D1 and D2 receptor agonists and the voltage-gated calcium-channel ligand, pregabalin, but not DA, was able to restore the frequency-dependent modulation of the LLR in D3KO to WT levels. Thus we demonstrate that nociception-associated LLRs and proprioceptive MSRs are differentially modulated by frequency, dopaminergics and the Ca(2+) channel ligand, pregabalin. Our data suggest a role for the DA D3 receptor in pain modulation and identify the D3KO as a possible model for increased nociception. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Proprioception in knee osteoarthritis: a narrative review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Knoop, J.; Steultjens, M.P.M.; van der Leeden, M.; van der Esch, M.; Thorstensson, C.A.; Roorda, L.D.; Lems, W.F.; Dekker, J.

2011-01-01

Objective: To give an overview of the literature on knee proprioception in knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients. Method: A literature search was performed and reviewed using the narrative approach. Results: (1) Three presumed functions of knee proprioception have been described in the literature:

Proprioceptive event related potentials: gating and task effects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arnfred, Sidse M

2005-01-01

The integration of proprioception with vision, touch or audition is considered basic to the developmental formation of perceptions, conceptual objects and the creation of cognitive schemes. Thus, mapping of proprioceptive information processing is important in cognitive research. A stimulus...... of a brisk change of weight on a hand held load elicit a proprioceptive evoked potential (PEP). Here this is used to examine early and late information processing related to weight discrimination by event related potentials (ERP)....

[The modified method registration of kinesthetic evoked potentials and its application for research of proprioceptive sensitivity disorders at spondylogenic cervical myelopathy].

Science.gov (United States)

Gordeev, S A; Voronin, S G

2016-01-01

To analyze the efficacy of modified (passive radiocarpal articulation flexion/extension) and «standard» (passive radiocarpal articulation flexion) methods of kinesthetic evoked potentials for proprioceptive sensitivity assessment in healthy subjects and patients with spondylotic cervical myelopathy. The study included 14 healthy subjects (4 women and 10 men, mean age 54.1±10.5 years) and 8 patients (2 women and 6 men, mean age 55.8±10.9 years) with spondylotic cervical myelopathy. Muscle-joint sensation was examined during the clinical study. A modified method of kinesthetic evoked potentials was developed. This method differed from the "standard" one by the organization of a cycle including several passive movements,where each new movement differed from the preceding one by the direction. The modified method of kinesthetic evoked potentials ensures more reliable kinesthetic sensitivity assessment due to movement variability. Asignificant increaseof the latent periods of the early components of the response was found in patients compared to healthy subjects. The modified method of kinesthetic evoked potentials can be used for objective diagnosis of proprioceptive sensitivity disorders in patients with spondylotic cervical myelopathy.

Visual and proprioceptive interaction in patients with bilateral vestibular loss.

Science.gov (United States)

Cutfield, Nicholas J; Scott, Gregory; Waldman, Adam D; Sharp, David J; Bronstein, Adolfo M

2014-01-01

Following bilateral vestibular loss (BVL) patients gradually adapt to the loss of vestibular input and rely more on other sensory inputs. Here we examine changes in the way proprioceptive and visual inputs interact. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate visual responses in the context of varying levels of proprioceptive input in 12 BVL subjects and 15 normal controls. A novel metal-free vibrator was developed to allow vibrotactile neck proprioceptive input to be delivered in the MRI system. A high level (100 Hz) and low level (30 Hz) control stimulus was applied over the left splenius capitis; only the high frequency stimulus generates a significant proprioceptive stimulus. The neck stimulus was applied in combination with static and moving (optokinetic) visual stimuli, in a factorial fMRI experimental design. We found that high level neck proprioceptive input had more cortical effect on brain activity in the BVL patients. This included a reduction in visual motion responses during high levels of proprioceptive input and differential activation in the midline cerebellum. In early visual cortical areas, the effect of high proprioceptive input was present for both visual conditions but in lateral visual areas, including V5/MT, the effect was only seen in the context of visual motion stimulation. The finding of a cortical visuo-proprioceptive interaction in BVL patients is consistent with behavioural data indicating that, in BVL patients, neck afferents partly replace vestibular input during the CNS-mediated compensatory process. An fMRI cervico-visual interaction may thus substitute the known visuo-vestibular interaction reported in normal subject fMRI studies. The results provide evidence for a cortical mechanism of adaptation to vestibular failure, in the form of an enhanced proprioceptive influence on visual processing. The results may provide the basis for a cortical mechanism involved in proprioceptive substitution of vestibular

Can proprioception really be improved by exercises?

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Ashton-Miller, J A; Wojtys, E M; Huston, L J; Fry-Welch, D

2001-05-01

There is little question that ankle disc training can improve ankle muscle motor performance in a unipedal balance task, most likely through improved strength and coordination [62] and possibly endurance. How much of the observed improvement in motor performance is due to improved ankle proprioception remains unknown. We have reviewed a number of theoretical ways in which training might improve proprioception for moderately challenging weight-bearing situations such as balancing on one leg. Although the relevant experiments have yet to be performed to test this hypothesis, any improvement would theoretically help to reduce injuries at these moderate levels of challenge. We question, however, whether these exercises can ever improve the reactive response required to prevent injury under the most challenging time-critical situations. If confirmed, this limitation needs to be acknowledged by authors and practitioners alike. Alternative protective strategies for the most challenging time-critical situations should be sought. We conclude that, despite their widespread acceptance, current exercises aimed at "improving proprioception" have not been demonstrated to achieve that goal. We have outlined theoretical scenarios by which proprioception might be improved, but these are speculative. The relevant experiments remain to be conducted. We argue that even if they were proven to improve proprioception, under the best circumstances such exercises could only prevent injury under slow to intermediate rate provocations to the joint musculoligamentous complex in question.

Proprioceptive exercises for ankle ligament injury: a CAT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raúl Aguilera Eguía

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This CAT (Critically Appraised Topic answered the question: In recreational athletes suffering from chronic ankle sprain, can proprioceptive exercises reduce its recurrence?The clinical question was analyzed in three parts: patient, intervention and outcome. The purpose was to test the validity, results and effectiveness of proprioceptive exercises in recreational athletes suffering from chronic ankle sprain to reduce its recurrence from the article "Effectiveness of proprioceptive exercises for ankle ligament injury in adults: A systematic literature and meta-analisys "Postle”1 (2012.

Urethral sensation following reconstructive pelvic surgery.

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Abernethy, M G; Davis, C; Lowenstein, L; Mueller, E R; Brubaker, L; Kenton, K

2014-11-01

Most urethral neuromuscular function data focus on efferent rather than afferent innervation. We aimed to determine if changes exist in urethral afferent nerve function before and after reconstructive pelvic surgery (RPS). Secondarily, we compared afferent urethral innervation in women with and without stress urinary incontinence undergoing RPS. Participants underwent current perception threshold (CPT) and urethral anal reflex (UAR) testing prior to surgery and again post-operatively. Wilcoxon signed ranked test and Spearman's correlations were used and all tests were two-sided. p = 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. Urethral CPT thresholds increased significantly after RPS, consistent with decreased urethral afferent function. Pre-operative urethral CPT thresholds at 5 and 250 Hz were lower in SUI women (10 [IQR 5-29], 40 [32-750]) compared with continent women (63 [14-99], 73 [51-109]; p = 0.45, p = 0.020), signifying increased urethral sensation or easier activation of urethral afferents in SUI women. Reconstructive pelvic surgery is associated with a short-term deleterious impact on urethral afferent function, as demonstrated by the higher levels of stimuli required to activate urethral afferent nerves (decreased urethral sensation) immediately after RPS. Women with SUI required lower levels of stimuli to activate urethral afferent nerves prior to RPS, although UAR latencies were similar regardless of concomitant SUI.

Proprioceptive rehabilitation of upper limb dysfunction in movement disorders: a clinical perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovanni eAbbruzzese

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Movement disorders are frequently associated with sensory abnormalities. In particular, proprioceptive deficits have been largely documented in both hypokinetic (Parkinson’s disease and hyperkinetic conditions (dystonia suggesting a possible role in their pathophysiology. Proprioceptive feedback is a fundamental component of sensorimotor integration allowing effective planning and execution of voluntary movements. Rehabilitation has become an essential element in the management of patients with movement disorders and there is a strong rationale to include proprioceptive training in rehabilitation protocols focused on mobility problems of the upper limbs. Proprioceptive training is aimed at improving the integration of proprioceptive signals using task intrinsic or augmented feedback. This perspective article reviews the available evidences on the effects of proprioceptive stimulation in improving upper limb mobility in patients with movement disorders and highlights the emerging innovative approaches targeted to maximizing the benefits of exercise by means of enhanced proprioception.

Evaluation of Knee Proprioception and Factors Related to Parkinson’s Disease

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Nathalie Ribeiro Artigas

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Changes in proprioception may contribute to postural instability in individuals with neurological disorders. Objectives. Evaluate proprioception in the lower limbs of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD and the association between proprioception and cognitive ability, motor symptoms, postural instability, and disease severity. Methods. This is a cross-sectional, controlled study that evaluated proprioception in PD patients and healthy age- and sex-matched individuals. Kinetic postural proprioception of the knee was evaluated using an isokinetic dynamometer (Biodex® Multi-Joint System 4 Pro. Participants were evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA, the Hoehn and Yahr rating scale and postural instability (pull test and stabilometric analysis, and motor function (UPDRS-III tests. Results. A total of 40 individuals were enrolled in the study: 20 PD patients and 20 healthy controls (CG. The PD patients had higher angular errors on the proprioceptive ratings than the CG participants (p=0.002. Oscillations of the center of pressure (p=0.002 were higher in individuals with PD than in the controls. Proprioceptive errors in the PD patients were associated with the presence of tremors as the dominant symptom and more impaired motor performance. Conclusion. These findings show that individuals with PD have proprioceptive deficits, which are related to decreased cognitive ability and impaired motor symptoms.

[Voice and vibration sensations in the speech forming organs: clinical and theoretical aspects of rare symptoms specific for schizophrenia].

Science.gov (United States)

Vilela, W; Lolas, F; Wolpert, E

1978-01-01

When studying 750 psychiatric in-patients with psychoses of various diagnostic groups, the symptoms of voice sensations and vibration feelings could only be found among patients with paranoid schizophrenia. In addition, these symptoms were located exclusively in body areas that are involved in the peripheral motor production of voice and speech (areas of head, throat, thorax). In 11 of 15 such cases that could be identified, the sensations of voices and vibrations occurred simultaneously and in identical body parts; in the remaining 4 cases only voices without vibration sensations were reported. Therefore these symptoms can be considered as highly specific for schizophrenia. According to the terminology of Bleuler these two symptoms are because of their rareness to be taken as accessoric symptoms; according to the terminology of Kurt Schneider they have the value of first rank symptoms because of their highly diagnostic specifity for schizophrenia. The pathogenesis of these symptoms is on the one hand discussed under the perspective of language development and the changing function of language for behaviour control; on the other hand, the pathogenesis of these symptoms is discussed from the viewpoint of cybernetic, or neurophysiological-neuroanatomical foundation of speech production and speech control. Both models of explanation have in common that the ideational component of speech is noticed as acustic halluzinations and the motor proprioceptive part of speech is noticed as sensation of vibrations, both in a typically schiphrenic manner, i.e. dissociated and ego-alienated.

The influence of below-knee compression garments on knee-joint proprioception.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghai, Shashank; Driller, Matthew W; Masters, Rich S W

2018-02-01

The purpose of the study was to assess the influence of below-knee compression garments on proprioception accuracy under, information processing constraints designed to cause high or low conscious attention to the task. In a counterbalanced, single-blinded, crossover trial, 44 healthy participants (26 male/18 female) with a mean age of 22.7±6.9 years performed an active joint repositioning task using their nondominant and their dominant leg, with and without below-knee compression and with and without conducting a secondary task. Analysis of variance revealed no main effect of leg dominance and no interactions (p's>0.05). However, a main effect was evident for both compression (F 1, 43 =84.23, pknee proprioception under differential information processing constraints. We conclude that proprioception accuracy of the knee joint is significantly enhanced post application of below-knee compression garments and when a secondary task is conducted concurrently with active joint repositioning. The findings suggest that below-knee compression garments may improve proprioception of the knee, regardless of leg dominance, and that secondary tasks that direct attention away from proprioceptive judgments may also improve proprioception, regardless of the presence of compression. Clinical implications are discussed with respect to proprioception in modern.sports and rehabilitation settings. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Effects of Cryotherapy on Proprioception System

OpenAIRE

Furmanek, Mariusz Paweł; Słomka, Kajetan; Juras, Grzegorz

2014-01-01

Proprioception plays an important role in the complex mechanism of joint control. Contemporary sport activities impose extremely high physical demands on athletes. Winter sports are played in areas with excessively low temperatures. Moreover, many athletes are subjected to treatments that involve local lowering of the body temperature before, during, and after physical activity. This work reviews the current knowledge regarding the influence of local cryotherapy on the proprioception system. ...

Reflexives and reflexive constructions in Afrikaans

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Kate H

2. Reflexives. Afrikaans items belonging to the traditional lexical category of reflexives (or reflexive ... reflexive and non-reflexive pronouns are syntactically derived from the same lexical root pronoun √PRON. The ...... 32 The matrix verbs in (33) and (34) both concern a future activity of an entity: belowe (“promise”) in the (a).

Relationship among shoulder proprioception, kinematics, and pain after stroke

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Niessen, M.H.M.; Veeger, H.E.J.; Meskers, C.G.M.; Koppe, P.A.; Konijnenbelt, M.H.; Janssen, T.W.J.

2009-01-01

Niessen MH, Veeger DH, Meskers CG, Koppe PA, Konijnenbelt MH, Janssen TW. Relationship among shoulder proprioception, kinematics, and pain after stroke. Objective: To identify a possible relationship among chronic poststroke shoulder pain (PSSP), scapular resting pose, and shoulder proprioception.

Proprioception rehabilitation training system for stroke patients using virtual reality technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sun I; Song, In-Ho; Cho, Sangwoo; Kim, In Young; Ku, Jeonghun; Kang, Youn Joo; Jang, Dong Pyo

2013-01-01

We investigated a virtual reality (VR) proprioceptive rehabilitation system that could manipulate the visual feedback of upper-limb during training and could do training by relying on proprioception feedback only. Virtual environments were designed in order to switch visual feedback on/off during upper-limb training. Two types of VR training tasks were designed for evaluating the effect of the proprioception focused training compared to the training with visual feedback. In order to evaluate the developed proprioception feedback virtual environment system, we recruited ten stroke patients (age: 54.7± 7.83years, on set: 3.29± 3.83 years). All patients performed three times PFVE task in order to check the improvement of proprioception function just before training session, after one week training, and after all training. In a comparison between FMS score and PFVE, the FMS score had a significant relationship with the error distance(r = -.662, n=10, p = .037) and total movement distance(r = -.726, n=10, p = .018) in PFVE. Comparing the training effect between in virtual environment with visual feedback and with proprioception, the click count, error distance and total error distance was more reduced in PFVE than VFVE. (Click count: p = 0.005, error distance: p = 0.001, total error distance: p = 0.007). It suggested that the proprioception feedback rather than visual feedback could be effective means to enhancing motor control during rehabilitation training. The developed VR system for rehabilitation has been verified in that stroke patients improved motor control after VR proprioception feedback training.

Upper Extremity Proprioception After Stroke: Bridging the Gap Between Neuroscience and Rehabilitation.

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Findlater, Sonja E; Dukelow, Sean P

2017-01-01

Proprioception is an important aspect of function that is often impaired in the upper extremity following stroke. Unfortunately, neurorehabilitation has few evidence based treatment options for those with proprioceptive deficits. The authors consider potential reasons for this disparity. In doing so, typical assessments and proprioceptive intervention studies are discussed. Relevant evidence from the field of neuroscience is examined. Such evidence may be used to guide the development of targeted interventions for upper extremity proprioceptive deficits after stroke. As researchers become more aware of the impact of proprioceptive deficits on upper extremity motor performance after stroke, it is imperative to find successful rehabilitation interventions to target these deficits and ultimately improve daily function.

Sensor-Motor Maps for Describing Linear Reflex Composition in Hopping

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Christian Schumacher

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In human and animal motor control several sensory organs contribute to a network of sensory pathways modulating the motion depending on the task and the phase of execution to generate daily motor tasks such as locomotion. To better understand the individual and joint contribution of reflex pathways in locomotor tasks, we developed a neuromuscular model that describes hopping movements. In this model, we consider the influence of proprioceptive length (LFB, velocity (VFB and force feedback (FFB pathways of a leg extensor muscle on hopping stability, performance and efficiency (metabolic effort. Therefore, we explore the space describing the blending of the monosynaptic reflex pathway gains. We call this reflex parameter space a sensor-motor map. The sensor-motor maps are used to visualize the functional contribution of sensory pathways in multisensory integration. We further evaluate the robustness of these sensor-motor maps to changes in tendon elasticity, body mass, segment length and ground compliance. The model predicted that different reflex pathway compositions selectively optimize specific hopping characteristics (e.g., performance and efficiency. Both FFB and LFB were pathways that enable hopping. FFB resulted in the largest hopping heights, LFB enhanced hopping efficiency and VFB had the ability to disable hopping. For the tested case, the topology of the sensor-motor maps as well as the location of functionally optimal compositions were invariant to changes in system designs (tendon elasticity, body mass, segment length or environmental parameters (ground compliance. Our results indicate that different feedback pathway compositions may serve different functional roles. The topology of the sensor-motor map was predicted to be robust against changes in the mechanical system design indicating that the reflex system can use different morphological designs, which does not apply for most robotic systems (for which the control often follows a

Sensor-Motor Maps for Describing Linear Reflex Composition in Hopping.

Science.gov (United States)

Schumacher, Christian; Seyfarth, André

2017-01-01

In human and animal motor control several sensory organs contribute to a network of sensory pathways modulating the motion depending on the task and the phase of execution to generate daily motor tasks such as locomotion. To better understand the individual and joint contribution of reflex pathways in locomotor tasks, we developed a neuromuscular model that describes hopping movements. In this model, we consider the influence of proprioceptive length (LFB), velocity (VFB) and force feedback (FFB) pathways of a leg extensor muscle on hopping stability, performance and efficiency (metabolic effort). Therefore, we explore the space describing the blending of the monosynaptic reflex pathway gains. We call this reflex parameter space a sensor-motor map . The sensor-motor maps are used to visualize the functional contribution of sensory pathways in multisensory integration. We further evaluate the robustness of these sensor-motor maps to changes in tendon elasticity, body mass, segment length and ground compliance. The model predicted that different reflex pathway compositions selectively optimize specific hopping characteristics (e.g., performance and efficiency). Both FFB and LFB were pathways that enable hopping. FFB resulted in the largest hopping heights, LFB enhanced hopping efficiency and VFB had the ability to disable hopping. For the tested case, the topology of the sensor-motor maps as well as the location of functionally optimal compositions were invariant to changes in system designs (tendon elasticity, body mass, segment length) or environmental parameters (ground compliance). Our results indicate that different feedback pathway compositions may serve different functional roles. The topology of the sensor-motor map was predicted to be robust against changes in the mechanical system design indicating that the reflex system can use different morphological designs, which does not apply for most robotic systems (for which the control often follows a specific

Joint proprioception, muscle strength, and functional ability in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Esch, M; Steultjens, M; Harlaar, J; Knol, D; Lems, W; Dekker, J

2007-06-15

To test the hypotheses that poor knee joint proprioception is related to limitations in functional ability, and poor proprioception aggravates the impact of muscle weakness on limitations in functional ability in osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Sixty-three patients with symptomatic OA of the knee were tested. Proprioceptive acuity was assessed by establishing the joint motion detection threshold (JMDT) in the anteroposterior direction. Muscle strength was measured using a computer-driven isokinetic dynamometer. Functional ability was assessed by the 100-meter walking test, the Get Up and Go (GUG) test, and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index physical function (WOMAC-PF) questionnaire. Correlation analyses were performed to assess the relationship between proprioception, muscle strength, and functional ability. Regression analyses were performed to assess the impact of proprioception on the relationship between muscle strength and functional ability. Poor proprioception (high JMDT) was related to more limitation in functional ability (walking time r = 0.30, P < 0.05; GUG time r = 0.30, P < 0.05; WOMAC-PF r = 0.26, P <0.05). In regression analyses, the interaction between proprioception and muscle strength was significantly related to functional ability (walking time, P < 0.001 and GUG time, P < 0.001) but not to WOMAC-PF score (P = 0.625). In patients with poor proprioception, reduction of muscle strength was associated with more severe deterioration of functional ability than in patients with accurate proprioception. Patients with poor proprioception show more limitation in functional ability, but this relationship is rather weak. In patients with poor proprioception, muscle weakness has a stronger impact on limitations in functional ability than in patients with accurate proprioception.

Proprioceptive Ability of Fencing and Table Tennis Practioners

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bańkosz Ziemowit

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The aim of the study was to compare the spatial component of proprioceptive ability by reproducing a upper limb movement typical in table tennis and fencing. Methods. The research comprised 41 young males of which 12 were table tennis players, 14 fencers, and 15 not involved in any competitive sports as a control. The experiment was based on assessing the precision of pronation and supination of the forearm at the elbow joint in recreating a set movement range by use of a goniometer. Results and conclusions. The results point to a higher level of proprioceptive ability in fencers and table tennis players than the control group but only in respect to the tasks executed with the dominant limb. This is inferred to be the result from the specific character of both sports (i.e. the intensive use of one limb and the consequent laterality of that limb causing higher sensitivity and proprioception. This may provide a link between swordplay, table tennis, and the level of proprioception. The research methodology used herein may be useful in monitoring fencing training. Although not unequivocally statistically significant, the results indicate the potential for further research in this area.

Restoring Proprioception via a Cortical Prosthesis: A Novel Learning Based Approach

Science.gov (United States)

2016-10-01

AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-14-1-0510 TITLE: Restoring Proprioception via a Cortical Prosthesis : A Novel Learning-Based Approach PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR...Sep 2015 - 29 Sep 2016 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Restoring Proprioception via a Cortical Prosthesis : A Novel Learning-Based...the feeling of where the body is in space. The importance of proprioception is often not appreciated; without it, we are unable to move normally

Proprioception in Dance: A Comparative Review of Understandings and Approaches to Research

Science.gov (United States)

Barlow, Rachel

2018-01-01

Proprioception is an ongoing topic of interest in dance research. Yet 'proprioception' can have a wide range of meanings, and therefore is studied in many different ways. This research presents a review of existing studies of proprioception in dance. The review comprised 4 main stages: stage (1) background research; stage (2) proposing a working…

Visuo-proprioceptive interactions during adaptation of the human reach.

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Judkins, Timothy; Scheidt, Robert A

2014-02-01

We examined whether visual and proprioceptive estimates of transient (midreach) target capture errors contribute to motor adaptation according to the probabilistic rules of information integration used for perception. Healthy adult humans grasped and moved a robotic handle between targets in the horizontal plane while the robot generated springlike loads that varied unpredictably from trial to trial. For some trials, a visual cursor faithfully tracked hand motion. In others, the handle's position was locked and subjects viewed motion of a point-mass cursor driven by hand forces. In yet other trials, cursor feedback was dissociated from hand motion or altogether eliminated. We used time- and frequency-domain analyses to characterize how sensorimotor memories influence performance on subsequent reaches. When the senses were used separately, subjects were better at rejecting physical disturbances applied to the hand than virtual disturbances applied to the cursor. In part, this observation reflected differences in how participants used sensorimotor memories to adapt to perturbations when performance feedback was limited to only proprioceptive or visual information channels. When both vision and proprioception were available to guide movement, subjects processed memories in a manner indistinguishable from the vision-only condition, regardless of whether the cursor tracked the hand faithfully or whether we experimentally dissociated motions of the hand and cursor. This was true even though, on average, perceptual uncertainty in the proprioceptive estimation of movement extent exceeded that of visual estimation by just 47%. In contrast to perceptual tasks wherein vision and proprioception both contribute to an optimal estimate of limb state, our findings support a switched-input, multisensory model of predictive load compensation wherein visual feedback of transient performance errors overwhelmingly dominates proprioception in determining adaptive reach performance.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Enhances the Excitability of Trigemino-Facial Reflex Circuits.

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Cabib, Christopher; Cipullo, Federica; Morales, Merche; Valls-Solé, Josep

2016-01-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) causes a tiny burning sensation through activation of local cutaneous trigeminal afferents. Trigeminal sensory inputs from tDCS may generate excitability changes in the trigemino-facial reflex circuits. Sixteen healthy volunteers were submitted to 20 minutes tDCS sessions with two types of electrode-montage conditions: 1. Real vs Sham 'bi-hemispheric' tDCS (cathode/anode: C4/C3), for blinded assessment of effects, and 2. 'uni-hemispheric' tDCS (cathode/anode: Fp3/C3), for assessment of laterality of the effects. Supraorbital nerve stimuli were used to obtain blink reflexes before, during (10 minutes from onset) and after (30 minutes from onset) the tDCS session. Outcome measures were R2 habituation (R2H) to repeated stimuli, the blink reflex excitability recovery (BRER) to paired stimuli and the blink reflex inhibition by a prepulse (BRIP). Real but not sham bi-hemispheric tDCS caused a significant decrease of R2H and leftward shift of BRER curve (p tDCS on BRER and BRIP were larger on ipsilateral than on contralateral blink reflexes (p tDCS enhances the excitability of trigemino-facial reflex circuits. The finding of larger ipsilateral than contralateral effects suggests that sensitization through cutaneous trigeminal afferents adds on other possible mechanisms such as activation of cortico-nuclear or cortico-reticular connections. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Proprioceptive assessment battery for patients with below-knee amputation (BEPAT in Spanish)

OpenAIRE

Benrey-Reyes, Catalina; Eraso-Angulo, Rosa; Porras-Estrada, Diana; Landinez-Parra, Nancy Stella

2016-01-01

Abstract Introduction: Amputation generates various biomechanical and structural changes, creating deficiencies in balance, equilibrium and proprioception. Altered proprioception affects the bodily-space component, as well as postural control and other physical qualities, which require a specific management with physiotherapy intervention. This research was conducted considering that proprioceptive assessment is an adequate and effective tool in physiotherapy but is poorly documented in the...

The Role of Ankle Proprioception for Balance Control in relation to Sports Performance and Injury.

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Han, Jia; Anson, Judith; Waddington, Gordon; Adams, Roger; Liu, Yu

2015-01-01

Balance control improvement is one of the most important goals in sports and exercise. Better balance is strongly positively associated with enhanced athletic performance and negatively associated with lower limb sports injuries. Proprioception plays an essential role in balance control, and ankle proprioception is arguably the most important. This paper reviews ankle proprioception and explores synergies with balance control, specifically in a sporting context. Central processing of ankle proprioceptive information, along with other sensory information, enables integration for balance control. When assessing ankle proprioception, the most generalizable findings arise from methods that are ecologically valid, allow proprioceptive signals to be integrated with general vision in the central nervous system, and reflect the signal-in-noise nature of central processing. Ankle proprioceptive intervention concepts driven by such a central processing theory are further proposed and discussed for the improvement of balance control in sport.

Laterality of proprioception in the orofacial muscles and temporomandibular joint.

Science.gov (United States)

Frayne, Ellie; Coulson, Susan; Adams, Roger; Croxson, Glen; Waddington, Gordon

2016-12-02

Laterality of function in the orofacial musculature suggests there may be side-to-side asymmetry of proprioceptive acuity in lip movement compared to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). In the present work, 14 young adults were tested for acuity of lip and TMJ closure movements onto plugs varying from 5 to 8mm without visual feedback. Testing was conducted on both left and right sides, using the same psychophysical task and stimuli. Results showed superior proprioceptive acuity at the lips, with no significant side effect. However, there was side-to-side asymmetry in the correlations between proprioceptive performance for the two anatomical structures, with performance on the right side strongly correlated but not on the left. This is consistent with the need for coordination between structures during chewing. When acuity at different points in the stimulus range was examined, the right side lips were better with small stimuli. Overall, results support enhanced use-specific proprioception. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Associations between proprioceptive neural pathway structural connectivity and balance in people with multiple sclerosis

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Brett W Fling

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Mobility and balance impairments are a hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS, affecting nearly half of patients at presentation and resulting in decreased activity and participation, falls, injuries, and reduced quality of life. A growing body of work suggests that balance impairments in people with mild MS are primarily the result of deficits in proprioception, the ability to determine body position in space in the absence of vision. A better understanding of the pathophysiology of balance disturbances in MS is needed to develop evidence-based rehabilitation approaches. The purpose of the current study was to 1 map the cortical proprioceptive pathway in-vivo using diffusion weighted imaging and 2 assess associations between proprioceptive pathway white matter microstructural integrity and performance on clinical and behavioral balance tasks. We hypothesized that people with MS (PwMS would have reduced integrity of cerebral proprioceptive pathways, and that reduced white matter microstructure within these tracts would be strongly related to proprioceptive-based balance deficits. We found poorer balance control on proprioceptive-based tasks and reduced white matter microstructural integrity of the cortical proprioceptive tracts in PwMS compared with age-matched healthy controls. Microstructural integrity of this pathway in the right hemisphere was also strongly associated with proprioceptive-based balance control in PwMS and controls. Conversely, while white matter integrity of the right hemisphere’s proprioceptive pathway was significantly correlated with overall balance performance in healthy controls, there was no such relationship in PwMS. These results augment existing literature suggesting that balance control in PwMS may become more dependent upon 1 cerebellar-regulated proprioceptive control, 2 the vestibular system, and/or 3 the visual system.

Sensation Seeking in Street Violence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heinskou, Marie Bruvik; Liebst, Lasse Suonperä

Sensation seeking leads to violence—runs an influential hypothesis in the social scientific study of violent behavior. Although studies confirm that violence is sometimes structured by sensation-seeking motives, the literature seldom comments on the limits to this explanation of violence....... The present study examines the scale of violence motivated by sensation seeking and the degree to which there are several distinct forms of sensation seeking motives operative in violence, rather than a sensation-seeking motive in the singular. The study draws on a sample of situations from Copenhagen...... involving street violence, which are coded quantitatively and qualitatively. Our analysis shows that sensation seeking only seldom seems to play a role in the structuring of street violence. Moreover, the data indicate that sensation seeking finds expression in street violence situations in two different...

The Role of Ankle Proprioception for Balance Control in relation to Sports Performance and Injury

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Jia; Waddington, Gordon; Adams, Roger; Liu, Yu

2015-01-01

Balance control improvement is one of the most important goals in sports and exercise. Better balance is strongly positively associated with enhanced athletic performance and negatively associated with lower limb sports injuries. Proprioception plays an essential role in balance control, and ankle proprioception is arguably the most important. This paper reviews ankle proprioception and explores synergies with balance control, specifically in a sporting context. Central processing of ankle proprioceptive information, along with other sensory information, enables integration for balance control. When assessing ankle proprioception, the most generalizable findings arise from methods that are ecologically valid, allow proprioceptive signals to be integrated with general vision in the central nervous system, and reflect the signal-in-noise nature of central processing. Ankle proprioceptive intervention concepts driven by such a central processing theory are further proposed and discussed for the improvement of balance control in sport. PMID:26583139

Proprioceptive acuity into knee hypermobile range in children with Joint Hypermobility Syndrome

OpenAIRE

Pacey, Verity; Adams, Roger D; Tofts, Louise; Munns, Craig F; Nicholson, Leslie L

2014-01-01

Background Children with Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (JHS) have reduced knee joint proprioceptive acuity compared to peers. Altered proprioception at end of range in individuals with JHS is hypothesised to contribute to recurrent joint injuries and instability. This study aims to provide the first objective comparison of functional knee joint proprioceptive acuity in hyperextension range compared to early flexion range in children with JHS. Methods Active, weight-bearing knee joint proprioce...

Sensation seeking and error processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Ya; Sheng, Wenbin; Xu, Jing; Zhang, Yuanyuan

2014-09-01

Sensation seeking is defined by a strong need for varied, novel, complex, and intense stimulation, and a willingness to take risks for such experience. Several theories propose that the insensitivity to negative consequences incurred by risks is one of the hallmarks of sensation-seeking behaviors. In this study, we investigated the time course of error processing in sensation seeking by recording event-related potentials (ERPs) while high and low sensation seekers performed an Eriksen flanker task. Whereas there were no group differences in ERPs to correct trials, sensation seeking was associated with a blunted error-related negativity (ERN), which was female-specific. Further, different subdimensions of sensation seeking were related to ERN amplitude differently. These findings indicate that the relationship between sensation seeking and error processing is sex-specific. Copyright © 2014 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Proprioceptive dysfunction in focal dystonia: from experimental evidence to rehabilitation strategies.

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Laura eAvanzino

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Dystonia has historically been considered a disorder of the basal ganglia, mainly affecting planning and execution of voluntary movements. This notion comes from the observation that most lesions responsible for secondary dystonia involve the basal ganglia. However, what emerges from recent research is that dystonia is linked to the dysfunction of a complex neural network that comprises basal ganglia-thalamic-frontal cortex, but also the inferior parietal cortex and the cerebellum. While dystonia is clearly a motor problem, it turned out that sensory aspects are also fundamental, especially those related to proprioception.We outline experimental evidence for proprioceptive dysfunction in focal dystonia from intrinsic sensory abnormalities to impaired sensorimotor integration, that is the process by which sensory information is used to plan and execute volitional movements. Particularly, we will focus on proprioceptive aspects of dystonia, including: i processing of vibratory input, ii temporal discrimination of two passive movements, iii multimodal integration of visual-tactile and proprioceptive inputs and, iv motor control in the absence of visual feedback. We suggest that these investigations contribute not only to a better understanding of dystonia pathophysiology, but also to develop rehabilitation strategies aimed at facilitating the processing of proprioceptive input.

Early reported rectal sensation predicts continence in anorectal anomalies.

Science.gov (United States)

Skerritt, Clare; Tyraskis, Athanasios; Rees, Clare; Cockar, Iram; Kiely, Edward

2016-03-01

Straining at stool is an automatic reflex in babies and implies the presence of rectal sensation. We hypothesised that early reported rectal sensation would predict future continence in children with anorectal anomalies. The aim of this study is to determine if early straining at stool was a useful predictor of future continence in infants born with high anorectal malformations. A retrospective case note review of prospectively collected clinical information was performed with institutional review board approval. All patients with intermediate/high anorectal malformation operated on by a single surgeon from 1984 to 2010 were included. After stoma closure, parents were asked: The responses were noted within the first year of stoma closure and then all patients were followed up until they were at least 3 ½years old and continence could be assessed using the Krickenbeck outcome classification. Data were compared using Fisher's exact test and sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) were calculated. Forty-eight patients were included in the study. Sixteen (33%) were female (12 cloacal malformation, 3 rectovaginal fistula, 1 rectal atresia) and 32 (66%) were male (6 rectovesical fistulae, 22 rectourethral fistulae, 4 no fistula). Median follow-up was 9.7years (range 3.5-17.9). Twenty-one children were noted by their parents to exhibit early straining at stool after stoma closure. Twenty of them achieved long term continence. The sensitivity of early straining as a predictor for long term continence was 77%, specificity 95% and positive predictive value 95%. The presence of early rectal sensation reported by parents is a good predictor of long term continence. This allows more informed discussion with families in the early years of life. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ivane S. Beritashvili (1884-1974): from spinal cord reflexes to image-driven behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsagareli, M G; Doty, R W

2009-10-20

Ivane Beritashvili ("Beritoff" in Russian, and often in Western languages) was a major figure in 20th-century neuroscience. Mastering the string galvanometer, he founded the electrophysiology of spinal cord reflexes, showing that inhibition is a distinctly different process from excitation, contrary to the concepts of his famous mentor, Wedensky. Work on postural reflexes with Magnus was cut short by World War I, but he later demonstrated that navigation in two-dimensional space without vision is a function solely of the vestibular system rather than of muscle proprioception. Persevering in his experiments despite postwar turmoil he founded an enduring Physiology Institute in Tbilisi, where he pursued an ingenious and extensive investigation of comparative memory in vertebrates. This revealed the unique nature of mammalian memory processes, which he forthrightly called "image driven," and distinguished them unequivocally from those underlying conditional reflexes. For some 30 years the Stalinist terror confined his publications to the Russian language. Work with his colleague, Chichinadze, discovering that memory confined to one cerebral hemisphere could be accessed by the other via a specific forebrain commissure, did reach the West, and ultimately led to recognition of the fascinating "split brain" condition. In the 1950s he was removed from his professorial position for 5 years as being "anti-Pavlovian." Restored to favor, he was honorary president of the "Moscow Colloquium" that saw the foundation of the International Brain Research Organization.

Sensation of Movement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sensation of Movement will discuss the role of sensation in the control of action, bodily self-recognition, and sense of agency. Sensing movement is dependent on a range of information received by the brain, from signalling in the peripheral sensory organs to the establishment of higher order goals....... This volume will question whether one type of information is more relevant for the ability to sense and control movements, and demonstrate the importance of integrating neuroscientific knowledge with philosophical perspectives, in order to arrive at new insights into how sensation of movement can be studied...

Differences in risk experience between sensation avoiders and sensation seekers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heino, A.; van der Molen, H.H.; Wilde, G.J S

The prime purpose of our study was to find out whether the need for stimulation has a systematic influence on perceived risk. While driving on a motorway, 21 male sensation avoiders and 21 male sensation seekers had to follow another car, once at a free following distance chosen by the subject

Standing postural reaction to visual and proprioceptive stimulation in chronic acquired demyelinating polyneuropathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Provost, Clement P; Tasseel-Ponche, Sophie; Lozeron, Pierre; Piccinini, Giulia; Quintaine, Victorine; Arnulf, Bertrand; Kubis, Nathalie; Yelnik, Alain P

2018-02-28

To investigate the weight of visual and proprioceptive inputs, measured indirectly in standing position control, in patients with chronic acquired demyelinating polyneuropathy (CADP). Prospective case study. Twenty-five patients with CADP and 25 healthy controls. Posture was recorded on a double force platform. Stimulations were optokinetic (60°/s) for visual input and vibration (50 Hz) for proprioceptive input. Visual stimulation involved 4 tests (upward, downward, rightward and leftward) and proprioceptive stimulation 2 tests (triceps surae and tibialis anterior). A composite score, previously published and slightly modified, was used for the recorded postural signals from the different stimulations. Despite their sensitivity deficits, patients with CADP were more sensitive to proprioceptive stimuli than were healthy controls (mean composite score 13.9 ((standard deviation; SD) 4.8) vs 18.4 (SD 4.8), p = 0.002). As expected, they were also more sensitive to visual stimuli (mean composite score 10.5 (SD 8.7) vs 22.9 (SD 7.5), p <0.0001). These results encourage balance rehabilitation of patients with CADP, aimed at promoting the use of proprioceptive information, thereby reducing too-early development of visual compensation while proprioception is still available.

Effect of body orientation on proprioception during active and passive motions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Niessen, M.H.M.; Veeger, H.E.J.; Janssen, T.W.J.

2009-01-01

Objective: To investigate whether passive and active reproduction of joint position, as well as detection of passive motion (as measures of a subject's proprioception) of the shoulder differ while sitting compared with lying supine. Design: Shoulder proprioception of 28 healthy subjects (age, 22.2 ±

A biologically inspired neural model for visual and proprioceptive integration including sensory training.

Science.gov (United States)

Saidi, Maryam; Towhidkhah, Farzad; Gharibzadeh, Shahriar; Lari, Abdolaziz Azizi

2013-12-01

Humans perceive the surrounding world by integration of information through different sensory modalities. Earlier models of multisensory integration rely mainly on traditional Bayesian and causal Bayesian inferences for single causal (source) and two causal (for two senses such as visual and auditory systems), respectively. In this paper a new recurrent neural model is presented for integration of visual and proprioceptive information. This model is based on population coding which is able to mimic multisensory integration of neural centers in the human brain. The simulation results agree with those achieved by casual Bayesian inference. The model can also simulate the sensory training process of visual and proprioceptive information in human. Training process in multisensory integration is a point with less attention in the literature before. The effect of proprioceptive training on multisensory perception was investigated through a set of experiments in our previous study. The current study, evaluates the effect of both modalities, i.e., visual and proprioceptive training and compares them with each other through a set of new experiments. In these experiments, the subject was asked to move his/her hand in a circle and estimate its position. The experiments were performed on eight subjects with proprioception training and eight subjects with visual training. Results of the experiments show three important points: (1) visual learning rate is significantly more than that of proprioception; (2) means of visual and proprioceptive errors are decreased by training but statistical analysis shows that this decrement is significant for proprioceptive error and non-significant for visual error, and (3) visual errors in training phase even in the beginning of it, is much less than errors of the main test stage because in the main test, the subject has to focus on two senses. The results of the experiments in this paper is in agreement with the results of the neural model

Ankle proprioception is not targeted by exercises on an unstable surface

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kiers, H.; Brumagne, S.; van Dieen, J.; Wees, P.J. van der; Vanhees, L.

2012-01-01

Laboratory study using a repeated measures design. The aim of this study was to determine if ankle proprioception is targeted in exercises on unstable surfaces. Lateral ankle sprain (LAS) has recurrence rates over 70%, which are believed to be due to a reduced accuracy of proprioceptive signals from

Standing postural reaction to visual and proprioceptive stimulation in chronic acquired demyelinating polyneuropathy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clement P. Provost

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: To investigate the weight of visual and proprioceptive inputs, measured indirectly in standing position control, in patients with chronic acquired demyelinating polyneuropathy (CADP. Design: Prospective case study. Subjects: Twenty-five patients with CADP and 25 healthy controls. Methods: Posture was recorded on a double force platform. Stimulations were optokinetic (60°/s for visual input and vibration (50 Hz for proprioceptive input. Visual stimulation involved 4 tests (upward, downward, rightward and leftward and proprioceptive stimulation 2 tests (triceps surae and tibialis anterior. A composite score, previously published and slightly modified, was used for the recorded postural signals from the different stimulations. Results: Despite their sensitivity deficits, patients with CADP were more sensitive to proprioceptive stimuli than were healthy controls (mean composite score 13.9 ((standard deviation; SD 4.8 vs 18.4 (SD 4.8, p = 0.002. As expected, they were also more sensitive to visual stimuli (mean composite score 10.5 (SD 8.7 vs 22.9 (SD 7.5, p< 0.0001. Conclusion: These results encourage balance rehabilitation of patients with CADP, aimed at promoting the use of proprioceptive information, thereby reducing too-early development of visual compensation while proprioception is still available.

Social Sensations of Symptoms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meinert, Lotte; Whyte, Susan Reynolds

2017-01-01

The interpretation of sensations and the recognition of symptoms of a sickness, as well as the movement to seek treatment, have long been recognized in medical anthropology as inherently social processes. Based on cases of HIV and trauma (PTSD) in Uganda, we show that even the first signs....../symptoms; differential recognition of symptoms; and the embodied sociality of treatment....... and sensations of sickness can be radically social. The sensing body can be a ‘social body’ – a family, a couple, a network – a unit that transcends the individual body. In this article we focus on four aspects of the sociality of sensations and symptoms: mode of transmission; the shared experience of sensations...

Proprioceptive changes impair balance control in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lotte Janssens

Full Text Available Balance deficits are identified as important risk factors for falling in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD. However, the specific use of proprioception, which is of primary importance during balance control, has not been studied in individuals with COPD. The objective was to determine the specific proprioceptive control strategy during postural balance in individuals with COPD and healthy controls, and to assess whether this was related to inspiratory muscle weakness.Center of pressure displacement was determined in 20 individuals with COPD and 20 age/gender-matched controls during upright stance on an unstable support surface without vision. Ankle and back muscle vibration were applied to evaluate the relative contribution of different proprioceptive signals used in postural control.Individuals with COPD showed an increased anterior-posterior body sway during upright stance (p = 0.037. Compared to controls, individuals with COPD showed an increased posterior body sway during ankle muscle vibration (p = 0.047, decreased anterior body sway during back muscle vibration (p = 0.025, and increased posterior body sway during simultaneous ankle-muscle vibration (p = 0.002. Individuals with COPD with the weakest inspiratory muscles showed the greatest reliance on ankle muscle input when compared to the stronger individuals with COPD (p = 0.037.Individuals with COPD, especially those with inspiratory muscle weakness, increased their reliance on ankle muscle proprioceptive signals and decreased their reliance on back muscle proprioceptive signals during balance control, resulting in a decreased postural stability compared to healthy controls. These proprioceptive changes may be due to an impaired postural contribution of the inspiratory muscles to trunk stability. Further research is required to determine whether interventions such as proprioceptive training and inspiratory muscle training improve postural balance and reduce the

The role of vestibular and support-tactile-proprioceptive inputs in visual-manual tracking

Science.gov (United States)

Kornilova, Ludmila; Naumov, Ivan; Glukhikh, Dmitriy; Khabarova, Ekaterina; Pavlova, Aleksandra; Ekimovskiy, Georgiy; Sagalovitch, Viktor; Smirnov, Yuriy; Kozlovskaya, Inesa

Sensorimotor disorders in weightlessness are caused by changes of functioning of gravity-dependent systems, first of all - vestibular and support. The question arises, what’s the role and the specific contribution of the support afferentation in the development of observed disorders. To determine the role and effects of vestibular, support, tactile and proprioceptive afferentation on characteristics of visual-manual tracking (VMT) we conducted a comparative analysis of the data obtained after prolonged spaceflight and in a model of weightlessness - horizontal “dry” immersion. Altogether we examined 16 Russian cosmonauts before and after prolonged spaceflights (129-215 days) and 30 subjects who stayed in immersion bath for 5-7 days to evaluate the state of the vestibular function (VF) using videooculography and characteristics of the visual-manual tracking (VMT) using electrooculography & joystick with biological visual feedback. Evaluation of the VF has shown that both after immersion and after prolonged spaceflight there were significant decrease of the static torsional otolith-cervical-ocular reflex (OCOR) and simultaneous significant increase of the dynamic vestibular-cervical-ocular reactions (VCOR) with a revealed negative correlation between parameters of the otoliths and canals reactions, as well as significant changes in accuracy of perception of the subjective visual vertical which correlated with changes in OCOR. Analyze of the VMT has shown that significant disorders of the visual tracking (VT) occurred from the beginning of the immersion up to 3-4 day after while in cosmonauts similar but much more pronounced oculomotor disorders and significant changes from the baseline were observed up to R+9 day postflight. Significant changes of the manual tracking (MT) were revealed only for gain and occurred on 1 and 3 days in immersion while after spaceflight such changes were observed up to R+5 day postflight. We found correlation between characteristics

[Correlations Between Joint Proprioception, Muscle Strength, and Functional Ability in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yoa; Yu, Yong; He, Cheng-qi

2015-11-01

To establish correlations between joint proprioception, muscle flexion and extension peak torque, and functional ability in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Fifty-six patients with symptomatic knee OA were recruited in this study. Both proprioceptive acuity and muscle strength were measured using the isomed-2000 isokinetic dynamometer. Proprioceptive acuity was evaluated by establishing the joint motion detection threshold (JMDT). Muscle strength was evaluated by Max torque (Nm) and Max torque/weight (Nm/ kg). Functional ability was assessed by the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index physical function (WOMAC-PF) questionnaire. Correlational analyses were performed between proprioception, muscle strength, and functional ability. A multiple stepwise regression model was established, with WOMAC-PF as dependent variable and patient age, body mass index (BMI), visual analogue scale (VAS)-score, mean grade for Kellgren-Lawrance of both knees, mean strength for quadriceps and hamstring muscles of both knees, and mean JMDT of both knees as independent variables. Poor proprioception (high JMDT) was negatively correlated with muscle strength (Pcoefficient (B) = 0.385, P<0.50 and high VAS-scale score (B=0.347, P<0.05) were significant predictors of WOMAC-PF score. Patients with poor proprioception is associated with poor muscle strength and limitation in functional ability. Patients with symptomatic OA of knees commonly endure with moderate to considerable dysfunction, which is associated with poor proprioception (high JMDT) and high VAS-scale score.

Neck proprioception shapes body orientation and perception of motion.

Science.gov (United States)

Pettorossi, Vito Enrico; Schieppati, Marco

2014-01-01

This review article deals with some effects of neck muscle proprioception on human balance, gait trajectory, subjective straight-ahead (SSA), and self-motion perception. These effects are easily observed during neck muscle vibration, a strong stimulus for the spindle primary afferent fibers. We first remind the early findings on human balance, gait trajectory, SSA, induced by limb, and neck muscle vibration. Then, more recent findings on self-motion perception of vestibular origin are described. The use of a vestibular asymmetric yaw-rotation stimulus for emphasizing the proprioceptive modulation of motion perception from the neck is mentioned. In addition, an attempt has been made to conjointly discuss the effects of unilateral neck proprioception on motion perception, SSA, and walking trajectory. Neck vibration also induces persistent aftereffects on the SSA and on self-motion perception of vestibular origin. These perceptive effects depend on intensity, duration, side of the conditioning vibratory stimulation, and on muscle status. These effects can be maintained for hours when prolonged high-frequency vibration is superimposed on muscle contraction. Overall, this brief outline emphasizes the contribution of neck muscle inflow to the construction and fine-tuning of perception of body orientation and motion. Furthermore, it indicates that tonic neck-proprioceptive input may induce persistent influences on the subject's mental representation of space. These plastic changes might adapt motion sensitiveness to lasting or permanent head positional or motor changes.

Do adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS neglect proprioceptive information in sensory integration of postural control?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christine Assaiante

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: It has been reported that AIS rely much more on ankle proprioception to control the amplitude of the balance control commands as compared to age-matched healthy adolescents. Our hypothesis was that AIS do not neglect proprioceptive information to control posture probably because of their vestibular deficits. We investigated the proprioceptive contribution to postural control in AIS which expresses spinal deformity during a crucial transitional period of ontogenesis. METHODS: 10 adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (AIS with moderate spinal deformity (10° 35° and 10 control adolescents (CA had to maintain vertical stance while very slow oscillations in the frontal plane (below the detection threshold of the semicircular canal system were applied to the support with the eyes open and closed. Postural orientation and segmental stabilisation were analysed at head, shoulder, trunk and pelvis levels. RESULTS: Scoliosis did not affect vertical orientation control and segmental stabilization strategies. Vision improves postural control in both CA and AIS, which seem more dependent on visual cues than adults. CONCLUSIONS: AIS as CA were unable to control efficiently their postural orientation on the basis of the proprioceptive cues, the only sensory information available in the EC situation, whereas in the same condition healthy young adults present no difficulty to achieve the postural control. This suggests that AIS as CA transitory neglect proprioceptive information to control their posture. These results and previous studies suggest the existence of different afferent pathways for proprioceptive information subserving different parts in sensory integration of postural control. We conclude that the static proprioceptive system is not affected by the idiopathic scoliosis, while the dynamic proprioceptive system would be mainly affected.

Proprioceptive Training and Injury Prevention in a Professional Men's Basketball Team: A Six-Year Prospective Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Riva, Dario; Bianchi, Roberto; Rocca, Flavio; Mamo, Carlo

2016-02-01

Single limb stance instability is a risk factor for lower extremity injuries. Therefore, the development of proprioception may play an important role in injury prevention. This investigation considered a professional basketball team for 6 years, integrating systematic proprioceptive activity in the training routine. The purpose was to assess the effectiveness of proprioceptive training programs based on quantifiable instability, to reduce ankle sprains, knee sprains, and low back pain through developing refined and long-lasting proprioceptive control. Fifty-five subjects were studied. In the first biennium (2004-2006), the preventive program consisted of classic proprioceptive exercises. In the second biennium (2006-2008), the proprioceptive training became quantifiable and interactive by means of electronic proprioceptive stations. In the third biennium (2008-2010), the intensity and the training volume increased while the session duration became shorter. Analysis of variance was used to analyze the differences in proprioceptive control between groups, years, and bienniums. Injury rates and rate ratios of injury during practices and games were estimated. The results showed a statistically significant reduction in the occurrence of ankle sprains by 81% from the first to the third biennium (p < 0.001). Low back pain showed similar results with a reduction of 77.8% (p < 0.005). The reduction in knee sprains was 64.5% (not significant). Comparing the third biennium with the level of all new entry players, proprioceptive control improved significantly by 72.2% (p < 0.001). These findings indicate that improvements in proprioceptive control in single stance may be a key factor for an effective reduction in ankle sprains, knee sprains, and low back pain.

The right supramarginal gyrus is important for proprioception in healthy and stroke affected participants: a functional MRI study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ettie eBen-Shabat

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Human proprioception is essential for motor control, yet its central processing is still debated. Previous studies of passive movements and illusory vibration have reported inconsistent activation patterns related to proprioception, particularly in high order sensorimotor cortices. We investigated brain activation specific to proprioception, its laterality and changes following stroke. Twelve healthy and three stroke affected individuals with proprioceptive deficits participated. Proprioception was assessed clinically with the Wrist Position Sense Test, and participants underwent functional MRI (fMRI scanning. An event-related study design was used, where each proprioceptive stimulus of passive wrist movement was followed by a motor response of mirror copying with the other wrist. Left (LWP and right (RWP wrist proprioception were tested separately. Laterality indices (LI were calculated for the main cortical regions activated during proprioception. We found proprioception-related brain activation in high order sensorimotor cortices in healthy participants especially in the supramarginal gyrus (SMG LWP z=4.51, RWP z=4.24 and the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd LWP z=4.10, RWP z=3.93. Right hemispheric dominance was observed in the SMG (LI LWP mean 0.41, SD 0.22; RWP 0.29, SD 0.20, and to a lesser degree in the PMd (LI LWP 0.34, SD 0.17; RWP 0.13, SD 0.25. In stroke affected participants the main difference in proprioception-related brain activation was reduced laterality in the right SMG. Our findings indicate that the SMG and PMd play a key role in proprioception probably due to their role in spatial processing and motor control respectively. The findings from stroke affected individuals suggest that decreased right SMG function may be associated with decreased proprioception. We recommend that clinicians pay particular attention to the assessment and rehabilitation of proprioception following right hemispheric lesions

Active inference, sensory attenuation and illusions.

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Brown, Harriet; Adams, Rick A; Parees, Isabel; Edwards, Mark; Friston, Karl

2013-11-01

Active inference provides a simple and neurobiologically plausible account of how action and perception are coupled in producing (Bayes) optimal behaviour. This can be seen most easily as minimising prediction error: we can either change our predictions to explain sensory input through perception. Alternatively, we can actively change sensory input to fulfil our predictions. In active inference, this action is mediated by classical reflex arcs that minimise proprioceptive prediction error created by descending proprioceptive predictions. However, this creates a conflict between action and perception; in that, self-generated movements require predictions to override the sensory evidence that one is not actually moving. However, ignoring sensory evidence means that externally generated sensations will not be perceived. Conversely, attending to (proprioceptive and somatosensory) sensations enables the detection of externally generated events but precludes generation of actions. This conflict can be resolved by attenuating the precision of sensory evidence during movement or, equivalently, attending away from the consequences of self-made acts. We propose that this Bayes optimal withdrawal of precise sensory evidence during movement is the cause of psychophysical sensory attenuation. Furthermore, it explains the force-matching illusion and reproduces empirical results almost exactly. Finally, if attenuation is removed, the force-matching illusion disappears and false (delusional) inferences about agency emerge. This is important, given the negative correlation between sensory attenuation and delusional beliefs in normal subjects--and the reduction in the magnitude of the illusion in schizophrenia. Active inference therefore links the neuromodulatory optimisation of precision to sensory attenuation and illusory phenomena during the attribution of agency in normal subjects. It also provides a functional account of deficits in syndromes characterised by false inference

Balance, Proprioception, and Gross Motor Development of Chinese Children Aged 3 to 6 Years.

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Jiang, Gui-Ping; Jiao, Xi-Bian; Wu, Sheng-Kou; Ji, Zhong-Qiu; Liu, Wei-Tong; Chen, Xi; Wang, Hui-Hui

2018-01-01

The authors' aim was to find the features of balance, proprioception, and gross motor development of Chinese children 3-6 years old and their correlations, provide theoretical support for promoting children's motor development, and enrich the world theoretical system of motor development. This study used a Tekscan foot pressure measurement instrument (Tekscan, Inc., Boston, MA), walking on a balance beam, Xsens 3-dimensional positional measuring system (Xsens Technologies, Enschede, the Netherlands), and Test of Gross Motor Development-2 to assess static balance, dynamic balance, knee proprioception, and levels of gross motor development (GMD) of 3- to 6-year-old children (n = 60) in Beijing. The results are as follows: children had significant age differences in static balance, dynamic balance, proprioception, and levels of GMD; children had significant gender differences in static balance, proprioception, and levels of GMD; children's static balance, dynamic balance, and proprioception had a very significant positive correlation with GMD (p < .01), but no significant correlation with body mass index.

A murine model of a novel surgical architecture for proprioceptive muscle feedback and its potential application to control of advanced limb prostheses

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Clites, Tyler R.; Carty, Matthew J.; Srinivasan, Shriya; Zorzos, Anthony N.; Herr, Hugh M.

2017-06-01

Objective. Proprioceptive mechanisms play a critical role in both reflexive and volitional lower extremity control. Significant strides have been made in the development of bionic limbs that are capable of bi-directional communication with the peripheral nervous system, but none of these systems have been capable of providing physiologically-relevant muscle-based proprioceptive feedback through natural neural pathways. In this study, we present the agonist-antagonist myoneural interface (AMI), a surgical approach with the capacity to provide graded kinesthetic feedback from a prosthesis through mechanical activation of native mechanoreceptors within residual agonist-antagonist muscle pairs. Approach. (1) Sonomicrometery and electroneurography measurement systems were validated using a servo-based muscle tensioning system. (2) A heuristic controller was implemented to modulate functional electrical stimulation of an agonist muscle, using sonomicrometric measurements of stretch from a mechanically-coupled antagonist muscle as feedback. (3) One AMI was surgically constructed in the hindlimb of each rat. (4) The gastrocnemius-soleus complex of the rat was cycled through a series of ramp-and-hold stretches in two different muscle architectures: native (physiologically-intact) and AMI (modified). Integrated electroneurography from the tibial nerve was compared across the two architectures. Main results. Correlation between stretch and afferent signal demonstrated that the AMI is capable of provoking graded afferent signals in response to ramp-and-hold stretches, in a manner similar to the native muscle architecture. The response magnitude in the AMI was reduced when compared to the native architecture, likely due to lower stretch amplitudes. The closed-loop control system showed robustness at high stretch magnitudes, with some oscillation at low stretch magnitudes. Significance. These results indicate that the AMI has the potential to communicate meaningful kinesthetic

Neck proprioception shapes body orientation and perception of motion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vito Enrico Pettorossi

2014-11-01

Full Text Available This review article deals with some effects of neck muscle proprioception on human balance, gait trajectory, subjective straight-ahead, and self-motion perception. These effects are easily observed during neck muscle vibration, a strong stimulus for the spindle primary afferent fibers.We first remind the early findings on human balance, gait trajectory, subjective straight-ahead, induced by limb and neck muscle vibration. Then, more recent findings on self-motion perception of vestibular origin are described. The use of a vestibular asymmetric yaw-rotation stimulus for emphasizing the proprioceptive modulation of motion perception from the neck is mentioned. In addition, an attempt has been made to conjointly discuss the effects of unilateral neck proprioception on motion perception, subjective straight-ahead and walking trajectory.Neck vibration also induces persistent aftereffects on the subjective straight-ahead and on self-motion perception of vestibular origin. These perceptive effects depend on intensity, duration, side of the conditioning vibratory stimulation, and on muscle status. These effects can be maintained for hours when prolonged high-frequency vibration is superimposed on muscle contraction. Overall, this brief outline emphasizes the contribution of neck muscle inflow to the construction and fine-tuning of perception of body orientation and motion. Furthermore, it indicates that tonic neck proprioceptive input may induce persistent influences on the subject's mental representation of space. These plastic changes might adapt motion sensitiveness to lasting or permanent head positional or motor changes.

Proprioceptive Factors in Operative Timing.

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, M. J.

Time estimation is improved when the interval is filled with a motor response, with the proprioceptive feedback (PFB) presumably acting as a mediator. Altering the resistive dynamics of a handle moved 60 centimeters to fill a two-second interval manipulated the PFB from the response. Spelling aloud 2-, 3-, and 4-letter words during the motor…

Does cruciate retention primary total knee arthroplasty affect proprioception, strength and clinical outcome?

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Vandekerckhove, Pieter-Jan T K; Parys, Roel; Tampere, Thomas; Linden, Patrick; Van den Daelen, Luc; Verdonk, Peter C

2015-06-01

It remains unclear what the contribution of the PCL is in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The goal of this study was to investigate the influence of the PCL in TKA in relationship to clinical outcome, strength and proprioception. Two arthroplasty designs were compared: a posterior cruciate-substituting (PS) and a posterior cruciate-retaining (CR) TKA. A retrospective analysis was performed of 27 CR and 18 PS implants with a minimum of 1 year in vivo. Both groups were compared in terms of clinical outcome (range of motion, visual analogue scale for pain, Hospital for Special Surgery Knee Scoring system, Lysholm score and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score), strength (Biodex System 3 Dynamometer(®)) and proprioception (balance and postural control using the Balance Master system(®)). Each design was also compared to the non-operated contralateral side in terms of strength and proprioception. There were no significant differences between both designs in terms of clinical outcome and strength. In terms of proprioception, only the rhythmic weight test at slow and moderate speed shifting from left to right was significant in favour of the CR design. None of the unilateral stance tests showed any significant difference between both designs. There was no difference in terms of strength and proprioception between the operated side and the non-operated side. Retaining the PCL in TKA does not result in an improved performance in terms of clinical outcome and proprioception and does not show any difference in muscle strength. III.

Proprioception: where are we now? A commentary on clinical assessment, changes across the life course, functional implications and future interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Suetterlin, Karen Joan; Sayer, Avan Aihie

2014-05-01

Proprioception, the sense of where one is in space, is essential for effective interaction with the environment. A lack of or reduction in proprioceptive acuity has been directly correlated with falls and with reduced functional independence in older people. Proprioceptive losses have also been shown to negatively correlate with functional recovery post stroke and play a significant role in other conditions such as Parkinson's disease. However, despite its central importance to many geriatric syndromes, the clinical assessment of proprioception has remained remarkably static. We look at approaches to the clinical assessment of proprioception, changes in proprioception across the life course, functional implications of proprioception in health and disease and the potential for targeted interventions in the future such as joint taping, and proprioception-specific rehabilitation and footwear.

Eye muscle proprioception is represented bilaterally in the sensorimotor cortex

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balslev, Daniela; Albert, Neil B; Miall, Chris

2011-01-01

eye after a virtual lesion with rTMS over the left somatosensory area. However, it is possible that the proprioceptive representation of the EOM extends to other brain sites, which were not examined in these previous studies. The aim of this fMRI study was to sample the whole brain to identify...... the proprioceptive representation for the left and the right eye separately. Data were acquired while passive eye movement was used to stimulate EOM proprioceptors in the absence of a motor command. We also controlled for the tactile stimulation of the eyelid by removing from the analysis voxels activated by eyelid......The cortical representation of eye position is still uncertain. In the monkey a proprioceptive representation of the extraocular muscles (EOM) of an eye were recently found within the contralateral central sulcus. In humans, we have previously shown a change in the perceived position of the right...

Proprioception of the shoulder after stroke

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Niessen, M.H.M.; Veeger, H.E.J.; Koppe, P.A.; Konijnenbelt, M.; van Dieen, J.H.

2008-01-01

Niessen MH, Veeger DH, Koppe PA, Konijnenbelt MH, van Dieën J, Janssen TW. Proprioception of the shoulder after stroke. Objective: To investigate position sense and kinesthesia of the shoulders of stroke patients. Design: Case-control study. Setting: A rehabilitation center. Participants: A total of

Proprioceptive Training for the Prevention of Ankle Sprains: An Evidence-Based Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Rivera, Matthew J; Winkelmann, Zachary K; Powden, Cameron J; Games, Kenneth E

2017-11-01

Reference:  Schiftan GS, Ross LA, Hahne AJ. The effectiveness of proprioceptive training in preventing ankle sprains in sporting populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sci Med Sport. 2015;18(3):238-244.   Does the use of proprioceptive training as a sole intervention decrease the incidence of initial or recurrent ankle sprains in the athletic population?   The authors completed a comprehensive literature search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) from inception to October 2013. The reference lists of all identified articles were manually screened to obtain additional studies. The following key words were used. Phase 1 population terms were sport*, athlet*, and a combination of the two. Phase 2 intervention terms were propriocept*, balance, neuromusc* adj5 train*, and combinations thereof. Phase 3 condition terms were ankle adj5 sprain*, sprain* adj5 ankle, and combinations thereof.   Studies were included according to the following criteria: (1) the design was a moderate- to high-level randomized controlled trial (>4/10 on the PEDro scale), (2) the participants were physically active (regardless of previous ankle injury), (3) the intervention group received proprioceptive training only, compared with a control group that received no proprioceptive training, and (4) the rate of ankle sprains was reported as a main outcome. Search results were limited to the English language. No restrictions were placed on publication dates.   Two authors independently reviewed the studies for eligibility. The quality of the pertinent articles was assessed using the PEDro scale, and data were extracted to calculate the relative risk. Data extracted were number of participants, intervention, frequency, duration, follow-up period, and injury rate.   Of the initial 345 studies screened, 7 were included in this review for a total of 3726 participants. Three analyses were conducted for proprioceptive training used (1) to

Accuracy of Clinical Techniques for Evaluating Lower Limb Sensorimotor Functions Associated With Increased Fall Risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Donaghy, Alex; DeMott, Trina; Allet, Lara; Kim, Hogene; Ashton-Miller, James; Richardson, James K

2016-04-01

In prior work, laboratory-based measures of hip motor function and ankle proprioceptive precision were critical to maintaining unipedal stance and fall/fall-related injury risk. However, the optimal clinical evaluation techniques for predicting these measures are unknown. To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of common clinical maneuvers in predicting laboratory-based measures of frontal plane hip rate of torque development (Hip(RTD)) and ankle proprioceptive thresholds (AnkPRO) associated with increased fall risk. Prospective, observational study. Biomechanical research laboratory. A total of 41 older subjects (aged 69.1 ± 8.3 years), 25 with varying degrees of diabetic distal symmetric polyneuropathy and 16 without. Clinical hip strength was evaluated by manual muscle testing (MMT) and lateral plank time, defined as the number of seconds that the laterally lying subject could lift the hips from the support surface. Foot/ankle evaluation included Achilles reflex and vibratory, proprioceptive, monofilament, and pinprick sensations at the great toe. Hip(RTD), abduction and adduction, using a custom whole-body dynamometer. AnkPRO determined with subjects standing using a foot cradle system and a staircase series of 100 frontal plane rotational stimuli. Pearson correlation coefficients (r) and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves revealed that LPT correlated more strongly with Hip(RTD) (r/P = 0.61/1.0°. LPT is a more effective measure of Hip(RTD) than MMT. Similarly, clinical vibratory sense and monofilament testing are effective measures of AnkPRO, whereas clinical proprioceptive sense is not. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Role of Proprioception in the Sagittal Setting of Anticipatory Postural Adjustments During Gait Initiation

OpenAIRE

Pereira Marcelo P.; Pelicioni Paulo H. Silva; Gobbi Lilian T.B.

2015-01-01

Purpose. Previous studies have studied the role of proprioception on the setting of anticipatory postural adjustments (APA) during gait initiation. However, these studies did not investigate the role of proprioception in the sagittal APA setting. We aimed to investigate the role of proprioception manipulation to induce APA sagittal adaptations on gait initiation. Methods. Fourteen healthy adults performed gait initiation without, and with, vibration applied before movement onset, and during m...

Acupuncture sensation during ultrasound guided acupuncture needling

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jongbae J.; Akazawa, Margeaux; Ahn, Jaeki; Beckman-Harned, Selena; Lin, Feng-Chang; Lee, Kwangjae; Fine, Jason; Davis, Robert T; Langevin, Helene

2014-01-01

Background Although acupuncture sensation (also known as de qi) is a cornerstone of traditional acupuncture therapy, most research has accepted the traditional method of defining acupuncture sensation only through subjective patient reports rather than on any quantifiable physiological basis. Purpose To preliminarily investigate the frequency of key sensations experienced while needling to specific, quantifiable tissue levels (TLs) guided by ultrasound (US) imaging. Methods Five participants received needling at two acupuncture points and two control points at four TLs. US scans were used to determine when each TL was reached. Each volunteer completed 32 sets of modified Southampton Needle Sensation Questionnaires. Part one of the study tested sensations experienced at each TL and part two compared the effect of oscillation alone versus oscillation + rotation. Results In all volunteers, the frequency of pricking, sharp sensations was significantly greater in shallower TLs than deeper (p=0.007); the frequency of sensations described as deep, dull and heavy, as spreading, and as electric shocks was significantly greater in deeper TLs than shallower (p=0.002). Sensations experienced did not significantly differ between real and control points within each of three TLs (p>0.05) except TL 4 (p=0.006). The introduction of needle rotation significantly increased deep, dull, heavy sensations, but not pricking and sharp sensations; within each level, the spectrum of sensation experienced during both oscillation + rotation and oscillation alone did not significantly differ between acupuncture and control points. Conclusion The preliminary study indicates a strong connection between acupuncture sensation and both tissue depth and needle rotation. Furthermore, the new methodology has been proven feasible. A further study with an objective measurement is warranted. PMID:21642648

Motor dysfunction of complex regional pain syndrome is related to impaired central processing of proprioceptive information.

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Bank, Paulina J M; Peper, C Lieke E; Marinus, Johan; Beek, Peter J; van Hilten, Jacobus J

2013-11-01

Our understanding of proprioceptive deficits in complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and its potential contribution to impaired motor function is still limited. To gain more insight into these issues, we evaluated accuracy and precision of joint position sense over a range of flexion-extension angles of the wrist of the affected and unaffected sides in 25 chronic CRPS patients and in 50 healthy controls. The results revealed proprioceptive impairment at both the patients' affected and unaffected sides, characterized predominantly by overestimation of wrist extension angles. Precision of the position estimates was more prominently reduced at the affected side. Importantly, group differences in proprioceptive performance were observed not only for tests at identical percentages of each individual's range of wrist motion but also when controls were tested at wrist angles that corresponded to those of the patient's affected side. More severe motor impairment of the affected side was associated with poorer proprioceptive performance. Based on additional sensory tests, variations in proprioceptive performance over the range of wrist angles, and comparisons between active and passive displacements, the disturbances of proprioceptive performance most likely resulted from altered processing of afferent (and not efferent) information and its subsequent interpretation in the context of a distorted "body schema." The present results point at a significant role for impaired central processing of proprioceptive information in the motor dysfunction of CRPS and suggest that therapeutic strategies aimed at identification of proprioceptive impairments and their restoration may promote the recovery of motor function in CRPS patients. Copyright © 2013 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF): Its Mechanisms and Effects on Range of Motion and Muscular Function

Science.gov (United States)

Hindle, Kayla B.; Whitcomb, Tyler J.; Briggs, Wyatt O.; Hong, Junggi

2012-01-01

Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) is common practice for increasing range of motion, though little research has been done to evaluate theories behind it. The purpose of this study was to review possible mechanisms, proposed theories, and physiological changes that occur due to proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation techniques. Four theoretical mechanisms were identified: autogenic inhibition, reciprocal inhibition, stress relaxation, and the gate control theory. The studies suggest that a combination of these four mechanisms enhance range of motion. When completed prior to exercise, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation decreases performance in maximal effort exercises. When this stretching technique is performed consistently and post exercise, it increases athletic performance, along with range of motion. Little investigation has been done regarding the theoretical mechanisms of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, though four mechanisms were identified from the literature. As stated, the main goal of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation is to increase range of motion and performance. Studies found both of these to be true when completed under the correct conditions. These mechanisms were found to be plausible; however, further investigation needs to be conducted. All four mechanisms behind the stretching technique explain the reasoning behind the increase in range of motion, as well as in strength and athletic performance. Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation shows potential benefits if performed correctly and consistently. PMID:23487249

Thermal sensation and comfort models for non-uniform and transient environments, part III: Whole-body sensation and comfort

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Hui; Arens, Edward; Huizenga, Charlie [Center for the Built Environment, UC Berkeley (United States); Han, Taeyoung [General Motors Company (United States)

2010-02-15

A three-part series presents the development of models for predicting the local thermal sensation (Part I) and local thermal comfort (Part II) of different parts of the human body, and also the whole-body sensation and comfort (Part III) that result from combinations of local sensation and comfort. The models apply to sedentary activities in a range of environments: uniform and non-uniform, stable and transient. They are based on diverse findings from the literature and from body-part-specific human subject tests in a climate chamber. They were validated against a test of automobile passengers. The series is intended to present the models' rationale, structure, and coefficients, so that others can test them and develop them further as additional empirical data becomes available. A) The whole-body (overall) sensation model has two forms, depending on whether all of the body's segments have sensations effectively in the same direction (e.g warm or cool), or whether some segments have sensations opposite to those of the rest of the body. For each, individual body parts have different weights for warm versus cool sensations, and strong local sensations dominate the overall sensation. If all sensations are near neutral, the overall sensation is close to the average of all body sensations. B) The overall comfort model also has two forms. Under stable conditions, people evaluate their overall comfort by a complaint-driven process, meaning that when two body parts are strongly uncomfortable, no matter how comfortable the other body parts might be, the overall comfort will be near the discomfort level of the two most uncomfortable parts. When the environmental conditions are transient, or people have control over their environments, overall comfort is better than that of the two most uncomfortable body parts. This can be accounted for by adding the most comfortable vote to the two most uncomfortable ones. (author)

Effects of circumferential ankle pressure on ankle proprioception, stiffness, and postural stability: a preliminary investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

You, Sung H; Granata, Kevin P; Bunker, Linda K

2004-08-01

Cross-sectional repeated-measures design. Determine the effects of circumferential ankle pressure (CAP) intervention on proprioceptive acuity, ankle stiffness, and postural stability. The application of CAP using braces, taping, and adaptive shoes or military boots is widely used to address chronic ankle instability (CAI). An underlying assumption is that the CAP intervention might improve ankle stability through increased proprioceptive acuity and stiffness in the ankle. METHOD AND MEASURES: A convenience sample of 10 subjects was recruited from the local university community and categorized according to proprioceptive acuity (high, low) and ankle stability (normal, CAI). Proprioceptive acuity was measured when blindfolded subjects were asked to accurately reproduce a self-selected target ankle position before and after the application of CAP. Proprioceptive acuity was determined in 5 different ankle joint position sense tests: neutral, inversion, eversion, plantar flexion, and dorsiflexion. Joint position angles were recorded electromechanically using a potentiometer. Passive ankle stiffness was computed from the ratio of applied static moment versus angular displacement. Active ankle stiffness was determined from biomechanical analyses of ankle motion following a mediolateral perturbation. Postural stability was quantified from the center of pressure displacement in the mediolateral and the anteroposterior directions in unipedal stance. All measurements were recorded with and without CAP applied by a pediatric blood pressure cuff. Data were analyzed using a separate mixed-model analysis of variance (ANOVA) for each dependent variable. Post hoc comparison using Tukey's honestly significant difference (HSD) test was performed if significant interactions were obtained. Significance level was set at P<.05 for all analyses. Significant group (high versus low proprioceptive acuity) x CAP interactions were identified for postural stability. Passive ankle stiffness was

Oral sensations and secretions.

Science.gov (United States)

Running, Cordelia A

2018-04-10

Sensations experienced in the mouth influence food choices, both immediately and in the long term. Such sensations are themselves influenced by experience with flavors, the chemical environment of the mouth, genetics of receptors for flavors, and individual behavior in the chewing of food. Gustation, the sense of taste, yields information about nutrients, influences palatability, and feeds into the human body's preparation to receive those nutrients. Olfaction, the sense of smell, contributes enormously to defining and identifying food flavors (and is experienced even after placing food inside the mouth). Another vital component of food flavor is texture, which contributes to palatability, especially if a food's texture violates a person's expectations. Next, chemesthesis is the sense of chemically induced irritancy and temperature, for example spiciness and stinging. All of these sensations are potentially modified by saliva, the chemical and physical media of the mouth. As a person experiences the culmination of these oral sensations, modified through an individual's own unique saliva, the flavors in turn influence both what and how a person eats. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Knee-joint proprioception during 30-day 6 degrees head-down bed rest with isotonic and isokinetic exercise training

Science.gov (United States)

Bernauer, E. M.; Walby, W. F.; Ertl, A. C.; Dempster, P. T.; Bond, M.; Greenleaf, J. E.

1994-01-01

To determine if daily isotonic exercise or isokinetic exercise training coupled with daily leg proprioceptive training, would influence leg proprioceptive tracking responses during bed rest (BR), 19 men (36 +/- SD 4 years, 178 +/- 7 cm, 76.8 +/- 7.8 kg) were allocated into a no-exercise (NOE) training control group (n = 5), and isotonic exercise (ITE, n = 7) and isokinetic exercise (IKE, n = 7) training groups. Exercise training was conducted during BR for two 30-min periods.d-1, 5 d.week-1. Only the IKE group performed proprioceptive training using a new isokinetic procedure with each lower extremity for 2.5 min before and after the daily exercise training sessions; proprioceptive testing occurred weekly for all groups. There were no significant differences in proprioceptive tracking scores, expressed as a percentage of the perfect score of 100, in the pre-BR ambulatory control period between the three groups. Knee extension and flexion tracking responses were unchanged with NOE during BR, but were significantly greater (*p < 0.05) at the end of BR in both exercise groups when compared with NOE responses (extension: NOE 80.7 +/- 0.7%, ITE 82.9* +/- 0.6%, IKE 86.5* +/- 0.7%; flexion: NOE 77.6 +/- 1.5%, ITE 80.0 +/- 0.8% (NS), IKE 83.6* +/- 0.8%). Although proprioceptive tracking was unchanged during BR with NOE, both isotonic exercise training (without additional proprioceptive training) and especially isokinetic exercise training when combined with daily proprioceptive training, significantly improved knee proprioceptive tracking responses after 30 d of BR.

Self-Disorder and Brain Processing of Proprioception in Schizophrenia Spectrum Patients: A Re-Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arnfred, Sidse M.; Raballo, Andrea; Mørup, Morten

2015-01-01

with abnormalities of early contralateral proprioceptive evoked oscillatory brain activity. Methods : We investigated the association between proprioceptive evoked potential components and SDs in a re-analysis of data from a subsample (n = 12) of SZS patients who had previously been observed with deviant...

Impaired limb proprioception in adults with spasmodic dysphonia

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Konczak, Jürgen; Aman, Joshua E.; Chen, Yu-Wen; Li, Kuan-yi; Watson, Peter J.

2015-01-01

Objectives Focal dystonia of the head, neck are associated with a loss of kinaesthetic acuity at muscles distant from the dystonic sites. That is, while the motor deficits in focal dystonia are confined, the associated somatosensory deficits are generalized. This is the first systematic study to examine, if patients diagnosed with spasmodic dystonia (SD) show somatosensory impairments similar in scope to other forms of focal dystonia. Methods Proprioceptive acuity (ability to discriminate between two stimuli) for forearm position and motion sense was assessed in 14 spasmodic dystonia subjects and 28 age-matched controls using a passive motion apparatus. Psychophysical thresholds, uncertainty area and a proprioceptive acuity index were computed based on the subjects’ verbal responses. Results The main findings are: First, the SD group showed significantly elevated thresholds and uncertainty areas for forearm position sense when compared to the control group. Second, 9 out of 14 dystonia subjects (64%) exhibited an acuity index for position sense above the control group maximum. Three SD subjects had a motion sense acuity index above the control group maximum. Conclusion The results indicate that impaired limb proprioception is a common feature of SD. Like other forms of focal dystonia, spasmodic dystonia does affect the somatosensation of non-dystonic muscle systems. That is, SD is associated with a generalized somatosensory deficit. PMID:25737471

Impaired Limb Proprioception in Adults With Spasmodic Dysphonia.

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Konczak, Jürgen; Aman, Joshua E; Chen, Yu-Wen; Li, Kuan-yi; Watson, Peter J

2015-11-01

Focal dystonia of the head and neck are associated with a loss of kinesthetic acuity at muscles distant from the dystonic sites. That is, while the motor deficits in focal dystonia are confined, the associated somatosensory deficits are generalized. This is the first systematic study to examine, if patients diagnosed with spasmodic dystonia (SD) show somatosensory impairments similar in scope to other forms of focal dystonia. Proprioceptive acuity (ability to discriminate between two stimuli) for forearm position and motion sense was assessed in 14 spasmodic dystonia subjects and 28 age-matched controls using a passive motion apparatus. Psychophysical thresholds, uncertainty area (UA), and a proprioceptive acuity index (AI) were computed based on the subjects' verbal responses. The main findings are as follows: first, the SD group showed significantly elevated thresholds and UAs for forearm position sense compared with the control group. Second, 9 of 14 dystonia subjects (64%) exhibited an AI for position sense above the control group maximum. Three SD subjects had a motion sense AI above the control group maximum. The results indicate that impaired limb proprioception is a common feature of SD. Like other forms of focal dystonia, spasmodic dystonia does affect the somatosensation of nondystonic muscle systems. That is, SD is associated with a generalized somatosensory deficit. Copyright © 2015 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The role of capsaicin-sensitive muscle afferents in fatigue-induced modulation of the monosynaptic reflex in the rat.

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Pettorossi, V E; Della Torre, G; Bortolami, R; Brunetti, O

1999-03-01

1. The role of group III and IV afferent fibres of the lateral gastrocnemious muscle (LG) in modulating the homonymous monosynaptic reflex was investigated during muscle fatigue in spinalized rats. 2. Muscle fatigue was induced by a series of increasing tetanic electrical stimuli (85 Hz, 600 ms) delivered to the LG muscle nerve. Series consisted of increasing train numbers from 1 to 60. 3. Potentials from the spinal cord LG motor pool and from the ventral root were recorded in response to proprioceptive afferent stimulation and analysed before and during tetanic muscle activations. Both the pre- and postsynaptic waves showed an initial enhancement and, after a '12-train' series, an increasing inhibition. 4. The enhancement of the responses to muscle fatiguing stimulation disappeared after L3-L6 dorsal root section, while a partial reflex inhibition was still present. Conversely, after section of the corresponding ventral root, there was only a reduction in the inhibitory effect. 5. The monosynaptic reflex was also studied in animals in which a large number of group III and IV muscle afferents were eliminated by injecting capsaicin (10 mM) into the LG muscle. As a result of capsaicin treatment, the fatigue-induced inhibition of the pre- and postsynaptic waves disappeared, while the response enhancement remained. 6. We concluded that the monosynaptic reflex inhibition, but not the enhancement, was mediated by those group III and IV muscle afferents that are sensitive to the toxic action of capsaicin. The afferents that are responsible for the response enhancement enter the spinal cord through the dorsal root, while those responsible for the inhibition enter the spinal cord through both the ventral and dorsal roots.

Postural control and risk of falling in bipodalic and monopodalic stabilometric tests of healthy subjects before, after visuo-proprioceptive vestibulo-postural rehabilitation and at 3 months thereafter: role of the proprioceptive system.

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De Carli, P; Patrizi, M; Pepe, L; Cavaniglia, G; Riva, D; D'Ottavi, L R

2010-08-01

Nine healthy volunteers (6 males, 3 females), mean age 34.5 years (SD = 11.52), underwent a vestibulo-postural rehabilitation cycle with a visuo-proprioceptive-type stimulus. All subjects in the study group were evaluated by means of stabilometric bipodalic and monopodalic tests both before and immediately after treatment, and again 3 month thereafter. The Delos Postural Proprioceptive System®, DPPS (Delos, srl, Turin, Italy), was used in performing these stabilometric tests and in the rehabilitation exercises. The first aim of the study was to evaluate to what extent the functional level of the proprioceptive system was reliable, in healthy subjects, in the control of postural stability; the second was to demonstrate the possibility to increase this level by means of a novel visuo-proprioceptive feedback training; the last was to establish whether or not the increase achieved was permanent. The bipodalic test did not reveal any deficit in posture either before or after rehabilitation. The monopodalic test prior to treatment, with eyes closed, revealed, in 2/3 of the study group, evidence of the risk of falling, expressed as the precautional strategy (8.57 ± 6.18% SD). An increase in the proprioceptive activity, obtained in the subjects examined immediately after the visuo-proprioceptive vestibulo-postural rehabilitation, led, in the monopodalic test, with eyes closed, to a significant reduction in the risk of falling (with the precautional strategy equal to 1.09 ± 2.63% SD, p = 0.004). The monopodalic test, with eyes closed, 3 months after rehabilitation, demonstrated results not unlike those pre-treament with values, therefore, not more significant than those emerging from the pre-treatment test. Thus, from the above-mentioned data, it can be observed that, also in healthy subjects, there may be different levels of postural proprioceptive control related to a high risk of falling. These levels can be maintained constant for a certain period of time, until a

Effects of biofeedback on obstructive defecation--reconditioning of the defecation reflex?

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Papachrysostomou, M; Smith, A N

1994-01-01

Twenty two patients with obstructive defecation were recruited for relaxation training by domiciliary self regulatory biofeedback. Each patient served as his or her own control for anorectal and proctographic assessments. Biofeedback training improved the obstructive symptoms of the patients and showed significant change in various parameters related to the obstructive defecation syndrome. As examined by isotope dynamic proctography: the defecation rate (% of evacuation/defecation time) was significantly increased (p anismus index (p < 0.0001). The rectal sensation was improved (p < 0.05), concomitantly. Biofeedback thus improves the defecation act in patients suffering from inappropriate contraction of the pelvic floor and sphincter musculature. Furthermore, this study has shown that biofeedback objectively influences the defecation reflex leading to an improved quality of higher control of bowel function. PMID:8307478

The effect of a patellar strap on knee joint proprioception in healthy participants and athletes with patellar tendinopathy.

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de Vries, Astrid J; van den Akker-Scheek, Inge; Diercks, Ron L; Zwerver, Johannes; van der Worp, Henk

2016-04-01

The primary aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the use of a patellar strap on knee joint proprioception in both healthy participants and in patients with patellar tendinopathy (PT). Secondary aims are to examine whether there is a difference in effectiveness of the use of a patellar strap between participants with low and high proprioceptive acuity and if possible predictors of effectiveness can be determined. Case-control. The threshold to detect passive motion with and without a patellar strap was assessed in 22 healthy participants and 21 unilateral PT patients. The results from the mixed model analysis show that in both groups of participants a small but statistically significant improvement in proprioception was found, primarily in those who had low proprioceptive acuity. A notable finding was that in the symptomatic leg of the PT group no improvement in proprioception by wearing a strap could be determined. Male gender and having fewer symptoms were possible predictors of effectiveness in PT patients. As proprioception plays a role in optimising movements and reducing load to joint-related structures like tendons and ligaments, it is considered an important protection mechanism. Although the improvements in proprioception as a result of wearing the strap are small, it might be that the use of a patellar strap can potentially play a role in injury prevention since poor proprioception can be a risk factor for (re)-injury. Copyright © 2015 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Body ownership and agency: task-dependent effects of the virtual hand illusion on proprioceptive drift.

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Shibuya, Satoshi; Unenaka, Satoshi; Ohki, Yukari

2017-01-01

Body ownership and agency are fundamental to self-consciousness. These bodily experiences have been intensively investigated using the rubber hand illusion, wherein participants perceive a fake hand as their own. After presentation of the illusion, the position of the participant's hand then shifts toward the location of the fake hand (proprioceptive drift). However, it remains controversial whether proprioceptive drift is able to provide an objective measurement of body ownership, and whether agency also affects drift. Using the virtual hand illusion (VHI), the current study examined the effects of body ownership and agency on proprioceptive drift, with three different visuo-motor tasks. Twenty healthy adults (29.6 ± 9.2 years old) completed VH manipulations using their right hand under a 2 × 2 factorial design (active vs. passive manipulation, and congruent vs. incongruent virtual hand). Prior to and after VH manipulation, three different tasks were performed to assess proprioceptive drift, in which participants were unable to see their real hands. The effects of the VHI on proprioceptive drift were task-dependent. When participants were required to judge the position of their right hand using a ruler, or by reaching toward a visual target, both body ownership and agency modulated proprioceptive drift. Comparatively, when participants aligned both hands, drift was influenced by ownership but not agency. These results suggest that body ownership and agency might differentially modulate various body representations in the brain.

Laryngeal Sensation Before and After Clearing Behaviors

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Bonilha, Heather Shaw; Gerlach, Terri Treman; Sutton, Lori Ellen; Dawson, Amy Elizabeth; Nietert, Paul J

2013-01-01

Purpose People frequently present to voice clinics with complaints of irritating laryngeal sensations. Clinicians attempt to reduce the irritating sensations and their common sequela, coughing and throat clearing, by advocating for techniques that remove the irritation with less harm to the vocal fold tissue. Despite the prevalence of patients with these complaints, it is not known if the less harmful techniques recommended by clinicians are effective at clearing irritating laryngeal sensations or that irritating laryngeal sensations are, in fact, more frequent in people with voice disorders than people without voice disorders. Method Assessments of participant reported laryngeal sensation, pre- and post- clearing task, were obtained from 22 people with and 24 people without a voice disorder. Six clearing tasks were used to preliminarily evaluate the differing effects of tasks believed to be deleterious and ameliorative. Results People with and without voice disorders reported pre-clear laryngeal sensation at a similar rate. Post-clear sensation was less likely to be completely or partially removed in people with voice disorders than in the non-voice disordered group. Hard throat clear and swallow with water were the most effective techniques at removing laryngeal sensation. Conclusions The findings provide initial evidence for some of the clinical practices common to treating patients with voice disorders and chronic clearing such as advocating for swallowing a sip of water as a replacement behavior instead of coughing or throat clearing. However, the findings raise questions about other practices such as associating irritating laryngeal sensation with a voice disorder. PMID:22717491

Being reflexive in qualitative grounded theory: discussion and application of a model of reflexivity.

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Engward, Hilary; Davis, Geraldine

2015-07-01

A discussion of the meaning of reflexivity in research with the presentation of examples of how a model of reflexivity was used in a grounded theory research project. Reflexivity requires the researcher to make transparent the decisions they make in the research process and is therefore important in developing quality in nursing research. The importance of being reflexive is highlighted in the literature in relation to nursing research, however, practical guidance as to how to go about doing research reflexively is not always clearly articulated. This is a discussion paper. The concept of reflexivity in research is explored using the Alvesson and Skoldberg model of reflexivity and practical examples of how a researcher developed reflexivity in a grounded theory project are presented. Nurse researchers are encouraged to explore and apply the concept of reflexivity in their research practices to develop transparency in the research process and to increase robustness in their research. The Alvesson and Skoldberg model is of value in applying reflexivity in qualitative nursing research, particularly in grounded theory research. Being reflexive requires the researcher to be completely open about decisions that are made in the research process. The Alvesson and Skolberg model of reflexivity is a useful model that can enhance reflexivity in the research process. It can be a useful practical tool to develop reflexivity in grounded theory research. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Proprioceptive versus Visual Control in Autistic Children.

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Masterton, B. A.; Biederman, G. B.

1983-01-01

The autistic children's presumed preference for proximal over distal sensory input was studied by requiring that "autistic," retarded, and "normal" children (7-15 years old) adapt to lateral displacement of the visual field. Only autistic Ss demonstrated transfer of adaptation to the nonadapted hand, indicating reliance on proprioception rather…

Do gravity-related sensory information enable the enhancement of cortical proprioceptive inputs when planning a step in microgravity?

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Anahid H Saradjian

Full Text Available We recently found that the cortical response to proprioceptive stimulation was greater when participants were planning a step than when they stood still, and that this sensory facilitation was suppressed in microgravity. The aim of the present study was to test whether the absence of gravity-related sensory afferents during movement planning in microgravity prevented the proprioceptive cortical processing to be enhanced. We reestablished a reference frame in microgravity by providing and translating a horizontal support on which the participants were standing and verified whether this procedure restored the proprioceptive facilitation. The slight translation of the base of support (lateral direction, which occurred prior to step initiation, stimulated at least cutaneous and vestibular receptors. The sensitivity to proprioceptive stimulation was assessed by measuring the amplitude of the cortical somatosensory-evoked potential (SEP, over the Cz electrode following the vibration of the leg muscle. The vibration lasted 1 s and the participants were asked to either initiate a step at the vibration offset or to remain still. We found that the early SEP (90-160 ms was smaller when the platform was translated than when it remained stationary, revealing the existence of an interference phenomenon (i.e., when proprioceptive stimulation is preceded by the stimulation of different sensory modalities evoked by the platform translation. By contrast, the late SEP (550 ms post proprioceptive stimulation onset was greater when the translation preceded the vibration compared to a condition without pre-stimulation (i.e., no translation. This suggests that restoring a body reference system which is impaired in microgravity allowed a greater proprioceptive cortical processing. Importantly, however, the late SEP was similarly increased when participants either produced a step or remained still. We propose that the absence of step-induced facilitation of

Relationship between paraspinal muscle cross-sectional area and relative proprioceptive weighting ratio of older persons with lumbar spondylosis.

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Ito, Tadashi; Sakai, Yoshihito; Nakamura, Eishi; Yamazaki, Kazunori; Yamada, Ayaka; Sato, Noritaka; Morita, Yoshifumi

2015-07-01

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the paraspinal muscle cross-sectional area and the relative proprioceptive weighting ratio during local vibratory stimulation of older persons with lumbar spondylosis in an upright position. [Subjects] In all, 74 older persons hospitalized for lumbar spondylosis were included. [Methods] We measured the relative proprioceptive weighting ratio of postural sway using a Wii board while vibratory stimulations of 30, 60, or 240 Hz were applied to the subjects' paraspinal or gastrocnemius muscles. Back strength, abdominal muscle strength, and erector spinae muscle (L1/L2, L4/L5) and lumbar multifidus (L1/L2, L4/L5) cross-sectional areas were evaluated. [Results] The erector spinae muscle (L1/L2) cross-sectional area was associated with the relative proprioceptive weighting ratio during 60Hz stimulation. [Conclusion] These findings show that the relative proprioceptive weighting ratio compared to the erector spinae muscle (L1/L2) cross-sectional area under 60Hz proprioceptive stimulation might be a good indicator of trunk proprioceptive sensitivity.

Bladder sensation measures and overactive bladder.

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Rapp, David E; Neil, Nancy J; Govier, Fred E; Kobashi, Kathleen C

2009-09-01

We performed a prospective multicomponent study to determine whether subjective and objective bladder sensation instruments may provide data on sensory dysfunction in patients with overactive bladder. We evaluated 70 prospectively enrolled patients with urodynamics and questionnaires on validated urgency (Urgency Perception Score), general overactive bladder (Urogenital Distress Inventory) and quality of life (Incontinence Impact Questionnaire). We first sought a correlation between sensory specific (Urgency Perception Score) and quality of life questionnaire scores. We then assessed a correlation between sensory questionnaire scores and urodynamic variables, exploring the hypothesis that certain urodynamic parameters may be bladder sensation measures. We evaluated 2 urodynamic derivatives (first sensation ratio and bladder urgency velocity) to increase sensory finding discrimination. We noted a moderate correlation between the Urgency Perception Score (0.56) and the Urogenital Distress Inventory (0.74) vs the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (each p Perception Score and bladder capacity (-0.25, p sensation ratio and bladder urgency velocity statistically significantly correlated with the Urgency Perception Score despite the lesser or absent correlation associated with the individual components of these derivatives. Bladder sensation questionnaires may be valuable to identify patients with sensory dysfunction and provide additional data not obtained in generalized symptom questionnaires. Urodynamic variables correlated with bladder sensation questionnaire scores and may be an objective method to assess sensory dysfunction.

Effect of stretching and proprioceptive loading in hand function among patients with cerebellar tremor

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Hariharasudhan Ravichandran

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background and Objective: Tremor, the most common form of abnormal involuntary movement, affects the performance of activities of daily living. Evidence on effective form of physiotherapy techniques which can help manage intentional tremor and improve hand function among cerebellar dysfunction patients in inconclusive. Hence, this study aims to establish the effectiveness of stretching and proprioceptive loading among cerebellar patients with intentional tremors. The objective of this study is to compare the efficacy of stretching and proprioceptive loading among patients with cerebellar intention tremor. Materials and Methods: A total of thirty patients with intention tremor due to cerebellar lesion were recruited for this study. They were randomized into two groups, Group I received stretching exercise and Group II received proprioceptive loading exercise. Pre- and post-test outcome measures were taken at the end of duration of 3 weeks intervention. Outcome measures were Fahn's tremor rating scale and nine hole peg test. Results: Statistical analyses were done by McNemar test, Wilcoxon's signed rank test, and Mann–Whitney test. Post-test scores of both groups were compared and found that Group II treated with proprioceptive loading exercise had higher significant result than the group treated with strengthening exercise program. Conclusion: Proprioceptive loading exercise has demonstrated signifi cant effect on reducing cerebellar tremor and improving muscle coordination in reaching activities.

Knee-Joint Proprioception During 30-Day 6 deg Head-Down Bed Rest with Isotonic and Isokinetic Exercise Training

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Bernauer, E. M.; Walby, W. F.; Ertl, A. C.; Dempster, P. T.; Bond, M.; Greenleaf, J. E.

1994-01-01

To determine if daily isotonic exercise or isokinetic exercise training coupled with daily log proprioceptive training, would influence log proprioceptive tracking responses during Bed Rest (BR), 19 men (36 +/- SD 4 years, 178 +/- 7 cm, 76.8 +/- 7.8 kg) were allocated into a NO-Exercise (NOE) training control group (n = 5), and IsoTanic Exercise (ITE, n = 7) and IsoKinetic Exercise (IKE, n = 7) training groups. Exercise training was conducted during BR for two 30-min period / d, 5 d /week. Only the IKE group performed proprioceptive training using a now isokinetic procedure with each lower extremity for 2.5 min before and after the daily exercise training sessions; proprioceptive testing occurred weekly for all groups. There were no significant differences in proprioceptive tracking scores, expressed as a percentage of the perfect score of 100, in the pro-BR ambulatory control period between the three groups. Knee extension and flexion tracking responses were unchanged with NOE during BR, but were significantly greater (*p less than 0.05) at the end of BR in both exercise groups when compared with NOE responses (extension: NOE 80.7 +/- 0.7%, ITE 82.9 +/- 0.6%, IKE 86.5* +/- 0.7%; flexion: NOE 77.6 +/- 1.50, ITE 80.0 +/- 0.8% (NS), IKE 83.6* +/- 0.8%). Although proprioceptive tracking was unchanged during BR with NOE, both lsotonic exercise training (without additional propriaceptive training) and especially isokinetic exercise training when combined with daily proprioceptive training, significantly improved knee proprioceptive tracking responses after 30 d of BR.

Challenging the assumptions for thermal sensation scales

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Schweiker, Marcel; Fuchs, Xaver; Becker, Susanne

2016-01-01

Scales are widely used to assess the personal experience of thermal conditions in built environments. Most commonly, thermal sensation is assessed, mainly to determine whether a particular thermal condition is comfortable for individuals. A seven-point thermal sensation scale has been used...... extensively, which is suitable for describing a one-dimensional relationship between physical parameters of indoor environments and subjective thermal sensation. However, human thermal comfort is not merely a physiological but also a psychological phenomenon. Thus, it should be investigated how scales for its...... assessment could benefit from a multidimensional conceptualization. The common assumptions related to the usage of thermal sensation scales are challenged, empirically supported by two analyses. These analyses show that the relationship between temperature and subjective thermal sensation is non...

Evidence of Impaired Proprioception in Chronic, Idiopathic Neck Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

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Stanton, Tasha R; Leake, Hayley B; Chalmers, K Jane; Moseley, G Lorimer

2016-06-01

Despite common use of proprioceptive retraining interventions in people with chronic, idiopathic neck pain, evidence that proprioceptive dysfunction exists in this population is lacking. Determining whether proprioceptive dysfunction exists in people with chronic neck pain has clear implications for treatment prescription. The aim of this study was to synthesize and critically appraise all evidence evaluating proprioceptive dysfunction in people with chronic, idiopathic neck pain by completing a systematic review and meta-analysis. MEDLINE, CINAHL, PubMed, Allied and Complementary Medicine, EMBASE, Academic Search Premier, Scopus, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), and Cochrane Collaboration databases were searched. All published studies that compared neck proprioception (joint position sense) between a chronic, idiopathic neck pain sample and asymptomatic controls were included. Two independent reviewers extracted relevant population and proprioception data and assessed methodological quality using a modified Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement. Thirteen studies were included in the present review. Meta-analysis on 10 studies demonstrated that people with chronic neck pain perform significantly worse on head-to-neutral repositioning tests, with a moderate standardized mean difference of 0.44 (95% confidence interval=0.25, 0.63). Two studies evaluated head repositioning using trunk movement (no active head movement thus hypothesized to remove vestibular input) and showed conflicting results. Three studies evaluated complex or postural repositioning tests; postural repositioning was no different between groups, and complex movement tests were impaired only in participants with chronic neck pain if error was continuously evaluated throughout the movement. A paucity of studies evaluating complex or postural repositioning tests does not permit any solid conclusions about them. People with chronic, idiopathic

A transcription factor for cold sensation!

OpenAIRE

Kim, Susan J; Qu, Zhican; Milbrandt, Jeffrey; Zhuo, Min

2005-01-01

Abstract The ability to feel hot and cold is critical for animals and human beings to survive in the natural environment. Unlike other sensations, the physiology of cold sensation is mostly unknown. In the present study, we use genetically modified mice that do not express nerve growth factor-inducible B (NGFIB) to investigate the possible role of NGFIB in cold sensation. We found that genetic deletion of NGFIB selectively affected behavioral responses to cold stimuli while behavioral respons...

Effects of Bed Rest on Conduction Velocity of the Triceps Surae Stretch Reflex and Postural Control

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Reschke, M. F.; Wood, S. J.; Cerisano, J. M.; Kofman, I. S.; Fisher, E. A.; Esteves, J. T.; Taylor, L. C.; DeDios, Y. E.; Harm, D. L.

2011-01-01

Despite rigorous exercise and nutritional management during space missions, astronauts returning from microgravity exhibit neuromuscular deficits and a significant loss in muscle mass in the postural muscles of the lower leg. Similar changes in the postural muscles occur in subjects participating in long-duration bed rest studies. These adaptive muscle changes manifest as a reduction in reflex conduction velocity during head-down bed rest. Because the stretch reflex encompasses both the peripheral (muscle spindle and nerve axon) and central (spinal synapse) components involved in adaptation to calf muscle unloading, it may be used to provide feedback on the general condition of neuromuscular function, and might be used to evaluate the effectiveness of countermeasures aimed at preserving muscle mass and function during periods of unloading. Stretch reflexes were measured on 18 control subjects who spent 60 to 90 days in continuous 6 deg head-down bed rest. Using a motorized system capable of rotating the foot around the ankle joint (dorsiflexion) through an angle of 10 degrees at a peak velocity of about 250 deg/sec, a stretch reflex was recorded from the subject's left triceps surae muscle group. Using surface electromyography, about 300 reflex responses were obtained and ensemble-averaged on 3 separate days before bed rest, 3 to 4 times in bed, and 3 times after bed rest. The averaged responses for each test day were examined for reflex latency and conduction velocity (CV) across gender. Computerized posturography was also conducted on these same subjects before and after bed rest as part of the standard measures. Peak-to-peak sway was measured during Sensory Organization Tests (SOTs) to evaluate changes in the ability to effectively use or suppress visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive information for postural control. Although no gender differences were found, a significant increase in reflex latency and a significant decrease in CV were observed during the bed

The Role of Proprioception in the Sagittal Setting of Anticipatory Postural Adjustments During Gait Initiation

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Pereira Marcelo P.

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose. Previous studies have studied the role of proprioception on the setting of anticipatory postural adjustments (APA during gait initiation. However, these studies did not investigate the role of proprioception in the sagittal APA setting. We aimed to investigate the role of proprioception manipulation to induce APA sagittal adaptations on gait initiation. Methods. Fourteen healthy adults performed gait initiation without, and with, vibration applied before movement onset, and during movement. In addition, the effects of two different vibration frequencies (80 and 120Hz were tested. Vibration was applied bilaterally on the tibialis anterior, rectus femoris and trapezius superior. The first step characteristics, ground reaction forces and CoP behaviour were assessed. Results. Vibration improved gait initiation performance regardless of the moment it was applied. CoP velocity during the initial phase of APA was increased by vibration only when it was applied before movement. When vibration was applied to disturb the movement, no effects on the CoP behaviour were observed. Manipulation of vibration frequency had no effects. Conclusions. Rather than proprioception manipulation, the results suggest that post-vibratory effects and attentional mechanisms were responsible for our results. Taken together, the results show that sagittal APA setting is robust to proprioception manipulation.

Electrical Stimulation of Low-Threshold Proprioceptive Fibers in the Adult Rat Increases Density of Glutamatergic and Cholinergic Terminals on Ankle Extensor α-Motoneurons.

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Olga Gajewska-Woźniak

Full Text Available The effects of stimulation of low-threshold proprioceptive afferents in the tibial nerve on two types of excitatory inputs to α-motoneurons were tested. The first input is formed by glutamatergic Ia sensory afferents contacting monosynaptically α-motoneurons. The second one is the cholinergic input originating from V0c-interneurons, located in lamina X of the spinal cord, modulating activity of α-motoneurons via C-terminals. Our aim was to clarify whether enhancement of signaling to ankle extensor α-motoneurons, via direct electrical stimulation addressed predominantly to low-threshold proprioceptive fibers in the tibial nerve of awake rats, will affect Ia glutamatergic and cholinergic innervation of α-motoneurons of lateral gastrocnemius (LG. LG motoneurons were identified with True Blue tracer injected intramuscularly. Tibial nerve was stimulated for 7 days with continuous bursts of three pulses applied in four 20 min sessions daily. The Hoffmann reflex and motor responses recorded from the soleus muscle, LG synergist, allowed controlling stimulation. Ia terminals and C-terminals abutting on LG-labeled α-motoneurons were detected by immunofluorescence (IF using input-specific anti- VGLUT1 and anti-VAChT antibodies, respectively. Quantitative analysis of confocal images revealed that the number of VGLUT1 IF and VAChT IF terminals contacting the soma of LG α-motoneurons increased after stimulation by 35% and by 26%, respectively, comparing to the sham-stimulated side. The aggregate volume of VGLUT1 IF and VAChT IF terminals increased by 35% and by 30%, respectively. Labeling intensity of boutons was also increased, suggesting an increase of signaling to LG α-motoneurons after stimulation. To conclude, one week of continuous burst stimulation of proprioceptive input to LG α-motoneurons is effective in enrichment of their direct glutamatergic but also indirect cholinergic inputs. The effectiveness of such and longer stimulation in models

Sensory training with vibration-induced kinesthetic illusions improves proprioceptive integration in patients with Parkinson's disease.

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Ribot-Ciscar, Edith; Aimonetti, Jean-Marc; Azulay, Jean-Philippe

2017-12-15

The present study investigates whether proprioceptive training, based on kinesthetic illusions, can help in re-educating the processing of muscle proprioceptive input, which is impaired in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The processing of proprioceptive input before and after training was evaluated by determining the error in the amplitude of voluntary dorsiflexion ankle movement (20°), induced by applying a vibration on the tendon of the gastrocnemius-soleus muscle (a vibration-induced movement error). The training consisted of the subjects focusing their attention upon a series of illusory movements of the ankle. Eleven PD patients and eleven age-matched control subjects were tested. Before training, vibration reduced dorsiflexion amplitude in controls by 4.3° (Pkinesthetic illusions, is a simple means for re-educating the processing of muscle proprioceptive input in PD patients. Such complementary training should be included in rehabilitation programs that presently focus on improving balance and motor performance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

How does cryotherapy effect ankle proprioception in healthy individuals?

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Houten, Daniel; Cooper, Darren

2017-09-01

Objectives To investigate how a 15-min cryotherapy intervention effects proprioception by measuring joint positional sense (JPS) and static single legged balance. Design Repeated measures design. Setting Laboratory. Participants Eighteen healthy university sports team students (11 males, 7 females) aged between 20 and 21 years old. Main outcome measures Participants were treated with 15 min of Aircast Cryo-cuff. The subject's skin temperature was measured before and immediately after 15 min of cryotherapy treatment. Ankle active joint positional sense (A-JPS) and passive joint positional sense (P-JPS) were measured at pre-test, immediately post-test, and 5 min post-test. Static balance was measured by centre of pressure (CoP) mean path length, medial-lateral (ML) CoP mean deviation, and anterior-posterior (AP) CoP mean deviation and mean time-to-boundary (TtB) minima for AP and ML directions. Results No significant differences were found for the variables of JPS and static single balance testing after 15 min of cryotherapy treatment. However, mean differences for CoP mean path length and ML mean deviation were shown to improve following cryotherapy treatment, results not previously found in the literature. Conclusion Results suggest that 15 min of Cryo-cuff treatment does not significantly affect proprioception. Although the effect of cryotherapy on proprioception depends on cooling modality used, time frame applied, and joint applied to.

A key region in the human parietal cortex for processing proprioceptive hand feedback during reaching movements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reichenbach, Alexandra; Thielscher, Axel; Peer, Angelika

2014-01-01

of proprioceptive-only and of multi-sensory information about hand position when reaching for a visual target. TMS over two distinct stimulation sites elicited differential effects: TMS applied over the posterior part of the medial intraparietal sulcus (mIPS) compromised reaching accuracy when proprioception...... was the only sensory information available for correcting the reaching error. When visual feedback of the hand was available, TMS over the anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS) prolonged reaching time. Our results show for the first time the causal involvement of the posterior mIPS in processing proprioceptive...

Dicer maintains the identity and function of proprioceptive sensory neurons.

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O'Toole, Sean M; Ferrer, Monica M; Mekonnen, Jennifer; Zhang, Haihan; Shima, Yasuyuki; Ladle, David R; Nelson, Sacha B

2017-03-01

Neuronal cell identity is established during development and must be maintained throughout an animal's life (Fishell G, Heintz N. Neuron 80: 602-612, 2013). Transcription factors critical for establishing neuronal identity can be required for maintaining it (Deneris ES, Hobert O. Nat Neurosci 17: 899-907, 2014). Posttranscriptional regulation also plays an important role in neuronal differentiation (Bian S, Sun T. Mol Neurobiol 44: 359-373, 2011), but its role in maintaining cell identity is less established. To better understand how posttranscriptional regulation might contribute to cell identity, we examined the proprioceptive neurons in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG), a highly specialized sensory neuron class, with well-established properties that distinguish them from other neurons in the ganglion. By conditionally ablating Dicer in mice, using parvalbumin (Pvalb)-driven Cre recombinase, we impaired posttranscriptional regulation in the proprioceptive sensory neuron population. Knockout (KO) animals display a progressive form of ataxia at the beginning of the fourth postnatal week that is accompanied by a cell death within the DRG. Before cell loss, expression profiling shows a reduction of proprioceptor specific genes and an increased expression of nonproprioceptive genes normally enriched in other ganglion neurons. Furthermore, although central connections of these neurons are intact, the peripheral connections to the muscle are functionally impaired. Posttranscriptional regulation is therefore necessary to retain the transcriptional identity and support functional specialization of the proprioceptive sensory neurons. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We have demonstrated that selectively impairing Dicer in parvalbumin-positive neurons, which include the proprioceptors, triggers behavioral changes, a lack of muscle connectivity, and a loss of transcriptional identity as observed through RNA sequencing. These results suggest that Dicer and, most likely by extension, micro

Mobile Phone-Based Joint Angle Measurement for Functional Assessment and Rehabilitation of Proprioception

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Quentin Mourcou

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Assessment of joint functional and proprioceptive abilities is essential for balance, posture, and motor control rehabilitation. Joint functional ability refers to the capacity of movement of the joint. It may be evaluated thereby measuring the joint range of motion (ROM. Proprioception can be defined as the perception of the position and of the movement of various body parts in space. Its role is essential in sensorimotor control for movement acuity, joint stability, coordination, and balance. Its clinical evaluation is commonly based on the assessment of the joint position sense (JPS. Both ROM and JPS measurements require estimating angles through goniometer, scoliometer, laser-pointer, and bubble or digital inclinometer. With the arrival of Smartphones, these costly clinical tools tend to be replaced. Beyond evaluation, maintaining and/or improving joint functional and proprioceptive abilities by training with physical therapy is important for long-term management. This review aims to report Smartphone applications used for measuring and improving functional and proprioceptive abilities. It identifies that Smartphone applications are reliable for clinical measurements and are mainly used to assess ROM and JPS. However, there is lack of studies on Smartphone applications which can be used in an autonomous way to provide physical therapy exercises at home.

Sex-Dependent Individual Differences and the Correlational Relationship Between Proprioceptive and Verbal Tests

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Liutsko Liudmila

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between proprioceptive and verbal tests on personality in both sexes separately due to existing proprioceptive differences in fine motor behavior between men and women in our previous studies [1, 2, 3]. Material and methods. 114 middle-aged participants from Belarus completed verbal tests (personality: Eysenck's EPQ, Big Five in Hromov's Russian adaptation, and Rosenberg's Self-esteem together with Proprioceptive Diagnostics of Temperament and Character (by Tous. Complementary information, such as tests of time perception, was collected and used in correlative and ANOVA analyses with the use of SPSS v.19. Results. The relationship between proprioceptive variables in personality and individual differences, time perception and the results of verbal tests were determined for each sex subgroup and discussed. ANOVA results reflected the corresponding differences and similarities between men and women in the variables of each test. Time perception was found to be significantly correlated to all five dimensions of the Big Five Test in both sexes, and both had a significant relationship to the same variables of the DP-TC test. Conclusions. Time perception can be used as an indirect indicator of personality. Existing individual and personality differences should be taken into account in coaching and education to obtain more effective results.

Differential Effects of Motor Efference Copies and Proprioceptive Information on Response Evaluation Processes

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Stock, Ann-Kathrin; Wascher, Edmund; Beste, Christian

2013-01-01

It is well-kown that sensory information influences the way we execute motor responses. However, less is known about if and how sensory and motor information are integrated in the subsequent process of response evaluation. We used a modified Simon Task to investigate how these streams of information are integrated in response evaluation processes, applying an in-depth neurophysiological analysis of event-related potentials (ERPs), time-frequency decomposition and sLORETA. The results show that response evaluation processes are differentially modulated by afferent proprioceptive information and efference copies. While the influence of proprioceptive information is mediated via oscillations in different frequency bands, efference copy based information about the motor execution is specifically mediated via oscillations in the theta frequency band. Stages of visual perception and attention were not modulated by the interaction of proprioception and motor efference copies. Brain areas modulated by the interactive effects of proprioceptive and efference copy based information included the middle frontal gyrus and the supplementary motor area (SMA), suggesting that these areas integrate sensory information for the purpose of response evaluation. The results show how motor response evaluation processes are modulated by information about both the execution and the location of a response. PMID:23658624

Effects of proprioceptive circuit exercise on knee joint pain and muscle function in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

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Ju, Sung-Bum; Park, Gi Duck; Kim, Sang-Soo

2015-08-01

[Purpose] This study applied proprioceptive circuit exercise to patients with degenerative knee osteoarthritis and examined its effects on knee joint muscle function and the level of pain. [Subjects] In this study, 14 patients with knee osteoarthritis in two groups, a proprioceptive circuit exercise group (n = 7) and control group (n = 7), were examined. [Methods] IsoMed 2000 (D&R Ferstl GmbH, Hemau, Germany) was used to assess knee joint muscle function, and a Visual Analog Scale was used to measure pain level. [Results] In the proprioceptive circuit exercise group, knee joint muscle function and pain levels improved significantly, whereas in the control group, no significant improvement was observed. [Conclusion] A proprioceptive circuit exercise may be an effective way to strengthen knee joint muscle function and reduce pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Influence of Passive Joint Stiffness on Proprioceptive Acuity in Individuals With Functional Instability of the Ankle.

Science.gov (United States)

Marinho, Hellen Veloso Rocha; Amaral, Giovanna Mendes; de Souza Moreira, Bruno; Araújo, Vanessa Lara; Souza, Thales Rezende; Ocarino, Juliana Melo; da Fonseca, Sérgio Teixeira

2017-12-01

Study Design Controlled laboratory study, cross-sectional. Background Deficits in ankle proprioceptive acuity have been reported in persons with functional instability of the ankle. Passive stiffness has been proposed as a possible mechanism underlying proprioceptive acuity. Objective To compare proprioceptive acuity and passive ankle stiffness in persons with and without functional ankle instability, and to assess the influence of passive joint stiffness on proprioceptive acuity in persons with functional ankle instability. Methods A sample of 18 subjects with and 18 without complaints of functional ankle instability following lateral ankle sprain participated. An isokinetic dynamometer was used to compare motion perception threshold, passive position sense, and passive ankle stiffness between groups. To evaluate the influence of passive stiffness on proprioceptive acuity, individuals in the lateral functional ankle instability group were divided into 2 subgroups: "high" and "low" passive ankle stiffness. Results The functional ankle instability group exhibited increased motion perception threshold when compared with the corresponding limb of the control group. Between-group differences were not found for passive position sense and passive ankle stiffness. Those in the functional ankle instability group with higher passive ankle stiffness had smaller motion perception thresholds than those with lower passive ankle stiffness. Conclusion Unlike motion perception threshold, passive position sense is not affected by the presence of functional ankle instability. Passive ankle stiffness appears to influence proprioceptive acuity in persons with functional ankle instability. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2017;47(12):899-905. Epub 7 Oct 2017. doi:10.2519/jospt.2017.7030.

Non-invasive characterization of real-time bladder sensation using accelerated hydration and a novel sensation meter: An initial experience.

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Nagle, Anna S; Speich, John E; De Wachter, Stefan G; Ghamarian, Peter P; Le, David M; Colhoun, Andrew F; Ratz, Paul H; Barbee, Robert W; Klausner, Adam P

2017-06-01

The purpose of this investigation was to develop a non-invasive, objective, and unprompted method to characterize real-time bladder sensation. Volunteers with and without overactive bladder (OAB) were prospectively enrolled in a preliminary accelerated hydration study. Participants drank 2L Gatorade-G2® and recorded real-time sensation (0-100% scale) and standardized verbal sensory thresholds using a novel, touch-screen "sensation meter." 3D bladder ultrasound images were recorded throughout fillings for a subset of participants. Sensation data were recorded for two consecutive complete fill-void cycles. Data from 14 normal and 12 OAB participants were obtained (ICIq-OAB-5a = 0 vs. ≥3). Filling duration decreased in fill2 compared to fill1, but volume did not significantly change. In normals, adjacent verbal sensory thresholds (within fill) showed no overlap, and identical thresholds (between fill) were similar, demonstrating effective differentiation between degrees of %bladder capacity. In OAB, within-fill overlaps and between-fill differences were identified. Real-time %capacity-sensation curves left shifted from fill1 to fill2 in normals, consistent with expected viscoelastic behavior, but unexpectedly right shifted in OAB. 3D ultrasound volume data showed that fill rates started slowly and ramped up with variable end points. This study establishes a non-invasive means to evaluate real-time bladder sensation using a two-fill accelerated hydration protocol and a sensation meter. Verbal thresholds were inconsistent in OAB, and the right shift in OAB %capacity-sensation curve suggests potential biomechanical and/or sensitization changes. This methodology could be used to gain valuable information on different forms of OAB in a completely non-invasive way. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ankle Proprioception Pattern in Women Across Various Trimesters of Pregnancy and Postpartum

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Ramachandra P

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Ankle foot complex is the part of the body which is in contact with the ground and it is important to have an intact proprioceptive system in order to maintain postural control. Previous study has established that there is significant difference between ankle proprioception in pregnant women in their third trimester and non-pregnant women. There is lack of literature regarding when the ankle does the ankle proprioception gets affected during pregnancy and whether this change reverts back during postpartum and hence this study. Method: A cohort of 70 primiparous women were included in the study and the women were followed through 12th week, 24th week, 32nd week , immediate postpartum and 6 weeks postpartum. The ankle repositioning error was measured using photography method and was analyzed using UTHSCSA Image tool software. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to measure the differences across various time periods. Results: It was found that there was a significant differences (p<0.001 in ankle repositioning error in pregnant women across the trimesters and in the postpartum period and the value did not reach the first trimester value even after six weeks postpartum. Conclusion: Ankle proprioception was significantly affected across the various trimesters of pregnancy with the peak variability observed in the third trimester and the value did not reach back to the first trimester value even after 6 weeks postpartum.

Proprioception Is Necessary for Body Schema Plasticity: Evidence from a Deafferented Patient.

Science.gov (United States)

Cardinali, Lucilla; Brozzoli, Claudio; Luauté, Jacques; Roy, Alice C; Farnè, Alessandro

2016-01-01

The ability of using a large variety of tools is important in our daily life. Behind human tool-use abilities lays the brain capacity to incorporate tools into the body representation for action (Body Schema, BS), thought to rely mainly on proprioceptive information. Here, we tested whether tool incorporation is possible in absence of proprioception by studying a patient with right upper-limb deafferentation. We adopted a paradigm sensitive to changes of the BS and analyzed the kinematics of free-hand movements before and after tool-use, in three sessions over a period of 2 years. In the first session, before tool-use, the kinematics of the deafferented hand was disrupted. Similarly, the first movements with the tool (a mechanical grabber elongating the arm by ~40 cm) showed an abnormal profile that tended to normalize at the end of the session. Subsequent free-hand movements were also normalized. At session 2, 6 months later, the patient exhibited normal free-hand kinematic profiles, additionally showing changes in grasping kinematics after tool-use, but no sign of tool incorporation. A follow-up 2 years later, further confirmed the normalized kinematic profile but the absence of tool incorporation. This first description of tool-use in absence of proprioception shows the fundamental role of proprioception in the update of the BS. These results provide an important further step in understanding human motor control and have implications for future development of rehabilitation programs for patients with sensory deficits.

Trajectories of Sensation Seeking Among Puerto-Rican Children and Youth

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, Silvia S.; Wall, Melanie M.; Eisenberg, Ruth; Blanco, Carlos; Santaella, Julian; Ramos-Olazagasti, Maria; Canino, Glorisa; Bird, Hector R.; Brown, Qiana; Duarte, Cristiane S.

2015-01-01

Objective To document the natural course of sensation seeking from childhood to adolescence, characterize distinct sensation-seeking trajectories, and examine how these trajectories vary according to selected predictors. Method Data were obtained from the Boricua Youth Study, a longitudinal study of 2,491 children and adolescents of Puerto Rican background (three assessments from 2000 to 2004). First, age-specific sensation-seeking levels were characterized. Then, age-adjusted residuals were analyzed using growth mixture models (GMM). Results On average, sensation seeking was stable in childhood (ages 5–10) and increased during adolescence (ages 11–17). Mean scores of sensation seeking were higher in the South Bronx vs. Puerto Rico and among males vs. females. Four classes of sensation-seeking trajectories were observed: most study participants had age-expected sensation-seeking trajectories following the average for their age (“normative,” 43.8%); others (37.2%) remained consistently lower than the expected average for their age (“low” sensation seeking); some (12.0%) had an “accelerated” sensation-seeking trajectory, increasing at a faster rate than expected, while a minority (7.0%) had a decreasing sensation-seeking trajectory that started high but decreased, reaching scores slightly higher than the age-average sensation-seeking scores (“stabilizers”). Site (South Bronx vs. Puerto Rico) and gender were predictors of membership in a specific class of sensation-seeking trajectory. Conclusion It is important to take a developmental approach when examining sensation seeking and to consider gender and the social environment when trying to understand how sensation seeking evolves during childhood and adolescence. PMID:26598479

[Proprioceptive sensitivity and orofacial functions].

Science.gov (United States)

Auriol, M; Coutand, A; Crinetz, V; Chomette, G; Doumit, A; Lucht, M

1985-01-01

Proprioceptive sensibility from stimulation of muscle, ligament articular and vestibular receptors plays a determining role in the regulation of tone, of the resting position of the mandible, of head posture and of the closure pathway of the mandible. Studies conducted on temporomandibular joints of fetuses and adult subjects failed to demonstrate the specialized corpuscles (a fact previously noted by Ramfjord) in the temporomaxillary joint capsule, described typically in other joints. In contrast, however, histology showed a particularly rich population of muscle receptors adjacent to this joint, this being only one of several particular characteristics.

Etnography and Reflexivity

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Mario Cardano

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This essay deals with a relevant and controversial topic – objectivity in ethnographic research. More specifically, I would like to examine how reflexive procedures, more precisely “reflexive account”, can increase the robustness of results gained through an ethnographic research. The essay is organized in five parts. I will start by giving a preliminary definition of the two key concepts which are at the center of the analysis – objectivity and reflexivity. I will then give a brief description of the epistemological framework in which the proposed conceptions of objectivity and reflexivity are located. Thirdly, I move on to consider the epistemic status of ethnographic research, and will emphasize that ethnographies are not just “theory-laden”, as many writers have stated, but also “praxis” or “procedure laden”. In other words, I will stress that it is not only theories which are inevitably embedded in research, influencing how observations can be made; much the same can also be said of the concrete research practices which contribute to determine the experience of the ethnographer and its representation in a text. Fourthly, I will discuss why it is useful to employ reflexive practices, and then immediately afterwards will illustrate the ways in which reflexive descriptions can contribute to greater objectivity of ethnographic accounts. In conclusion, I will discuss a number of objections which have been raised against this use of reflexivity.

Clinical balance tests, proprioceptive system and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

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Le Berre, Morgane; Guyot, Marc-Alexandre; Agnani, Olivier; Bourdeauducq, Isabelle; Versyp, Marie-Christine; Donze, Cécile; Thévenon, André; Catanzariti, Jean-Francois

2017-06-01

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a three-dimensional deformity of the spinal column of unknown etiology. Multiple factors could be involved, including neurosensory pathways and, potentially, an elective disorder of dynamic proprioception. The purpose of this study was to determine whether routine balance tests could be used to demonstrate an elective alteration of dynamic proprioception in AIS. This was a multicentre case-control study based on prospectively collected clinical data, in three hospitals pediatric, with spine consultation, from January 2013 through April 2015. From an original population of 547 adolescents, inclusion and non-inclusion criteria indentified 114 adolescents with right thoracic AIS (mean age 14.5 ± 1.9 years, Cobb angle 35.7 ± 15.3°) and 81 matched adolescents without scoliosis (mean age 14.1 ± 1.9 years). Participants performed three routine clinical balance tests to assess the static and dynamic proprioception: the Fukuda-Utenberger stepping test (angle of rotation in degrees and distance of displacement in cm) to assess dynamic balance; the sharpened Romberg test and the unipedal stance test (eyes closed) to assess static balance. There was no significant difference between AIS subjects and controls for the static tests, but there was a significant difference for the dynamic test for both measures: distance of displacement (p tests can be performed in routine practice. Their validity as a biomarker for screening and monitoring purposes should be assessed.

Impaired Varus-Valgus Proprioception and Neuromuscular Stabilization in Medial Knee Osteoarthritis

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Alison H.; Lee, Song Joo; Zhao, Heng; Ren, Yupeng; Zhang, Li-Qun

2014-01-01

Impaired proprioception and poor muscular stabilization in the frontal plane may lead to knee instability during functional activities, a common complaint in persons with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Understanding these frontal plane neuromechanical properties in KOA will help elucidate the factors contributing to knee instability and aid in the development of targeted intervention strategies. The study objectives were to compare knee varus-valgus proprioception, isometric muscle strength, and active muscular contribution to stability between persons with medial KOA and healthy controls. We evaluated knee frontal plane neuromechanical parameters in 14 participants with medial KOA and 14 age- and gender-matched controls, using a joint driving device (JDD) with a customized motor and a 6-axis force sensor. Analysis of covariance with BMI as a covariate was used to test the differences in varus-valgus neuromechanical parameters between these two groups. The KOA group had impaired varus proprioception acuity (1.08 ± 0.59° vs. 0.69 ± 0.49°, p < 0.05), decreased normalized varus muscle strength (1.31 ± 0.75% vs. 1.79 ± 0.84% body weight, p < 0.05), a trend toward decreased valgus strength (1.29 ± 0.67% vs. 1.88 ± 0.99%, p = 0.054), and impaired ability to actively stabilize the knee in the frontal plane during external perturbation (4.67 ± 2.86 vs. 8.26 ± 5.95 Nm/degree, p < 0.05). The knee frontal plane sensorimotor control system is compromised in persons with medial KOA. Our findings suggest varus-valgus control deficits in both the afferent input (proprioceptive acuity) and muscular effectors (muscle strength and capacity to stabilize the joint). PMID:24321442

Psychophysical properties of female genital sensation.

Science.gov (United States)

Farmer, Melissa A; Maykut, Caroline A; Huberman, Jackie S; Huang, Lejian; Khalifé, Samir; Binik, Yitzchak M; Apkarian, A Vania; Schweinhardt, Petra

2013-11-01

Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is characterized by the presence of vulvar touch and pain hypersensitivity. Pain with vaginal distension, which motivates treatment seeking and perpetuates distress, is frequently reported with PVD. However, the concordance between the perception of vulvar and vaginal sensation (ie, somatic and visceral genital sensations, respectively) remains unstudied in healthy women, as well as in clinical populations such as PVD. To evaluate the static and dynamic (time-varying) properties of somatic and visceral genital sensation, women with PVD (n=14) and age- and contraceptive-matched healthy controls (n=10) rated varying degrees of nonpainful and painful genital stimulation. Somatic (vulvar) mechanical sensitivity to nonpainul and painful degrees of force were compared to visceral (vaginal) sensitivity to nonpainful and painful distension volumes. Results indicated that healthy women showed substantial individual variation in and high discrimination of vulvar and vaginal sensation. In contrast, PVD was associated with vulvar allodynia and hyperalgesia, as well as vaginal allodynia. Modeling of dynamic perception revealed novel properties of abnormal PVD genital sensation, including temporal delays in vulvar touch perception and reduced perceptual thresholds for vaginal distension. The temporal properties and magnitude of PVD distension pain were indistinguishable from vaginal fullness in healthy controls. These results constitute the first empirical comparison of somatic and visceral genital sensation in healthy women. Findings provide novel insights into the sensory abnormalities that characterize PVD, including an experimental demonstration of visceral allodynia. This investigation challenges the prevailing diagnostic assessment of PVD and reconceptualizes PVD as a chronic somatic and visceral pain condition. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Sex differences in sensation-seeking: a meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Cross, Catharine P; Cyrenne, De-Laine M; Brown, Gillian R

2013-01-01

Men score higher than women on measures of sensation-seeking, defined as a willingness to engage in novel or intense activities. This sex difference has been explained in terms of evolved psychological mechanisms or culturally transmitted social norms. We investigated whether sex differences in sensation-seeking have changed over recent years by conducting a meta-analysis of studies using Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale, version V (SSS-V). We found that sex differences in total SSS-V scores have remained stable across years, as have sex differences in Disinhibition and Boredom Susceptibility. In contrast, the sex difference in Thrill and Adventure Seeking has declined, possibly due to changes in social norms or out-dated questions on this sub-scale. Our results support the view that men and women differ in their propensity to report sensation-seeking characteristics, while behavioural manifestations of sensation-seeking vary over time. Sex differences in sensation-seeking could reflect genetically influenced predispositions interacting with socially transmitted information.

Sensorimotor posture control in the blind: superior ankle proprioceptive acuity does not compensate for vision loss.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozdemir, Recep A; Pourmoghaddam, Amir; Paloski, William H

2013-09-01

To better understand sensorimotor posture control differences between blind and sighted individuals, we examined the role of ankle joint proprioception and ankle muscle strength on postural control in healthy blind (n=13, 25-58 years) and age- and sex-matched sighted (n=15, 20-65 years) volunteers. We measured ankle joint proprioceptive acuity and isokinetic muscle strength in plantarflexion and dorsiflexion using an isokinetic dynamometer. We also assessed postural control performance during quiet bipedal stance with and without sudden postural perturbations, and during quiet unipedal stance. We found that while our blind subjects exhibited significantly better proprioceptive acuity than our sighted subjects their postural control performance was significantly poorer than that of the sighted group with eyes open, and no different from that of the sighted group with eyes closed suggesting that their superior proprioceptive acuity does not translate to improved balance control. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Trajectories of Sensation Seeking Among Puerto Rican Children and Youth.

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, Silvia S; Wall, Melanie M; Eisenberg, Ruth; Blanco, Carlos; Santaella, Julian; Ramos-Olazagasti, Maria; Canino, Glorisa; Bird, Hector R; Brown, Qiana; Duarte, Cristiane S

2015-12-01

To document the natural course of sensation seeking from childhood to adolescence, characterize distinct sensation seeking trajectories, and examine how these trajectories vary according to selected predictors. Data were obtained from the Boricua Youth Study, a longitudinal study of 2,491 children and adolescents of Puerto Rican background (3 assessments from 2000 to 2004). First, age-specific sensation seeking levels were characterized, and then age-adjusted residuals were analyzed using growth mixture models. On average, sensation seeking was stable in childhood (ages 5-10 years) and increased during adolescence (ages 11-17 years). Mean scores of sensation seeking were higher in the South Bronx versus Puerto Rico and among males versus females. Four classes of sensation seeking trajectories were observed: most study participants had age-expected sensation seeking trajectories following the average for their age ("normative," 43.8%); others (37.2%) remained consistently lower than the expected average for their age ("low" sensation seeking); some (12.0%) had an "accelerated" sensation seeking trajectory, increasing at a faster rate than expected; and a minority (7.0%) had a decreasing sensation seeking trajectory that started high but decreased, reaching scores slightly higher than the age-average sensation seeking scores ("stabilizers"). Site (South Bronx versus Puerto Rico) and gender were predictors of membership in a specific class of sensation seeking trajectory. It is important to take a developmental approach when examining sensation seeking and to consider gender and the social environment when trying to understand how sensation seeking evolves during childhood and adolescence. Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Integration of Visual and Proprioceptive Limb Position Information in Human Posterior Parietal, Premotor, and Extrastriate Cortex.

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Limanowski, Jakub; Blankenburg, Felix

2016-03-02

The brain constructs a flexible representation of the body from multisensory information. Previous work on monkeys suggests that the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) and ventral premotor cortex (PMv) represent the position of the upper limbs based on visual and proprioceptive information. Human experiments on the rubber hand illusion implicate similar regions, but since such experiments rely on additional visuo-tactile interactions, they cannot isolate visuo-proprioceptive integration. Here, we independently manipulated the position (palm or back facing) of passive human participants' unseen arm and of a photorealistic virtual 3D arm. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) revealed that matching visual and proprioceptive information about arm position engaged the PPC, PMv, and the body-selective extrastriate body area (EBA); activity in the PMv moreover reflected interindividual differences in congruent arm ownership. Further, the PPC, PMv, and EBA increased their coupling with the primary visual cortex during congruent visuo-proprioceptive position information. These results suggest that human PPC, PMv, and EBA evaluate visual and proprioceptive position information and, under sufficient cross-modal congruence, integrate it into a multisensory representation of the upper limb in space. The position of our limbs in space constantly changes, yet the brain manages to represent limb position accurately by combining information from vision and proprioception. Electrophysiological recordings in monkeys have revealed neurons in the posterior parietal and premotor cortices that seem to implement and update such a multisensory limb representation, but this has been difficult to demonstrate in humans. Our fMRI experiment shows that human posterior parietal, premotor, and body-selective visual brain areas respond preferentially to a virtual arm seen in a position corresponding to one's unseen hidden arm, while increasing their communication with regions conveying visual

Thermal sensation and comfort models for non-uniform and transient environments: Part III: whole-body sensation and comfort

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Hui; Arens, Edward; Huizenga, Charlie; Han, Taeyoung

2009-01-01

A three-part series presents the development of models for predicting the local thermal sensation (Part I) and local thermal comfort (Part II) of different parts of the human body, and also the whole-body sensation and comfort (Part III) that result from combinations of local sensation and comfort. The models apply to sedentary activities in a range of environments: uniform and non-uniform, stable and transient. They are based on diverse findings from the literature and from body-part-specifi...

Recovery of shoulder strength and proprioception after open surgery for recurrent anterior instability: a comparison of two surgical techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Rokito, Andrew S; Birdzell, Maureen Gallagher; Cuomo, Frances; Di Paola, Matthew J; Zuckerman, Joseph D

2010-06-01

Previous studies have documented a decrease in proprioceptive capacity in the unstable shoulder. The degree to which surgical approach affects recovery of strength and proprioception is unknown. The recovery of strength and proprioception after open surgery for recurrent anterior glenohumeral instability was compared for 2 surgical procedures. A prospective analysis of 55 consecutive patients with posttraumatic unilateral recurrent anterior glenohumeral instability was performed. Thirty patients (group 1) underwent an open inferior capsular shift with detachment of the subscapularis, and 25 (group 2) underwent an anterior capsulolabral reconstruction. Mean preoperative proprioception and strength values were significantly lower for the affected shoulders in both groups. At 6 months after surgery, there were no significant differences for mean strength and proprioception values between the unaffected and operative sides for group 2 patients. In group 1 patients, however, there were still significant deficits in mean position sense and strength values. Complete restoration of proprioception and strength, however, was evident by 12 months in group 1. This study demonstrates that there are significant deficits in both strength and proprioception in patients with posttraumatic, recurrent anterior glenohumeral instability. Although both are completely restored by 1 year after surgery, a subscapularis-splitting approach allows for complete recovery of strength and position sense as early as 6 months postoperatively. Detachment of the subscapularis delays recovery of strength and position sense for up to 12 months after surgery. Copyright 2010 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sensation Following Immediate Breast Reconstruction with Implants.

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Lagergren, Jakob; Wickman, Marie; Hansson, Per

2010-01-01

Sensation is a neglected aspect of the outcome of breast reconstructions with implants. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the cutaneous somatosensory status in breasts following mastectomy and immediate reconstruction with permanent adjustable prostheses and to analyze the patients' subjective experience of the sensation. Twenty-four consecutive patients diagnosed with invasive or in situ breast carcinoma were examined preoperatively and 2 years after mastectomy and reconstruction, for assessment of perception thresholds for touch, cold, warmth, and heat pain above and below the areola. Von Frey filaments and a Peltier element-based thermode were used. The patients completed a questionnaire concerning their experienced sensation in the reconstructed breast. Using quantitative somato-sensory testing, the sensation to all the examined modalities was significantly impaired compared to preoperatively. Most affected was the area above the areola. Patients given postoperative radiotherapy (n = 9) did not differ from those without radiotherapy (n = 15) regarding any of the modalities. All patients reported reduced sensation in the reconstructed breast compared to that preoperatively. Twenty-three patients stated that the reconstructed breast felt different from the other breast; nevertheless 16 reported that the reconstructed breast felt like a real breast. The study revealed sensation impairment following mastectomy and immediate reconstruction with implants. Patients should be informed about this effect preoperatively to allow adequate expectations regarding the sensation outcome. However, two-thirds of the study patients considered that the reconstructed breast felt like a real breast, which must be one of the main purposes of a breast reconstruction.

Perceptual Aspects of Postural Control: Does Pure Proprioceptive Training Exist?

Science.gov (United States)

Nagy, Edit; Posa, Gabriella; Finta, Regina; Szilagyi, Levente; Sziver, Edit

2018-06-01

As proprioceptive training is popular for injury prevention and rehabilitation, we evaluated its effect on balance parameters and assessed the frequency spectra of postural sway linked with the various sensory channels. We recorded the Center of Mass displacement of 30 healthy student research participants (mean age = 21.63; SD = 1.29 years) with a single force plate under eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) positions while standing on either a firm or foam surface, both before and after an 8-week balance training intervention on a foam surface with EC. We subjected the data to frequency power spectral analysis to find any differences between the frequency bands, linked with various sensory data. On the foam surface in the EC condition, the sway path decreased significantly after proprioceptive training, but, on the firm surface in the EC condition, there was no change. On the foam surface in the EC condition, there was also a significant decrease in frequency power postproprioceptive training in the medium-to-low frequency band. While our data indicate better posttraining balance skills, improvements were task specific to the trained condition, with no transfer of the acquired skill, even to a similar, easier condition. As training improved the middle-low frequency band, linked with vestibular signals, this intervention is better described as balance than "proprioceptive" training.

Pointing to oneself: active versus passive proprioception revisited and implications for internal models of motor system function

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Capaday, Charles; Darling, Warren G.; Stanek, Konrad

2013-01-01

We re-examined the issue of active versus passive proprioception to more fully characterize the accuracy afforded by proprioceptive information in natural, unconstrained, movements in 3-dimensions. Subjects made pointing movements with their non-dominant arm to various locations with eyes closed....

The association between reduced knee joint proprioception and medial meniscal abnormalities using MRI in knee osteoarthritis: results from the Amsterdam osteoarthritis cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Esch, M; Knoop, J; Hunter, D J; Klein, J-P; van der Leeden, M; Knol, D L; Reiding, D; Voorneman, R E; Gerritsen, M; Roorda, L D; Lems, W F; Dekker, J

2013-05-01

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is characterized by pain and activity limitations. In knee OA, proprioceptive accuracy is reduced and might be associated with pain and activity limitations. Although causes of reduced proprioceptive accuracy are divergent, medial meniscal abnormalities, which are highly prevalent in knee OA, have been suggested to play an important role. No study has focussed on the association between proprioceptive accuracy and meniscal abnormalities in knee OA. To explore the association between reduced proprioceptive accuracy and medial meniscal abnormalities in a clinical sample of knee OA subjects. Cross-sectional study in 105 subjects with knee OA. Knee proprioceptive accuracy was assessed by determining the joint motion detection threshold in the knee extension direction. The knee was imaged with a 3.0 T magnetic resonance (MR) scanner. Number of regions with medial meniscal abnormalities and the extent of abnormality in the anterior and posterior horn and body were scored according to the Boston-Leeds Osteoarthritis Knee Score (BLOKS) method. Multiple regression analyzes were used to examine whether reduced proprioceptive accuracy was associated with medial meniscal abnormalities in knee OA subjects. Mean proprioceptive accuracy was 2.9° ± 1.9°. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-detected medial meniscal abnormalities were found in the anterior horn (78%), body (80%) and posterior horn (90%). Reduced proprioceptive accuracy was associated with both the number of regions with meniscal abnormalities (P knee complaints. This is the first study showing that reduced proprioceptive accuracy is associated with medial meniscal abnormalities in knee OA. The study highlights the importance of meniscal abnormalities in understanding reduced proprioceptive accuracy in persons with knee OA. Copyright © 2013 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. All rights reserved.

Postural control and risk of falling in bipodalic and monopodalic stabilometric tests of healthy subjects before, after visuo-proprioceptive vestibulo-postural rehabilitation and at 3 months thereafter: role of the proprioceptive system

OpenAIRE

CARLI, P.; PATRIZI, M.; PEPE, L.; CAVANIGLIA, G.; RIVA, D.; D’OTTAVI, L.R.

2010-01-01

SUMMARY Nine healthy volunteers (6 males, 3 females), mean age 34.5 years (SD = 11.52), underwent a vestibulo-postural rehabilitation cycle with a visuo-proprioceptive-type stimulus. All subjects in the study group were evaluated by means of stabilometric bipodalic and monopodalic tests both before and immediately after treatment, and again 3 month thereafter. The Delos Postural Proprioceptive System®, DPPS (Delos, srl, Turin, Italy), was used in performing these stabilometric tests and in th...

Relationship between lower limbs proprioception and muscular strength among adolescents with patellofemoral pain syndrome

OpenAIRE

Konovalčik, Šymon Vladyslav

2016-01-01

Relationship Between Lower Limbs Proprioception and Muscular Strength Among Adolescents with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome Physiotherapy Bachelor's Thesis The Author: Šymon Vladyslav Konovalčik Academic advisor: Lina Varnienė The aim of research work: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between knee joint proprioception and knee extensor and flexor muscle strength, dinamic endurance and balance among adolescents with patellofemoral pain syndrome Tasks of work: 1. To assess t...

Quantifying and simulating human sensation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Quantifying and simulating human sensation – relating science and technology of indoor climate research Abstract In his doctoral thesis from 1970 civil engineer Povl Ole Fanger proposed that the understanding of indoor climate should focus on the comfort of the individual rather than averaged...... this understanding of human sensation was adjusted to technology. I will look into the construction of the equipment, what it measures and the relationship between theory, equipment and tradition....

The effect of mindfulness meditation on cough reflex sensitivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Young, E C; Brammer, C; Owen, E; Brown, N; Lowe, J; Johnson, C; Calam, R; Jones, S; Woodcock, A; Smith, J A

2009-11-01

Chronic cough is common, and medical treatment can be ineffective. Mindfulness is a psychological intervention that aims to teach moment-to-moment non-judgemental awareness of thoughts, feelings and sensations. 30 healthy subjects and 30 patients with chronic cough were studied in two sequential trials. For both studies, cough reflex sensitivity to citric acid (C5) was measured on two occasions, with urge to cough rated following each inhalation; between challenges subjects were randomised to (1) no intervention, (2) mindfulness or (3) no intervention but modified cough challenge (subjects suppress coughing). For the healthy volunteers, measures were 1 h apart and mindfulness was practised for 15 min. For the patients with chronic cough measures were 1 week apart and mindfulness was practised daily for 30 min. In healthy volunteers, median change (interquartile range (IQR)) in cough reflex sensitivity (logC5) for no intervention, mindfulness and suppression was +1.0 (0.0 to +1.3), +2.0 (+1.0 to +3.0) and +3.0 (+2.8 to +3.0) doubling concentrations (p = 0.003); there were significant reductions for both mindfulness (p = 0.043) and suppression (p = 0.002) over no intervention. In patients with cough, median change (IQR) in logC5 for no intervention, mindfulness training and voluntary suppression was 0.0 (-1.0 to +1.0), +1.0 (-0.3 to +1.0) and +1.0 (+1.0 to +2.0) doubling concentrations (p = 0.046); there was a significant reduction for suppression (p = 0.02) but not mindfulness (p = 0.35). Urge to cough did not change after mindfulness compared with control in either healthy subjects (p = 0.33) or those with chronic cough (p = 0.47). Compared with control, mindfulness decreased cough reflex sensitivity in healthy volunteers, but did not alter cough threshold in patients with chronic cough. Both groups were able to suppress cough responses to citric acid inhalation.

Le Chatelier's Principle in Sensation and Perception: Fractal-Like Enfolding at Different Scales

Science.gov (United States)

Norwich, Kenneth H.

2010-01-01

Le Chatelier's principle asserts that a disturbance, when applied to a resting system may drive the system away from its equilibrium state, but will invoke a countervailing influence that will counteract the effect of the disturbance. When applied to the field of sensation and perception, a generalized stimulus will displace the system from equilibrium, and a generalized adaptation process will serve as the countervailing influence tending to reduce the impact of the stimulus. The principle applies at all levels, from the behavioral to the neural, the larger enfolding the smaller in fractal-like form. Le Chatelier's principle, so applied, leads to the unification of many concepts in sensory science. Ideas as diverse as sensory adaptation, reflex arcs, and simple deductive logic can be brought under the umbrella of a single orienting principle. Beyond unification, this principle allows us to approach many questions in pathophysiology from a different perspective. For example, we find new direction toward the reduction of phantom-limb pain and possibly of vertigo. PMID:21423359

Testing haptic sensations for spinal anesthesia.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

2011-01-01

Having identified key determinants of teaching and learning spinal anesthesia, it was necessary to characterize and render the haptic sensations (feeling of touch) associated with needle insertion in the lower back. The approach used is to match recreated sensations (eg, "pop" through skin or dura mater) with experts\\' perceptions of the equivalent clinical events.

Impact of Patellar Tendinopathy on Knee Proprioception: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Torres, Rui; Ferreira, João; Silva, Diogo; Rodrigues, Elisa; Bessa, Isabel M; Ribeiro, Fernando

2017-01-01

To determine whether high-level athletes with patellar tendinopathy have diminished knee proprioceptive acuity. Cross-sectional study. University research laboratory (institutional). Twenty-one basketball and volleyball players with patellar tendinopathy (13 men and 8 women; mean age 24.5 ± 3.6; body mass index = 22.5 ± 2.0 kg/m) and an equal number of athletes without symptoms of patellar tendinopathy injury were included in this study. Participants underwent knee proprioception assessments on a single day. Furthermore, age, sex, height, weight, VISA-P (Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment) questionnaire sports participation, medical history, knee injuries, previous treatment, and medication were obtained. Knee proprioception was evaluated by assessing sense of resistance, using a weight discrimination protocol, and joint position sense (JPS). No significant differences were observed in JPS at 30 and 60 degrees of knee flexion between groups (P = 0.165 and 0.481, respectively). In regard to the ability to discriminate weight, significant differences between the 2 groups were found with the tendinopathy group showing a higher percentage of error (P = 0.009), namely when the set of incremental weights varied by 10% from the standard weight. Athletes with patellar tendinopathy have a diminished perception of force signals required for weight discrimination, whereas JPS remains unaffected in these athletes.

Thermal sensation models: a systematic comparison.

Science.gov (United States)

Koelblen, B; Psikuta, A; Bogdan, A; Annaheim, S; Rossi, R M

2017-05-01

Thermal sensation models, capable of predicting human's perception of thermal surroundings, are commonly used to assess given indoor conditions. These models differ in many aspects, such as the number and type of input conditions, the range of conditions in which the models can be applied, and the complexity of equations. Moreover, the models are associated with various thermal sensation scales. In this study, a systematic comparison of seven existing thermal sensation models has been performed with regard to exposures including various air temperatures, clothing thermal insulation, and metabolic rate values after a careful investigation of the models' range of applicability. Thermo-physiological data needed as input for some of the models were obtained from a mathematical model for human physiological responses. The comparison showed differences between models' predictions for the analyzed conditions, mostly higher than typical intersubject differences in votes. Therefore, it can be concluded that the choice of model strongly influences the assessment of indoor spaces. The issue of comparing different thermal sensation scales has also been discussed. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Repeated elicitation of the acoustic startle reflex leads to sensitisation in subsequent avoidance behaviour and induces fear conditioning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janik Vincent M

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Autonomous reflexes enable animals to respond quickly to potential threats, prevent injury and mediate fight or flight responses. Intense acoustic stimuli with sudden onsets elicit a startle reflex while stimuli of similar intensity but with longer rise times only cause a cardiac defence response. In laboratory settings, habituation appears to affect all of these reflexes so that the response amplitude generally decreases with repeated exposure to the stimulus. The startle reflex has become a model system for the study of the neural basis of simple learning processes and emotional processing and is often used as a diagnostic tool in medical applications. However, previous studies did not allow animals to avoid the stimulus and the evolutionary function and long-term behavioural consequences of repeated startling remain speculative. In this study we investigate the follow-up behaviour associated with the startle reflex in wild-captured animals using an experimental setup that allows individuals to exhibit avoidance behaviour. Results We present evidence that repeated elicitation of the acoustic startle reflex leads to rapid and pronounced sensitisation of sustained spatial avoidance behaviour in grey seals (Halichoerus grypus. Animals developed rapid flight responses, left the exposure pool and showed clear signs of fear conditioning. Once sensitised, seals even avoided a known food source that was close to the sound source. In contrast, animals exposed to non-startling (long rise time stimuli of the same maximum sound pressure habituated and flight responses waned or were absent from the beginning. The startle threshold of grey seals expressed in units of sensation levels was comparable to thresholds reported for other mammals (93 dB. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that the acoustic startle reflex plays a crucial role in mediating flight responses and strongly influences the motivational state of an animal beyond a short

Surface electrical stimulation to evoke referred sensation.

Science.gov (United States)

Forst, Johanna C; Blok, Derek C; Slopsema, Julia P; Boss, John M; Heyboer, Lane A; Tobias, Carson M; Polasek, Katharine H

2015-01-01

Surface electrical stimulation (SES) is being investigated as a noninvasive method to evoke natural sensations distal to electrode location. This may improve treatment for phantom limb pain as well as provide an alternative method to deliver sensory feedback. The median and/or ulnar nerves of 35 subjects were stimulated at the elbow using surface electrodes. Strength-duration curves of hand sensation were found for each subject. All subjects experienced sensation in their hand, which was mostly described as a paresthesia-like sensation. The rheobase and chronaxie values were found to be lower for the median nerve than the ulnar nerve, with no significant difference between sexes. Repeated sessions with the same subject resulted in sufficient variability to suggest that recalculating the strength-duration curve for each electrode placement is necessary. Most of the recruitment curves in this study were generated with 28 to 36 data points. To quickly reproduce these curves with limited increase in error, we recommend 10 data points. Future studies will focus on obtaining different sensations using SES with the strength-duration curve defining the threshold of the effective parameter space.

Reflexivity in qualitative research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Evans, Adam Brian; Nistrup, Anne; Henderson, Hannah

2018-01-01

There has been something of a “reflexive shift” in sociological research. Sociological researchers are increasingly encouraged to be “present” within their work, and to recognize their own role in structuring the entire research process. One way to achieve this is through engagement in reflexive...... practice, that is, to reflect on our own values, beliefs, and biographies. It can be difficult to know exactly how a researcher should engage in these practices, however. Here, we discuss our reflexive practice in two case studies, both which utilized the same figurational theoretical framework...... Kingdom. Reflexive practice in both studies was affected by researcher biographies and by study design. In Study 1, both researchers were reasonably detached from the study context, the theoretical framework was in place from the very beginning, and reflexive practice was embedded in the study design...

Interaction between gaze and visual and proprioceptive position judgements.

Science.gov (United States)

Fiehler, Katja; Rösler, Frank; Henriques, Denise Y P

2010-06-01

There is considerable evidence that targets for action are represented in a dynamic gaze-centered frame of reference, such that each gaze shift requires an internal updating of the target. Here, we investigated the effect of eye movements on the spatial representation of targets used for position judgements. Participants had their hand passively placed to a location, and then judged whether this location was left or right of a remembered visual or remembered proprioceptive target, while gaze direction was varied. Estimates of position of the remembered targets relative to the unseen position of the hand were assessed with an adaptive psychophysical procedure. These positional judgements significantly varied relative to gaze for both remembered visual and remembered proprioceptive targets. Our results suggest that relative target positions may also be represented in eye-centered coordinates. This implies similar spatial reference frames for action control and space perception when positions are coded relative to the hand.

The Proprioceptive System Regulates Morphologic Restoration of Fractured Bones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ronen Blecher

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Successful fracture repair requires restoration of bone morphology and mechanical integrity. Recent evidence shows that fractured bones of neonatal mice undergo spontaneous realignment, dubbed “natural reduction.” Here, we show that natural reduction is regulated by the proprioceptive system and improves with age. Comparison among mice of different ages revealed, surprisingly, that 3-month-old mice exhibited more rapid and effective natural reduction than newborns. Fractured bones of null mutants for transcription factor Runx3, lacking functional proprioceptors, failed to realign properly. Blocking Runx3 expression in the peripheral nervous system, but not in limb mesenchyme, recapitulated the null phenotype, as did inactivation of muscles flanking the fracture site. Egr3 knockout mice, which lack muscle spindles but not Golgi tendon organs, displayed a less severe phenotype, suggesting that both receptor types, as well as muscle contraction, are required for this regulatory mechanism. These findings uncover a physiological role for proprioception in non-autonomous regulation of skeletal integrity.

The association between muscle strength and activity limitations in patients with the hypermobility type of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: the impact of proprioception.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheper, Mark; Rombaut, Lies; de Vries, Janneke; De Wandele, Inge; van der Esch, Martin; Visser, Bart; Malfait, Franciska; Calders, Patrick; Engelbert, Raoul

2017-07-01

The patients diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Hypermobility Type (EDS-HT) are characterized by pain, proprioceptive inacuity, muscle weakness, potentially leading to activity limitations. In EDS-HT, a direct relationship between muscle strength, proprioception and activity limitations has never been studied. The objective of the study was to establish the association between muscle strength and activity limitations and the impact of proprioception on this association in EDS-HT patients. Twenty-four EDS-HT patients were compared with 24 controls. Activity limitations were quantified by Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Six-Minute Walk test (6MWT) and 30-s chair-rise test (30CRT). Muscle strength was quantified by handheld dynamometry. Proprioception was quantified by movement detection paradigm. In analyses, the association between muscle strength and activity limitations was controlled for proprioception and confounders. Muscle strength was associated with 30CRT (r = 0.67, p = <0.001), 6MWT (r = 0.58, p = <0.001) and HAQ (r = 0.63, p= <0.001). Proprioception was associated with 30CRT (r = 0.55, p < 0.001), 6MWT (r = 0.40, p = <0.05) and HAQ (r = 0.46, p < 0.05). Muscle strength was found to be associated with activity limitations, however, proprioceptive inacuity confounded this association. Muscle strength is associated with activity limitations in EDS-HT patients. Joint proprioception is of influence on this association and should be considered in the development of new treatment strategies for patients with EDS-HT. Implications for rehabilitation Reducing activity limitations by enhancing muscle strength is frequently applied in the treatment of EDS-HT patients. Although evidence regarding treatment efficacy is scarce, the current paper confirms the rationality that muscle strength is an important factor in the occurrence of activity limitations in EDS-HT patients. Although muscle strength is the most

Epiglottic cyst as an etiological factor of globus sensation.

Science.gov (United States)

Polat, Bahtiyar; Karahatay, Serdar; Gerek, Mustafa

2015-09-01

Globus is a subjective complaint that describes a sensation of a lump or a foreign body in the throat. Despite being a well-known and common clinical condition, the etiological factors have not been definitely elucidated yet. The study was set up to ascertain the relationship between epiglottic cysts and globus sensation. All patients undergoing investigation and treatments for globus sensation were included in the study. Patients with epiglottic cysts but no other possible causes of globus sensation were constituted the series of patients. Patients were asked to assess the levels of complaint before and after the carbon dioxide (CO2) laser excisions of the cysts. Epiglottic cysts were found in 10 (5.4%) of the 182 patients. Three of these 10 patients who had concomitant diseases or conditions that may cause globus sensation and one patient who refused the surgery were excluded from the study. All the remaining six patients reported relief of the globus sensation after the CO2 laser excisions of the cysts. Our results, obtained from this limited series, indicated that epiglottic cysts may be considered as one of the etiological factors of globus sensation.

Bone mineral density in reflex sympathetic dystrophy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saghaphi, M.; Azarian, A.

2002-01-01

Objectives: Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) is a complex of symptoms that produce pain burning sensation, swelling, tenderness, autonomic and physical dysfunction in joint areas, particularly distal of a limb. Osteopenia or osteoporosis is an important finding that is produced gradually in involved limb. Three phase bone can scan help to diagnosis of RSD. The disease may be bilateral but is mostly unilateral. As it is believed that bone densitometry will show osteopenia more accurate than plain comparative radiographs of the involved limbs, we investigated in patients with RSD. Methods: During last three years, 8 patients with RSD were admitted. Bone mineral density was measured for 5 patients by DEXA method. The patients were 3 males and 2 females with age range of 20 to 48 years (mean 32 years). The involved areas were ankle and foot in 4, and wrist and hand in one patient. Results: Mean Bone Mineral Content (BMC) of 4 involved lower limbs were 475 +-73 grams comparing with 516+-72 grams of uninvolved limbs (p t h patient was not significant. conclusion: comparative bone mineral density in patients with RSD of the lower limbs contributes to more accurate diagnosis than plain radiographs

Loss of urinary voiding sensation due to herpes zoster.

Science.gov (United States)

Hiraga, Akiyuki; Nagumo, Kiyomi; Sakakibara, Ryuji; Kojima, Shigeyuki; Fujinawa, Naoto; Hashimoto, Tasuku

2003-01-01

A case of sacral herpes zoster infection in a 56-year-old man with the complication of loss of urinary voiding sensation is presented. He had typical herpes zoster eruption on the left S2 dermatome, hypalgesia of the S1-S4 dermatomes, and absence of urinary voiding sensation. There was no other urinary symptom at the first medical examination. Urinary complications associated with herpes zoster are uncommon, but two types, acute cystitis and acute retention, have been recognized. No cases of loss of urinary voiding sensation due to herpes zoster have been reported. In this case, hypalgesia of the sacral dermatomes was mild compared to the marked loss of urethral sensation. This inconsistency is explained by the hypothesis that the number of urethral fibers is very small as compared to that of cutaneous fibers, therefore, urethral sensation would be more severely disturbed than cutaneous sensation. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Sensation of agency and perception of temporal order.

Science.gov (United States)

Timm, Jana; Schönwiesner, Marc; SanMiguel, Iria; Schröger, Erich

2014-01-01

After adaptation to a fixed temporal delay between actions and their sensory consequences, stimuli delivered during the delay are perceived to occur prior to actions. Temporal judgments are also influenced by the sensation of agency (experience of causing our own actions and their sensory consequences). Sensory consequences of voluntary actions are perceived to occur earlier in time than those of involuntary actions. However, it is unclear whether temporal order illusions influence the sensation of agency. Thus, we tested how the illusionary reversal of motor actions and sound events affect the sensation of agency. We observed an absence of the sensation of agency in the auditory modality in a condition in which sounds were falsely perceived as preceding motor acts relative to the perceived temporal order in the control condition. This finding suggests a strong association between the sensation of agency and the temporal order perception of actions and their consequences. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Proprioceptive deafferentation slows down the processing of visual hand feedback

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balslev, Daniela; Miall, R Chris; Cole, Jonathan

2007-01-01

During visually guided movements both vision and proprioception inform the brain about the position of the hand, so interaction between these two modalities is presumed. Current theories suggest that this interaction occurs by sensory information from both sources being fused into a more reliable...... proprioception facilitates the processing of visual information during motor control. Subjects used a computer mouse to move a cursor to a screen target. In 28% of the trials, pseudorandomly, the cursor was rotated or the target jumped. Reaction time for the trajectory correction in response to this perturbation......, multimodal, percept of hand location. In the literature on perception, however, there is evidence that different sensory modalities interact in the allocation of attention, so that a stimulus in one modality facilitates the processing of a stimulus in a different modality. We investigated whether...

Effects of Tai Chi versus Proprioception Exercise Program on Neuromuscular Function of the Ankle in Elderly People: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Liu

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese medicine exercise used for improving neuromuscular function. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Tai Chi versus proprioception exercise program on neuromuscular function of the ankle in elderly people. Methods. Sixty elderly subjects were randomly allocated into three groups of 20 subjects per group. For 16 consecutive weeks, subjects participated in Tai Chi, proprioception exercise, or no structured exercise. Primary outcome measures included joint position sense and muscle strength of ankle. Subjects completed a satisfaction questionnaire upon study completion in Tai Chi and proprioception groups. Results. (1 Both Tai Chi group and proprioception exercise group were significantly better than control group in joint position sense of ankle, and there were no significant differences in joint position sense of ankle between TC group and PE group. (2 There were no significant differences in muscle strength of ankle among groups. (3 Subjects expressed more satisfaction with Tai Chi than with proprioception exercise program. Conclusions. None of the outcome measures on neuromuscular function at the ankle showed significant change posttraining in the two structured exercise groups. However, the subjects expressed more interest in and satisfaction with Tai Chi than proprioception exercise.

[Mass sports improves proprioception and reduces valgus stress on the female knee joint].

Science.gov (United States)

Lippross, S; Prange, G; Oehlert, K; Katharina, O; Furkmann, O; Seekamp, A; Hassenpflug, J; Varoga, D

2010-03-01

ACL rupture is more common in females than in males. The injury can result in chondral and meniscal damage or chronic instability. Most often ACL rupture occurs during landing after throwing and jumping in ball sports. Many studies have reported on incidence, mechanism of injury and predisposing factors in professional athletes. In contrast, we have investigated the impact of mass sports on predisposing factors for the female ACL rupture. In an empirical analytical study leg-axis dynamics, proprioception and foot load of 44 women participating either in regular mass sports or in no sports were investigated by video analysis and on the Biodex-Stability Platform. Our study demonstrates that mass sports improves proprioception of the knee joint. Non-sportive subjects had an increased valgus leg axis during landing in comparison with mass sport participants. Here, we show to the best of our knowledge for the first time that moderate sports activity has a positive effect on predisposing factors of the female ACL rupture. We conclude that prevention programmes focussed on jumping and proprioception can lower the incidence of female ACL ruptures.

Are online poker problem gamblers sensation seekers?

Science.gov (United States)

Bonnaire, Céline

2018-03-31

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between sensation seeking and online poker gambling in a community sample of adult online poker players, when controlling for age, gender, anxiety and depression. In total, 288 online poker gamblers were recruited. Sociodemographic data, gambling behavior (CPGI), sensation seeking (SSS), depression and anxiety (HADS) were evaluated. Problem online poker gamblers have higher sensation seeking scores (total, thrill and adventure, disinhibition and boredom susceptibility subscores) and depression scores than non-problem online poker gamblers. Being male, with total sensation seeking, disinhibition and depression scores are factors associated with online poker problem gambling. These findings are interesting in terms of harm reduction. For example, because disinhibition could lead to increased time and money spent, protective behavioral strategies like setting time and monetary limits should be encouraged in poker online gamblers. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Breast sensation after breast reconstruction: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Shridharani, Sachin M; Magarakis, Michael; Stapleton, Sahael M; Basdag, Basak; Seal, Stella M; Rosson, Gedge D

2010-07-01

Studies show some return of breast sensation after breast reconstruction; however, recovery is variable and unpredictable. Efforts are being made to restore innervation by reattaching nerves (neurotization). We sought to systematically review the literature addressing breast sensation after reconstruction. The following databases were searched: EMBASE, Cochrane, and PubMed. Additionally, the PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY journal was hand searched from 1960 to 2009. Inclusion criteria included breast reconstruction for cancer, return of sensation with objective results, and patients aged 18 to 90 years. Studies with purely cosmetic procedures, case reports, studies with less than 10 patients, and studies involving male patients were excluded. The initial search yielded 109 studies, which was refined to 20 studies with a total pool of 638 patients. Innervated flaps have a greater magnitude of recovery, which occurs at an earlier stage compared with the noninnervated flaps. Overall, sensation to deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flaps may recover better sensation than transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flaps, followed by latissimus dorsi flaps, and finally implants. Women's needs and expectations for sensation have led plastic surgeons to investigate ways to facilitate its return. Studies, however, depict conflicting data. Larger series are needed to define the role of neurotization as a modality for improving sensory restoration. Thieme Medical Publishers.

Ambient Space and Ambient Sensation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmidt, Ulrik

The ambient is the aesthetic production of the sensation of being surrounded. As a concept, 'ambient' is mostly used in relation to the music genre 'ambient music' and Brian Eno's idea of environmental background music. However, the production of ambient sensations must be regarded as a central...... aspect of the aesthetization of modern culture in general, from architecture, transport and urbanized lifeforms to film, sound art, installation art and digital environments. This presentation will discuss the key aspects of ambient aesthetization, including issues such as objectlessness...

Comparative Evaluation of Tactile Sensation by Electrical and Mechanical Stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yem, Vibol; Kajimoto, Hiroyuki

2017-01-01

An electrotactile display is a tactile interface that provides tactile perception by passing electrical current through the surface of the skin. It is actively used instead of mechanical tactile displays for tactile feedback because of several advantages such as its small and thin size, light weight, and high responsiveness. However, the similarities and differences between these sensations is still not clear. This study directly compares the intensity sensation of electrotactile stimulation to that of mechanical stimulation, and investigates the characteristic sensation of anodic and cathodic stimulation. In the experiment, participants underwent a 30 pps electrotactile stimulus every one second to their middle finger, and were asked to match this intensity by adjusting the intensity of a mechanical tactile stimulus to an index finger. The results showed that anodic stimulation mainly produced vibration sensation, whereas cathodic sensation produced both vibration and pressure sensations. Relatively low pressure sensation was also observed for anodic stimulation but it remains low, regardless of the increasing of electrical intensity.

A balance and proprioception intervention programme to enhance combat performance in military personnel.

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Funk, Shany; Jacob, T; Ben-Dov, D; Yanovich, E; Tirosh, O; Steinberg, N

2018-02-01

Optimal functioning of the lower extremities under repeated movements on unstable surfaces is essential for military effectiveness. Intervention training to promote proprioceptive ability should be considered in order to limit the risk for musculoskeletal injuries. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a proprioceptive intervention programme on static and dynamic postural balance among Israel Defense Forces combat soldiers. Twenty-seven male soldiers, aged 18-20 years, from a physical fitness instructor's course, were randomly divided into two groups matched by age and army unit. The intervention group (INT) underwent 4 weeks of proprioceptive exercises for 10 min daily; the control group underwent 4 weeks of upper body stretching exercises for 10 min daily. All participants were tested pre and postintervention for both static and dynamic postural balance. Significant interaction (condition*pre-post-test*group) was found for static postural balance, indicating that for the INT group, in condition 3 (on an unstable surface-BOSU), the post-test result was significantly better compared with the pretest result (pbalance on unstable surfaces, and improved the correlation between static postural balance in the eyes closed condition and dynamic postural balance following fatigue. Further longitudinal studies are needed to verify the relationship between proprioception programmes, additional weight bearing and the reduction of subsequent injuries in combat soldiers. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Message sensation and cognition values: factors of competition or integration?

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Xu, Jie

2015-01-01

Using the Activation Model of Information Exposure and Elaboration Likelihood Model as theoretical frameworks, this study explored the effects of message sensation value (MSV) and message cognition value (MCV) of antismoking public service announcements (PSAs) on ad processing and evaluation among young adults, and the difference between high sensation seekers and low sensation seekers in their perceptions and responses toward ads with different levels of sensation and cognition value. A 2 (MSV: high vs. low) × 2 (MCV: high vs. low) × 2 (need for sensation: high vs. low) mixed experimental design was conducted. Two physiological measures including skin conductance and heart rate were examined. Findings of this study show that MSV was not a distraction but a facilitator of message persuasiveness. These findings contribute to the activation model. In addition, need for sensation moderated the interaction effect of MSV and MCV on ad processing. Low sensation seekers were more likely to experience the interaction between MSV and MCV than high sensation seekers. Several observations related to the findings and implications for antismoking message designs are elaborated. Limitations and directions for future research are also outlined.

Attenuation of Self-Generated Tactile Sensations is Predictive, not Postdictive.

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2006-01-01

Full Text Available When one finger touches the other, the resulting tactile sensation is perceived as weaker than the same stimulus externally imposed. This attenuation of sensation could result from a predictive process that subtracts the expected sensory consequences of the action, or from a postdictive process that alters the perception of sensations that are judged after the event to be self-generated. In this study we observe attenuation even when the fingers unexpectedly fail to make contact, supporting a predictive process. This predictive attenuation of self-generated sensation may have evolved to enhance the perception of sensations with an external cause.

Attenuation of self-generated tactile sensations is predictive, not postdictive.

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Paul M Bays

2006-02-01

Full Text Available When one finger touches the other, the resulting tactile sensation is perceived as weaker than the same stimulus externally imposed. This attenuation of sensation could result from a predictive process that subtracts the expected sensory consequences of the action, or from a postdictive process that alters the perception of sensations that are judged after the event to be self-generated. In this study we observe attenuation even when the fingers unexpectedly fail to make contact, supporting a predictive process. This predictive attenuation of self-generated sensation may have evolved to enhance the perception of sensations with an external cause.

Vibrotactile stimulation of fast-adapting cutaneous afferents from the foot modulates proprioception at the ankle joint.

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Mildren, Robyn L; Bent, Leah R

2016-04-15

It has previously been shown that cutaneous sensory input from across a broad region of skin can influence proprioception at joints of the hand. The present experiment tested whether cutaneous input from different skin regions across the foot can influence proprioception at the ankle joint. The ability to passively match ankle joint position (17° and 7° plantar flexion and 7° dorsiflexion) was measured while cutaneous vibration was applied to the sole (heel, distal metatarsals) or dorsum of the target foot. Vibration was applied at two different frequencies to preferentially activate Meissner's corpuscles (45 Hz, 80 μm) or Pacinian corpuscles (255 Hz, 10 μm) at amplitudes ∼3 dB above mean perceptual thresholds. Results indicated that cutaneous input from all skin regions across the foot could influence joint-matching error and variability, although the strongest effects were observed with heel vibration. Furthermore, the influence of cutaneous input from each region was modulated by joint angle; in general, vibration had a limited effect on matching in dorsiflexion compared with matching in plantar flexion. Unlike previous results in the upper limb, we found no evidence that Pacinian input exerted a stronger influence on proprioception compared with Meissner input. Findings from this study suggest that fast-adapting cutaneous input from the foot modulates proprioception at the ankle joint in a passive joint-matching task. These results indicate that there is interplay between tactile and proprioceptive signals originating from the foot and ankle. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Surgical desensitisation of the mechanoreceptors in Müller's muscle relieves chronic tension-type headache caused by tonic reflexive contraction of the occipitofrontalis muscle in patients with aponeurotic blepharoptosis.

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Matsuo, Kiyoshi; Ban, Ryokuya

2013-02-01

Proprioceptively innervated intramuscular connective tissues in Müller's muscle function as exterior mechanoreceptors to induce reflex contraction of the levator and occipitofrontalis muscles. In aponeurotic blepharoptosis, since the levator aponeurosis is disinserted from the tarsus, stretching of the mechanoreceptors in Müller's muscle is increased even on primary gaze to induce phasic and tonic reflexive contraction of the occipitofrontalis muscle. It was hypothesised that in certain patients with aponeurotic blepharoptosis, the presence of tonic reflexive contraction of the occipitofrontalis muscle due to the sensitised mechanoreceptors in Müller's muscle, can cause chronic tension-type headache (CTTH) associated with occipitofrontalis tenderness. To verify this hypothesis, this study evaluated (1) what differentiates patients with CTTH from patients without CTTH, (2) how pharmacological contraction of Müller's smooth muscle fibres as a method for desensitising the mechanoreceptors in Müller's muscle affects electromyographic activity of the frontalis muscle, and (3) how surgical aponeurotic reinsertion to desensitise the mechanoreceptors in Müller's muscle electromyographically or subjectively affects activities of the occipitofrontalis muscle or CTTH. It was found that patients had sustained CTTH when light eyelid closure did not markedly reduce eyebrow elevation. However, pharmacological contraction of Müller's smooth muscle fibres or surgery to desensitise the mechanoreceptor electromyographically reduced the tonic contraction of the occipitofrontalis muscle on primary gaze and subjectively relieved aponeurotic blepharoptosis-associated CTTH. Over-stretching of the mechanoreceptors in Müller's muscle on primary gaze may induce CTTH due to tonic reflexive contraction of the occipitofrontalis muscle. Therefore, surgical desensitisation of the mechanoreceptors in Müller's muscle appears to relieve CTTH.

Proprioceptive Interaction between the Two Arms in a Single-Arm Pointing Task.

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Kazuyoshi Kigawa

Full Text Available Proprioceptive signals coming from both arms are used to determine the perceived position of one arm in a two-arm matching task. Here, we examined whether the perceived position of one arm is affected by proprioceptive signals from the other arm in a one-arm pointing task in which participants specified the perceived position of an unseen reference arm with an indicator paddle. Both arms were hidden from the participant's view throughout the study. In Experiment 1, with both arms placed in front of the body, the participants received 70-80 Hz vibration to the elbow flexors of the reference arm (= right arm to induce the illusion of elbow extension. This extension illusion was compared with that when the left arm elbow flexors were vibrated or not. The degree of the vibration-induced extension illusion of the right arm was reduced in the presence of left arm vibration. In Experiment 2, we found that this kinesthetic interaction between the two arms did not occur when the left arm was vibrated in an abducted position. In Experiment 3, the vibration-induced extension illusion of one arm was fully developed when this arm was placed at an abducted position, indicating that the brain receives increased proprioceptive input from a vibrated arm even if the arm was abducted. Our results suggest that proprioceptive interaction between the two arms occurs in a one-arm pointing task when the two arms are aligned with one another. The position sense of one arm measured using a pointer appears to include the influences of incoming information from the other arm when both arms were placed in front of the body and parallel to one another.

A transcription factor for cold sensation!

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Milbrandt Jeffrey

2005-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract The ability to feel hot and cold is critical for animals and human beings to survive in the natural environment. Unlike other sensations, the physiology of cold sensation is mostly unknown. In the present study, we use genetically modified mice that do not express nerve growth factor-inducible B (NGFIB to investigate the possible role of NGFIB in cold sensation. We found that genetic deletion of NGFIB selectively affected behavioral responses to cold stimuli while behavioral responses to noxious heat or mechanical stimuli were normal. Furthermore, behavioral responses remained reduced or blocked in NGFIB knockout mice even after repetitive application of cold stimuli. Our results provide strong evidence that the first transcription factor NGFIB determines the ability of animals to respond to cold stimulation.

EFFECT OF PROPRIOCEPTIVE NEUROMUSCULAR FACILITATION (PNF IN IMPROVING SENSORIMOTOR FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETIC NEUROPATHY AFFECTING LOWER LIMBS

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Kamaljeet Singh

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Diabetic Mellitus is a group of metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycaemia resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action or both. Distal Sensorimotor Polyneuropathy is the most common complication of diabetes which mainly affects the lower limbs. Most of the studies aimed at individually increasing muscle strength or sensation but not on overall performance enhancements of the diabetic lower limbs. The evidence supporting the effectiveness of PNF in diabetic neuropathic patients is scarce. Methods: 30 patients, with age between 50 to 70 years, diagnosed with Diabetic Sensorimotor Polyneuropathy (DSP were selected from the department of Medicine and department of Neurosurgery Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital. Patients were evaluated at the beginning and at the end of the intervention using Diabetic Neuropathy Examination scores. Patients received 3 sets of exercises one hour/day with 3 days/week for 3 months. Each set of exercises consists of 5 repetitions of PNF patterns (alternate day and techniques. Results: D1 & D2 patterns of PNF are effective in improving both motor and sensory functions of diabetic patients with neuropathic symptoms. Improvement in muscle strength, reflex and sensations occurred to a greater extent after the treatment of three months in these subjects. This study shows that PNF patterns were effective at enhancing sensorimotor problems of lower limbs. Conclusion: This study concluded that PNF is found to be effective in improving sensorimotor functions of diabetic neuropathic patients affecting lower limbs.

Posing for awareness: proprioception modulates access to visual consciousness in a continuous flash suppression task.

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Salomon, Roy; Lim, Melanie; Herbelin, Bruno; Hesselmann, Guido; Blanke, Olaf

2013-06-03

The rules governing the selection of which sensory information reaches consciousness are yet unknown. Of our senses, vision is often considered to be the dominant sense, and the effects of bodily senses, such as proprioception, on visual consciousness are frequently overlooked. Here, we demonstrate that the position of the body influences visual consciousness. We induced perceptual suppression by using continuous flash suppression. Participants had to judge the orientation a target stimulus embedded in a task-irrelevant picture of a hand. The picture of the hand could either be congruent or incongruent with the participants' actual hand position. When the viewed and the real hand positions were congruent, perceptual suppression was broken more rapidly than during incongruent trials. Our findings provide the first evidence of a proprioceptive bias in visual consciousness, suggesting that proprioception not only influences the perception of one's own body and self-consciousness, but also visual consciousness.

Postural Control in Bilateral Vestibular Failure: Its Relation to Visual, Proprioceptive, Vestibular, and Cognitive Input

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Sprenger, Andreas; Wojak, Jann F.; Jandl, Nico M.; Helmchen, Christoph

2017-01-01

Patients with bilateral vestibular failure (BVF) suffer from postural and gait unsteadiness with an increased risk of falls. The aim of this study was to elucidate the differential role of otolith, semicircular canal (SSC), visual, proprioceptive, and cognitive influences on the postural stability of BVF patients. Center-of-pressure displacements were recorded by posturography under six conditions: target visibility; tonic head positions in the pitch plane; horizontal head shaking; sensory deprivation; dual task; and tandem stance. Between-group analysis revealed larger postural sway in BVF patients on eye closure; but with the eyes open, BVF did not differ from healthy controls (HCs). Head tilts and horizontal head shaking increased sway but did not differ between groups. In the dual task condition, BVF patients maintained posture indistinguishable from controls. On foam and tandem stance, postural sway was larger in BVF, even with the eyes open. The best predictor for the severity of bilateral vestibulopathy was standing on foam with eyes closed. Postural control of our BVF was indistinguishable from HCs once visual and proprioceptive feedback is provided. This distinguishes them from patients with vestibulo-cerebellar disorders or functional dizziness. It confirms previous reports and explains that postural unsteadiness of BVF patients can be missed easily if not examined by conditions of visual and/or proprioceptive deprivation. In fact, the best predictor for vestibular hypofunction (VOR gain) was examining patients standing on foam with the eyes closed. Postural sway in that condition increased with the severity of vestibular impairment but not with disease duration. In the absence of visual control, impaired otolith input destabilizes BVF with head retroflexion. Stimulating deficient SSC does not distinguish patients from controls possibly reflecting a shift of intersensory weighing toward proprioceptive-guided postural control. Accordingly, proprioceptive

Postural Control in Bilateral Vestibular Failure: Its Relation to Visual, Proprioceptive, Vestibular, and Cognitive Input.

Science.gov (United States)

Sprenger, Andreas; Wojak, Jann F; Jandl, Nico M; Helmchen, Christoph

2017-01-01

Patients with bilateral vestibular failure (BVF) suffer from postural and gait unsteadiness with an increased risk of falls. The aim of this study was to elucidate the differential role of otolith, semicircular canal (SSC), visual, proprioceptive, and cognitive influences on the postural stability of BVF patients. Center-of-pressure displacements were recorded by posturography under six conditions: target visibility; tonic head positions in the pitch plane; horizontal head shaking; sensory deprivation; dual task; and tandem stance. Between-group analysis revealed larger postural sway in BVF patients on eye closure; but with the eyes open, BVF did not differ from healthy controls (HCs). Head tilts and horizontal head shaking increased sway but did not differ between groups. In the dual task condition, BVF patients maintained posture indistinguishable from controls. On foam and tandem stance, postural sway was larger in BVF, even with the eyes open. The best predictor for the severity of bilateral vestibulopathy was standing on foam with eyes closed. Postural control of our BVF was indistinguishable from HCs once visual and proprioceptive feedback is provided. This distinguishes them from patients with vestibulo-cerebellar disorders or functional dizziness. It confirms previous reports and explains that postural unsteadiness of BVF patients can be missed easily if not examined by conditions of visual and/or proprioceptive deprivation. In fact, the best predictor for vestibular hypofunction (VOR gain) was examining patients standing on foam with the eyes closed. Postural sway in that condition increased with the severity of vestibular impairment but not with disease duration. In the absence of visual control, impaired otolith input destabilizes BVF with head retroflexion. Stimulating deficient SSC does not distinguish patients from controls possibly reflecting a shift of intersensory weighing toward proprioceptive-guided postural control. Accordingly, proprioceptive

Postural Control in Bilateral Vestibular Failure: Its Relation to Visual, Proprioceptive, Vestibular, and Cognitive Input

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Andreas Sprenger

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Patients with bilateral vestibular failure (BVF suffer from postural and gait unsteadiness with an increased risk of falls. The aim of this study was to elucidate the differential role of otolith, semicircular canal (SSC, visual, proprioceptive, and cognitive influences on the postural stability of BVF patients. Center-of-pressure displacements were recorded by posturography under six conditions: target visibility; tonic head positions in the pitch plane; horizontal head shaking; sensory deprivation; dual task; and tandem stance. Between-group analysis revealed larger postural sway in BVF patients on eye closure; but with the eyes open, BVF did not differ from healthy controls (HCs. Head tilts and horizontal head shaking increased sway but did not differ between groups. In the dual task condition, BVF patients maintained posture indistinguishable from controls. On foam and tandem stance, postural sway was larger in BVF, even with the eyes open. The best predictor for the severity of bilateral vestibulopathy was standing on foam with eyes closed. Postural control of our BVF was indistinguishable from HCs once visual and proprioceptive feedback is provided. This distinguishes them from patients with vestibulo-cerebellar disorders or functional dizziness. It confirms previous reports and explains that postural unsteadiness of BVF patients can be missed easily if not examined by conditions of visual and/or proprioceptive deprivation. In fact, the best predictor for vestibular hypofunction (VOR gain was examining patients standing on foam with the eyes closed. Postural sway in that condition increased with the severity of vestibular impairment but not with disease duration. In the absence of visual control, impaired otolith input destabilizes BVF with head retroflexion. Stimulating deficient SSC does not distinguish patients from controls possibly reflecting a shift of intersensory weighing toward proprioceptive-guided postural control. Accordingly

Sensation seeking in opium abusers compared to normal people

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2004-05-01

Full Text Available Recent research shows that it is possible to identify people at risk of substance abuse using some personality variables. Identification of these people might help social planners to deal with these people specifically in their prevention attempts. The aim of this study was to compare the sensation seeking of opium addicted and non-addicted people using the sensation seeking scale. Such a comparison might help to identify personality variables that are effective in turning toward substance abuse. In order to measure the sensation seeking of subjects “Sensation Seeking Scale” (SSS were used. 31 opium abusers were matched to 31 normal controls according to the following variables: age, education, father and mother education. Results showed that opium abusers obtain higher scores on the total sensation seeking score ,“variety seeking” and “experience seeking” subscales.

[Reflex seizures, cinema and television].

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Olivares-Romero, Jesús

2015-12-16

In movies and television series are few references to seizures or reflex epilepsy even though in real life are an important subgroup of total epileptic syndromes. It has performed a search on the topic, identified 25 films in which they appear reflex seizures. Most seizures observed are tonic-clonic and visual stimuli are the most numerous, corresponding all with flashing lights. The emotions are the main stimuli in higher level processes. In most cases it is not possible to know if a character suffers a reflex epilepsy or suffer reflex seizures in the context of another epileptic syndrome. The main conclusion is that, in the movies, the reflex seizures are merely a visual reinforcing and anecdotal element without significant influence on the plot.

Proprioceptive feedback and brain computer interface (BCI based neuroprostheses.

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Ander Ramos-Murguialday

Full Text Available Brain computer interface (BCI technology has been proposed for motor neurorehabilitation, motor replacement and assistive technologies. It is an open question whether proprioceptive feedback affects the regulation of brain oscillations and therefore BCI control. We developed a BCI coupled on-line with a robotic hand exoskeleton for flexing and extending the fingers. 24 healthy participants performed five different tasks of closing and opening the hand: (1 motor imagery of the hand movement without any overt movement and without feedback, (2 motor imagery with movement as online feedback (participants see and feel their hand, with the exoskeleton moving according to their brain signals, (3 passive (the orthosis passively opens and closes the hand without imagery and (4 active (overt movement of the hand and rest. Performance was defined as the difference in power of the sensorimotor rhythm during motor task and rest and calculated offline for different tasks. Participants were divided in three groups depending on the feedback receiving during task 2 (the other tasks were the same for all participants. Group 1 (n = 9 received contingent positive feedback (participants' sensorimotor rhythm (SMR desynchronization was directly linked to hand orthosis movements, group 2 (n = 8 contingent "negative" feedback (participants' sensorimotor rhythm synchronization was directly linked to hand orthosis movements and group 3 (n = 7 sham feedback (no link between brain oscillations and orthosis movements. We observed that proprioceptive feedback (feeling and seeing hand movements improved BCI performance significantly. Furthermore, in the contingent positive group only a significant motor learning effect was observed enhancing SMR desynchronization during motor imagery without feedback in time. Furthermore, we observed a significantly stronger SMR desynchronization in the contingent positive group compared to the other groups during active and

Proprioceptive feedback and brain computer interface (BCI) based neuroprostheses.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramos-Murguialday, Ander; Schürholz, Markus; Caggiano, Vittorio; Wildgruber, Moritz; Caria, Andrea; Hammer, Eva Maria; Halder, Sebastian; Birbaumer, Niels

2012-01-01

Brain computer interface (BCI) technology has been proposed for motor neurorehabilitation, motor replacement and assistive technologies. It is an open question whether proprioceptive feedback affects the regulation of brain oscillations and therefore BCI control. We developed a BCI coupled on-line with a robotic hand exoskeleton for flexing and extending the fingers. 24 healthy participants performed five different tasks of closing and opening the hand: (1) motor imagery of the hand movement without any overt movement and without feedback, (2) motor imagery with movement as online feedback (participants see and feel their hand, with the exoskeleton moving according to their brain signals, (3) passive (the orthosis passively opens and closes the hand without imagery) and (4) active (overt) movement of the hand and rest. Performance was defined as the difference in power of the sensorimotor rhythm during motor task and rest and calculated offline for different tasks. Participants were divided in three groups depending on the feedback receiving during task 2 (the other tasks were the same for all participants). Group 1 (n = 9) received contingent positive feedback (participants' sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) desynchronization was directly linked to hand orthosis movements), group 2 (n = 8) contingent "negative" feedback (participants' sensorimotor rhythm synchronization was directly linked to hand orthosis movements) and group 3 (n = 7) sham feedback (no link between brain oscillations and orthosis movements). We observed that proprioceptive feedback (feeling and seeing hand movements) improved BCI performance significantly. Furthermore, in the contingent positive group only a significant motor learning effect was observed enhancing SMR desynchronization during motor imagery without feedback in time. Furthermore, we observed a significantly stronger SMR desynchronization in the contingent positive group compared to the other groups during active and passive

Arakeri’s Reflex: an Alternative Pathway for Dento-Cardiac Reflex Mediated Syncope

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Veena Arali

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Dentocardiac reflex, a variant of trigeminocardiac reflex elicited specifically during tooth extraction procedures in den-tal/maxillofacial surgery and is believed to cause syncope with an afferent link mediated by posterior superior alveolar nerve. Another variant of trigeminocardiac reflex which is also of interest to the oral and maxillofacial surgeon is oculocardiac reflex which can be triggered by direct or indirect manipulation of eye globe or muscles around it.The hypothesis: Excessive or injudicious pressure or manipulations around the maxillary first molars during extraction procedure are as-sociated with maximum incidence of bradycardia and hypotension than around incisor/ canine/ third molars. This is because; the pressure on eye globe and ophthalmic rectus muscle is maximum during extraction of first molar than incisor/canine and third molars. This observation led us to postulate an alternative pathway for dentocardiac reflex mediated syncope which may possibly justify the maxillary first molar region as a prone factor for the trigger. Evaluation of the hypothesis: Present hypothesis may not confer the specific factor responsible for switch in autonomic response in syncope origin during the tooth extraction procedure, but may provide a clue to where we should be looking.

Effects of whole-body cryotherapy (-110 °C) on proprioception and indices of muscle damage.

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Costello, J T; Algar, L A; Donnelly, A E

2012-04-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) on proprioceptive function, muscle force recovery following eccentric muscle contractions and tympanic temperature (T(TY) ). Thirty-six subjects were randomly assigned to a group receiving two 3-min treatments of -110 ± 3 °C or 15 ± 3 °C. Knee joint position sense (JPS), maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of the knee extensors, force proprioception and T(TY) were recorded before, immediately after the exposure and again 15 min later. A convenience sample of 18 subjects also underwent an eccentric exercise protocol on their contralateral left leg 24 h before exposure. MVIC (left knee), peak power output (PPO) during a repeated sprint on a cycle ergometer and muscles soreness were measured pre-, 24, 48 and 72h post-treatment. WBC reduced T(TY) , by 0.3 °C, when compared with the control group (P<0.001). However, JPS, MVIC or force proprioception was not affected. Similarly, WBC did not effect MVIC, PPO or muscle soreness following eccentric exercise. WBC, administered 24 h after eccentric exercise, is ineffective in alleviating muscle soreness or enhancing muscle force recovery. The results of this study also indicate no increased risk of proprioceptive-related injury following WBC. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Effect of wind speed on human thermal sensation and thermal comfort

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Hou, Yuhan

2018-06-01

In this experiment, a method of questionnaire survey was adopted. By changing the air flow rate under the indoor and outdoor natural conditions, the subjective Thermal Sensation Vote (TSV) and the Thermal Comfort Vote (TCV) were recorded. The draft sensation can reduce the thermal sensation, but the draft sensation can cause discomfort, and the thermal comfort in a windy environment is lower than in a windless environment. When the temperature rises or the level of human metabolism increases, the person feels heat, the demand for draft sensation increases, and the uncomfortable feeling caused by the draft sensation may be reduced. Increasing the air flow within a certain range can be used to compensate for the increase in temperature.

Cryotherapy, Sensation, and Isometric-Force Variability

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Denegar, Craig R.; Buckley, William E.; Newell, Karl M.

2003-01-01

Objective: To determine the changes in sensation of pressure, 2-point discrimination, and submaximal isometric-force production variability due to cryotherapy. Design and Setting: Sensation was assessed using a 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 repeated-measures factorial design, with treatment (ice immersion or control), limb (right or left), digit (finger or thumb), and sensation test time (baseline, posttreatment, or postisometric-force trials) as independent variables. Dependent variables were changes in sensation of pressure and 2-point discrimination. Isometric-force variability was tested with a 2 × 2 × 3 repeated-measures factorial design. Treatment condition (ice immersion or control), limb (right or left), and percentage (10, 25, or 40) of maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) were the independent variables. The dependent variables were the precision or variability (the standard deviation of mean isometric force) and the accuracy or targeting error (the root mean square error) of the isometric force for each percentage of MVIC. Subjects: Fifteen volunteer college students (8 men, 7 women; age = 22 ± 3 years; mass = 72 ± 21.9 kg; height = 183.4 ± 11.6 cm). Measurements: We measured sensation in the distal palmar aspect of the index finger and thumb. Sensation of pressure and 2-point discrimination were measured before treatment (baseline), after treatment (15 minutes of ice immersion or control), and at the completion of isometric testing (final). Variability (standard deviation of mean isometric force) of the submaximal isometric finger forces was measured by having the subjects exert a pinching force with the thumb and index finger for 30 seconds. Subjects performed the pinching task at the 3 submaximal levels of MVIC (10%, 25%, and 40%), with the order of trials assigned randomly. The subjects were given a target representing the submaximal percentage of MVIC and visual feedback of the force produced as they pinched the testing device. The force exerted

[H reflex in patients with spastic quadriplegia].

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Miyama, Sahoko; Arimoto, Kiyoshi; Kimiya, Satoshi

2009-01-01

Hoffmann reflex (H reflex) is an electrically elicited spinal monosynaptic reflex. H reflex was examined in 18 patients with spastic quadriplegia who had perinatal or postnatal problems. H reflex was elicitable in 11 patients for the abductor pollicis brevis (61.1%), 10 for the abductor digiti minimi (55.6%) and 16 for the abductor hallucis (88.9%). Because the abductor pollicis brevis and the abductor digiti minimi do not exhibit H reflex in normal subjects, it was suggested that the excitability of alpha motor neurons innervating these muscles was increased. H reflex was not detected for the extensor digitorum brevis in any patients, indicating the difference in the excitability among alpha motor neurons. In some patients, H reflex did not disappear under supramaximal stimuli. We conclude that the mechanism of evolution of H reflex in patients with spastic quadriplegia is different from that in normal subjects.

The Subjective Sensation of Synchrony: An Experimental Study

KAUST Repository

Llobera, Joan; Charbonnier, Caecilia; Chagué , Sylvain; Preissmann, Delphine; Antonietti, Jean-Philippe; Ansermet, Franç ois; Magistretti, Pierre J.

2016-01-01

People performing actions together have a natural tendency to synchronize their behavior. Consistently, people doing a task together build internal representations not only of their actions and goals, but also of the other people performing the task. However, little is known about which are the behavioral mechanisms and the psychological factors affecting the subjective sensation of synchrony, or “connecting” with someone else. In this work, we sought to find which factors induce the subjective sensation of synchrony, combining motion capture data and psychological measures. Our results show that the subjective sensation of synchrony is affected by performance quality together with task category, and time. Psychological factors such as empathy and negative subjective affects also correlate with the subjective sensation of synchrony. However, when people estimate synchrony as seen from a third person perspective, their psychological factors do not affect the accuracy of the estimation. We suggest that to feel this sensation it is necessary to, first, have a good joint performance and, second, to assume the existence of an attention monitoring mechanism that reports that the attention of both participants (self and other) is focused on the task.

The Subjective Sensation of Synchrony: An Experimental Study

KAUST Repository

Llobera, Joan

2016-02-12

People performing actions together have a natural tendency to synchronize their behavior. Consistently, people doing a task together build internal representations not only of their actions and goals, but also of the other people performing the task. However, little is known about which are the behavioral mechanisms and the psychological factors affecting the subjective sensation of synchrony, or “connecting” with someone else. In this work, we sought to find which factors induce the subjective sensation of synchrony, combining motion capture data and psychological measures. Our results show that the subjective sensation of synchrony is affected by performance quality together with task category, and time. Psychological factors such as empathy and negative subjective affects also correlate with the subjective sensation of synchrony. However, when people estimate synchrony as seen from a third person perspective, their psychological factors do not affect the accuracy of the estimation. We suggest that to feel this sensation it is necessary to, first, have a good joint performance and, second, to assume the existence of an attention monitoring mechanism that reports that the attention of both participants (self and other) is focused on the task.

How do different tests evaluate sensation in the lower urinary tract?

Science.gov (United States)

De Laet, Kevin; De Wachter, Stefan; Van Meel, Tom; Wyndaele, Jean-Jacques

2010-04-01

Different tests can be used to evaluate lower urinary tract (LUT) sensation. The purpose of this study is to compare sensory tests in patients with voiding disorders. Seventy patients with various functional disorders of the LUT were admitted for a cystometry and an electrical perception threshold test of the bladder (bEPT) and distal urethra (uEPT). A pudendal EPT (pEPT) and pudendal somatosensory evoked potentials (pSSEP) were also determined. Correlations were calculated for somatosensory (uEPT, pEPT and pSSEP latency) and viscerosensory tests (volumes at filling sensations and bEPT). Fifty of the 70 patients (71%) had normal bladder filling sensations, with abnormal bEPT in 21/50 (41%), including 11 (22%) with no sensation at maximal electrical stimulation. Twenty out of 70 (29%) had an abnormal pattern of filling sensation, with increased bEPT in 13/20 (65%) and no sensation at electrical stimulation in 8/13 (40%). No significant correlation exists between filling sensation and bladder electrical perception thresholds (r 0.243). pEPT correlated with uEPT and SSEP (r > 0.035, p sensation. No significant correlation exists between volumes of filling sensations and bEPT (r 0.243). Therefore, both tests provide complementary information. Somatosensory tests of the pudendal nerve are correlated, so performing SSEP, pEPT and uEPT provides poor additional information to one of these tests alone. Somatosensory pudendal tests cannot be used to quantify filling sensation.

Slip estimation methods for proprioceptive terrain classification using tracked mobile robots

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Masha, Ditebogo F

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Recent work has shown that proprioceptive measurements such as terrain slip can be used for terrain classification. This paper investigates the suitability of four simple slip estimation methods for differentiating between indoor and outdoor terrain...

Do voluntary strength, proprioception, range of motion, or postural sway predict occurrence of lateral ankle sprain?

OpenAIRE

de Noronha, M; Refshauge, K M; Herbert, R D; Kilbreath, S L

2006-01-01

Prevention of ankle sprain, the most common sporting injury, is only possible once risk factors have been identified. Voluntary strength, proprioception, postural sway, and range of motion are possible risk factors. A systematic review was carried out to investigate these possiblities. Eligible studies were those with longitudinal design investigating ankle sprain in subjects aged ⩾15 years. The studies had to have measured range of motion, voluntary strength, proprioception, or postural sway...

Visual sensations induced by relativistic pions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McNulty, P.J.; Pease, V.P.; Bond, V.P.

1976-01-01

Visual sensations were experienced when bursts of high-energy pions passed through the dark-adapted right eyes of three human subjects. The threshold for a visual sensation was typically 1 to 3 μrad at the retina. Data are presented to show that the mechanism is Cerenkov radiation generated within the vitreous humor. Threshold measurements agree with published optical data. A comparison is made between our observations and the light flashes observed in deep space by Apollo astronauts

Effects on proprioception by Kinesio taping of the knee after anterior cruciate ligament rupture.

Science.gov (United States)

Bischoff, Lars; Babisch, Christian; Babisch, Jürgen; Layher, Frank; Sander, Klaus; Matziolis, Georg; Pietsch, Stefan; Röhner, Eric

2018-03-10

The use of Kinesio tape (KT) to improve proprioception is a matter of considerable debate. In comparison, the rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament is a sufficiently well-investigated injury with a proven compromise of proprioception. The objective of the present study was to assess a supportive effect on proprioception after KT application, taking the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture as an example. Forty-eight patients who had suffered an ACL rupture, confirmed clinically and by magnetic resonance imaging, and who were treated conservatively or were awaiting surgery were included in this study. In all patients, a gait analysis was performed on the affected leg before and after KT application. In addition, the IKDC score, the Lysholm score, stability using the Rolimeter, and the angle reproduction test were determined. Thirty-nine men and nine women who had had an ACL rupture for at least 3 weeks were included in the study. Significant improvements were achieved on the affected knee joint for the gait analysis parameters touchdown and unrolling, cadence, stability and stance phase as well as an extension of the hip joint. The Lysholm score improved from 79.3 to 85.8 (p < 0.001) and the IKDC score from 60.2 to 71.3 points (p < 0.001). Significant improvements were achieved in the Rolimeter and angle reproduction test. The use of KT has a positive effect on proprioception in patients with an anterior cruciate ligament rupture. Therefore, the application may improve gait pattern as well as the subjective function of the affected knee joint.

Solifenacin objectively decreases urinary sensation in women with overactive bladder syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Lowenstein, Lior; Kenton, Kimberly; Mueller, Elizabeth R; Brubaker, Linda; Sabo, Edmond; Durazo-Arivzu, Ramón A; Fitzgerald, Mary P

2012-04-01

To evaluate the test-retest reliability of a device that measures urinary sensation during cystometry, and to use that device to determine whether treatment of overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) with solifenacin is associated with a change in urinary sensation. Overall 15 women were recruited for this study, ten women with OAB and urodynamically demonstrated detrusor overactivity and five controls without OAB underwent filling cystometry twice with contemporaneous, continuous recording of urinary sensation. Women with OAB received solifenacin 10 mg daily during the weeks between testing. We compared the areas under the initial and repeat sensation-volume curves. While taking solifenacin, the maximum cystometric capacity increased from 329 ± 168 ml to 464 ± 123 ml (P sensation curve decreased (P sensation during the treatment of OAB with solifenacin. If clinical correlations are confirmed by future study, such urinary sensation measures may prove useful as assessment, treatment predictor, or outcome measures in OAB research and/or clinical care.

Auditory and Visual Sensations

CERN Document Server

Ando, Yoichi

2010-01-01

Professor Yoichi Ando, acoustic architectural designer of the Kirishima International Concert Hall in Japan, presents a comprehensive rational-scientific approach to designing performance spaces. His theory is based on systematic psychoacoustical observations of spatial hearing and listener preferences, whose neuronal correlates are observed in the neurophysiology of the human brain. A correlation-based model of neuronal signal processing in the central auditory system is proposed in which temporal sensations (pitch, timbre, loudness, duration) are represented by an internal autocorrelation representation, and spatial sensations (sound location, size, diffuseness related to envelopment) are represented by an internal interaural crosscorrelation function. Together these two internal central auditory representations account for the basic auditory qualities that are relevant for listening to music and speech in indoor performance spaces. Observed psychological and neurophysiological commonalities between auditor...

Le Chatelier's principle in sensation and perception: fractal-like enfolding at different scales

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ken Norwich

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Le Chatelier’s principle asserts that a disturbance, when applied to a resting system may drive the system away from its equilibrium state, but will invoke a countervailing influence that will counteract the effect of the disturbance. When applied to the field of sensation and perception, a generalized stimulus will displace the system from equilibrium, and a generalized adaptation process will serve as the countervailing influence tending to reduce the impact of the stimulus. The principle applies at all levels, from the behavioral to the neural, the larger enfolding the smaller in fractal-like form. Le Chatelier’s principle, so applied, leads to the unification of many concepts in sensory science. Ideas as diverse as sensory adaptation, reflex arcs, and simple deductive logic can be brought under the umbrella of a single orienting principle. Beyond unification, this principle allows us to approach many questions in pathophysiology from a different perspective. For example, we find new direction toward the reduction of phantom limb pain and possibly of vertigo.

Removal of proprioception by BCI raises a stronger body ownership illusion in control of a humanlike robot.

Science.gov (United States)

Alimardani, Maryam; Nishio, Shuichi; Ishiguro, Hiroshi

2016-09-22

Body ownership illusions provide evidence that our sense of self is not coherent and can be extended to non-body objects. Studying about these illusions gives us practical tools to understand the brain mechanisms that underlie body recognition and the experience of self. We previously introduced an illusion of body ownership transfer (BOT) for operators of a very humanlike robot. This sensation of owning the robot's body was confirmed when operators controlled the robot either by performing the desired motion with their body (motion-control) or by employing a brain-computer interface (BCI) that translated motor imagery commands to robot movement (BCI-control). The interesting observation during BCI-control was that the illusion could be induced even with a noticeable delay in the BCI system. Temporal discrepancy has always shown critical weakening effects on body ownership illusions. However the delay-robustness of BOT during BCI-control raised a question about the interaction between the proprioceptive inputs and delayed visual feedback in agency-driven illusions. In this work, we compared the intensity of BOT illusion for operators in two conditions; motion-control and BCI-control. Our results revealed a significantly stronger BOT illusion for the case of BCI-control. This finding highlights BCI's potential in inducing stronger agency-driven illusions by building a direct communication between the brain and controlled body, and therefore removing awareness from the subject's own body.

Sensation seeking in males involved in recreational high risk sports

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Guszkowska

2010-09-01

Full Text Available The study examined sensation seeking intensity level in males involved in recreational high risk sports and investigated whether its level depends on type of sport practised. Additionally, in case of parachutists, sport experience of study participants were scrutinised with regard to its possible impact on the level of sensation seeking.The research involved 217 males aged 17 to 45, practising recreational high risk sports, namely: parachuting (n=98; wakeboarding (n=30; snowboarding (n=30; scuba diving (n=22; alpinism (n=20; paragliding (n=17. The control group included 54 men not involved in sports. Polish version of Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS-IV of Zuckerman was applied.Results show, that high risk sports males are featured by stronger need of sensations in comparison to control group and this concerned all but one aspect of sensation seeking variable. The only exception was the need of intellectual stimulation. Except from the thrill and adventure seeking dimension, type of sport may also be an important determinant of sensation seeking. Men practising snowboard and wakeboard presented stronger need for sensations, especially in the dimension of experience seeking, disinhibition and boredom susceptibility. Sport experience (number of jumps in parachuting did not differentiate the level of sensation seeking among investigated parachutists. Population of sport high risk male takers was not homogeneous, and therefore in future research one should analyse specific sports (or events in a certain sport separately.

Estimation of Thermal Sensation Based on Wrist Skin Temperatures

Science.gov (United States)

Sim, Soo Young; Koh, Myung Jun; Joo, Kwang Min; Noh, Seungwoo; Park, Sangyun; Kim, Youn Ho; Park, Kwang Suk

2016-01-01

Thermal comfort is an essential environmental factor related to quality of life and work effectiveness. We assessed the feasibility of wrist skin temperature monitoring for estimating subjective thermal sensation. We invented a wrist band that simultaneously monitors skin temperatures from the wrist (i.e., the radial artery and ulnar artery regions, and upper wrist) and the fingertip. Skin temperatures from eight healthy subjects were acquired while thermal sensation varied. To develop a thermal sensation estimation model, the mean skin temperature, temperature gradient, time differential of the temperatures, and average power of frequency band were calculated. A thermal sensation estimation model using temperatures of the fingertip and wrist showed the highest accuracy (mean root mean square error [RMSE]: 1.26 ± 0.31). An estimation model based on the three wrist skin temperatures showed a slightly better result to the model that used a single fingertip skin temperature (mean RMSE: 1.39 ± 0.18). When a personalized thermal sensation estimation model based on three wrist skin temperatures was used, the mean RMSE was 1.06 ± 0.29, and the correlation coefficient was 0.89. Thermal sensation estimation technology based on wrist skin temperatures, and combined with wearable devices may facilitate intelligent control of one’s thermal environment. PMID:27023538

Thirst sensation and oral dryness following alcohol intake

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kiyotoshi Inenaga

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Substantial acute and chronic intakes of alcohol or ethanol (EtOH severely influence oral sensations, such as thirst and oral dryness (dry mouth, xerostomia. Thirst sensation and oral dryness are primarily caused by the activation of neurons in brain regions, including the circumventricular organs and hypothalamus, which are referred to as the dipsogenic center, and by a decrease in salivary secretion, respectively. The sensation of thirst experienced after heavy-alcohol drinking is widely regarded as a consequence of EtOH-induced diuresis; however, EtOH in high doses induces anti-diuresis. Recently, it has been proposed that the ethanol metabolite acetaldehyde induces thirst via two distinct processes in the central nervous system from EtOH-induced diuresis, based on the results of animal experiments. The present review describes new insights regarding the induction mechanism of thirst sensation and oral dryness after drinking alcohol.

On Reflexive Data Models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petrov, S.

2000-08-20

An information system is reflexive if it stores a description of its current structure in the body of stored information and is acting on the base of this information. A data model is reflexive, if its language is meta-closed and can be used to build such a system. The need for reflexive data models in new areas of information technology applications is argued. An attempt to express basic notions related to information systems is made in the case when the system supports and uses meta-closed representation of the data.

Authoritative Parenting and Sensation Seeking as Predictors of Adolescent Cigarette and Marijuana Use

Science.gov (United States)

Stephenson, Michael T.; Helme, Donald W.

2006-01-01

Adolescents with high sensation-seeking tendencies often seek out thrill seeking experiences to satisfy their need for stimulation and sensation. In many cases, sensation-seeking adolescents fulfill their need for stimulation and sensation by using illicit substances. However, not all high sensation seekers use drugs, although the factors that…

Self-motion perception and vestibulo-ocular reflex during whole body yaw rotation in standing subjects: the role of head position and neck proprioception.

Science.gov (United States)

Panichi, Roberto; Botti, Fabio Massimo; Ferraresi, Aldo; Faralli, Mario; Kyriakareli, Artemis; Schieppati, Marco; Pettorossi, Vito Enrico

2011-04-01

Self-motion perception and vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) were studied during whole body yaw rotation in the dark at different static head positions. Rotations consisted of four cycles of symmetric sinusoidal and asymmetric oscillations. Self-motion perception was evaluated by measuring the ability of subjects to manually track a static remembered target. VOR was recorded separately and the slow phase eye position (SPEP) was computed. Three different head static yaw deviations (active and passive) relative to the trunk (0°, 45° to right and 45° to left) were examined. Active head deviations had a significant effect during asymmetric oscillation: the movement perception was enhanced when the head was kept turned toward the side of body rotation and decreased in the opposite direction. Conversely, passive head deviations had no effect on movement perception. Further, vibration (100 Hz) of the neck muscles splenius capitis and sternocleidomastoideus remarkably influenced perceived rotation during asymmetric oscillation. On the other hand, SPEP of VOR was modulated by active head deviation, but was not influenced by neck muscle vibration. Through its effects on motion perception and reflex gain, head position improved gaze stability and enhanced self-motion perception in the direction of the head deviation. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effect of knee brace and knee sleeve on the proprioception of the knee in young non-professional healthy sportsmen.

Science.gov (United States)

Bottoni, G; Herten, A; Kofler, P; Hasler, M; Nachbauer, W

2013-12-01

Proprioception has been defined as the capacity to feel the position of a joint in space as sensed by the central nervous system. Prophylactic knee braces are supposed to help in knee injury prevention not just with a mechanical support of the joint but also improving proprioception. The main aim of this study was to determine the effects of a knee brace and a knee sleeve on knee proprioception. The secondary aim was to determine if different starting angles of the knee and different movement directions influence knee proprioception. We tested a group of twenty healthy male sport students without knee injuries. They were tested with the brace, with the sleeve and without support. The threshold of detection of passive knee movement with a starting knee angle of 30° and 60°, both in flexion and extension was determined. We did not find any statistically significant change in the threshold of detection of passive knee movement wearing the brace or the sleeve compared to the unsupported condition (p=0.462, α=0.05). We found a significantly lower proprioceptive sensitivity starting at the more flexed knee angle (p=0.005, α=0.05) and moving in extension than in the other test situations (p=0.001, α=0.05). Movement direction and starting position appear to influence the threshold of detection of passive knee movement. The results of this study also suggest that knee supports do not influence either positively or negatively knee proprioception of uninjured active subjects. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Neural Mechanisms of Re-Experiencing Mental Fatigue Sensation: A Magnetoencephalography Study

OpenAIRE

Ishii, Akira; Karasuyama, Takuma; Kikuchi, Taiki; Tanaka, Masaaki; Yamano, Emi; Watanabe, Yasuyoshi

2015-01-01

There have been several studies which have tried to clarify the neural mechanisms of fatigue sensation; however fatigue sensation has multiple aspects. We hypothesized that past experience related to fatigue sensation is an important factor which contributes to future formation of fatigue sensation through the transfer to memories that are located within specific brain structures. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the neural mechanisms of fatigue sensation related to memory. In the present s...

Multimodal mechanisms of food creaminess sensation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jianshe; Eaton, Louise

2012-12-01

In this work, the sensory creaminess of a set of four viscosity-matched fluid foods (single cream, evaporated milk, corn starch solution, and corn starch solution containing long chain free fatty acids) was tested by a panel of 16 assessors via controlled sensation mechanisms of smell only, taste only, taste and tactile, and integrated multimodal. It was found that all sensation channels were able to discriminate between creamy and non-creamy foods, but only the multimodal method gave creaminess ratings in agreement with the samples' fat content. Results from this study show that the presence of long chain free fatty acids has no influence on creaminess perception. It is certain that food creaminess is not a primary sensory property but an integrated sensory perception (or sensory experience) derived from combined sensations of visual, olfactory, gustatory, and tactile cues. Creamy colour, milky flavour, and smooth texture are probably the most important sensory features of food creaminess.

Motion sickness history, food neophobia, and sensation seeking.

Science.gov (United States)

Alley, Thomas R; Willet, Kathleen A; Muth, Eric R

2006-06-01

Motion sickness is believed to be caused by conflicting sensory signals, a situation that mimics the effects of ingesting certain toxins. Thus, one might suspect that individuals who have experienced a relatively high frequency of motion sickness may be particularly vigilant about avoiding anything that produces nausea, induding potentially nauseating toxins. Consequently, they may be more resistant to trying new foods, i.e., be more food neophobic, since unfamiliar foods can have unexpected adverse effects due to toxins or allergens. Likewise, many highly stimulating experiences can trigger motion sickness, so individuals who are more susceptible may be more prone to avoid such experiences, i.e., be less sensation seeking. Finally, it was expected that food neophobia would be more frequent in individuals low on sensation seeking tendencies. Self-reported motion sickness history in 308 adults (M= 18.8 yr.; SD = 1.6) was correlated with scores on the Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking and the Food Neophobia Scale. As predicted, greater history of motion sickness was associated with lower Sensation Seeking scores. Food Neophobia was not correlated with motion sickness history but, as expected, was negatively correlated (r = -.42) with scores on Sensation Seeking. Further research is recommended that measures actual sensitivity to motion sickness.

Traces: making sense of urodynamics testing--Part 8: Evaluating sensations of bladder filling.

Science.gov (United States)

Gray, Mikel

2011-01-01

The "Traces" series discusses how the urodynamic clinician generates usable data from a filling cystometrogram (CMG). Part 8 focuses on the question, "What are the sensations of bladder filling?" Recent research suggests that sensations of bladder filling wax and wane from consciousness in healthy persons free of bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms. Because of its invasive and atypical nature when compared to daily life, multichannel urodynamics testing cannot reproduce the numerous and complex variables that influence bladder sensation in the healthy individual, making the evaluation of sensations of bladder filling a particularly challenging component of the filling CMG. Routine assessment of bladder sensations focuses on identification of three landmarks--first sensation of bladder filling, first desire to void, and a strong desire to void. A fourth sensation, bladder fullness or a compelling desire to void, is recommended. In addition to assessing these sensations, the urodynamic clinician must assess sensations indicating associated disease or disorders affecting lower urinary tract function, including urgency, pain, and atypical sensations. This assessment should be completed in the context of the results of one or more validated instruments used to measure bladder sensations.

Proprioceptive Actuation Design for Dynamic Legged locomotion

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sangbae; Wensing, Patrick; Biomimetic Robotics Lab Team

Designing an actuator system for highly-dynamic legged locomotion exhibited by animals has been one of the grand challenges in robotics research. Conventional actuators designed for manufacturing applications have difficulty satisfying challenging requirements for high-speed locomotion, such as the need for high torque density and the ability to manage dynamic physical interactions. It is critical to introduce a new actuator design paradigm and provide guidelines for its incorporation in future mobile robots for research and industry. To this end, we suggest a paradigm called proprioceptive actuation, which enables highly- dynamic operation in legged machines. Proprioceptive actuation uses collocated force control at the joints to effectively control contact interactions at the feet under dynamic conditions. In the realm of legged machines, this paradigm provides a unique combination of high torque density, high-bandwidth force control, and the ability to mitigate impacts through backdrivability. Results show that the proposed design provides an impact mitigation factor that is comparable to other quadruped designs with series springs to handle impact. The paradigm is shown to enable the MIT Cheetah to manage the application of contact forces during dynamic bounding, with results given down to contact times of 85ms and peak forces over 450N. As a result, the MIT Cheetah achieves high-speed 3D running up to 13mph and jumping over an 18-inch high obstacle. The project is sponsored by DARPA M3 program.

ON TRAVERSABILITY COST EVALUATION FROM PROPRIOCEPTIVE SENSING FOR A CRAWLING ROBOT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jakub Mrva

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Traversability characteristics of the robot working environment are crucial in planning an efficient path for a robot operating in rough unstructured areas. In the literature, approaches to wheeled or tracked robots can be found, but a relatively little attention is given to walking multi-legged robots. Moreover, the existing approaches for terrain traversability assessment seem to be focused on gathering key features from a terrain model acquired from range data or camera image and only occasionally supplemented with proprioceptive sensing that expresses the interaction of the robot with the terrain. This paper addresses the problem of traversability cost evaluation based on proprioceptive sensing for a hexapod walking robot while optimizing different criteria. We present several methods of evaluating the robot-terrain interaction that can be used as a cost function for an assessment of the robot motion that can be utilized in high-level path-planning algorithms.

Medial Orbitofrontal Cortex Is Associated with Fatigue Sensation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seiki Tajima

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Fatigue is an indispensable bioalarm to avoid exhaustive state caused by overwork or stresses. It is necessary to elucidate the neural mechanism of fatigue sensation for managing fatigue properly. We performed H2O  15 positron emission tomography scans to indicate neural activations while subjects were performing 35-min fatigue-inducing task trials twice. During the positron emission tomography experiment, subjects performed advanced trail-making tests, touching the target circles in sequence located on the display of a touch-panel screen. In order to identify the brain regions associated with fatigue sensation, correlation analysis was performed using statistical parametric mapping method. The brain region exhibiting a positive correlation in activity with subjective sensation of fatigue, measured immediately after each positron emission tomography scan, was located in medial orbitofrontal cortex (Brodmann's area 10/11. Hence, the medial orbitofrontal cortex is a brain region associated with mental fatigue sensation. Our findings provide a new perspective on the neural basis of fatigue.

Sensation Seeking Predicting Growth in Adolescent Problem Behaviors

Science.gov (United States)

Byck, Gayle R.; Swann, Greg; Schalet, Benjamin; Bolland, John; Mustanski, Brian

2014-01-01

There is limited literature on the relationship between sensation seeking and adolescent risk behaviors, particularly among African Americans. We tested the association between psychometrically-derived subscales of the Zuckerman Sensation Seeking Scale and the intercepts and slopes of individual growth curves of conduct problems, sexual risk taking, and substance use from ages 13-18 years by sex. Boys and girls had different associations between sensation seeking and baseline levels and growth of risk behaviors. The Pleasure Seeking scale was associated with baseline levels of conduct problems in boys and girls, baseline substance use in boys, and growth in sexual risk taking and substance use by girls. Girls had the same pattern of associations with the Danger/Novelty scale as the Pleasure Seeking scale. Knowledge about the relationships between adolescent risk taking and sensation seeking can help in the targeted design of prevention and intervention programs for the understudied population of very low-income, African American adolescents. PMID:25112599

Neurodevelopmental Reflex Testing in Neonatal Rat Pups.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Antoinette T; Armstrong, Edward A; Yager, Jerome Y

2017-04-24

Neurodevelopmental reflex testing is commonly used in clinical practice to assess the maturation of the nervous system. Neurodevelopmental reflexes are also referred to as primitive reflexes. They are sensitive and consistent with later outcomes. Abnormal reflexes are described as an absence, persistence, reappearance, or latency of reflexes, which are predictive indices of infants that are at high risk for neurodevelopmental disorders. Animal models of neurodevelopmental disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, often display aberrant developmental reflexes, as would be observed in human infants. The techniques described assess a variety of neurodevelopmental reflexes in neonatal rats. Neurodevelopmental reflex testing offers the investigator a testing method that is not otherwise available in such young animals. The methodology presented here aims to assist investigators in examining developmental milestones in neonatal rats as a method of detecting early-onset brain injury and/or determining the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. The methodology presented here aims to provide a general guideline for investigators.

Isolating Visual and Proprioceptive Components of Motor Sequence Learning in ASD.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharer, Elizabeth A; Mostofsky, Stewart H; Pascual-Leone, Alvaro; Oberman, Lindsay M

2016-05-01

In addition to defining impairments in social communication skills, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) also show impairments in more basic sensory and motor skills. Development of new skills involves integrating information from multiple sensory modalities. This input is then used to form internal models of action that can be accessed when both performing skilled movements, as well as understanding those actions performed by others. Learning skilled gestures is particularly reliant on integration of visual and proprioceptive input. We used a modified serial reaction time task (SRTT) to decompose proprioceptive and visual components and examine whether patterns of implicit motor skill learning differ in ASD participants as compared with healthy controls. While both groups learned the implicit motor sequence during training, healthy controls showed robust generalization whereas ASD participants demonstrated little generalization when visual input was constant. In contrast, no group differences in generalization were observed when proprioceptive input was constant, with both groups showing limited degrees of generalization. The findings suggest, when learning a motor sequence, individuals with ASD tend to rely less on visual feedback than do healthy controls. Visuomotor representations are considered to underlie imitative learning and action understanding and are thereby crucial to social skill and cognitive development. Thus, anomalous patterns of implicit motor learning, with a tendency to discount visual feedback, may be an important contributor in core social communication deficits that characterize ASD. Autism Res 2016, 9: 563-569. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sensation seekers as a healthcare marketing metasegment.

Science.gov (United States)

Self, Donald R; Findley, Carolyn Sara

2010-01-01

This article discusses "sensation seekers" as a market segment for communication and prevention programs for various lifestyle and/or risk-related health problem areas such as alcohol abuse, drug abuse, suicide attempts, and sexually transmitted diseases. Although sensation seekers tend to be creative, artistic individuals, they are also prone to various negative health behaviors and many population-based prevention programs have over-looked these individuals as an important target. Various inputs to sensation-seeking causation are explored, including biological/chemical, psychological, and the impact of external characteristics. Using a combination for regulatory focus and risk homeostasis, propositions are provided for improving the effectiveness of the communications. Recommendations for prevention efforts focusing on reaching this subculture using television, along with other electronic media are proposed, including recommendations for message construction and presentation venues.

The effects of static friction and backlash on extended physiological proprioception control of a powered prosthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Farrell, Todd R; Weir, Richard F; Heckathorne, Craig W; Childress, Dudley S

2005-01-01

In general, externally powered prostheses do not provide proprioceptive feedback and thus require the user to rely on cognitively expensive visual feedback to effectively control the prosthesis. Applying the concept of extended physiological proprioception (EPP) to externally powered prostheses provides direct feedback to the user's proprioceptive system regarding the position, velocity, and forces applied to the prosthesis. However, electric elbows with EPP controllers developed at the Northwestern University Prosthetics Research Laboratory have exhibited unexplained "jerky" behavior in both clinical fittings and bench-top operation. In addition, the development of limit cycles, a specific type of constant-amplitude oscillation, had been observed in bench-top use of these elbows. Backlash and static friction within the EPP system were found to be primarily responsible for the development of limit cycles. Reducing static friction and backlash improved the system's performance. These results suggest that to most effectively implement EPP, prosthesis manufacturers should design prosthetic components that minimize static friction and backlash.

Sensation seeking and visual selective attention in adults with HIV/AIDS.

Science.gov (United States)

Hardy, David J; Castellon, Steven A; Hinkin, Charles H; Levine, Andrew J; Lam, Mona N

2008-11-01

The association between sensation seeking and visual selective attention was examined in 31 adults with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Sensation seeking was measured with Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale Form V (SSS-V). Selective attention was assessed with a perceptual span task, where a target letter-character must be identified in a quickly presented array of nontarget letter-characters. As predicted, sensation seeking was strongly associated (R(2) = .229) with perceptual span performance in the array size 12 condition, where selective attention demands were greatest, but not in the easier conditions. The Disinhibition, Boredom Susceptibility, and Experience Seeking subscales of the SSS-V were associated with span performance. It is argued that personality factors such as sensation seeking may play a significant role in selective attention and related cognitive abilities in HIV positive adults. Furthermore, sensation seeking differences might explain certain inconsistencies in the HIV neuropsychology literature.

Reflex and Non-Reflex Torque Responses to Stretch of the Human Knee Extensors

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Mrachacz-Kersting, N

2001-01-01

.... The quadriceps muscles were stretched at various background torques, produced either voluntarily or electrically and thus the purely reflex-mediated torque could be calculated. The contribution of the reflex mediated stiffness initially low, increased with increasing background torques for the range of torques investigated.

Brain-actuated gait trainer with visual and proprioceptive feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Dong; Chen, Weihai; Lee, Kyuhwa; Chavarriaga, Ricardo; Bouri, Mohamed; Pei, Zhongcai; Millán, José del R.

2017-10-01

Objective. Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) have been proposed in closed-loop applications for neuromodulation and neurorehabilitation. This study describes the impact of different feedback modalities on the performance of an EEG-based BMI that decodes motor imagery (MI) of leg flexion and extension. Approach. We executed experiments in a lower-limb gait trainer (the legoPress) where nine able-bodied subjects participated in three consecutive sessions based on a crossover design. A random forest classifier was trained from the offline session and tested online with visual and proprioceptive feedback, respectively. Post-hoc classification was conducted to assess the impact of feedback modalities and learning effect (an improvement over time) on the simulated trial-based performance. Finally, we performed feature analysis to investigate the discriminant power and brain pattern modulations across the subjects. Main results. (i) For real-time classification, the average accuracy was 62.33 +/- 4.95 % and 63.89 +/- 6.41 % for the two online sessions. The results were significantly higher than chance level, demonstrating the feasibility to distinguish between MI of leg extension and flexion. (ii) For post-hoc classification, the performance with proprioceptive feedback (69.45 +/- 9.95 %) was significantly better than with visual feedback (62.89 +/- 9.20 %), while there was no significant learning effect. (iii) We reported individual discriminate features and brain patterns associated to each feedback modality, which exhibited differences between the two modalities although no general conclusion can be drawn. Significance. The study reported a closed-loop brain-controlled gait trainer, as a proof of concept for neurorehabilitation devices. We reported the feasibility of decoding lower-limb movement in an intuitive and natural way. As far as we know, this is the first online study discussing the role of feedback modalities in lower-limb MI decoding. Our results suggest that

Flavoured cigarettes, sensation seeking and adolescents' perceptions of cigarette brands.

Science.gov (United States)

Manning, K C; Kelly, K J; Comello, M L

2009-12-01

This study examined the interactive effects of cigarette package flavour descriptors and sensation seeking on adolescents' brand perceptions. High school students (n = 253) were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions and sequentially exposed to cigarette package illustrations for three different brands. In the flavour descriptor condition, the packages included a description of the cigarettes as "cherry", while in the traditional descriptor condition the cigarette brands were described with common phrases found on tobacco packages such as "domestic blend." Following exposure to each package participants' hedonic beliefs, brand attitudes and trial intentions were assessed. Sensation seeking was also measured, and participants were categorised as lower or higher sensation seekers. Across hedonic belief, brand attitude and trial intention measures, there were interactions between package descriptor condition and sensation seeking. These interactions revealed that among high (but not low) sensation seekers, exposure to cigarette packages including sweet flavour descriptors led to more favourable brand impressions than did exposure to packages with traditional descriptors. Among high sensation seeking youths, the appeal of cigarette brands is enhanced through the use of flavours and associated descriptions on product packaging.

Neighborhood Moderation of Sensation Seeking Effects on Adolescent Substance Use Initiation.

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Jensen, Michaeline; Chassin, Laurie; Gonzales, Nancy A

2017-09-01

Adolescent substance use carries a considerable public health burden, and early initiation into use is especially problematic. Research has shown that trait sensation seeking increases risk for substance use initiation, but less is known about contextual factors that can potentially unmask this risk. This study utilized a diverse longitudinal subsample of youth (N = 454) from a larger study of familial alcoholism (53.1% female, 61% non-Hispanic Caucasian, 27.8% Hispanic, 11.2% other ethnicity). Study questions examined sensation seeking in early adolescence (mean age = 12.16) and its relations with later substance use initiation (mean age = 15.69), and tested whether neighborhood disadvantage moderated sensation seeking's effects on initiation of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use. Neighborhood disadvantage significantly moderated the relation between sensation seeking and all three forms of substance use. For the most part, sensation seeking effects were weakened as neighborhood disadvantage increased, with the most advantaged neighborhoods exhibiting the strongest link between sensation seeking and substance use initiation. These results highlight the importance of focusing on relatively advantaged areas as potentially risky environments for the sensation seeking pathway to substance use.

Spatially valid proprioceptive cues improve the detection of a visual stimulus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jackson, Carl P T; Miall, R Chris; Balslev, Daniela

2010-01-01

, which has been demonstrated for other modality pairings. The aim of this study was to test whether proprioceptive signals can spatially cue a visual target to improve its detection. Participants were instructed to use a planar manipulandum in a forward reaching action and determine during this movement...

Regional differences in temperature sensation and thermal comfort in humans.

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Nakamura, Mayumi; Yoda, Tamae; Crawshaw, Larry I; Yasuhara, Saki; Saito, Yasuyo; Kasuga, Momoko; Nagashima, Kei; Kanosue, Kazuyuki

2008-12-01

Sensations evoked by thermal stimulation (temperature-related sensations) can be divided into two categories, "temperature sensation" and "thermal comfort." Although several studies have investigated regional differences in temperature sensation, less is known about the sensitivity differences in thermal comfort for the various body regions. In the present study, we examined regional differences in temperature-related sensations with special attention to thermal comfort. Healthy male subjects sitting in an environment of mild heat or cold were locally cooled or warmed with water-perfused stimulators. Areas stimulated were the face, chest, abdomen, and thigh. Temperature sensation and thermal comfort of the stimulated areas were reported by the subjects, as was whole body thermal comfort. During mild heat exposure, facial cooling was most comfortable and facial warming was most uncomfortable. On the other hand, during mild cold exposure, neither warming nor cooling of the face had a major effect. The chest and abdomen had characteristics opposite to those of the face. Local warming of the chest and abdomen did produce a strong comfort sensation during whole body cold exposure. The thermal comfort seen in this study suggests that if given the chance, humans would preferentially cool the head in the heat, and they would maintain the warmth of the trunk areas in the cold. The qualitative differences seen in thermal comfort for the various areas cannot be explained solely by the density or properties of the peripheral thermal receptors and thus must reflect processing mechanisms in the central nervous system.

Authoritative parenting and sensation seeking as predictors of adolescent cigarette and marijuana use.

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Stephenson, Michael T; Helme, Donald W

2006-01-01

Adolescents with high sensation-seeking tendencies often seek out thrill seeking experiences to satisfy their need for stimulation and sensation. In many cases, sensation-seeking adolescents fulfill their need for stimulation and sensation by using illicit substances. However, not all high sensation seekers use drugs, although the factors that prevent or buffer sensation seeking remain unexplored. This study fills this gap in extant research by examining the role of authoritative parenting as a protective factor that prevents or buffers cigarette and marijuana use by adolescents with high sensation-seeking tendencies. Data from 1461 adolescents attending 6th through 8th grades in central Colorado were gathered during a semester-long classroom-based intervention to prevent the onset or further use of cigarettes. Results indicate that authoritative parenting moderated the effect of sensation seeking on adolescent marijuana attitudes, intentions, and peer influence but not behaviors. Further, authoritative parenting was a stronger influence than sensation seeking on cigarette-related outcomes with just the opposite effect observed for marijuana-related outcomes.

Dopamine Regulates Approach-Avoidance in Human Sensation-Seeking.

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Norbury, Agnes; Kurth-Nelson, Zeb; Winston, Joel S; Roiser, Jonathan P; Husain, Masud

2015-04-09

Sensation-seeking is a trait that constitutes an important vulnerability factor for a variety of psychopathologies with high social cost. However, little is understood either about the mechanisms underlying motivation for intense sensory experiences or their neuropharmacological modulation in humans. Here, we first evaluate a novel paradigm to investigate sensation-seeking in humans. This test probes the extent to which participants choose either to avoid or self-administer an intense tactile stimulus (mild electric stimulation) orthogonal to performance on a simple economic decision-making task. Next we investigate in a different set of participants whether this behavior is sensitive to manipulation of dopamine D2 receptors using a within-subjects, placebo-controlled, double-blind design. In both samples, individuals with higher self-reported sensation-seeking chose a greater proportion of mild electric stimulation-associated stimuli, even when this involved sacrifice of monetary gain. Computational modelling analysis determined that people who assigned an additional positive economic value to mild electric stimulation-associated stimuli exhibited speeding of responses when choosing these stimuli. In contrast, those who assigned a negative value exhibited slowed responses. These findings are consistent with involvement of low-level, approach-avoidance processes. Furthermore, the D2 antagonist haloperidol selectively decreased the additional economic value assigned to mild electric stimulation-associated stimuli in individuals who showed approach reactions to these stimuli under normal conditions (behavioral high-sensation seekers). These findings provide the first direct evidence of sensation-seeking behavior being driven by an approach-avoidance-like mechanism, modulated by dopamine, in humans. They provide a framework for investigation of psychopathologies for which extreme sensation-seeking constitutes a vulnerability factor. © The Author 2015. Published by

Thermal sensation and thermophysiological responses with metabolic step-changes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Goto, Tomonobu; Toftum, Jørn; deDear, Richard

2006-01-01

at sedentary activity. In a second experimental series, subjects alternated between rest and exercise as well as between exercise at different intensities at two temperature levels. Measurements comprised skin and oesophageal temperatures, heart rate and subjective responses. Thermal sensation started to rise....... The sensitivity of thermal sensation to changes in core temperature was higher for activity down-steps than for up-steps. A model was proposed that estimates transient thermal sensation after metabolic step-changes. Based on predictions by the model, weighting factors were suggested to estimate a representative...... average metabolic rate with varying activity levels, e.g. for the prediction of thermal sensation by steady-state comfort models. The activity during the most recent 5 min should be weighted 65%, during the prior 10-5 min 25% and during the prior 20-10 min 10%....

Does the effect of acupuncture depend on needling sensation and manipulation?

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Choi, Yu-Jin; Lee, Jae-Eun; Moon, Won-Kyung; Cho, Seung-Hun

2013-06-01

Acupuncture sensation and manipulation have been considered to be an important component of acupuncture in traditional Asian medicine. However, there has been limited research as to whether acupuncture sensation is associated with therapeutic benefit. This study investigated the relationship between acupuncture sensation and analgesic effect according to acupuncture manipulation. Fifty-three healthy volunteers received three different forms of acupuncture in a single-blinded crossover design: superficial needling (0.3 cm), deep needling (2 cm) and needling with bi-directional rotation. The effects of acupuncture were evaluated by using the pressure pain threshold. Acupuncture sensation measurement was done in two ways. Both total acupuncture sensation and increase of the pressure pain threshold were maximum in needling with rotation, followed by deep needling and superficial needling. Repeated-measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis was carried out to assess whether there was a significant difference; both showed significant difference (p = 0.000, 0.003). A paired sample t-test was carried out, which revealed that needling with rotation showed significant difference from both superficial needling and deep needling. Further, the correlation between the total acupuncture sensation and changes in pressure pain threshold were calculated using Pearson correlation; there was a significant correlation (p = 0.002, p = 0.013). Acupuncture sensation and pressure pain threshold increase according to the depth and rotation of acupuncture. Especially, both display significant increase with needle rotation. Further, there is a significant correlation between acupuncture needling sensation and increase in pressure pain threshold. It seems that needle rotation and acupuncture sensation play an important role in verifying the effect of acupuncture. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of TRPM8 in the Guinea-pig bladder-cooling reflex investigated using a novel TRPM8 antagonist.

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Gardiner, Jennifer C; Kirkup, Anthony J; Curry, John; Humphreys, Sian; O'Regan, Paul; Postlethwaite, Michael; Young, Kimberley C; Kitching, Linda; Ethell, Brian T; Winpenny, David; McMurray, Gordon

2014-10-05

Patients with overactive bladder often exhibit abnormal bladder contractions in response to intravesical cold saline (positive ice-water test). The molecular entity involved in cold sensation within the urinary bladder is unknown, but a potential candidate is the ion channel, transient receptor potential (melastatin)-8 (TRPM8). The objective of the present study was to investigate the role of TRPM8 in a bladder-cooling reflex evoked in anaesthetised guinea-pigs that is comparable to the positive ice-water test seen in patients. Guinea-pig TRPM8 was cloned from L6 dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and expressed in HEK293 cells. Functional agonist- and cold-induced Ca2+ influx and electrophysiology assays were performed in these cells, and for comparison in HEK293 cells expressing human TRPM8, using a novel TRPM8 antagonist, the S-enantiomer of 1-phenylethyl 4-(benzyloxy)-3-methoxybenzyl (2-aminoethyl) carbamate hydrochloride (PBMC). Potency data from these assays was used to calculate intravenous infusion protocols for targeted plasma concentrations of PBMC in studies on micturition reflexes evoked by intravesical infusion of menthol or cold saline in anaesthetised guinea-pigs. Tissue expression of TRPM8 in guinea-pig bladder, urethra and in dorsal root ganglia neurones traced from the bladder was also investigated. TRPM8 mRNA and protein were detected in L6 dorsal root ganglia, bladder urothelium and smooth muscle. PBMC antagonised in vitro activation of human and guinea-pig TRPM8 and reversed menthol and cold-induced facilitation of the micturition reflex at plasma concentrations consistent with in vitro potencies. The present data suggest that the bladder-cooling reflex in the guinea-pig involves TRPM8. The potential significance of TRPM8 in bladder disease states deserves future investigation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The neural mechanisms of re-experiencing mental fatigue sensation: a magnetoencephalography study.

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Akira Ishii

Full Text Available There have been several studies which have tried to clarify the neural mechanisms of fatigue sensation; however fatigue sensation has multiple aspects. We hypothesized that past experience related to fatigue sensation is an important factor which contributes to future formation of fatigue sensation through the transfer to memories that are located within specific brain structures. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the neural mechanisms of fatigue sensation related to memory. In the present study, we investigated the neural activity caused by re-experiencing the fatigue sensation that had been experienced during a fatigue-inducing session. Thirteen healthy volunteers participated in fatigue and non-fatigue experiments in a crossover fashion. In the fatigue experiment, they performed a 2-back test session for 40 min to induce fatigue sensation, a rest session for 15 min to recover from fatigue, and a magnetoencephalography (MEG session in which they were asked to re-experience the state of their body with fatigue that they had experienced in the 2-back test session. In the non-fatigue experiment, the participants performed a free session for 15 min, a rest session for 15 min, and an MEG session in which they were asked to re-experience the state of their body without fatigue that they had experienced in the free session. Spatial filtering analyses of oscillatory brain activity showed that the delta band power in the left Brodmann's area (BA 39, alpha band power in the right pulvinar nucleus and the left BA 40, and beta band power in the left BA 40 were lower when they re-experienced the fatigue sensation than when they re-experienced the fatigue-free sensation, indicating that these brain regions are related to re-experiencing the fatigue sensation. Our findings may help clarify the neural mechanisms underlying fatigue sensation.

The neural mechanisms of re-experiencing mental fatigue sensation: a magnetoencephalography study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishii, Akira; Karasuyama, Takuma; Kikuchi, Taiki; Tanaka, Masaaki; Yamano, Emi; Watanabe, Yasuyoshi

2015-01-01

There have been several studies which have tried to clarify the neural mechanisms of fatigue sensation; however fatigue sensation has multiple aspects. We hypothesized that past experience related to fatigue sensation is an important factor which contributes to future formation of fatigue sensation through the transfer to memories that are located within specific brain structures. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the neural mechanisms of fatigue sensation related to memory. In the present study, we investigated the neural activity caused by re-experiencing the fatigue sensation that had been experienced during a fatigue-inducing session. Thirteen healthy volunteers participated in fatigue and non-fatigue experiments in a crossover fashion. In the fatigue experiment, they performed a 2-back test session for 40 min to induce fatigue sensation, a rest session for 15 min to recover from fatigue, and a magnetoencephalography (MEG) session in which they were asked to re-experience the state of their body with fatigue that they had experienced in the 2-back test session. In the non-fatigue experiment, the participants performed a free session for 15 min, a rest session for 15 min, and an MEG session in which they were asked to re-experience the state of their body without fatigue that they had experienced in the free session. Spatial filtering analyses of oscillatory brain activity showed that the delta band power in the left Brodmann's area (BA) 39, alpha band power in the right pulvinar nucleus and the left BA 40, and beta band power in the left BA 40 were lower when they re-experienced the fatigue sensation than when they re-experienced the fatigue-free sensation, indicating that these brain regions are related to re-experiencing the fatigue sensation. Our findings may help clarify the neural mechanisms underlying fatigue sensation.

Opponency of astringent and fat sensations.

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des Gachons, Catherine Peyrot; Mura, Emi; Speziale, Camille; Favreau, Charlotte J; Dubreuil, Guillaume F; Breslin, Paul A S

2012-10-09

In most cultures, people ingest a variety of astringent foods and beverages during meals, but the reasons for this practice are unclear. Many popular beliefs and heuristics, such as high tannin wines should be balanced with fatty foods, for example 'red wine with red meat', suggest that astringents such as pickles, sorbets, wines, and teas 'cleanse' the palate while eating. Oral astringents elicit 'dry, rough' sensations [1], in part, by breaking down mucinous lubricating proteins in saliva [2,3]. The introduction of oral lubricants, including fats, partially diminishes strong astringent sensations [4,5]. Thus, it appears that astringency and fattiness can oppose each other perceptually on an oral rheological spectrum. Most teas, wines, and 'palate cleansers', however, are only mildly astringent and an explanation of how they could oppose the fattiness of meals is lacking. Here, we demonstrate that weakly astringent stimuli can elicit strong sensations after repeated sampling. Astringency builds with exposures [6] to an asymptotic level determined by the structure and concentration of the compound. We also establish that multiple sips of a mild astringent solution, similar to a wine or tea, decrease oral fat sensations elicited by fatty food consumption when astringent and fatty stimuli alternate, mimicking the patterning that occurs during a real meal. Consequently, we reveal a principle underlying the international practice of 'palate cleansing'. Repeatedly alternating samples of astringent beverages with fatty foods yielded ratings of fattiness and astringency that were lower than if rinsing with water or if presented alone without alternation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bimanual proprioception: are two hands better than one?

OpenAIRE

Wong, J.D.; Wilson, E.T.; Kistemaker, D.A.; Gribble, P.L.

2014-01-01

Information about the position of an object that is held in both hands, such as a golf club or a tennis racquet, is transmitted to the human central nervous system from peripheral sensors in both left and right arms. How does the brain combine these two sources of information? Using a robot to move participant's passive limbs, we performed psychophysical estimates of proprioceptive function for each limb independently and again when subjects grasped the robot handle with both arms. We compare...

Charitable giving and reflexive individuals: How personal reflexivity mediates between structure and agency.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanghera, Balihar

2017-03-01

This article examines how individuals are reflexive beings who interpret the world in relation to things that matter to them, and how charitable acts are evaluated and embedded in their lives with different degrees of meaning and importance. Rather than framing the discussion of charitable practices in terms of an altruism/egoism binary or imputing motivations and values to social structures, the article explains how reflexivity is an important and neglected dimension of social practices, and how it interacts with sympathy, sentiments and discourses to shape giving. The study also shows that there are different modes of reflexivity, which have varied effects on charity and volunteering.

THE ROLE OF LEG AND TRUNK MUSCLES PROPRIOCEPTION ON STATIC AND DYNAMIC POSTURAL CONTROL

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SEYED Hossein Hosseinimehr

2010-04-01

Full Text Available The proprioception information is a prerequisite for balance, body’s navigation system, and the movement coordinator. Due to changes between the angles of ankle, knee, and hip joints the aforementioned information are important in the coordination of the limbs and postural balance. The aim of this study was to investigate therole of leg and trunk muscles proprioception on static and dynamic postural control. Thirty males students of physical education and sport sciences (age =21.23 ± 2.95 years, height = 170.4 ± 5.1 cm, and weight = 70.7 ± 5.6 kg participated in this study volunteered. Vibration (100HZ was used to disturb of proprioception. Vibrationoperated on leg muscle (gasterocnemius and trunk muscles (erector spine muscle, at L1 level. Leg stance time and Star Excursion Balance Test were used for evaluation of static and dynamic postural control respectively.Subjects performed pre and post (with operated vibration leg stance time and star excursion balance test. Paired sample test used for investigation the effect of vibration on leg and trunk muscles in static and dynamic postural control. Result of this study showed in static postural control, there is no significant difference between pre and post test (operated vibration in leg and trunk muscles (p≤0.05. In contrast there is significant difference indynamic postural control between pre and post test in leg muscles in 8 directions of star excursion balance test (p≤0.05 while there is only significant difference in trunk muscle in antrolateral and lateral of star excursion balance test (p≤0.05. During physical training such conditions like fatigue and injury can disturbproprioceptions’ information. Thus, due to the importance of this information we recommend that coaches'additionally specific trainings any sport used specific exercises to enhance the proprioception information

Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy Improves Long-Term Nipple But Not Skin Sensation After Breast Reconstruction: Quantification of Long-Term Sensation in Nipple Sparing Versus Non-nipple Sparing Mastectomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez-Unda, Nelson A; Bello, Ricardo J; Clarke-Pearson, Emily M; Sanyal, Abanti; Cooney, Carisa M; Manahan, Michele A; Rosson, Gedge D

2017-06-01

Changes in breast sensation after reconstruction are expected. Return of breast sensation after reconstruction and whether nipple-sparing mastectomy offers a substantial benefit in terms of sensation has been inconsistently documented in the literature. We conducted the current study using the pressure-specified sensory device to quantify postoperative breast sensation in patients undergoing nipple-sparing versus non-nipple-sparing mastectomy. Consecutive adult women who underwent nipple-sparing (NSM) and non-NSM (NNSM) and were at least 18 months postreconstruction were included. Breast measurements were taken in 4 quadrants (upper/lower lateral, upper/lower medial) and nipple. Averaged skin cutaneous thresholds [(UL+LL+UM+LM)/4] and nipple sensation between NSM and NNSM were compared as the primary outcome measure. A generalized estimating equations model was used; univariate and multivariate variable analyses were done when appropriate. Forty-four patients (74 breasts) were examined (53 NNSM vs 21 NSM). The groups were further subdivided into autologous versus implant-based reconstruction. Averaged cutaneous skin thresholds for quadrants were better for the NSM, 51.8(±24.5) g/mm versus NNSM, 56.5(±25.7) g/mm, although this difference was not statistically significant. However, NSM breasts measured higher nipple or nipple area sensitivity, 44.5(±30.8) g/mm versus NNSM, 83.8(±27.4) g/mm (P sensation was the number of revision surgeries, especially after third revision. Breast sensation is decreased after reconstruction in both NSM and NNSM, but nipple sensation or nipple area is better preserved in NSM breasts. Number of revision surgeries (>3) was a predictor of decreased sensation.

Phantom sensations in people with complete spinal cord lesions: a grounded theory perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Drysdale, Daren G; Shem, Kazuko; Walbom, Agnes; Miner, Maureen D; Maclachlan, Malcolm

2009-01-01

Phantom sensations are somatic phenomena arising from denervated parts of the body. There is very little research, and much diagnostic confusion, regarding such experiences in people with spinal cord injuries. In the case of 'complete' spinal cord lesions, phantom experiences may challenge, and indeed, contradict, the understanding that both clinicians and patients have of such injuries. This paper seeks to provide a better understanding of such 'phantom' sensations in spinal cord injury. We used grounded theory methods to explore 'phantom' sensations as experienced by individuals with complete (ASIA A) spinal lesions. Eight people with complete lesions, who were selected through theoretical sampling, participated in a semi-structured interview. Emergent themes included injury context, sensations experienced, the meaning of sensations, body connectivity, attitude and communication about sensations. Our results provide an enhanced understanding of the embodied experience of phantom sensations, and important insights regarding self-construction and rehabilitative processes in people with spinal cord injury who experience such anomalous sensations.

[Laryngeal adduction reflex].

Science.gov (United States)

Ptok, M; Bonenberger, S; Miller, S; Kühn, D; Jungheim, M

2014-07-01

Laryngeal Adductor Reflex Background: A rapid closure of the vocal folds is necessary, whenever foreign materials or food particles penetrate into the larynx. Otherwise a passage of these particles into the trachea or the lower respiratory tract would be imminent. An aspiration could mechanically block the respiratory tract and cause severe dyspnoea or cause aspiration pneumonia. For this systematic review a selective literature research in PubMed and Scopus using the keywords "laryngeal adductor reflex" and "vocal fold closure" has been carried out. Apart from the oesophago-glottal and pharyngo-glottal closure reflexes, the laryngeal adductor reflex (LAR) has been investigated in particular. The LAR qualifies as a reflectory laryngeal adductor mechanism and involves early, presumably di- or oligosynaptic ipsilateral LAR1 as well as late polysynaptic ipsi- and contralateral LAR2 components. In clinical routine diagnostic settings of dysphagia, LAR is only assessed qualitatively and usually triggered by air pulses or tactile stimulation. Dysphagiologists often find that not only the laryngeal sensibility in general is impaired, but especially the protective laryngeal adduction mechanism, which results in a higher risk of aspiration. Thus, it appears mandatory to test the LAR not only qualitatively but also quantitatively. Unfortunately a valid and reliable method that can be employed in clinical practice has not yet been put forward. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Effect of Vestibulo-Proprioceptive Stimulations in a Child with Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum

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Hamid Dalvand

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Background and Aim: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of vestibulo-proprioceptive stimulations of sensory integration theory on the development of gross and fine motor, language and personal-social functions in a child with agenesis of the corpus callosum.Case: We report a 10.5 month old boy with agenesis of the corpus callosum. The intervention was administered based on sensory integration theory an hour a week for 20 weeks. The exercise intervention consisted of proprioceptive and linear, sustained and low frequency vestibular stimulations on suspension device and physio roll. A Denver Developmental Screening- II and milestones skill testing was completed pre-intervention and monthly. Post-intervention, age of gross motor, fine motor adaptive, language, and personal-social functions significantly improved. Based on milestones skills, maintenance of gross motor functions (e.g. sitting and quadruped position improved. The child could roll from side to side and released objects voluntarily. The reaction time to auditory stimulations became less than 2 seconds.Conclusion: vestibulo-proprioceptive stimulations using the neuroplasticity ability of the central nervous system is effective for development of gross and fine motor, language, and personal-social functions. These exercises can be administered for a child with agenesis of the corpus callosum.

Application of vibration to wrist and hand skin affects fingertip tactile sensation

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Lakshminarayanan, Kishor; Lauer, Abigail W; Ramakrishnan, Viswanathan; Webster, John G; Seo, Na Jin

2015-01-01

A recent study showed that fingertip pads’ tactile sensation can improve by applying imperceptible white-noise vibration to the skin at the wrist or dorsum of the hand in stroke patients. This study further examined this behavior by investigating the effect of both imperceptible and perceptible white-noise vibration applied to different locations within the distal upper extremity on the fingertip pads’ tactile sensation in healthy adults. In 12 healthy adults, white-noise vibration was applied to one of four locations (dorsum hand by the second knuckle, thenar and hypothenar areas, and volar wrist) at one of four intensities (zero, 60%, 80%, and 120% of the sensory threshold for each vibration location), while the fingertip sensation, the smallest vibratory signal that could be perceived on the thumb and index fingertip pads, was assessed. Vibration intensities significantly affected the fingertip sensation (P sensation (P sensation (P sensation (P > 0.01), all compared with the zero vibration condition. This effect with vibration intensity conforms to the stochastic resonance behavior. Nonspecificity to the vibration location suggests the white-noise vibration affects higher level neuronal processing for fingertip sensing. Further studies are needed to elucidate the neural pathways for distal upper extremity vibration to impact fingertip pad tactile sensation. PMID:26177959

Role of interoceptive accuracy in topographical changes in emotion-induced bodily sensations

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Won-Mo; Ryu, Yeonhee; Lee, Ye-Seul; Wallraven, Christian; Chae, Younbyoung

2017-01-01

The emotion-associated bodily sensation map is composed of a specific topographical distribution of bodily sensations to categorical emotions. The present study investigated whether or not interoceptive accuracy was associated with topographical changes in this map following emotion-induced bodily sensations. This study included 31 participants who observed short video clips containing emotional stimuli and then reported their sensations on the body map. Interoceptive accuracy was evaluated with a heartbeat detection task and the spatial patterns of bodily sensations to specific emotions, including anger, fear, disgust, happiness, sadness, and neutral, were visualized using Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) analyses. Distinct patterns of bodily sensations were identified for different emotional states. In addition, positive correlations were found between the magnitude of sensation in emotion-specific regions and interoceptive accuracy across individuals. A greater degree of interoceptive accuracy was associated with more specific topographical changes after emotional stimuli. These results suggest that the awareness of one’s internal bodily states might play a crucial role as a required messenger of sensory information during the affective process. PMID:28877218

Improved proprioceptive function by application of subsensory electrical noise: Effects of aging and task-demand.

Science.gov (United States)

Toledo, Diana R; Barela, José A; Kohn, André F

2017-09-01

The application of subsensory noise stimulation over the lower limbs has been shown to improve proprioception and postural control under certain conditions. Whereas the effect specificity seems to depend on several factors, studies are still needed to determine the appropriate method for training and rehabilitation purposes. In the current study, we investigated whether the application of subsensory electrical noise over the legs improves proprioceptive function in young and older adults. We aimed to provide evidence that stronger and age-related differential effects occur in more demanding tasks. Proprioceptive function was initially assessed by testing the detection of passive ankle movement (kinesthetic perception) in twenty-eight subjects (14 young and 14 older adults). Thereafter, postural control was assessed during tasks with different sensory challenges: i) by removing visual information (eyes closed) and; ii) by moving the visual scene (moving room paradigm). Tests performed with the application of electrical noise stimulation were compared to those performed without noise. The results showed that electrical noise applied over the legs led to a reduction in the response time to kinesthetic perception in both young and older adults. On the other hand, the magnitude of postural sway was reduced by noise stimulation only during a more challenging task, namely, when the optical flow was changing in an unpredictable (nonperiodic) manner. No differential effects of stimulation between groups were observed. These findings suggest that the relevance of proprioceptive inputs in tasks with different challenges, but not the subjects' age, is a determining factor for sensorimotor improvements due to electrical noise stimulation. Copyright © 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prognostic value of thumb pain sensation in birth brachial plexopathy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos O. Heise

2012-08-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognostic value of absent thumb pain sensation in newborns and young infants with birth brachial plexopathy. METHODS: We evaluated 131 patients with birth brachial plexopathy with less than two months of age. Pain sensation was evoked by thumb nail bed compression to evaluate sensory fibers of the upper trunk (C6. The patients were followed-up monthly. Patients with less than antigravity elbow flexion at six months of age were considered to have a poor outcome. RESULTS: Thirty patients had absent thumb pain sensation, from which 26 showed a poor outcome. Sensitivity of the test was 65% and specificity was 96%. CONCLUSION: Evaluation of thumb pain sensation should be included in the clinical assessment of infants with birth brachial plexopathy.

Deqi sensations without cutaneous sensory input: results of an RCT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simang Michael

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Deqi is defined in relation to acupuncture needling as a sensory perception of varying character. In a recently published sham laser validation study, we found that subjects in the verum and the sham laser group experienced deqi sensations. Therefore, we aim to further analyze whether the perceptions reported in the two study arms were distinguishable and whether expectancy effects exhibited considerable impact on our results. Methods A detailed re-analysis focusing on deqi sensations was performed from data collected in a previously published placebo-controlled, double-blind, clinical cross-over trial for a sham laser evaluation. Thirty-four healthy volunteers (28 ± 10.7 years; 16 women, 18 men received two laser acupuncture treatments at three acupuncture points LI4 (hégu, LU7 (liéque, and LR3 (táichong; once by verum laser and once using a sham device containing an inactive laser in randomized order. Outcome measures were frequency, intensity (evaluated by visual analogue scale; VAS, and quality of the subjects' sensations perceived during treatments (assessed with the "acupuncture sensation scale". Results Both, verum and the sham laser acupuncture result in similar deqi sensations with regard to frequency (p-value = 0.67, intensity (p-value = 0.71 and quality (p-values between 0.15 - 0.98. In both groups the most frequently used adjectives to describe these perceptions were "spreading", "radiating", "tingling", "tugging", "pulsing", "warm", "dull", and "electric". Sensations reported were consistent with the perception of deqi as previously defined in literature. Subjects' conviction regarding the effectiveness of laser acupuncture or the history of having received acupuncture treatments before did not correlate with the frequency or intensity of sensations reported. Conclusions Since deqi sensations, described as sensory perceptions, were elicited without any cutaneous sensory input, we assume that they are a

Sensation seeking as risk factor for suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in adolescence.

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Ortin, Ana; Lake, Alison M; Kleinman, Marjorie; Gould, Madelyn S

2012-12-20

High sensation seeking in adolescence is associated with engagement in risk-taking behaviors, especially substance use. Although depressed adolescents are prone to increased risk-taking, and suicidal behavior can be considered within the spectrum of risk-taking behaviors, the relationships between sensation seeking, depression, and suicidal behavior have not been explored. A self-report questionnaire assessing sensation seeking, depression, substance use problems, and suicidal ideation and suicide attempts was completed by 9th- through 12th-grade students (n=2189) in six New York State high-schools from 2002 through 2004. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine main and interaction effects between sensation seeking and the four clinical variables. High sensation seeking was positively associated with depressive symptoms and substance use problems. The main effects of sensation seeking on suicidal ideation and suicide attempts remained significant after controlling for depression and substance use. The association between sensation seeking and suicide attempts was moderated by substance use problems. The schools were suburban and predominantly white, limiting the generalizability of the results. Other mental disorders with potential implications for sensation seeking and for suicidal behavior, such as bipolar disorders, were not assessed. The finding that sensation seeking makes an independent contribution to the risk of suicidal ideation and attempts is consistent with findings in literature on novelty seeking and impulsivity. The associations between sensation seeking, depressive symptoms and suicidal behavior may be compatible with the presence of an underlying temperamental dysregulation. Screening for sensation seeking may contribute to the reduction of adolescent suicide risk. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of chronic and acute cigarette smoking on the pharyngo-upper oesophageal sphincter contractile reflex and reflexive pharyngeal swallow

OpenAIRE

Dua, K; Bardan, E; Ren, J; Sui, Z; Shaker, R

1998-01-01

Background—Cigarette smoking is known to affect adversely the defence mechanisms against gastro-oesophageal reflux. The effect of smoking on the supraoesophageal reflexes that prevent aspiration of gastric contents has not been previously studied. 
Aims—To elucidate the effect of cigarette smoking on two of the supraoesophageal reflexes: the pharyngo-upper oesophageal sphincter (UOS) contractile reflex; and the reflexive pharyngeal swallow. 
Methods—Ten chronic smokers and 10 non-...

Desensitization of the cough reflex by exercise and voluntary isocapnic hyperpnea.

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Lavorini, Federico; Fontana, Giovanni A; Chellini, Elisa; Magni, Chiara; Duranti, Roberto; Widdicombe, John

2010-05-01

Little is known about the effects of exercise on the sensory and cognitive aspects of coughing evoked by inhalation of tussigenic agents. The threshold for the cough reflex induced by inhalation of increasing nebulizer outputs of ultrasonically nebulized distilled water (fog), an index of cough reflex sensitivity, was assessed in twelve healthy humans in control conditions, during exercise and during voluntary isocapnic hyperpnea (VIH) at the same ventilatory level as the exercise. The intensity of the urge to cough (UTC), a cognitive component of coughing, was recorded throughout the trials on a linear scale. The relationships between inhaled fog nebulizer outputs and the correspondingly evoked UTC values, an index of the perceptual magnitude of the UTC sensitivity, were also calculated. Cough appearance was always assessed audiovisually. At an exercise level of 80% of anaerobic threshold, the median cough threshold was increased from a control value of 0.73 to 2.22 ml/min (PVIH, the threshold increased from 0.73 to 2.22 ml/min (PVIH compared with control, mean UTC values at cough threshold were unchanged, i.e., control, 3.83 cm; exercise, 3.12 cm; VIH, 4.08 cm. The relationship of the fog nebulizer output/UTC value was linear in control conditions and logarithmic during both exercise and VIH. The perception of the magnitude of the UTC seems to be influenced by signals or sensations arising from exercising limb and thoracic muscles and/or by higher nervous (cortical) mechanisms. The results indicate that the adjustments brought into action by exercise-induced or voluntary hyperpnea exert inhibitory influences on the sensory and cognitive components of fog-induced cough.

Designing messages with high sensation value: when activation meets reactance.

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Xu, Jie

2015-01-01

Based on two theoretical models--activation model of information exposure and psychological reactance theory--this study examined the individual and combined effects of message sensation value (MSV) and controlling language on young adults' information processing. Two experimental studies on anti-drunken driving and anti-smoking public service announcements were conducted that were conceptual replications of one another. The measures included perceived threat to freedom, sensation seeking, perceived ad effectiveness and state reactance (anger). Across the two studies, MSV was found to advance the perceived ad effectiveness, and controlling language contributed to anger. A consistent interaction was revealed, such that participants responded positively to the high sensation value messages when presented with low controlling language. The effect of high sensation value anti-smoking ads to advance persuasiveness particularly under the condition of low controlling language was more influential to low sensation seekers. This study suggests that increasing MSV coupled with high controlling language can backfire, especially when targeting young adults. The implications for persuasion in general are considered, as well as the specific findings for drunken driving and smoking.

Enhancement of motor-imagery ability via combined action observation and motor-imagery training with proprioceptive neurofeedback.

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Ono, Yumie; Wada, Kenya; Kurata, Masaya; Seki, Naoto

2018-04-23

Varied individual ability to control the sensory-motor rhythms may limit the potential use of motor-imagery (MI) in neurorehabilitation and neuroprosthetics. We employed neurofeedback training of MI under action observation (AO: AOMI) with proprioceptive feedback and examined whether it could enhance MI-induced event-related desynchronization (ERD). Twenty-eight healthy young adults participated in the neurofeedback training. They performed MI while watching a video of hand-squeezing motion from a first-person perspective. Eleven participants received correct proprioceptive feedback of the same hand motion with the video, via an exoskeleton robot attached to their hand, upon their successful generation of ERD. Another nine participants received random feedback. The training lasted for approximately 20 min per day and continued for 6 days within an interval of 2 weeks. MI-ERD power was evaluated separately, without AO, on each experimental day. The MI-ERD power of the participants receiving correct feedback, as opposed to random feedback, was significantly increased after training. An additional experiment in which the remaining eight participants were trained with auditory instead of proprioceptive feedback failed to show statistically significant increase in MI-ERD power. The significant training effect obtained in shorter training time relative to previously proposed methods suggests the superiority of AOMI training and physiologically-congruent proprioceptive feedback to enhance the MI-ERD power. The proposed neurofeedback training could help patients with motor deficits to attain better use of brain-machine interfaces for rehabilitation and/or prosthesis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Effects of Balance Training on Stability and Proprioception Scores of the Ankle in College Students

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Andrew L. Shim

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if stability and proprioception scores improved on college-aged students using a slack line device. Methods: One group of 20 participants aged 18-23 from a Midwestern university performed a pre-test/post-test on a computerized posturography plate to determine Center of Pressure (CoP and Limit of Stability (LoS scores.  Participants performed three 20-30 minute sessions per week of balance and proprioceptive training using a Balance Bow for a period of four weeks. Data were analyzed (SPSS 21.0 using a dependent t-test to determine if any changes occurred between pre- and post-test scores after four weeks.  Results: The analyses found no significance difference in Center of Pressure (CoP, normal stability eyes open (NSEO, normal stability eyes closed (NSEC, perturbed stability eyes open (PSEO, perturbed stability eyes closed (PSEC, or LoS forward (F, backward (B, or right (R scores in college-aged participants. A significant difference was found in LoS left (L and a notable trend towards significance was found in LoS R results. Conclusion: With the exception of LoS L stability scores, it was concluded that 12 sessions of 20-30 minutes, utilizing a slack line device, over a four week training period did not significantly improve stability and proprioceptive scores of the ankle in college-aged participants. Keywords: Proprioception, Limit of Stability (LoS, Center of Pressure (CoP, slack line device

Estimation of thermal sensation during varied air temperature conditions.

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Katsuura, T; Tabuchi, R; Iwanaga, K; Harada, H; Kikuchi, Y

1998-03-01

Seven male students were exposed to four varied air temperature environments: hot (37 degrees C) to neutral (27 degrees C) (HN), neutral to hot (NH), cool (17 degrees C) to neutral (CN), and neutral to cool (NC). The air temperature was maintained at the first condition for 20 min, then was changed to the second condition after 15 min and was held there for 20 min. Each subject wore a T-shirt, briefs, trunks, and socks. Each sat on a chair and was continuously evaluated for thermal sensation, thermal comfort, and air velocity sensation. Some physiological and thermal parameters were also measured every 5 s during the experiment. The correlation between thermal sensation and skin temperature at 15 sites was found to be poor. The subjects felt much warmer during the rising phase of the air temperature (CN, NH) than during the descending phase (HN, NC) at a given mean skin temperature. However, thermal sensation at the same heat flux or at the same value of the difference between skin and air temperature (delta(Tsk - Ta)) was not so different among the four experimental conditions, and the correlation between thermal sensation and heat flux or delta(Tsk - Ta) was fairly good. The multiple regression equation of the thermal sensation (TS) on 15 sites of skin temperature (Tsk; degrees C) was calculated and the coefficient of determination (R*2) was found to be 0.656. Higher coefficients of determination were found in the equations of thermal sensation for the heat flux (H; kcal.m-2.h-1) at the right and left thighs of the subjects and on delta(Tsk - Ta) (degrees C) at 4 sites. They were as follows: TS = 2.04 - 0.016 Hright - 0.036 Hleft; R*2 = 0.717, TS = 1.649 + 0.013 delta(Tsk - Ta)UpperArm - 0.036 delta(Tsk - Ta)Chest - 0.223 delta(Tsk - Ta)Thigh-0.083 delta(Tsk - Ta)LowerLeg; R*2 = 0.752, respectively.

Error-enhanced augmented proprioceptive feedback in stroke rehabilitation training : a pilot study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Molier, Birgit I.; de Boer, Jacintha; Prange, Gerdienke B.; Jannink, Michiel J.A.

2009-01-01

Augmented feedback plays an essential role in stroke rehabilitation therapy. When a force is applied to the arm, an augmented sensory (proprioceptive) cue is provided. The question was to find out if stroke patients can learn reach-and retrieval movements with error-enhanced augmented sensory

A novel reflex cough testing device.

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Fujiwara, Kazunori; Kawamoto, Katsuyuki; Shimizu, Yoko; Fukuhara, Takahiro; Koyama, Satoshi; Kataoka, Hideyuki; Kitano, Hiroya; Takeuchi, Hiromi

2017-01-18

The reflex cough test is useful for detecting silent aspiration, a risk factor for aspiration pneumonia. However, assessing the risk of aspiration pneumonia requires measuring not only the cough reflex but also cough strength. Currently, no reflex cough testing device is available that can directly measure reflex cough strength. We therefore developed a new testing device that can easily and simultaneously measure cough strength and the time until the cough reflex, and verified whether screening with this new instrument is feasible for evaluating the risk of aspiration pneumonia. This device consists of a special pipe with a double lumen, a nebulizer, and an electronic spirometer. We used a solution of prescription-grade L-tartaric acid to initiate the cough reflex. The solution was inhaled through a mouthpiece as a microaerosol produced by an ultrasonic nebulizer. The peak cough flow (PCF) of the induced cough was measured with the spirometer. The 70 patients who participated in this study comprised 49 patients without a history of pneumonia (group A), 21 patients with a history of pneumonia (group B), and 10 healthy volunteers (control group). With the novel device, PCF and time until cough reflex could be measured without adverse effects. The PCF values were 118.3 ± 64.0 L/min, 47.7 ± 38.5 L/min, and 254.9 ± 83.8 L/min in group A, group B, and the control group, respectively. The PCF of group B was significantly lower than that of group A and the control group (p reflex was 4.2 ± 5.9 s, 7.0 ± 7.0 s, and 1 s in group A, group B, and the control group, respectively. This duration was significantly longer for groups A and B than for the control group (A: p reflex and the strength of involuntary coughs for assessment of patients at risk of aspiration pneumonia.

Combining motor imagery with selective sensation toward a hybrid-modality BCI.

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Yao, Lin; Meng, Jianjun; Zhang, Dingguo; Sheng, Xinjun; Zhu, Xiangyang

2014-08-01

A hybrid modality brain-computer interface (BCI) is proposed in this paper, which combines motor imagery with selective sensation to enhance the discrimination between left and right mental tasks, e.g., the classification between left/ right stimulation sensation and right/ left motor imagery. In this paradigm, wearable vibrotactile rings are used to stimulate both the skin on both wrists. Subjects are required to perform the mental tasks according to the randomly presented cues (i.e., left hand motor imagery, right hand motor imagery, left stimulation sensation or right stimulation sensation). Two-way ANOVA statistical analysis showed a significant group effect (F (2,20) = 7.17, p = 0.0045), and the Benferroni-corrected multiple comparison test (with α = 0.05) showed that the hybrid modality group is 11.13% higher on average than the motor imagery group, and 10.45% higher than the selective sensation group. The hybrid modality experiment exhibits potentially wider spread usage within ten subjects crossed 70% accuracy, followed by four subjects in motor imagery and five subjects in selective sensation. Six subjects showed statistically significant improvement ( Benferroni-corrected) in hybrid modality in comparison with both motor imagery and selective sensation. Furthermore, among subjects having difficulties in both motor imagery and selective sensation, the hybrid modality improves their performance to 90% accuracy. The proposed hybrid modality BCI has demonstrated clear benefits for those poorly performing BCI users. Not only does the requirement of motor and sensory anticipation in this hybrid modality provide basic function of BCI for communication and control, it also has the potential for enhancing the rehabilitation during motor recovery.

Visual and Proprioceptive Cue Weighting in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typical Development

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L Miller

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Accurate movement of the body and the perception of the body's position in space usually rely on both visual and proprioceptive cues. These cues are weighted differently depending on task, visual conditions and neurological factors. Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD and often also children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD have movement deficits, and there is evidence that cue weightings may differ between these groups. It is often reported that ASD is linked to an increased reliance on proprioceptive information at the expense of visual information (Haswell et al, 2009; Gepner et al, 1995. The inverse appears to be true for DCD (Wann et al, 1998; Biancotto et al, 2011. I will report experiments comparing, for the first time, relative weightings of visual and proprioceptive information in children aged 8-14 with ASD, DCD and typical development. Children completed the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC-II to assess motor ability and a visual-proprioceptive matching task to assess relative cue weighting. Results from the movement battery provided evidence for movement deficits in ASD similar to those in DCD. Cue weightings in the matching task did not differentiate the clinical groups, however those children with ASD with relatively spared movement skills tended to weight visual cues less heavily than those with DCD-like movement deficits. These findings will be discussed with reference to previous DSM-IV diagnostic criteria and also relevant revisions in the DSM-V.

The existence of propagated sensation along the meridian proved by neuroelectrophysiology

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Xu, Jinsen; Zheng, Shuxia; Pan, Xiaohua; Zhu, Xiaoxiang; Hu, Xianglong

2013-01-01

Propagated sensation along the meridian can occur when acupoints are stimulated by acupuncture or electrical impulses. In this study, participants with notable propagated sensation along the dian were given electro-acupuncture at the Jianyu (LI15) acupoint of the large intestine meridian. When participants stated that the sensation reached the back of their hand, regular nervous system action discharge was examined using a physiological recording electrode placed on the superficial branch of the radial nerve. The topographical maps of brain-evoked potential in the primary cortical somatosensory area were also detected. When Guangming (GB37) acupoint in the lower limb and Hegu (LI4) acupoint in the upper limb were stimulated, subjects without propagated sensation along the meridian exhibited a high potential reaction in the corresponding area of the brain cortical so-matosensory area. For subjects with a notable propagated sensation along the meridian, the tion area was larger and extended into the face representative area. These electrophysiological measures directly prove the existence of propagated sensation along the meridian, and the pheral stimulated site is consistent with the corresponding primary cortical somatosensory area, which presents a high potential reaction. PMID:25206574

"On Becoming a Critically Reflexive Practitioner" Redux: What Does It Mean to "Be" Reflexive?

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Cunliffe, Ann L.

2016-01-01

In this commentary, Cunliffe states that is convinced that reflexivity offers a way of foregrounding our moral and ethical responsibility for people and for the world around us. To "BE" reflexive was defined as embracing "subjective understandings of reality as a basis for thinking more critically about the impact of our…

Hearing visuo-tactile synchrony - Sound-induced proprioceptive drift in the invisible hand illusion.

Science.gov (United States)

Darnai, Gergely; Szolcsányi, Tibor; Hegedüs, Gábor; Kincses, Péter; Kállai, János; Kovács, Márton; Simon, Eszter; Nagy, Zsófia; Janszky, József

2017-02-01

The rubber hand illusion (RHI) and its variant the invisible hand illusion (IHI) are useful for investigating multisensory aspects of bodily self-consciousness. Here, we explored whether auditory conditioning during an RHI could enhance the trisensory visuo-tactile-proprioceptive interaction underlying the IHI. Our paradigm comprised of an IHI session that was followed by an RHI session and another IHI session. The IHI sessions had two parts presented in counterbalanced order. One part was conducted in silence, whereas the other part was conducted on the backdrop of metronome beats that occurred in synchrony with the brush movements used for the induction of the illusion. In a first experiment, the RHI session also involved metronome beats and was aimed at creating an associative memory between the brush stroking of a rubber hand and the sounds. An analysis of IHI sessions showed that the participants' perceived hand position drifted more towards the body-midline in the metronome relative to the silent condition without any sound-related session differences. Thus, the sounds, but not the auditory RHI conditioning, influenced the IHI. In a second experiment, the RHI session was conducted without metronome beats. This confirmed the conditioning-independent presence of sound-induced proprioceptive drift in the IHI. Together, these findings show that the influence of visuo-tactile integration on proprioceptive updating is modifiable by irrelevant auditory cues merely through the temporal correspondence between the visuo-tactile and auditory events. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

Right Temporoparietal Cortex Activation during Visuo-proprioceptive Conflict

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balslev, Daniela; Nielsen, Finn Årup; Paulson, Olaf B.

2005-01-01

by the two modalities. Subjects felt the passive movement of the right index finger on a rectangular field and watched a cursor moving on a computer screen. Cursor and finger locations either mapped onto each other (congruent condition) or did not (incongruent condition). Monitoring incongruent compared...... with congruent movement activated the premotor area bilaterally and the right temporoparietal junction. These brain areas have previously been associated with shifts in the attended location in the visual space. These findings suggest an interaction between vision and proprioception in orienting to spatial...

AMPUTATION AND REFLEX SYMPATHETIC DYSTROPHY

NARCIS (Netherlands)

GEERTZEN, JHB; EISMA, WH

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by chronic burning pain, restricted range of motion, oedema and vasolability. Patients are difficult to treat and the prognosis is very often poor. This report emphasizes that an amputation in case of a reflex sympathetic

Portraying Reflexivity in Health Services Research.

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Rae, John; Green, Bill

2016-09-01

A model is proposed for supporting reflexivity in qualitative health research, informed by arguments from Bourdieu and Finlay. Bourdieu refers to mastering the subjective relation to the object at three levels-the overall social space, the field of specialists, and the scholastic universe. The model overlays Bourdieu's levels of objectivation with Finlay's three stages of research (pre-research, data collection, and data analysis). The intersections of these two ways of considering reflexivity, displayed as cells of a matrix, pose questions and offer prompts to productively challenge health researchers' reflexivity. Portraiture is used to show how these challenges and prompts can facilitate such reflexivity, as illustrated in a research project. © The Author(s) 2016.

Altered Developmental Trajectories for Impulsivity and Sensation Seeking among Adolescent Substance Users

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Charles, Nora E.; Ryan, Stacy R.; Bray, Bethany C.; Mathias, Charles W.; Acheson, Ashley; Dougherty, Donald M.

2016-01-01

A number of studies have associated impulsivity and sensation seeking with level of substance use and risk for developing a substance use disorder. These relationships may be particularly apparent during adolescence, when developmental changes in impulsivity and sensation seeking occur at the same time as increased opportunities for substance use. To examine this, the current study measured impulsivity and sensation seeking from pre-adolescence to mid-adolescence in a sample of youth, the majority of whom were identified as being at risk for developing a substance use disorder based on their family history of substance use disorders. Youth were separated into those who did (n = 117) and did not (n = 269) initiate substance use by mid-adolescence. Results showed that substance users were more impulsive and more sensation seeking during pre-adolescence, prior to any significant substance use, and that greater sensation seeking in pre-adolescence was related to heavier substance use by mid-adolescence. In addition, developmental trajectories for substance-using youth showed a greater increase in sensation seeking but a more modest decrease in impulsivity from pre-adolescence to mid-adolescence. Taken together, these results indicate that increased impulsivity and sensation seeking is apparent in adolescent substance users as early as pre-adolescence, that the difference between substance users and non-users becomes larger across early adolescence as their developmental trajectories diverge, and that greater sensation seeking in pre-adolescence may predict increased substance use by mid-adolescence. PMID:27174219

Spinal Dural Arteriovenous Fistula (SDAVF in a Patient with Progressive Paraparesia: A Case Report

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Mehrdokht Mazdeh

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Spinal dural arteriovenous fistula (SDAVF is a known cause of nontraumatic slow progressive araparesia and is frequently overlooked because its clinical features overlap with more common causes of myelopathy and also neuroimaging may be normal. Case Report: A 53 year-old man with developed weakness of both lower limbs had symptoms begun spontaneously 3.5 month before admission and progressed from 1 month ago with bowel and bladder incontinence. The patient's physical examination was normal and neurologic testing revealed lower extremity motor strength of 3/5. Deep tendon reflexes were decreased and superficial abdominal reflexes were absent. Sensation of pinprick and temperature was absent distal to the T4-T5 level. Vibration and proprioception were decreased to the ankle and saddle anesthesia and the patient was non ambulatory. Laboratory routine and specific tests for vitamin B12 level, hepatitis, HIV, HTLV1, 2 were negative. MRI of spine with and without contrast raised the possibility of dural arteriovenous malformation extended from T3 level to conus medullaris which was confirmed by angiography. The patient referred to neurosurgeon for deciding route of treatment. Conclusion: SDAVF can be a significant non traumatic slowly progressive cause of myelopathy. The majority of the affected patients are males older than 50 years of age. Rapid diagnosis in these patients leads to significant improvement.

Higher-order cognitive factors affect subjective but not proprioceptive aspects of self-representation in the rubber hand illusion.

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Dempsey-Jones, Harriet; Kritikos, Ada

2014-05-01

In the current study we look at whether subjective and proprioceptive aspects of selfrepresentation are separable components subserved by distinct systems of multisensory integration. We used the rubber hand illusion (RHI) to draw the location of the 'self' away from the body, towards extracorporeal space (Out Condition), thereby violating top-down information about the body location. This was compared with the traditional RHI which drew position of the 'self' towards the body (In Condition). We were successfully able to draw proprioceptive position of the limbs in and out from the body suggesting body perception is a purely bottom-up process, resistant to top-down effects. Conversely, we found subjective self-representation was altered by the violation of top-down body information - as the strong association of subjective and proprioceptive factors found in the In Condition became non-significant in the Out Condition. Interestingly, we also found evidence that subjective embodiment can modulate tactile perception. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The association of hand preference and sensation seeking behavior.

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Kuderer, Sonja; Kirchengast, Sylvia

Although the human body shows a superficial symmetry, the disparate functions and skills of both body halves lead to an asymmetrical use. As a result, lateral preferences are detectable, which also include the favoured use of one hand ('handedness'). The collection of questionnaire data on sensation seeking and the conduction of behavioral handedness tasks by 55 research participants enabled the investigation of the interaction of handedness and sensation seeking. For this procedure the age-homogeneous study population is divided according to the Handedness-Index (HI) - a calculated value, indicating the practical hand preference. The results reveal a stronger lateralization in right-handed participants as well as a difference in the mean value of hand use in the three handedness groups. Sensation seeking behavior shows significant negative correlations with age as well as with the HI. Higher scores of left-handers in Experience Seeking (ES), Sensation Seeking (SS) as well as in Thrill and Adventure Seeking (TAS) indicate a larger risk investment in this handedness group. Hence, the results of this study suggest that handedness is a strong indicator of risk behavior.

Effect of proprioception training on knee joint position sense in female team handball players.

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Pánics, G; Tállay, A; Pavlik, A; Berkes, I

2008-06-01

A number of studies have shown that proprioception training can reduce the risk of injuries in pivoting sports, but the mechanism is not clearly understood. To determine the contributing effects of propioception on knee joint position sense among team handball players. Prospective cohort study. Two professional female handball teams were followed prospectively for the 2005-6 season. 20 players in the intervention team followed a prescribed proprioceptive training programme while 19 players in the control team did not have a specific propioceptive training programme. The coaches recorded all exposures of the individual players. The location and nature of injuries were recorded. Joint position sense (JPS) was measured by a goniometer on both knees in three angle intervals, testing each angle five times. Assessments were performed before and after the season by the same examiner for both teams. In the intervention team a third assessment was also performed during the season. Complete data were obtained for 15 subjects in the intervention team and 16 in the control team. Absolute error score, error of variation score and SEM were calculated and the results of the intervention and control teams were compared. The proprioception sensory function of the players in the intervention team was significantly improved between the assessments made at the start and the end of the season (mean (SD) absolute error 9.78-8.21 degrees (7.19-6.08 degrees ) vs 3.61-4.04 degrees (3.71-3.20 degrees ), pteam between the start and the end of the season (mean (SD) absolute error 6.31-6.22 degrees (6.12-3.59 degrees ) vs 6.13-6.69 degrees (7.46-6.49 degrees ), p>0.05). This is the first study to show that proprioception training improves the joint position sense in elite female handball players. This may explain the effect of neuromuscular training in reducing the injury rate.

Different Types of Sensation Seeking: A Person-Oriented Approach in Sensation-Seeking Research

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Suranyi, Zsuzsanna; Hitchcock, David B.; Hittner, James B.; Vargha, Andras; Urban, Robert

2013-01-01

Previous research on sensation seeking (SS) was dominated by a variable-oriented approach indicating that SS level has a linear relation with a host of problem behaviors. Our aim was to provide a person-oriented methodology--a probabilistic clustering--that enables examination of both inter- and intra-individual differences in not only the level,…

[From dissociation to system: The concept of the unconscious as a descendant of the reflex paradigm in Freud].

Science.gov (United States)

Janssen, Sandra

2009-03-01

The paper tries to situate Freud's theory historically by referring it to a paradigm of psychological theory that Marcel Gauchet describes as the "Golden Age" of psychophysics and reflex theory, and that he situates between 1870 and 1900. I will show that until 1900 Freud thinks, in fact, in categories that correspond to this type of thought. His texts On the Psychical Mechanism of Hysterical Phenomena (1893, with Josef Breuer) and A Project for a Scientific Psychology (1895) still follow the conception of a psychological subject on the basis of the stimulus and response model, which can be found in numerous contemporaneous authors. In this model, the psyche is just a place of transit open to the exterior, and its unity can only be a sum of elements of consciousness having a physiological substrate. Nevertheless, Freud's early texts--although appertaining to the reflex paradigm--already contain elements that serve to construct another basic model of the psychic apparatus, which is finally introduced by The Interpretation of Dreams. Those new elements are the separation between interior and exterior, the introduction of endogenous energy, which is linked to the importance of emotions instead of sensations, and the problem of the adaptation to outer reality that results from it. Nevertheless, once more Freud is not the only theorist in whose thought the new paradigm can be found; I again refer his new premises to other contemporary psychologists. The question that arises from Freud's passage from one paradigm to another is how he handles the continuity of his own thought. I describe the difficult compromise between contradictory concepts he finds in his Project for a Scientific Psychology; but certain concepts that derive from the reflex paradigm subsist even during the later development of psychoanalysis. This is especially the case for the concept of the unconscious itself: As I argue, this concept originates in the reflex paradigm, and, in contrast to contemporary

Too Busy for Reflexivity?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ratner, Helene

What Danish school managers can teach STS researchers about epistemological ideals and pragmatic morals. Reflexivity has an ambivalent status in both anthropology and Science and Technology Studies. On the one hand, the critique of representation at the heart of the reflexivity debates of the 1980s...... highlighted non-symmetric relationships between observer and observed and accused the academic text of enacting a realist genre, concealing the relativism entailed in textual production (Clifford and Marcus 1986, Woolgar 1988, Ashmore 1989). On the other hand, the reflexivity program produced fears...... of a “corrosive relativism in which everything is but a more or less clever expression of opinion” (Geertz 1988:2, 3) and it has suffered the little flattering accusations of piling "layer upon layer of self-consciousness to no avail" (Latour 1988:170) with little “interest [for] … theoretically ambitious...

Comparison of thermal comfort and sensation scales : a case study

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Vesely, Michal; Zeiler, Wim; Li, Rongling; Loomans, M.G.L.C.; te Kulve, M.

2015-01-01

Thermal sensation is a conscious feeling that grades the thermal environment, while thermal comfort expresses satisfaction with this feeling. Multiple scales to quantify thermal sensation and comfort have been developed throughout the history of research on thermal comfort. In this paper, the most

The passive of reflexive verbs in Icelandic

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Hlíf Árnadóttir

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The Reflexive Passive in Icelandic is reminiscent of the so-called New Passive (or New Impersonal in that the oblique case of a passivized object NP is preserved. As is shown by recent surveys, however, speakers who accept the Reflexive Passive do not necessarily accept the New Passive, whereas conversely, speakers who accept the New Passive do also accept the Reflexive Passive. Based on these results we suggest that there is a hierarchy in the acceptance of passive sentences in Icelandic, termed the Passive Acceptability Hierarchy. The validity of this hierarchy is confirmed by our diachronic corpus study of open access digital library texts from Icelandic journals and newspapers dating from the 19th and 20th centuries (tímarit.is. Finally, we sketch an analysis of the Reflexive Passive, proposing that the different acceptability rates of the Reflexive and New Passives lie in the argument status of the object. Simplex reflexive pronouns are semantically dependent on the verbs which select them, and should therefore be analyzed as syntactic arguments only, and not as semantic arguments of these verbs.

Correlation Factors Describing Primary and Spatial Sensations of Sound Fields

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ANDO, Y.

2002-11-01

The theory of subjective preference of the sound field in a concert hall is established based on the model of human auditory-brain system. The model consists of the autocorrelation function (ACF) mechanism and the interaural crosscorrelation function (IACF) mechanism for signals arriving at two ear entrances, and the specialization of human cerebral hemispheres. This theory can be developed to describe primary sensations such as pitch or missing fundamental, loudness, timbre and, in addition, duration sensation which is introduced here as a fourth. These four primary sensations may be formulated by the temporal factors extracted from the ACF associated with the left hemisphere and, spatial sensations such as localization in the horizontal plane, apparent source width and subjective diffuseness are described by the spatial factors extracted from the IACF associated with the right hemisphere. Any important subjective responses of sound fields may be described by both temporal and spatial factors.

The stretch reflex and the contributions of C David Marsden

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Kalyan B Bhattacharyya

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The stretch reflex or myotatic reflex refers to the contraction of a muscle in response to its passive stretching by increasing its contractility as long as the stretch is within physiological limits. For ages, it was thought that the stretch reflex was of short latency and it was synonymous with the tendon reflex, subserving the same spinal reflex arc. However, disparities in the status of the two reflexes in certain clinical situations led Marsden and his collaborators to carry out a series of experiments that helped to establish that the two reflexes had different pathways. That the two reflexes are dissociated has been proved by the fact that the stretch reflex and the tendon reflex, elicited by stimulation of the same muscle, have different latencies, that of the stretch reflex being considerably longer. They hypothesized that the stretch reflex had a transcortical course before it reached the spinal motor neurons for final firing. Additionally, the phenomenon of stimulus-sensitive cortical myoclonus lent further evidence to the presence of the transcortical loop where the EEG correlate preceded the EMG discharge. This concept has been worked out by later neurologists in great detail , and the general consensus is that indeed, the stretch reflex is endowed with a conspicuous transcortical component.

Bodily illusions disrupt tactile sensations.

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D'Amour, Sarah; Pritchett, Lisa M; Harris, Laurence R

2015-02-01

To accurately interpret tactile information, the brain needs to have an accurate representation of the body to which to refer the sensations. Despite this, body representation has only recently been incorporated into the study of tactile perception. Here, we investigate whether distortions of body representation affect tactile sensations. We perceptually altered the length of the arm and the width of the waist using a tendon vibration illusion and measured spatial acuity and sensitivity. Surprisingly, we found reduction in both tactile acuity and sensitivity thresholds when the arm or waist was perceptually altered, which indicates a general disruption of low-level tactile processing. We postulate that the disruptive changes correspond to the preliminary stage as the body representation starts to change and may give new insights into sensory processing in people with long-term or sudden abnormal body representation such as are found in eating disorders or following amputation.

The concept of peripheral modulation of bladder sensation.

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Eastham, Jane E; Gillespie, James I

2013-01-01

It is recognized that, as the bladder fills, there is a corresponding increase in sensation. This awareness of the volume in the bladder is then used in a complex decision making process to determine if there is a need to void. It is also part of everyday experience that, when the bladder is full and sensations strong, these sensations can be suppressed and the desire to void postponed. The obvious explanation for such altered perceptions is that they occur centrally. However, this may not be the only mechanism. There are data to suggest that descending neural influences and local factors might regulate the sensitivity of the systems within the bladder wall generating afferent activity. Specifically, evidence is accumulating to suggest that the motor-sensory system within the bladder wall is influenced in this way. The motor-sensory system, first described over 100 years ago, appears to be a key component in the afferent outflow, the afferent "noise," generated within the bladder wall. However, the presence and possible importance of this complex system in the generation of bladder sensation has been overlooked in recent years. As the bladder fills the motor activity increases, driven by cholinergic inputs and modulated, possibly, by sympathetic inputs. In this way information on bladder volume can be transmitted to the CNS. It can be argued that the ability to alter the sensitivity of the mechanisms generating the motor component of this motor-sensory system represents a possible indirect way to influence afferent activity and so the perception of bladder volume centrally. Furthermore, it is emerging that the apparent modulation of sensation by drugs to alleviate the symptoms of overactive bladder (OAB), the anti-cholinergics and the new generation of drugs the β 3 sympathomimetics, may be the result of their ability to modulate the motor component of the motor sensory system. The possibility of controlling sensation, physiologically and pharmacologically, by

Sensationalism in front page photographs : Content analysis of Dutch popular and quality newspapers

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Schaap, Gabi; Pleijter, Alexander

2012-01-01

GABI SCHAAP & ALEXANDER PLEIJTER Sensationalism in front page photographs: Content analysis of Dutch popular and quality newspapers Sensation in the news has been a longtime cause for social and scientific debate. Sensational news is thought to substitute 'serious' information needed for serious

Influence of proprioceptive training in the improvement of neuromuscular performance after ACL reconstruction

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Dubljanin-Raspopović Emilija

2005-01-01

Full Text Available ACL injury leads to a decrease in proprioceptive abilities, which can be improved with ACL surgery and postoperative rehabilitation. The goal of our study was to investigate whether the impact of coordinative training can be differentiated from the influence of surgery on proprioceptive improvement, and whether there is a correlation between improvement in coordinative abilities and other objective parameters of functional recovery. This follow-up study included 45 patients who had undergone ACL reconstruction and who were randomized into a conservative (TH-C and an intensive (TH-I rehabilitation group. In the TH-I group, coordinative training began earlier due to unrestricted weight-bearing. The groups were first compared preoperatively, then postoperatively, after 6 weeks, 4,6,9, and 12 months via the single leg stance test, the one leg hop test, the Lysholm knee score, and the Tegner score. A faster recovery of coordinative skills was registered in the TH-I group. Already after 6 weeks, highly statistically significant progress in one leg stance abilities was noticed, while in the TH-C group the same was not noticed until 4 months after surgery (p<0.01. Such a result speaks for the distinct influence of proprioceptive training on coordinative abilities. Also, a highly statistically significant correlation was noticed between the single leg stance, one leg hop, Lysholm, and Tegner tests (p<0.01, which points out the importance of a good rehabilitation programme, since neuromuscular performance cannot be separated from other parameters of functional recovery.

The Role of Body Sensations in Understanding One's Own Emotions

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Balueva O.V.

2015-08-01

Full Text Available There are at least three different viewpoints among all theories of emotions that attempt to explain the role of body sensations in understanding one's own emotions. In order to compare the explanatory resources of these viewpoints we conducted a research in which the subjects (n=59 were shown a series of neutral and emotionally significant slides (taken from the IAPS database. During the slideshow we registered the subjects' pulse and galvanic skin response. The subjects were asked to assess the intensity of their emotional reactions and body sensations in response to the emotionally significant slides, and also filled in a questionnaire on emotional intelligence that enabled us to measure their ability to understand their own emotions as well as those of other people. The outcomes of our research show that sensations accompanying emotional experiences are not the result of interoception as they do not correspond with objective indicators of the changes in physiological arousal, whereas they do correspond in many ways with the subjects' emotional appraisal of the stimuli and selfassessment of sensations. These outcomes also revealed that subjective evaluations of body sensations correlate with emotional valence, while heart rate (the objective indicator of arousal correlates with modality of the emotion

Placebo-induced somatic sensations: a multi-modal study of three different placebo interventions.

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Florian Beissner

Full Text Available Somatic sensations induced by placebos are a frequent phenomenon whose etiology and clinical relevance remains unknown. In this study, we have evaluated the quantitative, qualitative, spatial, and temporal characteristics of placebo-induced somatic sensations in response to three different placebo interventions: (1 placebo irritant solution, (2 placebo laser stimulation, and (3 imagined laser stimulation. The quality and intensity of evoked sensations were assessed using the McGill pain questionnaire and visual analogue scales (VAS, while subjects' sensation drawings processed by a geographic information system (GIS were used to measure their spatial characteristics. We found that all three interventions are capable of producing robust sensations most frequently described as "tingling" and "warm" that can reach consider-able spatial extent (≤ 205 mm² and intensity (≤ 80/100 VAS. Sensations from placebo stimulation were often referred to areas remote from the stimulation site and exhibit considerable similarity with referred pain. Interestingly, there was considerable similarity of qualitative features as well as spatial patterns across subjects and placebos. However, placebo laser stimulation elicited significantly stronger and more widespread sensations than placebo irritant solution. Finally, novelty seeking, a character trait assessed by the Temperament and Character Inventory and associated with basal dopaminergic activity, was less pronounced in subjects susceptible to report placebo-induced sensations. Our study has shown that placebo-induced sensations are frequent and can reach considerable intensity and extent. As multiple somatosensory subsystems are involved despite the lack of peripheral stimulus, we propose a central etiology for this phenomenon.

Effects of 12-week proprioception training program on postural stability, gait, and balance in older adults: a controlled clinical trial.

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Martínez-Amat, Antonio; Hita-Contreras, Fidel; Lomas-Vega, Rafael; Caballero-Martínez, Isabel; Alvarez, Pablo J; Martínez-López, Emilio

2013-08-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a 12-week-specific proprioceptive training program on postural stability, gait, balance, and fall prevention in adults older than 65 years. The present study was a controlled clinical trial. Forty-four community dwelling elderly subjects (61-90 years; mean age, 78.07 ± 5.7 years) divided into experimental (n = 20) and control (n = 24) groups. The participants performed the Berg balance test before and after the training program, and we assessed participants' gait, balance, and the risk of falling, using the Tinetti scale. Medial-lateral plane and anterior-posterior plane displacements of the center of pressure, Sway area, length and speed, and the Romberg quotient about surface, speed, and distance were calculated in static posturography analysis (EPS pressure platform) under 2 conditions: eyes open and eyes closed. After a first clinical evaluation, patients were submitted to 12 weeks proprioception training program, 2 sessions of 50 minutes every week. This program includes 6 exercises with the BOSU and Swiss ball as unstable training tools that were designed to program proprioceptive training. The training program improved postural balance of older adults in mediolateral plane with eyes open (p 0.05). After proprioception training, gait (Tinetti), and balance (Berg) test scores improved 14.66% and 11.47% respectively. These results show that 12 weeks proprioception training program in older adults is effective in postural stability, static, and dynamic balance and could lead to an improvement in gait and balance capacity, and to a decrease in the risk of falling in adults aged 65 years and older.

The Effect of Simultaneous Superficial and Proprioceptive Stimulations on Dexterity of Educable 6-7 Years Old Children with Down Syndrome

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Meisam Mohammadi

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Down syndrome is the most common chrosomal disorder in which the fine and gross motor skills due to lack of proper sensory experience are disturbed. The role of dexterity in activity of daily living, interaction with environment and independency is quiet crucial in Down syndrome. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of simultaneous application of superficial and proprioceptive stimuli on the dexterity of 6-7 year-old educable children with Down syndrome. Methods: Thirty–three educable children with Down syndrome were assigned in three groups (i.e. superficial, proprioceptive and simultaneous application respectively and voluntarily participated in the study. In the first group, children received only exteroceptive stimulation for 30 minutes, three times a week. Children in the second group received only proprioceptive stimulation in the same way. In the third group, children received both stimulations simultaneously. Dexterity was evaluated through Purdue Pegbourd Test after 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, and 30th sessions. Results: Dexterity changes were significantly differed in all three groups (P0.05. Discussion: The findings of current study suggest that simultaneous application of superficial and proprioceptive senses could be used for improvement the dexterity in children with Down syndrome.

O conceito de reflexão de Hegel como crítica aos conceitos de essência e de reflexão tradicionais

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Christian Iber

2017-02-01

Full Text Available O presente artigo ilumina o específico do conceito de reflexão de Hegel em cinco momentos. Em um primeiro momento, delineia-se um esboço do conceito de reflexão na lógica da essência de Hegel. Em um segundo momento, o conceito de reflexão de Hegel é apresentado como estrutura lógica objetiva em contraste com a reflexão subjetiva da consciência e do entendimento, com a qual, ao mesmo tempo, o conceito de essência ontológica independente da reflexão é submetido a uma crítica. Do novo conceito de reflexão de Hegel resulta, em terceiro lugar, uma adaptação radical do círculo vicioso na teoria tradicional da reflexão da autoconsciência. Num quarto momento, lança-se um olhar sobre o conceito de reflexão anterior de Hegel como pensar do entendimento que separa, do qual o conceito de reflexão posterior se distingue. Por fim, apresenta-se, em quinto lugar, a lógica da reflexão de Hegel como crítica à fundação ontológica da reflexão em Schelling. O conceito de reflexão de Hegel se mostra, com isto, como crítica da metafísica ontológica tradicional e como fundação de uma metafísica da relacionalidade absoluta que supera a relatividade do pensar moderno do entendimento.

Thermal sensation during mild hyperthermia is modulated by acute postural change in humans.

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Takeda, Ryosuke; Imai, Daiki; Suzuki, Akina; Ota, Akemi; Naghavi, Nooshin; Yamashina, Yoshihiro; Hirasawa, Yoshikazu; Yokoyama, Hisayo; Miyagawa, Toshiaki; Okazaki, Kazunobu

2016-12-01

Thermal sensation represents the primary stimulus for behavioral and autonomic thermoregulation. We assessed whether the sensation of skin and core temperatures for the driving force of behavioral thermoregulation was modified by postural change from the supine (Sup) to sitting (Sit) during mild hyperthermia. Seventeen healthy young men underwent measurements of noticeable increase and decrease (±0.1 °C/s) of skin temperature (thresholds of warm and cold sensation on the skin, 6.25 cm 2 of area) at the forearm and chest and of the whole-body warm sensation in the Sup and Sit during normothermia (NT; esophageal temperature (T es ), ∼36.6 °C) and mild hyperthermia (HT; T es , ∼37.2 °C; lower legs immersion in 42 °C of water). The threshold for cold sensation on the skin at chest was lower during HT than NT in the Sit (P sensation on the skin at both sites remained unchanged with changes in body posture or temperature. The whole-body warm sensation was higher during HT than NT in both postures and higher in the Sit than Sup during both NT and HT (all, P sensation during mild hyperthermia is modulated by postural change from supine to sitting to sense lesser cold on the skin and more whole-body warmth.

Neurocognitive determinants of novelty and sensation-seeking in individuals with alcoholism.

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Noël, Xavier; Brevers, Damien; Bechara, Antoine; Hanak, Catherine; Kornreich, Charles; Verbanck, Paul; Le Bon, Olivier

2011-01-01

Sober alcoholic abusers exhibit personality traits such as novelty-seeking (NS) and sensation-seeking, which overlap to a limited extent. In parallel, they also show impaired executive and decision-making processes. However, little is known about the specific and common cognitive processes associated with NS and sensation-seeking personality traits in detoxified sober alcoholic abusers. In these present studies, we have investigated the relationships between executive functioning/central executive of working memory (pre-potent response inhibition, manipulation stored in working memory), and decision-making under uncertainty and NS/sensation-seeking traits in such alcoholics. Compared with healthy controls (n = 30, mean age = 40.2), and in agreement with previous studies, alcoholics (n = 30, mean age = 40.4) showed higher levels of both NS and sensation-seeking traits. Alcoholics were also disadvantaged with respect to (a) gambling tasks, as reported previously, and (b) a poor ability to manipulate information stored in working memory and inhibit pre-potent responses. Most importantly, regression analyses and mediation analyses measures showed that poor response inhibition and decision-making were associated with high NS behaviour. In addition, impaired decision-making and manipulation of stored information in working memory were associated with a high sensation-seeking trait. Overall, these results support the existence of specific links between cognitive executive functioning, decision-making under uncertainty and NS/sensation-seeking personality traits in individuals with alcoholism.

Relationship between vomiting reflex during esophagogastroduodenoscopy and dyspepsia symptoms.

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Enomoto, Shotaro; Watanabe, Mika; Yoshida, Takeichi; Mukoubayashi, Chizu; Moribata, Kosaku; Muraki, Yosuke; Shingaki, Naoki; Deguchi, Hisanobu; Ueda, Kazuki; Inoue, Izumi; Maekita, Takao; Iguchi, Mikitaka; Tamai, Hideyuki; Kato, Jun; Fujishiro, Mitsuhiro; Oka, Masashi; Mohara, Osamu; Ichinose, Masao

2012-09-01

Although frequent vomiting reflexes during esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) causes suffering in patients, very few studies have investigated the characteristics of subjects who frequently develop vomiting reflexes. This study examined the incidence of the vomiting reflex and related factors, especially upper gastrointestinal symptoms, among individuals undergoing transoral EGD. Subjects included 488 consecutive adults (mean age, 56.1 ± 8.9 years) who underwent transoral EGD for gastric cancer screening between February 2010 and March 2011. All procedures were performed by an endoscopist with 15 years of experience. Based on a questionnaire survey using the frequency scale for the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (FSSG), symptoms (dyspepsia and acid reflux symptoms) and the number of vomiting reflexes during EGD were recorded. Of the 488 subjects, 271 (56%) developed vomiting reflexes (mean, 4.2 times). This reflex-positive group was younger (54.3 ± 9.5 years) than the reflex-negative group (58.3 ± 7.7 years, P reflex-positive group with a high FSSG dyspepsia score (2.27 ± 2.57 vs 1.23 ± 1.84; P acid reflux symptom score (1.96 ± 2.22 vs 1.34 ± 2.14; P reflex-negative group. Multivariate analysis also showed a significant correlation between these four factors and the occurrence of vomiting reflexes. Using an FSSG dyspepsia score of 1 as the cut-off offered 68% sensitivity and 57% specificity for predicting the occurrence of vomiting reflexes. Based on FSSG questionnaire responses on upper gastrointestinal symptoms, dyspepsia symptoms, in particular, are related to presence of vomiting reflexes during EGD. © 2012 The Authors. Digestive Endoscopy © 2012 Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society.

Sensation seeking indirectly affects perceptions of risk for co-occurrent substance use.

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Hittner, James B; Warner, Margaret A; Swickert, Rhonda J

2016-02-01

High sensation seekers engage in more frequent substance use and perceive a host of potentially dangerous activities as less risky than do low sensation seekers. However, despite a plethora of research on these topics, no study has examined the extent to which personal substance use mediates the association between sensation seeking and perceived risk of substance use. To address this question, we recruited a sample of 79 young adults (mean age=19.1 years, standard deviation=1.4). Participants completed questionnaire measures of sensation seeking, substance use, and perceived risk of co-occurrent substance use. Results from path-analytic modeling indicated that both alcohol use and marijuana use mediated the influence of sensation seeking on perceptions of risk for moderately risky, but not highly risky, pairs of substances. Strengths and limitations of the present study were discussed and directions for future research were suggested.

Influence of regular proprioceptive and bioenergetic physical activities on balance control in elderly women.

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Gauchard, Gérome C; Gangloff, Pierre; Jeandel, Claude; Perrin, Philippe P

2003-09-01

Balance disorders increase considerably with age due to a decrease in posture regulation quality, and are accompanied by a higher risk of falling. Conversely, physical activities have been shown to improve the quality of postural control in elderly individuals and decrease the number of falls. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of two types of exercise on the visual afferent and on the different parameters of static balance regulation. Static postural control was evaluated in 44 healthy women aged over 60 years. Among them, 15 regularly practiced proprioceptive physical activities (Group I), 12 regularly practiced bioenergetic physical activities (Group II), and 18 controls walked on a regular basis (Group III). Group I participants displayed lower sway path and area values, whereas Group III participants displayed the highest, both in eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions. Group II participants displayed intermediate values, close to those of Group I in the eyes-open condition and those of Group III in the eyes-closed condition. Visual afferent contribution was more pronounced for Group II and III participants than for Group I participants. Proprioceptive exercise appears to have the best impact on balance regulation and precision. Besides, even if bioenergetic activity improves postural control in simple postural tasks, more difficult postural tasks show that this type of activity does not develop a neurosensorial proprioceptive input threshold as well, probably on account of the higher contribution of visual afferent.

The Effect of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation on Learning Fine Motor Skills: A Preliminary Study

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Mohammad Reza Shahabi Kaseb

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Preparation of neuromuscular system prior to performing motor skills affects the learning of motor skills. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF on limb coordination and accuracy in dart throwing skill. Methods: Thirty two male students were randomly selected as study sample. Based on the pretest scores, the participants were divided into three groups: experimental (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, first control (without warm-up, and second control (specific warm-up. During the acquisition phase, the participants first performed the preparation training related to their own group, then all groups performed the exercise program of dart throwing consisting of 6 blocks of 9 trials in 4 training sessions. Finally, 20 days following the last exercise session, the subjects took the retention and transfer tests. Results: The results of one-way ANOVA test for coordination variable in acquisition test showed no significant difference between the groups, while there was a statistically significant difference between groups regarding coordination variable in retention and transfer tests. Furthermore, the results of one-way ANOVA for the accuracy variable in acquisition and retention tests showed no statistically significant difference between the three groups, while there was a statistically significant difference between groups for accuracy variable in transfer test. Conclusion: It seems that proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, as a preparation method before performance, can enhance the efficacy of training to better learn the coordination pattern of fine motor skills.

POÉSIE, PAYSAGE ET SENSATION / Poetry, landscape and sensation

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Michel Collot

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Cet article effectue une refléxion téorique par rapport au paysage, question qui revêt un enjeuconsidérable dans le champ des sciences humaines et des pratiques sociales contemporaines, maisaussi, pour l’art et pour la poésie modernes. Il s’agit d’une notion qui se situe historiquement etstructurellement entre une pensée symbolique du Lieu qui a dominé l’Antiquité classique et leMoyen Âge, et une connaissance scientifique de l’espace qui se développe aux Temps modernes.À partir du Romantisme, notamment la poésie lyrique a fait du paysage un lieu d’expression de lasensibilité. En contrepartie, l’art et la littérature au XXème siècle ont eu tendance à se détournerde la représentation du monde extérieur pour explorer les ressources propres à leurs moyensd’expression. Ainsi, le paysage semble avoir perdu son endroit à la scène esthétique, c’est qui n’estpas vrai du tout, une fois que le thème continue à inspirer beaucoup d’artistes et d’écrivains.Controversée par nature, l’idée de paysage s’ouvre à plusiers interrogations, telques les conceptsde sensation et de de perception, cueillis chez Paul Valéry, lesquels sont amenés à ce text, commeune proposition de jouissance de la poésie entendue à la manière d’un endroit de réactivation dessensations et des affects. Mots-clés: Paysage, Sensation, Perception, Poésie, L’art.

Effect of in-season neuromuscular and proprioceptive training on postural stability in male youth basketball players

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Ondra Lukáš

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Poor balance ability is a predictor of injuries of the lower extremity. Multi-intervention proprioception preventive programs, comprising balance training, strength, plyometric, agility, running, and stretching exercises, are effective in improving balance ability and reducing the risk of lower extremity injuries in athletes.Objective: The aim of the study was to examine the effect of a 20-week in-season multi-intervention proprioceptive neuromuscular training program on postural stability in male youth basketball players.Methods: Twenty-one elite male youth basketball players were divided into an intervention group (n = 10, age 17.3 ± 1.3 years and a control group (n = 11, age 16.5 ± 1.8 years. During the in-season period (20 weeks, the intervention group followed a proprioceptive and neuromuscular training program, three times per week and 20 minutes per session. Balance was tested in a quiet unipedal stance (on both the dominant and non-dominant leg on a foam mat with eyes open, before and after a 20-week period in both groups. The mean velocities in the medial-lateral and anterior-posterior directions and the mean total velocity of the centre of pressure (COP displacement were obtained with a force platform.Results: The combined effect (pre-post test × group showed that intervention resulted in significant improvement in the mean COP velocity for both the dominant and non-dominant limb in the anterior-posterior direction (p = .013 and p < .001, respectively and in the medial-lateral direction (p = .007 and p < .001, respectively as well as in the total COP velocity (p = .009 and p < .001, respectively. Conclusions: The specific proprioceptive and neuromuscular training had a positive effect on postural stability for both the dominant and non-dominant limb in basketball players.

The robot hand illusion: inducing proprioceptive drift through visuo-motor congruency.

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Romano, Daniele; Caffa, Elisa; Hernandez-Arieta, Alejandro; Brugger, Peter; Maravita, Angelo

2015-04-01

The representation of one's own body sets the border of the self, but also shapes the space where we interact with external objects. Under particular conditions, such as in the rubber hand illusion external objects can be incorporated in one's own body representation, following congruent visuo-tactile stroking of one's own and a fake hand. This procedure induces an illusory sense of ownership for the fake hand and a shift of proprioceptive localization of the own hand towards the fake hand. Here we investigated whether pure visuo-motor, instead of visuo-tactile, congruency between one's own hand and a detached myoelectric-controlled robotic hand can induce similar embodiment effects. We found a shift of proprioceptive hand localization toward the robot hand, only following synchronized real hand/robot hand movements. Notably, no modulation was found of the sense of ownership following either synchronous or asynchronous-movement training. Our findings suggest that visuo-motor synchrony can drive the localization of one's own body parts in space, even when somatosensory input is kept constant and the experience of body ownership is maintained. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Incidence of Altered Sensation of Mandibular Implant Surgery

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Lin, Chia-Shu; Wu, Shih-Yun; Huang, Hsin-Yi; Lai, Yu-Lin

2016-01-01

Altered sensation (including paresthesia, dysesthesia and hypoesthesia) after mandibular implant surgery may indicate transient or permanent injury of the inferior alveolar nerve and the mental branch, and considerably lower patients’ satisfaction about the therapy. Previous studies have shown a great degree of variability on the incidence of altered sensation. We here reported the incidence of altered sensation after mandibular implant surgery based on a meta-analysis of 26 articles published between 1990.1.1 and 2016.1.1. Study quality and risk of bias was assessed and the studies with a lower score were excluded in the meta-analysis. Data synthesis was performed using the logistic-normal random-effect model. The meta-analyses revealed that the short-term (10 days after implant placement) and long-term (1 year after implant placement) incidence was 13% (95% CI, 6%-25%) and 3% (95% CI, 1%-7%), respectively. (2) For the patients who initially reported altered sensation, 80% (95% CI, 52%-94%) of them would return to normal sensation within 6 months after surgery, and 91% (95% CI, 78%-96%) of them would return to normal sensation one year after surgery. We concluded that dentist-patient communication about the risk of altered sensation is critical to treatment planning, since the short-term incidence of altered sensation is substantial (13%). When a patient reports altered sensation, regular assessment for 6 months would help tracing the changes of symptoms. In terms of long-term follow-up (1 year after surgery), the incidence is much lower (3%) and most patients (91%) would return to normal sensation. PMID:27100832

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Incidence of Altered Sensation of Mandibular Implant Surgery.

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Chia-Shu Lin

Full Text Available Altered sensation (including paresthesia, dysesthesia and hypoesthesia after mandibular implant surgery may indicate transient or permanent injury of the inferior alveolar nerve and the mental branch, and considerably lower patients' satisfaction about the therapy. Previous studies have shown a great degree of variability on the incidence of altered sensation. We here reported the incidence of altered sensation after mandibular implant surgery based on a meta-analysis of 26 articles published between 1990.1.1 and 2016.1.1. Study quality and risk of bias was assessed and the studies with a lower score were excluded in the meta-analysis. Data synthesis was performed using the logistic-normal random-effect model. The meta-analyses revealed that the short-term (10 days after implant placement and long-term (1 year after implant placement incidence was 13% (95% CI, 6%-25% and 3% (95% CI, 1%-7%, respectively. (2 For the patients who initially reported altered sensation, 80% (95% CI, 52%-94% of them would return to normal sensation within 6 months after surgery, and 91% (95% CI, 78%-96% of them would return to normal sensation one year after surgery. We concluded that dentist-patient communication about the risk of altered sensation is critical to treatment planning, since the short-term incidence of altered sensation is substantial (13%. When a patient reports altered sensation, regular assessment for 6 months would help tracing the changes of symptoms. In terms of long-term follow-up (1 year after surgery, the incidence is much lower (3% and most patients (91% would return to normal sensation.

A near catastrophe from trigeminocardiac reflex

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Parmod K Bithal

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Trigeminocardiac reflex is a brainstem reflex that results from stimulation of any branch of the trigeminal nerve along its course. It produces a constellation of signs and symptoms decrease in blood pressure (BP and heart rate, dysrhythmias, apnoea and increased gastric motility. We present a case of 80-year-old female patient who developed alarming hypotension and bradycardia during craniotomy for meningioma excision resulting from this reflex. In the face of refractory hypotension despite administering ephedrine and phenylephrine, we had to resort to adrenaline to restore her normal BP.

Changes in sensory reweighting of proprioceptive information during standing balance with age and disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pasma, J.H.; Engelhart, D.; Maier, A.B.; Schouten, A.C.; van der Kooij, H.; Meskers, C.G.M.

2015-01-01

With sensory reweighting, reliable sensory information is selected over unreliable information during balance by dynamically combining this information. We used system identification techniques to show the weight and the adaptive process of weight change of proprioceptive information during standing

Relationship between foot sensation and standing balance in patients with multiple sclerosis.

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Citaker, Seyit; Gunduz, Arzu Guclu; Guclu, Meral Bosnak; Nazliel, Bijen; Irkec, Ceyla; Kaya, Defne

2011-06-01

The aims of the present study were to investigate the relationship between the foot sensations and standing balance in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and find out the sensation, which best predicts balance. Twenty-seven patients with MS (Expanded Disability Status Scale 1-3.5) and 10 healthy volunteers were included. Threshold of light touch-pressure, duration of vibration, and distance of two-point discrimination of the foot sole were assessed. Duration of static one-leg standing balance was measured. Light touch-pressure, vibration, two-point discrimination sensations of the foot sole, and duration of one-leg standing balance were decreased in patients with MS compared with controls (pbalance in patients with MS. In the multiple regression analysis conducted in the 27 MS patients, 47.6% of the variance in the duration of one-leg standing balance was explained by two-point discrimination sensation of the heel (R(2)=0.359, p=0.001) and vibration sensation of the first metatarsal head (R(2)=0.118, p=0.029). As the cutaneous receptors sensitivity decreases in the foot sole the standing balance impairs in patients with MS. Two-point discrimination sensation of the heel and vibration sensation of the first metatarsal head region are the best predictors of the static standing balance in patients with MS. Other factors which could be possible to predict balance and effects of sensorial training of foot on balance should be investigated. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sarcomeres pattern proprioceptive sensory dendritic endings through Perlecan/UNC-52 in C. elegans

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Liang, Xing; Dong, Xintong; Moerman, Donald G.; Shen, Kang; Wang, Xiangming

2015-01-01

Sensory dendrites innervate peripheral tissues through cell-cell interactions that are poorly understood. The proprioceptive neuron PVD in C. elegans extends regular terminal dendritic branches between muscle and hypodermis. We found that the PVD branch pattern was instructed by adhesion molecule SAX-7/L1CAM, which formed regularly spaced stripes on the hypodermal cell. The regularity of the SAX-7 pattern originated from the repeated and regularly spaced dense body of the sarcomeres in the muscle. The extracellular proteoglycan, UNC-52/Perlecan, links the dense body to the hemidesmosome on the hypodermal cells, which in turn instructed the SAX-7 stripes and PVD dendrites. Both UNC-52 and hemidesmosome components exhibited highly regular stripes that interdigitated with the SAX-7 stripe and PVD dendrites, reflecting the striking precision of subcellular patterning between muscle, hypodermis and dendrites. Hence, the muscular contractile apparatus provides the instructive cues to pattern proprioceptive dendrites. PMID:25982673

Sensation Seeking and Internet Activities, Music Preference, and Personal Relationships among College Students.

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Weisskirch, Robert S.; Murphy, Laurel C.

Individuals vary in their need for excitement, involving a personality trait known as sensation seeking (SS). Previous research has found that a preference for rock music and participation in more self-disclosing behaviors are characteristic of high sensation seekers. This study examines if college student sensation seeking relates to the…

The influence of pain-related expectations on intensity perception of non-painful somatosensory stimuli

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zaman, Jonas; Wiech, Katja; Claes, Nathalie; Van Oudenhove, Lukas; Van Diest, Ilse; Vlaeyen, Johan W. S.

2018-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The extent to which pain-related expectations, known to affect pain perception, also affect perception of non-painful sensations remains unclear, as well as the potential role of unpredictability in this context. METHODS: In a proprioceptive fear conditioning paradigm, various arm

Single Stance Stability and Proprioceptive Control in Older Adults Living at Home: Gender and Age Differences

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Dario Riva

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In developed countries, falls in older people represent a rising problem. As effective prevention should start before the risk becomes evident, an early predictor is needed. Single stance instability would appear as a major risk factor. Aims of the study were to describe single stance stability, its sensory components, and their correlation with age and gender. A random sample of 597 older adults (319 men, 278 women living at home, aged 65–84, was studied. Stability tests were performed with an electronic postural station. The single stance test showed the impairment of single stance stability in older individuals (75–84 yrs. The significant decline of stability in the older subjects may be explained by the impairment of proprioceptive control together with the decrease in compensatory visual stabilization and emergency responses. Younger subjects (65–74 yrs exhibited better, but still inadequate, proprioceptive control with compensatory visual stabilization. Gender differences appeared in older subjects: women were significantly less stable than men. The measurement of the sensory components of single stance stability could aid in the early detection of a decay in antigravity movements many years before the risk of falling becomes evident. Adequate proprioceptive control could mitigate the effects of all other risks of falling.

Single Stance Stability and Proprioceptive Control in Older Adults Living at Home: Gender and Age Differences

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Riva, Dario; Mamo, Carlo; Fanì, Mara; Saccavino, Patrizia; Rocca, Flavio; Momenté, Manuel; Fratta, Marianna

2013-01-01

In developed countries, falls in older people represent a rising problem. As effective prevention should start before the risk becomes evident, an early predictor is needed. Single stance instability would appear as a major risk factor. Aims of the study were to describe single stance stability, its sensory components, and their correlation with age and gender. A random sample of 597 older adults (319 men, 278 women) living at home, aged 65–84, was studied. Stability tests were performed with an electronic postural station. The single stance test showed the impairment of single stance stability in older individuals (75–84 yrs). The significant decline of stability in the older subjects may be explained by the impairment of proprioceptive control together with the decrease in compensatory visual stabilization and emergency responses. Younger subjects (65–74 yrs) exhibited better, but still inadequate, proprioceptive control with compensatory visual stabilization. Gender differences appeared in older subjects: women were significantly less stable than men. The measurement of the sensory components of single stance stability could aid in the early detection of a decay in antigravity movements many years before the risk of falling becomes evident. Adequate proprioceptive control could mitigate the effects of all other risks of falling. PMID:23984068

Depression, Sensation Seeking, and Maternal Smoking as Predictors of Adolescent Cigarette Smoking

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Judy van de Venne

2006-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to examine maternal and adolescent depression, maternal and teen sensation seeking, and maternal smoking, and their associations with adolescent smoking. Data were collected from a sample of 47 male and 66 female adolescents (ages 11—18 years and their mothers from three different health clinics. The findings indicated that maternal sensation seeking was linked indirectly with adolescent smoking through teen sensation seeking, both of which were significantly associated with teen smoking (β = 0.29, p < 0.001 and β = 0.32, p < 0.001, respectively. Teen depression was associated positively with teen smoking (β = 0.24, p < 0.01 when controlling for sensation seeking behaviors. Maternal smoking was also directly linked to adolescent smoking (β = 0.20, p < 0.05. These findings underscore a potentially important role of sensation seeking in the origins of adolescent smoking, and clarify pathways of influence with regard to maternal attitudes and behaviors in subsequent teenage nicotine use.

Aggressive behavior: an alternative model of resting heart rate and sensation seeking.

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Wilson, Laura C; Scarpa, Angela

2014-01-01

Low resting heart rate is a well-replicated biological correlate of aggression, and sensation seeking is frequently cited as the underlying causal explanation. However, little empirical evidence supports this mediating relationship. Furthermore, the biosocial model of violence and social push theory suggest sensation seeking may moderate the relationship between heart rate and aggression. In a sample of 128 college students (82.0% White; 73.4% female), the current study tested a moderation model as an alternative relationship between resting heart rate and sensation seeking in regard to aggression. Overall, the findings partially supported an interaction effect, whereby the relationship between heart rate and aggression was moderated by sensation seeking. Specifically, the oft-noted relationship between low resting heart rate and increased aggression was found, but only for individuals with low levels of sensation seeking. If replication supports this finding, the results may better inform prevention and intervention work. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

"Proprioceptive signature" of cursive writing in humans: a multi-population coding.

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Roll, Jean-Pierre; Albert, Frédéric; Ribot-Ciscar, Edith; Bergenheim, Mikael

2004-08-01

The goal of the present study was to investigate the firing behavior of populations of muscle spindle afferents in all the muscles acting on the ankle while this joint was being subjected to "writing-like" movements. First it was proposed to determine whether the ensemble of muscle spindles give rise to a unique, specific, and reproducible feedback information characterizing each letter, number or short word. Secondly, we analyzed how the proprioceptive feedback on the whole encodes the spatial and temporal characteristics of writing movements using the "vector population model". The unitary activity of 51 primary and secondary muscle spindle afferents was recorded in the tibial and common peroneal nerves at the level of the popliteal fossea, using the microneurographic method. The units recorded from belonged to the tibialis anterior, the extensor digitorum longus, the extensor hallucis longus, the peroneus lateralis, the gastrocnemius-soleus and the tibialis posterior muscles. The "writing-like" movements were randomly imposed at a "natural" velocity via a computer-controlled machine in a two-dimensional space. In general, muscle spindle afferents from any of the six muscles responded according to the tuning properties of the parent muscle, i.e. increasing their discharge rate during the phases where the direction of movement was within the preferred sensory sector of the parent muscle. The whole trajectory of the writing movements was coded in turn by the activity of Ia afferents arising from all the muscles acting on the joint. Both single afferent responses and population responses were found to be highly specific and reproducible with each graphic sign. The complex multi-muscle afferent pattern involved, with its timing and distribution in the muscle space, seems to constitute a true "proprioceptive signature" for each graphic symbol. The ensemble of muscle spindle afferents were therefore found to encode the instantaneous direction and velocity of writing

Sensation-seeking and impulsivity as predictors of reactive and proactive aggression

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María Del Carmen Pérez Fuentes

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In adolescence, such matters as substance use and impulsiveness may give rise to problematic behavior repertoires. This study was therefore done to analyze the predictive value of sensation-seeking and impulsiveness dimensions related to the functions of aggression (reactive/proactive and types of expression (physical/relational. A total of 822 high school students in Almeria (Spain aged 13 to 18, were administered the Sensation-Seeking Scale, the State Impulsiveness Scale and Peer Conflict Scale. The results show the existence of a positive correlation of the majority of factors analyzed, both in impulsiveness and sensation-seeking, with respect to the different types of aggression. Furthermore, aggressive behavior is explained by the combination of a sensation-seeking factor (Disinhibition and two impulsiveness factors (Gratification and Automatism. This study shows the need to analyze aggression as a multidimensional construct.

Attachment, Social Value Orientation, Sensation Seeking, and Bullying in Early Adolescence

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Innamorati, Marco; Parolin, Laura; Tagini, Angela; Santona, Alessandra; Bosco, Andrea; De Carli, Pietro; Palmisano, Giovanni L.; Pergola, Filippo; Sarracino, Diego

2018-01-01

In this study, bullying is examined in light of the “prosocial security hypothesis”— i.e., the hypothesis that insecure attachment, with temperamental dispositions such as sensation seeking, may foster individualistic, competitive value orientations and problem behaviors. A group of 375 Italian students (53% female; Mean age = 12.58, SD = 1.08) completed anonymous questionnaires regarding attachment security, social values, sensation seeking, and bullying behaviors. Path analysis showed that attachment to mother was negatively associated with bullying of others, both directly and through the mediating role of conservative socially oriented values, while attachment to father was directly associated with victimization. Sensation seeking predicted bullying of others and victimization both directly and through the mediating role of conservative socially oriented values. Adolescents’ gender affected how attachment moderated the relationship between sensation seeking and problem behavior. PMID:29535668

Attentional modulation of reflex cough.

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Janssens, Thomas; Silva, Mitchell; Davenport, Paul W; Van Diest, Ilse; Dupont, Lieven J; Van den Bergh, Omer

2014-07-01

Reflex cough is a defensive response generated in the brainstem in response to chemical and mechanical stimulation of the airways. However, converging evidence shows that reflex cough is also influenced by central neural control processes. In this study, we investigate whether reflex cough can be modulated by attentional focus on either external stimuli or internal cough-related stimuli. Healthy volunteers (N = 24; seven men; age range, 18-25 years) completed four blocks of citric acid-induced cough challenges while, simultaneously, auditory stimuli were presented. Within each block, four concentrations were administered (30, 100, 300 and 1,000 mM, randomized). During two subsequent blocks, participants focused their attention externally (counting tones). During the other two blocks, participants focused their attention internally (counting coughs). The order of attentional focus was counterbalanced across participants. Ratings of the urge to cough were collected after each challenge. Cough frequency was determined by audio recording. Cough frequency was higher when participants focused their attention internally vs externally (P Reflex cough can be modulated by attentional focus. Internally focused attention may be a mechanism involved in excessive (idiopathic) cough, while an external focus may be introduced as part of treatments targeting excessive cough.

Proprioceptive bimanual test in intrinsic and extrinsic coordinates.

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Iandolo, Riccardo; Squeri, Valentina; De Santis, Dalia; Giannoni, Psiche; Morasso, Pietro; Casadio, Maura

2015-01-01

Is there any difference between matching the position of the hands by asking the subjects to move them to the same spatial location or to mirror-symmetric locations with respect to the body midline? If the motion of the hands were planned in the extrinsic space, the mirror-symmetric task would imply an additional challenge, because we would need to flip the coordinates of the target on the other side of the workspace. Conversely, if the planning were done in intrinsic coordinates, in order to move both hands to the same spot in the workspace, we should compute different joint angles for each arm. Even if both representations were available to the subjects, the two tasks might lead to different results, providing some cue on the organization of the "body schema". In order to answer such questions, the middle fingertip of the non-dominant hand of a population of healthy subjects was passively moved by a manipulandum to 20 different target locations. Subjects matched these positions with the middle fingertip of their dominant hand. For most subjects, the matching accuracy was higher in the extrinsic modality both in terms of systematic error and variability, even for the target locations in which the configuration of the arms was the same for both modalities. This suggests that the matching performance of the subjects could be determined not only by proprioceptive information but also by the cognitive representation of the task: expressing the goal as reaching for the physical location of the hand in space is apparently more effective than requiring to match the proprioceptive representation of joint angles.

'Errors of Judgment': The Case of Pain Sensations | Loonat | South ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Hill, in his paper 'Introspective Awareness of Sensations', argues that we do sometimes commit 'errors of judgment' and he draws on an example that involves the perception of pain to illustrate his point. I analyze Hill's example and draw on other examples of pain sensations to show how errors of judgment are not possible.

Selective sensation based brain-computer interface via mechanical vibrotactile stimulation.

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Yao, Lin; Meng, Jianjun; Zhang, Dingguo; Sheng, Xinjun; Zhu, Xiangyang

2013-01-01

In this work, mechanical vibrotactile stimulation was applied to subjects' left and right wrist skins with equal intensity, and a selective sensation perception task was performed to achieve two types of selections similar to motor imagery Brain-Computer Interface. The proposed system was based on event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS), which had a correlation with processing of afferent inflow in human somatosensory system, and attentional effect which modulated the ERD/ERS. The experiments were carried out on nine subjects (without experience in selective sensation), and six of them showed a discrimination accuracy above 80%, three of them above 95%. Comparative experiments with motor imagery (with and without presence of stimulation) were also carried out, which further showed the feasibility of selective sensation as an alternative BCI task complementary to motor imagery. Specifically there was significant improvement ([Formula: see text]) from near 65% in motor imagery (with and without presence of stimulation) to above 80% in selective sensation on some subjects. The proposed BCI modality might well cooperate with existing BCI modalities in the literature in enlarging the widespread usage of BCI system.

Selective Sensation Based Brain-Computer Interface via Mechanical Vibrotactile Stimulation

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Lin; Meng, Jianjun; Zhang, Dingguo; Sheng, Xinjun; Zhu, Xiangyang

2013-01-01

In this work, mechanical vibrotactile stimulation was applied to subjects’ left and right wrist skins with equal intensity, and a selective sensation perception task was performed to achieve two types of selections similar to motor imagery Brain-Computer Interface. The proposed system was based on event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS), which had a correlation with processing of afferent inflow in human somatosensory system, and attentional effect which modulated the ERD/ERS. The experiments were carried out on nine subjects (without experience in selective sensation), and six of them showed a discrimination accuracy above 80%, three of them above 95%. Comparative experiments with motor imagery (with and without presence of stimulation) were also carried out, which further showed the feasibility of selective sensation as an alternative BCI task complementary to motor imagery. Specifically there was significant improvement () from near 65% in motor imagery (with and without presence of stimulation) to above 80% in selective sensation on some subjects. The proposed BCI modality might well cooperate with existing BCI modalities in the literature in enlarging the widespread usage of BCI system. PMID:23762253

The precedence effect for lateralization at low sensation levels.

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Goverts, S T; Houtgast, T; van Beek, H H

2000-10-01

Using dichotic signals presented by headphone, stimulus onset dominance (the precedence effect) for lateralization at low sensation levels was investigated for five normal hearing subjects. Stimuli were based on 2400-Hz low pass filtered 5-ms noise bursts. We used the paradigm, as described by Aoki and Houtgast (Hear. Res., 59 (1992) 25-30) and Houtgast and Aoki (Hear. Res., 72 (1994) 29-36), in which the stimulus is divided into a leading and a lagging part with opposite lateralization cues (i.e. an interaural time delay of 0.2 ms). The occurrence of onset dominance was investigated by measuring lateral perception of the stimulus, with fixed equal duration of leading and lagging part, while decreasing absolute signal level or adding a filtered white noise with the signal level set at 65 dBA. The dominance of the leading part was quantified by measuring the perceived lateral position of the stimulus as a function of the relative duration of the leading (and thus the lagging) part. This was done at about 45 dB SL without masking noise and also at a signal-to-noise ratio resulting in a sensation level of 10 dB. The occurrence and strength of the precedence effect was found to depend on sensation level, which was decreased either by lowering the signal level or by adding noise. With the present paradigm, besides a decreased lateralization accuracy, a decrease in the precedence effect was found for sensation levels below about 30-40 dB. In daily-life conditions, with a sensation level in noise of typically 10 dB, the onset dominance was still manifest, albeit degraded to some extent.

Dopamine modulates risk-taking as a function of baseline sensation-seeking trait.

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Norbury, Agnes; Manohar, Sanjay; Rogers, Robert D; Husain, Masud

2013-08-07

Trait sensation-seeking, defined as a need for varied, complex, and intense sensations, represents a relatively underexplored hedonic drive in human behavioral neuroscience research. It is related to increased risk for a range of behaviors including substance use, gambling, and risky sexual practice. Individual differences in self-reported sensation-seeking have been linked to brain dopamine function, particularly at D2-like receptors, but so far no causal evidence exists for a role of dopamine in sensation-seeking behavior in humans. Here, we investigated the effects of the selective D2/D3 agonist cabergoline on performance of a probabilistic risky choice task in healthy humans using a sensitive within-subject, placebo-controlled design. Cabergoline significantly influenced the way participants combined different explicit signals regarding probability and loss when choosing between response options associated with uncertain outcomes. Importantly, these effects were strongly dependent on baseline sensation-seeking score. Overall, cabergoline increased sensitivity of choice to information about probability of winning; while decreasing discrimination according to magnitude of potential losses associated with different options. The largest effects of the drug were observed in participants with lower sensation-seeking scores. These findings provide evidence that risk-taking behavior in humans can be directly manipulated by a dopaminergic drug, but that the effectiveness of such a manipulation depends on baseline differences in sensation-seeking trait. This emphasizes the importance of considering individual differences when investigating manipulation of risky decision-making, and may have relevance for the development of pharmacotherapies for disorders involving excessive risk-taking in humans, such as pathological gambling.

Effect of sound stimulion reciprocal interaction of antagonist muscles of lowe extremities in humans under vestibular loadе

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I. V. Dregval

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Results of the research are evidence of changing muscles reflex activity of human lower extremity under the influence of sound stimulus of various frequency range together with the vestibular burden. The most change of the H-reflex was observed under the sound stimulus of 800 hertz. Not only the proprioceptive but auditory sensory system takes part in the regulation of the brain reflex activity. Existence of different labyrinths actions, according to the situation, on the interneuronic inhibitory ways of the postsynaptic inhibition of the salens muscle’s motoneurons is supposed.

Wh-filler-gap dependency formation guides reflexive antecedent search

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Michael eFrazier

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Prior studies on online sentence processing have shown that the parser can resolve non-local dependencies rapidly and accurately. This study investigates the interaction between the processing of two such non-local dependencies: wh-filler-gap dependencies (WhFGD and reflexive-antecedent dependencies. We show that reflexive-antecedent dependency resolution is sensitive to the presence of a WhFGD, and argue that the filler-gap dependency established by WhFGD resolution is selected online as the antecedent of a reflexive dependency. We investigate the processing of constructions like (1, where two NPs might be possible antecedents for the reflexive, namely which cowgirl and Mary. Even though Mary is linearly closer to the reflexive, the only grammatically licit antecedent for the reflexive is the more distant wh-NP, which cowgirl. 1. Which cowgirl did Mary expect to have injured herself due to negligence?Four eye-tracking text-reading experiments were conducted on examples like (1, differing in whether the embedded clause was non-finite (1 and 3 or finite (2 and 4, and in whether the tail of the wh-dependency intervened between the reflexive and its closest overt antecedent (1 and 2 or the wh-dependency was associated with a position earlier in the sentence (3 and 4.The results of Experiments 1 and 2 indicate the parser accesses the result of WhFGD formation during reflexive antecedent search. The resolution of a wh-dependency alters the representation that reflexive antecedent search operates over, allowing the grammatical but linearly distant antecedent to be accessed rapidly. In the absence of a long-distance WhFGD (Exp. 3 and 4, wh-NPs were not found to impact reading times of the reflexive, indicating that the parser's ability to select distant wh-NPs as reflexive antecedents crucially involves syntactic structure.

Reflexivity and social justice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maksimovic, Tijana; Jakobsen, Helle Nordentoft

2017-01-01

Career practitioners’ reflexive understanding of their professional role as change agents in career guidance and counselling practices has a major impact on how social justice can be achieved. This entitles an awareness of the way in which guidance and counselling practices are embedded in the co......Career practitioners’ reflexive understanding of their professional role as change agents in career guidance and counselling practices has a major impact on how social justice can be achieved. This entitles an awareness of the way in which guidance and counselling practices are embedded...

Sensation seeking and alcohol use by college students: examining multiple pathways of effects.

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Yanovitzky, Itzhak

2006-01-01

This study tests the proposition that peer influence mediates the effect of sensation seeking, a personality trait, on alcohol use among college students. Cross-sectional data to test this proposition were collected from a representative sample of college students at a large public northeastern university (N = 427). Results of hierarchical regression analyses showed that, as hypothesized, sensation seeking influenced personal alcohol use both directly and indirectly, through its impact on students' frequency of association with alcohol-using peers and the size of their drinking norm misperception. The findings suggest that interventions that seek to limit the frequency in which high sensation seekers associate with peers whose alcohol use is extreme or, alternatively, seek to facilitate social interactions of high sensation seekers with normative peers, may supplement efforts to influence sensation seekers' alcohol and other drug use through tailored mass media advertisements.

Conscious sensation, conscious perception and sensorimotor theories of consciousness

OpenAIRE

Gamez, David

2014-01-01

This article explores the hypothesis that the differences between our conscious sensations (color, sound, smell, etc.) could be linked to the different ways in which our senses process and structure information. It is also proposed that the organization of our conscious sensations into a conscious perception of a three-dimensional world could be linked to our mastery of sensorimotor contingencies. These hypotheses are supported by a number of observations, including the appearance of consciou...

Sensation fiction, gender and identity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

MacDonald, T.; Mangham, A.

2013-01-01

The heroine of Wilkie Collins’s The Law and the Lady (1875), Valeria Macallan, is in many ways a typical sensation heroine. She is resilient, independent and determined to get what she wants. What she wants, however, is not to marry rich, hide her bigamous past or inherit a fortune that is

Sensory-specific balance training in older adults: effect on proprioceptive reintegration and cognitive demands.

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Westlake, Kelly P; Culham, Elsie G

2007-10-01

Age-related changes in the ability to adjust to alterations in sensory information contribute to impaired postural stability. The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to investigate the effect of sensory-specific balance training on proprioceptive reintegration. The subjects of this study were 36 older participants who were healthy. Participants were randomly assigned to a balance exercise group (n=17) or a falls prevention education group (n=19). The primary outcome measure was the center-of-pressure (COP) velocity change score. This score represented the difference between COP velocity over 45 seconds of quiet standing and each of six 5-second intervals following proprioceptive perturbation through vibration with or without a secondary cognitive task. Clinical outcome measures included the Fullerton Advanced Balance (FAB) Scale and the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale. Assessments were conducted at baseline, postintervention, and at an 8-week follow-up. Following the exercise intervention, there was less destabilization within the first 5 seconds following vibration with or without a secondary task than there was at baseline or in the falls prevention education group. These training effects were not maintained at the 8-week follow-up. Postintervention improvements also were seen on the FAB Scale and were maintained at follow-up. No changes in ABC Scale scores were identified in the balance exercise group, but ABC Scale scores indicated reduced balance confidence in the falls prevention education group postintervention. The results of this study support short-term enhanced postural responses to proprioceptive reintegration following a sensory-specific balance exercise program.

Sensation Seeking as one of the Motivating Factors for Performing Skydiving

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Bołdak Agnieszka

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction. For some time, the issue of participating in high-risk sports, including skydiving, has been linked to the trait of sensation seeking, but skydivers do not constitute a homogeneous group in terms of this factor. The aim of the study was to determine the role of the need for sensation in performing skydiving and to examine whether the importance of this factor differs depending on gender. Material and methods. The study included a total of 143 skydivers (98 men and 45 women aged from 17 to 49 years with different levels of expertise in skydiving. In total, 73 respondents were categorised as novices, and 70 were considered experts. Novice skydivers were defined as having completed no more than 10 jumps in their lives. Expert skydivers were persons who had made at least 100 jumps in their lives and had a licence to perform skydiving independently, without instructor supervision. The need for stimulation was measured using the Sensation Seeking Scale IV by Zuckerman, in its Polish version by Oleszkiewicz-Zsurzs. Results. Since a high proportion of individuals with a strong need for sensation was found among both men and women, it can be concluded that it is an important factor in primary selection in skydiving (when the sport is undertaken, regardless of gender. Conclusions. The significance of sensation seeking as a factor in secondary selection in skydiving (when the sport is being performed differs depending on the particular dimension of sensation seeking and gender. Susceptibility to boredom is probably a significant factor in secondary selection in women.

Operant conditioning of the soleus H-reflex does not induce long-term changes in the gastrocnemius H-reflexes and does not disturb normal locomotion in humans.

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Makihara, Yukiko; Segal, Richard L; Wolpaw, Jonathan R; Thompson, Aiko K

2014-09-15

In normal animals, operant conditioning of the spinal stretch reflex or the H-reflex has lesser effects on synergist muscle reflexes. In rats and people with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI), soleus H-reflex operant conditioning can improve locomotion. We studied in normal humans the impact of soleus H-reflex down-conditioning on medial (MG) and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) H-reflexes and on locomotion. Subjects completed 6 baseline and 30 conditioning sessions. During conditioning trials, the subject was encouraged to decrease soleus H-reflex size with the aid of visual feedback. Every sixth session, MG and LG H-reflexes were measured. Locomotion was assessed before and after conditioning. In successfully conditioned subjects, the soleus H-reflex decreased 27.2%. This was the sum of within-session (task dependent) adaptation (13.2%) and across-session (long term) change (14%). The MG H-reflex decreased 14.5%, due mainly to task-dependent adaptation (13.4%). The LG H-reflex showed no task-dependent adaptation or long-term change. No consistent changes were detected across subjects in locomotor H-reflexes, EMG activity, joint angles, or step symmetry. Thus, in normal humans, soleus H-reflex down-conditioning does not induce long-term changes in MG/LG H-reflexes and does not change locomotion. In these subjects, task-dependent adaptation of the soleus H-reflex is greater than it is in people with SCI, whereas long-term change is less. This difference from results in people with SCI is consistent with the fact that long-term change is beneficial in people with SCI, since it improves locomotion. In contrast, in normal subjects, long-term change is not beneficial and may necessitate compensatory plasticity to preserve satisfactory locomotion. Copyright © 2014 the American Physiological Society.

[Joint diagnostic value of four temperature sensation tests in elderly patients with type 2 diabetic peripheral neuropathy].

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Wei; Li, Yun-Ming; Ai, Zhi-Hua; You, Zhi-Qing; Wan, Yong; Cheng, Ying; Lang, Hong-Mei

2013-07-01

To explore the joint diagnostic value of four temperature sensation tests in elderly patients with type 2 diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Thermal sensory analyzer-II were applied to measure cool sensation (CS), warm sensation (WS), cold pain sensation (CP)and heat pain sensation (HP) of 308 elderly patients with type 2 diabetes. Logistic regression model was adopted to create the new variable Temp4 from four temperature sensation tests to diagnose type 2 diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The ROC curve analysis was used to determine the best cut-off points of the four temperature sensation and Temp4, and the diagnostic value of it was evaluated. The means of temperature sensation tests of the diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) group were significantly different from those of the non-DPN group (P sensation tests to diagnose the DPN, the sensitivity of WS test was the highest, and the value was 0.710; but the specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, Youden index, diagnostic accuracy and Kappa value of cold sensation test were the highest, and the values were 0.842, 0.746, 0.799, 0.528, 77.92% and 0.535, respectively; the Kappa values of the other three temperature sensation tests were all greater than 0.4 (P sensation tests (P sensation quantitative tests were in good agreementand could be applied to diagnose DPN; the new variable Temp4 could be used for diagnosis of DPN with a higher diagnostic accuracy.

Genetically Influenced Change in Sensation Seeking Drives the Rise of Delinquent Behavior during Adolescence

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Harden, K. Paige; Quinn, Patrick D.; Tucker-Drob, Elliot M.

2012-01-01

Sensation seeking is associated with an increased propensity for delinquency, and emerging research on personality change suggests that mean levels of sensation seeking increase substantially from childhood to adolescence. The current study tested whether individual differences in the rate of change of sensation seeking predicted within-person…

Human roughness perception and possible factors effecting roughness sensation.

Science.gov (United States)

Aktar, Tugba; Chen, Jianshe; Ettelaie, Rammile; Holmes, Melvin; Henson, Brian

2017-06-01

Surface texture sensation is significant for business success, in particular for solid surfaces for most of the materials; including foods. Mechanisms of roughness perception are still unknown, especially under different conditions such as lubricants with varying viscosities, different temperatures, or under different force loads during the observation of the surface. This work aims to determine the effect of those unknown factors, with applied sensory tests on 62 healthy participants. Roughness sensation of fingertip was tested under different lubricants including water and diluted syrup solutions at room temperature (25C) and body temperature (37C) by using simple pair-wise comparison to observe the just noticeable difference threshold and perception levels. Additionally, in this research applied force load during roughness observation was tested with pair-wise ranking method to illustrate its possible effect on human sensation. Obtained results showed that human's capability of roughness discrimination reduces with increased viscosity of the lubricant, where the influence of the temperature was not found to be significant. Moreover, the increase in the applied force load showed an increase in the sensitivity of roughness discrimination. Observed effects of the applied factors were also used for estimating the oral sensation of texture during eating. These findings are significant for our fundamental understanding to texture perception, and for the development of new food products with controlled textural features. Texture discrimination ability, more specifically roughness discrimination capability, is a significant factor for preference and appreciation for a wide range of materials, including food, furniture, or fabric. To explore the mechanism of sensation capability through tactile senses, it is necessary to identify the relevant factors and define characteristics that dominate the process involved. The results that will be obtained under these principles

Thermal sensation during mild hyperthermia is modulated by acute postural change in humans

Science.gov (United States)

Takeda, Ryosuke; Imai, Daiki; Suzuki, Akina; Ota, Akemi; Naghavi, Nooshin; Yamashina, Yoshihiro; Hirasawa, Yoshikazu; Yokoyama, Hisayo; Miyagawa, Toshiaki; Okazaki, Kazunobu

2016-12-01

Thermal sensation represents the primary stimulus for behavioral and autonomic thermoregulation. We assessed whether the sensation of skin and core temperatures for the driving force of behavioral thermoregulation was modified by postural change from the supine (Sup) to sitting (Sit) during mild hyperthermia. Seventeen healthy young men underwent measurements of noticeable increase and decrease (±0.1 °C/s) of skin temperature (thresholds of warm and cold sensation on the skin, 6.25 cm2 of area) at the forearm and chest and of the whole-body warm sensation in the Sup and Sit during normothermia (NT; esophageal temperature (Tes), ˜36.6 °C) and mild hyperthermia (HT; Tes, ˜37.2 °C; lower legs immersion in 42 °C of water). The threshold for cold sensation on the skin at chest was lower during HT than NT in the Sit ( P body posture or temperature. The whole-body warm sensation was higher during HT than NT in both postures and higher in the Sit than Sup during both NT and HT (all, P cold on the skin and more whole-body warmth.

Is the deleterious effect of cryotherapy on proprioception mitigated by exercise?

Science.gov (United States)

Ribeiro, F; Moreira, S; Neto, J; Oliveira, J

2013-05-01

This study aimed to examine the acute effects of cryotherapy on knee position sense and to determine the time period necessary to normalize joint position sense when exercising after cryotherapy. 12 subjects visited the laboratory twice, once for cryotherapy followed by 30 min of exercise on a cycloergometer and once for cryotherapy followed by 30 min of rest. Sessions were randomly determined and separated by 48 h. Cryotherapy was applied in the form of ice bag, filled with 1 kg of crushed ice, for 20 min. Knee position sense was measured at baseline, after cryotherapy and every 5 min after cryotherapy removal until a total of 30 min. The main effect of cryotherapy was significant showing an increase in absolute (F7,154=43.76, pcryotherapy. The intervention after cryotherapy (rest vs. exercise) revealed a significant main effect only for absolute error (F7,154=4.05, pcryotherapy, the proprioceptive acuity reached the baseline values faster (10 min vs. 15 min). Our results indicated that the deleterious effect of cryotherapy on proprioception is mitigated by low intensity exercise, being the time necessary to normalize knee position sense reduced from 15 to 10 min. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Mass Media Strategies Targeting High Sensation Seekers: What Works and Why

Science.gov (United States)

Stephenson, Michael T.

2003-01-01

Objectives: To examine strategies for using the mass media effectively in drug prevention campaigns targeting high sensation seekers. Methods: Both experimental lab and field studies were used to develop a comprehensive audience segmentation strategy targeting high sensation seekers. Results: A 4-pronged targeting strategy employed in an…

Variants in the dopamine-4-receptor gene promoter are not associated with sensation seeking in skiers.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomson, Cynthia J; Rajala, Amelia K; Carlson, Scott R; Rupert, Jim L

2014-01-01

Sensation seeking is a personality trait that has been associated with disinhibited behaviours including substance use and gambling, but also with high-risk sport practices including skydiving, paragliding, and downhill skiing. Twin studies have shown that sensation seeking is moderately heritable, and candidate genes encoding components involved in dopaminergic transmission have been investigated as contributing to this type of behaviour. To determine whether variants in the regulatory regions of the dopamine-4-receptor gene (DRD4) influenced sport-specific sensation seeking, we analyzed five polymorphisms (-1106T/C, -906T/C, -809G/A, -291C/T, 120-bp duplication) in the promoter region of the gene in a cohort of skiers and snowboarders (n = 599) that represented a broad range of sensation seeking behaviours. We grouped subjects by genotype at each of the five loci and compared impulsive sensation seeking and domain-specific (skiing) sensation seeking between groups. There were no significant associations between genotype(s) and general or domain-specific sensation seeking in the skiers and snowboarders, suggesting that while DRD4 has previously been implicated in sensation seeking, the promoter variants investigated in this study do not contribute to sensation seeking in this athlete population.

COMPARISON OF PROPRIOCEPTIVE TRAINING OVER TECHNICAL TRAINING IN PREVENTION OF RECURRENT ANKLE SPRAIN AMONG PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS

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Jibi Paul

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Ankle sprain is one of the major causes of disability in professional footballers. Objective of this study was to find out the effectiveness and to compare the effectiveness of the proprioceptive training and technical training immediately after the end of the treatment and after three months follow up in prevention of recurrent ankle sprain among professional footballers. Methods: 30 subjects with previous history of grade I or grade II ankle sprain, within one year were selected for the study. They were randomly divided into two groups equally treadmill 15 in each group A and group B. Group A and B received five minutes of warm-up by brisk walk on treadmill. Group A and B underwent 20 minutes of unilateral balance board training and unilateral vertical jump respectively. Results: Pre and post data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney test, Wilcoxon’s sign rank test, paired‘t’ test. Intra group analysis showed that both groups have shown significant improvement with P < 0.001, after the treatment. Inter group were analyzed the post scores of both groups and found no significant difference on proprioceptive training over technical training on recurrence of ankle sprain among professional footballers. Conclusion: The study concluded that proprioceptive and technical training are equally effective on prevention of recurrent ankle sprain among professional footballers with previous history of grade I or grade II ankle sprain.

踝关节本体感觉的测量方法研究与应用%Development and application of measurement methods for ankle proprioception

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

张秋霞; 花秀琴; 施永健

2011-01-01

BACKGROUND: The loss of the ankle proprioception is an important reason for ankle sprain. But there is no standard in themeasurement methods of the ankle proprioception.OBJECTIVE: To review the measurement methods of the ankle proprioception.METHODS: This study was retrived by the author with the key words of “joint position sense, muscle force sense; balancecapacity; proprioception; ankle joint” in English and “proprioception; balance capacity; ankle joint” in Chinese from PubMeddatabaseand VIP database. Articles related with the measurement methods of ankl e proprioception were included. The duplicatedarticles were excluded. A total of 53 articles, 2 in Chinese and 51 in English, were included in the final analysis.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: There are such measurement methods of proprioception, as joint position sense, muscle forcesense, threshold to detect passive motion, joint movement sense, balance measurement. The selection of measurement methodsof the ankle proprioception should be based on actual needs.%背景:踝关节本体感觉能力的降低可能是踝关节容易反复损伤的一个重要原因,而对于踝关节本体感觉的定量评定方法一直没有一个标准化的测试方法.目的:通过查阅大量资料并进行分析总结,对踝关节本体感觉的测量方法的研究现状进行综述.方法:由作者检索PubMed数据库及维普数据库的相关文章.英文检索词为"joint position sense,muscle force sense;balance capacity;proprioception;ankle joint";中文检索词为"本体感觉,平衡能力,踝关节".共入选53篇文献进行归纳总结.结果与结论:踝关节本体感觉的测量方法包括关节位置觉、肌肉力觉、侦测被动运动变化阈值、关节运动觉、平衡能力等,在实际应用中应根据实际情况需要来确定选用哪种方法作为踝关节本体感觉的测量方法.

Sensation Seeking and Narrative Transportation: High Sensation Seeking Children's Interest in Reading outside of School

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Jakob; Imboden, Kristen; Ivic, Rebecca

2011-01-01

High sensation seekers (HSS) prefer messages that allow them to maintain an optimal level of arousal (i.e., highly arousing messages). Transportation theory suggests that narrative immersion in a story may moderate reader arousal, and thus HSS message selection. To test this idea, a survey was administered to 120 fourth and fifth graders. In…

O conceito de reflexão de Hegel como crítica aos conceitos de essência e de reflexão tradicionais

OpenAIRE

Christian Iber

2017-01-01

O presente artigo ilumina o específico do conceito de reflexão de Hegel em cinco momentos. Em um primeiro momento, delineia-se um esboço do conceito de reflexão na lógica da essência de Hegel. Em um segundo momento, o conceito de reflexão de Hegel é apresentado como estrutura lógica objetiva em contraste com a reflexão subjetiva da consciência e do entendimento, com a qual, ao mesmo tempo, o conceito de essência ontológica independente da reflexão é submetido a uma crítica. Do novo conceito d...

Intraoperative perception and sensation in laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).

Science.gov (United States)

Srivannaboon, Sabong; Chansue, Ekktet

2004-04-01

To investigate intraoperative perception and sensation during Laser in situ Keratomileusis (LASIK). Sixty patients with uneventful LASIK were included. All procedures were performed by one surgeon with one technique. Any patient with intra-operative complications was excluded. The patients were asked to fill in the subjective evaluation form regarding their perception and sensation during the operation. Twenty-nine patients (48%) reported no pain and twenty-six patients (43%) reported no burning sensation during the surgery. Nineteen patients (32%) reported no light perception during the suction period of microkeratome. There was no correlation between duration of the suction and no light perception (R2 0.01). Thirty-four patients (56%) reported no trouble in maintaining visual fixation at the red light during the laser treatment. Ten patients (16%) reported they could clearly see the movement during the surgery and 5 out of 10 patients (50% of 16%) reported visual frightening. Fifty cases (84%) reported no visual frightening during the surgery after reassurance of the visual experience by the surgeon before the surgery. Patients undergoing LASIK may experience different visual perceptions. Reassurance of the intraoperative perception and sensation before the surgery can reduce the visual frightening.

Comparison of the Effects of Therapeutic exercise and Pilates Training on Function and Proprioception in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OpenAIRE

Vahid Mazloum; Nader Rahnama

2014-01-01

Objective: Knee Osteoarthritis (OA) as one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders, leads to joint degeneration and consequent deterioration of function and proprioception. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Pilates exercise on knee OA. Materials & Methods: Forty-one male individuals were randomly categorized into three groups, including Pilates, conventional exercise therapy, and control. Proprioception, objective assessment of functional performance, and pat...

Kinesthetic information facilitates saccades towards proprioceptive-tactile targets.

Science.gov (United States)

Voudouris, Dimitris; Goettker, Alexander; Mueller, Stefanie; Fiehler, Katja

2016-05-01

Saccades to somatosensory targets have longer latencies and are less accurate and precise than saccades to visual targets. Here we examined how different somatosensory information influences the planning and control of saccadic eye movements. Participants fixated a central cross and initiated a saccade as fast as possible in response to a tactile stimulus that was presented to either the index or the middle fingertip of their unseen left hand. In a static condition, the hand remained at a target location for the entire block of trials and the stimulus was presented at a fixed time after an auditory tone. Therefore, the target location was derived only from proprioceptive and tactile information. In a moving condition, the hand was first actively moved to the same target location and the stimulus was then presented immediately. Thus, in the moving condition additional kinesthetic information about the target location was available. We found shorter saccade latencies in the moving compared to the static condition, but no differences in accuracy or precision of saccadic endpoints. In a second experiment, we introduced variable delays after the auditory tone (static condition) or after the end of the hand movement (moving condition) in order to reduce the predictability of the moment of the stimulation and to allow more time to process the kinesthetic information. Again, we found shorter latencies in the moving compared to the static condition but no improvement in saccade accuracy or precision. In a third experiment, we showed that the shorter saccade latencies in the moving condition cannot be explained by the temporal proximity between the relevant event (auditory tone or end of hand movement) and the moment of the stimulation. Our findings suggest that kinesthetic information facilitates planning, but not control, of saccadic eye movements to proprioceptive-tactile targets. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sleep dissolves illusion: sleep withstands learning of visuo-tactile-proprioceptive integration induced by repeated days of rubber hand illusion training.

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Motoyasu Honma

Full Text Available Multisensory integration is a key factor in establishing bodily self-consciousness and in adapting humans to novel environments. The rubber hand illusion paradigm, in which humans can immediately perceive illusory ownership to an artificial hand, is a traditional technique for investigating multisensory integration and the feeling of illusory ownership. However, the long-term learning properties of the rubber hand illusion have not been previously investigated. Moreover, although sleep contributes to various aspects of cognition, including learning and memory, its influence on illusory learning of the artificial hand has not yet been assessed. We determined the effects of daily repetitive training and sleep on learning visuo-tactile-proprioceptive sensory integration and illusory ownership in healthy adult participants by using the traditional rubber hand illusion paradigm. Subjective ownership of the rubber hand, proprioceptive drift, and galvanic skin response were measured to assess learning indexes. Subjective ownership was maintained and proprioceptive drift increased with daily training. Proprioceptive drift, but not subjective ownership, was significantly attenuated after sleep. A significantly greater reduction in galvanic skin response was observed after wakefulness compared to after sleep. Our results suggest that although repetitive rubber hand illusion training facilitates multisensory integration and physiological habituation of a multisensory incongruent environment, sleep corrects illusional integration and habituation based on experiences in a multisensory incongruent environment. These findings may increase our understanding of adaptive neural processes to novel environments, specifically, bodily self-consciousness and sleep-dependent neuroplasticity.

Sleep dissolves illusion: sleep withstands learning of visuo-tactile-proprioceptive integration induced by repeated days of rubber hand illusion training.

Science.gov (United States)

Honma, Motoyasu; Yoshiike, Takuya; Ikeda, Hiroki; Kim, Yoshiharu; Kuriyama, Kenichi

2014-01-01

Multisensory integration is a key factor in establishing bodily self-consciousness and in adapting humans to novel environments. The rubber hand illusion paradigm, in which humans can immediately perceive illusory ownership to an artificial hand, is a traditional technique for investigating multisensory integration and the feeling of illusory ownership. However, the long-term learning properties of the rubber hand illusion have not been previously investigated. Moreover, although sleep contributes to various aspects of cognition, including learning and memory, its influence on illusory learning of the artificial hand has not yet been assessed. We determined the effects of daily repetitive training and sleep on learning visuo-tactile-proprioceptive sensory integration and illusory ownership in healthy adult participants by using the traditional rubber hand illusion paradigm. Subjective ownership of the rubber hand, proprioceptive drift, and galvanic skin response were measured to assess learning indexes. Subjective ownership was maintained and proprioceptive drift increased with daily training. Proprioceptive drift, but not subjective ownership, was significantly attenuated after sleep. A significantly greater reduction in galvanic skin response was observed after wakefulness compared to after sleep. Our results suggest that although repetitive rubber hand illusion training facilitates multisensory integration and physiological habituation of a multisensory incongruent environment, sleep corrects illusional integration and habituation based on experiences in a multisensory incongruent environment. These findings may increase our understanding of adaptive neural processes to novel environments, specifically, bodily self-consciousness and sleep-dependent neuroplasticity.

[Effects of morphine on pupillary light reflex in monkeys].

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Meng, Zhi-Qiang; Zhang, Yu-Hua; Chen, Nan-Hui; Miao, Ying-Da; Hu, Xin-Tian; Ma, Yuan-Ye

2010-06-01

The pupil size of both human and other animals can be affected by light. Many kinds of psychiatrical and psychological disorders, such as drug abuse, associate with abnormal properties of pupillary light reflex. Thus, the properties of pupillary light reflex could serve as an indicator for drug abuse detection. However, the effect of drug abuse on pupillary light reflex is till unclear. To assess the effects of addictive drugs on pupillary light reflex quantificationally, in the present study, we examined the effects of morphine on pupil diameter and pupillary light reflex in rhesus monkeys. By measuring the pupil diameter at different timing points before and after the administration of morphine, we found that morphine administration reduced the diameter of pupil and decreased the constriction rate. Our present results provide an experimental support for applying the properties of pupillary light reflex as a reference in addicts' detection.

Physiological and psychological correlates of attention-related body sensations (tingling and warmth).

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Tihanyi, B T; Köteles, F

2017-09-01

Body sensations play an essential role in the subjective evaluation of our physical health, illness, and healing. They are impacted by peripheral somatic and external processes, but they are also heavily modulated by mental processes, e.g., attention, motor control, and emotion. Body sensations, such as tingling, numbness, pulse, and warmth, can emerge due to simply focusing attention on a body part. It is however an open question, if these sensations are connected with actual peripheral changes or happen "only in the mind." Here, we first tested whether the intensity of such attention-related body sensations is related to autonomic and somatomotor physiological processes and to psychological traits. In this study, attention-related body sensations were not significantly connected to changes in physiology, except warmth sensation, which was linked to decrease in muscle tension. Overall intensity of tingling significantly correlated with body awareness and tendentiously with body-mind practice. This strengthened the hypothesis that attention-related body sensations are more the result of top-down functions, and the connection with peripheral processes is weak. Here, we suggested a novel protocol to examine the effect of manipulating attention on body sensations, which together with our results and discussion can inspire future researches.

Production of Basic Emotions by Children with Congenital Blindness: Evidence for the Embodiment of Theory of Mind

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Roch-Levecq, Anne-Catherine

2006-01-01

Children with congenital blindness are delayed in understanding other people's minds. The present study examined whether this delay was related to a more primitive form of inter-subjectivity by which infants draw correspondence between parental mirroring of the infant's display and proprioceptive sensations. Twenty children with congenital…

Electro-cutaneous stimulation on the palm elicits referred sensations on intact but not on amputated digits

Science.gov (United States)

D'Alonzo, M.; Engels, L. F.; Controzzi, M.; Cipriani, C.

2018-02-01

Objective. Grasping and manipulation control critically depends on tactile feedback. Without this feedback, the ability for fine control of a prosthesis is limited in upper limb amputees. Early studies have shown that non-invasive electro-cutaneous stimulation (ES) can induce referred sensations that are spread to a wider and/or more distant area, with respect to the electrodes. Building on this, we sought to exploit this effect to provide somatotopically matched sensory feedback to people with partial hand (digital) amputations. Approach. For the first time, this work investigated the possibility of inducing referred sensations in the digits by activating the palmar nerves. Specifically, we electrically stimulated 18 sites on the palm of non-amputees to evaluate the effects of sites and stimulation parameters on modality, magnitude, and location of the evoked sensations. We performed similar tests with partial hand amputees by testing those sites that had most consistently elicited referred sensations in non-amputees. Main results. We demonstrated referred sensations in non-amputees from all stimulation sites in one form or another. Specifically, the stimulation of 16 of the 18 sites gave rise to reliable referred sensations. Amputees experienced referred sensations to unimpaired digits, just like non-amputees, but we were unable to evoke referred sensations in their missing digits: none of them reported sensations that extended beyond the tip of the stump. Significance. The possibility of eliciting referred sensations on the digits may be exploited in haptic systems for providing touch sensations without obstructing the fingertips or their movements. The study also suggests that the phenomenon of referred sensations through ES may not be exploited for partial hand prostheses, and it invites researchers to explore alternative approaches. Finally, the results seem to confirm previous studies suggesting that the stumps in partial hand amputees partially acquire the

Person × Environment Interactions on Adolescent Delinquency: Sensation Seeking, Peer Deviance and Parental Monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Mann, Frank D; Kretsch, Natalie; Tackett, Jennifer L; Harden, K Paige; Tucker-Drob, Elliot M

2015-04-01

Sensation seeking is a personality trait that is robustly correlated with delinquent behavior in adolescence. The current study tested specific contextual factors hypothesized to facilitate, exacerbate or attenuate this risk factor for adolescent delinquency. Individual differences in sensation seeking, peer deviance, parental monitoring and self-reported delinquent behavior were assessed in a sample of 470 adolescents. Peer deviance partially mediated the effects of sensation seeking and parental monitoring on adolescent delinquency. We also found evidence for a three-way interaction between sensation seeking, peer deviance and parental monitoring, such that the highest rates of delinquency occurred from the concurrence of high sensation seeking, high peer deviance, and low levels of parental monitoring. Results highlight the importance of considering peer- and family-level processes when evaluating personality risk and problematic adolescent behavior.

Extraocular Muscles Tension, Tonus, and Proprioception in Infantile Strabismus: Role of the Oculomotor System in the Pathogenesis of Infantile Strabismus—Review of the Literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Costantino Schiavi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The role played by the extraocular muscles (EOMs in the etiology of concomitant infantile strabismus is still debated and it has not yet definitively established if the sensory anomalies in concomitant strabismus are a consequence or a primary cause of the deviation. The commonest theory supposes that most strabismus results from abnormal innervation of the EOMs, but the cause of this dysfunction and its origin, whether central or peripheral, are still unknown. The interaction between sensory factors and innervational factors, that is, esotonus, accommodation, convergence, divergence, and vestibular reflexes in visually immature infants with family predisposition, is suspected to create conditions that prevent binocular alignment from stabilizing and strengthening. Some role in the onset of fixation instability and infantile strabismus could be played by the feedback control of eye movements and by dysfunction of eye muscle proprioception during the critical period of development of the visual sensory system. A possible role in the onset, maintenance, or worsening of the deviation of abnormalities of muscle force which have their clinical equivalent in eye muscle overaction and underaction has been investigated under either isometric or isotonic conditions, and in essence no significant anomalies of muscle force have been found in concomitant strabismus.

Effect of whole body vibration exercise on muscle strength and proprioception in females with knee osteoarthritis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trans, T; Aaboe, J; Henriksen, M

2009-01-01

status was measured using WOMAC. It was found that muscle strength increased significantly (pIsometric knee-extension significantly increased (p=0.021) in VibM compared to Con. TDPM was significantly improved (p=0.033) in VibF compared to Con, while there was a tendency......The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of whole body vibration (WBV) exercise on muscle strength and proprioception in female patients with osteoarthritis in the knee (knee-OA). A single blinded, randomised, controlled trial was performed in an outpatient clinic on 52 female patients...... groups trained twice a week for 8 weeks, with a progressively increasing intensity. The WBV groups performed unloaded static WBV exercise. The following were measured: knee muscle strength (extension/flexion) and proprioception (threshold for detection of passive movement (TDPM)). Self-reported disease...

Variants in the dopamine-4-receptor gene promoter are not associated with sensation seeking in skiers.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cynthia J Thomson

Full Text Available Sensation seeking is a personality trait that has been associated with disinhibited behaviours including substance use and gambling, but also with high-risk sport practices including skydiving, paragliding, and downhill skiing. Twin studies have shown that sensation seeking is moderately heritable, and candidate genes encoding components involved in dopaminergic transmission have been investigated as contributing to this type of behaviour. To determine whether variants in the regulatory regions of the dopamine-4-receptor gene (DRD4 influenced sport-specific sensation seeking, we analyzed five polymorphisms (-1106T/C, -906T/C, -809G/A, -291C/T, 120-bp duplication in the promoter region of the gene in a cohort of skiers and snowboarders (n = 599 that represented a broad range of sensation seeking behaviours. We grouped subjects by genotype at each of the five loci and compared impulsive sensation seeking and domain-specific (skiing sensation seeking between groups. There were no significant associations between genotype(s and general or domain-specific sensation seeking in the skiers and snowboarders, suggesting that while DRD4 has previously been implicated in sensation seeking, the promoter variants investigated in this study do not contribute to sensation seeking in this athlete population.

Touched in sensation--moved by respiration: embodied narrative identity--a treatment process.

Science.gov (United States)

Sviland, Randi; Råheim, Målfrid; Martinsen, Kari

2012-12-01

The aim of this theoretical article is to elaborate on the underpinning of Norwegian psychomotor physiotherapy (NPMP). With a narrative and hermeneutic point of departure, we explore the unfolding of a 10-year-long treatment by analysing a particular narrative from this treatment context in relation to some foundational perspectives on movement, sensation and time. A woman in her late thirties suffering from muscular tensions and pain, depression, anxiety and anorexia, came for NPMP. The investigation of her treatment experience is based on the journal written by her physiotherapist and first author of this article. We suggest that new experiences in movement and sensation as well as changes in movement patterns can contribute to retuning in sensation and restructuring of narrative time. Feeding the fictional space and narrative fantasy with new experiences in movement and sensation can help counteracting delusional ideas and assist changes, supporting embodied narrative identity. Ingrid's experience is discussed in the light of Trygve Braatøy's understanding of muscular functions, Knud E Løgstrup's phenomenology of sensation and Paul Ricouer's narrative time. © 2012 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences © 2012 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Age-related changes in cutaneous sensation in the healthy human hand.

Science.gov (United States)

Bowden, Jocelyn L; McNulty, Penelope A

2013-08-01

Cutaneous sensation deteriorates with age. It is not known if this change is consistent over the entire hand or if sensation is affected by changes in skin mechanics. Cutaneous perceptual thresholds were tested at eight sites in the glabrous skin and two in the hairy skin of both hands in 70 subjects (20-88 years), five male and five female per decade, using calibrated von Frey filaments, two-point discrimination, and texture discrimination. Venous occlusion at the wrist (40 ± 10 mmHg) and moisturizer were used to alter skin mechanics. Cutaneous thresholds increased significantly with age (p sensation varied according to the site tested with smaller changes on the fingers compared to the palm. Two-point discrimination deteriorated with age (p = 0.046), but with no interaction between sex, handedness, or changes in skin mechanics. There were no significant differences for texture discrimination. Changes in skin mechanics improved cutaneous thresholds in the oldest males after moisturizing (p = 0.001) but not otherwise. These results emphasize the complex pattern of age-related deterioration in cutaneous sensation with differences between sexes, the hands, sites on the hand, and the mode of testing. As the index fingertip is not a sensitive indicator of sensory decline, the minimum assessment of age-related changes in cutaneous sensation should include both hands, and sites on the palm.

Investigation of Acupuncture Sensation Patterns under Sensory Deprivation Using a Geographic Information System

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Beissner, Florian; Marzolff, Irene

2012-01-01

The study of acupuncture-related sensations, like deqi and propagated sensations along channels (PSCs), has a long tradition in acupuncture basic research. The phenomenon itself, however, remains poorly understood. To study the connection between PSC and classical meridians, we applied a geographic information system (GIS) to analyze sketches of acupuncture sensations from healthy volunteers after laser acupuncture. As PSC can be subtle, we aimed at reducing the confounding impact of external stimuli by carrying out the experiment in a floatation tank under restricted environmental stimulation. 82.4% of the subjects experienced PSC, that is, they had line-like or 2-dimensional sensations, although there were some doubts that these were related to the laser stimulation. Line-like sensations on the same limb were averaged to calculate sensation mean courses, which were then compared to classical meridians by measuring the mean distance between the two. Distances ranged from 0.83 cm in the case of the heart (HT) and spleen (SP) meridian to 6.27 cm in the case of the kidney (KI) meridian. Furthermore, PSC was observed to “jump” between adjacent meridians. In summary, GIS has proven to be a valuable tool to study PSC, and our results suggest a close connection between PSC and classical meridians. PMID:23243458

Effects of two proprioceptive training programs on ankle range of motion, pain, functional and balance performance in individuals with ankle sprain.

Science.gov (United States)

Lazarou, Lazaros; Kofotolis, Nikolaos; Pafis, Georgios; Kellis, Eleftherios

2017-09-08

Following ankle sprain, residual symptoms are often apparent, and proprioceptive training is a treatment approach. Evidence, however, is limited and the optimal program has to be identified. To investigate the effects of two post-acute supervised proprioceptive training programs in individuals with ankle sprain. Participants were recruited from a physiotherapy center for ankle sprain rehabilitation. In a pre-post treatment, blinded-assessor design, 22 individuals were randomly allocated to a balance or a proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) group. Both groups received 10 rehabilitation sessions, within a six-week period. Dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM), pain, functional and balance performance were assessed at baseline, at the end of training and eight weeks after training. Follow-up data were provided for 20 individuals. Eight weeks after training, statistically significant (pfunctional performance measures for both balance and PNF groups. Eight weeks after training, significant (pfunctional performance in individuals with sprain. Balance programs are also recommended for pain relief.

Using ESO Reflex with Web Services

Science.gov (United States)

Järveläinen, P.; Savolainen, V.; Oittinen, T.; Maisala, S.; Ullgrén, M. Hook, R.

2008-08-01

ESO Reflex is a prototype graphical workflow system, based on Taverna, and primarily intended to be a flexible way of running ESO data reduction recipes along with other legacy applications and user-written tools. ESO Reflex can also readily use the Taverna Web Services features that are based on the Apache Axis SOAP implementation. Taverna is a general purpose Web Service client, and requires no programming to use such services. However, Taverna also has some restrictions: for example, no numerical types such integers. In addition the preferred binding style is document/literal wrapped, but most astronomical services publish the Axis default WSDL using RPC/encoded style. Despite these minor limitations we have created simple but very promising test VO workflow using the Sesame name resolver service at CDS Strasbourg, the Hubble SIAP server at the Multi-Mission Archive at Space Telescope (MAST) and the WESIX image cataloging and catalogue cross-referencing service at the University of Pittsburgh. ESO Reflex can also pass files and URIs via the PLASTIC protocol to visualisation tools and has its own viewer for VOTables. We picked these three Web Services to try to set up a realistic and useful ESO Reflex workflow. They also demonstrate ESO Reflex abilities to use many kind of Web Services because each of them requires a different interface. We describe each of these services in turn and comment on how it was used

Proprioceptive body illusions modulate the visual perception of reaching distance.

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Agustin Petroni

Full Text Available The neurobiology of reaching has been extensively studied in human and non-human primates. However, the mechanisms that allow a subject to decide-without engaging in explicit action-whether an object is reachable are not fully understood. Some studies conclude that decisions near the reach limit depend on motor simulations of the reaching movement. Others have shown that the body schema plays a role in explicit and implicit distance estimation, especially after motor practice with a tool. In this study we evaluate the causal role of multisensory body representations in the perception of reachable space. We reasoned that if body schema is used to estimate reach, an illusion of the finger size induced by proprioceptive stimulation should propagate to the perception of reaching distances. To test this hypothesis we induced a proprioceptive illusion of extension or shrinkage of the right index finger while participants judged a series of LEDs as reachable or non-reachable without actual movement. Our results show that reach distance estimation depends on the illusory perceived size of the finger: illusory elongation produced a shift of reaching distance away from the body whereas illusory shrinkage produced the opposite effect. Combining these results with previous findings, we suggest that deciding if a target is reachable requires an integration of body inputs in high order multisensory parietal areas that engage in movement simulations through connections with frontal premotor areas.

Prevalence of family history in patients with reflex syncope

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holmegard, Haya N; Benn, Marianne; Kaijer, Michelle Nymann

2013-01-01

Reflex syncope is defined by a rapid transient loss of consciousness caused by global cerebral hypoperfusion resulting from vasodilatation and/or bradycardia attributable to inappropriate cardiovascular reflexes. A hereditary component has been suggested, but prevalence of family history may differ...... among subtypes of reflex syncope, as these have different autonomic responses and pathogeneses may be diverse. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of a positive family history of syncope and cardiovascular characteristics in patients with cardioinhibitory and vasodepressor reflex syncope....... Patients (n=74) were classified into subtypes of reflex syncope - cardioinhibition/asystole (Vasovagal Syncope International Study subtypes II-B [VASIS II-B], n=38) or vasodepressor (VASIS III, n=36) - using the head-up tilt test. Family history was obtained by questionnaires supplemented by interview...

How sudden is a compelling desire to void? An observational cystometric study on the suddenness of this sensation.

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De Wachter, Stefan; Wyndaele, Jean-Jacques

2008-04-01

To evaluate whether a compelling desire to void (CDV) is always perceived suddenly, or whether it can result from the gradual build-up of bladder-filling sensations. The pattern of filling sensations was evaluated during standard cystometric bladder filling in 75 patients who complained of urgency and showed detrusor overactivity during cystometry. Cystometric filling ended when a CDV was reported. The 'warning volume' is defined as the difference in volume between the first perception of filling and the volume at CDV. Different patterns of bladder-filling sensations were reported. A CDV occurred suddenly, without a preceding sensation in 13% of the patients, whereas 66% reported at least two normal preceding filling sensations before a CDV. The bladder volume at the CDV was significantly smaller in patients that reported no or just one preceding sensation compared with those that reported the normal pattern of two or three sensations (P perception was reported was not different regardless of whether it was described as a first sensation of filling, a first desire or a CDV (P = 0.42). The warning volumes were not different between patients with one or no standardized filling sensations (P = 0.7), but they were significantly smaller than in patients with two or three filling sensations (P = 0.85). A CDV can occur suddenly if normal filling sensation is disturbed, but also gradually if normal filling sensation is preserved. In cases of disturbed filling sensation, the volume at CDV and the warning volume are significantly lower.

Proprioception of foot and ankle complex in young regular practitioners of ice hockey, ballet dancing and running.

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Li, Jing Xian; Xu, Dong Qing; Hoshizaki, Blaine

2009-01-01

This study examined the proprioception of the foot and ankle complex in regular ice hockey practitioners, runners, and ballet dancers. A total of 45 young people with different exercise habits formed four groups: the ice hockey, ballet dancing, running, and sedentary groups. Kinesthesia of the foot and ankle complex was measured in plantarflexion (PF), dorsiflexion (DF), inversion (IV), and eversion (EV) at 0.4 degrees /s using a custom-made device. The results showed the following: (1) significantly better perceived passive motion sense in PF/DF was found as compared with the measurements in IV/EV within each group (P ballet groups perceived significantly better passive motion sense in IV/EV than the running (P ballet dancing on proprioception may be associated with their movement characteristics.

The prevalence and magnitude of impaired cutaneous sensation across the hand in the chronic period post-stroke.

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Bowden, Jocelyn L; Lin, Gaven G; McNulty, Penelope A

2014-01-01

Sensation is commonly impaired immediately post-stroke but little is known about the long-term changes in cutaneous sensation that have the capacity to adversely impact independence and motor-function. We investigated cutaneous sensory thresholds across the hand in the chronic post-stroke period. Cutaneous sensation was assessed in 42 community-dwelling stroke patients and compared to 36 healthy subjects. Sensation was tested with calibrated monofilaments at 6 sites on the hand that covered the median, ulnar and radial innervation territories and included both glabrous (hairless) and hairy skin. The motor-function of stroke patients was assessed with the Wolf Motor Function Test and the upper-limb motor Fugl-Meyer Assessment. Impaired cutaneous sensation was defined as monofilament thresholds >3 SD above the mean of healthy subjects and good sensation was ≤ 3 SD. Cutaneous sensation was impaired for 33% of patients and was 40-84% worse on the more-affected side compared to healthy subjects depending on the site (psensation fell within the healthy range, although ∼ 1/3 of patients were classified with impaired sensation. Classification by motor-function revealed low levels of impaired sensation. The magnitude of sensory loss was only apparent when the sensory-function of stroke patients was classified as good or impaired. Sensation was most impaired on the dorsum of the hand where age-related changes in monofilament thresholds are minimal in healthy subjects. Although patients with both high and low motor-function had poor cutaneous sensation, overall patients with low motor-function had poorer cutaneous sensation than those with higher motor-function, and relationships were found between motor impairments and sensation at the fingertip and palm. These results emphasize the importance of identifying the presence and magnitude of cutaneous sensory impairments in the chronic period after stroke.

Sensation Seeking or Empathy? Physically Aggressive and Non-Aggressive Antisocial Behaviors (ASBs Amongst University Students

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Saima Eman

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Previous research has linked anti-social behavior (ASB to subtypes of empathy and also to sensation seeking, but there is limited research on the relative roles of empathy subtypes and sensation seeking traits in predicting ASB subtypes. The current study therefore investigated the relationship between sensation seeking, the three subtypes of empathy (emotional reactivity, cognitive empathy and social skills and the two subtypes of ASB (physically aggressive and non-aggressive. An online survey consisting of Demographic Variables Questionnaire, Brief Sensation Seeking Scale, Empathy Quotient and the Antisocial Behavior Measure was sent to student volunteers, leading to a total of 537 respondents. Empathy alone accounted for a relatively modest proportion of the total variance in the ASBs, with emotional reactivity being the only significant predictor. Adding sensation seeking to the regression led to a marked improvement in prediction for non-aggressive ASB and a slight but significant improvement for physically aggressive ASB. Sensation seeking, emotional reactivity and social skills (but not cognitive empathy contributed unique variance for both ASB subtypes. The greatest variance for physically aggressive and non-aggressive ASB were accounted for by emotional reactivity and sensation seeking, respectively. The results indicate that both sensation seeking and sub-types of empathy are important in predicting ASBs. This has theoretical implications for different personality models and has practical implications for the development of preventive measures to avoid such behaviors.

Sensation seeking predicts brain responses in the old-new task: converging multimodal neuroimaging evidence.

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Lawson, Adam L; Liu, Xun; Joseph, Jane; Vagnini, Victoria L; Kelly, Thomas H; Jiang, Yang

2012-06-01

Novel images and message content enhance visual attention and memory for high sensation seekers, but the neural mechanisms associated with this effect are unclear. To investigate the individual differences in brain responses to new and old (studied) visual stimuli, we utilized event-related potentials (ERP) and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) measures to examine brain reactivity among high and low sensation seekers during a classic old-new memory recognition task. Twenty low and 20 high sensation seekers completed separate, but parallel, ERP and fMRI sessions. For each session, participants initially studied drawings of common images, and then performed an old-new recognition task during scanning. High sensation seekers showed greater ERP responses to new objects at the frontal N2 ERP component, compared to low sensation seekers. The ERP Novelty-N2 responses were correlated with fMRI responses in the orbitofrontal gyrus. Sensation seeking status also modulated the FN400 ERP component indexing familiarity and conceptual learning, along with fMRI responses in the caudate nucleus, which correlated with FN400 activity. No group differences were found in the late ERP positive components indexing classic old-new amplitude effects. Our combined ERP and fMRI results suggest that sensation-seeking personality affects the early brain responses to visual processing, but not the later stage of memory recognition. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

(Re)constructing Reflexivity: A Relational Constructionist Approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hosking, D.M.; Pluut, B.

2010-01-01

This article distinguishes three discourses of reflexivity in relation to human inquiry. One of these arises from a post-modern, relational constructionist perspective which radically re-conceptualizes reflexivity: (a) as a local and co-constructed process oriented towards the question (b) how are

Ultimate concerns in late modernity: Archer, Bourdieu and reflexivity.

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Farrugia, David; Woodman, Dan

2015-12-01

Through a critique of Margaret Archer's theory of reflexivity, this paper explores the theoretical contribution of a Bourdieusian sociology of the subject for understanding social change. Archer's theory of reflexivity holds that conscious 'internal conversations' are the motor of society, central both to human subjectivity and to the 'reflexive imperative' of late modernity. This is established through critiques of Bourdieu, who is held to erase creativity and meaningful personal investments from subjectivity, and late modernity is depicted as a time when a 'situational logic of opportunity' renders embodied dispositions and the reproduction of symbolic advantages obsolete. Maintaining Archer's focus on 'ultimate concerns' in a context of social change, this paper argues that her theory of reflexivity is established through a narrow misreading and rejection of Bourdieu's work, which ultimately creates problems for her own approach. Archer's rejection of any pre-reflexive dimensions to subjectivity and social action leaves her unable to sociologically explain the genesis of 'ultimate concerns', and creates an empirically dubious narrative of the consequences of social change. Through a focus on Archer's concept of 'fractured reflexivity', the paper explores the theoretical necessity of habitus and illusio for understanding the social changes that Archer is grappling with. In late modernity, reflexivity is valorized just as the conditions for its successful operation are increasingly foreclosed, creating 'fractured reflexivity' emblematic of the complex contemporary interaction between habitus, illusio, and accelerating social change. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2015.

Reflexive Aero Structures for Enhanced Survivability, Phase I

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National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Cornerstone Research Group Inc. (CRG) proposes to develop an advanced reflexive structure system to increase the survivability of aerostructures. This reflexive...

Reproducibility of urodynamic filling sensation at weekly interval in healthy volunteers and in women with detrusor overactivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Meel, Tom David; Wyndaele, Jean-Jacques

2011-11-01

To evaluate the reproducibility of bladder sensation during standardized filling cystometry in female volunteers and overactive bladder (OAB) patients, repeated with weekly interval. We recruited 13 female nulliparous volunteers (age 21-47) and 17 female patients with OAB between (age 18-72). They participated in three investigation periods, each separated by 7 days to assess reproducibility of sensation related to standardized cystometry. Subjects were asked to report all sensations they felt during bladder filling. The previously described pattern of sensation was reported during bladder filling in all. Consecutive sensations corresponded to statistically higher bladder volumes. Volumes, at which different sensations of bladder filling were reported, were significantly higher in controls than in OAB patients [first sensation of filling (FSF) P = 0.003, first desire to void (FDV) P sensation/volume ratios were significantly higher in patients with OAB than in the healthy volunteers: FSF occurred at mean 46% and FDV at mean 73% of SDV in OAB patients, compared to 36% and 64% in healthy volunteers. Sensations proved highly reproducible when determined with weekly interval. Our data demonstrate that cystometric filling sensation determined in a standardized way with weekly interval is highly reproducible in healthy and in OAB patients. This finding has, in our opinion, clinical importance as it shows that the technique is reliable both for a sensory evaluation of the LUT as to study influence of treatment aimed at changing this sensation. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Anticausatives are weak scalar expressions, not reflexive expressions

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Florian Schäfer

2016-07-01

Full Text Available We discuss conceptual and empirical arguments from Germanic, Romance and Slavic languages against an analysis treating anticausative verbs as derived from their lexical causative counterparts under reflexivization. Instead, we defend the standard account to the semantics of the causative alternation according to which anticausatives in general, and anticausatives marked with reflexive morphology in particular, denote simple one-place inchoative events that are logically entailed by their lexical causative counterparts. Under such an account, anticausative verbs are weak scalar expressions that stand in a semantico-pragmatic opposition to their strong lexical causative counterparts. Due to this scalar relation, the use of an anticausative can trigger the implicature that the use of its lexical causative counterpart is too strong. As usual with implicatures, they can be ‘metalinguistically’ denied, cancelled, or reinforced and we argue that these mechanisms explain all central empirical facts brought up in the literature in favor of a treatment of anticausatives as semantically reflexive predicates. Our results reinforce the view that the reflexive morphemes used in many (Indo-European languages to mark anticausatives do not necessarily trigger reflexive semantics. However, we also show that a string involving a reflexively marked (anti-causative verb can be forced into a semantically reflexive construal under particular conceptual or grammatical circumstances.

Perineal Sensation Predictive of Spina Bifida Outcome

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J Gordon Millichap

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Neurologic examination, including perineal sensation, was conducted in a prospective cohort study of 117 consecutive patients with open spina bifida at St George's, University of London, and Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.

Camphor induces cold and warm sensations with increases in skin and muscle blood flow in human.

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Kotaka, Tomohiko; Kimura, Shoji; Kashiwayanagi, Makoto; Iwamoto, Jun

2014-01-01

Application of camphor to the skin has been empirically thought to improve blood circulation. However, camphor's effects on blood circulation to the skin and on thermal sensation have not been well elucidated. In this study, we examined its effects on the quality of sensation as well as on skin and muscle blood flow in human. Nine adults (average age 37±9.4 years) participated in the study. Petroleum jelly containing 5%, 10%, 20% camphor, or 2% menthol was separately applied to the skin on the medial side of one forearm of each subject. Just after the application, camphor at each concentration induced a cold sensation in a dose-dependent manner. Within 10 min, each subject reported that the cold sensation had faded, after which it was replaced by a warm sensation. As reported previously, a cold sensation was induced by application of 2% menthol, but the subjects did not adapt to that sensation. In addition, menthol did not induce a warm sensation at all. Application of menthol has been shown to increase blood flow in the skin. Finally, we measured blood flow in skin and muscle after the application of camphor or menthol. Application of camphor or menthol separately induced increases in local blood flow in the skin and muscle. The present results indicate that camphor induces both cold and warm sensations and improves blood circulation.

Reflexive Planning as Design and Work

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lissandrello, Enza; Grin, John

2011-01-01

in planning emerges as a new tool for generating critical knowledge and dialogue that can synthesise the perspectives of multiple actors in a common understanding, existing structural constraints and a collective imagination of alternative future possibilities. Such research highlights the potential......In recent years, planning theorists have advanced various interpretations of the notion of reflexivity, inspired by American pragmatism, complexity theory, hermeneutics, discursive and collaborative planning. Scholars agree that “reflexivity” has a strong temporal dimension: it not only aims...... to solve present planning problems, but to imagine and understand alternative trajectories for future action. This article explores the practical utility of reflexivity for planners, through a case study that focuses on a project to promote sustainable development in the Port of Amsterdam. Reflexivity...

Subjective thermal sensation and human body exergy consumption rate: analysis and correlation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simone, Angela; Dovjak, M.; Kolarik, Jakub

2011-01-01

, it is reasonable to consider both the exergy flows in building and those within the human body. There is a need to verify the human-body exergy model with the Thermal-Sensation (TS) response of subjects exposed to different combinations of indoor climate parameters (temperature, humidity, etc.). First results...... available on the relation between human-body exergy consumption rates and subjectively assessed thermal sensation showed that the minimum human body exergy consumption rate is associated with thermal sensation votes close to thermal neutrality, tending to slightly cool side of thermal sensation. By applying...... the exergy concept to the built indoor environment, additional results are going to be explored. By using the data available so far of operative temperature (to), the human body exergy consumption rates increase as to increases above 24°C or decreases below 22°C at relative humidity (RH) lower than 50...

Effects of balance and proprioceptive training on total hip and knee replacement rehabilitation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

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Domínguez-Navarro, Fernando; Igual-Camacho, Celedonia; Silvestre-Muñoz, Antonio; Roig-Casasús, Sergio; Blasco, José María

2018-05-01

Balance and proprioceptive deficits are frequently persistent after total joint replacement, limiting functionality and involving altered movement patterns and difficulties in walking and maintaining postural control among patients. The goal of this systematic review was to evaluate the short- and mid-term effects of proprioceptive and balance training for patients undergoing total knee and hip replacement. This is a systematic review of literature. MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, PEDro, and Scopus were the databases searched. The review included randomized clinical trials in which the experimental groups underwent a training aimed at improving balance and proprioception, in addition to conventional care. The studies had to assess at least one of the following outcomes: self-reported functionality or balance (primary outcomes), knee function, pain, falls, or quality of life. Eight trials were included, involving 567 participants. The quantitative synthesis found a moderate to high significant effect of balance and proprioceptive trainings on self-reported functionality and balance after total knee replacement. The effects were maintained at mid-term in terms of balance alone. Conversely, preoperative training did not enhance outcomes after total hip arthroplasty. The synthesis showed that, in clinical terms, balance trainings are a convenient complement to conventional physiotherapy care to produce an impact on balance and functionality after knee replacement. If outcomes such as improvement in pain, knee range of movement, or patient quality of life are to be promoted, it would be advisable to explore alternative proposals specifically targeting these goals. Further research is needed to confirm or discard the current evidence ultimately, predominantly in terms of the effects on the hips and those yielded by preoperative interventions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Proprioceptive assessment in clinical settings: Evaluation of joint position sense in upper limb post-stroke using a robotic manipulator.

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Sara Contu

Full Text Available Proprioception is a critical component for motor functions and directly affects motor learning after neurological injuries. Conventional methods for its assessment are generally ordinal in nature and hence lack sensitivity. Robotic devices designed to promote sensorimotor learning can potentially provide quantitative precise, accurate, and reliable assessments of sensory impairments. In this paper, we investigate the clinical applicability and validity of using a planar 2 degrees of freedom robot to quantitatively assess proprioceptive deficits in post-stroke participants. Nine stroke survivors and nine healthy subjects participated in the study. Participants' hand was passively moved to the target position guided by the H-Man robot (Criterion movement and were asked to indicate during a second passive movement towards the same target (Matching movement when they felt that they matched the target position. The assessment was carried out on a planar surface for movements in the forward and oblique directions in the contralateral and ipsilateral sides of the tested arm. The matching performance was evaluated in terms of error magnitude (absolute and signed and its variability. Stroke patients showed higher variability in the estimation of the target position compared to the healthy participants. Further, an effect of target was found, with lower absolute errors in the contralateral side. Pairwise comparison between individual stroke participant and control participants showed significant proprioceptive deficits in two patients. The proposed assessment of passive joint position sense was inherently simple and all participants, regardless of motor impairment level, could complete it in less than 10 minutes. Therefore, the method can potentially be carried out to detect changes in proprioceptive deficits in clinical settings.

Do sensation differences exist between dental implants and natural teeth?: a meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Higaki, Nobuaki; Goto, Takaharu; Ishida, Yuichi; Watanabe, Megumi; Tomotake, Yoritoki; Ichikawa, Tetsuo

2014-11-01

The purpose of this systematic review was to survey evidence pertaining to the sensation differences between natural teeth and osseointegrated dental implants. Using the MEDLINE (online PubMed) database, Cochrane Library, and Scientific Citation index, we performed a systematic search of articles. We used the following search terms: "perception or sensation and dental implant." The systematic review of the extracted articles was performed to see the sensation differences between natural teeth and dental implants. A total of six studies on oral sensation, "tactile sensibility," and "thickness discrimination" were included in the meta-analysis. As to the "tactile sensibility", all studies indicated the threshold levels of the implants were about 4-20 times higher than that of natural teeth. The tactile sensibility of an implant was significantly higher than that of a natural tooth, with an standardized mean difference (SMD) of 8.3619 (95% CI, 6.3920-10.3317) and a P sensation differences between dental implants and natural teeth exist. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Validation of a Self-Report Questionnaire Assessing the Bodily and Physiological Sensations of Orgasm.

Science.gov (United States)

Dubray, Samantha; Gérard, Marina; Beaulieu-Prévost, Dominic; Courtois, Frédérique

2017-02-01

Despite a plethora of research on sexual functioning during the past decades, the field is still lacking standardized measurements specifically characterizing orgasm. Although several validated tools are available to assess sexual function in healthy and clinical populations, items on orgasm are limited to frequency or dichotomous responses. A neurophysiologic model of orgasm developed from previous research in able-bodied and spinally injured populations offers a promising framework for the construction of a new questionnaire. To develop and validate a brief self-report measurement of orgasm by the assessment of bodily and physiologic sensations perceived during climax by able-bodied individuals. Although the currently available tool focuses on the phenomenological sensations associated with climax, the goal of this questionnaire was to capture the more specific genital and extragenital sensations associated with orgasm. The current Bodily Sensations of Orgasm questionnaire and the Orgasm Rating Scale. Data from previous research conducted on individuals with spinal cord injury and the available empirical literature provided a pool of 45 items organized into four categories, which were reviewed by an expert panel. Upon review, a 28-item questionnaire was created and administered to a community sample of 227 participants, including men and women, 18 to 73 years old. Exploratory factor analyses supported the four-factor model, in which orgasm is comprised of extragenital sensations, genital sensations and spasms, nociceptive sensations, and sweating responses. Overall, a high degree of internal consistency was found for the final 22-item questionnaire (Cronbach α = 0.87), with individual reliability coefficients showing moderate to high internal consistency (r = 0.65-0.79) for each dimension. Overall temporal stability of the measurement was acceptable (r = 0.74). Using the Orgasm Rating Scale, satisfying convergent validity was confirmed, thereby indicating

Voluntary Control of the Near Reflex: A Case Report

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Serpil Akar

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Spasm of the near reflex is a rare disorder that involves intermittent and variable episodes of esotropia, pseudomyopia, and pupillary myosis. It is usually functional in origin and is seen mainly in young patients. Treatment options for spasm of the near reflex have had variable success. In instances where the etiology of spasm of the near reflex was suspected to be hysteria, psychotherapy has proven beneficial. We report the case of an 11-year-old girl who had functional spasm of the near reflex. The symptoms persisted for two years. Symptomatic relief was achieved by cycloplegia and spectacle correction (added plus lenses at near. The patient also underwent psychological counseling. In our case, the functional spasm of the near reflex spontaneously resolved after 2 years. (Turk J Ophthalmol 2014; 44: 161-3

Physical Self Perception and Sensation seeking tendency in gym gores

OpenAIRE

Schlegel, Petr

2016-01-01

Annotation: The work deals with the relationship between physical self-concept and experience of the search terms sensation seeking. It contains theoretical research of these areas, their position in the discourse of fitness and also presents a starting points for comparison. The research was conducted on a group of gym-goers and analyzed the relationship of concepts Physical Self Perception Profile and Sensation Seeking Scale version V including individual subscales. Comparison showed a weak...

Sensation seeking in males involved in recreational high risk sports

OpenAIRE

M Guszkowska; A Bołdak

2010-01-01

The study examined sensation seeking intensity level in males involved in recreational high risk sports and investigated whether its level depends on type of sport practised. Additionally, in case of parachutists, sport experience of study participants were scrutinised with regard to its possible impact on the level of sensation seeking.The research involved 217 males aged 17 to 45, practising recreational high risk sports, namely: parachuting (n=98); wakeboarding (n=30); snowboarding (n=30);...

Cognitive Appraisals Affect Both Embodiment of Thermal Sensation and Its Mapping to Thermal Evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Keeling, Trevor P; Roesch, Etienne B; Clements-Croome, Derek

2016-01-01

The physical environment leads to a thermal sensation that is perceived and appraised by occupants. The present study focuses on the relationship between sensation and evaluation. We asked 166 people to recall a thermal event from their recent past. They were then asked how they evaluated this experience in terms of 10 different emotions (frustrated, resigned, dislike, indifferent, angry, anxious, liking, joyful, regretful, proud). We tested whether four psychological factors (appraisal dimensions) could be used to predict the ensuing emotions, as well as comfort, acceptability, and sensation. The four dimensions were: the Conduciveness of the event, who/what caused the event (Causality), who had control (Agency), and whether the event was expected (Expectations). These dimensions, except for Expectations, were good predictors of the reported emotions. Expectations, however, predicted the reported thermal sensation, its acceptability, and ensuing comfort. The more expected an event was, the more uncomfortable a person felt, and the less likely they reported a neutral thermal sensation. Together, these results support an embodied view of how subjective appraisals affect thermal experience. Overall, we show that appraisal dimensions mediate occupants' evaluation of their thermal sensation, which suggests an additional method for understanding psychological adaption.

Kant and the magnitude of sensation: a neglected prologue to modern psychophysics.

Science.gov (United States)

Baumann, Christian

2008-01-01

Quantitative relations between the sensations and the stimuli that produce them are the domain of psychophysics, a branch of natural science not yet known at the time of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). But Kant's philosophical doctrines of perception imply that sensations can be quantified. Accordingly, he proposed not only to consider the magnitude of both sensations and stimuli but also to work out an appropriate mathematics that would relate these magnitudes to each other. This part of Kant's work received almost no attention up to the present time although it contains some essential elements of modern psychophysics.

Is a pulling sensation in the anteroposterior direction associated with otolith dysfunction?

Science.gov (United States)

Saka, Naoki; Seo, Toru; Ohta, Shigeto; Sakagami, Masafumi

2014-03-01

A pulling sensation in the anteroposterior direction is suggested to originate from a dysfunction of the otolith organs. Previous study with vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) confirmed that a falling sensation (in an up or down direction) and a lateral tilt sensation (in a right or left direction) were caused by otolith lesions. The purpose of this study was to clarify whether a pulling sensation in the anteroposterior (forward or backward) direction originates from otolith dysfunction. The otolith function was assessed by cervical and ocular VEMPs (cVEMPs and oVEMPs) in 12 patients who complained of a forward or backward pulling sensation. cVEMPs were evaluated by the asymmetry ratio (AR) of the amplitude of the p13-n23 wave and the peak latencies of the p13 and n23 waves. oVEMPs were evaluated by the AR of the amplitude of the n1-p1 wave and the peak latency of the n1 and p1 waves. Abnormal ARs on cVEMP were observed in 7 of 12 patients. Nine of 12 patients had abnormal oVEMP results including 3 bilateral absent responses. Most (10 of 12) patients had abnormal cVEMP and/or oVEMP results. The latency of each detected wave was within the normal ranges.

Neuromodulation of Limb Proprioceptive Afferents Decreases Apnea of Prematurity and Accompanying Intermittent Hypoxia and Bradycardia.

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Kalpashri Kesavan

Full Text Available Apnea of Prematurity (AOP is common, affecting the majority of infants born at <34 weeks gestational age. Apnea and periodic breathing are accompanied by intermittent hypoxia (IH. Animal and human studies demonstrate that IH exposure contributes to multiple pathologies, including retinopathy of prematurity (ROP, injury to sympathetic ganglia regulating cardiovascular action, impaired pancreatic islet cell and bone development, cerebellar injury, and neurodevelopmental disabilities. Current standard of care for AOP/IH includes prone positioning, positive pressure ventilation, and methylxanthine therapy; these interventions are inadequate, and not optimal for early development.The objective is to support breathing in premature infants by using a simple, non-invasive vibratory device placed over limb proprioceptor fibers, an intervention using the principle that limb movements trigger reflexive facilitation of breathing.Premature infants (23-34 wks gestational age, with clinical evidence of AOP/IH episodes were enrolled 1 week after birth. Caffeine treatment was not a reason for exclusion. Small vibration devices were placed on one hand and one foot and activated in 6 hour ON/OFF sequences for a total of 24 hours. Heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation (SpO2, and breathing pauses were continuously collected.Fewer respiratory pauses occurred during vibration periods, relative to baseline (p<0.005. Significantly fewer SpO2 declines occurred with vibration (p<0.05, relative to control periods. Significantly fewer bradycardic events occurred during vibration periods, relative to no vibration periods (p<0.05.In premature neonates, limb proprioceptive stimulation, simulating limb movement, reduces breathing pauses and IH episodes, and lowers the number of bradycardic events that accompany aberrant breathing episodes. This low-cost neuromodulatory procedure has the potential to provide a non-invasive intervention to reduce apnea, bradycardia and

The Impact of Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome on Cold Sensation in the Pedal Extremities.

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Kokubo, Rinko; Kim, Kyongsong; Isu, Toyohiko; Morimoto, Daijiro; Iwamoto, Naotaka; Kobayashi, Shiro; Morita, Akio

2016-08-01

Tarsal tunnel syndrome (TTS) is an entrapment neuropathy of the posterior tibial nerve in the tarsal tunnel. It is not known whether vascular or neuropathic factors are implicated in the cause of a cold sensation experienced by patients. Therefore, we studied the cold sensation in the pedal extremities of patients who did or did not undergo TTS surgery. Our study population comprised 20 patients with TTS (38 feet); 1 foot was affected in 2 patients and both feet in 18 patients. We acquired the toe-brachial pressure index to evaluate perfusion of the sole and toe perfusion under 4 conditions: the at-rest position (condition 1); the at-rest position with compression of the foot dorsal artery (condition 2); the Kinoshita foot position (condition 3); and the Kinoshita foot position with foot dorsal artery compression (condition 4). Patients who reported abatement in the cold sensation during surgery underwent intraoperative reocclusion of the tibial artery to check for the return of the cold sensation. The toe-brachial pressure index for conditions 1 and 3 averaged 0.82 ± 0.09 and 0.81 ± 0.11, respectively; for conditions 2 and 4, it averaged 0.70 ± 0.11 and 0.71 ± 0.09, respectively. Among the 16 operated patients, the cold sensation in 7 feet improved intraoperatively; transient reocclusion of the tibial artery did not result in the reappearance of the cold sensation. Our findings suggest that the cold sensation in the feet of our patients with TTS was associated with neuropathic rather than vascular factors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessment of daily-life dynamic interactions between human body and environment using movement and force sensing on the interface

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kortier, H.G.; Veltink, Petrus H.

2011-01-01

This study describes a method to estimate load dynamics during the execution of daily life tasks. In many motor tasks, the central nervous system (CNS) applies feed-forward control, using learned patterns. The contribution of state feedback (visual/proprioceptive/reflexive) is significantly less

Human thermal sensation and comfort in a non-uniform environment with personalized heating.

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Deng, Qihong; Wang, Runhuai; Li, Yuguo; Miao, Yufeng; Zhao, Jinping

2017-02-01

Thermal comfort in traditionally uniform environment is apparent and can be improved by increasing energy expenses. To save energy, non-uniform environment implemented by personalized conditioning system attracts considerable attention, but human response in such environment is unclear. To investigate regional- and whole-body thermal sensation and comfort in a cool environment with personalized heating. In total 36 subjects (17 males and 19 females) including children, adults and the elderly, were involved in our experiment. Each subject was first asked to sit on a seat in an 18°C chamber (uniform environment) for 40min and then sit on a heating seat in a 16°C chamber (non-uniform environment) for another 40min after 10min break. Subjects' regional- and whole-body thermal sensation and comfort were surveyed by questionnaire and their skin temperatures were measured by wireless sensors. We statistically analyzed subjects' thermal sensation and comfort and their skin temperatures in different age and gender groups and compared them between the uniform and non-uniform environments. Overall thermal sensation and comfort votes were respectively neutral and just comfortable in 16°C chamber with personalized heating, which were significantly higher than those in 18°C chamber without heating (pthermal sensation and comfort was consistent in subjects of different age and gender. However, adults and the females were more sensitive to the effect of personalized heating and felt cooler and less comfort than children/elderly and the males respectively. Variations of the regional thermal sensation/comfort across human body were consistent with those of skin temperature. Personalized heating significantly improved human thermal sensation and comfort in non-uniform cooler environment, probably due to the fact that it increased skin temperature. However, the link between thermal sensation/comfort and variations of skin temperature is rather complex and warrant further

Adolescent Egocentrism, Risk Perceptions, and Sensation Seeking among Smoking and Nonsmoking Youth

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Frankenberger, Kristina D.

2004-01-01

A survey compared adolescents (ages 14 to 18) who have never tried smoking, smoke infrequently, or smoke regularly on three characteristics: adolescent egocentrism, risk perceptions, and sensation seeking. Sensation seeking exhibited the expected result by increasing with smoking experience. Contrary to past research findings, perceptions of…

Chronic cough management: dealing with a sensation of irritation in the throat.

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Ogawa, Haruhiko; Fujimura, Masaki; Ohkura, Noriyuki; Makimura, Koichi

2013-11-01

Among the various types of laryngeal paraesthesia suffered by chronic cough patients, we often encounter 'a sensation of irritation in the throat (SIT)'. Our study indicated that capsaicin cough threshold was significantly (P sensation. © 2013 The Authors. Respirology © 2013 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.

Post-activation depression of soleus stretch reflexes in healthy and spastic humans

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grey, Michael James; Klinge, Klaus; Crone, Clarissa

2007-01-01

Reduced depression of transmitter release from Ia afferents following previous activation (post-activation depression) has been suggested to be involved in the pathophysiology of spasticity. However, the effect of this mechanism on the myotatic reflex and its possible contribution to increased...... reflex excitability in spastic participants has not been tested. To investigate these effects, we examined post-activation depression in Soleus H-reflex responses and in mechanically evoked Soleus stretch reflex responses. Stretch reflex responses were evoked with consecutive dorsiflexion perturbations...... of the soleus stretch reflex and H-reflex decreased as the interval between the stimulus/perturbation was decreased. Similarly, the stretch-evoked torque decreased. In the spastic participants, the post-activation depression of both reflexes and the stretch-evoked torque was significantly smaller than...

Rate of decay of auditory sensation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Plomp, R.

1964-01-01

The rate of decay of auditory sensation was investigated by measuring the minimum silent interval that must be introduced between two noise pulses to be perceived. The value of this critical time Δt was determined for difierent intensity levels of both the first and the second pulse. It is shown

Visual sensations induced by Cherenkov radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McNulty, P.J.; Pease, V.P.; Bond, V.P.

1975-01-01

Pulses of relativistic singly charged particles entering the eyeball induce a variety of visual phenomena by means of Cerenkov radiation generated during their passage through the vitreous. These phenomena are similar in appearance to many of the visual sensations experienced by Apollo astronauts exposed to the cosmic rays in deep space

Acute intraparenchymal spinal cord injury in a cat due to high-rise syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz-Arámbulo, Robert; Nykamp, Stephanie

2012-03-01

A 9-year-old spayed female Bengal Red cat was evaluated for high-rise syndrome. The cat had paraplegia of the hind limbs, intact reflexes and pain perception, and hyperesthesia in the caudal thoracic area. Mentation, cranial nerve function, forelimb proprioceptive responses, and spinal reflexes were normal. There were no abnormalities on radiographs or computed tomography scan, but magnetic resonance imaging revealed a hyperintense intraparenchymal spinal cord lesion on T2-weighted and T2 fat saturation images.

Acute intraparenchymal spinal cord injury in a cat due to high-rise syndrome

OpenAIRE

Cruz–Arámbulo, Robert; Nykamp, Stephanie

2012-01-01

A 9-year-old spayed female Bengal Red cat was evaluated for high-rise syndrome. The cat had paraplegia of the hind limbs, intact reflexes and pain perception, and hyperesthesia in the caudal thoracic area. Mentation, cranial nerve function, forelimb proprioceptive responses, and spinal reflexes were normal. There were no abnormalities on radiographs or computed tomography scan, but magnetic resonance imaging revealed a hyperintense intraparenchymal spinal cord lesion on T2-weighted and T2 fat...

[Discussion on needling sensation, arrival of qi and needling response (Deqi)].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Fang; Wang, Hong-Du

2012-12-01

The current appointed teaching material of Science of Acupuncture and Moxibustion holds that there is no difference among the needling sensation, arrival of qi and needling response. However, the author has a different understanding. Therefore, Neijing (Internal Classic), its annotation, exposition and understandings of ancient and modern famous experts are cited to analyze their meanings. And the result indicates that the needling sensation is subjective feelings and perceived responses of doctors and patients. Arrival of qi is the healing process of the organ through activating the anti-pathogenic qi to expel the pathogens. The needling response is the final aim of acupuncture therapy. Thus, the meaning of needling sensation, arrival of qi, and needling response are different. And an accurate understanding can better guide acupuncture treatment.

21 CFR 890.1450 - Powered reflex hammer.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Powered reflex hammer. 890.1450 Section 890.1450 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED... hammer. (a) Identification. A powered reflex hammer is a motorized device intended for medical purposes...

Effects of postural changes of the upper limb on reflex transmission in the lower limb. Cervicolumbar reflex interactions in man.

Science.gov (United States)

Delwaide, P J; Figiel, C; Richelle, C

1977-06-01

The influence of passive changes in upper limb position on the excitability of three myotatic arc reflexes (soleus, quadriceps, and biceps femoris) of the lower limb has been explored on 42 volunteers. The results indicate that the excitability of the three myotatic arcs can be influenced at a distance by postural modifications of the upper limb. When the ipsilateral upper limb is forwards or the contralateral backwards, a facilitation of both soleus and quadriceps tendon reflexes is observed while the biceps femoris reflexes are reduced. This pattern of facilitation and inhibition is reversed when the ipsilateral upper limb is backwards or the contralateral forwards. The facilitations as well as inhibitions of proximal myotatic arc reflexes are quantitatively more marked than that of the soleus reflex. Facilitation and inhibition are not linearly related to the angle of the arm with the trunk. Effects begin at a considerable angle, become maximal at 45 degrees, and progressively disappear for greater values. It is suggested that the distinct pattern of facilitation and inhibition which is exerted in reciprocal fashion on extensor and flexor motor nuclei might depend on the long propriospinal neurones connecting cervical and lumbar enlargements.

The contribution of proprioceptive information to postural control in elderly and patients with Parkinson’s disease with a history of falls

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Esther Maria Johanna Bekkers

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Proprioceptive deficits negatively affect postural control but their precise contribution to postural instability in Parkinson’s disease (PD is unclear. We investigated if proprioceptive manipulations differentially affect balance, measured by force plates, during quiet standing in 13 PD patients and 13 age-matched controls with a history of falls. Perceived limits of stability (LoS were derived from the differences between maximal center of pressure (CoP displacement in anterior-posterior (AP and medio-lateral (ML direction during a maximal leaning task. Task conditions comprised standing with eyes open (EO and eyes closed (EC, (1 on a stable surface; (2 an unstable surface and (3 with Achilles tendon vibration. CoP displacements were calculated as a percentage of their respective LoS. Perceived LoS did not differ between groups. PD patients showed greater ML CoP displacement than elderly fallers (EF across all conditions (p = 0.043 and tended to have higher postural sway in relation to the LoS (p = 0.050. Both groups performed worse on an unstable surface and during tendon vibration compared to standing on a stable surface with EO and even more so with EC. Both PD and EF had more AP sway in all conditions with EC compared to EO (p < 0.001 and showed increased CoP displacements when relying on proprioception only compared to standing with normal sensory input. This implies a similar role of the proprioceptive system in postural control in fallers with and without PD. PD fallers showed higher ML sway after sensory manipulations disturbing postural control, as a result of which these values approached their perceived LoS more closely than in EF. We conclude that despite a similar fall history, PD patients showed more ML instability than EF, irrespective of sensory manipulation, but had a similar reliance on ankle proprioception. Hence, we recommend that rehabilitation and fall prevention for PD should focus on motor rather than on sensory

Processing of proprioceptive and vestibular body signals and self-transcendence in Ashtanga yoga practitioners.

Science.gov (United States)

Fiori, Francesca; David, Nicole; Aglioti, Salvatore M

2014-01-01

In the rod and frame test (RFT), participants are asked to set a tilted visual linear marker (i.e., a rod), embedded in a square, to the subjective vertical, irrespective of the surrounding frame. People not influenced by the frame tilt are defined as field-independent, while people biased in their rod verticality perception are field-dependent. Performing RFT requires the integration of proprioceptive, vestibular and visual signals with the latter accounting for field-dependency. Studies indicate that motor experts in body-related, balance-improving disciplines tend to be field-independent, i.e., better at verticality perception, suggesting that proprioceptive and vestibular expertise acquired by such exercise may weaken the influence of irrelevant visual signals. What remains unknown is whether the effect of body-related expertise in weighting perceptual information might also be mediated by personality traits, in particular those indexing self-focusing abilities. To explore this issue, we tested field-dependency in a class of body experts, namely yoga practitioners and in non-expert participants. Moreover we explored any link between performance on RFT and self-transcendence (ST), a complex personality construct, which refers to tendency to experience spiritual feelings and ideas. As expected, yoga practitioners (i) were more accurate in assessing the rod's verticality on the RFT, and (ii) expressed significantly higher ST. Interestingly, the performance in these two tests was negatively correlated. More specifically, when asked to provide verticality judgments, highly self-transcendent yoga practitioners were significantly less influenced by a misleading visual context. Our results suggest that being highly self-transcendent may enable yoga practitioners to optimize verticality judgment tasks by relying more on internal (vestibular and proprioceptive) signals coming from their own body, rather than on exteroceptive, visual cues.

Processing of proprioceptive and vestibular body signals and self-transcendence in Ashtanga yoga practitioners

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesca eFiori

2014-09-01

Full Text Available In the rod and frame test (RFT, participants are asked to set a tilted visual linear marker (i.e. a rod, embedded in a square, to the subjective vertical, irrespective of the surrounding frame. People not influenced by the frame tilt are defined as field-independent, while people biased in their rod verticality perception are field-dependent. Performing RFT requires the integration of proprioceptive, vestibular and visual signals with the latter accounting for field-dependency. Studies indicate that motor experts in body-related, balance-improving disciplines tend to be field-independent, i.e. better at verticality perception, suggesting that proprioceptive and vestibular expertise acquired by such exercise may weaken the influence of irrelevant visual signals. What remains unknown is whether the effect of body-related expertise in weighting perceptual information might also be mediated by personality traits, in particular those indexing self-focusing abilities. To explore this issue, we tested field-dependency in a class of body experts, namely yoga practitioners and in non-expert participants. Moreover we explored any link between performance on RFT and self-transcendence, a complex personality construct, which refers to tendency to experience spiritual feelings and ideas. As expected, yoga practitioners (i were more accurate in assessing the rod’s verticality on the RFT, and (ii expressed significantly higher self-transcendence. Interestingly, the performance in these two tests was negatively correlated. More specifically, when asked to provide verticality judgments, highly self-transcendent yoga practitioners were significantly less influenced by a misleading visual context. Our results suggest that being highly self-transcendent may enable yoga practitioners to optimize verticality judgment tasks by relying more on internal (vestibular and proprioceptive signals coming from their own body, rather than on exteroceptive, visual cues.

Experimental muscle pain produces central modulation of proprioceptive signals arising from jaw muscle spindles.

Science.gov (United States)

Capra, N F; Ro, J Y

2000-05-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of intramuscular injection with hypertonic saline, a well-established experimental model for muscle pain, on central processing of proprioceptive input from jaw muscle spindle afferents. Fifty-seven cells were recorded from the medial edge of the subnucleus interpolaris (Vi) and the adjacent parvicellular reticular formation from 11 adult cats. These cells were characterized as central units receiving jaw muscle spindle input based on their responses to electrical stimulation of the masseter nerve, muscle palpation and jaw stretch. Forty-five cells, which were successfully tested with 5% hypertonic saline, were categorized as either dynamic-static (DS) (n=25) or static (S) (n=20) neurons based on their responses to different speeds and amplitudes of jaw movement. Seventy-six percent of the cells tested with an ipsilateral injection of hypertonic saline showed a significant modulation of mean firing rates (MFRs) during opening and/or holding phases. The most remarkable saline-induced change was a significant reduction of MFR during the hold phase in S units (100%, 18/18 modulated). Sixty-nine percent of the DS units (11/16 modulated) also showed significant changes in MFRs limited to the hold phase. However, in the DS neurons, the MFRs increased in seven units and decreased in four units. Finally, five DS neurons showed significant changes of MFRs during both opening and holding phases. Injections of isotonic saline into the ipsilateral masseter muscle had little effect, but hypertonic saline injections made into the contralateral masseter muscle produced similar results to ipsilateral injections with hypertonic saline. These results unequivocally demonstrate that intramuscular injection with an algesic substance, sufficient to produce muscle pain, produces significant changes in the proprioceptive properties of the jaw movement-related neurons. Potential mechanisms involved in saline-induced changes in the

The Japanese Version of the Massachusetts General Hospital Acupuncture Sensation Scale: A Validation Study

OpenAIRE

Masako Nishiwaki; Miho Takayama; Hiroyoshi Yajima; Morihiro Nasu; Jian Kong; Nobuari Takakura

2017-01-01

Acupuncture sensations are considered essential in producing the treatment effect of acupuncture. The Massachusetts General Hospital Acupuncture Sensation Scale (MASS) is a frequently used scale in acupuncture research to measure acupuncture sensations. We translated the MASS into Japanese (Japanese MASS) based on Beaton's guidelines. 30 acupuncturists evaluated the relevancy and meaning of the 12 descriptors included in the Japanese MASS. The content validity ratios for 10 of the 12 descript...

Effect of Time after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears on Proprioception and Postural Stability.

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Dae-Hee Lee

Full Text Available This study was designed to compare proprioception and postural stability in patients with acute (time from injury ≤ 3 months and chronic (time from injury > 3 months ACL tears, and to evaluate the correlation between time interval after ACL injury and proprioception. Thigh muscle strength, postural stability, and joint position sense were compared in 48 patients with acute ACL tears and in 28 with chronic ACL tears. Maximal torque (60°/sec of the quadriceps and hamstring was evaluated using an isokinetic testing device. Postural stability was determined from the anterior-posterior (APSI, medial-lateral (MLSI, and overall (OSI stability indices using stabilometry. Joint position sense was also tested by reproduction of passive positioning (RPP. Muscle strengths and stability indices on both the involved and uninvolved sides were similar in the acute and chronic ACL tear groups. RPP on the involved side was significantly greater in the chronic than in the acute ACL tear group (7.8° vs. 5.6°, P = 0.041. Two of three stability indices (APSI, OSI and RPP were significantly greater on the involved than the uninvolved side in the chronic ACL tear group.

Outside home. Notes on reflexivity

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Mara Clemente

2017-01-01

The paper proffers the idea in which a “reflexive process” on subjectivity can involve and/or hopefully involve the entire experience of the researcher, going beyond the borders of a single research. In the process, unexpected elements of subjectivity can come into play; in other cases the meaning attributed to them can change in time or can have a role different from what had been expected. Some elements, objects of epistemological analyses, as imposed by a reflexive approach, can become objects of attention also on the phenomenological level.

The Multiple Faces of Reflexive Research Designs

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Karl H. Müller

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Reflexive research can be grouped into five clusters with circular relations between two elements x ↔ x, namely circular relations between observers, between scientific building blocks like concepts, theories or models, between systemic levels, between rules and rule systems or as circular relations or x ↔ y between these four components. By far the most important cluster is the second cluster which becomes reflexive through a re-entry operation RE into a scientific element x and which establishes its circular formation as x(x. Many of the research problems in these five clusters in reflexivity research are still unexplored and pose grand challenges for future research.

A Prototype Analysis of Spanish Indeterminate Reflexive Constructions.

Science.gov (United States)

Turley, Jeffrey S.

1998-01-01

Discussion of the Spanish indeterminate reflexive construction, the impersonal reflexive, finds that prototype theory allows this subjectless Spanish construction to be included within the category of generally subject-bearing indeterminates in Romance languages. (MSE)

Changes in soleus H-reflex during walking in middle-aged, healthy subjects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Raffalt, Peter C; Alkjær, Tine; Simonsen, Erik B

2015-01-01

INTRODUCTION: To assess the effect of aging on stretch reflex modulation during walking, soleus H-reflexes obtained in 15 middle-aged (mean age 56.4±6.9 years) and 15 young (mean age 23.7±3.9 years) subjects were compared. METHODS: The H-reflex amplitude, muscle activity (EMG) of the soleus...... and tibialis anterior muscles, and EMG/H-reflex gain were measured during 4-km/h treadmill walking. RESULTS: The normalized H-reflex amplitude was lower in the swing phase for the middle-aged group, and there was no difference in muscle activity. EMG/H-reflex gain did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: H......-reflex amplitude during walking was affected by aging, and changes during the swing phase could be seen in the middle-aged subjects. Subdividing the 2 age groups into groups of facilitated or suppressed swing-phase H-reflex revealed that the H-reflex amplitude modulation pattern in the group with facilitated swing...

Presentation of Various Tactile Sensations Using Micro-Needle Electrotactile Display.

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Mayuko Tezuka

Full Text Available Tactile displays provoke tactile sensations by artificially stimulating tactile receptors. While many types of tactile displays have been developed, electrotactile displays that exploit electric stimulation can be designed to be thin, light, flexible and thus, wearable. However, the high voltages required to stimulate tactile receptors and limited varieties of possible sensations pose problems. In our previous work, we developed an electrotactile display using a micro-needle electrode array that can drastically reduce the required voltage by penetrating through the high-impedance stratum corneum painlessly, but displaying various tactile sensations was still a challenge. In this work, we demonstrate presentation of tactile sensation of different roughness to the subjects, which is enabled by the arrangement of the electrodes; the needle electrodes are on the fingertip and the ground electrode is on the fingernail. With this arrangement, the display can stimulate the tactile receptors that are located not only in the shallow regions of the finger but also those in the deep regions. It was experimentally revealed that the required voltage was further reduced compared to previous devices and that the roughness presented by the display was controlled by the pulse frequency and the switching time, or the stimulation flow rate. The proposed electrotactile display is readily applicable as a new wearable haptic device for advanced information communication technology.

Plasticity of the human otolith-ocular reflex

Science.gov (United States)

Wall, C. 3rd; Smith, T. R.; Furman, J. M.

1992-01-01

The eye movement response to earth vertical axis rotation in the dark, a semicircular canal stimulus, can be altered by prior exposure to combined visual-vestibular stimuli. Such plasticity of the vestibulo-ocular reflex has not been described for earth horizontal axis rotation, a dynamic otolith stimulus. Twenty normal human subjects underwent one of two types of adaptation paradigms designed either to attenuate or enhance the gain of the semicircular canal-ocular reflex prior to undergoing otolith-ocular reflex testing with horizontal axis rotation. The adaptation paradigm paired a 0.2 Hz sinusoidal rotation about a vertical axis with a 0.2 Hz optokinetic stripe pattern that was deliberately mismatched in peak velocity. Pre- and post-adaptation horizontal axis rotations were at 60 degrees/s in the dark and produced a modulation in the slow component velocity of nystagmus having a frequency of 0.17 Hz due to putative stimulation of the otolith organs. Results showed that the magnitude of this modulation component response was altered in a manner similar to the alteration in semicircular canal-ocular responses. These results suggest that physiologic alteration of the vestibulo-ocular reflex using deliberately mismatched visual and semicircular canal stimuli induces changes in both canal-ocular and otolith-ocular responses. We postulate, therefore, that central nervous system pathways responsible for controlling the gains of canal-ocular and otolith-ocular reflexes are shared.

Is Sensation Seeking a Stable Trait or Does It Change over Time?

Science.gov (United States)

Lynne-Landsman, Sarah D.; Graber, Julia A.; Nichols, Tracy R.; Botvin, Gilbert J.

2011-01-01

The theory of sensation seeking has conceptualized this construct as a stable personality trait associated with a variety of problem behaviors. Reckless behavior theory posits that increases in reckless behavior during adolescence can be attributed, in part, to increases in sensation seeking. This study evaluated patterns of stability and change…

Sensation of smell and taste during intravenous injection of iodinated contrast media in CT examinations

Science.gov (United States)

Yamaguchi, Naoto; Yamaguchi, Aiko; Nagasawa, Naoki; Taketomi-Takahashi, Ayako; Suto, Takayuki; Tsushima, Yoshito

2017-01-01

Objective: To assess the incidence and types of sensation of smell and taste during i.v. injection of five kinds of contrast media (CM) in CT examinations. Methods: 735 patients who underwent contrast-enhanced CT (CE-CT) between 14 March 2016 and 5 April 2016 were enrolled. Medical staff asked patients whether they felt heat sensation and sensation of smell and taste during i.v. injection of CM (one of the following: iopromide, iomeprol, iopamidol, iohexol and ioversol) after their CE-CT. If the patients stated having felt the sensation of smell or taste, they were also asked what kind of smell or taste they sensed. Next, 30 ml of each CM was poured into high-purity pet cups for radiological technologists to smell directly. Radiological technologists were asked whether or not each CM had any smell. Results: The sensations of smell and taste incidence for iopromide were 24.3% and 18.9%, respectively, which were significantly higher than those for other CM (p < 0.05). The highest incidence of the sensation of smell was medicine-ish, and the most frequently noted taste was bitterness. All radiological technologists could directly smell only iopromide, which has an ether group on a side chain and fewer hydroxyl groups. Conclusion: Iopromide showed a higher incidence of sensation of smell and taste than other CM. Advances in knowledge: This was the first investigation of sensation of smell and taste during i.v. injection of CM, and a specific CM showed a higher incidence, which is suspected to be due to its chemical structure. PMID:27805431

Descriptors of sensation confirm the multidimensional nature of desire to void.

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Rebekah; Buckley, Jonathan D; Williams, Marie T

2015-02-01

To collect and categorize descriptors of "desire to void" sensation, determine the reliability of descriptor categories and assess whether descriptor categories discriminate between people with and without symptoms of overactive bladder. This observational, repeated measures study involved 64 Australian volunteers (47 female), aged 50 years or more, with and without symptoms of overactive bladder. Descriptors of desire to void sensation were derived from a structured interview (conducted on two occasions, 1 week apart). Descriptors were recorded verbatim and categorized in a three-stage process. Overactive bladder status was determined by the Overactive Bladder Awareness Tool and the Overactive Bladder Symptom Score. McNemar's test assessed the reliability of descriptors volunteered between two occasions and Partial Least Squares Regression determined whether language categories discriminated according to overactive bladder status. Post hoc Chi squared analysis and relative risk calculation determined the size and direction of overactive bladder prediction. Thirteen language categories (Urgency, Fullness, Pressure, Tickle/tingle, Pain/ache, Heavy, Normal, Intense, Sudden, Annoying, Uncomfortable, Anxiety, and Unique somatic) encapsulated 344 descriptors of sensation. Descriptor categories were stable between two interviews. The categories "Urgency" and "Fullness" predicted overactive bladder status. Participants who volunteered "Urgency" descriptors were twice as likely to have overactive bladder and participants who volunteered "Fullness" descriptors were almost three times as likely not to have overactive bladder. The sensation of desire to void is reliably described over sessions separated by a week, the language used reflects multiple dimensions of sensation, and can predict overactive bladder status. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sensation-Seeking and Impulsivity as Predictors of Reactive and Proactive Aggression in Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez Fuentes, María Del Carmen; Molero Jurado, Maria del Mar; Carrión Martínez, José J.; Mercader Rubio, Isabel; Gázquez, José J.

2016-01-01

In adolescence, such matters as substance use and impulsiveness may give rise to problematic behavior repertoires. This study was therefore done to analyze the predictive value of sensation-seeking and impulsiveness dimensions related to the functions of aggression (reactive/proactive) and types of expression (physical/relational). A total of 822 high school students in Almeria (Spain) aged 13–18, were administered the Sensation-Seeking Scale, the State Impulsiveness Scale and Peer Conflict Scale. The results show the existence of a positive correlation of the majority of factors analyzed, both in impulsiveness and sensation-seeking, with respect to the different types of aggression. Furthermore, aggressive behavior is explained by the combination of a sensation-seeking factor (Disinhibition) and two impulsiveness factors (Gratification and Automatism). This study shows the need to analyze aggression as a multidimensional construct. PMID:27729883

Acoustic Reflex Screening of Conductive Hearing Loss for Third Window Disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Robert S; Metz, Christopher M; Bojrab, Dennis I; Babu, Seilesh C; Zappia, John; Sargent, Eric W; Chan, Eleanor Y; Naumann, Ilka C; LaRouere, Michael J

2016-02-01

This study examines the effectiveness of acoustic reflexes in screening for third window disorders (eg, superior semicircular canal dehiscence) prior to middle ear exploration for conductive hearing loss. Case series with chart review. Outpatient tertiary otology center. A review was performed of 212 ears with acoustic reflexes, performed as part of the evaluation of conductive hearing loss in patients without evidence of chronic otitis media. The etiology of hearing loss was determined from intraoperative findings and computed tomography imaging. The relationship between acoustic reflexes and conductive hearing loss etiology was assessed. Eighty-eight percent of ears (166 of 189) demonstrating absence of all acoustic reflexes had an ossicular etiology of conductive hearing loss. Fifty-two percent of ears (12 of 23) with at least 1 detectable acoustic reflex had a nonossicular etiology. The positive and negative predictive values for an ossicular etiology were 89% and 57% when acoustic reflexes were used alone for screening, 89% and 39% when third window symptoms were used alone, and 94% and 71% when reflexes and symptoms were used together, respectively. Acoustic reflex testing is an effective means of screening for third window disorders in patients with a conductive hearing loss. Questioning for third window symptoms should complement screening. The detection of even 1 acoustic reflex or third window symptom (regardless of reflex status) should prompt further workup prior to middle ear exploration. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2015.

Body schema and midline sensation influenced by unilateral manual stimulation of lower extremity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Læssøe, Uffe; Barth, Lasse; Skeie, Sindre

Relevance: Clinical experience advocates manual stimulation in order to increase the sensation of the body and adjust the body schema. Unilateral treatment may affect the midline sensation and weight distribution in a standing position, but little evidence is available to support this procedure...... alignment was seen as a response to unilateral massage. It may be suggested, that the manipulated midline sensation and weight distribution reflects a state in which the participant's attention to a greater extent has been directed towards a specific body part due to the manual sensory stimulation. Impact...

Odd sensation induced by moving-phantom which triggers subconscious motor program.

Science.gov (United States)

Fukui, Takao; Kimura, Toshitaka; Kadota, Koji; Shimojo, Shinsuke; Gomi, Hiroaki

2009-06-03

Our motor actions are sometimes not properly performed despite our having complete understanding of the environmental situation with a suitable action intention. In most cases, insufficient skill for motor control can explain the improper performance. A notable exception is the action of stepping onto a stopped escalator, which causes clumsy movements accompanied by an odd sensation. Previous studies have examined short-term sensorimotor adaptations to treadmills and moving sleds, but the relationship between the odd sensation and behavioral properties in a real stopped-escalator situation has never been examined. Understanding this unique action-perception linkage would help us to assess the brain function connecting automatic motor controls and the conscious awareness of action. Here we directly pose a question: Does the odd sensation emerge because of the unfamiliar motor behavior itself toward the irregular step-height of a stopped escalator or as a consequence of an automatic habitual motor program cued by the escalator itself. We compared the properties of motor behavior toward a stopped escalator (SE) with those toward moving escalator and toward a wooden stairs (WS) that mimicked the stopped escalator, and analyzed the subjective feeling of the odd sensation in the SE and WS conditions. The results show that moving escalator-specific motor actions emerged after participants had stepped onto the stopped escalator despite their full awareness that it was stopped, as if the motor behavior was guided by a "phantom" of a moving escalator. Additionally, statistical analysis reveals that postural forward sway that occurred after the stepping action is directly linked with the odd sensation. The results suggest a dissociation between conscious awareness and subconscious motor control: the former makes us perfectly aware of the current environmental situation, but the latter automatically emerges as a result of highly habituated visual input no matter how unsuitable

Reflex epilepsy: triggers and management strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Okudan ZV

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Zeynep Vildan Okudan,1 Çiğdem Özkara2 1Department of Neurology, Bakirkoy Dr Sadi Konuk Education and Research Hospital, 2Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey Abstract: Reflex epilepsies (REs are identified as epileptic seizures that are consistently induced by identifiable and objective-specific triggers, which may be an afferent stimulus or by the patient’s own activity. RE may have different subtypes depending on the stimulus characteristic. There are significant clinical and electrophysiologic differences between different RE types. Visual stimuli-sensitive or photosensitive epilepsies constitute a large proportion of the RE and are mainly related to genetic causes. Reflex epilepsies may present with focal or generalized seizures due to specific triggers, and sometimes seizures may occur spontaneously. The stimuli can be external (light flashes, hot water, internal (emotion, thinking, or both and should be distinguished from triggering precipitants, which most epileptic patients could report such as emotional stress, sleep deprivation, alcohol, and menstrual cycle. Different genetic and acquired factors may play a role in etiology of RE. This review will provide a current overview of the triggering factors and management of reflex seizures. Keywords: seizure, reflex epilepsy, photosensitivity, hot water, reading, thinking

Reflex responses of lip muscles in young and older women.

Science.gov (United States)

Wohlert, A B

1996-06-01

The perioral reflex in response to innocuous mechanical stimulation of the lip vermilion was studied in 20 young and 20 older women. Responses to stimuli at the right and left sides of both the upper and lower lips were recorded. Results show significant specificity of response, especially for upper lip sites. Reflex response at the site of stimulation was greatest in amplitude and shortest in latency, followed by response at sites ipsilateral to the site of stimulation. Younger subjects showed greater localizing tendency than older subjects. Stimulation was significantly less likely to produce a reflex response in the older group. When reflex responses did occur, they were significantly lower in amplitude and longer in latency than the responses of the younger group. Nonetheless, reflex responses were common in both groups, with responses at the site of stimulation occurring 78% of the time in older women and 90% of the time in younger women. Every participant showed at least one reflex response to lip stimulation. Results suggest decreasing complexity of synaptic drive to the perioral system in old age but also show that reflexive response does not deteriorate completely, remaining an available element for motor control in normal older women.

Cerebellar interaction with the acoustic reflex.

Science.gov (United States)

Jastreboff, P J

1981-01-01

The involvement of the cerebellar vermis in the acoustic reflex was analyzed in 12 cats, decerebrated or in pentobarbital anesthesia. Anatomical data suggested the existence of a connection of lobules VIII with the ventral cochlear nucleus. Single cell recording and evoked potential techniques demonstrated the existence of the acoustic projection to lobulus VIII. Electrical stimulation of this area changed the tension of the middle ear muscle and caused evoked potential responses in the caudal part of the ventral cochlear nucleus. Electrical stimulation of the motor nucleus of the facial nerve evoked a slow wave in the recording taken from the surrounding of the cochlear round window. A hypothesis is proposed which postulates the involvement of the acoustic reflex in space localization of acoustic stimuli and the action of cerebellar vermis in order to assure the stability and plasticity of the acoustic reflex arc.

Reflex syncope: Diagnosis and treatment

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Richard Sutton

2017-12-01

Full Text Available For the diagnosis of reflex syncope, diligent history-building with the patient and a witness is required. In the Emergency Department (ED, the assessment of syncope is a challenge which may be addressed by an ED Observation Unit or by a referral to a Syncope Unit. Hospital admission is necessary for those with life-threatening cardiac conditions although risk stratification remains an unsolved problem. Other patients may be investigated with less urgency by carotid sinus massage (>40 years, tilt testing, and electrocardiogram loop recorder insertion resulting in a clear cause for syncope. Management includes, in general terms, patient education, avoidance of circumstances in which syncope is likely, increase in fluid and salt consumption, and physical counter-pressure maneuvers. In older patients, those that will benefit from cardiac pacing are now well defined. In all patients, the benefit of drug therapy is often disappointing and there remains no ideal drug. A role for catheter ablation may emerge for the highly symptomatic reflex syncope patient. Keywords: Cardiac pacing, Catheter ablation, Diagnosis, Drugs, Management, Reflex syncope

The acoustic reflex threshold in aging ears.

Science.gov (United States)

Silverman, C A; Silman, S; Miller, M H

1983-01-01

This study investigates the controversy regarding the influence of age on the acoustic reflex threshold for broadband noise, 500-, 1000-, 2000-, and 4000-Hz activators between Jerger et al. [Mono. Contemp. Audiol. 1 (1978)] and Jerger [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 66 (1979)] on the one hand and Silman [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 66 (1979)] and others on the other. The acoustic reflex thresholds for broadband noise, 500-, 1000-, 2000-, and 4000-Hz activators were evaluated under two measurement conditions. Seventy-two normal-hearing ears were drawn from 72 subjects ranging in age from 20-69 years. The results revealed that age was correlated with the acoustic reflex threshold for BBN activator but not for any of the tonal activators; the correlation was stronger under the 1-dB than under the 5-dB measurement condition. Also, the mean acoustic reflex thresholds for broadband noise activator were essentially similar to those reported by Jerger et al. (1978) but differed from those obtained in this study under the 1-dB measurement condition.

Soleus and lateral gastrocnemius H-reflexes during standing with unstable footwear.

Science.gov (United States)

Friesenbichler, Bernd; Lepers, Romuald; Maffiuletti, Nicola A

2015-05-01

Unstable footwear has been shown to increase lower extremity muscle activity, but the reflex response to perturbations induced by this intervention is unknown. Twenty healthy subjects stood in stable and unstable footwear conditions (presented randomly) while H-reflex amplitude and background muscle activity were measured in the soleus and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) muscles. Wearing unstable footwear resulted in larger H-reflexes (normalized to the maximal M-wave) for the LG (+12%; P = 0.025), but not for the soleus (+4%; P > 0.05). Background activity of both muscles was significantly higher in the unstable condition. The H-reflex facilitation observed with unstable footwear was unexpected, as challenging postural conditions usually result in reflex depression. Increased muscle activity, decreased presynaptic inhibition, and/or more forward postural position may have (over-)compensated the expected reflex depression. Differences between LG and soleus H-reflex modulation may be due to diverging motor unit recruitment thresholds. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Body Image And Sensation Seeking In Gym-Goers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schlegel Petr

2015-05-01

Full Text Available This research aimed to explore a relation between Body image (PSPP and Sensation Seeking (SSS-V and to determine gym-goers based on these entities. The research file (N = 182 consisted of gym-goers aged between 24 – 45. The comparison of the tests showed a weak relation (0.25 between PSPP and SST tests and also among the individual subscales. The comparison of men and women did not come up with any significant differences. In terms of Body image, the file showed above-average results, in the case of Sensation Seeking, its score was average. The outcome of our findings is that there is no marked relation between PSPP and SST and the same goes for men and women.

Sympathetic reflex control of blood flow in human peripheral tissues

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriksen, O

1991-01-01

Sympathetic vasoconstrictor reflexes are essential for the maintenance of arterial blood pressure in upright position. It has been generally believed that supraspinal sympathetic vasoconstrictor reflexes elicited by changes in baroreceptor activity play an important role. Recent studies on human...... sympathetic vasoconstrictor reflexes are blocked. Blood flow has been measure by the local 133Xe-technique. The results indicate the presence of spinal as well as supraspinal sympathetic vasoconstrictor reflexes to human peripheral tissues. Especially is emphasized the presence of a local sympathetic veno...... skeletal muscle, cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues of the limbs indicate that the situation is more complex. Measurements have been carried out during acute as well as chronic sympathetic denervation. Spinal sympathetic reflex mechanisms have been evaluated in tetraplegic patients, where supraspinal...

Innocuous cooling can produce nociceptive sensations that are inhibited during dynamic mechanical contact.

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Barry G; Pope, Jennifer V

2003-02-01

In a previous study of the heat grill illusion, sensations of burning and stinging were sometimes reported when the skin was cooled by as little as 2 degrees C. Informal tests subsequently indicated that these nociceptive sensations were experienced if cooling occurred when the stimulating thermode rested on the skin, but not when the thermode was cooled and then touched to the skin. In experiment 1 subjects judged the intensity of thermal (cold/warm) and nociceptive (burning/stinging) sensations when the volar surface of the forearm was cooled to 25 degrees C (1) via a static thermode (Static condition), or (2) via a cold thermode touched to the skin (Dynamic condition). The total area of stimulation was varied from 2.6 to 10.4 cm(2) to determine if the occurrence of nociceptive sensations depended upon stimulus size. Burning/stinging was rated 10.3 times stronger in the Static condition than in the Dynamic condition, and this difference did not vary significantly with stimulus size. In experiment 2, thermal and nociceptive sensations were measured during cooling to just 31 degrees, 29 degrees or 27 degrees C, and data were obtained on the frequency at which different sensation qualities were experienced. Stinging was the most frequently reported nociceptive quality in the Static condition, and stinging and burning were both markedly reduced in the Dynamic condition. In experiment 3 we tested the possibility that dynamic contact might have inhibited burning and stinging not because of mechanical contact per se, but rather because dynamic contact caused higher rates of cooling. However, varying cooling rate over a tenfold range (-0.5 degrees to -5.0 degrees /s) had no appreciable effect on the frequency of stinging and burning. Overall, the data show that mild cooling can produce nociceptive sensations that are suppressed under conditions of dynamic mechanical contact. The latter observation suggests that cold is perceived differently during active contact with

A simple measurement hammer for quantitative reflex studies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stam, J.; van Leeuwen, J. R.

1984-01-01

A reflex hammer for measurement of the mechanical stimulus strength was designed. Combined with standard EMG equipment this instrument permits the study of both stimulus-response relations and latencies of myotatic reflexes. Some results in normal subjects are discussed

Recovery of Proprioception in the Upper Extremity by Robotic Mirror Therapy: a Clinical Pilot Study for Proof of Concept.

Science.gov (United States)

Nam, Hyung Seok; Koh, Sukgyu; Beom, Jaewon; Kim, Yoon Jae; Park, Jang Woo; Koh, Eun Sil; Chung, Sun Gun; Kim, Sungwan

2017-10-01

A novel robotic mirror therapy system was recently developed to provide proprioceptive stimulus to the hemiplegic arm during a mirror therapy. Validation of the robotic mirror therapy system was performed to confirm its synchronicity prior to the clinical study. The mean error angle range between the intact arm and the robot was 1.97 to 4.59 degrees. A 56-year-old male who had right middle cerebral artery infarction 11 months ago received the robotic mirror therapy for ten 30-minute sessions during 2 weeks. Clinical evaluation and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies were performed before and after the intervention. At the follow-up evaluation, the thumb finding test score improved from 2 to 1 for eye level and from 3 to 1 for overhead level. The Albert's test score on the left side improved from 6 to 11. Improvements were sustained at 2-month follow-up. The fMRI during the passive motion revealed a considerable increase in brain activity at the lower part of the right superior parietal lobule, suggesting the possibility of proprioception enhancement. The robotic mirror therapy system may serve as a useful treatment method for patients with supratentorial stroke to facilitate recovery of proprioceptive deficit and hemineglect. © 2017 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

Reflexive fatherhood in everyday life

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Westerling, Allan

2015-01-01

This article looks at fathering practices in Denmark, using the findings from a research project on everyday family life in Denmark. It takes a social psychological perspective and employs discursive psychology and theories about reflexive modernisation. It shows how fathers orient towards intimacy...... in their relationships with their children. Moreover, it discusses how fathers’ relatedness reflects individualisation and detraditionalisation. It is argued that reflexive modernisation entails subjective orientations that enable novel pathways to intimacy in contemporary father–child relationships. Through...... this analysis and discussion, the article offers a way to understand the complexities of fathering in everyday life from the perspective of fathers....

Association of Smoking Onset With R-Rated Movie Restrictions and Adolescent Sensation Seeking

Science.gov (United States)

Sargent, James D.; Stoolmiller, Mike; Scholte, Ron H. J.; Engels, Rutger C. M. E.; Tanski, Susanne E.

2011-01-01

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we examined how often US youths reported having complete parental restrictions on watching R-rated movies. In addition, we assessed the relationship between parental R-rated movie restrictions and adolescents' sensation seeking and how this interplay is related to smoking onset. METHODS: Data from a 4-wave longitudinal study of 6522 adolescents (10–14 years of age) who were recruited through a random-digit-dial telephone survey were used. At baseline, subjects were nationally representative of the US population. Subjects were monitored for 2 years and queried about their smoking status, their sensation-seeking propensity, and how often they were allowed to watch R-rated movies. A cross-lagged model combined with survival analysis was used to assess the relationships between parental R-rated movie restrictions, sensation-seeking propensity, and risk for smoking onset. RESULTS: Findings demonstrated that 32% of the US adolescents reported being completely restricted from watching R-rated movies by their parents. Model findings revealed that adolescents' sensation seeking was related to greater risk for smoking onset not only directly but also indirectly through their parents becoming more permissive of R-rated movie viewing. Parental R-rated movie restrictions were found to decrease the risk of smoking onset directly and indirectly by changing children's sensation seeking. CONCLUSIONS: These findings imply that, beyond direct influences, the relationship between adolescents' sensation seeking and parental R-rated movie restrictions in explaining smoking onset is bidirectional in nature. Finally, these findings highlight the relevance of motivating and supporting parents in limiting access to R-rated movies. PMID:21135004

Reflexive intergroup bias in third-party punishment.

Science.gov (United States)

Yudkin, Daniel A; Rothmund, Tobias; Twardawski, Mathias; Thalla, Natasha; Van Bavel, Jay J

2016-11-01

Humans show a rare tendency to punish norm-violators who have not harmed them directly-a behavior known as third-party punishment. Research has found that third-party punishment is subject to intergroup bias, whereby people punish members of the out-group more severely than the in-group. Although the prevalence of this behavior is well-documented, the psychological processes underlying it remain largely unexplored. Some work suggests that it stems from people's inherent predisposition to form alliances with in-group members and aggress against out-group members. This implies that people will show reflexive intergroup bias in third-party punishment, favoring in-group over out-group members especially when their capacity for deliberation is impaired. Here we test this hypothesis directly, examining whether intergroup bias in third-party punishment emerges from reflexive, as opposed to deliberative, components of moral cognition. In 3 experiments, utilizing a simulated economic game, we varied participants' group relationship to a transgressor, measured or manipulated the extent to which they relied on reflexive or deliberative judgment, and observed people's punishment decisions. Across group-membership manipulations (American football teams, nationalities, and baseball teams) and 2 assessments of reflexive judgment (response time and cognitive load), reflexive judgment heightened intergroup bias, suggesting that such bias in punishment is inherent to human moral cognition. We discuss the implications of these studies for theories of punishment, cooperation, social behavior, and legal practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Relation between anal electrosensitivity and rectal filling sensation and the influence of age

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Broens, PMA; Penninckx, FM

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of age and sex on the rectal filling sensation and anal electrosensitivity and to explore the relation between anal electrosensitivity and the parameters of the rectal filling sensation. METHODS: Anal mucosal electrosensitivity and anorectal

Snout and Visual Rooting Reflexes in Infantile Autism. Brief Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Minderaa, Ruud B.; And Others

1985-01-01

The authors conducted extensive neurological evaluations of 42 autistic individuals and were surprised to discover a consistently positive snout reflex in most of them. Difficulties with assessing the reflex are noted. The authors then reassessed the Ss for a series of primitive reflexes which are interpreted as signs of diffuse cortical brain…

Remote vibrotactile noise improves light touch sensation in stroke survivors' fingertips via stochastic resonance.

Science.gov (United States)

Enders, Leah R; Hur, Pilwon; Johnson, Michelle J; Seo, Na Jin

2013-10-11

Stroke rehabilitation does not often integrate both sensory and motor recovery. While subthreshold noise was shown to enhance sensory signal detection at the site of noise application, having a noise-generating device at the fingertip to enhance fingertip sensation and potentially enhance dexterity for stroke survivors is impractical, since the device would interfere with object manipulation. This study determined if remote application of subthreshold vibrotactile noise (away from the fingertips) improves fingertip tactile sensation with potential to enhance dexterity for stroke survivors. Index finger and thumb pad sensation was measured for ten stroke survivors with fingertip sensory deficit using the Semmes-Weinstein Monofilament and Two-Point Discrimination Tests. Sensation scores were measured with noise applied at one of three intensities (40%, 60%, 80% of the sensory threshold) to one of four locations of the paretic upper extremity (dorsal hand proximal to the index finger knuckle, dorsal hand proximal to the thumb knuckle, dorsal wrist, volar wrist) in a random order, as well as without noise at beginning (Pre) and end (Post) of the testing session. Vibrotactile noise of all intensities and locations instantaneously and significantly improved Monofilament scores of the index fingertip and thumb tip (p sensation, independent of noise location and intensity. Vibrotactile noise at the wrist and dorsal hand may have enhanced the fingertips' light touch sensation via stochastic resonance and interneuronal connections. While long-term benefits of noise in stroke patients warrants further investigation, this result demonstrates potential that a wearable device applying vibrotactile noise at the wrist could enhance sensation and grip ability without interfering with object manipulation in everyday tasks.

Sensation within the skin.

Science.gov (United States)

Troisi, Joseph R

2015-02-18

This Viewpoint emphasizes interoceptive discriminative stimulus modulation of voluntary operant behavior (a la B. F. Skinner), rather than elicitation of Pavlovian conditioned reflexes. In doing so, I will restate how the operant drug discrimination paradigm may not only elucidate smoking and other addictive behaviors but also anxiety (Troisi, J. R., II. (2003) Spontaneous recovery during, but not following, extinction of the discriminative stimulus effects of nicotine in rats: Reinstatement of stimulus control. Psychol. Rec. 53, 579-592).

Relationship between touch sensation of the affected hand and performance of valued activities in individuals with chronic stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Valerie A; Fisher, Thomas; Schmid, Arlene A; Crabtree, Jeffrey; Page, Stephen J

2014-01-01

To investigate the association between touch sensation of the affected hand and performance and satisfaction with performance of valued activities in individuals with chronic stroke. Using a cross-sectional study design, this study correlated factors related to hand sensation and activity performance in individuals with chronic stroke. The Touch Test Evaluators and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) were used. Correlations were used to determine the relationships between touch sensation of the affected hand and individuals' performance and satisfaction with performance of valued activities. There was a good to excellent relationship between sensation and performance and satisfaction with performance of valued activities for individuals with intact touch sensation of the affected hand who scored higher on the COPM. There was little to no relationship between touch sensation of the affected hand and performance of valued activities for individuals with impaired sensation. This is the first study to relate touch sensation of the affected hand and performance and satisfaction with performance of valued activities in individuals with stroke. The findings suggest that rehabilitation therapists need to continue to address sensory function in evaluation and intervention as it relates to performance in valued activities. This study serves as a foundation for future research in sensation and performance of valued activities in individuals with chronic stroke.

The influence of reflexive educational environment on students ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The influence of reflexive educational environment on students' reflection development in ... based on them) from which, as they integrate, a reflexive personality style is developed. ... (narrative, dialogical, cognitive and axiological) are the factors influencing the outcome of social adaptation. ... AJOL African Journals Online.

Do people like to feel 'neutral'? Exploring the variation of the desired thermal sensation on the ASHRAE scale

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Humphreys, Michael A; Hancock, Mary [Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development, Oxford Brookes University, Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane, Oxford OX3 0BP (United Kingdom)

2007-07-15

This analysis explores the pattern of variation of the desired thermal sensation on the ASHRAE scale, applying the method of direct enquiry. Data are from studies of thermal comfort at university lectures and in selected dwellings. Respondents reported both their thermal sensation and the sensation they would have desired at that time. The data contain 868 comparisons of the actual and the desired sensation. On 57% of occasions the desired sensation was other than 'neutral'. The respondents did not always desire the same sensation, and the mean desired sensation differed systematically among the respondents. The mean desired sensation depended to some extent on the actual sensation, there being a positive correlation in the region from 'neutral' and 'warm' and a negative correlation outside this region. Sensations on the ASHRAE scale are shown to have more than one meaning. Adjusting the ASHRAE scale to allow for the desired sensation yields different distributions of thermal comfort and different group-optimum temperatures. The adjustment should therefore be applied whenever the ASHRAE scale is used. The implications for thermal simulation and for energy use in buildings are considered. (author)

Functional brain imaging of gastrointestinal sensation in health and disease

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Lukas Van Oudenhove; Steven J Coen; Qasim Aziz

2007-01-01

It has since long been known, from everyday experience as well as from animal and human studies, that psychological processes-both affective and cognitiveexert an influence on gastrointestinal sensorimotor function. More specifically, a link between psychological factors and visceral hypersensitivity has been suggested,mainly based on research in functional gastrointestinal disorder patients. However, until recently, the exact nature of this putative relationship remained unclear,mainly due to a lack of non-invasive methods to study the (neurobiological) mechanisms underlying this relationship in non-sleeping humans. As functional brain imaging, introduced in visceral sensory neuroscience some 10 years ago, does provide a method for in vivo study of brain-gut interactions, insight into the neurobiological mechanisms underlying visceral sensation in general and the influence of psychological factors more particularly,has rapidly grown. In this article, an overview of brain imaging evidence on gastrointestinal sensation will be given, with special emphasis on the brain mechanisms underlying the interaction between affective & cognitive processes and visceral sensation. First, the reciprocal neural pathways between the brain and the gut (braingut axis) will be briefly outlined, including brain imaging evidence in healthy volunteers. Second, functional brain imaging studies assessing the influence of psychological factors on brain processing of visceral sensation in healthy humans will be discussed in more detail.Finally, brain imaging work investigating differences in brain responses to visceral distension between healthy volunteers and functional gastrointestinal disorder patients will be highlighted.

Sensation seeking and smoking behaviors among adolescents in the Republic of Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Heejin; Park, Sunhee

2015-06-01

This study aimed to explore the relationship between the four components of sensation seeking (i.e., disinhibition, thrill and adventure seeking, experience seeking, and boredom susceptibility) and three types of smoking behavior (i.e., non-smoking, experimental smoking, and current smoking) among high school students in the Republic of Korea. Multivariate multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed using two models. In Model 1, the four subscales of sensation seeking were used as covariates, and in Model 2, other control factors (i.e., characteristics related to demographics, individuals, family, school, and friends) were added to Model 1 in order to adjust for their effects. In Model 1, the impact of disinhibition on experimental smoking and current smoking was statistically significant. In Model 2, the influence of disinhibition on both of these smoking behaviors remained statistically significant after controlling for all the other covariates. Also, the effect of thrill and adventure seeking on experimental smoking was statistically significant. The two statistically significant subscales of sensation seeking were positively associated with the risk of smoking behaviors. According to extant literature and current research, sensation seeking, particularly disinhibition, is strongly associated with smoking among youth. Therefore, sensation seeking should be measured among adolescents to identify those who are at greater risk of smoking and to develop more effective intervention strategies in order to curb the smoking epidemic among youth. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fear versus humor: the impact of sensation seeking on physiological, cognitive, and emotional responses to antialcohol abuse messages.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Moon J; Shin, Mija

2011-01-01

This study investigates the differences in physiological, cognitive, and emotional responses to existing emotional antialcohol abuse advertisements (fear vs. humor appeal) between high and low sensation seekers. A 2 (Message Type) x 2 (Sensation-Seeking Tendency) x 4 (Message Repetition) mixed-model experiment with repeated measures was conducted with 71 college students. The results, based on self-reports, indicated that fear messages generated more interest and perceived danger of excessive drinking regardless of sensation-seeking tendency, whereas humorous messages were rated as more likeable than fear messages, and the difference was bigger among low sensation seekers than among high sensation seekers. One interesting finding was that for both fear and humor appeals, low sensation seekers showed greater emotional responses (greater corrugators activities and greater zygomatic activities) than high sensation seekers overall. The implications of the current study as well as suggestions for future study were discussed.

Evaluation of Strength and Irradiated Movement Pattern Resulting from Trunk Motions of the Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luciana Bahia Gontijo

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. The proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF is a physiotherapeutic concept based on muscle and joint proprioceptive stimulation. Among its principles, the irradiation is the reaction of the distinct regional muscle contractions to the position of the application of the motions. Objective. To investigate the presence of irradiated dorsiflexion and plantar flexion and the existing strength generated by them during application of PNF trunk motions. Methods. The study was conducted with 30 sedentary and female volunteers, the PNF motions of trunk flexion, and extension with the foot (right and left positioned in a developed equipment coupled to the load cell, which measured the strength irradiated in Newton. Results. Most of the volunteers irradiated dorsal flexion in the performance of the flexion and plantar flexion during the extension motion, both presenting an average force of 8.942 N and 10.193 N, respectively. Conclusion. The distal irradiation in lower limbs became evident, reinforcing the therapeutic actions to the PNF indirect muscular activation.

[Human physiology: images and practices of the reflex].

Science.gov (United States)

Wübben, Yvonne

2010-01-01

The essay examines the function of visualizations and practices in the formation of the reflex concept from Thomas Willis to Marshall Hall. It focuses on the specific form of reflex knowledge that images and practices can contain. In addition, the essay argues that it is through visual representations and experimental practices that technical knowledge is transferred to the field of human reflex physiology. When using technical metaphors in human physiology authors often seem to feel obliged to draw distinctions between humans, machines and animals. On closer scrutiny, these distinctions sometimes fail to establish firm borders between the human and the technical.

Nociceptive flexion reflexes during analgesic neurostimulation in man.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Larrea, L; Sindou, M; Mauguière, F

1989-11-01

Nociceptive flexion reflexes of the lower limbs (RIII responses) have been studied in 21 patients undergoing either epidural (DCS, n = 16) or transcutaneous (TENS, n = 5) analgesic neurostimulation (AN) for chronic intractable pain. Flexion reflex RIII was depressed or suppressed by AN in 11 patients (52.4%), while no modification was observed in 9 cases and a paradoxical increase during AN was evidenced in 1 case. In all but 2 patients, RIII changes were rapidly reversible after AN interruption. RIII depression was significantly associated with subjective pain relief, as assessed by conventional self-rating; moreover, in 2 patients it was possible to ameliorate the pain-suppressing effects of AN by selecting those stimulation parameters (intensity and frequency) that maximally depressed nociceptive reflex RIII. We recorded 2 cases of RIII attenuation after contralateral neurostimulation. AN appeared to affect nociceptive reflexes rather selectively, with no or very little effect on other cutaneous, non-nociceptive responses. Recording of RIII reflexes is relatively simple to implement as a routine paraclinical procedure. It facilitates the objective assessment of AN efficacy and may help to choose the most appropriate parameters of neurostimulation. In addition, RIII behavior in patients could be relevant to the understanding of some of the mechanisms involved in AN-induced pain relief.

The role of tone sensation and musical stimuli in early experimental psychology.

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Klempe, Sven Hroar

2011-01-01

In this article, the role of music in early experimental psychology is examined. Initially, the research of Wilhelm Wundt is considered, as tone sensation and musical elements appear as dominant factors in much of his work. It is hypothesized that this approach was motivated by an understanding of psychology that dates back to Christian Wolff 's focus on sensation in his empirical psychology of 1732. Wolff, however, had built his systematization of psychology on Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, who combined perception with mathematics,and referred to music as the area in which sensation is united with numerical exactitude. Immanuel Kant refused to accept empirical psychology as a science, whereas Johann Friedrich Herbart reintroduced the scientific basis of empirical psychology by, among other things, referring to music.

Development of Right-hemispheric Dominance of Inferior Parietal Lobule in Proprioceptive Illusion Task

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Naito, Eiichi; Morita, Tomoyo; Saito, Daisuke N; Ban, Midori; Shimada, Koji; Okamoto, Yuko; Kosaka, Hirotaka; Okazawa, Hidehiko; Asada, Minoru

2017-01-01

Abstract Functional lateralization can be an indicator of brain maturation. We have consistently shown that, in the adult brain, proprioceptive processing of muscle spindle afferents generating illusory movement of the right hand activates inferior frontoparietal cortical regions in a right-side dominant manner in addition to the cerebrocerebellar motor network. Here we provide novel evidence regarding the development of the right-dominant use of the inferior frontoparietal cortical regions in humans using this task. We studied brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging while 60 right-handed blindfolded healthy children (8–11 years), adolescents (12–15 years), and young adults (18–23 years) (20 per group) experienced the illusion. Adult-like right-dominant use of the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) was observed in adolescents, while children used the IPL bilaterally. In contrast, adult-like lateralized cerebrocerebellar motor activation patterns were already observable in children. The right-side dominance progresses during adolescence along with the suppression of the left-sided IPL activity that emerges during childhood. Therefore, the neuronal processing implemented in the adult's right IPL during the proprioceptive illusion task is likely mediated bilaterally during childhood, and then becomes right-lateralized during adolescence at a substantially later time than the lateralized use of the cerebrocerebellar motor system for kinesthetic processing. PMID:28968653

Effects of 24 hours of tobacco withdrawal and subsequent tobacco smoking among low and high sensation seekers.

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Lee, Dustin C; Perkins, Kenneth A; Zimmerman, Eli; Robbins, Glenn; Kelly, Thomas H

2011-10-01

Previous studies have indicated that high sensation seekers are more sensitive to the reinforcing effects of nicotine, initiate smoking at an earlier age, and smoke greater amounts of cigarettes. This study examined the influence of sensation-seeking status on tobacco smoking following deprivation in regular tobacco users. Twenty healthy tobacco-smoking volunteers with low or high impulsive sensation-seeking subscale scores completed 2 consecutive test days per week for 3 consecutive weeks. Each week, a range of self-report, performance, and cardiovascular assessments were completed during ad libitum smoking on Day 1 and before and after the paced smoking of a tobacco cigarette containing 0.05, 0.6, or 0.9 mg of nicotine following 24 hr of tobacco deprivation on Day 2. In addition, self-administration behavior was analyzed during a 2-hr free access period after the initial tobacco administration. In high sensation seekers, tobacco smoking independent of nicotine yield ameliorated deprivation effects, whereas amelioration of deprivation effects was dependent on nicotine yield among low sensation seekers. However, this effect was limited to a small subset of measures. Subsequent cigarette self-administration increased in a nicotine-dependent manner for high sensation seekers only. Compared with low sensation seekers, high sensation seekers were more sensitive to the withdrawal relieving effects of nonnicotine components of smoking following 24 hr of deprivation on selective measures and more sensitive to nicotine yield during subsequent tobacco self-administration. These results are consistent with studies suggesting that factors driving tobacco dependence may vary as a function of sensation-seeking status.

Pathophysiology and treatment of patients with globus sensation ―from the viewpoint of esophageal motility dysfunction―

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Manabe, Noriaki; Tsutsui, Hideaki; Kusunoki, Hiroaki; Hata, Jiro; Haruma, Ken

2014-01-01

"Globus sensation" is often described as the sensation of a lump in the throat associated with dry swallowing or the need for dry swallowing, which disappears completely during eating or drinking and for which no organic cause can be established. Due to the uncertain etiology of "globus sensation", it remains difficult to establish standard treatment strategies for affected patients. Lately most attention has been focused on gastroesophageal reflux disease and several reports have indicated that there is a close relationship between esophageal acid reflux and globus sensation. Nowadays, empirical therapy with a high dose of a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) is considered to be indicated for patients with globus sensation, after excluding organic diseases such as pharyngeal cancer, Zenker's diverticulum, or thyroid enlargement. If patients are nonresponsive to PPI therapy, evaluation of esophageal motility should be done. In our recent study, 47.9% had abnormal esophageal motility, with the most common esophageal motility abnormality being an ineffective esophageal motility in PPI-resistant patients with globus sensation. This suggests that prokinetics alone or adding prokinetics to PPI should be the treatment to be considered, although few studies have investigated the efficacy of prokinetics in the treatment of patients with globus sensation. If patients without any esophageal motility dysfunctions are nonresponsive to PPI therapy, either cognitive-behavioral therapy, anti-depressants, or gabapentin could be helpful, although further well-designed, randomized controlled large-scale studies will be necessary to determine the effectiveness of each treatment strategy on patients with globus sensation. PMID:26081369