Physiological effects of heart rate variability biofeedback during laboratory induced congnitive stress

Includes bibliographical references.Heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback is effective in reducing stress as well as managing chronic disease. It facilitates easy manipulation of HRV, and, therefore, potentially provides a valuable intervention for altering the activity of the autonomic nervous system. The aim of this thesis was to examine the effects of a single 10 minute episode of HRV biofeedback on measures of HRV and EEG during and immediately after the intervention, measures of HRV and cognitive performance during laboratory induced cognitive stress and subjective feelings of anxiety and relaxation states after testing. Eighteen healthy male volunteers (34 ± 6 years) exposed to work-related stress, were randomised into an HRV biofeedback intervention (BIO) and a comparative intervention group (COM)

Intentional inhibition of actions in humans

A crucial component of human behavioural flexibility is the capacity to inhibit actions at the last moment before action execution. This behavioural inhibition is often not an immediate reaction to external stimuli, but rather an endogenous ‘free’ decision. Knowledge about such ‘intentional inhibition’ is currently limited, with most research focused on stimulus-driven inhibition. This thesis will examine intentional inhibition, using several different experimental approaches. The behavioural experiments reported in the initial chapters found that intentional inhibition directly alters sensory processing during decision-making. In addition, there were unique effects of prior event sequences on subsequent decisions to either act or inhibit. Brain imaging methods using EEG and fMRI showed distinct neural mechanisms associated with intentional inhibition, which did not apply to rule-based inhibition. Work with Tourette syndrome patients indicated that the intentional inhibition of involuntary motor tics affects brain activity associated with voluntary actions. Furthermore, attentional manipulation strategies were shown to be highly effective in reducing tics, which may open up alternative behavioural treatment approaches for tic disorders. This thesis concludes by demonstrating that intentional inhibition is a bona fide cognitive function worth studying. It also develops a cognitive model in which behavioural inhibition varies along a continuum from ‘instructed inhibition’ to ‘intentional inhibition’. This model may be useful as a guide for future work

Music for physical rehabilitation (1987-1996): a literature review and analysis

1998 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.A comprehensive literature review and analysis was conducted on the use of music for physical rehabilitation from 1987-1996. An earlier literature review and analysis of music for physical rehabilitation was published by Staum (1988), which covered the literature from 1950 -1986. The purpose of the current study was to provide music therapists with an updated and comprehensive resource to aid them in choosing effective treatment strategies for clients in need of physical rehabilitation. Pertinent music therapy sources, such as the Journal of Music Therapy, and pertinent non-music sources, specifically electronic bibliographic databases such as Medline, were consulted. Relevant sources were discussed in two chapters; Chapter 4 - An Overview of the Use of Music in the Treatment of Physical Rehabilitation, and Chapter 5- Clinical Implications for the Use of Music in Physical Rehabilitation . Tables containing frequency data supplement the discussion of the findings on treatment modalities, research settings, clinical population, musical applications, and literature sources. An overview of the methodology of all experimental and single-subject studies is provided in Table 8

Multifractality, Interactivity, and the Adaptive Capacity of the Human Movement System: A Perspective for Advancing the Conceptual Basis of Neurologic Physical Therapy

Background and Purpose: Physical therapists seek to optimize movement as a means of reducing disability and improving health. The short-term effects of interventions designed to optimize movement ultimately are intended to be adapted for use across various future patterns of behavior, in potentially unpredictable ways, with varying frequency, and in the context of multiple tasks and environmental conditions. In this perspective article, we review and discuss the implications of recent evidence that optimal movement variability, which previously had been associated with adaptable motor behavior, contains a specific complex nonlinear feature known as “multifractality.” Summary of Key Points: Multifractal movement fluctuation patterns reflect robust physiologic interactivity occurring within the movement system across multiple time scales. Such patterns provide conceptual support for the idea that patterns of motor behavior occurring in the moment are inextricably linked in complex, physiologic ways to patterns of motor behavior occurring over much longer periods. The human movement system appears to be particularly tuned to multifractal fluctuation patterns and exhibits the ability to reorganize its output in response to external stimulation embedded with multifractal features. Recommendations for Clinical Practice: As a fundamental feature of human movement, multifractality opens new avenues for conceptualizing the link between physiologic interactivity and adaptive capacity. Preliminary evidence supporting the positive influence of multifractal rhythmic auditory stimulation on the gait patterns of individuals with Parkinson disease is used to illustrate how physical therapy interventions might be devised to specifically target the adaptive capacity of the human movement system. Video Abstract available for more insights from the authors (see Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1, https://links.lww.com/JNPT/A183)

Self-Referential Processing: An Investigation of the Mediating Role of Alpha Power

The EEG correlates of valenced self- and other-referential processing (SRP-ORP) are relatively little understood. This study examined the immediate effects of mindfulness meditation (MM) and EEG alpha neurofeedback (NFB) on resting state EEG alpha amplitudes and alpha event related (de-)synchronization (ERD/S) during an experimental implicit and explicit SRP-ORP task. Undergraduate students (n = 93) were randomized to a single session of MM, NFB alpha synchronization training (“alpha-up”), NFB alpha desynchronization training (“alpha-down”), or sham (placebo control) NFB before completing the Visual-Verbal Self-Other Referential Processing Task (VV-SORP-T). A reduction in resting-state alpha power over posterior cortex was observed across groups relative to pre-treatment baseline, with no differential effects observed between groups. During both SRP and ORP, however, less negative affect (NA) was experienced by participants in the alpha-down group. Alpha ERD was highest during negative ORP relative to other task conditions across groups, with the alpha-down group trending toward showing increased ERD across all conditions of the VV-SORP-T relative to the alpha-up group. Study limitations and future research directions are discussed

The Effects of Fluency-Based Instruction on Skill Acquisition in Children Diagnosed with Landau Kleffner Syndrome

Landau Kleffner Syndrome, or acquired epileptic aphasia, is an epileptic syndrome involving a neurological impairment related to the appearance of paroxysmal (i.e., sudden intense) electroencephalograph (EEG) activity (Pearl, Carrazana & Holmes, 2001). Landau Kleffner syndrome results from an epileptogenic lesion arising in the speech cortex during a critical period of development, which may interfere with the establishment of satisfactory and functional circuits for normal language function (Morrell et al., 1995). LKS is a complex and severe syndrome that affects all aspects of a child\u27s life, including communication, socialization, and the everyday ability to function within the environment. An option for treatment of LKS is Multiple Subpial Transection Surgery (MST). MST surgery is a surgical procedure designed to eradicate the capacity of cortical tissue to generate seizures or subclinical epileptiform activity, while maintaining the cortical functions of the remaining tissues (Grote, Van Slyke, & Hoeppner, 1999). Once surgery is complete, it is necessary to provide direct, intensive instruction to rebuild language skills starting from very basic (preverbal) components (Vance, 1991). The Morningside Model of Generative Instruction is a model of selected basic psychomotor component skills (e.g., point, pinch, reach, turn, squeeze, & shake) that are explicitly taught in a hierarchical sequence. These skills are built to a fluent level, and then sequenced into complex behavioral repertoires (Johnson & Street, 2004). The examination of the relationship between fluency-based instruction and skill acquisition for children diagnosed with LKS will contribute to the literature by extending and clarifying the role of fluency-based instruction (and specifically Morningside Model of Generative Instruction) for use with children with LKS. The current study used a changing criterion design to measure rates of responding in identified basic and combined psychomotor skills. A pre-existing data set was utilized to examine the effects of fluency-based instruction in basic psychomotor skill acquisition, maintenance, and generalization to an identified set of combined skills. Results indicated overall increases in basic psychomotor skill acquisition, and confirmation of fluency-based instruction as an efficacious, research based treatment for children