Technology-Based Behavioral Interventions for Daily Activities and Supported Ambulation in People With Alzheimer's Disease:

Objectives:These 2 studies evaluated technology-based behavioral interventions for promoting daily activities and supported ambulation in people with mild-to-moderate and moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease, respectively.Methods:Study 1 included 8 participants who were taught to start and carry out daily activities on their own using a tablet or smartphone device, which provided activity reminders, step instructions, and praise. Study 2 included 9 participants who were taught to engage in brief periods of ambulation using a walker combined with a tilt microswitch and a notebook computer, which monitored step responses and provided stimulation and prompts.Results:The participants of study 1 succeeded in starting the activities independently and carrying them out accurately. The participants of study 2 largely increased their ambulation levels and also showed signs of positive involvement (eg, smiles and verbalizations).Conclusion:The aforementioned technology-based interventions may represent practical means for supporting people with Alzheimer's disease

Non-linear analysis of the heart rate variability during passive Tilt test.

In recent years, new dynamic methods of HRV quantification have been used to uncover nonlinear fluctuations in heart rate that are otherwise not apparent. These nonlinear variations would enable the cardiovascular system to respond more quickly to changing conditions. Several methods have been proposed to quantify these fluctuations on the basis of the scaling properties of the heart rate variations Detrended Fluctuation Analysis, Correlation Dimension (CD), Entropy (ApEn and SampEn) or other nonlinear properties (Poincaré plots). Moreover, fractal analysis of HRV was more sensitive to the classical spectral and time-domain analysis of HRV. The investigation of new parameters, descriptive of the complex regulation mechanisms of heart rate, has to be encouraged because not all information in the HRV signal is captured by traditional methods. The new technologies thus could provide additional physiological, and clinical meaning

Non-linear analysis of the heart rate variability during acute exposure to different styles of music in young women. Effect on sympathetic activation.

In this study, we proposed a comprehensive methodology for the assessment of physiological parameter changes related to musical stimuli and we focused our attention to HRV modifications using a non-linear methods of analysis. Acute auditory stimulation with the classical music decreased the sympathetic modulation on the heart and the heavy metal music an increase of the sympathetic modulation especially during TT in young women examined with non-linear analysis of HRV. We suggest that this style of music presents more significant acute effects compared to the classical music