289 research outputs found
Effect of rhythmic auditory stimulation on gait in Parkinsonian patients with and without freezing of gait
[Abstract] Freezing of gait (FOG) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) rises in prevalence when the effect of medications decays. It is known
that auditory rhythmic stimulation improves gait in patients without FOG (PD-FOG), but its putative effect on patients
with FOG (PD+FOG) at the end of dose has not been evaluated yet. This work evaluates the effect of auditory rhythmic
stimulation on PD+FOG at the end of dose. 10 PD+FOG and 9 PD-FOG patients both at the end of dose periods, and 10
healthy controls were asked to perform several walking tasks. Tasks were performed in the presence and absence of
auditory sensory stimulation. All PD+FOG suffered FOG during the task. The presence of auditory rhythmic stimulation
(10% above preferred walking cadence) led PD+FOG to significantly reduce FOG. Velocity and cadence were increased,
and turn time reduced in all groups. We conclude that auditory stimulation at the frequency proposed may be useful to
avoid freezing episodes in PD+FOG.Xunta de Galicia; 2007/000140-0Xunta de Galicia; PGIDIT06PXIC137004P
Sight and insight – on the physiological role of nitric oxide in the visual system
[Abstract] Research in the fields of cellular communication and signal transduction in the brain has moved very rapidly in recent years. Nitric oxide (NO) is one of the latest discoveries in the arena of messenger molecules. Current evidence indicates that, in visual system, NO is produced in both postsynaptic and presynaptic structures and acts as a neurotransmitter, albeit of a rather unorthodox type. Under certain conditions it can switch roles to become either a neuronal ‘friend’ or ‘foe’. Nitric oxide is a gas that diffuses through all physiological barriers to act on neighbouring cells across an extensive volume on a specific time scale. It, therefore, has the opportunity to control the processing of vision from the lowest level of retinal transduction to the control of neuronal excitability in the visual cortex.Xunta de Galicia; XUGA13401B96Ministerio de Educación y Cultura; FIS97/040
Effects of rhythmic sensory stimulation (auditory, visual) on gait in Parkinson’s disease patients
[Abstract] This study has focused on how sensory stimulation affects gait in Parkinson’s disease (PD). The kinematic parameters of gait [cadence, step amplitude, velocity, coefficient of variation of stride time (CVstride-time), and the coefficient of variation of the step amplitude (CVstep-amplitude)] were analysed in 25 PD patients and 10 control subjects. Step amplitude, velocity and CVstride-time were altered in the patients with PD. However, when kinematic parameters were analysed as a function of disease severity, none of the parameters differed between early PD (I–II Hoehn and Yahr) and the controls. Nevertheless, more severely affected PD patients (III–IV Hoehn and Yahr) walked with a reduced step amplitude, lower velocity, higher CVstride-time, and higher CVstep-amplitude than the controls. The administration of auditory stimulation at a frequency matching the preferred walking cadence led to a decrease in the CVstride-time in PDIII–IV patients, and to an increase in step amplitude in PDIII–IV and controls. Visual stimulation at the same frequency did not modify any of the altered kinematic parameters in PDIII–IV patients. When different stimulation frequencies were utilised, auditory stimulation significantly changed some of the altered walking parameters in Parkinson patients. Frequencies matching preferred walking cadence or above this, up to the fastest walking, were those that seem to interact most effectively with the abnormal kinematic parameters in PDIII–IV patients. Visual stimulation negatively modulated cadence in PDIII–IV in the frequency range used. Sensory stimulation facilitates gait in PD. Studies using sensory stimulation as a tool to facilitate walking should take into account the grade of disability of the patients.Galicia. ConsellerÃa de Innovación, Industria e Comercio; PGIDIT06PXIC137004PNGalicia. ConsellerÃa de Educación; 2007/000140-
Capture, Learning, and Synthesis of 3D Speaking Styles
Audio-driven 3D facial animation has been widely explored, but achieving
realistic, human-like performance is still unsolved. This is due to the lack of
available 3D datasets, models, and standard evaluation metrics. To address
this, we introduce a unique 4D face dataset with about 29 minutes of 4D scans
captured at 60 fps and synchronized audio from 12 speakers. We then train a
neural network on our dataset that factors identity from facial motion. The
learned model, VOCA (Voice Operated Character Animation) takes any speech
signal as input - even speech in languages other than English - and
realistically animates a wide range of adult faces. Conditioning on subject
labels during training allows the model to learn a variety of realistic
speaking styles. VOCA also provides animator controls to alter speaking style,
identity-dependent facial shape, and pose (i.e. head, jaw, and eyeball
rotations) during animation. To our knowledge, VOCA is the only realistic 3D
facial animation model that is readily applicable to unseen subjects without
retargeting. This makes VOCA suitable for tasks like in-game video, virtual
reality avatars, or any scenario in which the speaker, speech, or language is
not known in advance. We make the dataset and model available for research
purposes at http://voca.is.tue.mpg.de.Comment: To appear in CVPR 201
A simple, repeated rTMS protocol effectively removes auditory verbal hallucinations in a single patient study
Letter to the Edito
Bootstrap testing for cross-correlation under low firing activity
A new cross-correlation synchrony index for neural activity is proposed. The
index is based on the integration of the kernel estimation of the
cross-correlation function. It is used to test for the dynamic synchronization
levels of spontaneous neural activity under two induced brain states:
sleep-like and awake-like. Two bootstrap resampling plans are proposed to
approximate the distribution of the test statistics. The results of the first
bootstrap method indicate that it is useful to discern significant differences
in the synchronization dynamics of brain states characterized by a neural
activity with low firing rate. The second bootstrap method is useful to unveil
subtle differences in the synchronization levels of the awake-like state,
depending on the activation pathway.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figure
A simple procedure using auditory stimuli to improve movement in Parkinson´s disease: a pilot study
[Abstract] It has been suggested that sequential movements in Parkinsonian patients might be improved by the effects
of external rhythmic cues, either visual or acoustic, acting
as a sort of timekeeper. In lin
e with that idea, we have
developed a portable system which allows the patient suffe
ring from bradykinesia and rigidity to initiate appropriate
auditory stimulation when he/she is not able to move
. Here we present data from six Parkinson’s Disease (PD)
patients studied with surface electromyography, while walking along an 8.5m walkway
.
All showed remarkable
improvement in the EMG parameters studied while using the device. The results are consistent with prior reports on
rhythmic auditory facilitation in Parkinson’s disease gait,
and suggest that this repr
esents a novel and inexpensive
tool to help people afflicted by PD in daily motor performance
Looking back: corticothalamic feedback and early visual processing
[Abstract] Although once regarded as a simple sensory relay on the way to the cortex, it is increasingly apparent that the thalamus has a role in the ongoing moment-by-moment processing of sensory input and in cognition. This involves extensive corticofugal feedback connections and the interplay of these with the local thalamic circuitry and the other converging inputs. Here, using the feline visual system as the primary model, some of the latest developments in this field are reviewed and placed in the perspective of an integrated view of system function. Cortical feedback mediated by ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors, and effects mediated by the neuromodulator nitric oxide, all have a role in integrating the thalamic mechanism into the cortical circuit. The essential point is that the perspective of higher-level sensory mechanisms shifts and modulates the thalamic circuitry in ways that optimize abstraction of a meaningful representation of the external world. This review is part of the TINS special issue on The Neural Substrates of Cognition.Ministerio de Ciencia y TecnologÃa; BFI2002–320
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