Agykérgi szinkronizációs folyamatok kölcsönhatása a szenzoros információ feldolgozással = Interaction of cortical synchronization with sensory information processing

Kísérleteinkben a lassú kérgi ritmus különböző aspektusait vizsgáltuk, és elemeztük kölcsönhatását a szenzoros információ feldolgozással. Az eredményekből két cikk már megjelent, három elbírálás alatt van, kettő pedig még előkészületben. 1. Uretánnal altatott patkányokban az UP-state során az agykéreg III. rétegében jelent meg az első sink, majd az V. rétegben is kialakult egy. UP-state és DOWN-state alatt a nervus tibialis ingerlése igen hasonló mértékű MUA aktivitás növekedést, és kiváltott potenciált váltott ki. 2. Az agykéreg felszínére juttatott fizosztigmin és karbachol gátolta a lassú kérgi ritmust, míg a nikotin hatástalan volt. Meglepetésre, a nagy dózisban alkalmazott atropin ugyancsak gátló hatást váltott ki. 3. A szomatosztatin és az NPY GABAerg interneuronokban kolokalizált az agykérgi acetilkolin elsődleges forrásául szolgáló bazális előagyban (BF). Míg azonban az NPY bejuttatása a BF-be fokozta a delta teljesítményt, a szomatosztatin analóg oktreotrid hatástalan volt. 4. Szabadon mozgó patkányokban kimutattuk, hogy az alvás depriváció utáni delta teljesítmény növekedést elsősorban a DOWN-state-ek számának növekedése okozza, a lassú hullámok amplitúdója és szélessége csak kevéssé növekszik. 5. Az aktiváló rendszerek hatásának növelése fizosztigminnel, yohimbinnel, fluoxetinnel, illetve apomorfin adagolása egyaránt csökkentette a delta teljesítményt, dea yohimbin után nem volt rebound, az ezerin után minimális, a fluoxetin és az apomorfin esetén erőteljes volt. | With the help of OTKA we examined different aspects of the slow cortical rhythm and analyzed its interaction with the cortical sensory processing. We published two papers, three more is under review and two in preparation. 1. In urethane anesthetized rats we observed the first sink in layer III, followed by another sink in layer V during UP-state. Stimulation of n. tibialis in UP- and DOWN-state induced similar MUA increase and evoked potentials. 2. Topically applied physostigmin and carbachol locally inhibited slow cortical rhythm, while nicotine was ineffective in urethane anesthetized rats. Surprisingly, atropine in large dose also inhibited the slow waves. 3. Somatostatin and NPY are colocalized in GABAergic interneurons in the basal forebrain (BF) that is the source of Ach released in the cortex. However, while in a previous experiment we found that NPY application into the BF increases delta power, the somatostatin analogue octreotide was ineffective. 4. In freely moving rats we found that the increase of the delta power following sleep deprivation is caused by the increase of the number of DOWN-states. The width and the amplitude of the waves changed much less. 5. We increased the activity or effect of ascending activating systems by administering physostigmine, yohimbine, fluoxetine or apomorfin to freely moving rats. Delta power decreased in all cases, but no rebound was seen after yohimbine, minimal after physostigmine and very strong after the two other drugs

Musician’s Focal Dystonia: A new, holistic perspective

Musician’s Focal Dystonia (MFD) is a task-specific, neurological movement disorder affecting highly skilled musicians which disrupts the fine motor control of the movements necessary for playing an instrument. The understanding of the pathophysiology and aetiology is limited, resulting in the lack of reliable treatment strategies; therefore, full recovery is extremely rare. The multifactorial origins of the condition are acknowledged, yet the bulk of the research is conducted from a medical perspective, focusing on maladaptive neuroplasticity and the genetic setup of the sufferers. Following the initiative of more recent research which broadened the scope of the investigations, this thesis explores the condition from a holistic perspective, including psychosocial, psychological, and behavioural factors. To reach this goal, a large-scale mixed-method research study was planned with three distinct stages and methodologies which allowed the triangulation of the findings. The first, exploratory Grounded Theory interview study collected the life stories of 15 musicians affected by the disorder to identify potential risk factors. These findings informed the interview schedule of the second qualitative study, which was conducted with 14 practitioners who frequently work with musicians with MFD. This still subjective qualitative data provided information about a large in-direct sample, and insights into the ongoing treatment strategies. The identified risk factors then were tested in a quasi-experimental questionnaire study, comparing musicians with and without MFD. The triangulated findings indicate the musicians who were later affected by MFD had maladaptive psychological traits and cognitive strategies, exercised negative health and practice behaviours, and experienced traumatic events prior to the onset of the condition. Moreover, it was concluded that many seemingly individual maladaptive characteristics were prompted or aggravated by the social context, especially the educational and work environments. Implications for treatment approaches and preventative strategies and suggestions for further research are discussed in the final chapters of the work

Treating the musician rather than the symptom: the holistic tools employed by current practices to attend to the non-motor problems of musicians with task-specific focal dystonia

Musicians Focal Dystonia (MFD) is a task-specific movement disorder affecting highly skilled musicians. The pathophysiology is poorly understood, and the available treatments are unable to fully and reliably rehabilitate the affected skill. Recently, the exclusively neurological nature of the condition has been questioned, and additional psychological, behavioral, and psychosocial contributing factors were identified. However, very little is known about how these factors influence the recovery process, and how, if at all, they are addressed in ongoing practices. For this study, 14 practitioners with substantial experience in working with musicians with MFD were interviewed about the elements in their approach which are directed at the cognition, emotions, attitudes, and behaviors of their patients and clients. A wide variety of tools were reported in three areas: (1) creating a supportive learning environment and addressing anxiety and perfectionism, (2) using body-oriented methods to optimize the playing behaviors and (3) consciously channeling the focus of attention to guide the physical retraining exercises and establishing new habits. The study also revealed that in-depth knowledge of the instrumental technique is profitable to retrain the impaired motor patterns. Therefore, the importance of including music educators in developing new therapeutic approaches will also be highlighted

Sleep loss and recovery after administration of drugs related to different arousal systems in rats

Sleep is homeostatically regulated suggesting a restorative function. Sleep deprivation is compensated by an increase in length and intensity of sleep. In this study, suppression of sleep was induced pharmacologically by drugs related to different arousal systems. All drugs caused non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep loss followed by different compensatory processes. Apomorphine caused a strong suppression of sleep followed by an intense recovery. In the case of fluoxetine and eserine, recovery of NREM sleep was completed by the end of the light phase due to the biphasic pattern demonstrated for these drugs first in the present experiments. Yohimbine caused a long-lasting suppression of NREM sleep, indicating that either the noradrenergic system has the utmost strength among the examined systems, or that restorative functions occurring normally during NREM sleep were not blocked. Arousal systems are involved in the regulation of various wakefulness-related functions, such as locomotion and food intake. Therefore, it can be hypothesized that activation of the different systems results in qualitatively different waking states which might affect subsequent sleep differently. These differences might give some insight into the homeostatic function of sleep in which the dopaminergic and noradrenergic systems may play a more important role than previously suggested

Towards a Holistic Understanding of Musician's Focal Dystonia : Educational Factors and Mistake Rumination Contribute to the Risk of Developing the Disorder

Musicians' Focal Dystonia (MFD) is a task-specific neurological movement disorder, affecting 1-2% of highly skilled musicians. The condition can impair motor function by creating involuntary movements, predominantly in the upper extremities or the embouchure. The pathophysiology of the disorder is not fully understood, and complete recovery is extremely rare. While most of the literature views the condition through a neurological lens, a handful of recent studies point out certain psychological traits and the presence of adverse playing-related experiences and preceding trauma as possible contributors to the onset. The nature and the frequency of these factors, however, are under-researched. The present quasi-experimental study aimed to compare musicians with and without MFD in terms of the frequency of various adverse psychosocial and psychological factors to explore their contribution to the onset of the condition. Professional musicians with MFD (n = 107) and without MFD (n = 68) were recruited from online platforms, musicians' unions, and organisations to fill out a survey. The survey was based on two previously conducted interview studies and included the Student-Instructor Relationship Scale (SIRS), the Mistake Rumination Scale (MRS), the Trauma History Screen, and self-constructed questions about the received music education, early success, and personal experiences. To identify potential risk factors, independent samples t-tests were conducted and found that there are significant differences in musicians with and without MFD in terms of mistake rumination, early success, and the received music education. A logistic regression showed that six factors contributed to the construct to various extents; we observed a significant model [χ2 (80) = 22.681, p < 0.001], which predicted 71.2% of the cases correctly. This exploratory study shows that psychological and psychosocial factors might play a role in the development of MFD. Understanding these in more detail could inform preventative strategies and complement the current therapeutic approaches to support this vulnerable population better

Az új Néprajzi Múzeum csapadékvíz-elvezetése : Esettanulmány = Rainwater Drainage at the New Ethnographic Museum

The New Ethnographic Museum is located at the historic entrance to City Park. The subject of the case study is the technical solutions required in section and details of this special urban space and roof garden. The number of drains above the museum spaces had to be reduced and the water had to be drained. The weight of the monument above the building reduced, and the design process completed on time, with a methodology that also keeps in mind the edge conditions

Exploring the impact of the somatic method ‘Timani’ on performance quality, performance-related pain and injury, and self-efficacy in music students in Norway: an intervention study

The importance of including performance-related body mechanics into music education to improve performance quality and prevent performance-related injuries has been stressed by many researchers recently. However, it is unclear how this information could be delivered most effectively. The somatic method ‘Timani’ provides a practical solution by combining expertise in music performance and functional body mechanics with the goal of achieving a more efficient playing technique. Since no in-depth study has been conducted to assess the method before, we explored the impact of this method on young musicians’ performance through an online, 4-week-long Timani intervention with a mixed-methodology design. 17 students (mean age = 19.17 years) were recruited from the Norwegian Academy of Music. They participated in two group workshops at the beginning and the end of the project and received four individual Timani sessions administered by certified teachers. We collected survey data at the workshops about performance-related pain and self-efficacy, and qualitative feedback after each session. In addition, all sessions were observed by the researcher and semi-structured interviews were conducted with the teachers about the perceived outcomes and their experiences with teaching the method online. Our findings show that the intervention had a positive impact on a physical, professional, and to some extent, psychological and behavioral level. The improvements included better posture when playing, enhanced control and dexterity in the upper extremities, and improved breathing mechanisms. The seven students who had performance-related pain pre-intervention reported a reduction in the discomfort. The positive results were achieved by the dual expertise of the teachers in music performance and functional body mechanics, the structure of the sessions, the communication, and the pedagogical tools used. Both students and teachers felt that administering the sessions online was satisfactory and produced good results. Timani is a promising method to establish healthy playing and singing habits thus improving performance quality and preventing performance-related problems and has great potential in reducing pre-existing injuries and pain. Also, it can be effectively taught online which has further implications for the logistics of delivery

Homeostatic sleep regulation in the absence of the circadian sleep‐regulating component: effect of short light–dark cycles on sleep–wake stages and slow waves

Aside from the homeostatic and circadian components, light has itself an important, direct as well as indirect role in sleep regulation. Light exerts indirect sleep effect by modulating the circadian rhythms. Exposure to short light-dark cycle (LD 1:1, 1:1 h light - dark) eliminates the circadian sleep regulatory component but direct sleep effect of light could prevail. The aim of the present study was to examine the interaction between the light and the homeostatic influences regarding sleep regulation in a rat model.Spontaneous sleep-wake and homeostatic sleep regulation by sleep deprivation (SD) and analysis of slow waves (SW) were examined in Wistar rats exposed to LD1:1 condition using LD12:12 regime as control.Slow wave sleep (SWS) and REM sleep were both enhanced, while wakefulness (W) was attenuated in LD1:1. SWS recovery after 6-h total SD was more intense in LD1:1 compared to LD12:12 and SWS compensation was augmented in the bright hours. Delta power increment during recovery was caused by the increase of SW number in both cases. More SW was seen during baseline in the second half of the day in LD1:1 and after SD compared to the LD12:12. Increase of SW number was greater in the bright hours compared to the dark ones after SD in LD1:1. Lights ON evoked immediate increase in W and decrease in both SWS and REM sleep during baseline LD1:1 condition, while these changes ceased after SD. Moreover, the initial decrease seen in SWS after lights ON, turned to an increase in the next 6-min bin and this increase was stronger after SD. These alterations were caused by the change of the epoch number in W, but not in case of SWS or REM sleep. Lights OFF did not alter sleep-wake times immediately, except W, which was increased by lights OFF after SD.Present results show the complex interaction between light and homeostatic sleep regulation in the absence of the circadian component and indicate the decoupling of SW from the homeostatic sleep drive in LD1:1 lighting condition