Les possédés et les dépossédés

Sociologues et historiens de la famille décrivent la modernité comme la perte des communautés traditionnelles qui soudaient l’un à l’autre l’héritier et ses ancêtres. Pour s’inventer librement, l’individu moderne rompt les entraves du passé, mais cette libération est aussi vécue chez les écrivains contemporains avec culpabilité. Afin d’y remédier, ils font une place à la fois inquiétante et fondatrice aux spectres et aux revenants de la généalogie, qui étayent et disloquent la parole de l’héritier. C’est ainsi que Sylvie Germain et Jean Rouaud, Gérard Macé, Pierre Michon et Pierre Bergounioux sont des écrivains hantés. Ce sont autant d’héritiers dont les gestes reconduisent des vies antérieures, et dont les mots sont comme magnétisés par les parlures ou les inflexions des parents. Ces héritiers sont donc en quelque sorte à la fois dépossédés d’un passé familial qui n’est pour eux que ruines et deuil et possédés par ces êtres absents qui obsèdent leur conscience et parasitent leur parole. L’héritier est alors déchiré par la mélancolie, au point de se faire tombeau de ses ascendants. À travers la thématique spectrale, la littérature contemporaine analyse toute la situation ambivalente de l’individu contemporain, à la fois orphelin et parricide d’un passé familial, et les secousses inconscientes et linguistiques de cette perte.Sociologists and historians of family describe modernity as the loss of traditional communities that tacitly bound descendants with ancestors. In order to freely invent oneself, the modern individual breaks with the constraints of the past, but contemporary writers sense a certain guilt in this liberation. They act to resolve this by creating a space, at once disturbing yet inviting to the ghosts and spectres of genealogy, a space that both supports and distorts the words of the heir. In this way, Sylvie Germain and Jean Rouaud, Gérard Macé, Pierre Michon and Pierre Bergounioux are haunted writers. As heirs their gestures recall past lives and their words replicate their parents’ inflections and way of talking. They are dispossessed of a family past that to them represents ruin and grief, yet possessed by those absent beings who intrude obsessively on their consciousness and speech. They are heirs torn apart by a melancholy that extends to the grave of their ancestors. Contemporary literature vies with this spectral theme to analyze the ambivalent situation of the contemporary individual, both orphan and parricide of a family past, and the unconscious and linguistic upheavals that accompany this loss

Changes in TNFα, NFκB and MnSOD protein in the vestibular nuclei after unilateral vestibular deafferentation

BACKGROUND: Unilateral vestibular deafferentation results in strong microglial and astroglial activation in the vestibular nuclei (VN) that could be due to an inflammatory response. This study was aimed at determining if markers of inflammation are upregulated in the VN after chemical unilateral labyrinthectomy (UL) in the rat, and if the inflammatory response, if any, induces the expression of neuroprotective factors that could promote the plasticity mechanisms involved in the vestibular compensation process. The expressions of inflammatory and neuroprotective factors after chemical or mechanical UL were also compared to verify that the inflammatory response was not due to the toxicity of sodium arsanilate. METHODS: Immunohistological investigations combined the labeling of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), as a marker of the VN inflammatory response, and of nuclear transcription factor κB (NFκB) and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), as markers of neuroprotection that could be expressed in the VN because of inflammation. Immunoreactivity (Ir) of the VN cells was quantified in the VN complex of rats. Behavioral investigations were performed to assess the functional recovery process, including both static (support surface) and dynamic (air-righting and landing reflexes) postural tests. RESULTS: Chemical UL (arsanilate transtympanic injection) induced a significant increase in the number of TNFα-Ir cells in the medial and inferior VN on both sides. These changes were detectable as early as 4 h after vestibular lesion, persisted at 1 day, and regained nearly normal values at 3 days. The early increase in TNFα expression was followed by a slightly delayed upregulation of NFκB 8 h after chemical UL, peaking at 1 day, and regaining control values 3 days later. By contrast, upregulation of MnSOD was more strongly delayed (1 day), with a peak at 3 days, and a return to control values at 15 days. Similar changes of TNFα, NFκB, and MnSOD expression were found in rats submitted to mechanical UL. Behavioral observations showed strong posturo-locomotor deficits early after chemical UL (1 day) and a complete functional recovery 6 weeks later. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the upregulation of inflammatory and neuroprotective factors after vestibular deafferentation in the VN may constitute a favorable neuronal environment for the vestibular compensation process

Static and dynamic posture control in postlingual cochlear implanted patients: effects of dual-tasking, visual and auditory inputs suppression

Posture control is based on central integration of multisensory inputs, and on internal representation of body orientation in space. This multisensory feedback regulates posture control and continuously updates the internal model of body's position which in turn forwards motor commands adapted to the environmental context and constraints. The peripheral localization of the vestibular system, close to the cochlea, makes vestibular damage possible following cochlear implant (CI) surgery. Impaired vestibular function in CI patients, if any, may have a strong impact on posture stability. The simple postural task of quiet standing is generally paired with cognitive activity in most day life conditions, leading therefore to competition for attentional resources in dual-tasking, and increased risk of fall particularly in patients with impaired vestibular function. This study was aimed at evaluating the effects of postlingual cochlear implantation on posture control in adult deaf patients. Possible impairment of vestibular function was assessed by comparing the postural performance of patients to that of age-matched healthy subjects during a simple postural task performed in static (stable platform) and dynamic (platform in translation) conditions, and during dual-tasking with a visual or auditory memory task. Postural tests were done in eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) conditions, with the CI activated (ON) or not (OFF). Results showed that the postural performance of the CI patients strongly differed from the controls, mainly in the EC condition. The CI patients showed significantly reduced limits of stability and increased postural instability in static conditions. In dynamic conditions, they spent considerably more energy to maintain equilibrium, and their head was stabilized neither in space nor on trunk: they behaved dynamically without vision like an inverted pendulum while the controls showed a whole body rigidification strategy. Hearing (prosthesis on) as well as dual-tasking did not really improve the dynamic postural performance of the CI patients. We conclude that CI patients become strongly visual dependent mainly in challenging postural conditions, a result they have to be awarded of particularly when getting older

How a plantar pressure-based, tongue-placed tactile biofeedback modifies postural control mechanisms during quiet standing

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of a plantar pressure-based, tongue-placed tactile biofeedback on postural control mechanisms during quiet standing. To this aim, sixteen young healthy adults were asked to stand as immobile as possible with their eyes closed in two conditions of No-biofeedback and Biofeedback. Centre of foot pressure (CoP) displacements, recorded using a force platform, were used to compute the horizontal displacements of the vertical projection the centre of gravity (CoGh) and those of the difference between the CoP and the vertical projection of the CoG (CoP-CoGv). Altogether, the present findings suggest that the main way the plantar pressure-based, tongue-placed tactile biofeedback improves postural control during quiet standing is via both a reduction of the correction thresholds and an increased efficiency of the corrective mechanism involving the CoGh displacements

Sensory supplementation system based on electrotactile tongue biofeedback of head position for balance control

The present study aimed at investigating the effects of an artificial head position-based tongue-placed electrotactile biofeedback on postural control during quiet standing under different somatosensory conditions from the support surface. Eight young healthy adults were asked to stand as immobile as possible with their eyes closed on two Firm and Foam support surface conditions executed in two conditions of No-biofeedback and Biofeedback. In the Foam condition, a 6-cm thick foam support surface was placed under the subjects' feet to alter the quality and/or quantity of somatosensory information at the plantar sole and the ankle. The underlying principle of the biofeedback consisted of providing supplementary information about the head orientation with respect to gravitational vertical through electrical stimulation of the tongue. Centre of foot pressure (CoP) displacements were recorded using a force platform. Larger CoP displacements were observed in the Foam than Firm conditions in the two conditions of No-biofeedback and Biofeedback. Interestingly, this destabilizing effect was less accentuated in the Biofeedback than No-biofeedback condition. In accordance with the sensory re-weighting hypothesis for balance control, the present findings evidence that the availability of the central nervous system to integrate an artificial head orientation information delivered through electrical stimulation of the tongue to limit the postural perturbation induced by alteration of somatosensory input from the support surface

Age-related differences in dual task performance: a cross-sectional study on women

Aim: Simultaneous performances of motor and attention‐demanding tasks are common in activities of everyday life. The present cross‐sectional study examined the changes and age‐related differences on mobility performance with an additional cognitive or motor task, and evaluated the relative dual‐task cost (DTC) on the motor performance in young, middle‐aged and older women. Methods: A total of 30 young (mean age 25.12 ± 3.00 years), 30 middle‐aged (mean age 47.82 ± 5.06 years) and 30 older women (mean age 72.74 ± 5.95 years) were recruited. Participants carried out: (i) single task: Timed Up & Go Test; (ii) cognitive dual‐task: Timed Up & Go Test while counting backwards by three; (iii) manual dual‐task: Timed Up & Go Test while carrying a glass of water. A repeated measures anova with between‐factor as age groups and within‐factor as tasks was carried out to assess the effect of aging on the performance of mobility tasks. DTC was calculated as ([performance in single‐task − performance in dual‐task] / performance in single task) × 100%. One‐way ancova were carried out to compare the DTC among the three age groups. Results: A significant interaction between age groups and task (F4,172 = 6.716, P < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.135) was observed. Specifically, older women showed a worse mobility performance under dual‐task condition compared with young and middle‐aged groups. Furthermore, DTC differences in cognitive task were observed in older women compared with younger and middle‐aged women (F2,86 = 7.649, P < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.151), but not in manual task. Conclusion: Dual‐task conditions might affect mobility performance differently across the lifespan, and could be particularly challenging in older women

Entre littérature et anthropologie : la "raison littéraire" d’Éric Chauvier

L’oeuvre d’Éric Chauvier s’écrit au confluent de la littérature et de l’anthropologie : il puise chez les écrivains des outils épistémologiques et des dispositifs cognitifs, pour élargir la puissance descriptive et la force politique de l’anthropologie. Ce faisant, il interroge les frontières disciplinaires et relance le dialogue mené depuis plus d’un siècle entre ces champs, moins sur le mode de l’affrontement que sur celui de la coopération. C’est alors l’onirique ou le bizarre que la littérature suscite, pour introduire l’inconfort et la dissonance dans les outils des sciences sociales.&nbsp; Keywords : Chauvier, anthropologie, Modiano, Baudelaire, enquête&nbsp

Les scénographies picturales de Pierre Michon

L’on a très rapidement souligné l’importance du savoir pictural (historique, biographique) dans l’œuvre de Pierre Michon, qui a fait de la peinture sa matière et sa médiation privilégiées. Mais le savoir artistique nourrit discrètement le récit, et vaut essentiellement comme une richesse lexicale, une extension des possibles de la langue pour nommer un toucher ou une couleur.Avec Les Onze, ce savoir prend une figure et une voix : celle du narrateur, qui accompagne d’un bout à l’autre le récit de vie de Corentin. Or cette voix n’est pas sans faire songer aux tirades du bateleur, avec sa roublardise mêlée de cynisme, et fait du Musée où il conduit le lecteur un véritable petit théâtre, qu’il dirige d’une main de maître. Pierre Michon travaille bien sûr à souligner les incertitudes du savoir pictural, comme il l’a fait précédemment, mais surtout il met au jour la rhétorique emphatique du savoir et ses travers volubiles, pour proposer une fiction critique du savoir. Non seulement le savant est inséré dans une scène d’interlocution, où la positivité de la connaissance le cède au désir de convaincre, mais surtout le Musée devient théâtre, dans une transfiguration qui prend appui sur l’architecture même du Louvre.Or cette théâtralisation du savoir et de l’exposition picturale n’est pas nécessairement à penser comme un travestissement du réel et de la geste révolutionnaire : les acteurs historique pensaient eux-mêmes leurs actes et leurs décisions sous couvert de métaphore théâtrale. En ce sens, la théâtralité de la parole critique et son histrionisme ont dans le récit de Pierre Michon une fonction heuristique, qui révèle la conception shakespearienne qui gouverne en secret l’épopée révolutionnaire

L’encyclopédisme inactuel de Pascal Quignard. Lecture renaissante des “Petits traités”

Pascal Quignard develops his work against the totalizing ambition of encyclopaedism, by tracking the irrational and the wildness in the depths of our culture. However he is also reviving old forms of encyclopaedism, especially that of the Renaissance. This article attempts to analyze this inactual approach in Petits traités