Results of the SHAPE project

The overall objective of SHAPE project (Adapted Performance Sportswear) is to develop comfortable and well-fitted sportswear for athletes whose body shapes differ from the average population. Body measurements of professional cyclists and rowers were extracted from 3D scans and compared with average Belgian population. Variation of body measurements and skin-sportswear interface pressure upon rowing and cycling postures was additionally investigated. Significant differences were found between rowers and average Belgian males. Rowing and cycling postures had significant influence on most body measurements and pressure. Fit of prototypes developed based on SHAPE-body sizing charts was positively validated by male rowers. Large number of cyclists critically evaluated their present outfit including fit and comfort. Two prototypes were designed according to individual needs of Gsport cyclists and their functionality, comfort and fit were positively evaluated

Fit evaluation of sportswear for Belgian elite male rowers in static and dynamic rowing postures

The main objective of the SHAPE study was to assess the anthropometry of elite male rowers and develop customized size charts and sportswear with adequate fit in static and dynamic rowing postures. This paper briefly discusses the anthropometry of Belgian elite male rowers and focuses on the fit features of a related unisuit called SHAPE which is compared against a reference (SMARTFIT) with similar materials and design, whereof the garment construction is based on body charts of average Belgian males. Four elite male rowers evaluated both unisuits in garment size 52 and 58. Most of the ten fit features investigated for SHAPE unisuit were allocated average scores between 3 (adequate fit) and 4 (very good fit). In static posture, the overall fit of the SHAPE unisuit was found slightly better than of SMARTFIT unisuit (average score 3.8 and 3.1 respectively). Unlike SMARTFIT, SHAPE unisuit based on rowers body dimensions scored equally well in static and dynamic rowing postures catch and finish and will likely successfully accommodate repetitive sport movements

CNTRICS Final Task Selection: Long-term Memory

Long-term memory (LTM) is a multifactorial construct, composed of different stages of information processing and different cognitive operations that are mediated by distinct neural systems, some of which may be more responsible for the marked memory problems that limit the daily function of individuals with schizophrenia. From the outset of the CNTRICS initiative, this multidimensionality was appreciated, and an effort was made to identify the specific memory constructs and task paradigms that hold the most promise for immediate translational development. During the second CNTRICS meeting, the LTM group identified item encoding and retrieval and relational encoding and retrieval as key constructs. This article describes the process that the LTM group went through in the third and final CNTRICS meeting to select nominated tasks within the 2 LTM constructs and within a reinforcement learning construct that were judged most promising for immediate development. This discussion is followed by each nominating authors' description of their selected task paradigm, ending with some thoughts about future directions.Psycholog

Dopamine precursor depletion improves punishment prediction during reversal learning in healthy females but not males

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Human Substantia Nigra Neurons Encode Unexpected Financial Rewards

The brain's sensitivity to unexpected outcomes plays a fundamental role in an organism's ability to adapt and learn new behaviors. Emerging research suggests that midbrain dopaminergic neurons encode these unexpected outcomes. We used microelectrode recordings during deep brain stimulation surgery to study neuronal activity in the human substantia nigra (SN) while patients with Parkinson's disease engaged in a probabilistic learning task motivated by virtual financial rewards. Based on a model of the participants' expected reward, we divided trial outcomes into expected and unexpected gains and losses. SN neurons exhibited significantly higher firing rates after unexpected gains than unexpected losses. No such differences were observed after expected gains and losses. This result provides critical support for the hypothesized role of the SN in human reinforcement learning

Diagnostic and predictive value of Doppler ultrasound for evaluation of the brain circulation in preterm infants: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION: Very and extremely preterm infants frequently have brain injury-related long-term neurodevelopmental problems. Altered perfusion, for example, seen in the context of a hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), has been linked to injury of the immature brain. However, a direct relation with outcome has not been reviewed systematically. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted to provide an overview of the value of different cerebral arterial blood flow parameters assessed by Doppler ultrasound, in relation to brain injury, to predict long-term neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm infants. RESULTS: In total, 23 studies were included. Because of heterogeneity of studies, a meta-analysis of results was not possible. All included studies on resistance index (RI) showed significantly higher values in subjects with a hemodynamically significant PDA. However, absolute differences in RI values were small. Studies using Doppler parameters to predict brain injury and long-term neurodevelopmental outcome were inconsistent. DISCUSSION: There is no clear evidence to support the routine determination of RI or other Doppler parameters in the cerebral arteries to predict brain injury and long-term neurodevelopmental outcome in the preterm infant. However, there is evidence that elevated RI can point to the presence of a hemodynamically significant PDA

Action Experience and Action Discovery in Medicated Individuals with Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that markedly affects voluntary action. While regular dopamine treatment can help restore motor function, dopamine also influences cognitive portions of the action system. Previous studies have demonstrated that dopamine medication boosts action-effect associations, which are crucial for the discovery of new voluntary actions. In the present study, we investigated whether neural processes involved in the discovery of new actions are altered in PD participants on regular dopamine treatment, compared to healthy age-matched controls. We recorded brain electroencephalography (EEG) activity while PD patients and age-matched controls performed action discovery (AD) and action control tasks. We found that the novelty P3, a component normally present when there is uncertainty about the occurrence of the sensory effect, was enhanced in PD patients. However, AD was maintained in PD patients, and the novelty P3 demonstrated normal learning-related reductions. Crucially, we found that in PD patients the causal association between an action and its resulting sensory outcome did not modulate the amplitude of the feedback correct-related positivity (fCRP), an EEG component sensitive to the association between an action and its resulting effect. Collectively, these preliminary results suggest that the formation of long-term action-outcome representations may be maintained in PD patients on regular dopamine treatment, but the initial experience of action-effect association may be affected