Interference during the implicit learning of two different motor sequences

It has been demonstrated that learning a second motor task after having learned a first task may interfere with the long-term consolidation of the first task. However, little is known about immediate changes in the representation of the motor memory in the early acquisition phase within the first minutes of the learning process. Therefore, we investigated such early interference effects with an implicit serial reaction time task in 55 healthy subjects. Each subject performed either a sequence learning task involving two different sequences, or a random control task. The results showed that learning the first sequence led to only a slight, short-lived interference effect in the early acquisition phase of the second sequence. Overall, learning of neither sequence was impaired. Furthermore, the two processes, sequence-unrelated task learning (i.e. general motor training) and the sequence learning itself did not appear to interfere with each other. In conclusion, although the long-term consolidation of a motor memory has been shown to be sensitive to other interfering memories, the present study suggests that the brain is initially able to acquire more than one new motor sequence within a short space of time without significant interferenc

Jazz Drummers Recruit Language-Specific Areas for the Processing of Rhythmic Structure

Rhythm is a central characteristic of music and speech, the most important domains of human communication using acoustic signals. Here, we investigated how rhythmical patterns in music are processed in the human brain, and, in addition, evaluated the impact of musical training on rhythm processing. Using fMRI, we found that deviations from a rule-based regular rhythmic structure activated the left planum temporale together with Broca's area and its right-hemispheric homolog across subjects, that is, a network also crucially involved in the processing of harmonic structure in music and the syntactic analysis of language. Comparing the BOLD responses to rhythmic variations between professional jazz drummers and musical laypersons, we found that only highly trained rhythmic experts show additional activity in left-hemispheric supramarginal gyrus, a higher-order region involved in processing of linguistic syntax. This suggests an additional functional recruitment of brain areas usually dedicated to complex linguistic syntax processing for the analysis of rhythmical patterns only in professional jazz drummers, who are especially trained to use rhythmical cues for communicatio

Burnout - das Zusammenspiel von Stress-Symptomen und Stress-Biomarkern

Einleitung Stressbedingte Erkrankungen, wie z.B. Burnout oder mittelgradige depressive Episode, sind geprägt von Symptomen der Erschöpfung, Depression, Angst sowie somatischen Beschwerden. Stressverarbeitungsstörungen zeigen sich zudem durch Veränderungen in unterschiedlichen physiologischen Parametern. Dazu gehören biologische Marker des vegetativen Nervensystems (z.B. Herzratenvariabilität (HRV)) und der neuronalen Plastizität (z.B. brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)). In dieser Studie ging es darum, zu zeigen, wie eine Verbesserung der subjektiven Stresssymptome nach erfolgreicher Therapie mit einem spezialisierten Behandlungskonzept mit Veränderungen in biologischen Markern von Stress assoziiert ist. Methode Es wurden 74 Patienten mit einer psychiatrischen Diagnose (F32.x (N=42), F33.x (N=29), F4 (N=3)) im Rahmen einer Stressverarbeitungsstörung (Burnout) eingeschlossen, die in stationärer Behandlung mit einem multimodalen Therapieansatz waren. Bei Ein- und Austritt (Dauer des Aufenthalts: 6-8 Wochen) wurden ihnen Fragebögen, z.B. zu Burnout- und Depressionssymptomen, abgegeben sowie die HRV im Schlaf und der BDNF-Spiegel im Blut gemessen. Ergebnisse / Schlussfolgerung Nach dem stationären Aufenthalt zeigte sich bei den Patienten eine signifikante Reduktion der Burnout- und Depressionssymptomatik sowie eine Verbesserung der Schlafqualität. Diese subjektive Verbesserung der Stresssymptome korrelierte deutlich mit einer Erhöhung des BDNF-Spiegels. Die HRV, bzw. die Parasympathikusaktivität im Schlaf zeigte keine signifikante Veränderung. Die Wirkung einer erfolgreichen Therapie scheint sich somit relativ schnell auf der Ebene der neuronalen Plastizität zu zeigen. Es wurde mehrfach belegt, dass eine moderate sportliche Betätigung sich besonders günstig auf den BDNF-Spiegel auswirkt. Das spricht somit für die Wirksamkeit des angewendeten, auf stressbedingte Erkrankungen spezialisierten Therapiekonzepts, das mehrere körperlich aktivierende Elemente integriert, welche die BDNF-Spiegelerhöhung mitunterstützt haben könnten. Dass am Ende des stationären Aufenthaltes bei den Patienten keine Veränderung in der Schlaf-HRV gezeigt werden konnte, weist darauf hin, dass neurovegetative Anpassungen längere Perioden der Erholung und des Stressmanagements beanspruchen könnten

Help-seeking pathways in early psychosis

INTRODUCTION: Understanding the help-seeking pathways of patients with a putative risk of developing psychosis helps improving development of specialised care services. This study aimed at obtaining information about: type of health professionals contacted by patients at putative risk for psychosis on their help-seeking pathways; number of contacts; type of symptoms leading to contacts with health professionals; interval between initial contact and referral to a specialised outpatient service. METHOD: The help-seeking pathways were assessed as part of a prospective study in 104 patients with suspected at-risk states for psychosis. RESULTS: The mean number of contacts prior to referral was 2.38. Patients with psychotic symptoms more often contacted mental health professionals, whereas patients with insidious and more unspecific features more frequently contacted general practitioners (GPs). CONCLUSIONS: GPs have been found to under-identify the insidious features of emerging psychosis (Simon et al. (2005) Br J Psychiatry 187:274–281). The fact that they were most often contacted by patients with exactly these features calls for focussed and specialised help for primary care physicians. Thus, delays along the help-seeking pathways may be shortened. This may be of particular relevance for patients with the deficit syndrome of schizophrenia

Repeated measurements of learned irrelevance by a novel within-subject paradigm in humans

Learned irrelevance (LIrr) refers to the retardation of classical conditioning following preexposure of the to-be-associated stimuli. Healthy volunteers have been tested on three occasions with a new LIrr paradigm avoiding methodological problems which afflict traditional paradigms. A significant LIrr effect was demonstrated on each occasion. Thus, the new paradigm enables repeated measurements of LIrr and might be useful in evaluating long-term effects of medication in psychiatric disorders exhibiting aberrant LIrr