Mind-body and creative arts therapies for people with aphasia: a mixed-method systematic review

Background. In the context of aphasia rehabilitation there is a perceived need for interventions with a reduced linguistic demand targeting well-being. Mind-body and creative arts approaches are holistic and person-centred approaches, primarily relying on means other than verbal exchanges, and promoting self-regulation strategies. Aims. This mixed-method systematic review aimed to evaluate the availability, feasibility, and effectiveness of mind-body and creative arts therapies in promoting well-being for people with aphasia. Eight databases were searched using subject headings and key words. Full-text screening, critical appraisal and data extraction were conducted independently by two reviewers. A segregated synthesis approach was used (i.e. Revised Effect Direction Plot technique; Thematic Synthesis approach). Findings are presented in a narrative and visual form. Main Contribution. Twenty-two studies were included (Mind-body: n=11; Creative-arts: n=11). Heterogeneity of study design and quality, intervention type, procedures and dosage, outcomes, and level of offered communication support were identified. Improvements were noted across a wide range of well-being outcomes with more consistent positive results for anxiety and communication. 128 findings were extracted and synthetised in three broad themes: positive impact on self, empowering multifaceted experience, the relevance of needs-centred adjustments. Conclusion. Provisional findings about the benefits of mind-body and creative arts interventions on aspects of well-being for some individuals with aphasia were identified. However, findings are complex and need to be interpreted cautiously. Facilitators and barriers to these therapies are highlighted with related recommendations for practice. The review poses a demand for further research in the field, implementing rigorous methodology and aphasia-specific support to facilitate inclusion and engagement

Aging and inhibitory errors on a motor shift of set task

Inhibitory functions are key mechanisms underlying age-related cognitive decline (Park and Gutchess in Cognitive aging: a primer, Psychology Press, Hove 2000), yet how these influence the control of action has not been fully investigated. Using 134 older (age 60-88) and 133 younger adults (age 20-59), we investigated in a motor analogy of the WCST the inhibition of a primed movement plan in favour of a novel one. Although 10% of older adults performed similarly to young adults, the majority failed to inhibit by the sixties, 10-20 years earlier than documented for the WCST (Lezak in Neurological Assessment, Oxford University Press, New York 1995; Haaland et al. in J Gerontol 33:345-346 1987). Around 40% failed to learn on the second attempt, and of these, the majority in their sixties to eighties failed to learn eventually. Implications are discussed for neuropsychological theory and everyday interventions

An automatic-voluntary dissociation and mental imagery disturbance following a cerebellar lesion

The cerebellum receives signals from, and sends signals to, the parietal cortex and instances of cerebellocerebral diaschisis indicate that some behaviours are controlled through this circuitry. Not all aspects of action control associated with the parietal cortex have been reported in patients with cerebellar damage though. Presented here is a case study of a cerebellar patient whose action deficits appear to be associated with both cerebellar and parietal functions. AM was 27 years old and eight years previously he had an operation to remove a cystic cerebellar tumour. He was tested on his ability to carry out motor imagery, make instructed and spontaneous actions, and intrinsic and extrinsic movements. Similar to ideomotor apraxia patients AM showed an automatic-voluntary dissociation where his motor control was better on spontaneous actions than instructed ones. He also had poor motor imagery timing. However, unlike apraxia patients he was equally poor at controlling body-related and object-related actions and his performance improved without vision. The presence of problems more commonly associated with parietal cortex functions suggest that the cerebellum is involved in a broader spectrum of action abilities than previously thought

Timing processes in motor imagery

Previous research shows inconsistencies in the timing of imagined and actual actions. Little is known about the timing in imagery, or how it relates to other forms of timing. Two studies examined whether imagery timing followed Weber's law, where variations in judgements grow linearly as the interval duration increases, or Vierordt's law, where short durations are overestimated and longer durations underestimated. In Study 1 participants (n=22) mentally walked and estimated journey times for flat paths and stairways, with and without a load. The timing patterns that emerged did not conform to Weber's law. In Study 2 participants (n=20) completed imagery, reproduction, production, and estimation timing tasks. Timing errors for imagery along a straight path, reproduction, estimation, and production all showed 'Vierordt-like' effects. However, when imagining walking in a square participants consistently overestimated. It was concluded that imagery and interval timing processes are similar, but imagery timing is task dependent

The perceived influence of an exercise class intervention on the process and outcomes of post-traumatic growth

Post-traumatic growth (PTG) is the phenomenon of positive change through the experience of trauma and has been linked recently to the participation in group based therapies. The aim of this study was the explorative documentation of the experience of PTG among breast cancer patients and the role, if any, that a group based physical activity intervention had in the attainment of growth. Ten female breast cancer survivors, from an already existing study, participated in an individual, open-ended interview. Employing interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA), interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed for themes that reflected the women's experience of growing from adversity. The women attributed much of their process and outcomes of PTG to the experience of participating in an exercise intervention programme during rehabilitation. The programme's success in facilitating PTG could be viewed as superior in some ways to other group based therapies in offering the women a safe environment, positive support system, opportunity to transfer new skills and heightened health awareness/behaviours. Future research should acknowledge and conduct further investigations into the role of physical activity interventions as facilitators of the PTG process

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in design studies : methodological considerations, challenges, and recommendations

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) enables identification of the brain regions and networks underpinning cognitive tasks. It has the potential to significantly advance cognitive design science, but is challenging to apply in design studies and methodological guidance for design researchers is lacking. In this Research Note, we reflect on our experiences and other work to outline the activities involved in developing and executing fMRI design studies. The implications for research quality at each stage are highlighted. We then consider the challenges for fMRI research on design and make recommendations for addressing them. Four critical areas are identified: establishing experimental protocols; establishing a cognitive design ontology; generating foundational knowledge about brain activation; and balancing fMRI constraints against ecological validity