Forms of attunement during the initial stages of music therapy for patients with acute psychosis - a multicentre clinical study

The aim of this non-experimental follow-up study was to specify and quantify rhythmic attunement processes within free improvisations in the early phase of psychodynamic music therapy in order to investigate its predictive value for therapeutic change. Twenty-one in-patients diagnosed with psychosis (ICD-10F20, 23, 25) were included in the study. Participants received five sessions of individual music therapy as per usual. Improvisations were audio recorded. The initial and final improvisations were analysed with the Rhythmic Attunement Scale for Psychosis (RAS-P), which was specifically developed for the project. Clinical measures included external and self-report assessments (BPRS, Duhrsen and Happach, TAS 20). Analysis of the audio recordings revealed early occurrence of rhythmic attunement on a stable and qualitatively high level. BPRS scores showed a post-treatment decline of 20%. There was no significant difference for the Duhrsen and Happach and TAS 20 scores. Statistical analysis revealed that when initial rhythmic attunement occurred further into the first session, it was a predictor for the decline of psychotic symptoms. Evidence of carefully organised rhythmic attunement suggests beneficial effects on patients with psychosis through improvisational music therapy. Results are limited due to a small sample size and lack of a control comparison

Die Mixed-Methods-Studie „Therapie und Psychodynamik von Patient*innen mit psychotischen Symptomen“ (T3PS-Studie)

Gefördert im Rahmen des Projekts DEA

Entwicklung einer psychoanalytisch begründeten Typologie von psychotischen Erkrankungen

Der Artikel begründet die Notwendigkeit eines genuin psychoanalytischen und gleichsam in der empirischen Psychotherapieforschung anschlussfähigen Beitrags zum Verständnis psychotischer Erkrankungen. Die sequenziell erklärende Mixed-Methods-Studie 'Therapie und Psychodynamik von Patient*innen mit psychotischen Symptomen' (T3PS-Studie) fokussiert auf die Binnendifferenzierung psychotischer Erkrankungen. Hierfür soll eine psychoanalytisch begründete Typologie dieser Patient*innen anhand messender und hermeneutischer Methoden entwickelt und validiert werden. Zur Entwicklung der Typologie sieht das Studiendesign psychodynamische, psychopathologische und weitere diagnostische Interviews mit stationären Patientinnen und Patienten (N= 100) vor. Zusätzlich werden am Ende der Behandlung Beziehungsepisodeninterviews mit Mitgliedern des Behandlungsteams geführt und Fragebogen eingesetzt. Mittels zunächst statistischer Modellierung und anschließender qualitativer Konzeptbildung sollen schließlich Prototypen psychotischer Erkrankungen entlang der in der Operationalisierten Psychodynamischen Diagnostik (OPD) erfassbaren psychoanalytischen Konzepte von Konflikt, Struktur und Beziehungsdynamik identifiziert werden. Die klinische Nützlichkeit dieser Typologie soll durch systematische Untersuchungen einzelner Behandlungsverläufe nach dem Hermeneutic Single-Case Efficacy Design (HSCED) geprüft werden

Influence of Anisotropic Conductivity on EEG source Reconstruction: Investigations in a Rabbit Model

Abstract—The aim of our work was to quantify the influence of white matter anisotropic conductivity information on electroencephalography (EEG) source reconstruction. We performed this quantification in a rabbit head using both simulations and source localization based on invasive measurements. In vivo anisotropic (tensorial) conductivity information was obtained from magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging and included into a high-resolution finite-element model. When neglecting anisotropy in the simulations, we found a shift in source location of up to 1.3 mm with a mean value of 0.3 mm. The averaged orientational deviation was 10 degree and the mean magnitude error of the dipole was 29%. Source localization of the first cortical components after median and tibial nerve stimulation resulted in anatomically verified dipole positions with no significant anisotropy effect. Our results indicate that the expected average source localization erro