Functional coupling of sensorimotor and associative areas during a catching ball task: a qEEG coherence study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Catching an object is a complex movement that involves not only programming but also effective motor coordination. Such behavior is related to the activation and recruitment of cortical regions that participates in the sensorimotor integration process. This study aimed to elucidate the cortical mechanisms involved in anticipatory actions when performing a task of catching an object in free fall.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) was recorded using a 20-channel EEG system in 20 healthy right-handed participants performed the catching ball task. We used the EEG coherence analysis to investigate subdivisions of alpha (8-12 Hz) and beta (12-30 Hz) bands, which are related to cognitive processing and sensory-motor integration.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Notwithstanding, we found the main effects for the factor block; for alpha-1, coherence decreased from the first to sixth block, and the opposite effect occurred for alpha-2 and beta-2, with coherence increasing along the blocks.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>It was concluded that to perform successfully our task, which involved anticipatory processes (i.e. feedback mechanisms), subjects exhibited a great involvement of sensory-motor and associative areas, possibly due to organization of information to process visuospatial parameters and further catch the falling object.</p

A case of successful organ donation after extremely prolonged manual cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a buried hypothermia victim of avalanche

The case of a 41-year-old man, victim of accidental avalanche burial, who donated his organs for transplantation after prolonged cardiopulmonary resuscitation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Lower trait frontal theta activity in mindfulness meditators

Acute and long-term effects of mindfulness meditation on theta-band activity are not clear. The aim of this study was to investigate frontal theta differences between long- and short-term mindfulness practitioners before, during, and after mindfulness meditation. Twenty participants were recruited, of which 10 were experienced Buddhist meditators. Despite an acute increase in the theta activity during meditation in both the groups, the meditators showed lower trait frontal theta activity. Therefore, we suggested that this finding is a neural correlate of the expert practitioners’ ability to limit the processing of unnecessary information (e.g., discursive thought) and increase the awareness of the essential content of the present experience. In conclusion, acute changes in the theta band throughout meditation did not appear to be a specific correlate of mindfulness but were rather related to the concentration properties of the meditation. Notwithstanding, lower frontal theta activity appeared to be a trait of mindfulness practices

The Effect of Endurance Training on Pulmonary V&#729;O2 Kinetics in Solid Organs Transplanted Recipients

Background: We investigated the effects of single (SL-ET) and double leg (DL-ET) high-intensity interval training on O2 deficit (O2Def) and mean response time (MRT) during square-wave moderate-intensity exercise (DL-MOD), and on the amplitude of V&#729;O2p slow component (SCamp), during heavy intensity exercise (DL-HVY), on 33 patients (heart transplant = 13, kidney transplanted = 11 and liver transplanted = 9). Methods: Patients performed DL incremental step exercise to exhaustion, two DL-MOD tests, and a DL-HVY trial before and after 24 sessions of SL-ET (n = 17) or DL-ET (n = 16). Results: After SL-ET, O2Def, MRT and SCamp decreased by 16.4% &plusmn; 13.7 (p = 0.008), by 15.6% &plusmn; 13.7 (p = 0.004) and by 35% &plusmn; 31 (p = 0.002), respectively. After DL-ET, they dropped by 24.9% &plusmn; 16.2 (p &lt; 0.0001), by 25.9% &plusmn; 13.6 (p &lt; 0.0001) and by 38% &plusmn; 52 (p = 0.0003), respectively. The magnitude of improvement of O2Def, MRT, and SCamp was not significantly different between SL-ET and DL-ET after training. Conclusions: We conclude that SL-ET is as effective as DL-ET if we aim to improve V&#729;O2p kinetics in transplanted patients and suggest that the slower, V&#729;O2p kinetics is mainly caused by the impairment of peripherals exchanges likely due to the immunosuppressive medications and disuse

Effect of small vs large muscle mass endurance training on maximal oxygen uptake in organ transplanted recipients

Maximal oxygen consumption (V\u307O2max) is impaired in heart (HTx), kidney (KTx), and liver (LTx) transplanted recipients and the contribution of the cardiovascular, central, and peripheral (muscular) factors in affecting V\u307O2max improvement after endurance training (ET) has never been quantified in these patients. ET protocols involving single leg cycling (SL) elicit larger improvements of the peripheral factors affecting O2 diffusion and utilization than the double leg (DL) cycling ET. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effects of SL-ET vs DL-ET on V\u307O2max. We determined the DL-V\u307O2max and maximal cardiac output before and after 24 SL-ET vs DL-ET sessions on 33 patients (HTx&nbsp;= 13, KTx&nbsp;= 11 and LTx&nbsp;= 9). The DL-V\u307O2max increased by 13.8%&nbsp;\ub1 8.7 (p&nbsp;&lt; 0.001) following the SL-ET, due to a larger maximal O2 systemic extraction; meanwhile, V\u307O2max in DL-ET increased by 18.6%&nbsp;\ub1 12.7 (p&nbsp;&lt; 0.001) because of concomitant central and peripheral adaptations. We speculate that in transplanted recipients, SL-ET is as effective as DL-ET to improve V\u307O2max and that the impaired peripheral O2 extraction and/or utilization play an important role in limiting V\u307O2max in these types of patients. Novelty: SL-ET increases V\u307O2max in transplanted recipients because of improved peripheral O2 extraction and/or utilization. SL-ET is as successful as DL-ET to improve the cardiorespiratory fitness in transplanted recipients. The model of V\u307O2max limitation indicates the peripheral factors as a remarkable limitation to the V\u307O2max in these patients

Cortical reorganization after hand immobilization: the beta qEEG spectral coherence evidences.

There is increasing evidence that hand immobilization is associated with various changes in the brain. Indeed, beta band coherence is strongly related to motor act and sensitive stimuli. In this study we investigate the electrophysiological and cortical changes that occur when subjects are submitted to hand immobilization. We hypothesized that beta coherence oscillations act as a mechanism underlying inter- and intra-hemispheric changes. As a methodology for our study fifteen healthy individuals between the ages of 20 and 30 years were subjected to a right index finger task before and after hand immobilization while their brain activity pattern was recorded using quantitative electroencephalography. This analysis revealed that hand immobilization caused changes in frontal, central and parietal areas of the brain. The main findings showed a lower beta-2 band in frontal regions and greater cortical activity in central and parietal areas. In summary, the coherence increased in the frontal, central and parietal cortex, due to hand immobilization and it adjusted the brains functioning, which had been disrupted by the procedure. Moreover, the brain adaptation upon hand immobilization of the subjects involved inter- and intra-hemispheric changes