The Effects of Repeated Dyspnea Exposure on Response Inhibition

In order to treat dyspnea (=breathlessness) successfully, response inhibition (RI) as a major form of self-regulation is a premise. This is supported by research showing that self-regulation is associated with beneficial behavioral changes supporting treatment success in patients. Recent research showed that dyspnea has an impairing effect on RI, but the effects of repeated dyspnea exposure on RI remain unknown. Therefore, the present study tested the effects of repeated resistive load-induced dyspnea on RI over a 5-day period. Healthy volunteers (n = 34) performed the standard version of the Stroop task during baseline and dyspnea conditions on the first and fifth testing day and underwent an additional dyspnea exposure phase on each testing day. Variables of interest to investigate RI were reaction time, accuracy as well as the event-related potentials late positive complex (LPC) and N400 in the electroencephalogram. Reduced accuracy for incongruent compared to congruent stimuli during the dyspnea condition on the first testing day were found (p < 0.001). This was paralleled by a reduced LPC and an increased N400 for incongruent stimuli during the induction of dyspnea (p < 0.05). After undergoing dyspnea exposure, habituation of dyspnea intensity was evident. Importantly, on the fifth testing day, no differences between baseline, and dyspnea conditions were found for behavioral and electrophysiological measures of RI. These findings demonstrate that the impairing effect of dyspnea on RI disappeared after repeated dyspnea exposure in healthy participants. Translated to a clinical sample, it might cautiously be suggested that dyspnea exposure such as dyspnea perceived during physical exercise could reduce the impairing effect of dyspnea on RI which might have the potential to help increase self-regulation abilities and subsequent treatment efforts in dyspneic patients

Делистинг как инструмент управления ценностью для акционеров

Цель: выделить драйверы, влияющие на решение о делистинге, с целью построения инвестиционной стратегии для потенциальных бенефициаров сделок ухода публичных компаний с биржи Задачи: 1) Провести теоретический обзор проблемы исследования с идентификацией природы и принципов феномена делистинга; 2) Проанализировать главные причины для добровольного делистинга; 3) Провести обзор процедур ухода с биржи; 4) Провести эмпирическое исследование относительно оценки влияния независимы переменных на решение о делистинге; 5) Предложить рекомендации для менеджеров и индивидуальных инвесторов; 6) Сделать общее заключение, суммируя результаты и подтверждая достижение цели. Основные результаты: Рекомендации сформированы в таблицы для распространения между определенными целевыми группами. Данные материалы считаются удобными в использовании и не требуют глубокого профессионального погружения в вопросы феномена делистинга. Предложена инвестиционная стратегия для бенефициаров сделок ухода публичных компаний с биржи.Goal: to identify drivers of delisting process in order to build investment strategy for potential beneficiaries of the going private transactions Objectives: 7) To make the theoretical overview of the research problem with identification of nature and principles related to delisting phenomena; 8) To analyze the main reasons for voluntary delisting; 9) To overview procedures for going private transactions; 10) To conduct an empirical study regarding evaluation of variables influenced the decision to delist; 11) To provide the recommendations applicable for managers and individuals; 12) To make a general conclusion on the research paper summing up all the results and confirming of achievement the stated goal. Main results: The recommendations are formed in tables for distribution among particular target groups and considered to be user-friendly and adopted for different level of diving into voluntary delisting topic. The managerial implications suggest built investment strategy for those who are interested in obtaining benefits from public-to-private transactions

The effects of dyspnea on executive functioning and memory - Response inhibition, error processing and recognition memory

Dyspnea or breathlessness is the subjective feeling of breathing discomfort that negatively affects daily life in various disease conditions. It is a prevalent and debilitating symptom causing a high burden for many patients. However, little is known about the effects of dyspnea on executive functioning and memory. It is well established that pain, a similarly aversive bodily symptom, impairs multiple dimensions of executive functioning and memory. Furthermore, the magnitude of this impairing effect is mediated by individual levels of pain catastrophizing with high levels of pain catastrophizing being related to more impairment. Pain catastrophizing itself is considered an immoderate negative cognitive orientation towards harmful stimuli or experiences, resulting in rumination of those events, amplification of their magnitude and helplessness. Dyspnea catastrophizing, a presumably similarly impairing trait-like characteristic as pain catastrophizing, has recently received increasing scientific interest in respiratory research. However, the effect of dyspnea catastrophizing on executive functions and memory has not been established yet. In the present project, dyspnea will be induced in healthy subjects to investigate its effect on different aspects of executive functioning and memory. Additionally, we will determine whether dyspnea catastrophizing has similarly impairing effects than pain catastrophizing. Outcome measures will include task performance, self-reports, personality measures and psychophysiological responses including electroencephalography in order to study related neural processes.status: publishe

The impact of dyspnea and threat of dyspnea on error processing

Dyspnea (breathlessness) is a threatening and aversive bodily sensation and a major symptom of various diseases. It has been suggested to impair several aspects of functioning in affected patients, but experimental proof for this assumption is widely absent. Error processing is an important domain of functioning and has intensively been studied using electrophysiological measures. Specifically, the error-related negativity (ERN) has been suggested to reflect early performance monitoring and error detection, while the error positivity (Pe) has been linked to subsequent error awareness. So far, little is known about the effects of anticipated or perceived dyspnea on error processing. Therefore, in 49 healthy participants, we studied the effects of experimentally induced dyspnea and threat of dyspnea on the ERN/Pe and behavioral task performance. Participants performed the arrowhead version of the flanker task during three experimental conditions: an unloaded baseline condition, a dyspnea condition, and a threat of dyspnea condition. Dyspnea was induced by breathing through inspiratory resistive loads, while high-density EEG was continuously measured. No differences in task performance (reaction times, error rates) and ERN mean amplitudes were found between conditions. However, mean amplitudes for the Pe differed between conditions with smaller Pe amplitudes during threat of dyspnea compared to baseline and dyspnea conditions, with the latter two conditions showing no difference. These results may suggest that threat of dyspnea, but not dyspnea itself, reduces error awareness, while both seem to have no impact on early error processing and related behavioral performance.status: publishe

The presence of others reduces dyspnea and cortical neural processing of respiratory sensations

Dyspnea is a threatening symptom frequently experienced by patients within social contexts such as in the presence of family members, health professionals, or other patients. However, the effects of social presence on perceived dyspnea remain unknown. Therefore, this study examined the effects of social presence on dyspnea perception and cortical neural processing of respiratory sensations using respiratory-related evoked potentials (RREPs) in the electroencephalogram while additionally investigating the impact of dyspnea-specific fear. Thirty-one healthy females underwent four experimental conditions while RREPs were induced by inspiratory occlusions: (1)observer present/no dyspnea, (2)observer present/dyspnea, (3)alone/no dyspnea, (4)alone/dyspnea. The observer presence reduced ratings of perceived dyspnea during dyspnea conditions either significantly or at trend level. Additionally, reduced amplitudes at trend level of RREP component P2 in conditions with an observer present were found. No associations with dyspnea-specific fear were found. Findings suggest that social presence might have beneficial effects for individuals experiencing dyspnea.status: publishe

Can you inhibit behavioral responses while being breathless?

Poster Presensationstatus: publishe

Experimental social rejection increases dyspnoea perception and neural processing of respiratory sensations in healthy subjects

status: publishe

Reduced neural gating of respiratory sensations is associated with increased dyspnoea perception.

status: Published onlin

Seeing others in dyspnea induces vicarious dyspnea in the observer

Oral Presentationstatus: publishe

Observing dyspnoea in others elicits dyspnoea, negative affect and brain responses

Dyspnoea is usually caused by diagnosable cardiorespiratory mechanisms. However, frequently dyspnoea relates only weakly or not at all to cardiorespiratory functioning, suggesting that additional neuropsychosocial processes contribute to its experience. We tested whether the mere observation of dyspnoea in others constitutes such a process and would elicit dyspnoea, negative affect and increased brain responses in the observer.In three studies, series of pictures and videos were presented, which either depicted persons suffering from dyspnoea or nondyspnoeic control stimuli. Self-reports of dyspnoea and affective state were obtained in all studies. Additionally, respiratory variables and brain responses during picture viewing (late positive potentials in electroencephalograms) were measured in one study.In all studies, dyspnoea-related pictures and videos elicited mild-to-moderate dyspnoea and increased negative affect compared to control stimuli. This was paralleled by increased late positive potentials for dyspnoea-related pictures while respiratory variables did not change. Moreover, increased dyspnoea correlated modestly with higher levels of empathy in observers.The present results demonstrate that observing dyspnoea in others elicits mild-to-moderate dyspnoea, negative affect, and increased brain responses in the absence of respiratory changes. This vicarious dyspnoea has clinical relevance, as it might increase suffering in the family and medical caregivers of dyspnoeic patients.status: publishe