Effect of the Orientation Difference on Components of Visual Event-Related Potentials

Changes in the components of visual event-related potentials (VERPs) depending on the difficulty of the identification counting tasks (“coarse” and “fine”) were studied in healthy humans. The basic finding is that much greater changes in the VERPs waves were observed within a 5 to 15 deg range than those within the range of 15 to 90 deg. The amplitude of the second sensory component (P2), the latencies of both sensory components, and that of the second cognitive one increased with increase in the task difficulty, while the amplitudes of both cognitive components N2/P3 decreased. Additionally, small changes in the task difficulty affected the attentional effort and modulated the N1 amplitude and P2 latency. These VERP changes are considered an electrophysiological correlate of the psychophysical data when the “label” of an activated orientation-selective channel is sufficient for “coarse” discrimination, and an additional computational process comparing the responses of the activated channels makes discrimination possible in “fine” discrimination.У здорових суб’єктів досліджувалися зміни компонентів візуальних пов’язаних із подією потенціалів (ВППП), залежні від труднощів ідентифікації в завданнях із підрахунком (“грубим” або “тонким”). Основним спостереженням було наступне: в діапазоні 5–15 град відмічалися набагато більші зміни хвиль ВППП порівняно з такими в діапазоні 15–90 град. Амплітуда другого сенсорного компонента (P2), латентні періоди обох сенсорних компонентів і даний параметр другого когнітивного компонента зростали із збільшенням складності завдання, тоді як амплітуди обох когнітивних компонентів N2/P3 зменшувалися. Крім того, невеликі зміни складності завдання впливали на концентрацію уваги і модулювали амплітуду N1 та латентний період P2. Такі зміни ВППП розглядаються як електрографічні кореляти психофізіологічних даних, згідно з якими „мітка” активованого орієнтаційно селективного каналу є достатньою для „грубої” дискримінації, а додатковий процес розрахунків, забезпечуючий порівняння відповідей активованих каналів, робить можливою „тонку” дискримінацію

Sensing with the Motor Cortex

The primary motor cortex is a critical node in the network of brain regions responsible for voluntary motor behavior. It has been less appreciated, however, that the motor cortex exhibits sensory responses in a variety of modalities including vision and somatosensation. We review current work that emphasizes the heterogeneity in sensorimotor responses in the motor cortex and focus on its implications for cortical control of movement as well as for brain-machine interface development

Linking differences in action perception with differences in action execution.

Successful human social interactions depend upon the transmission of verbal and non-verbal signals from one individual to another. Non-verbal social communication is realized through our ability to read and understand information present in other people's actions. It has been proposed that employing the same motor programs, we use to execute an action when observing the same action underlies this action understanding. The main prediction of this framework is that action perception should be strongly correlated with parameters of action execution. Here, we demonstrate that subjects' sensitivity to observed movement speeds is dependent upon how quickly they themselves executed the observed action. This result is consistent with the motor theory of social cognition and suggests that failures in non-verbal social interactions between individuals may in part result from differences in how those individuals move

Activity in ventral premotor cortex is modulated by vision of own hand in action

Parietal and premotor cortices of the macaque monkey contain distinct populations of neurons which, in addition to their motor discharge, are also activated by visual stimulation. Among these visuomotor neurons, a population of grasping neurons located in the anterior intraparietal area (AIP) shows discharge modulation when the own hand is visible during object grasping. Given the dense connections between AIP and inferior frontal regions, we aimed at investigating whether two hand-related frontal areas, ventral premotor area F5 and primary motor cortex (area F1), contain neurons with similar properties. Two macaques were involved in a grasping task executed in various light/dark conditions in which the to-be-grasped object was kept visible by a dim retro-illumination. Approximately 62% of F5 and 55% of F1 motor neurons showed light/dark modulations. To better isolate the effect of hand-related visual input, we introduced two further conditions characterized by kinematic features similar to the dark condition. The scene was briefly illuminated (i) during hand preshaping (pre-touch flash, PT-flash) and (ii) at hand-object contact (touch flash, T-flash). Approximately 48% of F5 and 44% of F1 motor neurons showed a flash-related modulation. Considering flash-modulated neurons in the two flash conditions, ∼40% from F5 and ∼52% from F1 showed stronger activity in PT- than T-flash (PT-flash-dominant), whereas ∼60% from F5 and ∼48% from F1 showed stronger activity in T- than PT-flash (T-flash-dominant). Furthermore, F5, but not F1, flash-dominant neurons were characterized by a higher peak and mean discharge in the preferred flash condition as compared to light and dark conditions. Still considering F5, the distribution of the time of peak discharge was similar in light and preferred flash conditions. This study shows that the frontal cortex contains neurons, previously classified as motor neurons, which are sensitive to the observation of meaningful phases of the own grasping action. We conclude by discussing the possible functional role of these populations

Application of lactate testing and pulsogramms in the rehabilitation of patients with obesity

The optimization of mental and physical performance at all stages of training is the main task for untrained athletes. Performing overly in intensity or duration of stress leads to the development of fatigue and reduce the potential in adaptation. Narrowing the boundaries of adaptation leads to reduced performance. The purpose of the study was to assess the level of lactate in untrained patients with overweight and obesity, as well as, to create for these patients the optimal training patterns using the pulsogram method. Determining the concentration of lactate (lactic acid) in the blood is an important indicator of assessing the intensity of the load, one of the main methods of operational control over the effectiveness of the training process, provides valuable information about changes in the blood, muscles and other tissues. Knowing of the concentration of lactate in the blood we can determine the level of the anaerobic threshold, equal to 4-5 mmol/l (fixed threshold) and, depending on the physiological characteristics of the athlete, reaches 6 mmol/l.Основной задачей для нетренированных спортсменов является оптимизация умственной и физической работоспособности на всех этапах подготовки. Выполнение неадекватных по интенсивности или длительности нагрузок способствует развитию переутомления и снижению потенциала адаптации. Сужение границ адаптации приводит к снижению работоспособности. Цель исследования состояла в оценке уровня лактата у нетренированных пациентов с избыточным весом и ожирением, а также, составления для данных пациентов оптимальных шаблонов тренировок по методу пульсограмм. Определение концентрации лактата (молочной кислоты) в крови является важным показателем оценки интенсивности нагрузки, одним из основных методов оперативного контроля за эффективностью тренировочного процесса, дает ценную информацию об изменениях, происходящих в крови, в мышцах, других тканях. По концентрации лактата в крови прямым способом определяется уровень анаэробного порога, равный 4-5 ммоль/л (фиксированный порог) и в зависимости от физиологических особенностей спортсмена достигающий 6 ммоль/л

Use of the technique of physiotherapy exercises after operative measures on the backbone including with use of metalwork

According to WHO data the degenerative dystrophic diseases of a backbone(DDDB) occur in 80% of the population and make up to 90% of all cases of chronic diseases [2,6,9,12,13,27]. Disks and meniskoida, bodies of vertebras, own mioligamentamy device of a backbone and its joints are exposed to degenerative dystrophic process. Owing to irritation of nervous structures of a backbone there are difficult neuroreflex not radicular syndromes wilh tonic, neirodystrophic, vegetovascular frustration [19,22,23]. Now in treatment of this pathology a certain progress due to introduction in clinical practice of new technologies and performance of minimum invasive operative measures is noted. However expeditious treatment of hernias, even at good short-term results, does not exclude preservation of neurodystrophic changes and also a disease recurrence as eliminates only a mechanical compression factor [5,8,10,27].The research objective consisted in development of a complex medical physical culture for patients with degenerative dystrophic diseases of lumbosacral department of a backbone after operative measures on a backbone including with use of metalwork.По данным ВОЗ дегенеративно-дистрофические заболевания позвоночника (ДДЗП) встречаются у 80 % населения и составляют до 90 % всех случаев хронических заболеваний [2,6,9,12,13,27]. Дегенеративно-дистрофическому процессу подвергаются диски и менискоиды, тела позвонков, собственный миолигамектарный аппарат позвоночника и его суставы. Вследствие раздражения нервных структур позвоночника возникают сложные нейрорефлекторные не корешковые синдромы с тоническими, нейродистрофическими, вегетативно-сосудистыми расстройствами [19,22,23]. В настоящее время в лечении данной патологии отмечается определенный прогресс за счет внедрения в клиническую практику новых технологий и выполнения минимально инвазивных оперативных вмешательств. Однако оперативное лечение грыж, даже при хороших непосредственных результатах, не исключает сохранения нейродистрофических изменений, а также рецидивов заболевания, так как устраняет только механический компрессионный фактор [5,8,10,27]. Цель исследования состояла в разработке комплекса лечебной физкультура для пациентов с дегенеративно-дистрофическим заболеваниями пояснично-крестцового отдела позвоночника после оперативных вмешательств на позвоночнике в том числе с применением металлоконструкций