Percepción parafoveal en la lectura: medidas electrofisiológicas y de movimientos oculares.

En esta tesis se describen una serie de experimentos diseñados para estudiar el nivel de integración de la información parafoveal durante la lectura. El objetivo general fue estudiar la cantidad y naturaleza de la información que puede ser extraída de la parafóvea durante la lectura, además de cómo y cuándo esta información es integrada con la información procesada en visión foveal. Para ello se diseñó un primer experimento en el que se manipuló la carga de procesamiento foveal mediante la frecuencia léxica y se observó el nivel de integración de la información parafoveal variando esta entre una vista previa idéntica con la palabra en visión foveal, relacionada semánticamente o no relacionada. Los resultados mostraron que ante condiciones de baja carga foveal, el nivel de integración parafoveal fue mayor. El segundo experimento examina el nivel de integración de la información parafoveal mediante el corregistro de movimientos oculares y EEG en una tarea de lectura de palabras utilizando el paradigma de cambio de pantalla contingente con la mirada y la técnica de límite y los participantes podían desplazar su mirada libremente. Los resultados mostraron un efecto parafoveal en la fóvea y un beneficio de la vista previa parafoveal tras la sácada debido a una manipulación de tipo semántico. En el experimento 3, repetimos el diseño experimental del experimento 2 pero en una tarea de lectura de frases. Mediante el corregistro de EEG y movimientos oculares replicamos el efecto parafoveal en la fóvea en latencias más tempranas y se discute el impacto de esta información tras el cruce del límite, en la siguiente palabra. Los resultados muestran que los lectores pueden activar e integrar información de tipo semántico en el contexto de una tarea de lectura natural

Meaning-based attentional guidance as a function of foveal and task-related cognitive loads

Published online: 05 Jun 2018The depth of parafoveal word processing depends on the amount of cognitive resources available. Whether this principle applies to the parafoveal semantic processing of multiple words remains, however, controversial. This study therefore aimed at testing the impact of the amount of cognitive resources available on the parafoveal semantic processing of words, by manipulating the foveal and task-related cognitive loads. Participants searched for words in displays of three semantically related or unrelated words, one of which was presented in the centre of the screen and two within the parafovea. The nature of the task and the characteristics of the centred word were manipulated to vary respectively the load associated to the task and to the foveal load. Analyses revealed more first saccades toward the parafoveal semantic distractors when both loads were low. These results indicate that fast parafoveal semantic word processing is constrained by the availability of cognitive resources.This work was supported by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad [grant number PSI2016-79624-P]; Direction Générale de l'Armement [grant number 2013.60.0019]

Exploring the temporal dynamics of speech production with EEG and group ICA

Speech production is a complex skill whose neural implementation relies on a large number of different regions in the brain. How neural activity in these different regions varies as a function of time during the production of speech remains poorly understood. Previous MEG studies on this topic have concluded that activity proceeds from posterior to anterior regions of the brain in a sequential manner. Here we tested this claim using the EEG technique. Specifically, participants performed a picture naming task while their naming latencies and scalp potentials were recorded. We performed group temporal Independent Component Analysis (group tICA) to obtain temporally independent component timecourses and their corresponding topographic maps. We identified fifteen components whose estimated neural sources were located in various areas of the brain. The trial-by-trial component timecourses were predictive of the naming latency, implying their involvement in the task. Crucially, we computed the degree of concurrent activity of each component timecourse to test whether activity was sequential or parallel. Our results revealed that these fifteen distinct neural sources exhibit largely concurrent activity during speech production. These results suggest that speech production relies on neural activity that takes place in parallel networks of distributed neural sources

Treatment of temporomandibular myofascial pain with deep dry needling

Objectives: The present study was designed to evaluate the usefulness of deep dry needling in the treatment of temporomandibular myofascial pain. Study D esign: We selected 36 patients with myofascial pain located in the external pterygoid muscle (30 women/6 men, mean age=27 years with SD±6,5). We studied differences in pain with a visual analog scale and range of mandibular movements before and after intervention. Results: We found a statistically significant relationship (p<0,01) between therapeutic intervention and the improvement of pain and jaw movements, which continued up to 6 months after treatment. Pain reduction was greater the higher was the intensity of pain at baseline. Conclusions: Although further studies are needed, our findings suggest that deep dry needling in the trigger point in the external pterygoid muscle can be effective in the management of patients with myofascial pain located in that muscle

Effects of Interventions Based on Achievement Goals and Self-Determination Theories on the Intention to Be Physically Active of Physical Education Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The aim was to review the effects of interventions based on self-determination theory and achievement goals theory on intention to be physically active in the future in physical education students, as well as to conduct a meta-analysis to determine the overall effect size of these interventions. PRISMA guidelines were followed to conduct this systematic review and meta-analysis. Three scientific electronic databases were used: Web of Science (WOS), Scopus, and SportDiscus. A total of eleven studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Effect size for intention to be physically active of each study was calculated using the means and standard deviations before and after the intervention. The overall effect size for intention was moderate (standardized mean difference = 0.47 with 95% CI from 0.28 to 0.67), while the heterogeneity was large. Seven of the eleven studies reported significant within-group improvements in intention after the intervention. Eight studies showed significant between-group differences in favor of the experimental group. The findings showed that teaching strategies, family involvement, and the use of videos related to physical activity participation may be relevant factors that must be considered by educators and researchers to conduct future effective interventions. Interventions based on self-determination theory and achievement goals theory could be useful in the process of the promotion of physical activity. However, given the large heterogeneity, these findings must be taken with cautionThe realization of this work was possible thanks to the project entitled: “Emotions and motivation in Physical Education in ESO”. Financial Entity: Universidad de Huelva. Code: UHU-556. This work was also supported by the Research group: Educación, Motricidad e Investigación onubense (HUM643) and by the Centro de Investigación en Pensamiento Contemporáneo e Innovación para el Desarrollo Social (COIDESO), of the Universidad de Huelva (Spain

Randomized, double-blind study comparing percutaneous electrolysis and dry needling for the management of temporomandibular myofascial pain

To assess whether the techniques of percutaneous needle electrolysis (PNE) and deep dry needling (DDN) used on trigger points (TrP) of lateral pterygoid muscle (LPM) can significantly reduce pain and improve function in patients with myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) compared to a control group treated with a sham needling procedure (SNP). Sixty patients diagnosed with MPS in the LPM were selected and randomly assigned to one of three groups. The PNE group received electrolysis to the LPM via transcutaneous puncture. The DDN group received a deep puncture to the TrP without the introduction of any substance. In the SNP group, pressure was applied to the skin without penetration. Procedures were performed once per week for 3 consecutive weeks. Clinical evaluation was performed before treatment, and on days 28, 42 and 70 after treatment. Statistically significant differences (p<0.01) were measured for the PNE and DDN groups with respect to pain reduction at rest, during chewing, and for maximum interincisal opening (MIO). Values for the PNE group showed significantly earlier improvement. Differences for PNE and DDN groups with respect to SNP group were significant (p<0.05) up to day 70. Evaluation of efficacy as reported by the patient and observer was better for PNE and DDN groups. No adverse events were observed for either of the techniques. PNE and DDN of the LPM showed greater pain reduction efficacy and improved MIO compared to SNP. Improvement was noted earlier in the PNE group than in the DDN group

EEG Connectivity Analysis Using Denoising Autoencoders for the Detection of Dyslexia

The Temporal Sampling Framework (TSF) theorizes that the characteristic phonological difficulties of dyslexia are caused by an atypical oscillatory sampling at one or more temporal rates. The LEEDUCA study conducted a series of Electroencephalography (EEG) experiments on children listening to amplitude modulated (AM) noise with slow-rythmic prosodic (0.5–1Hz), syllabic (4–8Hz) or the phoneme (12–40Hz) rates, aimed at detecting differences in perception of oscillatory sampling that could be associated with dyslexia. The purpose of this work is to check whether these differences exist and how they are related to children’s performance in different language and cognitive tasks commonly used to detect dyslexia. To this purpose, temporal and spectral inter-channel EEG connectivity was estimated, and a denoising autoencoder (DAE) was trained to learn a low-dimensional representation of the connectivity matrices. This representation was studied via correlation and classification analysis, which revealed ability in detecting dyslexic subjects with an accuracy higher than 0.8, and balanced accuracy around 0.7. Some features of the DAE representation were significantly correlated (�<0.005 ) with children’s performance in language and cognitive tasks of the phonological hypothesis category such as phonological awareness and rapid symbolic naming, as well as reading efficiency and reading comprehension. Finally, a deeper analysis of the adjacency matrix revealed a reduced bilateral connection between electrodes of the temporal lobe (roughly the primary auditory cortex) in DD subjects, as well as an increased connectivity of the F7 electrode, placed roughly on Broca’s area. These results pave the way for a complementary assessment of dyslexia using more objective methodologies such as EEG

Deep dry needling of trigger points located in the lateral pterygoid muscle: efficacy and safety of treatment for management of myofascial pain and temporomandibular dysfunction

Background: To determine whether deep dry needling (DDN) of trigger points (TPs) in the lateral pterygoid muscle (LPM) would significantly reduce pain and improve function, compared with methocarbamol/paracetamol medication. Material and Methods: Forty-eight patients with chronic myofascial pain located in the LPM were selected and randomly assigned to one of two groups (DDN test group, n=24; drug-treated control group, n=24). The test group received three applications of needling of the LPM once per week for three weeks, while control group patients were given two tablets of a methocarbamol/paracetamol combination every six hours for three weeks. Assessments were carried out pre-treatment, 2 and 8 weeks after finishing the treatment. Results: A statistically significant difference ( p <0.05) was detected for both groups with respect to pain reduction at rest and with mastication, but the DDN test group had significantly better levels of pain reduction. Moreover, statistically significant differences ( p <0.05) up to day 70 in the test group were seen with respect to maximum mouth opening, laterality and protrusion movements compared with pre-treatment values. Pain reduction in the test group was greater as a function of pain intensity at baseline. The evaluation of efficacy as assessed both by patients/investigators was better for the test group. 41% of the patients receiving the combination drug treatment described unpleasant side effects (mostly drowsiness). Conclusions: DDN of TPs in the LPM showed better efficacy in reducing pain and improving maximum mouth opening, laterality, and protrusion movements compared with methocarbamol/paracetamol treatment. No adverse events were observed with respect to DD

Dynamics and numerical simulations to predict empirical antibiotic treatment of multi-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection

This work discloses an epidemiological mathematical model to predict an empirical treatment for dogs infected by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This dangerous pathogen is one of the leading causes of multi-resistant infections and can be transmitted from dogs to humans. Numerical simulations and appropriated codes were developed using Matlab software to gather information concerning long-time dynamics of the susceptible, infected and recovered individuals. All data compiled from the mathematical model was used to provide an appropriated antibiotic sensitivity panel for this specific infection. In this study, several variables have been included in this model to predict which treatment should be prescribed in emergency cases, when there is no time to perform an antibiogram or the cost of it could not be assumed. In particular, we highlight the use of this model aiming to become part of the convenient toolbox of Public Health research and decision-making in the design of the mitigation strategy of bacterial pathogens

El desenvolupament de la perícia en bàsquet: claus per a la formació del jugador d’alt rendiment

Investigacions recents han posat de manifest la dificultat de predir resultats futurs a partir dels mecanismes tradicionals en la detecció de talents. Com a conseqüència d’aquesta problemàtica s’han anat realitzant estudis que se centren en el desenvolupament de la perícia. La intenció és conèixer amb detall l’itinerari esportiu dels qui han arribat a grans èxits (experts) per tal d’intentar adaptar-lo a les futures promeses. Amb aquest plantejament es posa més èmfasi en la cura del talent que no pas en la detecció. En aquesta investigació s’ha comparat l’itinerari esportiu de 7 jugadors internacionals de bàsquet en actiu amb l’objectiu d’aportar més coneixement sobre el procés de formació del jugador d’alt rendiment. A través de l’anàlisi qualitativa de les entrevistes s’ha conformat un model de desenvolupament de la perícia on s’observa la complexa interacció del context, la pràctica i les motivacions, en el procés de formació del jugador d’alt rendiment