Electrical stimulation of visual cortex can immediately improve spatial vision

Published in final edited form as:Curr Biol. 2016 July 25; 26(14): 1867–1872. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2016.05.019.SUMMARY We can improve human vision by correcting the optics of our lenses [1, 2, 3]. However, after the eye transduces the light, visual cortex has its own limitations that are challenging to correct [4]. Overcoming these limitations has typically involved innovative training regimes that improve vision across many days [5, 6]. In the present study, we wanted to determine whether it is possible to immediately improve the precision of spatial vision with noninvasive direct-current stimulation. Previous work suggested that visual processing could be modulated with such stimulation [7, 8, 9]. However, the short duration and variability of such effects made it seem unlikely that spatial vision could be improved for more than several minutes [7, 10]. Here we show that visual acuity in the parafoveal belt can be immediately improved by delivering noninvasive direct current to visual cortex. Twenty minutes of anodal stimulation improved subjects’ vernier acuity by approximately 15% and increased the amplitude of the earliest visually evoked potentials in lockstep with the behavioral effects. When we reversed the orientation of the electric field, we impaired resolution and reduced the amplitude of visually evoked potentials. Next, we found that anodal stimulation improved acuity enough to be measurable with the relatively coarse Snellen test and that subjects with the poorest acuity benefited the most from stimulation. Finally, we found that stimulation-induced acuity improvements were accompanied by changes in contrast sensitivity at high spatial frequencies.This work was supported by grants from the NIH (R01-EY019882, R01-EY025275, P30-EY08126, T32-EY007135, F31-MH102042). We thank the reviewers and Randolph Blake for helpful comments. We thank Kevin Dieter for technical assistance in designing the psychophysical procedure for experiment 5. Subjects gave informed written consent to procedures approved by the Vanderbilt University Institutional Review Board and were compensated at a rate of $10/hr for their time. (R01-EY019882 - NIH; R01-EY025275 - NIH; P30-EY08126 - NIH; T32-EY007135 - NIH; F31-MH102042 - NIH)Accepted manuscrip

Are Reports of Psychological Stress Higher in Occupational Studies? A Systematic Review across Occupational and Population Based Studies

This study was funded by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD)

Predictores de satisfacción laboral en médicos y enfermeros Predictors of job satisfaction among physicians and nurses

<abstract language="por">Os objetivos da presente investigação foram: (a) identificar estressores e estratégias de enfrentamento comumente empregadas por parte dos profissionais de saúde; (b) explorar as vinculações entre o estresse assistencial, o bem-estar e satisfação laboral; e (c) individualizar as variáveis explicativas da satisfação laboral assistencial. Foi realizada uma verificação empírica com uma amostra integrada por 196 profissionais argentinos (97 médicos e 99 enfermeiros). A amostra respondeu uma bateria desenvolvida para avaliar estressores, enfrentamento, bem-estar e satisfação laboral. Foram realizadas análises descritivas, correlacionais e de regressão múltipla. Os resultados obtidos indicaram que os estressores que mais afligem aos profissionais da saúde são a sobrecarga, a falta de apoio e a percepção de injustiça organizacional. Tanto a estratégia de resolução de problemas como a de distanciamento surgiram como potenciadoras de satisfação e bem-estar. As variáveis que melhor explicaram a satisfação laboral foram a intenção de permanecer no cargo, a quantidade de horas de trabalho semanal e o apoio do grupo familiar. São apresentadas sugestões para futuras investigações na área.<br>The objectives of this research were: (a) to identify the major stressors and the coping strategies commonly used by health professionals; (b) to explore the links among health care stressors, subjective wellbeing and job satisfaction; and (c) to individualize the explanatory variables of care job satisfaction. Empirical verification was conducted with a sample of 196 Argentinean professionals (97 doctors and 99 nurses). The sample answered a battery developed for assessing stress, coping, wellbeing, and work satisfaction. Data were subjected to descriptive, correlation, and multiple regression analysis. The results indicated that work overload, lack of support, and perceptions of organizational injustice are the main health care stressors. The employment of problem-solving and distancing coping emerged as the best strategies for enhancing job satisfaction and wellbeing. The perception of familiar support, more working hours, and the intention to stay were the variables that proved to be the best predictors of work satisfaction. Suggestions are made for future research in the area