Distraction from pain and executive functioning: an experimental investigation of the role of inhibition, task switching and working memory

Although many studies have investigated the effectiveness of distraction as a method of pain control, the cognitive processes by which attentional re-direction is achieved, remain unclear. In this study the role of executive functioning abilities (inhibition, task switching and working memory) in the effectiveness of distraction is investigated. We hypothesized that the effectiveness of distraction in terms of pain reduction would be larger in participants with better executive functioning abilities. Ninety-one undergraduate students first performed executive functioning tasks, and subsequently participated in a cold pressor task (CPT). Participants were randomly assigned to (1) a distraction group, in which an attention-demanding tone-detection task was performed during the CPT, or (2) a control group, in which no distraction task was performed. Participants in the distraction group reported significantly less pain during the CPT, but the pain experience was not influenced by executive functioning abilities. However, the performance on the distraction task improved with better inhibition abilities, indicating that inhibition abilities might be important in focussing on a task despite the pain

Pharmacological pain relief and fear of childbirth in low risk women; secondary analysis of the RAVEL study

Acknowledgements We would like to thank all of the participants in our study and the midwives and gynaecologists of the participating practices and hospitals respectively. Availability of data and materials The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on request.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Potential improvement of pregnancy outcome through prenatal small for gestational age detection

Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA. OBJECTIVE: To assess differences in mode of delivery and pregnancy outcome between prenatally detected and nonprenatally detected small for gestational age (SGA) neonates born at term.STUDY DESIGN: We performed a retrospective multicenter cohort study. All singleton infants, born SGA in cephalic position between 36(0/7) and 41(0/7) weeks gestation, were classified as either prenatally detected SGA or nonprenatally detected SGA. With propensity score matching we created groups with comparable baseline characteristics. We compared these groups for composite adverse perinatal outcome, labor induction, and cesarean section rates.RESULTS: We included 718 SGA infants, of whom 555 (77%) were not prenatally detected. Composite adverse neonatal outcome did not differ statistically significant between the matched prenatally detected and the nonprenatally detected group (5.5 vs. 7.4%, odds ratio [OR] 0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.30-1.8). However, perinatal mortality only occurred in the nonprenatally detected group (1.8% [3/163] in the matched cohort, 1.3% [7/555] in the complete cohort). In the propensity matched prenatally detected SGA group both induction of labor (57 vs. 9%, OR 14.0, 95% CI: 7.4-26.2) and cesarean sections (20 vs. 8%, OR 2.9, 95% CI: 1.5-5.8) were more often performed compared with the nonprenatally detected SGA group.CONCLUSION: Prenatal SGA detection at term allows timely induction of labor and cesarean sections thus potentially preventing stillbirth

Mutations in the small GTP-ase late endosomal protein RAB7 cause Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2B neuropathy

Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2B (CMT2B) is clinically characterized by marked distal muscle weakness and wasting and a high frequency of foot ulcers, infections, and amputations of the toes because of recurrent infections. CMT2B maps to chromosome 3q13-q22. We refined the CMT2B locus to a 2.5-cM region and report two missense mutations (Leu129Phe and Val162Met) in the small GTP-ase late endosomal protein RAB7 which causes the CMT2B phenotype in three extended families and in three patients with a positive family history. The alignment of RAB7 orthologs shows that both missense mutations target highly conserved amino acid residues. RAB7 is ubiquitously expressed, and we found expression in sensory and motor neurons

Ontwikkeling en praktijktoetsing van twee beweegprogramma’s voor ouderen

status: publishe

Directing attention away from pain in children and adolescents: an experimental approach

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS GENERAL INTRODUCTION PART I: Exploring distraction beliefs CHAPTER 1: Young people’s beliefs about attentional strategies to control pain: The impact of pain characteristics and pain catastrophizing PART II: Towards a distraction paradigm CHAPTER 2: The effectiveness of distraction examined in two experimental pilot studies using the cold pressor task (CPT) PART III: The influencing role of pain catastrophizing in the effectiveness of distraction CHAPTER 3: The role of motivation and pain catastrophizing in directing attention away from pain: An experimental study CHAPTER 4: The role of pain catastrophizing in directing attention away from pain in schoolchildren PART IV: The influencing role of executive functioning in the effectiveness of distraction CHAPTER 5: Distraction from pain and executive functioning: An experimental investigation of the role of inhibition, task switching and working memory CHAPTER 6: The role of executive functioning in children’s attentional pain control: An experimental analysis GENERAL DISCUSSION NEDERLANDSTALIGE SAMENVATTINGnrpages: 269status: publishe