Search results for " Experimental"
showing 10 items of 3530 documents
The Orienting Response in Healthy Aging: Novelty P3 Indicates No General Decline but Reduced Efficacy for Fast Stimulation Rates
2017
Automatic orienting to unexpected changes in the environment is a pre-requisite for adaptive behavior. One prominent mechanism of automatic attentional control is the Orienting Response (OR). Despite the fundamental significance of the OR in everyday life, only little is known about how the OR is affected by healthy aging. We tested this question in two age groups (19–38 years and 55–72 years) and measured skin-conductance responses (SCRs) and event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to novels (i.e., short environmental sounds presented only once in the experiment; 10% of the trials) compared to standard sounds (600 Hz sinusoidal tones with 200 ms duration; 90% of the trials). Novel and standa…
Role of Single Low Pulse Intensity of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Over the Frontal Cortex for Cognitive Function
2020
Background: The principal aim of this study was to measure the effect of online single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on cognition via the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) in healthy individuals. Methods: In a single-blind, sham-controlled study, we assessed both 50% and 60% of the resting motor threshold (RMT) over the right DLPFC in healthy right-handed (n = 42) adults using cognitive function, such as attention and memory, as a measure via CANTAB. Results: We observed an improvement in the cognitive function level during the use of online low intensities of 50% and 60% RMT active stimulation …
Enhancing improvisational music therapy through the addition of resonance frequency breathing : Common findings of three single-case experimental stu…
2018
One core characteristic of active music therapy is the facilitation of emotional expression through the creation of music improvisations. In an attempt to further develop this approach, we created an enhanced form of integrative improvisational music therapy by including 10 minutes of resonance frequency breathing (RFB) at the beginning of the sessions. RFB is a type of slowbreathing known for its ability to reduce stress and support emotional regulation. This paper summarizes the common findings of three single-case experimental studies and introduces a provisional model to explain the observed effects of RFB. During the breathing itself, all three clients (two of them healthy and one diag…
Dimensionality and Measurement Invariance of the Italian Version of the EORTC QLQ-C30 in Postoperative Lung Cancer Patients
2019
Background: This study aims to validate and evaluate the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Italian version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30), which is a measure of quality of life (QoL) for lung cancer patients after surgery. Methods: A total of 167 lung cancer patients completed the Italian version of the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire at 30 days after they received a lobectomy. The factor structure of this scale was assessed by performing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Measurement invariance was evaluated by considering differential item functioning (DIF) due to age, gender, a…
Event-related potentials to unattended changes in facial expressions: detection of regularity violations or encoding of emotions?
2013
Visual mismatch negativity (vMMN), a component in event-related potentials (ERPs), can be elicited when rarely presented “deviant” facial expressions violate regularity formed by repeated “standard” faces. vMMN is observed as differential ERPs elicited between the deviant and standard faces. It is not clear, however, whether differential ERPs to rare emotional faces interspersed with repeated neutral ones reflect true vMMN (i.e., detection of regularity violation) or merely encoding of the emotional content in the faces. Furthermore, a face-sensitive N170 response, which reflects structural encoding of facial features, can be modulated by emotional expressions. Owing to its similar latency …
P258 Combining tDCS with prismatic adaptation for non invasive neuromodulation of the motor cortex
2017
Introduction Prismatic adaptation (PA) shifts visual field laterally and induces lateralized deviations of spatial attention. Recently, it has been suggested that prismatic goggles are also able to modulate brain excitability ( Magnani, 2014 ), with cognitive after-effects documented even in tasks not necessarily spatial in nature ( Oliveri, 2013 ). Objectives The aim of the present study was to test whether prisms can modulate motor cortical excitability similarly as anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) does; to test whether neuromodulatory effects obtained from tDCS and prismatic goggles could interact and induce homeostatic changes in brain excitability. Materials and me…
EFFICACY OF REPETITIVE TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION/TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT CURRENT STIMULATION IN COGNITIVE NEUROREHABILITATION
2008
Summary: Cognitive deficits are a common consequence of neurologic disease, in particular, of traumatic brain injury, stroke, and neurodegenerative disorders, and there is evidence that specific cognitive training may be effective in cognitive rehabilitation. Several investigations emphasize the fact that interacting with cortical activity, by means of cortical stimulation, can positively affect the short-term cognitive performance and improve the rehabilitation potential of neurologic patients. In this respect, preliminary evidence suggests that cortical stimulation may play a role in treating aphasia, unilateral neglect, and other cognitive disorders. Several possible mechanisms can accou…
Vaccination with ENO1 DNA Prolongs Survival of Genetically Engineered Mice with Pancreatic Cancer
2013
Background & Aims Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is an aggressive tumor, and patients typically present with late-stage disease; rates of 5-year survival after pancreaticoduodenectomy are low. Antibodies against α-enolase (ENO1), a glycolytic enzyme, are detected in more than 60% of patients with PDA, and ENO1-specific T cells inhibit the growth of human pancreatic xenograft tumors in mice. We investigated whether an ENO1 DNA vaccine elicits antitumor immune responses and prolongs survival of mice that spontaneously develop autochthonous, lethal pancreatic carcinomas. Methods We injected and electroporated a plasmid encoding ENO1 (or a control plasmid) into Kras G12D /Cre (KC) mice …
Effect of Rotary Instrument Mineral Oil Lubricant on Osseointegration: A Randomized, Blinded Study in Rabbits
2019
The mechanisms of early failures in dental implant osseointegration are unclear. A possible cause of low levels of bone formation is lubricant contamination on implants during insertion. To explore the impact of lubricant contamination on dental implants, we used 5 New Zealand rabbits and inserted 2 implants per tibia in each animal for a total of 4 implants per animal (20 implants in total). In general, bicorticalization was achieved. The first implant was placed as suggested by the manufacturer with no lubricant used (control). The second implant was placed using a freshly lubricated contra-angle handpiece, which was used only for the test implants. Implant allocation was randomized, and …
Growth factors and cell kinetics: a mathematical model applied to Il-3 deprivation on leukemic cell lines.
1992
We assume the existence of a specific G1 protein which is an initiator of DNA replication. This initiator is supposed to be synthesized according to Michaelis-Menten kinetics. In order to start DNA replication, it is assumed that this G1 specific protein must be produced in a required amount. Intra-cellular growth inhibitors and extra-cellular growth factors control the production of the initiator. This model allows to calculate the average G1 phase time as a function of the various chemical concentrations of nutrients, enzymes, growth inhibitors and growth factors. This model is compared to cell kinetics experiments on a leukemic cell line responding to Interleukin 3 deprivation. The curve…