Search results for "DEPRIVATION"
showing 10 items of 291 documents
Positive emotion induction improves cardiovascular coping with a cognitive task
2021
Feeling positive emotions seems to favour an adaptive cardiovascular response (greater heart rate variability, HRV), associated with improved cognitive performance. This study aims to test whether the induction of a positive emotional state produce such cardiovascular response and therefore, enhance coping and performance in Tower of Hanoi (ToH). Forty-two Participants were randomly distributed into two groups (Experimental and Control). Experimental group was subjected to the evocation of a memory of success, while control group was subjected to an attentional task before performing ToH. Heart Rate Variability (HRV), activity of the zygomatic major muscle (ZEMG) and emotions were measured.…
MeCP2 haplodeficiency and early-life stress interaction on anxiety-like behavior in adolescent female mice
2021
Abstract Background Early-life stress can leave persistent epigenetic marks that may modulate vulnerability to psychiatric conditions later in life, including anxiety, depression and stress-related disorders. These are complex disorders with both environmental and genetic influences contributing to their etiology. Methyl-CpG Binding Protein 2 (MeCP2) has been attributed a key role in the control of neuronal activity-dependent gene expression and is a master regulator of experience-dependent epigenetic programming. Moreover, mutations in the MECP2 gene are the primary cause of Rett syndrome and, to a lesser extent, of a range of other major neurodevelopmental disorders. Here, we aim to study…
Media-induced recovery: The effects of positive versus negative media stimuli on recovery experience, cognitive performance, and energetic arousal.
2017
Recent research has demonstrated that the use of hedonically positive interactive media content contributes to the satisfaction of recovery needs and is associated with recovery outcomes such as higher levels of cognitive performance and increased energetic arousal. The recovery effects of noninteractive media stimuli as well as of media content with negative affective valence, however, are less clear. The present investigation addressed this limitation of prior research on
Socio-economic deprivation, territorial inequalities and mortality for cardiovascular diseases in Sicily
2016
The present work aims at analyzing the relationship among deprivation, distance from the nearest hospital and mortality for cardiovascular diseases in Sicily. Data derived from 2011 Census are used for the determination of the deprivation index at the municipality level, whereas distance from the municipality of residence and the nearest municipality with at least one hospital is considered in terms of travel time. Results highlight association between socio-economic conditions and mortality for cardiovascular diseases, whereas it seems that the distance from the hospital is only poorly associated with mortality.
Neuroendocrine responses in neonatal mother-deprived rabbits.
2009
To study both short- and long-term adaptation mechanisms activated by rabbits which were separated from their mothers (DLS) for 48 h between postnatal days 9 and 11, we examined plasma corticosterone concentrations before, during, and after DLS as well as the expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in the hippocampus and the adrenal axis responses to a mild stress stimuli or exogenous ACTH injection. At postnatal day 10, plasma corticosterone concentration of DLS rabbits was similar to that of controls, but rose two-fold at day 11 (17.7 + or - 1.3 vs. 9.3 + or - 1.2 microg/dl, P0.01) and then decreased at day 12, when suckling was allowed again, to match those of controls with no differe…
Early handling effect on female rat spatial and non-spatial learning and memory
2014
This study aims at providing an insight into early handling procedures on learning and memory performance in adult female rats. Early handling procedures were started on post-natal day 2 until 21, and consisted in 15 min, daily separations of the dams from their litters. Assessment of declarative memory was carried out in the novel-object recognition task; spatial learning, reference- and working memory were evaluated in the Morris water maze (MWM). Our results indicate that early handling induced an enhancement in: (1) declarative memory, in the object recognition task, both at 1h and 24h intervals; (2) reference memory in the probe test and working memory and behavioral flexibility in the…
Regional inequalities as drivers of affective polarization
2022
This paper investigates divergences in levels of affective polarization across Belgian regions around the 2019 elections. Elaborating on the relative deprivation theory, we analyse the role of current and long-term socio-economic regional inequalities and of geographical distance separating regions. Empirically, we aggregate individual-level measures of affective polarization at the Belgian NUTS-3 level and use a gravity approach to explore the determinants of regional divergences. Our results show that regional variations in affective polarization are best explained by a current rural–urban divide and by how regions have performed economically in the last years. We also show that geographi…
Effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields on cognitive processes - a pilot study on pulsed field interference with cognitive regeneration.
2004
Background – Due to the ubiquitous use of cellular phones much has been speculated on secondary effects of electromagnetic irradiation emitted by those. Additionally, several studies have reported vegetative alterations as well as effects on the neuronal and molecular levels in humans. Here, using a psycho–physiological test paradigm, we examined effects of exposure to pulsed electromagnetic fields on cognitive performance. Materials and methods – In 11 volunteers, we tested cognitive processing under field exposure (GSM standard) and under field-free conditions. To examine the hypothesized effect of pulsed fields, we applied an auditory discrimination task and determined the participant's …
Besteht eine Beeinträchtigung der ZNS-Aktivität durch gepulste elektromagnetische Felder? - Do Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields Impair CNS Activity?
2001
In the present pilot study we examined the effects of electromagnetic fields on the biological organism. The study was prompted by discussions on the possible effects on the nervous system and cognitive processes of fields produced by mobile phones. The experiments were performed in an electrophysiological laboratory. Eleven volunteers were exposed to pulsed electromagnetic fields (GSM standard). The psychophysiological method of assessing the order threshold (Ordnungsschwelle = OS) was used to examine cognitive performance. Under the test conditions, nine of the subjects showed a loss of mental regeneration, as reflected by an increase in the OS, in comparison with the field-free situation…
Cognitive performance and emotion are indifferent to ambient color
2017
Folklore has it that ambient color has the power to relax or arouse the observer and enhance performance when executing cognitive tasks. We picked a number of commercially available colors that allegedly have the power to alter cognitive performance and the emotional state, and exposed subjects to them while solving a battery of cognitive tasks. The colors were “Cool Down Pink”, which is said to produce relaxing effects and reduce effort, “Energy Red”, allegedly enhancing performance via increased arousal, “Relaxing Blue”, which is said to enhance attention and concentration, as well as white as a control. In a between-subjects design, a total of 170 high school students carried out five ta…