Search results for "Sensory Systems"
showing 10 items of 793 documents
Synergy and masking in odor mixtures: an electrophysiological study of orthonasal vs. retronasal perception
2008
Perceptual interactions in a model of wine woody–fruity binary mixtures were previously reported in a psychophysical study performed through orthonasal stimulation only. However, recent studies suggested that the perception of food-like and nonfood-like odors may depend on the route of stimulation. The aim of the present study was two-fold: first to examine the neural correlates of perceptual interactions using electroencephalogram (EEG)-derived event-related potentials (ERPs) and second to test the influence of the stimulation route on quality perception. Therefore, we designed an experiment with 30 subjects to study perceptual interactions in woody–fruity mixtures and compared ortho- vs. …
Binaural release from masking in forward-masked intensity discrimination: Evidence for effects of selective attention
2012
In a forward-masked intensity discrimination task, we manipulated the perceived lateralization of the masker via variation of the interaural time difference (ITD). The maskers and targets were 500 Hz pure tones with a duration of 30 ms. Standards of 30 and 60 dB SPL were combined with 60 or 90 dB SPL maskers. As expected, the presentation of a forward masker perceived as lateralized to the other side of the head as the target resulted in a significantly smaller elevation of the intensity difference limen than a masker lateralized ipsilaterally. This binaural release from masking in forward-masked intensity discrimination cannot be explained by peripheral mechanisms because varying the ITD l…
Sequential grouping modulates the effect of non-simultaneous masking on auditory intensity resolution.
2012
The presence of non-simultaneous maskers can result in strong impairment in auditory intensity resolution relative to a condition without maskers, and causes a complex pattern of effects that is difficult to explain on the basis of peripheral processing. We suggest that the failure of selective attention to the target tones is a useful framework for understanding these effects. Two experiments tested the hypothesis that the sequential grouping of the targets and the maskers into separate auditory objects facilitates selective attention and therefore reduces the masker-induced impairment in intensity resolution. In Experiment 1, a condition favoring the processing of the maskers and the targ…
An Emerging Method to Assess Tear Film Spread and Dynamics as Possible Tear Film Homeostasis Markers
2021
This study aims to assess the performance of an analysis method to measure in vivo the movement speed of tear film particles post-blink as a measure of tear film spreading. Ocular surface parameter...
Mass spectroscopic analysis of excimer laser ablated material from human corneal tissue.
1988
The clinical feasibility of photorefractive keratectomy depends on the surface structure of the ablated cornea. Two factors that influence the remodeled surface are the homogeneity of the energy distribution and the properties of the laser source (energy and wavelength). Currently, the homogeneity of the beam is difficult to control. The second factor, laser source properties, was the focus of this study. We investigated the effect of laser wavelength and energy by analyzing the reaction products of photoablation. We monitored the fragments produced by UV-laser ablation of human corneas using mass spectroscopy in the range of 0 to 100 atomic mass units. At 248 nm (KrF), average photon energ…
Incidence of posterior vitreous detachment after cataract surgery
2009
Purpose To report the incidence of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) after uneventful state-of-the-art small-incision phacoemulsification with implantation of a posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC IOL). Setting Department of Ophthalmology, Ludwigshafen Hospital, Ludwigshafen, Germany. Methods This prospective study evaluated the vitreous status of eyes by biomicroscopic examination, indirect binocular ophthalmoscopy, and B-scan ultrasonography before planned cataract surgery. Patients with the posterior vitreous attached were included for follow-up and examined 1 week, 1 month, and 1 year after uneventful phacoemulsification with PC IOL implantation. The preoperative prevalence and pos…
Plasticity of brain wave network interactions and evolution across physiologic states
2015
Neural plasticity transcends a range of spatio-temporal scales and serves as the basis of various brain activities and physiologic functions. At the microscopic level, it enables the emergence of brain waves with complex temporal dynamics. At the macroscopic level, presence and dominance of specific brain waves is associated with important brain functions. The role of neural plasticity at different levels in generating distinct brain rhythms and how brain rhythms communicate with each other across brain areas to generate physiologic states and functions remains not understood. Here we perform an empirical exploration of neural plasticity at the level of brain wave network interactions repre…
Differences in psychomotor reaction time in male monozygotic twins discordant for lifetime cigarette smoking.
1996
The effects of long-term cigarette smoking on psychomotor reaction time were investigated among 8 pairs of monozygotic male twins highly discordant for lifetime smoking (means 32.4 versus 0.6 pack-years). The men had no diagnosed cardiovascular disease or other major diseases, musculoskeletal complaints, or vision problems that might interfere with reaction time testing. The twins had similar education, work, and exercise histories; alcohol and coffee consumption and exposure to solvents were examined as possible confounds. Direct comparison of cotwins also controlled for age, genetics, and possible early environmental factors. Simple and choice reaction time were measured in the dominant h…
Visual quality comparison of conventional and Hole-Visian implantable collamer lens at different degrees of decentering
2013
Purpose To compare the visual quality of implantable collamer lens (ICL) with and without central hole (Hole ICL and conventional ICL) at different degrees of decentering. Methods An adaptive optics visual simulator (crx1, Imagine Eyes, Orsay, France) was used to simulate the –3, –6 and –12 dioptres (D) conventional and Hole ICLs in three conditions: centred and decentred 0.3 and 0.6 mm. Visual acuity (VA) at high-contrast, medium-contrast and low-contrast and contrast sensitivity (CS) were measured in 15 observers for 3 and 4.5 mm pupils. Results No statistically significant differences in VA and CS were found between conventional and Hole ICLs for any ICL powers and pupil sizes evaluated …
Clinical evaluation criteria for the assessment of impaired pain sensitivity by thulium-laser evoked potentials
2000
Abstract Objectives : Cortical potentials evoked by carbon dioxide laser pulses have been applied in clinical practice to study nociceptive pathways for several years. In this study, we evaluate the properties of an infrared laser (thulium-YAG) with a penetration depth in the skin that matches the intracutaneous depth of nociceptors. Methods : Temperature measurements and modelling showed that the thulium laser generates painful intracutaneous temperatures with less surface heating than the carbon dioxide laser and with no side effects (up to 600 mJ pulse energy). To develop clinical evaluation criteria, laser-evoked potentials (LEPs) were recorded from 3 midline positions (Fz, Cz, Pz) vers…