Search results for "analysis of variance"
showing 10 items of 1183 documents
Integration of sensory information precedes the sensation of vection: a combined behavioral and event-related brain potential (ERP) study.
2014
Illusory self-motion (known as vection) describes the sensation of ego-motion in the absence of physical movement. Vection typically occurs in stationary observers being exposed to visual information that suggest self-motion (e.g. simulators, virtual reality). In the present study, we tested whether sensory integration of visual information triggers vection: participants (N=13) perceived patterns of moving altered black-and-white vertical stripes on a screen that was divided into a central and a surrounding peripheral visual field. In both fields the pattern was either moving or stationary, resulting in four combinations of central and peripheral motions: (1) central and peripheral stripes …
Different short-term modulation of cortical motor output to distal and proximal upper-limb muscles during painful sensory nerve stimulation
2004
The pattern of upper-limb muscle activation following painful stimulation has not been clarified in detail. We investigated the short-term inhibitory and excitatory effects of painful electrical digital stimulation on the motoneuron pools of distal and proximal upper-limb muscles. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used as test stimulus, and painful digital nerve stimulation as conditioning stimulus for motor evoked potential (MEP) recordings over the abductor digiti minimi (ADM), abductor pollicis brevis (APB), biceps brachii (BB), and deltoid muscles. Inhibition of the conditioned MEP response was most prominent in the distal muscles, whereas BB and deltoid muscles were only weak…
Conventional and spectral power analysis of all-night sleep EEG after subchronic treatment with paroxetine in healthy male volunteers.
1998
Paroxetine is a selective and potent serotonin reuptake inhibitor with reported antidepressant properties. Since changes in the regular sleeping pattern were described as side effects under treatment with paroxetine, the impact of the drug on the sleep architecture is of major interest. The present study addressed the question of subchronic effects of paroxetine medication (30 mg/day) in eight healthy male volunteers in a double blind, placebo-controlled crossover-design. Conventional sleep EEG parameters and additionally computed spectral power analysis based on FFT of 20-s time epochs in the delta, theta, alpha, beta and gamma frequency range for different sleep stages after 4 weeks of tr…
The Italian Multiple Sclerosis Database Network (MSDN): The risk of worsening according to IFNβ exposure in multiple sclerosis
2006
We evaluated the risk of worsening according to the length of exposure to interferon beta (IFNβ)ina large cohort of 2090 multiple sclerosis patients collected by the Italian MS Database Network. Overall 44-140 patient-visits with a follow-up of 22-143 patient-years were evaluated. Forty-one per cent of patients were exposed to IFNβ for up to 2 years, 39% for 2- 4 years and 20% for more than 4 years. A Cox regression model was used to analyse two clinical outcomes: disability progression and worsening of relapse rate. The technique of propensity score was applied to reduce bias in the comparison of non-randomized groups. The risks of disability progression (HR=0.23; 95% CI: 0.17 - 0.30) and …
Motor planning of arm movements is direction-dependent in the gravity field.
2007
International audience; In the present study we analyzed kinematic and dynamic features of arm movements in order to better elucidate how the motor system integrates environmental constraints (gravity) into motor planning and control processes. To reach this aim, we experimentally manipulated the mechanical effects of gravity on the arm while maintaining arm inertia constant (i.e. the distribution of the mass around the shoulder joint). Six subjects performed single-joint arm movements (rotation around the shoulder joint) in both sagittal (upward, U, versus downward, D) and horizontal (left, L, versus right, R) planes, at different amplitudes and from different initial positions. Under thes…
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during capsaicin-induced pain: modulatory effects o…
2009
Evidence by functional imaging studies suggests the role of left DLPFC in the inhibitory control of nociceptive transmission system. Pain exerts an inhibitory modulation on motor cortex, reducing MEP amplitude, while the effect of pain on motor intracortical excitability has not been studied so far. In the present study, we explored in healthy subjects the effect of capsaicin-induced pain and the modulatory influences of left DLPFC stimulation on motor corticospinal and intracortical excitability. Capsaicin was applied on the dorsal surface of the right hand, and measures of motor corticospinal excitability (test-MEP) and short intracortical inhibition (SICI) and facilitation (ICF) were obt…
Contralateral hand anesthesia transiently improves poststroke sensory deficits.
2005
Objective To test a possible strategy to alleviate somatosensory deficits after stroke. Methods Here, we applied ischemic nerve block to the intact hand of patients with chronic stroke, which in healthy subjects elicits improvements in sensibility of the other hand. Results We found that sensibility in the affected hand improved with intact hand anesthesia, but not with intact foot anesthesia or no anesthesia. Interpretation We conclude that reduction of sensory input from the intact hand leads to site-specific improvements in tactile discriminative skills in the affected hand after the period of anesthesia, a potentially relevant finding in designing neurorehabilitative interventions. Ann …
Plaque removal efficacy of power and manual toothbrushes: a comparative study
2009
The aim of this study was to compare the plaque removal efficacy of a new oscillating/rotating/pulsating toothbrush [Oral-B® Professional Care® 8500 (PC 8500)] with two manual toothbrushes [Oral-B® CrossAction™ Vitalizer (CAV) and Oral-B® Indicator™ (IND), respectively]. The safety of the PC 8500 was also assessed. The study was a single-use, observer-masked, randomised 3×3 Latin square crossover design balanced for carryover effects. The enrolled subjects (n=66) refrained from brushing for 23–25 h before each clinical examination. Plaque scores were recorded before and after brushing with the allocated toothbrush using the Turesky et al. modification of the Quigley and Hein plaque index. T…
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the left parietal cortex facilitates visual search for a letter among its mirror images
2015
Interference by task irrelevant information is seen in visual search paradigms using letters. Thus, it is harder to find the letter 'N' among its mirror reversals 'Icyrillic' than vice versa. This observation, termed the reversed letter effect, involves both a linguistic association and an interference of task irrelevant information - the shape of 'N' or 'Icyrillic' is irrelevant, the search requires merely distinguishing the tilts of oblique bars. We adapted the repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) methods that we previously used, and conducted three rTMS experiments using healthy subjects. The first experiment investigated the effects of rTMS on the left and right posterior…
Diet Macronutrient Composition, Physical Activity, and Body Composition in Soldiers During 6 Months Deployment
2018
Abstract Introduction Optimal diet together with good physical fitness maintains readiness and military performance during longer deployments. The purpose of this study was to describe changes in dietary macronutrient and energy intake, total physical activity and body composition during a 6-month deployment in South Lebanon. Furthermore, associations of diet macronutrient intake and physical activity on body composition were also studied. Materials and Methods Forty male soldiers kept a 3-day food diary and their body composition was measured via bioimpedance and ultrasonography. Total physical activity was evaluated by accelerometers in a subgroup of participants. Measurements were conduc…