1,720,981 research outputs found
Gravi Cerebrolesioni Acquisite in fase subacuta: correlazione tra disregolazione neuroendocrinologica e malnutrizione
No full textIn un campione di 31 soggetti con grave cerebrolesione acquisita in fase subacuta sono stati eseguiti dosaggi ormonali e valutazioni nutrizionali ed è stata documentata la correlazione tra disfunzionalità dell'asse somototropo e adrenocorticotropo e malnutrizione
A protocol for eliciting dream associations oriented to the recognition of episodic dream sources
No full textThe use of associations with dream reports, although being diffused and greatly useful in psychotherapy, has so far played a limited role in dream research not directly finalized to therapy. On the other hand, it is difficult to investigate a basic property of dreaming, that of establishing connections, without searching for information beyond the dream report: indeed, the simplest and likely most effective way of obtaining this information consists in asking the dreamer for associations. Well-defined and rigorous methods are however necessary for research approaches which aim to achieve a better understanding of how the dreaming mind operates by processing and combining the dreamer’s memory sources: we propose an experimental protocol (“Associations for Dream Reports Protocol”) aiming to give a contribution in this direction. According to this protocol, the dreamer completes a form which asks him or her to describe a recent dream, to name key words or short phrases that characterize the dream, and, for each word or phrase, to provide associations that allow possible episodic sources, definite in space and time, to be identified. To be more effective, the method takes advantage of the presence of a researcher while the dreamer is completing the form: the terms of the interaction between dreamer and researcher are subjected to marked restrictions and rigorously defined. The protocol was applied to a homogeneous group of participants; the observed link patterns presented interesting statistically significant phenomena
Use of sensory feedback-sensitive rehabilitation of focal dystonia: a pilot study
No full textVengono descritti gli effeti di un training di feedback sensoriale sul controllo della postura del capo in pazienti con distonia focal
Structuring cortical bistability in sleeping DOC parallels the recovery of consciousness
No full textLast years the study of consciousness in both healthy people and DOC patients focused on the emerging properties of
complex bidirectional thalamo-cortical connections; hence the study of sleep could be an optimal window to study thalamo-cortical circuits involved in consciousness and to verify the role of thalamo-cortical connectivity in the recovery of consciousness. Here, we aim at studying the EEG of a sample of patients with DOC in different recordings along the recovery of consciousness (VS, MCS and Exit From Minimally Conscious State, EMCS) to see how it changes in the different levels of consciousness
A protocol for the recognition and analysis of link patterns among dream sources
No full textA method is described that allows
the dreamer to provide associations, and consequently to
recognize episodic dream sources and links among them,
according to a well-defined protocol. Detailed examples of
the application of the proposed method are given; specific
phenomena evidenced by the recognized link patterns are
described and analyzed
Automatic segmentation of REM sleep into three substages
No full textObjectives: The research aimed to introduce and test an automatic method for segmentation of REM sleep into three substages, respectively characterized by: enhancement of rapid eye movements; selective enhancement of slow eye movements (SEMs); reduction in the amount of eye movements. This objective was suggested by two kinds of data reported in the literature: distinction between phasic and tonic REM sleep, and remarkable presence of SEMs during REM sleep.
Methods: The following signals were recorded: 19 EEG traces, submental EMG, and two EOGs (E1-A2 and E2-A2).The automatic analysis was performed on the EOG signals recorded during the REM periods that were identified by visual scoring. Themethod applied,which was derived from a previous method for the recognition of NREM microstructure, allowed identifying and characterizing events that consisted in transient amplitude increases in either a slower (0.2–0.6Hz) or a faster (1–3Hz) component of the EOG. Segmentation was obtained by means of simple queries to a database containing the features of the events.
Results: The segmentation procedure made it possible to calculate nine parameters for each REM period: the duration percentages of the three substages, and the amplitude, mean frequency, and frequency variance of the two components.
Conclusions: A quantitative description of the oscillating properties of REM sleep can suggest hypotheses about currently debated ssues, regarding the thalamocortical intrinsic loop active during REM sleep, the REM sleep behaviour disorder, the reduction of vulnerability during REM sleep, the mechanisms of sleep regulation, and the complex process of sleep building
Family functioning in severe brain injuries: Correlations with caregivers burden, perceived social support and quality of life
No full textSevere brain injuries have long-term consequences on functional status and psychosocial functioning. Family life can be greatly influenced as well, and features of high caregiver burden can emerge. Although the data on caregivers distress are constantly increasing, less information is available about the role of family functioning. Thirty caregivers of hospitalised patients with severe brain injuries received questionnaires for the evaluation of caregiver burden, family functioning and perceived social support. A semi-structured interview was performed for the evaluation of quality of life. Family cohesion and adaptability positively correlated with caregivers quality of life and perceived social support. Partner caregivers scores were significantly higher on the time-dependent burden than those of sons and daughters, whereas the latter scored higher on the emotional burden
Uso del feedback sensoriale-sensitivo nella riabilitazione delle distonie focali
No full textSono stati valutati con scale cliniche standardizzate gli effetti della ribilitazione con feedback sensitivo sensoriale in paziente affetti da distonia focal
ERP elicited by deviant three-chord musical cadences
No full textERP responses to musically significant stimuli can be divided into four categories, according to the applied stimuli: sounds only characterized by their pitch, definite musical products, melodic patterns, and harmonic patterns. Typical components are, together with earlier purely acoustic waveforms, the mismatch negativity (MMN, latency from 150 to 250 ms), the early anterior negativity (ERAN, latency from 180 to 270 ms), the P300 (latency of about 300 ms or longer), the N5 (latency of about 550 ms), and a later positive component (LPC). The MMN and the P300 are due to deviant stimuli in an oddball paradigm and are not specific of acoustic responses. The ERAN is obtained as a response to inputs that violate the rules of the so-called Western tonal system. The N5 has been interpreted as reflecting the harmonic integration of an unexpected chord into a preceding context. The LPC has been interpreted as a marker of musical expectancy. For bibliographic references, we here limit ourselves to referring to those mentioned in a recent review (Koelsch, 2011). We have chosen a stimulation protocol based on chord successions presented according to an oddball paradigm: the more frequent stimulus consisted in a minimum-size unambiguous cadence in accordance with the Western tonal system, precisely a succession of subdominant, dominant, and tonic chords, while a strongly dissonant chord in the deviant stimulus replaced the tonic chord. This kind of stimulus (syntactically minimal) allowed eliciting well-defined consistent ERPs from eight subjects, whose ages were in the range from 30 through 40 years. The P300 and N5 components were very large, diffused across the scalp, and their occurrence presented a high statistical significance. We introduced simple automatic methods for the measure of the average latencies of the various peaks and for an assessment of the statistical significance of the obtained results
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