scholarly journals Evaluation of the role of the colour tent in vision stimulation for children with complex disabilities and cerebral visual impairment: A feasibility study

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-114
Author(s):  
Rachel Fiona Pilling ◽  
Suzanne Mary Little
Keyword(s):  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Visual Awareness ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Complex Needs ◽  
Sustained Effect ◽  
Visual Behaviour ◽  
Attentional Responses ◽  
Cerebral Visual Impairment

Children with profound and multiple disabilities commonly have their visual impairment overlooked when seeking to meet their complex health needs. The act of surrounding a child with little or no apparent visual function by a monochromatic translucent tent can serve to ‘switch on’ a child’s visual system. The aim of the project was to investigate the role of using colour tents to bring about attentional responses in children with complex disabilities including cerebral visual impairment. The evaluation comprises three phases, repeated on four occasions over the space of 4 weeks. The child’s visual attention prior to entering the tent and during the 5 minutes after leaving the tent was recorded. Moreover, the child’s responses and behaviours while in the tent were recorded. Nine children participated in the evaluation, mean age 6 years (range: 5–9 years). All children showed a change in visual behaviour on at least one occasion while in the colour tent. Most children required more than one session before a change in visual behaviour was noted. Only two children showed increase in visual awareness after any session, and there was no sustained effect demonstrated. This feasibility study has demonstrated that a short series of sessions in a colour tent is insufficient to demonstrate the effectiveness of a colour tent in stimulating visual awareness in children with complex needs. The methodology was acceptable to parents and teachers and lessons have been learned which will inform future studies.

A qualitative exploration of the early signs of cerebral visual impairment in preschool children

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Schraauwers ◽  
Maria van Genderen ◽  
Irmgard Bals ◽  
Marjoke Dekker-Pap ◽  
Florine Pilon-Kamsteeg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Visual Responses ◽  
Children At Risk ◽  
Visual Functioning ◽  
Early Signs ◽  
Visual Behaviour ◽  
Cerebral Visual Impairment

Aim: To explore which signs in visual functioning and visual behaviour in preschool children at risk for cerebral visual impairment (CVI) can potentially be early signs for a diagnosis at a later age.Methods: Thematic analysis of interviews with seven experts in the field of CVI and of a focus group with nine parents of five children with confirmed or suspected CVI.Results: Our experts and parents identified five likely early signs of CVI in preschool children with developmental impairments and brain injury who are at risk for CVI. They suggest that preschool children with CVI display atypical ways of coping with complex situations and of navigating their surroundings. Children also show impaired multisensory integration according to our interviewees. Furthermore, their visual responses often vary even when the stimulus remains the same or they might display impairments in visual recognition and identification.Interpretation: We have proposed five signs in visual functioning and visual behaviour in preschool children at risk for CVI that may be early signs for a diagnosis of CVI at a later age. This exploration can guide future retrospective and longitudinal research on diagnosing CVI at a young age. Early diagnosis and subsequent early intervention have a positive impact on learning and development of infants with disabilities.

Mesophyll conductance: the leaf corridors for photosynthesis

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 429-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Gago ◽  
Danilo M. Daloso ◽  
Marc Carriquí ◽  
Miquel Nadal ◽  
Melanie Morales ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Main Role ◽  
Mesophyll Conductance ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Cell Structures ◽  
Leaf Tissues ◽  
Change Framework ◽  
Chloroplast Stroma

Besides stomata, the photosynthetic CO2 pathway also involves the transport of CO2 from the sub-stomatal air spaces inside to the carboxylation sites in the chloroplast stroma, where Rubisco is located. This pathway is far to be a simple and direct way, formed by series of consecutive barriers that the CO2 should cross to be finally assimilated in photosynthesis, known as the mesophyll conductance (gm). Therefore, the gm reflects the pathway through different air, water and biophysical barriers within the leaf tissues and cell structures. Currently, it is known that gm can impose the same level of limitation (or even higher depending of the conditions) to photosynthesis than the wider known stomata or biochemistry. In this mini-review, we are focused on each of the gm determinants to summarize the current knowledge on the mechanisms driving gm from anatomical to metabolic and biochemical perspectives. Special attention deserve the latest studies demonstrating the importance of the molecular mechanisms driving anatomical traits as cell wall and the chloroplast surface exposed to the mesophyll airspaces (Sc/S) that significantly constrain gm. However, even considering these recent discoveries, still is poorly understood the mechanisms about signaling pathways linking the environment a/biotic stressors with gm responses. Thus, considering the main role of gm as a major driver of the CO2 availability at the carboxylation sites, future studies into these aspects will help us to understand photosynthesis responses in a global change framework.

Motives for Social Isolation Following a Negative Emotional Episode

2018 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 127-131
Author(s):  
Gérald Delelis ◽  
Véronique Christophe
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Social Affiliation ◽  
Semantic Categorization ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Cognitive Regulation ◽  
Emotional Event ◽  
Regulation Strategies ◽  
Emotional Events

Abstract. After experiencing an emotional event, people either seek out others’ presence (social affiliation) or avoid others’ presence (social isolation). The determinants and effects of social affiliation are now well-known, but social psychologists have not yet thoroughly studied social isolation. This study aims to ascertain which motives and corresponding regulation strategies participants report for social isolation following negative emotional events. A group of 96 participants retrieved from memory an actual negative event that led them to temporarily socially isolate themselves and freely listed up to 10 motives for social isolation. Through semantic categorization of the 423 motives reported by the participants, we found that “cognitive clarification” and “keeping one’s distance” – that is, the need for cognitive regulation and the refusal of socioaffective regulation, respectively – were the most commonly and quickly reported motives for social isolation. We discuss the findings in terms of ideas for future studies aimed at clarifying the role of social isolation in health situations.

scholarly journals Mice with mutations in Trpm1, a gene in the locus of 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome, display pronounced hyperactivity and decreased anxiety-like behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tesshu Hori ◽  
Shohei Ikuta ◽  
Satoko Hattori ◽  
Keizo Takao ◽  
Tsuyoshi Miyakawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Genetic Disorder ◽  
Mutant Mice ◽  
Chromosome 15 ◽  
Microdeletion Syndrome ◽  
Visual Transduction ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Null Mutant Mice

AbstractThe 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome is a genetic disorder characterized by a wide spectrum of psychiatric disorders that is caused by the deletion of a region containing 7 genes on chromosome 15 (MTMR10, FAN1, TRPM1, MIR211, KLF13, OTUD7A, and CHRNA7). The contribution of each gene in this syndrome has been studied using mutant mouse models, but no single mouse model recapitulates the whole spectrum of human 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome. The behavior of Trpm1−/− mice has not been investigated in relation to 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome due to the visual impairment in these mice, which may confound the results of behavioral tests involving vision. We were able to perform a comprehensive behavioral test battery using Trpm1 null mutant mice to investigate the role of Trpm1, which is thought to be expressed solely in the retina, in the central nervous system and to examine the relationship between TRPM1 and 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome. Our data demonstrate that Trpm1−/− mice exhibit abnormal behaviors that may explain some phenotypes of 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome, including reduced anxiety-like behavior, abnormal social interaction, attenuated fear memory, and the most prominent phenotype of Trpm1 mutant mice, hyperactivity. While the ON visual transduction pathway is impaired in Trpm1−/− mice, we did not detect compensatory high sensitivities for other sensory modalities. The pathway for visual impairment is the same between Trpm1−/− mice and mGluR6−/− mice, but hyperlocomotor activity has not been reported in mGluR6−/− mice. These data suggest that the phenotype of Trpm1−/− mice extends beyond that expected from visual impairment alone. Here, we provide the first evidence associating TRPM1 with impairment of cognitive function similar to that observed in phenotypes of 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome.

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