Prefrontal hemodynamic responses and the degree of flow experience among occupational therapy students during their performance of a cognitive task

Purpose: Although flow experience is positively associated with motivation to learn, the biological basis of flow experience is poorly understood. Accumulation of evidence on the underlying brain mechanisms related to flow is necessary for a deeper understanding of the motivation to learn. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between flow experience and brain function using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) during the performance of a cognitive task. Methods: Sixty right-handed occupational therapy (OT) students participated in this study. These students performed a verbal fluency test (VFT) while 2-channel NIRS was used to assess changes in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration (oxygenated hemoglobin [oxy-Hb]) in the prefrontal cortex. Soon after that, the OT students answered the flow questionnaire (FQ) to assess the degree of flow experience during the VFT. Results: Average oxy-Hb in the prefrontal cortex had a significant negative correlation with the satisfaction scores on the FQ. Conclusion: Satisfaction during the flow experience correlated with prefrontal hemodynamic suppression. This finding may assist in understanding motivation to learn and related flow experience.

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Modifications in Prefrontal Cortex Oxygenation in Linear and Curvilinear Dual Task Walking: A Combined fNIRS and IMUs Study

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21186159 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (18) ◽

pp. 6159

Author(s):

Valeria Belluscio ◽

Gabriele Casti ◽

Marco Ferrari ◽

Valentina Quaresima ◽

Maria Sofia Sappia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Dual Task ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Real Life ◽

Motor Task ◽

Hemoglobin Concentration ◽

Cortical Activation ◽

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Gait Quality

Increased oxygenated hemoglobin concentration of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been observed during linear walking, particularly when there is a high attention demand on the task, like in dual-task (DT) paradigms. Despite the knowledge that cognitive and motor demands depend on the complexity of the motor task, most studies have only focused on usual walking, while little is known for more challenging tasks, such as curved paths. To explore the relationship between cortical activation and gait biomechanics, 20 healthy young adults were asked to perform linear and curvilinear walking trajectories in single-task and DT conditions. PFC activation was assessed using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, while gait quality with four inertial measurement units. The Figure-of-8-Walk-Test was adopted as the curvilinear trajectory, with the “Serial 7s” test as concurrent cognitive task. Results show that walking along curvilinear trajectories in DT led to increased PFC activation and decreased motor performance. Under DT walking, the neural correlates of executive function and gait control tend to be modified in response to the cognitive resources imposed by the motor task. Being more representative of real-life situations, this approach to curved walking has the potential to reveal crucial information and to improve people’ s balance, safety, and life’s quality.

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Performance Types and Activation of the Prefrontal Cortex

Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics ◽

10.20965/jrm.2008.p0726 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 20 (5) ◽

pp. 726-730

Author(s):

Harumi Kobayashi ◽

◽

Tetsuya Yasuda

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Skill Acquisition ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Hemoglobin Concentration ◽

Mirror Image ◽

Skill Levels ◽

Drawing Task ◽

Pen Tablet ◽

The Right ◽

The Relationship

We investigated the relationship between performance types in skill acquisition and the use of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). We used a modified mirror drawing task in which participants using a pen tablet repeated the tracing of a star displayed on a screen. Changes in cerebral blood flow were measured using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Participants conducted two tasks, mirror drawing, i.e., tracing a mirror image of a star, and an usual drawing, i.e., tracing a star. Performance was scored based on the number of errors and drawn lengths. Results suggested that two types of participants - those whose number of errors decreased when they repeated the task and those whose number of errors did not decrease. We thus concluded that (1) changes in oxy-hemoglobin concentration (Oxy-Hb) are higher in the mirror drawing task than in the usual drawing task; (2) oxy-Hb decreased in the right PFC when participants whose number of errors decreased repeated the task 4 days later, but did not decrease in the left PFC; (3) oxy-Hb decreased in the left PFC when participants whose number of errors did not decrease repeated the task 4 days later, but did not decrease in the right PFC. Our findings indicate that activation of the PFC can be used to assess skill levels in on-going tasks and may provide information on how to time assistance.

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Positive Psychology for Mental Wellbeing of UK Therapeutic Students: Relationships with Engagement, Motivation, Resilience and Self-Compassion

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction ◽

10.1007/s11469-020-00466-y ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yasuhiro Kotera ◽

Pauline Green ◽

David Sheffield

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Positive Psychology ◽

Occupational Therapy ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Mental Wellbeing ◽

Psychological Constructs ◽

Occupational Therapy Students ◽

Self Compassion ◽

The Relationship

AbstractThis study aimed to examine the relationships between mental wellbeing and positive psychological constructs in therapeutic students (psychotherapy and occupational therapy students). The number of therapeutic students has increased recently; however, they suffer from poor mental health, which may be improved by potentiating their positive psychological constructs, bypassing mental health shame. Therapeutic students (n = 145) completed measures regarding positive psychological constructs, namely mental wellbeing, engagement, motivation, resilience, and self-compassion. Resilience and self-compassion predicted mental wellbeing, explaining a large effect. Self-compassion partially mediated the relationship between resilience and mental wellbeing. This study highlights the importance of positive psychological constructs, especially resilience and self-compassion, for mental wellbeing of therapeutic students.

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Limitations on Participation and Their Relation to Social Determinants of Health Among Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Students During Coronavirus Lockdown

American Journal of Occupational Therapy ◽

10.5014/ajot.2021.049050 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 75 (6) ◽

Author(s):

Nuria Menéndez Álvarez ◽

Emiliano Diez Villoria ◽

Estíbaliz Jimenez Arberas ◽

Ana María Castaño Pérez ◽

Antonio León García Izquierdo

Keyword(s):

Occupational Therapy ◽

Social Determinants Of Health ◽

Social Determinants ◽

Occupational Therapists ◽

Determinants Of Health ◽

World Health ◽

International Classification Of Functioning ◽

Occupational Therapy Students ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Importance: For the first time in recent history, people worldwide have faced severe restrictions in occupations because of the measures adopted by governments to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. Objective: To determine the limitations on participation of occupational therapists and occupational therapy students during “lockdown” and their impact on social determinants of health. Design: A cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted via an online survey. Participants: A total of 488 occupational therapists and occupational therapy students in North America, South America, and Europe. Outcomes and Measures: A questionnaire consisting of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health and items developed to assess the impact of lockdown on daily life was emailed to occupational therapy professional associations, organizations, and universities between April and June 2020. It was available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese and met all the parameters listed in the Declaration of Helsinki. Results: The roles and routines of people across the developed world have been affected by lockdown measures. The study shows marked differences between participants in the domains of getting along and life activities, as well as influence on the environment. Moreover, South American participants experienced these difficulties to a greater extent than European participants. Conclusions and Relevance: This study quantifies the limitations in the participation of occupational therapists and occupational therapy students and the relationship of occupation to social determinants of health. What This Article Adds: The results of this research corroborate the relationship between health and occupation and highlight elements, such as the environment and context, that are important in occupational therapy. Therapists’ ability to analyze occupation in relation to contextual and cultural factors will benefit clients.

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Oxygenation of the Prefrontal Cortex during Memory Interference

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm8122055 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (12) ◽

pp. 2055 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lindsay Crawford ◽

Liye Zou ◽

Paul D. Loprinzi

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Null Hypothesis ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Memory Task ◽

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Moderate Evidence ◽

Memory Interference ◽

Study Participants ◽

Future Work ◽

The Relationship

Background: Memory interference occurs when information (or memory) to be retrieved is interrupted by competing stimuli. Proactive interference (PI) occurs when previously acquired information interferes with newly acquired information, whereas retroactive interference (RI) occurs when newly acquired information interferes with previously acquired information. In animal paradigms, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been shown to help facilitate pattern separation, and ultimately, attenuate memory interference. Research evaluating the role of the PFC on memory interference among humans is, however, limited. The present study evaluated the relationship between PFC oxygenation on memory interference among humans, with the null hypothesis being that there is no association between PFC oxygenation and memory interference. Methods: A total of 74 participants (Mage = 20.8 years) completed the study. Participants completed a computerized memory interference task using the AB-DE AC-FG paradigm, with PFC oxyhemoglobin levels measured via functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Results: For PI, the change in oxygenated hemoglobin for encoding list 1 and retrieval of list 1 showed moderate evidence for the null hypothesis (BF01 = 4.05 and 3.28, respectively). For RI, the Bayesian analysis also established moderate evidence for the null hypothesis across all memory task time points. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates evidence of the null hypothesis regarding the relationship between PFC oxygenation and memory interference. Future work should continue to investigate this topic to identify mechanistic correlates of memory interference.

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The relationship between approaches to study and academic performance among Australian undergraduate occupational therapy students

Australian Occupational Therapy Journal ◽

10.1111/1440-1630.12340 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 64 (3) ◽

pp. 218-225 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ted Brown ◽

Yuki Murdolo

Keyword(s):

Academic Performance ◽

Occupational Therapy ◽

Occupational Therapy Students ◽

Approaches To Study ◽

The Relationship

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Changes in flow experience among occupational therapy students: a 1-year longitudinal study

Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions ◽

10.3352/jeehp.2014.11.14 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

pp. 14

Author(s):

Kazuki Hirao

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Occupational Therapy ◽

Daily Life ◽

Further Education ◽

Flow Experience ◽

Occupational Therapy Students ◽

Baseline Values ◽

The Mean ◽

International University

Purpose: The purpose of this 1-year longitudinal study is to investigate the change in flow experience among occupational therapy students (OTS). Methods: In December 2012, we prospectively recruited 97 OTS from the Department of Occupational Therapy, Kibi International University. To assess flow experience in daily life, we used the Flow Experience Checklist. Results: The dataset included 87 OTS, of which 75 participated in the assessment at 1 year (follow-up rate, 86.2%). The mean age at baseline of 45 male and 30 female OTS was 19.59±1.1 years (range, 18 to 24 years). A comparison of the ‘frequency of flow experience’ showed significant differences between baseline values and those after 1 year (December 2013) among male OTS (P<0.05). Conclusion: The present results indicate that, for male OTS, the frequency of flow was significantly reduced after 1 year compared with baseline values. This finding suggests the need for further education to increase the frequency of flow among male OTS.

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fNIRS Monitoring of Infant Prefrontal Cortex During Crawling and an Executive Functioning Task

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnbeh.2021.675366 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Hannah Weibley ◽

Mina Di Filippo ◽

Xinran Liu ◽

Lillian Lazenby ◽

Jackson Goscha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Hemoglobin Concentration ◽

Blood Oxygenation ◽

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Attention Task ◽

Total Hemoglobin ◽

Measured Activity ◽

Total Hemoglobin Concentration

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)is a brain-imaging technology used to reveal brain activity by measuring blood oxygenation. Using fNIRS we measured activity in the left prefrontal lobe of 8–14 month-old infants as they crawled or were pushed in a stroller and as they were given a passive attention task or an active executive function (EF) task. For each task, we measured peak total hemoglobin concentration and peak Oxy relative to baseline. Results revealed differences in peak Oxy levels for crawling vs. strolling and between the EF and passive cognitive tasks, with total hemoglobin greater for the EF task than the passive attention task. These results support the theoretical view that both active locomotion and EF engage the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during early development.

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