scholarly journals Changes in Brain Responses to Music and Non-music Sounds Following Creativity Training Within the “Different Hearing” Program

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Arkhipova ◽  
Pavel Hok ◽  
Jan Valošek ◽  
Markéta Trnečková ◽  
Gabriela Všetičková ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Creative Thinking ◽  
Music Perception ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Educational Activity ◽  
Button Press ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Brain Response ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Musical Sound

The “Different Hearing” program (DHP) is an educational activity aimed at stimulating musical creativity of children and adults by group composing in the classroom, alternative to the mainstream model of music education in Czechia. Composing in the classroom in the DHP context does not use traditional musical instruments or notation, instead, the participants use their bodies, sounds originating from common objects as well as environmental sounds as the “elements” for music composition by the participants’ team, with the teacher initiating and then participating and coordinating the creative process, which ends with writing down a graphical score and then performing the composition in front of an audience. The DHP methodology works with a wide definition of musical composition. We hypothesized that the DHP short-term (2 days) intense workshop would induce changes in subjective appreciation of different classes of music and sound (including typical samples of music composed in the DHP course), as well as plastic changes of the brain systems engaged in creative thinking and music perception, in their response to diverse auditory stimuli. In our study, 22 healthy university students participated in the workshop over 2 days and underwent fMRI examinations before and after the workshop, meanwhile 24 students were also scanned twice as a control group. During fMRI, each subject was listening to musical and non-musical sound samples, indicating their esthetic impression with a button press after each sample. As a result, participants’ favorable feelings toward non-musical sound samples were significantly increased only in the active group. fMRI data analyzed using ANOVA with post hoc ROI analysis showed significant group-by-time interaction (opposing trends in the two groups) in the bilateral posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus, which are functional hubs of the default mode network (DMN) and in parts of the executive, motor, and auditory networks. The findings suggest that DHP training modified the behavioral and brain response to diverse sound samples, differentially changing the engagement of functional networks known to be related to creative thinking, namely, increasing DMN activation and decreasing activation of the executive network.

scholarly journals Entrainment, theory of mind, and prosociality in child musicians

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 205920431775315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Ilari ◽  
Cara Fesjian ◽  
Assal Habibi
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Age At Onset ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Prosocial Skills ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Sports Programs ◽  
The Mind

In this study, we tracked the development of rhythmic entrainment, prosociality, and theory of mind skills in children attending music and sports programs and in a control group over the course of three years. Forty-five children (mean age at onset = 81 months) drummed in two contextual conditions – alone and social – completed the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test and prosocial tasks (helping and sharing). All children improved in their ability to entrain to external rhythms over time, with the music group outperforming controls in the entrainment-social condition. Developmental effects were found for theory of mind, but no significant group differences. Although there were no significant group differences for prosociality, following three years of music education, entrainment scores in the alone condition were positively correlated with the number of stickers that children in the music group gave to friends. Results are discussed in light of the nature of collective music learning through ensemble participation and its role in the development of social-cognitive and prosocial skills in childhood.

scholarly journals Increased Resting-State Interhemispheric Functional Connectivity of Posterior Superior Temporal Gyrus and Posterior Cingulate Cortex in Congenital Amusia

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhishuai Jin ◽  
Sizhu Huyang ◽  
Lichen Jiang ◽  
Yajun Yan ◽  
Ming Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Music Perception ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Posterior Cingulate ◽  
Congenital Amusia

Interhemispheric connectivity of the two cerebral hemispheres is crucial for a broad repertoire of cognitive functions including music and language. Congenital amusia has been reported as a neurodevelopment disorder characterized by impaired music perception and production. However, little is known about the characteristics of the interhemispheric functional connectivity (FC) in amusia. In the present study, we used a newly developed voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) method to investigate the interhemispheric FC of the whole brain in amusia at resting-state. Thirty amusics and 29 matched participants underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning. An automated VMHC approach was used to analyze the fMRI data. Compared to the control group, amusics showed increased VMHC within the posterior part of the default mode network (DMN) mainly in the posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Correlation analyses revealed negative correlations between the VMHC value in pSTG/PCC and the music perception ability among amusics. Further ROC analyses showed that the VMHC value of pSTG/PCC showed a good sensibility/specificity to differentiate the amusics from the controls. These findings provide a new perspective for understanding the neural basis of congenital amusia and imply the immature state of DMN may be a credible neural marker of amusia.

scholarly journals Greater Power but Not Strength Gains Using Flywheel Versus Equivolumed Traditional Strength Training in Junior Basketball Players

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 1181
Author(s):  
Marko D. M. Stojanović ◽  
Mladen Mikić ◽  
Patrik Drid ◽  
Julio Calleja-González ◽  
Nebojša Maksimović ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Strength Training ◽  
Training Group ◽  
T Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Basketball Players ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Sprint Time ◽  
Change Of Direction ◽  
Time Interaction ◽  
And Control

The main aim of the present study was to compare the effects of flywheel strength training and traditional strength training on fitness attributes. Thirty-six well trained junior basketball players (n = 36; 17.58 ± 0.50 years) were recruited and randomly allocated into: Flywheel group (FST; n = 12), traditional strength training group (TST; n = 12) and control group (CON; n = 12). All groups attended 5 basketball practices and one official match a week during the study period. Experimental groups additionally participated in the eight-week, 1–2 d/w equivolume intervention conducted using a flywheel device (inertia = 0.075 kg·m−2) for FST or free weights (80%1 RM) for TST. Pre-to post changes in lower limb isometric strength (ISOMET), 5 and 20 m sprint time (SPR5m and SPR20m), countermovement jump height (CMJ) and change of direction ability (t-test) were assessed with analyses of variance (3 × 2 ANOVA). Significant group-by-time interaction was found for ISOMET (F = 6.40; p = 0.000), CMJ (F = 7.45; p = 0.001), SPR5m (F = 7.45; p = 0.010) and T test (F = 10.46; p = 0.000). The results showed a significantly higher improvement in CMJ (p = 0.006; 11.7% vs. 6.8%), SPR5m (p = 0.001; 10.3% vs. 5.9%) and t-test (p = 0.045; 2.4% vs. 1.5%) for FST compared to the TST group. Simultaneously, th FST group had higher improvement in ISOMET (p = 0.014; 18.7% vs. 2.9%), CMJ (p = 0.000; 11.7% vs. 0.3%), SPR5m (p = 0.000; 10.3% vs. 3.4%) and t-test (p = 0.000; 2.4% vs. 0.6%) compared to the CON group. Players from the TST group showed better results in CMJ (p = 0.006; 6.8% vs. 0.3%) and t-test (p = 0.018; 1.5% vs. 0.6%) compared to players from the CON group. No significant group-by-time interaction was found for sprint 20 m (F = 2.52; p = 0.088). Eight weeks of flywheel training (1–2 sessions per week) performed at maximum concentric intensity induces superior improvements in CMJ, 5 m sprint time and change of direction ability than equivolumed traditional weight training in well trained junior basketball players. Accordingly, coaches and trainers could be advised to use flywheel training for developing power related performance attributes in young basketball players.

How negative mood hinders belief updating in depression: results from two experimental studies

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Tobias Kube ◽  
Lukas Kirchner ◽  
Thomas Gärtner ◽  
Julia Anna Glombiewski
Keyword(s):  
Performance Feedback ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Belief Updating ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Negative Beliefs ◽  
Clinically Depressed ◽  
Happy Mood

Abstract Background In two experimental studies, we tested the hypothesis that negative mood would hinder the revision of negative beliefs in response to unexpectedly positive information in depression, whereas positive mood was expected to enhance belief updating. Methods In study 1 (N = 101), we used a subclinical sample to compare the film-based induction of sad v. happy mood with a distraction control group. Subsequently, participants underwent a well-established paradigm to examine intra-individual changes in performance-related expectations after unexpectedly positive performance feedback. In study 2, we applied the belief-updating task from study 1 to an inpatient sample (N = 81) and induced sad v. happy mood via film-clips v. recall of autobiographic events. Results The results of study 1 showed no significant group differences in belief updating; the severity of depressive symptoms was a negative predictor of belief revision, though, and there was a non-significant trend suggesting that the presence of sad mood hindered belief updating in the subgroup of participants with a diagnosed depressive episode. Study 2 revealed that participants updated their expectations significantly less in line with positive feedback when they underwent the induction of negative mood prior to feedback, relative to positive mood. Conclusions By indicating that the presence of negative mood can hinder the revision of negative beliefs in clinically depressed people, our findings suggest that learning from new experiences can be hampered if state negative mood is activated. Thus, interventions relying on learning from novel positive experiences should aim at reducing state negative mood in depression.

The impact of a music education program on meta-musical awareness, logical-mathematical, and notational skills in preschoolers

2021 ◽  
pp. 025576142110272
Author(s):  
Oriana Incognito ◽  
Laura Scaccioni ◽  
Giuliana Pinto
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Musical Training ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Transfer Of Knowledge ◽  
General Domain ◽  
Music Program ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact

A number of studies suggest a link between musical training and both specific and general cognitive abilities, but despite some positive results, there is disagreement about which abilities are improved. This study aims to investigate the effects of a music education program both on a domain-specific competence (meta-musical awareness), and on general domain competences, that is, cognitive abilities (logical-mathematical) and symbolic-linguistic abilities (notational). Twenty 4- to 6-year-old children participated in the research, divided into two groups (experimental and control) and the measures were administered at two different times, before and after a 6-month music program (for the experimental group) and after a sports training program (for the control group). Children performed meta-musical awareness tasks, logical-mathematical tasks, and emergent-alphabetization tasks. Non-parametric statistics show that a music program significantly improves the development of notational skills and meta-musical awareness while not the development of logical-mathematical skills. These results show that a musical program increases children’s meta-musical awareness, and their ability to acquire the notational ability involved in the invented writing of words and numbers. On the contrary, it does not affect the development of logical skills. The results are discussed in terms of transfer of knowledge processes and of specific versus general domain effects of a musical program.

scholarly journals Effect of Raja Yoga Meditation on the Distress and Anxiety Levels of Women with Breast Cancer

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 590
Author(s):  
Raquel Vilanova Araújo ◽  
Ana Fátima Carvalho Fernandes ◽  
Regina Célia Vilanova Campelo ◽  
Renan Alves Silva ◽  
Inez Sampaio Nery
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Vital Signs ◽  
Educational Activity ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Controlled Clinical Trial ◽  
Specialized Center ◽  
Care Practices ◽  
Anxiety Depression ◽  
Yoga Meditation

Objective: To evaluate the effect of Raja yoga meditation on the level of distress and anxiety in women with breast cancer. Method: A randomized, controlled, clinical trial was carried out in a specialized center between February and December 2019. The patients in the intervention group (n = 25) participated in four group meditation sessions for one month, and the participants in the control group (n = 25) were exposed to an educational activity for the same period and frequency. Cohen’s d was used to evaluate the effect size. Results: A significant reduction in the level of distress and anxiety was found in the intervention group (p < 0.001). The effect of meditation was average in reducing distress, anxiety, depression, and vital signs. There was also an average effect on the increase in saturation of peripheral oxygen (SPO2). Conclusion: The practice of meditation reduced distress and anxiety more effectively than the usual care practices.

Zoltán Kodály gives a hand to secondary school students in recorder performance and attitudes toward music in Turkey

2021 ◽  
pp. 025576142110059
Author(s):  
Alican Gülle ◽  
Cenk Akay ◽  
Nezaket Bilge Uzun
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Attitude Scale ◽  
Control Group ◽  
School Students ◽  
Service Training ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Attitudes Toward Music ◽  
Experimental Group

Kodály-inspired pedagogy enables students to participate effectively in a music course by engaging in active musical interactions with folk songs and melodies. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of Kodály-inspired pedagogy on recorder performance and attitudes toward music of secondary school students. A quasi-experimental design was used in the study. The experimental group was taught using Kodály-inspired pedagogy and the control group using the general music teaching methods for 9 weeks. A two-way mixed-design analysis of variance (ANOVA) and content analysis were used to analyze the data. A Recorder Performance Grading Key, music course attitude scale, and open-ended questions were used to collect the data. Consequently, the findings indicated that Kodály-inspired pedagogy had a significant effect on the students’ recorder performance but the researchers could not find a significant effect on students’ attitudes toward the music course. Moreover, students in the experimental group reported improvement in their recorder performance and attitudes toward music education. The researchers recommended including information about the implementation of Kodály-inspired pedagogy in music teacher textbooks, providing in-service training for teachers to enable them to use Kodály-inspired pedagogy.

Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of Gait Training Assisted by Multichannel Functional Electrical Stimulation in Early Stroke Rehabilitation: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-144
Author(s):  
Maijke van Bloemendaal ◽  
Sicco A. Bus ◽  
Frans Nollet ◽  
Alexander C. H. Geurts ◽  
Anita Beelen
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Functional Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Step Length ◽  
Gait Training ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Gait Symmetry ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
Walking Capacity ◽  
Experimental Group

Background. Many stroke survivors suffer from leg muscle paresis, resulting in asymmetrical gait patterns, negatively affecting balance control and energy cost. Interventions targeting asymmetry early after stroke may enhance recovery of walking. Objective. To determine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of up to 10 weeks of gait training assisted by multichannel functional electrical stimulation (MFES gait training) applied to the peroneal nerve and knee flexor or extensor muscle on the recovery of gait symmetry and walking capacity in patients starting in the subacute phase after stroke. Methods. Forty inpatient participants (≤31 days after stroke) were randomized to MFES gait training (experimental group) or conventional gait training (control group). Gait training was delivered in 30-minute sessions each workday. Feasibility was determined by adherence (≥75% sessions) and satisfaction with gait training (score ≥7 out of 10). Primary outcome for efficacy was step length symmetry. Secondary outcomes included other spatiotemporal gait parameters and walking capacity (Functional Gait Assessment and 10-Meter Walk Test). Linear mixed models estimated treatment effect postintervention and at 3-month follow-up. Results. Thirty-seven participants completed the study protocol (19 experimental group participants). Feasibility was confirmed by good adherence (90% of the participants) and participant satisfaction (median score 8). Both groups improved on all outcomes over time. No significant group differences in recovery were found for any outcome. Conclusions. MFES gait training is feasible early after stroke, but MFES efficacy for improving step length symmetry, other spatiotemporal gait parameters, or walking capacity could not be demonstrated. Trial Registration. Netherlands Trial Register (NTR4762).

Self-Management Micro-Video Health Education Program for Hemodialysis Patients

2021 ◽  
pp. 105477382110339
Author(s):  
Qingli Ren ◽  
Suhua Shi ◽  
Chen Yan ◽  
Yang Liu ◽  
Wei Han ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Hemodialysis Patients ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Group Comparison ◽  
Health Education Program ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Problem Solving Skills

Self-management in hemodialysis patients is critical; however, is generally low. This study aimed to examine the effects of a theory-based micro-video health education program on the improvement of self-management, hemodialysis knowledge, and self-efficacy in hemodialysis patients. A pre-test post-test control group quasi-experimental design was used to recruit 80 hemodialysis patients in a dialysis center. The participants were assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive routine care or a 3-month micro-video health education program. Between-group comparison showed that patients in the intervention group had significantly greater improvement in hemodialysis knowledge than those in the control group ( p < .05). However, no significant group differences were observed in terms of self-management and self-efficacy. Within-group comparison showed that the overall self-management level of patients in both groups improved significantly, particularly in problem-solving skills and self-care dimensions. Therefore, micro-video health education can improve the self-management and hemodialysis knowledge in Chinese patients undergoing hemodialysis. Trial Registration: Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with study number (ChiCTR1800018172; http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx ).

scholarly journals The Effect of a Food Addiction Explanation Model for Weight Control and Obesity on Weight Stigma

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry S. O’Brien ◽  
Rebecca M. Puhl ◽  
Janet D. Latner ◽  
Dermot Lynott ◽  
Jessica D. Reid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Control ◽  
Food Addiction ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Personal Control ◽  
Weight Stigma ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Significant Group Difference ◽  
Diet And Exercise ◽  
And Control

There is increasing scientific and public support for the notion that some foods may be addictive, and that poor weight control and obesity may, for some people, stem from having a food addiction. However, it remains unclear how a food addiction model (FAM) explanation for obesity and weight control will affect weight stigma. In two experiments (N = 530 and N = 690), we tested the effect of a food addiction explanation for obesity and weight control on weight stigma. In Experiment 1, participants who received a FAM explanation for weight control and obesity reported lower weight stigma scores (e.g., less dislike of ‘fat people’, and lower personal willpower blame) than those receiving an explanation emphasizing diet and exercise (F(4,525) = 7.675, p = 0.006; and F(4,525) = 5.393, p = 0.021, respectively). In Experiment 2, there was a significant group difference for the dislike of ‘fat people’ stigma measure (F(5,684) = 5.157, p = 0.006), but not for personal willpower weight stigma (F(5,684) = 0.217, p = 0.81). Participants receiving the diet and exercise explanation had greater dislike of ‘fat people’ than those in the FAM explanation and control group (p values < 0.05), with no difference between the FAM and control groups (p > 0.05). The FAM explanation for weight control and obesity did not increase weight stigma and resulted in lower stigma than the diet and exercise explanation that attributes obesity to personal control. The results highlight the importance of health messaging about the causes of obesity and the need for communications that do not exacerbate weight stigma.

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