scholarly journals Analysis of Light Grip Influence on Standing Posture

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (24) ◽  
pp. 8191
Author(s):  
Angélina Bellicha ◽  
Andrés Trujillo-León ◽  
Fabien Vérité ◽  
Wael Bachta

Upright posture control and gait are essential for achieving autonomous daily living activities. Postural control of upright posture relies, among others, on the integration of various sensory information. In this context, light touch (LT) and light grip (LG) of a stationary object provide an additional haptic sensory input that helps to reduce postural sway. When LG was studied through the grasp of a cane, the sensory role of this assistive tool was often limited to a mediation interface. Its role was restricted to transmit the interaction forces between its tip and the ground to the hand. While most studies involve participants standing in an unstable way, such as the tandem stance, in this paper we study LG from a different perspective. We attached a handle of a cane firmly to a stationary support. Thus, we can focus on the role of the hand receptors in the LG mechanism. LG condition was ensured through the tactile information gathered by FSR sensors placed on the handle surface. Moreover, participants involved in our study stood in a usual way. The study involved twelve participants in an experiment composed of two conditions: standing relaxed while lightly gripping an equipped handle attached to the ground, and standing in the same way without gripping the handle. Spatial and frequency analyses confirmed the results reported in the literature with other approaches.

Sensory messages are examined as electromagnetic waves clearly identified by our senses, consisting of interacting electric and magnetic currents or fields and having distinctive wavelengths, energy, and frequency. Further text discusses modes of gathering information and communication that include sensory responses to electromagnetic waves, visible vibrations exemplified by cymatics, the pitch response, the senses of vision, smell, touch, and taste, all of them further expanded by the developments in current technologies. The sense of numbers is examined next, involving numerical and verbal cognition and communication with the use of numerals. Sensitivity, spatial abilities, and the threshold of sensory information make a part of the issues about biology-inspired computational solutions for enhancing our particular or synesthetic abilities, and the role of imagination in biology-inspired research and technology, learning, and teaching. The role of the sensory input in art, which pertains in some extent to individual curiosity and sensibility, concludes the chapter.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexia Bourgeois ◽  
Carole Guedj ◽  
Emmanuel Carrera ◽  
Patrik Vuilleumier

Selective attention is a fundamental cognitive function that guides behavior by selecting and prioritizing salient or relevant sensory information of our environment. Despite early evidence and theoretical proposal pointing to an implication of thalamic control in attention, most studies in the past two decades focused on cortical substrates, largely ignoring the contribution of subcortical regions as well as cortico-subcortical interactions. Here, we suggest a key role of the pulvinar in the selection of salient and relevant information via its involvement in priority maps computation. Prioritization may be achieved through a pulvinar- mediated generation of alpha oscillations, which may then modulate neuronal gain in thalamo-cortical circuits. Such mechanism might orchestrate the synchrony of cortico-cortical interaction, by rendering neural communication more effective, precise and selective. We propose that this theoretical framework will support a timely shift from the prevailing cortico- centric view of cognition to a more integrative perspective of thalamic contributions to attention and executive control processes.


Author(s):  
Mark Grimshaw-Aagaard

Mark Grimshaw-Aagaard addresses the role of sound in the creation of presence in virtual and actual worlds. He argues that imagination is a central part of the generation and selection of perceptual hypotheses—models of the world in which we can act—that emerge from what Grimshaw-Aagaard calls the “exo-environment” (the sensory input) and the “endo-environment” (the cognitive input). Grimshaw-Aagaard further divides the exo-environment into a primarily auditory and a primarily visual dimension and he deals with the actual world of his own apartment and the virtual world of first-person-shooter computer games in order to exemplify how we perceptually construct an environment that allows for the creation of presence.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingzhao Su ◽  
Junhua Liu ◽  
Baocong Yu ◽  
Kaixing Zhou ◽  
Congli Sun ◽  
...  

AbstractThe rodent whisker-barrel cortex system has been established as an ideal model for studying sensory information integration. The barrel cortex consists of barrel and septa columns that receive information input from the lemniscal and paralemniscal pathways, respectively. Layer 5a is involved in both barrel and septa circuits and play a key role in information integration. However, the role of layer 5a in the development of the barrel cortex remains unclear. Previously, we found that calretinin is dynamically expressed in layer 5a. In this study, we analyzed calretinin KO mice and found that the dendritic complexity and length of layer 5a pyramidal neurons were significantly decreased after calretinin ablation. The membrane excitability and excitatory synaptic transmission of layer 5a neurons were increased. Consequently, the organization of the barrels was impaired. Moreover, layer 4 spiny stellate cells were not able to properly gather, leading to abnormal formation of barrel walls as the ratio of barrel/septum size obviously decreased. Calretinin KO mice exhibited deficits in exploratory and whisker-associated tactile behaviors as well as social novelty preference. Our study expands our knowledge of layer 5a pyramidal neurons in the formation of barrel walls and deepens the understanding of the development of the whisker-barrel cortex system.


2000 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trish Wielandt ◽  
Jenny Strong

This article describes a literature review that examined the topic of the postdischarge compliance of individuals with prescribed adaptive equipment. Assisting individuals to accomplish tasks relevant to their activities of daily living and thereby achieve functional independence is central to the role of occupational therapy. The prescription of adaptive equipment is a frequently used intervention. The rationale for prescribing adaptive equipment is that it maximises a client's functional potential, allows for independence in activities of daily living and fosters confidence as a result of being able to accomplish such tasks. All studies that surveyed compliance with prescribed adaptive equipment between 1963 and 1996 were reviewed. The factors that reportedly affect compliance by individuals can be considered under five discrete categories: medical-related, client-related, equipment-related, assessment-related and training-related. On the basis of the findings of this literature review, recommendations are made for further research, specifically investigating methods that therapists could incorporate into current practice to address the problem of non-compliance with prescribed adaptive equipment.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Falk ◽  
Maria Uldall ◽  
Anne-Marie Heegaard

Cancer-induced bone pain severely compromises the quality of life of many patients suffering from bone metastasis, as current therapies leave some patients with inadequate pain relief. The recent development of specific animal models has increased the understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying cancer-induced bone pain including the involvement of ATP and the purinergic receptors in the progression of the pain state. In nociception, ATP acts as an extracellular messenger to transmit sensory information both at the peripheral site of tissue damage and in the spinal cord. Several of the purinergic receptors have been shown to be important for the development and maintenance of neuropathic and inflammatory pain, and studies have demonstrated the importance of both peripheral and central mechanisms. We here provide an overview of the current literature on the role of purinergic receptors in cancer-induced bone pain with emphasis on some of the difficulties related to studying this complex pain state.


2004 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick Grush

The emulation theory of representation is developed and explored as a framework that can revealingly synthesize a wide variety of representational functions of the brain. The framework is based on constructs from control theory (forward models) and signal processing (Kalman filters). The idea is that in addition to simply engaging with the body and environment, the brain constructs neural circuits that act as models of the body and environment. During overt sensorimotor engagement, these models are driven by efference copies in parallel with the body and environment, in order to provide expectations of the sensory feedback, and to enhance and process sensory information. These models can also be run off-line in order to produce imagery, estimate outcomes of different actions, and evaluate and develop motor plans. The framework is initially developed within the context of motor control, where it has been shown that inner models running in parallel with the body can reduce the effects of feedback delay problems. The same mechanisms can account for motor imagery as the off-line driving of the emulator via efference copies. The framework is extended to account for visual imagery as the off-line driving of an emulator of the motor-visual loop. I also show how such systems can provide for amodal spatial imagery. Perception, including visual perception, results from such models being used to form expectations of, and to interpret, sensory input. I close by briefly outlining other cognitive functions that might also be synthesized within this framework, including reasoning, theory of mind phenomena, and language.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Wilkinson ◽  
Eleanor Gore ◽  
Jared Palmer ◽  
Luke Baker ◽  
Emma Watson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background and Aims Individuals living with CKD are characterised by adverse changes in physical function. Knowledge of the factors that mediate impairments in physical functioning is crucial for developing effective interventions that preserve mobility and future independence. Mechanical muscle power describes the rate of performing work and is the product of muscular force and velocity of contraction. Muscle power has been shown to have stronger associations with functional limitations and mortality than sarcopenia in older adults. In CKD, the role of mechanical muscle power is poorly understood and is overlooked as a target in many rehabilitation programmes, often at the expense of muscle mass or strength. The aims of this study were to 1) explore the prevalence of low absolute mechanical power, low relative mechanical power, and low specific mechanical power in CKD; and 2) investigate the association of mechanical power with the ability to complete activities of daily living and physical performance. Method Mechanical muscle power (relative, allometric, specific) was calculated using the sit-to-stand-5 (STS5) test as per previously validated equations. Legs lean mass was derived from regional analyses conducted using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Physical performance was assessed using two objective tests: usual gait speed and the ‘time-up-and-go’ (TUAG) test. Self-reported activities of daily living (ADLs) were assessed via the Duke Activity Status Index (DASI). Balance and postural stability (postural sway and velocity) was assessed using a FysioMeter. Sex-specific tertiles were used to determine low, medium and high levels of relative STS power and its main components. Results 102 participants with non-dialysis CKD were included (mean age: 62.0 (±14.1) years, n=49 males (48%), mean eGFR: 38.0 (±21.5) ml.min.1.73m2). The mean estimated relative power was 3.1 (±1.5) W.kg in females and 3.3 (±1.3) W.kg in males. Low relative power was found in 35/102 (34%) patients. Relative power was a significant independent predictor of self-reported ADLs (via the DASI) (B=.413, P=.004), and performance on the TUAG (B=-.719, P<.001) and gait speed (B=.404, P=.003) tests. Skeletal muscle mass was not associated with the DASI or any of the objective function tests Conclusion Patients presenting with low muscle power would benefit from participation in appropriate interventions designed to improve the physiological components accounting for low relative muscle power. Assessment of power can be used to tailor renal rehabilitation programmes as shown in Figure 1. Incorporation of power-based training, a novel type of strength training, designed by manipulating traditional strength training variables and primarily movement velocity and training intensity may present the best strategy for improving physical function in CKD.


1999 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-109
Author(s):  
Reginald L. Reginella ◽  
Mark S. Redfern ◽  
Joseph M. Furman

Sensory information from lightly touching a reference with the hand is known to influence postural sway in young adults. The primary aim of this study was to compare the influence of finger contact (FC) with an earth-fixed reference to the influence of FC with a body-fixed reference. A second goal of this study was to determine if FC is used differently by older adults compared to younger adults. Using a force plate, center of pressure at the feet was recorded from blindfolded young and older subjects during several conditions. Subjects either did or did not lightly touch a force-sensitive plate that was either earth-fixed or moved forward and backward in synchrony with body sway (that is, sway-referenced). In addition, support surface conditions were also varied, including a fixed floor and a sway-referenced floor using an EquitestTM. Results showed that the type of FC, floor condition, and age each had an effect on postural sway. Touching an earth-fixed plate decreased postural sway as compared to no touching, while touching a sway-referenced plate incresased sway. This influence of FC was enhanced when the floor was sway-referenced. Although older subjects swayed more than young subjects overall, no age-FC interactions occurred, indicating that FC was not utilized differently between the age groups. This study suggests that FC cannot be disregarded as erroneous, especially when proprioceptive information from the legs is distorted. Further, FC is integrated with other sensory information by the postural control system similarly in young and older persons.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document