Therapists’ Experiences With the Effectiveness and Feasibility of Videoconference-Based Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

Research on the effectiveness and applicability of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) via videoconference is sparse. Considering the emerging use of internet-based psychotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic, information on videoconference-based EMDR (eEMDR) would be beneficial for many therapists. In this study, 23 therapists from the EMDR-Institute in Germany provided information about their experiences with eEMDR in a questionnaire-based survey. Information on the effectiveness and the course of 102 eEMDR sessions was recorded. Results showed the potential of eEMDR as an effective and viable method. The decrease in the subjective unit of disturbance (SUD), which is an important indicator of treatment outcome, was found to be at a similar level compared to that of previous EMDR studies that were not administered in eEMDR format. The most important predictor of the SUD decrease was the type of bilateral stimulation used in eEMDR sessions. Eye movements resulted in significantly greater SUD reductions than tapping. Perceived disadvantages and impediments for the implementation of eEMDR were mainly of bureaucratic and technical concerns. In addition, about one-third of the therapists stated that some patients were not willing to engage in eEMDR. In our study, eEMDR proved to be a practically applicable therapy method and therefore, therapists can consider using eEMDR. These findings will hopefully encourage EMDR therapists and their patients to use eEMDR due to its effectiveness and viability as an online treatment approach.

Augmenting ideational fluency in a creativity task across multiple transcranial direct current stimulation montages

Neuroimaging and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) research has revealed that generating novel ideas is associated with both reductions and increases in prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity, and engagement of posterior occipital cortex, among other regions. However, there is substantial variability in the robustness of these tDCS‐induced effects due to heterogeneous sample sizes, different creativity measures, and methodological diversity in the application of tDCS across laboratories. To address these shortcomings, we used twelve different montages within a standardized tDCS protocol to investigate how altering activity in frontotemporal and occipital cortex impacts creative thinking. Across four experiments, 246 participants generated either the common or an uncommon use for 60 object pictures while undergoing tDCS. Participants also completed a control short-term memory task. We applied active tDCS for 20 min at 1.5 mA through two 5 cm × 5 cm electrodes over left or right ventrolateral prefrontal (areas F7, F8) or occipital (areas O1, O2) cortex, concurrent bilateral stimulation of these regions across polarities, or sham stimulation. Cathodal stimulation of the left, but not right, ventrolateral PFC improved fluency in creative idea generation, but had no effects on originality, as approximated by measures of semantic distance. No effects were obtained for the control tasks. Concurrent bilateral stimulation of the ventrolateral PFC regardless of polarity direction, and excitatory stimulation of occipital cortex did not alter task performance. Highlighting the importance of cross-experimental methodological consistency, these results extend our past findings and contribute to our understanding of the role of left PFC in creative thinking.

Ultra-Low-Level Laser Stimulation of LU7 Lieque Promotes Breath Functionality: Could it be of help in Covid 19 Rehabilitation? - A Multiple Case Report

The burden of post COVID rehabilitation is and will be a strong concern for healthcare stakeholders. The Traditional Chinese Medicine is suggesting the application of acupuncture as a dependable tool to be inserted in the rehabilitation project. Libralux, an ultra-low-level-laser stimulator has proven its effectiveness as acupuncture stimulator. In this paper we report the respiratory cycle modifications obtained through the stimulation with Libralux of the acupoint LU7 LieQue of three healthy individuals. Modifications were observed instrumentally by means of an innovative high-resolution camera plotting the chest expansion vs. time. The results demonstrate a remarkable increase in respiration depth and in the contemporary reduction of the respiration frequency within 20 minutes from the 20 sec bilateral stimulation of LU7 LieQue acupoint. The worthiness of a specific full double-blind trial is suggested also in view of the marginal contra-indications, the rapid execution and, most of all, the great potential benefit of the inclusion of a laser acupunctural stimulation in the post COVID rehabilitation project.

Interaural place-of-stimulation mismatch estimates using CT scans and binaural perception, but not pitch, are consistent in cochlear-implant users

ABSTRACTBilateral cochlear implants (BI-CIs) or a CI for single-sided deafness (SSD; one normally functioning acoustic ear) can partially restore spatial-hearing abilities including sound localization and speech understanding when there are competing sounds. However for these populations, frequency information is not explicitly aligned across the ears, resulting in interaural place-of-stimulation mismatch. This diminishes spatial-hearing abilities because binaural encoding occurs in interaurally frequency-matched neurons. This study examined whether plasticity – the reorganization of central neural pathways over time – can compensate for peripheral interaural place mismatch. We hypothesized differential plasticity across two systems: none for binaural processing but adaptation toward the frequencies delivered by the specific electrodes for sequential pitch perception. Interaural place mismatch was evaluated in 43 human subjects (20 BI-CI and 23 SSD-CI, both sexes) using interaural-time-difference (ITD) discrimination (simultaneous bilateral stimulation), place-pitch ranking (sequential bilateral stimulation), and physical electrode- location estimates from computed-tomography (CT) scans. On average, CT scans revealed relatively little BI-CI interaural place mismatch (26° insertion-angle mismatch), but relatively large SSD-CI mismatch, particularly at the apical end of the array (166° for an electrode tuned to 300 Hz, decreasing to 14° at 7000 Hz). ITD and CT measurements were in agreement, suggesting little binaural-system plasticity to mismatch. The pitch measurements did not agree with the binaural and CT measurements, suggesting plasticity for pitch encoding or procedural biases. The combined results show that binaural processing may be optimized by using CT-scan information, but not pitch measurements, to program the CI frequency allocation to reduce interaural place mismatch.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTPlacement of electrode arrays in users of cochlear implants (CIs; bionic auditory prostheses that partially restore hearing) does not align the frequency information to acoustic neural encoding across the ears. This interaural place-of-stimulation mismatch diminishes spatial hearing abilities. This study shows that for experienced adult CI users with two CIs or with one CI and one normal-hearing ear, the best possible binaural sensitivity occurs when the same cochlear location is stimulated in both ears. This means that binaural brainstem pathways do not experience “plasticity” to compensate for interaural place mismatch – i.e., they do not reorganize to respond to input from different cochlear places. Therefore, explicit correction of interaural place mismatch by a clinician is necessary to derive maximum spatial-hearing benefits.

Using EMDR Therapy to Treat Clients Remotely

During the COVID-19 pandemic, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapists have been faced with the choice of either abruptly terminating therapy with their clients or moving to working remotely, usually by videoconferencing. This poses particular challenges to therapists who may have never worked online. The standard EMDR protocol can be effectively delivered remotely when therapists are aware of how to make necessary adaptations. Based on clinical and supervision practice, this article describes ways in which EMDR therapists can adapt their ways of working in order to work effectively with clients remotely. This ensures that clients can still benefit from this effective and evidence-based treatment during a global health crisis. It suggests a number of ways in which bilateral stimulation can be achieved remotely, as well as discussing special considerations which arise with online therapeutic work. It considers adaptations which need to be made at each stage of EMDR therapy. It uses case examples from children and adults to illustrate how these adaptations work in real life. The case examples discussed in this article are illustrative of the techniques and adaptations necessary for remote EMDR and therefore reflect composites rather than individuals.

Effect of Modulating DLPFC Activity on Antisocial and Prosocial Behavior: Evidence From a tDCS Study

Antisocial behavior and prosocial behavior in the condition of inequality have long been observed in daily life. Understanding the neurological mechanisms and brain regions associated with antisocial and prosocial behavior and the development of new interventions are important for reducing violence and inequality. Fortunately, neurocognitive research and brain imaging research have found a correlation between antisocial or prosocial behavior and the prefrontal cortex. Recent brain stimulation research adopting transcranial direct current stimulation or transcranial magnetic stimulation has shown a causal relationship between brain regions and behaviors, but the findings are mixed. In the present study, we aimed to study whether stimulation of the DLPFC can change participants’ antisocial and prosocial behavior in the condition of inequality. We integrated antisocial and prosocial behavior in a unified paradigm. Based on this paradigm, we discussed costly and cost-free antisocial and prosocial behavior. In addition, we also measured participants’ disadvantageous and advantageous inequality aversion. The current study revealed an asymmetric effect of bilateral stimulation over the DLPFC on costly antisocial behavior, while such an effect of antisocial behavior without cost and prosocial behavior with and without cost were not observed. Moreover, costly antisocial behavior exhibited by men increased after receiving right anodal/left cathodal stimulation and decreased after receiving right cathodal anodal/left anodal stimulation compared with the behavior observed under sham stimulation. However, subjects’ inequality aversion was not influenced by tDCS.

The Effect of Unilateral and Bilateral Electrical Stimulation of the Brain on Improving the Balance of the Elderly

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of unilateral and bilateral electrical stimulation of the brain on balance in the elderly. Methods & Materials: Thirty-six elderly in Ilam City, Iran, participated in the study. In the pretest, the static balance was taken, and then the participants were randomly divided into three groups: unilateral brain stimulation, bilateral brain stimulation, and sham. The intervention took in 3 sessions. In the unilateral stimulation group, the anode electrode was positioned at the O point, and the cathode was above the left ophthalmic cavity (FP1). In the bilateral stimulation group, the anode electrode was positioned at O1, and the cathode was positioned at O2. The intensity of stimulation was 2 mA, and the duration of treatment was 15 minutes per session. In the control group, the anode and cathode electrodes were placed on the O and FP1 points, respectively, but the excitation current was stopped after 30 seconds. After the last training session, the posttest was performed. The obtained data were analyzed using 1-way ANOVA. Results: The Results showed no statistically significant difference between the three groups in the pretest phase (P<0.535). But at posttest, there was a difference between groups (P<0.002). Post-hoc test Results showed a difference between unilateral stimulation with the control group (P=0.001) and bilateral stimulation with the control group (P=0.005). But there was no significant difference between the unilateral stimulation group and the bilateral stimulation group (P=0.599). Conclusion: Unilaterally and bilaterally, cerebellar stimulation can be improved in the elderly.