Psychological Flow In A Physical Task

Psychological flow describes the mental phenomenon that takes place during intense engagement with a task (Jackson & Csikszentmihalyi, 1999). Its components have been operationalized through the development of the Flow State Scale (Jackson & Eklund, 2002). As feedback has been shown to be a critical element for the facilitation of a flow experience (Moneta, 2012), the current study sought to investigate the effect of differential feedback on psychological flow outcomes using the FSS as the dependent variable. The feedback manipulation featured three experimental groups; control, positive, and negative. This study also accounted for the personality trait of perfectionism as a variable influencing the experience of flow. Following the completion of a personality measure, participants engaged in a bolt threading task for ten minutes, then reported the time they perceived to have spent on the task as well as the outcome of their flow experience. The feedback conditions were created by the use of different size containers for participants to place their nut and bolt pairs in, and thus feedback was inherent in the task. The study found that feedback played an important role in the outcome of a flow experience. The positive feedback condition was more conducive to flow than the negative feedback condition. Furthermore, those in the positive condition outperformed those in the negative condition during the ten minutes. Goal clarity and feedback clarity differed significantly across feedback manipulations. Perfectionism¿s impact on the outcome of flow was more pronounced in the negative feedback condition than the positive or control conditions. In settings where engagement and performance are imperative, ample attention should be given to the feedback processes present in the situation.

Surgical planning tool for robotically assisted hearing aid implantation

PURPOSE : For the facilitation of minimally invasive robotically performed direct cochlea access (DCA) procedure, a surgical planning tool which enables the surgeon to define landmarks for patient-to-image registration, identify the necessary anatomical structures and define a safe DCA trajectory using patient image data (typically computed tomography (CT) or cone beam CT) is required. To this end, a dedicated end-to-end software planning system for the planning of DCA procedures that addresses current deficiencies has been developed. METHODS :    Efficient and robust anatomical segmentation is achieved through the implementation of semiautomatic algorithms; high-accuracy patient-to-image registration is achieved via an automated model-based fiducial detection algorithm and functionality for the interactive definition of a safe drilling trajectory based on case-specific drill positioning uncertainty calculations was developed. RESULTS :    The accuracy and safety of the presented software tool were validated during the conduction of eight DCA procedures performed on cadaver heads. The plan for each ear was completed in less than 20 min, and no damage to vital structures occurred during the procedures. The integrated fiducial detection functionality enabled final positioning accuracies of [Formula: see text] mm. CONCLUSIONS :    Results of this study demonstrated that the proposed software system could aid in the safe planning of a DCA tunnel within an acceptable time.

Aging and mental health in the decade ahead: What psychologists need to know

Until relatively recently, most psychologists have had limited professional involvement with older adults. With the baby boomers starting to turn 65 years old in 2011, sheer numbers of older adults will continue to increase. About 1 in 5 older adults has a mental disorder, such as dementia. Their needs for mental and behavioral health services are not now adequately met, and the decade ahead will require an approximate doubling of the current level of psychologists' time with older adults. Public policy in the coming decade will face tensions between cost containment and facilitation of integrated models of care. Most older adults who access mental health services do so in primary care settings, where interdisciplinary, collaborative models of care have been found to be quite effective. To meet the needs of the aging population, psychologists need to increase awareness of competencies for geropsychology practice and knowledge regarding dementia diagnosis, screening, and services. Opportunities for psychological practice are anticipated to grow in primary care, dementia and family caregiving services, decision-making-capacity evaluation, and end-of-life care. Aging is an aspect of diversity that can be integrated into psychology education across levels of training. Policy advocacy for geropsychology clinical services, education, and research remains critical. Psychologists have much to offer an aging society

Multiple time scales of temporal response in pyramidal and fast spiking cortical neurons

Neural dynamic processes correlated over several time scales are found in vivo, in stimulus-evoked as well as spontaneous activity, and are thought to affect the way sensory stimulation is processed. Despite their potential computational consequences, a systematic description of the presence of multiple time scales in single cortical neurons is lacking. In this study, we injected fast spiking and pyramidal (PYR) neurons in vitro with long-lasting episodes of step-like and noisy, in-vivo-like current. Several processes shaped the time course of the instantaneous spike frequency, which could be reduced to a small number (1-4) of phenomenological mechanisms, either reducing (adapting) or increasing (facilitating) the neuron's firing rate over time. The different adaptation/facilitation processes cover a wide range of time scales, ranging from initial adaptation (<10 ms, PYR neurons only), to fast adaptation (<300 ms), early facilitation (0.5-1 s, PYR only), and slow (or late) adaptation (order of seconds). These processes are characterized by broad distributions of their magnitudes and time constants across cells, showing that multiple time scales are at play in cortical neurons, even in response to stationary stimuli and in the presence of input fluctuations. These processes might be part of a cascade of processes responsible for the power-law behavior of adaptation observed in several preparations, and may have far-reaching computational consequences that have been recently described.

Gap junction channels and cardiac impulse propagation

The role of gap junction channels on cardiac impulse propagation is complex. This review focuses on the differential expression of connexins in the heart and the biophysical properties of gap junction channels under normal and disease conditions. Structural determinants of impulse propagation have been gained from biochemical and immunocytochemical studies performed on tissue extracts and intact cardiac tissue. These have defined the distinctive connexin coexpression patterns and relative levels in different cardiac tissues. Functional determinants of impulse propagation have emerged from electrophysiological experiments carried out on cell pairs. The static properties (channel number and conductance) limit the current flow between adjacent cardiomyocytes and thus set the basic conduction velocity. The dynamic properties (voltage-sensitive gating and kinetics of channels) are responsible for a modulation of the conduction velocity during propagated action potentials. The effect is moderate and depends on the type of Cx and channel. For homomeric-homotypic channels, the influence is small to medium; for homomeric-heterotypic channels, it is medium to strong. Since no data are currently available on heteromeric channels, their influence on impulse propagation is speculative. The modulation by gap junction channels is most prominent in tissues at the boundaries between cardiac tissues such as sinoatrial node-atrial muscle, atrioventricular node-His bundle, His bundle-bundle branch and Purkinje fibers-ventricular muscle. The data predict facilitation of orthodromic propagation.

Abnormality of motor cortex excitability in peripherally induced dystonia

It is widely accepted that peripheral trauma such as soft tissue injuries can trigger dystonia, although little is known about the underlying mechanism. Because peripheral injury only rarely appears to elicit dystonia, a predisposing vulnerability in cortical motor areas might play a role. Using single and paired-pulse pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation, we evaluated motor cortex excitability of a hand muscle in a patient with peripherally induced foot dystonia, in her brother with craniocervical dystonia, and in her unaffected sister, and compared their results to those from a group of normal subjects. In the patient with peripherally induced dystonia, we found a paradoxical intracortical facilitation at short interstimulus intervals of 3 and 5 milliseconds, at which regular intracortical inhibition (ICI) occurred in healthy subjects. These findings suggest that the foot dystonia may have been precipitated as the result of a preexisting abnormality of motor cortex excitability. Furthermore, the abnormality of ICI in her brother and sister indicates that altered motor excitability may be a hereditary predisposition. The study demonstrates that the paired-pulse technique is a useful tool to assess individual vulnerability, which can be particularly relevant when the causal association between trauma and dystonia is less evident.

Age and gender-dependent alternative splicing of P/Q-type calcium channel EF-hand

Ca(v)2.1 Ca(2+) channels (P/Q-type), which participate in various key roles in the CNS by mediating calcium influx, are extensively spliced. One of its alternatively-spliced exons is 37, which forms part of the EF hand. The expression of exon 37a (EFa form), but not exon 37b (EFb form), confers the channel an activity-dependent enhancement of channel opening known as Ca(2+)-dependent facilitation (CDF). In this study, we analyzed the trend of EF hand splice variant distributions in mouse, rat and human brain tissues. We observed a developmental switch in rodents, as well as an age and gender bias in human brain tissues, suggestive of a possible role of these EF hand splice variants in neurophysiological specialization. A parallel study performed on rodent brains showed that the data drawn from human and rodent tissues may not necessarily correlate in the process of aging.

Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation over the frontal eye field can facilitate and inhibit saccade triggering

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation on the triggering of saccades. The right frontal eye field was stimulated during modified gap and overlap paradigms with flashed presentation of the lateral visual target of 80 ms. In order to examine possible facilitating or inhibitory effects on saccade triggering, three different time intervals of stimulation were chosen, i.e. simultaneously with onset of the target, during the presentation and after target end. Stimulation applied simultaneously with target onset significantly decreased the latency of contralateral saccades in the gap but not in the overlap paradigm. Stimulation after target end significantly increased saccade latency for both sides in the gap paradigm and for the contralateral side in the overlap paradigm. Stimulation during presentation had no effect in either paradigm. The results show that, depending on the time interval and the paradigm tested, a facilitation or inhibition of saccade triggering can be achieved. The results are discussed in a context of two probable transcranial magnetic stimulation effects, a direct interference with the frontal eye field on the one hand and a remote interference with the superior colliculus on the other hand.

SNNAP: A Tool for Teaching Neuroscience

Simulation tools aid in learning neuroscience by providing the student with an interactive environment to carry out simulated experiments and test hypotheses. The field of neuroscience is well suited for the use of simulation tools since nerve cell signaling can be described by mathematical equations and solved by computer. Neural signaling entails the propagation of electrical current along nerve membrane and transmission to neighboring neurons through synaptic connections. Action potentials and synaptic transmission can be simulated and results displayed for visualization and analysis. The neurosimulator SNNAP (Simulator for Neural Networks and Action Potentials) is a simulation environment that provides users with editors for model building, simulator engine and visual display editor. This paper presents several modeling examples that illustrate some of the capabilities and features of SNNAP. First, the Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) model is presented and the threshold phenomenon is illustrated. Second, small neural networks are described with HH models using various synaptic connections available with SNNAP. Synaptic connections may be modulated through facilitation or depression with SNNAP. A study of vesicle pool dynamics is presented using an AMPA receptor model. Finally, a central pattern generator model of the Aplysia feeding circuit is illustrated as an example of a complex network that may be studied with SNNAP. Simulation code is provided for each case study described and tasks are suggested for further investigation.

Increasing Quality in large scale University Courses

Quality of education should be stable or permanently increased – even if the number of students rises. Quality of education is often related to possibilities for active learning and individual facilitation. This paper deals with the question how high-quality learning within oversized courses could be enabled and it presents the approach of e-flashcards that enables active learning and individual facilitation within large scale university courses.

Konzept eines ultraleichten Elektrohängebahnsystems für innerbetriebliche Beförderung

Die inhaltliche Schwerpunktlegung des Konzepts besteht in Entwurf, Planung und Durchführung eines intelligenten und ultraleichten Elektrohängebahnsystems, welches für leichte Lasten (bis 20 kg) ausgelegt ist und auf einem Seilsystem basiert. Aufgrund dessen soll eine hohe Flexibilität des Systems erreicht werden, sodass dieses jederzeit an die besonderen Gegebenheiten und Aufgabenfelder angepasst werden kann. Es soll insbesondere der Erleichterung der innerbetrieblichen Beförderung dienen. Zielstellung ist die Entwicklung eines Prototyps.

Experimental plant communities develop phylogenetically overdispersed abundance distributions during assembly

The importance of competition between similar species in driving community assembly is much debated. Recently, phylogenetic patterns in species composition have been investigated to help resolve this question: phylogenetic clustering is taken to imply environmental filtering, and phylogenetic overdispersion to indicate limiting similarity between species. We used experimental plant communities with random species compositions and initially even abundance distributions to examine the development of phylogenetic pattern in species abundance distributions. Where composition was held constant by weeding, abundance distributions became overdispersed through time, but only in communities that contained distantly related clades, some with several species (i.e., a mix of closely and distantly related species). Phylogenetic pattern in composition therefore constrained the development of overdispersed abundance distributions, and this might indicate limiting similarity between close relatives and facilitation/complementarity between distant relatives. Comparing the phylogenetic patterns in these communities with those expected from the monoculture abundances of the constituent species revealed that interspecific competition caused the phylogenetic patterns. Opening experimental communities to colonization by all species in the species pool led to convergence in phylogenetic diversity. At convergence, communities were composed of several distantly related but species-rich clades and had overdispersed abundance distributions. This suggests that limiting similarity processes determine which species dominate a community but not which species occur in a community. Crucially, as our study was carried out in experimental communities, we could rule out local evolutionary or dispersal explanations for the patterns and identify ecological processes as the driving force, underlining the advantages of studying these processes in experimental communities. Our results show that phylogenetic relations between species provide a good guide to understanding community structure and add a new perspective to the evidence that niche complementarity is critical in driving community assembly.

Cochlear implantation in children and adults in Switzerland

The cochlear implant (CI) is one of the most successful neural prostheses developed to date. It offers artificial hearing to individuals with profound sensorineural hearing loss and with insufficient benefit from conventional hearing aids. The first implants available some 30 years ago provided a limited sensation of sound. The benefit for users of these early systems was mostly a facilitation of lip-reading based communication rather than an understanding of speech. Considerable progress has been made since then. Modern, multichannel implant systems feature complex speech processing strategies, high stimulation rates and multiple sites of stimulation in the cochlea. Equipped with such a state-of-the-art system, the majority of recipients today can communicate orally without visual cues and can even use the telephone. The impact of CIs on deaf individuals and on the deaf community has thus been exceptional. To date, more than 300,000 patients worldwide have received CIs. In Switzerland, the first implantation was performed in 1977 and, as of 2012, over 2,000 systems have been implanted with a current rate of around 150 CIs per year. The primary purpose of this article is to provide a contemporary overview of cochlear implantation, emphasising the situation in Switzerland.

TGF-beta1 in Aplysia: role in long-term changes in the excitability of sensory neurons and distribution of TbetaR-II-like immunoreactivity.

Exogenous recombinant human transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-beta1) induced long-term facilitation of Aplysia sensory-motor synapses. In addition, 5-HT-induced facilitation was blocked by application of a soluble fragment of the extracellular portion of the TGF-beta1 type II receptor (TbetaR-II), which presumably acted by scavenging an endogenous TGF-beta1-like molecule. Because TbetaR-II is essential for transmembrane signaling by TGF-beta, we sought to determine whether Aplysia tissues contained TbetaR-II and specifically, whether neurons expressed the receptor. Western blot analysis of Aplysia tissue extracts demonstrated the presence of a TbetaR-II-immunoreactive protein in several tissue types. The expression and distribution of TbetaR-II-immunoreactive proteins in the central nervous system was examined by immunohistochemistry to elucidate sites that may be responsive to TGF-beta1 and thus may play a role in synaptic plasticity. Sensory neurons in the ventral-caudal cluster of the pleural ganglion were immunoreactive for TbetaR-II, as well as many neurons in the pedal, abdominal, buccal, and cerebral ganglia. Sensory neurons cultured in isolation and cocultured sensory and motor neurons were also immunoreactive. TGF-beta1 affected the biophysical properties of cultured sensory neurons, inducing an increase of excitability that persisted for at least 48 hr. Furthermore, exposure to TGF-beta1 resulted in a reduction in the firing threshold of sensory neurons. These results provide further support for the hypothesis that TGF-beta1 plays a role in long-term synaptic plasticity in Aplysia.

Bifurcation and singularity analysis of a molecular network for the induction of long-term memory.

Withdrawal reflexes of the mollusk Aplysia exhibit sensitization, a simple form of long-term memory (LTM). Sensitization is due, in part, to long-term facilitation (LTF) of sensorimotor neuron synapses. LTF is induced by the modulatory actions of serotonin (5-HT). Pettigrew et al. developed a computational model of the nonlinear intracellular signaling and gene network that underlies the induction of 5-HT-induced LTF. The model simulated empirical observations that repeated applications of 5-HT induce persistent activation of protein kinase A (PKA) and that this persistent activation requires a suprathreshold exposure of 5-HT. This study extends the analysis of the Pettigrew model by applying bifurcation analysis, singularity theory, and numerical simulation. Using singularity theory, classification diagrams of parameter space were constructed, identifying regions with qualitatively different steady-state behaviors. The graphical representation of these regions illustrates the robustness of these regions to changes in model parameters. Because persistent protein kinase A (PKA) activity correlates with Aplysia LTM, the analysis focuses on a positive feedback loop in the model that tends to maintain PKA activity. In this loop, PKA phosphorylates a transcription factor (TF-1), thereby increasing the expression of an ubiquitin hydrolase (Ap-Uch). Ap-Uch then acts to increase PKA activity, closing the loop. This positive feedback loop manifests multiple, coexisting steady states, or multiplicity, which provides a mechanism for a bistable switch in PKA activity. After the removal of 5-HT, the PKA activity either returns to its basal level (reversible switch) or remains at a high level (irreversible switch). Such an irreversible switch might be a mechanism that contributes to the persistence of LTM. The classification diagrams also identify parameters and processes that might be manipulated, perhaps pharmacologically, to enhance the induction of memory. Rational drug design, to affect complex processes such as memory formation, can benefit from this type of analysis.