Neurophysiological aspects of musical auditory stimulation on cardiovascular system

Introduction: The literature has shown that musical stimulation can influence the cardiovascular system, however, the neurophysiological aspects of this influence are not yet fully elucidated. Objective: This study describes the influence of music on the neurophysiological mechanisms in the human body, specifically the variable blood pressure, as well as the neural mechanisms of music processing. Methods: Searches were conducted in Medline, PEDro, Lilacs and SciELO using the intersection of the keyword “music” with the keyword descriptors “blood pressure” and “neurophysiology”. Results: There were selected 11 articles, which indicated that music interferes in some aspects of physiological variables. Conclusion: Studies have indicated that music interferes on the control of blood pressure, heart and respiratory rate, through possible involvement of limbic brain areas which modulate hypothalamic-pituitary functions. Further studies are needed in order to identify the mechanisms by which this influence occurs.

Integrative aspects of the relationship between stress and heart rate variability

The literature indicates stress as a response of the organism to a stimulation that requires enormous efforts to adapt to the changes in the environment and the body. When an individual is subjected to stress, the autonomic nervous system is triggered, the sympathetic pathway is activated, and the parasympathetic system is suppressed, which exerts several effects on the cardiovascular system and affects heart rate variability. This research aimed to conduct a literature review to find and analyze the studies that address clearly the implications of stress on heart rate variability. The methodology employed was an active search in the databases SciELO, PubMed and Lilacs. The results were five articles, most of which suggest a relationship between stress and heart rate variability. We observed that the majority of the studies indicated a strong association between stress and cardiac autonomic activity. The stress is present in the daily activities of the population, especially in labor. The subject is vast, however, were observed in the references the effects of stress on the body making it vulnerable to diseases. Thus, this information may contribute to the aid of preventive strategies against stress and diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Influência do tratamento fisioterapêutico em grupo no equilíbrio, na mobilidade funcional e na qualidade de vida de pacientes com Parkinson

Introduction: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic disease of the nervous system, characterized by degeneration of neurons in the mesencephalic substantia nigra, leading to a clinical state of rest tremor, bradykinesia, muscular rigidity and postural instability. Physical therapy seeks to act by slowing the progression of the disease and when done in a group and maintain and / or improving the motor skills of the individual, can provide psychosocial benefi ts. Objective: examine the infl uence of the physical therapy group in balance, functional mobility and quality of life of individuals with PD. Method: participated in this study 04 subjects were female, mean age 67.75 (± 9.5) years, with medical diagnosis of PD, stages 1 to 3 of the Hoehn & Yahr. Before starting treatment, subjects underwent an assessment of the balance (BBS), functional mobility (TUG) and the quality of life (PDQ-39).The treatment was performed in groups, for a period of 10 weeks, lasting 60 minutes each session twice a week, totaling 20 sessions of physiotherapy. Upon completion of the treatment period the subjects were again assessed for balance, functional mobility and quality of life. The data were analyzed using the Student t-test, with signifi cance level of 5% (p ≤ 0.05). Results: statistical analysis showed signifi cant differences in three variables: equilibrium (p = 0.010), functional mobility (p = 0.029) and quality of life (p = 0.004), after physiotherapy intervention. Conclusion: physiotherapy treatment was group provides better balance, functional mobility and quality of life of patients with PD.

Influência do fortalecimento muscular na independência funcional de indivíduos parkinsonianos

Introduction: Parkinson’s disease is a chronic disease of the nervous system that leads to a clinical picture of resting tremor, bradykinesia, muscular rigidity and postural instability. These symptoms, in turn, directly influence the functional independence of the individual. Objective: To analyze the influence of muscle strengthening on functional independence of individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Method: A total of ten subjects of both genders participated in this study. We evaluated the functional independence, strength of lower limbs, grip strength testing and 1 repetition maximum. After the evaluation was performed muscle building program for 12 weeks. Results: There was improvement of functional independence (p = 0.007) and lower limb strength (p = 0.01), as well as an increase in grip strength, both of the dominant hand (p = 0.007) and the non-dominant one (p = 0.02). Conclusion: The muscle strength improved the functional independence of individuals with PD.

Efeitos da Ventilação Mecânica não Invasiva sobre a Modulação Autonômica Cardíaca

This review is intended to gather together recent studies that explore the effects of different types of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) on the autonomic nervous system, assessed through heart rate variability (HRV). A search for papers was conducted in the PubMed, PEDro, SciELO and Lilacs databases with the following descriptors: noninvasive ventilation, CPAP ventilation, intermittent positive pressure breathing and autonomic nervous system, for the period between 2008 and 2012. After eliminating papers not addressing the topic, we selected six studies, of which five applied NIV in CPAP mode and one used biphasic positive airway pressure. In general, the findings suggest that NIV promotes changes in autonomic modulation that are dependent on the conditions of the subjects analyzed and the time when these rates are assessed, meaning acute or long-term effects.

Previous exposure to musical auditory stimulation immediately influences the cardiac autonomic responses to the postural change maneuver in women

Background: Chronic exposure to musical auditory stimulation has been reported to improve cardiac autonomic regulation. However, it is not clear if music acutely influences it in response to autonomic tests. We evaluated the acute effects of music on heart rate variability (HRV) responses to the postural change maneuver (PCM) in women. Method: We evaluated 12 healthy women between 18 and 28 years old and HRV was analyzed in the time (SDNN, RMSSD, NN50 and pNN50) and frequency (LF, HF and LF/HF ratio) domains. In the control protocol, the women remained at seated rest for 10 minutes and quickly stood up within three seconds and remained standing still for 15 minutes. In the music protocol, the women remained at seated rest for 10 minutes, were exposed to music for 10 minutes and quickly stood up within three seconds and remained standing still for 15 minutes. HRV was recorded at the following time: rest, music (music protocol) 0–5, 5–10 and 10–15 min during standing. Results: In the control protocol the SDNN, RMSSD and pNN50 indexes were reduced at 10–15 minutes after the volunteers stood up, while the LF (nu) index was increased at the same moment compared to seated rest. In the protocol with music, the indexes were not different from control but the RMSSD, pNN50 and LF (nu) were different from the music period. Conclusion: Musical auditory stimulation attenuates the cardiac autonomic responses to the PCM.

Variabilidade da frequência cardíaca como recurso em fisioterapia: análise de periódicos nacionais

INTRODUCTION: The autonomic nervous system (ANS) could be investigated in a noninvasive way by the heart rate variability analysis (HRV) which has contributed to several health areas such as physiotherapy. OBJECTIVE: To gather information regarding the use of HRV on physiotherapy aims at providing an update of the findings for the area on journals of national circulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The journals of national circulation classified as greater than B2 or B2 and with free access and complete texts in some internet sites were searched on 21 area WebQualis resulting on selection of Revista Brasileira de Fisioterapia, Fisioterapia e Pesquisa and Fisioterapia em Movimento using the keywords: autonomic nervous system, sympathetic nervous system, physiotherapy and heart rate variability. RESULTS: The search resulted in 19 articles being 17 clinical trials and two case reports. CONCLUSION: The HRV has been used as a resource of interventions evaluation, as pathological conditions common to clinical practice investigation and to physiological conditions interpretation in physiotherapy. The HRV is principally used to the cardiorespiratory specialty of physiotherapy.

Aspectos neurobiológicos da doença de Alzheimer

Neste trabalho, foi feita uma revisão de importantes aspectos associados às bases neurobiológicas da Doença de Alzheimer, por meio de um levantamento bibliográfico sobre o assunto. A Doença de Alzheimer (DA) é uma doença neurodegenerativa que acomete geralmente pessoas acima de 65 ou 70 anos. Em pacientes com DA, nota-se a ocorrência de atrofia progressiva de várias áreas cerebrais, responsáveis pela perda de memória e de outras funções cognitivas, além da diminuição da capacidade para realizar atividades rotineiras. Inicialmente, a atrofia ocorre no lobo temporal, especialmente nas regiões responsáveis pela memória (hipocampo, córtex entorrinal) e, posteriormente, em regiões como o córtex parietal e córtex frontal. O declínio progressivo e persistente de memória recente pode ser verificado já na fase inicial da doença e, progressivamente, entram em declínio outras funções cognitivas, resultando em um comprometimento cognitivo global. Os mecanismos envolvidos na degeneração cerebral na Doença de Alzheimer estão relacionados com a neuropatologia característica da DA. Lesões cerebrais específicas levam a morte de neurônios e sinapses, e estão relacionadas a presença de placas amilóides e emaranhados neurofibrilares. Essas placas e emaranhados acometem principalmente as camadas piramidais do córtex cerebral e são responsáveis por degenerações sinápticas intensas, tanto em nível hipocampal quanto neocortical (BRAAK & BRAAK, 1991). À medida que os neurônios morrem, são perdidos sinais de entrada sinápticos em regiões do encéfalo que são críticas para a função cognitiva e de memória normal