ATiPAP : desenvolupament de materials docents amb suport multimedia pels continguts d'Atenció, Percepció Auditiva i de la Parla adaptats als crédits ECTS i a l'EEES dins l'ensenyament de Psicologia

El projecte ha permès finançar el suport tècnic necessari per a poder desenvolupar materials informatitzats corresponents a activitats teòrico-pràctiques de l’assignatura troncal de la llicenciatura de Psicologia (actualment també en el Grau) “Percepció i Atenció”. Els materials desenvolupats corresponen a diferents punts del programa de l’assignatura i són els següents: demostració de la tècnica d’ombrejat per l’anàlisi de l’atenció focalitzada; parpelleig atencional en sèries de presentacions ràpides d’informació visual (RSVP); canvis encoberts de l’atenció i el mecanisme d’inhibició de retorn; efectes dels filtrats sobre la percepció de la parla i la música; il·lusions auditives i els principis d’organització de la informació sonora complexa; la percepció categòrica dels sons de la parla i la naturalesa continua del processament lèxic (paradigma d’obertura successiva o gating). Per totes aquelles activitats amb continguts de llenguatge, s’han desenvolupat dues versions equivalents, catalana i castellana, per permetre que els estudiants fessin la pràctica en la seva llengua dominant. A la primera fase del projecte, al llarg del curs 2006-07, es van preparar els materials i la programació de les diferents pràctiques i es van poder identificar alguns problemes que es van solucionar posteriorment. En el curs 2007-08 totes les activitats de pràctiques ja es van fer accessibles als estudiants (Plataforma Moodle, Campus Virtual) i la valoració sobre el seu funcionament, feta pels estudiants mitjançant qüestionaris, va ser satisfactòria en més d’un 95% dels casos (els únics problemes detectats estaven relacionats amb les característiques dels ordinadors del usuaris i del navegador utilitzat per accedir als materials). La valoració de les activitats per part dels estudiants va ser globalment positiva i, en el seu ús continuat al llarg dels cursos 2008-09 i 2009-10, s’ha observat una participació creixent (accés voluntari a les activitats) i un aprofitament millor de la informació presentada, que es tradueix en millores en les puntuacions obtingudes en les avaluacions de l'assignatura.

Testing the protracted lexical restructuring hypothesis: The effects of position and acoustic-phonetic clarity on sensitivity to mispronunciations in children and adults

Although developmental increases in the size of the position effect within a mispronunciation detection task have been interpreted as consistent with a view of the lexical restructuring process as protracted, the position effect itself might not be reliable. The current research examined the effects of position and clarity of acoustic-phonetic information on sensitivity to mispronounced onsets in 5- and 6-year-olds and adults. Both children and adults showed a position effect only when mispronunciations also differed in the amount of relevant acoustic-phonetic information. Adults' sensitivity to mispronounced second-syllable onsets also reflected the availability of acoustic-phonetic information. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the lexical restructuring hypothesis. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

GABAergic REGULATION OF AUDITORY SENSORY GATING IN LOW- AND HIGH-ANXIETY RATS SUBMITTED TO A FEAR CONDITIONING PROCEDURE

The inferior colliculus (IC) is primarily involved in the processing of acoustic stimuli, being in a position to send auditory information to motor centers that participate in behaviors such as prey catching and predators` avoidance The role of the central nucleus of the IC (CIC) on fear and anxiety has been suggested on the basis that rats are able to engage in tasks to decrease the aversiveness of CIC stimulation, increased Fos immunolabeling during diverse aversive states and increased CIC auditory evoked potentials (AEP) induced by conditioned fear stimuli Additionally it was shown that brainstem AEP, represented by wave V, for which the main generator is the IC, is increased during experimentally induced anxiety Rats segregated according to their low or high emotional reactivity have been used as an important tool in the study of fear and anxiety The IC contains a high density of GABA receptors Since the efficacy of an anxiolytic compound is a function of the animal`s anxiety level, it is possible that GABA-benzodiazepine (Bzp) agents affect LA and HA animals differently In this study we investigated the GABA-Bzp influence on the modulation of AEP in rats with low (LA) or high-anxiety (HA) levels, as assessed by the elevated plus maze test (EPM) GABA-Bzp modulation on the unconditioned AEP response was analyzed by using intra CIC injections (0 2 mu l) of the GABA-Bzp agonists muscimol (121 ng) and diazepam (30 mu g) or the GABA inhibitors bicuculline (10 ng) and semicarbazide (7 mu g) In a second experiment, we evaluate the effects of contextual aversive conditioning on AEP using foot shocks as unconditioned stimuli On the unconditioned fear paradigm GABA inhibition in creased AEP in LA rats and decreases this measure in HA counterparts Muscimol was effective in reducing AEP in both LA and HA rats Contextual fear stimuli increased the magnitude of AEP In spite of no effect obtained with diazepam in LA rats the drug inhibited AEP in HA animals The specificity of the regulatory mechanisms mediated by GABA Bzp for the ascending neurocircuits responsible for the acquisition of aversive information in LA and HA animals shed light on the processing of sensory information underlying the generation of defensive reactions (C) 2010 IBRO Published by Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved

The functional neuroanatomy of auditory sensory gating and its behavioural implications

Auditory sensory gating (ASG) is the ability in individuals to suppress incoming irrelevant sensory input, indexed by evoked response to paired auditory stimuli. ASG is impaired in psychopathology such as schizophrenia, in which it has been proposed as putative endophenotype. This study aims to characterise electrophysiological properties of the phenomenon using MEG in time and frequency domains as well as to localise putative networks involved in the process at both sensor and source level. We also investigated the relationship between ASG measures and personality profiles in healthy participants in the light of its candidate endophenotype role in psychiatric disorders. Auditory evoked magnetic fields were recorded in twenty seven healthy participants by P50 ‘paired-click’ paradigm presented in pairs (conditioning stimulus S1- testing stimulus S2) at 80dB, separated by 250msec with inter trial interval of 7-10 seconds. Gating ratio in healthy adults ranged from 0.5 to 0.8 suggesting dimensional nature of P50 ASG. The brain regions active during this process were bilateral superior temporal gyrus (STG) and bilateral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG); activation was significantly stronger in IFG during S2 as compared to S1 (at p<0.05). Measures of effective connectivity between these regions using DCM modelling revealed the role of frontal cortex in modulating ASG as suggested by intracranial studies, indicating major role of inhibitory interneuron connections. Findings from this study identified a unique event-related oscillatory pattern for P50 ASG with alpha (STG)-beta (IFG) desynchronization and increase in cortical oscillatory gamma power (IFG) during S2 condition as compared to S1. These findings show that the main generator for P50 response is within temporal lobe and that inhibitory interneurons and gamma oscillations in the frontal cortex contributes substantially towards sensory gating. Our findings also show that ASG is a predictor of personality profiles (introvert vs extrovert dimension).

Sensory gating and its modulation by cannabinoids: electrophysiological, computational and mathematical analysis

Gating of sensory information can be assessed using an auditory conditioning-test paradigm which measures the reduction in the auditory evoked response to a test stimulus following an initial conditioning stimulus. Recording brainwaves from specific areas of the brain using multiple electrodes is helpful in the study of the neurobiology of sensory gating. In this paper, we use such technology to investigate the role of cannabinoids in sensory gating in the CA3 region of the rat hippocampus. Our experimental results show that application of the exogenous cannabinoid agonist WIN55,212-2 can abolish sensory gating. We have developed a phenomenological model of cannabinoid dynamics incorporated within a spiking neural network model of CA3 with synaptically interacting pyramidal and basket cells. Direct numerical simulations of this model suggest that the basic mechanism for this effect can be traced to the suppression of inhibition of slow GABAB synapses. Furthermore, by working with a simpler mathematical firing rate model we are able to show the robustness of this mechanism for the abolition of sensory gating.

Allosteric Control of Gating Mechanisms Revisited: The Large Conductance Ca(2+)-Activated K(+) Channel

Large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels (BK) play a fundamental role in modulating membrane potential in many cell types. The gating of BK channels and its modulation by Ca(2+) and voltage has been the subject of intensive research over almost three decades, yielding several of the most complicated kinetic mechanisms ever proposed. A large number of open and closed states disposed, respectively, in two planes, named tiers, characterize these mechanisms. Transitions between states in the same plane are cooperative and modulated by Ca(2+). Transitions across planes are highly concerted and voltage-dependent. Here we reexamine the validity of the two-tiered hypothesis by restricting attention to the modulation by Ca(2+). Large single channel data sets at five Ca(2+) concentrations were simultaneously analyzed from a Bayesian perspective by using hidden Markov models and Markov-chain Monte Carlo stochastic integration techniques. Our results support a dramatic reduction in model complexity, favoring a simple mechanism derived from the Monod-Wyman-Changeux allosteric model for homotetramers, able to explain the Ca(2+) modulation of the gating process. This model differs from the standard Monod-Wyman-Changeux scheme in that one distinguishes when two Ca(2+) ions are bound to adjacent or diagonal subunits of the tetramer.

A Paradigm Shift in Predoctoral Dental Curricula in Brazil: Evaluating the Process of Change

In 2002, the Brazilian Ministry of Education approved the official curricular guidelines for undergraduate courses in Brazil to be adopted by the nation's 188 dental schools. In 2005-06, the Brazilian Dental Education Association (BDEA) promoted workshops in forty-eight of the schools to verify the degree of transformation of the curriculum based on these guidelines. Among the areas analyzed were course philosophy (variables were v1: knowledge production based on the needs of the Brazilian Public Health System [BPHS]; v2: health determinants; and v3: postgraduate studies and permanent education); pedagogical skills (v4: curricular structure; v5: changes in pedagogic and didactic skills; and v6: course program orientation); and dental practice scenarios (v7: diversity of the scenarios for training/learning; v8: academic health care centers opened to the BPHS; and v9: participation of students in health care delivery for the population). The subjects consisted of faculty members (n=711), students (n=228), and employees (n=14). The results showed an incipient degree of curriculum transformation. The degree of innovation was statistically different depending on the type of university (public or private) for variables I, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Private schools reported a higher level of innovation than public institutions. Resistance to transforming the dental curriculum according to the official guidelines may be linked to an ideological conception that supports the private practice model, continues to have faculty members direct all classroom activities, and prevents students from developing an understanding of professional practice as targeted towards the oral health needs of all segments of society.

Sagittal spinal alignment in paraplegics: a new paradigm for the rehabilitation under neuromuscular electrical stimulation

Study design: Radiographic analysis of sagittal spinal alignment of paraplegics in a standing position under surface neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES). Objectives: Describing the radiographic parameters of the sagittal spinal alignment of paraplegics going through a rehabilitation program with NMES. Setting: The University Hospital`s Ambulatory (UNICAMP), Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Methods: Panoramic X-ray images in profile were taken for 10 paraplegics. All patients participated in the rehabilitation program and were able to perform gait through NMES of the femoral quadriceps muscles. The radiographic parameters used for the analysis were the same as those described in the literature for healthy people. The results were didactically organized into three groups: anatomical shape of the spine, morphology and kinetics of the pelvis and spinopelvic alignment. Results: The physiological curvature of the spine in paraplegics showed average values similar to those described in the literature for healthy patients. The inversion of the pelvic tilt and the increase in the sacral slope were defined by the anterior backward rotation of the pelvis. The existing theoretical mathematical formulas that define lumbar lordosis, pelvic incidence and pelvic tilt showed normal values, despite the anterior intense sagittal imbalance. Conclusions: The adaptive posture of the spine in paraplegics standing through the stimulation of the femoral quadriceps does not allow for a neutral sagittal alignment. This novel radiographic detailed description of the various segments of the spine can be of assistance toward the understanding of the global postural control for such subjects. Spinal Cord (2010) 48, 251-256; doi: 10.1038/sc.2009.123; published online 29 September 2009

Integral Piezoactuator System with Optimum Placement of Functionally Graded Material - A Topology Optimization Paradigm

Piezoactuators consist of compliant mechanisms actuated by two or more piezoceramic devices. During the assembling process, such flexible structures are usually bonded to the piezoceramics. The thin bonding layer(s) between the compliant mechanism and the piezoceramic may induce undesirable behavior, including unusual interfacial nonlinearities. This constitutes a drawback of piezoelectric actuators and, in some applications, such as those associated to vibration control and structural health monitoring (e. g., aircraft industry), their use may become either unfeasible or at least limited. A possible solution to this standing problem can be achieved through the functionally graded material concept and consists of developing `integral piezoactuators`, that is those with no bonding layer(s) and whose performance can be improved by tailoring their structural topology and material gradation. Thus, a topology optimization formulation is developed, which allows simultaneous distribution of void and functionally graded piezoelectric materials (including both piezo and non-piezoelectric materials) in the design domain in order to achieve certain specified actuation movements. Two concurrent design problems are considered, that is the optimum design of the piezoceramic property gradation, and the design of the functionally graded structural topology. Two-dimensional piezoactuator designs are investigated because the applications of interest consist of planar devices. Moreover, material gradation is considered in only one direction in order to account for manufacturability issues. To broaden the range of such devices in the field of smart structures, the design of integral Moonie-type functionally graded piezoactuators is provided according to specified performance requirements.

Investigation of threat-related attentional bias in anxious children using the startle eyeblink modification paradigm

We used the startle eyeblink modification paradigm to investigate whether clinically anxious children, like high trait-anxious adults, display a bias in favour of threat words compared to neutral words. The present study included 16 clinically anxious children whose diagnostic status was determined using the parent version of a semistructured diagnostic interview as part of a larger childhood anxiety study. The children were presented with threat and neutral words fur 6 s each. A startle-eliciting auditory stimulus - a 100 dBA burst of white noise of 50 ms duration - was presented during the words at lead intervals of 60, 120, 240, or 3500 ms and during intertrial intervals. The overall pattern of startle eyeblink modification indicated inhibition at the 120 and 240 ms lead intervals and facilitation at the 3500 ms lead interval. startle-latency shortening during threat words at the :60 ms lead interval was larger than at other intervals, whereas there was no difference during neutral words. This result reflects an anxiety-related bias in favour of threat words occurring at a very early - and possibly preattentive stage - of information processing.

Effects of reversible inactivation of the medial septum on rat exploratory behavior in the elevated plus-maze using a test-retest paradigm

The effect of intraseptal injections of lidocaine before a first or a second session in the elevated plus-maze, in a test-retest paradigm, was investigated. In addition to gross session analyses, a minute-by-minute analysis of the sessions was used to evaluate both anxiety and memory. Lidocaine injections before the test session produced increases in the frequency of entries, time spent and distance run in the open arms without affecting activity occurring in the closed arms. During the retest session, saline- and lidocaine-treated rats exhibited increased indices of anxiety and lidocaine-treated rats exhibited decreased closed-arm entries. The minute-by-minute analysis showed a faster decrease in anxiety-related behaviors during the test session by saline- than by lidocaine-treated rats and a significant decrease in closed-arm exploration by saline-treated rats, but not by lidocaine-treated ones. Lidocaine injection before the retest session produced increases in the frequency of entries, time spent and distance run in the open arms in the second session when compared with saline-treated rats. Minute-by-minute analysis showed an increase in the time spent in the open arms by lidocaine animals at the beginning of the retest session in comparison to saline animals and a significant decrease in closed-arm exploration by both groups. These results suggest that inactivation of the medial septum by lidocaine affects the expression of unconditioned and conditioned forms of anxiety in the elevated plus-maze and, in a lesser way, the acquisition and retention of spatial information. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Direct measurement of pulse distortion near the zero-dispersion wavelength in an optical fiber by frequency-resolved optical gating

The technique of frequency-resolved optical gating is used to characterize the intensity and the phase of picosecond pulses after propagation through 700 m of fiber at close to the zero-dispersion wavelength. Using the frequency-resolved optical gating technique, we directly measure the severe temporal distortion resulting from the interplay between self-phase modulation and higher-order dispersion in this regime. The measured intensity and phase of the pulses after propagation are found to be in good agreement with the predictions of numerical simulations with the nonlinear Schrodinger equation. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.

Sensory Gating Scales and Premonitory Urges in Tourette Syndrome

Sensory and sensorimotor gating deficits characterize both Tourette syndrome (TS) and schizophrenia. Premonitory urges (PU) in TS can be assessed with the University of Sao Paulo Sensory Phenomena Scale (USP-SPS) and the Premonitory Urge for Tics Scale (PUTS). In 40 subjects (TS: n = 18; healthy comparison subjects [HCS]: n = 22), we examined the relationship between PU scores and measures of sensory gating using the USP-SPS, PUTS, Sensory Gating Inventory (SGI), and Structured Interview for Assessing Perceptual Anomalies (SIAPA), as well symptom severity scales. SGI, but not SIAPA, scores were elevated in TS subjects (p < 0.0003). In TS subjects, USP-SPS and PUTS scores correlated significantly with each other, but not with the SGI or SIAPA; neither PU nor sensory gating scales correlated significantly with symptom severity. TS subjects endorse difficulties in sensory gating and the SGI may be valuable for studying these clinical phenomena.