Operant reduction of frontalis EMG activity in the treatment of asthma in children

Abstract

The effect of operantly produced frontalis muscle relaxation on peak expiratory flow rates in asthmatic children was studied in an investigation incorporating a Contingent Feedback group and two control groups, one a Noncontingent Feedback group yoked to the experimental group and the second, a No Treatment group. Thirty-six asthmatic children, ranging in age from 8 to 16 yr, were assigned equally to the three groups in a manner designed to balance the groups along a variety of subject variables. The evaluation of frontalis muscle activity revealed the presence of a strong conditioned effect with the Contingent group exhibiting reliably lower values than the Noncontingent group over the course of the experiment. Group peak expiratory flow rates, measured prior to the initiation of muscle relaxation training and subsequent to training, improved substantially in the Contingent group but not in the Noncontingent or No Treatment groups. Also, more children in the Contingent group showed improvement in peak expiratory flow rate than in either of the control groups. It was concluded that operantly produced frontalis muscle relaxation may be of potential significance in the development of asthma therapies based on conditioning.