Biological Feedback Research Articles

Video game play impacts on biological regulation

The current study sought to explain the connection between biological control and video game usage. Specifically, the study examined video game usage at three levels to determine if there were differences in the ability to control biological responses such as heart rate variability to complete different biofeedback activities. A biological feedback software package, ALIVE, was used to measure “heart rate smoothness” and time task completion during a tutorial training, autopilot control video game car race, and manual control video game car race. Participants were instructed to use biological control techniques including breathing and heart rate “smoothness” to complete the biofeedback video games. Results found that there were significant differences in average heart rate smoothness in autopilot and manual car races and the amount of time it took for participants to complete the manual car race between three levels of video game usage. Implications for individuals’ biological control on behaviors such as relaxation and emotions were discussed.

Efficiency of the use of coordination training in the program of medical rehabilitation of patients after reverse shoulder endoprosthesis

The goal of this study. The goal is to evaluate the effectiveness of using upper limb coordination training after reverse shoulder arthroplasty.Material and methods. 30 patients were examined in Federal State Budgetary Institution «National Medical Research Center for Rehabilitation and Balneology» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. They were examined in a long-term period after reverse shoulder arthroplasty (in 3–4 months) and were divided into two groups: the main and the comparison groups. All patients were similar in terms of gender and age. Their clinical and functional parameters of the shoulder joint were also comparable. The patients in the comparison group were treated with laser therapy, electrotherapy, massage, group exercises to train the upper limb and mechanotherapy. The patients in the main group additionally underwent coordination training with biological feedback to the shoulder joint.The results of the study were evaluated according to the pain syndrome, functional activity of the shoulder joint, shoulder joint flexion angle and values of dynamic strength of the shoulder muscles. After the course of medical rehabilitation, the patients in both groups showed improvement of all clinical and functional parameters of the shoulder joint. There was a statistically significant improvement in the dynamic strength of the shoulder joint and reduction of pain syndrome in the patients in the main group.Conclusions. The inclusion of shoulder coordination training allows to improve the rehabilitation results for the patients who undergo reverse shoulder joint arthroplasty.

Biofeedback Therapy in the prevention of stress and emotional burnout of top managers

The rationale for the use of BOS therapy for the prevention of stress and emotional burnout of top managers is presented. The subject of the study is the problem of prevention of stress and emotional burnout of top managers. The object of the study is the use of a BOS simulator for the prevention of stress and emotional burnout of top managers. The necessity of searching for innovative methods to increase stress tolerance and emotional burnout of senior managers is revealed. It was revealed that BOS therapy helps to self-regulate their behavior with the help of biological feedback. The author considers breathing training as the most accessible and manageable method of developing stress resistance. A training has been developed aimed at developing this skill with the help of special software. Special attention is paid to teaching a special method of mastering the diaphragmatic-relaxation type of breathing. The results of the conducted complex of trainings showed the prospects of this direction for the prevention of stress and emotional burnout of top managers. A special contribution of the author to the study of this problem is to identify the effectiveness of using the technology of diaphragmatic relaxation breathing with maximum respiratory arrhythmia of the heart by the method of biofeedback. The novelty of the research lies in the presentation and testing of an innovative method using a BOS simulator, which allows analyzing the state of organs and body systems according to certain indicators. There is a need for further study of this direction, as it is promising in preventive psychotherapy, which allows to prevent crisis states at the initial stage of emotional burnout of top managers.

Diversity and Biocultural Invention

In non-modern biocultures, contextual human technicity has played a key role in shaping the behaviors and the morphology of non-human species, which in return has simultaneously modulated human morphology and behavior: behavior affords behavior. Studies intersecting anthropology and ecology have framed this process as a biological feedback in which species co-evolve through the constitution of biocultural diversification, thus producing negative entropy. Taking in consideration the holobiont concept –which clarifies that individual organisms are biomolecular networks of associated microorganisms– the present work explore the role of microorganisms in the evolution of animals and plants and the role of intentionality in the modulation of ecosystemic plasticity.

Metal bioavailability in aquatic systems— beyond complexation and competition

Metal bioavailability in solution is mostly driven by two factors: complexation and competition. The first factor, complexation, contributes to decrease the overall reactivity of the metal by reducing the activity of the free metal ion, which is known as the common denominator of metal reactions involving either dissolved ligands or surface functional groups (abiotic or biotic). Ubiquitous in natural ecosystems, natural organic matter is, for several metals, the most important metal complexing ligand. The second factor, competition, contributes to decrease the availability of biotic ligands involved in the membrane transport of metals from the bulk solution to the intracellular medium. In freshwater systems, proton and hardness cation concentrations are the main parameters potentially modulating metal bioavailability. The above reflects the current accepted paradigm. In this paper, two knowledge gaps are identified: i) the role of natural organic matter other than metal complexation that may lead to an increase in metal bioavailability; and ii) the effects of multiple metals other than competition that may trigger biological feedback mechanisms which may, in turn, alter biotic ligand binding properties. More research efforts are needed to decipher the extent of these overlooked potential effects and to improve the predictability of metal bioavailability.

Role of ultrasensitivity in biomolecular circuitry for achieving homeostasis

Living systems have developed control mechanisms for achieving homeostasis. Here, we propose a plausible biological feedback architecture that exploits ultrasensitivity and shows adaptive responses without requiring error detection mechanism (i.e., by measuring an external reference signal and deviation from this). While standard engineering control systems are usually based on error measurements, this is not the case for biological systems. We find that a two-state negative feedback control system, without explicit error measurements, is able to track a reference signal that is implicitly determined by the tunable threshold and slope characterizing the sigmoidal ultrasensitive relationship implemented by the control system. We design different ultrasensitive control functions (ultrasensitive up- or down-regulation, or both) and, by performing sensitivity analysis, show that increasing the sensitivity level of the control allows achieving robust adaptive responses to the effects of parameter variations and step disturbances. Finally, we show that the devised control system architecture without error detection is implemented within the yeast osmoregulatory response network and allows achieving adaptive responses to osmotic stress, by exploiting the ubiquitous ultrasensitive features of the involved biomolecular circuitry.

The effects of seasonal wind regimes on the evolution of hypoxia in Chesapeake Bay: Results from a terrestrial-estuarine-ocean biogeochemical modeling system

In this study, a terrestrial-estuarine-ocean biogeochemical modeling system (DLEM-ChesROMS-ECB) was used to investigate the impact of prevailing spring-to-summer winds on hypoxia in Chesapeake Bay. The modeling system was run continuously from 1985 to 2005 under realistic wind conditions. Correlation analysis based on the 21-year simulation results revealed that the durations of spring northeasterly winds and summer southerly winds were both positively correlated with the volume of summer hypoxia. Conversely, the duration of summer northeasterly winds was negatively correlated with hypoxia. We then conducted multiple idealized sensitivity experiments to explore the underlying mechanisms governing these relationships. The results indicated that prolonged northeasterly winds in spring promoted along-channel transport of oxygen-consuming materials from the upper to the lower Bay, leading to a higher level of oxygen consumption via water column respiration (WCR). This may have led to more severe hypoxic events in the following summer. During summer, northeasterly winds increase vertical mixing as the riverine freshwater is mostly restricted to the western bank, thereby preventing the occurrence of hypoxia. Furthermore, strengthened vertical mixing increased light availability, resulting more nutrients taken up by phytoplankton. Consequently, more dissolved oxygen was produced. When comparing the differences in mass budget terms under southerly winds, the oxygen production accounted for approximately 60% of the WCR. In contrast to previous studies that mostly examined the short-term episodic effects of wind, our study underscores the importance of the impact of prolonged seasonally variable winds and biological feedback on hypoxic volume in Chesapeake Bay, which helps in the development of appropriate nutrient management strategies in a changing climate.

Proliferative activity of normal tissues and malignant tumors during infestation of the organism by a biotic ecopathogen

The article shows the role of metabolites of metacercariae and opisthorchiae in the induction of proliferative activity of somatic cells of the hepatobiliary system and other organs. The importance of cellular and tissue bioregulators in increasing the level of proliferative activity of various tissues in organisms infested by the trematode Opisthorchis felineus is considered. It follows from the data obtained that the biological function of a tissue-specific keilon–containing effector produced by differentiated cells and inhibiting cell proliferation based on the biological feedback principle, in comparison with the background of prolonged parasitization of this ecopathogenic helminth in the hepatobiliary system of the body, decreases. There is also a decrease in the sensitivity of somatic cells to a tissue-specific growth inhibiting factor. It follows that the activation of cellular and tissue proliferation of animals longterm infested by opisthorchiasis is also due to a violation of the mechanisms of regulation of cellular and tissue homeostasis. This is confirmed by an increase in the growth rate of syngenic malignant tumors, as well as a modification of the effect of homologous leukocyte interferon from an inhibitor of the malignant process to an activator.

Modeling Control of Supercoiling Dynamics and Transcription Using DNA-Binding Proteins.

Nearly all natural and synthetic gene networks rely on the fundamental process of transcription to enact biological feedback, genetic programs, and living circuitry. In this work, we investigate the efficacy of controlling transcription using a new biophysical mechanism, control of localized supercoiling near a gene of interest. We postulate a basic reaction network model for describing the general phenomenon of transcription and introduce a separate set of equations to describe the dynamics of supercoiling. We show that supercoiling and transcription introduce a shared reaction flux term in the model dynamics and illustrate how the modulation of supercoiling can be used to control transcription rates. We show the supercoiling-transcription model can be written as a nonlinear state-space model, with a radial basis function nonlinearity to capture the empirical relationship between supercoiling and transcription rates. We show the system admits a single, globally exponentially stable equilibrium point. Notably, we show that mRNA steady-state levels can be controlled directly by increasing a length-scale parameter for genetic spacing. Finally, we build a mathematical model to explore the use of a DNA binding protein, to define programmable boundary conditions on supercoiling propagation, which we show can be used to control transcriptional bursting or pulsatile transcriptional response. We show there exists a stabilizing control law for mRNA tracking, using the method of control Lyapunov functions and illustrate these results with numerical simulations.

Evaluation of the efficiency of the method of biological feedback in complex therapy of patients with hypertonus of the chewing muscles

The study included 40 patients aged 20 to 32 years with complaints of fatigue and discomfort in the area of chewing muscles, teeth compression during the day, nocturnal bruxism, crowding of teeth. Two groups were formed: the study group, whose patients underwent splint therapy in combination with biofeedback therapy trainings; in the control group, patients received treatment with splint therapy without the use of biofeedback therapy. Electromyography of the masticatory muscles at rest and during compression were used to diagnose hypertonicity of the masticatory muscles. To assess the psycho-emotional state, a medical and social questionnaire was conducted using questionnaires: «Health Questionnaire», Beck Depression Inventory, Spielberger-Khanin Anxiety Scale, SF-16 Quality of Life Scale. A decrease in the level of depression, anxiety was revealed with the stabilization of emotional sensitivity in relation to other people, emotional involvement in everyday life, and an increase in the quality of life. When comparing electromyographic data at rest and during clenching of teeth in patients of the study group the indicators were lower than in the control group. The effectiveness of biofeedback therapy at the stages of orthodontic treatment using splint therapy was established in the form of a decrease in the activity of masticatory muscles in patients of the study group. In the control group, the index of masticatory muscle activity decreased to a lesser extent. Biofeedback methods have shown a high level of effectiveness in reducing the symptoms of anxiety and depression, improving the quality of life.

Change in Frequency Modulation of Electroencephalographic Activity in Imaginary and Real Limb Movement

INTRODUCTION: Investigation of electroencephalographic activity as a marker of cognitive processes in the brain traditionally focuses on the analysis in the frequency domain considering rhythms of encephalogram (EEG) as potential carriers of information needed for research. At the same time, analysis of the EEG frequency modulation effects requires improvement of approaches in the field of digital signal processing. Taking into account the fact that frequency modulation of EEG, as well as amplitude modulation, can be a marker of a number of states, it seems promising to develop a method for detecting this phenomenon and using it to evaluate a number of parameters of the brain dynamics associated with biological feedback systems. AIM: To evaluate the phenomena of frequency modulation when the user performs tasks associated with the control of external devices based on the brain–computer interface, implemented in the phenomena of electrical activity in the motor cortex area.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS: To obtain the data, a group of thirty volunteers of both genders aged 17 to 23 years was formed. The participants of the experiment had to execute four commands and repeat them in an unknown order set by the program. The experiment was conducted in two ways: physically and mentally. That is, in the first method, each command corresponded to a certain movement of a person, in the second — the same commands were executed in imagination, the movement was imagined mentally. The command was considered successfully executed if the volunteer managed to repeat and hold the position set by the program for two seconds.
 RESULTS: Based on the developed method for evaluating the frequency modulation of the EEG, the dynamics of the electrical activity of the brain was studied in the range of 9 Hz to 12 Hz when a user was performing real and imaginary movements. A comparative analysis showed that the differences were mostly recorded in the condition when the subject did not achieve the goal. At the same time, the differences to a greater extent were observed in the experiments where the subject had to make real, rather than imaginary movements. The significant differences between low- and high-frequency modulations were associated with the inability for the user to generate the requested command, which he could see by the biofeedback mechanism. It has been established that the greater the number of high-frequency restructures observed on the EEG, the smaller number of low-frequency restructures occur at the same epoch of analysis.
 CONCLUSION: The results obtained considerably expand the understanding of the mechanisms of frequency modulation of the EEG. In general, the methods and algorithms underlying the analysis that permitted their identification can be used to solve a wide range of tasks related to processing of EEG signals, including improvement of methods for detecting user errors by EEG when controlling brain-computer interface devices.

Fatty Acids Increase GDF15 and Reduce Food Intake Through a GFRAL Signaling Axis.

The mechanisms by which the body responds to changes in fatty acid availability are less clearly defined. We investigated whether diets high in fat could directly increase growth differentiating factor 15 (GDF15) independently of obesity. Fatty acids increase GDF15 and reduce food intake through a GFRAL signaling axis. GDF15 is a sensor of fatty acids that may have important implications for explaining increased satiety after consumption of diets high in fat.

Modern concepts of treatment of phantom limb pain

Phantom limb pain is a specific entity of neuropathic pain that develops in 30%85% of patients with amputated limbs and leads to considerable worsening of the quality of life. The number of such cases increases during military conflicts. It can be caused by a traumatic amputation due to mine blast injury, peculiarities of provided medical assistance, and the special psychological state of casualties being in extremely stressful situations at the moment of wounding. Phantom limb pain development is accompanied by multiple functional and structural changes at different levels of the peripheral and central nervous systems. As a result, different theories of pathogenesis are proposed. However, at present, no final opinion concerns mechanisms of phantom limb pain development. Although different versions of drug and non-drug therapy have been suggested, none of them turned out to be universal and fully effective. Many medications were found to be linked to phantom limb pain pathogenesis; however, even first-line therapy drugs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, tricyclic antidepressants, narcotic analgesics, and anticonvulsants) often fail to provide adequate analgesia. Long-term prescription of narcotic analgesics is at risk of the development of addictive disorders. Surgical interventions have not demonstrated their effectiveness as well. Thus, their use is justified only in the case of ineffective conservative treatment. Poor efficacy of conventional concepts of phantom limb pain treatment led to the use of new means such as botulinum toxin therapy, non-drug methods (psychotherapy, mirror therapy, biological feedback, virtual reality, acupuncture, massage, hypnosis, etc.). Thus, the search for original methods based on the development and introduction of new drug therapy schemes is imperative. A possible solution to this problem is not only creating absolutely new non-opioid analgesics but also using adjuvant therapeutic means in the multimodality schemes of analgesia. The latter promotes neurotransmission in the antinociceptive system and potentiates the effect of traditional analgesics.

Real-time tactile biofeedback device use for improving balance control of an adolescent with medulloblastoma

PurposeBiofeedback is used for regulating vestibular adaptation and balance by providing real-time stimulus to the individual during physical activities. This study aimed at (1) developing a wearable device, which tracks balance, counts the number and the direction of balance losses and provides haptic biofeedback through real-time vibration stimulus (2) investigating device efficacy on an adolescent medulloblastoma patient during static and dynamic tasks.Design/methodology/approachA 16-year-old medulloblastoma patient used the device during 10-m walking and single-leg stance tests. The knee joint kinematics and the number and direction of balance losses were recorded for “with” and “without” biofeedback conditions.FindingsThe device helped regulate the knee joint kinematics and reduce the number of balance losses of the medulloblastoma patient. The knee joint movement pattern similarity of the control subject was highly correlated (R2 = 0.997, RMSE = 1.232). Conversely, medulloblastoma patient knee joint movement pattern similarity was relatively weak (R2 = 0.359, RMSE = 18.6) when “with” and “without” biofeedback conditions were compared. The number of balance losses decreased when the medulloblastoma patient was guided with biofeedback.Research limitations/implicationsThe major limitation of this pilot study is the lack of a large and homogeneous number of participants. The medulloblastoma patient used the device while walking after she was given enough time to get used to the tactile biological feedback, so the long-term effect of the device and biofeedback guidance were not investigated. Additionally, the potential desensitization with prolonged use of the device was not evaluated.Practical implicationsBiofeedback reduced the number of balance losses; additionally, the knee joint movement pattern was regulated during static and dynamic tasks. This device can be integrated into the physical therapy of patients with balance, vestibular and postural control impairments.Social implicationsThis is compact and has an easy-to-wear design, patients, who have balance and postural control impairments, can practically use the device during their activities of daily living.Originality/valueThe device promotes physical activity adaptation and regulates gait through continuous and real-time balance control. Its design makes it simple for the user to wear it beneath clothing while using the sensor.

Use of Biological Feedback as a Health Behavior Change Technique in Adults: Scoping Review.

Recent advancements in personal biosensing technology support the shift from standardized to personalized health interventions, whereby biological data are used to motivate health behavior change. However, the implementation of interventions using biological feedback as a behavior change technique has not been comprehensively explored. The purpose of this review was to (1) map the domains of research where biological feedback has been used as a behavior change technique and (2) describe how it is implemented in behavior change interventions for adults. A comprehensive systematic search strategy was used to query 5 electronic databases (Ovid MEDLINE, Elsevier Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EBSCOhost PsycINFO, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global) in June 2021. Eligible studies were primary analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in adults that incorporated biological feedback as a behavior change technique. DistillerSR was used to manage the literature search and review. After removing 49,500 duplicates, 50,287 articles were screened and 767 articles were included. The earliest RCT was published in 1972 with a notable increase in publications after 2000. Biological feedback was most used in RCTs aimed at preventing or managing diabetes (n=233, 30.4%), cardiovascular disease (n=175, 22.8%), and obesity (n=115, 15%). Feedback was often given on multiple biomarkers and targeted multiple health behaviors. The most common biomarkers used were anthropometric measures (n=297, 38.7%), blood pressure (n=238, 31%), and glucose (n=227, 29.6%). The most targeted behaviors were diet (n=472, 61.5%), physical activity (n=417, 54.4%), and smoking reduction (n=154, 20.1%). The frequency and type of communication by which biological feedback was provided varied by the method of biomarker measurement. Of the 493 (64.3%) studies where participants self-measured their biomarker, 476 (96.6%) received feedback multiple times over the intervention and 468 (94.9%) received feedback through a biosensing device. Biological feedback is increasingly being used to motivate behavior change, particularly where relevant biomarkers can be readily assessed. Yet, the methods by which biological feedback is operationalized in intervention research varied, and its effectiveness remains unclear. This scoping review serves as the foundation for developing a guiding framework for effectively implementing biological feedback as a behavior change technique. Open Science Framework Registries; https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/YP5WAd. RR2-10.2196/32579.

Comprehensive obstetric injury prevention based on the biological feedback method

Perineum injury is an important problem in obstetrics and causes dysfunction of the pelvic floor and prolapse female genital organs. The aim of the work is to reduce the incidence of obstetric injuries by integrated improved method of preparation for childbirth with biological feedback. Materials and research methods: Simple comparative controlled study case control was done in 175 pregnant women in two parallel groups. The main group consisted of 103 patients, trained to control the perineum muscle tone by innovative methodology. The comparison group is made up of 72 pregnant women who have passed standard preparation of a maternity school in a maternity clinic. Results: It was revealed that the perineal muscle tone correlated with high personal and reactive anxiety, which can cause birth injuries. The proposed method reduces the frequency and severity of perineum injuries (15.1 % versus 39.8 %) (OP = 2.6 95 % CI 1.5; 4.5). This makes it possible to recommend to include such method in the mothers school program.

Head movement and its relation to hearing.

Head position at any point in time plays a fundamental role in shaping the auditory information that reaches a listener, information that continuously changes as the head moves and reorients to different listening situations. The connection between hearing science and the kinesthetics of head movement has gained interest due to technological advances that have increased the feasibility of providing behavioral and biological feedback to assistive listening devices that can interpret movement patterns that reflect listening intent. Increasing evidence also shows that the negative impact of hearing deficits on mobility, gait, and balance may be mitigated by prosthetic hearing device intervention. Better understanding of the relationships between head movement, full body kinetics, and hearing health, should lead to improved signal processing strategies across a range of assistive and augmented hearing devices. The purpose of this review is to introduce the wider hearing community to the kinesiology of head movement and to place it in the context of hearing and communication with the goal of expanding the field of ecologically-specific listener behavior.

Problems of adaptation of primary prosthetic patients with complete absence of teeth to removable plate prostheses

The prevalence of total tooth loss has not decreased over the past decade. This is one of the most common pathologies, especially among the elderly. The restoration of the functions of chewing, aesthetics and speech in the complete absence of teeth is one of the most important tasks of modern dentistry. For the treatment of complete absence of teeth, removable plate prostheses are mainly used. The problem of adaptation of patients to them remains unresolved in the treatment of removable plate prostheses. There are many different approaches to improving the adaptation of patients with complete absence of teeth to removable plate prostheses: the installation of dental implants, the use of adhesive drugs, the use of local ozone therapy of the oral mucosa, the use of new structural materials. However, all these methods do not allow us to solve the fully existing problem of adaptation. In addition, the use of adhesive drugs can cause allergies in patients. It is not always possible to install implants and perform local ozone therapy, and expensive equipment is also necessary. An analysis of the scientific literature conducted in the article on the problems of adapting patients to orthopedic dental treatment with removable plate prostheses showed that among the methods of non-drug effects on these processes, the use of biological feedback methods may be preferable, which helps to reduce the adaptation period by stimulating the human bodys own reserves.

The impact of tableside ordering technologies on alcohol sales to the intoxicated.

The impact of tableside ordering technologies on alcohol sales to the intoxicated.

The Lipids and Volume in Satiation and Satiety (LIVES) Hypothesis: A Proposed Alternative Model for the Pathogenesis of Obesity

Obesity is one of the most important factors responsible for the marked increase in both the incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in recent decades. Addressing the lifestyle factors associated with the progression to T2DM would present a potential rational early prevention strategy. The current evidence suggests that excessive energy intake is mediated via dietary fat. Biochemical signals released in response to the ingestion of food require supportive signalling from the presence of food in the stomach. The degree of supportive volume signalling emanating from the stomach influences both the satiation and satiety phases. The Lipids and Volume in Satiation and Satiety (LIVES) Hypothesis proposes that the biological feedback from fat intake appears to be influenced by the other macronutrients with which it is consumed. By identifying the various possible macronutrient combinations with fat, it is possible to construct a matrix of food composition/volume scenarios, which may help elucidate dysfunction in the human food energy regulation system within the context of the modern food environment.