Effects Of Short-term Training Research Articles

Cardiac Dynamics in Auditory-Motor Synchronization: Roles of Short-Term Training and Rhythm Complexity

ABSTRACT Previous findings suggest that long-term musical training and rhythm complexity may affect performers’ auditory-motor synchrony and their cardiac rhythms. We investigated the effects of short-term training and rhythm complexity on auditory-motor synchronization and cardiac activity as individuals synchronized with auditory rhythms. Forty-two adult participants synchronized their taps with sounded rhythms to form a 2:3 duration ratio (stimulus duration:tap duration) or a 3:2 duration ratio (tap rate held constant across rhythms). Participants received short training with one rhythm and received longer training with the other rhythm. Then, participants completed five experimental trials in which they synchronized their sounded taps with the stimulus rhythm. Cardiac activity was recorded during synchronization. Tapping synchronization was less accurate and more variable for the 3:2 rhythm than the 2:3 rhythm. Linear measures of cardiac activity showed less high-frequency variability during the 3:2 rhythm than the 2:3 rhythm. Behavioral-cardiac correspondences emerged with training: Poorer synchronization was associated with more variable cardiac activity after long training, but not after short training. Finally, there were consistent individual differences in cardiac recurrence and predictability across training conditions. These findings demonstrate both short-term learning effects and rhythm complexity effects on cardiac dynamics during auditory-motor synchronization.

Early Childhood Education Teacher Training Effectiveness Study

Since 2019, China has endorsed a series of initiatives supporting the training of early childhood education teachers. With numerous higher vocational institutions introducing early childhood education programs, there is a growing interest in assessing the effectiveness of short-term training. This study investigates the efficacy of early childhood education training methods by conducting a satisfaction survey among students. It examines the interconnections between effectiveness and political, economic, and cultural factors. Employing a questionnaire survey approach, participants include undergraduate students majoring in early childhood education, interns, teachers in early childhood education institutions, and university faculty members.

Evaluation of Short-Term Clinical Effects of a Novel Repetitive Facilitation Exercise Training Program Using a Hemiplegic Elbow Extension Rehabilitation System

Repetitive Facilitation Exercise (RFE) is known as an effective rehabilitation method that can elicit brain plasticity. In our previous study, we developed a hemiplegic upper limb rehabilitation system that can train the elbow and shoulder based on RFE theory. The system consists of a selective Arm-DoF constrainable mechanism and a multiple facilitative stimulus timing and duration control system. The selective Arm-DoF constrainable mechanism has three DoF, making it possible to selectively restrict a DoF of the shoulder or elbow. The multiple facilitative stimulation timing and duration control system only has an electrical stimulation source and a vibrator and no large actuators to perform the training exercise. In this study, we undertook an evaluation of the short-term clinical effects of a proposed elbow training program using the hemiplegic upper limb rehabilitation system. The training method consists of two sets, each involving 50 repetitions of the elbow extension exercise programmed in our system. We evaluated the short-term training effects through clinical trials for five stroke patients using the above method. In the evaluation, 10 repetitions of pre/post-tests without any facilitative stimulus were performed before and after the two sets of training. As a result, the maximum angular velocities or the average angular velocities of the elbow extensions improved significantly in most subjects. These results indicate that the quickness or the smoothness of elbow extension movements in the hemiplegic limb improved. Therefore, our clinical experiments support the short-term clinical benefits of the proposed method as well as the practicality of quantitative evaluation using our system.

Impact of short term training on morphological, physical fitness and physiological variables of middle distance runners

Purpose: The present study was designed to investigate the effects of short term training on morphological, physical fitness and physiological determinants of middle distance runners. Method: Total of 97 male volunteers (age: 18-20 yrs.) (40- sedentary control, and 57- middle distance runners) were included randomly, and 17 middle distance runners were excluded. The rest were divided into (a) Sedentary Control Group (SCG, n = 40) and (b) Middle Distance Runners Group (MDR, n = 40). The volunteers of MDR followed a training schedule of 2 hrs/d, 5days/wk., for 6 wks.; no training was given in SCG. Results: A significant (p < .05) increase in strength (of grip, back, leg, upper body strength, abdominal), anaerobic power, flexibility, VO2max, FEV1, FVC, PEFR; and decrease (p < .05) in body mass, body fat and sprint time, heart rate (during rest, sub-maximal exercise and recovery) among the volunteers of MDR after 6 weeks of training. This study showed positive correlation between standing broad jump and height (r = +0.51, p < .05); and between speed and leg strength (r = +0.52, p < .05). Conclusion: Training have a positive impact on morphological, physical fitness and physiological variables of middle distance runners. Further research would provide conclusive results that can be extrapolated to general population.

The effect of short-term training about depth predicting score on the diagnostic ability of invasion depth for differentiated early gastric Cancer among non-expert endoscopists

BackgroundThe depth-predicting score (DPS) was proposed based on conventional white-light imaging (C-WLI) endoscopic features of early gastric cancer (EGC) to determine the invasion depth of the neoplasm. However, the effect of DPS on training endoscopists remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effect of short-term DPS training on improving the diagnostic ability of EGC invasion depth and compare the training effect among non-expert endoscopists at different levels.MethodsIn the training session, the definitions and scoring rules of DPS were instructed, and classic C-WLI endoscopic example graphics were exhibited to the participants. Another C-WLI endoscopic images of 88 cases of histologically proven differentiated EGC were selected as an independent test dataset for evaluating the training effect. Each participant was tested, and the diagnostic accuracy rate of invasion depth was calculated differently one week before the training and after the completion of training.ResultsA total of 16 participants were enrolled and completed the training. Participants were divided into a trainee group and a junior endoscopist group according to the total number of C-WLI endoscopies performed. The total number of C-WLI endoscopies performed showed a significant difference between the trainee group and junior endoscopist group (350 vs. 2500, P = 0.001). No significant difference between the trainee group and junior endoscopist group was observed for pre-training accuracy. The overall diagnostic accuracy of invasion depth was improved significantly after completing DPS training compared with before (68.75 ± 5.71% vs. 61.58 ± 9.61%, P = 0.009). In the subgroup analysis, the post-training accuracy was higher than the pre-training accuracy, but significant improvement was observed only in the trainee group (61.65 ± 7.33% vs. 68.32 ± 5.71%, P = 0.034). In addition, no significant difference in post-training accuracy between the two groups was observed.ConclusionShort-term DPS training can improve the diagnostic ability of the invasion depth of EGC and homogenize the diagnostic ability of non-expert endoscopists at different levels. The depth-predicting score was convenient and effective for endoscopist training.

Salivary biglycan-neo-epitope-BGN262: A novel surrogate biomarker for equine osteoarthritic sub-chondral bone sclerosis and to monitor the effect of short-term training and surface arena

ObjectiveWe aimed to delineate a novel soluble Biglycan Neo-epitope-BGN262 in saliva from young reference and osteoarthritic horses in conjunction with the influence of short-term training exercise, riding surface hardness, circadian rhythm, and feeding on its soluble levels. DesignA custom-made inhibition ELISA was used for the quantification of BGN262 in saliva. Cohort 1: A cross-sectional study comprising reference (N ​= ​19) and OA horses (N ​= ​9) with radiographically classified subchondral bone sclerosis. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to evaluate the robustness of BGN262. Cohorts 2 (N ​= ​5) & 3 (N ​= ​7): Longitudinal studies of sampling during a short-term training exercise (sand-fibre) and a cross-over design of short-training exercise on 2 different riding arenas (sand and sand-fibre), respectively. Capillary western immunoassay was used to determine the BGN262 molecular size in a selection of saliva samples collected from cohort 1. ResultsCohort 1: Salivary BGN262 levels were significantly higher in the OA group. The Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed an area under the curve of 0.8304 [0.6386 to 1.022], indicating a good separation from the reference group. Cohorts 2 & 3: Salivary BGN262 levels significantly changed during the exercise on sand and sand-fibre arena, with a trend towards higher levels for sand-fibre. The size of the BGN262 fragment determined by Capillary western assay was 18 ​kDa. ConclusionsThe data presented show saliva BGN262 levels as a novel biomarker in evaluating the influence of exercise, and interaction with riding arenas alongside assessing osteoarthritis severity.

Multiple Sessions of One-Legged Recumbent Cycle Ergometer Exercise Improved Pedaling Rate and Knee Range of Motion in a Middle-Aged Man after Hip Disarticulation: A Clinical Case

Background: This case evaluates the short-term training effects with alterations in pedaling rate (PR) and its relationship to knee range of motion (KROM) after multiple sessions of one-legged recumbent cycle ergometer exercise (1LREx) in a patient after hip disarticulation (HD). Case: A 44-year-old male patient had left HD due to osteosarcoma. He performed unilateral right 1LREx at 10 W with a self-controlled freely chosen PR until exhaustion. Multiple 1LREx sessions (maximum 4-5 sessions/day) were performed over 6 consecutive days from day 15 post-HD. PR and right KROM in the downstroke (pushing) and upstroke (pulling) pedal phases were determined continuously using a goniometer placed between the thigh and lower leg. The PR time-course during 1LREx indicated differences among multiple daily sessions but tended to be higher and more stable at steady-state over the study period (average ± SD PR and its coefficients of variability, 33.2 ± 5.3 revolution per minute (rpm) and 28.0% on Day 1 versus 43.0 ± 3.0 rpm and 12.5% on Day 6). The time-course of KROM was similar among multiple sessions during each day; however, the average KROM over all sessions in a day tended to increase over the study period (51.0 ± 1.2° on Day 1 vs. 78.0 ± 2.3° on Day 6). Mean KROM in the downstroke or upstroke pedal phases during each session showed a significant positive linear correlation (total of 27 sessions, p < 0.05) with mean PR. Conclusion: After HD, short-term one-legged trainability with multiple 1LREx resulted in increased KROM and PR with uniformly faster PR with whole leg exercising in the sagittal plane

Developing and evaluating training for pharmacists to offer a pharmacy-led public health service in primary care

BackgroundCurrently in Greece, no formal organisation offers post-academic education to pharmacists. To improve the clinical practice of pharmacists, there is a need for training that will educate them on how to approach and consult their patients. The study aimed to evaluate the training required by pharmacists to offer a pharmacy-led weight management service in Greece.MethodsThe study consisted of 3 phases. During the first phase educational needs of the participating pharmacists were identified. A pre-training quiz was given consisting of 14 questions to investigate the participating pharmacists’ knowledge on guidance, causes and facts of obesity. The second phase comprised the training design and delivery. The final phase dealt with training evaluation (27 questions in total), which included the perceived rating of knowledge and confidence levels pre- and post-training, and a post-training quiz (the same as the pre-training quiz). The post-evaluation questionnaire and the quiz (pre- and post-training) results were entered into SPSS Version 23 for statistical analysis.ResultsThe mean total quiz score was 6.38 (SD = 2.56) pre-training compared to 11.92 (SD = 1.20) post-training (P < 0.001). Nearly all community pharmacists, 96.2% (n = 25) stated that they had an excellent/good experience and 88.5% (n = 23) strongly agreed/agreed that their expectations were met.ConclusionsTraining delivered was well received and it enhanced participants’ knowledge on the topic. Limitations include the small number of participating pharmacists and investigation of short-term training effects only. Due to the positive outcomes of the training, however, it has the potential to become a model for Greek pharmacists to offer different pharmacy-led public health services.

The effect of short-term training on repetition probability effects for non-face objects

The magnitude of repetition suppression (RS) is modulated by the probability of stimulus repetitions when measured by fMRI. This repetition probability effect (P(rep)) is usually expressed in a stronger RS when the probability of repetition trials is higher when compared to blocks with less frequent repetitions. Previous studies have suggested that the P(rep) effect depends on the extensive long-term experience of participants with the stimuli. At the same time, the how short-term learning affects RS and its modulation by P(rep) remains largely unknown. To address this issue, we used fMRI and measured the RS and its modulation by P(rep) for non-face objects (cars) before and after a 10-day long perceptual learning (PL) period and for unfamiliar faces as control. The results showed a significant P(rep) effect for faces within the Fusiform Face Area (FFA) and for cars within the Lateral Occipital Complex (LO) in the pre-training fMRI measurement session. Following the PL period, participants exhibited strong improvements in the subordinate categorization of the trained stimuli. Surprisingly, the magnitude of RS did not change as a function of training, but the P(rep) effect was absent in the post-training fMRI sessions for both stimulus categories. These results suggest that the predictive processes, measured by P(rep) modulation of RS, may be modulated by the short-term perceptual learning experience.

The role of primary physician training in improving regional standardized management of diabetes: a pre-post intervention study

BackgroundHierarchical diagnosis and treatment has been gradually implemented throughout the China. Primary physicians are the main force in primary-level medical and health services, which means that standardized training of primary-level doctors is indispensable.ObjectivesEvaluation of the effect of primary physician training on standardized management of diabetes, and comparison of the effects of different training models.MethodThe study selected 24 community health service centers from 4 cities in Liaoning Province, and consisted of two groups: primary physicians (n = 2083) who received training; and patients with diabetes (n = 585) in community health service centers. Short-term training effects on primary physicians were assessed through diabetes knowledge tests at baseline and at the end of training; the long-term effects of training on patients with diabetes were assessed by questionnaires at baseline and 1 year after training. The differences in training effects between different training models were compared. Complication screening results were also assessed.ResultsAfter training, the primary physicians’ knowledge of diabetes diagnosis and treatment improved (p < 0.05). The complication screening rate of local diabetes patients increased from 22.2% before training to 27.7% 1 year after training (p = 0.033). There were significant differences in the training effect between different training models (p = 0.038). The short-term intensive training group demonstrated the greatest training effect, primary physicians under this training model are more likely to conduct standardized screenings for patients (OR = 1.806, 95%CI 1.008–3.233), and the complication screening rate was the highest (37.6%).ConclusionThis study shows that training of primary physicians is an effective way to improve the standardized management of diabetes, by improving the ability of primary physicians to manage diabetes in a standardized manner, so that patients in primary hospitals receive more comprehensive diagnosis and treatment services. Compared with scattered training throughout the year, short-term intensive training was found to be more effective.

일본에 있어서 단기연수가 참가자에게 미치는 영향

본 연구는 단기연수가 참가자에 어떤 영향을 미칠 것인가를 고찰한 것이다. 일본에서 실시된 단기연수에 참가한 학생 12명을 대상으로 인터뷰 조사를 하여 M-GTA로 질적으로 분석하였다. 분석한 결과를 추출된 9개의 카테고리로 나타내면 아래와 같다.<BR> 참가자는 [수동적 참가 동기]로 인해 연수에 참가하지만 일본에 체류하는 동안에서 일본에 대해[일본사회에의 긍정평가], [대학문화에의 긍정평가], [연수에의 긍정 평가]를 하거나, [일본 이미지의 재구축], [양국문화 차이의 깨달음], [일본어능력 향상에의 노력]을 경험했으며, 연수 종반에는 [일본어능력 향상에의 의욕]과 [장래 비전 획득]이라는 의식을 창출했다. 따라서 단기연수가 참가자의 의식변화와 자기성장에 공헌하는 것이 시사되었다.<BR> 또한 참가자는 일본 체류 중에 일본어능력 향상을 실감하며, 특히 [설명하다],[커뮤니케이션하다]라는 2가지의 능력에 대해 자신감을 획득한 것이 밝혀졌다.

Training effects of artificial rules on youth soccer team tactical behavior

ABSTRACT Background and purpose: Historically, sports training methodology, including soccer coaching, has been influenced by the pedagogic tend dominant in each epoch. Of late, the literature has espoused the idea that human learning is individual, nonlinear, and complex. Nonlinear Pedagogy (NLP) takes into account such nonlinearity and complex phenomena and facilitates each person's learning through a methodology of manipulating constraints. This learner–environment-centered approach conducts players and teams to a tactical behavior emerging through playing modified versions of games using a rich range of different constraints, for example the introduction of artificial rules. Despite the attractions of training based on constraints to research, few studies have empirically assessed the effects of these programs from a tactical perspective. The present study applies the NLP pedagogical principles of representativeness and constraints manipulation to provide youth sport academy coaches with empirical evidence of the training effects of modified games on team tactical behavior. Specifically, this study aimed to assess the short-term training effects of modified games introducing artificial rules on team tactical behavior during the team possession game phase in two youth soccer categories. Methods: Thirty-two Spanish male youth soccer players from the under-14 (U14: n = 16; age: 13.0 ± 0.4 years; playing experience: 6 ± 1 years; height: 1.56 ± 0.07 m; body mass: 46.7 ± 5.9 kg) and the under-16 (U16: n = 16; age: 15.9 ± 0.4 years; playing experience: 8 ± 1 years; height: 1.70 ± 0.07 m; body mass: 57.9 ± 8.3 kg) teams of the same club participated in the study. The natural groups were not modified for the study and the participants had some prior experience with modified games. Each team was divided into two groups who played each other during a short-term intervention distributed across four training sessions: control (CON: free play without restrictions) and experimental (EXP: modified games introducing artificial rules). Team tactical behavior was assessed, including the goalkeeper (Gk) and during the team possession game phase, using a local positioning system (LPS) before and after the intervention in an 8-a-side game with the official offside rule. Findings: Linear team tactical behavior change in centroid position, dyads, and total area values barely changed (d = trivial – small [0.01–0.34]) after a short-term intervention of free play and modified games. Team tactical behavior tended toward greater regularity (sample entropy decrease) after artificial rules were introduced in comparison with free play without restrictions. Youth sport academy coaches who opt for organized and regular behavior during the team possession game phase could employ modified games introducing artificial rules to build up repeatable tactical patterns. Conversely, those who prefer being more chaotic and unpredictable in the game could take advantage of free play without restrictions.

Comparison of short-term training effects of two neuromuscular electrical stimulation modalities on muscle functions and mass

Purpose: The present study thus aimed to compare the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) training, using alternating current (AC) and pulsed current (PC), on muscle function and muscle mass. Methods: Twenty-thee healthy male university students (age: 22.68 ± 3.7) were enrolled in this study and divided into two groups (AC = 12, PC = 11) to receive NMES training in both legs simultaneously. Each group underwent a 20-min NMES session using AC or PC, 2 days a week for 5 weeks. AC was delivered at 2.5 kHz (burst frequency: 75 Hz and pulse duration: 400 μs) for the knee extensors of both legs, and PC was delivered at 75 Hz (pulse duration: 400 μs), inducing 60 isometric contractions (on–off ratio: 5–15 s) at a knee joint angle of 100° (0° = full extension). Muscle strength, power, and mass were assessed 1 week before and 1 and 6 weeks after the training program. Results: Findings show a significant increase in vertical jump height after both NMES training, although no torque gain was detected regardless of the type of modality. A significant increase in the region fat-free mass (trained legs) in both NMES currents without a difference between them was observed in the function of the trained muscles. Conclusion: Short-term training (5 weeks) using AC or PC could be insufficient to detect an improvement in muscle functions such as torque gain. However, the short-term training using AC may improve physical performance and body composition.

Effects of short-term training on pastoral community employment creation and livelihood improvement: a study on selected Ethiopian pastoral areas

This study investigated the effects of a short-term training on pastoral community employment creation and livelihood improvement. The study investigated the perception of beneficiaries pertinent to the benefits of a short-term training scholarship, experiences of graduate trainees, estimation of employability rate after training, and types of employment TVET graduates are engaged during the year 2014 to 2017 in Pastoral Resilience Improvement through Market Extension project operating clusters. Self-administered survey questionnaires were used and distributed to 128 project beneficiaries in Afar, Eastern, and Southern clusters of Ethiopia. Since the instrument was close-ended questionnaires in the form of a dichotomous, and quantitative research approach was deployed. The quantitative part of the assessment was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the support of SPSS version 20. The finding of the study indicated that the reasons for unemployment of the beneficiaries were mainly lack of financial support and poor industry linkage with employers in the areas. On the other hand, such activities should be assessed once again for financial and material support since the majority of the trainees were unemployed and seeking support besides the training received from the program in all clusters from all concerned development partners. The finding of the study depicted, gender-related issues in all clusters implies that women involvements or participation shows a variation in some clusters. However, the project more benefited male beneficiaries than women in all clusters. Therefore, if the project will continue this type of program, balancing gender and equal benefit should be maintained in all clusters. Redesigning the program is required because due to providing training alone cannot bring livelihood changes as the finding of the study revealed. This is because the beneficiaries of the program were selected from an economically poor family background. Therefore, the program should evaluate once again for financial and equipment support since the majority of the trainees were unemployed and seeking support from different development stakeholders in the three clusters.

Exploring Short-Term Training Effects of Ecological Interfaces: A Case Study in Air Traffic Control

In many work domains, the push toward higher levels of automation raises the concern of diminishing human expertise. Ecological interfaces could help operators in retaining and potentially even in acquiring expertise as they are hypothesized to lead to a deeper understanding of the work domain. This study explores the short-term impact of ecological interfaces on knowledge development and compares the results with an instruction-based training method. To monitor and compare students’ progress, their decision-making strategies, identified from verbal comments recorded in “think-aloud” simulator sessions, are mapped onto the decision ladder. This method has been applied to an experiment ( $N=16$ ) aimed at training novices in conflict detection and resolution (CD&R) within a simplified air traffic control context. Results show that the overall CD&R performance in the final measurement sessions, featuring a transfer manipulation, was not significantly different between the “ecological” and “instructional” groups. In terms of cognitive behavior, however, students in the ecological group exhibited more laborious rule- and knowledge-based behaviors that sparked goal-oriented thoughts and corresponding control performances beyond the CD&R task. These findings indicate that ecological interfaces can change how people think and approach a control problem, even after removing the support. It is therefore reasonable to believe that ecological interfaces can play an important role in the early stages of deep knowledge development.

Behavioral learning and skill acquisition during a natural yet novel biting task

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of short-term training on behavioral learning and skill acquisition during a natural yet novel biting task. MethodsThirty (18 women) healthy volunteers in the age range of 18–32 years were divided into a naive (n = 17) and expert (n = 13) groups based on the self-reported familiarity to perform a complex behavioral biting task. The volunteers participated in a single experimental session divided into three sets with three series, each with ten trials of a standardized biting task. The task was to position, split and retrieve a sunflower seed from its shell without crushing the seed. The two consecutive sets were separated by fifteen minutes of short-term training. During the short-term training, the participants repeatedly performed the biting task for about fifteen minutes. A five-point grading system was devised to determine the performance and video registrations were made to determine the duration of the task. ResultsThere was a significant main effect of training on the task performance scores (P < .001). The performance scores of the naive group before training was significantly lower than all the sets of the expert group (P < .010). The performance scores of the naive group were also significantly better after training than before (P = .001). However, the expert group took significantly shorter time to complete the task than the naive group. ConclusionThe results of the present study show a significant effect of training on the performance of a complex behavioral biting task. Training resulted in improved performance scores and a subtle decrease in the duration of the task.

Individual differences in inhibitory control abilities modulate the functional neuroplasticity of inhibitory control.

Previous research has shown that training on inhibitory control (IC) leads to functional neural plastic changes, although this effect on individuals with different levels of IC abilities has yet to be studied. Here, we examined the individual differences in IC abilities of 85 participants, who performed a Simon task while undergoing a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan. Participants in the experimental group followed an 8-day training session on IC between the pre- and the post-test, whereas the control group did not receive any training. The fMRI results reported that, in comparison to the control group, the training session elicited different patterns of neural adaptation between participants with high- and low-IC abilities in the experimental group. While training reduced activation levels in the supplementary motor area (SMA), bilateral thalamus, and left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of individuals with low-IC performance prior to the training, the same pattern was not found in participants with high-IC performance. In addition, individual differences in IC abilities before training also positively correlated with activation reduction in these brain regions after training. These results suggest that individual differences in IC abilities modulate the neural plasticity of IC, and IC training specifically enhanced neural efficiency in individuals with low-IC abilities. Our findings provide a novel perspective for investigating the functional neuroplasticity of the IC system by highlighting the interaction between individual variances in IC abilities and short-term training effects.

The Effect of Short-Term Training of Vipassana’s Body-Scan on Select Cognitive Functions

This experiment examined the effect of a short-term body-scan meditation technique of vipassana practice on select cognitive functions. Participants (n = 77) were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 37) and an active control group (n = 40). The average age of participants in the experimental group and the active control group was 21.67 ± 1.16 and 21.40 ± 3.14 years, respectively. The experimental group practiced body-scan mindfulness, one session per day for 6 days with each session lasting for 25 min. Participants in the active control group spent an equal amount of time reading fiction of their choice and listening to soothing music. Variables that were studied included five cognitive functions, namely reaction time, attention, learning, working memory, and social-emotional cognition. Results showed that short-term mindfulness meditation decreased reaction time and increased attention, with mild effect size. It may be concluded that short-term mindfulness practice might be an alternative for individuals who, due to various reasons, cannot practice long-term courses.

Effectiveness of short-term training with a synergy-based FES paradigm on motor function recovery post-stroke

The objective of this study is to test the clinical effectiveness of a synergy-based multi-muscle functional electrical stimulation (FES) strategy to accelerate post-stroke motor function recovery via a new task-oriented training protocol. A randomized, single-blind, placebo controlled protocol was designed and tested in this study. Daily FES interventions were applied to patients, approximately one hour each day for 5 consecutive days. Stimulation parameters were determined for each patient using an algorithm based on muscle-synergies obtained from healthy subjects. The task-oriented training protocol required patients to repeat forward and lateral reaching movements, with concurrent assistance from FES. Sham interventions were tested with all FES electrodes attached but without actual stimulations.20 patients with ischemic post-stroke hemiparesis participated in this study. FES interventions were applied to 10 patients, and 10 patients received sham interventions. We measured kinematics, electromyography, and upper-extremity Fugl-Meyer scores of patients before and after intervention. After 5 days of FES intervention, all patients showed increased Fugl-Meyer scores and peak movement velocity. Interestingly, the post-intervention muscle synergy in patients became more similar to that of healthy controls. No comparable improvements were observed after sham interventions. Particularly, a self-comparison in the patient received both sham and FES interventions highlighted the effectiveness of FES with task-oriented training. Our results provided early evidence that there is clear clinical benefit to concurrently stimulate multiple muscles to assist residual movements using FES, and synergy-based FES induces restoration of more normal kinematics and muscle activation pattern. The FES and task-oriented training protocol showed initial indications of effectiveness with a short-term intervention.

Effect of short-term training on fine motor control in trigeminally innervated versus spinally innervated muscles

We hypothesized that the trigeminally innervated jaw muscles and spinally innervated hand muscles would differ in the force control and muscle activity when similar fine motor training tasks are performed. Sixteen healthy volunteers performed six series (with ten trials each) of an oral fine motor task (OFMT) and a hand fine motor task (HFMT), in random order. The task was to hold-and-break a test material (5 cm spaghetti pasta) placed on the force transducer between either their anterior teeth (OFMT) or the thumb and the index finger (HFMT). The hold and the break forces along with the electromyographic (EMG) activity of the left and right masseter (MAL and MAR), left anterior temporalis (TAL) and digastric (DIG) muscles during OFMT, and first dorsal interosseous (FDI) and abductor pollicis brevis (APB) during HFMT, were recorded. There was no significant difference in the relative change of holding force during the six subsequent series, neither for the OFMT (P = 0.39) nor for the HFMT (P = 0.10). The relative change of EMG activity of MAL (P = 0.01) and MAR (P = 0.02) during the hold phase decreased significantly during the six series of OFMT. Also the relative change of break force (P = 0.001) and the relative change of EMG activity of APB during the hold (P = 0.003) and break phases (P = 0.002) decreased significantly during the six series of HFMT. The results indicate functional differences between the jaw and hand muscles during a similar hold-and-break task, with the most pronounced changes for the spinally innervated hand muscles. Overall, these findings indicate that training-related neuroplasticity cannot be extrapolated directly from the spinal to the trigeminal system and vice versa.