Perception Of Stimulation Research Articles

Deficiencies within the education system with regard to perceptual motor learning

Increased concern about the low levels of literacy and numeracy among Grade 3 learners in South Africa is resulting in more emphasis being placed on the preparatory Grade R year. The level of learning readiness of pupils when entering formal teaching in Grade 1 is determined by perceptual motor stimulation that pupils received during the preschool phase. ‘Learning readiness’ can be influenced by the knowledge ofteachers, teacher/child ratio, the availability of teaching aids, as well as the amount of space and time allocated to movement activities. The aim of the study recounted in this article was to determine the physical deficiencies that could negatively affectchildren’s perceptual motor development and school readiness. Focus was placed on factors that influence perceptual motor development such as the training of teachers, availability of equipment and resources at schools with Grade R classes. Demographic information was collected with regards to; the qualification of teachers, the number of pupils, and intervention programmes that are offered at schools by outside institutions.A Likert scale questionnaire, with a combination of yes/no and open questions, was used and followed up by a personal interview. According to availability, 31 schools and 51 teachers were selected to participate in the research. Teachers of schools in developed areas and disadvantaged areas were involved in the study. The results of the study show that teachers are not sufficiently trained for the early child developmentalneeds within the education environment and that many schools are under-supplied in terms of resources and equipment. It is recommended that these teachers receive inservice training on learners’ perceptual motor development and that the Department of Education should provide schools with resources and equipment to prevent these deficiencies in the education system.

Electrophysiological study of auditory development

Cortical auditory evoked potential (CAEP) testing, a non-invasive technique, is widely employed to study auditory brain development. The aim of this study was to investigate the development of the auditory electrophysiological signal without addressing specific abilities such as speech or music discrimination. We were interested in the temporal and spectral domains of conventional auditory evoked potentials. We analyzed cerebral responses to auditory stimulation (broadband noises) in 40 infants and children (1 month to 5 years 6 months) and 10 adults using high-density electrophysiological recording. We hypothesized that the adult auditory response has precursors that can be identified in infant and child responses. Results confirm that complex adult CAEP responses and spectral activity patterns appear after 5 years, showing decreased involvement of lower frequencies and increased involvement of higher frequencies. In addition, time-locked response to stimulus and event-related spectral pertubation across frequencies revealed alpha and beta band contributions to the CAEP of infants and toddlers before mutation to the beta and gamma band activity of the adult response. A detailed analysis of electrophysiological responses to a perceptual stimulation revealed general development patterns and developmental precursors of the adult response.

Sensorimotor Therapy: Using Stereotypic Movements and Vestibular Stimulation to Increase Sensorimotor Proficiency of Children with Attentional and Motor Difficulties

The current naturalistic study examined whether sensorimotor therapy utilizing the training program, Retraining for Balance, might be an appropriate technique for sensorimotor proficiency. The 232 children (181 boys, 51 girls), whose mean age was 9.3 yr. (SD = 2.7), presented attentional and motor difficulties (according to the School Health Care) as indicated by their parents before starting therapy. The children were divided into three groups, i.e., a younger group (7 yr. old or younger, n = 65), a middle group (8 to 10 yr. old, n = 91), and an older group (11 yr. old or older, n = 76). The program has seven parts, including fetal and neonatal movements, vestibular and auditory perceptual stimulation, and gross motor movements, among others. The treatment period was close to 3 yr. on the average. Analyses in a repeated-measures design indicated significant improvement of sensorimotor skills among the three age groups, but the older children performed better than the others on several tests. There were only a few sex differences. Retraining for Balance may be a functional technique for training children and youth with sensorimotor difficulties and might constitute a complement to regular treatment of Developmental Coordination Disorder, Learning Disability, and ADHD, but controlled studies are necessary before more decisive conclusions can be drawn.

Cortical Activation Patterns during Long-term Memory Retrieval of Visually or Haptically Encoded Objects and Locations

The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to delineate cortical networks that are activated when objects or spatial locations encoded either visually (visual encoding group, n=10) or haptically (haptic encoding group, n=10) had to be retrieved from long-term memory. Participants learned associations between auditorily presented words and either meaningless objects or locations in a 3-D space. During the retrieval phase one day later, participants had to decide whether two auditorily presented words shared an association with a common object or location. Thus, perceptual stimulation during retrieval was always equivalent, whereas either visually or haptically encoded object or location associations had to be reactivated. Moreover, the number of associations fanning out from each word varied systematically, enabling a parametric increase of the number of reactivated representations. Recall of visual objects predominantly activated the left superior frontal gyrus and the intraparietal cortex, whereas visually learned locations activated the superior parietal cortex of both hemispheres. Retrieval of haptically encoded material activated the left medial frontal gyrus and the intraparietal cortex in the object condition, and the bilateral superior parietal cortex in the location condition. A direct test for modality-specific effects showed that visually encoded material activated more vision-related areas (BA 18/19) and haptically encoded material more motor and somatosensory-related areas. A conjunction analysis identified supramodal and material-unspecific activations within the medial and superior frontal gyrus and the superior parietal lobe including the intraparietal sulcus. These activation patterns strongly support the idea that code-specific representations are consolidated and reactivated within anatomically distributed cell assemblies that comprise sensory and motor processing systems.

Assessment of Posterior Spinal Cord Function with Electrical Perception Threshold in Spinal Cord Injury

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relevant sensory spinal pathways involved in conveying conduction of electrical perceptual threshold (EPT). In 34 individuals with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) and eight healthy control subjects, combined EPT and electrical pain perception (EPP), and dermatomal somatosensory evoked potentials (dSSEP) from cervical dermatomes were examined. Stimulation intensities for EPT were recorded to determine quantitative sensory perception and related neurophysiological dSSEP interpretation of posterior spinal cord conduction based on onset latency and waveform configuration. The preservation of EPP in dermatomes was examined relative to EPT to dissociate the involvement of the posterior (dorsal horn and ascending dorsal column) and anterior (decussating and ascending spinothalamic fibers) spinal cord according to different nerve fiber recruitment in the periphery. Pathological EPT values were significantly (p < 0.05) accurate at predicting pathological and abolished dSSEP recordings (>80%), and the mean EPT of pathological and abolished dSSEPs was significantly (p < 0.05) increased compared to non-affected and control dSSEPs. dSSEPs demonstrated normal early onset latency at perceptually low stimulation intensities (<2.5 mA), and selectively absent EPP was dissociated from preserved EPT and/or dSSEP in 22.2% of dermatomes with incomplete sensory deficit. The relationship between EPT and dSSEP interpretation, dSSEP early onset latency and perceptual stimulation intensity, and the dissociation of EPT from EPP suggests that EPT is conducted within the posterior spinal cord. The combination of EPT and EPP with dSSEPs provides reliable quantitative sensory information to assess the segmental integrity of the posterior and anterior spinal cord, and may improve the sensitivity to monitor changes in sensory function after SCI.

The effects of willed movement therapy on AMPA receptor properties for adult rat following focal cerebral ischemia

Background and purpose Although we demonstrated willed movement (WM) therapy can facilitate the patients actively participating in the physical activities by cognitive and perceptual stimulation in our previous study, the molecular mechanisms of the willed movement on the patients remains unclear. We initially established the model of WM intervention for rats and identified possible effects of willed movement on motor recovery and on expression of Kainate/α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors in ischemia core (IC) and ischemia penumbra (IP) regions of rats after cerebral ischemia reperfusion. Methods Seventy-two adult male Sprague Dawley rats after successful 120-min period of occlusion of the left middle cerebral artery were selected and randomly divided into three groups: middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), WM and environmental modification (EM). Neurological and neurobehavioral assessments were performed and the rats were killed at various recirculation times after MCAO. Reverse transcription-PCR were used to detect mRNA of GluR1–GluR4 subunit of AMPA receptors in the areas of IC and IP in all adult rats. Results Rats following WM intervention showed significantly better acquisition of climbing (every time point tested), forelimb mobility and neurological functions at subacute stage of MCAO. No difference was found in the expression levels of GluR1–GluR4 mRNA among three groups in IC region. However, GluR1 and GluR4 mRNA of rats in group WM were significantly upregulated as compared with rats in group MCAO and group EM in IP region at subacute stage. Conclusions Early willed movement treatment can increase the expression level of AMPA receptor subunits and thus might increase synaptic transmission and enhance brain plasticity after focal brain ischemia at the subacute stage.

Olfaction and emotion: The case of autobiographical memory

This study investigated (1) the influence of verbal and conceptual processing on the retrieval and phenomenological evaluation of olfactory evoked memories, and (2) whether the experienced qualities of retrieved information are affected by olfactory exposure per se. Seventy-two older adults were randomized into one of three cue conditions (odor only, name only, or odor name) and asked to relate any autobiographical event for the given cue. The results indicated that semantic knowledge of an odor's name significantly affects the age distribution of memories such that the memory peak in childhood observed for odors only was attenuated. Also, experiential factors such as pleasantness and feelings of being brought back in time were lower when odors were presented with their respective names. Olfactory evoked memories were associated with a higher emotional arousal that could not be accounted for by the perceptual stimulation alone. Taken together, the overall pattern of findings suggests that retrieval of olfactory evoked information is sensitive to semantic and conceptual processing, and that odor-evoked representations are more emotional than memories triggered by verbal information.

Working memory for visual objects: Complementary roles of inferior temporal, medial temporal, and prefrontal cortex

Humans have an extraordinary ability to maintain and manipulate visual image information in the absence of perceptual stimulation. The neural substrates of visual working memory have been extensively researched, but there have been few attempts to integrate these findings into a model of how different cortical areas interact to form and maintain visual memories. In this paper, I review findings from neurophysiological, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging studies of visual working memory in human and nonhuman primates. These data support a model in which visual working memory operations rely on activation of object representations in inferior temporal cortex, via top-down feedback from neocortical areas in the prefrontal and medial temporal cortex, and also from the hippocampus.

Category-specific modulation of inferior temporal activity during working memory encoding and maintenance

Findings from neurophysiology have supported the view that visual working memory (WM) relies on modulation of activity in object-selective populations of neurons in inferior temporal cortex. Here, using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated whether similar mechanisms support human visual working memory encoding and maintenance processes. We identified regions in inferior temporal cortex that exhibited category-specific responses during perception of faces (fusiform face area [FFA]) or scenes (parahippocampal place area [PPA]) and investigated whether activity in these regions would be modulated by demands to actively encode and maintain faces and scenes. Results showed that independent of perceptual stimulation, the FFA and PPA exhibited greater encoding- and maintenance-related activity when their favored stimulus was relevant to the recognition task. In contrast, maintenance-related activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) was modulated by memory load, regardless of the type of information that was task relevant. These results are consistent with the view that visual working memory encoding and maintenance processes are implemented through modulation of inferior temporal activity by prefrontal cortex.

Category-specific modulation of inferior temporal activity during working memory encoding and maintenance

Findings from neurophysiology have supported the view that visual working memory (WM) relies on modulation of activity in object-selective populations of neurons in inferior temporal cortex. Here, using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated whether similar mechanisms support human visual working memory encoding and maintenance processes. We identified regions in inferior temporal cortex that exhibited category-specific responses during perception of faces (fusiform face area [FFA]) or scenes (parahippocampal place area [PPA]) and investigated whether activity in these regions would be modulated by demands to actively encode and maintain faces and scenes. Results showed that independent of perceptual stimulation, the FFA and PPA exhibited greater encoding- and maintenance-related activity when their favored stimulus was relevant to the recognition task. In contrast, maintenance-related activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) was modulated by memory load, regardless of the type of information that was task relevant. These results are consistent with the view that visual working memory encoding and maintenance processes are implemented through modulation of inferior temporal activity by prefrontal cortex.

Development of a virtual reality environment for somatosensory and perceptual stimulation in the balance assessment of children

In this study, we developed a balance assessment system in which the visual stimulus was generated by a virtual reality (VR) technique and somatosensation was obtained from a movable platform. By standing on the movable platform, the center of pressure (COP) was measured to express the subject's postural control in response to varied visual stimuli. From the COP data, a singular value decomposition technique was used to derive the sway area and direction, represented in a polar form. Our system demonstrated the feasibility of using a VR environment in postural control trials and provided more realistic somatosensory and visual inputs.

The measurement of perceptual curiosity

Perceptual curiosity, as defined by Berlyne (1954), involves interest in and giving attention to novel perceptual stimulation, and motivates visual and sensory-inspection. A 33-item questionnaire constructed to assess individual differences in perceptual curiosity was administered to 320 undergraduate students (202 females; 118 males). The participants also responded to the trait scales of the State-Trait Personality Inventory (STPI), and to selected subscales of the Sensation Seeking (SSS) and Novelty Experiencing (NES) scales. Principal axis factor analyses of the perceptual curiosity (PC) items identified a strong PC factor. With oblique rotation, diversive and specific PC components were found, from which subscales were constructed. Moderate positive correlations of the PC scale and subscales were found with the NES and STPI measures of curiosity and the SSS and NES sensation seeking scales, suggesting that perceptual curiosity involves seeking both knowledge and sensory experience. Divergent validity of the PC scale was demonstrated by minimal relationships with the STPI trait anger scale, and essentially zero correlations with the STPI trait anxiety and depression scales.

Postural Control Supports Visual Perceptual but not Cognitive Performance

The perception and control of body sway may be regarded as a task that utilizes central cognitive resources. For example, the integration of multisensory perceptual stimulation, which is required for postural control, may draw on central processing capacity (e.g., Lajoie, Teasdale, Bard, &amp; Fleury, 1996). Our research originates from a different hypothesis. We have argued that there may be functional relations between body motion and visual performance, such that controlled changes in body sway could be used to facilitate performance of visual tasks (Stoffregen, Smart, Bardy, &amp; Pagulayan, 1999). This study looks at postural sway during performance of visual and cognitive tasks. The visual task was a signal detection task where critical signals were identified and the cognitive task was mental arithmetic. The two tasks were equated in terms of difficulty using the NASA task load index, a measure of mental workload. Postural sway was reduced in the visual, but not the arithmetic conditions, suggesting that sway was influenced by the perceptual demands of the signal detection task, rather than by overall processing load, per se.

Medial Temporal Lobe Activity Associated with Active Maintenance of Novel Information

Using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated the role of medial temporal regions during active maintenance of information over short delays or working memory. In experiment 1, we observed sustained bilateral hippocampal activation during maintenance of novel faces across a short delay period but not during face encoding or recognition. In contrast, we observed transient right parahippocampal activation during encoding and recognition but not during maintenance. We replicated these findings in experiment 2 and further determined that anterior hippocampal activation was greater during maintenance of novel than familiar faces. Our results reveal the importance of medial temporal lobe regions for the active maintenance of novel information in the absence of perceptual stimulation.

Guided imagery and memory: Implications for psychotherapists.

Imagery techniques involve the mental generation of perceptual experiences in the absence of external perceptual stimulation. Such techniques are used for many purposes in psychotherapy but have recently come under attack as a risky practice that may result in memory distortion or the creation of false memories. This article reviews research linking imagery with changes in memory, both to sensitize clinicians to possible inappropriate applications of guided imagery techniques and to discourage researchers from understating the potential utility of guided imagery. The implications of this research for the psychotherapeutic use of imagery are discussed, and strategies for using imagery while reducing the potential for memory distortion are described.

Middle School Social Studies and the Cognitive Revolution

Education is said to be engaged in a Some even say that it has been going on for as long as forty years (Veenema and Gardner 1996; Johnson and Erneling 1997). There is, in fact, some truth to this assertion, though it must be qualified. It is true that the social studies curriculum is being influenced by entreaties for more thinking skill development and emphasis on problem solving, but few middle school social studies practitioners would agree that we are experiencing anything as radical as a revolution. Revolutions are characterized by impassioned groups of true believers who conspicuously hold that new, if not unique, objectives are absolutely necessary if past wrongs are to be righted and a new era of enlightenment is to follow. Most social studies teachers would be interested in giving thought to a clearly defined movement of such a magnitude, but that movement is yet in its (somewhat prolonged) infancy. Not widely understood or practiced, the cognitive revolution can be traced to the late 1950s, when evidence began pouring in that intelligence was not simply a matter of inheritance. Orphan, twin, and animal studies have shown that early sensory and perceptual stimulation contributes significantly to social, emotional, and cognitive growth. Research leading to this revelation is comprehensively reviewed in J. McV. Hunt's Intelligence and Experience (1961). Studies reported there led to acceptance of the theorizing of Jean Piaget (1970, 1977), Lev Vygotsky (1986), and more recent cognitive psychologists, who, in one way or another, support the idea that individuals discover, or construct, their own unique intelligences. From this understanding came constructivism, a concept that lies at the heart of the so-called cognitive revolution. Although the implications of constructivism have been touted for years, contributing methodology has been slow to replace conflicting practices

Psychophysiological treatment for learning disabilities: controlled research and evidence

Research data are presented on the effects of a psychophysiological treatment method for learning disabilities. A total of 238 subjects with learning disabilities were selected based on their school records. Of these, 105 received the full treatment which consisted of the manipulation and maintenance of bilateral electrodermal activity between 6.5–8.5 μmhos simultaneously combined with increasingly complex perceptual tasks (Mangina, 1981a, b, c; Mangina and Beuzeron-Mangina, 1988). Another 133 subjects with learning disabilities were assigned into four different conditions: (a) classmate controls; (b) only attachment of electrodes; (c) only optimal activation; (d) only perceptual stimulation. Evidence for the effectiveness of the treatment method was found based on different experimental conditions which are presented in this paper. ANOVA and multiple comparison tests indicate that beneficial effects were only obtained by the administration of the full treatment method and were significant at all three time intervals investigated ( P < 0.001). The evidence supports that the treatment method has induced a ‘synergistic simultaneity’ which is required by the brain both in terms of its bilaterally ‘optimal’ physiological activation and the appropriate quality of incoming stimulation in order to produce a beneficial neural integration.

Music Therapy in Education

This paper discusses the connection between music and the cognitive processes. It refers to learning experiences for children with learning difficulties with special reference to observational and perceptual abilities, interactive processes and memory stimulation. In this context the paper discusses how music can influence and even precipitate awareness. The paper also discusses the importance of a therapeutic learning environment and the influence of music as a sometimes essential aspect of this environment. It distinguishes between music education and music therapy and points out the relevance of music therapy as an established part of the curriculum in the appropriate setting. The ideas set out here have been borne out by the writer's work at a treatment centre for children with multiple problems in Toronto, Canada. The primary classroom in this centre incorporates a daily ritual of music. It is at these times that the children's attention is centred. Appendix A provides a summary of three clinical examples. Appendix B provides a list of the areas in an educational setting that would be enhanced by music therapy.

Treatment of Visual Perceptual Deficits after Stroke: Single Case Studies on Four Patients with Right Hemiplegia

The transfer of training approach to the treatment of visual perceptual deficits was evaluated with four right hemiplegic stroke patients, using single-case experimental designs. The results showed little evidence of effective treatment for individual perceptual deficits. Perceptual stimulation alone may have produced some general improvements. The importance of perceptual assessment and the monitoring of progress is discussed.

Learning abilities and disabilities: effective diagnosis and treatment

An integrated theoretical and methodological framework is presented for the effective diagnosis and treatment of varying degrees of learning abilities and disabilities. This methodology is based upon: (1) the degrees of ‘analytical-specific perceptual skills’ as measured by the Mangina test; (2) the identification of standardized physiological activation level parameters; (3) a standardized psychophysiological therapeutic treatment procedure (Mangina method) of ‘optimal’ physiological activation simultaneously combined with ‘analytical-specific perceptual stimulation’.