Sensory Conditions Research Articles

Health-related quality of life associated with sensory impairment in Chinese middle-aged and older adults: a cohort study

BackgroundThe impact of sensory impairment (SI) on individual multidimensional health has not been adequately explored in developing countries. This study examined the association of hearing or/and visual impairment with health-related...

Research on holographic display and technology application of art museum based on immersive design

With the rapid development of science and technology, artificial intelligence digital technology has gradually entered human life and combined with art. It has become a major trend of future exhibitions to create immersive exhibitions through the intervention of digital technology and artificial intelligence in art museums. The immersive art exhibition is to change the sensory conditions of the audience through the intervention of digital media, from the original visual experience to the fusion of various senses such as “sight, hearing and touch”, so that the audience can enter a new world of works experience. the immersive exhibition composed of the combination of technology and art has become an important exhibition method to attract audiences. The creation of immersive exhibitions relies on the application of technologies such as Front-projected Holographic Display and Augmented Reality. At present, immersive exhibitions around the world are emerging in an endless stream. Under the general trend of information exhibition, how to combine works of art with digital media and endow them with connotation, and how digital technology is involved in the exhibition to form the final immersive effect, are issues worth considering at present.

Do our hands see what our eyes see? Investigating spatial and haptic abilities.

Spatial abilities (SAs) are cognitive resources used to mentally manipulate representations of objects to solve problems. Haptic abilities (HAs) represent tactile interactions with real-world objects transforming somatic information into mental representations. Both are proposed to be factors in anatomy education, yet relationships between SAs and HAs remain unknown. The objective of the current study was to explore SA-HA interactions. A haptic ability test (HAT) was developed based on the mental rotations test (MRT) with three-dimensional (3D) objects. The HAT was undertaken in three sensory conditions: (1) sighted, (2) sighted with haptics, and (3) haptics. Participants (n=22; 13 females, 9 males) completed the MRT and were categorized into high spatial abilities (HSAs) (n=12, mean± standard deviation: 13.7 ± 3.0) and low spatial abilities (LSAs) (n=10, 5.6 ± 2.0)based on score distributions about the overall mean. Each SA group's HAT scores were compared across the three sensory conditions. Spearman's correlation coefficients between MRT and HAT scores indicated a statistically significant correlation in sighted condition (r=0.553, p=0.015) but were not significant in the sighted with haptics (r=0.0.078, p=0.212) and haptics (r=0.043, p=0.279) conditions. These data suggest HAs appear unrelated to SAs. With haptic exploration, LSA HAT scores were compensated; comparing HSA with LSA: sighted with haptics [median (lower and upper quartiles): 12 (12,13) vs. 12 (11,13), p=0.254], and haptics [12 (11,13) vs. 12 (10,12), p=0.381] conditions. Migrations to online anatomy teaching may unwittingly remove important sensory modalities from the learner. Understanding learner behaviors and performance when haptic inputs are removed from the learning environment represents valuable insight informing future anatomy curriculum and resource development.

Relationship Between Sensory Organization Testing Scores With Lower Extremity Injuries and Prior Concussion in Professional Soccer Players.

To evaluate for associations between concussion history or lower extremity (LE) injury and computerized sensory organization testing (SOT) performance in professional soccer players. Cross-sectional study. Tertiary care center. Thirty-three, professional, male soccer players on an American club, between the years 2019 and 2021. Player age, history of reported LE injury (gluteal, hamstring, ankle, knee, hip, groin, and sports hernia), history of diagnosed concussion, and the number of prior concussions were documented for each player. Baseline SOT of postural sway was conducted in 6 sensory conditions for all players. Eleven athletes (33%) reported a previous concussion, and 15 (45%) reported a previous LE injury. There were no significant differences in SOT scores between those with and without a previous diagnosis of concussion ( P > 0.05). Those reporting a previous LE injury performed better on condition 3 (eyes open, unstable visual surround) than those who did not ( P = 0.03). Athletes aged 25 years or younger performed worse on condition 3 ( P = 0.01) and had worse, although not statistically significant, median performance on all other balance measures than those older than 25 years. Intraclass correlation coefficient for repeat SOT assessment was 0.58, indicating moderate reliability, without an evident practice effect. Professional soccer players with a previous concussion or history of LE injury did not demonstrate long-term deficits in postural control, as assessed by multiyear computerized SOT baseline testing. The SOT was reliable over time with younger athletes exhibiting greater postural sway than older athletes.

Controle postural na doença de Menière

ABSTRACT Purpose To evaluate postural control in Menière’s disease. Methods 34 patients with Menière’s disease (experimental group) and 34 healthy individuals (control group) were submitted to Tetrax Interactive Balance System posturography under eight sensory conditions. Stability, weight distribution, synchronization, risk of falling and postural oscillation frequency were analyzed. Results Stability index was higher in the experimental group with significant difference between the groups in all sensory conditions. Risk of falling was higher in the experimental group than in the control. Postural oscillation was higher in the experimental group in all frequency ranges, with significant difference in some of them. There was no significant difference between the groups in the weight distribution and synchronization indexes. Conclusion In this study, Menière’s disease patients presented impaired postural control, characterized by postural instability and oscillation and risk of falling.

Robotics-Based Characterization of Sensorimotor Integration in Parkinson's Disease and the Effect of Medication.

Integration of multi-modal sensory inputs and modulation of motor outputs based on perceptual estimates is called Sensorimotor Integration (SMI). Optimal functioning of SMI is essential for perceiving the environment, modulating the motor outputs, and learning or modifying motor skills to suit the demands of the environment. Growing evidence suggests that patients diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease (PD) may suffer from an impairment in SMI that contributes to perceptual deficits, leading to motor abnormalities. However, the exact nature of the SMI impairment is still unclear. This study uses a robot-assisted assessment tool to quantitatively characterize SMI impairments in PD patients and how they affect voluntary movements. A set of assessment tasks was developed using a robotic manipulandum equipped with a virtual-reality system. The sensory conditions of the virtual environment were varied to facilitate the assessment of SMI. A hundred PD patients (before and after medication) and forty-three control subjects completed the tasks under varying sensory conditions. The kinematic measures obtained from the robotic device were used to evaluate SMI. The findings reveal that across all sensory conditions, PD patients had 36% higher endpoint error, 38% higher direction error in reaching tasks, and 43% higher number of violations in tracing tasks than control subjects due to impairment in integrating sensory inputs. However, they still retained motor learning ability and the ability to modulate motor outputs. The medication worsened the SMI deficits as PD patients, after medication, performed worse than before medication when encountering dynamic sensory environments and exhibited impaired motor learning ability.

Developmental coordination disorder in school children- A systematic review

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is defined as a severe delay in perceptual-motor and psychomotor development that affects children who are intellectually normal and have no physical, sensory, or neurological conditions. It is described as a deficiency in the development of gross and fine motor abilities that cannot be accounted for by a lack of general education or exposure to equivalent opportunities to develop motor skills as their peers. Between May 2000 and May 2021, systematic reviews were published; these were included. The articles were shortlisted for full-text review after the reviewers independently read each title and abstract and determined that they looked at motor interventions intended to enhance movement skills in kids with developmental coordination disorder to improve fitness levels for the heart and lungs. This study looked at 72 review articles in total. The study included articles that offered advice on how to improve someone's cardiovascular and respiratory fitness. Activities such as organized sports, exercise, movement, balance training, and motor interventions were defined as motor interventions. According to the study's findings, kids with DCD have trouble moving about and are generally inactive. Conclusion: Improving motor skills and cardiorespiratory fitness have a significant impact on DCD children's quality of life.

Distinction of non-specific low back pain patients with proprioceptive disorders from healthy individuals by linear discriminant analysis.

The central nervous system (CNS) dynamically employs a sophisticated weighting strategy of sensory input, including vision, vestibular and proprioception signals, towards attaining optimal postural control during different conditions. Non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) patients frequently demonstrate postural control deficiencies which are generally attributed to challenges in proprioceptive reweighting, where they often rely on an ankle strategy regardless of postural conditions. Such impairment could lead to potential loss of balance, increased risk of falling, and Low back pain recurrence. In this study, linear and non-linear indicators were extracted from center-of-pressure (COP) and trunk sagittal angle data based on 4 conditions of vibration positioning (vibration on the back, ankle, none or both), 2 surface conditions (foam or rigid), and 2 different groups (healthy and non-specific low back pain patients). Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was performed on linear and non-linear indicators to identify the best sensory condition towards accurate distinction of non-specific low back pain patients from healthy controls. Two indicators: Phase Plane Portrait ML and Entropy ML with foam surface condition and both ankle and back vibration on, were able to completely differentiate the non-specific low back pain groups. The proposed methodology can help clinicians quantitatively assess the sensory status of non-specific low back pain patients at the initial phase of diagnosis and throughout treatment. Although the results demonstrated the potential effectiveness of our approach in Low back pain patient distinction, a larger and more diverse population is required for comprehensive validation.

The Romberg's sign: from walking in the dark to tests on the force plate

A quantitative assessment of stability (body balance, equilibrium) and sensory support of the upright position, with identification of the "contributions" from various sensory systems, is the basis for the force plate tests similar to the Romberg's test. The purpose of this paper is to describe the Romberg's test evolution from its introduction to objective quantitative force plate tests (stabilometry) in the context of studies into the sensory support of the upright position in humans. The use of force plates for quantitative characterization of the body balance in the upright position with changing sensory conditions has added a higher sensitivity and accuracy to this assessment, providing for a more precise differentiation of various conditions. The tests originating from the Romberg's one but performed on a force plate can be considered as a quantitative investigation into the functioning of the sensory systems participating in the support of the upright position, as well as a tool for the assessment of their isolated contributions and central integration. The value of such tests for clinical medicine is related to a higher level of verification of the body balance abnormalities in various disorders, with an improvement of diagnosis and potential for differential diagnosis. With these assessments being non-invasive, it is feasible to use them for evaluation of changes of the upright equilibrium over time under treatment and rehabilitation procedures in neurology, traumatology and orthopedics, otolaryngology, sports medicine and other areas.

Perception of Recycled Plastics for Improved Consumer Acceptance through Self-Reported and Physiological Measures

This article aims to provide in-depth insight into how consumers perceive recycled materials in comparison with natural raw materials at both the perceptual and attitudinal levels. To this end, we combined classic self-reported measures of sensory aspects, preferences, environmental attitudes, and consumption habits together with physiological measures of cognitive-emotional processing. Three different materials-two recycled materials, M2 and M3, and one raw material, M1-were chosen for inspection through three different sensory conditions, which we refer to as channels -visual, tactile, and visuo-tactile. The assignation of materials to sensory channels was counterbalanced so that each participant evaluated only one of the materials per channel. Although participants in general were not very accurate in discriminating between the materials, self-reported sensory evaluations showed that M3 (a recycled material that is made to look non-recycled), was clearly less liked. Meanwhile, the psychophysiological analyses revealed higher levels of electrodermal activity for the tactile evaluations of both recycled materials (M2 and M3). Finally, the results from the attitudes and habits evaluations indicate that the participants had positive environmental attitudes yet poor consumption habits. Altogether, these results suggest that some sensorial properties differ between recycled materials and natural raw materials and that there is a chance to improve and implement new consumption habits. The implications of these results are further discussed both in terms of suggestions for designers and methodological recommendations for researchers.

Perceptual Modes of Presentation as Object Files

Some have defended a Fregean view of perceptual content. On this view, the constituents of perceptual contents are Fregean modes of presentation (MOPs). In this paper, I propose that perceptual MOPs are best understood in terms of object files. Object files are episodic representations that store perceptual information about objects. This information is updated when sensory conditions change. On the proposed view, when a subject perceptually represents some object a under two distinct MOPs, then the subject initiates two object files that both refer to a. My defense of this view appeals to its satisfaction of four constraints that I argue theories of perceptual MOPs should satisfy. Furthermore, I show that some existent accounts of perceptual MOPs fail to satisfy them. The defended constraints also indicate what is unique about perceptual, as opposed to linguistic or cognitive, MOPs.

Sleep stage detection using chaotic feature analysis of Electroencephalography (EEG) signals

The present study was conducted to detect the sleep stages by electroencephalography (EEG) using chaotic features. The method used in this study was the content analysis method. First, the sleep stages and EEG have been analyzed, and the EEG with chaotic features was used to detect the sleep stages. Detection of artifacts in sleep electroencephalography (EEG) is one of the vital tasks in the pre-processing stage. Despite many artifact exploration algorithms over the years, lots of them lose their advantages to use sleep EEG. Types of brain activities can be measured, and the involved brain areas can be detected using EEG. Electroencephalography (EEG) signal includes different rhythms, which are dependent on various sensory and movement conditions. Detection of each rhythm of this signal needs experience and skills. As a result, analysis of the signal recorded by EEG can be used widely for detection and academic purposes.

Discrimination of Brief Empty Time Intervals when the First Marker Is Tactile

Abstract The present study investigated the discrimination of brief empty time intervals and compared three different sensory modality conditions for marking time: when two successive signals are tactile (intramodal condition, TT), and when a first tactile signal is followed by a either a visual (V) or an auditory (A) signal (intermodal conditions: TV and TA). Twelve participants completed a bisection task over the course of eight experimental sessions. Three factors were manipulated: the marker modality (TT, TV, and TA), the duration range (300 and 900 ms), and the preparation (certainty, uncertainty). In the latter case, participants knew that the first marker was T, but were uncertain about the modality of the second marker. In general, TT intervals were better discriminated than intermodal intervals at 300 ms, but this effect fades at 900 ms. No difference in the discrimination level was observed between the intermodal conditions. For the perceived duration, there was no difference between TT and TA conditions, but the TV intervals were perceived as longer than the TT intervals. As well, the TV intervals were perceived as longer than the TA intervals. These results are interpreted in terms of attentional and sensory effects caused by the signals themselves (onset and alerting properties, prior entry).

Review: Performing Power in Zimbabwe: Politics, Law, and the Courts since 2000, by Susanne Verheul

Review: <i>Performing Power in Zimbabwe: Politics, Law, and the Courts since 2000</i>, by Susanne Verheul

Multisensory visual-vestibular training improves visual heading estimation in younger and older adults.

Self-motion perception (e.g., when walking/driving) relies on the integration of multiple sensory cues including visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive signals. Changes in the efficacy of multisensory integration have been observed in older adults (OA), which can sometimes lead to errors in perceptual judgments and have been associated with functional declines such as increased falls risk. The objectives of this study were to determine whether passive, visual-vestibular self-motion heading perception could be improved by providing feedback during multisensory training, and whether training-related effects might be more apparent in OAs vs. younger adults (YA). We also investigated the extent to which training might transfer to improved standing-balance. OAs and YAs were passively translated and asked to judge their direction of heading relative to straight-ahead (left/right). Each participant completed three conditions: (1) vestibular-only (passive physical motion in the dark), (2) visual-only (cloud-of-dots display), and (3) bimodal (congruent vestibular and visual stimulation). Measures of heading precision and bias were obtained for each condition. Over the course of 3 days, participants were asked to make bimodal heading judgments and were provided with feedback (“correct”/“incorrect”) on 900 training trials. Post-training, participants’ biases, and precision in all three sensory conditions (vestibular, visual, bimodal), and their standing-balance performance, were assessed. Results demonstrated improved overall precision (i.e., reduced JNDs) in heading perception after training. Pre- vs. post-training difference scores showed that improvements in JNDs were only found in the visual-only condition. Particularly notable is that 27% of OAs initially could not discriminate their heading at all in the visual-only condition pre-training, but subsequently obtained thresholds in the visual-only condition post-training that were similar to those of the other participants. While OAs seemed to show optimal integration pre- and post-training (i.e., did not show significant differences between predicted and observed JNDs), YAs only showed optimal integration post-training. There were no significant effects of training for bimodal or vestibular-only heading estimates, nor standing-balance performance. These results indicate that it may be possible to improve unimodal (visual) heading perception using a multisensory (visual-vestibular) training paradigm. The results may also help to inform interventions targeting tasks for which effective self-motion perception is important.

Abnormal physiological responses toward sensory stimulus are related to the attention deficits in children with sluggish cognitive tempo.

Previous studies have found that sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) is often associated with difficulties in real-life functioning, such as social problems, emotional difficulties, and academic learning difficulties. However, the underlying mechanisms contributing to the SCT symptoms and its associated real-life difficulties have still not been clearly understood. A previous study has found that SCT symptoms were associated with hypoarousal and hyperarousal toward the sensory stimulus. However, it is still unclear whether such abnormal arousal regulation is related to sustained attention difficulties that have been found to be related to social difficulties and withdrawn behavior in children with SCT. In this study, arousal regulation deficit in SCT is examined by the physiological responses quantified by HRV and EEG in the sensory challenge paradigm. This study aimed to establish a linkage between arousal regulation reflected by HRV and EEG and attention difficulties in children with SCT. The results of this study showed that higher theta power in the auditory stimulation condition than in the resting condition was associated with higher omission errors in sustained attention tasks in the SCT group. It was also found that higher parasympathetic activities during sensory stimulation conditions were associated with higher commission errors in the SCT group. These results reflected that hypersensitivity toward stressful sensitivity toward a stressful sensory stimulus is associated with attention difficulties in children with SCT. This further supported the notion that SCT should be conceptualized as a condition characterized by multiple deficits in different biological systems, such as the cognitive system, the negative valence system, and the arousal regulatory system.

Impact of Sensory Afferences in Postural Control Quantified by Force Platform: A Protocol for Systematic Review.

Older adults’ postural balance is a critical domain of research as balance deficit is an important risk factor for falls that can lead to severe injuries and death. Considering the effects of ageing on sensory systems, we propose that posturographic evaluation with a force platform exploring the effect of sensory deprivation or perturbation on balance could help understand postural control alterations in the elderly. The aim of the future systematic review and meta-analysis described in this protocol is to explore the capacity of older adults to maintain their balance during sensory perturbations, and compare the effect of perturbation between the sensory channels contributing to balance. Seven databases will be searched for studies evaluating older adults’ balance under various sensory conditions. After evaluating the studies’ risk of bias, results from similar studies (i.e., similar experimental conditions and posturographic markers) will be aggregated. This protocol describes a future review that is expected to provide a better understanding of changes in sensory systems of balance due to ageing, and therefore perspectives on fall assessment, prevention, and rehabilitation.

Interactive and independent effects of light and noise pollution on sexual signaling in frogs

Urbanization drastically changes environmental conditions, including the introduction of sensory pollutants, such as artificial light at night (ALAN) and anthropogenic noise. To settle in urban habitats, animals need to cope with this new sensory environment. On a short timescale, animals might cope with sensory pollutants via behavioral adjustments, such as changes in sexual signaling, which can have important fitness consequences. While ALAN and anthropogenic noise generally co-occur in urban habitats and are known to be able to interact to modify behavioral responses, few studies have addressed their combined impact. Our aim was, therefore, to assess the effects of ALAN, anthropogenic noise, and their interaction on sexual signaling in túngara frogs (Engystomops pustulosus). We observed the calling behavior of frogs in urban and forest areas, and subsequently recorded these frogs in a laboratory set-up while independently manipulating light and noise levels. Frogs in urban areas called with a higher call rate and complexity, which was correlated with local sensory conditions. Furthermore, our lab experiment revealed that ALAN can directly alter sexual signaling independently as well as in combination with anthropogenic noise. Exposure to ALAN alone increased call amplitude, whereas a combination of ALAN and anthropogenic noise interacted to lead to a higher call complexity and amplitude. Overall, the response patterns consistently showed that exposure to ALAN and anthropogenic noise led to more conspicuous sexual signals than expected based on the additive effects of single pollutants. Our results support the notion that urban and forest population differences in sexual signaling can be partially explained by exposure to ALAN and anthropogenic noise. Furthermore, by demonstrating interactive effects between light and noise pollution, our study highlights the importance of examining the effects of multisensory pollution, instead of single pollutants, when trying to understand phenotypic divergence in urbanized vs. natural areas.

The vertical light-gradient and its potential impact on animal distribution and behavior

The visual environment provides vital cues allowing animals to assess habitat quality, weather conditions or measure time of day. Together with other sensory cues and physiological conditions, the visual environment sets behavioral states that make the animal more prone to engage in some behaviors, and less in others. This master-control of behavior serves a fundamental and essential role in determining the distribution and behavior of all animals. Although it is obvious that visual information contains vital input for setting behavioral states, the precise nature of these visual cues remains unknown. Here we use a recently described method to quantify the distribution of light reaching animals’ eyes in different environments. The method records the vertical gradient (as a function of elevation angle) of intensity, spatial structure and spectral balance. Comparison of measurements from different types of environments, weather conditions, times of day, and seasons reveal that these aspects can be readily discriminated from one another. The vertical gradients of radiance, spatial structure (contrast) and color are thus reliable indicators that are likely to have a strong impact on animal behavior and spatial distribution.

Case Report: Modulation of Effective Connectivity in Brain Networks after Prosthodontic Tooth Loss Repair

INTRODUCTION. Recent neuroimaging studies suggest that dental loss replacements induce changes in neuroplasticity as well as in correlated connectivity between brain networks. However, as the typical temporal delay in detecting brain activity by neuroimaging cannot account for the influence one neural system exerts over another in a context of real activation (“effective” connectivity), it seems of interest to approach this dynamic aspect of brain networking in the time frame of milliseconds by exploiting electroencephalographic (EEG) data. MATERIAL AND METHODS. The present study describes one subject who received a new prosthodontic provisional implant in substitution for previous dental repairs. Two EEG sessions led with a portable device were recorded before and after positioning the new dental implant. By following MATLAB-EEGLAB processing supported by the plugins FIELDTRIP and SIFT, the independent component analysis (ICA) derived from EEG raw signals was rendered as current density fields and interpolated with the dipoles generated by each electrode for a dynamic study of the effective connectivity. One more recording session was undertaken six months after the placement of the final implant. RESULTS. Compared to the baseline, the new prosthodontic implant induced a novel modulation of the neuroplasticity in sensory-motor areas which was maintained following the definitive implant after six months, as revealed by changes in the effective connectivity from the basal strong enslavement of a single brain area over the others, to an equilibrate inter-related connectivity evenly distributed along the frontotemporal regions of both hemispheres. CONCLUSIONS. The rapid shift of the effective connectivity after positioning the new prosthodontic implant and its substantial stability after six months suggest the possibility that synaptic modifications, induced by novel sensory motor conditions, modulate the neuroplasticity and reshape the final dynamic frame of the interarea connectivity. Moreover, given the viability of the EEG practice, this approach could be of some interest in assessing the association between oral pathophysiology and neuronal networking.