Sensory Deficiencies Research Articles

The effects of tactile aids in video games for children’s rhythmic coordination training: An fNIRS study

Neurological or neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and dyslexia, can impair rhythm perception and production. Deficits in rhythm are associated with poor performance in language, attention, and working memory tasks. Research indicates that retraining rhythmic skills may enhance these related cognitive functions. In this context, using tactile aids for rhythm training emerges as a promising approach for children who do not fully benefit from conventional audiovisual rhythm games. This is because tactile aids can compensate for sensory deficiencies and facilitate more extensive brain activation. In our study, we employed functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to assess the impact of tactile aids on brain cortical activation during rhythmic training in children aged 6–12 years (N = 25). We also measured the participants’ spontaneous motor rhythms. The findings indicate that tactile stimulation significantly improves performance in synchronized rhythm tasks compared to audiovisual stimulation alone, particularly enhancing activation in brain regions associated with speech training such as the prefrontal cortex, motor cortex, and temporal areas. These results not only support the application of rhythm training in speech rehabilitation, but also highlight the potential of tactile aids as an effective multisensory learning strategy.

Practical review of driving in older patient: from theory to practice

As the French population is ageing, the number of older people on the road is increasing all the time. For many older adults, this everyday activity remains an important way of maintaining their independence. Putting this right into question on the sole basis of age can be seen as a particularly stigmatising measure. However, this population is particularly vulnerable on the road. While behavioural factors are frequently involved in young adults, driving errors seem to be more frequently the main mechanism in older people. Driving is a succession of complex tasks that can be affected by ageing and the presence of pathologies (cognitive decline, sensory deficiencies or cardiovascular conditions that have not stabilised, etc.). As these medical conditions increase with age, it is important that healthcare professionals identify high-risk situations. When it is required, the professionals should assist patients to stop driving and find alternatives. Maintaining the mobility and ensure safety for older adults on the road remain challenging for the community. In this article, we discuss the issues surrounding the maintenance of driving in older adults. We also discuss the appropriate way to help patients stop driving when necessary.

SITUATION OF CHILDREN FROM PLACEMENT CENTERS (CASE OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA)

The article presents the analysis of some results regarding the research of the situation of children from placement centers based on the study carried out by the PRODOCS Association. A considerable part of the children in risk situations grow up and are educated in the 26 functional placement centers in the Republic of Moldova. The profile of the beneficiaries from placement centers consists of children with disabilities, children with traumas, abused, children with difficult behaviour, aged 4-18. The separation of the child from the family of origin, even if it is not functional, brings a series of negative emotional, cognitive, social, and physical consequences. The most relevant problems faced by children from placement centers are: lack of parental affection, learning difficulties, insufficiently developed social skills, limited vocational orientation, discrimination. The situation of children from 11 placement centers was analysed and studied by applying quantitative and qualitative research methods. Research results show that children lack developed social skills manifests through fits of anger, apathy or passivity, aggression, and dismissive attitudes. One of the conclusions is that the children's learning difficulties are not the result of mental retardation or sensory deficiencies, but are the result of the environmental and cultural factors.

The Application of High-Hydrostatic-Pressure Processing to Improve the Quality of Baked Products: A Review.

The current trend in the food industry is towards "clean label" products with high sensory and nutritional quality. However, the inclusion of nutrient-rich ingredients in recipes often leads to sensory deficiencies in baked goods. To meet these requirements, physically modified flours are receiving more and more attention from bakery product developers. There are various findings in the literature on high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) technology, which can be used to modify various matrices so that they can be used as ingredients in the baking industry. HHP treatments can change the functionality of starches and proteins due to cold gelatinization and protein unfolding. As a result, the resulting ingredients are more suitable for nutrient-rich bakery formulations. This review describes the information available in the literature on HHP treatment conditions for ingredients used in the production of bakery products and analyses the changes in the techno-functional properties of these matrices, in particular their ability to act as structuring agents. The impact of HHP-treated ingredients on the quality of dough and bakery products and the effects on some nutritional properties of the treated matrices have been also analysed. The findings presented in this paper could be of particular interest to the bakery industry as they could be very useful in promoting the industrial application of HHP technology.

Cerebral Palsy: A Narrative Review on Childhood Disorder.

Cerebral palsy, one of the most common reasons for infirmity in children and young people in developed countries, refers to several neurological diseases that impact movement and coordination. Central nervous system damage received during the first stages of brain development can cause cerebral palsy, a non-progressive condition that manifests as impairments of movement and posture. Two cases per 1000 are reported, and the causes include those mentioned for high-risk infants. Mental retardation, sensory deficiencies, failure to thrive, seizures, and behavioral or emotional issues are some of the associated difficulties. To enable interdisciplinary intervention, early identification is crucial. The result varies depending on the topography, severity, and presence of concomitant abnormalities in cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is caused by a static injury to the cerebral motor cortex that happens before, during, or within five years after birth. Various circumstances can influence the disease, including cerebral anoxia, cerebral hemorrhage, infection, and hereditary disorders. Interventions for children are typically provided as part of multidisciplinary rehabilitation programs.Musculoskeletal complaints are common, and pain is a significant underreported symptom.

Assessment of oral health knowledge, attitude, and practices among school teachers training visually impaired children

ABSTRACT Background: Visual impairment is a significant disability that affects a sizable section of the population worldwide. Children with sensory deficiencies are more likely to experience oral health neglect and challenges to receiving proper dental treatment. There is a major lack of information about the state of oral health and the treatments that are needed for this population in a growing nation like India. It is crucial to raise schoolchildren’s awareness of oral health issues. The dissemination of information on the causes and prevention of common oral disorders can be greatly aided by school instructors. A school-based program is most successful because it targets kids as they develop good health behaviors. Objective: The objectives were to determine the knowledge of school teachers training visually impaired children about the causes and prevention of dental caries and gingival diseases and to know about their interest and willingness to participate in oral health education programs. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire consisting of 12 close-ended questions on oral health knowledge and practices was formulated and distributed among 100 school teachers in a blind school in Noida, India. The data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis using Microsoft Excel. Results: The school had limited knowledge on oral health. Out of the total number of teachers interviewed, only 50% were aware of what does gum bleeding means and only 40% were aware that the health of the mouth and dentition impact the health of the body. Conclusion: Overall, school teachers have inadequate oral health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. It is imperative to improve school teachers’ attitudes and understanding about oral health, including their awareness of different oral cavity issues and strategies for preventing dental disorders.

Impact of Fat Replacers on the Rheological, Tribological, and Aroma Release Properties of Reduced‐Fat Model Emulsion Systems and Processed Cheese

Impact of Fat Replacers on the Rheological, Tribological, and Aroma Release Properties of Reduced‐Fat Model Emulsion Systems and Processed Cheese

Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease of the Foot and Ankle: Imaging Features and Pathophysiology.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is the most common inherited peripheral polyneuropathy, resulting in length-dependent motor and sensory deficiencies. Asymmetric nerve involvement in the lower extremities creates a muscle imbalance, which manifests as a characteristic cavovarus deformity of the foot and ankle. This deformity is widely considered to be the most debilitating symptom of the disease, causing the patient to feel unstable and limiting mobility. Foot and ankle imaging in patients with CMT is critical for evaluation and treatment, as there is a wide range of phenotypic variation. Both radiography and weight-bearing CT should be used for assessment of this complex rotational deformity. Multimodality imaging including MRI and US is also important to help identify changes in the peripheral nerves, diagnose complications of abnormal alignment, and evaluate patients in the perioperative setting. The cavovarus foot is susceptible to distinctive pathologic conditions including soft-tissue calluses and ulceration, fractures of the fifth metatarsal, peroneal tendinopathy, and accelerated arthrosis of the tibiotalar joint. An externally applied brace can assist with balance and distribution of weight but may be appropriate for only a subset of patients. Many patients will require surgical correction, which may include soft-tissue releases, tendon transfers, osteotomies, and arthrodesis when necessary, with the goal of creating a more stable plantigrade foot. The authors focus on the cavovarus deformity of CMT. However, much of the information discussed may also be applied to a similar deformity that may result from idiopathic causes or other neuromuscular conditions. ©RSNA, 2023 Quiz questions for this article are available through the Online Learning Center.

Consumer perception of plant-based yoghurt: Sensory drivers of liking and emotional, holistic and conceptual associations

Plant-based (PB) yoghurts is a rapidly expanding food category with the potential to reduce many of the negative environmental impacts associated with the farming of dairy cattle and related greenhouse gas emissions. Within the context of growing consumer demand for PB products, this research aimed to identify the main drivers of consumer acceptance of PB yoghurts through data drawn from a consumer study of 113 adult New Zealand participants who tasted a representative range of commercially available vanilla-flavoured PB yoghurts, and provided sample evaluations using a multi-variable measurement approach comprised of liking ratings, emotional responses, sensory characterisations, and holistic / conceptual perceptions. The primary finding of this study was that the overall acceptability of currently available PB yoghurts is low, leading to poor attitudes and low willingness to consume PB yoghurts. The examined products were characterised by the presence of several sensory attributes that negatively impacted consumer liking, either because they were unexpected or because their intensity level was too high. Among the main sensory issues identified were perceived sourness (acidity), lumpy appearance and non-white colour. In contrast, vanilla flavour and a creamy/smooth texture were identified as the main drivers of liking. The multi-response approach used in this study enabled a comprehensive characterisation of the products. One of the key insights gained was that negative emotional activation, caused by the presence of unexpected sensory attributes in the samples, was the main driver of product rejection. This was likely due to the disparity between consumers’ sensory expectations, formed primarily based on their experience with dairy yoghurts, and the actual experience upon tasting the PB yoghurts. Overall, the findings indicate that the sensory properties of currently available PB yoghurts are a significant barrier to their adoption by most consumers and that addressing these sensory deficiencies is essential to achieving mainstream market acceptance of these products.

Protocolo diagnóstico de las alucinaciones

Hallucinations are an abnormality in sensory perception in which the individual has an experience without an external stimulus that provokes it. It may occur in normal individuals in the transition from sleep to waking or in situations of sensory deprivation or sleep. Other frequent causes are Charles Bonnet syndrome in individuals with severe sensory deficiencies. The causes of hallucinations may vary greatly, from the intake of drugs or pharmaceuticals to confusional syndrome to various neurological and/or psychiatric diseases. In the case of neurodegenerative diseases, they are very common in Parkinson's disease, Lewy body dementia, and Alzheimer's disease.It is necessary to make a good differential diagnosis, reviewing the aforementioned causes one by one, although on occasion this may not be easy, especially when they occur in older adult patients with baseline cognitive impairment who may begin having late-onset psychosis.

A combined genome-wide association and molecular study of age-related hearing loss in H. sapiens

BackgroundSensorineural hearing loss is one of the most common sensory deficiencies. However, the molecular contribution to age-related hearing loss is not fully elucidated.MethodsWe performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for hearing loss-related traits in the UK Biobank (N = 362,396) and selected a high confidence set of ten hearing-associated gene products for staining in human cochlear samples: EYA4, LMX1A, PTK2/FAK, UBE3B, MMP2, SYNJ2, GRM5, TRIOBP, LMO-7, and NOX4.ResultsAll proteins were found to be expressed in human cochlear structures. Our findings illustrate cochlear structures that mediate mechano-electric transduction of auditory stimuli, neuronal conductance, and neuronal plasticity to be involved in age-related hearing loss.ConclusionsOur results suggest common genetic variation to influence structural resilience to damage as well as cochlear recovery after trauma, which protect against accumulated damage to cochlear structures and the development of hearing loss over time.

Vestibular stimulation, dizziness and de-realization

Behaviour in the environment requires continuous updating of the internal representation of the body and the surroundings of the body. Altered perceptions of the self or the environment include depersonalization/derealization (DD) symptoms, which occur on a continuum from healthy to pathological states. A sensory mismatch may elicit erroneous perceptions of the body in the physical space. Consistently, sensory deficiencies can provoke discrepancies between the multi-sensory frame given by experience and the actual perception, accompanied by dizziness, unsteadiness and distress. Conversely, DD symptoms have also been related to Impairment of the capacity to regulate emotions, with an increased risk of cognitive and psychiatric comorbidity in patients with vestibular disease. Vestibular signals contribute to the perception of the body and its interactions with the environment. In healthy subjects, artificial vestibular stimulation of the semicircular canals or the otoliths can induce DD symptoms. In vestibular patients, DD symptoms are more frequent and more severe when the clinical recovery is deficient, and they correlate with erroneous updating orientation in space. Furthermore, DD symptoms reported by patients with phantom limb pain may decrease after asymmetric vestibular stimulation (either of the horizontal semicircular canals or the utricles), which may provide an update of the immediate experience of the body. These effects can be accompanied by symptoms related to the sensory conflict and may modulate higher neural processes, with influence from individual factors. Further studies are needed to comprehend the vestibular contribution to cognitive and emotional processes.

A Combined Genome Wide Association and Molecular Study of Age-Related Hearing Loss in Man

Sensorineural hearing loss is one of the most common sensory deficiencies. However, the molecular contribution to age-related hearing loss is not fully elucidated. We performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for hearing loss-related traits in the UK Biobank (N=362,396) and selected a high confidence set of ten hearing-associated gene products for staining in human cochlear samples: EYA4, LMX1A, PTK2/FAK, UBE3B, MMP2, SYNJ2, GRM5, TRIOBP, LMO-7 and NOX4. All proteins were found to expressed human in cochlear structures. Our findings illustrate cochlear structures that mediate mechano-transduction of auditory stimuli, neuronal conductance as well as neuronal plasticity are involved in age-related hearing loss. Further, these results suggest common genetic variation to influence structural resilience to damage as well as cochlear recovery after trauma, which protect against accumulated damage to cochlear structures and the development of hearing loss over time.

Impact of Bottle Aging on the Composition and Sensory Properties of Flavored Chardonnay and Shiraz Wines.

Natural flavorings could potentially be used to enhance the intensity of wine aroma and flavor; albeit since flavor additives are not legally permitted winemaking aids, flavored wines would need to be labeled as wine products. In this study, changes in the composition and sensory profiles of flavored Chardonnay (n = 2) and Shiraz (n = 2) wines were compared at bottling, and then again after 12 months of bottle aging. Flavorings and flavored wines were also analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to determine the key constituents responsible for changes to aroma and flavor profiles. However, many of the volatile compounds identified in flavor additives were not detected at appreciably higher concentrations in flavored wines, which was attributed to the very small quantities of flavorings that were added to base wines. The sensory profiles of control and flavored wines were determined by descriptive analysis, and the addition of flavorings to base wines significantly influenced the perception of some sensory attributes. Flavored Chardonnay wines exhibited enhanced fruit aromas and flavors, while fruit and developed attributes were enhanced in flavored Shiraz wines. Differences in sensory profiles were less apparent in Chardonnay wines following bottle aging, but depending on the flavorings added, flavored Shiraz wines could still be discriminated from their corresponding control wines after bottle aging. Results from this study demonstrate the potential for flavor additives to be used to enhance desirable attributes and/or mitigate wine sensory deficiencies.

Pemidanaan bagi Pelaku Tindak Pidana Perkosaan terhadap Penyandang Disabilitas

Persons with disabilities refer to people who have physical, intellectual, mental, or sensory deficiencies so that in living their lives they find hindrances, as an opposite to normal people. Oftentimes the persons with disabilities receive poor treatment in society, be it discriminatory treatment or criminal acts, one of which is rape. Unfortunately, criminal sanctions for perpetrators of rape against persons with disabilities in Indonesia have not been explicitly regulated. Grounded with this phenomenon, this study examines the legal protection for persons with disabilities as victims of the criminal act of rape and sanctions for the perpetrators of the said criminal acts. To achieve these goals, this study was conducted using a normative legal research method with a conceptual approach and a case approach. Legal protection for persons with disabilities is contained in Article 3 and Article 5 Paragraph (2) of Law Number 8 of 2016 which regulates the rights and legal protection for persons with disabilities as victims of criminal acts. Protection for the rape victims takes the form of restitution and rehabilitation assistance. Sanctions for the perpetrators of the criminal act of rape against persons with disabilities have not been regulated strictly. In the Criminal Code, the criminal acts of rape are regulated in general sphere that is in Articles 285, 286, 287, 288. Thus, the legal protection for persons with disabilities aims to safeguard and maintain the persons with disabilities from the criminal acts of rape. In the Cassation Decision Number 736K/PID/2013 PN Cn, the sanction for perpetrators of rape against persons with disabilities is the imposition of sanctions in the provisions of Article 285 of the Criminal Code.

High-Fat Diet Impairs Tactile Discrimination Memory in the Mouse

Research on the impact of diet and memory has garnered considerable attention while exploring the link between obesity and cognitive impairment. High-fat diet (HFD) rodent models recapitulate the obesity phenotype and subsequent cognitive impairments. While it is known that HFD is associated with sensory impairment, little attention has been given to the potential role these sensory deficits may play in recognition memory testing, one of the most commonly used cognitive tests. Because mice utilize their facial whiskers as their primary sensory apparatus, we modified a common recognition test, the novel object recognition task, by replacing objects with sandpaper grits at ground level, herein referred to as the novel tactile recognition task (NTR). First, we tested whisker-manipulated mice in this task to determine its reliance on intact whiskers. Then, we tested the HFD mouse in the NTR. Finally, to ensure that deficits in the NTR are due to cognitive impairment and not HFD-induced sensory deficiencies, we tested the whisker sensitivity of HFD mice via the corner test. Our results indicate that the NTR is a whisker dependent task, and that HFD mice exhibit tactile recognition memory impairment, not accompanied by whisker sensory deficits.

Sensory deficiencies affect resource selection and associational effects at two spatial scales.

Many insect species have limited sensory abilities and may not be able to perceive the quality of different resource types while approaching patchily distributed resources. These restrictions may lead to differences in selection rates between separate patches and between different resource types within a patch, which may have consequences for associational effects between resources. In this study, we used an oviposition assay containing different frequencies of apple and banana substrates divided over two patches to compare resource selection rates of wild‐type Drosophila melanogaster at the between‐ and within‐patch scales. Next, we compared the wild‐type behavior with that of the olfactory‐deficient strain Orco 2 and the gustatory‐deficient strain Poxn ΔM22‐B5 and found comparable responses to patch heterogeneity and similarly strong selection rates for apple at both scales for the wild‐type and olfactory‐deficient flies. Their oviposition behavior translated into associational susceptibility for apple and associational resistance for banana. The gustatory‐deficient flies, on the other hand, no longer had a strong selection rate for apple, strongly differed in between‐ and within‐patch selection rates from the wild‐type flies, and caused no associational effects between the resources. Our study suggests that differences in sensory capabilities can affect resource selection at different search behavior scales in different ways and in turn underlie associational effects between resources at different spatial scales.

Proteins that control the geometry of microtubules at the ends of cilia.

Cilia, essential motile and sensory organelles, have several compartments: the basal body, transition zone, and the middle and distal axoneme segments. The distal segment accommodates key functions, including cilium assembly and sensory activities. While the middle segment contains doublet microtubules (incomplete B-tubules fused to complete A-tubules), the distal segment contains only A-tubule extensions, and its existence requires coordination of microtubule length at the nanometer scale. We show that three conserved proteins, two of which are mutated in the ciliopathy Joubert syndrome, determine the geometry of the distal segment, by controlling the positions of specific microtubule ends. FAP256/CEP104 promotes A-tubule elongation. CHE-12/Crescerin and ARMC9 act as positive and negative regulators of B-tubule length, respectively. We show that defects in the distal segment dimensions are associated with motile and sensory deficiencies of cilia. Our observations suggest that abnormalities in distal segment organization cause a subset of Joubert syndrome cases.

The time course of brief and prolonged topical 8% capsaicin-induced desensitization in healthy volunteers evaluated by quantitative sensory testing and vasomotor imaging.

Topically applied high-concentration capsaicin induces reversible dermo-epidermal denervation and depletion of capsaicin-sensitive nociceptors. This causes desensitization of distinct sensory modalities and is used to treat peripheral neuropathic pain and itch. For high-concentration capsaicin, the selectivity of loss of function and functional recovery rates of various afferent fibers subpopulations are unknown. This study used comprehensive quantitative sensory testing and vasomotor imaging to assess effectiveness, duration and sensory selectivity of high-concentration 8% capsaicin-ablation. Skin areas in 14 healthy volunteers were randomized to treatment with 8% capsaicin/vehicle patches for 1 and 24h and underwent comprehensive sensory and vasomotor testing at 1, 7 and 21days postpatch removal. Tests consisted of thermal detection and pain thresholds, tactile and vibration detection thresholds, mechanical pain threshold and mechanical painsensitivity as well as micro-vascular and itch reactivity to histamine provocations. The 24h capsaicin drastically inhibited warmth detection (P < 0.001), heat pain (P < 0.001) as well as histamine-induced itch (P < 0.05) and neurogenic flare (P < 0.001), but had no impact on tactile sensitivity, cold detection and cold pain. A marginal decrease in mechanical pain sensitivity was observed (P < 0.05). Capsaicin for 1h had limited and transient sensory effects only affecting warmth and heat sensations. Time-dependent functional recovery was almost complete 21 days after the 24h capsaicin exposure, while recovery of neurogenic inflammatory responsiveness remained partial. The psychophysically assessed sensory deficiencies induced by the used 8% capsaicin-ablation correspond well with a predominant effect on TRPV1+-cutaneous fibers. The method is easy to apply, well tolerated, and utilizable for studies on, e.g., interactions between skin barrier, inflammation and capsaicin-sensitive afferents.

Influence of shear stress, pectin type and calcium chloride on the process stability of thermally stabilised whey protein–pectin complexes

There is a strong demand for fat-reduced foods due to an increasing incidence of overweight and obesity. To overcome the sensory deficiencies going along with a fat reduction, process stable fat replacers with tailored properties, such as whey protein–pectin complexes, are necessary. In this study, the effects of process (shear rate: 0, 150, 500 s−1; scale: lab/pilot plant) and composition (pectin type: high/low degree of blockiness; CaCl2: 0, 15, 30 mM; biopolymer concentration: chigh = 5.0% WPI + 1.0% pectin; cmed = 2.75 + 0.55%; clow = 0.5 + 0.1%) parameters on micro- and macro-structural characteristics of whey protein–pectin (WPI–pectin) complexes were investigated. Thermomechanical treatments of WPI–pectin suspensions in a high-pressure double gap geometry revealed a high shear stability during complex generation at 500 s−1. The degree of blockiness (DB) of pectin was identified as critical parameter influencing complex structure and biopolymer system stability. WPI–pectin complexes with a high DB pectin had a fragile structure low DB resulted in a compact structure. The shear rate was the main parameter to adjust yield and particle size, both on the lab and pilot scale. A higher shear rate led to a higher yield consisting of smaller particles. This effect could be partially compensated by medium CaCl2 concentrations (≤10 mM) or high biopolymer concentrations (≤5.0% (w/w) WPI + 1.0% (w/w) pectin). Modelling the parameter effects resulted in sets of processing and composition parameters suitable for the generation of WPI–pectin complexes, owning the potential as fat replacers.