Sensorimotor System Research Articles

Emotional Language Processing in Bilingualism: Subjective Affect and Prosodic Markers in Simultaneous Interpreting

Emotion, as part of the overall sensorimotor, introspective, and affective system, is an essential part of language comprehension within the framework of embodied semantics. As emotional state influences semantic and syntactic processing, emotional language processing has been shown to modulate mood as well. The reciprocal relationship between language and emotion has also been informative in bilingualism. Here we take a relatively underresearched type of bilingual processing, simultaneous interpreting, as a case of extreme bilingualism and investigate the effect of emotional language rendering in the L1 on subjective affect and prosodic markers of L2 output. 18 trainee interpreters were asked to simultaneously interpret three speeches in Turkish that varied in emotionality, valence (negative, neutral, and positive), and difficulty in English. Responses to emotional language processing were analysed based on participants’ self-reported positive and negative affect using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and three prosodic parameters (intensity, pitch, and fluency). Results showed that interpreting emotionally negative speech increased negative affect, whereas interpreting emotionally positive speech did not modify positive affect. Intensity generally reflected cognitive load. Pitch and fluency, in particular, were more sensitive to changes in the valence of the source speech.

Behavioral Motor Performance.

The human sensorimotor control system has exceptional abilities to perform skillful actions. We easily switch between strenuous tasks that involve brute force, such as lifting a heavy sewing machine, and delicate movements such as threading a needle in the same machine. Using a structure with different control architectures, the motor system is capable of updating its ability to perform through our daily interaction with the fluctuating environment. However, there are issues that make this a difficult computational problem for the brain to solve. The brain needs to control a nonlinear, nonstationary neuromuscular system, with redundant and occasionally undesired degrees of freedom, in an uncertain environment using a body in which information transmission is subject to delays and noise. To gain insight into the mechanisms of motor control, here we survey movement laws and invariances that shape our everyday motion. We then examine the major solutions to each of these problems in the three parts of the sensorimotor control system, sensing, planning, and acting. We focus on how the sensory system, the control architectures, and the structure and operation of the muscles serve as complementary mechanisms to overcome deviations and disturbances to motor behavior and give rise to skillful motor performance. We conclude with possible future research directions based on suggested links between the operation of the sensorimotor system across the movement stages. © 2024 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 14:5179-5224, 2024.

Exploring the relationship between computational frameworks and neuroscience studies for sensorimotor learning and control

<p>The relationship between computational frameworks and neuroscience studies is crucial for understanding sensorimotor learning and control. Various tools and frameworks, such as Bayesian decision theory, neural dynamics framework, and state space framework, have been used to explore this relationship. Bayesian decision theory provides a mathematical framework for studying sensorimotor control and learning. It suggests that the central nervous system constructs estimate of sensorimotor transformations through internal models and represents uncertainty to respond optimally to environmental stimuli. The neural dynamics framework analyzes patterns of neural activity to understand the computational mechanisms underlying sensorimotor control and learning. The state space framework assesses the structure of learning in the state space and helps understand how the brain transforms sensory input into motor output. Computational frameworks have provided valuable insights into sensorimotor learning and control. They have been used to study the organization of motor memories based on contextual rules and the role of structural learning in the sensorimotor system. These frameworks have also been employed to investigate the neural dynamics under sensorimotor control and learning tasks, as well as the effect of explicit strategies on sensorimotor learning. The interplay between computational frameworks and neuroscience studies has enhanced our understanding of sensorimotor learning and control. Bayesian decision theory, neural dynamics framework, and state space framework have provided valuable tools for studying the computational mechanisms underlying these processes. They have helped uncover the role of contextual information, structural learning, and neural dynamics in sensorimotor control and learning. Further research should continue exploring the relationship between computational frameworks and neuroscience studies in sensorimotor learning and control. This interdisciplinary approach can lead to a better understanding of how motor skills are learned, retained, and improved through targeted interventions. Additionally, the application of computational frameworks in clinical settings may help develop more effective rehabilitation strategies for individuals with motor impairments.</p>

Clinical markers of HIV predict redox-regulated neural and behavioral function in the sensorimotor system

Even in the modern era of combination antiretroviral therapy, aberrations in motor control remain a predominant symptom contributing to age-related functional dependencies (e.g., neurocognitive impairment) in people with HIV (PWH). While recent evidence implicates aberrant mitochondrial redox environments in the modulation of neural oscillatory activity serving motor control in PWH, the contribution of important clinical and demographic factors on this bioenergetic-neural-behavioral pathway is unknown. Herein, we evaluate the predictive capacity of clinical metrics pertinent to HIV (e.g., CD4 nadir, time with viremia) and age on mitochondrial redox-regulated sensorimotor brain-behavior dynamics in 69 virally-suppressed PWH. We used state-of-the-art systems biology and neuroscience approaches, including Seahorse analyzer of mitochondrial energetics, EPR spectroscopy of intracellular oxidant levels, antioxidant activity assays pertinent to superoxide and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) redox environments, and magnetoencephalographic (MEG) imaging to quantify sensorimotor oscillatory dynamics. Our results demonstrate differential effects of redox systems on the neural dynamics serving motor function in PWH. In addition, measures of immune stability and duration of compromise due to HIV had dissociable effects on this pathway, above and beyond the effects of age alone. Moreover, peripheral measures of antioxidant activity (i.e., superoxide dismutase) fully mediated the relationship between immune stability and current behavioral performance, indicative of persistent oxidative environments serving motor control in the presence of virologic suppression. Taken together, our data suggest that disease-related factors, in particular, are stronger predictors of current redox, neural and behavioral profiles serving motor function, which may serve as effective targets for alleviating HIV-specific alterations in cognitive-motor function in the future.

AngoraPy: A Python toolkit for modeling anthropomorphic goal-driven sensorimotor systems.

Goal-driven deep learning increasingly supplements classical modeling approaches in computational neuroscience. The strength of deep neural networks as models of the brain lies in their ability to autonomously learn the connectivity required to solve complex and ecologically valid tasks, obviating the need for hand-engineered or hypothesis-driven connectivity patterns. Consequently, goal-driven models can generate hypotheses about the neurocomputations underlying cortical processing that are grounded in macro- and mesoscopic anatomical properties of the network's biological counterpart. Whereas, goal-driven modeling is already becoming prevalent in the neuroscience of perception, its application to the sensorimotor domain is currently hampered by the complexity of the methods required to train models comprising the closed sensation-action loop. This paper describes AngoraPy, a Python library that mitigates this obstacle by providing researchers with the tools necessary to train complex recurrent convolutional neural networks that model the human sensorimotor system. To make the technical details of this toolkit more approachable, an illustrative example that trains a recurrent toy model on in-hand object manipulation accompanies the theoretical remarks. An extensive benchmark on various classical, 3D robotic, and anthropomorphic control tasks demonstrates AngoraPy's general applicability to a wide range of tasks. Together with its ability to adaptively handle custom architectures, the flexibility of this toolkit demonstrates its power for goal-driven sensorimotor modeling.

The role of the primary sensorimotor system in generalized epilepsy: Evidence from the cerebello-cerebral functional integration.

The interaction between cerebellum and cerebrum participates widely in function from motor processing to high-level cognitive and affective processing. Because of the motor symptom, idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) patients with generalized tonic-clonic seizure have been recognized to associate with motor abnormalities, but the functional interaction in the cerebello-cerebral circuit is still poorly understood. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected for 101 IGE patients and 106 healthy controls. The voxel-based functional connectivity (FC) between cerebral cortex and the cerebellum was contacted. The functional gradient and independent components analysis were applied to evaluate cerebello-cerebral functional integration on the voxel-based FC. Cerebellar motor components were further linked to cerebellar gradient. Results revealed cerebellar motor functional modules were closely related to cerebral motor components. The altered mapping of cerebral motor components to cerebellum was observed in motor module in patients with IGE. In addition, patients also showed compression in cerebello-cerebral functional gradient between motor and cognition modules. Interestingly, the contribution of the motor components to the gradient was unbalanced between bilateral primary sensorimotor components in patients: the increase was observed in cerebellar cognitive module for the dominant hemisphere primary sensorimotor, but the decrease was found in the cerebellar cognitive module for the nondominant hemisphere primary sensorimotor. The present findings suggest that the cerebral primary motor system affects the hierarchical architecture of cerebellum, and substantially contributes to the functional integration evidence to understand the motor functional abnormality in IGE patients.

Scale-invariant changes in corticospinal excitability reflect multiplexed oscillations in the motor output.

In the absence of disease, humans produce smooth and accurate movement trajectories. Despite such 'macroscopic' aspect, the 'microscopic' structure of movements reveals recurrent (quasi-rhythmic) discontinuities. To date, it is unclear how the sensorimotor system contributes to the macroscopic and microscopic architecture of movement. Here, we investigated how corticospinal excitability changes in relation to microscopic fluctuations that are naturally embedded within larger macroscopic variations in motor output. Participants performed a visuomotor tracking task. In addition to the 0.25Hz modulation that is required for task fulfilment (macroscopic scale), the motor output shows tiny but systematic fluctuations at ∼2 and 8Hz (microscopic scales). We show that motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) during task performance are consistently modulated at all (time) scales. Surprisingly, MEP modulation covers a similar range at both micro- and macroscopic scales, even though the motor output differs by several orders of magnitude. Thus, corticospinal excitability finely maps the multiscale temporal patterning of the motor output, but it does so according to a principle of scale invariance. These results suggest that corticospinal excitability indexes a relatively abstract level of movement encoding that may reflect the hierarchical organisation of sensorimotor processes. KEY POINTS: Motor behaviour is organised on multiple (time)scales. Small but systematic ('microscopic') fluctuations are engrained in larger and slower ('macroscopic') variations in motor output, which are instrumental in deploying the desired motor plan. Corticospinal excitability is modulated in relation to motor fluctuations on both macroscopic and microscopic (time)scales. Corticospinal excitability obeys a principle of scale invariance, that is, it is modulated similarly at all (time)scales, possibly reflecting hierarchical mechanisms that optimise motor encoding.

Physical training and activity in people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy: A case report

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most common endocrine disorder affecting more than 100 million people worldwide, around 6% of the population. This matter characterized by hyperglycemia (high glucose levels in blood) caused by a lack or ineffective production of insulin by the pancreas which results in an increase or decrease in the concentration of glucose in the blood. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) or what is called diabetic peripheral neuropathy is the most common complication in cases of diabetes mellitus. DPN is a disease of loss of motor, sensory and autonomic nerve function, which can affect the peripheral nervous system. Sensorimotor training is considered a technique that can improve balance. This emphasizes the function of the sensorimotor system as a unit that works to increase sensory input and motor recruitment patterns in maintaining joint stability and regulating movement through the central nervous system (CNS). Aerobic exercise is a type of physical activity that can prevent and reduce DPN. Aerobic exercise such as treadmill can train balance. Balance training shows a high positive effect on improving motor and sensory symptoms in peripheral neuropathyPurpose: To examine the effects of sensorimotor training and lower limb muscle activity in DPN patients using treadmill.Method: The research uses a case study design, namely a research method that uses various data sources that can be used as research material, describing and explaining comprehensively various aspects of an individual, group, program, organization or event systematically. Participants in this study were patients aged 64 years, female, diagnosed diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) for 10 years by a doctor. This research uses an aspect identification questionnaire instrument. DPN is screened using Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI). Static balance is determined by romberg test and for dynamic balance it is measured by timed up and go test. Functional lower limb muscle strength is checked using tests Five Time Sit to Stand (5xSST).Results: The data for the respondent is a housewife aged 64 years, last education is junior high school with status as a housewife. The patient suffered from T2DM for 10 years with a hemoglobin 1AC level of 6.8 mg/dl, was overweight as indicated by the patient's BMI of 26 kg/m2. Often feels pain in both legs, when the patient walks and does strenuous activities with a score of 9, and the pain decreases when resting with a score of 3. Apart from that, the patient also has vision problems with a score of 20/40, meaning the patient can only see letters. at a distance of 20 feet. Even though normally letters can be seen clearly, namely 40 feet, this visual disturbance can cause the patient's balance to be disturbed. Providing treatment for 6 weeks can significantly improve the patient's quality of life as seen from the initial WHO QoL score of 58 to 86.Conclusion: Providing treadmill training for 6 weeks carried out 3 times a week showed significant results in reducing hemoglobin levels and DPN scores in T2DM patients.

Outside the Laboratory Assessment of Upper Limb Laterality in Patients With Stroke: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The rehabilitation of upper limb sensorimotor performance after stroke requires the assessment of daily use, the identification of key levels of impairment, and monitoring the course of recovery. It needs to be answered, how laboratory-based assessments and everyday behavior are connected, which dimension of metrics, that is, volume, intensity, or quality, is most sensitive to reduced function, and what sensor, that is, gyroscope or accelerometer, is best suited to gather such data. Performance in laboratory-based sensorimotor tests, as well as smartwatch-derived kinematic data of everyday life relative upper limb activity, during 1 day of inpatient neurorehabilitation (Germany, 2022) of 50 patients with stroke, was cross-sectionally assessed and resulting laterality indices (performance ratios) between the limbs were analyzed using ANCOVAs and principal component analysis. Laboratory-based tests revealed the strongest laterality indices, followed by smartwatch-based (intensity>quality>volume) metrics. Angular velocity-based metrics revealed higher laterality indices than acceleration-based ones. Laterality indices were overall well associated; however, a principal component analysis suggested upper limb impairments to be unidimensional. Our findings suggest that the use of sensors can deliver valid information of stroke-related laterality. It appeared that commonly used metrics that estimate the volume of use (ie, energy expenditure) are not the most sensitive. Especially reached intensities could be well used for monitoring, because they are more dependent on the performance of the sensorimotor system and less on confounders like age. The unidimensionality of the upper limb laterality suggests that an impaired limb with reduced movement quality and the inability to reach higher intensities will be used less in everyday life, especially when it is the nondominant side.

Contemplative neuroaesthetics and architecture: A sensorimotor exploration

This paper takes initial steps towards developing a theoretical framework of contemplative neuroaesthetics through sensorimotor dynamics. We first argue that this new area has been largely omitted from the contemporary research agenda in neuroaesthetics and thus remains a domain of untapped potential. We seek to define this domain to foster a clear and focused investigation of the capacity of the arts and architecture to induce phenomenological states of a contemplative kind. By proposing a sensorimotor account of the experience of architecture, we operationalize how being attuned to architecture can lead to contemplative states. In contrasting the externally-induced methods with internally-induced methods for eliciting a contemplative state of mind, we argue that architecture may spontaneously and effortlessly lead to such states as certain built features naturally resonate with our sensorimotor system. We suggest that becoming sensible of the resonance and attunement process between internal and external states is what creates an occasion for an externally-induced contemplative state. Finally, we review neuroscientific studies of architecture, elaborate on the brain regions involved in such aesthetic contemplative responses, provide architectural examples, and point at the contributions that this new area of inquiry may have in fields such as the evidence-based design movement in architecture.

DiSCIoser: unlocking recovery potential of arm sensorimotor functions after spinal cord injury by promoting activity-dependent brain plasticity by means of brain-computer interface technology: a randomized controlled trial to test efficacy

BackgroundTraumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) results in reduced sensorimotor abilities that strongly impact on the achievement of daily living activities involving hand/arm function. Among several technology-based rehabilitative approaches, Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) which enable the modulation of electroencephalographic sensorimotor rhythms, are promising tools to promote the recovery of hand function after SCI. The “DiSCIoser” study proposes a BCI-supported motor imagery (MI) training to engage the sensorimotor system and thus facilitate the neuroplasticity to eventually optimize upper limb sensorimotor functional recovery in patients with SCI during the subacute phase, at the peak of brain and spinal plasticity. To this purpose, we have designed a BCI system fully compatible with a clinical setting whose efficacy in improving hand sensorimotor function outcomes in patients with traumatic cervical SCI will be assessed and compared to the hand MI training not supported by BCI.MethodsThis randomized controlled trial will include 30 participants with traumatic cervical SCI in the subacute phase randomly assigned to 2 intervention groups: the BCI-assisted hand MI training and the hand MI training not supported by BCI. Both interventions are delivered (3 weekly sessions; 12 weeks) as add-on to standard rehabilitation care. A multidimensional assessment will be performed at: randomization/pre-intervention and post-intervention. Primary outcome measure is the Graded Redefined Assessment of Strength, Sensibility and Prehension (GRASSP) somatosensory sub-score. Secondary outcome measures include the motor and functional scores of the GRASSP and other clinical, neuropsychological, neurophysiological and neuroimaging measures.DiscussionWe expect the BCI-based intervention to promote meaningful cortical sensorimotor plasticity and eventually maximize recovery of arm functions in traumatic cervical subacute SCI. This study will generate a body of knowledge that is fundamental to drive optimization of BCI application in SCI as a top-down therapeutic intervention, thus beyond the canonical use of BCI as assistive tool.Trial registrationName of registry: DiSCIoser: improving arm sensorimotor functions after spinal cord injury via brain-computer interface training (DiSCIoser). Trial registration number: NCT05637775; registration date on the ClinicalTrial.gov platform: 05-12-2022.

Post-training sleep modulates motor adaptation and task-related beta oscillations.

Motor adaptation reflects the ability of the brain's sensorimotor system to flexibly deal with environmental changes to generate effective motor behaviour. Whether sleep contributes to the consolidation of motor adaptation remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the impact of sleep on motor adaptation and its neurophysiological correlates in a novel motor adaptation task that leverages a highly automatised motor skill, that is, typing. We hypothesised that sleep-associated memory consolidation would benefit motor adaptation and induce modulations in task-related beta band (13-30 Hz) activity during adaptation. Healthy young male experts in typing on the regular computer keyboard were trained to type on a vertically mirrored keyboard while brain activity was recorded using electroencephalography. Typing performance was assessed either after a full night of sleep with polysomnography or a similar period of daytime wakefulness. Results showed improved motor adaptation performance after nocturnal sleep but not after daytime wakefulness, and decreased beta power: (a) during mirrored typing as compared with regular typing; and (b) in the post-sleep versus the pre-sleep mirrored typing sessions. Furthermore, the slope of the electroencephalography signal, a measure of aperiodic brain activity, decreased during mirrored as compared with regular typing. Changes in the electroencephalography spectral slope from pre- to post-sleep mirrored typing sessions were correlated with changes in task performance. Finally, increased fast sleep spindle density (13-15 Hz) during the night following motor adaptation training was predictive of successful motor adaptation. These findings suggest that post-training sleep modulates neural activity supporting adaptive motor functions.

Declination affects geomagnetic field‐modulated geotaxis in fruit flies

AbstractDecades of research have established that the Earth’s magnetic field (geomagnetic field, GMF) is broadly used as a sensory cue for magnetic orientation in various animal taxa, including insects. In contrast to the investigation of the total intensity or inclination of the GMF, the effect of declination on horizontal magnetic movement has been explored in a few species, including flies, cockroaches, and dogs. However, the potential role of declination in the vertical movement in magnetosensitive organisms is yet to be reported. In this study, we provide the first evidence that declination within a natural range of change can affect static geotaxis in fruit flies, as assessed using the tube‐positioning assay. In open‐field measurements conducted at 22 domestic and foreign locations, the variation in declination was notably dependent upon the specific location, regardless of altitude, with similar variation in total intensity. Flies subjected to a geographic range of declination under the same total intensity and inclination exhibited remarkably different geotactic positioning scores, irrespective of GMF polarity. Notably, we observed a significant negative correlation between the geotactic score and the absolute value of declination, indicating that declination can induce negative geotaxis effects in flies. These results reveal that flies have evolved to incorporate a declination compass into their multimodal sensorimotor system and suggest that declination may be complementary to gravity in terms of environmental factor‐driven negative geotaxis in flies.

The emergence of language in the human mind and brain-Insights from the neurobiology of language, thought and action.

The capacity for language has evolved remarkably quickly in recent human history. Its advent likely coincided with a range of cognitive innovations not found elsewhere at this level of complexity in the rest of the animal kingdom. This late yet near-simultaneous florescence of higher language and cognition is difficult to account for in terms of strictly modular neurocognitive systems, each with its own dedicated function and evolutionary trajectory. Nor does it legitimize the neurocognitive study of language in isolation from other systems of human thought and action. In the wake of emergentist approaches to key human cognitive abilities, the present article considers language as the differentiated product of multiple neural networks dedicated to qualitatively distinct cognitive functions-including (at least) the cortical systems of general semantic cognition and control and the sensorimotor systems supporting language production. A model is proposed to account for how these systems congregate to produce language, featuring a dual-stream architecture of the semantic interface into item-based and item-independent semantic knowledge on the one hand, and a notion of the sensorimotor interface as a key component for the temporal tracking and verbal rehearsal of task-relevant information on the other. Avenues are also offered for enriching this architecture in future versions of the model. Finally, it is proposed that language is an "optimal" combination of these neurocognitive systems, enabling fast and cost-effective transfer of information at the systems level. This last point underpins evidence for the privileged status of language as a tool for adaptive thought and behavior, as well as some important features of brain evolution, development, and functional organization. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Reoptimization of single-joint motor patterns to non-Earth gravity torques induced by a robotic exoskeleton

Gravity is a ubiquitous component of our environment that we have learned to optimally integrate in movement control. Yet, altered gravity conditions arise in numerous applications from space exploration to rehabilitation, thereby pressing the sensorimotor system to adapt. Here, we used a robotic exoskeleton to reproduce the elbow joint-level effects of arbitrary gravity fields ranging from 1g to -1g, passing through Mars- and Moon-like gravities, and tested whether humans can reoptimize their motor patterns accordingly. By comparing the motor patterns of actual arm movements with those predicted by an optimal control model, we show that our participants () adapted optimally to each gravity-like torque. These findings suggest that the joint-level effects of a large range of gravities can be efficiently apprehended by humans, thus opening new perspectives in arm weight support training in manipulation tasks, whether it be for patients or astronauts.

Directed functional connectivity of the sensorimotor system in young and older individuals.

Studies in the sensorimotor system of older versus young individuals have shown alterations in functional connectivity and organization. Our objective was to explore the implications of these differences in terms of local organizations, and to identify processes that correlate with neuropsychological parameters. Using a novel multivariate analysis method on resting-state functional MRI data obtained from 50 young and 31 older healthy individuals, we identified directed 4-node functional pathways within the sensorimotor system and examined their correlations with neuropsychological assessments. In young individuals, the functional pathways were unidirectional, flowing from the primary motor and sensory cortices to higher motor and visual regions. In older individuals, the functional pathways were more complex. They originated either from the calcarine sulcus or the insula and passed through mutually coupled high-order motor areas before reaching the primary sensory and motor cortices. Additionally, the pathways in older individuals that resembled those found in young individuals exhibited a positive correlation with years of education. The flow pattern of young individuals suggests efficient and fast information transfer. In contrast, the mutual coupling of high-order motor regions in older individuals suggests an inefficient and slow transfer, a less segregated and a more integrated organization. The differences in the number of sensorimotor pathways and of their directionality suggests reduced efferent degenerated pathways and increased afferent compensated pathways. Furthermore, the positive effect of years of education may be associated with the Cognitive Reserve Hypothesis, implying that cognitive reserve could be maintained through specific information transfer pathways.

Physical Education and Embodied Learning: A Review

Recent neuroscientific research highlighted interesting interactions between superior cognitive functions and the sensorimotor system. Overcoming the traditional views of the philosophy of mind and cognitive sciences, current empirical evidence shows that bodily states are the basis of information processing and that incarnation contributes to various aspects of mental phenomena. Starting from this theoretical framework, the purpose of this contribution is to outline, through exposure to the most significant discoveries in the world of neuroscience, the importance of Embodied Cognition as an emerging vision that considers the cognitive processes deeply rooted in the interaction of the body with the world. After careful selection and analysis of studies on neuroscience applied to teaching, the study focused on those who experienced in the school context embodied-teaching approaches aiming to promote transversal learning through movement and corporeality in action and interaction. The analysis highlights the strengths and critical points of the studies implemented in recent decades that focus on the integration and transversality of the body in learning. This is to understand whether embodied learning environments involving all spheres of personality can foster perception, knowledge, and conscious action in teaching and learning processes. An important result from the overview is the potential of theory in different educational environments and disciplines. The contemporary theoretical framework highlights the great potential of corporeality and physical education as actors in learning, but at the same time place in the foreground the need to experiment and disseminate new teaching approaches and perspectives.

Using the Research Domain Criteria as a framework to integrate psychophysiological findings into stress management and psychotherapy interventions.

Research on the psychophysiology of stress is expanding rapidly, but the field lacks a clear integrative framework to help translate research findings into empirically supported stress interventions. The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) is an excellent candidate to explore as a framework to integrate stress research. The RDoC framework is a dimensional, multi-modal approach to psychopathology proposed as an alternative to categorical approaches used by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). The goal of this paper is to explore the RDoC as a framework to integrate psychophysiology research into therapeutic interventions for stress. The RDoC consists of six domains: negative valence systems, positive valence systems, cognitive systems, social processes systems, arousal/regulatory systems, and sensorimotor systems, and provides an excellent structure for integrating information from multiple levels of functioning including physiology, behavior, and self-report, as well as genes, molecules, cells, and brain circuits. Integrating psychophysiological research on stress using the RDoC framework can direct and amplify stress management and psychotherapeutic interventions. First, the RDoC provides a clear foundation for conceptualizing the stress response in terms of important concepts such as allostasis and adaptation. In this perspective, the terms "allostatic response" or "adaptation response" are more descriptive terms than "stress response" in understanding bodily responses to life threats and challenges. Second, psychophysiological approaches can be used in the context of modalities such as biofeedback and mindfulness to both collect psychophysiological data and then integrate that data into a broader therapeutic framework. Heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback is being used more frequently as part of a therapeutic intervention package with stress management and psychotherapy, and HRV data is also used to provide outcome evidence on the efficacy of treatment. Mindfulness practices are commonly used in combination with stress management and psychotherapy, and psychophysiological data (HRV, EEG, blood pressure, etc.) is often collected to explore and understand mind/body relationships. In conclusion, the lack of a clear framework to assess and understand mind/body functioning limits current stress research and interventions. The RDoC provides a strong framework to assess and integrate physiological and psychological data and improve stress interventions.

Corticospinal excitability after 5-day Dry Immersion in women.

In light of the development of manned astronautics and the increasing participation of women in space flights, the question of female body adaptation to microgravity conditions becomes relevant. Currently, one of the important directions in this issue is to study the effects of support withdrawal as a factor of weightlessness on the human sensorimotor system. Dry Immersion is one of the well-known ground-based models, which adequately reproduces the main physiological effects of space flight. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in motor evoked potentials of the lower leg gravity-dependent muscles in women after a 5-day Dry Immersion. We analyzed evoked responses to transcranial and trans-spinal magnetic stimulation. In this method, areas of interest (the motor cortex and lumbosacral thickening of the spinal cord) are stimulated with an electromagnetic stimulus. The experiment was conducted with the participation of 16 healthy female volunteers with a natural menstrual cycle. The thresholds, amplitudes, and latencies of motor potentials evoked by magnetic stimulation were assessed. We showed that 5-day exposure to support withdrawal leads to a decrease in motor-evoked potential thresholds and central motor conduction time, although changes in motor response amplitudes were ambiguous. The data obtained correspond to the results of previous research on Dry Immersion effects on the sensorimotor system in men.

Internal feedback in the cortical perception–action loop enables fast and accurate behavior

Animals move smoothly and reliably in unpredictable environments. Models of sensorimotor control, drawing on control theory, have assumed that sensory information from the environment leads to actions, which then act back on the environment, creating a single, unidirectional perception-action loop. However, the sensorimotor loop contains internal delays in sensory and motor pathways, which can lead to unstable control. We show here that these delays can be compensated by internal feedback signals that flow backward, from motor toward sensory areas. This internal feedback is ubiquitous in neural sensorimotor systems, and we show how internal feedback compensates internal delays. This is accomplished by filtering out self-generated and other predictable changes so that unpredicted, actionable information can be rapidly transmitted toward action by the fastest components, effectively compressing the sensory input to more efficiently use feedforward pathways: Tracts of fast, giant neurons necessarily convey less accurate signals than tracts with many smaller neurons, but they are crucial for fast and accurate behavior. We use a mathematically tractable control model to show that internal feedback has an indispensable role in achieving state estimation, localization of function (how different parts of the cortex control different parts of the body), and attention, all of which are crucial for effective sensorimotor control. This control model can explain anatomical, physiological, and behavioral observations, including motor signals in the visual cortex, heterogeneous kinetics of sensory receptors, and the presence of giant cells in the cortex of humans as well as internal feedback patterns and unexplained heterogeneity in neural systems.