Tapping Frequency Research Articles

Transcranial magnetic stimulation as a treatment for functional (psychogenic) upper limb weakness

ObjectiveThere has been a recent resurgence of interest in physical treatments for functional motor disorders (FMD) including Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). This pilot study aimed to test the effectiveness of a single session of motor cortex TMS as a treatment for functional upper limb weakness. MethodsTen subjects with a diagnosis of functional upper limb weakness were randomised to immediate (n=7) or delayed (3months) (n=3) TMS treatment. Median age was 35 (range 23–52) and median symptom duration was 2.3years (range 5months – 20years). 46–70 single pulses were applied to the motor cortex at 120–150% motor threshold. We used a verbal protocol designed to standardized the effects of suggestion. Primary outcome measures were self-reported symptom severity, grip strength and tapping frequency immediately after treatment, and symptom severity and disability (SF-12 and Modified Rankin Scale (MRS)) after 3months. ResultsThere was a small significant reduction in symptom severity immediately after treatment, but no improvement in grip strength or tapping frequency and no change in symptom severity, SF-12 or MRS 3months after treatment. Small numbers precluded comparison of immediate treatment with delayed treatment. Four of eight subjects responding to three-month follow-up reported late-onset adverse effects. ConclusionThis pilot study suggests limited benefits for TMS as a one-off non-neuromodulatory treatment for stable chronic outpatients. TMS may still have a role alongside more intensive multidisciplinary therapy input, or in patients with severe deficits where the possibility of normal movement can be hard to demonstrate. Trial registrationNCT02102906

EP 82. Lateralization of auditory-motor and somatosensory-motor loops during bimanual auditory-paced finger tapping

Introduction During asymmetric bimanual movements the right hand usually performs the faster movement compared to the left hand. This left hemisphere preference for processing of higher relative frequencies has been postulated in the sensory domain. The left hemisphere is thought to excel in analyzing higher relative stimulus frequencies while the right hemisphere is more engaged in processing lower relative frequencies ( Ivry and Robertson, 1998 ). The observed preference of right hand tapping the faster rhythm in 1:n bimanual tapping could potentially mirror this left hemisphere dominance for processing higher relative frequencies in the motor domain. The bimanual coordination of preferred movements has been related with activation of the left more than right supplementary motor area (SMA) ( Jancke et al., 2000 ). The intra- and interhemispheric interactions during asymmetric finger tapping and their relationship to hemispheric specialization for relative frequencies are not understood. We thus investigated the lateralization of neural networks engaged in bimanual coordination and explored the effect of tapping frequencies. Methods In an EEG-fMRI experiment, 32 right-handed subjects performed an auditory-paced finger tapping task during which the tapping frequency (low/high) and the executing hand (unimanual left/right and bimanual) were modulated. Auditory clicks were presented at 2.5 Hz. The ratio of low versus high tapping frequency was 1:4 clicks. Here, we report the fMRI results first. Conditions of interest were randomized, blocked, and contrasted against silent baseline. EPI images were standard pre-processed and analyzed using a general linear model in SPM 12. Results are presented at p . Results Right auditory association cortex activated more strongly in bimanual slow compared to fast tapping. The non-preferred asymmetric bimanual condition (left hand fast / right slow) activated the right SMA and right secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) more strongly than the preferred symmetric condition. This effect was independent of the left hand tapping frequency, as it was observed when tapping frequency was controlled for. Conclusion These findings indicate that the right auditory association cortex specifically engages for slow tapping when 1:4 tapping requires auditory processing of larger time windows in the absence of timing information from the motor system. Our results suggest processing during the non-preferred asymmetric bimanual tapping engages an additional right-hemispheric somatosensorimotor feedback loop (involving S2 and SMA).The left hemisphere does not require this loop to the same extent when performing the identical movement. We speculate that this is a consequence of a left hemispheric dominance in auditory-motor integration (4). We conclude that only the non-dominant right hemisphere uses more somatosensory feedback when it is forced to perform precisely timed finger tapping at higher relative frequencies. This could be taken as indirect evidence for a left hemispheric specialization for auditory-motor integration at higher relative frequencies.

EPV 9. The role of ipsilateral motor areas in hand motor function in healthy ageing – Insights from online TMS

Background Event-related (“online”) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) allows to interfere with neural processing of distinct cortical areas. While we have a rather good knowledge on the role of frontoparietal areas for motor performance of the contralateral hand, the contribution of areas in the hemisphere ipsilateral to the moving hand is far less understood ( [Davare et al., 2007] , [Vollmer et al., 2015] ). For example, neuroimaging studies found an increasing ipsilateral recruitment of motor regions in healthy eldery subjects, implying a supportive influence during normative ageing ( [Hutchinson et al., 2002] , [Riecker et al., 2006] ). To test this hypothesis, we used online-TMS to investigate the role of ipsilateral primary motor cortex (M1), premotor cortex (dPMC) and anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS) in motor tasks of different complexity in young and elderly subjects. Methods Young (range: 20–30 years) and elderly (range: 50–70 years) healthy, right-handed subjects conducted four motor tasks of different complexity with their right hand: (i) simple reaction time, (ii) maximum finger and (iii) hand tapping frequencies and (iv) rapid pointing between two defined targets. Tapping and pointing tasks were measured with kinematic, three-dimensional recordings using an ultrasound motion analyzer system (Zebris). TMS pulses were applied as 10 Hz-trains time-locked to task execution. Stimulation was applied at 90% of resting motor threshold (rMT) to ipsilateral M1, dPMC and aIPS. Sham-stimulation at 90% of rMT to parieto-occipital vertex served as control condition. Results Online-TMS applied to ipsilateral M1 led to a significant response slowing and to a significantly increased coeffcient of variation in the simple reaction time task in elderly subjects. In contrast, performance of more complex motor tasks was not affected by ipsilateral M1-stimulation. TMS applied to the ipsilateral dPMC or aIPS affected the more complex motor tasks. DPMC-stimulation caused a reduction of tapping amplitude and a significant reduction of overall performance in the finger tapping task. TMS applied to the aIPS led to a significant reduction of tapping amplitude and tended to reduce overall performance in the hand tapping task. Furthermore, subjects showed a significant decrease of aiming accuracy in the pointing task, upon TMS interference with ipsilateral dPMC as well as aIPS in elderly subjects. Finally, within the group of elderly subjects, age strongly correlated with a frequency reduction of hand tapping induced by both M1- and aIPS-stimulation. Conclusion Consistent with previous work ( Vollmer et al., 2015 ), our findings underline the impact of ipsilateral M1 on simple motor task. We also show that in eldery subjects ipsilateral dPMC as well as ipsilateral aIPS seem to be causally engaged in maintaining performance in more complex motor tasks. These findings agree with neuroimaging studies indicating the IPS’ particular involvement in visuomotor tasks ( Grefkes et al., 2006 ). Of note, our results support the notion of age-dependent recruitment of ipsilateral M1 in motor tasks ( [Hutchinson et al., 2002] , [Riecker et al., 2006] ) and suggest a similar relevance of aIPS for motor performance in healthy ageing individuals.

Enhanced brainstem and cortical encoding of sound during synchronized movement

Movement to a steady beat has been widely studied as a model of alignment of motor outputs on sensory inputs. However, how the encoding of sensory inputs is shaped during synchronized movements along the sensory pathway remains unknown. To investigate this, we simultaneously recorded brainstem and cortical electro-encephalographic activity while participants listened to periodic amplitude-modulated tones. Participants listened either without moving or while tapping in sync on every second beat. Cortical responses were identified at the envelope modulation rate (beat frequency), whereas brainstem responses were identified at the partials frequencies of the chord and at their modulation by the beat frequency (sidebands). During sensorimotor synchronization, cortical responses at beat frequency were larger than during passive listening. Importantly, brainstem responses were also enhanced, with a selective amplification of the sidebands, in particular at the lower-pitched tone of the chord, and no significant correlation with electromyographic measures at tapping frequency. These findings provide first evidence for an online gain in the cortical and subcortical encoding of sounds during synchronized movement, selective to behavior-relevant sound features. Moreover, the frequency-tagging method to isolate concurrent brainstem and cortical activities even during actual movements appears promising to reveal coordinated processes along the human auditory pathway.

A Mathematical Model of Levodopa Medication Effect on Basal Ganglia in Parkinson's Disease: An Application to the Alternate Finger Tapping Task.

Malfunctions in the neural circuitry of the basal ganglia (BG), induced by alterations in the dopaminergic system, are responsible for an array of motor disorders and milder cognitive issues in Parkinson's disease (PD). Recently Baston and Ursino (2015a) presented a new neuroscience mathematical model aimed at exploring the role of basal ganglia in action selection. The model is biologically inspired and reproduces the main BG structures and pathways, modeling explicitly both the dopaminergic and the cholinergic system. The present work aims at interfacing this neurocomputational model with a compartmental model of levodopa, to propose a general model of medicated Parkinson's disease. Levodopa effect on the striatum was simulated with a two-compartment model of pharmacokinetics in plasma joined with a motor effect compartment. The latter is characterized by the levodopa removal rate and by a sigmoidal relationship (Hill law) between concentration and effect. The main parameters of this relationship are saturation, steepness, and the half-maximum concentration. The effect of levodopa is then summed to a term representing the endogenous dopamine effect, and is used as an external input for the neurocomputation model; this allows both the temporal aspects of medication and the individual patient characteristics to be simulated. The frequency of alternate tapping is then used as the outcome of the whole model, to simulate effective clinical scores. Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling was preliminary performed on data of six patients with Parkinson's disease (both “stable” and “wearing-off” responders) after levodopa standardized oral dosing over 4 h. Results show that the model is able to reproduce the temporal profiles of levodopa in plasma and the finger tapping frequency in all patients, discriminating between different patterns of levodopa motor response. The more influential parameters are the Hill coefficient, related with the slope of the effect sigmoidal relationship, the drug concentration at half-maximum effect, and the drug removal rate from the effect compartment. The model can be of value to gain a deeper understanding on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the medication, and on the way dopamine is exploited in the neural circuitry of the basal ganglia in patients at different stages of the disease progression.

Determination of Growth Rate and Age Structure of <i>Boswellia papyrifera</i> from Tree Ring Analysis: Implications for Sustainable Harvest Scheduling

Boswellia papyrifera is a multipurpose deciduous species that grows in Combretum – Terminalia deciduous woodlands of Ethiopia. It is widely known for its commercial frankincense production. The B. papyrifera woodland is under a problematic state of population decline due to heavy encroachment and unsustainable tapping. To sustainably manage such a sensitive ecosystem needs exact knowledge of growth rates and age structure of trees where such information on tropical trees under natural condition is rather poor. In this study growth rate and age of B. papyrifera was determined from tree ring analysis. The study was carried out in Lemlem Terara, Metema district, Ethiopia. The mean annual diameter growth rate of B. papyrifera derived from the mean ring-width is 2.32mm and varies among sample trees. All sampled trees showed a comparable general growth trend which can be divided into three phases – i) good growth in the beginning, ii) phase with depression in middle and iii) increase in ring width. The average age of B. papyrifera trees growing in the study site is estimated to be about 75 years. Although there is strong correlation between diameter of a tree and age, the result from this study highlighted that age-size relations should be used cautiously as the diameter may not reflect the true age. The result from this study is important input to develop strategic plan for the species regarding tapping frequency and intensity as per the annual increment of the species. For further dendrochronological studies of the species, it is recommended to take samples from different size classes and slope gradients for better and reliable results. In future, the use of tree ring analysis as a tool to understand growth dynamics and age structure of trees species, and their response to climate variability should be strengthen in Ethiopian. Keywords: Boswellia papyrifera, Annual growth rings, Diameter growth rate, Age structure, Ethiopia.

The effect of action observation/execution on mirror neuron system recruitment: an fMRI study in healthy individuals.

Action observation and execution activate regions that are part of the motor and mirror neuron systems (MNS). Using functional magnetic resonance (fMRI), we defined the presence and extent of MNS activation during three different motor tasks with the dominant, right-upper limb in healthy individuals. The influence of the modality of task administration (execution, observation, observation and execution) was also investigated. fMRI scans during the execution (E) of a motor task, the observation (O) of a video showing the same task performed by another person and the simultaneous observation and execution (OE) of the task were obtained from three groups of healthy subjects (15 subjects per group) randomized to perform: a simple motor (SM) task, a complex motor (CM) task and a finalistic motor (FM) task. Manual dexterity was assessed using the 9-hole peg test and maximum finger tapping frequency. MNS activation was higher during FM than SM or CM tasks, independently from the modality of administration (E, O, or OE). Inferior frontal gyrus recruitment was more significant during SM than CM tasks in the E and O conditions. Compared to SM and FM, CM task resulted in increased recruitment of brain regions involved in complex motor task performance. Compared to O and E, OE resulted in the recruitment of additional, specific, brain areas in the cerebellum, temporal and parietal lobes. The modality of administration and the type of task modulated MNS recruitment during motor acts. This might have practical implications for the set-up of individualized motor rehabilitation strategies.

Lateralized courtship in a parasitic wasp

ABSTRACTLateralization (i.e. left-right asymmetries in the brain and behaviour) of courtship displays has been examined in a growing number vertebrate species, while evidence for invertebrates is limited. In this study, we investigated lateralization of courtship and mating displays in the parasitic wasp Leptomastidea abnormis. Results showed a population-level lateralization of male courtship displays. Male antennal tapping on the female's head was right-biased. However, right-biased male courtship acts were not characterized by higher male antennal tapping frequencies, nor success in mating although antennal tapping frequency was higher in males with mating success with respect to unsuccessful males. Overall, our results add basic knowledge to the behavioural ecology of insect parasitoids. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of behavioural lateralization in parasitic Hymenoptera.

Efficient neuroplasticity induction in chronic stroke patients by an associative brain-computer interface.

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have the potential to improve functionality in chronic stoke patients when applied over a large number of sessions. Here we evaluated the effect and the underlying mechanisms of three BCI training sessions in a double-blind sham-controlled design. The applied BCI is based on Hebbian principles of associativity that hypothesize that neural assemblies activated in a correlated manner will strengthen synaptic connections. Twenty-two chronic stroke patients were divided into two training groups. Movement-related cortical potentials (MRCPs) were detected by electroencephalography during repetitions of foot dorsiflexion. Detection triggered a single electrical stimulation of the common peroneal nerve timed so that the resulting afferent volley arrived at the peak negative phase of the MRCP (BCIassociative group) or randomly (BCInonassociative group). Fugl-Meyer motor assessment (FM), 10-m walking speed, foot and hand tapping frequency, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data, and the excitability of the corticospinal tract to the target muscle [tibialis anterior (TA)] were quantified. The TA motor evoked potential (MEP) increased significantly after the BCIassociative intervention, but not for the BCInonassociative group. FM scores (0.8 ± 0.46 point difference, P = 0.01), foot (but not finger) tapping frequency, and 10-m walking speed improved significantly for the BCIassociative group, indicating clinically relevant improvements. Corticospinal tract integrity on DTI did not correlate with clinical or physiological changes. For the BCI as applied here, the precise coupling between the brain command and the afferent signal was imperative for the behavioral, clinical, and neurophysiological changes reported. This association may become the driving principle for the design of BCI rehabilitation in the future. Indeed, no available BCIs can match this degree of functional improvement with such a short intervention.

ENHANCED BRAINSTEM AND CORTICAL ENCODING OF SOUND DURING SYNCHRONIZED MOVEMENT

Event Abstract Back to Event ENHANCED BRAINSTEM AND CORTICAL ENCODING OF SOUND DURING SYNCHRONIZED MOVEMENT Sylvie Nozaradan1, 2, 3*, Marc Schönwiesner3, Laura Caron-Desrochers3 and Alexandre Lehmann3 1 MARCS Institute for Brain, Behavior and Development, Western Sydney University, Australia 2 Institute of Neuroscience, UCL, Belgium 3 International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Canada Aim. Movement to a steady beat has been widely studied as a model of alignment of motor outputs on sensory inputs. However, how the encoding of sensory inputs is shaped during synchronized movements along the sensory pathway remains unknown. Methods. To investigate this, we simultaneously recorded brainstem and cortical electro-encephalographic activity while participants listened to periodic amplitude-modulated tones. Participants listened either without moving or while tapping in sync on every second beat. Cortical responses were identified at the envelope modulation rate (beat frequency), whereas brainstem responses were identified at the partials frequencies of the chord and at their modulation by the beat frequency (sidebands). Results. During sensorimotor synchronization, cortical responses at beat frequency were larger than during passive listening. Importantly, brainstem responses were also enhanced, with a selective amplification of the sidebands, in particular at the lower-pitched tone of the chord, and no significant correlation with electromyographic measures at tapping frequency. Conclusions. These findings provide first evidence for an online gain in the cortical and subcortical encoding of sounds during synchronized movement, selective to behavior-relevant sound features. Moreover, the frequency-tagging method to isolate concurrent brainstem and cortical activities even during actual movements appears promising to reveal coordinated processes along the human auditory pathway. Acknowledgements S.N. is supported by the Australian Research Council (DE160101064). This work was also supported by a German Science Foundation Grant to S.A.K (DFG KO2268/6-1). Keywords: EEG, neural entrainment, sensorimotor synchronization, steady-state evoked potentials, human auditory brainstem, frequency-tagging Conference: ASP2016 - The 26th Annual Meeting of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Adelaide Australia, Adelaide,SA, Australia, 12 Dec - 14 Dec, 2016. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation Topic: Abstract (general) Citation: Nozaradan S, Schönwiesner M, Caron-Desrochers L and Lehmann A (2016). ENHANCED BRAINSTEM AND CORTICAL ENCODING OF SOUND DURING SYNCHRONIZED MOVEMENT. Conference Abstract: ASP2016 - The 26th Annual Meeting of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Adelaide Australia. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2016.221.00031 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 24 Aug 2016; Published Online: 05 Dec 2016. * Correspondence: MD, PhD. Sylvie Nozaradan, MARCS Institute for Brain, Behavior and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia, sylvie.nozaradan@uclouvain.be Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Sylvie Nozaradan Marc Schönwiesner Laura Caron-Desrochers Alexandre Lehmann Google Sylvie Nozaradan Marc Schönwiesner Laura Caron-Desrochers Alexandre Lehmann Google Scholar Sylvie Nozaradan Marc Schönwiesner Laura Caron-Desrochers Alexandre Lehmann PubMed Sylvie Nozaradan Marc Schönwiesner Laura Caron-Desrochers Alexandre Lehmann Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Pharmacodynamics of a low subacute levodopa dose helps distinguish between multiple system atrophy with predominant Parkinsonism and Parkinson's disease.

The differential diagnosis between multiple system atrophy with predominant parkinsonism (MSA-P) and Parkinson's disease (PD) may be challenging at disease onset. Levodopa responsiveness helps distinguish the two groups, but studies evaluating this issue using objective standardized tests are scanty. We retrospectively examined the extent of levodopa response by an objective kinetic-dynamic test in a series of patients prospectively followed up for a parkinsonian syndrome and eventually diagnosed as MSA-P or PD. Sixteen MSA-P and 31 PD patients under chronic levodopa therapy received a first morning fasting dose of levodopa/benserazide (100/25 mg) or levodopa/carbidopa (125/12.5 or 100/25 mg) and underwent simultaneous serial assessments of plasma levodopa concentration and alternate finger tapping frequency up to 3 h post dosing. The main levodopa pharmacodynamic variables were the maximum percentage increase in tapping frequency over baseline values (ΔTapmax %) and the area under the tapping effect-time curve (AUCTap). Levodopa pharmacokinetics did not show significant differences between MSA-P and PD, whereas both the magnitude and overall extent of levodopa tapping effect were markedly reduced in the MSA-P group (p < 0.001). The combined use of specific cut-off values for both the main pharmacodynamic variables, ΔTapmax % <20% and AUCTap <1900 [(tapping/min)·min], correctly discriminated 15 out of 16 MSA-P patients from PD patients. A combined estimation of these pharmacodynamic variables after a subacute low levodopa dose may be a simple and practical clinical tool to aid the differential diagnosis between MSA-P and PD.

Characteristics of Finger Tapping Are Not Affected by Heavy Strength Training

ABSTRACTThe authors investigated the effects of 2 weeks of heavy index finger strength training on characteristics of freely chosen finger tapping including tapping frequency, tap force, and finger displacement. One group (n = 12) performed index finger extension and flexion strength training. A control group (n = 12) performed no intervention. Results showed that the training group increased strength in both extension (19.5 ± 22.2%, p = .015) and flexion (9.4 ± 9.8%, p = .001) from pretest to posttest. Furthermore, training did not affect the frequency and the pattern of the tapping movement (Fs = 0.004–3.441, ps = .077–.954). The present results are in contrast to previous findings of reduced movement frequency and altered movement pattern during ergometer pedaling after strength training. This difference may be explained by the dissimilarity between the 2 tasks.

Involvement of Ethylene in the Latex Metabolism and Tapping Panel Dryness of Hevea brasiliensis.

Ethephon, an ethylene releaser, is used to stimulate latex production in Hevea brasiliensis. Ethylene induces many functions in latex cells including the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The accumulation of ROS is responsible for the coagulation of rubber particles in latex cells, resulting in the partial or complete stoppage of latex flow. This study set out to assess biochemical and histological changes as well as changes in gene expression in latex and phloem tissues from trees grown under various harvesting systems. The Tapping Panel Dryness (TPD) susceptibility of Hevea clones was found to be related to some biochemical parameters, such as low sucrose and high inorganic phosphorus contents. A high tapping frequency and ethephon stimulation induced early TPD occurrence in a high latex metabolism clone and late occurrence in a low latex metabolism clone. TPD-affected trees had smaller number of laticifer vessels compared to healthy trees, suggesting a modification of cambial activity. The differential transcript abundance was observed for twenty-seven candidate genes related to TPD occurrence in latex and phloem tissues for ROS-scavenging, ethylene biosynthesis and signalling genes. The predicted function for some Ethylene Response Factor genes suggested that these candidate genes should play an important role in regulating susceptibility to TPD.

Structural brain plasticity modified by action observation training in healthy subjects

Methods: Using a 3T scanner, fMRI scans during the observation (O) of a video showing a task performed by another person and the simultaneous execution and observation (EO) of the same task were obtained from three groups of healthy subjects. Forty-five subjects were randomized into three groups of 15 subjects. Each group had to perform one of the following task: a simple motor task (SM) (flexionextension of the last four fingers of the right hand), a complex motor task (CM) (flexion-extension alternated to abductionadduction of the last four fingers of the right hand) and a transitive motor task (TM) (use of an object with the right hand). Manual dexterity was assessed using the 9-hole peg test (9HPT) and maximum finger tapping frequency (FT). fMRI data were analyzed using SPM8. Significant differences were consideredwith p< 0.05. The studywas approved by the local Ethical Committee and an informed consent was signed by each subject. Results: Demographic and manual dexterity data did not differ between groups. DuringO task, the SM and TMgroups had an increased activation of the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus compared toCM.DuringOandOE tasks, theTMgroup experienced a higher activation of the left inferior parietal lobe compared to SM and CM; whereas the CM group had higher activation of the superior parietal gyrus than the TM and SM ones. Conclusion(s): Both the modalities of administration (observation vs observation and execution) and the type of task (simple, complex or transitive) modulate MNS recruitment. Implications: In recent years, action observation (AO) namely the imitation ofmovement after their observation, has become a valuable tool for relearning motor tasks in rehabilitation approaches. The best strategy for AO administration is still an open question. It is reasonable to speculate that AO characteristics should also depend from the location of central nervous system (CNS) lesions. This study provides some novel pieces of information for planning AO strategies in subjects with CNS lesions.

Freely Chosen Index Finger Tapping Frequency Is Increased in Repeated Bouts of Tapping

ABSTRACTHealthy individuals (n = 40) performed index finger tapping at freely chosen frequency during repeated bouts and before and after near-maximal muscle action consisting of 3 intense flexions of the index finger metacarpal phalangeal joint. One experiment showed, unexpectedly, that a bout of tapping increased the tapping frequency in the subsequent bout. Thus, a cumulating increase of 8.2 ± 5.4% (p < .001) occurred across 4 bouts, which were all separated by 10 min rest periods. Follow-up experiments revealed that tapping frequency was still increased in consecutive bouts when rest periods were extended to 20 min. Besides, near-maximal muscle activation, followed by 5 min rest, did not affect the tapping frequency. In conclusion, freely chosen tapping frequency was increased in repeated bouts of tapping, which were separated by 10–20 min rest periods. The observed phenomenon is suggested to be termed repeated bout rate enhancement.

Associations between age, motor function, and resting state sensorimotor network connectivity in healthy older adults

Aging is associated with impaired motor performance across a range of tasks. Both primary neural representations of movement and potential compensatory cognitive mechanisms appear to be disrupted in older age. Here we determined how age is associated with resting state sensorimotor functional connectivity, and whether connectivity strength is associated with motor performance. We investigated the association between age and resting state functional connectivity of several sensorimotor networks in 191 healthy older, right-handed individuals. Regions of interest were defined in the left motor cortex, left putamen, and right cerebellar lobules V and VIII. Analyses were adjusted for head motion, gray matter volume, diastolic blood pressure, and smoker status; we then evaluated whether connectivity is associated with participants' manual motor performance. We found both increased and decreased connectivity within portions of the motor cortical and cerebellar networks after adjusting for covariates. We observed that connectivity increased with age for the motor cortex and cerebellar lobule VIII with the putamen, providing evidence of greater interactivity across networks with age. Higher tapping frequency and greater grip force were associated with stronger connectivity between the motor cortex during resting state, putamen, cerebellar lobule VIII and the insular cortex, suggesting that greater network interactivity may protect against age declines in performance.

Efeito da frequência da sangria em diferentes clones na produtividade de seringueira

The study evaluated the effect of tapping frequency on the productivity of rubber tree clones (PB235, IAN873, GT1 e RRIM600) planted in 1990 at Indianapolis-PR in a 8 x 4 m spacing. Treatments included tapping system in a half spiral every 3, 4 and 5 days. Data (g per tree per month) was collected from November, December and January of 2009/2010 and of 2010/2011 harvest seasons with ten repetitions. Results indicated that clone productivity was independent of tapping frequency.

Innovation Design of an Intelligent Percussion Device

Thisresearch pertains to an innovative design for an intelligent percussion device, which solves the problem of the lack of control overthe strength of the percussion force and the tapping frequency. A TRIZ methodis used in this research. Improving and worsening the parameters of thecontradiction matrix aid in finding available inventive principles andimplementing a systematic innovative design. The pressure sensor of theintelligent percussion device detects the force and the frequency, and adisplay device shows data on the force and frequency. A comparison database anda warning device achieve the function of remedy, so the percussion effect canbe promoted, resulting in a superior percussion-auxiliary device. The presentinvention is safe, accurate and convenient and can be applied to patients inhospital or to home care patients with sputum retention in the lungs andstudents who are learning the percussion skill, so the market demand is quitelarge.

Impact of regional striatal dopaminergic function on kinematic parameters of Parkinson's disease.

Among the cardinal parkinsonian motor deficits, the severity of bradykinesia correlates with striatal dopamine loss. However, the impact of regional striatal dopamine loss on specific components of bradykinesia remains unknown. Using gyroscopes, we measured the amplitude, speed, and frequency of finger tapping in 24 untreated patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and 28 healthy controls. Using positron emission tomography (PET) studies and [(18)F]-N-3-fluoropropyl-2-beta-carboxymethoxy-3-beta-(4-iodophenyl) nortropane (FP-CIT) in PD patients, we investigated the relationship between the mean values, variability and decrements of various kinematic parameters of finger tapping on one side (e.g. the mean, variability and decrement) and contralateral striatal FP-CIT binding. Compared with controls, PD patients had reduced amplitudes and speeds of tapping and showed greater decrement in those parameters. PD patients also exhibited greater irregularity in amplitude, speed, and frequency. Putaminal FP-CIT uptake levels correlated with the mean speed and amplitude, and caudate uptake levels correlated with mean amplitude. The variability of amplitude and speed correlated only with the caudate uptake levels. Neither caudate nor putaminal uptake correlated with frequency-related parameters or decrement in amplitude or speed. Reduced amplitude and speed of repetitive movement may be related to striatal dopaminergic deficit. Dopaminergic action in the caudate nucleus is required to maintain consistency of amplitude and speed. Although decrement of amplitude and speed is known to be specific for PD, we found that it did not mirror the degree of striatal dopamine depletion.

Bilateral high- and low-frequency rTMS in acute stroke patients with hemiparesis: A comparative study with unilateral high-frequency rTMS

Background: High- and low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS and LF-rTMS) has been shown to be beneficial for upper limb hemiparesis in patients with acute stroke. However, no study has examined the usefulness of bilateral application of HF- and LF-rTMS (BL-rTMS).Methods: Fifty-eight hemiparetic patients with acute stroke were randomly assigned into two groups: HF-rTMS group and BL-rTMS group. All patients were scheduled to receive five sessions of either HF-rTMS over the lesional hemisphere or BL-rTMS over both hemispheres for 5 days. Motor function of the affected upper limb was evaluated using the Brunnstrom Recovery Stage (BRS) for upper-limb and hand-fingers, grip strength and tapping frequency, before the first session and after the last session of rTMS.Results: Improvement of BRS for the upper limb and hand/finger was significantly greater in the BL-rTMS group than the HF-rTMS group (p < 0.01). Improvement in grip strength and tapping frequency was also greater in the BL-rTMS group, although the differences were not statistically significant.Conclusions: The proposed BL-rTMS is safe and feasible and showed a greater improvement of BRS of the affected upper limb compared to HF-rTMS. This novel rTMS approach may be a useful intervention for hemiparetic patients with acute stroke.