•We examined time course of sway after passive light touch onset and removal transitions.•We observed involuntary sway overshoot after light touch removal.•rTMS over left-hemisphere inferior parietal ...gyrus reduced sway overshoot after light touch removal.
Contact with an earth-fixed reference augments sway-related feedback and leads to sway reduction during upright standing. We investigated the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the left hemisphere inferior parietal gyrus (IPG) as well as middle frontal gyrus (MFG) on the progression of sway following right-hand finger tip contact onset and removal. In two experimental sessions, 12 adults received 20min of 1Hz rTMS stimulation at 110% passive motor threshold over the left MFG and left IPG, respectively. Before and after each stimulation interval, participants’ body sway was assessed in terms of antero–posterior Center-of-Pressure (CoP) velocity. Passive touch onset and removal were timed at random intervals by controlling the vertical position of a contact plate. Progression of sway was evaluated across 6s before to 6s after each contact event. Following both contact onset and removal, a temporary increase in sway above baseline without contact was observed. After removal overshoot was especially prominent. While steady-state sway was not altered by stimulation, rTMS over the left IPG reduced overshoot compared to pre-stimulation; thus, improving sway progression on haptic deprivation. We discuss our finding in the light of altered transient postural disorientation due to intermodal sensory conflict, illusion of backwards falling and tactile attention capture.
Leadership has been suggested to be an important factor affecting innovation. A number of studies have shown that transformational leadership positively influences organizational innovation. However, ...there is a lack of studies examining the contextual conditions under which this effect occurs or is augmented. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of transformational leadership on organizational innovation and to determine whether internal and external support for innovation as contextual conditions influence this effect. Organizational innovation was conceptualized as the tendency of the organization to develop new or improved products or services and its success in bringing those products or services to the market. Transformational leadership was hypothesized to have a positive influence on organizational innovation. Furthermore, this effect was proposed to be moderated by internal support for innovation, which refers to an innovation supporting climate and adequate resources allocated to innovation. Support received from external organizations for the purposes of knowledge and resource acquisition was also proposed to moderate the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational innovation. To test these hypotheses, data were collected from 163 research and development (R&D) employees and managers of 43 micro‐ and small‐sized Turkish entrepreneurial software development companies. Two separate questionnaires were used to collect the data. Employees' questionnaires included measures of transformational leadership and internal support for innovation, whereas managers' questionnaires included questions about product innovations of their companies and the degree of support they received from external institutions. Organizational innovation was measured with a market‐oriented criterion developed specifically for developing countries and newly developing industries. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the hypothesized effects. The results of the analysis provided support for the positive influence of transformational leadership on organizational innovation. This finding is significant because this positive effect was identified in micro‐ and small‐sized companies, whereas previous research focused mainly on large companies. In addition, external support for innovation was found to significantly moderate this effect. Specifically, the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational innovation was stronger when external support was at high levels than when there was no external support. This study is the first to investigate and empirically show the importance of this contextual condition for organizational innovation. The moderating effect of internal support for innovation, however, was not significant. This study shows that transformational leadership is an important determinant of organizational innovation and encourages managers to engage in transformational leadership behaviors to promote organizational innovation. In line with this, transformational leadership, which is heavily suggested to be a subject of management training and development in developed countries, should also be incorporated into such programs in developing countries. Moreover, this study highlights the importance of external support in the organizational innovation process. The results suggest that technical and financial support received from outside the organization can be a more important contextual influence in boosting up innovation than an innovation‐supporting internal climate. Therefore, managers, particularly of micro‐ and small‐sized companies, should play external roles such as boundary spanning and should build relationships with external institutions that provide technical and financial support. The findings of this study are especially important for managers of companies that plan to or currently operate in countries with developing economies.
In acute stroke, the major factor for recovery is the early use of thrombolysis aimed at arterial recanalization and reperfusion of ischemic brain tissue. Subsequently, neurorehabilitative training ...critically improves clinical recovery due to augmention of postlesional plasticity. Neuroimaging and electrophysiology studies have revealed that the location and volume of the stroke lesion, the affection of nerve fiber tracts, as well as functional and structural changes in the perilesional tissue and in large-scale bihemispheric networks are relevant biomarkers of post-stroke recovery. However, associated disorders, such as mood disorders, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative diseases, may induce secondary cerebral changes or aggravate the functional deficits and, thereby, compromise the potential for recovery.
Role of Rehabilitation in Neural Plasticity Keci, Andromeda; Tani, Klejda; Xhema, Joana
Open access Macedonian journal of medical sciences,
05/2019, Letnik:
7, Številka:
9
Journal Article
Odprti dostop
Verifying if physical therapy, neurostimulation techniques, aerobic fitness and video games can induce neural plasticity making it possible for cortical reorganisation, motor recovery in patients, ...improvement of cognitive functions and transfer of spatial knowledge in the everyday living environment.
There have been revised scientific articles respectively focused on the role of pain, the role of physical therapy, neurostimulation techniques and video games in cortical reorganisation. Articles related to the role of pain have taken in the study subjects with pain, to observe its role in cortical reorganisation. Studies related to physical therapy and neurostimulation techniques after cerebrovascular accident consisted of the involvement of these subjects which exposed to different neurostimulations. Also, related to cognition and video games subjects exposed to these interventions for cognitive benefits.
From all articles reviewed there have been effective results of neurostimulation techniques, aerobic fitness and video games in cortical reorganisation inducing neural plasticity (p < 0.05) toward motor recovery, improvement of executive functions and transfer of spatial knowledge.
Rehabilitation through locomotor training and neurostimulation techniques, improves mobility in subjects after a cerebrovascular accident due to cortical reorganisation. Also, through aerobic fitness and video games, there have been improvements in cognitive functions. This way, rehabilitation dedicated to the promotion of well-being and health urges beneficial neuroplastic changes in brain corresponding in functional improvement.
In light of the potential applications as full-colour organic emitting materials crossing the entire visible spectra, the novel diphenylamino submitted 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl) benzothiazole derivative ...2-(benzodthiazol-2-yl)-4-(9H-diphenylamino-9-yl)phenol (pPhOH) is explored in this work about its excited state behaviours. Solvent-polarity-related photo-induced hydrogen bonding effects of pPhOH indicate nonpolar aprotic solvents largely enhance S
1
-state hydrogen bonding interactions. Charge reorganisation stemming from photoexcitation and polarity-dependent energy gap between HOMO and LUMO orbitals further reveals the excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) tendency. Insights into potential energy curves (PECs) along ESIPT paths in solvents with different polarities and electronic spectral behaviours of pPhOH as well as its proton-transfer tautomer pPhOH-T, we present solvent polarity could harness the excited state behaviours for pPhOH system.
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) was described for the first time in the 19th century by Silas Weir Mitchell. After the exclusion of other causes, CRPS is characterised by a typical clinical ...constellation of pain, sensory, autonomic, motor, or trophic symptoms which can no longer be explained by the initial trauma. These symptoms spread distally and are not limited to innervation territories. If CRPS is not improved in the acute phase and becomes chronic, the visible symptoms change throughout because of the changing pathophysiology; the pain, however, remains. The diagnosis is primarily clinical, although in complex cases further technical examination mainly for exclusion of alternative diagnoses is warranted. In the initial phase, the pathophysiology is dominated by a posttraumatic inflammatory reaction by the activation of the innate and adaptive immune system. In particular, without adequate treatment, central nociceptive sensitization, reorganisation, and implicit learning processes develop, whereas the inflammation moderates. The main symptoms then include movement disorders, alternating skin temperature, sensory loss, hyperalgesia, and body perception disturbances. Psychological factors such as posttraumatic stress or pain-related fear may impact the course and the treatability of CRPS. The treatment should be ideally adjusted to the pathophysiology. Pharmacological treatment maybe particularly effective in acute stages and includes steroids, bisphosphonates, and dimethylsulfoxide cream. Common anti-neuropathic pain drugs can be recommended empirically. Intravenous long-term ketamine administration has shown efficacy in randomised controlled trials, but its repeated application is demanding and has side effects. Important components of the treatment include physio- and occupational therapy including behavioural therapy (eg, graded exposure in vivo and graded motor imaging). If psychosocial comorbidities exist, patients should be appropriately treated and supported. Invasive methods should only be used in specialised centres and in carefully evaluated cases. Considering these fundamentals, CRPS often remains a chronic pain disorder but the devastating cases should become rare.
The purpose of this article is to give a detailed description of how resilience is activated in the case of an unthought‐of event through the study of a critical situation encountered on a polar ...traverse. The situation studied is that of diesel freezing during the return of the 56th polar traverse. Seven raiders participated in the study. Activity traces, such as traverse diary reports, and self‐confrontation interviews were used to reconstruct the event. The results show the need to (a) study repeated failed attempts at solving problems and the need to discuss solutions based on (b) shared or (c) personal experience in finding creative solutions to problems. In this sense, the activation of resilience is a process enabling the transition from habitual adaptive actions to a transformative collective activity. The management of unthought‐of situations is discussed in relation with the expansive learning and transformative actions. Implications are developed in a final section.
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