Pub Date : 2022-11-13DOI: 10.5604/01.3001.0016.1620
Berenika Maciejewicz
The lack of standardized, efficient, and dependable lucid dream induction methods is one of the major barriers to studying the clinical and non-clinical applications of dream lucidity. Although the interest in therapeutic usage of lucid dreaming strategies in neuroscience of consciousness studies has increased in recent decades, many of the current induction approaches appear to not be replicable reliably. In this study, a new protocol for bringing on lucid dreaming was created, implemented, analyzed, and contrasted with two distinct other approaches. Techniques to induce dream lucidity include reality testing methods, the wake-and-go-to-bed technique, mnemonic initiation, senses-initiation, and a combination of the above. Before beginning their 2 weeks of lucid dream induction new protocol study, a total of 36 participants filled out a pre-test survey, maintained a dream recall diary and sleep log for the duration of the experiment, and completed a final survey. The findings showed that both the mnemonic induction and senses-initiation techniques were mildly effective in bringing about lucid dreaming. The new hybrid protocol, combining the reality check stra- tegy with dream recall amplification, performed significantly better. For lucid dream induction to work optimally, participants needed to become more proficient at remembering their dreams after waking up, so they were requested to maintain a sleep journal for 7 days before the experiment and throughout the study to enhance their ability to dream recall. There was no correlation found between the quality of one's sleep and the frequency of dream lucidity. The results demonstrated that the new induction protocol was more successful than the other two investigated methods. There are many clinical applications for dream lucidity, such as treatment of recurring and debilitating nightmares, narcolepsy, and PTSD. Therapeu- tic potential also includes future usage for anesthesia awareness and locked-in syndrome. As such, further dream lucidity research remains important.
{"title":"NEUROSCIENCE OF SLEEP AND COGNITION: INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE NEW DREAM LUCIDITY INDUCTION PROTOCOL – A PILOT STUDY","authors":"Berenika Maciejewicz","doi":"10.5604/01.3001.0016.1620","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0016.1620","url":null,"abstract":"The lack of standardized, efficient, and dependable lucid dream induction methods is one of the major barriers to studying the clinical and non-clinical applications of dream lucidity. Although the interest in therapeutic usage of lucid dreaming strategies in neuroscience of consciousness studies has increased in recent decades, many of the current induction approaches appear to not be replicable reliably.\u0000\u0000In this study, a new protocol for bringing on lucid dreaming was created, implemented, analyzed, and contrasted with two distinct other approaches. Techniques to induce dream lucidity include reality testing methods, the wake-and-go-to-bed technique, mnemonic initiation, senses-initiation, and a combination of the above. Before beginning their 2 weeks of lucid dream induction new protocol study, a total of 36 participants filled out a pre-test survey, maintained a dream recall diary and sleep log for the duration of the experiment, and completed a final survey.\u0000\u0000The findings showed that both the mnemonic induction and senses-initiation techniques were mildly effective in bringing about lucid dreaming. The new hybrid protocol, combining the reality check stra- tegy with dream recall amplification, performed significantly better. For lucid dream induction to work optimally, participants needed to become more proficient at remembering their dreams after waking up, so they were requested to maintain a sleep journal for 7 days before the experiment and throughout the study to enhance their ability to dream recall. There was no correlation found between the quality of one's sleep and the frequency of dream lucidity.\u0000\u0000The results demonstrated that the new induction protocol was more successful than the other two investigated methods. There are many clinical applications for dream lucidity, such as treatment of recurring and debilitating nightmares, narcolepsy, and PTSD. Therapeu- tic potential also includes future usage for anesthesia awareness and locked-in syndrome. As such, further dream lucidity research remains important.\u0000\u0000","PeriodicalId":43280,"journal":{"name":"Acta Neuropsychologica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49493924","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-08-25DOI: 10.5604/01.3001.0015.9804
M. Pąchalska, Jolanta Góral-Półrola, Paulina Jarosz
There is growing evidence to support the view that a variety of neurological, neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric sequelae occur following SARS-CoV-2 infection and NeuroCovid 19. Furthermore, scholars report that various syndromes, including Parkinson's disease (PD), can develop within a short period of time following on from COVID-19. Although the mechanism of this phenomenon is not fully understood and it is not known whether this is in fact an acceleration of the development of PD already 'smouldering' in the body or related to a viral infection, these patients need rehabilitation assistance. Recently, as adjuvant therapy, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to improve the motor and non-motor function of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), including neurocognitive impairment and therefore potentially change their quality of life. The aim of this article is to show the effectiveness of tDCS in the treatment of the patient with newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease after infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the contracting of NeuroCovid 19, and equally developing long COVID. The motivation would be to help other patients with a similar situation during the COVID-19 pandemic. A 62-year-old man, an academic Art Teacher, was infected with SARS-CoV-2 and contracted NeuroCOVID-19 on November 11, 2021. Initially, he lost his sense of smell (anosmia), of taste (ageusia), developed headaches, and dizziness. After 10 days of illness, the patient developed severe, level two infextion (according to Wise 2020), and he was hospitalized, sedated and mechanically ventilated for 30 days. After discharge from hospital, the patient was still weak with different symptoms. Four months later he was diagnosed with long COVID and also the neurodegenerative disease PD (according to the DSM-5 criteria). He received levodopa therapy, and was referred to the Reintegration and Training Center of the Polish Neuropsychological Society for further treatment. The functional neuromarker, that is hypoactivation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), obtained with the use of QEEG/ERPs was helpful in choosing the appropriate tDCS protocol. Neurostimulation with the use of anodal tDCS over these area of the brain was administered systematically for 20 days. He also received individual sessions of art therapy for 20 day. After the treatment the patient improved and returned to his previous work as a university art teacher. The proposed anodal tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), in combination with goal-oriented individual art therapy, offered to the patient, was effective in the reduction of all his syndromes. ERPs can be useful in the diagnosis and treatment of patients following infection by SARS-CoV-2 who contracted COVID-19, developed long COVID and additionally PD. It allows for the detection of the functional neuromarker of PD (e.g., hypoactivation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, DLPFC) and enabled the
{"title":"NEUROTHERAPY IN PARKINSON’S DISEASE: THE PATH FORWARD AFTER SARS-COV-2 INFECTION AND CONTRACTING COVID-19, AND LONG COVID?","authors":"M. Pąchalska, Jolanta Góral-Półrola, Paulina Jarosz","doi":"10.5604/01.3001.0015.9804","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0015.9804","url":null,"abstract":"There is growing evidence to support the view that a variety of neurological, neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric sequelae occur following SARS-CoV-2 infection and NeuroCovid 19. Furthermore, scholars report that various syndromes, including Parkinson's disease (PD), can develop within a short period of time following on from COVID-19. Although the mechanism of this phenomenon is not fully understood and it is not known whether this is in fact an acceleration of the development of PD already 'smouldering' in the body or related to a viral infection, these patients need rehabilitation assistance. Recently, as adjuvant therapy, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to improve the motor and non-motor function of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), including neurocognitive impairment and therefore potentially change their quality of life. The aim of this article is to show the effectiveness of tDCS in the treatment of the patient with newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease after infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the contracting of NeuroCovid 19, and equally developing long COVID. The motivation would be to help other patients with a similar situation during the COVID-19 pandemic.\u0000\u0000A 62-year-old man, an academic Art Teacher, was infected with SARS-CoV-2 and contracted NeuroCOVID-19 on November 11, 2021. Initially, he lost his sense of smell (anosmia), of taste (ageusia), developed headaches, and dizziness. After 10 days of illness, the patient developed severe, level two infextion (according to Wise 2020), and he was hospitalized, sedated and mechanically ventilated for 30 days. After discharge from hospital, the patient was still weak with different symptoms. Four months later he was diagnosed with long COVID and also the neurodegenerative disease PD (according to the DSM-5 criteria). He received levodopa therapy, and was referred to the Reintegration and Training Center of the Polish Neuropsychological Society for further treatment. The functional neuromarker, that is hypoactivation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), obtained with the use of QEEG/ERPs was helpful in choosing the appropriate tDCS protocol. Neurostimulation with the use of anodal tDCS over these area of the brain was administered systematically for 20 days. He also received individual sessions of art therapy for 20 day. After the treatment the patient improved and returned to his previous work as a university art teacher. The proposed anodal tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), in combination with goal-oriented individual art therapy, offered to the patient, was effective in the reduction of all his syndromes.\u0000\u0000ERPs can be useful in the diagnosis and treatment of patients following infection by SARS-CoV-2 who contracted COVID-19, developed long COVID and additionally PD. It allows for the detection of the functional neuromarker of PD (e.g., hypoactivation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, DLPFC) and enabled the","PeriodicalId":43280,"journal":{"name":"Acta Neuropsychologica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45362945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-08-25DOI: 10.5604/01.3001.0015.9833
Armin Ramic, Irma Cehic, Sanela Rustempasic, D. Malec, H. Memišević
Neuromyths are prevalent in all spheres of life and can be found in all professions. The teaching profession is especially susceptible to neuromyths as teachers want to provide the most effective, science-based instruction to their students. Sometimes these instructions are not based on scientific studies but on a misinterpretation of scientific findings or neuromyths. The goal of the present paper was to examine the prevalence of seven popular neuromyths in teachers in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH). The sample for this study comprised 300 teachers from all parts of BIH. The research material comprised 300 teachers (232 females and 62 males) from all parts of BIH. Participants were either personally invited to the study or recruited through an online survey sent to schools throughout BIH and teacher organizations. As a method we used the Questionnaire consisting of basic demographic information on the participants (gender, working experience, type of teacher) and 7 neuromyths statements on which participants were asked to answer whether they think the statement is true, not true, or they do not know. The results of this study indicate a wide prevalence of neuromyths in BIH teachers. The prevalence ranged from 17% to 82%. The most prevalent myth is about learning styles, while the least prevalent was that drinking less than 8 glasses of water causes a brain to shrink. There were statistically significant differences in the prevalence of neuromyths in relation to the teachers’ gender for every statement. However, the trend is not uniform. Although, overall the neuromyths were more prevalent in female teachers (for 5 items), for two neuromyth statements, male teachers had a higher prevalence. Additionally, the prevalence of neuromyths was more frequent in early-grade teachers. It should be noted that there are also differences in the results obtained for the different types of neuromyths. Neuroscience is important for education and for the teachers. Thus, more attention should be given to the process of translating neuroscientific findings into useful facts for teachers. One way to improve this process is through the continual professional development of teachers in the field of neuroscience.
{"title":"WE ONLY USE 10% OF OUR BRAINS AND OTHER NEUROMYTHS – A SURVEY OF TEACHERS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA","authors":"Armin Ramic, Irma Cehic, Sanela Rustempasic, D. Malec, H. Memišević","doi":"10.5604/01.3001.0015.9833","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0015.9833","url":null,"abstract":"Neuromyths are prevalent in all spheres of life and can be found in all professions. The teaching profession is especially susceptible to neuromyths as teachers want to provide the most effective, science-based instruction to their students. Sometimes these instructions are not based on scientific studies but on a misinterpretation of scientific findings or neuromyths. The goal of the present paper was to examine the prevalence of seven popular neuromyths in teachers in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH).\u0000\u0000The sample for this study comprised 300 teachers from all parts of BIH. The research material comprised 300 teachers (232 females and 62 males) from all parts of BIH. Participants were either personally invited to the study or recruited through an online survey sent to schools throughout BIH and teacher organizations. As a method we used the Questionnaire consisting of basic demographic information on the participants (gender, working experience, type of teacher) and 7 neuromyths statements on which participants were asked to answer whether they think the statement is true, not true, or they do not know.\u0000\u0000The results of this study indicate a wide prevalence of neuromyths in BIH teachers. The prevalence ranged from 17% to 82%. The most prevalent myth is about learning styles, while the least prevalent was that drinking less than 8 glasses of water causes a brain to shrink. There were statistically significant differences in the prevalence of neuromyths in relation to the teachers’ gender for every statement. However, the trend is not uniform. Although, overall the neuromyths were more prevalent in female teachers (for 5 items), for two neuromyth statements, male teachers had a higher prevalence. Additionally, the prevalence of neuromyths was more frequent in early-grade teachers. It should be noted that there are also differences in the results obtained for the different types of neuromyths.\u0000\u0000Neuroscience is important for education and for the teachers. Thus, more attention should be given to the process of translating neuroscientific findings into useful facts for teachers. One way to improve this process is through the continual professional development of teachers in the field of neuroscience.\u0000\u0000","PeriodicalId":43280,"journal":{"name":"Acta Neuropsychologica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43729061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-08-25DOI: 10.5604/01.3001.0016.0235
H. Sanchooli, H. Ghalenow, M. Rahnama
Being infected with the new Covid-19 disease in addition to physical risks, leads to difficult and different psychological experiences due to the nature and specific features of the disease. Successful patient management requires a comprehensive understanding of patients' experiences. This study was conducted to explain the experiences of patients with Covid- 19 using content analysis approach. This is a qualitative study with a conventional content analysis approach. Purposeful sampling was performed in 10 Janu ary to 25 April 2021with the participation of 10 patients with Covid-19 referred to convalescent home No. 1 in Zahedan southeast of Iran. Semi-structured interview was used to collect data, which was analyzed according to the steps proposed by Graneheim and Lundman method. Data analysis resulted in the formation of a main theme; “patient’s resilient efforts in the rampage of coronavirus”, as well as three categories and 7 subcategories. The main categories included; the basis for spread of coronavirus, breaking free from fears under the protection of spirituality, and mutual support between patient and family. It seems that patients with Covid-19 were trying to resist the coronavirus by resorting to spirituality and family support, so the "patients' resilient efforts in the rampage of coronavirus" was identified as the main theme of this study.
{"title":"PATIENT’S RESILIENT EFFORTS IN THE RAMPAGE OF CORONAVIRUS EXPERIENCES OF COVID-19 PATIENTS: A QUALITATIVE STUDY","authors":"H. Sanchooli, H. Ghalenow, M. Rahnama","doi":"10.5604/01.3001.0016.0235","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0016.0235","url":null,"abstract":"Being infected with the new Covid-19 disease in addition to physical risks, leads to difficult and different psychological experiences due to the nature and specific features of the disease. Successful patient management requires a comprehensive understanding of patients' experiences. This study was conducted to explain the experiences of patients with Covid- 19 using content analysis approach.\u0000\u0000This is a qualitative study with a conventional content analysis approach. Purposeful sampling was performed in 10 Janu ary to 25 April 2021with the participation of 10 patients with Covid-19 referred to convalescent home No. 1 in Zahedan southeast of Iran. Semi-structured interview was used to collect data, which was analyzed according to the steps proposed by Graneheim and Lundman method.\u0000\u0000Data analysis resulted in the formation of a main theme; “patient’s resilient efforts in the rampage of coronavirus”, as well as three categories and 7 subcategories. The main categories included; the basis for spread of coronavirus, breaking free from fears under the protection of spirituality, and mutual support between patient and family.\u0000\u0000It seems that patients with Covid-19 were trying to resist the\u0000coronavirus by resorting to spirituality and family support, so\u0000the \"patients' resilient efforts in the rampage of coronavirus\"\u0000was identified as the main theme of this study.\u0000\u0000","PeriodicalId":43280,"journal":{"name":"Acta Neuropsychologica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46517468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-08-25DOI: 10.5604/01.3001.0015.9832
Aboubacar Abderemane, T. M. Ahmadou, Siham Belbachir, Khalid Barkat, Ahmed Omar Touhami Ahami
Cannabis, as the most widely used illicit substance in the world, also remains among the most frequently used psychoactive substances by patients with schizophrenia. It is well known that cannabis use in schizophrenia patients favors relapse, resistance to antipsychotic treatments and therefore more frequent hospitalizations. However, many studies report considerable improvement in cognitive performance in substance users, while others show the opposite. Hence, the aim of our study is to examine the relationship between schizophrenia and cannabis use in clinical and socio-de- mographic aspects. This is a cross-sectional study of patients with schizophrenia hospitalized for relapse at the Ar-Razi psychiatric hospital in Salé, Morocco. A questionnaire was established in order to search for socio- demographic data, evolutionary and prognostic criteria of the disease. Cannabis use was assessed using the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST), for the severity of schizophrenia symptoms we used the Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and for perceptual and memory abilities we used the numerical version of the Rey's Complex Figure-A (RCF-A). It was found that in a sample of 115 schizophrenic patients, 47.82% (n=55) were cannabis users. The mean PANSS (negative) and (general psychopathology) scores of non-cannabis users were significantly higher than those of cannabis users with P values of (P<0.001) and (P<0.005) respectively. For the numerical assessment scores of the RCF-A, cannabis users had a significantly higher mean score than non-cannabis users (copy phase (P<0.016) and memory (P<0.001) As one of the leading risk factors for the emergence of schizophre- nia, chronic cannabis use also has a negative influence on the prognosis of patients already suffering from schizophrenia. Nevertheless, the results of our study show that cannabis-using schizophrenic patients had fewer negative symptoms according to the PANSS and an improved cognitive performance compared to non- cannabis-using patients.
{"title":"STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF CANNABIS USE ON PERCEPTUAL AND MEMORY PROCESSES AS WELL AS ON\u0000POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA","authors":"Aboubacar Abderemane, T. M. Ahmadou, Siham Belbachir, Khalid Barkat, Ahmed Omar Touhami Ahami","doi":"10.5604/01.3001.0015.9832","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0015.9832","url":null,"abstract":"Cannabis, as the most widely used illicit substance in the world, also remains among the most frequently used psychoactive substances by patients with schizophrenia. It is well known that cannabis use in schizophrenia patients favors relapse, resistance to antipsychotic treatments and therefore more frequent hospitalizations. However, many studies report considerable improvement in cognitive performance in substance users, while others show the opposite. Hence, the aim of our study is to examine the relationship between schizophrenia and cannabis use in clinical and socio-de- mographic aspects.\u0000\u0000This is a cross-sectional study of patients with schizophrenia hospitalized for relapse at the Ar-Razi psychiatric hospital in Salé, Morocco. A questionnaire was established in order to search for socio- demographic data, evolutionary and prognostic criteria of the disease. Cannabis use was assessed using the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST), for the severity of schizophrenia symptoms we used the Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and for perceptual and memory abilities we used the numerical version of the Rey's Complex Figure-A (RCF-A).\u0000\u0000It was found that in a sample of 115 schizophrenic patients, 47.82% (n=55) were cannabis users. The mean PANSS (negative) and (general psychopathology) scores of non-cannabis users were significantly higher than those of cannabis users with P values of (P<0.001) and (P<0.005) respectively. For the numerical assessment scores of the RCF-A, cannabis users had a significantly higher mean score than non-cannabis users (copy phase (P<0.016) and memory (P<0.001)\u0000\u0000As one of the leading risk factors for the emergence of schizophre- nia, chronic cannabis use also has a negative influence on the prognosis of patients already suffering from schizophrenia. Nevertheless, the results of our study show that cannabis-using schizophrenic patients had fewer negative symptoms according to the PANSS and an improved cognitive performance compared to non- cannabis-using patients.\u0000\u0000","PeriodicalId":43280,"journal":{"name":"Acta Neuropsychologica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48962606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}