Annals of Neurosciences最新文献

Background: Mantra recitation is a universal practice that involves repeating sacred words or phrases. It is widely acknowledged for its function in improving concentration, slowing down thought processes and causing a variety of psychophysiological changes. Yet, no research has methodically looked at how various Mantra recitation techniques affect physiological parameters.

Purpose: This study was aimed to evaluate heart rate variability (HRV), autonomic function and respiratory variables prior to, during and following each style of Mantra recitation.

Materials and methods: This trial involved 40 male novices between the ages of twenty and 25 years. The autonomic and respiratory variables of each participant were recorded before, during and following loud chanting (LC), lips movement chanting (LMC), silent chanting (SC) and no chanting (NC) in four distinct laboratory sessions. HRV frequency and time-domain measurements were taken from electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings, and data were obtained using a 16-channel polygraph. This study employed the repeated measures analysis of variance (RM ANOVA) to compare the differences between and within groups under the four conditions.

Results: Based on frequency domain measurements, the results showed a significant decrease in high-frequency (HF) power (p < .001) and a significant increase in low-frequency (LF) power (p < .001) during LC. Furthermore, NN50 was significantly higher (p < .001) in all sessions and groups, while pNN50 was significantly lower (p < .001) as compared to NC during LC. Moreover, the mean HR was considerably higher during LMC and LC (p < .001).

Conclusion: These results imply that, although in a relaxed physiological state, the LC and LMC styles of Mantra recitation may improve attentional focus while overdriving sympathetic activity. Nevertheless, vagal tone remained intact throughout the entire duration of the SC recitation.

Background: Individuals sustaining a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) continue to have suboptimal upper limb (UL) involvement in daily life. Intensity of task practice is one key factor to promote better motor improvement. Task-practice intensity metrics include number of repetitions/sessions, and this value is currently unknown in people with mild TBI. Kinematic analysis can help estimate the number of repetitions/sessions.

Purpose: We estimated the minimal number of repetitions for a plateau in performance in an UL pointing task in 10 individuals who had sustained a mild TBI and seven age-matched controls.

Methods: All participants performed 45 repetitions and pointed to a central target at arm's length. The TBI group underwent assessments of UL motor impairment, spasticity and activity limitations. The primary outcome was the number of trials to achieve an asymptote in endpoint error. Secondary outcomes included movement speed, straightness, trunk and UL joint ranges of motion.

Results: Clinical assessments revealed absence of motor impairment or activity limitations. However, individuals with mild TBI required more trials (28.5) to reach an asymptote in the pointing movement performance compared to controls (18; p = .005, effect size [ES] = -0.66). They also had more curved movements (1.11 ± 0.06 vs 1.06 ± 0.01; p = .036, ES = 0.64), used more trunk displacement (13.1 ± 3 vs 10.2 ± 2.1 mm; p = .044, ES = 1.09) and had lower ranges of motion in wrist extension (24.8 ± 3.8 vs 17.3 ± 3.4; p = .006, ES = 1.60), elbow extension (144.7 ± 6.8 vs 152.3 ± 6.8°, p = .025, ES = 1.22), shoulder flexion (60.5 ± 5.2 vs 66.6 ± 6.4, p = .046, ES = 1.07) and shoulder horizontal adduction (77.7 ± 5.0 vs 87.4 ± 9.6, p = .014, ES = 1.35).

Conclusion: After sustaining a mild TBI, individuals have deficient UL movement performance. Use of kinematic analyses can help uncover latent deficits in those with perfect scores on clinical assessments.

Background: The development of prosocial behaviour is a crucial facet of adolescent growth, encompassing acts of kindness, empathy and cooperation. It is widely recognised that multiple factors influence the formation of prosocial tendencies during adolescence.

Purpose: Among these factors, parental attachment and parental autonomy support are pivotal. Attachment theory states that secure parent-child bonds form the bedrock of prosocial behaviour. Adolescents with emotionally close, trusting parental relationships exhibit greater prosocial behaviour. Furthermore, parental autonomy support, which balances guidance with decision-making freedom, further nurtures responsibility and empathy. Together, these factors play a crucial role in shaping adolescents' prosocial behaviour.

Methodology: In this study, the relationship between parental attachment and autonomy with prosocial behaviour is studied by using correlation and regression analyses.

Results and conclusion: All attachment and autonomy support variables demonstrated positive correlations with overall prosocial behaviour except for alienation from mother and father, which showed a negative association. This indicates that a stronger connection with the parents is linked to higher prosocial behaviour. Additionally, mother communication along with mother and father offering choice within certain limits as predictors of prosocial behaviours in adolescents is a major finding of the study.

Background: Stroke survivors typically exhibit sensory and motor deficits, variations in tone and postural dysfunction, which hamper important functional abilities like rising from bed. Research highlights the importance of postural control and balance with such transitions. However, limited research explores the relationship between rise from bed time and quality with trunk control and balance among stroke patients.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to find the correlation of supine-to-stand transition time and quality of bed rise with trunk control and balance among post-stroke patients.

Methods: Fifty-two post-stroke survivors who were able to rise from supine-to-standing independently participated in this cross-sectional study. Supine-to-stand time was recorded using a stopwatch, bed rise quality was assessed using Bed Rise Difficulty Scale (BRDS), trunk control using Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS) and balance using Berg Balance Scale (BBS). The strength of correlation was calculated using Karl Pearson's correlation coefficient.

Results: Among left hemiparetic participants, a moderate negative correlation was observed between supine-to-stand time and balance. Supine-to-stand time towards the paretic side moderately correlated with trunk control (r = -0.433, p = .013). Bed rise quality and balance showed a moderate negative correlation, irrespective of the side of rising. While rising towards the non-paretic side, the bed rise quality revealed a strong negative correlation with trunk control (r = -0.611, p < .001). For right hemiparetic participants, supine-to-stand time towards the paretic side strongly correlated with balance (r = -0.651, p = .002). Bed rise quality towards the non-paretic side showed a strong correlation with balance (r = -0.653, p = .002).

Conclusion: Post-stroke survivors who took a prolonged time to transition from supine-to-stand and demonstrated poor bed rise quality exhibited reduced trunk control and balance.

Background: Single-pulse paradigms of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have been used to understand cortical excitability and reorganisation.

Purpose: This study aims to develop a protocol for mapping of the primary motor cortex (M1) using single-pulse TMS in children.

Methods: A 11×11 manual grid was created around the hotspot of abductor pollicis brevis (APB). Motor-evoked potential (MEP) amplitude was recorded from 41 sites around the hotspot of APB and analysed.

Results: Maximum MEP amplitude was recorded from the hotspot that reduced as distance increased. Heat maps generated were consistent among the participants.

Conclusion: In children, 41 single-pulse TMS stimulations with interstimulus interval of two seconds provide reliable information about motor maps. This procedure will aid in understanding cortical reorganisation in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Background: Kapalbhati is a dynamic yogic breathing technique characterised by rapid, forceful exhalations followed by passive inhalations. Traditionally celebrated for detoxification, enhanced pulmonary function and improved mental clarity, its underlying neurophysiological mechanisms remain largely speculative.

Summary: This systematic review synthesises evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on Kapalbhati's effects on respiratory and cognitive outcomes, and proposes a hypothetical integrative model to advance our understanding of this ancient practice. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, ScienceDirect and the Cochrane Library using keywords such as "Kapalbhati," "skull shining breath" and related synonyms. Only English-language RCTs published between 2014 and 2024 were included. Four RCTs meeting these criteria were critically appraised and their findings synthesised. The reviewed studies consistently indicate that Kapalbhati improves pulmonary function, possibly by mechanically stimulating pulmonary stretch receptors, and enhances cognitive performance by reducing anxiety and boosting attention. These outcomes suggest that the rapid breathing of Kapalbhati may modulate neural circuits in the nucleus tractus solitarius, thereby triggering the release of neuropeptides like oxytocin and norepinephrine, which are essential for emotional regulation and cognitive enhancement.

Key message: Integrating traditional yogic insights with contemporary neurophysiological theories, our proposed model offers a fresh perspective on Kapalbhati's multifaceted benefits. This review not only highlights promising empirical findings but also lays the groundwork for future research aimed at validating these mechanisms and potentially transforming Kapalbhati into an evidence-based therapeutic strategy.

Background: In the hospitality industry, professionals are frequently required to manage their emotions effectively due to high job demands and constant customer interactions. Emotional Intelligence (EI) is believed to play a crucial role in enabling employees to handle such emotional labour efficiently.

Purpose: This study investigates the impact of four dimensions of EI-Use of Others' Emotions (UOEs), Others' Emotions Appraisal (OEAs), Regulation of Emotions (ROEs) and Self-emotions Appraisal (SEAs), as conceptualised by Wong and Law-on employees' Satisfaction with Life (SWLs) within the Indian hospitality sector. The study also examines the convergent and discriminant validity of the measurement scales.

Methods: A quantitative research design was employed, using a sample of 238 employees from the Indian hospitality industry. Data were analysed using AMOS 24 and SPSS version 21.0 to assess the reliability and validity of the constructs and to evaluate the structural model.

Results: Findings indicate that OEAs significantly and positively influences SWLs (β = +0.32, p < .001). All EI constructs, along with SWLs, demonstrated strong psychometric properties, with average variance extracted values exceeding 0.5 and composite reliability values above 0.7, confirming both convergent and discriminant validity.

Conclusion: The results underscore the critical role of emotional intelligence, particularly the appraisal of others' emotions, in enhancing life satisfaction among hospitality professionals. The study validates the reliability and applicability of Wong and Law's EI model in the Indian hospitality context and offers insights for employee development strategies in emotion-intensive work environments.

Background: Tactile stimulation (TS) is a positive experience that mimics maternal licking and grooming in the rat. Since the brain is extremely plastic in early life, TS during this period may modulate normal brain organisation and could enhance cognitive and/or motor abilities.

Purpose: This study is designed to evaluate the possible changes in exploratory behaviour, emotionality and learning and memory following repetitive TS during periadolescent period.

Methods: Male albino Wistar rats were grouped into control and TS groups. The TS group animals were exposed to repetitive TS (15 min/session), three times/day from postnatal day 28-43. After this, exploratory behaviour, emotionality and object recognition memory were tested using open field (OF), elevated plus maze (EPM) and novel object recognition (NORT) tests by a computerised video-tracking system.

Results: TS increased rearing number, rearing rate, total stretching, total stretching duration, stretching rate, mean speed and parallelism index in rats during the OF test. However, total distance travelled, global activity and total zone transitions were comparable in both groups during the OF test. TS significantly increased stretching duration and decreased entries to the closed arm during the EPM test. It slightly increased the percentage of time spent and distance travelled on the open arm in TS group. Total distance travelled, total zone transitions and global activity were comparable in both groups during the EPM test. TS mildly increased recognition index during NORT.

Conclusion: Tactile stimulation exposed animals demonstrated increased exploratory, risk assessment and decision-making behaviours on OF test suggesting a possible positive influence of TS on these behaviours. However, TS only mildly influenced emotionality and object recognition memory, and it did not alter general locomotor behaviours in rats.

Social inclusion is a process through which the marginalised sections of society are included in the mainstream of society. It is ironic that even in the 21st century, many sections of Indian society remain outside the mainstream. Factors such as poverty, ill health, homelessness and abuse are ubiquitous among marginalised children, who are also considered 'at risk' across both developed and developing nations. There is a crucial need for every child to be given the opportunity to be educated. Holistic education is influenced by the progressive educational movement (Dewey 2024, Democracy and education, pp. 1-400). It harmoniously develops and empowers all the given human potential (Ushuluddin et al., 2019, Int J Lang Res Educ Stud, 3, pp. 54-70). This social exclusion greatly affects the physical and mental health of these marginalised children. The present research article analyses a caselet and reviews literature to explain the problems encountered by marginalised children, with an emphasis on their social inclusion. The article discusses the concepts of social inclusion and exclusion in the context of mental health. It scrutinises various educational policies of the Indian government and accentuates the importance of holistic education as a key factor in improving the mental health and social well-being of marginalised children.

Background: Stroke is a major cause of disability and mortality, often leading to both motor and cognitive impairments. Cognitive impairment is common among stroke survivors, with ischaemic strokes constituting the majority. While physical rehabilitation is emphasised, cognitive assessment remains underutilised in acute care.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess cognitive impairment in patients with ischaemic stroke affecting the anterior circulation using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scale, and to correlate clinical variables with cognitive outcomes.

Methods: This observational study was conducted over 18 months at a tertiary healthcare centre in coastal Karnataka, India. Patients with first-ever ischaemic stroke involving the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and anterior cerebral artery (ACA) territories were included. Cognitive impairment was assessed using the MoCA scale within 1 week of stroke onset and again at 90 days. Clinical data such as NIHSS and mRS scores, as well as stroke subtype (via TOAST classification), were also collected.

Results: A total of 96 patients were included, with a mean age of 62.5 ± 10.3 years. At baseline, 55% of patients showed cognitive impairment, which improved at the 90-day follow-up (45% impaired). The most frequently affected domains were Attention (55%), Language (45%) and Executive function (50%). Factors such as older age, lower education level and higher NIHSS scores were associated with worse cognitive outcomes. Stroke aetiology (large-artery atherosclerosis and cardioembolism) was linked to more severe cognitive deficits. Aphasia was observed in 29 patients, and follow-up MoCA testing showed minimal cognitive improvement in this group.

Conclusion: Vascular cognitive impairment is a significant concern in ischaemic stroke patients. The MoCA scale is an effective tool for the early identification of cognitive impairment, even within the first week post-stroke. Age, education, NIHSS and mRS scores are critical predictors of post-stroke cognitive decline. Further studies are needed to refine cognitive assessment tools, especially for aphasic patients.