Predictive brain activity related to auditory information is associated with performance in speech comprehension tasks in noisy environments.

Introduction: Understanding speech in noisy environments is challenging even for individuals with normal hearing, and it poses a significant challenge for those with hearing impairments or listening difficulties. There are limitations associated with the current methods of evaluating speech comprehension in such environments, especially in individuals with peripheral hearing impairments. According to the predictive coding model, speech comprehension is an active inference process that integrates sensory information through the interaction of bottom-up and top-down processing.

Associations Among Hypersensitivity, Vagal Tone, and Mood State in Adults.

Although many previous studies have reported the relationship between hypersensitivity and vagal function in children, the relationship in adults is unclear. This study investigates the relationship between hypersensitivity and vagal function, discomfort to sensory stimuli, and daily mood states in healthy adults. Using a questionnaire, 39 healthy adults were divided into hypersensitivity and control groups.

Relationship between personal recovery, autobiographical memory, and clinical recovery in people with mental illness in the acute phase.

Aim: Narratives are important in psychiatric rehabilitation. People with a psychiatric diagnosis find it difficult to recall specific autobiographical memories of events that lasted less than a day. Although personal narratives play a central role in personal recovery, the factors influencing personal and clinical recovery, such as psychiatric symptoms and cognitive function, have not been fully explored.

Attentional focus differentially modulates the corticospinal and intracortical excitability during dynamic and static exercise.

Although attentional focus affects motor performance, whether corticospinal excitability and intracortical modulations differ between focus strategies depending on the exercise patterns remains unclear. In the present study, using single- and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation, we demonstrated changes in the cortical and spinal excitability under external focus (EF) and internal focus (IF) conditions with dynamic or static exercise. Participants performed the ramp-and-hold contraction task of right index finger abduction against an object (sponge or wood) with both exercises.

Lack of action-sentence compatibility effect in non-clinical individuals with high autistic traits.

Introduction: Patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit atypical responses to language use and comprehension. Recently, various degrees of primary autistic symptoms have been reported in the general population. We focused on autistic traits and examined the differences in mechanisms related to language comprehension using the action-sentence compatibility effect (ACE).

Accuracy of Force Generation and Preparatory Prefrontal Oxygenation in Ballistic Hand Power and Precision Grips.

It remains unclear whether accurate motor performance and cortical activation differ among grasping forms across several force levels. In the present study, a ballistic target force matching task (20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% of maximum voluntary force) with power grip, side pinch, and pulp pinch was utilized to explore the accuracy of the forces generated as well as the muscular activity of intrinsic and extrinsic hand muscles. By using near-infrared spectroscopy, we also examined bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activation during the preparatory phase (initial 10 s) of the task.

Investigating Subtypes of Motor Skills and Activities of Daily Living among Young Children with Motor Delay.

The purpose of this study was to classify preschool children into subtypes based on motor skills and to characterize the activities of daily living for each subtype. The subjects were 45 preschool children whose scores on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition (MABC-2) and the Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM) were measured. The fine score and gross score were calculated from the MABC-2, and a cluster analysis was performed.

Sensory processing, autonomic nervous function, and social participation in people with mental illnesses.

Introduction: This study investigated the relationship between sensory processing, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and social participation in people with psychiatric disorders.

Method: This study recruited 30 participants, primarily women, from a psychiatric university hospital with a mental health diagnosis listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (mean age: 37.7 ± 16.

External and internal focus of attention differentially modulate corticospinal excitability in anticipatory postural adjustments.

Whether attentional focus modulates the corticospinal excitability of the lower limb muscles in anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) when performing a ballistic movement of the upper limb remains unclear. The present study used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to examine the corticospinal excitability of the lower limb muscles along with the kinematic profiles during dart throwing with different attentional foci, external focus (EF) and internal focus (IF). In 13 healthy participants, TMS was applied immediately before electromyographic onset of the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle, and the motor evoked potential (MEP) was recorded in the TA and soleus (SOL) muscles.

Corticospinal Excitability of the Lower Limb Muscles During the Anticipatory Postural Adjustments: A TMS Study During Dart Throwing.

To investigate whether the changes in the corticospinal excitability contribute to the anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) in the lower limb muscles when performing the ballistic upper limb movement of the dart throwing. We examined the primary motor cortex (M1) excitability of the lower limb muscles [tibialis anterior (TA) and soleus (SOL) muscles] during the APA phase by using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in the healthy volunteers. The surface electromyography (EMG) of anterior deltoid, triceps brachii, biceps brachii, TA, and SOL muscles was recorded and the motor evoked potential (MEP) to TMS was recorded in the TA muscle along with the SOL muscle.

Examining the Effect of Adverbs and Onomatopoeia on Physical Movement.

The effect of promoting a physical reaction by the described action is called the action-sentence compatibility effect (ACE). It has been verified that physical motion changes depending on the time phase and grammatical expression. However, it is unclear how adverbs and onomatopoeia change motion simulations and subsequent movements.

Neural Basis and Motor Imagery Intervention Methodology Based on Neuroimaging Studies in Children With Developmental Coordination Disorders: A Review.

Although the neural bases of the brain associated with movement disorders in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) are becoming clearer, the information is not sufficient because of the lack of extensive brain function research. Therefore, it is controversial about effective intervention methods focusing on brain function. One of the rehabilitation techniques for movement disorders involves intervention using motor imagery (MI).

Introduction of the Purdue Pegboard Test for fine assessment of severity of cervical myelopathy before and after surgery.

[Purpose] To evaluate the severity of symptoms before and after cervical myelopathy surgery using the Simple Test for Evaluating hand Function. Because a test ceiling effect was observed in patients with less severe forms of myelopathy, we investigated the correlation between and accuracy of several different tests in order to clarify the usefulness of the Purdue Pegboard Test for evaluation of one or both hands. [Participants and Methods] Thirty-four patients (6 females and 28 males; mean age, 64.

Development of the modified simple test for evaluating hand function (modified STEF): Construct, reliability, validity, and responsiveness.

Study Design: Clinimetric evaluation study.

Introduction: Despite the availability of numerous performance tests to measure finger dexterity, there is no international consensus on hand function evaluation.

Purpose Of The Study: To evaluate the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the modified version of the simple test for evaluating hand function (STEF), which is widely used in Japan.