Investigation of the phenomenology, physiology and impact of spiritually transformative experiences - kundalini awakening.

There is a paucity of research examining the phenomenology and energetic effects of spiritually transformative experiences with an energetic component, often referred to as kundalini awakenings (KAs). This limits our ability to understand and support individuals who have these often unexpected and powerful experiences. This study aimed to explore not only the nature of these experiences but also their subsequent behavioral and physiological transformative effects.

The Seated Postural & Reaching Control Test in Cerebral Palsy: A Validation Study.

Children with moderate-severe cerebral palsy (CP) show postural control deficits that affect their daily activities, like reaching. The Seated Postural and Reaching Control test (SP&R-co) was developed to address the need for clinical measures that objectively identify dimensions of postural imbalance and corresponding reaching limitations in children with CP. SP&R-co documentation was designed for test validity and rater training.

Vestibular control of standing balance is enhanced with increased cognitive load.

When cognitive load is elevated during a motor task, cortical inhibition and reaction time are increased; yet, standing balance control is often unchanged. This disconnect is likely explained by compensatory mechanisms within the balance system such as increased sensitivity of the vestibulomotor pathway. This study aimed to determine the effects of increased cognitive load on the vestibular control of standing balance.

Electrocortical Sources Related to Whole-Body Surface Translations during a Single- and Dual-Task Paradigm.

Appropriate reactive motor responses are essential in maintaining upright balance. However, little is known regarding the potential location of cortical sources that are related to the onset of a perturbation during single- and dual-task paradigms. The purpose of this study was to estimate the location of cortical sources in response to a whole-body surface translation and whether diverted attention decreases the N1 event-related potential (ERP) amplitude related to a postural perturbation.

Effect of Biomechanical Constraints on Neural Control of Head Stability in Children With Moderate to Severe Cerebral Palsy.

Background: External support has been viewed as an important biomechanical constraint for children with deficits in postural control. Nonlinear analysis of head stability may be helpful to confirm benefits of interaction between external trunk support and level of trunk control.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of biomechanical constraints (trunk support) on neural control of head stability during development of trunk control.

Corrigendum: The development of trunk control and its relation to reaching in infancy: a longitudinal study.

[This corrects the article on p. 94 in vol. 9, PMID: 25759646.

The development of trunk control and its relation to reaching in infancy: a longitudinal study.

The development of reaching is crucially dependent on the progressive control of the trunk, yet their interrelation has not been addressed in detail. Previous studies on seated reaching evaluated infants during fully supported or unsupported conditions; however, trunk control is progressively developed, starting from the cervical/thoracic followed by the lumbar/pelvic regions for the acquisition of independent sitting. Providing external trunk support at different levels to test the effects of controlling the upper and lower regions of the trunk on reaching provides insight into the mechanisms by which trunk control impacts reaching in infants.

Segmental Contributions to Trunk Control in Children With Moderate-to-Severe Cerebral Palsy.

Objective: To examine postural constraints in children with moderate-to-severe cerebral palsy (CP) using a segmental approach.

Design: Quasi-experimental repeated-measures study; case series.

Setting: Motor control research laboratory.

Tai Chi and meditation-plus-exercise benefit neural substrates of executive function: a cross-sectional, controlled study.

Background: We report the first controlled study of Tai Chi effects on the P300 event-related potential, a neuroelectric index of human executive function. Tai Chi is a form of exercise and moving meditation. Exercise and meditation have been associated with enhanced executive function.

Cross-sectional comparison of executive attention function in normally aging long-term T'ai chi, meditation, and aerobic fitness practitioners versus sedentary adults.

This cross-sectional field study documented the effect of long-term t'ai chi, meditation, or aerobic exercise training versus a sedentary lifestyle on executive function. It was predicted that long-term training in t'ai chi and meditation plus exercise would produce greater benefits to executive function than aerobic exercise. T'ai chi and meditation plus exercise include mental and physical training.

Segmental trunk control acquisition and reaching in typically developing infants.

This study explored the influence of an external support at the thoracic and pelvic level of the trunk on the success of reaching, postural stability and reaching kinematics while infants reached for a toy. Seventeen infants (4-6 months) were clustered into two groups according to their trunk control assessed with the Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control. Major differences were seen between groups with pelvic support, whereas with thoracic support, all infants showed similar quality reaching behaviors.

Ankle dorsiflexor strength relates to the ability to restore balance during a backward support surface translation.

Functional base of support (FBOS), the effective area for center of pressure (COP) movement, decreases with aging, which would reduce one's ability to restore balance during perturbed stance. We investigated the relationship between ankle muscle strength and FBOS as well as the threshold perturbation acceleration that required a heel-rise (HR) or step (STEP) to maintain balance. Standing posture of 16 young and 16 elderly adults was perturbed with a backward support surface translation with the speed ranging from 15 to 70 cm/s.

Assessment of postural control in children with cerebral palsy: a review.

This paper aimed to review studies that assessed postural control (PC) in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and describe the methods used to investigate postural control in this population. It also intended to describe the performance of children with CP in postural control. An extensive database search was performed using the keywords: postural control, cerebral palsy, children, balance and functionality.

Learning about gravity: segmental assessment of upright control as infants develop independent sitting.

The question of how infants attain upright sitting is at the core of understanding the development of most functional abilities. Our simple, practical method of securing the hips and different trunk segments while evaluating the infant's ability to vertically align and stabilize the trunk in space contributes a useful method and new insights into the development of upright control. Previous studies have considered the trunk to develop as a single segment.

Community walking in people with Parkinson's disease.

People with Parkinson's disease often have walking difficulty, and this is likely to be exacerbated while walking in places in the community, where people are likely to face greater and more varied challenges. This study aims to understand the facilitators and the barriers to walking in the community perceived by people with Parkinson's disease. This qualitative study involved 5 focus groups (n = 34) of people with Parkinson's disease and their partners residing in metropolitan and rural regions in Queensland, Australia.

Development of postural control during gait in typically developing children: the effects of dual-task conditions.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the typical development of postural control in younger (5-6 yrs) and older (7-16 yrs) children (YTD and OTD) during two gait tasks, including level walking and obstacle-crossing, using a dual-task paradigm, and to compare the results of the children's performance with that of healthy young adults (HYA). Our findings revealed that gait control in typical children requires attentional resources to maintain stability. Moreover, dual-task interference was less in HYA compared to YTD and OTD.

Why does older adults' balance become less stable when walking and performing a secondary task? Examination of attentional switching abilities.

Previous research using dual-task paradigms indicates balance-impaired older adults (BIOAs) are less able to flexibly shift attentional focus between a cognitive and motor task than healthy older adults (HOA). Shifting attention is a component of executive function. Task switch tests assess executive attention function.

Single and dual task gait training in people with Parkinson's disease: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Difficulty performing more than one task at a time (dual tasking) is a common and disabling problem experienced by people with Parkinson disease (PD). If asked to perform another task when walking, people with PD often take shorter steps or walk more slowly. Currently there is uncertainty about whether clinicians should teach people with PD to avoid dual tasking or whether they should encourage them to practice dual tasking with the hope that practice will lead to enhanced performance.

Neuromuscular responses to platform perturbations in power- versus endurance-trained athletes.

The purpose was to assess differences in postural response characteristics between two groups of elite athletes having power or endurance training. Participants were all men and included power- (M age = 21 yr., SD = 3, n = 12) and endurance-trained (M age = 22, SD = 3, n = 12) athletes.

Refinement, reliability, and validity of the segmental assessment of trunk control.

Purpose: The Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo) provides a systematic method of assessing discrete levels of trunk control in children with motor disabilities. This study refined the assessment method and examined reliability and validity of the SATCo.

Methods: After refining guidelines, 102 video recordings of the SATCo were made of 8 infants with typical development followed longitudinally from 3 to 9 months of age and 24 children with neuromotor disability with a mean age of 10 years 4 months.

Effects of single-task versus dual-task training on balance performance in older adults: a double-blind, randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To compare the effect of 3 different approaches to balance training on dual-task balance performance in older adults with balance impairment.

Design: A double-blind, randomized controlled trial.

Setting: University research laboratory.

Training-related changes in dual-task walking performance of elderly persons with balance impairment: a double-blind, randomized controlled trial.

The purpose of this study was to compare the efficiency of three different balance training strategies in an effort to understand the mechanisms underlying training-related changes in dual-task balance performance of older adults with balance impairment. Elderly individuals with balance impairment, age 65 and older, were randomly assigned to one of three individualized training programs: single-task (ST) balance training; dual-task training with fixed-priority (FP) instruction; and dual-task training with variable-priority (VP) instruction. Balance control during gait, under practiced and novel conditions, was assessed by calculating the center of mass and ankle joint center inclination angles in the frontal plane.

Does inability to allocate attention contribute to balance constraints during gait in older adults?

Background: Recent research has explored dual-task deficits during locomotion in older adults, yet the mechanisms underlying these deficits are poorly understood. In the current study, we examined one possible factor contributing to these deficits, the inability to flexibly allocate attention between two tasks.

Methods: Twelve healthy young adults and 12 healthy elderly adults performed obstacle avoidance while walking and an auditory Stroop task either alone or simultaneously.

Attentional mechanisms contributing to balance constraints during gait: the effects of balance impairments.

Background: Recent research has begun to explore the ability of older adults to perform balance tasks while simultaneously performing a secondary cognitive task; however, it has suffered from limitations regarding the mechanisms underlying the problems that cause dual-task deficits in older adults with balance impairments. Two possible attentional mechanisms (reduced general attentional capacity vs. a true dual-task performance deficit and inability to allocate attention between two tasks) contributing to balance constraints were examined.

Dual-task interference during obstacle clearance in healthy and balance-impaired older adults.

Background And Aims: To investigate dual-task interference between a concurrent cognitive task (auditory Stroop test) and obstacle avoidance in older adults with or without a history of falls.

Methods: Gait performance (temporal-distance parameters, range of motion and peak velocity of the center of mass) and verbal reaction time (VRT) in the secondary auditory Stroop task were monitored in 12 healthy young adults, 12 healthy older adults and 12 balance impaired older adults (BIOA) while they sat or walked with and without an obstacle in their path. VRT was used as an indicator of attention given to the secondary Stroop task.