Punctate transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in migraine therapy

Pharmacotherapy of migraine is not satisfying at present, especially in case of frequent attacks of headache. Therefore alternative methods of treatment gain increasing relevance. Based upon many years of experience with specific reflexotherapy and conventional stimulation therapy for treatment of pain we started a clinical study in migraine applying the punctual transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PuTENS) performed with self-made pocket electrostimulators (TRG I-III). The study includes self-treatment of patients at home. After more than 6 months PuTENS was prophylactically effective in 225 out of 282 patients, i.e. in 80% of cases the frequency of attacks and the use of drugs were reduced to at least 50%. In 90 patients treated by the physician the rate of improvement was 86% compared to 76% in 192 patients, which performed self-treatment according to the physician's instruction and under medical supervision. 96 out of 160 patients with migraine could alleviate their acute headache by PuTENS applying the pocket electrostimulator at home. In conclusion, PuTENS is superior to drug therapy and conventioned electrotherapy in the treatment of migraine. Its effectiveness is similar to needle acupuncture. The method can therefore be regarded as a valuable alternative and help for patients with frequent headache.     

A study of the effects of cranial electrical stimulation on attention and concentration.

There have been several anecdotal accounts that cranial electrical stimulation (CES) enhances attention and the ability to learn new tasks in a normal population, but only one published investigation confirms that CES improves attention using the Alpha Stim CES (Madden and Kirsch, 1987). The purpose of this study was to corroborate the findings of Madden and Kirsch, using more precise measures of attention, such as a Continuous Performance Test (CPT). A pretest and posttest CPT was given to two groups using the LISS CES device. The control group consisted of twenty-one subjects who received the placebo treatment. The experimental group of thirty-one subjects received twenty minutes of CES. Four measures of the CPT show significant gains in attention: Number of Hits, p =.010 Hit RT ISI Change, p =.016, Risk Taking, p =.055; and Attentiveness, p =.054. Based on subjects who demonstrated improvement by one standard deviation on two different measures of the CPT, thirty-one percent of the experimental group improved versus four percent of the control group. The use of CES as a method of increasing attention is a promising area that requires further investigation.     

A study of the effects of cranial electrical stimulation on attention and concentration

There have been several anecdotal accounts that cranial electrical stimulation (CES) enhances attention and the ability to learn new tasks in a normal population, but only one published investigation confirms that CES improves attention using the Alpha Stim CES (Madden and Kirsch, 1987). The purpose of this study was to corroborate the findings of Madden and Kirsch, using more precise measures of attention, such as a Continuous Performance Test (CPT). A pretest and posttest CPT was given to two groups using the LISS CES device. The control group consisted of twenty-one subjects who received the placebo treatment. The experimental group of thirty-one subjects received twenty minutes of CES. Four measures of the CPT show significant gains in attention: Number of Hits,p=.010 Hit RT ISI Change,p=.016, Risk Taking,p=.055; and Attentiveness,p=.054. Based on subjects who demonstrated improvement by one standard deviation on two different measures of the CPT, thirty-one percent of the experimental group improved versus four percent of the control group. The use of CES as a method of increasing attention is a promising are that requires further investigation.     

Modulation of tremor amplitude during deep brain stimulation at different frequencies

Rest tremor was quantified in the index finger tip of 16 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) receiving deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the ventro-intermediate nucleus (Vim) of the thalamus, the subthalamic nucleus (STN), or the internal part of the globus pallidus (GPi) while being off L-dopa for 12h. Clinically, without DBS, tremor amplitude varied from absent to high. Tremor was recorded continuously for about 5 min under three conditions of DBS repeated twice, namely, effective frequency (E), ineffective frequency (I), and no DBS (O). No changes in tremor were observed across conditions in subjects with little or no tremor. However, in subjects with moderate to large amplitude tremor, DBS decreased tremor amplitude to near normal values within a few seconds. Generally, transitions were progressive and occurred with a varying time delay. Occasionally, tremor escaped from control regardless of the stimulation condition considered. In some cases tremor amplitude in one condition appeared to depend on the preceding condition. Finally, the results were reproducible on two consecutive days. We conclude that tremor control with DBS follows specific dynamical rules, which must be compatible with the hypotheses proposed regarding the underlying mechanisms of DBS.     

Perception of rate-altered sentential approximations by normal and aphasic children.

25 4-word, first, and second-order sentential approximations were presented to 18 aphasic and 18 normal children. The material was taped and altered to represent 5 speaking rates: 140 (normal); 75 and 105 (expanded); and 180 and 205 (compressed) words per minute. Order of presentation was randomized. The major difference between the children was that the second-order material was perceived best by normals regardless of rate, while the aphasics showed this preference only at the normal rate.     

Face detection in normal and prosopagnosic individuals

Face detection, the process of finding a face in a visual scene, is a critical step in face processing, yet it has received relatively little attention compared with other face processes. The present study addresses this crucial first stage by investigating the effect of inversion on face detection and by examining how individuals with developmental prosopagnosia perform on face detection tasks. Fourteen control participants and fourteen individuals with developmental prosopagnosia (DPs) were tested with two face detection tasks: (1) Face versus Non‐Face, where arrays of small images were presented, one of which could contain a face and (2) Face versus Face Parts, where a two‐tone face could be embedded in a larger array of similar two‐tone face parts. On each trial, participants made a speeded response if a face was present in the visual display. On almost all measures both normal and prosopagnosic individuals showed strong inversion effects with significantly worse performance with inverted faces. This shows that the simple task of detection can show inversion effects comparable to those seen for other face tasks, including recognition. Finally, while there were prosopagnosics who were well within the normal range for detection, there were significant group differences, particularly for the case of the Face versus Face Parts, where prosopagnosics were worse than controls on upright but not on inverted face detection.     

Perception of sweetness and bitterness in different vehicles

In the present study, we investigated taste-taste, taste-vehicle, and simultaneous taste-vehicle-taste mixtures. Subjects made estimates of the sweetness and bitterness of 27 stimuli. Sucrose (292, 585, and 1170 mM), caffeine (13, 26, and 52 mM), and binary mixtures of low (292-13 mM), middle (585-26 mM), and high (1170-52 mM) levels of both components were dispersed in water, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) 1% w/v, and gelatin 6% w/v. The sweetness and bitterness of the sucrose-vehicle-caffeine combinations were significantly weaker than the respective sucrose-vehicle and caffeine-vehicle combinations. The emerged mutual suppressive effects were asymmetrical and persisted when both tastants were presented in CMC and gelatin. Moreover, the increase in vehicle consistency and the simultaneous addition of another taste reduced the perceived intensity of a taste either presented alone or dissolved in water. For both sweetness and bitterness, the total taste suppression observed was always significant.     

Aversive and attractive properties of electrical stimulation for Paramecium caudatum.

Although there are data to show that mild electrical stimulation from a cathode source can serve as positive or attractive stimulus for paramecia, the properties of anode stimulation have not been clear. This research gives evidence to support the previously reported positive properties of cathode stimulation but showed that anode stimulation has opposite (negative or aversive) properties.     

Perception of weight-bearing distribution during sit-to-stand task in healthy young and elderly individuals

The first objective was to assess whether healthy individuals could accurately estimate their weight-bearing distribution in sit-to-stand transfers. The second was to evaluate the effect of age on weight-bearing perception. 16 young participants (11 women, 5 men; M age 29 yr., SD = 8.7) and 15 elderly participants (7 women, 8 men; M age 65 yr., SD = 3.8) were recruited. Verbal instructions and visual feedback referring to different percentages of weight-bearing distribution to execute were used to quantify weight-bearing perception in sit-to-stand tasks. For the feedback approach, the perception was assessed with a visual analog scale. For the verbal task, the weight-bearing distribution produced was assessed with force plates. Both young and elderly participants had good perception of weight-bearing distribution, with mean absolute errors of 6.4%. Moreover, their perceived and real weight-bearing distribution showed good agreement (ICC > or = .79).     

Tactile extinction on complex stimulation in normal children.

The Schwartz Quality Extinction Test was administered to 221 normal right-handed children aged 4 to 7 years to find out at what age their ability to perceive complex bimanual simultaneous stimuli stabilizes. Tactile extinction was present in some 4- and 5-yr.-old children and tended to disappear later. We found a significant difference in responses between 5- and 6-yr.-old children but no difference regarding side and sex at different ages. Among the principal theories regarding the pathogenesis of extinction, incomplete maturation of attentional mechanisms seems the one which better explains extinction in younger children.     

Economic substitutability of electrical brain stimulation, food, and water.

Concurrent variable-ratio schedules of electrical brain stimulation, food, and water were paired in various combinations as reinforcement of rats' lever presses. Relative prices of the concurrent reinforcers were varied by changing the ratio of the response requirements on the two levers. Economic substitutability, measured by the sensitivity of response ratio to changes in relative price, was highest with brain stimulation reinforcement of presses on both levers and lowest with food reinforcement of presses on one lever and water reinforcement of presses on the other. Substitutability with brain stimulation reinforcement of presses on one lever and either food or water reinforcement for presses on the other was about as high as with brain stimulation for presses on both levers. Electrical brain stimulation for rats may thus serve as an economic substitute for two reinforcers, neither of which is substitutable for the other.     

Influence of functional electrical stimulation training on premotor and motor reaction time.

This study was designed to investigate the influence of functional electrical stimulation on the improvement of reaction time and its fractionated components during learning an horizontal arm-sweep task. 62 subjects participated and were divided into control, stimulation, and trail/stimulation groups. Functional electrical stimulation was an effective method of improving total reaction time and its central component, premotor time.     

Transmission risk behaviors in a subset of HIV-positive individuals: The role of narcissistic personality features

Most people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) take steps to protect their sexual partners. However, a minority of PLWHA continue to engage in sexual risk behaviors that might contribute to the transmission of HIV. Psychiatric conditions, including certain pathological traits, are associated with sexual risk behaviors. Research examining the association between narcissistic traits as they relate to HIV transmission risk is limited. In the present study, 303 PLWHA were recruited from an infectious disease clinic and completed questionnaires assessing narcissistic characteristics, substance use, sexual risk behavior, and intentions to use condoms in the future. Narcissistic traits predicted unprotected sex with partners who are HIV-negative or whose HIV status was unknown as well as lower intentions to use condoms, after controlling for demographic factors and substance use. Interventions focused on reducing the transmission of HIV should take into account associations between sexual risk behavior and narcissism.     

Spaced food but not electrical brain stimulation induces polydipsia and air licking.

An attempt was made to induce polydipsia in rats whose lever pressing was reinforced with food pellets or electrical brain stimulation. Nine food-deprived, water-sated rats drank water excessively during sessions in which food pellets were delivered. When brain stimulation was substituted for food, drinking immediately ceased. Delivering brain stimulation according to a variety of schedules, pairing brain stimulation with food reinforcement, and substituting an air stream for water, each failed to produce polydipsic licking. These results show that polydipsia is not induced by all reinforcers.