ORCID Profile
0000-0002-4652-0090
Current Organisations
University of South Australia
,
Flinders University
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Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-07-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S00221-022-06424-5
Abstract: It is unknown how hypohydration influences fine motor performance training and motor learning. Here, 30 participants (aged 19–46 years) were randomly assigned to a hypohydration (HYPO) or control (CON) group (both n = 15). Moderate hypohydration (~ 2.4% loss in body mass) was produced in HYPO via active dehydration before a 46 min fluid restricted rest period was undertaken. The conclusion of rest coincided with when CON attended the facilities. Both groups undertook a discrete sequence production task consisting of 6 training blocks, and returned ~ 300 min later to complete a delayed retention and transfer test while euhydrated. Bilateral pre-frontal cortex (PFC) haemodynamics were assessed using functional near-infrared spectroscopy throughout training and delayed learning assessments. Response time improved across training ( P 0.01) and was similar between the groups (both P = 0.22). Analysis of training PFC haemodynamics revealed a significant group by block interaction for oxygenated (O 2 Hb P 0.01), but not deoxygenated haemoglobin ( P = 0.77). In training block 1, bilateral O 2 Hb was higher in HYPO ( P = 0.02), while bilateral O 2 Hb increased in CON between blocks 2–3 and 5–6 (both P ≤ 0.03). During the delayed retention and transfer test, no group differences or interactions were found in response time, response error, or PFC haemodynamics (all P ≥ 0.27). Moderate hypohydration does increase PFC activation during motor skill learning, however, this appears to be transient and of little consequence to training or delayed retention or transfer performance.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 15-09-2014
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2021
Publisher: International Association of Yoga Therapists
Date: 11-2017
DOI: 10.17761/1531-2054-27.1.95
Abstract: Breast cancer-related lymphoedema (BCRL) is a chronic condition that requires lifelong management to prevent the condition worsening and to reduce the threat of infection. Women are affected in all domains of their life. As a holistic practice, yoga may be of benefit by reducing both the physical and psychosocial effects of lymphoedema. Women with BCRL are attending yoga classes in increasing numbers, so it is essential that yoga be based on principles that ensure lymphoedema is controlled and not exacerbated. Two Randomised Controlled Trials with a yoga intervention have had positive results after an 8-week intervention (n=28) and 6-months after a 4-week intervention (n=18). The first study had several significant results and women reported increased biopsychosocial improvements. Both studies showed trends to improved lymphoedema status. The yoga interventions compromised breathing, physical postures, meditation and relaxation practices based on Satyananda Yoga®, with modifications to promote lymphatic drainage and following principles of best current care for those with BCRL. In idual needs were considered. The yoga protocol that was used in the 8-week trial is presented. Our aim is to provide principles for yoga teachers/therapists working with this clientele that can be adapted to other yoga styles. Further, these principles may provide a basis for the development of yoga programs for people with secondary lymphoedema in other areas of their body as the population requiring cancer treatment continues to increase. Whilst the style of yoga presented here has had positive outcomes, further application and research is needed to fully demonstrate its effectiveness.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 05-2014
DOI: 10.1310/TSR2103-256
Abstract: To assess the efficacy of yoga for motor function, mental health, and quality of life outcomes in persons with chronic poststroke hemiparesis. Twenty-two in iduals participated in a randomized controlled trial involving assessment of task-orientated function, balance, mobility, depression, anxiety, and quality of life domains before and after either a 10-week yoga intervention (n = 11) or no treatment (n = 11). The yoga intervention did not result in any significant improvements in objective motor function measures, however there was a significant improvement in quality of life associated with perceived motor function (P = .0001) and improvements in perceived recovery approached significance (P = .072). Memory-related quality of life scores significantly improved after yoga intervention (P = .022), and those participating in the intervention exhibited clinically relevant decreases in state and trait anxiety. Preliminary results offer promise for yoga as an intervention to address mental health and quality of life in persons with stroke-related activity limitations. There is a need to more rigorously evaluate these yoga benefits with a larger randomized controlled trial, which, based on this preliminary trial, is feasible.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 03-04-2013
DOI: 10.1017/S1352465813000234
Abstract: Background: Mindfulness-based therapy (MBT) has been demonstrated to be effective for reducing chronic pain symptoms however, the use of MBT for Chronic Tension-Type Headache (CTH) exclusively has to date not been examined. Typically, MBT for chronic pain has involved an 8-week program based on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. Recent research suggests briefer mindfulness-based treatments may be effective for chronic pain. Aims: To conduct a pilot study into the efficacy of brief MBT for CTH. Method: We conducted a randomized controlled trial of a brief (6-session, 3-week) MBT for CTH. Results: Results indicated a significant decrease in headache frequency and an increase in the mindfulness facet of Observe in the treatment but not wait-list control group. Conclusion: Brief MBT may be an effective intervention for CTH.
Publisher: Society for Transparency, Openness, and Replication in Kinesiology
Date: 10-2023
DOI: 10.51224/SRXIV.332
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2020
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-01-2016
Publisher: Society for Transparency, Openness, and Replication in Kinesiology
Date: 16-10-2023
DOI: 10.51224/SRXIV.331
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 28-05-2012
Abstract: Women who develop secondary arm lymphoedema subsequent to treatment associated with breast cancer require life-long management for a range of symptoms including arm swelling, heaviness, tightness in the arm and sometimes the chest, upper body impairment and changes to a range of parameters relating to quality of life. While exercise under controlled conditions has had positive outcomes, the impact of yoga has not been investigated. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of yoga in the physical and psycho-social domains, in the hope that women can be offered another safe, holistic modality to help control many, if not all, of the effects of secondary arm lymphoedema. A randomised controlled pilot trial will be conducted in Hobart and Launceston with a total of 40 women receiving either yoga intervention or current best practice care. Intervention will consist of eight weeks of a weekly teacher-led yoga class with a home-based daily yoga practice delivered by DVD. Primary outcome measures will be the effects of yoga on lymphoedema and its associated symptoms and quality of life. Secondary outcome measures will be range of motion of the arm and thoracic spine, shoulder strength, and weekly and daily physical activity. Primary and secondary outcomes will be measured at baseline, weeks four, eight and a four week follow up at week twelve. Range of motion of the spine, in a self-nominated group, will be measured at baseline, weeks eight and twelve. A further outcome will be the women’s perceptions of the yoga collected by interview at week eight. The results of this trial will provide information on the safety and effectiveness of yoga for women with secondary arm lymphoedema from breast cancer treatment. It will also inform methodology for future, larger trials. ACTRN12611000202965
Publisher: Human Kinetics
Date: 04-2023
Abstract: Posttraining meditation has been shown to promote wakeful memory stabilization of explicit motor sequence information in learners who are experienced meditators. We investigated the effect of single-session mindfulness meditation on wakeful and sleep-dependent forms of implicit motor memory consolidation in meditation naïve adults. Immediately after training with a target implicit motor sequence, participants ( N = 20, eight females, 23.9 ± 3.3 years) completed either a 10-min mindfulness meditation ( N = 10) or a control listening task before exposure to task interference induced by training with a novel implicit sequence. Target sequence performance was tested following 5-hr wakeful and 15-hr postsleep periods. Bayesian inference was applied to group comparisons of mean reaction time (RT) changes across training, interference, wakeful, and postsleep timepoints. Relative to control conditions, posttraining meditation reduced RT slowing between target sequence training and interference sequence introduction (BF 10 [Bayes factors] = 6.61) and supported RT performance gains over the wakeful period (BF 10 = 8.34). No group differences in postsleep RT performance were evident (BF 10 = 0.38). These findings illustrate that posttraining mindfulness meditation expedites wakeful, but not sleep-dependent, offline learning with implicit motor sequences. Previous meditation experience is not required to obtain wakeful consolidation gains from posttraining mindfulness meditation.
Publisher: Future Medicine Ltd
Date: 11-2018
Abstract: Following an initial stroke, approximately two in five people will experience another stroke within 10 years. Recurrent strokes are often more severe and fatal. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) that use movement to focus attention, such as yoga and tai chi, may offer a lifestyle strategy in addition to standard rehabilitation options, for moderating risk factors for stroke. We conducted a scoping review to explore the potential for yoga or tai chi to moderate modifiable risk factors for stroke. 26 papers between 1985 and 2017 were identified using online and gray literature databases. Overall, yoga or tai chi may reduce hypertension (up to 16/9 mmHg), and to a lesser extent some lipid and blood sugar levels. Study designs were heterogeneous. Further research on mediating pathways of MBIs, such as yoga or tai chi, on modifiable risk factors for stroke is warranted.
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 17-03-2023
Abstract: As we approach a future whereby elder adults aged & make up more than 50% of the population in many developed countries, the ability to retain and relearn motor functions is a key outcome of health and wellbeing to maintain an active quality of life. We consider a generic approach for learning and managing motor functions less effective for the wide-ranging differences in motor capacities in the ageing population and hypothesise an increased beneficial influence of using an in idualised learning approach instead. In this theory and hypothesis manuscript, we present evidence, provide neurobiologically plausible mechanisms and formulate predictions to support our approach. Firstly, we outline the neurobiology of aging and cover the cognitive control considerations from well-established theoretical motor learning frameworks. Differences in motor sequence learning between elder adults and younger adults are also outlined. An important consideration is that different states of cognitive control can be induced, and we specifically explain why open-monitoring meditation is a suitable approach in the case of elder adults. Combining these, we then present our modelling guidelines for sensorimotor rhythms of synchronisation and desynchronisation of alpha and beta bandwidths during motor sequence learning. Lastly, we formulate specific hypotheses and predictions based on the presented information to support the direction of our In idualised COgnitive and Motor learning for the Elderly (ICOME) research program. **This is an early first final draft of the manuscript, circa early 2021**
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 2013
DOI: 10.1155/2013/796161
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Tension-type headache is the most common form of headache and its chronic form, chronic tension-type headache (CTTH), is one of the most difficult to treat. The etiology of CTTH is not well understood, but is believed to be multifactorial and to vary among in iduals. In the present study, the authors sought to identify common mechanisms of CTTH pathology. Empirical studies have implicated various immunomodulatory cytokines as mediators of chronic pain disorders, including CTTH. OBJECTIVES: To determine the role of peripheral cytokines and genetic factors in the development of CTTH. METHODS: A panel of cytokines hypothesized to play a role in the pathogenesis of CTTH was measured using cytometric bead arrays and ELISAs in 56 in iduals with CTTH and 42 healthy control participants between 18 and 65 years of age. RESULTS: Levels of interleukin (IL)-1β were significantly elevated in participants diagnosed with CTTH relative to healthy controls, while IL-18 levels were found to be significantly elevated in men with CTTH. Because the levels of these immune mediators were increased in the apparent absence of injury or infection, the authors sought to determine whether genetic changes were responsible for fluctuations in cytokine levels. Polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses were used to determine in idual genotypes at key single nucleotide polymorphism positions in the IL-1B gene. No association was observed between CTTH and single nucleotide polymorphisms in the IL-1β gene. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that increases in key proinflammatory cytokine levels are associated with CTTH and the pathology of the disorder involves sterile neurovascular inflammation.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 24-03-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.03.23.485424
Abstract: The endeavour to understand human cognition has largely relied upon investigation of task-related brain activity. However, resting-state brain activity can also offer insights into in idual information processing and performance capabilities. Previous research has identified electroencephalographic resting-state characteristics (most prominently: the in idual alpha frequency IAF) that predict cognitive function. However, it has largely overlooked a second component of electrophysiological signals: aperiodic 1/ f activity. The current study examined how both oscillatory and aperiodic resting-state EEG measures, alongside traditional cognitive tests, can predict performance in a dynamic and complex, semi-naturalistic cognitive task. Participants’ resting-state EEG was recorded prior to engaging in a Target Motion Analysis (TMA) task in a simulated submarine control room environment (CRUSE), which required participants to integrate dynamically changing information over time. We demonstrated that the relationship between IAF and cognitive performance extends from simple cognitive tasks (e.g., digit span) to complex, dynamic measures of information processing. Further, our results showed that in idual 1/ f parameters (slope and intercept) differentially predicted performance across practice and testing sessions, whereby flatter slopes were associated with improved performance during learning, while higher intercepts were linked to better performance during testing. In addition to the EEG predictors, we demonstrate a link between cognitive skills most closely related to the TMA task (i.e., spatial imagery) and subsequent performance. Overall, the current study highlights (1) how resting-state metrics – both oscillatory and aperiodic - have the potential to index higher-order cognitive capacity, while (2) emphasising the importance of examining these electrophysiological components within more dynamic settings and over time.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2021
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 19-01-2017
DOI: 10.1080/10749357.2016.1277481
Abstract: Survivors of stroke have long-term physical and psychological consequences that impact their quality of life. Few interventions are available in the community to address these problems. Yoga, a type of mindfulness-based intervention, is shown to be effective in people with other chronic illnesses and may have the potential to address many of the problems reported by survivors of stroke. To date only narrative reviews have been published. We sought to perform, the first systematic review with meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated yoga for its potential benefit for chronic survivors of stroke. Ovid Medline, CINHAL plus, AMED, PubMed, PsychINFO, PeDro, Cochrane database, Sport Discuss, and Google Scholar were searched for papers published between January 1950 and August 2016. Reference lists of included papers, review articles and OpenGrey for Grey literature were also searched. We used a modified Cochrane tool to evaluate risk of bias. The methodological quality of RCTs was assessed using the GRADE approach, results were collated, and random effects meta-analyses performed where appropriate. The search yielded five eligible papers from four RCTs with small s le sizes (n = 17-47). Quality of RCTs was rated as low to moderate. Yoga is beneficial in reducing state anxiety symptoms and depression in the intervention group compared to the control group (mean differences for state anxiety 6.05, 95% CI:-0.02 to 12.12 p = 0.05 and standardized mean differences for depression: 0.50, 95% CI:-0.01 to 1.02 p = 0.05). Consistent but nonsignificant improvements were demonstrated for balance, trait anxiety, and overall quality of life. Yoga may be effective for ameliorating some of the long-term consequences of stroke. Large well-designed RCTs are needed to confirm these findings.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 14-05-2021
DOI: 10.3389/FNHUM.2021.644968
Abstract: Training under high interference conditions through interleaved practice (IP) results in performance suppression during training but enhances long-term performance relative to repetitive practice (RP) involving low interference. Previous neuroimaging work addressing this contextual interference effect of motor learning has relied heavily on the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) response using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) methodology resulting in mixed reports of prefrontal cortex (PFC) recruitment under IP and RP conditions. We sought to clarify these equivocal findings by imaging bilateral PFC recruitment using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) while discrete key pressing sequences were trained under IP and RP schedules and subsequently tested following a 24-h delay. An advantage of fNIRS over the fMRI BOLD response is that the former measures oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin changes independently allowing for assessment of cortical hemodynamics even when there is neurovascular decoupling. Despite slower sequence performance durations under IP, bilateral PFC oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin values did not differ between practice conditions. During test, however, slower performance from those previously trained under RP coincided with hemispheric asymmetry in PFC recruitment. Specifically, following RP, test deoxygenated hemoglobin values were significantly lower in the right PFC. The present findings contrast with previous behavioral demonstrations of increased cognitive demand under IP to illustrate a more complex involvement of the PFC in the contextual interference effect. IP and RP incur similar levels of bilateral PFC recruitment, but the processes underlying the recruitment are dissimilar. PFC recruitment during IP supports action reconstruction and memory elaboration while RP relies on PFC recruitment to maintain task variation information in working memory from trial to trial. While PFC recruitment under RP serves to enhance immediate performance, it does not support long-term performance.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 05-2004
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-06-2021
DOI: 10.1007/S00426-021-01543-0
Abstract: The present study investigated the long-term benefit of Random-Practice (RP) over Blocked-Practice (BP) within the contextual interference (CI) effect for motor learning. We addressed the extent to which motor sequence length and practice amount factors moderate the CI effect given that previous reports, often in applied research, have reported no long-term advantage from RP. Based on predictions arising from the Cognitive framework of Sequential Motor Behavior (C-SMB) and using the Discrete Sequence Production (DSP) task, two experiments were conducted to compare limited and extended practice amounts of 4- and 7-key sequences under RP and BP schedules. Twenty-four-hour delayed retention performance confirmed the C-SMB prediction that the CI-effect occurs only with short sequences that receive little practice. The benefit of RP with limited practice was associated with overnight motor memory consolidation. Further testing with single-stimulus as well as novel and unstructured (i.e., random) sequences indicated that limited practice under RP schedules enhances both reaction and chunking modes of sequence execution with the latter mode benefitting from the development of implicit and explicit forms of sequence representation. In the case of 7-key sequences, extended practice with RP and BP schedules provided for equivalent development of sequence representations. Higher explicit awareness of sequence structures was associated with faster completion of practiced but also of novel and unstructured sequences.
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 18-05-2020
DOI: 10.1136/BJSPORTS-2019-101242
Abstract: To assess whether physically active yoga is superior to waitlist control, treatment as usual and attention control in alleviating depressive symptoms in people with a diagnosed mental disorder recognised by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Systematic review and meta-analysis following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Data were obtained from online databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, CENTRAL, EMCARE, PEDro). The search and collection of eligible studies was conducted up to 14 May 2019 (PROSPERO registration No CRD42018090441). We included randomised controlled trials with a yoga intervention comprising ≥50% physical activity in adults with a recognised diagnosed mental disorder according to DSM-3, 4 or 5. 19 studies were included in the review (1080 participants) and 13 studies were included in the meta-analysis (632 participants). Disorders of depression, post-traumatic stress, schizophrenia, anxiety, alcohol dependence and bipolar were included. Yoga showed greater reductions in depressive symptoms than waitlist, treatment as usual and attention control (standardised mean difference=0.41 95% CI −0.65 to −0.17 p .001). Greater reductions in depressive symptoms were associated with higher frequency of yoga sessions per week (β=−0.44, p .01).
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 21-12-2021
DOI: 10.3390/NEUROLINT14010001
Abstract: Movement-based mindfulness interventions (MBI) are complex, multi-component interventions for which the design process is rarely reported. For people with stroke, emerging evidence suggests benefits, but mainstream programs are generally unsuitable. We aimed to describe the processes involved and to conduct a formative evaluation of the development of a novel yoga-based MBI designed for survivors of stroke. We used the Medical Research Council complex interventions framework and principles of co-design. We purposefully approached health professionals and consumers to establish an advisory committee for developing the intervention. Members collaborated and iteratively reviewed the design and content of the program, formatted into a training manual. Four external yoga teachers independently reviewed the program. Formative evaluation included review of multiple data sources and documentation (e.g., formal meeting minutes, focus group discussions, researcher observations). The data were synthesized using inductive thematic analysis. Three broad themes emerged: (a) MBI content and terminology (b) manual design and readability and (c) barriers and enablers to deliver the intervention. Various perspectives and feedback on essential components guided finalizing the program. The design phase of a novel yoga-based MBI was strengthened by interdisciplinary, consumer contributions and peer review. The 12-week intervention is ready for testing among survivors of stroke.
Publisher: No publisher found
Date: 2001
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 06-07-2018
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 29-07-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2020
Publisher: Human Kinetics
Date: 05-2021
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Date: 2001
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.3109/09638288.2011.573058
Abstract: To investigate the personal experiences and perceived outcomes of a yoga programme for stroke survivors. This article reports on a preliminary study using qualitative methods to investigate the personal experiences and perceived outcomes of a yoga programme. Nine in iduals who had experienced stroke were interviewed following a 10-week yoga programme involving movement, breathing and meditation practices. An interpretative phenomenological approach was used to determine meanings attached to yoga participation as well as perceptions of outcomes. Interpretative themes evolving from the data were organised around a bio-psychosocial model of health benefits from yoga. Emergent themes from the analysis included: greater sensation feeling calmer and becoming connected. These themes respectively revealed perceived physical improvements in terms of strength, range of movement or walking ability, an improved sense of calmness and the possibility for reconnecting and accepting a different body. The study has generated original findings that suggest that from the perspective of people who have had a stroke yoga participation can provide a number of meaningful physical, psychological and social benefits and support the rationale for incorporating yoga and meditation-based practices into rehabilitation programmes.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-11-2021
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-021-01772-8
Abstract: The capacity to regulate one’s attention in accordance with fluctuating task demands and environmental contexts is an essential feature of adaptive behavior. Although the electrophysiological correlates of attentional processing have been extensively studied in the laboratory, relatively little is known about the way they unfold under more variable, ecologically-valid conditions. Accordingly, this study employed a ‘real-world’ EEG design to investigate how attentional processing varies under increasing cognitive, motor, and environmental demands. Forty-four participants were exposed to an auditory oddball task while (1) sitting in a quiet room inside the lab, (2) walking around a sports field, and (3) wayfinding across a university c us. In each condition, participants were instructed to either count or ignore oddball stimuli. While behavioral performance was similar across the lab and field conditions, oddball count accuracy was significantly reduced in the c us condition. Moreover, event-related potential components (mismatch negativity and P3) elicited in both ‘real-world’ settings differed significantly from those obtained under laboratory conditions. These findings demonstrate the impact of environmental factors on attentional processing during simultaneously-performed motor and cognitive tasks, highlighting the value of incorporating dynamic and unpredictable contexts within naturalistic designs.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-2012
DOI: 10.1080/00222895.2012.654522
Abstract: The present study investigated the role of temperature as a contextual condition for motor skill learning. Precision grip task training occurred while forearm cutaneous temperature was either heated (40-45 °C) or cooled (10-15 °C). At test, temperature was either reinstated or changed. Performance was comparable between training conditions while at test, temperature changes decreased accuracy, especially after hot training conditions. After cold training, temperature change deficits were only evident when concurrent force feedback was presented. These findings are the first evidence of localized temperature dependency in motor skill learning in humans. Results are not entirely accounted for by a context-dependent memory explanation and appear to represent an interaction of neuromuscular and sensory processes with the temperature present during training and test.
Publisher: Human Kinetics
Date: 12-2022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-09-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S12671-022-01976-7
Abstract: Higher education student musicians face high physical, psychological, and emotional demands affecting their well-being and academic experience. This study examined the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of the so-called CRAFT program, based on mindfulness, yoga, positive psychology, and emotional intelligence, to improve psychological well-being, psychological distress, emotional regulation, and physical flexibility amongst tertiary education student musicians. Using a single-arm pre-post study design, student musicians ( n = 25) at a royal conservatory of music in Spain followed a 25-week CRAFT program that was curricularly implemented during the academic year 2018/2019, once a week for 50 min. The outcome measures included were the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), the Subjective Psychological Well-Being Subscale (SPWS), the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the Sit and Reach Test (SRT). Paired s les t -test and practical significance analyses revealed significant improvements for the total scale of the FFMQ ( g = 0.28), the Observe ( g = 0.44) and Describe ( g = 0.38) subscales of the FFMQ, the SPWS ( g = 0.32), the Reappraisal subscale of the ERQ ( g = 0.43), and the SRT ( g = 0.39). A similar pattern of results was observed in a filtered s le ( n = 15) when excluding participants simultaneously engaged in yoga/meditation activities other than the CRAFT program. These results indicated that the CRAFT program is a promising intervention for improving mindfulness skills and health and well-being states and abilities amongst higher education student musicians. Further research is needed to substantiate these findings and extend them to similar settings and populations with complex psychophysical concerns.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-04-2017
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-05-2017
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.IJPSYCHO.2016.10.007
Abstract: The ability to adjust attentional focus to varying levels of task demands depends on the adaptive recruitment of cognitive control processes. The present study investigated for the first time whether the mobilization of cognitive control during response-conflict trials in a flanker task is associated with effort-related sympathetic activity as measured by changes in the RZ-interval at a single-trial level, thus providing an alternative to the pre-ejection period (PEP) which can only be reliably measured in ensemble-averaged data. We predicted that response conflict leads to a physiological orienting response (i.e. heart rate slowing) and increases in effort as reflected by changes in myocardial beta-adrenergic activity (i.e. decreased RZ interval). Our results indeed showed that response conflict led to cardiac deceleration and decreased RZ interval. However, the temporal overlap of the observed heart rate and RZ interval changes suggests that the effect on the latter reflects a change in cardiac pre-load (Frank-Starling mechanism). Our study was thus unable to provide evidence for the expected link between cognitive control and cardiovascular effort. However, it demonstrated that our single-trial analysis enables the assessment of transient changes in cardiac sympathetic activity, thus providing a promising tool for future studies that aim to investigate effort at a single-trial level.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 10-04-2022
DOI: 10.1177/00315125221087523
Abstract: Promoting athlete wellbeing has become a priority in elite sport, and the COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated the need for a comprehensive understanding of risk and protective factors. Existing sport research has not yet considered whether specific cognitive factors such as dispositional mindfulness and executive function may protect athletes against psychological distress. In a s le of high-performance Australian football athletes ( n = 27), we administered measures of dispositional mindfulness (MAAS), executive function (AOSPAN eStroop), and psychological distress (APSQ) at pre-season, coinciding with the initial (2020) COVID-19-related sport shutdown in Australia. Measures of executive function and psychological distress were re-administered at the end of the COVID-19 affected competitive season in 2020. Athletes reported significantly elevated psychological distress relative to previous estimates of distress among high-performance athletes established in prior studies. Executive functions, including working memory and inhibitory control were not significantly associated with psychological distress or dispositional mindfulness at either timepoint. However, baseline mindfulness was associated with reduced distress at both pre-season (r = −0.48, p = .03) and end of season (r = −0.56, p = .004), suggesting that dispositional mindfulness may have afforded protective buffering against symptoms of distress. Correlation data alone does not establish a directional connection from mindfulness to reduced distress, and future research is required to elucidate this association and/or establish the mechanism/s by which dispositional mindfulness may protect against psychological distress in this population.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 11-1998
DOI: 10.1080/713755789
Abstract: In two of the three experiments that are reported subjects were trained in either a blocked or a random practice schedule and allowed to self-select the amount of time they used to plan an upcoming movement. According to the reconstruction hypothesis (Lee & Magill, 1985) random practice participants engage greater movement planning processes (i.e. action plan re-construction) during acquisition than do their blocked practice counterparts. It was predicted that such reconstructive activity would be manifest as greater study time being used by random practice subjects as they readied themselves for an imminent response. Data from Experiments 1 and 2 supported this study time prediction while also revealing the typical retention benefit associated with random practice. Interestingly, the acquisition benefit often apparent with blocked practice was not evident when the random practice participants were given sufficient time to plan the upcoming response. These conclusions were supported by data from Experiment 3 that involved a direct manipulation of the amount of study time afforded random and blocked practice participants. Taken together, these data are consistent with the suggestion from the reconstruction hypothesis that more time is necessary for intratrial planning processes during random practice formats. Furthermore, acquisition differences that are commonly observed between high and low contextual interference practice conditions may, at least in part, be associated with the completion of the extra planning processes entertained by random practice participants as the movement is being executed.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-1998
DOI: 10.1080/741942069
Abstract: The present experiment was designed to address the role of task difficulty for the development of contextual-dependent behaviour during perceptual-motor task acquisition. Task difficulty in the present study was manipulated by restricting the time that the subject (a) viewed task-relevant information, and (b) was afforded to execute a sequence of key presses. Assuming these manipulations made the acquisition of the key press tasks more difficult, it was hypothesised that reducing the time for either of these processes would result in a greater dependence on reinstating the training context at the time of test. This was based on previous findings reported by Wright and Shea (1991) which indicated that task difficulty can contribute to the development of context-dependent behaviour. The results of the study revealed that viewing time was a potent difficulty manipulation. This is supported by the slower acquisition rates for subjects exposed to short as opposed to long viewing conditions during training. More importantly, the impact of changing the intentional-incidental stimuli relationship that was apparent during training, during the test was greatest for the in iduals who experienced shorter viewing times during the training phase. Thus, the proposed influence of task difficulty on contextual-dependent performance was supported. This dependency was manifested as a slowing in both the initiation and execution of the correct key presses. It is proposed that in iduals trained in the more difficult viewing condition during training, when faced with an incongruence in the acquisition and test stimuli, must engage additional data-driven verification processes to supplement their extant knowledge in order to execute an appropriate response.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.HUMOV.2016.06.002
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to manipulate psychological stress and anxiety to investigate effects on ensuing perceptual-motor learning. Thirty-six participants attended two experimental sessions separated by 24h. In the first session, participants were randomized to either a mental arithmetic task known to increase stress and anxiety levels or a control condition and subsequently completed training on a speeded precision pinch task. Learning of the pinch task was assessed at the second session. Those exposed to the high stress-anxiety mental arithmetic task prior to training reported elevated levels of both stress and anxiety and demonstrated shorter movement times and improved retention of movement accuracy and movement variability. Response execution processes appear to benefit from elevated states of stress and anxiety immediately prior to training even when elicited by an unrelated task.
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 2012
DOI: 10.1155/2012/132830
Abstract: BACKGROUND: A central model for chronic tension-type headache (CTH) posits that stress contributes to headache, in part, by aggravating existing hyperalgesia in CTH sufferers. The prediction from this model that pain sensitivity mediates the relationship between stress and headache activity has not yet been examined. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether pain sensitivity mediates the relationship between stress and prospective headache activity in CTH sufferers. METHOD: Self-reported stress, pain sensitivity and prospective headache activity were measured in 53 CTH sufferers recruited from the general population. Pain sensitivity was modelled as a mediator between stress and headache activity, and tested using a nonparametric bootstrap analysis. RESULTS: Pain sensitivity significantly mediated the relationship between stress and headache intensity. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study support the central model for CTH, which posits that stress contributes to headache, in part, by aggravating existing hyperalgesia in CTH sufferers. Implications for the mechanisms and treatment of CTH are discussed.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-03-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S41465-023-00259-W
Abstract: Previous investigations into the effect of mindfulness meditation on false memory have reported mixed findings. One potential issue is that mindfulness meditation involves different styles that establish distinct cognitive control states. The present work aimed to address this issue by comparing the effects of single-session focused attention (FAM) and open monitoring (OMM) mindfulness meditation styles on true and false memory recall. Strengthened cognitive control states associated with FAM were predicted to increase true memory recall and decrease false memory recall. Conversely, weakened cognitive control established by OMM was predicted to increase false memory recall. Thirty-four meditation-naïve participants (23 females, mean age = 23.4 years, range = 18–33) first completed pre-meditation learning and recall phases of the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) task. Participants then completed a single session of FAM or OMM prior to a second, post-meditation, round of DRM task learning and recall phases with a novel word list. Finally, participants completed a recognition test with true and false memory, and distractor words. Both FAM and OMM groups demonstrated significant increase in false memory recall between pre- and post-meditation recall tests but these groups did not differ with respect to true and false memory recall and recognition. The present findings are consistent with previous reports of increased false memory arising from mindfulness meditation. Distinct cognitive control states associated with FAM and OMM states do not result in distinct true and false memory formation, at least in meditation-naïve adults.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2018
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-2014
Abstract: Secondary arm lymphoedema continues to affect at least 20% of women after treatment for breast cancer requiring lifelong professional treatment and self-management. The holistic practice of yoga may offer benefits as an adjunct self-management option. The aim of this small pilot trial was to gain preliminary data to determine the effect of yoga on women with stage one breast cancer-related lymphoedema (BCRL). This paper reports the results for the primary and secondary outcomes. Participants were randomised, after baseline testing, to receive either an 8-week yoga intervention (n = 15), consisting of a weekly 90-minute teacher-led class and a 40-minute daily session delivered by DVD, or to a usual care wait-listed control group (n = 13). Primary outcome measures were: arm volume of lymphoedema measured by circumference and extra-cellular fluid measured by bioimpedance spectroscopy. Secondary outcome measures were: tissue induration measured by tonometry levels of sensations, pain, fatigue, and their limiting effects all measured by a visual analogue scale (VAS) and quality of life based on the Lymphoedema Quality of Life Tool (LYMQOL). Measurements were conducted at baseline, week 8 (post-intervention) and week 12 (four weeks after cessation of the intervention). At week 8, the intervention group had a greater decrease in tissue induration of the affected upper arm compared to the control group (p = 0.050), as well as a greater reduction in the symptom sub-scale for QOL (p = 0.038). There was no difference in arm volume of lymphoedema or extra-cellular fluid between groups at week 8 however, at week 12, arm volume increased more for the intervention group than the control group (p = 0.032). An 8-week yoga intervention reduced tissue induration of the affected upper arm and decreased the QOL sub-scale of symptoms. Arm volume of lymphoedema and extra-cellular fluid did not increase. These benefits did not last on cessation of the intervention when arm volume of lymphoedema increased. Further research trials with a longer duration, higher levels of lymphoedema and larger numbers are warranted before definitive conclusions can be made.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.CONCOG.2017.07.004
Abstract: Cognitive control processes influence how motor sequence information is utilised and represented. Since cognitive control processes are shared amongst goal-oriented tasks, motor sequence learning and performance might be influenced by preceding cognitive tasks such as focused-attention meditation (FAM). Prior to a serial reaction time task (SRTT), participants completed either a single-session of FAM, a single-session of FAM followed by delay (FAM+) or no meditation (CONTROL). Relative to CONTROL, FAM benefitted performance in early, random-ordered blocks. However, across subsequent sequence learning blocks, FAM+ supported the highest levels of performance improvement resulting in superior performance at the end of the SRTT. Performance following FAM+ demonstrated greater reliance on embedded sequence structures than FAM. These findings illustrate that increased top-down control immediately after FAM biases the implementation of stimulus-based planning. Introduction of a delay following FAM relaxes top-down control allowing for implementation of response-based planning resulting in sequence learning benefits.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-05-2019
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 06-2001
DOI: 10.1080/00222890109603146
Abstract: The authors conducted the present experiments to resolve the discrepancy between studies in which relative-timing learning has been found to be enhanced by consistent practice conditions and contextual interference experiments in which relative-timing learning has been found to be enhanced more by random practice than by blocked practice. There were 40 participants in Experiment 1 and 48 in Experiment 2. The results of Experiment 1 extended previous findings: The learning of the relative-timing pattern was systematically enhanced by the degree to which the practice conditions promoted movement consistency (constant > blocked > serial > random). Experiment 2 provided evidence that the discrepancy between the relative-timing effects in the 2 groups of studies was a product of the way in which relative-timing goals and feedback were presented. When the feedback was presented as segment times, random practice resulted in generally more stable relative-timing patterns during acquisition than blocked practice did. Thus, in both experiments, the learning of the relative-timing pattern was enhanced by more stable relative-timing conditions during acquisition. Absolute-timing learning, as indexed by the transfer tests, was enhanced by serial or random practice as compared with constant or blocked practice, and was relatively unaffected by feedback conditions directed at the relative-timing pattern. In terms of motor programming theory, those findings are taken as additional evidence for the disassociation of memories supporting generalized motor program (GMP) performance, as indexed by relative timing, and parameter performance, as indexed by absolute timing.
Publisher: Human Kinetics
Date: 08-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-04-2015
DOI: 10.1007/S00221-015-4276-Y
Abstract: This study examined the effects of handedness on the inter-digit coordination of force variability with and without concurrent visual feedback during sustained precision pinch. Twenty-four right-handed subjects were instructed to pinch an instrumented apparatus with their dominant and non-dominant hands, separately. During the pinch, the subjects were required to maintain a stable force output at 5 N for 1 min. Visual feedback was given for the first 30 s and removed for the second 30 s. Coefficient of variation and detrended fluctuation analysis were employed to examine the amount and structural variability of the thumb and index finger forces. Similarly, correlation coefficient and detrended cross-correlation analysis were applied to quantify the inter-digit correlation of force amount and structural variability. Results showed that, compared to the non-dominant hand, the dominant hand had higher inter-digit difference in the amount of digit force variability. Without visual feedback, the dominant hand exhibited lower digit force structural variability but higher inter-digit force structural correlation than the non-dominant hand. These results implied that the dominant hand would be more independent, less flexible and with lower dynamic degrees of freedom than the non-dominant hand in coordination of the thumb and index finger forces during sustained precision pinch. The effects of handedness on inter-digit force coordination were dependent on sensory condition, which shed light on higher-level sensorimotor mechanisms that may be responsible for the asymmetries in coordination of digit force variability.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.ACTPSY.2018.09.003
Abstract: Motor sequence learning is considered the result of the outflow of information following cognitive control processes that are shared by other goal-directed behaviours. Emerging evidence suggests that focused-attention meditation (FAM) establishes states of enhanced cognitive control, that then exert top-down control biases in subsequent unrelated tasks. With respect to sequence learning, a single-session of FAM has been shown to entrain stimulus-dependent forms of sequential behaviour in meditation naïve in iduals. In the present experiment, we compared single-session effects of FAM and a computerised attention task (CAT) to test if FAM-induced enhanced top-down control is generally comparable to cognitive tasks that require focused attention. We also investigated if effort, arousal or pleasure associated with FAM, or CAT explained the influence of these tasks on sequence learning. Relative to a rest-only control condition, both FAM and CAT resulted in shorter reaction time (RT) in a serial reaction time task (SRTT), and this enhanced RT performance was associated with higher reliance on stimulus-based planning as opposed to sequence representation formation. However, following FAM, a greater rate of improvement in RT performance was observed in comparison to both CAT and control conditions. Neither effort, arousal nor pleasure associated with FAM or CAT explained SRTT performance. These findings were interpreted to suggest that the effect of FAM states on increased top-down control during sequence learning is based on the focused attention control feature of this meditation. FAM states might be associated with enhanced cognitive control to promote the development of more efficient stimulus-response processing in comparison to states induced by other attentional tasks.
Publisher: Medknow
Date: 2017
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 11-2016
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 23-08-2022
DOI: 10.3389/FSPOR.2022.907654
Abstract: Single-session meditation augmentation of sport-specific skill performance was tested with elite junior tennis athletes. Athletes completed one of two styles of mindfulness meditation (focused-attention or open-monitoring) or a control listening condition prior to performing an implicitly sequenced tennis serve return task involving the goal of hitting a target area placed on the service court. Unbeknownst to athletes, six distinct serves followed a repeating second-order conditional sequence for two task blocks before the sequence was altered in a third transfer block. Task performance was operationalized as serve return outcome and analyzed using beta regression modeling. Models analyzed group by block differences in the proportion of returned serves (i.e., non-aces), returns placed in the service court, and target hits. Contrary to previous laboratory findings, results did not support meditation-related augmentation of performance and/or sequence learning. In fact, compared to control, meditation may have impaired performance improvements and acquisition of serve sequence information. It is possible that the effects of single-session meditation seen in laboratory research may not extend to more complex motor tasks, at least in highly-trained adolescents completing a well-learned skill. Further research is required to elucidate the participant, task, and meditation-related characteristics that might promote single-session meditation performance enhancement.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-09-2016
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 27-05-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.05.27.445993
Abstract: The capacity to regulate one’s attention in accordance with fluctuating task demands and environmental contexts is an essential feature of adaptive behavior. Although the electrophysiological correlates of attentional processing have been extensively studied in the laboratory, relatively little is known about the way they unfold under more variable, ecologically-valid conditions. Accordingly, this study employed a ‘real-world’ EEG design to investigate how attentional processing varies under increasing cognitive, motor, and environmental demands. Forty-four participants were exposed to an auditory oddball task while (1) sitting in a quiet room inside the lab, (2) walking around a sports field, and (3) wayfinding across a university c us. In each condition, participants were instructed to either count or ignore oddball stimuli. While behavioral performance was similar across the lab and field conditions, oddball count accuracy was significantly reduced in the c us condition. Moreover, event-related potential components (mismatch negativity and P3) elicited in both ‘real-world’ settings differed significantly from those obtained under laboratory conditions. These findings demonstrate the impact of environmental factors on attentional processing during simultaneously-performed motor and cognitive tasks, highlighting the value of incorporating dynamic and unpredictable contexts within naturalistic designs.
Publisher: Society for Transparency, Openness, and Replication in Kinesiology
Date: 29-04-2022
DOI: 10.51224/SRXIV.146
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2023
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 27-12-2016
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 29-09-2021
Abstract: Post-training meditation has been shown to promote wakeful motor memory stabilization in experienced meditators. We investigated the effect of single-session mindfulness meditation on wakeful and sleep-dependent forms of implicit motor memory consolidation in mediation naïve adults. Immediately after implicit sequence training, participants (N = 20, 8 females, Mage = 23.9 years ± 3.3) completed either a 10-minute focused attention meditation (N = 10), aiming to direct and sustain attention to breathing, or a control listening task. They were then exposed to interference through novel sequence training. Trained sequence performance was tested following a 5-hour wakeful period and again after a 15-hour period, which included sleep. Bayesian inference was applied to group comparison of mean reaction time (MRT) changes across training, interference, wakeful and post-sleep time points. Relative to control conditions, post-training meditation reduced novel sequence interference (BF10 = 6.61) and improved wakeful motor memory consolidation (BF10 = 8.34). No group differences in sleep consolidation were evident (BF10 = 0.38). These findings illustrate that post-training mindfulness meditation expedites wakeful offline learning of an implicit motor sequence in meditation naïve adults. Interleaving mindfulness meditation between acquisition of a target motor sequence and exposure to an interfering motor sequence reduced proactive and retroactive inference. Post-training mindfulness meditation did not enhance nor inhibit sleep-dependent offline learning of a target implicit motor sequence. Previous meditation training is not required to obtain wakeful consolidation gains from post-training mindfulness meditation.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-06-2015
DOI: 10.3758/S13423-015-0887-3
Abstract: Motor sequence learning under high levels of contextual interference (CI) disrupts initial performance but supports delayed test and transfer performance when compared to learning under low CI. Integrating findings from early behavioral work and more recent experimental efforts that incorporated neurophysiologic measures led to a novel account of the role of CI during motor sequence learning. This account focuses on important contributions from two neural regions-the dorsal premotor area and the SMA complex-that are recruited earlier and more extensively during the planning of a motor sequence in a high CI context. It is proposed that activation of these regions is critical to early adaptation of sequence structure amenable to long-term storage. Moreover, greater CI enhances access to newly acquired motor sequence knowledge through (1) the emergence of temporary functional connectivity between neural sites previously described as crucial to successful long-term performance of sequential behaviors, and (2) heightened excitability of M1-a key constituent of the temporary coupled neural circuits, and the primary candidate for storage of motor memory.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-06-2017
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-017-02957-W
Abstract: Precursors of neurotransmitters are increasingly often investigated as potential, easily-accessible methods of neuromodulation. However, the amino-acid glutamine, precursor to the brain’s main excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters glutamate and GABA, remains notably little investigated. The current double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study provides first evidence 2.0 g glutamine administration in healthy adults affects response selection but not motor sequence learning in a serial reaction time task. Specifically, glutamine increased response selection errors when the current target response required a different hand than the directly preceding target response, which might indicate enhanced cortical excitability via a presumed increase in glutamate levels. These results suggest glutamine can alter cortical excitability but, despite the critical roles of glutamate and GABA in motor learning, at its current dose glutamine does not affect sequence learning.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 23-02-2015
Abstract: Proprioception is a vital aspect of motor control and when degraded or lost can have a profound impact on function in erse clinical populations. This systematic review aimed to identify clinically related tools to measure proprioceptive acuity, to classify the construct(s) underpinning the tools, and to report on the clinimetric properties of the tools. We searched key databases with the pertinent search terms, and from an initial list of 935 articles, we identified 57 of relevance. These articles described 32 different tools or methods to quantify proprioception. There was wide variation in methods, the joints able to be tested, and the populations s led. The predominant construct was active or passive joint position detection, followed by passive motion detection and motion direction discrimination. The clinimetric properties were mostly poorly evaluated or reported. The Rivermead Assessment of Somatosensory Perception was generally considered to be a valid and reliable tool but with low precision other tools with higher precision are potentially not clinically feasible. Clinicians and clinical researchers can use the summary tables to make more informed decisions about which tool to use to match their predominant requirements. Further discussion and research is needed to produce measures of proprioception that have improved validity and utility.
No related grants have been discovered for Maarten Immink.