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1
Bennett, Ethelle Jeanette. "Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: relations between psychosocial factors, symptoms and sensorimotor disturbances." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/410.
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Although a vast literature attests to the belief that psychosocial disturbance is an important component of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID), the relation of life stress, psychological distress and personality to the development of these disorders is poorly understood. The broad objective of this thesis is to provide data on relations between psychosocial factors and FGID, especially irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional dyspepsia (FD), in representative outpatient samples. Issues not previously addressed are examined in a series of studies. The first two studies are concerned with relations between psychosocial factors, extraintestinal (somatic) symptoms and the number and type of FGID syndromes present at consultation and, in IBS patients, the prospective relation of psychosocial factors to changes in symptom intensity over 16 months. The last three studies relate psychosocial factors to gastrointestinal (GI) transit, motor, and sensory function in FGID, abnormalities in these parameters representing the putative origin of symptoms in FGID. In total, 350 patients participated, representing a 95% participation rate. Important features of the methodology include the use of a recently standardised symptom-based classification system for FGID, an objective and reliable interview-based life stress instrument (The Life Events and Difficulties Schedule), and sophisticated and sensitive technologies to assess GI transit, motor and sensory function. Novel measures, which conceptually take into account the chronic, fluctuating and recurrent course of IBS and FD syndromes, and the tendency of these syndromes to coexist, are also included. Thus, measures of symptom outcome assess the number of syndromes present, while the symptom intensity variable reflects the severity and frequency of both FD and IBS symptoms, if both are present. Similarly, with respect to altered transit, and motor and sensory function, physiological outcome variables reflect not only the presence of an abnormality but the number of regions affected, and the type and number of abnormalities present. Cross-sectional findings showed for the first time that psychosocial disturbance is associated with FGID symptomatology in a quantitative manner, that chronic life stress threat is central to this process and this stress-related process is a prominent feature of a particular group of syndromes (ie IBS/FD) defined primarily by the presence of pain and discomfort. A combination of psychological, social and biological factors combined to predict the number of FGID syndromes present at entry into the study. Prominent among them was an angry, reactive and anxious (neurotic) personality, chronic life stress threat, increased coping, poor emotional support and increased age. In addition to a greater number of FD/IBS syndromes, individuals with an anger-reactive response style had experienced more intense pain and discomfort, and displayed more complete sensorimotor disturbance. Longitudinal data demonstrated (also for the first time) the strength, consistency and unequivocal direction of the relation of chronic threat to symptom intensity over time. Almost all of the within subject variance in symptom intensity levels (assessed on 3 occasions over a 16 month period) was explained by the severity of chronic threat during the previous 6 months or more. For 76% of IBS patients, the presence vs the absence of one or more highly threatening chronic stressors predicted with considerable precision, the long-term clinical outcome. Thus, no patient exposed to even one such stressor improved clinically (ie by at least 50%) over the follow-up period, while in contrast, all patients who improved clinically did so in the absence of such a stressor. For 24% of patients, however, failure to improve clinically could not be explained by any psychological, social (including life stress) or demographic factor included in this study. Key risk indicators of a poor outcome at 16 months were identified - chronic life stress threat, the severity of baseline GI symptomatology, and female gender. Life stress is important because it alone determined the magnitude and direction of change in symptom intensity over time, while the severity of baseline GI symptomatology revealed the extent of improvement required to achieve a recovery, and female gender predicted the presence of a larger number of FD/IBS syndromes in women long-term. Widespread hypomotility, which was almost exclusive to women in this study, represents one factor that may inhibit improvement (or rate of improvement) for women over time. Finally, these findings have identified a psychophysiological subgroup, with underlying psychosocial, motor (and perhaps also sensory) dysfunctions that are more specific for women than men, and which does not seem to be distinctive of any particular FGID subgroup.
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Bennett, Ethelle Jeanette. "Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: relations between psychosocial factors, symptoms and sensorimotor disturbances." University of Sydney. Psychological Medicine, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/410.
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Although a vast literature attests to the belief that psychosocial disturbance is an important component of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID), the relation of life stress, psychological distress and personality to the development of these disorders is poorly understood. The broad objective of this thesis is to provide data on relations between psychosocial factors and FGID, especially irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional dyspepsia (FD), in representative outpatient samples. Issues not previously addressed are examined in a series of studies. The first two studies are concerned with relations between psychosocial factors, extraintestinal (somatic) symptoms and the number and type of FGID syndromes present at consultation and, in IBS patients, the prospective relation of psychosocial factors to changes in symptom intensity over 16 months. The last three studies relate psychosocial factors to gastrointestinal (GI) transit, motor, and sensory function in FGID, abnormalities in these parameters representing the putative origin of symptoms in FGID. In total, 350 patients participated, representing a 95% participation rate. Important features of the methodology include the use of a recently standardised symptom-based classification system for FGID, an objective and reliable interview-based life stress instrument (The Life Events and Difficulties Schedule), and sophisticated and sensitive technologies to assess GI transit, motor and sensory function. Novel measures, which conceptually take into account the chronic, fluctuating and recurrent course of IBS and FD syndromes, and the tendency of these syndromes to coexist, are also included. Thus, measures of symptom outcome assess the number of syndromes present, while the symptom intensity variable reflects the severity and frequency of both FD and IBS symptoms, if both are present. Similarly, with respect to altered transit, and motor and sensory function, physiological outcome variables reflect not only the presence of an abnormality but the number of regions affected, and the type and number of abnormalities present. Cross-sectional findings showed for the first time that psychosocial disturbance is associated with FGID symptomatology in a quantitative manner, that chronic life stress threat is central to this process and this stress-related process is a prominent feature of a particular group of syndromes (ie IBS/FD) defined primarily by the presence of pain and discomfort. A combination of psychological, social and biological factors combined to predict the number of FGID syndromes present at entry into the study. Prominent among them was an angry, reactive and anxious (neurotic) personality, chronic life stress threat, increased coping, poor emotional support and increased age. In addition to a greater number of FD/IBS syndromes, individuals with an anger-reactive response style had experienced more intense pain and discomfort, and displayed more complete sensorimotor disturbance. Longitudinal data demonstrated (also for the first time) the strength, consistency and unequivocal direction of the relation of chronic threat to symptom intensity over time. Almost all of the within subject variance in symptom intensity levels (assessed on 3 occasions over a 16 month period) was explained by the severity of chronic threat during the previous 6 months or more. For 76% of IBS patients, the presence vs the absence of one or more highly threatening chronic stressors predicted with considerable precision, the long-term clinical outcome. Thus, no patient exposed to even one such stressor improved clinically (ie by at least 50%) over the follow-up period, while in contrast, all patients who improved clinically did so in the absence of such a stressor. For 24% of patients, however, failure to improve clinically could not be explained by any psychological, social (including life stress) or demographic factor included in this study. Key risk indicators of a poor outcome at 16 months were identified - chronic life stress threat, the severity of baseline GI symptomatology, and female gender. Life stress is important because it alone determined the magnitude and direction of change in symptom intensity over time, while the severity of baseline GI symptomatology revealed the extent of improvement required to achieve a recovery, and female gender predicted the presence of a larger number of FD/IBS syndromes in women long-term. Widespread hypomotility, which was almost exclusive to women in this study, represents one factor that may inhibit improvement (or rate of improvement) for women over time. Finally, these findings have identified a psychophysiological subgroup, with underlying psychosocial, motor (and perhaps also sensory) dysfunctions that are more specific for women than men, and which does not seem to be distinctive of any particular FGID subgroup.
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Haith, Adrian. "Computational models of motor adaptation under multiple classes of sensorimotor disturbance." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/3973.
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The human motor system exhibits remarkable adaptability, enabling us to maintain high levels of performance despite ever-changing requirements. There are many potential sources of error duringmovement to which the motor system may need to adapt: the properties of our bodies or tools may vary over time, either at a dynamic or a kinematic level; our senses may become miscalibrated over time and mislead us as to the state of our bodies or the true location of an intended goal; the relationship between sensory stimuli and movement goals may change. Despite these many varied ways in which our movements may be disturbed, existing models of human motor adaptation have tended to assume just a single adaptive component. In this thesis, I argue that the motor system maintains multiple components of adaptation, corresponding to the multiple potential sources of error to which we are exposed. I outline some of the shortcomings of existing adaptation models in scenarious where multiple kinds of disturbances may be present - in particular examining how different distal learning problems associated with different classes of disturbance can affect adaptation within alternative cerebellar-based learning architectures - and outline the computational challenges associated with extending these existing models. Focusing on the specific problem in which the potential disturbances are miscalibrations of vision and proprioception and changes in arm dynamics during reaching, a unified model of sensory and motor adaptation is derived based on the principle of Bayesian estimation of the disturbances given noisy observations. This model is able to account parsimoniously for previously reported patterns of sensory and motor adaptation during exposure to shifted visual feedback. However the model additionally makes the novel and surprising prediction that adaptation to a force field will also result in sensory adaptation. These predictions are confirmed experimentally. The success of the model strongly supports the idea that the motor system maintains multiple components of adaptation, which it updates according to the principles of Bayesian estimation.
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Shergold, Carol. "Sensory-motor coordination : adapting to disruptions." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.341079.
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Lee, Jihang. "Brain mechanisms underlying sensory motor adatations /." view abstract or download file of text, 2002. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/uoregon/fullcit?p3061954.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2002.Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 195-205). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.
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Catton, Kimberly Bernadine. "Aspects of sensory cues and propulsion in marine zooplankton hydrodynamic disturbances." Diss., Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/31697.
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Thesis (Ph.D)--Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010.Committee Chair: Dr. Donald Webster; Committee Co-Chair: Dr. Jeannette Yen; Committee Member: Dr. Philip Roberts; Committee Member: Dr. Terry Sturm; Committee Member: Dr. Thorsten Stoesser. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.
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Buason, Gunnar. "Competitive co-evolution of sensory-motor systems." Thesis, University of Skövde, Department of Computer Science, 2002. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:his:diva-733.
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A recent trend in evolutionary robotics and artificial life research is to maximize self-organization in the design of robotic systems, in particular using artificial evolutionary techniques, in order to reduce the human designer bias. This dissertation presents experiments in competitive co-evolutionary robotics that integrate and extend previous work on competitive co-evolution of neural robot controllers in a predator-prey scenario with work on the ‘co-evolution’ of robot morphology and control systems. The focus here is on a systematic investigation of tradeoffs and interdependencies between morphological parameters and behavioral strategies through a series of predator-prey experiments in which increasingly many aspects are subject to self-organization through competitive co-evolution. The results show that there is a strong interdependency between morphological parameters and behavioral strategies evolved, and that the competitive co-evolutionary process was able to find a balance between and within these two aspects. It is therefore concluded that competitive co-evolution has great potential as a method for the automatic design of robotic systems.
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Nousi, Sofia. "Sensory-motor control of head-neck musculature." Thesis, Imperial College London, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/32103.
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The neural connections between the vestibular, visual, proprioceptive and voluntary inputs are essential for the control of neck posture and movements. One mechanism how this is achieved is by vestibulo-spinal reflexes, such as vestibulo-collic reflex (VCR), and cervico-collic reflexes (CCR). The main role of these reflexes is to stabilize the head either in space or relative to the trunk, respectively. The VCR stabilises the head in space while the CCR tends to re-align the head on the trunk. These two reflexes can work synergistically or an-tagonistically according to context and movement goals. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the sensory-motor control of the sternocleidomastoid muscle and the nature of the functional interactions between the vestibular system and neck muscles in healthy participants and in patients with bilateral vestibular loss. Specifically, the experiments performed were designed to a) investigate how head control is organised in healthy subjects and b) to examine how this functional interaction is modulated in patients with vestibular dysfunction. Firstly, a novel head-restraint paradigm is used in order to attempt to isolate a neck stretch reflex in the SCM muscle. Using this paradigm, the activation of the vestibular system is minimised. This permits differentiation between vestibular and neck muscles reflexes. Forehead skull taps and tendon taps were used to differentiate between vestibular-mediated response and stretch responses and vestibularless patients were also included to aid with assessing the contribution of stretch reflexes to head control. Secondly, the sensory-motor organization of the induced responses by tendon tap was investigated following vestibular caloric stimulation to see if it was modulated by vestibular input. Finally, in order to assess cortical aspects of neck control the cortico-spinal excitability of the sternomastoid muscle have been assessed, with non-invasive brain stimulation (transcranial magnetic stimulation), and visual stimulation (rotating disc) in healthy participants. To be able to better understand visual processing of the latter (motion visual stimuli).In the final part of the thesis the effects of visual motion stimulation on the excitability of the visual cortex, both in areas V1 and V5 were investigated. Applying tendon taps of the left sterno-mastoid (SM) relatively long latencies (32msec) EMG responses have been recorded from the ipsilateral and contralateral SCM muscles in con-tracted and relaxed conditions in both healthy and bilateral vestibular failure subjects (BVF). These latencies (32ms) indicating a long loop, possibly via the cortex or subcortical struc-tures would suggest a long loop reflex. These long loop responses are not modulated applying caloric vestibular stimulation and suggest that although the vestibular system is activated, the neural pathway between the vestibular system and the motor cortex is not activated by the tap since this is purely a spinal reflex. In addition the physiological mechanisms of head neck control are significantly influenced by the visual cues. Visual-vestibular and proprioceptive loops are probably involved in head-neck sensory motor control.
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Melendez-Calderon, Alejandro. "Investigating sensory-motor interactions to shape rehabilitation." Thesis, Imperial College London, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/9236.
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Over the last decades, robotic devices for neurorehabilitation have been developed with the aim of providing better and faster improvement of motor performance. These devices are being used to help patients repeat movements and (re)learn different dynamic tasks. Over the years, these devices have become bigger and more complex, so as to provide the end user with a more realistic and sophisticated stimuli while still allowing the experimenter to have control over the interaction forces that can potentially shape the motor behaviour. However, experimental results have shown no clear advantage of these complex devices over simpler versions. In this context, this thesis investigates sensory-motor processes of human interaction, which can help us understand the main issues for rehabilitation devices and how to overcome the limitations of simple devices to train particular motor behaviours. Conventional neurorehabilitation of motor function relies on haptic interaction between the patient and physiotherapist. However, how humans deal with human-human interactions is largely unknown, and has been little studied. In this regard, experiments of the first section of the thesis investigate the mechanisms of interaction during human-human collaborative tasks. It goes from identifying the different strategies that dyads can take to proposing methods to measure and understand redundancy and synchrony in haptic interactions. It also shows that one can shape the interaction between partners by modifying only the visual information provided to each agent. Learning a novel skill requires integration of different sensory modalities, in particular vision and proprioception. Hence, one can expect that learning will depend on the mechanical characteristics of the device. For instance, a device with limited degrees of freedom will reduce the amount of information about the environment, modify the dynamics of the task and prevent certain error-based corrections. To investigate this, the second section of the thesis examines whether the lack of proprioceptive feedback that is created due to mechanical constraints or haptic guidance can be substituted with visual information. Psychophysical experiments with healthy subjects and some preliminary experiments with stroke patients presented in this thesis support the idea that by incorporating task-relevant visual feedback into simple devices, one could deliver effective neurorehabilitation protocols. The contributions of the thesis are not limited to the role of visual feedback to shape motor behaviour, but also advance our understanding on the mechanisms of learning and human-human interaction.
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Hoeber, Jan. "Neural progenitors for sensory and motor repair." Doctoral thesis, Uppsala universitet, Regenerativ neurobiologi, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-328590.
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Injury and neurodegenerative conditions of the spinal cord can lead to paralysis and loss of sensation. Cell therapeutic approaches can restore sensory innervation of the spinal cord following injury and protect spinal cord cells from degeneration. This thesis primarily focuses on the restoration of deaffarented sensory fibres following injury to the dorsal root and spinal cord. These injuries lead to the formation of a non-permissive glial scar that prevents sensory axons from reinnervating spinal cord targets. It takes advantage of a dorsal root injury model that closely mimics spinal root avulsion injuries occurring in humans. In the first part of the thesis, three different neural progenitor types from human or murine sources are tested for their regenerative properties following their transplantation to the site of dorsal root avulsion injury. In the second part, the ability of murine neural progenitors to protect spinal motor neurons from a neurodegenerative process is tested. In the first original research article, I show that human embryonic stem cell derived neural progenitors are able to restore sensorimotor functions, mediated by the formation of a tissue bridge that allows ingrowth of sensory axons into the spinal cord. In the second research article, I present that murine boundary cap neural crest stem cells, a special type of neural progenitor that governs the entry of sensory axons into the spinal cord during development, are unable to form a permissive tissue bridge. This is possibly caused by the contribution of transplant derived ingrowth non-permissive glial cells. In the third research article, I show that human neural progenitors derived from foetal sources are capable of stimulating sensory ingrowth and that they ameliorate the glial scar. When this approach is combined with the delivery of sensory outgrowth stimulating neurotrophic factors, these cells fail to form a permissive tissue bridge and fail to modify the glial scar. In the final research article, murine boundary cap neural crest stem cells are shown to protect motor neurons, which harbor an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis causing mutation, from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is a pathological component of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in human patients. Taken together, this thesis provides first evidence that sensory regeneration following a spinal root avulsion injury can be achieved by transplantation of human neural progenitors. In addition, it introduces murine boundary cap neural crest stem cells as interesting candidates for the cell therapeutic treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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Weerasinghe, Vajira Senaka. "Cortical somatotopy, sensory-motor interactions and adaptive changes of the human sensory cortex." Thesis, University of Southampton, 1996. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.296038.
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Small, Peter Kenneth. "Gastric and small intestinal motor disturbances during post-operative emesis." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/21535.
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Between 30 - 50% of patients undergoing surgery suffer from post-operative nausea and vomiting which may be associated with pulmonary aspiration, and fluid and electrolyte imbalance. This thesis has explored the upper gastrointestinal motor associated with nausea and vomiting in peri-operative patients. Specific objectives were: 1. Evaluation of motor disturbances in the upper gastrointestinal tract associated with emesis in the first 24 hours following surgery; 2. Development of a novel computerised method for recognition and measurement motor abnormalities associated with emesis; 3. Investigation of intragastric pH changes associated with bile shifts and bile vomiting; 4. Evaluation of the effects of specific antiemetic therapy and laparoscopic surgery on upper gastrointestinal dysmotility following cholecystectomy; and 5. Investigation of the contribution of opiate analgesia to symptoms and motor disturbances associated with post-operative vomiting. In a human model of emesis, we have shown the presence of small bowel phasic bursts which migrate in a retrograde fashion. These retrograde phasic bursts are significantly associated with vomiting episodes. Such motor abnormalities can be measured by a novel computer programme during prolonged ambulatory recordings. During the post-operative period gastric pH rises, possibly as a consequence of enterogastric flow of bile and subsequently falls when vomiting occurs. The potent 5HT3 receptor antagonist antiemetic, ondansetron, ameliorates post-operative nausea and vomiting symptoms and is associated with a reduction in retrograde activity in the small bowel. Morphine, when given to healthy volunteers, induced similar motor patterns to those observed during post-operative emesis. Emesis in volunteers was also associated with retrograde small bowel phasic activity. This motor response to opiates may contribute to post-operative nausea and vomiting.
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Decker, Scott L. "Confirmatory models of sensory/motor and cognitive constructs." Virtual Press, 2002. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1233197.
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This study examined the relationship between neuropsychological constructs of sensory-motor functioning and cognitive ability constructs in the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) (Carroll, 1993) theory. Two studies were conducted For the first study, the Dean-Woodcock Sensory Motor Battery (SMB) (Dean & Woodcock, 1999) was administered to 800 individuals. A factor analysis and a confirmatory factor analysis were used to investigate and develop a factor structure of the SMB. Results from this study suggest sensory and motor tests significantly share common variance and a hierarchical, multifactorial model that included a higher-order factor of both sensory and motor tests best fit the data. The second study examined the SMB model, developed in the first study, in relation to the CHC (Cattell-Horn-Carroll) model of cognitive abilities, as measured by the Woodcock-Johnson Revised Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ-R) (McGrew, Werder, & Woodcock, 1991). For this study, the SMB and the WJ-R was administered to 411 individuals. A confirmatory model was tested that included the higher-order factor of the SMB as a broad ability within the CHC model. Results from this analysis suggest the higher order factor of the SMB does have a significant relationship with overall measures of cognitive ability of a similar level to other broad abilities in the CHC model, and significantly improves the fit of CHC model. These results support Roberts, Pallier, and Goffs (1999) argument for the inclusion of an additional broad ability in the CHC taxonomy that represents sensory and motor functioning. Additionally, this study provides empirical support for the utility of including neuropsychological tests of sensory and motor functioning in a comprehensive assessment of cognitive abilities (Dean & Woodcock, 1999). The implications for neuropsychological and psychometric assessment are discussed.Department of Educational Psychology
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Woodward, Helen R. "Reliability of traditional neurological sensory and motor tests." Virtual Press, 1996. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1036814.
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Tests of sensory and motor function are widely used by clinicians and researchers in neurology, psychiatry, and neuropsychology. Less than perfect performance on many of these tests may be considered pathognomonic of central nervous system dysfunction. Unfortunately, differences across practitioners in specific test selection, administration procedures, and scoring criteria have resulted in inconsistencies which confound attempts to study the incidence and patterns of deficits (Adams & Victor, 1993; Glick, 1993). Although as a group psychologists favor standardized, quantitative instruments, the field has lacked a comprehensive, standardized sensory and motor battery. That psychologists have not developed such a battery may reflect the notion that pathognomonic signs are ambiguous and unstable (Buchanan & Heinrichs, 1989) and the fact that some traditional test development procedures are often inappropriate.For the Dean-Woodcock Sensory and Motor Battery, Dean and Woodcock (1994) selected measures representative of those included in the traditional neurological examination.Measures of subcortical function, unavailable in the major neuropsychological batteries, were included to allow differentiation with right hemisphere impairment.Using standard procedures for administration and scoring, this study gathered preliminary data regarding the incidence of pathognomonic signs in a normal adult population, identified items with difficulty levels likely to result in overidentification of abnormality, and estimated the interrater agreement and interrater reliability for items and tests most vulnerable to subjective interpretation. Data analysis reflected consideration of Franzen's (1989) argument that reliability can be better understood through use of multiple estimation strategies and Cicchetti's argument that data needs to be considered at "finer levels of molecular analysis" (p.621). In addition to investigating interrater agreement, this study applied generalizability theory which allows for simultaneous estimation of the relative proportion of variance contributed by multiple sources and their interactions.Results suggested adequate to excellent rater agreement and reliability (i.e., generalizability). Also, with minor modification of specific items, generalizability of items may be expected to increase. Future studies should sample from a more heterogenous general population and specific clinical populations.Department of Educational Leadership
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Willis, Andrew Richard. "Electrophysiological changes during sensory motor learning and performance." Thesis, University of Bristol, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.246267.
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Endo, Satoshi. "Sensory-motor control and adaptation in cooperative action." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2011. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/1506/.
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The objective of this thesis is to present how implicit, nonverbal cues support coordinated action between two people. A set of five experiments shows how people utilise sensory information about a partner in order to control goal-directed action involving synchronous vertical hand movement. Chapter 1 reviews recent developments in studies of interpersonal interaction and highlights control issues that are critical in cooperative action. In Chapter 2, an experimental study addresses the importance of haptic feedback about object dynamics for learning behavioural characteristics of another person who manipulated the same object from the other side. In Chapter 3, the contributions of feedback and feedforward control are assessed as the interaction of the task partners are experimentally controlled using a humanoid robot which serves the role of task partner. Chapter 4 proposes error-based learning as a model of cooperative action wherein subsequent motor response is regressed on current error in order to improve coordination between partners. Chapter 5 shows that adaptation rate of a participant is modulated with respect to the rate of the task partner so that the net adaptation of the two partners becomes optimal using a computer simulated task partner. In Chapter 6, this joint adaptation model is applied to continuous movement to demonstrate the generalisability of the model. The last chapter discusses the contribution of the empirical chapters and reviews the theoretical and methodological contribution of the thesis as a whole to the field of cognitive neuroscience. In conclusion, the thesis provides strong evidence that movement characteristics of a partner expressed both within and across trials determine the way a person engages in a joint task.
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Simmonds, Anna Jane. "Investigating the motor-sensory learning of foreign speech." Thesis, Imperial College London, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/10922.
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This thesis presents an investigation of bilingualism as a motor learning skill, with success ultimately measured in terms of strength of a foreign accent, in contrast to the many studies of bilingualism in terms of linguistic competence. My research used functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) imaging to investigate feedforward (motor) and feedback (auditory and somatosensory) systems involved in the production of foreign speech and how these systems are modulated by proficiency levels. I investigated the function of the frontal operculum and the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) – planum temporale (posterior auditory association cortex) and parietal operculum (somatosensory association cortex) – during speech. The frontal operculum, strongly lateralised to the left, has been associated with speech since Broca performed his classic post mortem lesion-deficit analysis. Interest in the TPJ has arisen because of recent publications proposing the posterior half of the left planum temporale (± adjacent parietal operculum) as a ‘sensorimotor interface’ for speech production. My research compared activity within the frontal operculum and the TPJ during overt and covert speech. A second fMRI study examined retrospective proficiency based on existing language skills in people with English as a foreign language who were scanned during speech production in their native language and in English. A third fMRI study manipulated proficiency by training monolingual native English participants in the production of foreign speech sounds, with scanning pre- and post-training. This allowed measures of changes in activity (indicating rapid plasticity) following a short period of behavioural training in articulating novel foreign speech sounds. Training effects were observed predominantly in the striatum, and further analyses indicated that striatal activity in vocal learning is modulated by proficiency.
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Maxwell, David J. "Sensory and motor neuronal networks of the spinal cord." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/29257.
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This body of work is focused upon neuronal networks of the spinal cord which are involved in processing of sensory information and generation of motor output. It includes a detailed account of the synaptic organisation, target neurons and neurotransmitter content of central terminals of various classes of cutaneous and proprioceptive primary afferent axons. It shows that presynaptic boutons at axoaxonic synapses, which regulate primary afferent transmission, contain GABA but that other transmitters such as glycine, neuropeptide Y and acetylcholine may be co-localised in these structures. The principal conclusion is that certain subtypes of presynaptic inhibitory interneurons target the terminals of specific types of primary afferent fibres but the majority of these neurons do not form ‘pure’ presynaptic inhibitory systems because many of them also mediate postsynaptic inhibition. A further series of investigations provides a detailed analysis of the organisation of monoaminergic axon terminals and the receptors that they act upon. This work supports the existence of two parallel modes of action for monoamines in the cord; a diffuse (non-synaptic or paracrine) system and a specific system which acts through direct synaptic actions on particular target neurons. Serotonin, for example, acts as a general modulator but also regulates transmission in some pathways selectively. Amongst the cells that are targeted selectively, are interneurons in reflex pathways and a class of projection neuron which receives monosynaptic input from nociceptive primary afferent axons. More recently, the focus has been on the organization and neurochemical properties of spinal interneurons. A detailed analysis of interneurons has shown that there is a clear relationship between the action of a given interneuron (i.e. whether it is inhibitory or excitatory), its axonal projections and the classes of cell that it targets.
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Guerra, Filho Gutemberg Bezerra. "A sensory-motor linguistic framework for human activity understanding." College Park, Md. : University of Maryland, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1903/7211.
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Thesis (Ph. D.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2007.Thesis research directed by: Computer Science. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.
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Vaux, Fleeta R. "Predicting depression using the Dean-Woodcock Sensory Motor Battery." CardinalScholar 1.0, 2009. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1536756.
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Furlong, Paul L. "Functional localisation of human sensory-motor cortex using magnetoencephalography." Thesis, Aston University, 1998. http://publications.aston.ac.uk/12322/.
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The 19 channel Neuromagnetometer system in the Clinical Neurophysiology Unit at Aston University is a multi-channel system, unique in the United Kingdom. A bite bar head localisation and MRI co-registration strategy which enabled accurate and reproducible localisation of MEG data into cortical space was developed. This afforded the opportunity to study magnetic fields of the human cortex generated by stimulation of peripheral nerve, by stimulation of visceral sensory receptors and by those evoked through voluntary finger movement. Initially, a study of sensory-motor evoked data was performed in a healthy control population. The techniques developed were then applied to patients who were to undergo neurosurgical intervention for the treatment of epilepsy and I or space occupying lesions. This enabled both validation of the effective accuracy of source localisation using MEG as well as to determine the clinical value of MEG in presurgical assessment of functional localisation in human cortex. The studies in this thesis have demonstrated that MEG can repeatedly and reliably locate sources contained within a single gyrus and thus potentially differentiate between disparate gyral activation. This ability is critical in the clinical application of any functional imaging technique; which is yet to be fully validated by any other 'non-invasive' functional imaging methodology. The technique was also applied to the study of visceral sensory representation in the cortex which yielded important data about the multiple cortical representation of visceral sensory function.
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Torres, Elizabeth B. "Theoretical framework for the study of sensory-motor integration /." Diss., Connect to a 24 p. preview or request complete full text in PDF format. Access restricted to UC campuses, 2001. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/ucsd/fullcit?p3025932.
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Titus, Jeffery B. "The prediction of cognitive ability from sensory/motor performance : examining the role of sensory/motor performance in the Dean-Woodcock Cognitive Neuropsychology Model." Virtual Press, 2002. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1239213.
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The present study investigated the relationship between sensory/motor skills and cognitive abilities in psychiatric and neurologically impaired patients to determine how sensory/motor skills are associated with cognitive abilities. Previous research has demonstrated a significant relationship between performance on sensory/motor tasks and cognition but has failed to examine how well sensory/motor skills can predict specific cognitive performance. Because brain functioning is hierarchical with simpler processes being foundational to the development of more complex functions, it is likely sensory/motor skills can aid in the prediction of specific cognitive abilities. If this is true, then investigation of the relationship between sensory/motor performance and cognition should provide insight into the role of sensory/motor skills in the Dean-Woodcock Cognitive Neuropsychology Model.This study examined the relationship between scores on the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability - Revised (WJ-R COG) and scores on the Dean-Woodcock Sensory and Motor Battery (D-WSMB). Participants included 458 patients referred for neuropsychological consultation with neurological and/or psychiatric diagnoses. Results indicated a significant correlation among cognitive scores and sensory/motor scores. Moreover, factor analysis revealed 7 overall factors that account for approximately 65% of the variance. These factors were identified as being thinking ability and processing speed, subcortical functioning, verbal working memory, peripheral processes, tactile kinesthetic thinking (Gtk), visual processing, and simple sensory/motor.Integration of sensory/motor factors into the Dean-Woodcock Cognitive Neuropsychology Model revealed the significant role sensory/motor performance plays in predicting higher-order cognitive abilities. From the analysis it appeared that certain sensory/motor functions were significant contributors to the prediction of specific cognitive abilities. That is, subcortical functioning aided in the prediction of all measured areas of cognition; visual processing contributed to visual-spatial thinking, novel reasoning, and crystallized knowledge; tactile-kinesthetic thinking helped predict visual-spatial thinking, auditory processing, and crystallized knowledge; and simple sensory/motor functioning aided in the explanation of long-term storage-retrieval.These results offer a beginning point for further investigation into the relationship between specific sensory/motor skills and cognitive abilities. Research in this area can provide further insight into the functional organization of the brain and offer application to cognitive outcome in rehabilitation as well as preschool screening.Department of Educational Psychology
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Fasthén, Patrick. "The Virtual Self : Sensory-Motor Plasticity of Virtual Body-Ownership." Thesis, Högskolan i Skövde, Institutionen för biovetenskap, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:his:diva-10501.
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The distinction between the sense of body-ownership and the sense of agency has attracted considerable empirical and theoretical interest lately. However, the respective contributions of multisensory and sensorimotor integration to these two varieties of body experience are still the subject of ongoing research. In this study, I examine the various methodological problems encountered in the empirical study of body-ownership and agency with the use of novel immersive virtual environment technology to investigate the interplay between sensory and motor information. More specifically, the focus is on testing the relative contributions and possible interactions of visual-tactile and visual-motor contingencies implemented under the same experimental protocol. The effect of this is supported by physiological measurements obtained from skin conductance responses and heart rate. The findings outline a relatively simple method for identifying the necessary and sufficient conditions for the experience of body-ownership and agency, as studied with immersive virtual environment technology.
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Doucet, Cynthia. "On the biological bases of extraversion, sensory and motor considerations." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1999. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape10/PQDD_0012/NQ38781.pdf.
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Hebbard, Geoffrey Stuart. "Proximal gastric motor and sensory function in health and disease /." Title page, contents and summary only, 1997. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phh443.pdf.
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Vahdat, Shahabeddin. "Training-induced plasticity in resting-state sensory and motor networks." Thesis, McGill University, 2013. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=114465.
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Research on plasticity in motor systems has for the most part developed separately from work on sensory plasticity, as if training-induced changes to the brain affected each of these systems in isolation. The aim of this thesis is to explore the association between the sensory and motor systems when a new skill is acquired. The experiments reported in this dissertation systematically examine two hypotheses about neuroplasticity: (i) that motor learning changes perceptual function and the function of somatosensory areas of the brain, and (ii) that somatosensory training changes both motor function and motor areas of the brain. The first study aimed at providing a unified approach to test the first hypothesis. We combined both psychophysical and neuroimaging procedures to examine the connection between changes in the behavior and brain as a result of motor learning. We used a dynamics adaptation task as a model of motor learning in conjunction with somatosensory discrimination of the limb's movement direction which permits quantification of perceptual changes that occurs in conjunction with motor learning. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to calculate measures of functional connectivity during resting-state periods following learning. This technique allowed us to study longer lasting plasticity in the sensorimotor system, during the period in which the motor memory is being consolidated. We developed a new hypothesis-driven technique which enables us to incorporate psychophysical measures in functional connectivity analysis to identify behaviorally-related neuroplasticity as a result of learning. Using this technique, we identified a new network in motor learning involving second somatosensory cortex, ventral premotor cortex and supplementary motor area whose activation is specifically related to perceptual changes that occur in conjunction with motor learning. Subjects who showed greater change in functional connectivity within this network, also showed a greater change in perceptual function. In study two, we proposed and implemented a new analytic data-driven method based on independent component analysis (ICA), which enabled us to systematically extract and classify shared and condition-specific networks corresponding to the pre-learning and post-learning conditions. The proposed algorithm was specifically designed to solve the problems of the regular ICA approach in conducting between-condition comparisons. Using this method we identified a specific network corresponding to the post-learning condition comprising clusters in contralateral superior parietal lobule, second somatosensory cortex, premotor cortex, and supplementary motor area. The third study was aimed at testing the second hypothesis described above. Using similar procedures and techniques to those used in the first study, we found that somatosensory discrimination training combined with periods of passive movement as short as 45 minutes increased functional connectivity between sensory and motor areas of the brain and, importantly, in motor areas alone. In behavioral terms, somatosensory training facilitates motor learning. Improvements were seen in both the rate and extent of learning and they persisted for at least one day. Sensory repetition without perceptual learning was less able to induce plasticity in the motor system. This suggests that somatosensory training can induce reorganization in the motor system and benefits from cognitive involvement and skill acquisition in the sensory domain. Overall, our studies point to a unified model of sensorimotor plasticity in which the effects of learning are not local to either sensory or motor systems, but rather each has effects that spread into functionally related areas of the brain beyond the base modality.La recherche sur la plasticité dans les systèmes moteurs a été développée en grande partie séparément des travaux sur la plasticité sensorielle, comme si des changements au cerveau apportés par l'apprentissage affectaient chacun de ces systèmes séparément. Le but de cette these est d'explorer le lien entre le système sensoriel et le système moteur lorsqu'une nouvelle aptitude est acquise. Les expériences rapportées dans cette dissertation examinant systématiquement deux hypothèses sur la neuroplasticité: (i) l'apprentissage moteur modifie le fonction perceptuelle, ainsi que la fonction des régions somesthésiques du cerveau, et (ii) que l'apprentissage somestésique modifie les fonctions motrices et des régions motrices du cerveau.La première étude vise à donner une approche unifiée pour tester la première hypothèse. Nous avons combiné des procédures psychophysiques et de neuroimagerie pour observer le lien entre les changements de comportement et ceux au niveau du cerveau suite à de l'apprentissage moteur. Nous avons utilisé une tâche d'adaptation dynamique comme modèle d'apprentissage moteur ainsi que de la discrimination somesthésique de la direction de mouvement du membre, ce qui permet la quantification des changements perceptuels qui se produisent suite à l'apprentissage moteur. Nous avons utilisé l'imagerie par resonance magnétique fonctionnelle (IRMf) pour calculer des measures de connectivité fonctionnelle lors de péridoes de repos suivant l'apprentissage. Cette technique nous a permis d'étudier la plasticité de plus longue durée dans le système sensori-moteur, lors de la période pendant laquelle la mémoire motrice est en train de se consolider. Nous avons développé une nouvelle technique fondée à partir d'hypothèses qui nous permet d'inclure des mesures psychophysiques dans l'analyse de connectivité fonctionnelle pour identifier la neuroplasticité liée au comportement comme résultat de l'apprentissage. En utilisant cette technique, nous avons identifié un nouveau réseaux d'apprentissage moteur impliquant le deuxième cortex somesthésique, le cortex prémoteur ventral et une région motrice supplémentaire dont l'activation est spécifiquement reliée aux changements perceptuels qui se produisent suite à l'apprentissage moteur. Les sujets qui démontraient de plus grands changements de connectivité fonctionnelle démontraient aussi un plus grand changement au niveau de la fonction perceptuelle. Dans la deuxième étude, nous avons proposé et implémenté une nouvelle méthode analytique fondée sur des données et basée sur l'analyse en composantes indépendantes (ACI), ce qui nous a permis de systématiquement extraire et classer des réseaux partagés et spécifiques à la condition correspondant aux conditions avant et après l'apprentissage. La troisième étude visait à tester la deuxième hypothèse décrite ci-dessus. En utilisant des procédures et des techniques similaires à celles utilisées dans la première étude, nous avons trouvé que l'apprentissage somesthésique discriminatoire, combiné avec des périodes de mouvements passifs pouvant duré seulement 45 minutes, augmentait la connectivité fonctionnelle entre les régions sensorielles et motrices du cerveau, et, notamment, dans des régions motrices. En termes comportementaux, l'entrainement somesthésique facilite l'apprentissage moteur. Des ameliorations ont été constatées au niveau du taux et de l'étendue de l'apprentissage, et elles demeuraient pour au moins une journée. La repetition sensorielle sans apprentissage perceptuel était moins apte à induire de la plasticité dans le système moteur. En général, nos études mènent vers un modèle unifié de plasticité sensori-moteur dans laquelle les effets de l'apprentissage ne sont pas spécifiques aux systèmes moteurs ou sensoriels, mais chacun des systèmes a des effets qui s'étendent dans des régions du cerveau fonctionnellement reliées, au-delà de la modalité de base.
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Volpe, Alessandra G. "Predicting neurological impairment with the Dean-Woodcock Sensory Motor Battery." Virtual Press, 2004. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1292040.
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An integral part of neuropsychological assessment is the measurement of sensory-motor performance. Many studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of neuropsychological batteries to assess neurological impairment, however examination of only the sensory-motor portion of those measures has been limited. Investigations of tests of sensory and motor functions have often limited their analysis to single tests. The present study assessed the ability of the Dean-Woodcock Sensory Motor Battery (DWSMB), part of a new neuropsychological measure, the Dean-Woodcock Neuropsychological Battery (DWNB), to distinguish between normal subjects and neurologically impaired individuals as diagnosed by a neurologist. Scores from the subtests of the DWSMB from an existing data set for 250 normal and 250 neurologically impaired individuals were randomly assigned to two equal groups to allow for cross validation. Results indicated that the DWSMB was able to correctly identify 92.8% of the cases, identifying 94.4% of the normal population and 91.2% of the neurologically impaired subjects. An additional discriminant analysis was conducted to establish the accuracy of the DWSMB to identify individual diagnoses within neurologically impaired and normal subjects. The DWSMB correctly identified the following cases: 44.9% cardio-vascular accidents, 66.7% multiple sclerosis, 40% seizures, 42% traumatic brain injuries, 62.7% dementia, and 54.5% Parkinson's disease. Results indicated the usefulness of the DWSMB in identifying neurological damage and specific diagnoses in a relatively quick assessment. The utility of the DWSMB and the use of standardized administration procedures, behavioral information for evaluation, and measures of subcortical functions was discussed in light of future research. The potential use of the DWSMB in clinical and educational settings was also considered.Department of Educational Psychology
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Arceneaux, Janet Marie. "Developmental and gender differences in neurological sensory and motor functioning." Virtual Press, 1995. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1001177.
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The purpose of the study was to determine if developmental differences existed between two age groups of children on a standardized measure of sensory and motor functions. Gender differences were also examined, as well as the gender-age interaction.Subjects were 119 normal children (55 males and 64 females). Classification of subjects into one of the two groups was based on age. Group 1 subjects ranged in age from 48 through 95 months (4 through 7 years), and Group 2 subjects ranged from 96 months ranged 167 months (8 through 13 years).The multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated a significant main effect for age. The main effect for gender, and the age by gender interaction was not significant. A univariate analysis of variance was computed for age on each measure and indicated that only Visual Confrontation was not significant. Implications of these findings are discussed.Department of Educational Psychology
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Dati, Gabriele. "A transgenic mouse model of hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy." Thesis, Open University, 2009. http://oro.open.ac.uk/54643/.
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Congenital Hypomyelination (CH) is the most severe demyelinating form of Hereditary Motor and Sensory Neuropathies and manifests at birth in human. Some subtypes of CH are due to dommant mutations in the gene coding for PO glycoprotein, which fiinctions as a homophilic adhesion protein, responsible for compaction of opposing myelin lamellae. By homologous recombination in ES cells, we have generated a mouse containing a nonsense mutation m the intracellular portion of PO (Q215X) that, in the heterozygous state, is associated with CH neuropathy in humans.
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Blakemore, Sarah-Jayne. "Recognising the sensory consequences of one's own actions." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.324633.
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Higashimori, Haruki. "Systemic inductive mechanism of burn-induced peripheral motor and sensory neuropathy /." For electronic version search Digital dissertations database. Restricted to UC campuses. Access is free to UC campus dissertations, 2004. http://uclibs.org/PID/11984.
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Domellöf, Erik. "Development of functional asymmetries in young infants : a sensory-motor approach /." Umeå : Department of Psychology, Umeå University, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-751.
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Thiel, Angela Grace. "Paired associative stimulation of the human motor cortex affects sensory acuity /." Title page and abstract only, 2004. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09HS/09hst431.pdf.
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Benn, Susanna Clare. "Neuroprotection by heat shock protein 27 in sensory and motor neurons." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.271424.
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Cheung, Vincent Chi-Kwan. "Sensory modulation of muscle synergies for motor adaptation during natural behaviors." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/38519.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, 2007.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 162-170).
To achieve any motor behavior, the central nervous system (CNS) must coordinate the many degrees of freedom in the musculoskeletal apparatus. It has been suggested that the CNS simplifies this formidable task of coordination by grouping multiple muscles together into units of activation, or muscle synergies. Previous studies have shown that electromyogram (EMG) signals collected from many muscles during natural behaviors can be reconstructed by linearly combining a few synergies, identified by the non-negative matrix factorization algorithm. But to what extent synergies are neural constraints, or merely structures reflecting experimental constraints, has remained an open question. I address this question with the hypothesis that, muscle synergies are robust neural patterns constraining motor outputs. The strategy adopted was that of analyzing EMGs collected before and after delivery of a perturbation to the motor system. In my first experiment, EMGs from bullfrog muscles were recorded during locomotor behaviors before and after deafferentation. Systematic comparison of intact and deafferented synergies suggests that most of the synergies remained unchanged after afferent removal.
(cont.) In my second experiment, the frog hindlimb was perturbed by either an inertial load or an elastic load. Using a novel algorithm capable of simultaneously extracting shared and specific synergies, I demonstrate that, most synergies were shared between the different conditions, but their activation patterns were reversibly altered by loading. Overall, my results suggest that muscle synergies are robust, centrally organized structures, and descending and afferent signals cooperate in modulating their activations so that the resulting motor commands can be efficiently adapted to the external environment.
by Vincent Chi-Kwan Cheung.
Ph.D.
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Domellöf, Erik. "Development of functional asymmetries in young infants : A sensory-motor approach." Doctoral thesis, Umeå universitet, Institutionen för psykologi, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-751.
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Human functional laterality, typically involving a right-sided preference in most sensory-motor activities, is still a poorly understood issue. This is perhaps particularly true in terms of what underlying mechanisms that may govern lateral biases, as well as the developmental origins and course of events. The present thesis aims at investigating functional asymmetries in the upper and lower body movements of young human infants. In Study I, the presence of side biases in the stepping and placing responses and head turning in healthy fullterm newborns were explored. No evident lateral bias for the leg responses in terms of the first foot moved or direction of head turning was found. However, a lateral bias was revealed for onset latency in relation to the first foot moved in both stepping and placing. Asymmetries in head turning did not correspond to asymmetries in leg movements. In Study II, functional asymmetries in the stepping response of newborn infants were investigated in more detail by means of 3-D kinematic movement registration. Evident side differences were found in relation to smoother movement trajectories of the right leg by means of less movement segmentation compared to the left leg. Side differences were also found in relation to intralimb coordination in terms of stronger ankle-knee couplings and smaller phase shifts in the right leg than the left. In Study III, using the same movement registration technique, the kinematics of left and right arm movements during goal-directed reaching in infants were prospectively studied over the ages 6, 9, 12, and 36 months. Main findings included side differences and developmental trends related to the segmentation of the reaching movements and the reaching trajectory, as well as the distribution of arm-hand-use frequency. The results from Study I and II are discussed in relation to underlying neural mechanisms for lateral biases in leg movements and the important role of a thorough methodology in investigating newborn responses. Findings from Study III are discussed in terms of what they imply about the developmental origins for hand preference. An emphasis is also put on developmental differences between fullterm and preterm infants. Overall, the studies of the present thesis show that an increased understanding of subtle expressions of early functional asymmetries in the upper and lower body movements of young infants may be gained by means of refined measurements. Furthermore, such knowledge may provide an insight into the underlying neural mechanisms subserving asymmetries in the movements of young infants. The present studies also add new information to the current understanding of the development of human lateralized functions, in particular the findings derived from the longitudinal data. Apart from theoretical implications, the present thesis also involves a discussion with regard to the clinical relevance of investigating functional asymmetries in the movements of young infants.
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De, Haan Ann I. "The effects of a sensory motor development programme on selected variables of school readiness." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/50147.
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Thesis (MScSportSc)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether a sensory motor development programme could have an effect on some of the underlying physical and perceptual abilities that support school readiness. The control group consisted of 23 children and the two intervention groups of 79 children in total. All of the children were enrolled in a pre-primary school programme in a local community. They were all six years old by the end of the intervention. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (Henderson & Sugden, 1992) was used to assess the children on their manual dexterity, eye-hand coordination, static balance and dynamic balance. The intervention programme consisted of two phases of 10 weeks each, during which the sensory motor development activities were presented to the two intervention groups. Results of the investigation revealed there were significant improvements for some of the children on selected variables that underlie school readiness. It can be concluded that participation in a sensory motor development programme can make a significant contribution to school readiness for many children.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie ondersoek was om te bepaal of 'n sensories-motoriese ontwikkelingsprogram enige uitwerking op bepaalde onderliggende fisiese en perseptuele vermoëns wat tot skoolgereedheid by jong kinders bydra, sou kon hê. Die kontrolegroep het uit drie-en-twintig kinders bestaan. Die twee tussentredende groepe het altesaam uit nege-en-sewentig kinders bestaan. Die kinders was almal pre-primêre skoolprogramleerders vanuit 'n plaaslike gemeenskap. Teen die einde van die intrede het al die betrokke kinders sesjarige ouderdom bereik. Movement Assessment Battery for Children (Hendersen & Sugden, 1992) is as riglyn gebruik om die kinders se handvaardigheid, oog-hand-koërdinasie, statiese en dinamiese balans te evalueer. Die tussentredeprogram het bestaan uit twee fases van tien weke elk. Die sensoriese-motoriese ontwikkelingsaktiwiteite is terselfdertyd vir die twee tussentredegroepe aangebied. Die resultate van die ondersoek het beduidende vordering in sommige kinders getoon, spesifiek ten opsigte van bepaalde veranderlikes onderliggend aan skoolgereedheid. Hierdie bevinding dui daarop dat sodanige deelname in 'n sensories-motoriese ontwikkelingsprogram wel 'n betekenisvolle bydrae tot die ontwikkeling van skoolgereedheid in baie kinders kan maak.
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Johansson, Jonas, and Daniel Petersson. "Torque Sensor Free Power Assisted Wheelchair." Thesis, Halmstad University, School of Information Science, Computer and Electrical Engineering (IDE), 2007. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-656.
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A power assisted wheelchair combines human power, which is delivered by the arms through the pushrims, with electrical motors, which are powered by a battery. Today’s electric power assisted wheelchairs use force sensors to measure the torque exerted on the pushrims by the user. The force sensors in the pushrims are rather expensive and this approach also makes the wheels a little bit clumsy. The objective with this project is to find a new, better and cheaper solution that does not use expensive force sensors in the pushrims. The new power assisted wheelchair will instead only rely on its velocity, which is measured with rotational encoders, as feedback signal and thereby the project name “Torque Sensor Free Power Assisted Wheelchair”.
The project consisted of two main parts; an extensive construction part, where an ordinary joystick controlled motorized wheelchair has been rebuild to the new power assisted wheelchair without torque sensors and a development part, where different torque sensor free controllers has been designed, simulated, programmed and tested.
The project resulted in a torque sensor free power assisted wheelchair, where the final implemented design is a proportional derivative controller, which gives a very good assisting system that is robust and insensitive to measurement noise. The proportional derivative control design gives two adjustable parameters, which can be tuned to fit a certain user; one parameter is used to adjust the amplification of the user’s force and the other one is used to change the lasting time of the propulsion influence.
Since the new assisting control system only relies on the velocity, the torque sensor free power assisted wheelchair will besides giving the user assisting power also give an assistant, which pushes the wheelchair, additional power. This is a big advantage compared to the pushrim activated one, where this benefit for the assistant is not possible.
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Franke, Timothy Joseph. "Identification and Cancellation of Harmonic Disturbances in Radio Telescopes." Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies / OhioLINK, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1427897871.
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Kar, Satyabrata. "Studies on neuropeptides in the nervous system with emphasis on their distribution on sensory and motor pathways in normal and experimental animal models of sensory and motor dysfunction." Thesis, Imperial College London, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/46381.
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Sterling, Michele. "Motor, sensory and psychological impairments following whiplash injury : development and predictive function /." St. Lucia, Qld, 2003. http://www.library.uq.edu.au/pdfserve.php?image=thesisabs/absthe17379.pdf.
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Misra, Navendu. "Comparison of motor-based versus visual sensory representations in object recognition tasks." Texas A&M University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/2544.
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Various works have demonstrated the usage of action as a critical component in allowing
autonomous agents to learn about objects in the environment. The importance
of memory becomes evident when these agents try to learn about complex objects.
This necessity primarily stems from the fact that simpler agents behave reactively to
stimuli in their attempt to learn about the nature of the object. However, complex
objects have the property of giving rise to temporally varying sensory data as the
agent interacts with the object. Therefore, reactive behavior becomes a hindrance in
learning these complex objects, thus, prompting the need for memory.
A straightforward approach to memory, visual memory, is where sensory data is
directly represented. Another mechanism is skill-based memory or habit formation.
In the latter mechanism the sequence of actions performed for a task is retained. The
main hypothesis of this thesis is that since action seems to play an important role in
simple perceptual understanding it may also serve as a good memory representation.
In order to test this hypothesis a series of comparative tests were carried out to
determine the merits of each of these representations. It turns out that skill memory
performs significantly better at recognition tasks than visual memory. Furthermore,
it was demonstrated in a related experiment that action forms a good intermediate
representation of the sensory data. This provides support to theories that propose
that various sensory modalities can ideally be represented in terms of action. This
thesis successfully extends action to the role of understanding of complex objects.
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Hofstetter, Christoph. "Cell therapy for spinal cord injury, studies of motor and sensory systems /." Stockholm, 2005. http://diss.kib.ki.se/2005/91-7140-382-5/.
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Roy, Jefferson Edward. "Signal processing by vestibular nuclei neurons : dissociating sensory, motor, and cognitive influences." Thesis, McGill University, 2002. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=84430.
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The vestibular sensory apparatus and associated vestibular nuclei are generally thought to encode angular head velocity during our daily activities. However, in addition to direct inputs from vestibular afferents, the vestibular nuclei receive substantial projections from cortical, cerebellar, and other brainstem structures. Given this diversity of inputs we asked: how are the responses of vestibular nuclei neurons to head velocity modified by these additional inputs during naturally occurring behaviours? Here we have focused on three specific classes of neurons in the vestibular nuclei: (1) vestibular-only (VO) neurons which are thought to mediate, at least in part, the vestibulocollic reflex (VCR); (2) position-vestibular-pause (PVP) neurons which mediate the vestibuloocular reflex (VOR), and; (3) eye-head (EH) neurons, which are thought to mediate pursuit eye movements.We first characterized neuronal responses to passive rotation in the head-restrained condition, and then released the head to record the discharges of the same neurons during self-generated head movements. VCR interneurons (VO neurons) faithfully transmitted head velocity signals during passive head motion, but their responses were greatly attenuated during all behaviours during which the monkey's behavioral goal was to move its head relative to the body. Moreover, the attenuation occurs only when neck proprioceptive inputs match those predicted by the neck motor command. We propose that the sensory-motor matching is meditated by interconnections with the cerebellum. Our findings indicate that the VCR is suppressed during active head movements, but remains responsive to unexpected head perturbations. In contrast, VOR interneurons (PVP neurons) faithfully transmitted head velocity signals when the animal stabilized its gaze, regardless of whether the head motion was actively or passively generated; their responses were attenuated only when the monkey's behavioral goal was to redirect its axis of gaze relative to space. We propose that efference copies of oculomotor/gaze commands are responsible for the behaviourally dependent modulation of PVP neurons (and by extension the VOR) during gaze redirection. Finally, the activity of EH neurons was recorded during head-restrained smooth pursuit and eye-head gaze pursuit. EH neurons were not influenced by error terms and their activity was best described by an eye movement-based model. In addition, during gaze pursuit EH neurons were found to encode gaze and head movement-related signals. Furthermore, neuron responses could be predicted by their head movement sensitivity during passive whole-body rotation in the dark and gaze movement sensitivity during smooth pursuit, regardless of the stimulation condition. We propose that EH neuron responses reflect the summation of head movement information fro
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Budenz-Anders, Judey. "Predicting closed head injury status with the Dean-Woodcock Sensory Motor Battery." Virtual Press, 2006. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1336626.
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The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of the Dean-Woodcock Sensory Motor Battery (DWSMB) as a diagnostic tool for identifying individuals with and without closed-head injury, comparing the predictive power of a two- and three-factor representation (DWSMB; Dean & Woodcock, 2003). The current study's major research questions focused on the predictive utility of the structure of the DWSMB. The simplified two-factor model (Total Sensory and Total Motor), based on the DWSMB manual (Dean & Woodcock), was compared to a three-factor theoretical model (Basic Sensory, Higher Sensory and Motor Functions) (R.S.Dean, personal communication, March 29, 2006) for this study. Logistic Regression was used to analyze the data. Results from this study demonstrate that when using the two-factor solution, the overall correct prediction of group membership was 73.8 % (59.4% for CHI and 85.2% for normals). The Total Motor Impairment variable was the only meaningful predictor. The results from the three-factor solution show an 84.2 % overall correct prediction rate (71.4 % for CHI and 95.1 % for normals). The significant contributors for identifying CHI when using the three-factor model included Basic Sensory and Motor Functions. Everything favors the three-factor model as being more precise. All indicators of prediction accuracy and goodness of fit favored the three-factor model. Based on these results, the DWSMB was determined to be a good screening instrument for identifying children in school contexts who should be referred for a neuropsychological examination to confirm pre-existing CHI that interfere with school functioning.Department of Educational Psychology
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Hall, John J. "Predicting closed head injury using a standardized measure of sensory-motor functioning." Virtual Press, 2007. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1395459.
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The main purpose of the present study was to identify sensory-motor deficits caused by closed head injury (CHI) when individuals with CHI are compared to a normal sample. The study also investigated lower-level sensory-motor functioning, such as gait, balance, and coordination and its relation to neurological impairment related to CHI. Additionally, the study determined if age significantly influenced sensory-motor functioning.Archival data was utilized to complete the study. Data was collected from a large, Midwestern neurology clinic (CHI) as well as from a normative sample of individuals with no reported history of neurological impairment. Preliminary analyses were completed to identify outliers. Samples were then randomly selected from the impaired group (CHI) and matched with randomly selected subjects from the normative sample based upon age.Three separate analyses were completed. The first analysis focused on age and if age significantly influences sensory motor functioning. The second analysis was completed using an adult's only sample based upon the results that age significantly influenced sensory-motor performance. Finally, the third analysis utilized all age groups to determine how dramatically age had an impact on distinguishing between individuals with CHI versus a normative sample.Results demonstrated that age had a significant influence on sensory-motor performance. Measures of subcortical and cortical motor function, motor speed, motor coordination and tactile examination were able to accurately classify individuals with head injury from a normative sample to a clinically significant degree (78%). The study argues that the D-WSMB is a reliable and valid measure to utilize when evaluating individuals with CHI.Department of Educational Psychology
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Hill, S. Kristian. "Maternal perinatal events as predictors of sensory-motor functioning in normal children." Virtual Press, 1998. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1117100.
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The relationship between perinatal complications and sensory-motor functions was examined. Information from the Maternal Perinatal Scale (MPS) was used to predict factor scores of the Dean Sensory-Motor Battery (DSMB). Participants were 187 normal nonreferred children who were administered the DSMB while their mothers completed the MPS. Using MPS items as predictors, separate stepwise regression analyses for each DSMB factor found that 11 - 16% of variance could be accounted for in sensory-motor performance. At least three MPS items significantly contributed to the prediction of each DSMB factor. Predictors of Sensory and Simple Motor functions (DSMB Factor I) included maternal bleeding during pregnancy, delay between membrane rupture (water break) and onset of labor, and evidence of hypoxia. Evidence of hypoxia, maternal bleeding during pregnancy, and delay between water break and labor onset were predictive of Motor and Complex Sensory functions (DSMB Factor II). In addition, gender of the child joined maternal bleeding during pregnancy, amount of swelling during pregnancy, and mother's height in predicting Subcortical Motor functions (DSMB Factor III). Additional analyses using a canonical correlation confirmed the results of the regression analyses. A linear composite of sensory and motor variables was primarily defined by DSMB factors I and II. The linear composite of perinatal information was defined primarily by the same items that emerged as significant predictors of sensorymotor functions in the regression analyses. Most notably, a redundancy analysis indicated that about 20% of variance in DSMB factor scores could be accounted for by a linear composite of perinatal information. In general, sensory-motor performance decreased as severity of perinatal complications increased. Results were discussed in terms of the implications of using a normal non-referred population. More importantly, the present data suggested the possibility that 1) the relationship between perinatal complications and sensory-motor functions may exist on a continuum rather than the dichotomous diagnosis/no diagnosis, and 2) the synergistic influence of multiple perinatal complications may contribute to the manifestation of clinically significant behaviors. The role of sensory-motor functions as a foundation for more complex behaviors is also discussed.Department of Educational Psychology
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Niven, Jeremy Edward. "Sensory influences from contralateral limbs on leg motor neurones in the locust." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.620934.
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Jonas, Jay C. "Acute Effects Of Cycling On Sensory And Motor Function In Parkinson's Disease." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1531144571506634.
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