Validation of New Methods of Using Simulated Whole-Body Movements as Implicit Indicators of Sound and Odor Preferences

Previous studies showed that humans can flexibly reconfigure manual reactions to motivational stimuli in order to produce compatible changes in visual environments (i.e., approach appetitive and avoid aversive stimuli). Using a virtual reality headset, we examined whether analogous flexibility is observed with whole-body movements in forward and backward directions that produced (non-)corresponding visual movements in a virtual environment. Two experiments showed that forward movements were initiated faster in response to a (pleasant) flower and backward movements in response to an (unpleasant) spider, even when the movements resulted in reverse visual motions towards the spider and away from the flower. In contrast, visual motions were more important when these motions were controlled manually and after strategic preparation of producing body steps. Overall, results suggest that there is a highly overlearned connection between locomotion and approach/avoidance that is difficult to override. Implications in regard to the embodiment of approach-avoidance motivation are discussed.

Conde et al (2011) reported a modulation of the spatial compatibility effect by the affective valence of soccer team figures. For Favorite team, it was faster to respond by pressing the key located on the stimulus side than the opposite key (ipsi- and contralateral keys, respectively). For Rival team, this pattern was reversed. These findings were interpreted as being due to approach and avoidance reactions which facilitate both the ipsilateral response to a positive stimulus and the contralateral response to a negative one and vice-versa. This hypothesis was challenged by arguing that there is no spatial compatibility effect when a mixed-rule task was used and that approach/avoidance reactions are not elicited when a keyboard was employed to execute the responses. Alternatively, it was proposed that Conde et al. (2011) results were due to task-set effects. Here, emotional faces (Happy, Angry and Fearful) faces were used to test the generality of effects elicited by affective stimuli and to disentangle task-set and approach/avoidance reactions hypotheses. We found that there is no task-set effect when the Happiness-Anger pair was used. Moreover, for the Happiness/Fear pair, there was an interaction between valence and spatial compatibility within a block of trials. These results suggest that: (i) the interaction between valence and spatial compatibility in the Affective SC task modulates the spatial compatibility effect; (ii) this modulation elicits a task-set effect that varies according to the pair of affective stimuli and (iv) the task-set effect may be due to an automatic orientation of the visual attention to the positive stimulus which facilitates the ipsilateral response conjoined with an inhibition of the ipsilateral response to the aversive stimulus, simulating a reversed compatibility effect to the negative stimulus.

Whole body vibration has been proven to improve the health status of patients with fibromyalgia, providing an activation of the neuromuscular spindles, which are responsible for muscle contraction. The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of two types of whole body vibrating platforms (vertical and rotational) during a 12-week training program. Sixty fibromyalgia patients (90% were women) were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: group A (n = 20), who performed the vibration training with a vertical platform; group B (n = 20), who did rotational platform training; or a control group C (n = 20), who did not do any training. Sensitivity measures (pressure pain and vibration thresholds), quality of life (Quality of Life Index), motor function tasks (Berg Scale, six-minute walking test, isometric back muscle strength), and static and dynamic balance (Romberg test and gait analysis) were assessed before, immediately after, and three months after the therapy program. Although both types of vibration appeared to have beneficial effects with respect to the control group, the training was more effective with the rotational than with vertical platform in some parameters, such as vibration thresholds (p < 0.001), motor function tasks (p < 0.001), mediolateral sway (p < 0.001), and gait speed (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, improvements disappeared in the follow-up in both types of vibration. Our study points out greater benefits with the use of rotational rather than vertical whole body vibration. The use of the rotational modality is recommended in the standard therapy program for patients with fibromyalgia. Due to the fact that the positive effects of both types of vibration disappeared during the follow-up, continuous or intermittent use is recommended.

Sarcopenia is a chronic disease characterized by the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass, force, and function during aging. It is an emerging public problem associated with poor quality of life, disability, frailty, and high mortality. A decline in mitochondria quality control pathways constitutes a major mechanism driving aging sarcopenia, causing abnormal organelle accumulation over a lifetime. The resulting mitochondrial dysfunction in sarcopenic muscles feedbacks systemically by releasing the myomitokines fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and growth and differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), influencing the whole-body homeostasis and dictating healthy or unhealthy aging. This review describes the principal pathways controlling mitochondrial quality, many of which are potential therapeutic targets against muscle aging, and the connection between mitochondrial dysfunction and the myomitokines FGF21 and GDF15 in the pathogenesis of aging sarcopenia.

Vibrations produced in oscillating/vibratory platform generate whole body vibration (WBV) exercises, which are important in sports, as well as in treating diseases, promoting rehabilitation, and improving the quality of life. WBV exercises relevantly increase the muscle strength, muscle power, and the bone mineral density, as well as improving the postural control, the balance, and the gait. An important number of publications are found in the PubMed database with the keyword “flexibility” and eight of the analyzed papers involving WBV and flexibility reached a level of evidence II. The biggest distance between the third finger of the hand to the floor (DBTFF) of a patient with metabolic syndrome (MS) was found before the first session and was considered to be 100%. The percentages to the other measurements in the different sessions were determined to be related to the 100%. It is possible to see an immediate improvement after each session with a decrease of the %DBTFF. As the presence of MS is associated with poorer physical performance, a simple and safe protocol using WBV exercises promoted an improvement of the flexibility in a patient with MS.

The objective was to study the effect of whole-body vibration (WBV) on strength, balance and pain in patients with peripheral neuropathies and to consider its significance for the rehabilitation of patients suffering from chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Using a broad search strategy, PubMed was searched for clinical trials on WBV interventions aimed at improving strength, balance or pain in patients with peripheral neuropathies, which were published in English until 5th June 2014. The search was performed by the first author and generated a total of 505 results, which yielded 5 articles that met the inclusion criteria, being studies: i) published in English; ii) involving adult human subjects’ peripheral neuropathies; iii) evaluating the effect of WBV as a therapeutic intervention; and iv) reporting findings for at least one of the following outcomes: strength, balance or pain. Methodological quality of included studies was assessed independently by first and second author, using the physiotherapy evidence database scale. The overall methodological quality of included studies was low. Two studies found a beneficial effect of WBV on neuropathic pain, but another study failed to find the same effect. One study found significant improvements in both muscle strength and balance, while another study found improvements only in some, but not all, of the applied tests to measure muscle strength and balance. The results of this literature search suggest insufficient evidence to assess the effectiveness for the effects of WBV on neuropathic pain, muscle strength and balance in patients with peripheral neuropathies. More high-quality trials are needed to guide the optimization of rehabilitation programs for cancer survivors with CIPN in particular.

AbstractSome of the behavioral disorders observed in Parkinson’s disease (PD) may be related to an altered processing of social messages, including emotional expressions. Emotions conveyed by whole body movements may be difficult to generate and be detected by PD patients. The aim of the present study was to compare valence judgments of emotional whole body expressions in individuals with PD and in healthy controls matched for age, gender and education. Twenty-eight participants (13 PD patients and 15 healthy matched control participants) were asked to rate the emotional valence of short movies depicting emotional interactions between two human characters presented with the “Point Light Displays” technique. To ensure understanding of the perceived scene, participants were asked to briefly describe each of the evaluated movies. Patients’ emotional valence evaluations were less intense than those of controls for both positive (p < 0.001) and negative (p < 0.001) emotional expressions, even though patients were able to correctly describe the depicted scene. Our results extend the previously observed impaired processing of emotional facial expressions to impaired processing of emotions expressed by body language. This study may support the hypothesis that PD affects the embodied simulation of emotional expression and the potentially involved mirror neuron system.