Neurofeedback training is a technique which has seen a widespread use in clinical applications, but has only given its first steps in the sport environment. Therefore, there is still little information about the effects that this technique might have on parameters, which are relevant for athletes’ health and performance, such as heart rate variability, which has been linked to physiological recovery. In the sport domain, no studies have tried to understand the effects of neurofeedback training on heart rate variability, even though some studies have compared the effects of doing neurofeedback or heart rate biofeedback training on performance. The main goal of the present study was to understand if alpha-band neurofeedback training could lead to increases in heart rate variability. 30 male student-athletes, divided into two groups, (21.2 ± 2.62 year 2/week protocol and 22.6 ± 1.1 year 3/week protocol) participated in the study, of which three subjects were excluded. Both groups performed a pre-test, a trial session and 12 neurofeedback sessions, which consisted of 25 trials of 60 s of a neurofeedback task, with 5 s rest in-between trials. The total neurofeedback session time for each subject was 300 min in both groups. Throughout the experiment, electroencephalography and heart rate variability signals were recorded. Only the three sessions/week group revealed significant improvements in mean heart rate variability at the end of the 12 neurofeedback sessions (p = 0.05); however, significant interaction was not found when compared with both groups. It is possible to conclude that neurofeedback training of individual alpha band may induce changes in heart rate variability in physically active athletes.
Benzodiazepines are the most frequently consumed psychotropic drugs among older persons. This pharmacological class has been advised against in this group, due to the various risks associated with its use in an older population. This study seeks to determine the prevalence of benzodiazepine use in a non-institutionalized older population over the age of 75 that is registered in Family Health Units (USF) in the region of Minho, Portugal, as well as to characterize these patients and understand the link between benzodiazepine use and chronic medication use, risk of falls, and level of physical and functional dependence. The data extracted from the clinical records registered in the SAM® were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). A sample of 700 patients was obtained. These patients presented a mean age of 82.3 years, 62.7% were female, 95.3% were physically independent, and 38.0% were functionally independent. Almost half of the elder persons presented a moderate (36.9%) or high (11.4%) risk of falls. 37.9% of the patients were chronic benzodiazepines users, using between 1 and 3 active substances belonging to this pharmacological class, with a higher rate of use among women (p < 0.001) and elder persons. There was a statistically significant association among the use of benzodiazepines, a functional independence, and a higher risk of falls. These pioneering findings in Portugal reveal a high prevalence of benzodiazepine use in the population studied and warn about the specific characteristics of said population and the importance in reducing the risks associated with the inappropriate prescription of these drugs.
INTRODUÇÃO: Estudo baseado no processo de intervenção de uma família que vivenciou uma gravidez e maternidade adolescente, não planeada, fruto de uma relação ocasional através de correspondência virtual. A resiliência constitui uma das variáveis descritas na literatura que parece conferir proteção para a adaptação à maternidade e que interfere no processo de vinculação. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a influência da resiliência e de um suporte social efetivo numa adolescente que tenha experienciado gravidez e/ou maternidade precoces. METODOLOGIA: Estudo de caso não experimental, qualitativo, de follow-up. Avaliação e intervenção familiar desenvolvida em 3 momentos distintos, tendo sido utilizados como instrumentos de recolha de dados: entrevista, questionários, escalas e observação, tendo como referencial teórico-operativo o Modelo Dinâmico de Avaliação e Intervenção Familiar (Figueiredo, 2013). RESULTADOS: Numa primeira fase: Relação conflituosa com os progenitores, prévia à gestação precoce. No final da mesma, a jovem interrompe o seu percurso escolar. Após o parto, verificou-se uma (in)definição do papel parental: a avó exercia um papel superprotetor sobre o recémnascido, sobrepondo-se à mãe nas diversas esferas (prestação de cuidados, vinculação). Follow-up: Exercício do papel parental da adolescente adequado, sem sobreposição de papéis. Vinculação forte e saudável entre jovem mãe e filho. Recém-nascido bem cuidado. Adolescente resiliente e satisfeita com o apoio que recebe da comunidade envolvente. Retoma o seu percurso escolar, pessoal, familiar e social. CONCLUSÕES: Mães adolescentes que beneficiam de um apoio social e familiar adequado, e que possuem fatores protetores de ordem individual e relacional conseguem atingir um nível favorável de adaptação à maternidade.
Neurofeedback training has shown benefits in clinical treatment and behavioral performance enhancement. Despite the wide range of applications, no consensus has been reached about the optimal training schedule. In this work, an EEG neurofeedback practical experiment was conducted aimed at investigating the effects of training intensity on the enhancement of the amplitude in the individual upper alpha band. We designed INTENSIVE and SPARSE training modalities, which differed regarding three essential aspects of training intensity: the number of sessions, the duration of a session, and the interval between sessions. Nine participants in the INTENSIVE group completed 4 sessions with 37.5 minutes each during consecutive days, while nine participants in the SPARSE group performed 6 sessions of 25 minutes spread over approximately 3 weeks. As a result, regarding the short-term effects, the upper alpha band amplitude change within sessions did not significantly differ between the two groups. Nonetheless, only the INTENSIVE group showed a significant increase in the upper alpha band amplitude. However, for the sustained effects across sessions, none of the groups showed significant changes in the upper alpha band amplitude across the whole course of training. The findings suggest that the progression within session is favored by the intensive design. Therefore, based on these findings, it is proposed that training intensity influences EEG self-regulation within sessions. Further investigations are needed to isolate different aspects of training intensity and effectively confirm if one modality globally outperforms the other.
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