M.Ed. (Curriculum Studies) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The neurophysiological signals that are recorded in EEG (electroencephalography) and MEG (magnetoencephalography) originate from current flow perpendicular to the cortical surface due to the columnar organization of pyramidal cells in the cortical gray matter. These locations and directions have been used as anatomical constraints for dipolar sources in estimations of neural activity from MEG recordings. Here we extend anatomically constrained beamforming to EEG, which requires a more sophisticated forward model than MEG due to the blurring of the electric potential at tissue boundaries, but in contrast to MEG, EEG can account for both tangential and radial sources. Using computed tomography (CT) scans we create a realistic three-layer head model consisting of tessellated surfaces representing the tissue boundaries cerebrospinal fluid-skull, skull-scalp and scalp-air. The cortical gray matter surface, the anatomical constraint for the source dipoles, is extracted from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. EEG beamforming is implemented in a set of simulated data and compared for three different head models: single sphere, multi-shell sphere and realistic geometry multi-shell model that employs a boundary element method. Beamformer performance is also analyzed and evaluated for multiple dipoles and extended sources (patches). We show that using anatomical constraints with the beamforming algorithm greatly reduces computation time while increasing the spatial accuracy of the reconstructed sources of neural activity. Using the spatial Laplacian instead of the electric potential in combination with beamforming further improves the spatial resolution and allows for the detection of highly correlated sources. / by Vyacheslav Murzin. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Examination of how the brain mediates emotional experience is now an area of significant and intense research interest. This is an important endeavour considering that emotion is a key component in vulnerability factors governing risk for mood and anxiety disorders. Recent neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies are also beginning to explore the effects of antidepressants on the processing of emotional stimuli in healthy participants to help understand the role of neurochemicals in affective behaviour more broadly. Unfortunately the literature is fraught with contradictions and complications resulting from the technique used, task instructions, selection of stimuli and gender differences. The aim of the current thesis therefore, was to investigate emotional processing in healthy participants and to examine the impact of serotonergic augmentation on this processing through the presentation of visual emotional stimuli and examination of self report, peripheral- and neurophysiological measures of emotional responsiveness. Seventy five images low in arousal content, selected from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) and categorised as pleasant, neutral and unpleasant, were presented to participants in four experimental studies. Findings support previous literature suggesting that there is substantial overlap in frontal neural circuitry when the brain processes emotional images of different valence. Gender differences in the processing of visual emotional stimuli were also observed however suggesting the need for future studies to take such factors into account. In particular, females unlike males displayed right-sided, frontal, neurophysiological activations in response to unpleasant relative to neutral images. Emotional valence was also found to modulate heart rate (HR) thereby confirming the reliability and validity of the task-viewing paradigm. Augmentation of serotonin was found to suppress any differences in HR across the three differently valenced categories of images, while neurophysiological responses were potentiated during pleasant valence but suppressed during unpleasant valence. In summary, the studies included in this thesis provide evidence for neurophysiological modulation by emotional content and gender. In addition, the studies employ a more systems-based approach to the study of antidepressant action, through examination of the neurophysiological responses to visual emotional stimuli. This approach may lead to greater understanding of the functional consequences of neurochemical modulation on cortical networks involved in emotional processing.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2004. Graduate Programme in Biology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 292-305). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ99265

published_or_final_version / Sports Science / Master / Master of Science in Sports Science

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Perceptual Motor Programmes are implemented in more than 300 junior schools around New Zealand (Cropp, 2008). When implemented, many teachers believe the programme improves learning including reading abilities, increases physical activity, and enhances social skills (Broadley & Litterick-Biggs, 2005). Despite continued use of the programme there is very little research to support claims of improved academic readiness, and as a result concerns are raised around the use of a non-validated approach to improve children’s literacy learning and learning in general. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a Perceptual Motor Programme on the reading abilities of year one and two children. Participants were 37 year one and two children, aged 5-6 years, from two classes at a low-decile primary school. Children were tested three times over ten weeks of the study using running records and sight word testing as well as non-word reading. One class acted as the control group and did not receive the programme. Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed a significant time effect over the three time plots for both groups. This time effect is consistent with what you could expect in education where children generally improve over time. However using scores from pre, mid and post testing in all tests, the overall difference between the two groups was non-significant. This result alone clearly disproves the claims of improved reading abilities through the implementation of Smart Starts perceptual motor programme. Sight word testing showed only a marginal time effect due to the scores being high at pre testing creating a ceiling effect where maximum scores had already occurred leaving little room for improvement over time. When asked to observe one child, teacher observations suggested improved attitudes towards learning and some risk-taking occurring later in the study. This was the case for both children observed, therefore cannot be attributed to the participation of the perceptual motor programme but rather part of the developmental process and current teaching and learning programmes. The results of this study have implications for the implementation of non-validated interventions in schools. This study outlines the importance of educators using evidence-based practice and research. It explores the purpose, benefits and need for the Smart Starts perceptual motor programme. The use of non-validated approaches take time, money, resources, staffing and energy away from proven practices that improve children’s reading abilities.