Dark Retreat - to spend days in total darkness. A qualitative content analysis of people's experiences of dark retreats and the potential health benefits of such a retreat. This essay will examine spiritual and personal development YouTube channels where the content is about what it is like to do a dark retreat. The questions of the study is if they talk about that there are any health and physical benefits in doing a dark retreat and how their experience can be explained. This is linked to one of the key messages in the study which is to point to the altered state of consciousness and what life-changing transformation and positive change that can bring for the person who have experienced a transcendent and mystic state of consciousness. A dark retreat is one practice used in the tantric Tibetan Buddhist movement "the Great Perfection" Dzogchen where a person is for a long time in total darkness to gain knowledge of the emptiness of everything. The dark retreat tradition that is the focus of this study are linked to the new age movement that differs from the Dzogchen tradition regarding dark retreat in that there are no masters or rules that the person doing their dark retreat must follow. There is also an underlying commercial agenda for why people share their experiences of what it is like to do a dark retreat and upload their videos on YouTube. The pattern that became clear with the collection of the material was that those who are doing a dark retreat are working with some form of spiritual and personal development and it is these services that they want to sell by creating an interest by sharing their dark retreat experiences. This is something that is addressed and discussed in the study. The methods are conversation analysis to determine how genuine people are when they talk about their experiences in the dark. Content analysis is used to be able to find themes in the material for how the people experience their dark retreat stay, the focus on themes, phrases and words is linked to health or life-changing transformation. The findings from the content analysis are that people talk about surrender/acceptance when the situation became intense in the dark, that they met themselves/gained new insights, got a glimpse of relationships that have not been good and where there are things to work with and that there were a lot who were positive about their dark retreat stay.

Folklore has long held that blind people gain, relative to normal people, in their sensitivity to other sensory modalities. Although supported only by equivocal evidence, this position probably first appeared in mythology in early Greek literature. Oedipus Rex was attributed greater awareness of people’s nature after this blindness. It is still a prevalent myth in contemporary American culture, to the extent that it appears in “Little Orphan Annie.” Experimental attempts at verification of this point began several years ago, but it remains a controversial issue. Literature on the topic can be divided up into several content areas: the relevance of blindness to auditory sensitivity, the relevance of blindness to tactile sensitivity, the developmental effect of blindness and central vs. peripheral blindness and it affects perception. Studies sampled there represent these content areas.

Thirty-seven patients identified as vocally disruptive and a control group, selected from 264 patients at psychogeriatric wards were studied. Tape-recordings of their vocal behaviour, ratings of their functional performance and symptoms related to dementia, observations of their behaviour, activities and interaction with caregivers were performed. Seventeen plus sixteen caregivers were interviewed to give their interpretation of the experience behind the behaviour and describe their own experience of it. The severely demented vocally disruptive patients were found to be significantly more physically dependant, disorientated at the ward and prone to confusional reactions but they had a more preserved speech performance than the controls. The vocal activity expressed such as helplessness, pain, fear and protest. Some were emotionally indifferent and a few expressed positive emotions. Caregivers interpreted the behaviour as an expression of anxiety related to such as abandonment, dissolution and loss of autonomy. They also expressed a strong wish to comfort the patients but felt unable to do so. The patients' daily life was characterized by idleness and solitude. Caring activities and interactions were dominated by physical procedures performed in a fragmentary and rapid way. Two hypotheses are generated. 1. Vocally disruptive behaviour develops influenced by sensory deprivation and the brain damage. 2. The care provided is influenced by caregivers experiencing anxiety in the patients as well as experiencing a conflict between the care they would like to provide and the care they actually provide. This evokes anxiety in them which elicits defence mechanisms leading to emotional withdrawal from the patients and task oriented care. The results are discussed in a nursing perspective based on existential thoughts, psychoanalytic and psychosocial theory. / <p>S. 1-48: sammanfattning, s. 49-164: 6 uppsatser</p> / digitalisering@umu

A fissura labiopalatina é um indicador de risco para alterações de orelha média e estas podem prejudicar o desenvolvimento de habilidades auditivas como, por exemplo, a atenção, que é essencial para o aprendizado de novas habilidades, inclusive da comunicação oral e escrita. O estudo do processo atencional na população com fissura labiopalatina é algo recente e pouco explorado na literatura específica consultada, assim, este trabalho poderá contribuir com novos subsídios na área, uma vez que teve como objetivos: a) verificar o desempenho de crianças com essa anomalia craniofacial em dois testes, o THAAS e o teste dicótico de dígitos (etapa de escuta direcionada, que avaliaram processos de atenção auditiva); b) comparar o resultado com um grupo sem fissura labiopalatina e; c) verificar a associação entre os dois testes aplicados. Fizeram parte do estudo 55 crianças, de ambos os gêneros, na faixa etária de 7 anos a 7 anos e 11 meses, que foram distribuídas em dois grupos: a) grupo controle, formado por crianças sem fissura labiopalatina; b) grupo experimental, formado por crianças com fissura labiopalatina. Para ambos os grupos, o processo de avaliação constituiu-se em: aplicação de um questionário; bateria de testes auditivos convencionais; aplicação do teste da habilidade de atenção auditiva (THAAS) (FENIMAN, 2004) e do teste dicótico de dígitos etapa de escuta direcionada (SANTOS; PEREIRA, 1997). Foi possível observar que o desempenho do grupo com fissura labiopalatina foi inferior ao do grupo controle em todos os tipos de resposta do THAAS e diferença estatisticamente significativa ocorreu para o decréscimo da vigilâ (p=0,014). No teste dicótico de dígitos - etapa de escuta direcionada, o grupo com fissura labiopalatina apresentou porcentagens de acerto inferiores ao grupo controle, tanto para a orelha direita quanto para a orelha esquerda. A análise estatística mostrou interação estatisticamente significante entre grupo e gênero (p=0,026). Ao comparar o THAAS com o teste dicótico de dígitos, foi possível observar que existe associação entre os testes, mas, essa associação mostrou-se muito baixa (R²=0,27). As crianças com fissura labiopalatina apresentaram desempenho no THAAS inferior àquelas sem esta anomalia craniofacial, apenas para o decréscimo da vigilância. No teste dicótico de dígitos - etapa de escuta direcionada, somente as crianças do gênero feminino com fissura labiopalatina obtiveram índices de acerto inferiores às do grupo controle. Uma baixa associação foi verificada entre o THAAS e o teste dicótico de dígitos - etapa de escuta direcionada, permitindo supor que habilidades diferentes são responsáveis pelo desempenho nos dois testes. / Cleft lip and palate indicates risk to alterations in the middle ear. These risks may impair the development of some hearing abilities, such as attention, which is essential to learn new abilities, including oral and written communication. Studies on attention process with the population with cleft lip and palate are recent and not widely found in literature. Therefore, this study can contribute to the area. The aims of this study were to examine children with this craniofacial anomaly through two tests: The SAAAT and the Dichotic Digit test - directed hearing stage which evaluated the hearing attention processes; to compare the results with a group without cleft lip and palate; to verify the association between the two tests. 55 children, both genders, aged 7 to 7 years and 11 months old were divided in two groups to be submitted to the study. Experimental group consisted of children with cleft lip and palate and Control group consisted of children without it. Both groups were assessed through a questionnaire, conventional hearing tests battery, the Sustained Auditory Attention Ability test (SAAAT) (Feniman, 2004), and the Dichotic Digit test - directed hearing stage (Santos; Pereira, 1997). Experimental group showed lower performance than the control group in all kinds of answers of the SAAAT and, significant difference regarding decrease in vigilance (p=0,014). In the Dichotic Digit test the experimental group showed lower percentages of right answers than the control group, not only for the right ear but also for the left ear. Statistic analysis showed significant interaction between group and gender (p=0,026). When compared, the SAAAT and the Dichotic digit test had low association (R²=0,27). Experimental Group presented lower performance in the SAAAT only at the vigilance decrease. At the Dichotic Digit test female children with cleft lip and palate presented lower scores of right answers than the Control group. The SAAAT and The Dichotic Digit test - directed hearing stage - were not closely associated. Thus, it is possible to assume that different abilities are responsible for the performance in both tests.

Recent evidence indicates that the mature neocortex retains a higher degree of plasticity than traditionally assumed. Up- and down-regulation of synaptic strength, long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD), is thought to be the primary mechanism mediating experience-dependent plasticity of cortical networks. The present thesis investigate factors that regulate adult cortical plasticity, focusing on the role of neuromodulators, recent sensory experience, and different anatomical divisions of the cortex in influencing synaptic strength. First, I investigated the role of the neuromodulator histamine in gating plasticity in the primary visual cortex (V1) of urethane anesthetized adult rats. Histamine applied locally in V1 produced an enhancement of LTP elicited by theta burst stimulation (TBS) of dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) and allowed a sub-threshold TBS to produce stable LTP. Second, the impact of visual deprivation on LTP in V1 was assessed. Animals that received 2 and 5 hr dark exposure showed greater potentiation of field potentials when stimulated though retinal light flashes or weak TBS of the dLGN, which failed to induce LTP in control animals kept in continuous light. Third, I performed a detailed characterization of LTP induced by different TBS protocols, recording in either the monocular or binocular segment of both V1 hemispheres (i.e., ipsi- and contralateral to the stimulated dLGN). Stronger, NMDA receptor-independent LTP was found in the contralateral V1. Interestingly, weak TBS induced LTD that was NMDA receptor-dependent in the ipsilateral V1. Furthermore, a lower LTP induction threshold was observed in the binocular than the monocular segment of ipsilateral V1. Lastly, I investigated cholinergic modulation of sensory-induced activity in the barrel cortex. Basal forebrain stimulation enhanced multi-unit activity elicited by whisker deflection, an effect that was more pronounced for weaker response driven by a secondary whisker than principal whisker deflection. This thesis demonstrates that neocortical plasticity consists of multiple forms of synaptic modification. Adult cortical plasticity is greatly influenced by preceding activity of the synapse by various neuromodulator systems, and by anatomical subdivisions within primary sensory cortex fields. Together, these mechanisms may facilitate the detection, amplification, and storage of inputs to primary sensory fields of the neocortex. / Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2010-04-29 14:02:30.742

A fissura labiopalatina é um indicador de risco para alterações de orelha média e estas podem prejudicar o desenvolvimento de habilidades auditivas como, por exemplo, a atenção, que é essencial para o aprendizado de novas habilidades, inclusive da comunicação oral e escrita. O estudo do processo atencional na população com fissura labiopalatina é algo recente e pouco explorado na literatura específica consultada, assim, este trabalho poderá contribuir com novos subsídios na área, uma vez que teve como objetivos: a) verificar o desempenho de crianças com essa anomalia craniofacial em dois testes, o THAAS e o teste dicótico de dígitos (etapa de escuta direcionada, que avaliaram processos de atenção auditiva); b) comparar o resultado com um grupo sem fissura labiopalatina e; c) verificar a associação entre os dois testes aplicados. Fizeram parte do estudo 55 crianças, de ambos os gêneros, na faixa etária de 7 anos a 7 anos e 11 meses, que foram distribuídas em dois grupos: a) grupo controle, formado por crianças sem fissura labiopalatina; b) grupo experimental, formado por crianças com fissura labiopalatina. Para ambos os grupos, o processo de avaliação constituiu-se em: aplicação de um questionário; bateria de testes auditivos convencionais; aplicação do teste da habilidade de atenção auditiva (THAAS) (FENIMAN, 2004) e do teste dicótico de dígitos etapa de escuta direcionada (SANTOS; PEREIRA, 1997). Foi possível observar que o desempenho do grupo com fissura labiopalatina foi inferior ao do grupo controle em todos os tipos de resposta do THAAS e diferença estatisticamente significativa ocorreu para o decréscimo da vigilâ (p=0,014). No teste dicótico de dígitos - etapa de escuta direcionada, o grupo com fissura labiopalatina apresentou porcentagens de acerto inferiores ao grupo controle, tanto para a orelha direita quanto para a orelha esquerda. A análise estatística mostrou interação estatisticamente significante entre grupo e gênero (p=0,026). Ao comparar o THAAS com o teste dicótico de dígitos, foi possível observar que existe associação entre os testes, mas, essa associação mostrou-se muito baixa (R²=0,27). As crianças com fissura labiopalatina apresentaram desempenho no THAAS inferior àquelas sem esta anomalia craniofacial, apenas para o decréscimo da vigilância. No teste dicótico de dígitos - etapa de escuta direcionada, somente as crianças do gênero feminino com fissura labiopalatina obtiveram índices de acerto inferiores às do grupo controle. Uma baixa associação foi verificada entre o THAAS e o teste dicótico de dígitos - etapa de escuta direcionada, permitindo supor que habilidades diferentes são responsáveis pelo desempenho nos dois testes. / Cleft lip and palate indicates risk to alterations in the middle ear. These risks may impair the development of some hearing abilities, such as attention, which is essential to learn new abilities, including oral and written communication. Studies on attention process with the population with cleft lip and palate are recent and not widely found in literature. Therefore, this study can contribute to the area. The aims of this study were to examine children with this craniofacial anomaly through two tests: The SAAAT and the Dichotic Digit test - directed hearing stage which evaluated the hearing attention processes; to compare the results with a group without cleft lip and palate; to verify the association between the two tests. 55 children, both genders, aged 7 to 7 years and 11 months old were divided in two groups to be submitted to the study. Experimental group consisted of children with cleft lip and palate and Control group consisted of children without it. Both groups were assessed through a questionnaire, conventional hearing tests battery, the Sustained Auditory Attention Ability test (SAAAT) (Feniman, 2004), and the Dichotic Digit test - directed hearing stage (Santos; Pereira, 1997). Experimental group showed lower performance than the control group in all kinds of answers of the SAAAT and, significant difference regarding decrease in vigilance (p=0,014). In the Dichotic Digit test the experimental group showed lower percentages of right answers than the control group, not only for the right ear but also for the left ear. Statistic analysis showed significant interaction between group and gender (p=0,026). When compared, the SAAAT and the Dichotic digit test had low association (R²=0,27). Experimental Group presented lower performance in the SAAAT only at the vigilance decrease. At the Dichotic Digit test female children with cleft lip and palate presented lower scores of right answers than the Control group. The SAAAT and The Dichotic Digit test - directed hearing stage - were not closely associated. Thus, it is possible to assume that different abilities are responsible for the performance in both tests.

The Dexras1 gene was identified after induction by glucocorticoid dexamethasone in pituitary tumor cells. Dexras1 has also been found in other brain regions and in the peripheral organs but its expression is rhythmic only in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus (SCN), where the mammalian main circadian pacemaker is located. Dexras1 expression was also affected by stress, amphetamine or prenatal alcohol exposure. Its role in cells has not yet been explained. Dexras1 GTPase activity has been determined to be dependent on the NMDA receptor stimulation. Dexras1 acts as an activator of G protein signaling in cells. Its role has been detected in neuronal iron homeostasis or in the regulation of main circadian pacemaker sensitivity to photic and nonphotic synchronization cues during the day. The aim of our study was to describe the Dexras1 mRNA expression in the rat brain during ontogeny and during development after visual sensory deprivation by in situ hybridization. The earliest Dexras1 expression was detected on embryonic day 20, in the rat SCN and the ventral posteromedial thalamic nucleus. Postnatally, its expression also appeared in other sensory areas, motor thalamic areas, hypothalamic areas involved in the regulation of water homeostasis, or in limbic system. Our results further show...

La privation sensorielle, et tout particulièrement la déficience auditive, s’avère un excellent modèle théorique pour étudier les phénomènes de neuroplasticité dans le cerveau humain ainsi que les comportements adaptatifs qui se manifestent afin de soutenir le quotidien des individus privés d’une modalité sensorielle. Pour s’adapter à leur handicap, les individus sourds se reposent quotidiennement sur leurs autres sens restés intacts. Les éléments de preuves les plus cohérents dans la littérature sont en faveur de performances visuelles et tactiles supérieures chez les individus sourds profonds congénitaux. Dans cette étude, nous souhaitons explorer les habiletés olfactives chez les individus sourds congénitaux. Pour cela, nous avons évalué de façon exhaustive les capacités olfactives de 11 individus sourds congénitaux par le biais de tâches psychophysiques portant sur les processus de détection, d’identification, de discrimination et de localisation d’odorants, en comparaison à 11 individus neurotypiques. Le test du Sniffin’ Sticks et un olfactomètre ont été utilisés afin d’identifier de potentielles différences de performance olfactive entre les deux populations. Les résultats démontrent que la privation auditive entraine des performances supérieures dans la modalité olfactive chez les individus sourds congénitaux en comparaison à des individus neurotypiques. / Sensory deprivation, and particularly hearing impairment, is an excellent theoretical model for studying the phenomena of neuroplasticity in the human brain, as well as the adaptive behaviors available in order to support the daily lives of individuals deprived of a sensory modality. To adapt to their handicap, deaf individuals rely daily on their other senses that have remained intact. Evidence from literature has consistently supported superior visual and tactile performance in congenitally deep deaf individuals. In this study, we explored complete olfactory skills in congenitally deaf individuals. For this, we evaluated the olfactory capacities of 11 congenitally deaf individuals through psychophysical tasks relating to the processes of detection, identification, discrimination and localization of odors, in comparison with 11 hearing individuals. The Sniffin’Sticks test and an olfactometer were used to identify potential differences in olfactory performance between the two groups. The results demonstrated that hearing deprivation leads to superior performance in terms of olfactory modality in congenitally deaf individuals compared to hearing individuals.

The issue of diagnosed children has been heavily debated in the media over the past decade. This study deals with the issue of diagnosis from a family perspective and utilizes a method of thematic analysis trough a literature review of four autobiographies that describes the parents experience of the diagnosis issue regarding attitudes and responses towards their children and family. The purpose is to create a greater understanding of the family situation and to explore new approaches and strategies to counter psychological affliction and exclusion in society. The results show a widespread exclusion based on the main themes, internal and external influences. These themes represent exclusion factors like for example inexperience in dealing with power bearing institutions such as schools and health facilities and creates few opportunities for socialization processes due to the child's disability, stigma. Both of these themes can be seen as a result of sensory deprivation. The attitudes and responses of society towards the stigma bearing child has a great negative impact on the families with diagnosed children. / Diagnosfrågan har varit starkt omdebatterad i media under det senaste decenniet. Dennas studie behandlar diagnosfrågan ur ett familjeperspektiv genom en kvalitativ ansats via en litteraturstudie och tematisk analys av fyra självbiografier. Syftet med studien är att belysa diagnosbärande barns föräldrars erfarenheter kring omgivningens attityder och bemötande samt skapa en ökad förståelse för familjernas livssituation. Vidare menar den kommande analysen till att kunna utröna nya förhållningssätt och strategier för att motverka psykisk ohälsa i dessa familjer. Resultatet visar på ett utbrett utanförskap som redovisas i två huvudteman, inre och yttre påverkan. Dessa teman representerar faktorer som okunskap i bemötande och attityder inom maktbärande institutioner men även i ett fördomsfullt och toleranslöst bemötande från den närmaste omgivningen. Resultatet visar även att utanförskapet skapar få möjligheter till socialiseringsprocesser på grund av de negativa attityderna kring barnets funktionsnedsättning och beteende, detta kan ses som en följd av sensorisk deprivation.

It is of interest to understand how new neurons incorporate themselves into the existing circuitry of certain neuronal populations. One such population of neurons is that which are born in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and migrate to the olfactory bulb where they differentiate into granule cells. Another area of interest is the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on the survival and overall health of these neurons. This study aimed to test whether or not BDNF is a survival factor for adult-born granule cells. Here were utilized a transgenic mouse model over-expressing BDNF under the α- calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CAMKIIα) promoter, and tested its effect on olfactory granule cells under sensory deprived conditions. Results from this experiment indicated that there was no significant difference in cell death or cell survival when comparing transgenic and wild type animals. We concluded that BDNF is not a survival factor for adult-born granule cells. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection