Developing Methods for Assessing Mental Activity Using Human-Smartphone Interactions: Comparative Analysis of Activity Levels and Phase Patterns in General Mental Activities, Working Mental Activities, and Physical Activities.

BACKGROUND: Human biological rhythms are commonly assessed through physical activity (PA) measurement, but mental activity may offer a more substantial reflection of human biological rhythms. OBJECTIVE: This study proposes a novel approach based on human-smartphone interaction to compute mental activity, encompassing general mental activity (GMA) and working mental activity (WMA). METHODS: A total of 24 health care professionals participated, wearing wrist actigraphy devices and using the "Staff Hours" app for more than 457 person-days, including 332 workdays and 125 nonworkdays. PA was measured using actigraphy, while GMA and WMA were assessed based on patterns of smartphone interactions. To model WMA, machine learning techniques such as extreme gradient boosting and convolutional neural networks were applied, using human-smartphone interaction patterns and GPS-defined work hours. The data were organized by date and divided into person-days, with an 80:20 split for training and testing data sets to minimize overfitting and maximize model robustness. The study also adopted the M10 metric to quantify daily activity levels by calculating the average acceleration during the 10-hour period of highest activity each day, which facilitated the assessment of the interrelations between PA, GMA, and WMA and sleep indicators. Phase differences, such as those between PA and GMA, were defined using a second-order Butterworth filter and Hilbert transform to extract and calculate circadian rhythms and instantaneous phases. This calculation involved subtracting the phase of the reference signal from that of the target signal and averaging these differences to provide a stable and clear measure of the phase relationship between the signals. Additionally, multilevel modeling explored associations between sleep indicators (total sleep time, midpoint of sleep) and next-day activity levels, accounting for the data's nested structure. RESULTS: Significant differences in activity levels were noted between workdays and nonworkdays, with WMA occurring approximately 1.08 hours earlier than PA during workdays (P<.001). Conversely, GMA was observed to commence about 1.22 hours later than PA (P<.001). Furthermore, a significant negative correlation was identified between the activity level of WMA and the previous night's midpoint of sleep (ß=-0.263, P<.001), indicating that later bedtimes and wake times were linked to reduced activity levels in WMA the following day. However, there was no significant correlation between WMA's activity levels and total sleep time. Similarly, no significant correlations were found between the activity levels of PA and GMA and sleep indicators from the previous night. CONCLUSIONS: This study significantly advances the understanding of human biological rhythms by developing and highlighting GMA and WMA as key indicators, derived from human-smartphone interactions. These findings offer novel insights into how mental activities, alongside PA, are intricately linked to sleep patterns, emphasizing the potential of GMA and WMA in behavioral and health studies.

Non-invasive pulse arrival time as a surrogate for oscillometric systolic blood pressure changes during non-pharmacological intervention.

Background.Non-invasive continuous blood pressure (BP) monitoring is of longstanding interest in various cardiovascular scenarios. In this context, pulse arrival time (PAT), i.e., a surrogate parameter for systolic BP (change), became very popular recently, especially in the context of cuffless BP measurement and dedicated lifestyle interventions. Nevertheless, there is also understandable doubt on its reliability in uncontrolled and mobile settings.Objective.The aim of this work is therefore the investigation whether PAT follows oscillometric systolic BP readings during moderate interventions by physical or mental activity using a medical grade handheld device for non-invasive PAT assessment.Approach.A study was conducted featuring an experimental group performing a physical and a mental task, and a control group. Oscillometric BP and PAT were assessed at baseline and after each intervention. Interventions were selected randomly but then performed sequentially in a counterbalanced order. Multivariate analyses of variance were used to test within-subject and between-subject effects for the dependent variables, followed by univariate analyses for post-hoc testing. Furthermore, correlation analysis was performed to assess the association of intervention effects between BP and PAT.Mainresults.The study included 51 subjects (31 females). Multivariate analysis of variances showed that effects in BP, heart rate, PAT and pulse wave parameters were consistent and significantly different between experimental and control groups. After physical activity, heart rate and systolic BP increased significantly whereas PAT decreased significantly. Mental activity leads to a decrease in systolic BP at stable heart rate. Pulse wave parameters follow accordingly by an increase of PAT and mainly unchanged pulse wave analysis features due to constant heart rate. Finally, also the control group behaviour was accurately registered by the PAT method compared to oscillometric cuff. Correlation analyses revealed significant negative associations between changes of systolic BP and changes of PAT from baseline to the physical task (-0.33 [-0.63, 0.01],p< 0.048), and from physical to mental task (-0.51 [-0.77, -0.14],p= 0.001), but not for baseline to mental task (-0.12 [-0,43,0,20],p= 0.50) in the experimental group.Significance.PAT and the used digital, handheld device proved to register changes in BP and heart rate reliably compared to oscillometric measurements during intervention. Therefore, it might add benefit to future mobile health solutions to support BP management by tracking relative, not absolute, BP changes during non-pharmacological interventions.

Physical Activity, Mental Activity, and Risk of Incident Stroke: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Cumulative evidence suggests a correlation between physical or mental activity and the risk of stroke. However, the combined impact of these activities on stroke onset remains unexplored. This study identified physical and mental activity patterns using principal component analysis and investigated their associations with risk of incident stroke in the general population. METHODS: Our study was sourced from the UK Biobank cohort between 2006 and 2010. Information on physical and mental-related activities were obtained through a touch-screen questionnaire. The incident stroke was diagnosed by physicians and subsequently verified through linkage to Hospital Episode Statistics. Principal component analysis was used to identify potential physical and mental activity patterns. Cox proportional hazard regression models were performed to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs of incident stroke, adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: The initial UK Biobank cohort originally consisted of 502 411 individuals, of whom a total of 386 902 participants (aged 38-79 years) without any history of stroke at baseline were included in our study. During a median follow-up of 7.7 years, 6983 (1.8%) cases of stroke were documented. The mean age of the included participants was 55.9 years, and the proportion of women was 55.1%. We found that multiple individual items related to physical and mental activity showed significant associations with risk of stroke. We identified 4 patterns of physical activity and 3 patterns of mental activity using principal component analysis. The adherence to activity patterns of vigorous exercise, housework, and walking predominant patterns were associated with a lower risk of stroke by 17% (HR, 0.83 [95% CI, 0.78-0.89]; 20% (HR, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.75-0.85]; and 20% (HR, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.75-0.86), respectively. Additionally, the transportation predominant pattern (HR, 1.36 [95% CI, 1.28-1.45) and watching TV pattern (HR, 1.43 [95% CI, 1.33-1.53) were found to be significantly associated with a higher risk of stroke. These associations remained consistent across all subtypes of stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Activity patterns mainly related to frequent vigorous exercise, housework, and walking were associated with lower risks of stroke and all its subtypes. Our findings provide new insights for promoting suitable patterns of physical and mental activity for primary prevention of stroke.

Language Reflection: Metatextual Analysis.

The article deals with language reflection, verbalization through metatexts, and interpretation. The expression of language reflection is defined in the works of writers and poets. The research is directed at investigating the text, realizing the process of interpreting the works of great poet A. Kunanbayev from the point of linguistic consciousness, and determining the results. The poet conveys information by utilizing various language tools and constructs that prompt self-questioning. The definitions of concepts, classifications, and characteristics related to language reflection are given. The authors aimed to identify language reflection in A. Kunanbayev's works, classify reflexives marking the language reflection of the author, modeling them using the G. Gibbs' model, and comparing them with the psycholinguistic survey materials within the framework of reflexive linguistics. The authors agree that there are two classifications of reflexives, such as metatextual commentary and metalanguage interpretation. As a result of the study, the poet's self-reflection consisted of 6 elements (Gibbs' cycle), through the lexico-semantic analysis of the reflexives the poet's language units were classified as metatextual commentary and the respondents' answers as metalanguage interpretation. The syntactic structures of the language reflexives were determined, and it was found that they are often in interrogative and negative forms. According to the purpose of the article, the reflexives in the poet's poem were identified and classified into four groups (Describing the poet or providing additional information; Working on yourself; Working with character; Positive assessment) by the semantic nature of the respondents' interpretation of the work as a result of the psycholinguistic experiment.

Acute psychosis and behavioural changes with seizure-like hyperactive psychomotor activity secondary to isotretinoin initiation in a healthy young male: case report.

Introduction and importance: Acute psychosis is a common brief psychiatric emergency period of delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thoughts and/or speech with or without psychomotor elements, which is not commonly induced by isotretinoin therapy. Dermatologists should counsel the patient before starting the treatment with all new, uncommon side effects, especially neuropsychiatric manifestations before starting this medication. Case presentation: A 23-year-old male smoker with a known case of acne vulgaris recently started on isotretinoin for 2 weeks after which he developed abnormal hyperactive psychomotor activity. He was diagnosed with isoteritoin-induced acute psychosis based on clinical findings and exclusion, and valproic acid and olanzapine were initiated. The patient showed significant improvement. Clinical discussion: Acute psychosis is a new, unfamiliar side effect presenting after initiation of isotretinoin therapy in young adults who were previously healthy. The mechanism is not well known but is thought to result from a decrease in the adult's neurogenesis or alterations in exposure of the serotonergic neurotransmitter system. Conclusion: Isotretinoin is commonly used nowadays for treating young adults. Patients and their families should be counselled about all the psychiatric side effects. Antipsychotics and antiepileptics with mood stabilizers may improve the acute status for patients with isotertoin-induced psychosis.

Thinking action as a performative and participative mental awareness.

This paper seeks to evaluate experiential facets of thinking action using first-person phenomenological methods. We begin our considerations using a simple mathematical proof as a case study-and also employ phenomenological contrasts between different types of thinking. They reveal that thinking actions produce performative insights rather than dispositional or remembered knowledge. This distinction allows us to introduce a new mode of thinking that is different from most known types of thinking, namely pure thinking action. The performative nature of this pure thinking action is participative and receptive with respect to concepts and has the quality of being persistent and coherent during its episode of action. Moreover, it is the often unattended source of thinking everyday life.

Healthy Food Pyramid as Well as Physical and Mental Activity in the Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease.

The ageing of the population is resulting in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), which are an increasing social, economic and medical problem. Diet and physical activity are now considered as important modifiable factors that help prevent or delay the development of AD and other dementia-related diseases. The pyramid of healthy nutrition and lifestyle is a way of presenting the principles, the implementation of which gives a chance for proper development and a long healthy life. The basis of the pyramid, in the first place, is physical activity. Our review of the literature in the PubMed database supports the hypothesis that complementary factors, such as proper diet, physical exercise and mental activity, have a positive impact on the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. The nutritional recommendations for healthy adults primarily include the consumption of vegetables, fruits, cereals, legumes, vegetable oils and fishes. Therefore, the introduction of Mediterranean and Asian diets may reduce the risk of the neurodegenerative diseases associated with dementia, whereas dairy products and meat-the main sources of L-carnitine-should be consumed in moderate amounts. The aim of our work is to provide up-to-date knowledge about the appropriate dietary model and healthy lifestyle elements and their impact on good health and the long life of people.

Identification of Neurophysiological Markers of Verbal Information Processing Using Cognitive Evoked Potentials for Studying Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders.

The aim of the study is to identify neurophysiological markers of information processing sensitive to verbal thinking impairment in persons with schizotypal personality organization using the method of cognitive evoked potentials. Materials and Methods: Cognitive evoked potentials were studied in 40 students of higher school with high and low (control) scores obtained on the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) in response to the presentation of visual verbal information in the form of agreed word-combinations. In the first series of presentations, it was necessary to refer the attribute to one of the categories and to read the noun silently (non-target condition). In the second series, the attribute should be read silently, and then the following noun has to be categorized (target condition). There has been performed a cluster analysis of the evoked potential curves obtained in response to the noun presentation in the target and non-target conditions in the groups of participants with high and low scores gained on SPQ. Results: Processing of the verbal stimulus under passive reading conditions and under the conditions of word categorization within the frameworks of a simple context has shown that in the group with low scores on the schizotypal questionnaire, lateralization of the N150 component to the left side was observed in contrast to the group with high scores. In this group, increase of the N400 component amplitude was found in response to the words presented for their passive reading in comparison with the categorization condition. On the contrary, in the group with high schizotypy scores, the N400 component appeared to be insensitive to the type of the task, i.e. neurophysiological differences were not expressed between reading and performing stimuli categorization task. These persons were found to have the decreased amplitude of the late positive component as compared to the control group under the condition of passive reading of the words. Increase of the late negative wave amplitude was registered in response to the target words subjected to categorization in comparison with reading in both groups of participants. Insufficiency of language lateralization and deficit connected with the language networks being activated automatically at the initial stage of word recognition are observed in the examined persons with schizotypy. Additionally, processing of the information in these persons at the stage of lexical-semantic processes is weakly modulated by the task imposing different requirements on the level of mental activity control. Some reduction of mnestic process activation is also possible, which is manifested during passive reading of the words, but not in the conditions of their categorization. Conclusion: The research conducted may serve as a starting point for a more detailed and long-term study of the fundamental mechanisms of impairment in information processing in the course of clinically evident pathology formation. In the applied aspect, the work may be considered as a contribution to the ongoing search for neurophysiological markers for early diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Severe Encephalatrophy and Related Disorders From Long-Term Ketamine Abuse: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Ketamine is a glutamate N-methyl D-aspartate receptor antagonist and an anaesthetic agent that has been effectively used to treat depression. However, ketamine has also been increasingly used for recreational purposes. The dissociative side-effects of ketamine use, such as hallucinations, are the reason for abuse. Additionally, long-term ketamine abuse has been highly associated with liver-gallbladder and urinary symptoms. The present study reports the case of a 28-year-old young male adult with an 8-year history of daily inhalation of ketamine. We investigated the association between ketamine abuse and the mechanism of its adverse effects, particularly encephalatrophy, and attempted to find a link between these disorders. These results would help us to better understand ketamine usage, ketamine abuse effects and the addictive mechanism. To the best of our knowledge, the present case is the first report of severe brain atrophy related to ketamine abuse. Details of the patient are presented and the mechanism of the encephalatropy-associated ketamine abuse is discussed. Furthermore, organ dysfunction following chronic ketamine abuse may indicate that the side effects are the result of comprehensive action on multiple regions in the brain.

Depressive Mood Assessment Method Based on Emotion Level Derived from Voice: Comparison of Voice Features of Individuals with Major Depressive Disorders and Healthy Controls.

BACKGROUND: In many developed countries, mood disorders have become problematic, and the economic loss due to treatment costs and interference with work is immeasurable. Therefore, a simple technique to determine individuals' depressive state and stress level is desired. METHODS: We developed a method to assess specific the psychological issues of individuals with major depressive disorders using emotional components contained in their voice. We propose two indices: vitality, a short-term index, and mental activity, a long-term index capturing trends in vitality. To evaluate our method, we used the voices of healthy individuals (n = 14) and patients with major depression (n = 30). The patients were also assessed by specialists using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D). RESULTS: A significant negative correlation existed between the vitality extracted from the voices and HAM-D scores (r = -0.33, p < 0.05). Furthermore, we could discriminate the voice data of healthy individuals and patients with depression with a high accuracy using the vitality indicator (p = 0.0085, area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.76).

Defining Meditation: Foundations for an Activity-Based Phenomenological Classification System.

Classifying different meditation techniques is essential for the progress of meditation research, as this will enable discerning which effects are associated with which techniques, in addition to supporting the development of increasingly effective and efficient meditation-based training programs and clinical interventions. However, both the task of defining meditation itself, as well as defining specific techniques, faces many fundamental challenges. Here we describe problems involved in this endeavor and suggest an integrated model for defining meditation. For classifying different meditation techniques, we draw on classical, contemporary, and holistic systems of classification. We analyze different techniques and propose that all meditation techniques are based on a specific set of activities, that is: focusing, releasing, imagining, and moving in relation to an object of meditation, including fields of experience. Meditative activities can be combined and unified in the activities of observing, producing, and being aware. All meditative activities are unified in awareness of awareness. Defining specific meditation techniques may be done by specifying which activities and objects are involved. The advantage of our approach is that it can potentially account for the inner workings of all current systems of classification and hence it lays the foundation for formulating an overarching system of meditation that can guide future research and practice.

[Mental activity of the children during the early stage of rehabilitation after acute severe brain damage]. / Psikhicheskaia aktivnost' u detei na rannem étape reabilitatsii posle ostrykh tiazhelykh povrezhdenii golovnogo mozga.

INTRODUCTION: Children who have suffered brain damage form a large group of patients in need of rehabilitation. For rehabilitation, patients require not only surgical, neurosurgical, traumatological, pharmacological and other medical support, but also the creation of special conditions for psychiatric care, psychological and pedagogical correction of their psychophysical potential. Neurological, motor and mental consequences of severe injuries of the nervous system in children lead to a high degree of disability with a subsequent restriction of their life, where social maladaptation and a violation of the quality of life are the primary problems. An integrated approach with differentiated qualified help will increase the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs and help the children adapt when they return to their normal environment. AIM: To identify the characteristics of mental activity during the recovery of the level of consciousness in children after acute severe brain damage at an early stage of rehabilitation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We examined 210 children under the age of 18 years with severe brain damage (traumatic brain injury, hypoxia, hydrocephalus) who were admitted for treatment and rehabilitation. Clinical-psychopathological, pedagogical methods were used for examination as well as diagnostic scales, questionnaires. RESULTS: The main differentiating signs were divided into three groups, depending on the mental activity of the child, the level of consciousness: Group 1 - 37 (18%) patients with mental activity with physical, cognitive and social abilities with the minimal '+' consciousness (a-/hyperkinetic mutism with emotional reactions, understanding of speech); 2-nd group - 67 (32%) patients with dominant manifestations of physical and cognitive abilities with the minimal '-' consciousness (a-/hyperkinetic mutism without emotional manifestations and understanding of speech); 3rd group - 106 (50%) children with a weak manifestation of mental activity (physical abilities) in a vegetative status/exit from a vegetative status. CONCLUSION: Three variants of mental activity in children after acute severe brain injuries were distinguished - from minimal involuntary reactions or their absence during the vegetative status/exit from the vegetative status to arbitrary actions according to the instructions of an adult with a minimum '+' consciousness. Understanding the dynamics of the recovery of children's mental activity after neurotrauma may make it possible to have a differentiated approach to psychiatric, psychological and pedagogical rehabilitation in order to correct the recovery of mental functions in pediatric patients, and to prevent the developmental disorders as the child grows.

Association of home blood pressure with sleep and physical and mental activity, assessed via a wristwatch-type pulsimeter with accelerometer in adults.

This study aimed to examine the associations between home blood pressure (HBP) and sleep and activity assessed using data obtained via a wristwatch-type pulsimeter with accelerometer (Pulsense®) using original software. We recruited 28 elderlies and 40 employees aged 24-81 years who were not on hypotensive agents and sleeping drugs. Sleep, activity, and HBP were measured consecutively over a 5-7-day period. Body mass index (BMI), base heart rate (HR0), and age showed significant correlation with HBP in a simple and multiple linear regression analysis. HR0 was positively, and log deep sleep duration, negatively correlated with HBP in the adjusted multiple linear regression analysis. Physical and mental activities were negatively correlated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) in a simple linear regression, but high physical and mental activities tend to reduce deep sleep duration. Self-recorded sleep duration had no relationship with HBP. In conclusion, HR0, BMI, age, deep sleep duration, and activity showed relationships with HBP. Using this type of wristwatch and observing daily sleep and activity data with HBP measurement may have important clinical implication.

Acute Effects of Mental Activity on Response of Serum BDNF and IGF-1 Levels in Elite and Novice Chess Players.

Background and Objectives: Although the effects of physical exercise on brain functions are well studied, the influence of mental activity is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of a session of mental activity on brain neurobiological factors in chess players. Materials and Methods: Ten elite and novice chess players were recruited to participate in this study as volunteers. The subjects performed a session of standard chess matches as a mental activity. Before and after each chess match, blood samples were drawn to analyze changes in serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Results: After each chess match, both the elite and novice groups showed significant increases in serum BDNF and IGF-1 concentrations. The elite group also showed significantly greater changes in BDNF and IGF-1 levels (p ≤ 0.05) than the novice group. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that a session of standard chess matches as a mental activity is effective for elevating BDNF and IGF-1 levels, and that their elevation in elite players seems to be more pronounced than those in novice players.

From Inner Speech to Mind-Wandering: Developing a Comprehensive Model of Inner Mental Activity Trajectories.

The objective of this work was to develop a comprehensive model of inner mental activity's trajectories. For this purpose, a review of updated research was conducted on the wandering mind topic - a phenomenon that has been recently conceptualized and that has become a focus of interest in cognitive sciences - alongside early psychological postulates on the inner speech phenomenon that were brought back to the surface of scientific literature. In summary, this article presents a reformulation of the spontaneous thought model by Andrews-Hanna et al. (2017), broadening its scope to approach inner mental activity in all its forms and transitions. It is concluded that modern cognitive research has overlooked the full complexity of different types and forms of consciousness' expressions, understanding them as isolated phenomena and sub-dimensioning their trajectories during the flow of experience. This, mainly, due to a scarce incorporation of temporality and morphology to current theoretical models. It is proposed that cognitive acts described in modern research (spontaneous, controlled, involuntary, etc.) are, in synthesis, different symbolic and expressive natures of inner mental activity or thought phenomenon, which current literature has failed to understand as a whole. This article constitutes a contribution to future theoretical and experimental research that seeks out to explore the nature of thought and its development during a cognitive act.

Insulin Peptides as Mediators of the Impact of Life Style in Alzheimer's disease.

The search for the cause of Alzheimer's disease (AD), that affects millions of people worldwide, is currently one of the most important scientific endeavors from a clinical perspective. There are so many mechanisms proposed, and so disparate changes observed, that it is becoming a challenging task to provide a comprehensive view of possible pathogenic processes in AD. Tauopathy (intracellular neurofibrillary tangles) and amyloidosis (extracellular amyloid plaques) are the anatomical hallmarks of the disease, and the formation of these proteinaceous aggregates in specific brain areas is widely held as the ultimate pathogenic mechanism. However, the triggers of this dysproteostasis process remain unknown. Further, neurofibrillary tangles and plaques may only constitute the last stages of a process of still uncertain origin. Thus, without an established knowledge of its etiology, and no cure in the horizon, prevention - or merely delaying its development, has become a last-resort goal in AD research. As with other success stories in preventive medicine, epidemiological studies have provided basic knowledge of risk factors in AD that may contribute to understand its etiology. Disregarding old age, gender, and ApoE4 genotype as non preventable risk factors, there are diverse life-style traits - many of them closely related to cardiovascular health, that have been associated to AD risk. Most prominent among them are diet, physical and mental activity, exposure to stress, and sleep/wake patterns. We argue that all these life-style factors engage insulinergic pathways that affect brain function, providing a potentially unifying thread for life-style and AD risk. Although further studies are needed to firmly establish a link between faulty insulinergic function and AD, we herein summarize the evidence that this link should be thoroughly considered.

[Manual Acupuncture Stimulation Regulates Expression of Receptor Activity-modifying Protein 1 and 5-HT 1 D Receptor Proteins and Genes in Migraine Rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of liver-soothing and mental-activity-regulating (LSMAR) needling on the expression of receptor activity-modifying protein 1 (RAMP 1, receptor of calcitonin gene-related peptide), 5-hydroxytryptamine 1 D receptor(5-HT 1 DR) in the spinal trigeminal nucleus (STN) and midbrain in migraine rats, so as to explore its underlying mechanism in relieving migraine. METHODS: A total of 40 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control, model, LSMAR and conventional needling groups (n=10 rats in each). The migraine model was established by subcutaneous injection of nitroglycerin at the posterior neck. LSMAR was applied to "Baihui" (GV 20), bilateral "Fengchi" (GB 20), "Neiguan" (PC 6) and "Taichong" (LR 3) in the LSMAR group and conventional needling was applied to "Baihui" (GV 20) and bilateral "Fengchi" (GB 20) in the conventional acupuncture group for 30 min, once a day for 8 days before modeling. The expression levels of RAMP 1 and 5-HT 1 DR proteins and mRNAs in the STN and mesencephalon were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR and Western blot, separately. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the expression levels of RAMP 1 protein and mRNA in STN and mesencephalon were significantly increased (P<0.05) and those of 5-HT 1 DR protein and mRNA considerably decreased (P<0.05) in the model group. After the acupuncture treatment, the increased levels of RAMP 1 protein and mRNA and the decreased levels of 5-HT 1 DR protein and mRNA in the STN and midbrain were obviously reversed in the LSMAR and conventional needling groups relevant to the model group (P<0.05). The effect of LSMAR needling was significantly superior to that of conventional needling in down-regulating the expression levels of RAMP 1 mRNA and protein in the STN and mesencephalon (P<0.05) and in up-regulating the expression levels of 5-HT 1 DR mRNA and protein in the two brain regions (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Manual acupuncture stimulation of GV 20, GB 20, etc. can inhibit the expression of RAMP 1 protein and mRNA in the STN and midbrain, and up-regulate the expression of 5-HT 1 DR in the two brain regions of migraine rats, which may be related to its effect in relieving migraine.

[Effect of Manual Acupuncture Preconditioning on Behavior and Contents of Serum CGRP, SP, IL-1 ß and TNF-α Levels in Migraine Rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of liver-soothing and mental-activity-regulating (LSMAR) needling on behavior reactions and contents of serum calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), substance P (SP), interleukin-1 ß (IL-1 ß) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in migraine rats, so as to explore its mechanism underlying relief of migraine. METHODS: Thirty-two male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control, model, LSMAR needling and conventional needling groups (n=8 rats in each). The migraine model was established by hypodermic injection of glyceryl trinitrate (5 mg/kg) at the napex. Acupuncture preconditioning was conducted once daily for 8 days before modeling. Acupuncture needles were inserted into "Baihui" (GV 20), and bilateral "Fengchi" (GB 20), "Neiguan" (PC 6) and "Taichong" (LR 3), manipulated for a while and retained for 30 min. The rats' behavioral changes (times of head scratching, tail-biting, cage-crawling, and to- and fro-movement in 30 min) were scored (one symptom = one point) before modeling, after modeling, and after intervention. The concentrations of CGRP, SP, IL-1 ß, TNF-α in serum were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: After modeling, the behavioral scores were significantly increased in the migraine model rats relevant to the control group (P<0.05). Whereas after the treatment, the behavior scores were considerably decreased during 60-90 min and 120-150 min of the measuring period in both LSMAR and conventional needling groups compared with the model group (P<0.05). The concentrations of CGRP, SP, IL-1 ß and TNF-α were significantly higher in the model group than in the control group (P<0.05), and notably lower in both LSMAR and conventional needling groups than in the model group (P<0.05). The therapeutic effect of LSMAR was markedly superior to that of conventional needling in down-regulating the concentrations of CGRP, SP, IL-1 ß and TNF-α (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture preconditioning can effectively relieve pain in migraine rats possibly by decreasing the concentrations of CGRP, SP, IL-1 ß and TNF-α in the peripheral blood, and the therapeutic effect of LSMAR is evidently superior to that of conventional needling.

Consciousness as an Inhibited Manifestation and Quantum Physics.

The term soul is used in the traditional literature as a synonym for one's true Self and is associated with the subjective essence of one's living. Since, we don't have any means to quantify it, the science has ruled out this idea from its investigations. But, in a recent study, Ceylan et al. (2017) has reintroduced the word soul to scientific literature and examined the possibility of the study of the soul through scientific modalities. The primary focus of their study is to find and understand the scientific analog of the soul as quoted and discussed in the traditional literature. In the present paper, we examine the idea of a soul that uses a novel approach; integrating neuroscience and quantum physics, as proposed in Ceylan et al. (2017). For this purpose, we make use of findings from neuroscientific studies on meditation to understand the concepts of soul and consciousness in terms of inhibition mechanisms. In this context, this paper serves as an attempt to call for more studies to discuss and expand the hypothesis about the soul as uninhibited mental activity.

[A psychological content of social phobia syndrome]. / Sindrom sotsial'noi fobii i ego psikhologicheskoe soderzhanie.

AIM: To perform a psychological analysis of social phobia syndrome. The subject area of research is the structure of mental activity and behavior in social activity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 32 patients with symptoms of social phobia (ICD-10 F40.1) and 29 healthy people (controls). A complex of psychological methods (questionnaires; pathopsychological experiment) was used. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Early maladaptive schemes and a tendency to mental rigidity can be a premorbid basis of the syndrome. Primary violation is in organizational target component by type of distortion of goal-setting regulation. The mechanism is a reduction in the mediation of emotions and behavior (an influence of emotions on the process of activity, excess metacognitive anxiety control leading to multi-task and exhaustion of resources of voluntary activity). Fear of negative evaluation leads to the fact that a wide class of situations is interpreted as threatening. Secondary are changes in the system of goals and motives of activity (technically performing components of social behavior act as a focus of attention, along with the target, the target replaces the suprasituational meaning). Along with a strong motivation to succeed, the motive of avoiding failure is formed, which leads to a decrease in social activity. Tertiary symptoms of syndrome dynamics (ways to cope with maladaptation) are destructive forms of decompensation (substance abuse, learned helplessness and hopelessness, suicidal behavior, etc.), repeatedly reinforcing the primary and secondary disturbances.