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PubMed1995

Interference between saccadic eye and goal-directed hand movements.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the nature of the interference effect when the eye is accompanied by a goal-directed hand movement rather than when the eye moves alone. Latencies of eye and hand movements in response to small and large visual target stimuli were measured while employing dual-task methodology. Experiments 1 and 2 were designed to investigate whether the interference effect is related to a specific temporal bottleneck, i.e. the eye and hand motor systems share limited available processes at a specific point in time. The findings of robust interference effects independent of the temporal organization of eye and hand contradicted this notion. The interference effect was not present in experiment 3, where response preparation and target-localization mechanisms were limited by providing subjects with advance information about target position. Experiment 4 employed randomized target positions again and highly salient stimuli, the latter only limiting target-localization processes. The absence of an interference effect adds weight to the argument that visual spatial attentional mechanisms involved in target localization constitute the locus of the interference. Neurophysiological implications of these findings are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Frontal lobe lesions in man cause difficulties in suppressing reflexive glances and in generating goal-directed saccades.

The frontal eye field (FEF) and superior colliculus (SC) are thought to form two parallel systems for generating saccadic eye movements. The SC is thought classically to mediate reflex-like orienting movements. Thus it can be hypothesized that the FEF exerts a higher level control on a visual grasp reflex. To test this hypothesis we have studied the saccades of patients who have had discrete unilateral removals of frontal lobe tissue for the relief of intractable epilepsy. The responses of these patients were compared to those of normal subjects and patients with unilateral temporal lobe removals. Two tasks were used. In the first task the subject was instructed to look in the direction of a visual cue that appeared unexpectedly 12 degrees to the left or right of a central fixation point (FP), in order to identify a patterned target that appeared 200 ms or more later. In the second "anti-saccade" task the subject was required to look not at the location of the cue but in the opposite direction, an equal distance from FP where after 200 ms or more the patterned target appeared. Three major observations have emerged from the present study. Most frontal patients, with lesions involving both the dorsolateral and mesial cortex had long term difficulties in suppressing disallowed glances to visual stimuli that suddenly appeared in peripheral vision. In such patients, saccades that were eventually directed away from the cue and towards the target were nearly always triggered by the appearance of the target itself irrespective of whether or not the "anti-saccade" was preceded by a disallowed glance. Those eye movements away from the cue were only rarely generated spontaneously across the blank screen during the cue-target time interval. The latency of these visually-triggered saccades was very short (80-140 ms) compared to that of the correct saccades (170-200 ms) to the cue when the cue and target were on the same side, thereby suggesting that the structures removed in these patients normally trigger saccades after considerable computations have already been performed. The results support the view that the frontal lobes, particularly the dorsolateral region which contains the FEF and possibly the supplementary motor area contribute to the generation of complex saccadic eye-movement behaviour. More specifically, they appear to aid in suppressing unwanted reflex-like oculomotor activity and in triggering the appropriate volitional movements when the goal for the movement is known but not yet visible.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Involvement of dopaminergic neurotransmission in the control of goal-directed movements.

Changes produced in dopamine (DA) activity, by administration of the DA-antagonists metoclopramide (10 mg/kg IM) and tiapride (16 mg/kg IM) and of the DA agonists apomorphine (0.5 and 1 mg/kg IM) and bromocriptine (8 mg/kg orally), specifically modified predatory behavior in the ferret. Sulpiride (40 mg/kg IP and 90 mg/kg IM) did not change the behavior. The number of bites necessary to kill the prey was reduced by metoclopramide and tiapride. The number of bites after the death of the prey was not changed. The latency from the first bite to the death of the prey was shortened. Apomorphine and bromocriptine increased the number of bites. The DA receptor blockers haloperidol, chlorpromazine, and clozapine had similar effects to metoclopramide and tiapride, and the DA agonist L-dopa had similar effects to apomorphine and bromocriptine. The pattern of results indicated that, considering the two major DA receptor types, D-2 receptors or D-2 in combination with D-1 but not D-1 receptors alone were involved in the control of goal-directed movements. The results also provided some evidence that blockade of these DA receptors caused a narrowing of the range of exhibited behavioral responses. Stimulation of the DA receptors had opposite effects.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

The use of spinal manipulation in the treatment of low back pain: a review of goals, patient selection, techniques, and risks.

Spinal manipulation is routinely obtained for low back pain by much of the general public, but there remains a lack of understanding of its rationale and effectiveness in the medical community. Because of the increasing use of manipulation, it is advantageous for back specialists to gain a better understanding of these techniques in order to counsel patients on the associated risks and benefits of manipulation. The purpose of this review is to present the specific goals of spinal manipulation, with emphasis on proper patient selection, specific techniques, and associated risks.

Contraindications↗
PubMed2004

The perceptual control of goal-directed locomotion: a common control architecture for interception and navigation?

Intercepting a moving object while locomoting is a highly complex and demanding ability. Notwithstanding the identification of several informational candidates, the role of perceptual variables in the control process underlying such skills remains an open question. In this study we used a virtual reality set-up for studying locomotor interception of a moving ball. The subject had to walk along a straight path and could freely modify forward velocity, if necessary, in order to intercept-with the head-a ball moving along a straight path that led it to cross the agent's displacement axis. In a series of experiments we manipulated a local (ball size) and a global (focus of expansion) component of the visual flow but also the egocentric orientation of the ball. The experimental observations are well captured by a dynamic model linking the locomotor acceleration to properties of both global flow and egocentric direction. More precisely the changes in locomotor velocity depend on a linear combination of the change in bearing angle and the change in egocentric orientation, allowing the emergence of adaptive behavior under a variety of circumstances. We conclude that the mechanisms underlying the control of different goal-directed locomotion tasks (i.e. steering and interceptive tasks) could share a common architecture.

Acceleration↗
PubMed2004

The time course for kinetic versus kinematic planning of goal-directed human motor behavior.

The present psychophysical study compares motor planning during goal-directed reaching movements and isometric spatial force generation. Our objective is to characterize the extent to which the motor system accounts for the biomechanical details of an impending reach. One issue that the nervous system must take into account when transforming a spatial sensory signal into an intrinsic pattern of joint torques is that of limb dynamics, including intersegmental dynamics and inertial anisotropy of the arm. These will act to displace the hand away from a straight path to an object. In theory, if the nervous system accounts for movement-related limb dynamics prior to its initial motor output, early force direction for a movement will differ from an isometric force to the same spatial target. Alternatively, biomechanical details of motor behavior may be implemented into the motor act following its initiation. Limb position and force output at the wrist were recorded while subjects displaced a cursor to targets viewed on a computer monitor. To generate isometric forces, a magnetic brake held a mechanical linkage supporting the arm in place. Subjects were cued to displace the cursor by using either isometric force or limb movement. On random trials, a movement was cued but an isometric force was unexpectedly required. Results show that there is not a significant directional difference in the initial force trajectory when planning a movement versus planning an isometric force. These findings suggest that the motor system may initially use a coarse approximation of movement-related limb dynamics, allowing for the refinement of the motor plan as the movement unfolds.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Planning and online control of goal directed movements when the eyes are 'relocated'.

We investigated the effects of different viewpoints on remapping visuo-motor space, and whether remapping happens differently during the planning and the online control phase of goal-directed movements. Participants tapped targets on a monitor that was placed horizontally flat and flush with the table in front of them. They viewed the layout of the scene, including the monitor, and their hand, through video goggles attached to a camera. The camera could be moved along a semi-circle with the monitor as the circle's center. On each trial, the camera was randomly positioned at one of seven locations on the semi-circle (-90 to +90 degrees in 30 degrees steps), always at eye height. The time needed to tap the target was quickest when the camera was approximately facing the participant and progressively increased when the camera was located more to the sides (Experiment 1). There was no effect of camera location on performance when participants only saw the static layout of the scene and were not allowed to see the scene or their hand during the movement (Experiment 2). By comparison, the dependency of performance on camera location increased when participants did not have information about the layout of the scene at the start of the trial, and could only perform remapping when their hand was visible during the movement (Experiment 3). These results indicate that visuo-motor remapping happens differently during the planning phase when only static information about the layout is available, and during the control phase when dynamic information about the moving hand is also available.

Cognition↗
PubMed1999

Integration of visual and somatosensory target information in goal-directed eye and arm movements.

In this study, we compared separate and coordinated eye and hand movements towards visual or somatosensory target stimuli in a dark room, where no visual position information about the hand could be obtained. Experiment 1 showed that saccadic reaction times (RTs) were longer when directed to somatosensory targets than when directed to visual targets in both single- and dual-task conditions. However, for hand movements, this pattern was only found in the dual-task condition and not in the single-task condition. Experiment 1 also showed that correlations between saccadic and hand RTs were significantly higher when directed towards somatosensory targets than when directed towards visual targets. Importantly, experiment 2 indicated that this was not caused by differences in processing times at a perceptual level. Furthermore, hand-pointing accuracy was found to be higher when subjects had to move their eyes as well (dual task) compared to a single-task hand movement. However, this effect was more pronounced for movements to visual targets than to somatosensory targets. A schematic model of sensorimotor transformations for saccadic eye and goal-directed hand movements is proposed and possible shared mechanisms of the two motor systems are discussed.

Goals↗
PubMed2025

Emerging prospects of Bacillus species in attaining the sustainable development goals.

The world is witnessing a serious challenge of poverty which is reflected as hidden hunger and simultaneously overpopulation puts a grave burden on our ecosystem. In order to overcome these serious issues, the sustainable development goals (SDGs) serve a very significant role. Concurrently, the contribution of microorganisms in achieving the SDGs cannot be overlooked. Bacillus species as a probiotic has led to the development of various commercial fermented products that are available in the market. Additionally, the formulated products have been clinically validated for their health benefits. Bacillus species have also been reported to serve as bio-preservatives and biocontrol agents because they aid in preserving and maintaining the final food product as well as post-harvest goods. The utilization of Bacillus spp. as probiotics has significantly contributed to the overall well-being of animals. Moreover, many different species of Bacillus have been reported to be utilized as bio-cementing agents. All the aforementioned roles of Bacillus species contribute to addressing zero hunger (SDG 2), good health and well-being (SDG 3), and industry, infrastructure, and innovation (SDG 9). KEY POINTS: • Role of Bacillus spp. as probiotic have been successfully proven by clinical studies. • Prescence of antimicrobial genes in the Bacillus spp. genome play important role in bio-preservation and biocontrol. • In animal feeds Bacillus spp. are a good alternate of antibiotics and use of Bacillus spp. in cement industry is innovative approach.

Bacillus↗
PubMed2004

Using goals in environmental management: the Swedish system of environmental objectives.

In Sweden, environmental policy is essentially carried out through a system of environmental objectives adopted by Parliament in the late 1990s. This system contains principles, objectives, interim targets, strategies, and follow-up mechanisms, which together provide a solid ground for increased efficiency and improved prioritization in environmental policies. Despite the ambitious approach of the Swedish Parliament, the system of environmental objectives suffers from certain shortcomings. Some of the objectives are imprecise and difficult to evaluate, and there are no rules or principles that may be used to solve goal conflicts and to prioritize between different objectives. As a consequence, the environmental objectives tend to differ in their degrees of operationalizability, and the priority-setting between different objectives is often unclear.

Conflict, Psychological↗
PubMed2006

Smoothing out transitions: how pedagogy influences medical students' achievement of self-regulated learning goals.

Medical school is an academic and developmental path toward a professional life demanding self-regulation and self-education. Thus, many medical schools include in their goals for medical student education their graduates' ability to self-assess and self-regulate their education upon graduation and throughout their professional lives. This study explores links between medical students' use of self-regulated learning as it relates to motivation, autonomy, and control, and how these influenced their experiences in medical school. Subjects were medical students in two distinct medical school environments, "Problem-based learning" and "Traditional." PBL students described a rough transition into medical school, but once they felt comfortable with the autonomy and control PBL gave them, they embraced the independence and responsibility. They found themselves motivated to learning for learning's sake, and able to channel their motivation into effective transitions from the classrooms into the clerkships. Traditional students had a rougher transition from the classrooms to the clerkships. In the first two years they relied on faculty to direct and control learning, and they channeled their motivation toward achieving the highest grade. In the clerkships, they found faculty expected them to be more independent and self-directed than they felt prepared to be, and they struggled to assume responsibility for their learning. Self-regulated learning can help smooth out the transitions through medical school by preparing first and second year students for expectations in the third and fourth years, which can then maximize learning in the clinical milieu, and prepare medical students for a lifetime of learning.

Choice Behavior↗
PubMed2006

Goal-directed action representation in autism.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the ability of individuals with autism to represent goal-directed behavioural actions. We compared the performance of subjects with autism (n=16), mentally retarded subjects (n=14) and normal healthy subjects (n=15) in a sequencing task consisted in arranging pictures of single events in their appropriate order so as to make coherent stories. Three types of actions were presented: (a) actions on objects; (b) actions on objects in a broader spatio-temporal context; (c) interactive actions. Autistic subjects were impaired in arranging sequences of actions on objects, as compared to both control groups. This impairment might contribute to explaining both executive deficits and difficulties in understanding others' behaviour in autism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Goals of statin therapy: three viewpoints.

The "lipid hypothesis" is now universally recognized as a law. Few issues in medicine are as completely resolved as the question of whether reducing serum cholesterol increases longevity. However, there are a few questions that remain, and the most important uncertainty is to what extent cholesterol should be reduced. The medical community, in partnership with government and industry, has contributed many excellent trials demonstrating the effects in patients with elevated cholesterol (above the mean). Where should our goal of therapy be? Until data is available from several large, ongoing trials, we do not have a final answer. We asked three investigators, Drs. Gilbert Thompson, Christopher Packard, and Neil Stone, who have all been integrally involved in the accumulation of our present database, to argue three different possible answers.

Goals↗
PubMed1984

Goals of nutritional support in acute infections.

Defense mechanisms employed by the host to fight infection are highly dependent on adequate protein synthesis to support phagocytic and lymphoid cell activity as well as immunoglobulin production. Interleukin I is a small, not yet fully characterized protein produced by macrophages which appears to initiate most of the nonspecific metabolic changes observed during infection. These alterations include: increase in the synthesis of visceral proteins, white blood cells, and acute phase globulins; enhanced somatic protein breakdown; sequestering of serum iron and zinc in the liver; and induction of fever. The ability of leukocytes to produce interleukin I is impaired in patients with visceral protein depletion or kwashiorkor-like, hypoalbuminemic malnutrition and can be restored in the healthy unstressed patient within approximately three to five days by feeding. Similarly, in the stressed patient, adequate protein and caloric intake improves the ability to produce interleukin I, which may improve survival. Other defects in host defense in advanced stages of protein malnutrition include lymphopenia, impaired phagocytosis, and deficiencies in fibronectin, immunoglobulins, and complement levels. Thus, the goal of nutritional support is to maintain sufficient amounts of amino acids for visceral protein synthesis required for adequate host defense.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

The control of shoulder muscles during goal directed movements, an inverse dynamic analysis.

Fast goal directed arm movements in the sagittal plane were analyzed with a three-dimensional shoulder model with 95 muscle elements. Dynamics of the muscle elements were described by a third-order nonlinear muscle model. Muscle forces and activation were estimated using the method of inverse muscular dynamics, an optimization scheme which uses only very limited computational power. Most model results were similar to the EMG but some differences between model results and EMG were found in muscles where the EMG activity was subject dependent. For the movement studied, the thoracoscapular muscles were shown to deliver about 40% of the energy required for the acceleration of the arm during anteflexion and about 22% during retroflexion. Activity of thoracoscapular muscles was also required to ensure contact between the thorax and the scapula which is important for the mechanical stability of the shoulder. The rotator cuff muscles were found to deliver about 19% of the energy required for the acceleration of the arm during anteflexion and about 8% during retroflexion.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1984

Goal frustration and life events in the aetiology of painful gastrointestinal disorder.

Life events and difficulties were recorded for the year preceding onset of abdominal pain in 135 consecutive referrals to three gastrointestinal clinics, and for the equivalent time period in a matched, healthy community comparison series. Fifty-six patients were found to have an organic gastrointestinal disorder. Severely threatening events and major difficulties known to play a critical aetiological role in clinical depression, occurred with much the same frequency during the 38 weeks before onset of non-organic ('functional') gastrointestinal disorder. There was no such relationship between the severity of threat and organic disorder. A measure of 'goal frustration' reflecting the degree to which the subjects aims and ambitions were insurmountably obstructed by the occurrence of the event, was significantly associated with organic disorder. This finding may explain the often reported association between life stress and organic gastrointestinal disorder.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1982

Helping and achieving. Compatible or competing goals for men and women in medical school?

This study investigates the attitudes of medical students toward oncology and examines the help- and achievement-orientations of males and females to ascertain whether these orientations are gender-related. Ninety freshmen, 125 sophomores, 83 juniors, and 87 senior medical students responded to questionnaires assessing their attitudes. Female students were both more help- and achievement-oriented than were the male students. Helping and achieving were compatible goals for these women. Both male and female students were significantly more help-oriented by their senior year but they also felt significantly less effective in helping than did students in the first 3 years.

Achievement↗
PubMed1986

Disability, stress and readjustment: the function of the professional's latent goals and affective behavior in rehabilitation.

The paper focuses on the factors which may possibly explain why rehabilitation agencies' assistance may eventually result in maladjustment--a conclusion inferred from recent studies on the readjustment of disabled persons. Multivariate analysis of data from a study among Israeli disabled war veterans ascertains that the rehabilitant's perception of the rehabilitator as pursuing a predominant though latent goal of promoting his/her own interests, constitutes a major factor in the intervention's detrimental outcomes. The rehabilitator's demonstration of 'affective' (sincerely humane) behavior, on the other hand, counteracts the eventually deleterious consequences. The study renders further support to the frequently emphasized significance of the rehabilitant's subjective assessment of the demands confronting him in their becoming stressors. The data ascertains that it is not the severity of the impairment itself, but rather the subjective assessment of its implication that may have stress-arousing consequences. The present study contributes a further development of the previously established paradigm of 'Readjustment of Disabled Persons', contributing to the understanding of the factors facilitating and impeding readjustment.

Adaptation, Psychological↗