Positive Technology Journal

Mind-body interventions for chronic pain in older adults: a structured review.

Pain Med. 2007 May;8(4):359-75

Authors: Morone NE, Greco CM

Study Design. We conducted a structured review of eight mind-body interventions for older adults with chronic nonmalignant pain. Objectives. To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and evidence for pain reduction in older adults with chronic nonmalignant pain in the following mind-body therapies: biofeedback, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, guided imagery, hypnosis, tai chi, qi gong, and yoga. Methods. Relevant studies in the MEDLINE, PsycINFO, AMED, and CINAHL databases were located. A manual search of references from retrieved articles was also conducted. Of 381 articles retrieved through search strategies, 20 trials that included older adults with chronic pain were reviewed. Results. Fourteen articles included participants aged 50 years and above, while only two of these focused specifically on persons aged >/=65 years. An additional six articles included persons aged >/=50 years. Fourteen articles were controlled trials. There is some support for the efficacy of progressive muscle relaxation plus guided imagery for osteoarthritis pain. There is limited support for meditation and tai chi for improving function or coping in older adults with low back pain or osteoarthritis. In an uncontrolled biofeedback trial that stratified by age group, both older and younger adults had significant reductions in pain following the intervention. Several studies included older adults, but did not analyze benefits by age. Tai chi, yoga, hypnosis, and progressive muscle relaxation were significantly associated with pain reduction in these studies. Conclusion. The eight mind-body interventions reviewed are feasible in an older population. They are likely safe, but many of the therapies included modifications tailored for older adults. There is not yet sufficient evidence to conclude that these eight mind-body interventions reduce chronic nonmalignant pain in older adults. Further research should focus on larger, clinical trials of mind-body interventions to answer this question.

Via NewScientist

Japanese NTT has unveiled a system that makes three dimensional images solid enough to grasp. The device creates the illusion of depth perception and provides haptic feedback

I believe that among its potential applications, this technology could be effectively used in the rehabilitation of the upper limb following stroke

 

(Image: NTT)

From NewScientist

Via NeuroBot

5-7 November 2007, Piscataway, NJ, USA

Seventh International Conference on Epigenetic Robotics: Modeling Cognitive Development in Robotic Systems

http://www.epigenetic-robotics.org

Email: epirob07@epigenetic-robotics.org

Location:
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey,
Piscataway, NJ, USA

*Extended* Submission Deadline: 1 August 2007

EEG-based assessment of driver cognitive responses in a dynamic virtual-reality driving environment.

IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2007 Jul;54(7):1349-52

Authors: Lin CT, Chung IF, Ko LW, Chen YC, Liang SF, Duann JR

Accidents caused by errors and failures in human performance among traffic fatalities have a high death rate and become an important issue in public security. They are mainly caused by the failures of the drivers to perceive the changes of the traffic lights or the unexpected conditions happening accidentally on the roads. In this paper, we devised a quantitative analysis for assessing driver's cognitive responses by investigating the neurobiological information underlying electroencephalographic (EEG) brain dynamics in traffic-light experiments in a virtual-reality (VR) dynamic driving environment. The VR technique allows subjects to interact directly with the moving virtual environment instead of monotonic auditory and visual stimuli, thereby provides interactive and realistic tasks without the risk of operating on an actual machine. Independent component analysis (ICA) is used to separate and extract noise-free ERP signals from the multi-channel EEG signals. A temporal filter is used to solve the time-alignment problem of ERP features and principle component analysis (PCA) is used to reduce feature dimensions. The dimension-reduced features are then input to a self-constructing neural fuzzy inference network (SONFIN) to recognize different brain potentials stimulated by red/green/yellow traffic events, the accuracy can be reached 87% in average eight subjects in this visual-stimuli ERP experiment. It demonstrates the feasibility of detecting and analyzing multiple streams of ERP signals that represent operators' cognitive states and responses to task events.

Via Emerging Technology Trends

Jason Green, CEO of Florida-based Medical Development International (MDI) announced that experts at his company have applied artificial intelligence to produce original, three-dimensional paintings.

From the press release:

Most computers store individual instructions as code with each instruction given a unique number; the simplest computers perform a handful of different instructions, while the more complex computers have several hundred to choose from.

Green took programming capability one-step further by producing thousands of images using a set color scheme and style from multiple images simultaneously created on multiple machines. The best of these images are then rendered at extremely high resolutions.

Green's "Virtual Van Gogh" takes High-Definition to an entirely different level. While the best High-Definition television (HDTV) currently available produces an image at 1980 x 1080 pixels, Green's program render's the painting's resolution to 7500 x 5000 taking more than 156 hours.

 

From Mobile Games Blog

Brain-computer interface systems: progress and prospects.

Expert Rev Med Devices. 2007 Jul;4(4):463-474

Authors: Allison BZ, Wolpaw EW, Wolpaw JR

Brain-computer interface (BCI) systems support communication through direct measures of neural activity without muscle activity. BCIs may provide the best and sometimes the only communication option for users disabled by the most severe neuromuscular disorders and may eventually become useful to less severely disabled and/or healthy individuals across a wide range of applications. This review discusses the structure and functions of BCI systems, clarifies terminology and addresses practical applications. Progress and opportunities in the field are also identified and explicated.