Using brief experimental assessment of reading interventions for identification and treatment of a vocal habit.
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An 11-year-old boy presented in an outpatient clinic with a vocal habit that occurred during reading and conversation. A brief reading assessment was conducted to determine an effective intervention to decrease the habit. A modified version of the word error-correction procedure resulted in positive changes and was implemented by his mother during home reading practices. Significant decreases in the rate of vocal habit were observed during home reading probes, generalization probes, and follow-up. (+info)
Pre-competition habits and injuries in Taekwondo athletes.
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BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, there has been heightened interest in injury rates sustained by martial arts athletes, and more specifically, Taekwondo athletes. Despite this interest, there is a paucity of research on pre-competition habits and training of these athletes. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess training characteristics, competition preparation habits, and injury profiles of Taekwondo athletes. METHODS: A retrospective survey of Canadian male and female Taekwondo athletes competing in a national tournament was conducted. Competitors at a Canadian national level tournament were given a comprehensive survey prior to competition. Items on training characteristics, diet, and injuries sustained during training and competition were included. Questionnaires were distributed to 60 athletes. RESULTS: A response rate of 46.7% was achieved. Of those that responded, 54% dieted prior to competition, and 36% dieted and exercised pre-competition. Sixty-four percent of the athletes practised between 4-6 times per week, with 54% practicing 2 hours per session. Lower limb injuries were the most common (46.5%), followed by upper extremity (18%), back (10%), and head (3.6%). The majority of injuries consisted of sprains/strains (45%), followed by contusions, fractures, and concussions. More injuries occurred during training, including 59% of first injuries. CONCLUSION: More research needs to be conducted to further illustrate the need for appropriate regulations on weight cycling and injury prevention. (+info)
Effective prevention of diabetes mellitus: a motto for healthy habits--"none of one, less of two, more of three".
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OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the correlation of six healthy habits with plasma glucose. METHODS: Our mnemonic or motto for promoting healthy habits is "none of one, less of two, more of three". The 'one' behavior is smoking. The two things are intake of food and alcohol. The three things are exercise, rest and enjoyable activities. SUBJECTS: A questionnaire recording compliance with this motto was completed by 8,113 subjects undergoing medical health check-ups. Subjects under medication were excluded. Fasting plasma glucose was measured. RESULTS: Fasting plasma glucose decreased significantly in relation to the number of healthy habits practiced (5.57 mmol/l for one, 5.51 for two, 5.49 for three, 5.41 for four, 5.38 for five, and 5.31 for six) . CONCLUSION: Practicing these six healthy habits contributes to the prevention of diabetes mellitus. (+info)
The importance of postural habits in perpetuating myofascial trigger point pain.
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Various structural abnormalities that contribute to the perpetuation of myofascial trigger point activity and the pain arising from it, have previously been well documented. In addition, however, there are a number of postural habits that are important to recognise as they may also contribute, as shown in the five cases discussed. These postural habits, which are likely to be carried out both frequently and unconsciously, are adopted during the course of sitting, standing or sleeping. They are entirely independent of any structural abnormalities that may be present. Correcting them is a necessary contribution to treatment, as failure to do so is liable to lead to persistence of the pain. (+info)
Extended habit training reduces dopamine mediation of appetitive response expression.
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A wide range of behaviors is impaired after disruption of dopamine (DA) transmission, yet behaviors that are reflexive, automatic, or elicited by salient cues often remain intact. Responses triggered by strong external cues appear to be DA independent. Here, we examined the possibility that a single behavior may become DA independent as a result of extended training. Rats were trained to execute a head-entry response to a cue signaling food delivery. Vulnerability of the response to D1 or D2 receptor blockade was assessed on day 3, 7, or 17 of 28-trial-per-day training. During the early stages of training, the D1 receptor antagonist R(+)-7-chloro-8-hydroxy-3-methyl-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine hydrochloride (SCH 23390) increased response latencies; however, the same behavior was unaffected by SCH 23390 in animals tested during the later stages of training. Other aspects of behavior such as locomotion and head-entry responses during the uncued intertrial interval remained vulnerable to SCH 23390 throughout the experiment. This D1-mediated response was unaffected by the D2 antagonist raclopride, even at a dose that strongly suppressed locomotion. The results provide strong evidence that a D1-dependent behavior becomes less dependent on DA with extended training. A number of fundamental neurobiological changes occur as behaviors become learned habits; at least for some responses, this change involves a shift from D1-mediated to D1-independent responding. (+info)
Robust habit learning in the absence of awareness and independent of the medial temporal lobe.
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Habit memory is thought to involve slowly acquired associations between stimuli and responses and to depend on the basal ganglia. Habit memory has been well studied in experimental animals but is poorly understood in humans because of their strong tendency to acquire information as conscious (declarative) knowledge. Here we show that humans have a robust capacity for gradual trial-and-error learning that operates outside awareness for what is learned and independently of the medial temporal lobe. We tested two patients with large medial temporal lobe lesions and no capacity for declarative memory. Both patients gradually acquired a standard eight-pair object discrimination task over many weeks but at the start of each session could not describe the task, the instructions or the objects. The acquired knowledge was rigidly organized, and performance collapsed when the task format was altered. (+info)
[Sleep habits and starting time to school in Brazilian children].
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OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the sleep habits in Brazilian children according to age, gender and starting time to school. METHOD: We investigated 2,482 scholars aged 7 to 10 years. We compared sleep habits, gender, and starting time to school (morning and afternoon). RESULTS: Sixty-one per cent of the children presented sleep rituals before sleep. Milk drinking before sleep was more frequent among seven years old children. We found a progressive reduction with age in keeping the lights on. Girls used to leave an object to bed more than boys did. Children that studied in the morning presented reduced total sleep time, sleep earlier, and nap more frequently than children that studied in the afternoon. CONCLUSION: Starting time to school deeply influences sleep habits in Brazilian children from Sao Paulo City, in whom bed-time rituals are highly prevalent. (+info)
Aging with quality of life--a challenge for society.
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This article focus on biological, nutritional, psychological, medical and social variables which have proven useful indicators for assessing wellbeing of individuals. Such objective data (measured by the two investigators) and subjective information (self-reported by the participants) were collected between 2002-2003 from samples of healthy, free living females and males aged between 59 and 92 years from Vienna and surroundings. In both these groups some habitual practices (habit variables) were observed of elderly and old which have a negative influence on health i.e low daily liquid uptake and smoking. There is also a fair amount of overweight and obesity (BMI>or=30) and also of hypertension, particularly in males, There is also malnourishment, predominantly in females, as reflected by the Body Cell Mass Index. Several participants either were not aware of being hypertensive or admitted that they deliberately ignored medical advice. With respect to social variables there are greater percentages of married males and widowed females. Possibly partially resulting from this loss of the partner a greater number of females report feelings of loneliness than do males. Positive results relate to the overall high percentages of family contacts, positive feelings towards life and physical activity as reported by the large majority of the participants. These findings stress the need for further information of living habits of the elderly and old as a possible guide of helping improve their quality of life. (+info)