Showing papers by "Chaminade University of Honolulu published in 2006"

Deactivation of brain areas during self-regulation of slow cortical potentials in seizure patients.

Abstract: This study investigates the neurophysiological basis of EEG feedback for patients with epilepsy. Brain areas are identified that become hemodynamically deactivated when epilepsy patients, trained in EEG self-regulation, generate positive slow cortical potentials (SCPs). Five patients were trained in producing positive SCPs, using a training protocol previously established to reduce seizure frequency in patients with drug refractory epilepsy. Patients attempted to produce positive SCP shifts in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner. Two patients were able to reliably produce positive SCP shifts. When these successful regulators were prompted to produce positive SCPs, blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response indicated deactivation, in comparison to a control state, around the recording electrode, frontal lobe, and thalamus. Unsuccessful regulators' BOLD response indicated no deactivation in cortical areas proximal to the active electrode. No thalamic deactivation was found in poor regulators. Decreased seizure frequency from SCP training may be the result of positively reinforced inhibition in cortical areas proximal to active electrode placement, the frontal cortex, and the thalamus.

Air travel and seizure frequency for individuals with epilepsy

Abstract: This study investigated whether air travel is associated with an increase in seizures for individuals with epilepsy. Thirty-seven participants monitored their seizure frequency for one week prior to flying and for one week after flying. For the sample as a whole, seizures were significantly more common after flying (p=.02). No seizures were reported as occurring during flight. Participants who experienced an increase in seizures after flying compared to those who did not (a) had a higher baseline of seizure frequency (p=.004), (b) were more likely to have previously experienced an increase in seizures after flying (p=.001), (c) were more worried about having a seizure while flying (p=.001) and (d) were more likely to avoid air travel (p=.02). Participants with complete seizure control prior to flying did not experience seizures after flying. Distance traveled, time zones crossed, duration of flight and direction of flight were not significantly different for those with seizure increase than for those without such an increase. This study suggests that air travel promotes an increase in seizures for those with a prior history of flight related seizures and a relatively high baseline seizure frequency.

Communicating pain: Do people share an understanding of the meaning of pain descriptors?

Abstract: When patients describe their pain to medical practitioners they typically use verbal descriptors. Therefore, it is important to know whether people assign similar meanings to the same descriptive terms. This study explored the extent to which people assign similar levels of numerical pain intensity to the verbal descriptors that they use to describe their worst pain experience. A nonclinical sample (N = 207) rated their worst pain experience in two ways. First, participants rated their pain using a self-ranked verbal rating scale (VRS) consisting of descriptors frequently used in pain measures. Second, participants used a visual analog scale (VAS) to rate their pain intensity on a 10-cm line. While the correlation between the two measures was significant (r = .71), there was considerable variability between individuals in terms of how they rated pain descriptors on the VAS. Respondents were idiosyncratic in their use of pain words. Consequently, we recommend that medical practitioners do not rely...