Neural substrates of real and imagined sensorimotor coordination

Much debate in the behavioral literature focuses on the relative contribution of motor and perceptual processes in mediating coordinative stability. To a large degree, such debate has proceeded independently of what is going on in the brain. Here, using blood oxygen level-dependent measures of neural activation, we compare physically executed and imagined rhythmic coordination in order to better assess the relative contribution of hypothesized neuromusculoskeletal mechanisms in modulating behavioral stability. The executed tasks were to coordinate index finger to thumb opposition movements of the right hand with an auditory metronome in either a synchronized (on the beat) or syncopated (off the beat) pattern. Imagination involved the same tasks, except without physical movement. Thus, the sensory stimulus and coordination constraints were the same in both physical and imagination tasks, but the motoric requirements were not. Results showed that neural differences between executed synchronization and syncopation found in premotor cortex, supplementary motor area, basal ganglia and lateral cerebellum persist even when the coordinative patterns were only imagined. Neural indices reflecting behavioral stability were not abolished by the absence of overt movement suggesting that coordination phenomena are not exclusively rooted in purely motoric constraints. On the other hand, activity in the superior temporal gyrus was modulated by both the presence of movement and the nature of the coordination, attesting to the intimacy between perceptual and motoric processes in coordination dynamics.     

The effect of perceived appearance judgements on psychological and biological stress processes across adulthood

Social self‐preservation theory posits that stress is experienced when an aspect of an individual's identity has the potential to be negatively evaluated. Appearance is a central part of identity; however, little research has examined whether perceived appearance judgements are a source of social‐evaluative stress. In addition, stress may be an explanatory link in the association between appearance perceptions and depressive symptoms. This study examined whether perceived appearance judgements were associated with increased stress and greater depressive symptoms among adults. Study 1 examined the associations between self‐reported appearance judgements and cortisol stress responses in response to a laboratory stressor (Trier Social Stress Test) among 71 individuals aged 18–65. Study 2 assessed self‐reported appearance judgements and depressive symptoms among 498 adults ages 18–65 via an online survey data collection. Appearance judgement was associated with a stronger cortisol response, higher self‐reported stress, and greater depressive symptoms. Stress mediated all associations between appearance judgements and depressive symptoms and neither age nor gender moderated these associations. The findings suggest that appearance judgements contribute to psychological and biological stress processes and demonstrated that stress mediated the association between appearance judgements and depressive symptoms.     

The theory of preventive stress management: a 33‐year review and evaluation

The theory of preventive stress management (TPSM) has contributed to theoretical understanding, empirical exploration and organizational practices since its introduction in 1979. This paper describes the theoretical concepts contained in the theory, reviews the empirical findings based on the theory and outlines the organizational practices associated with the application of the theory. Special attention is given to the contribution of the three principal authors associated with the theory as well as the work of their key collaborators. The impact of the theory is evaluated and discussed. Opportunities for future research based on the TPSM are offered. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mechanotransduction and functional response of the skeleton to physical stress: The mechanisms and mechanics of bone adaptation

The skeleton's primary mechanical function is to provide rigid levers for muscles to act against as they hold the body upright in defiance of gravity. Many bones are exposed to thousands of repetitive loads each day. During growth and development, the skeleton optimizes its architecture by subtle adaptations to these mechanical loads. The mechanisms for adaptation involve a multistep process of cellular mechanotransduction including: mechanocoupling— conversion of mechanical forces into local mechanical signals, such as fluid shear stresses, that initiate a response by bone cells; biochemical coupling— transduction of a mechanical signal to a biochemical response involving pathways within the cell membrane and cytoskeleton; cell-to-cell signaling from the sensor cells (probably osteocytes and bone lining cells) to effector cells (osteoblasts or osteoclasts) using prostaglandins and nitric oxide as signaling molecules; and effector response— either bone formation or resorption to cause appropriate architectural changes. These architectural changes tend to adjust and improve the bone structure to its prevailing mechanical environment. Structural changes can be predicted, to some extent, by mathematical formulas derived from three fundamental rules: (1) bone adaptation is driven by dynamic, rather than static, loading; (2) extending the loading duration has a diminishing effect on further bone adaptation; (3) bone cells accommodate to a mechanical loading environment, making them less responsive to routine or customary loading signals. Received for publication on Dec. 25, 1997; accepted on Feb. 24, 1998     

The benefits of meditation vis‐à‐vis emotional intelligence,perceived stress and negative mental health

This paper evaluates the benefits of meditation in regard to emotional intelligence (EI), perceived stress and negative mental health with cross‐sectional and experimental studies. It first studied 351 full‐time working adults with different amounts of experience in meditation for these factors in order to test the hypothesis that their differences in them were based on differences in meditation experience, and found that those participants with greater meditation experience exhibited higher EI, and less perceived stress and negative mental health than those who had less or none. It then randomly divided 20 graduate students with no previous experience of meditation into a mindfulness meditation group (n = 10) and a control group (n = 10), and measured them for the same variable pre‐treatment and post‐treatment to test the hypothesis that meditation training improves people's state, and found that those who completed the mindfulness meditation training demonstrated significant improvements compared to the control group. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.