Coloured Speech Perception: Is Synaesthesia what Happens when Modularity Breaks Down?

Perception ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Baron-Cohen ◽  
John Harrison ◽  
Laura H Goldstein ◽  
Maria Wyke

Evidence was reported earlier from a single case that chromatic–lexical (CL) synaesthesia was a genuine phenomenon. A study is presented in which nine subjects were tested who also reported having coloured hearing. The following questions were addressed: (a) were these cases also genuine (ie consistent over time), (b) were they truly lexical, or rather variants of this condition, such as chromatic–graphemic (CG) or chromatic–phonemic (CP) synaesthesia, (c) did the experimental subjects show any commonalities between them, and (d) were they able to give information on a standard questionnaire about the phenomenology and ontogenesis of the condition? Subjects were asked to describe the colour sensation experienced on hearing items from a list of 130 words, phrases, and letters. The experimental group were not informed of any retest, but were retested more than one year later. A control group ( n = 9), matched for IQ, memory, age, and gender, were read the same list and asked to associate a colour with each list item. They were informed at the time of testing that they would be retested on a sample of items from the list a week later. 92.3% of the responses of the experimental group when retested one year later were identical to those given in the original test, compared with only 37.6% of the control subjects' responses (retested one week later). This confirmed the genuineness of these nine cases. All nine experimental subjects showed CG synaesthesia, none showing either CL or CP synaesthesia. Among the experimental group, some consistency was found in the colours evoked by hearing specific letters, suggesting the condition has a neurological basis. There was also evidence of a genetic sex-linked familial pattern underlying the condition. The importance of these distinct forms of synaesthesia for our understanding of the modularity of speech perception and colour vision is discussed.

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 18-26
Author(s):  
Mirza Sitarević ◽  
◽  
Leila Begić ◽  
Zamir Mrkonjić ◽  
◽  
...  

The main aim of the research was to determine the development of grammar and the use of grammatically complex sentences in stuttering and non-stuttering children, and to determine whether there are differences in the above abilities between these two groups of respondents. The sample of respondents consisted of a total of 64 children aged 56-83 months. Respondents are divided into two groups. The experimental group consisted of 32 stuttering children, of whom 19 were male and 13 female. The control group consisted of 32 children who did not stutter, and who compared with age and gender, were equal with the respondents of the experimental group. The research was conducted in preschools and elementary schools in the area of the Tuzla and Una-Sana Cantons in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The results of the study showed that stuttering children show statistically lower abilities during repetition of sentences, as well as recognition, understanding and use of common morphological forms. However, it is important to point out that children who stutter, regardless of significantly lower results than their fluent speaking peers, have shown above-average grammatical abilities. Also, the results showed that both children who stutter and children who do not stutter in their spontaneous speech use complex sentences.


Author(s):  
Amar Kelkar ◽  
Brian Loc ◽  
Michael Tarantino ◽  
Anita Rajasekhar ◽  
Huaping Wang ◽  
...  

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has been associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE) and acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted within the OSF HealthCare System in Peoria, Illinois. The objectives were to determine the incidence of acute VTE and ACS within one year of CMV testing. The “study group” included patients with positive CMV IgM or positive CMV Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The “seropositive control” group included patients with positive CMV IgG and negative IgM. The “seronegative control” group included patients with negative CMV IgG and IgM, or negative PCR. Results: Within one year of CMV infection, 38 of 379 patients (10.0%) developed VTE in the study group compared to 41 of 1334 patients (3.1%) in the seropositive control and 37 of 1249 (3.0%) in the seronegative control. Adjusting for age and gender, both control groups were less likely to have VTE than the study group within one year (Seropositive Control: OR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.2-0.5, p <0.0001; Seronegative Control: OR = 0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.6, p <0.0001). ACS was more likely to occur in the study group, with incidence of 7.7% compared to 4.7% (p <0.0001) in the seropositive control and 1.9% (p <0.0001) in the seronegative control. Adjusting for age and gender, the seronegative control was less likely to develop ACS than the study group within one year (OR = 0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.7, p = 0.003). Conclusions: This retrospective study demonstrates that CMV infection may be a significant risk factor for VTE and ACS.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 80 (5) ◽  
pp. 623-629
Author(s):  
David Faust ◽  
James Brown

Investigations of moderately elevated lead levels and children's cognitive functioning have yielded conflicting results, although studies showing no effects used measures of limited sensitivity and breadth. In this study, a comprehensive neuropsychologic battery was used to determine whether deficits would be revealed. An experimental group of 15 children with a past history of moderately elevated lead levels, but subsequently without increased lead levels for at least a year, were compared with a control group matched by residential area, socioeconomic status, parental IQ, age, and gender. The experimental groups' performance was lower on the battery overall and on measures of motor skill, memory, language, advanced spatial functions, and concentration. The results suggest that exposure to moderately elevated lead levels exerts significant and nontransient effects on cognitive functions.


Author(s):  
Christopher X. W. Tan ◽  
Henk S. Brand ◽  
Bilgin Kalender ◽  
Nanne K. H. De Boer ◽  
Tymour Forouzanfar ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives Although bowel symptoms are often predominant, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients can have several oral manifestations. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of dental caries and periodontal disease in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) compared to an age and gender-matched control group of patients without IBD. Material and methods The DMFT (Decayed, Missing, Filled Teeth) scores and the DPSI (Dutch Periodontal Screening Index) of 229 IBD patients were retrieved from the electronic health record patient database axiUm at the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA) and were compared to the DMFT scores and DPSI from age and gender-matched non-IBD patients from the same database. Results The total DMFT index was significantly higher in the IBD group compared to the control group. When CD and UC were analyzed separately, a statistically significant increased DMFT index was observed in CD patients but not in UC patients. The DPSI did not differ significantly between the IBD and non-IBD groups for each of the sextants. However, in every sextant, IBD patients were more frequently edentulous compared to the control patients. Conclusion CD patients have significantly more dental health problems compared to a control group. Periodontal disease did not differ significantly between IBD and non-IBD groups as determined by the DPSI. Clinical relevance It is important that IBD patients and physicians are instructed about the correlation between their disease and oral health problems. Strict oral hygiene and preventive dental care such as more frequent checkups should be emphasized by dental clinicians.


2003 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 145-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Fernández ◽  
W. Herrera ◽  
T. Harmony ◽  
L Díaz-Comas ◽  
E. Santiago ◽  
...  

Neurofeedback (NFB) is an operant conditioning procedure, by which the subject learns to control his/her EEG activity. On one hand, Learning Disabled (LD) children have higher values of theta EEG absolute and relative power than normal children, and on the other hand, it has been shown that minimum alpha absolute power is necessary for adequate performance. Ten LD children were selected with higher than normal ratios of theta to alpha absolute power (theta/alpha). The Test Of Variables of Attention (TOVA) was applied. Children were divided into two groups in order to maintain similar IQ values, TOVA values, socioeconomical status, and gender for each group. In the experimental group, NFB was applied in the region with highest ratio, triggering a sound each time the ratio fell below a threshold value. Noncontingent reinforcement was given to the other group. Twenty half-hour sessions were applied, at a rate of 2 per week. At the end of the 20 sessions, TOVA, WISC and EEG were obtained. There was significant improvement in WISC performance in the experimental group that was not observed in the control group. EEG absolute power decreased in delta, theta, alpha and beta bands in the experimental group. Control children only showed a decrease in relative power in the delta band. All changes observed in the experimental group and not observed in the control group indicate better cognitive performance and the presence of greater EEG maturation in the experimental group, which suggests that changes were due not only to development but also to NFB treatment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suju Wang ◽  
Wenyang Hao ◽  
Chunxiao Xu ◽  
Daofeng Ni ◽  
Zhiqiang Gao ◽  
...  

Objective(s). The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of wideband acoustic immittance (WAI) in the diagnosis of otosclerosis by comparing the differences in the energy reflectance (ER) of WAI between patients with otosclerosis and age- and gender-matched normal hearing controls in the Chinese population. Methods. Twenty surgically confirmed otosclerotic ears were included in the otosclerotic group. The ER of WAI at ambient and peak pressures, resonance frequency, and 226-Hz tympanogram were collected prior to surgery using a Titan hearing test platform (Interacoustics A/S, Middelfart, Denmark). All diagnoses of otosclerosis in the tested ear were confirmed by surgery after the measurements. Thirteen normal adults (26 ears) who were age- and gender-matched with the otosclerotic patients were included as the control group. Results. At peak pressure, the ERs of otosclerotic patients were higher than those of the control group for frequencies less than 4,000Hz and were lower for frequencies greater than 4,000Hz. In addition, within the analyzed frequencies, the differences observed at 2,520Hz was statistically significant (p<0.05/16=0.003, Bonferroni corrected). At ambient pressure, the differences observed at 1,260 and 6,350Hz were statistically significant (p<0.05/16=0.003, Bonferroni corrected). Although the differences between the otosclerotic and control groups exhibited similar trends to those in studies implemented in Caucasian populations, the norms in the present study in the control group were different from those in the Caucasian populations, suggesting racial differences in WAI test results. Regarding the middle ear resonance frequency, no significant difference was observed between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion. WAI can provide valuable information for the diagnosis of otosclerosis in the Chinese population. Norms and diagnostic criteria corresponding to the patient’s racial group are necessary to improve the efficiency of WAI in the diagnosis of otosclerosis.


2021 ◽  
pp. 101-104

Background: Today, many hypotheses have been proposed in the pathogenesis of migraine. The inflammatory hypothesis is one of them. The immature granulocyte count (IGC) is also an inflammatory parameter which importance has been understood recently. There are no studies evaluating IGC in migraine. The aim of the study to investigate the levels of IGC and other hematological inflammatory parameters in migraine. Material and Method: Materials and Methods: Forty-eight patients diagnosed with migraine who applied to Kastamonu Training and Research Hospital Neurology outpatient clinic between 07.01.2020 and 10.01.2021 were included in the study. 42 people with similar age and gender distribution were included for the control group. Data on laboratory tests, age and gender of patients were obtained from the hospital Laboratory Information System (LIS). CBC parameters of the patients at the first admission and before any treatment, calculated with an automated hematological analyzer (XN-1000-Hematology-analyzer-Sysmex Corporation, Japan) were analyzed. Using Complete Blood Count (CBC) data, neutrophil count (NEUT#), neutrophil percentage (NEUT%), lymphocyte percentage (LYMPH%), and IGC were recorded. Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune inflammation index (SII) values were calculated with the formula. Results: In our study, NLR and IGC was significantly higher than the healthy control group (p=0.002, p=0.025). PLR was also found to be high, but it was not statistically significant (p=0.063). Conclusion: The significantly higher NLR and IGC levels in migraine patients compared to the healthy controls support the role of inflammation in etiopathogenesis.


2004 ◽  
Vol 62 (3a) ◽  
pp. 654-657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andréa Sanchez Navarro ◽  
Marcia Maiumi Fukujima ◽  
Sissy Veloso Fontes ◽  
Sandro Luiz de Andrade Matas ◽  
Gilmar Fernandes do Prado

Visually impaired children show difficulties in recognizing their own bodies, objects around then and the spatial parameters that are essential for independent movement. This study analyzes the neuro-psychomotor development of a group of congenitally visually impaired children as compared to children with normal sight. We have evaluated two groups of seven-year-olds by means of neurological evolution examination (NEE). The group studied comprised 20 blind children and the control group comprised 20 children with normal sight, and they were paired up according to age and gender. In some tests, the blind children were guided by touch. The visually impaired children performed worse in tests evaluating balance and appendage coordination compared to normal sighted children (p< 0.001), and this suggests that visual deficiency impairs children's neuro-psychomotor development.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
J Siverskog ◽  
M Janzon ◽  
L.-Å Levin ◽  
J Alfredsson ◽  
M Henriksson

Abstract Background Sweden has contributed to the understanding of the long-term prognosis after myocardial infarction (MI) utilising the quality registry SWEDEHEART, including patients admitted to heart intensive care, and the National Patient Registry (PAR), based on administrative records for Swedish hospitals. As registration procedures differ between the registries, and not all MI patients are admitted to heart intensive care, MI patients identified in SWEDEHEART and PAR, respectively, will yield different cohorts of patients. This may result in different epidemiological research findings regarding prognosis after MI. Purpose To study MI populations identified in SWEDEHEART and PAR, respectively, and investigate potential differences in mortality outcome. Methods Patients hospitalised with an MI primary diagnosis (ICD-10 I21) between 2002 and 2015 were identified using SWEDEHEART and PAR. The analysis time started at the date of hospital admission and survivors were followed for 365 days. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate survival by cohort category controlling for age and gender. Results Excluding cases with invalid data (n=1,905), 225,612 and 282,118 SWEDEHEART and PAR patients, respectively, were identified. We found 213,367 patients in both SWEDEHEART and PAR, whereas 12,245 and 68,751 patients were unique to SWEDEHEART and PAR, respectively. The one-year survival probability after MI in the SWEDEHEART population was 0.841, compared to 0.788 in PAR (Figure). This discrepancy can be explained by high mortality among patients not covered by SWEDEHEART and persists after controlling for age and gender (Table). To what extent differences in registration procedures and other patient characteristics can explain the mortality difference is an area for further research. One-year survival by age and gender Age ± 1 year Male Female PAR S.H. Diff. PAR S.H. Diff. 65 0.922 0.936 0.015 0.919 0.936 0.017 70 0.893 0.909 0.016 0.889 0.908 0.019 75 0.829 0.858 0.029 0.834 0.860 0.026 80 0.743 0.783 0.040 0.768 0.800 0.033 85 0.625 0.677 0.052 0.662 0.705 0.042 One-year survival after MI Conclusion Estimated one-year survival for MI patients differs by up to 5 percentage points depending on the registry used. Although further research is needed to fully understand these differences, epidemiological findings regarding MI prognosis should be interpreted in light of registry type used and population represented. Acknowledgement/Funding Region Östergötland


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-112
Author(s):  
Janos Tóth jr. ◽  
David Zalai ◽  
Janos Tóth ◽  
Pál Hamar

Summary Study aim: The aim of this study is to prove that young players who have been coached with the main focus on technical ability and player interaction, perform better when tested on physical and technical attributes. Material and methods: We examined 2 separate groups made up of 15 players each. After thorough analysis, the experimental group practiced playing forms to building up 3 vs 1 games weekly for one year. The control group did not follow this training pattern. Results: Over the course of the year there was a constant development in all aspects of the examination. Furthermore, both physical and technical attributes were significantly better . The same cannot be concluded from the analysis of the control group, in which the performance level even dropped in some aspects of the examination. Conclusion: The results show that players practicing the playing forms on a weekly basis performed better in physical and technical tests. In addition, subjective experience has also underlined the effect of the method.


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