scholarly journals Treating the lungs via the brain: Mechanisms underpinning improvements in breathlessness with pulmonary rehabilitation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mari Herigstad ◽  
Olivia Faull ◽  
Anja Hayen ◽  
Eleanor Evans ◽  
Maxine F. Hardinge ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBackgroundBreathlessness in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often discordant with airway pathophysiology (“over-perception”). Pulmonary rehabilitation has profound effects upon breathlessness, without influencing lung function. Learned associations can influence brain mechanisms of sensory perception. We therefore hypothesised that improvements in breathlessness with pulmonary rehabilitation may be explained by changing neural representations of learned associations, reducing “over-perception”.MethodsIn 31 patients with COPD, we tested how pulmonary rehabilitation altered the relationship between brain activity during learned associations with a word-cue task (using functional magnetic resonance imaging), clinical, and psychological measures of breathlessness.ResultsImprovements in breathlessness and breathlessness-anxiety correlated with reductions in word-cue related activity in the insula and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) (breathlessness), and increased activations in attention regulation and motor networks (breathlessness-anxiety). Greater baseline (pre-rehabilitation) activity in the insula, ACC and prefrontal cortex correlated with the magnitude of improvement in breathlessness and breathlessness anxiety.ConclusionsPulmonary rehabilitation reduces the influence of learned associations upon neural processes that generate breathlessness. Patients with stronger word-cue related activity at baseline benefitted more from pulmonary rehabilitation. These findings highlight the importance of targeting learned associations within treatments for COPD, demonstrating how neuroimaging may contribute to patient stratification and more successful personalised therapy.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara J. Abdallah ◽  
Olivia K. Faull ◽  
Vishvarani Wanigasekera ◽  
Sarah L. Finnegan ◽  
Dennis Jensen ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTEffective management of distressing bodily symptoms (such as pain and breathlessness) is an important clinical goal. However, extensive variability exists in both symptom perception and treatment response. One theory for understanding variability in bodily perception is the ‘Bayesian Brian Hypothesis’, whereby symptoms may result from the combination of sensory inputs and prior expectations. In light of this theory, we explored the relationships between opioid responsiveness, behavioural/physiological symptom modulators and brain activity during anticipation of breathlessness.MethodsWe utilised two existing opioid datasets to investigate the relationship between opioid efficacy and physiological/behavioural qualities, employing hierarchical cluster analyses in: 1) a clinical study in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and 2) a functional magnetic resonance brain imaging study of breathlessness in healthy volunteers. We also investigated how opioid efficacy relates to anticipatory brain activity using linear regression in the healthy volunteers.ResultsConsistent across both datasets, diminished opioid efficacy was more closely associated with negative affect than with other physiological and behavioural properties. Furthermore, in healthy individuals, brain activity in the anterior cingulate and ventromedial prefrontal cortices during anticipation of breathlessness were inversely correlated with opioid effectiveness.ConclusionDiminished opioid efficacy for relief of breathlessness may be associated with high negative affective qualities, and was correlated with the magnitude of brain activity during anticipation of breathlessness.Clinical implicationsNegative affect and symptom expectations may influence perceptual systems to become less responsive to opioid therapy.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Jun Horie ◽  
Koichiro Takahashi ◽  
Shuuichi Shiranita ◽  
Kunihiko Anami ◽  
Shinichiro Hayashi

This study’s objective was to examine the characteristics of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) presenting with various exercise tolerance levels. A total of 235 patients with stable COPD were classified into 4 groups: (1) LoFlo + HiEx—patients with a six-minute walking distance (6MWD) ≥350 m and percentage of predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s (%FEV1.0) <50%; (2) HiFlo + HiEx—patients with a 6MWD ≥350 m and a %FEV1.0 ≥50%; (3) LoFlo + LoEx—patients with a 6MWD < 350 m and %FEV1.0 < 50%; and (4) HiFlo + LoEx—patients with a 6MWD <350 m and %FEV1.0 ≥ 50%. Aspects of physical ability in the HiFlo + LoEx group were significantly lower than those in the HiFlo + HiEx group. The HiFlo + LoEx group was characterized by a history of hospitalization for respiratory illness within the past year, treatment with at-home oxygen therapy, and lacking daily exercise habits. Following three months of pulmonary rehabilitation, the LoFlo + HiEx group significantly improved in the modified Medical Research Council dyspnea score, maximum gait speed, and 6MWD, while the HiFlo + LoEx group significantly improved in the percentage of maximal expiratory pressure, maximum gait speed, 6MWD, incremental shuttle walking distance, and St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire score. The HiFlo + LoEx group had the greatest effect of three-month pulmonary rehabilitation compared to other groups.


2021 ◽  
pp. 108482232199037
Author(s):  
Duarte Pinto ◽  
Lissa Spencer ◽  
Soraia Pereira ◽  
Paulo Machado ◽  
Paulino Sousa ◽  
...  

To systematize strategies that may support patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease to maintain the effects of pulmonary rehabilitation over time. This systematic literature review was conducted, and the evidence was electronically searched in the Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCO databases. This review included randomized controlled clinical trials, published until September 2019, that addressed components of an unsupervised home-based pulmonary rehabilitation program, maintenance strategies following outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation programs, as well as data on outcomes for quality of life, exercise performance, and dyspnea. A final sample of 5 articles was obtained from a total of 1693 studies. Data for final synthesis were grouped into 2 categories: components of unsupervised home-based pulmonary rehabilitation programs and maintenance strategies. An unsupervised home-based pulmonary rehabilitation program should consist of an educational component, an endurance training component, and a strength training component. When patients are transferred to the home environment, it is important to include more functional exercises specifically adapted to the patient’s condition, goals, and needs.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e043377
Author(s):  
Kai Zhu ◽  
Jagdeep Gill ◽  
Ashley Kirkham ◽  
Joel Chen ◽  
Amy Ellis ◽  
...  

IntroductionPulmonary rehabilitation (PR) following an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) reduces the risk of hospital admissions, and improves physical function and health-related quality of life. However, the safety and efficacy of in-hospital PR during the most acute phase of an AECOPD is not well established. This paper describes the protocol for a systematic review with meta-analysis to determine the safety and efficacy of inpatient acute care PR during the hospitalisation phase.Methods and analysisMedical literature databases and registries MEDLINE, EMBASE, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, CENTRAL, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, WHO trials portal and ClinicalTrials.gov will be searched for articles from inception to June 2021 using a prespecified search strategy. We will identify randomised controlled trials that have a comparison of in-hospital PR with usual care. PR programmes had to commence during the hospitalisation and include a minimum of two sessions. Title and abstract followed by full-text screening will be conducted independently by two reviewers. A meta-analysis will be performed if there is sufficient homogeneity across selected studies or groups of studies. The Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcomes and Study characteristics framework will be used to standardise the data collection process. The quality of the cumulative evidence will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations framework.Ethics and disseminationAECOPD results in physical limitations which are amenable to PR. This review will assess the safety and efficacy of in-hospital PR for AECOPD. The results will be presented in a peer-reviewed publication and at research conferences. Ethical review is not required for this study.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 461-466
Author(s):  
Matthew Armstrong

Levels of physical activity tend to be reduced in people with COPD. Matthew Armstrong discusses the benefits of improving activity levels in this group of patients It is well acknowledged that levels of physical activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are considerably lower than healthy-age matched individuals, with physical inactivity recognised as a key predictor of hospitalisation and mortality. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) has become a major tool for managing symptoms of COPD and the associated extra-pulmonary effects. However, inconsistencies surrounding its effectiveness in terms of improving physical activity remain due to the complex nature of physical activity. To overcome these inconsistencies, both pharmacological and behavioural interventions have been documented to aid improvements in physical activity, with behavioural interventions alongside PR found to be the most effective tool to promote levels of physical activity. Health professionals must therefore look to incorporate an interdisciplinary approach in order to best achieve improvements in physical activity levels in patients with COPD.


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