Dynamic interactions of physiological systems during competitive gaming: insights from network physiology - case report

Among the clinical applications of neurofeedback, most research has been conducted in ADHD. As an introduction a short overview of the general history of neurofeedback will be given, while the main part of the paper deals with a review of the current state of neurofeedback in ADHD. A meta-analysis on neurofeedback from 2009 found large effect sizes for inattention and impulsivity and medium effects sizes for hyperactivity. Since 2009 several new studies, including 4 placebo-controlled studies, have been published. These latest studies are reviewed and discussed in more detail. The review focuses on studies employing (1) semi-active, (2) active, and (3) placebo-control groups. The assessment of specificity of neurofeedback treatment in ADHD is discussed and it is concluded that standard protocols such as theta/beta, SMR and slow cortical potentials neurofeedback are well investigated and have demonstrated specificity. The paper ends with an outlook on future questions and tasks. It is concluded that future controlled clinical trials should, in a next step, focus on such known protocols, and be designed along the lines of learning theory. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Show more

The human body constantly exchanges heat with the environment. Temperature regulation is a homeostatic feedback control system that ensures deep body temperature is maintained within narrow limits despite wide variations in environmental conditions and activity-related elevations in metabolic heat production. Extensive research has been performed to study the physiological regulation of deep body temperature. This review focuses on healthy and disordered human temperature regulation during heat stress. Central to this discussion is the notion that various morphological features, intrinsic factors, diseases, and injuries independently and interactively influence deep body temperature during exercise and/or exposure to hot ambient temperatures. The first sections review fundamental aspects of the human heat stress response, including the biophysical principles governing heat balance and the autonomic control of heat loss thermoeffectors. Next, we discuss the effects of different intrinsic factors (morphology, heat adaptation, biological sex, and age), diseases (neurological, cardiovascular, metabolic, genetic), and injuries (spinal cord injury, deep burns, heat stroke), with emphasis on the mechanisms by which these factors enhance or disturb the regulation of deep body temperature during heat stress. We conclude with key unanswered questions in this field of research. Show more