A Motor Imagery Training for Improving Action Cognition Results in the Reduction of Residual Symptoms after Major Depressive Disorder: A Single-Case Study (original) (raw)
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Kinect Adventures versus physical exercise on depressive symptoms of older adults: A pilot study
Fisioterapia em Movimento, 2020
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Is There a Future for Depression Digital Motion Constructs in Psychiatry?
CyberPsychology & Behavior, 2001
Psychomotor retardation has been recognized as a principal component of depression for centuries. Amongst symptoms and signs associated with depression, it is seen as having high predictive validity, correlating with severity of illness and the outcome of numerous therapeutic interventions. Of the two components-"psycho" and "motor"-the psychological component has received the most thorough investigation and has been given the greatest consideration. The "motor" (or motion) component has been given little consideration. A review of the literature suggests few studies have attempted to quantitatively characterize this phenomenon or use it as anything more than one indice among other signs and symptoms of depression. Unlike other phenomena associated with depression, the use of motion alterations has lagged in significance due to limited technology that would allow its study; depression has been seen predominantly as a "mood" disorder, with principal interest being in the "feelings" associated with the disorder. Recent advances in motion capture technologies allow motion alterations to be used for many purposes, both quantitative and qualitative. These sources of information appear to have direct and indirect impact. There is a fertile future for motion capture constructs in the study of depression, and recent technological advances will allow progress to occur in this area. 457 ALESSI 458
American Journal of Dance Therapy, 2022
Dance/movement therapy is an embodied healing practice which has been found to foster recovery from depression and boost quality of life. Although kinesthetic empathy holds great potential for addressing emotional dysregulation, it is an underutilized dance/movement therapy intervention in health optimization, especially in adults living with treatment-resistant depression. The aim of this study was to collect data from dance/movement therapist on how they use kinesthetic empathy to foster self-regulation in adults living with treatment-resistant depression. A survey design was used to obtain this data. Eight dance/movement therapists (practicing in India, Philippines, Barbados, and the United States of America) were recruited. The participant demographics of the survey challenges the centrality of master's level trained dance/movement therapists primarily practicing in Eurocentric cultures. The survey included open answer questions, and responses received were grouped into four categories: (i) dance/movement therapists' rationale for using kinesthetic empathy (ii) therapist-described client responses to kinesthetic empathy, (iii) changes in self-regulation patterns of clients, and (iv) potential links between employing kinesthetic empathy as an intervention and witnessing emotional regulation in clients. Overall, kinesthetic empathy was described as a core part of the participants' dance/ movement therapy practice with this population. The identified client responses to kinesthetic empathy were categorized based on deWitte's et al. (Frontiers in Psychology, 2021) therapeutic factors of change. 'Observable client responses', such as, use of metaphors, verbalization of body sensations and engaging in mirroring were categorized under specific therapeutic factors of dance/movement therapy. Alternatively, 'emotionally felt client responses' such as, increase in safety and trust within the therapeutic alliance were categorized under both 'specific' and 'mixed-type' factors based on the model. Finally, this article discusses movement interventions that may be incorporated by dance/movement therapists while working with this population. Further research is required to identify the long-term effect/s of kinesthetic empathy as an intentional intervention to foster self-regulation in adults living with treatment-resistant depression.
Motor Imagery in Unipolar Major Depression
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 2014
Background: Motor imagery is a potential tool to investigate action representation, as it can provide insights into the processes of action planning and preparation. Recent studies suggest that depressed patients present specific impairment in mental rotation. The present study was designed to investigate the influence of unipolar depression on motor imagery ability.
The Mental Simulation of Motor Incapacity in Depression
In depression, negative beliefs are coupled with profound physical weakness. Specifically, the belief that one is incapable of altering events in order to prevent expected negative outcomes or bring about positive outcomes leads to bodily symptoms characterized by low energy, slow motor movement, and delays in the initiation of movement. The purpose of this article is to present a theoretical model describing the causal mechanisms that link these cognitive and somatic elements of depression. We propose that (a) the inability to alter events is conceptualized metaphorically as motor incapacity; (b) as part of this conceptualization, the experience of motor incapacity is mentally simulated; and (c) this simulation leads to both subjective feelings of lethargy and peripheral physiological changes consistent with motor incapacity.
The Use of Technology-Supported Mental Imagery In Neurological Rehabilitation: a Research Protocol
Cyberpsychology & …, 2003
The human brain can simulate motor actions without physically executing them, and there is a neuro-psychological relationship between imaging and performing a movement. These are shared opinions. In fact there is scientific evidence showing that the mental simulation of an action is correlated to a subliminal activation of the motor system. There is also evidence that virtual stimulation can enhance the acquisition of simple motor sequences. In some situations, virtual training was found to be as beneficial as real training and more beneficial than workbook and no training in teaching complex motor skills to people with learning disabilities. Moreover, studies of brain-injured hemiplegics patients suggest that these patients retain the ability to generate accurate motor images even of actions that they cannot perform. Combined with evidence indicating that motor imagery and motor planning share common neural mechanisms, these observations suggest that supporting mental imagery through non-immersive, low-cost virtual reality (VR) applications may be a potentially effective intervention in the rehabilitation of brain-injured patients. Starting from this background, our goal is to design and develop a new technique for the acquisition of new motor abilities-"imagery enhanced learning" (or I-learning)-to be used in neuro-psychological rehabilitation. A key feature of I-learning is the use of potentially low-cost, Virtual Reality enhanced technology to facilitate motor imagery creating a compelling sense of presence. This paper will discuss the rationale and a preliminary rehabilitation protocol for investigating mental imagery as a means of promoting motor recovery in patients with a neurological disorder. The treatment strategy aims at evoking powerful imaginative responses using an innovative technique which makes no attempt to simulate the real-world motor behavior, but draws the patient's attention to its underlying dynamic structure. This is done by displaying highly stylized sketches of the motor behavior on a computer screen and gradually increasing the perceptual realism of the visualization. This strategy assumes that optimal learning will be achieved when the patient is allowed to elaborate his own schema and sequences of movements, thereby constructing his own personal image of the motor behavior to be trained.
Journal of Clinical Medicine
Behavioral activation (BA) is a structured psychotherapeutic approach for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), which aims at increasing the engagement in activities that might bring enjoyment and meaning to patients’ lives. Although a growing body of evidence supports the effectiveness of BA, enhancing the motivation and activity level of depressed patients is often challenging. In the present study, we explored the effectiveness of a brief BA treatment supported by virtual reality (VR) to facilitate the visualization and anticipation of four pleasurable activities that we tried to re-introduce in the patients’ daily routine. To do so, we conducted a single-case experimental design with multiple baselines in a sample of patients with moderate to severe depressive symptoms. Three overlap analyses across participants and across behaviors were conducted to calculate the rate of improvement of each patient after the delivery of the intervention. Across the three overlap ind...