blood pressure
Research Papers
The Impact of Different Sounds on Stress Level in the Context of EEG, Cardiac Measures and Subjective Stress Level: A Pilot Study
Everyone experiences stress at certain times in their lives. This feeling can motivate, however, if it persists for a prolonged period, it leads to negative changes in the human body. Stress is characterized, among other things, by increased blood pressure, increased pulse and decreased alpha-frequency brainwave activity. An overview of the literature indicates that music therapy can be an effective and inexpensive method of improving these factors. The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of various types of music on stress level in subjects. The conducted experiment involved nine females, aged 22. All participants were healthy and did not have any neurological or psychiatric disorders. The test included four types of audio stimuli: silence (control sample), rap, relaxing music and music triggering an autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) phenomenon. The impact of individual sound types was assessed using data obtained from four sources: a fourteen-channel electroencephalograph, a blood pressure monitor, a pulsometer and participant’s subjective stress perception. The conclusions from the conducted study indicate that rap music negatively affects the reduction of stress level compared to the control group (p < 0.05), whereas relaxing music and ASMR calms subjects much faster than silence (p < 0.05).
View Full Paper →The Effects of Performance Enhancement Training on Hypertension, Human Attention, Stress, and Brain Wave Patterns: A Case Study
Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of alpha-increase neurofeedback training (Performance Enhancement Training) on blood pressure, stress reduction, attention, and observe changes in brainwave patterns. A forty-nine-year-old male college student diagnosed with essential hypertension controlled by medication had undergone twenty-six sessions of alpha-increase biofeed-back (8-13 Hz) at PZ electrode site for a period of 15 weeks. Method: Pre- and post-blood pressure measurements were taken for every session. At the beginning of week number eight, the participant discontinued his medication as advised by his physician. Pre- and post-visual TOVA CPT test was administered to assess the changes in accuracy, reaction time (RT), and RT variability. Osterkamp and Press Self-Assessment Stress Inventory was administered before and after training to assess the level of stress. QEEG evaluation was conducted prior, as well as upon completion of the study. Results: Mean Arterial Blood Pressure (MAP) yielded statistically significant results between pre- and post-sessions within participant blood pressure measurements. The participant's systolic and diastolic blood pressures during the first thirteen sessions were not significantly different from those of the last thirteen sessions when his medication was discontinued, suggesting his ability to control his blood pressure within normal limits without the use of medication. The results of the TOVA test clearly indicate an improvement in individuals' reaction time and the reaction time variability. The results of the Osterkamp and Press Self-Assessment Stress Inventory indicated an improvement in two of the scales: Work and Social Life. Statistical analysis showed that before and after QEEG evaluations were within normal limits. Discussion: The mechanism through which Performance Enhancement Training simultaneously affects blood pressure, reaction time (RT), and variability needs further investigation. However, the positive changes in the measured variables appear to be a function of enhanced self-awareness that leads to the improved self-regulation.
View Full Paper →Alterations in EEG Amplitude, Personality Factors, and Brain Electrical Mapping after Alpha-Theta Brainwave Training: A Controlled Case Study of an Alcoholic in Recovery
A controlled case study was conducted of effects of EEG alpha and theta brainwave training with a recovering alcoholic patient who experienced craving and fear of relapse after 18 months of abstinence. Training consisted of six sessions of thermal biofeedback to increase central nervous system (CNS) relaxation. Effects were documented with pretreatment and post-treatment personality testing, 20-channel digitized EEG evaluations both under relaxed conditions and under stress, minute-by-minute physiologic recordings of autonomic and EEG data during each training session, blood pressure, and heart rate indications taken both during relaxation and under stress, and by clinical observation. Results replicated those of a previous controlled study with chronic alcoholic patients not abstinent prior to treatment. New findings include post-treatment indications of more relaxed CNS functioning under stress, and of reduced autonomic activation both during relaxation and under stress. Brain-mapping indications of anxiety associated with painful cold-pressor stimulation were seen only in the pretest readings; at post-test the brain map indicated pain-associated EEG activity in the contralateral somatosensory area, but no apparent anxiety-associated EEG activity. At 4 months post-treatment the patient's wife and colleagues report the patient appears to function in a more relaxed way under the impact of stress, and he reports no longer experiencing craving for alcohol. Overall, support is provided for the possibility that alpha and theta brainwave training may be a useful intervention for the abstinent alcoholic experiencing stress-related craving and fear of relapse.
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