Introduction This study investigated the efficacy of Chinese calligraphy handwriting (CCH) for the awakening of patients under a vegetative state after stroke. The theories, the instrument, and the treatment protocols were reported. A single case of a severe stroke patient who was in a coma state for 2 years is presented in this study. The objectives were to apply finger writing as a new method...

The magnitude of the cortisol awakening response, a relatively new indicator of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis activation, has been related to a number of psychosocial factors. But findings have been inconsistent across studies. We systematically reviewed previous studies investigating the association between the cortisol awakening response and psychosocial factors. 147 eligib...

Objectives Inconsistent results are found in the involvement of the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA)-axis in cognitive functioning. This study examined the association between various saliva cortisol measures and cognitive functioning in older persons with and without a depressive disorder. Methods Cross-sectional data on 328 depressed and 119 non-depressed older adults between 60-93 years ...

OBJECTIVES Sleep bruxism (SB) is a parasomnia defined as a stereotyped movement disorder characterized by grinding or clenching of the teeth during sleep. Pathophysiologically, SB is the result of biological and psychosocial influences. Treatment comprises behavioral, orthodontic and pharmacological interventions. While benzodiazepines and muscle relaxants have been reported by clinicians to re...

Recent research suggests that the cortisol awakening response (CAR) is linked to cognitive functions depending on hippocampal and frontal cortex circuits and may possibly be modulated by prospective memory (PM). However, the link between the CAR and PM abilities has not been investigated so far. Addressing this open issue, we report data from 97 children aged 37-87 months. Salivary cortisol lev...

Cortisol is an indicator of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responsivity to stress, but few twin studies have examined the heritability of cortisol concentrations in adults across the diurnal cycle and in different contexts. Saliva samples were provided by 783 middle-aged male twins on one laboratory and two home days as part of the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging. Significant cortisol heri...

Sleep paralysis (SP) is a dissociative state that occurs mainly during awakening. SP is characterized by altered motor, perceptual, emotional and cognitive functions, such as inability to perform voluntary movements, visual hallucinations, feelings of chest pressure, delusions about a frightening presence and, in some cases, fear of impending death. Most people experience SP rarely, but typical...

Around 1850 NOlWay experienced a spiritual awakening which motivated an important social awakening. People began to see the need to .care for the sick and the poor. The very thought of ~omen caring for sick people outside of their own ' families, and furthermore establishing a training course to do so, was unheard of and unacceptable in NOlWegian society at that time. However, many prayer group...

In a series of 24-hour ambulatory EEG recordings from 1,000 consecutive adult outpatients (44.5% with generalized and 55.5% with partial epilepsy, one recording per patient), the authors found only 46 (4.6%) activations of epileptiform discharges on awakening. All recordings came from patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy, predominantly with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy and generalized t...