1. Gent 12.3.2011
Neurophysiological background for the effects
of EAT based on studies in brain research
satu.selvinen@gmail.com
• Finnish Riding Therapy
• Perception
• Sensory processing
• Body schemas
• Neuronal Group Selection Theory
• Central Pattern Generators
• Multisensory processing
• Postural Balance
• Mirror neuron mechanism
Monday, March 21, 2011
3. FINNISH RIDING THERAPY
Riding therapy is functional in its
nature. It exposes the patient as a
whole person to a total
experience. This experience
includes the entire body, its
feelings, thoughts into a
continuous sensory and motor
experience. An experience shared
by the rider, the horse and the
total environment. A truly holistic
experience.
Monday, March 21, 2011
5. RIDINGTHERAPIST
Written study work
PRACTISE + SEMINAR
Physiotherapeutic and
occupational use of horse in
therapy
ORIENTATION
PRACTISE + SEMINAR
Educational, developmental and
psychological use of horse in
therapy
ORIENTATION
PRACTISE + SEMINAR
Horse in therapy
ORIENTATION
Monday, March 21, 2011
8. PERCEPTION
Perception refers to the person’s ability to
understand, or make meaning out of the
sensory input received through the sensory
organs (such as the eyes and ears).
The perceptual process occurs through
mechanisms in the brain that link the current
sensory information with memories and past
experiences with similar sensory information.
Kandel, E., Schwartz, J. & Jessell, T.(2000)
Monday, March 21, 2011
9. PERCEPTION
STIMULUS
SENSATION
INTERPRETATION
COMPREHENSION
Monday, March 21, 2011
10. PERCEPTION
Perception depends on both learning and maturation.
Babies are not given the perceptual world with all its
categories at birth. They actively create it through
they experiences, memories and cognitive processes.
We have to learn how to see and hear with meaning.
We develop our sensory processing skills and achieve
the comprehension through interaction with the
enviroment.
Bogdashina 2003
Monday, March 21, 2011
11. Human development is a blend
of nature and nurture, genes and
environment.
There is no cognitive, perceptual, emotional,
or motor skill that is not influenced by both
of these factors.
Brain development is "activity-dependent," meaning that
the electrical activity in every circuit--sensory, motor,
emotional, cognitive--shapes the way that circuit gets
put together.
Monday, March 21, 2011
13. NEURONS
The brain is made of nerve
cells or neurons, which are
specialized to carry messages
in our body.
The human brain has about
100 milliard neurons.
Monday, March 21, 2011
14. SYNAPSE
Information from one
neuron to another flows
across a synapse.
Every neuron has
thousands of connections
with other neurons.
Every synapse is able for
hundreds of operations.
Monday, March 21, 2011
17. SENSORY SYSTEMS
ENTEROCEPTORS/ FAR SENSES
see
hear
smell
taste
EXTEROSCEPTORS/ NEAR SENSES
touch
pressure
temperature
pain
INTEROCEPTORS/INNER SENSES
proprioception
vestibular
Monday, March 21, 2011
18. TACTILE SYSTEM
MECHANORECEPTORS OF THE SKIN
Monday, March 21, 2011
20. RECEPTORS OF VESTIBULAR SYSTEM
SEMICIRCULAR CANALS AND OTOLITH ORGANS
Monday, March 21, 2011
21. PROPRIOCEPTION
GOLGI TENDON ORGAN MUSCLE SPINDEL
Monday, March 21, 2011
22. Sense organs
start to work
when something
stimulates
receptors.
Once stimulated,
the receptors
send nerve
impulses along
sensory nerves.
Monday, March 21, 2011
23. Most of the sensory information
(except smell) passes through the
thalamus and then to the opposite
hemisphere of the cortex.
The signals from each sensory
organ are processed in specialized
areas of the brain.
When the information reach the
cerebral cortex we become
conscious of the stimuli and the
brain tell us what the stimulus is.
Monday, March 21, 2011
25. BODY SCHEMAS
• Body schemas are the internal representations of the
anatomy and dynamics of the body in the brain.
• They are built up by sensory information.
Monday, March 21, 2011
28. VISUAL
AUDITIVE
TASTE
VESTIBULAR
TOUCH
BODY SCHEMAS
PROPRIOCEPTION
TEMPERATURE
Monday, March 21, 2011
29. VISUAL
SMELL
AUDITIVE
TASTE
VESTIBULAR
TOUCH
BODY SCHEMAS
PRESSURE
PROPRIOCEPTION
TEMPERATURE
Monday, March 21, 2011
30. BODY SCHEMAS
• Body schemas are needed for the awareness of
the body and for motor planning, they are
essential to all voluntary movements.
• Body schemas have essential properties required
for multisensory integration.
• They are a key element of self-conciousness and
they form a basis for social cognition.
Monday, March 21, 2011
31. DRAW A PERSON TEST (Cook 1988)
4y9m 11 y
Monday, March 21, 2011
32. DRAW A PERSON TEST (Cook 1988)
4y9m 11 y
Monday, March 21, 2011
33. SENSORY PROFILE ( Dunn 2001)
• Sensory profile provides a standard method for measuring and
reporting sensory processing abilities in everyday life.
• It provides a tool for linking performance strengths and barriers
with sensory processing patterns.
• Each measure describes a person's response to various sensory
experiences.
• Caregivers complete the questionnaire.
Monday, March 21, 2011
35. NEUROLOGICAL THRESHOLDS
Refer to the amount of stimuli required for a neuron or
neuron system to respond.
When the nervous system responds really quickly to a
sensory stimulus, there is a low threshold = hyper-
responsive (or overresponsive)
When the nervous system responds more slowly than
expected, there is a high threshold = hypo-responsive (or
under responsive) for responding.
Dunn 2003
Monday, March 21, 2011
36. The Effects of Equine Assisted Activities on the Social Functioning of
Children with Autism
Margaret M. Bass, Ph.D. Maria Llabre, Ph.D.
• The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and Sensory Profile
(SP) were completed by teachers and parents to assess social
functioning at three times: pre-and-post intervention and a
two month follow-up.
• The means between the treatment and control groups at
post-test indicated significant group differences on the
following SP scales: Sensory seeking, emotionally reactive,
inattention/distractibility, and sensory sensitivity.
Monday, March 21, 2011
37. SENSORY INFORMATION
Sensory information is critical not only for the
development of the central nervous system but also
for the adaptation to the surrounding world and for
moving and learning.
The ability to relate sensory input to motor output
forms the basis of posture control development.
Hadders-Algra 2005
Monday, March 21, 2011
38. SENSORY
INPUT
MOTOR
OUTPUT
Monday, March 21, 2011
39. Normal development is coded by genes until 4 months
of age.
Feedback of child’s own moving is important to the
normal development.
This selection process creates favored muscle
synergies or functional strategies for performing
movements associated with desired actions from
among the many combinations of movements that
could be effective.
Hadders-Algra 2002
Monday, March 21, 2011
40. NEURAL CONTROL OF HUMAN MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
(H.Forsberg )
The development of postural muscle activation patterns
in sitting infants.
Monday, March 21, 2011
41. CENTRAL PATTERN GENERATORS (CPGs)
Locomotion and other rhythmic motor behaviours are based
on the activity of spinal functional networks generating the
rhythm and shaping the pattern of burts of motoneurons.
These networks are called central pattern generators, CPGs,
which are capable producing coordinated movements which
require afferent and supraspinal input.
(Grillner, 1986, Forsberg and Dietz 1997)
Monday, March 21, 2011
42. CENTRAL PATTERN GENERATORS
The evidence for existence of CPGs comes from newborns;
infant stepping is initiated or triggered by peripheral stimuli.
(Zehr and Duysens 2004)
Another evidence is in persons with paraplegia; locomotor
EMG activity and movements can be both elicited and trained.
(Dietz 1997)
CPGs are active controllers of human rhythmic movements.
Monday, March 21, 2011
44. SENSORY FEEDBACK
• The fine regulation of rhythmic human movements typified by
locomotion can be understood as the sublime interaction of a
triparte system consisting of supraspinal input, spinal central
pattern generating circuits (CPG), and sensory feedback (Zehr
2004)
• Sensory feedback is an integral part of the over all and is
critical in modifying CPG-generated motor programs in online
adaptations to environment (MacKay-Lyons 2002, Dietz 2003)
• The control of locomotion involves the use of afferent
information from variety of sources in the visual, vestibular,
tactile and proprioceptive systems (Dietz 2003)
Monday, March 21, 2011
45. SENSORY INPUT
It is well documented that rhythmic and repetitive
proprioceptive and tactile input indicates changes
in the anatomy and function of the sensomotor
cortex. (Kaas JH et al,1999)
Also passive repetitive proprioceptive stimulation
change the representation of the used body part.
Lewis GN 2004
Monday, March 21, 2011
46. To be effective, the sensory
information must be meaningful for
the person; the activity must produce
pleasure or lead to the wanted goal.
If the brain of a person cannot give
meaning for the sensory information
produced by the means of an activity,
the brain slowly ignores the
Monday, March 21, 2011
47. Movement, in it´s effectiveness, can take place of any other modality, but
no therapeutic modality in the world can replace the effect of movement.
Clemens Josef Tissot 1750-1826
Monday, March 21, 2011
48. As research techniques
and technology become
more sophisticated,
scientists and practioners
gain knowledge and
achieve a better
understanding of the
complexity of the CNS.
Monday, March 21, 2011
49. University of Rostock, Germany 2011
Basic neurobiological and psychological mechanisms underlying
therapeutic effects of Equine Assisted Activities (EAA/T)
The activation of the oxytocin system is indirectly
operationalized via measuring a set of indicators capturing the
well investigated effects of oxytocin on stress (cortisol, heart
rate), trust, and social behavior.
Monday, March 21, 2011
50. Vanderbuilt Brain Istitute, Multisensory Research Laboratory,
USA 2011
Altered Multisensory Processes in Autism Spectrum Disorder
A better characterization of some of the fundamental
aspects of (multi)sensory processing will represent an
important step forward in our understanding of ASD, and
should shed important insights into the neural substrates
of this complex developmental disorder, as well as inform
the design of more effective interventional strategies. Both
sensory and multisensory processes are impacted in
Autism.
Monday, March 21, 2011
51. PLASTICITY
Plasticity is the lifelong ability of the brain
to reorganize neural pathways on the basis
of new experiences.
Learning and memory are classical
examples of neuroplasticity.
Monday, March 21, 2011
52. MULTISENSORY INTEGRATION
= MULTIMODAL INTEGRATION
MULTISENSORY PROCESSING
A STUDY HOW DIFFERENT SENSORY MODALITIES
ARE INTEGRATED BY THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND
HOW HOW THEY INTERACT WITH ONE
ANOTHER AND ALTER EACH OTHERʼS
PROCESSING.
Monday, March 21, 2011
53. www.imrf.info
• The International Multisensory Research Forum
(IMRF) facilitates communication between scientists
who work with sensory systems in which more than
one sense modality plays a role. We seek to include any
and all sense modalities, species, scientific disciplines,
and perspectives (anatomical, cognitive, behavioral,
computational, developmental, engineering,
physiological, and others).
Monday, March 21, 2011
54. Wake Forrest University
Multisensory Enhancement
• Performance enhancement is
700.0000 larger for multisensory than
* unisensory stimuli
525.0000
• Selective attention modulates
350.0000 multisensory integration
175.0000 • Altered multisensory
processing in dyslexia
Auditory Visual Multisensory
0
Monday, March 21, 2011
55. Multisensory enviroment
MS is an interactive environment that generates real time
stimuli of different senses.
SNOEZELEN
Snoezelen is a non-directive therapy and can be staged to
provide a multi-sensory experience or single sensory
focus, simply by adapting the lighting, atmosphere,
sounds, and textures to the specific needs of the client at
the time of use.
Monday, March 21, 2011
56. Multisensoring marketing
Multisensory marketing and sensory branding
is based on the idea that we are most likely to
form, retain and revisit memory when all five
senses are engaged.
Joshua G. Giordimaina 2008
Monday, March 21, 2011
59. ”Sometimes when other kids spoke to me I would sc arcely hear,
then sometimes they sounded like bullets.”
”I did not see whole. I saw hair, i saw eyes, nose, mouth,
chin…not face”
” Together, the sharp sounds and the bright lights were
more than enough to oveload my sense. My head would
feel tight, my stomach would churn, and my pulse would
run my heart ragged until i found a safety zone.”
Monday, March 21, 2011
60. Rubber Hand Illusion
Ehrsson, Spence, & Passingham (2004)
Monday, March 21, 2011
63. Spatial, temporal and physical characteristics of the sensory
stimuli that are combined critically determine how they are
synthesized.
Thus, multisensory stimuli that are in close physical proximity,
that occur at or near the same moment in time, that are
weakly effective on their own, and that are contextually similar
result in enhanced neural activity
Monday, March 21, 2011
65. Poor balance is often associated
with neurological disorders and
behind balance problems there are
often impairments in sensory
systems and body awareness.
Deficits in sensory integration
processes are often suspected as an
underlying source of balance
disorders in individuals who have
sustained brain changes due to
disease, trauma or aging.
Monday, March 21, 2011
72. VISUAL SYSTEM
photoreceptors of
the retina
Monday, March 21, 2011
73. VISUAL SYSTEM
photoreceptors of
the retina
VESTIBULAR SYSTEM
receptors of semicircular
canals and otolith organs
in the inner ear
Monday, March 21, 2011
74. TACTILE SYSTEM
VISUAL SYSTEM
mechanoreceptors of the
photoreceptors of skin
the retina
VESTIBULAR SYSTEM
receptors of semicircular
canals and otolith organs
in the inner ear
Monday, March 21, 2011
75. TACTILE SYSTEM
VISUAL SYSTEM
mechanoreceptors of the
photoreceptors of skin
the retina
PROPRIOCEPTION
VESTIBULAR SYSTEM
proprioreceptors of
receptors of semicircular muscle spindles, golgi
canals and otolith organs tendon organ and joints
in the inner ear
Monday, March 21, 2011
79. CAN YOU HEAR AND FEEL THE SMILE?
Monday, March 21, 2011
80. MIRROR NEURON MECHANISM
• Enables us to understand all the aspects of other´s
behaviour, which is the basis for the social organization.
• Enables imitation learning, which is at the basis of human
culture.
• Play a fundamental role in both action understanding and
imitation.
• There is relationship between the mirror-neuron system
and language.
Monday, March 21, 2011
82. CP
• Primary problems in CNS, Brain injury, upper motor
neuron lesion
• Intact peripheral nerves, muscles, bones and joints;
abnormalities secondary due to development, abnormal
use and growth
• Not only a motor problem and the level of severity in
motor and additional problems varies
• Often hyper- or hyporesponding sensory systems
Monday, March 21, 2011
83. CP
• the child uses what she/he finds useful using
compensatory patterns
• the child has no experience of normal movement
patterns
• the child has not born spastic but the spasticity
develops with function
Monday, March 21, 2011
84. NeuroMuscularElectroStimulation on sensory level
Helena Mäenpää 2010
• To increase awareness of the
trunk/limb
• Functional goals/ selective
movements
• Reciprocal movements/
agonist-antagonist
• To increase muscle strength
and balance
Monday, March 21, 2011
85. Bivelee it or not, rcesrhaeers at
Cmabrigde hvae dirvoseced taht the
oredr of ltteers in a wrod deson't rlaley
matter. The olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht
the frist and lsat ltteer are in the rghit
pclae. Eevn if the rset are tolatly julebmd
up you can sitll raed it. Tihs is bcuseae
the huamn barin deos not raed ecah
lteter invuddilialy, but inesatd renisgoecs
the wrod as a wlohe.
Monday, March 21, 2011
