The Effect of Studying a Double Degree in the Psychophysiological Stress Response in the Bachelor's Thesis Defense

Vestibular Well-Being Benefits of a Single Session of Functional Neurology Intervention on Saccadic Stimuli Dysfunction

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the psychophysiological effects of functional neurology intervention on dysfunction in vestibular saccadic stimuli, focusing on its impact on muscle performance, psychophysiological arousal, and pain perception. Methods: Seventy-five healthy volunteer participants were randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group that received functional neurology treatment and a control group that did not. Both groups underwent the same evaluations at four distinct time points. Key measurements included pressure pain threshold (PPT), hand strength, critical flicker fusion threshold (CFFT), blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, and the number of saccadic stimuli tolerated until dysfunction in an indicator muscle (anterior deltoid). The functional neurology intervention involved proprioceptive reflexes, trigger point desensitization, and systemic approaches to rectify neuromuscular dysfunctions. Results: The results showed that the functional neurology intervention significantly increased the number of saccadic stimuli tolerated, from 3.6 ± 3.3 to 26.1 ± 8.7, indicating an improvement in neuromuscular endurance. Additionally, PPT readings exhibited an upward trend from baseline to post-intervention, with the final reading averaging at 10.2 ± 5.3 kgf, and hand strength measurements showed a modest but significant increase post-intervention. Notably, CFFT and blood oxygen saturation levels remained relatively stable, suggesting that the intervention's primary impact was on neuromuscular performance and pain perception rather than on cognitive arousal or systemic oxygenation. Heart rate data indicated a decrease post-intervention, implying potential improvements in autonomic nervous system function. In contrast, the control group did not present significant changes in any of the psychophysiological parameters evaluated. These findings underscore the potential of targeted functional neurology treatments to enhance physical performance and provide valuable therapeutic benefits for neuromuscular and cognitive dysfunctions. Conclusions: Functional neurology interventions can effectively improve muscle endurance, pain management, and overall neuromuscular health, highlighting its relevance as a therapeutic modality in sports performance optimization and rehabilitation contexts.

Influence of Two Exercise Programs on Heart Rate Variability, Body Temperature, Central Nervous System Fatigue, and Cortical Arousal after a Heart Attack

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death globally. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs' benefits are overall consensual; however, during exercise, progressive physiological effects have not been studied yet in cardiac patients. Our study aims to analyze physiological parameters of thermography, heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure, central nervous system (CNS) fatigue, and cortical arousal in heart attack patients (HAP) who belong to CR programs of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Moderate-intensity Continuous Training (MICT) compared to healthy participants. In this case control study, two HAP patients (both male, age 35 and 48, respectively) and two healthy people (both male, age 38 and 46, respectively) were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1:1 allocation ratio to one of four groups: cardiac MICT, cardiac HIIT, control MICT, and control HIIT. The HIIT at ≈85-95% of peak heart rate (HR) was followed by a one-minute recovery interval at 40% peakHR, and MICT at ≈70-75% of peakHR. Outcome measurements included thermography, HRV, blood pressure, CNS fatigue, and cortical arousal; The HAP presents more than twice the CNS fatigue in MICT than control participants, but HIIT has almost the same CNS fatigue in HAP and control. In addition, both of the HAP groups presented higher temperatures in the chest. The HIIT protocol showed better physiological responses during exercise, compared to MICT in HAP.

The Effect of Expertise during Simulated Flight Emergencies on the Autonomic Response and Operative Performance in Military Pilots

Heart rate variability (HRV) and performance response during emergency flight maneuvers were analyzed. Two expert pilots (ages 35 and 33) and two rookie pilots (ages 25) from the Portuguese Air Force participated in this case-control report study. Participants had to complete the following emergency protocols in a flight simulator: (1) take-off engine failure, (2) flight engine failure close to the base, (3) flight engine failure far away from the base, and (4) alternator failure. The HRV was collected during all these maneuvers, as well as the performance data (the time it took to go through the emergency protocol and the subjective information from the flight simulator operator). Results regarding autonomic modulation showed a higher sympathetic response during the emergency maneuvers when compared to baseline. In some cases, there was also a higher sympathetic response during the emergency maneuvers when compared with the take-off protocol. Regarding performance data, the expert pilots accomplished the missions in less time than the rookie pilots. Autonomic modulation measured from HRV through portable devices can easily relay important information. This information is relevant since characterizing these maneuvers can provide helpful information to design training strategies to improve those psychophysiological responses.