Workshop handout at the "Dance Fields PGR Un-Symposium" @Coventry University, Dec. 2016
Poster presented at “Dance Fields: Staking a Claim in the 21st Century” @University of Roehampton, April, 2017
- by Aska Sakuta
- •
Poster presented at “MOCO 2017” @Goldsmiths University of London, June, 2017
How do we share embodied knowledge? How do we understand the world through our bodies? How can we effectively interpret and communicate somatic experiences to a wider audience? These questions emerged during a collaborative research... more
How do we share embodied knowledge? How do we understand the world through our bodies? How can we effectively interpret and communicate somatic experiences to a wider audience? These questions emerged during a collaborative research project Let's Improv It (August 2016, Plymouth University), which set out to explore how kinaesthetic empathy and multisensory perception help us to understand our own actions, intentions and emotions, as well as those of others. We additionally questioned the role and perception of physical and emotional touch within embodied knowledge.
- by Aska Sakuta and +3
- •
- Improvisation, Social Sciences, Dance Studies
How do we share embodied knowledge? How do we understand the world through our bodies? How can we effectively interpret and communicate somatic experiences to a wider audience? These questions emerged during a collaborative research... more
How do we share embodied knowledge? How do we understand the world through our bodies? How can we effectively interpret and communicate somatic experiences to a wider audience? These questions emerged during a collaborative research project Let's Improv It (August 2016, Plymouth University), which set out to explore how kinaesthetic empathy and multisensory perception help us to understand our own actions, intentions and emotions, as well as those of others. We additionally questioned the role and perception of physical and emotional touch within embodied knowledge. After a five-day practice-led investigation, a 20-minute improvised somatic movement score was developed with the aim of providing a novel experience of touch and movement. The authors collectively delivered the score and reflected on the outcomes of this experience over the course of a year (2016–2017). In this paper, we explore how our research project expanded the boundaries of the conventional concepts of knowledge and cognition. We see such participatory sessions, in which movement and embodied experience freely unfold in time and space, as a 'laboratory' in which we examine the underlying mechanisms of collaboration. We reflect on how such an experience can be seen as a creative process, or as an emergent, collaborative art-work. The participants are both the creators and, simultaneously, the audience of our improvised experience. The experience provided a non-judgmental context for physical engagement and observation, which is an outcome that will be introduced
- by Abigail Jackson and +2
- •
- Improvisation, Somatic Education
This paper presents an ongoing research project which uses an interdisciplinary methodology to explore the connections between our cognitive states and movement performances, through the idea of embodied Flow states (Nakamura &... more
This paper presents an ongoing research project which uses an interdisciplinary methodology to explore the connections between our cognitive states and movement performances, through the idea of embodied Flow states (Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi, 2014). The research begins with the idea of meditation in movement, wherein a mover experiences the state of “no mind” (Sellers-Young, 1993; Yuasa et al., 1993), a sense of mental tranquillity and ‘nothing-ness’ during movement. The state of “no mind” is often associated with the idea of “Flow” (Fraleigh, 2000; Krein & Ilundain, 2014), a feeling of being “in the zone,” in which the individual’s intuition sharpens, and s/he exhibits “peak performance” (Privette, 1983). Here, the research asks the question: Is there a relationship between the phenomenon of “Flow” and ‘optimal’ movement performance?
Following a brief progress report given at the 4th International Conference on Movement Computing (London, 2017), this paper presents a further developed view on the theoretical and methodological structure of this research. This will include discussions on how some scientific accounts suggest that the state of “no mind” (or “Flow”) can be neurologically represented by a deactivation in some of the executive functions in the brain, thereby potentially giving way to more primitive functions including intuitive motor control (Austin, 2010; Dietrich, 2004). After developing an interdisciplinary view on the connections between Flow, embodiment, and meditative states of consciousness, the paper will describe how this theoretical framework has informed the researcher’s practical investigation on 1.) how embodied Flow states may appear during meditative movement, and 2.) whether this state has an influence on the mover’s performance.
References:
Austin, J. H. (2010). The Thalamic Gateway: How the Meditative Training of Attention Evolves Toward Selfless Transformations of Consciousness. In B. Bruya (Ed.), Effortless Attention: A New Perspective in the Cognitive Science of Attention and Action (pp. 373-407). MA: MIT Press
Dietrich, A. (2004). Neurocognitive Mechanisms Underlying the Experience of Flow. Consciousness and Cognition, 13(4), 746-761.
Fraleigh, S. (2000). Consciousness matters. Dance Research Journal, 32(1), 54-62.
Krein, K., & Ilundáin, J. (2014). Mushin and Flow: an East-West Comparative Analysis. In G. Priest & D. Young (Eds.), Philosophy and the Martial Arts: Engagement (pp. 139-164). New York: Routeledge
Nakamura, J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2014). The Concept of Flow. In M. Csikszentmihalyi (Ed.), Flow and the Foundations of Positive Psychology (pp. 239-263). Springer Netherlands.
Privette, G. (1983). Peak experience, Peak performance, and Flow: A Comparative Analysis of Positive Human Experiences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45(6), 1361-1368.
Sellers-Young, B. (1993). Teaching Personality with Gracefulness: the Transmission of Japanese Cultural Values through Japanese Dance Theatre. University Press of America.
Yuasa, Y., Nagamoto, S., & Hull, M. S. (1993). The Body, Self-cultivation, and Ki-energy. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Following a brief progress report given at the 4th International Conference on Movement Computing (London, 2017), this paper presents a further developed view on the theoretical and methodological structure of this research. This will include discussions on how some scientific accounts suggest that the state of “no mind” (or “Flow”) can be neurologically represented by a deactivation in some of the executive functions in the brain, thereby potentially giving way to more primitive functions including intuitive motor control (Austin, 2010; Dietrich, 2004). After developing an interdisciplinary view on the connections between Flow, embodiment, and meditative states of consciousness, the paper will describe how this theoretical framework has informed the researcher’s practical investigation on 1.) how embodied Flow states may appear during meditative movement, and 2.) whether this state has an influence on the mover’s performance.
References:
Austin, J. H. (2010). The Thalamic Gateway: How the Meditative Training of Attention Evolves Toward Selfless Transformations of Consciousness. In B. Bruya (Ed.), Effortless Attention: A New Perspective in the Cognitive Science of Attention and Action (pp. 373-407). MA: MIT Press
Dietrich, A. (2004). Neurocognitive Mechanisms Underlying the Experience of Flow. Consciousness and Cognition, 13(4), 746-761.
Fraleigh, S. (2000). Consciousness matters. Dance Research Journal, 32(1), 54-62.
Krein, K., & Ilundáin, J. (2014). Mushin and Flow: an East-West Comparative Analysis. In G. Priest & D. Young (Eds.), Philosophy and the Martial Arts: Engagement (pp. 139-164). New York: Routeledge
Nakamura, J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2014). The Concept of Flow. In M. Csikszentmihalyi (Ed.), Flow and the Foundations of Positive Psychology (pp. 239-263). Springer Netherlands.
Privette, G. (1983). Peak experience, Peak performance, and Flow: A Comparative Analysis of Positive Human Experiences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45(6), 1361-1368.
Sellers-Young, B. (1993). Teaching Personality with Gracefulness: the Transmission of Japanese Cultural Values through Japanese Dance Theatre. University Press of America.
Yuasa, Y., Nagamoto, S., & Hull, M. S. (1993). The Body, Self-cultivation, and Ki-energy. Albany: State University of New York Press.
This paper presents an ongoing research project which uses an interdisciplinary methodology to explore the connections between our cognitive states and movement performances, through the idea of embodied Flow states (Nakamura &... more
This paper presents an ongoing research project which uses an interdisciplinary methodology to explore the connections between our cognitive states and movement performances, through the idea of embodied Flow states (Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi, 2014). The research begins with the idea of meditation in movement, wherein a mover experiences the state of “no mind” (Sellers-Young, 1993; Yuasa et al., 1993), a sense of mental tranquillity and ‘nothing-ness’ during movement. The state of “no mind” is often associated with the idea of “Flow” (Fraleigh, 2000; Krein & Ilundain, 2014), a feeling of being “in the zone,” in which the individual’s intuition sharpens, and s/he exhibits “peak performance” (Privette, 1983). Here, the research asks the question: Is there a relationship between the phenomenon of “Flow” and ‘optimal’ movement performance?
Following a brief progress report given at the 4th International Conference on Movement Computing (London, 2017), this paper presents a further developed view on the theoretical and methodological structure of this research. This includes discussions on how some scientific accounts suggest that the state of “no mind” (or “Flow”) can be neurologically represented by a deactivation in some of the executive functions in the brain, thereby potentially giving way to more primitive functions including intuitive motor control (Austin, 2010; Dietrich, 2004). After developing an interdisciplinary view on the connections between Flow, embodiment, and meditative states of consciousness, the paper will describe how this theoretical framework has informed the researcher’s practical investigation on 1.) how embodied Flow states may appear during meditative movement, and 2.) whether this state has an influence on the mover’s performance.
Following a brief progress report given at the 4th International Conference on Movement Computing (London, 2017), this paper presents a further developed view on the theoretical and methodological structure of this research. This includes discussions on how some scientific accounts suggest that the state of “no mind” (or “Flow”) can be neurologically represented by a deactivation in some of the executive functions in the brain, thereby potentially giving way to more primitive functions including intuitive motor control (Austin, 2010; Dietrich, 2004). After developing an interdisciplinary view on the connections between Flow, embodiment, and meditative states of consciousness, the paper will describe how this theoretical framework has informed the researcher’s practical investigation on 1.) how embodied Flow states may appear during meditative movement, and 2.) whether this state has an influence on the mover’s performance.
Research situated within psychology is increasingly relevant to dance science; the last decade has seen a rapid increase in interdisciplinary examinations from the perspective of embodied cognition. Here, both mental processes and bodily... more
Research situated within psychology is increasingly relevant to dance science; the last decade has seen a rapid increase in interdisciplinary examinations from the perspective of embodied cognition. Here, both mental processes and bodily movement are of interest, necessitating a move away from the measurement of psychological variables through questionnaire based methodologies which have predominated dance science. Whilst acknowledging a number of successful interdisciplinary dance and science projects, we were brought together by individual yet shared experiences of dance psychology research. Each of these projects highlights a number of remaining obstacles in finding effective methodologies to examine the complex mechanisms of embodied cognition, creativity and movement. As dance scholars, but also scientists, we share common concerns regarding the value, relevance, and necessity to develop new research methodologies in “Dance Psychology.”
We aim to introduce a methodology (or methodologies) which might overcome issues of disciplinary differences, focussing on the roles of language, perspective and collaboration, either by applying existing scientific knowledge to experimental, action-based research, or to effectively bring artistic practice into established methods of scientific research. We present examples of how we faced obstacles specific to dance psychology research, and importantly, which of these obstacles still lie ahead for interdisciplinary researchers. Alongside a presentation of relevant literature, we aim to illuminate the current landscape of psychological research on/through dance.
We aim to introduce a methodology (or methodologies) which might overcome issues of disciplinary differences, focussing on the roles of language, perspective and collaboration, either by applying existing scientific knowledge to experimental, action-based research, or to effectively bring artistic practice into established methods of scientific research. We present examples of how we faced obstacles specific to dance psychology research, and importantly, which of these obstacles still lie ahead for interdisciplinary researchers. Alongside a presentation of relevant literature, we aim to illuminate the current landscape of psychological research on/through dance.
This study is part of the NIH "Facilities of Research-Spinal Cord Injury" contract to support independent replication of published studies. We repeated a study reporting that delayed transplantation of olfactory lamina propria (OLP) into... more
This study is part of the NIH "Facilities of Research-Spinal Cord Injury" contract to support independent replication of published studies. We repeated a study reporting that delayed transplantation of olfactory lamina propria (OLP) into the site of a complete spinal cord transection led to significant improvement in hindlimb motor function and induced axon regeneration. Adult female rats received complete spinal cord transections at T10. Thirty days post-injury, pieces of OLP, which contains olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), or respiratory lamina propria (RLP), which should not contain OECs, were placed into the transection site. Hindlimb motor function was tested using the BBB scale from day 1 post-injury through 10 weeks following transplantation. To assess axonal regeneration across the transection site, Fluorogold was injected into the distal segment, and the distribution of 5HT-containing axons was assessed using immunostaining. BBB analyses revealed no significant recovery after OLP transplantation and no significant differences between OLP vs. RLP transplant groups. Fluorogold injections into caudal segments did not lead to retrograde labeling in any animals. Immunostaining for 5HT revealed that a few 5HT-labeled axons extended into both RLP and OLP transplants and a few 5HT-labeled axons were present in sections caudal to the injury in 2 animals that received OLP transplants and 1 animal that received RLP transplants. Our results indicate that, although OLP transplants may stimulate regeneration under some circumstances, the effect is not so robust as to reliably overcome the hostile setting created by a complete transection paradigm.
- by Kelli Sharp
- •
This study was undertaken as part of the NIH "Facilities of Research-Spinal Cord Injury" project to support independent replication of published studies. Here, we repeated a study reporting that treatment with the NgR antagonist peptide... more
This study was undertaken as part of the NIH "Facilities of Research-Spinal Cord Injury" project to support independent replication of published studies. Here, we repeated a study reporting that treatment with the NgR antagonist peptide NEP1-40 results in enhanced growth of corticospinal and serotonergic axons and enhanced locomotor recovery after thoracic spinal cord injury. Mice received dorsal hemisection injuries at T8 and then received either NEP1-40, Vehicle, or a Control Peptide beginning 4-5 hours (early treatment) or 7 days (delayed treatment) post-injury. CST axons were traced by injecting BDA into the sensorimotor cortex. Serotonergic axons were assessed by immunocytochemistry. Hindlimb motor function was assessed using the BBB and BMS scales, kinematic and footprint analyses, and a grid climbing task. There were no significant differences between groups in the density of CST axon arbors in the gray matter rostral to the injury or in the density of serotonergic axons caudal to the injury. Tract tracing revealed that a small number of CST axons extended past the lesion in the ventral column in some mice in all treatment groups. The proportion of mice with such axons was higher in the NEP1-40 groups that received early treatment. In one experiment, mice treated with either NEP1-40 or a Control Peptide (reverse sequence) had higher BBB and BMS scores than Vehicle-treated controls at the early post-injury testing intervals, but scores converged at later intervals. There were no statistically significant differences between groups on other functional outcome measures. In a second experiment comparing NEP-treated and Vehicle controls, there were no statistically significant differences on any of the functional outcome measures. Together, our results suggest that treatment with NEP1-40 created a situation that was slightly more conducive to axon regeneration or sprouting. Enhanced functional recovery was not seen consistently with the different functional assessments, however.
We describe here an alternative procedure for assessing hindlimb locomotor function after spinal cord injury that uses the BBB scale, but tests animals in a reward-baited straight alley rather than an open field. Rats were trained to... more
We describe here an alternative procedure for assessing hindlimb locomotor function after spinal cord injury that uses the BBB scale, but tests animals in a reward-baited straight alley rather than an open field. Rats were trained to ambulate in a straight alley and habituated to the open field typically used for BBB open field testing. Three groups of rats were tested. Sprague-Dawley rats received either 200 kD (n = 19) or 300 kD contusions (n = 9) at T9 with the Infinite Horizon device. Fisher rats (n = 8) received moderate contusions (12.5 mm) at T8 with the NYU impactor. BBB scores were assessed at different post-injury intervals in the open field and the straight alley, and scores were compared by correlation analyses. BBB scores in the open field vs. the straight alley were highly correlated (r = 0.90), validating the use of the straight alley for locomotor assessment. Rats exhibited a larger number of bouts of continuous steps in the straight alley vs. the open field (termed passes), providing more opportunities to score hindlimb use and coordination over the 4 min testing interval. Comparisons of scores across days revealed higher day-to-day correlations in the straight alley vs. the open field (r 2 values of 0.90 and 0.74 for the straight alley and open field respectively), revealing that the straight alley yielded more reliable scores.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) commonly results in the development of neuropathic pain, which can dramatically impair the quality of life for SCI patients. SCI induced neuropathic pain can be manifested as both tactile allodynia (a painful... more
Spinal cord injury (SCI) commonly results in the development of neuropathic pain, which can dramatically impair the quality of life for SCI patients. SCI induced neuropathic pain can be manifested as both tactile allodynia (a painful sensation to a non-noxious stimulus) and or hyperalgesia (an enhanced sensation to a painful stimulus). The mechanisms underlying these pain states are poorly understood. Clinical studies have shown that gabapentin, a drug that binds to the voltage gated calcium channel alpha-2-delta-1 subunit (Ca v α 2 δ-1) proteins is effective in the management of SCI induced neuropathic pain. Accordingly, we hypothesized that tactile allodynia post SCI is mediated by an upregulation of Ca v α 2 δ-1 in dorsal spinal cord (DSC). To test this hypothesis, we examined if SCI-induced dysregulation of spinal Ca v α 2 δ-1 plays a contributory role in below-level allodynia development in a rat spinal T9 contusion injury model. We found that Ca v α 2 δ-1 expression levels were significantly increased in L4-6 dorsal, but not ventral, spinal cord of SCI rats that correlated with tactile allodynia development in the hindpaw plantar surface. Furthermore, both intrathecal gabapentin treatment and blocking SCI induced Ca v α 2 δ-1 protein upregulation by intrathecal Ca v α 2 δ-1 antisense oligodeoxynucleotides could reverse tactile allodynia in SCI rats. These findings support that SCI induced Ca v α 2 δ-1 upregulation in spinal dorsal horn is a key component in mediating below-level neuropathic pain development and selectively targeting this pathway may provide effective pain relief for SCI patients.
This study was undertaken as part of the NIH "Facilities of Research Excellence-Spinal Cord Injury", which supports independent replication of published studies. Here, we repeat an experiment reporting that intracortical delivery of... more
This study was undertaken as part of the NIH "Facilities of Research Excellence-Spinal Cord Injury", which supports independent replication of published studies. Here, we repeat an experiment reporting that intracortical delivery of inosine promoted trans-midline growth of corticospinal tract (CST) axons in the spinal cord after unilateral injury to the medullary pyramid. Rats received unilateral transections of the medullary pyramid and 1 day later, a cannula assembly was implanted into the sensorimotor cortex contralateral to the pyramidotomy to deliver either inosine or vehicle. The cannula assembly was attached to an osmotic minipump that was implanted sub-cutaneously. Seventeen or 18 days post-injury, the CST was traced by making multiple injections of miniruby-BDA into the sensorimotor cortex. Rats were killed for tract tracing 14 days after the BDA injections. Sections through the cervical spinal cord were stained for BDA and immunostained for GAP43 and GFAP. Our results revealed no evidence for enhanced growth of CST axons across the midline of the dorsal column in rats that received intracortical infusion of inosine. Possible reasons for the failure to replicate are discussed.
This study was undertaken as part of the NIH "Facilities of Research Excellence-Spinal Cord Injury" project to support independent replication of published studies. Here, we repeat an experiment in which rats that received an inhibitor of... more
This study was undertaken as part of the NIH "Facilities of Research Excellence-Spinal Cord Injury" project to support independent replication of published studies. Here, we repeat an experiment in which rats that received an inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exhibited greater sparing/recovery of bladder and motor function and enhanced sparing at the lesion site after contusion injuries at the thoracic level. Young adult female Sprague-Dawley rats received moderate contusions with the NYU impactor (10 g from 12.5 mm, 2 mm rod diameter), and then were implanted with catheters attached to osmotic minipumps for intra-spinal delivery of either PD168393 dissolved in 5% DMSO and HBSS or vehicle alone. Motor function was assessed with the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan Locomotor Rating Scale (BBB) and with a grid walk task. Bladder function was assessed by measuring the amount of urine retained in the bladder. Tactile sensitivity was assessed using von Frey hairs and heat and cold sensitivity were assessed by testing hindlimb sensitivity to ethylchloride spray and a hotplate respectively. Rats that received PD168393 were more impaired on motor assessments and also showed greater bladder impairment (larger amounts of retained urine) than rats that received vehicle. These results thus fail to confirm previous studies reporting enhanced recovery following treatment with PD168393.
There is a critical need to develop objective, quantitative techniques to assess motor function after spinal cord injury. Here, we assess the ability of a recently developed robotic device (the "rat stepper") to characterize locomotor... more
There is a critical need to develop objective, quantitative techniques to assess motor function after spinal cord injury. Here, we assess the ability of a recently developed robotic device (the "rat stepper") to characterize locomotor impairment following contusion injury in rats. In particular, we analyzed how the kinematic features of hindlimb movement during bipedal, weight-supported treadmill stepping change following contusion, and whether these changes correlate with the recovery of open field locomotion. Female, Sprague-Dawley rats (n ؍ 29, 8 weeks of age) received mid thoracic contusion injuries of differing severities (11 mild, nine moderate, nine severe, and four sham). In a first experiment, 16 of the animals were evaluated weekly for 12 weeks using the robotic stepping device. In a second experiment, 17 of the animals were evaluated every other day for 4 weeks. The contused animals recovered open field locomotion based on the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan Scale (BBB) analysis, with most of the recovery occurring by 4 weeks post-injury. Analysis of 14 robotic measures of stepping revealed that several measures improved significantly during the same 4 weeks: swing velocity, step height, step length, hindlimb coordination, and the ability to support body weight. These measures were also significantly correlated with the BBB score. The number of steps taken during testing was not directly related to intrinsic recovery or correlated to the BBB score. These results suggest that it is the quality of weight-supported steps, rather than the quantity, that best reflects locomotor recovery after contusion injury, and that the quality of these steps is determined by the integrity of extensor, flexor, and bilateral coordination pathways. Thus, by measuring only a few weight-supported steps with motion capture, a sensitive, valid measure of locomotor recovery following contusion injury can be obtained across a broad range of impairment levels.