RESUMO
Environmental noise (EN) refers to unpleasant harmful sounds that deteriorates living conditions. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how EN affects students at learning commons, where EN increases between 70 and 90 dBA, and which levels disturb psycho-physiologically. For this purpose, 16 students of Tecnologico de Monterrey were recruited: nine men and seven women. They were divided into four groups, and were involved in two activities: to solve a puzzle of 300 pieces without and with EN at 75 dBA. In both activities, a summative evaluation based on the level of puzzle completeness, and the electrophysiological monitoring of heart and blink rate, and neural electrical activity were conducted. Results showed that student performance was 4% higher in a quiet room than in learning commons. EN increased heart rate in 3.48%, and blink rate in 22.91%, and neural electrical activity was reduced at least in 3%, regardless of task demands. The findings of the present study suggest that academic work is difficult to undertake in learning commons when EN is above the permissible limit, and what diminishes the performance of students and alters their electrophysiological functioning.
Assuntos
Aprendizagem , Estudantes , Piscadela , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , RuídoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) has a high prevalence and is associated with poorer quality of life. To find a practical clinical tool to assess DIP in patients with severe mental illness (SMI), the association between blink rate and drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) was assessed. METHODS: In a cohort of 204 SMI patients receiving care from the only mental health service of the previous Dutch Antilles, blink rate per minute during conversation was assessed by an additional trained movement disorder specialist. DIP was rated on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) in 878 assessments over a period of 18 years. Diagnostic values of blink rate were calculated. RESULTS: DIP prevalence was 36%, average blink rate was 14 (standard deviation (SD) 11) for patients with DIP, and 19 (SD 14) for patients without. There was a significant association between blink rate and DIP (p < 0.001). With a blink rate cut-off of 20 blinks per minute, sensitivity was 77% and specificity was 38%. A 10% percentile cut-off model resulted in an area under the ROC curve of 0.61. A logistic prediction model between dichotomous DIP and continuous blink rate per minute an area under the ROC curve of 0.70. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant association between blink rate and DIP as diagnosed on the UPDRS. However, blink rate sensitivity and specificity with regard to DIP are too low to replace clinical rating scales in routine psychiatric practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was started over 20 years ago in 1992, at the time registering a trial was not common practice, therefore the study was never registered.