Search Results (240)

This study investigated the effects of human–calf interactions on psychophysiological and emotional responses in humans. Thirty healthy adults (mean age: 25 ± 1.3 years) participated in four distinct 3 min activities with a Holstein calf: (1) watching a 2D video of a calf (video observation), (2) observing a calf directly (direct observation), (3) feeding a calf, and (4) grooming a calf. Electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements were recorded from the prefrontal, frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes during each activity. Participants’ emotional states were assessed using the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire before and after the sessions. Results showed that relative alpha power spectra, indicative of relaxation and resting states, significantly increased during both direct and video observation of the calf compared to feeding or grooming activities (p < 0.05). Relative beta power, associated with concentration and alertness without stress, was also elevated during the observation conditions relative to grooming (p = 0.044). Furthermore, POMS scores revealed a significant reduction in total mood disturbance after calf-related activities, particularly following observation (both video and direct) and grooming (p = 0.004). These findings suggest that brief interactions with calves may promote relaxation, enhance attention, reduce stress, and improve emotional well-being in healthy adults. The results provide preliminary evidence that may inform future research on the development of animal-assisted activity programs. Full article

Background: Internet Gambling Disorder (IGD) has become an important public health concern, yet relatively little is known about the combined neural, autonomic, and behavioral mechanisms underlying cue reactivity in immersive gambling environments. This study investigated whether individuals with IGD demonstrate altered neurophysiological and psychophysiological responses during a virtual reality (VR) gambling task. Methods: Fifty-seven adults, including 28 participants meeting diagnostic criteria for IGD and 29 healthy controls, completed a standardized VR casino paradigm incorporating predetermined win, loss, and near-miss events. Electroencephalography (EEG), galvanic skin response (GSR), behavioral performance, and post-task craving were assessed simultaneously. Results: Compared with healthy controls, the IGD group demonstrated significantly greater P300 amplitudes during win trials and enhanced late positive potential (LPP) responses following near-miss outcomes, indicating increased attentional allocation and sustained emotional processing of gambling-related cues. Skin conductance responses were also significantly higher in response to near-miss events, whereas overall skin conductance level and reaction time did not differ significantly between groups. Participants with IGD additionally exhibited greater engagement during the VR task and reported substantially higher craving following exposure to the gambling environment. Conclusion: These findings indicate that immersive VR combined with EEG and autonomic recordings provides a sensitive framework for detecting cue-reactivity associated with IGD. Although the findings should be interpreted in light of the relatively modest sample size and the use of a predominantly male sample, they suggest that immersive VR combined with EEG and autonomic recordings provides a sensitive framework for investigating cue reactivity associated with Internet Gambling Disorder. Integrating behavioral, physiological, and neural measures may improve understanding of the mechanisms underlying problematic gambling and inform future research on objective assessment strategies and intervention development. Full article

The positive impact of strategic self-talk on performance in various sports tasks has been well-documented. Contemporary research has therefore started to explore the potential mechanisms through which self-talk affects performance. The primary purpose of the present study was to examine aspects of the attentional mechanisms underlying performance on a golf putting task, endorsing a psychophysiological perspective through the assessment of Heart-Rate Variability (HRV). Participants were 40 male sport science students, with no prior experience in golf putting, who were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. The experiment was completed over four sessions, including baseline assessment, two training sessions, and final assessment. Participants of both groups followed the same training protocol, with the experimental group practicing strategic self-talk and developing personal self-talk plans for the final assessment. Performance and HRV were recorded during the baseline and final assessments. Repeated measures analysis of variance showed that the experimental group showed greater performance improvement from baseline to final assessment and superior performance compared to the control group at the final assessment. Analysis of the HRV data provided indications that the experimental group showed different patterns of Root Mean Square of Successive Differences (RMSSD) activation at the final assessment, showing a greater activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, in particular towards the latest stages of the golf-putting task. The HRV findings, which should be interpreted with caution due to the lack of multivariate significance, are in line with an attentional interpretation of self-talk effectiveness indicating a less effortful processing. Full article

Background: During intrauterine life, the fetus is continuously exposed to rhythmic sensory stimuli; among these, the maternal heartbeat is one of the earliest and most biologically salient, contributing to the early organization of physiological regulation. This exploratory longitudinal observational study examined whether exposure to the maternal heartbeat influences neonatal autonomic activity and whether this response is moderated by prenatal maternal psychological distress. Methods: Sixteen dyads of mother–child were included in the analyses. Pregnant women were first assessed between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation: maternal distress was measured using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales—21 (DASS-21), and maternal heartbeat recordings were obtained. At 3–4 weeks postpartum, neonates were exposed to recordings of their own mother’s heartbeat. Neonatal heart rate variability (HRV) was assessed using electrocardiography at rest and during the hearing of the maternal heartbeat. Results: Exposure to the heartbeat significantly reduced high-frequency (HF) HRV compared to baseline (p = 0.037), providing evidence for modulation of parasympathetic activity. Importantly, an interaction between condition and maternal distress was observed (p = 0.021), suggesting that neonatal autonomic responses differ as a function of maternal psychological state. Conclusions: Overall, these preliminary findings suggest that neonatal autonomic responses to maternal heartbeat exposure may not be uniform but may vary according to maternal psychological distress, highlighting the potential role of the maternal psychophysiological context in shaping early autonomic regulation. Full article

The Central Sterile Supply Department (CSSD) functions as the critical control point for hospital infection prevention, yet its equipment-intensive environment generates occupational noise exposure that has been systematically overlooked in both the healthcare quality and occupational health literature. We conducted a focused narrative review across PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus (up to March 2026) to examine the prevalence, psychophysiological mechanisms, and management of noise in CSSD settings. Four peer-reviewed studies investigating CSSD noise exposure were identified, conducted in Chinese and Brazilian hospitals. The evidence indicates that air guns and pressure steam sterilizers constitute the dominant noise sources, with self-reported exposure associated with psychological symptoms and sleep disturbance in approximately one-quarter of staff. Notably, health concerns may mediate a substantial proportion of the noise–psychology relationship, suggesting a cognitive–affective pathway that may be as theoretically significant as direct physiological damage, although this cross-sectional finding requires longitudinal confirmation. No study has empirically linked CSSD noise to sterilization failures, device damage, or patient-level outcomes. Drawing on this nascent evidence base and adjacent occupational noise theory, we advance three testable propositions: that CSSD noise may constitute a systemic quality risk factor, that subjective cognitive–affective appraisal plays a primary mediating role, and that effective management requires multi-level integration across engineering, administrative, and psychological domains. This review reframes CSSD noise from an ergonomic nuisance to an embedded environmental stressor and charts a structured research agenda for objective measurement, mechanism validation, and intervention evaluation. Full article

Background: University students are particularly vulnerable to elevated stress, anxiety, and reduced psychological well-being, especially in the post-pandemic period. Immersive virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising technology-supported approach for relaxation and stress reduction; however, evidence regarding its short-term psychophysiological effects in academic populations remains limited. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a short-term immersive VR relaxation intervention on perceived stress and autonomic nervous system activity in university students. Methods: A randomized controlled study with repeated measures was conducted among university students from Opole, Poland. Participants were allocated to an immersive VR group or a non-immersive screen-based control group. Both groups received identical relaxation content for 10 min daily over five consecutive days, differing only in the level of immersion. Heart rate variability (HRV) was recorded continuously during four consecutive 5-minute epochs within each session. Perceived stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale-10 before and after the intervention. Cybersickness symptoms were assessed in the VR group. Results: Immersive VR elicited more pronounced favourable changes in HRV parameters than non-immersive exposure, including increased lnRMSSD, SDNN, and PNS index values, together with reduced mean heart rate, SNS index, and Stress index. Both groups showed significant reductions in perceived stress; however, the reduction was significantly greater in the VR group (p = 0.009, Cohen’s d = 0.78). Cybersickness symptoms were low and decreased across the intervention period. Conclusions: Short-term immersive VR relaxation may represent a feasible and well-tolerated approach for reducing perceived stress and supporting autonomic regulation in university students under controlled experimental conditions. However, the findings should be interpreted with caution due to the short intervention period and the absence of follow-up. Furthermore, adequately powered randomized controlled trials with longer observation periods are required to confirm these preliminary findings. Full article

Background: Competitive esports represents a rapidly developing digital performance environment in which players must regulate attention, affect, psychophysiological activation, and performance under dynamic, high-demand conditions. Although cognitive overload and related states are increasingly relevant to esports research, these constructs have not been consistently defined, operationalized, or measured. Objective: This scoping review aimed to map empirical evidence on cognitive overload and related states in competitive esports, with emphasis on cognitive demands, psychophysiological and neurophysiological markers, coping and recovery approaches, game genres, and performance outcomes. Methods: The review followed Joanna Briggs Institute guidance and PRISMA-ScR reporting principles. Searches were conducted in Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCOhost on 5 May 2026. Eligible studies were peer-reviewed empirical articles involving ranked, collegiate, semi-professional, professional, elite, or otherwise competitive esports players and included at least one objective or semi-objective indicator relevant to overload-related states. Results: Forty-eight studies were included. Evidence was distributed across in-game performance, stress and arousal, cardiometabolic load, mental workload, sleep and recovery, perceptual-cognitive processing, neurophysiological markers, and intervention-oriented approaches. Heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), eye-tracking, sleep or wearable measures, electroencephalography (EEG), event-related potential (ERP), cortisol, pupil diameter, electrodermal activity (EDA), cognitive tasks, and in-game metrics were used across the literature. However, these measures were rarely integrated into unified, multimodal models. Conclusions: Cognitive overload in esports is best understood as a dynamic, multidimensional state emerging from interactions between game demands, competitive context, player regulation, and performance consequences. Future research should develop genre-sensitive, multimodal, and time-synchronized models that distinguish workload, stress, fatigue, arousal, tilt, and performance decline. Full article

Neuromarketing has emerged as a prominent methodological approach for investigating the implicit cognitive and affective processes underlying consumer decision making. By employing neuroscientific and psychophysiological techniques, it enables researchers to move beyond self-report measures and capture responses that consumers cannot always articulate explicitly. Despite these advances, a fundamental component of experimental design—the selection of affective stimuli—remains conceptually underexamined within neuromarketing research. This article adopts a structured narrative review to examine how affective stimuli are selected, documented, and justified in neuromarketing research. It develops a conceptual and normative framework that reconceptualizes stimulus selection as a decision with ethical, scientific, and sustainability implications rather than a purely technical methodological choice. The review critically examines the widespread reliance on ad hoc stimuli, discusses the potential and limitations of standardized affective databases and related resources, and highlights the need for marketing-specific stimulus repositories. By reframing stimulus selection as a core component of responsible research practice, this study contributes to emerging debates on responsible neuromarketing and provides guidance for more transparent, replicable, ethical, and sustainable neuromarketing research in academic and applied contexts. Full article

Urbanization underscores the critical role of the built environment in shaping human health outcomes. Recently, technology-driven assessment enables a more precise, dynamic, and objective evaluation of individuals’ biobehavioral responses to built environments and their health. However, existing reviews are limited to single technologies, single health outcomes, or specific environmental features. As a result, this narrative review summarizes 269 studies (2003–2025) to examine how such technology-driven methodologies capture the effects of built environments on psychophysiological well-being. Findings reveal a four-stage evolution in methodology from subjective evaluations and single-device monitoring to integrated subjective-objective measures and, more recently, multimodal synergistic frameworks. Accordingly, based on a technology-driven assessment of biobehavioral responses, this review synthesizes a dual-pathway framework linking the built environment to health: (1) psychological responses are mediated through emotion-arousal mechanisms, encompassing 22 key emotions across both positive and negative valences; and (2) physiological outcomes are influenced by behavioral–psychological mediation and direct environmental exposure, encompassing six categories that span from subclinical dysfunction to clinical disease risk. This review thereby provides a framework derived from the reviewed evidence that connects built environments to health through measurable biobehavioral pathways, directly supporting human-centered urban design and assessment. Full article

Background: Chronic stress contributes to mental and physical disorders, including burnout, anxiety, and depression. While self-report assessments remain valuable, they are inherently subjective and may be insensitive to short-term psychophysiological fluctuations. Remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) enables non-contact extraction of cardiovascular signals from facial videos and has increasingly been explored for stress-related monitoring through heart rate and heart rate variability features. Objective: This preliminary study aimed to assess the feasibility, usability, and preliminary construct validity of a mobile rPPG-based application for psychophysiological stress monitoring in daily life by examining usability, stress index distributions, and associations with self-reported psychological distress. Methods: A total of 252 participants from the general population and university students completed standardized facial video acquisition using a smartphone-based rPPG application and self-report questionnaires. The app extracted pulse wave signals, computed cardiovascular features related to heart rate and pulse rate variability, and integrated them into three indices: Stress Level, Stress Recovery, and Stress Response. Correlation and regression analyses examined associations with psychological distress. Results: The three indices showed substantial inter-individual variability. Stress Level was significantly associated with anxiety (r = 0.13, p = 0.036), depressive symptoms (r = 0.13, p = 0.047), and General Emotional Distress (r = 0.17, p = 0.006). In regression analysis, Stress Level emerged as the only significant independent correlate of General Emotional Distress (β = 0.21, p = 0.017). Younger participants and women showed higher Stress Level scores. Conclusions: The present findings should therefore be interpreted as preliminary and exploratory evidence of construct validity, suggesting that the app-derived indices may capture individual differences in stress-related physiological activation in everyday contexts. Currently, the observed associations were weak, the model explained limited variance, and the results do not demonstrate clinical validity, diagnostic utility, or predictive accuracy. Looking ahead, further longitudinal studies, repeated rPPG assessments, correction-aware analyses, and validation against reference physiological measures are needed before these indices can be considered suitable for clinical or preventive use. Full article

Adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) face elevated cardiovascular risk, and regular exercise is a key non-pharmacological mitigation strategy. However, safe prescription requires cardiovascular and glycemic monitoring, often unfeasible in real-world gyms. Low-cost psychophysiological tools (ratings of perceived exertion—RPE and enjoyment) may offer practical alternatives. This exploratory randomized crossover trial examined whether post-session RPE and enjoyment are associated with acute heart rate (HR) and capillary blood glucose (BG) responses to gym-based aerobic and resistance training. Twelve adults with T1DM (29.8 ± 7.8 years; HbA1c 7.7 ± 1.6%; LDL-c 119.5 ± 24.4 mg/dL) completed three ~30 min sessions: aerobic interval training (AE) and two resistance protocols (STA, STB). HR and BG were measured pre-, immediately post-, and 20 min post-exercise; RPE and enjoyment, post-session. Multiple linear regression, controlling for exercise session type, examined associations of RPE and enjoyment with resting HR, BG, and percentage of heart rate reserve (%HR). RPE was higher after STA and STB than AE (p < 0.001; η²p = 0.529), while enjoyment and %HR were similar across sessions. Neither variable was associated with resting HR or BG (all adjusted R² < 0; all p > 0.05). Controlling for exercise session type, RPE was a significant positive predictor of %HR (β = 0.44, p = 0.044), whereas enjoyment was not (β = −0.06, p = 0.719); however, the overall %HR model did not reach statistical significance (adjusted R² =0.119; F(4,31) = 2.183; p = 0.094). These exploratory findings suggest that RPE, but not enjoyment, may serve as a low-cost adjunct intensity marker to inform exercise prescription in adults with T1DM at elevated cardiovascular risk; however, replication in larger samples is needed before clinical recommendations can be drawn. Direct BG monitoring remains essential for safety. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and exergame technologies have been increasingly used in dance and movement activities. However, this literature remains dispersed across different areas, making it difficult to determine how the field has developed. This study mapped the research landscape and thematic development of AI-, VR-, and exergame-based dance and movement research on psychological outcomes using bibliometric analysis and latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) topic modeling. A total of 252 records indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection from 2011 to 2025 were included. Five related thematic strands were identified: immersive dance interaction and technology-supported teaching; rehabilitation-oriented dance or rhythm training; school-based exergaming and psychophysiological assessment; behavioral program design and intervention implementation; and AI-based motion or emotion recognition. These strands indicate that the field has developed into a multi-layered research space shaped by technology functions, movement contexts, intervention formats, and psychological constructs, rather than a single dance-intervention or technology-application domain. At the same time, psychological outcomes were not represented with equal clarity across these strands. Participation-related and psychosocial constructs, including enjoyment, motivation, engagement, self-efficacy, social interaction, emotional expression, and quality of life, were more frequently represented, whereas mental-health-related outcomes such as anxiety, depression, stress, loneliness, and psychological well-being were less consistently connected to technology-supported dance or movement interventions. These findings clarify where evidence is concentrated, how major themes are organized, and where psychological outcome measurement requires clearer theoretical and methodological specification. Future studies should use comparative and longitudinal designs to examine whether VR/AI-based feedback-supported movement training offers added value over conventional dance or movement programs for psychological outcomes, participation, exercise experience, and longer-term behavior change. Full article

This pilot study aimed to examine autonomic nervous system responses in student-athletes using heart rate variability (HRV) and skin conductance level (SCL) during sequential cognitive stressors, including a modified Stroop test and a mental math task. Fifty-two university athletes (mean age = 21.7 ± 2.8 years) participated in this repeated-measures experimental study. HRV and SCL were recorded at baseline, during each stressor, and throughout the recovery periods following each task. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significantly elevated SCL across experimental conditions [F(2.09, 100.53) = 45.69, p < 0.001, η² = 0.488], which remained above baseline during recovery, indicating sustained sympathetic activation. HR also increased significantly during stress exposure, indicating increased autonomic activation during cognitive stress [F(2, 103.11) = 14.30, p < 0.001, η² = 0.230]. Contrary to the initial hypothesis, vagally mediated HRV indices, including RMSSD [F(2.73, 131.11) = 6.88, p < 0.001, η² = 0.125] and HF power [F(2.85, 136.99) = 16.86, p < 0.001, η² = 0.260], increased during cognitive stress, suggesting adaptive parasympathetic modulation rather than vagal withdrawal. These findings indicate that autonomic responses to cognitive stress in athletes may involve simultaneous sympathetic and parasympathetic activation rather than a simple vagal withdrawal response. Overall, the findings only partially supported the initial hypotheses. Despite limitations related to sample size and short recording periods, the present findings highlight the importance of evaluating HRV and SCL together when examining psychophysiological stress responses in athletic populations. Full article

Background/Objectives: Sport participation and nutrition are increasingly recognized as key determinants of cognitive function and academic achievement in student populations. However, the biological mechanisms underpinning these associations remain only partially understood. This scoping review aimed to map and synthesize the current evidence on neuroendocrine and autonomic mechanisms linking physical activity, sport participation, and nutrition to cognitive and academic outcomes in students. Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases was performed following PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Studies involving student populations that examined physical activity, sport participation, or dietary patterns in relation to cognitive function and/or academic performance were included. Particular attention was given to studies reporting biological or physiological indicators of underlying mechanisms, including neuroendocrine, autonomic, and brain-based measures. Data were extracted and synthesized qualitatively, with studies categorized according to the type of mechanistic evidence. Results: A total of 76 studies met the inclusion criteria. The available evidence was more extensive for physical activity, sport participation, and fitness-related exposures than for nutrition-related variables or integrated lifestyle models. Cognitive outcomes, particularly executive function, attention, working memory, and memory performance, were assessed more frequently and showed more consistent associations with lifestyle behaviors than academic outcomes, which were less commonly and more heterogeneously evaluated. Mechanistic evidence was unevenly distributed: only a limited subset of studies included direct biological or psychophysiological measures, mainly neuroimaging, brain-derived neurotrophic factors, cortisol-related indices, or heart rate variability. In contrast, inflammatory, metabolic, and gut microbiota-related mechanisms were mostly discussed at a conceptual or indirect level. Overall, the findings indicate a broad associative literature but a relatively small body of studies directly testing biological pathways linking physical activity, nutrition, cognition, and academic performance. Conclusions: Current evidence indicates potential associations between sport participation, nutrition, cognitive outcomes, and multiple biological pathways. However, the scoping nature of the review, the predominance of observational designs, and the limited use of direct mechanistic assessments prevent firm causal conclusions. Future research should prioritize longitudinal and intervention studies integrating behavioral, nutritional, cognitive, academic, and biological measures within the same design. Full article

Background/Objectives: High-altitude exposure represents a complex psychophysiological stressor involving hypoxia, physical effort, sleep disruption and psychological strain. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) plays a key role in stress regulation, yet its epigenetic modulation under extreme environmental conditions remains poorly characterized. This pilot and exploratory study investigated DNA methylation and descriptive microRNA (miRNA) expression patterns of CNR1 and FAAH genes, and their associations with mood and anxiety outcomes, in trekkers exposed to Himalayan high altitude. Methods: Twenty-one healthy lowlanders completed a longitudinal expedition from 2860 m to 5050 m. Psychometric measures (SVARAD, BDI, SAS, SHAPS) and saliva samples were collected at baseline (T0) and at high altitude (T1). DNA methylation of CNR1 and FAAH regulatory regions was quantified by pyrosequencing. Exosomal miRNAs targeting these genes were profiled using qRT-PCR, on pooled samples; results are presented descriptively. Results: DNA methylation analysis revealed heterogeneous, sex-specific epigenetic patterns following high-altitude exposure. A significant increase in CNR1 promoter methylation at CpG4 was observed in males at T1, whereas methylation remained largely stable in females. Descriptive miRNA expression data showed bidirectional differences between groups, consistent with context-dependent stress regulation. Convergent directional patterns between miR-23b-3p expression and CNR1 methylation in males were observed. However, given the descriptive nature of the miRNA data, this observation is purely exploratory and requires replication before any mechanistic conclusions can be drawn. Psychometrically, participants showed a mild mood decline without overt clinical symptoms. Sex-specific differences in the relationship between CNR1 methylation and psychometric outcomes were observed and warrant further investigation in adequately powered cohorts. Conclusions: These preliminary findings suggest that CNR1 epigenetic regulation warrants further investigation as a potential indicator of stress adaptation and psychological responses and underscore the need to consider sex differences when evaluating resilience and vulnerability to extreme environments. Full article