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Background The utilization of mobile health (m-health) has rapidly expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is still a lack of relevant clinical data pertaining to chronic low-back pain (CLBP) management. This study was designed to compare the effectiveness of m-health-based exercise (via guidance plus education) versus exercise (via guidance) during CLBP management. Methods Participants (n = 40) were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group received m-health-based exercise (via guidance plus education), whereas the control group received m-health-based exercise (via guidance). The exercise prescription video and educational content were sent to participants by the application (app), Ding Talk. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to test the baseline’s intervention effects, 6-week follow-up, and 18-week follow-up. We selected function (Roland and Morris Disability Questionnaire) and pain intensity (current, mean, and most severe Numeric Rating Scale in the last 2 weeks) as the primary outcomes, changes of negative emotion (depression, anxious), and quality of life as the secondary outcomes. Results Time’s significant effect was found in pain, function, and health-related quality of life in both groups, but time did not show significant interaction effects. Participants were able to use m-based education with their anxiety and depression after treatment, but the relief only lasted until week 6. No differences were found on the aspect of mental health-related quality of life. Conclusion Preliminary findings suggest that m-health-based exercise (via guidance) may be a convenient and effective method to treat CLBP. However, additional health education didn't help more. More rigorous controlled trials are needed to improve the therapeutic effect in future studies. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trials Registry Number ChiCTR2000041459. Registered on December 26, 2020.

The supplementary motor area (SMA) has been implicated in the feedforward control of speech production. Whether this region is involved in speech motor control through auditory feedback, however, remains uncertain. The present event-related potential (ERP) study examined the role of the left SMA in vocal pitch regulation in a causal manner by combining auditory feedback manipulations and neuronavigated continuous theta bust stimulation (c-TBS). After receiving c-TBS over the left SMA or the control site (vertex), twenty young adults vocalized the vowel sound /u/ while hearing their voice unexpectedly pitch-shifted -50 or -200 cents. Compared to the control stimulation, c-TBS over the left SMA led to decreased vocal compensations for pitch perturbations of -50 and -200 cents. A significant decrease of N1 and P2 responses to -200 cents perturbations was also found when comparing active and control stimulation. Major neural generators of decreased P2 responses included the right-lateralized superior and middle temporal gyrus and angular gyrus. Notably, a significant correlation was found between active-control differences in the vocal compensation and P2 responses for the -200 cents perturbations. These findings provide neurobehavioral evidence for a causal link between the left SMA and auditory-motor integration for vocal pitch regulation, suggesting that the left SMA receives auditory feedback information and mediates vocal compensations for feedback errors in a bottom-up manner.

The supramarginal gyrus (SMG) has been implicated in auditory-motor integration for vocal production. However, whether the SMG is bilaterally or unilaterally involved in auditory feedback control of vocal production in a causal manner remains unclear. The present event-related potential (ERP) study investigated the causal roles of the left and right SMG to auditory-vocal integration using neuronavigated continuous theta burst stimulation (c-TBS). Twenty-four young adults produced sustained vowel phonations and heard their voice unexpectedly pitch-shifted by ±200 cents after receiving active or sham c-TBS over the left or right SMG. As compared to sham stimulation, c-TBS over the left or right SMG led to significantly smaller vocal compensations for pitch perturbations that were accompanied by smaller cortical P2 responses. Moreover, no significant differences were found in the vocal and ERP responses when comparing active c-TBS over the left vs. right SMG. These findings provide neurobehavioral evidence for a causal influence of both the left and right SMG on auditory feedback control of vocal production. Decreased vocal compensations paralleled by reduced P2 responses following c-TBS over the bilateral SMG support their roles for auditory-motor transformation in a bottom-up manner: receiving auditory feedback information and mediating vocal compensations for feedback errors.

Unconscious thought theory (UTT) suggests that creativity benefits more from unconscious thought than conscious thought. However, previous studies have only focused on creative problem solving. This study aims to explore the effect of unconscious thought and conscious thought in creative science problem finding (CSPF). The ability of CSPF was measured by fluency, flexibility and originality. Participants accomplished the CSPF task after 3 min of distraction, during which unconscious thought was supposed to take place, or after 3 min of conscious thought. Results showed that unconscious thought had no advantage over conscious thought on CSPF. For the CSPF task with open instructions, conscious thought was comparable to unconscious thought in fluency, flexibility and originality. What’s more, for the CSPF task with closed instructions, unconscious thought was even overtaken by conscious thought in fluency, flexibility and originality. These findings extend the unconscious thought theory and provide practical guidance on how to propose a creative science problem.

Objectives Developing efficient tools for assessing general cognitive functions in older adults is essential. Previous studies found that inhibition of return (IOR) occurred later in the older adults than in the younger. However, little is known about the relationship between the onset time of IOR (IOR-OT) and cognitive functions in the aging population. The present study examined this issue and investigated the potential of using IOR-OT as an index of cognitive functioning in older adults. Methods In two studies, the IOR-OT of healthy younger and older adults was measured by a modified Posner peripheral cueing task, and cognitive functions of the older adults were evaluated with the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination Revised (ACE-R). Results Both studies showed a significant correlation (r = ~.5) between IOR-OT and cognitive functions as assessed by ACE-R in older individuals: later IOR-OT was accompanied by a lower ACE-R score. Discussion To our knowledge, the present studies are the first to discover a relatively strong correlation between IOR-OT and cognitive functions in older adults. These findings provide new evidence supporting the inhibition deficit theory of aging and lay the foundation of using IOR-OT as an objective measure of cognitive functions in the aging population.