Examining Patterns and Predictors of ADHD Teens' Skill-Learning Trajectories During Enhanced FOrward Concentration and Attention Learning (FOCAL+) Training.

OBJECTIVE: Examine patterns and predictors of skill learning during multisession Enhanced FOrward Concentration and Attention Learning (FOCAL+) training. BACKGROUND: FOCAL+ teaches teens to reduce the duration of off-road glances using real-time error learning. In a randomized controlled trial, teens with ADHD received five sessions of FOCAL+ training and demonstrated significant reductions in extended glances (>2-s) away from the roadway (i.e., long-glances) and a 40% reduced risk of a crash/near-crash event. Teens' improvement in limiting long-glances as assessed after each FOCAL+ training session has not been examined. METHOD: Licensed teen (ages 16-19) drivers with ADHD (n = 152) were randomly assigned to five sessions of either FOCAL+ or modified standard driver training. Teens completed driving simulation assessments at baseline, after each training session, and 1 month and 6 months posttraining. Naturalistic driving was monitored for one year. RESULTS: FOCAL+ training produced a 53% maximal reduction in long-glances during postsession simulated driving. The number of sessions needed to achieve maximum performance varied across participants. However, after five FOCAL+ training sessions, number of long-glances was comparable irrespective of when teens achieved their maximum performance. The magnitude of reduction in long-glances predicted levels of long-glances during simulated driving at 1 month and 6 months posttraining but not naturalistic driving outcomes. FOCAL+ training provided the most benefit during training to teens who were younger and had less driving experience. CONCLUSION: FOCAL+ training significantly reduces long-glances beginning at the 1st training session. APPLICATION: Providing five FOCAL+ training sessions early on during teen driving may maximize benefit.

Trial of Training to Reduce Driver Inattention in Teens with ADHD.

BACKGROUND: Teens with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk for motor vehicle collisions. A computerized skills-training program to reduce long glances away from the roadway, a contributor to collision risk, may ameliorate driving risks among teens with ADHD. METHODS: We evaluated a computerized skills-training program designed to reduce long glances (lasting ≥2 seconds) away from the roadway in drivers 16 to 19 years of age with ADHD. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to undergo either enhanced Focused Concentration and Attention Learning, a program that targets reduction in the number of long glances (intervention) or enhanced conventional driver's education (control). The primary outcomes were the number of long glances away from the roadway and the standard deviation of lane position, a measure of lateral movements away from the center of the lane, during two 15-minute simulated drives at baseline and at 1 month and 6 months after training. Secondary outcomes were the rates of long glances and collisions or near-collisions involving abrupt changes in vehicle momentum (g-force event), as assessed with in-vehicle recordings over the 1-year period after training. RESULTS: During simulated driving after training, participants in the intervention group had a mean of 16.5 long glances per drive at 1 month and 15.7 long glances per drive at 6 months, as compared with 28.0 and 27.0 long glances, respectively, in the control group (incidence rate ratio at 1 month, 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.52 to 0.76; P<0.001; incidence rate ratio at 6 months, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.52 to 0.76; P<0.001). The standard deviation of lane position (in feet) was 0.98 SD at 1 month and 0.98 SD at 6 months in the intervention group, as compared with 1.20 SD and 1.20 SD, respectively, in the control group (difference at 1 month, -0.21 SD; 95% CI, -0.29 to -0.13; difference at 6 months, -0.22 SD; 95% CI, -0.31 to -0.13; P<0.001 for interaction for both comparisons). During real-world driving over the year after training, the rate of long glances per g-force event was 18.3% in the intervention group and 23.9% in the control group (relative risk, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.61 to 0.92); the rate of collision or near-collision per g-force event was 3.4% and 5.6%, respectively (relative risk, 0.60, 95% CI, 0.41 to 0.89). CONCLUSIONS: In teens with ADHD, a specially designed computerized simulated-driving program with feedback to reduce long glances away from the roadway reduced the frequency of long glances and lessened variation in lane position as compared with a control program. During real-world driving in the year after training, the rate of collisions and near-collisions was lower in the intervention group. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02848092.).

Developing a Profile of Procedural Expertise: A Simulation Study of Tracheal Intubation Using 3-Dimensional Motion Capture.

BACKGROUND: Improving the assessment and training of tracheal intubation is hindered by the lack of a sufficiently validated profile of expertise. Although several studies have examined biomechanics of tracheal intubation, there are significant gaps in the literature. We used 3-dimensional motion capture to study pediatric providers performing simulated tracheal intubation to identify candidate kinematic variables for inclusion in an expert movement profile. METHODS: Pediatric anesthesiologists (experienced) and pediatric residents (novices) were recruited from a pediatric institution to perform tracheal intubation on airway mannequins in a motion capture laboratory. Subjects performed 21 trials of tracheal intubation, 3 each of 7 combinations of laryngoscopic visualization (direct or indirect), blade type (straight or curved), and mannequin size (adult or pediatric). We used repeated measures analysis of variance to determine whether various kinematic variables (3-trial average for each participant) were associated with experience. RESULTS: Eleven experienced and 15 novice providers performed 567 successful tracheal intubation attempts (9 attempts unsuccessful). For laryngoscopy, experienced providers exhibited shorter path length (total distance traveled by laryngoscope handle; 77.6 ± 26.0 cm versus 113.9 ± 53.7 cm; P = 0.013) and greater angular variability at the left wrist (7.4 degrees versus 5.5 degrees, P = 0.013) and the left elbow (10.1 degrees versus 7.6 degrees, P = 0.03). For intubation, experienced providers exhibited shorter path length of the right hand (mean = 61.1 cm versus 99.9 cm, P < 0.001), lower maximum acceleration of the right hand (0.19 versus 0.14 m/s, P = 0.033), and smaller angular, variability at the right elbow (9.7 degrees versus 7.9 degrees, P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Our study and the available literature suggest specific kinematic variables for inclusion in an expert profile for tracheal intubation. Future studies should include a larger sample of practitioners, actual patients, and measures of the cognitive and affective components of expertise.

Real-time biofeedback integrated into neuromuscular training reduces high-risk knee biomechanics and increases functional brain connectivity: A preliminary longitudinal investigation.

Prospective evidence indicates that functional biomechanics and brain connectivity may predispose an athlete to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, revealing novel neural linkages for targeted neuromuscular training interventions. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a real-time biofeedback system for altering knee biomechanics and brain functional connectivity. Seventeen healthy, young, physically active female athletes completed 6 weeks of augmented neuromuscular training (aNMT) utilizing real-time, interactive visual biofeedback and 13 served as untrained controls. A drop vertical jump and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging were separately completed at pre- and posttest time points to assess sensorimotor adaptation. The aNMT group had a significant reduction in peak knee abduction moment (pKAM) compared to controls (p = .03, d = 0.71). The aNMT group also exhibited a significant increase in functional connectivity between the right supplementary motor area and the left thalamus (p = .0473 after false discovery rate correction). Greater percent change in pKAM was also related to increased connectivity between the right cerebellum and right thalamus for the aNMT group (p = .0292 after false discovery rate correction, r2  = .62). No significant changes were observed for the controls (ps > .05). Our data provide preliminary evidence of potential neural mechanisms for aNMT-induced motor adaptations that reduce injury risk. Future research is warranted to understand the role of neuromuscular training alone and how each component of aNMT influences biomechanics and functional connectivity.

Fractal gait patterns are retained after entrainment to a fractal stimulus.

Previous work has shown that fractal patterns in gait can be altered by entraining to a fractal stimulus. However, little is understood about how long those patterns are retained or which factors may influence stronger entrainment or retention. In experiment one, participants walked on a treadmill for 45 continuous minutes, which was separated into three phases. The first 15 minutes (pre-synchronization phase) consisted of walking without a fractal stimulus, the second 15 minutes consisted of walking while entraining to a fractal visual stimulus (synchronization phase), and the last 15 minutes (post-synchronization phase) consisted of walking without the stimulus to determine if the patterns adopted from the stimulus were retained. Fractal gait patterns were strengthened during the synchronization phase and were retained in the post-synchronization phase. In experiment two, similar methods were used to compare a continuous fractal stimulus to a discrete fractal stimulus to determine which stimulus type led to more persistent fractal gait patterns in the synchronization and post-synchronization (i.e., retention) phases. Both stimulus types led to equally persistent patterns in the synchronization phase, but only the discrete fractal stimulus led to retention of the patterns. The results add to the growing body of literature showing that fractal gait patterns can be manipulated in a predictable manner. Further, our results add to the literature by showing that the newly adopted gait patterns are retained for up to 15 minutes after entrainment and showed that a discrete visual stimulus is a better method to influence retention.