A systematic review of adults` sitting balance assessments in neurological and neuromuscular condition.

OBJECTIVE: To find out new assessment tools for sitting, in patients with neurological and neuromuscular conditions, to be recommended for rehabilitation practice locally in Saudi Arabia and internationally. METHODS: Four databases were used: PubMed, Web of Science, Ovid Medline, and Cochrane. Inclusion criteria were articles published between the years 2009-2019; sitting, not standing or walking; assessment not intervention; published in English and studies on adults only. Exclusion criteria were any assessment that measures the standing/walking ability or has items for that, and studies that include pediatric or adolescent or both. RESULTS: Ten articles met our criteria including 464 patients and divided into 3 main neurological conditions (stroke, SCI, and MS). One assessment (Function in Sitting Test) showed promising potential being implemented with both stroke and multiple sclerosis, Cronbach`s alpha, alpha were 0.91 and 0.98 indicating high internal consistency. It was used with SCI patients, however, no access was available to include this study in this review. CONCLUSION: This review indicates an extension of what was carried out by previous systematic reviews with neurological conditions. It seems that Function in Sitting Test is the most frequent assessment in this review with multiple neurological conditions (stroke, MS and SCI) with high internal consistency and high quality studies according to available data. However, this review showed that there is an absence of evidence for individuals with brain injury and muscular dystrophy. Further work needs to be carried out to address such groups of patients to extend the choices that clinicians can use in rehabilitation sittings.

A systematic review of cognitive function and psychosocial well-being in school-age children with narcolepsy.

In August 2010, concerns were raised about an increase in the incidence rate of narcolepsy diagnosis in children and adolescents. Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological sleep disorder characterised by excessive daytime sleepiness and attacks of muscle weakness which are often precipitated by strong emotions, known as cataplexy. We systematically examined and updated the scientific literature on the consequences of narcolepsy on cognitive function and psychosocial well-being in school-age children. Eight studies published between 2005 and 2015 were eligible for inclusion in this review. Collectively the results provide evidence to suggest that children who develop narcolepsy are at significant risk of cognitive impairment in at least one domain and emotional problems including depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. Children with narcolepsy should be monitored carefully in order to manage and reduce the impact of any impairments present. The existing literature is limited by small sample sizes, lack of appropriate controls and lack of longitudinal data. Future research should aim to address the limitations of the current work and aim to determine the underlying cause of cognitive and psychological impairments. This will enable the design of effective interventions to support children with narcolepsy so that they are able to achieve their full potential.