Effects of grating stimulation on vision in individuals with amblyopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of Cambridge Stimulator with grating element stimulation on visual acuity (VA), grating acuity (GA), and contrast sensitivity (CS) in patients with amblyopia. METHODS: Three electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library) were searched for studies published from January 1970 to November 2022. The searched studies were reviewed and extracted independently by two authors. The included studies were evaluated by the Cochrane risk of bias. A meta-analysis calculating Hedges' g effect-size metric with 95% confidence intervals using random-effects DerSimonian-Laird model was employed. Heterogeneity was estimated using I2 statistics. Outcomes of interest included VA, GA, and CS. RESULTS: A total of 1221 studies were identified. Twenty-four studies including 900 subjects met the inclusion criteria. The outcome measure of all visual indexes (VA: Hedges' g of - 0.43, 95% CI = - 0.81 to - 0.05, I2 = 86%, p = 0.02; GA: Hedges' g of 3.79, 95% CI = 1.05 to 6.54, I2 = 98%, p = 0.01; CS: Hedges' g of 0.64, 95% CI = 0.19 to 1.09, I2 = 41%, p = 0.00) significantly favored in the grating group. CONCLUSIONS: Grating stimulation may be a positive help for visual functions in patients with amblyopia. The effects of grating stimulation on VA and CS appear to be opposite. This study is registered with www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/ (CRD42022366259).

Development and feasibility of a virtual reality-based exergaming program to enhance cardiopulmonary fitness in children with developmental coordination disorder.

Introduction: Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by motor skill deficits. Such deficits often limit children's participation in physical activities, further affecting their overall health, including through reduced cardiopulmonary fitness. Because virtual reality (VR) devices offer interactive games and activities that require various movements and coordination, they can serve as motivating and enjoyable means for children to perform physical exercise. In this study, we developed a VR-based exergaming system and tested its ability to enhance the cardiopulmonary fitness of children with DCD. Materials and methods: A total of 13 children with DCD and 10 young adults were recruited in phase I to examine the test-retest reliability and concurrent validity of our system (including a custom-made heart rate monitor) with a commercial heart rate device. In phase II, we included an additional 13 children with DCD to test the feasibility of the system. We tested the outcomes using the enjoyment rating scale, intrinsic motivation inventory (IMI), and 20-m shuttle run test (20mSRT). Results: In phase I, test-retest reliability was good to excellent in the static task and moderate to good in the dynamic task. Concurrent validity was excellent in both tasks. In phase II, more than half of the children (18 out of 26) assigned the maximum rating for their enjoyment of the game; they also had high average scores on the IMI. Furthermore, after the 8-week training using the VR program, the average running distance of the 26 children in the 20mSRT had increased significantly from 129.23 m to 176.92 m (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our VR-based exergaming program can serve as an alternative intervention for enhancing cardiopulmonary fitness in children with DCD.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Effects of Neurofeedback Training of Theta Activity on Working Memory and Episodic Memory in Healthy Population.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of neurofeedback training (NFT) of theta activity on working memory (WM) and episodic memory (EM) in healthy participants via a systematic review and meta-analysis. A total of 337 articles obtained from electronic databases were assessed; however, only 11 articles met the criteria for meta-analysis after manually screening and eliminating unnecessary studies. A meta-analysis calculating the Hedges' g effect size metric with 95% confidence intervals using random effects models was employed. Heterogeneity was estimated using I2 statistics. Theta NFT is effective in improving memory outcomes, including WM with a Hedges' g of 0.56 [0.10; 1.02] (I2 = 62.9% and p = 0.02), and EM with a Hedges' g of 0.62 [0.13; 1.10] (I2 = 42.04% and p = 0.01). Overall, the results suggest that theta NFT seems to be useful as nonpharmacological/adjunct training to improve WM and EM in healthy participants.

Effects of ankle continuous passive motion on soleus hypertonia in individuals with cerebral palsy: A case series.

BACKGROUND: Continuous passive motion device (CPM) provides repetitive movement over extended periods of time for those who have low functional ability. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effects of a four-week program of continuous passive motion of the ankle joint on the changes in soleus hypertonia in individuals with cerebral palsy who suffered from life-long hypertonia. METHODS: A single group, repeated-measures study was conducted. Eight individuals (7 males and 1 female with a mean age of 21.8 ± 8.5 years) with spastic cerebral palsy underwent bilateral ankle CPM for 1 h a day, 5 days a week, for 4 weeks. The outcome measures included the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) score, passive range of motion (PROM) of the ankle, the ratio of maximum H reflex to maximum soleus M-response (H/M ratio), and post-activation depression (PAD). All outcomes were measured before and after the intervention. A paired t-test was used to examine treatment effects pre-versus post-intervention. RESULTS: Paired t-tests showed that the CPM program significantly decreased the MAS score (p = 0.006), decreased the maximum H/M ratio (p=0.001), improved PAD (p = 0.003, p = 0.040, and p = 0.032 at 0.2 Hz, 1 Hz, and 2 Hz, respectively), and increased the passive ankle range of motion (p = 0.049). CONCLUSION: Ankle CPM not only reduced soleus hypertonia but also improved the PROM in individuals with cerebral palsy. The results of this study show ankle CPM to be an effective intervention for individuals with cerebral palsy.