A semi-naturalistic open-label study examining the effect of prescribed medical cannabis use on simulated driving performance.

BACKGROUND: Despite increasing medical cannabis use, research has yet to establish whether and to what extent products containing delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) impact driving performance among patients. Stable doses of prescribed cannabinoid products during long-term treatment may alleviate clinical symptoms affecting cognitive and psychomotor performance. AIM: To examine the effects of open-label prescribed medical cannabis use on simulated driving performance among patients. METHODS: In a semi-naturalistic laboratory study, 40 adults (55% male) aged between 23 and 80 years, consumed their own prescribed medical cannabis product. Driving performance outcomes including standard deviation of lateral position (SDLP), the standard deviation of speed (SDS), mean speed and steering variability were evaluated using the Forum8 driving simulator at baseline (pre-dosing), 2.5 h and 5 -h (post-dosing). Perceived driving effort (PDE) was self-reported after each drive. Oral fluid and whole blood samples were collected at multiple timepoints and analysed for THC via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. RESULTS: A significant main effect of time was observed for mean speed (p = 0.014) and PDE (p = 0.020), with patients displaying modest stabilisation of vehicle control, increased adherence to speed limits and reductions in PDE post-dosing, relative to baseline. SDLP (p = 0.015) and PDE (p = 0.043) were elevated for those who consumed oil relative to flower-based products. Detectable THC concentrations were observed in oral fluid at 6-h post-dosing (range = 0-24 ng/mL). CONCLUSIONS: This semi-naturalistic study suggests that the consumption of medical cannabis containing THC (1.13-39.18 mg/dose) has a negligible impact on driving performance when used as prescribed.

ASSESSMENT OF SIMULATED SURGICAL DEXTERITY AFTER MODIFIABLE EXTERNAL EXPOSURES AMONG NOVICE VERSUS EXPERIENCED VITREORETINAL SURGEONS.

PURPOSE: To evaluate novice and senior vitreoretinal surgeons after various exposures. Multiple comparisons ranked the importance of these exposures for surgical dexterity based on experience. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 15 novice and 11 senior vitreoretinal surgeons (<2 and >10 years' practice, respectively). Eyesi-simulator tasks were performed after each exposure. Day 1, placebo, 2.5 mg/kg caffeine, and 5.0 mg/kg caffeine; day 2, placebo, 0.2 mg/kg propranolol, and 0.6 mg/kg propranolol; day 3, baseline simulation, breathalyzer readings of 0.06% to 0.10% and 0.11% to 0.15% blood alcohol concentrations; day 4, baseline simulation, push-up sets with 50% and 85% repetitions maximum; and day 5, 3-hour sleep deprivation. Eyesi-generated score (0-700, worst-best), out-of-tolerance tremor (0-100, best-worst), task completion time (minutes), and intraocular pathway (in millimeters) were measured. RESULTS: Novice surgeons performed worse after caffeine (-29.53, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -57.80 to -1.27, P = 0.041) and alcohol (-51.33, 95% CI: -80.49 to -22.16, P = 0.001) consumption. Alcohol caused longer intraocular instrument movement pathways (212.84 mm, 95% CI: 34.03-391.65 mm, P = 0.02) and greater tremor (7.72, 95% CI: 0.74-14.70, P = 0.003) among novices. Sleep deprivation negatively affected novice performance time (2.57 minutes, 95% CI: 1.09-4.05 minutes, P = 0.001) and tremor (8.62, 95% CI: 0.80-16.45, P = 0.03); however, their speed increased after propranolol (-1.43 minutes, 95% CI: -2.71 to -0.15 minutes, P = 0.029). Senior surgeons' scores deteriorated only following alcohol consumption (-47.36, 95% CI: -80.37 to -14.36, P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Alcohol compromised all participants despite their expertise level. Experience negated the effects of caffeine, propranolol, exercise, and sleep deprivation on surgical skills.

Reproducible stability of verbal and spatial functions along the menstrual cycle.

Recent studies have reported brain changes in response to ovarian hormonal fluctuations along the menstrual cycle. However, it remains unclear, whether these brain changes are of an adaptive nature or whether they are linked to changes in behavior along the menstrual cycle, particularly with respect to cognitive performance. To address this knowledge gap, we report results from 3 well-powered behavioral studies with different task designs, leveraging the advantages of each design type. In all three studies we assessed whether verbal or spatial performance (i) differed between cycle phases, (ii) were related to estradiol and / or progesterone levels and (iii) were moderated by individual hormone sensitivity as estimated by premenstrual symptoms. Overall, results of all three studies point towards a null effect of menstrual cycle phase and - to a lesser extent - ovarian hormones on verbal and spatial performance and provided no evidence for a moderation of this effect by individual hormone sensitivity. We conclude that there is substantial consistency in verbal and spatial performance across the menstrual cycle, and that future studies of intra-individual variation are needed.

Utility of the psychomotor vigilance task in screening for obstructive sleep apnoea.

PURPOSE: The study aimed to assess the performance of the PVT in patients with suspected OSA, evaluate its role in population screening for OSA. METHODS: The NoSAS, STOP-Bang, ESS scores and PVT tests were performed after suspected OSA patients' admission, followed by PSG. Then we compared the PVT results, calculated the sensitivity, specificity and ROC curve of PVT, and analyzed the accuracy of STOP-Bang and NoSAS questionnaire combined with PVT in predicting OSA. RESULTS: A total of 308 patients were divided into four groups based on AHI: primary snoring (2.74 ± 1.4 events/h, n = 37); mild OSA (9.96 ± 3.25 events/h, n = 65); moderate OSA (22.41 ± 4.48 events/h, n = 76); and, severe OSA (59.42 ± 18.37 events/h, n = 130). There were significant differences in PVT lapses (p < 0.001) and reaction time (RT, p = 0.03) among the four groups. The PVT lapses and RT were positively correlated with AHI (p < 0.001) and ODI (p < 0.001), and negatively correlated with LSpO2 (p < 0.001). When diagnosing OSA (AHI ≥ 5 events/h), the AUCs of PVT, ESS, STOP-Bang, and NoSAS were 0.679, 0.579, 0.727, and 0.653, respectively; the AUCs of STOP-Bang and NoSAS combined with PVT increased. After combined PVT, the diagnostic specificity of STOP-Bang and NoSAS at nodes with AHI ≥ 5, ≥ 15 and ≥ 30 events/h increased to varying degrees. CONCLUSION: Patients with OSA exhibited impairment in the PVT, and the combination of the PVT and STOP-Bang or NoSAS scores can improve the diagnostic efficacy and specificity for OSA.

A bridge to recovery: Acute amantadine prior to environmental enrichment after brain trauma augments cognitive benefit.

Environmental enrichment (EE) facilitates motor and cognitive recovery after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Historically, EE has been provided immediately and continuously after TBI, but this paradigm does not model the clinic where rehabilitation is typically not initiated until after critical care. Yet, treating TBI early may facilitate recovery. Hence, we sought to provide amantadine (AMT) as a bridge therapy before commencing EE. It was hypothesized that bridging EE with AMT would augment motor and cognitive benefits. Anesthetized adult male rats received a cortical impact (2.8 mm deformation at 4 m/s) or sham surgery and then were housed in standard (STD) conditions where they received intraperitoneal AMT (10 mg/kg or 20 mg/kg) or saline vehicle (VEH; 1 mL/kg) beginning 24 h after surgery and once daily during the 6-day bridge phase or once daily for 19 days for the non-bridge groups (i.e., continuously STD-housed) to compare the effects of acute AMT plus EE vs. chronic AMT alone. Abbreviated EE, which was presented to closer emulate clinical rehabilitation (e.g., 6 h/day), began on day 7 for the AMT bridge and chronic EE groups. Motor (beam-walking) and cognition (acquisition of spatial learning and memory) were assessed on days 7-11 and 14-19, respectively. Cortical lesion volume and hippocampal cell survival were quantified on day 21. EE, whether provided in combination with VEH or AMT, and AMT (20 mg/kg) + STD, benefitted motor and cognition vs. the STD-housed VEH and AMT (10 mg/kg) groups (p < 0.05). The AMT (20 mg/kg) + EE group performed better than the VEH + EE, AMT (10 mg/kg) + EE, and AMT (20 mg/kg) + STD groups in the acquisition of spatial learning (p < 0.05) but did not differ in motor function (p > 0.05). All groups receiving EE exhibited decreased cortical lesion volumes and increased CA3 neuron survival relative to the STD-housed groups (p < 0.05) but did not differ from one another (p > 0.05). The added cognitive benefit achieved by bridging EE with AMT (20 mg/kg) supports the hypothesis that the temporal separation of combinational therapies is more effective after TBI.

The parietal architecture binding cognition to sensorimotor integration: a multimodal causal study.

Despite human's praxis abilities are unique among primates, comparative observations suggest that these cognitive motor skills could have emerged from exploitation and adaptation of phylogenetically older building blocks, namely the parieto-frontal networks subserving prehension and manipulation. Within this framework, investigating to which extent praxis and prehension-manipulation overlap and diverge within parieto-frontal circuits could help in understanding how human cognition shapes hand actions. This issue has never been investigated by combining lesion mapping and direct electrophysiological approaches in neurosurgical patients. To this purpose, 79 right-handed left-brain tumour patient candidates for awake neurosurgery were selected based on inclusion criteria. First, a lesion mapping was performed in the early postoperative phase to localize the regions associated with an impairment in praxis (imitation of meaningless and meaningful intransitive gestures) and visuo-guided prehension (reaching-to-grasping) abilities. Then, lesion results were anatomically matched with intraoperatively identified cortical and white matter regions, whose direct electrical stimulation impaired the Hand Manipulation Task. The lesion mapping analysis showed that prehension and praxis impairments occurring in the early postoperative phase were associated with specific parietal sectors. Dorso-mesial parietal resections, including the superior parietal lobe and precuneus, affected prehension performance, while resections involving rostral intraparietal and inferior parietal areas affected praxis abilities (covariate clusters, 5000 permutations, cluster-level family-wise error correction P < 0.05). The dorsal bank of the rostral intraparietal sulcus was associated with both prehension and praxis (overlap of non-covariate clusters). Within praxis results, while resection involving inferior parietal areas affected mainly the imitation of meaningful gestures, resection involving intraparietal areas affected both meaningless and meaningful gesture imitation. In parallel, the intraoperative electrical stimulation of the rostral intraparietal and the adjacent inferior parietal lobe with their surrounding white matter during the hand manipulation task evoked different motor impairments, i.e. the arrest and clumsy patterns, respectively. When integrating lesion mapping and intraoperative stimulation results, it emerges that imitation of praxis gestures first depends on the integrity of parietal areas within the dorso-ventral stream. Among these areas, the rostral intraparietal and the inferior parietal area play distinct roles in praxis and sensorimotor process controlling manipulation. Due to its visuo-motor 'attitude', the rostral intraparietal sulcus, putative human homologue of monkey anterior intraparietal, might enable the visuo-motor conversion of the observed gesture (direct pathway). Moreover, its functional interaction with the adjacent, phylogenetic more recent, inferior parietal areas might contribute to integrate the semantic-conceptual knowledge (indirect pathway) within the sensorimotor workflow, contributing to the cognitive upgrade of hand actions.

Increased Flow Limitation During Sleep Is Associated With Increased Psychomotor Vigilance Task Lapses in Individuals With Suspected OSA.

BACKGROUND: Impaired daytime vigilance is an important consequence of OSA, but several studies have reported no association between objective measurements of vigilance and the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). Notably, the AHI does not quantify the degree of flow limitation, that is, the extent to which ventilation fails to meet intended ventilation (ventilatory drive). RESEARCH QUESTION: Is flow limitation during sleep associated with daytime vigilance in OSA? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Nine hundred ninety-eight participants with suspected OSA completed a 10-min psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) before same-night in-laboratory polysomnography. Flow limitation frequency (percent of flow-limited breaths) during sleep was quantified using airflow shapes (eg, fluttering and scooping) from nasal pressure airflow. Multivariable regression assessed the association between flow limitation frequency and the number of lapses (response times > 500 ms, primary outcome), adjusting for age, sex, BMI, total sleep time, depression, and smoking status. RESULTS: Increased flow limitation frequency was associated with decreased vigilance: a 1-SD (35.3%) increase was associated with 2.1 additional PVT lapses (95% CI, 0.7-3.7; P = .003). This magnitude was similar to that for age, where a 1-SD increase (13.5 years) was associated with 1.9 additional lapses. Results were similar after adjusting for AHI, hypoxemia severity, and arousal severity. The AHI was not associated with PVT lapses (P = .20). In secondary exploratory analysis, flow limitation frequency was associated with mean response speed (P = .012), median response time (P = .029), fastest 10% response time (P = .041), slowest 10% response time (P = .018), and slowest 10% response speed (P = .005). INTERPRETATION: Increased flow limitation during sleep was associated with decreased daytime vigilance in individuals with suspected OSA, independent of the AHI. Flow limitation may complement standard clinical metrics in identifying individuals whose vigilance impairment most likely is explained by OSA.

Theoretical limits on the speed of learning inverse models explain the rate of adaptation in arm reaching tasks.

An essential aspect of human motor learning is the formation of inverse models, which map desired actions to motor commands. Inverse models can be learned by adjusting parameters in neural circuits to minimize errors in the performance of motor tasks through gradient descent. However, the theory of gradient descent establishes limits on the learning speed. Specifically, the eigenvalues of the Hessian of the error surface around a minimum determine the maximum speed of learning in a task. Here, we use this theoretical framework to analyze the speed of learning in different inverse model learning architectures in a set of isometric arm-reaching tasks. We show theoretically that, in these tasks, the error surface and, thus the speed of learning, are determined by the shapes of the force manipulability ellipsoid of the arm and the distribution of targets in the task. In particular, rounder manipulability ellipsoids generate a rounder error surface, allowing for faster learning of the inverse model. Rounder target distributions have a similar effect. We tested these predictions experimentally in a quasi-isometric reaching task with a visuomotor transformation. The experimental results were consistent with our theoretical predictions. Furthermore, our analysis accounts for the speed of learning in previous experiments with incompatible and compatible virtual surgery tasks, and with visuomotor rotation tasks with different numbers of targets. By identifying aspects of a task that influence the speed of learning, our results provide theoretical principles for the design of motor tasks that allow for faster learning.

The utility and reliability of the PreViAs questionnaire forthe assessment of vision in Turkish neonates and infants. / Utilidad y confiabilidad del cuestionario PreViAs para la evaluación de la visión en neonatos y lactantes turcos.

Introduction: Evaluating the visual functions of children with an easy-to-use and evidence-based method during the preverbal period will enable early diagnosis and intervention of visual impairments. The aim of this study is to determine the utility and reliability of the Turkish version of the Preverbal Visual Assessment (PreViAs) questionnaire, which was developed to evaluate the visual functioning of preverbal infants. Population and Methods: The PreViAs questionnaire was administered to primary caregivers of term infants under 24 months of age, and their responses were recorded. Results: Data from the 278 participating infants were analyzed to assess the internal consistency of the PreViAs questionnaire. Results showed a high level of consistency with Cronbach's alpha value of 0.958 for the total score, suggesting strong internal coherence. In addition, the Cronbach's alpha values for each domain were 0.890, 0.913, 0.951, and 0.922 for visual attention, visual communication, visual processing, and visual-motor coordination, respectively, indicating good internal consistency for each subdomain. Conclusion: The Turkish version of the PreViAs questionnaire is useful and reliable for assessing functional vision during the preverbal period.

Introducción. La evaluación de la visión en los niños durante el periodo preverbal, con un método fácil de usar y basado en la evidencia, permitiría el diagnóstico temprano y la intervención en los trastornos visuales. El objetivo del estudio fue determinar la utilidad y confiabilidad de la versión en idioma turco del cuestionario Preverbal Visual Assessment (PreViAs), desarrollado para evaluar la visión en niños preverbales. Población y métodos. El cuestionario PreViAs se administró a los cuidadores primarios de niños nacidos de término, antes de los 24 meses de edad. Se registraron sus respuestas. Resultados. Se analizaron los datos de 278 participantes para evaluar la consistencia interna del cuestionario PreViAs. Se encontró un alto nivel de consistencia con un alfa de Cronbach de 0,958 para el puntaje total, lo que sugiere una fuerte coherencia interna. Los valores del alfa de Cronbach para cada dominio fueron: 0,890 ­ 0,913 ­ 0,951 y 0,922 para la atención visual, la comunicación visual, el procesamiento visual y la coordinación visomotora respectivamente; esto indica una buena consistencia interna para cada subdominio. Conclusión. La versión en idioma turco del cuestionario PreViAs es útil y confiable para evaluar la visión durante el periodo preverbal.

Evaluation of different feedback designs for target guidance in human controlled robotic cranes: A comparison between high and low performance groups.

Labour shortages and costly operator training are driving the need for digital on-board robotic crane operator support in forestry and construction. This simulator study investigated the effects of sonification (auditory, pitch/loudness) and continuous visual (brightness/size) feedback on aiming movements with a robotic crane for low and high performers. The feedback was designed non-linear and linear. Thirty-six participants controlled a robotic crane bimanually using joysticks across 320 movements. Performance and skill indicators (movement time, accuracy, trajectory, smoothness) as well as satisfaction, and usefulness were assessed. Low-performing participants showed higher movement accuracy, particularly with non-linear pitch feedback compared to visual feedback. High performers exhibited no significant performance improvement in movement time, accuracy, or smoothness. There was no effect of linear or non-linear mapping of the feedback. Additionally, perceived satisfaction was lower with auditory than visual feedback. These results suggest that real-time auditory feedback can enhance operator accuracy whereas acceptance remains challenging.

Can inhaled cannabis users accurately evaluate impaired driving ability? A randomized controlled trial.

Aims: To study the effect of inhaled cannabis on self-assessed predicted driving ability and its relation to reaction times and driving ability on a driving simulator. Participants and methods: 30 healthy male volunteers aged 18-34: 15 chronic (1-2 joints /day) and 15 occasional (1-2 joints/week) consumers. Self-assessed driving confidence (visual analog scale), vigilance (Karolinska), reaction time (mean reciprocal reaction time mRRT, psychomotor vigilance test), driving ability (standard deviation of lane position SDLP on a York driving simulator) and blood concentrations of delta-9-tétrahydrocannabinol (THC) were measured before and repeatedly after controlled inhalation of placebo, 10 mg or 30 mg of THC mixed with tobacco in a cigarette. Results: Cannabis consumption (at 10 and 30 mg) led to a marked decrease in driving confidence over the first 2 h which remained below baseline at 8 h. Driving confidence was related to THC dose and to THC concentrations in the effective compartment with a low concentration of 0.11 ng/ml for the EC50 and a rapid onset of action (T1/2 37 min). Driving ability and reaction times were reduced by cannabis consumption. Driving confidence was shown to be related to driving ability and reaction times in both chronic and occasional consumers. Conclusions: Cannabis consumption leads to a rapid reduction in driving confidence which is related to reduced ability on a driving simulator. Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT02061020.

Analysis of Differences in Single-Joint Movement of Dominant and Non-Dominant Hands for Human-like Robotic Control.

Although several previous studies on laterality of upper limb motor control have reported functional differences, this conclusion has not been agreed upon. It may be conjectured that the inconsistent results were caused because upper limb motor control was observed in multi-joint tasks that could generate different inter-joint motor coordination for each arm. Resolving this, we employed a single wrist joint tracking task to reduce the effect of multi-joint dynamics and examined the differences between the dominant and non-dominant hands in terms of motor control. Specifically, we defined two sections to induce feedback (FB) and feedforward (FF) controls: the first section involved a visible target for FB control, and the other section involved an invisible target for FF control. We examined the differences in the position errors of the tracer and the target. Fourteen healthy participants performed the task. As a result, we found that during FB control, the dominant hand performed better than the non-dominant hand, while we did not observe significant differences in FF control. In other words, in a single-joint movement that is not under the influence of the multi-joint coordination, only FB control showed laterality and not FF control. Furthermore, we confirmed that the dominant hand outperformed the non-dominant hand in terms of responding to situations that required a change in control strategy.

Anemia y el desarrollo de la psicomotricidad en la primera infancia / Anemia and the development of psychomotor skills in early childhood / Anemia e desenvolvimento psicomotor na primeira infância

Los bajos niveles de hemoglobina se definen como una concentración baja de hemoglobina en la sangre. La activad metabólica cerebral está vinculada con el desarrollo psicomotor. El desarrollo psicomotor durante la infancia se desarrolla a partir de los reflejos innatos, se organizan en esquemas de conducta, se internalizan durante el segundo año de vida como modelos de pensamiento. En Perú, se contabilizan el 50.99% de los niños con bajos niveles de concentración de hemoglobina en menores de 3 años. Objetivo. Identificar la relación entre la anemia y el desarrollo de la psicomotricidad en la primera infancia. Materiales y Métodos. Para evaluar los niveles de hemoglobina se empleó el método de la azidametahemoglobina, con un hemoglobinómetro, y para evaluar el desarrollo psicomotor se empleó la escala del desarrollo psicomotor. En el estudio participaron 32 niños de 6 a 24 meses de edad. Resultados. El 40,6% presenta niveles de hemoglobina entre 14,2 - 17.2 g/dl, el 31,3% presenta niveles de hemoglobina entre 13.2 -14.1 g/dl seguido del 25,0% que presenta niveles de hemoglobina entre 10,2 -13.1 g/dl y el 3.1% presenta niveles de hemoglobina <10.2 g/dl; respecto al desarrollo psicomotor expresados en coeficiente de desarrollo se evidencia que el 59.4% de niños muestran un desarrollo normal seguido del 31.3% de niños que presenta un desarrollo en riesgo y 9.4% en retraso. Conclusiones. El coeficiente de desarrollo del niño(a) se encontró que la mayoría tiene un desarrollo psicomotor normal seguido de riesgo y de retraso, a pesar que mayoría tiene un coeficiente de desarrollo normal

Low hemoglobin levels are defined as a low hemoglobin concentration in the blood. Brain metabolic activity is linked to psychomotor development. Psychomotor development during infancy develops from innate reflexes, which are organized in behavioral schemes and internalized during the second year of life as thought models. In Peru, 50.99% of children under 3 years of age have low hemoglobin concentration levels. Objective. To identify the relationship between anemia and psychomotor development in early childhood. Materials and Methods. To evaluate hemoglobin levels, the azidametahemoglobin method was used, with a hemoglobinmeter, and to evaluate psychomotor development the psychomotor development scale was used. Thirty-two children aged 6 to 24 months participated in the study. Results. 40.6% presented hemoglobin levels between 14.2 - 17.2 g/dl, 31.3% presented hemoglobin levels between 13.2 -14.1 g/dl followed by 25.0% presenting hemoglobin levels between 10.2 -13.1 g/dl and 3.1% presented hemoglobin levels <10. 2 g/dl; with respect to psychomotor development expressed in development coefficient, 59.4% of children show normal development followed by 31.3% of children with development at risk and 9.4% with delayed development. Conclusions. The development coefficient of the child showed that most of the children have a normal psychomotor development followed by at risk and retardation, although most of them have a normal development coefficient.

Níveis baixos de hemoglobina são definidos como uma baixa concentração de hemoglobina no sangue. A atividade metabólica do cérebro está ligada ao desenvolvimento psicomotor. O desenvolvimento psicomotor durante a infância se desenvolve a partir de reflexos inatos, que são organizados em padrões de comportamento e internalizados durante o segundo ano de vida como padrões de pensamento. No Peru, 50,99% das crianças com menos de 3 anos de idade têm baixas concentrações de hemoglobina. Objetivo. Identificar a relação entre a anemia e o desenvolvimento psicomotor na primeira infância. Materiais e métodos. Para avaliar os níveis de hemoglobina, foi usado o método da azidameta-hemoglobina, com um hemoglobinômetro portátil HemoCue® Hb 201+ e, para avaliar o desenvolvimento psicomotor, foi usada a escala de desenvolvimento psicomotor. Trinta e duas crianças com idade entre 6 e 24 meses participaram do estudo. Resultados. 40,6% tinham níveis de hemoglobina entre 14,2 - 17,2 g/dl, 31,3% tinham níveis de hemoglobina entre 13,2 -14,1 g/dl, seguidos por 25,0% com níveis de hemoglobina entre 10,2 -13,1 g/dl e 3,1% com níveis de hemoglobina <10. 2 g/dl; com relação ao desenvolvimento psicomotor expresso em coeficiente de desenvolvimento, é evidente que 59,4% das crianças apresentam um desenvolvimento normal, seguido por 31,3% de crianças que apresentam um desenvolvimento em risco e 9,4% em atraso. Conclusões. O coeficiente de desenvolvimento infantil mostrou que a maioria das crianças tem um desenvolvimento psicomotor normal, seguido por risco e atraso, embora a maioria delas tenha um coeficiente de desenvolvimento normal.

Benefits of vagus nerve stimulation on psychomotor functions in patients with severe drug-resistant epilepsy.

PURPOSE: Patients with severe drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) experience psychomotor disorders. Our study aimed to assess the psychomotor outcomes after vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in this population. METHODS: We prospectively evaluated psychomotor function in 17 adult patients with severe DRE who were referred for VNS. Psychomotor functions were examined, in the preoperative period and at 18 months post-surgery, by a psychomotor therapist using a full set of the following specific tests: the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure (ROCF) test, the Zazzo's cancelation task (ZCT), the Piaget-Head test and the paired images test. RESULTS: At 18 months post-VNS surgery, the Piaget-head scores increased by 3 points (p = 0.008) compared to baseline. Performances were also improved for ROCF test both in copy (+2.4 points, p = 0.001) and recall (+2.0 points, p = 0.008) tasks and for the paired images test (accuracy index: +28.6 %, p = 0.03). Regarding the ZCT findings, the efficiency index increased in both single (+16 %, p = 0.005) and dual (+17.1 %, p < 0.001) tasks. QoL improved in 88.2 % of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with severe DRE treated with VNS experienced improved performance in terms of global psychomotor functions. Perceptual organization, visuospatial memory, laterality awareness, sustained attention, concentration, visual scanning, and inhibition were significantly improved.

Impairments in fine motor skills in children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. A cross-sectional study.

AIM: We evaluated fine motor skills; precision, motor integration, manual dexterity, and upper-limb coordination according to sex and risk stratification in children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL). METHODS: We evaluated twenty-nine children in the maintenance phase aged 6 to 12 years with the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-second edition (BOT-2), and sex and age-specific norm values of BOT-2 were used to compare our results. RESULTS: We found lower scores on the upper-limb coordination subtest, p = 0.003 and on the manual coordination composite, p = 0.008, than normative values. Most boys performed "average" on both the subtests and the composites, but girls showed lower scores with a mean difference of 7.69 (95%CI; 2.24 to 3.14), p = 0.009. Girls' scale scores on the upper-limb coordination subtest were lower than normative values, with mean difference 5.08 (95%CI; 2.35 to 7.81), p = 0.006. The mean standard score difference in high-risk patients was lower than normative on the manual coordination composite, 8.18 (95%CI; 2.26 to 14.1), p = 0.015. High-risk children also performed below the BOT-2 normative on manual dexterity 2.82 (95%CI; 0.14 to 5.78), p = 0.035 and upper limb coordination subtest 4.10 (95%CI; 1.13 to 7.05), p = 0.028. We found a decrease in fine motor precision in children with a higher BMI, rho= -0.87, p = 0.056 and a negative correlation between older age and lower manual dexterity, r= -0.41 p = 0.026; however, we did not find any correlation with the weeks in the maintenance phase. CONCLUSIONS: Fine motor impairments are common in children with ALL in the maintenance phase; it is important to identify these impairments to early rehabilitation.

Persistent changes in motor adaptation strategies after perturbations that require exploration of novel muscle activation patterns.

Motor skill learning requires the acquisition of novel muscle patterns and a new control policy-a process that requires time. In contrast, motor adaptation often requires only the adjustment of existing muscle patterns-a fast process. By altering the mapping of muscle activations onto cursor movements in a myoelectrically controlled virtual environment, we are able to create perturbations that require either the recombination of existing muscle synergies (compatible virtual surgery) or the learning of novel muscle patterns (incompatible virtual surgery). We investigated whether adaptation to a compatible surgery is affected by prior exposure to an incompatible surgery, i.e., a motor skill learning task. We found that adaptation to a compatible surgery was characterized by a decrease in the quality of muscle pattern reconstructions using the original synergies and an increase in reaction times only after exposure to an incompatible surgery. In contrast, prior exposure to a compatible surgery did not affect the learning process required to overcome an incompatible surgery. The fact that exposure to an incompatible surgery had a profound effect on the muscle patterns during the adaptation to a subsequent compatible surgery and not vice versa suggests that null space exploration, possibly combined with an explicit exploration strategy, is engaged during exposure to an incompatible surgery and remains enhanced during a new adaptation episode. We conclude that motor skill learning, requiring novel muscle activation patterns, leads to changes in the exploration strategy employed during a subsequent perturbation.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Motor skill learning requires the acquisition of novel muscle patterns, whereas motor adaptation requires adjusting existing ones. We wondered whether training a new motor skill affects motor adaptation strategies. We show that learning an incompatible perturbation, a complex skill requiring new muscle synergies, affects the muscle patterns observed during adaption to a compatible perturbation, which requires adjusting the existing synergies. Our results suggest that motor skill learning results in persistent changes in the exploration strategy.

Percepción familiar de la vigilancia del desarrollo psicomotor en niños menores de un año / Family Perception about Surveillance of Psychomotor Development in Infants Aged less than one Year

Introducción: El desarrollo psicomotor es un proceso gradual y continuo; las familias cubanas necesitan herramientas que les permitan vigilarlo. Objetivo: Describir las percepciones que poseen las familias de la vigilancia del desarrollo psicomotor de sus hijos menores de un año. Métodos: Se realizó una investigación cualitativa, de tipo fenomenológica, en el Consultorio del Médico y la Enfermera de la Familia No. 9 del Policlínico Universitario Héroes del Moncada, La Habana, de noviembre 2019 a febrero 2022. El referente teórico fue el Modelo de Traducción del Conocimiento. Las unidades de análisis fueron ocho familias que tenían un niño menor de un año, a las que se aplicó el Método Creativo Sensible, mediante la dinámica de arte del Árbol del conocimiento. Se grabaron las sesiones, y las narrativas fueron transcritas en un cuerpo textual a las que se les realizó análisis de contenido. Resultados: Las familias expresaron que la llegada del niño significó alegría y unión familiar; así como la necesidad de contar con diferentes materiales que ayudaran para la vigilancia del desarrollo psicomotor. De las 33 pautas analizadas fue necesario traducir tres al lenguaje familiar. Conclusiones: El nacimiento de un hijo tuvo un efecto favorable. La dinámica empleada fue efectiva para el propósito de la descripción de las pautas del desarrollo psicomotor para niños cubanos por las familias estudiadas. Se evidenció la necesidad de algún tipo de herramienta para la vigilancia del desarrollo psicomotor(AU)

Introduction: Psychomotor development is a gradual and continuous process; Cuban families need tools that allow them to monitor it. Objective: To describe the families' perceptions with respect to monitoring the psychomotor development of their infants aged less than one year. Methods: A qualitative research, of phenomenological type, was carried out in the family doctor and nurse's office 9, belonging to Policlínico Universitario Heroes del Moncada, of Havana, from November 2019 to February 2022. The theoretical reference was the knowledge translation model. The units of analysis were 8 families with an infant aged less than one year and applied the creative sensitive method, using the art dynamics of the tree of knowledge. The sessions were recorded, and the narratives were transcribed into a textual body later subjected to content analysis. Results: The families expressed that the arrival of the child meant joy and family unity, as well as the need to have different materials that help monitor the child's psychomotor development. Of the 33 guidelines analyzed, it was necessary to translate three into a family language. Conclusions: The birth of a child had a favorable effect. The used dynamics was effective for the purpose that the studied families describe psychomotor development guidelines for their Cuban children. The need for some kind of tool for monitoring of psychomotor development was evidenced(AU)

Nivel de coordinación motriz de niños y niñas participantes del programa escuelas deportivas integrales del ministerio del deporte de Chile / Level of motor coordination in children participating in the integral sports schools program of chile's sports ministry

Hurtado Almonacid, J.G., Páez Herrera, J., Abusleme Allimant, R. Olate Gómez, F., Follegati Shore, S., Briones Oyanedel, V. y Mallea Díaz, V. (2023). Nivel de coordinación motriz de niños y niñas participantes del programa escuelas deportivas integrales del ministerio del deporte de Chile. PENSAR EN MOVIMIENTO: Revista de Ciencias del Ejercicio y la Salud, 21(1), 1-16. Durante los últimos años se ha identificado que una baja coordinación motriz general incide en una baja participación en instancias de juego libre, actividades deportivas organizadas y libres. A su vez, un mejor dominio motriz se relaciona con un bajo nivel de sedentarismo. Por lo tanto, el objetivo de este artículo fue comparar el nivel de coordinación motriz general de niños y niñas participantes del componente de Iniciación Deportiva del programa ''Escuelas Deportivas Integrales'' (EDI) del Ministerio del Deporte Chile (''Crecer en Movimiento'' desde 2019), según región de procedencia. En relación con la muestra, se evaluaron 341 niños y niñas de ocho regiones del país (Antofagasta, Coquimbo, Valparaíso, O'Higgins, Metropolitana, Bío-Bío, Araucanía y Los Lagos) cuyas edades fluctuaron entre los 6 y 11 años de edad. Para recopilar información, se utilizó el instrumento 3JS, compuesto por siete tareas (3 de locomoción y 4 de control de objetos). Los resultados reflejaron que los niños poseen mejor rendimiento que las niñas en coordinación motriz general. Al agrupar las pruebas del test según el tipo de coordinación, también superan a las damas en locomoción y en control de objetos. Los niños y niñas de la región de Los Lagos obtienen mejor rendimiento en seis de las siete pruebas. Se concluye que los varones superan a las damas en las pruebas de coordinación locomotriz y control de objetos, así como también en las puntuaciones de coordinación motriz general.

Hurtado Almonacid, J.G., Páez Herrera, J., Abusleme Allimant, R. Olate Gómez, F., Follegati Shore, S., Briones Oyanedel, V. & Mallea Díaz, V. (2023). Level of motor coordination in children participating in the integral sports schools program of chile's sports ministry. PENSAR EN MOVIMIENTO: Revista de Ciencias del Ejercicio y la Salud, 21(1), 1-16. In recent years, it has been detected that generally low motor coordination results in low participation in free play situations, organized and free sports activities. In turn, a better motor mastery is consistent with a low level of sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, the objective of this article is to compare the level of general motor coordination in children that participate in the Sports Initiation component of the ''Integral Sports Schools'' (EDI) program of Chile's Sports Ministry (since 2019, ''Growing in Movement''), according to the regions they come from. Concerning the sample, the assessment covered 341 boys and girls from eight different regions in the country (Antofagasta, Coquimbo, Valparaíso, O'Higgins, Metropolitan Region, Bío-Bío, Araucanía and Los Lagos), in ages ranging from 6 to 11. The information was gathered through the 3JS instrument, made up of seven tasks (3 in locomotion and 4 in object control). The results showed that boys have a better performance than girls in terms of general motor coordination. When the test data were grouped according to the type of coordination, boys are also above girls in terms of locomotion and object control. Boys and girls from the Los Lagos region performed better in six of seven tests. In conclusion, boys outperform girls in the tests of motor coordination and object control, as well as in the scores of general motor coordination.

Hurtado Almonacid, J.G., Páez Herrera, J., Abusleme Allimant, R. Olate Gómez, F., Follegati Shore, S., Briones Oyanedel, V. e Mallea Díaz, V. (2023). Nível de coordenação motora das crianças que participam do programa escolas esportivas integrais do ministério do esporte do Chile. PENSAR EN MOVIMIENTO: Revista de Ciencias del Ejercicio y la Salud, 21(1), 1-16. Nos últimos anos, identificou-se que a baixa coordenação motora geral tem um impacto na baixa participação em atividades de jogos livres, atividades esportistas organizadas e livres. Por sua vez, uma melhor dominância motora está relacionada com um baixo nível de sedentarismo. Portanto, o objetivo deste artigo foi comparar o nível de coordenação motora geral das crianças participantes do componente de Iniciação Esportiva do programa "Escolas Esportivas Integrais" (EEI) do Ministério do Esporte do Chile ("Crescendo em Movimento" desde 2019), segundo a região de origem. Em relação à amostra, foram avaliadas 341 crianças de oito regiões do país (Antofagasta, Coquimbo, Valparaíso, O'Higgins, Metropolitana, Bío-Bío, Araucanía e Los Lagos) com idades entre 6 e 11 anos. Para a coleta de informações, foi utilizado o instrumento 3JS, composto por sete tarefas (3 de locomoção e 4 de controle de objetos). Os resultados mostraram que os meninos têm melhor desempenho do que as meninas na coordenação motora geral. Ao agrupar os testes de acordo com o tipo de coordenação, eles também superam as meninas em locomoção e controle de objetos. As crianças da região de Los Lagos tiveram melhor desempenho em seis dos sete testes. Conclui-se que os meninos superam as meninas nos testes de coordenação locomotora e controle de objetos, bem como nos escores gerais de coordenação motora.

Enhanced expectancies benefit performance under distraction, but compromise it under stress: Exploring the OPTIMAL theory.

Motor learning can benefit from practice under enhanced expectancies; that is, the belief one can generate an intended positive outcome. According to the OPTIMAL (Optimizing Performance Through Intrinsic Motivation and Attention for Learning) theory, this benefit manifests from a greater coupling between action and its external consequences, which potentially coincides with a more automatic mode of control. The aim of the study was to examine this possibility, and in so doing, understand more about the psycho-motor processes underpinning the influence of expectancies. On Day 1, novice participants practiced a dart-throwing task under enhanced (EE) (n = 11), reduced (RE) (n = 12) or no (control; CTL) (n = 12) expectancies. Enhanced and reduced expectancies were indirectly manipulated by positively reinforcing shots that landed within the large or small circle on the dartboard, respectively. On Day 2, participants transferred to a dual-task (i.e., tone-counting) or stress (i.e., social-comparative threat, false feedback) setting. While there was no evidence of improvement across practice, RE was significantly worse than CTL for the dual-task, but EE was significantly worse than RE and CTL under stress (ps < 0.05). Therefore, the ability of EE to retain performance within the dual-task, but decline under stress, suggests a more automatic mode of control was adopted. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.