ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) is widely used in children with cerebral palsy (CP), but information about optimal intervention frequency and duration is still lacking and the current evidence about effect of RAGT on motor endurance and fitness is very preliminary. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of RAGT on motor performance and endurance in children affected by CP. METHODS: Data from 14 consecutive children (6 females, age range: 4.6-15.8 years) affected by CP, who underwent a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program during a 18-24 month period, were retrospectively collected. Rehabilitation program included conventional physical therapy and RAGT (60/60 minutes, 20 daily sessions, 5 days/week). CP severity was stratified according to the Gross Motor Function Classification System. Clinical evaluation was performed by means of the six-minute walking test, the modified Ashworth scale, and RAGT measures (total distance, mean distance for session and speed). RESULTS: Clinical outcomes and speed did not improve after treatment, while total distance (pâ=â0.006) and mean distance for session (pâ=â0.007) significantly improved. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary study suggests that RAGT combined with conventional treatment may improve motor performance and endurance in children with CP. Future randomized controlled trials comparing RAGT to conventional treatment are needed.
Subject(s)
Cerebral Palsy/rehabilitation , Gait Disorders, Neurologic/rehabilitation , Neurological Rehabilitation , Outcome Assessment, Health Care , Physical Endurance/physiology , Psychomotor Performance/physiology , Robotics , Self-Help Devices , Adolescent , Cerebral Palsy/complications , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Gait Disorders, Neurologic/etiology , Humans , Male , Neurological Rehabilitation/instrumentation , Neurological Rehabilitation/methods , Neurological Rehabilitation/standards , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
It has been proposed that the neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may be involved in attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) etiopathogenesis. Alterations in BDNF serum levels have been observed in childhood/adulthood neurodevelopmental pathologies, but no evidence is available for BDNF serum concentrations in ADHD. The study includes 45 drug-naïve ADHD children and 45 age-sex matched healthy subjects. Concentration of serum BDNF was determined by the ELISA method. BDNF serum levels in patients with ADHD were not different from those of controls (mean ± SD; ADHD: 39.33 ± 10.41 ng/ml; controls: 38.82 ± 8.29 ng/ml, t = -0.26, p = 0.80). Our findings indicate no alteration of serum BDNF levels in untreated patients with ADHD. A further stratification for cognitive, neuropsychological and psychopathological assessment in a larger sample could be useful to clarify the role of BDNF in the endophenotype characterization of ADHD.
Subject(s)
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/blood , Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/blood , Adolescent , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/diagnosis , Body Mass Index , Case-Control Studies , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
Two groups of children with developmental dyslexia were treated over a period of four months. Fourteen children received visual hemisphere-specific stimulation (VHSS) and 11 children were treated with a customary, reading-focused training programme (RT). Reading performance was investigated before and after treatment, as were spelling abilities, phonemic awareness and verbal memory. Improvement in reading accuracy was significantly greater in the VHSS group than in the RT group. Significant improvements were also observed for memory and phonemic skills. The results were compared to existing data on spontaneous reading development. The better results after single-hemisphere stimulation (VHSS) are discussed in terms of the specific characteristics of the treatment, and of the possible contributions of visual-spatial attention, memory functions and phonemic awareness.