Search results for "Motor performance"
showing 10 items of 378 documents
Are ratings of psychomotor retardation correlated with neuropsychological measurements?
1989
The present study investigated the correlation between retardation, assessed by the Bech-Rafaelsen Melancholia Scale (BRMS), and measurements of reaction time and motor performance in 26 elderly depressed patients. Significant correlations were only detected between motor retardation and the number and duration of faults in the line following part of the motor performance test. The total scores of the BRMS and the Hamilton Depression Scale did not correlate significantly with any of the performed measurements.
Estimating brain load from the EEG.
2009
Modern work requires cognitively demanding multitasking and the need for sustained vigilance, which may result in work-related stress and may increase the possibility of human error. Objective methods for estimating cognitive overload and mental fatigue of the brain on-line, during work performance, are needed. We present a two-channel electroencephalography (EEG)–based index, theta Fz/alpha Pz ratio, potentially implementable into a compact wearable device. The index reacts to both acute external and cumulative internal load. The index increased with the number of tasks to be performed concurrently (p= 0.004) and with increased time awake, both after normal sleep (p= 0.002) and sleep restr…
Results of an Observational Cohort Study of Hyperuricemia as a Predictor of Poor Physical Performance in the Elderly
2017
Objective: Hyperuricemia is frequent in older people and associated with several medical conditions. The relationship between hyperuricemia and physical performance is limited. We aimed to investigate the association between hyperuricemia and physical performance over a 4.4-year followup in the elderly. Methods: A total of 1,904 community-dwelling older participants were followed for a mean of 4.4 years. Hyperuricemia at baseline was defined using serum uric acid concentrations ≥6 and ≥7 mg/dl for women and men, respectively. Objective physical performance tests measured included the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), 4-meter gait speed, chair-stands time, leg extension and flexion,…
Gender-dependent behavioural impairment and brain metabolites in young adult rats after short term exposure to lead acetate
2012
We investigated the behavioural effects of short-term lead (Pb) exposure in adult rats producing blood Pb concentration (<10. μg/dL) below those associated with neurological impairment in occupationally exposed individuals. In order to assess gender differences, we performed parallel behavioural experiments in male and female rats. Exposure to Pb acetate (50. mg/L in drinking water) for 30-45 days induced behavioural alterations consisting in hyperactivity in a novel environment and impairment of spatial memory. These effects were observed only in male rats. Object recognition, motor coordination were unaffected by Pb exposure. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy allows . in vivo assessment of …
Mentally Simulated Motor Actions in Children
2009
The present study investigated the effects of age and arm preference on motor imagery ability. Children (groups: 6.5, 8.3, and 10.1 years) and young adults (22.4 years) physically or mentally performed a drawing motor task with the right or the left arm. Imagery ability, accessed by the timing correspondence between executed and imagined movements, was poor at 6 and 8 years but improved at age 10, and was robust in adults. The arm condition had no influence on imagery ability. We suggest that maturation of parietal and prefrontal cortices during development may contribute to improvement of action representation.
The effect of attentional load on the breathing pattern in children.
1998
Abstract Experiments designed to establish the effects of video games on breathing patterns have led to contradictory results. Several authors reported that video games tended to increase breathing frequency (i.e. to reduce breath duration), whereas others reported the opposite. We postulated that video games contain different psychophysiological components which may have opposite effects on breathing pattern. On the one hand, arousal and emotion may tend to stimulate breathing. On the other, focusing attention on the game may prompt subject to inhibit any movement — including breathing — which might be a potential nuisance variable. The aim of this study was to assess the specific effects …
Differences in axial segment reorientation during standing turns predict multiple falls in older adults
2011
Author's version of an article in the journal: Gait and Posture. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2012.05.013 Background: The assessment of standing turning performance is proposed to predict fall risk in older adults. This study investigated differences in segmental coordination during a 360° standing turn task between older community-dwelling fallers and non-fallers. Methods: Thirty-five older adults age mean (SD) of 71 (5.4) years performed 360° standing turns. Head, trunk and pelvis position relative to the laboratory and each other were recorded using a Vicon motion analysis system. Fall incidence was monitored by monthly questionnaire over the…
Time processing in children with Tourette's syndrome.
2010
Background: Tourette syndrome (TS) is characterized by dysfunctional connectivity between prefrontal cortex and sub-cortical structures, and altered meso-cortical and/or meso-striatal dopamine release. Since time processing is also regulated by fronto-striatal circuits and modulated by dopaminergic transmission, we hypothesized that time processing is abnormal in TS. Methods: We compared time processing abilities between nine children with TS-only (i.e. without major psychiatric comorbidities) and 10 age-matched healthy children, employing a time reproduction task in which subjects actively reproduce different temporal intervals, and a time comparison task in which subjects judge whether a …
Audiovisual Integration of Time-to-Contact Information for Approaching Objects.
2018
Previous studies of time-to-collision (TTC) judgments of approaching objects focused on effectiveness of visual TTC information in the optical expansion pattern (e.g., visual tau, disparity). Fewer studies examined effectiveness of auditory TTC information in the pattern of increasing intensity (auditory tau), or measured integration of auditory and visual TTC information. Here, participants judged TTC of an approaching object presented in the visual or auditory modality, or both concurrently. TTC information provided by the modalities was jittered slightly against each other, so that auditory and visual TTC were not perfectly correlated. A psychophysical reverse correlation approach was us…
1 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the unaffected hemisphere ameliorates contralesional visuospatial neglect in humans
2002
The aim of the study was to investigate whether low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the unaffected hemisphere can ameliorate visuospatial neglect. We treated three right brain damaged patients with left neglect. 900 pulses (1 Hz frequency) were given over left posterior parietal cortex every other day for 2 weeks. Patients performed a computerized task requiring length judgement of prebisected lines, tachistoscopically presented for 150 ms. With respect to rTMS the task was given 15 days before, at the beginning, at the end and 15 days after. At these times patients performed also line bisection and clock drawing tasks. rTMS induced a significant improveme…