Search results for "Task performance"
showing 10 items of 125 documents
Improving spatial functioning in children with cerebral palsy using computerized and traditional game tasks.
2003
To examine the effectiveness of combining virtual environment (VE) instruction with additional desk-top tasks, based on the Luria-Vygotsky methodology, for spatial remediation in children having complex motor disabilities restricting movement.In Experiment 1, from among children attending for residential rehabilitation, an experimental subgroup had additional spatial training using a VE and corresponding desk-top models. All children were tested at the start and end of training, using four spatial tests. In Experiment 2, larger groups of children (pair-matched for initial performance) were given the same training as in Experiment 1, but experimentals received both VE-based training and supp…
Concurrent validation of the OMNI-Resistance Exercise Scale of perceived exertion with elastic bands in the elderly.
2018
Purpose:\ud To examine the concurrent validity of the OMNI-Resistance Exercise Scale of perceived exertion using elastic bands in elder population.\ud \ud Methods:\ud Twenty-six participants performed three separate sets of 15 repetitions (low- medium- and high-intensity) for 4 different exercises (2 for the upper-limb and 2 for the lower limb), over two different testing sessions. The criterion variables were heart rate and applied force (average and maximum). In addition to these dependent variables, the active muscle and overall body OMNI-RES for elastic bands scores were collected at the end of each repetition.\ud \ud Results:\ud Significant differences in heart rate, applied force and …
Effect of Pool Length on Blood Lactate, Heart Rate, and Velocity in Swimming
2006
Exercise testing in water has been used to follow the progression of conditioning during regular training in swimmers. The present study examined the effects of pool length in eleven male swimmers on a set of 5 x 200-m freestyle swims with increasing speed from submaximal to maximal. Mean velocity of swimming, blood lactate and heart rate were examined in both 25-m and 50-m pools. Turning benefit as a marker for turning skill was measured separately by a underwater video system (speed difference between pre- and post-turning) during short all-out swims. Maximum force during swimming was measured in tethered swimming and explosive strength of leg extensor muscles was evaluated by a counter m…
Apparent vs real effects of scopolamine on the learning of an active avoidance task.
1996
The effects of scopolamine hydrobromide (0.5 and 2 mg/ kg) administered intraperitoneally to Balb/c male mice before or after training in active avoidance were explored in four training sessions and in a subsequent test session, free of drug. Animals given scopolamine prior to training performed better than controls, an effect that was reversed in the session free of drug. However, a deeper analysis of the data permits us to interpret this increment in the number of avoidance responses as a consequence of the increase in activity produced by the drug and not as learning. In the animals injected with scopolamine after sessions no effects were observed. In conclusion, the results of the prese…
Session-RPE for quantifying load of different youth taekwondo training sessions.
2016
BACKGROUND: The session rating of perceived exertion (session-RPE) proved to be a valuable method to quantify the internal training load (ITL) in taekwondo. However, no study validated this method in youth taekwondo athletes performing different training sessions. Thus this study aimed at evaluating the reliability of the session-RPE to monitor the ITL of prepubescent taekwondo athletes during pre-competitive (PC) and competitive (C) training sessions. METHODS: Five female (age: 12.0±0.7 y; height: 1.54±0.08 m; body mass: 48.8±7.3 kg) and four male (age: 12.0±0.8 yrs; height: 1.55±0.07 m; body mass: 47.3±5.3 kg) taekwondo athletes were monitored during 100 individual sessions (PC: N.=33; C:…
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…
Independent and interactive effects of thermal stress and mental fatigue on manual dexterity
2020
Many occupations and sports require high levels of manual dexterity under thermal stress and mental fatigue. Yet, multistressor studies remain scarce. We quantified the interactive effects of thermal stress and mental fatigue on manual dexterity. Seven males (21.1 ± 1.3 yr) underwent six separate 60-min trials characterized by a combination of three air temperatures (hot, 37°C; neutral, 21°C; cold, 7°C) and two mental fatigue states (MF, mental fatigue induced by a 35-min cognitive battery; no-MF, no mental fatigue). Participants performed complex (O’Connor test) and simple (hand-tool test) manual tasks pre- and posttrial to determine stressor-induced performance changes. We monitored part…
Impact of perceptual ability and mental imagery training on simulated laparoscopic knot-tying in surgical novices using a Nissen fundoplication model.
2011
Background: Performing minimally invasive surgery requires training and visual-spatial intelligence. The aim of our study was to examine the impact of visual-spatial perception and additional mental training on the simulated laparoscopic knot-tying task performed by surgical novices. Methods: A total of 40 medical students randomly assigned to two groups underwent two sessions of laparoscopic basic training on a VR simulator (SimSurgery®, Oslo, Norway). The variables time and tip trajectory (total path length of the instrument tip trajectory) were used to assess the performance of the intracorporeal knot-tying task using a laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication model. The experimental group com…
CSF APPsα and Phosphorylated Tau Protein Levels in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia of Alzheimer's Type
2008
We exploratively measured APPs alpha, a secreted fragment of the non-amyloidogenic cleavage of amyloid precursor protein via a-secretase, and tau protein phosphorylated at threonine 181 (p tau) in the cerebrospinal fluid of 10 patients with mild cognitive impairment, 20 patients with dementia of Alzheimer's type, and 10 controls. Cerebrospinal fluid APPs alpha and p tau levels were correlated with cognitive performance. P tau levels were significantly elevated in mild cognitive impairment and in patients with dementia of Alzheimer's type, APPs alpha levels were significantly reduced in patients with dementia of Alzheimer's type compared to the controls. APPs alpha levels were associated wit…
Adaptive changes in motor control of rhythmic movement after maximal eccentric actions.
2007
Effects of an exhaustive eccentric exercise (EE) on the motor control of maximal velocity rhythmic elbow extension/flexion movement (RM) were examined in eight male students. The exhaustive EE consisted of 100 maximal eccentric actions of the elbow flexor muscles. Movement range was 40-170 degrees in EE at an angular velocity of 2rads(-1). A directive scaled RM of 60 degrees with visual feedback was performed in a sitting position, with the right forearm fixed to the lever arm in horizontal plane above protractor. Surface electromyographic activity (EMG) was recorded from the biceps brachii (BB) and triceps brachii (TB) muscles. Maximal isokinetic eccentric and concentric tests and RM test …