Search results for "WEC"
showing 10 items of 82 documents
Two distinct pathways for Developmental Coordination Disorder: Persistence and resolution
2003
This article describes the perceptual motor, educational and social outcome of early motor delay in a group of 17-18 year old Finnish adolescents who were originally evaluated at age 5. The study group consisted of 65 adolescents: 22 with significant motor problems (or developmental coordination disorder, DCD), 23 with minor motor problems (intermediate group) and 20 controls. The goal of this study was to reassess the results obtained when they were age 15 and to determine whether the variables used earlier could still discriminate the adolescents at age 17. The results showed that at age 17 all perceptual motor tasks differentiated the three groups. The DCD group performed less well than …
Neurocognitive functioning in children with type-1 diabetes with and without episodes of severe hypoglycaemia
2007
Previous studies have shown that recurrent severe hypoglycaemia can cause long-term cognitive impairment in children with type-1 diabetes, but the results are controversial, possibly due to the heterogeneity of samples and lack of comprehensive neuropsychological assessments of children. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of diabetes and severe hypoglycaemia on the neurocognitive functioning of children with a standardized, wide age-range neuropsychological test battery designed for the assessment of children. Eleven children with diabetes and a history of severe hypoglycaemia, 10 children with diabetes without a history of severe hypoglycaemia, and 10 healthy control children …
Differential Effects of Alcohol on Memory Performance in Adolescent Men and Women with a Binge Drinking History.
2017
Aims Binge drinking (BD) is characterized by intermittent consumption of large quantities of alcohol in short periods. This pattern of drinking is prevalent among adolescents, and has been associated with undermined learning and memory ability. This study investigates the relationships between a history of BD and the effects of acute exposure to alcohol on learning and memory performance in adolescent men and women. Methods A high, acute dose of alcohol or control refreshment was administered to a sample of 172 adolescent undergraduate students, some of which had a history of BD and others of which had refrained from alcohol consumption. Subsequently, immediate visual memory (IVM) and worki…
A multicentre trial to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine versus cytosine diphosphocholine in patients with va…
1991
An open clinical trial was carried out to compare the efficacy and the tolerability of 1 g/day α-glycerylphosphorylcholine (α-GPC) with 1 g/day cytosine diphosphocholine (CDP) both given intramuscularly for 90 days in 120 patients with mild to moderate vascular dementia. The clinical evaluation, carried out at the start as well as halfway through (45 days) and at the end of treatment (90 days), was expressed by psychometric tests (modified Parkside behaviour rating scale, Sandoz clinical assessment geriatric scale, word fluency test, Hamilton's rating scale of depression, narration subtest of Wechsler memory scale). Both treatments produced a definite symptomatic improvement and showed a v…
Effect of duration of breastfeeding on neuropsychological development at 10 to 12years of age in a cohort of healthy children
2012
Aim The aim of this article was to explore the effect of duration of breastfeeding on neurocognitive development. Method The long-term effect of breastfeeding on neurodevelopment was examined through a battery of neuropsychological tests in 1403 children (693 females, 710 males; mean age 11y 9mo [SD 6mo], range: 10y 3mo-12y 8mo) who were originally recruited at 6 to 12weeks of age for a clinical trial on acellular pertussis vaccines. An estimated IQ was obtained from scores of the vocabulary, similarities, block design, and coding tests. Breastfeeding data had been prospectively collected throughout the first year of life. Duration of exclusive breastfeeding was defined as the time during w…
Event-related potentials to tones show differences between children with multiple risk factors for dyslexia and control children before the onset of …
2015
Multiple risk factors can affect the development of specific reading problems or dyslexia. In addition to the most prevalent and studied risk factor, phonological processing, also auditory discrimination problems have been found in children and adults with reading difficulties. The present study examined 37 children between the ages of 5 and 6, 11 of which had multiple risk factors for developing reading problems. The children participated in a passive oddball EEG experiment with sinusoidal sounds with changes in sound frequency, duration, or intensity. The responses to the standard stimuli showed a negative voltage shift in children at risk for reading problems compared to control children…
Children's brain responses to sound changes in pseudo words in a multifeature paradigm.
2011
Abstract Objective The multifeature mismatch negativity (MMN) paradigm has previously been used to study MMN responses to changes in tones or isolated syllables. We tested 4–12year old children's MMNs to changes in a naturally produced pseudo word context. Methods We studied preschoolers' (under the age of 7years, N =15, mean age 5years 4months) and school childrens' (over the age of 7years, N =15, mean age 9years 3months) MMNs to five types of changes (vowel duration, fundamental frequency, gap, intensity, vowel identity) in the middle syllable of a pseudo word [tɑtɑtɑ] using a multifeature paradigm. Results Vowel duration and gap changes elicited larger frontocentral MMN responses than ot…
Neurocognitive and clinical predictors of functional outcome in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder at one-year follow-up
2007
Abstract Objective Many studies have reported that cognitive ability may be predictive of the functional outcome for patients with schizophrenia. However, no study has prospectively examined these aspects in schizophrenia and bipolar disorders simultaneously. The present study attempted to analyze if neurocognition and clinical status predicts the real-life functioning for patients with schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder, using a longitudinal design. Method Forty-seven schizophrenic and 43 bipolar I outpatients were assessed twice with a neurocognitive battery (Executive Functions, Working Memory, Verbal Memory, Visual Memory, Visual-Motor Processing, Vigilance, Vocabulary and Motor Speed …
Cognitive profile in BECTS treated with levetiracetam: A 2-year follow-up
2019
Introduction: Benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) is a common epileptic syndrome in childhood, characterized by brief and infrequent partial motor seizures, with or without generalization and mostly recurring during sleep. Because of its favorable efficacy, tolerability, and safety profile, levetiracetam (LEV) monotherapy is often administered in these patients. Long-term effects of LEV therapy and its influence on cognitive functions remain controversial.Purpose: This evaluated the changes in the cognitive profile of children with BECTS treated with LEV monotherapy for 2 years, compared with a control group of children with specific learning disabilities.Method: Our patient …
Renewable energy sources for energy consumption needs of Malta Island in Mediterranean sea
2016
The main purpose of this paper is to analyse the energetic condition of the Maltese islands and its electrical energy production, focusing on the employment of Renewable Energies in order to increase its energy independence. The main renewable source here proposed is wave energy: thanks to its strategic position, Malta will be able to produce electrical energy using an innovative type of Wave Energy Converter (WEC) based on the prototype of linear generator realized by University of Palermo. The use of this new technology will be able to cut down the electrical energy production from traditional power plants and, consequently, the greenhouse gases emissions (GHG). The procedures applied in …