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Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024People with Parkinson's disease often show deficits in dexterity, which, in turn, can lead to limitations in performing activities of daily life. Previous studies have...
People with Parkinson's disease often show deficits in dexterity, which, in turn, can lead to limitations in performing activities of daily life. Previous studies have suggested that training in playing the piano may improve or prevent a decline in dexterity in this population. In this pilot study, we tested three participants on a six-week, custom, piano-based training protocol, and quantified dexterity before and after the intervention using a sensor-enabled version of the nine-hole peg test, the box and block test, a test of finger synergies using unidimensional force sensors, and the Quantitative Digitography test using a digital piano, as well as selected relevant items from the motor parts of the MDS-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) and the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) quality of life questionnaire. The participants showed improved dexterity following the training program in several of the measures used. This pilot study proposes measures that can track changes in dexterity as a result of practice in people with Parkinson's disease and describes a potential protocol that needs to be tested in a larger cohort.
Topics: Humans; Parkinson Disease; Pilot Projects; Male; Aged; Female; Quality of Life; Middle Aged; Motor Skills; Music; Surveys and Questionnaires; Activities of Daily Living; Fingers
PubMed: 38894110
DOI: 10.3390/s24113318 -
Journal of Neuroengineering and... Jun 2024Humans use their arms in complex ways that often demand two-handed coordination. Neurological conditions limit this impressive feature of the human motor system....
Humans use their arms in complex ways that often demand two-handed coordination. Neurological conditions limit this impressive feature of the human motor system. Understanding how neuromodulatory techniques may alter neural mechanisms of bimanual coordination is a vital step towards designing efficient rehabilitation interventions. By non-invasively activating the spinal cord, transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) promotes recovery of motor function after spinal cord injury. A multitude of research studies have attempted to capture the underlying neural mechanisms of these effects using a variety of electrophysiological tools, but the influence of tSCS on cortical rhythms recorded via electroencephalography remains poorly understood, especially during bimanual actions. We recruited 12 neurologically intact participants to investigate the effect of cervical tSCS on sensorimotor cortical oscillations. We examined changes in the movement kinematics during the application of tSCS as well as the cortical activation level and interhemispheric connectivity during the execution of unimanual and bimanual arm reaching movements that represent activities of daily life. Behavioral assessment of the movements showed improvement of movement time and error during a bimanual common-goal movement when tSCS was delivered, but no difference was found in the performance of unimanual and bimanual dual-goal movements with the application of tSCS. In the alpha band, spectral power was modulated with tSCS in the direction of synchronization in the primary motor cortex during unimanual and bimanual dual-goal movements and in the somatosensory cortex during unimanual movements. In the beta band, tSCS significantly increased spectral power in the primary motor and somatosensory cortices during the performance of bimanual common-goal and unimanual movements. A significant increase in interhemispheric connectivity in the primary motor cortex in the alpha band was only observed during unimanual tasks in the presence of tSCS. Our observations provide, for the first time, information regarding the supra-spinal effects of tSCS as a neuromodulatory technique applied to the spinal cord during the execution of bi- and unimanual arm movements. They also corroborate the suppressive effect of tSCS at the cortical level reported in previous studies. These findings may guide the design of improved rehabilitation interventions using tSCS for the recovery of upper-limb function in the future.
Topics: Humans; Female; Male; Adult; Spinal Cord Stimulation; Psychomotor Performance; Electroencephalography; Movement; Young Adult; Biomechanical Phenomena; Spinal Cord Injuries; Arm; Sensorimotor Cortex; Spinal Cord; Functional Laterality
PubMed: 38890742
DOI: 10.1186/s12984-024-01395-w -
Nature Communications Jun 2024Motor learning relies on experience-dependent plasticity in relevant neural circuits. In four experiments, we provide initial evidence and a double-blinded,...
Motor learning relies on experience-dependent plasticity in relevant neural circuits. In four experiments, we provide initial evidence and a double-blinded, sham-controlled replication (Experiment I-II) demonstrating that motor learning involving ballistic index finger movements is improved by preceding paired corticospinal-motoneuronal stimulation (PCMS), a human model for exogenous induction of spike-timing-dependent plasticity. Behavioral effects of PCMS targeting corticomotoneuronal (CM) synapses are order- and timing-specific and partially bidirectional (Experiment III). PCMS with a 2 ms inter-arrival interval at CM-synapses enhances learning and increases corticospinal excitability compared to control protocols. Unpaired stimulations did not increase corticospinal excitability (Experiment IV). Our findings demonstrate that non-invasively induced plasticity interacts positively with experience-dependent plasticity to promote motor learning. The effects of PCMS on motor learning approximate Hebbian learning rules, while the effects on corticospinal excitability demonstrate timing-specificity but not bidirectionality. These findings offer a mechanistic rationale to enhance motor practice effects by priming sensorimotor training with individualized PCMS.
Topics: Humans; Male; Learning; Female; Adult; Neuronal Plasticity; Young Adult; Motor Neurons; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Pyramidal Tracts; Evoked Potentials, Motor; Double-Blind Method; Motor Cortex; Fingers; Motor Skills; Synapses
PubMed: 38879614
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49478-5 -
Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders Jun 2024Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with severe global developmental delay. However, the ages at which different developmental skills are...
BACKGROUND
Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with severe global developmental delay. However, the ages at which different developmental skills are achieved in these individuals remain unclear. We seek to determine the probability and the age of acquisition of specific developmental milestones and daily living skills in individuals with AS across the different molecular subtypes, viz. class I deletion, class II deletion, uniparental disomy, imprinting defect, and UBE3A variants.
METHODS
Caregivers participating in a longitudinal multicenter Angelman Syndrome Natural History Study completed a questionnaire regarding the age at which their children achieved specific developmental milestones and daily living skills. The Cox Proportional Hazard model was applied to analyze differences in the probability of achievement of skills at various ages among five molecular subtypes of AS.
RESULTS
Almost all individuals, regardless of molecular subtype, were able to walk with support by five years of age. By age 15, those with a deletion had at least a 50% probability of acquiring 17 out of 30 skills compared to 25 out of 30 skills among those without a deletion. Overall, fine and gross motor skills such as holding and reaching for small objects, sitting, and walking with support were achieved within a fairly narrow range of ages, while toileting, feeding, and hygiene skills tend to have greater variability in the ages at which these skills were achieved. Those without a deletion had a higher probability (25-92%) of achieving daily living skills such as independently toileting and dressing compared to those with a deletion (0-13%). Across all molecular subtypes, there was a low probability of achieving independence in bathing and brushing teeth.
CONCLUSION
Individuals with AS without a deletion are more likely to achieve developmental milestones and daily living skills at an earlier age than those with a deletion. Many individuals with AS are unable to achieve daily living skills necessary for independent self-care.
Topics: Humans; Angelman Syndrome; Activities of Daily Living; Female; Child, Preschool; Male; Child; Adolescent; Infant; Child Development; Longitudinal Studies; Motor Skills; Developmental Disabilities; Adult; Young Adult
PubMed: 38879552
DOI: 10.1186/s11689-024-09548-7 -
Trends in Neuroscience and Education Jun 2024This study examined the effects of (1) combined early numeracy and fundamental motor skills (MovEN), (2) early numeracy, and (3) fundamental motor skills intervention...
BACKGROUND
This study examined the effects of (1) combined early numeracy and fundamental motor skills (MovEN), (2) early numeracy, and (3) fundamental motor skills intervention programs on children's early mathematical and fundamental motor skills, and how individual background variables affect the effectiveness of these interventions.
PROCEDURE
Together 50 preschoolers participated in the interventions (16 × 45 min sessions). Children's early numeracy, mathematical problem-solving, and fundamental motor skills were measured once before and twice after the interventions.
MAIN FINDINGS
The results showed that the MovEN and early numeracy -interventions were effective in improving children's early numeracy, and mathematical problem-solving. Whereas the MovEN and fundamental motor skills interventions improved children's fundamental motor skills. From individual factors, only updating ability predicted the intervention's effectiveness over and above prior performance.
CONCLUSION
The results suggest that children's early mathematical and fundamental motor skills can be supported effectively at the same time with the MovEN -intervention.
Topics: Humans; Motor Skills; Child, Preschool; Male; Female; Problem Solving; Mathematics; Child Development
PubMed: 38879201
DOI: 10.1016/j.tine.2024.100227 -
Journal of Bodywork and Movement... Jul 2024Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common childhood motor disability, and the Cerebral Palsy Follow-Up Program (CPUP) in Nordic countries uses a traffic light system for...
Limited associations between passive range of motion and gross motor function in ambulant/semi-ambulant children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: A cross-sectional study.
BACKGROUND AND AIM
Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common childhood motor disability, and the Cerebral Palsy Follow-Up Program (CPUP) in Nordic countries uses a traffic light system for passive range of motion (ROM) assessment to aid interpretation and guide decisions regarding interventions. However, the arbitrary chosen ROM threshold values and their potential clinical impact are uncertain. We investigated whether lower extremity ROM values were positively associated with gross motor function and whether gross motor function scores differ between the CPUP ROM thresholds.
METHODS
This was a cross-sectional analysis of CPUP data for 841 ambulatory children and adolescents with CP, at a mean (SD) age of 9 (3). Regression analyses were employed to explore the relationship between gross motor capacity and performance (using the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66) and the Functional Mobility Scale (FMS) 5/50/500 m, respectively) and lower extremity ROM, measured with a goniometer. ROM was assessed both as continuous and categorical variables.
RESULTS
We found that two out of ten continuous ROM measures were positively associated with gross motor function. Limited differences in gross motor function between the ROM thresholds were seen for seven out of ten ROM measures. The CPUP traffic light thresholds primarily differentiated gross motor function between the red and green categories, predominantly for the subgroup of participants with bilateral spastic CP.
CONCLUSION
Limited associations between passive ROM and gross motor function in children and adolescents with CP were observed, indicating that there is more to consider than ROM when identifying whether interventions are needed.
Topics: Humans; Cerebral Palsy; Cross-Sectional Studies; Child; Male; Female; Adolescent; Range of Motion, Articular; Lower Extremity; Motor Skills
PubMed: 38876622
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2024.02.030 -
JMIR Human Factors Jun 2024Cognitive functional ability affects the accessibility of IT and is thus something that should be controlled for in user experience (UX) research. However, many...
BACKGROUND
Cognitive functional ability affects the accessibility of IT and is thus something that should be controlled for in user experience (UX) research. However, many cognitive function assessment batteries are long and complex, making them impractical for use in conventional experimental time frames. Therefore, there is a need for a short and reliable cognitive assessment that has discriminant validity for cognitive functions needed for general IT tasks. One potential candidate is the Trail Making Test (TMT).
OBJECTIVE
This study investigated the usefulness of a digital TMT as a cognitive profiling tool in IT-related UX research by assessing its predictive validity on general IT task performance and exploring its discriminant validity according to discrete cognitive functions required to perform the IT task.
METHODS
A digital TMT (parts A and B) named Axon was administered to 27 healthy participants, followed by administration of 5 IT tasks in the form of CAPTCHAs (Completely Automated Public Turing tests to Tell Computers and Humans Apart). The discrete cognitive functions required to perform each CAPTCHA were rated by trained evaluators. To further explain and cross-validate our results, the original TMT and 2 psychological assessments of visuomotor and short-term memory function were administered.
RESULTS
Axon A and B were administrable in less than 5 minutes, and overall performance was significantly predictive of general IT task performance (F=6.352; P=.001; Λ=0.374). This result was driven by performance on Axon B (F=3.382; P=.02; Λ=0.529), particularly for IT tasks involving the combination of executive processing with visual object and pattern recognition. Furthermore, Axon was cross-validated with the original TMT (P=.001 and P=.017 for A and B, respectively) and visuomotor and short-term memory tasks.
CONCLUSIONS
The results demonstrate that variance in IT task performance among an age-homogenous neurotypical population can be related to intersubject variance in cognitive function as assessed by Axon. Although Axon's predictive validity seemed stronger for tasks involving the combination of executive function with visual object and pattern recognition, these cognitive functions are arguably relevant to the majority of IT interfaces. Considering its short administration time and remote implementability, the Axon digital TMT demonstrates the potential to be a useful cognitive profiling tool for IT-based UX research.
Topics: Humans; Trail Making Test; Male; Female; Adult; Task Performance and Analysis; Cognition; Reproducibility of Results; Empirical Research
PubMed: 38875007
DOI: 10.2196/49992 -
European Journal of Sport Science Jun 2024The purpose of this study was to clarify the temporal coordination between gaze, head, and arm movements during forehand rallies in table tennis. Collegiate male table...
The purpose of this study was to clarify the temporal coordination between gaze, head, and arm movements during forehand rallies in table tennis. Collegiate male table tennis players (n = 7) conducted forehand rallies at a constant tempo (100, 120, and 150 bpm) using a metronome. In each tempo condition, participants performed 30 strokes (a total of 90 strokes). Gaze, head, and dominant arm (shoulder, elbow, and wrist) movements were recorded with an eye-tracking device equipped with a Gyro sensor and a 3-D motion capture system. The results showed that the effect of head movements relative to gaze movements was significantly higher than that of eye movements in the three tempo conditions. Our results indicate that head movements are closely associated with gaze movements during rallies. Furthermore, cross-correlation coefficients (CCs) between head and arm movements were more than 0.96 (maximum coefficient: 0.99). In addition, head and arm movements were synchronized during rallies. Finally, CCs between gaze and arm movements were more than 0.74 (maximum coefficient: 0.99), indicating that gaze movements are temporally coordinated with arm movements. Taken together, head movements could play important roles not only in gaze tracking but also in the temporal coordination with arm movements during table tennis forehand rallies.
Topics: Humans; Male; Arm; Young Adult; Head Movements; Tennis; Psychomotor Performance; Eye Movements; Movement; Head
PubMed: 38874996
DOI: 10.1002/ejsc.12098 -
NeuroImage Aug 2024Even though actions we observe in everyday life seem to unfold in a continuous manner, they are automatically divided into meaningful chunks, that are single actions or...
Even though actions we observe in everyday life seem to unfold in a continuous manner, they are automatically divided into meaningful chunks, that are single actions or segments, which provide information for the formation and updating of internal predictive models. Specifically, boundaries between actions constitute a hub for predictive processing since the prediction of the current action comes to an end and calls for updating of predictions for the next action. In the current study, we investigated neural processes which characterize such boundaries using a repertoire of complex action sequences with a predefined probabilistic structure. Action sequences consisted of actions that started with the hand touching an object (T) and ended with the hand releasing the object (U). These action boundaries were determined using an automatic computer vision algorithm. Participants trained all action sequences by imitating demo videos. Subsequently, they returned for an fMRI session during which the original action sequences were presented in addition to slightly modified versions thereof. Participants completed a post-fMRI memory test to assess the retention of original action sequences. The exchange of individual actions, and thus a violation of action prediction, resulted in increased activation of the action observation network and the anterior insula. At U events, marking the end of an action, increased brain activation in supplementary motor area, striatum, and lingual gyrus was indicative of the retrieval of the previously encoded action repertoire. As expected, brain activation at U events also reflected the predefined probabilistic branching structure of the action repertoire. At T events, marking the beginning of the next action, midline and hippocampal regions were recruited, reflecting the selected prediction of the unfolding action segment. In conclusion, our findings contribute to a better understanding of the various cerebral processes characterizing prediction during the observation of complex action repertoires.
Topics: Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Female; Adult; Young Adult; Brain Mapping; Brain; Psychomotor Performance
PubMed: 38871038
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120687 -
PloS One 2024Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to modify excitability of the primary motor cortex (M1) and influence online motor learning. However,... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to modify excitability of the primary motor cortex (M1) and influence online motor learning. However, research on the effects of tDCS on motor learning has focused predominantly on simplified motor tasks. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether anodal stimulation of M1 over a single session of practice influences online learning of a relatively complex rhythmic timing video game. Fifty-eight healthy young adults were randomized to either a-tDCS or SHAM conditions and performed 2 familiarization blocks, a 20-minute 5 block practice period while receiving their assigned stimulation, and a post-test block with their non-dominant hand. To assess performance, a performance index was calculated that incorporated timing accuracy elements and incorrect key inputs. The results showed that M1 a-tDCS enhanced the learning of the video game based skill more than SHAM stimulation during practice, as well as overall learning at the post-test. These results provide evidence that M1 a-tDCS can enhance acquisition of skills where quality or success of performance depends on optimized timing between component motions of the skill, which could have implications for the application of tDCS in many real-world contexts.
Topics: Humans; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation; Male; Video Games; Female; Learning; Young Adult; Motor Cortex; Adult; Motor Skills
PubMed: 38870202
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295373