Abstract. OBJECTIVE:To explore the effects of Dance Therapy (DT) and Traditional Rehabilitation (TR) on both motor and cognitive domains in Parkinson's Disease patients (PD) with postural instability. METHODS: Sixteen PD patients with recent history of falls were divided in two groups (Dance Therapy, DT and Traditional Rehabilitation, TR); nine patients received 1-hour DT classes twice per week, completing 20 lessons within 10 weeks; seven patients received a similar cycle of 20 group sessions of 60 minutes TR. Motor (Berg Balance Scale -BBS, Gait Dynamic Index -GDI, Timed Up and Go Test -TUG, 4 Square-Step Test -4SST, 6-Minute Walking Test -6MWT) and cognitive measures (Frontal Assessment Battery -FAB, Trail Making Test A & B -TMT A&B, Stroop Test) were tested at baseline, after the treatment completion and after 8-week follow-up. RESULTS: In the DT group, but not in the TR group, motor and cognitive outcomes significantly improved after treatment and retained after follow-up. Significant changes were found for 6MWT (p = 0.028), TUG (p = 0.007), TMT-A (p = 0.014) and TMT-B (p = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: DT is an unconventional physical therapy for PD patients which effectively impacts on motor (endurance and risk of falls) and non-motor functions (executive functions).

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was employed to probe the modulatory effects of transcranial direct current stimulation of motor cortex on motor evoked responses (MEPs) produced during motor imagery. MEP amplitudes at rest and during motor imagery were assessed before and for a period of 60 min after transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied over the primary motor cortex at 1 mA for 5 min. Cathodal stimulation induced a decrease of about 30% of MEP amplitude at rest and a 50% reduction of MEP size during imagery. Ten minutes after tDCS, MEPs at rest returned to baseline values while MEPs during motor imagery were suppressed for up to 30 min. No changes in MEP amplitude during imagery were found after anodal stimulation. tDCS could represent a powerful tool to modulate the excitability of motor areas involved in mental practice and motor imagery.

Previous research has shown that stimulus pull is one of the contributory factors influencing Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) responses. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of studies examining this. In particular, the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale-Global Rating Method (SCORS-G) has been employed to examine stimulus pull in adult clinical and nonclinical samples. The present study is the first attempt to examine this issue in a nonclinical sample of children. Ninety-eight children from Italian elementary (1st to 5th grade) and middle (6th to 8th grade) schools provided narratives to six TAT cards (1, 2, 3BM, 4, 8BM, and 16). Some important findings with regard to variance within scales replicate prior findings from other studies. Furthermore, some findings regarding the specific nature of pull for particular TAT cards (1, 2, 3BM, and 4) replicate prior work. Given that Cards 8BM and 16's SCORS-G stimulus properties have not been previously studied, the pull of these cards is explored. Last, SCORS-G differences/similarities across these two age groups are highlighted. Suggestions for further research in this field are also provided, particularly concerning the use of SCORS-G and TAT for clinical assessment.

Spasticity in stroke patients interferes with coordinated muscle firing patterns of the lower extremity leading to gait abnormalities. The goal of this study was to improve ankle function during walking by augmenting treadmill gait retraining with a visual EMG biofeedback technique. Eight stroke patients who could ambulate between 0.5 and 0.9 m/s participated in the study. The training consisted of 12 sessions of treadmill walking during which the activity of the tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius lateralis muscles of the affected side was displayed on a computer screen. Targets were shown to indicate to the subject when to activate the monitored muscles. Gait evaluations were performed before and after the training period to test the hypothesis that ankle mechanics improved following the intervention. Improvements in gait function were characterized by changes in temporal gait parameters and lower extremity kinematics and kinetics. Subjects showed an increase in gait speed, time of single leg support on the affected side, ankle power generation at push-off and a reduction in knee extensor moment. These results indicate that treadmill gait retraining augmented via visual EMG-biofeedback facilitates improvements in hemiparetic gait.

Sound is a natural stimulus for both cochlear and saccular receptors. At high intensities it evokes in active masseter muscles of healthy subjects two overlapping reflexes: p11/n15 and p16/n21 waves, whose origin has not yet been demonstrated. Our purpose was to test which receptor in the inner ear is responsible for these reflexes. We compared masseter EMG responses induced in normal subjects (n = 9) by loud clicks (70-100 dB normal hearing level (NHL), 0.1 ms, 3 Hz) to those evoked in subjects with a selective lesion of the cochlea (n = 5), of the vestibule (n = 1) or with mixed cochlear-vestibular failure (n = 5). In controls, 100 dB clicks induced bilaterally, in the unrectified mean EMG (unrEMG), a clear p11 wave followed by a less clear n15 wave and a subsequent n21 wave. Lowering the intensity to 70 dB clicks abolished the p11/n15 wave, while a p16 wave appeared. Rectified mean EMG (rectEMG) showed, at all intensities, an inhibitory deflection corresponding to the p16/n21 wave in the unrEMG. Compared to controls, all deaf subjects had a normal p11 wave, together with more prominent n15 wave; however, the p16/n21 waves, and their corresponding inhibition in the rectEMG, were absent. The vestibular patient had bilaterally clear p11 waves only when 100 dB clicks were delivered bilaterally or to the unaffected ear. Stimulation of the affected ear induced only p16/n21 waves. Data from mixed patients were consistent with those of deaf and vestibular patients. We conclude that click-induced masseter p11/n15 waves are vestibular dependent, while p16/n21 waves depend on cochlear integrity.

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Abstract Objective To date, no attention has been devoted to the employment of eccentric contractions to manage spasticity in multiple sclerosis. This single-system case series aimed to explore the effects of eccentric training on spasticity-related resistance to passive motion in people with multiple sclerosis with elbow flexor spasticity. Methods Six people with multiple sclerosis (median Expanded Disability Status Scale score = 4.8, range = 2.0–5.5; Modified Ashworth Scale [MAS] score ≤ 3) underwent a 6-week eccentric strength training of the spastic muscles. Before and after the intervention, the following outcomes were assessed: resistive peak torque (RPT), isometric strength, resting limb position, passive range of motion and active range of motion, severity of hypertonia by MAS, and numerical rating scale. At baseline, the primary outcome (RPT) was tested over 3 time points to ensure a stable measurement. The 2-SD method was used to test pre-post training effects at individual level. Group-level analyses were also performed. Results Following the intervention RPT decreased by at least 2 SDs in all participants but 1, with a significant reduction at group level of 41.6 (29.6)%. Four people with multiple sclerosis reported a reduction in perceived spasticity severity. No changes in MAS score were detected. Group-level analyses revealed that maximal strength increased significantly in the trained elbow flexors (+30.9 [9.1]%). Elbow flexion at rest was found to be significantly reduced (−35.5 [12.4]%), whereas passive range of motion (+4.6%) and active range of motion (+11.8%) significantly increased. Conclusion Eccentric training is feasible and safe to manage spasticity in people with multiple sclerosis. Preliminary data showed that this protocol can reduce resistance to passive motion, also improving strength, spasticity-free range of motion, and limb positioning. Impact Patients with multiple sclerosis–related spasticity and moderate-to-severe disability can benefit from adding slow submaximal eccentric contractions to the conventional management of spasticity.

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