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Despite the use of digital communication technologies in neurocognitive rehabilitation has been widely used in face-to-face interventions, the difficulties of using ICT-based tools to provide rehabilitation services and the unfamiliarity of the neuropsychologists with internet interventions limited the use of these kinds of interventions in their clinical practices. The lockdown and mitigating measures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, on the other hand, forced the use of at-distance and online interventions as a means to mitigate the impact of those measures on the mental health and rehabilitation processes of people with neurological disorders. Overall, little is known about the perspectives of patients with acquired neurological conditions about rehabilitation services delivered at distance. Therefore, the main goal of this study was to explore the perceptions that patients with neurological disorders have on at-distance online neurocognitive rehabilitation, namely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sixteen patients with acquired neurological conditions attending an online neurocognitive rehabilitation program in a Portuguese rehabilitation center filled in an online questionnaire during the mandatory lockdown. The results of this study highlight the potential of delivering rehabilitation services at distance, presenting its advantages and limitations from patients' perspectives, as well as suggestions for improving both neurorehabilitation processes and the online rehabilitation platform used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a neurodegenerative brain disease that affects patient’s functionality and quality of life. Physiotherapy should be recommended at the time of diagnosis to slow the progression of disability and enhance the quality of life of these patients. Clinical presentation: Here, we describe three cases of patients with PSP, outlining their motor and non-motor symptoms and examining their clinical progression with physiotherapy intervention. During the initial intervention years, a reduction in the number of falls was achieved, along with improvements in gait and balance. Conclusion: Exercise and physiotherapy appear to be beneficial for patients with PSP by enhancing their functionality and quality of life. Controlling or reducing the number of falls should be the primary goal of any intervention for patients with PSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers who have been assessing the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation (CR) programs are expressing a growing concern with the validity of the assessment protocols and have tried to improve them by including multidomain measures in addition to cognitive and behavioral ones. Within this scope, changes in brain functioning associated with CR are being reported through the analysis of neural correlates. Nonetheless, the influence of CR on functional connectivity (FC) and its relationship with the behavioral outcomes conventionally used are still unclear. A systematic review of the literature was performed, up to January 2021, through a search on EBSCOhost, PubMed, and Web of Science, which targeted empirical studies assessing the efficacy of CR programs in adults, with FC as an outcome. This review included 51 studies, whose methodological quality was assessed through Cicerone's classification. We present the characteristics of the studies, the cognitive rehabilitation programs, as well as the techniques, protocols and methods used to measure FC. All of the CR programs used in the studies were associated with significant improvements in FC, and the majority of these programs were also related to significant improvements in behavioral outcomes. In addition, 32 studies that analyzed the relationship between behavioral and neural outcomes had reported that changes in FC were significantly associated with improvements in behavioral outcomes, namely in cognitive functioning, quality of life, and affective domains. Despite the high methodological heterogeneity of the studies, FC seems to be a proper indicator of the efficacy of CR programs, unveiling the importance of its use combined with behavioral outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Educational Psychology is the property of International Journal of Educational Psychology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The fascination with brain research is widespread, and school teachers are no exception. This growing interest, usually noticed by the increased supply of short-term training or books on how to turn the brain more efficient, leads us to think about their basic training and outreach resources available. Little is known about what the official Initial Teacher Training (ITT) offers concerning the brain literature and if it meets scientific standards. Also, what are the science communication materials that teachers can access to learn about the developing brain remain undiscussed. First, we examined the ITT courses taught in Portuguese Higher Education, both in public and private institutions, to identify the syllabus with updated neuroscientific knowledge. Second, we searched for the neuroscience-related books published in the last 6 years through the National Library of Portugal database. Thirty ITT courses and 35 outreach publications were reviewed through a rapid review methodology. Our results showed an absence of curricular units indicating in their programs that brain research, and its relationship with learning, would be taught in a representative and updated way. In contrast, the number of brain-related books for educators increased in Portugal, corroborating the demand for this field of study by these professionals. Based on the literature that shows how misunderstandings about the brain have increased in school contexts, our discussion recognizes that science outreach could be a way to increase the scientific literacy of school teachers with the research community working more in this direction, but, since a previous problem seems to be unsolved, there is an urgent need for specialized attention to the development of training curricula for future kindergarten and elementary school teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we aim to disentangle pantomime from early signs in a newly-born sign language: Sao Tome and Principe Sign Language. Our results show that within 2 years of their first contact with one another, a community of 100 participants interacting everyday was able to build a shared language. The growth of linguistic systematicity, which included a decrease in use of pantomime, reduction of the amplitude of signs and an increase in articulation economy, showcases a learning, and social interaction process that constitutes a continuum and not a cut-off system. The human cognitive system is endowed with mechanisms for symbolization that allow the process of arbitrariness to unfold and the expansion of linguistic complexity. Our study helps to clarify the role of pantomime in a new sign language and how this role might be linked with language itself, showing implications for language evolution research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Portuguesa de Pedagogia is the property of Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The temporal modulation structure of speech plays a key role in neural encoding of the speech signal. Amplitude modulations (AMs, quasi-rhythmic changes in signal energy or intensity) in speech are encoded by neuronal oscillations (rhythmic variations in neural excitability in large cell networks) that oscillate at matching temporal rates. To date, however, all neural studies have investigated adult-directed speech (ADS) as produced and perceived by highly literate adults. Whether temporal features of ADS vary with the skills of the speaker, for example literacy skills, is currently unknown. Here we analyse the temporal structure of ADS spoken by illiterate, low literate (≤ 4 years of literacy) and highly literate (≥ 12 years of literacy) adults. We find that illiterates produce speech differently. Spontaneous conversational speech produced by illiterate adults showed significantly less synchronised coupling between AM bands (less phase synchronisation) than conversational speech produced by low literate and highly literate adults, and contained significantly fewer syllables per second. There was also a significant relationship between years of literacy and the amount of theta-band energy in conversational speech. When asked to produce rhythmic proverbs learned in childhood, all groups could produce speech with similar AM phase synchronisation, suggesting that the differences in spontaneous conversational speech were not caused by physiological constraints. The data suggest that the temporal modulation structure of spoken language changes with the acquisition of cultural skills like literacy that are usually a product of schooling. There is a cultural effect on the temporal modulation structure of spoken language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This article assumes that, in order to improve evidence-based practice in physiotherapy, practitioners need sophisticated epistemic beliefs. Epistemic beliefs, or how physiotherapists view knowledge and how they come to this knowledge, are an important factor. A high sophistication of epistemic beliefs is linked to better handling of the complexity and uncertainty of daily practice and the variety of evidence resources associated with this practice. Materials and methods: This study explored the epistemic beliefs of physiotherapists in 10 different countries in Europe using an online survey: the Connotative Aspects of Epistemic Beliefs (CAEB). Results and conclusions: The study resulted in 1419 surveys. The epistemic beliefs proved to be of little difference between countries, showing a low to moderate sophistication in epistemic beliefs. Given the similar results between countries, this study also suggested the possibility of collaborating internationally in developing an epistemology in physiotherapy that is more suited to the complexity of current demands on health systems. The development of sophistication in epistemic beliefs should be firmly on the agenda for the education of physiotherapists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The holistic view of the person is the essence of the physiotherapy. Knowledge of approaches that develop the whole person promotes better patient outcomes. Multisensory Self-referential stimulation, more than a unisensory one, seems to produce a holistic experience of the Self (“Core-Self”).Objectives: (1) To analyze the somatotopic brain activation during unisensory and multisensorial Self-referential stimulus; and (2) to understand if the areas activated by multisensorial Self-referential stimulation are the ones responsible for the “Core-Self.”Methods: An exploratory functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was performed with 10 healthy subjects, under the stimulation of the lower limbs with three Self-referential stimuli: unisensory auditory-verbal, unisensory tactile-manual, and multisensory, applying the unisensory stimuli simultaneously.Results: Unisensory stimulation elicits bilateral activations of the temporoparietal junction (TPJ), of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), of the primary motor cortex (BA4), of the premotor cortex (BA6) and of BA44; multisensory stimulation also elicits activity in TPJ, BA4, and BA6, and when compared with unisensory stimuli, activations were found in: (1) Cortical and subcortical midline structures—BA7 (precuneus), BA9 (medial prefrontal cortex), BA30 (posterior cingulated), superior colliculum and posterior cerebellum; and (2) Posterior lateral cortex—TPJ, posterior BA13 (insula), BA19, and BA37. Bilateral TPJ is the one that showed the biggest activation volume.Conclusion: This specific multisensory stimulation produces a brain activation map in regions that are responsible for multisensory Self-processing and may represent the Core-Self. We recommend the use of this specific multisensory stimulation as a physiotherapy intervention strategy that might promote the Self-reorganization. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this study is to present an fMRI paradigm, based on the Williams inhibition test (WIT), to study attentional and inhibitory control and their neuroanatomical substrates. We present an index of the validity of the proposed paradigm and test whether the experimental task discriminates the behavioral performances of healthy participants from those of individuals with acquired brain injury. Stroop and Simon tests present similarities with WIT, but this latter is more demanding. We analyze the BOLD signal in 10 healthy participants performing the WIT. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the inferior prefrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex, and the posterior cingulate cortex were defined for specified region of interest analysis. We additionally compare behavioral data (hits, errors, reaction times) of the healthy participants with those of eight acquired brain injury patients. Data were analyzed with GLM-based random effects and Mann-Whitney tests. Results show the involvement of the defined regions and indicate that the WIT is sensitive to brain lesions. This WIT-based block design paradigm can be used as a research methodology for behavioral and neuroimaging studies of the attentional and inhibitory components of executive functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the presence of a Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III) cognitive profile in a Portuguese neurologic injured sample. The Portuguese WAIS-III was administered to 81 mixed neurologic patients and 81 healthy matched controls selected from the Portuguese standardization sample. Although the mixed neurologic injury group performed significantly lower than the healthy controls for the majority of the WAIS-III scores (i.e., composite measures, discrepancies, and subtests), the mean scores were within the normal range and, therefore, at risk of being unobserved in a clinical evaluation. ROC curves analysis showed poor to acceptable diagnostic accuracy for the WAIS-III composite measures and subtests (Working Memory Index and Digit Span revealed the highest accuracy for discriminating between participants, respectively). Multiple regression analysis showed that both literacy and the presence of brain injury were significant predictors for all of the composite measures. In addition, multiple regression analysis also showed that literacy, age of injury onset, and years of survival predicted all seven composite measures for the mixed neurologic injured group. Despite the failure to find a WAIS-III cognitive profile for mixed neurologic patients, the results showed a significant influence of brain lesion and literacy in the performance of the WAIS-III. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: One of the consequences of rethinking evidence-based practice in physiotherapy is acknowledging the complexity and the different kinds of knowledge used in the decision-making of physiotherapists. This has profound consequences for the kinds of knowledge that should be researched and synthesised in order to inform practice. Methods: A critical review of review methodology was carried out and results were interpreted using narrative synthesis. Findings: This article focuses on how to generalise (synthesise) different kinds of knowledge with the available review methodology in order to adequately inform physiotherapy practice. It does so by suggesting a set of key steps and offering a brief overview of review methodology. Conclusions: More awareness and use of the diversity in review methodology in physiotherapy can improve theory building and inform practice better. Reviewers could increase the impact of their studies by focusing more on the external validity of methods and results. The article finishes with recommendations for improving the critical use of different review methodologies for physiotherapy practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to propose a new functional magnetic resonance imaging ( fMRI) paradigm using a language-free adaptation of a 2-back working memory task to avoid cultural and educational bias. We additionally provide an index of the validity of the proposed paradigm and test whether the experimental task discriminates the behavioural performances of healthy participants from those of individuals with working memory deficits. Ten healthy participants and nine patients presenting working memory ( WM) deficits due to acquired brain injury ( ABI) performed the developed task. To inspect whether the paradigm activates brain areas typically involved in visual working memory ( VWM), brain activation of the healthy participants was assessed with fMRIs. To examine the task's capacity to discriminate behavioural data, performances of the healthy participants in the task were compared with those of ABI patients. Data were analysed with GLM-based random effects procedures and t-tests. We found an increase of the BOLD signal in the specialized areas of VWM. Concerning behavioural performances, healthy participants showed the predicted pattern of more hits, less omissions and a tendency for fewer false alarms, more self-corrected responses, and faster reaction times, when compared with subjects presenting WM impairments. The results suggest that this task activates brain areas involved in VWM and discriminates behavioural performances of clinical and non-clinical groups. It can thus be used as a research methodology for behavioural and neuroimaging studies of VWM in block-design paradigms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article assumes that epistemological beliefs of physiotherapists are an important determinant in improving the concept of evidence-based practice. Little research has been done on epistemological beliefs in physiotherapy. In order to measure the sophistication of epistemological beliefs in future research, two complementary questionnaires (DEBQ and CAEB) were cross-culturally adapted in nine different countries and seven languages in Europe. A standardized seven-step guideline was used to translate and culturally validate the questionnaires. The questionnaires were distributed in the respective countries, resulting in 1386 participants. The psychometric values were analysed in order to verify consistency and validity. Based on the validation process, the instruments are considered to be validly adapted for the countries involved. The uniformity in the adaptation process allows for future comparison of the countries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The literature lacks information on the performance of patients with brain tumors on the Wechsler Intelligence Scales. This study aimed to explore the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III) performance profile of 23 consecutive patients with brain tumors and 23 matched controls selected from the Portuguese WAIS-III standardization sample, using the technical manual steps recommended for score interpretation. The control group was demographically matched to the tumor group regarding gender, age, education, profession, and geographic region. The technical manual steps recommended for score interpretation were applied. Patients with brain tumors had significantly lower performances on the Performance IQ, Full-Scale IQ, Perceptual Organization Index, Working Memory Index, Processing Speed Index, Arithmetic, Object Assembly, and Picture Arrangement, though all scaled scores were within the normal range according to the manual tables. Only Vocabulary and Comprehension scatter scores were statistically different between groups. No strengths or weaknesses were found for either group. The mean discrepancy scores do not appear to have clinical value for this population. In conclusion, the study results did not reveal a specific profile for patients with brain tumors on the WAIS-III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a research on reliability and validity of the European Portuguese version of the Social Touch Questionnaire. Topics discussed include importance of social touch for physical and emotional well-being; development of bonding or avoidant behaviors through physical contact during social interactions; and evaluation of psychometric properties of Portuguese university students.

The effectiveness of 'hands-on' physiotherapy for stroke is unclear. The objective here is to analyze the effectiveness of such interventions on movement-related International Classification of Functionality, Disability and Health (ICF) categories. A systematic review was undertaken of randomized controlled trials published since 1980, using the following criteria: stroke, humans, ≥ 18 years, outcomes related to ICF movement-related categories, physiotherapeutic handling techniques, control group as placebo or no intervention, including experiments where both groups have the same intervention and the experimental group has one extra intervention. Nine studies were included and a best evidence synthesis is presented. Recommendations with limited evidence favor slow-stroke back massage for shoulder pain, range-of-motion exercises for upper-limb and lower-limb structures and functions of muscles and joints, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) for gait step, walking backwards with hip facilitation for gait parameters and performance, and conventional physiotherapy with facilitation techniques for gait parameters. Recommendations with indicative findings favor PNF with trunk rhythmic stabilizations for function and mobility of upper limbs. Recommendations with limited evidence show the non-efficacy of Bobath therapy for upper-limb function and activity and facilitation of the step on body weight support treadmill training for gait parameters and performance. In conclusion, some hands-on interventions have limited evidence in stroke rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain activity knowledge of healthy subjects is an important reference in the context of motor control and reeducation. While the normal brain behavior for upper-limb motor control has been widely explored, the same is not true for lower-limb control. Also the effects that different stimuli can evoke on movement and respective brain activity are important in the context of motor potentialization and reeducation. For a better understanding of these processes, a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to collect data of 10 healthy subjects performing lower-limb multijoint functional movement under three stimuli: verbal stimulus, manual facilitation, and verbal + manual facilitation. Results showed that, with verbal stimulus, both lower limbs elicit bilateral cortical brain activation; with manual facilitation, only the left lower limb (LLL) elicits bilateral activation while the right lower limb (RLL) elicits contralateral activation; verbal + manual facilitation elicits bilateral activation for the LLL and contralateral activation for the RLL. Manual facilitation also elicits subcortical activation in white matter, the thalamus, pons, and cerebellum. Deactivations were also found for lower-limb movement. Manual facilitation is stimulus capable of generating brain activity in healthy subjects. Stimuli need to be specific for bilateral activation and regarding which brain areas we aim to activate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Educational neuroscience is a relatively new discipline. However, many obstacles persist in delaying the success of an interface between neuroscience and education. One such major obstacle has been the spread of neuromyths. Purpose: The main aim of this study was to verify whether Portuguese teachers are susceptible to misinterpreting neuroscientific findings and believe in neuromyths that might ultimately impair their teaching – or simply waste time investing in techniques that will not aid their students. Sample: A sample of 583 Portuguese teachers from different areas of expertise participated in this study. The participants were aged between 25 and 61 years (mean=41; SD=9) and taught at Preschool to High School levels. Design and methods: We designed a questionnaire to assess whether teachers believed in the neuromyths. Non-myth/myth statements were presented, alongside an open-ended question concerning the links between brain and education. Together, these queries afforded a database of the teachers’ knowledge concerning neuroscientific facts and neuromyths. Results: Our results suggest that teachers fail to distinguish myths from facts, irrespective of the area taught and level of teaching. However, our findings also indicate that, although teachers have difficulties in untangling myths from facts, Portuguese teachers are interested in the workings of the brain and recognise the potential of neuroscientific information in education. Conclusions: Results from this study suggest that communication between neuroscientists and teachers must be improved through an open, interdisciplinary dialogue. This research raises questions that should help to develop educational neuroscience as a discipline. Namely, we highlight the need for a translation of the educational neuroscience facts into a language shared by teachers; and the need for specific training so that teachers might make adequate use of education-related neuroscientific findings in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study aimed to assess how the capacity to acquire, form and consolidate motor memories might vary across different tasks and different groups (with and without motor expertise). 20 athletes and 21 non-athletes were tested on five motor tasks: a motor sequence task, a reaction time task, two visuo-manual tasks, and a balance task. Performance was measured before training (T0), immediately after training (T1), and 24 hours after training (T2), to assess motor acquisition and motor memory formation and consolidation. T2 performance was higher in both groups, without additional training, on the motor sequence task, reaction time task and one of the visuo-manual tasks (Pouring Task). Athletes had better baseline performance at T0 than non-athletes on these tasks. Findings suggest that differential formation and consolidation processes underlie different motor tasks. Although athletes did not outperform non-athletes on motor memory consolidation, they were more efficient in acquiring novel tasks, perhaps because the required motor schemas might have been based on previously acquired ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acquisition of new perceptual-motor skills depends on multiple brain areas, including the striatum. However, the specific contribution of each structure to this type of learning is still poorly understood. Focusing on the striatum, we proposed (a) to replicate the finding of impaired rotary pursuit (RP) and preserved mirror tracing (MT) in Huntington's disease (HD); and (b) to further explore this putative learning dissociation with other human models of striatal dysfunction (i.e., Parkinson's disease and focal vascular damage) and two new paradigms (i.e., Geometric Figures, GF, and Control Stick, CS) of skill learning. Regardless of the etiology, participants with damage to the striatum showed impaired learning of visuomotor tracking skills (i.e., RP and GF), whereas the ability to learn skills that require motor adaptation (i.e., MT and CS) was not affected. These results suggest a task-specific involvement of the striatum in the early stages of skill learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature suggests that illiterate subjects are unaware of the phonological structure of language. This fact may influence the characteristics of aphasic speech, namely the structure of paraphasias. A battery of tests was developed for this study to be used with aphasic subjects (literate and illiterate), in order to explore this topic in more detail. This article aims to present the experimental design and the results of this test battery composed of two sub-tests: (i) a naming test with words that belong to three distinct groups: high frequency simple words (HFSW), low frequency simple words (LFSW), and low frequency complex words (LFCW); and (ii) a word repetition test. The variables of literacy, frequency and word morphology, and their effect on the performance of aphasic groups, were correlated in this study. Morphology was the variable that exercised the greatest influence on the verbal production of the participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Normative data were collected on a sample of 503 Portuguese children who were taking part in a dental study. At the outset, the children were aged 8-11.9 years, with an average of just over 10. A standard battery of neurobehavioral tests covering learning and memory, visual-motor function, and attention was administered at baseline and during seven subsequent years. Normative test data are presented separately by gender and by age at study inception (younger versus older). Results provide normative data for use in clinical settings, where dissociations in performance between cognitive domains need to be identified for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current understanding of hemispheric interaction is limited. Functional hemispheric specialization is likely to depend on both genetic and environmental factors. In the present study we investigated the importance of one factor, literacy, for the functional lateralization in the inferior parietal cortex in two independent samples of literate and illiterate subjects. The results show that the illiterate group are consistently more right-lateralized than their literate controls. In contrast, the two groups showed a similar degree of left–right differences in early speech-related regions of the superior temporal cortex. These results provide evidence suggesting that a cultural factor, literacy, influences the functional hemispheric balance in reading and verbal working memory-related regions. In a third sample, we investigated grey and white matter with voxel-based morphometry. The results showed differences between literacy groups in white matter intensities related to the mid-body region of the corpus callosum and the inferior parietal and parietotemporal regions (literate > illiterate). There were no corresponding differences in the grey matter. This suggests that the influence of literacy on brain structure related to reading and verbal working memory is affecting large-scale brain connectivity more than grey matter per se. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Dental (silver) amalgam is a widely used restorative material containing 50% elemental mercury that emits small amounts of mercury vapor. No randomized clinical trials have determined whether there are significant health risks associated with this low-level mercury exposure.Objective: To assess the safety of dental amalgam restorations in children.Design: A randomized clinical trial in which children requiring dental restorative treatment were randomized to either amalgam for posterior restorations or resin composite instead of amalgam. Enrollment commenced February 1997, with annual follow-up for 7 years concluding in July 2005.Setting and Participants: A total of 507 children in Lisbon, Portugal, aged 8 to 10 years with at least 1 carious lesion on a permanent tooth, no previous exposure to amalgam, urinary mercury level <10 microg/L, blood lead level <15 microg/dL, Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal Intelligence IQ > or =67, and with no interfering health conditions.Intervention: Routine, standard-of-care dental treatment, with one group receiving amalgam restorations for posterior lesions (n = 253) and the other group receiving resin composite restorations instead of amalgam (n = 254).Main Outcome Measures: Neurobehavioral assessments of memory, attention/concentration, and motor/visuomotor domains, as well as nerve conduction velocities.Results: During the 7-year trial period, children had a mean of 18.7 tooth surfaces (median, 16) restored in the amalgam group and 21.3 (median, 18) restored in the composite group. Baseline mean creatinine-adjusted urinary mercury levels were 1.8 microg/g in the amalgam group and 1.9 microg/g in the composite group, but during follow-up were 1.0 to 1.5 microg/g higher in the amalgam group than in the composite group (P<.001). There were no statistically significant differences in measures of memory, attention, visuomotor function, or nerve conduction velocities (average z scores were very similar, near zero) for the amalgam and composite groups over all 7 years of follow-up, with no statistically significant differences observed at any time point (P values from .29 to .91). Starting at 5 years after initial treatment, the need for additional restorative treatment was approximately 50% higher in the composite group.Conclusions: In this study, children who received dental restorative treatment with amalgam did not, on average, have statistically significant differences in neurobehavioral assessments or in nerve conduction velocity when compared with children who received resin composite materials without amalgam. These findings, combined with the trend of higher treatment need later among those receiving composite, suggest that amalgam should remain a viable dental restorative option for children.Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00066118. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a medical study examining the safety of dental amalgam restorations in children. Dental amalgams release small amounts of mercury vapor into the body. On average, there were no significant statistical differences in neurobehavioral assessments or in nerve conduction velocity between children who were treated with dental amalgams and those who were treated with resin composite materials without amalgam. The study concludes that dental amalgams should continue to be a viable treatment option for children.

Dopamine agonists have been recommended as early treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD), alone or combined with levodopa. Piribedil is a non-ergot selective D2/D3 agonist with α2 antagonist properties shown to be effective in the treatment of PD. This 12-month international, randomized, double-blind trial aimed to assess the efficacy of piribedil 150 mg versus bromocriptine 25 mg, in early combination with levodopa in Stage I to III PD patients. Motor efficacy was assessed using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS III, Items 18-31) as improvement from baseline. Response rate was defined as a 30% improvement. Among the 425 randomly assigned patients, 178 were also included in a substudy on cognitive follow-up evaluated by a dysexecutive syndrome oriented battery. A relevant improvement in UPDRS III over the 12-month study duration was observed both in the piribedil and bromocriptine groups (−7.9 ± 9.7 points from baseline versus −8.0 ± 9.5; not significant [n.s.]) with a response rate of 58.4% and 55.3% (n.s.), respectively. Piribedil and bromocriptine resulted in similar improvement on all UPDRS III subscores. Piribedil patients required less levodopa dose increase than those on bromocriptine. Cognitive performance remained generally unchanged in both groups, with a significant effect of piribedil limited to the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. An overall good tolerability of piribedil was observed. Early combination of piribedil 150 mg with levodopa resulted in significant long-term improvement of all motor symptoms in PD patients insufficiently controlled by levodopa alone. Taking into account both efficacy and acceptability in the long-term, piribedil proved in this bromocriptine controlled study to be an effective and safe treatment for PD. © 2005 Movement Disorder Society [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study normative data were obtained on measures of IQ, visual/motor, motor and memory functions among Portuguese elementary school children. Subjects were 228 females and 275 males, 8.0 to 11.9 years of age, in grades 2 through 4, who participated in a dental study. Performance on all tests improved with increasing age. Females performed better in rote verbal learning, psychomotor speed, and speed of information processing. Males had higher scores on tests of visual learning, visual memory, and fine motor speed and coordination. Nonverbal IQ had a significant impact on all tests except motor speed and coordination. Results represent an initial attempt to evaluate Portuguese children in educational and medical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Psychology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Piribedil is a non-ergot D2/D3 agonist with a significant antagonist action on α2A and α2C adrenergic receptor subtypes. This double-blind placebo-controlled study was undertaken to confirm the efficacy of 150 mg/day piribedil po in improving motor symptoms of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) in nonfluctuating patients insufficiently controlled by a stable daily dose of levodopa ( L-dopa). Efficacy was assessed using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) III score as primary criterion over 4 months. A second comparison was planned at 6 months, after possible adjustment of L-dopa. At 4 months, the rate of response, defined as a 30% decrease from baseline on UPDRS III score, was significantly greater with piribedil compared with placebo (56.4% vs. 37.7%; P = 0.040). At 6 months, the better efficacy of piribedil was maintained (61.8% of responders vs. 39.6% on placebo; P = 0.020). The difference between groups on UPDRS III change from baseline reached statistical significance only at 6 months: −10.0 points in the piribedil group vs. −6.7 points in the placebo group ( P = 0.037). Secondary end-points were not significantly different. The most frequently reported adverse events were gastrointestinal symptoms (27 of 61 patients in the piribedil group vs. 13 of 54 patients in the placebo group). In conclusion, a 6-month oral administration of 150 mg/day piribedil in combination with L-dopa is well tolerated, except for minor gastrointestinal symptoms at the beginning of the treatment and significantly improves motor symptoms compared with placebo in PD nonfluctuating patients. © 2003 Movement Disorder Society [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain adaptation to the type of information that is processed has been documented in several conditions in animals and humans. Illiteracy due to social reasons is a good source of information to investigate the adaptation mechanisms to the formal knowledge of written language. In this paper, a series of studies addressing this topic are reviewed. Illiterate subjects and their carefully selected controls were compared in several experimental conditions. It is concluded that schooling and in particular the knowledge of orthography introduces in the brain new strategies for information processing that manifest themselves in task performance, in brain activation studies and in anatomical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Comparable subjects except for the knowledge of orthography and school attendance in the proper age provided the case material for a series of studies that are reviewed. The results suggest that the acquisition of orthographic skills provides a basis for changes in the pattern of activation of the brain. NEUROSCIENTIST 6(6):475-482, 2000 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phrenology is nowadays often considered as a pseudoscience and a reason for ironic comments. This theory was based on the ideas of Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828). He was indeed a fine neuroscientist that called attention to the cerebral cortex and suggested for the first time that mental functions were the result of the activity of cortical "organs." The methodology used reveals interesting predictive aspects for what our current practice is. However, the interpretations of the observations were often more in accordance with the predicted heuristic model than with the real findings. Spurzheim (1776-1832) was first his student and then his collaborator. He traveled around the world lecturing and making phrenology a popular science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous behavioral and functional neuroimaging data indicate that certain aspects of phonological processing may not be acquired spontaneously, but are modulated by learning an alphabetic written language, that is, learning to read and write. It appears that learning an alphabetic written language modifies the auditory-verbal (spoken) language processing competence in a nontrivial way. We have previously suggested, based on behavioral and functional neuroimaging data, that auditory-verbal and written language interact not only during certain language tasks, but that learning and developing alphabetic written language capacities significantly modulates the spoken language system. Specifically, the acquisition of alphabetic orthographic knowledge has a modulatory influence on sublexical phonological processing and the awareness of sublexical phonological structure. We have suggested that developing an orthographic representation system for an alphabetic written language, and integrating a phoneme-grapheme correspondence with an existing infrastructure for auditory-verbal language processing, will result in a modified language network. Specifically, we suggest that the parallel interactive processing characteristics of the underlying language-processing brain network differ in literate and illiterate subjects. Therefore, the pattern of interactions between the regions of a suitably defined large-scale functional-anatomical network for language processing will differ between literate and illiterate subjects during certain language tasks. In order to investigate this hypothesis further, we analyzed the observed covariance structure in a PET data set from a simple auditory-verbal repetition paradigm in literate and illiterate subjects, with a network approach based on structural equation modeling (SEM). Based on a simple network model for language processing, the results of the present network analysis indicate that the network interactions during word and pseudoword repetition in the illiterate group differ, while there were no significant differences in the literate group. The differences between the two tasks in the illiterate group may reflect differences in attentional modulation of the language network, executive aspects of verbal working memory and the articulatory organization of verbal output. There were no significant differences between the literate and illiterate group during word repetition. In contrast, the network interactions differed between the literate and illiterate group during pseudoword repetition. In addition to differences similar to those observed in the illiterate group between word and pseudoword repetition, there were differences related to the interactions of the phonological loop between the groups. In particular, these differences related to the interaction between Broca's area and the inferior parietal cortex as well as the posterior-midinsula bridge between Wernicke's and Broca's area. In conclusion, the results of this network analysis are consistent with our previously presented results and support the hypothesis that learning to read and write during childhood influences the functional architecture of the adult human brain. In particular, the basic auditory-verbal language network in the human brain is modified as a consequence of acquiring orthographic language skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Focal spasticity can be a major drawback in the rehabilitation of stroke patients. Previous studies suggest a beneficial effect for botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) for relief of spasticity.Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of BTX-A in the treatment of spasticity in a homogeneous group of stroke patients.Methods: In this phase III open label trial 19 stroke patients stable for at least six months were enrolled (mean age 53.1 (SD 3.27) years; range 26-72). There were 16 males and 4 females.Assessments: Clinical (Ashworth spasticity rating scale, scores for joint mobility, pain and frequency of spasms, Frenchay arm test (FAT)) and subjective (semi-quantitative rating scale filled out by the patient). Only hand and finger flexors were injected. The maximum dosage was 150 U BOTOX® (25 U/muscle), the mean dosage was 92.1 ± 31.6 U BOTOX®.Results: Ashworth rating scale and joint mobility scores improved from a median value of 2 at baseline to a median value of 1 one month after treatment, FAT scores also improved from a median value of 0 at baseline to a median value of 1 one month after treatment (Kruskall-Wallis test p < 0.01). Two-thirds of the patients rated their functional improvement as none or mild.Conclusions: Our study confirmed that BTX-A has an anti-spastic effect but its functional impact needs further evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]