Exploring the Efficacy of Using Ischemic Preconditioning (IPC) to Improve Neural Recruitment During Resistance Exercise After Spinal Cord Injury (SCI).

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Description
The relationship between ischemic preconditioning and performance measures in able-bodied athletic populations have been thoroughly studied within the literature and demonstrated significant performance improvements. However, there is currently only one human study investigating how IPC can impact performance measures in

The relationship between ischemic preconditioning and performance measures in able-bodied athletic populations have been thoroughly studied within the literature and demonstrated significant performance improvements. However, there is currently only one human study investigating how IPC can impact performance measures in individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI). The mechanism that influences these performance improvements is still not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of IPC in this population on performance measures, muscular force, and neural contribution. This study utilized 4 participants who have experienced a SCI. The study design was a repeated-measures, cross-over model. It consisted of an IPC (220mmHg) and SHAM (20mmHg) condition in random order. Functional measures of skeletal muscle force and neural measures with surface electromyography were recorded. The performance measures were maximum voluntary contractions (MVC) of the forearm muscles and a time to task failure (TTF) handgrip test. Results: IPC did not improve performance output between both conditions in a TTF handgrip test (IPC: 25.295±10.371 mins; SHAM: 20.958±7.621 mins). IPC did not improve muscular force recorded as MVC (IPC: 571.38 241.83 N; SHAM: 543.32±210.89 N). IPC did not improve neural recruitment suggested in root mean square (RMS) values during the TTF handgrip test in both measured muscles, the flexor carpi radialis (FCR) and the flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU), (FCR RMS: p = 0.564; FCU RMS: p = 0.863). More data is need for statistical relevance and to determine if there is a relationship between IPC and performance in individuals who have experienced a SCI, and if neural contribution plays a role.
Date Created
2022
Agent

Correlational Analysis Between Speech and Gait in Parkinson's Disease

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Description
Parkinson’s Disease is one of the most complicated and abundantneurodegenerative diseases in the world. Previous analysis of Parkinson’s disease has identified both speech and gait deficits throughout progression of the disease. There has been minimal research looking into the correlation between both

Parkinson’s Disease is one of the most complicated and abundantneurodegenerative diseases in the world. Previous analysis of Parkinson’s disease has identified both speech and gait deficits throughout progression of the disease. There has been minimal research looking into the correlation between both the speech and gait deficits in those diagnosed with Parkinson’s. There is high indication that there is a correlation between the two given the similar pathology and origins of both deficits. This exploratory study aims to establish correlation between both the gait and speech deficits in those diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Using previously identified motor and speech measurements and tasks, I conducted a correlational study of individuals with Parkinson’s disease at baseline. There were correlations between multiple speech and gait variability outcomes. The expected correlations ranged from average harmonics-to-noise ratio values against anticipatory postural adjustments-lateral peak distance to average shimmer values against anticipatory postural adjustments-lateral peak distance. There were also unexpected outcomes that ranged from F2 variability against the average number of steps in a turn to intensity variability against step duration variability. I also analyzed the speech changes over 1 year as a secondary outcome of the study. Finally, I found that averages and variabilities increased over 1 year regarding speech primary outcomes. This study serves as a basis for further treatment that may be able to simultaneously treat both speech and gait deficits in those diagnosed with Parkinson’s. The exploratory study also indicates multiple targets for further investigation to better understand cohesive and compensatory mechanisms.
Date Created
2022
Agent

The Effects of Ballet Specific Training on Balance in Young Individuals with Down
syndrome

Description
The genetic disorder Down syndrome (DS), clinically known as Trisomy 21, is characterized by the presence of either a part or full extra copy of chromosome 21. When compared with children of typical development, children with DS consistently score lower

The genetic disorder Down syndrome (DS), clinically known as Trisomy 21, is characterized by the presence of either a part or full extra copy of chromosome 21. When compared with children of typical development, children with DS consistently score lower on gross motor skill tasks. Balance specifically is one of the hardest skills for individuals with DS (especially children) to acquire, and neglecting to train balance early on can predispose individuals with DS to further movement instabilities, injuries, social struggles from activity limitations, and an overall lack of independence. One of the more unique forms of physical activity that requires a large amount of both static and dynamic balance is ballet. Dance-specific therapy has been shown to improve gross motor control functioning and specifically balance in a variety of populations with neuromuscular condions, but the research around ballet-specific therapy for those with DS is lacking. The purpose of this pilot study was to further investigate the effects of ballet-specific training on balance ability and general motor functioning in young students with DS as measured by the Four Square Step Test (FSST), Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS), and the gross and fine motor domains of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale lll (VABS lll). It was hypothesized that participation in the 6-week summer cohort of Ballet Arizona’s Adaptive Dance Program would lead to improved scores on the PBS and VABS lll and decreased test times in the FSST. Improvements were observed for all measures for both participants (sample size n=2), except for P1's FSST, which increased in post-testing by 2.25s. Due to the study design, no conclusive statements can be made about whether the ballet program was responsible for the improvements observed in post-testing. More rigorous research with larger sample sizes (>30) is warranted to more fully understand the impact of an adapted ballet program on the balance ability of young individuals with DS. However, the program is still recommended for young individuals with DS because of the benefits it provides outside of motor skill development.
Date Created
2022-12
Agent

Characterization of Cannabis Use in Male and Female Patients with Parkinson's Disease for Analysis of Potential Neurotoxic Implications

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Description
Cannabis use is increasing both medically and recreationally. Over the last decade studies have investigated sex differences associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD) diagnosis and degenerative symptoms. Previous research has shown that cannabis use has had either a beneficial or deleterious

Cannabis use is increasing both medically and recreationally. Over the last decade studies have investigated sex differences associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD) diagnosis and degenerative symptoms. Previous research has shown that cannabis use has had either a beneficial or deleterious effect on PD symptoms. This research will examine whether sex differences exist among the positive or negative effects of cannabis use in PD. In this paper, an analysis of sex-based differences between male and female cohorts categorized across 2,700 participants is completed under the Fox Insight data set. Each cohort will be compared to 14 nonmotor symptoms and 8 motor symptoms commonly associated with PD. In each cohort mean age, cannabis intake, cannabis dose, cannabis type, and PD diagnosis are analyzed within groups. Each symptom (motor and nonmotor) was analyzed between cohort responses to indicate if there was beneficial or worsening effect within cannabis. Results indicated that the designated female cohort reported both beneficial and worsening effects of cannabis use regarding both motor and nonmotor symptoms. The positive symptoms primarily consisted of individual motor functioning (e.g. dyskinesia, stiffness, back pain, etc.) while the worsening symptoms primarily consisted of nonmotor functioning (e.g. anxiety and apathy). Meanwhile, the male cohort only reported beneficial effects towards nonmotor symptoms (e.g. dystonia, muscle cramps, heart rate). These findings suggest the need for further examination of nigrostriatal pathways and hypothalamic integrity in PD, as it may provide more information into the effects of cannabis use based on sex differences.
Date Created
2022
Agent

Characterization of Human Postural Balance under Compliance and Deep Learning for Predicting Environmental Conditions during Postural Balance

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Description
This thesis work presents two separate studies:The first study assesses standing balance under various 2-dimensional (2D) compliant environments simulated using a dual-axis robotic platform and vision conditions. Directional virtual time-to-contact (VTC) measures were introduced to better characterize postural balance from

This thesis work presents two separate studies:The first study assesses standing balance under various 2-dimensional (2D) compliant environments simulated using a dual-axis robotic platform and vision conditions. Directional virtual time-to-contact (VTC) measures were introduced to better characterize postural balance from both temporal and spatial aspects, and enable prediction of fall-relevant directions. Twenty healthy young adults were recruited to perform quiet standing tasks on the platform. Conventional stability measures, namely center-of-pressure (COP) path length and COP area, were also adopted for further comparisons with the proposed VTC. The results indicated that postural balance was adversely impacted, evidenced by significant decreases in VTC and increases in COP path length/area measures, as the ground compliance increased and/or in the absence of vision (ps < 0.001). Interaction effects between environment and vision were observed in VTC and COP path length measures (ps ≤ 0.05), but not COP area (p = 0.103). The estimated likelihood of falls in anterior-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) directions converged to nearly 50% (almost independent of the foot setting) as the experimental condition became significantly challenging. The second study introduces a deep learning approach using convolutional neural network (CNN) for predicting environments based on instant observations of sway during balance tasks. COP data were collected from fourteen subjects while standing on the 2D compliant environments. Different window sizes for data segmentation were examined to identify its minimal length for reliable prediction. Commonly-used machine learning models were also tested to compare their effectiveness with that of the presented CNN model. The CNN achieved above 94.5% in the overall prediction accuracy even with 2.5-second length data, which cannot be achieved by traditional machine learning models (ps < 0.05). Increasing data length beyond 2.5 seconds slightly improved the accuracy of CNN but substantially increased training time (60% longer). Importantly, averaged normalized confusion matrices revealed that CNN is much more capable of differentiating the mid-level environmental condition. These two studies provide new perspectives in human postural balance, which cannot be interpreted by conventional stability analyses. Outcomes of these studies contribute to the advancement of human interactive robots/devices for fall prevention and rehabilitation.
Date Created
2021
Agent

The Impact of Divided Attention on Cognitive and Gait Outcomes in People with Parkinson's Disease

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Description

The purpose of the present analysis was to (1) determine the DTI for absolute and percentage-based measures of gait and cognitive performance and (2) quantitatively characterize the prioritization between tasks for people with PD and healthy older controls. W evaluated

The purpose of the present analysis was to (1) determine the DTI for absolute and percentage-based measures of gait and cognitive performance and (2) quantitatively characterize the prioritization between tasks for people with PD and healthy older controls. W evaluated a gait task and a cognitive task (backwards counting) during single-task and dual-task conditions in healthy older adults and patients with PD and noted their respective dual-task interference and prioritization scores. We found that this analysis does not totally support the literature that patients with PD will exhibit a Posture-Second strategy when presented with dual-tasking conditions. Instead, this analysis found that with both healthy older adults as well as adults with PD, there is an inconclusive Prioritization strategy utilized by both groups. The exception to this was the Male Controls, who exhibited a more Posture-First strategy. With the current knowledge, future research into Prioritization strategies for both healthy older adults and adults with Parkinson's should investigate the effect of Gender.

Date Created
2022-05
Agent

The Effect of Backward Perturbation on Fall Outcomes in Ankle Foot Orthosis (AFO) and Functional Electrical Stimulator (FES) Users with Chronic Stroke

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Description
Between 20%-30% of stroke survivors have foot drop. Foot drop is characterized by inadequate dorsiflexion required to clear the foot of the ground during the swing phase of gait, increasing the risk of stumbles and falls (Pouwels et al. 2009;

Between 20%-30% of stroke survivors have foot drop. Foot drop is characterized by inadequate dorsiflexion required to clear the foot of the ground during the swing phase of gait, increasing the risk of stumbles and falls (Pouwels et al. 2009; Hartholt et al. 2011). External postural perturbations such as trips and slips are associated with high rate of falls in individuals with stroke (Forster et al. 1995). Falls often results in head, hip, and wrist injuries (Hedlund et al 1987; Parkkari et al. 1999). A critical response necessary to recover one’s balance and prevent a fall is the ability to evoke a compensatory step (Maki et al. 2003; Mansfield et al. 2013). This is the step taken to restore one’s balance and prevent a fall. However, this is difficult for stroke survivors with foot drop as normal gait is impaired and this translates to difficulty in evoking a compensatory step. To address both foot drop and poor compensatory stepping response, assistive devices such as the ankle-foot-orthosis (AFO) and functional electrical stimulator (FES) are generally prescribed to stroke survivors (Kluding et al. 2013; S. Whiteside et al. 2015). The use of these assistive devices improves walking speed, foot clearance, cadence, and step length of its users (Bethoux et al. 2014; Abe et al. 2009; Everaert et al. 2013; Alam et al. 2014). However, their impact on fall outcome in individuals with stroke in not well evaluated (Weerdesteyn et al. 2008). A recent study (Masood Nevisipour et al. 2019) where stroke survivors experienced a forward treadmill perturbation, mimicking a trip, reports that the impaired compensatory stepping response in stroke survivors in not due to the use of the assistive devices but to severe ankle impairments which these devices do not fully address. However, falls can also occur because of a slip. Slips constitute 40% of outdoor falls (Luukinen et al. 2000). In this study, results for fall rate and compensatory stepping response when subjects experience backward perturbations, mimicking slips, reveal that these devices do not impair the compensatory stepping response of its users.
Date Created
2021
Agent

Breakdown and classification of skill transfer type between a hockey slap shot and golf drive

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Description

There is surprisingly little scientific literature describing whether a hockey slap shot positively or negatively transfers to a driving golf swing. Golf and hockey use a similar kinematic sequence to send the ball / puck towards a target, but does

There is surprisingly little scientific literature describing whether a hockey slap shot positively or negatively transfers to a driving golf swing. Golf and hockey use a similar kinematic sequence to send the ball / puck towards a target, but does that directly translate to positive skill transfer between the two sports, or are there other important factors that could result in a negative skill transfer? The aim of this study is to look further into the two kinematic sequences and determine their intertask skill transfer type. A field experiment was conducted, following a specific research design, in order to compare performance between two groups, one being familiar with the skill that may transfer (hockey slapshot) and the other group being unfamiliar. Both groups had no experience in the skill being tested (driving golf swing) and various data was collected as all of the subjects performed 10 golf swings. The results of the data analysis showed that the group with experience in hockey had a higher variability of ball distance and ball speed. There are many factors of a hockey slapshot that are likely to develop a negative intertask skill transfer, resulting in this group's high inconsistency when performing a golf swing. On the other hand, the group with hockey experience also had higher mean club speed, showing that some aspects of the hockey slapshot resulted in a positive skill transfer, aiding their ability to perform a golf swing.

Date Created
2021-05
Agent

Human Postural Stability Under 2-dimensional Oscillatory Perturbations

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Description

Oscillatory perturbations with varying amplitudes and frequencies have been found to significantly affect human standing balance. However, previous studies have only applied perturbation in either the anterior-posterior (AP) or the medio-lateral (ML) directions. Little is currently known about the

Oscillatory perturbations with varying amplitudes and frequencies have been found to significantly affect human standing balance. However, previous studies have only applied perturbation in either the anterior-posterior (AP) or the medio-lateral (ML) directions. Little is currently known about the impacts of 2D oscillatory perturbations on postural stability, which are more commonly seen in daily life (i.e., while traveling on trains, ships, etc.). This study investigated the effects of applying 2D perturbations vs 1D perturbations on standing stability, and how increasing the frequency and amplitude of perturbation impacts postural stability. A dual-axis robotic platform was utilized to simulate various oscillatory perturbations and evaluate standing postural stability. Fifteen young healthy subjects were recruited to perform quiet stance on the platform. Impacts of perturbation direction (i.e., 1D versus 2D), amplitude, and frequency on postural stability were investigated by analyzing different stability measures, specifically AP/ML/2D Center-of-Pressure (COP) path length, AP/ML/2D Time-to-Boundary (TtB), and sway area. Standing postural stability was compromised more by 2D perturbations than 1D perturbations, evidenced by a significant increase in COP path length and sway area and decrease in TtB. Further, the stability decreased as 2D perturbation amplitude and frequency increased. A significant increase in COP path length and decrease in TtB were consistently observed as the 2D perturbation amplitude and frequency increased. However, sway area showed a considerable increase only with increasing perturbation amplitude but not with increasing frequency.

Date Created
2021-05
Agent

The Effects of Acute Resistance Training (RT) and Assisted Cycle Therapy (ACT) on Balance and Gait in Adults with Down syndrome

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Description

Down syndrome (DS) is caused by either an extra copy of chromosome 21 or by extra material on chromosome 21. This causes various levels of intellectual disability and issues with gross motor skill development which can prevent these individuals from

Down syndrome (DS) is caused by either an extra copy of chromosome 21 or by extra material on chromosome 21. This causes various levels of intellectual disability and issues with gross motor skill development which can prevent these individuals from participating in activities of daily living (ADL) such as getting dressed, self-care, or grocery shopping. People with DS have a decreased ability to balance, an abnormal and slower gait pattern, difficulty adapting to new environments, and a lack of improvement in these areas with growth and development when compared to their neurotypical peers. The objective of this study was to determine the immediate effects of resistance training (RT) and assisted cycle therapy (ACT) on adults with DS’s balance ability and gait speed. Each participant completed one session of RT, ACT (stationary cycling with the assistance of a motor to maintain a cadence of at least 35% greater than their voluntary cycling speed), and no training in a randomly selected order. Balance and gait speed were measured by a Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction on Balance (CTSIB) (i.e., eyes open firm surface, eyes closed firm surface, eyes open foam surface, eyes closed foam surface) on a Balance Tracking System Board (Btracks board) and by a Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. A total of ten participants’ data was used for analysis. The measures of total path length (cm), anterior-posterior (AP) excursion, and medial-lateral (ML) excursion were used to analyze the CTSIB. The average time was used to analyze the TUG test. The results showed that the eyes closed foam surface balance task was the most challenging balance task for every participant in every intervention. Furthermore, the most improvement was evident in the eyes closed foam surface balance task from pre to post intervention in all of the interventions. Post hoc tests also indicated statistically significant improvements of path length from pre to post in the RT intervention with the eyes closed foam surface balance task as well as with AP excursion in the ACT intervention with the eyes closed foam surface balance task. Possible explanations for improvements from pre to post in the eyes closed foam balance task across all interventions will be discussed with respect to the length of the intervention, and the effect of strength, social and learned factors on balance in adults with DS.

Date Created
2020-12
Agent