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- Action verbal fluency in parkinson’s patientsPublication . Rodrigues, Inês Tello; Ferreira, Joaquim J.; Coelho, Miguel; Rosa, Mario M.; Castro-Caldas, AlexandreWe compared the performance of 31 non-demented Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients to 61 healthy controls in an action verbal fluency task. Semantic and phonemic fluencies, cognitive impairment and behavioural dysfunction were also assessed. The mean disease duration of PD was 9.8 years (standard deviation (SD) = 6.13). There were no age (U = 899.5, p = 0.616), gender(chi-square = 0.00, p = 1.00) or literacy (U = 956, p = 0.96) differences between the two groups. A significant difference was observed between the two groups in the action verbal fluency task (U = 406.5, p < 0.01) that was not found in the other fluency tasks. The education level was the only biographical variable that influenced the action (verb) fluency outcomes, irrespective of disease duration. Our findings suggest a correlation between the disease mechanisms in PD and a specific verb deficit, support the validity of the action (verb) fluency as an executive function measure and suggest that this task provides unique information not captured with traditional executive function tasks.
- Parasónia, alteração cognitiva e parkinsonismo. Três capítulos da Neurologia numa só entidade?Publication . Castro-Caldas, AlexandreDiscutem-se três entidades clínicas que, podendo ser distintas, muitas vezes convergem num quadro comum: as alterações de sono, a demência e o parkinsonismo. A presença de sinais clínicos respeitantes às três entidades configura o que habitualmente se designa por doença por Corpos de Lewy. Chama-se a atenção para a necessidade de investigar clinicamente os três aspetos quando uma destas entidades se apresenta isoladamente.
- Influence of footedness on dynamic joint stiffness during the gait stance phasePublication . Atalaia, Tiago; Abrantes, João M. C. S.; Castro-Caldas, AlexandreAims: Dynamic joint stiffness (DJS) is used as a joint stability indicator. The objective of the present study is to verify the influence of footedness in ankle joint stability during the gait stance phase. Study Design: Comparative study. Place and Duration of Study: MovLab/ CICANT/ Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, between November 2013 and June 2014 Methodology: 31 subjects (20 female and 11 male) presenting different footedness (right and left) were assessed. Ten gait stance phase trials (five each side) were recorded using a 3D motion capture system and a force platform. Synchronized ankle sagittal moment of force and angular position were used to calculate DJS for three defined sub-phases of gait stance phase: controlled plantar flexion, controlled dorsiflexion and powered plantar flexion. Mann-Whitney U test was calculated to assess footedness influence on biomechanical variables. Results: No significant differences were found between dominant and non-dominant limb in different combinations of footedness and gender. Conclusion: Footedness do not seem to influence DJS and consequent joint stability. Observing the trials per participant, differences can be noted but commonly used statistical approach cannot highlight those differences. Further studies should address ankle frontal plane behaviour or assess differences at the knee and hip joints, as they could present more differences that could be statistically significant.
- Biologicals and biosimilars: gaps in the pharmacovigilance system in PortugalPublication . Portela, Edit Maria da Conceição Constantino; Sinogas, Carlos; Almeida, Fernando Albuquerque de; Baptista-Leite, Ricardo; Castro-Caldas, AlexandreIntroduction: Biological and biosimilar medicinal products have specific characteristics that call for a closer monitoring of their safety profile. Since the current legal framework stems from both European and national regulations, some gaps in the operational field may be expected. The goal of this paper is to identify these gaps and propose changes to the current information systems and pharmacovigilance regulations. Material and Methods: A qualitative analysis of current pharmacovigilance regulatory framework and supporting information system was conducted. Results: Current pharmacovigilance system does not seem to vouch for the safe use of biologicals and biosimilar drugs. The gaps found in reviewed materials may be attributable to their lack of specificity for biopharmaceuticals. Discussion: Biologicals therapy presents specific determinants related with the drugs, prescription, and traceability, without replication in any other segment of the pharmaceutical market. They are able to shape their safety profile. Conclusion: The existing pharmacovigilance’s regulatory framework should be adjusted in order to improve the safety related with biopharmaceutical therapy. Some intervention measures are proposed.
- The temporal modulation structure of illiterate versus literate adult speechPublication . Araújo, João; Flanagan, Sheila; Castro-Caldas, Alexandre; Goswami, UshaThe 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.
- Efficacy of ICT-based neurocognitive rehabilitation programs for acquired brain injury: a systematic review on Its assessment methodsPublication . Geraldo, Andreia; Dores, Artemisa R.; Coelho, Bárbara; Ramião, Eduarda; Castro-Caldas, Alexandre; Barbosa, FernandoThis systematic review aims to analyze the methods used in the assessment of the efficacy of Neurocognitive Rehabilitation Programs (NRP) based on Information and Communication Technologies in patients with Acquired Brain Injury, namely platforms and online rehabilitation programs. Studies with the main purpose of evaluating the efficacy of those programs were retrieved from multiple literature databases, accordingly to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The inclusion and analysis of the studies followed preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) and Cochrane Collaboration Guidelines. Thirty-one studies were included in this review. Results showed that most studies used a pre-post methodological design, with few studies performing assessment moments during intervention or follow-up. Attention, memory, and executive functions were the cognitive variables considered by a larger number of studies at the assessment of NRP efficacy. Despite that, there is a growing evidence on the inclusion of variables related to everyday functioning in this process, increasing its ecological validity. Concerning the instruments used, the studies presented a large heterogeneity of the instruments and methods used, even for the same assessment purpose, highlighting a lack of consensus regarding assessment protocol. Psychophysiological and neuroimaging techniques are seldom used on this field. This review identifies the main characteristics of the methodology used at the assessment of NRP and potential limitations, providing useful information to guide the practice of the health care professionals in rehabilitation of Acquired Brain Injury. It also suggests new directions for future studies.
- Reliability and validity of the European Portuguese version of the Social Touch QuestionnairePublication . Vieira, Ana Isabel; Ramos, Ana Vanessa; Cavalheiro, Luís Manuel; Almeida, Patrícia; Nogueira, Dália; Reis, Elisabeth; Nunes, Maria Vânia; Castro-Caldas, AlexandreSocial touch is essential for physical and emotional well-being. However, different meanings can be attributed to physical contact during social interactions and may generate bonding or avoidant behaviors. This personal and unique experience is not usually taken into account in health and social care services. The aim of this study is to produce a valid and reliable European Portuguese version of the Social Touch Questionnaire (STQ, Wilhelm et al. in Biol Psychol 58:181–202, 2001. doi:10.1016/S0301-0511(01)00113-2). The STQ is a self-report questionnaire for adolescents and adults measuring behaviors and attitudes towards social touch. The original version was translated into European Portuguese using a forward-back translation process and its feasibility was examined. To evaluate the psychometric properties, a total of 242 Portuguese university students participated in the study (21.3 ± 3.8 years). The STQ was considered feasible, showed adequate internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .734), and the test–retest correlation with the STQ items demonstrated a high concordance between the tests over a two-week interval (ICC = .990; n = 50). Validity tests were performed, comparing the total score of the STQ with that of the anxiety and avoidance subscales of the Social Interaction and Performance Anxiety and Avoidance Scale (SIPAAS). A very significant conceptual convergence was confirmed between the STQ and with the SIPAAS-Anxiety (r = .64; p < .0001) and with the SIPAAS-Avoidance (r = .59; p < .0001). The exploratory factor analysis, with Promax rotation, revealed 3 factors: dislike of physical touch, liking of familiar physical touch and liking of public physical touch (Cronbach’s alphas ranged from.68 to.75). Psychometric properties confirmed the adaptation of the STQ to the Portuguese culture. It is a reliable and valid self-report questionnaire and it appears to be a useful tool to assess behaviors and attitudes towards social touch.
- Disentangling pantomime from early sign in a new sign language: window into language evolution researchPublication . Mineiro, Ana; Báez-Montero, Inmaculada Concepción; Moita, Mara; Galhano-Rodrigues, Isabel; Castro-Caldas, AlexandreIn 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.
- Realidade virtual na reabilitação: por que sim e por que não? uma revisão sistemáticaPublication . Dores, Artemisa R.; Barbosa, Fernando; Marques, António; Carvalho, Irene P.; Sousa, Liliana de; Castro-Caldas, AlexandreO processo de reabilitação, independentemente da área de saúde a que se refere, continua a ser um desafio para profissionais, pacientes e suas famílias. Na tentativa de superar as limitações das intervenções tradicionais, a tecnologia de Realidade Virtual (RV) tem sido aplicada de forma crescente à reabilitação e começa a fornecer importantes ferramentas que, contudo, geram debate e posicionamentos divergentes. Com o objetivo de investigar quais os contributos da RV aplicada ao domínio da reabilitação, nomeadamente em termos das vantagens e limitações que comporta, o presente estudo procede a uma revisão sistemática da produção científica nesta área e apresenta um modelo que permite, de modo hierarquizado, descrever e sistematizar a natureza dos estudos revistos e as principais temáticas abordadas. A revisão sistemática focou-se sobre trabalhos científicos indexados, até novembro de 2010, na base de dados ISI Web of Knowledge. Os trabalhos incluídos foram analisados por dois investigadores independentes no programa NVivo 9 e o modelo desenvolvido aplicado à recodificação do material em análise. Foram identificados 963 artigos, dos quais, aplicados os critérios de exclusão, 288 títulos e resumos foram analisados. O modelo desenvolvido indica, como categorias centrais da bibliografia: Tipo de Artigo (Empírico; Teórico); Contextualização do Projeto; Tipo de Abordagem (Tecnologia Assistiva; Realidade Aumentada; Abordagens Tradicionais; Realidade Virtual). Esta última categoria (RV) foi decomposta de forma exaustiva para documentação da sua aplicabilidade, efeitos e tendências futuras. Como vantagens da RV, surgem: a possibilidade de sua aplicação a uma diversidade de domínios, funções cognitivas, comportamentos, doenças neurológicas e incapacidades físicas; as suas características e respetivas consequências; e a possibilidade de superar limitações das intervenções tradicionais. Do lado das limitações aparecem discutidos: os efeitos secundários da RV, as causas das limitações e precauções sugeridas. Os resultados evidenciam tendências promissoras acerca da utilização da tecnologia de RV no domínio da reabilitação, com implicações para a forma como será realizada no futuro. Sugerem ainda a necessidade de dar continuidade aos trabalhos que procuram avaliar a aplicabilidade da RV na reabilitação em geral e na reabilitação (neuro) cognitiva em particular.