Search Results (1,528)

Background: Acquired brain injury (ABI) affects manual dexterity (MD) and cognitive functions, limiting daily activity performance. Occupational therapy aims to improve functionality and quality of life. Objective: To examine and describe the available evidence on the impact of MD training on cognitive processes and functional performance in adults with stroke, as well as to identify the most commonly used assessment tools and intervention techniques. Methods: Scoping review. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed and Scopus to identify experimental studies from the last 10 years involving adults with ABI who participated in interventions targeting upper-limb, MD, and cognitive function. A three-phase screening was carried out by two authors with duplicates removed using Zotero version 7.0. Results: Ten articles published between 2016 and 2023 were included. The most frequent interventions involved robotics and virtual reality. Eight studies were conducted by occupational therapists or included occupational therapy involvement, while two were conducted by physiotherapists. Training MD and upper-limb motor skills led to improvements in attention, memory, and executive functions. Conclusions: Findings support combined motor–cognitive interventions carried out by occupational therapists or physiotherapists to optimize rehabilitation outcomes, although further research is needed to strengthen the evidence. Full article

Vision is fundamental to the acquisition of motor, cognitive, and social skills, playing a crucial role in typical development. Early visual impairments are associated with various neurodevelopmental conditions, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The (Brain-specific serine/threonine-protein kinase 2, BRSK2) gene has been identified as a high-risk gene for ASD. This study aims to investigate the role of brsk2 in retinal photoreceptor development and visual function in zebrafish. Using behavioral assays, histological analysis, and transcriptomic profiling, we assessed the impact of brsk2 deletion on retinal structure and function. The results showed that brsk2ab^−/− zebrafish larvae exhibited significantly enhanced light perception compared to wild-type (WT) controls. Structural analysis of the retina revealed disruptions in the layered organization, along with up-regulated rhodopsin expression in retinal cells. Additionally, transcriptomic analysis indicated that key opsins and genes involved in visual development and phototransduction pathways were markedly up-regulated following brsk2 deletion. This research highlights the importance of brsk2 in early retinal circuit development and its potential implications for understanding sensory processing deficits in neurodevelopmental disorders. By linking BRSK2 to specific sensory phenotypes, this study addresses a critical gap in knowledge regarding the mechanisms underlying sensory abnormalities in ASD and related conditions. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study aims to translate and validate the Selective Control Assessment of the Lower Extremity (SCALE) tool from English into Portuguese. Methods: SCALE was translated into Portuguese independently by two native Portuguese translators and synthesized into a single manuscript: SCALE-BR. Using this test in patients with spastic cerebral palsy, the internal consistency (Cronbach’s α), reliability by intra-class correlation (ICC), and validity compared with the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) scores were evaluated. Results: 30 patients diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy were assessed, with a predominance of males (66.7%), a mean age of 12.9 ± 7.9 (4–38 years) and a majority of diparetic patients (73.3%) and GMFCS I (53.3%). Spearman’s correlation coefficient, R² = −0.84, p < 0.001, revealed an inverse relationship between the SCALE instrument and the GMFCS, corroborating the findings in the literature. There was an excellent intra- and interobserver agreement (ICC > 0.75). Conclusions: The Portuguese version of the questionnaire was effective, proving to be reproducible and reliable among different evaluators and patients, with an inverse correlation with the GMFCS as expected in the literature. Full article

Background and Objectives: Evidence on motor performance in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is scarce and inconsistent. The association of motor impairments with autism severity and intelligence remains insufficiently studied. We aimed to examine motor performance parameters in children with ASD compared with typically developing (TD) peers. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of 26 children with ASD, aged 4–10 years, was recruited from specialized centers in KSA, alongside 27 age- and sex-matched TD children. For the ASD group, severity (Childhood Autism Rating Scale, CARS-2) and intelligence quotient (Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scale, SB5) were extracted from medical records. CARS-2 score was utilized to categorize children with ASD into two groups (mild-to-moderate and severe groups). All study children were assessed for gross and fine motor skills using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2), balance, muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility. Results: ASD groups recorded significantly lower scores in all MABC-2 component areas when compared to the TD group (p < 0.001). Aiming and catching percentile was significantly lower in the severe ASD group compared to the mild-to-moderate group (p = 0.05). Furthermore, children with ASD exhibited increased hypermobility, predominantly at the elbow joints, reduced grip strength, shorter distance in the modified 6 min walk test, and lower standing long-jump performance (p < 0.001) when compared to TD group; however, no significant difference was recorded between the ASD groups. Spearman correlation revealed that aiming and catching was negatively correlated with autism severity (CARS-2) (r = −0.38, p = 0.05) and positively with IQ (r = 0.51, p = 0.03). Aiming and catching was positively correlated with grip strength (r = 0.55, p = 0.003), endurance (r = 0.58, p = 0.002), and jump distance (r = 0.44, p = 0.03), while balance was positively correlated with grip strength (r = 0.44, p = 0.02). Conclusions: Children with ASD exhibit significant impairments in gross and fine motor performance compared with TD peers, accompanied by hypermobility, reduced strength, and diminished endurance. Notably, aiming and catching ability correlated with both IQ and autism severity as well as specific motor parameters, suggesting its potential as a clinical marker of motor–cognitive interaction in ASD. Full article

Background/objective: Despite the fact that almost 87% of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have physical coordination issues, motor skills are not the primary concern when ASD is diagnosed. An aquatic environment can provide multisensory stimuli that might assist these children; however, studies related to hydrotherapy with children with ASD have not yet examined whether this environment has an effect on balance and coordination. Methods: A control vs. research group examined the effect of a weekly, three-month hydrotherapy program on the balance and coordination abilities of male children and adolescents diagnosed with high-functioning ASD. Children (N = 22) between the ages of 6 and 17 years (mean: 8.4 ± 2.4), participated in this study. Each participant’s coordination and balance abilities were evaluated using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition (M-ABC-II). The initial evaluation (test one) was repeated (test two) after two months to establish improvement prior to intervention. The final evaluation (test three) was conducted at intervention termination. Individual functional goals were set for each patient using the Goal Attainment Scale (GAS). Results: No improvement was noted within the pre-intervention period (between tests one and two), yet there was a statistically significant improvement in the M-ABC-II Total Test score (p = 0.0133), in Manual Dexterity (p = 0.0181), and balance (p = 0.0053) post-intervention, between tests two and three. The mean GAS score for this study was 52.1, suggesting the achievement of prespecified functional goals. Conclusions: This study demonstrated a positive impact of a 12-week hydrotherapy program on balance and coordination and manual dexterity among children with ASD. A positive impact was also noted in patients’ individual functional abilities. Full article

Background: Despite the increasing interest in combat sports within higher education, studies on technical skill acquisition among novice female students remains limited. This study examined the effects of a short-term structured boxing program on the acquisition and retention of fundamental technical skills, focusing on stance (S), straight punches (SP), hooks (H), and uppercuts (U) among novice female university students. Methods: Technical performance was assessed under static and dynamic conditions at baseline (T1), after four weeks of course (T2), and at a two-month follow-up (T3) using customized scoring system. Handgrip strength (HG) and countermovement jump (CMJ) were measured as exploratory neuromuscular outcomes. Results: Results showed significant improvements in all technical skills at T2 compared with T1, in both static and dynamic executions (p < 0.001). Straight punches showed higher composite scores than hooks and uppercuts, while static performance was superior to dynamic execution (p < 0.001). Compared with T2, T3 showed a partial decline in performance for each skill in both executions (p < 0.001) (S_static = −18%; SP_static = −17%; H_static = −19%; U_static = −19%; S_dynamic = −22%; SP_dynamic = −18%; H_dynamic = −19%; U_dynamic = −21%), although T3 values generally remained above T1 baseline (S_static = +3%; SP_static = +19%; H_static = +22%; U_static = +29%; S_dynamic = −7%; SP_dynamic = +29%; H_dynamic = +29%; U_dynamic = +31%). HG showed a significant time effect (p = 0.005), while CMJ did not change significantly. Conclusions: These findings indicate that a short-term structured boxing program can effectively improve the technical boxing skills in female beginners. This supports the inclusion of a boxing course in university sport science curricula to enhance technical, motor, and educational development. Full article

Background: Although parenting interventions are effective in improving parenting practices and child development, most are developed within Western cultural frameworks that may not align with South Asian collectivist values and family structures. The extent to which cultural adaptation influences the effectiveness of parenting interventions in South Asian populations remains unclear. Aim: To systematically review the effectiveness of parenting interventions on child developmental outcomes, parenting outcomes, and parental health among South Asian families, and to examine whether the depth of cultural adaptation, assessed using Bernal’s Ecological Validity Model (EVM), is associated with intervention effectiveness. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. We systematically searched CINAHL, MEDLINE, Science Direct, PsychINFO, PubMed, and Cochrane library. Data were extracted from six electronic databases up to August 2023. Quality and risk of bias were appraised using the Revised Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for Randomized Trials for the quantitative studies and the Critical Appraisal Skill Program (CASP) checklist for the qualitative studies. Results: Seventeen studies (fifteen quantitative, two qualitative) involving 8088 participants were included; ten studies contributed data to meta-analysis. Parenting interventions were associated with moderate improvements in parenting knowledge (SMD = 0.51, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.76) and small improvements in parental involvement (SMD = 0.36, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.72). Significant reductions in parental depression (SMD = −0.77, 95% CI −1.20 to −0.34) and disability symptoms (SMD = 0.82, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.96) were observed, though effects on post-natal depression (SMD = 0.15, 95% CI −1.00 to 1.30) and physical quality of life (SMD = −0.27, 95% CI −1.22 to 1.75) were non-significant. For children, large improvements were found in cognitive (SMD = 0.84–1.48), language (SMD = 0.79, 95% CI 0.25 to 1.33), and social development (SMD = 0.54, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.91), but not in emotional or motor development. Sensitivity analyses indicated larger effects for studies demonstrating deeper cultural adaptation. Qualitative findings highlighted maternal empowerment, improved mental wellbeing, and the importance of family support and culturally congruent facilitators for engagement. Overall certainty of evidence was rated as low due to high heterogeneity, risk of bias, and imprecision. Discussion: Culturally adapted parenting interventions show promising benefits for parenting practices, parental mental health, and child developmental outcomes among South Asian families, particularly when adaptations extend beyond surface-level changes. However, evidence quality is low and inconsistent, highlighting the need for more rigorous trials and clearer reporting of cultural adaptation to optimize effectiveness. Full article

Background/Objectives: This cross-sectional study examined how training age, chronological age, and biological maturity influence motor and perceptual–cognitive performance in youth soccer players, with relevance for health and well-being through sport participation. Methods: Forty-one male athletes (age = 14.86 ± 0.81 years) completed a two-day field-based assessment following a holistic framework integrating motor (sprinting, jumping, and agility) and perceptual–cognitive components (psychomotor speed, visuospatial working memory, and spatial visualization). Biological maturity was estimated using the maturity offset method. Results: Regression analyses showed that biological maturity and training age significantly predicted motor performance, particularly sprinting, jumping, and pre-planned agility, whereas chronological age was not a predictor. In contrast, neither maturity nor training experience influenced perceptual–cognitive skills. Among cognitive measures, only psychomotor speed significantly predicted reactive agility, emphasizing the role of rapid information processing in dynamic, game-specific contexts. Conclusions: Youth soccer training should address both physical and cognitive development through complementary strategies. Physical preparation should be tailored to maturity status to ensure safe and progressive loading, while systematic training of psychomotor speed and decision-making should enhance reactive agility and game intelligence. Integrating maturity and perceptual–cognitive assessments may support individualized development, improved performance, and long-term well-being. Full article

Juggling is a complex motor skill that requires multiple sub-skills and cannot be mastered without extensive practice. Although prior studies have quantified performance differences between novice and expert jugglers, none have attempted to quantitatively decompose these components or model their contribution to juggling performance. This longitudinal study presents a multimodal evaluation system that integrates computer vision, motion capture, and biosensing to quantify three key elements of juggling ability: Sequencing, Prediction, and Accuracy. Twenty beginners completed a 10-day, three-ball juggling experiment combining visuo-haptic virtual reality (VR) and real-world practice, with half training in reduced gravity, previously shown to enhance early-stage motor learning. The fitted Gamma-Log generalized linear model (GLM) indicated that Sequencing is the dominant factor of early skill acquisition, followed by Prediction and Accuracy. This study provides the first computational decomposition of juggling, demonstrates how multiple elements jointly contribute to performance, and results in a principled approach to characterizing motor learning in complex real-world tasks. Full article

Action quality assessment automates the evaluation of human movement proficiency, which is vital for applications like sports training and rehabilitation, where objective feedback enhances patient outcomes. Action quality assessment processes motion capture data to generate quality scores for action execution. In rehabilitation exercises, joints typically work synergistically in functional groups. However, existing methods struggle to accurately model the collaborative relationships between joints. Fixed joint grouping is not flexible enough, while fully adaptive grouping lacks the guidance of prior knowledge. In this paper, based on rehabilitation theory in clinical medicine, we propose a dynamic, motion-aware grouping strategy. A two-stream architecture independently processes joint position and orientation information. Fused features are adaptively clustered into 6 functional groups by a joint motion energy-driven learnable mask generator, and intra-group temporal modeling and inter-group spatial projection are achieved through two-stage attention interaction. Our method achieves competitive results and obtains the best scores on most exercises of KIMORE, while remaining comparable on UI-PRMD. Experimental results using the KIMORE dataset show that the model outperforms current methods by reducing the mean absolute deviation by 26.5%. Ablation studies validate the necessity of dynamic grouping and the two-stream design. The core design principles of this study can be extended to fine-grained action-understanding tasks such as surgical operation assessment and motor skill quantification. Full article

Objectives: Innovative, evidence-based interventions for developmental dyslexia (DD) are necessary. While traditional methods remain valuable, newer approaches, such as cognitive–motor training, show the potential to improve literacy skills for those with DD. Verbal Working Memory–Balance (VWM-B) is a novel cognitive–motor training program that has demonstrated positive effects on reading, cognitive functions, and motor skills in children with DD. This extension study explored the neural mechanisms of VWM-B through voxel-to-voxel intrinsic functional connectivity (FC) analysis in children with DD. Methods: Resting-state fMRI data from 16 participants were collected in a quasi-double-blind randomized clinical trial with control and experimental groups, pre- and post-intervention measurements, and 15 training sessions over 5 weeks. Results: The mixed ANOVA interaction was significant for the right and left postcentral gyrus, bilateral precuneus, left superior frontal gyrus, and left posterior division of the supramarginal and angular gyri. Decreased FC in the postcentral gyri indicates reduced motor task engagement due to automation following VWM-B training. Conversely, increased FC in the bilateral precuneus, left superior frontal gyrus, and left posterior divisions of the supramarginal and angular gyri suggests a shift of cognitive resources from motor tasks to the cognitive functions associated with VWM-B. Conclusions: In conclusion, the study highlights that cognitive–motor dual-task training is more effective than single-task cognitive training for improving cognitive and motor functions in children with DD, emphasizing the importance of postural control and automaticity in dyslexia. The trial for this study was registered on 8 February 2018 with the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20171219037953N1). Full article

Introduction: To explore whether antenatal and preoperative factors predict disability-free survival of preterm newborns with biventricular complex congenital heart defects (CHD). Methods: Retrospective cohort study, using the prospectively designed database of Complex Pediatric Therapies Follow Up Program and a chart review of mother–newborn dyads, born under 37 weeks’ gestation with biventricular complex CHD, between 1997 and 2019, who had open heart surgery up to 6 weeks corrected age. Surviving children had neurodevelopmental assessments between 18 and 24 months corrected age. Bayley Scales of Infant Development, 2nd edition, and Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd edition, assessed cognitive, language, and motor skills; Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, 3rd edition, assessed adaptive skills. Univariate and multivariate analyses assessed predictors of mortality, disability (cerebral palsy, visual impairment, permanent hearing loss), and neurodevelopmental delay. Results: Of 84 preterm newborns (34.6 ± 2.1 weeks’ gestation, 2321 ± 609 g, 57% males), 8 (9.5%) died by 2 years of age; 69 (91%) survived without and 7 (9%) with disability. Chorioamnionitis was associated with death [Hazard ratio 7.92 (95% CI 1.3, 33.3), p = 0.025]; prolonged rupture of membranes was associated with disability [Odds Ratio 9.7 (95% CI 1.99, 46.9), p = 0.005]. Maternal diabetes, antenatal diagnosis of CCHD, birth head circumference, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and chromosomal anomalies were associated with adverse neurodevelopment. Conclusions: Chorioamnionitis and prolonged rupture of membranes are associated with worse outcomes in preterm newborns with biventricular complex CHD up to 2 years of age. Adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes are associated with maternal diabetes and antenatal diagnosis of CCHD. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these results. Full article

Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) experience motor competence challenges that hinder their participation in physical activities and affect daily functioning. While traditional motor skills training is commonly used, sport-based interventions offer the potential for greater benefits by providing dynamic, contextually rich environments for learning. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mini-handball training versus conventional motor skills training in improving coordination in children with DCD. Methods: Forty-four children aged 9–10 years from Khorezm, Uzbekistan, with coordination difficulties (scores below the 16th percentile in the MABC-2) were randomly assigned to three groups: mini-handball training (n = 15), motor skills training (n = 15), and control (n = 14). Both intervention groups participated in three 90 min sessions per week for 12 weeks. The mini-handball group engaged in sport-specific drills including passing, dribbling, shooting, and small-sided games, while the motor skills group performed balance, locomotor, and fine motor exercises. Pre- and post-intervention assessments were conducted using the MABC-2. Data were analyzed using linear mixed models with time, group, and their interaction as fixed effects. Results: Both intervention groups demonstrated significant improvements in motor coordination compared to controls. However, in general, the mini-handball group outperformed the other groups, particularly in domains requiring anticipatory control and visuomotor integration, including aiming and catching, balance, and overall coordination scores. Conclusions: Mini-handball represents a promising, ecologically valid intervention for children with DCD. By integrating motor skills practice with cognitive challenge, social interaction, and intrinsic motivation within a meaningful sport context, mini-handball appears more effective than traditional training approaches. These findings suggest that sport-based, open-skill interventions should be considered in therapeutic protocols, school curricula, and community programs for children with DCD. Future research should examine long-term retention, transfer to daily activities, and implementation across diverse populations. Full article

Background: Passing in lacrosse is a fundamental skill essential for both offense and defense, directly influencing game flow. Although the speed–accuracy trade-off is well recognized in motor control, its features in lacrosse passing—particularly regarding directional aspects and skill differences—remain unclear. This study quantified the relationship between pass speed, accuracy, bias, and consistency and examined directional effects and skill-level differences. Methods: Twenty-two female university players (skilled: n = 9; unskilled: n = 13) executed overhand passes to a 5 cm × 5 cm target from 11 m under three effort conditions: warm-up, game intensity, and full effort. Ball speed was derived from lateral video, and landing coordinates from posterior footage. Accuracy, bias, and consistency were assessed using radial error (RE), centroid error (CE), absolute CE (|CE|), and bivariate variable error (BVE). Directional patterns were analyzed through lateral and vertical components and the 95% confidence intervals of the major and minor axes of an error ellipse. A two-way analysis of variance was performed with condition as the within-subject factor and skill level as the between-subject factor. Results: Ball speed increased significantly across conditions. RE, |CE|, and BVE increased with speed, showing directional dependence: variability expanded mainly along the major axis, while the minor axis remained stable. Skilled players showed smaller RE and BVE, with differences most evident vertically and along the major axis. CE direction stayed consistent, indicating that reduced accuracy stemmed from greater bias magnitude and lower consistency rather than shifts in the mean landing point. Conclusions: Findings confirm a speed–accuracy trade-off in lacrosse passing, characterized by directional specificity and skill-related effects. Combining RE, CE, BVE, and ellipse-axis analyses clarified error structure, showing variability concentrated along the movement axis. These results support training focused on vertical control and timing and highlight the value of directional metrics for assessing lacrosse performance. Future research should include male athletes, advanced levels, and in-game scenarios to extend generalizability. Full article

Background/Objectives: A review of the current literature does not provide a clear answer regarding the effectiveness of incorporating stretching exercises into warm-ups on performance and improving motor skills. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of a single application of sciatic neuromobilization and static stretching of the hamstring muscles on lower limb explosiveness, expressed by height of countermovement jump (CMJ) test. Methods: The study included 39 physically active men aged 20 to 26 (mean age 21.4 ± 2.2 years). Participants were randomly divided into 3 groups: 1. neuromobilization, 2. static stretching, 3. control group—no intervention. Immediately after the intervention, a CMJ test was performed. Jump height was measured at four timings: 1. before stretching (Pre), 2. immediately after (Post_0), 3. after 5 min (Post_5), 4. and after 10 min (Post_10). Results: Statistical analysis revealed a statistically significant difference in CMJ height between the neuromobilization and static groups and between the neuromobilization and control groups (p < 0.001). No statistically significant differences were observed between the static and control groups (p = 0.073). Post hoc comparisons revealed substantially higher vertical jump height in the neuromobilization group compared with the static group. Hedges’ g indicated a very large magnitude of effect, with values ranging from 3.73 to above 4.10. Conclusions: Neuromobilization induces short-term activation of lower limb muscles, resulting in increased explosive strength, whereas hamstrings static stretching of them does not positively impact short-term power generation. Full article