Publications by authors named "Ana Barela"

This study aimed to examine the effect of visual pre-cueing presented at different time intervals in the response time of dyslexic and non-dyslexic children. Fifteen dyslexic and 15 non-dyslexic children performed a computerised four-choice reaction time task across four conditions: no pre-cue and a 43-ms time interval (or duration) of a centralised dot appearing in the stimulus circle at 43, 86 or 129 ms prior to the stimulus. Each condition was repeated eight times, totaling 32 trials, and presented in a random order.

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The nervous system predicts and executes complex motion of body segments actuated by the coordinated action of muscles. When a stroke or other traumatic injury disrupts neural processing, the impeded behavior has not only kinematic but also kinetic attributes that require interpretation. Biomechanical models could allow medical specialists to observe these dynamic variables and instantaneously diagnose mobility issues that may otherwise remain unnoticed.

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The nervous system predicts and executes complex motion of body segments actuated by the coordinated action of muscles. When a stroke or other traumatic injury disrupts neural processing, the impeded behavior has not only kinematic but also kinetic attributes that require interpretation. Biomechanical models could allow medical specialists to observe these dynamic variables and instantaneously diagnose mobility issues that may otherwise remain unnoticed.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to assess scapular movement in Crossfit® practitioners and determine if they have a higher incidence of scapular dyskinesis (SD) compared to non-practitioners.
  • Using retro-reflective markers, scapular movements were analyzed in 11 Crossfit® practitioners and 10 control participants, establishing baseline normality.
  • Results indicated that Crossfit® practitioners exhibited decreased superior scapular rotation during the ascending phase, suggesting regular Crossfit® training contributes to scapular dyskinesis.
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Objective: To quantitatively assess the scapular movement of patients who underwent Latarjet surgery and to identify if they present scapular dyskinesia (SD), as well as correlate with the clinic state and the elevation degree of the shoulder.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at the Movement Analysis Laboratory (LAM), at the Institute of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, that quantitatively evaluated, using spherical retroreflective markers, the scapular movements of the control group (10 volunteers) and 22 patients (23 operated shoulders) that had been submitted to Latarjet surgery, between 2011 and 2016, with at least one year postoperative. The results of the control group were used as a parameter of normality and compared to those of the operated group.

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Young adults reduce their sway in both light touch (LT) and anchor systems (AS), however, the cognitive involvement in these tasks is unknown. This study investigated postural control in young adults standing upright using either LT or AS, concomitantly with a cognitive task (counting). Nine adults (26 ± 7.

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Vision is crucial for humans to interact with their surrounding environment, and postural sway is reduced to allow short eye movements. However, the extent of subtle changes in postural control for horizontal and vertical eye movements remains unclear. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of vertical and horizontal eye movements on head and trunk control in young adults.

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This study examined the effects of the support surface (i.e., treadmill or ground) and the quantity of body weight unloading provided by a partial body weight support (PBWS) system on the spatiotemporal gait characteristics of individuals with stroke.

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This study aimed to investigate intra-limb coordination in non-disabled individuals walking with and without a constrained knee and in individuals with stroke. We hypothesized that a constrained knee would modify the intra-limb coordination of non-disabled individuals and that non-disabled individuals walking with a constrained knee would present coordination patterns similar to those presented by individuals with stroke. Twelve individuals with chronic stroke (age: 54.

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Constraining knee flexion of non-disabled individuals could further our understanding regarding the importance of knee joint during gait, which is a common disturbance in individuals with gait impairment. In this study we investigated whether a mechanical constraint of knee flexion in non-disabled adults would lead to compensatory strategies. Eleven non-disabled male adults walked without and with an orthosis that permitted full extension and limited knee flexion up to either 45° or 30°.

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This study examined the influence of visual information of different complexities and predictability on the body sway of individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) during upright stance. Twenty-one individuals at initial stages of PD (62.1 ± 7.

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Dyslexic children present poorer postural control performance than their peers, perhaps due to different patterns of eye movements. It has been shown that guided eye movements decrease magnitude of body sway in young and older adults, but there is no evidence whether the search for visual information that occurs during eye movements affects postural control in dyslexic children. The aim of this study was to examine the use of guided eye movements and its pattern in the performance of postural control of dyslexic children during upright quiet stance.

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Individuals with stroke often present functional impairment and gait alteration. Among different aspects, intralimb coordination of these individuals is one of the key points that should be considered before implementing any gait intervention protocol. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of stroke on intralimb gait coordination of the lower limbs using a vector coding technique.

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Study Design: Case series.

Objectives: This case series describes how the aquatic environment influences gait initiation in terms of the center of pressure (COP) excursion, impulses, trunk acceleration, and perceptions of participants with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI).

Setting: Tertiary Rehabilitation Hospital, Ontario, Canada.

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Understanding the changes induced by body weight support (BWS) systems when non-disabled adults walk can help develop appropriate rehabilitation protocols. The purpose of this study was to investigate spatial-temporal gait alterations during walking with BWS on a treadmill and over the ground. Fourteen non-disabled young adults (including seven women) walked over the ground and on a treadmill with 0%, 10%, and 20% of BWS at 80% of their self-selected comfortable walking speed (baseline).

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This study examined the effects of age and walking experience on infants' ability to step over an obstacle. We videotaped 30 infants with one (mean [ M] age = 12.6 months), three ( M age = 14.

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Background: To better understand gait initiation in individuals with stroke and suggest possible training strategies, we compared the gait initiation of individuals with stroke and age-matched controls, and we examined the influence of different amounts of body weight support (BWS) during the execution of gait initiation in individuals with stroke.

Materials And Methods: Twelve individuals with stroke and 12 age-matched controls initiated gait after a verbal command at a self-selected and comfortable speed, and individuals with stroke also initiated gait wearing a harness with 0%, 15%, and 30% of BWS. Length and velocity of the first step, distance between heels, and weight bearing in both lower limbs in the initial position were calculated.

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The present study aimed to investigate the sensitivity of detecting lower limb passive motion and use of additional sensory information from fingertip light touch for the postural control of older adults in comparison with young adults. A total of 11 older and 11 young adults (aged 68.1 ± 5.

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Background: Exercises that could prevent gait impairment of older adults should be implemented in such a way that practitioners can keep motivation and adherence independent of older adults fitness levels.

Objective: This study describes how younger and older adults use a non-pedal tricycle to transport their bodies along a pathway.

Methods: Nine younger (24±4.

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Gait initiation is defined as the transition from stationary standing to steady-state walking. Despite the frequent use of therapy pools for training walking in early stages of rehabilitation, none have been reported on the effects of immersion on gait initiation. We aimed to analyze the center of pressure (COP) trajectories, the vertical and anteroposterior impulses and upper and lower trunk accelerations during anticipatory (APA) and execution phases of gait initiation.

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Objective: To investigate the effects of gait training with body weight support (BWS) on a treadmill versus overground in individuals with chronic stroke.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: University research laboratory.

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Although postural control requires the integration of different sensory cues, little is known about the role of attentional artifacts on the individual's ability to properly respond to postural challenges. This study investigated the effects of concomitant tasks (cognitive and postural) on the relationship between visual information and body sway. Thirty healthy adults were asked to stand still inside of a moving room on normal and reduced bases of support.

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Background: Ear Acupuncture (EA) is a form of acupuncture in which needles are applied to the external ear and has been used in multiple painful conditions. Low back pain (LBP) is highly prevalent in active individuals and causes high economic burden to health systems worldwide. LBP affects the person's ability to keep balance, especially in challenging conditions.

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Aquatic therapies are used to restore step initiation in people with locomotor disabilities. However, there is lack of evidence of underlining mechanisms of gait initiation in water. We investigated center of pressure (CoP), vertical and anterior-posterior impulse forces, and kinematics of the first step performed in water in comparison with overground walking.

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Background: Partial body weight support (BWS) systems have been broadly used with treadmills as a strategy for gait training of individuals with gait impairments. Considering that we usually walk on level ground and that BWS is achieved by altering the load on the plantar surface of the foot, it would be important to investigate some ground reaction force (GRF) parameters in healthy individuals walking on level ground with BWS to better implement rehabilitation protocols for individuals with gait impairments.

Objective: To describe the effects of body weight unloading on GRF parameters as healthy young adults walked with BWS on level ground.

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