Italian translation and cultural adaptation of the Agitated Behavior Scale (ABS-I) in patients with acquired brain injuries.

Objective: The objective of this study was to produce a cross-cultural adaptation in Italian of the Agitated Behavior Scale (ABS), originally developed in English, as the first of two stages that also include cross-cultural validation and allow a clinical scale to be used in the proper setting such as rehabilitation units.

Methods: In order to adapt the ABS scale to a different cultural environment, five consecutive steps were performed: (1) forward translations (n = 8), (2) synthesis of the 8 forward translations to obtain a first shared italian version (ABS_I_trial), (3) back translations (n = 3), (4) creation of an expert committee to evaluate forward and back translations and finally (5) the cognitive debriefing.

Results: After the five steps, including forward translations and back translations, the process of committee verification and judgement and the evaluative step of cognitive debriefing, high comprehensibility of all items was found, resulting in an Italian translation version of ABS suitable for application in a clinical setting.

Dissociations between spontaneous electroencephalographic features and the perturbational complexity index in the minimally conscious state.

The analysis of spontaneous electroencephalogram (EEG) is a cornerstone in the assessment of patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC). Although preserved EEG patterns are highly suggestive of consciousness even in unresponsive patients, moderately or severely abnormal patterns are difficult to interpret. Indeed, growing evidence shows that consciousness can be present despite either large delta or reduced alpha activity in spontaneous EEG.

Spatio-Temporal Fractal Dimension Analysis from Resting State EEG Signals in Parkinson's Disease.

Complexity analysis of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals has emerged as a valuable tool for characterizing Parkinson's disease (PD). Fractal dimension (FD) is a widely employed method for measuring the complexity of shapes with many applications in neurodegenerative disorders. Nevertheless, very little is known on the fractal characteristics of EEG in PD measured by FD.

Distinguishing intentional from nonintentional actions through eeg and kinematic markers.

How can an intentional movement be distinguished from the same movement done nonintentionally? How can this distinction be drawn without asking the subject, or in patients who are unable to communicate? Here we address these questions, by focusing on blinking. This is one of the most frequent spontaneous actions in our daily life, but it can also be done intentionally. Furthermore, blinking is often spared in patients with severe brain injuries, and for some, it is the only way to report complex meanings.

Unconsciousness or unresponsiveness in akinetic mutism? Insights from a multimodal longitudinal exploration.

The clinical assessment of patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) relies on the observation of behavioural responses to standardised sensory stimulation. However, several medical comorbidities may directly impair the production of reproducible and appropriate responses, thus reducing the sensitivity of behaviour-based diagnoses. One such comorbidity is akinetic mutism (AM), a rare neurological syndrome characterised by the inability to initiate volitional motor responses, sometimes associated with clinical presentations that overlap with those of DoC.