Evaluating Note Frequency and Velocity During Improvised Active Music Therapy in Clients With Parkinson's Disease.

The purpose of this article was to report on the findings of the note frequency and velocity measures during Improvised Active Music Therapy (IAMT) sessions with individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). In this single-subject multiple baseline design across subjects, the article reports the note frequency (note count) and velocity of movement (mean note velocity) played by three right-handed participants while playing uninterrupted improvised music on a simplified electronic drum-set. During baseline, the music therapist played rhythmic accompaniment on guitar using a low-moderate density of syncopation.

Gait in younger and older adults during rhythmic auditory stimulation is influenced by groove, familiarity, beat perception, and synchronization demands.

Music-based Rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) is a cueing intervention used to regulate gait impairments in conditions such as Parkinson's disease or stroke. Desire to move with music ('groove') and familiarity have been shown to impact younger adult gait while walking with music, and these effects appear to be influenced by individual rhythmic ability. Importantly, these factors have not been examined in older adults.

The effect of first-time 4-wheeled walker use on the gait of younger and older adults.

Introduction: The 4-wheeled walker is intended to enhance balance and gait for older adults. Yet, some research suggests that walking aids increase falls risk. An understanding of the influence of age with walker use on gait performance is required.

Young drivers' determinants of driving under the influence of cannabis: Findings from the Youth Cannabis and Driving Survey (YouCanDS).

Introduction: Driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) is proven to increase the risk of collisions and is most common among young drivers (ages 16 to 24). However, little is known about the specific determinants of DUIC behavior among youth, which limits the capacity to develop evidence-based prevention and intervention efforts. This study developed and evaluated a youth DUIC questionnaire, which was used to establish the DUIC determinants of young drivers.

The Differential Effect of First-Time Single-Point Cane Use between Healthy Young and Older Adults.

Background: Walking aids are often introduced to older adults to enable independent mobility. Single-point canes are the most common device used. Benefits are tempered by research suggesting that walking aids increase fall risk.

Executive function as a mediating factor between visual acuity and postural stability in cognitively healthy adults and adults with Alzheimer's dementia.

Background: Falls in older adults, notably those with Alzheimer's dementia (AD), are prevalent. Vision and balance impairments are prominent falls risk factors in older adults. However, recent literature in the cognitively impaired suggests that executive function (EF) is important for falls risk assessments.

Effect of dual-tasking on walking and cognitive demands in adults with Alzheimer's dementia experienced in using a 4-wheeled walker.

Background: Learning to walk with a 4-wheeled walker increases cognitive demands in people with Alzheimer's dementia (AD). However, it is expected that experience will offset the increased cognitive demand. Current research has not yet evaluated gait in people with AD experienced in using a 4-wheeled walker under complex gait situations.

An Evaluation of Heart Rate Variability in Female Youth Soccer Players Following Soccer Heading: A Pilot Study.

Most head impacts in soccer occur from purposeful heading; however, the link between heading and neurological impairment is unknown. Previous work suggests concussion may result in an uncoupling between the autonomic nervous system and cardiovascular system. Accordingly, heart rate variability (HRV) may be a sensitive measure to provide meaningful information regarding repetitive heading in soccer.

Effect of Learning to Use a Mobility Aid on Gait and Cognitive Demands in People with Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Disease: Part II - 4-Wheeled Walker.

Background: Cognitive deficits and gait problems are common and progressive in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Prescription of a 4-wheeled walker is a common intervention to improve stability and independence, yet can be associated with an increased falls risk.

Objectives: 1) To examine changes in spatial-temporal gait parameters while using a 4-wheeled walker under different walking conditions, and 2) to determine the cognitive and gait task costs of walking with the aid in adults with AD and healthy older adults.

Effect of Learning to Use a Mobility Aid on Gait and Cognitive Demands in People with Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Disease: Part I - Cane.

Background: People with Alzheimer's disease (AD) exhibit balance and walking impairments that increase falls risk. Prescription of a mobility aid is done to improve stability, yet also requires increased cognitive resources. Single-point canes require unique motor sequencing for safe use.

Driving with Parkinson's Disease: Exploring Lived Experience.

A growing body of literature has explored the impact of Parkinson's disease (PD) on fitness to drive. As such, evidence now supports the use of specific clinical tests for screening purposes, the predictive validity of risk impressions, and the critical driving errors that predict on-road pass/fail outcomes in this population. However, little is known about the lived experiences of persons with PD as they navigate driving-related concerns such as driving impairments, cessation, potential threats to independence, and community mobility.

Beat perception ability and instructions to synchronize influence gait when walking to music-based auditory cues.

Synchronizing gait to music-based auditory cues (rhythmic auditory stimulation) is a strategy used to manage gait impairments in a variety of neurological conditions, including Parkinson's disease. However, knowledge of how to individually optimize music-based cues is limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate how instructions to synchronize with auditory cues influences gait outcomes among healthy young adults with either good or poor beat perception ability.

Comparing the Effects of Dual-Task Gait Testing in New and Established Ambulators With Lower Extremity Amputations.

Background: Gait is a complex process that involves coordinating motor and sensory systems through higher-order cognitive processes. Walking with a prosthesis after lower extremity amputation challenges these processes. However, the factors that influence the cognitive-motor interaction in gait among lower extremity amputees has not been evaluated.

Reconstruction of a Caregiver Burden Scale: Identifying Culturally Sensitive Items in Saudi Arabia.

ABSTRACTFor this study, we adapted the Montgomery Borgatta Caregiver Burden Scale, used widely in the United States, to the Saudi Arabian context. To produce an Arabic, culturally sensitive version of the scale, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 Saudi family caregivers. The Arabic version of the scale was tested, and participants were asked to comment on the appropriateness of items for the construct of "caregiver burden" using the repertory grid technique and laddering procedure - two constructivist methods derived from personal construct theory.

Assessment of Caregiving Constructs: Toward a Personal, Familial, Group, and Cultural Construction of Dementia Care through the Eyes of Personal Construct Psychology.

Conditions that cause cognitive impairment and behavioural and personality changes, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementia, have global impact across cultures. However, the experience of dementia care can vary between individuals, families, formal caregivers, and social groups from various cultures. Self-reported measures, caregiving stress models, and conceptual theories have been developed to address the physical, financial, psychological, and social factors associated with the experience of dementia care.

Active Music Therapy and Physical Improvements From Rehabilitation for Neurological Conditions.

Context • A variety of rehabilitation-based interventions are currently available for individuals with physical impairments resulting from neurological conditions, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech language pathology. Many individuals find participation in those therapies to be challenging. Alternative therapies have emerged as beneficial adjunctive treatments for individuals undergoing neurological rehabilitation, including music therapy (MT).

Clinical Presentation of Anxiety in Parkinson's Disease: A Scoping Review.

Up to 40% of all individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) are estimated to experience anxiety that interferes with daily functioning. This article describes research regarding the presentation of anxiety in PD and the influence anxiety has on participation in this population. A scoping review identified 1,635 articles, of which 49 met the inclusion criteria.

Clinical Assessments as Predictors of Primary On-Road Outcomes in Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects fitness to drive. Research that has examined clinical predictors of fitness to drive in PD, using the on-road assessment as the gold standard, has generally used a dichotomous pass/fail decision. However, on-road assessments may also result in one of two additional outcomes (pass with recommendations, or fail-remediable).

Toward a Mixed-Methods Research Approach to Content Analysis in The Digital Age: The Combined Content-Analysis Model and its Applications to Health Care Twitter Feeds.

Background: Twitter's 140-character microblog posts are increasingly used to access information and facilitate discussions among health care professionals and between patients with chronic conditions and their caregivers. Recently, efforts have emerged to investigate the content of health care-related posts on Twitter. This marks a new area for researchers to investigate and apply content analysis (CA).

The Sport Concussion Education Project. A brief report on an educational initiative: from concept to curriculum.

Current research on concussion is primarily focused on injury identification and treatment. Prevention initiatives are, however, important for reducing the incidence of brain injury. This report examines the development and implementation of an interactive electronic teaching program (an e-module) that is designed specifically for concussion education within an adolescent population.

Hockey Concussion Education Project, Part 1. Susceptibility-weighted imaging study in male and female ice hockey players over a single season.

Object: Concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a commonly occurring sports-related injury, especially in contact sports such as hockey. Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), which appear as small, hypointense lesions on T₂*-weighted images, can result from TBI. The authors use susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) to automatically detect small hypointensities that may be subtle signs of chronic and acute damage due to both subconcussive and concussive injury.

Hockey Concussion Education Project, Part 2. Microstructural white matter alterations in acutely concussed ice hockey players: a longitudinal free-water MRI study.

Object: Concussion is a common injury in ice hockey and a health problem for the general population. Traumatic axonal injury has been associated with concussions (also referred to as mild traumatic brain injuries), yet the pathological course that leads from injury to recovery or to long-term sequelae is still not known. This study investigated the longitudinal course of concussion by comparing diffusion MRI (dMRI) scans of the brains of ice hockey players before and after a concussion.

Hockey Concussion Education Project, Part 3. White matter microstructure in ice hockey players with a history of concussion: a diffusion tensor imaging study.

Object: The aim of this study was to examine the brain's white matter microstructure by using MR diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in ice hockey players with a history of clinically symptomatic concussion compared with players without a history of concussion.

Methods: Sixteen players with a history of concussion (concussed group; mean age 21.7 ± 1.

Physical activity among preschoolers during indoor and outdoor childcare play periods.

Preschoolers' (n = 31) physical activity (PA) levels during indoor and outdoor childcare hours were explored using accelerometers. Participants engaged in 0.54 min/h (SD = 0.

Validity of the Nintendo Wii® balance board for the assessment of standing balance in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Impaired postural stability places individuals with Parkinson's at an increased risk for falls. Given the high incidence of fall-related injuries within this population, ongoing assessment of postural stability is important.

Objective: To evaluate the validity of the Nintendo Wii(®) balance board as a measurement tool for the assessment of postural stability in individuals with Parkinson's.