Publications by authors named "M Porro"

Background: The use of video games in rehabilitation settings is gaining increasing popularity. However, the lack of commercial video games suitable for children with disabilities and the disappointing user experience of serious games limit their applicability. The aim of this study was to assess the usability, acceptability and user experience of GiocAbile, an active video game for children with cerebral palsy (CP).

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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers studied how newborns recognize emotional facial expressions, focusing on their ability to distinguish between happy and fearful faces.
  • They manipulated spatial frequency (SF) by filtering facial images to observe preferences in a preferential looking method.
  • Findings indicated that newborns preferred happy faces over fearful ones when presented with high spatial frequency images but had difficulty with low spatial frequency images, suggesting different processing for emotions based on visual information.
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Since birth, infants discriminate the biological motion (BM) revealed by point-light displays (PLDs). To date, no studies have explored whether newborns differentiate BM that approaches rather than withdraws from them. Yet, approach and withdrawal are two fundamental motivations in the socio-emotional world, key to developing empathy and prosocial behavior.

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The clinical features of achondroplasia can cause acute self-limited pain that can evolve into chronic pain. Pain causes a low quality of life, in terms of physical, emotional, social, and school functioning in both adult and children with achondroplasia. We conducted a systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement to describe prevalence, assessment tools, causes and management strategies of pain in this rare disease.

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