Use of a Single Wearable Sensor to Evaluate the Effects of Gait and Pelvis Asymmetries on the Components of the Timed Up and Go Test, in Persons with Unilateral Lower Limb Amputation.

The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test quantifies physical mobility by measuring the total performance time. In this study, we quantified the single TUG subcomponents and, for the first time, explored the effects of gait cycle and pelvis asymmetries on them. Transfemoral (TF) and transtibial (TT) amputees were compared with a control group.

Botulinum Toxin A for Sialorrhoea Associated with Neurological Disorders: Evaluation of the Relationship between Effect of Treatment and the Number of Glands Treated.

: Sialorrhoea and drooling are disabling manifestations of different neurological disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A) injection on hypersalivation in 90 patients with neurological diseases of different aetiologies, and to define the minimum number of injected salivary glands to reduce sialorrhoea. Determining the minimum number of glands that need to be engaged in order to have a significant reduction in drooling may be very useful for establishing the minimum total dosage of BoNT/A that may be considered effective in the treatment of hypersalivation.

Awareness of deficits in financial abilities in patients with mild cognitive impairment: going beyond self-informant discrepancy.

Objective: Self and informant reports of functional abilities are weighted heavily in diagnostic decision making regarding mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, it is unclear whether patients with MCI are fully aware and provide reliable estimates of their functional status. In this study, the authors used three different approaches to examine accuracy of self-report of financial abilities among patients with MCI.

Cortical silent period prolongation in spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2).

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder mapped on chromosome 12. Different results have been reported in spinocerebellar ataxias following transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). TMS-induced cortical silent period (CSP) was prolonged in different cerebellar disorders.

Changes of cortical excitability of human motor cortex in spinocerebellar ataxia type 2. A study with paired transcranial magnetic stimulation.

The aim of this study was to evaluate motor cortex excitability in spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2). Cortical silent period (CSP), motor thresholds, and intracortical inhibition and facilitation by paired transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) were investigated in 18 SCA2 patients and in 20 controls. The mean CSP duration and motor threshold after TMS were significantly increased in the patient group.