Understanding the potential mechanisms of disease modifying effects of physical activity and exercise in people with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a serious chronic mental health problem that usually starts during adolescence and early childhood. It is characterized by positive symptoms (delusions, hallucinations and grossly disorganized speech and behaviour), negative symptoms (apathy, isolation and diminished affect), and cognitive impairment that negatively affect quality of life. Its treatments include the use of pharmacological interventions, exercise, non-invasive brain stimulation and cognitive remediation training.

Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation combined with concurrent dual-task walking on mobility, gait, and cognitive outcomes: A systematic review.

Introduction: Successful execution of normal activities in various populations warrants the performance of dual tasks (DTs). DTs involve motor and cognitive tasking with the involvement of various brain areas. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been used for regulating the excitability of brain cortical regions.

Effects of treadmill training combined with transcranial direct current stimulation on mobility, motor performance, balance function, and other brain-related outcomes in stroke survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Treadmill training (TT) is a gait training technique that has commonly been used in neurorehabilitation, and has positive effects on gait, mobility, and related outcomes in stroke survivors. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive approach for modulating brain cortex excitability.

Aim: To evaluate the available scientific evidence on the effects of TT combined with tDCS on mobility, motor performance, balance function, and brain-related outcomes in stroke survivors.

Efficacy of diaphragmatic breathing exercise on respiratory, cognitive, and motor function outcomes in patients with stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Stroke disrupts the functions carried out by the brain such as the control of movement, sensation, and cognition. Disruption of movement control results in hemiparesis that affects the function of the diaphragm. Impaired function of the diaphragm can in turn affect many outcomes such as respiratory, cognitive, and motor function.

Understanding the mechanisms of disease modifying effects of aerobic exercise in people with Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a very disabling disease. Pathologically, it is characterized by the presence of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain that results in neurodegeneration. Its clinical manifestations include progressive memory impairment, language decline and difficulty in carrying out activities of daily living (ADL).

Personalized robots for long-term telerehabilitation after stroke: a perspective on technological readiness and clinical translation.

Stroke rehabilitation, which demands consistent, intensive, and adaptable intervention in the long term, faced significant challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, telerehabilitation emerged as a noteworthy complement to traditional rehabilitation services, offering the convenience of at-home care delivery and overcoming geographical and resource limitations. Self-help rehabilitation robots deliver repetitive and intensive physical assistance, thereby alleviating the labor burden.

Prevalence and risks factors of caregiving-related low back pain among caregivers of stroke survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Stroke causes disability that makes its survivors depend on caregivers for help. The caregivers offer help during lifting and transferring patients from one place to another. However, such activities result in the caregivers sustaining musculoskeletal injuries such as the low back pain (LBP).

Effects of constraint induced movement therapy in patients with multiple sclerosis: A systematic review.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) that commonly affects young and middle-aged adults. Neurodegeneration of the CNS affects its functions such as sensorimotor, autonomic and cognitive functions. Affectation of motor function can result in disability in performance of daily life activities.

Combination of noninvasive brain stimulation and constraint-induced movement therapy in patients with stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) and noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) are used to counteract learned nonuse phenomenon and imbalance in interhemispheric inhibition following stroke. The aim of this study is to summarize the available evidence on the effects of combining NIBS with CIMT in patients with stroke.

Method: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science (WoS), PEDro, OTSeeker, and CENTRAL were searched for randomized controlled trials comparing the use of NIBS+CIMT with sham NIBS+CIMT.

Loaded and unloaded timed stair tests as tools for assessing advanced functional mobility in people with stroke.

Background: The Timed Stair Test (TST) was originally designed to measure advanced functional mobility in patients who have undergone a total hip replacement. Its psychometric properties have not been examined systematically in people with stroke.

Aim: The aims of this study were to: 1) determine the intra-rater reliability of TST under loaded and unloaded condition; 2) identify the minimal detectable changes (MDCs) in TST completion times; 3) investigate the concurrent validity between TST completion times and stroke-specific outcome measures; and 4) determine the cut-off TST completion time to differentiate the performance between people with stroke and healthy older adults.

A Systematic Review Exploring the Theories Underlying the Improvement of Balance and Reduction in Falls Following Dual-Task Training among Older Adults.

Background: Balance impairment causes frequent falls in older adults, and preventing falls remains challenging. Dual-task (DT) training reduces falls by improving balance, but the precise theory is not fully understood. This review aims to explore the theories underlying the effectiveness of DT in improving balance and reducing falls in older adults.

Development and pilot evaluation of a mobile app on parent-child exercises to improve physical activity and psychosocial outcomes of Hong Kong Chinese children.

Background: Parent-child exercises involve children and parents to do workout together and have positive effects on physical and mental health. We developed a mobile app on parent-child exercises called Family Move, which combines coaching videos with game features such as points and level system to enhance the health and wellbeing of both children and parents through parent-child exercises. This pilot pre-post study investigated whether the Family Move app-based intervention had a positive effect on children's health-related quality of life (HRQOL), psychosocial wellbeing, and physical activity (PA) level.

Analogy motor learning by young children: a study of rope skipping.

Research in psychology suggests that provision of an instruction by analogy can enhance acquisition and understanding of knowledge. Limited research has been conducted to test this proposition in motor learning by children. The purpose of the present study was to examine the feasibility of analogy instructions in motor skill acquisition by children.

Instructions influence response to the Chinese version of the Movement-Specific Reinvestment Scale in community-dwelling older adults.

Aim: To examine whether differences emerged when the Chinese version of the Movement-Specific Reinvestment Scale (MSRS-C) was administered to community-dwelling older adults with instructions to respond in the context of "general" movements, walking, using chopsticks or dressing. Furthermore, the difference between the six-point Likert scale and four-point Likert scale response formats of the MSRS-C was investigated.

Methods: The study was implemented in the community of Hong Kong with 52 older adults (mean age 77.

Effect of Low-intensity Exercise on Physical and Cognitive Health in Older Adults: a Systematic Review.

Background: It is well known that physical exercise is important to promote physical and cognitive health in older population. However, inconsistent research findings were shown regarding exercise intensity, particularly on whether low-intensity exercise (1.5 metabolic equivalent tasks (METs) to 3.