Studies of chronically deafferented participants have illuminated how regaining some motor control after adult-onset loss of proprioceptive and touch input depends heavily on cognitive control. In this study we contrasted the performance of one such man, IW, with KS, a woman born without any somatosensory fibres. We postulated that her life-long absence of proprioception and touch might have allowed her to automate some simple visually-guided actions, something IW appears unable to achieve. We tested these two, and two age-matched control groups, on writing and drawing tasks performed with and without an audio-verbal echoing task that added a cognitive demand. In common with other studies of skilled action, the dual task was shown to affect visuo-motor performance in controls, with less well-controlled drawing and writing, evident as increases in path speed and reduction in curvature and trial duration. We found little evidence that IW was able to automate even the simplest drawing tasks and no evidence for automaticity in his writing. In contrast, KS showed a selective increase in speed of signature writing under the dual-task conditions, suggesting some ability to automate her most familiar writing. We also tested tracing of templates under mirror-reversed conditions, a task that imposes a powerful cognitive planning challenge. Both IW and KS showed evidence of a visuo-motor planning conflict, as did the controls, for shapes with sharp corners. Overall, IW was much faster than his controls to complete tracing shapes, consistent with an absence of visuo-proprioceptive conflict, whereas KS was slower than her controls, especially as the corners became sharper. She dramatically improved after a short period of practice while IW did not. We conclude that KS, who developed from birth without proprioception, may have some visually derived control of movement not under cognitive control, something not seen in IW. This allowed her to automate some writing and drawing actions, but impaired her initial attempts at mirror-tracing. In contrast, IW, who lost somatosensation as an adult, cannot automate these visually guided actions.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00221-021-06110-y | DOI Listing |
World J Pediatr
January 2025
The First Hospital of Peking University, Beijing, China.
Background: Glucose transporter 1 deficiency syndrome (Glut1DS) was initially reported by De Vivo and colleagues in 1991. This disease arises from mutations in the SLC2A1 and presents with a broad clinical spectrum. It is a treatable neuro-metabolic condition, where prompt diagnosis and initiation of ketogenic dietary therapy can markedly enhance the prognosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGeroscience
January 2025
Laboratory of Imaging and Biomarkers in Cognitive Disorders, School of Medical Sciences, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) refers to cognitive alterations with preservation of functionality. Individuals with this diagnosis have a higher risk of developing dementia. Non-pharmacological interventions, such as physical exercise, are beneficial for the cognition of this population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Neuropsychol Adult
January 2025
Denizli Elderly Care and Rehabilitation Centre, Denizli, Türkiye.
Cognitive impairment, changes in mood, and decrease in fine motor skills are some of the most common symptoms experienced by individuals with Alzheimer's Disease (AD). This study aimed to investigate the effects of the Turkish intelligence and strategy game Mangala on cognitive functions, anxiety, depression, and fine motor skills in individuals with AD. In this randomized controlled study, 37 participants were divided into Mangala Group (MG) and Control Group (CG).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFScand J Occup Ther
January 2025
Department of Health Science Gjøvik, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Gjøvik, Norway.
Background: Occupational therapists strive to provide evidence-based cognitive rehabilitation for everyday functional activities in community-based rehabilitation.
Objective: In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of the Perceive, Recall, Plan and Perform (PRPP) Intervention in enhancing and maintaining task performance and cognitive strategy use during home-based rehabilitation for individuals with cognitive challenges following acquired brain injury.
Material And Methods: This study is a systematic replication of a single-case experimental designs using multiple baselines applied to three participants (67+ years old) undergoing nine PRPP Intervention sessions.
Front Immunol
January 2025
Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, major events with immune-modulating effects at population-level included COVID-19 infection, lockdowns, and mass vaccinations campaigns. As immune responses influence many immune-mediated diseases, population scale immunological changes may have broad consequences.
Methods: We investigated the impact of lockdowns, COVID-19 infection and vaccinations on immune responses in the 2000HIV study including 1895 asymptomatic virally-suppressed people living with HIV recruited between October 2019 and October 2021.
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