Three-Dimensional Gait Analysis of School-Age Children With Angelman Syndrome: A Case-Control Study.

Gait disturbance is a common motor symptom in Angelman syndrome (AS), but its characteristics have been poorly studied quantitatively. This study aimed to analyze gait characteristics in school-age children with AS using three-dimensional gait analysis (3DGA). Patients with clinically and genetically confirmed AS and healthy children aged 6-15 years were included.

Underlying Disorders in Children With Infection-Related Acute Encephalopathy.

Background: Various factors contribute to the development of infection-related acute encephalopathy (AE) in children, such as infectious agents and chronic underlying disorders. We studied underlying disorders in children with AE to identify predisposing factors of AE.

Methods: We investigated underlying disorders or past histories in patients with two types of AE from the database in the Tokai area of Japan between 2009 and 2022: 204 patients with AE with reduced subcortical diffusion (AED) and 137 with clinically mild encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS).

Physical Function of Japanese Preadolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Children's exercise habits have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to examine the physical function and physical activity of preadolescent children before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study compared time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), grip strength, single-leg standing time, and two-step tests of healthy children aged 10 to 12 years, enrolled from January 2018 to January 2020 (pre-COVID-19 group, = 177) and from January 2021 to September 2022 (during-COVID-19 group, = 69).

Involvement of brain structures in childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes.

Background: We aimed to investigate electroencephalography (EEG)-functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) findings to elucidate the interictal epileptiform discharge (IED)-related functional alterations in deep brain structures and the neocortex in childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (CECTS).

Methods: Ten children with CECTS (median age 8.2 years), referred to our hospital within a year of onset, were eligible for inclusion.

Gait characteristics of children with Williams syndrome with impaired visuospatial recognition: a three-dimensional gait analysis study.

Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetically based neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by intellectual disability and impaired visuospatial recognition. The aim of this study was to analyze the gait characteristics of WS children with impaired visuospatial recognition using a three-dimensional gait analysis (3DGA) to clarify the gait adaptation needed to compensate for it. 3DGA was performed in 8 WS children with impaired visuospatial recognition (mean age, 11.

Subsecond EEG-fMRI analysis for presurgical evaluation in focal epilepsy.

Objective: The authors recently reported a novel subsecond analysis method of analyzing EEG-functional MRI (fMRI) to improve the detection rate of epileptic focus. This study aims to validate the utility of this method for presurgical evaluation in pharmacoresistant focal epilepsy.

Methods: Among 13 patients with focal epilepsy undergoing presurgical examinations including simultaneous EEG-fMRI at 3T, 11 patients had interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) during fMRI.

Correlation between the Gait Deviation Index and skeletal muscle mass in children with spastic cerebral palsy.

[Purpose] This study aimed to identify a simple and useful muscle parameter for use with the Gait Deviation Index in assessment of ambulatory children with unilateral and bilateral spastic cerebral palsy. [Participants and Methods] Twenty-eight patients (aged 6 to 18 years; 16 females and 12 males) participated in this cross-sectional study. Outcome measurements included the Gait Deviation Index, grip strength, 5-repetition chair stand test, upper limb skeletal muscle mass index, and lower limb skeletal muscle mass index.

Proprioceptive change impairs balance control in older patients with low back pain.

[Purpose] This study aims to determine the specific proprioceptive control strategy used during postural balance in older patients with low back pain (LBP) and non-LBP (NLBP) and to assess whether this strategy is related to proprioceptive decline and LBP. [Subjects and Methods] Pressure displacement center was determined in 47 older persons with LBP and 64 older persons with NLBP during upright stance on a balance board without vision. Gastrocnemius (GS) and lumbar multifidus muscle (LM) vibratory stimulations of 60 and 240-Hz, respectively, were applied to evaluate the relative contributions of different proprioceptive signals (relative proprioceptive weighting ratio, RPW) used in postural control.