"Guttmann Cognitest", preliminary validation of a digital solution to test cognitive performance.

Thanks to technological advances, the administration of cognitive assessments digital solutions continues to increase, both in research and clinical practice. "Guttmann Cognitest" is a digital solution for cognitive assessment which includes seven computerized tasks designed to assess main cognitive functions requiring approximately 20 min to be completed. The purpose of the present study was to validate it against standard and more extensive in-person neuropsychological assessments in the context of the Barcelona Brain Health Initiative (BBHI) cohort study.

Epigenome-Wide Association Study in Peripheral Tissues Highlights DNA Methylation Profiles Associated with Episodic Memory Performance in Humans.

The decline in episodic memory (EM) performance is a hallmark of cognitive aging and an early clinical sign in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In this study, we conducted an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) using DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles from buccal and blood samples for cross-sectional (n = 1019) and longitudinal changes in EM performance (n = 626; average follow-up time 5.4 years) collected under the auspices of the Lifebrain consortium project.

Shear wave elastography combined with electromyography to assess the effect of botulinum toxin on spastic dystonia following stroke: A pilot study.

Background: Shear wave elastography (SWE) is a method for carrying out a quantitative assessment of the mechanical properties of soft tissues in terms of stiffness. In stroke survivors, the paretic muscles may develop hypertonia due to both neural-mediated mechanisms and structural alterations with consequent muscular fibrous-fatty remodeling.

Methods: Fourteen adult patients with spastic dystonia following stroke were recruited.

Corrigendum to "Prefrontal reactivity to TMS perturbation as a toy model of mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic"[Heliyon 8 (8), (August 2022) Article e10208].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.

Neuropsychological rehabilitation for post-COVID-19 syndrome: results of a clinical programme and six-month follow up.

Introduction: Patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome may present cognitive and emotional symptomatology. This study aims to analyse the results of an outpatient neuropsychological intervention programme for post-COVID-19 syndrome.

Method: In June 2020 Institut Guttmann started an outpatient post-COVID-19 neurorehabilitation programme, including respiratory therapy, physiotherapy, and neuropsychological rehabilitation.

Prefrontal reactivity to TMS perturbation as a toy model of mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Psychosocial hardships associated with the COVID-19 pandemic led many individuals to suffer adverse mental health consequences, however, others show no negative effects. We hypothesized that the electroencephalographic (EEG) response to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) could serve as a toy-model of an individual's capacity to resist psychological stress, in this case linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed data from 74 participants who underwent mental health monitoring and concurrent electroencephalography with transcranial magnetic stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) and left inferior parietal lobule (L-IPL).

[Neuropsychological rehabilitation for post-COVID-19 syndrome: Results of a clinical program and six-month follow up.].

Introduction: Patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome may present cognitive and emotional symptomatology. This study aims to analyse the results of an outpatient neuropsychological intervention program for post-COVID-19 syndrome.

Method: In June 2020 Institut Guttmann started an outpatient post-COVID-19 neurorehabilitation program, including respiratory therapy, physiotherapy, and neuropsychological rehabilitation.

Time to reconcile research findings and clinical practice on upper limb neurorehabilitation.

The Problem: In the field of upper limb neurorehabilitation, the translation from research findings to clinical practice remains troublesome. Patients are not receiving treatments based on the best available evidence. There are certainly multiple reasons to account for this issue, including the power of habit over innovation, subjective beliefs over objective results.

The Importance of Motivation to Older Adult Physical and Cognitive Exercise Program Development, Initiation, and Adherence.

Brain health is essential to successful aging, and exercise is essential to brain health. Evidence supports the benefits of regular physical and cognitive exercise in preventing or delaying progressin of mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Despite known benefits, motivation to initiate and adhere to an exercise program can be challenging to older adults.

Clinical Prediction Rule Validation for Ambulation Outcome After Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury in a Spanish Population.

Background: Predicting the ability to walk after traumatic spinal cord injury is of utmost importance in the clinical setting. Nevertheless, only a small fraction of predictive models are evaluated on their performance by other authors using external data. The Dutch Clinical Prediction Rule for long-term walking ability was developed and validated using neurological assessments performed within 15 days postinjury.

Sense of Coherence Mediates the Relationship Between Cognitive Reserve and Cognition in Middle-Aged Adults.

In recent years, supported by new scientific evidence, the conceptualization of cognitive reserve (CR) has been progressively enriched and now encompasses not only cognitive stimulating activities or educational level, but also lifestyle activities, such as leisure physical activity and socialization. In this context, there is increasing interest in understanding the role of psychological factors in brain health and cognitive functioning. In a previous study, we have found that these factors mediated the relationship between CR and self-reported cognitive functioning.

Novel insights into the effects of levodopa on the up- and downstrokes of writing sequences.

Motor control of automatized and overlearned sequences, such as writing, is affected in Parkinson's disease (PD), impacting patients' daily life. Medication effects on motor performance are not only task-specific, but also variable within tasks. The nature of this variance is still unclear.

Validation and Normative Data of the Spanish Version of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test and Associated Long-Term Forgetting Measures in Middle-Aged Adults.

Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) is an episodic memory helpful measure to detect changes associated with abnormal aging. There is a lack of RAVLT validation and normalization studies in Spain. The aim was to determine its psychometric properties and explore long-term forgetting (LTF) performance through 1-week delayed recall under three different modes of administration.

The impact of COVID-19 on home, social, and productivity integration of people with chronic traumatic brain injury or stroke living in the community.

Compare community integration of people with stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI) living in the community before and during the coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 disease (COVID-19) when stratifying by injury: participants with stroke (G1) and with TBI (G2); by functional independence in activities of daily living: independent (G3) and dependent (G4); by age: participants younger than 54 (G5) and older than 54 (G6); and by gender: female (G7) and male (G8) participants.Prospective observational cohort studyIn-person follow-up visits (before COVID-19 outbreak) to a rehabilitation hospital in Spain and on-line during COVID-19.Community dwelling adults (≥18 years) with chronic stroke or TBI.

Long-term trajectories of motor functional independence after ischemic stroke in young adults: Identification and characterization using inpatient baseline assessments.

Background: Stroke is a major worldwide cause of serious long-term disability. Most previous studies addressing functional independence included only inpatients with limited follow-up.

Objective: To identify novel classes of patients having similar temporal patterns in motor functional independence and relate them to baseline clinical features.

A structured ICA-based process for removing auditory evoked potentials.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-evoked potentials (TEPs), recorded using electroencephalography (EEG), reflect a combination of TMS-induced cortical activity and multi-sensory responses to TMS. The auditory evoked potential (AEP) is a high-amplitude sensory potential-evoked by the "click" sound produced by every TMS pulse-that can dominate the TEP and obscure observation of other neural components. The AEP is peripherally evoked and therefore should not be stimulation site specific.

A New Score Based on the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury for Integrative Evaluation of Changes in Sensorimotor Functions.

Sensorimotor function of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) is commonly assessed according to the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI). From the ISNCSCI segmental motor and sensory assessments, upper and lower extremity motor scores (UEMS and LEMS), sum scores of pinprick (PP) and light touch (LT) sensation, the neurological level of injury (NLI) and the classification of lesion severity according to the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade are derived. Changes of these parameters over time are used widely to evaluate neurological recovery.

Associations of circulating C-reactive proteins, APOE ε4, and brain markers for Alzheimer's disease in healthy samples across the lifespan.

The apolipoprotein E gene ε4 allele (APOE ε4) and higher circulating level of C-reactive protein (CRP) have been extensively investigated as risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Paradoxically, APOE ε4 has been associated with lower levels of blood CRP in middle-aged and older populations. However, few studies have investigated this intriguing relation and its impact on neurological markers for AD in younger ages, nor across the whole lifespan.

Effects of different vibration frequencies on spinal cord reflex circuits and thermoalgesic perception.

Objectives: We studied the effect of different vibration frequencies on spinal cord excitability and heat pain perception. We hypothesized that the effects of vibration on spinal cord reflexes, and, also those on heat pain perception, depend on vibration frequency.

Methods: In 9 healthy subjects, we applied vibration over the tibialis anterior muscle at three different frequencies (50, 150, or 250 Hz) on spinal cord reflex excitably, tested with the H reflex and the T wave in the soleus muscle, as well as on sensory and pain perception, tested by measuring warm perception (WT) and heat pain perception thresholds, (HPT) in sites rostral and caudal to vibration.

[The impact of educational level on cognitive assessments in young patients admitted to rehabilitation after ischaemic stroke].

Introduction And Objective: We propose to assess the impact of educational level on cognitive tests at admission and discharge after a period of cognitive rehabilitation in young patients after ischaemic stroke.

Materials And Methods: We considered secondary and higher education (group A) and less than 6 years of formal education (group B). We compared A and B using χ and Kruskal-Wallis.

Intelligent Coaching Assistant for the Promotion of Healthy Habits in a Multidomain mHealth-Based Intervention for Brain Health.

Brain Health is defined as the development and preservation of optimal brain integrity and neural network functioning for a given age. Recent studies have related healthy habits with better maintenance of brain health across the lifespan. As a part of the Barcelona Brain Health Initiative (BBHI), a mHealth platform has been developed with the purpose of helping people to improve and monitor their healthy habits, facilitating the delivery of health coaching strategies.

Multidisciplinary outpatient rehabilitation of physical and neurological sequelae and persistent symptoms of covid-19: a prospective, observational cohort study.

Purpose: This prospective, observational cohort study investigated the effects of multidisciplinary rehabilitation of post Covid-19 sequelae and persistent symptoms and their impact on patients' functioning and quality of life.

Methods: From 58 patients referred for neurorehabilitation, 43 were eligible for and participated in the present study. Before and after 8 weeks of rehabilitation, patients underwent physical, neuropsychological and respiratory evaluations and assessment of functional independence, impact of fatigue and quality of life.