Performance of Down syndrome subjects during a coincident timing task

Background: The time synchronization is a very important ability for the acquisition and performance of motor skills that generate the need to adapt the actions of body segments to external events of the environment that are changing their position in space. Down Syndrome (DS) individuals may present some deficits to perform tasks with synchronization demand. We aimed to investigate the performance of individuals with DS in a simple Coincident Timing task. Method. 32 individuals were divided into 2 groups: the Down syndrome group (DSG) comprised of 16 individuals with average age of 20 (+/- 5 years old), and a control group (CG) comprised of 16 individuals of the same age. All individuals performed the Simple Timing (ST) task and their performance was measured in milliseconds. The study was conducted in a single phase with the execution of 20 consecutive trials for each participant. Results: There was a significant difference in the intergroup analysis for the accuracy adjustment - Absolute Error (Z = 3.656, p = 0.001); and for the performance consistence - Variable Error (Z = 2.939, p = 0.003). Conclusion: DS individuals have more difficulty in integrating the motor action to an external stimulus and they also present more inconsistence in performance. Both groups presented the same tendency to delay their motor responses. © 2013 Torriani-Pasin et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Gestational protein restriction induces CA3 dendritic atrophy in dorsal hippocampal neurons but does not alter learning and memory performance in adult offspring

Studies have demonstrated that nutrient deficiency during pregnancy or in early postnatal life results in structural abnormalities in the offspring hippocampus and in cognitive impairment. In an attempt to analyze whether gestational protein restriction might induce learning and memory impairments associated with structural changes in the hippocampus, we carried out a detailed morphometric analysis of the hippocampus of male adult rats together with the behavioral characterization of these animals in the Morris water maze (MWM). Our results demonstrate that gestational protein restriction leads to a decrease in total basal dendritic length and in the number of intersections of CA3 pyramidal neurons whereas the cytoarchitecture of CA1 and dentate gyrus remained unchanged. Despite presenting significant structural rearrangements, we did not observe impairments in the MWM test. Considering the clear dissociation between the behavioral profile and the hippocampus neuronal changes, the functional significance of dendritic remodeling in fetal processing remains undisclosed. © 2012 ISDN.

Desempenho em consciência fonológica, nomeação rápida, leitura e escrita em escolares com dislexia secundária a retardo mental e com bom desempenho acadêmico

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Diurnal variation in oral temperature, sleepiness and performance of high school girls

Evaluation of rhythmic fluctuations cf physical and mental variables should be of special significance for the understanding of students' performance and setting the schedules of school activities. The present study investigated the pattern of diurnal variation in oral temperature, sleepiness and performance of a group of adolescents undergoing a daytime school schedule. Eighteen girls (mean age 16 years-old), who attended the same class from 0715h to 1645h, were tested on seven days. They measured their oral temperature, quantified their sleepiness level by means of a visual analogue scale, and completed the following tests: letter cancellation test, addition test, and a simple motor task. One-way ANOVA statistics for repeated measures was used in order to verify the effect of test time on oral temperature,sleepiness and performance. Possible correlations between the level of sleepiness and performance were investigated by means of Spearman rank correlation. The results revealed significant time of day effect cn all variables, except for the number of addition errors. Oral temperature values showed an increase from morning to afternoon. Letter cancellation, motor task and addition scores increased from early morning to late afternoon, showing rapid fluctuations throughout the day. Sleepiness level was negatively correlated with letter cancellation scores during the first three tests of the day. In agreement with other work, the diurnal variation of oral temperature, letter cancellation and addition test showed an improvement as the day progressed. Sleepiness, on the other hand, decreased throughout the day, with the highest level associated with the first test of the day, suggesting a circadian pattern of variation rather than a cumulative effect due to school activities.

The effects of anxiety on visual search, movement kinematics, and performance in table tennis: A test of Eysenck and Calvo's processing efficiency theory

Processing efficiency theory predicts that anxiety reduces the processing capacity of working memory and has detrimental effects on performance. When tasks place little demand on working memory, the negative effects of anxiety can be avoided by increasing effort. Although performance efficiency decreases, there is no change in performance effectiveness. When tasks impose a heavy demand on working memory, however, anxiety leads to decrements in efficiency and effectiveness. These presumptions were tested using a modified table tennis task that placed low (LWM) and high (HWM) demands on working memory. Cognitive anxiety was manipulated through a competitive ranking structure and prize money. Participants' accuracy in hitting concentric circle targets in predetermined sequences was taken as a measure of performance effectiveness, while probe reaction time (PRT), perceived mental effort (RSME), visual search data, and arm kinematics were recorded as measures of efficiency. Anxiety had a negative effect on performance effectiveness in both LWM and HWM tasks. There was an increase in frequency of gaze and in PRT and RSME values in both tasks under high vs. low anxiety conditions, implying decrements in performance efficiency. However, participants spent more time tracking the ball in the HWM task and employed a shorter tau margin when anxious. Although anxiety impaired performance effectiveness and efficiency, decrements in efficiency were more pronounced in the HWM task than in the LWM task, providing support for processing efficiency theory.

Carbohydrate use and reduction in number of balance beam falls: Implications for mental and physical fatigue

Background: Artistic Gymnastics is a sport where athletes are frequently fatigued. One element that might influence this aspect is carbohydrate, an important energy substrate for the muscles and the CNS. Our goal was to investigate the influence of fatigue over artistic gymnastics athlete's performance and the effects of a carbohydrate supplementation on their performance. Methods: We evaluated 15 athletes divided in 2 groups (control and fatigue) from 12 to 14 years old in two different experimental days. On the first day (water day), they did 5 sets of exercises on the balance beam (experimental protocol) ingesting only water, CG (control group) warmed up before the experimental protocol and FG (fatigue group) did a fatigue circuit, warm up exercises and then the experimental protocol. On the second day (carbohydrate day), we used the same protocol but CG ingested a sugar free flavored juice and FG ingested a 20% concentration maltodextrin solution before the protocol on the balance beam. Results: We observed a greater number of falls from the balance beam from the FG on the first day (5.40 ± 1.14 FG vs 3.33 ± 1.37 CG; p = 0.024) and a decrease in the number of falls on the second day (2.29 ± 1.25 FG water day vs 5.40 ± 1.14 FG carbohydrate day; p = 0.0013). Carbohydrate solution was able to supply muscle demands and improve the athlete's focus showed by the reduced number of falls. © 2013 Batatinha et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Estratégias pedagógicas para alunos com deficiência mental severa: um estudo sobre a atuação de professores de educação especial

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A saúde mental, a formação do psicólogo e as diretrizes curriculares nacionais – Territórios em aproximação?

Pós-graduação em Psicologia - FCLAS

Perseveração motora em crianças: impacto da condição de deficiência mental

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Performance of different rubber tree clones against South American leaf blight (Microcyclus ulei)

This study was aimed to evaluate the behaviour of eighteen clones of Hevea brasiliensis (rubber) against South American leaf blight and tostudy progress of the disease. The experiment was conducted in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim-ES, where 18 clones were evaluated. The experi-mental design was a randomized block with four replicates; each experimental unit consisted of three plants. Evaluations were performed at15-day intervals on 30 leaflets per tree. Disease incidence was quantified and infection classified according to the stages of development andtype of damage. Leaf blight occurred during the entire experimental period; however, disease intensity varied with the resistance level of theclones and the time of year. Clones FX 3864, RRIM 725, RRIM 711, IAC 300 and IAN 873 exhibited the highest resistance to leaf blight.