Survey regional sobre crescimento e desenvolvimento : relações com maturação, sobrepeso e obesidade, nível socioeconômico e desempenho motor

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Estado nutricional e desempenho motor de escolares = : Nutritional state and motor performance of scholl-age children

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Desenvolvimento motor : analise do saltar e cair e do subir e descer em crianças de 24 a 36 meses de idade frequentadoras de creches municipais

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Programa perceptivo-motor aplicado a habilidade nadar na fase de aperfeiçoamento

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Indicadores de tendencia secular de variaveis associadas ao crescimento, a composição corporal e ao desempenho motor de crianças de 7 a 14 anos

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Lesion of the subthalamic nucleus reverses motor deficits but not death of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in a rat 6-hydroxydopamine-lesion model of Parkinson's disease

The objective of the present study was to determine whether lesion of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) promoted by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) would rescue nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons after unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) injection into the medial forebrain bundle (MFB). Initially, 16 mg 6-OHDA (6-OHDA group) or vehicle (artificial cerebrospinal fluid - aCSF; Sham group) was infused into the right MFB of adult male Wistar rats. Fifteen days after surgery, the 6-OHDA and SHAM groups were randomly subdivided and received ipsilateral injection of either 60 mM NMDA or aCSF in the right STN. Additionally, a control group was not submitted to stereotaxic surgery. Five groups of rats were studied: 6-OHDA/NMDA, 6-OHDA/Sham, Sham/NMDA, Sham/Sham, and Control. Fourteen days after injection of 6-OHDA, rats were submitted to the rotational test induced by apomorphine (0.1 mg/kg, ip) and to the open-field test. The same tests were performed again 14 days after NMDA-induced lesion of the STN. The STN lesion reduced the contralateral turns induced by apomorphine and blocked the progression of motor impairment in the open-field test in 6-OHDA-treated rats. However, lesion of the STN did not prevent the reduction of striatal concentrations of dopamine and metabolites or the number of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons after 6-OHDA lesion. Therefore, STN lesion is able to reverse motor deficits after severe 6-OHDA-induced lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway, but does not protect or rescue dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta.

Benign focal seizures of adolescence and neuropsychological findings in patients from community

RATIONALE: Benign focal seizures of adolescence (BFSA) described by Loiseau et al in 1972, is considered a rare entity, but maybe underdiagnosed. Although mild neuropsychological deficits have been reported in patients with benign epilepsies of childhood, these evaluations have not so far been described in BFSA. The aim of this study is to evaluate neuropsychological functions in BFSA with new onset seizures (<12 months). METHODS: Eight patients with BFSA (according to Loiseau et al, 1972, focal or secondarily tonic clonic generalized seizures between the ages of 10-18 yrs., normal neurologic examination, normal EEG or with mild focal abnormalities) initiated in the last 12 months were studied between July 2008 to May 2009. They were referred from the Pediatric Emergency Section of the Hospital Universitário of the University of Sao Paulo, a secondary care regionalized facility located in a district of middle-low income in Sao Paulo city, Brazil. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Institution. All patients performed neurological, EEG, brain CT and neuropsychological evaluation which consisted of Raven's Special Progressive Matrices - General and Special Scale (according to different ages), Wechsler Children Intelligence Scale-WISC III with ACID Profile, Trail Making Test A/B, Stroop Test, Bender Visuo-Motor Test, Rey Complex Figure, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test-RAVLT, Boston Naming Test, Fluency Verbal for phonological and also conceptual patterns - FAS/Animals and Hooper Visual Organization Test. For academic achievement, we used a Brazilian test for named "Teste do Desempenho Escolar", which evaluates abilities to read, write and calculate according to school grade. RESULTS: There were 2 boys and 6 girls, with ages ranging from 10 yrs. 9 m to 14 yrs. 3 m. Most (7/8) of the patients presented one to two seizures and only three of them received antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Six had mild EEG focal abnormalities and all had normal brain CT. All were literate, attended regular public schools and scored in a median range for IQ, and seven showed discrete higher scores for the verbal subtests. There were low scores for attention in different modalities in six patients, mainly in alternated attention as well as inhibitory subtests (Stroop test and Trail Making Test part B). Four of the latter cases who showed impairment both in alternated and inhibitory attention were not taking AEDs. Visual memory was impaired in five patients (Rey Complex Figure). Executive functions analysis showed deficits in working memory in five, mostly observed in Digits Indirect Order and Arithmetic tests (WISC III). Reading and writing skills were below the expected average for school grade in six patients according to the achievement scholar performance test utilized. One patient of this series who had the best scores in all tests was taking phenobarbital. CONCLUSIONS: Neuropsychological imbalance between normal IQ and mild dysfunctions such as in attention domain and in some executive abilities like working memory and planning, as well as difficulties in visual memory and in reading and writing, were described in this group of patients with BFSA from community. This may reflect mild higher level neurological dysfunctions in adolescence idiopathic focal seizures probably caused by an underlying dysmaturative epileptogenic process. Although academic problems often have multiple causes, a specific educational approach may be necessary in these adolescents, in order to improve their scholastic achievements, helping in this way, to decrease the stigma associated to epileptic seizures in the community.

Long-term social recognition memory in adult male rats: factor analysis of the social and non-social behaviors

A modified version of the intruder-resident paradigm was used to investigate if social recognition memory lasts at least 24 h. One hundred and forty-six adult male Wistar rats were used. Independent groups of rats were exposed to an intruder for 0.083, 0.5, 2, 24, or 168 h and tested 24 h after the first encounter with the familiar or a different conspecific. Factor analysis was employed to identify associations between behaviors and treatments. Resident rats exhibited a 24-h social recognition memory, as indicated by a 3- to 5-fold decrease in social behaviors in the second encounter with the same conspecific compared to those observed for a different conspecific, when the duration of the first encounter was 2 h or longer. It was possible to distinguish between two different categories of social behaviors and their expression depended on the duration of the first encounter. Sniffing the anogenital area (49.9% of the social behaviors), sniffing the body (17.9%), sniffing the head (3%), and following the conspecific (3.1%), exhibited mostly by resident rats, characterized social investigation and revealed long-term social recognition memory. However, dominance (23.8%) and mild aggression (2.3%), exhibited by both resident and intruders, characterized social agonistic behaviors and were not affected by memory. Differently, sniffing the environment (76.8% of the non-social behaviors) and rearing (14.3%), both exhibited mostly by adult intruder rats, characterized non-social behaviors. Together, these results show that social recognition memory in rats may last at least 24 h after a 2-h or longer exposure to the conspecific.

Motor and functional evaluation of patients with spastic paraplegia, optic atrophy, and neuropathy (SPOAN)

Spastic paraplegia, optic atrophy, and neuropathy (SPOAN) is an autosomal recessive complicated form of hereditary spastic paraplegia, which is clinically defined by congenital optic atrophy, infancy-onset progressive spastic paraplegia and peripheral neuropathy. In this study, which included 61 individuals (age 5-72 years, 42 females) affected by SPOAN, a comprehensive motor and functional evaluation was performed, using modified Barthel index, modified Ashworth scale, hand grip strength measured with a hydraulic dynamometer and two hereditary spastic paraplegia scales. Modified Barthel index, which evaluate several functional aspects, was more sensitive to disclose disease progression than the spastic paraplegia scales. Spasticity showed a bimodal distribution, with both grades 1 (minimum) and 4 (maximum). Hand grip strength showed a moderate inverse correlation with age. Combination of early onset spastic paraplegia and progressive polyneuropathy make SPOAN disability overwhelming.

Reaction time assessment in children with ADHD

Attention deficit, impulsivity and hyperactivity are the cardinal features of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) but executive function (EF) disorders, as problems with inhibitory control, working memory and reaction time, besides others EFs, may underlie many of the disturbs associated with the disorder. OBJECTIVE: To examine the reaction time in a computerized test in children with ADHD and normal controls. METHOD: Twenty-three boys (aged 9 to 12) with ADHD diagnosis according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, 2000 (DSM-IV) criteria clinical, without comorbidities, Intelligence Quotient (IQ) >89, never treated with stimulant and fifteen normal controls, age matched were investigated during performance on a voluntary attention psychophysical test. RESULTS: Children with ADHD showed reaction time higher than normal controls. CONCLUSION: A slower reaction time occurred in our patients with ADHD. This findings may be related to problems with the attentional system, that could not maintain an adequate capacity of perceptual input processes and/or in motor output processes, to respond consistently during continuous or repetitive activity.

Um retrato da área de Neurociência e comportamento no Brasil

A neurociência compreende o estudo do controle neural das funções vegetativas, sensoriais e motoras; dos comportamentos de locomoção, reprodução e alimentação; e dos mecanismos da atenção, memória, aprendizagem, emoção, linguagem e comunicação. Tem, portanto, uma importante área de interface com a Psicologia. Dentre seus objetivos, a neurociência busca esclarecer os mecanismos das doenças neurológicas e mentais por meio do estudo do sistema nervoso normal e patológico. Sua evolução no Brasil tem ocorrido desde meados do século passado, e seu desenvolvimento foi incentivado pela criação de sociedades científicas específicas. O presente artigo relata esse desenvolvimento e descreve os principais grupos atuantes na neurociência brasileira.

Working memory impairment in multiple sclerosis relapsing-remitting patients with episodic memory deficits

Episodic memory is impaired in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, possibly because of deficits in working memory (WM) functioning. If so, WM alterations should necessarily be found in patients with episodic memory deficits, but this has not yet been demonstrated. In this study we aimed at determining whether episodic memory deficits in relapsing-remitting MS are found in conjunction with impaired WM. We evaluated 32 MS patients and 32 matched healthy controls. Nineteen of the 32 patients had episodic memory impairment, and as a group only these individuals showed deficits in WM capacity, which may lead to difficulty in encoding, and/or retrieving information from episodic memory.

Moxidectin interference on motor activity of rats

The present study investigated the effects of t moxidectin (MXD) in some parameters of rat motor function and neurochemical. The general activity in the open field and the motor coordination in the wooden beam were employed to evaluate the MXD effects. The results showed that, in the open field, even at high doses (2.0 and 20.0 mg/kg), the MXD did not alter the locomotion and the rearing frequencies. However, MXD was able to impair the motor coordination of the animals at wooden beam. Neurochemical studies of striatal GABA and dopamine neurotransmitters showed a reduced levels of dopamine and its metabolite, homovanillic acid, without interference on striatal GABA levels. Since GABAergic receptor stimulation had an inhibitory effect on dopaminergic striatal system, the decreased motor coordination could be attributed to an action of MXD on dopamine system via GABA activation.

Motor Nerve-Conduction Studies in Obstetric Brachial Plexopathy for a Selection of Patients with a Poor Outcome

Background: The criteria and timing for nerve surgery in infants with obstetric brachial plexopathy remain controversial. Our aim was to develop a new method for early prognostic assessment to assist this decision process. Methods: Fifty-four patients with unilateral obstetric brachial plexopathy who were ten to sixty days old underwent bilateral motor-nerve-conduction studies of the axillary, musculocutaneous, proximal radial, distal radial, median, and ulnar nerves. The ratio between the amplitude of the compound muscle action potential of the affected limb and that of the healthy side was called the axonal viability index. The patients were followed and classified in three groups according to the clinical outcome. We analyzed the receiver operating characteristic curve of each index to define the best cutoff point to detect patients with a poor recovery. Results: The best cutoff points on the axonal viability index for each nerve (and its sensitivity and specificity) were <10% (88% and 89%, respectively) for the axillary nerve, 0% (88% and 73%) for the musculocutaneous nerve, <20% (82% and 97%) for the proximal radial nerve, <50% (82% and 97%) for the distal radial nerve, and <50% (59% and 97%) for the ulnar nerve. The indices from the proximal radial, distal radial, and ulnar nerves had better specificities compared with the most frequently used clinical criterion: absence of biceps function at three months of age. Conclusions: The axonal viability index yields an earlier and more specific prognostic estimation of obstetric brachial plexopathy than does the clinical criterion of biceps function, and we believe it may be useful in determining surgical indications in these patients.

ASSOCIATION OF A MYOSIN MOTOR WITH MEMBRANE-BOUNDED PIGMENT GRANULES IN FRESHWATER SHRIMP CHROMATOPHORES: EVIDENCE FROM THE NITELLA ACTIN-CABLE ASSAY

We have adapted an actin-mosin motility assay to examine the interactions in vitro between actin cables isolated from the giant internodal cells of the freshwater alga, Nitella, and pigment granules extracted from red ovarian chromatophores of the freshwater palaemonid shrimp, Macrobrachium olfersi. The chromatophore pigment mass consists of large (0.5-1.0-mu m diameter) membrane-bounded granules, and small (140-nm diameter), a membranous granules, both structurally continuous with the abundant smooth endoplasmic reticulum. Our previous immunocytochemical studies show a myosin motor to be stably associated with the pigment mass; however, to which granule type or membrane the myosin motor is attached is unclear. Here, we show that sodium vanadate, a myosin ATPase inhibitor, markedly increases the affinity of isolated, large, membrane-bounded granules for Nitella actin cables to which they become permanently attached. This interaction does not occur in granule preparations containing ATP with uninhibited, active myosin without vanadate. We propose that a stable state of elevated affinity is established between the granule-located myosin motor and the Nitella actin cables, resulting from a vanadate-inhibited acto-myosin-ADP complex. This finding provides further evidence for a myosin motor positioned on the surface of the membrane-bounded pigment granules in shrimp ovarian chromatophores.