Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

The Role Of Eye Movements, Attention, And Hand Movements On Age-Related Differences In Pegboard Tests, Brittany Heintz Walters, Wendy E. Huddleston, Kristian M. O'Connor, Jinsung Wang, Marie K. Hoeger Bement, Kevin G. Keenan

Physical Therapy Faculty Research and Publications

Well-documented manual dexterity impairments in older adults may critically depend on the processing of visual information. The purpose of this study was to determine age-related changes in eye and hand movements during commonly used pegboard tests and the association with manual dexterity impairments in older adults. The relationship between attentional deficits and manual dexterity was also assessed. Eye movements and hand kinematics of 20 young (20–38 yr) and 20 older (65–85 yr) adults were recorded during 9-Hole Pegboard, Grooved Pegboard, and a visuospatial dual test. Results were compared with standardized tests of attention (The Test of Everyday Attention and Trail …

Effectiveness Of Auditory Interventions On Children's Attention, Engagement, Self-Regulation, And Auditory Discrimination, Victoria Brager, Claira Geller, Jessica Kresl, Emily Waham

School of Occupational Therapy Master's Capstone Projects (2016-2021)

Sensory-based interventions are commonly used in occupational therapy practice to support children and youth with disabilities that may impact occupational performance. Auditory interventions are a specific sensory intervention centered around the use of sounds thought to create neural changes in the brain resulting in improved functional performance (Wink, McKeown, & Casey, 2017). Four occupational therapy research students collaborated with a local pediatric occupational therapist who was interested in obtaining updated evidence on auditory interventions with children. Researchers screened and systematically reviewed the literature to address the question, "Do auditory interventions improve self-regulation, engagement, auditory discrimination, and/or attention for children?" Upon …

Addressing Attention Difficulties In School-Aged Children Through Interventions Targeting On-Task Behavior And School Performance, Loran Edwards Ots, Rebekah Jugensen Ots, Jessica Oppenheimer Ots, Michelle Parker Ots

School of Occupational Therapy Master's Capstone Projects (2016-2021)

Tomi Johnson, OTR/L, the primary collaborator for this project, is an occupational therapist with the Kent School District (KSD) working with children in grades K-6. She worked with occupational therapy (OT) students to answer the question: Which school-based related service interventions are effective in improving school performance in children with attention challenges. The results of this systematic review identified six intervention modalities that can be implemented by occupational therapists to address attention challenges in school-aged children including: (1) self-monitoring, (2) school-to-home daily report cards, (3) physical activity, (4) sensory supports, (5) high tech, and (6) metacognitive and behavioral training. Based …

Beauty That Moves: Dance For Parkinson’S Effects On Affect, Self-Efficacy, Gait Symmetry, And Dual Task Performance, Cecilia Fontanesi, Joseph F. X. Desouza

Publications and Research

Background: Previous studies have investigated the effects of dance interventions on Parkinson’s motor and non-motor symptoms in an effort to develop an integrated view of dance as a therapeutic intervention. This within-subject study questions whether dance can be simply considered a form of exercise by comparing a Dance for Parkinson’s class with a matched-intensity exercise session lacking dance elements like music, metaphorical language, and social reality of art-partaking.

Methods: In this repeated-measure design, 7 adults with Parkinson’s were tested four times; (i) before and (ii) after a Dance for Parkinson’s class, as well as (iii) before and (iv) after a …

Do People With Acute Low Back Pain Have An Attentional Bias To Threat-Related Words?, Ian Skinner, Markus Hubscher, Hopin Lee, Adrian C. Traeger, G. Lorimer Moseley, Benedict M. Wand, Sylvia M. Gustin, James H. Mcauley

Physiotherapy Papers and Journal Articles

Objectives: It has been hypothesised that attentional bias to environmental threats can contribute to persistent pain. It is unclear whether people with acute low back pain (LBP) have an attentional bias to environmental threats. We investigated if attentional bias of threat related words is different in people with acute LBP and pain-free controls.

Methods: People with acute LBP and pain-free people completed a free viewing eye tracking task. Participants were simultaneously presented with two words, a threat related word and a neutral control word. Threat related words were general threat, affective pain and sensory pain. We conducted linear mixed models …

Males With Chronic Ankle Instability Demonstrate Deficits In Neurocognitive Function Compared To Control And Copers, Adam B. Rosen, Melanie L. Mcgrath, Arthur C. Maerlender

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were neurocognitive deficits among controls, copers and those with chronic ankle instability (CAI). Participants included those without history of ankle injury (n = 14), ankle sprain copers (n = 13) and patients with self-reported CAI (n = 14). They completed a battery of valid and reliable computer-based neurocognitive tests. The differences between neurocognitive domain scores were compared across the Control, Coper and CAI groups. Patients with CAI had lower composite memory, visual memory and simple attention compared to controls. In males with CAI, large differences in memory and attention were …

Effect Of Learning To Use A Mobility Aid On Gait And Cognitive Demands In People With Mild To Moderate Alzheimer's Disease: Part I - Cane, Susan W. Hunter, Alison Divine, Humberto Omana, Walter Wittich, Keith D Hill, Andrew M Johnson, Jeffrey D Holmes

Physical Therapy Publications

BACKGROUND: People with Alzheimer's disease (AD) exhibit balance and walking impairments that increase falls risk. Prescription of a mobility aid is done to improve stability, yet also requires increased cognitive resources. Single-point canes require unique motor sequencing for safe use. The effect of learning to use a single-point cane has not been evaluated in people with AD.

OBJECTIVES: In people with AD and healthy adult controls: 1) examine changes in gait while using a cane under various walking conditions; and 2) determine the cognitive and gait costs associated with concurrent cane walking while multi-tasking.

METHODS: Seventeen participants with AD (age …

Effect Of Learning To Use A Mobility Aid On Gait And Cognitive Demands In People With Mild To Moderate Alzheimer's Disease: Part Ii - 4-Wheeled Walker., Susan W. Hunter, Alison Divine, Humberto Omana, Walter Wittich, Keith D Hill, Andrew M Johnson, Jeffrey D Holmes

Physical Therapy Publications

BACKGROUND: Cognitive deficits and gait problems are common and progressive in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Prescription of a 4-wheeled walker is a common intervention to improve stability and independence, yet can be associated with an increased falls risk.

OBJECTIVES: 1) To examine changes in spatial-temporal gait parameters while using a 4-wheeled walker under different walking conditions, and 2) to determine the cognitive and gait task costs of walking with the aid in adults with AD and healthy older adults.

METHODS: Twenty participants with AD (age 79.1±7.1 years) and 22 controls (age 68.5±10.7 years) walked using a 4-wheeled walker in a straight …

Sensory-Based Interventions In Schools, Ashley Davies, Leilani Jones, Katrina Larossa, Julia Shure

School of Occupational Therapy Master's Capstone Projects (2016-2021)

Dr. Jamie Palmer, DrOT/L of Central Kitsap school district requested that University of Puget Sound occupational therapy (OT) students research the impact of sensory-based interventions (SBIs) on attention, behavior, and academic performance for children in preschool to high school with or without diagnoses. Based on a systematic review of 33 studies, the evidence for the use of SBIs in the classroom to improve academic performance, behavior and attention is preliminary and ranges from limited to moderate depending on the specific type of SBI. The use of those specific SBIs with limited to moderate evidence is recommended for students whose demographic …

Computer-Based Cognitive Retraining For Adults With Chronic Acquired Brain Injury: A Pilot Study, Kitsum Li, Julie Robertson, Joshua Ramos, Stephanie Gella

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a computer-based cognitive retraining (CBCR) program on improving memory and attention deficits in individuals with a chronic acquired brain injury (ABI). Twelve adults with a chronic ABI demonstrating deficits in memory and attention were recruited from a convenience sample from the community. Using a quasi-experimental one-group pretest–posttest design, a significant improvement was found in both memory and attention scores postintervention using the cognitive screening tool. This study supported the effectiveness of CBCR programs in improving cognitive deficits in memory and attention in individuals with chronic ABI. Further research is recommended to validate these findings …

A One-Hour Sleep Restriction Impacts Brain Processing In Young Children Across Tasks: Evidence From Event-Related Potentials, Dennis Molfese, Anna Ivanenko, Alexandra P.F. Key, Adrienne Roman, Victoria J. Molfese, Louise M. O'Brien, David Gozal, Srinivas Kota, Caitlin M. Hudac

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

The effect of mild sleep restriction on cognitive functioning in young children is unclear, yet sleep loss may impact children's abilities to attend to tasks with high processing demands. In a preliminary investigation, six children (6.6 - 8.3 years of age) with normal sleep patterns performed three tasks: attention (“Oddball”), speech perception (conconant-vowel syllables) and executive function (Directional Stroop). Event-related potentials (ERP) responses were recorded before (Control) and following one-week of 1-hour per day of sleep restriction. Brain activity across all tasks following Sleep Restriction differed from activity during Control Sleep, indicating that minor sleep restriction impacts children's neurocognitive functioning.