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Title: Assessment of motor skills in children of younger school age with autism spectrum disorder practising applied behavior analysis with the MABC-2 test battery Objectives: The aim of the work is to assess the motor skills of children of younger school age with autism spectrum disorder using the test battery MABC-2 (Movement Assessment Battery for Children - Second Edition). The obtained results will be compared with the standards for Czech children and children with autism spectrum disorder who do not practice Applied Behavior Analysis. Methods: The motor skills of children with autism spectrum disorder were assessed using the MABC-2 test battery (Henderson et al., 2007) - Movement Assessment Battery for Children - Second Edition. The method of comparison was used in the work, namely the results of children with autism spectrum disorder with standards for Czech children and both groups of tested children - one group practicing applied behavior analysis with another group of children without intervention. Results: We found that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in our sample showed a significantly higher incidence of motor problems. All involved children with ASD (n = 10) in the research fall into the 3rd zone (score below the 5th percentile), where there are significant motor...

Title: The relationships between motor coordination, fundamental movement skills, physical fitness and body composition of primary school children Author: Bc. Miroslav Navara Thesis supervisor: Mgr. Jakub Kokštejn, Ph.D. Objectives: The aim of this work is to determine the degree of relationships between fundamental movement skills, motor coordination, physical composition and physical fitness in children of younger school age. Methods: The tested group consists of pupils 3-5. primary school classes (n = 109). The TGMD-2 test battery was used to determine the level of motor skills, the KTK test battery was used to determine motor coordination, and the Unifittest test battery (6-60) was used to determine the level of physical fitness and body composition. The Shapiro-Wilk test, Kendall's tau (τ), Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by Bonferroni correction, Man-Whitney U test, was used for data analysis. Results: This study found that the group of children with better results from the KTK test was also significantly better in the TGMD-2 and Unifittest tests (6-60) compared to the group with the lowest results from the KTK test (p <0.01). The relationship between the motor quotient of the KTK test and TGMD-2 (τ = 0.46), TGMD-2 and Unifittest (6-60) (τ = 0.54) was found. The strongest relationship was found...

Severe perinatal hypoxia represents a substantial brain injury in human newborns. This Diploma thesis is focused on long-term motor outcome of laboratory rat after moderate perinatal hypoxia. We described some behavioral test for detection motor development and presented the influence of perinatal hypoxia on central nervous system. We also discussed an effect of agonists and antagonists of adenosine A1 receptor in brain. The aim of an experimental part was an evaluation of long-term motor behavior in rats affected by perinatal hypoxia. To cause perinatal hypoxia we put pregnant female rats to a hypoxic (10% O2) normobaric room in 11th day of their gestation. The pregnant female rats stayed in hypoxic room until they gave a birth and 6 more days after birth with their litters. For classification of motor development we used battery of tests of motor coordination. These tests correspond to the level of development of the rat. Then a group of rats with perinatal hypoxia was treated by a single administration of an agonist of adenosine A1 receptor 2-chloro-N(6)- cyclopentyladenosin (CCPA) in postnatal day 14. The animals affected by perinatal hypoxia show motor deficits in 3 from 4 selected behavioral tests. Otherwise, this motor behavior was no longer detected in young adults. The rats affected by...

Human sociality, with its wide scope, early ontogeny and pervasiveness across cultures, is remarkable from an evolutionary perspective. We form bonds with other individuals and live in large social groups. We help, empathise with and share our resources with others, who are unfamiliar and genetically unrelated to us. It has been suggested that interpersonal coordination and rhythmic synchronisation of movements may be one proximate mechanism that enables such widespread human sociality and facilitates cooperation. In the last decade, considerable research has examined the effect of movement synchrony on social bonding and cooperation. However, when this thesis started, there was virtually no experimental study investigating the ontogeny of the movement synchrony-social bonding link, which is proposed to have deep evolutionary roots and important, long-lasting consequences in social life. This thesis aims to investigate the effects of movement synchrony on social bonding and cooperative behaviour across different time points in ontogeny. Three experimental studies were conducted examining infancy, early childhood and middle childhood. Each study explored a different aspect of social bonding and cooperation based on the motor, social and cognitive developments that mark that age group. Study 1a found that at 12 months of age, infants prefer individuals who move in synchrony with them, when the individuals are social entities, but not when they are non-social. Study 1b showed no preferences for synchrony at 9 months in either social or non-social contexts, however. Study 2 revealed that in early childhood, performing synchronous movements actively with a peer facilitates helping behaviour among the children, as well as eye contact and mutual smiling during the interaction. Finally, Study 3 showed that the social bonding effects of movement synchrony applied to inter- group settings and that performing synchronous movements with out-groups increased bonding towards the out-group in middle childhood. This thesis followed an interdisciplinary, integrative and naturalistic approach, where (i) literature from a wide range of disciplines motivated and guided the present research; (ii) links between motor, social and cognitive aspects of development, which are often investigated separately, are formed; and (iii) the experiments were designed in ways that represent the real-life occurrences of the investigated phenomena. The current findings provide the first substantial evidence that movement synchrony facilitates social bonding and cooperation in childhood and thereby provides a foundation for future research.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:44:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 4234.pdf: 2829356 bytes, checksum: ca8f7a2166c16710523703f4d3e8294b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-02-29 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / The influence of preterm birth in visual-motor skills, visual perception and fine and global motor coordination has been being increasingly investigated in the initial stages of schooling. Considering the literature data that shows the relationship between prematurity and Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), and relations between the DCD and disorders of visual-motor integration, evaluation and research become essential in the search for possibilities of intervention in children considered at risk. By requiring motor and cognitive repertoires increasingly sophisticated, and of its importance as developmental context, the school becomes a locus for observing the behavior and performance of the child and also a context of prevention and early intervention. This study aimed to describe visual-motor coordination and global development of preterm infants at the beginning of the school and discuss the implications of performance in occupational role envisaged for this stage of its life cycle. It is a study of case-control and descriptive-correlational. The study group was composed by 18 children with a history of preterm birth that were included in the municipal school, attending preschool or first grade of elementary school, that did not have serious neurological damage. To its pairing, participants were selected - Compared Group - by sex, age, and often the same classroom. Parents / tutors provided information on child development and on the moments pre, peri and post-natal, and answered the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire-DCDQ-Brazil 2. The children were assessed using the Denver Development Screening Test II -DDST-II and the Test of Visual-Motor Integration- VMI. Descriptive analysis and statistical tests were conducted to assess the significance of the results. Such analysis revealed that the performance of preterm infants is lower when compared with the performance of full-term infants, although the difference was not significant for all items and instruments used. In DDST-II premature infants compared with children without a history of prematurity are more likely to delay in several areas of development; in DCDQ-Brazil 2 none of the children presented the classification "probably DCD", but it was possible to observe lower average score for SG; children's performance on the VMI test revealed that the premature children had lower scores in all areas. Statistical tests revealed significant differences between SG and CG for the variables Visual-Motor and Fine Motor of VMI, but significant difference between the performance of groups Adequate Weight and Low Birth Weight was observed in the variables Visual-Motor, Fine Motor and Visual Perception, all belonging to the VMI instrument, showing that weight is a more influential factor than prematurity for visual perception performance. There are significant differences in all parts of the VMI instrument when compared the groups Suspect Denver and Normal Denver and hypothesizes that the worst performance in screening tests for development can be a predictive factor for poorer performance on tests of visual-motor integration. In the groups established by variables belonging only to premature infants there was no significant difference among the groups, demonstrating that the premature child is susceptible to developmental delays independent of birth weight and gestational age. It is observed that premature infants had poorer performance on assessment instruments, and despite coping cases, prematurity represents risks to development. During the initial education, visual-motor skills and global motor coordination become more required and increasingly complex mainly due to the requirements and domains present in the process of writing and reading. Other skills are demanded at the beginning of schooling, which require the integrity of many sensorimotor systems. Difficulties in these areas can influence the performance of children in their occupational role as a student, and other occupational areas present in their life. Considering the school as a protective environment and the work of occupational therapist by collaborative consulting approach, in this context there is the potential to minimize the deficits presented by preterm children and promote their full development. / A influência do nascimento pré-termo nas habilidades viso motoras, viso perceptivas e de coordenação motora fina e global vem sendo cada vez mais investigadas nas fases de escolarização inicial. Considerando dados da literatura que revelam relações entre a prematuridade e o Transtorno do Desenvolvimento da Coordenação (TDC), e relações entre o TDC e transtornos de integração viso motora, a avaliação e investigação se tornam essenciais na busca de possibilidades de intervenção em crianças consideradas de risco. Através da exigência de repertórios motores e cognitivos cada vez mais sofisticados, e da importância como contexto desenvolvimental, a escola passa a ser um lócus de observação do comportamento e desempenho da criança e também um contexto de prevenção e intervenção precoce. Este estudo teve como objetivo descrever a coordenação viso motora e o desenvolvimento global de crianças pré-termo no início da escolarização e discutir as implicações do seu desempenho no papel ocupacional previsto para esta etapa do seu ciclo de vida. Trata-se de um estudo do tipo caso-controle e descritivo-correlacional. O Grupo de Estudo foi composto por 18 crianças com histórico de prematuridade ao nascimento que estavam inseridas na rede municipal de ensino, frequentando pré-escola ou 1º ano do ensino fundamental, e que não possuíssem sequelas neurológicas graves. Para seu pareamento foram selecionados participantes - Grupo Comparado - de acordo com sexo, idade e frequência a mesma sala de aula. Pais/responsáveis forneceram dados sobre o desenvolvimento da criança e sobre os momentos pré, peri e pós-natais, e responderam o Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire-DCDQ-Brasil 2. As crianças foram avaliadas por meio do Teste de Triagem de Desenvolvimento de Denver II-TTDD-II e pelo Teste de Integração Viso Motora- VMI. Foram realizadas análises descritivas e testes estatísticos para verificar a significância dos resultados. Tais análises revelaram que o desempenho das crianças pré-termo é inferior quando comparado com o desempenho de crianças a termo, apesar da diferença não se mostrar significativa em todos os itens e instrumentos empregados. No TTDD-II as crianças prematuras quando comparadas com crianças sem o referido histórico apresentam maior probabilidade de atraso em diversas áreas do desenvolvimento; no DCDQ-Brasil 2 nenhuma das crianças apresentou a classificação provavelmente TDC , porém foi possível observar média de pontuação inferior para o GE; o desempenho das crianças no teste VMI revelou que as crianças prematuras apresentaram pontuações inferiores em todas as áreas. Os testes estatísticos revelaram diferença significativa entre o GE e GC para as variáveis Viso Motor e Motor Fino do instrumento VMI, porém diferença significativa entre o desempenho dos grupos Baixo Peso e Peso Adequado foi observado nas variáveis Viso Motora, Viso Perceptiva e Motor Fino, todas pertencentes ao instrumento VMI, demonstrando que o peso é um fator mais influente que a prematuridade para o desempenho viso perceptivo. Há diferença significativa em todas as partes do instrumento VMI quando comparado os grupo Denver Suspeito e Denver Normal e observa-se que o pior desempenho em testes de triagem do desenvolvimento pode ser um fator preditivo para o pior desempenho nos testes de integração viso motora. Nos grupos estabelecidos através de variáveis pertencentes apenas às crianças prematuras não foi observada diferença significativa no desempenho dos sujeitos, demonstrando que a criança prematura é suscetível a atrasos no desenvolvimento independente da IG e peso ao nascimento. Observa-se que as crianças prematuras obtiveram pior desempenho nos instrumentos de avaliação e, apesar dos casos de enfrentamento, a prematuridade representa risco ao desenvolvimento. Habilidades mais complexas exigidas na fase escolar para a leitura e escrita, podem ser influenciadas pelas dificuldades viso motoras, viso perceptivas e motoras finas. Outras habilidades são exigidas no início da escolarização, as quais requerem a integridade de inúmeros sistemas sensório motores. Dificuldades nessas áreas podem influenciar o desempenho das crianças no seu papel ocupacional de estudante, além de outras áreas ocupacionais presentes em sua vida. Considerando a escola como um ambiente protetivo e a atuação do terapeuta ocupacional por meio da consultoria colaborativa, neste contexto há perspectiva de minimizar possíveis déficits apresentados por crianças prétermo e promover seu desenvolvimento integral.

Title: Effect of robot-assisted therapy on upper limb function in activities of daily living in patients after acquired brain injury Aims: The main aim of the thesis was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of two therapeutic approaches using robot-assisted glove Gloreha Sinfonia to perform Activity of daily living in patients after acquired brain injury. Methods: The study is an empirical quantitative research, a monocentric randomized controlled, simply blinded study. The study compares two groups, group A (n = 20) used a robot-assisted Gloreha glove with a bimanual approach, group B (n = 20) had therapy with a robot-assisted Gloreha glove with an unimanual approach. All patients were evaluated for eligibility and underwent initial testing (T1). Patients in both groups had therapy (unimanual / bimanual) for three weeks (15x), retest (T2) was performed after completion of the intervention, and a follow-up evaluation was performed after 1 month (T3). Patients were always evaluated by the Upper Extremity Motor Activity Log (UE MAL), Motor Assessment Scale (MAS), Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), Box and Block test (BBT) and Motricity Index (MI). Results: According to the results of the MAS test in group A, there was a statistically significant improvement in upper limb function in category 8 at...

Le but de cette thèse est premièrement d’évaluer l’effet du vieillissement sur les fonctions psychomotrices des souches de souris sélectionnées génétiquement en fonction de leur tension artérielle (TA); deuxièmement, de localiser les déterminants génétiques des phénotypes psychophysiologiques à partir de souches recombinantes congéniques (RCS). Ces travaux ont mené à la publication de 4 articles. Le premier article décrit l’évaluation des fonctions psychomotrices des souches avec une tension artérielle élevée (HBP), basse (LBP) et normale (NBP). La performance aux épreuves d’exploration, d’habiletés motrices et d’apprentissage spatial, a été mesurée sur deux cohortes âgées respectivement de 12 mois et de trois mois. Indépendamment de l’âge, les HBPs sont hyperactives dans l’open-field (OF), mais pas dans le test d’exploration de trous. Inversement, les LBP explorent moins d’espaces que les NBP et, à trois mois seulement, sont hypoactives dans l’OF. Par ailleurs, les HBPs et les LBP présentent des déficits précoces de coordination motrice et des fonctions visuo-motrices. Le second article concerne l’évaluation longitudinale de la coordination motrice, de l’anxiété et de l’apprentissage spatial des souches HBP, LBP et NBP, à l’âge de deux mois et de 12 mois. Le vieillissement accentue l’hyperactivité des HBPs dans l’OF. Par contre, l’hypoactivité des souris LBP est détectable seulement à l’âge de deux mois. Indépendamment de l’âge, les souris HBP et LBP montrent une perception réduite du danger dans l’épreuve d’anxiété et des dysfonctions visuo-motrices au labyrinthe aquatique. Enfin, des déficits précoces de coordination motrice se manifestent seulement chez les HBPs. Il reste à déterminer si les déficits observés sont liés à des déterminants génétiques indépendants ou secondaires aux altérations de la tension artérielle. Le troisième article présente la comparaison entre les souches consanguines A/J et C57Bl/6J (B6) aux épreuves de l’OF, de la planche à trous, du labyrinthe aquatique et du cintre (coordination motrice). Les B6 explore d’avantage l’OF et la planche à trous. Les B6 sont moins rapides sur le cintre, mais supérieurs aux A/J dans le labyrinthe aquatique, avec une plate-forme invisible ou visible. Ces résultats démontrent l’implication de déterminants génétiques. Cette thèse se termine par un quatrième article sur la localisation des déterminants génétiques de la susceptibilité au stress dans les RCS, dérivées de A/J et B6, et présentant un agencement spécifique de 12.5% du génome. La réactivité émotionnelle est évaluée dans l’OF et le plus-maze; la réponse de stress est mesurée par radio télémétrie de la température interne pendant le stress d’immobilisation (SI) sous diète régulière et riche en sel; l’excrétion des électrolytes urinaires est dosée après 24 heures de diète salée. Les loci les plus significatifs sont situés dans les régions suivantes: de l’émotionalité dans l’OF (Emo1) sur le chr. 1 (LOD=4.6) correspondant à la région homologue impliquée dans la cohorte d’hypertension familiale du Saguenay; de la dopa décarboxylase (ddc) sur le chr. 11 pour l’émergence du plus-maze (LOD=4.7); de la protéine liant l’endotoxine (lbp) sur le chr. 2 pour l’hypothermie initiale en réponse au SI (LOD=4); et de HSP90 sur le chr. 12 pour l’excrétion de Ca++ (LOD=4.6). Des banques de données sont ensuite interrogées pour recenser les polymorphismes des régions régulatrices ou codantes des gènes candidats chez les souches ancestrales A/J et B6, dont les séquences sont disponibles pour le génome entier. Des utilitaires web permettent de dévoiler les changements dans la structure secondaire de l’ARNm, l’interférence avec des microARN ou avec d’autres motifs de liaison. Plusieurs SNPs fonctionnels ont été identifiés pour le QTL du chr. 1, particulièrement dans les éléments de régulation; ceux-ci impliquant des gènes reliés avec les réponses inflammatoire/immunitaire ou avec le système cardiovasculaire. La quantification par la PCR confirme une régulation à la baisse d’atp1a2 dans le cœur et le cerveau des souches susceptibles à l’anxiété. Ces résultats confirment l’intrication des altérations de la susceptibilité au stress et de la régulation de la TA. / Our studies in this thesis, which led to 4 publications, are divided in two parts. The first part describes the neuropsychological effects of aging in strains of mice genetically selected for high (HBP), low (LBP) or normal blood pressure (NBP). The second part focuses on the genetic determinants of these neuropsychological phenotypes in recombinant congenic strains (RCS) of mice. The first manuscript compares HBP or LBP mice to normotensive controls in tests of exploration, motor coordination, and spatial learning at two age levels: 3 and 12 months. At either age, HBPs were hyperactive in an open field (OF) but not in terms of hole-poking responses. On the contrary, LBPs were hypoactive in the OF and in the hole-board, with the effect on the former measure being limited to the younger cohort. In either cohort, HBP and LBP mice were deficient in subtle aspects of motor coordination, and visuomotor function. These strains may serve as experimental models for the evaluation of beneficial early antihypertensive or antihypotensive treatments on brain function. The second study uses a longitudinal design to compare either HBP or LBP mice to normotensive controls at 2 and 12 months of age for motor coordination, anxiety, and spatial learning. Hyperactivity of HBPs in the OF increased with aging; whereas LBP mice were hypoactive only at 2 months of age. At both age, HBP and LBP mice displayed reduced levels of anxiety in the elevated plus-maze (EPM), abnormal coordination and visuomotor guidance. It remains to determine if these strain-, age-, and test-specific abnormalities are genetically related or secondary to uncontrolled hypertension or hypotension. The following article compares the C57BL/6J (B6) to the A/J inbred mouse strain in exploration of the OF and the hole-board, in the coat-hanger coordination test, and in spatial learning of a water maze. B6 mice displayed a higher number of segment crossings in the open-field and of hole-poking responses than A/J mice. By contrast to their hypo activity, A/J strain were faster in the coat-hanger motor test, but deficient in the submerged but also in the visible platform version of the water maze. These results indicate the considerable potential of genetic models derived from B6 and A/J mice for discerning the determinants of several behavioural phenotypes. In the last manuscript, the genomic loci bearing stress-related phenotypes were dissected by genome wide analysis of linkage in the recombinant congenic strains (RCS), resulting from a cross of B6 and A/J progenitors, each strain bearing 12.5% of specific parts of one progenitor on the background of the other. Adult male mice from 14 A/J and 22 B6 background lines were evaluated for emotional reactivity in the OF and the EPM. Core temperature was monitored by radio-telemetry during immobilization (IM), under standard and salt-enriched diets. In addition, urinary electrolytes were measured. The highest LOD scores strengthen the evidence for a previously reported locus for emotionality in the open-field on Chr 1 (LOD=4.6), in the Ddc region encoding dopa decarboxylase, on Chr 11 in the EPM (LOD=4.7), near Lbp (lipopolysaccharide binding protein), on Chr 2 for initial hypothermia during IM (LOD=4), as well as in the region of Hspca, encoding heat shock protein 1 alpha (48.0 cM) on Chr 12 for Ca++ excretion after a 24 hr-salt load (LOD=4.6). RCS stress QTL overlapped with several candidate loci for cardiovascular disease. In silico evidence of functional polymorphisms by comparative sequence analysis of progenitor strains assisted to ascertain this convergence, then further tested using quantitative PCR for releant genes mRNA. The anxious BcA70 strain showed down regulation of the Atp1a2 gene expression in the heart (P < 0.001) and brain (P < 0.05) compared to its parental B6 strain, compatible with the enhanced emotionality described in knock out animals for this gene, also involved in the salt-sensitive component of hypertension. Functional polymorphisms in regulatory elements of candidate genes of the cardiovascular / inflammatory / immune systems support the hypothesis of genetically-altered environmental susceptibility in cardiovascular disease development.

Le but de cette thèse est premièrement d’évaluer l’effet du vieillissement sur les fonctions psychomotrices des souches de souris sélectionnées génétiquement en fonction de leur tension artérielle (TA); deuxièmement, de localiser les déterminants génétiques des phénotypes psychophysiologiques à partir de souches recombinantes congéniques (RCS). Ces travaux ont mené à la publication de 4 articles. Le premier article décrit l’évaluation des fonctions psychomotrices des souches avec une tension artérielle élevée (HBP), basse (LBP) et normale (NBP). La performance aux épreuves d’exploration, d’habiletés motrices et d’apprentissage spatial, a été mesurée sur deux cohortes âgées respectivement de 12 mois et de trois mois. Indépendamment de l’âge, les HBPs sont hyperactives dans l’open-field (OF), mais pas dans le test d’exploration de trous. Inversement, les LBP explorent moins d’espaces que les NBP et, à trois mois seulement, sont hypoactives dans l’OF. Par ailleurs, les HBPs et les LBP présentent des déficits précoces de coordination motrice et des fonctions visuo-motrices. Le second article concerne l’évaluation longitudinale de la coordination motrice, de l’anxiété et de l’apprentissage spatial des souches HBP, LBP et NBP, à l’âge de deux mois et de 12 mois. Le vieillissement accentue l’hyperactivité des HBPs dans l’OF. Par contre, l’hypoactivité des souris LBP est détectable seulement à l’âge de deux mois. Indépendamment de l’âge, les souris HBP et LBP montrent une perception réduite du danger dans l’épreuve d’anxiété et des dysfonctions visuo-motrices au labyrinthe aquatique. Enfin, des déficits précoces de coordination motrice se manifestent seulement chez les HBPs. Il reste à déterminer si les déficits observés sont liés à des déterminants génétiques indépendants ou secondaires aux altérations de la tension artérielle. Le troisième article présente la comparaison entre les souches consanguines A/J et C57Bl/6J (B6) aux épreuves de l’OF, de la planche à trous, du labyrinthe aquatique et du cintre (coordination motrice). Les B6 explore d’avantage l’OF et la planche à trous. Les B6 sont moins rapides sur le cintre, mais supérieurs aux A/J dans le labyrinthe aquatique, avec une plate-forme invisible ou visible. Ces résultats démontrent l’implication de déterminants génétiques. Cette thèse se termine par un quatrième article sur la localisation des déterminants génétiques de la susceptibilité au stress dans les RCS, dérivées de A/J et B6, et présentant un agencement spécifique de 12.5% du génome. La réactivité émotionnelle est évaluée dans l’OF et le plus-maze; la réponse de stress est mesurée par radio télémétrie de la température interne pendant le stress d’immobilisation (SI) sous diète régulière et riche en sel; l’excrétion des électrolytes urinaires est dosée après 24 heures de diète salée. Les loci les plus significatifs sont situés dans les régions suivantes: de l’émotionalité dans l’OF (Emo1) sur le chr. 1 (LOD=4.6) correspondant à la région homologue impliquée dans la cohorte d’hypertension familiale du Saguenay; de la dopa décarboxylase (ddc) sur le chr. 11 pour l’émergence du plus-maze (LOD=4.7); de la protéine liant l’endotoxine (lbp) sur le chr. 2 pour l’hypothermie initiale en réponse au SI (LOD=4); et de HSP90 sur le chr. 12 pour l’excrétion de Ca++ (LOD=4.6). Des banques de données sont ensuite interrogées pour recenser les polymorphismes des régions régulatrices ou codantes des gènes candidats chez les souches ancestrales A/J et B6, dont les séquences sont disponibles pour le génome entier. Des utilitaires web permettent de dévoiler les changements dans la structure secondaire de l’ARNm, l’interférence avec des microARN ou avec d’autres motifs de liaison. Plusieurs SNPs fonctionnels ont été identifiés pour le QTL du chr. 1, particulièrement dans les éléments de régulation; ceux-ci impliquant des gènes reliés avec les réponses inflammatoire/immunitaire ou avec le système cardiovasculaire. La quantification par la PCR confirme une régulation à la baisse d’atp1a2 dans le cœur et le cerveau des souches susceptibles à l’anxiété. Ces résultats confirment l’intrication des altérations de la susceptibilité au stress et de la régulation de la TA. / Our studies in this thesis, which led to 4 publications, are divided in two parts. The first part describes the neuropsychological effects of aging in strains of mice genetically selected for high (HBP), low (LBP) or normal blood pressure (NBP). The second part focuses on the genetic determinants of these neuropsychological phenotypes in recombinant congenic strains (RCS) of mice. The first manuscript compares HBP or LBP mice to normotensive controls in tests of exploration, motor coordination, and spatial learning at two age levels: 3 and 12 months. At either age, HBPs were hyperactive in an open field (OF) but not in terms of hole-poking responses. On the contrary, LBPs were hypoactive in the OF and in the hole-board, with the effect on the former measure being limited to the younger cohort. In either cohort, HBP and LBP mice were deficient in subtle aspects of motor coordination, and visuomotor function. These strains may serve as experimental models for the evaluation of beneficial early antihypertensive or antihypotensive treatments on brain function. The second study uses a longitudinal design to compare either HBP or LBP mice to normotensive controls at 2 and 12 months of age for motor coordination, anxiety, and spatial learning. Hyperactivity of HBPs in the OF increased with aging; whereas LBP mice were hypoactive only at 2 months of age. At both age, HBP and LBP mice displayed reduced levels of anxiety in the elevated plus-maze (EPM), abnormal coordination and visuomotor guidance. It remains to determine if these strain-, age-, and test-specific abnormalities are genetically related or secondary to uncontrolled hypertension or hypotension. The following article compares the C57BL/6J (B6) to the A/J inbred mouse strain in exploration of the OF and the hole-board, in the coat-hanger coordination test, and in spatial learning of a water maze. B6 mice displayed a higher number of segment crossings in the open-field and of hole-poking responses than A/J mice. By contrast to their hypo activity, A/J strain were faster in the coat-hanger motor test, but deficient in the submerged but also in the visible platform version of the water maze. These results indicate the considerable potential of genetic models derived from B6 and A/J mice for discerning the determinants of several behavioural phenotypes. In the last manuscript, the genomic loci bearing stress-related phenotypes were dissected by genome wide analysis of linkage in the recombinant congenic strains (RCS), resulting from a cross of B6 and A/J progenitors, each strain bearing 12.5% of specific parts of one progenitor on the background of the other. Adult male mice from 14 A/J and 22 B6 background lines were evaluated for emotional reactivity in the OF and the EPM. Core temperature was monitored by radio-telemetry during immobilization (IM), under standard and salt-enriched diets. In addition, urinary electrolytes were measured. The highest LOD scores strengthen the evidence for a previously reported locus for emotionality in the open-field on Chr 1 (LOD=4.6), in the Ddc region encoding dopa decarboxylase, on Chr 11 in the EPM (LOD=4.7), near Lbp (lipopolysaccharide binding protein), on Chr 2 for initial hypothermia during IM (LOD=4), as well as in the region of Hspca, encoding heat shock protein 1 alpha (48.0 cM) on Chr 12 for Ca++ excretion after a 24 hr-salt load (LOD=4.6). RCS stress QTL overlapped with several candidate loci for cardiovascular disease. In silico evidence of functional polymorphisms by comparative sequence analysis of progenitor strains assisted to ascertain this convergence, then further tested using quantitative PCR for releant genes mRNA. The anxious BcA70 strain showed down regulation of the Atp1a2 gene expression in the heart (P < 0.001) and brain (P < 0.05) compared to its parental B6 strain, compatible with the enhanced emotionality described in knock out animals for this gene, also involved in the salt-sensitive component of hypertension. Functional polymorphisms in regulatory elements of candidate genes of the cardiovascular / inflammatory / immune systems support the hypothesis of genetically-altered environmental susceptibility in cardiovascular disease development.

The visual system and good ocular motor control play an important role in the effective development of gross motor, sport, fine motor and academic skills (Erhardt et al., 1988:84; Desrocher, 1999:36; Orfield, 2001:114). Various researchers report a link between ocular motor problems and attention–deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Cheatum & Hammond, 2000:263; Farrar et al., 2001:441; Gould et al., 2001:633; Armstrong & Munoz, 2003:451; Munoz et al., 2003:510; Borsting et al., 2005:588; Hanisch et al., 2005:671; Mason et al., 2005:1345; Loe et al., 2009:432). A few studies were carried out to analyse the links between ADHD and ocular motor control with regard to matters like visual attention, visual perception and ocular motor control like eye movement outside the normal fixation point, but no studies have been reported on the status of the ocular motor control of South African populations, and the effect of visual–motor intervention on the ocular motor control or visual–motor integration of learners with ADHD. The aim of the study was twofold, namely firstly to determine the ocular motor control functions and status of visual–motor integration of a selected group of 6– tot 8–year–old learners with ADHD in Brakpan, South Africa, while the second aim was to determine whether a visualmotor– based intervention programme can improve the ocular motor control and status of the visual–motor integration of a selected group of 6– to 8–year–old learners with ADHD in Brakpan, South Africa. Statistica for Windows 2010 was used to analyse the data. The Sensory Input Screening measuring instrument and the Quick Neurological Screening Test II (QNST–II) were used to assess the ocular motor control functions (fixation, ocular alignment, visual tracking and convergence–divergence), while the Beery Developmental Test of Visual–Motor Integration (VMI–4de weergawe) was used to determine the status of the learners’ visual–motor integration (VMI), visual perception (VP) and motor coordination (MC). The Disruptive Behaviour Scale, a checklist for ADHD (Bester, 2006), was used as measuring instrument to identify the learners with ADHD. Fifty–six learners (31 boys, 25 girls, with an average age of 7,03 years +0,65) participated in the pre–test and were divided into an ADHD (n=39) and a non–ADHD (n=16) group for aim one. Two–way tables were used to determine the percentage of ocular motor control deficits in the learners with and without ADHD, and an independent t–test was used to analyse the visual–motor integration of these learners. The Pearson Chi–squared test was used to determine the practical significance of differences in VMI and VP (d>0,05). The results of the study reveal that the majority of learners displayed ocular motor control deficits, regardless of whether they were classified with ADHD or not. The biggest percentage of learners fell into Class 2 (moderate deficits), particularly with regard to horizontal (68,57%; 52,63%; w=0,16) and vertical tracking (65,71%; 73,68%), as well as convergence–divergence (80%; 78,95%; w=0,11). However, it appears that ADHD learners experience more serious problems (Class 3) with visual tracking than learners without ADHD (both eyes: 22,86%; compared to 10,53% (w=0,22); right eye: 11,43% compared to 0% (p=0,05; w=0,34); left eye: 14,29% compared to 0% (p=0,02; w=0,38)). Learners with and without ADHD displayed a practically significant difference with respect to visual perception (d=0,37) and motor coordination (d=0,5) compared to learners without ADHD (who achieved better results). For aim 2 the subjects were divided into three groups. A pre–test–post–test design compiled from an availability sample of three groups (intervention group with ADHD (n=20); control group with ADHD (n=10) and control group without ADHD (n=17)) was used for this part of the study. The intervention group participated in a nine–week (3x/week and for 45 minutes) visualmotor– based intervention programme in which the ocular motor control functions section was applied for about 5 minutes per learner. Forty–seven learners (25 boys and 22 girls) with an average age of 6,95 years (+0,69) constituted the experimental group, while a control group with ADHD with an average age of 7,2 years (+0,79) and a control group without ADHD with an average age of 7,12 years (+0,60) did not receive any intervention and just participated in the pre– and post–test opportunity. A two–way cross–tabulation table was used to determine the changes in ocular motor control functions. These results mainly revealed that practically significant changes occurred in all three groups, be it improvement or deterioration in the various classes of ocular motor control. It appears that as far as horizontal and vertical visual tracking is concerned, and with convergence–divergence, more subjects were moved back from Class 3 (serious cases) to Class 1 (no deficits) and 2 (moderate deficits) in particular than in the other two groups that had received no intervention. Independent t–testing was used to analyse intragroup differences in the visual–motor integration subdivisions, while a covariance analysis (ANCOVA) (corrected for pre–test differences) was used to determine adjusted average post–test difference values. These results revealed that the motor coordination of the intervention group improved more than that of the control group with ADHD (p=0,18). This can lead to the conclusion that the intervention programme did have an effect on this specific skill. Abstract The overall indications of the results are that learners with ADHD have a general tendency to achieve poorer results in ocular motor control tests and with skills involving visual–motor integration, visual perception and motor coordination than learners without ADHD. Although only a minor improvement was identified in the experimental group after participation in the intervention programme, it is recommended with regard to motor coordination in particular that a similar programme be compiled for ADHD learners that focuses more specifically on the ocular motor control needs of each learner, and that it be presented on a more individual basis in order to accomplish greater improvement. / Thesis (M.A. (Kinderkinetics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.