No description available.

Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), likely initiate their pathologies primarily within the brain and later manifest themselves in daily behavioral functions. In patients with PD, the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the basal ganglia results in sensorimotor deficits, including tremor, bradykinesia, olfactory function loss, speech/voice loss, and eating disorders. Although not much is known about the etiology of Parkinson’s disease, extensive studies have focused on correlating different signs of motor degradation with the degree of dopaminergic neuron loss. Despite the fact that different animal models and diverse behavioral methods have been developed to further characterize limb motor function loss, the loss of fine oromotor function, which includes eating/biting disorders and voice/speech loss, has been largely overlooked due to its intrinsic complexity as well as the lack of a precise method for quantitative description. An animal model was developed for the study of oromotor deficits in PD that utilizes the production of ultrasonic vocalization in lab rodents. Parkinsonian animals suffer the same symptoms in their vocalization compared to human PD patients: a significant drop of intensity and pitch variation. Furthermore, a newly developed biting test provided evidence that the animal’s oromotor function have been compromised due to dopamine loss. Overall, these studies show that qualitative analysis of the ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) of laboratory rats can serve as a sensitive behavioral biomarker for the detection of subtle oromotor deficits in neurodegenerative diseases. / text

Alcohol use disorders are a public health issue related to adverse effects for individuals and society. A low level of response, or decreased sensitivity, to alcohol has been identified as a heritable risk factor for development of alcohol use disorders. One method for researching level of response to alcohol is through the use of rodent models, which are developed to mimic human conditions while eliminating barriers to conducting research with people. Current rodent models used to evaluate effects of ethanol on motor performance have been criticized for not being well matched to human tasks that measure level of change in body sway after alcohol consumption. This study looks at oromotor behavior as a potential alternative to gross motor performance in hopes of increasing correspondence between human and rodent measures of intoxication. To evaluate rodent oromotor performance a force transducer lickometer is used to measure several dimensions of licking behavior after administration of different concentrations of ethanol solution via gavage. Results show that force of licking is not sensitive to dose of ethanol. The total number of licks per session show dose related decreases and licking rhythm, evaluated by the length and distribution of interlick intervals, either increased or decreased for three of the four subjects. Recommendations are made for procedural modifications in order to reduce variability in data and further investigate oromotor performance and level of response to alcohol.

A Paralisia Cerebral (PC) é considerada a principal causa de deficiência física grave na infância, sendo comum o comprometimento motor associado. Esse, por sua vez, é apontado como a maior causa da alta prevalência de problemas na alimentação dessas crianças. Faz parte da função motora orofacial a respiração, a mastigação, a deglutição, a fala, a expressão facial e a aparência, e dessa forma, a disfunção pode comprometer o bem-estar da criança e de seu cuidador, uma vez que, quando presente, interfere na dinâmica interna e na rotina da família. O presente trabalho objetivou correlacionar 2 métodos de avaliação motora orofacial, avaliar a influência do comprometimento funcional orofacial no estado nutricional de crianças e adolescentes com PC e sua associação com condições socioecônomicas. Foram selecionadas 70 crianças e adolescentes com diagnóstico de PC, com idade de 6 a 16 anos (grupo estudo), e 129 crianças normorreativas, pareadas por gênero e idade aos PCs (grupo controle). Para a avaliação motora orofacial foram aplicados os instrumentos Oral Motor Assessment Scale (OMAS) e Nordic Orofacial Test-Screening (NOT-S). A avaliação antropométrica foi baseada nas curvas da Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS), segundo os critérios do Ministério da Saúde do Brasil. Houve correlação estatisticamente significante entre os métodos de avaliação oromotora (r= -0,439, p<0,0001). Quanto à avaliação nutricional, observamos maior prevalência de estar acima do peso para as variáveis tipo de PC- distônico e misto (p=0,034), mães sem companheiro (p=0,045) e para menor comprometimento oromotor (p=0,028). Concluimos que, o ganho de peso em crianças e adolescentes é favorecido por um melhor desempenho funcional oromotor e fatores sociais. / Cerebral palsy (CP) is the main cause of severe physical impairment during childhood, which has commonly shown motor association. This has been pointed out as the main cause of high prevalence of problems in childrens nutrition. It is part of orofacial motor function: respiration, chewing, swallowing, speaking, facial expression and appearance, and therefore, the impairment can affect childrens well-being. The aim of this study was to correlate 2 methods of oral facial motor evaluation, evaluate the influence of oral facial functional impairment on the nutritional status of children and adolescents with CP, and the association between socioeconomic factors. 70 children and adolescents were selected with definitive CP diagnosis, age range 6-16 yrs and exclusion criteria previously determined, 129 normoreactive children, sex and age-matched to CPs (control group). For the oral facial motor evaluation two evaluation instruments were applied Oral Motor Assessment Scale (OMAS) and Nordic Orofacial Test-Screening (NOT-S). The anthropometric evaluation was based on the World Health Organization (WHO), according to the criteria recommended by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. There was statistically significant correlation between the oral motor methods of evaluation (r=-0.439, p<0.0001). With regards to the nutritional status evaluation, the studied population showed greater prevalence for overweight referring to the variables CP forms, dystonic and mixed (p=0.034), mother with no partnership (p=0.045) and a smaller oral motor impairment (p=0.028). It was concluded that, the weight´s gain by children and adolescents is favoured by a better functional oral motor performance and social factors.

A Paralisia Cerebral (PC) é considerada a principal causa de deficiência física grave na infância, sendo comum o comprometimento motor associado. Esse, por sua vez, é apontado como a maior causa da alta prevalência de problemas na alimentação dessas crianças. Faz parte da função motora orofacial a respiração, a mastigação, a deglutição, a fala, a expressão facial e a aparência, e dessa forma, a disfunção pode comprometer o bem-estar da criança e de seu cuidador, uma vez que, quando presente, interfere na dinâmica interna e na rotina da família. O presente trabalho objetivou correlacionar 2 métodos de avaliação motora orofacial, avaliar a influência do comprometimento funcional orofacial no estado nutricional de crianças e adolescentes com PC e sua associação com condições socioecônomicas. Foram selecionadas 70 crianças e adolescentes com diagnóstico de PC, com idade de 6 a 16 anos (grupo estudo), e 129 crianças normorreativas, pareadas por gênero e idade aos PCs (grupo controle). Para a avaliação motora orofacial foram aplicados os instrumentos Oral Motor Assessment Scale (OMAS) e Nordic Orofacial Test-Screening (NOT-S). A avaliação antropométrica foi baseada nas curvas da Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS), segundo os critérios do Ministério da Saúde do Brasil. Houve correlação estatisticamente significante entre os métodos de avaliação oromotora (r= -0,439, p<0,0001). Quanto à avaliação nutricional, observamos maior prevalência de estar acima do peso para as variáveis tipo de PC- distônico e misto (p=0,034), mães sem companheiro (p=0,045) e para menor comprometimento oromotor (p=0,028). Concluimos que, o ganho de peso em crianças e adolescentes é favorecido por um melhor desempenho funcional oromotor e fatores sociais. / Cerebral palsy (CP) is the main cause of severe physical impairment during childhood, which has commonly shown motor association. This has been pointed out as the main cause of high prevalence of problems in childrens nutrition. It is part of orofacial motor function: respiration, chewing, swallowing, speaking, facial expression and appearance, and therefore, the impairment can affect childrens well-being. The aim of this study was to correlate 2 methods of oral facial motor evaluation, evaluate the influence of oral facial functional impairment on the nutritional status of children and adolescents with CP, and the association between socioeconomic factors. 70 children and adolescents were selected with definitive CP diagnosis, age range 6-16 yrs and exclusion criteria previously determined, 129 normoreactive children, sex and age-matched to CPs (control group). For the oral facial motor evaluation two evaluation instruments were applied Oral Motor Assessment Scale (OMAS) and Nordic Orofacial Test-Screening (NOT-S). The anthropometric evaluation was based on the World Health Organization (WHO), according to the criteria recommended by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. There was statistically significant correlation between the oral motor methods of evaluation (r=-0.439, p<0.0001). With regards to the nutritional status evaluation, the studied population showed greater prevalence for overweight referring to the variables CP forms, dystonic and mixed (p=0.034), mother with no partnership (p=0.045) and a smaller oral motor impairment (p=0.028). It was concluded that, the weight´s gain by children and adolescents is favoured by a better functional oral motor performance and social factors.

No description available.

No description available.

<p>Rolandic epilepsy (RE) is the most common focal epilepsy syndrome in the pediatric age group with an onset between 3 and 13 years. The syndrome is defined by electro-clinically typical features and has been considered benign according to seizure remission before the age of 16 years.</p><p>The aim of this thesis was to investigate children with typical RE with different methods and to discuss the delineation of the syndrome. Thirty-eight children, aged 6–14 years, participated in one up to four studies.</p><p>Eighteen children were investigated with MRI. Hippocampal abnormalities were found in six (33%), volume asymmetry in five (28%) and high signal intensities on T2-weighted images in three (17%). Additionally, high signal intensities in T2-weighted images were revealed subcortically in temporal and frontal lobes bilaterally in five children (28%).</p><p>The hippocampal region was evaluated metabolically using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-MRS) in 13 children with RE and 15 matched controls. A metabolic asymmetry of the hippocampal regions was found in the patients compared to controls indicating an abnormal neuronal function.</p><p>Seventeen children with RE and 17 matched controls were investigated with a neuropsychological test battery. The RE children showed lower performance in auditory-verbal tests and in executive functions compared to controls.</p><p>Twenty RE children and 24 controls were assessed concerning their oromotor function. The RE children had greater problems concerning tongue movements including articulation. A dichotic listening test was also performed in a subgroup showing poorer results in the RE group. </p><p>A simple classification is proposed with RE ‘pure’ as the main group and the frame for this study.</p><p>In conclusion, these investigations disclosed various abnormalities in children with RE, challenging the benign concept during the active phase. It is assumed that maturational factors comprise causal mechanism to the deviant findings, which probably successively will normalize.</p>

Rolandic epilepsy (RE) is the most common focal epilepsy syndrome in the pediatric age group with an onset between 3 and 13 years. The syndrome is defined by electro-clinically typical features and has been considered benign according to seizure remission before the age of 16 years. The aim of this thesis was to investigate children with typical RE with different methods and to discuss the delineation of the syndrome. Thirty-eight children, aged 6–14 years, participated in one up to four studies. Eighteen children were investigated with MRI. Hippocampal abnormalities were found in six (33%), volume asymmetry in five (28%) and high signal intensities on T2-weighted images in three (17%). Additionally, high signal intensities in T2-weighted images were revealed subcortically in temporal and frontal lobes bilaterally in five children (28%). The hippocampal region was evaluated metabolically using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in 13 children with RE and 15 matched controls. A metabolic asymmetry of the hippocampal regions was found in the patients compared to controls indicating an abnormal neuronal function. Seventeen children with RE and 17 matched controls were investigated with a neuropsychological test battery. The RE children showed lower performance in auditory-verbal tests and in executive functions compared to controls. Twenty RE children and 24 controls were assessed concerning their oromotor function. The RE children had greater problems concerning tongue movements including articulation. A dichotic listening test was also performed in a subgroup showing poorer results in the RE group. A simple classification is proposed with RE ‘pure’ as the main group and the frame for this study. In conclusion, these investigations disclosed various abnormalities in children with RE, challenging the benign concept during the active phase. It is assumed that maturational factors comprise causal mechanism to the deviant findings, which probably successively will normalize.