Intermediate endophenotypes emerge as an important concept in the study of schizophrenia. Although research on phenotypes mainly investigated cognitive, metabolic or neurophysiological markers so far, some authors also examined the motor behavior anomalies as a potential trait-marker of the disease. However, no research has investigated social motor coordination despite the possible importance ...

Impairments of synaptic plasticity are a hallmark of several neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease (PD) which results from the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta leading to abnormal activity within the basal ganglia (BG) network and pathological motor symptoms. Indeed, disrupted plasticity at corticostriatal glutamatergic synapses, the...

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) show neuropsychological impairments ranging from vigilance decrements, attentional lapses and memory gaps to decreased motor coordination, but their cognitive profile, and the origin of the impairments, remain unclear. We sought to establish the neuropsychological profile of 16 newly diagnosed apneics and to highlight both their morphological and func...

BACKGROUND Several types of cognitive or combined cognitive-motor intervention types that might influence physical functions have been proposed in the past: training of dual-tasking abilities, and improving cognitive function through behavioral interventions or the use of computer games. The objective of this systematic review was to examine the literature regarding the use of cognitive and cog...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether specifically designed activities of daily living (ADL) observations can measure disability due to apraxia with more sensitivity than the Barthel ADL Index, a conventional functional scale. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Rehabilitation centres and nursing homes. SUBJECTS One hundred and six left hemisphere stroke patients with apraxia, hospitalized in ...

The aims of this study were to evaluate whether chronic intoxication with mercury chloride (HgCl2), in a low concentration over a long time, can be deposited in the central nervous tissue and to determine if this exposure induces motor and cognitive impairments. Twenty animals were intoxicated for 45 days at a dose of 0.375 mg/kg/day. After this period, the animals underwent a battery of behavi...

Theories of grounded cognition emphasize the role of sensorimotor simulation in conceptual knowledge. With regard to action concepts, the motor system is hypothesized to play a central role in their representation and processing. The present study investigates whether patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who have greater upper versus greater lower limb impairments show different patterns of p...

For decades, the potential for automation—in particular, in the form of smart wheelchairs—to aid those with motor, or cognitive, impairments has been recognized. It is a paradox that often the more severe a person’s motor impairment, the more challenging it is for them to operate the very assistive machines which might enhance their quality of life. A primary aim of my lab is to address this co...

Ethanol is an important risk factor for the occurrence of cerebral ischemia contributing to poor prognosis and inefficacy of drug treatments for stroke-related symptoms. Females have a higher lifetime risk for stroke than males. Moreover, female gender has been associated with increased ethanol consumption during adolescence. In the present study, we investigated whether chronic ethanol exposur...