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At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources

PubMed1989

Blocking weight-induced spinal cord injury in rats: effects of TRH or naloxone on motor function recovery and spinal cord blood flow.

The ability of thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) or naloxone to reduce the motor function deficit and to improve the spinal cord blood flow (SCBF) was investigated in a rat spinal cord compression injury model. Spinal cord injury was induced by compression for 5 min with a load of 35 g on a 2.2 x 5.0 mm sized compression plate causing a transient paraparesis. One group of animals was given TRH, one group naloxone and one group saline alone. Each drug was administered intravenously as a bolus dose of 2 mg/kg 60 min after injury followed by a continuous infusion of 2 mg/kg/h for 4 h. The motor performance was assessed daily on the inclined plane until Day 4, when SCBF was measured with the 14C-iodoantipyrine autoradiographic method. It was found that neither TRH nor naloxone had promoted motor function recovery or affected SCBF 4 days after spinal cord injury.

Animals↗

PubMed1977

Objective clinical assessment of motor function after experimental spinal cord injury in the rat.

A new method was developed for the clinical assessment of motor function in rats after experimental spinal cord injury. The method consists of placing the animal on an inclined plane which can be adjusted to provide a slope of varying grade, and then assessing the maximum angle of the plane at which the animal can maintain its position without falling. The method was used to quantitate motor function in normal rats and in rats subjected to myelectomy, and consistently showed major differences between the two groups. The method has many positive features: the plane is easy to construct and of low cost; and the test is rapid, non-invasive, repeatable, and consistent.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

[Methods of studying motor function of the small intestine at a surgical clinic].

On the basis of 200 many-hours investigations of motor function of the duodenum and jejunum performed in experiments and clinic with the help of polydigestograph "Express-MT" five degrees of its activity were established: negative, relative rest, weak, medial and strong. High exactness of the registration of intestinal motility at the early period after operations on the abdominal organs was proved. It was found that no complete extinction of the motor function of the small intestine was observed even under conditions of diffuse peritonitis.

Catheterization↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A comparison of the anticonvulsant effects of 1,4- and 1,5-benzodiazepines in the amygdala-kindled rat and their effects on motor function.

Studies suggest that the 1,5-benzodiazepine clobazam possesses a favorable anticonvulsant profile due to its minimal neurotoxicity. The anticonvulsant and motor impairment effects of clobazam and 2 1,4-benzodiazepine, diazepam and clonazepam, were compared by dose-response analysis in amygdala-kindled rats and on 3 tests of motor function: gross motor impairment, a vertical screen test, and muscle tone. All drugs produced a significant, dose-dependent decrease in the duration of both behavioral and electrographic kindled seizure measures. Forelimb clonus suppression was the most sensitive measure of anticonvulsant drug effect. The order of potency for all effects was clonazepam greater than diazepam greater than clobazam. ED50s for the benzodiazepines' effects on motor impairment were compared to their ability to protect rats from forelimb clonus. Different spectrums of action for the various benzodiazepines were found depending on the comparison measure. Clonazepam had the most favorable ratio of potency for anticonvulsant vs. motor impairment activity when ataxia rating was the comparison measure. Diazepam had the most advantageous profile when the more sensitive screen test was used for comparison. Clobazam was not found to have a superior spectrum of action when compared across these measures. The results emphasize the importance of dose-response analyses and the consideration of behavioral measures used to assess beneficial and adverse effects of anticonvulsants.

Amygdala↗

PubMed1998

Riluzole preserves motor function in a transgenic model of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Riluzole was tested in a dose-ranging study for preservation of motor function in a transgenic mouse model of familial ALS. The model is based on expression of mutant human Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase in mouse brain and spinal cord. In contrast with the human ALS trials, in the mouse model, riluzole significantly preserved motor function as assessed by nightly running in a wheel. The effect of riluzole on motor performance was greater earlier in disease than later, suggesting that riluzole may have benefit for "quality-of-life" measures in ALS. Treatment with riluzole was initiated earlier in the transgenic model than in the human ALS trials, which may account for the significantly better outcome.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis↗

PubMed2000

Motor function of the esophagus and the lower esophageal sphincter in children who undergo laparoscopic nissen fundoplication.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: To define the clinical role of laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication (LNF) in children with gastroesophageal reflux (GER), an appropriate understanding of its functional effects is required. The aim of this study was to investigate the motor function of the esophageal body and the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) with special reference to the effects of caloric nutrients in children undergoing LNF. METHODS: Studies were performed in 12 children with GER (age, 6 months to 13 years) before and a month after LNF. Continuous manometric examination was performed with an infusion system using a sleeve sensor for an hour each before and after the administration of apple juice (AAJ; 10 mL/kg). RESULTS: AAJ increased postoperative basal LES pressure from 15 +/- 7 to 20 +/- 6 mm Hg, whereas it decreased the preoperative values from 13 +/- 5 to 10 +/- 4 mm Hg (P < .05). Significant residual pressure was noted at the nadir of swallow-induced LES relaxation after LNF, which was increased by AAJ from 7 +/- 3 to 11 +/- 4 mm Hg. A child with a high nadir LES pressure showed postoperative dysphagia. Significant changes in the patterns of esophageal contractions were not noted after LNF. CONCLUSIONS: Characteristics of the effect of LNF on the LES were a postprandial increase of basal LES pressure and significant residual LES pressure at the nadir of LES relaxation. The motor function of the esophageal body was not affected by LNF.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Caudal analgesia for pediatric day case surgery: assessment of motor function prior to discharge.

The benefits of caudal analgesia are well recognized in the prevention of postoperative pain following pediatric surgery. The possibility of motor weakness may deter anesthetists from using this technique. This study investigates motor function prior to discharge in boys who, as day case patients, received caudal analgesia for pain relief following circumcision. Motor function was assessed using a simple and clinically relevant scale. Three different dosage regimens of bupivacaine were compared. No important motor weakness was demonstrated, and there was no difference with respect to motor block in the three groups. Caudal analgesia may be recommended as a suitable technique for day case patients.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Aged Fischer 344 rats exhibit altered orolingual motor function: relationships with nigrostriatal neurochemical measures.

The present study utilized a novel behavioral preparation to measure differences in orolingual motor function between young (6 months) and aged (24 months) Fischer 344 (F344) rats. Rats were trained to lick an isometric force-sensing operandum for water reinforcement so that the number of licks per session, licking rhythm and lick force could be compared between the two groups. The aged rats exhibited a greater number of licks per session, but a slowed licking rhythm, compared to the young rats. Lick force did not differ significantly between the groups. The dopamine (DA) uptake inhibitor nomifensine decreased all three measures in both groups. Analyses of whole brain tissue content of DA, 3,4 dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), and homovanillic acid (HVA) in the substantia nigra and dorsal striatum revealed no significant differences between the two age groups. Differences were observed between the two groups with respect to relationships between behavioral and neurochemical tissue measures. Striatal DA content and the number of licks per session were positively correlated for the young rats but not for the aged rats. In the aged rats, but not the young rats, positive correlations were also observed between licking rhythm and the DOPAC+HVA/DA ratio in the substantia nigra. These findings suggest that age-related alterations in orolingual motor function may relate in part to functional changes in DA neuronal circuits.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗

PubMed2005

Cortical reorganization of hand motor function to primary sensory cortex in hemiparetic patients with a primary motor cortex infarct.

OBJECTIVE: To show cortical reorganization in hemiparetic patients with a primary motor cortex (M1) infarct including the precentral knob by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). DESIGN: Case-control. SETTING: Outpatient clinics in the rehabilitation department of a university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Two stroke patients and 20 control subjects. INTERVENTIONS: By using fMRI, we evaluated the hand motor function of 2 hemiparetic stroke patients, who had made some recovery from complete paralysis of the affected hand, and 20 control subjects. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: fMRI was performed by using the blood oxygen level-dependent technique at 1.5 T with a standard head coil. The motor task paradigm consisted of hand grasp-release movements. RESULTS: The contralateral primary sensorimotor cortex was activated by the hand movements of the control subjects and of the unaffected side of the 2 patients. Only the contralateral (infarct side) primary sensory cortex (S1) was activated by the movements of the affected hand of the 2 patients, a result that was not observed in the control subjects or with the unaffected hand in the stroke patients. CONCLUSIONS: The hand motor function associated with the infarcted M1 in our patients was reorganized into the S1. These results suggest cortical reorganization in patients with an M1 infarct.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Reliability of family report for the Gross Motor Function Classification System.

The aim of this study was to determine the reliability of family reports for the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), a condition-specific discriminative measure of severity of movement disability for children with cerebral palsy (CP). We conducted a cross-sectional survey using a short questionnaire with families of children with CP for whom we already had ratings of GMFCS level made by a health professional. We assessed the potentially confounding effect of whether the family had discussed the GMFCS with a professional. Two hundred and one questionnaires were posted to families of which 97 (48%) were completed and returned. Mean age of the children (53 males, 40 females) was 9 years 5 months (SD 1 year 1 month), range 6 to 11 years. Children of the families who responded encompassed the spectrum of types and distribution of impairment and severity of movement disability. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of agreement between professionals and families who had discussed their child's GMFCS level with a health professional (n=35) was 0.97 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.96 to 0.98); for those who had not (n=52) the ICC was 0.92 (95% CI 0.91 to 0.93); and for the whole sample (n=93) the ICC was 0.94 (95% CI 0.90 to 0.96). Stability between ratings made by health professionals for children when they were in the 4 to 6 year age band of the GMFCS and ratings made by families for the same children when they were in the 6 to 12 year age band (n=35) was ICC=0.96 (95% CI 0.95 to 0.97). The excellent agreement demonstrated in this study suggests that family reports of the GMFCS made by using our questionnaire provide a reliable method for measuring gross motor function in children between 6 and 12 years old. This might be more efficient for observational studies of large populations, experimental research, or community health administration than direct observation, particularly when professional assessment is not feasible.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Rasch analysis of the Gross Motor Function Measure: validating the assumptions of the Rasch model to create an interval-level measure.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the Rasch analysis of the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-88) and to demonstrate how the assumptions of unidimensionality, sample-free measurement, and test-free measurement were validated to create an interval level measure. DESIGN: Cross-sectional and longitudinal (12-mo) data from a prospective study of motor development in children with cerebral palsy (CP) were used for the analysis. SETTING: Motor assessments were completed at 18 children's ambulatory rehabilitation centers in Ontario, Canada, by pediatric physical therapists trained in the use of the GMFM-88. PARTICIPANTS: The first 537 of 682 children enrolled into a longitudinal study of motor development in children with CP. Children had a mean age of 6.43+/-2.75 years (range, 11mo-12y) with varying types and severity of CP. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The GMFM-88. RESULTS: The Rasch analysis, in conjunction with clinical decisions, identified 66 items from the GMFM-88 that formed a unidimensional measure (GMFM-66). Assumptions of sample-free and test-free measurement were confirmed, and a user-friendly scoring program was developed. CONCLUSIONS: The GMFM-66 is an interval-level measure of gross motor function for children with CP; it should improve the scoring, interpretation, and overall clinical and research utility over the original GMFM.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2001

Dual regulation of mammalian myosin VI motor function.

Myosin VI is expressed in a variety of cell types and is thought to play a role in membrane trafficking and endocytosis, yet its motor function and regulation are not understood. The present study clarified mammalian myosin VI motor function and regulation at a molecular level. Myosin VI ATPase activity was highly activated by actin with K(actin) of 9 microm. A predominant amount of myosin VI bound to actin in the presence of ATP unlike conventional myosins. K(ATP) was much higher than those of other known myosins, suggesting that myosin VI has a weak affinity or slow binding for ATP. On the other hand, ADP markedly inhibited the actin-activated ATPase activity, suggesting a high affinity for ADP. These results suggested that myosin VI is predominantly in a strong actin binding state during the ATPase cycle. p21-activated kinase 3 phosphorylated myosin VI, and the site was identified as Thr(406). The phosphorylation of myosin VI significantly facilitated the actin-translocating activity of myosin VI. On the other hand, Ca(2+) diminished the actin-translocating activity of myosin VI although the actin-activated ATPase activity was not affected by Ca(2+). Calmodulin was not dissociated from the heavy chain at high Ca(2+), suggesting that a conformational change of calmodulin upon Ca(2+) binding, but not its physical dissociation, determines the inhibition of the motility activity. The present results revealed the dual regulation of myosin VI by phosphorylation and Ca(2+) binding to calmodulin light chain.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗

PubMed2003

Biliary motor function in gallstone patients evaluated by fatty-meal MR cholangiography.

PURPOSE: To investigate the possibility of evaluating biliary motor function with magnetic resonance cholangiography (MRC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty patients with gallstones and 30 control subjects were studied using fatty-meal MRC. After baseline MRC, they were encouraged to drink 250 mL of milk and underwent postprandial MRC every 10 minutes for 60 minutes. Postprandial changes in gallbladder volume and the diameter of the common duct were assessed as indicators of gallbladder contractility and biliary obstruction, respectively. Postprandial dilatation at 60 minutes was considered indicative of persistent biliary obstruction. RESULTS: Gallbladder ejection fraction was calculated at 66.0% +/- 12.2% (range, 40.3%-88.6%) in the controls. Gallbladder volume expressed as a percentage of the baseline value was significantly larger at 20-60 minutes in the gallstone patients than in the controls. Gallbladder ejection fraction varied widely (mean, 46.4% +/- 24.4%; range, 2.8%-81.5%) and was significantly reduced in comparison with that of the controls (P < 0.01). In two gallstone patients with co-existing ductal stones, transient postprandial dilatation associated with ampullary impaction was observed. Persistent biliary obstruction was not indicated in any subjects. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest the feasibility of fatty-meal MRC, as well as its potential for evaluating biliary motor function.

Adult↗

PubMed1988

Quantification of motor function in toxicology.

Disturbances of movement and other motor functions can result from exposure to toxicants and drugs. Sometimes, as with acute exposure to ethanol or solvents, these effects disappear when exposure ends. Other times, as with manganese, haloperidol, or chronic ethanol, motor disturbances are irreversible and may even lie undetected until after exposure has ended. Motor disturbances can take on many guises, including tremor, difficulty in positioning, fatigue, or rigidity. Techniques for measuring these different endpoints in primates will be addressed. One preparation that enables the simultaneous monitoring of positioning, tremor, and operant behavior in nonhuman primates is described, and tactics for obtaining spectral estimates of tremor from a positioning task are outlined. The spectra obtained from this preparation are reliable and valid: they are stable over a period of a year, they correspond to spectra obtained from accelerometers, and are altered by acute administration of ethanol or oxotremorine. These two drugs had opposite effects on tremor but affected bar positioning in a similar manner.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Effects of chronic manganese exposure on cognitive and motor functioning in non-human primates.

Acute exposure to manganese is associated with complex behavioral/psychiatric signs that may include Parkinsonian motor features. However, little is known about the behavioral consequences of chronic manganese exposures. In this study, cynomolgus macaque monkeys were exposed to manganese sulfate (10-15 mg/kg/week) over an exposure period lasting 272+/-17 days. Prior to manganese exposure, animals were trained to perform tests of cognitive and motor functioning and overall behavior was assessed by ratings and by videotaped analyses. By the end of the manganese exposure period, animals developed subtle deficits in spatial working memory and had modest decreases in spontaneous activity and manual dexterity. In addition, stereotypic or compulsive-like behaviors such as compulsive grooming increased in frequency by the end of the manganese exposure period. Blood manganese levels measured at the end of the manganese exposure period ranged from 29.4 to 73.7 micro g/l (mean=55.7+/-10.8 (compared to levels of 5.1-14.2 micro g/l at baseline (mean=9.2+/-2.7)), placing them within the upper range of levels reported for human environmental, medical or occupational exposures. These results suggest that chronic exposure to levels of manganese achieved in this study may have detrimental effects on behavior, cognition and motor functioning.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Mechanical components of motor enzyme function.

Motor enzymes use energy from ATP dephosphorylation to generate movement by a mechanical cycle, moving and pushing in one direction while attached to their cytoskeletal substrate, and recovering by moving relative to their substrate to a new attachment site. Mainstream models assert that movement while attached to the substrate results from preexisting strain in the attached motor. The additional underlying ideas can be described in terms of three components for strain amplification: a rotating lever arm, multiple attached states, and elastic compliance. These components determine how energy is recovered during the mechanical cycle and stored in a strained motor. They may coexist in a real motor; the challenge is to determine the contributions of each component. Because these components can generate similar relationships between strain energy and strain, standard measurements of motor function do not discriminate easily between these components. However, important information could be is provided by observations that suggest weak coupling between chemical and mechanical cycles, observations of negative force and movement events in single motor experiments, and the discovery that two motors that move in opposite directions have very similar structures. In models incorporating changes in conformation between attached states, these observations are only explained easily if the conformational changes are tightly coupled to changes in the strength of motor-substrate binding.

Actins↗

PubMed2006

[Controlled observation on effects of different needle retaining time in scalp acupuncture on motor function in the infant of cerebral palsy].

OBJECTIVE: To compare therapeutic effects of different needle retaining time in scalp acupuncture on motor function in the infant of cerebral palsy. METHODS: Randomized controlled design and Jin three needle therapy were used, and the therapeutic effects of needle retaining time of 1 h and 30 min on cerebral palsy were compared. RESULTS: After treatment for 2 months, the improvement of motor function in the group of retaining needle of lh was better than that in the 30 min group. CONCLUSION: Prolonging the retaining needle time for sufficient stimulation amountis an important factor for achieving a better therapeutic effect in scalp acupuncture treatment of infant cerebral palsy.

Acupuncture Therapy↗

PubMed2003

Development and reliability of the General Motor Function Assessment Scale (GMF)--a performance-based measure of function-related dependence, pain and insecurity.

PURPOSE: To develop a scale for assessment of three components-dependence, pain and insecurity - related to motor functions of importance for activities of daily living among older rehabilitation patients and to establish its clinical practicality and reliability. METHOD: A General Motor Function Assessment Scale (GMF) with the above aims was constructed. Clinical practicality was explored by questionnaires to 14 physiotherapists. Inter-rater and test-retest reliability was tested on patients in three different forms of geriatric rehabilitation (n=20-25) and analysed by percentage agreement (PA) and a non-parametric statistical method, which provide measures of the random disagreement separately from the systematic part of the disagreement. RESULTS: In the clinical test the GMF was found to be time efficient and clinically adequate. Analysis of reliability showed overall high values of PA (PA> or =70) and of the rank-order agreement coefficient (r(a)>0.82), and low degrees of systematic disagreement. CONCLUSIONS: GMF was found to be a clinically useful assessment scale in geriatric rehabilitation. The statistical analyses indicted a high degree of reliability. Comparison of these results with reliability of comparable rating scales is difficult on account of the statistical methods used in other studies, which commonly do not take into account the non-metric properties of the data.

Activities of Daily Living↗