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Background: Cerebral Palsy (CP) is characterised by variable difficulties in muscular action, resulting in inability of the individual to perform functional movement. An option to provide functionality to the individual with CP is the use of computer innovation. The aim of this paper was to verify if there was any performance improvement in a task performed in a virtual environment and if there was transfer to the task performed in the real environment and vice versa in this population., Methods: A computer program was developed comprising a motor task, but with two possibilities of user interaction: a) concrete interface (with physical contact): in which the individual touches the computer screen to finish the task and b) abstract interface (no physical contact): in which the individual performs a hand movement in front of the Kinect device. Participants were split into two groups. The experimental group consisted of 28 individuals with CP within the ages of 6 and 15 years old. The control group included 28 typically developing individuals mirroring the age and sex of the experimental group., Results: Individuals from both groups were able to improve task performance and retain acquired information. The CP group presented worse performance than the control group in all phases of the study. Further findings showed that the CP group presented better performance in the abstract interface than in the concrete interface, whereas, in the control group, the opposite occurred: their best performance was in the concrete., Conclusions: Motor tasks performed by individuals with CP through an interface with a more virtual environment feature (abstract interface: Kinect) provided better performance when compared to an interface with a more real characteristic (concrete interface: Touchscreen)., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier - NCT03352440; Date of registration - November 17, 2017.

Background: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a rapid progressive neurodegenerative disease, characterized by a selective loss of motor neurons, brain stem and spinal cord which leads to deterioration of motor abilities. Devices that promote interaction with tasks on computers can enhance performance and lead to greater independence and utilization of technology., Objective: To evaluate performance on a computer task in individuals with ALS using three different commonly used non-immersive devices., Method: Thirty individuals with ALS (18 men and 12 women, mean age 59 years, range 44-74 years) with a mean score of 26, (minimum score of 14 and maximum 41) on the Revised Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R) and 30 healthy controls matched for age and gender, participated. All participants were randomly divided into three groups, each using a different device system (motion tracking, finger motion control or touchscreen) to perform three task phases (acquisition, retention and transfer)., Results: Both the ALS and control group (CG) showed better performance on the computer task when using the touchscreen device, but there was limited transfer of performance onto the task performed on the Finger Motion control or motion tracking. However, we found that using the motion tracking device led to transfer of performance to the touchscreen., Conclusion: This study presents novel and important findings when selecting interaction devices for individuals with ALS to access technology by demonstrating immediate performance benefits of using a touchscreen device, such as improvement of motor skills. There were possible transferable skills obtained when using virtual systems which may allow flexibility and enable individuals to maintain performance overtime., Trial Registration: Registration name: Virtual Task in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; Registration number: NCT03113630 ; retrospectively registered on 04/13/2017. Date of enrolment of the first participant to the trial: 02/02/2016.

Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been investigated as a new tool in neurological rehabilitation of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, due to the inconsistent results regarding the effects of rTMS in people with SCI, a randomized controlled double-blind crossover trial is needed to clarify the clinical utility and to assess the effect size of rTMS intervention in this population. Therefore, this paper describes a study protocol designed to investigate whether the use of rTMS can improve the motor and sensory function, as well as reduce spasticity in patients with incomplete SCI., Methods: A double-blind randomized sham-controlled crossover trial will be performed by enrolling 20 individuals with incomplete SCI. Patients who are at least six months post incomplete SCI (aged 18-60 years) will be recruited through referral by medical practitioners or therapists. Individuals will be randomly assigned to either group 1 or group 2 in a 1:1 ratio, with ten individuals in each group. The rTMS protocol will include ten sessions of high-frequency rTMS (5 Hz) over the bilateral lower-limb motor area positioned at the vertex (Cz). Clinical evaluations will be performed at baseline and after rTMS active and sham., Discussion: rTMS has produced positive results in treating individuals with physical impairments; thus, it might be promising in the SCI population. The results of this study may provide new insights to motor rehabilitation thereby contributing towards the better usage of rTMS in the SCI population., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02899637 . Registered on 25 August 2016.