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Objective: The goal was to investigate the exogenous orientation of attention in congenitally deaf signers who communicate through Portuguese Sign Language. Method: To study the exogenous orientation of attention, the Posner cueing task was used. In this experimental paradigm, an initial facilitation in the detection of a target at previously attended locations is followed, for longer stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA), by an impairment in speed detection of targets in those locations. This slowing effect is known as inhibition of return (IOR). The sample included 42 participants, 11 deaf subjects with sign language as their first language and 31 hearing subjects with no contact with sign language. Results: Deaf participants detected the targets faster, F(1, 33) = 5.97, p = .02, and more frequently, t(40) = 3.30, p = .002, than the hearing subjects. Also, IOR initiated and ended earlier for the deaf than for the hearing subjects, least significant difference (LSD) test, respectively, at 400 ms, p = .001. p = .97, and at 1,600 ms p = .74 vs. p = .006. These results demonstrate that the sample of congenitally deaf subjects presented a different time course in orienting attention. Results suggest that deaf people are quicker and more accurate in orientating attention to peripheral stimuli, and it is argued that deaf people can orient peripheral attention with less effort, engaging and disengaging attention faster than hearing individuals. Conclusions: Findings support the claim that being congenitally deaf leads to compensatory alterations that improve peripheral visual attention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Despite the use of digital communication technologies in neurocognitive rehabilitation has been widely used in face-to-face interventions, the difficulties of using ICT-based tools to provide rehabilitation services and the unfamiliarity of the neuropsychologists with internet interventions limited the use of these kinds of interventions in their clinical practices. The lockdown and mitigating measures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, on the other hand, forced the use of at-distance and online interventions as a means to mitigate the impact of those measures on the mental health and rehabilitation processes of people with neurological disorders. Overall, little is known about the perspectives of patients with acquired neurological conditions about rehabilitation services delivered at distance. Therefore, the main goal of this study was to explore the perceptions that patients with neurological disorders have on at-distance online neurocognitive rehabilitation, namely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sixteen patients with acquired neurological conditions attending an online neurocognitive rehabilitation program in a Portuguese rehabilitation center filled in an online questionnaire during the mandatory lockdown. The results of this study highlight the potential of delivering rehabilitation services at distance, presenting its advantages and limitations from patients’ perspectives, as well as suggestions for improving both neurorehabilitation processes and the online rehabilitation platform used.

The fascination with brain research is widespread, and school teachers are no exception. This growing interest, usually noticed by the increased supply of short-term training or books on how to turn the brain more efficient, leads us to think about their basic training and outreach resources available. Little is known about what the official Initial Teacher Training (ITT) offers concerning the brain literature and if it meets scientific standards. Also, what are the science communication materials that teachers can access to learn about the developing brain remain undiscussed. First, we examined the ITT courses taught in Portuguese Higher Education, both in public and private institutions, to identify the syllabus with updated neuroscientific knowledge. Second, we searched for the neuroscience-related books published in the last 6 years through the National Library of Portugal database. Thirty ITT courses and 35 outreach publications were reviewed through a rapid review methodology. Our results showed an absence of curricular units indicating in their programs that brain research, and its relationship with learning, would be taught in a representative and updated way. In contrast, the number of brain-related books for educators increased in Portugal, corroborating the demand for this field of study by these professionals. Based on the literature that shows how misunderstandings about the brain have increased in school contexts, our discussion recognizes that science outreach could be a way to increase the scientific literacy of school teachers with the research community working more in this direction, but, since a previous problem seems to be unsolved, there is an urgent need for specialized attention to the development of training curricula for future kindergarten and elementary school teachers.

Com base no interesse científico em compreender os efeitos da aprendizagem formal de música no desempenho académico, em geral, e na matemática, em específico, procurou-se analisar a relação dos resultados obtidos na Prova Final de Matemática (PFM) de 9º ano (2018, Primeira Fase do Ensino Português) dos alunos do Ensino Artístico Especializado de Música (EAEM) controlando as variáveis: i) número de anos de aprendizagem de música; ii) tipo de instrumento (Teclas, Percussão, Sopro ou Cordas); iii) tempo médio de estudo semanal de instrumento; iv) classificações finais de terceiro período; v) frequência de atividades extracurriculares (ex: dança, desporto, teatro); vi) apoio ou explicação de matemática; e vii) número de horas semanal de apoio ou explicação de matemática. Participaram 92 alunos entre os 14 e os 15 anos (M = 14.53; DP = 0.502). De todas as variáveis analisadas, os resultados mostraram que só o apoio/explicações apresentou diferenças significativas, na medida em que os alunos que não têm apoio extra a matemática são os que atingem melhores resultados no exame final.

In this study, we aim to disentangle pantomime from early signs in a newly-born sign language: Sao Tome and Principe Sign Language. Our results show that within 2 years of their first contact with one another, a community of 100 participants interacting everyday was able to build a shared language. The growth of linguistic systematicity, which included a decrease in use of pantomime, reduction of the amplitude of signs and an increase in articulation economy, showcases a learning, and social interaction process that constitutes a continuum and not a cut-off system. The human cognitive system is endowed with mechanisms for symbolization that allow the process of arbitrariness to unfold and the expansion of linguistic complexity. Our study helps to clarify the role of pantomime in a new sign language and how this role might be linked with language itself, showing implications for language evolution research. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | Ref. UIDB/04279/2020

Esta revisão sistemática teve como objetivo analisar a literatura recente acerca da influência que o estudo da música pode exercer no desempenho académico em geral e na matemática; nas funções cognitivas; e na plasticidade cerebral. A revisão inclui estudos publicados entre 2007 e 2017, nas bases de dados PubMed e Complementary Index, Academic Search Complete, Education Source, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection e Science Direct, utilizando o descritor musical training, combinado com descritores ligados ao desempenho académico em geral e na matemática, academic achievement, mathematics e academic development, e desenvolvimento cognitivo, brain development e cognitive development. Os estudos foram selecionados de acordo com os seguintes critérios: estudos (i) publicados em jornais científicos revistos por pares, (ii) com crianças e adolescentes até aos 18 anos; (iii) que incluíram o treino musical nas suas componentes teórica e/ou instrumental. A relação entre a formação musical e o desempenho académico em geral e a matemática mostrou-se inconsistente, não existindo consenso na literatura acerca dos benefícios da primeira sobre a segunda. Foram encontrados benefícios cognitivos e evidências para a plasticidade cerebral estrutural, induzida pelo treino musical na primeira infância, tendo em consideração as diferenças encontradas no volume de massa cinzenta.

Bullying carries great harm for all involved, undermining academic achievement as well. The strength of such impact is yet to be clarified, existing many possibilities and variables to analyze – classroom behavior being one. The present cross-sectional investigation goal was to study the impact of bullying (mediated by the classroom behavior) on the academic achievement. Participants consisted of 288 children (from the 1st to 4th school years), 51% females and 49% males, and an average age of: M= 8.09 years (SD = 1.193; Min = 7.94, Max = 8.21). Children filled out a self-report questionnaire on bullying; their teachers reported on classroom behaviors and academic achievement. Results showed that the bullying situation itself, didn’t significantly explain the academic achievement of those involved. Indirect effects were found for both victims and perpetrators. Victims revealed worse school results through worse classroom behavior (specifically, excessive motor activity). Aggressor presented worse school results through worse classroom behavior (specifically, opposition behavior, excessive motor activity, and hyperactivity). These results highlight the importance of the educational agents’ attention to the existing behaviors in their classrooms, not only to the disruption established in each classroom’s environment, but as a possible sign of an involvement in the existing bullying dynamics.

The objective of this review is to identify the effectiveness of health information technology on promoting medication adherence in adults with diabetes mellitus type 2. More specifically, the review questions are: What is the effectiveness of health information technology on promoting medication adherence in adults with diabetes mellitus type 2? What is the effectiveness of health information technology for enhancing medication adherence in adults with diabetes mellitus type 2 on quality of life? What is the effectiveness of health information technology for enhancing medication adherence in adults with diabetes mellitus type 2 on hospital readmissions?

Com base no interesse científico em compreender os efeitos da aprendizagem formal de música no desempenho académico, em geral, e na matemática, em específico, procurou-se analisar a relação dos resultados obtidos na Prova Final de Matemática (PFM) de 9º ano (2018, Primeira Fase do Ensino Português) dos alunos do Ensino Artístico Especializado de Música (EAEM) controlando as variáveis: i) número de anos de aprendizagem de música; ii) tipo de instrumento (Teclas, Percussão, Sopro ou Cordas); iii) tempo médio de estudo semanal de instrumento; iv) classificações finais de terceiro período; v) frequência de atividades extracurriculares (ex: dança, desporto, teatro); vi) apoio ou explicação de matemática; e vii) número de horas semanal de apoio ou explicação de matemática. Participaram 92 alunos entre os 14 e os 15 anos (M = 14.53; DP = 0.502). De todas as variáveis analisadas, os resultados mostraram que só o apoio/explicações apresentou diferenças significativas, na medida em que os alunos que não têm apoio extra a matemática são os que atingem melhores resultados no exame final.

This study aimed to investigate the presence of a Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III) cognitive profile in a Portuguese neurologic injured sample. The Portuguese WAIS-III was administered to 81 mixed neurologic patients and 81 healthy matched controls selected from the Portuguese standardization sample. Although the mixed neurologic injury group performed significantly lower than the healthy controls for the majority of the WAIS-III scores (i.e., composite measures, discrepancies, and subtests), the mean scores were within the normal range and, therefore, at risk of being unobserved in a clinical evaluation. ROC curves analysis showed poor to acceptable diagnostic accuracy for the WAIS-III composite measures and subtests (Working Memory Index and Digit Span revealed the highest accuracy for discriminating between participants, respectively). Multiple regression analysis showed that both literacy and the presence of brain injury were significant predictors for all of the composite measures. In addition, multiple regression analysis also showed that literacy, age of injury onset, and years of survival predicted all seven composite measures for the mixed neurologic injured group. Despite the failure to find a WAIS-III cognitive profile for mixed neurologic patients, the results showed a significant influence of brain lesion and literacy in the performance of the WAIS-III.

Objectives: Fibromyalgia (FM), a chronic pain condition, is associated with abnormalities in pain modulation. A growing body of evidence has shown that social distress modulates pain sensitivity. The current study aimed to assess the effects of social distress manipulation on pain in FM patients compared with positive (rheumatoid arthritis, RA) and negative (pain-free) controls. Materials and Methods: FM, RA patients and pain-free controls (PFC) were recruited. Demographic, medical, and psychological data were collected. Each participant was exposed to 3 study conditions in a random order: the inclusion (positive social effects) and exclusion (negative social effects) conditions of Cyberball, a game that manipulates social distress, and a control condition. Pain sensitivity in response to nociceptive electrical and thermal (cold) stimuli was assessed before and during each study condition. Results: In response to electrical stimuli, pain decreased in both the inclusion and exclusion conditions in PFC and RA groups, whereas inclusion conditions significantly increased pain in the FM group. Social manipulation (inclusion or exclusion) did not affect pain sensitivity as measured in response to thermal stimulation. Discussion: These results are in line with previous studies demonstrating altered pain inhibition in FM patients, and suggest that unlike PFC or other non-"stress-related" chronic pain conditions, being socially included may increase pain perception in FM patients. Possible underlying mechanisms and clinical relevance are discussed.

Introduction: Medicinal products of a biological origin are approved by the EMA at a centralized level. However, there is no harmonization about their use in Europe. The current regulation referring to the safety of biological medicinal products and biosimilars in Europe has been identified. The safety associated with medicinal products of a biological origin is assured by the pharmacovigilance system, which has evolved, but doesn't yet incorporate all of the specific information from this market segment, namely that related to the identification of drugs, and its use - including the prescription and dispensing, given the possibility of interchangeability and substitution. The terminology, information systems and traceability systems aren't entirely appropriate to ensure the safety requirements for therapy with medicinal products of a biological origin.Areas covered: This article aims to identify the prescription and dispensing profiles of reference biological medicines and biosimilars in the EU, and the determinants that support their safe use.Expert opinion: The European pharmacovigilance system must evolve to ensure the safety along all of the biologicals' therapeutic cycle. It must consider the safety for each of the medicines in addition to their safety pattern related to the eventual switching procedure.

Background: One of the consequences of rethinking evidence-based practice in physiotherapy is acknowledging the complexity and the different kinds of knowledge used in the decision-making of physiotherapists. This has profound consequences for the kinds of knowledge that should be researched and synthesised in order to inform practice. Methods: A critical review of review methodology was carried out and results were interpreted using narrative synthesis. Findings: This article focuses on how to generalise (synthesise) different kinds of knowledge with the available review methodology in order to adequately inform physiotherapy practice. It does so by suggesting a set of key steps and offering a brief overview of review methodology. Conclusions: More awareness and use of the diversity in review methodology in physiotherapy can improve theory building and inform practice better. Reviewers could increase the impact of their studies by focusing more on the external validity of methods and results. The article finishes with recommendations for improving the critical use of different review methodologies for physiotherapy practice.

Frailty is a common syndrome among elderly and sensory decline may exacerbate functional decline. The hand function, the manual dexterity, the performance of the daily living skills and the social interactions are determined, in a large degree, by sensory integrity. However, hand tactile sensory deterioration has been little explored in frailty. We performed a cross sectional observational study with 181 of institutionalized elders. From the initial sample we selected 50 subjects (68-99 years) who met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Our goals were (1) to analyse the relationship between tactile discrimination (TD) of the hand, avoidance behaviours and attitudes towards social touch (BATST) and phenotype frailty criteria (unintentional weight loss, self-perception of exhaustion, decrease grip strength - GS, slow walking speed, low level of physical activity), (2) to explore whether other variables can contribute to explain the differences between pre-frail and frail elders. The results showed that increasing age is related to decline of TD of the hand (p = 0.021) and to decrease in GS (p = 0.025); women have significantly lower level of GS (p = 0.001); TD decrease is correlated with higher avoidance BATST (p = 0.000) and with lower GS (p = 0.000); Lower GS corresponds to more avoidance BATST (p = 0.003). Hand TD also can differentiate frail and pre-frail elderly subjects in this sample (p = 0.037). Decreased TD of the hand may have implications on the functionality and on interpersonal relationships. TD of the hand also explains frailty levels in this sample. Hand TD should be used in assessment and intervention protocols in pre-frail and frail elders. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Social touch is essential for physical and emotional well-being. However, different meanings can be attributed to physical contact during social interactions and may generate bonding or avoidant behaviors. This personal and unique experience is not usually taken into account in health and social care services. The aim of this study is to produce a valid and reliable European Portuguese version of the Social Touch Questionnaire (STQ, Wilhelm et al. in Biol Psychol 58:181–202, 2001. doi:10.1016/S0301-0511(01)00113-2). The STQ is a self-report questionnaire for adolescents and adults measuring behaviors and attitudes towards social touch. The original version was translated into European Portuguese using a forward-back translation process and its feasibility was examined. To evaluate the psychometric properties, a total of 242 Portuguese university students participated in the study (21.3 ± 3.8 years). The STQ was considered feasible, showed adequate internal consistency (Cronbach’s a = .734), and the test–retest correlation with the STQ items demonstrated a high concordance between the tests over a two-week interval (ICC = .990; n = 50). Validity tests were performed, comparing the total score of the STQ with that of the anxiety and avoidance subscales of the Social Interaction and Performance Anxiety and Avoidance Scale (SIPAAS). A very significant conceptual convergence was confirmed between the STQ and with the SIPAAS-Anxiety (r = .64; p\.0001) and with the SIPAAS-Avoidance (r = .59; p\.0001). The exploratory factor analysis, with Promax rotation, revealed 3 factors: dislike of physical touch, liking of familiar physical touch and liking of public physical touch (Cronbach’s alphas ranged from .68 to .75). Psychometric properties confirmed the adaptation of the STQ to the Portuguese culture. It is a reliable and valid self-report questionnaire and it appears to be a useful tool to assess behaviors and attitudes towards social touch. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The temporal modulation structure of speech plays a key role in neural encoding of the speech signal. Amplitude modulations (AMs, quasi-rhythmic changes in signal energy or intensity) in speech are encoded by neuronal oscillations (rhythmic variations in neural excitability in large cell networks) that oscillate at matching temporal rates. To date, however, all neural studies have investigated adult-directed speech (ADS) as produced and perceived by highly literate adults. Whether temporal features of ADS vary with the skills of the speaker, for example literacy skills, is currently unknown. Here we analyse the temporal structure of ADS spoken by illiterate, low literate (≤ 4 years of literacy) and highly literate (≥ 12 years of literacy) adults. We find that illiterates produce speech differently. Spontaneous conversational speech produced by illiterate adults showed significantly less synchronised coupling between AM bands (less phase synchronisation) than conversational speech produced by low literate and highly literate adults, and contained significantly fewer syllables per second. There was also a significant relationship between years of literacy and the amount of theta-band energy in conversational speech. When asked to produce rhythmic proverbs learned in childhood, all groups could produce speech with similar AM phase synchronisation, suggesting that the differences in spontaneous conversational speech were not caused by physiological constraints. The data suggest that the temporal modulation structure of spoken language changes with the acquisition of cultural skills like literacy that are usually a product of schooling. There is a cultural effect on the temporal modulation structure of spoken language.

Abstract. This systematic review aims to analyze the methods used in the assessment of the efficacy of Neurocognitive Rehabilitation Programs (NRP) based on Information and Communication Technologies in patients with Acquired Brain Injury, namely platforms and online rehabilitation programs. Studies with the main purpose of evaluating the efficacy of those programs were retrieved from multiple literature databases, accordingly to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The inclusion and analysis of the studies followed preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) and Cochrane Collaboration Guidelines. Thirty-one studies were included in this review. Results showed that most studies used a pre-post methodological design, with few studies performing assessment moments during intervention or follow-up. Attention, memory, and executive functions were the cognitive variables considered by a larger number of studies at the assessment of NRP efficacy. Despite that, there is a growing evidence on the inclusion of variables related to everyday functioning in this process, increasing its ecological validity. Concerning the instruments used, the studies presented a large heterogeneity of the instruments and methods used, even for the same assessment purpose, highlighting a lack of consensus regarding assessment protocol. Psychophysiological and neuroimaging techniques are seldom used on this field. This review identifies the main characteristics of the methodology used at the assessment of NRP and potential limitations, providing useful information to guide the practice of the health care professionals in rehabilitation of Acquired Brain Injury. It also suggests new directions for future studies.

This research investigates the relationship betweenthe quality of infant sleep, the use of electronic devices and of videogames before bedtime and bullying behaviors in school context. Research Questions: Is the quality of infant sleep and the use of electronic devices at bedtime related to bullying? The use of electronic devices before bedtime affects sleep duration and latency? Purpose of the Study: To analyze the relationship between the use of electronic devices before bed and the sleep infant quality. As well as, the relation between the quality of the children sleep duration, children’ sleep latency, use of electronic devices, videogames in a daily basis, and bullying behaviors in school context. Research Methods: Participants are divided into two groups; one of these groups consists of the children who responded to the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index andthe Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ-PT), totalling 860. The other group had a sample of 51 children, the Sociodemographic Questionnaire and the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ-PT) were applied. Findings: A statistically significant relationship was found between sleep quality and use of electronic devices before bed, with the exception of television. As a relationship between sleep quality and bullying behaviors, and also between using electronic gadgets before bedtime and bullying behaviors just for listening to music. Considering the sleep latency, a negative correlation was found with daily videogames use. Conclusions: There seems to be a relationship between sleep quality and bullying behaviors in school, and between the use of electronic devices and sleep quality. Also listening to music at bedtime is positively related to bullying behaviors. On the other hand, the videogames daily use before bedtime affects in a significant manner the children’ sleep latency (and the sleep REM)..

Purpose: This article assumes that, in order to improve evidence-based practice in physiotherapy, practitioners need sophisticated epistemic beliefs. Epistemic beliefs, or how physiotherapists view knowledge and how they come to this knowledge, are an important factor. A high sophistication of epistemic beliefs is linked to better handling of the complexity and uncertainty of daily practice and the variety of evidence resources associated with this practice. Materials and methods: This study explored the epistemic beliefs of physiotherapists in 10 different countries in Europe using an online survey: the Connotative Aspects of Epistemic Beliefs (CAEB). Results and conclusions: The study resulted in 1419 surveys. The epistemic beliefs proved to be of little difference between countries, showing a low to moderate sophistication in epistemic beliefs. Given the similar results between countries, this study also suggested the possibility of collaborating internationally in developing an epistemology in physiotherapy that is more suited to the complexity of current demands on health systems. The development of sophistication in epistemic beliefs should be firmly on the agenda for the education of physiotherapists. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The effectiveness of “hands-on” physiotherapy for stroke is unclear. The objective here is to analyze the effectiveness of such interventions on movement-related International Classification of Functionality, Disability and Health (ICF) categories. A systematic review was undertaken of randomized controlled trials published since 1980, using the following criteria: stroke, humans, ≥ 18 years, outcomes related to ICF movement-related categories, physiotherapeutic handling techniques, control group as placebo or no intervention, including experiments where both groups have the same intervention and the experimental group has one extra intervention. Nine studies were included and a best evidence synthesis is presented. Recommendations with limited evidence favor slow-stroke back massage for shoulder pain, range-of-motion exercises for upper-limb and lower-limb structures and functions of muscles and joints, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) for gait step, walking backwards with hip faci...