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BACKGROUND: Individuals with heart failure (HF) frequently experience limitations in mobility, but specific aspects of these limitations are not well understood. This study investigated the association of HF severity, based on the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classes, with digital mobility outcomes (DMOs) and handgrip strength in older inpatients with HF. METHODS: For this explorative analysis, hospital admission and discharge data from an ongoing, prospective cohort study were used. The sample included older participants with HF and a sub-sample of heart-healthy individuals. Participants were equipped with a wearable inertial measurement unit (IMU) system during mobility performance (balancing, sit-to-stand transfer, walking). We analyzed the association between 17 DMOs and HF severity with multiple linear regression models. RESULTS: The total sample included 61 older participants (65–97 years of age, 55.7% female). Of all DMOs, only sway path in a semi-tandem stance position (m/s²) showed a relevant association with NYHA classes (admission: β = −0.28, P = 0.09; discharge: β = −0.39, P = 0.02). Handgrip strength showed a trend towards a significant association (admission: β = −0.15, P = 0.10; discharge: β = −0.15, P = 0.19). CONCLUSIONS: This is to our best knowledge the first analysis on the association of HF severity and IMU-based DMOs. Sway path and handgrip strength may be the most promising parameters for monitoring mobility aspects in treatment of HF.

Additional file 1: Table S1. Post-hoc comparisons for both Fmax and contact time across the different speeds, BW support, and gradients.

Additional file 3: Figure S2. Individual data for maximum plantar force [times BW] and contact times at different AlterG® assisted bodyweight support.

Additional file 4: Figure S3. Individual data for maximum plantar force [times BW] and contact times at different running speeds.

Additional file 2: Figure S1. Multiple linear regression including gradient for Maximum plantar force [times BW] at different running speed [km/hr], gradients [%], and levels of AlterG® assisted bodyweight support [%]. (adj. R2: 0.613, p

Additional file 5: Figure S4. Multiple linear regression including gradient for average contact times. (adj. R2: 0.52, p

Background: Motor and cognitive deficits and consequently mobility problems are common in geriatric patients. The currently available methods for diagnosis and for the evaluation of treatment in this vulnerable cohort are limited. The aims of the ComOn (COgnitive and Motor interactions in the Older populatioN) study are (i) to define quantitative markers with clinical relevance for motor and cognitive deficits, (ii) to investigate the interaction between both motor and cognitive deficits and (iii) to assess health status as well as treatment outcome of 1000 geriatric inpatients in hospitals of Kiel (Germany), Brescia (Italy), Porto (Portugal), Curitiba (Brazil) and Bochum (Germany). Methods: This is a prospective, explorative observational multi-center study. In addition to the comprehensive geriatric assessment, quantitative measures of reduced mobility and motor and cognitive deficits are performed before and after a a two week's inpatient stay. Components of the assessment are mobile technology-based assessments of gait, balance and transfer performance, neuropsychological tests, frailty, sarcopenia, autonomic dysfunction and sensation, and questionnaires to assess behavioral deficits, activities of daily living, quality of life, fear of falling and dysphagia. Structural MRI and an unsupervised 24/7 home assessment of mobility are performed in a subgroup of participants. The study will also investigate the minimal clinically relevant change of the investigated parameters. Diskussion: This study will help form a better understanding of symptoms and their complex interactions and treatment effects in a large geriatric cohort.

For motor imagery (MI) to be effective, an internal representation of the to-be-imagined movement may be required. A representation can be achieved through prior motor execution (ME), but the neural correlates of MI that are primed by ME practice are currently unknown. In this study, young healthy adults performed MI practice of a unimanual visuo-motor task (Group MI, n = 19) or ME practice combined with subsequent MI practice (Group ME&MI, n = 18) while electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. Data analysis focused on the MI-induced event-related desynchronization (ERD). Specifically, changes in the ERD and movement times (MT) between a short familiarization block of ME (Block pre-ME), conducted before the MI or the ME combined with MI practice phase, and a short block of ME conducted after the practice phase (Block post-ME) were analyzed. Neither priming effects of ME practice on MI-induced ERD were found nor performance-enhancing effects of MI practice in general. We found enhancements of the ERD and MT in Block post-ME compared to Block pre-ME, but only for Group ME&MI. A comparison of ME performance measures before and after the MI phase indicated however that these changes could not be attributed to the combination of ME and MI practice. The mixed results of this study may be a consequence of the considerable intra- and inter-individual differences in the ERD, introduced by specifics of the experimental setup, in particular the individual and variable task duration, and suggest that task and experimental setup can affect the interplay of ME and MI.

The Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) is a community-driven standard for the organization of data and metadata from a growing range of neuroscience modalities. This paper is meant as a history of how the standard has developed and grown over time. We outline the principles behind the project, the mechanisms by which it has been extended, and some of the challenges being addressed as it evolves. We also discuss the lessons learned through the project, with the aim of enabling researchers in other domains to learn from the success of BIDS., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interests GR is an employee of Invicro. No other authors have competing interests to declare.