Neuromuscular strategies for lumbopelvic control during frontal and sagittal plane movement challenges differ between people with and without low back pain

Observation-based assessments of movement are a standard component in clinical assessment of patients with non-specific low back pain. While aberrant motion patterns can be detected visually, clinicians are unable to assess underlying neuromuscular strategies during these tests. The purpose of this study was to compare coordination of the trunk and hip muscles during 2 commonly used assessments for lumbopelvic control in people with low back pain (LBP) and matched control subjects. Electromyography was recorded from hip and trunk muscles of 34 participants (17 with LBP) during performance of the Active Hip Abduction (AHAbd) and Active Straight Leg Raise (ASLR) tests. Relative muscle timing was calculated using cross-correlation. Participants with LBP demonstrated a variable strategy, while control subjects used a consistent proximal to distal activation strategy during both frontal and sagittal plane movements. Findings from this study provide insight into underlying neuromuscular control during commonly used assessment tests for patients with LBP that may help to guide targeted intervention approaches. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd

Multiplanar lumbopelvic control in patients with low back pain: is multiplanar assessment better than single plane assessment in discriminating between patients and healthy controls?

Objectives: Patients with low back pain (LBP) commonly have lumbopelvic control deficits. Lumbopelvic assessment during sagittal motion is incorporated into commonly used clinical examination algorithms for Treatment Based Classification. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether combined assessment of lumbopelvic control during sagittal and frontal plane motion discriminates between people with and without LBP better than single plane assessment alone. Methods: Nineteen patients with LBP and 18 healthy control participants volunteered for this study. The active straight leg raise (ASLR) and active hip abduction (AHAbd) tests were used to assess lumbopelvic control during sagittal and frontal plane motion, respectively. The tests were scored as positive or negative using published scoring criteria. Contingency tables were created for each test alone and for the combined tests (both positive/both negative) with presence/absence of LBP as the reference standard to calculate accuracy statistics of sensitivity (sn), specificity (sp), likelihood (+LR and −LR), and diagnostic odds ratios (OR). Results: Active straight leg raise and AHAbd tests alone had sn of 0·63, 0·74, respectively, sp of 0·61, 0·50, respectively, and OR of 2·7, 2·8, respectively. The combined tests had sn = 0·89, sp = 0·60, and OR = 12·0. Forty percent of patients with LBP had control deficits in both planes of motion. Discussion: The AHAbd and ALSR tests appear to have greater diagnostic discrimination when used in combination than when used independently. A percentage of patients with LBP had control deficits in both planes, while others demonstrated uniplanar deficits only. These findings highlight the importance of multiplanar assessment in patients with LBP

Abstract 1122‐000026: Factors Associated with Gender Differences in Patients with Lewy Body Dementia

Introduction: Several studies have investigated gender differences in patients with Lewy Body Dementia (LBD), however, whether the observed differences are associated with demographic and pharmacological factors is not fully understood. The current study tested the hypothesis that specific demographic or pharmacological factors may contribute to the observed gender difference. Methods: A 5‐year data collected from a regional registry from 608 LBD patients including 332 men and 276 women were analyzed. Factors associated with men and women patients with LBD were determined using the logistic regression model. Multicollinearity was evaluated using variance inflation factors (VIFs), with values greater than five suggestive of multicollinearity Results: The results indicate that Caucasian men (94.3% vs 83.3%) were more likely to present with LBD. In the adjusted analysis, increasing age (OR = 1.042, 95% CI, 1.025‐ 1.058, P ˂ 0.001) was more likely to be associated with women with LBD, while olanzapine (OR = 2.871, 95% CI, 1.902‐4.334, P˂ 0.001), buspirone (OR = 2.388, 95% CI, 1.527‐3.735, P˂ 0.001), escitalopram (OR = 1.444, 95% CI, 1.079‐1.932, P = 0.014) and tobacco use (OR = 1.424, 95% CI, 1.075‐1.887, P = 0.014) were associated with men with LBD Conclusions: More men presented with LBD compared to women. Our findings reveal specific demographic and pharmacological factors that contribute to gender differences among LBD patients

Task motivation

Kormos and Wilby provide an overview of task motivation from both a theoretical and empirical perspective. The chapter begins by defining task motivation in second language acquisition research as being composed of both trait- and state-like characteristics. Following the general definition, six main theories of task motivation from educational psychology are summarized, namely, achievement goals, self-efficacy, expectancy value, intrinsic motivation, flow, and interest. The second half of the chapter reviews studies of task motivation in second language acquisition research and discusses the relationships between task motivation and task characteristics, task performance, social factors, and changes in task motivation over time. In concluding the chapter, Kormos and Wilby make suggestions for future research in this relatively under-researched area of motivation