An intelligent assistive tool using exergaming and response surface methodology for patients with brain disorders

Intelligent assistive technologies represent a concept that refers to products and services that can offset functional limitations, facilitate independent life, improve their quality of life, and enable people with disabilities to reach their own potential. This paper presents a medical recovery exergaming that includes a Microsoft Kinect Motion Sensor, designed for upper limb rehabilitation, especially for old people with brain disorders. The game is 3D and during the game, the user has to pick up the red or green apples according to a level, and different angles of inclination of the neck, hand, shoulder, and so on are measured and then a total score is generated. To know if the patient has progressed in his medical recovery, the final score should be increased. In order to find the score that a subject without a locomotor system disorder can achieve, we have optimized the game with mathematical modeling and canonical analysis by applying response surface methodology and multiple nonlinear regression. The exergaming based on VR active games represents a useful tool in physical and cognitive rehabilitation for people with motor impairments or brain disorders, considering the advantage of home-training.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Olanzapine versus divalproex versus placebo in the treatment of mild to moderate mania: a randomized, 12-week, double-blind study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of olanzapine, divalproex, and placebo in a randomized, double-blind trial in mild to moderate mania (DSM-IV-TR criteria). METHOD: The study was conducted from October 2004 to December 2006. A total of 521 patients from private practices, hospitals, and university clinics were randomly assigned to olanzapine (5-20 mg/day), divalproex (500-2500 mg/day), or placebo for 3 weeks; those completing continued with a 9-week double-blind extension. Efficacy (mean change in Young Mania Rating Scale [YMRS] total score was the primary outcome) and safety were assessed. RESULTS: After 3 weeks of treatment, olanzapine-treated (N = 215) and placebo-treated (N = 105) patients significantly differed in YMRS baseline-to-endpoint total score change (p = .034; least squares [LS] mean: -9.4 and -7.4, respectively). Such changes were not significantly different between olanzapine vs. divalproex (N = 201) or divalproex vs. placebo. After 12 weeks of treatment, olanzapine- and divalproex-treated patients significantly differed in YMRS baseline-to-endpoint changes (p = .004; LS mean: -13.3 and -10.7, respectively). Of observed cases, 35.4% (35/99; 3 weeks) to 57.1% (28/49; 12 weeks) had valproate plasma concentrations lower than the recommended valproate therapeutic range, but these patients' YMRS scores were lower than those of patients with valproate concentrations above/within range. Compared with divalproex, after 12 weeks, olanzapine-treated patients had significant increases in weight (p < .001) and in glucose (p < .001), triglyceride (p = .003), cholesterol (p = .024), uric acid (p = .027), and prolactin (p < .001) levels. Divalproex-treated patients had significant decreases in leukocytes (p = .044) and platelets (p < .001) compared with olanzapine after 12 weeks of treatment. The incidence of potentially clinically significant weight gain (>/= 7% from baseline) was higher with olanzapine than with divalproex (3-week: p = .064, 6.4% vs. 2.7%; 12-week: p = .002, 18.8% vs. 8.5%; respectively). CONCLUSION: Olanzapine was significantly more efficacious than placebo but not divalproex at 3 weeks and significantly more efficacious than divalproex at 12 weeks. Olanzapine-treated patients had significantly greater increases in weight and in glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, uric acid, and prolactin levels than divalproex-treated patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00094549

Possible association of different G72/G30 SNPs with mood episodes and persecutory delusions in bipolar I Romanian patients

The G72/G30 gene is one of the common loci shared both by schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Studies accumulating since the discovery of this gene complex produced controversial results in both disorders in different populations.We investigated the association between the G72/G30 gene and bipolar I disorder (BPI) in the Romanian population paying special attention to the association of G72/G30 with lifetime psychosis and in particular with persecutory delusions in BPI patients.Fourteen G72/G30-SNPs were genotyped in a Romanian sample of 198 BPI patients and 180 controls screened for psychiatric disorders. Statistical analysis was performed with FAMHAP and HAPLOVIEW-v3.32. The significance level of the results was corrected through permutations in 100,000 simulations.None of the fourteen SNPs was associated with the global diagnosis of BPI in our total patient sample or with the psychotic BPI subtype. When confining the psychotic phenotype to persecutory delusions, we observed trends to association for SNPs previously associated with schizophrenia and persecutory delusions in BPI [M21 (P=0.080); M22 (P=0.092; P=0.042 under dominant transmission model); M24 (P=0.092)]. Four SNPs reached nominal significance in the non-psychotic BPI subgroup [rs3916965 (M12) (P=0.044), rs1935057 (P=0.037), rs3916967 (M14) (P=0.043), and rs2391191 (M15, non-synonymous) (P=0.043)]. After correction through permutations, the haploblock GA including M14 and M15 showed a trend to association with BPI (P=0.0524; OR=1.82) in the non-psychotic BPI subgroup.We report a potential association of different G72/G30-SNPs with non-psychotic mood episodes and with persecutory delusions in BPI Romanian patients. The results represent a first partial replication of two studies: Williams et al. (2006) and Schulze et al. (2005). The results have just a suggestive value since the Bonferroni correction for multiple testing was not applied

Familial sinistrality and handedness in patients with first episode schizophrenia: The EUFEST study

International audienc

Cognitive effects of antipsychotic drugs in first-episode schizophrenia and schizophreniform disorder: a randomized, open-label clinical trial (EUFEST).

Objective: Cognitive impairment, manifested as mild to moderate deviations from psychometric norms, is present in many but not all schizophrenia patients. The purpose of the present study was to compare the effect of haloperidol with that of second-generation antipsychotic drugs on the cognitive performance of patients with schizophreniform disorder or first-episode schizophrenia. Methods: Subjects were 498 patients with schizophreniform disorder or firstepisode schizophrenia who were randomly assigned to open-label haloperidol (1 to 4 mg/day [N=103]), amisulpride (200 to 800 mg/day [N=104]), olanzapine (5 to 20 mg/day [N=105]), quetiapine (200 to 750 mg/day [N=104]), or ziprasidone (40 to 160 mg/day [N=82]). The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Trail Making Test Part A and Part B, WAIS Digit Symbol Test, and Purdue Pegboard Test were administered at baseline and the 6-month followup evaluation. Results: Compared with scores at baseline, composite cognitive test scores improved for all five treatment groups at the 6-month follow-up evaluation. However, there were no overall differences among the treatment groups. In addition, there was a weak correlation between the degree of cognitive improvement and changes in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale scores. Conclusion: Treatment with antipsychotic medication is associated with moderate improvement in the cognitive test performance of patients who have schizophreniform disorder or who are in their firstepisode of schizophrenia. The magnitude of improvement does not differ between treatment with haloperidol and treatment with second-generation antipsychotics. Moreover, cognitive improvement is weakly related to symptom change

Persistent negative symptoms in first episode patients with schizophrenia: Results from the European First Episode Schizophrenia Trial

Negative symptoms that do not improve following antipsychotic treatment represent a challenge for development of effective treatments. Few studies have been carried out so far, especially in first-episode schizophrenia patients, to clarify prevalence, correlates and impact of persistent negative symptoms (PNS) on short- and long-term outcome of the disease.All patients from EUFEST study for whom both baseline and 12-month assessments were available were included (N=345). PNS were defined as the presence of at least one negative symptom of moderate or higher severity, not confounded by depression or parkinsonism, at baseline and after 1 year of treatment. Patients with PNS were compared to those with at least one negative symptom of moderate or higher severity at the baseline, not persisting after 1 year, on demographic, clinical, neurocognitive, global functioning and quality of life measures.PNS not confounded by depression or parkinsonism were present in 6.7% of the sample. The symptom that more often persisted was blunted affect. Patients with PNS differed from those without PNS for a longer duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) and a more frequent discontinuation of study treatment; they also had a poorer psychopathological outcome and a worse global functioning after 1 year of treatment.The presence of PNS was associated to poorer improvement of all psychopathological dimensions and worse global functioning after 1 year of treatment. The longer DUP in subjects with PNS suggests that programs aimed at shortening DUP might reduce the prevalence of PNS and improve prognosis of schizophrenia. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP