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Abstract Introduction: Gait is the motor task most impacted by amputation, requiring several physical and cognitive adaptations. The interaction between cognition and movement can be validly assessed through dual-tasks analysis. Objective: To analyze the kinematics of single and dual-motor tasks of participants with transfemoral amputation and compare it with healthy participants. Methods: This is a comparative cross-sectional study in which 14 participants in the transfemoral amputee group and 14 non-amputee participants attended the Gait Laboratory of the Clinical Center of the Universidade de Caxias do Sul to perform cognitive and motor activities tests. Speed, cadence, stride width, stride length, step length and step time were analyzed. Results: Participants in the transfemoral amputee group presented impaired gait kinematic parameters when compared to non-amputates during single and dual-tasks. Both groups showed a similar percentage decrease in performance on the dual-task compared to the single task. Conclusion: There is a distinction observed in the gait patterns and parameters of both groups, as evidenced in both the simple gait assessment and the dual-task evaluation. The primary finding of our study suggests that changes in gait kinematics appear to be exacerbated by dual-tasking rather than solely by amputation.

Resumo Introdução: A marcha é a tarefa motora mais impactada pela amputação, exigindo várias adaptações físicas e cognitivas. A interação entre cognição e movimento pode ser validamente avaliada por meio da análise de duplas tarefas. Objetivo: Analisar a cinemática de tarefas motoras simples e duplas de participantes com amputação transfemoral e compará-las com participantes saudáveis. Métodos: Estudo transversal comparativo no qual 14 participantes do grupo de amputados trans-femorais e 14 participantes não amputados compareceram ao Laboratório de Marcha do Centro Clínico da Universidade de Caxias do Sul para realizar testes de atividades cognitivas e motoras. Foram analisados a velocidade, cadência, largura do passo, comprimento do passo, comprimento da passada e tempo de passo. Resultados: Os participantes do grupo de amputados transfemorais apresentaram parâmetros cine-máticos da marcha prejudicados em comparação com os não amputados durante as tarefas simples e duplas. Ambos os grupos mostraram uma diminuição percentual semelhante no desempenho na tarefa dupla em comparação com a tarefa simples. Conclusão: Uma distinção pode ser vista nos padrões e parâmetros da marcha de ambos os grupos, e não apenas na avaliação simples da marcha, mas especialmente na avaliação da dupla tarefa. A principal descoberta do nosso estudo sugere que as mudanças nos parâmetros da cinemática da marcha pa-recem ser exacerbadas não só pela amputação, mas também pela realização de duplas tarefas.

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Learning complex motor skills is an essential process in our daily lives. Moreover, it is an important aspect for the development of therapeutic strategies that refer to rehabilitation processes since motor skills previously acquired can be transferred to similar tasks (motor skill transfer) or recovered without further practice after longer delays (motor skill retention). Different acrobatic exercise training (AE) protocols induce plastic changes in areas involved in motor control and improvement in motor performance. However, the plastic mechanisms involved in the retention of a complex motor skill, essential for motor learning, are not well described. Thus, our objective was to analyze the brain plasticity mechanisms involved in motor skill retention in AE . Motor behavior tests, and the expression of synaptophysin (SYP), synapsin-I (SYS), and early growth response protein 1 (Egr-1) in brain areas involved in motor learning were evaluated. Young male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sedentary (SED), AE, and AE with retention period (AER). AE was performed three times a week for 8 weeks, with 5 rounds in the circuit. After a fifteen-day retention interval, the AER animals was again exposed to the acrobatic circuit. Our results revealed motor performance improvement in the AE and AER groups. In the elevated beam test, the AER group presented a lower time and greater distance, suggesting retention period is important for optimizing motor learning consolidation. Moreover, AE promoted significant plastic changes in the expression of proteins in important areas involved in control and motor learning, some of which were maintained in the AER group. In summary, these data contribute to the understanding of neural mechanisms involved in motor learning in an animal model, and can be useful to the construction of therapeutics strategies that optimize motor learning in a rehabilitative context.

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The use of the dual-task model as a cognitive-motor interface has been extensively investigated in cross-sectional studies as a training task in cognitive impairment. However, few existing longitudinal studies prove the usefulness of this tool as a clinical marker of cognitive impairment in older people. What is the evidence in prospective studies about dual-task gait as a predictor of cognitive impairment in older adults? This study aims to review and discuss the current state of knowledge in prospective studies on the use of dual-task gait as a predictive tool for cognitive impairment in older adults. The methodology used was a systematic review, according to the PRISMA criteria for the search, summarize and report. A search in 3 databases (Pubmed, Web of Science, and Scopus) was carried out until April 2021. The search terms used were: "(gait OR walking) AND (cognitive decline) AND (dual-task) AND (follow-up OR longitudinal OR long-term OR prospective OR cohort OR predict)." We included prospective research articles with older people with cognitive evaluation at the beginning and the end of the follow-up and dual-task gait paradigm as initial evaluation associated with the presentation of cognitive impairment prediction using any dual-task gait parameters. After exclusion criteria, 12 studies were reviewed. The results indicate that eight studies consider dual-task gait parameters a useful cognitive-motor tool, finding that some of the evaluated parameters of dual-task gait significantly correlate with cognitive impairment over time. The most promising DT parameters associated with cognitive impairment prediction seem to be gait speed, speed cost, DT time, numbers of words during DT, among others. In sum, this study reviews the variety of dual-task gait parameters and their relevance as a simple tool for early cognitive impairment screening, opening a diagnostic window for the screening of cognitive impairment in older people.

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Typically, falls in older adults occur when 2 tasks are performed simultaneously, due to the increased motor demand required to maintain stability and attention to perform the other task. The authors' purpose was to investigate walking while grasping, transporting, and placing a dowel on a predetermined target while manipulating difficulty levels of the manual task. Faller and nonfaller older adults performed a walking block (manual tasks combined with gait) and a stationary block (upright stance combined with manual tasks). The manual task involved grasping, transporting, and placing the dowel over a target. The results showed that fallers underperformed when compared with nonfallers in the task of placing the dowel over the target. The main difference observed between the groups was found in the condition that required allocation of attention between tasks and greater accuracy in the final placement of the object. Fallers showed gait stability similar to the nonfallers, but fallers were less accurate than nonfallers in the object placement task, especially for the highest level of difficulty. Thus, fallers seem to use a stability-first strategy. Fallers had problems in executing the manual tasks, which suggests a more global change in motor behavior rather than specific changes to balance control.

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The present study investigates the influence of bromazepam while executing a motor task. Specifically, we intend to analyze the changes in alpha absolute power under two experimental conditions, bromazepam and placebo. We also included analyses of theta and beta frequencies. We collected electroencephalographic data before, during, and after motor task execution. We used a Two Way ANOVA to investigate the condition (PL × Br6 mg) and moment (pre and post) variables for the following electrodes: Fp1, Fp2, F7, F3, Fz, F4, F8, C3, CZ and C4. We found a main effect for condition on the electrodes FP1, F7, F3, Fz, F4, C3 and CZ, for alpha and beta bands. For beta band we also found a main effect for condition on the electrodes Fp2, F8 and C4; for theta band we identified a main effect for condition on C3, Cz and C4 electrodes. This finding suggests that the motor task did not have any influence on the electrocortical activity in alpha, and that the existing modifications were a consequence due merely to the drug use. Despite its anxiolytic and sedative action, bromazepam did not show any significant changes when the individuals executed a finger extension motor task.

O presente estudo investiga a influência do bromazepam durante a execução de uma tarefa motora. Especificamente, pretende-se analisar as mudanças na potência absoluta de alfa sob duas condições experimentais, bromazepam e placebo. Nós também incluímos as analises das frequências teta e beta. Foram coletados dados eletroencefalográficos antes, durante e depois da execução da tarefa motora. Usamos uma Anova de 2 fatores para investigar a condição (PL × Br6 mg) e variáveis no momento (pré e pós) para os seguintes eletrodos: Fp1, Fp2, F7, F3, Fz, F4, F8, C3, C4 e CZ. Encontramos um efeito principal para a condição e eletrodos FP1, F7, F3, Fz, F4, C3 e CZ para alfa e beta. Para beta também foi encontrado um efeito principal para condição nos eletrodos Fp2, F8 e C4; para theta nós identificamos um efeito principal para condition em C3, Cz e C4. Este achado sugere que a tarefa motora não tem qualquer influência sobre a atividade eletrocortical alfa e que as modificações existentes foram uma consequência devido o uso de drogas. Apesar de sua ação ansiolítica e sedativa, o bromazepam não apresentou mudança significativa quando os indivíduos executaram uma tarefa motora.

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This work investigated the effects of frequency and precision of feedback on the learning of a dual-motor task. One hundred and twenty adults were randomly assigned to six groups of different knowledge of results (KR), frequency (100%, 66% or 33%) and precision (specific or general) levels. In the stabilization phase, participants performed the dual task (combination of linear positioning and manual force control) with the provision of KR. Ten non-KR adaptation trials were performed for the same task, but with the introduction of an electromagnetic opposite traction force. The analysis showed a significant main effect for frequency of KR. The participants who received KR in 66% of the stabilization trials showed superior adaptation performance than those who received 100% or 33%. This finding reinforces that there is an optimal level of information, neither too high nor too low, for motor learning to be effective.

O presente estudo investigou os efeitos da frequência e precisão de "feedback" na aprendizagem de uma tarefa motora de dupla demanda. Cento e vinte adultos foram aleatoriamente designados a seis grupos de diferentes níveis de frequência (100%, 66% ou 33%) e precisão (específico ou geral) de conhecimento de resultados (CR). Na fase de estabilização, a tarefa combinada de posicionamento linear e controle de força manual foi executada com CR. Dez tentativas de adaptação sem CR foram executadas na mesma tarefa, com a introdução de uma força eletromagnética contrária à direção do movimento. A análise indicou efeito significativo no fator "frequência de CR". Aqueles que receberam CR em 66% das tentativas de estabilização obtiveram desempenho de adaptação superior quando comparados àqueles que receberam 100% ou 33% de CR. Esse achado reforça a existência de um nível ótimo de informação, nem muito alto nem muito baixo, para que a aprendizagem seja otimizada.

El presente estudio investigó los efectos de la frecuencia y necesidad de feedback en el aprendizaje de una tarea motora de dupla demanda. 120 adultos fueron aleatoriamente designados a seis grupos de diferentes niveles de frecuencia (100%, 66% o 33%) y necesidad (específico o general) de conocimiento de resultados (CR). En la fase de estabilización, la tarea de posicionamiento lineal y control de fuerza manual fue ejecutada con CR. Diez tentativas de adaptación sin CR fueron ejecutadas durante la misma tarea, con la introducción de una fuerza electromagnética contraria a la dirección del movimiento. El análisis indicó efecto significativo en el factor "Frecuencia de CR": aquellos que recibieron CR en 66% de las tentativas de estabilización obtuvieron desempeño de adaptación superior cuando comparados a aquellos que recibieron 100% o 33% de CR. Ese resultado refuerza la existencia de un nivel óptimo de información, ni muy alto ni muy bajo, para que el aprendizaje sea optimizado.

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Destros e canhotos diferem quando comparados em algumas tarefas motoras, parecendo os canhotos usufruir de alguma vantagem em tarefas visuo-motoras. Neste estudo foi analisado, em cada grupo de preferência manual, o efeito da velocidade do estímulo, do sexo e da mão de execução no desempenho de uma tarefa simples de antecipação-coincidência. Participaram 12 destros e 12 canhotos de ambos os sexos, estudantes universitários de Desporto. Empregou-se o "Bassin Anticipation Timer" para avaliar a capacidade de antecipação-coincidência em três velocidades: 268 cm/s, 402,3 cm/s e 536,4 cm/s (6, 9 e 12 mph, respectivamente). Os sujeitos executaram a tarefa tanto com a mão preferida como com a mão não preferida. Principais resultados: 1) apenas os destros foram afetados pela variável velocidade do estímulo, apresentando antecipação das respostas e maior variabilidade na velocidade 268 cm/s, enquanto nas velocidades 402,3 cm/s e 536,4 cm/s as respostas foram enviesadas no sentido do atraso da resposta e com variabilidade menos acentuada na velocidade mais alta; 2) o sexo teve um efeito significativo apenas nos canhotos, sendo o sexo masculino mais preciso e menos enviesado nas suas respostas do que o sexo feminino; 3) a assimetria manual manifestou-se apenas nos canhotos na velocidade de 268 cm/s e no Erro Variável. Concluímos que cada grupo de preferência manual parece comportar-se de forma diferenciada em tarefas perceptivas de Antecipação-Coincidência onde a velocidade do estímulo é manipulada.

Right- and left-handers differ when compared in some motor tasks, and left-handers enjoy some advantage over right-handers in visuo-motor tasks. In this study we intend to analyze the effect of stimulus speed, in a simple coincidence-anticipation task, depending on handedness. Twelve right-handers and twelve left-handers of both sexes, students of Physical Education, participated in this study. The Bassin Anticipation Timer was used to evaluate the coincidence-anticipation ability at three different and random velocities: 268 cm/s, 402.3 cm/s e 536.4 cm/s (6, 9 e 12 mph, respectively). The subjects were evaluated performing the task with the preferred hand and non-preferred hand. The results revealed that: 1) only right-handers were affected by the variable stimulus speed, anticipating responses and being more variable at 268cm/s, while at 402.3 cm/s and 536.4 cm/s responses were late; moreover they were less variable at 536.4cm/s; 2) sex as a main factor was significant only in the left-handed group, males being more accurate and less biased in their responses than females; 3) manual asymmetry was only apparent in the left-handed group at the 268cm/s and in the variable error. The perceptual component of the task seems to be crucial in distinguishing right-handers and left-handers where the speed of the stimulus is manipulated.

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