Effect of methylphenidate on oculomotor function in individuals with multiple sclerosis: a pilot randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Introduction: Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) frequently experience visual and oculomotor symptoms that may impact and confound neuropsychological assessments of information processing speed (IPS). In this study, we examined the effect of the psychostimulant methylphenidate on oculomotor function and the association between change in oculomotor speed and change in information processing speed. Methods: We used a repeated measures crossover design in which a sample of 11 participants with MS were randomly assigned to one of two treatment arms: one that received methylphenidate for 4 weeks and another that received a placebo for 4 weeks. After a 7-day washout period, the treatments were crossed over. The King Devick test, the Symbol Digit Modalities Test, and the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test were administered at baseline and after each of the two study arms. Results: We found a significant improvement in oculomotor speed in the methylphenidate condition as compared to placebo. This improvement was significantly correlated with improvement on a visuomotor assessment of IPS (Symbol Digit Modalities Test), but no such association was found for an auditory-verbal assessment of IPS (Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test). Discussion: These findings suggest that individuals with MS experience improved oculomotor speed while taking methylphenidate, which may, in turn, improve performance on assessments of IPS with visuomotor demands.

Neglect dyslexia: whole-word and within-word errors with parafoveal and foveal viewing.

Patients with left-sided neglect dyslexia often omit whole words positioned on the left, termed whole-word errors, or commit errors on the left-sided letters of words, termed unilateral paralexias. In addition, the errors have been shown to be exacerbated by simultaneously presented distractors, which has been interpreted as a failure of selective attention. In two experiments, we examined the dependency of these error types on parafoveal versus foveal viewing. The first experiment used a paradigm with parafoveal targets and distractors; the second a paradigm with foveal targets and parafoveal distractors. This enabled a separate evaluation of the influences of stimulus position within an egocentric frame, a two-word allocentric frame, and a within-word allocentric frame. First, regarding whole-word errors, we found the expected spatial and distractor effects with parafoveal targets and distractors. With foveal targets and parafoveal distractors, however, the spatial effect was effectively eliminated. Surprisingly, intrusions from the distractor word were common in distractor conditions. This is consistent with an egocentric account and not a two-word allocentric account. Second, we found that unilateral paralexias remained largely consistent regardless of spatial position or the presence of a distractor. Thus, there is a contrast in spatial and distractor effects between whole-word errors and unilateral paralexias. These results are consistent with three distinct deficits: an egocentric deficit across space resulting in whole-word errors, a failure of selective attention that results in whole-word intrusion errors, and a within-word allocentric deficit resulting in unilateral paralexias.

Prism Adaptation Treatment for Right-Sided and Left-Sided Spatial Neglect: A Retrospective Case-Matched Study.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of prism adaptation treatment (PAT) between patients with right- and left-sided spatial neglect (SN). Design: Retrospective case-matched design. Setting: Inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and facilities. Participants: A total of 118 participants were selected from a clinical dataset of 4256 patients from multiple facilities across the United States. Patients with right-sided SN (median age: 71.0 [63.5-78.5] years; 47.5% female; 84.8% stroke, 10.1% traumatic/nontraumatic brain injury) were matched 1:1 with patients with left-sided SN (median age: 70.0 [63.0-78.0] years; 49.2% female; 86.4% stroke, 11.8% traumatic/nontraumatic brain injury) based on age, neglect severity, overall functional ability at admission, and number of PAT sessions completed during their hospital stay. Intervention: Prism adaptation treatment. Main Outcome Measures: Primary outcomes were pre-post change on the Kessler Foundation Neglect Assessment Process (KF-NAP) and the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Secondary outcomes were whether the minimal clinically important difference was achieved for pre-post change on the FIM. Results: We found greater KF-NAP gain for patients with right-sided SN than those with left-sided SN (Z = 2.38, P=.018). We found no differences between patients with right-sided and left-sided SN for Total FIM gain (Z=-0.204, P=.838), Motor FIM gain (Z=-0.331, P=.741), or Cognitive FIM gain (Z=-0.191, P=.849). Conclusions: Our findings suggest PAT is a viable treatment for patients with right-sided SN just as it is for patients with left-sided SN. Therefore, we suggest prioritizing PAT within the inpatient rehabilitation setting as a treatment to improve SN symptoms regardless of brain lesion side.

Impacts of Prism Adaptation Treatment on Spatial Neglect and Rehabilitation Outcome: Dosage Matters.

We examined whether number of prism adaptation treatment (PAT) sessions in regular clinical practice would predict spatial neglect (SN) improvement and rehabilitation outcomes. We reviewed clinical records from 16 U.S. rehabilitation hospitals where neurological patients were assessed for SN using the Catherine Bergego Scale (CBS) and if SN was detected, and may have received PAT. Multiple linear regression was used to predict CBS Change (indicating SN improvement) in 520 patients who received PAT while considering age, sex, diagnosis, time post diagnosis, CBS at baseline, neglected side of space, and length of stay. Another set of regression models including the same variables and adding Function Independent Measure (FIM®) at admission was used to predict FIM Gains (indicating rehabilitation outcomes) in 1720 patients receiving PAT or not. We found that greater number of PAT sessions predicted greater CBS Change, especially in patients with moderate-to-severe neglect. Number of PAT sessions also positively correlated with Total FIM, Motor FIM, and Cognitive FIM Gains regardless of SN severity classification at baseline. Furthermore, number of PAT sessions predicted CBS Change and FIM Gains among patients completing ≤8 PAT sessions but not among patients with ≥8 sessions, who however, showed greater CBS Change with increased PAT frequency (i.e., fewer days between two consecutive sessions). Receiving more once-daily PAT sessions predicted greater improvement in SN and rehabilitation outcomes. Receiving PAT at a higher frequency for 8 or more sessions predicted better SN improvement. Thus, dosage matters. The study provides practice-based evidence that PAT is appropriate for inpatient rehabilitation.

Effect of Missed Items on the Reliability of the Kessler Foundation Neglect Assessment Process.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the maximum permissible number of missed items on the 10-item Catherine Bergego Scale administered after the Kessler Foundation Neglect Assessment Process (KF-NAP). Secondary objectives were to determine the frequency, characteristics, and most commonly cited reasons reported for missed items. DESIGN: Retrospective diagnostic accuracy study. SETTING: Sixteen inpatient rehabilitation facilities in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: A consecutive clinical sample of 4256 patients (N=4256) with stroke or other neurologic deficits who were assessed for spatial neglect with the KF-NAP. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Catherine Bergego Scale via KF-NAP. RESULTS: The majority (69.7%) of patients had at least 1 missed item on their KF-NAP. Among those with missed items, it was most common to have 2 missed items (51.4%), and few had more than 3 missed items (11.3%). The most commonly missed items were Collisions (37.2%), Cleaning After Meals (36.1%), Meals (34.0%), and Navigation (19.7%). The most commonly reported reasons for missed items included time constraints, cognitive or communication deficits, and behavior or refusal of the therapy session. These reasons were reported for nearly all item types. Item-specific reasons were also commonly reported, such as a lack of a needed resource for task completion or low functional status of the patient. Prorated scoring of measures with up to 3 missed items maintained an acceptable level of concordance with complete measures (Lin's Concordance Correlation Coefficient=0.96, 95% CI, 0.9478-0.9626) for the combination of 3 missed items with lowest concordance. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should make every effort to capture all items on the KF-NAP. However, missed items occur in the majority of cases because of patient factors and barriers inherent to the inpatient hospital setting. When missed items are necessary, clinicians can confidently interpret a prorated score when 7 or more items are scored.

Qualitative Experience of Sleep in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury.

Poor sleep contributes to adverse health outcomes making it important to understand sleep in medically vulnerable populations, including those with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, little attention has been paid to circumstances specific to SCI that may negatively affect sleep, or to consequences of poor sleep in this population. The objective of this study was to examine the experience of sleep among individuals with SCI. Secondary analysis using thematic coding of qualitative data from an ethnographic study of community-dwelling adults with SCI was conducted. Sleep-related data were found in transcripts for 90% of the sample. Participants described diminished sleep duration and irregular sleep patterns. Several factors contributing to poor sleep were identified, including SCI-related circumstances and sleep environment. Participants also discussed how poor sleep affected occupational engagement. This study highlights the extent of sleep disturbance experienced after SCI and the subsequent impact on occupational performance, and provides direction for clinical practice.

Effectiveness of Occupation- and Activity-Based Interventions to Improve Everyday Activities and Social Participation for People With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review.

This systematic review presents research on the effectiveness of occupation- and activity-based interventions to improve everyday activities and areas of occupation and social participation for people with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Nineteen studies identified through a comprehensive database search were reviewed and synthesized into five themes: (1) multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary treatment approaches, (2) community-based rehabilitation programs, (3) treatment approaches using client-centered goals and relevant contexts, (4) social skills training and peer mentoring interventions, and (5) community mobility interventions. Evidence supports the use of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches across a variety of settings, with no single treatment approach or setting clearly superior to another. The specific contributions of occupational therapy practitioners and the nature of occupational therapy interventions have not been well studied, making it difficult to determine the extent to which occupation- and activity-based interventions provided by occupational therapy practitioners improve occupational performance and social participation after TBI.