scholarly journals Sustained Gaze Is a Reliable In-home Test of Attention for Aging Pet Dogs

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane A. Hoel ◽  
Ginger B. Templeton ◽  
Gilad Fefer ◽  
Beth C. Case ◽  
Anshu Shah ◽  
...  

Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CCDS) is a syndrome of progressive cognitive decline comparable to Alzheimer's Disease. The sustained gaze test captures attention loss associated with CCDS in laboratory settings, and adapting the sustained gaze test for use by owners at home could greatly increase the data generated on CCDS. We hypothesized that it would be feasible for owners to perform the sustained gaze test at home, and that results would be reliable over repeated trials. Training materials were developed and dog owners underwent training and performed the test in triplicate at weekly intervals for 3 weeks. Gaze videos and a CAnine DEmentia Scale (CADES) questionnaire were submitted each week. Videos were examined for inclusion and duration of gaze was recorded. One observer repeated video assessments twice, 1 week apart; five different observers assessed videos once. Outcome measures included the relationship between CADES and gaze duration, test-retest reliability of owner-performed sustained gaze testing, and intra- and inter-rater reliability. Twenty dogs aged 7–15.5 years completed testing. The majority of videos were acceptable (162/183). Within dog test-retest reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.96). Intra- and interobserver reliability for determining video validity for inclusion were substantial (k = 0.76 and 0.78, respectively); for duration of gaze these were excellent (ICC = 0.99 and 0.96, respectively). Gaze duration was significantly associated with CADES (p = 0.0026). We conclude that owners can perform the sustained gaze test at home and that data generated are reliable and correlate to CADES, a validated measure of dementia.

2005 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 423-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Bressmann

Objective To compare nasalance scores obtained with the Nasometer, the NasalView, and the OroNasal System; evaluate test-retest reliability of the three systems; and explore whether three common text passages used for nasalance analysis could be shortened to a sentence each. Subjects Seventy-six adults with normal speech and hearing (mean age 26.5 years). Procedures Subjects read the complete Zoo Passage, Rainbow Passage, and Nasal Sentences. Main Outcome Measures Mean nasalance magnitudes and mean nasalance distances were obtained with the three devices. Results The Nasometer had the lowest nasalance scores for the nonnasal Zoo Passage. The NasalView had the highest nasalance scores for the phonetically balanced Rainbow Passage. The OroNasal System had the lowest nasalance scores for the Nasal Sentences. The nasalance distance was largest for the Nasometer and smallest for the OroNasal System. Over 90% of the recordings were within 4% to 6% nasalance for most materials recorded with the Nasometer and the NasalView and within 7% to 9% for materials recorded with the OroNasal System. There were significant differences between the complete Zoo Passage and the Nasal Sentences and the individual sentences from these passages for the Nasometer and the OroNasal System. Conclusions The three systems measure nasalance in different ways and provide nasalance scores that are not interchangeable. Test-retest variability for the Nasometer and the NasalView may be higher than previously reported. Individual sentences from the Zoo Passage and the Nasal Sentences do not provide nasalance scores that are equivalent to the complete passages.


Author(s):  
Leonard Abbeduto ◽  
Elizabeth Berry-Kravis ◽  
Audra Sterling ◽  
Stephanie Sherman ◽  
Jamie O. Edgin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The evaluation of treatment efficacy for individuals with fragile X syndrome (FXS) or intellectual disability (ID) more generally has been hampered by the lack of adequate outcome measures. We evaluated expressive language sampling (ELS) as a procedure for generating outcome measures for treatment research in FXS. We addressed: (a) feasibility, (b) practice effects over two administrations, (c) test-retest reliability over the repeated administrations, and (d) construct validity. We addressed these issues for the full sample as well as for subgroups defined by age, IQ, and ASD status. Methods Participants were 106 individuals with FXS between ages 6 and 23 years who had IQs within the range of intellectual disability (IQ < 70). ELS procedures for collecting samples in conversation and narration were followed and analyzed separately. Five measures were derived from transcripts segmented into C-units (i.e., an independent clause and its modifiers): number of C-units per minute (talkativeness), number of different word roots (vocabulary), C-unit length in morphemes (syntax), percentage of C-units containing dysfluency (utterance planning), and percentage of C-units that were fully or partly unintelligible (articulatory quality). ELS procedures were administered twice at 4-week intervals for each participant. Standardized tests and informant reports were administered and provided measures for evaluating construct validity of ELS measures. Results We found low rates of noncompliance, suggesting the task can be completed meaningfully by most individuals with FXS, although noncompliance was higher for younger, lower IQ, and more autistic participants. Minimal practice effects and strong test-retest reliability over the 4-week interval were observed for the full sample and across the range of ages, IQs, and autism symptom severity. Evidence of convergent construct validity was observed for the measures of vocabulary, syntax, and unintelligibility for the full sample and across the range of IQ and autism symptom severity, but not for participants under age 12. Conversation and narration yielded largely similar results in all analyses. Conclusions The findings suggest that the ELS procedures are feasible and yield measures with adequate psychometric properties for a majority of 6 to 23 years with FXS who have ID. The procedures work equally well regardless of level of ID or degree of ASD severity. The procedures, however, are more challenging and have somewhat less adequate psychometric properties for individuals with FXS under age 12.


Neurospine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 798-805
Author(s):  
Pravesh S. Gadjradj ◽  
Timothy C. Chin-See-Chong ◽  
Daphne Donk ◽  
Paul Depauw ◽  
Maurits W. van Tulder ◽  
...  

Objective: To perform the psychometric validation of the Dutch version of the Core Outcome Measures Index (COMI) for the neck.Methods: A total of 178 patients, who had an indication for surgery due to degenerative cervical spinal disease, were enrolled in the study. They filled in a baseline booklet containing the Dutch version of the COMI-neck, Likert-scales for neck and arm/shoulder pain, the Neck Disability Index (NDI), the EuroQol-5 dimensions (EQ-5D) and the 12-item Short Form health survey (SF-12). Aside from analyzing construct validity using the Spearman correlation test, test-retest reliability, and responsiveness at 3 months were assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve, respectively.Results: The COMI-neck showed good acceptability with missing data ranging from 0% to 4.5% and some floor/ceiling effects for 3 of the domains at baseline. The COMI-summary score showed good to very good correlation with the EQ5D (ρ = -0.43), the physical component summary of the SF-12 (ρ = -0.47) and the NDI (ρ = 0.73). Individual domains showed correlations of -0.28 to 0.85 with the reference questionnaires. Test-retest reliability analysis showed an ICC of 0.91 with a minimal detectable change of 1.7. Responsiveness analysis of the COMI-neck showed an area under 0.79 under the ROC-curve. The standardized response mean for a good outcome was 1.24 and for a poor outcome 0.37.Conclusion: The current study shows that the Dutch version of the COMI-neck is a valid, reliable and responsive Patient-Reported Outcome Measure, among patients undergoing surgery for degenerative cervical spinal disorders.


Author(s):  
Seyed-Mahdi Khaligh-Razavi ◽  
Maryam Sadeghi ◽  
Mahdiyeh Khanbagi ◽  
Chris Kalafatis ◽  
Seyed Massood Nabavi

Abstract Background Cognitive impairment is common in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Accurate and repeatable measures of cognition have the potential to be used as markers of disease activity. Methods We developed a 5-minute computerized test to measure cognitive dysfunction in patients with MS. The proposed test – named the Integrated Cognitive Assessment (ICA) – is self-administered and language-independent. 91 MS patients and 83 healthy controls (HC) took part in Substudy 1, in which each participant took the ICA test and the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS). We assessed ICA’s test-retest reliability, its correlation with BICAMS, its sensitivity to discriminate patients with MS from the HC group, and its accuracy in detecting cognitive dysfunction. In Substudy 2, we recruited 48 MS patients, 38 of which had received an 8-week physical and cognitive rehabilitation programme and 10 MS patients who did not. We examined the association between the level of serum neurofilament light (NfL) in these patients and their ICA scores and Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) scores pre- and post-rehabilitation. Results The ICA demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability (r=0.94), with no learning bias, and showed a high level of convergent validity with BICAMS. The ICA was sensitive in discriminating the MS patients from the HC group, and demonstrated high accuracy (AUC = 95%) in discriminating cognitively normal from cognitively impaired participants. Additionally, we found a strong association (r=-0.79) between ICA score and the level of NfL in MS patients before and after rehabilitation. Conclusions The ICA has the potential to be used as a digital marker of cognitive impairment and to monitor response to therapeutic interventions. In comparison to standard cognitive tools for MS, the ICA is shorter in duration, does not show a learning bias, and is independent of language.


2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 1401-1405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne M.M. Verstappen ◽  
Diane Lacaille ◽  
Annelies Boonen ◽  
Reuben Escorpizo ◽  
Catherine Hofstetter ◽  
...  

Objective.The Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Worker Productivity Group continues efforts to assess psychometric properties of measures of presenteeism.Methods.Psychometric properties of single-item and dual answer multiitem scales were assessed, as well as methods to evaluate thresholds of meaning.Results.Test-retest reliability and construct validity of single item global measures was moderate to good. The value of measuring both degree of difficulty and amount of time with difficulty in multiitems questionnaires was confirmed. Thresholds of meaning vary depending on methods and external anchors applied.Conclusion.We have advanced our understanding of the performance of presenteeism measures and have developed approaches to describing thresholds of meaning.


2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 428-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth Norris ◽  
Elaine Trudelle-Jackson

Context:The Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) is often used to train and assess dynamic balance and neuromuscular control. Few studies have examined hip- and thigh-muscle activation during the SEBT.Objective:To quantify hip- and thigh-muscle activity during the SEBT.Design:Repeated measures.Setting:Laboratory.Participants:22 healthy individuals, 11 men and 11 women.Methods:EMG measurements were taken as participants completed 3 trials of the anterior (A), medial (M), and posteromedial (PM) reach directions of the SEBT.Main Outcome Measures:Mean EMG data (% maximal voluntary isometric contraction) from the gluteus medius (Gmed), gluteus maximus (Gmax), and vastus medialis (VM) were measured during the eccentric phase of each SEBT reach direction. Test–retest reliability of EMG data across the 3 trials in each direction was calculated. EMG data from each muscle were compared across the 3 reach directions.Results:Test–retest reliability ranged from ICC3,1 values of .91 to .99. A 2-way repeated-measure ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between muscle activation and reach direction. One-way ANOVAs showed no difference in GMed activity between the A and M directions. GMed activity in the A and M directions was greater than in the PM direction. There was no difference in GMax and VM activity across the 3 directions.Conclusion:GMed was recruited most effectively when reaching was performed in the A and M directions. The A, M, and PM directions elicited similar patterns of muscle recruitment for the GMax and VM. During all 3 SEBT directions, VM activation exceeded the 40–60% threshold suggested for strengthening effects. GMed activity also exceeded the threshold in the M direction. GMax activation, however, was below the 40% threshold for all 3 reach directions, suggesting that performing dynamic lower extremity reaching in the A, M, and PM directions may not elicit strengthening effects for the GMax.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kangzhi Chen ◽  
Yefan Lv ◽  
Xiaoyan Long ◽  
Weiping Liu ◽  
Jinxia Zhou

: The prevalence of sleep disorders and cognitive dysfunction has overwhelmingly increased, with insomnia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) being the most common form. A multitude of studies have linked the alterations in sleep continuity or sleep architecture with cognitive impairment bilaterally, but the management of disrupted sleep patterns in preclinical AD could be more beneficial since there is no cure for AD. This review mainly focuses on the altered sleep patterns in insomnia, and summarizes potential pathways underlying the relationship between insomnia and cognitive impairment, aiming to establish certain sleep pattern changes as biomarkers for cognitive decline and explore potential therapeutic targets based on evidence from research advances.


2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. E1-E16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Bogner ◽  
Gale G. Whiteneck ◽  
Jessica MacDonald ◽  
Shannon B. Juengst ◽  
Allen W. Brown ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lena Friedrich ◽  
Joachim Krieter ◽  
Nicole Kemper ◽  
Irena Czycholl

Abstract The present study’s aim was to test a German guideline for farm’s self-monitoring in sows and piglets for its feasibility as well as its interobserver and test–retest reliability. The study was performed between September 2016 and April 2018 on 13 farrowing farms in Northern Germany. Contrary to the guideline, the testing was not carried out by the farmers themselves but by 2 observers with experience in pigs representing common farmers. For the interobserver reliability study, the observers performed 20 joint farm visits independently assessing the same animals. For the test–retest reliability study, each farm was visited 5 times by 1 observer (day 0, day 3, week 7, month 5, month 10). Farm visit 1 (day 0) was used as reference and compared with the remaining farm visits. The reliability was evaluated using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (RS), intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and limits of agreement (LoA). As results, the guideline’s feasibility was limited. The indicators’ reliability also presented divergent results: All indicators in piglets revealed acceptable to good interobserver reliability (RS 0.64 to 0.77 ICC 0.33 to 0.48 LoA between the intervals −0.02 to 0.13 and −0.02 to 0.00). Contrarily, interobserver reliability was low for indicators in sows (e.g., claw alterations: RS −0.41 ICC 0.00 LoA −0.97 to 0.68). Overall acceptable test–retest reliability could be assigned to all indicators although no exact agreement existed but only the pursuit of trends is indicated. On the basis of the present results, the guideline in its present form cannot be recommended for farms’ self-monitoring. Given the restricted applicability, it should be reconsidered whether it might not be more appropriate to use scientifically tested and generally accepted animal welfare assessment systems such as the Welfare Quality animal welfare assessment protocols, although their application is also time-consuming.


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