Motor abilities

Some antianxiety drug, such as buspirone (BuSpar), seem to have less abuse potential and less effect on motor ability and cognition than that of Hie other anfianxiety drug. 

The observations of fine motor problems in infants born to heroin addicts has also been described by Wilson et al., in 1973. She notes the discrepancy between the gross motor skills of the infants and fine motor abilities during the first year. Furthermore, in 1979, Wilson et al, described the development of preschool children between 3 and 6 years of age, born to heroin-addicted mothers. They performed poorer on measures of visual, tactile, and auditory perception, were more active, and had... 

Review any available diagnostic data to determine status, motor ability, dyskinesias, and non-motor symptoms. 

Dementia is the loss of function in multiple cognitive domains that occurs over a longer period of time, usually months to years. Diagnostic features include memory impairment and at least one of the following aphasia (deterioration of speech), apraxia (impaired ability to execute motor activities despite intact motor abilities, sensory function, and comprehension of the required task), agnosia (failure to recognize or identify objects despite intact sensory function), or disturbances in executive functioning.1... 

Mouse Bioassay. When administered at 5 mg per mouse in 0.5 ml dose during the initial screening, the WSAP from G. toxicus caused death in all test mice within 120 minutes. The toxin had a latency period of approximately 30 minutes after which signs of toxicity were noticeable, and included in order of occurrance inactivity and piloerection followed by cyanosis of the tail and feet with concurrent hypothermia, vasodilation in the ears ( scarlet ears ), lacrimation, ptosis of the eye lid on the side of injection, ptosis of the abdomen (loss of muscular tone), asthenia, impairment of hind limb motor ability followed shortly by complete paralysis with the hind limbs extended posteriorly (complete prostration), and dyspnea (respiratory distress). Death occurred without convulsions and the eyes became cataracted just prior to or after death. 

However, aging is not related to a general decline in intellectual abilities. Losses occur mainly in areas of performance that are directly dependent on intact sensory and motor abilities. Older persons also tend to encounter difficulties when called upon to perform cognitive and other tasks under pressure of time. The subjective significance of a task and a person s familiarity with the conditions under which performance is evaluated are further factors that assume greater importance in older people than in the young. 

Motor ability tests focus on measures associated with motor control. The most common examples of motor tasks are finger tapping tests, tracking tests, and hand steadiness tests. 

Table 6.6 presents the individual tests of the NES2 battery. Motor ability, focused attention, selective attention, acquisition, and memory categories of tasks are included in this battery, in addition to a variety of other tasks. The battery is made up of separate tasks performance on combinations of these tasks is potentially altered by exposure to neurotoxic agents such as pesticides, solvents, or carbon monoxide. Many of the tasks are suitable for repeated testing of any individual. Five of the tests are similar to the core tests of the WHO battery.50... 

The Performance Evaluation Tests for Environmental Research Program (PETER), jointly sponsored by the U.S. Navy and NASA, attempted to identify measures of human cognitive, perceptual, and motor abilities that would be sensitive to environmental perturbations that are associated with decrements in safety and productivity. An extensive collection of literature yielded more them 140... 

These functional improvements, however, may not occur in all types of spasticity. Patients with severe spasticity of spinal origin, for example, may not experience improvements in mobility or decreased disability.103 If these patients do not have adequate voluntary motor function there is simply not enough residual motor ability to perform functional tasks after spasticity is reduced. Nonetheless, these patients may still benefit from intrathecal baclofen because of decreased rigidity and pain, which can result in improved self-care and the ability to perform daily living activities.37,74,76... 

Crawley, J. N. (1999) Behavioral phenotyping of transgenic and knockout mice experimental design and evaluation of general health, sensory functions, motor abilities, and specific behavioral tests. Brain Res 835, 18-26. 

Some strains have difficulties balancing on an aluminum rod, and a more textured surface (e.g., wood) may help stabilize the animal. Increasing the diameter of the rod is another possible solution. If mice continue to struggle with balance or motor abilities, assess motor and vestibular functions separately as these behaviors may be due to a neuromuscular or motor coordination problem unrelated to vestibular deficits or anxiety. 

The long-term consequences of prenatal cocaine exposure in school-age children on intelligence, visuomotor skills, and motor abilities have been studied by comparing 101 children exposed perinatally to cocaine with 130 unexposed children at age 7 years (332). The children who were exposed prenatally to cocaine continued to... 

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