Research from the present laboratory with adult stroke patients showed that structural neuroplastic changes are correlated with clinical improvements due to constraint-induced movement (CI) therapy. This pilot study evaluated whether comparable changes occur in children receiving CI therapy. Ten children (6 boys) with congenital hemiparesis (mean age: 3 years, 3 months) underwent MRI scans 3 weeks before, immediately before, and immediately after receiving 3 weeks of CI therapy. Longitudinal voxel-based morphometry was performed on MRI scans to determine gray matter change. In addition, the Pediatric Motor Activity Log-Revised was administered at these time points to assess arm use in daily life before and after treatment. Children exhibited large improvements after CI therapy in spontaneous use of the more-affected arm (P < .001, d' = 3.24). A significant increase in gray matter volume occurred in the sensorimotor cortex contralateral to the more-affected arm (P = .04); there was a trend for these changes to be correlated with motor improvement (r = 0.63, P = .063). Trends were also observed for increases in gray matter volume in the ipsilateral motor cortex (P = .055) and contralateral hippocampus (P = .1). No significant gray matter change was seen during the 3 weeks before treatment. These findings suggest that CI therapy produces gray matter increases in the developing nervous system and provide additional evidence that CI therapy is associated with structural remodeling of the human brain while producing motor improvement in patients with disabling central nervous system diseases.

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Background: Children with physical disabilities report higher rates of sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy dietary patterns than non-disabled peers. These behaviors can increase comorbidities, caregiver burden, and healthcare costs. Innovative interventions are needed to assist caregivers of children with physical disabilities improve health behaviors.Objective/Hypothesis: The purpose of this pilot study was to test the usability and preliminary efficacy of an e-health and telecoaching intervention compared to telecoaching alone. Methods: Parent/child dyads (n= 65) were randomized into either the e-health and telephone group (e-HT) or the telephone only group (TO). All participants received regular calls from a telecoach, and the e-HT group received access to a website with personalized weekly goals for diet and physical activity, and access to resources to meet these goals. At the conclusion of the intervention, participants in the e-HT group were asked to complete a semi-structured interview to discuss the usability of the e-health platform.

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LTPA Leisure-time physical activity RCT Randomized controlled trial AIM To summarize current evidence on the effects and reach of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) interventions among children and adults with cerebral palsy (CP). METHOD Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, and Google Scholar to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of LTPA interventions in CP. Data from eligible studies were extracted for qualitative synthesis. RESULTS Forty-nine studies enrolled a total of 1513 participants (mean [SD] age 13y [7y], range 5-43y; 818 males, 655 females, 40 not reported) and primarily included ambulatory children. RCTs underrepresented adults and people in Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels IV and V. Forty-one studies reported at least one favorable benefit from LTPA. Benefits included improvements to musculoskeletal strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, quality of life, spasticity, participation, and core aspects of physical function. Regarding reach, only 34% of people that were contacted to participate enrolled within a study. A smaller percentage of participants dropped out from intervention (8%) and follow-up periods (3%). INTERPRETATION Study findings highlight effective interventions to improve health, fitness, and function. To enhance the reach and generalizability of LTPA trials for CP, future studies should examine how to increase study sample sizes and aim to include a better representation of adults and people in GMFCS levels IV and V.