Beyond the Pulmonary Functions: Altered Cognitive-Motor Performance and Motor Imagery in Children With...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pulmonology
• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Bronchiectasis (BE) is a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease marked by airway damage.
• Pulmonary issues in BE are known, but cognitive-motor and motor imagery deficits are understudied in children.
• This study investigates cognitive functions, reaction time, and motor imagery in pediatric BE patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate cognitive functions in children with BE.
• To assess reaction time and motor imagery abilities in children with BE.
• To compare these functions between children with BE and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study of 20 children with BE (7-18 years) and 20 age-matched healthy controls.
• Pulmonary function tests (spirometry), cognitive tests (Stroop, TMT), reaction time tests (Nelson Hand and Foot), and motor imagery assessments (MIQ-3, VVIQ, mental chronometry).

Main Results:

• Children with BE had significantly reduced pulmonary function (FEV1, FEV1/FVC).
• The BE group demonstrated impaired cognitive performance (Stroop, TMT Part B) and slower reaction times (foot responses).
• Children with BE exhibited poorer motor imagery abilities across multiple measures (MIQ-3, VVIQ, mental chronometry).

Conclusions:

• Children with BE exhibit significant impairments in cognitive functions, reaction time, and motor imagery.
• These findings highlight the need for comprehensive cognitive assessments in pediatric BE management.
• Targeted physiotherapy interventions may be beneficial for addressing these neurocognitive deficits in children with BE.