Purpose: The present study aims to analyze both abilities to collate and explain the abstract concept from a viewpoint of intelligent function in hemiplegic stroke patients.
Methods: Following the Booba/Kiki experiment, 30 patients were asked the reason for naming of Booba and/or Kiki. The intellectual ability were also tested by Mini-Mental State Examination, Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices and Frontal Assessment Battery.
Results: Twenty-nine out of thirty patients were able to judge Booba for rounded shape and Kiki for angular one, however, 16 patients who could also explain the reason for the naming of Booba and/or Kiki showed significantly higher intellectual scores compared with 13 patients who were unable to explain the reason for naming.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that the ability to collate abstract concept is different from intelligent function, and that the accountability to collate abstract concept depends on intelligent function.

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Purpose: By mechanical energies analysis in the body's center of gravity, the gravity use during walking can be evaluated as the percentage of interchange between potential energy and kinetic energy (%Recovery: %R). The purpose of this study was to evaluate walking characteristics of young and elderly people by %R and to determine the causes of difference in %R between both people.
Methods: Subjects were 20 elderly adults who were able to walk independently (elderly group) and 20 healthy young adults (young group). Records were obtained during the stance phase in comfortable walking using a three-dimensional motion analysis system. Measurements included spatiotemporal factors (walking speed, the center of gravity displacement, double stance, step length, step width), joint motion and work performed by muscles (hip, knee, ankle), and %R calculated from the increment of the mechanical energies.
Results: The elderly group showed a lower %R than the young group. In elderly group, the knee flexion motion angle and the knee extensor work absorption in the early stance phase contributed to increasing %R. The values of these variables were lower in the elderly group.
Conclusion: Results of this study suggest that the decrease in knee flexion in the early stance phase is a main cause decreasing gravity use in elderly walking.

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Purpose: The aim of this study was to categorize various parameters of postural control and to determine the relationships of postural control to the fear of falling and level of daily activity in institutionalized elderly people.
Methods: Forty-six subjects (aged 84.3 ± 6.1 years) who live in nursing home participated in this study. Postural control measurements consisted various items: standing postural sway; center of pressure (COP) excursion; functional reach test (FRT); one leg standing time; standing time on a balance mat and wobble board; and timed up and go test (TUG). The Fall Efficacy Scale (FES) and Life Space Assessment (LSA) were used to assess the fear of falling and level of daily activity. The postural control measurements were subjected to factor analysis, and the scores for each factor were used to investigate the correlations with age, FES, and LSA.
Results: Factor analysis revealed three factors: dynamic balance performance, including COP excursion, FRT, and TUG; standing postural sway; and postural control in unstable condition, such as one leg standing time and standing time on a balance mat or wobble board. Dynamic balance performance and postural control in unstable condition were significantly correlated with age, FES, and LSA. By contrast, postural sway did not correlate with age, FES, or LSA.
Discussion: These results suggest that balance ability, as represented by dynamic balance performance and postural control in unstable condition, which decline with age, are correlated with the fear of falling and level of daily activity.

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Purpose: The main aim of this paper was to investigate whether initiating physical therapy upon entry to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) was beneficial for extremely low birth infants in terms of neonatal outcomes including motor development.
Methods: Nineteen extremely low birth infants under 1000 g, without a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, were included in this study. The neonates were first classified into one of two groups. Group 1 had physical therapy initiated on entry into the NICU. Neonates in Group 2 did not receive physical therapy while in the NICU. Statistical comparison were made with respect to eight perinatal characteristics. We then subdivided Group 2 into neonates who had initiation of physical therapy after discharge from the NICU (Group 2A) and neonates who had never been exposed to physical therapy (Group 3). Groups 2A and 3 were then compared with each other and Group 1 with regard to the corrected ages at which motor milestones were attained.
Results: There were significant differences in birth weight, the length of NICU stay, and number of days of intermittent mandatory ventilation between the infants receiving physical therapy and those not (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the corrected age at which milestones were attained irrespective of whether physical therapy was performed throughout the NICU stay or initiated after discharge.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that extremely low birth weight infants may benefit in terms of muscle tone and posture from physical therapy consisting of anti - gravity training and sensory system interventions initiated shortly after birth.

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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of body weight-supported overground training (BWSOT) in patients with Parkinson's disease.
Method: Six patients with Parkinson's disease (male/female: 2/4, age: 76.2 ± 4.0, Hoehn & Yahr stage 3-4, duration of Parkinson's disease: 6.8 ± 2.3 years) participated in this study. They received BWSOT for 4 weeks after over 4 weeks standard therapy. Outcome measurements were Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), gait velocity and step length. These measures were evaluated at the baseline, after BWSOT and 4 weeks after BWSOT.
Results: Patients didn't need modification of medications in the follow-up period. After BWSOT and 4 weeks after BWSOT, patients with Parkinson's disease showed significant improvements in UPDRS total score, UPDRS ADL (activities of daily living) and motor subscales, gait velocity and stride length compared with baseline. FAC didn't change during 8 weeks.
Conclusion: BWSOT might be effective to improve walking ability, motor performance, and ADL for patients with Parkinson's disease. These improvements might continue for at least 4 weeks.

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Purpose: Rehabilitation services provided by health care facilities are a preliminary step for those under the nursing care insurance system. We conducted a survey involving patients who completed rehabilitation in hospitals to obtain information required to promote collaboration between health and nursing care services.
Methods: We selected 17 out of 19 hospitals in Toyohashi City, staffed by physical or occupational therapists, identified the number of patients who completed a three-month rehabilitation program, and examined their locomotory capacity.
Results: A total of 408 out of 1,193 patients who had completed a rehabilitation program showed a decrease in their locomotory capacity: they were unable to visit a remote place using public transportation. According to this result, 0.44% of the population of Toyohashi City will require personal rehabilitation each year under the nursing care insurance system.
Conclusion: Based on these results, we estimate that, throughout the country, about 560,000 patients per year undergoing rehabilitation in hospital will need to continue to receive rehabilitation services under the nursing care insurance system.

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