Ana Maria Abreu
My research interests are threefold: Visual processing, motor programs and Affective and Social Neuroscience. I am currently investigating visual perception in high functioning people with autism and the neural correlates of action anticipation in expert basketball players as well as the cognitive, neurophysiological and motor proficiency consequences of action observation. I also mentor MSc students and a PhD student and I lecture on topics as diverse as Motor Expertise, Sports Neuroscience, Motor Retrogenesis, Neuropsychology, The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy, Autism and other Developmental Disorders, and Statistics.
My academic and professional background has been marked by a concern to understand cognition from a layered point of view - from behavior to psychology to the structure and function of the brain:
- Major in Applied Psychology, Developmental Disorders Branch (I.S.P.A., Lisbon);
- Diplome D’Etudes Approfondies (DEA) in Neuropsychology (Paris VI – Paris);
- PhD on Brain, Behavior and Cognition (Paris VI – Paris and KCL - London);
- Post-doc I, investigating the neural correlates of motor expertise using fMRI (La Sapienza University & Santa Lucia Foundation – Rome);
- Post-doc II, investigating the vicissitudes of visual processing in adults with Autism and the consolidation of motor memories using fMRI (I.C.S. - Portuguese Catholic University);
- Post-doc III (present), investigating the neural correlates of expertise, the neurophysiological and behavioral benefits of action observation and the implicit value of religion beliefs on motor resonance using TMS (F.M.H. – Technical University of Lisbon in collaboration with La Sapienza, University of Rome).
Supervisors: Salvatore M Aglioti
My academic and professional background has been marked by a concern to understand cognition from a layered point of view - from behavior to psychology to the structure and function of the brain:
- Major in Applied Psychology, Developmental Disorders Branch (I.S.P.A., Lisbon);
- Diplome D’Etudes Approfondies (DEA) in Neuropsychology (Paris VI – Paris);
- PhD on Brain, Behavior and Cognition (Paris VI – Paris and KCL - London);
- Post-doc I, investigating the neural correlates of motor expertise using fMRI (La Sapienza University & Santa Lucia Foundation – Rome);
- Post-doc II, investigating the vicissitudes of visual processing in adults with Autism and the consolidation of motor memories using fMRI (I.C.S. - Portuguese Catholic University);
- Post-doc III (present), investigating the neural correlates of expertise, the neurophysiological and behavioral benefits of action observation and the implicit value of religion beliefs on motor resonance using TMS (F.M.H. – Technical University of Lisbon in collaboration with La Sapienza, University of Rome).
Supervisors: Salvatore M Aglioti
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Papers by Ana Maria Abreu
its usefulness for diverse other studies, delving into the impact of
game elements on educational outcomes.
to the central nervous system due to vascular injury that can result in loss of
neurological function, lasting brain damage, long-term disability and, in some
cases, death. The literature reports that aerobic physical exercise, as well as dual- task cognitive walking, are used for the cognitive recovery of people with stroke. We aimed to assess whether aerobic physical exercise influences post-stroke cognitive recovery, namely performance on selective and sustained attention. We tested the hypothesis that post-stroke aerobic physical exercise leads to more significant gains than post-stroke dual-task cognitive walking.
Methods: We used a Randomized Clinical Trial, single-blind, parallel group, to
verify the existence of differences between two groups. A total of 34 patients with subacute to chronic stroke were divided into two groups to train three times a week for 12 weeks: the aerobic physical exercise (PE) group engaged in 20 min on a treadmill, 20 min on a stationary bicycle and 5 min on a desk bike pedal exerciser per session; the dual-task (DT) gait exercise group walked for 45 min while simultaneously performing cognitive tasks per session. All participants were assessed on cognitive functioning with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and d2 Test of Attention before acute interventions and post-interventions. We have also applied a Visual Analog Scale to monitor the participants’ perceived difficulty, pre-, post-acute, and post-chronic interventions. Participants also responded to a Borg Scale of perceived exertion following the acute and the final session of chronic training.
Results: A mixed model ANOVA revealed a significant interaction effect with a large effect size for most of the cognitive variables under study. The variables associated with the d2 Test of Attention showed significant differences between the groups, mainly from T0 to T2. Also for MMSE, an ANOVA revealed a significant interaction effect with significant improvements from T0 to T2. Our results strongly suggest that aerobic physical exercise is more beneficial than dual-task cognitive-gait exercise since in the PE group, cognitive attention scores increase, and cognitive impairment and perception of exertion decrease, compared to the DT group.
Conclusion: These findings support that PE provides more significant benefits for patients post-stroke when compared to DT.
in the form of serious games or gamification. In this qualitative research, we aimed to investigate the purpose of games used
in the work context. To accomplish this, we conducted six semi-structured interviews and analyzed the discourses of the
heads of the companies that produce serious games or gamification projects for work environments. Based on these statements,
we assessed the views of the work context, the workers, and the projects the companies produce. We found that games
have acquired different purposes, such as employee control to increase organizational results or enhance workers’ happiness
and wellbeing. Although these purposes seemed to stand out in all the analyzed speeches, several other different purposes
emerged, according to the conditions of entry into the market and the type of projects produced.
to the processing and/or organization of sensory information, this
disability affects functional participation in routines and activities of
daily living. Participation is defined as involvement in life situations, it
is essential to promote life experiences and the development of sensorimotor,
cognitive, and social skills. Improving these skills, in turn,
allows children to fully participate in age-appropriate activities and
occupations. This study aimed to investigate the putative association
between sensory processing and occupational participation in children
with neurotypical development. Parents or caregivers of 186
children, aged between 6 and 10 years old, completed the Sensory
Profile Caregiver Questionnaires (SPCQ) and the Participation in
Childhood Occupations Questionnaire (PICO-Q). Surprisingly, 80 children
(43%) presented atypical sensory integration. This sub-group
presented several associations between the SPCQ and the areas evaluated
by PICO-Q, suggesting an association between sensory processing
and occupational participation. We suggest that it is important to
carry out screenings for sensory integration in preschool children, to
promote better occupational participation in school-aged children.