3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Motor development in six to seven year old children with identified intrinsic barriers to learning: a cross-sectional study(2017) Marsh, RichardBackground: Research has proven that conditions such as developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are becoming more prevalent in children of school going age and that children presenting with these conditions have intrinsic barriers to learning. ADHD has been found in 3-5% of children. A 2001 census in South Africa showed 12% of the population had intellectual disabilities and 7% communication problems. A 2011 South African census show 3, 2% of the South African population aged five and above has mild concentration/remembering difficulties. When a child has poor performance, this can cause low self-esteem, poor social functioning, risk of obesity and vascular disease. The comorbidity between DCD and ADHD has been considered at a rate of 50%. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine whether children with intrinsic barriers to learning have specific motor development deficits. Method: There were 27 participants assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children second version (M-ABC 2). The children were recruited from a private remedial school in Honeydew, South Africa and were identified as having intrinsic barriers to learning. The assessment looked at Aiming and Catching, Balance and Manual Dexterity. Each participant was assessed once. These results were analysed by looking at the prominent deficit and correlation to demographics or conditions. An ANOVA analysis was done to compare the different between conditions to Aiming and Catching, Balance and Manual Dexterity. Results: There were 10 females and 17 male children enrolled in the study. The mean age was seven years three months and fourteen days. The standard deviation of age was ±140.6 days. The most common diagnosis was ADHD (48%) followed by speech problems (33%). The Manual Dexterity mean score was 7.82 (± 2.22), the Aiming and Catching mean score was 9.78 (± 3.28) and the Balance mean score was 7.59 (± 2.91). The total mean score for the M-ABC was 7.63 (± 2.84). Manual dexterity and Balance scores were both significantly lower than the Aiming and Catching scores (p=0.02 and p=0.01, respectively). The results indicated no significant difference between the Manual Dexterity and Balance scores (p= 0.55). The ANOVA analysis showed that children with speech problems scored slightly higher in Manual Dexterity than children with anxiety problems and processing problems but this difference was not significant (p=0.52). Children with ADHD and speech problems appeared to score slightly higher in Aiming and Catching than children with anxiety problems and processing problems but this was not significantly different (p=0.15). Children with processing problems scored significantly higher (p=0.03) in Balance than children with the other conditions. Conclusion: Children who have intrinsic barriers to learning have been recognised to have motor deficits that fall into the diagnosis of DCD. It is important to assess these children to optimise their intervention program; not just from a cognitive aspect but from a motor aspect as well. The results of this study found that Manual Dexterity and Balance are motor components that were the most affected. Addressing these aspects may help improve the activity levels and participation of these children.Item The anatomy of locomotion in primates, with particular reference to the orang-utan.(1944) van Dongen, L. G. R.Item Aspects of the neuroanatomy and physiology of sleep in African mole rats(2012-03-06) Bhagwandin, AdhilMole rats are a unique family of the rodent order and are known for a subterranean lifestyle, reduced eye size, regressed visual system and unusual patterns of circadian rhythmicity (co-existence of rhythmic and arrhythmic chronotypes within a species has been documented). Such dramatic changes especially that of phenotype, may lead to the prediction of significant differences in organisation of the brain and physiology, therefore these unusual phenotypic features form the core rationale providing the impetus for the present series of studies. Neuroanatomical examination of the mole rat brain for immunohistochemical markers of the cholinergic, catecholaminergic, serotonergic, orexinergic, and histaminergic systems revealed neuronal organisation that was remarkably similar to those previously reported in other rodents and mammals, despite the notable differences in lifestyle and phenotype. These results indicate a strong phylogenetic constraint acting at the systems level of neuronal organisation. The study of sleep and wake in rhythmic and arrhythmic chronotypes of a species of mole rat indicated the arrhythmic chronotype spent more time awake with a longer average duration of a waking episode and less time in sleep with a shorter average duration of a SWS episode. While remaining somewhat similar between mole rat chronotypes, total sleep time in the mole rats was significantly reduced in comparison to other rodents. These results also indicate independence of circadian rhythmicity and sleep homeostasis and possible alteration of specific genes involved in the sleep-wake cycle of the mole rats examined. Stereological assessment of absolute numbers of orexinergic neurons revealed that the arrrhythmic chronotype tends to have more orexinergic neurons per gram of body mass that the rhythmic chronotype, leading to the conclusion that enhanced vigilance and peripheral metabolism of the arrhythmic chronotype may underlie this difference. Immunohistochemical identification of nuclei involved with the sleep-wake cycle, showed no difference in the distribution of these nuclei between circadian chronotypes and no major differences when compared to other rodents. Some interesting and potentially functionally important homogeneities were observed in the distribution of GABAergic interneurons within the pontine region. Furthermore differential orexinergic terminal network densities were observed between chronotypes within the arcuate nucleus and the intergeniculate leaflet. Therefore despite unusual features in lifestyle and phenotype, the organisation of the mole rat brain remains remarkably similar to other rodents; however, distinctions of circadian chronotype consistently produced subtle differences in both the anatomy and physiology of these rodents.Item A study of the anatomy and physiology of sleep in the rock hyrax, Procavia capensis(2012-02-28) Gravett, NadineThe rock hyrax, Procavia capensis, is a social diurnal mammal that typically lives in colonies on rocky outcrops and is found throughout most parts of Southern Africa. The aim of this thesis was to describe the sleep phenomenology of the rock hyrax. By means of immunohistochemistry the location and distribution of the cholinergic, catecholaminergic, serotonergic, orexinergic, histaminergic, and the GABAergic systems were described. For the most part these systems and their terminal network distributions followed the general mammalian organisational plan; however, several features, potentially unique to the rock hyrax, were found. These include the presence of cholinergic neurons in the AD and AV nuclei of the dorsal thalamus, parvo- and magnocellular divisions of the cholinergic LDT and PPT nuclei. A dense orexinergic terminal network distribution was noted in the regions coincident with the AD nucleus, a feature only observed in other diurnal mammals. Parvalbumin neurons did not show any association to the sleep related nuclei, whereas calbindin and calretinin neurons were found in all sleep related areas, though with differing densities and some homogeneities. The physiological measurable parameters of sleep were recorded continuously for 72 h under both solitary and social conditions and compared to determine whether differences existed. The results revealed that no major differences existed between the social and solitary conditions, but sleep intensity and REM duration (particularly REM0) was more pronounced in the social condition. REM was ambiguous in these animals, and led to its subdivision into REM1 and REM0. It is possible that REM1 could be a form of low voltage slow wave sleep, but further investigation is required. If REM1 is a form of NonREM sleep it would imply that the rock hyrax has the lowest amount of REM sleep of any terrestrial mammal studied to date.