Georgios Tsigaras

Background/Objectives: Interoception-based interventions aim to help individuals recognize and respond to internal bodily signals. Their contribution to executive functioning and behavioral regulation remains unclear. This scoping review mapped interventions and reported outcomes in children, adolescents, and young adults. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for English-language studies published between 2015 and 3 May 2026. The review followed Joanna Briggs Institute guidance and PRISMA-ScR reporting recommendations. Two reviewers independently screened records and extracted data. Findings were synthesized narratively; no formal critical appraisal was undertaken. Results: Nine studies included participants aged 4–23 years across clinical and nonclinical populations. Approaches included structured interoception curricula, acceptance-based exposure, and programs combining bodily awareness with other therapeutic components. Three studies assessed executive functioning using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function–Second Edition. Reported gains mainly concerned emotional and behavioral regulation, although improvements in some rated cognitive domains were also described. These findings did not establish improvements on performance-based executive function tasks. Other reported changes concerned anxiety, pain, eating, and social functioning. Findings were not uniformly positive: physiological outcomes were mixed, and one study reported increased worry about bodily sensations. Small samples, limited controlled comparisons, heterogeneous measures, and scarce follow-up data restricted interpretation. Conclusions: The literature reports preliminary improvements in regulation and selected behavioral outcomes but does not establish intervention effectiveness or the specific contribution of interoception. Controlled studies should assess both everyday regulation and executive task performance, isolate intervention components, and examine whether benefits persist.

The purpose of this article is to introduce a new integrated model of physical therapy in managing adults with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), which is a disabling, common health issue with no form of standardized treatment. The approach includes integrating incongruent lines of evidence through adopting a complete synthesis of the qualitative research of the lived experience of the patient, neurobiological research on sensory perception, and clinical research regarding physical and mental therapy. The primary results of this synthesis argument lead to a paradigm shift towards the participatory model of sensory retraining that rejects pure motor-based rehabilitation. This model is constructed on the base of co-creation, in which the patient-narrative construction and subjective state are the central sequences in creating a treatment alliance and the improvement of treatment compliance. The main ones are the introduction of affordably individualized classical sensory retraining focused on retraining the central nervous system-interpretation, the use of a personalized dental, or sensory diet to enhance self-regulation, and the introduction of what we call the sensory mindfulness to uncouple painful sensations with maladaptive/ unresponsive movements/dissociation reactions.

This is a literature review covering the intricate and two-way association between gait disorders and executive functioning deficits in individuals with neurological disorders. The review begins by defining executive functions, followed by a discussion of its fundamental components (inhibition, working memory, cognitive flexibility), and finally, the neural foundation of EF is outlined, focusing on the frontal lobes and related brain networks. A typology of neurological gait disorders (e.g., Parkinsonian, hemiplegic, ataxic) is then described, which is then correlated with their respective etiologies. The cognitive-motor interference model of gait-executive functions interaction and the shared neural resource theories are explored as frameworks explaining the phenomenon, and the dual-task paradigm as a methodological instrument is considered specifically. In the review, the authors examined how this interaction manifests in neurological diseases, including Parkinson's, stroke, and multiple sclerosis, and noted the peculiarities and mechanisms in each instance. Lastly, the clinical implications of this interaction on everyday functioning, risk of falls, and quality of life are addressed, along with what they mean regarding rehabilitation approaches, with a particular focus on integrated motor-cognitive interventions, including dual-task training and novel technologies (e.g., exergaming, virtual reality).

Stroke has a special place in clinical neurology as the brain is the center of the nervous system. They require immediate treatment as the time burden can dramatically worsen their development. The distinction of stroke it is done in the form of damage. 80-88% are ischemic strokes and 12-20% are hemorrhagic strokes. The clinical manifestations of cerebrovascular attacks depend on the location of the damage in the brain parenchyma and specifically in the affected vessel. The separation of cerebral ischemia and hemorrhage syndromes follows anatomical criteria because it depends on the arterial branch that is damaged. The factors that favor stroke with the main causes being hypertension, atherosclerotic plaque rupture, heart diseases as well as people's lifestyle, are a large part of nursing for their prevention in the general population. The global knowledge of the brain (anatomy and physiology) and the understanding of the functioning of strokes helps us as nurses to enrich our knowledge and have a general picture of the patient, without focusing only on the treatment. The treatment requires very good medical and nursing staff and their cooperation with physiotherapists, speech therapists, and other health scientists, who will plan the treatment.

Introduction: Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) is the most common genetic disorder, which is caused by a chromosomal abnormality and presents various deviations in areas such as mental and motor levels. The presence of extra information corresponding in whole or in part to chromosome 21 affects the development of children with trisomy 21, and abnormal gene expression leads to changes in brain function. The overall prevalence of the syndrome is one (1) to two (2) per thousand (1,000) live births, although the prevalence may have variability among racial or ethnic groups. The purpose of this research is to highlight the deviations in the balance ability, the strength of the upper limbs, and to what extent they affect the quality of life of children and adolescents with trisomy 21. Methods: Eighteen (18) children and adolescents with trisomy 21 participated in the research, with three (3) being excluded due to exclusion criteria. Fifteen (15) children and adolescents with trisomy 21 were finally included, of which four (4) were boys and eleven (11) were girls.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the importance of implementing a customized motor sensory physiotherapy program by recording data about the total days spent and weight gain of preterm infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Methods: Randomized clinical trial of a sample of thirty (30) preterm infants split in two 15-member groups, one intervention group and one control group. An adapted program of motor sensory physiotherapy techniques, while in NICU, was implemented to the intervention group while nothing was implemented to the control group. Both groups met the same entry criteria. The same protocol of motor sensory physiotherapy was applied in the intervention group during the whole period of the study. Results: Data show that customized motor sensory physiotherapy while in NICU improves weight gain and reduces total days of stay. Discussion: Even though adapted motor sensory physiotherapy intervention has a positive impact on the development and outcome of preterm infants in NICU, more research is required on the physiotherapy techniques by studying a larger sample size in NICU.

Introduction: The brain is a system with multidimensional organization and architecture and requires a continuous blood supply to function normally. If blood flow is interrupted for more than a few seconds, the brain is deprived of blood and oxygen, causing death in nerve cells in the affected area. The stroke in children after birth appears even more rarely than in adults. Methods: For the study, 20 children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (14 boys and 6 girls) participated (mean age 10,9 years), from the “General Hospital Hippocratio” of Thessaloniki, according to the inclusion criteria. The strength of the upper extremity was measured using the Jamar dynamometer. To assess the balance, the Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS) Affected and contralateral hands results were analyzed and compared with norms for age and sex and related to the affected balance. Results: It was found that the strength of the non-affected upper extremities was also reduced according to the data of the normal children and the balance was also affected because of the stroke. Discussion: Physiotherapy programs may include exercises that emphasize the non-affected upper extremities, more similar research must be done on a bigger population.

Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is a rare disease with worldwide impact. It is also known as von Recklinghausen disease and is an autosomal dominant condition caused by mutations of the NF1 gene, which is located at chromosome 17q11.2. NF1 is believed to be completely penetrant, but substantial variability in the expression of features occurs. Diagnosis of NF1 is based on established clinical criteria. The presentation of many of the clinical features is age-dependent. The average life expectancy of patients with NF1 is probably reduced by 10–15 years, and malignancy is the most common cause of death and there is no treatment found yet for NF1. The prevalence of clinically diagnosed NF1 ranges from 1/2,000 to 1/5,000 in most population-based studies. A wide variety of NF1 mutations has been found in patients with NF1, but no frequently recurring mutation has been identified. Most studies have not found an obvious relation between particular NF1 mutations and the resulting clinical manifestations. The variability of the NF1 phenotype, even in individuals with the same NF1 gene mutation, suggests that other factors are involved in determining the clinical manifestations, but the nature of these factors has not yet been determined.