Juan Luis Leon-Llamas

Dr. Juan Luis Leon-Llamas

University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain
orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

8Years (2019-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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3 September 2021 in Behavioral Sciences
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Santos VillafainaSantos Villafaina
Santos Villafaina
Miguel Angel Tapia-SerranoMiguel Angel Tapia-Serrano
Miguel Angel Tapia-Serrano
MVMikel Vaquero
Mikel Vaquero
Juan Luis Leon-LlamasJuan Luis Leon-Llamas
Juan Luis Leon-Llamas
PEDRO ANTONIO SANCHEZ MIGUELPEDRO ANTONIO SANCHEZ MIGUEL
PEDRO ANTONIO SANCHEZ MIGUEL
(1) Background: Adolescence is a critical stage in the development of healthy habits. In this regard, physical activity has emerged as a useful tool to improve satisfaction with life and health-related quality of life in adolescents. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the mediating role of physical activity in the relationship between satisfaction with life and health-related quality of life in adolescent boys and girls. Also, we aimed to investigate the differences between sexes in the HRQoL, physical activity level, and satisfaction with life. (2) Methods: A total of 297 adolescents, ranging in age from 11 to 12 years (11.46 ± 1.63), participated in this cross-sectional study. The Satisfaction with life scale, Physical activity Questionnaire for Adolescents and the KIDSCREEN-10 questionnaires were employed. (3) Results: The estimated indirect effect showed that physical activity level was a mediator of the positive effect of satisfaction with life on health-related quality of life (β = 0.105, 95% CI = 0.031; 0.202). However, the index of moderated mediation showed that sex is not a significant moderator of the mediating role of physical activity in the relationship between satisfaction with life and HRQoL (β = −0.033, 95% CI = −0.023, 0.136). Furthermore, significant differences in satisfaction with life were found, with girls manifesting lower values (p-value = 0.026). (4) Conclusion: This study shows the importance of physical activity during adolescence and the association of this behavior with the health-related quality of life of adolescents.

Juan Luis Leon-LlamasJuan Luis Leon-Llamas
Juan Luis Leon-Llamas
AMAlvaro Murillo-Garcia
Alvaro Murillo-Garcia
Santos VillafainaSantos Villafaina
Santos Villafaina
Francisco J. Domínguez-MuñozFrancisco J. Domínguez-Muñoz
Francisco J. Domínguez-Muñoz
Jesús Morenas-MartínJesús Morenas-Martín
Jesús Morenas-Martín
Narcis GusiNarcis Gusi
Narcis Gusi
Background: Kinesiophobia is defined as fear of movement due to the painful experience of it. The main symptom of fibromyalgia is persistent and widespread pain associated with other symptoms. This study analyzes the kinesiophobia between women with fibromyalgia and apparently healthy women and investigates the relationship between kinesiophobia and physical fitness tests, fear of falling, and the impact of the fibromyalgia. Methods: Fifty-one women participated in this study were divided into two groups: (1) women with fibromyalgia and (2) apparently healthy women. Participants completed questionnaires to assess kinesiophobia, fear of falling, and the impact of fibromyalgia. Subsequently, participants completed the physical tests Timed Up and Go, 10-step stair ascent, and handgrip strength. Results: Women with fibromyalgia had significant differences in kinesiophobia and fear of falling compared to apparently healthy women. Similarly, performance in the physical tests was lower, except for the handgrip strength, which maintained similar values to the apparently healthy women. Significant relationships were found only in the fibromyalgia group between kinesiophobia, the impact of the disease, fear of falling, and the Timed Up and Go and 10-step stair ascent tests. Conclusions: Women with fibromyalgia showed higher kinesiophobia scores, worse performance in mobility tests, and higher fear of falling than apparently healthy women. Kinesiophobia score is related to Timed Up and Go performance, the 10-step stair ascent, the fear of falling, and the impact of the disease in women with fibromyalgia.

1 January 2021 in Journal of Clinical Medicine
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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AMAlvaro Murillo-Garcia
Alvaro Murillo-Garcia
Juan Luis Leon-LlamasJuan Luis Leon-Llamas
Juan Luis Leon-Llamas
Santos VillafainaSantos Villafaina
Santos Villafaina
Paloma Rohlfs DomínguezPaloma Rohlfs Domínguez
Paloma Rohlfs Domínguez
Narcis GusiNarcis Gusi
Narcis Gusi
Fibromyalgia is a syndrome that is characterized by widespread pain; fatigue; stiffness; reduced physical fitness; sleep disturbances; psychological symptoms, such as anxiety and depression; and deficits in cognitive functions, such as attention, executive function, and verbal memory deficits. It is important to analyze the potentially different performance on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test in patients with fibromyalgia as well as examine the relationship of that performance with physical and cognitive performance. A total of 36 women with fibromyalgia participated in the study. Participants completed the MoCA test, the MMSE, and the TUG physical fitness test under dual-task conditions. The results obtained on cognitive tests were 28.19 (1.74) on the MMSE and 25.17 (2.79) on the MoCA. The participants’ performance on cognitive tests was significantly related to the results of the TUG dual-task test. In this way, cognitive performance on a dual-task test can be used to support the diagnosis of cognitive impairment in patients with fibromyalgia. The MoCA test may be a more sensitive cognitive screening tool than the MMSE for patients with fibromyalgia.

Juan Luis Leon-LlamasJuan Luis Leon-Llamas
Juan Luis Leon-Llamas
Santos VillafainaSantos Villafaina
Santos Villafaina
AMAlvaro Murillo-Garcia
Alvaro Murillo-Garcia
Narcis GusiNarcis Gusi
Narcis Gusi
Patients with fibromyalgia (FM) show widespread pain associated with other symptoms such as cognitive problems, depression, and anxiety among others associated with alterations in the central nervous system. The hippocampal subfields had differences in function, histology, and connectivity with other brain regions, and are altered in different diseases. This study evaluates the volumetric differences between patients with FM compared with a healthy control group. A total of 49 women with, and 43 healthy women completed this study. T1-weighted MRI was used to assess brain volume, and FreeSurfer software was used to segment the hippocampal subfields. Women with FM had a significant reduction in most of the hippocampal subfields. The regression equation models were obtained to predict the volume of specific subfields of the right and left hippocampus. These findings provide that women with FM have lower hippocampal subfields volumes compared with healthy women. Besides, regression models show that different covariates, such as age, cognitive impairment, or depression, are related to specific subfields.

18 June 2022 in Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
AMAlvaro Murillo-Garcia
Alvaro Murillo-Garcia
Juan Luis Leon-LlamasJuan Luis Leon-Llamas
Juan Luis Leon-Llamas
SVSantos Villafaina
Santos Villafaina
Narcis GusiNarcis Gusi
Narcis Gusi

Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Juan Luis Leon-LlamasJuan Luis Leon-Llamas
Juan Luis Leon-Llamas
Santos VillafainaSantos Villafaina
Santos Villafaina
AMAlvaro Murillo-Garcia
Alvaro Murillo-Garcia
Francisco J. Domínguez-MuñozFrancisco J. Domínguez-Muñoz
Francisco J. Domínguez-Muñoz
Narcis GusiNarcis Gusi
Narcis Gusi
Background: Exergame-induced changes in the volume of brain gray matter have not been studied in fibromyalgia (FM). This study evaluates the effects of a 24-week exergame-based intervention on the gray matter volume of different brain structures in patients with FM through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: A total of 25 FM patients completed 24 weeks of intervention program, and another 25 FM patients did not receive any intervention. T1-weighted MRI was used to assess brain volume, and FreeSurfer software was used to segment the brain regions. Results: No significant effects on gray matter volume of different structures and total gray matter were found. Conclusions: FM patients did not show significant changes in gray matter brain volume between the control and experimental groups after 24 weeks. FM patients showed significant relationships between peak oxygen consumption (pVO2) and the left and right regions of the hippocampus and the left and right regions of the amygdala.