The main aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a dual task protocol in people with episodic migraine with respect to both active exercises only and cognitive task only treatments, concerning some neurophysiological and clinical outcomes. A randomized control trial was adopted in people with episodic migraine without aura. Some neurophysiological and clinical outcomes were collected (t0): resting motor threshold (rMT), short intracortical inhibition (SICI) and facilitation (ICF), pressure pain threshold (PPT), trail making test (TMT), frontal assessment battery (FAB), headache-related disability (MIDAS) and headache parameters. Then, participants were randomized into three groups: active exercise only (n = 10), cognitive task only (n = 10) and dual task protocol (n = 10). After 3 months of each treatment and after 1-month follow-up the same neurophysiological and clinical outcomes were revaluated. A significant time x group effect was only found for the trapezius muscle (p = 0.012, pη2 = 0.210), suggesting that PPT increased significantly only in active exercise and dual task protocol groups. A significant time effect was found for rMT (p < 0.001, pη2 = 0.473), MIDAS (p < 0.001, pη2 = 0.426), TMT (p < 0.001, pη2 = 0.338) and FAB (p < 0.001, pη2 = 0.462). A repeated measures ANOVA for SICI at 3 ms highlighted a statistically significant time effect for the dual task group (p < 0.001, pη2 = 0.629), but not for the active exercises group (p = 0.565, pη2 = 0.061), and for the cognitive training (p = 0.357, pη2 = 0.108). The dual task protocol seems to have a more evident effect on both habituation and sensitization outcomes than the two monotherapies taken alone in people with migraine.

Cold water immersion (CWI) and percussive massage therapy (PMT) are commonly used recovery techniques in team sports. In particular, despite its wide use, PMT has been scarcely investigated in the literature, especially regarding neuromuscular measures and in comparison with other techniques. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the acute and short-term effects (24 h) of CWI and PMT on muscle strength, contractile properties, and soreness after exercise. A randomized crossover study was performed on sixteen male soccer players (22 years, 20–27) who participated in three experimental sessions involving a fatiguing protocol consisting of a Yo-Yo Intermittent Endurance Test followed by 3 × 10 squat jumps and a wall sit for 30 s, and 12 min of recovery including CWI (10 °C water), bilateral PMT on the anterior and posterior thigh, or passive resting. Outcomes were assessed immediately after the exercise protocol, after the recovery intervention, and at 24 h. Isometric knee extension (IKE) and flexion (IKF) and tensiomyography (TMG) were assessed. Muscle soreness and fatigue were scored from 0 to 10. PMT increased strength after the treatment (p = 0.004) and at 24 h (p = 0.007), whereas no significant differences were found for the other two recovery modalities. At post-recovery, compared to CON, CWI resulted in a longer TMG contraction time (p = 0.027). No significant differences were found at 24 h. Finally, PMT and CWI enhanced muscle soreness recovery compared to passive rest (F_4,60 = 3.095, p = 0.022, _pη² = 0.171). Preliminary results from this study suggest that PMT might improve isometric strength after strenuous exercise, and both PMT and CWI reduce muscle soreness perception, while the effects on TMG parameters remain controversial.

Purpose: Gymnastics is a sport characterized by acrobatic and postural strength exercises that require great trunk muscles activation and control. Males and females can be characterized by different morphological and neuromuscular characteristics of such muscles, and this might be of importance for training and injury prevention. The aim of this study was to measure different aspects of trunk flexors and extensors characteristics in a sample of young female and male gymnasts. Methods: Twenty-eight sub-elite adolescent female (n = 14, 16 y, 14–17) and male (n = 14, 17 y, 14–18) gymnasts participated in this cross-sectional study. Tensiomyography was used to assess muscle contractile properties of the rectus abdominis (m.RA) and erector spinae (m.ES), while muscle thickness was assessed for abdominal muscles and lumbar multifidus (m.LM) with ultrasound. Flexors, extensors, and lateral endurance tests were performed. Results: Females presented smaller m.ES radial displacement (p < 0.001, pη² = 0.535), smaller internal oblique thickness (p < 0.001, pη² = 0.543), and shorter lateral endurance (p = 0.002, pη² = 0.302). A significant side × sex interaction was found for the external oblique thickness (p = 0.004, pη² = 0.276). Conclusion: Present findings report sex-based differences in abdominal and lumbar muscles characteristics and support the development of different sex-based training and rehabilitation protocols in adolescent gymnasts.

Introduction: The purpose of the present study is to compare the effect of the physiotherapy to onabolulinumtoxin-A, and their combination, in relation to cervical and headache parameters in patients with chronic migraine. Methods: This is an observational cohort study conducted by a headache center and a physiotherapy degree course on 30 patients with chronic migraine. The patients were distributed in three groups of treatments for three months: onabolulinumtoxin-A only, physiotherapy only, and onabolulinumtoxin-A plus physiotherapy. The patients were evaluated, before and after each treatment, using the following: the postural assessment software SAPO for the forward head posture; the CROM goniometer for the cervical range of motion; the Migraine Disability Assessment Score for headache parameters. Results: After 3 months of each treatment, the scores obtained for the headache-related disability and the frequency of migraine decreased significantly for all groups, but the pain intensity scores changed significantly only in the onabolulinumtoxin-A (p = 0.01) and in the onabolulinumtoxin-A plus physiotherapy groups (p = 0.007). On the other hand, the forward head posture was reduced significantly in the physiotherapy (p = 0.002) and in the onabolulinumtoxin-A plus physiotherapy groups (p = 0.003). The cervical range of motion increased significantly in certain directions in the physiotherapy group and in the onabolulinumtoxin-A plus physiotherapy groups. Conclusions: The physiotherapy improved the cervical parameters. The onabolulinumtoxin-A decreased pain intensity. As a consequence, it can be said that the combined treatment was more useful than a mono-therapy alone. From our results, it can be concluded that onabolulinumtoxin-A plus physiotherapy could be a good option in the management of chronic migraine.

“Perception and action” is one of the main research fields in which experimental psychologists work together with experts of other disciplines, such as medicine, physiotherapy, engineering, and sport. Traditionally, researchers have mainly focused on visual perception and on its influences on motor processes, while less attention has been dedicated to the role of auditory perception. However, in the last decade, the interest towards the influence of sounds on both action perception and motor execution has increased significantly. On the one hand, researchers have been interested in determining how humans can represent motor actions through the sounds associated with movements, as well as which auditory cues are salient for recognizing and discriminating different features of movement [1-10]. On the other hand, researchers have studied how auditory stimuli affect the production of complex movements in different domains [11-21]. The general aim of this special issue is to provide an overview of the relationship between sounds and movements by addressing theoretical, methodological, and applied issues from a multidisciplinary perspective. ORGANIZATION OF THE VOLUME: At the beginning of this special issue we report the contributions that deal with theoretical (Steenson & Rodger; Pizzera & Hohmann) and methodological (Dyer, Stapleton & Rodger) issues regarding auditory perception and action. After providing a theoretical and methodological background, we report those contributions that focus on possible applications of auditory training in the domain of sport and exercise psychology (O, Law & Rymal; Sors, Murgia, Santoro & Agostini), rehabilitation (Murgia, Corona, Pili, Sors, Agostini, Casula, Pau & Guicciardi), and motor learning (Effenberg, Schmitz, Baumann, Rosenhahn & Kroeger). In the first article, Steenson and Rodger highlight that despite the fact that sounds are helpful in executing many dayto- day and context-specific movements and skills in everyday life, there is a surprising lack of exploration of this topic in psychological studies. In fact, the authors review the auditory perception literature and note that auditory perception theories mainly describe the rules governing the processing and representation of sounds in memory, and largely disregard the meaning that sounds have to individuals engaged in movement and the subsequent use of movement sounds in movement priming and execution. Steenson and Rodger’s work can be framed in the context of Gibson’s ecological psychology, as they emphasize the role of sound as a very important affordance that we use to interact with our environment. In the second contribution, Pizzera and Hohmann extensively review studies that address the relevance of the mutual interactions between perception and motor control. Again, these authors highlight the scarcity of research on acoustic information, especially when comparing it with the amount of evidence available in the visual domain. Pizzera and Hohmann offer their perspective on the role of auditory information in controlling and integrating the perception and action cycle. The authors present both behavioral and neurophysiological evidence in support of the importance of auditory information in perception and action, and propose valuable suggestions that future investigators should consider in order to advance the state of knowledge in this domain. The methodological contribution of Dyer, Stapleton and Rodger highlights the feasibility of movement sonification as an effective feedback tool for enhancing motor skill learning and performance, particularly in novices. The authors critically discuss the strengths and weaknesses of movement sonification in the context of providing efficient perceptual feedback information to learners. Dyer, Stapleton and Rodger conclude that a well-defined framework for sonification mapping has yet to be established and that there is still need for controlled trials in motor learning. However, the authors do suggest that new technologies relevant to movement sound recording, mapping, and sonification are available to researchers and can facilitate meaningful and much-needed future research on this promising perceptual feedback method. With regards to the possible applications of audio-based interventions, the fourth article of the issue by O, Law, and Rymal provides an overview of imagery and modeling research in sport psychology and motor learning, documenting evidence supporting the cognitive processing similarities between imagery and modeling. Within this background, the authors critically examine the role of the auditory sense in modeling and imagery, analyzing both theoretical issues and empirical evidence. From a bio-informational theory perspective, O, Law, and Rymal offer several examples of potential applications of the deliberate integration of the auditory sense in movement teaching and instruction, but also offer a strong caveat regarding the severe lack of applied research on the auditory sense focused on sport populations, especially in the domain of imagery. In their conclusions the authors propose detailed recommendations for future research. A second contribution on audio-based interventions in sports is provided by Sors, Murgia, Santoro and Agostini. The authors extensively define the concepts of augmented feedback and modeling, and review studies demonstrating the effectiveness of sounds in improving the execution of simple rhythmic motor tasks. Then, Sors and colleagues describe both a theoretical background and neurophysiological evidence illustrating the mechanisms that are possibly influenced by audio-based interventions. Finally, they provide a complete description of the literature on auditory modeling and auditory augmented feedback in sports, specifying the methodological details of previous studies and proposing future directions for both, application and research. In the sixth article, Murgia, Corona, Pili,...