CASTRO ABARCA, PATRICIA BERNARDITA

Preferred name

Main Affiliation

Facultad de Medicina Clínica Alemana Universidad del Desarrollo

pcastro@udd.cl

ORCID

0000-0002-1372-9920

Scopus Author ID

57205147799

Now showing 1 - 10 of 20

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Romberg test in the 21st century: Differences in sway patterns in patients with vestibular and proprioceptive disorders
(2025)
CASTRO ABARCA, PATRICIA BERNARDITA
2
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Body sway during postural perturbations is mediated by the degree of vestibulo-cortical dominance
(2019)
CASTRO ABARCA, PATRICIA BERNARDITA
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Diego Kaski
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Hussein Al-Fazly
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Deniz Ak
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Liam Oktay
28Scopus© Citations 3
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Romberg test: Differentiating vestibular from somatosensory ataxia
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2026-01-24)
Sofia Mermelstein
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Lucia Joffily
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Toby J. Ellmers
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Isaac Bocai
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Márcia Jardim
1
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Dissociated motor learning and de-adaptation in patients with functional gait disorders
(2020)
Denise Lin
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CASTRO ABARCA, PATRICIA BERNARDITA
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Amy Edwards
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Akila Sekar
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Mark J Edwards
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Walking onto a stationary platform that had been previously experienced as moving generates a locomotor after-effect—the so-called ‘broken escalator’ phenomenon. The motor responses that occur during locomotor after-effects have been mapped theoretically using a hierarchal Bayesian model of brain function that takes into account current sensory information that is weighted according to prior contextually-relevant experiences; these in turn inform automatic motor responses. Here, we use the broken escalator phenomenon to explore motor learning in patients with functional gait disorders and probe whether abnormal postural mechanisms override ascending sensory information and conscious intention, leading to maladaptive and disabling gait abnormalities. Fourteen patients with functional gait disorders and 17 healthy control subjects walked onto a stationary sled (‘Before’ condition, five trials), then onto a moving sled (‘Moving’ condition, 10 trials) and then again onto the stationary sled (‘After’ condition, five trials). Subjects were warned of the change in conditions. Kinematic gait measures (trunk displacement, step timing, gait velocity), EMG responses, and subjective measures of state anxiety/instability were recorded per trial. Patients had slower gait velocities in the Before trials (P &lt; 0.05) but were able to increase this to accommodate the moving sled, with similar learning curves to control subjects (P = 0.87). Although trunk and gait velocity locomotor after-effects were present in both groups, there was a persistence of the locomotor after-effect only in patients (P &lt; 0.05). We observed an increase in gait velocity during After trials towards normal values in the patient group. Instability and state anxiety were greater in patients than controls (P &lt; 0.05) only during explicit phases (Before/After) of the task. Mean ‘final’ gait termination EMG activity (right gastrocnemius) was greater in the patient group than controls. Despite a dysfunctional locomotor system, patients show normal adaptive learning. The process of de-adaptation, however, is prolonged in patients indicating a tendency to perpetuate learned motor programmes. The trend to normalization of gait velocity following a period of implicit motor learning has implications for gait rehabilitation potential in patients with functional gait disorders and related disorders (e.g. fear of falling).</jats:p>
20Scopus© Citations 24
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Head shaking does not alter vestibulo ocular reflex gain in vestibular migraine
(2022)
Priyani Patel
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CASTRO ABARCA, PATRICIA BERNARDITA
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Nehzat Koohi
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Qadeer Arshad
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Lucia Gargallo
<jats:p>Vestibular Migraine (VM) is the most common cause of non-positional episodic vestibular symptoms. Patients with VM commonly report increased motion sensitivity, suggesting that vestibular responses to head movement may identify changes specific to VM patients. Here we explore whether the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain alters in response to a clinical “headshake” maneuver in patients with VM. Thirty patients with VM in the inter-ictal phase, 16 patients with Benign Positional Paroxysmal Vertigo (BPPV) and 15 healthy controls were recruited. Patients responded to the question “Do you feel sick reading in the passenger seat of a car?” and completed a validated motion sickness questionnaire as a measure of motion sensitivity. Lateral canal vHIT testing was performed before and after headshaking; the change in VOR gain was calculated as the primary outcome. Baseline VOR gain was within normal limits across all participants. There was no significant change in VOR gain after headshaking in any group (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> = 0.264). Patients were 4.3 times more likely to be in the VM group than in the BPPV group if they reported nausea when reading in the passenger seat of a car. We postulate that a headshake stimulus may be insufficient to disrupt cortical interactions and induce a change in VOR gain. Alternatively, changes in VOR gain may only be apparent in the acute phase of VM. Reading in the passenger seat of a car was considered uncomfortable in all VM patients suggesting that this specific question may be useful for the diagnosis of VM.</jats:p>
Scopus© Citations 2 2
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Cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential asymmetry, but not amplitude, differentiates vestibular migraine during prolonged unidirectional visual motion
(Frontiers Media SA, 2026-03-17)
Elvira Cortese
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Huseyin Nezih Ozdemir
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Anca-Diana Grigore
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CASTRO ABARCA, PATRICIA BERNARDITA
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Nehzat Koohi
<jats:sec> <jats:title>Introduction</jats:title> <jats:p>Vestibular migraine (VM) is the leading cause of episodic vestibular complaints. It arises from altered brain states that disrupt sensory processing. A reliance on clinical history for diagnosis highlights the need for bedside biomarkers, particularly in emergency settings where misdiagnosis is common.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Methods</jats:title> <jats:p> In this cross-sectional study, 30 VM patients (median-age = 40.5; 27 females) from University College London vestibular clinics and 30 age-gender matched healthy controls (median-age = 32.5; 27 females) were recruited, between May 2024 and October 2025. Cervical Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential (cVEMP) responses were measured before and after a <jats:italic>Unidirectional Visual Motion Stimuli</jats:italic> delivered via virtual reality goggles. </jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Results</jats:title> <jats:p> Mixed linear modeling (MLM) showed no significant effects of group, condition or ear on cVEMP amplitude (all <jats:italic>p</jats:italic>  &gt; 0.05). MLM on asymmetry revealed a significant effect of group, <jats:italic>F</jats:italic> (1, 57.21) = 11.89, <jats:italic>p</jats:italic>  = 0.001 and condition, <jats:italic>F</jats:italic> (1, 56.53) = 14.47, <jats:italic>p</jats:italic>  = &lt;0.001; but no significant group × condition interaction, <jats:italic>F</jats:italic> (1, 56.53) = 1.57, <jats:italic>p</jats:italic>  = 0.215. Spearman correlations showed no association between cVEMP delta amplitude and DHI. VM patients scored higher on all symptom’s measures compared with controls (All <jats:italic>p</jats:italic>  &lt; 0.001). </jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title> <jats:p>Prolonged unidirectional visual stimulation does not significantly affect cVEMP amplitude responses in VM, limiting its value as a differential diagnostic tool. The need to further explore asymmetry and interaural/interhemispheric sensory integration in VM is underscored.</jats:p> </jats:sec>
2
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Evaluación de un programa piloto para trabajar habilidades narrativas en niños con hipoacusia usuarios de ayudas auditivas
(2020)
PAMELA MAGDALENA TOMICIC GUELL
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GLORIA FERNANDA GARCIA DEL SOLAR
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MATUTE WILLEMSEM, MARIA ISABEL
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Javiera Drapela
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Fabiola Marín
El Discurso Narrativo (DN) es una unidad lingüística compleja utilizada en ciertos contextos y que refleja la organización del pensamiento. La evidencia científica muestra que la población sorda, usuaria de ayudas auditivas, presenta dificultades en los diferentes niveles del lenguaje, tanto expresivos como comprensivos, incluida la habilidad para narrar. Además, existe evidencia de que la intervención terapéutica ayudaría a mejorar su rendimiento. Sin embargo, los datos disponibles sobre las características y abordaje del DN en esta población son escasos. El objetivo del estudio es evaluar un programa piloto para trabajar habilidades narrativas en niños chilenos usuarios de ayudas auditivas. Se estudiaron 22 niños con un promedio de edad de 6,5 años, adaptados con audífonos y/o implante coclear. Se aplicó a este grupo de niños una evaluación inicial del DN utilizando el instrumento Evaluación del Discurso Narrativo (EDNA), obteniéndose la Etapa y Desempeño narrativo de cada niño. Luego, se creó y aplicó individualmente un programa de estimulación del discurso narrativo de 12 sesiones una vez por semana. Finalmente, se repitió la evaluación al final del programa. Se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los resultados obtenidos previo y posterior a la implementación del programa de estimulación. En relación con la Etapa del DN, antes de la intervención el 45,5% de los niños no estructuraba, lo cual se redujo a un 9.1% en la evaluación final. En cuanto al Desempeño, previo a la intervención el 72,7% de los niños presentaba un “déficit narrativo”, lo cual se redujo a un 18,2% posterior a la aplicación del programa.
23Scopus© Citations 2
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Speech-Language Therapist Staffing for the Rehabilitation of Adult and Paediatric In/Outpatients in Chilean Public Hospitals
(Fundacion Universitaria Maria Cano, 2025-06-18)
Felipe Gonzalo Rosales Lillo
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Castro, Patricia
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Antonia Villalón Barrionuevo
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Haranni Antonella Aguilera Soto
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Teresita Bravo Andrade
<jats:p>Introduction. Speech and language therapists are key in health teams; health institutions must have enough staff for quality care. Objective. To determine the professional provision of speech and language therapy staffing required for in-and-outpatient care of adult and paediatric patients in public hospitals of the Chilean healthcare network. Method. An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out, which included clinical beds of Chilean public hospitals. The calculation was performed according to the Chilean Ministry of Health guidance for estimating the rehabilitation human resources required for in-and-outpatient care, according to the number and type of clinical beds (basic, medium and critical care) available in each public health institutions. Results. 189 hospitals were included, with 23,677 clinical beds analysed. 81% and 19% of them were for adult and paediatric patient care respectively. 28,950 hours per week of speech and language therapy staffing in public hospitals for in-and-outpatient care is required: 85% for adult patients and 15% for paediatric ones. The Magallanes and Ñuble Regions require the highest percentage of hours —92 and 91%, respectively— for adult patients. The Tarapacá, Metropolitana, and Aysén regions need 18% of hours for paediatric patients. The Metropolitana Region needs almost 35% of the total national hours, followed by Biobío (10.29%) and Valparaíso (9.87%) regions. Conclusion. Hospitals should review these results to ensure a correct planning of professionals, and consider the proposal for non-working days for the care of hospitalised patients, to optimise their clinical results and quality of life, and the management results of each centre. It is necessary to continue generating evidence in favour of patient care, resource optimisation, and the well-being of clinical professionals.</jats:p>
1
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Sense of direction in vestibular disorders
(2024)
Alexander I.G. Moore
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John F. Golding
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Anastasia Alenova
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CASTRO ABARCA, PATRICIA BERNARDITA
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Adolfo M. Bronstein
<jats:p>BACKGROUND: Our sense of direction (SOD) ability relies on the sensory integration of both visual information and self-motion cues from the proprioceptive and vestibular systems. Here, we assess how dysfunction of the vestibular system impacts perceived SOD in varying vestibular disorders, and secondly, we explore the effects of dizziness, migraine and psychological symptoms on SOD ability in patient and control groups. METHODS: 87 patients with vestibular disorder and 69 control subjects were assessed with validated symptom and SOD questionnaires (Santa Barbara Sense of Direction scale and the Object Perspective test). RESULTS: While patients with vestibular disorders performed significantly worse than controls at the group level, only central and functional disorders (vestibular migraine and persistent postural perceptual dizziness), not peripheral disorders (benign-paroxysmal positional vertigo, bilateral vestibular failure and Meniere’s disease) showed significant differences compared to controls on the level of individual vestibular groups. Additionally, orientational abilities associated strongly with spatial anxiety and showed clear separation from general dizziness and psychological factors in both patient and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: SOD appears to be less affected by peripheral vestibular dysfunction than by functional and/or central diagnoses, indicating that higher level disruptions to central vestibular processing networks may impact SOD more than reductions in sensory peripheral inputs. Additionally, spatial anxiety is highly associated with orientational abilities in both patients and control subjects.</jats:p>
Scopus© Citations 2 2
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Vestibular loss disrupts visual reactivity in the alpha EEG rhythm
(2023)
Richard T Ibitoye
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CASTRO ABARCA, PATRICIA BERNARDITA
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Toby J. Ellmers
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Diego N. Kaski
;
Adolfo M. Bronstein
Scopus© Citations 4 1

CASTRO ABARCA, PATRICIA BERNARDITA

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