Narcis Gusi

• PhD
• Chair at University of Extremadura

People with fibromyalgia (FM) exhibit alterations in brain electrical activity and autonomic modulation compared to healthy individuals. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) effects on brain electrocortical activity and heart rate variability (HRV), specifically targeting the dorsolateral prefro...

Background Identifying children and adolescents with cardiometabolic risk at an early stage is crucial for effective treatment and prevention. From a practical perspective, this could be accomplished by assessing the presence of abdominal obesity, which serves as a surrogate indicator of increased cardiometabolic risk and is easy to measure. Howeve...

Purpose The older adults have a high probability of suffering an unexpected fall during activities of daily living, this can generate fear of fall, changes in gait patterns, decreased mobility, reduced social contact and impaired ability to perform different activities. Previous studies of gait in the presence of a perturbance identified and analyz...

Purpose Physical activity (PA) provides multiple health-related benefits in children and adolescents, however, at present, the majority of young people are insufficiently physically active. The aim of this study was to evaluate if neighborhood walkability and/or socio-economic status (SES) could affect the practice of walking, play outdoors and spo...

Previous research has established good test–retest reliability for isokinetic dynamometry in fibromyalgia. However, the reliability of this test under dual-task conditions has not been investigated in fibromyalgia. Methods: A total of 10 women with fibromyalgia participated in this study. Participants completed the concentric/concentric test. The d...

Background Aging is associated with a health impairment and an increase of the vulnerability of the older people. Strength training under intermittent hypoxic conditions has been shown to have therapeutic effects on individual’s health. Aims The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a combined intermittent hypoxia (IH) and whole-body...

The risk for an unexpected fall can be due to increasing age, health conditions, and loss of cognitive, sensory, or musculoskeletal functions. Falls have personal and economic consequences in many countries. Different disturbances can occur during gait, such as tripping, slipping, or other unexpected circumstances that can generate a loss of balanc...

Background: Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is crucial for safeguarding the well-being and quality of life perception, appropriate growth, and development of children and adolescents, while also mitigating the risk of future adult-onset diseases. Objective: To assess associations between perceived quality of life and healthy lifestyle and relate...

Background: Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is crucial for safeguarding the well-being and quality of life perception, appropriate growth, and development of children and adolescents, while Citation: Ródenas-Munar, M.; Monserrat-Mesquida, M.; Gómez, S.F.; Wärnberg, J.; Medrano, M.; González-Gross, M.; Gusi, N.; Aznar, S.; Marín-Cascales, E.; Gonzál...

Achieving a high quality of life in older adults can be difficult if they have limited physical function. The aims of this study were to evaluate the relationship between baseline values and variations in body composition, fitness, and nutritional status on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and to describe the effects of a 6-month multicompone...

Background: Non-communicable chronic diseases are associated with a low-quality diet, low physical activity, and sedentary behavior. Objective: To assess how parents' diet and physical activity habits were associated with their offsprings' lifestyles. Study design: A cross-sectional analysis of 8-16-year-old children and adolescents (n = 2539;...

Background: Youth is a vulnerable period. To classify lifestyle behaviors and its relationship with health-related outcomes of Spanish children and adolescents. Methods: Cross-sectional study including 3261 children aged 7.5-17.5 y (52.8% females). Physical activity (PA), screen-time, sleep time, adherence to Mediterranean diet (MD), weight stat...

Unhealthy dietary habits determined during childhood may represent a risk factor to many of the chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in adulthood. Mediterranean Diet (MD) adherence in children and adolescents (8–16 years) living in Spain was investigated using the KIDMED questionnaire in a comparative analysis of two cross-sectional nationwide...

Childhood obesity is a public health problem worldwide. An important determinant of child and adolescent obesity is socioeconomic status (SES). However, the magnitude of the impact of different SES indicators on pediatric obesity on the Spanish population scale is unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the association between three SES indica...

Objectives: Internet-based interventions may represent an efficacious supporting alternative for those family caregivers who are often limited to do physical exercise regularly due to lack of time and/or they reside away from conventional facilities, especially those who live in remote rural locations. This study aims to describe comprehensively a...

Background: Previous studies have reported good test–retest reliability for the 3 m backward test (3MBWT) in different populations. However, reliability of the 3MBWT has not been studied in fibromyalgia (FM) under single and dual-task conditions; Methods: A total of 21 women with FM participated in this study. Participants completed the Revised Fib...

A total of 16 adults with cerebral palsy (age = 37.50 (7.78)) participated in this cross-sectional study. The electroencephalographic (EEG) data were recorded under three conditions: (1) baseline; (2) while listening to music; (3) while performing inclusive dance choreography with wheelchair. EEG data was banded into theta (4–7 Hz), alpha (8–12 Hz)...

Objective: To determine the link between physical fitness and body composition with nocturnal and nap time in Spanish older adults. Methods: Eight hundred thirty older adults underwent several tests. Sleep was measured using Jenkins Sleep Scale. Nocturnal sleep was categorized (<7, 7–9, and >9 hours), and nap time (no nap, 1–30 minutes, and >30 min...

(1) Background: The recent published version with five levels of response of EQ-5D-Y needs to be studied in children with chronic illness. For this, the aim of the present study was to assess and compare the psychometric properties of EQ-5D-Y-3L and EQ-5D-Y-5L in terms of feasibility, ceiling effect, redistribution properties, informativity and inc...

Regular exercise can be an effective health-promotion strategy to improve the physical and mental health of informal caregivers. A randomized controlled trial study was designed to evaluate the effects of a 9-month home-based exercise intervention on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and physical fitness in female family caregivers of persons...

Physical exercise is one of the treatment approaches with the most robust evidence against fibromyalgia (FM) symptoms. This study aimed to investigate the impact of being physically active on the Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT) performance as well as to investigate and compare the brain electrocortical activity during SCWT. A total of 31 women co...

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 a...

The study of mental load is an emerging research topic in the field of sport sciences. In the sport of chess, there is a need to understand the mental demands of the sport of chess in order to manage training loads. The present study aimed to analyze the electrical brain pattern of an elite chess player during different chess games: 15 + 10, blindf...

Background: Fibromyalgia symptoms have a significant impact on the ability to perform activities of daily living. These activities require the ability to perform two or more tasks at the same time, which is known as a dual task. Purpose: To analyze physical and cognitive performance differences between memory and arithmetic dual tasks. Methods:...

Introduction: Previous studies have associated brain abnormalities in people with fibromyalgia with accelerated brain ageing. The prefrontal cortex is located in the anterior pole of the mammalian brain. It is defined as the part of the cerebral cortex that receives projections from the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus. Aim: This study aimed...

La Fibromialgia es una enfermedad reumatológica cuyos síntomas pueden afectar al patrón motor de la marcha y en consecuencia a la realización de actividades de la vida cotidiana. Estas actividades suelen requerir la habilidad de realizar dos tareas de manera simultánea: una motriz y otra cognitiva, lo que se conoce como tareas duales. Los programas...

The aim of this study was to explore the differences among between adherence to physical activity (PA) and sociodemographic variables, body composition, and physical fitness levels in older adults (>65 years). A number of 2712 participants (2086 female; 76.92%) ranging from 65 to 92 years, participated in the study. Stages of change (SoC) for PA fr...

Background: Age-related changes negatively affect physical fitness, body composition, and executive function and produce a decrease in regucalcin level expression in blood. The square-stepping exercise (SSE) is a balance and lower-limb strength training programme used to prevent falls and stimulate cognitive function in older adults. This project...

Background and purpose Physical exercise is one of the most effective interventions to reduce fibromyalgia symptoms. Previous studies have reported benefits of dance-based intervention on the fibromyalgia impact, health-related quality of life and pain, regardless the interventions were based on creative- or repetitive dance. This study aimed to co...

Background: This study aimed to determine the effects on the quality of life (QoL) of an exercise program in obese children and detect what physical fitness components are responsible for the enhancement of the QoL Method: One hundred twenty-one obese and overweight children were part of an exercise group (9.4 ± 2.1 years old) that participated in...

Objectives: To assess the influence of different chronic diseases on lifestyle and health behaviours changes after COVID-19 lockdown in Spanish older people compared to people without these diseases and compare the differences in these changes between both periods. Methods: 1092 participants (80.3±5.6y;66.5%women) from two Spanish cohorts were i...

A progressive shift away from traditional healthy dietary patterns, such as the Mediterra- nean diet (MedDiet), has been observed in recent decades. The aim of this study was to assess de- terminants of optimal adherence to the MedDiet in Spanish children and adolescents. A cross-sec- tional analysis was included in the PASOS nationwide representat...

People with fibromyalgia could experience physical and cognitive impairments. Furthermore, when performing two tasks at the same time, people with fibromyalgia showed a higher dual-task cost compared to a single task than healthy people. This may result in poorer performance of activities of daily living that are commonly presented as a combination...

Background and aims: The World Health Organization recommended simultaneous measurement of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) and suggested joint use to predict disease risks. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of BMI and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) categories among Spanish children and adolescents, as well as thei...

A total of 80% of fibromyalgia (FM) population have reported poor sleep. In this regard, the pineal gland, involved in circadian rhythm processes as a key neuroendocrine organ which mainly synthesises and secretes melatonin, has never been studied before in this population. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the parenchyma pineal volume and it...

Background Hypoxic conditioning has been proposed as a new tool to mitigate the sarcopenia and enhance health-related function, but decrements in standing balance have been observed during hypoxia exposure. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of a hypoxic conditioning training on functional fitness, balance and fear of falling in health...

Background: Physical fitness levels and the amount of accumulated adipose tissue (fatness) relate to current and future individuals' heath status. Nevertheless, the interrelationships of their combined patterns with polypharmacy and the types of medications consumed have not been sufficiently investigated. Methods: This cross-sectional study was...

Background Validation of self-reported tools, such as physical activity (PA) questionnaires, is crucial. The aim of this study was to determine test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and the concurrent, construct, and predictive validity of the short semi-quantitative Physical Activity Unit 7 item Screener (PAU-7S), using accelerometry as t...

Objectives: The study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-level (EQ-5D-5L-Y) and to compare the performance of the EQ-5D-Y-5Lwith the EuroQol 5-Dimension 3-level (EQ-5D-3L-Y) in children and adolescents Methods: Spanish version of the 3L & 5L of EQ-5D for youths, were administered to children and adolescents dr...

We used data from 3041 participants in four cohorts of community-dwelling individuals aged ≥65 years in Spain collected through a pre-pandemic face-to-face interview and a telephone interview conducted between weeks 7 to 15 after the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown. On average, the confinement was not associated with a deterioration in lifestyle...

Background Physical fitness and body composition are important health indicators, nevertheless their combined pattern inter-relationships and their association with mortality are poorly investigated. Methods This longitudinal study is part of the Spanish EXERNET-Elder project. Person-months follow-up were calculated from the interview date, perfor...

Objective: To analyze the psychophysiological response during takeoff, landing, air-air attack and air-ground attack maneuvers. Methods: A total of 11 expert pilots (age=33.36 (5.37)) from the Spanish Air Force participated in this cross-sectional study. Participants had to complete in a flight simulator the following missions: 1) takeoff; 2) Ai...

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic, worldwide disease affecting more than 400 million people. This pathology involves several associated problems, such as diabetic neuropathy complications, obesity, and foot problems, both in terms of health and sensitivity. Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the relation...

Objectives To assess the influence of muscle power and adiposity on all-cause mortality risk and to evaluate the ‘fat but powerful’ (F+P) (or ‘fat but fit’) paradox in older adults. Methods A total of 2563 older adults (65‒91 years old) from the EXERNET multicentre study were included. Adiposity (body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, body fa...

Introduction A vast amount of research has focused on the effects of physical fitness (PF) on mortality, with little research evaluating the effects of PF on future expected health related quality of life (HRQoL). Aim To evaluate how current PF influences future HRQoL measured in a prospective 8-year study in older adults. Methods A total of 617...

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic disorder, with patients exhibiting hyperglycemia in fasting and postprandial states. T2DM has several complications, including loss of sensation in more distal body parts. Good peripheral sensitivity is essential as this affects different parameters related to activities of daily living, such...

The aim of this study is to evaluate if screen time and parents’ education levels are associated with adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern. This cross-sectional study analyzed a representative sample of 3333 children and adolescents (8 to 16 years) included in the Physical Activity, Sedentarism, lifestyles and Obesity in Spanish youth (PASO...

Background: We aimed to examine main changes in health behaviors, mental and physical health among older adults under severe lockdown restrictions during the COVID-19. Methods: We used prospective data from 3041 participants in four cohorts of community-dwelling individuals aged ≥65 years in Spain. Data were obtained using validated questionnaires...

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 dise...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, entire populations were instructed to live in home-confinement to prevent the expansion of the disease. Spain was one of the countries with the strictest conditions, as outdoor physical activity was banned for nearly two months. This study aimed to analyse the changes in physical activity and sedentary behaviours in Sp...

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 pe...

Introduction: fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic rheumatic disorder that is related to high levels of cholesterol, high values of diastolic pressure, higher waist-to-hip-ratio (WHR), and higher body mass index. Objectives: the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Ganoderma lucidum (GL) and Ceratonia siliqua (CS) on blood parameters and a...

Fibromyalgia syndrome is a chronic rheumatic disorder characterized by generalized and widespread musculoskeletal pain. It is associated with several secondary symptoms such as psychological and pain-specific distress, which can directly impact daily functioning and quality of life, like anxiety and depression. The Ganoderma lucidum (GL) mushroom s...

Objectives To assess the influence of muscle power and adiposity on all-cause mortality risk and to evaluate the ‘fat but powerful’ (or ‘fat but fit’) paradox in older adults. Methods A total of 2563 older adults (65‒91 years old) from the EXERNET Multi-center study were included. Adiposity (body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, body fat per...

Background Women with FM have a reduced ability to perform two simultaneous tasks. However, the impact of dual task (DT) on the neurophysiological response of women with FM has not been studied. Objective To explore both the neurophysiological response and physical performance of women with FM and healthy controls while performing a DT (motor–cogn...

Introduction: Physical activity (PA) is essential to healthy mental and physical development in early life. However, the prevalence of physical inactivity, which is considered a key modifiable driver of childhood obesity, has reached alarming levels among European youth. There is a need to update the data for Spain, in order to establish if curren...

Background: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic disease whose symptoms may cause altered walking pattern, which is important given the relevance of walking in daily life activities. These activities use to require the ability to perform both a motor and a cognitive task simultaneously. The main aim of the current study was to evaluate the impact of per...

Objective: This study was aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a home-based physical exercise program on participants' mental health: psychological symptoms, depression, and burden of female informal caregivers. Design and participants: In a randomized controlled trial, a sample of 48 female informal primary caregivers completed the entire stu...

Purpose To assess and compare the HRQoL and physical fitness of polio survivors with healthy individuals. Methods Thirty-seven polio survivors and 40 healthy individuals were recruited in this cross-sectional study. The Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) was used to evaluate participant’s level of fatigue; Short Form 36 (SF-36) was used for evaluating H...

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 comp...

Background: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic disease that affects millions of people, and according to the International Diabetes Federation, 46.5% of people have undiagnosed diabetes. One of the most common complications of diabetes mellitus is loss of peripheral sensation. Whole Body Vibration (WBV) is a therapy, and it would be inte...

The aims of the present study were (1) to describe the changes in physical fitness during an 8 year follow-up in a large sample of Spanish adults aged 65 or over that are initially engaged in organized physical activity (OPA), (2) to compare fitness changes according to different age groups (65 to 69 vs. 70 to 74 vs. ≥75 years-old), (3) to evaluate...

(1) Background: Regucalcin or senescence marker protein 30 (SMP30) is a Ca2+ binding protein discovered in 1978 with multiple functions reported in the literature. However, the impact of exercise training on SMP30 in humans has not been analyzed. Aging is associated with many detrimental physiological changes that affect body composition, functiona...

Background and objectives: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic disease characterized by hyperglycemia. T2DM affects millions of people, and has a lot of complications such as impaired sensation in the feet. Moreover, it is important to know the health of the feet of people with T2DM. The aim of this study is to know the preliminary values...

Purpose: the present study aimed to analyse the effects of 12 months of participation in a public physical activity program linked to primary care on depression level and fitness, and to determine which fitness components were responsible for the improvement in depression using mediation analysis. Methods: participants of this program were 2768 mid...

Objective To assess the test‐retest reliability of 10‐step stair ascent test, TUG test and 10‐m walking test under dual task conditions in patients with fibromyalgia. Design Test‐Retest reliability. Settings Local fibromyalgia association and university facilities. Participants 38 women with fibromyalgia. Interventions Not applicable. Main out...

The objective of the present manuscript was to evaluate the effects of 24-weeks exergame intervention on the heart rate variability (HRV) of women with fibromyalgia. First, 56 women with fibromyalgia were assessed for eligibility. A total of 55 women fulfilled the inclusion criteria and participated in this single-blinded, randomized controlled tri...

Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease and it is characterized by reduced insulin sensitivity and/or impaired insulin production. It affects approximately 415 million people worldwide and involves a variety of complications. DM has a number of complications, including diabetic neuropathy. All of these complications can have effects...

Purpose: To systematically review the effectiveness of dance-based programs to improve motor-cognitive dual-task performance in middle-aged and older adults. Materials and methods: Five scientific databases were selected to identify the articles included in this systematic review. Ninety-one articles were found in the electronic databases. Fourteen...

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease characterized by fasting hyperglycemia. It affects approximately 415 million people worldwide and involves a variety of complications. One of them is the loss of sensitivity to peripheral vibration. Objective: Our study aims to discover the test-retest reliability of a procedure for assessing vi...

Previous research has proposed a range of support interventions to mitigate the adverse impact of caregiving on the daily life of caregivers of relatives with dementia. However, the effectiveness of these interventions shows a high variability. Informal caregivers usually lack the time and/or live too far from conventional facilities to do physical...

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of an 8-week whole-body vibration (WBV) on the quality of life, physical fitness, body composition, glycosylate hemoglobin (HbA1c), lipid profile, and foot health status in people with type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). It was performed as a double-blinded randomized controlled trial of 90 people with...

Informal caregivers of persons with dementia often report high levels of anxiety, depression and burden. Nonetheless, other less evaluated psychological symptoms might also influence their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this study was to comprehensively analyse other psychological symptoms and their influence on the health-relat...

The present study aimed to analyze differences in the electroencephalogram (EEG) power spectrum (theta, alpha, and beta) between participants who won (winning group) and those who lost (losing group) in three different chess games: against their same Elo (100% chess games), 25% over their Elo (125% chess games), and 25% under their Elo (75% chess g...

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of a 24 week exergame intervention and 24 weeks of detraining on lower-limb strength, agility, and cardiorespiratory fitness in women with fibromyalgia (FM). It was performed as a single-blinded randomized controlled trial of 55 women with FM. University facilities were used. The 24 week exergame int...

The present study aimed to: (1) analyze the test–retest reliability of the 30 s chair stand test and the 30 s arm curl test under dual-task conditions; (2) analyze the test–retest reliability of a new variable which assesses the total performance (cognitive + physical) in both tests. A total of 37 women with fibromyalgia participated in the study....

Objective To assess the relationship between fitness levels and components, sitting time and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), over time among community-dwelling older adults. Methods Three different sitting trajectories were calculated: (i) no change; (ii) decrease; and (iii) increase in ST, between baseline and follow-up. Fitness was asses...

Background: Altered balance is a common and debilitating symptom of fibromyalgia. Previous studies have investigated balance under single-task conditions that do not reflect real-life situations. The present study evaluated the impact of a simultaneous cell-phone conversation on balance performance in a case-control cohort from Spain. Methods: A...

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease defined as a state of hyperglycaemia in fasting or postprandial states. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) often show reduced physical function, including low levels of strength, balance or mobility. In this regard, the timed up and go (TUG) is a widely used physical fitness test in people with T2DM...

El objetivo de este estudio fue estudiar los efectos de una tarea dual en el tiro libre en baloncesto, comparando esa influencia en función de la categoría y el sexo de los jugadores. Los resultados muestran que existe un descenso del rendimiento provocado por la tarea dual de los baloncestistas de categoría infantil y junior (p<0,05), no observánd...

Background: Exergames are non-immersive versions of virtual reality that involve physical exercise and have shown several benefits on physical fitness and quality of life in women with fibromyalgia. However, the effects on brain dynamics are still unknown. Aim: the aim was to evaluate the effects of a 24-week exergame intervention on resting bra...