TOPIC

Neurological research

Everything we have read on neurological. Each paper is summarised from the full article rather than its abstract, so the limitations are in there too, and the funding wherever the paper declares it.

2,792 PAPERS · PAGE 13 OF 56 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTPilot2019Offline effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on reaction times of lower extremity movements in people after stroke: a pilot cross-over study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationSingle-session tDCS did not improve reaction times for lower-limb movements in people with chronic stroke. Participants with poor leg function actually showed slower reaction times with cathodal stimulation, while those with good function showed minor, likely clinically irrelevant gains.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2019Wearable technology in stroke rehabilitation: towards improved diagnosis and treatment of upper-limb motor impairment.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationWearable sensors like IMUs and EMG can objectively track arm movement and muscle activity after stroke, but they are not yet ready for routine clinical use. Most studies are small pilots showing technical promise, not proven treatment effects.
• PTOTPilot2020A Pilot Study Testing a Novel 3D Printed Amphibious Lower Limb Prosthesis in a Recreational Pool Setting.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationTen adults with below-knee amputations found a new 3D-printed swim prosthesis easy to use and preferred it over a standard swim ankle. They exited the pool faster with the new device, but swimming speed and heart rate changes were similar.
• PTOTCohort2019Retraining walking over ground in a powered exoskeleton after spinal cord injury: a prospective cohort study to examine functional gains and neuroplasticity.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationWith repeated powered exoskeleton training, people with severe spinal cord injury walked for about an hour each session, and some gained balance or strength. Brain-to-spine signals did not change, and no control group means recovery cannot be proven.
• PTOTCohort2019Movement kinematics and proprioception in post-stroke spasticity: assessment using the Kinarm robotic exoskeleton.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationStroke patients with spasticity showed slower and less smooth reaching than those without, but proprioception deficits were similar between groups. Both groups struggled with position matching compared to healthy norms. Assess timing and speed separately from sensory function.
• PTOTCohort2019Belief, Confidence, and Motivation to Use the Paretic Upper Limb in Daily Life Over the First 24 Weeks After Stroke.Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPTStroke survivors remained highly confident and motivated to use their weak arm over the first six months, regardless of physical recovery or mood. This suggests therapists can assume patients are ready to engage and should focus on removing practical barriers rather than boosting morale.
• OTCohort2020Interrelationships Between Post-TBI Employment and Substance Abuse: A Cross-lagged Structural Equation Modeling Analysis.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationAfter moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury, adults employed one year after injury were more likely to report substance abuse at two years. This is an association, not proof employment caused it.
• OTRCT2020Online Family Problem-Solving Therapy (F-PST) for Executive and Behavioral Dysfunction After Traumatic Brain Injury in Adolescents: A Randomized, Multicenter, Comparative Effectiveness Clinical Trial.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationThe three family problem-solving modes did not differ on parent- and adolescent-reported executive function and behavior scores. Parent-reported scores improved within online groups, especially self-guided online at 9 months.
• PTOTOther2019Distance-Induced Changes in Walking Speed After Stroke: Relationship to Community Walking Activity.Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPTAfter stroke, people who slowed more during the 6-minute walk walked far fewer daily steps than those with similar total distance but steadier speed. Check speed decline, not just distance, when judging walking activity.
• PTOTOther2019Stretch reflex excitability in contralateral limbs of stroke survivors is higher than in matched controls.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationStroke survivors showed exaggerated stretch reflexes not just in the spastic arm but also in the non-spastic arm. The non-spastic arm required less tendon indentation to trigger a reflex than healthy controls, suggesting bilateral nervous system changes after stroke.
• PTOTSLPPilot2020Feasibility of integrative games and novel therapeutic game controller for telerehabilitation of individuals chronic post-stroke living in the community.Topics in stroke rehabilitationSeven chronic stroke survivors trained at home for four weeks using virtual games. Self-reported arm function and depression improved significantly, but clinical measures of arm movement showed no significant change. Technical problems were frequent, and the system's owner funded the study.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Impact of Secondary ADHD on Long-Term Outcomes After Early Childhood Traumatic Brain Injury.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationChildren who developed new attention problems years after a brain injury showed significantly worse behavior control and daily functioning in early adolescence. This risk was much higher than in children with orthopedic injuries who developed similar attention issues.
• PTOTRCT2019Effects of horse-riding therapy and rhythm and music-based therapy on functional mobility in late phase after stroke.NeuroRehabilitationThe trial's main perceived-recovery outcome was reported elsewhere as higher after horse-riding than after rhythm and music therapy. This paper's mobility results showed horse-riding improved 10-meter walking, while rhythm and music therapy had little immediate change and some 6-month walking gains.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2020Examining the Efficacy of Communication Partner Training for Improving Communication Interactions and Outcomes for Individuals With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationTraining communication partners improves conversational outcomes for people with traumatic brain injury. Joint training of both the patient and their partner yields greater gains in information transfer and support than treating the patient alone, with benefits maintained at six months.
• PTOTOther2020Roles of Lesioned and Nonlesioned Hemispheres in Reaching Performance Poststroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairBriefly disrupting a nonlesioned premotor area slowed affected-arm reaching in chronic stroke patients with severe arm impairment. In milder impairment, disrupting lesioned motor cortex slowed reaching. This was a brain-stimulation experiment, not a therapy trial.
• OTCohort2019Parkinson's family needs and caregiver mental health: A cross-cultural comparison between Mexico and the United States.NeuroRehabilitationCaregivers in Mexico and the United States had similar levels of anxiety and depression. US caregivers reported more unmet emotional and community support needs. Mexican caregivers reported more unmet instrumental needs, such as help with daily tasks.
• OTSLPRCT2019The effect of intensified nonverbal facilitation of swallowing on dysphagia after severe acquired brain injury: A randomised controlled pilot study.NeuroRehabilitationIntensified nonverbal facilitation of swallowing was feasible but did not significantly improve clinical swallowing scores compared to control. The intervention group showed positive changes in laryngeal elevation speed and maximum elevation during treatment, while the control group worsened on these measures.
• PTOTCohort2019Impact of motor therapy with dynamic body-weight support on Functional Independence Measures in traumatic brain injury: An exploratory study.NeuroRehabilitationIn six patients with traumatic brain injury, therapy using dynamic body-weight support led to significantly greater improvement in Functional Independence Measure scores at discharge compared to standard care. This was a small, retrospective comparison, not a randomized trial.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Longer Time Before Acute Rehabilitation Therapy Worsens Disability After Intracerebral Hemorrhage.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationEvery extra day between hospital admission and the first rehab consult raised the odds of poor disability outcomes at 30 and 90 days. Delays were longest for patients in the ICU, those with low consciousness, or those who could walk before the stroke.
• PTOTSLPCohort2019Risk factors and types of recurrent stroke: a Saudi hospital based study.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 112 Saudi patients with recurrent stroke, hypertension was present in 90.2% and diabetes in 62.5%. Ischaemic heart disease was significantly more common in ischaemic strokes than in brain bleeds. These findings support rigorous vascular risk monitoring for this population.
• PTOTSLPOther2020Budget impact analysis of robotic exoskeleton use for locomotor training following spinal cord injury in four SCI Model Systems.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIntroducing robotic exoskeletons for 10% of locomotor training sessions in four rehabilitation facilities resulted in small annual savings, ranging from $649 to $4784. However, increasing conventional overground training by 10% yielded greater savings than adding the exoskeleton.
• PTOTCohort2020Using Inferred Mobility Status to Estimate the Time to Major Depressive Disorder Diagnosis Post-Spinal Cord Injury.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationAfter spinal cord injury, major depression was diagnosed in 20.87% of insured people, with a median time of 86.0 days, and was more common when durable medical equipment claims suggested greater mobility impairment.
• OTRCT2019Development of 3D-printed myoelectric hand orthosis for patients with spinal cord injury.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn 10 people with chronic cervical spinal cord injury, wearing a 3D-printed hand orthosis controlled by muscle signals improved hand function test scores for many objects. Small or flat objects showed little change.
• PTOTSurvey2019Assessing and addressing footwear needs in Parkinson's disease-design thinking in neurology.NeuroRehabilitationMost Parkinson's patients in this survey struggled to put on shoes. Longer disease duration, not age, predicted these difficulties. Patients prioritized comfort and ease of use but abandoned dress shoes if they were uncomfortable, highlighting a gap between functional needs and aesthetic preferences.
• PTOTRCT2020Reliability, validity and discriminant ability of a robotic device for finger training in patients with subacute stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationThe robotic device reliably measures finger strength and muscle tone in stroke patients, with changes greater than 10.6 N in flexion or 3.4 N in extension likely reflecting true improvement. It does not reliably measure spasticity, so do not use its spasticity scores to guide treatment.
• PTOTRCT2020Hebbian-Type Primary Motor Cortex Stimulation: A Potential Treatment of Impaired Hand Function in Chronic Stroke Patients.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairNo significant difference between Hebbian-type and sham stimulation on the primary hand function measure. Both groups improved after training, and only the Hebbian-type group remained significantly better than baseline at four weeks.
• PTOTSLPPilot2020Automatic versus manual tuning of robot-assisted gait training in people with neurological disorders.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAn automatic tuning algorithm reached stable assistance levels faster than an experienced therapist and used lower assistance overall. Participants reported similar safety and effect for both methods. This pilot compared tuning mechanics, not long-term clinical recovery.
• OTRCT2020Anatomical and Functional Characterization in Children With Unilateral Cerebral Palsy: An Atlas-Based Analysis.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairIn children with unilateral cerebral palsy, whole-brain anatomical patterns tracked hand function more closely than lesion type alone. Children with periventricular lesions had better hand function than children with middle cerebral artery lesions.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Prevalence of physical and mental health conditions in Medicare-enrolled, autistic older adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic older adults had significantly higher odds of nearly every physical and mental health condition compared to non-autistic peers. This included high risks for epilepsy, Parkinson’s, gastrointestinal issues, and suicidality. Clinicians should anticipate complex comorbidities in this population.
• PTOTPilot2020Changes in standing stability with balance-based torso-weighting with cerebellar ataxia: A pilot study.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapyLight torso weights helped people with cerebellar ataxia stand longer and sway less when balance was challenged, but did not improve walking speed. The weights were safe in this small pilot, suggesting potential for stability support but not faster mobility.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2020Inconsistent Classification of Mild Stroke and Implications on Health Services Delivery.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationMild stroke is defined inconsistently across the literature, with ten different cutoff scores on the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale alone. This confusion likely contributes to patients being misclassified and missing out on necessary rehabilitation referrals and services.
• PTOTPilot2019Minimal clinically important difference for the Fugl-Meyer assessment of the upper extremity in convalescent stroke patients with moderate to severe hemiparesis.Journal of physical therapy scienceFor convalescent stroke patients with moderate to severe arm weakness, a 12.4-point improvement on the Fugl-Meyer upper extremity score marked the threshold where patients felt their arm function had meaningfully improved in daily life.
• OTSLPNarrative Review2020From Early Childhood to Adolescence: Lessons About Traumatic Brain Injury From the Ohio Head Injury Outcomes Study.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationChildren with early childhood TBI had lasting cognitive, language, behavior, and school difficulties, often unmet. Family stress, parenting, and genetics were related to outcomes. This review reports associations, not treatment effects.
• PTOTCohort2020Influence of Prior and Intercurrent Brain Injury on 5-Year Outcome Trajectories After Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationPrior and later moderate to severe injuries did not change the recovery course after moderate to severe TBI, but they were linked to worse function over five years. Mild injuries showed no such link.
• OTRCT2020Visual processing speed in hemianopia patients secondary to acquired brain injury: a new assessment methodology.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationPeople with visual field loss after brain injury were 73.0% slower at finding and touching everyday objects than matched healthy people. A timed search-and-reach task may help therapists see how field loss affects daily visual tasks.
• PTOTCohort2020Central Drive to the Paretic Ankle Plantarflexors Affects the Relationship Between Propulsion and Walking Speed After Stroke.Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPTIn people with chronic stroke, the brain's ability to drive the paretic calf muscles, not just their raw strength, predicts how well they push off during walking. Clinicians should assess central drive to identify patients who may benefit from interventions targeting neural activation rather than just muscle strengthening.
• PTOTOther2020Human arm weight compensation in rehabilitation robotics: efficacy of three distinct methods.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationThe Equilibrium method reduced muscle effort significantly more than the Average and Full methods in healthy subjects. In three stroke patients, it increased horizontal workspace compared to no support, though results varied by arm height and individual.
• PTOTCase-Control2020Assessment of bilateral motor skills and visuospatial attention in children with perinatal stroke using a robotic object hitting task.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationChildren with perinatal stroke hit fewer balls than peers with both hands, especially after arterial ischemic stroke. The unaffected hand also showed fewer hits, and attention test scores related to performance.
• OTCohort2020Hand Extension Robot Orthosis (HERO) Grip Glove: enabling independence amongst persons with severe hand impairments after stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn one session, the HERO Grip Glove helped 11 stroke survivors with severe hand impairment extend fingers, grasp blocks, bottles, forks, and pens, but participants were only moderately satisfied and often needed arm or hand support.
• PTOTOther2020Oxygen Cost During Walking in Individuals With Stroke: Hemiparesis Versus Cerebellar Ataxia.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairStroke survivors with cerebellar ataxia cost more oxygen per meter walking than hemiparetic survivors when walking faster than 0.4 m/s. Their oxygen cost increased as ataxia severity increased. Fatigue may limit community walking.
• OTOther2020Sequelae of Blast Events in Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans using the Salisbury Blast Interview: A CENC Study.Brain injuryVeterans who felt a stronger pressure change during a blast were more likely to report a brain injury during that event. Stronger blast sensations also tracked with more current PTSD and postconcussive symptoms.
• PTOTOther2019Immediate effects of a novel walking assist device with auxiliary illuminator on patients after acute strokes.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoAdding a laser guide to a quad-cane increased the heel-strike angle in stroke patients. This suggests better foot placement at initial contact. However, the device did not improve walking speed, stride length, or cadence in the overall group.
• PTOTSLPCohort2019Walking velocity and modified rivermead mobility index as discriminatory measures for functional ambulation classification of chronic stroke patients.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoMaximum walking speed above 0.92 m/s and modified Rivermead Mobility Index scores above 26.5 accurately identified chronic stroke patients capable of outdoor ambulation. These simple measures help therapists distinguish high-level walkers from those needing assistance without relying solely on observation.
• PTOTNarrative Review2019Post-stroke motor recovery and cortical organization following Constraint-Induced Movement Therapies: a literature review.Journal of physical therapy scienceConstraint-induced movement therapy improves arm use in chronic stroke patients, but brain changes are inconsistent across studies. Modified versions are feasible and effective, yet lack long-term follow-up data to prove sustained gains.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020The Longitudinal Effects of Comorbid Health Burden on Functional Outcomes for Adults With Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationAmong 10-year survivors of moderate to severe TBI, higher physical burden was associated with worse motor, cognitive, and life satisfaction trajectories; higher mental burden was associated with worse cognition and life satisfaction.
• PTOTCohort2020Neurosensory Screening and Symptom Provocation in Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationChildren about one week after mild head injury had higher symptom ratings and more symptom increase during neurosensory tests than healthy peers. But test scores did not reliably identify individual injured children; they improved prediction of persistent symptoms at four months.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Implementation of a gait center training to improve walking ability and vital parameters in inpatient neurological rehabilitation- a cohort study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn this large cohort, patients who could not walk at admission gained the most walking ability. However, vital capacity improved only in those who could not walk, and blood pressure did not change. Gait center training may help non-ambulatory patients regain mobility.
• PTOTSLPRCT2020Changes in leg cycling muscle synergies after training augmented by functional electrical stimulation in subacute stroke survivors: a pilot study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationNine subacute stroke survivors improved clinically and in cycling work after three weeks of FES-cycling. However, the number of muscle synergies did not increase, and changes were not compared to usual care alone. You cannot attribute these gains specifically to the electrical stimulation.
• PTOTSLPPilot2020Adaptive multichannel FES neuroprosthesis with learning control and automatic gait assessment.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationFour people with spinal cord injury tested a learning electrical stimulation device. Two felt it helped and showed small angle changes, but one had technical failures and one could not tolerate the stimulation. It is not yet a usable clinical tool.
• PTOTOther2020Survivors of Chronic Stroke Experience Continued Impairment of Dexterity But Not Strength in the Nonparetic Upper Limb.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationIn chronic stroke survivors with severe paretic hand impairment, the nonparetic hand showed impaired dexterity but not grip strength, despite long reliance on that limb.