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 34 OF 56 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTSLPRCT2023Theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation for dysphagia patients during recovery stage of stroke: a randomized controlled trial.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineFor stroke patients with swallowing difficulties, adding four weeks of intermittent theta-burst stimulation to standard therapy improved swallowing function more than sham stimulation. This benefit held for both supratentorial and brainstem strokes, while continuous theta-burst stimulation showed inconsistent effects depending on stroke location.
• PTOTRCT2023Assessing walking ability using a robotic gait trainer: opportunities and limitations of assist-as-needed control in spinal cord injury.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA robotic gait trainer's knee support level during swing predicted walking speed in ambulatory SCI patients. However, the model failed for non-ambulatory and able-bodied users, and reliability was poor due to learning effects. It is not yet ready for clinical assessment.
• PTOTProtocol2023The Critical Period After Stroke Study (CPASS) Upper Extremity Treatment Protocol.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationForty-nine participants completed at least 15 hours of a 20-hour upper-extremity shaping protocol within 42 days after stroke, mostly in outpatient settings, using activities they chose for daily life.
• PTOTCohort2023Intermittent self-catheterization training and effects on treatment adherence and infection.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineWhether patients learned self-catheterization immediately or a day later did not change adherence or complications over 12 months. However, patients who skipped or added catheterizations had significantly more urinary tract infections, and those with multiple sclerosis had higher infection rates and poorer technique.
• PTOTOther2023Visual Exploration While Walking With and Without Visual Cues in Parkinson's Disease: Freezer Versus Non-Freezer.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairVisual cues like floor lines improved gait in people with Parkinson's, regardless of whether they had freezing of gait. Eye-tracking showed cues made people look more frequently but with slower, shorter eye movements, suggesting the brain works harder to focus on the cue.
• PTOTOther2023A robot-based interception task to quantify upper limb impairments in proprioceptive and visual feedback after stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA robot-based task revealed that most stroke survivors have impaired rapid motor corrections, even in their unaffected arm. The task detected deficits that standard clinical scales missed, suggesting therapists should assess feedback processing separately from basic strength or movement range.
• PTOTCohort2023Myoelectric Arm Orthosis Assists Functional Activities: A 3-Month Home Use Outcome Report.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationFirst-time MyoPro users with chronic stroke completed grasp and transfer tasks faster and more successfully with the device than without it over three months. Task improvement was not linear, and the study did not control for the amount of therapy each participant received.
• PTOTSystematic Review2023Effectiveness of the "Evidence-Based Scientific Exercise Guidelines" in Increasing Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Cardiometabolic Health, and Muscle Strength in Acute Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationAerobic exercise did not significantly improve cardiorespiratory fitness in acute spinal cord injury. However, functional electrical stimulation cycling reduced muscle loss and increased lean body mass. Strength training improved peak torque and perceived function. These interventions appear safe but evidence remains limited.
• OTCase Report2023Serotonin Syndrome Precipitated by Amantadine in a Patient With Persistent Post Concussive Symptoms - A Case Report.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationA 22-year-old with persistent post-concussive symptoms developed serotonin syndrome 10 days after starting amantadine while taking duloxetine, bupropion, gabapentin, and receiving botulinum toxin. Symptoms resolved after stopping amantadine and bupropion and lowering duloxetine. This is one case, not proof amantadine caused it.
• PTOTSLPOther2024A roadmap for research in post-stroke fatigue: Consensus-based core recommendations from the third Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Roundtable.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairExperts recommend assessing every stroke survivor for fatigue using a structured interview tool to identify modifiable causes like sleep, mood, or medication side effects. For research, they propose a specific 7-item scale, noting current evidence for treatments is conflicting and insufficient to guide practice.
• PTOTSLPOther2023Motor-cognitive functions required for driving in post-stroke individuals identified via machine-learning analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA machine-learning model accurately predicted driving aptitude in post-stroke individuals using a subset of cognitive tests. Key predictors included time orientation, sustained attention, and visual neglect. This suggests a shorter, targeted screening battery could replace the current week-long assessment.
• PTOTSLPCohort2023Clinical presentation of patients with lower limb spasticity undergoing routine treatment with botulinum toxin: baseline findings from an international observational study.Journal of rehabilitation medicineAmbulatory patients with lower limb spasticity face widespread difficulties with dressing, walking, and daily activities, alongside high rates of sensory, cognitive, and communication impairments. Most prioritize locomotion goals, but complex comorbidities require comprehensive assessment before treatment.
• PTOTCase Series2023Stabilizing leaning postures with feedback controlled functional neuromuscular stimulation after trunk paralysis.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesIn three people with spinal cord injury, a feedback-controlled implanted stimulator held forward leaning postures and increased forward reach by 10.2, 46.7, and 16 cm compared with no stimulation. Lateral reaches did not improve.
• PTOTRCT2023Feasibility and outcomes of supplemental gait training by robotic and conventional means in acute stroke rehabilitation.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding extra gait training to standard care is feasible and safe. Both robotic and conventional methods improved walking and function similarly. Neither was significantly better, but the robotic group needed fewer sessions to achieve gains.
• PTOTSLPOther2024A translational roadmap for transcranial magnetic and direct current stimulation in stroke rehabilitation: Consensus-based core recommendations from the third stroke recovery and rehabilitation roundtable.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairExperts identified five barriers preventing brain stimulation from becoming routine in stroke care. They recommend stricter reporting, better animal models, and larger trials to prove which patients benefit before clinicians change practice.
• OTSurvey2024Work Adjustments by Types of Occupations Amongst People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Survey Study.Journal of occupational rehabilitationMost employed people with MS reported no need for work adjustments (69.5%), despite invisible limiting symptoms. Adjustments were linked to disclosure, higher MS severity and invisible symptoms, and differed by occupation.
• PTOTSLPCohort2024Post-stroke Depressive Symptoms and Cognitive Performances: A Network Analysis.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationMood was the most central depressive symptom, while executive function dominated the cognitive network. Psychomotor functioning and attention acted as bridges between the two. This suggests targeting mood and executive function may help resolve co-occurring post-stroke depression and cognitive issues.
• PTOTCohort2024Reliability and validity of the Greek adaptation of the Modified Barthel Index in neurorehabilitation patients.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineThe Greek Modified Barthel Index was stable and matched other daily function scores well in stroke and spinal cord injury rehab, but it did not fit as a single score. Use transfers and daily activities plus mobility separately.
• PTOTCohort2023ToulGaitViz: a tool for the systematic description of lower limb clearance during the swing phase of hemiparetic gait after stroke. A cohort study.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicinePost-stroke walkers rely heavily on compensatory movements to clear the ground, unlike healthy walkers who use natural limb shortening. A new software tool quantifies this compensation. It helps clinicians identify if gait issues stem from stiffness or excessive compensation, guiding targeted treatment.
• PTOTQualitative2023A qualitative study to elicit user requirements for lower limb wearable exoskeletons for gait rehabilitation in spinal cord injury.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationPeople with spinal cord injury and clinicians have different priorities for exoskeletons. Patients want home use and psychological benefits, while clinicians worry about workload and cost. Both groups agree devices must be adjustable and easy to put on. This study reports their preferences, not clinical outcomes.
• PTOTSLPPilot2023Feasibility, safety, and efficacy of task-oriented mirrored robotic training on upper-limb functions and activities of daily living in subacute poststroke patients: a pilot study.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineAdding 30 minutes of mirrored robotic training to usual care improved arm function and daily living scores more than usual care alone in 32 subacute stroke patients. The study was a small pilot with no randomisation, so treat these gains as preliminary rather than proven.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2023Effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation on balance and gait in patients with multiple sclerosis: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationtDCS improved walking speed and functional gait compared to sham, but did not improve static balance or patient-reported walking difficulty. The benefit was moderate, but evidence quality is low due to high variability between studies and potential publication bias.
• PTOTOther2024A programme evaluation of 'First Steps': A peer-conceived, developed and led self-management intervention for people after a Parkinson's diagnosis.Clinical rehabilitationA peer-led Parkinson's self-management programme did not improve anxiety, depression, daily functioning, quality of life or carer strain compared with usual care. People in the programme group increased their physical activity, but this was not better than usual care.
• PTOTSLPCohort2024Predicting the functional outcome of intensive inpatient rehabilitation after stroke: results from the RIPS Study.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineAdmission scores on six items predict discharge function after stroke rehab. Younger age, higher independence, fewer comorbidities, better cognition, lower stroke severity, and higher motor function at admission linked to better discharge outcomes.
• PTOTCohort2024Relation Between Cognitive Assessment and Clinical Physical Performance Measures After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationIn people with mild traumatic brain injury, cognitive scores correlated strongly with complex physical tasks like agility and high-level mobility, but not with simple walking or dual-tasking. Dual-task performance reflected prioritization strategies rather than cognitive ability.
• PTOTOther2023Testing spasticity mechanisms in chronic stroke before and after intervention with contralesional motor cortex 1 Hz rTMS and physiotherapy.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAfter rTMS plus physiotherapy, chronic stroke patients had less reflex-mediated wrist stiffness and better arm scores. Passive tissue stiffness did not change. Because both treatments were given together, rTMS alone cannot be credited.
• PTOTSystematic Review2023Relationship between resting-state functional connectivity and change in motor function after motor imagery intervention in patients with stroke: a scoping review.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAcross 13 studies, changes in resting-state brain connectivity correlated with motor function improvement after motor imagery or brain-computer interface interventions in stroke patients. This suggests a neural basis for these treatments but does not prove they cause the recovery.
• PTOTOther2023Post-stroke deficits in the anticipatory control and bimanual coordination during naturalistic cooperative bimanual action.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationPeople with right-hemisphere stroke showed the poorest anticipatory force scaling when lifting a weighted box. Both stroke groups had impaired coordination in the paretic hand, but adding weight improved how well the two hands worked together, suggesting some capacity was masked by low demand.
• PTOTSystematic Review2023Essential training variables of arm-hand training in people with cervical spinal cord injury: a systematic review.Journal of rehabilitation medicineArm-hand training programmes for cervical spinal cord injury showed better before-after gains in programmes that used skill practice, real-life tasks, both hands and lasted at least 8 weeks.
• PTOTSLPOther2023Understanding stroke survivors' preferences regarding wearable sensor feedback on functional movement: a mixed-methods study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationStroke survivors found wearable sensor reports easy to understand and motivating, but no single metric was preferred. They wanted real-time feedback tied to personal goals and emphasized that clinicians are still needed to interpret data and maintain accountability.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2023Applications of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Improve Upper Limb Motor Performance After Stroke: A Systematic Review.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairMost stroke rTMS trials still suppress the unaffected hemisphere, but this often fails to improve motor function. Evidence suggests matching the stimulation to the patient's specific nerve damage is critical, as suppressing the unaffected side can worsen outcomes in severely impaired patients.
• PTOTSLPCohort2023World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule versus Functional Independence Measure in Traumatic Brain Injury.Journal of rehabilitation medicineProxy WHODAS-12 scores differentiated mild from moderate traumatic brain injury more accurately than the Functional Independence Measure. Participation restrictions were more severe than activity limitations, especially in milder injuries, suggesting a need to assess social and community involvement specifically.
• PTOTSLPCohort2023Healthcare resource utilization and costs among patients with post-stroke spasticity before and after spasticity management including onabotulinumtoxina.Journal of rehabilitation medicineIn 735 adults with post-stroke spasticity, healthcare costs dropped significantly after starting spasticity management including onabotulinumtoxinA. This was driven by fewer hospitalizations, despite increased outpatient visits and pharmacy costs. The study did not prove the drug caused these savings.
• PTOTPilot2024Neurophysiological underpinnings of an intensive protocol for upper limb motor recovery in subacute and chronic stroke patients.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineTwo weeks of robotic arm training improved clinical scores in both subacute and chronic stroke patients. Subacute patients also showed smoother, faster movement and specific brain-wave changes, suggesting true motor recovery. Chronic patients improved clinically but without these kinematic or neural markers.
• PTOTCase Report2024Multidisciplinary physical rehabilitation program of individuals with spinal muscular atrophy in an inclusive school setting.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineA nine-year-old girl with type 2 SMA improved in sitting and rolling after a year of combined physiotherapy and hippotherapy. She sustained sitting for five minutes and gained strength, but could not walk. This single case cannot prove the treatment works.
• PTOTSLPRCT2024Cognitive-motor dual-task training improves dynamic stability during straight and curved gait in patients with multiple sclerosis: a randomized controlled trial.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineAdding cognitive-motor dual-task training to conventional therapy improved dynamic balance and head stability during walking in people with multiple sclerosis. These gains persisted two months after training ended, offering a concrete way to enhance gait safety beyond standard exercises.
• PTOTPilot2024Text messaging intervention for fatigue self-management in people with stroke, spinal cord injury, and multiple sclerosis: A pilot study.Disability and health journal25 of 27 people with MS, stroke, or spinal cord injury completed a 12-week fatigue text program, with 93% retention and 85.17% text response among completers. This is feasibility, not proof fatigue improved.
• PTOTOther2024Do patients with neurological disorders benefit from immersive virtual reality? A scoping review on the emerging use of the computer-assisted rehabilitation environment.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineSeven studies on immersive VR show it safely improves gait, balance, and some cognitive skills in neurological patients. However, evidence on emotional symptoms is conflicting, and high costs mean this technology is not yet ready for routine clinical use.
• PTOTCohort2023The Evolution of Hand Proprioceptive and Motor Impairments in the Sub-Acute Phase After Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairHand proprioception and motor function often recover independently after stroke. Only 42% of patients showed matched changes in both. Patients with poor hand use at baseline had less proprioceptive recovery. Assess and treat these systems separately rather than assuming one drives the other.
• PTOTOther2023Lesion-specific cortical activation following sensory stimulation in patients with subacute stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationFocal vibration of the biceps activated the sensorimotor cortex in patients with subcortical stroke but not in those with cortical or mixed stroke. Basal ganglia hemorrhage showed stronger activation than ischemia. This suggests vibration effects depend heavily on lesion location.
• PTOTSLPPilot2023Immersive virtual reality gameplay detects visuospatial atypicality, including unilateral spatial neglect, following brain injury: a pilot study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationImmersive VR gameplay was feasible for acute inpatient brain injury, with minimal motion sickness and acceptable usability. It detected visuospatial atypicality in 61.5% of patients versus 22.2% of controls, identifying attention problems missed by standard pen-and-paper neglect tests.
• PTOTCohort2023Duration of rehabilitation therapy to achieve a minimal clinically important difference in mobility, walking endurance and patient-reported physical health: an observational study.Journal of rehabilitation medicineExercise duration needed for clinically important improvement ranged from 8 to 88 hours. Neurological patients with MS or Parkinson's required significantly more time than those recovering from knee or hip surgery. Patient-reported health improved with less exercise than mobility or walking endurance measures.
• PTOTOther2023Upper extremity asymmetry due to nerve injuries or central neurologic conditions: a scoping review.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationUpper extremity asymmetry is mostly assessed in stroke and cerebral palsy using clinical kinematics and strength tests. Real-world data collection is increasing but remains limited. Most studies rely on low-level evidence, with few randomized trials or cohort studies.
• PTOTPilot2023Effects of overground gait training assisted by a wearable exoskeleton in patients with Parkinson's disease.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationEight patients with Parkinson's disease trained with a wearable hip exoskeleton. They walked faster and with longer strides immediately after training and one month later. However, standard clinical tests for motor symptoms and balance did not show significant improvement.
• PTOTCohort2023Accelerometer-measured physical activity at 3 months as a predictor of symptoms of depression and anxiety 1 year after stroke: a multicentre prospective cohort study in central Norway.Journal of rehabilitation medicineAccelerometer-measured physical activity at 3 months post-stroke did not predict depression or anxiety at 1 year after adjusting for stroke severity and other factors. Sedentary time, light, and moderate activity levels showed no significant link to mood outcomes.
• PTOTOther2023Multi-Site Identification and Generalization of Clusters of Walking Behaviors in Individuals With Chronic Stroke and Neurotypical Controls.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairWalking patterns after stroke fall into four distinct, reproducible clusters, not just a single average profile. Fast walkers show marked asymmetry, while slow walkers split into two groups with different force deficits. Identifying which cluster a patient belongs to allows for targeted rehabilitation strategies rather than generic gait training.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2024Healthcare professionals' experiences of delivering a stroke Early Supported Discharge service - An example from Ireland.Clinical rehabilitationStroke home rehabilitation teams in Ireland were unevenly resourced, with staff shortages and limited psychology access constraining delivery. Most teams dropped telerehabilitation after COVID, while families needed clearer information and support.
• PTOTSLPRCT2024Mixed methods, single case design, feasibility trial of a motivational conversational agent for rehabilitation for adults with traumatic brain injury.Clinical rehabilitationTwo adults with traumatic brain injury and four clinicians found a conversational agent helpful for maintaining rehabilitation goals between appointments. Participants reported good usability and motivation, though the small sample and short duration limit conclusions about clinical effectiveness.
• PTOTPilot2023Movement Component Analysis of Reaching Strategies in Individuals With Stroke: Preliminary Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesPeople with mild-to-moderate stroke rely heavily on trunk flexion and shoulder elevation to reach, rather than using their arm joints. This method visualizes these compensatory strategies, helping therapists set specific goals to reduce inefficient movement patterns.
• PTOTPilot2023Mixed methods usability evaluation of an assistive wearable robotic hand orthosis for people with spinal cord injury.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationFive people with spinal cord injury tried a wearable robotic hand for grasping. Four improved their hand function scores, but one got worse because the device blocked their existing tenodesis grasp. Donning took almost five minutes and required assistance, which users disliked.