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 47 OF 56 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026A socioecological approach to understanding and positively affecting the intersectionality between disability, race and ethnicity, climate change, and rehabilitation outcomes: A scoping review.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationClimate events disrupt rehab care for people with disabilities, especially those with mobility, temperature regulation, or ventilator needs. The review found no tested interventions, only expert recommendations for disaster planning, telerehabilitation, and policy advocacy to protect continuity of care.
• PTOTRCT2025Boot Camp: A Randomized Cross-Over Trial of Intensive Upper-Limb Rehabilitation After Chronic Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairIntensive group therapy improved arm movement and daily function more than usual care. However, only 74% of participants managed the full 90 hours. Clinicians should expect high dropout risk when prescribing this intensity to chronic stroke survivors.
• PTOTCase-Control2025Diffusion Tensor Imaging Findings in Cerebral Sensorimotor Areas in Patients After Spinal Cord Injury Correlate With Neurophysiological Deficits.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairPatients with chronic spinal cord injury showed lower fractional anisotropy in sensorimotor brain areas compared to healthy controls. In patients with tetraplegia, these brain changes correlated with worse leg movement and lower muscle response to magnetic stimulation.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Traumatic Brain Injury in Those With Preexisting Disability: Prevalence, Characteristics, and Psychosocial Function.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationAdults with pre-existing disability who sustained a TBI with loss of consciousness reported significantly more days of poor mental and physical health and higher loneliness compared to those without such TBI. Employment rates did not differ between the groups.
• PTOTRCT2025Modulating Brain Excitability with Cardiovascular Exercise in Chronic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairTwelve weeks of cycling improved brain excitability in the injured hemisphere for both high-intensity and moderate-intensity groups. Neither intensity was superior. Upper limb function did not change, so these brain measures are not yet proof of physical recovery.
• OTOther2025Research Letter: Interview Versus Self-Administration of Retrospective Brain Injury Identification.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationSelf-administered online screening for past brain injury matched telephone interview results for most people. Clinicians can use the online form to save staff time, but should be aware it may miss some other acquired brain injuries.
• PTOTOther2025Loss of Joint Individuation and Abnormal Synergy Post Stroke in Upper Limb Movements.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairStroke survivors showed severe loss of joint individuation, particularly in the wrist. When trying to move the wrist, the shoulder and elbow involuntarily coupled. Higher spasticity correlated with worse coupling. This quantifies the 'abnormal synergy' seen in clinical exams.
• PTOTSLPRCT2026Quantifying Exercise Intensity to Predict Changes in Walking Capacity in Individuals with Chronic Stroke.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationTraining speed predicted walking gains in chronic stroke, but heart rate did not. Walking at a patient's fastest speed yielded larger improvements than their normal pace. Clinicians should target speed, not just heart rate, to maximize endurance and velocity.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Mental and Physical Well-Being of Informal Stroke Caregivers Compared With Noncaregiver Family and Friends.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationInformal stroke caregivers had worse physical and mental health than non-caregiver family and friends 90 days after the stroke. They reported more depression symptoms, fatigue, and sleep difficulties, even after adjusting for the stroke survivor's severity and both groups' demographics.
• OTRCT2026Reducing burden and anxiety for caregivers of veterans with traumatic brain injury and dementia: Randomized controlled trial of the resources for enhancing all caregivers' health-Hope intervention.Rehabilitation psychologyREACH Hope lowered 3-month caregiver burden versus waitlist for caregivers with baseline Zarit burden scores of 21 or higher, with greater benefit at higher burden. Anxiety also improved when baseline GAD-7 scores were 13 or higher; depression, self-efficacy, and safety risks were not improved.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Multidisciplinary rehabilitation and follow-up for children hospitalized with traumatic brain injury.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineOver half of children hospitalized with traumatic brain injury had new functional impairments requiring fresh referrals at their first follow-up clinic. Earlier inpatient therapy consultations were associated with discharge to home, but this was a single-center observational study.
• PTOTCohort2026The role of cognitive load on motor performance of the ipsilesional arm in stroke survivors with severe hemiparesis.Topics in stroke rehabilitationAdding cognitive load to a reaching task slowed reaction time and worsened accuracy for all participants. Those with right hemisphere damage moved less efficiently than those with left hemisphere damage, but only when the task became mentally demanding.
• OTCohort2025Impact of Probable Deployment Traumatic Brain Injury on Post-9/11 Veteran's Productive Activity Participation After Service: A TVMI Study.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationVeterans with probable military TBI were significantly less likely to hold paid jobs and more likely to engage only in unpaid labor, such as caregiving or volunteering. This suggests a shift away from paid employment rather than total withdrawal from productive activity.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2025How important are working relationships for stroke self-management? A qualitative study with healthcare professionals in community stroke teams.Clinical rehabilitationClinicians said trust, clear expectations, shared goals and family networks helped working relationships and self-management, but they also often led goal setting and confused self-management with ongoing rehab.
• PTOTRCT2025Forced-Rate Aerobic Cycling Improves Locomotor Function and Gait Biomechanics in Individuals With Chronic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationForced-rate aerobic cycling combined with upper extremity task practice did not significantly improve treadmill gait speed compared to task practice alone. However, the cycling group showed significant gains in overground walking distance and specific gait mechanics like paretic step length and hip power.
• PTOTOther2025The added value of sensor-based tests in explaining the variance in walking and ADL independency after stroke: An exploratory study.Clinical rehabilitationConventional tests like the Berg Balance Scale explained far more variance in ADL independence and walking ability after stroke than sensor-based measures. Sensors added minimal predictive value, suggesting existing clinical assessments remain sufficient for monitoring recovery.
• PTOTQualitative2025Acceptability of a programme for safer mobility (INTEGRATE): Perspectives of people with Parkinson's disease and their care-partners.Clinical rehabilitationPeople with Parkinson's and care-partners found a home-based fall prevention programme acceptable because therapists tailored it to their specific impairments and involved them in decision-making. Barriers included fatalistic beliefs, stigma about home modifications, and difficulty forming new habits.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Associations among aerobic physical activity, mild traumatic brain injury history, and health-related quality of life in military service members and Veterans: A LIMBIC-CENC study.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationMilitary service members and veterans who met aerobic exercise guidelines reported better quality of life than inactive peers. This benefit held regardless of how many mild traumatic brain injuries they had sustained. Exercise is associated with better outcomes, but this study did not prove that starting exercise causes improvement.
• PTOTSLPPilot2025Transcutaneous spinal stimulation paired with visual feedback facilitates retention of improved weight transfer toward the affected side in people post-stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding spinal stimulation to visual feedback during treadmill walking helped people post-stroke keep more weight on their affected leg after the session ended. Visual feedback alone improved weight transfer briefly, but the gain faded once the feedback stopped.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Validity, safety, usability, and user experience of virtual reality gamified home-based exercises in stroke.Clinical rehabilitationPhysiotherapists and stroke survivors found three of five VR games safe and usable for home rehab. Users rated Basketball and Flowers as engaging but noted all games lacked clear setup instructions and guidance for therapists to tailor exercises to patient needs.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Differential effects of sport type on brain versus orthopedic injury and sports benefits in the adolescent brain cognitive development study.Brain injurySoccer and American football linked to higher mild brain injury risk in 9-10 year olds. Climbing showed higher brain injury risk than broken bones. Sports participation associated with better behavior and cognition in children with prior brain injury, though causality cannot be determined.
• PTOTRCT2025Nigral stimulation for freezing of gait: kinematic gait parameters inform optimization of stimulation frequency.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding nigral stimulation to standard subthalamic stimulation did not improve freezing of gait more than subthalamic stimulation alone. Individual responses varied widely. However, wearable sensors tracking stride length and swing time correlated strongly with clinical improvement, suggesting kinematics can guide personalized programming.
• PTOTCohort2025Rates of Employment and Return to Work After Spinal Cord Lesion Onset in Israel.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationEmployment after spinal cord lesion in Israel was 33.1%, lower than Western rates. Prior employment, education, and daily function predicted work, not injury level. Patients cited motivation and support as aids, but disability and pain as barriers.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Building Bridges: Establishing a Multiple Sclerosis Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Knowledge Mobilization Strategy.NeuroRehabilitationForty-three stakeholders agreed on three priorities for MS rehabilitation in Canada: creating a best-practice guideline, building knowledge mobilization tools for clinicians, and establishing a national network. Five key topics were selected: disease course, fatigue, mobility, mood, and cognition.
• PTOTCohort2025The Weak Relationship Between Ankle Proprioception and Gait Speed After Stroke: A Robotic Assessment Study.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairAnkle proprioception showed only a weak relationship with gait speed after stroke. One measure of dynamic error correlated with walking distance, but most tests found no significant link. Motor impairment did not correlate with proprioceptive error.
• PTOTCohort2025Deficient Muscle Coordination Patterns of Reactive Stepping Responses in People With Chronic Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairPeople with chronic stroke showed poorer muscle coordination and shorter, less stable steps when stepping with the paretic leg, especially sideways or backward. Training should prioritize these directions. If paretic stepping is too difficult, consider training non-paretic cross-stepping as an alternative.
• PTOTSLPRCT2025Digital Cueing With Laser Shoes Does Not Improve Walking in Parkinson's Disease: Evidence Across Disease Severity and Freezing Status.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairLaser shoes did not improve walking in Parkinson's disease. Instead, they slowed gait speed, reduced arm swing, and increased variability across all disease stages and freezing statuses. This pattern may raise fall risk, so these devices should be used with caution.
• PTOTSLPPilot2025Carnitine Deficiency in Rehabilitation Ward Individuals and its Association With Activities of Daily Living: A Pilot Retrospective Observational Study.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationIn this pilot study, 8.5% of rehabilitation ward patients had carnitine deficiency. These patients had significantly lower FIM motor scores on admission than those without deficiency, suggesting a link between carnitine status and physical function.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2025Exploring the Impact of Muscle Vibration Therapy in Neurologic Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationMuscle vibration therapy can improve motor control, reduce spasticity, and relieve pain across neurologic conditions. It works best as an addition to conventional rehabilitation, such as physiotherapy or robotic training. Evidence is moderate, with many small studies and methodological limitations.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Overall outcome, functioning, and disability in older adults 3 to 14 years after traumatic brain injury.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationYears after TBI, many older adults kept the same overall outcome, while some improved and some worsened. Mild and moderate injury often meant better independence, but assistance, mobility aids, swallowing problems, and smell or taste change were still reported.
• OTSLPCohort2025Resiliency and Mental Health Symptoms Among Active Duty Service Members With a History of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationHigh resilience linked to fewer mental health symptoms at intake, but this benefit vanished after treatment. Self-efficacy was the strongest protective factor. For those with multiple mild brain injuries, active coping and cognitive flexibility did not protect against depression.
• PTOTPilot2025Feasibility, Usability, and Acceptability of a Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating Teleexercise Interventions for Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury: Interim Analysis of the Spinal Cord Injury Program in Exercise (SCIPE) Study.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationTeleexercise for spinal cord injury was feasible during the 8-week program, with 91.7% retention. However, engagement dropped sharply after the intervention ended. Usability was rated fair overall, suggesting the platform needs simpler design and better tracking to sustain long-term use.
• PTOTCohort2025Seven-Year Intervention Rate and Effect of Early Rehabilitation in China: A National-Wide Hospital-Based Study.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationEarly rehabilitation reached 68.2% of tertiary hospital patients by 2022. Patients receiving it had lower in-hospital mortality but longer stays and higher costs. The study cannot prove the therapy caused these outcomes because it only tracked billing records, not clinical details.
• PTOTCohort2025Remotely Delivered Task-Oriented Training and Evaluation (reTOTE) for Stroke Rehabilitation.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationAfter 8 remote task-oriented sessions combining CIMT, ASAP, CO-OP, neuroplasticity principles, and TOTE-Home, 12 stroke survivors self-reported better performance, satisfaction, arm use, and most quality-of-life domains. Balance confidence did not change, and no control group was used.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Psychometric properties and clinical usability of the cognition in daily life scale in patients with acquired brain injury in clinical care settings.Clinical rehabilitationThe Cognition in Daily Life scale reliably captures how brain injury affects daily functioning. It correlates with real-world disability but not with standard quiet-room tests. Clinicians found it useful for team communication, though the 20-minute administration time and lack of digital scoring were barriers.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Characterization of Ventilatory Drive in Community-Dwelling Adults with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationMost adults with chronic spinal cord injury who breathe independently have normal resting breathing drive. This drive was strongly linked to body mass and BMI, not injury level. Higher drive correlated with faster breathing rates, suggesting body weight impacts respiratory effort more than injury severity in this group.
• PTOTCase Report2025Cryoneurolysis for Managing Spasticity in Multiple Sclerosis: A Case Report Demonstrating Sustained Functional Gains and Cost-Effectiveness.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationIn one woman with primary progressive MS, cryoneurolysis reduced shoulder and elbow spasticity and pain, improving passive range of motion for months. A second treatment after worsening tone maintained gains. This single case cannot show whether the procedure works for other patients.
• OTCohort2025Feasibility of a novel web-based neuropsychological rehabilitation programme for stroke patients.Journal of rehabilitation medicineStroke patients referred to a web-based neuropsychology programme: 86% started it, and 69% of starters completed. Users who finished rated it easy and useful, and would recommend it. The study did not test whether the programme improved cognition or recovery.
• PTOTSLPOther2025History of Clinical Services, Medical Training, and Research for Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders in the United States Veterans Health Administration.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationThe Veterans Health Administration operates a national hub-and-spoke network for spinal cord injury care, serving 24,560 Veterans. It integrates lifelong rehabilitation, specialty medical care, and emerging technologies like telehealth and brain-computer interfaces, while training a large share of US spinal cord medicine specialists.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Exploring Integration of Support for Co-Occurring Substance Use-Related Needs in Interdisciplinary Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment for Military Service Members and Veterans.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationIntegrating substance use support into traumatic brain injury rehab allowed most applicants to enter care and nearly all who started treatment to finish. Only one person left early due to substance use, with no serious adverse events.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Prediction of Outcome in Moderate and Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: The Value of Pragmatic Estimation of the Duration of Posttraumatic Confusional State.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationLonger posttraumatic confusion predicted worse 12-month recovery, especially in severe TBI. Patients with confusion lasting 7 days or less had high rates of good recovery (78% moderate, 71% severe). Confusion lasting more than 28 days strongly predicted severe disability or death.
• PTOTRCT2025Safety assessment and feasibility of the TWIICE powered exoskeleton for assisted ambulation in individuals with spinal cord injury.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationFive non-ambulatory people with spinal cord injury trained six sessions with the TWIICE exoskeleton without falls or fractures. Dizziness, skin reddening and one pain event occurred, and all completed mobility tests with therapist support.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Relief of pain associated with spasticity in adult patients after treatment with onabotulinumtoxinA: Post hoc observational results from the ASPIRE study.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationIn adults with spasticity and baseline pain, onabotulinumtoxinA treatment was associated with reduced pain scores and disability over time. Most patients and physicians reported satisfaction and intent to continue treatment. No control group means these changes cannot be separated from natural history or other care.
• OTPilot2025Effects of Technology-Assisted Rehabilitation After Spinal Cord Injury: Pilot Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesTechnology-assisted hand rehabilitation did not improve overall arm function compared to no treatment, but most participants achieved their personal goals. It was safe and well-tolerated, though the small study size means it cannot prove the devices work better than standard care.
• PTOTOther2025Differentiating post-stroke patients from healthy individuals via vision-based skeleton-optical fusion.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA vision-based algorithm correctly classified 87.8% of post-stroke and healthy gait videos using a single camera. It relies on sagittal-plane walking in a controlled clinical setting, so it is not yet a tool for home monitoring or diverse patient populations.
• PTOTOther2025Clinical feasibility of motor hotspot localization based on electroencephalography using convolutional neural networks in stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAn EEG-based algorithm accurately located stroke patients' motor hotspots within 1.77 mm, a precision comparable to TMS. This method works with as few as 5 electrodes, suggesting it could replace expensive TMS for targeting stimulation in rehabilitation.
• OTQualitative2025Promoting financial empowerment after brain injury: Findings from focus groups.Clinical rehabilitationAdults with brain injury and caregivers proposed financial help that is proactive, individualized, free or low-cost, and delivered by professionals who understand brain injury. Ideas include financial coaches, advocacy, awareness campaigns, and accessible products. These are ideas, not tested interventions.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2025How recovery influences community reintegration: perspectives of persons with spinal cord injury and their support persons.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesPeople with spinal cord injury and their support persons often feel satisfied with their community reintegration even when they are unhappy with their physical recovery. Improving function alone does not guarantee a return to life; psychological adjustment and social support are critical drivers.
• PTOTCohort2025Development of the Italian version of the modified Barthel index and preliminary reliability in adults with stroke.Journal of rehabilitation medicineAn Italian version of the modified Barthel Index showed high agreement among 51 adults with stroke when scored by different raters and repeated within days. Total scores were stable, but some individual items were less consistent.
• PTOTOther2025Musculoskeletal changes and treatments in paediatric spinal cord disorders: A scoping review.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineChildren with spinal cord disorders often lose bone and muscle, with scoliosis, hip dysplasia, spasticity and fractures. Evidence on treatments is small and mixed, so do not assume any intervention works.