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 51 OF 56 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTSLPCohort2026Significant differences in evaluation of disability and health (ICF) core sets between stroke rehabilitants and rehabilitation team during the first year.Journal of rehabilitation medicineStroke survivors rated their own abilities higher than their rehab team did, especially in thinking and daily tasks, at one month. By one year, these views aligned more closely. Survivors saw little change in their own function, while the team recorded significant improvements.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025An elective two-week interdisciplinary acute rehabilitation program improves functional and speech outcomes in patients with Parkinson's disease.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesPatients with Parkinson's disease in a two-week inpatient program improved mobility, self-care, and voice. Gains were seen regardless of age, disease duration, or medication dose. No control group means natural progression or other factors cannot be ruled out.
• PTOTOther2026Automated video analysis for early detection of bradykinesia in Parkinson's disease.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAn AI system analyzing finger-tapping videos accurately distinguished people with Parkinson's disease from healthy controls, even when clinicians rated the movement as normal or only slightly impaired. This suggests subtle motor signs invisible to the eye can be detected objectively.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026Robot-assisted therapy following stroke: what effects on quality of life, cognitive and psychosocial outcomes? A systematic review.Journal of rehabilitation medicineRobot-assisted therapy after stroke often improved quality of life, cognition, and psychosocial outcomes in the short term, but effects rarely persisted after treatment ended. Most studies measured these as secondary outcomes, so the evidence is preliminary and inconsistent.
• OTOther2026Machine learning-based study of the predictors of clinically important change in patient-reported outcomes in bilateral upper-limb function in patients receiving robotic stroke rehabilitation.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesIn 123 people after stroke, machine-learning models could identify likely responders to six-week bimanual robotic therapy reasonably well. Time since stroke, quick task completion, and self-rated physical function stood out most often.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Temporal External Validation of the TWIST Prediction Tool for Time to Independent Walking after Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairThe TWIST tool accurately predicts time to independent walking after stroke but was too optimistic for some scores. Refinements made it more conservative for those with a score of 3. Use the updated interpretation to avoid over-promising recovery timelines.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Occurrence and overlap of physical and mental health conditions in autistic adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic adults reported significantly more mental and physical health conditions than non-autistic adults, with mood disorders affecting 44% of the autistic group. Physical health quality of life was lower. The study found no single bridge condition; instead, multiple connections existed between mental and physical health clusters.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Mapping 74 years in acoustic analysis of voice disorders: A bibliometric review and future research directions.Journal of communication disordersA bibliometric analysis of 1,253 studies shows acoustic voice assessment research has grown rapidly, driven by remote monitoring and machine learning. While Parkinson's disease is heavily studied, voice changes in dementia, ALS, and depression remain under-researched despite their clinical relevance.
• PTOTQualitative2026Design Recommendations for Virtual Reality-Based Upper Limb Exercises From People With Tetraplegia and Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Specialists: Focus Group Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesPeople with tetraplegia and therapists identified key barriers to VR use in acute rehab: headsets are heavy and unsafe for high-level injuries, and nausea or reminders of disability cause disengagement. They recommended flexible, accessible designs over consumer-grade systems.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2026Efficacy of botulinum toxin for poststroke lower limb: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical rehabilitationBotulinum toxin injections significantly reduced lower limb spasticity in stroke survivors but did not improve walking speed or balance. Tone reduction alone did not translate into functional gains, suggesting that injections must be paired with active rehabilitation to change how a patient moves.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2026Pelvic Floor Dysfunction and Rehabilitation in Neurological Disorders: Bridging Pathophysiology With Multidisciplinary Approaches-A Focused Mini-Review.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairConservative rehabilitation, particularly pelvic floor muscle training, is recommended as first-line therapy for neurogenic urinary dysfunction in multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and stroke. Evidence supports its use alone or combined with biofeedback, electrical stimulation, or nerve stimulation to improve continence and quality of life.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Clinical Predictors of Dysphagia in Acute and Subacute Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: A Retrospective Observational Study.DysphagiaPatients with a tracheostomy after cervical spinal cord injury were far more likely to have food or liquid enter their airway. Those aged 65 or older were more likely to have food left in the throat after swallowing. These factors help identify who needs a swallowing test before eating.
• PTOTCase Report2026On the road to Cybathlon 2024: lessons learned from the Polimi FES-bike team.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA pilot with a spinal cord injury used a custom FES-bike to cover the required distance in the 2024 Cybathlon. Personalizing stimulation angles nearly doubled his time to fatigue compared to standard settings, allowing him to secure third place.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2025Efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave therapy for post-stroke spasticity and dose-response analysis: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineExtracorporeal shock wave therapy significantly reduced post-stroke spasticity in the short and long term, with a dose-response relationship showing higher total pulses yielded greater muscle tone reduction. Benefits were clearer for the upper limb, and the treatment was well tolerated.
• PTOTRCT2026Dual‑task exergaming to enhance motor and cognitive function in chronic stroke: a prospective, assessor-blinded, parallel group randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn chronic stroke survivors, four weeks of dual-task exergaming improved dynamic gait and executive function more than conventional balance training alone. Both groups also received standard therapy, so the specific benefit of the game versus extra practice time is unclear.
• PTOTOther2026Motor, Cognitive, Psychological, and Neural Predictors of Concern About Falling in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairConcern about falling in 43 people with mild relapsing-remitting MS was linked to disease severity, activity avoidance, physical fatigue, and slower backward walking. MRI brain volumes did not explain concern after disease severity was considered.
• PTOTSystematic Review2026The effect of robot-assisted gait training on physical activity outcomes in people with spinal cord injury: A systematic review.Clinical rehabilitationPeople with spinal cord injury did more walking, took more steps, and increased their speed during robot-assisted training sessions as time went on. However, the evidence for this improvement is very low because most studies had no control group and were small.
• PTOTOther2026Altered walking gaze behavior after stroke: more than meets the eye.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationStroke survivors look at the floor more than healthy walkers, fixing their gaze closer to their feet. This downward gaze tracks with poor balance and fear of falling, not just slow walking. It reflects instability, not a strategy to plan steps.
• PTOTSystematic Review2026The use of botulinum toxin for spasticity in people with spinal cord injury: a scoping review.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineEvidence for botulinum toxin in spinal cord injury spasticity is sparse and inconsistent. Most studies lack clear definitions, goal setting, or injection details. Clinicians should use consensus definitions, involve patients in goal setting, and employ instrumental guidance for injections.
• PTOTRCT2026Preventing slowing down of alpha rhythms in stroke patients through modulation of cortical excitatory-inhibitory balance: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding bilateral tDCS to virtual reality upper-limb training helped stroke patients keep improving for 12 weeks after discharge, while the sham group stalled. However, this benefit came from the combination with standard rehab, and the mechanism was not the predicted change in brain rhythms.
• PTOTQualitative2026Exploring Barriers and Enablers for the Intention to Use Assistive Robotics Among People With Spinal Cord Injury and Those Involved in Their Care: Qualitative Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesPeople with spinal cord injury hesitate to use assistive robotics due to fluctuating pain, high costs, and fear of looking "robotic." They prefer low-tech aids. Enablers exist only if devices are simple, reliable, and discreet. Current designs often fail to meet these everyday needs.
• PTOTSystematic Review2026A clinical roadmap for lateropulsion after stroke based on a realist review strategy.Clinical rehabilitationClinicians can use this roadmap to assess lateropulsion, choose interventions by lesion and verticality deficits, and anticipate slower recovery after right hemisphere stroke. These are expert recommendations, not tested interventions.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2026Neurorehabilitation in the 21st Century: New Science, New Strategies, New Expectations.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairThe brain stays plastic all life. Recovery means restoring a skill's key features, not its old muscle patterns. Therapists should pair practice with methods that boost or guide this plasticity.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2026Exploring the Influence of Digitalization on Multidisciplinary Poststroke Rehabilitation Practice: Qualitative Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesTherapists described videoconferencing and digital tools for coordination after discharge, but written reports still dominated cross-service communication. They worried digital support could weaken relationships, especially for psychosocial care and complex motor rehab.
• PTOTSLPRCT2026At-Home Delivery of Vagus Nerve Stimulation Paired With Task-Specific Training Improves Performance of High-Priority Activities in Persons With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury or Stroke.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationFourteen people with chronic stroke or spinal cord injury completed 36 at-home sessions pairing vagus nerve stimulation with self-selected daily tasks. Time to complete trained tasks dropped by 19.8% in stroke and 33.8% in spinal cord injury, but this open-label study cannot separate the stimulation's effect from practice alone.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026Parents' experiences of having a child who had a stroke: A systematic review and meta-ethnography.Developmental medicine and child neurologyParents describe childhood stroke as a sudden, shocking event worsened by low awareness among professionals. They report feeling abandoned after discharge, forcing them to self-educate. Support needs change over time, with fathers and siblings often overlooked.
• PTOTCase Report2026Maintaining Seated Posture With Feedback Control of Trunk Musculature Via the Networked Neuroprosthesis After Paralysis: A Case Report.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationA woman with cervical spinal cord injury used implanted stimulation to return to upright sitting from a lean. The system activated automatically when she tilted too far. This single case shows the technology can restore posture without chest straps.
• PTOTSLPCase Report2026Alleviating Hypotension With Implanted Peripheral Nerve Stimulation for Seated Stabilization: A Case Report in SCI.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationIn one woman with cervical spinal cord injury, activating implanted trunk stimulation raised systolic blood pressure from 62.6 to 115.8 mmHg and resolved morning lightheadedness. This is a single case. It suggests trunk muscle activation may help seated stabilization, but does not prove efficacy.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Associations among epilepsy phenotypes and pain, sleep interference, and dissociative symptoms.Rehabilitation psychologyHow much epilepsy interferes with daily life predicted pain, sleep, and dissociative symptoms more strongly than specific comorbidity profiles. Veterans with polytrauma or chronic disease phenotypes reported higher pain, while those with polytrauma or bipolar/SUD reported more sleep interference.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025The Effect of Genotype on Self-Reported Dysarthria and Dysphagia in Parkinson's Disease: A Parkinson's Progression Marker Initiative Study.International journal of language & communication disordersPatients with SNCA and GBA mutations self-reported worse speech and swallowing problems than those with LRRK2 mutations after the first two years. All groups started with similar mild symptoms. Motor phenotype did not predict these self-reported communication or swallowing difficulties.
• PTOTPilot2026Multimodal machine learning mobility assessment in Parkinson's disease within supervised and unsupervised settings.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding muscle sensors to standard motion trackers improved walking detection accuracy from 87.52% to 94.47% in ten people with Parkinson's. This multimodal approach revealed that free-living walking is slower, more variable, and requires higher muscle effort than clinic assessments.
• PTOTPilot2026Drumming with BEAT: a pilot study on the impact of drum set playing on motor control and quality of life in Parkinson's disease.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesThree people with Parkinson's disease played a drum set for six weeks. All showed some improvement in balance and upper limb speed, but mood and quality of life scores were inconsistent. The program was feasible and engaging, but this small study cannot prove it works.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2026Current status and future prospects of brain-computer interfaces in the field of neurological disease rehabilitation.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesBrain-computer interfaces show promise for stroke and ALS rehabilitation, improving motor function and communication. However, evidence is limited by small studies and short follow-up periods, so these tools should be viewed as experimental adjuncts rather than established treatments.
• PTOTRCT2026Guided corticomuscular neuroplasticity for restoration of wrist-hand function post-stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationGuided brain-computer interface training improved wrist-hand function and shifted brain activity to the affected hemisphere. However, it triggered less often than standard bilateral training, which showed faster initial gains and greater spasticity reduction. The guided approach demands more effort but targets specific neural reorganization.
• PTOTCohort2026Optimizing the Approach to Calculating CST Lesion Load in Ischemic Stroke Patients for Understanding Motor Outcomes.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairUsing an age-matched brain template and a specific lesion calculation method, the maximum weighted lesion load of the corticospinal tract, best predicted motor impairment and function after stroke. This approach replicated in a second group and used only standard MRI scans.
• PTOTPilot2026Motor imagery BCI enables more practical and user-friendly exoskeleton control than smartwatch for users with spinal cord injury: a preliminary study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationFive people with spinal cord injury controlled an exoskeleton via brain-computer interface. It was slower than a smartwatch but allowed hands-free operation while using crutches. Participants preferred the BCI because operating a smartwatch required releasing a crutch or therapist assistance.
• PTOTOther2026Decoding multi-class motor attempt from the affected unilateral limbs in chronic stroke patients.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA new computer algorithm correctly identified which of four unilateral movements a chronic stroke patient was attempting to make 52.79% of the time. This outperformed nine other decoding models, but the high error rate and long processing time mean it is not yet ready for real-time clinical rehabilitation.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Associations between quality of life in communication and sociodemographic and clinical aspects of Parkinson's disease.CoDASFor people with Parkinson's disease, quality of life in communication is driven more by non-motor symptoms and daily activity difficulties than by motor speech issues. Rigidity as an initial symptom was linked to worse communication scores than tremor. Assess mood and function, not just speech.
• PTOTPilot2025Promoting continuous rehabilitation with AI-based motion capture and biomechanical analysis: objective feedback as a catalyst.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesObjective feedback on shoulder movement improved exercise motivation for one month in older adults with stroke, diabetes, or foot deformity. Motivation dropped off after four weeks. The effect was absent in participants with Parkinson's disease, who declined regardless of feedback.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2026The effectiveness of robotic therapy in reducing upper limb spasticity in stroke survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationRobotic therapy produced small reductions in elbow and wrist flexor tone compared with conventional therapy, but not shoulder tone. Hand-only devices did not reduce tone, and daily independence did not clearly improve.
• PTOTOther2026Standardized International Manual of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Motor Function After Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairExperts agreed on a standardized manual for the Fugl-Meyer Assessment, with 89% consensus for the upper limb and 93% for the lower limb. This resolves ambiguous instructions and sets clear training standards for consistent motor scoring in stroke care.
• PTOTPilot2026EEG based multifunctional connectivity fusion across frequency bands and parameters promote motor function assessment in stroke: a pilot study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn 12 stroke patients, combined EEG brain synchronization measures were linked to upper limb motor scores. None were linked to lower limb scores. This is exploratory.
• PTOTSLPPilot2026Development of an easy-read version of the Brain Injury associated Visual Impairment - Impact Questionnaire (BIVI-IQ).Clinical rehabilitationStroke survivors with visual impairment rated an easy-read version of a vision-impact questionnaire similarly to the standard version. The easy-read took longer to complete, but half preferred it. This offers a path to self-report for those with communication difficulties, though testing in that specific group is still needed.
• PTOTNarrative Review2026Post-Stroke Motor Fatigability: Defining and Studying the Impairments That Emerge During Prolonged Motor Tasks.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairProlonged motor tasks after stroke often show greater endurance loss in paretic limbs, likely from reduced brain input to the muscle rather than the muscle itself. Tests vary, so endurance time may be more informative than strength alone.
• PTOTRCT2026Effect of an exosuit on daily life gait performance in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA home-based exosuit program did not increase daily walking time over six weeks compared with a conventional training program. Usability and satisfaction were marginal, so routine prescription of this exosuit to improve daily walking is not supported.
• PTOTCohort2026Recruitment of the central nervous system in different hand tasks in patients with hand dysfunction after stroke based on functional near-infrared spectroscopy: an exploratory study.Journal of rehabilitation medicineIn 30 stroke patients, affected-hand grasping activated more brain regions and stronger connectivity than bilateral hand-cranking. This suggests grasping demands greater motor planning and cognitive resources, though small sample size limits clinical application.
• PTOTCohort2026Comparison of the predictive value of upper limb somatosensory evoked potentials and motor evoked potentials for functional recovery in subacute stroke: a retrospective study.Journal of rehabilitation medicineIn subacute stroke, normal somatosensory evoked potentials predicted better daily living independence, while motor evoked potentials predicted better hand dexterity. Neither test strongly predicted upper limb motor recovery. Baseline function and length of stay were the strongest predictors of discharge outcomes.
• PTOTOther2026Translation, reliability, and validity of the trunk impairment scale in a Polish population after stroke.Journal of rehabilitation medicineThe Polish Trunk Impairment Scale is reliable for stroke patients with moderate-to-severe trunk issues, but it fails to distinguish those with mild impairment because 46% of participants hit the maximum score. Use it to track progress in patients who struggle with sitting balance, not to assess those who are nearly recovered.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2026Safety and Benefits of Moderate to High Intensity Aerobic Exercise During the Subacute Phase of Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationModerate to high intensity aerobic exercise after stroke did not improve peak oxygen capacity, self-selected walking speed or function. Walking distance and fast walking speed improved immediately after intervention, and severe cardiac or cerebral events did not differ.
• PTOTSystematic Review2026Patient-Perceived Factors Influencing Physical Activity Sensor Use in Stroke Prevention and Rehabilitation: Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies Using Thematic Synthesis.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesPatients often stop using activity trackers because devices feel designed for younger people and fail to capture relevant movements like slow walking. Engagement improves when therapists help set realistic goals and interpret data, turning raw steps into actionable health insights.