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.

3,875 PAPERS · PAGE 12 OF 78 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTSystematic Review2018Exertional Tolerance Assessments After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationExertional testing after concussion may be safe and can reveal symptom or heart-rate changes, but no standard treadmill or bike protocol is established. Use individualized testing and expect temporary symptom flare.
• PTPilot2018Volition-adaptive control for gait training using wearable exoskeleton: preliminary tests with incomplete spinal cord injury individuals.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn four people with incomplete spinal cord injury, knee movement increased more when a wearable robot adjusted stiffness with their effort and brain signals than when stiffness was fixed. This was a small feasibility test, not proof of lasting walking gains.
• PTOTPilot2018Upper limb robotic rehabilitation for chronic stroke survivors: a single-group preliminary study.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter six weeks of assist-as-needed arm robot training, 21 high-functioning chronic stroke survivors had higher upper limb scores and faster reaching. No control group was used, so the robot alone cannot be credited.
• PTOther2017Comprehensive measurement of stroke gait characteristics with a single accelerometer in the laboratory and community: a feasibility, validity and reliability study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA low-cost lower-back accelerometer was feasible and consistent over two community weeks, but it did not agree with the laboratory walkway for step length or asymmetry. Do not use it alone for those features.
• PTOther2018Effects of visual cue and cognitive motor tasks on standing postural control following a chronic stroke.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter chronic stroke, a mirror line cue reduced paretic-side standing sway and a tray holding a cup of water reduced sway when no cue was used. The dual task did not improve sway more than the cue alone.
• PTCohort2018Dose and Duration of Opioid Use in Propensity Score-Matched, Privately Insured Opioid Users With and Without Spinal Cord Injury.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationPrivately insured adults with spinal cord injury were more likely to be prescribed long-term low-dose short-acting opioids and high-dose long-acting opioids than matched adults without spinal cord injury.
• PTOther2018Content validity and satisfaction with a caregiver-integrated web-based rehabilitation intervention for persons with stroke.Topics in stroke rehabilitationStroke survivors' spouses found the CARE-CITE web program useful and easy to use. They valued skill-based training to help their partner practice arm exercises at home. This feedback shaped the tool, but did not prove it improves recovery.
• PTOTCohort2018The JFK BIG study: the impact of LSVT BIG® on dual task walking and mobility in persons with Parkinson's disease.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter LSVT BIG, 93 people with Parkinson’s disease had faster TUG times, including while reciting days backward. The cup-carrying dual-task penalty did not show a clear improvement. No control group was used.
• PTRCT2018Pulse Width Does Not Influence the Gains Achieved With Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation in People With Multiple Sclerosis: Double-Blind, Randomized Trial.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairNarrow and wide pulse NMES produced similar gains in walking speed and endurance in 27 people with MS. Both groups improved, but with no untreated control NMES alone cannot be proven to cause them.
• PTOTSLPCohort2018Acute Phase Predictors of 6-Month Functional Outcome in Italian Stroke Patients Eligible for In-Hospital Rehabilitation.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationGetting stroke patients sitting out of bed within 48 hours predicted better independence at six months. However, early formal rehab starting within 72 hours was linked to worse outcomes, suggesting mobilization timing matters more than immediate intensive therapy.
• PTCase-Control2018The impact of walking speed on interlimb coordination in individuals with Parkinson's disease.Journal of physical therapy scienceWhen walking at the same treadmill speeds, adults with Parkinson's disease showed more variable left-right arm coordination than healthy adults at all speeds except the slowest. Trunk coordination also differed.
• PTOTOther2018The Tyneside Pegboard Test: development, validation, and observations in unilateral cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyThe Tyneside Pegboard Test measures bimanual coordination separately from hand speed. In children with unilateral cerebral palsy, bimanual scores correlate with affected-hand function, while dominant-hand speed does not. This test identifies coordination deficits that single-hand assessments miss.
• PTPilot2018Effects of circular gait training on balance, balance confidence in patients with stroke: a pilot study.Journal of physical therapy scienceTwo weeks of circular or straight gait training improved balance and confidence in stroke patients, but only the Timed Up and Go test differed between groups.
• PTPilot2018Quantifying Effect of Onabotulinum Toxin A on Passive Muscle Stiffness in Children with Cerebral Palsy Using Ultrasound Shear Wave Elastography.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationIn 9 children with spastic cerebral palsy, calf ultrasound showed the BoNT-A stiffness effect faded between 1 and 3 months, but 1-month stiffness did not clearly differ from before, and ankle motion and spasticity did not clearly change.
• PTCase-Control2018Assessment of leg muscle activity using toe tapping in patients with Parkinson's disease: comparison of two types of toe tapping.Journal of physical therapy scienceClosed toe tapping did not separate groups by EMG values, except the first gastrocnemius reading was higher in Parkinson's patients. Open tapping showed higher tibialis anterior EMG burst values than controls. This small study is not enough to change care.
• PTOther2018Relationship of Spinal Cord Injury Level and Duration to Peak Aerobic Capacity With Arms-Only and Hybrid Functional Electrical Stimulation Rowing.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationIn 24 people with spinal cord injury, FES-rowing, combining arm rowing with leg electrical stimulation, produced higher peak aerobic capacity than arms-only rowing, averaging 20.8% higher. Larger differences occurred with higher injury levels and injuries under 2 years.
• PTOTRCT2018Accelerating Stroke Recovery: Body Structures and Functions, Activities, Participation, and Quality of Life Outcomes From a Large Rehabilitation Trial.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairThe trial's main motor outcome showed no group difference at 1 year. In secondary outcomes, ASAP produced faster early gains in confidence, function, participation and quality of life; usual care caught up by 12 months.
• PTOther2018The effect of chest expansion exercise with TENS on gait ability and trunk control in chronic stroke patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceChest expansion with TENS plus general exercise therapy produced larger gait and trunk score gains than the control group in 14 chronic stroke patients. The components cannot be separated.
• PTPilot2018Effects of real-time gait biofeedback on paretic propulsion and gait biomechanics in individuals post-stroke.Topics in stroke rehabilitationIn nine people post-stroke, one 18-minute treadmill session with real-time feedback on paretic push-off increased paretic propulsion, and the higher force remained for up to 30 minutes without feedback. The non-paretic leg did not change. This is short-term lab biomechanics, not lasting walking improvement.
• PTRCT2018The effect of respiratory exercise on trunk control, pulmonary function, and trunk muscle activity in chronic stroke patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceAdding 20 minutes of respiratory exercise to neurodevelopmental treatment for 4 weeks improved trunk control and breathing measures in 24 patients with chronic stroke, compared with neurodevelopmental treatment alone.
• PTOther2018Influence of peripheral magnetic stimulation of soleus muscle on H and M waves.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 12 healthy adults, 10 minutes of magnetic soleus stimulation left spinal reflex responses unchanged and shortened a peripheral nerve-to-muscle response time. This is a lab measure, not proof of clinical benefit.
• PTOTSLPPilot2018Improved lower extremity pedaling mechanics in individuals with stroke under maximal workloads.Topics in stroke rehabilitationPedaling symmetry and smoothness improved at maximal workloads, but upstroke control worsened. The paretic leg generated more force overall, yet the non-paretic leg gained more, increasing asymmetry during the upstroke. High-intensity cycling recruits more motor units but may expose timing deficits.
• PTOTCohort2018Effect of the frequency of therapy on the performance of activities of daily living in children with cerebral palsy.Journal of physical therapy sciencePhysical therapy frequency did not show significant differences in daily living skills. Intensive occupational therapy was associated with a significant overall daily living skill improvement compared with bimonthly therapy, and therapy frequency was correlated with mobility and social function.
• PTOther2018Human arm joints reconstruction algorithm in rehabilitation therapies assisted by end-effector robotic devices.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationArm joint angles can be estimated in real time from an upper-arm accelerometer and robot hand position. In post-stroke patients this stayed stable when the shoulder moved, unlike a previous method.
• PTOTOther2018Neural predictors of gait stability when walking freely in the real-world.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationBrain activity in the left posterior parietal cortex predicted gait stability in healthy young adults walking freely outdoors. Different walking tasks engaged different brain frequency bands, suggesting this area monitors movement planning during real-world dual-tasking.
• PTOTRCT2018Pilot testing of the spring operated wearable enhancer for arm rehabilitation (SpringWear).Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationSpringWear did not consistently help 13 chronic stroke patients complete functional tasks, although it increased maximum shoulder flexion, elbow extension and forearm rotation, and increased forward reach workspace by 19%.
• PTRCT2018Locomotor training using an overground robotic exoskeleton in long-term manual wheelchair users with a chronic spinal cord injury living in the community: Lessons learned from a feasibility study in terms of recruitment, attendance, learnability, performance and safety.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationWith therapist supervision and a walker or crutches, a six-week exoskeleton program for long-term wheelchair users with spinal cord injury had 97.9% attendance, increased walking speed from 0.15 to 0.25 m/s, and one serious fracture occurred.
• PTPilot2018Development of VariLeg, an exoskeleton with variable stiffness actuation: first results and user evaluation from the CYBATHLON 2016.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationTwo users with complete spinal cord injury trained four months in a new walking exoskeleton. They learned sit-to-stand, slalom, and tilted ground, but completed only 3 of 6 competition tasks. This is prototype evaluation, not proof of daily-use benefit.
• PTOTRCT2018The effects of gait training using powered lower limb exoskeleton robot on individuals with complete spinal cord injury.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationTwo men with complete spinal cord injury walked faster and reported less effort using a new powered exoskeleton than with a traditional knee-ankle-foot orthosis. They also put the device on and took it off more quickly. No falls or skin injuries occurred.
• PTOther2018The sensitivity and specificity of the Falls Efficacy Scale and the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale for hemiplegic stroke patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceABC correctly identified 92.0% of non-fallers but only 41.3% of fallers; FES identified 69.8% of fallers but only 63.9% of non-fallers among 99 hemiplegic stroke patients.
• PTRCT2018Automatic application of neural stimulation during wheelchair propulsion after SCI enhances recovery of upright sitting from destabilizing events.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA wheelchair sensor detected 93% of simulated collision trials and triggered trunk stimulation, but turn detection was too slow to be effective. In four people with spinal cord injury, stimulation reduced forward lean after collisions in two participants.
• PTOTSLPCase Series2018Recovery of facial expressions using functional electrical stimulation after full-face transplantation.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationTwo face transplant patients showed improved facial muscle symmetry and reduced synkinesis after 5 months of individualized functional electrical stimulation. The treatment combined stimulation with visual feedback and peer modeling, but without a control group, it is unclear if reinnervation alone caused the changes.
• PTOther2018Adaptation and post-adaptation effects of haptic forces on locomotion in healthy young adults.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA steady pull on the hand from a virtual leash made walking faster, lengthened stride and reduced double-limb support in 13 healthy young adults. Some changes remained after the pull stopped, but this was a lab test, not evidence of treatment benefit.
• PTOTSLPCohort2018Are the health needs of young people with cerebral palsy met during transition from child to adult health care?Child: care, health and developmentYoung people with cerebral palsy did not show a significant rise in unmet health needs through transition, though many already had unmet needs, especially speech, pain and bone or joint problems.
• PTRCT2018Facilitating Weight Shifting During Treadmill Training Improves Walking Function in Humans With Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationA treadmill training programme with body-weight support, overground walking, and robotic pelvis and leg swing assistance improved walking endurance in 14 people with incomplete spinal cord injury, but walking speed did not improve clearly.
• PTPilot2018Variables influencing wearable sensor outcome estimates in individuals with stroke and incomplete spinal cord injury: a pilot investigation validating two research grade sensors.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationWearable step counts were accurate in healthy adults but often undercounted in stroke and incomplete spinal cord injury. Energy expenditure estimates were often inaccurate, so sensor choice and placement matter before using these numbers clinically.
• PTOTOther2018The validity and reliability of the Test of Arm Selective Control for children with cerebral palsy: a prospective cross-sectional study.Developmental medicine and child neurologyThe TASC can rate selective arm control in children with cerebral palsy, and therapists scored it consistently. It took about 16 minutes, tracked hand function and arm involvement, and did not test treatment change.
• PTOTSLPOther2018Why do stroke survivors not receive recommended amounts of active therapy? Findings from the ReAcT study, a mixed-methods case-study evaluation in eight stroke units.Clinical rehabilitationTherapists spent between 1.2 and 6.5 hours per week on meetings and paperwork rather than direct patient care. In units with the highest staffing levels, therapy minutes were higher, but even these units struggled to meet guidelines. Administrative burden was the primary barrier to delivering recommended therapy.
• PTOTOther2018Quantification of upper limb position sense using an exoskeleton and a virtual reality display.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA robot and virtual arm let 30 healthy adults identify the smallest elbow angle differences of 7.0 and 5.9 degrees. Repeated scores were fair to good, but shifted slightly after one week, and only healthy adults were tested.
• PTSurvey2018The awareness of healthcare staff towards post-stroke cognitive impairment: a cross sectional study.Journal of physical therapy scienceMost stroke staff believed they knew about post-stroke cognitive deficits, but only 40% had taken a course. They varied in how many patients they thought had decline. Many felt cognitive function should be routinely assessed, yet few discussed the impact with families.
• PTOTOther2018The test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change of the short-form Barthel Index (5 items) and its associations with chronic stroke-specific impairments.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 24 chronic stroke patients, the 5-item Barthel Index was stable across tests a week apart and tracked postural control and motor function. A 7.84-point change is the smallest score change unlikely to be random measurement error.
• PTQualitative2018Participatory Design of an Online Self-Management Tool for Users With Spinal Cord Injury: Qualitative Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesPeople with spinal cord injury wanted online self-management information that was trusted, peer-linked, and accessible. Anonymous ratings felt risky; they preferred human navigators and clear credibility labels. The tool was designed, not tested for outcomes.
• PTPilot2018Relationship between white matter fiber damage and revised version of the ability for basic movement scale in patients with stroke: a diffusion tensor tract-based spatial statistic study.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 12 stroke patients, those grouped by higher basic movement scores had higher white matter tract signals in several left hemisphere tracts. The corticospinal tract did not differ between groups.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2018What influences decisions about ongoing stroke rehabilitation for patients with pre-existing dementia or cognitive impairment: a qualitative study?Clinical rehabilitationStroke clinicians said dementia knowledge, family history, gut instinct and service limits drove decisions. Many expected pre-existing dementia to mean poor rehab potential, so patients needing more time were deprioritised or moved to compensatory care.
• PTRCT2018Effects of active vibration exercise using a Flexi-Bar on balance and gait in patients with chronic stroke.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn chronic stroke patients who could already walk independently, active Flexi-Bar vibration exercise improved balance and walking speed compared with usual activity. The study was small and short, so it cannot show that this routine works for all patients after stroke.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2018What do randomized controlled trials say about virtual rehabilitation in stroke? A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of upper-limb and cognitive outcomes.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationVirtual rehabilitation added small to medium gains in arm movement and daily tasks over usual therapy. Both custom systems and game consoles helped, but participation outcomes did not improve.
• PTPilot2018Assessment of user voluntary engagement during neurorehabilitation using functional near-infrared spectroscopy: a preliminary study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn eight healthy people, brain activity measured by fNIRS could distinguish passive finger movement from movement plus imagined or voluntary effort, especially across five trials. This is preliminary and not yet a patient monitor.
• PTOTRCT2018A randomized, double-blind study to assess if vitamin D treatment affects the outcomes of rehabilitation and balance in hemiplegic patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn hemiplegic stroke patients with low vitamin D, a vitamin D injection added to 3 months of rehabilitation showed better balance and daily-life scores than saline. Walking and motor recovery were not clearly improved.
• PTCohort2018Effect of combined rehabilitation program with botulinum toxin type A injections on gross motor function scores in children with spastic cerebral palsy.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn children with spastic cerebral palsy, adding two weeks of intensive physiotherapy after botulinum toxin type A, plaster casts and medical shoes was associated with greater gross motor function improvement than the same treatment without physiotherapy.
• PTCase Report2018Feasibility of robot-based perturbed-balance training during treadmill walking in a high-functioning chronic stroke subject: a case-control study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationOne high-functioning stroke survivor completed thirty robot sideways-push sessions while walking. After training he could be assessed at 90 N sideways pushes, and his walking and balance tests improved.