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 20 OF 78 · 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.
• PTRCT2020Predictors of Improved Aerobic Capacity in Individuals With Chronic Stroke Participating in Cycling Interventions.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationThe voluntary cycling plus upper-limb task practice group improved aerobic capacity; the forced cycling plus upper-limb task practice group showed no clear improvement. Faster pedaling and lower starting fitness predicted larger gains, while heart-rate intensity alone did not predict gains.
• PTOther2019Pathway-specific modulatory effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation during pedaling in chronic stroke survivors.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn chronic stroke survivors, sensory-level electrical stimulation during pedaling did not change brain-to-leg signals. Muscle-to-brain signals differed from passive pedaling for the shin muscle. This is a lab finding, not evidence of improved walking.
• 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.
• PTRCT2019The effects of FES cycling combined with virtual reality racing biofeedback on voluntary function after incomplete SCI: a pilot study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationTwo of six chronic and three of five sub-acute participants with incomplete SCI improved by 8 points or more after four weeks of motor-driven FES cycling with VR feedback, but no control group means the gains may reflect natural recovery.
• 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.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Development curves of communication and social interaction in individuals with cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyChildren and adults with cerebral palsy without intellectual disability reached communication and social skill levels comparable to typical development. Written communication lagged in childhood. With intellectual disability, final levels were lower and varied widely, especially at GMFCS level V.
• PTOther2019Mental Singing Reduces Gait Variability More Than Music Listening for Healthy Older Adults and People With Parkinson Disease.Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPTHealthy older adults and people with Parkinson's walked with less stride variability when mentally singing to a beat compared to listening to music. This internal cue improved stability measures without the increased variability seen with external music, offering a discreet option for daily walking.
• 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.
• PTPilot2019Actigraphic measurement of the upper limbs movements in acute stroke patients.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationWrist sensors in 20 acute stroke patients showed the paretic arm moved less than the unaffected arm. One index identified the paretic arm in 95% of patients. This is monitoring, not treatment.
• 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.
• PTOTSLPCase Report2019A Physical Therapy Intervention to Advance Cognitive and Motor Skills: A Single Subject Study of a Young Child With Cerebral Palsy.Pediatric physical therapy : the official publication of the Section on Pediatrics of the American Physical Therapy AssociationA single child with severe cerebral palsy showed faster gains in motor and problem-solving skills during a parent-led physical therapy intervention that combined sitting and reaching with cognitive play. The mother changed how she played, but the study cannot prove the therapy caused the improvement.
• 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.
• PTQualitative2019Controlling the Uncontrollable: Perceptions of Balance in People With Parkinson Disease.Physical therapyPeople with Parkinson disease described balance as controlling body and mind. They used careful strategies, focused attention, self-talk, and determination to manage unpredictable symptoms. Exercise beliefs varied, with past failures reducing confidence.
• 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.
• PTCase-Control2020Gait characteristics of post-stroke hemiparetic patients with different walking speeds.International journal of rehabilitation research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Rehabilitationsforschung. Revue internationale de recherches de readaptationStroke patients had similar overall stride and step length to matched controls, but timing was more variable and asymmetric. Affected-side stance and swing were longer at slower speeds, and asymmetry appeared across speed groups.
• 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.
• PTPilot2019Development and exploration of a Japanese version of the cerebral palsy quality of life for children questionnaire for primary caregivers: a pilot study.Journal of physical therapy scienceMothers' emotional well-being and feelings about functioning were lower as their child's GMFCS level increased. The other domains did not differ by GMFCS level in a Japanese caregiver questionnaire completed by 50 mothers.
• 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.
• PTOther2020Effects of Exercise Intensity on Acute Circulating Molecular Responses Poststroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairTreadmill high-intensity interval training raised blood markers for brain repair (BDNF, VEGF, IGF1) without raising stress hormones, unlike moderate continuous walking. However, the study did not measure rehabilitation outcomes, so it is unclear if these acute chemical changes translate to better patient recovery.
• PTCohort2020Genetic variation in dopamine neurotransmission and motor development of infants born extremely-low-birthweight.Developmental medicine and child neurologyA higher dopamine-related genetic score was associated with lower motor development scores in infants born extremely low birthweight, but not with cognitive scores or cerebral palsy. Each additional variant was associated with a small decrease in motor score.
• 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.
• PTOther2019Individualized feedback to change multiple gait deficits in chronic stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationStroke survivors used visual feedback to increase paretic knee flexion and improve gait symmetry in one session. Verbal instructions about specific joint movements hindered their progress, whereas the feedback alone allowed them to explore and achieve better walking patterns without explicit guidance.
• 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.
• PTOther2019Characteristics of age-related changes in blood pressure, oxyhemoglobin saturation, and physique in Bolivians residing at different altitudes: presentation of basic data for health promotion.Journal of physical therapy scienceBolivians living at higher altitudes had lower blood pressure and oxygen saturation than those in lowlands, but blood pressure and BMI increased with age in both groups. This cross-sectional survey provides baseline data for health promotion but does not test any intervention.
• 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.
• PTOther2020Effects of bodyweight support and guidance force on muscle activation during Locomat walking in people with stroke: a cross-sectional study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAt 1.2 m/s, a normal speed for these participants, Locomat walking did not markedly reduce affected-leg muscle activity versus treadmill walking. Only the inner thigh muscle showed lower activation with high support and guidance. Lowering support and guidance raised activity in some muscles.
• 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.
• PTCase Report2019Integrated volitional control electrical stimulation for the paretic hand: a case report.Journal of physical therapy scienceA man with long-standing right-hand paralysis after stroke gained thumb and finger movement after integrated volitional-control electrical stimulation plus ongoing rehabilitation. This is a case report, not proof the device works.
• PTOther2020Differential deficits in spatial and temporal interlimb coordination during walking in persons with incomplete spinal cord injury.Gait & postureWalking in incomplete spinal cord injury showed separate step-length and step-time coordination problems. Step-length asymmetry was associated with slower walking and a walking function score; step-time asymmetry only with the function score. Walker users had greater step-length asymmetry.
• PTOTSLPRCT2020Use of the Dyskinesia Impairment Scale in non-ambulatory dyskinetic cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyThe Dyskinesia Impairment Scale detects changes in dystonia as well as the standard BADS in non-ambulatory children, but many required activities cannot be performed by this group. It scores choreoathetosis, which the BADS misses, but takes longer to administer.
• PTOther2020Vagus Nerve Stimulation Paired With Rehabilitative Training Enhances Motor Recovery After Bilateral Spinal Cord Injury to Cervical Forelimb Motor Pools.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairIn rats with cervical spinal cord injury, pairing vagus nerve stimulation with rehabilitative training improved forelimb strength and spontaneous use more than training alone. These gains persisted after stimulation stopped and extended to untrained tasks. This is animal data, not human evidence.
• 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.
• PTOther2020Accuracy and Precision of Three Consumer-Grade Motion Sensors During Overground and Treadmill Walking in People With Parkinson Disease: Cross-Sectional Comparative Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesA waist-worn Fitbit One counted steps accurately during both overground and treadmill walking. A wrist-worn Garmin was accurate overground but poor on the treadmill. The wrist-worn Fitbit Charge 2 HR was inaccurate for both. Handrail use worsened wrist-sensor readings.
• 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.
• PTCase Series2020Standardized Infant NeuroDevelopmental Assessment developmental and socio-emotional scales: reliability and predictive value in an at-risk population.Developmental medicine and child neurologyIn infants referred to a neurodevelopmental clinic, SINDA developmental scores of 7 or less out of 15 predicted intellectual disability at 24 months or older. Atypical emotionality or self-regulation were associated with later behavioural or emotional disorder, but normal scores did not rule it out.
• PTOther2020Perception of whole-body motion during balance perturbations is impaired in Parkinson's disease and is associated with balance impairment.Gait & posturePeople with Parkinson's needed a larger sideways body shift to sense left versus right during backward balance perturbations. Poorer shift perception tracked with worse balance scores in Parkinson's, but not in matched older adults without the condition.
• PTOTRCT2020Relationship between changes in motor capacity and objectively measured motor performance in ambulatory children with spastic cerebral palsy.Child: care, health and developmentAfter 12 weeks of physiotherapy plus optional botulinum toxin, serial casting or ankle foot orthoses, changes in motor capacity did not go together with objectively measured motor performance. At 24 weeks, strength and walking speed gains went with less sedentary time.
• 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.
• PTCohort2020Correlation Between D-Dimer Level and Deep Venous Thrombosis in Patients With Acute Spinal Cord Injuries.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationD-dimer was higher in acute spinal cord injury patients with deep vein thrombosis. It fell as time since injury increased, and was higher with lower-limb weakness or trauma, but weakness and trauma did not track with thrombosis.