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 47 OF 78 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTOther2023Daily Vibrotactile Stimulation Exhibits Equal or Greater Spasticity Relief Than Botulinum Toxin in Stroke.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationDaily vibrotactile stimulation reduced hand spasticity in stroke survivors, with effects matching or exceeding botulinum toxin injections. Relief persisted one month after stopping the glove. Active finger extension improved significantly during use, unlike with injections.
• PTOTSystematic Review2023A systematic review examining the effect of vitamin D supplementation on functional outcomes post-stroke.Clinical rehabilitationVitamin D after stroke showed mixed functional effects: some studies reported better balance, walking, daily living or impairment scores, but others did not. The studies were small and inconsistent, so no reliable clinical conclusion can be drawn.
• PTOTCohort2023Burden of Cardiovascular Risk in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury and Its Association With Rehabilitation Outcomes: Results From the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationSpinal cord injury patients leaving rehab have high cardiovascular risk. Better breathing, mobility, and independence scores link to healthier cholesterol. Clinicians should consider screening these patients for heart risk before discharge, especially those with lower function.
• PTOTSLPOther2023Iterative Development of the Caregiver Wellness After Traumatic Brain Injury Program (CG-Well).The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationCaregivers of adults with severe traumatic brain injury rated a new web-based support program as highly acceptable and feasible. Feedback focused on health literacy and delivery preferences. The program is ready for efficacy testing but does not yet prove clinical benefit.
• PTPilot2023Improving Trunk Postural Control Facilitates Walking in Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Pilot Study.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationChildren with cerebral palsy walked with longer steps and higher leg lifts when wearing a belt that supported both their upper and lower trunk during treadmill walking. This acute support also increased muscle activity in the weaker leg, suggesting trunk stability helps leg swing.
• PTOTSystematic Review2023Dose, Content, and Context of Usual Care in Stroke Upper Limb Motor Interventions: A Systematic Review.Clinical rehabilitationUsual care dose for stroke upper limb recovery is highly variable. Time on task ranged from 8 to 44 minutes per day, and repetitions from 15 to 282 per day. Patients with severe upper limb impairment or cognitive issues received less active practice time.
• PTOTSLPCohort2024Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Does Not Significantly Affect Midlife Cognitive Functioning Within the General Population: Findings From a Prospective Longitudinal Birth Cohort Study.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationMidlife cognitive tests showed no meaningful difference between people with a history of mild traumatic brain injury and those without. Any small initial gap in processing speed disappeared once childhood IQ, education, and substance use were accounted for.
• PTPilot2024Comparative Study of the Pain, Function, and Biomarkers of Joint Disease in the Transition to Adulthood in Individuals With and Without Cerebral Palsy.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationAdolescents and young adults with cerebral palsy had more hip and knee pain, poorer function, and higher serum MMP-1 than peers without CP. COMP and MMP-3 did not differ.
• PTOTSLPRCT2023Climb up! Head up! Climbing improves posture in Parkinson's disease. A secondary analysis from a randomized controlled trial.Clinical rehabilitationSport climbing improved forward-stooped posture in Parkinson's disease, reducing the distance from the neck to the wall by 1.7 cm. This physical change did not improve quality of life or reduce fear of falling, but offers a concrete option for correcting spinal flexion.
• PTOTOther2023Development of a Short Form Assessment Combining the Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity and the Wolf Motor Function Test for Evaluating Stroke Recovery.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationA new 15-item upper extremity assessment combines items from two common stroke tests. It measures a single construct of functional capacity and can distinguish five different levels of recovery. It is not yet proven to track change over time or work well for severe impairment.
• PTOTQualitative2024Supportive mobility devices across the lifespan in Cerebral Palsy: a modified Delphi study to establish stakeholder research priorities.Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technologyNine US stakeholders with cerebral palsy, families, and clinicians ranked research priorities for mobility devices. They prioritized trial equipment access, provider training, and shared decision-making. These themes guide future study design, not current clinical practice.
• PTOTSLPOther2024Safety of botulinum toxin injections in children less than one year old: A retrospective chart review.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineIn 47 infants treated with botulinum toxin, only two reported adverse events. One had transient fever and vomiting, and one had mild weakness. No significant systemic issues occurred at doses below 16 U/kg, suggesting the treatment may be safer than feared in this age group.
• PTOTCohort2024A Single Dermatome Clinical Prediction Rule for Independent Walking 1 Year After Spinal Cord Injury.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationNormal pinprick at both lateral heels within 31 days after spinal cord injury was associated with 86% reporting independent walking at 1 year. Any pinprick at either heel was associated with 76%.
• PTPilot2023Developing new intermuscular coordination patterns through an electromyographic signal-guided training in the upper extremity.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationTen healthy adults trained six weeks with EMG biofeedback learned to separate brachioradialis and biceps activation and use new upper-limb muscle coordination patterns when asked to use the trained strategy. Habitual patterns did not change.
• PTOTCohort2023aBnormal motION capture In aCute Stroke (BIONICS): A Low-Cost Tele-Evaluation Tool for Automated Assessment of Upper Extremity Function in Stroke Patients.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairA machine learning tool using smartphone video scored 16 of 33 Fugl-Meyer items with 78.1% to 82.7% accuracy compared to expert raters. This shows a low-cost way to assess arm function remotely, though it cannot yet measure all movements or strength.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2023Physical functioning factors predicting a return home after stroke rehabilitation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical rehabilitationHigher independence in motor daily living tasks strongly predicts stroke discharge home. Quick checks like rolling, sitting, standing, transferring, and walking 10m are useful initial indicators. Thresholds of 20 on the Berg Balance Scale and 26 on motor Functional Independence Measure at admission help distinguish patients likely to return home.
• PTOTRCT2023Effectiveness of the home-based training program Tele-UPCAT (Tele-monitored UPper Limb Children Action Observation Training) in unilateral cerebral palsy: a randomized controlled trial.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineChildren with unilateral cerebral palsy who did a 3-week home action observation program had greater improvement in hand use than children receiving usual care, and the improvement was retained at later follow-up.
• PTOTSLPCase Report2024Treatment of oromandibular dystonia with botulinum toxin A improves apnea in a teenager with quadriplegic cerebral palsy: A case report.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineIn one teenager with cerebral palsy, botulinum toxin injections into jaw muscles reduced obstructive sleep apnea episodes from 3-7 nightly to near zero. This allowed a decrease in CPAP pressure from 30 to 5 cmH2O and postponed surgery. This is a single case, not evidence of efficacy.
• PTOTSystematic Review2024The use of home-based digital technology to support post-stroke upper limb rehabilitation: A scoping review.Clinical rehabilitationHome digital tools like VR and robots are widely used for post-stroke arm rehab, with studies mainly reporting feasibility and user satisfaction rather than proven effectiveness. Evidence on whether these tools match clinic-based therapy remains inconsistent and limited.
• PTOTOther2023Validating the measurement of upper limb sensorimotor behavior utilizing a tablet in neurologically intact controls and individuals with chronic stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA tablet reaching test produced largely similar movement scores to a robot test in controls and chronic stroke, and some tablet scores related to Fugl-Meyer scores. It is a measurement tool, not a treatment.
• PTOTSLPRCT2023Effects of an Acute High Intensity Exercise Bout on Retention of Explicit, Strategic Locomotor Learning in Individuals With Chronic Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairA brief bout of high-intensity exercise after learning a new walking pattern did not improve 24-hour retention in people with chronic stroke. This null result held for both a five-minute continuous protocol and a 15-minute interval protocol. Exercise priming did not help.
• PTOTCase Series2023A bidirectional fabric-based soft robotic glove for hand function assistance in patients with chronic stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn eight chronic stroke patients, hand task scores were higher with the soft robotic glove module and thumb splint than unassisted in one session. Grip strength did not change.
• PTOTSLPCase Series2024A case series on the effect of dynamic neoprene orthosis on lower limb kinematic variables in children with cerebral palsy.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineFive children with crouch gait wore custom neoprene pants for six weeks. Hip and knee flexion decreased during walking, but responses varied widely. No group-level improvement was proven. Results are individual, not generalizable.
• PTOTCohort2024Multi-joint Assessment of Proprioception Impairments Poststroke.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationStroke survivors showed significantly worse proprioception at the shoulder, elbow, and wrist compared to healthy controls. Wrist sensation was the most impaired, often accompanied by errors in identifying which joint moved or its direction. Four participants could not detect movement at all.
• PTOTCase-Control2023Children With Bilateral Cerebral Palsy Exhibit Bimanual Asymmetric Motor Deficits and EEG Evidence of Dominant Sensorimotor Hemisphere Overreliance During Reaching.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairChildren with bilateral cerebral palsy showed slower, curved reaches and poor hand dexterity with both hands, worse on the non-dominant side. EEG revealed the dominant brain hemisphere worked harder than normal during these movements.
• PTOther2023Reliability and validity of the supine-to-stand test in people with stroke.Journal of rehabilitation medicineThe supine-to-stand test was reliable when the same or different raters tested it and when repeated after 7 days. People with stroke averaged 10.81 seconds, compared with 4.57 seconds in healthy older adults. A 5.25 second cut-off separated the groups.
• PTOTSLPCase Report2023Use of artificial intelligence large language models as a clinical tool in rehabilitation medicine: a comparative test case.Journal of rehabilitation medicineChatGPT-4 produced rehabilitation prescriptions and ICF codes for one textbook stroke case. The 3-digit codes were reported as accurate, but one body-structure code listed the left hand instead of the right precentral gyrus, so clinician checking is needed.
• PTOTSLPCohort2023Sex/gender differences in service use patterns, clinical outcomes and mortality risk for adults with acquired brain injury: a retrospective cohort study (ABI-RESTART).Journal of rehabilitation medicineWomen entered post-acute brain injury care with lower motor function than men but made equivalent functional gains. However, women were significantly more likely to require multiple episodes of care, suggesting they face greater barriers to community integration after discharge.
• PTOTRCT2023Autonomy support encourages use of more-affected arm post-stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationStroke survivors allowed to choose their own task difficulty during reaching training used their more-affected arm significantly more in the lab. However, this did not transfer to real-world daily activities. High repetition alone improved motor performance, but only autonomy support changed spontaneous arm choice.
• PTOTOther2023Effects of a soft robotic exosuit on the quality and speed of overground walking depends on walking ability after stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA soft robotic exosuit increased walking speed in slower walkers poststroke but not in faster walkers. It improved propulsion and foot landing without increasing energy cost or reducing muscle activity. These were immediate, single-session effects, not evidence of long-term recovery.
• PTOTPilot2023Effects of Real-Time Pressure Map Feedback on Confidence in Pressure Management in Wheelchair Users With Spinal Cord Injury: Pilot Intervention Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesReal-time pressure feedback significantly improved wheelchair users' confidence in knowing how far to lean to relieve pressure. It did not improve confidence in performing weight shifts frequently or for long enough. Standard education alone also increased confidence in preventing skin breakdown.
• PTOTOther2023Going beyond PA: Assessing sensorimotor capacity with wearables in multiple sclerosis-a cross-sectional study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationSmartwatch data from 90 people with MS linked movement patterns to clinical severity, but not reliably to specific upper-limb skills. One metric tracked grip strength independently of disability scores, while others mixed activity volume with ability.
• PTOTOther2023"The Days Are Long But the Nights Are Even Longer": A Mixed-Method Study of Sleep Disturbances Among Patients in an Inpatient Rehabilitation Program.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationPatients on an inpatient rehabilitation ward reported significantly poorer sleep than before admission, with 75% classified as poor sleepers. However, sleep quality did not predict functional recovery speed. Staff identified noise, pain, and lack of routine sleep assessments as key barriers.
• PTSurvey2023Risk Factors Associated With Suicidal Ideation in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationAmong 246 people with chronic spinal cord injury, 27 reported thoughts of self-harm in the last 2 weeks, and 6 of those had a plan. Higher depressive symptoms, lower resilience, and lower physical independence were linked to these thoughts.
• PTOTCase Report2023A Case Report Illustrating the Combined Use of Cryoneurolysis and Percutaneous Needle Tenotomy in the Treatment of Longstanding Spastic Shoulder Contractures After Stroke.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationIn a single stroke patient with longstanding pectoralis contracture, chest nerve freezing gave an immediate 20 degree increase in shoulder range, and at 8 weeks after also freezing leg nerves and cutting chest tendon she reported easier dressing, less pain, and better walking.
• PTOTSystematic Review2023Electromagnetic radiation therapy for Parkinson's disease tremor reduction- systematic reviews and Bayesian meta-analyses for comparing the effectiveness of electric, magnetic and light stimulation methods.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationLight, magnetic, and electrical stimulation all reduced Parkinson's tremor in pooled analyses. However, the evidence relies on small studies with mixed designs. The authors state these results should not guide clinical practice yet.
• PTOTSLPOther2023Finding functionality: Rasch analysis of the Functionality Appreciation Scale in community-dwelling adults in the US.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesThe Functionality Appreciation Scale measures one single trait, but it is too easy for most healthy adults. Many score the maximum, so the test cannot tell the difference between someone with high appreciation and someone with moderate appreciation.
• PTCase Report2023A Case Report of Cryoneurolysis for Dorsal Foot Pain and Toe Clawing in a Patient With Multiple Sclerosis.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationIn one patient with MS, cryoneurolysis of the FDL motor branch and superficial fibular nerve relieved dorsal foot pain and toe clawing for five and a half months. Symptoms returned, requiring retreatment. This is a single case, not proof the treatment works for others.
• 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.
• PTCohort2024Management of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria and Urinary Tract Infections in Patients With Neurogenic Bladder and Factors Associated With Inappropriate Diagnosis and Treatment.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationIn veterans with neurogenic bladder, over a third of UTI diagnoses were actually asymptomatic bacteriuria treated with unnecessary antibiotics. Nearly half of true UTIs received inappropriate treatment, often broad-spectrum drugs. Patients seen by rehab specialists had lower rates of errors.
• 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.
• PTOther2023Effects of ankle-foot orthosis on gait pattern and spatiotemporal indices during treadmill walking in hemiparetic stroke.International journal of rehabilitation research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Rehabilitationsforschung. Revue internationale de recherches de readaptationTreadmill walking with an ankle-foot orthosis reduced forefoot contact, circumduction and contralateral vaulting in 40 people with hemiparesis after stroke, but increased excessive hip external rotation. Only the double-stance timing asymmetry changed among timing and step measures.
• PTOther2023Virtual reality-enhanced walking in people post-stroke: effect of optic flow speed and level of immersion on the gait biomechanics.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationHead-mounted VR during treadmill walking changed post-stroke gait: slower cadence, longer stride time and longer unaffected stance. Optic flow speed altered walking speed, but changes were small and short-lived.
• 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.