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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 5 OF 78 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTOther2017Effects of gross motor function and manual function levels on performance-based ADL motor skills of children with spastic cerebral palsy.Journal of physical therapy scienceChildren with mild to moderate spastic cerebral palsy classified at GMFCS or MACS Level III had lower ADL motor skill scores on real tasks than Level I children, especially during dressing, shoe donning, and cereal preparation.
• PTSystematic Review2017Effectiveness of surgical and non-surgical management of crouch gait in cerebral palsy: A systematic review.Gait & postureMost evidence for crouch gait in cerebral palsy was for hamstring lengthening, often with other surgeries, and it did not show which procedure works best for a given patient.
• PTCohort2016Dynamic motor control is associated with treatment outcomes for children with cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyChildren with cerebral palsy who showed more complex muscle activation while walking improved more in gait, speed and function after treatment. It did not predict energy cost. Motor control may help guide prognosis.
• PTOTCohort2016Quantifying Change During Outpatient Stroke Rehabilitation: A Retrospective Regression Analysis.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationAverage monthly gains in outpatient stroke rehabilitation were small: about 1.8 Berg Balance Scale points, 2 arm test points, and 0.09 m/s walking speed. Later start and prior inpatient rehab were linked to lower admission scores. Younger, earlier starters had faster arm and walking gains.
• PTRCT2017Aerobic Exercise for Adolescents With Prolonged Symptoms After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: An Exploratory Randomized Clinical Trial.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationAdolescents with lingering concussion symptoms who did symptom-limited home cycling improved faster on their own symptom reports than those doing stretching. Parent reports did not show the same difference.
• PTProtocol2017Understanding Brain Reorganization in Infants With Perinatal Stroke Through Neuroexcitability and Neuroimaging.Pediatric physical therapy : the official publication of the Section on Pediatrics of the American Physical Therapy AssociationNo results are reported for infants with perinatal stroke. Planned brain scans and brain stimulation tests cannot change practice yet.
• PTOTOther2016Comparing Comorbidity Indices to Predict Post-Acute Rehabilitation Outcomes in Older Adults.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationFive standard comorbidity indices added almost no predictive value for discharge function or community return in older rehab patients. Admission functional status and demographics explained most variance, suggesting clinicians should prioritize current ability over diagnosis lists.
• PTOTCohort2016Objective and Self-Reported Physical Activity Measures and Their Association With Depression and Satisfaction With Life in Persons With Spinal Cord Injury.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationPeople with spinal cord injury who pushed their wheelchairs farther reported fewer depressive symptoms. However, time spent in leisure activities predicted life satisfaction, not general wheelchair distance. This suggests targeting specific meaningful activities for well-being, while overall movement helps mood.
• PTOTQualitative2017Negotiating identity and self-image: perceptions of falls in ambulatory individuals with spinal cord injury - a qualitative study.Clinical rehabilitationAmbulatory people with chronic traumatic spinal cord injury described walking as central to feeling normal. They minimized fall risk through planning, aids and training, but often accepted or exceeded risk to preserve identity, valued activities and daily life.
• PTOTCohort2016Correlation of Fractional Anisotropy With Motor Recovery in Patients With Stroke After Postacute Rehabilitation.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationIn 43 stroke patients after early inpatient rehab, a brain scan measure of corticospinal tract integrity was higher in those with better motor gains. It was linked to gains in good and moderate recovery groups, not poor recovery.
• PTOther2016Differential item functioning in the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Pediatric Short Forms in a sample of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologySome PROMIS mobility and pain items behaved differently in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy, so total scores may not mean the same as in the comparison sample. Fatigue scores were more similar. Check how children interpret items before comparing scores.
• PTOther2016The Effect of Levodopa on Improvements in Protective Stepping in People With Parkinson's Disease.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairPeople with Parkinson's disease improved backward protective stepping after one day of perturbation training, and improvement was larger when they were ON levodopa than OFF. Improvements were retained over 24 hours, with better retention on some measures while ON.
• PTOTCase Report2016Engaging Cervical Spinal Cord Networks to Reenable Volitional Control of Hand Function in Tetraplegic Patients.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairTwo people with chronic cervical spinal cord injury showed greater grip force and hand control during cervical epidural stimulation, and over repeated sessions. This is not evidence the stimulation works for other patients.
• PTOTSurvey2017Defining mild, moderate, and severe pain in young people with physical disabilities.Disability and rehabilitationFor young people with physical disabilities, the best average pain cutoffs were 0-3 mild, 4-6 moderate and 7-10 severe; the best worst pain cutoffs were 0-4 mild, 5-6 moderate and 7-10 severe.
• PTRCT2017The effects of inspiratory diaphragm breathing exercise and expiratory pursed-lip breathing exercise on chronic stroke patients' respiratory muscle activation.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn chronic stroke patients, adding therapist-guided diaphragm and pursed-lip breathing to routine physical therapy increased paretic-side respiratory muscle activity over four weeks.
• PTOTSLPRCT2017The effects of posterior talar glide with dorsiflexion of the ankle on mobility, muscle strength and balance in stroke patients: a randomised controlled trial.Journal of physical therapy scienceAdding posterior talar glide mobilization to standard therapy improved ankle range of motion and balance in stroke patients more than standard therapy alone. The added manual technique led to greater gains in dorsiflexion and functional reach compared to weight-bearing exercises.
• PTRCT2016Combining Fast-Walking Training and a Step Activity Monitoring Program to Improve Daily Walking Activity After Stroke: A Preliminary Study.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationAdding step monitoring to fast treadmill training improved daily walking and endurance more than training alone, but only for patients who started with low activity levels. Those with higher baseline activity did not benefit from the added monitoring.
• PTCase Report2016Improving Walking with an Implanted Neuroprosthesis for Hip, Knee, and Ankle Control After Stroke.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationIn a single man with stroke, implanted stimulation plus 30 weeks of gait training raised walking speed from 0.29 to 0.72 m/s on a 10-meter test. This case cannot show what each part contributed.
• PTOTRCT2016Upper-Limb Recovery After Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing EMG-Triggered, Cyclic, and Sensory Electrical Stimulation.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairAll three stimulation types improved upper-limb scores over 8 weeks, with no significant difference between EMG-triggered, cyclic NMES, and sensory stimulation. This trial did not show one method was better for wrist-hand function after stroke.
• PTOther2017Effects of a standard transfer exercise program on transfer quality and activities of daily living for transfer-dependent spinal cord injury patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceAdding a six-week transfer exercise and image training program to general physical therapy improved transfer quality and some daily independence in spinal cord injury patients who needed help transferring. Usual therapy alone did not show these gains.
• PTNarrative Review2017Demystifying Poststroke Pain: From Etiology to Treatment.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationPost-stroke pain has several causes: central pain, CRPS, spasticity, shoulder subluxation. PT options include exercise, strapping, and FES, but evidence is mixed and drug trials are limited.
• PTOther2017The effects of upper extremity task training with symmetric abdominal muscle contraction on trunk stability and balance in chronic stroke patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceAdding abdominal bracing to paretic upper limb task training improved trunk scores and balance more than task training alone in chronic stroke patients, but posture scores did not separate.
• PTOTOther2017Validating accelerometry as a measure of physical activity and energy expenditure in chronic stroke.Topics in stroke rehabilitationStandard accelerometry thresholds underestimate activity intensity in stroke survivors with hemiparetic gait. New stroke-specific cutpoints for Actical monitors were developed, showing that walking at 2.0 mph is vigorous intensity for this population, not light or moderate.
• PTOTCohort2016Association Between Time to Rehabilitation and Outcomes After Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationAfter traumatic spinal cord injury, a 10% longer wait for inpatient rehabilitation was associated with a 1.50-point lower FIM motor score at discharge. This was an observational association, not proof that delay caused worse function.
• PTOTOther2016Use of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Short Version in Mild to Moderate Parkinson Disease.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationThe WHOQOL-BREF showed people with mild to moderate Parkinson disease reported lower quality of life than controls in physical, psychological, social, overall, and health satisfaction, but not environment. Fatigue, depression, apathy, and daily function related more closely to quality of life than motor scores.
• PTRCT2017The effects of exercise training using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on breathing in patients with chronic stroke patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceAdding transcranial direct current stimulation to breathing exercises improved lung capacity more than sham stimulation in chronic stroke patients. Both groups showed gains, but the tDCS group achieved significantly higher forced vital capacity and expiratory volume, suggesting the electrical stimulation enhances the effect of standard respiratory training.
• PTRCT2017The effects of action observation training and mirror therapy on gait and balance in stroke patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceNo group clearly outperformed the others. Watching movement videos then practicing them, with twice-weekly physical therapy, showed improved standing balance scores and shorter walking task times. Mirror therapy with physical therapy showed shorter walking task times. Watching videos alone did not show these changes.
• PTOTCohort2017Using diffusion tensor imaging to identify corticospinal tract projection patterns in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyDiffusion tensor imaging (DTI) identified the corticospinal tract in 81.8% of cases where TMS confirmed it, offering a practical alternative for children who cannot tolerate TMS. In children with bilateral connectivity, the tract from the damaged side showed poorer integrity than the healthy side.
• PTOTSLPOther2017Estimated Prestroke Peak VO2 Is Related to Circulating IGF-1 Levels During Acute Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairIn 15 acute stroke patients, estimated pre-stroke aerobic fitness correlated with circulating IGF-1 levels but not with IGFBP-3. Patients with higher IGF-1 had significantly higher estimated fitness. This small observational study links a biomarker to a calculated fitness estimate, offering no evidence that changing fitness alters stroke recovery.
• PTOther2016Quantifying passive muscle stiffness in children with and without cerebral palsy using ultrasound shear wave elastography.Developmental medicine and child neurologyUltrasound calf muscle stiffness was higher in children with cerebral palsy than matched typically developing children. Relative to their own relaxed position, stretch response was similar. Stiffness did not track spasticity, function level, or botulinum toxin history.
• PTOTCohort2016Social Support and Actual Versus Expected Length of Stay in Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationAlmost half of stroke, lower extremity fracture, and joint replacement inpatients left earlier than expected. Patients with no family or friend support were less likely to leave early in all groups, and more likely to stay longer in fracture or joint replacement.
• PTOTCohort2017Parkinsonian signs are a risk factor for falls.Gait & postureOlder adults with mild parkinsonian signs were more likely to fall during follow-up, even after common fall risk factors were considered. Their falls were also more likely to result in injury and emergency service use.
• PTOther2017Ventilatory threshold may be a more specific measure of aerobic capacity than peak oxygen consumption rate in persons with stroke.Topics in stroke rehabilitationThe breathing threshold measure was less tied to walking speed than peak oxygen use in 59 people with chronic stroke. This may mean it reflects aerobic capacity more specifically. Peak oxygen use can look artificially low when walking is impaired. The rating method was reliable.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2017The Canadian occupational performance measure for patients with stroke: a systematic review.Journal of physical therapy scienceThe Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) shows good reliability in stroke patients but correlates poorly with standard assessments. It captures unique patient goals but requires adequate communication skills, so use it alongside other measures, not alone.
• PTOTQualitative2017Starting a new conversation: Engaging Veterans with spinal cord injury in discussions of what function means to them, the barriers/facilitators they encounter, and the adaptations they use to optimize function.Disability and health journalNine Veterans with spinal cord injury described function as doing what they want and being independent. They said tools, transportation, therapy and caregivers helped; wheelchairs and inaccessible surfaces hindered; they used creative adaptations.
• PTOther2017Sarcopenia and Physical Function in Middle-Aged and Older Stroke Survivors.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationStroke survivors walking independently had 14.3% to 17.9% sarcopenia by four definitions. In matched pairs, stroke survivors had 13.2% and controls 5.3%. Limb lean mass was related to walking speed and peak oxygen uptake.
• PTRCT2017Observational practice of incentive spirometry in stroke patients.Brazilian journal of physical therapyVideo instructions and therapist demonstration did not differ during a learning task for incentive spirometry. People after stroke made more errors and needed more attempts than healthy people.
• PTOther2017Predicting Motor Sequence Learning in Individuals With Chronic Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairFor people with chronic stroke and healthy controls, how fast they improved on a joystick tracking task was related to how well they retained it 24 hours later. In stroke, arm function predicted retention. Predicted trials to plateau did not separate the groups.
• PTOTCase Report2017Restoration of Vision After Brain Injury Using Magnet Glasses.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationMagnetic glasses lifted a droopy eyelid, letting a patient with brain injury use an already deviated eye. She reported seeing more of the room, and mobility and dressing support improved.
• PTOther2017Determining Levels of Upper Extremity Movement Impairment by Applying a Cluster Analysis to the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of the Upper Extremity in Chronic Stroke.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationIn 247 people with chronic stroke, Fugl-Meyer upper limb scores grouped into severe, severe-moderate, moderate-mild, and mild impairment patterns. Reflex items did not change the grouping, so they may be left out when classifying movement impairment.
• PTPilot2017Effect of Aerobic Exercise Training on Mood in People With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pilot Study.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationIn 10 high-functioning adults with chronic traumatic brain injury, 12 weeks of vigorous aerobic exercise was associated with lower overall mood disturbance, especially fatigue. This small uncontrolled pilot cannot prove exercise works.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2016What are the barriers and facilitators to goal-setting during rehabilitation for stroke and other acquired brain injuries? A systematic review and meta-synthesis.Clinical rehabilitationPatients tended to want broad, long-term goals; staff tended to set short, impairment-focused goals. Use early therapist-led goal-setting when patients prefer it, and shift to patient-led goals after discharge.
• PTCohort2016Seizure burden and neurodevelopmental outcome in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyIn neonates with moderate or severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, seizures alone did not predict abnormal development. High seizure burden, over 40 minutes total or over 13 minutes in one hour, was associated with abnormal outcome at 24 to 48 months.
• PTOther2017Energy expenditure and cost of walking and stair climbing in individuals with chronic stroke.Brazilian journal of physical therapyStroke walkers used less oxygen per minute than healthy controls. Limited walkers used more oxygen per metre walking. On stairs, both stroke groups used more oxygen per metre than controls. During walking, those at or above 0.8 m/s had costs similar to controls.
• PTPilot2017Exploring the impact of visual and movement based priming on a motor intervention in the acute phase post-stroke in persons with severe hemiparesis of the upper extremity.Disability and rehabilitationFive people with flaccid hands after acute stroke tolerated a 45-minute virtual mirror and movement priming plus pinch training session. Four showed improved pinch-force tracking, but without a control group these gains cannot be attributed to the intervention.
• PTOTNarrative Review2016On the assessment of coordination between upper extremities: towards a common language between rehabilitation engineers, clinicians and neuroscientists.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationClinicians and engineers currently use incompatible definitions and metrics for upper-limb coordination, preventing standardized assessment. This review proposes a common taxonomy to align terminology, aiming to bridge the gap between clinical functional measures and robotic assessment tools.
• PTOTRCT2016Technology-assisted stroke rehabilitation in Mexico: a pilot randomized trial comparing traditional therapy to circuit training in a Robot/technology-assisted therapy gym.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationRobot gym therapy matched traditional therapy for arm function but improved leg movement scores more. The groups differed sharply in age, with the robot group much younger. The robot gym allowed one therapist to supervise six patients at once, potentially doubling daily treatment volume.
• PTPilot2016Model-based variables for the kinematic assessment of upper-extremity impairments in post-stroke patients.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationMovement variables from post-stroke reaching separated recovery into inefficiency, speed, and inaccuracy, and changed during robot-assisted training. The study did not prove the robot caused improvement.
• PTOther2017Dual task interference on postural sway, postural transitions and gait in people with Parkinson's disease and freezing of gait.Gait & posturePeople with Parkinson's and freezing of gait lost more walking speed and stride length when also counting backward by 3, compared with those without freezing. Standing sway and turning showed no extra problem with the second task.
• PTOther2017Reliability of center of pressure measures for assessing the development of sitting postural control through the stages of sitting.Gait & postureBody sway measures while sitting were only moderately consistent across stages and repeat trials. They did not clearly outperform session-to-session checks, so they may help track sitting change but are not a dependable standalone diagnostic.