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 68 OF 78 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTSLPCohort2025Age Is Not the Limit-Functional Outcomes and Discharge Predictors in a Neurorehabilitation Cohort of Mixed Ages.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationAge alone did not predict home discharge or functional improvement in this neurorehabilitation cohort. Instead, outcomes depended on comorbidity burden, baseline function, and length of stay. Do not exclude older patients from inpatient rehabilitation based on age.
• PTOTSLPRCT2025Early detection of infants with neurodevelopmental concerns indicative of cerebral palsy in a lower middle-income country (India).Developmental medicine and child neurologyCommunity health workers in India reliably screened high-risk infants for cerebral palsy using video-based movement assessments. The General Movements Assessment was highly sensitive but prone to false positives. The Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination offered better overall accuracy. Early detection is feasible in low-resource settings.
• PTOTSLPPilot2025Impact of a 2-Month Program of Eccentric Training on Plantar Flexor Structure and Function in Hemiparesis After Stroke.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationEccentric training changed muscle structure and neural activation in stroke survivors but did not improve walking speed or strength. The intervention was feasible, yet functional outcomes remained null, so it should not be expected to enhance mobility on its own.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2025Prevalence and Incidence of Cardiovascular Disease in Adults With Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRAdults with intellectual disabilities have very high rates of heart failure and stroke, but the numbers vary wildly across studies. Screening should not rely on medical records alone, as objective tests found far more cases. Treat these rates as a range, not a single number.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2025Understanding Cannabis Use After Spinal Cord Injury: A Canadian Survey Study.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationHalf of surveyed Canadians with spinal cord injury had used cannabis, with pain and sleep the top reasons after injury. Most perceived it moderately effective, but the study did not prove it works. Clinicians should discuss risks and benefits rather than assume therapeutic value.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Functional Trajectory of Childhood Stroke in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Setting.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationChildren with new stroke improved significantly in self-care, mobility, and cognition during inpatient rehab. However, those needing agitation medication started lower and gained less. Agitation management is a key predictor of functional recovery in this group.
• PTSystematic Review2025Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Cardiometabolic Risk in Persons With Spinal Cord Injury/Disease: A Scoping Review.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationMost evidence in adults with spinal cord injury or disease mapped cardiometabolic risk rather than tested treatment. Physical activity was the most studied intervention, but diet, medication, and behavior change evidence was sparse.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025E-Cigarette Use Among Older Adults with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury: Relationship With History of Cigarette Smoking.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationAbout 16% of adults with chronic spinal cord injury have tried e-cigarettes, and 4.9% currently use them. History of cigarette smoking and younger age were strongly associated with this use. Injury severity was not related to vaping.
• PTOTSLPRCT2025Impact of the Akwenda Intervention Program for cerebral palsy on caregiver-perceived burden, stress, and psychosocial functioning: A cluster-randomized trial in Uganda.Developmental medicine and child neurologyCaregivers in a 12-month group program in Uganda reported less burden and better quality of life than those receiving usual care. The program combined training, therapy sessions, and peer support. It is unclear which specific component drove the improvements.
• PTOTSystematic Review2025Therapeutic Effects of Noninvasive Technology Modalities on Lower-Limb Motor Function in Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationResults for noninvasive stimulation in incomplete spinal cord injury are mixed. Motor scores and walking improved in some trials, but others showed no difference versus sham. Effects varied by technique and protocol, so no single modality can be recommended as standard care.
• PTOTOther2025Home-Based Gait Interventions for Adults with Stroke: A Scoping Review.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationHome gait treatments for stroke vary widely, from apps to caregiver-led plans. Many studies showed walking improvements, but most were small or pilot trials. Most required clinic visits for setup or testing. Evidence is too mixed to recommend one specific home method over another.
• PTOTSLPRCT2025Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial of the Impact of Olfactory Training on Cognitive and Emotional Function in Individuals with Parkinson Disease.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationSix months of sniffing four scents twice daily improved memory, thinking, and mood in people with Parkinson disease. The group doing the training scored better than controls on all these tests, though motor symptoms did not change.
• PTOTRCT2026Modified sports intervention for improving participation goals and activity competence in ambulant children with cerebral palsy: A randomized controlled trial.Developmental medicine and child neurologyFor ambulant children with cerebral palsy, an 8-week modified sports programme improved parent-set goals for attending and engaging in leisure physical activity more than usual physical therapy. Motor performance goals also improved. However, the programme did not change overall physical activity levels, body functions, or general participation.
• PTOTCohort2025Temporal Relationships Between Depression, Self-Efficacy, and Physical Activity in Individuals With Stroke.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationAfter stroke, higher self-efficacy was followed by more steps only when depressive symptoms were low. Higher depressive symptoms were followed by lower self-efficacy. Steps were not followed by changes in mood or self-efficacy.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Robotics and artificial intelligence applications in neurorehabilitation: a bibliometric analysis (2003-2025).Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationThe literature on robotics and AI in neurorehabilitation has grown rapidly since 2010, but remains heavily focused on stroke and exoskeleton design. There is little published research on Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, or paediatric populations, and the field lacks clinical validation data.
• PTPilot2026A multimodal machine learning approach to forecast upper limb motor recovery after stroke using kinematic and electromyographic data - A pilot-study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationNo model clearly beat the others at predicting upper-limb recovery in people with recent stroke. A small pilot robot-based system flagged possible limited recovery, but the evidence is too thin to change therapy choices.
• PTOTCohort2026Quantitative clinical assessment of wrist proprioception with stroke survivors.Clinical rehabilitationA 10-trial wrist position sense test identifies impairment with 85.3% sensitivity and 95.7% specificity compared to the 20-trial version. Updated cut-off scores allow clinicians to confidently diagnose proprioceptive loss after stroke without adjusting for age, sex, or hand dominance.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2025Effectiveness of post-acute care for patients with cerebral vascular disease in Taiwan between 2014 and 2023: a narrative synthesis.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesTaiwan's post-acute stroke care, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech and swallowing therapy, was linked to better function, fewer readmissions, and lower costs. Evidence is observational, so single components cannot be separated.
• PTOTRCT2026Visual and visual-proprioceptive training improve gait via sensory reweighting after chronic stroke: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationVisual-proprioceptive integration training improved comfortable gait speed by 0.08 m/s more than control. It also reduced step-length asymmetry by 28.3% more than control. Oculomotor training alone did not significantly improve gait speed or symmetry compared to control.
• PTOTRCT2026Immersive virtual reality upper-limb exercises in people with Parkinson's disease: an observer-blinded randomised controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationConventional upper-limb training improved hand function significantly more than immersive virtual reality, though both groups showed gains in arm function and dexterity. The VR system was usable and well-tolerated, but did not outperform standard therapy for the primary outcome.
• PTOTOther2026Latent profile analysis of social participation in stroke survivors with limb dysfunction: a mixed-methods study.Journal of rehabilitation medicineFour participation patterns emerged after stroke with limb dysfunction. 43.1% were cautious and 33.3% disengaged. In interviews, comparing life with the worst period after stroke was linked to rebuilding, while comparing with before stroke was linked to loss.
• PTCohort2026Longitudinal assessment of lower limb muscle quantity and quality in acute stroke patients.Journal of rehabilitation medicineWithin 10 days of acute stroke, ultrasound showed the paretic thigh muscles became thinner and lower in quality, especially when paralysis was severe. The non-paretic thigh also lost thickness but did not show the same quality decline.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Incidence of developmental disorders and special educational needs and disabilities in children in the UK.Developmental medicine and child neurologyChildren born even one or two weeks before full term face higher odds of developmental disorders and special educational needs. This risk persists after accounting for deprivation and ethnicity, suggesting early term birth is not harmless.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Longitudinal Associations Between Physical Activity Behavior and Structural Brain MRI Features After Stroke: A Sub-Study From the Nor-COAST Project.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairStroke survivors who walked more had brains that looked younger on MRI scans. Each extra 1,000 daily steps was linked to a brain appearing 1.15 years younger. This association held for both light and moderate activity, suggesting staying active may help preserve brain structure after stroke.
• PTQualitative2026"We Don't Know What to Do With an Adult" A Qualitative Study of Cerebral Palsy Transition Gaps.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationAdults with cerebral palsy and caregivers described abrupt loss of pediatric CP care, often leaving 2 to 5 year gaps before adult support. Families said early transition talks, provider recommendations, and hands-on coordination made the change less frightening.
• PTOTSLPRCT2026Improving dynamic balance in relapsing-remitting MS: insights from robotic-assisted rehabilitation therapy.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationBoth robotic-assisted and traditional balance training improved clinical balance scores equally. However, the robotic group showed superior recovery speed and trunk stability during dynamic perturbations, suggesting robots help train reactive balance better than standard exercises alone.
• PTQualitative2026Physiotherapy practice with mechanically ventilated spinal cord injury patients in the intensive care unit (ICU): A qualitative study of physiotherapists' experiences and perspectives.Clinical rehabilitationOntario ICU physiotherapists said co-treating, nurse and occupational therapist collaboration, and mentorship helped care for ventilated spinal cord injury patients. They named time, equipment, training, and autonomy as barriers.
• PTOTCohort2026Evolution of bowel function and quality of life after spinal cord injury: a longitudinal registry and survey study.Journal of rehabilitation medicineBowel dysfunction remains a major burden for spinal cord injury survivors, affecting over 70% at discharge and 51% years later. While quality of life generally improved over time, persistent bowel issues kept scores lower. Completeness of injury predicted bowel recovery, not treatment changes.
• PTOther2026Adaptation of motor unit synergies in the synergetic ankle plantarflexors in ambulatory persons with incomplete spinal cord injury.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAt low ankle force, people with incomplete SCI showed less shared muscle unit activity than controls. At higher force, they showed stronger low-frequency synchronization. This suggests altered neural drive, but does not yet change clinical practice.
• PTOTSystematic Review2025Conductive Education for Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review of Outcomes, Practice Time and Motor Performance Assessment.Child: care, health and developmentConductive education studies reported mixed motor outcomes in children with cerebral palsy: some showed gains, others did not, and the review could not combine the results.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Cross-modal synchronization of EEG and ECG reveals hidden signatures of recovery in traumatic brain injury.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn 11 comatose patients, heart-brain signal synchronization differed between outcomes. A new metric separated good from poor recovery with high statistical significance. This is a proof-of-concept algorithm, not a validated clinical tool, and cannot yet guide patient care.
• PTOTSLPRCT2026Novel lower limb robot-assisted gait phase stimulation enhances walking and balance in stroke patients: a pilot trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationStroke patients walking with assistance who received robot gait training with electrical stimulation timed to each gait phase walked faster and balanced better than those with conventional or sham stimulation. Improvements persisted five weeks after the three-week course ended.
• PTCohort2026Orthopedic surgery after selective dorsal rhizotomy in children with cerebral palsy: A matched cohort study.Developmental medicine and child neurologyAmong matched limbs in children with spastic cerebral palsy, selective dorsal rhizotomy was followed by fewer rectus femoris transfers and more bony foot and femoral derotation surgeries. It did not meaningfully reduce later muscle contracture or crouch gait surgeries.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2026Effectiveness of mirror and robot-assisted therapy for upper extremity rehabilitation in post-stroke patients: a meta-analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationCombining robot-assisted and mirror therapy improved arm movement and daily independence in stroke survivors. The gains were large enough to be clinically meaningful. However, the evidence is moderate, mostly from Chinese trials, and long-term effects are unknown.
• PTOTRCT2026A bilateral upper limb interactive game-based virtual reality rehabilitation system for stroke patients: a usability and clinical study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn a small pilot trial, a Kinect-based bilateral game system outperformed conventional therapy on arm function and coordination. Scores on the 66-point Fugl-Meyer scale rose from 30.18 to 39.27. The sample was tiny, so treat this as feasibility data, not proof.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Comparing inpatient stroke rehabilitation care and outcomes for people with and without aphasia in Australia.Clinical rehabilitationPatients with aphasia were more likely to have goals and care plans made without them, less likely to be assessed by a psychologist despite more mood impairment when assessed, and less likely to be independent or discharged home.
• PTOTOther2026A Streamlined 4-item Wolf Motor Function Test for Efficient Assessment of Upper Extremity Motor Function in Chronic Stroke Survivors.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairA 4-item version of the Wolf Motor Function Test matches the full 15-item score almost exactly. It takes far less time and equipment, making it a practical choice for tracking arm recovery in chronic stroke patients with mild-to-moderate impairment.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Brain lesion extent, growth, and body composition in children with cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyGreater brain lesion extent in children with cerebral palsy predicted shorter stature and lower weight, but not differences in body composition. Gross motor function level, not lesion size, drove fat and muscle changes. Children with high GMFCS levels gained excessive fat mass despite similar weight to peers.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Effectiveness and safety of abobotulinumtoxinA in pediatric lower limb spasticity: A phase IV, prospective, observational, multicenter study.Developmental medicine and child neurologyIn children with lower limb spasticity, abobotulinumtoxinA helped most patients reach their specific functional goals. Goal achievement remained high through eight injection cycles, with ambulatory patients doing better than non-ambulatory ones.
• PTOTOther2026A retrospective analysis of post-stroke rehabilitation with real world use of brain-computer interface.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationMost chronic stroke survivors with severe upper limb weakness improved enough on a motor scale to be considered clinically meaningful after using a brain-computer interface hand device. Improvement often happened within 12 weeks, though some needed longer. This was uncontrolled real-world data, so it does not prove the device caused the gains.
• PTOTOther2026Mirror Neuron System and Upper-Limb EMG Activity During Reaching Imitation in Stroke Survivors: Comparing Outcomes After Observing Normal vs. Aberrant Movements.NeuroRehabilitationStroke survivors showed stronger brain activation and increased supraspinatus muscle activity when imitating a reaching task after watching normal movements compared to aberrant ones. Therapists should prioritize showing correct movement patterns during action observation training.
• PTOTCase Report2026Lower limb functional electrical stimulation improves stair stepping in an individual with stroke: a case report.International journal of rehabilitation research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Rehabilitationsforschung. Revue internationale de recherches de readaptationOne stroke survivor with an implanted leg stimulator climbed stairs faster and with more foot clearance when the device was active. He felt more stable and found the task less difficult. This single case suggests the technology can assist stair negotiation, but does not prove it works for others.
• PTOther2026Selective Control Assessment of the Lower Extremity for Infants and Toddlers (Mini-SCALE): Development and validation of a clinical assessment.Developmental medicine and child neurologyMini-SCALE scores matched gross motor skill levels and separated typical development from CP or CP risk. The hip item is unreliable under 9 months, so cap total scores at 8 points for that age group.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Establishing levels of arm-hand activities in stroke patients: the arm-hand-activities-scale (AHAS).Journal of rehabilitation medicineThe Arm-Hand-Activities-Scale (AHAS) is a quick, 5-category observational tool that reliably classifies arm function in stroke patients. It correlates strongly with standard measures, is easy for clinicians and patients to understand, and captures what patients actually do in daily life rather than just their maximum capacity.
• PTOther2026Steps to Health: Backward Walking Predicts Physical Activity Levels in Multiple Sclerosis.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairSlower backward walking identified people with MS who did not reach 7500 steps daily over 3 months, with cutoffs of 0.89 m/s comfortable and 1.25 m/s fast.
• PTOTOther2026Longitudinal reference centiles for the Gross Motor Function Measure-66 in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyNew reference centiles allow therapists to judge if a child's gross motor gain over six months is clinically meaningful. They extend assessment to adolescents up to 18 years and show high agreement with previous methods for detecting both improvement and deterioration.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026The Accuracy of the PREP2 Prediction Tool for Upper Limb Outcomes After Stroke as Part of Routine Clinical Care.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairPREP2 predictions by clinicians missed the 70% accuracy target overall. It worked well for patients with a SAFE score of 5 or higher and those with no motor response to stimulation. Accuracy was poor for those needing stimulation who showed a motor response.
• PTOther2026Relationship between anterior-posterior ground reaction force patterns and immediate effect of different types of ankle-foot orthoses in individuals with post-stroke hemiparesis: a cross-sectional study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationBoth oil-damper and solid plastic ankle-foot orthoses improved walking speed and propulsion in people with post-stroke hemiparesis, but only in those with the most severe gait deviations. People with better baseline gait saw no benefit, and the speed gains were small.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Reactive Balance Deficits Differ in People After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Based on Chronicity of Self-Reported Symptoms.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairPeople with chronic dizziness after mild brain injury took longer to regain balance after a push than those with acute symptoms. Acute patients reacted more slowly but stabilized as fast as healthy adults. Balance strategies shifted from slow reaction to slow recovery as symptoms persisted.
• PTOTSLPOther2026The influence of upper extremity improvement on daily function in individuals with chronic stroke following task-oriented interventions: a structural equation modeling approach.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationImproving arm impairment alone did not predict better daily function in stroke survivors. Only faster task execution and less impairment directly predicted independence. Strength and movement quality helped daily life only indirectly, by making movements faster.