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 69 OF 78 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOther2026Development and clinical validation of a stroke-specific Gait Deviation Index.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA stroke-specific gait score fit observed gait curves better than the standard GDI, but both scores were similar and their links to clinical impairment and walking speed were weak. This is not evidence it changes rehabilitation outcomes.
• PTOTOther2026Does cognition affect supervised and unsupervised mobility differently in people with Parkinson's disease? A cross-sectional study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn 105 people with Parkinson's, longer time on a word-colour interference test went with slower clinic walking and fewer home steps. After age, motor severity, sex and medication were included, cognition did not predict mobility.
• PTCohort2026Longitudinal decline in upper-limb range of motion in adults with cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyPassive upper-limb range of motion steadily declines throughout adulthood in people with cerebral palsy. The loss is fastest in those with the most limited hand function, where wrist extension can drop by more than a degree every year.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Surgical and health outcomes of non-ambulatory children with cerebral palsy and severe scoliosis: A population-based, longitudinal study.Developmental medicine and child neurologySpinal fusion in non-ambulatory children with severe cerebral palsy scoliosis corrected curves and improved seating and pain for most, but carried high complication and mortality risks. Caregivers of survivors reported high satisfaction, though non-surgical children were too frail for comparison.
• PTOTOther2026Beyond proportional recovery in wake-up stroke: unsupervised recovery clusters based on the NIHSS.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationStroke recovery did not follow one proportional rule. Clustering 201 wake-up stroke patients by NIHSS recovery found six groups, from full recovery to worsening, and early recovery at 7 days was associated with 90-day disability.
• PTOTCohort2026Staying Active: Promoting Activity Engagement for Poststroke Pain Management With Insights From Ecological Momentary Assessment.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationPoststroke pain rose during physical activity and hospital visits but dropped afterward. Social connection and workplace engagement also linked to lower pain. These small shifts may not be clinically meaningful, so do not assume activity alone will resolve pain without broader support.
• PTOTQualitative2026Fall experiences of ambulatory children and adults with cerebral palsy: A qualitative study using thematic content analysis.Developmental medicine and child neurologyPeople with cerebral palsy described embarrassment and anxiety as more worrying than physical injuries. They often avoid crowds or public spaces. Clinicians should ask about emotional impacts and teach safe falling techniques, as fear of falling limits independence.
• PTOTSLPRCT2026Escitalopram promotes recovery from hand paresis in cortical sensori-motor stroke: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled longitudinal study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationEscitalopram plus occupational therapy improved fine finger dexterity and brain activation patterns more than placebo plus therapy over nine months in acute stroke. However, the study was tiny, so this is a signal for larger trials, not a reason to change practice.
• PTOther2026Dynamic brain synergy uncovers functional neural coordination in Parkinson's disease under dopaminergic modulation.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationDopamine medication normalized dynamic brain synergy during walking in Parkinson's patients. This neural change matched improved gait and motor scores. Standard functional connectivity showed no such changes. The study suggests synergy reflects the brain's shift from effortful compensation to automated movement.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Elevated autistic features in Parkinson's disease and other motor disorders.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic traits were elevated in both Parkinson's and other motor disorders compared to controls. The difference was specific to males; females showed no group differences. This suggests a broad link between motor conditions and autistic features, not one unique to Parkinson's.
• PTOTPilot2026Task complexity amplifies spatial asymmetry of muscle synergy plasticity in chronic stroke survivors.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn a small pilot, high-complexity tasks like drinking revealed greater muscle synergy asymmetry between stroke-affected and unaffected arms. This asymmetry correlated with worse motor function and higher spasticity, suggesting complex tasks may better detect impairment.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Daily Temporal Associations Between Use of Psychoactive Substances and Fatigue, Pain, Stress, and Depressive Symptoms in People With Multiple Sclerosis.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationIn adults with MS, alcohol use lowered stress but increased fatigue. Caffeine reduced fatigue yet raised stress. Nicotine and cannabis increased fatigue. Opioid use was linked to higher average pain. Symptoms did not predict caffeine, nicotine, or cannabis use, suggesting habitual rather than reactive consumption.
• PTOTSLPRCT2026Predicting effect and evaluating cost-effectiveness of a family intervention after acquired brain or spinal cord injury: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of rehabilitation medicineAn 8-week family intervention improved mental health and reduced anxiety and depression scores more than psychoeducation. It was likely cost-effective at 2 and 8 months. Benefits did not vary by injury type or whether sessions were in person or online.
• PTOTOther2026Effect of dual-task exercises on balance, risk for fall and activities of daily living dependency of patients with stroke: a quasi-experimental study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesStroke patients completing 16 sessions of dual-task exercises showed significant improvements in balance, reduced fall risk, and greater independence in daily activities. Without a control group, natural recovery or other concurrent care cannot be ruled out as the cause.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026Defining Severity Levels for Post-Stroke Upper Limb Motor Impairment and Activity Limitation: A Systematic Review.NeuroRehabilitationCurrent clinical language for post-stroke arm severity is inconsistent. Most studies use 'mild, moderate, severe' but define these terms differently, and cut-off scores on common tests like the Fugl-Meyer overlap significantly. This makes it difficult to compare patients or trials.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Significant differences in evaluation of disability and health (ICF) core sets between stroke rehabilitants and rehabilitation team during the first year.Journal of rehabilitation medicineStroke survivors rated their own abilities higher than their rehab team did, especially in thinking and daily tasks, at one month. By one year, these views aligned more closely. Survivors saw little change in their own function, while the team recorded significant improvements.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025An elective two-week interdisciplinary acute rehabilitation program improves functional and speech outcomes in patients with Parkinson's disease.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesPatients with Parkinson's disease in a two-week inpatient program improved mobility, self-care, and voice. Gains were seen regardless of age, disease duration, or medication dose. No control group means natural progression or other factors cannot be ruled out.
• PTOTOther2026Automated video analysis for early detection of bradykinesia in Parkinson's disease.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAn AI system analyzing finger-tapping videos accurately distinguished people with Parkinson's disease from healthy controls, even when clinicians rated the movement as normal or only slightly impaired. This suggests subtle motor signs invisible to the eye can be detected objectively.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026Robot-assisted therapy following stroke: what effects on quality of life, cognitive and psychosocial outcomes? A systematic review.Journal of rehabilitation medicineRobot-assisted therapy after stroke often improved quality of life, cognition, and psychosocial outcomes in the short term, but effects rarely persisted after treatment ended. Most studies measured these as secondary outcomes, so the evidence is preliminary and inconsistent.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2025Active upper-limb therapies for hand function, individual goal achievement, and self-care in children with cerebral palsy: A network meta-analysis.Developmental medicine and child neurologyModified constraint-induced movement therapy (mCIMT) and bimanual training (BiM) consistently improve hand function, goal achievement, and self-care in children with cerebral palsy. Action observation also improves bimanual hand function. No single therapy is clearly superior to the others for hand function, allowing choice based on child and family preference.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Temporal External Validation of the TWIST Prediction Tool for Time to Independent Walking after Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairThe TWIST tool accurately predicts time to independent walking after stroke but was too optimistic for some scores. Refinements made it more conservative for those with a score of 3. Use the updated interpretation to avoid over-promising recovery timelines.
• PTRCT2026Effects of diaphragmatic breathing and manual diaphragm relaxation on respiratory muscle strength, chest expansion, pulmonary function, and sitting ability in children with diplegic cerebral palsy: A randomized controlled trial.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineAdding diaphragmatic breathing and manual relaxation to standard physiotherapy significantly improved inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength and lower chest expansion in children with diplegic cerebral palsy. There were no additional benefits for lung function or sitting ability compared to standard therapy alone.
• PTOTSLPCase Report2025Case Report: Intensive multidisciplinary motor-cognitive rehabilitation treatment in Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesOne woman with Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome completed four weeks of intensive motor-cognitive rehabilitation. Her walking, balance, hand dexterity, speech clarity and swallowing safety all improved during admission, though she still needed her walker and caregiver support.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Occurrence and overlap of physical and mental health conditions in autistic adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic adults reported significantly more mental and physical health conditions than non-autistic adults, with mood disorders affecting 44% of the autistic group. Physical health quality of life was lower. The study found no single bridge condition; instead, multiple connections existed between mental and physical health clusters.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Mapping 74 years in acoustic analysis of voice disorders: A bibliometric review and future research directions.Journal of communication disordersA bibliometric analysis of 1,253 studies shows acoustic voice assessment research has grown rapidly, driven by remote monitoring and machine learning. While Parkinson's disease is heavily studied, voice changes in dementia, ALS, and depression remain under-researched despite their clinical relevance.
• PTOTQualitative2026Design Recommendations for Virtual Reality-Based Upper Limb Exercises From People With Tetraplegia and Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Specialists: Focus Group Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesPeople with tetraplegia and therapists identified key barriers to VR use in acute rehab: headsets are heavy and unsafe for high-level injuries, and nausea or reminders of disability cause disengagement. They recommended flexible, accessible designs over consumer-grade systems.
• PTOther2026Cluster-based muscle synergy analysis scheme for assessing crawling motor function in children with cerebral palsy.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationChildren with cerebral palsy showed significantly lower similarity in muscle coordination patterns during crawling compared to typical peers, despite matching their timing. This suggests the deficit lies in how muscles are grouped spatially, not when they fire.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2026Efficacy of botulinum toxin for poststroke lower limb: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical rehabilitationBotulinum toxin injections significantly reduced lower limb spasticity in stroke survivors but did not improve walking speed or balance. Tone reduction alone did not translate into functional gains, suggesting that injections must be paired with active rehabilitation to change how a patient moves.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2026Pelvic Floor Dysfunction and Rehabilitation in Neurological Disorders: Bridging Pathophysiology With Multidisciplinary Approaches-A Focused Mini-Review.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairConservative rehabilitation, particularly pelvic floor muscle training, is recommended as first-line therapy for neurogenic urinary dysfunction in multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and stroke. Evidence supports its use alone or combined with biofeedback, electrical stimulation, or nerve stimulation to improve continence and quality of life.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Clinical Predictors of Dysphagia in Acute and Subacute Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: A Retrospective Observational Study.DysphagiaPatients with a tracheostomy after cervical spinal cord injury were far more likely to have food or liquid enter their airway. Those aged 65 or older were more likely to have food left in the throat after swallowing. These factors help identify who needs a swallowing test before eating.
• PTOTCase Report2026On the road to Cybathlon 2024: lessons learned from the Polimi FES-bike team.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA pilot with a spinal cord injury used a custom FES-bike to cover the required distance in the 2024 Cybathlon. Personalizing stimulation angles nearly doubled his time to fatigue compared to standard settings, allowing him to secure third place.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026Communication about sexuality for adolescents with cerebral palsy and complex communication needs: A scoping review with framework synthesis.Developmental medicine and child neurologyAdolescents with cerebral palsy who speak discuss sexuality with parents and peers, but those with complex communication needs are rarely asked directly. Support staff and parents report conversations focus on abuse prevention and personal care, missing broader topics like dating or consent.
• PTOther2026Impact and feasibility of a group-based therapeutic exercise program on strength and endurance in hospitalized patients with spinal cord injury: a quasi-experimental study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationHospitalized patients with spinal cord injury who added group exercise to their usual therapy reported high satisfaction and no safety issues. Strength and walking distance scores rose, but without a control group it is impossible to say if the exercise itself caused these changes.
• PTOther2025Psychometric properties of the Community Balance and Mobility Scale for people with stroke.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineThe CB&M is a reliable balance test for chronic stroke patients. A score of 62 or below indicates impaired balance compared to healthy adults. Changes of at least 5.35 points reflect real improvement, not just measurement error.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2025Efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave therapy for post-stroke spasticity and dose-response analysis: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineExtracorporeal shock wave therapy significantly reduced post-stroke spasticity in the short and long term, with a dose-response relationship showing higher total pulses yielded greater muscle tone reduction. Benefits were clearer for the upper limb, and the treatment was well tolerated.
• PTOTRCT2026Dual‑task exergaming to enhance motor and cognitive function in chronic stroke: a prospective, assessor-blinded, parallel group randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn chronic stroke survivors, four weeks of dual-task exergaming improved dynamic gait and executive function more than conventional balance training alone. Both groups also received standard therapy, so the specific benefit of the game versus extra practice time is unclear.
• PTOTOther2026Motor, Cognitive, Psychological, and Neural Predictors of Concern About Falling in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairConcern about falling in 43 people with mild relapsing-remitting MS was linked to disease severity, activity avoidance, physical fatigue, and slower backward walking. MRI brain volumes did not explain concern after disease severity was considered.
• PTOTSystematic Review2026The effect of robot-assisted gait training on physical activity outcomes in people with spinal cord injury: A systematic review.Clinical rehabilitationPeople with spinal cord injury did more walking, took more steps, and increased their speed during robot-assisted training sessions as time went on. However, the evidence for this improvement is very low because most studies had no control group and were small.
• PTOTOther2026Altered walking gaze behavior after stroke: more than meets the eye.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationStroke survivors look at the floor more than healthy walkers, fixing their gaze closer to their feet. This downward gaze tracks with poor balance and fear of falling, not just slow walking. It reflects instability, not a strategy to plan steps.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026Outcomes of selective dorsal rhizotomy in ambulatory children and young people with cerebral palsy: A scoping review.Developmental medicine and child neurologyMost research on selective dorsal rhizotomy measures muscle tone and movement, ignoring patient goals and daily participation. Only four studies tracked individualized goals and two explored family perspectives, leaving a major gap in understanding what matters to patients.
• PTOTSystematic Review2026The use of botulinum toxin for spasticity in people with spinal cord injury: a scoping review.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineEvidence for botulinum toxin in spinal cord injury spasticity is sparse and inconsistent. Most studies lack clear definitions, goal setting, or injection details. Clinicians should use consensus definitions, involve patients in goal setting, and employ instrumental guidance for injections.
• PTOTRCT2026Preventing slowing down of alpha rhythms in stroke patients through modulation of cortical excitatory-inhibitory balance: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding bilateral tDCS to virtual reality upper-limb training helped stroke patients keep improving for 12 weeks after discharge, while the sham group stalled. However, this benefit came from the combination with standard rehab, and the mechanism was not the predicted change in brain rhythms.
• PTOTQualitative2026Exploring Barriers and Enablers for the Intention to Use Assistive Robotics Among People With Spinal Cord Injury and Those Involved in Their Care: Qualitative Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesPeople with spinal cord injury hesitate to use assistive robotics due to fluctuating pain, high costs, and fear of looking "robotic." They prefer low-tech aids. Enablers exist only if devices are simple, reliable, and discreet. Current designs often fail to meet these everyday needs.
• PTOTSystematic Review2026A clinical roadmap for lateropulsion after stroke based on a realist review strategy.Clinical rehabilitationClinicians can use this roadmap to assess lateropulsion, choose interventions by lesion and verticality deficits, and anticipate slower recovery after right hemisphere stroke. These are expert recommendations, not tested interventions.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2026Neurorehabilitation in the 21st Century: New Science, New Strategies, New Expectations.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairThe brain stays plastic all life. Recovery means restoring a skill's key features, not its old muscle patterns. Therapists should pair practice with methods that boost or guide this plasticity.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2026Exploring the Influence of Digitalization on Multidisciplinary Poststroke Rehabilitation Practice: Qualitative Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesTherapists described videoconferencing and digital tools for coordination after discharge, but written reports still dominated cross-service communication. They worried digital support could weaken relationships, especially for psychosocial care and complex motor rehab.
• PTOTCohort2026Three-year outcomes of repeated botulinum neurotoxin A injections to the lower extremities in young children with spastic cerebral palsy in GMFCS levels I to III.Developmental medicine and child neurologyRepeated botulinum toxin injections did not improve gross motor function in young children with spastic cerebral palsy over three years. Range of motion outcomes slightly favoured the group that did not receive injections.
• PTOTSLPRCT2026At-Home Delivery of Vagus Nerve Stimulation Paired With Task-Specific Training Improves Performance of High-Priority Activities in Persons With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury or Stroke.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationFourteen people with chronic stroke or spinal cord injury completed 36 at-home sessions pairing vagus nerve stimulation with self-selected daily tasks. Time to complete trained tasks dropped by 19.8% in stroke and 33.8% in spinal cord injury, but this open-label study cannot separate the stimulation's effect from practice alone.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026Parents' experiences of having a child who had a stroke: A systematic review and meta-ethnography.Developmental medicine and child neurologyParents describe childhood stroke as a sudden, shocking event worsened by low awareness among professionals. They report feeling abandoned after discharge, forcing them to self-educate. Support needs change over time, with fathers and siblings often overlooked.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Predicting neurodevelopmental outcomes in Australian First Nations infants: The transdiagnostic utility of early screening tools.Developmental medicine and child neurologyA combined trajectory of early movement scores (MOS-R) and neurological exams (HINE) predicted neurodevelopmental delays and autism at 12 months with 74% accuracy. This transdiagnostic utility allows therapists to identify high-risk First Nations infants earlier, even before a formal diagnosis is confirmed.