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 76 OF 78 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTSystematic Review2022Relationship between ankle function and walking ability for children and young adults with cerebral palsy: A systematic review of deficits and targeted interventions.Gait & postureAnkle strength, range of motion, and co-contraction are all significantly related to walking ability in children with CP. AFOs improve speed and metabolic cost while worn but do not train the ankle. BTX-A shows inconsistent effects on walking.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2025What is the effect of education on fatigue in adults with neurological conditions? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical rehabilitationFatigue education produced a small but significant reduction in fatigue for people with neurological conditions, with the strongest effect seen in one-to-one delivery. For stroke specifically, the effect was negligible. Evidence certainty is low.
• PTOTSystematic Review2025Assessing Participation Among Stroke Survivors: A Systematic Review of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures.Occupational therapy internationalTen patient-reported scales assess stroke participation. SIS 3.0 has the most translations and broadest domain coverage. MAPA is the only one designed specifically for participation. Pick the tool that matches what you need to measure.
• PTRCT2025High-intensity interval training with robot-assisted gait therapy vs. treadmill gait therapy in chronic stroke: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationRobot-assisted gait training with high-intensity intervals improved walking speed more than treadmill walking alone in 44 people with chronic stroke. The robot group gained 0.14 m/s versus 0.01 m/s, but the design cannot separate the robot from the interval training.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2024Effects of Balance Exercise Interventions on Balance-Related Performance in People With Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairBalance training in MS produces a moderate improvement in balance scores and a small improvement in mobility, but no change in gait speed or stepping. More training hours are associated with a larger effect. How many balance components are challenged is not.
• PTOTSystematic Review2023Effect of Exercise and Motor Interventions on Physical Activity and Motor Outcomes of Adults with Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review.Developmental neurorehabilitationVery low quality evidence from 25 studies: rhythmic auditory stimulation and balance training showed small benefits over their comparators, while treadmill training, resistance training, and whole-body vibration did not outperform their controls. No intervention was shown to work reliably.
• PTOTSystematic Review2022Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Improves Activities of Daily Living Post Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationNMES produced a moderate improvement in daily living scores for 428 post-stroke patients across 10 trials, but did not improve motor ability. The benefit was strongest in the subacute stage and for the upper limb. No adverse effects were reported.
• PTMeta-Analysis2024Efficacy of robot-assisted gait training on lower extremity function in subacute stroke patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationRobot-assisted gait training beat conventional gait training on lower limb motor function, balance, walking ability, and endurance in subacute stroke patients, but did not improve walking speed. Exoskeleton-type robots showed a speed advantage in a subgroup.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2023Effects of Virtual Reality-Based Exercise on Balance in Patients With Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationVR-based exercise improved balance by 1.35 points on a 56-point scale in chronic stroke, but showed no significant difference in acute or subacute patients. Most studies added VR on top of conventional therapy, so the VR-specific effect is unclear.
• PTSystematic Review2022"Magic" Number of Treadmill Sessions Needed to Achieve Meaningful Change in Gait Speed After Stroke: A Systematic Review.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationTreadmill session count did not reliably predict gait speed gains in chronic stroke. Longer sessions per visit did. The authors say no firm session number can be recommended from this data.
• PTOTSystematic Review2024Efficacy of acupuncture combined with mirror therapy in the treatment of post-stroke limb movement disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesAcupuncture added to mirror therapy improved upper and lower limb motor scores over either treatment alone or conventional rehab, across 42 trials of 3,340 stroke patients. Spasticity scores did not clearly improve.
• PTMeta-Analysis2023Effects of Motor Imagery Training for Lower Limb Dysfunction in Patients With Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationAdding motor imagery to standard lower-limb rehab after stroke improved the FMA-LE score by 2.63 points over rehab alone. Walking speed, stride length, and daily activity scores also improved. Balance evidence is very weak.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2022Effect of Motor Intervention for Infants and Toddlers With Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Pediatric physical therapy : the official publication of the Section on Pediatrics of the American Physical Therapy AssociationTask-specific motor training gave infants under 3 with CP a small motor advantage over standard care. CIMT did not show a clear benefit over bimanual play or infant massage. All evidence is very low quality.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2025Effects of mirror therapy on motor and functional recovery of the upper extremity in subacute stroke: Systematic review and meta-analysis.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationMirror therapy improved arm movement, hand function, and daily living tasks in people within 6 months of stroke. The benefit appeared with both arms moving together, not with the unaffected arm alone. Quality of life did not change.
• PTRCT2025Combining immersive exergaming with physiotherapy in a specialized intensive Parkinson's disease rehabilitation program: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding a dolphin-control exergame to six weeks of Parkinson's physiotherapy did not improve basic walking speed over physiotherapy alone. At 16 weeks, the combined group walked better while doing a cognitive task, but both groups improved on most measures.
• PTRCT2025Effects of a 6-Week Treadmill Training With and Without Virtual Reality on Frailty in People With Multiple Sclerosis.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationAdding virtual reality to treadmill training did not reduce frailty more than treadmill alone in people with MS. Both groups did improve after 6 weeks. In an exploratory analysis, VR helped the cognitive component of frailty.
• PTRCT2024Brain modulation after exergaming training in advanced forms of Parkinson's disease: a randomized controlled study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationBrain volume did not change after 6-9 weeks of standing exergaming in 9 people with PD whose gait was unresponsive to medication. Resting-state connectivity shifted in the active group. Gait scores improved, but the same game played seated with a keyboard did not.
• PTMeta-Analysis2024Effect of robot-assisted gait training on improving cardiopulmonary function in stroke patients: a meta-analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationRobot-assisted gait training raised peak oxygen uptake in stroke patients compared with routine rehab. The 6-minute walking distance also improved, but by less than the smallest change a patient would notice.
• PTSystematic Review2024The efficacy of lower limb orthoses on quality of life, well-being, and participation following stroke: A systematic review.Prosthetics and orthotics internationalThe evidence is insufficient to say lower-limb orthoses improve quality of life, well-being, or participation after stroke. Results across ten studies were mixed. A slight tendency favored FES over AFOs, but the studies were too small and varied to confirm it.
• PTRCT2024Effects of carbon versus plastic ankle foot orthoses on gait outcomes and energy cost in patients with chronic stroke.Journal of rehabilitation medicineThe composite ankle-foot orthosis did not outperform the custom-made plastic one on walking distance, speed, or energy cost in 15 chronic stroke patients. Both, however, beat no orthosis. Patients preferred the composite.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2023Efficacy of virtual reality training on motor performance, activity of daily living, and quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease: an umbrella review comprising meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationVR training improved balance, stride length, and daily living in Parkinson's patients, but not walking speed or motor function. Evidence quality is low to very low, and all trials ran 3 to 12 weeks.
• PTMeta-Analysis2023A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effect of virtual reality-based rehabilitation for people with Parkinson's disease.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationVR-based rehabilitation improved balance scores in people with Parkinson's disease compared with conventional therapy. Gait speed on the 10-metre walk test also improved, but functional mobility, 6-minute walk, motor function, daily living, and quality of life showed no significant difference.
• PTSystematic Review2023Carbon fiber ankle-foot orthoses in impaired populations: A systematic review.Prosthetics and orthotics internationalCarbon fiber AFOs show generally positive outcomes (improved walking, reduced pain, better foot drop) in their target populations, but the evidence is mostly low-to-moderate quality with no RCTs, and results are device-specific and population-specific.
• PTSystematic Review2022Efficacy of Knee-Ankle-Foot Orthosis on Functional Mobility and Activities of Daily Living in Patients with Stroke: A Systematic Review of Case Reports.Journal of rehabilitation medicineTen of fifteen stroke patients in Japanese case reports improved in walking or balance after using a knee-ankle-foot orthosis. Nine of fifteen improved in daily living. Nine then switched to an ankle-foot orthosis. The evidence is too weak to confirm the KAFO caused the change.
• PTOTSystematic Review2022Integrating virtual reality and exergaming in cognitive rehabilitation of patients with Parkinson disease: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineAcross 10 small trials of VR or exergaming for cognition in Parkinson's, results were mixed. Some showed the technology outperformed conventional rehab; others showed both groups improving equally. Most trials treated cognition as a secondary measure, and the tests were too varied to combine.
• PTRCT2022Effects of Balance Exercise Assist Robot training for patients with hemiparetic stroke: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding 18 minutes of balance training six times a week to usual inpatient rehabilitation improved balance more than usual rehabilitation alone. A robot did it no better than a therapist, though patients enjoyed the robot more. Strength, walking independence and daily function did not differ.
• PTOTRCT2025Task Practice With and Without Aerobic Exercise Improves Health-related Quality of Life and Social Participation Post-stroke: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairAdding aerobic cycling to upper-extremity task practice did not improve quality of life, mood, or participation more than task practice alone in 60 people with chronic stroke. Both groups improved and kept those gains at 12 months.
• PTMeta-Analysis2025Comparative efficacy of robotic exoskeleton and conventional gait training in patients with spinal cord injury: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationRobotic exoskeleton gait training did not improve walking speed or distance over conventional therapy in spinal cord injury. It did improve balance and lower limb motor scores. In patients more than 6 months post-injury, conventional therapy produced faster walking speeds.
• PTSystematic Review2025Efficacy of functional electrical stimulation alone and as an adjunct to exercise for improving respiratory function and aerobic capacity in spinal cord injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesFES significantly improved expiratory function (FVC, PEF, MEP) in people with spinal cord injury, but did not improve inspiratory strength. FES added to rowing improved peak oxygen uptake. Peak ventilation did not change.
• PTRCT2025Game-based visual feedback-guided dynamic balance training versus conventional training in patients with hemiplegia: a pilot randomized controlled trial.Journal of rehabilitation medicineGame-based visual feedback balance training showed no advantage over conventional balance training for stroke patients after 3 weeks. Both groups improved on balance and walking measures.
• PTOTRCT2024Effect of task-oriented training assisted by force feedback hand rehabilitation robot on finger grasping function in stroke patients with hemiplegia: a randomised controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationBoth groups improved hand function after 4 weeks of task-oriented training. The robot-assisted group gained more grip strength and finger range of motion, but showed no advantage on daily living scores or muscle tone.
• PTRCT2024An 8-week Forced-rate Aerobic Cycling Program Improves Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Persons With Chronic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationPeak oxygen uptake rose by 1.9 mL/kg/min over 8 weeks when motor-assisted cycling was added to upper-extremity task practice, compared to task practice alone, in people with chronic stroke.
• PTRCT2024Allied rehabilitation using caregiver-mediated exercises combined with telerehabilitation for stroke (ARMed4Stroke): A randomised controlled trial.Clinical rehabilitationSelf-reported mobility improved in both groups but not more in the 41 subacute stroke patients who added caregiver-supervised exercises, physiotherapist check-ins, and a telerehabilitation platform to usual care over 8 weeks. Caregivers did report better quality of life and less depression.
• PTRCT2024The effects of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on cognitive function in individuals with stroke-induced mild cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled pilot study.Journal of rehabilitation medicineThe primary outcome, 2-back working memory accuracy, showed no significant difference between the exercise and control groups. Secondary measures (MOCA total, 3-back, delayed recall) favoured the exercise group. With 10 per group and a 2-week intervention, this is a pilot signal, not a treatment recommendation.
• PTSystematic Review2023Can post stroke walking improve via telerehabilitation? A systematic review in adults with stroke.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesTelerehabilitation did not improve walking speed in the one study that measured it. Both groups improved in walking endurance with no difference between them. Balance improved in both groups, but the authors note this does not predict better walking.
• PTOTRCT2022Efficacy of sitting balance training with delayed visual feedback among patients with stroke: a randomized crossover clinical trial.Journal of physical therapy scienceDelayed visual feedback (500 ms) improved sitting balance, center-of-pressure excursion, and ADL scores in 20 stroke patients. Real-time visual feedback did not. The pattern held whether the delay came first or second.
• PTRCT2022Immediate effect of different ankle-foot orthosis functions with the same dorsiflexed setting of initial ankle joint angle on walking ability in individuals with chronic stroke: a randomized crossover trial.Journal of physical therapy scienceThe two AFO settings (fixed 5° dorsiflexion vs 5-20° range) did not differ in walking speed, cadence, or stance time. Both did improve speed over no AFO. For chronic stroke patients with limited ankle mobility, the specific AFO function may not matter.
• PTOTRCT2022Comparative effects of EMG-driven robot-assisted therapy versus task-oriented training on motor and daily function in patients with stroke: a randomized cross-over trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationBoth robot-assisted hand therapy and task-oriented training improved upper limb function in chronic stroke. Robot therapy was better for speed of task completion; task-oriented training was better for spontaneous arm use in daily life.
• PTMeta-Analysis2022Is robotic gait training effective for individuals with cerebral palsy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Clinical rehabilitationRobotic gait training did not improve walking endurance, walking speed, or gross motor function compared to standard physical therapy in 188 people with cerebral palsy across eight trials. All devices tested were assistive. One trial found resistive training, which requires active effort, outperformed assistive training in children with cerebral palsy.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2022Examining the effectiveness of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VAMR) therapy for upper limb recovery and activities of daily living in stroke patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationVirtual, augmented and mixed reality training beat conventional therapy on arm movement quality and day to day independence after stroke. On hand dexterity and timed arm tasks it showed no clear advantage. The gains were clearest in people more than 6 months after stroke.
• PTRCT2023Efficacy of non-immersive virtual reality-based telerehabilitation on postural stability in Parkinson's disease: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineNon-immersive VR telerehabilitation improved balance more than at-home exercises in people with Parkinson's. The VR group gained 1.7 points on a 28-point balance scale versus 0.70 for the exercise group, a difference the study found significant.
• PTOther2026Neuromodulatory effects of voluntary-motor-effort-driven wrist-hand robot in sensorimotor dynamics after stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationCombined mechanical and electrical wrist stimulation with voluntary effort produced the strongest cortical activation in 18 chronic stroke survivors and brought their brain patterns closest to 20 unimpaired controls. However, the stroke group overall showed reduced cortical sensitivity to all stimulation types.
• PTPilot2026Passive sensing of gait and medication-related fluctuations in Parkinson's disease.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationPassive cameras and radars tracked stride length well enough to separate mild Parkinson's off medication from healthy controls. The radar also caught the on-to-off change; the camera did not. Other gait measures showed no clear differences.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2025Virtual Reality Therapy for Upper Limb Motor Impairments in Patients With Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapyNon-immersive VR added to conventional therapy improved upper limb motor function and manual dexterity in stroke patients, but did not improve daily living activities. Effects were significant in the first six months after stroke and when VR supplemented rather than replaced standard therapy.
• PTOTSystematic Review2025Effectiveness of Robot-Assisted Upper Extremity Function Training (Gloreha) on Upper Extremities Function After Stroke: Systematic Review.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesGloreha, a robotic finger glove, improved upper extremity motor scores in stroke survivors. Grip strength results were mixed across trials. It did not outperform conventional therapy on daily living tasks. Evidence comes from 3 small trials with 83 people.
• PTOTRCT2025Digital Mirror Therapy and Action Observation Therapy for Chronic Stroke: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.Occupational therapy internationalAll three groups improved in arm movement and daily use, but none was significantly better than the others. Digital mirror therapy and digital action observation therapy did not outperform conventional occupational therapy in this small trial.
• PTOTOther2024Evolving trends of systematic reviews on virtual reality for stroke rehabilitation.Archives of physiotherapyThe number of SRs on VR for stroke has grown to 58 published and 45 ongoing, but 77.6% of the published ones are rated critically low on methodological quality. Upper limb function, ADL, and gait are the most studied outcomes.
• PTMeta-Analysis2024Moderate to Vigorous Intensity Locomotor Training After Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Mean Effects and Response Variability.Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPTModerate-to-vigorous walking training improved gait speed and 6-minute walk distance over control in both subacute and chronic stroke, with larger gains in subacute patients. Daily step counts did not differ between groups. No serious harms were reported.
• PTMeta-Analysis2024How robot-assisted gait training affects gait ability, balance and kinematic parameters after stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineRobot-assisted gait training did not improve walking speed over conventional training in stroke patients, but did improve affected-side step length, 6-minute walk distance, and temporal gait symmetry. Several other gait measures showed no difference.
• PTRCT2023Ankle rehabilitation robot training for stroke patients with foot drop: Optimizing intensity and frequency.NeuroRehabilitationTwice-daily ankle robot training improved passive ankle range more than once-daily in 36 stroke patients with foot drop. Adding higher resistance on top of twice-daily sessions further improved active range and lower-limb motor scores. All groups also received standard stroke rehabilitation.