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 78 OF 78 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTSLPCase-Control2026The Association of Depression, Anxiety, and Quality of Life with Sexual Function in Young-to-Middle-Aged Stroke Patients: A Case-Control Study.NeuroRehabilitation72% of young-to-middle-aged stroke patients had sexual dysfunction, and it tracked more closely with perceived energy, thinking, and communication than with physical mobility. Depression was the strongest psychological correlate.
• PTMeta-Analysis2026Does Resistance Training Improve the Quality of Life of People With Parkinson's Disease? Evidence and Recommendations for Clinical Application Through a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapyResistance training improved quality of life in people with Parkinson's disease compared with doing nothing, but was no better than other exercise types like balance training or yoga. The evidence is moderate, and the protocols varied so much that no single prescription can be recommended.
• PTOTOther2026Association between shoulder external rotation strength and real-world arm use in patients with mild post-stroke hemiparesis: a cross-sectional study.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 17 stroke survivors with mild arm weakness, stronger shoulder external rotation was linked to more and better use of the affected arm in daily life. Those with movement-induced shoulder pain had weaker external rotation and less shoulder range of motion.
• PTRCT2026Neural network plasticity in Parkinson's disease: the impact of exercise-driven modulation.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesTrainer-paced upper-limb exercise produced measurable white matter changes in cerebellar pathways and improved motor scores in 13 PD patients; 10 doing the same exercises at their own pace showed no change. The balance improvement in the forced group did not reach between-group significance.
• PTSystematic Review2026The relationship between motor and cognitive performance and cortical activity in patients with multiple sclerosis: a systematic review of functional near-infrared spectroscopy studies.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesMS patients' brains light up more in the prefrontal cortex while they walk slower and think less clearly, especially when doing both at once. The extra activation appears to be compensation that eventually breaks down, not a sign of better function.
• PTRCT2026Gait and balance outcomes of group-based music therapy, physiotherapy, and simplified dance training in patients with Parkinson's disease.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesAll three group programs (music therapy, physiotherapy, and simplified dance) beat an inactive control on the Timed Up and Go test over eight weeks, but each excelled in a different domain: physiotherapy for quiet-stance balance, music and dance for sit-to-stand speed, dance for turning.
• PTRCT2026Parkinsonian gait improvement through vibratory stride parameter feedback.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationStride length and heel strike angle both improved when a vibratory insole buzzed at the moment gait deteriorated, with gains comparable to the patients' own medication. The improvements were small, and no falls outcome was measured.
• PTCohort2026Retrospective analysis of temporalis muscle thickness as a biomarker of functional level in adults with cerebral palsy.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineThicker temporalis muscle on brain MRI was independently associated with being able to walk in 104 adults with cerebral palsy, even after accounting for age, sex, body size, and feeding method. This could become a quick imaging check of functional level.
• PTSurvey2026Utilization of physiotherapy services and associated factors among stroke survivors attending hospitals in Gondar Town, Northwest Ethiopia.Archives of physiotherapyOnly 46.75% of stroke survivors in four Ethiopian hospitals used physiotherapy. Those in the acute phase, with balance problems, or with slow walking had higher odds of attending; no other factor was significant in the final model.
• PTOTRCT2026Outcomes of rehabilitation following device-aided therapy start in parkinson's disease: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of rehabilitation medicineRehabilitation added after device-aided therapy for Parkinson's left patients doing noticeably better on hands-on tasks at 6 and 12 months than standard care alone. At 12 months, 19% of the rehab group fell below the independence threshold versus 54% of the control group.
• PTRCT2026Energy Cost of Walking in Relation to Impairment and Functional Independence After Stroke: The Role of Walking Speed.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapyIn 30 stroke survivors with mostly mild deficits, the energy cost of walking correlated with impairment and daily independence, but every correlation vanished once walking speed was accounted for. The number adds nothing beyond what you already know from how fast the patient walks.
• PTOTRCT2026Rewiring the Senses: The Impact of Sensory Integration Therapy on Balance and Cognition in Cerebral Palsy.Occupational therapy internationalAdding sensory integration therapy to balance exercises did not significantly outperform balance exercises alone on the balance scale, but did produce significantly larger gains in cognitive scores across all measured domains in children with CP aged 6–10.
• PTOTRCT2026Feasibility and Acceptability of an App-Based Mindfulness Meditation Intervention for People with Spinal Cord Injury and Chronic Pain.Topics in spinal cord injury rehabilitationA free 6-week mindfulness app is feasible and acceptable for people with spinal cord injury and chronic pain, but this pilot did not test whether it reduces pain. Adherence fell below the 70% target overall. A larger trial is needed before recommending it.
• PTRCT2026Protective effects of early low-intensity exercise on the antigravity soleus muscle following focal cerebral infarction in rats.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesIn rats, gentle treadmill exercise started the day after stroke improved neurological scores and reduced brain lesion size, but did not change soleus muscle weight, fiber type, or fiber size over 28 days. The neurological benefit is the main finding; muscle was unaffected.
• PTCase Report2026Comparison of KAFO and AFO for extension thrust pattern after stroke: a randomized N-of-1 trial.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn one stroke patient with knee hyperextension, a knee-ankle-foot orthosis improved walking speed and step count more than an ankle-foot orthosis, but the knee angle itself did not differ between the two. Results apply to this one patient only.
• PTRCT2026Effect of using knee extension aid for gait training in subacute hemiplegia: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of physical therapy scienceA 2-week gait training programme using a knee-extension aid with an AFO reduced knee flexion during terminal swing in 15 subacute hemiplegic patients. The AFO-alone control group showed no change. The aid is a low-cost tool for therapists assisting from behind.
• PTOther2026Unveiling the hidden dynamics: patellar support tissue alterations in post-stroke rehabilitation.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesIn 70 stroke patients, ultrasound showed the soft tissues around the knee patella differ between the affected and unaffected sides, with the pattern changing after 60 days. Both legs need targeted attention in knee rehabilitation, not just the weak side.
• PTOTPilot2026Improved cognitive flexibility after high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in individuals with Parkinson's disease: a pilot randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesIn a 3-week pilot with 10 Parkinson's patients per group, high-intensity interval cycling showed an advantage over steady-state cycling on one cognitive flexibility test but not on four others. Both groups improved equally on motor and balance scores. Too small to change practice, but it supports a larger trial.
• PTRCT2026Eight weeks of focal muscle vibration shows improvements in muscle co-ordination and co-contraction in cerebral palsy children: a randomized control trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationEight weeks of muscle vibration added to standard physiotherapy produced only very small, short-lived changes in leg muscle activation in children with spastic diplegic CP. The authors themselves call the results hypothesis-generating; this does not yet change clinical practice.
• PTNarrative Review2026Effectiveness of aerobic physical training for spinal cord injury rehabilitation: A mini-review.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoA short review of five randomised trials finds that aerobic exercise improves fitness, mood, and daily function in people with spinal cord injury. It is a safe, low-cost addition to rehabilitation, but the best dose and duration are still unclear.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2026Brain-computer interface for upper limb functional recovery post-stroke: a meta-analysis of improvement in upper limb motor function and changes in neurophysiological markers.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationBCI training added to standard stroke rehab improved upper limb movement scores across 16 trials. The benefit was clearest in the subacute phase; in chronic stroke it did not reach significance. Consider BCI as an adjunct for subacute upper limb rehab, not a replacement.
• PTOTOther2026Cortical neuromodulation by vibration-induced illusion of movement is observed in older individuals, but not in individuals with acute stroke: a cross-sectional fNIRS study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationVibrating the triceps tendon to create an illusion of arm movement produced no measurable brain response in people with acute stroke, while healthy adults showed clear cortical activation. The technique may not engage expected neural pathways early after stroke.
• PTPilot2026Quality indicators for Spanish hospital-based physical therapy units: a feasibility and inter-rater reliability study.Brazilian journal of physical therapyOf 22 quality indicators tested in three Spanish hospitals, 13 worked and 9 could not be reliably measured. Where measurable, compliance was often very low. For example, fewer than 10% of stroke patients had their rehabilitation need assessed within 48 hours at two of three sites.
• PTOTOther2026Clinical factors associated with motor imagery ability in individuals with subacute stroke.Journal of rehabilitation medicineIn 40 subacute stroke patients, motor recovery, proprioception, and working memory together were associated with motor imagery ability, but no single factor independently predicted it. Cross-sectional design; associations only, not causation.
• PTOTSurvey2026Survey on stroke rehabilitation in Europe (SUSTAIN-EU) to evaluate European stroke rehabilitation services.Journal of rehabilitation medicineAcross 30 of 37 European countries, inpatient and outpatient stroke rehabilitation was near-universal, but early supported discharge (16 of 30), home (20 of 30) and community-based rehabilitation (19 of 30) were patchy. Countries joining the ESPRM after 1991 reported fewer of these.