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Rev Neurosci 2019 Feb 15. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Neuroplasticity and Neurorehabilitation Doctoral Training Programme, NeuroRehabilitation Unit, Department of Health and Nursing, College of Applied Health and Communities, University of East London, Stratford Campus, Water Lane, London E15 4LZ UK.

Recovery from a stroke is a dynamic time-dependent process, in which the central nervous system reorganises to accommodate for the impact of the injury. The purpose of this paper is to review recent longitudinal studies of changes in brain connectivity after stroke. A systematic review of research papers reporting functional or effective connectivity at two or more time points in stroke patients was conducted. Read More

Front Neurosci 2018 31;12:1023. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, Brazil.

von Monakow's theory of diaschisis states the functional 'standstill' of intact brain regions that are remote from a damaged area, often implied in recovery of function. Accordingly, neural plasticity and activity patterns related to recovery are also occurring at the same regions. Recovery relies on plasticity in the periinfarct and homotopic contralesional regions and involves relearning to perform movements. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2019 Feb;98(7):e14444

Department of Medicine Systems, University of Rome, "Tor Vergata".

Background: Upper extremity functional impairments are common consequences of stroke. Therefore, continuous investigation of effective interventions for upper extremity functions after stroke is a necessity. Segmental muscle vibration (SMV) is one of the interventions that incorporate sensory stimulation to improve motor cortical excitability. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2019 Feb;98(7):e14307

Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Rationale: A few mechanisms of recovery from an injured corticospinal tract (CST) in stroke patients have been reported: recovery of an injured CST through (1) normal CST pathway, (2) peri-lesional reorganization, and (3) shifting of the cortical origin area of an injured CST from the other areas to the primary motor cortex. However, it has not been clearly elucidated so far.

Patient Concerns: A 57-year-old male patient presented with complete weakness of the right extremities due to an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in the left basal ganglia. Read More

Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2019 Feb 13:1545968319829454. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

3 Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the developed world and the primary cause of adult disability. The most common site of stroke is the middle cerebral artery (MCA), an artery that supplies a range of areas involved in both language and motor function. As a consequence, many stroke patients experience a combination of language and motor deficits. Read More

Neurosci Lett 2019 Feb 9. Epub 2019 Feb 9.

Department of Neurology, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, 250014, Jinan, Shandong Province, China. Electronic address:

Axon regeneration after cerebral ischemia in mammals is inadequate to restore function, illustrating the need to design better strategies for improving outcomes. Improvement of axon regeneration has been achieved through fastigial nucleus electrostimulation (FNS) in animal researches. However, the mechanisms underlying this neuroprotection remain poorly understood. Read More

Transl Stroke Res 2019 Feb 12. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3E1, Canada.

Stroke is one of the leading causes of long-term disability. Cell transplantation is a promising strategy to treat stroke. We explored the efficacy of directly reprogrammed human neural precursor cell (drNPC) transplants to promote functional recovery in a model of focal ischemic stroke in the mouse sensorimotor cortex. Read More

J Med Syst 2019 Feb 8;43(3):69. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Departament of Surgery, University of Salamanca, Alfonso X el Sabio s/n, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.

Transcranial direct current stimulation is one of the non-invasive techniques whose main mechanism of action is based on its modulation of cortical excitability. The objective of this study is to analyze the variables (i.e, demographics, clinicals, stimulation parameters) that could influence into the responses during rehabilitation of the upper extremity in patients with stroke. Read More

Trials 2019 Feb 6;20(1):104. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

China-USA Neuroimaging Research Institute, the Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325027, China.

Background: There is compelling evidence of beneficial effects of non-immersive virtual reality (VR)-based intervention in the rehabilitation of patients with stroke, whereby patients experience both the real world and the virtual environment. However, to date, research on immersive VR-based rehabilitation is minimal. This study aims to design a randomized controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of immersive VR-based upper extremity rehabilitation in patients with subacute stroke and explore the underlying brain mechanisms of immersive VR-based rehabilitation. Read More

Stroke 2019 Feb 7:STROKEAHA118022647. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

From the Institution of Stem Cells and Neuroregeneration, Nanjing Medical University, China (H.-Y.N., Y.-X.S., Y.-H.L., B.C., D.-L.W., Y.Z., J.D., H.-Y.L., K.X., T.-Y.L., L.C., H.-Y.W., C.-X.L., D.-Y.Z.).

Background and Purpose- Stroke is a major public health concern worldwide. Although clinical treatments have improved in the acute period after stroke, long-term therapeutics remain limited to physical rehabilitation in the delayed phase. This study is aimed to determine whether nNOS (neuronal NO synthase)-CAPON (carboxy-terminal postsynaptic density-95/discs large/zona occludens-1 ligand of nNOS) interaction may serve as a new therapeutic target in the delayed phase for stroke recovery. Read More

Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2019 Feb 5:1545968319827573. Epub 2019 Feb 5.

1 University of Tubingen, Tübingen, Germany.

Background: Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) have been recently proposed as a new tool to induce functional recovery in stroke patients.

Objective: Here we evaluated long-term effects of BMI training and physiotherapy in motor function of severely paralyzed chronic stroke patients 6 months after intervention.

Methods: A total of 30 chronic stroke patients with severe hand paresis from our previous study were invited, and 28 underwent follow-up assessments. Read More

Nutrition 2018 Nov 22;61:111-118. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Kumamoto Rehabilitation Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of sarcopenia on functional outcomes, including activities of daily living (ADLs); dysphagia status; and the rate of home discharge, among hospitalized adults receiving convalescent rehabilitation.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted with 898 patients newly admitted to in-hospital convalescent rehabilitation wards at a single rehabilitation hospital in Japan. Baseline sarcopenia was diagnosed using muscle mass index and handgrip strength according to the criteria of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People, with the cutoff values of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. Read More

Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2019 Feb 1;33(2):96-111. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

2 Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital Site, Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal (CRIR), Laval, Canada.

Background: Clinical trials have demonstrated some benefits of electromyogram-triggered/controlled neuromuscular electrical stimulation (EMG-NMES) on motor recovery of upper limb (UL) function in patients with stroke. However, EMG-NMES use in clinical practice is limited due to a lack of evidence supporting its effectiveness.

Objective: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effects of EMG-NMES on stroke UL recovery based on each of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) domains. Read More

Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2019 Feb 30;33(2):112-129. Epub 2019 Jan 30.

1 Laboratory of Synthetic, Perceptive, Emotive and Cognitive Systems (SPECS), Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain.

Background: Despite the rise of virtual reality (VR)-based interventions in stroke rehabilitation over the past decade, no consensus has been reached on its efficacy. This ostensibly puzzling outcome might not be that surprising given that VR is intrinsically neutral to its use-that is, an intervention is effective because of its ability to mobilize recovery mechanisms, not its technology. As VR systems specifically built for rehabilitation might capitalize better on the advantages of technology to implement neuroscientifically grounded protocols, they might be more effective than those designed for recreational gaming. Read More

Phys Ther 2019 Jan 28. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

College of Health Professions, Medical University of South Carolina.

Background: Peripheral sensory stimulation has been used in conjunction with upper extremity movement therapy to increase therapy-induced motor gains in patients with stroke. The limitation is that existing sensory stimulation methods typically interfere with natural hand tasks and thus are administered prior to therapy, requiring patients' time commitment. To address this limitation, we have developed TheraBracelet. Read More

Front Neurol 2018 10;9:1129. Epub 2019 Jan 10.

Neurorehabilitation and Recovery, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia.

Brain regions involved in processing somatosensory information have been well documented through lesion, post-mortem, animal, and more recently, structural and functional neuroimaging studies. Functional neuroimaging studies characterize brain activation related to somatosensory processing; yet a meta-analysis synthesis of these findings is currently lacking and in-depth knowledge of the regions involved in somatosensory-related tasks may also be confounded by motor influences. Our Activation Likelihood Estimate (ALE) meta-analysis sought to quantify brain regions that are involved in the tactile processing of the right (RH) and left hands (LH) separately, with the exclusion of motor related activity. Read More

Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2019 Feb 26;100(2):366-378. Epub 2018 Oct 26.

Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Wan-Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Injury Prevention and Control, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address:

Objective: To investigate the effects of various rehabilitative interventions aimed at enhancing poststroke motor recovery by assessing their effectiveness when compared with no treatment or placebo and their superiority when compared with conventional training program (CTP).

Data Source: A literature search was based on 19 Cochrane reviews and 26 other reviews. We also updated the searches in PubMed up to September 30, 2017. Read More

J Neurotrauma 2019 Jan 23. Epub 2019 Jan 23.

Indiana University, Neurological Surgery , 950 E. Walnut St., R2-427 , Indianapolis, Indiana, United States , 46202.

Though mechanisms involved in progression of cell death in spinal cord injury (SCI) have been extensively studied, few are clear targets for translation to clinical application. One of the best-understood mechanisms of cell survival in SCI is phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and associated downstream signaling. Clear therapeutic efficacy of a phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) inhibitor called bisperoxovanadium (bpV) has been shown in SCI, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and other neurological disease models in both neuroprotection and functional recovery. Read More

Zhongguo Zhen Jiu 2018 Nov;38(11):1145-9

Department of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Rehabilitation, Integrated Hospital of Chinese and Western Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510315, Guangdong Province.

Objective: To observe the effect difference between blood-letting and cupping therapy combined with basic treatment and simple basic treatment for upper limb spasticity in the recovery phase of stroke.

Methods: Sixty patients of upper limb spasticity in the recovery phase of stroke were randomly assigned into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each group. In the control group, the basic treatment, including the internal treatment, acupuncture and rehabilitation, was used for 2 weeks, 6 times a week, once a day. Read More

Behav Neurol 2018 18;2018:8923520. Epub 2018 Dec 18.

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.

Functional electrical stimulation can improve motor function after stroke. The mechanism may involve activity-dependent plasticity and brain remodeling. The aim of our study was to investigate the effectiveness of a patterned electrical stimulation FES mimic to gait in motor recovery among stroke survivors and to investigate possible mechanisms through brain fMRI. Read More

Front Neurol 2018 4;9:1105. Epub 2019 Jan 4.

Biomechanics, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Neuroscience Lab, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States.

Short intracortical inhibition (SICI) is a GABA-mediated phenomenon, argued to mediate selective muscle activation during coordinated motor activity. Markedly reduced SICI has been observed in the acute period following stroke and, based on findings in animal models, it has been posited this disinhibitory phenomenon may facilitate neural plasticity and contribute to early motor recovery. However, it remains unresolved whether SICI normalizes over time, as part of the natural course of stroke recovery. Read More

Stroke 2019 Feb;50(2):e28-e30

Human Motor Recovery Laboratory, Burke Neurological Institute, White Plains, NY (T.K.).

Neurochem Res 2019 Jan 19. Epub 2019 Jan 19.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, No. 109, Xueyuanxi Road, Wenzhou, 325027, Zhejiang, China.

Exercise has been regarded as an effective rehabilitation strategy to facilitate motor and cognitive functional recovery after stroke, even though the complex effects associated with exercise-induced repair of cerebral ischemic injury are not fully elucidated. The enhancement of angiogenesis and neurogenesis, and the improvement of synaptic plasticity following moderate exercise are conducive to functional recovery after ischemic damage. Our previous studies have confirmed the angiogenesis and neurogenesis through the caveolin-1/VEGF pathway in MCAO rats. Read More

Pharmacol Res 2019 Jan 17;141:530-540. Epub 2019 Jan 17.

Department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, PR China; Key Laboratory of Chiral Drugs, Xiamen, 361102, PR China. Electronic address:

Glial activation and scar formation impede the neurological function recovery after cerebral ischemia. Oleoylethanolamide (OEA), a bioactive lipid mediator, shows neuroprotection against acute brain ischemia, however, its long-term effect, especially on glial scar formation, has not been characterized. In this research, we investigate the effect of OEA on glial activation and scar formation after cerebral ischemia in vitro and in vivo experiments. Read More

Behav Neurol 2018 13;2018:6737056. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Baoxing Hospital, Shenzhen 518100, China.

Neurological impairments such as stroke cause damage to the functional mobility of survivors and affect their ability to perform activities of daily living. Recently, robotic treatment for upper limb stroke rehabilitation has received significant attention because it can provide high-intensity and repetitive movement therapy. In this review, the current status of upper limb rehabilitation robots is explored. Read More

Brain Res Bull 2019 Jan 11;146:201-212. Epub 2019 Jan 11.

Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Serbia. Electronic address:

Agmatine (AgM, 100 mg/kg i.p.) effect was tested in parallel at two animal models of cerebral ischemia - rat MCAO model (60'/24 h, 60'/48 h, 90'/24 h, 90'/48 h) and gerbil global ischemia (10') model, administrated 5 min after reperfusion. Read More

PLoS One 2019 10;14(1):e0210313. Epub 2019 Jan 10.

Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Berne, Berne, Switzerland.

Introduction: Oropharyngeal dysphagia is frequent in hospitalized post-stroke patients and is associated with increased mortality and comorbidities. The aim of our analysis was to evaluate the impact of dysphagia on Length of Hospital Stay (LOS) and costs. The hospital perspective was used to assess costs. Read More

Bull Exp Biol Med 2019 Jan 9;166(3):394-398. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Research Institute of Computational Technologies, Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia.

A course of interactive stimulation of primary motor cortex (Brodmann area 4) in the brain of a stroke patient resulted in recovery of locomotion volume in the paretic extremities and in improvement of general health accompanied with diverse changes in cerebral activity. During the training course, the magnitude of response in the visual fields of Brodmann areas 17 and 18 decreased; in parallel, the motor areas were supplemented with other ones such as area 24 (the ventral surface of anterior cingulate gyrus responsible for self-regulation of human brain activity and implicated into synthesis of tactile and special information) in company with Brodmann areas 40, 41, 43, 44, and 45. EEG data showed that neurofeedback sessions persistently increased the θ rhythm power in Brodmann areas 7, 39, 40, and 47, while the corresponding powers progressively decreased during a real motion. Read More

J Neuroinflammation 2019 Jan 9;16(1). Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Centre for Neuroscience, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia.

Background: Altered neuronal connectivity in peri-infarct tissue is an important contributor to both the spontaneous recovery of neurological function that commonly develops after stroke and improvements in recovery that have been induced by experimental treatments in animal models. Microglia and astrocytes are primary determinants of the environment in peri-infarct tissue and hence strongly influence the potential for neuronal plasticity. However, the specific roles of these cells and the timing of critical changes in their function are not well understood. Read More

ESC Heart Fail 2019 Jan 9. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan.

Aims: This study aims to examine the effect of differences in nutritional status on activities of daily living (ADL) and mobility recovery of hospitalized elderly patients with heart failure (HF).

Methods And Results: From among 377 consecutive HF patients who underwent rehabilitation at one acute-care hospital from January 2013 to August 2015, those who were aged ≥ 65 years could walk with assistance before hospitalization and who were hospitalized for the first time were included in this retrospective cohort study. Exclusion criteria were pacemaker surgery during hospitalization, change to other departments, death during hospitalization, and unmeasured ADL. Read More

Front Neurol 2018 20;9:1135. Epub 2018 Dec 20.

CNRS, Marseille, France.

The goal of the paper is to present an example of integrated analysis of electrical, hemodynamic, and motor activity accompanying the motor function recovery in a post-stroke patient having an extensive cortical lesion. The patient underwent a course of neurorehabilitation assisted with the hand exoskeleton controlled by brain-computer interface based on kinesthetic motor imagery. The BCI classifier was based on discriminating covariance matrices of EEG corresponding to motor imagery. Read More

Front Neurol 2018 11;9:1082. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Functional Imaging Unit, Center for Diagnostic Radiology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.

Arm Ability Training (AAT) has been specifically designed to promote manual dexterity recovery for stroke patients who have mild to moderate arm paresis. The motor control problems that these patients suffer from relate to a lack of efficiency in terms of the sensorimotor integration needed for dexterity. Various sensorimotor arm and hand abilities such as speed of selective movements, the capacity to make precise goal-directed arm movements, coordinated visually guided movements, steadiness, and finger dexterity all contribute to our "dexterity" in daily life. Read More

Front Neurol 2018 11;9:1072. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Toulouse NeuroImaging Center, Inserm, Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France.

Stroke is the first cause of disability in adults in western countries. Infarct of the internal capsule (IC) may be related to motor impairment and poor prognosis in stroke patients. Functional deficits due to medium-sized infarcts are difficult to predict, except if the specific site of the lesion is taken into account. Read More

J Clin Neurosci 2019 Jan 4. Epub 2019 Jan 4.

IRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino Pulejo", Messina, Italy. Electronic address:

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a clinical condition characterized by brain damage due to an external, rapid and violent force. TBI causes attention, memory, affectivity, behaviour, planning, and executive dysfunctions, with a significant impact on the quality of life of the patient and of his/her family. Cognitive and motor rehabilitation programs are essential for clinical recovery of TBI patients, improving functional outcomes and the quality of life. Read More

Disabil Rehabil 2019 Jan 7:1-7. Epub 2019 Jan 7.

a Toronto Rehabilitation Institute , University Health Network , Toronto , ON , Canada.

Purpose: To describe the change in spatiotemporal gait asymmetry after discharge from stroke rehabilitation and examine the relationship with change in other clinical outcome measures.

Methods: Secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study was conducted. Swing time and step length symmetry, balance, mobility, gait speed, and motor impairment were assessed at discharge and 6 months later. Read More

Ann Rehabil Med 2018 Dec 28;42(6):777-787. Epub 2018 Dec 28.

Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok, Thailand.

Objective: To examine the long-term effects of the low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (LFrTMS) combined with task-specific training on paretic hand function following subacute stroke.

Methods: Sixteen participants were randomly selected and grouped into two: the experimental group (real LFrTMS) and the control group (sham LF-rTMS). All the 16 participants were then taken through a 1-hour taskspecific training of the paretic hand. Read More

Stroke 2019 Feb;50(2):434-440

From the Cizik School of Nursing, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (M.F.L., J.E.S.B.).

Background and Purpose- Psychological stressors, including poststroke depression, poststroke anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder, are highly prevalent in stroke survivors. These symptoms exact a significant toll on stroke survivors. Clinical and research efforts in stroke recovery focus on motor disability, speech and language deficits, and cognitive dysfunction while largely neglecting psychological stressors. Read More

Neuroimage Clin 2018 Aug 31;21:101526. Epub 2018 Aug 31.

Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, Elkins Park, PA 19027, USA. Electronic address:

Increasing evidence indicates that focal lesions following stroke cause alterations in connectivity among functional brain networks. Functional connectivity between hemispheres has been shown to be particularly critical for predicting stroke-related behavioral deficits and recovery of motor function and attention. Much less is known, however, about the relevance of interhemispheric functional connectivity for cognitive abilities like praxis that rely on strongly lateralized brain networks. Read More

Physiother Res Int 2019 Jan 4:e1764. Epub 2019 Jan 4.

Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.

Background: Technologies such as brain-computer interfaces are able to guide mental practice, in particular motor imagery performance, to promote recovery in stroke patients, as a combined approach to conventional therapy.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to provide a status report regarding advances in brain-computer interface, focusing in particular in upper limb motor recovery.

Methods: The databases PubMed, Scopus, and PEDro were systematically searched for articles published between January 2010 and December 2017. Read More

PeerJ 2018 21;6:e6163. Epub 2018 Dec 21.

School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Heath Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.

Background: Thermal stimulation has been proposed as a modality to facilitate motor recovery in neurological populations, such as stroke. Recently (Ansari, Remaud & Tremblay, 2018), we showed that application of cold or warm stimuli distally to a single digit produced a variable and short lasting modulation in corticomotor excitability. Here, our goal was to extend these observations to determine whether an increase in stimulation area could elicit more consistent modulation. Read More

Clin Interv Aging 2019 19;14:9-16. Epub 2018 Dec 19.

University of Sherbrooke, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Rehabilitation, Research Center on Aging, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada,

Purpose: Intensity of a training program is a critical variable in treatment gains poststroke, but there are no guidelines to adequately dose the intensity of functional training (FT); the recommended type of training to promote poststroke recovery. Such guidelines are made available for strength training (ST) using the 1 repetition maximum (1RM), which has been linked to individuals' self-rated level of exertion using the Borg rating of perceived exertion (BRPE) scale. The BRPE could be a valuable tool for clinicians to dose FT intensity after a stroke, but this remains to be tested. Read More

Micromachines (Basel) 2018 Dec 24;10(1). Epub 2018 Dec 24.

State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China.

According to the neuro-rehabilitation theory, compared with unilateral training, bilateral training is proven to be an effective method for hemiparesis, which affects the most part of stroke patients. In this study, a novel bilateral rehabilitation training system, which incorporates a lightweight exoskeleton device worn on the affected limb; a haptic device (Phantom Premium), which is used for generating a desired tactile feedback for the affected limb; and a VR (virtual reality) graphic interface, has been developed. The use of VR technology during rehabilitation can provide goal directed tasks with rewards and motivate the patient to undertake extended rehabilitation. Read More

Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2018 ;118(11):20-29

Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia; Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia.

Aim: To analyze clinical and fMRI indicators related with the therapeutic effectiveness of complex restorative treatment including intensive speech therapy in various clinical forms and severity of the aphasia syndrome.

Material And Methods: The study included 40 right-handed patients with aphasia syndrome after the first hemispheric ischemic stroke. Patients were studied 3 month after disease onset. Read More

Behav Brain Res 2019 Apr 21;361:32-38. Epub 2018 Dec 21.

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, 12 WuLuMuQi Middle Road, Shanghai 200040, China. Electronic address:

Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) has been widely studied in stroke. The present study was aimed at examining the role of wheel-running treatment (WR) on rat olfactory ensheathing cells (rOECs) functions. Thirty adult male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups: the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) group and WR + MCAO group. Read More

Stroke 2018 Dec;49(12):2928-2932

From the Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany (L.R., B.M.F., B.C., R.S., L.A.K., M.B., H.B., C.G., G.T.).

Background and Purpose- Tractography by diffusion tensor imaging has extended our knowledge on the contribution of damage to different pathways to residual motor function after stroke. Integrity of the corticospinal tract (CST), for example, has been identified to characterize and predict its course. Yet there is only scarce data that allow a judgment on the impact of extrapyramidal pathways between the basal ganglia on motor function poststroke. Read More

J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2018 Oct 17;41(8):665-671. Epub 2018 Dec 17.

Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of comprehensive postural instructions and range of motion (ROM) exercises via educational videos for shoulder injury prevention and functional improvement of the hemiplegic shoulder after acute stroke.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 48 subacute stroke patients with hemiplegia were enrolled and divided into 2 groups (23 in experimental group and 25 in control group). In the control group (n = 25), the patients performed conventional rehabilitation for 5 days per week. Read More

Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2019 01 19;33(1):38-46. Epub 2018 Dec 19.

1 Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea.

Background: Prognostic measures of long-term motor recovery are important in patients with stroke presenting with severe hemiplegia.

Objective: We aimed to investigate whether initial power spectral density (PSD) analysis of resting-state functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) data can provide a sensitive prognostic predictor in patients with subacute stroke with severe hand disability.

Methods: Twelve patients with good recovery, 14 patients with poor recovery, and 12 healthy subjects were included. Read More

Eur Rev Aging Phys Act 2018 12;15:17. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

1College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1 Huatuo Road, Minhou Shangjie, Fuzhou, 350122 Fujian China.

Backgroud: Tai Chi Chuan was used for stroke survivors with balance impairments. However, even a short-form of Tai Chi Chuan includes forms that make the exercise challenging for the stroke survivors. Tai Chi Yunshou (wave hands in the cloud) is the "mother" form and the fundamental form of all Tai Chi Chuan styles, which is considered more suitable and feasible for stroke survivors with balance impairments. Read More

Front Neurosci 2018 4;12:906. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Christian Doppler Laboratory for Restoration of Extremity Function, Department of Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

Motor recovery following nerve transfer surgery depends on the successful re-innervation of the new target muscle by regenerating axons. Cortical plasticity and motor relearning also play a major role during functional recovery. Successful neuromuscular rehabilitation requires detailed afferent feedback. Read More

J Neuroeng Rehabil 2018 Dec 17;15(1):120. Epub 2018 Dec 17.

Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Centre hospitalier universitaire, LaTIM-INSERM UMR1101, Brest, France.

The original article [1] contained an error whereby the co-author, Karima Bakhti's name was displayed incorrectly. Read More