117,343 research outputs found
Low-frequency rTMS of the unaffected hemisphere in stroke patients: A systematic review
No full textThe aim of this review was to summarize the evidence for the effectiveness of low-frequency (LF) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the unaffected hemisphere in promoting functional recovery after stroke. We performed a systematic search of the studies using LF-rTMS over the contralesional hemisphere in stroke patients and reviewed the 67 identified articles. The studies have been gathered together according to the time interval that had elapsed between the stroke onset and the beginning of the rTMS treatment. Inhibitory rTMS of the contralesional hemisphere can induce beneficial effects on stroke patients with motor impairment, spasticity, aphasia, hemispatial neglect and dysphagia, but the therapeutic clinical significance is unclear. We observed considerable heterogeneity across studies in the stimulation protocols. The use of different patient populations, regardless of lesion site and stroke aetiology, different stimulation parameters and outcome measures means that the studies are not readily comparable, and estimating real effectiveness or reproducibility is very difficult. It seems that careful experimental design is needed and it should consider patient selection aspects, rTMS parameters and clinical assessment tools. Consecutive sessions of rTMS, as well as the combination with conventional rehabilitation therapy, may increase the magnitude and duration of the beneficial effects. In an increasing number of studies, the patients have been enrolled early after stroke. The prolonged follow-up in these patients suggests that the effects of contralesional LF-rTMS can be long-lasting. However, physiological evidence indicating increased synaptic plasticity, and thus, a more favourable outcome, in the early enrolled patients, is still lacking. Carefully designed clinical trials designed are required to address this question. LF rTMS over unaffected hemisphere may have therapeutic utility, but the evidence is still preliminary and the findings need to be confirmed in further randomized controlled trials
Pathophysiology of corticobasal degeneration: Insights from neurophysiological studies
No full textBACKGROUND: Several studies have applied electrophysiological techniques to physiologically characterize corticobasal degeneration (CBD). METHODS: We performed a systematic literature search of these studies and reviewed all 25 identified articles. RESULTS: Conventional electroencephalography (EEG) is usually normal even in the late stages of disease. Quantitative EEG (qEEG) with spectral analysis revealed mainly lateralized abnormalities, such as an increase of slow wave activity and occasionally the occurrence of sharp waves, and a significant increase of coherence between left parietal-right premotor areas. CBD patients generally have long latency reflexes (LLR) with shorter latencies than in the classic cortical reflex myoclonus observed in progressive myoclonic epilepsy. The somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) showed reduced amplitude of the N20-P25 component. These abnormalities may reflect dysfunction of sensory projections to the motor cortex, while the localized parietal cortical damage is thought to be a pivotal factor for the absence of giant SEPs in these patients. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) revealed asymmetric intracortical disinhibition and asymmetric maps organization; an impaired transcallosal pathways function correlates with the atrophy of the corpus callosum. These findings suggest a pathologic hyperexcitability of the motor cortex, due to a loss of inhibitory input from the sensory cortex. CONCLUSIONS: Neurophysiological techniques, in combination with neuroimaging studies, may shed light on the pathophysiological mechanisms of CBD. A better understanding of the disease processes may help clinicians to make a more accurate and early diagnosis. TMS, SEP, LLR, and co-evaluation of EEG and EMG can aid the in differentiation between CBD and other parkinsonism syndromes
Transcranial magnetic stimulation studies in complex regional pain syndrome type I: A review
No full textThe sensory and motor cortical representation corresponding to the affected limb is altered in patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) represents a useful non-invasive approach for studying cortical physiology. If delivered repetitively, TMS can also modulate cortical excitability and induce long-lasting neuroplastic changes. In this review, we performed a systematic search of all studies using TMS to explore cortical excitability/plasticity and repetitive TMS (rTMS) for the treatment of CRPS. Literature searches were conducted using PubMed and EMBASE. We identified 8 articles matching the inclusion criteria. One hundred fourteen patients (76 females and 38 males) were included in these studies. Most of them have applied TMS in order to physiologically characterize CRPS type I. Changes in motor cortex excitability and brain mapping have been reported in CRPS-I patients. Sensory and motor hyperexcitability are in the most studies bilateral and likely involve corresponding regions within the central nervous system rather than the entire hemisphere. Conversely, sensorimotor integration and plasticity were found to be normal in CRPS-I. TMS examinations also revealed that the nature of motor dysfunction in CRPS-I patients differs from that observed in patients with functional movement disorders, limb immobilization, or idiopathic dystonia. TMS studies may thus lead to the implementation of correct rehabilitation strategies in CRPS-I patients. Two studies have begun to therapeutically use rTMS. This non-invasive brain stimulation technique could have therapeutic utility in CRPS, but further well-designed studies are needed to corroborate initial findings
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
High-intensity treadmill training improves gait ability, VO2peak and cost of walking in stroke survivors: preliminary results of a pilot randomized controlled trial
No full textBACKGROUND: Stroke is a major cause of death and long-term disability across the globe. Previous studies have demonstrated the trainability of stroke survivors and documented beneficial effects of aerobic exercises on cardiovascular fitness and gait ability. AIM: The main aim of this study was to compare the effects of a high-intensity treadmill training (HITT) against low-intensity treadmill training (LITT) on gait ability, quality of life, cardiorespiratory fitness and cost of walking in chronic stroke subjects. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled pilot study. SETTING: Patients were recruited among Neurorehabilitation Unit outpatient. POPULATION: The sample was composed of 16 subjects suffering from chronic stroke. METHODS: Subjects were enrolled and randomly allocated either in the HITT (n=8) or in the LITT (n=8). Both groups performed 3-month training, 3 times per week. Subjects were evaluated before starting the training and after the end of the training by mean of clinical scales (Six Minute Walk Test, Ten Meter Walk Test, Health Survey Questionnaire SF-36, Stroke Impact Scale) and instrumental tests (Gait analysis, V02peak and Walking Energy Cost). RESULTS: Fifteen subjects completed the study and no dropouts were observed. One patient in the LITT refused to initiate the training. The HITT group produced greater improvements than LITT group on the Six Minute Walk Test (HITT: 644 meters, LITT: 6 meters; p=0.005) and Ten Meter Walk Test performances (HITT: -1,7 seconds, LITT: 0,6 seconds; p=0.007), stride length (HITT: 3,3 centimetres, LITT: 0,4 centimetres, p=0.003), step length non-paretic side (HITT: 0,5 centimetres, LITT: 2,4 centimetres, p=0.008), step length paretic side (HITT: 1,8 centimetres, LITT: 0,7 centimetres, p=0.004), cadence (HITT: 1,6 step/minute, LITT: 0,6 step/minute, p=0.021) and symmetry ratio (HITT: 0,04, LITT: 0,01, p=0.004), V02peak (HITT: 4,6 ml/kg/min, LITT: 0,87 ml/kg/min; p=0.015) and Walking Energy Cost at 100% of self-selected speed (HITT: -30,8 ml/kg*km, LITT: -20,5 ml/kg*km; p=0.021). Significant changes were found on Six Minute Walk Test (p=0.012) and Ten Meter Walk Test (p=0.042) performances, spatio-temporal gait parameters (stride length p=0.011, step length paretic side p=0.012, cadence p=0.037 and symmetry ratio p=0.012), VO2peak (p=0.025) and cost of walking at 100% of self-selected speed (p=0.018) in the HITT group. In the LITT no significant results were observed. CONCLUSION: HITT could be considered a feasible training and led to improvement in gait ability and enhanced VO2peak and reduction in cost of walking compared to LITT. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: Chronic stroke survivors should be encouraged to engage regular aerobic treadmill training at medium/high intensity. HITT is safe and feasible and has positive effects on gait ability, cardiovascular fitness and cost of walking in subjects with stroke in chronic phase
Scrittura senza frontiere: uno studio cross-nazionale sulla performance nell'Haid-Bonatti 1-20-r (HABO 1-20-R) in adulti austriaci ed italiani,
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