100 Hz Localized vibration increases ipsilateral cerebellar areas activity during a motor task in healthy subjects: Three Cases Report.

Background and Purpose. The exact mechanism thought which Localized vibration (LV) acts on the motor system at the suprasegmental level is still poorly understood. In this paper we have reported three cases of healthy men exposed to 100 Hz localized vibration during a motor task.

Robotic-assisted gait training in Parkinson's disease: a three-month follow-up randomized clinical trial.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a robotic-assisted gait training (RAGT), together with a conventional exercise program (CEP), to improve PD ambulation, as compared to standard gait training.

Methods: Thirty-eight patients with mild PD stage (H&Y 2-2.5) were randomly assigned to an experimental group (EG) or a control group.

[Mirror, mirror of the wall: mirror therapy in the treatment of phantom limbs and phantom limb pain].

Phantom limb and phantom limb pain control are pivotal points in the sequence of intervention to bring the amputee to functional autonomy. The alterations of perception and sensation, the pain of the residual limb and the phantom limb are therefore aspects of amputation that should be taken into account in the "prise en charge" of these patients. Within the more advanced physical therapies to control phantom and phantom limb pain there is the use of mirrors (mirror therapy).

Is hydrokinesitherapy effective on gait and balance in patients with stroke? A clinical and baropodometric investigation.

Background: Patients with stroke present an asymmetric posture, severe balance dysfunction with delayed and disrupted equilibrium reactions, exaggerated postural sway and abnormal gait with an increased risk of falling. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of hydrokinesytherapy on stance, balance and gait in individuals after stroke.

Methods: In this single-blinded randomized controlled trial, patients with stroke were divided into two groups: an experimental one (G1), performing hydrokinesytherapy (3 times/week) in addition to a conventional physical therapy (3 times/week) and a control one (G2), performing only a conventional physical therapy (6 times/week).

Can Baropodometric Analysis be a Useful Tool in the Early Diagnosis of Atypical Parkinsonism? Preliminary Findings.

Objective: The differential diagnosis between atypical parkinsonism and Parkinson's disease is difficult, especially in the early stage. Severe postural instability, falls, and complex gait impairments are usually confined to the later stage of Parkinson's disease, while atypical parkinsonism patients may present a severe postural instability with consequent falls in the earlier stages.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 20 subjects with parkinsonism using clinical and baropodometric tools to give quantitative and objective data on the postural, balance, and gait disturbances.

Is high oral dose L-arginine intake effective in leukoaraiosis? Preliminary data, study protocol and expert's opinion.

Background: Leukoraraiosis is worldwide considered as a part of the normal aging process, although it is strongly associated with dementia and other disabilities. The pathogenesis of leukoaraiosis still has not been thoroughly acknowledged, even though chronic ischemia with consequent arteriolosclerosis probably due to endothelial dysfunction has been suggested. Treatment focuses on prevention of lesion formation and progression by aggressive control of risk factors, which should begin at an early age and continue on regular basis.

Pisa syndrome in Parkinson's disease: clinical, electromyographic, and radiological characterization.

Abnormal postures of the trunk are a typical feature of Parkinson's disease (PD). These include Pisa syndrome (PS), a tonic lateral flexion of the trunk associated with slight rotation along the sagittal plane. In this study we describe clinical, electromyographic (EMG), and radiological features of PS in a group of 20 PD patients.

Four-week trunk-specific rehabilitation treatment improves lateral trunk flexion in Parkinson's disease.

People with Parkinson's disease (PD) often have a posture characterized by lateral trunk flexion poorly responsive to antiparkinsonian drugs. To examine the effects of a rehabilitation programme (daily individual 90-minute-sessions, 5-days-a-week for 4-consecutive weeks) on lateral trunk flexion and mobility, 22 PD patients with mild to severe lateral trunk flexion, and 22 PD patients without trunk flexion were studied. Patients were evaluated using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor subscale (UPDRS-III) score, and the kinematic behavior of the trunk was recorded by means of an optoelectronic system to determine: a) trunk flexion, inclination and rotation values in the erect standing posture; b) ranges of trunk flexion and inclination during trunk movements.

The role of rehabilitation in deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus for Parkinson's disease: a pilot study.

Bilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is an efficacious therapeutic option in the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). The procedure may be however associated with functional impairment of different types and intensity. In this paper we describe the functional impairments detected in a group of 34 subjects with PD who were submitted to DBS.

Dysphagia in multiple sclerosis: from pathogenesis to diagnosis.

Abnormalities of swallowing are commonly encountered in Multiple Sclerosis (MS), especially in the most disabled patients. The disturbances usually involve oral and pharyngeal phases of swallowing, although upper oesophageal sphincter dysfunction has also been detected. MS patients need to be effectively evaluated and managed in order to recognize dysphagia before any medical complications such as aspiration pneumonia appear.