Improving Upper Extremity Bradykinesia in Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial on the Use of Gravity-Supporting Exoskeletons.

Hand movements are particularly impaired in patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD), contributing to functional disability and difficulties in activities of daily living. Growing evidence has shown that robot-assisted therapy may be considered an effective and reliable method for the delivery of the highly repetitive training that is needed to trigger neuroplasticity, as intensive, repetitive and task-oriented training could be an ideal strategy to facilitate the relearning of motor function and to minimize motor deficit. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the improvement of hand function with semi-autonomous exercises using an upper extremity exoskeleton in patients with PD.

When Two Is Better Than One: A Pilot Study on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Plus Muscle Vibration in Treating Chronic Pelvic Pain in Women.

Chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) affects about 4-16% of adult women, and about one-third of them require medical assistance due to severe symptoms. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the supplementary motor area (SMA) has been shown to manage pain in refractory CPPS. Focal muscle vibration (FMV) has also been reported to relieve pelvic pain.

Beyond motor recovery after stroke: The role of hand robotic rehabilitation plus virtual reality in improving cognitive function.

Robot-assisted hand training adopting end-effector devices results in an additional reduction of motor impairment in comparison to usual care alone in different stages of stroke recovery. These devices often allow the patient to perform practical, attentive, and visual-spatial tasks in a semi-virtual reality (VR) setting. We aimed to investigate whether the hand end-effector robotic device Amadeo could improve cognitive performance, beyond the motor deficit, as compared to the same amount of occupational treatment focused on the hand.

Paving the way for a better management of pain in patients with spinal cord injury: An exploratory study on the use of Functional Electric Stimulation(FES)-cycling.

Context/objective: Chronic pain is common in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI), for whom it negatively affects quality of life, and its treatment requires an integrated approach. To this end, lower limb functional electrical stimulation (FES) cycling holds promise.

Objective: To investigate pain reduction in a sample of patients with SCI by means of lower limb rehabilitation using FES cycling.

Rehabilitation of somatoparaphrenia with misoplegia: insights from a single case-pilot study.

Somatoparaphrenia lacka ownership of a paralyzed limb, i.e., the illusion that one's limbs belong to someone else.

Toward improving functional recovery in spinal cord injury using robotics: a pilot study focusing on ankle rehabilitation.

Background: Conventional physical therapy interventions are strongly recommended to improve ambulation potential and upright mobility in persons with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI). Ankle rehabilitation plays a significant role, as it aims to stem drop foot consequences.

Research Question: This pilot study aimed to assess the neurophysiological underpinnings of robot-aided ankle rehabilitation (using a platform robot) compared to conventional physiotherapy and its efficacy in improving gait performance and balance in persons with iSCI.

Can powered exoskeletons improve gait and balance in multiple sclerosis? A retrospective study.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive neurologic disorder that can profoundly influence mobility, independence and quality of life. Gait dysfunction in MS is common, resulting in an increased risk of losing walking ability. Robotic exoskeletons have been developed to offer a new form of locomotor training.

How may patients with MS benefit from using music assisted therapy? A case-control feasability study investigating motor outcomes and beyond.

Motor impairment is the most common symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS), as gait and balance dysfunction are reported in more than 85% of the patients, with considerable consequences on the patient's activities of daily living and psychological status. This study aimed at evaluating the feasibility and potential efficacy of a novel treatment involving music plus treadmill in patients with MS. Ten patients affected by secondary progressive MS were submitted to a specific training using the Gait Trainer (GT) 3, a platform that integrates gait training via a treadmill and rhythmic auditory stimulation.

Can emerging technologies be effective in improving alexithymia due to brain lesion?: Lessons from a case report.

Introduction: About 66% of stroke survivors present with cognitive or physical consequences, which are often complicated by emotional instability. Alexithymia is defined as "a difficulty in identifying and describing feelings", although there is no consensus on the exact diagnosis and treatment.

Patient Concerns: A 36-year-old right-handed man, affected by ischemic stroke (which occurred about 3 months before admission) involving the right hemisphere (ie, the fronto-parieto-temporal region) with left hemiparesis and behavioral abnormalities, came to our observation for intensive rehabilitation.

A Case of Psychogenic Myoclonus Responding to a Novel Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Approach: Rationale, Feasibility, and Possible Neurophysiological Basis.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can relieve motor symptoms related to psychogenic movement disorders (PMDs), but the subtending neurophysiological basis is unclear. We report on a 50-year-old woman with a diagnosis of psychogenic myoclonus in the right lower limb, who was treated with a daily session (in the late morning/early afternoon) of 1 Hz rTMS over the left premotor cortex (PMC), five times a week for 6 weeks. Clinical data and EEG at rest were collected before and immediately and 2-month after the rTMS protocol completion.

Improving Sexual Function by Using Focal Vibrations in Men with Spinal Cord Injury: Encouraging Findings from a Feasibility Study.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a frequent and disabling condition in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). Spasticity can negatively affect sexual intercourse, as it may interfere with positioning, mobility, and muscle activation and strength, leading to ED. The aim of our study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of muscle vibration (MV) applied to the pelvic muscles in improving ED in men with SCI.

Effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment on patients with multiple sclerosis: A pilot study.

Objectives: To describe the effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment in patients affected by Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Design And Setting: This is a pilot study involving 20 MS patients attending the IRCCS Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", Messina, Italy.

Intervention: The clinical evaluation was performed before starting rehabilitation treatment (T0) and after 8 weeks of treatment (T1).

Does hand robotic rehabilitation improve motor function by rebalancing interhemispheric connectivity after chronic stroke? Encouraging data from a randomised-clinical-trial.

Objective: The objective of this study was the evaluation of the clinical and neurophysiological effects of intensive robot-assisted hand therapy compared to intensive occupational therapy in the chronic recovery phase after stroke.

Methods: 50 patients with a first-ever stroke occurred at least six months before, were enrolled and randomised into two groups. The experimental group was provided with the Amadeo™ hand training (AHT), whereas the control group underwent occupational therapist-guided conventional hand training (CHT).

The Growing Use of Virtual Reality in Cognitive Rehabilitation: Fact, Fake or Vision? A Scoping Review.

Objective: This review aims to evaluate the role of Virtual Reality (VR) in cognitive rehabilitation of different neurological diseases, and the accessibility to healthcare systems providing this type of treatment.

Method Of Research: Studies performed between 2003 and 2017 and fulfilling the selected criteria were found on PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane and Web of Sciences databases. The search combined the terms VR rehabilitation with different neurological disease.

Cognitive rehabilitation in patients with traumatic brain injury: A narrative review on the emerging use of virtual reality.

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.

The role of robotic gait training coupled with virtual reality in boosting the rehabilitative outcomes in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Motor impairment is the most common symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS). Thus, a variety of new rehabilitative strategies, including robotic gait training, have been implemented, showing their effectiveness. The aim of our study was to investigate whether an intensive robotic gait training, preceding a traditional rehabilitative treatment, could be useful in improving and potentiating motor performance in MS patients.

Breakthroughs in the spasticity management: Are non-pharmacological treatments the future?

The present paper aims at providing an objective narrative review of the existing non-pharmacological treatments for spasticity. Whereas pharmacologic and conventional physiotherapy approaches result well effective in managing spasticity due to stroke, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy and incomplete spinal cord injury, the real usefulness of the non-pharmacological ones is still debated. We performed a narrative literature review of the contribution of non-pharmacological treatments to spasticity management, focusing on the role of non-invasive neurostimulation protocols (NINM).