Brain-Hand Function Relationships Based on Level of Grasp Function in Chronic Left-Hemisphere Stroke.

Background And Objective: The biomarkers of hand function may differ based on level of motor impairment after stroke. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between resting state functional connectivity (RsFC) and unimanual contralesional hand function after stroke and whether brain-behavior relationships differ based on level of grasp function.

Methods: Sixty-two individuals with chronic, left-hemisphere stroke were separated into three functional levels based on Box and Blocks Test performance with the contralesional hand: Low (moved 0 blocks), Moderate (moved >0% but <90% of blocks relative to the ipsilesional hand), and High (moved ≥90% of blocks relative to the ipsilesional hand).

Evaluation of Electronic and Pen-and-Paper Formats of the Inventory of Physical Activity Barriers: A Randomized Crossover Study.

Background: The Inventory of Physical Activity Barriers (IPAB) assesses physical activity participation barriers. Development, refinement, and psychometric evaluation of the IPAB occurred via an electronic format. However, various circumstances may require using a pen-and-paper format.

Exploring the implementation potential of physical activity assessment and prescription tools in physical therapy practice: a mixed-method study.

Background: Despite the benefits of physical activity (PA), especially related to aging, physical therapists do not perform regular PA prescriptions secondary to various barriers, including lack of tools. Therefore, we developed the Inventory of Physical Activity Barriers (IPAB).

Objective: Explore potential solutions that could address the current lack of PA prescription among United States-based physical therapists treating patients 50 years and older.

Upper and Lower Limb Motor Function Correlates with Ipsilesional Corticospinal Tract and Red Nucleus Structural Integrity in Chronic Stroke: A Cross-Sectional, ROI-Based MRI Study.

Background: Structural integrity of the ipsilesional corticospinal tract (CST) is important for upper limb motor recovery after stroke. However, additional neuromechanisms associated with motor function poststroke are less well understood, especially regarding the lower limb.

Objective: To investigate the neural basis of upper/lower limb motor deficits poststroke by correlating measures of motor function with diffusion tensor imaging-derived indices of white matter integrity (fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD)) in primary and secondary motor tracts/structures.

Neural correlates of walking post-stroke: neuroimaging insights from the past decade.

Walking dysfunction such as slow walking speed and reduced independent mobility are common impairments following stroke. Neural mechanisms of upper limb impairment and motor recovery have been highly studied, while less is known about the neural correlates of walking dysfunction and rehabilitation after stroke. Our objective was to review the literature on neuroimaging correlates of walking and walking recovery post-stroke to provide a more comprehensive picture of neurological regions of interest.

The Inventory of Physical Activity Barriers for Community-Dwelling Adults 50 Years of Age and Older: Development and Preliminary Validation.

Background: Health care providers, including physical therapists, need to identify the reasons for insufficient physical activity (PA) to assist the 56% to 73% of community-dwelling adults 50 years of age and older who are not performing the recommended 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous PA. Currently, there is no feasible, multifactorial tool to assess PA barriers among this population. Without a tool, health care providers must either rely on self-generated questions or collate results from multiple assessments to identify PA barriers related to personal, social, and environmental factors, which can be time-consuming and incomplete.

Utilization of wearable technology to assess gait and mobility post-stroke: a systematic review.

Background: Extremity weakness, fatigue, and postural instability often contribute to mobility deficits in persons after stroke. Wearable technologies are increasingly being utilized to track many health-related parameters across different patient populations. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify how wearable technologies have been used over the past decade to assess gait and mobility in persons with stroke.

Bathroom Modifications, Clutter, and Tripping Hazards: Prevalence and Changes after Incident Falls in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

To describe the prevalence of bathroom modifications, clutter, and tripping hazards in the homes of US older adults and to examine changes after an incident fall. We used data from the 2015-2017 National Health and Aging Trends Study ( = 7499). Outcomes were the prevalence of bathroom modifications, clutter, and tripping hazards and changes after incident fall.

Daily acute intermittent hypoxia to improve walking function in persons with subacute spinal cord injury: a randomized clinical trial study protocol.

Background: Restoring community walking remains a highly valued goal for persons recovering from traumatic incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). Recently, studies report that brief episodes of low-oxygen breathing (acute intermittent hypoxia, AIH) may serve as an effective plasticity-inducing primer that enhances the effects of walking therapy in persons with chronic (> 1 year) SCI. More persistent walking recovery may occur following repetitive (weeks) AIH treatment involving persons with more acute SCI, but this possibility remains unknown.

Long-term impact of mild traumatic brain injury on postural stability and executive function.

Objective: A substantial number of individuals present with prolonged symptoms after a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) or concussion. This has warranted the development of assessment tools that can reliably detect prolonged symptoms after an mTBI. At present, a gold standard diagnostic tool for accurately identifying such prolonged symptoms is not available.

Differential deficits in spatial and temporal interlimb coordination during walking in persons with incomplete spinal cord injury.

Background: Returning to community walking remains a major challenge for persons with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) due, in part, to impaired interlimb coordination. Here, we examined spatial and temporal features of interlimb coordination during walking and their associations to gait deficits in persons with chronic iSCI.

Research Question: Do deficits in spatial and temporal interlimb coordination correspond differentially to clinical indicators of walking performance in persons with iSCI?

Methods: Sixteen persons with chronic iSCI and eleven able-bodied individuals participated in this study.

Cortical disconnection of the ipsilesional primary motor cortex is associated with gait speed and upper extremity motor impairment in chronic left hemispheric stroke.

Advances in neuroimaging have enabled the mapping of white matter connections across the entire brain, allowing for a more thorough examination of the extent of white matter disconnection after stroke. To assess how cortical disconnection contributes to motor impairments, we examined the relationship between structural brain connectivity and upper and lower extremity motor function in individuals with chronic stroke. Forty-three participants [mean age: 59.

Constraints on Stance-Phase Force Production during Overground Walking in Persons with Chronic Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury.

Persons with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) face ongoing struggles with walking, including reduced speed and increased reliance on assistive devices (ADs). The forces underlying body weight support and gait, as measured by ground reaction forces (GRFs), are likely altered after iSCI because of weakness and AD dependence but have not been studied. The purpose of this study was to examine GRF production during overground walking after iSCI, because greater insight into GRF constraints is important for refining therapeutic interventions.

Measurements of Weight Bearing Asymmetry Using the Nintendo Wii Fit Balance Board Are Not Reliable for Older Adults and Individuals With Stroke.

Background: Clinicians and researchers have used bathroom scales, balance performance monitors with feedback, postural scale analysis, and force platforms to evaluate weight bearing asymmetry (WBA). Now video game consoles offer a novel alternative for assessing this construct. By using specialized software, the Nintendo Wii Fit balance board can provide reliable measurements of WBA in healthy, young adults.

Body weight-supported treadmill training is no better than overground training for individuals with chronic stroke: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Body weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT) has produced mixed results compared with other therapeutic techniques.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether an intensive intervention (intensive mobility training) including BWSTT provides superior gait, balance, and mobility outcomes compared with a similar intervention with overground gait training in place of BWSTT.

Methods: Forty-three individuals with chronic stroke (mean [SD] age, 61.

Neuronal injury in the motor cortex after chronic stroke and lower limb motor impairment: a voxel-based lesion symptom mapping study.

Many studies have examined motor impairments using voxel-based lesion symptom mapping, but few are reported regarding the corresponding relationship between cerebral cortex injury and lower limb motor impairment analyzed using this technique. This study correlated neuronal injury in the cerebral cortex of 16 patients with chronic stroke based on a voxel-based lesion symptom mapping analysis. Neuronal injury in the corona radiata, caudate nucleus and putamen of patients with chronic stroke could predict walking speed.

Individuals with chronic traumatic brain injury improve walking speed and mobility with intensive mobility training.

Objective: To determine the feasibility and impact of different dosages of Intensive Mobility Training (IMT) on mobility, balance, and gait speed in individuals with chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Design: Prospective, single group design with 3-month follow-up.

Setting: University research laboratory.

Concurrent validity of walking speed values calculated via the GAITRite electronic walkway and 3 meter walk test in the chronic stroke population.

The purpose of this study was to provide novel information regarding the concurrent validity (primary aim) and reliability (secondary aim) of walking speed (WS) calculated via the GAITRite electronic walkway system and 3 meter walk test (3MWT) in the chronic stroke population. The 3MWT is a feasible option for clinicians working in environments where space is limited. Psychometric properties of the test have not been established.

Counting repetitions: an observational study of video game play in people with chronic poststroke hemiparesis.

Background And Purpose: The use of video gaming as a therapeutic intervention has increased in popularity; however, the number of repetitions in comparison with traditional therapy methods has yet to be investigated. The primary purpose of this study was to document and compare the number of repetitions performed while playing 1 of 2 video gaming systems for a time frame similar to that of a traditional therapy session in individuals with chronic stroke.

Methods: Twelve participants with chronic stroke (mean age, 66.

Active video-gaming effects on balance and mobility in individuals with chronic stroke: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Treatments that provide feedback, increase practice with multiple repetitions, and motivate patients are essential to rehabilitation post stroke.

Objective: To determine whether playing active video games results in improved balance and mobility post stroke.

Methods: Thirty participants with chronic (time since stroke = 3.

Assessing the reliability and validity of a shorter walk test compared with the 10-Meter Walk Test for measurements of gait speed in healthy, older adults.

Background And Purpose: Walking speed is associated with several health-related outcomes. Research examining how differences in test walking distance affect walking speed reliability and validity is limited. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and concurrent validity of gait speed measurements obtained from a 4-Meter Walk Test compared with the commonly used 10-Meter Walk Test.