Organic Artificial Nerves: Neuromorphic Robotics and Bioelectronics.

Neuromorphic electronics are inspired by the human brain's compact, energy-efficient nature and its parallel-processing capabilities. Beyond the brain, the entire human nervous system, with its hierarchical structure, efficiently preprocesses complex sensory information to support high-level neural functions such as perception and memory. Emulating these biological processes, artificial nerve electronics have been developed to replicate the energy-efficient preprocessing observed in human nerves.

The Effect of Robot-Assisted Training on Arm Function, Walking, Balance, and Activities of Daily Living After Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This meta-analysis aimed to compare the effects of robot-assisted training (RAT) with those of conventional therapy (CT), considering the potential sources of heterogeneity in the previous studies. We searched three international electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library) to identify relevant studies. Risk of bias assessment was performed using the Cochrane's Risk of Bias 1.

Prognostic Value of Electroneuronography in Severe Cases of Facial Palsy.

Objective: To examine the prognostic value of electroneuronography (ENoG) in predicting functional recovery in severe cases of acute facial palsy.

Methods: Patients with severe degrees of facial palsy (initial House-Brackmann [HB] grades IV to VI) with available electrodiagnostic studies conducted 2-4 weeks after symptom onset were reviewed retrospectively. The patients were categorized into "good recovery" and "poor recovery" groups, with the former showing mild to no dysfunction (HB I to III) and the latter exhibiting moderate to severe dysfunction (HB IV to VI) on follow-up evaluation, 2 months after onset.

Proteomic discovery of prognostic protein biomarkers for persisting problems after mild traumatic brain injury.

Some individuals with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), also known as concussion, have neuropsychiatric and physical problems that last longer than a few months. Symptoms following mTBI are not only impacted by the kind and severity of the injury but also by the post-injury experience and the individual's responses to it, making the persistence of mTBI particularly difficult to predict. We aimed to identify prognostic blood-based protein biomarkers predicting 6-month outcomes, in light of the clinical course after the injury, in a longitudinal mTBI cohort (N = 42).

Incidence of Altered Level of Consciousness in Hemorrhagic Stroke Survivors: Associated Factors From a Korean Nationwide Study.

Objective: This study aimed to demonstrate the incidence of altered level of consciousness after hemorrhagic stroke and identify factors associated with altered level of consciousness at 3 mos after stroke.

Design: This study used data from a prospective multicenter cohort study conducted in nine hospitals in Korea and included 1677 patients with first-ever hemorrhagic stroke. Patients were dichotomized into those with and without altered level of consciousness at 3 mos after stroke.

Clinical Practice Guideline for Stroke Rehabilitation in Korea-Part 1: Rehabilitation for Motor Function (2022).

This clinical practice guideline (CPG) is the fourth edition of the Korean guideline for stroke rehabilitation, which was last updated in 2016. The development approach has been changed from a consensus-based approach to an evidence-based approach using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation (GRADE) method. This change ensures that the guidelines are based on the latest and strongest evidence available.

Clinical Practice Guidelines for Oropharyngeal Dysphagia.

Objective: Dysphagia is a common clinical condition characterized by difficulty in swallowing. It is sub-classified into oropharyngeal dysphagia, which refers to problems in the mouth and pharynx, and esophageal dysphagia, which refers to problems in the esophageal body and esophagogastric junction. Dysphagia can have a significant negative impact one's physical health and quality of life as its severity increases.

Contributing Factors to the Burden on Primary Family Caregivers of Stroke Survivors in South Korea.

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors associated with the burden on primary family caregivers of stroke patients at home without care services. For this study, the Korean Stroke Cohort for Functioning and Rehabilitation (KOSCO) data were used. Of the total 8010 caregivers, 1133 family caregiver burden was assessed with the shortened Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) 3 months after stroke.

Relationship Between Ipsilesional Upper Extremity Motor Function and Corpus Callosum Integrity in Patients With Unilateral Stroke: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between ipsilesional upper extremity (UE) motor function and the integrity of the subregions of the corpus callosum in hemiparetic stroke patients with motor deficits of the dominant or non-dominant ipsilesional side. Twenty participants with unilateral UE deficits after stroke were included. Each of the 10 participants had lesions on the left and right sides.

Understanding of the Lower Extremity Motor Recovery After First-Ever Ischemic Stroke.

Background: We aimed to verify the validity of the proportional recovery model for the lower extremity.

Methods: We reviewed clinical data of patients enrolled in the Korean Stroke Cohort for Functioning and Rehabilitation between August 2012 and May 2015. Recovery proportion was calculated as the amount of motor recovery over initial motor impairment, measured as the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Lower Extremity score.

Measurement of laryngeal elevation by automated segmentation using Mask R-CNN.

The methods of measuring laryngeal elevation during swallowing are time-consuming. We aimed to propose a quick-to-use neural network (NN) model for measuring laryngeal elevation quantitatively using anatomical structures auto-segmented by Mask region-based convolutional NN (R-CNN) in videofluoroscopic swallowing study. Twelve videofluoroscopic swallowing study video clips were collected.

Role of Cortico-ponto-cerebellar Tract from Supplementary Motor Area in Ataxic Hemiparesis of Supratentorial Stroke Patients.

Cortical lesions of the supplementary motor area (SMA) are important in balance control and postural recovery in stroke patients, while the role of subcortical lesions of the SMA has not been studied. This study aimed to investigate the subcortical projections of the SMA and its relationship with ataxia in supratentorial stroke patients. Thirty-three patients with hemiparesis were divided into 3 groups (severe ataxia, n = 9; mild to moderate ataxia, n = 13; no ataxia, n = 11).

Quantitative evaluation of the consciousness level of patients in a vegetative state using virtual reality and an eye-tracking system: A single-case experimental design study.

It is important to distinguish patients in a minimally conscious state (MCS) from patients in a vegetative state (VS) when assessing disorders of consciousness (DOC) as prognosis, selection of therapy, and drug treatment could differ accordingly. Clinical evaluation of a patient's eye movements, such as visual startle, visual fixation, and visual pursuit, provides valuable evidence but is often subject to misdiagnosis. To minimize such misdiagnosis caused by human judgment, a virtual reality (VR) technology-based quantitative assessment method with an eye-tracking system is proposed in this study.

Effects of percutaneous injection laryngoplasty on voice and swallowing problems in cancer-related unilateral vocal cord paralysis.

Background: Unilateral vocal cord paralysis may result from nerve compression by tumors or direct nerve injuries during tumor resections, which can cause dysphonia or dysphagia, and reduced quality of life.

Objectives: This prospective, single-group study aimed to investigate the effect of percutaneous injection laryngoplasty on voice and swallowing function in patients with cancer-related unilateral vocal cord paralysis.

Methods: Patients underwent percutaneous injection laryngoplasty with hyaluronic acid under local anesthesia.

Status Of Dysphagia After Ischemic Stroke: A Korean Nationwide Study.

Objective: To identify the incidence of dysphagia after ischemic stroke and determine factors affecting the presence of dysphagia.

Design: Retrospective case-control study. This was an interim analysis of a prospective multicenter Korean stroke cohort.

Revisiting the Proportional Recovery Model in View of the Ceiling Effect of Fugl-Meyer Assessment.

Background And Purpose: The aim of this study was to verify the validity of the proportional recovery model in view of the ceiling effect of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of patients enrolled in the Korean Stroke Cohort for Functioning and Rehabilitation between August 2012 and May 2015. Recovery proportion was defined as the actual change in Fugl-Meyer Assessment score of the upper extremity between 7 days and 6 months poststroke, relative to the initial neurological impairment.

Effects of Upper-Extremity Rehabilitation Using Smart Glove in Patients With Subacute Stroke: Results of a Prematurely Terminated Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

Although there have been many trials and interventions for reducing upper-extremity impairment in stroke survivors, it remains a challenge. A novel intervention is needed to provide high-repetition task-specific training early after stroke. This study aimed to investigate the effect of smart glove training (SGT) for upper-extremity rehabilitation in patients with subacute stroke.

Reduced Brainstem Volume After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Objective: The aims of this study were to investigate changes in regional brain volume after concussion (mild traumatic brain injury) and to examine the relationship between change in brain volume and cognitive deficits.

Design: Twenty-eight patients with mild traumatic brain injury and 27 age-matched controls were included in this study. Magnetic resonance imaging (3 T) data were obtained from the participants.

Predicting independence of gait by assessing sitting balance through sitting posturography in patients with subacute hemiplegic stroke.

Background: Post-stroke sitting balance is a known predictor of independence of gait after stroke. However, previous studies used only qualitative scales or measured static or dynamic sitting balance alone.

Objectives: To investigate whether quantitative parameters of sitting posturography at post-stroke 1 month can predict independent gait.

Correction to: Effects of robot-assisted gait training in patients with Parkinson's disease: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Additive effect of cerebrolysin and amantadine on disorders of consciousness secondary to acquired brain injury: A retrospective case-control study.

Background: Acquired brain injury can cause disorders of consciousness. An additive effect of cerebrolysin and amantadine has been postulated, but not systematically studied. The present study aimed to investigate this additive effect in patients with disorders of consciousness secondary to acquired brain injury.

Does isolated somatosensory impairment affect the balance and ambulation of patients with supratentorial stroke after the acute phase?

Balance and ambulation are the result of a multicomponent control process through the interaction of the sensory and motor information. Despite the clinical relevance of the somatosensory system, its role has not drawn much attention from clinical researchers in that motor impairment is considered a major cause of dysfunction. There is little research on how somatosensory impairment alone affects functional disability after stroke.

Target-oriented motor imagery for grasping action: different characteristics of brain activation between kinesthetic and visual imagery.

Motor imagery (MI) for target-oriented movements, which is a basis for functional activities of daily living, can be more appropriate than non-target-oriented MI as tasks to promote motor recovery or brain-computer interface (BCI) applications. This study aimed to explore different characteristics of brain activation among target-oriented kinesthetic imagery (KI) and visual imagery (VI) in the first-person (VI-1) and third-person (VI-3) perspectives. Eighteen healthy volunteers were evaluated for MI ability, trained for the three types of target-oriented MIs, and scanned using 3 T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) under MI and perceptual control conditions, presented in a block design.

Altered White Matter Integrity after Mild to Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury.

(1) Background: White matter changes among individuals with mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) may be sensitive imaging markers reflecting functional impairment, particularly in the context of post-concussion syndrome. The objective of this study was to examine the altered white matter integrity in mild-to-moderate TBI patients compared with age-matched normal controls. (2) Methods: Diffusion tensor imaging data from 15 individuals with TBI and 15 control subjects were retrospectively obtained.