Neuroplastic Responses to Chiropractic Care: Broad Impacts on Pain, Mood, Sleep, and Quality of Life.

Objectives: This study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms of chiropractic care using resting electroencephalography (EEG), somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs), clinical health assessments (Fitbit), and Patient-reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS-29).

Methods: Seventy-six people with chronic low back pain (mean age ± SD: 45 ± 11 years, 33 female) were randomised into control ( = 38) and chiropractic ( = 38) groups. EEG and SEPs were collected pre and post the first intervention and post 4 weeks of intervention.

Long-term patient outcomes from a multidisciplinary cardiac rehabilitation programme with integrated nurse specialist support: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: Cardiac rehabilitation programmes, while demonstrating benefits, face challenges in universal adoption, particularly in New Zealand. This study evaluates the long-term impact of cardiac rehabilitation participation and attendance on survival and readmission rates in the Auckland Health District.

Objective: To examine the impact of patient participation in nurse-led lifestyle rehabilitation and physiotherapy exercise rehabilitation on key outcomes, including all-cause mortality, and all-cause, cardiac-specific, and kidney disease readmission rates.

Breaking the cycle of reoccurring low back pain with integrated motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural therapy to facilitate education and exercise advice: a superiority randomised controlled trial study protocol.

Background: Non-specific low back pain is a common and costly global issue. Many people with low back pain live for years with ongoing symptom recurrence and disability, making it crucial to find effective prevention strategies. Motivational interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based patient-centred counselling style that helps motivate individuals to change their behaviours.

Investigating Whether a Combination of Electro-Encephalography and Gene Expression Profiling Can Predict the Risk of Chronic Pain: A Protocol for an Observational Prospective Cohort Study.

Despite most episodes of low back pain (LBP) being short-lasting, some transition into persistent long-lasting problems. Hence, the need for a deeper understanding of the physiological mechanisms of this is pertinent. Therefore, the aims of the present study are (1) to map pain-induced changes in brain activity and blood gene expression associated with persistent LBP, and (2) to explore whether these brain and gene expression signatures show promise as predictive biomarkers for the development of persistent LBP.

Investigating the effects of chiropractic care on resting-state EEG of MCI patients.

Introduction: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a stage between health and dementia, with various symptoms including memory, language, and visuospatial impairment. Chiropractic, a manual therapy that seeks to improve the function of the body and spine, has been shown to affect sensorimotor processing, multimodal sensory processing, and mental processing tasks.

Methods: In this paper, the effect of chiropractic intervention on Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals in patients with mild cognitive impairment was investigated.

Factors influencing imaging clinical decision-making in low back pain management. A scoping review.

Background: The use of diagnostic imaging in low back pain (LBP) management is often inappropriate, despite recommendations from clinical practice guidelines. There is a limited understanding of factors that influence the imaging clinical decision-making (CDM) process.

Aim: Explore the literature on factors influencing imaging CDM for people with LBP and consider how these findings could be used to reduce inappropriate use of imaging in LBP management.

The Effects of Chiropractic Spinal Adjustment on EEG in Adults with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease: A Pilot Randomised Cross-over Trial.

Objectives: In this study, we explored the effects of chiropractic spinal adjustments on resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) recordings and early somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Methods: In this randomized cross-over study, 14 adults with Alzheimer's disease (average age 67 ± 6 years, 2 females:12 males) and 14 adults with Parkinson's disease (average age 62 ± 11 years, 1 female:13 males) participated. The participants underwent chiropractic spinal adjustments and a control (sham) intervention in a randomized order, with a minimum of one week between each intervention.

The effects of chiropractic adjustment on inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a pilot RCT.

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. We hypothesized that chiropractic adjustments could improve these symptoms by enhancing prefrontal cortex function. This pilot study aimed to explore the feasibility and efficacy of 4 weeks of chiropractic adjustment on inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity in children with ADHD.

A tensor decomposition scheme for EEG-based diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment.

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is the primary stage of acute Alzheimer's disease, and early detection is crucial for the person and those around him. It is difficult to recognize since this mild stage does not have clear clinical signs, and its symptoms are between normal aging and severe dementia. Here, we propose a tensor decomposition-based scheme for automatically diagnosing MCI using Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals.

Editorial: Signal Processing for Brain-Computer Interfaces-Special Issue.

With the astounding ability to capture a wealth of brain signals, Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) have the potential to revolutionize humans' quality of life [...

A randomized controlled trial comparing different sites of high-velocity low amplitude thrust on sensorimotor integration parameters.

Increasing evidence suggests that a high-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA) thrust directed at a dysfunctional vertebral segment in people with subclinical spinal pain alters various neurophysiological measures, including somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs). We hypothesized that an HVLA thrust applied to a clinician chosen vertebral segment based on clinical indicators of vertebral dysfunction, in short, segment considered as "relevant" would significantly reduce the N30 amplitude compared to an HVLA thrust applied to a predetermined vertebral segment not based on clinical indicators of vertebral dysfunction or segment considered as "non-relevant". In this double-blinded, active-controlled, parallel-design study, 96 adults with recurrent mild neck pain, ache, or stiffness were randomly allocated to receiving a single thrust directed at either a segment considered as "relevant" or a segment considered as "non-relevant" in their upper cervical spine.

Assessing Gait & Balance in Adults with Mild Balance Impairment: G&B App Reliability and Validity.

Smartphone applications (apps) that utilize embedded inertial sensors have the potential to provide valid and reliable estimations of different balance and gait parameters in older adults with mild balance impairment. This study aimed to assess the reliability, validity, and sensitivity of the Gait&Balance smartphone application (G&B App) for measuring gait and balance in a sample of middle- to older-aged adults with mild balance impairment in Pakistan. Community-dwelling adults over 50 years of age (N = 83, 50 female, range 50-75 years) with a Berg Balance Scale (BBS) score between 46/56 and 54/56 were included in the study.

The validity of smartphone-based spatiotemporal gait measurements during walking with and without head turns: Comparison with the GAITRite® system.

Smartphone accelerometry has potential to provide clinicians with specialized gait analysis not available in most clinical settings. The Gait&Balance Application (G&B App) uses smartphone accelerometry to assess spatiotemporal gait parameters under two conditions: walking looking straight ahead and walking with horizontal head turns. This study investigated the validity of G&B App gait parameters compared with the GAITRite® pressure-sensitive walkway.

Can water-based EEG caps record robust movement-related cortical potentials (MRCPs) for single and multiple joint movements?

Movement-related cortical potentials (MRCPs) have been used extensively in the literature to develop rehabilitation interventions for people with neurological conditions. In this pilot study, we recorded and extracted MRCPs using a water-based cap to determine whether water-based caps are effective. Five participants took part in the study, where their EEG was recorded during single-joint (dorsiflexion) and multiple-joint (sit-to-stand) lower limb movements.

A Brain Computer Interface Neuromodulatory Device for Stroke Rehabilitation: Iterative User-Centered Design Approach.

Background: Rehabilitation technologies for people with stroke are rapidly evolving. These technologies have the potential to support higher volumes of rehabilitation to improve outcomes for people with stroke. Despite growing evidence of their efficacy, there is a lack of uptake and sustained use in stroke rehabilitation and a call for user-centered design approaches during technology design and development.

A Cross-Day Analysis of EMG Features, Classifiers, and Regressors for Swallowing Events Detection and Fluid Intake Volume Estimation.

Dehydration is a common problem among older adults. It can seriously affect their health and wellbeing and sometimes leads to death, given the diminution of thirst sensation as we age. It is, therefore, essential to keep older adults properly hydrated by monitoring their fluid intake and estimating how much they drink.

New Zealanders with low back pain seeking health care: a retrospective descriptive analysis of Accident Compensation Corporation-funded low back pain healthcare service usage.

Introduction Most New Zealanders experience low back pain (LBP) at least once throughout their lifetime and many seek help from the large range of health providers in primary care. Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) funds a significant proportion of those claims, but which services are they funding and what are the costs? Method This was a retrospective audit and descriptive analysis of ACC-funded, non-public hospital healthcare service use by people with LBP in New Zealand (NZ). Outcome measures were the healthcare services accessed by people with ACC-funded LBP,the claims (all occurrences for a service that has generated a payment/year), single contact (with a service), and costs (NZ$) for services between 2009 and 2020.

Validation of the filling factor index to study the filling process of the sEMG signal in the quadriceps.

Introduction: The EMG filling factor is an index to quantify the degree to which an EMG signal has been filled. Here, we tested the validity of such index to analyse the EMG filling process as contraction force was slowly increased.

Methods: Surface EMG signals were recorded from the quadriceps muscles of healthy subjects as force was gradually increased from 0 to 40% MVC.

Non-Specific Low Back Pain: An Inductive Exploratory Analysis through Factor Analysis and Deep Learning for Better Clustering.

Non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) is a significant and pervasive public health issue in contemporary society. Despite the widespread prevalence of NSLBP, our understanding of its underlying causes, as well as our capacity to provide effective treatments, remains limited due to the high diversity in the population that does not respond to generic treatments. Clustering the NSLBP population based on shared characteristics offers a potential solution for developing personalized interventions.

Scoping out noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation: a review of the parameters used to improve postural control.

Objective: Noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation (nGVS) has been used to facilitate vestibular function and improve gait and balance in people with poor postural control. The aim of this scoping review is to collate, summarize and report on the nGVS parameters that have been used to augment postural control.

Method: A systematic scoping review was conducted up to December 2022.

A retrospective analysis of the incidence of severe adverse events among recipients of chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy.

This study examined the incidence and severity of adverse events (AEs) of patients receiving chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy (SMT), with the hypothesis that < 1 per 100,000 SMT sessions results in a grade ≥ 3 (severe) AE. A secondary objective was to examine independent predictors of grade ≥ 3 AEs. We identified patients with SMT-related AEs from January 2017 through August 2022 across 30 chiropractic clinics in Hong Kong.