Publications by authors named "Jessica Ranford"

Article Synopsis
  • * Factors such as higher education and income were linked to better PROMs, while specific brain injuries affected performance ratings differently, highlighting the impact of socioeconomics and brain health on recovery perceptions.
  • * The research identified a connection between parietal lobe damage and poorer self-reported outcomes, suggesting that injuries affecting self-awareness can distort patients' assessments of their own capabilities.
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Background: Brain imaging studies investigating grey matter in functional neurological disorder (FND) have used univariate approaches to report group-level differences compared with healthy controls (HCs). However, these findings have limited translatability because they do not differentiate patients from controls at the individual-level.

Methods: 183 participants were prospectively recruited across three groups: 61 patients with mixed FND (FND-mixed), 61 age-matched and sex-matched HCs and 61 age, sex, depression and anxiety-matched psychiatric controls (PCs).

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study highlights that pathological health anxiety (PHA) is prevalent in medical contexts and can lead to increased healthcare costs, yet its psychological and neurobiological underpinnings are not fully understood.
  • - A systematic review of studies revealed various cognitive, behavioral, and emotional factors contributing to PHA, including biased attention towards health threats and distorted memory recall, although the quality of studies was generally low.
  • - Limitations in the research include a focus on categorical evaluations of PHA, necessitating more exploration into sub-threshold and dimensional aspects of health anxiety to better understand the condition's mechanisms.
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Background And Objectives: Occupational therapy (OT) consensus recommendations and articles outlining a sensory-based OT intervention for functional neurological disorder (FND) have been published. However, limited research has been conducted to examine the efficacy of OT interventions for FND. We performed a retrospective cohort study aimed at independently replicating preliminarily characterized sensory processing difficulties in patients with FND and reporting on clinical outcomes of a sensory-based OT treatment in this population.

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Occupational therapy (OT) is an important treatment modality for patients with paroxysmal functional neurologic disorder (FND) symptoms. In our clinical experience, an outpatient, OT-based sensory modulation treatment can address sensory processing difficulties often endorsed by patients with paroxysmal motor FND and functional seizures. This article aims to describe in detail the goals and treatment strategies for occupational therapists to replicate this approach.

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We developed and validated an abbreviated version of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R), the CRS-R For Accelerated Standardized Testing (CRSR-FAST), to detect conscious awareness in patients with severe traumatic brain injury in the intensive care unit. In 45 consecutively enrolled patients, CRSR-FAST administration time was approximately one-third of the full-length CRS-R (mean [SD] 6.5 [3.

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Background: The Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) is a widely used outcome measure for quantifying motor impairment in stroke recovery. Meaningful change (responsiveness) in the acute to subacute phase of stroke recovery has not been determined.

Objective: Determine responsiveness and sensitivity to change of the FMA-UE from 1-week to 6-weeks (subacute) after stroke in individuals with moderate to severe arm impairment who received standard clinical care.

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Background And Objectives: The classic and singular pattern of distal greater than proximal upper extremity motor deficits after acute stroke does not account for the distinct structural and functional organization of circuits for proximal and distal motor control in the healthy CNS. We hypothesized that separate proximal and distal upper extremity clinical syndromes after acute stroke could be distinguished and that patterns of neuroanatomical injury leading to these 2 syndromes would reflect their distinct organization in the intact CNS.

Methods: Proximal and distal components of motor impairment (upper extremity Fugl-Meyer score) and strength (Shoulder Abduction Finger Extension score) were assessed in consecutively recruited patients within 7 days of acute stroke.

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Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a condition at the intersection of neurology and psychiatry, with some patients experiencing sensory hypersensitivities and other sensory processing difficulties. It has been postulated that poor integration and modulation of sensory information with cognitive, affective and behavioral processes may play a role in the pathophysiology of FND. In this article, we first succinctly review the role for occupational therapy (OT) in the multidisciplinary therapeutic approach to managing patients with FND.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to explore how cognitive demands affect motor performance during recovery from acute stroke by testing patients on two motor tasks with differing cognitive load.
  • Performance on the cognitively demanding Box & Blocks Test was significantly more impaired compared to Grip Strength, indicating that cognitive dysfunction notably affects complex motor tasks.
  • Results suggest that cognitive and motor functions are interconnected, highlighting the importance of considering cognitive demands in rehabilitation strategies after a stroke.
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Background And Purpose: Recovery of arm function poststroke is highly variable with some people experiencing rapid recovery but many experiencing slower or limited functional improvement. Current stroke prediction models provide some guidance for clinicians regarding expected motor outcomes poststroke but do not address recovery rates, complicating discharge planning. This study developed a novel approach to defining recovery groups based on arm motor recovery trajectories poststroke.

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Background: People with functional neurological disorder (FND) are commonly seen by occupational therapists; however, there are limited descriptions in the literature about the type of interventions that are likely to be helpful. This document aims to address this issue by providing consensus recommendations for occupational therapy assessment and intervention.

Methods: The recommendations were developed in four stages.

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Background: Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a prevalent neuropsychiatric condition characterized by sensorimotor difficulties. Patients with FND at times report that sensory experiences trigger and/or exacerbate their symptoms. Sensory processing difficulties are also commonly reported in other psychiatric disorders frequently comorbid in FND, suggesting that contextualizing sensory profiles in FND within a biopsychosocial model may be clinically relevant.

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As acute stroke treatments advance, more people survive the initial stroke event and live with long-term neurological impairments that impact functional outcomes and quality of life. In accordance with International Classification of Functioning (ICF), living with long-term neurological impairments can limit survivors' activity performance and restrict participation in valued life roles and routines. Research focused on longitudinal analysis of functional measures and outcomes after stroke are critical for determining early indicators of long-term participation and quality of life and guiding rehabilitation resource allocation.

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Background and Purpose- Injury to the corticospinal tract (CST) has been shown to have a major effect on upper extremity motor recovery after stroke. This study aimed to examine how well CST injury, measured from neuroimaging acquired during the acute stroke workup, predicts upper extremity motor recovery. Methods- Patients with upper extremity weakness after ischemic stroke were assessed using the upper extremity Fugl-Meyer during the acute stroke hospitalization and again at 3-month follow-up.

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Background: The relationships between baseline neuropsychiatric factors and clinical outcome in patients with functional neurological disorder (FND)/conversion disorder remain poorly understood.

Objective: This prospective, naturalistic pilot study investigated links between predisposing vulnerabilities (risk factors) and clinical outcome in patients with motor FND engaged in usual care within a subspecialty FND clinic.

Methods: Thirty-four patients with motor FND were enrolled and completed baseline and 6-month follow-up psychometric questionnaires.

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