Pre-therapy Neural State of Bilateral Motor and Premotor Cortices Predicts Therapy Gain After Subcortical Stroke: A Pilot Study.

Objective: The aim of the study was to examine whether neural state of spared motor and premotor cortices captured before a therapy predicts therapy-related motor gains in chronic subcortical stroke.

Design: Ten survivors, presenting chronic moderate upper limb impairment, underwent proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, magnetic resonance imaging, clinical, and kinematics assessments before a 4-wk impairment-oriented training. Clinical/kinematics assessments were repeated after therapy, and motor gain was defined as positive values of clinical upper limb/elbow motion changes and negative values of trunk motion changes.

Stroke Rehabilitation: Current American Stroke Association Guidelines, Care, and Implications for Practice.

Stroke attacked approximately 795,000 Americans last year, and it was the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. In 2016, the American Stroke Association published updated guidelines for stroke rehabilitation, with recommendations intended to improve systems of care and functional outcomes for people who suffer stroke and important recommendations regarding specific aspects of care. This article summarizes some of these recommendations with implications for those who treat stroke patients in their practices.

Pharmacologic approaches to geriatric pain management.

Unlabelled: This focused review highlights pharmacologic approaches to geriatric pain management. It is part of the study guide on geriatric rehabilitation in the Self-Directed Physiatric Education Program for practitioners and trainees in physical medicine and rehabilitation. This article specifically focuses on age-specific differences in pain assessment and use of medications for pain management in older adults.