Association between white matter integrity and lower limb motor impairment after stroke: A systematic review: White matter integrity and lower limb motor impairment after stroke.

Background: There is no clear consensus on the anatomical substrates required for recovery from lower limb (LL) impairment after stroke. Knowledge of biomarkers, such as white matter integrity (WMI), could fill this knowledge gap.

Objectives: To analyze the associations between WMI of the corticospinal tract (CST) and corticoreticulospinal pathway (CRP) and LL motor impairment after stroke, in terms of synergistic control and muscle strength.

Are standing balance and walking ability deficits poststroke related to the integrity of the corticospinal and non-corticospinal tracts? A meta-analysis.

Background: The importance of corticospinal tract (CST) integrity in upper limb recovery poststroke is well established, but its association with standing balance and walking remains unclear. This meta-analysis aimed to establish the relationship between CST and non-CST motor tract integrity, and clinical scores of standing balance and walking poststroke.

Methods: In July 2024, five databases were searched for studies, focusing on diffusion MRI metrics and clinical scores of standing balance and/or walking independence poststroke.

Clinical Assessment of Subjective Visual and Haptic Vertical Norms in Healthy Adults.

Background And Objective: Accurate verticality perception is essential for daily life activities, such as correctly estimating object orientation in space. This study established normative data for the subjective visual vertical (SVV) and subjective haptic vertical (SHV) using the portable and self-constructable modified Bucket test and Rotating-Column test. Additionally, the contribution of age, sex, and starting position of the line/ column on SVV and SHV accuracy were evaluated.

Is a portable pressure plate an alternative to force plates for measuring postural stability and interlimb coordination of quiet standing balance control?

Introduction: Center-of-pressure (COP) synchronization and symmetry can inform adaptations in balance control following one-sided sensorimotor impairments (e.g., stroke).

Assessment and treatment of visuospatial neglect using active learning with Gaussian processes regression.

Visuospatial neglect is a disorder characterised by impaired awareness for visual stimuli located in regions of space and frames of reference. It is often associated with stroke. Patients can struggle with all aspects of daily living and community participation.

Does visuospatial neglect contribute to standing balance within the first 12 weeks post-stroke? A prospective longitudinal cohort study.

Background: Visuospatial neglect (VSN) has been suggested to limit standing balance improvement post-stroke. However, studies investigating this association longitudinally by means of repeated within-subject measurements early post-stroke are lacking. This prospective longitudinal cohort study evaluates the longitudinal association of egocentric and allocentric VSN severity with 1) standing balance independence and 2) postural control and weight-bearing asymmetry (WBA) during quiet standing, in the first 12 weeks post-stroke.

A full-body motion capture gait dataset of 138 able-bodied adults across the life span and 50 stroke survivors.

This reference dataset contains biomechanical data of 138 able-bodied adults (21-86 years) and 50 stroke survivors walking bare-footed at their preferred speed. It is unique due to its size, and population, including adults across the life-span and over 70 years, as well as stroke survivors. Full-body kinematics (PiG-model), kinetics and muscle activity of 14 back and lower limbs muscles was collected with a Vicon motion capture system, ground-embedded force plates, and a synchronized surface EMG system.

Prevalence, associated factors and predictors of post stroke pneumonia in a Nigerian population: A retrospective study.

Objectives: Stroke can trigger an immune response that can raise the risk of infection, alter tracheal epithelium, reduce pulmonary clearance and impair secretions drainage capacity. Infection, altered tracheal epithelium, reduced pulmonary clearance, impaired secretions drainage capacity and aspiration can cause pneumonia after stroke. The aim of this study is to find out the prevalence of post stroke pneumonia in a Nigerian population and factors that are associated with it.

Do we need to consider head-on-body position, starting roll position and presence of visuospatial neglect when assessing perception of verticality after stroke?

Background And Objective: Considering various factors that influence the accuracy of the Subjective Visual Vertical (SVV) and Subjective Postural Vertical (SPV), standardization of assessment methods is needed. This retrospective study examined the contribution of Head-on-Body (HOB) position, starting roll position (SRP) and visuospatial neglect (VSN) to SVV and SPV constant errors (i.e.

Gait Stride Length Estimation Using Embedded Machine Learning.

Introduction: Spatiotemporal gait parameters, e.g., gait stride length, are measurements that are classically derived from instrumented gait analysis.

Recovery of Quiet Standing Balance and Lower Limb Motor Impairment Early Poststroke: How Are They Related?

Background: Recovery of quiet standing balance early poststroke has been poorly investigated using repeated measurements.

Objective: To investigate (1) the time course of steady-state balance in terms of postural stability and inter-limb symmetry, and (2) longitudinal associations with lower limb motor recovery in the first 3 months poststroke.

Methods: Forty-eight hemiparetic subjects (age: 58.

The Association of Personal Neglect with Motor, Activities of Daily Living, and Participation Outcomes after Stroke: A Systematic Review.

Despite its potential clinical impact, the association of personal neglect (PN) with motor, activities of daily living (ADL), and participation outcomes after stroke is not well-understood. This first-ever systematic review on the topic therefore evaluates this association, taking into account suggested subtypes of PN, including body representation neglect, somatosensory neglect, motor neglect, and premotor neglect. A systematic literature search was conducted on February 17, 2023 in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, PubPsych, and PsycArticles databases.

Physical functioning factors predicting a return home after stroke rehabilitation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to identify the physical functioning factors associated with home discharge after inpatient stroke rehabilitation.

Data Sources: A search of PubMed, Embase, CINHAL, The Cochrane Library (Trials), Web of Science, and PEDro were conducted up until May 2023.

Methods: Two independent reviewers selected studies for population (patients with stroke), predictive factors (physical functioning), outcome (discharge destination), setting (inpatient rehabilitation), and study designs (observational and experimental studies).

Factors influencing recovery of upper limb motor function during constraint-induced movement therapy for people with stroke.

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the personal and clinical factors that can predict recovery of motor function in people with stroke.

Methods: Characteristics of the study participants such as age, sex, time since stroke and type of stroke, motor function, shoulder pain, amount and quality of use of the affected limb in the real world, wrist and elbow spasticity, handedness, central post-stroke pain and dose of massed practice were recorded. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression.

Prevalence of chronic non-specific low back pain among caregivers of stroke survivors in Kano, Nigeria and factors associated with it: A cross-sectional study.

Purpose: Low back pain (LBP) may have a specific or non-specific cause such as abnormal posture or repetitive tasks. For instance, lifting and transferring patients during caregiving for stroke survivors may predispose the caregivers to LBP.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of chronic non-specific LBP and factors associated with it in caregivers of stroke survivors.

Vagus nerve stimulation for the treatment of epilepsy: things to note on the protocols, the effects and the mechanisms of action.

Epilepsy is a chronic brain disorder that is characterized by repetitive un-triggered seizures that occur severally within 24 h or more. Non-pharmacological methods for the management of epilepsy were discussed. The non-pharmacological methods include the vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) which is subdivided into invasive and non-invasive techniques.

Association between spatial neglect and impaired verticality perception after stroke: A systematic review.

Background: Although most research on spatial neglect (SN) has focused on spatial perception deficits with regard to the lateral (left-right) axis, deficits of spatial perception with regard to the vertical (up-down) axis, such as disturbances in the perception of verticality (e.g., judgement of vertical orientations), have also been suggested.

Predictors of high dose of massed practice following stroke.

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the factors that affect patients' ability to carry out high dose of massed practice.

Methods: Patients with stroke were included in the study if they had no severe impairment in motor and cognitive functions. Dose of massed practice, motor function, perceived amount and quality of use of the arm in the real world, wrist and elbow flexors spasticity, dominant hand stroke, presence of shoulder pain, and central post-stroke pain were assessed on the first day.

Time Course and Mechanisms Underlying Standing Balance Recovery Early After Stroke: Design of a Prospective Cohort Study With Repeated Measurements.

Introduction: Although most stroke survivors show some spontaneous neurological recovery from motor impairments of the most-affected leg, the contribution of this leg to standing balance control remains often poor. Consequently, it is unclear how spontaneous processes of neurological recovery contributes to early improvements in standing balance.

Objective: We aim to investigate (1) the time course of recovery of quiet stance balance control in the first 12 weeks poststroke and (2) how clinically observed improvements of lower limb motor impairments longitudinally relate to this limb's relative contribution to balance control.

Effect of home-based virtual reality training and telerehabilitation on balance in individuals with Parkinson disease, multiple sclerosis, and stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: In the last decade, there is a growing interest in the use of virtual reality for rehabilitation in clinical and home settings. The aim of this systematic review is to do a summary of the current evidence on the effect of home-based virtual reality training and telerehabilitation on postural balance in individuals with central neurological disorders.

Methods: Literature was searched in PubMed, Web of Science, PEDro, ScienceDirect, and MEDLINE.

The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the general health status of people with chronic health conditions in Belgium: a cross-sectional survey study.

Background: Patients with chronic health conditions risk aggravation of their health status due to reduced access to health services during the COVID-19 related lockdown.

Objectives: To investigate the impact of Belgian COVID-19 measures on general health status (i.e.

Lateropulsion with active pushing in stroke patients: its link with lesion location and the perception of verticality. A systematic review.

Background: Lateropulsion with active Pushing (LwP) is characterized by impairments in postural control. Previous research suggests an association between LwP, lesion location and verticality misperception. This first-ever systematic review evaluates the association between LwP, lesion location and the perception of verticality (PROSPERO: CRD42020159248).

Decline in gait propulsion in older adults over age decades.

Background: Despite strong evidence that walking speed and forward propulsion decline with increasing age, their relationship is still poorly understood. While changes in the ankle and hip mechanics have been described, few studies have reported the effect of ageing on the whole leg's contribution to propulsion.

Research Question: The aim of this study was to investigate age-related changes in the work performed by the leg on the center of mass (COM) push-off power during walking in adults aged 20-86 years.