A comparative study of vestibular projection connectivity and balance in healthy young adults and elderly subjects.

Objective: Vestibular function is controlled by interactions between various neuropathways that have different effects on balance and are connected to various brain areas. However, few studies have investigated the relation between changes in VN connectivity and aging using neuroimaging. We investigated neural connectivities in the vestibular nucleus (VN) and ventralis intermedius (VIM) nucleus of the thalamus in young and old healthy adults by diffusion tensor imaging.

A robotic treadmill system to mimic overground walking training with body weight support.

Introduction: Body weight support overground walking training (BWSOWT) is widely used in gait rehabilitation. However, existing systems require large workspace, complex structure, and substantial installation cost for the actuator, which make those systems inappropriate for the clinical environment. For wide clinical use, the proposed system is based on a self-paced treadmill, and uses an optimized body weight support with frame-based two-wire mechanism.

Comparative study of vestibular projection pathway connectivity in cerebellar injury patients and healthy adults.

Objective: Cerebellar injury can not only cause gait and postural instability, nystagmus, and vertigo but also affect the vestibular system. However, changes in connectivity regarding the vestibular projection pathway after cerebellar injury have not yet been reported. Therefore, in the current study, we investigated differences in the connectivity of the vestibular projection pathway after cerebellar injury using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography.

Comparison of Abdominal Muscle Thickness between the Abdominal Draw-in Maneuver and Maximum Abdominal Contraction Maneuver.

All abdominal muscles, including the transverse abdominis (TrA), should be modulated to improve core stability. This study aimed to investigate easier and more effective core exercise methods by comparing thickness changes in the TrA, internal oblique (IO), external oblique (EO), and rectus abdominis (RA) muscles during the abdominal draw-in maneuver (ADIM) and maximum abdominal contraction maneuver (MACM). Thirty healthy subjects who participated in this study underwent ADIM and MACM three times in random order.

Associations Between Injury of the Parieto-Insular Vestibular Cortex and Changes in Motor Function According to the Recovery Process: Use of Diffusion Tensor Imaging.

Parieto-insular vestibular cortex (PIVC) injury can cause symptoms such as abnormal gait and affects the integration and processing of sensory inputs contributing to self-motion perception. Therefore, this study investigated the association of the vestibular pathway in the gait and motor function recovery process in patients with PIVC injury using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We recruited 28 patients with stroke with only PIVC injury and reconstructed the PIVC using a 1.

Breathing Exercise Called the Maximal Abdominal Contraction Maneuver.

The maximal abdominal contraction maneuver (MACM) was designed as an effective and efficient breathing exercise to increase the stability of the spinal joint. However, it has not been determined whether MACM is more effective and efficient than the maximal expiration method. Thus, the present study was undertaken to investigate whole abdominal muscle thickness changes after MACM.

Lateral Medullary Syndrome Following Injury of Lateral Vestibulospinal Tract: Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study.

Background: Unilateral lesions of vestibular nucleus can cause lateral medullary syndrome. Little is known about injury of medial and lateral vestibulospinal tract (VST) after dorsolateral medullary infarct. We investigated injury of the lateral VST in patients with typical central vestibular disorder using diffusion tensor tractography (DTT).

Immediate Effects of Tibialis Anterior and Calf Muscle Taping on Center of Pressure Excursion in Chronic Stroke Patients: A Cross-Over Study.

Stroke patients often have muscles spasticity, difficulty with posture control, and tend to fall. This study investigated the use of kinesiology tape for patients with spasticity of ankle muscles after stroke. This study had a randomized, repeated measures design, and evaluated the immediate effect of kinesiology tape on the center of pressure (COP) excursion when applied to the calf and tibialis anterior muscles in stroke survivors.

Effect of Plyometric versus Ankle Stability Exercises on Lower Limb Biomechanics in Taekwondo Demonstration Athletes with Functional Ankle Instability.

Background: This study aimed to compare the effects of plyometric and ankle stability exercises on the dynamic balance and lower limb kinematic and kinetic parameters of Taekwondo demonstration athletes with functional ankle instability.

Methods: Fourteen subjects participated in this study and were randomly divided into two groups: a plyometric exercise group ( = 7) and an ankle stability exercise group ( = 7). Exercises were performed twice a week for 8 weeks.

Effects of injuries to descending motor pathways on restoration of gait in patients with pontine hemorrhage.

Background And Purpose: Gait disturbance due to injuries of the descending motor pathway, including corticospinal tract (CST), corticoreticular pathway (CRP), and medial and lateral vestibulospinal tracts (VSTs), are commonly encountered disabling sequelae of pontine hemorrhage. We investigated relations between changes in the CST, CRP, and medial and lateral VST and corresponding changes in gait function in patients with pontine hemorrhage.

Method: Nine consecutive stroke patients with pontine hemorrhage, and 6 age-matched normal subjects were recruited.

Changes in Gait Performance in Stroke Patients after Taping with Scapular Setting Exercise.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of combined taping with scapular setting exercise on the gait performance of stroke patients. Twenty stroke patients were randomly allocated to two groups: the taping with scapular setting exercise (TSSE) group ( = 10) and scapular setting exercise (SSE) group ( = 10). Intervention was performed for one week, and pre- and postintervention results for TSSE and SSE were compared.

Role of diffusion tensor imaging in analyzing the neural connectivity of the parieto-insular vestibular cortex in pusher syndrome: As case report.

Rationale: Pusher syndrome is a disorder of postural control. It is associated with unilateral lesions on central vestibular system. In the current study, we attempted to identify and investigate neural connectivity of the parieto-insular vestibular cortex in a patient with pusher syndrome, using diffusion tensor imaging.

Toward Comparison of Cortical Activation with Different Motor Learning Methods Using Event-Related Design: EEG-fNIRS Study.

Recently, motor imagery brain-computer interface (MI-BCI) has been studied as a motor learning method and evaluated by comparing with conventional passive and active training. Most functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) studies adopted block design for comparing those motor learning methods, including MI-BCI. Compared to the block design, event-related design would be more appropriate for estimating cortical activation in MI-BCI which provides feedback for each trial.

A two-wire body weight support system for interactive treadmill.

Body weight support (BWS) system is widely used for patients to help their gait training. However, that existing systems require large workspace and elastic component in actuation makes the systems inappropriate for wide clinical use. The interactive treadmill was reported to be cost/space effectively simulate overground walking, but there was no suitable BWS system for the treadmill.

Validating attentive locomotion training using interactive treadmill: an fNIRS study.

Background: Existing treadmill-based locomotion training, which has been used for gait function recovery, still has limitations, such as less attentive training. Interactive treadmills (ITMs) were developed to overcome these limitations, but it has not yet been verified that ITMs can make the user pay closer attention to walk training.

Methods: An experimental comparison between ITMs and conventional treadmills was conducted by measuring the level of the user's attention using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).