Mood Associated With Health- and Social Care-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Advanced Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Individuals with advanced multiple sclerosis (MS) have complex care requirements and are more likely to use long-term facilities. This study determined the associations between mood and social care-related quality of life (SCRQOL), and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and examined the association between HRQOL and SCRQOL.

Methods: Baseline data from a cohort study were used.

Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Depression and Anxiety in Parkinson's Disease.

Non-pharmacological interventions, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS), electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), light therapy (LT), and physical rehabilitation/exercise, have shown promise as effective approaches to treat symptoms of depression and anxiety in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). In this narrative literature overview, we discuss the state-of-the-art regarding these treatment options and address future perspectives for clinical practice and research. Non-pharmacological interventions hold promise to treat depression and anxiety in PD.

Effects and Mechanisms of Exercise on Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) Levels and Clinical Outcomes in People with Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: Exercise therapy may increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels and improve clinical outcomes in people living with Parkinson's disease (PD). This systematic review was performed to investigate the effect of exercise therapy on BDNF levels and clinical outcomes in human PD and to discuss mechanisms proposed by authors.

Method: A search on the literature was performed on PubMed up to December 2023 using the following key words: Parkinson's disease AND exercise, exercise therapy, neurological rehabilitation AND brain-derived neurotrophic factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor/blood, brain-derived neurotrophic factor/cerebrospinal fluid AND randomized clinical trial, intervention study.

(HIIT-The Track) High-Intensity Interval Training for People with Parkinson's Disease: Individual Response Patterns of (Non-)Motor Symptoms and Blood-Based Biomarkers-A Crossover Single-Case Experimental Design.

Introduction: Physical exercise is receiving increasing interest as an augmentative non-pharmacological intervention in Parkinson's disease (PD). This pilot study primarily aimed to quantify individual response patterns of motor symptoms to alternating exercise modalities, along with non-motor functioning and blood biomarkers of neuroplasticity and neurodegeneration.

Materials & Methods: People with PD performed high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and continuous aerobic exercise (CAE) using a crossover single-case experimental design.

Is Cardiorespiratory Fitness Independently Associated with Fatigue in Patients with Transient Ischemic Attack or Minor Stroke?

Fatigue is a common complaint and a disabling symptom among patients following transient ischemic attack (TIA) or minor stroke. In patients with stroke, decreased cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is believed to be related to increased severity of post-stroke fatigue (PSF). However, this association between PSF and CRF in patients with TIA or minor stroke has been less investigated, and currently there is no proven treatment for PSF.

An Overview of Wearable Haptic Technologies and Their Performance in Virtual Object Exploration.

We often interact with our environment through manual handling of objects and exploration of their properties. Object properties (OP), such as texture, stiffness, size, shape, temperature, weight, and orientation provide necessary information to successfully perform interactions. The human haptic perception system plays a key role in this.

Effect of an exercise intervention on global cognition after transient ischemic attack or minor stroke: the MoveIT randomized controlled trial.

Background: Patients with a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or ischemic stroke are at increased risk of developing cognitive impairment in the subacute phase. At present, the effects of exercise on cognitive functioning following a TIA or stroke are not fully known. The purpose of this trial was to investigate the effect of exercise on global cognition.

Self-monitoring of Physical Activity After Hospital Discharge in Patients Who Have Undergone Gastrointestinal or Lung Cancer Surgery: Mixed Methods Feasibility Study.

Background: Self-monitoring of physical activity (PA) using an accelerometer is a promising intervention to stimulate PA after hospital discharge.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of PA self-monitoring after discharge in patients who have undergone gastrointestinal or lung cancer surgery.

Methods: A mixed methods study was conducted in which 41 patients with cancer scheduled for lobectomy, esophageal resection, or hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy were included.

Exercise-induced increase in blood-based brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in people with multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of exercise intervention trials.

Background: Exercise training may affect the blood levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), but meta-analyses have not yet been performed comparing pre- and post-intervention BDNF concentrations in patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS).

Objective: To perform a meta-analysis to study the influence of exercise on BDNF levels and define components that modulate them across clinical trials of exercise training in adults living with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Method: Five databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PEDro database, CINAHL) were searched up to June 2021.

Graded peak cycle ergometer test for cognitively impaired patients with Parkinson's disease: a pilot study.

Background: Cognitive decline affects up to 50% of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) in the course of the disease and may be amenable to exercise interventions. To accurately set adequate training intensities, standardized exercise testing is required but such testing takes considerable time and effort. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the feasibility of a graded peak cycle ergometer exercise test in cognitively impaired patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD), and to define whether age-predicted maximal heart rate (HRmax) matched measured HRmax.

Quantifying Quality of Reaching Movements Longitudinally Post-Stroke: A Systematic Review.

Background: Disambiguation of behavioral restitution from compensation is important to better understand recovery of upper limb motor control post-stroke and subsequently design better interventions. Measuring quality of movement (QoM) during standardized performance assays and functional tasks using kinematic and kinetic metrics potentially allows for this disambiguation.

Objectives: To identify longitudinal studies that used kinematic and/or kinetic metrics to investigate post-stroke recovery of reaching and assess whether these studies distinguish behavioral restitution from compensation.

Comparing two identically protocolized, multicentre, randomized controlled trials on caregiver-mediated exercises poststroke: Any differences across countries?

Background: The evidence for rehabilitation interventions poststroke lack sufficient robustness. However, variation in treatment effects across countries have been given little attention.

Objective: To compare two identically protocolized trials conducted in different western countries in order to identify factors that may have caused variation in secondary trial outcomes.

Can telerehabilitation services combined with caregiver-mediated exercises improve early supported discharge services poststroke? A study protocol for a multicentre, observer-blinded, randomized controlled trial.

Background: Recovery of walking ability is an important goal for patients poststroke, and a basic level of mobility is critical for an early discharge home. Caregiver-mediated exercises could be a resource-efficient strategy to augment exercise therapy and improve mobility in the first months poststroke. A combination of telerehabilitation and face-to-face support, blended care, may empower patient-caregiver dyads and smoothen the transition from professional support to self-management.

Physical activity dimensions after stroke: patterns and relation with lower limb motor function.

Background: Stroke survivors show deteriorated physical functioning and physical activity levels. Physical activity levels of stroke survivors are generally low. It is increasingly recognized that physical activity is a multidimensional construct that cannot be captured in a single outcome.

The Cortical Response Evoked by Robotic Wrist Perturbations Reflects Level of Proprioceptive Impairment After Stroke.

Proprioception is important for regaining motor function in the paretic upper extremity after stroke. However, clinical assessments of proprioception are subjective and require verbal responses from the patient to applied proprioceptive stimuli. Cortical responses evoked by robotic wrist perturbations and measured by electroencephalography (EEG) may be an objective method to support current clinical assessments of proprioception.

Quantifying neural and non-neural components of wrist hyper-resistance after stroke: Comparing two instrumented assessment methods.

Patients with poor upper limb motor recovery after stroke are likely to develop increased resistance to passive wrist extension, i.e., wrist hyper-resistance.

Symptom dimensions of anxiety in Parkinson's disease: Replication study in a neuropsychiatric patient population.

Introduction: Anxiety disorders occur in approximately one third of people with Parkinson's disease (PD), and have a major impact on patient and caregiver wellbeing. In order to better understand and diagnose anxiety in PD patients, we investigated the generalizability of the results of a previous factor analysis on anxiety symptoms to a sample of PD patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, anxiety symptoms were measured with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) in 123 PD patients who were referred for neuropsychiatric diagnostics and treatment.

Smoothness metrics for reaching performance after stroke. Part 1: which one to choose?

Background: Smoothness is commonly used for measuring movement quality of the upper paretic limb during reaching tasks after stroke. Many different smoothness metrics have been used in stroke research, but a 'valid' metric has not been identified. A systematic review and subsequent rigorous analysis of smoothness metrics used in stroke research, in terms of their mathematical definitions and response to simulated perturbations, is needed to conclude whether they are valid for measuring smoothness.

Smoothness metric during reach-to-grasp after stroke: part 2. longitudinal association with motor impairment.

Background: The cause of smoothness deficits as a proxy for quality of movement post stroke is currently unclear. Previous simulation analyses showed that spectral arc length (SPARC) is a valid metric for investigating smoothness during a multi-joint goal-directed reaching task. The goal of this observational study was to investigate how SPARC values change over time, and whether SPARC is longitudinally associated with the recovery from motor impairments reflected by the Fugl-Meyer motor assessment of the upper extremity (FM-UE) in the first 6 months after stroke.

Changes in muscle-tendon unit length-force characteristics following experimentally induced photothrombotic stroke cannot be explained by changes in muscle belly structure.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the effects of experimentally induced photothrombotic stroke on structural and mechanical properties of rat m. flexor carpi ulnaris.

Methods: Two groups of Young-adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were measured: stroke (n = 9) and control (n = 7).