Improving reading competence in aphasia with combined aerobic exercise and phono-motor treatment: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Aphasia, a communication disorder caused primarily by left-hemisphere stroke, affects millions of individuals worldwide, with up to 70% experiencing significant reading impairments. These deficits negatively impact independence and quality of life, highlighting the need for effective treatments that target the cognitive and neural processes essential to reading recovery. This Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT) aims to test the efficacy of a combined intervention incorporating aerobic exercise training (AET) and phono-motor treatment (PMT) to enhance reading recovery in individuals with post-stroke aphasia.

Speed of processing training to improve cognition in moderate to severe TBI: a randomized clinical trial.

Background: Moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) often results in cognitive deficits. Processing speed (PS) deficits are common, exerting a significant impact on daily life. Few studies have examined the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation specifically for PS deficits in moderate to severe TBI.

Effect of methylphenidate on oculomotor function in individuals with multiple sclerosis: a pilot randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Introduction: Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) frequently experience visual and oculomotor symptoms that may impact and confound neuropsychological assessments of information processing speed (IPS). In this study, we examined the effect of the psychostimulant methylphenidate on oculomotor function and the association between change in oculomotor speed and change in information processing speed.

Methods: We used a repeated measures crossover design in which a sample of 11 participants with MS were randomly assigned to one of two treatment arms: one that received methylphenidate for 4 weeks and another that received a placebo for 4 weeks.

Accelerated Aging after Traumatic Brain Injury: An ENIGMA Multi-Cohort Mega-Analysis.

Objective: The long-term consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on brain structure remain uncertain. Given evidence that a single significant brain injury event increases the risk of dementia, brain-age estimation could provide a novel and efficient indexing of the long-term consequences of TBI. Brain-age procedures use predictive modeling to calculate brain-age scores for an individual using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data.

Focusing on neural mechanisms of exercise training benefits in multiple sclerosis.

Exercise training (ET) should be a mainstay of comprehensive care in multiple sclerosis (MS), yet there is reluctance regarding its implementation among healthcare providers. This reluctance has its roots in the lack of evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that provide a neurobiological mechanism for beneficial outcomes. We argue that ET training is efficacious for improving mobility and cognitive dysfunction as hallmark consequences of MS, and propose an experimental medicine framework for guiding research focusing on CNS mechanisms-of-action for ET benefits.

Feasibility of a Self-directed Upper Extremity Training Program to Promote Actual Arm Use for Individuals Living in the Community With Chronic Stroke.

Objective: To determine the feasibility of a self-directed training protocol to promote actual arm use in everyday life. The secondary aim was to explore the initial efficacy on upper extremity (UE) outcome measures.

Design: Feasibility study using multiple methods.

Randomized Controlled Trial of the Behavioral Intervention for Physical Activity in Multiple Sclerosis Project: Response Heterogeneity and Predictors of Change.

Background: We reported that a social cognitive theory-based (SCT), Internet-delivered behavioral intervention increased device-measured minutes/day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) over a 6-month period among persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). This paper examined the pattern and predictors of heterogeneity in change for MVPA. Based on previous research, we hypothesized that mild MS disability, fewer MS symptoms, lower baseline MVPA, and positive SCT characteristics (e.

Internet-delivered lifestyle physical activity intervention for cognitive processing speed in multiple sclerosis.

Background: We propose a randomized controlled trial(RCT) of a Social Cognitive Theory-based(SCT), Internet-delivered behavioral intervention targeting lifestyle physical activity(LPA) for yielding improvements in cognitive processing speed(CPS), learning and memory(L/M), symptoms, and quality of life(QOL) among persons with mild multiple sclerosis(MS)-related ambulatory impairment who have impaired CPS.

Methods/design: The study involves a Phase-II, parallel group, RCT design. Participants with MS(N = 300) will be randomly assigned on an equal basis(1:1) into behavioral intervention(n = 150) or attention and social contact control(n = 150) conditions.

Free-living ambulatory physical activity and cognitive function in multiple sclerosis: the significance of step rate vs. step volume.

Background: Physical activity (PA) represents a promising behavioral approach for managing cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis (MS). However, there is a lack of information on the pattern of free-living PA intensity (e.g.

Behavioral Interventions to Improve Sleep Outcomes in Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review.

Background: Sleep disturbances are common in individuals with multiple sclerosis. The objective of this systematic review was to determine effective behavioral interventions to improve their sleep.

Methods: Literature searches were performed in December 2021 in Ovid MEDLINE, Elsevier Embase, and Web of Science, along with hand searching for grey literature and cited references.

The MoxFo initiative - outcomes: Outcome measures in studies of exercise training in multiple sclerosis; scoping review of reviews and classification according to the ICF framework.

Background: The number of published studies of exercise training in multiple sclerosis (MS) has grown exponentially with increasing numbers of outcomes capturing exercise effects. This has complicated the selection of relevant indicators and interpretation of intervention effects.

Objectives: The Outcomes subgroup of the MoXFo initiative aimed to (1) identify outcome measures and biomarkers in studies of exercise training in MS; (2) systematically map retrieved outcomes to International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) categories; (3) identify gaps where relevant ICF categories have been omitted.

Randomized controlled trial of the behavioral intervention for physical activity in multiple sclerosis project: Social cognitive theory variables as mediators.

Background: We recently reported in a phase-III, randomized controlled trial that a behavioral intervention based on social cognitive theory (SCT) and delivered through the Internet using e-learning approaches increased device-measured minutes/day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) over a 6-month period among persons with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Objective: This planned tertiary outcome paper examined SCT variables as mediators of the behavioral intervention effect on change in device-measured minutes/day of MVPA.

Method: Persons with MS (N = 318) were randomized into behavioral intervention (n = 159) or attention/social contact control (n = 159) conditions.

Multiple sclerosis is associated with differences in semantic memory structure.

Objective: Although language is often considered to be largely intact in multiple sclerosis (MS), word-finding difficulties are a common complaint. Recent work suggests that declines in language are not solely the result of motoric and cognitive slowing that is most strongly associated with MS. Network science approaches have been effectively used to examine network structure as it relates to clinical conditions, aging, and language.

Associations between Social Support and Cognitive Performance among Persons with MS.

Background: Social support is a protective factor against cognitive decline in the general population. However, the relationship between social support and cognitive functioning among persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) is not well understood.

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the associations between different aspects of social support and cognitive performance among persons with MS.

The influence of information processing speed on benefit from learning and memory rehabilitation in TBI: a sub-analysis of the TBI-MEM trial.

Objective: This study examined the influence of processing speed (PS) on benefit from treatment with the Kessler Foundation modified Story Memory Technique® (KF-mSMT®), a cognitive rehabilitation intervention shown to improve new learning and memory in traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Setting: Non-profit research center.

Participants: 62 participants with moderate-to-severe TBI were included, 31 assigned to the treatment group and 31 to the placebo-control group.

Neuroimaging Technology in Exercise Neurorehabilitation Research in Persons with MS: A Scoping Review.

There is increasing interest in the application of neuroimaging technology in exercise neurorehabilitation research among persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). The inclusion and focus on neuroimaging outcomes in MS exercise training research is critical for establishing a biological basis for improvements in functioning and elevating exercise within the neurologist's clinical armamentarium alongside disease modifying therapies as an approach for treating the disease and its consequences. Indeed, the inclusion of selective neuroimaging approaches and sensor-based technology among physical activity, mobility, and balance outcomes in such MS research might further allow for detecting specific links between the brain and real-world behavior.

Protocol for a remote home-based upper extremity self-training program for community-dwelling individuals after stroke.

Background: Half of all stroke survivors experience hemiparesis on the contralateral side, resulting in chronic upper extremity (UE) impairment. Remote rehabilitation is a promising approach to optimize the gains made in the clinic to maximize function and promote UE use at home. This paper describes the study protocol for a remote home-based UE self-training program.

Feasibility of remotely delivered and supported aerobic walking exercise training for cognitive processing speed impairment in fully-ambulatory persons with multiple sclerosis.

Purpose: The current pilot, single-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT) examined the feasibility of remotely-delivered and supported aerobic walking exercise training compared with an active control condition on cognitive processing speed (CPS) in 19 fully-ambulatory persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) who were pre-screened for impaired CPS.

Methods: Feasibility was assessed in the domains of process (e.g.

The impact of personal protective factors on quality of life after traumatic brain injury.

Primary Objective: Examine the impact of four personal protective factors (self-awareness (SA), self-efficacy (SE), cognitive and emotional factors) on positive adaptation, or resiliency, in persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI). We hypothesized that people with better SA and cognitive skills, less depression and positive SE will report better quality of life (QOL).

Research Design: Correlational longitudinal design was used to explore relationships between outcome variables at initial evaluation and 6-months following initial evaluation.

Kessler Foundation Strategy-Based Training to Enhance Memory (KF-STEM™): Study protocol for a single site double-blind randomized, clinical trial in Multiple Sclerosis.

New learning and memory impairments are common in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and negatively impact everyday life, including occupational and social functioning. Despite the demand for learning and memory treatments, few cognitive rehabilitation protocols are supported by Class I research evidence, limiting the degree to which effective treatments may be utilized with persons with MS. The present double-blind, placebo controlled randomized clinical trial (RCT) examines the efficacy of an 8-session cognitive rehabilitation protocol encompassing training in the application of three strategies with the strongest empirical evidence (self-generation, spaced learning and retrieval practice) to treat impaired learning and memory in persons with MS, ™.

Lessons learned from clinical trials of exercise and physical activity in people with MS - guidance for improving the quality of future research.

The body of research on exercise and physical activity among persons with multiple sclerosis(MS) has expanded rapidly in quantity, but not necessarily quality, over the past 20+ years. There is evidence for beneficial effects of exercise and physical activity on immune cells and neurotrophic factors, brain structure and function, walking and cognitive performance, fatigue, depression, and pain, and quality of life among persons with MS. Nevertheless, there is heterogeneity in the outcomes of exercise and physical activity, and a recognition of substantial challenges for improving the effectiveness of those behaviors in MS.

Thalamic atrophy moderates associations among aerobic fitness, cognitive processing speed, and walking endurance in persons with multiple sclerosis.

Background And Objectives: Thalamic atrophy (TA) represents a biomarker of neurodegeneration and associated dysfunction/decline in physical and cognitive functioning among persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Aerobic fitness, as an end point of exercise training, represents a promising target for restoring function in MS, but it is unknown if such effects differ by TA. This cross-sectional study examined whether aerobic fitness was differentially associated with cognitive processing speed and walking endurance in persons with MS who present with and without TA.