Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience

BACKGROUND: Previous research has shown that noninvasive brain stimulation can be used to study how the central nervous system (CNS) prepares the execution of a motor task. However, these previous studies have been limited to a single muscle or single degree of freedom movements (e.g., wrist flexion). It is currently unclear if the findings of these studies generalize to multi-joint movements involving multiple muscles, which may be influenced by kinematic redundancy and muscle synergies...

BACKGROUND: Most previous studies comparing the effectiveness of Plasma Exchange (PE) or intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in treating Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) have focused on the short-term outcome at around 1 month. OBJECTIVE: To compare the long-term efficacy of PE and IVIG at one year in adult patients with GBS. METHODS: Eighty-one adult patients with acute GBS were randomized into two groups with a ratio of 2 : 1: PE (N = 54) and IVIG (N = 27)...

BACKGROUND: Focal extracorporeal shock wave therapy (fESWT) is a physical therapy vastly studied and used for various musculoskeletal disorders. However, the effect of fESWT on central nervous system is still to be determined. OBJECTIVE: To elucidate spinal and supra-spinal mechanisms of fESWT in healthy subjects, in order to widen the spectrum of its clinical applications. METHODS: In this quasi-experimental, unblinded, proof-of-concept clinical study, 10 voluntary healthy subjects underwent fESWT and were assessed immediately before (T0), immediately after (T1) and seven days after (T2) the intervention...

BACKGROUND: Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is characterized by progressive degeneration of distal axons in the long corticospinal tracts. Loss of retinal cells and microvascular networks has neither been suspected nor investigated. We concurrently examined the retinal microvasculature and retinal layer morphology in patients with HSP to assess whether retinal features may portray disease and its progression. METHODS: Fifteen patients with HSP and 30 healthy controls were included in this cross-sectional case-control study...

BACKGROUND: Cognitive dysfunctions after a brain stroke have a huge impact on patients' disability and activities of daily living. Prism adaptation (PA) is currently used in patients with right brain damage to improve lateralized spatial attentional deficits. Recent findings suggest that PA could also be useful for rehabilitation of other cognitive functions. OBJECTIVE: In the present study, we tested for the efficacy on cognitive rehabilitation of a novel device in which the procedure of prism adaptation is digitized and followed by cognitive training of attention and executive functions using serious games...

BACKGROUND: While functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can provide insight into cortical brain activity during motor tasks in healthy and diseased populations, the feasibility of using fNIRS to assess haemoglobin-evoked responses to reanimated upper limb motor function in patients with tetraplegia remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this pilot study is to determine the feasibility of using fNIRS to assess cortical signal intensity changes during upper limb motor tasks in individuals with surgically restored grip functions...

Since the first issue of the academic journal Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience (RNN) was published in 1989, 40 volumes with a total of 1550 SCI publications have helped advance basic and clinical sciences in the fields of central and peripheral nervous system rescue, regeneration, restoration and plasticity in experimental and clinical disorders. In this way RNN helped advance the development of a range of neuropsychiatric intervention across a broad spectrum of approaches such as drugs, training (rehabilitation), psychotherapy or neuromodulation with current stimulation...

BACKGROUND: The hippocampus is highly vulnerable to damage in the brain ischemia-reperfusion injury model. Leuprolide acetate has been shown to promote neurological recovery after injury in various regions of the central nervous system. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the histology of the hippocampus and the expression of neuronal recovery markers, specifically the 200 kDa neurofilaments and the myelin basic protein, in rats with brain ischemia-reperfusion injury treated with leuprolide acetate...

BACKGROUND: Sensory substitution and augmentation systems (SSASy) seek to either replace or enhance existing sensory skills by providing a new route to access information about the world. Tests of such systems have largely been limited to untimed, unisensory tasks. OBJECTIVE: To test the use of a SSASy for rapid, ballistic motor actions in a multisensory environment. METHODS: Participants played a stripped-down version of air hockey in virtual reality with motion controls (Oculus Touch)...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Gait training may lead to functional brain changes in Parkinson's disease (PD); however, there is a lack of studies investigating structural brain changes after gait training in PD. OBJECTIVE: To investigate structural brain changes induced by 4 weeks of gait training in individuals with PD. METHODS: Diffusion tensor imaging and structural T1 images were acquired in PD group before and after robot-assisted gait training or treadmill training, and in healthy control group...

BACKGROUND: Cortical visual impairment (CVI) is a severe loss of visual function caused by damage to the visual cortex or its afferents, usually as a consequence of hypoxic insults during birth. It is one of the leading causes of vision loss in children, and it is most often permanent. OBJECTIVE: Several studies have demonstrated limited vision restoration in adults who trained on well-controlled psychophysical tasks, after acquiring CVI late in life. Other studies have shown improvements in children who underwent vision training...

BACKGROUND: Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is the most common type of nerve trauma yet, while injured motoneurons exhibit a robust capacity for regeneration, behavioral recovery is protracted and typically poor. Neurotherapeutic approaches to PNI and repair have primarily focused on the enhancement of axonal regeneration, in terms of rate, axonal sprouting, and reconnection connectivity. Both electrical stimulation (ES) and treatment with androgens [e.g., testosterone propionate (TP)] have been demonstrated to enhance axonal sprouting, regeneration rate and functional recovery following PNI...

BACKGROUND: Pharmacological treatments for ischemic stroke remain limited to thrombolysis, which is associated with increased risk of potentially fatal hemorrhage. Treatments with Recombinant Human Fibroblast Growth Factor 18 (rhFGF18) and Growth and Differentiation Factor 11 (rhGDF11) appear promising based on different preclinical models. The goal of this study was to compare the effects of rhFGF18 and rhGDF11 directly on survival, behavioral deficits, and histological fingerprint of cerebral ischemia in the Wistar rat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model of stroke...

BACKGROUND: Interventions to recover upper extremity (UE) function after moderate-to-severe stroke are limited. Transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) is an emerging non-invasive technique to improve neuronal plasticity and may potentially augment functional outcomes when combined with existing interventions, such as functional electrical stimulation (FES). OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of combined tRNS and FES-facilitated task practice to improve UE impairment and function after moderate-to-severe stroke...

BACKGROUND: Aphasia is a debilitating language impairment, affecting millions of people worldwide. About 40% of stroke survivors develop chronic aphasia, resulting in life-long disability. OBJECTIVE: This review examines extrinsic and intrinsic neuromodulation techniques, aimed at enhancing the effects of speech and language therapies in stroke survivors with aphasia. METHODS: We discuss the available evidence supporting the use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, and functional MRI (fMRI) real-time neurofeedback in aphasia rehabilitation...

BACKGROUND: The default mode network (DMN) is a large-scale brain network tightly correlated with self and self-referential processing, activated by intrinsic tasks and deactivated by externally-directed tasks. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aim to investigate the novel approach of default mode activation during progressive muscle relaxation and examine whether differential activation patterns result from the movement of different body parts. METHODS: We employed neuroimaging to investigate DMN activity during simple body movements, while performing progressive muscle relaxation...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Many psychiatric and neurological conditions are associated with cognitive impairment for which there are very limited treatment options. Brain stimulation methodologies show promise as novel therapeutics and have cognitive effects. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), known more for its related transient adverse cognitive effects, can produce significant cognitive improvement in the weeks following acute treatment. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is increasingly used as a treatment for major depression and has acute cognitive effects...

BACKGROUND: Agnosia for objects is often overlooked in neuropsychology, especially with respect to rehabilitation. Prosopagnosia has been studied more extensively, yet there have been few attempts at training it. The lack of training protocols may partially be accounted for by their relatively low incidence and specificity to sensory modality. However, finding effective rehabilitations for such deficits may help to reduce their impact on the social and psychological functioning of individuals...