NeuroRehabilitation
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NeuroRehabilitation · Jan 2013
ReviewMotor function-related maladaptive plasticity in stroke: a review.
Brain plasticity can be classified as adaptive and maladaptive. Maladaptive plasticity indicates hindered functional recovery or the development of an unwanted symptom. Although a considerable amount is known about adaptive plasticity in stroke, relatively little is known of maladaptive plasticity. ⋯ As for CMP, patients with a good neurological state as much as having a normal movement pattern, should be considered to have maladaptive plasticity, and in terms of the ipsilateral motor pathway, patients with bilateral innervations can be considered to have maladaptive plasticity. On the other hand, IAMs due to delayed neuronal degeneration should be ruled out in patients with delayed-onset IAMs. Therefore, for the accurate recognition of motor function-related maladaptive plasticity in stroke, a thorough evaluation of neurological state using brain mapping techniques is necessary, and subsequently, the prevention or intensive management of maladaptive plasticity is needed.
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NeuroRehabilitation · Jan 2013
Comparative StudyCerebral activation evoked by the mirror illusion of the hand in stroke patients compared to normal subjects.
Mirror therapy (MT) was found to improve motor function after stroke, but its neural mechanisms remain unclear, especially in single stroke patients. ⋯ In summary, the mirror illusion can elicit cerebral activation contralateral to the perceived hand in the majority of single normal subjects, but not in all of them. This is similar even in stroke patients with severe hemiparesis.
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NeuroRehabilitation · Jan 2013
Selective use of low frequency stimulation in Parkinson's disease based on absence of tremor.
High frequency stimulation (HFS) of the subthalamic nucleus is one of the most effective treatments for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). HFS has provided beneficial improvements in the cardinal features of PD, but has not been proven as effective for addressing the axial predominant levodopa resistant symptoms, such as speech disturbances, gait disturbances, and postural instability. Recent studies have suggested that changes in stimulation parameters may influence differing PD symptoms. ⋯ These results may suggest that HFS is better than LFS for reducing tremor in tremor dominant patients. However, patients with mild or no tremor show no acute differences in benefit from LFS as compared to HFS.
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NeuroRehabilitation · Jan 2013
Quality of patient education materials for rehabilitation after neurological surgery.
To evaluate the quality of online patient education materials for rehabilitation following neurological surgery. ⋯ Evaluations of several websites from the NINDS, NLM, AOTA, and AAOS demonstrated that their reading levels were higher than that of the average American. Improved readability might be beneficial for patient education. Ultimately, increased patient comprehension may correlate to positive clinical outcomes.
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NeuroRehabilitation · Jan 2013
Study of accent-based music speech protocol development for improving voice problems in stroke patients with mixed dysarthria.
Based on the anatomical and functional commonality between singing and speech, various types of musical elements have been employed in music therapy research for speech rehabilitation. This study was to develop an accent-based music speech protocol to address voice problems of stroke patients with mixed dysarthria. Subjects were 6 stroke patients with mixed dysarthria and they received individual music therapy sessions. ⋯ Also, there were statistically significant differences in the measures of shimmer, and alternating motion rates (AMR) of the syllable /K$\inve$/ between pre- and post-test. The results indicated that the accent-based music speech protocol may improve speech motor coordination including respiration, phonation, articulation, resonance, and prosody of patients with dysarthria. This suggests the possibility of utilizing the music speech protocol to maximize immediate treatment effects in the course of a long-term treatment for patients with dysarthria.