Neurorehabilitation and neural repair
-
Neurorehabil Neural Repair · Nov 2015
Randomized Controlled TrialCombining Multiple Types of Motor Rehabilitation Enhances Skilled Forelimb Use Following Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats.
Neuroplasticity and neurorehabilitation have been extensively studied in animal models of stroke to guide clinical rehabilitation of stroke patients. Similar studies focused on traumatic brain injury (TBI) are lacking. ⋯ The current study has provided evidence that individual rehabilitation strategies shown to be beneficial in animal models of stroke are not similarly sufficient to enhance behavioral outcome in a model of TBI. Motor rehabilitation strategies for TBI patients may need to be more intense and varied. Future basic science studies exploring the underlying mechanisms of combined rehabilitation approaches in TBI as well as clinical studies comparing rehabilitation approaches for stroke versus TBI would prove fruitful.
-
Neurorehabil Neural Repair · Nov 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyLong-Term Follow-up to a Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Peroneal Nerve Functional Electrical Stimulation to an Ankle Foot Orthosis for Patients With Chronic Stroke.
Evidence supports peroneal nerve functional electrical stimulation (FES) as an effective alternative to ankle foot orthoses (AFO) for treatment of foot drop poststroke, but few long-term, randomized controlled comparisons exist. ⋯ At 12 months, both FES and AFOs continue to demonstrate equivalent gains in gait speed. Results suggest that long-term FES use may lead to additional improvements in walking endurance and functional ambulation; further research is needed to confirm these findings.