Neurorehabilitation and neural repair
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Neurorehabil Neural Repair · Dec 2002
Rehabilitation Practice through Science and Research. Abstracts of the 79th annual meeting of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the 9th annual meeting of the American Society of Neurorehabilitation. October 3-6, 2002. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
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Neurorehabil Neural Repair · Jan 2001
Comparative StudyHigher cortical function deficits after stroke: an analysis of 1,000 patients from a dedicated cognitive stroke registry.
Despite spectacular success of animal model neuroprotective therapy in stroke, these agents have been uniformly unsuccessful in humans. One possible explanation is the crudity of cerebral measurement by insensitive of stroke scales comprising scant or absent higher cortical-function parameters and the heterogeneity of stroke syndromes and etiology. We sought to determine the frequency and extent of cognitive disorders after stroke and their relation to stroke risk factors, syndromes, lesion site, and etiology. ⋯ 1. Cognitive impairment is present in the majority of all types of stroke. 2. Cognitive impairment may be the sole presentation of stroke, unaccompanied by long-tract signs. 3. Stroke etiologic subtype differed significantly among the subgroups, but in comparison of young versus older patients, no significant differences in HCFD frequency were recorded. 4. Risk factors for developing cognitive impairment in the indigenous stroke population included increasing age, black race, overweight body habitus, and recent infection.
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Neurorehabil Neural Repair · Jan 2000
Initial functional independence measure score and interval post stroke help assess outcome, length of hospitalization, and quality of care.
This study tests the hypothesis that the rehabilitation hospital admission functional Independence Measure (FIM) score and interval post stroke can be used to define clinically relevant functional recovery goals, estimate length of stay, and compare quality of care. ⋯ Admission FIM score and interval from stroke to rehabilitation hospital admission can be used to set FIM outcome goals, predict length of rehabilitation hospitalization needed to meet those goals, and compare quality of care across institutions with different referral patterns. Our results provide a benchmark against which to compare less intense or shorter duration inpatient treatment options.
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Neurorehabil Neural Repair · Jan 2000
ReviewNeurotrophic factors and gene therapy in spinal cord injury.
Although it was once thought that the central nervous system (CNS) of mammals was incapable of substantial recovery from injury, it is now clear that the adult CNS remains responsive to various substances that can promote cell survival and stimulate axonal growth. Among these substances are growth factors, including the neurotrophins and cytokines, and growth-supportive cells such as Schwann cells, olfactory ensheathing glia, and stem cells. We review the effects of these substances on promoting axonal growth after spinal cord injury, placing particular emphasis on the genetic delivery of nervous system growth factors to specific sites of injury as a means of promoting axonal growth and, in limited instances, functional recovery.
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Neurorehabil Neural Repair · Jan 2000
Effects of aerobic treadmill training on gait velocity, cadence, and gait symmetry in chronic hemiparetic stroke: a preliminary report.
It is widely assumed that only limited improvement in functional mobility is possible beyond the subacute period following ischemic stroke. Contrary to this notion, we studied "neurologically plateaued" stroke patients with chronic hemiparesis to assess whether a "task-oriented" treadmill-training regimen would improve walking speed, cadence, and gait cycle symmetry on a modified "Get-Up and Go" task. Five male patients with a mean age of 60.4 +/- 2.7 years (mean +/- S. ⋯ Interlimb stance symmetry was unchanged. The more impaired subjects experienced the greatest gains in gait velocity and temporal measures. Collectively, these findings indicate that treadmill exercise improves functional overground mobility in individuals with chronic, stable hemiparesis.