Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35053862›Full record

ArticleBrain sciences2022

Finding the Way to Improve Motor Recovery of Patients with Spinal Cord Lesions: A Case-Control Pilot Study on a Novel Neuromodulation Approach.

Antonino Naro, Luana Billeri, Tina Balletta, Paola Lauria, Maria Pia Onesta, Rocco Salvatore Calabrò

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Brain sciences, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 47% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Antonino NaroIRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo Piemonte, Via Palermo, SS 113, Ctr. Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.
Luana BilleriIRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo Piemonte, Via Palermo, SS 113, Ctr. Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-0462-6364
Tina BallettaIRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo Piemonte, Via Palermo, SS 113, Ctr. Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.
Paola LauriaIRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo Piemonte, Via Palermo, SS 113, Ctr. Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.
Maria Pia OnestaSpinal Cord Unit, Cannizzaro Hospital, 95126 Catania, Italy.
Rocco Salvatore CalabròIRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo Piemonte, Via Palermo, SS 113, Ctr. Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-8566-3166
Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo · ITOspedale Cannizzaro · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Robot-assisted rehabilitation (RAR) and non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) are interventions that, both individually and combined, can significantly enhance motor performance after spinal cord injury (SCI). We sought to determine whether repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with active transvertebral direct current stimulation (tvDCS) (namely, NIBS) in association with RAR (RAR + NIBS) improves lower extremity motor function more than RAR alone in subjects with motor incomplete SCI (iSCI). Fifteen adults with iSCI received one daily session of RAR+NIBS in the early afternoon, six sessions weekly, for eight consecutive weeks. Outcome measures included the 6 min walk test (6MWT), the 10 m walk test (10MWT), the timed up and go (TUG) to test mobility and balance, the Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury (WISCI II), the Functional Independence Measure-Locomotion (FIM-L), the manual muscle testing for lower extremity motor score (LEMS), the modified Ashworth scale for lower limbs (MAS), and the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain. The data of these subjects were compared with those of 20 individuals matched for clinical and demographic features who previously received the same amount or RAR without NIBS (RAR - NIBS). All patients completed the trial, and none reported any side effects either during or following the training. The 10MWT improved in both groups, but the increase was significantly greater following RAR + NIBS than RAR - NIBS. The same occurred for the FIM-L, LEMS, and WISCI II. No significant differences were appreciable concerning the 6MWT and TUG. Conversely, RAR - NIBS outperformed RAR + NIBS regarding the MAS and VAS. Pairing tvDCS with rTMS during RAR can improve lower extremity motor function more than RAR alone can do. Future research with a larger sample size is recommended to determine longer-term effects on motor function and activities of daily living.

Indexed as

direct current stimulationgait motor functionneuroplasticityrobot-aided gait trainingspinal cord injury

Identifiers

PMID35053862
PMCPMC8773706
OpenAlexW4205238428

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.