SynthesisFrontiers in human neuroscience2022
The effects of robot-assisted gait training combined with non-invasive brain stimulation on lower limb function in patients with stroke and spinal cord injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in human neuroscience, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- The evidence landscape, clinical role, and mechanisms of action of robot-assisted injury treatment: a systematic review.Journal of robotic surgery · 2026Pooled it
- Post-stroke lower limb rehabilitation: a comparative study between exoskeleton robots and traditional gait training.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2026Pooled it
- Non-invasive cerebral and spinal cord stimulation for motor and gait recovery in incomplete spinal cord injury: systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2025Pooled it
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of effectiveness of robotic therapy in the recovery of motor functions after stroke.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of robotic therapy associated with noninvasive brain stimulation on motor function in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.The journal of spinal cord medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Effectiveness of robot-assisted training in adults with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of neurology · 2024Pooled it
- Effect of robotic exoskeleton training on lower limb function, activity and participation in stroke patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Pooled it
- The effect of robot-assisted gait training for patients with spinal cord injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2023Pooled it
- Efficacy of Robot-Assisted Gait Therapy Compared to Conventional Therapy or Treadmill Training in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Pooled it
- Combine effects of robotic assisted gait training with transcranial magnetic stimulation on gait metrics and balance in stroke patients: a pilot randomized control.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Article
- Exploring the Therapeutic Effects and Mechanisms of Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation on Improving Walking Ability in Stroke Patients via Modulating Cerebellar Gamma Frequency Band-a Narrative Review.Cerebellum (London, England) · 2024Review
- Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in the Treatment of Gait Disturbance in Post-Stroke Patients: An Overview of Systematic Reviews.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) therapy combined with non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) on lower limb function in patients with stroke and spinal cord injury (SCI). Data sources: PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Ovid MEDLINE, and Web of Science were searched. Study selection: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published as of 3 March 2021. RCTs evaluating RAGT combined with NIBS, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), for lower limb function (e.g., Fugl-Meyer assessment for patients with stroke) and activities (i.e., gait velocity) in patients with stroke and SCI were included. Data extraction: Two reviewers independently screened the records, extracted the data, and assessed the risk of bias. Data synthesis: A meta-analysis of five studies (104 participants) and risk of bias were conducted. Pooled estimates demonstrated that RAGT combined with NIBS significantly improved lower limb function [standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.52; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.06-0.99] but not lower limb activities (SMD = -0.13; 95% CI = -0.63-0.38). Subgroup analyses also failed to find a greater improvement in lower limb function of RAGT with tDCS compared to sham stimulation. No significant differences between participant characteristics or types of NIBS were observed. Conclusion: This meta-analysis demonstrated that RAGT therapy in combination with NIBS was effective in patients with stroke and SCI. However, a greater improvement in lower limb function and activities were not observed using RAGT with tDCS compared to sham stimulation.
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Registered trials
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.