Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37987741›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine2024

Neurophysiological underpinnings of an intensive protocol for upper limb motor recovery in subacute and chronic stroke patients.

Michael Lassi, Stefania Dalise, Andrea Bandini, Vincenzo Spina, Valentina Azzollini, Matteo Vissani, Silvestro Micera, Alberto Mazzoni, Carmelo Chisari

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In one paragraph

Article in European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

7 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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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

9 authors.

Michael LassiThe Biorobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.
Stefania DaliseNeurorehabilitation Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy.
Andrea BandiniThe Biorobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.
Vincenzo SpinaNeurorehabilitation Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy.
Valentina AzzolliniNeurorehabilitation Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy.
Matteo VissaniThe Biorobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.
Silvestro MiceraThe Biorobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.
Alberto MazzoniThe Biorobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.
Carmelo ChisariNeurorehabilitation Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy - c.chisari@ao-pisa.toscana.it.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundUpper limb (UL) motor impairment following stroke is a leading cause of functional limitations in activities of daily living. Robot-assisted therapy supports rehabilitation, but how its efficacy and the underlying neural mechanisms depend on the time after stroke is yet to be assessed.

aimWe investigated the response to an intensive protocol of robot-assisted rehabilitation in sub-acute and chronic stroke patients, by analyzing the underlying changes in clinical scores, electroencephalography (EEG) and end-effector kinematics. We aimed at identifying neural correlates of the participants' upper limb motor function recovery, following an intensive 2-week rehabilitation protocol.

designProspective cohort study.

settingInpatients and outpatients from the Neurorehabilitation Unit of Pisa University Hospital, Italy. POPULATION: Sub-acute and chronic stroke survivors.

methodsThirty-one stroke survivors (14 sub-acute, 17 chronic) with mild-to-moderate UL paresis were enrolled. All participants underwent ten rehabilitative sessions of task-oriented exercises with a planar end-effector robotic device. All patients were evaluated with the Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scale and the Wolf Motor Function Test, at recruitment (T0), end-of-treatment (T1), and one-month follow-up (T2). Along with clinical scales, kinematic parameters and quantitative EEG were collected for each patient. Kinematics metrics were related to velocity, acceleration and smoothness of the movement. Relative power in four frequency bands was extracted from the EEG signals. The evolution over time of kinematic and EEG features was analyzed, in correlation with motor recovery.

resultsBoth groups displayed significant gains in motility after treatment. Sub-acute patients displayed more pronounced clinical improvements, significant changes in kinematic parameters, and a larger increase in Beta-band in the motor area of the affected hemisphere. In both groups these improvements were associated to a decrease in the Delta-band of both hemispheres. Improvements were retained at T2.

conclusionsThe intensive two-week rehabilitation protocol was effective in both chronic and sub-acute patients, and improvements in the two groups shared similar dynamics. However, stronger cortical and behavioral changes were observed in sub-acute patients suggesting different reorganizational patterns. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: This study paves the way to personalized approaches to UL motor rehabilitation after stroke, as highlighted by different neurophysiological modifications following recovery in subacute and chronic stroke patients.

Indexed as

StrokeStroke RehabilitationActivities of Daily LivingHumansProspective StudiesRecovery of FunctionTreatment OutcomeUpper Extremity

Identifiers

PMID37987741
PMCPMC10932487

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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.