Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40243190›Full record

Trial reportEuropean journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine2025

Mirror therapy reduces excessive variability of motor network in stroke patients: a randomized controlled trial.

Kexu Zhang, Li Ding, Xu Wang, Jinyang Zhuang, Shanbao Tong, Jie Jia, Xiaoli Guo

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07150325 (Integration of Force Control Training and Mirror Visual Feedback on Stroke Patients on Brain Activation and Hand Function), which is not on this map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–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.

NCT07150325 nacompletednot on this map

Integration of Force Control Training and Mirror Visual Feedback on Stroke Patients on Brain Activation and Hand Function

TypeinterventionalSponsorNational Cheng-Kung University HospitalRan2024 to 2025Enrolled5ConditionsStroke, Stroke PatientsArmsTIPr, Mirror Visual Feedback Device, Mirror Visual Feedback Device(Blocked mirror)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
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

7 authors.

Kexu ZhangSchool of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
Li DingDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Huashan Hospital Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Xu WangSchool of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
Jinyang ZhuangDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Huashan Hospital Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Shanbao TongSchool of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
Jie JiaDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Huashan Hospital Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Xiaoli GuoSchool of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China - meagle@sjtu.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMirror therapy (MT) has been demonstrated as an effective intervention for promoting motor recovery post-stroke. Existing neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that the efficacy of MT is associated with its effect to increase the strength of brain activity and functional connectivity in the bilateral M1. However, its modulation on brain dynamics, which also hold physiological significance, remains unknown.

aimTo investigate the potential influence of MT on brain dynamics in stroke patients.

designA randomized, single-blinded, controlled trial.

settingInpatient. POPULATION: Fifty first-ever unilateral stroke patients with motor dysfunctions were recruited and randomly assigned to either an MT group (N.=25) or a conventional therapy (CT) group (N.=25) for a 4-week intervention.

methodsMotor function assessments and resting-state fMRI scans were conducted both before and after the intervention. Images from sixteen healthy subjects were used as controls. A dynamic analysis of the fMRI data was performed using measures of the dynamic fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (dfALFF) and dynamic voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (dVMHC).

resultsAberrant dynamics, characterized by increased variability (decreased stability) in spontaneous activity and interhemispheric functional connectivity in sensorimotor networks, were observed in stroke patients. MT but not CT intervention led to reduced variability of spontaneous activity in the ipsilesional primary motor cortex (M1) and interhemispheric M1 functional connectivity, which further exhibited a correlation with motor improvement. Notably, reduced variability of spontaneous activity showed significant mediation effects in the prediction of motor recovery with reduced variability of interhemispheric functional connectivity.

conclusionsMT may reduce the excessive variability of interhemispheric M1 functional connectivity, thereby stabilizing the activity of ipsilesional M1 and then facilitating motor recovery. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: This study highlights the unique role of MT in addressing abnormal brain dynamics, emphasizing its addition to standard rehabilitation protocols.

Indexed as

Motor CortexPhysical Therapy ModalitiesStrokeStroke RehabilitationAdultAgedFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedRecovery of FunctionSingle-Blind MethodTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID40243190
PMCPMC12105044

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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.