Trial reportBrain topography2026
Effects of Motor Imagery Training Based on Near-Infrared Functional Brain Imaging on Upper Limb Function in Stroke Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Trial report in Brain topography, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Comparative effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions for post-stroke upper limb motor dysfunction: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- Comparative efficacy and mechanistic insights of non-invasive neuromodulation and motor rehabilitation on functional reorganization of the supplementary motor area in subacute stroke: a narrative review.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of motor imagery training (MIT) monitored by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) on upper limb motor function and cortical activation in stroke patients. Seventy participants were allocated to either an MI group, which received conventional rehabilitation therapy (CRT) supplemented with visual and kinesthetic-based MIT, or a control group (CON group), which received CRT alone. The CRT intervention consisted of 30-min sessions administered four times per day over a 4-week period. The MI group underwent an additional daily 25-min session of MIT, whereas the CON group watched neutral nature documentaries (landscapes and animals) for an equivalent duration. Functional outcomes were assessed using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) and the modified Barthel Index (MBI). Additionally, fNIRS was used to monitor changes in oxyhemoglobin (HbO₂) levels in the motor cortex before and after the intervention in the MI group. Sixty-three participants completed the study (MI group: n = 32, CON group: n = 31). Both groups showed significant improvements in FMA-UE and MBI scores after the intervention (P < 0.05). The MI group demonstrated significantly greater improvement in MBI compared with the CON group (P < 0.05), although between-group differences in FMA-UE were not significant (P > 0.05). fNIRS revealed increased cortical activation in the MI group, specifically showing enhanced activation intensity in the supplementary motor area (channel 3) and sensorimotor cortex (channels 18, 19, 21) (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that functional improvements may be mediated through neural plasticity changes. The combined application of MIT and CRT appears to enhance motor cortex activation and promote functional recovery in stroke rehabilitation.
Indexed as
Identifiers
41484476What OpenQuestion holds
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.