Disclosing sexual function in the neurorehabilitation setting: are we heading in the right direction?
Authors: Calabrò RS PMID: 32453993 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Functional Neurology)
Source: Functional Neurology - May 27, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: Funct Neurol Source Type: research

From movement to thought and back: a review on the role of cognitive factors influencing technological neurorehabilitation.
Authors: De Bartolo D, Spitoni GF, Iosa M, Morone G, Ciancarelli I, Paolucci S, Antonucci G Abstract In recent years, cognitive theories have increasingly influenced the approach to motor rehabilitation. The connection between different aspects of cognitive and motor function is increasingly documented, underlining the importance of developing rehabilitation projects that take cognitive aspects into account. The aim of this non-systematic review is to highlight the relationship between cognition and motion and, in the light of new rehabilitation technologies, to better define how aspects of cognition can a...
Source: Functional Neurology - May 27, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: Funct Neurol Source Type: research

Psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Barthel Index in patients with Parkinson's disease: a reliability and validity study.
The objective of this psychometric study was to validate the Italian version of the BI in a population of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The study was conducted at three neurological and rehabilitation centres in Rome, Italy. The BI was administered to outpatients with PD. The reliability of the scale was assessed using Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency; the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to measure its intra- and inter-rater reliability. Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated to evaluate its validity, comparing it with the Parkinson's disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39), the Itali...
Source: Functional Neurology - May 27, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: Funct Neurol Source Type: research

Effects of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy on upper limb activity according to a bi-dimensional kinematic analysis in progressive multiple sclerosis patients: a randomized single-blind pilot study.
Authors: de Sire A, Mauro A, Priano L, Baudo S, Bigoni M, Solaro C Abstract Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease of the central nervous system, characterized by demyelinization and axonal loss resulting, in 66% of cases, in upper limb motor impairment. The effects of constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) have recently been investigated in MS patients. The aim of this randomized single-blind pilot study was to assess the effects of CIMT on upper limb activity, specifically smoothness of movement, in patients affected by progressive MS. Patients affected by MS, and reporting reduced use primaril...
Source: Functional Neurology - May 27, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: Funct Neurol Source Type: research

Does a single bout of exercise impacts BDNF, oxidative stress and epigenetic markers in spinal cord injury patients?
Authors: Goldhardt MG, Andreia A, Dorneles GP, da Silva IR, Pochmann D, Peres A, Rostirola Elsner V Abstract Our aim was to evaluate the impact of a single bout of exercise, consisting of a gait training session with body weight support (BWS), on histone acetylation status (global histone H4 and H3 acetylation levels), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, and oxidative stress markers in peripheral blood of individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). We also set out to compare these responses with those recorded after gait training performed using a walker and with no BWS. The subjects (n...
Source: Functional Neurology - May 27, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: Funct Neurol Source Type: research

Acute ischemic stroke management in Lebanon: obstacles and solutions.
This study assesses the current practices of physicians in Lebanon routinely involved in ischemic stroke (IS) management. We conducted a prospective observational study of patients hospitalized at 8 different Lebanese hospitals in the period August 1, 2015 to July 31, 2016, with a diagnosis of acute stroke. Baseline characteristics and data on diagnostic studies, as well as treatments received during hospitalization and at discharge, were collected and analyzed. Two hundred and three strokes/transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) were recorded but only 173 patients (85%) with ischemic events were included in the study. The pati...
Source: Functional Neurology - May 27, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: Funct Neurol Source Type: research

Neurophysiological changes after cognitive-motor tasks in Parkinson's disease patients with deep brain stimulation.
Authors: Negri M, Gorgora M, Nasser JA, Salles JI, Teixeira S, Arias-Carrión O, Junqueira J, Nicoliche E, Velasques B, Cagy M, Budde H, Basile LF, Orsini M, Friede R, Bastos VH, Ribeiro P Abstract Chronic deep brain stimulation (CDBS) is a surgical treatment that reduces the cardinal signs of Parkinson's disease (PD). Although CDBS has been in use for a long time, very little has been reported on its supposed effects on cognition, particularly in relation to implants in the subthalamic nucleus. The results of the rare studies that do exist are controversial, and in many cases the studies have several desi...
Source: Functional Neurology - May 27, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: Funct Neurol Source Type: research

Are paediatric headaches in the emergency department increasing? An Italian experience.
Authors: Vetri L, Messina LM, Drago F, D'Aiuto F, Vanadia F, Brighina F, Raieli V Abstract The aim of this study was to assess admissions, for headache, to the emergency department (ED) of the Di Cristina Children's Hospital in Palermo over a decade. The total number of ED admissions for headache was retrospectively analysed considering two 24- month periods: 2009-2010 and 2017-2018. Total admissions to the ED decreased from 55,613 to 50,096 (-10%) between the two periods considered, while the number of admissions for headache increased by 63.56% (p < 0.0001). There was also a significant increase in th...
Source: Functional Neurology - May 27, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: Funct Neurol Source Type: research

The origins of the fight against rabies: a journey between the history of neuroscience and university museum collections.
Authors: Garbarino MC Abstract Although rabies, or hydrophobia, is one of the so-called forgotten tropical diseases, it still kills thousands of people each year, especially children living in rural areas of Asia and Africa. This terrible disease was once a much-feared threat throughout Europe, whose terrifying symptoms were described in a vast body of literature that was based on both science and popular beliefs. One notable individual whose name is linked to the fight against this disease is Adelchi Negri, a brilliant but unfortunate pupil of Camillo Golgi. At the beginning of the 20th century, Negri obs...
Source: Functional Neurology - May 27, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: Funct Neurol Source Type: research

The need for broader admission criteria for high specialty neurorehabilitation wards in the Italian Health System: not only post-comatose patients.
Authors: Formisano R PMID: 32454002 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Functional Neurology)
Source: Functional Neurology - May 27, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: Funct Neurol Source Type: research

The nine circles of EBM hell.
Authors: Iosa M, Antonucci G, Paolucci S PMID: 31556384 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Functional Neurology)
Source: Functional Neurology - September 28, 2019 Category: Neurology Tags: Funct Neurol Source Type: research

The impact of an aquatic exercise program on BDNF levels in Parkinson's disease patients: short-and long-term outcomes.
Authors: da Silva Germanos S, Vieira B, Reichert Vital da Silva I, da Cunha JJ, Nique S, Striebel V, Pochmann D, Rostirola Elsner V Abstract The present study aimed to analyze the short-and long-term effects of an aquatic exercise program on plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). The aquatic exercise program lasted one month, and consisted of two sessions per week (1 hour per session). Blood samples were collected at four different timepoints: pre-intervention (T0), immediately after the first session (T1), 48 hours after the first session (T2),...
Source: Functional Neurology - September 28, 2019 Category: Neurology Tags: Funct Neurol Source Type: research

Obstructive sleep apnea: neurocognitive and behavioral functions before and after treatment.
Authors: Turner K, Zambrelli E, Lavolpe S, Baldi C, Furia F, Canevini MP Abstract Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a sleep disorder characterized by repetitive episodes of upper airway obstruction. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment is linked to improvements in cognitive abilities and emotional functions of patients with OSAS. Following the exclusion of four subjects for non-adherence to CPAP treatment, the final study sample was composed of 16 patients with moderate-to-severe OSAS, who were assessed both prior to and after 3 months ...
Source: Functional Neurology - September 28, 2019 Category: Neurology Tags: Funct Neurol Source Type: research

Risk factors and subtypes of ischemic stroke in young patients: an observational study from a teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia.
Authors: Shahid R Abstract Young adults are a key part of any society and the psychosocial and economic burden of any chronic or devastating disease in this particular group has significant consequences and impacts negatively on the development of the society as a whole. Although stroke in this age group is relatively rare, its consequences, in terms of lifelong dependence and disability, are substantial. Therefore, it is important to address this issue. In this retrospective epidemiological study, we analyzed the medical records of young patients (aged 18- 45 years) with a diagnosis of stroke during the s...
Source: Functional Neurology - September 28, 2019 Category: Neurology Tags: Funct Neurol Source Type: research

Wearable sensors, cerebral palsy and gait assessment in everyday environments: is it a reality? - A systematic review.
Authors: Rozin Kleiner AF, Bellomo A, Pagnussat AS, de Athayde Costa E Silva A, Sforza C, Cicuto Ferreira Rocha NA Abstract This systematic review aimed to investigate emerging methods used to quantify gait parameters in children with cerebral palsy (CP) in everyday environments. The StArt computational tool automatically screened the following databases: ACM, Engineering Village, IEEE, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science from inception to June 2018. Studies reporting the use of wearable sensors to assess gait in daily settings in children with CP were included. Data regarding 1563 studies were extracted, bu...
Source: Functional Neurology - September 28, 2019 Category: Neurology Tags: Funct Neurol Source Type: research