Rehab is the key to recovery from stroke. Learn what to expect in rehab, how to choose the right facility and the questions you should ask your healthcare provider in our resources: http://spr.ly/6010EZvKr

This in a nutshell is the whole fucking thing wrong with stroke recovery. They have dumped recovery totally on the survivor. Your doctor has absolutely NOTHING to do with your recovery.  

You don't have to choose the right doctor because NONE OF THEM ARE ANY GOOD AT ALL on how to get you recovered. You need no medical experience to realize that everything in stroke is a fucking failure.     

 

 

Rehab is the key to recovery from stroke. Learn what to expect in rehab, how to choose the right facility and the questions you should ask your healthcare provider in our resources: http://spr.ly/6010EZvKr 

Psychostimulant Use and Fatal Stroke in Young Adults

I bet the autopsies don't give enough detail to say exactly what brain cells died and that caused death.  Fearmongering in general.  Be careful out there.

Psychostimulant Use and Fatal Stroke inYoung Adults

Missed osteoporosis screening puts stroke survivors at fracture risk

Once again addressing a secondary issue rather than fixing the primary problem, reduced mobility, which is addressed by getting survivors 100% recovered.

Missed osteoporosis screening puts stroke survivors at fracture risk

Stroke survivors are at risk for osteoporosis, broken bones or falling. Yet many aren't screened for such dangers, which may increase the odds they'll suffer fractures, a new study says.
Stroke survivors often have to cope with reduced mobility, which decreases bone mineral density, making bones more fragile. The risk of someone suffering a fracture within a year of having a stroke is up to four times greater than for someone without a history of stroke.
In the new study, published Thursday in the American Heart Association's journal Stroke, researchers looked at data from 16,581 stroke survivors age 65 and older who either had visited the emergency department or had been hospitalized for strokes between 2003 and 2013 in Ontario, Canada.
Only 5.1% of those people received bone mineral density testing. One year after their stroke, only 15.5% of them had been prescribed medications to prevent fractures.
"This study offers more evidence that there is a missed opportunity to identify people with stroke at increased risk of fractures, and to initiate treatment to prevent bone loss and fractures," the study's lead author Dr. Moira Kapral, professor of medicine and director of the division of general internal medicine at the University of Toronto in Canada, said in a news release.
The authors noted their study was conducted in a province that provides payment for osteoporosis testing and treatment, so the results may not be generalizable to places without similar health care coverage.
Previous research has shown that, at most, only about one-quarter of older women in the United States are screened for osteoporosis, with treatment rates as low as 30% even in high-risk groups.
Osteoporosis is a disease that weakens bones to the point where they break easily. According to the National Institute on Aging, osteoporosis can strike at any age but is most common among older people, especially older women.
Weak bones mean that a simple fall can cause a break, which can require surgery or, in the case of a hip fracture, result in a lengthy period of immobility.
If you have questions or comments about this story, please email editor@heart.org.

Corticospinal Tract Integrity and Long-Term Hand Function Prognosis in Patients With Stroke

You lazy fuckers, prediction crapola instead of useful protocols to solve this problem. Do you not understand the point of stroke research?  Protocols leading to 100% recovery. That is the only goal in stroke.

Corticospinal Tract Integrity and Long-Term Hand Function Prognosis in Patients With Stroke

Yeun Jie Yoo¹, Jae Won Kim², Joon Sung Kim², Bo Young Hong², Kyoung Bo Lee² and Seong Hoon Lim^2*

• ¹Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea
• ²Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, St. Vincent's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea

Background: The restoration of hand function is an important goal for patients with stroke. This study investigated the relationship between corticospinal tract (CST) integrity and the functional status of the hand in patients with stroke 6 months after onset and evaluated which of the following values would be useful for predicting hand function: fiber number (FN), fractional anisotropy (FA) at the mid-pons, and FA at the pontomedullary junction.

Methods: The present retrospective cross-sectional observational study assessed 44 patients with stroke who were able to walk without using a walking aid or orthosis. The final hand function results were classified into three groups: no recovery (unable to grasp), partial recovery (able to grasp, unable to oppose), and full recovery (able to grasp and oppose). All subjects underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) at 6 months after stroke onset. Values for FA at the mid-pons and pontomedullary junction and CST FN were measured. The normalization ratio for FN and FA was calculated using the following formula: data for affected hand/data for non-affected hand.

Results: The normalized FN, FA (mid-pons), and FA (pontomedullary junction) DTI values differed significantly. The FA (mid-pons) value for the full recovery group was higher than those for the other groups. The FA (mid-pons) value for the partial recovery group was higher than that for the no recovery group. The normalized FA (mid-pons) value differed significantly among all three groups.

Conclusions: The present study showed that CST integrity (at 6 months after onset) in patients with chronic stroke was related to functional hand status. In addition, the mid-pons FA value was more predictive of functional restoration of the hand than the FN or FA value at the pontomedullary junction. These results may be useful in predicting the functional restoration of the hand and understanding the functional prognosis of stroke.

Anticipatory Postural Adjustments During Gait Initiation in Stroke Patients

This is useless, describes a problem, offers NO solution.  I still lead with the bad leg from a standing start, even 13 years later. I won't even attempt to change that until research comes up with a defined protocol that addresses the problem. I see no reason to guess my way to a solution that our stroke medical world is responsible for solving.

Anticipatory Postural Adjustments During Gait Initiation in Stroke Patients

Arnaud Delafontaine^1,2*, Thomas Vialleron^1,2, Tarek Hussein³, Eric Yiou^1,2, Jean-Louis Honeine⁴ and Silvia Colnaghi^5,6

• ¹CIAMS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
• ²CIAMS, Université d'Orléans, Orléans, France
• ³ENKRE, Saint-Maurice, France
• ⁴VEDECOM Institut, Versailles, France
• ⁵Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
• ⁶Laboratory of Neuro-otology and Neuro-ophthalmology, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy

Prior to gait initiation (GI), anticipatory postural adjustments (GI-APA) are activated in order to reorganize posture, favorably for gait. In healthy subjects, the center of pressure (CoP) is displaced backward during GI-APA, bilaterally by reducing soleus activities and activating the tibialis anterior (TA) muscles, and laterally in the direction of the leading leg, by activating hip abductors. In post-stroke hemiparetic patients, TA, soleus and hip abductor activities are impaired on the paretic side. Reduction in non-affected triceps surae activity can also be observed. These may result in a decreased ability to execute GI-APA and to generate propulsion forces during step execution. A systematic review was conducted to provide an overview of the reorganization which occurs in GI-APA following stroke as well as of the most effective strategies for tailoring gait-rehabilitation to these patients. Sixteen articles were included, providing gait data from a total of 220 patients. Stroke patients show a decrease in the TA activity associated with difficulties in silencing soleus muscle activity of the paretic leg, a decreased CoP shift, lower propulsive anterior forces and a longer preparatory phase. Regarding possible gait-rehabilitation strategies, the selected studies show that initiating gait with the paretic leg provides poor balance. The use of the non-paretic as the leading leg can be a useful exercise to stimulate the paretic postural muscles.

Cryptotanshinone Attenuates Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation/ Recovery-Induced Injury in an in vitro Model of Neurovascular Unit

Sounds like this is fixing several of the 5 causes of the neuronal cascade of death in the first week.

Maybe these? Ask your doctor when a protocol is coming and who is working on fixing 3 and 5.

1.  glutamate poisoning
2.  excitotoxicity 

4.  Inflammatory action leaking through the blood brain barrier.

The latest here: 

Cryptotanshinone Attenuates Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation/ Recovery-Induced Injury in an in vitro Model of Neurovascular Unit

Hongye Zhao^1,2, Tiezheng Zheng¹, Xiaohan Yang¹, Ming Fan³, Lingling Zhu³, Shuhong Liu³, Liying Wu³ and Changkai Sun^1,4*

• ¹Department of Physiology and Key Laboratory of Brain Diseases of Liaoning Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
• ²Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar, China
• ³Department of Brain Protection and Plasticity, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
• ⁴Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering & Research Center for the Control Engineering of Translational Precision Medicine, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China

Cryptotanshinone (CTs), an active component isolated from the root of Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM), has been shown to exert potent neuroprotective property. We here established an oxygen-glucose deprivation/recovery (OGD/R)-injured Neurovascular Unit (NVU) model in vitro to observe the neuroprotective effects of CTs on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury (CIRI), and explore the underlying mechanisms. CTs was observed to significantly inhibit the OGD/R-induced neuronal apoptosis, and decease the activation of Caspase-3 and the degradation of poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP), as well as the increase of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in neurons under OGD/R condition. The inhibitory effects of CTs on neuron apoptosis were associated with the blocking of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. CTs also remarkably ameliorated OGD/R-induced reduction of transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) values and the increase of transendothelial permeability coefficient (Pe) of sodium fluorescein (SF) by upregulating the expression of ZO-1, Claudin-5, and Occludin in brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs), which might be related to the down-regulation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 expression. Based on these findings, CTs may play a neuroprotective role in OGD/R injure in NVU models in vitro by inhibiting cell apoptosis and alleviating the damage of blood-brain barrier (BBB).

Influence of Sex on Stroke Prognosis: A Demographic, Clinical, and Molecular Analysis

But they don't mention frequency of sex and how the doctor is ensuring that patients get sex.  We don't want prognosis, we want to know the exact number of sexual encounters needed and their duration. Damn it all, do your research properly.

Influence of Sex on Stroke Prognosis: A Demographic, Clinical, and Molecular Analysis

Emilio Rodríguez-Castro^1,2, Manuel Rodríguez-Yáñez^1,2, Susana Arias^1,2, María Santamaría^1,2, Iria López-Dequidt^1,2, Ignacio López-Loureiro¹, Manuel Rodríguez-Pérez¹, Pablo Hervella¹, Tomás Sobrino¹, Francisco Campos¹, José Castillo^1* and Ramón Iglesias-Rey^1*

• ¹Clinical Neurosciences Research Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Clinical University Hospital, Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
• ²Stroke Unit, Department of Neurology, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Identifying the complexities of the effect of sex on stroke risk, etiology, and lesion progression may lead to advances in the treatment and care of ischemic stroke (IS) and non-traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage patients (ICH). We studied the sex-related discrepancies on the clinical course of patients with IS and ICH, and we also evaluated possible molecular mechanisms involved. The study's main variable was the patient's functional outcome at 3-months. Logistic regression models were used in order to study the influence of sex on different inflammatory, endothelial and atrial dysfunction markers. We recruited 5,021 patients; 4,060 IS (54.8% male, 45.2% female) and 961 ICH (57.1% male, 42.9% female). Women were on average 5.7 years older than men (6.4 years in IS, 5.1 years in ICH), and more likely to have previous poor functional status, to suffer atrial fibrillation and to be on anticoagulants. IS patients showed sex-related differences at 3-months regarding poorer outcome (55.6% women, 43.6% men, p < 0.0001), but this relationship was not found in ICH (56.8% vs. 61.9%, p = 0.127). In IS, women had higher levels of NT-proBNP and 3-months worse outcome in both cardioembolic and non-cardioembolic stroke patients. Stroke patients showed sex-related differences in pre-hospital data, clinical variables and molecular markers, but only IS patients presented independent sex-related differences in 3-months poor outcome and mortality. There was a relationship between the molecular marker of atrial dysfunction NT-proBNP and worse functional outcome in women, resulting in a possible indicator of increased dysfunction.

Conveniently-Grasped Field Assessment Stroke Triage (CG-FAST): A Modified Scale to Detect Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke

You'll have to hope your stroke hospital analyzes this correctly. I saw nothing in here that they got 100% accuracy on diagnosis. I don't see how they could by using the subjective NIHSS method.

Conveniently-Grasped Field Assessment Stroke Triage (CG-FAST): A Modified Scale to Detect Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke

A story about massive stroke recovery

If you have to write a story about massive stroke recovery why aren't you writing the flip side? MASSIVE stroke rehab failures by xxx hospital and Dr.  xxx and therapists?  It is your doctor and hospital responsibility to get you 100% recovered, this is more a story about the failure to do that.  And the focus needs to be on those failures and who was fired for those failures.

A story about massive stroke recovery

Stroke Survivor Spotlight

Massive stroke recovery often takes time, because it usually involves some degree of paralysis. On Monday, we talked about different ways to overcome post-stroke paralysis, and one option is physical therapy. Here's how stroke survivor Linda is using at-home PT to recover from massive stroke: A home exercise program suitable for all stages of stroke recovery (even paralysis) "On January 20, 2019 I suffered a massive stroke leaving my left side paralyzed. After several weeks of therapy I regained my ability to walk however, my left arm and hand are still paralyzed. I have been doing the FitMi exercises for about 3 weeks. My shoulder and hand have regained strength and movement and I see improvement every week. I will continue to use this amazing product and know that someday I will be back to my old self!"  — Linda Estes

Linda's progress is quite the inspiration, isn't it?

And best of all, it's not the first time we've heard about someone rapidly overcoming post-stroke paralysis with FitMi.

A stroke survivor named Ron shared his story of how he moved his arm for the first time ever after just 3 weeks of FitMi exercise too.

Their stories prove that there's always hope for recovery.

If you want to improve movement after stroke like Linda and Ron, check out FitMi.

Soldiering on after stroke

This type of supposedly uplifting story should never have to occur. Recovery should be commonplace and expected by following the EXACT protocols that lead to 100% recovery.

Soldiering on after stroke

Budget win for brain disorders

Useless unless there is a strategy being followed to solve exact brain problems. And as for stroke there is NO STRATEGY AND NO LEADERSHIP.  So any stroke research is useless. Notice the 'models of care' NOT models of results.

Tyranny of low expectations in full display here. Just trying to 'care' for patients, NOT cure them. 

Budget win for brain disorders

The 2019 Federal Budget has delivered a win for people living with brain disorders in Australia, with a $7million funding boost for research aimed at developing improved models of care.

The clinical and research translation program, led by the Mindgardens Neuroscience Network (Mindgardens), will build new models of care to address the staggering burden of brain disorders in Australia. The disease burden associated with neurological, mental health and substance use disorders is in excess of $74 billion per annum and currently accounts for 20.5 per cent of disability-adjusted life years, nearly twice the global figure of 11.1 per cent illustrating the scale of the health care challenge. Between 2010 and 2017 substance misuse (drugs, alcohol) grew at 24.7 per cent, followed by neurological disorders at 15.6 per cent and mental health disorders by 8.6 per cent.

Funding for Mindgardens will support a series of pilot programs to develop new models of care to target the three principal areas of brain health:
(1) Neurological conditions, including developmental disorders, stroke and dementia,
(2) Mental Health, and
(3) Drug, alcohol and addiction disorders.

Pilot programs will include Apex Clinics, a ‘one-stop hub’ assessment and review of all patients with neurological, mental health or addiction brain disorders; integrated community hubs, providing customised and targeted community services offering the best evidence-based care to patients and linked to general practice; innovative data technologies to build prevention tools to support early intervention for both the patient and the clinician.

Says Professor Helen Christensen AO, Interim Co-CEO of Mindgardens: “our current models of care treat individual disorders in a siloed manner. These disorders are frequently coexisting, they share brain mechanisms and behavioural patterns. We need to take a helicopter view that cuts across siloed service provision, creating better and more comprehensive care”.

Mindgardens aims to become the Australian Comprehensive Brain Disorder Centre for clinical care, research and innovation where pilot programs like Apex Clinics, Integrated Community Hubs and Preventative Technologies can be developed and then rolled out nationally to support all Australians living with a brain disorder.

Professor Peter Schofield AO, Interim Co-CEO of Mindgardens says: “linking outstanding patient care with world-class research is the way to mutually leverage research discovery and treatment innovation.

This has been demonstrated in cancer care where Comprehensive Cancer Centres have had great success in steering research towards the clinical problems of patients and bringing the benefits of research into patient care”.

“Our aim is to become an international leading precinct for innovative research and compassionate healthcare for all brain disorders,” says Professor Schofield.

Syncing brain waves may fight age-related memory problems

Would this help your stroke related memory problems? Ask your doctor and not politely. When will this become a working therapy? 

Syncing brain waves may fight age-related memory problems

Published Monday 8 April 2019

By Maria Cohut

Fact checked by Gianna D'Emilio

Memory can deteriorate naturally, due to age, and even when this process is not related to neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer's, it can still affect a person's quality of life. Now, researchers from Boston University in Massachusetts are exploring ways of fighting age-related memory decline.

By resynchronizing brain waves, we could reverse some age-related memory problems.

"Working memory [...] is a fundamental building block of human cognition," explains Robert Reinhart, Ph.D., the director of the university's Visual Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory.
"It's been called, classically, the 'workbench of the mind' or the 'sketchpad of the mind.' It allows us to hold information in our minds over a period of seconds," he continues.
Essentially, this is the type of memory that allows a person to make spontaneous calculations and assessments, and navigate daily life situations.
But working memory also starts to naturally decline with age, which means that, as a person grows older, they may find it more difficult to perform some tasks, such as keeping track of their finances.

"Working memory [...] is where we think, where we problem-solve, where we reason, plan, perform mathematical calculations, make decisions. It's essentially where consciousness lives."

Robert Reinhart, Ph.D.

For this reason, Reinhart and colleagues have decided to look into why working memory begins to decline with age and to test experimental methods of reversing that decline.
"One of the major goals in the field of neurocognitive aging is to understand the brain basis for working memory decline in aging, and this is one of the goals that we tried to tackle in this [new] work," says Reinhart.
The researchers present their findings in a paper now published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

The importance of brain wave synchronicity

The authors note that, so far, the working theory has been: This type of memory takes a hit later in life as a result of brain areas that would normally work together falling out of sync.
A key characteristic of this desynchronization, they go on to explain, is the disruption of brain waves — patterns of electrical activity that indicate brain cell activity — that would normally coordinate. Scientists call this coordination "cross-frequency coupling."
More specifically, the researchers link the maintenance of working memory with the cross-frequency coupling of two types of brainwaves, gamma and theta, in the prefrontal and temporal regions of the brain.

People Hospital 115 achieves gold status in stroke treatment - Ho Chi Minh City

Big fucking whoopee.

I saw absolutely nothing about what should be done the first week or anything about measuring 30-day deaths and 100% recovery. Procedures and 60 minute treatment mean nothing if you don't measure results. I see nothing about measuring results so this means nothing.

 

 

People Hospital 115 achieves gold status in stroke treatment - Ho Chi Minh City

Monday, April 22, 2019 14:15

People Hospital 115 in Ho Chi Minh City has become the first hospital in Asia to achieve Gold status certification in treatment for stroke issued by the European Stroke Organization.

The infirmary yesterday organized a meeting to receive the certification.

According to Professor Carlos Molina, head of the Vall d’Hebron Hospital’s Stroke ward in Spain’s Barcelona, to achieve the level “ Gold status”, the hospital ought to meet these criteria including standardized stroke treatment procedure, quality and patients’ safety, high rate of stroke patients treated within 60 minutes after being admitted into the infirmary and scanned CT and MRI soon.

From 2017, the European Stroke Organization and the World Stroke Organization have provided support to Vietnam in improving stroke quality through Angels program nationwide by setting up high quality stroke centers. With the support, the number of stroke centers in the country has raised from 14 in 2017 to 73 now and all hospitals in the country will have stroke medical units to save life of patients in the near future.

People Hospital 115 Deputy Head Dr. Bui Minh Trang said that the Cerebrovascular ward has treated nearly 12,000 stroke patients in 2018 with the rate of recovery of approximately 90 percent.

More importantly, the hospital has reduced the average length of stay in hospital from 5.88 days in 2016 to 4.54 days in 2018. Reduction of hospital stay length of stroke patients proved the hospital’s effective treatment procedures.

Especially, the infirmary physicians have applied therapy with clot-busting drugs (must start within 4.5 hours if they are given into the vein — and the sooner, the better) and use a catheter to maneuver a device into the blocked blood vessel in your brain and trap and remove the clot ( This procedure is particularly beneficial for people with large clots that can't be completely dissolved with tPA )

Presently, the hospital is preparing human resource for application of a brain hemorrhage treatment that involves drilling a hole in the skull to drain accumulated blood with the expectation to cut down on the number of stroke deaths and disabilities due to stroke.

Chairman of Stroke Association in Ho Chi Minh City Dr. Nguyen Huy Thang said at a lately seminar that just 19.4 percent of stroke patients reach hospitals within 'golden hour' to get clot-busting drug; accordingly, the number of stroke deaths are still high up to 18 percent.

Moreover, just 5.3 percent of stroke patients have been taken to medical centers within 6 first hours while up to 75.3 percent come to medical facilities after six first hours. Therefore, just 25 percent of stroke patients receive timely treatment and they are highly likely recover soon.

Worse, after treatment, just 5 percent of Vietnamese stroke patient receive physical therapy while most of residents in developed countries are taken to these special centers for physiotherapy.

An Investigation into the Clinical Use of Botulinum Toxin Type A to Treat Post-stroke Hemiplegic Patients with Upper and/or Lower Limb Spasticity

You had better hope your doctor does take into consideration your body size. There have been instances of children and small women who have died from botox.

An Investigation into the Clinical Use of Botulinum Toxin Type A to Treat Post-stroke Hemiplegic Patients with Upper and/or Lower Limb Spasticity

上下肢痙縮を有する脳卒中後の片麻痺患者を対象とした A 型ボツリヌス毒素製剤投与状況の調査.  The Japanese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine , Volume 52(7) , Pgs. 421-430.

NARIC Accession Number: I244969.  What's this?
Author(s): Akio KIMURA; Masahiro ABO; Yoshihisa MASAKADO; Yoshiyuki YAMASHITA; Toshio MAEDA.
Publication Year: 2015.

Abstract: 

The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical use of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT/A) by physicians with expertise in the treatment of upper and lower limb spasticity in post-stroke patients with spastic hemiplegia. To this end, a multicenter review was conducted of the medical records of 307 Japanese post-stroke patients treated with BoNT/A during the period January 1, 2012 to November 30, 2013. The review provided a variety of information on factors relating to BoNT/A injection outcomes, including the total dose of BoNT/A per treatment session, the dose of BoNT/A per muscle, the number of injection sites per muscle, the method used to locate the muscles to be injected, and the dilution of reconstituted BoNT/A. Review analysis indicated that the dose of BoNT/A administered per muscle was usually selected by taking into consideration the severity of spasticity, rather than the patient’s body size. Since the technical expertise of experienced clinicians is summarized in this review, it may serve as a useful reference for the use of BoNT/A in routine clinical practice.
Descriptor Terms: Hemiplegia, Spasticity, Stroke.
Language: Japanese
Geographic Location(s): Japan, East & Southeast Asia.

Can this document be ordered through NARIC's document delivery service*?: Request Information.
Get this Document: https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jjrmc/52/7/52_421/_pdf/-char/en.

Citation: Akio KIMURA, Masahiro ABO, Yoshihisa MASAKADO, Yoshiyuki YAMASHITA, Toshio MAEDA. (2015). An Investigation into the Clinical Use of Botulinum Toxin Type A to Treat Post-stroke Hemiplegic Patients with Upper and/or Lower Limb Spasticity.  上下肢痙縮を有する脳卒中後の片麻痺患者を対象とした A 型ボツリヌス毒素製剤投与状況の調査.  The Japanese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine , 52(7), Pgs. 421-430. Retrieved 4/24/2019, from REHABDATA database.

This neuroscientist is using virtual reality to revolutionize stroke treatment

You mean all this earlier research wasn't enough to write up a protocol?  I don't see a protocol here either, so useless. This has been known for years so not revolutionary. I would say this is actually incompetence since the research was out there already, this didn't need to be repeated.

• 3D virtual environments (1)
• virtual avatars (1)
• virtual environment (2)
• virtual reality (114)
• virtual reality games (7)
• virtual reality goggles (1)
• virtual reality training (13)

This neuroscientist is using virtual reality to revolutionize stroke treatment

Tej Tadi, founder of medical startup MindMaze, is gamifying rehabilitation for stroke survivors – and the results are inspiring

Tej Tadi has always had one thing on his mind: the human brain. A neuroscientist, engineer and entrepreneur, Tadi’s innovative approach to stroke rehabilitation has earned him numerous accolades, including being named one of Fast Company’s most creative people in business in 2018.

After years working in hospitals, Tadi realized traditional treatments for stroke patients weren’t motivating or frequent enough to maximize potential for a full recovery. So in 2012, he created MindMaze, a neurorehabilitation company that uses virtual reality and neuroscience to repair broken connections in the brain, and retrain the body to move after a stroke. The technology has also been proven to alleviate symptoms of phantom pain in amputees.

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“I’ve seen so much suffering, and patients missing out on so many things in life,” Tadi says. “With these technologies, I was able to quickly see how something like virtual reality could truly make a difference in a patient’s life.”
Because there’s such a short window after a stroke when the brain can bounce back, starting treatment early is critical. MindMotion Pro can be used in-hospital just four days after a brain injury, and studies found the training intensity of stroke patients using the device almost doubled in the first 10 sessions. Strokes are also devastating long-term, and Tadi found many patients had trouble motivating themselves once they were out of the hospital. With the portable MindMotion Go device, patients can start playing at home in just five minutes. Clinical research found patients motivated by the variety of goal-oriented games, and practiced up to 15 times more therapeutic exercises compared to traditional treatments.

MindMotion Pro is an in-hospital solution for early rehabilitation

By 2016, the start-up was valued at $1 billion, with the MindMaze VR technology making its way into hospitals across Europe and Asia. In-patient devices like MindMotion Pro, and portable devices like MindMotion Go, have already helped more than 1,300 patients. Receiving FDA approval in 2017, Tadi is preparing to launch MindMaze in the US, where strokes are the fifth leading cause of death. Recently, MindMaze also acquired Neuro Motor Innovations, a company that also utilizes game therapy as a complementary treatment for stroke patients.
Tadi sees MindMaze as more of a passion project, one he hopes will revolutionize the way patients relearn to move and think, while motivating them to take recovery into their own hands.
“Human machine interfaces powered by brain technology are where the future is,” he says.

A Mental Sign Of Vitamin B12 Deficiency - poor memory

Now is your doctor testing for this or just lazily using Occam's Razor to blame poor memory on stroke and do nothing about it? Ask your doctor that question, you need to know their competency.

A Mental Sign Of Vitamin B12 Deficiency - poor memory

Around one-quarter of people may be deficient in vitamin B12.

A poor memory can be a sign of vitamin B12 deficiency, research finds.
People in the study with low levels of vitamin B12 had worse memory for both ideas and events in their lives.

→ Support PsyBlog for just $4 per month. Enables access to articles marked (M) and removes ads.

Low levels of vitamin B12 can contribute to brain shrinkage, the study also suggested.
Good sources of vitamin B12 include fish, poultry, eggs and low-fat milk.
Fortified breakfast cereals also contain vitamin B12.
People who may have difficulty getting enough vitamin B12 include vegetarians, older people and those with some digestive disorders, such as Crohn’s disease.
Dr Christine C. Tangney, the study’s first author, said:

“Our findings lend support for the contention that poor vitamin B12 status is a potential risk factor for brain atrophy and may contribute to cognitive impairment.”

For the study, 121 older people were given tests of memory and thinking and had their vitamin B12 levels measured.
Brain scans 4.5 years later revealed brain shrinkage in those who were deficient.
B12 deficiency was also linked to worse scores on cognitive tests.
Dr Tangney said:

“Our findings definitely deserve further examination.
It’s too early to say whether increasing vitamin B12 levels in older people through diet or supplements could prevent these problems, but it is an interesting question to explore.
Findings from a British trial with B vitamin supplementation are also supportive of these outcomes.”

Other, common signs of vitamin B12 deficiency include feeling tired, experiencing muscle weakness and being constipated.

About the author

Psychologist, Jeremy Dean, PhD is the founder and author of PsyBlog. He holds a doctorate in psychology from University College London and two other advanced degrees in psychology.
He has been writing about scientific research on PsyBlog since 2004. He is also the author of the book “Making Habits, Breaking Habits” (Da Capo, 2003) and several ebooks:

Effects of a Whole Body Vibration as a Means for Controlling Spasticity in Post-stroke Patients: An F-wave Study

If this truly works as suggested it should be shouted to all stroke hospitals immediately. My leg spasticity is totally fucking up my gait and destroying my left knee. Your hospital will probably look at the words, 'further investigations' and do absolutely nothing with this. Your stroke hospital president, board of directors and stroke department head all need to be fired for such a lame response to this research.

Effects of a Whole Body Vibration as a Means for Controlling Spasticity in Post-stroke Patients: An F-wave Study

脳卒中片麻痺下肢へ の 全 身振動刺激 （Whole body vibration ） に よ る痙 縮抑制効果 ＊ 誘 発 電 位 F 波 を用 い た 検 討.  Physical Therapy Japan , Volume 42(2) , Pgs. 90-97.

NARIC Accession Number: I244943.  What's this?
Author(s): Kodai MIYARA; TomohiroUEMA; Takuya HIROKAWA; Tomokazu NOMA; Keiko IKEDA; Shuji MATSUMOTO; Megumi SHIMODOZONO; KAZUMI KAWAHIRA.
Publication Year: 2015.

Abstract: 

The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanism of spasticity suppression using whole body vibration (WBV) in post-stroke patients with lower-limb hemiplegia. F-wave was used to evaluate the excitability of anterior horn cells in the spinal cord. Participants were 10 post-stroke patients with a mean age of 49.3 ± 13.0 years and lower-limb spasticity. Each patient sat on a chair with hip joint angles at 90˚ of flexion and knee joint angles at 0˚ of extension. WBV was applied at 30 Hz (4-8 mm amplitude) for 5 min on the hamstring and triceps surae muscles. The Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) as a measure of spasticity, the F-wave parameters (F-wave amplitude, F/M ratio), the active and passive range of motion (A-ROM, P-ROM), and the 10-m walk test as a measure of walking ability were evaluated before and after the WBV intervention. The MAS score, the A-ROM for ankle dorsiflexion, P-ROM, and walking ability were found to be significantly improved. In addition, the F-wave amplitude showed a tendency to decrease, and the F/M ratio significantly decreased. These results showed reduction of F-wave amplitude and F/M ratio after the WBV intervention, with a corresponding decrease in the MAS score. Suppression of the anterior horn cells by WBV might have led to the suppression of spasticity in this study. Further investigations are deemed necessary to confirm the applicability of the WBV for the treatment of spasticity in post-stroke patients.
Descriptor Terms: Hemiplegia, Lower extremities, Muscles, Spasticity, Stroke, Therapy, Spinal cord.
Language: Japanese
Geographic Location(s): Japan, East & Southeast Asia.

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Get this Document: https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/rigaku/42/2/42_KJ00009930364/_pdf/-char/en.

Citation: Kodai MIYARA, TomohiroUEMA, Takuya HIROKAWA, Tomokazu NOMA, Keiko IKEDA, Shuji MATSUMOTO, Megumi SHIMODOZONO, KAZUMI KAWAHIRA. (2015). Effects of a Whole Body Vibration as a Means for Controlling Spasticity in Post-stroke Patients: An F-wave Study.  脳卒中片麻痺下肢へ の 全 身振動刺激 （Whole body vibration ） に よ る痙 縮抑制効果 ＊ 誘 発 電 位 F 波 を用 い た 検 討.  Physical Therapy Japan , 42(2), Pgs. 90-97. Retrieved 4/24/2019, from REHABDATA databas

Cardiopulmonary responses during clinical and laboratory gait assessments in people with chronic stroke

I got nothing out of this that could help survivors recover.  My cardiopulmonary responses would have been excellent, I was in that good of shape. I don't believe that I ever did the six minute walk test. My therapists never pushed me hard enough to increase my heart rate, they were afraid.

Cardiopulmonary responses during clinical and laboratory gait assessments in people with chronic stroke

Physical Therapy , Volume 99(1) , Pgs. 86-97.

NARIC Accession Number: J80630.  What's this?
ISSN: 0031-9023.
Author(s): Woodward, Jane L.; Connolly, Mark; Hennessy, Patrick W.; Holleran, Carey L.; Mahtani, Gordhan B.; Brazg, Gabrielle; Fahey, Meghan; Maganti, Kameswari; Hornby, T. George.
Project Number: H133B031127.
Publication Year: 2019.
Number of Pages: 12.

Abstract: 

Study examined cardiorespiratory responses during assessments of walking function, including the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) and graded exercise tests (GXTs), and evaluated their associations with demographic or clinical characteristics in individuals with chronic stroke. Cardiorespiratory responses and heart rate (HR) measures were collected during 6MWTs at self-selected velocity and fastest velocity (FV), and during GXTs. Specific metabolic measures include the rate of oxygen consumption (VO2) and the respiratory exchange ratio. Secondary assessments included the lower-extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Functional Gait Assessment, gait speeds, and daily stepping activity. Correlation and regression analyses were used to evaluate associations between locomotor performance, cardiorespiratory responses, and clinical and demographic characteristics. Average HRs during 6MWT-FV were 72 to 76 percent of the age-predicted maximum (HRmax), with 20 percent of participants exceeding 85 percent of predicted HRmax. When normalized to HRs during GXTs, HRs during 6MWT-FV were 86 to 88 percent of observed HRmax. Primary predictors of increased HRs during 6MWTs were resting HR, body mass index, and daily stepping. Distance during 6MWT-FV was a significant predictor of VO2peak in combination with other variables. Electrocardiographic abnormalities were observed in >80 percent of participants at rest and 31 percent demonstrated distinct abnormalities during GXTs, which were not related to 6MWT or GXT performance. Results indicated that cardiac responses were higher than anticipated during 6MWTs and often exceeded recommended HR thresholds. These findings suggest that clinicians should closely monitor cardiorespiratory responses during 6MWTs.
Descriptor Terms: AMBULATION, CARDIOPULMONARY FUNCTION, CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTION, CLIENT CHARACTERISTICS, DEMOGRAPHICS, EXERCISE, MEDICAL ASPECTS, MOTOR SKILLS, PHYSICAL THERAPY, STROKE.


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Citation: Woodward, Jane L., Connolly, Mark, Hennessy, Patrick W., Holleran, Carey L., Mahtani, Gordhan B., Brazg, Gabrielle, Fahey, Meghan, Maganti, Kameswari, Hornby, T. George. (2019). Cardiopulmonary responses during clinical and laboratory gait assessments in people with chronic stroke.  Physical Therapy , 99(1), Pgs. 86-97. Retrieved 4/24/2019, from REHABDATA database.

Factors associated with 1-year mortality after discharge for acute stroke: What matters?

Well, if you don't even measure the size and location of the dead and damaged areas in the brain you have not even done any correct analysis of why these people died.  All your measurement points are useless for that determination.  Your mentors and senior researchers need to be fired and banned from stroke research.

Factors associated with 1-year mortality after discharge for acute stroke: What matters?

Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation , Volume 25(8) , Pgs. 576-583.

NARIC Accession Number: J80603.  What's this?
ISSN: 1074-9357.
Author(s): Magdon-Ismail, Zainab; Ledneva, Tatiana; Sun, Mingzeng; Schwamm, Lee H.; Sherman, Barry'Qian, Feng; Bettger, Janet P.; Xian, Ying; Stein, Joel.
Publication Year: 2018.
Number of Pages: 8.

Abstract: 

Study evaluated factors associated with 1-year mortality after discharge for acute stroke. Data were analyzed for 305 patients with ischemic stroke or intracerebral hemorrhage discharged from stroke rehabilitation in 2010/2011. Patient demographics, stroke severity, prestroke functional status, functional status on admission and at discharge, stroke type, comorbidities, socioeconomic status, social support, in-hospital length of stay, and discharge destination were examined. Multivariate regression models were used to examine variables related to 1-year all-cause poststroke mortality. The mean age was 68.6 years and 51.1 percent were women. A total of 146 (47.9 percent) were discharged directly home, 96 (31.5 percent) to inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and 63 (20.7 percent) to skilled nursing facilities. Overall, 24 (7.9 percent) patients died within 1-year post-discharge. Older age, higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score on admission, and discharge destination were factors associated with 1-year all-cause mortality. When ambulation status at discharge was added to the model, ambulation with assistance and non-ambulation were significantly associated with mortality. While age and NIHSS on admission are important predictors of long-term outcomes, factors at discharge – ambulation status at discharge and discharge destination – are associated with 1-year mortality post-discharge for acute stroke and therefore could represent therapeutic targets to improve long-term survival in future studies.
Descriptor Terms: CLIENT CHARACTERISTICS, DEATH, DEMOGRAPHICS, MEDICAL ASPECTS, OUTCOMES, REHABILITATION, STROKE.


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Citation: Magdon-Ismail, Zainab, Ledneva, Tatiana, Sun, Mingzeng, Schwamm, Lee H., Sherman, Barry'Qian, Feng, Bettger, Janet P., Xian, Ying, Stein, Joel. (2018). Factors associated with 1-year mortality after discharge for acute stroke: What matters?.  Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation , 25(8), Pgs. 576-583. Retrieved 4/24/2019, from REHABDATA database.

High-intensity respiratory muscle training improves strength and dyspnea poststroke: A double-blind randomized trial

So it works but is useless because no protocol was created and distributed worldwide.  The mentors and senior researchers associated with this should be fired. The whole fucking point of stroke rehab research is to deliver protocols. This failed at that.  Because of this failure you, your doctors and therapists will have to guess what the hell high-intensity respiratory muscle training is and what the objective starting point is. Good luck with that.  Journal editors shouldn't even allow crapola like this to be published.  A great stroke association president would ensure journals follow stroke research publishing standards.

High-intensity respiratory muscle training improves strength and dyspnea poststroke: A double-blind randomized trial

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation , Volume 100(2) , Pgs. 205-212.

NARIC Accession Number: J80503.  What's this?
ISSN: 0003-9993.
Author(s): Menezes, Kenia K. P.; Nascimento, Lucas R.; Ada, Louise; Avelino, Patrick R.; Polese, Janaine C.; Alvarenga, Maria T. M.; Barbosa, Mariana H.; Texeira-Salmela, Luci F..
Publication Year: 2019.
Number of Pages: 8.

Abstract:

Study examined whether high-intensity, home-based respiratory muscle training would increase the strength and endurance of the respiratory muscles, reduce dyspnea and respiratory complications, and improve walking capacity post-stroke. Thirty-eight patients with stroke, who had respiratory muscle weakness, were randomized to the experimental or control group. The experimental group received 40-minute high-intensity home-based respiratory muscle training (that is, with higher loads, delivered more frequently and for longer duration, than previously applied) 7 days per week, for 8 weeks, progressed weekly. The control group received a sham intervention of similar dose. The primary outcome was inspiratory muscle strength (via maximal inspiratory pressure); secondary outcomes were expiratory muscle strength (maximal expiratory pressure), inspiratory muscle endurance, dyspnea (Medical Research Council score), respiratory complications (hospitalizations), and walking capacity (6-Minute Walk Test). Outcomes were measured at baseline, after intervention, and 1 month beyond intervention. Compared to the control group, the experimental group increased inspiratory and expiratory strength, inspiratory endurance, and reduced dyspnea, and the benefits were maintained at 1 month beyond training. There was no significant between-group difference for walking capacity or respiratory complications. Results demonstrate that high-intensity home-based respiratory muscle training was effective in increasing strength and endurance of the respiratory muscles and reducing dyspnea for people with respiratory muscle weakness post stroke. The magnitude of the effect was higher, than that previously reported in studies, which applied standard protocols.
Descriptor Terms: EXERCISE, MUSCLES, RESPIRATORY DISEASE, STROKE, THERAPEUTIC TRAINING.


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Citation: Menezes, Kenia K. P., Nascimento, Lucas R., Ada, Louise, Avelino, Patrick R., Polese, Janaine C., Alvarenga, Maria T. M., Barbosa, Mariana H., Texeira-Salmela, Luci F.. (2019). High-intensity respiratory muscle training improves strength and dyspnea poststroke: A double-blind randomized trial.  Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation , 100(2), Pgs. 205-212. Retrieved 4/24/2019, from REHABDATA database.