Purpose We propose a visual myofeedback protocol as a coadjuvant therapy to standard rehabilitation of post-stroke spastic patients. We also argue in favor of the tonic stretch reflex threshold (TSRT) as a more sensitive unit for quantifying subtle changes in the spastic response that may be induced by biofeedback training. Method Sixteen volunteers with ischaemic stroke were divided into an experimental group (EG), subjected to myofeedback training in parallel with conventional physical therapy and a control group (CG), receiving only conventional physical therapy. The EG subjects underwent a six-week myofeedback training, with two sessions weekly. Both groups followed the same treatment schedule for physical therapy. The TSRTs of the volunteers' spastic muscles were assessed before the beginning of the experimental protocol and 3 weeks after it ended. Results Both groups showed some degree of improvement in the level of spasticity when the final TSRT values were compared to the initial values. However, the percentage of improvement (after-before) of the experimental group (38.59%) was significantly higher than that in the control group (18.58%). Conclusion The myofeedback training provided a significant contribution to conventional treatment, allowing for a better improvement of the spastic condition. Implications for rehabilitation Biofeedback is an effective means of improving motor control of post-stroke spastic patients. The Tonic Stretch Reflex Threshold is a more sensitive quantitative measure to assess upper-limb post-stroke spasticity. Spastic patients who participate in myofeedback training along with physical therapy can improve faster then those who participate only in traditional physical therapy rehabilitation protocols.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to a general lack of sensory and motor functions below the level of injury and may promote deafferentation‐induced brain reorganization. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been established as an essential tool in neuroscience research and can precisely map the spatiotemporal distribution of brain activity. Task‐based fMRI experiments associated with the tongue, upper limbs, or lower limbs have been used as the primary paradigms to study brain reorganization following SCI. A review of the current literature on the subject shows one common trait: while most articles agree that brain networks are usually preserved after SCI, and that is not the case as some articles describe possible alterations in brain activation after the lesion. There is no consensus if those alterations indeed occur. In articles that show alterations, there is no agreement if they are transient or permanent. Besides, there is no consensus on which areas are most prone to activation changes, or on the intensity and direction (increase vs. decrease) of those possible changes. In this article, we present a critical review of the literature and trace possible reasons for those contradictory findings on brain reorganization following SCI. fMRI studies based on the ankle dorsiflexion, upper‐limb, and tongue paradigms are used as case studies for the analyses.
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Manuscript Title (50 word maximum)Development of eight wireless automated cages system with two lick-o-meters each for rodents
Abbreviated Title (50 character maximum)Development of wireless lick-o-meter device for rodents 3. List all Author Names and Affiliations in order as they would appear in the
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