BACKGROUND Cerebrolysin is a neuropeptide preparation with neuroprotective and neurorestorative effects. Combining Cerebrolysin treatment with a standardized rehabilitation program may have a potential synergistic effect in the subacute stage of stroke. This study aims to evaluate whether Cerebrolysin provides additional motor recovery on top of rehabilitation therapy in the subacute stroke pat...

BACKGROUND Loss of upper-extremity motor function is one of the most debilitating deficits following stroke. Two promising treatment approaches, action observation therapy (AOT) and mirror therapy (MT), aim to enhance motor learning and promote neural reorganization in patients through different afferent inputs and patterns of visual feedback. Both approaches involve different patterns of motor...

Cerebral blood flow and metabolism may be uncoupled in the early phases after stroke onset. Prior reports of bilateral thalamic stroke have described subsequent coupling of blood flow and metabolism during the chronic stage. We chronicled the evolving relationship of blood flow and metabolism with concomitant single photon emission CT and positron emission tomography from the subacute to chroni...

Objective To investigate the serum vitamin D level and its determinant factors in stroke patients. Methods Fifty-one stroke patients who had documented serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D(25(OH)D) were included. Patients were divided into subacute (n=23) and chronic groups (n=28). The mean levels of 25(OH)D of the two groups were compared. Correlations between each 25(OH)D level and post-strok...

BACKGROUND Impaired dexterity of the weaker upper extremity is common post stroke and it is recommended that these individuals practice many repetitions of movement to regain function. However, stroke rehabilitation methods do not achieve the required intensity to be effective. Touchscreen tablet technology may be used as a motivating tool for self-training impaired dexterity of the weaker uppe...

OBJECTIVE To determine the correlation between metabolite concentrations and clinical outcome during the acute or subacute phase of ischemic stroke by using single-voxel localized proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). SETTING A university hospital neurologic department. PATIENTS AND METHODS Combined single-voxel 1H-MRS and magnetic resonance imaging were performed on 26 patients ...

Objective. Quantitative neurophysiological signal parameters are of value in predicting motor recovery after stroke. The novel role of EEG-derived brain symmetry index for motor function prognostication in the subacute phase after stroke is explored. Methods. Ten male stroke patients and ten matched healthy controls were recruited. Motor function was first assessed clinically using the MRC scor...

[Purpose] To investigate how task-oriented circuit training for the recovery motor control of the lower-extremity, balance and walking endurance could be clinically applied to subacute stroke inpatient group therapy. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty subacute stroke patients were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n=10) or the control group (n=10). The intervention consisted of a structur...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the degree to which the paralysis of a dominant hand affects quality of life (QOL) in patients with subacute stroke. METHODS We recruited 75 patients with subacute hemiplegic stroke. Patients were divided into two groups according to the location of the lesion and the side of the dominant hand. Group 1 consisted of patients whose strokes affected the dominant hand (i.e.,...