RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Sensory impairment is associated with reduced functional recovery in stroke survivors. Invasive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) paired with rehabilitative interventions improves motor recovery in chronic stroke. Noninvasive approaches, for example, transcutaneous auricular VNS (taVNS) are safe, well-tolerated and may also improve motor function in those with residual weakness. We report the impact of taVNS paired with a motor intervention, repetitive task practice, on sensory recovery in a cohort of patients with chronic stroke. METHODS: Twelve participants who were more than 3 months postischemic stroke with residual upper limb weakness received 18â¯×â¯1 hour sessions over 6 weeks with an average of at least 300 repetitions of functional arm movements per session concurrently with taVNS at maximum tolerated intensity. Light touch and proprioception were scored as part of the Upper Limb Fugl-Meyer (UFM) assessment at baseline and postintervention (score range for sensation 0-12). RESULTS: Eleven participants (92%) had sensory impairment at baseline of whom 7 (64%) regained some sensation (proprioception nâ¯=â¯6 participants, light touch nâ¯=â¯2, both modalities n =â¯1) postintervention. The maximal increase in UFM sensation score (3 points) was seen in the patient with the greatest improvement in motor function. CONCLUSIONS: taVNS paired with motor rehabilitation may improve sensory recovery in chronic stroke patients. The relative contribution of motor and sensory rehabilitation to overall functional recovery in chronic stroke needs further characterization in a larger, phase 2 study.
Assuntos
Terapia por Exercício , Atividade Motora , Sensação , Reabilitação do Acidente Vascular Cerebral/métodos , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/terapia , Estimulação Elétrica Nervosa Transcutânea , Extremidade Superior/inervação , Estimulação do Nervo Vago , Idoso , Doença Crônica , Orelha , Estudos de Viabilidade , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Plasticidade Neuronal , Propriocepção , Recuperação de Função Fisiológica , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/diagnóstico , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/fisiopatologia , Fatores de Tempo , Tato , Percepção do Tato , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
The ascertained prevalence of Huntington's disease (HD) increased significantly following the provision of diagnostic testing. A systematic review was conducted to estimate the prevalence of HD in the post-diagnostic testing era. 22 studies with original data pertaining to the prevalence of HD (1993-2015) were included and analyzed. A global meta-analysis was not performed due to heterogeneity in study methods and geographical variation. The prevalence of HD is significantly lower in Asian populations compared with western Europe, North America and Australia. The global variation in HD prevalence is partly explained by the average CAG repeat lengths and frequency of different HTT gene haplotypes in the general population. Understanding the prevalence of HD has significant implications for healthcare resource planning.