Trial reportJournal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation2025
Enhanced motor recovery in stroke patients through dual-modal intervention: motor imagery and task-oriented robot training.
Trial report in Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMotor imagery (MI) has garnered significant interest as a novel rehabilitation method for stroke. Additionally, task-oriented robot training has been shown to enhance lower limb motor function in patients with early-stage stroke. However, the therapeutic effects of combining these two approaches remain unclear, and the underlying mechanisms are not yet understood. This study aims to investigate the effects of MI combined with task-oriented robot training on the lower limb motor function of post-stroke patients.
methodsFirst-ever stroke patients meeting the inclusion criteria were recruited and randomly allocated eligible participants to the control group (n = 91) or the experimental group (n = 91). Based on routine conventional physical therapy, the experimental group received task-oriented robot training combined with MI training, whereas the control group received task-oriented robot training combined with muscle relaxation training. The outcome indicators are the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Lower Extremity (FMA-LE), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and spatio-temporal gait parameters, which reflect the patients' lower limb motor function. The functional connectivity between regions is measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).
resultsSignificant improvements in FMA-LE and BBS were observed in the experimental group compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Although no significant differences were observed between groups post-treatment (p > 0.05), both groups demonstrated improved step frequency and gait speed scores and reduced gait cycle scores following intervention (p < 0.05). In addition, the experimental group showed significantly enhanced functional connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and motor-related regions compared to the control group (p < 0.05).
conclusionsCombining MI training with task-oriented robotic training can enhance lower limb motor function and enhance the brain's functional connectivity. Changes in functional connectivity within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and motor-related cortex may serve as a potential therapeutic target for promoting motor recovery in stroke patients. Future studies should incorporate task-based functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data to elucidate the directionality of information flow between these brain regions, thereby advancing our understanding of causal interactions underlying functional improvements in post-stroke gait rehabilitation.
trial registrationIt was retrospectively registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry on 8 July 2025 (Registration No. ChiCTR2500105631).
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.