Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41845437›Full record

ArticleJournal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation2026

Safety and neuromodulation effect of transcranial focused ultrasound for motor recovery in patients with subacute stroke.

Meng-Ting Lin, Shao-Yu Chen, Pin-Hua Lai, Yan-Ci Liu, Wen-Shiang Chen, Po-Chun Chu, Hao-Li Liu, Bo-Ching Lee, Shu-Mei Yang, Chueh-Hung Wu and 3 more

Abstract readClinical Trial, Phase I
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Meng-Ting LinDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Shao-Yu ChenDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Pin-Hua LaiDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Yan-Ci LiuSchool of Physical Therapy, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Wen-Shiang ChenDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Po-Chun ChuDepartment of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Hao-Li LiuDepartment of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Bo-Ching LeeDepartment of Medical Imaging, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Shu-Mei YangDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chueh-Hung WuDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Ting-Ju LaiDepartment of Medical Research, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin- Chu Branch, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
Abel Po-Hao HuangDivision of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Ming-Yen HsiaoDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. myhsiao@ntu.edu.tw.

Funding

National Science and Technology Council NSTC112-2314-B002-137-MY3, NSTC 113-2321-B-002 -033National Science and Technology Council NSTC114-2314-B002-130-MY3National Taiwan University Hospital 115-N0002
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionTranscranial focused ultrasound (tFUS), a non-invasive brain neuromodulation, can target deeper and more precise brain regions compared to transcranial magnetic stimulation. However, its safety, neuromodulation and therapeutic effects in subacute stroke patients remain unclear. Therefore, the aim of this project is to demonstrate the safety and preliminary efficacy of tFUS for upper limb motor recovery in subacute stroke patients.

methodsIn this phase I single-arm study, we recruited 10 patients with subacute (≤ 3 months) unilateral stroke. tFUS was applied to the contralesional M1 by neuronavigation once daily for five sessions, using I

conclusiontFUS was safe and well tolerated in subacute stroke patients, with only minor transient AEs and no evidence of structural or neuropsychological harm. tFUS demonstrated potential to enhance upper limb motor recovery and functional outcomes. Although exploratory analyses suggested trends toward cortical excitability changes, these findings were not statistically significant and require confirmation in larger controlled trials.

Indexed as

Recovery of FunctionStrokeStroke RehabilitationUltrasonic TherapyAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMotor CortexTranscranial Magnetic StimulationTreatment OutcomeCortical excitabilityFocused ultrasoundSafetySubacute stroke

Identifiers

PMID41845437
PMCPMC13107887

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

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.