ABSTRACT
Objective: To explore the influence of early partial body weight support treadmill training (PBWSTT) on motor function of lower extremities, walking ability and activities of daily living (ADL) in patients with hemiplegia after stroke. Methods: One hundred twenty-eight patients with stable stroke (hemiplegic limbs Brunstrom's scale ≥ II) within 3 months after the onset were enrolled in the study. They were randomly allocated into PBWSTT group (n = 67) and control group (n = 61). Conventional treatment techniques were used in rehabilitation training in the control group, and the PBWSTT group received PBWSTT in addition to the same training in the control group. The Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) scale, Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) scale and the Functional Independence Measurement (FIM) scale were used to assess the walking ability, motor function of lower extremities, and ADL 4 weeks before and after the treatment in both groups. Results: The FAC, FMA and FIM scores were 0.42 ± 0.23, 17.1 ± 5.2 and 35.3 ± 3.8, respectively before the treatment; and they were 2.5 ± 1.3 23.6 ± 7.3 and 67.9 ± 9.2, respectively after the treatment in the control group, there were significant difference between them (P < 0.05). The FAC, FMA and FIM scores were 0.36 ± 0.13, 16.7 ± 6.2 and 35.1 ± 3.4, respectively before the treatment; and they were 3.8 ± 1.4, 39.3 ± 7.6, and 90.1 ± 10.0, respectively after the treatment in the PBWSTT group. There were significant differences before and after the treatment (P < 0.01). The FAC score versus FMA score in both groups were P < 0.01, and the FIM score was P < 0.05 after the treatment. The patients who could walk independently were 42.6% and 55.7% (P < 0.05) in the control group, and were 32.8% and 83.5% (P < 0.01) in the PBWSTT group before and after the treatment. There were significant differences between the control group and the PBWSTT group after the treatment (P < 0.05). Conclusion: On the basis of conventional rehabilitation training, early PBWSTT may improve the motor function of lower extremities, walking ability, and ADL more significantly in stroke patients with hemiplegia.
ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the brain mechanisms of aging of the visual attention. Methods Through the precue-target visual search paradigm using the event-related potentials technique,16 young and 16 elderly subjects participated the electrophysiological experiment.The background was comprised of three homocentric black circles and eight English capital letters consisted of each circle.The letter “T” was designed as the target stimulus.T was a target only when it located the circle clued to the same size of the precue.For example,when the cue was the “large”,“T” may appear within 3 circles.When the cue was the “median”,“T” may appear within either the median or small circles.When the cue was small,the target “T” may appear only within the small circle. Results The reaction time of the two groups of subjects became quick with the reduction of the cue scale,while the amplitudes of P1 and N1 components of event-related potentials increased with the decrease of the cue scale.Old subjects showed longer response time than did young subjects,and the posterior P1 component was enhanced significantly and N1 component was inhibited obviously.The P2 component was manifested as significantly inhibitory effect not only in the amplitude but also in the abnormal and unstable waveform.Conclusions The cognitive function of elderly subjects declines in the research of target stimuli,which suggests that the age-related changes could lead to deficit in the posterior area of the brain to visual spatial attention (involuntary attention).