Restorative neurology and neuroscience最新文献

{"title":"Investigation of the Efficacy of Stem Cell Therapy in a Rat Model of Cyclophosphamide-Induced Neurotoxicity.","authors":"Javid Sardarzada, Aytaj Jafarzade, Elvan Anadol, Durmuş Burgucu, Canan Yilmaz, Semih Ergişi, Muzaffer Çaydere, Tamer Mungan","doi":"10.1177/09226028261470927","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09226028261470927","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>ObjectiveCyclophosphamide (CYP) is one of the chemotherapeutic agents known to cause neurotoxicity. The aim of this study was to experimentally investigate the potential therapeutic effect of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) in the prevention of CYP-related neurotoxicity.MethodsA total of 18 rats were divided into three groups: Group 1: CYP, Group 2: CYP + stem cell, Group 3: control. Groups 1 and 2 received intraperitoneal (IP) CYP for 14 days, while the control group received IP saline. Subsequently, hUC-MSCs were administered to Group 2 as treatment. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) treatment was initiated only after completion of cyclophosphamide (CYP) administration to induce neurotoxicit. At the end of the first month, the animals were euthanized. Brain tissues were collected and examined using H&E, neurofilament immunostaining, and silver nitrate staining. Neurodegeneration and regeneration in the cerebral and cerebellar cortices were evaluated in a blinded histopathological manner. Histopathological evaluation of degeneration in the cerebral and cerebellar cortex, as well as cerebral gliosis, was performed and graded between 1 and 4 (0-25%: grade 1, 25-50%: grade 2, 50-75%: grade 3, 75-100%: grade 4).ResultsIn the CYP group (Group 1), degeneration in the cerebral and cerebellar cortex and a higher number of cerebral glial cells were significantly higher compared to the other groups (<i>p</i> < 0.001; <i>p</i> < 0.001; <i>p</i> < 0.001). In Group 2 (CYP + stem cell), evidence of regeneration was observed in the cerebral and cerebellar cortex, along with a reduction in cerebral glial cells (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The results of the stem cell-treated group were closer to those of the control group.ConclusionhUC-MSCs demonstrated a neuroprotective effect against CYP-induced neurotoxicity. Stem cell therapy may represent a promising approach to prevent the neurodegenerative effects of cytotoxic agents.</p>","PeriodicalId":21130,"journal":{"name":"Restorative neurology and neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"9226028261470927"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148697959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cognitive Rehabilitation After Stroke: A Case Series Testing a New Method to Transfer Gains to Daily Life.","authors":"Gitendra Uswatte, Edward Taub, Staci McKay, Brandon S Mitchell, Jason A Blake, Amy Knight, Fedora Biney, Olesya Iosipchuk, Victor W Mark, Chen Lin, Xiaohua Zhou, Karlene Ball","doi":"10.1177/09226028261418261","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09226028261418261","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This case-series piloted a novel cognitive rehabilitation approach, i.e., Constraint-Induced Cognitive Therapy (CICT), for improving Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) in stroke survivors with chronic, mild-to-moderate, cognitive impairment. Four consecutively sampled stroke survivors (mean chronicity=18 months, <i>SD</i> = 10) with mild (n = 3) or moderate (n = 1) cognitive impairment received 35 h of CICT. CICT combined two empirically supported approaches: Speed of Processing Training (SOPT) and behavior change techniques from Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) adapted to transfer gains from in-lab cognitive training to daily life. The latter featured IADL training following shaping principles and a suite of behavioral techniques, called the Transfer Package, to promote participation in cognitively-based functional activities outside of the lab. Outcome measures assessed cognitive processing speed (Useful Field of View, UFOV) and IADL performance outside the treatment setting (Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, COPM). All three participants with valid UFOV data displayed meaningful improvements after treatment in cognitive processing speed (<i>M</i> = 64%, <i>SD</i> = 40, <i>d'</i>=1.6). All three with COPM data reported meaningful improvements in satisfaction with IADL performance (<i>M</i> = 2.87, <i>SD</i> = 1.5, <i>d'</i>=1.9). Values of <i>d'</i> ≥ 0.57 are large. Per structured interviews developed for this study, the IADL improvements present after treatment lasted for at least a year. These promising findings warrant further study.</p>","PeriodicalId":21130,"journal":{"name":"Restorative neurology and neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"360-373"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147499920","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Electroencephalographic Activity, Lower-Limb Muscle Activation, and Balance in Patients with Stroke.","authors":"MyungSeong Noh, MyungGi Cho","doi":"10.1177/09226028261455587","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09226028261455587","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is increasingly used as a neuromodulatory intervention to facilitate motor recovery after stroke. However, the frequency-specific effects of rTMS on lower-limb motor control and their neurophysiological correlates remain insufficiently clarified.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To compare the effects of low-frequency (1 Hz) rTMS applied over the contralesional (unaffected) lower-limb motor area of the primary motor cortex and high-frequency (10 Hz) rTMS applied over the ipsilesional (affected) lower-limb motor area on electroencephalographic (EEG) activity, affected-side lower-limb muscle activation, balance, and gait in individuals with chronic stroke.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Thirty-nine participants with chronic stroke were randomly assigned to a low-frequency rTMS group (n = 13), a high-frequency rTMS group (n = 13), or a sham group (n = 13). rTMS was delivered for 10 sessions over 2 weeks. Resting-state EEG (relative beta-band power at Cz), surface EMG of the affected-side rectus femoris, biceps femoris, tibialis anterior, and gastrocnemius during sit-to-stand, Timed Up and Go (TUG), 10-meter walk test (10MWT), and limits of stability (LOS) were assessed before and after the intervention. A 3 × 2 mixed-design analysis of variance (ANOVA) (group × time) was conducted.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Significant group × time interactions were observed for rectus femoris activation (p < 0.001) and TUG performance (p = 0.037). Post hoc pairwise comparisons confirmed significantly greater improvements in TUG performance and rectus femoris activation in the low-frequency rTMS group than in the high-frequency and sham groups. Relative beta-band activity at Cz demonstrated a significant main effect of time (p < 0.001) without a significant interaction effect. Similarly, 10MWT and LOS showed significant time effects (p < 0.05) but no significant group × time interactions. No significant main effects of group were identified across outcomes.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Short-term rTMS was associated with improvements in selected neuromuscular outcomes, while changes in resting cortical activity, gait speed, and postural stability appeared to reflect general time-related effects. Low-frequency rTMS demonstrated greater improvements in rectus femoris activation and TUG performance compared with high-frequency and sham stimulation. These findings suggest that frequency-specific rTMS may preferentially influence neuromuscular strategies underlying dynamic mobility rather than steady-state gait performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":21130,"journal":{"name":"Restorative neurology and neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"414-424"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148302832","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pyroptosis in Ischemic Stroke: Roles, Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Strategies.","authors":"Tingting Qi, Zhen Xiao, Yufeng Peng, Yinjuan Zhou, Wen Wang, Changxi Li, Jinhao Kang, Tingting Zhao, Guoming Mao, Yujie Weng, Haiping Wei","doi":"10.1177/09226028251410011","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09226028251410011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ischemic stroke, a leading cause of neurological disability and mortality, involves a multifactorial cascade of oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and inflammation. Yet, conventional paradigms centered on apoptosis and necrosis fail to fully explain the inflammatory amplification that drives secondary brain injury-underscoring the emerging significance of pyroptosis as a distinct and targetable death program. This review delineates the mechanistic architecture of pyroptosis in ischemic stroke, integrating canonical (NLRP3-caspase-1-GSDMD) and noncanonical (caspase-4/5/11-GSDMD) inflammasome cascades with apoptosis-, necroptosis-, and ferroptosis-linked pathways within a unified PANoptotic continuum. Upstream regulators-such as mitochondrial ROS-TXNIP coupling, STING-mediated innate immune signaling, and astrocytic LCN2/24p3R activation-coordinate oxidative stress with neuroinflammatory propagation and blood-brain barrier disruption. Pharmacological inhibition of inflammasomes (MCC950, CY-09, OLT1177), caspases (VX-765, Ac-YVAD-CMK), or gasdermins (disulfiram, necrosulfonamide) markedly reduces IL-1β/IL-18 release and preserves neurovascular integrity in preclinical models, highlighting pyroptosis as a therapeutically tractable axis in ischemic stroke. Despite these advances, challenges remain in defining temporal-cellular specificity and achieving clinical translation. Integrating single-cell multi-omics, spatial imaging, and nanocarrier-based delivery systems may enable precise, phase-adaptive modulation of pyroptosis, transforming destructive inflammation into controlled neurovascular recovery.</p>","PeriodicalId":21130,"journal":{"name":"Restorative neurology and neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"259-277"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145985398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Backward Incline Walking in Stroke Rehabilitation: A Pilot Feasibility Study.","authors":"Sharareh Sharififar, Chris Lamprecht, Anna Yozefovich Khanna, Parisa Rashidi, Paula Ackerman, Parisa Zarreii, Cynthia Garvan, Hassan Azari, Chandramouli Krishnan","doi":"10.1177/09226028261451969","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09226028261451969","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>IntroductionRestoring normal gait function remains a major clinical challenge in post-stroke rehabilitation. Backward walking may increase neuromotor demands compared with forward walking and performing it on an incline may further augment task complexity. However, the feasibility, safety, and tolerability of backward incline walking in individuals with chronic stroke have not been systematically examined.ObjectiveTo evaluate the feasibility of a single-session treadmill-based backward incline walking protocol in individuals with chronic stroke, focusing on recruitment, adherence, safety, tolerability, and participant acceptability.MethodsDesignProspective, nonrandomized pilot feasibility study.SettingClinical Human Dynamic Laboratory at a university-affiliated rehabilitation program.ParticipantsSix individuals with chronic stroke (≥6 months post-event) were enrolled (median age 68 years, interquartile range [IQR] 56-73, median time since stroke of 19 months IQR [15-98]). Inclusion criteria included ambulatory ability with or without a single cane for ≥10-meter and absence of cognitive, orthopedic, or cardiopulmonary contraindications, and ability to tolerate 15 min of treadmill walking. All participants met these criteria and provided informed consent.InterventionParticipants completed three treadmill walking conditions delivered in a fixed order (level, forward incline, and backward incline walking), each for up to 15 min at self-selected speeds. Rest breaks and manual support were provided as needed.Main OutcomesFeasibility metrics included recruitment rate, protocol adherence, safety (adverse events), tolerability (rating of perceived exertion), and participant acceptability.Secondary Descriptive MeasuresOverground walking speed and spatiotemporal gait parameters recorded using an instrumented walkway before and after the treadmill conditions. These data were summarized descriptively without inferential statistical testing.ResultsRecruitment was feasible, with 40% of eligible individuals enrolled. All participants completed the single-session protocol without adverse events. Perceived exertion increased in our sample with task complexity and was highest during backward incline walking (median RPE = 6). Participant acceptability was high, with all individuals expressing willingness to repeat the protocol.SignificanceA single-session treadmill-based backward incline walking was feasible, safe, and well-tolerated in this pilot sample of ambulatory individuals with chronic stroke. These findings progression to adequately-powered, randomized studies designed to evaluate efficacy and to address order effects and individualized gait responses.</p>","PeriodicalId":21130,"journal":{"name":"Restorative neurology and neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"390-398"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148302890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long Term Improvement of Episodic Memory in Stroke Patients Following a Short Treatment with Prism Adaptation and Serious Games.","authors":"Massimiliano Oliveri, Agostino Stanzione, Giulia Caruso, Agnese Di Garbo, Patrizia Turriziani, Giovanni Augusto Carlesimo","doi":"10.1177/09226028241301367","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09226028241301367","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Episodic memory deficits are frequently encountered following stroke. Rehabilitation of these deficits is often associated with short term effects that do not persist at follow up times. Neuromodulation tools acting on alterations of excitation/inhibition dynamics could be useful for rehabilitation of episodic memory. Prism adaptation with visual field deviation ipsilateral to the affected hemisphere can specifically modulate brain excitability and lead to improvement of cognitive deficits in post-stroke patients. Here we investigated whether prism adaptation followed by digital cognitive training could induce long term improvement of episodic memory deficits in stroke patients as compared with traditional rehabilitation.Sixty stroke patients were recruited for the study. Thirty patients were treated with prism adaptation combined with serious games targeting executive processes, with a ten days protocol (<u>experimental group</u>); thirty patients were treated with conventional rehabilitation (<u>control</u> <u>group</u>). Patients were tested with a battery of neuropsychological tests, including verbal and visual episodic memory tasks at four times: at baseline (T0); immediately after the end of the rehab protocol (T1); after 3 months (T2); after six months (T3).The main results showed a significant long term effect of the experimental treatment on both immediate and delayed recall phases of the visual episodic memory task. The effects were not linked to the affected hemisphere (right vs. left), nor to the hemorrhagic or ischemic type of stroke nor to the cortical or subcortical site of lesion.These findings show for the first time an improvement of long term memory in stroke patients following the use of a medical device combining prism adaptation and digital cognitive training, paving the way to novel rehabilitation techniques for cognitive deficits in stroke.</p>","PeriodicalId":21130,"journal":{"name":"Restorative neurology and neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"399-408"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13400799/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143981362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rapid Improvement of Constipation Following Aerobic Exercise in a Patient with Stroke: A Case Report.","authors":"Hiroyuki Hayashi, Ayana Kato, Hibiki Ogihara, Shuya Hayashi, Jun Uchiya, Naoki Tomiyama, Masashi Nakatani, Hiroshi Ohko","doi":"10.1177/09226028261449590","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09226028261449590","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Constipation is a common but often overlooked issue among stroke survivors, despite its adverse impact on recovery. Herein, we describe an unexpected improvement in constipation following aerobic exercise during the rehabilitation of a patient in the subacute stage of stroke. A man in his 70 s with moderate right-sided hemiparesis following a pontine infarction was admitted for inpatient rehabilitation. Despite maintaining a stable diet and fluid intake, as well as regular use of laxatives, he experienced persistent constipation (one to three bowel movements per week). After 4 weeks of standard rehabilitation, an aerobic exercise regimen was introduced, comprising 30-min sessions on a recumbent ergometer performed five times per week at 50% of the heart rate reserve. No changes were made to his medication, diet, or other therapies during the aerobic exercise period. After initiating aerobic exercise, the patient's bowel movement frequency increased rapidly to four to six times per week, with a marked reduction in constipation symptoms evident from the first week of intervention. To evaluate the effectiveness of aerobic exercise, the percentage of non-overlapping data (PND) was calculated. The PND was 75%, indicating that the intervention was effective. This improvement was sustained both during and after the aerobic exercise period. No other potential confounding factors were identified. This case highlights a temporal association between moderateintensity aerobic exercise and improved constipation in a patient with stroke, suggesting that exercise may warrant investigation as a potential adjunctive intervention. However, the retrospective, single-case design precludes causal inference, and the observed improvements could reflect natural variation or unmeasured confounders. A plausible mechanistic.</p>","PeriodicalId":21130,"journal":{"name":"Restorative neurology and neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"409-413"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147933068","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrative Advances in Parkinson's Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Experimental Modeling.","authors":"Kaushik Sunder","doi":"10.1177/09226028261436622","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09226028261436622","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BackgroundParkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons and α-synuclein accumulation. Despite extensive research, there remains a shortage of effective disease-modifying medicines, which is due in part to the failure to translate molecular insights into clinically useful models and diagnostics.ObjectivesThis review will summarize recent developments in the PD pathophysiology and diagnostic, therapeutic and experimental models and will focus on the newer <i>in vivo</i>, <i>in vitro</i> and bioengineered <i>in vivo</i> platforms.MethodsRecent studies on animal models, patient-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) systems, three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting, neuroimaging, and biomarker discovery have been critically examined to determine their translational potential and limitations.ResultsTraditional animal models are effective at replicating dopaminergic degradation but fall short of fully replicating progressive and systemic elements of Parkinson's disease. iPSC-derived neurons and 3D-bioprinted constructs are more genetically specific and cellularly complex, allowing for patient-relevant modeling and medication screening. Advances in imaging and molecular biomarkers aid in earlier detection; nevertheless, no cross-validation or platform standards has been established.ConclusionCombining cellular, molecular, and bioengineered models with clinical diagnostics has the potential to improve translational accuracy and accelerate the development of disease-modifying treatments. A cross-platform system is critical for improving the predictive validity of preclinical studies in Parkinson's disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":21130,"journal":{"name":"Restorative neurology and neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"289-310"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147729749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evidence from a Narrative Review of Altered Intervention Methods and Behavioral Goals for Children with ASD in Relation to COVID-19.","authors":"Si-Nae Ahn","doi":"10.1177/09226028261430326","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09226028261430326","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Environmental changes in response to COVID-19 may negatively impact the development, behavior, and mental health of children with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Thus, it is necessary to investigate the changed behavioral goals provided.This narrative review examined studies that investigated changes in intervention methods and behavioral goals for children with ASD during COVID-19. This study searched five databases and identified ten articles meeting the inclusion criteria. These articles were evaluated for risk of bias and quality of evidence level. Behavioral goals and intervention methods were reviewed.The selected articles included two non-randomized single-group studies, six single-experiment studies, and two case studies. Behavioral goals included mask wearing, social participation and play, and behavioral regulation. Interventions included telehealth, social participation training, play-based sibling intervention, early intensive behavioral, differential reinforcement, and treatment extension for tolerating.This review identifies the need to change in intervention methods and behavioral goals for children with ASD to adapt to environmental changes due to COVID-19.</p>","PeriodicalId":21130,"journal":{"name":"Restorative neurology and neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"278-288"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147499854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring Synergies in Brain-Machine Interfaces: Compression vs. Performance.","authors":"Luis H Cubillos, Madison M Kelberman, Matthew J Mender, Aren Hite, Hisham Temmar, Matthew Willsey, Nishant Ganesh Kumar, Theodore A Kung, Parag G Patil, Cynthia Chestek, Chandramouli Krishnan","doi":"10.1177/09226028261457824","DOIUrl":"10.1177/09226028261457824","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Individuals with severe neurological injuries often rely on assistive technologies, but current methods have limitations in accurately decoding multi-degree-of-freedom (DoF) movements. Intracortical brain-machine interfaces (iBMIs) use neural signals to provide a more natural control method but currently struggle with higher-DoF movements: something the brain handles effortlessly. It has been theorized that the brain simplifies high-DoF movement through muscle synergies, which link multiple muscles to function as a single unit. These synergies have been studied using dimensionality reduction techniques like principal component analysis (PCA), non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), and demixed PCA (dPCA) and successfully used to reduce noise and improve offline decoder stability in non-invasive applications. However, their effectiveness in improving decoding and generalizability for implanted recordings across varied tasks is unclear. Here, we evaluated whether brain and muscle synergies can enhance iBMI performance in non-human primates performing a two-DoF finger task. Specifically, we tested if PCA, dPCA, and NMF could compress and denoise brain and muscle data and improve decoder generalization across tasks. Our results showed that while all methods effectively compressed data with minimal loss in decoding accuracy, none improved performance through denoising in our datasets. Additionally, none of the methods enhanced generalization across tasks. These findings suggest that while dimensionality reduction can aid data compression, extracting synergies alone did not provide an advantageous or cleaner control space for linear decoding in our study. Further research with larger sample sizes and more channels in muscle recordings is required to determine whether synergies can be leveraged as an optimal control framework or if alternative approaches are required to enhance decoder robustness in iBMI applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":21130,"journal":{"name":"Restorative neurology and neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"374-389"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148296066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}