Published papers

Purpose. To develop a screening test to identify community dwelling elderly people who are in need of assistive care but whose activities of daily living (ADLs) can be improved by appropriate rehabilitation intervention, so-called 'quasi-in-need-of-care state (QUINOCS)'. Method. A total of 32 persons (mean age 77.3 years) from the metropolitan area and 51 persons (mean age 82.7 years) from a rural area were enrolled. Two physiatrists examined them and judged whether they could benefit from rehabilitation intervention while visiting nurses evaluated their ADLs using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM™). A screening test to identify the QUINOCS was created using a seven-item subset score of the FIM™ (feeding, bathing, dressing lower-body, bladder management, bed/chair/wheel chair transfer, walking/wheel chair, stairs). Results. Fourteen in the metropolitan and 19 in the rural inhabitants were judged as the QUINOCS by the physiatrists. Persons whose subset scores included or ran across the intermediate range of independent levels (scores 3 and 4 of the FIM™) showed tendency to be judged suitable for rehabilitation intervention. This finding was applied for screening algorism to identify the QUINOCS. Sensitivity and specificity of this test were 0.71 and 0.78 for the metropolitan, and 0.74 and 0.78 for the rural groups, respectively. Conclusion. The screening method using the 7-item subset of the FIM™ can be used for identification of the QUINOCS among elderly people efficiently.

Background and objective. We devised a therapeutic approach to facilitate the use of the hemiparetic upper extremity (UE) in daily life by combining integrated volitional control electrical stimulation with a wrist splint, called hybrid assistive neuromuscular dynamic stimulation (HANDS). Methods. Twenty patients with chronic hemiparetic stroke (median 17.5 months) had moderate to severe UE weakness. Before and immediately after completing 3 weeks of training in 40-minute sessions, 5 days per week over 3 weeks and wearing the system for 8 hours each day, clinical measures of motor impairment, spasticity, and UE functional scores, as well as neurophysiological measures including electromyography activity, reciprocal inhibition, and intracortical inhibition were assessed. A follow-up clinical assessment was performed 3 months later. Results. UE motor function, spasticity, and functional scores improved after the intervention. Neurophysiologically, the intervention induced restoration of presynaptic and long loop inhibitory connections as well as disynaptic reciprocal inhibition. Paired pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation study indicated disinhibition of the short intracortical inhibition in the affected hemisphere. The follow-up assessment showed that improved UE functions were maintained at 3 months. Conclusion. The combination of hand splint and volitional and electrically induced muscle contraction can induce corticospinal plasticity and may offer a promising option for the management of the paretic UE in patients with stroke. A larger sample size with randomized controls is needed to demonstrate effectiveness. © 2009 The American Society of Neurorehabilitation.

Hase K, Kamisako M, Fujiwara T, Tsuji T, Liu M. The effect of zaltoprofen on physiotherapy for limited should movement in breast cancer patients: a single-blinded before-after trial. Objective: To determine the efficacy of oral administration of zaltoprofen on shoulder range of motion (ROM) exercises for breast cancer patients after surgery. Design: Single-blind, before-after trial. Setting: Rehabilitation facility in a Japanese university hospital. Participants: Forty breast cancer patients (age range, 37-72y) with limited shoulder movement after surgery. Intervention: Single session of physiotherapy (PT) with or without oral administration of zaltoprofen. Main Outcome Measures: Active shoulder ROM in flexion, abduction, and external rotation, as well as subjective pain score during shoulder movements. Results: Active shoulder movements after ingesting a zaltoprofen tablet significantly improved in flexion, abduction (P<.001), and external rotation (P<.005). PT treatment improved flexion and abduction ROM in both the zaltoprofen and control groups and led to significantly larger flexion and abduction movements in the zaltoprofen group than in the control group (P<.01). There were no differences in pain scores between groups, but 2 patients who did not receive zaltoprofen complained of increased pain just after ROM exercises. Conclusion: Zaltoprofen taken orally before ROM exercises for painful shoulder after breast cancer surgery may enhance the effects of PT. © 2006 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Objective: Pedaling is widely used for rehabilitation of locomotion because it induces muscle activity very similar to locomotion. Afferent stimulation is important for the modulation of spinal reflexes. Furthermore, supraspinal modulation plays an important role in spinal plasticity induced by electrical stimulation. We, therefore, expected that active pedaling combined with electrical stimulation could induce strong after-effects on spinal reflexes. Design: Twelve healthy adults participated in this study. They were instructed to perform 7. min of pedaling. We applied electrical stimulation to the common peroneal nerve during the extension phase of the pedaling cycle. We assessed reciprocal inhibition using a soleus H-reflex conditioning-test paradigm. The magnitude of reciprocal inhibition was measured before, immediately after, 15 and 30. min after active pedaling alone, electrical stimulation alone and active pedaling combined with electrical stimulation (pedaling. +. ES). Results: The amount of reciprocal inhibition was significantly increased after pedaling. +. ES. The after-effect of pedaling. +. ES on reciprocal inhibition was more prominent and longer lasting compared with pedaling or electrical stimulation alone. Conclusions: Pedaling. +. ES could induce stronger after-effects on spinal reciprocal inhibitory neurons compared with either intervention alone. Pedaling. +. ES might be used as a tool to improve locomotion and functional abnormalities in the patient with central nervous lesion. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Objectives: Few studies have assessed short intracortical inhibition (SICI) in the affected hemisphere (AH) in a large number of patients with chronic stroke. In this study, SICI was assessed in chronic stroke patients with severe hemiparesis, and its relationship to clinical parameters was examined. Methods: The participants were 72 patients with chronic hemiparetic stroke. SICI of both the AH and the unaffected hemisphere (UH) was assessed. The relationships between SICI and the location of lesion, time from onset, and finger function were studied. Motor function of the paretic finger was assessed with the Stroke Impairment Assessment Set (SIAS) and the Fugl-Meyer test upper extremity motor score. To compare the results with those of healthy subjects, SICI was assessed in seven age-matched control subjects. Results: MEPs of the UH were evoked in all 72 subjects, and MEPs of the AH were evoked in 24 subjects. SICI of the AH was inversely correlated with paretic finger motor function and time from stroke onset. SICI of the UH was not correlated with either one. SICI of the UH was higher in the cortical lesion group than in the control group. Conclusions: The state of intracortical inhibitory neuron activity depends on the state of motor function and lesion site even in chronic stroke patients with severe hemiparesis. Significance: The inhibitory system of the AH is involved in functional recovery of the paretic hand even in the chronic stage of stroke. © 2012 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology.

Because recovery of upper extremity (UE) functions to a practical level has been considered difficult in many patients with stroke, compensatory approaches have been emphasised. Recently, based on basic and clinical research indicating a greater potential for plastic changes in the brain, approaches directed toward functional restoration are becoming increasingly popular. Meta-analysis has indicated the effectiveness of constraint-induced movement therapy, electromyography biofeedback, electrostimulation, mental practice, and robot exercise to improve UE functions, but not hand functions. Therefore, we devised two new interventions to improve the paretic hand. One is hybrid assistive neuromuscular dynamic stimulation therapy, designed to facilitate daily use of the hemiparetic UE by combining electromyography (EMG)-triggered electrical stimulation with a wrist splint. We demonstrated improvement of motor function, spasticity, functional scores, and neurophysiologic parameters in chronic hemiparetic stroke. With a randomised controlled trial, we also demonstrated its effectiveness in subacute stroke. The other is brain-machine interface neurofeedback training, which provides real-time feedback based on analysis of volitionally decreased amplitudes of sensory motor rhythm during motor imagery involving extension of the affected fingers. This elicited new voluntary EMG activities, and improved finger functions and neurophysiological parameters. These interventions may offer powerful neurorehabilitative tools for improving hemiparetic UE function after stroke. © 2012 Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Ltd.

Lower limb lymphedema is difficult to prevent and diagnose early because its natural history is unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to clarify its pathogenesis and to identify risk factors that may lead to early diagnosis. In 29 patients, aged 25 to 74 years with cervical, uterine, or ovarian cancer who underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy, indocyanine green fluorescence lymphangiography was performed with an infrared camera system, and lymph pumping pressure was measured indirectly preoperatively, and one, two, three, and six months postoperatively. Of these 29 patients, 22 (75.9%) completed the examinations. In the non-lymphedema group, the average lymph pumping pressure did not change significantly at postoperative follow-up compared with preoperative values. On the other hand, lymph pumping pressure increased at various time points in five patients who developed early lymphatic changes with dermal diffusion at the level of the proximal femur. An increase in lymph flow path resistance due to pelvic lymphadenectomy resulted in an initial increase in lymph pumping pressure, followed by a subsequent decrease, in the early lymphatic changes group. This trend in the pressure change signifies that the lymph vessels became dysfunctional as they were overwhelmed by the overload condition and this feature may be a clinically useful signal for the early diagnosis of developing lymphedema.

Electroencephalogram-based brain-computer interface (BCI) has been developed as a new neurorehabilitative tool for patients with severe hemiparesis. However, its application has been limited because of difficulty detecting stable brain signals from the affected hemisphere. It has been reported that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can modulate event-related desynchronization (ERD) in healthy persons. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that anodal tDCS could modulate ERD in patients with severe hemiparetic stroke. The participants were six patients with chronic hemiparetic stroke (mean age, 56.8 ± 9.5 years; mean time from the onset, 70.0 ± 19.6 months; Fugl-Meyer Assessment upper extremity motor score, 30.8 ± 16.5). We applied anodal tDCS (10 min, 1 mA) and sham stimulation over the affected primary motor cortex in a random order. ERD of the mu rhythm (mu ERD) with motor imagery of extension of the affected finger was assessed before and after anodal tDCS and sham stimulation. Mu ERD of the affected hemisphere increased significantly after anodal tDCS, whereas it did not change after sham stimulation. Our results show that anodal tDCS can increase mu ERD in patients with hemiparetic stroke, indicating that anodal tDCS could be used as a conditioning tool for BCI in stroke patients. © Springer-Verlag 2012.

Objective: Research to examine the immediate effects of electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement on gait velocity and spasticity.Design: A single-masked, randomized controlled trial design.Subjects: Twenty-seven stroke inpatients in subacute phase (ischemic n=16, hemorrhagic n=11).Interventions: A novel approach using electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement.Main measures: We assessed the maximum gait speed and modified Ashworth scale before and 20 minutes after the interventions.Results: The gait velocity of the electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement group showed the increase form 0.68±0.28 (mean±SD, unit: m) to 0.76±0.32 after the intervention. Both the electrical stimulation group and passive locomotion-like movement group also showed increases after the interventions (from 0.76±0.37 to 0.79±0.40, from 0.74±0.35 to 0.77±0.36, respectively). The gait velocity of the electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement group differed significantly from those of the other groups (electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement versus electrical stimulation: P=0.049, electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement versus passive locomotion-like movement: P=0.025). Although there was no statistically significant difference in the modified Ashworth scale among the three groups, six of the nine subjects (66.6%) in the electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement group showed improvement in the modified Ashworth scale score, while only three of the nine subjects (33.3%) in the electrical stimulation group and two of the nine subjects (22.2%) improved in the passive locomotion-like movement group.Conclusion: These findings suggest electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement could improve gait velocity in stroke patients. © The Author(s) 2011.

Recently, surface electroencephalogram (EEG)-based brain-machine interfaces (BMI) have been used for people with disabilities. As a BMI signal source, event-related desynchronization of alpha-band EEG (8-13 Hz) during motor imagery (mu ERD), which is interpreted as desynchronized activities of the activated neurons, is commonly used. However, it is often difficult for patients with severe hemiparesis to produce mu ERD of sufficient strength to activate BMI. Therefore, whether it is possible to modulate mu ERD during motor imagery with anodal transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) was assessed in a severe left hemiparetic stroke patient. EEG was recorded over the primary motor cortex (M1), and mu ERD during finger flexion imagery was measured before and after a 5-day course of tDCS applied to M1. The ERD recorded over the affected M1 increased significantly after tDCS intervention. Anodal tDCS may increase motor cortex excitability and potentiate ERD during motor imagery in patients with severe hemiparetic stroke. © 2011 by The Keio Journal of Medicine.

We tested the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the motor cortex on the size of transcortical stretch and mixed nerve reflexes. Fourteen healthy subjects were investigated using either 25 min of 1 Hz rTMS or 30 min of 0.1 Hz rTMS paired with electrical stimulation of the motor point of the first dorsal interosseous muscle (FDI). Following treatment, we measured the effect on the size of. (1) EMG responses evoked in FDI by transcranial magnetic stimulation (MEPs), (2) somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) evoked by ulnar nerve stimulation, and (3) transcortical stretch or electrically elicited reflexes. rTMS at 1 Hz reduced the amplitude of both MEPs and long latency reflexes by 20-30 % for about 10 min after the end of stimulation. Short latency reflexes were unaffected. SEPs were not studied, as it has been shown previously that they are also suppressed. rTMS at 0.1 Hz paired with motor point stimulation (interstimulus interval of 25 ms) increased the amplitude of the MEP and the cortical components of the SEP (N20/P25 and later peaks) for up to 10 min. Longlatency reflexes were facilitated with the same time course. We conclude that rTMS over the motor cortex either alone or in conjunction with peripheral inputs can decrease or increase the excitability of the sensory and motor cortex for short periods after the end of stimulation. These changes affect not only MEPs and SEPs but also EMG responses to more'natural'inputs involved in transcortical stretch reflexes.

Objective: To study the scale quality and predictive validity of the Stroke Impairment Assessment Set (SIAS) developed for stroke outcome research. Design: Rasch analysis of the SIAS; stepwise multiple regression analysis to predict discharge functional independence measure (FIM) raw scores from demographic data, the SIAS scores, and the admission FIM scores; cross-validation of the prediction rule. Setting: Tertiary rehabilitation center in Japan. Patients: One hundred ninety stroke inpatients for the study of the scale quality and the predictive validity; a second sample of 116 stroke inpatients for the cross-validation study. Main Outcome Measures: Mean square fit statistics to study the degree of fit to the unidimensional model; logits to express item difficulties; discharge FIM scores for the study of predictive validity. Results: The degree of misfit was acceptable except for the shoulder range of motion (ROM), pain, visuospatial function, and speech items; and the SIAS items could be arranged on a common unidimensional scale. The difficulty patterns were identical at admission and at discharge except for the deep tendon reflexes, ROM, and pain items. They were also similar for the right- and left-sided brain lesion groups except for the speech and visuospatial items. For the prediction of the discharge FIM scores, the independent variables selected were age, the SIAS total scores, and the admission FIM scores; and the adjusted R2 was .64 (p < .0001). Stability of the predictive equation was confirmed in the cross-validation sample (R2 = .68, p < .001). Conclusions: The unidimensionality of the SIAS was confirmed, and the SIAS total scores proved useful for stroke outcome prediction. (C) 2000 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Pedaling consists of reciprocating muscle activities similar to gait. Recent studies show that pedaling exercise is useful for rehabilitation of stroke patients and other central nervous system disorders. We reviewed studies of the neurophysiological basis of pedaling, pedaling in patients with central nervous system lesions, and the therapeutic application of pedaling exercises to patients with stroke. © 2005 by Begell House, Inc.

Aging cleft palate and total laryngectomy patients suffer degradation of their deglutition function. We experienced an elderly patient with laryngeal cancer and untreated cleft palate. The operation, which consisted of a total laryngectomy and cleft palate plasty via the push back method, was simultaneously performed. The patient did not have dysphagia because of complete velopharyngeal closure after the operation. Also, he was able to rapidly resume eating a general diet. In the course of their treatment, we also need to consider the dietary QOL of cancer patients with head and neck lesions.

Objective: To identify a most useful and simple clinical screening tool to predict videofluoroscopic aspiration in patients with stroke. Design: Factor analysis of multiple dysphagia variables and sensitivity and specificity testing with chi-square test. Patients: Sixty-one consecutive stroke patients with symptoms suggestive of dysphagia admitted to a university hospital and its 4 affiliated hospitals in Japan. Methods: Factors were extracted from 6 oromotor examinations (lip closure, tongue movement, palatal elevation, gag reflex, voice quality and motor speech function), 2 swallow screen tests (saliva swallowing test and our modified water swallowing test using 30 ml of water) and 4 parameters evaluated with a videofluoroscopic swallow study. Sensitivity and specificity of each dysphagia-related variable was determined against aspiration in a videofluoroscopic swallow study. Results: Factor analysis revealed that cough/voice change in the water swallowing test and aspiration on videofluoroscopic swallow study belonged to the same factor. Chi-square analysis showed that cough/voice change in the water swallowing test was the only variable that was significantly associated with aspiration on videofluoroscopic swallow study, with a sensitivity of 72% (95% CI: 61-83%) and a specificity of 67% (CI: 55-79%) as a predictor of aspiration (p < 0.05). Conclusion: We recommend our modified 30 ml water-swallowing test as a useful single task-screening tool to detect aspiration. © 2005 Taylor & Francis.

Purpose: To establish whether motor point stimulation paired with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) produces a lasting modulation of the primary motor cortex in persons with hemiparetic stroke. Methods: Subjects were nine hemiparetic patients after stroke, all right-handed. The mean days from onset were 80 days. Repeated measurements of the motor evoked potential (MEP) in the affected first dorsal inter osseous (FDI) muscle in all subjects were performed. For determination of baseline, a single measurement of the MEPs was given before intervention stimulation. Subjects received 30 min of just suprathreshold motor point stimulation of the affected abductor pollicis brevis (APB) muscle paired every 10 s with TMS over the motor cortex. After intervention stimulation, measures of MEPs were taken immediately (0 min) and at 10, 20 and 30 min. Results: The MEPs significantly increased in amplitude immediately after pairing stimulation and recovered to baseline after 30 min in amplitude. Conclusions: In stroke hemiparetic patients, as well as healthy subjects, paired stimulation increases the corticomotor excitability for short periods after stimulation. This finding might have potential therapeutic implications for stroke rehabilitation. © 2005.

Purpose: To establish whether the visual evoked fields (VEFs) in patients of unilateral spatial neglect (USN) caused by cerebrovascular accident (CVA) are different from ones in subjects without USN. Method: In three patients of CVA with left USN and three controls (a healthy subject, a patient of CVA without USN and a patient of hemianopsia), the VEFs following pattern reversal stimulation on the left hemifield were measured. Magnetic recordings were conducted using a 160-channel helmet-type axial superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) gradiometer system. The behavioural inattention test (BIT) was also scored in patients of USN. Results: Magnetic source imaging revealed two components (P100m and N145m) on the VEFs in the healthy subject and patient of CVA without USN, and no component in the patient of hemianopsia. The pattern of two components in patients with USN was various. Only P100m for patient 1, N145m for patient 2 and both components for patient 3 were detected. Concerning the BIT scores, line bisection and cancellation task for patient 1, coping, drawing and cancellation task for patient 2, and only cancellation task for patient 3 were impaired. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that pattern of two components (P100m and N145m) on the VEFs does not reflect only hemianopsia, but also USN caused by deficits of the cortical process of attention. © 2005.

Mizuno K, Tsuji T, Kimura A, Liu M, Masakado Y, Chino N. Twenty-seven years of complication-free life with clean intermittent self-catheterization in a patient with spinal cord injury: a case report. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85:17057. Currently, clean intermittent self-catheterization (CISC) is the most prevalent method of bladder management in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) at discharge from rehabilitation centers. However, half of the patients discontinue using CISC and change to other methods of bladder management several months postdischarge despite the fact that it the best way to prevent urinary tract complications. Few studies, however, report the long-term consequences of CISC. In this case, we present a woman in her early fifties who had sustained thoracic SCI and had continued using CISC for 27 years without developing any complications. The possible reasons for her success were absence of incontinence because of underactive and normal capacity bladder; normal upper-extremity functions and absence of marked spasticity of lower extremities that facilitated CISC technique; and absence of sociovocational problems, enabling her to keep proper intervals between catheterizations each day. This case indicates that CISC is useful for long-term bladder management in patients with SCI, even for 25 years or more. Long-term outcomes of CISC and factors leading to success need to be delineated in future studies with larger samples. © 2004 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.