Participants either improved or maintained motor gains through one year<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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WEDNESDAY, Feb. 7, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Improvements in arm and hand function with vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in combination with rehabilitation are maintained at one-year follow-up in stroke survivors, according to a study presented at the annual American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference, held from Feb. 7 to 9 in Phoenix.<\/p>\n
Teresa J. Kimberley, Ph.D., from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues present one-year outcomes from the VNS-REHAB pivotal trial, in which stroke patients with moderate-to-severe upper-extremity impairment were randomly assigned to task-specific rehabilitation plus either active VNS (53 individuals) or sham VNS (55 individuals).<\/p>\n
The researchers found that at one year, both Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) and Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) scores improved from pretherapy baseline (5.3 and 0.51 points, respectively). However, at one year, FMA-UE change was not significantly different from the three-month timepoint or three months following crossover for controls. WMFT did show continued improvement (an additional 0.09 points), indicating that participants either improved or maintained motor gains through one year.<\/p>\n
“This is the first time that brain stimulation combined with rehabilitation therapy for stroke is available outside of a clinical trial. It could set the stage for even more advancements in recovery from other impairments beyond the arm,” Kimberley said in a statement. “This is a watershed moment for rehabilitation science.”<\/p>\n
Several authors disclosed ties to the biotechnology industry.<\/p>\n
Press Release<\/a><\/p>\n