DLPFC rTMS Improved Dual-Task Walking After Subacute Stroke

DLPFC rTMS Improved Dual-Task Walking After Subacute Stroke

TL;DR: A 2026 randomized trial in Physiotherapy Research International found that adding active 5 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to dual-task stroke rehabilitation produced larger gains in Timed Up-and-Go performance, balance confidence, and cognitive screening than sham stimulation plus the same training. Key Findings Small randomized trial: The study …

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Basilar Artery Dolichoectasia Linked to Lacunar Stroke and cSVD

Basilar Artery Dolichoectasia Linked to Lacunar Stroke and cSVD

TL;DR: A 2026 prospective mild-stroke cohort study in Circulation linked basilar artery dolichoectasia and wider cranial arteries to lacunar stroke and cerebral small-vessel disease, while large-artery stenosis did not show the same association. Key Findings 229 mild-stroke patients: The Mild Stroke Study 3 cohort included lacunar and mild nonlacunar ischemic stroke patients followed with MRI …

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Dexterous Soft Hand Exoskeleton Restored Grasping in Severe Paralysis

Dexterous Soft Hand Exoskeleton Restored Grasping in Severe Paralysis

TL;DR: A 2026 study in Nature Machine Intelligence reported that a textile soft hand exoskeleton with thumb control and surface electromyography (sEMG) intent detection restored practical grasping in one person with severe ALS-related hand paralysis and helped the most severely impaired stroke participants more than moderately impaired users. Key Findings 97% intent sensitivity: A non-invasive …

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Focused Ultrasound and rTMS Had Similar Stroke Motor Endpoints

Focused Ultrasound and rTMS Had Similar Stroke Motor Endpoints

TL;DR: A 2026 secondary analysis in PLOS One found that low-intensity focused ultrasound and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) had similar short-term post-stroke motor endpoint scores, while change-from-baseline Fugl-Meyer gains were larger with focused ultrasound. Key Findings 50-person comparison: The analysis compared 25 subacute stroke patients assigned to LIFU with 25 assigned to rTMS. 10 …

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ASPECTS and CT Perfusion Predicted Stroke Outcomes Similarly

ASPECTS and CT Perfusion Predicted Stroke Outcomes Similarly

TL;DR: A 2026 study in the International Journal of General Medicine found that rapid ASPECTS scoring on non-contrast CT and CT perfusion core-infarct volume predicted 90-day outcomes similarly in 82 acute ischemic stroke patients treated with endovascular therapy. Key Findings 82 stroke patients: The retrospective single-center study included acute ischemic stroke patients treated with endovascular …

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Migration Background Linked to Later Acute Stroke Arrival and Lower EVT Use

Migration Background Linked to Later Acute Stroke Arrival and Lower EVT Use

TL;DR: A 2026 preprint in medRxiv from a Dutch comprehensive stroke center found that ischemic stroke patients with a migration background were more likely to arrive outside the treatment time window and less likely to receive endovascular thrombectomy than patients without a migration background. Key Findings 232 first-ever ischemic stroke patients were included: 62 patients, …

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Thalamic Focused Ultrasound Increased Responsiveness Scores in Chronic Disorders of Consciousness

Thalamic Focused Ultrasound Increased Responsiveness Scores in Chronic Disorders of Consciousness

TL;DR: A 2026 preprint in medRxiv reported that one session of left central thalamus focused ultrasound increased behavioral responsiveness scores in 16 adults with chronic disorders of consciousness, with no severe adverse events reported. Key Findings 16 chronic DOC patients: Adults had chronic disorders of consciousness after severe brain injury, with an average time since …

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Head Impact MEG Changes Mapped to Neurochemical Brain Systems

Head Impact MEG Changes Mapped to Neurochemical Brain Systems

TL;DR: A 2026 preprint in medRxiv found that head-impact-related magnetoencephalography (MEG) changes in high-school football players were strongest in cortical regions matching specific neurotransmitter and gene-expression maps, especially norepinephrine, nicotinic acetylcholine, APOE, and BDNF-related patterns. Key Findings MEG tracked pre-to-post-season brain signaling across 278 timepoints from 91 male high-school football players. Concussion-related cortical slowing aligned …

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Medulloblastoma Radiotherapy Altered Language fMRI Networks

Medulloblastoma Radiotherapy Altered Language fMRI Networks

TL;DR: A 2026 Research Square preprint used silent verb-generation functional MRI (fMRI), brain imaging during covert word production, and found early cerebellar-cerebral language-network changes after radiotherapy in 31 children and adolescents treated for medulloblastoma. Key Findings 31 pediatric patients: Children and adolescents with medulloblastoma completed silent verb-generation fMRI before radiotherapy and again within 6 weeks …

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Portable MRI Supported Brain Volume Analysis During ECMO

Portable MRI Supported Brain Volume Analysis During ECMO

TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv preprint reported that bedside 64 mT portable MRI scans from ECMO patients could support brain-volume analysis, with segmented volumes broadly comparable to conventional MRI and low-field MRI scans without ECMO equipment. Key Findings 30 ECMO scans: The volumetric pipeline analyzed T2-weighted portable MRI scans from 30 patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. …

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