When brain damage occurs, gait and balance are often impaired. Evaluation of the gait cycle, therefore, has a pivotal role during the rehabilitation path of subjects who suffer from neurological disorders. Gait analysis can be performed through laboratory systems, non-wearable sensors (NWS), and/or wearable sensors (WS). Using these tools, physiotherapists and neurologists have more objective measures of motion function and can plan tailored and specific gait and balance training early to achieve better outcomes and improve patients’ quality of life. However, most of these innovative tools are used for research purposes (especially the laboratory systems and NWS), although they deserve more attention in the rehabilitation field, considering their potential in improving clinical practice. In this narrative review, we aimed to summarize the most used gait analysis systems in neurological patients, shedding some light on their clinical value and implications for neurorehabilitation practice.

Descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) is a medical emergency with a high associated morbidity and mortality.

Background/Objectives: Guided imagery techniques, which include mentally picturing motions or activities to help motor recovery, are an important part of neuroplasticity-based motor therapy in stroke patients. Motor imagery (MI) is a kind of guided imagery in neurorehabilitation that focuses on mentally rehearsing certain motor actions in order to improve performance. This systematic review aims to evaluate the current evidence on guided imagery techniques and identify their therapeutic potential in stroke motor rehabilitation. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in the English language were identified from an online search of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, EBSCOhost, and Scopus databases without a specific search time frame. The inclusion criteria take into account guided imagery interventions and evaluate their impact on motor recovery through validated clinical, neurophysiological, or functional assessments. This review has been registered on Open OSF with the following number: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/3D7MF. Results: This review synthesized 41 RCTs on MI in stroke rehabilitation, with 996 participants in the intervention group and 757 in the control group (average age 50–70, 35% female). MI showed advantages for gait, balance, and upper limb function; however, the RoB 2 evaluation revealed ‘some concerns’ related to allocation concealment, blinding, and selective reporting issues. Integrating MI with gait training or action observation (AO) seems to improve motor recovery, especially in balance and walking. Technological methods like brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) and hybrid models that combine MI with circuit training hold potential for enhancing functional mobility and motor results. Conclusions: Guided imagery shows promise as a beneficial adjunct in stroke rehabilitation, with the potential to improve motor recovery across several domains such as gait, upper limb function, and balance.

Background: Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is an underestimated symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS). Multiple factors may play a role in the OD reported by MS patients, such as ongoing inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS), damage to the olfactory bulbs due to demyelination, and the presence of plaques in brain areas associated with the olfactory system. Indeed, neuroimaging studies in MS have shown a clear association of the OD with the number and activity of MS-related plaques in frontal and temporal brain regions. However, these studies have used only psychophysical tests to evaluate the OD in MS patients. Olfactory Event-Related Potentials (OERPs) are a method to assess olfaction with the clear advantage of its objectivity in comparison with psychophysical tests. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the parameters of OERP components (latency and amplitude) and the lesion load of the brain regions which are involved in olfaction in a cohort of relapsing-remitting (RR) MS patients. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled 30 RRMS patients and 30 healthy controls. The parameters of OERP components and magnetic resonance imaging data (lesions in the CNS) were analyzed in RRMS patients. Results: The association found between the RRMS patient groups with and without OERPs and the number of lesions in the frontal area as well as the correlation between the lesion load in the temporal area and OERP parameters suggest how brain alterations may impact on olfactory performance in MS. In addition, the predictive value of the number of lesions in the frontal and parietal areas for P2 amplitude also highlights the potential for OERP measures to serve as markers for disease progression in MS. Conclusions: This approach to assess the olfaction in MS could improve our understanding of the disease’s neurological impact and contribute to the development of new targeted interventions to mitigate olfactory sensory deficits.

During magnetic-resonance-guided focused ultrasound ablation of the ventral intermediate thalamic nucleus (VIM) for essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), targeting is generally performed using a standard atlas-based stereotactic approach. The purpose of our work is to evaluate the anatomic variations in the venous vasculature of the thalamus in patients treated with MRgFUS, as a possible landmark for targeting. We retrospectively evaluated the relationship between the obtained thalamotomy lesion and the ipsilateral superior thalamic vein (STV). A total of 36 patients (25 ET and 11 PD) who underwent MRgFUS treatment were evaluated, and the STV was studied with susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) sequences. Based on the axial SWI images, the distance between the STV and the center of the lesion at the presumed site of the VIM was measured in follow-up MRI images one month after treatment. Statistical analysis shows that there is a correlation between the STV and the presumed site of the VIM. The STV visible in SWI could be used as an additional, real-time, and patient-specific anatomical landmark for VIM identification during MR examination and just before and during FUS treatment.