This study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a telerehabilitation program during the COVID-19 pandemic in a sample of adult patients with physical disabilities. Of the twenty-three patients enrolled, 11 agreed to participate in a video-based telerehabilitation program. Barriers and facilitators to the adoption of telerehabilitation were identified and clinical, demographic, and psychological variables were analysed as predictors of success. Age, cognitive reserve, and resilience were significant predictors of satisfaction with telerehabilitation (p<0.05). The telerehabilitation program was perceived as feasible and was well accepted by patients, despite some technology challenges. However, patients who took advantage of telerehabilitation perceived differences in the quality of service and preferred traditional in-person treatment to service delivery via telerehabilitation.

Post-COVID Syndrome (PCS) is characterized by physical, psychological and cognitive symptoms with a negative impact on daily activities. This study tested the responsiveness and construct validity of the original version of the COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale (C19-YRS) in a cohort of Italian hospitalized COVID-19 patients. This longitudinal study involved 79 hospitalized COVID-19 patients with rehabilitation needs, assessed after 12 and 26 weeks post-infection. Functional and patient-reported outcome measures were correlated with 10 items of the C19-YRS to test the construct validity, whereas distribution-based methods were used for the responsiveness over time. After 12 weeks since infection, 88.5% of patients reported fatigue, 83.3% breathlessness, 69.4% anxiety, 55.6% depression, and 44.9% pain. Moreover, 84.6% experienced reduced mobility, 75.7% had difficulties with usual activities, and 47.4% with personal care. Single items for each symptom had significant correlation (rho 0.25–0.60) with well-established scales for these symptoms. At 26 weeks, except for anxiety, all the PCS symptoms were still present but significantly reduced. The C19-YRS had moderate responsiveness for the most represented deficit reported. The C19-YRS was a valuable patient-reported outcome for screening, assessing severity, and monitoring the persistence of symptoms after 12 and 26 weeks from SARS-CoV2 infection in a cohort of Italian hospitalized patients.

Background: Balance and mobility impairments are frequent in people with multiple sclerosis, partly due to cerebellar dysfunctions. Task-oriented behavioural approaches were previously shown to promote physical function. The possibility exists that cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (ctDCS) applied during training, known to increase the excitability of the brain, can boost rehabilitation effects through modulation of cerebellum-brain inhibition. Objective: To test the efficacy of cerebellar ctDCS stimulation combined with motor training on mobility and balance in people with multiple sclerosis. Methods: 16 subjects were randomly assigned to receive real- or sham-ctDCS and task-oriented training daily over two weeks in a double-blind, randomised clinical pilot trial. Functional mobility, balance, walking performance and quality of life were tested before and after treatment and at two-week follow-up. Effects of cerebellar stimulation on psychological and executive functions were also recorded. Results: Walking performance, balance and quality of life improved for both groups at post-treatment assessment which was maintained at 2-weeks follow up. A two-way ANOVA revealed a significant time effect for balance and walking performance. A significant interaction effect of time–treatment (F = 3.12, df = 2,26; p = 0.03) was found for motor aspects of quality of life assessment in patients who received real-ctDCS. Conclusions: Task-oriented training improves balance and mobility in people with multiple sclerosis, but ctDCS does not boost motor training effects.

Current clinical practice does not leverage electroencephalography (EEG) measurements in stroke patients, despite its potential to contribute to post-stroke recovery predictions. We review the literature on the effectiveness of various quantitative and qualitative EEG-based measures after stroke as a tool to predict upper limb motor outcome, in relation to stroke timeframe and applied experimental tasks. Moreover, we aim to provide guidance on the use of EEG in the assessment of upper limb motor recovery after stroke, suggesting a high potential for some metrics in the appropriate context. We identified relevant papers (N = 16) from databases ScienceDirect, Web of Science and MEDLINE, and assessed their methodological quality with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal. We applied the Preferred Reporting Systems for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Framework. Identified works used EEG to identify properties including event-related activation, spectral power in physiologically relevant bands, symmetry in brain dynamics, functional connectivity, cortico-muscular coherence and rhythmic coordination. EEG was acquired in resting state or in relation to behavioural conditions. Motor outcome was mainly evaluated with the Upper Limb Fugl-Meyer Assessment. Despite great variability in the literature, data suggests that the most promising EEG quantifiers for predicting post-stroke motor outcome are event-related measures. Measures of spectral power in physiologically relevant bands and measures of brain symmetry also show promise. We suggest that EEG measures may improve our understanding of stroke brain dynamics during recovery, and contribute to establishing a functional prognosis and choosing the rehabilitation approach.