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Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common compressive neuropathy, presenting with sensorimotor dysfunction. In carpal tunnel syndrome patients, irregular afferent signals on functional magnetic resonance imaging are associated with changes in neural plasticity during peripheral nerve injury. However, it is difficult to obtain multi-point neuroimaging data of the brain in the clinic. In the present study, a rat model of median nerve compression was established by median nerve ligation, i.e., carpal tunnel syndrome model. Sensory cortex remodeling was determined by functional magnetic resonance imaging between normal rats and carpal tunnel syndrome models at 2 weeks and 2 months after operation. Stimulation of bilateral paws by electricity for 30 seconds, alternating with 30 seconds of rest period (repeatedly 3 times), resulted in activation of the contralateral sensorimotor cortex in normal rats. When carpal tunnel syndrome rats received this stimulation, the contralateral cerebral hemisphere was markedly activated at 2 weeks after operation, including the primary motor cortex, cerebellum, and thalamus. Moreover, this activation was not visible at 2 months after operation. These findings suggest that significant remodeling of the cerebral cortex appears at 2 weeks and 2 months after median nerve compression.

Tactile sensation and hand dexterity decline with age and are associated with later-life cognition, yet it remains unclear whether tactile sensation moderates the strength of hand motor-cognitive associations. This cross-sectional study examines whether tactile sensation moderates the association between hand dexterity and higher-level cognition (executive function and processing speed) in cognitively normal (CN) older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and whether moderation patterns differ between these groups. Participants were 132 community-dwelling older adults aged ≥ 60 (female = 79; mean age = 73.3 ± 5.2). MCI was defined by MMSE ≥ 24 and MoCA ≤ 25. Executive function was assessed with Trail Making Test-B (TMT-B) and letter fluency (LFT); processing speed with TMT-A, Digit Symbol, and category fluency (CFT). Hand dexterity and tactile sensation were measured using the Purdue Pegboard Test and Weinstein-Semmes monofilaments. Moderation analyses tested the interaction between dexterity and tactile sensation, adjusting for demographic and health-related covariates. Tactile sensation significantly moderated the association between hand dexterity and executive function and processing speed, with stronger dexterity-cognition associations among older adults with intact tactile sensation (TMT-B < 0.05; LFT < 0.05; TMT-A < 0.01). No moderation was observed for Digit Symbol or CFT. The three-way interaction with cognitive group was not significant, indicating comparable patterns across groups. Stratified analyses showed a significant LFT interaction in the CN group ( < 0.05). Older adults with intact tactile sensation showed stronger hand dexterity-cognitive associations, highlighting sensorimotor integrity as relevant for early screening and functional evaluation. Stratified patterns suggest possible cognitive group differences that merit further study.

ObjectiveOur aim was to evaluate the association between visceral hypersensitivity and GI symptom severity in large cohorts of patients with functional GI disorder (FGID) and to adjust for psychological factors and general tendency to report symptoms.DesignWe included five cohorts of patients with FGIDs (IBS or functional dyspepsia; n=1144), who had undergone visceral sensitivity testing using balloon distensions (gastric fundus, descending colon or rectum) and completed questionnaires to assess GI symptom severity, non-GI somatic symptoms, anxiety and depression. Subjects were divided into sensitivity tertiles based on pain/discomfort thresholds. GI symptom severity was compared between sensitivity tertiles in each cohort and corrected for somatisation, and anxiety and depression.ResultsIn all five cohorts, GI symptom severity increased gradually with increasing visceral sensitivity, with significant differences in GI symptom severity between the sensitivity tertiles (p<0.0001), with small to medium effect sizes (partial η2: 0.047–0.11). The differences between sensitivity tertiles remained significant in all cohorts after correction for anxiety and depression, and also after correction for non-GI somatic symptom reporting in all of the cohorts (p<0.05).ConclusionsA gradual increase in GI symptom severity with increasing GI sensitivity was demonstrated in IBS and functional dyspepsia, which was consistent across several large patient groups from different countries, different methods to assess sensitivity and assessments in different parts of the GI tract. This association was independent of tendency to report symptoms or anxiety/depression comorbidity. These findings confirm that visceral hypersensitivity is a contributor to GI symptom generation in FGIDs.

Forearm orthoses are commonly used and are known to improve motor performance in the management of lateral elbow tendinopathy; however, their specific impact on sensory function remains less clear. Sensorimotor function encompasses the integrated process of sensory perception and motor response. This study was to investigate the immediate effect of forearm clasping orthoses with a textured pad on sensorimotor arm function in people with lateral elbow tendinopathy. In a randomized crossover design, 56 individuals with lateral elbow tendinopathy underwent four testing conditions: no orthosis, placebo, forearm strap, and forearm clasping orthosis with a textured pad. Pain-free grip strength, elbow proprioception, pain intensity, and hand function were measured three times per condition during the same session and analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. Both forearm straps ( p  = 0.01) and clasping orthoses ( p  = 0.02) significantly improved pain-free grip compared to no orthosis. Both orthoses also significantly improved elbow proprioception ( p  < 0.001). The forearm strap improved pain intensity ( p  = 0.002) and hand function ( p  = 0.001) compared to no orthosis, while the clasping orthosis did not ( p  > 0.05). There were no significant differences between the two orthoses, or between the no orthosis and placebo conditions ( p  > 0.05). Forearm straps or clasping orthoses can be considered as immediate, non-invasive interventions to improve elbow proprioception and grip strength in individuals with lateral elbow tendinopathy.

Swim tests are highly effective for identifying vestibular deficits in rodents by offering significant vestibular motor challenges with reduced proprioceptive input, unlike rotarod and balance beam tests. Traditional swim tests rely on subjective assessments, limiting objective quantification and reproducibility. We present a novel instrumented swim test using a miniature motion sensor with a 3D accelerometer and 3D gyroscope affixed to the rodent’s head. This setup robustly quantifies six-dimensional motion—three translational and three rotational axes—during swimming with high temporal resolution. We demonstrate the test’s capabilities by comparing head movements of Gpr156 -/- mutant mice, which have impaired otolith organ development, to their heterozygous littermates. Our results show axis-specific differences in head movement probability distribution functions and dynamics that identify mice with the Gpr156 mutation. Axis-specific power spectrum analyses reveal selective movement alterations within distinct frequency ranges. Additionally, our spherical visualization and 3D analysis quantifies swimming performance based on head vector distance from upright. We use this analysis to generate a single classifier metric—a weighted average of an animal’s head deviation from upright during swimming. This metric effectively distinguishes animals with vestibular dysfunction from those with normal vestibular function. Overall, this instrumented swim test provides quantitative metrics for assessing performance and identifying subtle, axis- and frequency-specific deficits not captured by existing systems. This novel quantitative approach can enhance understanding of rodent sensorimotor function including enabling more selective and reproducible studies of vestibular-motor deficits.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a major disability that results in motor and sensory impairment and extensive complications for the affected individuals which not only affect the quality of life of the patients but also result in a heavy burden for their families and the health care system. Although there are few clinically effective treatments for SCI, research over the past few decades has resulted in several novel treatment strategies which are related to neuromodulation. Neuromodulation—the use of neuromodulators, electrical stimulation or optogenetics to modulate neuronal activity—can substantially promote the recovery of sensorimotor function after SCI. Recent studies have shown that neuromodulation, in combination with other technologies, can allow paralyzed patients to carry out intentional, controlled movement, and promote sensory recovery. Although such treatments hold promise for completely overcoming SCI, the mechanisms by which neuromodulation has this effect have been difficult to determine. Here we review recent progress relative to electrical neuromodulation and optogenetics neuromodulation. We also examine potential mechanisms by which these methods may restore sensorimotor function. We then highlight the strengths of these approaches and remaining challenges with respect to its application.

Stroke is a very common pathology, with a high prevalence of impairment of the sensorimotor function of the upper limb. There are many scales that assess this variable. Fugl-Meyer Assessment is one of the most widely used, but there are many versions of this scale to assess this construct. To identify, critically appraise, and summarize the different Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) versions to recognize which is better to measure upper-extremity sensorimotor function in stroke patients. A psychometric systematic review was carried out in this research. An exhaustive search was conducted during June and July 2023 in the following databases: Pubmed, Web of Science (WoS), Open Grey, Scielo, Cochrane, Dialnet, and LILACS. By the most updated consensus-based standards fot the selection of health status Measurement INstruments methodology (COSMIN) and preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) statements for a systematic review of the measurement properties of existing patient-reported outcome measures to select the most appropriate outcome measurement instrument. The protocol of this systematic review was registered in Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/dy54p/). About 22 versions of the FMA were identified in 36 studies. The Upper Extremity subscale of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA-UE) was the version most frequently analyzed (n = 13) among the included articles. Fugl-Meyer Assessment (Full version, 50 items, FMA) was the questionnaire version with the most evaluated psychometric characteristics and most translations, with the better score regarding the quality of evidence, which indicates that is the recommended FMA version to assess upper-extremity sensorimotor function in stroke patients. •Twenty-two different versions and translations of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment have been identified.•Throughout the 22 versions, all the psychometric properties included in the COSMIN methodology have been analyzed.•The Upper Extremity subscale of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA-UE) is the version studied in the greatest number of articles and the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (Full version, 50 items, FMA) turns out to be the version with the most psychometric properties studied and the greatest number of translations.•The Fugl-Meyer Assessment version (Full version, 50 items, FMA) is the most recommended for assessing upper limb sensorimotor function in people with stroke.•The Fugl-Meyer Assessment is recognized as the gold standard scale in the evaluation of the sensorimotor function of the upper extremity in stroke population.

Ischemic stroke remains a serious threat to human life. Generation of neuronal and vascular cells is an endogenous regenerative mechanism in the adult brain, which may contribute to tissue repair after stroke. However, the regenerative activity is typically insufficient for significant therapeutic effects after brain injuries. Pyruvate kinase isoform M2 (PKM2) is a key regulator for energy metabolism. PKM2 also has nonmetabolic roles involving regulations of gene expression, cell proliferation, and migration in cancer cells as well as noncancerous cells. In a focal ischemic stroke mouse model, recombinant PKM2 (rPKM2) administration (160 ng/kg, intranasal delivery) at 1 h after stroke showed the significant effect of a reduced infarct volume of more the 60%. Delayed treatment of rPKM2, however, lost the acute neuroprotective effect. We then tested a novel hypothesis that delayed treatment of PKM2 might show proregenerative effects for long-term functional recovery and this chronic action could be mediated by its downstream STAT3 signaling. rPKM2 (160 ng/kg) was delivered to the brain using noninvasive intranasal administration 24 h after the stroke and repeated every other day. Western blot analysis revealed that, 7 days after the stroke, the levels of PKM2 and phosphorylated STAT3 and the expression of angiogenic factors VEGF, Ang-1, and Tie-2 in the peri-infarct region were significantly increased in the rPKM2 treatment group compared with those of the stroke vehicle group. To label proliferating cells, 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU, 50 mg/kg, i.p.) was injected every day starting 3 days after stroke. At 14 days after stroke, immunohistochemistry showed that rPKM2 increased cell homing of doublecortin (DCX)-positive neuroblasts to the ischemic cortex. In neural progenitor cell (NPC) cultures, rPKM2 (0.4–4 nM) increased the expression of integrin β1 and the activation/phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK). A mediator role of FAK in PKM2-promoted cell migration was verified in FAK-knockout fibroblast cultures. In the peri-infarct region of the brain, increased numbers of Glut-1/BrdU and NeuN/BrdU double-positive cells indicated enhanced angiogenesis and neurogenesis, respectively, compared to stroke vehicle mice. Using Laser Doppler imaging, we observed better recovery of the local blood flow in the peri-infarct region of rPKM2-treated mice 14 days after stroke. Meanwhile, rPKM2 improved the sensorimotor functional recovery measured by the adhesive removal test. Inhibiting the STAT3 phosphorylation/activation by the STAT3 inhibitor, BP-1-102 (3 mg/kg/day, o.g.), abolished all beneficial effects of rPKM2 in the stroke mice. Taken together, this investigation provides the first evidence demonstrating that early treatment of rPKM2 shows an acute neuroprotective effect against ischemic brain damage, whereas delayed rPKM2 treatment promotes regenerative activities in the poststroke brain leading to better functional recovery. The underlying mechanism involves activation of the STAT3 and FAK signals in the poststroke brain.