Characteristics and Trends of Randomized Controlled Trials on Post-Stroke Unilateral Spatial Neglect Rehabilitation:...

Area of Science:

• Neurorehabilitation
• Stroke Recovery
• Clinical Trials

Background:

• Unilateral spatial neglect (USN) significantly impacts post-stroke functional independence.
• Limited USN-specific rehabilitation research creates a gap in evidence-based practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for post-stroke USN rehabilitation interventions.
• To identify intervention types and research gaps in USN treatment.

Main Methods:

• Conducted systematic searches across major biomedical databases up to December 31, 2024.
• Included 123 RCTs with 3,419 participants; assessed methodological quality using the PEDro scale.

Main Results:

• Examined 44 unique interventions, with bottom-up therapies (66.6%) more frequent than top-down (39.8%).
• Pharmacological interventions were rare (4.9%); most trials (60.2%) focused on the subacute phase.
• Average sample size was small (27.8 participants).

Conclusions:

• Future RCTs should increase sample sizes and explore combined interventions.
• Emphasize time-sensitive strategies for early stroke phases and investigate treatment timing's impact.
• Further research on long-term effects of USN interventions is needed.