Our research and development at Loewenstein
At Loewenstein we carry out extensive research and development, with the participation of hospital physicians, therapists in various health professions, and researchers from academic institutions who work with us to continuously expand the knowledge and professionalism of rehabilitation medicine.
Among the major research themes at Loewenstein are:
Integrating advanced equipment and technologies in the field of rehabilitation
- The feasibility of using electrical stimulation with tDCS to affect the executive ability in people with severe head trauma—Senior researcher: Dr. Yaron Sachar
- EEG monitoring of the recovery process of patients with unilateral spatial neglect – Principal researcher: Dr. Nachum Soroker• Cough excitation for quadriplegics using electrical stimulation of the abdominal muscles, initiated by nasal air flow—Senior researcher: Prof. Amiram Catz
Brain injury rehabilitation
- Effect of administering Amnatadin on spatial functioning in patients following brain trauma— Senior researcher: Dr. Yaron Sachar
- Assessment of the relationship between the theory of mind (TOM) and verbal abilities in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI)—Senior researchers: Dr. Yaron Sachar and Michal Biran
- Characterization of procedural learning in patients with brain injury—Senior researcher: Dr. Sharon Saklai
Rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injury
- Development of tools to assess the recovery of the autonomic nervous system by measuring the heart rate and the rate of sweating response to exposure of foot to cold—Senior researcher: Prof. Amiram Catz
- Validation of the fourth version of the scale for assessing the daily functioning of patients with spinal cord injury (SCIM IV)—international research. Senior researcher: Prof. Amiram Catz
- Validation of the third version of the scale for assessing daily functioning of patients with spinal cord injury (SCIM III) by interview. Senior Researcher—Ms. Malka Itzkowich
- Thromboembolic events during rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injury: Prevalence, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes—Senior researcher: Prof. Amiram Catz
- Continuation of development of tools for evaluation of daily performance and the contribution of rehabilitation to improvement of functioning (SCI-ARMI) in individuals with spinal cord injury—Senior researcher: Prof. Amiram Catz
- Coronary artery disease and hypertension in patients with spinal cord injury—Senior researcher: Prof. Amiram Catz
- Sleep disorders in patients with cervical spinal cord injury: Comparison of polysomnographic and actigraphic tests, and the connection between sleep and respiratory indices, urine output, level of melatonin, and body posture. Senior researcher: Prof. Amiram Catz
- The prevalence of sleep disorders in different groups of patients in the Spine Rehabilitation Department. Senior researcher: Prof. Amiram Catz
Post-stroke rehabilitation
- The role of the healthy hemisphere in the post-stroke recovery process. Senior researcher: Dr. Nachum Soroker
- Brain plasticity and functional recovery of upper limbs after stroke. Senior researcher: Dr. Nachum Soroker
- Parietal lobe function in declarative memory: A neuro-psychological study. Senior researcher: Dr. Nachum Soroker
Rehabilitation of children and child development
- Effect of Ritalin on ecological functioning in children with brain injury acquired at a subacute stage. Senior researcher: Dr. Sharon Shaklai
- Rehabilitation results in children after anoxic/hypoxic brain injury. Senior researcher: Dr. Sharon Shaklai.
- Testing of sleep function in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with and without sensory integration difficulties compared to typically developing children. Senior researcher: Dr. Aviva Mimouni-Bloch
- Clinical and molecular characterization of a genetic syndrome of microduplication involving chromosomes P16.1-2p15. Senior researcher: Dr. Aviva Mimouni-Bloch
- Long-term follow-up of children suffering from thiamine deficiency in infancy. Senior researcher: Dr. Aviva Mimouni-Bloch
Our most successful developments include:
LOTCA (Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment)—a kit developed by the occupational therapy services. Its aim is the administration of a test that allows evaluating in a relatively short time the cognitive functioning of patients with brain damage.
SCIM (Spinal Cord Independence Measure)—a tool for functional assessment developed in the spinal rehabilitation department. SCIM, which was found to be valid by comprehensive international studies, received countless praise and has been recognized worldwide. Today it is used in the world’s leading rehabilitation centers and was adopted by the InternationalSpinal Cord Society(ISCoS) as a tool for routine evaluation of patients, and by the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), as an evaluation tool in the research of innovative therapies for spinal cord recovery.
SCI-ARMI—A unique tool, created by mathematically combining SCIM with a quantitative assessment tool of the neurological deficit, the ASIA motor score (AMS). The tool appraises the contribution of rehabilitation to the functional improvement of patients after spinal cord injury, eliminating the contribution of other factors, including natural recovery, on the patients’ state.
PALPA (Psycholinguistic Assessment of Language Processing in Adult Acquired Aphasia —the Hebrew version was developed by the Department of Communication Disorders Rehabilitation to help evaluate the language processing capabilities of patients suffering from aphasia (a language impairment resulting from brain damage). This development is considered to be a diagnostic achievement of great importance.