Journal Article

DZNE-2026-00689

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Who Falls After a Stroke? Evidence From a Prospective Stroke Cohort.

Kufner, A. ; Tang, Y. ; Temuulen, U. ; Abbas, G. ; Rackoll, T. ; Grittner, U. ; Kroneberg, D. ; Weigl, B. ; Kühn, A. A.DZNE* ; Reich, M. ; Nave, A. H. ; Endres, M. (Last author)DZNE*

2026
Wiley-Blackwell Oxford [u.a.]

This record in other databases:    

Please use a persistent id in citations: doi:10.1111/ene.70678

Abstract: Falls affect over 30% of stroke survivors within the first year, yet lesion-related mobility and gait impairments underlying fall risk remain poorly understood. This study aimed to identify lesion-derived functional networks associated with impaired mobility, gait, and fall risk in subacute stroke, and to determine whether disruption to these networks is associated with falls during the six-month follow-up.We analyzed data from 94 patients with disabling subacute ischemic stroke from the prospective Baptize cohort, an imaging sub-cohort of the multicenter PHYS-STROKE trial. Principal component (PC) analysis reduced seven mobility-related and four gait-related baseline variables into two composites: PC1-Mobility and PC1-Gait, explaining 56% and 82% of variance, respectively. PC1-Mobility indexed global disability, whereas PC1-Gait reflected spatiotemporal walking capacity. Lesion network mapping (LNM) identified functional networks associated with each domain. Patient-reported falls up to six months post-enrollment were the primary endpoint.LNM revealed that the mobility-related network predominantly involved cortical regions, whereas the gait-related network was linked to subcortical and infratentorial connectivity. In binary multivariable logistic regression, network similarity scores were not associated with falls; only older age was significant (adjusted OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02-1.16, p = 0.01). LNM of fall occurrence identified a cortical network with significant spatial overlap with the mobility-related network (p < 0.001).This exploratory, hypothesis-generating study identified distinct functional networks for post-stroke mobility and gait impairment. Falls may be more closely linked to disruptions in cortical networks supporting voluntary motor control and whole-body coordination than to subcortical gait-modulating structures, potentially informing fall risk stratification and targeted prevention.ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: BAPTISe: NCT01954797, PHYS-STROKE: NCT01363856.

Keyword(s): Humans (MeSH) ; Accidental Falls: statistics & numerical data (MeSH) ; Female (MeSH) ; Stroke: complications (MeSH) ; Stroke: physiopathology (MeSH) ; Male (MeSH) ; Aged (MeSH) ; Prospective Studies (MeSH) ; Middle Aged (MeSH) ; Gait Disorders, Neurologic: etiology (MeSH) ; Gait Disorders, Neurologic: physiopathology (MeSH) ; Cohort Studies (MeSH) ; falls ; gait ; lesion network mapping ; mobility ; stroke

---

Contributing Institute(s):

1. Interdisciplinary Dementia Research (AG Endres)
2. Movement Disorders (Parkinson's disease, Dystonia) (AG Kühn)

Research Program(s):

1. 353 - Clinical and Health Care Research (POF4-353) (POF4-353)

Appears in the scientific report 2026

---

Database coverage:
; ; ; ; Article Processing Charges ; BIOSIS Previews ; Biological Abstracts ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Current Contents - Clinical Medicine ; DEAL Wiley ; DOAJ Seal ; Ebsco Academic Search ; Essential Science Indicators ; Fees ; IF >= 5 ; JCR ; PubMed Central ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection

---