Manual Dexterity Control After Cerebellar Stimulation

Overview

This study will assess the putative advantages of cerebellar stimulation on motor learning abilities of stroke patients. In order to have a control group to refer to, the effect of cerebellar stimulation on healthy young and old participants will also be assessed.

Cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) are the first cause of acquired disability in France. Despite rehabilitation interventions, a great proportion of patients suffers from motor disability in the upper limb. Recently, several studies have shown that post CVA patients exhibit great neural plasticity as a direct consequence of their condition. Interestingly, the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive electro stimulation technique that allows for a modulation of cerebral activity. It has been shown that when applied to the cerebellum, tDCS increases learning performances of healthy subjects. Yet, motor rehabilitation after a CVA highly relies on motor (re)learning. The cerebellar tDCS thus appear as a promising method to enhance the performance of post-CVA motor learning and consequently the benefits of post-CVA rehabilitation. The current study aims to promote the post CVA neural plasticity by using the tDCS in order to enhance motor learning of the upper limb.

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Locations (2)

Outcomes

Central Contacts