Among the 795,000 individuals who sustain a stroke annually in the United States, 65% continue to experience moderate-to-severe impairments in one hand six months or more, which limits their ability to perform daily tasks. Currently there is dearth of understanding of the mechanisms of motor recovery after stroke. Understanding the mechanisms can potentially lead to the development of interventions to improve motor performance after stroke. The proposed study will examine how synchronously pairing brain and hand stimulation repeatedly affects the plasticity of the brain and motor performance after stroke. The knowledge gained from this study can be useful to develop interventions to improve hand movement after moderate-severe stroke.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
10
Participants will receive synchronously combined non-invasive brain stimulation (delivered via electrical/magnetic stimulation) with functional electrical stimulation (delivered via DS7A or Neuromove) of the weak hand
Neuromotor Recovery and Rehabilitation Lab
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Percent Change in Box and Block Test
The Box and Block Test (BBT) measures unilateral gross manual dexterity and the ability to release objects. It is a quick, simple and inexpensive test. It can be used with a wide range of populations, including clients with stroke. The BBT is composed of a wooden box divided in two compartments by a partition and 150 blocks. The BBT administration consists of asking the participants to move, one by one, the maximum number of blocks from one compartment of a box to another of equal size, within 60 seconds. The box is oriented lengthwise and placed at the client's midline, with the compartment holding the blocks oriented towards the hand being tested. Participants first perform this test with their unaffected hand in order to practice and register baseline scores. Additionally, a 15-second trial period is permitted at the beginning of each side. Before the trial, after the standardized instructions are given to participants are advised that their fingertips must cross the partition when
Time frame: Baseline to 6 weeks
Percent Change in Motor Evoked Potential
Surface EMG electrodes (Ag-AgCl) will be applied to the belly of the affected EDC muscle and a reference electrode will be placed at the clavicle. The motor evoked potential (MEP) data will be collected by stimulating the targets in the grid at 2000 Hz with Signal software (CED, Cambridge, UK). The raw values are measured in mili volts, but we report as a percent change compared to the pre-intervention or baseline.
Time frame: Baseline to 6 weeks
Average Percent Change in Hand Force
We will measure force production of the combined wrist and finger extensors (EDC) using two 34.09 kg load cells embedded in cushioned customized platforms. The height of the load cells can be altered to accommodate individual hand sizes. Participants will perform 5 trials of combined isometric wrist and finger extension movements against load cells for 10 seconds. The force data will be amplified by 5-20K and collected at 1000 Hz using Biopac amplifier and software (Biopac Systems Inc, Goleta, CA, USA). To allow for the deliberate increase to peak force as well as the tendency to drop off near the end of the 10-second interval, we will calculate the combined wrist and finger extension force output over the central 5 second segment. We will average the force across 5 trials. The raw values are measured in kilograms force, but we report as an average percent change compared to the pre-intervention or baseline.
Time frame: Baseline to 6 weeks
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