Control of Degrees of Freedom Post-stroke for the Recovery of the Upper Limb

Overview

The study's methodology will be a single-blind, multicenter, parallel-group randomized controlled trial (RCT). The sample consists of stroke patients (supratentorial ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke of anterior territory) between 18 and 80 years of age, separated into 2 groups of 20 participants. The experimental group called "controlled DoF", the control group 1 called "non controlled DoF". The "controlled DoF" group will use an exoskeleton that will restrict the movement of the trunk and upper limb to release only the joint to work in the plane of interest. The "non-controlled DoF" group will receive the same therapy time as the previous group but without any restriction of joint movements. The training will be functional with multiarticular and combined planes tasks. All groups receive the conventional rehabilitation of the health center (ideally 45 minutes 1 per day). Using motion sensors, clinical scales, and electroencephalography (EEG), the data will be obtained pre-intervention, post-intervention, and in a follow-up at 3 and 6 months.

This proposal seeks to demonstrate if the control of joint degrees of freedom (DoF) of the trunk and upper limb is determinant during the early rehabilitation phase post-stroke (here from day 1 to day 28 or first month) for the recovery of upper limb movements without compensations and the normal brain control (true recovery). The study's methodology will be a single-blind, multicenter, parallel-group randomized controlled trial (RCT). The sample consists of stroke patients (supratentorial ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke of anterior territory) between 18 and 80 years of age, separated into 2 groups of 20 participants. The experimental group called "controlled DoF", the control group 1 called "non controlled DoF". The "controlled DoF" group will receive for the initial 2 weeks, 2 hours of therapy, 5 times a week (2 sessions of 1 hour per day, 5 days) and the next 2 weeks, 2 hours of therapy, 3 times a week(2 sessions of 1 hour of therapy, 3 days), using an exoskeleton that will restrict the movement of the trunk and upper limb to release only the joint to work in the plane of interest. The training will be selective in an articulation plane with the biofeedback of active movements (or active-assisted) employing a video game controlled by an external movement sensor installed in the segment of interest. The "non-controlled DoF" group will receive the same therapy time as the previous group but without any restriction of joint movements. The training will be functional with multiarticular and combined planes tasks. All groups receive the conventional rehabilitation of the health center (ideally 45 minutes 1 per day). Using motion sensors, clinical scales, and electroencephalography (EEG), the data will be obtained pre-intervention, post-intervention, and in a follow-up at 3 and 6 months. The expected results would show more functional improvements with less compensatory kinematics for therapy that control DoF than for the therapy without control of the DoF or for conventional therapy in acute post-stroke patients. About this result, the EEG connectivity analysis would show a lower interhemispheric inhibition of the motor areas and a greater frontal-parietal flow during reaching and manipulation tasks in the group with DoF control.