Assessing alterations in sensation after peripheral nerve injuries

• Conditions: G54.0; P14.0; P14.1; S14.3; S58; S58.1; S58.9; Brachial plexus disorders; Erb paralysis due to birth injury; Klumpke paralysis due to birth injury

• Registration Number: DRKS00022324
• Lead Sponsor: Klinik für Unfallchirurgie, UMG

Brief Summary

Vibrotactile sensation is an essential part of the sense of touch. In this study, the localized vibrotactile sensation of the arm-shoulder region was quantified in 10 able-bodied subjects. For this analysis, the six relevant dermatomes (C3-T2) and three segments—the lower arm, the upper arm, and the shoulder region were studied. For psychometric evaluation, tasks resulting in the quantification of sensation threshold, just noticeable difference, Weber fraction, and perception of dynamically changing vibrotactile stimuli were performed. We found that healthy subjects could reliably detect vibration in all tested regions at low amplitude (2–6% of the maximal amplitude of commonly used vibrotactors). The detection threshold was significantly lower in the lower arm than that in the shoulder, as well as ventral in comparison with the dorsal. There were no significant differences in Weber fraction (20%) detectable between the studied locations. A compensatory tracking task resulted in a significantly higher average rectified error in the shoulder than that in the upper arm, while delay and correlation coefficient showed no difference between the regions. Here, we presented a conclusive map of the vibrotactile sense of the healthy upper limb. These data give an overview of the sensory bandwidth that can be achieved with vibrotactile stimulation at the arm and may help in the design of vibrotactile feedback interfaces (displays) for the hand/arm/shoulder-region.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2020-06-29
• Study Completion: 2021-07-23
• Results First Posted: 2022-10-28
• Last Update Posted: 19 August 2024

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Complete
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 21

Inclusion Criteria

Upper-limb amputees, brachial plexus injured subject subjects suffering chronic regional pain syndrome and volunteering healthy subjects aged between 18 and 80 years will be included in the study. No gender preference is applied. The subject has to have legal capacity to give the consent at his/her own will.

Exclusion Criteria

• Diabetes mellitus
• Delicate skin conditions or skin lesions
• Polyneuropathy
• Pregnancy
• Current immunosuppressive treatment
• Addictive behavior defined as the abuse of cannabis, opioids or other drugs
• Carrier of infectious diseases
• Inability to cooperate

Study & Design

• Study Type: observational
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Following outcome measures will be captured:<br>• Sensation threshold (ST) <br>• Discomfort threshold (DT)<br>• Just noticeable difference (JND)<br>• Two-Point-Discrimination (TPD)<br>• Tactile stimulation bandwidth (TSB)<br>• Pain quality and condition history<br><br>These will be evaluated in four experimental sessions (3 hours each), in laboratory conditions.