The Role of Auditory Feedback in Guiding Upper Extremity Movements

Not Applicable

• Conditions: Stroke
• Interventions: Behavioral: Auditory Feedback 100%; Behavioral: Auditory Feedback 50% alternate

• Registration Number: NCT02100306
• Lead Sponsor: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Brief Summary

Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability, with an estimated prevalence of 50,000 cases per year in Canada. Less than half of stroke patients regain use of their arm and hand. There is currently no intervention regime that is the gold standard, despite the variety of therapeutic techniques used to treat the upper extremity post-stroke. The use of external feedback to improve motor learning is a technique that has been less studied but shows promise. Therefore, the purpose of this proof of principle study it to test whether different auditory feedback frequencies can facilitate reaching ability in people with stroke. In addition brain scans will be collected that will enable us to determine how stroke severity may impact on one's ability to improve with this technique.

We hypothesize that patients who receive less feedback (50% alternate) will have enhanced learning relative to the patients who receive more feedback (100%).

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2014-03
• Study First Submitted: 2014-03-14
• Study First Submitted QC: 2014-03-26
• Last Update Submitted: 2014-03-26
• Study First Posted: 2014-03-31
• Last Update Posted: 2014-03-31
• Study Start: 2014-05
• Primary Completion: 2015-09
• Study Completion: 2015-09

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: UNKNOWN
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 26

Inclusion Criteria

• Unilateral first time MCA ischemic stroke
• Stroke patients should have some movement of shoulder/elbow (no movement of hand - e.g. hand, fingers - is OK)
• > 2 months post
• between 30-85 years

Exclusion Criteria

• prior stroke
• severe comprehension (or cognitive) deficit that compromises informed consent or understanding of instructions
• contraindications to MRI (e.g. claustrophobia, metal implants)
• neurodegenerative or psychiatric disease
• apraxia
• auditory deficits that would impair testing
• prior musculoskeletal injury to back or upper extremity (including shoulder subluxation from stroke)
• skin conditions that would preclude taping of goniometers

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Patients	Auditory Feedback 100%	Patients will receive: Auditory Feedback 100% Auditory Feedback 50% alternate
Patients	Auditory Feedback 50% alternate	Patients will receive: Auditory Feedback 100% Auditory Feedback 50% alternate

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in movement error from baseline	participants will be followed for the duration of the study, an expected 3 hours per day for 2 weeks (5 days per week/10 days total)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in range of motion	participants will be followed for the duration of the study, an expected 3 hours per day for 2 weeks (5 days per week/10 days total)
Change in movement duration	participants will be followed for the duration of the study, an expected 3 hours per day for 2 weeks (5 days per week/10 days total)

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre; 🇨🇦 Toronto, Ontario, Canada