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Effects of Intensive Training on Reocvery of Fingers Dexterity Following Stroke

Phase 1
Recruiting
Conditions
Stroke
Interventions
Combination Product: Intensive Finger Individuation Therapy
Combination Product: Intensive non-directed finger movement therapy
Registration Number
NCT04229329
Lead Sponsor
Loewenstein Hospital
Brief Summary

The investigators aim to test whether intensive training of finger individuation during the sensitive window of the subacute phases can lead to a clinically-meaningful recovery of dexterous movement in stroke patients.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
70
Inclusion Criteria
  • First symptomatic ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke
  • Clinically evident upper-limb motor deficit
  • Understand the study aim, is able to cooperate with the task for the specified time
  • Clinically stable
Exclusion Criteria
  • Other neurological or psychiatric illness which affects upper-limb motor function
  • An orthopedic or rheumatologic disease that affects the ability to undergo a robotic hand therapy.
  • Sensory problems that prevent the patient from reporting pain during the robotic hand therapy
  • Skin breakdown or wounds located in places where the hand contacts the robot.
  • Patients with C/I to TMS (history of seizures, the existence of cardiac pacer, VP shunt, spinal stimulator or any other hardware that may malfunction at the presence of strong magnetic fields) will no undergo TMS but may participate in the study
  • Participation in another interventional study for upper limb rehabilitation

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
InterventionIntensive Finger Individuation TherapyThe patient hand will be restrained to a robotic arm AMADEO(TM) which enables the measurement and manipulation of forces at each finger individually. After appropriate calibration, the force measurements obtained from the robot will be used to move a cursor on the screen. The patient will be rewarded visually and auditory when a higher degree of finger individuation will be measured. Specifically, when the applied force of the instructed fingers hit the predefined force target and at the same, the force in the non-instructed fingers stay as low as possible
ControlIntensive non-directed finger movement therapyThe patient hand will be restrained to a robotic arm AMADEO(TM) which enables the measurement and manipulation of forces at each finger individually. After appropriate calibration, the force measurements obtained from the robot will be used to move a cursor on the screen. The patient will be rewarded in a way that is unrelated to the degree of individuation. In other words, a successful trial considered when the applied force of the instructed fingers hits the predefined force target regardless of the force exerted in the non-instructed fingers.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in Fugl-Meyer Assessment Score for Upper Extremity at the immediate post-intervention timeChange from Baseline Score at 1-3 days post-intervention

A Likert-scale that quantifies movement quality, sensation, range of motion and pain in the upper limb following stroke. Range: 0 - 66. Higher values correlate with better motor control.

Change in Fugl-Meyer Assessment Score for Upper Extermity at 3-month post-interventionChange from Baseline Score at 3 month post-intervention

A Likert-scale that quantifies movement quality, sensation, range of motion and pain in the upper limb following stroke. Range: 0 - 66. Higher values correlate with better motor control.

Change in Individuation Index at 1-month post-interventionChange from Baseline Score at 1-month post-intervention

The relationship between forces (in Newton) in the active vs. passive fingers during a set of isolated finger movements. Higher numbers correlate with better finger-joint individuation, thus better dexterity.

Change in Fugl-Meyer Assessment Score for Upper Extermity at 1-month post-interventionChange from Baseline Score at 1 month post-intervention

A Likert-scale that quantifies movement quality, sensation, range of motion and pain in the upper limb following stroke. Range: 0 - 66. Higher values correlate with better motor control.

Change in Individuation Index at 3-month post-interventionChange from Baseline Score at 3-month post-intervention

The relationship between forces (in Newton) in the active vs. passive fingers during a set of isolated finger movements. Higher numbers correlate with better finger-joint individuation, thus better dexterity.

Change in Individuation Index at the immediate post-intervention timeChange from Baseline Score at 1-3 days post-intervention

The relationship between forces (in Newton) in the active vs. passive fingers during a set of isolated finger movements. Higher numbers correlate with better finger-joint individuation, thus better dexterity.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Arm Research Action Test (ARAT) Score at the immediate post-intervention timeChange from Baseline Score at 1-3 days post-intervention

Time and quality of performance of 19 items mimicking activity of daily living, are measured. Tange: 0 - 57. Higher values correlate with better motor control.

Change in M1 MEP (motor evoked potentials) amplitude at immediate post-intervention timeChange from Baseline Score at 1-3 days post-intervention

Stimulation of the ipsilesional M1 will be done (using either figure-of-eight, H- or dual-H rotational field coil) connected to TMS to elicit motor-evoked potential (MEP) of the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle of the right hand, recorded with an EMG electrode. The peak-to-peak time will be computed off-line using MATLAB software. Higher MEP amplitudes correlate with higher cortico-spinal integrity.

Change in M1 MEP (motor evoked potentials) amplitude at 1-month post-interventionChange from Baseline Score at 1-month post-intervention

Stimulation of the ipsilesional M1 will be done (using either figure-of-eight, H- or dual-H rotational field coil) connected to TMS to elicit motor-evoked potential (MEP) of the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle of the right hand, recorded with an EMG electrode. The peak-to-peak time will be computed off-line using MATLAB software. Higher MEP amplitudes correlate with higher cortico-spinal integrity.

Change in MEP (motor evoked potentials) amplitude at 3-months post-interventionChange from Baseline Score at 3-months post-intervention

Stimulation of the ipsilesional M1 will be done (using either figure-of-eight, H- or dual-H rotational field coil) connected to TMS to elicit motor-evoked potential (MEP) of the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle of the right hand, recorded with an EMG electrode. The peak-to-peak time will be computed off-line using MATLAB software. Higher MEP amplitudes correlate with higher cortico-spinal integrity.

Arm Research Action Test (ARAT) Score at at 3-month post-interventionChange from Baseline Score at 3-month post-intervention

Time and quality of performance of 19 items mimicking activity of daily living, are measured. Range: 0 - 57. Higher values correlate with better motor control.

Arm Research Action Test (ARAT) Score at at 1-month post-interventionChange from Baseline Score at 1-month post-intervention

Time and quality of performance of 19 items mimicking activity of daily living, are measured. Range: 0 - 57. Higher values correlate with better motor control.

Change in extent of SICI (short-interval cortical inhibition) at the immediate post-intervention timeChange from Baseline Score at 1-3 days post-intervention

Single test pulses, conditioning pulses (five of each) and paired pulses (five pairs) at an inter-stimuli-interval (ISI) of 2 ms will be delivered to the motor cortex of both hemispheres. The intensity of the conditioning stimulus will be set at 80% of the subject's resting motor threshold (MT). The intensity of the test pulse will be 110% of the resting MT. The SICI will be measured as the reduction in conditioned MEPs relative to baseline MEPs. Higher SICI correlates with increased inhibitory activity of the motor cortex.

Change in extent of SICI (short-interval cortical inhibition) at 1-month post-interventionChange from Baseline Score at 1-month post-intervention

Single test pulses, conditioning pulses (five of each) and paired pulses (five pairs) at an inter-stimuli-interval (ISI) of 2 ms will be delivered to the motor cortex of both hemispheres. The intensity of the conditioning stimulus will be set at 80% of the subject's resting motor threshold (MT). The intensity of the test pulse will be 110% of the resting MT. The SICI will be measured as the reduction in conditioned MEPs relative to baseline MEPs. Higher SICI correlates with increased inhibitory activity of the motor cortex.

Change in extent of SICI (short-interval cortical inhibition) at 3-months post-interventionChange from Baseline Score at 3-months post-intervention

Single test pulses, conditioning pulses (five of each) and paired pulses (five pairs) at an inter-stimuli-interval (ISI) of 2 ms will be delivered to the motor cortex of both hemispheres. The intensity of the conditioning stimulus will be set at 80% of the subject's resting motor threshold (MT). The intensity of the test pulse will be 110% of the resting MT. The SICI will be measured as the reduction in conditioned MEPs relative to baseline MEPs. Higher SICI correlates with increased inhibitory activity of the motor cortex.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Loewenstein Rehabilitation Center

🇮🇱

Raanana, Israel

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