NCT01072461

Optimizing Hand Rehabilitation Post-Stroke Using Interactive Virtual Environments

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 1
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 55 (actual)
• Sponsor: New Jersey Institute of Technology · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 80 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The complexity of sensorimotor control required for hand function as well as the wide range of recovery of manipulative abilities makes rehabilitation of the hand most challenging. The investigators past work has shown that training in a virtual environment (VE) using repetitive, adaptive algorithms has the potential to be an effective rehabilitation medium to facilitate motor recovery of hand function. These findings are in accordance with current neuroscience literature in animals and motor control literature in humans. The investigators are now in a position to refine and optimize elements of the training paradigms to enhance neuroplasticity. The investigators first aim tests if and how competition among body parts for neural representations stifles functional gains from different types of training regimens. The second aim tests the functional benefits of unilateral versus bilateral training regimens.The third aim tests whether functional improvements gained from training in a virtual environment transfer to other (untrained) skills in the real world.

Detailed description

The complexity of sensorimotor control required for hand function as well as the wide range of recovery of manipulative abilities makes rehabilitation of the hand most challenging. The investigators past work has shown that training in a virtual environment (VE) using repetitive, adaptive algorithms has the potential to be an effective rehabilitation medium to facilitate motor recovery of hand function. These findings are in accordance with current neuroscience literature in animals and motor control literature in humans. The investigators are now in a position to refine and optimize elements of the training paradigms to enhance neuroplasticity. The investigators first aim tests if and how competition among body parts for neural representations stifles functional gains from different types of training regimens. The second aim tests the functional benefits of unilateral versus bilateral training regimens.The third aim tests whether functional improvements gained from training in a virtual environment transfer to other (untrained) skills in the real world.

Conditions

• Cerebrovascular Accident
• Hemiparesis
• Hemiplegia

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	HAS Training	Robotically measured and facilitated training of the hemiparetic hand and arm in isolation, in a three dimensional haptically rendered virtual environment.
BEHAVIORAL	HAT training	Robotically measured and facilitated training of the hemiparetic hand and arm as an integrated functional unit, in a three dimensional haptically rendered virtual environment
BEHAVIORAL	Bimanual Training	Robotically measured and facilitated training of the hemiparetic hand and non-hemiparetic hand together, in a three dimensional haptically rendered virtual environment

Timeline

• Start date: 2009-03-01
• Primary completion: 2013-03-01
• Completion: 2015-03-01
• First posted: 2010-02-22
• Last updated: 2015-10-07

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States