None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
77% people demonstrate arm motor impairment following stroke, making everyday tasks like using a knife and fork, and doing up buttons, impossible for many. Around 67% of these people also experience impairment in their ability to sense touch and know where their limbs are in space. This project consists of training both movement and sensation with the aim of improving arm function for stroke survivors. This study will determine whether it is beneficial to deliberately do sensory and motor training together. If effective, the widespread implementation of COMPOSE training could potentially increase upper limb function of stroke participants worldwide, improving quality of life and capacity to to return to work, leisure and family roles. Participants will attend the Hunter Medical Research Institute in Newcastle for 4 sessions of measurements over 2 weeks, 10 sessions of treatment over 3 weeks, 1 measurement session immediately after the 3-weeks intervention and after 1-month.
Interventions
COMPOSE intervention consists of sensorimotor training tasks with graded progression of difficulty (progressing from easy to more difficult discriminations) within each specific parameter in order to challenge the system and encourage neural plastic changes in interconnected networks. Parameters include motor parameters (distance, speed, and object size) and sensory parameters (surface hardness, surface texture and surface friction). The intervention phase consists of 10 treatment sessions of
COMPOSE intervention consists of sensorimotor training tasks with graded progression of difficulty (progressing from easy to more difficult discriminations) within each specific parameter in order to challenge the system and encourage neural plastic changes in interconnected networks. Parameters include motor parameters (distance, speed, and object size) and sensory parameters (surface hardness, surface texture and surface friction). The intervention phase consists of 10 treatment sessions of COMPoSE intervention (each 1.5 hour) over a period of 3 weeks. 4 treatment sessions will be delivered in week 1 and 3 treatment sessions in week 2 and 3. Treatment will be provided by a physiotherapist at the Hunter Medical Research Institute, NSW Australia.
Sponsors
University of Newcastle
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
The participants will be included if: they are adults aged 18+ years, having a confirmed diagnosis of stroke (haemorrhagic or ischaemic); 2) they have sufficient voluntary muscle contraction in the paretic upper limb to reach forward and generate the beginning of prehension; and they have either or both of 3) they have remaining upper limb movement deficit defined as being unable to pick up a 6mm ball bearing from the table top between index finger and thumb, and place it on a shelf 37 cm above table (item from Action research Arm test) or 4) they have somatosensory impairment in the upper limb identified by any of the following: the texture discrimination tests (Tactile Discrimination Test and Fabric Matching Test), limb position sense (Wrist Position Sense or Test) and tactile object recognition (functional Tactile Object Recognition Test); 5) they have no obvious motor dyspraxia as assessed by ability to imitate a reaching movement with the non-paretic upper limb; 7) they are able, prior to the stroke, to use the paretic upper limb to lift a cup and drink from it; 8) able to follow a 1-stage command i.e. sufficient cognitive ability for interventions in this trial.
Exclusion criteria
Participants will be excluded if they have: 1) a prior history of central nervous system dysfunction other than stroke; 2) upper limb deficits resulting from non-stroke pathology;3) any peripheral neuropathy and 4) moderate to severe receptive aphasia (<10 on ‘receptive skills’ of Sheffield Screening Test for Acquired Language Disorders).
Outcome results
None listed