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Non-use After Stroke: Influence of Applied Force and Precision When Reaching With the Paretic Upper Limb

Non-use après Accident Vasculaire cérébral : Influence de la Force et de la précision du Geste à Fournir Lors Des Mouvements du Membre supérieur parétique

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04747587
Acronym
OPTISTROKE
Enrollment
53
Registered
2021-02-10
Start date
2021-05-11
Completion date
2023-04-25
Last updated
2025-12-18

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Stroke

Keywords

Non-use, Compensation, Weakness, Optimal control

Brief summary

After a stroke, 80% of patients have an upper limb deficit, limiting activity. Some develop a non-use: they can, but do not, use their paretic limb. Non-use is a general phenomenon applied to all situations where the patient applies unnecessary compensation. Several rehabilitation techniques are effective to counter non-use, but there is insufficient knowledge to choose the most suitable technique. Optimal control theory could help guide these choices. It assumes that the chosen coordination satisfies the constraints of the task (force, amplitude, tolerance) while reducing the cost of the movement. This study will assess non-use by anticipating the sensitivity to the constraints of force and precision deduced from the logic of optimal control. The study authors expect to observe a weakness effect: in a reaching task (i.e. when the person has to touch an object placed in front of them), lightening the paretic arm makes it possible to reduce non-use, and a precision effect: in a reaching task, non-use increases with the required spatial precision.

Interventions

OTHERReaching Session

Two x 45 minutes sessions of reaching tasks. Patients in the stroke group will perform the task with the paretic arm using a weight reduction system, allowing movement in the horizontal plane. Subjects in the control group will perform the task with the randomly selected arm weighted at 80% of their maximum voluntary shoulder torque

Sponsors

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nīmes
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria specific to the stroke group: * Patient having had a 1st stroke * Patient whose stroke occurred more than a month ago. * Patient having had a supratentorial stroke * Patient able to touch the opposite knee with the paretic arm Inclusion criteria specific to the control group: * Subject who has never had a stroke * Subject without motor or orthopedic impairment of the upper limbs and in particular of the shoulder General inclusion criteria: * Subject who has given free and informed consent. * Subject who signed the consent form. * Subject affiliated or beneficiary of a health insurance plan.

Exclusion criteria

* Pregnant, parturient or breastfeeding subject. * The subject is participating in a category 1 interventional study, or is in a period of exclusion determined by a previous study * The subject refuses to sign the consent * It is impossible to give the subject informed information * The patient is under safeguard of justice or state guardianship * Patient with cognitive disorders incompatible with a good understanding of the use of the device * Patient with other neurological or osteoarticular history that may limit the performance of the task - criterion left to the deiscretion of the investigator

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Evaluate the modifications of the proximal non-use after stroke on the paretic side according to the extent of force constraintInclusionProximal Arm Non Use (PANU) score (%): A significant PANU (\> 7.5%) indicates non-use

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Evaluate the modifications of the proximal non-use in the control subjects according to the constraints of force or precisionInclusionPANU score (%) of force and precision
Evaluate the level of neuromuscular activation during reachingInclusion% Voluntary Maximum Contraction (VMC) of anterior and intermediate part of the deltoid, biceps brachii and pectoralis major
Model the constraints and costs explaining non-use patient by patient, to distinguish between physiological and psycho-behavioral non-useInclusionWeight-over-force ratio of the arm (Ratio between 0 & + ∞)
Evaluate the modifications of the proximal non-use after stroke on the paretic side according to the precision requiredInclusionPANU score (%): Physiological non-use considered as a decrease in PANU due to to the increase in the size of the target; A psychological non-use considered as absence of decrease in PANU, regardless of the condition
Intensity of arm deficitInclusionFugl-Meyer Upper Extremity score ) (score between 0 and 66)
height of the targetInclusionEvaluate changes in the proximal non-use after stroke on the paretic side according to the height of the target to be reached with PANU score (%) : A significant PANU (\> 7.5%) indicates non-use
Time since stroke (acute, subacute or chronic phase)Inclusionmonths

Countries

France

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026