stroke
Conditions
Interventions
In this study subjects receive surface electrical stimulation of thumb and
finger muscles. This electrical stimulation is applied by different control
strategies. Each time a movement is performed,
Sponsors
Universiteit Twente
Eligibility
Age
18 Years to 99 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: Inclusion criteria for stroke patients are: 1. a history of a single unilateral stroke in the medial cerebral artery (MCA) region resulting in single-sided hemiparesis. 2. the onset of the stroke was more than three months ago 3. the ability to voluntarily generate 20 degrees excursions in the plane of elevation (horizontal ab-/adduction) and elevation angle (ab-/adduction, ante-/retroflexion) of the shoulder joint. 4. the ability to voluntarily generate an excursion of 20 degrees of elbow flexion/extension, 5. the ability to voluntarily extend the wrist 10 degrees from neutral flexion/extension 6. adequate cognitive function to understand the experiments, follow instructions, and give feedback to the researchers. 7. ability to decide whether or not to participate in the experiment and sign an informed consent.;Inclusion criteria for healthy elderly are: 1. ability to decide whether or not to participate in the experiment and sign an informed consent.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Exclusion criteria for both stroke patients and healthy elderly are: 1. a fixed contracture deformity in the (affected) upper limb was present 2. pain as a limiting factor for the subject's active range of motion
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The main study parameter will be ARAT scores for the selected ARAT objects (10cm cube, 2,5 cm cube, 6mm ball bearing and 1,5 cm marble). The endpoint of the study is an effective control algorithm, which is able to assist stroke patients to successfully grasp these selected ARAT objects. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Target positions on the selected ARAT objects for all fingers are estimated beforehand. These target positions are used to estimate kinematic movement errors of the hand, thumb and fingers during the grasping movements. This measure is used to evaluate the influence of different types of assistance on hand, thumb and finger movement. In addition, the effect of electrical stimulation in healthy and stroke patients will be compared. During sessions T1 and T2 forces are measured and compared to forces needed to lift the specific ARAT objects, estimated based on their weight and geometry. This measure is also used to evaluate the influence of different types of assistance on hand, thumb and finger movement. During session T2 the amount of flexor activity during hand opening/closing will be measured by EMG, to assess the amount of enlarged flexor activity in the patient group, which should be counteracted by the stimulation algorithms during hand opening. | — |
Countries
Netherlands
Outcome results
None listed