Augmenting Kinesthetic Feedback to Improve Hemiparetic Arm Control After Stroke
Supplementing or augmenting sensory information to those who have lost proprioception after stroke could help improve functional control of the arm. Thirty subjects will be recruited to a single site to evaluate the ability of supplemental kinesthetic feedback (a form of vibrotactile stimulation) to improve motor function. Participants will be tested in performing reaching movements as well as more functional tasks such as simulated drinking from a glass
• stroke survivors who can perform our stabilization and grip modulation tasks and who
• had a single ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in the chronic state of recovery (\> 6 months post-stroke).
• ability to give informed consent and be able to follow two-stage instructions.
• mild-to-moderate motor impairment as assessed using the upper extremity (UE) portion of the Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment (FM); i.e., UE-FM score between 28 and 50 (inclusive) out of a possible 66.
• proprioceptive deficit at the elbow in the more involved (contralesional) arm.
• preserved tactile sensation in either the ipsilesional arm and/or thigh.
• a minimal active wrist extension of 5°.