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Author Banina, M.C.; Molad, R.; Solomon, J.S.; Berman, S.; Soroker, N.; Frenkel-Toledo, S.; Liebermann, D.G.; Levin, M.F.
Title Exercise intensity of the upper limb can be enhanced using a virtual rehabilitation system Type (up) Journal Article
Year 2020 Publication Disability and Rehabilitation. Assistive Technology Abbreviated Journal Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol
Volume Issue Pages 1-7
Keywords Stroke; difficulty; exercise therapy; intensity; personalized exercise; upper limb; virtual reality
Abstract Purpose: Motor recovery of the upper limb (UL) is related to exercise intensity, defined as movement repetitions divided by minutes in active therapy, and task difficulty. However, the degree to which UL training in virtual reality (VR) applications deliver intense and challenging exercise and whether these factors are considered in different centres for people with different sensorimotor impairment levels is not evidenced. We determined if (1) a VR programme can deliver high UL exercise intensity in people with sub-acute stroke across different environments and (2) exercise intensity and difficulty differed among patients with different levels of UL sensorimotor impairment.Methods: Participants with sub-acute stroke (<6 months) with Fugl-Meyer scores ranging from 14 to 57, completed 10 approximately 50-min UL training sessions using three unilateral and one bilateral VR activity over 2 weeks in centres located in three countries. Training time, number of movement repetitions, and success rates were extracted from game activity logs. Exercise intensity was calculated for each participant, related to UL impairment, and compared between centres.Results: Exercise intensity was high and was progressed similarly in all centres. Participants had most difficulty with bilateral and lateral reaching activities. Exercise intensity was not, while success rate of only one unilateral activity was related to UL severity.Conclusion: The level of intensity attained with this VR exercise programme was higher than that reported in current stroke therapy practice. Although progression through different activity levels was similar between centres, clearer guidelines for exercise progression should be provided by the VR application.Implications for rehabilitationVR rehabilitation systems can be used to deliver intensive exercise programmes.VR rehabilitation systems need to be designed with measurable progressions through difficulty levels.
Address Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal (CRIR), Feil and Oberfeld Research Centre, Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital, Laval, Canada
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1748-3107 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:32421460 Approved no
Call Number Serial 106
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Author Lackritz, H.; Parmet, Y.; Frenkel-Toledo, S.; Banina, M.C.; Soroker, N.; Solomon, J.M.; Liebermann, D.G.; Levin, M.F.; Berman, S.
Title Effect of post-stroke spasticity on voluntary movement of the upper limb Type (up) Journal Article
Year 2021 Publication Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation Abbreviated Journal J Neuroeng Rehabil
Volume 18 Issue 1 Pages 81
Keywords Gaussian mixture model; Hellinger's distance; Hemiparesis; Kinematics; Kullback-Liebler divergence; Spasticity; Stochastic model; Stroke
Abstract BACKGROUND: Hemiparesis following stroke is often accompanied by spasticity. Spasticity is one factor among the multiple components of the upper motor neuron syndrome that contributes to movement impairment. However, the specific contribution of spasticity is difficult to isolate and quantify. We propose a new method of quantification and evaluation of the impact of spasticity on the quality of movement following stroke. METHODS: Spasticity was assessed using the Tonic Stretch Reflex Threshold (TSRT). TSRT was analyzed in relation to stochastic models of motion to quantify the deviation of the hemiparetic upper limb motion from the normal motion patterns during a reaching task. Specifically, we assessed the impact of spasticity in the elbow flexors on reaching motion patterns using two distinct measures of the 'distance' between pathological and normal movement, (a) the bidirectional Kullback-Liebler divergence (BKLD) and (b) Hellinger's distance (HD). These measures differ in their sensitivity to different confounding variables. Motor impairment was assessed clinically by the Fugl-Meyer assessment scale for the upper extremity (FMA-UE). Forty-two first-event stroke patients in the subacute phase and 13 healthy controls of similar age participated in the study. Elbow motion was analyzed in the context of repeated reach-to-grasp movements towards four differently located targets. Log-BKLD and HD along with movement time, final elbow extension angle, mean elbow velocity, peak elbow velocity, and the number of velocity peaks of the elbow motion were computed. RESULTS: Upper limb kinematics in patients with lower FMA-UE scores (greater impairment) showed greater deviation from normality when the distance between impaired and normal elbow motion was analyzed either with the BKLD or HD measures. The severity of spasticity, reflected by the TSRT, was related to the distance between impaired and normal elbow motion analyzed with either distance measure. Mean elbow velocity differed between targets, however HD was not sensitive to target location. This may point at effects of spasticity on motion quality that go beyond effects on velocity. CONCLUSIONS: The two methods for analyzing pathological movement post-stroke provide new options for studying the relationship between spasticity and movement quality under different spatiotemporal constraints.
Address The Zlotowski Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. sigalbe@bgu.ac.il
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1743-0003 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:33985543 Approved no
Call Number Serial 108
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Author Lowenthal-Raz, J.; Liebermann, D.G.; Friedman, J.; Soroker, N.
Title Kinematic descriptors of arm reaching movement are sensitive to hemisphere-specific immediate neuromodulatory effects of transcranial direct current stimulation post stroke Type (up) Journal Article
Year 2024 Publication Scientific Reports Abbreviated Journal Sci Rep
Volume 14 Issue 1 Pages 11971
Keywords Humans; *Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation/methods; Male; Female; Middle Aged; *Stroke/physiopathology/therapy; Biomechanical Phenomena; Aged; *Arm/physiopathology; *Movement/physiology; *Stroke Rehabilitation/methods; Single-Blind Method; Cross-Over Studies
Abstract Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) exerts beneficial effects on motor recovery after stroke, presumably by enhancement of adaptive neural plasticity. However, patients with extensive damage may experience null or deleterious effects with the predominant application mode of anodal (excitatory) stimulation of the damaged hemisphere. In such cases, excitatory stimulation of the non-damaged hemisphere might be considered. Here we asked whether tDCS exerts a measurable effect on movement quality of the hemiparetic upper limb, following just a single treatment session. Such effect may inform on the hemisphere that should be excited. Using a single-blinded crossover experimental design, stroke patients and healthy control subjects were assessed before and after anodal, cathodal and sham tDCS, each provided during a single session of reaching training (repeated point-to-point hand movement on an electronic tablet). Group comparisons of endpoint kinematics at baseline-number of peaks in the speed profile (NoP; smoothness), hand-path deviations from the straight line (SLD; accuracy) and movement time (MT; speed)-disclosed greater NoP, larger SLD and longer MT in the stroke group. NoP and MT revealed an advantage for anodal compared to sham stimulation of the lesioned hemisphere. NoP and MT improvements under anodal stimulation of the non-lesioned hemisphere correlated positively with the severity of hemiparesis. Damage to specific cortical regions and white-matter tracts was associated with lower kinematic gains from tDCS. The study shows that simple descriptors of movement kinematics of the hemiparetic upper limb are sensitive enough to demonstrate gain from neuromodulation by tDCS, following just a single session of reaching training. Moreover, the results show that tDCS-related gain is affected by the severity of baseline motor impairment, and by lesion topography.
Address Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. nachum@soroker.online
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2045-2322 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:38796610; PMCID:PMC11127956 Approved no
Call Number Serial 125
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