Brain-behavior Associations of Sensorimotor Therapy Post Stroke

January 16, 2020 updated by: Geert Verheyden, Universitaire Ziekenhuizen KU Leuven

Behavioral and Brain Connectivity Analysis of Upper Limb Sensorimotor Rehabilitation Post Stroke: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Stroke survivors often encounter impairments in the upper limb after stroke. Sensorimotor impairments are present in 67% of the stroke patients, resulting in problems with independency and performance of activities of daily life. In addition, the pattern of recovery in the brain is still a matter of ongoing debate. Although the importance of somatosensory function on motor performance is well described, evidence for somatosensory or sensorimotor therapy and brain-related changes is scares. Therefore, we aim to explore the effect of a sensorimotor therapy compared to pure motor therapy on motor function of the upper limb. A second objective is to investigate therapy-induced brain-behavior associations using resting state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the brain.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Stroke survivors often encounter impairments in the upper limb after stroke. Sensorimotor impairments are present in 67% of the stroke patients, resulting in problems with independency and performance of activities of daily life. In addition, the pattern of recovery in the brain is still a matter of ongoing debate. Although the importance of somatosensory function on motor performance is well described, evidence for somatosensory or sensorimotor therapy and brain-related changes is scares. Therefore, will conduct a Randomized Controlled Trial with three main objectives.

The first objective of this project is to investigate the effect of sensorimotor therapy on motor function of the upper limb. To achieve this objective, a sensorimotor program will be developed based on the SENSE therapy. Patients will be randomly allocated to either the sensorimotor therapy group or the pure motor therapy group; and will receive 16 hours of therapy. Motor and Somatosensory assessments will be performed at three time points: baseline(admission to rehabilitation center), immediately after the 16 hours of therapy and after 4 weeks of follow-up.

The second objective is to investigate therapy-induced brain-behavior associations with resting state functional connectivity. In order to achieve insights in brain-behavior associations, we will perform resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scans at the same time points as the clinical assessments: baseline, immediately after the 16 hours of therapy, and four weeks after the end of the therapy. Both measurements, brain-imaging and clinical measurements will be combined to investigate the associations.

This project will lead to new insights in brain-behavior associations of sensorimotor function of the upper limb after stroke and will provide evidence for a new therapy in upper limb stroke rehabilitation.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
59

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Belgium
      • Leuven, Belgium
        • KU Leuven

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • first ever stroke as defined by the WHO (world health organisation) criteria
  • assessed and included within 8 weeks after stroke onset
  • unilateral motor impairment in the upper limb (ARAT <52/56)
  • unilateral somatosensory impairment in the upper limb (SSD <0.00)
  • minimally 18 years old
  • substantially cooperation to perform the assessments and therapy
  • written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • musculoskeletal and/or other neurological disorders such as previous stroke, head injuries, multiple sclerosis of Parkinson's disease
  • a subdural hematoma, tumor, encephalitis or trauma that lead to similar symptoms as a stroke
  • severe communication deficits
  • severe cognitive deficits
  • the presence of contra-indications for proceeding an MRI scan such as defibrillator, pacemaker or metal prosthesis ( as defined in the MRI checklist of Radiology UZ Leuven)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: sensorimotor therapy
sensorimotor therapy will consist of 30minutes of sensory discrimination training and 30 minutes of sensorimotor training per session. The sensory discrimination training is based on on the SENSe training of Carey et all. The sensorimotor training is the same individually tailored motor therapy as described below, but with integration of sensory discrimination training aspects.
Other: additional sensorimotor therapy for the upper limb
The intervention will consist of additional physiotherapy for the upper limb after stroke consisting of sensory discrimination training and sensorimotor training.
Active Comparator: motor therapy
The motor therapy consists of 30 minutes of cognitive and attention-based table top games and 30 minutes of motor training per session. The cognitive-attention-based therapy consists of table top games such as chess, rush hour, or other smart games. Individually tailored motor therapy consists of a unilateral motor exercise program for the upper limb, while seated at a table, under supervision of a therapist to match the therapy and intensity provided in the other sensorimotor therapy group. This 30 minutes of motor arm training is based on a set of standardized exercises which comprise task-related practice for gross movements and dexterity including different grips and selective finger movements, and training in daily life activities, however without any attention to sensory discrimination training.
Other: additional motor therapy for the upper limb after stroke
The intervention will consist of additional physiotherapy for the upper limb after stroke consisting of cognitive-attention based training and motor training

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Action Research Arm Test
Time Frame: within 4 months post stroke
grasp, grip, pinch and gross movement of the affected arm and hand
within 4 months post stroke

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Fugl-Meyer motor Assessment-upper Extremity
Time Frame: within 4 months post stroke
overall motor impairment of the affected upper limb: shoulder, arm, wrist , hand and fingers
within 4 months post stroke
composite standardized somatosensory deficit index
Time Frame: within 4 months post stroke
composite standardized score consisting of fabric matching test, wrist position sense test and functional tactile object recognition test
within 4 months post stroke
Erasmus modified Nottingham Sensory Assessment
Time Frame: within 4 months post stroke
light touch, pressure, sharp, sharp-dull discrimination, position sense of the arm and hand
within 4 months post stroke
Perceptual Threshold of Touch
Time Frame: within 4 months post stroke
threshold of light touch determined with Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation at the index finger.
within 4 months post stroke
Nine Hole Peg test
Time Frame: within 4 months post stroke
manual dexterity
within 4 months post stroke
Stroke Upper Limb Capacity Scale
Time Frame: within 4 months post stroke
upper limb capacity by the means of ten functional and meaningful tasks related to daily live activities
within 4 months post stroke
functional connectivity
Time Frame: within 4 months post stroke
resting-state fMRI functional connectivity between Regions of Interest of the sensorimotor network
within 4 months post stroke

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Universitaire Ziekenhuizen KU Leuven

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
KU Leuven
Research Foundation Flanders

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Geert Verheyden, KU Leuven

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 21, 2017

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2017

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 6, 2020

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 20, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 31, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 1, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
January 18, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 16, 2020

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
January 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • s60278

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

Undecided

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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