Sensory-Motor Relationship in Unilateral CP

February 17, 2026 updated by: Birkan Sonel Tur, Ankara University

The Relationship Between Sensory Impairments and Upper Extremity Motor Functions in Children With Unilateral Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is characterized by many problems related to brain damage. One of these is sensory impairment. Sensory impairments in CP patients can also occur together with motor functions. Detecting sensory impairments (two-point discrimination, vibration, joint position sense, thermal sensation, stereognosis, graphesthesia) in the arm, forearm, and hand (upper extremity) in CP patients and investigating their relationship with motor functions is important. The aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between upper extremity sensory impairments and motor functions in patients diagnosed with unilateral (affecting one half of the body) CP.

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.

Detailed Description

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between sensory impairments and upper extremity motor functions in patients with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP). It will be planned as a cross-sectional study. The study will include 55 unilateral CP patients and 55 healthy volunteers. Sensory functions evaluated include two-point discrimination, joint position sense, vibration sense, thermal sense, stereognosis, and graphesthesia. Motor functions will be assessed using the Gross Motor Functional Classification System (GMFSS), Hand Skills Classification System (ESCS), Abilhand-Kids scale, Box and Block test, and Nine Hole Peg test. The relationship between sensory parameters and motor functions will be investigated.

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.
Observational

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.
110

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

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

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Children with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP) who meet the inclusion criteria and who apply to the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department Clinic or Outpatient Clinic of Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, as well as healthy volunteers, will be included in the study.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Children aged 15 with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP)
  • Being between Gross Motor Functional Classification System I-IV
  • Not having undergone surgery or botulinum toxin application to the affected upper extremity in the last 6 months
  • Understanding what is said and being able to follow commands
  • The patient or their relatives having completed an informed consent form

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Having a neurological disease affecting the motor and sensory system other than cerebral palsy
  • The participant having a dermatological, vascular, or orthopedic problem in the upper extremity that would prevent assessment
  • Having uncorrected vision and hearing problems
  • Having autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
  • Having insufficient intelligence level

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Patient Group
Children aged 6-15 with unilateral (hemiplegic) cerebral palsy
Healthy Group
Healthy children aged 6-15

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
Sensory Function:Two-point discrimination
Time Frame: Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
Two-point discrimination is defined as the ability to distinguish between two simultaneous points of touch, which is most acute in areas of the skin with a high density of touch receptors, such as the fingers and face. The test will be performed using a discriminator device called an esthesiometer.
Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
Sensory Function:Joint position sense
Time Frame: Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
Joint position sense is the ability to detect body segment position in space and is commonly used to represent proprioceptive performance.
Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
Sensory Function:Vibration
Time Frame: Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
Assessment of vibration sense is the best clinical test of the dorsal column pathway. A low-frequency (128 Hz) tuning fork is applied to bony prominences and the patient (with closed eyes) is asked to report when the vibration starts and stops.
Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
Sensory Function:thermal sense
Time Frame: Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
The volunteer's upper extremity is successively touched with tubes filled with hot and cold water, and the volunteer is asked to respond as hot or cold. Thermal sensation is recorded as 'preserved', 'impaired', or 'unable to assess'.
Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
Sensory Function:Stereognosis
Time Frame: Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
Without visual or auditory cues, objects are placed in a sequence, and the child is asked to grasp them and identify the name of the object. Each object is awarded '1' point for being correctly identified, and '0' points for not identifying it. Scores ranging from 0 to 6 are recorded.
Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
Sensory Function:Graphesthesia
Time Frame: Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
Six different drawings-letters, numbers, circles, and vertical lines-are made on the palm of the volunteer's hand using a blunt pencil, without any visual or auditory stimuli. Each correct drawing earns '1' point, and each incorrect drawing earns '0' points. Scores ranging from 0 to 6 are recorded.
Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
Motor Function: Gross Motor Functional Classification System
Time Frame: Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
This classification system consists of 5 levels.
Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
Motor Function: Hand Skills Classification System
Time Frame: Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
This classification system consists of 5 levels.
Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
Motor Function: Abilhand-Kids Scale
Time Frame: Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
Twenty-one daily activities were evaluated. Participants were asked to rate an activity-which the child attempted to perform independently using both upper extremities-on a scale of 0-42 points.
Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
Motor Function: Nine Hole Peg Test
Time Frame: Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
The Nine Hole Peg Test was developed to measure finger dexterity, also known as fine manual dexterity. The test consists of a wooden board with nine holes and nine small sticks designed to be inserted into those holes. The participant is asked to take the sticks from the box one by one with the hand being tested and insert them into the holes as quickly as possible; then, they must remove the sticks one by one and return them to the box.
Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
Motor Function: Box and Block Test
Time Frame: Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)
The Box and Block Test (BBT) measures unilateral gross manual dexterity. Participants are given 60 seconds to move wooden blocks by hand to the opposite compartment as quickly as possible. At the end of 60 seconds, the number of wooden blocks transferred to the opposite compartment is noted.
Single assessment at baseline (cross-sectional evaluation)

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.
Ankara University

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: Birkan Sonel Tur, Professor, Ankara University, Faculty of Medicine

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 1, 2024

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.
November 30, 2025

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.
November 30, 2025

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).
January 27, 2026

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.
February 17, 2026

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.
February 24, 2026

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.
February 24, 2026

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.
February 17, 2026

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.
February 1, 2026

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.
  • İ07-512-24

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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