Examining How Motor Rehabilitation Promotes Brain Reorganization Following Stroke, an MRI Study

March 22, 2023 updated by: Yousef Hannawi, Ohio State University

Examining Mechanisms of Neuroplasticity Following Motor Rehabilitation in Stroke

Constraint-induced movement therapy (CI therapy) is a highly efficacious treatment for residual motor disability in chronic stroke. Its effectiveness is believed to be due, at least in part, to the therapy's ability to aid the brain in "rewiring itself." For example, CI therapy produces increases in the amount of grey matter (the parts of the brain where neuron cell bodies are most closely clustered) in certain areas of the human brain (Gauthier et al., 2008). The cellular and molecular mechanisms that are responsible for this increase in grey matter volume are not known, however. Thus, it is unclear how the therapy helps brains "rewire" themselves. This study aims to better understand the timecourse and cellular/molecular nature of brain changes during CI therapy. Because there is currently no way to directly measure cellular/molecular changes in the brain noninvasively, this study will infer what is happening on a microstructural level using new MRI techniques (three dimensional pictures of the brain). For example, by charting the timecourse of grey matter changes during CI therapy, and cross-comparing this to what is known about the timecourses of different cellular/molecular processes, the investigators can gain a greater understanding of what cellular processes may be responsible for increases in grey matter. The investigators will gain additional information about which cellular processes are important for rehabilitation-induced improvement by measuring larger-scale changes (e.g., amount of blood flow through different brain areas) that accompany cellular changes. The investigators are hopeful that by better understanding how CI therapy can change the brain, the effectiveness of rehabilitation can be improved upon. For example, insight into the mechanisms of rehabilitation-induced brain change may suggest particular drug targets to increase brain plasticity. This study will help us better understand how the brain repairs itself after injury.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

31

Phase

  • 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

  • United States
    • Ohio
      • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43210
        • The Ohio State University

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Males or females 18 years of age and over
  • Experienced a stroke resulting in mild to moderate hemiparesis (some residual motor function, e.g. able to pick up a washcloth placed flat on a table) at least 6 months prior to enrollment. Suggested active range of motion criteria for this level of impairment include: 45° shoulder abduction and flexion, 20° elbow extension, 20° wrist extension, and 10° extension of thumb and fingers.
  • Preserved ability to comprehend and participate in basic elements of the therapy

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Concurrent participation in other experimental trials for treatment of motor dysfunction
  • Having received botulinum toxin injection within the past 3 months
  • Previous intensive rehabilitation in the chronic phase post-stroke
  • Serious/uncontrolled medical problems (e.g., dementia, severe pain, end-stage or degenerative diseases)
  • Kidney disease as evidenced by eGFR<60
  • Anemia
  • Sickle cell disease
  • History of kidney transplant
  • Other evidence/history of renal disease
  • Pregnancy
  • Implanted metallic parts of implanted electronic devices, including pacemakers, defibrillators, aneurism clip or implant medication pump that are MRI incompatible
  • An implanted brain stimulator
  • Permanent tattoo (e.g., eye liner) containing metallic coloring
  • Claustrophobia precluding MRI

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: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Immediate CI therapy
Behavioral: CI therapy
constraint induced movement therapy
Active Comparator: Delayed CI therapy
Behavioral: CI therapy
constraint induced movement therapy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Brain structure
Time Frame: Participants will be followed for 4-6 weeks. Change in brain structure at mid-treatment (after 1 week of CI therapy), post-treatment (after 2 weeks of therapy), and at 2-week follow-up will be measured.
Assessed via dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI, diffusion tensor MRI, MRI-based myelin mapping, T1-weighted MRI
Participants will be followed for 4-6 weeks. Change in brain structure at mid-treatment (after 1 week of CI therapy), post-treatment (after 2 weeks of therapy), and at 2-week follow-up will be measured.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Motor function
Time Frame: Participants will be followed for 4-6 weeks. Change in motor function at mid-treatment (after 1 week of CI therapy), post-treatment (after 2 weeks of therapy), and at 2-week follow-up will be measured.
Assessed via Wolf Motor Function Test, Action Research Arm Test, Motor Activity Log
Participants will be followed for 4-6 weeks. Change in motor function at mid-treatment (after 1 week of CI therapy), post-treatment (after 2 weeks of therapy), and at 2-week follow-up will be measured.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Ohio State University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Yousef Hannawi, MD, Ohio State University

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

July 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 30, 2017

Study Completion (Anticipated)

December 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 6, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 8, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

November 14, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 23, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 22, 2023

Last Verified

March 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 60034699

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.

Clinical Trials on Stroke

Clinical Trials on CI therapy

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Jordan

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

3
Subscribe