The Influence of Cortical Lateralization on Selective Motor Control of the Arm Swing During Independent Walking After Stroke.
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Walking on a treadmill.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Healthy, Stroke. Basic parameters: 18 years — 70 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Belgium
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Overview
The upper limbs play an essential role for safe and efficient walking in healthy persons and persons post-stroke. Nevertheless, in current post-stroke gait rehabilitation (research) the upper limbs are barely targeted. To address this gap, my project aims to investigate the selective motor control of the upper limbs during walking and the contribution of the cortical activity to the arm swing in independent walkers after stroke. To gain insight in the direct effects of stroke on the arm swing, the primary motor control of the arm swing will be evaluated by determining muscle synergies (i.e group of muscles working together as a task-specific functional unit). Additionally, the cortical activity (EEG-analysis) during walking of persons post-stroke will be compared to healthy controls and the relationship between stroke-induced changes in cortical activity and arm swing deviations will be assessed. Furthermore, I will evaluate whether improvements in cortical activity relate to improvements in primary motor control of the arm swing. This innovative project will be the first to investigate the direct coupling between the cortex and the muscle synergies in persons post-stroke during independent walking to investigate the arm swing. These fundamental insights in the primary motor control of the arm swing and the contribution of the cortical activity will allow to develop targeted interventions aiming to improve arm swing and as such optimize post-stroke gait rehabilitation. Research questions: 1. How can muscle synergies explain arm swing alterations in independent walkers after stroke? 2. How do stroke-induced changes in cortical activity relate to arm swing deviations in persons after stroke? 3. Are changes in primary motor control of the upper limb during walking related to normalization of brain activity in independent walkers after stroke?
Interventions
- Other Walking on a treadmill
Participants have to walk without holding handrails and without bodyweight support for at least 200 gait cycles. They are asked to walk at comfortable walking speed while watching forward to a screen without virtual reality projection. Arm should be next to the body to allow arm swing if possible.
Primary outcome measures
- Number of muscle synergies [Time frame: Single point of assessment at inclusion]
- Number of muscle synergies [Time frame: Single point of assessment 3 months after inclusion (only for stroke survivors)]
- Weight of muscle synergies [Time frame: Single point of assessment at inclusion]
- Weight of muscle synergies [Time frame: Single point of assessment 3 months after inclusion (only for stroke survivors)]
- Brain symmetry index (BSI) [Time frame: Single point of assessment at inclusion]
- Brain symmetry index (BSI) [Time frame: Single point of assessment 3 months after inclusion (only for stroke survivors)]
Secondary outcome measures (4)
- Upper limb kinematics [Time frame: Single point of assessment at inclusion]
- Upper limb kinematics [Time frame: Single point of assessment 3 months after inclusion (only for stroke survivors)]
- Cortico-synergy coherence [Time frame: Single point of assessment at inclusion]
- Cortico-synergy coherence [Time frame: Single point of assessment 3 months after inclusion (only for stroke survivors)]
Eligibility criteria
Stroke
Inclusion criteria
- First-ever and cerebral stroke
- Able to walk at least 10 minutes (FAC ≥ 3)
- Presence of upper limb paresis (NIHSS item 5a/b > 0)
Exclusion criteria
- Other neurological disorders
Healthy controls
Inclusion criteria
- Older than 18 years
- Able to walk at least 10 minutes
Exlusion criteria:
- Pregnancy
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Non-randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Other
Study locations
Belgium · 1 center
- Ghent University Hospital — Ghent
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06442579 · ONZ-2024-0089 · 11PEU24N