Brain Areas That Control Reaching Movements After Stroke: Task-relevant Connectivity and Movement-synchronized Brain Stimulation
VA Office of Research and Development
Summary
The purpose of this study is to use Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) while subjects are making reaching movements in a robotic arm device in order to discover how different brain areas control movement before and after stroke and when these brain areas are most sensitive to TMS.
Description
The general objective of this application is to study reorganization of network interactions following a common type of subcortical stroke (i.e. internal capsule) with mechanistic studies using noninvasive neurophysiology in humans. The goal is to obtain pilot data and to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach that combines transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with reaching in an advanced exoskeleton robot. As reaching is an essential part of many daily activities, this approach will have beneficial impacts on the quality of life of these stroke patients. The central hypothesis is tha…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 45–90 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: Inclusion Criteria (control participants): * Be 45-90 years of age * Have adequate language and neurocognitive function to participate in training and testing * Be medically stable to participate in the study * Be English speaking Inclusion Criteria (participants with stroke): * Be 45-90 years of age * Clinically defined, unilateral, hemiparetic stroke with radiologic exclusion of other possible diagnosis * Stroke onset at least 6 months before enrollment * Subcortical stroke (ex: internal capsule, deep white matter of posterior frontal lobe) * Present with mild to mode…
Interventions
- DeviceTranscranial Magnetic Stimulation
Paired pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation
Location
- VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System University Drive Division, Pittsburgh, PAPittsburgh, Pennsylvania