Brain and Behavioral Responses to Backward Walking Training Post-Stroke
VA Office of Research and Development
Summary
Approximately 15,000 Veterans are hospitalized for stroke each year with new cases costing an estimated $111 million for acute inpatient, $75 million for post-acute inpatient, and $88 million for follow-up care over 6 months post-stroke. The investigators have previously established the effectiveness of a backward walking training program to improve gait and balance in post-stroke Veterans. To best serve Veterans in this era of personalized medicine, there is a current need to determine the appropriate training dose as well as which post-stroke Veterans would most benefit. This study addresses both needs as it will 1) test responses to two different doses (18 vs. 27 sessions) of backward walking training and 2) assess brain activity, measured by magnetic resonance imaging, before and after training intervention to determine its ability to predict rehabilitation response as well as brain mechanisms of behavioral change.
Description
This prospective, single-blind, randomized controlled trial will enroll individuals between 2- and 4-months post-stroke and is designed to address the study's three Specific Aims (See Figure below). The study will be approved by an ethics review board and all participants will provide written informed consent. Baseline pre-intervention assessment (Assessment A) will consist of clinical gait and balance assessments and resting state Functional Connectivity MRI and functional MRI. Brain imaging at Assessment A will test the hypotheses that rs-FC and fMRI can predict BWTraining intervention respo…