Deep Brain Stimulation Motor Ventral Thalamus (VOP/VIM) for Restoration of Speech and Upper-limb Function in People With Subcortical Stroke
Jorge Gonzalez-Martinez
Summary
The goal of this study is to verify whether the use of deep brain stimulation can improve motor function of the hand and arm and speech abilities for people following a stroke. Participants will undergo a surgical procedure to implant deep brain stimulation electrode leads. The electrodes will be connected to external stimulators and a series of experiments will be performed to identify the types of movements that the hand and arm can make and how speech abilities are affected by the stimulation. The implant will be removed after less than 30 days. Results of this study will provide the foundation for future studies evaluating the efficacy of a minimally-invasive neuro-technology that can be used in clinical neuro-rehabilitation programs to restore speech and upper limb motor functions in people with subcortical strokes, thereby increasing independence and quality of life.
Description
The study is designed to assess the assistive effects of DBS (i.e., immediate effects when the stimulation is turned ON) and obtain preliminary evidence for therapeutic effects (i.e., long-lasting effects with stimulation OFF). Researchers will 1) quantify the ability to recruit face muscles with electrical stimulation of the motor thalamus in patients with subcortical stroke, 2) quantify the ability to recruit arm and hand muscles with electrical stimulation of the motor thalamus in patients with subcortical stroke, and 3) verify if the delivery of DBS has effects on the central nervous syste…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–75 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Participants must have suffered a single, ischemic, or hemorrhagic stroke more than 6 months before the time of enrollment with dysarthria as a result. 2. Participants must be between the ages of 18 and 75 years old. (Participants outside this age range may be at an increased medical risk and have an increased risk of fatigue during testing). 3. English speaker. 4. Participant must score ≤ 80% in at least 4 categories of the perceptual speech assessment (speech intelligibility, listener effort, speech naturalness, articulatory precision, speech rate, overall voice quali…
Interventions
- DeviceDeep Brain Stimulation (DBS) of the Motor Thalamus
All participants enrolled in this group will undergo a surgical procedure to implant deep brain stimulation electrode leads. The electrodes will be connected to external stimulators and a series of experiments will be performed to identify the types of movements that the hand and arm can make and how speech abilities are affected by the stimulation. The implant will be removed after less than 30 days.
Location
- University of PittsburghPittsburgh, Pennsylvania