Improvement of Motor Imaginative Ability Through Functional Electrical Stimulation

Primary outcomes

1. Nine Hole Peg Test

   Time frame: 1 WEEK

   The Nine Hole Peg Test (NHPT) (Mathiowetz et al, 1985), consists of a manual test, in which the subject must place 9 pegs in their corresponding 9 holes, and remove them again, the variable measured being the time it takes to carry out the whole process.

2. Box and Block:

   Time frame: 1 WEEK

   The Box and Block scale is a tool with standardised dimensions and materials. It specifies that the subject should sit in front of a rectangular box with his or her hands next to it. The box is constructed of wood with a base 53.7 cm wide and 25.4 cm long; it is divided into two square compartments of 25.4 cm each side separated by a 15.2 cm high divider; both compartments are padded in order to reduce noise during testing. The test contains 150 cube-shaped wooden blocks of 2.5 cm on each side. The number of blocks the subject has carried from one compartment to the other with each hand in one minute of time is to be recorded. Higher scores indicate better manipulative skills.

3. Jamar hand-held dynamometer

   Time frame: 1 WEEK

   The Jamar hand dynamometer is used to measure grip strength in the hand, allowing the force exerted by the individual to be converted into a numerical reading. The subject is asked to grip the device and is instructed to perform the maximum sustained contraction. The force is recorded in kilograms.

4. Movement imagery Questionnaire, revisado (MIQ-RS)

   Time frame: 1 WEEK

   The MIQ-RS questionnaire (Gregg et al, 2010) consists of 2 subscales, one visual and one kinaesthetic, of 7 items each, each item being scored on a 7-point Likert scale (the higher the score, the easier it is to imagine). For all items, the user is asked to perform a certain motor act (only once), to return to the starting position, and then to imagine it. When scoring the visual scale, the participant is asked to generate an image "as if they could see themselves" doing the gesture, while the kinaesthetic scale asks them to "recall the sensation of the movement".

   The administration manual specifies that the visual and kinaesthetic items will not be administered consecutively, but are randomly altered to avoid bias.

   The minimum values are 14, and the maximum values are 98 (minimum 7 and maximum 49 for the subscales).

5. Chronometry

   Time frame: 1 WEEK

   Chronometry is defined as the temporal congruence between an executed motor act and the same imagined act.

   In this case, the NHPT itself is proposed as the motor act executed. So, once administered to obtain the test variable (time taken to perform), the participant will be asked to imagine the performance of the test, and both measures will be timed.