Robot-aided Proprioceptive Rehabilitation Training

This protocol seeks to improve proprioceptive-motor function. Proprioception refers to the perception of limb position or motion and the orientation of one's body in space. Numerous medical conditions with motor symptoms are also associated with proprioceptive loss, such as osteoarthritis, Parkinson's disease, peripheral sensory neuropathy, stroke, and developmental coordination disorder.

However, therapies to improve proprioceptive function in these populations are either non-existent or very limited in scope although it is established that proprioceptive impairments severely degrade motor function. The proposed protocol focuses on proprioception for fine motor function of the hand/wrist joint complex, because hand/wrist motor control is highly important for activities of daily living.

The specific aims are to determine if a 2-day wrist proprioceptive training:

• improves limb position sense acuity,
• improves the spatial precision of wrist/hand motor tasks,
• increases the efficiency of performing such motor tasks,
• is associated with neural changes in cortical processing as measured by short-latency somatosensory evoke potentials (SEP) and motor evoked potentials (MEP) using transcranial magnetic stimulation.

The study follows a crossover design with two arms and two groups. Time frame for the completion of the study is up to 7 days depending on the start day of the week (Monday through Friday). No testing will occur on the weekend.

Group 1 will have the following time frame: Day 1: pre-test (approx. 3 hrs.) and training intervention (approx. 30 min.). Day 2: training intervention (approx. 30 min.) and post-test 1 (approx. 3 hrs.). Days 3-6: Usual care (min. of 2 days required). Days 5-7: Post-test 2 (depending on the start day of the week, it is either Day 5,6, or 7).

Group 2 will have the following time frame: Day 1: pre-test 1 (approx. 3 hrs.). Days 2-4: Usual care (min. of 2 days required). Days 4-6: pre-test 2 (approx. 3 hrs.) and training intervention (approx. 30 min.). Days 5-7: Training intervention and post-test 1 (depending on the start day of the week, it is either Day 5,6, or 7).

For all participants (both healthy and patient populations)

Inclusion criteria

• wrist passive range of motion (ROM) more than 22.5° in flexion/extension
• sense the vibro-tactile cues on either forearms in order to effectively receive the movement-related feedback
• resist minimal resistance in gravity-eliminated position (score at least 2+/5 with the physical examination of manual muscle testing (Hislop, Avers, & Brown, 2013)) ) in all wrist movement directions.

Exclusion criteria

• Regular intake of benzodiazepines.
• Cognitive impairment: score ≥ 23 on Mini-mental state examination (Folstein, Robins & Helzer, 1983)
• Depressive symptoms: score ≤ 19 on Beck depression inventory (Beck, Steer, & Carbin,1988).

Inclusion criteria

for Stroke Subjects

• at least 3 months after stroke
• whose age are between 30 to 75 years old.

Exclusion criteria

for Subjects undergoing the TMS procedure (Rossi, Hallett, Rossini, & Pascual-Leone, 2009)

• Has implanted metal in the body.
• Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, major psychiatric conditions, epilepsy, history of seizures in the past 2 years, sleep deprivation, pregnancy, uncontrolled migraine, major traumatic head injury, severe heart disease, increased intracranial pressure, high consumption of alcohol, any conditions that predispose one to seizures
• Is currently taking any pro-epileptic medication (e.g. epileptogenic drugs such as tricyclic antidepressants)
• When no electromyography response can be elicited within the range of the TMS stimulator
• Pregnant at the time of data collection .