Bimanual Motor Skill Learning Through Robotics in Stroke Survivors and Healthy Individuals

Bimanual Motor Skill Learning Through Robotics in Stroke Survivors and Healthy Individuals

To test the capacity of healthy and chronic stroke patients to learn and retain a complex bimanual motor skill, trained on the neurorehabilitation robot REAplan (R) (bimanual version).

Over 3 consecutive days, healthy individuals and chronic stroke patients (1) will be evaluated and (2) will train on the neurorehabilitation robot REAplan(R).

They will practice several tasks on the robot REAplan (R) (bimanual version), requiring either movements with the affected arm (unimanual tasks) and complex, coordinated movements with both arms (bimanual tasks).

In addition, several "classical" clinical scales and tests will be used to evaluate overall motor-sensory-cognitive functions (clinical tests, questionnaires, ...).

STROKE PATIENTS :

Inclusion Criteria:

• having a chronic stroke (>6 months)
• aged 18-90 years
• with demonstrate a stroke lesion on brain imaging.

Exclusion Criteria:

• difficulty in understanding or executing commands
• drug/alcohol abuse
• severe aphasia / cognitive deficits interfering with study
• inability to voluntarily move the affected arm (i.e. complete paralysis of the arm)
• multiple strokes / dementia / psychiatric condition
• botulinum toxin injections (to be evaluated)

HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS :

Inclusion Criteria:

- 18-90 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• neurological conditions interfering with the study
• drug/alcohol abuse
• pyschiatric condition