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

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

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

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

They will practice several tasks on the robot REAplan® (bimanual version), requiring either movements with the affected arm (unimanual tasks) or 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, ...).

Hand/digits motor function will be also evaluated with the kinetic device DexTrain®.

STROKE PATIENTS:

Inclusion Criteria:

• having a chronic cerebellar stroke (>6 months)
• aged 18-90 years
• with a demonstrated stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic) 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

HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS:

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18-90 years

Exclusion Criteria:

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