Overview
The purpose of this research is to determine if functional muscle stimulation, directed by electroencephalogram (EEG) output, can increase the extent of stroke recovery on behavioral measures and induce brain plasticity as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants will include stroke patients with upper-limb hemiparesis and can expect to be on study for approximately 4 months.
Description
Ongoing research (NCT02098265) suggests that noninvasive EEG driven Brain Computer Interface (BCI) systems hold the potential for facilitating recovery in the chronic phase after stroke by synchronizing central or brain activity with peripheral movements and thereby harnessing brain plasticity.
The specific aims of this study are:
Aim 1: To investigate the efficacy of active FES vs. passive FES, as measured by changes in behavioral measures. The investigators hypothesize that improvements in motor function will be significantly greater using the active FES therapy than the passive FES therapy.
Aim 2: To investigate the relationship between brain functional activation patterns and behavior changes induced by active vs. passive FES intervention. The investigators hypothesize that changes induced by active FES (as measured by brain fMRI and EEG measures) will show greater adaptive brain reorganization changes (i.e. brain changes that correlate with improved outcomes) than that induced by the passive FES.
Aim 3: To investigate the relationship between brain white matter integrity and behavior changes induced by active vs. passive FES intervention. The investigators hypothesize that changes induced by active FES (as measured by brain DTI measures) will show greater adaptive brain reorganization changes (i.e. brain changes that correlate with improved outcomes) than that induced by the passive FES.