Hemiparetic Stroke

This pilot study evaluates video therapy for lower limb motor recovery after stroke, an approach remains insufficiently documented. This single-center pilot study uses a Single-Case Experimental Design (SCED) to evaluate the effects of intensive video therapy combined with conventional rehabilitation in patients with subacute or chronic post-stroke hemiparesis. Twelve participants will be included and allocated to different baseline durations according to a multiple-baseline SCED design. The primary outcome is functional mobility, assessed using the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, measured repeatedly throughout baseline, intervention, and follow-up phases.

This pilot study evaluates video therapy for lower limb motor recovery after stroke, an approach remains insufficiently documented. This single-center pilot study uses a Single-Case Experimental Design (SCED) to evaluate the effects of intensive video therapy combined with conventional rehabilitation in patients with subacute or chronic post-stroke hemiparesis. Twelve participants will be included and allocated to different baseline durations according to a multiple-baseline SCED design. The primary outcome is functional mobility, assessed using the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, measured repeatedly throughout baseline, intervention, and follow-up phases.

Non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical technologies that augment routine clinical practice for brain diseases and manage chronic symptoms have advanced rapidly over the past two decades. Among these, non-invasive brain stimulation such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) promotes neuroplasticity in injured brains, with fewer side effects and risks than invasive, implanted approaches such as deep-brain stimulation. Stimulating the brain can improve its function and help with recovery after a stroke. It has been a challenge to do this non-invasively. This is because the brain is reshaped after a stroke, and thus, it is difficult to find the right places to stimulate from the outside. In previous research, investigators found that optimal type and target of tDCS varied among subjects. The goal of this pilot trial is to test the feasibility of combining individually optimized, targeted high-definition tDCS (THD-tDCS) with rehabilitation therapy. Investigators will include 16 chronic stroke subjects with their optimal stimulation setup, obtained from their previous research. The participants will be computer-randomized into two equal-sized groups to receive either optimal THD-tDCS or sham stimulation, together with rehabilitation therapy (modified constraint-induced movement therapy, mCIMT) for five sessions over two weeks. Outcome measures will be collected at the baseline and right after the final intervention session. The primary outcome measure will be the change in the FM-UE score from baseline to immediately post the final intervention to assess the immediate effect of the intervention on upper extremity motor impairment. The secondary outcome measure will be the Wolf Motor Function Test time score to evaluate the immediate effect on functional motor performance.

Mental imagery is a rehabilitation technique for stroke patients, involving the mental representation of movement. Recent technical advancements have enabled the use of visual, proprioceptive, and mixed feedback to enhance motor stimulation. Currently, all post-stroke patients receive these techniques indiscriminately. This study aims to demonstrate differences in the integration of visual and proprioceptive feedback in stroke patients and understand the determinants based on the affected brain area. Patients with motor disabilities will perform motor imagery tasks with various feedback types while their cortical activity is recorded using EEG. EEG data for each type of feedback will be correlated with the lesion area in order to better understand the ongoing mechanisms.