Sensorimotor Impairment Affecting the Upper Limb

Parallel-group, single-blinded controlled clinical trial. The study includes people aged 18-80 years, more than one month after stroke, with confirmed diagnosis, MoCA ≥ 20, and Barthel Index ≥ 3. The control group receives standard rehabilitation. The experimental group also receives active sensory training with programmable electrical stimulation to simulate virtual textures. Sensory function was assessed before and after the training using standard tests, including Fugl-Meyer, ARAT, 9HPT, and monofilament testing.

This study will be conducted at a single research center, the main objective of the study will be to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and accuracy of a medical device that has not yet been commercialized; therefore, it is still under development or testing and is not yet available for private use and is not for profit (nonprofit). Fifty participants will be recruited from subjects afferent to the outpatient and inpatient neuro-motor rehabilitation clinics of IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi in Florence, Italy, and afferent to the outpatient and inpatient rehabilitation clinics of Elias University Emergency Hospital in Bucharest, Romania. In detail, it is deemed necessary to collect clinical and instrumental data. The study will be conducted by an interdisciplinary team composed of healthcare professionals and engineers afferent to the Department of Industrial Engineering. Should you decide to participate in the study, a visit to verify the inclusion and exclusion criteria will be primarily conducted. Once the admission criteria have been verified, participants will undergo a series of assessments. The first, involves the administration of some specific sections of the Fugl-Meyer scale (FMA), focusing on the upper extremities. Specifically, the following will be examined: section A for general upper limb function, section B assessing wrist mobility, and finally section D for limb coordination and speed. During this phase, both upper limbs will be assessed, in addition, the first examiner will carefully place sensors on the participants and assign scores to the tests performed, according to the criteria established by the FMA scale. Next, a second assessment (T1) will be conducted, in which a second examiner will be responsible for placing the sensors and recording data only on the most affected side. At a third time, called "T2" and again with at least 15 minutes interval from T1, the first examiner will repeat the same assessments performed in "T1." While performing these assessments, a RealSense camera will be used.