Clinical trials

The purpose of this study is to evaluate and compare sensory discrimination ability for electrotactile stimulation among young adults, older adults, and patients with stroke. Participants will receive non-invasive electrotactile stimulation through electrodes attached to the skin of the upper limb, such as the fingertip, palm, elbow, or shoulder, depending on the stimulation condition. The study will assess discrimination thresholds for changes in stimulation frequency, stimulation amplitude, and temporal gaps in stimulation, together with task accuracy and reaction time. The results are expected to provide foundational data for sensory assessment, electrotactile feedback design, and sensory-based rehabilitation technologies for older adults and stroke patients.

The investigators aim to develop sensory transformation and augmentation technologies that minimize the impact of proprioceptive errors, thereby significantly enhancing motor learning and rehabilitation of the upper limbs. This study is designed to test proprioceptive error compensation techniques in stroke patients. The human nervous system often receives mismatched information from vision and proprioception during upper limb control, resulting in conflicting sensory inputs that limit the effectiveness of motor learning. In other words, real-time sensory feedback - a critical component of motor learning in the nervous system - is not reliably delivered. Therefore, this study seeks to resolve sensory conflicts by providing additional sensory information through electrical stimulation, with the goal of dramatically improving the effectiveness of motor learning.