Advancing upper limb rehabilitation in perinatal and adult stroke: a combined behavioral and neuroimaging investigation

After stroke, somatosensory impairments in the upper limb have a strong impact on arm and hand movement, and everyday life. Changes in brain functional connectivity associated with these somatosensory impairments are rarely explored. We recently identified an increase in functional connectivity to be associated with improved sensorimotor function, after in-house developed therapy for adults. Building on this knowledge, this project comprises an international collaboration with prof. dr. L. Carey (AUS), dr. P. Lindberg (FR), dr. A. Bonkhoff (USA), prof. dr. N. Wenderoth (CH) and dr. M. Auld (AUS) to deliver further insights in this brain-behaviour relationship through a collaborative study. In addition, a novel therapy study in children will validate insights from adult stroke research into the child population, resulting in improved knowledge about underlying repair mechanisms with regard to somatosensory impairments and the reporting of biomarkers, predictors and effective therapy approaches across populations.

Keywords:somatosensory function, resting state functional connectivity, randomized controlled trial, adult stroke, pediatric stroke

Disciplines:Physiotherapy