Automated Constraint-Induced Therapy Extension (AutoCITE) for movement deficits after stroke

We report progress in the development of AutoCITE, a workstation that delivers the task practice component of upper-limb Constraint-Induced Movement therapy and that can potentially be used in the clinic or the home without the need for one-on-one supervision from a therapist. AutoCITE incorporates a computer and eight task devices arranged on a modified cabinet. Task performance is automatically recorded, and several types of feedback are provided. In preliminary testing, nine chronic stroke subjects with mild to moderate motor deficits practiced with AutoCITE for 3 h each weekday for 2 weeks. Subjects wore a padded mitt on the less-affected hand for a target of 90% of their waking hours. In terms of effect sizes, gains were large and significant on the Motor Activity Log, and moderate to large on the Wolf Motor Function Test. These gains were comparable to the gains of a matched group of 12 subjects who received standard Constraint-Induced Movement therapy.