Quantification of index tapping regularity after stroke with tri-axial accelerometry

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Understanding motor deficits after stroke is crucial for effective rehabilitation.
• Quantifying intrinsic movement components offers insights into post-stroke motor impairments.
• Finger dexterity is often affected, impacting daily activities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the ability of stroke patients to tap their fingers in rhythm with auditory cues.
• To assess finger-tapping regularity as a measure of motor deficits post-stroke.
• To validate a novel accelerometry-based method for measuring tapping regularity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized tri-axial accelerometry to measure tapping regularity (Regularity Index).
• Auditory-cued index-to-thumb tapping at 1.25 Hz was performed by 20 chronic stroke patients and 20 healthy controls.
• Clinical measures, including the European Stroke Scale (ESS) and index-thumb tap maximum (IT-Max), were recorded for validation.

Main Results:

• No significant effect of age or hand used on tapping regularity was observed in control subjects.
• Stroke patients exhibited significantly worse tapping regularity in their affected hand compared to their unaffected hand and age-matched controls.
• The Regularity Index showed significant correlations with both the ESS and IT-Max, supporting its clinical validity.

Conclusions:

• The developed method effectively quantifies finger-tapping regularity, demonstrating validity.
• Stroke survivors experience a deficit in synchronizing finger movements with auditory cues.
• Quantifying tapping regularity may offer new perspectives on the mechanisms of finger dexterity recovery after stroke.