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Event-related Potentials During Target-response Tasks to Study Cognitive Processes of Upper Limb Use in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy
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Event-related Potentials During Target-response Tasks to Study Cognitive Processes of Upper Limb Use in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy

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The use of functional electrical stimulation to improve upper limb function in children with hemiplegic cerebral

Luisa C Garzon1,2, Lauren Switzer2, Kristin E Musselman1,3,4

  • 1Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering
|June 14, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Multichannel-functional electrical stimulation (mFES) shows promise for improving grasp in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy, though recruitment challenges exist. Further research is needed to confirm effectiveness in a larger patient group.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Rehabilitation
  • Neuroscience
  • Biomedical Engineering

Background:

  • Children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy often struggle with grasping and object manipulation.
  • Multichannel-functional electrical stimulation (mFES) is a potential intervention to enhance upper limb function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the feasibility of using mFES to improve grasp and upper limb function in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy.
  • To gather data for designing a future clinical trial.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective pre-/post-test/follow-up study involving three children (aged 6-13 years).
  • mFES was applied to the affected upper limb for up to 48 sessions over 16 weeks.
  • Feasibility was evaluated by recruitment, adherence, safety, and comfort; effectiveness was measured using the Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test (Grasp domain) and other clinical outcomes.

Main Results:

  • High adherence and safety were observed, with mFES being well-tolerated.
  • Two out of three participants showed grasp improvement post-intervention, while one experienced deterioration.
  • Only one participant met the predefined success criteria for most outcome measures.

Conclusions:

  • Feasibility was largely met, with the exception of participant recruitment targets.
  • The effectiveness of mFES for improving grasp and upper limb function in this population was mixed.
  • A future study with a larger, more carefully selected sample using a case-comparison design is recommended.
Abstract

Keywords:
Electric stimulation therapyassistive technologyhemiplegiamotor disorderspediatricstrokeupper extremity

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