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Quantitative Assessment of Motor Neglect
Monica N Toba1,2, Chiara Pagliari3, Marco Rabuffetti3
1Sorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, France (M.N.T., R.M., P.B.).
Stroke
|March 4, 2021
Summary
Differential actigraphy objectively quantifies motor neglect, a condition where patients mimic paralysis. This novel method uses accelerometers to measure upper limb activity, aiding in diagnosis and rehabilitation tracking for neurological patients.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Motor neglect is a challenging condition to diagnose due to its subjective assessment based on spontaneous motor behavior.
- Current diagnostic methods for motor neglect lack objectivity and quantitative measures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and validate differential actigraphy as a novel, objective method for quantifying motor neglect.
- To establish a quantitative measure for assessing upper limb motricity in neurological patients.
Main Methods:
- Utilized wristwatch-like accelerometers to record spontaneous upper limb motor activity over 24 hours.
- Developed automated offline computation of motor behavior asymmetries.
- Established cutoff scores for left/right motor asymmetry based on normal participant data.
Main Results:
- Differential actigraphy identified contralesional motor neglect in 9 out of 35 stroke patients, aligning with clinical evaluations.
- One additional patient showed borderline scores, indicating potential motor neglect.
- Variable lesion locations in a subgroup suggested motor neglect is a heterogeneous condition.
Conclusions:
- Differential actigraphy offers an ecological and objective measure of spontaneous motor behavior.
- This method provides quantitative assessment of upper limb motricity.
- It presents a cost-effective and automated approach for monitoring neurological patients and evaluating rehabilitation outcomes.
