Visual and haptic verticality misperception and trunk control within 72 h after stroke

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Clinical Neurology

Background:

• Altered perception of verticality is common in stroke survivors.
• Limited research exists on early (within 72 hours) verticality perception post-stroke.
• The relationship between acute verticality perception and trunk control remains unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate visual and haptic verticality perception in the acute phase of stroke.
• To examine the correlation between verticality perception and trunk control in stroke patients.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study comparing 13 stroke patients and 12 healthy controls.
• Assessment of subjective visual vertical (SVV) and subjective haptic vertical (SHV).
• Measurement of trunk control using the Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS) and stroke severity via NIHSS.

Main Results:

• Stroke patients exhibited significantly greater deviation in SVV compared to controls.
• A negative correlation was found between SVV deviation (both true and absolute) and TIS scores.
• Positive correlations were observed between SVV deviation and NIHSS scores, and a negative correlation between NIHSS and TIS.

Conclusions:

• Acute stroke is associated with increased variability in visual verticality perception.
• Impaired verticality perception correlates with poorer trunk control and greater stroke severity.