Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 22, 2025
07:30
Efficiently Recording the Eye-Hand Coordination to Incoordination Spectrum
Published on: March 21, 2019
8.0K
Assessing Impairments in Visuomotor Adaptation After Stroke
Robert T Moore1, Mark A Piitz1, Nishita Singh1
1Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair
|May 26, 2022
Summary
Individuals with stroke show impaired visuomotor adaptation, adapting less and needing more trials. This impairment, especially in the dominant arm, correlates with motor deficits and functional independence post-stroke.
Area of Science:
- Neurorehabilitation
- Motor Control
- Stroke Recovery
Background:
- Motor impairment is common after stroke, impacting arm function.
- Therapeutic interventions often rely on feedback for motor adaptation.
- Visuomotor adaptation in stroke survivors requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate visuomotor adaptation in individuals with sub-acute and chronic stroke.
- To examine the influence of the stroke-affected arm (dominant vs. non-dominant) on adaptation.
- To correlate adaptation abilities with clinical measures of motor impairment and functional independence.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed reaching movements using a robotic exoskeleton.
- A rotated visual feedback-to-movement relationship was introduced.
- Adaptation amount and trials required were measured.
Main Results:
- Stroke survivors (n=36) exhibited reduced adaptation and required more trials compared to controls (n=29).
- Dominant arm impairment led to greater deficits in adaptation than non-dominant arm impairment.
- 53% of stroke participants showed impaired visuomotor adaptation; correlations with motor impairment and function were observed.
Conclusions:
- Visuomotor adaptation is impaired following stroke, correlating with motor deficits and functional outcomes.
- Further longitudinal research is needed to link adaptation to therapy-induced recovery.
