Aiming Movement After Stroke: Do Time-Since-Injury and Impairment Severity Influence Ipsilateral Performance?
Flávia Priscila Paiva Vianna de Andrade1,2, Sandra Maria Sbeghen Ferreira de Freitas1, Vivian Farahte Giangiardi1,3
1Master's and Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy, Universidade Cidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Perceptual and Motor Skills
|July 13, 2023
Summary
Stroke recovery in upper limb aiming movement improves over time. More recent strokes result in poorer movement planning and execution, but performance approaches that of healthy individuals as time progresses.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Motor Control
Background:
- Stroke often leads to motor impairments, affecting upper limb function.
- Understanding the time course of motor recovery is crucial for effective rehabilitation strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of time since stroke on ipsilesional upper limb aiming movement.
- To assess the relationship between stroke recency and motor planning/execution abilities.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study comparing individuals 2-5 months post-stroke, >6 months post-stroke, and healthy controls.
- Evaluation of ipsilesional upper limb aiming movement using a stylus on a tablet.
- Assessment of contralateral upper limb impairment as a severity indicator.
Main Results:
- Individuals with more recent strokes exhibited poorer movement planning and execution.
- Time since stroke was significantly associated with ipsilesional aiming movement performance.
- Motor performance improved over time, approaching levels seen in healthy individuals.
Conclusions:
- Motor recovery in upper limb aiming movements is a time-dependent process after stroke.
- Early stroke stages are characterized by significant deficits in motor planning and execution.
- Longer recovery periods correlate with improved motor function, moving closer to normative levels.
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