HCFMUSP
Neurology
Adriana Conforto received a medical degree from the State University of Campinas (1994), did her Neurology residency at Hospital das ClĂ­nicas/Sao Paulo University (HCFMUSP, 1998), and fellowships at the National Institutes of Health , United States (2001) and at the University of Bern, Switzerland (2003). She received a PhD in Neurology at Sao Paulo University in 2005 and a Professor Degree in 2010. She is currently the head of the Cerebrovascular Diseases Group and the Neurostimulation Laboratory of the Neurology Clinical Division HCFMUSP, as well as Permanent Mentor of the Postgraduate Program of the Department of Neurology at Sao Paulo University. She is also a researcher at the Israeli Institute of Teaching and Research Albert Einstein.

Moderator of 1 Session

Session Type
Teaching Course
Date
29.10.2021, Friday
Session Time
08:00 - 09:30
Room
TEACHING COURSES
Session Icon
Live Session, Voting

Presenter of 2 Presentations

How is Research Funded

Session Type
Teaching Course
Date
29.10.2021, Friday
Session Time
08:00 - 09:30
Room
TEACHING COURSES
Lecture Time
08:00 - 08:20

REPETITIVE PERIPHERAL SENSORY STIMULATION AS AN ADD-ON INTERVENTION FOR UPPER LIMB REHABILITATION IN STROKE: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL

Session Type
Free Communication Session
Date
28.10.2021, Thursday
Session Time
10:00 - 11:30
Room
FREE COMMUNICATIONS A
Lecture Time
10:30 - 10:40

Abstract

Background and Aims

Repetitive peripheral sensory stimulation (RPSS) followed by 4-hour task-specific training improves upper limb motor function in subjects with stroke who experience moderate to severe motor upper limb impairments.

Here, we compared effects of RPSS versus sham followed by a shorter duration of training in subjects with moderate to severe motor impairments in the chronic phase after stroke.

Methods

In this single-center, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial, we compared effects of 18 sessions of either 1.5 hours of active RPSS or sham followed by a supervised session of 30-minutes of functional electrical stimulation (FES) and 45-minutes of task-specific training (TST) of the paretic upper limb. In both groups, subjects were instructed to perform functional tasks at home, without supervision. The primary outcome measure was the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) after six weeks of treatment. Grasp and pinch strength were secondary outcomes.

Results

In intention-to-treat analysis, WMFT improved significantly in both active and sham groups at 3 and 6 weeks of treatment. Grasp strength improved significantly in the active, but not in the sham group, at 3 and 6 weeks. Pinch strength improved significantly in both groups at 3 weeks, and only in the active group at 6 weeks.

Conclusions

RPSS enhanced hand strength in chronic stroke. Despite the short duration of supervised training (2.75 hours/session), changes in WMFT in both groups were comparable to those reported after longer, more intensive training protocols. These findings are relevant to settings that impose constraints in duration of direct contact between therapists and patients.

Hide