Hyosok Lim1,2, Pooja C Iyer1,2, Cristian Luciano3, Sangeetha Madhavan1. 1. Brain Plasticity Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. 2. Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. 3. Mixed Reality Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Cortical priming is an emerging strategy to enhance motor recovery after stroke, however, limited information exists on the neuromodulatory effects of lower limb movement-based priming to facilitate corticomotor excitability after stroke. In this study, we investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of game-based ankle movement priming using the DIG-I-PRIME™ on corticomotor excitability and motor performance in chronic stroke survivors. METHODS: Nineteen stroke survivors participated in a 20-min session of game-based priming. A period of rest served as a control for the priming condition. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to measure corticomotor excitability of the paretic and non-paretic tibialis anterior (TA) muscle representations. Motor performance was quantified by assessing the accuracy to track a sinusoidal target wave with paretic dorsiflexion and plantarflexion. RESULTS: Ipsilesional corticomotor excitability increased by 25% after game-based movement priming (p = 0.02) while changes were not observed after the control condition. No change in motor performance was noted. CONCLUSION: Game-based ankle movement priming demonstrated a significant acute priming effect on the ipsilesional lower limb M1. These data provide preliminary evidence for the potential benefits of game-based priming to promote functional recovery after stroke.
OBJECTIVE: Cortical priming is an emerging strategy to enhance motor recovery after stroke, however, limited information exists on the neuromodulatory effects of lower limb movement-based priming to facilitate corticomotor excitability after stroke. In this study, we investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of game-based ankle movement priming using the DIG-I-PRIME™ on corticomotor excitability and motor performance in chronic stroke survivors. METHODS: Nineteen stroke survivors participated in a 20-min session of game-based priming. A period of rest served as a control for the priming condition. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to measure corticomotor excitability of the paretic and non-paretic tibialis anterior (TA) muscle representations. Motor performance was quantified by assessing the accuracy to track a sinusoidal target wave with paretic dorsiflexion and plantarflexion. RESULTS: Ipsilesional corticomotor excitability increased by 25% after game-based movement priming (p = 0.02) while changes were not observed after the control condition. No change in motor performance was noted. CONCLUSION: Game-based ankle movement priming demonstrated a significant acute priming effect on the ipsilesional lower limb M1. These data provide preliminary evidence for the potential benefits of game-based priming to promote functional recovery after stroke.
Entities:
Keywords:
Transcranial magnetic stimulation; ankle; cortical priming; gait; gamification; stroke