Observational Study on Motor Recovery After Stroke
This observational study, called "Motor rECovery witH eArly imagiNg In STroke," aims to understand how the brain recovers after a stroke, specifically focusing on movement difficulties. Researchers will study changes in your brain's motor pathways (the connections that control movement) and how these changes relate to your ability to move your arm and hand. They hope to find early signs using brain imaging that can predict how movement problems, like abnormal flexion synergy (a type of muscle stiffness), develop. You may be able to join if you are between 18 and 85 years old and have experienced a stroke affecting the middle cerebral artery with specific motor deficits. The study will track changes in your brain's structure and movement over six months. The current status of this study is unclear.
- Study design
- This is an observational study that plans to enroll 120 participants. It is not testing a specific intervention or drug.
- What's involved
- You would undergo neuroimaging (brain scans) and quantitative motor testing (measurements of your movement) within 96 hours, 2 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after your stroke.
- Compensation
- Not stated in the trial record.
- Follow-up
- Participants will be followed for 6 months after their stroke, with assessments at 48-96 hours, 2 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months.
AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.
Motor rECovery witH eArly imagiNg In STroke
At a glance
Conditions
NCT04165616
Where you'd take part
This study runs at 3 sites. They're the same protocol — you choose where, and that choice sets who your contact draft is addressed to.
Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences
Chicago, Illinoisno site contact published
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Chicago, Illinoisno site contact published
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Chicago, Illinoisno site contact published
Sites open and close at different times, so the status above is per site — it can differ from the study's overall status.
Study leadership
- Julius PA Dewald, PT, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · Northwestern University
Who to contact
This trial hasn't published a contact. View it on ClinicalTrials.gov
What this trial measures
- Change in fractional anisotropyChange in fractional anisotropy will be modeled over 4 time points (48-96 hours-, 2 weeks-, 3 months-, and 6 months post-stroke).
Fractional anisotropy is a quantitative measure of fiber density, axonal diameter, and myelination in the corticofugal, corticoreticulospinal, and corticorubrospinal tracts derived from the diffusion tensor imaging dataset.
- Change in complexityChange in complexity will be modeled over 4 time points (48-96 hours-, 2 weeks-, 3 months-, and 6 months post-stroke).
Complexity (alpha) is an index of the non-Gaussian diffusion dynamics within the corticofugal, corticoreticulospinal, and corticorubrospinal tracts derived from the diffusion tensor imaging dataset.
- Change in mean diffusivityChange in mean diffusivity will be modeled over 4 time points (48-96 hours-, 2 weeks-, 3 months-, and 6 months post-stroke).
Mean diffusivity is a measure of neural tract integrity quantifying the rotationally invariant magnitude of water diffusion within neural tissue defined by the 3-dimensional diffusion tensor.
- Change in radial diffusivityChange in radial diffusivity will be modeled over 4 time points (48-96 hours-, 2 weeks-, 3 months-, and 6 months post-stroke).
Radial diffusivity is a measure of neural membrane integrity quantifying the average of the two small-axis values of water diffusion within neural tissue defined by the 3-dimensional diffusion tensor.
- Change in axial diffusivityChange in axial diffusivity will be modeled over 4 time points (48-96 hours-, 2 weeks-, 3 months-, and 6 months post-stroke).
Axial diffusivity is a measure of neural tract direction quantifying the long-axis value of water diffusion within neural tissue defined by the 3-dimensional diffusion tensor.
- Change in maximum reaching distanceChange in maximum reaching distance will be modeled over 4 time points (48-96 hours-, 2 weeks-, 3 months-, and 6 months post-stroke).
Quantitative evaluation of reaching accounting for the expression of both flexion synergy and weakness by calculating distance from reaching kinematics data during ballistic outward reaches against various abduction loads.
- Change in maximum hand apertureChange in maximum hand aperture will be modeled over 4 time points (48-96 hours-, 2 weeks-, 3 months-, and 6 months post-stroke).
Quantitative evaluation of hand opening accounting for the expression of both flexion synergy and weakness by calculating the area of a pentagon formed by the finger tips from hand kinematics data obtained at various abduction loads.
- Change in maximum grasp forceChange in maximum grasp force will be modeled over 4 time points (48-96 hours-, 2 weeks-, 3 months-, and 6 months post-stroke).
Quantitative evaluation of hand closing accounting for the expression of both flexion synergy and weakness by calculating the mean surface grasp force of the hand at various abduction loads.
- Predictive capacity of diffusor tensor imaging (DTI) for 6-month reaching and hand performanceChanges in structural morphology from 48 hours to 2-weeks post-stroke will be evaluated as early predictors for the 6-month reaching and hand performance outcomes including ROC curve analysis.
Changes in structural morphology measured acutely will be evaluated as early predictors for chronic reaching and hand performance. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis will be used to evaluate the discrimination potential of each acute imaging measure in predicting chronic moderate versus severe motor impairment for each of the reaching and hand performance measures.
- Relationship between DTI and quantitative motor testingRelationships between metrics will be modeled over 4 time points (48-96 hours-, 2 weeks-, 3 months-, and 6 months post-stroke).
The relationship between each structural morphology metric and each quantitative motor testing metric will be evaluated.