Examining How Motor Rehabilitation Promotes Brain Reorganization Following Stroke, an MRI Study

NCT ID: NCT01725919

Last Updated: 2025-08-03

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 31 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2012-07-31
• Study Completion Date: 2025-07-10

Brief Summary

Constraint-induced movement therapy (CI therapy) is a highly efficacious treatment for residual motor disability in chronic stroke. Its effectiveness is believed to be due, at least in part, to the therapy's ability to aid the brain in "rewiring itself." For example, CI therapy produces increases in the amount of grey matter (the parts of the brain where neuron cell bodies are most closely clustered) in certain areas of the human brain (Gauthier et al., 2008). The cellular and molecular mechanisms that are responsible for this increase in grey matter volume are not known, however. Thus, it is unclear how the therapy helps brains "rewire" themselves. This study aims to better understand the timecourse and cellular/molecular nature of brain changes during CI therapy. Because there is currently no way to directly measure cellular/molecular changes in the brain noninvasively, this study will infer what is happening on a microstructural level using new MRI techniques (three dimensional pictures of the brain). For example, by charting the timecourse of grey matter changes during CI therapy, and cross-comparing this to what is known about the timecourses of different cellular/molecular processes, the investigators can gain a greater understanding of what cellular processes may be responsible for increases in grey matter. The investigators will gain additional information about which cellular processes are important for rehabilitation-induced improvement by measuring larger-scale changes (e.g., amount of blood flow through different brain areas) that accompany cellular changes. The investigators are hopeful that by better understanding how CI therapy can change the brain, the effectiveness of rehabilitation can be improved upon. For example, insight into the mechanisms of rehabilitation-induced brain change may suggest particular drug targets to increase brain plasticity. This study will help us better understand how the brain repairs itself after injury.

Conditions

Stroke; Hemiparesis

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Immediate CI therapy

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

CI therapy

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

constraint induced movement therapy

Delayed CI therapy

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

CI therapy

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

constraint induced movement therapy

Interventions

CI therapy

constraint induced movement therapy

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Males or females 18 years of age and over
• Experienced a stroke resulting in mild to moderate hemiparesis (some residual motor function, e.g. able to pick up a washcloth placed flat on a table) at least 6 months prior to enrollment. Suggested active range of motion criteria for this level of impairment include: 45° shoulder abduction and flexion, 20° elbow extension, 20° wrist extension, and 10° extension of thumb and fingers.
• Preserved ability to comprehend and participate in basic elements of the therapy

Exclusion Criteria

• Concurrent participation in other experimental trials for treatment of motor dysfunction
• Having received botulinum toxin injection within the past 3 months
• Previous intensive rehabilitation in the chronic phase post-stroke
• Serious/uncontrolled medical problems (e.g., dementia, severe pain, end-stage or degenerative diseases)
• Kidney disease as evidenced by eGFR<60
• Anemia
• Sickle cell disease
• History of kidney transplant
• Other evidence/history of renal disease
• Pregnancy
• Implanted metallic parts of implanted electronic devices, including pacemakers, defibrillators, aneurism clip or implant medication pump that are MRI incompatible
• An implanted brain stimulator
• Permanent tattoo (e.g., eye liner) containing metallic coloring
• Claustrophobia precluding MRI

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Ohio State University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Yousef Hannawi

Assistant Professor- Neurology

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Yousef Hannawi, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Ohio State University

Locations

The Ohio State University

Columbus, Ohio, United States

Countries

United States

References

Rafiei MH, Kelly KM, Borstad AL, Adeli H, Gauthier LV. Predicting Improved Daily Use of the More Affected Arm Poststroke Following Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy. Phys Ther. 2019 Dec 16;99(12):1667-1678. doi: 10.1093/ptj/pzz121.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 31504952 (View on PubMed)

Kelly KM, Borstad AL, Kline D, Gauthier LV. Improved quality of life following constraint-induced movement therapy is associated with gains in arm use, but not motor improvement. Top Stroke Rehabil. 2018 Oct;25(7):467-474. doi: 10.1080/10749357.2018.1481605. Epub 2018 Sep 22.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 30246613 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

60034699

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id